cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Human behavioral detection and data cleaning in assisted living environment using wireless sensor networks

Due to the increasing number of the elderly, more and more people need to have additional health care such as medical or environmental monitoring information at home or nursing facility. Most elderly people are likely to have a sudden behavioral changes due to their aging or existing health problems. Therefore, it is necessary to have an autonomous system that can monitor them in order to prevent emergent situation in advance. In this paper, we present a wireless sensor network system that can recognize human behavioral patterns of the elderly who lives alone. We model episodes that are series of events for a person who lives in an one-bedroom apartment. We propose data cleaning techniques in both sensor and base station sides for the erroneous environment of wireless sensor networks. Based on these techniques, we try to extract discrete events as close as possible to effective events. We introduce non-real time analysis to recognize human behavioral patterns on the centralized system, which can be further extended to a real-time analysis. We also adopt an existing search technique to apply it to detect similar or abnormal behavior. We experiment the proposed system by gathering behavioral pattern data from the miniature one-bedroom apartment that is equipped with SunSPOTs in our HERACLEIA Laboratory. We look up the resulting episodes from our experiment in the dictionary that is a set of predetermined episodes using the suggested algorithm.
The Development of Foster Care Privatization Policy in Florida: An Application of Kingdon's Policy Development Model

This study focused on the context surrounding the development of Florida's foster care privatization policy. Using a retrospective case study method, documents regarding the development of Florida's foster care privatization policy were collected and analyzed. Results suggest that the policy evolved in a manner consistent with Kingdon's (1984) policy development model, which incorporates factors in the political, problem, and policy domains. Alignment of opportunities in these domains set the stage for this policy's adoption. These findings build on those found in the research literature and provide a base for further research on the topic of child welfare policy change.
X-ray Crystal Structure of Trans-UO2(N(SiMe3)2)2(THF)2: One in a Series of Uranyl(VI) Complexes Supported by Bis(trimethylsilyl)amido Ligands

The title compound trans-UO2(N(SiMe3)2)2(THF)2 (1) was synthesized and characterized by X-ray crystallography. The complex crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c (#15) with lattice parameters a = 16.0771(5) A, b = 13.1196(4) A, c = 16.9391(6) A, β = 116.853(1)°, V = 3187.61(18) A3, Z = 4, D calc = 1.532 g cm-3. The six-coordinate uranium(VI) center adopts an all-trans octahedral geometry consisting of mutually trans oxo groups, silylamido ligands, and neutral THF donors. Structural comparisons of this uranyl(VI) bis(amido) complex with a related tris(amido) derivative within the series are made based on symmetry, charge, and coordination number. The X-ray crystal structure of the title complex is reported, providing comparisons based on symmetry, charge, and coordination number with a related uranyl(VI) amido derivative within this series.
BAYESIAN NONPARAMETRIC APPROACH TO CREDIBILITY MODELLING

Current methods in credibility theory often rely on parametric models, e.g., a linear function of past experience. During the last decade, the existence of high speed computers and statistical software packages allowed the introduction of more sophisticated and flexible modelling strategies. In recent years, some of these techniques, which made use of the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach to modelling, have been incorporated in credibility theory. However, very few of these methods made use of additional covariate information related to risk, or collection of risks; and at the same time account for the correlated structure in the data. In this paper, we consider a Bayesian nonparametric approach to the problem of risk modelling. The model incorporates past and present observations related to risk, as well as relevant covariate information. This Bayesian modelling is carried out by sampling from a multivariate Gaussian prior, where the covariance structure is based on a thin-plate spline. The model uses the MCMC technique to compute the predictive distribution of future claims based on available data.
Personal Multifunctional Chemical Analysis Systems for Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory Curricula

This report offers a comparison of two personal multifunctional chemical analysis (MCA) systems: Pasco’s SPARK Science Learning System and Vernier’s LabQuest system.
Extension of food allergen specific IgE ranges from the ImmunoCAP to the IMMULITE systems

Background Quantitative measures of food specific IgE antibody using the Phadia ImmunoCAP method have documented value in the diagnosis of food allergy. Objective To define factors that could be used to relate IMMULITE-measured IgE antibody levels for chicken egg white, cow's milk, and peanut into ImmunoCAP-comparable quantities that could then be correlated with published levels that have been generated with the ImmunoCAP system. Methods Serum samples from 328 patients (median age, 5.4 years; age range, 1–18 years; 32% female) who were known to be IgE positive (>0.1 kU/L) to chicken egg white (n = 120), cow's milk (n = 135), and/or peanut (n = 304) were analyzed in both the ImmunoCAP and IMMULITE autoanalyzers. Results IgE antibody levels from both assays for each of the 3 food specificities were highly correlated: r 2 = 0.95 for egg white, r 2 = 0.93 for milk, and r 2 = 0.95 for peanut ( P Conclusion These data indicate that specific IgE levels to egg white, milk, and peanut measured by the IMMULITE and ImmunoCAP systems are highly correlated and that differences between the systems are circumscribed and modest (IMMULITE was a mean of 2- to 5-fold higher than ImmunoCAP).
On Alienation from the Built Environment

If “environment” means “that which environs us,” it isn’t clear why environmentalist thinkers so often identify it with nature and not with the built environment that a quick glance around would reveal is what we’re actually environed by. It’s a familiar claim that we’re “alienated from nature,” but I argue that what we’re really alienated from is the built environment itself. Typically talk of alienation from nature involves the claim that we fail to acknowledge nature’s otherness, but the built environment is just as other from us as the natural one. And just as we are said to fail to recognize the role of nature as the origin of everything with which we have to do in the world, so too we fail to recognize the role of socially organized human labor in the objects that surround us. Overcoming alienation would require acknowledging the builtness and the sociality of the world we inhabit.
Effect of the stratified ocean of the core upon the Chandler wobble

Abstract It is supposed that a stably stratified layer exists at the top of the fluid core; we call it the stratified ocean of the core (SOC). The assumed model of the SOC has a sharp density drop at the boundary with the bulk of the core, and a uniform internal density gradient. The influence of the SOC upon the Chandler wobble is considered. It is shown that the action of Archimedean buoyancy forces in the SOC creates inside this layer an additional fluid velocity of order of (CH/2σ)vτ. Here CH is the relative density deficit in the SOC, vτ is the velocity associated with the Chandler wobble without the SOC, and σ∼1/400 is the frequency of the Chandler wobble measured in cycles per day. The effect of the SOC on the Chandler wobble is small: it increases the wobble period by ∼0.1 day, and its contribution to the dissipation of the wobble energy is about six orders of magnitude smaller than the observed dissipation. A change of seismic velocity in the SOC due to the greater concentration of the light admixture is discussed. A comparison of the conditions in the SOC with the conditions at the inner core boundary shows that the extra amount of the light fluid in the layer increases the seismic velocity; therefore, the SOC is a high-velocity layer.
Feasibility of prison-based overdose prevention education and prescribed naloxone at release

the relativemerits of this designover anon-adaptiveparallel-group design. Methods: In an ongoing randomized clinical trial, cocaine dependent subjects (target N=125) receive citalopram 20mg, 40mg, or placebo in double-blind fashion. An interim analysis planned at 50% of data-gathering will drop or “prune” the active medication dose that is performing least well. Results: Monte Carlo simulation scenarios were set up to consider a variety of pruning rules for detecting a clinicallymeaningful effect (“benefit”) based on longest number of consecutive cocainenegative urines. Results suggested that a dose condition be retained if there is >90% posterior probability of benefit, defined as risk ratio >1.5. If no effect meets retention criteria, the best performing dose condition would be retained. Under simulated scenarios the adaptive design allocatedmore subjects to themore promising treatment conditions, i.e., appropriate “pruning”, compared to the fixed (non-adaptive) design. Conclusions: Simulation results give clear information for dropping ineffective doses without undermining the validity and integrity of the trial. Interim analysis of accumulated trial data will be presented at the meeting. Financial support: NIDA Grants P50 DA009262, Project 3 (Schmitz).
Sulfur storage in Neurospora: Soluble sulfur pools of several developmental stages

Abstract The soluble sulfur pool of wild-type Neurospora was examined in extracts from mycelia, conidia, and ascospores. The soluble sulfur pools of the regulatory mutants cys -3 and scon c , and of several cysteineless mutants, were also studied. While the sulfur pool of mycelia is complex, the conidial sulfur pool contains only a few specialized components, including choline- O -sulfate and cysteine. A third component of the conidial pool, also found in mycelia has been shown to contain adenine, guanine, ribose, phosphate, cysteine, and homocysteine. Cys -3 and the other cysteine-less mutants, which are unable to utilize exogenous choline- O -sulfate, were found to contain normal levels of this compound in their conidia. The sulfur pool in conidia of scon c was characterized by normal proportions of each of the components, but the size of the total sulfur pool was significantly altered in this strain. Ascospores were found to contain only choline- O -sulfate (80%) and cysteine (20%) in their soluble sulfur pool, but the presence of some insoluble sulfur storage compound was suggested by an increase in the total size of the soluble sulfur pool observed during spore germination.
Design and modeling of optical modules for use in the “Emerald Forest” algae photobioreactors

Abstract As part of the “Emerald Forest” concept proposed in previous work by the authors (Teymour, Al-Hallaj, Eltayeb, & Khalil, 2009), photobioreactors for large-scale algae production are developed. Optical waveguides are used to overcome light limitations, and to maximize light collection and optimize light distribution. The finite volume discrete ordinates (FVDO) method is used to model light transport efficiency by different designs of waveguides that can be used to transport light, or change its direction and intensity, as a first step in the design of an efficient waveguide-based algae photobioreactor.
Conflicts Associated with Recreational Shooting on the Pawnee National Grassland

This study explored conflicts associated with recreational shooting on the USDA Forest Service's Pawnee National Grassland (PNG). Data were obtained from interviews with 21 individuals representing 5 of the principle user groups affected by shooting. Analyses revealed multiple conflicts (i.e., interpersonal and social values conflicts) associated with shooting. Ranchers, for example, reported both interpersonal and social values conflicts with recreational shooters. Conflict on the PNG was best described by combining goal interference and social values theoretical frameworks. Results allowed managers to identify differences and commonalities among stakeholders as well as build a foundation for a collaborative planning process that included all identified stakeholders.
The Relative Efficiency of Certain Schema in the Solution of a Poisson Equation.

Abstract Three relaxation schema are applied to Poisson equations with known solutions. It is found that the schema using larger stencils are not only, as might he expected, significantly more accurate, but also significantly more efficient, as measured both by number of scans required and by machine time consumed.
Synthesis and partial characterization of (silica)rhodium dihydrides: a new catalyst for olefin hydrogenation

The synthesis, characterization, and catalytic activity toward olefin hydrogenation of (silica)rhodium dihydrides is described.
A joint monitoring scheme for automatically controlled processes

It has been proposed to integrate statistical process control techniques with Automatic Process Control (APC) or engineering process control schemes to ensure continuous quality improvement. The data streams collected from an APC-controlled process have been shown to be critically dependent on the process settings. This paper proposes a univariate approach which combines the information provided by both the process output and input control actions based on a uniformly most powerful test. The proposed control chart can be customized to be sensitive to large or small shifts in a linearly-controlled process with an optimal efficiency in either transient or steady-state conditions. The presented numerical study is restricted to consider only APC-controlled stationary disturbances.
Measurement in quantum mechanics, and the EPR paradox

The problem of measurement in quantum mechanics was recognized very early to be qualitatively different from the corresponding problem in classical physics, Thus, yon Neumann (yon Neumann, 1932) devoted a whole chapter to this problem and in the forty odd years since, any number of authors have expressed their own views (D'Espagnat, 1971). It is probably reasonable to classify the various theories of measurement into four genera:
A Statistical Study of the Relations of Neurasthenic, Dyspeptic, and Allergic Symptoms

Resume Puisque les examens cliniques des individus nevrosiques montrent bien des symptomes de l'allergie et de la dypepsie, on a fait le projet de decouvrir statistiquement les relations entre les conditions allergiques et dyspeptiques et la nevrosie. Donc on a prepare une liste de 160 symptomes de ces trois syndromes et l'a presentee a 800 etudiants en forme de questionnaire. Ensuite on a fait une intercorrelation des groupes de symptomes et des relations positives et signifiantes se sont montrees. Les correlations suivants, corrigees pour l'attenuation, sont les plus importantes: entre la nevrosie et les maladies gastro-intestinales, 0,65; entre les symptomes nevrosiques et allergiques, 0,45; et entre les symptomes allergiques et gastro-intestinaux, 0,65. Le coefficient de coherence de ces groupes de symptomes, mesure au moyen de correler les points pairs avec les impairs, a ete de 0,88 pour la nevrosie, de 0,67 pour la dyspepsie, et de 0,70 pour les symptomes de l'allergie. On suppose que ces relations...
Trait anxiety influences on judgments of frequency and recall

Individuals high in trait anxiety believe that they are more at risk for a variety of threatening events. Subjective probability estimates of risk presumably rely on frequency-of-occurrence information in memory. This study sought to compare individuals differing in the trait of anxiety on frequency estimates and recall. Neutral and threatening words were presented varying numbers of times. An interaction between trait anxiety and word type indicated that individuals with high trait anxiety estimated greater frequencies for threatening words than did individuals with low trait anxiety. There were no differences between the groups in subsequent recall. Higher false recognitions of threatening words by high trait anxious participants suggested the use of a different decision strategy or greater activation and covert rehearsal of threat.
Hydrogen-induced cracking in 4340-type steel: Effects of composition, yield strength, and H2 pressure

Measurements of the threshold stress intensity for hydrogen-induced crack extension,Kth at room temperature were made on bolt-loaded WOL specimens of a commercial 4340 steel and of laboratory heats in which the bulk concentrations of manganese, silicon, phosphorus, and sulfur were varied. The hydrogen pressure was varied from 200 to 1600 torr (~0.03 to 0.22 MPa), and the yield strengths were varied from ~170 to 270 ksi (~1200 to 1900 MPa). Measurements ofKIc in air were also made as a function of composition and yield strength. Significant differences betweenKIc in air andKth in H2 were found only in steels containing added Mn or Si; these elements are believed to promote segregation of phosphorus and sulfur to austenite grain boundaries. TheKth values were uniquely related to the percentage of intergranular fracture and also to a parameter containing the calculated maximum hydrogen concentration and the bulk concentrations of manganese, silicon, phosphorus, and sulfur. In a high purity steel free of manganese and silicon theKth was lower thanKIc only at yield strengths greater than 200 ksi (1400 MPa). The results are consistent with an additive reduction in cohesive strength by hydrogen and metalloid impurities. It is shown that theKth depends on hydrogen fugacity, yield strength, and grain boundary purity(i.e., cohesive strength).
Effective Estimation of Node-to-Node Correspondence Between Different Graphs

In this work, we propose a novel method for accurately estimating the node-to-node correspondence between two graphs. Given two graphs and their pairwise node similarity scores, our goal is to quantitatively measure the overall similarity–or the correspondence–between nodes that belong to different graphs. The proposed method is based on a Markov random walk model that performs a simultaneous random walk on two graphs. Unlike previous random walk models, the proposed random walker examines the neighboring nodes at each step and adjusts its mode of random walk, where it can switch between a simultaneous walk on both graphs and an individual walk on one of the two graphs. Based on extensive simulation results, we demonstrate that our random walk model yields better node correspondence scores that can more accurately identify nodes and edges that are conserved across graphs.
A tabulation of the doppler integrals Ψ(x, t) and Φ(x, t)

Abstract The doppler integrals Ψ(x, t) and Φ(x, t) have been calculated over a wide range of arguments, t=0 to 10 000 and x=0 to 20 t with an accuracy better than 0.2 per cent. The results for Ψ(x, t) are compared with other published and unpublished calculations and errors in the old calculations are brought to notice.
Impaired systemic ventricular relaxation affects postoperative short-term outcome in Fontan patients

Abstract Objectives Systemic ventricular end-diastolic pressure has been used as a predictor of outcome in patients undergoing the Fontan operation. However, this index only evaluates late diastolic function and does not assess active ventricular relaxation during the phase of early diastole, a key component of systemic venous pathway flow. This study sought to examine whether impaired preoperative systemic ventricular relaxation, expressed as the time constant of isovolumic relaxation (tau), affects short-term postoperative outcome in Fontan patients. Methods All patients who underwent Fontan operation between May 1998 and November 2001 were enrolled. Tau was calculated from digitized preoperative systemic ventricular pressure tracings. Standard preoperative invasive indices were also recorded and analyzed. These independent variables were then entered into a multiple stepwise regression model, with length of intensive care unit stay, length of hospital stay, and prolonged pleural effusion as outcome variables. Results Twenty-seven patients fulfilled inclusion criteria. Systemic left ventricle predominated, and all patients had undergone prior staged palliation. Extracardiac Fontan was the commonest operative technique. Of the independent variables examined, tau was the only statistically significant predictor of length of intensive care unit stay ( P P = .002). None of the independent variables predicted pleural effusion greater than 10 days. Conclusions Tau was the only significant preoperative invasive predictor of short-term outcome in the Fontan patients. This illustrates the importance of systemic ventricular relaxation and highlights the need for a more comprehensive assessment of diastolic function before the Fontan operation.
Assessing wastewater metal toxicity with bacterial bioluminescence in a bench-scale wastewater treatment system.

Abstract The effectiveness of a previously developed toxicity monitoring method for activated sludge wastewater treatment employing a bioluminescent bacterium (Shk1) was evaluated in batch experiments and a bench-scale activated sludge system exposed to heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Ni, and Cd). Influent wastewater (primary clarifier supernatant) and activated sludge from a municipal wastewater treatment plant were used in both batch experiments and in the bench-scale wastewater treatment system. Shk1 bioluminescence was most sensitive to Cd and Zn, followed by Cu, and then Ni in order of decreasing sensitivity. In contrast, activated sludge specific oxygen uptake rate was most sensitive to Cu, followed by Cd and Zn, and finally Ni. The same pattern of sensitivity was observed in batch and bench-scale evaluations. Batch experiments examining the effect of metal adsorption were performed. The adsorption of metals to activated sludge and reduction in bioavailability due to chelation by soluble organics or by precipitation in wastewater was found to be an important effect in mediating differences in toxicity response between bioluminescence and respirometry. Batch adsorption experiments indicated that the activated sludge adsorption capacity was highest for Cu, followed by Cd, Ni, and then Zn. A simple mathematical model for the soluble metal concentration in the aeration basin and clarifier was developed utilizing metal distribution coefficients determined from the batch adsorption experiments. Model predictions compared well with results from the bench-scale activated sludge experiments.
Fluctuations of human growth hormone secretion during menstrual cycle: response to arginine.

Abstract A sex variation in the secretion of HGH was investigated during the menstrual period of eight normal females. With 1 6 and 1 12 Gm. of 1-arginine per pound of body weight, HGH responses were greater in midcycle than in the period of active menstrual bleeding. The greater HGH responses to arginine occurred during the period of increased estrogen production.
Thirty consecutive uses of a hemostatic bandage at a US Army combat support hospital and forward surgical team in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Background:Topical hemostatic agents have generated intense research interest in recent years, prompted in part by the demands of wartime medicine. Numerous animal studies demonstrate variable degrees of efficacy of a variety of agents; however, little clinical data are available in severely traumat
An analysis of racial differences in wage distributions

Abstract This article examines how black–white wage ratios vary over the wage distribution. We find that black women have nearly closed the racial wage gap at all wage levels. For men, the racial wage gap increases with wages.
Blogistan: The Internet and Politics in Iran

Blogistan: The Internet and Politics in Iran, Annabelle Sreberny and Gholam Khiabany, London and New York: I.B. Tauris, 2011, ISBN 978-1-8451-1606-4, 197pp. Focusing on the blogosphere, this book e...
Computer-Assisted Sperm Analysis for Assessing Initial Semen Quality and Changes During Storage at 5˚C

Computer-assisted sperm analysis equipment was used to evaluate bull sperm initially in a modified Tyrode's solution, in Cornell University extender, and in egg yolk-glycerol-Tris extender (following cooling and storage in the latter two extenders). Two ejaculates of semen were collected from each of eight bulls. Semen was divided into aliquots using a factorial arrangement. The semen, diluted to approximately 20 x 10(6) sperm/ml, was loaded into two 20-micron chambers, and six microscope fields from each chamber were videotaped for each treatment of each ejaculate of semen. Eight sperm characteristics analyzed with the Hamilton Thorne integrated visual optical system (Hamilton Thorne, Beverly, MA) were reported, and some of these characteristics differed significantly among bulls. The initial values of motile sperm in modified Tyrode's solution, Cornell University extender, and egg yolk-glycerol-Tris extender were 87, 79, and 66%; little change followed cooling and storage at 5 degrees C in the latter two extenders. Also, there was a small but significant decline in sperm velocity during 3 d of storage. Hyperactive sperm increased slightly during storage. The procedures used can rapidly and accurately measure many sperm characteristics in fresh semen and in semen stored in egg yolk extenders, and differences among bulls can be detected.
Generalization of feedback about performance

The effect of success and failure on interpretation of ambiguous feedback was examined under conditions in which the ambiguous feedback was on a task that was either similar or dissimilar to the one at which subjects succeeded or failed. Subjects who received success feedback were more likely than controls or failure subjects to interpret ambiguous feedback as indicating success. Failure subjects were less likely than controls to interpret the feedback as indicating success. Subjects who performed on a task similar to the original training were more likely to generalize on the basis of their previous experience than were those who performed on a dissimilar task. There was greater generalization to the dissimilar task on the part of failure subjects than success subjects. These results are interpreted in terms of previous findings on success and failure. Analogies between the results of failure subjects and reactive depression were examined.
14-3-3ε Plays a Role in Cardiac Ventricular Compaction by Regulating the Cardiomyocyte Cell Cycle

Trabecular myocardium accounts for the majority of the ventricles during early cardiogenesis, but compact myocardium is the primary component at later developmental stages. Elucidation of the genes regulating compact myocardium development is essential to increase our understanding of left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC), a cardiomyopathy characterized by increased ratios of trabecular to compact myocardium. 14-3-3e is an adapter protein expressed in the lateral plate mesoderm, but its in vivo cardiac functions remain to be defined. Here we show that 14-3-3e is expressed in the developing mouse heart as well as in cardiomyocytes. 14-3-3e deletion did not appear to induce compensation by other 14-3-3 isoforms but led to ventricular noncompaction, with features similar to LVNC, resulting from a selective reduction in compact myocardium thickness. Abnormal compaction derived from a 50% decrease in cardiac proliferation as a result of a reduced number of cardiomyocytes in G(2)/M and the accumulation of cardiomyocytes in the G(0)/G(1) phase of the cell cycle. These defects originated from downregulation of cyclin E1 and upregulation of p27(Kip1), possibly through both transcriptional and posttranslational mechanisms. Our work shows that 14-3-3e regulates cardiogenesis and growth of the compact ventricular myocardium by modulating the cardiomyocyte cell cycle via both cyclin E1 and p27(Kip1). These data are consistent with the long-held view that human LVNC may result from compaction arrest, and they implicate 14-3-3e as a new candidate gene in congenital human cardiomyopathies.
A Symmetric Processor Array with Synchronous Optical Buses and Switches

A modified processor array with synchronous optical buses and switches for time division multiplexed optical communications is proposed. Compared with a previously proposed processor array architecture, our architecture features better flexibility, improved packet slot utilization rate and reduced average packet response time, while preserving all-optical communication paths.
Evaluation of a national curriculum reform effort for the medicine core clerkship.

BACKGROUND: In 1995, the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) and the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine (CDIM) developed and disseminated a new model curriculum for the medicine core clerkship that was designed to enhance learning of generalist competencies and increase interest in general internal medicine.
Role of oxidative stress and the antioxidant network in cutaneous carcinogenesis

Melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers are among the most prevalent cancers in the human population. Solar ultraviolet radiation is considered a major etiological factor but the relationship between dose, timing, and nature of exposure to tumor development is still unclear. Free radicals are generated by normal physiologic processes, including aerobic metabolism and inflammatory response, but may inflict cellular damage when generation is increased and antioxidant defense mechanisms are overwhelmed. Important findings supporting the free radical hypothesis in skin carcinogenesis are: (1) Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated in UVA- and UVB-irradiated skin in excessive doses, (2) the natural cutaneous antioxidant defense is impaired upon UV-exposure, (3) free radicals are involved in all steps of carcinogenesis, (4) supplementation with antioxidants can inhibit skin carcinogenesis, and (5) conditions that increase ROS generation enhance photocarcinogenesis. These findings provide a promising rationale for the development of powerful new antioxidant strategies in the prevention and therapy of skin cancer.
Identification of newly synthesized wing imaginal disc proteins induced by 20-hydroxyecdysone inGalleria mellonella

Wing imaginal discs from 7th instarGalleria mellonella L. larvae evaginate and exhibit tracheolar elongation when exposed to 20-hydroxyecdysone in vitro. This response was elicited within 24 h of treatment as was a greater than fourfold stimulation of the incorporation of [3H]leucine into disc proteins. Autoradiographic analyses of [35S]methionine labeled polypeptides separated on two-dimensional gels, however, revealed no differences in protein profiles between control and treated discs until 48 h following exposure to molting hormone. At this time, wing imaginal discs exposed to 1 μg/ml 20-hydroxyecdysone synthesized four unique polypeptides not detected either in controls or in discs treated for 24 h. These four new proteins were also found to be synthesized by imaginal discs that had evaginated in vivo. These results suggest that these proteins are normally synthesized subsequent to evagination and do not play a role in the morphological events necessary for evagination.
Community Types and Mortality in Georgia Counties

Using an “ecological regional analysis” methodology for defining types of communities and their associated mortality rates, this study of Georgia’s 159 counties finds that the suburban and town centered counties have low mortality while the city-centered type predicts low mortality for the whites. The military-centered counties do not predict. The rates for circulatory disease deaths show the same pattern. These findings are interpreted with the help of a new version of social ecology grounded in the ratio of the county’s problem-solving capacity to the threats it faces.
Formation mechanism of chalcogenide nanocrystals confined inside genetically engineered virus-like particles

Engineered virus-like particles (VLP) are attractive for fabricating nanostructured materials for applications in diverse areas such as catalysis, drug delivery, biomedicine, composites, etc. Basic understanding of the interaction between the inorganic guest and biomolecular host is thus important for the controlled synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles inside VLP and rational assembly of ordered VLP-based hierarchical nanostructures. We have investigated in detail the formation mechanism and growth kinetics of semiconducting nanocrystals confined inside genetically engineered bacteriophage P22 VLP using semiconducting CdS as a prototypical example. The selective nucleation and growth of CdS at the engineered sites is found to be uniform during the early stage, followed by a more stochastic growth process. Furthermore, kinetic studies reveal that the presence of an engineered biotemplate helps in significantly retarding the reaction rate. These findings provide guidance for the controlled synthesis of a wide range of other inorganic materials confined inside VLP, and are of practical importance for the rational design of VLP-based hierarchical nanostuctures.
Selecting and Optimizing a Regulation Compliant Robust Vehicle Portfolio Mix: An Approach and a Case Study

Our goal is to select a robust vehicle portfolio mix and optimize its design attributes such that contribution margin is maximized while being regulation compliant under varying fuel prices. Compliance to regulation is measured in terms of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy or CAFE. We formulate this vehicle portfolio optimization problem as a mixed integer non-linear programming problem, both under static and varying fuel price scenarios. We demonstrate our approach using a case study in which an in-house market simulator is employed for incorporating consumer preferences in portfolio decisions. This market simulator uses real-time preferences from tens of thousands of shoppers and captures preference heterogeneity using different Logit coefficients for each shopper and hence is computationally expensive. Also, it does not explicitly model the influence of fuel price in predicting demand. To overcome these issues and to facilitate portfolio optimization we use meta-models of the market simulator. Our results show that while remaining regulation compliant it is also possible to achieve significant improvement in the portfolio’s contribution margin. In some scenarios, the improvements in contribution margin are more than 40% when compared to the traditional approach of using expert judgment to decide the portfolio mix.Copyright © 2012 by General Motors
Service-linked scholarships, loans, and loan repayment programs for nurses in the southeast.

A variety of public and private programs provide financial support for the costs of nurses' training in exchange for service commitments to work in rural, underserved, and other needy areas. Little is known about the number, size, and operations of these support-for-service programs for nurses. We identified and in this article describe such programs in eight southeastern states. Eligible programs were those that in 2004 paid for all or a portion of nurses' education costs in exchange for a period of clinical nursing service within one or more of the eight targeted states. Programs obligating nurses to a specific hospital, practice, or community or to teaching roles were excluded. Programs were identified through available compendia, online searches, and telephone contacts with program directors, nursing school administrators, and state officials. Additional data on eligible programs were gathered through telephone interviews and questionnaires mailed to program staff and from publicly available documents. Data were double coded, and qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted. Twenty-four nursing support-for-service programs met our eligibility criteria in the eight-state region: nine scholarship programs; six loan repayment programs; five service-cancelable loan programs; two loan interest rate reduction programs; and two direct incentive programs. These programs had fiscal year 2004 budgets totaling approximately $28.8–31.8 million; collectively, they received approximately 11,700 applications from nurses, signed approximately 8,300 contracts, and had a combined field strength of approximately 4,900 nurses working to fulfill their program obligations. Individual states offered between zero and five eligible programs each. Support-for-service programs are a substantial component of federal and state nursing workforce distribution efforts in the Southeast. Future research should identify and describe these programs for other regions, measure outcomes, and offer recommendations to maximize their effectiveness in alleviating nursing shortages.
851 Hereditary Angioedema and Long-Term Prophylaxis

Hereditary angioedema is a rare autosomal dominant disease characterized by recurrent episodes of angioedema caused by a quantitative or functional defect of the plasma protein C1 esterase inhibitor (C1 INH). Treatment is divided into short and longterm prophylaxis with androgens, antifibrinolytics and C1 inhibitor replacement. We present the clinical characteristics of three female patients, two of them members of the same family and one isolated case. Eleven year old and 5 year old sisters were admitted to our hospital with complaints of relapsing skin swelling. In the second patient abdominal pain attacks were also developed. The third patient, a 13 year old girl was suffered from recurrent bouts of swelling most often affecting extremities and genitalia since 7 year old. We analyzed blood levels of C3, C4, and C1 INH. Both of the sisters had decreased serum levels of C4 and C1 INH and were diagnosed as hereditary angioedema type I. The third patient had reduced serum levels of C4 and normal C1 INH and the genetic analysis on the C1INH gene showed a mutation of aa 444 Arg substituted by Cis consistent with type II hereditary angioedema. All the patients were started on tranexamic acid for long term prophylaxis but in the first and second patients the treatment had to change with danazol due to the lack of enough response to the tranexamic acid. The third patient presented occasional (1-2 mild episodes per year) peripheral angioedema and her disease was controlled with tranexamic acid.
Professional Socialization and Contemporary Career Attitudes of Three Faculty Generations.

As one aspect of a study of individual and organizational conditions contributing to faculty vitality, career socialization experiences and current career attitudes of three faculty generations were compared for two groups of tenured university faculty members. The first group was a representative sample drawn from the fields of the humanities, biological sciences, physical sciences, and social sciences. The second was a selected sample of faculty from the same areas who had been identified by judges as highly active in teaching, research, and service. The analyses focus on differences in the professional socialization experiences and career attitudes of the two groups that appear to be indicative of career success. Within these groups the generational trends are also examined.
CORR Insights®: no infection reduction using chlorhexidine wipes in total joint arthroplasty.

This CORR Insights®is a commentary on the article “No Infection Reduction Using Chlorhexidine Wipes in Total Joint Arthroplasty” by Farber and colleagues available at: DOI:10.1007/s11999-013-2920-z. Dr. Della Valle reported receiving grants and personal fees from Biomet, Inc. (Warsaw, IN, USA), personal fees from Convatec (Skillman, NJ, USA), grants and personal fees from Smith & Nephew, Inc. (Memphis, TN, USA), grants from Stryker Orthopaedics (Mahwah, NJ, USA), and personal fees from CD Diagnostics (Wynnewood, PA, USA) outside the submitted work. All ICMJE Conflict of Interest Forms for authors and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research® editors and board members are on file with the publication and can be viewed on request. The opinions expressed are those of the writers, and do not reflect the opinion or policy of CORR® or the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons®. This CORR Insights® comment refers to the article available at DOI: 10.1007/s11999-013-2920-z.
A Kinetic Comparison of the Homologous Proteases Astacin and Meprin A

Abstract Astacin, a 23-kDa monomeric metalloprotease from the crayfish digestive tract, and meprin A, a 360-kDa tetrameric metalloprotease from the mouse kidney, are 30% identical in the amino acid sequence of their protease domains (Dumermuth et al., 1991, J. Biol. Chem. 266, 21381). The two were compared kinetically using a variety of substrates and inhibitors. Both enzymes degraded azocasein; meprin A had a twofold higher molar specific activity. Succinyl-Ala-Ala-Ala-p-nitroanilide was cleaved by both enzymes at the Ala-p-nitroanilide bond, indicating that in contrast to many metallopeptidases, peptidases of the astacin family are capable of arylamidolysis. Several peptides from a series of chromogenic and fluorogenic bradykinin analogs, originally designed for mapping the active site of meprin A, were found to be excellent substrates for astacin. Both enzymes cleaved most substrates at the site corresponding to the Phe5-Ser6 bond in native bradykinin (Arg-Pro-Pro-Gly-Phe-Ser-Pro-Phe-Arg). The peptide 2ABz-Arg-Pro-Ile-Phe ↓ Ser-Pro-Phe(4-nitro)-Arg was found to have the highest kcat/Km ratio for both peptidases (4.5 × 105 M−1 s−1 for meprin A and 2.7 × 106 M−1 s−1 for astacin). The two enzymes were found to have several other substrates in common, indicating that some of these peptides could be substrates for the other putative proteases in the astacin family. Acetyl-Arg-Pro-Gly-Tyr-NHOH, an inhibitor which likely binds to the S subsites, was found to act on both enzymes via a predominantly noncompetitive mechanism, whereas NHOH-succinyl-Pro-Phe-Arg, which likely binds to the S′ subsites, was competitive. Significant specificity differences between astacin and meprin A were seen in substrates and inhibitors with bulky groups in the P1′ position. Substrates with Arg, Lys, or Phe in the P1′ position were cleaved 103-104 times faster by meprin A than by astacin. Actinonin, a naturally occurring peptide hydroxamate with a pentyl group in P1′, was a very potent competitive inhibitor of meprin A (Ki = 1.35 × 10−7 M), but had a 1000-fold weaker affinity for inhibition of astacin. These kinetic differences indicate that the S1′ subsite is smaller in astacin than in meprin A and correlate with structural differences seen in the three-dimensional models of the two enzymes.
Five- and Six-Coordinate Group 4 Compounds Stabilized by β-Ketiminate and Diketiminate Ligands: Syntheses and Comparisons between Solid-State and Solution Structures

The preparation and reaction chemistry of β-diketiminate titanium and zirconium complexes is described. Amine elimination reactions work well for introducing Tolnacnac or Tolnacac to the metal centers (TolnacnacH = 2-(p-tolylamino)-4-(p-tolylimino)-2-pentene; TolnacacH = 4-p-toluidinopent-3-en-2-one). In certain cases, the iminium salt of the diketimine can be used to circumvent the unfavorable reaction kinetics. Salt elimination reactions starting from group 4 metal halides and β-diketiminate lithium reagents are the most versatile method for introducing β-diketiminate ligands to the metal. For (β-diketiminate)MCl3 compounds (M = Ti, Zr) η5- and η2-coordination modes can be controlled by modifying the diketiminate ligands. Several structures of five- and six-coordinate metal complexes were solved by X-ray diffraction methods. Five-coordinate metal complexes adopt both trigonal bipyramidal and square pyramidal geometries, and the six-coordinate metal complexes possess pseudooctahedral metal centers. For (...
Discovery of Allosteric Inhibitors of Kinesin Spindle Protein (KSP) for the Treatment of Taxane-Refractory Cancer: MK-0731 and Analogs

Current cancer chemotherapy relies heavily on cytotoxic agents, such as the taxanes and Vinca alkaloids, that interfere with the cellular machinery required for cell division and divert the cell down a pathway of programmed cell death. These antimitotic agents, or spindle poisons, target the mitotic spindle by binding to tubulin, a protein required not only for mitosis but also for structural integrity and proper function of healthy, terminally differentiated cells. To avoid side effects attributed to this nonselective mechanism of action, new targets in the mitotic pathway that act only in dividing cells were sought and a leading candidate to emerge from these efforts was kinesin spindle protein (KSP or HsEg5). KSP is a molecular motor protein that is expressed only during mitosis and controls the formation of a functional mitotic spindle. Inhibition of KSP causes mitotic arrest followed by cell death in malignant cells and thus has the potential to become a novel chemotherapeutic strategy with the potential for reduced toxicity. This article summarizes efforts carried out at Merck to discover potent, selective and water soluble KSP inhibitors that culminated in the discovery of MK-0731, the second KSP inhibitor to enter clinical trials. Of special focus in this article is how an HTS lead was optimized in apparently divergent directions, but these disparate leads converged in the design of compounds that overcame P-glycoprotein efflux and hERG channel activity, two issues that required considerable optimization within our program.
Ethyldimethylindium for the growth of InGaAs‐GaAs strained‐layer lasers by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

The growth and characterization of strained In0.25Ga0.75As‐GaAs‐Al0.20Ga0.80As quantum well lasers grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition using ethyldimethylindium (EDMIn) are described. A vapor pressure of 0.56 Torr at 11 °C has been extracted from the growth rates of thin InGaAs layers by transmission electron microscopy. Data on reproducibility in quantum well size are presented which indicate long‐term stability in the EDMIn vapor pressure. Laser performance in samples grown with EDMIn is equivalent to, and in some cases better than, those grown with trimethylindium.
Decision to abort after a prenatal diagnosis of sex chromosome abnormality: a systematic review of the literature

We performed a systematic review of factors affecting parental decisions to continue or terminate a pregnancy after prenatal diagnosis of a sex chromosome abnormality, as reported in published studies from 1987 to May 2011. Based on the Matrix Method for systematic reviews, 19 studies were found in five electronic databases, meeting specific inclusion/exclusion criteria. Abstracted data were organized in a matrix. Alongside the search for factors influencing parental decisions, each study was judged on its methodological quality and assigned a methodological quality score. Decisions either to terminate or to continue a sex chromosome abnormality-affected pregnancy shared five similar factors: specific type of sex chromosome abnormality, gestational week at diagnosis, parents' age, providers' genetic expertise, and number of children/desire for (more) children. Factors unique to termination decisions included parents' fear/anxiety and directive counseling. Factors uniquely associated with continuation decisions were parents' socioeconomic status and ethnicity. The studies' average methodological quality score was 10.6 (SD = 1.67; range, 8-14). Findings from this review can be useful in adapting and modifying guidelines for genetic counseling after prenatal diagnosis of a sex chromosome abnormality. Moreover, improving the quality of future studies on this topic may allow clearer understanding of the most influential factors affecting parental decisions.