cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genomic/proteomic analyses of dexamethasone-treated human trabecular meshwork cells reveal a role for GULP1 and ABR in phagocytosis.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the expression profile of genes related to integrin-mediated phagocytosis that are altered by dexamethasone (DEX) and/or αvβ3 integrin signaling to gain a better understanding of the molecular basis of phagocytosis and the pathophysiology of glucocorticoid-induced ocular hypertension. Methods RNA and cell lysates were obtained from human trabecular meshwork (HTM) cells incubated with and without DEX for 4-5 d. The relative level of gene expression was evaluated using the Affymetrix Gene Chip® human gene microarray and quantitative PCR (qPCR). Changes in protein expression were validated using western blots or FACS analyses. The involvement of proteins in phagocytosis was determined using siRNA to knock down the expression of these proteins in an immortalized TM-1 cell line. Changes in the phagocytic activity were measured using pHrodo™-labeled S. aureus bioparticles followed by immunofluorescence microscopy. The effect of αvβ3 integrin expression and activity on GULP1 mRNA levels was measured using qPCR in TM-1 cells overexpressing wild type or constitutively active αvβ3 integrin. Results Gene microarrays revealed statistically significant differences (>2 fold) in the expression of seven genes known to be involved in phagocytosis. Three genes (CD36, ABR, and GULP1) were downregulated, while four genes (ITGB3, CHN1, PIK3R1, and MFGE8) were upregulated. The genes were either associated with modulating RAC1 activity (ABR and CHN1) or integrin signaling (CD36, GULP1, ITGB3, PIK3R1, and MFGE8). Another gene, SIRPA, was also downregulated (1.6 fold) but only in one cell strain. qPCR and western blot analyses verified that DEX caused a decrease in SIRPA and GULP1 mRNA and their protein levels, while levels of CHN1 mRNA and its protein were upregulated by DEX. qPCR showed that although ABR mRNA was downregulated compared to non-treated controls after 5 d of treatment with DEX, no change at the protein level was detected. qPCR analysis also revealed that DEX caused an increase in MFGE8 mRNA levels. The levels of CD36 mRNA and protein varied between cell strains treated with DEX and were not statistically different compared to controls. The knockdown of GULP1 and ABR using siRNAs decreased phagocytosis by 40%. Interestingly, GULP1 mRNA levels were also decreased by 60% when αvβ3 integrin was overexpressed in TM-1 cells. Conclusion The DEX-induced inhibition of phagocytosis may be caused by the downregulation of ABR and GULP1 disrupting the αvβ5 integrin/RAC1-mediated engulfment pathway. The downregulation of GULP1 by αvβ3 integrin further suggests that this integrin may be a negative regulator of phagocytosis by transcriptionally downregulating proteins needed for phagocytosis. In summary, these results represent new insights into the effects of glucocorticoids and integrin signaling on the phagocytic process in the TM.
Root cause analysis: A framework using principles of high reliability.

233Background: Medical errors are the 4th leading cause of death in the US. Oncology providers are not immune to errors. A network of hospitals and outpatient centers recognized an opportunity to e...
Preoperative radiographic and clinical factors associated with the visualization of intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid during endoscopic transsphenoidal resection of pituitary adenomas.

Background Intraoperative visualization of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) during endoscopic endonasal resection of skull base tumors is the most common factor contributing to the development of postoperative CSF leaks. No previous studies have solely evaluated preoperative factors contributing to intraoperative CSF visualization. The purpose of this study was to identify preoperative factors predictive of intraoperative CSF visualization. Methods Retrospective review of patients who underwent transsphenoidal resection of pituitary adenomas was conducted. Clinical and radiographic variables were compared for those who had CSF visualized to those who did not. Nominal logistic regression models were built to determine predictive variables. Results Two hundred and sixty patients were included in the study. All significant demographic and radiographic variables on univariate analysis were included in multivariate analysis. Two multivariate models were built, as tumor height and supraclinoid extension were collinear. The first model, which considered tumor height, found that extension into the third ventricle carried a 4.60-fold greater risk of CSF visualization (P = 0.005). Increasing tumor height showed a stepwise, linear increase in risk; tumors >3 cm carried a 19.02-fold greater risk of CSF visualization (P = 0.003). The second model, which considered supraclinoid tumor extension, demonstrated that extension into the third ventricle carried a 4.38-fold increase in risk for CSF visualization (P = 0.010). Supraclinoid extension showed a stepwise, linear increase in intraoperative CSF risk; tumors with >2 cm of extension carried a 9.26-fold increase in risk (P = 0.017). Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that tumor height, extension into the third ventricle, and extension above the clinoids are predictive of intraoperative CSF visualization.
COVID-19: effectiveness of socioeconomic factors in containing the spread and mortality

This paper presents a study on 80 countries that evaluates the socioeconomic factors in containing the spread and mortality of COVID-19. Our results show that the long-term social factors such as l...
Patterns of transitions between relapse to and remission from heavy drinking over the first year after outpatient alcohol treatment and their relation to long-term outcomes.

Objectives Studying clinical course after alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment is central to understanding longer-term recovery. This study's two main objectives were to (a) replicate a recent study that identified heterogeneity in patterns of remission from/relapse to heavy drinking during the first year after outpatient treatment in an independent data set and (b) extend these recent findings by testing associations between patterns of remission/relapse and long-term alcohol-related and functioning outcomes. Method Latent profile analyses were conducted using data from Project MATCH (N = 952; M age = 38.9; 72.3% female) and COMBINE (N = 1,383; M age = 44.4; 69.1% male). Transitions between heavy and nonheavy drinking within consecutive 2-week periods over a 1-year posttreatment period were characterized for each participant. From this, latent profiles were identified based on participants' initial 2-week heavy drinking status, the number of observed transitions between 2-week periods of relapse and remission, and the average duration of observed remission/relapse episodes. Results In both MATCH and COMBINE, we identified six profiles: (a) "continuous remission," 25.3% of COMBINE sample/25.3% of MATCH sample; (b) "transition to remission," 19.6%/9.6%; (c) "few long transitions," 15.9%/33.7%; (d) "many short transitions," 13.2%/13.6%; (e) "transition to relapse," 7.2%/7.1%; and (f) "continuous relapse," 18.8%/10.5%. Profiles 1 and 2 had the best long-term outcomes, Profiles 5 and 6 had the worst, and Profiles 3 and 4 fell between these groups. Conclusions That many individuals can remit from heavy drinking following one or more relapses to heavy drinking may be of direct interest to individuals in recovery from AUD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Student Engagement Declines in STEM Undergraduates during COVID-19-Driven Remote Learning

We examined how the shift in learning environment from in-person to online classes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, impacted three constructs of student engagement: behavioral engagement, including students' frequency of participating in class discussions, meeting with instructors, and studying with peers outside of class; cognitive engagement, including students' sense of belonging and self-efficacy; and emotional engagement, including students' attitudes toward science, their perceived value of the course, and their stress. Seventy-three undergraduate STEM students from across the country completed five-point Likert-style surveys in these areas of student engagement, both prior to their science course transitioning online and at the end of the spring 2020 semester. We found that while overall behavioral engagement did not change, students participated less frequently in class discussions but met with professors more often outside of class. We saw no significant change in cognitive engagement, indicating that while students' sense of belonging and self-efficacy ideally increases over the course of the semester, in this case, it did not. Most alarmingly, we found a significant decrease in emotional engagement, with students reporting a drastic decline in positive attitudes toward science. Students' reported stress levels remained unchanged, and students reported a slight increase in their perceived value of the science course they were taking. These data shed light on how the transition to online learning had an overall negative impact on undergraduate student engagement in science courses.
Revitalizing the communication classroom: A case of design thinking

Originally developed in the field of design, design thinking is widely used as a pedagogical tool to help non-designer students cultivate creative thinking and problem-solving skills. Despite its p...
Discrimination, Death and Denial: The Tolerance of Racial Discrimination in Infliction of the Death Penalty

The death penalty was declared unconstitutional in 1972 due to arbitrariness and discrimination against racial minorities and the poor. New capital punishment laws, supposedly designed to prevent arbitrariness and discrimination, were upheld by the Supreme Court in 1976. But race and poverty continue to determine who dies. The poor are frequently represented by inept court-appointed lawyers, who often fail to protect the rights of their clients and fail to provide juries with critical information needed for the sentencing decision, leaving the accused virtually defenseless. Prosecutors are given wide discretion in deciding whether to seek the death penalty and juries are given great discretion in deciding whether to impose it. This discretion provides ample room for racial prejudice to influence whether the accused lives or dies.This article examines the historic relationship between racial violence and the death penalty, describes some of the ways in which racial prejudice continues to influence capital sentencing decisions, and discusses the failure of the courts to confront the racial bias that infects the criminal justice system.
Electric Field Instrument Using Radiated Electrons (E‐FIRE): An Innovative Approach to the Measurement of Electric Fields in the Earth's Magnetosphere

We are proposing a novel compact sensor system for measuring electric fields in space plasmas. The measurement of electric fields from earth orbiting satellites has been a difficult challenge for the large scale DC component of this field. Traditional techniques using double-probe style instruments are troubled by contact potentials to the plasma environment and photoelectric effects due to solar radiation. Newer techniques using low energy electron beams put requirements on costly spacecraft electric cleanliness, in order to avoid beam deflection by spacecraft potentials. E-FIRE uses energetic electrons of approximately one MeV in connection with recently developed ion-implanted solid-state detectors which have good position resolution and energy determination. The electrons are produced by a radioactive source with a line spectrum that tags the particles as being emitted from the satellite. These electrons will return to the spacecraft within a few microseconds having displacements of millimeters to centimeters due to the ambient electric (and in some cases magnetic) field, independent of any electric potentials that may have been produced by solar radiation or the interaction of the spacecraft with the local plasma environment.
cAMP production in rabbit carotid body: role of adenosine.

Chen, J., B. Dinger, and S. J. Fidone. cAMP production in rabbit carotid body: role of adenosine. J. Appl. Physiol. 82(6): 1771–1775, 1997.—In the present study, we have investigated the possible r...
Rates of malignancy in incidentally discovered thyroid nodules evaluated with sonography and fine-needle aspiration.

Objective. The purpose of this study was to compare the rate of malignancy in thyroid nodules discovered incidentally on magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, and sonography with the rate of malignancy in nonincidentally discovered nodules. Methods. All thyroid sonographic and fine-needle aspiration (FNA) procedures performed during a 6-month period were retrospectively reviewed. Study indications were categorized as incidental (thyroid nodules found on magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, or sonography performed for nonthyroid indications) or nonincidental (studies prompted by abnormal physical examination findings or laboratory values or signs or symptoms suggestive of thyroid disease). Rates of malignancy in patients with incidentally discovered nodules were compared with rates in patients with nonincidental thyroid abnormalities by the Fisher exact test. Results. Of 225 thyroid sonographic studies, 35 (16%) were performed for incidentally discovered thyroid nodules, and 190 (84%) were performed for evaluation of nonincidental thyroid abnormalities. A total of 21 patients (60%) in the incidental group and 90 patients (47%) in the nonincidental group underwent FNA. The rate of malignancy in nodules examined by biopsy in the incidental group was 17% compared with 3% in the nonincidental group (P = .020). Patient sex, multiplicity of nodules, nodule size, echo texture, and presence of calcifications did not differ significantly between the groups. The mean age of patients in the incidental group was significantly higher (61 versus 51 years; P = .007); however, advanced age was not associated with a greater rate of malignancy. Conclusions. This study identified an unexpectedly high rate of malignancy in incidentally discovered thyroid nodules, suggesting that incidentally discovered thyroid nodules should be evaluated with follow-up thyroid sonography and FNA.
BorderPatrol: isolating events for black-box tracing

Causal request traces are valuable to developers of large concurrent and distributed applications, yet difficult to obtain. Traces show how a request is processed, and can be analyzed by tools to detect performance or correctness errors and anomalous behavior.We present BorderPatrol, which obtains precise request traces through suystems built from a litany of unmodified modules. Traced components include Apache, thttpd, PostgreSQL, TurboGears, BIND and notably Zeus, a closed-source event-driven web server. BorderPatrol obtains traces using active observation which carefully modifies the event stream observed by modules, simplifying precise observation. Protocol processors leverage knowledge about standard protocols, avoiding application-specific instrumentation.BorderPatrol obtains precise traces for black-box systems that cannot be traced by any other technique. We confirm the accuracy of BorderPatrol's traces by comparing to manual instrumentation, and compare the developer effort required for each kind of trace. BorderPatrol imposes limited overhead on real systems (approximately 10-15%) and it may be enabled or disabled in at run-time, making it a viable option for deployment in production environments.
Monitoring Colima Volcano, Mexico, using satellite data

The Colima Volcanic Complex at the western end of the Mexican Volcanic Belt is the most active andesitic volcano in Mexico. Short-wavelength infrared data from the Landsat Thematic Mapper satellite were used to determine the temperature and fractional area of radiant picture elements for two January data acquisitions in 1985 and 1986. The 1986 data showed four 28.5 m by 28.5 m pixels (picture elements) whose hot subpixel components had temperatures ranging from 511-774 C and areas of 1.8-13 sq m. The 1985 data had no radiating areas above background temperatures. Ground observations and measurements in November 1985 and February 1986 reported the presence of hot fumaroles at the summit with temperatures of 135-895 C. This study demonstrates the utility of satellite data for monitoring volcanic activity.
Religious Toleration in the Wake of Revolution: Scotland on the Eve of Enlightenment (1688–1710s)

This article demonstrates that a vital transformation occurred within Scottish Presbyterianism following the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688–9 when the Episcopalian Church was overturned for the third and last time. This development held important implications for the subsequent Enlightenment, in which the Presbyterian Church – which had formerly been a byword for intolerance and insularity – played an integral role. After briefly describing the composite nature of the recently re-established Church, the second section of the article delineates the strands of argument that Presbyterians put forth for religious toleration and ecumenicalism. This discourse privileged the national interests of socio-economic amelioration in defiance of traditional arguments for the divine right of church government and the state's right to enforce religious uniformity. The European context is also considered, as intellectual currents circulating in Holland, in addition to examples being set elsewhere on the continent, influenced these arguments. The third section explains how a precariously ascendant group of Presbyterian moderates successfully stemmed their rivals’ influence, despite being heavily outnumbered. By relying on the political patronage of William III and his Scottish statesmen, they were able to control the General Assembly and mitigate, whenever possible, persecution in the provinces. Although intolerance remained a vibrant tradition, their combined efforts ended the age of armed religious conflict that had marred Scotland's social and political landscape in the preceding two centuries.
Promoting Positive Adult Functioning Through Social Development Intervention in Childhood Long-term Effects From the Seattle Social Development Project

Objective To examine the long-term effects of the Seattle Social Development Project intervention in promoting positive adult functioning and preventing mental health problems, crime, and substance use (including tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs) at 21 years of age. Design This nonrandomized controlled trial followed up participants to 21 years of age, 9 years after the intervention ended. We compared the following 3 intervention conditions: a full 6-year intervention (grades 1 through 6); a late 2-year intervention (grades 5 and 6 only); and a no-treatment control condition. Setting Eighteen public elementary schools serving diverse neighborhoods, including high-crime neighborhoods, of Seattle, Wash. Participants A sex-balanced, multiethnic sample of 605 participants across the 3 conditions who completed interviews at 21 years of age (94% of the original sample in these conditions). Interventions Teacher training in classroom instruction and management, child social and emotional skill development, and parent training. Main Outcome Measures Self-reports of functioning in school and work, emotional and mental health, and crime and substance use at 21 years ofage and official court records. Results Broad significant effects on functioning in school and work and on emotional and mental health were found. Fewer significant effects on crime and substance use were found at 21 years of age. Most outcomes had a consistent dose effect, with the strongest effects in subjects in the full-intervention group and effects in the late-intervention group between those in the full-intervention and control groups. Conclusions A theory-guided preventive intervention that strengthened teaching and parenting practices and taught children interpersonal skills during the elementary grades had wide-ranging beneficial effects on functioning in early adulthood.
Observation of energy transfer between frequency-mismatched laser beams in a large-scale plasma

The observation of energy transfer between two frequency-mismatched laser beams crossing in a low-density, large-scale plasma is described. The beams cross at an angle of 53\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} from parallel, with the average intensity in the blue beam equal to $2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{15}$ W/c${\mathrm{m}}^{2}$. A redshifted probe beam is amplified by interaction with the blue beam and a stimulated ion acoustic wave. Significant energy is transferred to the probe when the difference in the frequencies of the two beams is comparable to the frequency of the acoustic wave. As much as 52% of the pump energy is transferred to the probe.
Social and Communication Abilities and Disabilities in Higher Functioning Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Vineland and the ADOS

The relationship between adaptive functioning (ability) and autism symptomatology (disability) remains unclear, especially for higher functioning individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study investigates ability and disability using the Vineland and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), respectively, in two clinical samples of children with ASD. Participants included 187 males with VIQ > 70. Vineland scores were substantially below VIQ, highlighting the magnitude of adaptive impairments despite cognitive potential. A weak relationship was found between ability and disability. Negative relationships were found between age and Vineland scores and no relationships were found between age and ADOS scores. Positive relationships were found between IQ and Vineland Communication. Results stress the need for longitudinal studies on ability and disability in ASD and emphasize the importance of adaptive skills intervention.
Design and Characterization of High-Bandwidth, Resonance Enhanced Pulsed Microactuators: A Parametric Study

An extensive study on a microactuator that can generate high-momentum, high-frequency perturbations over a large bandwidth is presented in this paper. Such an actuator can potentially be used for the active control of various shear and boundary-layer flows that involve separation, mixing, and noise generation. The resonance enhanced microjet actuator described in this paper is a simple microfluidic system consisting of an underexpanded source jet flowing into a specially configured cavity integrated with multiple micronozzles, through which unsteady pulsed supersonic jets issue. The resonance frequency of these microjets could be varied over a large range (approximately 1–60 kHz) by changing the geometric and flow parameters of the microactuator system. Mean and unsteady properties of the microactuator are examined, including time-resolved flow visualizations and synchronous pressure and noise measurements; collectively, they provide a better understanding of the actuator dynamics. The present study also ...
Role of Cys54 in AbrB multimerization and DNA-binding activity

The DNA-binding, global regulatory protein AbrB from Bacillus subtilis is homotetrameric in solution. Mutation of the lone cysteine present in the protomers (C54), to either a serine, tyrosine or tryptophan, abolishes DNA-binding activity in vitro and regulatory activity in vivo. The effect of these changes is not due to abrogation of disulfide bond formation since it can be shown biochemically that none of the C54 residues participates in disulfide bond formation. It is unlikely that C54 is involved in direct contact with DNA targets. Rather, it appears that the role of C54 is to provide a nucleophilic center required for proper spatial orientation of the polypeptide subunits.
National social and labour market policy reforms in the shadow of EU bail-out conditionality: The cases of Greece and Portugal

This contribution asks whether the Memoranda of Understanding on Specific Economic Policy Conditionality (MoU), signed between bailed out member states and the European Union (EU), have changed the latter’s potential to intrude in the reform of national social and labour market policies and, if so, how. What have been the effects of the measures and reforms taken under the MoUs on national social and labour market policies? The MoUs of Greece and Portugal are analysed with a focus on pension systems and labour market policies. It is argued that the MoUs have been unprecedentedly intrusive in national social and labour market policies. The level of intrusiveness has varied, depending on the difficulty of implementing the MoU reforms, the extent to which the adjustment has been seen to be stalling and the degree to which a given policy area is directly relevant to the adjustment in question. The effects of the reforms induced by the MoUs have sometimes been intended as moves in the direction of a necessary modernization. However, the pressing demand to cut public expenditure and substantially improve competitiveness, combined with the increase in demand for social and labour market support due to mounting unemployment rates, has weighed heavily on such attempts.
Permanent magnetic trapping

It is shown that the global nature of trapped particle motion in phase space makes it entirely plausible that particles with pitch angles near 90 deg are trapped for extremely long times, probably indefinitely. The long observed lifetimes of trapped particles can immediately be accounted for by this former population. For particles with low pitch angles an 'overstability' develops which serves to produce rapid variations in pitch angle and, presumably, random walk into the loss cone.
Gold on GaAs: Its crystallographic orientation and control on the orientation of the Au-Ga reaction product

Abstract X-ray diffraction of a 1500 A evaporated gold thin film on GaAs(100) was used to study the textures of gold and the Au-Ga reaction product (Au7Ga2 or β-(Au-Ga)). Post-deposition annealing up to 450 °C for 30 min was found to enhance the gold orientation with Au(100) GaAs(100) and Au[001]GaAs[001] and weaken the gold orientation with Au(111)GaAs(100) and Au[01 1 ]GaAs[011] (and its fourfold rotation twins around GaAs[100]). The gold-rich terminal substitutional solid solution α-(Au-Ga) was observed to begin forming below 350 °C. Dissolution of α-(Au-Ga) at 450–500 °C on heating and precipitation of α-(Au-Ga) on subsequent cooling caused a sharp increase in the orientation with Au(110)GaAs(100) and Au[1 1 0]GaAs[011], which has the smallest lattice misfit compared with the other gold orientations. The dissolution and precipitation of α-(Au-Ga) also caused the appearance of aligned rectangular pits. The crystallographic orientation of Au7Ga2 (or β-(Au-Ga)) was controlled by the orientation of α-(Au-Ga) that had been enhanced by the dissolution and precipitation of α-(Au-Ga) such that the lattice match between Au7Ga2 and gold was nearly perfect on the Au{111} interface planes. A dominant orientation relationship in the Au(111) plane is Au(111)Au7Ga2(110)GaAs(21 1 ) Au[1 1 0]Au7Ga2[001]GaAs[011]
The clinicopathologic spectrum of lymphomatoid papulosis: Study of 31 cases

Herein we review the Mayo Clinic experience with thirty-one cases of lymphomatoid papulosis seen since 1965. All patients had chronic, recurrent, and self-healing erythematous papulonodular lesions, which often became pustular, ulcerated, and resolved with scarring. The clinical features often corresponded to those seen in Mucha-Habermann disease; however, the predominant histopathologic feature was an infiltrate composed primarily of atypical lymphoid cells suggestive of malignant lymphoma. In six patients, a lymphoproliferative disorder was eventually diagnosed. There were two cases of mycosis fungoides (stage I), one case of nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease, and three cases of malignant lymphoma-one diffuse mixed large and small cell type with features of T-immunoblastic type, one diffuse large cell type, and one follicular small cleaved cell type. The clinical course of the lymphomatoid papulosis was unaffected by chemotherapy for the lymphoproliferative disorder. Our data indicate that, with sufficient duration of follow-up, malignant lymphoma may develop in some patients with lymphomatoid papulosis.
Primitive accession derived germplasm by cultivar crosses as sources for cotton improvement. I. Phenotypic values and variance components

Cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., is grown primarily for its spinnable fibers. To meet textile mill requirements and producer demands, both fiber quality and yield must be improved. This study was conducted to compare yield and fiber quality when exotic derived lines were crossed to cultivars. Fourteen germplasm lines with high fiber strength derived from selected primitive accessions were crossed as male parents to each of five cultivars. The F 2 populations and parents were grown at two different field locations in 1998 and 1999. Parents and F 3 s were grown at two locations in 2000. Parents, F 2 , and F 3 populations were evaluated for yield, yield components, and fiber quality traits. Combination of location and year was considered an environment for data analyses. An additive-dominance, additive × additive (ADAA), and genotype × environment interaction genetic model was used for data analysis. A mixed linear model approach, minimum norm quadratic unbiased estimation (MINQUE) was used to estimate genetic variance components on the basis of the ADAA model. Cultivars had higher yields and lint percentages than germplasm lines. Fiber strength for germplasm lines exceeded cultivars. Lint percentage, boll weight, micronaire reading, elongation, and fiber length were similar between F 2 and F 3 populations and near mid-parent values. Both additive and additive × additive (AA) epistatic effects significantly controlled all agronomic and most fiber traits. Significant dominance effects were detected for all traits except fiber elongation. Additive x environment and dominance × environment interaction effects were detected for most traits. Significant AA × environment interaction effects were detected for agronomic traits but not fiber traits. The additive × environment effect was significant; however, it made a small contribution to the total variance. This study suggest that crosses between day-neutral derived lines from photoperiodic primitive accessions and commercial cultivars may allow both the utilization of heterosis and the use of genetic variation for pure line development.
Unilateral dynamic contact of two beams

Dynamic unilateral contact between two beams is investigated. The contact is modeled with the Signorini or normal compliance conditions. The model is in the form of a variational inequality for which existence theorems are established. A numerical algorithm for the problem is obtained by using the method of lines, in which the problem is approximated by a system of ordinary differential equations. Simulation results when one of the beams is driven periodically are presented. The characteristics of vibrations transmission across the joint between the beams are numerically investigated.
Anaerobic bacterial infection of the lung.

Anaerobic bacteria are relatively frequent pathogens in pulmonary infections that are associated with aspiration and its associated complications including aspiration pneumonitis, lung abscess, necrotizing pneumonia and empyema. These conditions have been studied since the early 1900's and substantial data with important clinical and microbiologic information are now readily available. However, the reports of these infections in the past 20 years have been sparse in number and much of the previous information relevant to this topic seems much less visible or apparent. The purpose of this report is to summarize the previous data and to celebrate the enormous contributions of Dr. Sydney Finegold to this topic.
Race/Ethnic Differences in the Marital Expectations of Adolescents: The Role of Romantic Relationships

I use a sample of 12,973 adolescents in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) to examine race/ethnic differences in perception of the likelihood of marriage in adulthood and the role of heterosexual romantic relationship experience in explaining this difference. Compared to adolescents from other race/ethnic backgrounds, White adolescents are more likely to date and are especially more likely than Black adolescents to participate in serious romantic relationships that increase marital expectations. Although the type of current or recent relationship is associated with marital expectations, they do not explain the observed race/ethnic gap in these expectations. Overall, the results suggest that these adolescent romantic experiences likely play only a small role in determining differential marital expectations.
Pore Helix-S6 Interactions are Critical in Governing KCNQ3 Amplitudes

Two mechanisms have been postulated as underlying the small KCNQ3 homomeric currents, compared with other KCNQ homomers, or KCNQ2/3 heteromers. The first involves differential channel expression, governed by the assembly domain of the distal C-terminus (Schwake et al., 2006. J. Neuroscience), centered on the “D helix,” whose KCNQ4 crystal structure revealed a “coiled-coil” suggested to be much more favorable for tetramerization of KCNQ2/3 heteromers and KCNQ4 homomers than for KCNQ3 homomers (Howard et al., 2007. Neuron). The second suggests similar expression of KCNQ channels, but a KCNQ3 pore that is particularly unstable, leading to most KCNQ3 homomers being dormant, whereas mutation of an intracellular pore-helix residue, A315, to a hydrophilic T/S boosted currents by >25-fold (Zaika et al., 2008. Biophys J; Exteberria et al., 2004. J. Neuroscience). Pore instability is thought to underlie “C-type” inactivation of K+ channels, including KcsA, for which disruption of the interaction between F103 (S6) and the pore helix (T74, T75) stabilized the pore (Cuello et al., 2010. Nature). We found mutations at the analogous position in KCNQ3 (F344) dramatically decreased KCNQ3 currents, and TIRF showed negligible effects on membrane expression. Homology modeling of wild-type and mutant KCNQ3 suggest the decrease of the current in F344 mutants is due to a disruption of the interaction between F344 (S6) and the A315 residue. Finally, native PAGE revealed H2O2-enhanced oligomerization of KCNQ4 subunits at C643 at the end of the D-helix. However, H2O2-mediated enhancement of KCNQ4, previously showed to localize to a cysteine triplet in the S2-S3 linker (Gamper et al., 2006. EMBO J), was identical in the C643A mutant. Our results suggest a secondary role of the C-terminus, compared to pore-helix-S6 interactions, governing KCNQ3 amplitudes, and that variable surface expression among KCNQ channels plays only a minor role.
Coverage-dependent infrared spectroscopy of carbon monoxide on palladium(100) in aqueous solution : Adlayer phase transitions and electrooxidation pathways

Infrared reflection−absorption spectra (IRAS) measured for the C−O stretch (νCO) of carbon monoxide dosed on ordered Pd(100) in aqueous 0.1 M HClO4 as a function of the coverage (θCO) and the electrode potential (E) are examined in comparison with extant IRAS and adlayer structural data on Pd(100) in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV). A noteworthy feature of the electrochemical adlayer, as for the UHV system, is the presence of a single νCO band blue shifting markedly (by ca. 100 cm-1) with increasing coverage up to saturation (θCO ≈ 0.8), indicative of uniformly bridging CO coordination. Extrapolation of the θCO-dependent νCO frequencies to surface potentials corresponding to the UHV-based system, however, yielded reasonable concordance only at high coverages. The discrepancies at lower θCO are suggested to arise from solvation effects on the local CO-site surface potentials. Examination of the θCO-dependent νCO peak frequencies ( ), integrated absorbances (Ai), and bandwidth (Δν1/2) for the dosed electrochemical a...
Self-efficacy and self-motivation as predictors of weight loss.

Abstract The present study was attempted to determine whether self-efficacy and self-motivation would predict outcome in an intensive weight loss program. The subjects included 52 males and 95 females who were at least fifty pounds overweight (X age = 43 years). The data were analyzed through multiple regression on three separate dependent variables: actual weight loss, adjusted weight loss and percentage of sessions attended. Outcome was predicted based on the following variables: self-efficacy (as measured by confidence estimates and outcome expectancies) and self-motivation (as measured by the Self-Motivation Inventory). The predictors accounted for 32.2% ( p p r = -.07, p > .05) suggests that these variables do not constitute a unitary construct and should be conceptualized as independent predictors. These findings suggest that confidence estimates and outcome expectancies are useful predictors of weight loss.
Theory of velocity-dependent, collision-broadened, Doppler-free line shapes

Line-shape expressions for two-step resonant excitation in the presence of low-pressure perturbers are derived. These expressions allow for velocity-dependent broadening rates and are well suited for studying the line-shape contributions due to coherent excitation, incoherent excitation (due to dephasing collisions), interference between coherent and incoherent excitation, and velocity-changing collisions. Using the sodium 3S-3P-4D system perturbed by noble-gas atoms as an example and assuming ${C}_{6}$ interaction potentials, line shapes at a variety of laser detunings (Doppler selected atomic velocities) are numerically calculated to study variation in the line shape due to competing excitation paths and speed-dependent collision rates. In order to deal with both the line core and the line wing a composite collision kernel consisting of a Lorentzian kernel for small \ensuremath{\Delta}${v}_{z}$ collisions and a Keilson-Storer kernel for large \ensuremath{\Delta}${v}_{z}$ collisions is used. It is also demonstrated how the inelastic (3${P}_{3/2}$-3${P}_{1/2}$) velocity-changing collision kernel may be obtained from experimental data at low pressures. Theoretical line shapes and broadening rates are compared with experiment.
An assay for antibodies to human acetylcholine receptor in serum from patients with myasthenia gravis.

Abstract Concentration of antibodies to acetylcholine receptor in serum from patients with myasthenia gravis was measured using receptor from human muscle labeled with [ 125 I]α-bungarotoxin as antigen. The antibodies detected bound to determinants on receptor other than the binding site for toxin (or, presumably, acetylcholine). Antibodies to receptor were found in 90% of patients with myasthenia gravis, but not in patients with other neuromuscular or autoimmune diseases. This result is consistent with the concept that myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease in which neuromuscular transmission is impaired by an immune response to acetylcholine receptor. Yield of receptor from human leg muscles averaged 1.1 × 10 −12 mol/g muscle. Receptor bound [ 125 I]α-bungarotoxin with an apparent K d approximating 2 × 10 −10 M . Concentration of antireceptor antibodies averaged 4.4 × 10 −8 mol of receptor bound per liter of serum, but varied widely. Sensitivity, reproducibility, and ease of the assay suggest that it may be useful in diagnosis of myasthenia gravis and monitoring immunosuppressive therapy.
Chronic pulmonary pseudomonal infection in patients with cystic fibrosis: A model for early phase symbiotic evolution.

AbstractGain of “antimicrobial resistance” and “adaptive virulence” has been the dominant view of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) in cystic fibrosis (CF) in the progressively damaged host airway over the course of this chronic infection. However, the pathogenic effects of CF airway-adapted Pa strains are notably reduced. We propose that CF Pa and other bacterial cohabitants undergo host adaptation which resembles the changes found in bacterial symbionts in animal hosts. Development of clonally selected and intraspecific isogenic Pa strains which display divergent colony morphology, growth rate, auxotrophy, and antibiotic susceptibility in vitro suggests an adaptive sequence of infective exploitation-parasitism-symbiotic evolution driven by host defenses. Most importantly, the emergence of CF pseudomonal auxotrophy is frequently associated with a few specific amino acids. The selective retention or loss of specific amino acid biosynthesis in CF-adapted Pa reflects bacterium-host symbiosis and coevolution durin...
Torsional Buckling and Writhing Dynamics of Elastic Cables and DNA

Marine cables under low tension and torsion on the sea floor can undergo a dynamic buckling process during which torsional strain energy is converted to bending strain energy. The resulting threedimensional cable geometries can be highly contorted and include loops and tangles. Similar geometries are known to exist for supercoiled DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and these also arise from the conversion of torsional strain energy to bending strain energy or, kinematically, a conversion of twist to writhe. A dynamic form of Kirchhoff rod theory is presented herein that captures these nonlinear dynamic processes. The resulting theory is discretized using the generalized-α method for finite differencing in both space and time. The important kinematics of cross-section rotation are described using an incremental rotation “vector” as opposed to traditional Euler angles or Euler parameters. Numerical solutions are presented for an example system of a cable subjected to increasing twist at one end. The solutions show the dynamic evolution of the cable from an initially straight element, through a buckled element in the approximate form of a helix, and through the dynamic collapse of this helix through a looped form.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Thermodynamic driving forces for postgasification carbon deposition

The product stream from a biomass gasifier is at a sufficiently high temperature (roughly 1100°C) to be able to undergo further chemical reactions if not immediately quenched. If the product stream is allowed to cool at a slower rate, there is the possibility of solid carbon formation, which can foul surfaces in contact with the cooling product gas. The goal of this work is to assess the thermodynamic driving forces for solid carbon formation via global equilibrium calculations, identifying conditions under which carbon formation is favored or disfavored. Global equilibrium calculations are performed using conditions representative of biomass gasifiers. Operating variables explored include the steam/carbon mass ratio, system pressure, and the amount of carbon lost and removed as char after the gasifier (% char). Both by varying the steam/carbon ratio and the % char, the temperature at which solid carbon is predicted to form and deposit on surfaces (Tdep) varies by hundreds of degrees Celsius, because varying both these operating conditions directly affects the atomic carbon/oxygen ratio of the product stream. There is a direct correlation between the atomic C/O ratio and Tdep. Varying the steam/carbon ratio and the % char also strongly changes the predicted gas-phase product compositions. The effect of pressure upon Tdep and gas-phase compositions is also explored. These results have implications for optimizing the composition of the product stream so as to not only preclude carbon formation but also maximize the yield from further downstream processes such as catalytic reactions to produce liquid fuels. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2010
Predicting mode of death in heart failure

Improvements in medical therapy for advanced heart failure have improved prognosis. Nonetheless, mortality from both sudden and nonsudden death remains high. In addition, sudden death may occur in association with heart failure exacerbation. Clearly, avoidance of Type I antiarrhythmic agents and increased use of low dose amiodarone and transvenous ICD therapy decreases total mortality in a subset of patients. Further studies will help define the role of these therapies in sudden death prevention.
Mouse models to assess the efficacy of non-typhoidal Salmonella vaccines: Revisiting the role of host innate susceptibility and routes of challenge

Non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica (NTS) serovars Typhimurium and Enteritidis are important causes of bacterial gastroenteritis in the USA and worldwide. In sub-Saharan Africa these two serovars are emerging as agents associated with lethal invasive disease (e.g., bacteremia, meningitis). The development of NTS vaccines, based on mucosally administered live attenuated strains and parenteral non-living antigens, could diminish the NTS disease burden globally. Mouse models of S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis invasive disease can accelerate the development of NTS vaccines. Live attenuated NTS vaccines elicit both cellular and humoral immunity in mice and their efficacy is well established. In contrast, non-living vaccines that primarily elicit humoral immunity have demonstrated variable efficacy. An analysis of the reported studies with non-living vaccines against S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis reveals that efficacy is influenced by two important independent variables: (1) the innate susceptibility to NTS infection that differs dramatically between commonly used mouse strains and (2) the virulence of the NTS strain used for challenge. Protection by non-living vaccines has generally been seen only in host-pathogen interactions where a sub-lethal infection results, such as challenging resistant mice with either highly virulent or weakly virulent strains or susceptible mice with weakly virulent strains. The immunologic basis of this discrepancy and the implications for human NTS vaccine development are reviewed herein.
Simplified Braiding through Integration Points Model for Triaxially Braided Composites

A simplified methodology has been developed for modeling two-dimensional triaxially braided composite plates impacted by a soft projectile using an explicit nonlinear finite-element analysis code LS-DYNA. The fiber preform architecture is modeled using shell elements by incorporating the fiber preform architecture at the level of integration points. The soft projectile was modeled by an equation of state. An arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian formulation is used to resolve numerical problems caused by large deformation of the projectile. The computed results indicate that this numerical model is able to simulate a triaxially braided composite undergoing a ballistic impact effectively and accurately, including the deformation and failure with a reasonable level of computational efficiency.
Distal versus proximal mechanisms of “real” self-deception

There is little fear that the concept of motivational bias as proposed by Mele is likely to dampen the current academic ferment (see Mele's Introduction) with respect to self-deception for several reasons: (a) like philosophy, science has more recently abandoned the heuristic of a rational human mind; (b) the concept is parsimonious, applicable to many research topics other than self-deception, and, therefore, scientifically serviceable; (c) as a proximal mechanism it addresses process rather than function, that is, how rather than why questions; (d) it is not as interesting a question as why there is a high prevalence of “real” self-deception (i.e., “garden-variety self-deception” as described by Mele, see sect. 6); and (e) a more penetrating issue is whether “real” self-deception is adaptive.