cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How to Account for Alternatives When Comparing Effects: Revisiting 'Bringing Education to Afghan Girls'

This paper uses a "principal strata" approach to decompose treatment effects and interpret why a schooling intervention that yielded exceptional initial effects yielded substantially smaller effects in a replication years later. The specific application is a set of 2008 and 2015 replications of an intervention aiming to increase primary education for girls in rural Afghanistan. The intervention offers a new schooling option, and as such, its effects depend on how individuals use alternatives that already exist. The principal strata approach accounts variation in use patterns when comparing effects across the replications. Our findings show that even though the share of girls for whom the intervention would be valuable dropped considerably in 2015 as compared to 2008, the intervention was even more efficaciousness for those who continued to benefit from it.
Drug-Induced QTc Prolongation: What We Know and Where We Are Going.

Drug-induced QTc prolongation is a concerning electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormality. This cardiac disturbance carries a 10% risk of sudden cardiac death due to the malignant arrhythmia, Torsades de Pointes. The Arizona Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics (AzCERT) has classified QTc prolonging therapeutic classes such as antiarrhythmics, antipsychotics, anti-infectives, and others. AzCERT criteria categorizes medications into three risk categories: "known," "possible," and "conditional risk" of QTc prolongation and Torsades de Pointes. The list of QTc prolonging medications continues to expand as new drug classes are approved and studied. Risk factors for QTc prolongation can be delineated into modifiable or non-modifiable. A validated risk scoring tool may be utilized to predict the likelihood of prolongation in patients receiving AzCERT classified medication. The resultant risk score may be applied to a clinical decision support system which offers mitigation strategies. Mitigation strategies including discontinuation of possible offending agents with selection of an alternative agent, assessment of potential drug interactions or dose adjustments through pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic monitoring, and initiation of both ECG and electrolyte monitoring are essential to prevent a drug-induced arrhythmia. The challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic have led to the development of innovative continuous monitoring technology, increasing protection for both patients and healthcare workers. Early intervention strategies may reduce adverse events and improve clinical outcomes in patients identified to be at risk of QTc prolongation.
Multiple Forms of Dextran-Binding Proteins from Streptococcus Mutans

Lectins and the carbohydrates to which they bind have been implicated in interspecies and intraspecies cell recognition and adherence in several organisms. The implication of lectins in these processes not only confirms Moscona’s elegant proposal that macromolecules of the eukaryote cell surface mediate the processes of cell recognition and adherence (1), but provides a molecular mechanism for this process and indicates that this mechanism functions in diverse organisms, ranging from bacteria to mammals. Thus, biochemically similar mechanisms for cell recognition and adherence apparently have evolved independently to facilitate biological interactions as different as host recognition of the symbiotic members of the genus Rhizobium by clover root hairs (2), cell aggregation in the cellular slime molds (3,4), fusing of myoblasts into myotubules during chick embryo muscle differentiation (5–7), sperm-egg recognition and attachment (8), the attachment of Streptococcus mutans to host surfaces (9), and, perhaps, the binding of Vibrio cholerae (10) and Escherichia coli (11,12) to host tissues.
Consequences of Bacterial Invasion into Nonprofessional Phagocytic Cells

Bacterial pathogens are faced with the seemingly difficult task of persisting within their host. Bacterial invasion into host epithelium was first reported in the mid-1980s, and the study of this phenomenon has progressed in recent years to provide a more mechanistic analysis of how invasion proceeds. An overview of bacterial uptake by nonprofessional antigen-presenting cells (APCs) must consider the relevant processes with regard to both the entry and survival of the bacterial pathogen and the response of the defending host. The adaptive immune response, while able to efficiently and specifically deal with an almost infinite number of foreign antigens, is severely handicapped by the 1- to 2-week lag period required to mount a response after first exposure to a foreign substance. Apoptosis may be necessary to trigger desquamation of bacterium-laden epithelial cells. Unable to desquamate because of their nonsurface location, subsurface corneal epithelial cells support the replication of internalized bacteria, which are protected from antibody, complement, and phagocytic cells. The biochemical basis of bacterial invasion into host epithelium has been a topic of intense investigation since the late 1980s. A fuller understanding of the relative importance of these mechanisms and of the interactions that occur between them will greatly assist future strategies for prophylactic or therapeutic intervention in bacterial infectious disease.
A note on a homology sphere

In this note we solve a problem posed by Y.Matsumoto in Kirby's problem list (Problem 4.28 (A) of [K]). This problem should have been solved ten years ago after Donaldson's Theorem-C in [D] which imposed a restriction to intersection forms of certain 4 manifolds because the solution does not use any 4-manifold techniques developed since then. The problem is whether the 4-manifold M obtained by attaching a pair of two handles to a 4-ball B4 along the two linked left handed trefoil knots, as in Figure 1, contains a smoothly imbedded wedge of 2-spheres representing generators of H2(M)? An affirmative answer implies that OM bounds a contractible manifold W. We show that this is not the case. In fact OM does not bound a 4-homology ball W with 7r1 (OM) -7ri(W) onto.
Nigerian Business Practices and Their Interface with Virtue Ethics

This paper concerns the interface of a business ethics theory (virtue ethics) with an example from Nigeria where a communitarian notion of ethics appears to hold. We will argue that while communitarian virtue ethics theory assists in describing the ethical context of Nigerian business, Nigerian business also demonstrates why a certain kind of communitarianism is required in order to foster notions of individual autonomy. This kind of communitarianism, referred to as a mediating institutions approach, can also be a normative structure demonstrating how communities can treat other communities
Resource-Bounded Randomness and Compressibility with Respect to Nonuniform Measures

Most research on resource-bounded measure and randomness has focused on the uniform probability density, or Lebesgue measure, on {0,1}∞; the study of resource-bounded measure theory with respect to a nonuniform underlying measure was recently initiated by Breutzmann and Lutz [1]. In this paper we prove a series of fundamental results on the role of nonuniform measures in resource-bounded measure theory. These results provide new tools for analyzing and constructing martingales and, in particular, offer new insight into the compressibility characterization of randomness given recently by Buhrman and Longpre [2]. We give several new characterizations of resource-bounded randomness with respect to an underlying measure μ: the first identifies those martingales whose rate of success is asymptotically optimal on the given sequence; the second identifies martingales which induce a maximal compression of the sequence; the third is a (nontrivial) extension of the compressibility characterization to the nonuniform case. In addition we prove several technical results of independent interest, including an extension to resource-bounded measure of the classical theorem of Kakutani on the equivalence of product measures; this answers an open question in [1].
PARENT EDUCATION IN THE DOMESTIC RELATIONS COURT

This multisite assessment of five, court-affiliated parent education programs incorporates information from 3,000 exit surveys by attendees, 602 telephone interviews with willing parents six months later, comparisons with 145 divorcing parents who did not attend a program, and reviews of court activity. Parents report high levels of satisfaction with the programs and credit them with helping to sensitize them to their children's needs and making visitation more successful and enjoyable. Although attendees report better compliance with divorce decrees, comparable proportions of parents in treatment and comparison groups report conflict over child custody and access, and a review of court files shows identical litigation patterns for both groups over a four-year period of time.
The genetic causes of neurodegenerative diseases.

With the application of molecular genetics, we are now begin- ning to understand the etiology and the early stages of patho- genesis of the major neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Pick's disease and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. Surprisingly, these studies are showing that these diseases share pathogenic mechanisms which involve tau or synuclein aggregation. In this article, I review the progress in the molecular genetic analysis of these major neurodegenerative diseases and discuss how they are related to each other. scriptive at that time. In 1979, there were only perhaps 10 groups working on Alzheimer's disease worldwide: Wisniewski's, Terry's in the US, Kidd, the Newcastle group and Bowen and Davison in England and Got- tfries and Winblad in Sweden. The field was struggling to find acceptance as worthy of study since studying normal aging was thought to be a waste of time and resources. That political fight was won, and we now under- stand much about the etiology and pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative dis- ease: instead of descriptive work, we now understand these prevalent and distressing diseases as processes and are able to carry out deterministic experiments to try and understand the disease processes more thor- oughly. Of greatest importance is that we are now on the verge of being able to treat these diseases because of our understanding of the mechanisms of the early stages of pathogenesis. This progress has come out about largely because of the success of the application of the techniques of molecular genetics. In this chapter, I summarize this progress. The genetic lesions underlying many of the auto- somal dominant forms of Alzheimer's disease, prion diseases and Parkinson's disease and frontal temporal dementia have been discovered (see Table 1 for a sum- mary of the pathology of these disorders). Surpris- ingly, it has become evident that these diseases share pathogenic pathways.
Trophic ecology and gill raker morphology of seven catostomid species in Iowa rivers

Summary Understanding the trophic ecology of closely-related species is important for providing insight on inter-specific competition and resource partitioning. Although catostomids often dominate fish assemblages in lotic systems, little research has been conducted on their ecology. This study was developed to provide information on the trophic ecology of catostomids in several Iowa rivers. Food habits, diet overlap, and gill raker morphology were examined for highfin carpsucker Carpiodes velifer, quillback C. cyprinus, river carpsucker C. carpio, golden redhorse Moxostoma erythrurum, shorthead redhorse M. macrolepidotum, silver redhorse M. anisurum, and northern hogsucker Hypentelium nigricans sampled from four Iowa rivers (2009). Diet overlap among all species was calculated with Morista’s index (C). Food habit niche width was quantified with Levin’s index (B) and similarity in gill raker morphology was compared with analysis of covariance. Values from Morista’s index suggested significant overlap in the diets of highfin carpsucker and river carpsucker (C = 0.81), quillback and river carpsucker (C = 0.66), and shorthead redhorse and silver redhorse (C = 0.67). Levin’s index indicated that golden redhorse (B = 0.32), quillback (B = 0.53), and river carpsucker (B = 0.41) had the most generalized feeding strategies as their food niche widths were substantially wider than the other species. Gill raker length and spacing were positively correlated with the standard length of the fish for all species (gill raker length: r2 = 0.67–0.88, P ≤ 0.01; gill raker spacing: r2 = 0.63–0.73, P ≤ 0.01). Slopes of regression of gill raker length and spacing to standard lengths were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) different among species, indicating that rates of change in gill raker morphology with body length varied among species. Differences in gill raker morphology likely allow catostomids to partition resources and reduce competitive interactions.
Fat metabolism in human obesity

Excessive fat turnover and oxidation might cause the insulin resistance of carbohydrate metabolism in obese humans. We studied the response of free fatty acid (FFA) metabolism in lean and obese volunteers to sequential insulin infusions of 4, 8, 25, and 400 mU.m-2.min-1. The insulin dose-response curves for suppression of FFA concentration, FFA turnover ([1-14C]palmitate), and lipolysis ([2H5]glycerol) were shifted to the right in the obese subjects (insulin concentrations that produced a half-maximal response, lean vs. obese: 103 +/- 21 vs. 273 +/- 41, 96 +/- 11 vs. 264 +/- 44, and 101 +/- 23 vs. 266 +/- 44 pM, all P < 0.05), consistent with insulin resistance of FFA metabolism in obesity. After the overnight fast, FFA turnover per fat mass was decreased in obese subjects (37 +/- 4 vs. 20 +/- 3 mumol.kg fat mass-1.min-1, P < 0.01) as the result of suppression of lipolysis by the hyperinsulinemia of obesity and an increased fractional reesterification of FFA before leaving the adipocyte (primary FFA reesterification; 0.14 +/- 0.03 vs. 0.35 +/- 0.06, P < 0.05). Nevertheless, FFA turnover per fat-free mass (FFM) was also greater in the obese volunteers (8.5 +/- 0.7 vs. 11.0 +/- 1.0 mumol.kg FFM-1.min-1, P < 0.05) but only as the result of increased reesterification of intravascular FFA (secondary reesterification; 1.8 +/- 0.5 vs. 4.8 +/- 1.1 mumol.kg FFM-1.min-1, P < 0.01), since FFA oxidation was the same in the two groups throughout the insulin dose-response curve.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Elastic functional coding of human actions: From vector-fields to latent variables

Human activities observed from visual sensors often give rise to a sequence of smoothly varying features. In many cases, the space of features can be formally defined as a manifold, where the action becomes a trajectory on the manifold. Such trajectories are high dimensional in addition to being non-linear, which can severely limit computations on them. We also argue that by their nature, human actions themselves lie on a much lower dimensional manifold compared to the high dimensional feature space. Learning an accurate low dimensional embedding for actions could have a huge impact in the areas of efficient search and retrieval, visualization, learning, and recognition. Traditional manifold learning addresses this problem for static points in ℝn, but its extension to trajectories on Riemannian manifolds is non-trivial and has remained unexplored. The challenge arises due to the inherent non-linearity, and temporal variability that can significantly distort the distance metric between trajectories. To address these issues we use the transport square-root velocity function (TSRVF) space, a recently proposed representation that provides a metric which has favorable theoretical properties such as invariance to group action. We propose to learn the low dimensional embedding with a manifold functional variant of principal component analysis (mfPCA). We show that mf-PCA effectively models the manifold trajectories in several applications such as action recognition, clustering and diverse sequence sampling while reducing the dimensionality by a factor of ∼ 250×. The mfPCA features can also be reconstructed back to the original manifold to allow for easy visualization of the latent variable space.
Measuring Food Insecurity and Hunger in the United States: Development of a National Benchmark Measure and Prevalence Estimates

Since 1992, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has led a collaborative effort to develop a comprehensive benchmark measure of the severity and prevalence of food insecurity and hunger in the United States. Based on prior research and wide consultation, a survey instrument specifically relevant to U.S. conditions was designed and tested. Through its Current Population Survey (CPS), the U.S. Bureau of the Census has fielded this instrument each year since 1995. A measurement scale was derived from the data through fitting, testing and validating a Rasch scale. The unidimensional Rasch model corresponds to the form of the phenomenon being measured, i.e., the severity of food insufficiency due to inadequate resources as directly experienced and reported in U.S. households. A categorical measure reflecting designated ranges of severity on the scale was constructed for consistent comparison of prevalence estimates over time and across population groups. The technical basis and initial results of the new measure were reported in September 1997. For the 12 months ending April 1995, an estimated 11.9% of U.S. households (35 million persons) were food insecure. Among these, 4.1% of households (with 6.9 million adults and 4.3 million children) showed a recurring pattern of hunger due to inadequate resources for one or more of their adult and/or child members sometime during the period. The new measure has been incorporated into other federal surveys and is being used by researchers throughout the U.S. and Canada.
ELECTRON CAPTURE AND LOSS IN ELECTRON SWARM EXPERIMENTS.

The effect of capture and subsequent loss of electrons upon their time distribution in time-of-flight electron swarm experiments has been investigated. It is found that if the mean release time of captured electrons is much smaller than both the drift time and the time width of the electron swarm distribution, the effective diffusion coefficientD′ is given approximately by whereD is the electron diffusion coefficient in the absence of capture,w is the drift velocity, γ is the inverse release time, β is the inverse capture time and ζ=ψ/β+γ It is shown that measurements ofw andD by the steady state Townsend method should be unaffected by temporary capture processes.
DICER-LIKE2 Plays a Primary Role in Transitive Silencing of Transgenes in Arabidopsis

Dicer-like (DCL) enzymes play a pivotal role in RNA silencing in plants, processing the long double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) that triggers silencing into the primary short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that mediate it. The siRNA population can be augmented and silencing amplified via transitivity, an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RDR)-dependent pathway that uses the target RNA as substrate to generate secondary siRNAs. Here we report that Arabidopsis DCL2–but not DCL4-is required for transitivity in cell-autonomous, post-transcriptional silencing of transgenes. An insertion mutation in DCL2 blocked sense transgene-induced silencing and eliminated accumulation of the associated RDR-dependent siRNAs. In hairpin transgene-induced silencing, the dcl2 mutation likewise eliminated accumulation of secondary siRNAs and blocked transitive silencing, but did not block silencing mediated by primary siRNAs. Strikingly, in all cases, the dcl2 mutation eliminated accumulation of all secondary siRNAs, including those generated by other DCL enzymes. In contrast, mutations in DCL4 promoted a dramatic shift to transitive silencing in the case of the hairpin transgene and enhanced silencing induced by the sense transgene. Suppression of hairpin and sense transgene silencing by the P1/HC-Pro and P38 viral suppressors was associated with elimination of secondary siRNA accumulation, but the suppressors did not block processing of the stem of the hairpin transcript into primary siRNAs. Thus, these viral suppressors resemble the dcl2 mutation in their effects on siRNA biogenesis. We conclude that DCL2 plays an essential, as opposed to redundant, role in transitive silencing of transgenes and may play a more important role in silencing of viruses than currently thought.
Heparan sulfate proteoglycan of human colon: partial molecular cloning, cellular expression, and mapping of the gene (HSPG2) to the short arm of human chromosome 1.

Abstract We have determined the sequence of two overlapping cDNA clones encoding a portion of the human heparan sulfate proteoglycan core protein (HSPG2) from a human colon library. The cDNA clones encompassed 1.34 kb of nucleotide sequence and showed ∼85% homology to the murine heparan sulfate proteoglycan of the EHS tumor, BPG-5. The deduced amino acid sequence revealed an identity of 87% between the human and the murine species. Of the 57 different amino acids encoded in the human clones, 20 were substituted with a similar amino acid. Among the specific features that were highly conserved was the 32 cysteine residues with a distinctive repeat pattern characteristic of epidermal growth factor. Northern blotting revealed a single, ∼12 kb transcript in a variety of cells including human colon carcinoma, endothelial, and fibroblastic cells. The size of this transcript correlated with the estimated molecular weight (∼400 kDa) of the protein core precursor. Southern blot analyses of DNA from 120 human/rodent somatic cell hybrids, including subclones with specific translocations or spontaneous breaks of human chromosome 1, demonstrated the presence of HSPG2 gene on the telomeric region of the short arm of chromosome 1 (1p34-pter). Two polymorphisms with TaqI and EcoRI restriction endonucleases, respectively, were also detected. The localization of this proteoglycan locus in the human genome and the availability of new RFLPs provide the tools for future studies of human diseases where the HSPG2 proteoglycan gene is suspected to be involved.
Coblation of the Canine Vocal Fold: A Histologic Study

Controlled ablation (coblation) is a radiofrequency bipolar method of tissue ablation, which destroys tissue at very low temperatures. It has been used in a variety of clinical settings and is most frequently used by the otolaryngologist for tonsillectomy. In this study, we have examined the effect of coblation on the canine larynx by applying coblation to the vocal fold and harvesting the larynx on postoperative days (PODs) 0, 4, and 7. Histologic examination was performed with a variety of stains to examine the healing process. Coblation injury demonstrated complete epithelialization by POD 7. No injury to the underlying vocalis muscle was seen. The inflammatory response demonstrates less inflammation than previously reported with CO(2) laser injury. Coblation is a viable method for removal of tissue from the vocal fold resulting in minimal scar formation and a controlled depth of injury. Further studies should be performed to determine clinical utility in the removal of lesions such as respiratory papillomatosis.
Induction of Zf9 in the kidney following early ischemia/reperfusion

Induction of Zf9 in the kidney following early ischemia/reperfusion. Background An improved understanding of the early cell injury mechanisms is critical for effective therapy of acute renal failure (ARF). Methods We utilized cDNA microarrays to identify renal genes that are induced very early after renal ischemia in a mouse model, whose protein products might provide novel information regarding the pathogenesis of ARF. The findings were confirmed by downstream mRNA and protein expression studies, as well as knockdown analysis with antisense primers. Results The maximally induced gene (21-fold at 3 hours of reflow) was Zf9, a Kruppel-like transcription factor involved in the regulation of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). The rapid induction of Zf9 mRNA was confirmed by Northern analysis (14.5-fold at 3 hours of reflow) and that of Zf9 protein by Western analysis (10.5-fold at 3 hours of reflow). Zf9 protein was induced in both proximal and distal tubule cells in a cytoplasmic as well as nuclear distribution. TGF-β1 protein was also up-regulated in a pattern parallel to that of Zf9. In cultured human proximal tubule cells, induction of ischemia by partial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) depletion resulted in a rapid up-regulation of both Zf9 and of TGF-β1 proteins. Antisense oligonucleotides to Zf9 markedly blunted the induction of Zf9 and TGF-β1, and significantly inhibited the apoptotic response to ATP depletion. Conclusion Induction of Zf9 and its transactivating factor TGF-β1 may play a critical and hitherto unrecognized role in the early apoptotic response to ischemic renal injury.
On the biomedical relevance of surface spectroscopy

Abstract Practical utility of surface spectroscopy in biomaterials is viewed from an abstract analytical science perspective in which the desired target information is compared to that obtained through spectroscopic probes. Through a five step reasoning process it is concluded that much of the information obtained by surface spectroscopy is not directly relevant to biomaterial end-use properties. A context is proposed to make more effective use of the indirect, but still very useful, analytical information derived from surface spectroscopy in biomaterials research.
Performance Evaluations of LiCl and LiBr for Absorber Design Applications in the Open-Cycle Absorption Refrigeration System

Both LiCI and LiBr solutions were considered for potential use in a solar-driven Open-Cycle Absorption Refrigeration (OCAR) system. A vertical falling film absorber was proposed and built to evaluate the performance of LiCl and LiBr as an absorbent. Absorption experiments were performed and the results are reported for typical operating conditions of nonabsorbable concentrations, solution concentration, solution temperature, cooling water temperature, absorber pressure, and solution flow rate, in terms of mass transfer rate. In general, LiBr outperformed LiCl in terms of effective absorption rate. Based upon experimental results, the required absorber area was estimated for both LiCI and LiBr. The small chemical potential of LiCl relative to LiBr leads to a larger absorber area. The cost for the required solution storage for three-ton cooling capacity of the present OCAR system was found to be high for both LiCI and LiBr. The pumping cost was estimated to be less than 0.1 kW for both.
Hydrobiogeochemical interactions in `anoxic' limestone drains for neutralization of acidic mine drainage

Processes affecting neutralization of acidic coal mine drainage were evaluated within ‘anoxic’ limestone drains (ALDs). Influents had pH # 3.5 and dissolved oxygen , 2 mg/l. Even though effluents were near neutral (pH . 6 and alkalinity . acidity), two of the four ALDs were failing due to clogging. Mineral-saturation indices indicated the potential for dissolution of calcite and gypsum, and precipitation of Al 31 and Fe 31 compounds. Cleavage mounts of calcite and gypsum that were suspended within the ALDs and later examined microscopically showed dissolution features despite coatings by numerous bacteria, biofilms, and Fe‐Al‐Si precipitates. In the drain exhibiting the greatest flow reduction, Al-hydroxysulfates had accumulated on limestone surfaces and calcite etch points, thus causing the decline in transmissivity and dissolution. Therefore, where Al loadings are high and flow rates are low, a pre-treatment step is indicated to promote Al removal before diverting acidic mine water into alkalinity-producing materials. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.
Novel Unscented Kalman Filter for Health Assessment of Structural Systems with Unknown Input

AbstractA novel procedure for structural health assessment, denoted as unscented Kalman filter with unknown input (UKF-UI), is proposed using the nonlinear system identification concept. To increase its implementation potential, a substructure concept is introduced, producing a two-stage approach. It integrates the unscented Kalman filter concept and an iterative least-squares technique. The two most important features of the method are that it does not need the information on the time history of the excitation to identify structural systems represented by finite elements, and that it can identify defects in them using only a limited amount of noise-contaminated nonlinear response information. The proposed method is robust enough to detect the locations and severity of defects at different locations in the structure. The defect detection capability increases significantly if the defective member is in the substructure or close to it. The method is conclusively verified with the help of two examples using ...
Maternal perceptions of early breastfeeding experiences and breastfeeding outcomes at 6 weeks

Objective : To explore whether breastfeeding status at 6 weeks postpartum is related to the mother’s perceptions of her infant’s behavior, the breastfeeding experience itself, and of herself as a mother during postpartum hospitalization. Design : A prospective correlational design. Setting : A tertiary care setting in Eastern Canada. Participants : One hundred and ten women who met the inclusion criteria were recruited from the postpartum unit. The majority were primaparous, over 25 years of age, well educated, and had partners. Outcome measures : (1) Maternal perceptions of the overall infant behavior, of the breastfeeding experience, and of herself using the Mother and Baby Scales (MABS) neonatal (Wolke, D., 1995. St. James Roberts and Wolke Mother and Baby Scales (MABS) (1986,1995). In: Brazelton, T.B., Nugent, J.K. (Eds.), Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale. Clinics in Developmental Medicine 137, 135–137) and (2) breastfeeding rates at 6 weeks postpartum. Results : At 6 weeks postpartum, 80 (74.8%) participants were breastfeeding and 27 (25.8%) had stopped. Maternal perceptions of infant alertness/responsiveness (A) ( r = 0.54, p r = −0.34, p r = 0.33, p Conclusions : The findings highlight the importance of maternal perceptions of their infant’s behavior and of self as a mother in sustaining breastfeeding. In the absence of personal and social pressures to stop breastfeeding, interventions that begin with how to look at feeding from an infant perspective may be the best starting point to a successful breastfeeding.
Maximum of the weighted Kaplan-Meier tests with application to cancer prevention and screening trials.

Summary. A class of maximum weighted Kaplan-Meier test statistics is described where the weight functions are chosen from a family of smooth functions. The investigated test statistic is robust and sensitive to a variety of alternatives that are often observed in cancer prevention and screening trials. A simulation study is performed to compare the size and power properties between the proposed test statistics and some existing ones. We illustrate the procedure using data from a clinical trial of a breast cancer screening program.
Compatibility of porous ceramics with soft tissue; application to tracheal prostheses

The trachea is a rather simple structure, and partly because of this simplicity, many attempts have been made to effect replacement with various types of prosthetic tubes. Unfortunately, the basic design of the trachea is not easily duplicated, and thus far there is no completely satisfactory prosthetic replacement. A series of porous and non-porous ceramics implanted in muscle tissue of rabbits indicated that rigid, porous materials can be compatible with soft, viable tissue. A prosthesis of porous ceramic rings and alternate bands of Dacron mesh was constructed and employed to bridge 6-cm defects created in the tracheas of mongrel dogs. After 6 months an asymptomatic animal was sacrificed. Firm fixation was accomplished and the lumen was completely patent, but histological sections demonstrated that ingrowth and scarring did not satisfactorily contain bacterial infection. Encouragement of epithelial regeneration or some artificial barrier is necessary for successful implants. Work in progress includes devices using both methods to provide this barrier.
Does It Pay To Attend an Elite Private College? Evidence on the Effects of Undergraduate College Quality on Graduate School Attendance.

Much attention has recently focused on the rapidly rising costs of a college education, and whether the benefits of attending an elite private college have kept pace with the increasing costs. In this paper we analyze whether undergraduate college quality affects the likelihood that an individual attends graduate school. Using data on three cohorts of students from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972and High School and Beyond , we find that on balance attendance at an elite private college significantly increases the probability of attending graduate school, and more specifically, graduate school at a major research institution. ( JEL I21, J24) © 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved
Dynamic Modeling and Durability Analysis from the Ground Up

Vehicle manufacturers currently use dynamic modeling, finite element modeling, and durability analysis to incorporate reliability into their designs. Although these models are often used separately, there has been little effort toward integrating these analyses and performing an analysis from the "ground up" (i.e., using terrain data to determine dynamic stress and strain). This paper outlines the approach of an ongoing analysis of a US Army trailer, using an integrated process of dynamic modeling, finite element modeling, and durability analysis. This project outlines an approach to mechanical reliability analysis that can be used early in design.
Somatostatin blocks a calcium current in acutely isolated adult rat superior cervical ganglion neurons.

Abstract Somatostatin-like immunoreactivity has been reported to occur in the postganglionic neurons of sympathetic ganglia. We therefore investigated the effect of somatostatin (SOM) on the Ca 2+ current in sympathetic neurons. Voltage-clamp recordings, using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique, were made from acutely isolated adult rat superior cervical ganglion (SCG) neurons in solutions (external and internal) designed to isolate Ca 2+ currents. Application of 0.001–1.0 μM [ d -Trp 8 ]SOM resulted in a rapid, reversible and concentration-dependent decrease in the amplitude of the Ca 2+ current evoked from a holding potential of −80 mV. The concentration-response relationship for SOM could be fitted to a single-site binding model with an apparent dissociation constant of 11 nM; the maximal attainable block of Ca 2+ current by SOM was 50%. SOM also produced a pronounced slowing of the Ca 2+ current rising phase, especially at more depolarized potentials. At higher concentrations (0.03 1.0 μM), prolonged application of SOM resulted in a progressive decrease in blocking ability. The results are consistent with a neurotransmitter and/or neuromodulator role for SOM in the sympathetic nervous system.
Neonatal platelets: mediators of primary hemostasis in the developing hemostatic system

The human hemostatic system is developmentally regulated, resulting in qualitative and quantitative differences in the mediators of primary and secondary hemostasis as well as fibrinolysis in neonates and infants. Although gestational age–related differences in coagulation factor levels occur, the existence of a unique neonatal platelet phenotype remains controversial. Complicated by difficulties in obtaining adequate neonatal blood volumes with which to perform functional assays, ambiguity surrounds the characterization of neonatal platelets. Thus, much of the current knowledge of neonatal platelet function has been based on studies from cord blood samples. Studies suggest that cord blood–derived platelets, as a surrogate for neonatal platelets, are hypofunctional when compared with adult platelets. This relative platelet dysfunction, combined with a propensity toward thrombocytopenia in the neonatal intensive care unit population, creates a clinical conundrum regarding the appropriate administration of platelet transfusions. This review provides an appraisal of the distinct functional phenotype of neonatal platelets. Neonatal platelet transfusion practices and the impact of the relatively hypofunctional neonatal platelet on those practices will be considered.
Transmission of Avian Influenza A Viruses among Species in an Artificial Barnyard

Waterfowl and shorebirds harbor and shed all hemagglutinin and neuraminidase subtypes of influenza A viruses and interact in nature with a broad range of other avian and mammalian species to which they might transmit such viruses. Estimating the efficiency and importance of such cross-species transmission using epidemiological approaches is difficult. We therefore addressed this question by studying transmission of low pathogenic H5 and H7 viruses from infected ducks to other common animals in a quasi-natural laboratory environment designed to mimic a common barnyard. Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) recently infected with H5N2 or H7N3 viruses were introduced into a room housing other mallards plus chickens, blackbirds, rats and pigeons, and transmission was assessed by monitoring virus shedding (ducks) or seroconversion (other species) over the following 4 weeks. Additional animals of each species were directly inoculated with virus to characterize the effect of a known exposure. In both barnyard experiments, virus accumulated to high titers in the shared water pool. The H5N2 virus was transmitted from infected ducks to other ducks and chickens in the room either directly or through environmental contamination, but not to rats or blackbirds. Ducks infected with the H7N2 virus transmitted directly or indirectly to all other species present. Chickens and blackbirds directly inoculated with these viruses shed significant amounts of virus and seroconverted; rats and pigeons developed antiviral antibodies, but, except for one pigeon, failed to shed virus.
More findings in using the program, “a versatile two-dimensional mesh generator with automatic bandwidth reduction”

Abstract Two minor mistakes in Durocher and Gasper's mesh generator (L. L. Durocher and A. Gasper, Comput. Struct. 10, 561–575, 1979) were detected and corrected.
Increased solids intake and feeding frequency for calves in hutches during cold weather.

Seventy-seven Holstein calves born during October through March were used to evaluate increased solids intake from liquid feed and once versus twice daily feeding on weight gains and health of calves. Dietary treatments were 3.6 kg whole milk fed once daily (A) or in two feedings (B), 3.6 kg whole milk plus 113 g whey-fat blend powder fed once daily (C) or in two feedings (D), and 4.5 kg milk daily fed in two feedings (E). Calves fed diets A and B received .45 kg of solids daily in their liquid feed, whereas those fed diets C, D, and E received .56 kg of solids. These amounts were fed for 4 wk starting 3 d after birth, then amounts were reduced by half during the 5th wk. Weight gains during wk 1 to 5 (.36, .47, .48, .57, and .61 kg/d) were highest for calves fed additional solids and were greater when fed liquid twice instead of once daily. Weight gains were similar for all calves during wk 6 to 10, although weight gains during the entire 10 wk (.67, .70, .72, .81, and .82 kg/d) reflected the differences of the initial 5 wk. Dry feed consumption was similar for all treatment groups during all periods. Incidence of diarrhea tended to be lower in calves fed twice daily, although diarrhea was not a major problem for any treatment group. For optimum growth and health, calves housed in hutches during cold weather should be fed at least .56 kg of solids daily in two or more liquid feedings.
Pediatric predictive index for hospitalization in acute asthma

To develop a pediatric predictor index (PPI) for the outcome of emergency management of acute asthma, 156 children were studied prospectively and grouped by outcome. Of 193 episodes, 130 (67.4%) resulted in successful treatment, 39 (20.2%) in relapse, and 24 (12.4%) in admission. Measured and observed variables from before and after initial therapy were analyzed for the three groups. There were no significant differences between the relapse and successful treatment groups, which were combined for analysis and termed the discharge group. Significant differences were noted between the admission and discharge groups only for dyspnea before and after therapy, accessory muscle use, inspiratory breath sounds and wheezing, and post-respiratory rates, but not for pulse or peak expiratory flow rates before or after therapy. The PPI was determined with multivariate logistic regression and is calculated using the following variables: inspiratory breath sounds, wheezing, and respiratory rates. A score of 0 correctly categorized 95% of admissions, but incorrectly categorized 34% of those discharged. Despite low specificity and limited usefulness as early predictors of admission, PPI variables may serve as valuable adjuncts to the physician in determining the outcome of acute asthma in children.
Effect of impurities on one-dimensional hopping conductivity: Saturation of current

Hopping conductivity is considered in a one-dimensional (1D) system with a finite density of impurities which present a finite barrier to hopping. The nonlinear hopping equations, which exclude jumps to occupied sites, are solved for steady-current conditions in an applied electric field $E$. The current saturates at a value independent of $E$ and of $c$ for $c\ensuremath{\lesssim}\frac{\mathrm{eaE}}{{k}_{B}T}\ensuremath{\ll}1$ where $c$ is the impurity concentration and $a$ the lattice spacing.
Complexity in differential peptide-receptor signaling: response to Segonzac et Al. and Mueller et Al. commentaries.

In response to previous commentaries, we report here that different CLAVATA3 (CLV3) peptides have strikingly different activities in immune response gene activation and root growth repression, which are mediated by the FLAGELLIN SENSING2 (FLS2) and CLAVATA2 (CLV2) receptors, respectively ([Figures 1
The Impact of Case Definition on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Prevalence Estimates in Community-Based Samples of School-Aged Children

Objective To determine the impact of varying attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnostic criteria, including new DSM-5 criteria, on prevalence estimates. Method Parent and teacher reports identified high- and low-screen children with ADHD from elementary schools in 2 states that produced a diverse overall sample. The parent interview stage included the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children–IV (DISC-IV), and up to 4 additional follow-up interviews. Weighted prevalence estimates, accounting for complex sampling, quantified the impact of varying ADHD criteria using baseline and the final follow-up interview data. Results At baseline 1,060 caregivers were interviewed; 656 had at least 1 follow-up interview. Teachers and parents reported 6 or more ADHD symptoms for 20.5% (95% CI = 18.1%–23.2%) and 29.8% (CI = 24.5%–35.6%) of children respectively, with criteria for impairment and onset by age 7 years ( DSM-IV ) reducing these proportions to 16.3% (CI = 14.7%–18.0%) and 17.5% (CI = 13.3%–22.8%); requiring at least 4 teacher-reported symptoms reduced the parent-reported prevalence to 8.9% (CI = 7.4%–10.6%). Revising age of onset to 12 years per DSM-5 increased the 8.9% estimate to 11.3% (CI = 9.5%–13.3%), with a similar increase seen at follow-up: 8.2% with age 7 onset (CI = 5.9%–11.2%) versus 13.0% (CI = 7.6%–21.4%) with onset by age 12. Reducing the number of symptoms required for those aged 17 and older increased the overall estimate to 13.1% (CI = 7.7%–21.5%). Conclusion These findings quantify the impact on prevalence estimates of varying case definition criteria for ADHD. Further research of impairment ratings and data from multiple informants is required to better inform clinicians conducting diagnostic assessments. DSM-5 changes in age of onset and number of symptoms required for older adolescents appear to increase prevalence estimates, although the full impact is uncertain due to the age of our sample.
Lipid Nephrotoxicity: New Concept for an Old Disease

The prevalence of obesity in the United States remains high, exceeding 30% in most states. As this trend continues unhindered, we will continue see a persistent rise in obesity-related metabolic effects—hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and atherosclerosis. These diseases are also the leading causes of chronic kidney diseases and end-stage renal disease. The lipid nephrotoxicity hypothesis, proposed over three decades ago, suggested that proteinuria, decreased albumin levels, and the resultant hyperlipidemia may cause a glomerulosclerosis similar to atherosclerosis. More recent studies have demonstrated the role of oxidized high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles in the progression of kidney disease. Elucidation of the role of lipid-lowering therapies and the concomitant improvement in tubulointerstitial and glomerular diseases is a further evidence of the role of lipids in renal injury. Synergistic effects of lipid-lowering drugs and blockers of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) in renal protection have also been documented. Dyslipidemia in renal disease is usually characterized by elevated LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, and high triglycerides. After an initial glomerular injury, likely to be inflammatory, a series of self-perpetuating events occur. Increased glomerular basement permeability leads to loss of lipoprotein lipase activators, which results in hyperlipidemia. Circulating LDL has a charge affinity for glycoaminoglycans in the glomerular basement membrane and further increases its permeability. Substantial amounts of filtered lipoprotein cause proliferation of mesangial cells. Proximal tubules reabsorb some of the filtered lipoprotein, and the remainder is altered during passage through the nephron. If intraluminal pH is close to the isoelectric point of the apoprotein, luminal apoprotein will precipitate, causing tubulointerstitial disease. This review shows the evidence for the role of lipids in development of chronic renal disease, the pathophysiology of lipid nephrotoxicity, and strategies available to clinicians to slow the progression of disease.
Improved gas chromatographic procedure for the determination of clonazepam levels in plasma using a nitrogen-sensitive detector

Abstract A gas—liquid chromatographic procedure (GLC) is described for the determination of clonazepam in plasma. The drug is extracted from buffered plasma at pH 9.0 with diethyl ether and then back-extracted into 6 N hydrochloric acid—6 N sulfuric acid (95:5) and hydrolyzed at 100°C to convert the drug into its benzophenone derivative. The benzophenone derivative of flurazepam is added to plasma as an internal reference standard. Drug derivatives are finally extracted from the neutralized aqueous phase and assayed by GLC. The present procedure makes use of a nitrogen-sensitive detector which is more stable and selective than the commonly employed electron-capture procedure. The sensitivity of the detector for clonazepam is 1 ng/ml.
Neuropeptide beckons cells that heal

Experiments in rodents identify a factor that causes the release of multipotent cells into the circulation after injury. These cells contribute to tissue repair (pages 425–435).