cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Texas College Students' Perceptions of Family Services [Texas Woman's University]

The purpose of this research project is to examine Texas college students’ perceptions about family services. Opinions that students develop regarding family services may influence their willingness to report or refer to appropriate services as professionals. Though there is little research over student perceptions, there is literature on parent perception of services their child receives. Murray-Labriolaet al. (2015) found that after a child received family-centered services, parents viewed that particular service in a positive light. However, Staniforth, Deane, & Beddoe(2016) found that the media is the largest influence on the perceptions of social services by the public, and that media presentation of social services are strongly negative. This same study also found a positive correlation between education level and positive opinions of social services. This study seeks to fill this gap in the literature by examining the perceptions Texas college students have about different types of social services, as well as the experiences that they feel most affect those perceptions.
Organic orchard floor management impact on soil quality indicators: nutrient fluxes, microbial biomass and activity

Maintaining nutrient availability in organic orchards presents challenges. Diverse litter sources may increase nutrient cycling and the efficiency by which microbes utilize carbon (C). Two tree-row treatments: ‘straw-mulch’ (Triticum aestivum L.) and ‘living-mulch’ (Lobularia maritima (L.) Desv.), and two alleyway groundcovers: ‘grass’ (Festuca rubra with Lolium perenne L.) and a legume, ‘Birdsfoot trefoil’ (Lotus corniculatus L.) were compared to an industry standard, tillage with a grass alleyway. Tree-row deposited trefoil biomass contributed 0.2 kg additional total nitrogen (N) per tree annually. Soil from tree-rows with trefoil alleyways had 23% greater organic C (+ 3.1 g kg−1), 17% greater total N (+ 0.3 g kg−1), up to 53% greater microbial biomass (+ 204 mg CO2–C kg−1), 32, 34 and 31% greater dehydrogenase (+ 2.3 µg TPF g−1), alkaline (+ 55.9 µg p-nitrophenol g−1) and acid (+ 106.7 µg p-nitrophenol g−1) phosphomonoesterase enzyme activity, 62% greater soil NO3−N (+ 2.05 µg NO3−1 g−1), and 51% higher nitrification rates (+ 0.22 µg NO2−–N + NO3−–N g−1 soil h−1) than tree-row soils adjacent to grass alleyways. Straw-mulch and living-mulch soils did not differ. Metabolic CO2 quotient (qCO2) values were lowest in trefoil (0.0032) and living-mulch with grass treatments (0.0036), indicating greater microbial growth efficiency. Tillage and straw-mulch with grass alleyway treatments had the highest qCO2 (0.0053 and 0.0048) and the lowest microbial biomass (246.3 and 297.6 mg CO2–C kg−1 soil). Higher potential biochemical activity, and total C and N, suggests orchards with trefoil alleyways cut and deposited into tree-rows, enhances soil organic matter and promotes balanced nutrient cycling and retentive processes.
The slave-trader’s letter-book: Charles Lamar, the wanderer, and other tales of the African slave trade: by Jim Jordan, Athens, GA, University of Georgia Press, 2018, Xiv, 327pp., $32.95 (hardback), ISBN 9780820351964

In the transatlantic slave trade’s long history, slave ships carried enslaved men, women and children from Africa to the Americas more than 36,000 times. Every one of these voyages utterly transfor...
Indiana bat roosting behavior differs between urban and rural landscapes

Urbanization may negatively affect forest obligate bat species. We compared the roosting behavior of federally endangered Indiana bats (Myotis sodalis) in a fragmented site, located on the leading edge of a developing urban area (Indianapolis, IN), with a site of relatively contiguous forest cover in Indiana, USA, during the summers of 2013–2015. Bats in both sites used large standing dead trees and bat boxes with low levels of overhead canopy closure (fragmented site: 26.1 ± 11.0%, contiguous site: 20.1 ± 7.3%) as primary roosts (large groups of bats resident over many days). Between the 2 sites, secondary roosts (individual bats or small groups resident for only a few days) differed in canopy closure at the roost-scale (fragmented site: 66.9 ± 5.1%, contiguous site: 37.1 ± 9.3%); secondary roosts in the contiguous site resembled solar-exposed primary roosts. Bats in the fragmented site switched roosts less often (1.7 ± 0.5 switching events/bat, 5.8 ± 1.7 days of use/roosts) and traveled shorter distances between roosts (702 ± 211 m) than bats in the contiguous site (2.3 ± 0.6 switching events/bat, 2.4 ± 0.4 days of use/roosts; 1216 ± 337 m between roosts). This suggests that the fragmented site may have had low densities of available roosts, which may help explain the heavy use of bat boxes by bats in the fragmented site. These data suggest that urban populations of Indiana bats behave differently than those in rural areas, which managers should consider while managing for this species.
The anatomy of model trees: a visual exploration:

This visual essay explores the anatomy of model trees and the beauty evident in their creation. The aim is to explore the interpretive aspect that both drives and allows for this inventive explorat...
Predicted Lifetime Third-Party Costs of Obesity for Black and White Adolescents with Race-Specific Age-Related Weight Gain.

OBJECTIVE There exists enormous variation in estimates of the lifetime cost of adolescent obesity by race. To justify policy measures to reduce obesity rates nationally in this demographic, the costs of obesity in late adolescence must first be discerned. Although several researchers have sought to quantify obesity's true cost, none has accounted for race-specific age-related weight gain, a vital component in producing an accurate estimate. METHODS This paper employs a Markov model of BMI category state changes separately for black and white males and females from age 18 to 75 applied to updated estimates of obesity's costs and effect on mortality to quantify the median lifetime cost of obesity at age 18. RESULTS This study found lower lifetime costs than previously, largely because of the dramatic gain in weight among normal-weight individuals, particularly black males, that occurs in early adulthood. CONCLUSIONS A substantial portion of obesity's prevalence, and therefore cost, for black males and females comes from age-related weight gain in early adulthood. This speaks to the persistent threat of obesity beyond adolescence for this demographic, and further research should focus on whether policy can modify the behaviors and environment through which and in which this sharp increase in weight occurs.
Structures of Production and Properties of Social Order

Macro theories characterize an economy as a circular flow. In contrast, this book characterizes an economy as a structure of production that entails diachronic patterns of action within societies. The difference in analytical implications is huge. A circular flow is smooth and well represented by such measures as aggregate spending. A structure of production entails turbulence as plans continually are created and extinguished. That turbulence, moreover, cannot be controlled through traditional macro policy because the insertion of spending operates orthogonally to the activities that emerge within an ecology of plans. Turbulence is a normal feature of a well-working economic system. Efforts to control turbulence, as against working within its contours, can intensify turbulence due to complex interactions within the ecology of plans.
Outcomes Of Transcarotid Artery Revascularization (TCAR) In Octogenarians and Older

Abstract Objective Carotid revascularization, both endarterectomy (CEA) and transfemoral carotid artery stenting (TFCAS), are associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes in patients > 80 years of age. Transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) is a technique that combines surgical principles of neuroprotection with less invasive endovascular techniques to treat severe carotid stenosis. Data from a recent registry study comparing TCAR to that of CEA and TFCAS demonstrated no significant difference in outcomes between TCAR and CEA in patients > 80 years old, and a significant reduction in stroke and composite outcomes between TCAR and TFCAS in patients > 80 years of age. To add to these studies, a more in-depth analysis of demographic, procedural, and outcome factors is warranted for elderly patients > 80 years undergoing TCAR. At our center, with a large volume of elderly patients based on local demographics, we expect there will be no significant effect of age on outcome measures between patients Methods Data was collected retrospectively for patients undergoing TCAR for symptomatic (≥50%) or asymptomatic (≥80%) extracranial carotid artery stenosis. Primary endpoints were the incidence of ipsilateral cerebrovascular ischemic event (stroke or transient ischemic attack), myocardial infarction (MI), cranial nerve injury, and death through 30 days post-procedure. Secondary endpoints were postoperative length of hospital stay (LOS), procedure time, carotid artery clamp/flow reversal time, and fluoroscopy time. Subgroup analyses were performed to examine the effect of inpatient/outpatient status, carotid symptomatology, and type of anesthesia on secondary outcomes. Results Ninety-seven TCAR procedures were performed at our institution during the study period, of which 43 (44%) were on patients ≥80 years of age. Technical success was achieved in all cases, with no incidence of cerebrovascular ischemic event, MI, cranial nerve injury, or mortality through 30 days post-procedure. In patients ≥80 years of age, the mean procedure time was 47 ± 12 minutes, clamp/flow reversal time was 4.7 ± 1.1 minutes, fluoroscopy time was 4.1 ± 1.6 minutes, and median LOS was 2.0 ± 1.0 days. Procedure time, clamp/flow reversal time, and fluoroscopy time were not significantly different between the age groups. However, there was a significant difference in the LOS, with patients Conclusion Our experience with TCAR confirms that it can be performed successfully in both symptomatic and asymptomatic high-risk elderly patients, with our series finding no incidence of perioperative cerebral ischemic event, MI, or death.
Disagreement about the kind law

This paper argues that the disagreement between positivists and nonpositivists about law is substantive rather than merely verbal, but that the depth and persistence of the disagreement about law, ...
The two-photon absorption coefficient in a wide spectral range of Cd1-0.45Mn0.45Te

Abstract We are reporting, for the first time to our knowledge, measurement of the degenerate two-photon absorption (TPA) coefficient in Cd1-xMnxTe (x = 0.45) in a wide spectral range (690–1040 nm), with a 5 nm resolution. The spectral dependence of the TPA is modeled as a combination of a-a and f-f transitions. The time response is ultrafast at 780 nm with a relaxation time on the order of 14.1 ps and a large TPA coefficient on the order of 60 cm/GW at 690 nm.
TRASS: Time Reversal as Self-Supervision

A longstanding challenge in robot learning for manipulation tasks has been the ability to generalize to varying initial conditions, diverse objects, and changing objectives. Learning based approaches have shown promise in producing robust policies, but require heavy supervision and large number of environment interactions, especially from visual inputs. We propose a novel self-supervision technique that uses time-reversal to provide high level supervision to reach goals. In particular, we introduce the time-reversal model (TRM), a self-supervised model which explores outward from a set of goal states and learns to predict these trajectories in reverse. This provides a high level plan towards goals, allowing us to learn complex manipulation tasks with no demonstrations or exploration at test time. We test our method on the domain of assembly, specifically the mating of tetris-style block pairs. Using our method operating atop visual model predictive control, we are able to assemble tetris blocks on a KuKa IIWA-7 using only uncalibrated RGB camera input, and generalize to unseen block pairs. Project’s-page: https://sites.google.com/view/time-reversal
29.1 A 28nm Bulk-CMOS 4-to-8GHz ¡2mW Cryogenic Pulse Modulator for Scalable Quantum Computing

While quantum processors are typically cooled to $\lt 25$ mK to avoid thermal disturbances to their delicate quantum states, all qubits still suffer decoherence and gate errors. As such, quantum error correction is needed to fully harness the power of quantum computing (QC). Current projections indicate that $\gt 1,000$ physical qubits will be required to encode one error-corrected qubit [1]. Implementing a system with 1,000 error-corrected qubits will likely require moving from the contemporary paradigm where control and readout of the quantum processor is carried out using racks of room temperature electronics to one in which integrated control/readout circuits are located within the cryogenic environment and connected to the quantum processor through superconducting interconnects [2]. This is a major challenge, as the cryo ICs must be high performance and very low power (eventually $\lt 1$ mW/qubit). In this paper, we report the design and system-level characterization of a prototype cryo-CMOS IC for performing XY gate operations on transmon (XMON) qubits.
Gun Buyback Programs in the United States

Gun buyback programs allow individuals to exchange firearms for an incentive. Beyond the simple disposal of unwanted firearms, key objectives of gun buyback programs include reducing firearm availability in the community, providing gun safety education, and mobilizing communities to prevent firearm violence. These programs have been widespread in the United States for the last 50 years; however, they have not been shown to reduce the incidence of firearm violence. Nevertheless, many communities continue implementing buyback programs as a gun violence prevention strategy. This chapter reviews the history of gun buyback programs and considers evidence for their efficacy. The final section provides specific recommendations, in accordance with new research findings, for community leaders seeking to design an effective gun buyback program.
Mandarin Chinese dual language immersion programs: edited by Ko-Yin Sung and Hsiao-Mei Tsai, Bristol, Multilingual Matters, 2019, 216 pp., $139.95, €119.95, £99.95 (hardback), ISBN-13: 978-1788923958

Mandarin Chinese Dual Language Immersion Programs is the first book that explores and shares dual language immersion (DLI) teaching about a non-alphabetical language in school settings. Compared to...
Taxonomic Revision of Scaly-toed Geckos (Reptilia: Gekkonidae: Lepidodactylus) in the Northern Philippines, with Descriptions of Four New Species

Recent higher level phylogenetic analyses of gekkonid lizards of the genus Lepidodactylus uncovered an array of unrecognized species diversity, particularly within the Philippine archipelago. Novel phylogenetic analyses of multilocus data sets suggest that as many as five, previously undescribed, species-level lineages of Scaly-toed Geckos occur in just the northern portions of the archipelago. Here, we evaluate Lepidodactylus species diversity in the Lepidodactylus yami–balioburius clade and describe four new forest species from Luzon Island and surrounding minor island groups. Interestingly, these species are the first endemic Lepidodactylus taxa described from Luzon proper and peripheral islands. In this first review of Philippine Scaly-toed Gecko diversity in nearly half a century, we use a suite of morphological characters along with molecular data to delimit evolutionary lineages. All species described in this paper can be distinguished from congeners by an array of discrete external traits; all are also monophyletic groups, separated in our phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial ND2 gene. This study increases significantly the number of known Scaly-toed Geckos in the Philippines from 7 to 11, which is likely still an underestimate of the species diversity in this understudied clade.
Poverty traps across levels of aggregation

Poverty trap studies help explain the simultaneous escape from poverty by some households and regions alongside deep and persistent poverty elsewhere. However, researchers remain divided about how important poverty traps are in explaining the range of poverty dynamics observed in various contexts. We build a theoretical model that integrates micro-, meso-, and macro-level poverty traps, allowing us to analyze the ways in which multiple layers of poverty traps interact and reinforce each other. Through this simulation model, markets and institutions arise endogenously and help certain individuals escape poverty, while others remain persistently poor. In addition to one’s own productivity and initial capital levels, we explore how individual opportunity and income can be heavily determined by market access and institutional factors beyond one’s control. Using simulation results from controlled experiments, we can identify the role played by meso- and macro-conditions (that correspond to local markets and country-wide institutions, respectively) in helping individuals escape poverty. Our results suggest that even in a parsimonious model—with optimizing, forward-looking agents operating in a world with only one trap at each level—local and national context matters immensely and combines to determine individual opportunity in complex ways.
Understanding New Yorkers' Everyday Life Information Seeking Behavior in the Context of Coping with COVID-19

Abstract This poster presents preliminary findings of a study which examines New Yorkers' everyday life information seeking (ELIS) behavior in the context of coping with COVID-19. Based on semi-structured interviews with 10 New Yorkers, this study identified 15 major categories of everyday life information needs, and developed a typology of New Yorkers' preferred ELIS sources. These typologies show New Yorkers' specific ELIS behavior during the pandemic, such as actively seeking information regarding grocery shopping and delivery, health safety guidelines, and current events. Social media became a popular source for immediate, local, and relevant information in New Yorkers' daily lives. These findings could form a knowledge base to inform the development of information services to assist residents of large urban areas in coping with public health crises.
Role of The Middle Eastern Sovereign Wealth Funds In The Current Global Financial Crisis

* The author is an Associate Professor of Finance at the Department of Finance, College of Business Administration and Public Policy, California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA 90747. The author wishes to thank but not implicate Zeynep Onder, Suleyman Ozmucur and the participants at the 29
Fernando Sansò Laudation

You must know that in the last century the chairs of the Italian University Prof were loaded with dust because the Italian Prof was always away: chairing meetings, attending symposia, going to the capital city to seek subsidies for the research of his group, or attending the faculty meeting; some, as Marussi and Desio, went in scientific expeditions loaded with curiosity and of risk for their lives, I never heard that they had an insurance for this. The Profs were very rarely on their chair.
Creating the Tribunals

This chapter is a discussion on the political and legal decisions that led to the creation of the different hybrid tribunals. In the case of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), the chapter discusses the disputes between the United Nationʼs (UN) representative and the government of Hun Sen over the structure and authority of the ECCC. This dispute involved the precise makeup and jurisdiction of the court as well as the limits of the court’s jurisdiction. In the case of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, it discusses the negotiations between the government of President Kabbah and UN officials, including the issues surrounding amnesty offered by the Lome Accords. The Serious Crime Process in East Timor involved the creation of the United Nations Transitional Authority in East Timor and the subsequent development of the Special Panel for Serious Crimes as well as the serious crimes unit style to prosecute the offenses. In addition, the Indonesian government created an alternative tribunal, the Human Rights Ad-Hoc Tribunal for East Timor based in Jakarta to prosecute Indonesians accused of crimes during the referendum violence. The Bosnian War Crimes Court was created in order to help the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia carry out its completion process by transferring some of its offenders to Bosnia. Initially, the United Nations Mission in Kosovo proposed a Kosovo War and Ethnic Crimes Court as part of the UN governance of Kosovo. However, after a series of violent attacks, the UN authorities authorized the inclusion of international judges into Kosovo’s extant judicial system.
A media agent for automatically building a personalized semantic index

A novel idea of media agent is briefly presented, which can automatically build a personalized semantic index of Web media objects for each particular user. Because the Web is a rich source of multimedia data and the text content on the Web pages is usually semantically related to those media objects on the same pages, the media agent can automatically collect the URLs and related text, and then build the index of the multimedia data, on behalf of the user whenever and wherever she accesses these multimedia data or their container Web pages. Moreover, the media agent can also use an off-line crawler to build the index for those multimedia objects that are relevant to the user's favorites but have not accessed by the user yet. When the user wants to find these multimedia data once again, the semantic index facilitates text-based search for her.
Dipeptidases in spheroplasts and osmotically shocked cells prepared from Escherichia coli K-12.

As part of a study of the role of dipeptidases in Escherichia coli K-12, cells harvested from a peptone-glycerol medium were converted to spheroplasts by treatment with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and lysozyme or were subjected to osmotic shock following exposure to EDTA. Neither treatment causes the liberation into the medium of significant amounts of the enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of glycyl- l -leucine, glycyl- l -phenylalanine, l -leucylglycine, and l -phenylalanylglycine; the relative amount of enzymic activity toward each dipeptide that is released is almost identical with the extent of β-galactosidase leakage. The peptidases retained in both intact spheroplasts and osmotically shocked cells exist in a latent condition and their full activity is demonstrable only after further disruption of the spheroplasts by lysis or of the shocked cells by sonic disintegration. The β-galactosidase activity of shocked cells is very much higher than the activity of intact cells (assayed with o-nitrophenyl β- d -galactoside as substrate). Both intact spheroplasts and shocked cells, however, exhibit only slightly more peptidase activity than is seen when intact cells are tested under the same assay conditions. Thus, the factors responsible for the crypticity of the peptidases in intact bacterial cells remain operative in cells modified by treatment with EDTA and lysozyme or by subjection to osmotic shock.
Biology of natural killer cells.

Publisher Summary Studies of cytotoxicity by human lymphocytes revealed not only that both allogeneic and syngeneic tumor cells were lysed in a non-MHC-restricted fashion, but also that lymphocytes from normal donors were often cytotoxic. Lymphocytes from any healthy donor, as well as peripheral blood and spleen lymphocytes from several experimental animals, in the absence of known or deliberate sensitization, were found to be spontaneously cytotoxic in vitro for some normal fresh cells, most cultured cell lines, immature hematopoietic cells, and tumor cells. This type of nonadaptive, non-MHC-restricted cellmediated cytotoxicity was defined as “natural” cytotoxicity, and the effector cells mediating natural cytotoxicity were functionally defined as natural killer (NK) cells. The existence of NK cells has prompted a reinterpretation of both the studies of specific cytotoxicity against spontaneous human tumors and the theory of immune surveillance, at least in its most restrictive interpretation. Unlike cytotoxic T cells, NK cells cannot be demonstrated to have clonally distributed specificity, restriction for MHC products at the target cell surface, or immunological memory. NK cells cannot yet be formally assigned to a single lineage based on the definitive identification of a stem cell, a distinct anatomical location of maturation, or unique genotypic rearrangements.
A Naive Bayes machine learning approach to risk prediction using censored, time‐to‐event data

Predicting an individual's risk of experiencing a future clinical outcome is a statistical task with important consequences for both practicing clinicians and public health experts. Modern observational databases such as electronic health records provide an alternative to the longitudinal cohort studies traditionally used to construct risk models, bringing with them both opportunities and challenges. Large sample sizes and detailed covariate histories enable the use of sophisticated machine learning techniques to uncover complex associations and interactions, but observational databases are often 'messy', with high levels of missing data and incomplete patient follow-up. In this paper, we propose an adaptation of the well-known Naive Bayes machine learning approach to time-to-event outcomes subject to censoring. We compare the predictive performance of our method with the Cox proportional hazards model which is commonly used for risk prediction in healthcare populations, and illustrate its application to prediction of cardiovascular risk using an electronic health record dataset from a large Midwest integrated healthcare system.
Differential modulation of astrocyte cytokine gene expression by TGF-beta

In this study, we demonstrate that TGF-beta inhibits TNF-alpha expression, and induces/enhances IL-6 expression by primary rat astrocytes. Treatment of astrocytes with TGF-beta alone had no effect on TNF-alpha mRNA or protein expression; however, TGF-beta suppressed induction of TNF-alpha expression by three different stimuli (IFN-gamma/LPS, IFN-gamma/IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha) at both the protein and mRNA level. The extent of TGF-beta-mediated inhibition was greatest when astrocytes were pretreated with TGF-beta for 6 to 24 h, then exposed to the inducing stimuli. Inhibition of TNF-alpha mRNA steady-state levels by TGF-beta was a result of inhibition of TNF-alpha gene transcription, rather than degradation of the TNF-alpha message. In contrast, TGF-beta alone induced expression of IL-6 by astrocytes and synergized with two other cytokines, IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha, for enhanced IL-6 expression. TGF-beta-induced/enhanced IL-6 expression was mediated by transcriptional activation of the IL-6 gene. These results indicate that TGF-beta is an important regulator of cytokine production by astrocytes under inflammatory conditions in the brain.
The physician-scientist workforce in the United States.

Drs. Agren and Wetterberg conclude in their Letter to the Editor that “the declining proportion of research trained medical doctors in psychiatry is an increasing problem in Sweden.” This is concerning since physicians bring to their research the vital experience of caring for patients. This clinical “lens” enormously impacts how physician-scientists make hypotheses and design clinical research either on their own or, increasingly, in collaboration with PhD scientists. The focus of their clinical and translational research is for the benefit of the patient. Unfortunately, over the past 30 years, the number of physicians primarily engaged in research in the United States (US) has declined as the number of physicians engaged in patient care has steadily increased (1). As early as 1979, eminent physician scientists (2) and more recently in the 1990s, national organizations including the Institute of Medicine (3), the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) (4) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH)(5) described challenges for the physician-scientist workforce, including barriers to attracting and retaining clinical investigators in research. Recommendations from these organizations to increase clinical research training in the US were enacted in the late 1990s at a time when the NIH annual budget doubled from $13.675 billion (1998) to $27.167 billion (2003). That period saw substantial growth in the number and types of clinical research training programs(6), many pioneered and heavily supported by the NIH itself alongside initiatives by foundations and other non-profit organizations which vitally support medical research.
Multi-mission radar altimeter: concept and performance

Satellite radar altimeters have proven to be a reliable source of data on sea surface elevation to the precision of several centimeters. Conventional instruments are limited to open ocean applications. This paper describes a new approach to radar altimetry that circumvents most of those limitations. The concept exploits unfocused SAR processing in the along-track direction, and monopulse techniques in the cross-track direction. The result is an instrument that is insensitive (to first order) to small angles of surface slope, is not confused by hill tops or other prominent terrain features, and has a sharper flat surface impulse response than conventional radar altimeters. Full Doppler integration and range curvature correction allow more independent looks than TOPEX, for example, while achieving a resolved footprint of about 250 meters, and requiring less radiated power. An instrument including real-rate on-board processing is described, suitable for a small satellite.
Endogenous levels of 5 alpha-reduced progestins and androgens in fetal vs. adult rat brains.

Abstract 5 Alpha-reduced metabolites of certain steroids have been shown to have important functions in adult brains and may play a role in brain development. To assess which 5 alpha-reduced steroid metabolites may have an impact during development, endogenous levels of 5 alpha-reduced androgens and progestins and their parent hormones were measured in male and female fetal brains over the last 5 days of gestation. These levels were compared to levels measured in adult male and female brains (evaluated at different stages of the estrous cycle). Neither the brain levels of parent hormones nor of their 5 alpha-reduced metabolites varied as a function of fetal sex or of gestational age. Therefore, the data from the two sexes were combined. In fetal brains, the levels of the progesterone reduced metabolites were 20-fold higher than levels of progesterone itself whereas levels of testosterone reduced metabolites were 10-fold lower than testosterone levels. In contrast to fetal brain, conversion of progesterone to reduced metabolites was much lower in adult brain, but the level of 5 alpha-reduced androgens was 3–10-fold higher than the level of testosterone in all adult tissue, indicating more conversion of androgen to 5 alpha-reduced metabolites in adult than in fetal brains. These results imply that the reduction of progesterone to reduced metabolites may play a critical role in brain development.
Insulin-Stimulated Vascular Relaxation Role of Ca2+-ATPase

We have recently described defects in vascular smooth muscle Ca2+ transport in insulin-resistant states. Since insulin stimulates plasmalemmal Ca(2+)-ATPase activity in some tissues, loss of this stimulation in insulin resistance may result in reduced Ca2+ efflux, and, consequently, increased intracellular Ca2+ and vascular tone. Consequently, the present studies were conducted to determine the effects of insulin on vascular smooth muscle Ca2+ efflux and vascular relaxation following vasoconstriction, and to determine whether these effects are attributable to insulin stimulation of Ca(2+)-ATPase. Endothelium-denuded rat aortic strips were incubated for 1 h in the presence or absence of insulin (0.1 mU/mL), and 45Ca2+ efflux was measured. In some experiments, either a low Na+ (3 to 5 mmol/L) medium was used to inhibit Na+/Ca2+ exchange, vanadate (1 mmol/L) was added to inhibit Ca(2+)-ATPase activity, or the insulin level was varied (0.01 to 1.00 mU/mL) to establish dose dependence. To determine the effects of insulin on vascular relaxation, endothelial denuded aortic strips were suspended in a muscle bath and connected to an isometric force transducer. The strips were incubated with insulin (0.1 U/mL) or vehicle for 1 h, contracted with phenylephrine, and the rate of spontaneous relaxation following phenylephrine washout was measured. Insulin (0.1 mU/mL) stimulated both Ca2+ efflux (efflux rate constant = 0.288 +/- 0.038 v 0.361 +/- 0.036 min-1 in control and insulin-treated strips, respectively; P less than .005) and relaxation rate (3.97 +/- 0.35 v 4.63 +/- 0.31%/min; P less than .01), and both of these effects were inhibited by vanadate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Simulation of an automated logistics and manufacturing system

Abstract The article presents an application of discrete mathematical simulation for the design and optimization of an automated-manufacturing-line delivery system, carousel storage, automated subassembly facility, and manual production lines. The described system produces a computer-storage device at the least cost by optimizing direct labor and significantly reducing inventory carrying costs. Because volumes per model vary, a combination of automated and non-automated processes optimizes the capital investment. The results of the analysis predict the number of carousels required, expected facility utilization, buffer requirements, maximum production throughput, system sensitivity, and the capability of the system to accomodate new products.
How effective is 'high-speed' autoradiography?

SUMMARY A number of methods have recently been described for enhancing silver grain production in light microscope autoradiography by impregnating the emulsion with a 2,5-diphenyloxazole-based fluor system. After extensive testing of these methods it was found that none gave a significant increase in silver grain count. In the course of this work a number of observations were made which seem to account at least partially for these failures, and which question the feasibility of this type of fluorography. 1 Tetrahymena nuclei, pulse labelled with 3H-thymidine, contain sufficient radioactivity to produce useful autoradiographs after 2 h exposure without fluorographic enhancement. 2 Although fluorographic autoradiography of this type requires that the fluor penetrate the photographic emulsion, direct evidence was obtained that such penetration does not occur. Thus it is unlikely that true fluorographic enhancement occurs with methods based on 2,5-diphenyloxazole impregnation of the emulsion. (This is in contrast to the widely used gel fluorography techniques in which it is the gel rather than the photographic emulsion which is impregnated with fluor.) 3 In DNA fibre autoradiography, it is possible to obtain artefactual arrays of silver grains which closely resemble those expected of replicating DNA. This phenomenon alone, however, does not explain a recent report of successful DNA fibre autoradiography after an exposure of only 3 days. Calculations based on the maximum dpm per length of labelled DNA raise further questions concerning this result.
Combined use of satellite and surface observations to infer the imaginary part of refractive index of Saharan dust

We present a method for retrieval of the imaginary part of refractive index of desert dust aerosol in the near UV part of spectrum. The method uses Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) measurements of the top of the atmosphere radiances at 331 and 360 run and aerosol optical depth provided by the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). Obtained values of imaginary part of refractive index retrieved for Saharan dust aerosol at 360 nm are significantly lower than previously reported values. The average retrieved values vary between 0.0054 and 0.0066 for different geographical locations. Our findings are in good agreement with the results of several recent investigations.
Secure mutual proximity zone enclosure evaluation

Mobile users engage in novel and exciting location-based social media applications (e.g., geosocial networks, spatial crowdsourcing) in which they interact with other users situated in their proximity. In several application scenarios, users define their own proximity zones of interest (typically in the form of polygonal regions, such as a collection of city blocks), and want to find other users with whom they are in a mutual enclosure relationship with respect to their respective proximity zones. This boils down to evaluating two point-in-polygon enclosure conditions, which is easy to achieve for revealed user locations and proximity zones. However, users may be reluctant to share their whereabouts with their friends and with social media service providers, as location data can help one infer sensitive details such as an individual's health status, financial situation or lifestyle choices. In this paper, we propose a mechanism that allows users to securely evaluate mutual proximity zone enclosure on encrypted location data. Our solution uses homomorphic encryption, and supports convex polygonal proximity zones. We provide a security analysis of the proposed solution, we investigate performance optimizations, and we show experimentally that our approach scales well for datasets of millions of users.
High Efficiency Multifacet Holographic Optical Elements For Image Formation

In this paper we describe the use of a multifacet holographic optical element which utilizes nearly all the energy in an incident Gaussian laser beam to form a gray tone output pattern or image.
Temperature monitoring and perioperative thermoregulation.

Most clinically available thermometers accurately report the temperature of whatever tissue is being measured. The difficulty is that no reliably core-temperature measuring sites are completely non-invasive and easy to use — especially in patients not having general anesthesia. Nonetheless, temperature can be reliably measured in most patients. Body temperature should be measured in patients having general anesthesia exceeding 30 minutes in duration, and in patients having major operations under neuraxial anesthesia. Core body temperature is normally tightly regulated. All general anesthetics produce a profound dose-dependent reduction in the core temperature triggering cold defenses including arterio-venous shunt vasoconstriction and shivering. Anesthetic-induced impairment of normal thermoregulatory control, and the resulting core-to-peripheral redistribution of body heat, is the primary cause of hypothermia in most patients. Neuraxial anesthesia also impairs thermoregulatory control, although to a lesser extant than general anesthesia. Prolonged epidural analgesia is associated with hyperthermia whose cause remains unknown.
Reversal of intestinal failure–associated liver disease in infants and children on parenteral nutrition: experience with 93 patients at a referral center for intestinal rehabilitation

Abstract Purpose Intestinal failure (IF)–associated liver disease (IFALD) complicates the treatment of children with IF receiving parenteral nutrition (PN). We hypothesized that prevention or resolution of IFALD was possible in most children and that this would result in improved outcomes. Methods We reviewed prospectively gathered data on all children referred to the intestinal rehabilitation and transplantation center at our institution. Total bilirubin level (TB) was used as the marker for IFALD. Patients were grouped based on TB at referral and at subsequent inpatient stays and outpatient visits. Standard treatment consisted of cycling of PN, limiting lipid infusion, enteral stimulation, use of ursodeoxycholic acid, and surgical intervention when necessary. Outcomes such as mortality, dependence on PN, and need for transplantation were assessed. Statistical analyses were performed using Fisher's exact, Mann-Whitney U , and Wilcoxon signed rank tests. Results Ninety-three patients with intestinal failure and on PN were treated at our center from 2003 to 2009. Median age at referral was 5 months (0.5-264 months). Prematurity was a complicating factor in 63 patients and necrotizing enterocolitis was the most common diagnosis. Eighty-two children had short bowel syndrome, whereas the remaining 11 had extensive motility disorders. 97% of children required significant alteration of their PN administration. At referral, 76 of 93 children had TB 2.0 mg/dL or higher, and 17 had TB below 2.0 mg/dL. TB normalized in 57 of 76 children with elevated TB at referral, and TB remained elevated in 19. Normalization of TB was associated with a mortality of 5.2%, and transplantation was needed in 5.2%. Conversely, when TB remained elevated, mortality was 58% ( P = .0002 vs TB normalized), and transplantation occurred in 58% owing to failure of surgical and medical rehabilitation. Conclusions Most children referred for treatment of IF have IFALD. A dedicated IF rehabilitation program can reverse IFALD in many children, and this is associated with improved outcome.
A longitudinal study of emotional intelligence training for otolaryngology residents and faculty.

Importance Emotions underlie and influence physician communications and relationships with patients and colleagues. Training programs to enhance emotional attunement, or emotional intelligence (EI), for physicians and assess training effects are scarce. Objective To assess whether an EI training program for otolaryngology residents and faculty affects patient satisfaction. Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective longitudinal, cohort study of physician residents and faculty in an EI training program at the Department of Otolaryngology, University of Kansas Medical Center, with annual training from 2005 to 2011. Interventions Three levels of interventions included 4 years of repeated EI assessment, 7 years of highly interactive EI training with high-risk/high-stress simulations, and ongoing modeling and mentoring of EI skills by faculty. Main Outcomes and Measures Four levels of outcome of the EI training were assessed with the following questions: Did participants enjoy the program? Could they apply the training to their practice? Did it change their behavior? Did it affect patient satisfaction? The Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) was administered to faculty and residents, and the Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction Survey was completed by patients. Results Ninety-seven percent of participants (103 of 106) reported that they enjoyed the programs, and 98% (104 of 106) reported that they have or could have applied what they learned. Participants demonstrated improvement in mean EQ-i scores from 102.19 (baseline/pretraining) to 107.29 (posttraining and assessment 1 year later; change, 6.71; 95% CI, 3.44-9.98). This increase was sustained in successive years, and these results were supported with linear growth curve analysis. The total department mean EQ-i score in pretraining year 2005 was 104.29 (“average” range), with posttraining scores in the “high average” range (112.46 in 2006, 111.67 in 2007, and 113.15 in 2008). An increase in EQ-i scores and EI training corresponded with an increase in patient satisfaction scores. Percentile rank patient satisfaction scores before EI training ranged from 85% to 90%; after training, scores ranged from 92% to 99%. Conclusions and Relevance Emotional intelligence training positively influences patient satisfaction and may enhance medical education and health care outcome.
Time resolved exciton migration in mixed naphthalene crystals: triplet and singlet critical concentrations

Abstract The contrasting temporal characteristics of the triple and singlet transport (below 4 K) correlate with dynamic and quasistatic percolation, respectively. They do not support an Anderson—Mott transition (AMT) for the triplet nor an AMT followed by a kinetic threshold for the singlet critical concentration. The triplet decay-time displays the critical exponent γ.
Adenomatous polyposis coli protein contains two nuclear export signals and shuttles between the nucleus and cytoplasm

Abstract Mutational inactivation of the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) tumor suppressor initiates most hereditary and sporadic colon carcinomas. Although APC protein is located in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus, the protein domains required to maintain a predominantly cytoplasmic localization are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that nuclear export of APC is mediated by two intrinsic, leucine-rich, nuclear export signals (NESs) located near the amino terminus. Each NES was able to induce the nuclear export of a fused carrier protein. Both APC NESs were independently able to interact with the Crm1 nuclear export factor and substitute for the HIV-1 Rev NES to mediate nuclear mRNA export. Both APC NESs functioned within the context of APC sequence: an amino-terminal APC peptide containing both NESs interacted with Crm1 and showed nuclear export in a heterokaryon nucleocytoplasmic shuttling assay. Also, mutation of both APC NESs resulted in the nuclear accumulation of the full-length, ∼320-kDa APC protein, further establishing that the two intrinsic APC NESs are necessary for APC protein nuclear export. Moreover, endogenous APC accumulated in the nucleus of cells treated with the Crm1-specific nuclear export inhibitor leptomycin B. Together, these data indicate that APC is a nucleocytoplasmic shuttle protein whose predominantly cytoplasmic localization requires NES function and suggests that APC may be important for signaling between the nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments of epithelial cells.
Sex hormone-mediated effects on the phase I and phase II metabolism of N-2-fluorenylacetamide. Modulation of 9-hydroxylation.

Abstract Sex differences in the phase I (cytochrome P-450-catalyzed hydroxylations) and phase II (conjugations) metabolism of N -2-fluorenylacetamide (2-FAA) by the livers of 50-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats and effects of gonadectomy were determined. The higher level (1.4 times) of cytochrome P-450 in the microsomes of male rats correlated with their 8 and 1.3 times greater capacities to form 9-hydroxy(OH)-2-FAA and 7-OH-2-FAA respectively. One week after gonadectomy, the formation of 9-OH-2-FAA, the major metabolite in the male, was decreased by 70%, whereas in the female it was increased 1.3 times. Treatment of male rats with β-naphthoflavone (β-NF) increased the formation of phenolic metabolites and N -OH-2-FAA, but decreased that of 9-OH-2-FAA. The amounts of 9-OH-2-FAA were increased, however, in β-NF-treated female and gonadectomized male rats. These sex hormone- and β-NF-mediated differences in the extent of 9-hydroxylation of 2-FAA are discussed in relation to the fluctuations in the levels of specific cytochrome P-450 isozymes. In contrast to the phenolic metabolites and N -OH-2-FAA, 9-OH-2-FAA was a poor substrate for UDP-glucuronyltransferase; this conjugation was not induced by treatment of male rats with β-NF. Hence, in the presence of male hormones, relatively large amounts of 9-OH-2-FAA were formed and possibly retained in the liver. A role of this alcohol as a potential promoter in hepatocarcinogenesis by 2-FAA is suggested.
Neotropical ascomycetes. 5. Hypsostromataceae, a new family of loculoascomycetes and Manglicola samuelsii, a new species from Guyana

A new family, Hypsostromataceae is described for the tropical genera, Hypsostroma and Manglicola. A new species, M. samuehii is described from Guyana and the relationships between the genera and sp...