cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Associations between Cannabis Use and Sexual Risk Behavior among Women under Community Supervision: A Brief Report.

Cannabis use and sexual risk behavior have been found to co-occur, but more research on these associations is needed among criminal justice-involved women (i.e., courts, jails, or prisons).Regressi...
Choosing sides: CEO gender and investor support for activist campaigns.

Recent evidence suggests that female-led firms are more likely to be targeted by activist investors. We examine how Chief Executive Officer (CEO) gender influences retail investors' responses to proxy contests. We find that these investors are more likely to support-through their proxy voting behavior-campaigns that target female-led versus male-led firms, despite the fact that retail investors evaluate female and male CEOs similarly. We show that this apparent discrepancy is a function of how subjective ratings mask stereotype-influenced judgments, consistent with the shifting standards model (SSM). Respondents use lower standards to evaluate female versus male CEOs. This difference becomes apparent when externally-anchored judgments are employed, such as when investors are asked to choose sides in a proxy contest. Correspondingly, activists are judged as relatively more competent when targeting female-led firms. Our findings contribute to research on CEO gender and activism. In doing so, our research also introduces the SSM to the investor decision-making literature, thereby enriching the discussion about what mechanisms underpin the less favorable investment outcomes female-led firms can experience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Comparison of the Catalytic Activities of Mammalian Ceruloplasmins

The oxidation of cysteine catalyzed by ceruloplasmin at pH 6.9 involves a single electron transfer. Superoxide ion has been identified as a product of this reaction. The superoxide dismutase activity of ceruloplasmins has also been observed.
Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Natural Extracts In Vitro and in Ground Beef

Inhibition of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes by grape seed extract (ActiVin) and pine bark extract (Pycnogenol) and the effect of these natural extracts on the oxidative stability of raw ground beef were studied. In an agar dilution test, the MICs of ActiVin and Pycnogenol were determined to be 4.0 mg/ml for 4.43 log CFU per plate of E. coli O157:H7 and 4.0 mg/ml for 4.38 log CFU per plate of L. monocytogenes. In an inhibition curve test, populations of E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, and L. monocytogenes fell to below the detection limit (10 CFU/ml) after 16 h of incubation. The numbers of E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes, and Salmonella Typhimurium declined by 1.08, 1.24, and 1.33 log CFU/g, respectively, in raw ground beef treated with 1% Pycnogenol after 9 days of refrigerated storage. ActiVin (1%) and oleoresin rosemary (1%) resulted in an approximately 1-log CFU/g reduction in the populations of all three pathogens after 9 days. The addition of 1% ActiVin and Pycnogenol contributed to the maintenance of an acidic pH of 5.80 and 5.58, respectively, in raw ground beef. Compared to the control, all treatments increased in L* (lightness), with the exception of ActiVin. ActiVin and oleoresin rosemary had the highest a* (redness) and b* (yellowness) values, respectively. ActiVin most effectively retarded lipid oxidation, followed by Pycnogenol. The results suggest that these natural extracts have potential to be used with other preservative methods to reduce pathogenic numbers, lipid oxidation, and color degradation in ground beef.
Trends in Working-Class History

IN THIS ARTICLE the author analyzes the last decade's work in the social history of the working class in the United States and Canada. Utilizing the dual themes of structures of meaning and structures of power, he surveys many of the major works published since 1976. DANS CET ARTICLE, l'auteur analyse les travaux de la derniere decennie en histoire sociale de la classe ouvriere aux Etats-Unis et au Canada. A partir du double theme des structures du signifie et des structures de pouvoir, il recense plusieurs des principaux ouvrages publies depuis 1976.
Image construction versus empirical evaluations: automobile safety

The present study expands upon earlier work examining advertising as it relates to the construction of safety-related images in the automobile industry. Comparisons are made between automaker portrayal of vehicle safety in magazine advertising and their real-world safety-related performances. Such an analysis enables suggestions regarding, whether or not, the extent to which particular automakers demonstrate a misleading concern for safety and potentially produce false advertisements that violate the standards of law. In this sense, misleading claims related to automobile safety could be considered corporate deviance, particularly in relation to false advertising practices. This paper examines safety and vehicle marketing, a noted gap in recent literature, by looking at three magazine publications over the course of five years and comparing the marketing strategies and assessing the extent to which automaker crash test evaluations correspond with their socially constructed, safety-based image. Our finding...
Cryomicroscopy as a support technique for calorimetric measurements by DSC for the study of the kinetic parameters of crystallization in aqueous solutions

Abstract Cryomicroscopy is shown to be complementary to calorimetry for qualitative and quantitative studies of crystallization kinetic parameters of aqueous solutions. The binary system water—,2-propanediol is investigated as an example, using the Johnson—Avrami theoretical model under isothermal conditions. The effect of nucleation on crystallization parameters is discussed, comparing calorimetric measurements with direct observations by cryomicroscopy. The experimental results depend strongly upon the thermal history of the sample prior to the isothermal experiment. The density of nuclei formed during warming after vitrification in 42.5% w/w 1,2-propanediol is inversely proportional to the warming rate, i.e. proportional to the time spent in the homogeneous nucleation thermal domain. The results support the hypothesis of a kinetic component for liquid—crystal phase separation during homogeneous nucleation. Assuming an Arrhenius dependence for the crystallization constant, K = K0 exp(- E RT ), K0 is shown to vary as the square root of the nucleus density, in agreement with the discoidal form of the crystals; the activation energy E is shown to be independent of nucleus density.
Geographic variation and regional trends in adoption of endovascular techniques for cerebral aneurysms

Object Considerable evolution has occurred in treatment options for cerebral aneurysms. Development of endovascular techniques has produced a significant change in the treatment of ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms. Adoption of endovascular techniques and increasing numbers of patients undergoing endovascular treatment may affect health care expenditures. Geographic assessment of growth in endovascular procedures has not been assessed. Methods The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) was queried for ICD-9 codes for clipping and coiling of ruptured and unruptured cerebral aneurysms from 2002 to 2008. Patients with ruptured and unruptured cerebral aneurysms were compared according to in-hospital deaths, hospital length of stay, total hospital cost, and selected procedure. Hospital costs were adjusted to bring all costs to 2008 equivalents. Regional variation over the course of the study was explored. Results The NIS recorded 12,588 ruptured cerebral aneurysm cases (7318 clipped and 5270 coiled aneur...
Reproductive aging in invertebrate genetic models

The invertebrate genetic systems of Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster are emerging models to understand the underlying mechanisms of reproductive aging and the relationship between reproduction and lifespan. Both animals show progressive decline in egg production beginning at early middle age, caused in part by reduction in germline stem cell proliferation as well as in survival of developing eggs. Molecular genetic analysis reveals that insulin and TGF-β signaling are regulators of germline stem cell maintenance and proliferation during aging. Furthermore, the lifespan of both C. elegans and D. melanogaster appears to be regulated by signaling that depends on the presence of germline stem cells in the adult gonad. These invertebrate models provide powerful tools to dissect conserved causes of reproductive aging.
Automated Synthesis of Combinational Logic Using Theorem-Proving Techniques

Recent findings indicate that logic design still constitutes 50 percent of the total design effort, and yet few automated tools are being used in industry. The use of an automated theorem-proving system in the logic design process presents an intriguing addition to traditional design automation tools. This paper deals with the automated synthesis of combinational logic. The method consists of a theorem-proving implementation of a systematic, uniform procedure for the synthesis of an arbitrary switching function. Any multiple-valued (including binary) function can be synthesized in a top-down fashion using the functional blocks of the designer's choice. The method is general enough to allow for the choice of an arbitrary logic system and radix. Additional constraints of modularity, technology dependence, fault tolerance, and others may be imposed upon the design. It may also be possible to accommodate into this approach formal design verification, design for testability, functional level modeling, and formal analysis of race and hazard conditions.
The molecular kinetics of the urea-urease system. V. Relationship between activity and concentration of urease solutions

Abstract The effect of the dilution of urease solutions on its specific activity has been studied using the trishydroxymethylaminomethane-H 2 SO 4 buffer, which has no activating or inhibiting action. It is shown that the activity is not proportional to the concentration; at low concentrations the activity increases more rapidly than the concentration, at high concentrations less rapidly. The low concentration effect is shown to be due to the rapid inactivation of the enzyme, the high concentration effect to inhibition of the reaction by the ammonium ions produced.
Detection of DNA damage in human cells and tissues using sequencing techniques

Methods have been developed that permit both identification and location of sites of alterations is defined DNA sequences. These methods can be extended to human tissues using the alphoid segment, which comprises 1% of the human genome. This segment can be isolated in ample quantities from human cells and tissues. Once purified and end labeled, this defined segment can be used to detect sites of altered DNA moieties by combining Maxam-Gilbert sequencing protocols with appropriate enzymatic probes and chemical techniques. These studies can be performed in cultured cells or in tissues obtained by surgical excision or autopsy.
The relationship of esterases to organophosphorus insecticide tolerance in mosquitofish

Abstract The levels of peripheral acetylcholinesterase and carboxylesterases and their organophosphate sensitivities were studied in two populations of mosquitofish ( Gambusia affinis ). One population, highly resistant to organochlorine insecticides, demonstrated a low tolerance to parathion and methyl parathion. The organochlorine resistant fish possessed higher levels of both peripheral acetylcholinesterase and carboxylesterases. The sensitivities of these esterases to organophosphate inhibition were the same in both populations. The esterases were more sensitive to paraoxon than to methyl paraoxon. Carboxylesterases were far more sensitive to organophosphate inhibition than was acetylcholinesterase. Carboxylesterases, by their higher affinity for the organophosphates, may serve to protect acetylcholinesterase from inhibition.
Evaluating Latent Discontinuity in Cognitive Vulnerability to Panic: A Taxometric Investigation

Taxometrics is a statistical tool that can be used to discern psychopathological categories from continua. In this study, taxometric analyses were conducted to determine whether a psychopathological category (or taxon) underlies a cognitive vulnerability to panic (i.e., fear of anxiety symptoms and body vigilance). The construct was operationalized with 3 variables: the Anxiety Sensitivity Index, the Body Sensations Questionnaire, and the Body Vigilance Scale. The test was performed in a large nonclinical sample (N = 1,224). Analyses and consistency tests support the taxonic conjecture for the existence of a latent cognitive vulnerability taxon with a base rate of about 18% in this population. Moreover, tests of the taxon’s utility indicated that taxon membership has incremental validity in predicting future panic attacks.
THE RADIO AND GAMMA-RAY CONNECTION OF EGRET BLAZARS: CORRELATION, REGRESSION, AND MONTE CARLO ANALYSIS

A comprehensive statistical analysis of the broadband properties of Energetic Gamma-Ray Experiment Telescope blazars is presented. This analysis includes sources identified as blazars in the Sowards-Emmerd publications. Using this sample of 122 sources, we find that there is a relationship L γ Lr 0.77±0.03, as well as a correlation between α og and α ro , and a correlation between radio luminosity and α og . Through the use of Monte Carlo simulations, we can replicate the observed luminosity relationship if a synchrotron self-Compton model is assumed. However, this relationship cannot be replicated if an external Compton scattering model is assumed. These differences are primarily due to beaming effects. In addition, it has been determined that the intrinsic radio luminosity of the parent sample falls in the range 1021 < L < 1030 W Hz-1 and that the bulk of the Lorentz factors of the source are in the range 1 < Γ < 30, in agreement with very long baseline interferometry observations. Finally, we discuss implications for the Gamma Ray Large Area Space Telescope, successfully launched in 2008 June.
Hume on Promises and the Peculiar Act of the Mind

life. Most forms of long-term cooperation, including commerce, depend in some way on the fact that people can bind themselves to others now to perform actions later. One philosophically intriguing question about promises is how this self- binding is possible. Furthermore, there is a special character trait associated with the honoring of promises that calls out for analysis. Intuitively speaking, being a person of your word, someone who is trustworthy about promises, is an admirable trait, one we inculcate in our children and long for in our public figures—in short, a virtue. What does this trait consist of? In Book 3, Part 2, Section 5 of the Treatise of Human Nature, Hume attempts to analyze and explain the virtue of being a person of one's word, a virtue he calls fidelity, and also to give an account of how promising generates obligation. 1 He seeks an explanation of the virtue as we find it in experience. Of course, it is to be an analysis in terms of Hume's own moral theory. In the course of his explanation of fidelity, Hume makes two very puzzling claims. In this paper I offer an interpre- tation of Hume's account of fidelity that makes good sense of these claims. As a coda I draw a few cautious conclusions about virtue and duty from Hume's insights. What Hume says about fidelity to promises is laconic, and interpreters have struggled to make sense of it. We need a bit of background to set out the two specific puzzling claims on which I shall focus. The first claim is that a particular conception of the virtue of fidelity to prom- ises is vulnerable to a reductio ad absurdum. The vulnerable view is the view that
Abstract 2358: Dissecting the cellular response to cisplatin from RNA transcription to translation

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Platinum-based antineoplastic drugs, such as cisplatin, are DNA damaging agents typically utilized in cancer treatment. In ovarian cancer, however, these drugs have a relatively low therapeutic index (which is a measure of clinical benefit over toxicity of these drugs), thus even a small change (reduction) in the cellular sensitivity to these chemotherapeutic agents leads to clinical treatment failure, also known as ‘drug resistance’. To increase the clinical efficacy of platinum-based antineoplastic drugs, we need to develop therapies that are less likely to result in drug resistance, or we need to modify the current therapies to prevent or reduce drug resistance. To gain mechanistic insights into the process of drug resistance that may help us to develop new or modified therapies that are less prone to clinical drug resistance, we have focused our studies on the comprehensive analysis of two still poorly studied cisplatin-associated processes at genome-wide scale: the processes of RNA nascent transcription and RNA translation. In particular, we investigate by global run-on combined with next-generation sequencing (GRO-seq) how cisplatin-sensitive A2780 ovarian cancer cells and its cisplatin-resistance derivative, A2780cis cells, respond to acute cisplatin treatment at the level of the nascent transcriptome. We also investigate, in this case by ribosome profiling, how the same cells respond to acute cisplatin treatment at the level of the ribosome-associated transcriptome (also known as translatome). These two massive analyses, complemented with conventional profiling of steady-state RNA (profiled by RNA-seq) provide the first multidimensional analysis of the actions induced by any chemotherapeutic agent at the level of the three basic states of the transcriptome (nascent RNA, steady-state RNA, and translated RNA). Interestingly, this analysis reveals an unexpected large fraction of uncoupled events between these three transcriptomic states, which challenges the conventional one-dimensional approach based exclusively on RNA-seq for the study of drug resistance. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Carlos Mackintosh, Sergiy Konovalov, Ivan Garcia-Bassets. Dissecting the cellular response to cisplatin from RNA transcription to translation. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2358. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2358
Redox investigation and X-ray diffraction structure of the dimeric rhodium maleonitriledithiolate complex [Cp∗ Rh(mnt)]2. Confirmation of bridging and chelating mnt ligands in the solid-state structure

The reaction between the pentamethylcyclopentadienyl complex [Cp ∗ RhCl 2 ] 2 and disodium maleonitriledithiolate (Na 2 mnt) in CH 2 Cl 2 solvent affords the mnt-substituted compound Cp ∗ Rh(mnt) in moderate yield. Cp ∗ Rh(mnt) has been isolated and characterized in solution by IR and 1 H NMR spectroscopy, and by isopiestic molecular weight measurements, which confirm the monomeric nature of this complex. However, the solid-state structure has been re-determined by X-ray diffraction analysis, revealing the presence of a dimeric structure for Cp ∗ Rh(mnt) that possesses both bridging and chelating mnt ligands. The relationship of dimeric [Cp ∗ Rh(mnt)] 2 to the previously reported monomeric structure for Cp ∗ Rh(mnt) [R. Ziessel, M.-T. Youinou, F. Balegroune, D. Grandjean, J. Organomet. Chem. 441 (1992) 143] is discussed. The electrochemical properties of Cp ∗ Rh(mnt) in CH 2 Cl 2 and MeCN have been explored, and the redox chemistry is further discussed relative to the results obtained from extended Huckel molecular orbital calculations on monomeric CpRh(mnt).
Specificity for Homooligomer versus Heterooligomer Formation in Integrin Transmembrane Helices

Transmembrane (TM) helices engage in homomeric and heteromeric interactions that play essential roles in the folding and assembly of TM proteins. However, features that explain their propensity to interact homomerically or heteromerically and determine the strength of these interactions are poorly understood. Integrins provide an ideal model system for addressing these questions because the TM helices of full-length integrins interact heteromerically when integrins are inactive, but isolated TM helices are also able to form homodimers or homooligomers in micelles and bacterial membranes. We sought to determine the features defining specificity for homointeractions versus heterointeractions by conducting a comprehensive comparison of the homomeric and heteromeric interactions of integrin alphaIIbbeta3 TM helices in biological membranes. Using the TOXCAT assay, we found that residues V700, M701, A703, I704, L705, G708, L709, L712, and L713, which are located on the same face of the beta3 helix, mediate homodimer formation. We then characterized the beta3 heterodimer by measuring the ability of beta3 helix mutations to cause ligand binding to alphaIIbbeta3. We found that mutating V696, L697, V700, M701, A703. I704, L705, G708, L712, and L713, but not the small residue-X(3)-small residue motif S699-X(3)-A703, caused constitutive alphaIIbbeta3 activation, as well as persistent focal adhesion kinase phosphorylation dependent on alphaIIbbeta3 activation. Because alphaIIb and beta3 use the same face of their respective TM helices for homomeric and heteromeric interactions, the interacting surface on each has an intrinsic "stickiness" predisposing towards helix-helix interactions in membranes. The residues responsible for heterodimer formation comprise a network of interdigitated side chains with considerable geometric complementarity; mutations along this interface invariably destabilize heterodimer formation. By contrast, residues responsible for homomeric interactions are dispersed over a wider surface. While most mutations of these residues are destabilizing, some stabilized homooligomer formation. We conclude that the alphaIIbbeta3 TM heterodimer shows the hallmark of finely tuned heterodimeric interaction, while homomeric interaction is less specific.
Packing Heat: Attitudes Regarding Concealed Weapons on College Campuses

Gun violence at American colleges and universities has rekindled the debate surrounding concealed weapons on campus. This study examined college student and faculty opinions on two college campuses, focusing on their attitudes towards private citizens carrying concealed guns on campus. Data were collected during the fall 2008 and spring 2009, and over 2,100 students, staff, faculty, and administrators on the two campuses participated in the research. The results indicate over 70 % of respondents oppose the option of carrying concealed guns on campus. In addition, the idea of more guns on campus makes the majority of students and faculty feel less safe, and allowing concealed weapons serves to decrease the sense of campus safety. This study continues to empirically advance the argument that those who live, work, and study do not want more guns on campus. Further research in this area, including an expanded range of the nation’s college campuses, should be explored.
Teacher behavior, student interest and affective learning: putting theory to practice

Students of Project Adapt (PA), an instructional program for at-risk middle school students in Brooklyn NY, have displayed startling improvement on cognitive outcome measures. Teacher given grades and standardized tests illuminate the progress students have made since entering the program. The current investigation attempts to analyze PA on students' affective responses in a pre/post-test experimental design. Upon entering PA, students completed measures of interest, affect, and their previous teachers' behavior (pre). These ratings were then compared to end of year ratings on the same instruments (post). Results indicate students' perceive PA teachers utilizing different behaviors than their previous teachers. Additionally, student affect and interest increased significantly. Results of this study have implications for both instructional researchers and educational practitioners.
Teaching undergraduate neuroscience with brain teaser experiments.

SUMMARYNeuroscience knowledge is of fundamental importance to the occupational therapist and other health care professionals, but neuroscience courses are often viewed in schools of health sciences as among the most arduous of the curriculum. To enhance student learning, the author has developed a series of in-class activities, “brainteasers,” that are integrated into each subject module of a semester-long undergraduate neuroscience course. In the brain teaser activities, students experience intriguing sensory and motor phenomena, then use inductive reasoning to generate plausible hypotheses concerning the underlying neural mechanisms. Students profit doubly from these activities, learning neuroscience while practicing critical thinking.
Small-angle X-ray scattering studies of the manganese stabilizing subunit in photosystem II

Small-angle X-ray scattering studies (SAXS) were used to determine the size, shape, and oligomeric composition of the manganese stabilizing protein (MSP) of photosystem II. This extrinsic protein subunit plays an important role in photosynthetic oxygen evolution. As its name implies, MSP stabilizes the tetranuclear Mn cluster of the water oxidation complex. Removal of MSP lowers activity and decreases the stability of active-site manganese. Reconstitution of MSP reverses these effects. In this study, MSP was extracted from spinach PSII membranes using CaCl{sub 2} or urea. Through the use of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, the molecular weight of MSP was determined to be 26.53 kDa. X-ray scattering results show that both samples display a monodisperse scattering pattern; this pattern is consistent with a homogeneous protein solution. The CaCl{sub 2} extracted and urea extracted MSP samples have radii of gyration of 25.9 {+-} 0.4 and 27.0 {+-} 0.01 {angstrom}, respectively. MSP is shown to be monomeric in solution. This was determined using a cytochrome c standard and the scattering intensity, extrapolated to zero scattering angle, which is proportional to the molecular weight. This SAXS study suggests that, in solution, MSP is a monomeric, elongated prolate ellipsoid with dimensions, 112 x 23 x 23 {angstrom}{supmore » 3} and an axial ratio of 4.8.« less
Fast ferrous heme-NO oxidation in nitric oxide synthases

During catalysis, the heme in nitric oxide synthase (NOS) binds NO before releasing it to the environment. Oxidation of the NOS ferrous heme-NO complex by O2 is key for catalytic cycling, but the mechanism is unclear. We utilized stopped-flow methods to study the reaction of O2 with ferrous heme-NO complexes of inducible and neuronal NOS enzymes. We found that the reaction does not involve heme-NO dissociation, but instead proceeds by a rapid direct reaction of O2 with the ferrous heme-NO complex. This behavior is novel and may distinguish heme-thiolate enzymes, such as NOS, from related heme proteins.
Immunostimulation mechanism of LPD nanoparticle as a vaccine carrier

A novel and improved vaccine delivery system and/or adjuvant is actively sought to enhance the potency of vaccines. Previously, we reported that strong antitumor immunity could be generated when a peptide antigen was incorporated into LPD (cationic liposome-polycation-pDNA) nanoparticles. In this study, we found that both the cationic liposome and DNA are required for the full immunostimulation activity of LPD. The unique ability of LPD to readily move into local lymphoid tissues and to activate antigen-presenting cells might be responsible for its strong immunostimulatory activity. Moreover, cationic liposome stimulates the expression of CD80/CD86 on dendritic cells (DCs), but not the release of TNF-alpha from DCs, suggesting the existence of a NF-kappaB-independent immunostimulation pathway for cationic lipids such as DOTAP.
Strategic directions in networks and telecommunications

ion can now be done. Multiparty Applications Increasing maturity of the network world has forced us, and will force us increasingly in the future, to understand the problems of highly distributed sets of cooperating programs. Today, most of the successful applications in use are, at their heart, two-party interactions. This includes email, retrieval of Web pages, file transfer, and remote login. Multiparty designs are much harder to realize. The complexity of multiparty systems arises from many causes: the heterogeneous nature of the different end nodes, which may have very different functional and performance characteristics; differences in performance in different parts of the network; and transient or persistent failures of some of the participants in the system. Designing robust and flexible approaches to multiparty systems is an important research topic for the future. Networks and Telecommunications • 685 ACM Computing Surveys, Vol. 28, No. 4, December 1996 Objects in the Network Object-oriented approaches are becoming widespread in the software community. This shift is already having an impact on telecommunications and networks. Active objects as methods for remote execution of programs over the network (e.g., Java) are attracting wide interest. Moving objects rather than packets allows the possibility of a reprogrammable infrastructure by allowing the objects to carry with them the methods by which they should be processed by the network. Modularity of Distributed Applications The physical separation of the parts of a distributed system forces a discipline on software construction. Within a single computer, the interaction among the parts of a system can occur in a number of ways: direct invocation of one part by another, indirect connection through the file system, global variables, and so on. These latter forms of connection are sometimes very powerful, but often the cause of poor modularity and obscure overall system behavior. In a system where the parts are separated across a network, these indirect links cannot exist unless they are explicitly designed and implemented, which makes the resulting modularity easier to understand and document. Although this may make the modularity cleaner, it also may inhibit certain forms of powerful system design. It may be necessary to come up with more sophisticated models of interaction among the parts of a distributed system than simple remote invocation, and research in this area is critical to the successful construction of next-generation distributed applications.
Real-Time Ozone Mapping Using a Regression-Interpolation Hybrid Approach, Applied to Tucson, Arizona

Real-time ozone (O3) maps, intended for public access and mass media, are generated from spatially interpolating (i.e., kriging) sparse monitoring data and are typically characterized by over-smoothed surfaces that inadequately represent local-scale spatial patterns (e.g., averaged over 1 km2). In this paper, a hybrid regression-interpolation methodology is developed to enhance the representation of local-scale spatiotemporal patterns with an application to Tucson, Arizona. The mapping of local patterns is enhanced with pre-interpolation regression modeling of local-scale deviation-from-mean variability, preserving variation in the monitor data that is ubiquitous across the modeling domain (i.e., the areal mean). The model is trained on several years of deviation-from-mean hourly O3 data, and predictor variables are developed using theoretically and empirically derived proxy regression variables. The regression model explains a significant proportion of the variation in the data (r2 = 0.54), with an average error of 7.1 ppb. When augmented with the areal mean, the r2 of the pre-interpolation model increases to 0.847. Model residuals are then spatially interpolated to the extents of the modeling domain. Final concentration estimate maps are the summation of areal mean, regression, and spatially interpolated surfaces, preserving absolute values at monitor locations.
Adolescent with Abdominal Pain and Altered Mental Status: Are You Confused?

The presenting manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are diverse and can present insidiously over years with nonspecific complaints or acutely with life-threatening symptoms. We report a case of a previously healthy 18-year-old female who presented to the pediatric emergency department with altered mental status, multi-system organ failure, and fulminant sepsis from pneumococcal meningitis. Further work-up of this patient confirmed a new diagnosis of SLE. This case highlights the potential degree of immune dysfunction in patients with SLE by opportunistic agents and common pathogens. A high index of suspicion for SLE in childhood is important as delays in diagnosis can lead to life-threatening complications and long-term sequelae.
Serum a1-fetoprotein levels in congenital hypothyroidism

Serum a1-fetoprotein (A.F.P.) was measured by double antibody radioimmunoassay in 4 boys and 5 girls with congenital hypothyroidism aged 1 to 3 months and in 20 normal infants matched for age and sex. Thirty days following the initiation of thyroxine substitution therapy wich was instituted upon diagnosis (A.F.P.) was remeasured. Serum A.F.P. in the hypothyroid infants was found to be raised before therapy (147.6±20.7 ng/ml) compared to normal infants(28±7.26 ng/ml). This difference was highly significant (p < 0.001). After one month therapy with thyroxin there was a significant fall in A.F.P. levels(51+19.7 ng/ml). It is suggested that if elevated AFP levels are found during A.F.P. screening programmes hypothyroidism should be excluded.
The Design of New Organic Materials with Enhanced Nonlinear Optical Properties

Abstract Bis-anthracenyl and bis-thienyl polyenes have been synthesized using Wittig methodology. These polyenes can be oxidatively doped with SbCl5 to yield bipolaron-like charge states that can be cast as thin film composites. X (3) measurements performed by degenerate four wave mixing on neutral and doped polyenes indicate significant enhancement of X (3) by bipolaron charge state generation. In the bis-thienyl polyene series, dramatic increases in solubility and processibility have been achieved by multiple alkyl group substitution thus allowing synthesis and characterization of long polyene sequences as oligomeric models of polyacetylene.
Influence of mineral dust surface chemistry on eicosanoid production by the alveolar macrophage.

It has been suggested that radicals on the surface of dust particles are key chemical factors in the pathophysiology that results from the occupational inhalation of coal and silica dust. In addition, oxygenated derivatives of arachidonic acid (eicosanoids) have been implicated as important biochemical mediators of mineral dust‐induced lung disease through their role in bronchial and vascular smooth muscle reactivity, inflammation, and fibrosis. Therefore, we assessed eicosanoid production by the rat alveolar macrophage (AM) exposed in vitro to mineral dusts with varying surface chemical characteristics in order to determine if radicals associated with the mineral dust could influence the production of proinflammatory mediators in the lung environment. Primary cultures of rat AM were exposed to freshly fractured or “stale” bituminous coal dust, as well as untreated silica or silica calcined to 500 and 1100°C. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), thromboxane A2 (TXA2), and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) levels in incubation me...
The PWC170: comparison of different stage lengths in 11–16 year olds

It is unknown how the estimation of aerobic fitness in children and adolescents compares among physical working capacity (PWC) protocols with different stage lengths. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) compare PWC tests with 2-, 3-, and 6-min stage lengths in youth, and (2) examine the relationship between PWC at a heart rate (HR) of 170 beats min(-1) (PWC170) and peak oxygen consumption (VO(2)peak). Fifty youth (31 m, 19 f), aged 11-16 years participated. Each participant visited the laboratory twice and performed three PWC tests (2-, 3-, 6-min stages) on a cycle ergometer. Tests usually consisted of three stages of increasing loads with the goal of reaching HR ≥ 165 beats min(-1). Individual regression lines were created to predict workload at HR = 170 beats ∙ min(-1) for each test. Participants completed two VO(2peak) tests, both running and cycling. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare PWC170 values. Pearson correlation was used to assess the relationships between VO(2peak) and power output for different PWC170 stage lengths. The three PWC170 protocols differ significantly; therefore, it is not advisable to directly compare results from different protocols. Furthermore, PWC170 showed moderate associations with VO(2peak), with the 2-min protocol showing the best correlation.
An fMRI study of the human cortical motor system response to increasing functional demands

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to study activation changes in the human primary motor-sensory areas (MAs), supplementary motor areas (SMAs), premotor areas (PMAs) and the superior and inferior parietal areas (SPAs, IPAs) during right hand finger movements as the rate, force and complexity of movement were varied. A preliminary reproducibility study of a single subject doing the same repetitive index finger movements in nine different sessions over a six week period demonstrated highly consistent and highly localized activation in the contralateral MA. ANOVAs demonstrated highly significant main effects of increasing the force and complexity of movement, thereby illustrating the distributed and integrated systemic character of the cortical motor system. Interactions between brain region and the rate and complexity of movements suggested functional specialization of some components of the system. Increasing the rate of movement led to increased activity only in the contralateral MA; increasing complexity led to greater increases in activity in the left and right SPAs and the left IPA than in other areas. Although activation was evident in varying degree throughout the multiple motor areas, only the MAs showed consistent lateralization of activation.
Decreasing adhesions and avoiding further surgery in a pediatric patient involved in a severe pedestrian versus motor vehicle accident.

In this case study, we report the use of manual physical therapy in a pediatric patient experiencing complications from a life-threatening motor vehicle accident that necessitated 19 surgeries over the course of 12 months. Post-surgical adhesions decreased the patient’s quality of life. He developed multiple medical conditions including recurrent partial bowel obstructions and an ascending testicle. In an effort to avoid further surgery for bowel obstruction and the ascending testicle, the patient was effectively treated with a manual physical therapy regimen focused on decreasing adhesions. The therapy allowed return to an improved quality of life, significant decrease in subjective reports of pain and dysfunction, and apparent decreases in adhesive processes without further surgery, which are important goals for all patients, but especially for pediatric patients.
Update on the metabolic syndrome in children.

Purpose of reviewProvides an update on the metabolic syndrome in childhood.Recent findingsThe metabolic syndrome is increasingly recognized among children. It is nearly exclusively encountered in overweight and obese individuals and is associated with atherosclerosis. Development and clustering of c
Nrf2 Protein Up-regulates Antiapoptotic Protein Bcl-2 and Prevents Cellular Apoptosis

Nuclear transcription factor Nrf2 regulates the expression and coordinated induction of a battery of genes encoding cytoprotective and drug transporter proteins in response to chemical and radiation stress. This leads to reduced apoptosis, enhanced cell survival, and increased drug resistance. In this study, we investigated the role of Nrf2 in up-regulation of antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 and its contribution to stress-induced apoptosis and cell survival. Exposure of mouse hepatoma (Hepa-1) and human hepatoblastoma (HepG2) cells to antioxidant tert-butylhydroquinone led to induction of Bcl-2. Mutagenesis and transfection assays identified an antioxidant response element between nucleotides −3148 and −3140 on the reverse strand of the Bcl-2 gene promoter that was essential for activation of Bcl-2 gene expression. Band/supershift and ChIP assays demonstrated binding of Nrf2 to Bcl-2 antioxidant response element. Alterations in Nrf2 led to altered Bcl-2 induction and cellular apoptosis. Moreover, dysfunctional/mutant inhibitor of Nrf2 (INrf2) in human lung cancer cells failed to degrade Nrf2, resulting in an increased Bcl-2 level and decreased etoposide- and UV/γ radiation-mediated DNA fragmentation. In addition, siRNA-mediated down-regulation of Nrf2 also led to decreased apoptosis and increased cell survival. Furthermore, the specific knockdown of Bcl-2 in Nrf2-activated tumor cells led to increased etoposide-induced apoptosis and decreased cell survival and growth/proliferation. These data provide the first evidence of Nrf2 in control of Bcl-2 expression and apoptotic cell death with implications in antioxidant protection, survival of cancer cells, and drug resistance.
Processing of polyurethane/polyester interpenetrating polymer networks by reaction injection molding. Part II: Mixing at high reynolds numbers and impingement pressures

The impingement mixing process is analyzed considering the characteristic times of all the mechanisms involved. Two models of the mixing phenomenon are postulated; one takes into consideration the energetic nature of the shearing and stretching mechanisms during impingement while the other calls for the statistical variations in the kinetic energy dissipation process. Experimental data are presented to document the mixing scale obtained at high stream Reynolds numbers and impingement pressure. Model fluids are used on several occasions to characterize this scale. The best technique, however, involves mixing polyurethane with an inert component, dissolving the latter after gelation of the polyurethane network, and observing stereologically the ensuing morphology. Results indicate that high Reynolds numbers and impingeme it pressures reduce the scale of mixing to submicron dimensions. Autocorrelation coefficients are derived from the morphologies obtained after gelation. The initial slopes and oscillations in the correlograms are found to be good descriptive features of the degree of mixing in reaction injection molding (RIM).
Hyperglobulinemia May Spuriously Elevate Measured Serum Inorganic Phosphate Levels

Pseudohyperphosphatemia was noted in four patients with hyperglobulinemia when inorganic phosphate levels were measured on the Vickers M-300 discrete automated analyzer (Vickers, Raritan, NJ) used by our clinical laboratory. When the same samples were reanalyzed after protein removal by sulfosalicylic acid precipitation, ultrafiltration, or more extensive dilution, the measured serum inorganic phosphate levels were invariably normal. The addition of human globulin (but not albumin), to pooled normal sera, caused an increase in serum inorganic phosphate levels as measured by the discrete analyzer. The increase correlated with the amount of globulin added ( r = 0.72, P
Heparin, histamine, and serotonin in normal and malignant mast cells, and nanogram determination of serotonin☆

Abstract The quantities of heparin, histamine, and 5-hydroxytryptamine in the same populations of normal rat mast cells from peritoneal washings, and of malignant (ascites tumor, line P-815) mouse mast cells, were determined per 106 cells. Although the normal have about twice the dry weight of the malignant cells, the heparin, histamine, and 5-HT in the former were about 20, 260, and 9 times, respectively, the quantities in the latter. Whereas the number of basic groups of the histamine plus 5-HT exceeds the number of acid groups of the heparin in the normal cells, the reverse is true for the malignant cells. The fluorometric determination of 5-HT was adapted to measurement in the range, 0.005-0.125 μg.
Psychophysical estimation of speed discrimination. I. Methodology.

Thresholds were assessed for a speed discrimination task with a pair of luminance-defined drifting gratings. The design and results of a series of experiments dealing in general with speed discrimination are described. Results show that for a speed discrimination task using drifting gratings, simultaneous presentation of the pair of gratings (spatially separated) was preferred over sequential presentation (temporally separated) in order to minimize the effects of eye movements and tracking. An interstimulus interval of at least 1000 ms was necessary to prevent motion aftereffects on subsequently viewed stimuli. For the two reference speeds tested of 2 and 8 deg∕s using identical spatial frequency or randomizing spatial frequency for the pair of gratings did not affect speed discrimination thresholds. Implementing a staircase method of estimating thresholds was preferred over the method of constant stimuli or the method of limits. The results of these experiments were used to define the methodology for an investigation of aging and motion perception. These results will be of interest and use to psychophysicists designing and implementing speed discrimination paradigms.
Dissipation and large thermodynamic fluctuations

The results of recent work of Kipnis, Olla, and Varadhan on the dynamic large deviations from a hydrodynamic limit for some interacting particle models are formally extended to a general hydrodynamic situation, including non-equilibrium steady states, as a fluctuation-dissipation hypothesis. The basic conjecture is that the exponent of decay in the probability of a large thermodynamic fluctuation is given by the dissipation of the force required to produce the fluctuation. It is shown that this hypothesis leads to a nonlinear version of Onsager-Machlup fluctuation theory that had previously been proposed by Graham. A direct consequence of the theory is a dynamic variational principle for the most probable thermodynamic history subject to imposed constraints (Onsager's principle of least dissipation). Following Graham, the theory leads also to a generalized potential, analogous to an equilibrium free energy, for the nonequilibrium steady state and an associated static variational principle. Finally, a formulation of nonlinear fluctuating hydrodynamics is proposed in which the noise enters multiplicatively so as to reproduce the conjectured large-deviations theory on a formal analogy with the results of Freidlin and Wentzell for finite-dimensional systems.
Steady Liquid Flow and Liquid-Vapor Interface Shapes in Different Groove Structures in Micro Heat Pipes

The paper presents a lubrication-type model of liquid flow and heat transfer in different groove structures in micro heat pipes under negligible gravity and small capillary number. In the adiabatic region the flow rate can be controlled by changing the shape of the cross-section. We have computed the flow rate as a function of geometric parameters. Determination of the vapor-liquid interface shape in the grooves requires coupling of fluid flow and heat transfer. We examined the shape of the interface when thermocapillary effect is insignificant and then consider the effect of thermocapilarity. Practical applications of our results are discussed in relation to the design and optimization of micro heat pipes.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
A review of computable expressive descriptors of human motion

In this paper we present a review of computable descriptors of human motion. We first present low-level descriptors that compute quantities directly from the raw motion data. We then present higher level descriptors that use low-level ones to compute boolean, single value or continuous quantities that can be interpreted, automatically or manually, to qualify the meaning, style or expressiveness of a motion. We provide formulas inspired from the state of the art that can be applied to 3D motion capture data.