cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of talk show viewing on adolescents

The authors investigated the effects of talk-show viewing on adolescents social reality beliefs. A survey was administered to 282 high school students to evaluate the following three popular hypotheses about the effects of viewing talk shows: (a) viewers overestimate the frequency of deviant behaviors, (b) viewers become de-sensitized to the suffering of others, and viewers trivialize the importance of social issues. The results provided support for the first hypothesis but not the second. Contrary to the third hypothesis, talk show viewing was positively related, among some age groups, to perceived importance of social issues.
Maternal State of Mind and Expressed Emotion: Impact of Mothers’ Mental Health, Stress, and Family Satisfaction

BACKGROUNDLittle is known about the relationship of mothers’ psychological distress to the emotions they express toward their children.OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which mothers’ mental health status, perceived stress, and satisfaction with family relationships contribute to their expressed emotion with high-risk children.STUDY DESIGNA cross-sectional, correlational design was employed involving analysis of expressed emotion in videotaped mother-child interactions, self-report measures of stress and family satisfaction, and assessments of mothers’ mental health status.RESULTSA mother’s family satisfaction was significantly related to less criticism and more positive comments about the child. Perceived stress was associated with mother’s emotional overinvolvement and less hostility. Mother’s mental health was not a significant predictor of her expressed emotion.CONCLUSIONSInterventions to enhance a mother’s family interactions and her ability to cope with stress may imp...
Is there a monotonic criterion for measures of vocational maturity in college students

Abstract Career development has been expected to proceed in a continuous fashion. Tests of vocational maturity, then, are expected to show higher scores with increases in grade level or meet a monotonic criterion ( Crites, J. O. Psychological Monographs , 1965 , 79, 25–41). Data collected with the Career Development Inventory ( Super, D. E., et al. Career Development Inventory Preliminary Manual . Unpublished test manual, 1972 .) by its authors showed systematic increases in scores for eighth-, tenth-, and twelfth-grade-level students. For this study, college-level students were partitioned into two groups, career-specific and social sciences and humanities based on the findings of A. S. Bisconti and I. L. Gomberg ( The Hard to Place Majority . Bethlehem, Pa.: College Placement Council, 1975 .) and they were administered the college version of the CDI. Scores failed to show systematic increases with college-grade level for either group. Both the findings and related theoretical positions of Ginzberg and Super provide evidence that the process of career development may be discontinuous in the post high school years. Data gathered for this study may help advance the notion that career development in college students is discontinuous and call into question the application of the monotonic criterion to tests of vocational maturity at the college level.
How can cardiac MR imaging help guide development of gene therapy for treatment of coronary heart disease

Jacquier et al have shown with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging that therapy with direct intracardiac injection of vascular endothelial growth factor gene (VEGF) improves myocardial function in a model of myocardial infarction in swine. Jacquier and colleagues used MR imaging to measure left ventricular (LV) function and strain and showed that animals treated with gene therapy had stable ejection fraction whereas control animals deteriorated.
Probabilistic surfaces: point based primitives to show surface uncertainty

Efficient and informative visualization of surfaces with uncertainties is an important topic with many applications in science and engineering. Examples include environmental pollution borderline identification, identification of the limits of an oil basin, or discrimination between contaminated and healthy tissue in medicine. This paper presents an approach for such visualization using points as display primitives. Our approach is to render each polygon as a collection of points and to displace each point from the surface in the direction of the surface normal by an amount proportional to some random number multiplied by the uncertainty level at that point. This approach can be used in combination with other techniques such as pseudo-coloring and shading to give rise to efficient and revealing visualizations. The method is used to visualize real and simulated tumor formations with uncertainty of tumor boundaries.
Decomposition methods for library binding of speed-independent asynchronous designs

We describe methods for decomposing gates within a speed-independent asynchronous design. The decomposition step is an essential part of the library binding process, and is used both to increase the granularity of the design for higher quality mapping and to ensure that the design can be implemented. We present algorithms for simple hazard-free gate decomposition, and show results which indicate that we can decompose most of the gates in our benchmark set by this simple method. We then extend these algorithms to work for those cases in which no simple decomposition exists.
Advances In Molecular Biology: Impact On Rotavirus Vaccine Development

The first candidate rotavirus vaccine was a live attenuated oral vaccine made by the classical empirical method of serial passage of virus in tissue culture cells. Current tetravalent vaccine candidates that are in the final stages of efficacy testing in the United States were made by genetic reassortment. This article briefly highlights how advances in the basic understanding of the molecular biology of rotaviruses have facilitated vaccine development. New approaches for second-generation vaccines and improvements in vaccine efficacy based on further exploitation of the tools and knowledge of rotavirus molecular biology and pathogenesis are discussed.
A robust feature selection method for noncontact biometrics based on Laser Doppler Vibrometry

We propose a new biometric approach based on cardiovascular signals recorded using laser Doppler vibrometry (LDV) with a robust feature selection method. A novel feature selection method provides robustness against physiological variability of a given individual. LDV signals were collected from 191 individuals under controlled conditions during three sessions, each at intervals of one week to six months. The methods described here are based on a time-frequency decomposition of the LDV signal in which the log-power of the decomposition values are used as features. In identity verification tasks, equal error rates in the single digits can be achieved with testing periods as short as 4 s.
Effects of Matching Instruction Difficulty to Reading Level for Students with Escape-Maintained Problem Behavior.

The effects of a literacy intervention matching student skill level with academic performance demands were examined through a multiple baseline across participants design. The dual dependent variab...
Modeling evolution of hydrogen bonding and stabilization of transition states in the process of cocaine hydrolysis catalyzed by human butyrylcholinesterase

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) calculations were performed on the prereactive enzyme-substrate complex, transition states, intermediates, and product involved in the process of human butyrylcholinesterase (BChE)-catalyzed hydrolysis of (−)-cocaine. The computational results consistently reveal a unique role of the oxyanion hole (consisting of G116, G117, and A199) in BChE-catalyzed hydrolysis of cocaine, compared to acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-catalyzed hydrolysis of acetylcholine. During BChE-catalyzed hydrolysis of cocaine, only G117 has a hydrogen bond with the carbonyl oxygen (O31) of the cocaine benzoyl ester in the prereactive BChE-cocaine complex, and the NH groups of G117 and A199 are hydrogen-bonded with O31 of cocaine in all of the transition states and intermediates. Surprisingly, the NH hydrogen of G116 forms an unexpected hydrogen bond with the carboxyl group of E197 side chain and, therefore, is not available to form a hydrogen bond with O31 of cocaine in the acylation. The NH hydrogen of G116 is only partially available to form a weak hydrogen bond with O31 of cocaine in some structures involved in the deacylation. The change of the estimated hydrogen-bonding energy between the oxyanion hole and O31 of cocaine during the reaction process demonstrates how the protein environment can affect the energy barrier for each step of the BChE-catalyzed hydrolysis of cocaine. These insights concerning the effects of the oxyanion hole on the energy barriers provide valuable clues on how to rationally design BChE mutants with a higher catalytic activity for the hydrolysis of (−)-cocaine. Proteins 2006. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Development and validation of a standardized method for contouring the brachial plexus: preliminary dosimetric analysis among patients treated with IMRT for head-and-neck cancer.

Purpose Although Radiation Therapy Oncology Group protocols have proposed a limiting dose to the brachial plexus for patients undergoing intensity-modulated radiotherapy for head-and-neck cancer, essentially no recommendations exist for the delineation of this structure for treatment planning. Methods and Materials Using anatomic texts, radiologic data, and magnetic resonance imaging, a standardized method for delineating the brachial plexus on 3-mm axial computed tomography images was devised. A neuroradiologist assisted with identification of the brachial plexus and adjacent structures. This organ at risk was then contoured on 10 consecutive patients undergoing intensity-modulated radiotherapy for head-and-neck cancer. Dose–volume histogram curves were generated by applying the proposed brachial plexus contour to the initial treatment plan. Results The total dose to the planning target volume ranged from 60 to 70 Gy (median, 70). The mean brachial plexus volume was 33 ± 4 cm 3 (range, 25.1–39.4). The mean irradiated volumes of the brachial plexus were 50 Gy (17 ± 3 cm 3 ), 60 Gy (6 ± 3 cm 3 ), 66 Gy (2 ± 1 cm 3 ), 70 Gy (0 ± 1 cm 3 ). The maximal dose to the brachial plexus was 69.9 Gy (range, 62.3–76.9) and was ≥60 Gy, ≥66 Gy, and ≥70 Gy in 100%, 70%, and 30% of patients, respectively. Conclusions This technique provides a precise and accurate method for delineating the brachial plexus organ at risk on treatment planning computed tomography scans. Our dosimetric analysis suggest that for patients undergoing intensity-modulated radiotherapy for head-and-neck cancer, brachial plexus routinely receives doses in excess of historic and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group limits.
Distribution of SR protein exonic splicing enhancer motifs in human protein-coding genes

Exonic splicing enhancers (ESEs) are pre-mRNA cis-acting elements required for splice-site recognition. We previously developed a web-based program called ESEfinder that scores any sequence for the presence of ESE motifs recognized by the human SR proteins SF2/ASF, SRp40, SRp55 and SC35 (http://rulai.cshl.edu/tools/ESE/). Using ESEfinder, we have undertaken a large-scale analysis of ESE motif distribution in human protein-coding genes. Significantly higher frequencies of ESE motifs were observed in constitutive internal protein-coding exons, compared with both their flanking intronic regions and with pseudo exons. Statistical analysis of ESE motif frequency distributions revealed a complex relationship between splice-site strength and increased or decreased frequencies of particular SR protein motifs. Comparison of constitutively and alternatively spliced exons demonstrated slightly weaker splice-site scores, as well as significantly fewer ESE motifs, in the alternatively spliced group. Our results underline the importance of ESE-mediated SR protein function in the process of exon definition, in the context of both constitutive splicing and regulated alternative splicing.
Myc interacts with Max and Miz1 to repress C/EBPδ promoter activity and gene expression

Background: "Loss of function" alterations in CCAAT/Enhancer Binding Proteinδ (C/EBPδ) have been reported in a number of human cancers including breast, prostate and cervical cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and acute myeloid leukemia. C/EBPδ gene transcription is induced during cellular quiescence and repressed during active cell cycle progression. C/EBPδ exhibits tumor suppressor gene properties including reduced expression in cancer cell lines and tumors and promoter methylation silencing. We previously reported that C/EBPδ expression is inversely correlated with c-Myc (Myc) expression. Aberrant Myc expression is common in cancer and transcriptional repression is a major mechanism of Myc oncogenesis. A number of tumor suppressor genes are targets of Myc transcriptional repression including C/EBPα, p15INK4, p21CIP1, p27KIP1 and p57KIP2. This study investigated the mechanisms underlying Myc repression of C/EBPδ expression. Results: Myc represses C/EBPδ promoter activity in nontransformed mammary epithelial cells in a dose-dependent manner that requires Myc Box II, Basic Region and HLH/LZ domains. Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays demonstrate that Myc, Miz1 and Max are associated with the C/EBPδ promoter in proliferating cells, when C/EBPδ expression is repressed. EMSAs demonstrate that Miz1 binds to a 30 bp region (-100 to -70) of the C/EBPδ promoter which contains a putative transcription initiator (Inr) element. Miz1 functions exclusively as a repressor of C/EBPδ promoter activity. Miz1 siRNA expression or expression of a Miz1 binding deficient Myc (MycV394D) construct reduces Myc repression of C/EBPδ promoter activity. Max siRNA expression, or expression of a Myc construct lacking the HLH/ LZ (Max interacting) region, also reduces Myc repression of C/EBPδ promoter activity. Miz1 and Max siRNA treatments attenuate Myc repression of endogenous C/EBPδ expression. Myc Box II interacting proteins RuvBl1 (Pontin, TIP49) and RuvBl2 (Reptin, TIP48) enhances Myc repression of C/EBPδ promoter activity. Conclusion: Myc represses C/EBPδ expression by associating with the C/EBPδ proximal promoter as a transient component of a repressive complex that includes Max and Miz1. RuvBl1 and RuvBl2 enhance Myc repression of C/EBPδ promoter activity. These results identify protein interactions that mediate Myc repression of C/EBPδ, and possibly other tumor suppressor genes, and suggest new therapeutic targets to block Myc transcriptional repression and oncogenic function.
Info/Information Theory: Speakers Choose Shorter Words in Predictive Contexts.

A major open question in natural language research is the role of communicative efficiency in the origin and on-line processing of language structures. Here, we use word pairs like chimp/chimpanzee, which differ in length but have nearly identical meanings, to investigate the communicative properties of lexical systems and the communicative pressures on language users. If language is designed to be information-theoretically optimal, then shorter words should convey less information than their longer counterparts, when controlling for meaning. Consistent with this prediction, a corpus analysis revealed that the short form of our meaning-matched pairs occurs in more predictive contexts than the longer form. Second, a behavioral study showed that language users choose the short form more often in predictive contexts, suggesting that tendencies to be information-theoretically efficient manifest in explicit behavioral choices. Our findings, which demonstrate the prominent role of communicative efficiency in the structure of the lexicon, complement and extend the results of Piantadosi, Tily, and Gibson (2011), who showed that word length is better correlated with Shannon information content than with frequency. Crucially, we show that this effect arises at least in part from active speaker choice.
Covering the Building of a Kingdom: The Saudi Arabian Authority in The London Times and The New York Times, 1901–1932

The orientalist literature subjected the Middle East in an exotic way — mostly as an “Arabian Nights” society ruled by traditional sultans and/or tribal chiefs — rather than modern governance structure's “bureaucracy.” The presumption within postcolonial scholarship has been that this perception influenced the policy landscape in the United States and Europe, especially the media depictions of the oriental leaders and leadership. The paper empirically tests this hypothesis through content analysis using Weber's categorization of leadership of two newspapers of record — The New York Times in the United States and The London Times in the United Kingdom — during the period of state building in Saudi Arabia (1901–1932). I find that rather than depicting the Saudi leadership as “backward,” these newspapers in particular, tend to overstate the development of the Saudi state during this period. As Weber is best known for his three types of authority, it benefits the discipline to see how the interpretive communities of Western journalists operationalized “authority” in terms of politics and religion of Saudi Arabia as this monarchy emerged.
NADPH Oxidase 4 Promotes Endothelial Angiogenesis Through Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Activation

Background—Reactive oxygen species serve signaling functions in the vasculature, and hypoxia has been associated with increased reactive oxygen species production. NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4) is a reactive oxygen species–producing enzyme that is highly expressed in the endothelium, yet its specific role is unknown. We sought to determine the role of Nox4 in the endothelial response to hypoxia. Methods and Results—Hypoxia induced Nox4 expression both in vitro and in vivo and overexpression of Nox4 was sufficient to promote endothelial proliferation, migration, and tube formation. To determine the in vivo relevance of our observations, we generated transgenic mice with endothelial-specific Nox4 overexpression using the vascular endothelial cadherin promoter (VECad-Nox4 mice). In vivo, the VECad-Nox4 mice had accelerated recovery from hindlimb ischemia and enhanced aortic capillary sprouting. Because endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is involved in endothelial angiogenic responses and eNOS is activated by ...
Chinese Skullcap in Move Free Arthritis Supplement Causes Drug Induced Liver Injury and Pulmonary Infiltrates

Herbal medications are being increasingly used by the American population especially for common conditions like arthritis. They have been reported to cause adverse effects, including significant hepatotoxicity, but reporting remains sporadic. We report here a patient who developed drug induced liver injury following the intake of Move Free, which is an over-the-counter arthritis supplement. We propose that Chinese skullcap, which is one of the herbal ingredients of the medication, is responsible for the adverse event. There was a strong temporal association between the intake of supplement and onset of symptoms, and also there have been a few recent case reports implicating the same component. A unique observation in our case is the occurrence of pulmonary infiltrates simultaneously with the hepatotoxicity, and this side effect has not been well documented before. Both the hepatic and pulmonary complications completely resolved over few weeks after the patient stopped taking the medication. Since these supplements are readily available over the counter, we feel that it is important to document possible adverse outcomes to raise awareness in the medical community and also among patients.
Robust classification and tracking of vehicles in traffic video streams

The widespread use of cameras for traffic monitoring coupled with the availability of robust tracking algorithms has led to volumes of data. It is necessary to process this data for higher level tasks. One of these processing tasks is vehicle type classification, which can be used in a query based management system. This paper presents a tracking system with the ability to classify vehicles into three classes {sedan, semi, truck+SUV+van}. This system was developed after comparing classification schemes using both vehicle images and measurements. The most accurate of these learned classifiers was integrated into tracking software. This merging of classification and tracking greatly improved the accuracy on low resolution traffic video
Proviral Progeny of Heterodimeric Virions Reveal a High Crossover Rate for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 2

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), the causative agent of AIDS in humans, exhibits a very high rate of recombination. Bearing in mind the significant epidemiological and clinical contrast between HIV-2 and HIV-1 as well as the critical role that recombination plays in viral evolution, we examined the nature of HIV-2 recombination. Towards this end, a strategy was devised to measure the rate of crossover of HIV-2 by evaluating recombinant progeny produced exclusively by heterodimeric virions. The results showed that HIV-2 exhibits a crossover rate similar to that of HIV-1 and murine leukemia virus, indicating that the extremely high rate of crossover is a common retroviral feature.
Zebrafish Renal Pathology: Emerging Models of Acute Kidney Injury

The renal system is vital to maintain homeostasis in the body, where the kidneys contain nephron functional units that remove metabolic waste from the bloodstream, regulate fluids, and balance electrolytes. Severe organ damage from toxins or ischemia that occurs abruptly can cause acute kidney injury (AKI) in which there is a rapid, life-threatening loss of these activities. Humans have a limited but poorly understood ability to regenerate damaged nephrons after AKI. However, researchers studying AKI in vertebrate animal models such as mammals, and more recently the zebrafish, have documented robust regeneration within the nephron blood filter and tubule following injury. Further, zebrafish kidneys contain progenitors that create new nephrons after AKI. Here, we review investigations in zebrafish which have established a series of exciting renal pathology paradigms that complement existing AKI models and can be implemented to discover insights into kidney regeneration and the roles of stem cells.
Synthesis of Thin, Oriented Zeolite A Membranes on a Macroporous Support†

Continuous, thin, oriented zeolite A membranes are produced by a two-step synthesis on macroporous α-Al 2 O 3 supports. In the first step, zeolite A nano-cubes with ∼350-nm edges are prepared as a native impurity phase in zeolite Y synthesis dispersions, the support surface is pre-modified with a cationic polymer having a selective affinity for zeolite A. The thus-treated support is contacted with a colloidally stable dispersion of zeolite A and Y mixture in water, which results in selective, dense-packed deposition of the zeolite A cubes with one face aligned to the average support surface. In a second step of hydrothermal epitaxial growth, the seed layer grows epitaxially into a continuous, meso-defect free, ∼1 μm thick zeolite A layer, already after 1 h of treatment. This microstructure of the membrane compares very favorably to what is commonly obtained. The pH value of the zeolite mixture suspension is found to have a major influence on seed layer morphology, and thereby, on the quality and orientation of zeolite A membrane after short synthesis times. The final zeolite A membrane thickness and morphology is controlled by varying secondary growth synthesis time. The approach presented is thought to be of generic use for the preparation of oriented zeolite membranes.
Studying Urban Schools

The following is a slightly revised version of an invited address presented at the “Ethnography in Education Research” Forum, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania, March 1983. In the article, the author reflects on the reasons that ethnographic studies are, and probably will continue to be, suspect in the field of education. Appreciation is expressed to Francis A.J. Ianni for help in preparing this paper.
Metal-assisted catalysis

Abstract Recent studies of metalloenzymes have revealed different modes of coordination of metal ions at active sites and have led to an evaluation of the role of these ions in diverse chemical reactions. The determination of high-resolution crystal structures of many classes of enzymes as well as the detailed kinetic studies of selected ‘model’ reactions have advanced concepts of the electrophilic role that metal ions can play in catalytic processes.
Writing in an Emerging Organization: An Ethnographic Study

This study explored the collaborative writing processes of a group of computer software company executives. In particular, the study focused on the year-long process that led to the writing of a vital company document. Research methods used included participant/observations, open-ended interviews, and Discourse-Based Interviews. A detailed analysis of the executive collaborative process posits a model that describes the reciprocal relationship between writing and the organizational context. The study shows the following: (1) how the organizational context influences (a) writers' conceptions of their rhetorical situations, and (b) their collaborative writing behavior; and (2) how the rhetorical activities influence the structure of the organization.
The Dorsomedial Portion of Trigeminal Nucleus Oralis (Vo) in the Rat: Cytology and Projections to the Cerebellum

Electrophysiological studies have described four major tactile areas in the rat cerebellar cortex. These areas are in crus I, crus II, the paramedian lobule (PML), and the uvula, and a major portion of each is related to the ipsilateral orofacial region. This study demonstrates that neurons in trigeminal nucleus oralis (Vo) that project to the orofacial portions of these four major tactile areas are localized in the dorsomedial (DM) subdivision of the nucleus. The distribution, light-microscopic morphology, and relative densities of trigeminocerebellar neurons within DM, retrogradely labeled with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) following injections into each of the four major tactile areas, were analyzed and compared as well as correlated with the myelo- and cytoarchitecture of DM observed in Nissl sections, 1-micron sections, and Golgi material. On the basis of myelo- and cytoarchitectonic as well as trigeminocerebellar connectional criteria, three portions of DM were identified: caudal DM (CDM), middle DM (MDM), and rostral DM (RDM). The greatest portion of DM is made up of MDM (1.3 mm long), which can be further subdivided into dorsal (MDMd) and ventral (MDMv) zones. CDM forms the caudal 800 microns of DM, while RDM makes up the rostral 280 microns of the subdivision. Longitudinally running deep axon bundles permeate CDM, MDMv, and RDM, but are conspicuously absent from MDMd. The majority of neurons found throughout CDM, MDMv, and RDM have medium-sized (15- to 30-microns) somata and can be divided into two types on the basis of their somatodendritic morphology. CDM, MDMv, and RDM also contain a small neuronal cell type (5- to 15-microns cell body) that is encountered less frequently than either one of the two types of medium-sized cells. A fourth type of neuron with a large (25- to 50-microns) fusiform- to pyramidal-shaped cell body is the least frequently observed neuronal cell type and is located principally in CDM and MDMv. MDMd contains a fifth type of neuron characterized by a small (5- to 15-microns) oval soma. Data from the retrograde HRP experiments show that all five of these neuronal cell types in their respective portions of DM project to one or more of the orofacial portions of the four major tactile areas of the cerebellar cortex. Many medium-sized neurons of both types in CDM, MDMv, and RDM project to crus I, crus II, and/or PML.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering of Ionic Liquids

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is a powerful technique that is used to resolve the size and structure of phases on the nanometer scale, within a sample. While these features may also be observed with other techniques, such as electron microscopy or atomic force microscopy, SAXS provides a means to resolve statistically significant nanometer features in situ, because of its ability to probe over a relatively large sample volume (≈1 mm × 1 mm × 1 mm for typical ionic liquids). This makes SAXS well suited to study the structures of ionic liquids (IL). However, a typical SAXS experiment and subsequent analysis require careful considerations of the sample and limits of the analytical approach used. In this chapter, we will present a brief introduction to SAXS with special emphasis on the experimental setup and analysis. At the end of this chapter, X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy will be presented as a potentially powerful technique to resolve the dynamics of scattering phases in IL solutions.
Today’s Learners and Learning with Information

Contemporary information-rich environments, especially the Internet / Web, have changed the way we look at learning. While learning itself remains the same—the construction of personal meaning from interactions with information—the routes to learning have expanded and diversified. So, too, have the challenges. This chapter paints a picture of today’s learners-with-information and delineates the concepts, strategies, and skills that all of us, as learners, need to master to make the most of the learning opportunities that surround us. It surveys relevant research and theory from information studies and instructional design and development to suggest how collaborative research and development across these fields can lead to improved environments for both informational and instructional uses. Drawing on the rich traditions from both fields and on current initiatives that highlight the importance of using information as a tool for learning, the chapter interweaves key traditional and contemporary ideas to offer a slate of possible theoretical frameworks for guiding research in several important areas related to learning in today’s information-rich environments.
Characterization of neuronal nicotinic receptors using neuronal bungarotoxin.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses on the characterization of neuronal nicotinic receptors using neuronal bungarotoxin. Neuronal Bungarotoxin (NBT) has now been found to block nicotinic receptors in a number of other peripheral cholinoceptive cells, including rat and chick sympathetic neurons and bovine adrenal chromaffin cells. Binding studies with [125I]NBT in intact ciliary ganglia, in cultures of dissociated neurons from the ciliary ganglion, and in cultures of sympathetic neurons indicate that the toxin binds to two pharmacologically distinct sites. One of these sites is also recognized by α-bungarotoxin (ABT), while the other is not. ABT does not block nicotinic receptors in any of these preparations and does not interfere with the blocking action of NBT, it is the NBT-selective binding sites that most likely correspond to the nicotinic receptors in these systems. The NBT-selective sites are highly localized to membranes near synapses, while the sites recognized by both toxins appear to be excluded from these regions. The density of NBT-selective binding sites at synaptic membranes is quite high, approximately 5000 sites/μm2, which is only about a factor of 3–4 lower than that found for nicotinic receptors at the vertebrate neuromuscular junction. The functional effect mediated by central nicotinic receptors that has been most commonly demonstrated is the augmentation of neurotransmitter release.
Detecting Silent Data Corruption for Extreme-Scale Applications through Data Mining

Supercomputers allow scientists to study natural phenomena by means of computer simulations. Next-generation machines are expected to have more components and, at the same time, consume several times less energy per operation. These trends are pushing supercomputer construction to the limits of miniaturization and energy-saving strategies. Consequently, the number of soft errors is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years. While mechanisms are in place to correct or at least detect some soft errors, a significant percentage of those errors pass unnoticed by the hardware. Such silent errors are extremely damaging because they can make applications silently produce wrong results. In this work we propose a technique that leverages certain properties of high-performance computing applications in order to detect silent errors at the application level. Our technique detects corruption solely based on the behavior of the application datasets and is completely application-agnostic. We propose multiple corruption detectors, and we couple them to work together in a fashion transparent to the user. We demonstrate that this strategy can detect the majority of the corruptions, while incurring negligible overhead. We show that with the help of these detectors, applications can have up to 80% of coverage against data corruption.
National trends in occupational injuries before and after 1992 and predictors of workers' compensation costs.

OBJECTIVE: Numbers and costs of occupational injuries and illnesses are significant in terms of morbidity and dollars, yet our understanding of time trends is minimal. We investigated trends and addressed some common hypotheses regarding causes of fluctuations. METHODS: We pulled data on incidence rates (per 100 full-time employed workers) for injuries and illnesses from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and on costs and benefits from the National Academy of Social Insurance for 1973 through 2007. Rates reflected all injury and illness cases, lost work-time cases, and cases resulting in at least 31 days away from work. We adjusted dollar costs (premiums) and benefits for inflation and measured them per employed worker. We plotted data in time-trend charts and ran linear regressions. RESULTS: From 1973 to 1991, there was a weak to nonexistent downward trend for injury and illness rates, and rates were strongly and negatively correlated with the unemployment rate. From 1992 to 2007, there were strong, consistent downward trends, but no longer were there statistically significant correlations with unemployment. Significant predictors (and signs) of workers' compensation premiums for 1973-2007 included medical price inflation (positive), number of lost-time injuries (positive), the Dow Jones Industrial Average (negative), and inflation-adjusted interest rate on U.S. Treasury bonds (negative). Dollars of benefits were positively and significantly predicted by medical inflation and number of lost-time cases. For 1992-2007, the Dow Jones variable was the only robust predictor of premiums; the number of injuries was not a significant positive predictor. CONCLUSION: We had two major conclusions. First, the year 1992 marked a sharp contrast in trends and correlations between unemployment and incidence rates for occupational injuries and illnesses. Second, for the entire time period (1973-2007), insurance carriers' premiums were strongly associated with returns on investments. Language: en
Evolution of the Antenna in the Stratiomyidae (Diptera)

The evolution of the stratiomyid antenna follows 3 main lines represented by the Pachygastrinae, Sarginae, and Stratiomyinae-Clitellarinae complex. The major evolutionary trends are: (1) a gradual reduction from 8 to 5 flagellomeres, (2) a gradual reduction in the number of flagellomeres with sensory pits, (3) development of a style, (4) development of a terminal or dorsal arista, and (5) a gradual increase in the degree to which the flagellomeres are fused. The aristate antenna of the Sarginae and Pachygastrinae, which has the basal flagellomeres fused into homogeneous spherical mass, is more advanced and closely related to the aristate antenna of the Cyclorrhapha. The 8-segmented flagellum of the Cyphomyiinae is closely related to that of the Nematocera. Since various intermediate forms occur between these 2 types of antennae the Stratiomyidae are believed to represent the transitional stages between the antennal types of the Nematocera and Cyclorrhapha.
Toward an understanding of art in nursing.

The art of nursing is a term on which there is little definitional agreement. Nursing includes both artistic and scientific traditions; at times, the balance between these two approaches is an uneasy one. An examination of aesthetics offers a perspective to ground practice in nursing art through John Dewey's philosophy of art as experience. Differences and similarities between science, art, and craft and are examined. Nursing art is defined as helping patients create coherence in lives threatened by illness and change.
Political and Economic Influences On Private-Sector Pollution Control Costs

oriented toward reliance on markets and private property rights, the political response by Congress as well as numerous presidential administrations to the unforeseen or undesirable consequences of industrial production processes and products have been considerable. Since the late 1960s, an array of new regulatory agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have been created while the authority of existing ones like the Food and Drug Administration or the Federal Trade Commission was expanded. Consequently, despite often unrealistic statutory deadlines for attaining ambitious goals,' substantial progress has been made towards achieving selective benefits (see Kneese 1984). At the same time, the scope of regulation has increased, especially as concern with second-generation problems has burgeoned (see Vig and Kraft 1990; Regens and Rycroft 1988; Davies 1985). As a result, many regulatory activities of the federal government, and by extension the states, in the areas of environmental protection, occupational health or consumer safety have significant economic impacts on the private sector.
Treatment of carcinoma of the left colon by hemicolectomy.

The five-year survival rate for resection of carcinoma of the colon is now 50 per cent. The rate is higher for carcinoma of the right colon than for that of the left colon due to more radical excision of the right colon and mesocolon, heft hemicolectomy with ligation of the inferior mesenteric artery and anastomosis of the transverse colon to the rectal ampulla is the preferred procedure. Carcinoma at or below the peritoneal reflection is treated by abdominoperineal resection plus left hemicolectomy.
Canine and incisor microwear in pitheciids and Ateles reflects documented patterns of tooth use

Objectives Platyrrhine species differ in the extent to and the manner in which they use their incisors and canines during food ingestion. For example, Ateles uses its anterior teeth to process mechanically nondemanding soft fruits, while the sclerocarp-harvesting pitheciids rely extensively on these teeth to acquire and process more demanding foods. Pitheciids themselves vary in anterior tooth use, with the pitheciines (Cacajao, Chiropotes, and Pithecia) noted to use their robust canines in a variety of ways to predate seeds, while Callicebus, which rarely predates seeds, uses its incisors and exceptionally short canines to scrape tough mesocarp from fruits. To investigate the relationship between tooth use and dental wear, microwear textures were investigated for the anterior teeth of these five genera of platyrrhine primates. Methods Using a white light confocal microscope, 12 microwear texture attributes that reflect feature size, anisotropy, density, and complexity were recorded from high-resolution epoxy casts of the incisors and canines of adult wild-collected Brazilian specimens of Ateles, Callicebus, Cacajao, Chiropotes, and Pithecia. Results Pitheciine canines tend to have deep microwear features and complex, anisotropic microwear textures, while Ateles anterior teeth tend to have very small features, low feature density, and less complex and anisotropic surfaces. Callicebus incisor and canine microwear is generally intermediate in size and complexity between those extremes. Conclusions These findings align with expectations from reported field observations of tooth use and illustrate the potential for using microwear texture analysis to infer patterns of anterior tooth use in extinct primates. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Low energy helium ion irradiation induced nanostructure formation on tungsten surface

Abstract We report on the low energy helium ion irradiation induced surface morphology changes on tungsten (W) surfaces under extreme conditions. Surface morphology changes on W surfaces were monitored as a function of helium ion energy (140–300 eV), fluence (2.3 × 10 24 –1.6 × 10 25 ions m −2 ), and flux (2.0 × 10 20 –5.5 × 10 20 ion m −2 s −1 ). All the experiments were performed at 900° C. Our study shows significant effect of all the three ion irradiation parameters (ion flux, fluence, and energy) on the surface morphology. However, the effect of ion flux is more pronounced. Variation of helium ion fluence allows to capture the very early stages of fuzz growth. The observed fuzz growth and morphology changes were understood in the realm of various possible phenomena. The study has relevance and important impact in the current and future nuclear fusion applications.
Effects of ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification on the wear and micropitting behavior of bearing steel in boundary lubricated steel-steel contacts

Abstract An ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) technique has been used to treat AISI 52100 steel specimens and thrust ball bearing raceways. Tribological performances of untreated specimens were compared to UNSM-treated specimens in reciprocating sliding and rolling/sliding contact under boundary lubricated conditions. Friction and wear coefficients, micropitting, and changes in surface profiles and surface roughness of the specimens were studied. Results showed that UNSM treated specimens had higher wear and micropitting resistance than the untreated specimens. The improvements in wear and micropitting resistance may be attributed to increased surface hardness, refined grain sizes and compressive residual stress near surface region as a result of UNSM treatment. The UNSM technique has been proven to be a powerful tool to improve the durability and tribological performance of contacting surfaces of mechanical components such as bearings, gears, and seals.
Experimental anthropogenic noise impacts avian parental behaviour, nestling growth and nestling oxidative stress

Human-produced noise, from transport, urbanization and industry, is widespread. Studies of noise pollution show a wide range of effects on birds, such as alterations in communication, parental behaviour, physiology and reproductive success. These human-induced changes are likely to have long-term impacts, such as altered nestling physiology and survival, as well as reduced local population size. Further experimental field studies that simultaneously investigate the effects of noise exposure on avian behaviour, physiology and reproductive success are needed. Here, we used an experimental field study to investigate impacts of short-term traffic noise exposure on parental behaviour (i.e. vigilance and feeding rate), nestling body size and oxidative stress (as measured by oxidative status) and nestling fledging success in tree swallows, Tachycineta bicolor. Our results show negative consequences of traffic noise exposure, despite a relatively modest playback regime (6 h, every other day). Adults in noise-exposed territories were less vigilant earlier in the nestling period and fed at a higher rate later in the nestling period, compared to controls. However, increased feeding rate in noise-exposed nests did not compensate for noise impacts on nestlings: noise-exposed nestlings were smaller and had higher oxidative status, compared to control nestlings. Noise-exposed nestlings took longer to fledge, but we found no effect of noise on fledging success. These results highlight the potential long-term consequences of short-term noise exposure (decreased nestling size and increased oxidative status) and add to a growing body of literature, showing that noise pollution can negatively impact birds through both direct and indirect pathways.
Complicit States and the Governing Strategy of Privilege Violence: When Weakness Is Not the Problem

This article seeks to explain why some high-capacity democracies have high levels of internal violence. These regimes present a puzzle: Why are bureaucratically capable states that ostensibly answer to voters failing to provide security? Challenging the “weak states” paradigm, we argue that states with high capacity and significant violence within marginalized populations exhibit a governance pattern in which governing factions deliberately weaken security services and collude with nonstate violent actors to maintain power and ensure extreme levels of privilege and impunity. Although these states do not feature ideal-type institutions, they are not weak. Instead, economic and political elites are complicit in enforcing a system of material inequality and uneven democratic incorporation maintained by violence. As politicized security agencies become incapacitated and repressive, citizens turn to nonstate security providers for protection, from private firms to criminals and insurgents, increasing social vi...
Optimization methodology for the global 10 Hz orbit feedback in RHIC

Abstract To combat beam oscillations induced by triplet vibrations at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), a global orbit feedback system was developed and applied at injection and top energy in 2011, and during beam acceleration in 2012. Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) was employed to determine the strengths and currents of the applied corrections. The feedback algorithm was optimized for different magnetic configurations (lattices) at fixed beam energies and during beam acceleration. While the orbit feedback performed well since its inception, corrector current transients and feedback-induced beam oscillations were observed during the polarized proton program in 2015. In this report, we present the feedback algorithm, the optimization of the algorithm for various lattices and the solution adopted to mitigate the observed current transients during beam acceleration.
Abnormal Movements in an Infant

### Video 1 Video 1. Click here to view the video. Please watch the video of a newborn. Of the following, the infant’s movements are best described as (more than 1 option is possible): The infant in this video is awake and alert and exhibits the following: These movements disappeared during sleep. Also shown in the video is the infant’s need for a nasal cannula and a central venous catheter. A second video (Video 2) shows the infant alternately gripping and releasing the grasp of the examiner’s finger. The infant’s movements shown in the videos are involuntary and choreo-athetoid. Video 2. Click …
The Credibility of Management Forecasts of Annual Earnings

In this study we investigate the credibility of unverified management annual earnings forecasts gathered from the 1986 to 1992 editions of the Wall Street Journal. Three hypotheses are examined. The first and second hypotheses concern the asymmetry of information between the firm's management and investors. This asymmetry affects the stock market reaction. Evidence supports the conclusion that less asymmetry implies less new information associated with the management forecast disclosure. The asymmetry is greater for bad news disclosures than it is for good news disclosures. Furthermore, the release of bad news forecasts results in a greater resolution of the asymmetry than does the release of good news forecasts. The third hypothesis concerns the ability of the investor to attribute credibility. Results indicate that more credible information is provided when the management forecast disclosure is released into more concentrated industries. In particular, the release of good news by firms in more concentrated industries results in larger mean market price reactions. This effect is not evident in the bad news sample.