cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Procedural Treatments: Bleb Needling

Filtering blebs fail due to wound healing responses along the path of aqueous outflow (Fig. 37.1). there can be significant subconjunctival fibroblast proliferation and biosynthesis of collagen and other extracellular matrix materials in the area of trabeculectomy [1]. The concept behind bleb needling is to reestablish free flow of aqueous humor from the anterior chamber to the subconjunctival bleb space by cutting through postoperative scar tissue that prevents or decreases aqueous outflow. Needling cuts through adhesions formed between the conjunctiva and scleral flap and/or from scleral flap to scleral bed. A retrospective study of 119 trabeculectomies found that one-quarter of eyes underwent needling to increase the rate of filtering success [2]. As with any procedure, many variations exist with regard to bleb needling technique.
Immune response to rotavirus vaccines among breast-fed and nonbreast-fed children.

Studies to determine whether breastfeeding protects children against rotavirus diarrhea have not, to date, yielded clear-cut results. Because human breast milk contains measurable and often high titers of neutralizing antibody to rotavirus, it seems likely that some protection should be conferred to breast-fed children1,2. Studies of rotavirus infection in the neonatal period, which is usually asymptomatic, have indicated that breast-fed infants appear to shed less virus, often mixed with antibody, and have lower rates of infection, a finding that was correlated with levels of both S-IgA and antitrypsin activity in breast milk3,4. In older children, investigators failed to document any protection from breastfeeding among cohorts of children studied prospectively in Guatemala5 and Mexico6 or in case-control studies in the United States7 and Bangladesh2; however, significant protection was observed in a case-control study conducted in Buffalo8. The lack of a clear protective effect has raised questions about the methods used to assess the outcome and severity of illness in these studies and has focused investigations on issues related to inoculum size and partial or complete breastfeeding that could obscure a beneficial effect if one were present.
5-Azacytidine increases HbF production and reduces anemia in sickle cell disease: dose-response analysis of subcutaneous and oral dosage regimens

Varying doses of 5-azacytidine (5-aza) were given to four sickle cell individuals for 500, 200, 100, and 30 days. The percentage of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) containing reticulocytes (F reticulocytes) increased two- to five-fold within five days of 5-aza therapy in all patients, with a two- to three-fold rapid response (less than 48 hours after initial dose) in three patients. Reticulocyte suppression was not observed prior to, during, or after therapy in those patients who responded within 48 hours. Subcutaneous 5-aza was given in 35-day courses consisting of every day, every other day, or three consecutive days a week. No marrow toxicity was observed on any of the regimens. For three patients, the highest average F reticulocyte level was observed on the three consecutive day a week regimen. Oral 5-aza, given with tetrahydrouridine, produced comparable F reticulocyte response. In the two patients treated for more than 100 days, Hb levels increased to 11 to 12 and 9 g/dL, MCV and MCH increased by 25%, and lysate HbF levels peaked at 12% and 20%. Fetal erythroid characteristics (i-antigen, galactokinase activity, and G gamma/A gamma ratios) did not correlate with maximal HbF production. The frequency of vasoocclusive crises appeared to decrease in both patients followed for more than 100 days.
A Hybrid Methodology for Jitter and Eye Estimation in High-Speed Serial Channels Using Polynomial Chaos Surrogate Models

Estimation of jitter and eye diagram in high-speed serial channels can be challenging. The existing methods might fail to show inter-symbol interference (ISI) and data dependent jitter because they are either excessively time consuming or only applicable to linear time-invariant (LTI) systems. Therefore, this paper suggests a hybrid methodology to develop surrogate models of the system from a short transient simulation and using them to efficiently determine the eye diagram and related parameters. This paper is based on uncertainty quantification techniques that use polynomial chaos (PC) expansions to estimate the output. Necessary modifications are applied to PC modeling to make it applicable to high-speed channels. Finally, the performance of the proposed approach is shown through numerical examples.
A Humane Education After School Program Improves Empathy and Attitudes Towards Animals [Dominican University of California]

Humane education programs aim to teach participants about the ethical treatment of both wild and domesticated animals and to foster respect for and appreciation of animals. These programs are increasingly popular and offered at many animal shelters in the United States and internationally. Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of these programs in improving children’s treatment of pets (Tardif-Williams & Bosacki, 2015). This study evaluated a semester long after school program offered at a humane society in Northern California. Two hundred and twenty nine participants (27 males) from 10 to 17 years old were enrolled in afterschool service clubs at the animal shelter over the course of 9 semesters from Spring 2014 through the Spring of 2018. The clubs met for 1.5 hours once a week, every other week for one semester. Two service clubs were offered each semester and each club had 12 students. The students engaged in hands on projects for the shelter, developed and hosted fund raising activities, participated in advocacy lessons, and depending of the age of the participant assisted in the care of some of the animals at the shelter. To assess the effects of participating in the afterschool club, on the first day of the club the students completed a 12 item scale developed by the researchers to measure humane attitudes towards animals and the Bryant Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents (Bryant, 1982). The students completed the same measures at the last meeting of the club. Participants improved on both the measure of attitudes towards animals, which was the focus of the programs, and the measure of empathy. The improvement in empathy towards other people is particularly striking as that was not a focus of the program, and suggests that humane education can play an important role in increasing pro-social attitudes.
Proteomic investigation of human skeletal muscle before and after 70 days of head down bed rest with or without exercise and testosterone countermeasures

Introduction Long-term head-down bed rest (HDBR) results in musculoskeletal losses similar to those observed during long-term space flight. Agents such as testosterone, in addition to regular exercise, are effective countermeasures for reducing loss of skeletal muscle mass and function. Objective We investigated the skeletal muscle proteome of healthy men in response to long term HDBR alone (CON) and to HDBR with exercise (PEX) or exercise plus testosterone (TEX) countermeasures. Method Biopsies were performed on the vastus lateralis before (pre) HDBR and on HDBR days 32 (mid) and 64 (post). Extracted proteins from these skeletal muscle biopsies were subjected to 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE), stained for phosphoproteins (Pro-Q Diamond dye) and total proteins (Sypro Ruby dye). Proteins showing significant fold differences (t-test p ≤ 0.05) in abundance or phosphorylation state at mid or post were identified by mass spectroscopy (MS). Results From a total of 932 protein spots, 130 spots were identified as potentially altered in terms of total protein or phosphoprotein levels due to HDBR and/or countermeasures, and 59 unique molecules emerged from MS analysis. Top canonical pathways identified through IPA included calcium signaling, actin cytoskeleton signaling, integrin linked kinase (ILK) signaling, and epithelial adherens junction signaling. Data from the pre-HDBR proteome supported the potential for predicting physiological post-HDBR responses such as the individual’s potential for loss vs. maintenance of muscle mass and strength. Conclusions HDBR resulted in alterations to skeletal muscle abundances and phosphorylation of several structural and metabolic proteins. Inclusion of exercise alone or in combination with testosterone treatment modulated the proteomic responses towards cellular reorganization and hypertrophy, respectively. Finally, the baseline proteome may aid in the development of personalized countermeasures to mitigate health risks in astronauts as related to loss of muscle mass and function.
A qualitative study exploring cues and other motivators among a racially diverse sample of light and intermittent smokers

IntroductionLight and intermittent smokers (LITS) represent almost 50% of all current smokers. Research is needed to understand smoking motives among adult light smokers.AimsTo explore smoking cues and motivators among a racially diverse sample of adult LITS (≤10 CPD). In addition, we explored differences between native (always smoked ≤10), and converted (former heavier) LITS.MethodsWe used purposive sampling to recruit participants who were native and converted LITS and to include equal numbers of African Americans, Whites and Latinos. We coded and analyzed transcripts using a stage approach to identify themes.ResultsFour main themes emerged that may be unique to light smokers and suggests potential strategies for intervention: (1) smoking in response to cues and control, (2) identifying as a smoker, (3) concern about health consequences, and (4) other priorities influencing smoking. There were some differences among smoking cues and motivators by race and ethnicity, and differences between native and converted LITS.ConclusionsOverall, LITS reported drivers of smoking that were unrelated to symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Even when experiencing salient cues, our LITS cohort expressed the ability to assert control over smoking by abstaining when situational contexts made smoking inconvenient.
Hypertension and the Eye

Chronically sustained increases in blood pressure cause injury to tissues; the rationale for the treatment of systemic hypertension (SH) in dogs and cats is the prevention of this injury (Brown et al. 2007). Frequently the eye is the first organ to manifest clinically apparent complications of SH in dogs and cats (Dubielzing et al. 2010) and, the vast majority of hypertensive cats have been reported to have either ocular or cardiac abnormalities at the time of first diagnosis (Elliott et al. 2001). Ocular disease has also been reported to be the most specific sign associated with SH in cats (Chetboul et al. 2003), and in dogs, the presence of ≥1 type of ocular lesion has been shown to have moderate sensitivity and specificity for identification of the disease (LeBlanc et al. 2011). Reports of the prevalence of ocular injury in dogs and cats with systemic hypertension vary, but this has been shown to be as high as 100% in cats (Littman 1994; Turner et al. 1990; Maggio et al. 2000; van de Sandt et al. 2003; Chetboul et al. 2003; Van Boxtel 2003; Littman et al. 1988; Bovee et al. 1989; Sansom and Bodey 1997; Jacob et al. 2003).
Plant Biomechanics: No Pain, No Gain for Birch Tree Stems

Summary Allometric relationships between organism size and shape are often described in developmental or evolutionary terms. A new study characterizes a collapsing birch tree mutant and provides a genetic entry point into the biomechanical control of tree allometry.
Improving the Measurement of Children’s Mental Health Problems in Colombia with Item Response Theory

The present study examines the psychometric properties of the mental health scale for children used in the 2015 Colombian Mental Health Survey. To do so, a nationally representative sample of 2,727 children is used Mage=8.99; range=7-11, with reports from their main caregivers regarding 26 mental health problem symptoms taken from the Reporting Questionnaire for Children (RQC), Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and the Brief Screening and Diagnostic Questionnaire (CBTD). Classical test theory and factor analysis were conducted to analyze the classical location and information of each item, along with the dimensionality, reliability, and convergent validity of the scale. Item Response Theory (IRT) was used in order to estimate theoretically invariant item parameters for location and information. Findings reveal that the mental health scale for children has adequate psychometric properties for its use in Colombia. Furthermore, irt analyses reveals a set of items that maximize information and that may be used in future administrations when more efficiency is warranted. How to cite this article: Cuartas, J. (2020). Improving the Measurement of Children’s Mental Health Problems in Colombia with Item Response Theory. Revista Colombiana de Psicologia, 29, 87-103. https://doi.org/10.15446/ rcp.v29n1.77214
Colorado Pilot Project: Design Hydrometeorology

A large, 4-yr winter cloud seeding pilot project has been started by the Bureau of Reclamation in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. This paper describes how precipitation, snowpack, streamflow, and other hydrometeorological factors were considered in the project design. Project background and the instrument and seeding systems are described.
Adaptive mesh refinement method for optimal control using nonsmoothness detection and mesh size reduction

Abstract An adaptive mesh refinement method for solving optimal control problems is developed. The method employs orthogonal collocation at Legendre–Gauss–Radau points, and adjusts both the mesh size and the degree of the approximating polynomials in the refinement process. A previously derived convergence rate is used to guide the refinement process. The method brackets discontinuities and improves solution accuracy by checking for large increases in higher-order derivatives of the state. In regions between discontinuities, where the solution is smooth, the error in the approximation is reduced by increasing the degree of the approximating polynomial. On mesh intervals where the error tolerance has been met, mesh density may be reduced either by merging adjacent mesh intervals or lowering the degree of the approximating polynomial. Finally, the method is demonstrated on two examples from the open literature and its performance is compared against a previously developed adaptive method.
Lifetimes of the [Formula Presented] intercombination transitions of [Formula Presented]

Radiative lifetimes have been measured for fine-structure transitions in the intercombination ${2s2p}^{2}{}^{4}\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{P}{2s}^{2}2p$${}^{2}{P}^{o}$ decay in ${\mathrm{C}}^{+}.$ Use was made of a Kingdon ion trap installed on a beam line for highly charged ions. The radiative rates ${A}_{J}$ derived from the lifetime measurements are $130.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}5.5{\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ for the ${}^{4}{P}_{1/2}$ sublevel, $9.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.0{\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ for the ${}^{4}{P}_{3/2}$ sublevel, and $50.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2.5{\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ for the ${}^{4}{P}_{5/2}$ sublevel. Comparisons with other measurements and results of theories are given.
InP quantum dots for dislocation-tolerant, visible light emitters on Si

Quantum dots (QDs) epitaxially grown on Si are promising for monolithic integration of light sources on a Si photonics platform. Unlike quantum well (QW) lasers on Si, 1.3 μm InAs QD lasers on Si show similar threshold current to those grown on GaAs owing to their better dislocation tolerance. To date, research on dislocation-tolerant QDs has exclusively focused on materials emitting at telecom wavelengths. In this work, we report visible InP QDs on Si with photoluminescence (PL) intensity similar to their counterparts grown on GaAs despite high threading dislocation density (TDD). In contrast, visible InGaP QWs grown on Si with the same TDD value show 9 × degradation in PL intensity compared to QWs grown on GaAs. The dislocation tolerance of InP QDs arises from their high density relative to TDD and the lateral carrier confinement that they provide. InP QDs on Si with bright PL are promising for low-cost light emitters and integrated photonics applications requiring monolithic red-light sources.
Reversible Action Design for Combinatorial Optimization with Reinforcement Learning.

Combinatorial optimization problem (COP) over graphs is a fundamental challenge in optimization. Reinforcement learning (RL) has recently emerged as a new framework to tackle these problems and has demonstrated promising results. However, most RL solutions employ a greedy manner to construct the solution incrementally, thus inevitably pose unnecessary dependency on action sequences and need a lot of problem-specific designs. We propose a general RL framework that not only exhibits state-of-the-art empirical performance but also generalizes to a variety class of COPs. Specifically, we define state as a solution to a problem instance and action as a perturbation to this solution. We utilize graph neural networks (GNN) to extract latent representations for given problem instances for state-action encoding, and then apply deep Q-learning to obtain a policy that gradually refines the solution by flipping or swapping vertex labels. Experiments are conducted on Maximum $k$-Cut and Traveling Salesman Problem and performance improvement is achieved against a set of learning-based and heuristic baselines.
FGF23 and kidney disease

Abstract Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is elevated in kidney disease compared to healthy individuals, and the highest FGF23 levels are observed in end-stage kidney disease. FGF23 rises early in the course of chronic kidney disease (CKD), before the development of secondary hyperparathyroidism. FGF23 is now viewed as the central actor in the biochemical abnormalities associated with CKD–mineral bone disorder. As glomerular filtration declines and renal phosphorus excretion is reduced, increasing FGF23 levels are important to maintain normal levels of circulating phosphorus. However, elevated FGF23 levels inhibit 1α-hydroxylase and reduce active vitamin D contributing to the development of secondary hyperparathyroidism. FGF23 also contributes to calcium homeostasis and iron and erythropoietin regulation and is associated with inflammation. FGF23 is strongly associated with adverse clinical outcomes in kidney disease, including cardiovascular disease and death; however, it is uncertain if this association is causal or if FGF23 is simply a marker of advanced disease.
Pearls and Pitfalls of Thoracic Manifestations of Abuse in Children

Child abuse is a broad term that includes, but is not limited to, physical or emotional harm, neglect, sexual abuse, and exploitation. In 2018 in the United States, there were nearly 700,000 victims of such maltreatment, of which 1700 children died. The majority of deaths occur in infants and toddlers under 3 years of age. While clinical signs and symptoms may raise suspicion for inflicted injury, such as bruising in young infants, imaging often plays a central role in identifying and characterizing nonaccidental trauma. The purpose of this article is to discuss the array of inflicted traumatic injuries to the thorax in children. Rib fractures are among the most common and telling features of physical abuse, especially in infants. The locations of such fractures and differences in appearance while healing will be presented, along with potential mimics and pitfalls. Less typical fractures seen in abuse will also be reviewed, including those of the sternum, clavicle, spine, and scapula. Finally, uncommon injuries to the lungs, heart and esophagus will also be considered.
GPIb-IX-V and platelet clearance

Platelet adhesion to the site of vascular damage is a critical early step in hemostasis. The platelet glycoprotein (GP) Ib-IX-V plays a key role in this step via its interaction with immobilized von Willebrand Factor (VWF). In addition to its well-known role in adhesion, GPIb-IX-V is critical for platelets' survival in circulation and plays an important role in the regulation of platelet clearance. Several mechanisms of platelet clearance work in concert to maintain a normal platelet count and ensure that circulating platelets are functionally viable via removal of senescent or activated platelets. Furthermore, dysregulation of platelet clearance underlies several bleeding disorders. GPIb-IX-V is central to many physiological mechanisms of platelet clearance including clearance via glycan receptors, clearance of VWF-platelet complexes, and fast clearance of transfused platelets. GPIb-IX-V dependent clearance also underlies thrombocytopenia in several bleeding disorders, including von Willebrand disease (VWD) and immune thrombocytopenia. This review will cover physiological and pathological mechanisms of platelet clearance, focusing on the role of GPIb-IX-V.
Emotion regulation and coping with racial stressors among African Americans across the lifespan

Abstract This critical review is one of the first to take a lifespan approach to examine the emotion regulation (ER) and coping strategies used by African Americans in response to racial-related adversities (e.g., discrimination, racism, prejudice) and to discuss why African Americans may engage in these specific strategies. The current review found that African Americans continue to experience racial discrimination throughout the lifespan. The most prominent coping and ER strategies among African American in response to racial discrimination appear to be negative emotion expression suppression, avoidant coping, social support, and religion/spirituality. The review discusses various factors that may underlie these patterns (e.g., power differentials, African Americans’ history and African culture) and also limitations of current ER and coping research. By examining stability and changes across the lifespan, time, and varying situations, more inferences about patterns of coping and ER and contributing factors can be made to better determine ways to help decrease or mitigate the effects of racial stress on African Americans’ lives.
Can Metabolites Contribute in Regulating Blood Oxygen Affinity

There are a number of interrelated factors contributing to the regulation of blood oxygen affinity in animals. The red blood cell in mammals has an active glycolytic system and a relationship exists between metabolism and function of the red cell in oxygen transport during hypoxia. The relationship in red cells of most mammals involves binding of 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate (2,3-P2-glycerate), a glycolytic intermediate, with deoxyhemoglobin, regulating Hemoglobin function and enhancing oxygen delivery to the tissues (Benesch and Benesch, 1967; Chanutin and Curnish, 1967). The in vivo level of 2,3-P2-glycerate in human erythrocytes increases above normal during hypoxia from altitude or from certain pathological conditions, but no satisfactory way is known to actually manipulate the in vivo concentration of this compound. In human erythrocytes, the levels of 2,3-P2- glycerate and ATP, which also influences hemoglobin binding, can be depleted after in vitro incubation at 37° for 12-24 hours (Lian et al., 1971); red cells incubated with glycolate also lose 2,3-P2-glycerate rapidly without changes in ATP concentrations (Rose, 1976). The level of 2,3-P2- glycerate can be enriched several-fold in human red cells by incubating with inosine, pyruvate, and inorganic phosphate (Lian et al., 1971). Importantly, during the depletion and enrichment of the cells 2,3-P2-glycerate levels, there is a corresponding increase and decrease in blood oxygen affinity (Lian et al., 1971). Further, the allosteric properties of hemoglobins are such that increases in [H+], CO2 and temperature, features which are all present in tissue capillary beds, also facilitate the release of oxygen.
DNA Replication Fidelity

DNA polymerases are proteins that catalyse the polymerization of DNA. Fidelity in this process refers to the ability of the polymerase to avoid or to correct errors in the newly synthesized DNA strand. Keywords: DNA polymerase; DNA replication; replicational fidelity; Y family polymerases; xeroderma pigmentosum; mutation
Correlates of Patient-Reported Racial/Ethnic Health Care Discrimination in the Diabetes Study of Northern California (DISTANCE)

Objectives . We examined possible determinants of self-reported health care discrimination. Methods . We examined survey data from the Diabetes Study of Northern California (DISTANCE), a race-stratified sample of Kaiser diabetes patients. Respondents reported perceived discrimination, and regression models examined socioeconomic, acculturative, and psychosocial correlates. Results . Subjects (n = 17,795) included 20% Blacks, 23% Latinos, 13% East Asians, 11% Filipinos, and 27% Whites. Three percent and 20% reported health care and general discrimination. Health care discrimination was more frequently reported by minorities (ORs ranging from 2.0 to 2.9 compared with Whites) and those with poorer health literacy (OR51.10, 95% CI: 1.04–1.16), limited English proficiency (OR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.32–2.78), and depression (OR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.10–2.13). Conclusions . In addition to race/ethnicity, health literacy and English proficiency may be bases of discrimination. Evaluation is needed to determine whether patients are treated differently or more apt to perceive discrimination, and whether depression fosters and/or follows perceived discrimination.
Proton-hole-induced bands in odd-odd /sup 116,118,120,122/I nuclides

..delta..J = 1 bands were observed in the odd-odd /sup 116en-dash122/I nuclides with the (/sup 12/C,pn), (/sup 10/B,4n), and (/sup 7/Li,3n) reactions via ..gamma..-ray spectroscopy. In all four cases, the band properties are consistent with the collectivity associated with the g/sub 9/2/ proton-hole intruder and a decoupled h/sub 11/2/ neutron.
Seiberg-Witten theoretic invariants of lens spaces

We describe an effective algorithm for computing Seiberg-Witten invariants of lens spaces. We apply it to two problems: (i) to compute the Froyshov invariants of a large family of lens spaces; (ii) to show that the knowledge of the Seiberg-Witten invariants of a lens space is topologically equivalent to the knowledge of its Casson-Walker invariant and of its MilnorTuraev torsion. Problem (i) has several interesting topological consequences concerning the negative definite manifolds bounding a given lens space.
Inclusive Neutrino and Antineutrino Reactions in Iron and an Interesting Relation

Neutrino reactions in nuclei are very interesting for a number of reasons. They present us with the very few opportunities which we have for studying neutrino reactions in a laboratory setting under controlled conditions. In particular iron is an unusually suitable reaction to study. Virtually every neutrino experiment has some background from iron used in shielding or for tanks and other equipment. This is particularly true for the KARMEN experiments1 which make use of a 6000 ton steel shield for their calorimeter. The KARMEN collaboration2 considers neutrino reactions in iron to be one of its most serious backgrounds. They have extracted some results for electron neutrino cross sections on 56Fe averaged over the Michel spectrum which have been already published3,4. The interest in neutrino reactions in iron however is not merely as a background. There has been an experiment involving high energy neutrino and antineutrino reactions in iron5. Furthermore there is a new experiment6 for neutrino reactions in iron which will start in the near future and will run from threshold to about 3 GeV. These experiments both planned and already performed will provide useful information on how present calculations, which seem to work well for neutrino reactions in 12C up to a few hundred MeV might be extended. In particular it may be possible to make use of already determined structure functions to extend our present calculations. Besides obtaining the cross sections for the reactions ve +56 Fe → e+X,vμ+56Fe → μ+X,ve,+56Fe → e+X , and vμ+Fe → μ+X , _
The Continuing Significance of Race: An Analysis Across Two Levels of Policing

Objectives. Survey research has demonstrated that there is significant race variation in perceptions of the police, with black citizens holding lower levels of trust than do whites. Although these differences have been well documented, few studies have examined if and how these differences vary across police organizations. Using survey data from the North Carolina Highway Traffic Study, the objective of this research was to explore the influence of vicarious experience and perceptions of racial profiling in accounting for racial variation in trust across two levels of policing—highway patrol and city/local police. Methods. Ordinal logistic regression was utilized to assess both their independent and combined influences as the methodology. Results. The results suggest that across both police agencies, the race gap in trust is strongly associated with vicarious experience and perceptions of racial profiling. Conclusions. The results provide some support for examining perceptions of police across levels of policing as the results suggest that perceptions of one police organization are not necessarily generalizable across them all.
Child Care Effects in Context: Quality, Stability, and Multiplicity in Nonmaternal Child Care Arrangements during the First 15 Months of Life.

Main and interactive effects of child care quality, stability, and multiplicity on infants' attachment security, language comprehension, language production, and cognitive development at 15 months were examined using data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care. Thirty-nine percent of the infants in this sample experienced arrangement change, and 46% experienced multiple concurrent arrangements during the first 15 months. As in previous studies, concurrent quality, average quality, and quality slope significantly predicted cognitive and language development. There was some evidence that certain forms of unstable child care--including nonfamilial change, familial to nonfamilial change, and within-home to out-of-home change--were associated with poorer language development. Multiple child care arrangements involving family members positively predicted language comprehension; multiple care involving a mix of family and non-relative caregivers negatively predicted language comprehension. Interactions among variables exhibited "effects in context." That is, under conditions of low or moderate quality in the primary care arrangement, the use of fewer multiple arrangements was associated with higher language scores; under conditions of high primary care quality, the use of more multiple arrangements was associated with higher language scores.
THE TOPOLOGICAL UNIQUENESS OF COMPLETE MINIMAL-SURFACES OF FINITE TOPOLOGICAL TYPE

IN 1970 Lawson [22] proved that two embedded closed diffeomorphic minimal surfaces in the unit three-dimensional sphere S3 in lRJ are ambiently isotopic in S3. Lawson proved this theorem by first proving that an embedded orientable closed minimal surface of genus y in a closed orientable Riemannian three-manifold M’ with positive Ricci curvature disconnects M-’ into two genus-8 handlebodics. A result of Frankel [7] was used to prove this. Lawson then applied a deep result of Waldhauscn [33] that states that decompositions of SJ into two genus-cl handlebodies arc unique up to ambient isotopy. More prcciscly. Waldhauscn’s uniqucncss thcorcm states that whenever a closed surface of genus y in S” separates SJ into handlcbodics, then the embedding of the surface is as simple as possible; in other words, the surface is obtained from a two-sphere Sz c S’ by adding handles in an unknotted manner. Mccks [23] gcncralizcd Lawson’s argument to the case of oricntablc closed minimal surfaces in a closed ,V3 with nonnegative Ricci curvature. Meek’s result and another topological uniqueness result of Waldhauscn [33] implies that two closed diffeomorphic minimal surfaces in S2 x S’ with the usual product metric arc ambiently isotopic. Finally, Meeks-Simon-Yau [25] proved that if X is a closed minimal surface in S’ equipped with a metric of non-negative scalar curvature, then X disconnects S3 into two handlebodies and hence dctcrmincs a unique ambient class in S’. In [23] Mceks considered the problem of the topological uniqueness of minimal surfaces in three-dimensional Euclidean space. In particular, Meeks proved that any two compact diffeomorphic minimal surfaces, with boundary a simple closed curve on the boundary of a smooth convex ball, are ambiently isotopic in the ball. Later Hall [I33 showed that there exist two simple closed curves on the unit sphere S* that bound a knotted minimal surface of genus one. In this paper we will use global properties of stable minimal surfaces in [w’ to prove: A properly embedded minimal surface of finite topological type in R’ is unknotted. In particular, if X, and IEz are two such diffeomorphic surfaces, then they are ambiently isotopic. This is the main result of our paper and it is restated in a more precise form in Theorem 5.1. Because of Hall’s counterexample to unknottedness for compact minimal
Affective Reorganization in the Infant, the Mother, and the Dyad: The Role of Upright Locomotion and Its Timing

Clinical theory is replete with rich observa tions that the onset of walking engenders an enhancement of emotional expression in the infant, Yet, no empirical research exists on this subject. Moreover, the importance of normal timing variations in the onset of developmental transitions has not been a topic of investigation in most developmental research. In this naturalistic home study, «earlier» and «later» walking groups were delineated on the basis of timing of entry into this developmental transition. Age-held constant analyses indicated that earlier walkers and their mothers generally showed a rise in positive exchanges as well as «testing of wills» across the transition to walking. These changes were less clear for the later walkers. Differenc'es were observed also between the two groups even prior to walking. These findings suggest that future studies should take account of timing variations in the onset of a developmental transition
Pediatric vaccine procurement policy: The monopsonist's problem

Abstract Vaccination against infectious disease is an extremely important public health endeavor. Yet, in the past 40 years, the manufacture of pediatric vaccines has become less profitable due to rising costs and limited demand, inducing many pharmaceutical companies to leave the market. To ensure the safe, secure, and reliable provision of vaccines, the economic interests of the vaccine industry must be considered by public health policy makers. The monopsonistic market power of the federal government uniquely positions it to significantly influence the pediatric vaccine market by negotiating contractual agreements that increase the vaccine manufacturers’ financial incentives to remain in the market. The Monopsonist Vaccine Formulary Pricing and Purchasing Problem (MVF3P) is introduced, which seeks pediatric vaccine prices and purchase quantities that ensure a birth cohort is fully immunized according to the recommended childhood immunization schedule at an overall minimum system cost while also ensuring that vaccine manufacturers each attain a reservation profit level. The practical value of MVF3P is demonstrated by analyzing and assessing pricing and purchasing policies that the Centers for Disease Control could adopt in attempting to actively manage the long-term provision of pediatric vaccines.
Subsystem Fault Tolerance with the Bacon-Shor Code

We discuss how the presence of gauge subsystems in the Bacon-Shor code [D. Bacon, Phys. Rev. A 73, 012340 (2006)10.1103/PhysRevA.73.012340 (2006)] leads to remarkably simple and efficient methods for fault-tolerant error correction (FTEC). Most notably, FTEC does not require entangled ancillary states, and it can be implemented with nearest-neighbor two-qubit measurements. By using these methods, we prove a lower bound on the quantum accuracy threshold, 1.94 x 10(-4) for adversarial stochastic noise, that improves previous lower bounds by nearly an order of magnitude.
Interactive shape metamorphosis

Image metamorphoses (morphing) is a powerful and easy-to-use tool for generating new 2D images from existing 2D images. In recent years morphing has become popular as an artistic tool and is used extensively in the entertainment industry. In this paper we describe a new technique for controlled, feature-based metamorphosis of certain types of surfaces in 3-space; it applies well-understood 2D methods to produce shape metamorphosis between 3D models in a 2D parametric space. We also describe an interactive implementation on a parallel graphics multicomputer, which allows the user to define, modify and examine the 3D morphing process in real time.
Determination of total mercury in human hair and animal fur by combustion atomic absorption spectrometry.

Abstract A commercially available mercury (Hg) analyzer based on sample combustion, gold amalgamation, and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) was evaluated for the direct determination of Hg in composites of human hair and individual samples of horse fur. Results for human hair reference material (NIES No. 13) were within the certified range. Analyses of “blind” samples from an international interlaboratory ( n >16) comparison study produced results within 1S.D. of the consensus means. Precision (%R.S.D.) was found to be
Memory T Cells in Transplantation

Following infections and other environmental exposures, the resulting primary immune response generates memory T cells that provide long-term protective immunity. Compared to their naive T cell counterparts, memory T cells possess unique characteristics that endow them with the ability to quickly and robustly respond to foreign antigens. While such memory T cells are beneficial in protecting hosts from recurrent infection, memory cells reactive to donor antigens pose a major barrier to successful transplantation and tolerance induction. Significant progress has been made over the past decade contributing to our understanding of memory T cell generation, their distinct biology, and their detrimental impact in clinical and animal models of transplantation. This review focuses on the unique features that make memory T cells relevant to the transplant community and discusses potential therapies targeting memory T cells which may ameliorate allograft rejection and improve graft outcomes.
Harmonic generation and flux quantization in granular superconductors

Simple dynamical models of granular superconductors are used to compute the generation of harmonic power in ac and dc magnetic fields. In zero order, the model is a single superconducting loop, with or without a weak link. The sample-average power is predicted by averaging over suitable distribution functions for loop areas and orientations in a dc magnetic field. In a first-order model, inductance and resistance are also included. In all models the power at high harmonics shows strikingly sharp dips periodic in the dc field, revealing flux quantization in the prototype loops.
Sensory recovery in noninnervated free flaps for head and neck reconstruction

Recent studies have reported sensory recovery in innervated ("sensate") microvascular free flaps used for oromandibular reconstruction. To evaluate the efficacy of sensate free flaps used for head and neck reconstruction, the natural outcome of noninnervated flaps must be known. Data on the natural recovery of sensation in noninnervated head and neck free flaps are lacking in the literature. This study evaluates the degree of spontaneous sensory reinnervation in noninnervated microvascular free flaps used for reconstruction of a variety of head and neck defects. Eighteen flaps were evaluated--9 fibula osseocutaneous and 9 radial forearm. The fibula flaps were used to reconstruct composite defects of the mandible and oral cavity mucosa. The radial forearm flaps were used to reconstruct defects resulting from floor of mouth resection (3), total glossectomy (2), pharyngectomy (1), full-thickness cheek (1), and facial skin (2). Sensation to pinprick, light touch, and temperature discrimination were tested over the skin paddle at time intervals ranging from 6 to 24 months. The pattern of sensory reinnervation in these noninnervated flaps over time and by location is discussed.
Fatty Boom Boom and the Transnationality of Blackface in Die Antwoord's Racial Project

The South African hip hop group Die Antwoord deploys blackface performance as part of a racial project that characterizes race as contingent and mutable in contrast to its rigid apartheid articulation. Examining the flows that carry their work transnationally makes visible the ways US cultural consumption becomes entangled with processes of racialization.
Wave propagation in a split Timoshenko beam

Abstract Wave propagation in a split beam is analyzed by treating each section separately as a waveguide and imposing appropriate connectivities at their joints. The dynamics are treated by way of spectral analysis, while the justification of the connectivities is sought through the exact solution of an analogous two-dimensional static problem. The wave analysis is verified experimentally by use of strain gauges. Finally, a novel application of the dynamic J integral is used to calculate the stress intensity factor history.
Brief-tone frequency discrimination by children.

This study investigated maturational changes in children's ability to discriminate the frequency of short-duration tone pulses. Frequency difference limens (DLs) were measured for digitally generat...
Tachyonic Quintessence and a Preferred Direction in the Sky

We show that quintessence, when it is described by a tachyonic field, can amplify a tiny primordial gradient generating a preferred direction in the sky. In its simplest realization, this mechanism only affects the cosmic microwave background fluctuations at the quadrupole level. We briefly discuss how higher multipoles can also be affected, once the full structure of the quintessence potential is taken into account.
Can a temporal code be transferred from one brain region to another? Lessons from phase precession

Hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells in both rodents and humans fire in a spatially selective manner, and are called place cells. These place cells also display a prominent temporal code known as phase precession. As a rat enters the place field of a cell, the cell fires its first spike very late in the first theta cycle, but the phase of the spikes with respect to theta steadily precesses to lower values, all the way to 0 degrees as the rat reaches the end of the place field. CA1 is not alone in showing such phase precession: cells in CA3 and the dentate gyrus have long been known to show phase precession. CA3 cells are the main source of input to CA1. More recently, cells in layer II of the entorhinal cortex (grid cells) have also been shown to phase precess as a rat runs across a single grid field. These cells provide input to both the CA3 and dentate gyrus. However, cells in layer III of the entorhinal cortex do not show phase precession. These layer III cells provide direct input to CA1. Here, we use integrate and fire as well as Hodgkin-Huxley style conductance models to explore the conditions necessary for a CA1 place cell to 'inherit' phase precession from its inputs. We show how CA1 phase precession depends on the standard deviation of the phase of its excitatory inputs, as well as on the precise timing and strength of theta-modulated inhibitory inputs.
Adoptive transfer of myelin basic protein-sensitized T cells produces chronic relapsing demyelinating disease in mice

The autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS), experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), is induced by challenge of genetically susceptible animals with spinal cord homogenates or myelin basic protein (MBP)1–4. Chronic and relapsing forms of the disease have some similarities to human demyelinating disorders, namely, multiple sclerosis3,5–7, and are of particular interest. EAE can be transferred passively with sensitized lymphoid cells into syngeneic animals8 but transferred EAE has been believed to have limited relevance to human disease because it is usually monophasic and manifested by minimal demyelination9. We report here that a single transfer of MBP-sensitized lymph node cells or T cells, in the absence of a peripheral antigen depot, leads to both acute EAE with significant primary demyelination, and chronic relapsing disease with lesions typical of demyelination over a long period. These findings have major implications for the immunological mechanisms involved in experimental and human demyelinating diseases.
Conceptual and analytic issues in crowding research.

Three major mechanisms have been posited to explain the adverse effects of crowding on human health and behavior: behavioral constraint, diminished control, and overload/arousal. Theoretically, one or more of these underlying mechanisms is activated by high density. The operation of the mechanism(s), in turn, then functions as a mediator accounting for the ill effects of high density. Unfortunately, crowding researchers have often incompletely tested these hypothetical models. Frequent tests of the respective models have entailed orthogonally crossing the hypothetical, explanatory variable (e.g. control) representing the intervening mechanisms with density. The test of the model has then focused on the interaction of the explanatory variable (e.g. control) with density. Here we show that an interaction analysis specifies the explanatory mechanism as a moderator and is not a direct test of the respective models of crowding. Alternatively, some researchers have examined the direct effects of density on the explanatory variable (e.g. arousal) but failed to also evaluate the intervening effects of the mediating mechanisms between density and some index of health or well being. We show how prior crowding research, as well as more complex crowding models, can be more clearly conceptualized and more thoroughly tested utilizing the moderator-mediator variable distinction.
The Neural Trance: A New Look at Hypnosis

Hypnosis has had a gradual conceptual emergence from an alleged mystical experience, to sleep, to a psychological shift in concentration that activates a preexisting neuro-physiological circuitry. Data are presented to support the thesis that hypnotizability exists on a spectrum that has biological as well as psychosocial components. When there is synchrony between the bio-psychosocial components of hypnotizability as measured by the Hypnotic Induction Profile (an intact flow), psychotherapy is the primary treatment strategy, with medication secondary or not at all. When measurement reveals a lack of synchrony between biological factors as measured by the Eye-Roll sign and psychosocial responsivity (a nonintact flow), medication will be primary, with different degrees of psychosocial support.
Electric and magnetic properties of CuSn and CuNi alloys at 4 K

Abstract Results of low-temperature resistivity, magnetoresistivity, and magnetic susceptibility measurements on CuSn and CuNi alloys of compositions commonly used in practical superconductors are presented and discussed.