cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How Much Can Be Expected of One Child? Consequences of Multiplexity of Mothers’ Support Preferences on Adult Children’s Psychological Well-Being

The role of social support in psychological well-being has been a major area of study for social scientists for more than four decades. This chapter investigates the consequences of support processes from the perspective of the provider, bringing together perspectives from family gerontology and social networks. With data from the Within-Family Differences Study (WFDS), this chapter explores whether multiplexity in older mothers’ differential preferences for support from their offspring predict adult children’s depressive symptoms. Results indicate that adult children report higher levels of depressive symptoms when they perceive that their mothers prefer them over other offspring in the family for both emotional closeness and confiding. These consequences are greater for daughters relative to sons.
Ambient Air Exposure to PCBs: Regulation and Monitoring at Five Contaminated Sites in EPA Regions 1, 2, 4, and 5:

Existing regulations seek to protect the public from exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in food, water, and soil. Exposure to PCBs in ambient air has recently been given explicit consideration in the human health risk assessments that form the basis of risk management decisions at contaminated sites. The objective of this paper is to examine how ambient air exposure to PCBs is regulated and monitored at five contaminated sites in the United States. We reviewed online accessible materials (including Environmental Protection Agency-site specific websites, data repositories, and other agency websites). Results indicate that the five sites vary in regard to the measured PCB concentrations in air, the sampling and monitoring methodologies, and the established site-specific guidelines/standards and their basis. We conclude that current practices may not adequately protect those living or working near these sites from airborne PCB exposure and that regulations should include recognition of exposure to indoor sources.
Pressure Dependence of the Peierls Stress in Aluminum

The effect of pressure applied normal to the {111} slip plane on the Peierls stress in Al is studied via atomistic simulations. Edge, screw, 30°, and 60° straight dislocations are created using the Volterra displacement fields for isotropic elasticity. For each dislocation character angle, the Peierls stress is calculated based on the change in the internal energy, which is an invariant measure of the dislocation driving force. It is found that the Peierls stress for dislocations under zero pressure is in general agreement with previous results. For screw and 60° dislocations, the Peierls stress versus pressure relationship has maximum values associated with stacking fault widths that are multiples of the Peierls period. For the edge dislocation, the Peierls stress decreases with increasing pressure from tension to compression. Compared with the Mendelev potential, the Peierls stress calculated from the Mishin potential is more sensitive to changes in pressure.
THE ANALYSIS OF A SET OF MULTIDIMENSIONAL CONTINGENCY TABLES USING LOG-LINEAR MODELS, LATENT-CLASS MODELS, AND CORRELATION MODELS: THE SOLOMON DATA REVISITED

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the various kinds of models for analyzing the set of data first introduced by Solomon, namely, the analysis of a set of multidimensional contingency tables using log-linear models, latent-class models, and the correlation models. The chapter presents the correlation model described by Lazarsfeld, Bahadur, and Solomon, the logistic models in Bock, the additive-effects model in Martin and Bradley, the log-linear models in Goodman, and the latent-class models in Clogg and Goodman. The Solomon data illustrates the application of a rather wide range of perspectives to a given set of data—the set of multidimensional contingency tables introduced by Solomon.
Combining Data Across Measures

Table 7.1 displays a sample of data from 10 patients treated for acute painful diabetic neuropathy, Ten patients were treated with placebo, and 10 were treated with an aldose-reductase inhibitor.
Recurrent disseminated encephalomyelitis: A case report and literature review

Abstract Background Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis has been understood as a monophasic, often post-infectious illness that predominantly affects the pediatric population. Though that describes the majority of cases, exceptions do exist. In this case report, we present an adult case of recurrent disseminated encephalomyelitis (DEM) and review the available literature on this clinical entity. Methods PubMed search performed using the terms "MDEM" and "Recurrent ADEM" in April 2018. A total of 23 items resulted for the first search and another 142 for the second. We selected articles that described cases of recurrent ADEM with a preference for those publications describing adult cases and those written in English language. Conclusion Recurrent disseminated encephalomyelitis is a distinct clinical entity that has features which overlap with multiple sclerosis, making it imperative to distinguish the two. Our case presentation and accompanying literature review highlights the limited scope of data available on recurrent DEM and the need for further study.
Accelerated Average Consensus Algorithm Using Outdated Feedback

This paper examines accelerating the well-known Laplacian average consensus algorithm by breaking its conventional delay-free input into two weighted parts and replacing one of these parts by an outdated feedback. We determine for what weighted sum there exists a range of time delay that leads to increase in the rate of convergence of the algorithm. For such weights, using the Lambert W function, we obtain the rate increasing range of the time delay and also the maximum reachable rate and its corresponding maximizer delay. We also specify what combinations of the current and an outdated feedback increase the rate of convergence without increasing the control effort of the agents. Lastly, we determine the optimum combination of the current and the outdated feedback weights to achieve maximum increase in the rate of convergence without increasing the control effort. We demonstrate our results through a numerical example.
Radical-Transformative Agency: Continuities and Contrasts With Relational Agency and Implications for Education

The recent scholarship on agency is mostly centered around a relational (also known as situative, contextual, distributed, and ecological) approach that draws attention to agency being situated in context and contingent on sociocultural interactivities and contextual dynamics. My central argument is that there is a residue of passivity in these conceptions. Illustrative of this are the works by Bietsa and colleagues which I analyze to reveal conceptual flaws that need to be addressed. To overcome these flaws, it is important to reconstrue no less than the very basic premises about human development, context/reality, and teaching-learning to foreground a more radical view of agency conducive to combatting inequalities and injustices in education. In the alternative approach, termed the Transformative Activist Stance, human development is posited to be not only fully immersed in the world and its contextual dynamics but, more critically, realized by each individual’s agentive contributions to communal practices, whereby these practices are changed as a whole every time a person acts as an active member of community. The emphasis is on the nexus of people changing the world and being changed in this very process of them changing the world – as two poles of one and the same, bi-directional and recursive, co-constitution of people and the world in a simultaneous self- and world-realization. People never merely react or respond to what exists but agentively act in co-realizing both the world and themselves. Agency in this account is accorded with a formative role in the processes of co-realizing both human development, the overall sociohistorical dynamics, and the world itself. Importantly, agency development is contingent on access to cultural tools that need to be provided by society and agentively taken up by each individual. There are starkly contrasting sociopolitical conjectures and implications geared to the issues of inequalities and injustices in education. The notion of a radical-transformative agency is deploeyd in order to expose and overcome ideologies of passive adaptation to, and acquiescence with, the existing order of things and the world as it presumably “is.”
Effects of Gsta4 deficiency on age-related cochlear pathology and hearing loss in mice

Abstract The glutathione transferase (GST) detoxification system converts exogenous and endogenous toxins into a less toxic form by conjugating the toxic compound to reduced glutathione (GSH) by a variety of GST enzymes. Of the ~20 GST isoforms, GSTA4 exhibits high catalytic efficiency toward 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), one of the most abundant end products of lipid peroxidation that contributes to neurodegenerative diseases and age-related disorders. Conjugation to GSH by GSTA4 is thought to be a major route of 4-HNE elimination. In the current study, we investigated the effects of Gsta4 deficiency on age-related cochlear pathology and hearing loss using young (3–5 months old) and old (24–25 months old) Gsta4+/+ and Gsta4−/− mice that were backcrossed onto the CBA/CaJ mouse strain, a well-established model of age-related hearing loss (AHL). At 3–5 months of age, loss of Gsta4 resulted in decreased total GSTA activity toward 4-HNE in the inner ears of young mice. However, there were no differences in the levels of 4-HNE in the inner ears between Gsta4+/+ and Gsta4−/− mice at 3–5 or 24–25 months of age. No histological abnormalities were observed in the cochlea and no hearing impairments were observed in young Gsta4−/− mice. At 24–25 months of age, both Gsta4+/+ and Gsta4−/− mice showed elevated ABR thresholds compared to 3-month-old mice, but there were no differences in ABR thresholds, cochlear spiral ganglion neuron densities, or stria vascularis thickness between Gsta4+/+ and Gsta4−/− mice. Together, these results suggest that under normal physiological conditions or during normal aging, GSTA4 is not essential for removal of 4-HNE in mouse inner ears.
Effects of estrous expression and intensity of behavioral estrous symptoms on variables associated with fertility in beef cows treated for fixed-time artificial insemination

This experiment was conducted to evaluate effects of estrous expression and intensity of behavioral estrous expression, assessed by evaluating physical activity, on variables associated with fertility in beef cows. The following treatment regimen was imposed on lactating, multiparous cows (n = 273): 100-μg injection of GnRH and an intravaginal progesterone (P4) releasing device (CIDR) administered on d -10, 25-mg injection of prostaglandin F2α at CIDR removal on d -3, and another GnRH injection + fixed-time artificial insemination (TAI) 60-66 h following CIDR removal (d 0). Cows were fitted with a pedometer on d -10, and an estrous detection patch on the tail-head on d -3. Cows were classified as not expressing estrus (NOESTR) or expressing estrus with net physical activity greater (HIESTR) or less than the median (LWESTR). Only data from cows responsive to the estrous synchronization treatment regimen were utilized (NOESTR, n = 119; LWESTR, n = 50; HIESTR, n = 50). Diameter of dominant follicles on d 0 and corpus luteum volume on d 7 were greater in HIESTR compared with LWESTR and NOESTR groups (P < 0.01). Plasma P4 concentrations on d 7 and pregnancy rates to TAI were greater in HIESTR and LWESTR than the NOESTR group (P < 0.01). Hence, if there was estrous expression during the period of the GnRH-based TAI treatment regimen, there were greater pregnancy rates to TAI, whereas when there was greater intensity of behavioral estrous symptoms, there were larger dominant follicles and corpora lutea dimensions but not greater pregnancy rates.
In-Vitro Sorbent-Mediated Removal of Edoxaban from Human Plasma and Albumin Solution

Based on previous experience of sorbent-mediated ticagrelor, dabigatran, and radiocontrast agent removal, we set out in this study to test the effect of two sorbents on the removal of edoxaban, a factor Xa antagonist direct oral anticoagulant. We circulated 100 mL of edoxaban solution during six first-pass cycles through 40-mL sorbent columns (containing either CytoSorb in three passes or Porapak Q 50–80 mesh in the remaining three passes) during experiments using human plasma and 4% bovine serum albumin solution as drug vehicles. Drug concentration was measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Edoxaban concentration in two experiments performed with human plasma dropped from 276.8 to 2.7 ng/mL and undetectable concentrations, respectively, with CytoSorb or Porapak Q 50–80 mesh (p = 0.0031). The average edoxaban concentration decreased from 407 ng/mL ± 216 ng/mL to 3.3 ng/mL ± 7 ng/mL (p = 0.017), for a removal rate of 99% across all six samples of human plasma (two samples) and bovine serum albumin solution (four samples). In four out of the six adsorbed samples, the drug concentrations were undetectable. Sorbent-mediated technology may represent a viable pathway for edoxaban removal from human plasma or albumin solution.
Applied Black Politics and the Science of Governing Analysis

This research examines the under-studied realm of governance within Black political science literature. By reviewing significant urban scholarship, the study finds that much of such scholarship focuses on elections and public opinion, but not on the behavior of elected officials. By examining recent scholarship on the behavior of Black elected officials at the municipal level vis-a-vis the scholarship largely concerned with elections and public opinion, the article unearths how much Black political scientists have yet to study concerning why Black politicians make the governing decisions they do.
External Information Sharing on Health Forums: An Exploration

Online health forums are an important avenue for receiving support and learning about fellow patients' experiences with similar diagnoses. We seek to characterize the external information shared (via web links) on health forums as a proxy to participants' information needs. For this purpose, using a dataset of web links shared publicly on a lung cancer forum over a period of 16 years, we perform a comparative analysis with three different website typologies, uncovering a diverse ecosystem of websites. We also examine typological variations as this forum gains and then loses popularity over time.
Agent-Based Modeling, Scientific Reproducibility, and Taphonomy: A Successful Model Implementation Case Study

There is a growing use of agent-based model (ABM) simulations to reconstruct past human-environment interactions. ABMs are useful in that they offer scientists the opportunity to model processes and study phenomena and systems that may not be otherwise reproducible or testable. Replication or re-implementation studies of ABMs are, however, infrequently undertaken, and there are few examples within archaeology or other social sciences. This paper documents the process of a successful ABM replication study, as well as two additional modifications to the original model. Results corroborate the findings of the original geoarchaeological model and indicate that episodic geomorphic events significantly affect archaeological deposit formation and the inferences drawn from associated radiocarbon records. One revision of the model further demonstrates that episodic fluvial events can create highly varied radiocarbon distributions. The second modification illustrates that excavation data helps to fill in hiatuses in radiocarbon chronologies on depositional landforms, although there is no effect across landscapes subject to erosion. This successful replication exercise also illustrates the value of Open Access data and analyses in reproducing, testing, and expanding upon archaeological research and theory building.
Phase changes and damping in crystalline materials

Since phase changes in crystalline materials alter the microstructure, they also have a strong influence on the physical and mechanical properties, including the complex elastic modulus (dynamic elastic modulus and damping). This paper reviews some of the influences of phase changes on the damping of crystalline materials. Specific examples of the effects are presented for crystallographic order-disorder processes (for example, in 75Cu-25Au), partial melting of constituents in dental alloys (mercury-tin-silver) and in leaded alpha brass (copper-zinc-lead), magnetic transformations near the Curie point (in iron, nickel, and 75Ni-25Co), different microstructural phases in an alloy (uranium-titanium), precipitation processes (in manganese-copper alloys), and ferroelectric and dielectric processes (in potassium bromide-potassium cyanide). Most of these examples are taken from results obtained with the PUCOT (piezoelectric ultrasonic composite oscillator technique) operated in the longitudinal vibrational mode at frequencies of 40 to 150 kHz, temperatures in the range of 300 to 1115 K, and strain amplitudes in the range of 10 - 7 to 10 - 4 . The prospects of controlling the level of damping in alloys through the control of the phase changes are outlined.
A Case of a Missing Proximal Humerus.

Author(s): Williams, Jessica Lynn; Hochman, Steven M. | Abstract: Case Presentation: In this case, we demonstrate how a small radiolucency in the proximal humerus can progress to an even larger problem within a few months in a patient without follow-up. Our patient’s ultimate diagnosis was renal cell carcinoma with metastasis to the right proximal humerus, completely obliterating the affected bone.Discussion: In many underserved communities, patients have limited access to medical care, particularly specialty care. These patients often present to the emergency department and are unable to acquire appropriate follow-up. This situation illustrates the social issues that our patients face every day affecting their access to healthcare and ultimately necessary medical treatment.
Zipping and re-zipping methods to improve the precision and accuracy of manufacturing processes

The concept of minimising waste in manufacturing processes is paramount in promoting sustainability and saving companies' time, money and physical resources in the process. This can be particularly useful in many common manufacturing processes which involve casting, moulding, forming, machining, joining or other additive manufacturing processes such as stereo lithography, which produce products in multiple steps, one layer at a time. Accurate screening inspections may also contribute to a more efficient use of resources in the production process. Scraping and reuse of wasted raw materials as part of a production process can be analysed more precisely through truncated normal distributions, and their associated convolutions. This manuscript explores the mathematical foundations of various truncated normal distributions and the convolutions of these distributions in order to offer insights into noteworthy methods used to meticulously account for material use.
Are the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Guidelines Being Correctly Used to Diagnose Severe Asthma in the UAE

Objectives We aimed to identify the percentage inaccuracy in classifying asthma severity as severe asthma based on the 2019 Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines criteria, at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, and make recommendations to improve the assessment of asthma severity. Methods All asthma patients that attended the Pulmonology clinic or the Allergy clinic from May 2015 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed to identify which asthma patients classified as having severe asthma according to the 2019 GINA guidelines criteria. We then calculated the percentage inaccuracy associated with giving diagnoses of severe asthma. Results We retrospectively analyzed a total of 902 patients, and out of those, we identified 334 as patients with severe asthma according to the 2019 GINA guidelines criteria. Of those 334 patients, 218 were given an incorrect asthma severity of either mild (N=14), moderate (N=203), or unspecified asthma severity (N=1) in the hospital’s electronic records. This represents a percentage inaccuracy of 65.3% in classifying asthma severity as severe asthma. Fluticasone propionate-salmeterol was the most used ICS-LABA (inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting beta-agonist) medication in the severe asthma group (58.1%). Fluticasone furoate-vilanterol was identified as the most incorrectly prescribed ICS-LABA medication (68.2%). Conclusion We identified an inaccuracy of 65.3% in classifying asthma severity as severe at our hospital. This inaccuracy is associated with a lack of understanding of the GINA guidelines by clinicians, as well as a lack of acceptance of some of the criteria in the GINA guidelines by patients. We have made recommendations to help improve the accuracy of asthma severity assessment, in order to be fully adherent to the GINA guidelines criteria.
Mechanically tuned vascular graft demonstrates rapid endothelialization and integration into the porcine iliac artery wall.

Abstract Mechanical properties of vascular grafts likely play important roles in healing and tissue regeneration. Healthy arteries are compliant at low pressures but stiffen rapidly with increasing load, ensuring sufficient volumetric expansion without overstretching the vessel. Commercial synthetic vascular grafts are stiff and unable to expand under physiologic loads, which may result in altered hemodynamics, deleterious cellular responses, and compromised clinical performance. The goal of this study was to develop an Elastomeric Nanofibrillar Graft (ENG) with artery-tuned nonlinear compliance and compare its healing responses to conventional expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) grafts in a porcine iliac artery model. Human and porcine iliac arteries were mechanically characterized, and an ENG with similar properties was created by utilizing residual strains within electrospun nanofibers. The ENG was tested for implantation suitability and implanted onto n = 5 domestic swine iliac arteries, with control ePTFE grafts implanted onto the contralateral iliac arteries. After two weeks in vivo, all iliac arteries and grafts remained patent with no signs of thrombosis or dilation. The mechanically tuned ENG implants exhibited a more confluent CD31-positive cell monolayer (1.53 ± 0.73 µm2/mm vs 0.52 ± 0.55 µm2/mm, p = 0.042) on the graft lumenal surface and a higher fraction of αSMA-positive cells (16.2 ± 8.6% vs 1.4 ± 0.7%, p = 0.018) within the graft wall than the ePTFE controls. Despite heavy cellular infiltration, the ENG retained its artery-like mechanical characteristics after two weeks in vivo. These short-term results demonstrate potential advantages of mechanically tuned biomimetic vascular grafts over standard ePTFE grafts. Statement of Significance Off-the-shelf synthetic vascular grafts are often the only option available for treating advanced stages of vascular disease. Despite significant efforts devoted to improving their biochemical characteristics, synthetic peripheral arterial grafts continue to demonstrate poor clinical outcomes leading to costly reinterventions. Here, we hypothesized that a synthetic vascular graft with elastomeric mechanical properties tuned to a healthy peripheral artery promotes better healing responses than a synthetic stiff graft. To test this hypothesis, we developed an Elastomeric Nanofibrillar Graft (ENG) with artery-tuned mechanical properties and compared its performance to a commercial ePTFE graft in a preclinical porcine iliac artery model. Our results suggest that mechanically tuned ENGs can offer better healing responses, potentially leading to better clinical outcomes for peripheral arterial repairs.
Riding the rapids: COVID-19, the three rivers curriculum, and the experiences of the university of pittsburgh school of medicine.

When faced with the COVID-19 pandemic this past spring, the University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine (UPSOM) took rapid steps to ensure the safety of students, staff, and the faculty as well as to maintain the educational process. Curriculum reform efforts, already underway, proved to be an advantage in the transformation. We quickly converted to a remote and then a hybrid curriculum. Research labs were reopened with appropriate safety measures. Clinical experiences for students restarted via a phased process that emphasized safety and graduation requirements. A variety of assessment mechanisms were restarted with appropriate modifications. New teaching models, such as flipped classrooms, have become the norm, and it seems hard to imagine our returning to our old pedagogy. The curriculum committee met continually to guide the process of change and reopening. The curricular adaptation process remains ongoing, and challenges remain. Nonetheless, we have learned from our experiences and hope to use this knowledge gained as we move forward.
Cellular origins and lineage relationships of the intestinal epithelium

Knowledge of the development and hierarchical organization of tissues is key to understanding how they are perturbed in injury and disease, as well as how they may be therapeutically manipulated to restore homeostasis. The rapidly regenerating intestinal epithelium harbors diverse cell types and their lineage relationships have been studied using numerous approaches, from classical label-retaining and genetic lineage tracing methods to novel transcriptome-based annotations. Here, we describe the developmental trajectories that dictate differentiation and lineage specification in the intestinal epithelium. We focus on the most recent single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq)-based strategies for understanding intestinal epithelial cell lineage relationships, underscoring how they have refined our view of the development of this tissue and highlighting their advantages and limitations. We emphasize how these technologies have been applied to understand the dynamics of intestinal epithelial cells in homeostatic and injury-induced regeneration models.
Black Lawyers Matter: Enduring Racism in American Law Firms

Scholars and practitioners have looked extensively at patterns of racial inequality in U.S. business law firms. In the corporate bar, pull factors that have long shaped legal professionals’ careers include promotions, outside job offers to move from one firm to another, or family priorities that may lead to leaving the labor force altogether. Push factors, such as discrimination, problems with management, and work-life conflict also precipitate work transitions. Beyond business law firms, however, an important question remains open to empirical scrutiny: How does race affect career moves in the contemporary American legal profession? In this article, I address this question by using data from the first nationally representative, longitudinal survey of lawyers in the United States. This study is one of the few that employ event history analysis as a statistical technique to examine legal careers. It also draws from in-depth interviews to unravel how lawyers describe their experiences in law firms. Findings from the assessment of work histories of over 4,000 law school graduates from the time they were admitted to practice in 2000 show that, all else being equal, Black lawyers are pushed out of private law firms at much higher rates than white lawyers. These legal professionals detail how race influences the distribution of assignments and the promotion process within American law firms. As Black lawyers continue to strive for racial equality, these results indicate that race-conscious remedies remain critical not only for the future of law firms but for the broader legal profession.
Cross-correlation spectroscopy in a single quantum dot

Summary form only given. Recent photon correlation measurements performed on single quantum dots provide evidence for non-classical emission from these structures. We show here how this technique can be used to study multi-charged lines in quantum dots (QDs). We studied a sample of InAs/GaAs MBE grown quantum dots. Single QDs are isolated in 2 microdisks containing at most one QD. The sample is studied at 4 K in a microphotoluminescence setup for which a cw diode laser emitting at 785 nm is used. The QD we study here presents two lines (XI, X2) at low power and an additional line (XX) at higher power. From power dependent intensity measurements, we infer that X1 and X2 are related to single exciton events, whereas XX stems from biexciton recombination. This spectrum is typical of the various QDs in our sample.
Polypoid cervicitis in cystic fibrosis patients receiving oral contraceptives

Abstract Three of the 4 women in a cystic fibrosis clinic who used a combined form of oral contraceptive developed acute polypoid cervicitis. In one woman, the polyp recurred on reinstitution of the medication. There was resolution of the polyp in each instance on discontinuation of the drugs. In 2 of the 3 affected women, there was coincidental deterioration of respiratory status. Therefore, it is suggested that cystic fibrosis patients who are using oral contraception be observed closely regarding pulmonary and gynecologic status.
The Contributions of the Psychotherapy Process Q-set to Psychotherapy Research

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the year that the late Enrico Jones first published his manual for the Psychotherapy Process Q-set (PQS) [1]. The manual has since been published in Jones’ landmark book, Therapeutic Action (2000) [2], and was recently revised and updated by the Massachusetts General Hospital Psychotherapy Research Program (see Appendix IA in this volume). In this article, we mark the 25th anniversary of the PQS by reviewing both the early findings from the measure and more current research driven by those first findings.
Computers in nmr—III.: Algorithm for continuously variable knob-controlled CRT display expansion

Abstract In conclusion, we have described an algorithm for reading two knobs using an ADC and using one to shift any point in a spectrum to the center of the CRT and the other to describe the number of points to be displayed. This allows continuously variable expansion of the display from full scale to a single point so that flicker is minimized, since the knob reading and multiplication and division of Eqs. (1) and (4) take place only between scope refreshes.
Comparison of Computational and Experimental Aerodynamics Results for a WMU Solar Car Model

Three-dimensional numerical simulations using FLUENT [1] were performed to model the airflow over the Sunseeker, an award-winning solar car that was designed and built at Western Michigan University. Converged numerical solutions on three different grids are reported and compared with the available experimental data, which include the lift and the drag coefficients. Also reported are the results obtained by using the second-order upwinding discretization on one of the grids. The comparison shows that the computed lift coefficients agree well with the experimental data for all the three grids and the different orders of numerical methods, indicating that the pressure field is well captured. The agreement with the data for drag coefficient varies, which appears to suggest a higher degree of dependency on the grid distributions than that for the lift coefficient. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for the simulations of similar low-drag vehicles.
A high performance (Al,Ga)As/GaAs MODFET butterfly adder chip for FFT computation

A report is presented on a butterfly adder chip for high-speed computation of fast Fourier transforms (FFTs). It was fabricated using a 1- mu m self-aligned gate GaAs heterostructure FET (MODFET) technology. The chip receives products from a complex multiplier and generates radix-4 butterfly terms in 32 ns or radix-2 butterfly terms in 16 ns. It also provides the scaling necessary for satisfactory computation of a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) using fixed-point arithmetic. A total of 3800 DCFL gates and over 15700 active devices is required to implement the butterfly adder. The butterfly adder clocks at 262 MHz and it consumes 2.7 W. When used in conjunction with a companion complex multiplier chip of comparable size and other smaller support chips, the butterfly adder allows the computation of a complex DFT on 2048 samples in 100 mu s with a precision of 16 b. >
Abstract P248: Measures of Overall and Central Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Among US Hispanic / Latino Adults: The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)

Background: US Hispanics/Latinos have a high prevalence of obesity and related comorbidities. Few studies have compared different obesity measures and their associations with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in US Hispanic/Latino adults. Methods: We examined associations of six obesity measures (body mass index [BMI], fat mass index, and body fat percentage, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio [WHR], and waist-to-height ratio) with metabolic traits and CVD risk factors (hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes), among 9835 women and 6580 men from the HCHS/SOL, a population-based cohort of Hispanics/Latinos age 18-74 years from four US cities. Results: BMI was moderately correlated with WHR (r=0.37 in women; r=0.58 in men) and highly correlated with other obesity measures (r≥0.88 in women; r≥0.87 in men). The metabolic trait correlating most strongly with obesity measures was HOMA-IR (r≥0.34 in women; r≥0.45 in men), followed by triglycerides (r≥0.27 in women; r≥0.29 in men) and HDL-cholesterol...
Application of neural networks in the acousto-ultrasonic evaluation of metal-matrix composite specimens

Acousto-ultrasonics (AU) is a nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technique that was devised for the testing of various types of composite materials. A study has been done to determine how effectively the AU technique may be applied to metal-matrix composites (MMCs). The authors use the results and data obtained from that study and apply neural networks to them, particularly in the assessment of mechanical property variations of a specimen from AU measurements. It is assumed that there is no information concerning the important features of the AU signal which relate to the mechanical properties of the specimen. Minimally processed AU measurements are used while relying on the network's ability to extract the significant features of the signal. >
Cellular Localization of Protoporphyrinogen-Oxidizing Activities of Etiolated Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Leaves (Relationship to Mechanism of Action of Protoporphyrinogen Oxidase-Inhibiting Herbicides)

Seven-day-old, etiolated barley (Hordeum vulgare L. var Post) leaves were fractionated into crude and purified etioplast, microsomal, and plasma membrane (PM) fractions. Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (Protox) specific activities of crude etioplast, purified etioplast, microsome, and PM fractions were approximately 29, 26, 23, and 12 nmol h-1 mg-1 of protein, respectively. The herbicide acifluorfen-methyl (AFM), at 1 [mu]M, inhibited Protox activity from crude etioplasts, purified etioplasts, microsomes, and PM by 58, 59, 23, and 0% in the absence of reductants. Reductants (ascorbate, glutathione [GSH], dithiothreitol [DTT], and NADPH) individually reduced the Protox activity of all fractions, except that microsomal Protox activity was slightly stimulated by NADPH. Ascorbate, GSH, or a combination of the two reductants enhanced Protox inhibition by AFM, and AFM inhibition of Protox was greatest in all fractions with DTT. NADPH enhanced AFM inhibition significantly only in etioplast fractions. Uroporphyrinogen I (Urogen I) and coproporphyrinogen I (Coprogen I) oxidase activities were found in all fractions; however, etioplast fractions had significantly more substrate specificity for protoporphyrinogen IX (Protogen IX) than the other fractions. Urogen I and Coprogen I oxidase activities were unaffected by AFM in all fractions, and 2 mM DTT almost completely inhibited these activities from all fractions. Diethyldithiocarbamate inhibited PM Protox activity by 62% but had less effect on microsome and little or no effect on etioplast Protox. Juglone and duroquinone stimulated microsomal and PM Protox activity, whereas the lesser effect of these quinones on etioplast Protox activity was judged to be due to PM and/or microsomal contaminants. These data indicate that there are microsomal and PM Protogen IX-oxidizing activities that are not the same as those associated with the etioplast and that these activities are not inhibited in vivo by AFM. In summary, these data support the view that the primary source of high protoporphyrin IX concentrations in AFM-treated plant tissues is from Protogen IX exported by plastids and oxidized by AFM-resistant extraorganellar oxidases.
Methionine Sulfoximine Effects on C4 Plant Leaf Discs: Comparison with C3 Species

Methionine sulfoximine caused ammonia accumulation and photosynthetic rate inhibition in leaf discs from the C4 spp. maize cv. F.M. Cross (Hybrid) and sorghum cv. NC-70X, as well as the C3 sp. Datura stramonium. Similar results were obtained earlier with the C3 sp. Spinacia oleracea. The effect occurred in the absence of inorganic N reduction and was light dependent. Ammonia accumulation rates were similar in all 4 spp. examined. The results support a role for glutamine synthetase in leaf ammonia recycling in both C4 and C3 leaves
IMPOSSIBILITY OF POSITIVE DOUBLE SPECTRAL FUNCTIONS.

Abstract Strictly positive double spectral functions are shown to be inconsistent with the observed diffraction peaks. But examples of oscillating spectral functions consistent with unitarity and the diffraction peaks are easily produced.
Characterization of triacsin C inhibition of short‐, medium‐, and long‐chain fatty acid:CoA ligases of human liver

Short-, medium-, and long-chain fatty acid:CoA ligases from human liver were tested for their sensitivity to inhibition by triacsin C. The short-chain fatty acid:CoA ligase was inhibited less than 10% by concentrations of triacsin C as high as 80 μM. The two mitochondrial xenobiotic/medium-chain fatty acid:CoA ligases (XM-ligases), HXM-A and HXM-B, were partially inhibited by triacsin C, and the inhibitions were characterized by low affinity for triacsin C (KI values > 100 μM). These inhibitions were found to be the result of triacsin C competing with medium-chain fatty acid for binding at the active site. The microsomal and mitochondrial forms of long-chain fatty acid:CoA ligase (also termed long-chain fatty acyl-CoA synthetase, or long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase LACS) were potently inhibited by triacsin C, and the inhibition had identical characteristics for both LACS forms. Dixon plots of this inhibition were biphasic. There is a high-affinity site with a KI of 0.1 μM that accounts for a maximum of 70% of the inhibition. There is also a low affinity site with a KI of 6 μM that accounts for a maximum of 30% inhibition. Kinetic analysis revealed that the high-affinity inhibition of the mitochondrial and microsomal LACS forms is the result of triacsin C binding at the palmitate substrate site. The high-affinity triacsin C inhibition of both the mitochondrial and microsomal LACS forms was found to require a high concentration of free Mg2+, with the EC50 for inhibition being 3 mM free Mg2+. The low affinity triacsin C inhibition was also enhanced by Mg2+. The data suggests that Mg2+ promotes triacsin C inhibition of LACS by enhancing binding at the palmitate binding site. In contrast, the partial inhibition of the XM-ligases by triacsin C, which showed only a low-affinity component, did not require Mg2+. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 18:100–106, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/jbt.20009
FC20-06 - Cultural variation in depressive symptom burden and attribution of mental health ailments among older latinos

Background The influence of acculturation and nativity on depression in Latinos remains highly contested. One potential source of ambiguity is variation in their beliefs about the causes of their mental health ailments. Methods We conducted cross-sectional analyses of 450 older Latinos attending a rural mental health clinic near the U.S.-Mexico border. Primary diagnosis was grouped in one of 5 categories. The Center for Epidemiological Studies of Depression (CES-D) scale was used to measure depressive symptoms. Cultural variables included nativity and a validated acculturation scale. Patients rated their level of endorsement of 13 causes of mental health ailments A one-way ANOVA was conducted to identify cultural predictors of attribution items. Results Latinos had a mean age of 70.9 (SD = 9.1). The most common primary diagnoses were depressive disorders (67.1%) and dementia (15.3%). The mean CES-D score was 15.08 (SD = 18.16), but higher for the more acculturated (p = 0.048), and patients with psychotic (M = 26.31, SD = 19.78) and bipolar (M = 26.05, SD = 19.54) disorders. Acculturation increased attribution of mental health ailments to significant others (ρ = 0.091; p = 0.054), difficulty with work (ρ = 0.162; p = 0.001), and hereditary factors (r = 0.202, 95% CI = 0.002, 0.403). Patients with psychotic disorders were most likely to attribute their symptoms to curses (p = 0.001) and supernatural factors (p = 0.024) compared to other diagnostic categories. Conclusions Acculturated Latinos attriattribute their mental health ailments to life circumstances. This may intensify depressive symptoms and partly explains the relationship between acculturation and depressive symptoms. Further, the patients’ major diagnosis must be considered when evaluating acculturative influences on depression in psychiatric populations.
Unifying mechanism for anticancer agents involving electron transfer and oxidative stress: Clinical implications

Extensive evidence supports involvement of electron transfer (ET), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress (OS) in the mechanism of many anticancer drugs. The common ET functionalities, usually present in the drug metabolites, are quinones (or precursors), metal complexes (or complexors), aromatic nitro compounds (or reduced hydroxylamine and nitroso derivatives), and conjugated imines (or iminium species). The ET agents function catalytically in redox cycling with formation of ROS from oxygen. Electrochemical data add support to the mechanistic viewpoint. The generated metabolites generally possess reduction potentials amenable to ET in vivo, thus giving rise to ROS. The resulting OS is a participant in destruction of the cancer cell. It is important to recognize that drug action is often multipronged. The various modes of action are summarized. Most research has been devoted to development of new and improved chemotherapeutic agents. The need for more attention to measures for cancer prevention is addressed. One of the most promising involves use of antioxidants.
The infrared absorption spectra of (HCCH)2 and (DCCD)2

The infrared absorption bands of acetylene dimers have been investigated with long path low temperature Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Five bands were found, three of (HCCH)2 and two of (DCCD)2. Four of these bands can be assigned as coupled monomer modes. Normal mode analysis based on a theoretical intermolecular potential confirms these assignments. One band shows evidence of fast vibrational predissociation, and a symmetry based argument is made to support the claim that the predissociation fragments are rotationally excited.
Potentiation of isosorbide dinitrate effects with N-acetylcysteine in patients with chronic heart failure.

BACKGROUNDSupply of sulfhydryl groups with the administration of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has been reported to reverse tolerance to nitroglycerin but not to isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN). Lack of interaction between NAC and ISDN was suggested as an explanation for these findings. The present study was therefore designed to further evaluate this hypothesis. For this purpose, we compared the hemodynamic and hormonal effects of ISDN when given alone and in combination with NAC.METHODS AND RESULTSWe performed a randomized, cross-over design evaluation of the hemodynamic and hormonal effects of ISDN and ISDN + NAC in 14 patients with chronic congestive heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction. The findings of this study demonstrated a substantial NAC-mediated potentiation of ISDN effect on mean right atrial pressure (-11 +/- 21% versus -38 +/- 27%, -17 +/- 20% versus -34 +/- 27%, and -7 +/- 20% versus -25 +/- 26% at 2, 3, and 4 hours, respectively; all P < .05), mean pulmonary artery wedge pressu...
Cilia in the Human Kidney

Utilizing transmission electron microscopy we have found multiple cilia with a 9 + 2 microtubular pattern (the same type found in the bronchial tree) in the renal tubules of four adults with the nephrotic syndrome. Each patient had a different pathologic diagnosis: amyloidosis, lipoid nephrosis, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Previously, multiple renal tubular cilia with 9 + 2 architecture had been reported in patients with Burnett's syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, and congenital nephrotic syndrome. Additionally, we found multiple cilia in the metanephric tubules of 4 of 4 human fetuses. Pathologists should be aware that cilia with various microtubular patterns occur in human adult kidneys.
Injured fluoro-jade positive hippocampal neurons contain high levels of zinc after traumatic brain injury

Hippocampal damage contributes to cognitive dysfunction after traumatic brain injury (TBI). We previously showed that Fluoro-Jade, a fluorescent stain that labels injured, degenerating brain neurons, quantifies the extent of hippocampal injury after experimental fluid percussion TBI in rats. Coincidentally, we observed that injured neurons in the rat hippocampus also stained with Newport Green, a fluorescent dye specific for free ionic zinc. Here, we show that, regardless of injury severity or therapeutic intervention, the post-TBI population of injured neurons in rat hippocampal subfields CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus is indistinguishable, both in numbers and anatomical distribution, from the population of neurons containing high levels of zinc. Treatment with lamotrigine, which inhibits presynaptic release of glutamate and presumably zinc that is co-localized with glutamate, reduced numbers of Fluoro-Jade-positive and Newport Green-positive neurons equally as did treatment with nicardipine, which blocks voltage-gated calcium channels through which zinc enters neurons. To confirm using molecular techniques that Fluoro-Jade and Newport Green-positive neurons are equivalent populations, we isolated total RNA from 25 Fluoro-Jade-positive and 25 Newport Green-positive pyramidal neurons obtained by laser capture microdissection (LCM) from the CA3 subfield, linearly amplified the mRNA and used quantitative ribonuclease protection analysis to demonstrate similar expression of mRNA for selected TBI-induced genes. Our data suggest that therapeutic interventions aimed at reducing neurotoxic zinc levels after TBI may reduce hippocampal neuronal injury.