cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Classifying Publics: Communication Behaviors and Problem-Solving Characteristics in Controversial Issues

Addressing criticisms about the current segmentation methods of publics in public relations, this study adopts a new theoretical framework of Communicative Action in Problem Solving (CAPS) in order to elaborate on J. E. Grunig (1997)'s typology of publics in a way that captures the dynamics in communication during issue evolution and devolution. Using 34 qualitative interviews, this study identified 7 different types of publics based on their activeness in problem solving, and explored the communicative characteristics in each type of public. The findings have implications for further segmenting subgroups within the active and aware publics (the most crucial groups in issues), and contribute to theoretical development in the identification of publics.
A laminate composite with a crack normal to the interfaces

Abstract The redistribution of stresses in a laminate composite due to the presence of a crack or flaw situated normal to the bond lines is studied. The many-layered composite is idealized to the case of a single layer of dissimilar material containing a crack which is sandwiched between two other layers of infinite height. The elastic properties of the two outer layers are assumed to be averaged properties over a large number of layers. Using the integral transform technique, the problem is formulated in terms of integral equations and solved for the singular stress field near the crack tip. The effects of crack size, layer height and the material properties of the composite on the stress-intensity factor are illustrated graphically. Presumably, this factor can be used to characterize the strength of a composite in the same way as it has been applied successfully to the single phase material within the framework of the linear theory of fracture mechanics. Calculations are also carried out for approximating the stress-intensity factors for a crack inclined at an arbitrary position in the sandwiched layer. This is accomplished by taking the two extreme cases of a crack parallel and normal to the interfaces as the upper and lower bound solutions depending upon the relative stiffness of the layers.
Teaching in Real-time Wireless Classrooms*

This paper describes the educational opportunities and challenges of teaching in a real-time wireless classroom (WC) environment. The WC environment allows instructors to replace the conventional blackboard and chalk classroom with a collaborative, networked, portable classroom environment. WCs provide a wide variety of new instructional possibilities, including collaborative presentations and whiteboard interaction, live audio and video, animated examples, independent and instructor-directed web surfing, and other powerful multimedia methods. However, making effective use of these real-time interactive capabilities is not straightforward, and there are many challenges involved with teaching in such an environment. This paper describes our practical experiences teaching with WCs the past year. We discuss the costs and effort needed to prepare course materials for a WC and report on recent experiments that integrate the WC environment with a distance learning effort.
The Association between Group Procedural MOPs and Group Discussion Procedure

Although some descriptions of group discussion have characterized group process as an overall sequence of functionally organized linear stages, others have emphasized the presence of short proposal-centered “reach-testing” sequences recurring (“spiraling”) throughout the discussion. Research has indicated that people’s preconceived notions of ideal group procedure (their “group procedural memory organization packets [MOPs]”) can be classified as linear, reach-testing, or some compromise between the two. A study was performed to examine whether groups consisting solely of these three MOP types differed in group process and output. The results showed linear groups to spiral less often than reach-testing and compromising groups, but the content of these spirals did not differ among the types. Across MOP types, group process revealed aspects of both linear and reach-testing models. Group output did not differ reliably among the three types.
Abdominal abscess as a cause of intestinal obstruction in the newborn infant.

Summary An unusual case of intestinal obstruction in the newborn caused by an intra-abdominal abscess is presented. This abscess had its origin during fetal life.
Comparison of Model Forecast Skill of Sea Level Pressure along the East and West Coasts of the United States

Abstract Despite recent advances in numerical weather prediction, major errors in short-range forecasts still occur. To gain insight into the origin and nature of model forecast errors, error frequencies and magnitudes need to be documented for different models and different regions. This study examines errors in sea level pressure for four operational forecast models at observation sites along the east and west coasts of the United States for three 5-month cold seasons. Considering several metrics of forecast accuracy, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) model outperformed the other models, while the North American Mesoscale (NAM) model was least skillful. Sea level pressure errors on the West Coast are greater than those on the East Coast. The operational switch from the Eta to the Weather Research and Forecasting Nonhydrostatic Mesoscale Model (WRF-NMM) at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) did not improve forecasts of sea level pressure. The results als...
Conformation of the acylation site of palmitoylgramicidin in lipid bilayers of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine.

Gramicidin A(gA) can be palmitoylated by means of an ester linkage to the OH group of the terminal ethanolamine that sits at the membrane-water interface in the functional gA channel. We have investigated palmitoyl-gA as a model transmembrane acylprotein. Ethanolamine-d(4) (NH(2)CD(2)CD(2)OH) was incorporated into gA by total synthesis, and a portion of the labeled gA was palmitoylated. Solid-state (2)H-NMR spectra of acyl- and nonacyl-gA in hydrated dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) bilayers were compared. The spectra for both oriented and nonoriented samples at 4 and at 40 degrees C indicate that the ethanolamine of gA is highly mobile prior to acylation, but essentially immobile after palmitoylation. The (2)H quadrupolar splittings allow the conformation of the ethanolamine group in acyl-gA to be determined. By combining our data with the previously determined quadrupolar splittings for deuterium labels on the palmitoyl chain [Vogt, T.C.B., Killian, J.A., & de Kruijff, B. (1994) Biochemistry 33, 2063-2070], we also propose a model for the acyl chain. The ethanolamine group rotates over Leu(10) and toward the outside of the gA channel's cylinder upon acylation, so that the attached acyl chain passes between the side chains of Trp(9) and Leu(10). To accommodate the acyl chain, the six-membered portion of the indole ring of Trp(9) is displaced by about 0.9 angstroms, by means of 1-2 degree rotations in chi(1) and chi(2).
Practical decomposition for physically admissible differential Mueller matrices

The differential Mueller matrix expresses the local action of an optical medium on the evolution of a propagating electromagnetic field, including partially coherent and partially polarized waves. Here, we present a derivation of the differential Mueller matrix from the canonical form of Type I Mueller matrices without making use of the exponential generators of uniform media. We demonstrate how to practically obtain this parameterization numerically using an eigenvalue decomposition and find validity criteria to ensure that the matrix satisfies the constraints of a physical system. This provides a convenient tool-set to investigate depolarization effects and extends previous treatments of the differential Mueller matrix formalism.
Physiology of feeding preference patterns of female black blowflies (Phormia regina Meigen) I. The role of carbohydrate reserves.

The relative effectiveness of 0. 1 M sucrose and 10% yeast extract in eliciting feeding by femalePhormia regina has been shown to be related to the fly's carbohydrate reserve levels. Females that have had ad lib. access to 0.1 M sucrose (S flies, standard condition) take larger drinks of 10% yeast than 0.1 M sucrose starting at three days of age, indicating that 10% is the more effective feeding stimulus. Females that have had ad lib. access to 0.1 M sucrose and 10% yeast (S/Y flies, standard condition) always drink more 0.1 M sucrose than 10% yeast (Fig. 1). S/Y (standard condition) flies appear to respond to the yeast as if it were dilute carbohydrate: the volumes of 0.1 M sucrose and 10% yeast that they drink fluctuate in parallel. S (standard condition) flies respond to the yeast differently: starting day 3, their drink volumes of 10% yeast increase as drink volumes of 0.1 M sucrose decrease. The elevation of the volume of 0.1 M sucrose drunk by flies whose carbohydrate reserve levels have been depleted by diet, starvation or flight (Figs. 2–4) supports the hypothesis that some physiological state or process related to carbohydrate metabolism regulates the fly's responsiveness to yeast extract. Possible mechanism by which the fly translates carbohydrate reserve level into feeding preference are discussed. Available evidence points to a CNS phenomenon, probably involving the stomatogastric nervous system. The pattern of the selective feeding cycle of femalePhormia can be explained in terms of the accumulation and utilization of carbohydrate reserves.
Cognitive state classification in a spoken tutorial dialogue system

Abstract This paper addresses the manual and automatic labelling, from spontaneous speech, of a particular type of user affect that we call the cognitive state in a tutorial dialogue system with students of primary and early middle school ages. Our definition of the cognitive state is based on analysis of children’s spontaneous speech, which is acquired during Wizard-of-Oz simulations of an intelligent math and physics tutor. The cognitive states of children are categorized into three classes: confidence , puzzlement , and hesitation . The manual labelling of cognitive states had an inter-transcriber agreement of kappa score 0.93. The automatic cognitive state labels are generated by classifying prosodic features, text features, and spectral features. Text features are generated from an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system; features include indicator functions of keyword classes and part-of-speech sequences. Spectral features are created based on acoustic likelihood scores of a cognitive state-dependent ASR system, in which phoneme models are adapted to utterances labelled for a particular cognitive state. The effectiveness of the proposed method has been tested on both manually and automatically transcribed speech, and the test yielded very high correctness: 96.6% for manually transcribed speech and 95.7% for automatically recognized speech. Our study shows that the proposed spectral features greatly outperformed the other types of features in the cognitive state classification experiments. Our study also shows that the spectral and prosodic features derived directly from speech signals were very robust to speech recognition errors, much more than the lexical and part-of-speech based features.
Cardiac safety strategies. 25-26 October 2005, the Radisson SAS Hotel, Nice, France.

This meeting was organised by IIR Life Sciences. It was chaired by Brian Guth, (head of General Pharmacology at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma) and brought together scientists and clinicians from the pharmaceutical industry, university and regulatory agencies. The meeting presented emerging trends in cardiac safety, including its regulatory context pertaining to ICH S7A, S7B and E14. ICH S7A and S7B highlight the importance of the hERG test and telemetric studies in non-rodents. ICH E14 describes the clinical ‘thorough QT study’ that is required by the FDA for any new drug. Marked physiological variability in QT interval over time can be observed, partly as a result of fluctuation in autonomic tone. Beat-to-beat QT variability and T-wave morphology should be considered as a part of an integrated estimate of proarrhythmic risk. A case study illustrated the predictivity of preclinical data for proarrhythmic risk in humans, showing the importance of evaluating QT effects in patients to establish a safety margin.
The Two-Stage RC Low-Pass Matched Filter

In a recent correspondence [1] practical constructions of matched filters for three-pulse signal waveshapes were shown. In each case, the matched filters were realized as a prefilter in cascade with a comb filter utilizing a delay line. The purpose of this correspondence is to present results that demonstrate how closely the simple two-stage RC low-pass filter approximates the matched filters for five different signal pulse shapes.
Progressive dendritic HCN channelopathy during epileptogenesis in the rat pilocarpine model of epilepsy.

Ion channelopathy plays an important role in human epilepsy with a genetic cause and has been hypothesized to occur in epilepsy after acquired insults to the CNS as well. Acquired alterations of ion channel function occur after induction of status epilepticus (SE) in animal models of epilepsy, but it is unclear how they correlate with the onset of spontaneous seizures. We examined the properties of hyperpolarization-activated cation (HCN) channels in CA1 hippocampal pyramidal neurons in conjunction with video-EEG (VEEG) recordings to monitor the development of spontaneous seizures in the rat pilocarpine model of epilepsy. Our results showed that dendritic HCN channels were significantly downregulated at an acute time point 1 week postpilocarpine, with loss of channel expression and hyperpolarization of voltage-dependent activation. This downregulation progressively increased when epilepsy was established in the chronic period. Surprisingly, VEEG recordings during the acute period showed that a substantial fraction of animals were already experiencing recurrent seizures. Suppression of these seizures with phenobarbital reversed the change in the voltage dependence of Ih, the current produced by HCN channels, but did not affect the loss of HCN channel expression. These results suggest two mechanisms of HCN channel downregulation after SE, one dependent on and one independent of recurrent seizures. This early and progressive downregulation of dendritic HCN channel function increases neuronal excitability and may be associated with both the process of epileptogenesis and maintenance of the epileptic state.
Opioid misuse among adolescents: new evidence from a misclassification analysis.

Background Non-medical prescription-opioid (NMPO) use has been declared a national epidemic in the US. Opioid misuse is associated with substantial physiological, psychological, and concomitant economic implications. NMPO use among adolescents warrants special attention given its prevalence and the high risk of addiction.
A novel split kinesin assay identifies motor proteins that interact with distinct vesicle populations.

Identifying the kinesin motors that interact with different vesicle populations is a longstanding and challenging problem with implications for many aspects of cell biology. Here we introduce a new live-cell assay to assess kinesin–vesicle interactions and use it to identify kinesins that bind to vesicles undergoing dendrite-selective transport in cultured hippocampal neurons. We prepared a library of “split kinesins,” comprising an axon-selective kinesin motor domain and a series of kinesin tail domains that can attach to their native vesicles; when the split kinesins were assembled by chemical dimerization, bound vesicles were misdirected into the axon. This method provided highly specific results, showing that three Kinesin-3 family members—KIF1A, KIF13A, and KIF13B—interacted with dendritic vesicle populations. This experimental paradigm allows a systematic approach to evaluate motor–vesicle interactions in living cells.
Myosin I Links PIP3 Signaling to Remodeling of the Actin Cytoskeleton in Chemotaxis

Class I myosins participate in various interactions between the cell membrane and the cytoskeleton. Several class I myosins preferentially bind to acidic phospholipids, such as phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2], through a tail homology 1 (TH1) domain. Here, we show that the second messenger lipid phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP3) binds to the TH1 domain of a subset of Dictyostelium class I myosins (ID, IE, and IF) and recruits them to the plasma membrane. The PIP3-regulated membrane recruitment of myosin I promoted chemotaxis and induced chemoattractant-stimulated actin polymerization. Similarly, PIP3 recruited human myosin IF to the plasma membrane upon chemotactic stimulation in a neutrophil cell line. These data suggest a mechanism through which the PIP3 signal is transmitted through myosin I to the actin cytoskeleton.
Biological effects of simple changes in functionality on rhodium metalloinsertors

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) is crucial to ensuring the fidelity of the genome. The inability to correct single base mismatches leads to elevated mutation rates and carcinogenesis. Using metalloinsertors–bulky metal complexes that bind with high specificity to mismatched sites in the DNA duplex–our laboratory has adopted a new chemotherapeutic strategy through the selective targeting of MMR-deficient cells, that is, those that have a propensity for cancerous transformation. Rhodium metalloinsertors display inhibitory effects selectively in cells that are deficient in the MMR machinery, consistent with this strategy. However, a highly sensitive structure–function relationship is emerging with the development of new complexes that highlights the importance of subcellular localization. We have found that small structural modifications, for example a hydroxyl versus a methyl functional group, can yield profound differences in biological function. Despite similar binding affinities and selectivities for DNA mismatches, only one metalloinsertor shows selective inhibition of cellular proliferation in MMR-deficient versus -proficient cells. Studies of whole-cell, nuclear and mitochondrial uptake reveal that this selectivity depends upon targeting DNA mismatches in the cell nucleus.
Osmotic control of plasma vasopressin in anesthetized dogs.

The relation between plasma osmolality (pOsm) and the concentration of immunoreactive vasopressin in plasma from an external jugular vein (pAVP) was studied in dogs prepared with carotid loops and anesthetized with chloralose-pentobarbital. Control mean pAVP was 0.6-1.0 microM/ml, after 24 h of dehydration pAVP was tripled. Isosmotic volume expansion for 10 min elicited a decrease in pAVP in all cases not associated with low control values of pAVP. I.v. hyperosmotic infusions (delta pOsm: 9 or 18 mOsm/kg in 10 min) increased pAVP. No significant alterations in pAVP occurred in relation to infusions during which the head or the remainder of the body was selectively supplied by hyperosmotic blood. Statistically, the distribution of the pAVP values suggests the existence of two populations, in euhydrated animals high concentrations (greater than 8 microU/ml) were found in a small fraction of the samples. It is concluded that (i) in chloralose-anesthetized, non-traumatized dogs pAVP is very similar to values found in venous plasma from conscious dogs, (ii) the pAVP measurements support the concept of an episodic secretion of vasopressin, and (iii) under the present circumstances, an ubiquitous increase in pOsm is a more effective stimulus for vasopressin release than a similar but selective increase in the osmolality of the blood flowing towards the head.
Engineering teams up with computer-simulation and visualization tools to probe biomolecular mechanisms.

I thank Linjing Yang for preparation of the figures and Ravi Radhakrishnan for reading a draft of this article.
Flow rate and duty cycle effects in lysis of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii using high-energy pulsed focused ultrasound.

To consider microalgae lipid biofuel as a viable energy source, it is a necessity to maximize algal cell lysis, lipid harvest, and thus biofuel production versus the energy used to lyse the cells. Previous techniques have been to use energy consumptive ultrasound waves in the 10–40 kHz range in a stationary exposure environment. This study evaluated the potential of using 1.1 MHz ultrasound pulses in a new flow through type chamber on Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a model organism for cell breakage. The ultrasound was generated using a spherically focused transducer with a focal length of 6.34 cm and an active diameter of 6.36 cm driven by 20 cycle sine-wave tone bursts at varied pulse repetition frequencies. First, variations in flow rate were examined at a constant duty cycle of 3.6%. After assessing flow rates, the duty cycle was varied to further explore the dependence on the tone burst parameters. Cell lysis was assessed by quantifying protein and chlorophyll release into the supernatant as well as by lipid extractability. Appropriate flow rates with higher duty cycles led to statistically significant increases in cell lysis relative to controls and other exposure conditions.
Use of alpha-adrenergic inhibitors in treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and implications on sexual function

t e d s p s o o h he prevalence of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) increases with age. In fact, advanced age nd normal androgenic function are the disease’s wo most well-established etiologic factors.1 In en between 21 and 30 years of age, the normal rostate achieves a mean weight SD of 20 6 g Fig. 1).2 In men older than 40 years, however, the revalence of prostatic enlargement increases in an lmost exponential fashion, with reported rates of pproximately 40% in men aged 50 years and more han 80% in men aged 70 years or older. The presnce of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in en is suggestive of the presence of BPH.3 Data rom a general practice database in the United ingdom indicate that the incidence of LUTS as a arker of clinically significant BPH increases linarly from the ages of 45 to 85 years, and the prevlence of BPH increases from 3.5% to 35% between 0 and 80 years or age. BPH is the result of glandular and stromal hyperlasia in the tissue surrounding the proximal urehra.4 Nodules tend to be predominantly stromal in he periurethral zone and predominantly glandular n the transitional zone. With time, the hyperplasic areas develop a nodular configuration and enroach on the urethra. Symptoms of LUTS owing o BPH can be divided into obstructive (static) and rritative (dynamic) components. Static manifestaions include hesitancy and a weak urinary stream nd are predominantly related to the formation nd hyperplasia of androgen-dependent glandular/ tromal nodules. Increased frequency of urination, octuria, and urgency are all dynamic manifestaions. These symptoms can be linked to an alpha1-
Millisecond kinetics of photoinduced changes in the optical parameters of a − As 2 S 3 films

We report the kinetics of photoinduced changes in absorption coefficient, optical band gap, and refractive index of $\mathrm{a}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}{\mathrm{S}}_{3}$ films by measuring the time evolution of complete transmission spectrum between 400 and $800\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}$ at every $10\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{milliseconds}$. The wavelength dependence of the time constants invalidates previously assumed parallel shift of the absorption edge, and provides a better description of photodarkening and other photoinduced effects. The time evolution of the absorption coefficient and optical band gap is significantly faster than that of the refractive index. The time constants of the reversible, transient part of the changes are also wavelength dependent. We use the photon-assisted site switching model and defects around $S$ atoms to explain the observed changes.
The rise and growth of entrepreneurial companies in China: case study of two ventures (1994-2010)

We discuss the slow birth, gradual rise and explosive growth of entrepreneurial companies in China as part of Deng Xiaoping’s economic reform (1978–1989) from both a political and a practical perspective. This reform was the driving force in China’s spectacular rise in world competitiveness from a ranking of 54 (among 127 countries) in 2006 to 26 (among 142 countries) in 2011. We then present the 17-year case history of a pioneering Chinese entrepreneur, Li Lin, who started and grew two entrepreneurial companies: Nanhui, the first private foreign automobile repair and maintenance shop in Beijing; and Eduassess, the first English language educational testing service for Chinese primary and high schools. We analyse the reasons why the first venture succeeded and the second failed. We conclude by summarising the success factors of Deng’s economic reform and the lessons learned from the two case histories, which could be useful to entrepreneurs, economic development officials and venture capitalists in China, Korea, Vietnam and other developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Inference for two-stage adaptive treatment strategies using mixture distributions

Summary. Treatment of complex diseases such as cancer, leukaemia, acquired immune deficiency syndrome and depression usually follows complex treatment regimes consisting of time varying multiple courses of the same or different treatments. The goal is to achieve the largest overall benefit defined by a common end point such as survival. Adaptive treatment strategy refers to a sequence of treatments that are applied at different stages of therapy based on the individual's history of covariates and intermediate responses to the earlier treatments. However, in many cases treatment assignment depends only on intermediate response and prior treatments. Clinical trials are often designed to compare two or more adaptive treatment strategies. A common approach that is used in these trials is sequential randomization. Patients are randomized on entry into available first-stage treatments and then on the basis of the response to the initial treatments are randomized to second-stage treatments, and so on. The analysis often ignores this feature of randomization and frequently conducts separate analysis for each stage. Recent literature suggested several semiparametric and Bayesian methods for inference related to adaptive treatment strategies from sequentially randomized trials. We develop a parametric approach using mixture distributions to model the survival times under different adaptive treatment strategies. We show that the estimators proposed are asymptotically unbiased and can be easily implemented by using existing routines in statistical software packages.
STRUCTURE OF THE LUTEINIZING HORMONE RECEPTOR GENE AND MULTIPLE EXONS OF THE CODING SEQUENCE

The genomic structure of the LH receptor is important to our understanding of its expression mechanisms, functional domains, relationships with other hormone receptors, and evolution. We have isolated four overlapping cosmid clones and six subgenomic clones of the rat LH receptor gene. They span a total of 95.6 kilobases (kb) and extend from 23 kb upstream of the translation start site to 13 kb down-stream of the stop codon. In addition, part of the human LH receptor gene has been isolated. The coding region of the rat hormone receptor gene spans over 60 kb and consists of 11 exons and 10 introns. Southern blots hybridized with exon 1 and exon 11 probes as well as gene dose analyses demonstrate that a single copy gene encodes the rat LH receptor. Sequence comparison suggests that the porcine and human LH receptor genes have similar, if not identical, exon-intron structures. There is no consensus cAMPresponsive element within 600 basepairs up-stream of the translation start site in spite of the cAMP respon...
Mixed allogeneic chimerism and tolerance to composite tissue allografts.

The development of effective immunosuppressive drugs has made solid organ allotransplantation the preferred approach for treatment of end-organ failure. The benefits of these immunosuppressants outweigh their risks in preventing rejection of lifesaving solid-organ allografts. On the contrary, composite tissue allotransplants are non-lifesaving and whether the risks of immunosuppressants justify their benefits is a subject of debate. Hence, composite tissue allografts (CTA) have not enjoyed widespread clinical application for reconstruction of large tissue defects. Therefore, a method of preventing rejection that would eliminate the need for toxic immunosuppressants is of particular importance in CTA. Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) to establish mixed chimerism induces tolerance to a variety of allografts in animal models. This article reviews mixed chimerism-based tolerance protocols. Their limitations and their relevance to CTA are discussed, highlighting some unique characteristics (high antigenicity and the presence of active bone marrow) that make CTAs different from solid organ allografts. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc. MICROSURGERY 20:441‐447 2000 The development of microsurgical techniques with specialized microscopes, instrumentation and microsutures, together with a thorough understanding of regional distribution of vascular anatomy, has made replantation of amputated body parts or transplantation of autologous tissue(s) standard care for reconstructing large tissue defects. At the same time, the development of effective and relatively nontoxic immunosuppressive drug regimens has made solid organ allotransplantation the preferred approach for the treatment of end-organ failure. 1 Even though several important discoveries have made available, new immunosuppressive drugs that are much less toxic than their predecessors, drug toxicity continues to pose the main challenge in solid-organ transplantation. These immunosuppressive drugs act systemically to suppress the immune system in a nonspecific way that in turn causes an increased risk of neoplasms, opportunistic infections, and end-organ toxicity. 2,3
Extension of a Proton SEU Cross Section Model to Include 14 MeV Neutrons

A model for estimating proton SEU cross sections from heavy-ion test data has been extended to include 14 MeV neutrons. Accuracy is less consistent for neutrons, but predictions can still be used for upper bounds.
3-D FDTD simulation of shear waves for evaluation of complex modulus imaging

The Navier equation describing shear wave propagation in 3-D viscoelastic media is solved numerically with a finite differences time domain (FDTD) method. Solutions are formed in terms of transverse scatterer velocity waves and then verified via comparison to measured wave fields in heterogenous hydrogel phantoms. The numerical algorithm is used as a tool to study the effects on complex shear modulus estimation from wave propagation in heterogeneous viscoelastic media. We used an algebraic Helmholtz inversion (AHI) technique to solve for the complex shear modulus from simulated and experimental velocity data acquired in 2-D and 3-D. Although 3-D velocity estimates are required in general, there are object geometries for which 2-D inversions provide accurate estimations of the material properties. Through simulations and experiments, we explored artifacts generated in elastic and dynamic-viscous shear modulus images related to the shear wavelength and average viscosity.
Statistical inference, the bootstrap, and neural-network modeling with application to foreign exchange rates

We propose tests for individual and joint irrelevance of network inputs. Such tests can be used to determine whether an input or group of inputs "belong" in a particular model, thus permitting valid statistical inference based on estimated feedforward neural-network models. The approaches employ well-known statistical resampling techniques. We conduct a small Monte Carlo experiment showing that our tests have reasonable level and power behavior, and we apply our methods to examine whether there are predictable regularities in foreign exchange rates. We find that exchange rates do appear to contain information that is exploitable for enhanced point prediction, but the nature of the predictive relations evolves through time.
Parental acceptability of contraceptive methods offered to their teen during a confidential health care visit.

Purpose To examine parental acceptability of contraceptive methods offered confidentially to their adolescent daughter.
The transcription factor NF-E2-related Factor 2 (Nrf2): a protooncogene?

The transcription factor Nrf2 is responsible for regulating a battery of antioxidant and cellular protective genes, primarily in response to oxidative stress. A member of the cap 'n' collar family of transcription factors, Nrf2 activation is tightly controlled by a series of signaling events. These events can be separated into the basal state, a preinduction response, gene induction, and finally a postinduction response, culminating in the restoration of redox homeostasis. However, despite the immensely intricate level of control the cellular environment imposes on Nrf2 activity, there are many opportunities for perturbations to arise in the signaling events that favor carcinogenesis and, therefore, implicate Nrf2 as both a tumor suppressor and a protooncogene. Herein, we highlight the ways in which Nrf2 is regulated, and discuss some of the Nrf2-inducible antioxidant (NQO1, NQO2, HO-1, GCLC), antiapoptotic (Bcl-2), metabolic (G6PD, TKT, PPARγ), and drug efflux transporter (ABCG2, MRP3, MRP4) genes. In addition, we focus on how Nrf2 functions as a tumor suppressor under normal conditions and how its ability to detoxify the cellular environment makes it an attractive target for other oncogenes either via stabilization or degradation of the transcription factor. Finally, we discuss some of the ways in which Nrf2 is being considered as a therapeutic target for cancer treatment.—Shelton, P., Jaiswal, A. K. The transcription factor NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2): a protooncogene?
Multi-layer planar terahertz electric metamaterials on flexible substrates

Planar electric metamaterials fabricated on thin, flexible substrates are studied using terahertz-time domain spectroscopy. Transmission measurements are performed to analyze dielectric properties on single and multiple stacked samples and reveal strong resonances at 1.2 THz.
Living Large: The Powerful Overestimate Their Own Height

In three experiments, we tested the prediction that individuals' experience of power influences their perceptions of their own height. High power, relative to low power, was associated with smaller estimates of a pole's height relative to the self (Experiment 1), with larger estimates of one's own height (Experiment 2), and with choice of a taller avatar to represent the self in a second-life game (Experiment 3). These results emerged regardless of whether power was experientially primed (Experiments 1 and 3) or manipulated through assigned roles (Experiment 2). Although a great deal of research has shown that more physically imposing individuals are more likely to acquire power, this work is the first to show that powerful people feel taller than they are. The discussion considers the implications for existing and future research on the physical experience of power.
Evaluation of the cross-cultural health assessment as an interdisciplinary method of cultural competency education

Background: Although there are numerous educational models to guide cultural competency training in health care programs, many of these remain conceptually flawed and there are few studies that examine the outcomes of training. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a multi-faceted cultural competency education module on attitudes, self-awareness, knowledge and skills of Nursing, Occupational Therapy and Athletic Training students. Methods: The research design used a mixed methods approach, incorporating a quantitative pre- and post-class survey instrument, the Cultural Competency Assessment (CCA) instrument. A qualitative descriptive methodology using content analysis was used to analyze students’ experiences of the Cultural Assessment Interview. The M-C Form C version of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability scale was used to assess if the need for social desirability influenced students' responses to the CCA. Differences in pre- and post-test scores on the CCA were analyzed by paired T tests for related samples and Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance (RANOVA). For purposes of subgroup analyses, the entire sample was divided into two groups based on course enrollment, undergraduate Nursing and Occupational Therapy. Pearson's product moment correlation was used to determine if there were a correlation between the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability score and score on the CCA. Results: One hundred and nine students engaged in a 6-hour cultural competency module within their regular classes. Fifty-three students completed pre- and post-test data on the Cultural Competency Assessment Instrument, while 109 completed the Cultural Assessment Interview. There was a significant change between pre-test (M = 10.34; s.d., 1.77) and post-test (M = 10.87; s.d., 1.77) scores on the CCA ( p = .009) with no differences in changes by subgroup analysis. Students with low perceived competency (M = 9.7; s.d., 1.63) scored significantly lower than students with high perceived competency (M = 11.7; s.d., 1.68) ( p = .03) at baseline. Qualitatively, students articulated new knowledge about the culture of their interviewee, identified their need for increased cultural competence and were surprised by their increase in self-knowledge. Conclusion: Due to globalization and international migration, cultural competency is an essential part of the nursing curriculum. We have proposed several innovative and successful features of a brief cultural competency module that can be adopted for required nursing course work, both in the United States and internationally, including exercises in group communication skills, experiential exercises and the Cultural Assessment. The quality of nurse/patient communication is intricately related to patient adherence to treatment and quality of care. However, much more work must be done to assess the effectiveness of cultural competency training, especially in the clinical setting.
A new method for pose fitting from two 3D point sets and its application to robot localization

A single-stage linear method is devised in this paper to simultaneously fit rotation and translation (pose) parameters given two sets of 3-D point measurements. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the unique solution of the pose determination problem are stated. The computational complexity of the new algorithm is similar to the existing linear algorithms. However it offers a mechanism to incorporate the reliability of measurements and a procedure to implement the estimation recursively. Applications of the technique include localization of a robot in its environment and real-time estimation of object motion based on computer vision.
Calmodulin antagonists bind to sodium‐dependent high‐affinty binding sites for tritiated imipramine

Effects of calmodulin antagonists on the binding of tritiated imipramine and inhibition of serotonin uptake were tested in brain and platelet preparations. Naphthalene sulfonamidetype calmodulin antagonists generally inhibited specific [3H]-Imipramine binding (as well as serotonin uptake) with affinities greater than or equal to those reported for binding to calmodulin itself. The binding inhibition did not require the presence of calcium and was not affected by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. Other calmodulin antagonists which do not have naphthalene sulfonamide structures did not inhibit [3H]-Imipramine binding. These results raise the possibility that the structural similarity between imipramine and the naphthalene sulfonamide cerivatives may be sufficient to allow direct competition at the binding site for [3H]-Imipramine. This is of great importance for calmodulin biochemistry since at these concentrations, the inhibitors were previously thought to interact virtually exclusively with calmodulin. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Effects of hydroxyapatite reinforcement on the architecture and mechanical properties of freeze-dried collagen scaffolds.

Abstract Freeze-dried collagen scaffolds reinforced with hydroxyapatite (HA) are of clinical interest for synthetic bone graft substitutes and tissue engineering scaffolds, but a systematic evaluation of the effects of the HA reinforcement weight fraction and morphology on the mechanical properties is lacking. Therefore, freeze-dried collagen scaffolds were reinforced with either HA whiskers or an equiaxed HA powder at 1:1, 1:2, or 1:4 collagen:HA by weight (which corresponded to approximately 28, 44, and 61 vol% HA, respectively) to investigate the effects of the HA reinforcement weight fraction and morphology on the architecture and compressive mechanical properties. All scaffolds exhibited a highly elongated linear pore structure containing 90%–96% porosity, which decreased with increased HA content, and a pore width of ∼50 μm. HA reinforcement resulted in up to a ten-fold increase in compressive modulus at high reinforcement levels (∼200 kPa at 1:4 collagen:HA by weight) compared to scaffolds with no reinforcement or low reinforcement levels (∼20 kPa at 1:1 collagen:HA by weight). This effect could not be explained by the concomitant decrease in the scaffold porosity (from 95% to 90%) with HA reinforcement, which could only account for up to a two-fold increase in compressive modulus. At moderate reinforcement levels (1:2 collagen:HA by weight), HA whisker reinforced scaffolds exhibited a nearly four-fold greater modulus compared to the equiaxed HA powder, while there were no differences with the HA reinforcement morphology at high and low reinforcement levels. Therefore, the elongated morphology of HA whiskers enabled a reinforcing effect at a lower level of reinforcement compared to a conventional, equiaxed HA powder.
Penicillin as a supplement in resolving the localized acute apical abscess.

Abstract Problem Antibiotics are often prescribed indiscriminately to treat endodontic emergencies. Objectives This study examined (1) the effect of penicillin supplementation on reduction of symptoms and (2) the course of recovery of localized acute apical abscess after emergency treatment. Study designs Patients with pulp necrosis and periapical pain and/or localized swelling were considered. Those eligible did not have any signs of spreading infections. Patients received appropriate local treatment, and a double-blind protocol was used to randomly assign them to one of three groups: penicillin VK group, placebo group, or neither medication group. All received ibuprofen 600 mg four times daily for 24 hours. Patients entered their pre- and postoperative pain and swelling experience on a visual analog scale for up to 72 hours. Results Resolution was fairly rapid in most patients. Statistical analysis of the scores of 32 respondents revealed no significant differences (at p Conclusions Patients with localized periapical pain or swelling generally recovered quickly with local treatment. The data did not show a demonstrable benefit from penicillin supplementation.
The Regulation of Cardiac-Muscle Contraction by Troponin

The purpose of this review is to summarize the work we have done over the past several years regarding the regulation of cardiac muscle contraction by troponin (Tn). Studies have been carried out on the Ca2+-binding properties of cardiac Tn (the 1:1:1 molar-ratio complex of TnC, the Ca2+-binding subunit; TnI, the inhibitory subunit; and TnT, the tropomyosin-binding subunit) and TnC, and the effects of Mg2+ and phosphorylation on these parameters have been measured. The relationship between these parameters and the activation of myofibrillar ATPase in cardiac and skeletal muscle will be discussed and related to the known physiological properties of cardiac muscle in different contractile states (e.g., ³-adrenergic stimulation). Since the binding of Ca2+ to Tn is only the first step in the activation of muscle contraction, studies on Ca2+-induced alterations in the interactions of Tn subunits, tropomyosin (Tm), and actin required to bring about muscle contraction or relaxation will also be discussed.
Cloning and functional expression of the mouse epithelial sodium channel

The epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) plays a major role in the transepithelial reabsorption of sodium in the renal cortical collecting duct, distal colon, and lung. ENaCs are formed by three struct...
La réparation des assemblages de combustible

Depuis pres de vingt ans, Framatome a accumule une importante experience dans le remplacement de crayons d'assemblages de combustible (a fins de reparations ou d'actions de Recherche et Developpement) et dans la reconstitution d'assemblages (remplacement d'une structure endommagee avec reutilisation des crayons sains).Ce retour d'experience permet a Framatome d'ameliorer en continu les procedes et les equipements utilises pour ces operations afin d'augmenter leurs performances en termes de mise en oeuvre, flexibilite, duree d'intervention et surete. En parallele, la conception des assemblages est elle-meme amelioree pour repondre aux memes objectifs.Le present article decrit l'experience generale de Framatome pour la fourniture de combustible, le processus de reparation des assemblages et les equipements associes, le processus de reconstitution des assemblages et les equipements associes, et les autres types de services Combustible proposes par Framatome.
Effects of Salinity on the Geotechnical Characterization of Fine-Grained Soils and Mine Tailings

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of soluble salts (i.e., salinity) on the geotechnical characterization of fine-grained soils and mine tailings and to identify applicable test methods to characterize high-saline soils. Three fine-grained soils were used in this study: soda ash mine tailings, kaolin clay, and bentonite clay. The soda ash (sodium carbonate) mine tailings contained high-saline pore fluid and, predominantly, sodium on the exchange complex, whereas kaolin and bentonite clay were used for comparison with the soda ash tailings. Soluble salts were removed from the tailings using dialysis to create specimens with different pore fluid salinity, whereas sodium chloride (NaCl) was added to kaolin and bentonite. The 1:5 electrical conductivity (EC1:5) of the as-collected soda ash tailings was 19.3 dS/m (deciSiemens per meter), and five additional specimens were prepared with EC1:5 ranging between 1.12 and 17.3 dS/m. The EC1:5 of kaolin specimens ranged from 0.14 to 27.4 dS/m and bentonite specimens ranged from 3.78 to 116 dS/m. The effects of pore fluid salinity were evaluated on Atterberg limits, specific gravity, and particle-size distribution via hydrometer tests. Liquid limit (LL), plastic limit, and clay content decreased for all three materials with increasing pore fluid salinity. Temporal evaluations of soil plasticity suggest that hydration times of at least 2 days are required to solubilize salts and capture salinity effects on LL. Additionally, experimental methods were developed for correcting errors in hydrometer and specific gravity tests that may originate from the presence of soluble salts.
COMPARISON OF BASELINE CHARACTERISTICS, TREATMENT, AND OUTCOMES OF HISPANIC AND NON-HISPANIC WHITE PATIENTS IN ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROMES: A META-ANALYSIS OF REGISTRIES FROM THE UNITED STATES FROM 1982 TO 2007

Hispanics are a unique population with multiple barriers to healthcare. Studies show that Hispanics have more risk factors, are less likely to get revascularized, but have better outcomes when compared to Non-Hispanic Whites in the setting of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This meta-analysis aims to