cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Don't miss preconception care opportunities for adolescents

PURPOSE:: To examine pregnant adolescents' desire for pregnancy and determine whether there were opportunities for preconception care for pregnant adolescents with desired pregnancies. STUDY DESIGN:: Retrospective chart review in a federally funded, urban adolescent care clinic. Medical records for 108 pregnant women under the age of 19 were the sample. A logistic regression model was developed to determine whether desiring pregnancy was associated with a lack of clinic visits before conception. For those adolescents who desired pregnancy and did have previous visits, preconception risks were identified. RESULTS:: Of the 33% of adolescents who responded that their pregnancy was desired now or sooner, 18.5% arrived at the clinic already pregnant with no previous care, whereas 81.5% had at least one previous visit at this clinic. Those who desired pregnancy and did have previous visits had a multitude of risk factors present that could have been addressed with preconception counseling (including smoking, drugs, interpersonal violence, and weight issues). The majority of these adolescents had not desired a pregnancy at the time of pregnancy diagnosis; 57.4% of those had one or more documented visits at the clinic before receiving a pregnancy diagnosis. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS:: Nurses who provide care to adolescents have an opportunity to discuss future pregnancies and to use healthcare visits to teach about preconception health. Teaching adolescents who both express a desire for pregnancy and those who do not express such a desire is an important part of comprehensive nursing care. Teens require thorough teaching about healthcare risks such as smoking cessation, body weight control, interpersonal violence, and the need for folic acid. Adolescents should be prime recipients of preconception education at every healthcare visit. Language: en
More intrinsically knotted graphs

We demonstrate four intrinsically knotted graphs that do not contain each other, nor any previously known intrinsically knotted graph, as a minor. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 54: 115–124, 2007
The immunopathology of M cells.

Mucosal epithelia have two functions, which at first glance seem at variance with each other — maintenance of a barrier and uptake of antigens. The M cell is a unique solution to this problem. However, it also provides many mucosal and systemic pathogens with a convenient portal of invasion, and may also be the point of uptake of detrimental antigens, such as carcinogens and those that induce autoimmune disease. Much remains unknown about the functions of M cells and the precise nature of their interactions with pathogens. Determinants of pathogen tropism for M cells, in particular anatomic sites, must be elucidated before we can proceed to the task of modulating M cell antigenic uptake to enhance absorption and presentation of vaccines and to reduce systemic penetration of allergens and pathogenic microorganisms. Research in this area would be considerably advanced by the development of techniques to induce and maintain differentiated M cells in vitro, and the production of monoclonal antibodies specific for cells of this lineage. Irrespective of these gaps in our current knowledge, it has become increasingly apparent that the M cell may be of paramount importance in the initiation of colonization by many, if not all, important human and animal mucosal pathogens.
An intrauterine insemination-ready cryopreservation method compared with sperm recovery after conventional freezing and post-thaw processing.

Objective: To test a sucrose-glycerol cryoprotectant for IUI-ready sperm preparation. Design: Semen aliquots from normozoospermic donors either were subjected to conventional semen freezing (TES and Tris yolk buffer in 7.4% final glycerol) with post-thaw processing or were preprocessed and frozen in HEPES-buffered human tubal fluid with 1% human serum albumin, 4% sucrose, and 6% glycerol. All aliquots were cooled to 4°C, exposed to liquid nitrogen vapors, and stored in liquid nitrogen. Aliquots from each were processed by centrifugation resuspension or by centrifugation in Percoll (Pharmacia, Alameda, CA) before sperm parameters were analyzed. Setting: University-based andrology laboratory. Main Outcome Measure(s): Recovery of motile sperm. Result(s): Percoll processing produced preparations with higher percentages of motile cells; however, cryopreserved sperm had a lower recovery of motile sperm compared with Percoll-processed fresh semen or centrifugation/resuspension-processed fresh or frozen samples. The percentages of sperm with normal morphologies were significantly increased in the IUI-ready samples compared with samples frozen conventionally. The IUI-ready Percoll-processed sample produced the best results, with a final mean motility of 36% and an overall yield of motile sperm of 17.4%. Conclusion(s): The sucrose-glycerol-based cryoprotectant produced an IUI-ready preparation with motile sperm recovery comparable to that of conventional semen cryopreservation but with improved percent morphology.
Characterization and Use of a 1.3–1.5 THz Multiplier Chain for Molecular Spectroscopy

Modular fixed-tuned wide-bandwidth multiplier sources for THz generation have enabled and greatly simplified high sensitivity molecular spectroscopic measurements. However, the multiplied sources must be carefully characterized. Characterization requires band-wide measurements of power levels and harmonic content, as well as understanding any spurious behavior. Also, simple bias schemes, and acceptable input power levels that eliminate spurious behavior, support long term reliability, and result in repeatable performance are critical in spectroscopic applications. The fully characterized source may then be useful for both narrow-band high sensitivity integrations, or for band-wide surveys. Coupling the source with various gas-handling systems enables valuable new spectroscopic measurements that improve upon techniques such as Tunable Far-Infrared spectroscopy, Laser-sideband spectroscopy, and photomixer based spectroscopy.
Anti-agreement, anti-locality and minimality. The syntax of dislocated subjects

Anti-agreement is the phenomenon whereby the morphosyntactic form of subject/verb agreement is sensitive to whether or not an agreeing subject has been locally extracted. This paper argues that, together with an anti-locality constraint on movement (Grohmann, 2003) which prohibits overly local movement as elaborated in (i–v), the occurrence of a canonically left dislocated subject in anti-agreement languages accounts for all syntax peculiar to the phenomenon in the Bantu language of Kinande: (i) subjects can extract long-distance even across islands; (ii) subjects are locally unextractable if the canonical subject/verb agreement occurs; (iii) local subject extraction requires a change in subject/verb agreement morphology; (iv) objects cannot locally extract even if they appear to do so; and (v) objects can extract long-distance; however, they are sensitive to islands. Evidence comes from an analysis of the distribution of nominal expressions in the language as well as in-depth examination of two different wh-question formation strategies in the language. This study also reveals that the last resort strategy in a language is relativized to what is first resort: if resumption is first resort, movement is last resort, and vice versa.
A joint framework for collaborative and content filtering

This paper proposes a novel, unified, and systematic approach to combine collaborative and content-based filtering for ranking and user preference prediction. The framework incorporates all available information by coupling together multiple learning problems and using a suitable kernel or similarity function between user-item pairs. We propose and evaluate an on-line algorithm (JRank)that generalizes perceptron learning using this framework and shows significant improvement over other approaches.
Genetically Engineered Mouse Models of Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is the 10th most common cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Despite great effort, the prognosis for patients with this disease remains dismal with a 5-year survival rate of just 4% to 6%. Although several important advances have improved our understanding of the underlying biology of pancreatic cancer, this knowledge has not translated into novel therapeutic approaches and effective systemic or targeted therapies. Pancreatic cancer is one of the malignancies most difficult to treat, with remarkable intrinsic resistance to both standard and targeted chemotherapy as well as ionizing radiation. Surgical intervention remains the only potentially curative approach. However, most patients present with inoperable and/or metastatic disease and are therefore excluded from surgery. Accordingly, new therapeutic options are desperately needed. In vivo models to study innovative and alternative treatment approaches are of major importance. A variety of genetically engineered mouse models of pancreatic cancer have been developed over the last decade. However, these models display different characteristics, and not all of them are suited for preclinical studies. In this review, we aim to review the mouse models available, their experimental use, their clinical relevance and limitations, and future directions.
Orientation by Pigeons: Is the Sun Necessary?

Although most recent hypotheses of pigeon homing have assigned an essential role to the sun, there has been some evidence suggesting that the sun is not essential. Two series of releases were designed to examine the question more carefully. Birds whose internal clocks had been shifted 6 hours were used in the critical tests. Under sun, the vanishing bearings of the clock-shifted birds were deflected in the direction predicted by a hypothesis of use of the sun as a simple compass. By contrast, under total overcast the bearings of both the clock-shifted and the control birds were homeward oriented and there was no difference between them, even at a release site the birds could never have seen previously. Therefore it is concluded that the sun is used as a compass when it is available, but that the pigeon navigation system contains sufficient redundancy to make accurate orientation possible in the absence of both the sun and familiar landmarks; the orientational cues used under such conditions do not require time compensation. This conclusion is in complete disagreement with the Matthews sun-arc hypothesis of pigeon navigation, and it makes necessary a major reformulation (at the very least) of the other principal hypothesis, that of Kramer.
Treatment of antibiotic-associated Clostridium difficile colitis with oral vancomycin: Comparison of two dosage regimens

PURPOSE: High-dose (500 mg orally four times daily) vancomycin is considered by many investigators to be the most effective treatment for antibiotic-associated Clostridium difficile colitis. However, a lower dosage of 125 or 150 mg given three or four times a day has become popular, has been shown to be effective, and is less expensive than the highdose regimen. We therefore decided to compare two vancomycin dosage regimens in a randomized trial. PATIENTSANDMETHODS: Thestudyinvolved46 hospitalized patients with serious underlying diseases complicated by C. difficile diarrhea or colitis. Patients were assigned (according to a table of random numbers) to treatment with either 125 or 500 mg of vancomycin orally four times daily for an average of 10 days. RESULTS: No significant differences in measurable responses to the two regimens were noted. There were no treatment failures. The mean duration of diarrhea after initiation of therapy was about four days, and almost all patients had no diarrhea after one week. The organism continued to be demonstrated in the stools of about 50 percent of patients for the first few weeks after completion of therapy, and nine (20 percent) patients developed a recurrence of their diarrhea1 illness. Vancomycin was well tolerated by all patients.
Effect of Fuel Composition on Emissions From a Low-Swirl Burner

Lean Premixed Combustion (LPM) is a widely used approach to effectively reduce pollutant emissions in advanced gas turbines. Most LPM combustion systems employ the swirling flow with a bluff body at the center to stabilize the flame. The flow recirculation region established downstream of the bluff-body brings combustion products in contact with fresh reactants to sustain the reactions. However, such systems are prone to combustion oscillations and flame flashback, especially if high hydrogen containing fuels are used. Low-Swirl Injector (LSI) is an innovative approach, whereby a freely propagating LPM flame is stabilized in a diverging flow field surrounded by a weakly-swirling flow. The LSI is devoid of the flow recirculation region in the reaction zone. In the present study, emissions measurements are reported for a LSI operated on mixtures of methane (CH4 ), hydrogen (H2 ), and carbon monoxide (CO) to simulate H2 synthetic gas produced by coal gasification. For a fixed adiabatic flame temperature and air flow rate, CH4 content of the fuel in atmospheric pressure experiments is varied from 100% to 50% (by volume) with the remainder of the fuel containing equal amounts of CO and H2 . For each test case, the CO and nitric oxide (NOx) emissions are measured axially at the combustor center and radially at several axial locations. Results show that the LSI provides stable flame for a range of operating conditions and fuel mixtures. The emissions are relatively insensitive to the fuel composition within the operational range of the present experiments.
Active suspensions and their nonlinear models

Abstract Active suspensions, such as suspensions of self-propelled microorganisms and related synthetic microswimmers, are known to undergo complex dynamics and pattern formation as a result of hydrodynamic interactions. In this review, we summarize recent efforts to model these systems using continuum kinetic theories. We first derive a basic kinetic model for a suspension of self-propelled rodlike particles and discuss its stability and nonlinear dynamics. We then present extensions of this model to analyze the effective rheology of active suspensions in external flows, the effect of steric interactions in concentrated systems, and the dynamics of chemotactically responsive suspensions in chemical fields.
Distinguishing between models for large-transverse-momentum processes by a measurement of Jet-associated baryon number

We propose that a measurement of the number of protons and antiprotons in the hemisphere opposite a large transverse momentum proton can distinguish between two important models for large transverse momentum processes. The Parton Jet Model (PJM), where the underlying mechanism is assumed to be quark-quark scattering, is characterized by a surplus of protons over antiprotons in the jet opposite the detected proton, while the Constituent Interchange Model (CIM) predicts that the jet opposite the trigger proton be populated on the average by more antiprotons than protons. (Submitted to Phys. Rev. ) * Work supported by the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission.
The penetration of the spermatozoon through the sea urchin egg surface at fertilization: Observations from the outside on whole eggs and from the inside on isolated surfaces

Abstract The external and cytoplasmic surfaces of the sea urchin egg at fertilization have been examined with the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The outside events were documented by glueing eggs to polylysine coated glass plates, adding sperm and fixing rapidly. To reveal the inner aspects of the surface as the sperm travels through it to reach the egg cytoplasm, the fertilized egg surface was isolated in 0.3 M KC1, 0.35 M glycine, 2 mM MgCl 2 , 2 mM EGTA, pH 7.5, glued onto a polylysine-coated plate and processed for the SEM. The events of spermatozoon attachment, membrane fusion, sperm entry, rotation and detachment into the egg cytoplasm as well as the associated cortical changes are described. The egg cortex is revealed to be a uniform network of fibrous bundles. The spermatozoon initially attaches to the egg surface by the acrosomal filament. As membrane fusion occurs between the gametes, the plasma membrane of the egg engulfs the sperm, the cortical granules start to discharge and a spreading surface deformation, possibly caused by a cortical contraction, is initiated. The perpendicularly entering spermatozoon is surrounded by a cluster of elongate microvilli which appear to have 235 nm vesicles associated with their bases. The sperm is prevented by the cortex from directly entering the egg cytoplasm and lies upon the egg surface between the plasma membrane and the matrix of cortical fibers. It is subsequently rotated additionally to enter the egg cytoplasm with the posterior end first. A scar is left in the cortex where the spermatozoon penetrated. The egg cortex is shown to consist of 50–200 nm uniformly arranged fibers, and its thickness ranges from 0.2 to 0.5 μm. It is speculated that this structure may be contractile.
Congenital absence of teeth: a review with emphasis on inheritance patterns

Several inherited multisystem dysplasia syndromes are described; congenital partial anodontia unassociated with overt general body symptoms is considered with regard to frequency, location, and sexual differentiation; and current concepts on inheritance patterns are examined for both the generalized dysplasia and specific partial anodontia models. Congenital absence of teeth is a heritable phenomenon probably most often passed to each generation by an autosomal dominant pattern with incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity. Correlation of hypodontia with systemic disease leads to the hypothesis that this frequent dental anomaly may in some cases be a microform of systemic ectodermal dysplasia.
Ultrasonic radiation forces for elasticity imaging of 3-D tissue models

A novel ultrasonic elasticity imaging technique is being developed to study structural properties of hydropolymers including biological tissues. Radiation force is applied to harmonically stress the medium while ultrasonic Doppler and optical methods track deformation. This paper delineates basic system design and describes methods for pressure-field calibration using an acoustic radiometer, this extends to applying a radiation force to the media to remotely exert a locally oscillating stress field at the desired frequency within or on the medium surface. We use a single-element, spherically-focused, circular piston element driven by a pulsing voltage to produce a vibrating stress. Spectral Doppler techniques were successfully adapted to image the locally induced vibration. Our system delivers acoustic energy locally with an intensity matched to the acoustic attenuation and stiffness of the common biopolymers matrigel and chitosan.
Effects of Temporary Feed Deprivation on Performance of Yearling Hens

Abstract Four treatment groups each of 200 hens 72 weeks old were randomly selected from a randombred white Leghorn population. Treatment groups were deprived of feed for 0 (control), 2, 4, and 6 days during the 1st week of the 25-week experiment. Hens in Treatments 2, 4, and 6 had an immediate temporary decline in egg production, but their normal rate of lay was resumed after week 5 of the experiment. Losses in egg production during fasting and recovery were compensated for by higher rates of lay during the last 15 weeks of the experiment. Body and egg weights and mortality were unaffected by treatments; however, egg specific gravity was adversely affected at week 10 in treatments where egg production continued during feed deprivation.
Exploration of Coulomb explosion dynamics through excited vibrational states of molecules

This work is partially supported by the Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Office of Science, U. S. Department of Energy, and by the National Science Foundation. We acknowledge the Kansas Center for Advanced Scientific Computing for the support of supercomputer time
The ATM kinase signaling induced by the low-energy β-particles emitted by 33 P is essential for the suppression of chromosome aberrations and is greater than that induced by the energetic β- particles emitted by 32 P

Ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) encodes a nuclear serine/threonine protein kinase whose activity is increased in cells exposed to low doses of ionizing radiation (IR). Here we examine ATM kinase activation in cells exposed to either (32)P- or (33)P-orthophosphate under conditions typically employed in metabolic labelling experiments. We calculate that the absorbed dose of IR delivered to a 5cm×5cm monolayer of cells incubated in 2ml media containing 1mCi of the high-energy (1.70MeV) β-particle emitter (32)P-orthophosphate for 30min is ∼1Gy IR. The absorbed dose of IR following an otherwise identical exposure to the low-energy (0.24MeV) β-particle emitter (33)P-orthophosphate is ∼0.18Gy IR. We show that low-energy β-particles emitted by (33)P induce a greater number of ionizing radiation-induced foci (IRIF) and greater ATM kinase signaling than energetic β-particles emitted by (32)P. Hence, we demonstrate that it is inappropriate to use (33)P-orthophosphate as a negative control for (32)P-orthophosphate in experiments investigating DNA damage responses to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Significantly, we show that ATM accumulates in the chromatin fraction when ATM kinase activity is inhibited during exposure to either radionuclide. Finally, we also show that chromosome aberrations accumulate in cells when ATM kinase activity is inhibited during exposure to ∼0.36Gy β-particles emitted by (33)P. We therefore propose that direct cellular exposure to (33)P-orthophosphate is an excellent means to induce and label the IR-induced, ATM kinase-dependent phosphoproteome.
Effects of deformation on lift and power efficiency in a hovering motion of a chord-wise flexible wing

Abstract To understand the effects of flexibility on aerodynamic force, the lattice Boltzmann flexible particle method (LBFPM) is employed to simulate deformation and its relationship with inertial and elastic forces in a flapping motion of a chord-wise flexible wing in a three-dimensional space at a hovering Reynolds number of Re = 136 . The rigidity EI and effective inertia Π0 are systematically varied, and lift, drag, deformation and power efficiency are computed and compared. It is found that both the rotational and translational inertia contribute to the deflection limited by flexural rigidity and result in a large angular and translation velocities, which generate a large intensity of vorticity and benefit lift and power efficiency. It is revealed that a “mirrored S” or “S” shaped deflection due to the rotational inertia plays a more positive role than the deflection caused by the translational inertia.
Scattering of longitudinal and transverse waves by a sub-surface crack

The scattering of time-harmonic longitudinal and transverse waves by a two-dimensional sub-surface crack, which is perpendicular to the free surface of an elastic half-space, is investigated. The boundary-value problem for the scattered field is reduced to an uncoupled system of singular integral equations, which are solved numerically. At large distances from the crack the scattered field is shown to consist of outgoing Rayleigh and cylindrical body waves, and expressions for the time averaged power flux in the latter are given. Graphs of the variation of these quantities with the frequency and the angle of observation are presented for the case of a body wave incident at 45° to the surface. These results are compared to the corresponding results for a surface-breaking crack. Some reciprocity relations, between the scattered far-fields generated by different incident waves, which provide a check on the analysis, are examined.
Secure distributed DNS

A correctly working domain name system (DNS) is essential for the Internet. Due to its significance and because of deficiencies in its current design, the DNS is vulnerable to a wide range of attacks. This paper presents the design and implementation of a secure distributed name service on the level of a DNS zone. Our service is able to provide fault tolerance and security even in the presence of a fraction of corrupted name servers, avoiding any single point of failure. It further solves the problem of storing zone secrets online without leaking them to a corrupted server, while still supporting secure dynamic updates. Our service uses state-machine replication and threshold cryptography. We present results from experiments performed using a prototype implementation on the Internet in realistic setups. The results show that our design achieves the required assurances while servicing the most frequent requests in reasonable time.
Structural Insights into Microtubule Function

▪ Abstract Microtubules are polymers that are essential for, among other functions, cell transport and cell division in all eukaryotes. The regulation of the microtubule system includes transcription of different tubulin isotypes, folding of α/β-tubulin heterodimers, post-translation modification of tubulin, and nucleotide-based microtubule dynamics, as well as interaction with numerous microtubule-associated proteins that are themselves regulated. The result is the precise temporal and spatial pattern of microtubules that is observed throughout the cell cycle. The recent high-resolution analysis of the structure of tubulin and the microtubule has brought new insight to the study of microtubule function and regulation, as well as the mode of action of antimitotic drugs that disrupt normal microtubule behavior. The combination of structural, genetic, biochemical, and biophysical data should soon give us a fuller understanding of the exquisite details in the regulation of the microtubule cytoskeleton.
Stability and optimality of distributed model predictive control

This article extends existing concepts in linear model predictive control (MPC) to a unified, theoretical framework for distributed MPC with guaranteed nominal stability and performance properties. Centralized MPC is largely viewed as impractical, inflexible and unsuitable for control of large, networked systems. Incorporation of the proposed distributed regulator provides a means of achieving optimal systemwide control performance (centralized) while essentially operating in a decentralized manner. The distributed regulators work iteratively and cooperatively towards achieving a common, systemwide control objective. An attractive attribute of the proposed MPC algorithm is that all intermediate iterates are feasible and the resulting distributed MPC controllers stabilize the nominal closed-loop system. These two features allow the practitioner to terminate the distributed control algorithm at the end of each sampling interval, even if convergence is not attained. Distributed MPC with output feedback is addressed using the well established Kalman filtering framework for state estimation.
Globalization and growth in emerging markets

Not long ago, everyone was talking about the New Economy. Recent events — notably the global economic slowdown and a possible impending war — have crowded out discussions of the new economy. To be sure, some of the rosy scenarios portrayed at the time — most notably, that the new economy portended the end of the business cycle — seem curiously dated. Indeed, in terms of the gap between the economies potential and its actual performance, the current downturn is not only serious, it is prolonged. The current downturn is being widely described as the first global downturn of the new era of globalization, with Europe, Japan, and the U.S. all in slumps, and with truly serious ramifications for many of the emerging markets of the world. A few countries, including China, India, Korea, and Vietnam have been spared, and, as I shall comment later, this is no accident. But even as the global slowdown has set in, productivity growth, especially in the U.S., has remained robust, a two edged sword: with the economy’s output limited by aggregate demand, it has meant that unemployment has increased faster than it might otherwise. Even in its hey-day, the New Economy raised a question: if the New Economy meant an increased pace of growth in the developed world, if the developing countries could not take advantage of the new economy, then there would be increasing disparities in income. Rather than the convergence that was predicted
Escherichia coli F1Fo-ATP synthase with a b/δ fusion protein allows analysis of the function of the individual b subunits.

The “stator stalk” of F1Fo-ATP synthase is essential for rotational catalysis as it connects the nonrotating portions of the enzyme. In Escherichia coli, the stator stalk consists of two (identical) b subunits and the δ subunit. In mycobacteria, one of the b subunits and the δ subunit are replaced by a b/δ fusion protein; the remaining b subunit is of the shorter b′ type. In the present study, it is shown that it is possible to generate a functional E. coli ATP synthase containing a b/δ fusion protein. This construct allowed the analysis of the roles of the individual b subunits. The full-length b subunit (which in this case is covalently linked to δ in the fusion protein) is responsible for connecting the stalk to the catalytic F1 subcomplex. It is not required for interaction with the membrane-embedded Fo subcomplex, as its transmembrane helix can be removed. Attachment to Fo is the function of the other b subunit which in turn has only a minor (if any at all) role in binding to δ. Also in E. coli the second b subunit can be shortened to a b′ type.
TSLP elicits IL-33–independent innate lymphoid cell responses to promote skin inflammation

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are a recently identified family of heterogeneous immune cells that can be divided into three groups based on their differential developmental requirements and expression of effector cytokines. Among these, group 2 ILCs produce the type 2 cytokines interleukin-5 (IL-5) and IL-13 and promote type 2 inflammation in the lung and intestine. However, whether group 2 ILCs reside in the skin and contribute to skin inflammation has not been characterized. We identify a population of skin-resident group 2 ILCs present in healthy human skin that are enriched in lesional human skin from atopic dermatitis (AD) patients. Group 2 ILCs were also found in normal murine skin and were critical for the development of inflammation in a murine model of AD-like disease. Remarkably, in contrast to group 2 ILC responses in the intestine and lung, which are critically regulated by IL-33 and IL-25, group 2 ILC responses in the skin and skin-draining lymph nodes were independent of these canonical cytokines but were critically dependent on thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP). Collectively, these results demonstrate an essential role for IL-33- and IL-25-independent group 2 ILCs in promoting skin inflammation.
THE BURDEN OF HYPERTENSION: MENTAL REPRESENTATIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN

A qualitative study using focus groups to explore African American women's mental representations of hypertension was conducted with 47 participants. The ability of participants to select and perform rational procedures for threat management also was explored. Leventhal's Self-Regulation Process Model was used to guide the development of the study. African American women (mean age 50.11 years) were recruited from community settings to participate in focus groups. Transcripts from the focus groups were coded and analyzed using comparative analysis. Four themes were generated from the women's mental representations: (1) Vulnerability and Inevitability, (2) Biobehavioral Assaults, (3) Barriers to Effective Management, and (4) Culturally Relevant Remedies. Hypertension was perceived as a significant disease threat; causality was associated with risk factors interacting within the context of psychological stress. Acquiring a clear perspective of how African American women perceive hypertension and their ability to reduce risk factors can assist in developing a model for stimulating the use of health promotive behavior.
Acquiring the meaning of free relative clauses and plural definite descriptions

Plural definite descriptions (e.g. the things on the plate) and free relative clauses (e.g. what is on the plate) have been argued to share the same semantic properties, despite their syntactic differences. Specifically, both have been argued to be nonquantificational expressions referring to the maximal element of a given set (e.g. the set of things on the contextually salient plate). We provide experimental support for this semantic analysis with the first reported simultaneous investigation of children’s interpretation of both constructions, highlighting how experimental methods can inform semantic theory. A Truth-Value Judgment task and an Act-Out task show that children know that the two constructions differ from quantificational nominals (e.g. all the things on the plate) very early on (4 years old). Children also acquire the adult interpretation of both constructions at the same time, around 6‐7 years old. This happens despite major differences in the frequency of these constructions, according to our corpus study of children’s linguistic input. We discuss possible causes for this late emergence. We also argue that our experimental findings contribute to the recent theoretical debate on the correct semantic analysis of free relatives.
Computing the configuration space for a convex robot on hypercube multiprocessors

Computing the configuration space obstacles is an important problem in spatial planning for robotics applications. In this paper we present a parallel algorithm for computing the configuration space obstacles by using hypercube multiprocessors. The digitized images of the obstacles and the robot are stored in an N/spl times/N image plane. An algorithm for handling robots whose shapes are arbitrary convex polygons was presented. Our algorithms take O(logN) time and O(I) space which is asymptotically optimal for hypercube computers.
An FPGA Implementation of Explicit-State Model Checking

We present PHAST, a pipelined hardware accelerated explicit-state model checker. The algorithms and methodologies used to perform the state checking in PHAST are based on the Mur? verifier, developed at Stanford University. Mur? has been used to verify hardware and protocols, cache coherency protocols in particular. Mur? is used in industry due to its success in finding errors in real designs. Until now, Mur? and other model checkers have been solely performed in software. PHAST takes advantage of the flexible memory architecture on FPGA chips and the inherent concurrency available in hardware designs to accelerate model checking. Using PHAST in simulation, we achieved over 200× application speedup over Mur? on an example of a counter.
Permutation representations of left quasigroups

The concept of a permutation representation has recently been extended from groups to quasigroups. Following a suggestion of Walter Taylor, the concept is now further extended to left quasigroups. The paper surveys the current state of the theory, giving new proofs where necessary to cover the general case of left quasigroups. Both the Burnside Lemma and the Burnside algebra appear in this new context.
The young diabetic: panel discussion

Moderator White: The most important age periods in the management of the juvenile diabetic patient are infancy and adolescence. Some physicians dread the management of diabetes when the patient is under five years of age. The condition sometimes seems difficult to handle and it places extreme strain on the morale of the patients. Dr. Guest, what is your advice in regard to the diabetic infant? Dr. Guest: In my opinion diabetic infants are not necessarily more difficult to manage than older children. I should say that the age of adolescence is a much more difficult period than that of infancy, but then of course, other problems are involved. As most of you know, I recommend the so-called “free-diet-glycosuric” regime which is a subject of continuing debate. (See editorials in Diabetes: 1:487–89, Nov.-Dec. 1952.) In our clinic we have eighteen diabetic infants with onset of diabetes under the age of two years. Of these, eight were under one year of age when symptoms were first recognized. The youngest started glycosuria at nine days of age. The diagnosis was made by the astute mother because she had another diabetic child then aged one and onehalf years. When she noted the new infant was passing a lot of urine, she tested it and found sugar. On admission to the hospital, the baby9s blood sugar was 350 mg. per 100 cc. The urinalysis showed 3-plus glycosuria but no ketonuria. During twenty-four hours we determined the blood sugar every two hours and found it fluctuating between 300 and 500. Because there was no ketonuria, we felt that a period of observation before starting insulin would do no harm. After that brief period of observation the baby was given an initial dose of three units of protamine zinc insulin. During the next twenty-four hours the blood sugar fell progressively (determined at two-hour intervals) to 150 and then 100. Again, three units of protamine zinc insulin kept the blood sugar within normal range. (Let me stress the necessity for microchemical methods for following blood chemical changes in infants, whether diabetic or nondiabetic.) The baby was sent home on the fifth day, receiving two units of protamine zinc insulin daily. He was breast fed for ten months, on a demand schedule, with the dosage of protamine zinc varying from one to three units daily and solid foods offered at usual ages. (Please note that breast feeding is the ultimate in “free diet”, while it lasts!) That child is now seven years of age and has not suffered any illness that required hospitalization. His urine is rarely free of sugar, but excessive glycosuria with polyuria is likewise rare. Transient ketonuria has occurred occasionally during intercurrent infections, but has always cleared up promptly with the administration of extra doses of quick-acting insulin. The insulin requirement increased slowly with age and increasing body weight, from five units a day at one year of age, to thirty-five units (globin insulin) a day at the present time.
The Language of Phishing, Pharming, and Other Internet Fraud-Metaphorically Speaking

The language we use to talk about a thing or phenomenon influences how we perceive of it as a social entity or construction and, in turn, how we use it. In order to make sense of the Internet environment as well as diverse Internet crimes (such as social engineering, phishing, pharming, etc.), metaphors are used as a means to describe the unfamiliar in terms of the familiar. In that capacity, they are ever-present, offering structure and powerful images of that thing or phenomenon. Davidson (cited in Coyne 1995 p. 262)[1] refers to metaphor groupings as untrue statements that are not lies, and Cooper (1997)[2] states that metaphors, by their power of extension, have the ability to trap the unwary by promoting faulty logic. This paper will look at the Internet crime of identity theft from both an internet and non-internet perspective and will include the fraudulent acts of Phishing and Pharming as examples of metaphor dispersion. It will explore these Internet phenomena in terms of their appropriateness or in- appropriateness as metaphors.
Influence of curing agent concentration and curing temperatures on the thermostability of styrene--acrylonitrile--acrylamide--trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate copolymer systems

Thermogravimetric (TGA) and infrared (IR) analyses were used to determine the thermal stability of a polymer system consisting of styrene--acrylonitrile--acrylamide--trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate. This study indicates that increases in curing temperature and the use of two initiators with different activities decreases the percentages of unreacted monomers. This increases the thermal stability of the polymer. To prove this, dynamic and isothermal TGA were used. The change in typical functional groups found by IR spectra also confirms this observation. 7 figures, 2 tables.
Numerical study of chiral properties of the wire helix

The authors investigate a wire helix with a view to determining its parameters for maximum chirality. The first step to determining the geometrical parameters of the wire helix that result in optimal equivalent dipoles is to use method of moments to determine the current distribution on the wire helix. The equivalent electric and magnetic dipoles are determined from the current distribution. The equivalent electric dipole is calculated by differentiating the current, which is expanded in triangular basis functions, and performing a summation over the product of the charge and the distance from the origin to the linear wire segments of the discretized helix. To calculate the dipole, the triangular current pulses are approximated by rectangles that are one-half in width but equal in area, thus simplifying the calculation of the cross product of the distance from the origin to the wire segment with the current. The result of the summation of the cross products yields the magnetic dipole, which is maximum for optimal clarity. >
Proteases in hormone production and metabolism.

The physiologic effect of a hormone is governed by its bioavailability to receptors on the target organ. Chertow (1) has suggested that proteases can potentially regulate hormone availability by 1) intracellular conversion of precursor hormones to active hormones, 2) degradation of hormone in the cell prior to secretion, 3) facilitation of release of hormone from the cell, 4) activation or inactivation of the hormone in the circulation, and 5) degradation of hormone in target tissue. These regulatory mechanisms particularly apply to polypeptide hormones and enzymes, which are produced as larger molecular weight precursors and subsequently converted by limited proteolysis to their secreted forms.
A two step incoherent signal subspace averaging to mitigate multipath due to propeller scattering

A two-step incoherent signal subspace averaging technique is applied to locate the sonobuoy in the presence of a highly coherent environment generated by the scattering of the sonobuoy signals from the aircraft propellers. The proposed technique is based on the assumption that accurate modeling of the scattering modulation effects of the propellers is available. This information gives insights into the relative contributions of the direct and multipath components to the signal subspace. The first step of the proposed technique amounts to modifying the MUSIC spectrum by projecting a weighted sum of steering vectors onto the noise subspace. The second step is to perform incoherent subspace averaging across the sonobuoy frequency channels. We show that significant improvement is achieved using the proposed technique over the case of applying noise subspace eigenstructure methods.
Determination of Bedrock Depth from Falling Weight Deflectometer Data

The accuracy of falling weight deflectometer (FWD) back-calculated moduli depends heavily on knowledge of bedrock depth. The bedrock depth can be obtained from coring, boring, and seismic refraction tests, but these operations are not practical. Determining the bedrock depth from FWD data is the easiest and least expensive way. This paper documents the effects of bedrock depth on FWD responses and makes comparisons between predicted bedrock depth and field measurements. Modified algorithms that better fit the field measurements are proposed. It was found that bedrock depth has a great influence on outer FWD sensor (r3 to r6) readings. Deeper bedrock resulted in a higher percentage of increase in r3 to r6 readings in response to increased load. When the r4 reading is less than 25.4 μm for any drop height, it is very likely that the bedrock is within 1.52 m of the surface. The time-deflection history patterns were drastically different between shallow and deep bedrock. When there is no free oscillation afte...
The potential for improving remote primary productivity estimates through subsurface chlorophyll and irradiance measurement

A 26-year record of depth integrated primary productivity (PP) in the Southern California Current System (SCCS) is analyzed with the goal of improving satellite net primary productivity (PP) estimates. Modest improvements in PP model performance are achieved by tuning existing algorithms for the SCCS, particularly by parameterizing carbon fixation rate in the vertically generalized production model as a function of surface chlorophyll concentration and distance from shore. Much larger improvements are enabled by improving the accuracy of subsurface chlorophyll and light profiles. In a simple vertically resolved production model for the SCCS (VRPM-SC), substitution of in situ surface data for remote sensing estimates offers only marginal improvements in model r 2 (from 0.54 to 0.56) and total log 10 root mean squared difference (from 0.22 to 0.21), while inclusion of in situ chlorophyll and light profiles improves these metrics to 0.77 and 0.15, respectively. Autonomous underwater gliders, capable of measuring subsurface properties on long-term, long-range deployments, significantly improve PP model fidelity in the SCCS. We suggest their use (and that of other autonomous profilers such as Argo floats) in conjunction with satellites as a way forward for large-scale improvements in PP estimation.
δ18O, δD and 3H measurements constrain groundwater recharge patterns in an upland fractured bedrock aquifer, Vermont, USA

Stable isotope ratios, measured in groundwater samples, reflect the effects of evapotranspiration on bedrock recharge and flow patterns in a 10.5 km 2 upland mountainous watershed in northwestern Vermont. Precipitation and groundwater samples (na 619) were collected weekly over a 1.5 year period. Precipitation d 18 O ranges yearly over ,25 per mil (‰), and decreases 2.5‰ for every 1000 m of elevation gain, reflecting seasonal and altitudinal temperature changes. d D values are well correlated with d 18 O and plot close to the Meteoric Water Line, indicating no evaporation effects. In the colder months (late November to early April), groundwater d 18 O composition varies by as much as 4.3‰ in response to precipitation events, indicating rapid local recharge to the bedrock. In the warmer months (late April to early November), variation in groundwater d 18 O is smaller (within 0.4‰) at the lower elevations in the watershed, reflecting a reduction of infiltration to the bedrock. However, at higher elevations (above 800 m asl), groundwater d 18 O continues to respond to precipitation events due to the sparse vegetative cover and colder temperatures that result in lower evapotranspiration rates. Tritium concentrations in groundwater range from 6.7 to 26.7 TU, indicating that groundwater residence times may vary from less than 1 year to in excess of 30 years. q 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
A Culturally Focused Wellness Intervention for American Indian Women of a Small Southwest Community: Associations With Alcohol Use, Abstinence Self-Efficacy, Symptoms of Depression, and Self-Esteem

Abstract Purpose. This study examined the influence of a culturally focused wellness intervention on alcohol consumption, alcohol abstinence self-efficacy, depression, and self-esteem among women of a small American Indian community in the southwestern United States. Participation in two intervention approaches was compared: a curriculum-based health promotion–only approach and health promotion combined with cognitive-behavioral skills building (CBSB). Design. The wellness intervention was tested in a prospective, randomized, two-group design with repeated measures. There was no control group. Setting. An American Indian community in the Southwest. Subjects. American Indian women, ages 18 to 50 (N = 268). Intervention. A 10-session culturally focused curriculum-based health promotion intervention, with a CBSB component, was developed using a community-based participatory research process. Comparisons were made between those who attended the health promotion plus CBSB intervention and those who attended ...