cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interactive Storybook Software: Effects on Verbal Development in Kindergarten Children.

This study addressed whether children from lower income homes can benefit in their verbal skills through interaction with computer software that reads to them. Sixty subjects from lower income homes were randomly selected and assigned to treatment and control groups, with thirty in each group. The design was a pretest‐posttest control group design, and data was analyzed using analysis of covariance. The study took place in ten public school kindergarten classrooms located in a district in northern Florida, each equipped with computers. Discis Knowledge Research, Inc., provided the storybook software. The results of the study determined that for 25 children who interacted with the software for a minimum of 300 minutes over the seven‐week intervention, there was a significant increase in their verbal abilities.
A systematic approach for generating velocity fields in shape optimization

Design velocity fields affect every stage of the shape optimization process. The progress of the optimization process, distortion of the finite element mesh, and final shape are sensitive to the quality of velocity fields. It is important to identify and generate effective velocity fields at the beginning of the process. This paper provides several criteria to determine the effectiveness of velocity fields. A systematic approach for generating these velocity fields using deformation fields is developed. The use of interactive procedures is shown to be indispensable for ensuring the effectiveness and quality of design velocity fields. General strategies and guidelines for generating velocity fields are given. Concepts of weight-reducing, stress-reducing, form-preserving, and smooth basis shapes are presented. Normalization of velocity fields is discussed. A method for controlling mesh distortion during the shape optimization process is given based on an explicit limit on the design change to prevent the Jacobian from vanishing. Two- and three-dimensional design problems are solved.
OSHA Sanctions and the Value of the Firm

Citations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) against companies for violating health and safety regulations are shown in this study to induce declines in the values of the subject firms. The declines are immediate and significant responses to the announcement of the OSHA citation, following the pattern predicted for efficient markets. Because firm values fall by more than proposed fines, OSHA citations are apparently forerunners of additional and significant costs to be borne by subject firms, perhaps in the form of capital costs to remedy safety conditions or losses in related lawsuits. Our findings point toward OSHA citations as an important part of the business environment.
Catalytic Properties of Molybdenum Carbide, Nitride and Phosphide: A Theoretical Study

The control and optimization of the catalytic properties of nonexpensive early transition metals is an important issue in the chemical industry. Density functional theory was employed to study the relative stability and chemical activities of molybdenum carbides, nitrides and phosphides. The results show that molybdenum phosphides display the highest reactivity toward CO and sulfur adsorption as compared to molybdenum carbides and nitrides. Considering the better catalysts, those that combine high stability and a reasonable chemical activity, we observe that the catalytic potential of these systems should increase following the sequence: Mo<MoC≈MoN<MoP. An electronic analysis is included to understand the better performance of molybdenum phosphide.
Urates in exhaled breath condensate as a biomarker of control in childhood asthma

AbstractObjective: The aim of this study was to (1) investigate the possibility to use urates in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) as a biomarker of airway inflammation and control in childhood asthma and (2) explore their association with other biomarkers of airway inflammation and clinical indices of asthma control (Asthma Control Test [ACT], quality of life [PAQLQ], lung function, prn beta-agonist use, time from last exacerbation [TLE]. Methods: This cross-sectional study comprised 103 consecutive patients (age 6–18 years) divided in groups of uncontrolled ([NC], n = 53) and controlled asthma ([C], n = 50). Measured lung function and biomarkers included: spirometry, eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), exhaled NO (FENO), pH and urates in EBC and exhaled breath temperature (EBT). Results: Statistically significant differences were found between groups for EBC urates, EBC pH and EBT (NC versus C: EBC urates, median [IQR], µmol/L; 10 [6] versus 45 [29], p < 0.00...
Metabolic Organization in Vascular Smooth Muscle: Distribution and Localization of Caveolin-1 and Phosphofructokinase

We have shown that a compartmentation of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis exists in vascular smooth muscle (VSM) and that an intact plasma membrane is essential for compartmentation. Previously, we o...
Pitch-catch phase aberration correction of multiple isoplanatic patches for 3-D transcranial ultrasound imaging

Having previously presented the ultrasound brain helmet, a system for simultaneous 3-D ultrasound imaging via both temporal bone acoustic windows, the scanning geometry of this system is utilized to allow each matrix array to serve as a correction source for the opposing array. Aberration is estimated using cross-correlation of RF channel signals, followed by least mean squares solution of the resulting overdetermined system. Delay maps are updated and real-time 3-D scanning resumes. A first attempt is made at using multiple arrival time maps to correct multiple unique aberrators within a single transcranial imaging volume, i.e., several isoplanatic patches. This adaptive imaging technique, which uses steered unfocused waves transmitted by the opposing, or beacon, array, updates the transmit and receive delays of 5 isoplanatic patches within a 64° x 64° volume. In phantom experiments, color flow voxels above a common threshold have also increased by an average of 92%, whereas color flow variance decreased by an average of 10%. This approach has been applied to both temporal acoustic windows of two human subjects, yielding increases in echo brightness in 5 isoplanatic patches with a mean value of 24.3 ± 9.1%, suggesting that such a technique may be beneficial in the future for performing noninvasive 3-D color flow imaging of cerebrovascular disease, including stroke.
M-harmonic products

Abstract An explicit description is given of all pairs of holomorphic functions f and g in the open unit ball of ℂn, for which the product f g¯ is annihilated by the Moebius-invariant Laplacian.
Doeblin's big limit theorem

Doeblin regarded his paper(2) as his hardest work. The big limit is that ofP(n)(x, E) asn tends to infinity, in a measurable non-topologized space. An exposition of part one of this paper was published in Ref. 1. This is the exposition of part two, which contains some reparation as well as clarification.
Effect of SO2 on the Performance of the Cathode of a PEM Fuel Cell at 0.5–0.7 V

The effect of 1 ppm SO 2 in air on the performance of the proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell cathodes was studied at operating voltages of 0.5, 0.6, and 0.7 V at 80°C and 100% relative humidity. The coverage of the cathode catalyst (50% Pt/Vulcan carbon) with sulfur species θ S after exposure to SO 2 in air at different cell voltages is evaluated from the hydrogen desorption region on cyclic voltammetry (CV) curves and from ohmic-resistance-corrected polarization curves. The θ s calculated from CVs after exposure to SO 2 in air is compared to those of cathodes exposed to SO 2 in nitrogen. The θ S decreases as the cathode potential increases in both air and nitrogen. The cathodes poisoned in air have 2.5 times lower sulfur coverage than those poisoned in nitrogen. The cells poisoned at 0.6 V have the highest performance vs those poisoned at 0.5 and 0.7 V at constant current density; even though the sulfur coverage is lowest in the cell poisoned at 0.7 V, adsorbed hydroxy groups and sulfate/bisulfate ions on the platinum surface are likely to impede the oxygen reduction reaction at 0.7 V. The sulfate/bisulfate ions can be removed from the surface by holding the cathode at its open-circuit voltage in nitrogen.
The Search for Cerebral Dominance in Monkeys

Twelve monkeys with statistically significant and consistent manual preferences on three handedness tests were subjected to unilateral ablations in the association cortex. Eight received lesions in the foveal prestriate cortex, and four lesions in the dorsolateral frontal cortex; half the subjects in each group were operated on the dominant, and half on the nondominant hemisphere for handedness. The unilateral posterior preparations were significantly inferior to the control group of four unilateral frontals and five sham operated monkeys on three series of visual pattern discrimination problems. No evidence was obtained that lesions in the nondominant hemisphere. The results of this and four other experiments indicate that there is no cerebral dominance for problem-solving in monkeys. Recent research indicates that handedness in rhesus monkeys is only superficially similar to handedness in humans; thus, monkeys appear to lack cerebral dominance for handedness as well as for cognitive behavior.
Artificial Beam Sharpening Technique for Radar Beacon Systems

A method of improving angular discrimination artificially in radar beacon systems, without going to extremely high frequencies of operation or using unreasonably large interrogator antennas, involves the use of a null-type antenna pattern superposed on a normal directional beam. The effective are over which replies are obtained is determined by an amplitude discriminator circuit within the beacon which compares the amplitude of the pulse signals received on the null pattern with those received via the directional beam. Only if the latter exceed the former by a predetermined amount does the beacon produce a reply. The method, which has been tried experimentally and its theory verified, produces an increase in traffic handling capacity, as well as improved angular resolution, by reducing unwanted triggering and, hence, clutter on the display and the over-interrogation of transponder beacons. An antenna is described which eliminates triggering on sidelobes by providing the proper current distribution to the radiating elements to cause the null pattern to cover the sidelobes of the normal beam. Triple-pulse amplitude discriminators have been built and tested in a double-pulse interrogation system. Some theoretical considerations and design curves and equations for use in designing nulltype antennas are given in the Appendix.
Evaluating statistical methods to establish clinical similarity of two biologics.

The design, endpoints, statistical methods, and equivalence boundary for studies seeking to demonstrate clinical similarity between biologics are not standardized by any regulatory agency. We describe our experience in conducting a phase III study of a biologic product before and after a manufacturing change, focusing on statistical considerations for claiming equivalence for the dosing endpoint. We discuss and evaluate traditional statistical methods like two one-sided testing and the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, as well as the newly proposed overlap coefficient method. We conclude that establishing clinical similarity of biologics is complex and demands more thought from regulatory agencies and the biopharmaceutical industry.
Four-dimensional MRI using three-dimensional radial sampling with respiratory self-gating to characterize temporal phase-resolved respiratory motion in the abdomen.

Purpose To develop a four-dimensional MRI (4D-MRI) technique to characterize the average respiratory tumor motion for abdominal radiotherapy planning. Methods A continuous spoiled gradient echo sequence was implemented with 3D radial trajectory and 1D self-gating for respiratory motion detection. Data were retrospectively sorted into different respiratory phases based on their temporal locations within a respiratory cycle, and each phase was reconstructed by means of a self-calibrating CG-SENSE program. Motion phantom, healthy volunteer and patient studies were performed to validate the respiratory motion detected by the proposed method against that from a 2D real-time protocol. Results The proposed method successfully visualized the respiratory motion in phantom and human subjects. The 4D-MRI and real-time 2D-MRI yielded comparable superior–inferior (SI) motion amplitudes (intraclass correlation = 0.935) with up-to one pixel mean absolute differences in SI displacements over 10 phases and high cross-correlation between phase-resolved displacements (phantom: 0.985; human: 0.937–0.985). Comparable anterior–posterior and left–right displacements of the tumor or gold fiducial between 4D and real-time 2D-MRI were also observed in the two patients, and the hysteresis effect was shown in their 3D trajectories. Conclusion We demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed 4D-MRI technique to characterize abdominal respiratory motion, which may provide valuable information for radiotherapy planning. Magn Reson Med, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Law From Below: Women's Human Rights and Social Movements in New York City

Despite the ambivalent history of the domestic application of human rights in the United States, human rights increasingly offer important resources for American grassroots activists. Within the constraints of U.S. policy toward human rights, they provide social movements a kind of global law ‘‘from below’’: a form of cosmopolitan law that subalterns can use to challenge their subordinate position. Using a case study from New York City, we argue that in certain contexts, human rights can provide important political resources to U.S. social movements. However, they do so in a diffuse way far from the formal system of human rights law. Instead, activists adopt some of the broader social justice ideas and strategies embedded within human rights practice. Human rights promise to provide social movements a kind of global law ‘‘from below,’’ in the terms that Santos and Rodriguez-Garavito (2005) have developed in their work on law and globalization from below. Yet it is widely recognized that mobilizing the human rights legal system requires extensive legal expertise as well as networks that reach into the transnational system (see Kennedy 2002; Merry 2006; Riles 2001). However, as a discourse and set of practices for asserting claims, the human rights system is surprisingly open to relatively powerless groups. Using a case study of two organizations in New York City that used a human rights framework to promote women’s rights, we show that human rights
Near-bottom geophysical study of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge median valley near lat 37° N: Preliminary observations

Near-bottom geophysical observations made over the median valley of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge near lat 37°N show that the median valley can be divided into four provinces: the outer walls, terraces, inner walls, and floor. Block faulting along normal faults with as much as 600 m throw is the dominant mechanism for creating median-valley relief, particularly at the inner and outer walls. Most of these faults dip toward the median-valley axis an average of 45°. Many of the block tops slope 3° to 10° away from the valley axis. Some of the major fault scarps are linear for more than 20 km. Large-scale block faulting occurs less than 1 km from the axis of spreading. Inversion of near-bottom magnetic anomalies suggests that the principal zone of intrusion may be no wider than 1 to 2 km and is along the valley axis. This spreading center is marked by either a central ridge or central depression, which suggests either discrete magma sources or discrete taps of a linear source beneath the median-valley axis. The central ridge is a volcanic construction, although faulting and (or) volcano-tectonic uplift may contribute to its relief.
Presidential Elections and the Econonmy 1872 to 1996: The Times they are a 'Changin or the Song Remains the Same?

Scholars have argued that economic conditions influence presidential elections because Presidents have some influence over macroeconomic performance. Most research on the impact of the economy on p...
Chemisorption of Cu(II) and Co(II) on Allophane and Imogolite

Adsorption of Cu 2+ and Co 2+ by synthetic imogolite, synthetic allophanes with a range of SiO2/ A1203 ratios, and allophanic clay fractions from volcanic ash soils was measured in an ionic medium of 0.05 M Ca(NO3) 2. The effect ofpH (and metal concentration) on adsorption was qualitatively similar for the synthetic and natural allophanes with relatively minor changes in behavior caused by variable SLOE/ A1203 ratios. Cu and Co were chemisorbed by aUophane at pH 5.0-5.5 and 6.9-7.2 (pH values for 50% adsorption level), respectively, with concomitant release of 1.6-1.9 protons/metal ion adsorbed. Quan- titatively, adsorption by imogolite was less than that by the allophanes, presumably because of fewer sites available for chemisorption on the tubular structure of imogolite. Electron spin resonance studies of the imogolite and allophanes revealed that Cu 2§ was adsorbed as a monomer on two types of surface sites. The preferred sites were likely adjacent A1OH groups binding Cu 2+ by a binuclear mechanism; weaker bonding occurred at isolated A1OH or SiOH groups. These chemisorbed forms of Cu E+ were readily extracted by EDTA, CHaCOOH, and metals capable of specific adsorption, but were not exchangeable. In addition, the H20 and/or OH- ligands of chemisorbed Cu E+ were readily displaced by NH3, with the formation of ternary Cu-ammonia-surface complexes.
The Trouble With Transfer: Insights From Microgenetic Changes in the Representation of Numerical Magnitude

Spontaneous transfer of learning is often difficult to elicit. This finding may be widespread partly because pretests proactively interfere with transfer. To test this hypothesis, 7-year-olds' transfer was examined across 2 numerical tasks (number line estimation and categorization) in which similar representational changes have been observed. As predicted, children given feedback on numerical estimates learned to use a linear representation of numerical quantity instead of a logarithmic one, but providing practice on a categorization pretest led children to continue using a logarithmic representation on the same task, which they otherwise abandoned with surprising frequency. These findings imply unsupervised practice of inappropriate representations impedes transfer, and studies of learning can greatly underestimate children's potential for transfer if pretest effects are uncontrolled.
Down-Regulation of Th2 Responses by Brucella abortus, a Strong Th1 Stimulus, Correlates with Alterations in the B7.2-CD28 Pathway

Down-regulation of the Th2-like response induced by ovalbumin-alum (OVA/alum) immunization by heat-killed Brucella abortus was not reversed by anti-IL-12 antibody treatment or in gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) knockout mice, suggesting that induction of Th1 cytokines was not the only mechanism involved in the B. abortus-mediated inhibition of the Th2 response to OVA/alum. The focus of this study was to determine whether an alternative pathway involves alteration in expression of costimulatory molecules. First we show that the Th2-like response to OVA/alum is dependent on B7.2 interaction with ligand since it can be abrogated by anti-B7.2 treatment. Expression of costimulatory molecules was then studied in mice immunized with OVA/alum in the absence or presence of B. abortus. B7.2, but not B7.1, was up-regulated on mouse non-T and T cells following immunization with B. abortus. Surprisingly, B. abortus induced down-regulation of CD28 and up-regulation of B7.2 on murine CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells. These effects on T cells were maximal for CD28 and B7.2 at 40 to 48 h and were not dependent on interleukin-12 (IL-12) or IFN-gamma. On the basis of these results, we propose that the IL-12/IFN-gamma-independent inhibition of Th2 responses to OVA/alum is secondary to the effects of B. abortus on expression of costimulatory molecules on T cells. We suggest that down-regulation of CD28 following activation inhibits subsequent differentiation of Th0 into Th2 cells. In addition, decreased expression of CD28 and increased expression of B7.2 on T cells would favor B7.2 interaction with CTLA-4 on T cells, and this could provide a negative signal to developing Th2 cells.
Current sample size conventions: Flaws, harms, and alternatives

The belief remains widespread that medical research studies must have statistical power of at least 80% in order to be scientifically sound, and peer reviewers often question whether power is high enough. This requirement and the methods for meeting it have severe flaws. Notably, the true nature of how sample size influences a study's projected scientific or practical value precludes any meaningful blanket designation of <80% power as "inadequate". In addition, standard calculations are inherently unreliable, and focusing only on power neglects a completed study's most important results: estimates and confidence intervals. Current conventions harm the research process in many ways: promoting misinterpretation of completed studies, eroding scientific integrity, giving reviewers arbitrary power, inhibiting innovation, perverting ethical standards, wasting effort, and wasting money. Medical research would benefit from alternative approaches, including established value of information methods, simple choices based on cost or feasibility that have recently been justified, sensitivity analyses that examine a meaningful array of possible findings, and following previous analogous studies. To promote more rational approaches, research training should cover the issues presented here, peer reviewers should be extremely careful before raising issues of "inadequate" sample size, and reports of completed studies should not discuss power. Common conventions and expectations concerning sample size are deeply flawed, cause serious harm to the research process, and should be replaced by more rational alternatives.
Upset in response to a child's partner's infidelities

The weight of existing evidence suggests that men display greater upset in response to a long-term partner’s sexual infidelity, whereas women display greater upset in response to a partner’s emotional infidelity. This sex difference was first hypothesized by evolutionary psychologists, who argued that the difference may reflect sex-differentiated evolved psychological design. Some socialization theorists, in contrast, have argued that the difference may be attributable to sex-differentiated socialization practices. A. Fenigstein and R. Peltz (2002) collected data from parents of undergraduates about upset in response to a child’s partner’s infidelities and found that both sexes report greater upset in response to a son’s partner’s sexual infidelity and in response to a daughter’s partner’s emotional infidelity. The key variable therefore is the sex of the child, as predicted from a heuristic application of an evolutionary perspective, and not the sex of the parent, as predicted from a heuristic application of one socialization perspective. We report a replication of these findings using data collected from retirees with an average age of about 70 years who have at least one son and one daughter and most of whom have grandchildren. Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The side-information median filter for sequence reconstruction

The side-information median filter (SIMF) is introduced as an extension of the standard median filter (MF) for sequence reconstruction purposes. The SIMF uses the filter input sequence index information for determining the filter output sequence index of an equivalent MF output. The set of SIMF roots is shown to be larger than that of MF roots, including many bounded variations which would be distorted by the MF. Several deterministic and statistical properties are derived for the SIMF, and the SIMF is shown to preserve details in many more sequences than the MF while still maintaining noise impulse-rejection properties similar to those of the MF. Experimental results are presented from sequence reconstruction tasks involving the SIMF, the MF, and other sequence reconstruction filters. Results for both 1-D and 2-D sequences are reported. >
Perigenual anterior cingulate morphology covaries with perceived social standing

Low socioeconomic status (SES) increases the risk for developing psychiatric and chronic medical disorders. A stress-related pathway by which low SES may affect mental and physical health is through the perception of holding a low social standing, termed low subjective social status. This proposal implicates overlapping brain regions mediating stress reactivity and socioemotional behaviors as neuroanatomical substrates that could plausibly link subjective social status to health-related outcomes. In a test of this proposal, we used a computational structural neuroimaging method (voxel-based morphometry) in a healthy community sample to examine the relationships between reports of subjective social status and regional gray matter volume. Results showed that after accounting for potential demographic confounds, subclinical depressive symptoms, dispositional forms of negative emotionality and conventional indicators of SES, self-reports of low subjective social status uniquely covaried with reduced gray matter volume in the perigenual area of the anterior cingulate cortex (pACC)—a brain region involved in experiencing emotions and regulating behavioral and physiological reactivity to psychosocial stress. The pACC may represent a neuroanatomical substrate by which perceived social standing relates to mental and physical health.
Dynamics of calcium regulation of chloride currents in Xenopus oocytes.

Ca-activated Cl currents are widely expressed in many cell types and play diverse and important physiological roles. TheXenopus oocyte is a good model system for studying the regulation of these cu...
Comparative analysis of Cryptococcus neoformans acid-resistant particles generated from pigmented cells grown in different laccase substrates

Cryptococcus neoformans produces pigments in vitro in the presence of exogenous substrate. We characterized acid-resistant particles isolated from pigmented cells grown in L-dopa, methyl-dopa, (-)-epinephrine or (-)-norepinephrine. The goals of this study were to determine whether pigments made from each of these substrates were melanins and the consequences of pigmentation on related cell characteristics. The greatest yield of acid-resistant particles occurred with methyl-dopa followed by L-dopa. Electron microscopy indicated that L-dopa and methyl-dopa produced particles with thicker shells. The mAb 6D2 reacted with all particles, but a lower reactivity was observed with epinephrine-derived particles. ESR analysis revealed that epinephrine-derived particles failed to produce a stable free radical signal typical of melanins. Growth of C. neoformans in different substrates affected cell and capsule size but not capsule induction. Hence, the type of pigment produced by C. neoformans is dependent on the substrate and not all pigments meet the criteria for melanins.
Design of the fully connected binary neural network via linear programming

An attempt is made to develop an alternative to the Hebbian-hypothesis-based design, using a powerful linear-programming (LP)-based algorithm. The LP-based algorithm attempts to build around each pattern to be stored a ball with a prespecified radius (in the Hamming distance sense) which is the ball of convergence for the pattern: when the network starts as one of the states in the ball, it will eventually converge to the central pattern. The Hopfield model and the sum-of-outer-products (SOOP) design are presented. Calculations are made of the radius of the balls of convergence for any given design. The LP-based algorithm is developed, and examples are presented demonstrating the advantages accrued for the network's retrieval capability through the LP algorithm. >
The Arabidopsis irregular xylem8 Mutant Is Deficient in Glucuronoxylan and Homogalacturonan, Which Are Essential for Secondary Cell Wall Integrity

The secondary cell wall in higher plants consists mainly of cellulose, lignin, and xylan and is the major component of biomass in many species. The Arabidopsis thaliana irregular xylem8 (irx8) mutant is dwarfed and has a significant reduction in secondary cell wall thickness. IRX8 belongs to a subgroup of glycosyltransferase family 8 called the GAUT1-related gene family, whose members include GAUT1, a homogalacturonan galacturonosyltransferase, and GAUT12 (IRX8). Here, we use comparative cell wall analyses to show that the irx8 mutant contains significantly reduced levels of xylan and homogalacturonan. Immunohistochemical analyses confirmed that the level of xylan was significantly reduced in the mutant. Structural fingerprinting of the cell wall polymers further revealed that irx8 is deficient in glucuronoxylan. To explore the biological function of IRX8, we crossed irx8 with irx1 (affecting cellulose synthase 8). The homozygous irx1 irx8 exhibited severely dwarfed phenotypes, suggesting that IRX8 is essential for cell wall integrity during cellulose deficiency. Taken together, the data presented show that IRX8 affects the level of glucuronoxylan and homogalacturonan in higher plants and that IRX8 provides an important link between the xylan polymer and the secondary cell wall matrix and directly affects secondary cell wall integrity.
Three-Year Reincarceration Outcomes for In-Prison Therapeutic Community Treatment in Texas

Longer term in-prison therapeutic community (ITC) outcome studies are needed, along with more attention on who benefits most from these programs. This study examined reincarceration records for 394 nonviolent offenders during the 3 years following prison. Those who completed both ITC and aftercare were the least likely to be reincarcerated (25%), compared to 64% of the aftercare dropouts and 42% of the untreated comparison groups. Furthermore, high-severity aftercare completers were reincarcerated only half as often as those in the aftercare dropout and comparison groups (26% vs. 66% and 52%). The findings support the effectiveness of intensive treatment when it is integrated with aftercare, and the benefits are most apparent for offenders with more serious crime and drug-related problems.
Extent and severity of coronary artery disease by coronary CT angiography is associated with elevated left ventricular diastolic pressures and worsening diastolic function.

Abstract Background Patients with flow-limiting coronary stenoses exhibit elevated left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and abnormal left ventricular (LV) relaxation. Objective We investigated the relationship of extent and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) by coronary CT angiography (CTA) to LVEDP and measures of LV diastolic dysfunction. Methods We identified consecutive patients undergoing coronary CTA and transthoracic echocardiography who were assessed for diastolic function. CAD was evaluated on a per-patient, per-vessel, and per-segment basis for intraluminal diameter stenosis by using an 18-segment model (0 = none, 1 = 1%–49%, 2 = 50%–69%, and 3 = 70%–100%) and summed over segments to obtain overall coronary plaque burden (segment stenosis score [SSS]; maximum = 54). Transthoracic echocardiography evaluated mitral inflow E wave-to-A wave ratio, tissue Doppler early mitral annual tissue velocity axial excursion, stage of diastolic dysfunction, and LV dimensions and estimated LVEDP from the ratio of mitral inflow velocity to early mitral annular (medial) tissue velocity. Results Four hundred seventy-eight patients (57% women; mean age, 57.9 ± 14.6 years; 24.9% prior CAD) comprised the study population. Increasing per-patient maximal coronary stenosis, number of vessels with obstructive stenosis, and SSS were associated with increased LVEDP. The prevalence of advanced diastolic dysfunction increased with greater number of obstructive vessels. In multivariable analyses, SSS was associated with increased LVEDP (0.8 mm Hg per tertile increase in SSS, 0.5–1.1; P P = .001), increased LV mass index (1.6 g/m 2 per tertile increase in SSS; P = .04), and increased relative wall thickness (0.005; 95% CI, 0.004–0.009; P = .03), with consistent relationships persisting even among persons with per-patient maximal stenosis Conclusions Extent and severity of obstructive as well as nonobstructive CAD by coronary CTA are associated with increased LVEDP and measures of diastolic dysfunction.
Update for the Pediatrician on Child Passenger Safety: Five Principles for Safer Travel

For many parents, the confusion about how best to restrain their children and the myriad of restraint types that are available can be a major source of frustration. Child safety seat inspectors and advocates whose full-time job is to educate parents, caregivers, and advocates find it challenging to stay current with developments and changes in child occupant protection. For pediatricians who work less frequently and less intensively with child safety seats, the challenge of staying current with information is monumental. However, understanding a few basic principles of child safety seat usage and knowing when and where to refer families for additional information can help pediatricians provide parents and caregivers with the information they need to effectively restrain their children in motor vehicles. Significant reduction of deaths of children in motor vehicle crashes, especially those involving children <5 years old, has occurred over the past 20 years.1 This has been largely attributable to improvement in child safety seat and vehicle design, intense educational efforts of safety specialists and health professionals, and enforcement of child safety seat laws. Pediatricians have played a prominent role in this process from the early efforts of the First Ride/Safe Ride program of the American Academy of Pediatrics and continue to do so through the formation of policy recommendations and dissemination of public education materials. National statistics show that 80% to 90% of child safety seats are used incorrectly or misused.2,3 Although many of these misuses are minor, other misuses are considered gross and may render the child safety seat “virtually useless.”4,5 It is common to find child safety seats installed in family vehicles with multiple misuses, and this can collectively degrade performance of the child safety seat. Most parents assume that simply placing their child in a safety seat, placing the seat in …
Preserving the Concept of Race: A Medical Expedient, a Sociological Necessity

In this essay I argue that there are strong reasons for preserving the concept of race in both medical and sociological contexts. While I argue that there are important reasons to conceive of race as picking out distinctions among populations that are both legitimate and important, the notion of race that I advocate in this essay differs in fundamental ways from traditional folk notions of race. As a result, I believe that the folk understanding of race needs to be either revised or eliminated altogether.
Abstract 241: In Vivo Response to Dynamic Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogels

Tissue-specific elasticity arises in part from developmental changes in extracellular matrix over time, e.g. ~ 10-fold myocardial stiffening in the chicken embryo. When this time-dependent stiffening is mimicked in vitro with a thiolated hyaluronic acid (HA-SH)/poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel, improved cardiomyocyte maturation has been observed. However, host interactions, matrix polymerization, and stiffening kinetics remain uncertain in vivo, and each plays a critical role in therapeutic applications using HA-SH. In order to assess in vivo feasibility and biocompatibility of HA-SH/PEGDA hydrogels, subcutaneous injections were first performed. Hematological and histological analysis of subcutaneously injected HA-SH/PEGDA hydrogels showed minimal systemic immune response and host cell infiltration. Most importantly, subcutaneously injected HA-SH/PEGDA hydrogels exhibited time dependent porosity and stiffness changes at a rate similar to hydrogels polymerized in vitro, as measured by atomic force microscopy. When injected intramyocardially, host cells begin to actively degrade HA-SH/PEGDA hydrogels within 1-week post-injection, continuing this process while producing matrix to nearly replace the hydrogel within 1 month post-injection. While non-thiolated HA did not degrade after injection into the myocardium, it also did not elicit an immune response, unlike HA-SH/PEGDA, HA-SH/low concentration PEGDA, or high concentration HA-SH only hydrogels, where visible granulomas and macrophage infiltration were present at 1 month post-injection, as indicated by CD45 (lymphocyte marker) and CD68 (macrophage marker) staining, likely due to reactive thiol groups. Altogether, these data suggest that the HA-SH/PEGDA hydrogel responds appropriately in a less vascularized niche and stiffens as had been demonstrated in vitro, but in more vascularized tissues, in vivo applicability appears limited.
Thyroid Transcription Factor 1 Reprograms Angiogenic Activities of Secretome

Through both gain- and loss-of-TTF-1 expression strategies, we show that TTF-1 positively regulates vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and that the VEGF promoter element contains multiple TTF-1-responsive sequences. The major signaling receptor for VEGF, i.e VEGFR2, also appears to be under a direct and positive regulation of TTF-1. The TTF-1-dependent upregulation of VEGF was moderately sensitive to rapamycin, implicating a partial involvement of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). However, hypoxia did not further increase the secreted VEGF level of the TTF-1+ lung cancer cells. The TTF-1-induced VEGF upregulation occurs in both compartments (exosomes and exosome-depleted media (EDM)) of the conditioned media. Surprisingly, the EDM of TTF-1+ lung cancer cells (designated EDM-TTF-1+) displayed an anti-angiogenic activity in the endothelial cell tube formation assay. Mechanistic studies suggest that the increased granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) level in the EDM-TTF-1+ conferred the antiangiogenic activities. In human lung cancer, the expression of TTF-1 and GM-CSF exhibits a statistically significant and positive correlation. In summary, this study provides evidence that TTF-1 may reprogram lung cancer secreted proteome into an antiangiogenic state, offering a novel basis to account for the long-standing observation of favorable prognosis associated with TTF-1+ lung adenocarcinomas.
Die Neue Generation des Vw Polo GTI

In der funften Generation des Polo stellt Volkswagen das Modell GTI im Sommer 2010 vor. Akzente setzen der TSI-Ottomotor und beim Exterieur das neue Front- und Heckdesign sowie das sportliche Interieur. Nach der Markteinfuhrung des neuen Polo prasentiert Volkswagen nun die dritte Generation des Polo GTI zusammen mit dem erstmalig in der Poloklasse erhaltlichem Panorama-Ausstell-Dach und Bi-Xenon-Scheinwerfern.
Human event observations in the individual plant examinations

A major objective of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission`s (NRC) Individual Plant Examination (IPE) Insights Program is to identify the important determinants of core damage frequency (CDF) for the different reactor and containment types and plant designs as indicated in the IPEs. The human reliability analysis (HRA) is a critical component of the probabilistic risk assessments (PRAS) which were done for the IPES. The determination and selection of human actions for incorporation into the event and fault tree models and the quantification of their failure probabilities can have an important impact on the resulting estimates of CDF and risk. Therefore, two important goals of the NRCs IPE Insights Program are (1) to determine the extent to which human actions and their corresponding failure probabilities influenced the results of the IPEs and (2) to identify which factors played significant roles in determining the differences and similarities in the results of the HRA analyses across the different plants. To obtain the relevant information, the NRC`s IPE database, which contains information on plant design, CDF, and containment performance obtained from the IPES, was used in conjunction with a systematic examination of the HRA analyses and results from the IPES. Regarding the extent to whichmore » the results of the HRA analyses were significant contributors to the plants` CDFs, examinations of several different measures indicated that while individual human actions could have important influences on CDF for particular initiators, the HRA results did not appear to be the most significant driver of plant risk (CDF). Another finding was that while there were relatively wide variations in the calculated human error probabilities (HEPs) for similar events across plants, there was no evidence for any systematic variation as a function of the HRA methods used in the analyses.« less
You Are What You Eat, Hence Curtail Saturated and Trans Fats, Free Sugars and Salt

The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 focus on healthy eating patterns and exercise. They recommend 3 different healthy eating patterns: the Healthy US Style, the Healthy Mediterranean Style, and the Healthy Vegetarian Style eating pattern, accommodating a variety of cultural and individual preferences, but sharing many common food based features. A healthy eating pattern includes a variety of vegetables, fruits, grains, low-fat dairy products, protein foods, and oils. Specific recommendations have been made for particular dietary components to reduce: saturated fat (< 10% of calories); sodium (< 2.3 g/day); and added sugars (< 10% of calories). Interestingly, these guidelines do not make a recommendation for a quantitative limit for dietary cholesterol indicating the lack of adequate evidence for such recommendation. However, they state that there is evidence showing that eating patterns that include lower intake of dietary cholesterol (~100 - 300 mg/d) are associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, and risk of obesity. Finally the new guidelines emphasize the importance of physical activity and exercise to promote health.
Surveillance of Adverse Events Following Immunization in Dali Prefecture,2006-2010

Objective To understand the occurrence of adverse events following immunization(AEFI) from 2006 to 2010 in Dali prefecture and evaluate the running status of the monitoring control system for AEFI.Methods Surveillance data was analyzed with descriptive epidemiological methods.Results Totally 78 cases of AEFI were reported,including 8 cases with general reaction(10.26%),49 cases with abnormal reaction(62.82%),12 cases with coincidental reaction(15.38%),3 cases with unknown reason(3.85%),6 cases with program error(7.69%).Adverse reactions were induced by 12 kinds of vaccine out of the 20 kinds of used vaccine,especially the Pneumonia vaccine.The most commonly adverse events was rash(25.64%).Conclusion Establishing and perfecting the standardized AEFI will improve the sensitivity and the utilization of the data on AEFI.To reduce AEFI,vaccination regulations,distinguish contraindications and introducing safer vaccine should be implemented.
Analysis of Genetic Structure for Indica Rice Landraces from Different Provinces in China

Two hundred and eighty indica rice landraces from 14 provinces in China were analyzed using 78 microsatellite markers distributed across the whole rice genome.The genetic structure of these entries was studied using Powermarker,Structure 2.2 and Popgen 32 softwares.Using Powermarker software,all landraces were classified into six groups based on Nei's genetic distance;landraces from adjacent provinces were massed in the same large group,and those of a certain province were clustered together in the same small group except that Shaanxi and Taiwan entries were involved in two and three groups,respectively.This indicated that the genetic bases of provincial indica rice landraces was more complicated in Shaanxi and Taiwan than other pro-vinces.Using Structure 2.2 software,the 280 indica rice landraces were classified into four groups,and the entries from geographically close provinces were clustered in the same group.Also,the Shaanxi and Taiwan landraces dispersed into different groups.The result from Popgen 32 showed that the 280 indica rice landraces went to four groups at the level of 0.27,with an obvious assembling trend in entries from geographically close origins.Clearly,the results from three methods were accordant and complementary although there were partial differences.In a general conclusion,the genetic structure of the 280 indica rice landraces were correlated with geographic characteristics.Landraces from the same province grouped together firstly in most cases,and those from adjacent provinces were further clustered into a big group.The indica rice landraces from Shaanxi and Taiwan seem to be concerned due to their relatively complicated genetic bases.
Management of acute peptic ulcer; measures to prevent recurrence.

Meticulous diagnostic investigation is a primary therapeutic requisite in management of acute peptic ulcer. In general, current treatment conforms to past practices. Therapy must be highly individualized, and basic therapeutic principles must be followed. The authors state that combined aluminum hydroxide neutralizers, anticholinergic drugs and, possibly, tranquilizers are notable changes in ulcer treatment. They emphasize that exact management of early uncomplicated ulcer acts as a prophylaxis against intractability, recurrence, chronicity and complications.
Whole-Mount Immunolabeling of Embryos by Microinjection

A major conceptual breakthrough has occurred in the field of developmental morphogenesis in the past decade. It is now clear that molecular mechanisms at the external cell surface and within the surrounding extracellular matrix are fundamental to embryogenesis. Adhesion receptors, receptor tyrosine kinases, cell-cell recognition machinery, adhesion substrate molecules, and matrix-bound growth factors are all part of an instructive molecular language. Together these various kinds of molecules encode information that is displayed in a topographical manner. Understanding the physical and temporal distribution of these molecules is necessary if the morphogenetic code is to be deciphered. Enormous amounts of excellent immunolabeling data have been generated using fixed embryonic specimens; however, prefixation immunolabeling has received much less attention. Here we describe an in vivo microinjection method for immunolabeling embryos (1–3). This protocol employs immunofluorescence labeling and microscopy; however, other detection methods should be equally efficacious. Examples will be described in which attempts at conventional immunofluorescence labeling failed to label cells or extracellular matrix, whereas the prefixation microinjection approach was entirely successful. In other cases, we noted dramatically improved signal-to-noise ratios compared with conventional postfixation immunolabeling. This chapter outlines a protocol for avian embryos; however, the method should be applicable to fish, amphibian, and mammalian embryos. Similarly, it is reasonable to assume that this approach could be used on excised embryonic rudiments, such as the eye, heart, and limb buds.