cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Plasma interleukin-6 predicts cardiovascular mortality in hemodialysis patients.

Background: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a mediator and marker of the chronic inflammatory process that is responsible for much of the morbidity and mortality seen in hemodialysis (HD) patients. This study evaluated circulating plasma IL-6 as a predictor of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality and studied its relationship to prevalent comorbidity and hypoalbuminemia, in a cohort of stable HD patients enrolled in the HEMO study. Methods: Clinical data included demographic, medical, and routine laboratory parameters. Comorbidities were graded using the Index of Co-Existing Diseases (ICED). Outcomes of interest were all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality. Blood samples were drawn at enrollment and annually, and plasma IL-6 levels measured with high-sensitivity enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Median plasma IL-6 level in 206 patients was 7.9 pg/mL (range, 0.1 to 90.3 pg/mL) and was higher in patients with vascular disease ( P = 0.03), higher ICED scores ( P = 0.01), and lower Karnofsky indices ( P P = 0.03, r=−0.16). Unadjusted median survival time was 1,209 days in the lowest quartile of plasma IL-6 and 806 days in the highest ( P = 0.02, log rank test). A 1-log increase in plasma IL-6 was associated with a 1.19-fold higher adjusted risk for all-cause mortality ( P = 0.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.01 to 1.40) and a 1.43-fold higher adjusted risk of cardiovascular mortality ( P = 0.02; 95% confidence interval, 1.06 to 1.92). Hazard ratio estimates were higher when IL-6 levels over time were incorporated as a time-dependent covariate. Conclusion: Plasma IL-6 levels are strongly associated with comorbidity in HD patients and are a powerful predictor of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.
High-Quality 21st Century Community Learning Centers: Academic Achievement among Frequent Participants and Non-Participants.

This study examined academic differences between students who attended 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) programs frequently (60 or more days) and matched nonattendees during the 2008–2009 school year. Schools included in the study represented only those centers found to be implementing high-quality programming, as measured by a strenuous site visit process in Indiana. Significant interactions between program attendance and fall academic achievement predicted performance on the spring tests in both math and reading. Simple effects were only shown for math, in which program attendees who failed the test in the fall scored higher than non-participants. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
The role of imaging in patient selection, preoperative planning, and postoperative monitoring in human upper extremity allotransplantation.

Objective. To describe the role of imaging in vascular composite allotransplantation based on one institution’s experience with upper extremity allotransplant patients. Methods. The institutional review board approved this review of HIPAA-compliant patient data without the need for individual consent. A retrospective review was performed of imaging from 2008 to 2011 on individuals undergoing upper extremity transplantation. This demonstrated that, of the 19 patients initially considered, 5 patients with a mean age of 37 underwent transplantation. Reports were correlated clinically to delineate which preoperative factors lead to patient selection versus disqualification and what concerns dictated postoperative imaging. Findings were subdivided into musculoskeletal and vascular imaging criterion. Results. Within the screening phase, musculoskeletal exclusion criterion included severe shoulder arthropathy, poor native bone integrity, and marked muscular atrophy. Vascular exclusion criterion included loss of sufficient arterial or venous supply and significant distortion of the native vascular architecture. Postoperative imaging was used to document healing and hardware integrity. Postsurgical angiography and ultrasound were used to monitor for endothelial proliferation or thrombosis as signs of rejection and vascular complication. Conclusion. Multimodality imaging is an integral component of vascular composite allotransplantation surgical planning and surveillance to maximize returning form and functionality while minimizing possible complications.
Use of hydrochloric acid as a source of anions for prevention of milk fever.

Diets that contain high amounts of K induce milk fever by alkalinizing the blood of the cow, reducing the ability of homeostatic mechanisms to maintain normal blood concentrations of Ca. The addition of anions to the diet induces metabolic acidosis, which counteracts the alkalinizing effect of the high cation diets commonly fed to cows. Currently, anions are usually added as anionic salts, such as CaCl2 or MgSO 4, and the pH of urine is often monitored to assess the degree of metabolic acidification resulting from the addition of anions to the diet. An alternative source of anions is HCl. In Experiment 1, the addition of HCl to the diet of cows that were not pregnant and not lactating significantly reduced the pH of urine and blood within 24 h. After HCl was removed from the diet, the pH of urine returned to baseline levels within 48 h. In Experiment 2, the inclusion of HCl into the prepartum ration of Jersey cows entering the third or greater lactation significantly reduced the incidence of milk fever from 63% of control cows to 11% of the treated cows and also reduced the degree of hypocalcemia that was experienced by the cows during the periparturient period. Plasma Ca concentrations at 0.5 d after calving were 5.33 ± 0.52 and 6.69 ± 0.51 mg/dl in the control and the HCl-treated cows, respectively. In Experiment 2, the prepartum consumption of the ration with HCl was greater than the consumption of the control ration. In liquid form, HCl remains dangerous to handle and corrosive to machinery. Commercial preparations of HCl mixed into common feed ingredients as a premix could offer an inexpensive and palatable alternative to anionic salts as a means of controlling the incidence of milk
From Consensus Standards to Evidence of Claims: Assessment and Accreditation in the Case of Teacher Education

To what extent should accreditation focus on the processes of assessing student learning outcomes, and to what extent should it primarily be concerned with the levels of student attainment within the institution or program under review? There is a need to evaluate the purposes of procedural and substantive standards and the claims they make about graduates' competence.
Mechanism of superoxide generation by neuronal nitric-oxide synthase.

Abstract Neuronal nitric-oxide synthase (NOS I) in the absence of l-arginine has previously been shown to generate superoxide (O·2) (Pou, S., Pou, W. S., Bredt, D. S., Snyder, S. H., and Rosen, G. M. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 24173–24176). In the presence ofl-arginine, NOS I produces nitric oxide (NO⋅). Yet the competition between O2 and l-arginine for electrons, and by implication formation of O·2, has until recently remained undefined. Herein, we investigated this relationship, observing O·2 generation even at saturating levels ofl-arginine. Of interest was the finding that the frequently used NOS inhibitor N G-monomethyll-arginine enhanced O·2 production in the presence of l-arginine because this antagonist attenuated NO⋅formation. Whereas diphenyliodonium chloride inhibited O·2, blockers of heme such as NaCN, 1-phenylimidazole, and imidazole likewise prevented the formation of O·2 at concentrations that inhibited NO⋅ formation from l-arginine. Taken together these data demonstrate that NOS I generates O·2 and the formation of this free radical occurs at the heme domain.
Adenosine Receptors Modulate [Ca2+]i in Hippocampal Astrocytes In Situ

Cultured astroglia express both adenosine and ATP purinergic receptors that are coupled to increases in intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i). Currently, there is little evidence that such purinergic receptors exist on astrocytes in vivo. To address this issue, calcium-sensitive fluorescent dyes were used in conjunction with confocal microscopy and immunocytochemistry to examine the responsiveness of astrocytes in acutely isolated hippocampal slices to purinergic neuroligands. Both ATP and adenosine induced dynamic increases in astrocytic [Ca2+]i that were blocked by the adenosine receptor antagonist 8-(p-sulfophenyl)theophylline. The responses to adenosine were not blocked by tetrodotoxin, 8-cyclopentyltheophylline, 8-(3-chlorostyryl)caffeine, dipyridamole, or removal of extracellular calcium. The P2Y-selective agonist 2-methylthioadenosine triphosphate was unable to induce increases in astrocytic [Ca2+]i, whereas the P2 agonist adenosine 5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) induced astrocytic responses in a low percentage of astrocytes. These results indicate that the majority of hippocampal astrocytes in situ contain P1 purinergic receptors coupled to increases in [Ca2+]i, whereas a small minority appear to contain P2 purinergic receptors. Furthermore, individual hippocampal astrocytes responded to adenosine, glutamate, and depolarization with increases in [Ca2+]i. The existence of both purinergic and glutamatergic receptors on individual astrocytes in situ suggests that astrocytes in vivo are able to integrate information derived from glutamate and adenosine receptor stimulation.
Relationship of outdoor air quality to pediatric asthma exacerbations

Background Although exposure to outdoor air pollutants has been shown to be associated with exacerbations of asthma, there are relatively few admissions for asthma to Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH during the summer months when air quality tends to be worst. Objective The objective of this study was to determine the relationship of outdoor air quality parameters to asthma exacerbations in children. Methods The number of emergency room visits and hospitalizations for asthma were determined by review of emergency department logs and the hospital computer database. Outdoor air concentrations of ozone, particulates of Results A significant association was found between the number of asthma visits and the daily pollen count ( P = 0.014, SE=0.001). The effect was stronger for visits 1, 2, and 3 days after the pollen count ( P Conclusions Exacerbations of asthma severe enough to require visits to the hospital were associated with elevated concentrations of airborne pollens and particulates, with a significant delayed effect. Ozone, in the concentrations measured here, was not a risk factor for severe asthma exacerbations in children.
Crystal structure of the his-tagged saccharopine reductase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae at 1.7-Å resolution

The three-dimensional structure of the saccharopine reductase enzyme from the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was determined to 1.7-A resolution in the apo form by using molecular replacement. The enzyme monomer consists of three domains: domain I is a variant of the Rossmann fold, domain II folds into a α/β structure containing a mixed seven-stranded β-sheet as the central core, and domain III has an all-helical fold. Comparative fold alignment with the enzyme from Magnaporthe grisea suggests that domain I binds to NADPH, and domain II binds to saccharopine and is involved in dimer formation. Domain III is involved in closing the active site of the enzyme once substrates are bound. Structural comparison of the saccharopine reductase enzymes from S. cerevisiae and M. grisea indicates that domain II has the highest number of conserved residues, suggesting that it plays an important role in substrate binding and in spatially orienting domains I and III.
Terror Management Theory: Promoting Tolerance in Campus Safety Campaigns

Some of the most extreme acts of school violence like the Columbine and Virginia Tech shootings have raised awareness of the threats academic settings face. And yet, students continually believe their campus is safer than other campuses across the country. This study places rampage school shootings in the context of terrorism and examines campus safety campaigns through the lens of terror management theory. An analysis of sample campus safety campaign tactics demonstrates the potential for campus safety campaigns to actually decrease safety by spurring attacks on others as a protection mechanism. School violence and terror management literature is reviewed, the phenomenon of optimistic bias is described, and campus safety campaigns are analyzed to make recommendations for future research and campaign development.
Proposal for an improved impedance pneumograph.

Several methods of instrumenting the measurement of the variation in the transthoracic impedance with respiration in human subjects have been described in the literature. Most of these methods suffer from one or more disadvantages including non-linearity, system instability, and variation of calibration with changes in the total impedance of the subject. A new method of implementing the measurement of transthoracic impedance is proposed which overcomes to a large extent the aforementioned disadvantages, and also should prove to give more accurate data than other methods which have been described elsewhere in the literature.
Hyperconsumption in Reality Television: The Transformation of the Self through Televisual Consumerism

The new breed of television reality shows, such as Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, I Want a Famous Face, and The Swan, to name just a few, all specialize in “converting” their subjects’ lives throu...
Utilizing Excess Capacity of Current Launch Vehicles to Lift Secondary Payloads

Spacelift is a precious commodity that should never be wasted. Taking advantage of excess capacity on space launch vehicles is crucial to orbiting as many satellites as possible and is sometimes also the only path to orbit for many small and low-priority payloads. There have been many attempts to utilize this excess capacity over the years. Recent successes include the EELV secondary payload adapter (ESPA) and the manifesting of small secondary payloads on Minotaur and Falcon I launch vehicles. In most cases, the process of adding secondary payloads to an existing launch mission is problematic due to a variety of reasons including politics, funding, compatible requirements, and availability of crucial tools such as multi payload adapters. This paper will examine the factors that impact the development of multiple manifest launch missions. In particular it will identify the various types of secondary payloads that have been flown, outline the history of adapter development for smaller payloads, and identify the critical elements necessary to successfully manifest multiple satellites on one launch vehicle. Finally, this paper will outline a successful process to put small secondary payloads on all Minotaur launch vehicles and identify a growth path that others can follow to take advantage of excess launch capacity most efficiently.
Basic Principles of Cone Beam Computed Tomography

At the end of the millennium, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) heralded a new dental technology for the next century. Owing to the dramatic and positive impact of CBCT on implant dentistry and orthognathic/orthodontic patient care, additional applications for this technology soon evolved. New software programs were developed to improve the applicability of, and access to, CBCT for dental patients. Improved, rapid, and cost-effective computer technology, combined with the ability of software engineers to develop multiple dental imaging applications for CBCT with broad diagnostic capability, have played a large part in the rapid incorporation of CBCT technology into dentistry.
Distributed Cogeneration vs. Centralized Generation: A Technical Comparison

ABSTRACT Three distributed cogeneration (DG) and three centralized electricity technologies were compared for fuel use, private costs and externality costs from CO2, SO2 and NOX emissions. This generalized feasibility comparison investigated the benefits of Cogen/DG over a range of heat to power ratios (HPR). IC engines are found to be both economical and environmentally friendly. Micro-turbines are even better. Therefore, Cogen/DG provides economic, fuel use, and emissions savings in applications with well matched and consistent demands for electricity and heat.
Endothelial Angiotensin II Generation Induced by Placenta-derived Factors From Preeclampsia

Hypersensitivity to angiotensin II contributes to the increased vasoconstriction in preeclampsia. In this study, we determined whether placenta-derived factors could affect endothelial cell angiotensin II generation. Our results showed that more angiotensin II was produced by endothelial cells treated with preeclampsia placental conditioned medium than the cells treated with normal conditioned medium or untreated controls. To determine which pathway, angiotensin-converting enzyme or nonangiotensin-converting enzyme angiotensin-generating enzyme/chymase, might be involved in preeclampsia conditioned medium induced angiotensin II generation, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril and chymotrypsin inhibitors were applied to the cell culture either separately or in combination. We found that chymotrypsin inhibitor, but not captopril, could attenuate the increased angiotensin II generation. To further test specific effects of the protease on endothelial cell angiotensin II generation, endothelial cells were grown in cell culture inserts and chymotrypsin was added to the upper chamber of the cell culture (apical exposure). The medium in the lower chamber (basal direction) was collected and measured for angiotensin II. Our results showed that apical exposure of endothelial cells to the protease resulted in a concentration-dependent increase in basal release of angiotensin II. Angiotensin II receptor-1 expression was also upregulated in cells treated with preeclampsia conditioned medium or chymotrypsin. This data suggest that placenta-derived factors may activate chymase-angiotensin pathway in endothelial cells. Moreover, increased endothelial cell basal release of angiotensin II in response to the protease stimulation further suggests that angiotensin II levels in the circulation may not necessarily reflect angiotensin II generation within the vascular wall.
Drug Use, Attitudes, and Behaviors of Youth in an Urban Free Clinic

A questionnaire regarding drug use, attitudes, and behaviors was completed by youths attending a free clinic on randomly selected evenings. Compared to a sample of suburban high school youths, the clinic youths were heavier drug users and were more anti-establishment in their attitudes and behaviors. The clinic youth as a whole tended to have antiestablishment attitudes but within the sample drug use was, with specific exceptions, not related to such attitudes. Youths whose first drug was not marijuana tended to be relatively heavy users, as compared to youths who started with marijuana. Data regarding reasons for use are reported. A brief discussion focuses on society's influence on and implications with the phenomena of drug use and free clinics.
Recognition memory ROCs for item and associative information: The contribution of recollection and familiarity

Receiver-operating characteristics (ROCs) were examined in three recognition memory experiments. ROCs for item information (i.e., was this word presented?) were found to be curvilinear. However, ROCs for associative information (i.e., were these two words presented together?) were found to be linear. The results are in agreement with the predictions of a dual-process model that assumes that recognition judgments are -based on familiarity and recollection. Familiarity reflects the assessment of a continuous strength dimension and is well described as a signal detection process, whereas recollection reflects the retrieval of qualitative information about the study episode and behaves like a discrete threshold process. The results showed that memory judgments about items relied on a combination of recollection and familiarity, but that judgments about associations relied primarily on recollection. Further examination of the associative ROCs suggested that subjects were able to recollect that old pairs of items were in the study list, and, under some conditions, that new pairs were not in the study list.
Reliable and efficient RFID-based localization for mobile robot

This paper proposes a precise and low cost localization system for mobile robots by using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) module and RFID tags. The localization system consists of the RFID reader, the RFID tags, a mobile robot and an off-board computer. The proposed system is developed to solve the problems of localization and guiding for mobile robots at home, service, industrial and defense applications by tracking RFID tags, analyzing received signal strength indication and taking other metric into consideration. The critical metric is the velocity of mobile robot, which has significant influence on localization system and is the novel feature for the localization system. Multiple regression model and fuzzy logic are compared to locate the mobile robot. The experiment results demonstrated that the fuzzy logic system can be used to build localization system to locate mobile robots more accurately than multiple regression model. This paper illustrates the design and performance analysis of low cost and high accuracy localization system.
Hamiltonian formulation of (2+1)-dimensional QED on the light cone.

It is shown that an improper regularization in the light-cone quantization of field theories can introduce a violation of rotational invariance as well as spurious divergences. Several methods are developed to avoid or cure these problems, as required for a consistent renormalization procedure of gauge theories. Based on these methods, the light-cone Hamiltonian for (2+1)-dimensional QED is constructed. Extension to gauge theories in 3+1 physical dimensions is also discussed.
A second-generation constrained reaction volume shock tube

We have developed a shock tube that features a sliding gate valve in order to mechanically constrain the reactive test gas mixture to an area close to the shock tube endwall, separating it from a specially formulated non-reactive buffer gas mixture. This second-generation Constrained Reaction Volume (CRV) strategy enables near-constant-pressure shock tube test conditions for reactive experiments behind reflected shocks, thereby enabling improved modeling of the reactive flow field. Here we provide details of the design and operation of the new shock tube. In addition, we detail special buffer gas tailoring procedures, analyze the buffer/test gas interactions that occur on gate valve opening, and outline the size range of fuels that can be studied using the CRV technique in this facility. Finally, we present example low-temperature ignition delay time data to illustrate the CRV shock tube's performance.
Type 2 diabetes affects hippocampus volume differentially in men and women.

Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been shown to result in medical complications on several organ systems including the kidneys, eyes, cardiovascular system, and most recently described the brain, including the hippocampus. There is also evidence that females are disproportionately affected by these medical complications. Brain volume reductions have also been associated with chronic low-grade inflammation and dyslipidaemia. This study investigated the relationships among T2DM, gender, inflammation, dyslipidaemia, and hippocampal volumes. Method Participant groups consisted of 40 obese adults with T2DM and 47 lean adults, group-matched on age, gender, race, and education. Each participant underwent medical examination including a standard panel of blood tests, a magnetic resonance imaging, and cognitive evaluation. Results We show that there is a gender difference in the association of T2DM and hippocampal volumes: diabetic women are most affected despite having better glucose control than their male counterparts. Although females with T2DM had disproportionately lower high density lipoprotein as well as better haemoglobin A1c, neither of these results explained why females with T2DM had the smallest hippocampal volumes. Conclusions These important findings indicate that in addition to the higher rate of traditional medical complication, females with T2DM are likely to suffer more brain complications than males. These observations, if supported by larger studies, suggest that in the future gender could be considered when customizing diabetes treatment. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Local Existence of Strong Solutions to the 3D Zakharov-Kuznetsov Equation in a Bounded Domain

We consider here the local existence of strong solutions for the Zakharov-Kuznetsov (ZK) equation posed in a limited domain $\mathcal{M}=(0,1)_{x}\times(-\pi/2, \pi/2)^{d}$ , d=1,2. We prove that in space dimensions 2 and 3, there exists a strong solution on a short time interval, whose length only depends on the given data. We use the parabolic regularization of the ZK equation as in Saut et al. (J. Math. Phys. 53(11):115612, 2012) to derive the global and local bounds independent of ϵ for various norms of the solution. In particular, we derive the local bound of the nonlinear term by a singular perturbation argument. Then we can pass to the limit and hence deduce the local existence of strong solutions.
Cultural norms & business start-ups: the impact of national values on opportunity and necessity entrepreneurs

It has long been known that the level of entrepreneurship, indicated as the percentage of incorporated and unincorporated nascent businesses relative to the labor force differs strongly across countries. This variance is related to differences in levels of economic development (Wennekers et al. 2005), but also to diverging demographic, cultural, and institutional characteristics (Acs and Armington 2004; Busenitiz et al. 2000; Fusari 1996; Karlsson and Duhlberg 2003; Rocha 2004; Thurik et al. 2006; Wong et al. 2005). Incorporating an institutional perspective, the aim of this research is to test if culture, operationalized through the World Values Survey (WVS) data, is a significant factor in predicting opportunity and necessity entrepreneurship rates at the country level. Opportunity and necessity entrepreneurship rates will be averaged from the 2001 to 2003 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) and aggregated for 38 countries in this cross-sectional analysis.
Solution-Precipitation Deformation under an Applied Stress

It has prevoiusly been shown1 that the densification which takes place during the sintering of a solid-liquid mixture results from solubility differences caused by applied compressive stresses at the contact point between solid particles.
Comparison of collimation systems for small-angel neutron scattering

It is shown by simple first-order geometric arguments that for a given resolution the flux on a sample in a small-angle scattering instrument is independent of the form of the collimator or of the length of the instrument. Count rate may be increased by increasing the sample size, through the use of multi-aperture systems. In second order, it is shown to be advantageous to place the beam defining elements close to the source and the sample. The multiple-pinhole system gives maximum flux on small samples but has non-uniform illumination so that the intensity increases only about half as fast as the sample area. Soller slits and continuous tubes from source to sample were also considered, but neutron scattering and reflection from surfaces generate a large halo. Monte Carlo simulations confirm these results, with the conclusion that the optimum collimator configuration is the multiple-pinhole system.
Orosensory perception, speech production, and deafness.

The oral form-discrimination abilities of 18 orally educated and oriented deaf high school subjects were determined and compared to those of manually educated and oriented deaf subjects and normal-...
Synthesis, Structure, and Conformation of Aza[1n]metacyclophanes

N-Benzyl substituted aza[1n]metacyclophanes (n = 4, 6, 8, and 10) were prepared in overall 40% isolated yields via Pd-catalyzed aminations. Analyses of the reaction mixtures showed that aza[14]metacyclophane and the related polymer were the primary products (∼60% overall yield); aza[1n]metacyclophanes up to n = 14 and linear oligomers with up to 20 nitrogen atoms (with at least three types of end groups) were detected. Macrocyclic structures for n = 4, 6, and 10 were confirmed by X-ray crystallography. 1,3-Alternate (D2d) and 1,3,5-alternate (S6) conformations in solution on NMR time scale at low temperatures were found for macrocycles with n = 4 and n = 6, respectively; the barrier for ring inversion was considerably lower for the larger macrocycle.
Practical implications of implementing a unit record system on a community college campus

Little attention has been paid to the practical implications of implementing a unit record system on a community college campus. Potential benefits include the ability to capture student success and track outcomes for external compliance and internal planning efforts, but potential issues could impact the ability of a community college to manage the implementation of a system, including privacy, security, dealing with students who opt out, integration with current systems, data verification, and agency coordination. This chapter addresses the challenges and opportunities of implementing a unit record system on campus by addressing potential costs, benefits, and integration with already existing data and accountability processes.
Peptides with selective affinity for carbon nanotubes

Because of their extraordinary electronic and mechanical properties, carbon nanotubes have great potential as materials for applications ranging from molecular electronics to ultrasensitive biosensors. Biological molecules interacting with carbon nanotubes provide them with specific chemical handles that would make several of these applications possible. Here we use phage display to identify peptides with selective affinity for carbon nanotubes. Binding specificity has been confirmed by demonstrating direct attachment of nanotubes to phage and free peptides immobilized on microspheres. Consensus binding sequences show a motif rich in histidine and tryptophan, at specific locations. Our analysis of peptide conformations shows that the binding sequence is flexible and folds into a structure matching the geometry of carbon nanotubes. The hydrophobic structure of the peptide chains suggests that they act as symmetric detergents.
Intrauterine growing skull fracture

Growing skull fractures with development of leptomeningeal cysts are rare complications of head injuries and have not been described in the perinatal period. The case history of a newborn with bilateral parietal fractures and the formation of a leptomeningeal cyst on one side detected at birth is presented. The importance of radiographic evaluation, including skull films, computered tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging, as well as the associated subarachnoid cyst and the age of presentation are discussed.
CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT SYSTEM FOR STUDYING ROOT ZONE TEMPERATURE EFFECTS ON CUTTING PROPAGATION

An experimental controlled environment system for plant propagation was developed to provide three replications of a gradient in root zone temperature treatments to poinsettia cuttings. The system consisted of three propagation chambers and a transpiration chamber for water status tests. Control of VPDair and PAR was also possible. A unique component of the propagation chambers was the system of thermogradient tables that provided controlled bottom heating of the cutting medium in the root zone. Two different constant temperature water baths provided water that flowed through aluminum channels welded to opposite sides of an aluminum plate. The temperature of the two water sources could be set to provide a temperature gradient along the width of the plate. Cuttings were propagated in covered aluminum trays oriented along the length of the thermogradient table to provide multiple cuttings at different media temperatures. The thermogradient table maintained root zone temperatures within 0.5.C of all five treatment setpoints. The same source of plant material may be used for the replications, thus reducing the variability caused by differences in stock plant health and maintenance. Performance of the propagation chambers, some demonstrative results of use, and some limitations in ability to maintain air temperature and relative humidity in high radiation situations are presented.
On the relation of weather‐ and snow‐reports to winter sports

Last year I reprinted in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society [January and February, 1937] a classification of the forms of snow and ice by Gerald Seligman of Great Britain; this was quite detailed and seems to have attracted a good deal of practical interest in this country. I believe many of us were somewhat unaware of the complexities of the forms of snow and surprised to find that so much work had been done on them in Europe. In so far as winter sports and especially skiing are concerned,the need for a greater popular working knowledge of the different grades of snow was felt in New England some years ago when the sport first became widely indulged in. Our skiers began importing terms they had picked up in Alpine resorts and applying them here, but these were inevitably rather misunderstood or misapplied by our amateurs, so that the original meanings of some of the terms were lost and quite different ones substituted. Fortunately, so far, only several such conversions are deeply intrenched here, but the trend is evident unless skiers become better educated, about snow-craft, as European skiers know it. Park Carpenter, an enthusiastic Boston skier and editor of The Ski Bulletin, in 1932 or so, first mimeographed a classification with descriptions of snow-surface types for skiing which he obviously obtained for the most part from European sources such as Lunn. It was intended for observers who were sending in reports of the skiing conditions from certain resorts. Later he published some revisions which are still widely used in the northeast and to some extent elsewhere for reports sent to The Ski Bulletin (Boston) and perhaps by others.
Organized Labor, State Structures, and Social Policy Development: A Case Study of Old Age Assistance in Ohio, 1916-1940

In attempting to explain the relative underdevelopment of the American welfare state, one theory, based on a class conflict model, attributes the lack of comprehensive social benefits to the weakness of the labor movement. The state-centered approach, by contrast, locates social program development in aspects of state structures: party competition, autonomous activity of party officials and state bureaucrats, and state organizational structure. This historical case study of the initiation and implementation of old age assistance in Ohio demonstrates that neither a class conflict nor a state-centered model can adequately explain the development of American welfare programs. Old age assistance was shaped through the complex intersection of class and political factors involving different factions of the labor movement, party politics, and an expanding federal bureaucracy.
Electro-thermo-mechanical coupling in carbon fiber polymer matrix composites

Field coupling in electric-current-carrying composites is studied. Governing equations describing electromagnetic, thermal, and mechanical field interactions in anisotropic materials and a corresponding two-dimensional approximation for transversely isotropic plates are discussed. A problem of electric current–induced heating and the associated thermal stresses in the electrified carbon fiber polymer matrix composite plate is considered. A closed-form solution for the temperature distribution is obtained. It is shown that application of the electric current leads to a significant temperature gradient across the plate. This, in turn, results in a considerable rise of the in-plane compressive stresses in the direction transverse to the direction of the applied current.
Etiology of patent ductus arteriosus in dogs

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is the most common congenital heart disease in dogs and usually causes heart failure and death unless corrected at a young age. Previous histologic studies in a line of dogs derived from Miniature Poodles with hereditary PDA identified varying degrees of hypoplasia and asymmetry of ductus-specific smooth muscle and the presence of aortalike elastic tissue in the ductus wall sufficient to cause patency. To determine if similar structural abnormalities cause PDA in other dogs, serial-section, 3-dimensional histology of ductal architecture was studied in 8 non-Poodle purebred dogs with PDA with no immediate family history of PDA. Morphologic abnormalities were observed in 7 of 8 dogs with PDA and essentially were the same as those in dogs known to have a hereditary form of PDA. These findings suggest that apparently sporadic PDA in these breeds is caused by a genetic defect in the structure of the ductus arteriosus that is similar or identical to that in the Poodle. The relatives of dogs with PDA, particularly parents, offspring, and siblings, should be screened for evidence of PDA. Dogs with PDA should not be used for breeding, regardless of breed.
Spatially-explicit estimation of Wright's neighborhood size in continuous populations

Effective population size (Ne) is an important parameter in conservation genetics because it quantifies a population’s capacity to resist loss of genetic diversity due to inbreeding and drift. The classical approach to estimate Ne from genetic data involves grouping sampled individuals into discretely defined subpopulations assumed to be panmictic. Importantly, this assumption does not capture the continuous nature of populations genetically isolated by distance. Alternative approaches based on Wright’s genetic neighborhood concept quantify the local number of breeding individuals (NS) in a continuous population (as opposed to the global Ne). However, they do not reflect the potential for NS to vary spatially nor do they account for the resistance of a heterogeneous landscape to gene flow (isolation by resistance). Here, we describe an application of Wright’s neighborhood concept that provides spatially-explicit estimates of local NS from genetic data in continuous populations isolated by distance or resistance. We delineated local neighborhoods surrounding each sampled individual based on sigma (), a measure of the local extent of breeding. When  was known, the linkage disequilibrium method applied to local neighborhoods produced unbiased estimates of NS that were highly variable across the landscape. NS near the periphery or areas surrounded by high resistance was as much as an order of magnitude lower compared to the center, raising the potential for a spatial component to extinction vortex dynamics in continuous populations. When  is not known, it may be estimated from genetic data, but two methods we evaluated identified analysis extents that produced considerable bias or error in the estimate of NS. When  is known or accurately estimated, and the assumptions of Wright’s neighborhood are met, the method we describe provides spatially explicit information regarding short-term genetic processes that may inform conservation genetic analyses and management.
Blockade of the renin-angiotensin system in the diabetic

Abstract Key Words: Renin-angiotensin system; diabetes; nephropathy. *This activity is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from AstraZeneca.
Stratification substantially reduces behavioral variability in the hypoxic–ischemic stroke model

Stroke is the most common cause of long-term disability, and there are no known drug therapies to improve recovery after stroke. To understand how successful recovery occurs, dissect candidate molecular pathways, and test new therapies, there is a need for multiple distinct mouse stroke models, in which the parameters of recovery after stroke are well defined. Hypoxic-ischemic stroke is a well-established stroke model, but behavioral recovery in this model is not well described. We therefore examined a panel of behavioral tests to see whether they could be used to quantify functional recovery after hypoxic-ischemic stroke. We found that in C57BL/6J mice this stroke model produces high mortality (approximately one-third) and variable stroke sizes, but is fast and easy to perform on a large number of mice. Horizontal ladder test performance on day 1 after stroke was highly and reproducibly correlated with stroke size (P 18% foot faults and 2.1-fold larger strokes. This group exhibited significant functional deficits for as long as 3 weeks on the horizontal ladder test and through the last day of testing on automated gait analysis (33 days), rotarod (30 days), and elevated body swing test (EBST) (36 days). No deficits were observed in an automated activity chamber. We conclude that stratification by horizontal ladder test performance on day 1 identifies a subset of mice in which functional recovery from hypoxic-ischemic stroke can be studied.
Dearest Beloved: The Hawthornes and the Making of the Middle-Class Family

The marriage of Nathaniel and Sophia Hawthorne--for their contemporaries a model of true love and married happiness--was also a scene of revulsion and combat. T. Walter Herbert reveals the tragic conflicts beneath the Hawthorne's ideal of domestic fulfillment and shows how their marriage reflected the tensions within nineteenth-century society. In so doing, he sheds new light on Hawthorne's fiction, with its obsessive themes of guilt and grief, balked feminism and homosexual seduction, adultery, patricide, and incest.
Prevalence of Nonatheromatous Lesions in Peripheral Arterial Disease

Objective— The histopathology of peripheral arterial disease and the accompanying calcification are poorly defined, and it is not known whether this varies according to different risk factors. Approach and Results— Sections from 176 upper and lower leg arteries were examined histologically in specimens from amputations of 60 patients with peripheral arterial disease, of whom 58% had diabetes mellitus, 35% had end-stage renal disease, and 48% had a history of smoking. The most common findings were calcification of the media (72% of arteries) and intimal thickening without lipid (68% of arteries), with the presence of atheromas in only 23% of arteries. Intimal calcification occurred in 43% and was generally much less extensive than medial calcification. Nonatheromatous intimal thickening was frequently severe, resulting in complete occlusion in some vessels. The absence of lipid and macrophages was confirmed by staining with oil red O and staining for CD68. Other than a greater prevalence and severity of medial calcification in end-stage renal disease, the findings did not differ between diabetics, patients with end-stage renal disease, or smokers. Conclusions— The results indicate that the majority of arteries in patients with peripheral arterial disease have a vascular lesion that is distinct from atherosclerosis, suggesting a different pathogenesis. This pattern does not differ substantially between patients with different risk factors for peripheral arterial disease. The bulk of vascular calcification in the lower extremities is medial rather than intimal.
Conformational energies and hydrogen bonding in dichloroethanol

Abstract The conformational energy differences have been measured for 2,2-dichloroethanol in the neat liquid and in DMSO and H2O via Raman spectroscopy. In contrast to earlier results on 2-chloroethanol, ΔH was not markedly effected by dilution in these hydrogen bonding solvents. Spectra in the OH valence region were utilized to determine the energy difference between intra- and intermolecularly hydrogen bonded species. The result indicated stronger intramolecular hydrogen bond formation in dichloroethanol than in the monohalogenated alcohol.
Regulation of cellular levels of Sprouty2 protein by prolyl hydroxylase domain and von Hippel-Lindau proteins.

Sprouty (Spry) proteins modulate the actions of receptor tyrosine kinases during development and tumorigenesis. Decreases in cellular levels of Spry, especially Sprouty2 (Spry2), have been implicated in the growth and progression of tumors of the breast, prostate, lung, and liver. During development and tumor growth, cells experience hypoxia. Therefore, we investigated how hypoxia modulates the levels of Spry proteins. Hypoxia elevated the levels of all four expressed Spry isoforms in HeLa cells. Amounts of endogenous Spry2 in LS147T and HEP3B cells were also elevated by hypoxia. Using Spry2 as a prototype, we demonstrate that silencing and expression of prolyl hydroxylase domain proteins (PHD1–3) increase and decrease, respectively, the cellular content of Spry2. Spry2 also preferentially interacted with PHD1–3 and von Hippel-Lindau protein (pVHL) during normoxia but not in hypoxia. Additionally, Spry2 is hydroxylated on Pro residues 18, 144, and 160, and substitution of these residues with Ala enhanced stability of Spry2 and abrogated its interactions with pVHL. Silencing of pVHL increased levels of Spry2 by decreasing its ubiquitylation and degradation and thereby augmented the ability of Spry2 to inhibit FGF-elicited activation of ERK1/2. Thus, prolyl hydroxylase mediated hydroxylation and subsequent pVHL-elicited ubiquitylation of Spry2 target it for degradation and, consequently, provide a novel mechanism of regulating growth factor signaling.
Characterization of Superoxide Dismutase (SOD-1 and SOD-2) Activities in Inbred Mice: Evidence for Quantitative Variability and Possible Nonallelic SOD-1 Polymorphism

Liver Cu/Zn (SOD-1) and Mn (SOD-2) superoxide dismutase activities were determined in 12 inbred mouse lines. SOD-2 activity varied from 5 to 8 U/mg protein but was never more than 5% of the total. SOD-1 activity varied from 112 (SJL/J) to 155 (RF/J) U/mg protein, with the 12 strains falling into three activity classes. No correlation between SOD-1 activity and H-2 histocompatibility phenotype was observed, i.e., these two loci do not appear linked as previously suggested [Novak, R., Bosze, Z., Matkovics, B. and Fachet, J. (1980). Science 207:86]. Several tissues in all strains exhibited three SOD-1 charge electromorphs which did not differ in relative proportions between strains or tissues. The pI values of these three isozymes were 4.0, 4.5, and 5.0, respectively. The pI value of SOD-2 was 7.7. Both SOD-1 and SOD-2 were sensitive to CHCl3/EtOH extraction, but this sensitivity was not electromorph specific. Quantitation of the SOD-1 isozymic pattern indicated that the electromorphs were present at a ratio of 1:6:23 in order of increasing pI. Fitting of these data to a binomial distribution showed that they were consistent with the presence of two SOD-1 subunits (chains) of unequal pI. The mole fractions of the two chains were calculated to be 0.14 (lower-pI chain) and 0.86 (higher-pI chain). Since the mice used were highly inbred, this pattern could be due to unequal rates of transcription of linked, nonallelic SOD-1 loci, although other explanations are possible. The activity differences between SJL/J and RF/J appear large enough and the data precise enough to make genetic studies on the control of SOD-1 expression in the mouse practicable.
The stream polygon-a technique for 3D vector field visualization

We present a new method for the visualization of 3D vector fields called the Stream polygon: a regular, n-sided polygon, oriented normal to the local vector, The polygon can represent local deformation due to rigid body rotation and both normal and shear strain. In addition, the effects of translation and scalar functions may be represented by sweeping the stream polygon along the streamline, and by appropriately varying the radius and shading the surface of the resulting streamtube. In this paper we develop a mathematical foundation for the stream polygon, and provide examples with application to velocity field visualization.