cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Observers' response to facial disfigurement from head and neck cancer

OBJECTIVE Our long-term goal is to develop a normative feedback intervention to support head and neck cancer patients in forming realistic expectations about how other people in non-social group settings will respond to their appearance. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between observer ratings of facial disfigurement and observer ratings of emotional response when viewing photographs of faces of head and neck cancer patients. METHODS Seventy-five (75) observers rated their emotional response to each of 144 facial photographs of head and neck cancer patients using the Self-Assessment-Manikin and rated severity of facial disfigurement on a 9-point scale. Body image investment of the observers was measured using the Appearance Schemas Inventory-Revised. A standardized multiple regression model was used to assess the relationship between observer ratings of facial disfigurement and observer ratings of emotional response, taking into consideration the age and sex of the patient depicted in the stimulus photograph, as well as the age, sex, and body image investment of the observer. RESULTS Observers who had a strong emotional response to a patient's facial photograph tended to rate the patient's facial disfigurement as more severe (standardized regression coefficient β = 0.328, P < 0.001). Sex and age of the observer had more influence on the rating of facial disfigurement than did the patient's demographic characteristics. Observers more invested in their own body image tended to rate the facial disfigurement as more severe. CONCLUSIONS This study lays the groundwork for a normative database of emotional response to facial disfigurement.
Unequal Pay for Equal Work: Where Are We Now?

Read and colleagues' cross-sectional survey of internists showed that the salary gap between women and men in the medical profession has long been an unfortunate, unconscionable norm that persists ...
Cultural impediments to learning to cooperate: An experimental study of high- and low-caste men in rural India

We report experimental findings on how individuals from different cultures solve a repeated coordination game of common interest. The results overturn earlier findings that fixed pairs are almost assured to coordinate on an efficient and cooperative equilibrium. Subjects in the prior experiments were US university students, whereas the subjects in our study are men drawn from high and low castes in rural India. Most low-caste pairs quickly established an efficient and cooperative convention, but most high-caste pairs did not. The largest difference in behavior occurred when a player suffered a loss because he had tried to cooperate but his partner did not: In this situation, high-caste men were far less likely than low-caste men to continue trying to cooperate in the next period. Our interpretation is that for many high-caste men, the loss resulting from coordination failure triggered retaliation. Our results are robust to controls for education and wealth, and they hold by subcaste as well as by caste status. A survey we conducted supports the ethnographic evidence that more high-caste than low-caste men prefer to retaliate against a slight. We find no evidence that caste differences in trust or self-efficacy explain the caste gap in cooperation in our experiment. Our findings are of general interest because many societies throughout the world have cultures that lead individuals to (mis)perceive some actions as insults and to respond aggressively and dysfunctionally.
Causal atomicity

Atomicity is an important generic specification that assures that a programmer can pretend blocks occur sequentially in any execution. We define a notion of atomicity based on causality. We model the control flow of a program with threads using a Petri net that naturally abstracts data, and faithfully captures the independence and interaction between threads. The causality between events in the partially ordered executions of the Petri net is used to define the notion of causal atomicity. We show that causal atomicity is a robust notion that many correct programs adopt, and show how we can effectively check causal atomicity using Petri net tools based on unfoldings, which exploit the concurrency in the net to yield automatic partial-order reduction in the state-space.
Assessing housing retrofits in historic districts in Havre Montana

Abstract This paper explores the impact of retrofitting single-family residential buildings in historic districts with energy efficiency measures that are compliant with the 2012 version of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). This study focuses on Sears’s kit homes that were built in the early 1900s in the historic district of Havre, Montana. By conducting whole building energy simulations, this study assesses the impact of implementing each measure in terms of energy savings, reduction in carbon emissions and resultant paybacks. In addition the selected measures were grouped together into various groups and assessed. Combining all measures provided 81% energy savings and a simple payback period of 4–8 years and a time until Net Present Value (NPV) of 9.5 - > 30 years over the corresponding base-case. In addition to demonstrating strong economic justifications, the implementation of efficiency measures is highly recommended for the benefit of preserving historic districts and in turn contributing to the reduction in energy consumption as well as carbon emissions of historic residential building stock in the United States.
Reducing seclusion and restraints on the inpatient child and adolescent behavioral health unit: A quality improvement study.

Background The utilization of seclusion and restraint during psychiatric inpatient treatment increases the risk of trauma, humiliation, physical injuries, psychological distress, and even death. Compared to adult patients, pediatric patients are more likely to be placed in seclusion and restraints. In a short-term child and adolescent behavioral health unit, the average seclusion and restraint rate was 0.031. The hospital's goal was to achieve a zero seclusion and restraint rate. Purpose The purpose of this project was to decrease the rate of seclusion and restraints at the study site. Method A quality improvement study was implemented based on a bundled intervention strategy. The intervention included a decision-making algorithm for initiation of seclusion and restraints, behavioral modification plans for patients at risk of seclusion and restraints, and a patient-debriefing tool to be used post a seclusion and restraint event. Post implementation, data were collected over a 3-month period. Results The implementation of a seclusion and restraint decision-making algorithm, behavioral modification, and patient debriefing successfully decreased the seclusion and restraint rate by 55% on an inpatient pediatric behavioral health unit. Conclusion Although, the project resulted in a successful reduction in the rates for seclusion and restraint, continued quality improvement efforts are indicated to achieve zero restraint/seclusions on the unit.
Bringing Statistical Learning Machines Together for Hydro-Climatological Predictions - Case Study for Sacramento San Joaquin River Basin, California

Abstract Study region Sacramento San Joaquin River Basin, California Study focus The study forecasts the streamflow at a regional scale within SSJ river basin with largescale climate variables. The proposed approach eliminates the bias resulting from predefined indices at regional scale. The study was performed for eight unimpaired streamflow stations from 1962–2016. First, the Singular Valued Decomposition (SVD) teleconnections of the streamflow corresponding to 500 mbar geopotential height, sea surface temperature, 500 mbar specific humidity (SHUM500), and 500 mbar U-wind (U500) were obtained. Second, the skillful SVD teleconnections were screened non-parametrically. Finally, the screened teleconnections were used as the streamflow predictors in the non-linear regression models (K-nearest neighbor regression and data-driven support vector machine). New hydrological insights The SVD results identified new spatial regions that have not been included in existing predefined indices. The nonparametric model indicated the teleconnections of SHUM500 and U500 being better streamflow predictors compared to other climate variables. The regression models were capable to apprehend most of the sustained low flows, proving the model to be effective for drought-affected regions. It was also observed that the proposed approach showed better forecasting skills with preprocessed large scale climate variables rather than using the predefined indices. The proposed study is simple, yet robust in providing qualitative streamflow forecasts that may assist water managers in making policy-related decisions when planning and managing watersheds.
Theoretical Design of Paradoxical Signaling-Based Synthetic Population Control Circuit in E. coli

We have developed a mathematical framework to analyze the cooperative control of cell population homeostasis via paradoxical signaling in synthetic contexts. Paradoxical signaling functions through quorum sensing (where cells produce and release a chemical signal as a function of cell density). Precisely, the same quorum sensing signal provides both positive (proliferation) and negative (death) feedback in different signal concentration regimes. As a consequence, the relationship between intercellular quorum sensing signal concentration and net growth rate (cell proliferation minus death rates) can be non-monotonic. This relationship is a condition for robustness to certain cell mutational overgrowths and allows for increased stability in the presence of environmental perturbations. Here, we explore stability and robustness of a conceptualized synthetic circuit. Furthermore, we asses possible design principles that could exist among a subset of paradoxical circuit implementations. This analysis sparks the development a bio-molecular control theory to identify ideal underlying characteristics for paradoxical signaling control systems.
Atomic scale microscopy of point defects and their complexes in beta-Ga2O3 (Conference Presentation)

Point defects are at the heart of the important properties of wide band-gap and oxide semiconductors for power electronics applications, and therefore understanding the details of point defects and their role in determining the properties becomes imperative. Beta-Ga2O3 has received significant attention recently due to its unique advantages, including high breakdown voltage and availability as bulk substrates, which make it a viable candidate for next-generation power device applications. Here we present the first direct microscopic observation of the formation of interstitial-divacancy complexes within beta-Ga2O3 lattice using atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. We directly observed that cation atoms are present in multiple interstitial sites, and each interstitial atom is paired with two adjacent vacancies. The observed structure of the complexes is consistent with the calculation using density functional theory (DFT), which predicts them to be compensating acceptors. The number of the observed complexes increase as a function of Sn doping concentration, which matches with the increase in the concentration of the trap state at Ec - 2.1 eV measured using deep level optical spectroscopy, which strongly suggests that the defects corresponds to that trap level. Our finding provides new crucial information on the exact origin of the properties of beta-Ga2O3 that has been unobtainable using other methods. The results also provide new important insight on the material’s unique response to the impurity incorporation that can impact their properties, which can ultimately guide the development of growth and doping of new-generation materials for power electronics.
Determination of Thermal Accommodation Coefficients of Helium, Argon, and Xenon on a Surface of Zircaloy-2 at About 25°C

Estimation of gap conductance in nuclear reactor fuel rods requires values for thermal accommodation coefficients of several gases on Zircaloy, uranium-dioxide, stainless steel, and other surfaces....
CFTrack: Center-based Radar and Camera Fusion for 3D Multi-Object Tracking.

3D multi-object tracking is a crucial component in the perception system of autonomous driving vehicles. Tracking all dynamic objects around the vehicle is essential for tasks such as obstacle avoidance and path planning. Autonomous vehicles are usually equipped with different sensor modalities to improve accuracy and reliability. While sensor fusion has been widely used in object detection networks in recent years, most existing multi-object tracking algorithms either rely on a single input modality, or do not fully exploit the information provided by multiple sensing modalities. In this work, we propose an end-to-end network for joint object detection and tracking based on radar and camera sensor fusion. Our proposed method uses a center-based radar-camera fusion algorithm for object detection and utilizes a greedy algorithm for object association. The proposed greedy algorithm uses the depth, velocity and 2D displacement of the detected objects to associate them through time. This makes our tracking algorithm very robust to occluded and overlapping objects, as the depth and velocity information can help the network in distinguishing them. We evaluate our method on the challenging nuScenes dataset, where it achieves 20.0 AMOTA and outperforms all vision-based 3D tracking methods in the benchmark, as well as the baseline LiDAR-based method. Our method is online with a runtime of 35ms per image, making it very suitable for autonomous driving applications.
Characterization of Clock Phase Errors for Distributed Wireless Synchronization Protocol

We present analytic expressions for the clock phase error power spectral density (PSD) resulting from a previously reported decentralized distributed wireless synchronization protocol acting on independent sensor oscillators. We provide an overview of oscillator phase noise error modelling and examine the effects of the wireless synchronization protocol and the resulting synchronized clock phase noise PSDs. We present results from both simulation and experiment to validate the expressions derived.
A new upper bound for finite additive h-bases

Abstract Let h ≥ 2 be a fixed integer. For a positive integer N, a set A ⊂ [ 0 , N ] ∩ Z is called an h-basis for N if every integer n ∈ [ 0 , N ] can be represented as n = a 1 + a 2 + ⋯ + a h , where a j ∈ A , j = 1 , 2 , … , h . In this paper, we improve the existing lower bound estimates for the cardinality of an additive h-basis for N, as N → ∞ .
Comment on “Agriculture facilitated permanent human occupation of the Tibetan Plateau after 3600 B.P. ”

Chen et al. (Reports, 16 January 2015, p. 248) argued that early Tibetan agriculturalists pushed the limits of farming up to 4000 meters above sea level. We contend that this argument is incompatible with the growing requirements of barley. It is necessary to clearly define past crop niches to create better models for the complex history of the occupation of the plateau.
Genetic inactivation of the allograft inflammatory factor-1 locus

Allograft inflammatory factor-1 (Aif-1) is a 17 kDa EF hand motif-bearing protein expressed primarily in developing spermatids and cells of monocyte/macrophage lineage. Increased Aif-1 expression has been identified in clinically important conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, endometriosis, and transplant-associated arteriosclerosis. Largely similar gene products arising from the same locus are known as ionized Ca(2+) binding adapter-1 (Iba1), microglial response factor-1 (MRF1), and daintain; Iba1 in particular has emerged as a histologic marker of microglia and their activation in pathologic CNS conditions, including the response to facial nerve axotomy and stroke, uveitis, and experimental autoimmune neuritis and encephalomyelitis. Nevertheless, how aif-1 gene products affect cellular function is only partly understood, and the physiologic significance of these products for male fertility, immune system development, and inflammation has not been described. To permit such investigations, we generated a mouse line with targeted deletion of the coding regions of the aif-1 gene. Here we report that mice lacking Aif-1 breed well and show normal post-natal growth, but show resistance to disease in a model of collagen-induced arthritis. We anticipate that these mice will be useful for studies of Aif-1 function in a variety of immune and inflammatory disease models.
The Relationship between Resting Heart Rate Variability and Erectile Tumescence among Men with Normal Erectile Function

Abstract Introduction Individuals with erectile dysfunction (ED) have been shown to display lower heart rate variability (HRV), suggesting dysregulation of cardiac autonomic function. No studies have explored whether HRV is predictive of erectile response among men with clinically normal erectile function. Aim The study aims to examine associations between resting HRV and objective measures of genital response (i.e., resting penile circumference; erectile tumescence) and self‐reported sexual function. Methods The sample comprised 59 male community volunteers (mean age = 20.15 years; SD = 2.52) selected from the control conditions of two previously published studies. Participants reported erectile function in the normal range (scoring ≥ 26 on the International Index of Erectile Function [IIEF]) and had no history of cardiovascular disease or myocardial infarct. During a laboratory visit, self‐report, anthropometric, cardiovascular, and electrocardiographic data were assessed, as well as resting penile circumference and erectile tumescence in response to viewing an erotic film. Main Outcome Measures Resting penile responses, erectile tumescence (circumferential change via penile plethysmography), self‐reported sexual function per the IIEF, and both time‐domain (standard deviation of beat‐to‐beat [NN] intervals, square root of the mean squared difference of successive NN intervals, and percent of NN intervals for which successive heartbeat intervals differed by at least 50 msec [pNN50]) and frequency‐domain (low frequency [LF], high frequency [HF], LF/HF ratio) parameters of HRV were assessed. Results Higher‐resting HF power and lower‐resting LF/HF ratio were associated with greater erectile tumescence. There were marginally significant positive associations between mean NN interval and pNN50 and penile tumescence. HRV was not associated with self‐reported sexual function or with resting penile circumference. Conclusions Results suggested that, among men without ED, relatively elevated parasympathetic tone was predictive of larger erectile tumescence. Limited variance in sexual function scores may have accounted for the lack of association between HRV and IIEF scores. Harte CB. The relationship between resting heart rate variability and erectile tumescence among men with normal erectile function. J Sex Med 2013;10:1961–1968.
Addressing the Intersection of HIV and Intimate Partner Violence Among Women with or at Risk for HIV in the United States

In 2012, the White House established a working group in recognition of the need to understand and address the intersection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and violence against women and girls. This report describes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s efforts for addressing intimate partner violence and HIV among women and provides suggestions for future prevention efforts. CDC's current efforts are focused on understanding these often co-occurring public health problems, identifying effective interventions, and ensuring that states and communities have the capacity and resources to implement prevention approaches based on the best available evidence. Additional research is needed on effective strategies for integrating violence prevention and HIV programming into health services targeting adolescent girls and women who experience intimate partner violence or are at risk for HIV.
Subject Gender, Knowledge of Results, and Receptor Anticipation

Abstract The effect of subject gender and knowledge of results (KR) on receptor anticipation (Poulton, 1957) was investigated. Twenty trials were given in which subjects (N = 80) attempted to time a preferred-hand button press response coincident with the lighting of the last of a series of runway lights illuminating in a pattern of apparent motion of 9 mph. Half of the subjects received quantitative KR after each trial and half performed without KR. Each group contained 20 males and 20 females. Mean absolute error, mean algebraic error, and variable error were calculated for each subject on the block of trials 2 to 5 and on the three subsequent 5-trial blocks. The dependent measures were then analyzed by means of separate 2 × 2 × 4 (Gender × KR × Blocks) ANOVAs with repeated measures on the last factor. The results indicated that the receptor anticipation of males was more accurate and less variable than that of females, and KR did not influence the accuracy of anticipations but was associated with highe...
Radiative Transfer of CO through Clumpy Molecular Clouds with External UV Heating

We have developed a model which simulates the radiative transfer of molecular line emission through clumpy molecular clouds. The dynamical struc ture of the model cloud is based on the work of Kwan and Sanders (1986). The model incorporates the existence of an intense source of UV photons at the surface of the cloud. The UV source heats the clumps and creates kinetic temperature and CO abundance gradients within them. The amount of heating depends on the intensity of the UV field, which decreases from the surface to the core of the cloud due to attenuation by dust. We treat in detail the photochemistry and self-shielding properties of CO as a function of UV intensity and gas density in order to obtain the CO line intensities emerging from each clump. The line intensity emerging from the cloud is obtained by integrating the emission from all clumps along the line of sight, weighted by an area covering factor, and attenuated by the opacity of intervening clumps. The effects of the heating are significantly noticeable on the line intensities of CO transitions arising from levels with J between ~ 3 and ~ 7. We apply our model to the case of the Orion A molecular cloud, and in particular to observations of the J=3→2 12C0 and 13C0 lines. The model is in general agreement with the observed enhanced intensity of the 12C0 J=3→2 transition relative to the J = l→0 transition throughout the central ~ 10’ region of Orion. It also produces centrally peaked spectral lines whose intensity is maximum in a shell-like distribution centered on the Trapezium HII region, as is observed.
Torture, Television, and Iranian Culture

The Making of Exile Cultures: Iranian Television in Los Angeles. Hamid Naficy Torture and Modernity: Self, Society and State in Modern Iran. Darius M. Rejali
Regulation of integrin LFA-1 (CD11a/CD18) during T cell migration and activation (CAM1P.227)

T cell entry into a lymph node is dependent upon several events, including activation of chemokine receptor CCR7 and adhesion of integrin LFA1. T cells become highly motile to scan dendritic cells (DCs) for cognate antigen (Ag), utilizing active LFA1 at the leading edge. Ag challenge induces stable T-DC interactions and immunological synapse (IS) formation, where active LFA1 relocates. LFA1 is an adhesive force in migration and IS formation, but the outcome of chemokine and T cell receptor (TCR) signals are different, as the former induce “go” and the latter mediate “stop” signals. We hypothesize the magnitude of chemokine and TCR signals will determine the outcome of LFA1 mediated interactions and thus T cell activation. We generated fluorescent knock-in (KI) mice to visualize LFA1 distribution and activation patterns. We mated these KI mice with OTI TCR transgenic mice to study LFA1 distribution in T cells activated by varying TCR signal strength with altered peptide ligands (APL). We have thus far shown LFA-1 clusters faster and remains clustered longer at the contact site in interactions with cognate Ag compared to those with weaker APLs. We are repeating these experiments in our LFA1 FRET mice, which allow us to visualize the LFA1 activation, to determine if LFA1 activation induces the LFA1 clustering seen in interactions with cognate Ag. We have also incorporated a photoactivatable chemokine receptor, PA-CCR7, to assess the effect of chemokine signal strength on LFA1.
Characterizing forest structure variations across an intact tropical peat dome using field samplings and airborne LiDAR

Tropical peat swamp forests (PSF) are one of the most carbon dense ecosystems on the globe and are experiencing substantial natural and anthropogenic disturbances. In this study, we combined direct field sampling and airborne LiDAR to empirically quantify forest structure and aboveground live biomass (AGB) across a large, intact tropical peat dome in Northwestern Borneo. Moving up a 4 m elevational gradient, we observed increasing stem density but decreasing canopy height, crown area, and crown roughness. These findings were consistent with hypotheses that nutrient and hydrological dynamics co-influence forest structure and stature of the canopy individuals, leading to reduced productivity towards the dome interior. Gap frequency as a function of gap size followed a power law distribution with a shape factor (λ) of 1.76 ± 0.06. Ground-based and dome-wide estimates of AGB were 217.7 ± 28.3 Mg C/ha and 222.4 ± 24.4 Mg C/ha, respectively, which were higher than previously reported AGB for PSF and tropical forests in general. However, dome-wide AGB estimates were based on height statistics, and we found the coefficient of variation on canopy height was only 0.08, three times less than stem diameter measurements, suggesting LiDAR height metrics may not be a robust predictor of AGB in tall tropical forests with dense canopies. Our structural characterization of this ecosystem advances the understanding of the ecology of intact tropical peat domes and factors that influence biomass density and landscape-scale spatial variation. This ecological understanding is essential to improve estimates of forest carbon density and its spatial distribution in PSF and to effectively model the effects of disturbance and deforestation in these carbon dense ecosystems.
Open-loop trajectory design for longitudinal vehicle maneuvers: case studies with design constraints

This work discusses the open-loop trajectory design for longitudinal vehicle maneuvers. It is shown that trajectory design can be formulated as an optimization problem. Optimal curves that minimize the selected quadratic penalty functions are solved with an approach utilizing the maximum principle. The proposed design approach is applied to several cases with design constraints. Problems with fixed and varying acceleration saturation are solved and reviewed. A problem with jerk constraints at boundary points is also discussed. The paper concludes with a parametric study of curve characteristics. A correlation between curve properties and penalty functions is established.
Maxillofacial prosthetic rehabilitation for esophageal and laryngeal laxity due to the hypermobility syndrome: A clinical report

Laryngeal and esophageal laxity resulting from a connective tissue disease can lead to severe pain and functional impairment. This clinical report describes a patient with such significant neck pain that it prevented her from speaking; it also caused pain with deglutition. Maxillofacial prosthetic rehabilitation with an external laryngeal and esophageal support significantly reduced the patient's pain and restored normal speaking and deglutition functions. This clinical report describes the design and fabrication of a support to stabilize the patient's laryngeal and esophageal structures to her midline.
Electrode array detector for microchip capillary electrophoresis

Selectivity and resolution for analyses conducted using microfluidic devices can be improved by increasing the total number of individual detection elements in the device. Here, a poly(dimethylsiloxane) capillary electrophoresis microchip was fabricated with an integrated electrode array for selective detection of small molecules. Eight individually addressable gold electrodes were incorporated in series after a palladium current decoupler in the separation channel of an electrophoresis microchip. The electrode array device was characterized using a mixture of biologically relevant analytes and xenobiotics: norepinephrine, 4-aminophenol, acetaminophen, uric acid, and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid. Separation efficiencies as high as 9000 ± 1000 plates (n = 3) for 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and limits of detection as low as 2.6 ± 1.2 µM (n = 3) for norepinephrine were obtained using this device. After characterizing the performance of the device, potential step detection was conducted at the array electrodes and selective detection achieved based upon differences in redox potentials for individual analytes. Utilization of potential step detection was particularly advantageous for resolving co-migrating species; resolution of 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine from acetaminophen using potential control was demonstrated. Finally, a human urine sample was analyzed using potential step detection to demonstrate the applicability of this device for complex sample analysis.
Simultaneous Improvement of Yield, Fiber Quality, and Yarn Stregth in Upland Cotton

A five-parent half diallel mating design was utilized to determine the potential for the simultaneous improvement in yield, fiber quality, and yarn strength in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). In addition, fiber traits were measured by standard laboratory instrumentation (SLI) and high volume instrumentation (HVI) to compare their usefulness to breeders in population improvement. The 10 FI populations plus the parental lines were grown in a randomized complete-block design in 1983 at two locations each with a different soil type at the Pee Dee Research and Education Center, Florence, SC. Significant general combining ability (GCA), which may approximate additive genetic effects, was detected for 2.5 and 50% fiber span length (SLI measurement), uniformity (SLI measurement), yarn strength, yield, and lint percentage. Therefore, progress from early generation selection could be expected in these populations. There were no significant GCA effects for any of the HVI fiber measurements, and it was concluded that HVI is not as useful to breeders in detecting small genetic differences as HVI is to the textile industry for which it was developed. There was some evidence of nonadditive genetic effects for some of the fiber traits by a general test of heterosis, although it was not detected by the test for specific combining ability. No single parent exhibited high GCA effects for yield and all fiber traits, thus simultaneous improvement in multiple fiber traits and yield probably will require intermating of several parental lines. However, simultaneous improvements in yield and yarn strength could be expected from crosses with PD 3249 and SC-1, thus providing further evidence of the breakup of unfavorable linkages.
Echovirus-coxsackievirus chimeras for the evaluation of the role of the echovirus 5' nontranslated region (5'NTNTR) in pathogenesis. • 758

Echoviruses (ECVs), members of the genus enterovirus(polioviruses [PV], group A and B coxsackieviruses [CAV and CBV], ECV and enteroviruses), cause syndromes ranging from febrile exanthems to myocarditis and meningitis. The PV1-3 and CBV3 5'NTR, the major viral regulatory region, has been shown to contain virulence determinants important in pathogenesis. Despite their clinical significance, few studies have explored the role of the ECV 5'NTR in pathogenesis. Murine models exist for the study of the PV and CBV. No such models exist for the ECV due to the inability of these viruses to replicate in mice. Because the ECV 5'NTR is similar to CBV, a possible approach to the study of the ECV 5'NTR, using a murine model, is to create chimeric viruses in which the 5'NTR of CBV is replaced with that of the ECV. We constructed such ECV/CBV chimeras and report their viability, growth kinetics and ability to retain parental virulence phenotype. ECV serotypes 9 and 12 were selected based on clinical virulence phenotype; ECV9 infection more frequently results in overt clinical disease, while ECV12 infection results in subclinical seroconversion. Nucleotides 62-753 of the ECV9 and 12 5'NTRs were RT-PCR amplified, directly sequenced, cloned and used to replace the homologous region of a cloned, transcriptionally controlled, full-length, noncardiovirulent CBV3. HeLa cell transfection of run-off RNA transcripts from the chimeric constructs resulted in viable virus. Single passage chimeric virus was sequenced prior to further characterization. No variation from the parental ECV 5'NTR sequence was found. One-step viral growth studies revealed that while both chimeras achieved similar final titers, the ECV12/CBV3 chimera was slower in doing so. CH3/He mice inoculated with the chimeric viruses were examined for evidence of myocarditis as a marker of virulence phenotype. The ECV9/CBV3 chimera produced myocardial lesions while ECV12/CBV3 failed to do so. These studies indicate that 5'NTR ECV/CBV3 chimeras are viable, appear to retain the parental ECV virulence phenotype and provide evidence for ECV 5'NTR virulence determinants.
Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) Imaging: Description of Technique and Potential Clinical Applications

Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast enhancement technique that enables indirect detection of metabolites with exchangeable protons. Endogenous metabolites with exchangeable protons including many endogenous proteins with amide protons, glycosaminoglycans (GAG), glycogen, myo-inositol (MI), glutamate (Glu), creatine (Cr) and several others have been identified as potential in vivo endogenous CEST agents. These endogenous CEST agents can be exploited as non-invasive and non-ionizing biomarkers of disease diagnosis and treatment monitoring. This review focuses on the recent technical developments in endogenous in vivo CEST MRI from various metabolites as well as their potential clinical applications. The basic underlying principles of CEST, its potential limitations and new techniques to mitigate them are discussed.
Phospholipase A2 Enzymes in Eicosanoid Generation

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) enzymes cleave esterified fatty acids from membrane glycerophospholipids. The 20-carbon polyunsaturated fatty acid, arachidonic acid, is used as substrate by intermediate enzymes for the generation of eicosanoids, including leukotrienes and prostanoid products. An expanding number of PLA2 enzymes has now been identified that may participate in arachidonic acid release and thus serve a rate-limiting role in eicosanoid biosynthesis. Cellular PLA2 function for various members is regulated by constitutive or elicited expression, as well as by posttranslational events such as phosphorylation. In addition, the function of some cellular PLA2 enzymes is regulated by a requirement for calcium or by localization to a particular subcellular compartment. Finally, some PLA2 enzymes are secreted from the cell where they may directly interact with plasma membrane or transmembrane receptors to function as autocrine or paracrine mediators. Evaluating the roles of a number of these functionally similar PLA2 enzymes in the biosynthesis of leukotrienes and other eicosanoids is the focus of this review.
The walls still speak: the stories occupants tell

Purpose – Accompanying the recent concern for the quality of our nation's educational infrastructure, a growing body of research connects the quality of school facilities to both student outcomes including achievement, behavior, and attitude as well as to teacher attitude and behavior. Less is known about the mechanisms of these relationships. This paper aims to examine the link between school building quality and student outcomes through the mediating influence of school climate. Results build upon those of a recent study that confirmed a link between the quality of school facilities and student achievement in both English and Mathematics, as well as the mediating role of school climate. This qualitative follow‐up study explores the complicated intricacies of how a school building's physical properties influence teaching and learning.Design/methodology/approach – The study is structured according to a collective, instrumental case study design. Individual, focus group, walk‐through and photo‐interviews, ...
Greenfield Filter Insertions: Predictability of Technical Difficulties

Short, small females with small veins pose problems with transjugular insertion of the Greenfield filter, and if feasible, the transfemoral route should be used in these patients.
A Distinctive Physiological Role for IκBβ in the Propagation of Mitochondrial Respiratory Stress Signaling

The NFκBs regulate an array of physiological and pathological processes, including propagation of mitochondrial respiratory stress signaling in mammalian cells. We showed previously that mitochondrial stress activates NFκB using a novel calcineurin-requiring pathway that is different from canonical or non-canonical pathways. This study shows that IκBβ is essential for the propagation of mitochondrial stress signaling. Knock down of IκBβ, but not IκBα, mRNA reduced the mitochondrial stress-mediated activation and nuclear translocation of cRel:p50, inhibiting expression of nuclear target genes RyR1 and cathepsin L. IκBβ mRNA knock down also reduced resistance to staurosporine-induced apoptosis and decreased in vitro invasiveness. Induced receptor switching to insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor and increased glucose uptake are hallmarks of mitochondrial stress. IκBβ mRNA knock down selectively abrogated the receptor switch and altered tubulin cytoskeletal organization. These results show that mitochondrial stress signaling uses an IκBβ-initiated NFκB pathway that is distinct from the other known NFκB pathways. Furthermore, our results demonstrate the distinctive physiological roles of the two inhibitory proteins IκBβ and IκBα.
Increasing Photosynthesis by Inhibiting Photorespiration with Glyoxylate

Glyoxylate treatment doubles net photosynthetic carbon dioxide fixation by tobacco leaf disks because inhibition of glycolate synthesis by glyoxylate results in decreased photorespiration. These observations show that photorespiration can be metabolically regulated and suggest that genetic or chemical alteration of pool sizes of certain metabolites can produce plants with increased photosynthesis.
Higher body mass index is associated with more adverse changes in calf muscle characteristics in peripheral arterial disease.

Objective This study investigated whether higher body mass index (BMI) is associated with more adverse lower extremity muscle characteristics at baseline and more adverse changes in muscle over time among participants with lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Methods This was a longitudinal, observational study of 425 men and women with PAD and 261 without PAD. Computed tomography was used to measure calf muscle characteristics at baseline and every 2 years. Knee extension isometric strength, power, and 6-minute walk distance were measured at baseline and annually. Baseline BMI (kg/m 2 ) categories were ideal (20-25), overweight (>25-30), and obese (>30). Analyses adjust for age, race, sex, ankle brachial index, comorbidities, and other covariates. Results At baseline, higher BMI among participants with PAD was associated with greater calf muscle area (ideal BMI: 5181 mm 2 ; overweight: 5513 mm 2 ; obese: 5695 mm 2 ; P = .0009 for trend), higher calf muscle percentage of fat (6.38%, 10.28%, 17.44%, respectively, P P P = .015 for trend). Among participants with PAD, higher BMI was associated with greater declines in calf muscle area ( P = .030 for trend) and greater increases in calf muscle percentage of fat ( P = .023 for trend). Among participants without PAD, there were no significant associations of baseline BMI with changes in lower extremity muscle outcomes over time. Conclusions Among PAD participants, higher BMI is associated with greater calf muscle area at baseline. However, higher BMI is associated with more adverse calf muscle density and calf muscle percentage of fat at baseline and greater declines in calf muscle area over time.
Accuracy and precision of buccal pulse oximetry

Abstract Objective We sought to describe the accuracy and precision of buccal pulse oximetry (SbpO2) compared with arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) and pulse oximetry (SpO2) in healthy adults at normoxemia and under 3 induced hypoxemic conditions. Methods In this prospective, correlational study, SbpO2, SaO2, and SpO2 values were recorded at normoxemia and at three hypoxemic conditions (SpO2 = 90%, 80%, and 70%) for 53 healthy, nonsmoking adults who were without cardiac or pulmonary disease, baseline hypoxemia, peripheral edema, dyshemoglobinemia, and fever. Bland-Altman analyses were used to assess agreement and precision between SbpO2 and SaO2 measures and between SbpO2 and SpO2 measures. Data were adjusted to account for a lag time between buccal and finger sites. Results When comparing SbpO2 and SaO2 values, mean differences of –1.8%, .3%, 2.4%, and 2.6% were evident at the normoxemia, 90%, 80%, and 70% levels, respectively. When comparing SbpO2 and SpO2 values, the mean differences were –1.4%, .1%, 3.3%, and 4.7% at the normoxemia, 90%, 80%, and 70% levels, respectively. The SbpO2 and SaO2 values met a priori precision criteria (1.6%; 95% confidence limit, –4.9% to 1.3%) at normoxemia. The SbpO2 and SpO2 values met precision criteria at normoxemia (1.5%; 95% confidence limit, –4.4% to 1.5%) and 90% (1.9%; 95% confidence limit, –3.6% to 3.8%) conditions, but exceeded precision criteria at the other tested conditions. On average, SpO2 lagged 21 seconds behind SbpO2. Conclusion Buccal oximetry is an inaccurate and imprecise method of assessing SpO2 when oxygen saturation is
Refraction Indices of Non-Uniform Systems from the First Principles

A novel, first-principle theoretical approach and synergetic computational methods designed to predict electronic and magnetic transport properties of strongly spatially inhomogeneous systems, including small quantum dots and wires (QDs and QWs, respectively), and molecules, have been developed recently. This approach is based on a many-body quantum theoretical formalism - a projection operator method due to Zubarev and Tserkovnikov (ZT) - formulated in terms of the equilibrium, two-time temperature Green functions (or TTGFs). There are several significant advantages of this approach, as compared to traditional non-equilibrium two-time thermodynamic and field-theoretical Green's function (NGF) methods that are currently used to study electronic and magnetic transport properties of strongly spatially inhomogeneous systems. In particular, the TTGFs are directly related to experimentally assessable microscopic charge, spin and microcurrent densities. In the work reported here the TTGF-based approach has been used to derive a fundamental, yet tractable expression for the space-time Fourier transform of the tensor of quasi-local refraction indices (TRI) from the first principles. The TTGFs necessary to predict TRI can be calculated using quantum statistical mechanical means, modeling and simulations, and experimental data. Applications of the theoretical predictions for TRI open new prospects in materials design. In particular, the derived theoretical expression for TRI can be used to guide experimental synthesis of structured materials and systems with both direction- and position-dependent indices of refraction in desirable frequency ranges.
Systematic properties of actinide metals

Abstract The solid state and thermodynamic properties of the 7th-row metals actinium through einsteinium are reviewed, particularly in terms of new advances since the Asilomar meeting. General properties for all the elements are considered and the individual metals are surveyed for new results as well as for unresolved problems. The thermodynamic properties of the metals thorium through einsteinium are mostly well-established, evcept for the cohesive energy of protactinium. Here some unmeasured values still remain, particularly the high temperature heat capacities. The relation of 5f-electron bonding to 3d element behaviour is discussed in terms of the electronegativities of the elements, and the homologous shift of the metals americium through einsteinium to correspond with the series neodymium to europium is noted. Plutonium is characterived as an actinide trying hard to become a rare earth, and properties of the “transition region” are briefly discussed. A new understanding of f-electron bonding and structure has come from sophisticated calculations showing the effects of internal pressure, spin polarivation energy and spin-orbit coupling. Recent high pressure results for the transplutonium metals shed light on these special materials.
The illusory nature of Implicit Personality Theory: Logical and empirical considerations

Mirels (1976) demonstrated that derivations from Implicit Personality Theory were compromised by marked absolute discrepancies between subjects’ estimates of the coendorsement of personality items and the empirical relations between the items. Arguments presented by Jackson, Chan, and Strieker (1979) in a recent critique of this demonstration were shown to be based on an arbitrary and severely restrictive view of implicit theory. Logical and empirical considerations were brought to bear in the present paper to indicate that (a) empirical conditional probabilities of test item coendorsement are an appropriate comparison standard for estimates of those probabilities, (b) large absolute discrepancies between estimated and empirical coendorsement must be regarded as seriously impugning the accuracy of IPT, and (c) exclusive reliance on the correlational correspondence between estimated and empirical coendorsement results in an overly sanguine view of the accuracy of IPT. Moreover, it was shown that subjects fail to discriminate between highly asymmetrical conditional probabilities, a finding directly at variance with the assertion that the presumably veridical postulates of implicit theory are inductively extracted from experience. Also discussed were the relation between IPT and everyday social judgments, and the influence of IPT on behavioral ratings.
Design and analysis of an information theoretic algorithm for vector-field segmentation

We present several objective functions for vector field segmentation. Leclerc's MRF model is extended by the addition of information-theoretic penalties for regions and distinct means. Massively parallel optimization algorithms are presented. Standard methods of signal detection and estimation are used to develop a theoretical performance analysis, which quantitatively predicts the performance at realistic noise levels. Theoretical and experimental results agree fairly well.
An Emerging Action Science of Social Settings

Seymour B. Sarason’s innovative ideas have influenced much of my work. These same ideas—in particular, his concepts of social settings, behavioral and programmatic regularities, and the universe of alternatives—also serve as the foundation for an action science of social settings. Questions regarding theory, measurement, intervention, and research design and data analysis are central to the development of this action science, and there have been recent innovations in each of these areas. However, future challenges remain for the field. We must continue to move forward to advance an action science of social settings and make a real difference in people’s lives.