cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Longitudinal Invariance of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale among Girls and Boys in Middle School.

This study tested the longitudinal factorial invariance of a theoretically consistent, higher-order model for Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scores among adolescent girls and boys in middle school. Data were collected from 2,416 adolescents who completed a survey containing the CES-D in the fall of 1998, spring of 1999, and spring of 2000. The invariance analyses were conducted using LISREL 8.50 with maximum likelihood estimation and the Satorra-Bentler scaled chi-square statistic and standard errors. The higher-order model demonstrated longitudinal, as well as gender, invariance of the overall factor structure and first- and second-order structure coefficients, first-order factor variances, second-order factor variances and covariances, and item uniquenesses. The results demonstrate that meaningful comparisons of composite CES-D scores can be made across time among girls and boys in middle school.
Crystal structure of C60 following compression under 31.1 GPa in diamond anvil cell at room temperature

Abstract We have conducted X-ray diffraction experiments in order to examine modifications in the crystal structure of C60 following compression under 31.1 GPa in a diamond anvil cell at room temperature. The material under ambient and 31.1 GPa is further characterized by laser Raman spectroscopy. The high pressure phase is identified as a mixture of body-centered orthorhombic (Immm), rhombohedral ( R 3 m ), and an unidentified phase.
Group representations in Lagrangian mechanics: An application to a two-dimensional lattice

Abstract Computational aspects of the representation theory of finite Abelian groups provide means for exploiting the symmetries of classical systems of harmonic oscillators. Coupled one-dimensional lattices and the two-dimensional rhombic crystal are modelled as systems of arbitrarily many point masses interconnected by ideal springs. After application of the Born cyclic condition, the Lagrangian functions for these systems are written in matrix notation. The irreducible matrix representations of the symmetry groups for these lattices generate unitary transformations into symmetry coordinates. Under these transformations, the Lagrangian matrices are either diagonalized or reduced to block diagonal form, thereby separating the equations of motion to the maximum extent made possible by system-wide considerations of a purely geometrical nature. Natural lattice frequencies are computed once the transformations to symmetry coordinates have been made.
Parameter-free calculation of hadronic masses from instantons

We propose a non-perturbative calculation scheme which is based on the semi-classical approximation of QCD and can be used to evaluate quantities of interest in hadronic physics. As a first application, we evaluate the mass of the pion and of the nucleon. Such masses are related to a particular combination of Green functions which, in some limit, is dominated by the contribution of \emph{very small-sized} instantons. The size distribution of these pseudo-particles is determined by the 't Hooft tunneling amplitude formula and therefore our calculation is free from any model parameters. We prove that instanton forces generate a light pion and a nucleon with realistic mass ($M_n \sim 970 MeV$). In connection with sum-rules approaches, we discuss the overlap of instantons with pion and nucleon resonances.
Combination of microRNA therapeutics with small-molecule anticancer drugs: Mechanism of action and co-delivery nanocarriers☆

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate multiple molecular pathways vital for the hallmarks of cancer with a high degree of biochemical specificity and potency. By restoring tumor suppressive miRNAs or ablating oncomiRs, miRNA-based therapies can sensitize cancer cells to conventional cytotoxins and the molecularly targeted drugs by promoting apoptosis and autophagy, reverting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, suppressing tumor angiogenesis, and downregulating efflux transporters. The development of miRNA-based therapeutics in combination with small-molecule anticancer drugs provides an unprecedented opportunity to counteract chemoresistance and improve treatment outcome in a broad range of human cancers. This review summarizes the mechanisms and advantages for the combination therapies involving miRNAs and small-molecule drugs, as well as the recent advances in the co-delivery nanocarriers for these agents.
Psychometric evaluation of a self-report scale to measure adolescent depression: The CESDR-10 in two national adolescent samples in the United States

Background: There is a need for brief instruments to screen for depression in adolescents that are valid, reliable and freely available. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of a 10item version of the CESD-R (CESDR-10) in two national adolescent samples. Methods: Sample 1 consisted of N ¼3777 youths (mean age 15.7) and Sample 2 contained N ¼1150 adolescents (mean age 14.5). We performed confirmatory factor analysis, evaluated construct validity, examined differential item functioning, and assessed internal consistency reliability (α). Results: The results suggest generally strong psychometric properties for the CESDR-10. The CFA 1-factor model showed good model fit. Construct validity was partially supported in Sample 1 and mostly supported for Sample 2 based upon the characteristics examined. The CESDR-10 showed configural and metric invariance across both samples and full measurement invariance across sex. There were no notable differences in discrimination parameters or clinically significant differential item functioning between samples or sexes. Limitations: Criterion related validity was not assessed in this study. Further studies should evaluate the scale in comparison to a psychiatric diagnosis. In addition, this study utilized a web-based format of administration which may influence participants' answers. In future studies, the CESDR-10 should be administered in other settings to more thoroughly establish its generalizability. Conclusion: In clinical and non-clinical settings alike, time pressures make the availability of brief but valid screening measures critical. Findings support future use of the CESDR-10.
Boron Segregation in Single-Crystal Si 1˛x˛y Ge x C y and Si 1˛y C y Alloys

It has been reported that boron segregates to single-crystal Si 1 - x Ge x layers from silicon during thermal anneals. In this work, we find that boron segregates even more strongly into single-crystal Si 1 - x - y Ge x C y ,as has been previously reported for polycrystalline films. This effect is also observed in single-crystal Si 1 - y C y . Segregation coefficients range from 1.7 to 2.9 for annealing temperatures in the 800-850°C range. In a Si 1 - y C y layer with 0.4% carbon, most of the segregation is reversible if the carbon is removed by an oxidation-enhanced out-diffusion process. This argues against the formation of immobile B-C defects as the driving force for the segregation. Gradients of interstitial silicon atoms, created by high concentrations of substitutional carbon, are presented as a driving force capable of causing the segregation seen in the experiments.
Smith and Ellsworth's Appraisal Model of Emotion A Replication, Extension and Test

The present study is intended to replicate, extend, and test Smith and Ellsworth's appraisal model of emotion. Twenty-six subjects were asked to recall eight different situations that varied in the closeness of another coacting person, the relative performance of self and other, and the relevance of the performance to the self For each of these situations, subjects filled out scales tapping each of Smith and Ellsworth's situational appraisal dimensions, the 15 emotions previously used by Smith and Ellsworth, and 3 new emotions: jealousy, envy, and pride in other's accomplishments. The Smith and Ellsworth dimensions replicated quite well. For the most part, they were reliable and orthogonal; the dimensions showed a patterning across emotions and the emotions showed a patterning across dimensions that was similar to what Smith and Ellsworth reported. In extending the model to the new emotions, the dimensions accounted for a moderate level of variance in jealousy and envy but not in pride-in-other. The Smith...
On the water impact of general two-dimensional sections

Abstract We consider the analytic solution of the impact problem of a general two-dimensional body entering initially calm water. Of interest are the water splash-up height, the force history and the pressure distribution on the body. The potential-flow formulation of Wagner (Wagner, H. Math. Mech. 1932;12(4):193–215) is applied and extended to an arbitrary body section with the body boundary condition imposed on the exact wetted surface of the body. For wedges and circular cylinders, we derive closed-form solutions using conformal mapping for the boundary-value problem at any instant. These solutions reduce to those of Wagner in the small deadrise angle/shallow-body limit and are verified for the general case by the existing experiments and fully nonlinear numerical simulations. For ship-like sections, we develop a general scheme based on Lewis-form representations for which we also obtain analytic solutions. For illustration, the solution for a bow flare section is obtained which compares favorably with experiments. The present approach generalizes Wagner’s method to a wide class of body sections and is of immediate practical use in the study of ship slamming.
South Korean Attitudes toward the ROK–U.S. Alliance: Group Analysis

This article focuses on South Korean attitudes toward the South Korean-U.S. alliance by comparing three political groups. Using a nationwide survey of South Koreans conducted in 2007, it performs two quantitative analyses: cluster analysis to identify distinct political groups and regression analysis to test hypotheses drawn from literature about what influences public attitudes toward the alliance. This study draws four major conclusions about attitudes toward the alliance: (1) There is strong support for the alliance among South Koreans, including anti-American progressives. (2) For conservatives and centrists, the traditional rationale for the alliance—deterrence of North Korean aggression—remains a basic foundation for the alliance. (3) Among the three groups, there is a developing consensus on a new rationale for the alliance of promoting inter-Korean reconciliation. (4) The younger generation, which constitutes a large majority of the voting public, exhibits moderation and pragmatism in its ideological orientation, contradicting the commonly held view that it heavily slants progressive. These findings can offer important guidance for the future of the alliance.
An efficient mobility management scheme based on location anchoring and pointer forwarding

Personal communication systems (PCSs) must have an efficient way to locate mobile users. The location management fulfills this task through location registration and paging. To reduce the signaling traffic, many schemes such as local anchoring, pointer forwarding and two-level pointer forwarding schemes have been proposed in the past. In this paper, we present a novel location management scheme which intends to mitigate the signaling traffic as well as reduces the connection setup delay in the PCS networks. In this strategy, one VLR is selected as the mobility agents (MA) for that user at a time, which forms another level of management to make some registration signaling traffic localized. The analytical results show that this strategy can significantly reduce the network signaling traffic for users without increasing much of the call setup delay. Also in our new scheme, the signaling burden is evenly distributed and the selection of MA is dynamic for every user.
Toward Legless Locomotion Control

Motivated by an error-recovery locomotion problem, we propose a control technique for a complex mechanical system by decomposing the system dynamics into a collection of simplified models. The robot considered, The Rocking and Rolling Robot (RRRobot), is a high-centered round-bodied robot that locomotes on a plane by swinging its legs and rocking on its shell. We identify the elements contributing to locomotion through two steps: 1) decoupling the leg-body rotation dynamics from the body-plane contact kinematics, and 2) decoupling the body rotational dynamics into dynamics along each rotational axis. We show, using simulation, that such decoupling provides a good approximation to RRRobot's locomotion and use these models to find an approximate control solution for RRRobot: a mapping between planar translation and leg motions.
Inhibitor of apoptosis proteins as targets for anticancer therapy.

Cell death by apoptosis plays a critical role in regulating the subtle balance between cell death and proliferation to maintain tissue homeostasis. Accordingly, tipping the balance in either direction may cause human disease. Too little cell death may promote tumor formation and progression. In addition, killing of cancer cells by current therapies is largely due to induction of apoptosis in tumor cells. Since a hallmark of human cancers is their resistance to apoptosis, there is a demand to develop novel strategies that restore the apoptotic machinery in order to overcome cancer resistance. Inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) block apoptosis at the core of the apoptotic machinery by inhibiting caspases. Elevated levels of IAPs are found in many human cancers and have been associated with poor prognosis. Recent insights into the role of IAPs have provided the basis for various exciting developments that aim to modulate the expression or function of IAPs in human cancers. Targeting IAPs (e.g., by antise...
A Markov Chain Monte Carlo Approach to Closing the Loop in SLAM

The problem of simultaneous localization and mapping has received much attention over the last years. Especially large scale environments, where the robot trajectory loops back on itself, are a challenge. In this paper we introduce a new solution to this problem of closing the loop. Our algorithm is EM-based, but differs from previous work. The key is a probability distribution over partitions of feature tracks that is determined in the E-step, based on the current estimate of the motion. This virtual structure is then used in the M-step to obtain a better estimate for the motion. We demonstrate the success of our algorithm in experiments on real laser data.
A High Aspect Ratio, Flexible, Transparent and Low-Cost Parylene-C Shadow Mask Technology for Micropatterning Applications

In this paper, we present a flexible parylene-C shadow mask technology for creating microscale patterns on flat and curved surfaces. The smallest feature size of 4 mum is demonstrated and the technology is scalable up to full wafer size. With the addition of SU-8 pillars, we also demonstrate multi mask processing with an alignment accuracy of about 5-6 mum. To achieve the smallest features, a low temperature and high aspect ratio (>8:1) parylene etch process is also developed. Utilizing this shadow mask, we successfully patterned proteins and cells on various surfaces (glass, PDMS, methacrylate) up to 9 times. This technology has potential applications for patterning proteins, cells and organic transistors on conventional and/or unconventional substrates.
Recovering From Abuse: A Comparison of Three Paths:

Nursing, and other health professions, have for many years been generally well-educated to be on the alert for, identify, and report abuse, particularly of children. What many nurses are less prepared for, and less comfortable with, is how to help adult patients who were victims of abuse in the past, and who still suffer from its consequences. The purpose of this article is to compare and contrast three different pathways to recovery for persons living with the legacy of abuse and victimization. The three paths are the traditional psychiatric model, spiritually-based self-help, and the humanbecoming theory.
Queer youth in family therapy

Trends in popular belief about same-sex relationships have undergone noteworthy change in the United States over the last decade. Yet this change has been marked by stark polarizations and has occurred at varying rates depending upon regional, community, racial, religious, and individual family context. For queer youth and their families, this cultural transformation has broadened opportunities and created a new set of risks and vulnerabilities. At the same time, youth's increasingly open and playful gender fluidity and sexual identity is complicated by unique intersections of class, race, religion, and immigration. Effective family therapy with queer youth requires practitioner's and treatment models that are sensitive to those who bear the burden of multiple oppressions and the hidden resilience embedded in their layered identities. We present case examples of our model of family therapy which addresses refuge, supports difficult dialogs, and nurtures queerness by looking for hidden resilience in the unique intersections of queer youths' lives. These intersections provide transformational potential for youth, their families and even for family therapists as we are all nurtured and challenged to think more complexly about intersectionality, sexuality, and gender.
Clinical study designs in the urologic literature: a review for the practicing urologist

I the current era of evidence-based medicine, urologists are increasingly called on to apply a greater scientific rigor to their daily practice. To do so, they must remain current with the new advances being reported in published studies and at scientific meetings. Furthermore, given the increasing volume of published clinical research, urologists need to discern between reports providing a high level of evidence for a causal effect and those that do not. A necessary tool for interpreting these articles is an understanding of clinical research designs. Although a variety of study designs are used in clinical research, they all possess a common purpose: to explore the associations and outcomes for a given condition or intervention. Ultimately, the goal is to determine the strength of evidence for a causal effect provided by a study and how best to apply these results to patient care. This review begins with a discussion of several basic concepts necessary for understanding clinical study designs. We then review the essential components of the most common clinical study designs: the case report/series, cross-sectional, case-control, cohort, pre-post experimental, nonrandomized clinical, and randomized clinical trial. In particular, their strengths, weaknesses, and threats to validity are discussed using examples drawn from urologic published reports.
Chemical Composition of Scent Marks in the Ringtailed Lemur (Lemur catta): Glandular Differences, Seasonal Variation, and Individual Signatures

The apocrine and sebaceous scent glands of ringtailed lemurs (Lemur catta) appear to serve different social functions. In behavioral experiments, lemurs modulate their responses to scent marks based on the type of odorant, their own physiological state, the signaler's physiological state, and prior social experience. To examine variation in odorant chemistry relative to olfactory behavior, we used gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to analyze over 86 samples of glandular secretion collected over 2 years from 15 adult lemurs. Labial and scrotal secretions contained organic acids and esters, whereas male brachial secretions were composed almost entirely of squalene and cholesterol derivatives. Principal component and linear discriminant analyses revealed glandular, individual-specific, and seasonal variation in chemical profiles but no relationship to the signaler's social status. The chemical composition of the various secretions provides further clues about the function of the different glands: the higher molecular weight compounds in genital and brachial secretions may increase signal longevity and provide lasting information to conspecifics, consistent with a role in advertising resource ownership or reproductive state. Conversely, the lower molecular weight compounds of antebrachial secretions produce ephemeral signals used primarily in social dominance displays and require integration of multiple sensory modalities for effective signal transmission.
Full-frame image compression for nonsquare images

Full frame cosine transform method for image compression offers enormous advantages over corresponding block techniques in radiological applications. However, previously developed full frame compression algorithm is restricted to square images with dimensions equal to a power of two (512, 1024, etc.). The work presented here extends the same algorithm for applications involving arbitrary dimensions resulting in significant reduction in the compressed data size.
Fluorescent protein markers to tag collagenous proteins: the paradigm of procollagen VII.

Abstract Fluorescent proteins are powerful markers allowing tracking expression, intracellular localization, and translocation of tagged proteins but their effects on the structure and assembly of complex extracellular matrix proteins has not been investigated. Here, we analyzed the utility of fluorescent proteins as markers for procollagen VII, a triple-helical protein critical for the integrity of dermal–epidermal junction. DNA constructs encoding a red fluorescent protein-tagged wild type mini-procollagen VII α chain and green fluorescent protein-tagged α chains harboring selected mutations were genetically engineered. These DNA constructs were co-expressed in HEK-293 cells and the assembly of heterogeneous triple-helical mini-procollagen VII molecules was analyzed. Immunoprecipitation and fluorescence resonance energy transfer assays demonstrated that the presence of different fluorescent protein markers at the C-termini of individual α chains neither altered formation of triple-helical molecules nor affected their secretion to the extracellular space. Our study provides a basis for employing fluorescent proteins as tags for complex structural proteins of extracellular matrix.
Automated performance evaluation of range image segmentation algorithms

Previous performance evaluation of range image segmentation algorithms has depended on manual tuning of algorithm parameters, and has lacked a basis for a test of the significance of differences between algorithms. We present an automated framework for evaluating the performance of range image segmentation algorithms. Automated tuning of algorithm parameters in this framework results in performance as good as that previously obtained with careful manual tuning by the algorithm developers. Use of multiple training and test sets of images provides the basis for a test of the significance of performance differences between algorithms. The framework implementation includes range images, ground truth overlays, program source code, and shell scripts. This framework should make it possible to objectively and reliably compare the performance of range image segmentation algorithms; allow informed experimental feedback for the design of improved segmentation algorithms. The framework is demonstrated using range images, but in principle it could be used to evaluate region segmentation algorithms for any type of image.
Amplification of the 23S rRNA gene and its application in differentiation and detection of phytoplasmas.

The 23S rRNA gene from phytoplasmas was amplified by using the oligonucleotide primer pair P23S5F3 (5'-GTGGATGCCTTGGCACTAAGAGCC-3') and A23S3R3 (5'-ACTTACACACCTGGCCTATCAACC-3'), designed from the conserved 23S rRNA gene sequences of various mollicutes identified in GenBank. The amplified product from a representative phytoplasma strain, eastern X-disease (CX) phytoplasmas, was sequenced and found to be 2798 base pairs in size, with a G + C content of 44.5%, representing about 97% of the entire length of the 23S rRNA gene. The product was confirmed to include a 23S rRNA gene by sequence homology between the amplified fragment and the 23S rRNA genes of other mollicutes and walled bacteria. The 23S rRNA gene from CX phytoplasmas has higher sequence homologies with genes of 23S rRNA from other bacteria (72.6-74.7%) than with those from mollicutes (68.9-71.1%). The primer pair was used to successfully amplify the 23S rRNA gene sequences from phytoplasma strains belonging to 10 different groups or subgroups, bu...
Dissimilar occupations and marital stability

We show that information revealed by the occupation choices of spouses predicts marital dissolution. Using a novel measure of occupational distance constructed from the O*Net Content Model, we find that spouses more closely matched in terms of their occupations' requisite knowledge are more likely to divorce. This supports the hypothesis that gains from division of labor within a household can render a marriage more durable. On the other hand, spouses that are dissimilar in terms of their occupations' activities are more likely to divorce. This suggests that each spouse brings an inclination toward certain activities to the marriage that reflects compatible preferences for joint consumption of household public goods. D13; J12; J24
Distress Vocalizations in Infant Rats: What's All the Fuss About?

Ultrasonic vocalizations emitted by infant rodents are typically characterized as cries of distress. There are two contexts that are known to reliably elicit ultrasound production: extreme cold exposure and administration of clonidine, an alpha 2 adrenoceptor agonist. Noting that these two contexts both entail pronounced decreases in cardiac rate, we have hypothesized that the vocalizations are acoustic by-products of a physiological maneuver, the abdominal compression reaction (ACR), that increases venous return to the heart when return is compromised. As a critical test of this hypothesis, we measured venous pressure near the right atrium in 15-day-old rats after clonidine administration. Consistent with the ACR hypothesis, emission of ultrasound was accompanied by large and reliable increases in venous pressure and, therefore, venous return. These results provide strong, direct support for the ACR hypothesis and, by doing so, underscore the potential pitfalls of anthropomorphic interpretations of the vocalizations of infant rats.
Analysis of recent trends in prostate cancer incidence and mortality.

BACKGROUND There is debate over whether the recent increases seen in prostate cancer are due to lead-time bias from screening, or identification of clinically insignificant lesions. METHODS Population-based incidence rates for 1973–1996 were calculated, based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) tumor registries. Relative incidence rates for prostate cancer by stage, fatal incidence, and lymph nodes were calculated, adjusted for age. RESULTS Localized and regional stage prostate cancer increased through 1992 and then dropped. The rate of distant-stage disease was relatively stable from 1973–1991, with a decrease in distant stage starting in 1992. The 2-year mortality rates were constant for 1973–1989. A decline in the 2-year mortality among cases (fatal incidence) also began in 1992. CONCLUSIONS These data show large increases in early disease, followed by a drop and leveling off along with a decrease in advanced disease (distant stage, 2-year mortality, positive lymph nodes). This indicates that the increasing incidence rates for prostate cancer are largely due to lead-time bias from increased early detection and treatment of prostate cancer. However, since incidence rates have not declined to rates seen in the 1970s, the additional cases may also reflect length bias from insignificant lesions or a true increase in incidence over time. Prostate 42:247–252, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Minimally Needed Evidence for Complex Event Recognition in Unconstrained Videos

This paper addresses the fundamental question -- How do humans recognize complex events in videos? Normally, humans view videos in a sequential manner. We hypothesize that humans can make high-level inference such as an event is present or not in a video, by looking at a very small number of frames not necessarily in a linear order. We attempt to verify this cognitive capability of humans and to discover the Minimally Needed Evidence (MNE) for each event. To this end, we introduce an online game based event quiz facilitating selection of minimal evidence required by humans to judge the presence or absence of a complex event in an open source video. Each video is divided into a set of temporally coherent microshots (1.5 secs in length) which are revealed only on player request. The player's task is to identify the positive and negative occurrences of the given target event with minimal number of requests to reveal evidence. Incentives are given to players for correct identification with the minimal number of requests.Our extensive human study using the game quiz validates our hypothesis - 55% of videos need only one microshot for correct human judgment and events of varying complexity require different amounts of evidence for human judgment. In addition, the proposed notion of MNE enables us to select discriminative features, drastically improving speed and accuracy of a video retrieval system.
Hospital-Physician Gainsharing In Cardiology

The Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General has approved a handful of gainsharing arrangements in which physicians receive cash payments for reducing hospital spending. Gainsharing might reduce costs by aligning hospital and physician incentives, but concerns remain about quality and access. We examine the effects of thirteen gainsharing programs on coronary stent patients. Compared to other hospitals, gainsharing hospitals reduced costs by 7.4 percent per patient, with 91 percent of the savings from lower prices and 9 percent from lower utilization. The available measures of access and quality suggest that neither was reduced, nor was access to drug-eluting stents before 2006.
Effective in vivo and ex vivo gene transfer to intestinal mucosa by VSV-G-pseudotyped lentiviral vectors.

Gene transfer to the gastrointestinal (GI) mucosa is a therapeutic strategy which could prove particularly advantageous for treatment of various hereditary and acquired intestinal disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), GI infections, and cancer. We evaluated vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein envelope (VSV-G)-pseudotyped lentiviral vectors (LV) for efficacy of gene transfer to both murine rectosigmoid colon in vivo and human colon explants ex vivo. LV encoding beta-galactosidase (LV-β-Gal) or firefly-luciferase (LV-fLuc) reporter genes were administered by intrarectal instillation in mice, or applied topically for ex vivo transduction of human colorectal explant tissues from normal individuals. Macroscopic and histological evaluations were performed to assess any tissue damage or inflammation. Transduction efficiency and systemic biodistribution were evaluated by real-time quantitative PCR. LV-fLuc expression was evaluated by ex vivo bioluminescence imaging. LV-β-Gal expression and identity of transduced cell types were examined by histochemical and immunofluorescence staining. Imaging studies showed positive fLuc signals in murine distal colon; β-Gal-positive cells were found in both murine and human intestinal tissue. In the murine model, β-Gal-positive epithelial and lamina propria cells were found to express cytokeratin, CD45, and CD4. LV-transduced β-Gal-positive cells were also seen in human colorectal explants, consisting mainly of CD45, CD4, and CD11c-positive cells confined to the LP. We have demonstrated the feasibility of LV-mediated gene transfer into colonic mucosa. We also identified differential patterns of mucosal gene transfer dependent on whether murine or human tissue was used. Within the limitations of the study, the LV did not appear to induce mucosal damage and were not distributed beyond the distal colon.
Host-pathogen interactions in tuberculosis patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Tuberculosis (TB) is known to be fueled by HIV as well as social and economic factors. With progression of the diabetes mellitus (DM) pandemic in countries where TB is also endemic, focus is increasing on the potential links between DM and TB. Despite the magnitude of the DM-TB association woldwide, it is striking how little we know about the underlying biology that promotes this association which is a major concern to public health. In this review we summarize current findings regarding the alterations in the innate and adaptive immune responses of DM patients to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Current findings suggest underperforming innate immunity followed by a hyper-reactive cellular response to Mtb, but the contribution of these altered responses to TB susceptibility or to the more adverse clinical outcomes of TB patients with DM remains unclear. Elucidating the basic mechanisms underlying the higher susceptibility of DM patients to TB should lead to a strategy for stratification of the millions of DM patients worldwide into those with the highest TB risk for targeted TB prevention.
Altered immunogenicity of isoaspartate containing proteins

The development of immune tolerance is dependent on the expression of self-peptides in the thymus and bone marrow during lymphocyte development. However, not all self-antigens are expressed in the thymus, particularly for proteins that become post-translationally modified during other biological processes in a cell. We have found that one such post-translational modification, the spontaneous conversion of an aspartic acid to isoaspartic acid (isoAsp), causes ignored self-antigens to become immunogenic. In order to determine the mechanism for this autoimmune response, pigeon cytochrome c peptide 88-104 (PCC p88-104) was synthesized with and without an isoaspartyl residue. Each form was digested with cathepsin D, an enzyme involved in antigen processing. The products of cathepsin digestion were dramatically different between the two forms of self-protein suggesting that cryptic self-peptides may be revealed to the immune system by natural modifications to self-proteins. This observation also held true if whole PCC protein contained isoaspartyl residues was digested with cathespsin D. Additionally, AND transgenic TCR T cells (recognizing PCC 88-104) proliferated to a greater extent in response to isoaspartyl PCC as compared to the normal form of PCC. These finding demonstrate the importance of post-translational modifications in shaping autoimmune responses in and the development of tolerance to self-proteins.
Control of Postharvest Diseases with Antimicrobial Agents

Pathological diseases of fruits and vegetables can be reduced to a certain extent by maintaining the natural resistance of the host, low temperature storage, low oxygen atmospheres, and treatment with growth regulators that delay senescence. However, these beneficial practices may not adequately protect the crop from microbial attack, especially during prolonged storage or movement of the crop through export market channels. This is particularly true for crops of tropical origin such as bananas, sweet potatoes and lemons, that suffer physiological injury at the near-freezing temperatures that are required to inhibit growth of fungi over an extended period of time. The maximum storage life of many fresh fruits and vegetables can be realized only by treating the product with an antifungal agent before storage in an optimal environment. The antimicrobial treatment is not a substitute for a satisfactory storage environment, since these agents rarely influence the rate of physiological deterioration of the fresh product. However, the antimicrobial agent is most efficient when the host possesses intrinsic resistance to infection and the environmental conditions are least favorable for the growth of the pathogen.
The opposite pupil in herniation

I serially examined the pupil opposite the one already enlarged from transtentorial herniation in 13 patients. The main abnormalities, stereotyped in most patients, were an initially diminished light reaction with a 2.5- to 4-mm-diameter pupil, followed by slight reduction in size, and then reenlargement to greater than original size, all with preserved roundness. Subsequent deterioration varied among patients, but a transitional oval shape was infrequent and oculomotor function was preserved until both pupils were enlarged and fixed. Once the pupil on the side of a mass enlarges, heralding herniation, subsequent deterioration can be appreciated through changes in9reactivity and size of the opposite pupil.
Effects of interleaved and blocked study on delayed test of category learning generalization

Studying different concepts by frequently alternating between them (i.e., interleaving), improves discriminative contrast between different categories, while studying each concept in separate blocks emphasizes the similarities within each category. Interleaved study has been shown to improve learning of high similarity categories by increasing between-category comparison, while blocked study improves learning of low similarity categories by increasing within-category comparison. In addition, interleaved study presents greater temporal spacing between repetitions of each category compared to blocked study, which might present long-term memory benefits. In this study we asked if the benefits of temporal spacing would interact with the benefits of sequencing for making comparisons when testing was delayed, particularly for low similarity categories. Blocked study might be predicted to promote noticing similarities across members of the same category and result in short-term benefits. However, the increase in temporal delay between repetitions inherent to interleaved study might benefit both types of categories when tested after a longer retention interval. Participants studied categories either interleaved or blocked and were tested immediately and 24 hours after study. We found an interaction between schedule of study and the type of category studied, which is consistent with the differential emphasis promoted by each sequential schedule. However, increasing the retention interval did not modulate this interaction or resulted in improved performance for interleaved study. Overall, this indicates that the benefit of interleaving is not primarily due to temporal spacing during study, but rather due to the cross-category comparisons that interleaving facilitates. We discuss the benefits of temporal spacing of repetitions in the context of sequential study and how it can be integrated with the attentional bias hypothesis proposed by Carvalho and Goldstone (2014).
Cocaine hepatotoxicity in mice: histologic and enzymatic studies.

The severity of hepatotoxicity in CF-1 mice given 5 daily doses of 5, 10, and 20 mg cocaine/kg body weight and sacrificed 24 hr after the last injection appeared to be dose-dependent. Using light microscopy, the hallmark of cocaine early toxicity was manifested by pallor and ballooning of the hepatocytes in the midzonal and then in the centrilobular areas. Degeneration and necrosis of the liver cells in the same zones were encountered while the hepatocytes in the periportal areas remained intact. When examined under the electron microscope, such pallor and ballooning of the hepatocytes appeared to be due to dilation of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) profiles which of ten revealed a significant loss of their ribosomes. Dilation of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) was also common and moderate proliferation of peroxisomes was frequently seen. In the degenerating hepatocytes, the 2 forms of endoplasmic reticulum were difficult to recognize and the peroxisomes appeared sparse. Cocaine treatment el...
Focus on Technology: Virtual Charter Schools in the United States

Virtual charter schools, also called online schools or cyber schools, generally have performed very poorly in the 21st century. Organizers of these institutions usually assign teachers to teach hig...
Recognition and Excision of Bases From Oxidatively Damaged DNA by Fpg, Oggl, and MutY Proteins

Fpg and MutY proteins are DNA glycosylases involved in repair of oxidative DNA damage in bacteria. Oggl is a functional analog of Fpg found in eukaryotes. Fpg and Oggl catalyze excision of 8-oxoguanine paired with dC in duplex DNA while MutY is an adenine DNA glycosylase that acts preferentially on 8-oxodG:dA mispairs. By establishing structure-function relationships for these DNA repair enzymes, functional groups required for substrate recognition and catalysis have been identified. For efficient excision of damaged bases, Fpg and Oggl require the presence of 6-keto and 8-keto groups in the purine ring while MutY requires a dG(syn):dA(anti) mispair. Key structural motifs include the N-terminal proline and C-terminal zinc finger of Fpg and the helix-hairpin-helix motif and G/P D loop of MutY and Oggl. The mechanism for catalysis involves Schiff base formation between Cl’ and a nucleophillic group in the enzyme. Studies with substrates containing pre-formed extrahelical bulges suggest a requirement for an extrahelical base. The proposed mode of action involves rapid scanning of the grooves of DNA, formation of a stable hydrogen-bonded complex at the site of an oxidatively-damaged base, followed by base extrusion and cleavage of the glycosidic bond.
The crucial role of water in shaping low-barrier hydrogen bonds

Low-barrier hydrogen bonds (LBHBs) are key components in a range of chemical processes, often appearing in metal-mediated catalytic applications. The formation of LBHBs has generally been attributed to the particular geometric arrangement of the surrounding atoms and molecules, yet few specific atomic-level details have emerged. In this study, several metal maleate tetrahydrates have been studied using a combination of solid-state density functional theory, terahertz spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction to evaluate the significance of both water molecules and metal cations in guiding LBHB formation and function. The findings reveal the assumption that metal identity is of paramount importance to be incomplete, and that the metal cation does not directly influence the LBHB in the maleate ligand. Rather, the characteristics are regulated by water molecule positioning, asserting the critical role of water in governing LBHBs and providing new insight into their formation mechanisms.
Can Ethics be Contradictory?: A Response to Gerard J. Hughes, S. J.

My comments on Father Hughes’ paper will focus on the following matters: (1) his crucial thesis regarding defensible pluralism in ethics, (2) the silence of this thesis with respect to the critically important issue of contradictory opposition between ethical theories, (3) his suggestion that one gather facts where there is an argument over their moral relevance, and (4) his handling of the question of personhood.
Household Debt Overhang and Labor Supply

For households with homes worth less than the mortgage I test the effect of “household debt overhang” on their labor supply decisions. I utilize a new transaction-level dataset with comprehensive information on assets, liabilities, and deposits for all customers of a major U.S. financial institution from 2010-2014. I then exploit plausibly exogenous variation in the timing of home purchases among households in the same region and time as an instrument for the probability of negative home equity and find that negative equity causes a 2%-6% reduction in household labor supply. These results are robust to the inclusion of time-varying national cohort fixed effects as well as using a life-event driven proxy for the timing of home purchase based on the date of college attendance. Income-contingent loss mitigation creates implicit marginal tax rates that provide a plausible channel by which household debt overhang acts. Consistent with this explanation I find that the labor supply decline is larger in regions where mortgage modifications are more prevalent, even if foreclosures occur less frequently. Taken together these results provide evidence that the moral hazard problem caused by mortgage debt overhang can exacerbate employment declines and highlights the potential unintended consequences of mortgage assistance programs.
Effects of structural motion on the aerodynamics of the X-56A airfoil

This work presents experimental and computational results regarding the effects of structural motion on the aerodynamics of the X-56A airfoil. An oscillatory plunging mechanism has been fabricated and installed in a subsonic wind tunnel. The static characteristics of the X-56A were verified before focusing on unsteady behavior at Re=200k with nominal angles of attack of 10 and 12 degrees. The former contains a laminar separation bubble near the leading edge while the latter is nearly the angle of CLmax. Instantaneous angles of attack during the airfoil oscillations are outside the linear CL-alpha regime and extend into the region associated with static stall in most cases. Focus is placed on oscillations with dimensionless amplitude and frequency that produce CL values which are unattainable in static tests even at higher Re. A comparison with unsteady aerodynamic theory (Theodorsen) is very good for the lower angle of attack case (10 degrees), but unwarranted at the higher angle (12 degrees) since viscous effects become more prominent. The lower angle of attack case is also supported by CFD which reveals more detailed information on the laminar separation bubble near the leading edge and the turbulent flow downstream.
Role of Gap Junctional Cell/Cell Communication in the Control of Proliferation and Neoplastic Transformation

The C3H/10T1/2 cell system has been widely used as a quantitative assay for neoplastic transformation. Following exposure to chemical or physical carcinogens, there is a dose-dependent induction of neoplastic transformation in a small percentage of surviving cells. The ability of carcinogen-initiated cells to undergo transformation is highly dependent upon the effects of cell population density and is also inhibited by cancer chemo-preventive retinoids. It is proposed that these observations are functionally related. Inhibition of transformation by retinoids correlates strongly with their ability to up-regulate intercellular gap junctional communication in normal and carcinogen-initiated cells while inhibition due to density effects correlates with the proximity of initiated cells to normal cells. It is hypothesized that junctional communication allows the transfer of signal molecules which suppress neoplastic transformation.
Effects of Crystalline Theelol and Theelin and Extracts of Liquor Folliculi on Male Rats.

Gould and Doisy1 found that the subcutaneous administration of extracts of hog liquor folliculi retarded the development of the testes of young rabbits. Laqueur2 has obtained results of a similar nature by the injection of young rats with Menformon, and Moore and Price3 have found that oestrin produces testicular damage. Spencer, Gustavson and D'Amour4 report that the administration of oestrin obtained from pregnancy urine retards the rate of growth and testes development of young male rats.The isolation of theelol5, 6, 7 led us to compare the effects of daily injections of crystalline theelin and theelol and extracts of hog liquor folliculi upon the gain in body weight and the development of the genitalia of young male rats. This report is concerned with changes of body and testes weight; a further study including microscopic findings will be presented in a later paper.Subcutaneous injections of from 1.25 to 20 rat units (Kahnt and Doisy8) were made daily for 19 days in normal male rats 21 to 30 days of ...