cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Isolation alters striatal met-enkephalin immunoreactivity in rat pups

Abstract Isolated preweanling rats emit ultrasonic vocalizations. Mu- and delta-opioid agonists quiet isolated pups; naltrexone, an opioid receptor blocker, prevents this quieting. A littermate companion is as effective as morphine in quieting vocalizations, and naltrexone also blocks companion quieting. We have now quantified methionine enkephalin (Met-ENK) Immunoreactivity in the brains of 10-day-old Wistar rat pups taken directly from the home cage or kept either alone or with a companion for a brief or prolonged period. Met-ENK is an endogenous ligand that binds to the mu- and delta-opioid receptors. Striatal peptide levels were higher when pups were with a companion than when they were kept alone; the peptide level of pups in the home cage did not differ from either. Comparisons of pups in the brief (5 min) and prolonged (60 min) separation conditions showed significantly higher peptide levels following a brief period out of the nest than at the end of an hour. In hypothalamus, hippocampus, and frontal cortex neither social condition nor duration of separation significantly altered peptide quantity. Larger amounts of Met-ENK in pups provided with a companion could reflect an increase in posttranslational cleavage of the precursor molecule leading to stimulation of receptors that act to diminish USV. Reduced levels following 60 min out of the home cage might reflect depletion of the peptide following an initial release during the period when the pup's vocal response is most vociferous.
Use of the Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate: Who Are We Hurting?

Rosovsky, Mark Chamarthy, Murthy R Balemans, Corinne E A Wetzels, Jack F M United States Radiology. 2013 Apr;267(1):317. doi: 10.1148/radiol.13122230.
The development and validation of the Dormitory Observation Report: a behavioral rating instrument for juvenile delinquents in residential care.

In order to provide an objective measure of problematic behavioral patterns among juvenile delinquents in residential facilities, the Dormitory Observation Report (DOR) was developed. The DOR assesses 11 dimensions of problematic behavioral patterns (e.g., physical assaultiveness, manipulativeness), as well as three dimensions of desirable behavioral patterns expected in an institutional setting (e.g., independent functioning, personal hygiene, care of surroundings). Empirical study regarding the reliability and validity of the DOR are reported, and the results are discussed in terms of the theoretical and practical implications of this instrument.
Touch sensing analysis using multi-modal acquisition system

Touch sensing is ubiquitous in many consumer electronic products. Users are expecting to be able to touch with their finger the surface of a display and interact with it. Yet, the actual mechanics and physics of the touch process are little known, as these are dependent on many independent variables. Ranging from the physics of the fingertip structure, composed of ridges, valleys, and pores, and beyond a few layers of skin and flesh the bone itself. Moreover, sweat glands and wetting are critical as well as we will see. As for the mechanics, the pressure at which one touches the screen, and the manner by which the surfaces responds to this pressure, have major impact on the touch sensing. In addition, different touch sensing methods, like capacitive or optical, will have different dependencies. For example, the color of the finger might impact the latter, whereas the former is insensitive to it. In this paper we describe a system that captures multiple modalities of the touch event, and by post-processing synchronizing all these. This enables us to look for correlation between various effects, and uncover their influence on the performance of the touch sensing algorithms. Moreover, investigating these relations allows us to improve various sensing algorithms, as well as find areas where they complement each other. We conclude by pointing to possible future extensions and applications of this system.
A Minor Mendelssohnian Mystery: The Curious Case of the Credo and the Nachspiel

Felix Mendelssohn composed his Nachspiel for organ on the verso of the final page of the manuscript of his cantata Wir glauben all' an einen Gott. In 1853 his brother Paul had the autograph removed...
Vibrational spectroscopic changes of B-lymphocytes upon activation.

The first study interpreting B-lymphocyte activation in normal lymph nodes using vibrational micro-spectral imaging is reported. Lymphocyte activation indicates the presence and response against a pathogen, regardless of the inciting pathogen's etiology, whether a benign, reactive or malignant process. Understanding the biochemical makeup of lymphocyte activation during early stages of disease and immune response may offer significant aid in determining a tumor's origin without the presence of malignant metastatic cells but within lymph nodes that are reactive and displaying regions of hyperplasia. Infrared and Raman data scrutinized via unsupervised multivariate methods may provide a physical and reproducible method to determine the biochemical components and variances therein of activated lymph nodes with distinguishing characteristics depending on the malignancy present in the region or elsewhere in the body. The results reported here provide a proof-of-concept study that reveal a potential to screen lymph nodes for disease without the presence of metastatic cells. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
On Two Problems Involving Partial Sums

Abstract : The author considers two distributional problems involving partial sums of i.i.d. integer valued random variables. Section 1 discusses the problem of approximating the distribution of the total number of ties within columns of a random matrix arising from a random walk. Section 2 presents a problem involving the number of ties between two identically distributed integer valued random walks. (Modified author abstract)
A Flexible Stochastic Automaton-Based Algorithm for Network Self-Partitioning

This article proposes a flexible and distributed stochastic automaton-based network partitioning algorithm that is capable of finding the optimal k-way partition with respect to a broad range of cost functions, and given various constraints, in directed and weighted graphs. Specifically, we motivate the distributed partitioning (self-partitioning) problem, introduce the stochastic automaton-based partitioning algorithm, and show that the algorithm finds the optimal partition with probability 1 for a large class of partitioning tasks. Also, a discussion of why the algorithm can be expected to find good partitions quickly is included, and its performance is further illustrated through examples. Finally, applications to mobile/sensor classification in ad hoc networks, fault-isolation in electric power systems, and control of autonomous vehicle teams are pursued in detail.
Genetic polymorphisms associated with acute lung injury.

Acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome are the result of intense inflammation in the lungs leading to respiratory failure. The causes of acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome are numerous (e.g., pneumonia, sepsis and trauma) but the reasons why certain individuals develop lung injury in response to these stimuli and others do not are not well understood. There is ample evidence in the literature that gene–host and gene–environment interactions may play a large role in the morbidity and mortality associated with this syndrome. In this review, we initially discuss methods for identification of candidate acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome susceptibility genes using a number of model systems including in vitro cell systems and inbred mice. We then describe examples of polymorphisms in genes that have been associated with the pathogenesis of acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome in human case–control studies. Systematic bench to bedside approaches to understand the genetic contribution to acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome have provided important insight to this complex disease and continuation of these investigations could lead to the development of novel prevention or intervention strategies.
Antigonadal activity of the neurohypophysial hormones: in vivo regulation of testicular function of hypophysectomized rats.

The “antigonadal” potential of the neurohypophysial hormones, previously demonstrated in vitro, was evaluated in vivo using hypophysectomized male rats. This approach minimizes the likelihood that the in vivo “antigonadal” effect of the neurohypophysial hormones may be due to their ability to attenuate the release of pituitary gonadotropins. Given that the identity of the putative endogenous occupant of testicular pressorselective neurohypophysial receptors remains uncertain, use was made of a substitute probe, arginine vasotocin (AVT), the utility of which has been demonstrated in vitro. Concurrent in vivo treatment of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH; 5 pg/rat/day)-maintained immature hypophysectomized rats with increasing doses of A VT (0.25-25 pg/rat/day) produced significant (P<O.05) dose-dependent inhibition of the testicular luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin (LH/hCG) receptor binding capacity (but not affinity; Kd = 1.8 X 10_10 M) from 8.8 ± (standard error; SE) 0.4 ng/testis to a level (3.2 ± 0.2 ng/testis) lower than that of controls (64% reduction). This A VT-induced decrease in the testicular LHIhCG receptor content of FSH-maintained immature hypophysectomized rats was associated with significant (P<O.05) decrements in the hCG- and N6, 2 ‘-O-dibutyryladeosine cyclic 3 ‘,5’-m onophosphate ([Bu] 2cAMP)-stimulated accumulation of 3a-hydroxy-5.tandrostan-l 7-one (androsterone; 52% and 42% inhibition, respectively), with virtual elimination (98% inhibition) of the forskolin-stimulated accumulation of extracellular cAMP by testicular incubates in vitro, as well as with profound suppression of spermatogenesis. Taken together, these observations indicate that the “antigonadal” effect of the neurohypophysial hormones previously demonstrated in vitro, can be fully reproduced in vivo, and that the “antigonadal” activity of the neurobypophysial hormones may be accounted for, in large part, by decreased testicular LH/hCG binding capacity, stimulable adenylate cyclase activity, and cAMPsupported androgen biosynthesis.
Short Communication: Absorption of Protein and Immunoglobulin G in Calves Fed a Colostrum Replacer

A well-managed colostrum program on farms is the most important step in reducing disease in neonatal calves. In the last few years, colostrum replacers have increased in popularity and are designed to be an alternative to colostrum on farms that have poor colostrum quality, limited colostrum reserves, or to break the cycle of transmission for certain infectious diseases. However, it is important to make sure these products are effective and are capable of providing adequate serum immunoglobulin concentrations. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a commercially available colostrum replacer product in dairy calves. Holstein calves from a single dairy were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups at birth. Group 1 (n = 21) calves were given 4 quarts of colostrum via esophageal feeder within 3 h of birth and served as the control group for this study. Group 2 (n = 21) received 2 packages of a colostrum replacer product, and group 3 (n = 21) received 3 packages of the colostrum replacer product within 3 h of birth. Blood samples from all calves were collected 24 h after colostrum administration and analyzed for serum total protein and IgG concentrations. Calves fed fresh colostrum had significantly higher serum total protein levels and IgG concentrations compared with calves fed the colostrum replacer product. Calves fed the colostrum replacer also had a significantly higher percentage of calves with failure of passive transfer (serum IgG <1,000 mg/dL). The colostrum replacer product evaluated in this study failed to routinely provide adequate IgG concentrations when fed according to label directions.
Analysis of sliding window techniques for exponentiation

Abstract The m -ary method for computing x E partitions the bits of the integer E into words of constant length, and then performs as many multiplications as there are nonzero words. Variable length partitioning strategies have been suggested to reduce the number of nonzero words, and thus, the total number of multiplications. Algorithms for exponentiation using such partitioning strategies are termed sliding window techniques. In this paper, we give algorithmic descriptions of two recently proposed sliding window techniques, and calculate the average number of multiplications by modeling the partitioning process as a Markov chain. We tabulate the optimal values of the partitioning parameters, and show that the sliding window algorithms require up to 8% fewer multiplications than the m -ary method.
Inhibition of NK Cell Activity through TGF-β1 by Down-Regulation of NKG2D in a Murine Model of Head and Neck Cancer

In an orthotopic murine model of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC VII/SF) we studied NK cell-mediated immunity following vaccination with a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing IL-2 (rvv-IL-2). SCC VII/SF tumor cells were injected into the oral cavity of C3H/HeJ mice on day 0. Mice were vaccinated on days 7, 10, and 14 with rvv-IL-2 and control vaccines. Phenotypes, numbers, and biological activities of NK cells were determined following vaccination. Levels of expression of NK-activating receptor NKG2D and CD16 on NK cell surface were assayed in the vaccinated mice. Expression of NKG2D ligands, Rae1, and H60 on SCC VII/SF cells was also examined. Vaccination with rvv-IL-2 resulted in expansion of NK cells. NK cells isolated from rvv-IL-2-vaccinated mice had significantly higher biological activities compared with mice treated with control vaccines. NK cells from tumor-bearing mice expressed significantly lower levels of NKG2D and CD16 compared with rvv-IL-2 vaccinated mice. SCC VII/SF tumors expressed NKG2D ligand Rae 1, although H60 was not present. SCC VII/SF tumors expressed high levels of TGF-beta1, which were down-modulated by vaccination with rvv-IL-2. Incubation of NK cells with tumor homogenate or cultured supernatant of SCC VII/SF cells reduced the expression of NKG2D and CD16. This inhibition appeared to be mediated by TGF-beta1. SCC VII/SF tumors in the oral cavity of the mice secrete high quantities of TGF-beta1, which reduce the expression of NK cell receptor NKG2D as well as CD16 and inhibits biological functions of NK cells.
Optimal aircraft trajectories for radar exposure minimization

An aircraft exposed to illumination by a tracking radar is considered and the problem of determining an optimal planar trajectory connecting two prespecified points is addressed. An analytic solution yielding the trajectory that minimizes the radar energy reflected from the target is derived using the calculus of variations. The solution is shown to exist only if the angle /spl theta//sub f/, formed by the lines connecting the radar to the two prespecified trajectory end points, is less than 60/spl deg/. In addition, expressions are given for the path length and optimal cost.
Cation‐anion uptake balance and proton efflux in plant efficiency for iron

Abstract Iron efficiency in plants appears to be related to several phenomena which differentially function in different species and cultivars of plants although 2 or more of the mechanisms may be coupled and present in the same individual. Proton expulsion from roots is important in iron efficiency in dicots and it may or may not be associated with excess cation uptake where a cation is exchanged for H+. When protons are expelled, the residual OH‐ in roots must be oxidized but this oxidation releases electrons for redox reactions which may.be coupled with enzymatic Fe+++ reduction. If this set of reactions is related to catylase or peroxidase, the presence of these enzymes in plants would be more rational. Some plants, particularly monocots, do not expel protons unless much of the nitrogen is in the NH4+ form. Such plants then cannot acidify or reduce the rhizosphere. There is evidence that these monocot plants produce phytosiderophores which function in iron mobilization and reduction. Monocots take up ...
Neurocognitive dysfunction: A predictor of parathyroid hyperplasia

Background. To determine whether a symptomatic presentation was associated with parathyroid hyperplasia, we retrospectively examined pre-operative symptom profiles of patients who underwent parathyroidectomy. Methods. From October 2007 to July 2008, 111 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism completed a preoperative symptom questionnaire prior to parathyroidectomy. The symptom profiles of patients with and without hyperplasia were compared. Results. Neurocognitive symptoms occurred in 51. 4 % of patients. Patients with 1 neurocognitive symptom had a 25 % risk of parathyroid hyperplasia. Additional neurocognitive symptoms increased the risk of hyperplasia linearly, with hyperplasia occurring in 38% of patients reporting 2 neurocognitive symptoms (P < .001) and 61 % of patients reporting 3 or more of these symptoms (P < .001). A negative sestamibi scan was associated with a 33 % risk of hyperplasia. Coupled with at least 1 neurocognitive symptom, the risk of hyperplasia was 53.3 % (P < . 001 ). Of patients with 3 or more neurocognitive symptoms and a negative localizing scan, 100 % were found to have parathyroid hyperplasia (P < .001 ). Conclusion. The presence of neurocognitive dysfunction in a patient with hyperparathyroidism may be used as a predictor of hyperplastic disease. Three or more of these symptoms, coupled with a negative sestamibi scan, was 100 % predictive of parathyroid hyperplasia in our cohort.
Fighting for Control Political Displacement in Atlanta's Gentrifying Neighborhoods

The loss of political influence is an important adverse consequence of gentrification for long-time residents. This study examines why neighborhood organizations in three gentrifying neighborhoods in Atlanta, Georgia, chose to address this potential problem, while organizations in another gentrifying community did not. Organizations of long-time residents, whether formed before gentrification or in response to it, were more likely to address political displacement. Neighborhood organizations with strong track records of providing benefits for neighbors and that adopted accepted organizational forms were more likely to mobilize effectively to protect the political participation of long-time residents. Interorganizational conflict minimized groups' ability to address political changes.
Construction and Characterization of Transposon Insertion Mutations in Corynebacterium diphtheriae That Affect Expression of the Diphtheria Toxin Repressor (DtxR)

Transcription of the bacteriophage-borne diphtheria toxin gene tox is negatively regulated, in response to intracellular Fe(2+) concentration, by the chromosomally encoded diphtheria toxin repressor (DtxR). Due to a scarcity of tools, genetic analysis of Corynebacterium diphtheriae has primarily relied on analysis of chemically induced and spontaneously occurring mutants and on the results of experiments with C. diphtheriae genes cloned in Escherichia coli or analyzed in vitro. We modified a Tn5-based mutagenesis technique for use with C. diphtheriae, and we used it to construct the first transposon insertion libraries in the chromosome of this gram-positive pathogen. We isolated two insertions that affected expression of DtxR, one 121 bp upstream of dtxR and the other within an essential region of the dtxR coding sequence, indicating for the first time that dtxR is a dispensable gene in C. diphtheriae. Both mutant strains secrete diphtheria toxin when grown in medium containing sufficient iron to repress secretion of diphtheria toxin by wild-type C. diphtheriae. The upstream insertion mutant still produces DtxR in decreased amounts and regulates siderophore secretion in response to iron in a manner similar to its wild-type parent. The mutant containing the transposon insertion within dtxR does not produce DtxR and overproduces siderophore in the presence of iron. Differences in the ability of the two mutant strains to survive oxidative stress also indicated that the upstream insertion retained slight DtxR activity, whereas the insertion within dtxR abolished DtxR activity. This is the first evidence that DtxR plays a role in protecting the cell from oxidative stress.
Evidence-Based Recommendations for Cancer Nausea and Vomiting

The experience of patients living with cancer and being treated with chemotherapy often includes the symptoms of nausea and vomiting. To provide a framework for high-quality management of these symptoms, we developed a set of key targeted evidence-based standards through an iterative process of targeted systematic review, development, and refinement of topic areas and standards and consensus ratings by a multidisciplinary expert panel as part of the RAND Cancer Quality-Assessing Symptoms Side Effects and Indicators of Supportive Treatment Project. For nausea and vomiting, key clinical standards included screening at the initial outpatient and inpatient visit, prophylaxis for acute and delayed emesis in patients receiving moderate to highly emetic chemotherapy, and follow-up after treatment for nausea and vomiting symptoms. In addition, patients with cancer and small bowel obstruction were examined as a special subset of patients who present with nausea and vomiting. The standards presented here for preventing and managing nausea and vomiting in cancer care should be incorporated into care pathways and should become the expectation rather than the exception.
Trap studies in GaInP/GaAs and AlGaAs/GaAs HEMT's by means of low-frequency noise and transconductance dispersion characterizations

The presence of traps in GaInP/GaAs and AlGaAs/GaAs HEMT's was investigated by means of low frequency noise and frequency dispersion measurements. Low frequency noise measurements showed two deep traps (E/sub a1/=0.58 eV, E/sub a2/=0.27 eV) in AlGaAs/GaAs HEMT's. One of them (E/sub a2/) is responsible for the channel current collapse at low temperature. A deep trap (E/sub a1/'=0.52 eV) was observed in GaInP/GaAs HEMT's only at a much higher temperature (/spl sim/350 K). These devices showed a transconductance dispersion of /spl sim/16% at 300 K which reduced to only /spl sim/2% at 200 K. The dispersion characteristics of AlGaAs/GaAs HEMT's were very similar at 300 K (/spl sim/12%) but degraded at 200 K (/spl sim/20%). The low frequency noise and the transconductance dispersion are enhanced at certain temperatures corresponding to trap level crossing by the Fermi-level. The transition frequency of 1/f noise is estimated at 180 MHz for GaInP/GaAs HEMT's and resembles that of AlGaAs/GaAs devices. >
Releasing search queries and clicks privately

The question of how to publish an anonymized search log was brought to the forefront by a well-intentioned, but privacy-unaware AOL search log release. Since then a series of ad-hoc techniques have been proposed in the literature, though none are known to be provably private. In this paper, we take a major step towards a solution: we show how queries, clicks and their associated perturbed counts can be published in a manner that rigorously preserves privacy. Our algorithm is decidedly simple to state, but non-trivial to analyze. On the opposite side of privacy is the question of whether the data we can safely publish is of any use. Our findings offer a glimmer of hope: we demonstrate that a non-negligible fraction of queries and clicks can indeed be safely published via a collection of experiments on a real search log. In addition, we select an application, keyword generation, and show that the keyword suggestions generated from the perturbed data resemble those generated from the original data.
Does allometric growth explain the diminutive size of the fangs of Scytodes (Araneae: Scytodidae)?

Abstract Spitting spiders eject silk and glue from their fangs when attacking prey. The ejection is complete in less than 35 ms and involves high-frequency fang oscillations that can approach 1700 Hz. Because of Newtonian physical constraints, these oscillations, which cause the spit to be dispersed in a zigzag pattern, could not occur at such high frequencies if the fangs themselves were not very small. We hypothesized that allometric neoteny, in which the developmental rate of a structure is retarded relative to the changing overall size of the growing individual, could explain (in an ontological sense) the small fangs of adult spitting spiders. We measured the fangs, chelicerae, carapaces, and sterna of many sizes of spitting spiders, Scytodes thoracica (Latreille 1802a), brown recluse spiders, Loxosceles reclusa Fertsch & Mulaik 1940, and wolf spiders, Varacosa avara (Keyserling 1877), to discover whether the fangs of spitting spiders grow unusually slowly. Using sternum width as our proxy for spider ...
Learning-Focused Leadership in Urban High Schools: Response to Demanding Environments.

This article traces how the work of instructional leadership in the urban high school embodies a response to particular pressures in the school's environment. Based on evidence from multiple–case s...
The Youth Public Arts Program: Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Outcomes for At-Risk Youth

AbstractThis article provides the findings of a program evaluation of the Youth Public Arts Program, a long-standing community-based art program that serves at-risk youth in eastern North Carolina. The program evaluation was undertaken to examine the art skills, social and interpersonal skills, and community involvement of the participants. The study included four focus groups and telephone surveys with a total of 38 stakeholders (program participants, parents of participants, program staff, and referral sources). Results indicated that the at-risk youth had gains in both interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, including family relationships, peer relationships, community interaction, increased art skills, confidence, and self-regulation. This article adds to the very limited literature on community-based art programs for youth.
Cooperatives in a Capitalistic Economy

THE current controversy between leaders of cooperatives and other types of business organization has directed renewed attention to the role of cooperatives in our capitalistic private enterprise economy. To many, cooperation has appealed as a means of solving some of the difficult economic problems which confront our national economy. More enthusiastic exponents of cooperation hope for the day when cooperatives will dominate economic activities. Others look upon the movement as antagonistic to the present economic order and would relegate it to a subordinate role. In view of these differences it is timely to review the basic doctrines and plan of organization of cooperation and of the capitalistic economy in which it operates. Then we may appraise objectively the place of cooperatives in the contemporary economic order. Let us examine briefly, "What are some of the distinguishing characteristics of our capitalistic private enterprise economy?" Various ideas could be presented but, in general, our economic system is characterized by a predominant use of capital and is differentiated from rival systems of economic organization in its form of ownership and control of capital and in its distinctive motivation.
The Implications of Missouri's First-in-the-Nation Assistant Physician Legislation

E ach year, thousands of medical school graduates fail to secure postgraduate training through the National Resident Matching Program. To date, job opportunities for these individuals who would like direct involvement in patient care have been limited. They cannot work as medical practitioners because their lack of postgraduate training renders them ineligible for licensure in any state. US graduates may pursue health care– related employment with the intent of reapplying for residency training, or pursue a nonclinical career path altogether. Additionally, foreign medical graduates may practice in certain countries outside of the United States indefinitely while attempting to obtain a residency position. Recently, Missouri created another option for those lacking residency training. Legislation enacted in 2014 established the position of ‘‘assistant physician,’’ defined as an individual who may be licensed to function as a primary care provider following a brief apprenticeship. This novel approach may draw the interest of stakeholders in other states. However, the consequences of the assistant physician legislation for patient safety and health care quality should be addressed before this approach is considered for broader adoption.
Labor's Declining Share of Corporate Income: Impact on Income Inequality and the U.S. Job Recovery

The distribution of corporate income between profits and compensation had been stable for decades, but, beginning around 1980, U.S. firms shifted corporate income away from labor and toward capital, decreasing labor’s share. Labor’s declining share of corporate income has contributed both to widening income inequality and slowing the recovery of jobs lost during the past recession.The declining labor share exacerbated income inequality, with total compensation decreasing by roughly 2 percent annually during 1995-99, 4 percent per annum in 2001-07, and 7 percent per year in 2009-12. Rising economic inequality appears to explain about two-thirds of the failure of typical workers’ pay to keep pace with overall economic growth, as measured by productivity. The decline in labor’s share slowed the economic recovery from the last recession by constraining wage-based household consumption. The decline in the corporate investment rate translates to cumulative post-1986 underinvestment of about $4.6 trillion, which is associated with roughly 5.4 million jobs lost through 2012. These lost jobs represent 53 percent of the shortfall of 10.1 million jobs which has persisted from November 2011 through the end of 2013. The post-2005 decline in household investment rates placed increasing reliance on the corporate sector to fund investments. Several intertwined long-term economic processes and trends are associated with widening income inequality and dampening economic recovery. Globalization is associated with rising income inequality. With high-skill jobs no longer immune to replacement by machines and software, job opportunities may be on the cusp of being further diminished by advances in digital technology. Globalization and technological change have contributed to devaluation of the labor force and polarization of job opportunities. Financialization appears to be a major cause of rising income inequality. Declines in union bargaining power increased the vulnerability of domestic workers. Government underinvestment in the underlying productive capacity of the economy contributed in part to below-average GDP growth.The dearth of jobs created during 2000-2012 suggests yet another burgeoning disparity – inequality in job opportunities – between the fortunate few with entree to high-paying and high-skilled positions generated by technological advances and the large marginalized majority vying for low-income, low-skilled jobs in competition with even-lower-paid workers from emerging markets. Labor has been marginalized by the declining labor share; widening inequalities in wages, income, wealth, and job opportunities; declining corporate and government investment rates; the spreading gap between wage growth and productivity gains; below-two-percent average annual growth in real GDP during 2000-13; negative job creation beginning in 2000 and job losses in the past two recessions. The paper contains over 60 charts illustrating many of these observations.
Excitation into a Quasicontinuum by a Fluctuating Laser Field

It is well known that the fluctuations of laser radiation can lead to an essential change in the evolution of a two-level atom under the influence of this field as compared with a monochromatic field [1]. Proper inclusion of laser bandwidth effects becomes even more important in discussing the simultaneous excitation of several atomic or molecular levels, when redistribution of the population between many states caused by the field fluctuations can occur. The excitation of polyatomic molecules and high Rydberg states in atoms are processes that can fall into this category.
Martín López Corredoira, The Twilight of the Scientific Age, Brown Walker Press, Boca Ratón, Florida, 2013, 208 p.

La similitud de las organizaciones cientificas contemporaneas con las empresas transnacionales ha generado criticas. Pero pocas veces ellas vienen de un defensor y protagonista de la empresa cientifica. Es el caso de Martin Lopez Corredoira y su mas reciente libro, The Twilight of the Scientific Age. El texto interconecta tres aspectos: filosofia, historia y sociologia de la ciencia. La tesis central del libro, en terminos gruesos, se resume en que la ciencia esta desapareciendo debido a que:...
Identifying serum-inducible sequence elements on the mouse ZFP36 promoter

Zinc finger protein 36 (ZFP36) is an RNA-binding protein that downregulates the translation of certain gene products by inducing the degradation of mRNA. ZFP36 is an immediate-early gene: its transcription is activated directly following appropriate cellular stimuli, without any need for intervening protein synthesis. Prominent mRNA targets of ZFP36 are tumor necrosis factor (TNF), epidermal growth factor (EGF) and c-fos. As defects in the c-fos and EGF pathways have been consistently found in cancers, ZFP36 is thought to be a tumor-suppressor. ZFP36 also is responsible for the suppression of TNF, giving it an additional role in the control of the inflammatory immune response. Thus, studying the regulation and action of ZPF36 may yield insights into mechanisms underlying cancer and inflammatory syndromes. To examine the regulation of ZFP36, two conserved regions upstream of the start of transcription were assayed for their ability to confer serum induction. Using a luciferase reporter gene system in HeLa cells, we show that neither region examined is induced by serum.
The “Ladder Problem”

A good mathematical problem is like a good song. It keeps coming back time and time again. And just as a song, when it comes back periodically, is still the same song-just sung by someone new in a different style-so a problem often reappears to be proposed in a different framework and/or solved in a different way. Such is the case of the problem I have come to call, affectionately, the "ladder problem." This problem was originally posed to me by an engineer who said it was being "kicked around" in various engineering circles. I don't know its original source; it may be lost in antiquity. Before I pose the problem, I would like to ask, "What is a 'good' problem?" Of course, that is open to numerous opinions, but surely it would meet several of the criteria listed below and, perhaps, these criteria could be used in evaluating candidates. 1. It can be described quite simply and the crux of the problem can be quickly grasped by one with even minimal mathematical background. 2. It can be nicely cast in a physical, tangible framework. 3. It immediately intrigues and challenges people to whom it is posed. 4. It can be solved in a creative, refreshing and elegant manner, as well as in, perhaps, a more straightforward, but uninteresting way. 5. It can be solved in a variety of ways. 6. It can be solved without using "higher" mathematics. 7. It quickly suggests a variation or generalization which results in an even more challenging problem. The "ladder problem," I believe, excels in all these categories. Here is the problem as it was posed to me:
Direct Ultrasonic Measurement of Solid Propellant Combustion Transients

The pressure coupled response function was measured for a composite non-metallized propellant in a vented bomb. The technique described is unique in the manner in which the pressure oscillations are generated. An inert gas is injected into the combustion chamber to generate the necessary pressure oscillations. The burning rate was measured using the ultrasonic technique. Testing was done at various frequencies from lo75 Hz and pressures from 600-1200 psig. The pressure coupled response function was evaluated for each test together with the random error. An analytic model of the conditions within the combustion chamber has also been developed to aid in determining the settings needed to obtain the desired conditions in the test. These results seem to be reasonable. The data at high frequency approachs the signal to noise limit.
Transforming Growth Factor-Beta Superfamily in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Self-Renewal

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent cells that maintain the capability of undifferentiated self-renewal in culture. As mouse ES cells have the capacity to give rise to all the tissues of the body, they are an excellent developmental biology model system and a model for regenerative therapies. The extracellular cues and the intracellular signaling cascades that regulate ES cell self-renewal and cell-fate choices are complex and actively studied. Many developmental signaling pathways regulate the ES cell phenotype, and their intracellular programs interact to modulate the gene networks controlling ES cell pluripotency. This review focuses on the current understanding and outstanding questions of the roles of the transforming growth factor-beta-related signaling pathways in regulating pluripotency and differentiation of mouse ES cells. The complex dichotomic roles of bone morphogenetic protein signaling in maintaining the undifferentiated state and also inducing specific cell fates will be reviewed. The emerging roles of Nodal signaling in ES cell self-renewal will also be discussed.
Racial/Ethnic and Socio-Contextual Correlates of Chronic Sleep Curtailment in Childhood

STUDY OBJECTIVES To examine the association between race/ethnicity and sleep curtailment from infancy to mid-childhood, and to determine the extent to which socioeconomic and contextual factors both explain racial/ethnic differences and are independently associated with sleep curtailment. METHODS We studied 1,288 children longitudinally in Project Viva, a pre-birth cohort study, from 6 months to 7 years of age. The main exposure was the child's race/ethnicity. The main outcome was a sleep curtailment score from 6 months to 7 years. The score ranged from 0-13, where 0 indicated maximal sleep curtailment and 13 indicated never having curtailed sleep. RESULTS The mean (standard deviation) sleep curtailment score was 10.2 (2.7) points. In adjusted models (β [95% CI]), black (-1.92, [-2.39, -1.45] points), Hispanic (-1.58, [-2.43, -0.72] points), and Asian (-1.71, [-2.55, -0.86] points) children had lower sleep scores than white children. Adjustment for sociodemographic covariates attenuated racial/ethnic differences in sleep scores for black (by 24%) and Hispanic children (by 32%) but strengthened the differences for Asian children by 14%. Further adjustment for environmental and behavioral variables did not substantially change these differences. Independently, low maternal education, living in households with incomes < $70,000, viewing more TV, and having a TV in the child's bedroom were associated with lower sleep scores. CONCLUSIONS Chronic sleep curtailment from infancy to mid-childhood was more prevalent among black, Hispanic, and Asian children. These differences were partially but not entirely explained by socio-contextual variables. Independently, children from lower socioeconomic status and those with greater exposures to TV also had greater sleep curtailment.
How to Coach Families

Theories are the backbone of family science as they help explain practice and suggest how to develop programs and services that change behavior. However, application is the heart of family life coaching. As such, this chapter focuses on the how-to of family life coaching and the process of coaching individuals, couples, co-parents, or a family dealing with family life issues. Readers learn about the core competencies of coaching, the process of coaching, and a case study is included so that readers have an opportunity to witness a coaching session from start to finish.
Automated Compiler Optimization of Multiple Vector Loads/Stores

With widening vectors and the proliferation of advanced vector instructions in today’s processors, vectorization plays an ever-increasing role in delivering application performance. Achieving the performance potential of this vector hardware has required significant support from the software level such as new explicit vector programming models and advanced vectorizing compilers. Today, with the combination of these software tools plus new SIMD ISA extensions like gather/scatter instructions it is not uncommon to find that even codes with complex and irregular data access patterns can be vectorized. In this paper we focus on these vectorized codes with irregular accesses, and show that while the best-in-class Intel Compiler Vectorizer does indeed provide speedup through efficient vectorization, there are some opportunities where clever program transformations can increase performance further. After identifying these opportunities, this paper describes two automatic compiler optimizations to target these data access patterns. The first optimization focuses on improving the performance for a group of adjacent gathers/scatters. The second optimization improves performance for a group of stencil vector accesses using more efficient SIMD instructions. Both optimizations are now implemented in the 17.0 version of the Intel Compiler. We evaluate the optimizations using an extensive set of micro-kernels, representative benchmarks and application kernels. On these benchmarks, we demonstrate performance gains of 3–750% on the Intel $${\textregistered }$$ Xeon processor (Haswell—HSW), up to 25% on the Intel $${\textregistered }$$ Xeon $$\hbox {Phi}^{\mathrm{TM}}$$ coprocessor (Knights Corner—KNC), and up to 430% on the Intel $${\textregistered }$$ Xeon $$\hbox {Phi}^{\mathrm{TM}}$$ processor with AVX-512 instructions support (Knights Landing—KNL).
Goal Setting and Attainment

Goal setting and attainment skills are a critical component of the development of agentic capacities that lead to agentic action. This chapter describes the role of goal setting and attainment in agentic action and Causal Agency Theory, as well as research on the development of goal setting and attainment. The role of self-regulated problem solving skills in the development of agentic capacities is discussed, as is the relationship of goal setting and attainment to valued outcomes.
Thrombolysis of a stroke patient with history of rtPA-associated angioedema

Orolingual angioedema in acute ischemic stroke patients following IV recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) treatment is a potentially life-threatening complication. It is estimated to occur in 1.7%–7.9% of all cases.1,2 This complication is considered to be anaphylactoid as opposed to true anaphylaxis.3 It is thought to be a product of increased levels of bradykinin and histamine mediated in part by IV rtPA and potentiated by other factors such as stroke location involving the insular cortex causing dysfunction of the autonomic system, concomitant medications such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), and personal predisposition.2,4 Treatment includes antihistamines, steroids, complement inhibitors, and airway protection.5 Comprehensive reviews on rtPA-related orolingual angioedema fail to describe previous occurrences as a risk factor for its development.2,4 Furthermore, this complication is not a formal contraindication to rtPA and we failed to find case reports on this issue. We suspect some acute ischemic stroke patients may be denied this treatment due to history of rtPA-related orolingual angioedema. We report such a case where a patient with previous rtPA-related orolingual angioedema was successfully treated with IV rtPA without adverse reactions.
Reconfiguration of MVDC shipboard power systems: A model predictive control approach

In this paper, a reconfiguration method based on Model Predictive Control (MPC) is proposed for a nonlinear Medium-Voltage DC Shipboard Power System. By applying the proposed MPC approach, the reconfiguration is formulated as an optimization problem with respect to operating constraints and also the priorities of loads. The loads are categorized as vital loads, semi-vital loads, and non-vital loads by the appropriate weighting factors. The main goal is to maximize the power delivered to the loads with respect to power balance and generation limits. The simulation results of three cases with the use of a nonlinear MVDC SPS model are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Isohemagglutinins and xenoreactive antibodies: Members of a distinct family of natural antibodies

Abstract Just as anti-blood group A and anti-blood group B antibodies pose a strong humoral barrier to the transplantation of allogeneic organs or blood, xenoreactive natural antibodies directed against Galα1–3Gal pose a barrier to the transplantation of xenogeneic organs or blood. We tested the idea that, although “natural” iso-hemagglutinins and xenoreactive natural antibodies recognize distinct structures, they have a similar origin and function. Anti-A antibodies, anti-B antibodies, and xenoreactive natural antibodies were present in serum at similar concentrations and varied with age, gender, and the concentration of total IgM in serum in a similar manner. Anti-A antibodies, anti-B antibodies, and xenoreactive natural antibodies, unlike some elicited antibodies, had a high degree of thermal lability and bound more avidly at lower temperatures. The natural antibodies manifest remarkable homogeneity and high functional avidity for determinants on a cell surface but only a weak affinity for monovalent ligands. These findings suggest that anti-A antibodies, anti-B antibodies, and xenoreactive natural antibodies specific for Galα1–3Gal have a common origin and function and, given similar antigen density on target cells, provide similar humoral barriers to transplantation or transfusion and that these antibodies may be members of a common “family” of antibodies.
Epidemiology of fatal ruptured aortic aneurysms in the United States (1999-2016)

Abstract Objective Ruptured aortic aneurysms (rAAs) are associated with high mortality. The purpose of this study was to describe the trends of deaths due to rAA in the United States. Methods A retrospective review of the national death certificate data from the U.S. National Vital Statistics System was done to identify deaths due to rAAs in the United States between 1999 and 2016. Patients aged 15 years or older with rAA as the underlying cause of death as defined by International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes I71.1 (ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm [rTAA]), I71.3 (ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm [rAAA]), I71.5 (ruptured thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm), and I71.8 (rAA of unspecified site) were included and standardized to U.S. Census data. Results A total of 104,458 deaths due to rAAs occurred during the study period. The overall age-adjusted incidence of fatal rAA was 23.3 per 1 million (rAAA, 15.1; rTAA, 3.1; thoracoabdominal, 0.4; and unspecified site, 4.8). The annual incidence of rAA decreased by 68% from 40.0 (1999) to 12.8 (2016) per 1 million (rTAA by −67% from 5.5 to 1.8 and rAAA by −70% from 26.3 to 7.89 per 1 million; P Conclusions The incidence of fatal rAA, rTAA, and rAAA drastically decreased in the United States between 1999 and 2016, a trend that was consistent across age groups, sexes, and races. A significant percentage of fatal rAAAs occurred in patients who are not eligible for the current screening program.