cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
OUPS: A Combined Approach Using SMOTE and Propensity Score Matching

Building accurate classifiers is difficult when using data that is skewed or imbalanced which is typical of real world data sets. Two popular approaches that have been applied for improving classification accuracy and statistical comparisons of imbalanced data sets are: synthetic minority over-sampling technique (SMOTE) and propensity score matching (PSM). A novel sampling approach is introduced referred to as over-sampling using propensity scores (OUPS) that blends the two and is simple and easy to perform resulting in improvement in accuracy and sensitivity over both SMOTE and PSM. The performance of our proposed approach is assessed using a simulation experiment and several performance metrics are shown where this approach fares and falls in comparison to the others.
Newborn screening in Fragile X syndrome

Background: Screening for the FMR1 mutations has been a topic of considerable discussion since the FMR1 gene was identified. However, Fragile X has not been recommended for newborn screening mainly because of the lack of an accurate screening test and of data on potential benefits. We have recently developed an improved Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method for the identification of premutation and full mutation alleles for the FMR1 gene. Method: The method is inexpensive, accurate and quick and can be performed on a number of sample templates including, importantly, blood spots. We have applied this method for international screening. Specifically, we have screened 5267 anonymous blood spot samples from newborn males from the centre-northwest region of Spain. We have also used this technology to a pilot ‘high risk’ screening program of individuals with autism and/or intellectual disabilities and family members of a proband with fragile X initiated in Guatemala. This project is a prototype for future screening endeavours. Results: One important outcome from this study is that the frequency of premutation alleles (1 per 250) appears to be higher than previously reported. This is of importance, especially in view of the different phenotypic involvement observed in carriers of premutation alleles, including neurological problems such as FXTAS. Here, we present data on the frequency of premutation/full alleles found in this population and their size distribution. Conclusion: This project is a prototype for future screening endeavours. Results from our pilot program in both Spain and Guatemala will lend strong support for implementing this technology for rapid screening to a much larger scale population screening.
On the history of therapeutic integration

The hope of finding a way to integrate the various approaches to psychotherapy dates back some 50 years. This article highlights some of the trends in this area, which recently appear to be gaining momentum. Therapists of psychodynamic, behavioral, and humanistic orientations are beginning to become more interested in determining common elements that cut across their different frameworks and are starting to acknowledge that characteristics that are unique to other approaches might conceivably complement their own intervention procedures. The documentation of these trends is concluded by noting some of the barriers that keep the field of psychotherapy from reaching a consensus and ultimately being guided by a new and more comprehensive paradigm.
Molecular evidence for the gnathobasic derivation of arthropod mandibles and for the appendicular origin of the labrum and other structures

Mandibles are feeding appendages functioning as ”jaws” in the arthropod groups in which they occur. Which part of this appendage is involved in food manipulation (limb tip versus limb base), has been used to suggest phylogenetic relationships among some of the major taxa of arthropods (myriapods, crustaceans, and insects). As a way to independently verify the conclusions drawn from previous morphological analyses, we have studied the expression pattern of the gene Distal-less (Dll), which specifies the distal part of appendages. Our results show, in contrast to the traditional view, that both insect and crustacean adult mandibles are gnathobasic, handling food with the basal portion of the appendage. Furthermore, as is evident by the reduction in the number of Dll-expressing cells in the later developmental stages, adult diplopod jaws are also gnathobasic. Thus, jaws of all mandibulates (myriapods, crustaceans, and insects) seem to have a similar gnathobasic structure. We have also found that Dll is expressed in the labra of all arthropod taxa examined, suggesting that this structure is of appendicular derivation. Additionally, the spinnerets and book lungs of spiders, long considered on other grounds to be modified appendages, express Dll, confirming this interpretation. This study shows that, in addition to their use in phylogenetic and population genetic studies, molecular markers can be very useful for inferring the origins of a particular morphological feature.
Synthesis and Characterization of Copper(II), Zinc(II), and Potassium Complexes of a Highly Fluorinated Bis(pyrazolyl)borate Ligand

Highly fluorinated, dihydridobis(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolyl)borate ligand, [H2B(3,5-(CF3)2Pz)2]- has been synthesized and characterized as its potassium salt. The copper(II) and zinc(II) complexes, [H2B(3,5-(CF3)2Pz)2]2Cu and [H2B(3,5-(CF3)2Pz)2]2Zn, have been prepared by metathesis of [H2B(3,5-(CF3)2Pz)2]K with Cu(OTf)2 and Zn(OTf)2, respectively. All the new metal adducts have been characterized by X-ray diffraction. The potassium salt is polymeric and shows several K···F interactions. The Cu center of [H2B(3,5-(CF3)2Pz)2]2Cu adopts a square planar geometry, whereas the Zn atom in [H2B(3,5-(CF3)2Pz)2]2Zn displays a tetrahedral coordination. Bis(pyrazolyl)borate ligands in the Zn adduct show a significantly distorted boat conformation. The nature and extent of this distortion is similar to that observed for the methylated analog, [H2B(3,5-(CH3)2Pz)2]2Zn. This ligand allows a comparison of electronic effects of bis(pyrazolyl)borate ligands with similar steric properties. Crystallographic data for [...
Effects of DNA sequence and histone-histone interactions on nucleosome placement.

Using competitive reconstitution, we have refined the parameters for the binding of histone octamers to artificial nucleosome-positioning sequences of the form: (A/T3nn(G/C)3nn. We find that the optimal period between flexible segments is approximately 10·1 base-pairs, supporting the view that the DNA on the nucleosome surface is overwound. The strongest requirement for flexible DNA is near the protein dyad. However, we see no indication of changes in DNA helical repeat in this region. Using a series of repetitive sequences, we confirm that neither all A/T-rich nor all G/C-rich regions are identical in promoting nucleosome formation. Surprisingly, A/T-rich segments containing the TpA step, subject to purine-purine clash in the minor groove, favor nucleosome formation over sequences lacking this step. Short tracts of adenine residues are found to position on the histone surface like other A/T-rich regions, in the manner predicted by the direction of their sequence-directed bends as determined by electrophoretic methods. Tracts containing five adenine residues are extremely aniostropic in their flexibility and are strongly detrimental to nucleosome formation when positioned for major groove compression. Longer adenine tracts are found to position near the ends of the nucleosomal DNA. However, other positions may be occupied by an A12 tract, with only a minor penalty in the free energy of nucleosome formation. Overall, reconstituted nucleosome positions are translationally degenerate, suggesting a weak dependence on DNA flexibility for nucleosome positioning. Dinucleosomal reconstitutions on tandem dimers of the 5 S RNA gene of Lytechinus variegatus demonstrate a weak phasing dependence for the interaction between nucleosomes. This interaction is maximal for the 202 base-pair repeat and suggests a co-operative mechanism for the formation of ordered nucleosomal arrays based on a combination of DNA flexibility and nucleosome-nucleosome interactions.
Emergence of the American manufacturing belt: an interpretation

Abstract This study proposes that the American manufacturing belt emerged during the antebellum years as a replicated set of regional industrial systems. A broad-based set of demands spurred the growth of regional manufactures, including the pivotal producer durables sector. Eastern regions industrialized first, and they were followed by frontier regions in the Midwest. The relative importance of regional market manufactures declined over time and multiregional/national market manufactures increased. Regional industrial systems became increasingly specialized; the result was higher levels of interregional trade in industrial specialties. The decline of regional market manufactures eroded the bases for the emergence of regional industrial systems by the 1860s. The westward spread of the manufacturing belt ended, and internal differentiation and structural change within the belt were characteristics of late nineteenth century industrialization. The South failed to join the manufacturing belt during the antebellum years because regional demands for manufactures were insufficient to support important regional industrial systems. It lacked the bases to participate significantly in late nineteenth century industrialization.
Application of nonlinear dynamic analysis in the identification and control of nonlinear systems—II. More complex dynamics

This paper proposes a novel identification and controller design method for nonlinear systems. The identification algorithm is based upon normal form theory, a method borrowed from the dynamic analysis area. The goal of normal form theory is to derive simple nonlinear systems with polynomial vector fields. These polynomial models, derived around singularities (points in the parameter space which organize certain dynamic behavior) yield simple dynamic models. Knowing the qualitative dynamics which the singularity contains and the structure of the normal form, the relationship between structure of a simple dynamic model and its dynamics is resolved. By finding normal forms for many singularities, and thus many different types of dynamics, the relationship between model structure and dynamics can be tabulated. To use these tabulated model structures, one must know a priori the qualitative nature of the plant dynamics in the operating region of interest; then one selects the appropriate dynamic normal form model which becomes the basis for the design of a controller. Extending the previous work1, this paper treats the case of complex two-dimensional dynamics characterized by higher codimension singularities. The identification algorithm will be illustrated with reference to the ubiquitous nonisothermal Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor as a plant to be controlled. This plant exhibits very interesting nonlinear behavior and is thus a very good example to illustrate this novel identification technique. Plant data will be obtained in many operating regions containing interesting nonlinear behavior. Simple nonlinear normal form models are chosen from the above list, and these models are shown to be sufficient for control in the operating region using a nonlinear geometric controller.
Improving the performance of youth with dual sensory impairment: Analyses and social validation of procedures to reduce maladaptive responding in vocational and leisure settings

One group that presents special problems for vocational and leisure skills interventions comprises persons who are severely handicapped and deaf-blind. To date, the focus of many treatment programs for this population has been on reduction of nonfunctional, interfering, or harmful behaviors, such as stereotypy, self-injury, and aggression. Although deceleration procedures have been shown to reduce maladaptive responding, there are few data available to determine whether decreasing inappropriate responses impacts on adaptive functioning in natural environments. Such data are especially important, given the emergence of groups proscribing the use of many behavior reduction strategies. Thus, the current investigation attempted to assess both direct and concurrent effects as well as the social validity of a combined differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) plus overcorrection program to eliminate behavior problems exhibited by two youths with profound mental retardation and deaf-blindness. Results indicated: (a) Maladaptive behaviors were controlled with behavioral interventions, and effects were maintained for at least 6 months; (b) concurrent effects of treatment included increased time on-task and increased productivity, neither of which was targeted directly; and (c) subject's performance in vocational settings was rated by independent judges as significantly improved following treatment.
Moderating disconfirmation of expectations through the use of two-sided appeals: A longitudinal approach

Abstract This study utilizes a longitudinal approach to investigate the effects of agradual versus a more dramatic increase in prior consumer expectations on post-trial evaluation and purchase intention through subjects' exposure to a one-sided or two-sided refutational appeal.The results show that (1) the two-sided refutational appeal resulted in higher product evaluations and intention ratings after trial relative to the one-sided appeal for all experimental conditions; and (2) the two-sided appeal moderates consumer disconfirmation and an observed contrast effect when expectations are increased gradually. For these reasons, increased use of two-sided refutational appeals by advertisers is recommended.
Examining the Cumulative Effects of Protective Factors: Resiliency Among a National Sample of High-Risk Youths

Abstract Research has consistently suggested that individuals from high-risk environments who experience multiple risk factors are most susceptible to becoming delinquent. A substantial portion of these individuals, however, are resilient to the pressures within high-risk environments and thus do not become delinquent. While past research has identified protective factors that are independently correlated with resiliency, relatively few studies have investigated the cumulative effects that protective factors possess in promoting resiliency. Using a sample of 711 individuals from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, Child-Mother data set, this study investigates the cumulative effects of protective factors in fostering resiliency. The findings suggest that the accumulation of protection is positively correlated with resiliency over and above the effects of risk. The theoretical and policy implications of these findings are discussed.
Adult Cardiac Cystic Lymphangiectasia of the Right Atrium

Cardiac lympangiectasia is a rare pathological dilation of the lymphatic channels of the heart. Diagnosis is made by pathology; however, there remains no definitive diagnostic study. There are reports of cardiac cystic lymphangiectasias in children. A case of right atrial lymphangiectasia, initially identified by echocardiography, is presented here. This is the first report of such a mass.
Particle size measurements of automotive diesel emissions

Abstract The automative diesel engine has long been acknowledged as being “dirtier” than the spark ignition engine and its particulate emissions may be carcinogenic. Possible solutions to the diesel emission problem are combustion modification or aftertreatment devices. Selection of candidate aftertreatment devices requires knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of the particles, including particle morphology, size distribution, mass concentration and emission rates in the exhaust gas stream. The study reported here represents the first of a series of experiments designed to characterize the exhaust emissions and test various aftertreatment devices. This paper deals only with the particulate characterization phase of the program. Results of size distribution, particle concentration and mass emission rate measurements for a 5.71 displacement Oldsmobile diesel engine are given for a variety of engine operating conditions.
Interaction of alcohols with [val5]angiotensin in alcohol-water mixtures.

Intermolecular solvent−solute NOE experiments have been used to probe interactions of various alcohols with the peptide hormone [val5]angiotensin II at 0 °C. It is found that these NOEs are detecta...
Performance capabilities of two types of variable-reluctance stepping motors

The question considered in this paper is the ultimate performance limitations of variable-reluctance stepping motors. It has been shown that solving the problem of matching a stepping motor to a load reveals two key parameters needed to characterize its performance for point-to-point positional control. These parameters are the work per step and the upper limit on stepping frequency when the motor runs free of its load. These parameters apply when certain operating conditions, termed ''Class I operation'', are satisfied. The electromagnetically limited performance capability of two types of stepping motors is examined in terms of the above two parameters. The types considered are machines with armature motion parallel to the air gap and those with armature motion normal to the air gap. Expressions are derived that relate the key performance parameters to the physical dimensions of the machines and to basic properties of materials. It is concluded that the machines with motion normal to the air gap potentially offer superior performance to those with parallel motion, at least over size ranges of greatest interest. However the full realization of this superior performance will not be possible until the mechanical problem of converting small linear displacements into shaft rotation is solved in an efficient manner.
The last amphicyonid (Mammalia, Carnivora) in Africa

Amphicyonidae are a common element of carnivoran faunas in the early and middle Miocene of Eurasia and North America, but by the Messinian they had become extinct there, except possibly on the Indian subcontinent. In Africa, amphicyonids are poorly known from a scattering of records from the late Oligocene to the late Miocene. In this paper, we describe the last-surviving amphicyonid in Africa, from Messinian-age sediments (dated c. 6.5-5.3 Ma) of Ethiopia (Gona) and Kenya (Lothagam and possibly Lemudong’o). Th is new taxon shows unique adaptations to hypercarnivory in the lower molars and was small for an amphicyonid, dentally about the size of a coyote, Canis latrans.
Effect of electron-irradiation on void formation in helium-pre-injected aluminium films.

Abstract The effect of 200 kv electron-irradiation on evaporated aluminium films pre-injected with 35 kev helium ions has been studied. With a fluence of 1 × 1015 ions/cm2 of helium, the damage produced consisted of voids 30–40 A in diameter and dislocation loops 200 A in diameter. Such damage was observed to be enhanced by in-situ electron-irradiation at room temperature (≃ 0.3 Tm ) with a flux of 1 × 1019 electrons/cm2-sec. The enhancement was in the form of increased void number density and void volume in addition ‘to increased interstitial dislocation loop density and loop area. This effect appeared to be temperature-dependent, since a decrease in void volume with a smaller increase in interstitial dislocation loop area was observed on electron-irradiation at 100°C (0°4 Tm ). The annealing of helium-pre-injected films, prior to electron-irradiation, at 100°C resulted in a large increase in void volume accompanied by a slight decrease in dislocation loop number density and loop area although loop size ...
Circularly polarized luminescence studies of the adducts formed with Eu(III) β-diketone complexes and (−)-sparteine

Abstract The optical activity resulting from the complexation of (—)-sparteine by a series of Eu(III) β-diketone compounds has been studied by means of circularly polarized luminescence spectroscopy. It was found that the presence of at least one perfluoro group was necessary for the formation of an adduct complex. With Eu(III) complexes containing achiral β-diketone ligands, it was found that the observed chirality could be considered to result from a combination of vicinal and conformational effects. With Eu(III) complexes containing chiral β-diketone ligands, the optical activity was found to be dominated by configurational effects.
Neoliberalism, Corruption, and Legacies of Contention: Argentina’s Social Movements, 1993-2006

Beginning in 1993, an innovative grassroots wave of social and political contention spread throughout Argentina. A heterogeneous mass of unemployed and otherwise disadvantaged citizens created alte...
Analysis of Expert Judgment in a Hail Forecasting Experiment

Abstract This study compared meteorologists, an expert system, and simple weighted-sum models in a limited-information hail forecasting experiment. It was found that forecasts made by meteorologists were closely approximated by an additive model, and that the model captured most of their forecasting skill. Furthermore, the additive model approximated the meteorologists’ forecasts better than the expert system did. Results of this study am consistent with the results of extensive psychological research on judgment and decision making processes. Potential implications are discussed.
Inflammatory bowel disease surgery in the biologic therapy era.

Purpose of review The relationship between surgery and biologic agents in the management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease continues to be a source of interest for both surgeons and clinicians. Recent findings The role of biologic agents in patients with varying presentations of Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis continues to evolve. However, the currently available biologic therapies are clearly not the panacea we have desired because they have only marginally decreased the frequency with which operative intervention is required and may have increased the risk for infectious postoperative complications in the nonelective setting. Compared to surgery, biologic agents are also significantly more costly and may not provide any greater gain in quality of life. Summary Future studies must focus on the use of surgery and emerging biologic agents as complementary therapies designed to safely control inflammatory disease while providing objective value.
Does flooding influence the types and proportions of prey delivered to nestling Mississippi Kites

ABSTRACT Mississippi Kites (Ictinia mississippiensis) nesting in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, USA, have consistently exhibited poor reproductive success, reduced average clutch sizes, and evidence of food stress during brood-rearing, raising concerns about population viability. Unlike populations elsewhere, kites nesting in the bottomland forests of this region face dynamic, anthropogenically altered hydrologic conditions that may be affecting the availability of important prey. Therefore, we quantified nestling diets and examined factors thought to be directly influencing the types and proportions of prey delivered to kite nestlings. Specifically, we sought to identify variables affecting the delivery of annual cicadas, the dominant prey item fed to kite chicks in numerous systems, as cicada emergence from subterranean burrows is known to be delayed by flooding. Using time-lapse video, we documented nestling diets and evaluated predictors of diet variability in east-central Arkansas, USA. We found th...
Microporous membrane blood oxygenators

Extracorporeal blood oxygenators are used to oxygenate blood during open-heart surgery. Hydrophobic microporous flat-sheet or hollow-fiber membranes are used to separate blood and gas phases. Oxygen diffuses from the gas phase through the gas-filled membrane pores into the blood. Mass-transfer and friction-factor correlations have been developed for flat-sheet and hollow-fiber blood oxygenators. Generalized Graetz, Reynolds, and Schmidt numbers are used in these correlations to account for the shear-thinning behavior of blood. Because oxygen not only dissolves in plasma but also binds to hemoglobin, a mass-transfer enhancement factor based on film theory has been developed to account for oxygen binding to hemoglobin. Experimental results for oxygen transfer to bovine blood and both non-Newtonian and Newtonian blood analogue fluids indicate that the correlations developed may be used to predict the performance of a blood oxygenator based on results for an experimentally simple system such as the oxygenation of deionized water. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 51: 656–670, 2005
Hepatitis B: An Overlooked STI, a Silent Threat, a Global Disease

In the Western world, exposure to hepatitis B virus (HBV) occurs in adulthood via sexual or percutaneous transmission. One-third develop acute hepatitis, while half undergo a subclinical course. Both groups acquire antibodies. The remaining 5-10% of adults develop chronic HBV, the majority of whom are immunocompromised (HIV, chronic renal dialysis or immunosuppression). In endemic regions, primary infection occurs perinatally. Nearly 90% of neonates become chronic HBV carriers. While neonates are at high risk in endemic regions, sexual exposure remains the most common risk factor in the United States. Populations at risk are those with infected partners, multiple partners, or same-sex male partners. Untreated, 25-40% of chronically infected individuals develop cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Following the discovery of HBV, Blumberg also developed an HBV vaccine using HBV-infected human plasma. Produced during the AIDS epidemic, while highly efficacious, recombinant vaccine replaced plasma because of concern the plasma could be coinfected. The 1980s yielded another triumph in the fight against HBV. Again, as HIV came to the forefront of public and political attention, research began in the field of anti-HIV drugs. The anti-HBV drugs used today, starting in 1998, were actually discovered to be efficacious in trials developed for HIV patients. HIV-patients coinfected with HBV showed regression of HBV while on HIV therapy. Currently, these therapies delay disease progression and reduce the incidence of HCC. Now armed with both preventative and therapeutic measures for HBV, coupled with increased awareness and education, the eradication of HBV as we move into the 21 st century seems within grasp.
Mycobacterium marinum Escapes from Phagosomes and Is Propelled by Actin-based Motility

Mycobacteria are responsible for a number of human and animal diseases and are classical intracellular pathogens, living inside macrophages rather than as free-living organisms during infection. Numerous intracellular pathogens, including Listeria monocytogenes, Shigella flexneri, and Rickettsia rickettsii, exploit the host cytoskeleton by using actin-based motility for cell to cell spread during infection. Here we show that Mycobacterium marinum, a natural pathogen of fish and frogs and an occasional pathogen of humans, is capable of actively inducing actin polymerization within macrophages. M. marinum that polymerized actin were free in the cytoplasm and propelled by actin-based motility into adjacent cells. Immunofluorescence demonstrated the presence of host cytoskeletal proteins, including the Arp2/3 complex and vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein, throughout the actin tails. In contrast, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein localized exclusively at the actin-polymerizing pole of M. marinum. These findings show that M. marinum can escape into the cytoplasm of infected macrophages, where it can recruit host cell cytoskeletal factors to induce actin polymerization leading to direct cell to cell spread.
A Framework for Distributed Monitoring and Root Cause Analysis for Large IP Networks

As the size of a centrally managed IP network increases, the cost of monitoring network devices and the number of reported events increase super-linearly. This in turn degrades the performance of the event correlation engine that is responsible for suppressing dependent events and escalating root cause events to a network administrator. To solve this scalability problem, we propose a distributed framework that partitions the network into smaller management domains and enables concurrent monitoring and event correlation in those domains. The gain in performance, however, comes with the challenge of correlating cross-domain events which occurs when failure in one domain induces events in other domain(s). In this paper, we investigate such situations and show in the worst case it would be impossible to determine the root cause. We propose a two step approach to solve this problem. First, we define a property called route-closure, which if satisfied by every partition not only minimizes the number of cross-domain events but also eliminates cases wherein root cause analysis may be inconclusive. We also describe a technology-centric partitioning mechanism that constructs partitions satisfying the route-closure property. Next, we propose a distributed architecture to efficiently identify and correlate cross-domain events. We use a commercial network management system to implement our distributed framework and run experiments by injecting synthetic events on large, real network topologies. Our experimental results show that our approach can manage over 200,000 managed entities and handle event bursts of size 15,000 in under five minutes without compromising the efficacy of event correlation.
Contextual Cueing: Implicit Learning and Memory of Visual Context Guides Spatial Attention ☆ ☆☆

Global context plays an important, but poorly understood, role in visual tasks. This study demonstrates that a robust memory for visual context exists to guide spatial attention. Global context was operationalized as the spatial layout of objects in visual search displays. Half of the configurations were repeated across blocks throughout the entire session, and targets appeared within consistent locations in these arrays. Targets appearing in learned configurations were detected more quickly. This newly discovered form of search facilitation is termed contextual cueing. Contextual cueing is driven by incidentally learned associations between spatial configurations (context) and target locations. This benefit was obtained despite chance performance for recognizing the configurations, suggesting that the memory for context was implicit. The results show how implicit learning and memory of visual context can guide spatial attention towards task-relevant aspects of a scene.
Obesity‐induced inflammation: a metabolic dialogue in the language of inflammation

Obesity induces an inflammation state that is implicated in many clinically important complications, including insulin resistance, diabetes, atherosclerosis and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Although the cause and the molecular participants in this process remain incompletely defined, adipose tissue has a central role. Obesity-induced production of pro-inflammatory molecules, typified by TNF-alpha was recognized more than a dozen years ago, and since then more than two dozen other pro-inflammatory molecules induced by obesity have been identified. More recently a critical role for immune cells, specifically mononuclear phagocytes, in generating the obesity-induced inflammation has been identified. Defining the molecular and cellular components of obesity-induced inflammation offers the potential of identifying therapeutic targets that can ameliorate the complications associated with obesity.
City Teachers: Teaching and School Reform in Historical Perspective

A study of teachers' work in urban schools in a period of intense school reform, as teachers and schools coped with an ever-larger and diverse student body. This text raises questions about the actual effect of school reform on teaching, curriculum, employment policy and school administration.
A Boundary Condition for Porous Electrodes

A boundary condition for electrolyte concentration at the porous electrode/separator interface is developed. This boundary condition helps predict the electrolyte concentration profile in the porous electrode without having to solve for the concentration profile in the separator.
Controlling NBTI degradation during static burn-in testing

Negative Bias Temperature Instability (NBTI) has emerged as the dominant PMOS device failure mechanism in the nanometer VLSI era. The extent of NBTI degradation of a PMOS device increases dramatically at elevated operating temperature and supply voltage. Unfortunately, both these conditions are concurrently experienced by a VLSI chip during the process of burn-in testing. Our analysis shows that even with a short burn-in duration of 10 hours, the degradation accumulated can be as much as 60% of the NBTI degradation experienced over 10 years of use at nominal conditions. Static burn-in testing in particular is observed to cause most NBTI degradation due to absence of relaxation phase unlike the case for dynamic burn-in testing. The delay of benchmark circuits is observed to increase by over 10% due to static burn-in testing. We propose the first technique to reduce the NBTI degradation during static burn-in test by finding the minimum NBTI induced delay degradation vector (MDDV) based on timing criticality and threshold voltage change (ΔV TH ) sensitivity of the cells. Further, only a subset of the input pins need to be controlled for NBTI reduction, thus our technique allows other objectives (such as leakage reduction) to be considered simultaneously. Experimental results show that the NBTI induced critical path delay degradation can be reduced by more than 50% using our proposed technique.
How soil moisture mediates the influence of transpiration on streamflow at hourly to interannual scales in a forested catchment

The water balance equation dictates that streamflow may be reduced by transpiration. Yet temporal disequilibrium weakens the relationship between transpiration and streamflow in many cases where inputs and outputs are unbalanced. We address two critical knowledge barriers in ecohydrology with respect to time, scale dependence and lags. Study objectives were to correlate components of the water balance equation at hourly to annual scales, quantify time lags, and simplify critical components of the water budget during wet and dry conditions. We tested interrelationships among precipitation, vapour pressure deficit, transpiration, soil moisture, and streamflow within the confines of a 60-hectare forested watershed in the western Cascades of Oregon. The Pacific Northwest is an ideal location to compare wet and dry seasons because of its Mediterranean climate. Soil moisture explained more than 80% of the variation in streamflow at all temporal scales investigated. Streamflow was most strongly coupled to soil moisture in the wet season because of gravitational drainage patterns; strong coupling of transpiration to vapour pressure deficit was dominant in the dry season and driven by low humidity. We observed progressively longer hourly time lags between soil moisture and streamflow in the dry season, which relates to an increasing soil moisture deficit that took an average of 48 days to refill after the onset of winter rains. We propose that transpiration drives seasonal patterns in soil moisture that relate to patterns in streamflow only after long time lags. In other words, soil moisture mediates the influence of transpiration on streamflow. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Crack in the Crystal Ball Prolonged Exposure to Media Portrayals of Social Roles Affect Possible Future Selves

A prolonged-exposure experiment, spanning 10 days, investigated how gender-typed portrayals in magazines affect young women’s visions of their personal future. Competing hypotheses regarding impacts on possible future selves were derived from social cognitive theory and social comparison theory. Women (N = 215) viewed magazine pages with females in either professional or caretaker roles, as beauty ideals, or without individuals (control group). Gender-typed roles remained salient 3 days after last exposure. Portrayals of professionals and caretakers instigated more negative responses related to personal future than beauty ideals. Thus, despite much advocacy for increasing the number of strong female role models in the media, the perpetuation of traditional beauty ideals makes women feel more positively about their future.
Axon collaterals in the thalamic reticular nucleus from thalamocortical neurons of the rat ventrobasal thalamus

Thalamocortical relay neurons from the rat ventrobasal nucleus were identified physiologically and injected intracellularly with horseradish peroxidase. The axons of these cells were followed through serial sections in order to determine if collaterals were given off within the ventrobasal nucleus or the thalamic reticular nucleus. No local collaterals were seen in the ventrobasal nucleus, thus indicating that interactions between relay cells in this nucleus are minimal. Of axons that could be followed into the internal capsule, 76% gave off visible collaterals in the thalamic reticular nucleus. Half of these axons had collaterals showing extensive branching with the potential of innervating a large number of thalamic reticular neurons. The other half had short, simple branches of restricted extent. No correlations were found between the physiological properties of a cell and the existence or extent of axon collaterals. These results describe the anatomical basis for the initial part of a feedback loop through the thalamic reticular nucleus that provides the major inhibitory influence on rat ventrobasal neurons.
Intraoperative Progress Reports Decrease Family Members' Anxiety

The researcher used a four-group quasi-experimental posttest design to examine the effect of intraoperative progress reports on 200 family members' anxiety. Group one (ie, control group) received standard perioperative care, which did not include intraoperative progress reports. Group two received in-person progress reports from perioperative nurses. Group three received an "attention" protocol (ie, checklist explaining hospital routines, waiting room procedures). Group four received progress reports delivered by telephone. The researcher compared family members' state anxiety scores, mean arterial pressures (MAPs), and heart rates measured halfway during their relatives' surgical procedures, measuring these dependent variables after providing the interventions. The in-person intraoperative progress report group reported lower state anxiety scores (P < .001) and had significantly lower MAPs and heart rates (P < .05) than the other three groups. In-person progress reports appear to be the most beneficial perioperative nursing intervention for reducing family members' anxiety during the intraoperative waiting period.
Using naturalistic driving data to examine drivers' seatbelt use behavior: Comparison between teens and adults

PROBLEM: Teens and young drivers are often reported as one driver group that has significantly lower seatbelt use rates than other age groups. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to address the questions of whether and how seatbelt-use behavior of novice teen drivers is different from young adult drivers and other adult drivers when driving on real roads. METHOD: Driving data from 148 drivers who participated in two previous naturalistic driving studies were further analyzed. The combined dataset represents 313,500 miles, 37,695 valid trips, and about 9500h of driving. Drivers did not wear their seatbelts at all during 1284 trips. Two dependent variables were calculated, whether and when drivers used seatbelts during a trip, and analyzed using logistic regression models. RESULTS: Results of this study found significant differences in the likelihood of seatbelt use between novice teen drivers and each of the three adult groups. Novice teen drivers who recently received their driver's licenses were the most likely to use a seatbelt, followed by older drivers, middle-aged drivers, and young drivers. Young drivers were the least likely to use a seatbelt. Older drivers were also more likely to use seatbelts than the other two adult groups. The results also showed that novice teen drivers were more likely to fasten their seatbelts at the beginning of a trip when compared to the other three adult groups. SUMMARY: Novice teen drivers who were still in the first year after obtaining their driver's license were the most conservative seatbelt users, when compared to adult drivers. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Findings from this study have practical application insights in both developing training programs for novice teen drivers and designing seatbelt reminder and interlock systems to promote seatbelt use in certain driver groups. Language: en
Imaging for Knee and Shoulder Injuries

Knee ■ Knee radiographs of the acutely injured knee in the emergency department are rarely useful for determining therapy, except in patients with any of the following conditions: isolated tenderness of the patella, tenderness at the head of fibula, inability to flex 90°, inability to bear weight both immediately and in the emergency department for a total of four steps, or if the patient is an adult aged 55 or older (strong evidence). ■ Physical examination by an experienced pediatric physician is as accurate as an MRI to diagnose articular cartilage injury, discoid lateral meniscus, anterior cruciate ligament tears, and medial meniscal tear (limited evidence). An MRI is likely more accurate for lateral meniscal tears. However, if the MRI study is interpreted by a physician experienced with the skeletally immature patient, the accuracy could be superior, and additional associated pathology can be identified (limited evidence). ■ An MRI in the setting of osteochondritis dissecans plays an important role in a specific subgroup of patients where it is imperative to assess the integrity of the overlying cartilage (limited evidence). ■ An MRI in the setting of discoid lateral meniscus plays a role in identifying the state of the meniscus in order to assess surgical reparability and also to identify superimposed pathology, such as articular cartilage damage (limited evidence).
Remote Chemical Detection Using SUPER-CARS

We introduce a method for remote chemical detection that utilizes Single Ultrafast Pulse Excitation for remote coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (SUPER-CARS).
A Prefrontal-Hippocampal Comparator for Goal-Directed Behavior: The Intentional Self and Episodic Memory

The hypothesis of this article is that the interactions between the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus play a critical role in the modulation of goal-directed self-action and the strengthening of episodic memories. We describe various theories that model a comparator function for the hippocampus, and then elaborate the empirical evidence that supports these theories. One theory which describes a prefrontal-hippocampal comparator for voluntary action is emphasized. Action plans are essential for successful goal-directed behavior, and are elaborated by the prefrontal cortex. When an action plan is initiated, the prefrontal cortex transmits an efference copy (or corollary discharge) to the hippocampus where it is stored as a working memory for the action plan (which includes the expected outcomes of the action plan). The hippocampus then serves as a response intention-response outcome working memory comparator. Hippocampal comparator function is enabled by the hippocampal theta rhythm allowing the hippocampus to compare expected action outcomes to actual action outcomes. If the expected and actual outcomes match, the hippocampus transmits a signal to prefrontal cortex which strengthens or consolidates the action plan. If a mismatch occurs, the hippocampus transmits an error signal to the prefrontal cortex which facilitates a reformulation of the action plan, fostering behavioral flexibility and memory updating. The corollary discharge provides the self-referential component to the episodic memory, affording the personal and subjective experience of what behavior was carried out, when it was carried out, and in what context (where) it occurred. Such a perspective can be applied to episodic memory in humans, and episodic-like memory in non-human animal species.
The varied presentations of papillary thyroid carcinoma cervical nodal disease: CT and MR findings.

PURPOSE To review the varied presentations of metastatic cervical lymph node disease in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma. METHODS Thirteen cases were retrospectively collected and their clinical, imaging, surgical, and pathologic material was reviewed. In the cases reviewed there was no clinical or imaging evidence of a primary thyroid mass. RESULTS On CT, metastatic nodes can have multiple discrete calcifications, appear as benign cysts or hyperplastic or hypervascular nodes, or have areas of high attenuation which reflect intranodal hemorrhage and/or high concentrations of thyroglobulin. On MR, the nodes can have low to intermediate T1- and high T2-weighted signal intensities or high T1- and T2-weighted signal intensities, the latter reflecting primarily a high thyroglobulin content. CONCLUSION If any of these varied appearances of cervical lymph nodes are identified on CT or MR, especially in a woman between 20 and 40 years of age, the radiologist should suspect the diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma, even in the absence of a thyroid mass.
Environmental endocrine disruptors: Effects on the human male reproductive system.

Incidences of altered development and neoplasia of male reproductive organs have increased during the last 50 years, as shown by epidemiological data. These data are associated with the increased presence of environmental chemicals, specifically “endocrine disruptors,” that interfere with normal hormonal action. Much research has gone into testing the effects of specific endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on the development of male reproductive organs and endocrine-related cancers in both in vitro and in vivo models. Efforts have been made to bridge the accruing laboratory findings with the epidemiological data to draw conclusions regarding the relationship between EDCs, altered development and carcinogenesis. The ability of EDCs to predispose target fetal and adult tissues to neoplastic transformation is best explained under the framework of the tissue organization field theory of carcinogenesis (TOFT), which posits that carcinogenesis is development gone awry. Here, we focus on the available evidence, from both empirical and epidemiological studies, regarding the effects of EDCs on male reproductive development and carcinogenesis of endocrine target tissues. We also critique current research methodology utilized in the investigation of EDCs effects and outline what could possibly be done to address these obstacles moving forward.
Macro-adaptation in Conversational Intelligent Tutoring Matters

We present in this paper the findings of a study on the role of macro-adaptation in conversational intelligent tutoring. Macro-adaptivity refers to a system's capability to select appropriate instructional tasks for the learner to work on. Micro-adaptivity refers to a system's capability to adapt its scaffolding while the learner is working on a particular task. We compared an intelligent tutoring system that offers both macro- and micro-adaptivity fully-adaptive with an intelligent tutoring system that offers only micro-adaptivity. Experimental data analysis revealed that learning gains were significantly higher for students randomly assigned to the fully-adaptive intelligent tutor condition compared to the micro-adaptive-only condition.