cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physical Activity: Physical Activity and the Metabolic Syndrome: A Review of the Evidence:

Metabolic syndrome is a global public health problem identified as a seminal cause of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. The syndrome is characterized by the clustering of cardiovascular risk factors, including insulin resistance, central obesity, hypertension, and atherogenic dyslipidemia. Currently there are 5 working medical society definitions of metabolic syndrome. However, the majority of recent research focusing on metabolic syndrome has relied on the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) definition because of its clinical utility. Studies of the association between physical activity and prevalence of metabolic syndrome using National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data generally found the association to be reduced or attenuated by other lifestyle factors and is generally weaker in females. Other studies tracking physical activity over longer periods have generally found a stronger association between regular physical activity and lower prevalence or incidence of ...
M/string theory, S-branes and the accelerating universe

Recently it was observed that the hyperbolic compactification of M/string theory related to S-branes may lead to a transient period of acceleration of the universe. We study time evolution of the corresponding effective 4d cosmological model supplemented by cold dark matter and show that it is marginally possible to describe observational data for the late-time cosmic acceleration in this model. However, investigation of the compactification 11d → 4d suggests that the Compton wavelengths of the KK modes in this model are of the same order as the size of the observable part of the universe. Assuming that this problem, as well as several other problems of this scenario, can be resolved, we propose a possible solution of the cosmological coincidence problem due to the relation between the dark energy density and the effective dimensionality of the universe.
T-Cell Subsets: Who does the polarizing?

T cells can 'polarize' into T1 and T2 effector cell types in response to distinct cytokines. T cells and cells presenting antigen to the T cells are themselves candidate sources of these polarizing cytokines.
Gorenstein ring of sections and complete intersections in codimension two

Abstract Let R be a regular local ring of dimension n ⩾ 5 , and p a prime ideal of height 2. Let ( V , O V ) be the punctured spectrum of R / p . We show that if the ring Γ ( V , O V ) is Gorenstein, then R / p is complete intersection. We also show that an analog of the splitting criterion for vector bundles of small rank on projective spaces given in [N. Mohan Kumar, C. Peterson, A. Prabhakar Rao, Monads on projective spaces, Manuscripta Math. 112 (2003) 183–189; p. 185, Theorem 1] holds for vector bundles of small rank on punctured spectrum of regular local rings.
Evaluation of MGMT promoter methylation status and correlation with temozolomide response in orthotopic glioblastoma xenograft model

CpG methylation within the O6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter is associated with enhanced survival of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients treated with temozolomide (TMZ). Although MGMT promoter is methylated in ~50% of GBM, several studies have reported a lack of correlation between MGMT methylation and protein expression levels and consequently inaccurate discrimination of TMZ sensitive and resistant patients. To understand the limitations of currently used assays, TMZ responsiveness of 13 GBM xenograft lines was correlated with MGMT protein expression and MGMT promoter methylation determined by (1) standard methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MS–PCR), (2) quantitative MS–PCR (qMS–PCR), and (3) bisulfite sequencing. For each xenograft line, mice with established intracranial xenografts were treated with vehicle control or TMZ (66 mg/kg × 5 days), and TMZ response was defined as relative prolongation in median survival for TMZ-treated versus control-treated mice. The relative survival benefit with TMZ was inversely related to MGMT protein expression (r = −0.75; P = 0.003) and directly correlated with qMS–PCR (r = 0.72; P = 0.006). There was a direct correlation between MGMT methylation signal by qMS–PCR and the number of methylated CpG sites within the region amplified by MS–PCR (r = 0.78, P = 0.002). However, bisulfite sequencing revealed heterogeneity in the extent of CpG methylation in those tumors with a robust qMS–PCR signal. Three of the 4 GBM lines with a qMS–PCR signal greater than 10% had at least 1 unmethylated CpG site, while only one line was fully methylated at all 12 CpG sites. These data highlight one potential limitation of the evaluation of MGMT methylation by MS–PCR assay and suggest that more detailed evaluation of methylation at individual CpG sites relative to TMZ response may be worth pursuing.
Effect of procarbazine and cyclophosphamide on chromosome breakage in Fanconi anemia cells: Relevance to bone marrow transplantation

Abstract Fanconi anemia (FA) patients develop stem cell defect-based pancytopenia for which bone marrow transplantation offers the potential for correction. Recently, it has become apparent that the outcome of marrow transplantation in FA patients is poor because of the hypersensitivity of these patients to the pretransplantation conditioning regimen which includes immunosuppression with high doses of the difunctional alkylating agent cyclophosphamide. In an effort to devise a less toxic immunosuppressive regimen, we compared the clastogenic effect of cyclophosphamide with that of procarbazine in cells from FA patients and normal controls. Activation of the drugs was achieved by two alternative methods, either by injection into rats (the in vivo activation method) or by incubation with a rat-liver microsome system (the in vitro activation method). Increased sister chromatid exchange following treatment of cells with cyclophosphamide or procarbazine was used as an indicator for the presence of activated drug metabolites in the system. Although FA cells were hypersensitive to the clastogenic effect of cyclophosphamide, they were not more sensitive than normal cells to procarbazine-induced chromosome breakage. Procarbazine may thus be a safer drug than cyclophosphamide for conditioning FA patients for bone marrow transplantation.
FlexRFID: A design, development and deployment framework for RFID-based business applications

The surge of RFID technology and ensuing competition in the RFID vendor market has increased the complexity of integration of RFID into current business processes. To address this problem, we present FlexRFID, a modeling template composed of state indicators, conditions, a simulation engine, and a device-independent deployment architecture for rapid prototyping of control applications using RFID and sensor hardware. The modeling technique is based on Moore Machines, a variant of finite state automata that allow states to be associated with outputs. With FlexRFID, users design applications by modeling business logic via transition of states based on sensor events. Outputs associated with individual states can handle operational characteristics of the application. In this article, we present the modeling methodology and demonstrate how organizations can develop complex applications easily using FlexRFID. We believe that the simplicity and flexibility of FlexRFID will lead to the development of RFID applications quickly even with limited resources. In addition, the parking entry application presented in our paper demonstrates FlexRFID's capability of being used in business application context, as well as in research, training, and teaching.
The sphingomyelin content of human serum a genetic study

The content of sphingomyelin in serum samples drawn from 15 pairs of normal, healthy twins of varying ages was analyzed both in terms of absolute value and as a per cent or molar ratio of total lipid phosphorus. Monozygous twins exhibited a close intrapair agreement (P < 0.01) of sphingomyelin content expressed as per cent of total phospholipid, while correlation of intrapair sphingomyelin content for dizygous twins did not achieve a similar degree of significance. The population studied consisted of a limited number of individuals of the higher age group; nevertheless, a correlation was observed between age and per cent composition, with advancing age being associated with an increased concentration of sphingomyelin. This relationship did not exist when absolute levels of sphingomyelin were examined as a function of age.
Serous Retinal Detachment of the Macula Associated With Cat Scratch Disease

Purpose We studied an unusual ocular manifestation of cat scratch disease. Methods We examined a patient who had a serous retinal detachment of the macula with vision loss out of proportion to her retinal findings. Results The patient was found to have cat scratch disease by antibody titers. Conclusion Cat scratch disease should be considered in patients with a serous neurosensory retinal detachment of the macula and a history of cat exposure or systemic signs or symptoms consistent with the disease.
Fully Substituted Carbon Centers by Diastereoselective Spirocyclization: Stereoselective Synthesis of (+)-Lepadiformine C

Reductive lithiation of N-Boc α-amino nitriles generated α-amino alkyllithium reagents with unexpected selectivity. The intermediate radical prefers to align with the nitrogen lone pair, and this interaction leads to an A1,3-strain effect that biases the conformation of the radical. In cyclohexane rings with α-substituents the net effect is an inversion of configuration on reductive lithiation. In the presence of a tethered electrophile the alkyllithium cyclizes to produce a spiro compound, again with inversion of configuration. The overall result is retention of configuration in the cyclization reaction. The same overall selectivity is found with α-oxygen alkyllithium cyclizations, but in this case both steps proceed with retention. The difference can be explained by careful consideration of the intermediate geometries. The α-amino spirocyclization was utilized in a concise and stereoselective synthesis of lepadiformine C.
Membrane structure and radiation and hyperthermic damage

Abstract The general structure of the biological membrane and its involvement in cell damage from radiation and hyperthermic insults are discussed using bacterial cells as an example. Bacterial cells are useful models for these types of studies because they possess a simple membrane system whose composition can be readily altered. Also, various strains exist having different sensitivities to radiation and heat. For example, the response of Escherichia coli cells to ionizing radiation is found to be related to the degree of association between its DNA and membrane. Likewise, membrane lipids reportedly are important components in the cellular response to radiation. For example, radiation-induced lipid peroxidation leads to both structural and functional alterations in the membranes which must be considered to fully comprehend the biological effects of radiation. The physical state of the membrane during radiation exposure also is involved in the cellular response to radiation. Functional changes during radiation have been ascribed to changes in the protein component of the membrane. Other alterations which may play a role in radiation-induced cell damage include electrophoretic mobility of cells, membrane transport mechanisms, and membrane polysaccharide content. The cell membrane, particularly the lipid component, is an important target in hyperthermic cell killing. The composition and organization of the membrane lipids can influence a cell's response to heat. Heat-induced changes in membrane lipids lead to altered distribution of E. coli proteins, particularly their translocation to the outer membrane. These and other aspects are discussed in this review.
Archimedes and Pi - Revisited

Archimedes of Syracuse (287-212 B.C.) created the first known recursion process for estimating the value of π. The “classical method” of Archimedes is developed and programs for the TI-81 calculator are given for finding the upper and lower bounds. This classical method is compared with the Gregory-Machin infinite series method (after 1706). A Tl-81 program is given for this method.
Chemical communication in the dacetine ant Daceton armigerum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Contrary to previous assumptions,Daceton armigerum, the largest ant in the myrmicine tribe Dacetini, employs trail communication. We identified two anatomical sources of trail pheromones: Trails drawn with poison gland contents can last for more than seven days. Trails drawn with the newly discovered sternal glands (in the VIth and VIIth abdominal sternites) are effective but relatively short-lived. In addition, our bioassays revealed that the contents of the mandibular glands elicit alarm behavior, and secretions from the pygidial gland release attraction. When tested with artificial poison gland trails from seven other myrmicine species,Daceton did not exhibit trail following behavior. We confirmed, however, previous findings thatAtta respond toDaceton poison gland trails andSolenopsis followDaceton Dufour's gland trails.
Vasomotor reactions in the mesenteric and serosal capillary bed during fright and violent muscular activity.

Summary and Conclusion1. Technics were devised for viewing the mesenteric and serosal capillary bed of guinea pigs not under a general anesthetic agent.2. The degree of emotional response to auditory stimuli could be correlated with the magnitude of changes in the visualized splanchnic vessels.3. (a) A “startle response” was occasionally accompanied by transient slight vasoconstriction and slowing of blood flow.(b) A “flight response” was frequently characterized by intense vasoconstriction of arterioles, complete stagnation of capillary blood flow, and a drainage of residual capillary blood into patent venules.3. Certain “key sites” along the arteriolar tree have a lower threshold of response than remaining areas, and exert much control of arteriolar flow by sphincter-like activity.
A Specific Interaction between Coat Protein and Helper Component Correlates with Aphid Transmission of a Potyvirus

Abstract Specific binding between the coat protein (CP) and the helper component (HC) of the tobacco vein mottling potyvirus (TVMV) was characterized using a protein blotting–overlay protocol. In thisin vitroassay, HC interacted with either virions or CP monomers originating from the aphid-transmissible TVMV-AT but not from the non-aphid-transmissible TVMV-NAT. There was a strong correlation between the aphid transmissibility of a series of TVMV variants having mutations in the DAG motif of the CP and their ability to bind HC. Expression of TVMV CP derivatives in bacteria allowed a precise determination of the minimum domain mediating HC binding. This domain is composed of seven amino acids, including the DAG motif (DTVDAGK), located in the N-terminus of the TVMV CP at amino acid positions 2 to 8.
Mitomycin C may inhibit mitosis by reducing “G2” RNA synthesis

Abstract In recent studies it was found that mitomycin C blocks mitosis in cultured frog tenses even when it is added to the. system after peak DNA synthesis. The results presented tare suggest that the mitotic inhibition produced by the antibiotic may be due to an effect of the synthesis of RNA.
An Alternative Approach to Immigration Policy: Rationing by Skill *

Current U.S. immigration policy places a heavy emphasis on kinship ties with a U.S. citizen or resident alien in rationing immigration visas. An alternative policy is to focus on the skills of visa applicants. Immigrants with higher levels of schooling and with skills that are more readily transferable to the U.S. labor market are more productive, as measured by their earnings. A larger proportion of skilled workers in a cohort of immigrants tends to narrow the differences in earnings among skill groups in the native-born population. This reduces income inequality and reduces the use of income transfers by the low-skilled native-born population. More highly-skilled immigrants also make less use of income-contingent transfers. A point-system would be necessary to combine the multidimensional aspects of skill. The adoption of skill-based rationing with a point system in Canada led to an increase in the skill level of the immigrants.
Determining trait locus position from multipoint analysis: accuracy and power of three different statistics.

Previous work using two-point linkage analysis showed that performing a lod score (LOD) analysis twice, once assuming dominant and once assuming recessive inheritance, and then taking the larger of the two values (designated MMLS) usually has more power to detect linkage than any other method tested. Using computer simulation for a variety of complex inheritance models, we demonstrated power for the MMLS comparable with analysis assuming the true model. However, reports in the literature suggested that the MMLS approach might fail to detect linkage using multipoint analysis due to genetic model misspecification. Here, we tested the robustness of the MMLS approach under multipoint analysis. We simulated data under complex inheritance models, including heterogeneity, epistatic, and additive models. We examined the expected maximum LOD, LOD assuming heterogeneity (HLOD), and nonparametric linkage statistics and the corresponding estimated position in a chromosomal interval of 10 markers with 10% recombination between markers. The mean estimates of position were generally good for all three statistics except when heterogeneity existed, where the LOD and the NPL did not perform as well as the HLOD. The MMLS approach was as robust using multipoint as using two-point linkage analysis. LOD and/or the HLOD generally had more power to detect linkage than NPL across a variety of generating models, even after correcting for the multiple tests. For finding linkage to one locus of several contributing to disease expression, assuming the dominant and recessive models with reduced penetrance is a good approximation of the mode of inheritance at that locus.
Veeries Experience More Varied Acoustic Competition at Dawn Than at Dusk

Abstract We compared the amount and type of acoustic competition experienced by Veeries (Catharus fuscescens) when they sang in the dawn chorus as opposed to when they sang in the dusk chorus. Veery songs tended to be masked more often at dawn than at dusk. Veery songs were masked 2.4 times per 10-song sequence at dawn and 1.2 times per 10-song sequence at dusk. A larger number of species were responsible for masking that occurred at dawn. At least 12 species masked Veery songs in our sample, and all identified species masked at dawn; only seven of the 12 also masked at dusk. These results represent the first empirical data documenting natural differences in acoustic competition at dawn and dusk. Acoustic competition may help explain why, in addition to singing at dawn, Veeries and other thrushes also have a pronounced dusk chorus.
A case of Henoch-Schönlein purpura associated with posterior reversible encephalopathy and review of litereature

Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) is a vasculitis that involves small vessels and seen in children predominantly. Main symptoms are purpuric rashes on body, especially on lower extremities, arthralgia, abdominal pain, and nephritis. Uncommonly, nervous system can be involved.
Primary Mediastinal Choriocarcinoma in a Man

Choriocarcinoma with a primary site in the chest is rarely found. Characteristically, it is seen in young men presenting with cough, gynecomastia and chest pain. The disease is invariably fatal. The presently accepted therapy (triple therapy), consisting of methotrexate, actinomycin D and chlorambucil, has been unsuccessful to date.
Mechanisms and Amelioration of Acute Renal Allograft Failure in the Cyclosporine Era

The fairly wide-ranging spectrum of tactics under investigation for ameliorating acute renal allograft dysfunction caused by harvest/preservation-related ischemia, acute CsA nephrotoxicity, and acute immunologic crises reflect the fact that no single approach has emerged as universally useful for mitigating the vasomotor nephropathy produced by the combined effects of each of these vectors of vasomotor renal allograft injury. Given the clinical heterogeneity of patients and allografts, it is the author's bias that, in addition to careful donor and recipient hemodynamic management, induction immunosuppressive regimens should be individualized on the basis of allograft function in the immediate postreperfusion period (judged by rate of diuresis, intraoperative parenchymal tone, renal scan profiles, and rate of decline of serum creatinine concentration) as well as patient-specific immunologic and general medical risk factors. Promising laboratory and clinical investigations of such agents as calcium channel blockers, substances promoting intrarenal vasodilator vs. vasoconstrictor prostaglandin formation, and atriopeptins have the potential to provide clinically helpful options with regard to adjunctive therapy for ameliorating acute renal allograft dysfunction associated with INF and ACR.
A second order virtual node algorithm for Navier-Stokes flow problems with interfacial forces and discontinuous material properties

We present a numerical method for the solution of the Navier-Stokes equations in three dimensions that handles interfacial discontinuities due to singular forces and discontinuous fluid properties such as viscosity and density. We show that this also allows for the enforcement of normal stress and velocity boundary conditions on irregular domains. The method improves on results in [1] (which solved the Stokes equations in two dimensions) by providing treatment of fluid inertia as well as a new discretization of jump and boundary conditions that accurately resolves null modes in both two and three dimensions. We discretize the equations using an embedded approach on a uniform MAC grid to yield discretely divergence-free velocities that are second order accurate. We maintain our interface using the level set method or, when more appropriate, the particle level set method. We show how to implement Dirichlet (known velocity), Neumann (known normal stress), and slip velocity boundary conditions as special cases of our interface representation. The method leads to a discrete, symmetric KKT system for velocities, pressures, and Lagrange multipliers. We also present a novel simplification to the standard combination of the second order semi-Lagrangian and BDF schemes for discretizing the inertial terms. Numerical results indicate second order spatial accuracy for the velocities (L^~ and L^2) and first order for the pressure (in L^~, second order in L^2). Our temporal discretization is also second order accurate.
The Contribution of Student Perceptions of School Climate to Understanding the Disproportionate Punishment of African American Students in a Middle School.

This study investigated the contribution of student perceptions of school climate to racial differences in school discipline. Four hundred middle school students completed a school climate survey. ...
Impact of Hostility and Withdrawal in Interparental Conflict on Parental Emotional Unavailability and Children's Adjustment Difficulties

This multimethod, prospective study examined the nature of pathways between interparental hostility and withdrawal, parental emotional unavailability, and subsequent changes in children's internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and school adjustment difficulties over a 3-year period in a sample of 210 mothers, fathers, and 6-year-old children. The results of autoregressive structural equation models indicated that interparental withdrawal had a detrimental impact on all areas of children's adjustment, whereas interparental hostility had an indirect effect on subsequent changes in child adjustment. An intermediary role of parental emotional unavailability in links between interparental withdrawal and hostility and child outcomes was indicated, with specific, differential effects observed for fathers and mothers.
Intracellular calcium movements during excitation–contraction coupling in mammalian slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibers

In skeletal muscle fibers, action potentials elicit contractions by releasing calcium ions (Ca2+) from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Experiments on individual mouse muscle fibers micro-injected with a rapidly responding fluorescent Ca2+ indicator dye reveal that the amount of Ca2+ released is three- to fourfold larger in fast-twitch fibers than in slow-twitch fibers, and the proportion of the released Ca2+ that binds to troponin to activate contraction is substantially smaller.
Quality of Fresh-Market Melting- and Nonmelting-Flesh Peach Genotypes as Affected by Postharvest Chilling

After storage for 3 wk at 4°C and ripening 3 days at 20°C, nonmelting-flesh peaches (‘Oro A’, FL 90-35C, FL 90-47C) did not develop visual symptoms of mealiness, while melting-flesh (MF) fruit (FL 90-20, FL 90-21, FL 91-16) did. Sensory evaluation showed that only MF fruit were more “mealy” and less “sweet” and “peachy” as a result of chilling. Volatile analysis revealed that chilling caused increases in (E)-2-hexenal and decreases in g- and d-decalactones in both MF and NMF types. However, the decline was considerably less in NMF than in MF fruit. Results indi
Agent-based modeling and simulation: desktop ABMS

Agent-based modeling and simulation (ABMS) is a new approach to modeling systems comprised of autonomous, interacting agents. ABMS promises to have far-reaching effects on the way that businesses use computers to support decision-making and researchers use electronic laboratories to support their research. Some have gone so far as to contend that ABMS "is a third way of doing science," in addition to traditional deductive and inductive reasoning (Axelrod 1997b). Computational advances have made possible a growing number of agent-based models across a variety of application domains. Applications range from modeling agent behavior in the stock market, supply chains, and consumer markets, to predicting the spread of epidemics, the threat of bio-warfare, and the factors responsible for the fall of ancient civilizations. This tutorial describes the theoretical and practical foundations of ABMS, identifies toolkits and methods for developing agent models, and illustrates the development of a simple agent-based model of shopper behavior using spreadsheets.
Beam emittance and the effects of the RF, space charge and wake fields-application to the ATF photoelectron beam

Results of studies of the BNL RF gun, laser-induced photoelectrons are presented, and interactions between the self field and the wake induced in the cavity are discussed. Also presented are the beam parameters obtained at the gun exit (z approximately 98 mm), and an overview of the formalism used. With this method the preliminary analysis indicates, that at 100 MV/m field on the cathode and 1 nC charge the initial phase of 55 degrees will provide the smallest emittance and largest kinetic energy at the gun exit. >
Simultaneous set-wise testing under dependence, with applications to genome-wide association studies

We consider the problem of identifying diseaseassociated genomic regions in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). It is shown that conventional single SNP analysis can be greatly improved by (i) exploiting the spatial dependency and (ii) conducing set-wise analysis. The SNP set association problem can be conceptualized as the problem of simultaneously testing a large number of sets of hypotheses. We use hidden Markov models to exploit the linkage disequilibrium information in GWAS data, based on which a data-driven screening procedure (GLIS) is proposed. GLIS is shown to be optimal in the sense that it has the smallest missed set rate (MSR) among all valid false set rate (FSR) procedures. The numerical results demonstrate that the proposed procedure controls the FSR at the desired level, enjoys certain optimality properties and outperforms conventional combined p-value methods. We apply the GLIS procedure to analyze a Type 1 diabetes (T1D) GWAS dataset for detecting T1D associated genomic regions. The results show that our proposed SNP set analysis not only provides better biological insights, but also increases the statistical power by pooling information from different samples.
Improved Colostomy Technique and Excrement (Urine) Collection Device for Broilers and Broiler Breeder Hens

In conducting nutritional experiments using chickens, scientists are limited in determining the urinary excretion of nutrients because of the difficulty of separating urine from feces. Our main objective was to improve the colostomy procedure for urine collection in broilers and both urine and egg collection for broiler breeder hens. Ketamine HCl (10 to 30 mg/kg i.m.) in combination with Xylazine (2 to 6 mg/kg i.m.) was used to anesthetize broilers (4 wk old) and broiler breeder hens (25 wk old). The colostomy technique involved: 1) transecting the distal colon at approximately 1.5 to 2 cm from the proximal cloaca and ligating the distal colonic segment with 3-0 absorbable surgical suture, 2) ligating the seromuscular coat of the colon to the peritoneal tissue at 3 points in a triangular shape using 4-0 silk suture, 3) ligating the mesentery at the skin level to prevent continued bleeding of the colostomy stoma, and 4) placing 3 sutures using a triangulation technique that consisted of the seromuscular aspect of the transected proximal colonic segment and the skin, and finally, 5) suturing all exteriorized edges of the transected proximal colonic segment after mucosal eversion to the skin with simple interrupted sutures using absorbable suture. For the purpose of urine or egg collection or both, the appropriate size of drainable pouch with a curved tail closure was used. Feces were collected on a tray. The colostomized broilers could be kept for several days and the colostomized broiler breeder hens for several months to collect urine, eggs (for breeder hens), and feces separately without the problem of cross-contamination.
Teachers’ implicit attitudes, explicit beliefs, and the mediating role of respect and cultural responsibility on mastery and performance-focused instructional practices.

The theory of planned behavior and the dual process attitude-to-behavior MODE model framed an examination of how White teachers’ (N = 241) implicit and explicit attitudes toward White versus non-White students were related to their classroom instructional practices in 2 school districts with a high percentage of Arab American and Chaldean American (ArChal) students. We proposed a model in which the relations would be mediated by teachers’ desire to promote respect in the classroom and to take responsibility for providing a culturally responsive curriculum and resolving interethnic conflicts. The Implicit Association Test assessed teachers’ implicit preference for White relative to ArChal adolescents, and explicit measures assessed teachers’ negative stereotypic beliefs regarding minority and poor adolescents. Path analysis indicated that teachers’ explicit and implicit attitudes, mediated by their desire to promote respect and by their personal sense of responsibility for engaging in culturally responsive teaching, explained 30% and 13% of the variance in teachers’ endorsement of mastery- and performance-focused instructional practices, respectively. Teachers who held more implicitly favorable attitudes toward White relative to ArChal adolescents were less likely to promote mutual respect among students and were consequently less responsible for engaging in culturally adaptive practices and for resolving interethnic conflict among students. Explicit negative belief regarding minority and poor students was directly related to endorsing performance-focused instructional practices. Results imply the need to provide teachers the opportunities to reflect and deliberate on their attitudes and understand the links among implicit attitudes, explicit beliefs, and classroom instruction.
Pileate Hydnaceae of the Puget Sound Area. II. Brown-Spored Genera: Hydnum

Descriptions of twelve taxa in the genus Hydnum are provided, with keys for their determination. One new species is proposed. Macroscopic illustrations, as well as photomicrographs of spores are pr...
Gradients For Wave-equation Migration Velocity Analysis

Wave-equation migration velocity analysis (WEMVA) is an image-domain tomography based on a wave-equation propagator (one-way or two-way). Different algorithms for residual calculation, propagation and optimization add varying flavors to WEMVA. The two most popular ways to compute the residual are either using differential semblance optimization (DSO) or using differential residual migration (DRM). In this paper, we present relevant theory to understand the difference these two algorithms make in the final gradient calculation. We compare and contrast the two methods with the help of numerical examples. Both methods have some advantages and disadvantages over the other and they should be kept in mind while making the choice. The theory and results presented are based on one-way wave-equation migration.
GIS Application and research in oil field management system

Aiming at the present usage of oil terrain,with the application of terrain information system,webservice,J2EE and SVG,the terrain dynamic state of the whole Daqing oil field has been released to the internet,which enables the clients to hold all the terrain information directly and accomplish the function of information browsing and query.
Editorial Comment on: U. Zaleska-Dorobisz, A. Biel, D. Sokołowska-Dąbek, C. Olchowy, M. Łasecki Ultrasonography in the diagnosis of hemorrhagic cystitis - a complication of bone marrow transplantation in pediatric oncology patients.

Hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) is a well-documented adverse event concerning patients after transplantation of hematopoetic stem cell. This frequent complication is the result of cyclophosphamide and its metabolites activity, that do damage the mucosa of the urinary bladder. HC has high morbidity, can lead to renal complications, prolonged hospitalization, increased health-care costs, and occasionally can contribute to death. Acute HC is a diffuse inflammatory condition of urinary bladder presenting with bleeding from bladder mucosa.
Notes on problems associated with accepting the null hypothesis.

(1968). Notes on Problems Associated with Accepting the Null Hypothesis. Research Quarterly. American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 39, No. 3, pp. 831-832.
Seeing the world in 5 dimensions - more or less?

The use of computers and mobile technologies challenges conventional experiences of place and ideas about the stability of culture and gives us more choices. We can experience locations in 3-dimensions (face-toface), 2-dimensions (on-the-screen), or 5-dimensions (mediated through our smartphones). This paper considers some elements of place, space, and geography and suggests the need to consider the values of being lost, knowingly experiencing danger, travelling blind, coming together, putting our bodies on the line, and dealing with change. Ultimately, we should consider what we lose as well as what we gain by moving more of our lives online.
Infrared Imaging in Cryogenic Wind Tunnels

The principles governing infrared imaging for aerodynamic surface-flow visualization in cryogenic wind tunnels are reviewed, with emphasis on boundary-layer transition detection. The applicability of the technique to low temperatures is illustrated through examples of transition, shock and vortical burst detection.
Conformational Shifts in Huntingtin Exon 1 Monomer are Dependent on Temperature and Polyglutamine Length

Expansion of the polyglutamine (polyQ) region in the first exon of huntingtin (htt) is the root of Huntington's disease (HD). Misfolding and aggregation have long been observed to a greater extent in polyQ-expanded htt, but studies have also uncovered many implications of polyQ expansion in alterations to the dynamics and intermolecular interactions of monomeric htt. Here we find that htt exon 1 (HDx1), which is composed of the polyQ tract and flanking regions and in expanded form is sufficient to cause HD-like symptoms in transgenic mice, has a greater proclivity for adopting α-helical structure in the presence of a polyQ expansion. Our circular dichroism (CD) studies show that cooler temperature causes a gain in α-helical structure in HDx1 of a variety of polyQ lengths but a greater gain at disease-level polyQ length. We performed continuous wave electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) with site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) and found the gain in structure to occur in the HDx1 N-terminus and the N-terminal region of the polyQ tract. Performing pulsed EPR on double spin-labeled mutants of HDx1 confirmed the α-helical structure adopted by the residues in those regions. Our findings fall in step with the previously proposed ‘rusty hinge’ hypothesis, which suggests that the normal, but not expanded, polyQ region serves as a flexible hinge that enables intra- and intermolecular interactions of htt. Stiffening of the hinge by polyQ expansion may lead to gains and losses of physiological functions for the protein. Our next step is to investigate the effect of phosphorylation to the N-terminus. To this end, we have already generated a number of phosphorylation-mimicking HDx1 mutants.Support: HDF, CHDI
Evaluation of the use of 3D printing and imaging to create working replica keys

This paper considers the efficacy of 3D scanning and printing technologies to produce duplicate keys. Duplication of keys, based on remote-sensed data represents a significant security threat, as it removes pathways to determining who illicitly gained access to a secured premises. Key to understanding the threat posed is the characterization of the easiness of gaining the required data for key production and an understanding of how well keys produced under this method work. The results of an experiment to characterize this are discussed and generalized to different key types. The effect of alternate sources of data on imaging requirements is considered.
Cyclic hydraulic actuation for soft robotic devices

Undulating structures are one of the most diverse and successful forms of locomotion in nature, both on ground and in water. This paper presents a comparative study for actuation by undulation in water. We focus on actuating a 1DOF systems with several mechanisms. A hydraulic pump attached to a soft body allows for water movement between two inner cavities, ultimately leading to a flexing actuation in a side-to-side manner. The effectiveness of six different, self-contained designs based on centrifugal pump, flexible impeller pump, external gear pump and rotating valves are compared. These hydraulic actuation systems combined with soft test bodies were then measured at a lower and higher oscillation frequency. The deflection characteristics of the soft body, the acoustic noise of the pump and the overall efficiency of the system are recorded. A brushless, centrifugal pump combined with a novel rotating valve performed at both test frequencies as the most efficient pump, producing sufficiently large cyclic body deflections along with the least acoustic noise among all pumps tested. An external gear pump design produced the largest body deflection, but consumes an order of magnitude more power and produced high noise levels. Further refinement remains on determining the suitable oscillation frequencies and inner cavity designs for optimal efficiency and movement.
Global ENU Mutagenesis Screen for Genetic Modifiers in Sickle Cell Disease Mice.

Genetic modifiers of sickle cell disease (SCD) will be identified in an animal model of SCD after mutagenesis with the chemical mutagen N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU). This phenotype driven approach utilizes a third generation knock-in (KI) mouse model of SCD that reproduces most if not all of the pathology of the disorder. This model was produced by targeted gene replacement of the murine α-globin genes with human α-globin and the murine β globin genes with a human γ- and βs-globin gene cassette that mimics the fetal to adult hemoglobin switch that occurs in man. Sickle embryonic stem (ES) cells were derived from developing blastocysts isolated from female sickle mice that were mated with sickle males. Sickle ES cells were treated with ENU and a mutant library of independent subclones was established and archived. The optimal ENU dosage was empirically determined through a series of pilot experiments that measured the HPRT mutation frequency and the efficiency of producing sickle mice from the mutagenized cells by tetraploid embryo complementation. Animals harboring mutations that affect hematological indices, kidney function, or liver function are identified in the mutagenized sickle mice by comparison to cloned control sickle mice. Microsatellite linkage analyses of mutant offspring outcrossed to congenic SCD mice and direct sequence comparison to the murine genome will allow the positional cloning of modifier genes. Putative modifying factors will be positively confirmed by introducing the exact germline modification discovered during the ENU screen into the unmutagenized ES cells, followed by the direct examination of the phenotype in mice generated from the modified cells by cloning. These studies will define gene(s) responsible for the phenotypic variation in disease severity that is observed in the SCD population. By experimental design, the therapeutic benefit or detriment associated with each modifying gene(s) on the in vivo pathophysiology of sickle cell anemia will be tested directly in our animal model of this disorder.
Lubriglide Sequential Ureteral Dilators®: A Safe and Effective Method of Ureteral Dilation.

Abstract Introduction: During ureteroscopy (URS), ureteral dilation may be required to increase the likelihood of accessing the ureter to complete the procedure. Thus, we sought to assess the safety and efficacy of using Lubriglide sequential ureteral dilators® (Boston Scientific) to promote primary URS, without need for prestenting. Patients and Methods: Retrospective review was performed of a consecutive series of patients undergoing primary URS by a single surgeon (N.L.M.) from 2011 to 2013. The primary outcomes were to characterize the use, safety, and efficacy of sequential ureteral dilators to promote stone treatment during URS. Results: A total of 316 nonprestented cases of primary URS were attempted over the study period. Use of sequential ureteral dilators to promote ureteral access was performed in 109 (34.5%) cases and was effective to allow completion of the procedure in 102 (93.6%) cases. No intraoperative complications occurred while performing sequential ureteral dilation. Fourteen patients...
Variations of Northern Hemisphere Storm Track and Extratropical Cyclone Activity Associated with the Madden–Julian Oscillation

AbstractThis study investigates the intraseasonal variations of the Northern Hemispheric storm track associated with the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) during the extended boreal winter (November–April) using 36 yr (1979–2014) of reanalysis data from ERA-Interim. Two methods have been used to diagnose storm-track variations. In the first method, the storm track is quantified by the temporal-filtered variance of 250-hPa meridional wind (vv250) or mean sea level pressure (pp). The intraseasonal anomalies of vv250 composited for eight MJO phases are characterized by a zonal band of strong positive (or negative) anomalies meandering from the Pacific all the way across North America and the Atlantic into northern Europe, with weaker anomalies of opposite sign at one or both flanks. The results based on pp are consistent with those based on vv250 except for larger zonal variations, which may be induced by surface topography. In the second method, an objective cyclone-tracking scheme has been used to track the ...
DASH diet and change in serum uric acid over time

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet lowers serum uric acid (SUA) levels compared to the typical American (control) diet. However, the time required for the DASH diet to take effect is unknown. We analyzed data from a parallel arm, randomized-controlled trial in pre-hypertensive or hypertensive adults (N = 103), comparing the effects of DASH or a control diet on SUA measured at 30, 60, and 90 days. Effects were examined overall and within stratified subgroups based on baseline SUA status (SUA ≥6 mg/dL vs <6 mg/dL). The mean age of participants was 51.5 ± 9.7 years, 55% were women, 75% were black, 42% were obese, and 34% had hypertension. Twenty-four of the 103 (23%) participants had a baseline SUA ≥6 mg/dL. Overall, compared to the control, DASH lowered SUA by 0.5 mg/dL at 30 and 90 days. Among participants with baseline SUA ≥6 mg/dL, DASH lowered SUA by 0.8 and 1.0 mg/dL at 30 and 90 days, respectively. These findings demonstrate that the DASH diet reduces SUA within 30 days, with a sustained effect at 90 days, which is informative for healthcare providers counseling patients on time course expectations for uric acid reduction in response to dietary modification.
The Present and Future Status of Comparative Psychology: Proceedings of the Corigliano Calabro Symposium

This chapter will summarize the papers on the program of the pre-Congress symposium on Comparative Psychology that was held at Corigliano Calabro (Cosenza, Italy) on 3–5 July 1980. The Comparative Psychology symposium convened prior to the start of the VIIIth Congress of the International Primatological Society in Florence, Italy, on 7–12 July 1980. As the organizer of the VIIIth Congress of the International Primatological Society, Prof. B. Chiarelli of Florence decided to have many small study groups of about 10–20 scientists meet somehwere in Italy to discuss specialized areas related to the fields of anthropology and primatology. One of the specialized groups to be formed by Chiarelli was this one, on Comparative Psychology.
Failure mechanisms of boards in a thin wafer level chip scale package

Various studies have been conducted to study the effect of varying board thickness on thermo-mechanical reliability of BGA packages. Wafer level chip scale packages (WLCSP) have also been studied in this regard to determine the effect of PCB build-up thickness on the solder joint reliability [1]. The studies clearly demonstrate that the thinner Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) result in longer thermo-mechanical fatigue life of solder joints for BGA. With the literature and past trends supporting the idea of thinner boards, manufacturer opted to move forward by decreasing the thickness of their PCBs to improve the reliability of their packages. The thickness was reduced from 1mm to 0.7mm by decreasing the thicknesses of individual layers and keeping the total number of layers constant. When subjected to thermal cycling, it was observed that 0.7mm board was failing earlier than the 1mm board. Since this behavior of a WLCSP contrasts with the past trends, it required extensive study to determine and understand the pre-mature physics of failure/causality of failure in 0.7mm board. In this paper, an effort is made to understand the mechanism which is causing an early failure in the thinner board. The effect of number & thicknesses of core layers, prepregs and Cu layers in the board has been studied through material characterization of both 1mm and 0.7mm boards. Further, a design optimization account has also been presented to improve the thermo-mechanical reliability of this package.