cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reduction of trans-4,5-Dihydroxy-1,2-dithiane by Cellular Oxidoreductases Activates gadd153/chop andgrp78 Transcription and Induces Cellular Tolerance in Kidney Epithelial Cells

trans-4,5-Dihydroxy-1,2-dithiane, the intramolecular disulfide form of dithiothreitol (DTTox) transcriptionally activates the stress-responsive genes gadd153(chop) and grp78. Herein, we used a renal epithelial cell line, LLC-PK1, to investigate the mechanism(s) whereby DTTox activates a molecular stress response. DTTox activated both grp78 and gadd153 transcriptionally, but gadd153 mRNA stability also increased suggesting that both transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms are involved. DTTox did not activate hsp70 transcription indicating that a heat shock response was not induced. Structure-activity studies showed that DTTox analogues lacking the intramolecular disulfide were inactive. Furthermore, the ring-open intermolecular disulfide form of DTTox, 2-hydroxyethyl disulfide, was only a weak inducer of grp78 and gadd153 but was a strong inducer of hsp70 mRNA and a potent oxidant that lowered the NADPH/NADP+ ratio and depleted reduced glutathione (GSH). DTTox had little effect on the overall GSH and NADPH levels; thus cells were not undergoing oxidative stress; however, the NADPH/NADP+ ratio decreased slightly indicating that reducing equivalents were consumed. LLC-PK1 cells reduced DTTox to DTT, and the kinetics as well as the concentration dependence for reduction correlated with induction of both grp78 and gadd153 mRNA. Prior treatment with DTTox rendered cells tolerant to the potent nephrotoxicant S-(1,1,2, 2-tetrafluoroethyl)-L-cysteine. Bacitracin, an inhibitor of plasma membrane oxidoreductases, blocked DTTox reduction and gene activation as well as DTTox-induced tolerance. Thus, activation of stress genes and induction of cellular tolerance by DTTox is mediated by a novel mechanism involving cellular oxidoreductases.
Goal Setting During Early Childhood Parent-Teacher Conferences: A Comparison of Three Groups of Parents

Parent–teacher communication and partnerships are important in children's early years. This study compared goal setting, conducted in English, during Head Start parent–teacher conferences with native Spanish speaking, Latino bilingual, and native English speaking parents and their children's teachers. To understand conference goal-setting partnerships, a mixed-methods research design was implemented, which incorporated (1) qualitative analysis of interviews, (2) quantitative analysis of conference utterances and goal-setting talk, and (3) qualitative analysis of goal-setting talk. Results indicated that teachers' conference expectations were at times different from native Spanish speaking parents and those of native English speaking parents. Teachers spoke the most with and asked least often for parent goals during conferences with native Spanish speaking parents. When asked for goals, teachers provided native Spanish speaking parents with the fewest opportunities to respond compared to the other two grou...
The Circulatory and Respiratory Adaptation to Early and Late Cord Clamping in Newborn Infants

Summary Time of first breath and frist cry, systolic blood pressure, pulse rate and respiratory rate of 32 newborn infants whose umbilical cords were clamped early and 30 whose cords were tied late after birth were studied. The early clamped infants breathed significantly sooner after birth than the late clamped infants, probably a result of anoxia due to severance of placental blood supply by immediate cord clamping. The indirectly measured sys- tolic blood pressure was significantly higher in the late clamped group of infants during the first 24 hours of life perhaps due to the difference in blood volumes between the two groups. This is further supported by a positive correlation found between systolic blood pressure and venous hematocrit during the first 4 hours of life. Pulse rate in the two groups of infants studied revealed no significant difference. The respiratory rate in the early clamped group of infants was significantly slower during the 1st to the 3rd hour of life when compared with the late clamped infants. No satisfactory explanation could be offered for this observation.
Monetary transmission mechanisms in a small open economy: a Bayesian structural VAR approach

Abstract This paper develops a Bayesian structural VAR model for Canada in order to estimate the effects of monetary policy shocks, using the overnight rate target as the policy instrument. I allow the policy variable and other home and foreign variables to interact with each other contemporaneously. The key finding is that monetary policy affects the real economy through both the market interest rate and the exchange rate. I also find that the Bank of Canada responds to any home and foreign variables that embodies information about future inflation and that external shocks are an important source of output fluctuations.
Internal friction study of a composite with a negative stiffness constituent

Composites with negative stiffness constituents can exhibit material properties that exceed conventional bounds. Composites with VO2 as negative stiffness inclusions and tin as the stabilizing matrix were prepared via powder metallurgy. Specimens were tested over a range of temperature in torsion using broadband viscoelastic spectroscopy. Composites processed via powder metallurgy exhibited internal friction anomalies over a broad range of temperatures, in contrast to the single, sharp anomalies reported previously from cast specimens. The detailed material behavior encompassed a variety of responses, which were also dependent on the number of thermal cycles. Composite theory predictions assuming a distribution of negative shear moduli can account for peak broadening.
Equilibrium Capacity Expansion Under Stochastic Demand Growth

In critical energy infrastructure sectors (e.g., electric power generation, natural gas transportation, oil-refining capacity), maintaining a certain level of excess capacity is socially valuable (because it serves to protect against unexpected market conditions) but not necessarily compatible with the incentives for individual firms in the market. In this paper, we develop a dynamic oligopoly model with a stochastically growing demand to analyze the inherent tension in market-based incentives for capacity expansion where capacity additions take place over long time lags. Our results indicate that the market fails to induce the socially optimal level of capacity. However, the magnitude of this failure varies greatly as a function of entry costs and the relative profitability of investments in the market (as measured by the ratio of maximum markup over production costs and investment costs). In general, the likelihood of insufficient capacity in equilibrium increases with decreasing probability of demand growth, increasing discount and depreciation rates, and/or increasing investment and/or production costs. We discuss the public policy implications of our results.
The risk of iatrogenic pneumothorax after electromyography

Introduction Pneumothorax is a potentially serious complication of electromyography (EMG). Data on the frequency of pneumothorax after EMG are lacking. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency, timing, and risk factors for iatrogenic pneumothorax after EMG. Methods: Cases of pneumothorax after EMG were reviewed for clinical, electrophysiological, and radiological data. Results: Of 64,490 EMG studies, 7 patients had an association between the EMG and pneumothorax. All patients were symptomatic and presented within 24 hours of EMG. Sampling of serratus anterior and diaphragm was causative in 1 patient each. In 5 patients, multiple high-risk muscles were sampled. The highest frequency of pneumothorax was observed with examination of serratus anterior (0.445%) and diaphragm (0.149%). Conclusions: The frequency of symptomatic iatrogenic pneumothorax after EMG appears to be low, and examinations of serratus anterior and diaphragm carry the highest risk. Electromyographers should be aware of the risk of pneumothorax and should counsel patients accordingly. Muscle Nerve 53: 518–521, 2016
The spectrum of antimicrobial activity of the bacteriocin subtilosin A

Background Bacterocins are antimicrobial peptides produced by bacteria with a relatively narrow range of activity against closely related organisms. Subtilosin A is a bacteriocin produced by Bacillus subtilis that has activity against Listeria monocytogenes, which might indicate antimicrobial activity unusual for bacteriocins. Objectives To examine the antimicrobial activity and factors affecting the activity of subtilosin A against a range of potentially pathogenic bacteria. Methods The peptide was purified from cultures of B. subtilis and the MIC determined for 18 species of bacteria using a microdilution methodology. The extent of capsule formation was determined using microscopic examination of cells mounted in India ink. Protease mutants of a susceptible bacteria and mild heat shock were used to examine the effect of environmental stress on subtilosin A activity. Results Subtilosin A proved to have antimicrobial activity against a wide range of bacteria including Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and both aerobes and anaerobes. The peptide was less effective against capsulated forms of two Gram-negative bacteria than the non-capsulated strains of either. Heat shock but not protease activity also altered the effectiveness of the bacteriocin. Conclusions Subtilosin A has limited antimicrobial activity against a number of human pathogens which, combined with its relative ineffectiveness against some capsulated pathogens, may limit its usefulness as a human therapeutic.
A semantic approach to interpolation

Craig interpolation is investigated for various types of formulae. By shifting the focus from syntactic to semantic interpolation, we generate, prove and classify a series of interpolation results for first-order logic. A few of these results non-trivially generalize known interpolation results; all the others are new. We also discuss some applications of our results to the theory of institutions and of algebraic specifications, and a Craig-Robinson version of these results.
Structural Changes in Stressed As2S3 Glass Fibers Determined by Raman Spectroscopy

Raman spectra were measured transverse to As2S3 glass fibers which were stressed to various levels up to their breaking strength of 200 MPa. The spectra consisted of a single intense band near 340 cm-1, several weak bands, and a scattering tail at low wavenumbers. The intense band exhibited a decrease in intensity and a small wavenumber shift but retained the same half-width in the stressed fibers. A new band appeared as a shoulder at 320 cm-1 with an intensity that could be related to the stress level. The stress-related band is postulated to arise from local broken-bond defect centers containing nonbridging sulfur atoms.
COMMENTS ON “IMPLICATIONS OF CRITERION‐REFERENCED MEASUREMENT”1

Criterion-reference as opposed to norm-reference applies to the scores from a test and not to the content or format of a test, hence it is proper to refer to criterion-referenced scores or measures and not to criterion-referenced tests. This concept of criterion-referenced measures is applicable to formative evaluation generally or whenever the objective is mastery of subject matter rather than discrimination among students.
Density functional study of the structure and some decomposition reactions of the dinitramide anion N(NO2)2

We have used a non-local density functional procedure (DF/GGA/DZVPP) to compute the structure of the dinitramide anion N(NO2)2− and the energetics of some possible decomposition steps. The structures are in good agreement with crystallographic results, and show the NO2 groups to be rotated out of the N-N-N plane, with a considerable difference between the two N-N-O angles of each NO2 group. Of three possible N-N bond breaking reactions, we find that the least energy is required to yield NNO2− and NO2 (49.8 kcal mol−). We suggest that these products have the option of forming a loosely bound complex.
Limb-Length Discrepancy After Hip Arthroplasty

➤ Limb-length discrepancy is a common condition found in the general population and elderly individuals with osteoarthritis. ➤ All aspects of total hip arthroplasty are interconnected, and making adjustments in one can affect several others. ➤ Intraoperative imaging with trial or final components in place is helpful to rule out excessive limb-length discrepancy and to confirm proper component sizing and position in difficult primary total hip arthroplasty or revision situations.
Comparison of Ion‐Beam Irradiation Effects in X2YO4 Compounds

The effects of 1.5 MeV Kr-ion irradiation on seven X 2 YO 4 phases with the olivine (A 2 VI B IV O 4 ), spinel (A IV B 2 VI O 4 ), and phenakite structures have been investigated using in situ and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) over a wide temperature range (20-873 K). At low temperatures (<200 K), the olivine and phenakite are susceptible to radiation-induced amorphization with a critical amorphization dose of 0.2-0.5 displacement per atom (dpa). The critical amorphization dose increases with increasing irradiation temperature at varying rates for the various phases, resulting in a distinct critical amorphization temperature for each phase. For the Mg-Fe series of olivine, the susceptibility to amorphization at higher temperatures (room temperature or above) increases with increasing Fe content. Although the spinel phases are, in general, much more resistant to amorphization, a highpressure metastable spinel phase, γ-SiFe 2 O 4 , is easily amorphized at doses <0.2 dpa at temperatures below 723 K. This phase decomposes after irradiation at 873 K. At 20 K, complete amorphization of the FeCr 2 O 4 spinel (chromite) is achieved at ∼4 dpa, but no evidence of amorphization is observed in MgAl 2 O 4 spinel after 5.4 dpa. The distinct differences in the relative susceptibility of these phases to amorphization are discussed in terms of the structural and chemical controls on the amorphization process.
A line in the sand: a wireless sensor network for target detection, classification, and tracking

Intrusion detection is a surveillance problem of practical import that is well suited to wireless sensor networks. In this paper, we study the application of sensor networks to the intrusion detection problem and the related problems of classifying and tracking targets. Our approach is based on a dense, distributed, wireless network of multi-modal resource-poor sensors combined into loosely coherent sensor arrays that perform in situ detection, estimation, compression, and exfiltration. We ground our study in the context of a security scenario called "A Line in the Sand" and accordingly define the target, system, environment, and fault models. Based on the performance requirements of the scenario and the sensing, communication, energy, and computation ability of the sensor network, we explore the design space of sensors, signal processing algorithms, communications, networking, and middleware services. We introduce the influence field, which can be estimated from a network of binary sensors, as the basis for a novel classifier. A contribution of our work is that we do not assume a reliable network; on the contrary, we quantitatively analyze the effects of network unreliability on application performance. Our work includes multiple experimental deployments of over 90 sensor nodes at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, FL, as well as other field experiments of comparable scale. Based on these experiences, we identify a set of key lessons and articulate a few of the challenges facing extreme scaling to tens or hundreds of thousands of sensor nodes.
Men, Women, and Attitudinal Commitment: The Effects of Workplace Experiences and Socialization

Women's underrepresentation in higher organizational ranks is often attributed to low attitudinal commitment. This study examines attitudinal commitment to determine its origins and whether it differs for men and women. Previous research indicates that men and women have different levels of attitudinal commitment. Two explanations of attitudinal commitment differences are the gender model and the job model. The gender model contends that socialization shapes attitudinal commitment; in contrast, the job model suggests that workplace experiences determine attitudinal commitment. This study tests these models using 328 accountants as subjects; controlling for subjects' professional and educational background minimizes the confounding of extraneous factors found in previous research. Attitudinal commitment and workplace experiences were measured using subjects' evaluation of organizational involvement and job satisfaction. Stepwise regression models predicted significant amounts of variation and identified th...
Fast JPEG 2000 decoder and its use in medical imaging

Over the last decade, a picture archiving and communications system (PACS) has been accepted by an increasing number of clinical organizations. Today, PACS is considered as an essential image management and productivity enhancement tool. Image compression could further increase the attractiveness of PACS by reducing the time and cost in image transmission and storage as long as 1) image quality is not degraded and 2) compression and decompression can be done fast and inexpensively. Compared to JPEG, JPEG 2000 is a new image compression standard that has been designed to provide improved image quality at the expense of increased computation. Typically, the decompression time has a direct impact on the overall response time taken to display images after they are requested by the radiologist or referring clinician. We present a fast JPEG 2000 decoder running on a low-cost programmable processor. It can decode a losslessly compressed 2048/spl times/2048 CR image in 1.51 s. Using this kind of a decoder, performing JPEG 2000 decompression at the PACS display workstation right before images are displayed becomes viable. A response time of 2 s can be met with an effective transmission throughput between the central short-term archive and the workstation of 4.48 Mb/s in case of CT studies and 20.2 Mb/s for CR studies. We have found that JPEG 2000 decompression at the workstation is advantageous in that the desired response time can be obtained with slower communication channels compared to transmission of uncompressed images.
Total and Cause-Specific Mortality in the Cardiovascular Health Study

Background. Few cohort studies have adequate numbers of carefully reviewed deaths to allow an analysis of unique and shared risk factors for cause-specifi c mortality. Shared risk factors could be targeted for prevention of premature death and the study of longevity. Methods. A total of 5,888 community-dwelling persons aged 65 years or older living in four communities in the United States participated in the Cardiovascular Health Study cohort. Participants were initially recruited from 1989 to 1990; an additional 687 black participants were recruited in 1992 ‐ 1993. The average length of follow-up was 16 years. Total and cause-specifi c mortality, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, dementia, pulmonary disease, infection, and other cause, were examined as outcomes. Variables previously associated with total mortality were examined for each cause of death using Cox proportional hazard models. Results. Multiple risk factors were related to total mortality. When examining specifi c causes, many factors were related to cardiovascular death, whereas fewer were related to other causes. For most causes, risk factors were specifi c for that cause. For example, apolipoprotein E e 4 was strongly associated for dementia death and forced vital capacity with pulmonary death. Age, male sex, markers of infl ammation, and cognitive function were related to multiple causes of death.
Static security analysis based on weighted vulnerability index

This paper proposes weighted vulnerability index method for power system static security analysis. The power system can be modeled as directed graph network based on the power flow results. Betweenness centrality is calculated to measure the importance of each vertex and edge in the modeled network, which is used to determine the weights for the proposed weighted vulnerability index method. The performance of the proposed method is verified by using the standard IEEE 39-bus New England system. Case studies include the vulnerability analysis for different load conditions and static N-1 contingency. The results indicate that the proposed method is a good way to assess the system security and vulnerability information.
Elevated cyclic AMP levels in mouse lymphoid tissue after stimulation by cholera enterotoxin in vitro.

SummaryAddition of CT to suspensions of thymus, lymph node, spleen, or bone marrow cells in vitro resulted in a marked accumulation of cAMP with peak levels occurring 4-5 hr after incubation of cells with CT. Thymus cells showed the largest increase in cAMP, approximately 40-fold at 10 ng/ml CT. Bone marrow cells accumulated the least cAMP (1.5x), while intermediate levels were observed for spleen and lymph node cells (10-12x). Antiserum to CT prevented stimulation of increased cAMP levels.Repopulation studies using X-irradiated mice also showed that thymus-derived spleen cells accumulated more cAMP/107 cells than spleen cells from recipients given spleen or marrow cells. Spleen cells from athymic (nu/nu) mice also responded much less than did spleen cells from normal mice.Thymocytes appeared to bind CT to a greater degree than bone marrow cells. Spleen and lymph node cell suspensions also contained CT-binding cells and the number of CT-binding cells in these peripheral lym-phoid tissues appeared approxim...
Horizon Effects in Aggregate Production Planning with Seasonal Demand

When a demand pattern is dominated by a seasonal effect, the concept of a steady state solution can be used in two ways in aggregate production planning. First, general policy recommendations can be made concerning the use of seasonal workforce changes versus overtime and seasonal inventory. Second, the results can be used to provide ending conditions in an intermediate range planning algorithm with a moving horizon. These ideas are explored using a linear programming model, making use of known planning horizon properties. A simulation experiment tests the efficacy of short horizon deterministic models in a stochastic environment, and demonstrates that ending conditions, derived from the steady state model, improve decisions under a variety of conditions on costs and horizon length.
An unusual presentation of left ventricular assist device thrombus

A 41-year-old man with non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy and morbid obesity was hospitalized with shortness of breath, abdominal pain, and haematochezia. At the age of 39 years, he underwent a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) placement (HeartMate II; Thoratec Corporation, Pleasanton, CA) for destination therapy and tricuspid valve annuloplasty. Initial evaluation revealed ischaemic colitis, elevated left heart filling pressures, and severe haemolysis. LVAD readings were not definitive but suggested a thrombus. Colour flow Doppler transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) demonstrated a normal flow in the left ventricular inflow ( Panel A ; see Supplementary data online, Movie S1 ) and outflow …
The asymptotic growth of integer solutions to the Rosenberger equations

Zagier showed that the number of integer solutions to the Markoff equation with components bounded by T grows asymptotically like C (log T ) 2 , where C is explicity computable. Rosenberger showed that there are only a finite number of equations ax 2 + by 2 + cz 2 = dxyz with a , b , and c dividing d , and for which the equation admits an infinite number of integer solutions. In this paper, we generalise Zagier's techniques so that they may be applied to the Rosenberger equations. We also apply these techniques to the equations ax 2 + by 2 + cz 2 = dxyz + 1.
Differential Regulation of ZEB1 and EMT by MAPK-Interacting Protein Kinases (MNK) and eIF4E in Pancreatic Cancer

Human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tumors are associated with dysregulation of mRNA translation. In this report, it is demonstrated that PDAC cells grown in collagen exhibit increased activation of the MAPK-interacting protein kinases (MNK) that mediate eIF4E phosphorylation. Pharmacologic and genetic targeting of MNKs reverse epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), decrease cell migration, and reduce protein expression of the EMT-regulator ZEB1 without affecting ZEB1 mRNA levels. Paradoxically, targeting eIF4E, the best-characterized effector of MNKs, increases ZEB1 mRNA expression through repression of ZEB1-targeting miRNAs, miR-200c and miR-141. In contrast, targeting the MNK effector hnRNPA1, which can function as a translational repressor, increases ZEB1 protein without increasing ZEB1 mRNA levels. Importantly, treatment with MNK inhibitors blocks growth of chemoresistant PDAC cells in collagen and decreases the number of aldehyde dehydrogenase activity–positive (Aldefluor+) cells. Significantly, MNK inhibitors increase E-cadherin mRNA levels and decrease vimentin mRNA levels in human PDAC organoids without affecting ZEB1 mRNA levels. Importantly, MNK inhibitors also decrease growth of human PDAC organoids. Implications: These results demonstrate differential regulation of ZEB1 and EMT by MNKs and eIF4E, and identify MNKs as potential targets in pancreatic cancer. Mol Cancer Res; 14(2); 216–27. ©2015 AACR .
Development of Database and Graphic User Interface for Farmland Delineation in ArcGIS Environment Based on APEX Requirement

A model and a set of tools were previously developed in a separate study. That model is to delineate farmlands into sub-fields based on topography to better simulate hydrological patterns with the assistance from APEX (Agricultural Policy Environmental EXtender) model for further processing. That model requires a lot of manual operations between and within steps, which introduces unnecessary human errors. A GIS database and graphic user interface (GUI) was developed in this study to streamline that model and tools. Because the farmland and delineated sub-fields may contain different attributes, a two-level hierarchical database was proposed. The top level database is used for storing farmlands, with one feature class for each farmer (a farmer may have multiple farmlands). The second level database is used for storing delineated sub-fields, with one feature class for each piece of farmland from which the delineated sub-fields are derived. The GUI provides menus and buttons for user to run the model.
Models of Evidence: Survey and Assessment

This survey identifies and reviews the main approaches to modeling legal evidence: pure probabilistic deduction, the omission model, endogenous cost signaling, and correlated private information. The central mechanic of each approach is described and applications are provided. Approaches are evaluated and compared. Attempts to combine approaches are also examined.
A New Velia from Arizona with Notes on Other Species (Hemiptera - Veliidae)

For the past three summers Entomological expeditions from the University of Kansas under the field direction of Doctor R. II. Beamer have been made into the southwestern part of the United States. Besides making rich additions to the collections made by Dr. Francis Huntington Snow many years ago, Doctor Beamer and his assistants have added many undescribed insects. One of them is described below:
Increasing Efficiency of Bioassays: Evaluating Resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis in Diamondback Moth (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)

We addressed several key questions about duration of bioassays, diagnostic concentration, and probit regression slope for response of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), to the microbial insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner. Data were obtained from 54 bioassays of larvae from seven field populations and eight laboratory colonies in Hawaii. Linear regression showed that LC50s at 96 and 120 h after exposure to B. thuringiensis were associated with LC50s at 24 and 48 h. Control mortality increased as time increased, but time had little effect on slope, standard error of slope, or 95% fiducial limits for LC50 A significant portion of the variation in LC50 was accounted for by variation in mortality at a single concentration. Linear and polynomial regression showed that slope did not vary as a simple or consistent function of LC50. Variation in LC50 across all strains of diamondback moth was >5,000-fold, yet variation in LC50 for repeated bioassays of single strains was <;6-fold. In contrast, variation in slope was nearly as large for single strains (2-fold) as it was across all strains (4-fold). These results suggest that much of the variation in slope was not biologically meaningful. The results also suggest that for routine evaluation of resistance, bioassays using short time intervals and a single concentration may greatly increase efficiency with little loss of information compared with standard bioassays.
Space-Time and Motion Study

A space-time account of movement accuracy is proposed which represents a statistical manifestation of the physical properties of the movement control system. When errors are measured in the same plane of motion, the functions for spatial and temporal error are homeomorphic. Thus, an operator cannot trade speed for accuracy in the traditional sense - only spatial error for temporal error, or vice versa. The implications of the space-time function for an understanding of the relative contribution of operator, environment and task constraints to movement accuracy are outlined in relation to traditional time and motion study analysis.
A Survey of Ramp and Stair Use among Older Adults

Forty-three community-dwelling adults aged 57 to 95 participated in survey exploring characteristics of ramp use by older ambulant people. Twenty-three respondents said they ascended ramps instead ...
Molecular Genetics Methods for Developmental Scientists

The chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the molecular genetics study designs most commonly employed to investigate the genetic etiology of monogenic Mendelian and complex human traits and disorders. We provide a succinct primer on basic molecular-genetic concepts, followed by an overview of genetic linkage and association studies (including whole-genome linkage and association studies). We then discuss recent developments in the field regarding the role of structural variation in the human genome in the context of the common vs. rare variant debate, and the methods for copy number variant genotyping. We also provide an overview of DNA sequencing methods, focusing on common applications of next-generation DNA sequencing paradigms and gene expression profiling. Throughout the chapter, we emphasize critical design issues and limitations specific to each method and illustrate the application of molecular genetics methods to studying human traits with examples relevant to the field of developmental psychopathology. Keywords: molecular genetics; linkage analysis; association analysis; structural variation; gene expression; next-generation sequencing; DNA; RNA
Interest Groups, the Courts, and Educational Equality A Policy Regimes Approach to Vergara v. California

In Vergara v. California (2014), a trial-level court ruled that California laws governing teacher tenure and dismissal were unconstitutional. This study analyzes Vergara in light of the shifting use of the courts to promote equal educational opportunities and the changing power bases of educational interest groups, including educational advocacy groups and teacher unions. This study particularly uses policy regimes theory to analyze the relationship between political interests, ideas, and institutions and highlights how the case represents an inversion of how educational interest groups have traditionally used the courts as vehicles for effecting education reform. Grounded in this analysis, this study explores legal and policy implications for both courts and reformers acting in this new context.
The Experiences of Youth Serving as Caregivers for Mentally Ill Parents: A Background Review of the Literature

Young caregivers of mentally ill parents are a vulnerable population. These vulnerabilities include risks for developmental issues, poor socialization, and poor school performance. The purpose of this background review of the literature is to explore the experiences of young caregivers of mentally ill parents and detect the gaps in the literature. The guiding research questions were: What is the experience of young caregivers of mentally ill parents? and What is the experience for those who witness or must assist their parent during a crisis? The majority of research has been conducted outside the United States, primarily in the United Kingdom, and studies have focused mostly on young caregivers of parents with physical rather than mental illness. No studies focused on young caregivers who witnessed or assisted their mentally ill parent in crisis. Information gained through this review will add to the body of knowledge for child mental health and build a case for additional research.
Relationship between central obesity and clustering of cardiovascular risk factors in adults of Jiangsu province

Objective To explore the relationship between central obesity and cardiovascular risk factors and their clustering in adults of Jiangsu province. Methods Multi-stratified clustering sampling method was used to sample 8 400 residents aged 18 years and over from 14 diseases surveillance units in Jiangsu province from October to December 2010. Information was obtained with face-to-face interview, physical examination and laboratory testing. A total of 8 380 residents finished the study protocol and their data were analyzed. Central obesity was defined as waist circumference≥85 cm in males or ≥80 cm in females. Following complex weighting of the samples, level and proportion of cardiovascular risk factors in group with different waist circumference were analyzed. Results The prevalence of central obesity among adults in Jiangsu province was 46.2%, the proportion of males and females was 46.4% and 46.1%, respectively (P>0.05). The prevalence of center obesity varied significantly in residents with different age, area, education and occupation (all P<0.01). The level of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol was also significantly different in residents with different degree of waist circumference (all P<0.01). The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia and clustering of cardiovascular risk factors increased in proportion to increasing waist circumference (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia and clustering of cardiovascular risk factors was 2.2 (OR=2.2, 95%CI: 2.0-2.4) and 4.7 (OR=4.7, 95% CI: 3.9-5.7); 2.1 (OR=2.1, 95% CI: 1.7-2.5) and 3.8 (OR=3.8, 95% CI: 3.2-4.5); 2.3 (OR=2.3, 95% CI: 1.8-2.9) and 4.1(OR=4.1, 95% CI: 3.2-5.3); 3.4 (OR=3.4, 95% CI: 2.9-3.9) and 8.0 (OR=8.0, 95% CI: 6.2-10.2) fold higher in residents with mild and severe central obesity than residents without central obesity. Conclusions The extent of central obesity positively correlates with the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and their clustering in adults of Jiangsu province. Comprehensive interventions on obesity serve as an important tool to reduce the cardiovascular risk in adult Jiangshu residents. Key words: Obesity; Cardiovascular diseases; Risk factors
Time Resolved Gate Oxide Stress of 4H-SiC Planar MOSFETs and NMOS Capacitors

Lateral SiC MOSFETs and NMOS capacitors were fabricated and electrically evaluated for channel mobility, DIT and gate oxide breakdown. Time resolved measurements of VTH and VFB drift during gate bias stress were performed resulting in logarithmic time dependence for moderate stress time and temperature. Gate bias stress was also carried out during 20 hours at temperatures up to 225 C. Stress times resulting in a VTH shift of 500 mV were determined and an activation energy EA=0.86 eV was extracted for the VTH drift.
Development and Its Implications for the Indian Social System: A WV3 Case Study of Jotirao Phule

Recognizing that many social maladies stem from religious origins, a proposal is made to see societies as “culture trees” in order to intellectually frame and to practically approach development for mobilizing change. A vocabulary is introduced to visualize a culture as a distinctive lifezone which occupies geographical space. “WV 3 ” designates a cultural matrix composed of a worldvoice (luminary mentor of adoration), worldview (lens mindset of analysis), and worldvenue (lifestyle mazeway of attitudes-actions). Conceptually, a culture tree is an interrelated social system of worldvoice roots, worldview shoots, and worldvenue fruits. Proposals by Ambedkar, Marx, and Gandhi are noted; a case study of India’s father of social revolution, Jotirao Phule, is delineated. Phule’s activist voice is used to describe India’s WV 3 Culture Tree, its spiritual mentor roots, systemic mindset shoots, and social
Tail artifact removal in OCT angiography images of rodent cortex

Tail artifact removed enface OCT angiogram of deeper layer in vivo mouse cortex. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a surging non-invasive, label-free, in vivo volumetric imaging method, currently being translated to clinical ophthalmology and becoming popular in neuroscience. Despite its attractiveness, there is an inherent issue of using OCT angiograms for quantitative cerebrovascular studies: The dynamic scattering of moving erythrocytes within pial vasculature creates tail-like artifacts that shadow the capillary vessels in the deeper layers of cortex. This false flow effect is relatively benign for qualitative visualization purposes, but it might have a significant impact on quantitative interpretation of angiographic results. In this work, we propose a simple image processing method to remove these tail artifacts in depth-resolved OCTA images using an adaptive enface mask generated with OCT structural images. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method by comparing vessel densities and vessel similarities of depth-resolved OCT angiograms in a stroke study in a rodent model, in vivo. Thanks to the ability of seeing through the tails of pial vessels, capillary vessels beneath these vessels could be recovered to some extend in the deeper layers of mouse cerebral cortex, leading to a more accurate quantification.
Electrocardiographic measures of left ventricular hypertrophy in the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial

Abstract Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) predicts cardiovascular risk in hypertensive patients. We analyzed baseline/follow-up electrocardiographies in 26,376 Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial participants randomized to amlodipine (A), lisinopril (L), or chlorthalidone (C). Prevalent/incident LVH was examined using continuous and categorical classifications of Cornell voltage. At 2 and 4 years, prevalence of LVH in the C group (5.57%; 6.14%) was not statistically different from A group (2 years: 5.47%; P = .806, 4 years: 6.54%; P = .857) or L group (2 years: 5.64%; P = .857, 4 years: 6.50%; P = .430). Incident LVH followed similarly, with no difference at 2 years for C (2.99%) compared to A (2.57%; P = .173) or L (3.16%; P = .605) and at 4 years (C = 3.52%, A = 3.29%, L = 3.71%; P = .521 C vs. A, P = .618 C vs. L). Mean Cornell voltage decreased comparably across treatment groups (Δ baseline, 2 years = +3 to −27 μV, analysis of variance P = .8612; 4 years = +10 to −17 μV, analysis of variance P = .9692). We conclude that risk reductions associated with C treatment in secondary end points of the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial cannot be attributed to differential improvements in electrocardiography LVH.
Experimental demonstration of the de-magnifying hyperlens

We experimentally demonstrate de-magnification functionality of a hyperlens. The original patterns with a feature size of 300nm were scaled down to 190nm, which was smaller than half of the wavelength of the incident beam.
Demonstrating Value and Gaining Visibility: 13 Key Questions to Success

In today’s competitive healthcare market, hospitalists must ensure that they are consistently seen as valuable assets to their institution. New hospitalists as well as those who have been on the field for years need to show their worth to key stakeholders or risk attrition. In this chapter, we propose thought provoking questions to start hospitalists on the right path to success. Some of the key questions a hospitalist or hospitalist leader must ask themselves include questions about your strengths and weaknesses, important stakeholders in your career path, how you are perceived in your institution, expectations of your performance and the strength of your relationship with mentors and sponsors among others. By asking yourself these key questions, you will develop more insight into where you are in your career, where you need to be as a hospitalist, and how to take the necessary steps to ensure that you are ‘visible’ in your organization and seen as ‘valuable’.
¿Cuál es exactamente el problema con la supremacía judicial? Estado de derecho, legitimación moral y la construcción del derecho constitucional

This paper is concerned with the issue of whether U.S.-style judicial supremacy satisfies the standards of political morality that fall under the rubric of “the rule of law.” There are a number of questions that arise in this connection that will be discussed: 1) What, exactly, is the rule of law (hereinafter, RoL)? 2) How does RoL connect with other standards of normative political morality relevant with respect to evaluating judicial and other legal practices? 3) Is there any reason to think that judicial supremacy is in conflict with the relevant RoL standards? 4) Assuming an affirmative answer to 3, what does this tell us about whether judicial supremacy is morally justified? I take the procedural/functional conception of F.A. Hayek as my working conception of RoL and consider whether judicial supremacy runs afoul of the relevant principles. Although this paper is specifically concerned with an ostensible tension between judicial supremacy and the relevant RoL principles, the most important part of the analysis is a gesture in the direction explicating the real moral issue and how it goes beyond RoL considerations.
A Comparison of Yttrium-90 Microsphere Radioembolization to Hepatic Arterial Infusional Chemotherapy for Patients with Chemo-refractory Hepatic Colorectal Metastases

Patients with unresectable hepatic colorectal metastases who become chemo-refractory have limited treatment options. Systemic chemotherapies such as TAS102 and regorafenib have been used in the refractory setting, but with only modest improvement in overall survival compared to best supportive care. In patients with liver-only or liver-dominant disease, direct chemotherapy to the liver such as hepatic artery infusional (HAI) chemotherapy and radioembolization (yttrium-90 (Y90)) should be considered. Due to the difficulty of HAI therapy post Y90 for technical reasons, we recommend HAI therapy prior to Y90.
Radical vulvectomy with partial rectal resection and temporary colostomy as primary therapy for selected patients with vulvar carcinoma

The patient with carcinoma of the vulva may present with tumor involvement of the perirectal area. Traditional treatment has often involved ultraradical therapy including a radical vulvectomy with posterior or total pelvic exenteration in an effort to obtain adequate surgical margins. Five-year survival rates for these patients range from 20-50%, and major operative morbidity as well as psychological problems are associated with this extensive surgery. Five patients treated for a locally advanced vulvar carcinoma involving the perirectal area were thought to be candidates for a rectum-sparing procedure. They underwent a radical vulvectomy, bilateral inguinal lymphadenectomy, partial rectal resection, and a diverting colostomy. Four of the five patients agreed to a colostomy closure 6 months after their primary therapy; these four patients have resumed normal bowel function. All patients remain clinically free of tumor.
Investigation of O 3 Adsorption on Ultra-Thin ALD SnO 2 by QCM

This paper investigates the properties of room temperature adsorption of O3 on ultra-thin ALD SnO2. Adsorption is characterized by gravimetric measurements on QCM and frequency shift is converted to mass calculations. Both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm parameters are calculated for O3 on Au, as-deposited SnO2, and annealed SnO2. Of the samples, annealed SnO2 shows the greatest mass shift and calculated number of adsorption sites. The surface resistivity is estimated to transduce the adsorbed quantity into conductometric respsonse; $\mathrm {\Delta }{R}_{s}=4.037e5\,\,\mathrm {\Omega /sq}$ for an O3 saturated as-deposited ALD SnO2 surface and $\mathrm {\Delta }{R}_{s}=4.859e3\,\,\mathrm {\Omega /sq}$ for the annealed ALD SnO2.
On Testing Correlation Matrices

Procedures and illustrative examples are given to test a null hypothesis specifying the population correlation matrix and the homogeneity of several independent sample correlation matrices.