cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reading achievement gaps, correlates, and moderators of early reading achievement: Evidence from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS) kindergarten to first grade sample

This study estimated reading achievement gaps in different ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic groups of 1st graders in the U.S. compared with specific reference groups and identified statistically significant correlates and moderators of early reading achievement. A subset of 2,296 students nested in 184 schools from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS) kindergarten to 1st-grade cohort were analyzed with hierarchical linear models. With child-level background differences controlled, significant 1st-grade reading differentials were found in African American children (-0.51 SD units below Whites), boys (-0.31 SD units below girls), and children from high-poverty households (-0.61 to -1.0 SD units below well-to-do children). In all 3 comparisons, the size of the reading gaps increased from kindergarten entry to 1st grade. Reading level at kindergarten entry was a significant child-level correlate, related to poverty status. At the school level, class size and elementary teacher certification rate were significant reading correlates in 1st grade. Cross-level interactions indicated reading achievement in African American children was moderated by the schools students attended, with attendance rates and reading time at home explaining the variance.
Feedforward and feedback inhibition of hippocampal principal cell activity evoked by perforant path stimulation: GABA-mediated mechanisms that regulate excitability in vivo.

Hippocampal field potentials evoked by paired-pulse perforant path stimulation were used to identify normal feedforward and feedback inhibitory influences on hippocampal principal cells. Three distinct aspects of inhibitory function were identified in the dentate gyrus. They are: (1) first spike amplitude-dependent inhibition of the second spike, which at low stimulus frequency is primarily feedback in nature; (2) frequency-dependent inhibition of a single spike of the first spike of a pair, which occurs as stimulus frequency is increased from 0.1 to 1.0 Hz and which is primarily a reflection of feedforward inhibition; and (3) frequency-dependent inhibition of the second spike that is relatively independent of first spike amplitude and probably due to a combination of feedforward and feedback mechanisms. The results indicate that granule cell recurrent inhibition alone, evoked at low stimulus frequency, is relatively brief and weak. At higher frequencies, probably more relevant to physiological activity, feedforward inhibitory activity is recruited. The combination of feedforward and feedback mechanisms results in strong, maximal duration, granule cell inhibition. Similar frequency dependence of inhibition was not seen in area CA1 in response to ipsilateral perforant path stimulation since low frequency stimulation did not evoke CA1 spikes. CA3 stimulation did evoke large contralateral CA1 population spikes, but paired-pulse inhibition was weaker than that evoked by ipsilateral perforant path stimulation in terms of the duration of inhibition and the ability to suppress the development of epileptiform behavior. The identification of simple tests that reflect distinct inhibitory processes in vivo permits similar studies to be conducted in vitro to determine how to preserve inhibitory processes for cellular studies of normal and human epileptic tissue in which the state of excitatory–inhibitory balance is the subject. These results also form the basis for the interpretation of the following study (Sloviter, 1991), which addresses the relationship between selective dentate interneuron loss and the pathophysiology that accompanies it.
Paranoia, Conspiracy Theories, and the Presidential Election of 2004

The article is an autoethnographic analysis of the 2004 presidential election. In particular, the author examines conspiracy theories surrounding the election, media coverage of these theories, and the nature of legitimacy in current American political discourse.
Nosocomial mumps: Report of an outbreak and its control

Abstract Background: Mumps is a relatively uncommon disease in the United States, and nosocomial transmission of mumps is rare. Methods: When a recently arrived Mexican immigrant became ill with mumps in a pediatric hospital in the United States, control measures and careful secondary case surveillance were instituted. Outbreak control included isolation of the patient with symptoms, seclusion of patients potentially incubating mumps virus, and immunization of susceptible patients and health care workers. Results: A 3-year-old patient showed symptoms of mumps 18 days after onset of illness in the index patient. Two employees, a physical therapist and a nurse, became ill with mumps 20 and 28 days after the onset of illness in the index patient. No other hospital or community cases of mumps were identified. Conclusions: Outbreak control measures were incompletely successful in stopping the spread of mumps. Preadmission immunization of all patients and mumps-specific screening and vaccination of hospital employees might be indicated in such a situation, but such measures are neither easy nor inexpensive.
Child access to health services during the economic crisis: An Indonesian experience of the safety net program.

Abstract Child health has been a serious problem in Indonesia for several decades. The prolonged Indonesian economic crisis in 1997 had a tremendous impact on poor children who suffered due to malnutrition. In 1998, the Indonesian government launched a broad social safety net program to protect the poor from becoming poorer. In the health sector this took the form of Jaring Pengaman Sosial Bidang Kesehatan (JPS-BK) or the Social Safety Net in Health Sector program. Adopting the model of health services utilization of Andersen and Newman, I examine the extent to which JPS-BK contributed to better health services for poor children in four provinces, by using a simplified version of Andersen and Newman's model of health services utilization which emphasizes the importance of contextual determinants. Variables used in the study included child outpatient visits, health card possession, household income, and poverty status. Using data sets from the JPS-BK longitudinal study, I compared utilization of health services between baseline data collection at Rounds One and Three, which was taken a year afterward. In addition, I used the Village Potentials data set from the Indonesian Bureau of Statistics and employed factor analysis to raise one variable representing the village/neighborhood developmental level. Basic statistics were used to examine possible changes between study rounds and logistic regression was used to examine the effect of health card possession on child health services utilization. Two significant improvements occurred during the first year of the program: (i) more sick children visited outpatient facilities and (ii) more children lived in households possessing health cards. The JPS-BK increased the “potential access” that was demonstrated by the significant increase in health card possession regardless of the visit, and “realized access” that was demonstrated by the significant increase in child outpatient visits regardless of health card possession. Further research needs to be undertaken to explore the dynamics of outpatient visits and the actual use of health cards.
Genetic toxicology: chemical carcinogens modify DNA in a non-random fashion

Abstract Following exposure to chemical carcinogens in vivo , the genome of putative target cells within target tissue is modified in a non-random fashion. In addition to mutations, alterations of DNA which can influence transcriptional activity, such as changes in DNA-5-methylcytosine levels, might play a role in carcinogenesis. Oncogenes might be critical targets for modification by carcinogens. In this review, Jay Goodman, Roseann Vorce and Bonnie Baranyi-Furlong focus primarily on investigations concerning the degree of non-random DNA damage that occurs in hepatic DNA following exposure in vivo to model hepatocarcinogens, either 2-acetylaminofluorene, dimethylnitrosamine or methylnitrosourea.
Carcinoma of the endometrium with cervical involvement (stage II)

Between September 1968 and December 1976, 88 patients with Stage II endometrial carcinoma underwent treatment at Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston. They were subclassified according to microscopic or gross cervical involvement. Five different types of treatment were administered as follows: a) Preoperative external irradiation (4000 rad) and intracavitary radium application (2500 mg hours), followed by total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for microscopic involvement when surgery was possible; b) Radical radiotherapy alone for inoperable gross cervical involvement; c) Radical radiotherapy with external irradiation (4000 rad) and intracavitary application (3500 mg hours) for microscopic involvement when surgery was contraindicated due to poor risk of surgery; d) External irradiation (4000 rads) and intracavitary radium (3500 mg hours) followed by simple hysterectomy for gross involvement when surgery was possible; e) Postoperative treatment with external irradiation and vaginal radium for patients referred after hysterectomy. Hysterograms performed in 33 patients showed tumor arising in the fundus and extending to the cervix, and hysterograms performed in 8 patients showed tumor arising in the lower segment of the fundus. Pathologically, once the cervix became involved, there was always some degree of myometrial involvement. The preoperative microscopically involved group and the postoperative group demonstrated similar survival rates, 92% and 90%, respectively, as did the radical radiotherapy group with microscopic involvement and the group with gross cervical involvement, 72% and 70%, respectively, with a follow-up period of at least one year in all groups. Surgical findings, pathological findings, and results are analyzed in detail by treatment group.
Magnetic field in the wake of Venus and the formation of ionospheric holes

Magnetic field structures are analyzed for both the ionospheric hole region and the magnetosheath/ionosphere interaction region of the nightside of Venus, in search of possible coupling between these two regimes. A magnetic coordinate system based on the directions of the solar wind and the interplanetary magnetic field is found to order the data reasonably well, allowing consistent superposition of observational data from individual passes of the Pioneer Venus orbiter. The results indicate that the magnetosheath plasma flow in the wake region plays an important role in forming the ionospheric holes through deformation of the nightside ionopause. The results are combined in a model of the three-dimensional magnetic field structure around the ionosphere of Venus.
Interactive Morphometric Procedures and Statistical Analysis in the Diagnosis of Ovarian Dysplasia and Carcinoma

Summary We report on our continued experience with an interactive morphometric method recently introduced by us for the definition and diagnosis of ovarian dysplasia vs. normal or malignant epithelium. The main quantitative differences between these three diagnostic categories are based on 1) cytology of the nuclei (nuclear area, circularity factor, maximum chord) and 2) on stratification (distances ofnuclear centers to the basement membrane and number of cells per unit length of basement membrane). We implemented our approach on live video images viewed on a monitor overlaid with a touch sensitive screen by one of two interactive procedures: 1) by tracing nuclear profiles (procedure DRAW) or 2) by tracing the basement membrane and touching the center ofall nuclei (procedure NU-MEAS). In all cases statistical analysis was performed on a string of multiple variables by stepwise discriminant analysis. Now we have straightened our data basis and are able to obtain diagnosis ofunknown samples with very high posterior probabilities. Both procedures are effective but NU-MEAS requires the least effort and seems to give the best statistics.
Cell-Mediated Immune Responses in Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is primarily a disease of the lung, and dissemination of the disease depends on productive infection of this critical organ. Upon aerosol infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the acquired cellular immune response is slow to be induced and to be expressed within the lung. This slowness allows infection to become well established; thus, the acquired response is expressed in an inflammatory site that has been initiated and modulated by the bacterium. Mtb has a variety of surface molecules that interact with the innate response, and this interaction along with the autoregulation of the immune response by several mechanisms results in less-than-optimal control of bacterial growth. To improve current vaccine strategies, we must understand the factors that mediate induction, expression, and regulation of the immune response in the lung. We must also determine how to induce both known and novel immunoprotective responses without inducing immunopathologic consequences.
Substrate Orientation and Catalytic Specificity in the Action of Xanthine Oxidase THE SEQUENTIAL HYDROXYLATION OF HYPOXANTHINE TO URIC ACID

Xanthine oxidase is a molybdenum-containing enzyme catalyzing the hydroxylation of a sp2-hybridized carbon in a broad range of aromatic heterocycles and aldehydes. Crystal structures of the bovine enzyme in complex with the physiological substrate hypoxanthine at 1.8 Å resolution and the chemotherapeutic agent 6-mercaptopurine at 2.6 Å resolution have been determined, showing in each case two alternate orientations of substrate in the two active sites of the crystallographic asymmetric unit. One orientation is such that it is expected to yield hydroxylation at C-2 of substrate, yielding xanthine. The other suggests hydroxylation at C-8 to give 6,8-dihydroxypurine, a putative product not previously thought to be generated by the enzyme. Kinetic experiments demonstrate that >98% of hypoxanthine is hydroxylated at C-2 rather than C-8, indicating that the second crystallographically observed orientation is significantly less catalytically effective than the former. Theoretical calculations suggest that enzyme selectivity for the C-2 over C-8 of hypoxanthine is largely due to differences in the intrinsic reactivity of the two sites. For the orientation of hypoxanthine with C-2 proximal to the molybdenum center, the disposition of substrate in the active site is such that Arg880 and Glu802, previous shown to be catalytically important for the conversion of xanthine to uric acid, play similar roles in hydroxylation at C-2 as at C-8. Contrary to the literature, we find that 6,8-dihydroxypurine is effectively converted to uric acid by xanthine oxidase.
A Radical Departure from the 'Steady-State' Concept in Cosmology

Cosmological-galactic creation, steady state expansion and high energy particle production associated with radio sources
Reaction of HRu3(CO)10(μ-COMe) with bma: NMR and X-ray structural evidence for the formation of the Ph2PH-substituted cluster HRu3(CO)8(Ph2PH)[μ-PPh2C=CC(O)OC(O)]

Me3NO activation of the methylidyne-bridged cluster HRu3(CO)10(μ-COMe) (1) in the presence of the unsaturated diphosphine ligand 2,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)maleic anhydride (bma) furnishes the bma-substituted cluster HRu3(CO)8(bma)(μ-COMe) (2) and the diphenylphosphine-substituted cluster HRu3(CO)8(Ph2PH)[μ-PPh2C=CC(O)OC(O)] (3) as the major and minor products, respectively. The 1H and 31P NMR data indicate that the bma ligand in cluster 2 is chelated to one of the ruthenium atoms that is bridged by the hydride and methylidyne ligands. Cluster 3 has been fully characterized in solution by IR and NMR spectroscopies, and the solid-state structure determined by X-ray crystallography. 3 crystallizes in the monoclinic space P21, a = 12.1467(7) A, b = 19.284(1) A, c = 16.867(1) A, β = 109.639(6)°, V = 3721.0(4) A3, Z = 4, and dcalcd = 1.774 g cm−3; R = 0.0325, R w = 0.0383 for 3518 reflections with I > 3σ(I). The X-ray data confirm that one of the P–C(maleic anhydride) bonds of the bma ligand has been cleaved an...
The alternative sigma factor σE is required for resistance of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium to anti-microbial peptides

The enteric pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) encounters a variety of anti-microbial peptides during the course of infection. We report here that the extracytoplasmic sigma factor sigma(E) (RpoE) is required for Salmonella resistance to killing by the bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI)-derived peptide P2 and the murine alpha-defensin cryptdin-4 (Crp4). Moreover, sigma(E)-deficient S. Typhimurium is attenuated for virulence after oral infection of immunocompromised gp91phox(-/-) mice that lack a functional NADPH phagocyte oxidase, suggesting that sigma(E) plays an important role in resistance to non-oxidative mucosal host defences such as anti-microbial peptides. Although both P2 and Crp4 target the cell envelope, bacterial killing by these peptides appears to occur by distinct mechanisms. Formate enhances bacterial resistance to P2, as previously demonstrated, but not to Crp4. Both sigma(E) and cytoplasmic membrane-associated formate dehydrogenase are required for the protective effect of formate against P2. In contrast to P2, Crp4 does not inhibit bacterial respiration at lethal concentrations. However, both peptides induce expression of rpoE, suggesting that they trigger a common mechanism for sensing extracytoplasmic stress.
Software renovation for large software applications

Software renovation is a method to improve existing software and incorporate new features and system functions without developing entirely new software. Software architecture consists of base and non-base software. New algorithms to determine software components to be renovated are proposed. The algorithms consider the size of changed code in base and nonbase software, fault density, and sets of static and dynamic connections in large software applications. The software is renovated if the percentage of changed code and fault density exceed thresholds. If the sets of static and dynamic connections are changed and the percentage of changed code exceeds threshold, the software is also renovated. >
EFFECTIVENESS OF BRIEF TIME-OUT WITH AND WITHOUT CONTINGENT DELAY: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

We evaluated a commonly used component of brief time-out, in which release from time-out is delayed contingent on the occurrence of disruption. Data were collected for one normal and two mentally retarded children on time-out-producing behaviors (aggression and disruption) as well as delay-producing behaviors during time-out (loud vocalizations, out-of-chair, aggression, and disruption). The results of a combination ABAC reversal and multiple-baseline design indicated that, under the conditions used in this investigation, both delay and no delay variations were effective in reducing the frequency of the target behaviors. Implications for the use of time-out to reduce aberrant behaviors are discussed.
Insights into Allosteric Control of Vinculin Function from Its Large Scale Conformational Dynamics

Vinculin is an important constituent of both cell-cell and cell-matrix junctions, where it plays crucial roles in the regulation of cell adhesion and migration. When activated, it mediates the linkage between cadherins (cell-cell) or integrins (cell-matrix) and the actin cytoskeleton through interactions with various proteins. The activation of vinculin requires structural conversions from an autoinhibited conformation to the "open" conformations in which the occluded binding sites of its different ligands become exposed, while the structural dynamics underlying the vinculin activation remains largely unknown. Here we report the first computational study of large scale conformational dynamics of full-length vinculin. We find that the "holding" and "releasing" motions between vinculin tail and pincer-like structure formed by first three domains of vinculin are the dominant motions near the native state of vinculin, indicating that an inherent flexibility of vinculin has a large influence on its allostery. We also find a cooperative dissociation between the head and tail domains of vinculin with increasing temperature in both thermodynamic and kinetic simulations, implying that vinculin may function as an allosteric switch in response to external signals. We show that the kinetics of vinculin unfolding exhibits specific sequential patterns, suggesting that a sophisticated interplay between domains may synergistically contribute to vinculin activation. We further find that the interaction between vinculin-binding site peptide from talin and vinculin significantly destabilizes the intramolecular head-tail interactions, suggesting a direct role of talin binding in vinculin activation.
A Computational Framework and an Algorithm for the Measurement of Visual

THE ROBUST MEASUREMENT OF VISUAL MOTION FROM DIGITIZED IMAGE SEQUENCES HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT BUT DIFFICULT PROBLEM IN COMPUTER VISION. THIS PAPER DESCRIBES A HIERARCHICAL COMPUTATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE DETERMINATION OF DENSE DISPLACEMENT FIELDS FROM A PAIR OF IMAGES, AND AN ALGORITHM CONSIST- ENT WITH THAT FRAMEWORK. OUR FRAMEWORK IS BASED ON THE SEPARATION OF THE IMAGE INTENSITY INFORMATION AS WELL AS THE PROCESS OF MEASURING MOTION ACCORDING TO SCALE. THE LARGE SCALE INTENSITY INFORMATION IS FIRST USED TO OBTAIN ROUGH ESTIMATES OF IMAGE MOTION, WHICH ARE THEN REFINED BY USING INTENSITY INFORMATION AT SMALLER SCALES. THE ESTIMATES ARE IN THE FORM OF DISPLACEMENT (OR VELOCITY) VECTORS FOR PIXELS AND ARE ACCOMPANIED BY A DIRECTION-DEPENDENT CONFIDENCE MEASURE. A SMOOTHNESS CONSTRAINT IS EMPLOYED TO PROPAGATE THE MEASUREMENTS WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE TO THEIR NEIGBORING AREAS WHERE THE CONFIDENCES ARE LOW. AT ALL LEVELS, THE COMPUTATIONS ARE PIXEL-PARALLEL, UNIFORM ACROSS THE IMAGE, AND BASED ON INFORMATION FROM A SMALL NEIGHBORHOOD OF A PIXEL. FOR OUR ALGORITHM, THE LOCAL DISPLACEMENT VECTORS ARE DETERMIND BY MINI- MIZING THE SUM-OF-SQUARED DIFFERENCES (SSD) OF INTENSITIES, THE CONFIDENCE MEASURES ARE DERIVED FROM THE SHAPE OF THE SSD SURFACE, AND THE SMOOTHNESS CONSTRAINT IS CAST IN THE FORM OF ENERGY MINIMIZATION. RESULTS OF APPLYING OUR ALGORITHM TO PAIRS OF REAL IMAGES ARE INCLUDED. IN ADDITION TO OUR OWN
Psychotropic Medication Practices for Youth in Systems of Care

Concerns have been raised about the quality and appropriateness of psychiatric medication treatment for youth treated in the child welfare or juvenile justice systems. Unfortunately there is a lack of empirical research to indicate whether there are indeed widespread problems related to psychopharmacologic treatment for youth served by public sector systems. This exploratory study utilized data from a national survey of social workers to examine differences in reports on medication type, processes, and perceived outcomes for adolescent clients in the juvenile justice and/or child welfare system (n = 90) versus non-systems clients (n = 305). Relevant clinical and demographic factors were controlled in hierarchical binary logistic and linear regression analyses. The results indicated that social workers referring to systems cases were more likely to report the use of highly potent medication (antipsychotics, mood-stabilizers, and poly-pharmacy), less likely to report that clients were receptive to or involved in the decision to utilize medication, and less likely to report beneficial medication outcomes. However, these reported differences, suggesting that medication treatment for systems youth tends to be less participatory and beneficial, were largely accounted for by differences in clients’ level of functional impairment and rate of disruptive behavior disorders. Implications for further research are discussed.
Childhood-onset Schizophrenia: Editors' Introduction

Descriptions of various psychotic symptoms in children began to appear in the psychiatric literature at about the same time as descriptions of psychotic symptoms in adults. For example, Kraepelin estimated that at least 3.5 percent of his cases of dementia praecox had onsets before age 10. The construct of "childhood schizophrenia" initially emerged from attempts to classify a broad range of psychotic children. By the late 1940s and 1950s, the diagnosis of "childhood schizophrenia" was given to many disturbed children who today would be considered to have infantile autism and other developmental disabilities. In the early 1970s infantile autism and its variants was differentiated from schizophrenia of childhood onset. These changes were incorporated in DSM-III, which returned to the practice before 1930 of diagnosing schizophrenia in children using the same criteria as for adults, with minor allowances for differences in the manifestations of these symptoms during childhood. The studies presented in this issue of Schizophrenia Bulletin use DSM-III, DSM-III-R, or ICD-9 criteria for schizophrenia.
Comparable Long-Term Survival After Unrelated and HLA-Matched Sibling Donor Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantations for Acute Leukemia in Children Younger Than 18 Months

Purpose To describe outcomes after unrelated donor stem cell transplantation (HCT) in children (< 18 months at diagnosis) with acute leukemia and compare these with outcomes after human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched sibling donor HCT. Patients and Methods We compared the results of unrelated donor HCT with bone marrow (n = 85) or cord blood grafts (n = 81) and HLA-matched sibling donor HCT with bone marrow grafts (n = 101) for acute myeloid or acute lymphoblastic leukemia using Cox proportional hazards models. Unrelated donor HCT recipients were younger, more likely to have MLL gene rearrangement, to have advanced leukemia, and to receive irradiation before HCT. Results Treatment-related mortality rates were 6%, 15%, and 31% after matched sibling, unrelated donor bone marrow, and cord blood HCT, respectively. Risks of relapse, overall and leukemia-free survival were significantly associated with disease status at transplantation. Though leukemia recurrence was lowest after unrelated donor HCT in first c...
Comments on the paper ‘The internal structure of the geomagnetic neutral sheet’ by K. Schindler and N. F. Ness

Criticism of Schindler and Ness' (1972) multiple neutral point hypothesis, noting that there are several alternative interpretations of the distribution of magnetic field values observed by Explorer 34. It is shown that it is possible to interpret the tail magnetic field observations of Schindler and Ness without requiring neutral point encounters. On the other hand, if it is assumed that the observed field variations were due to neutral point encounters, there may be a single oscillating neutral point, or there may be multiple neutral points in time or in space.
Variation in Oat Hybrids

AMERICAN and English observers have shown that the principles enunciated by Mendel are applicable to hybrid wheats. From observations carried out at St. Andrews, I have been able to demonstrate that the same principles are applicable to hybrid oats.
Compiler-directed data cache leakage reduction

Leakage energy reduction for caches has been the target of many recent research efforts. In this work, we propose a novel compiler directed approach to reduce the data cache leakage energy by exploiting the program behavior. The proposed approach is based on the observation that only a small potion of data are active at runtime and the program spends a lot of execution time in loops, so a large portion of data cache lines, which are not accessed by the loops, can be placed into leakage control mode to reduce leakage energy consumption. The experimental results show that the proposal approach is comparable to the pure hardware based approach in reducing data cache leakage energy.
Dispersal scaling from the world's rivers

[1] Although rivers provide important biogeochemical inputs to oceans, there are currently no descriptive or predictive relationships of the spatial scales of these river influences. Our combined satellite, laboratory, field and modeling results show that the coastal dispersal areas of small, mountainous rivers exhibit remarkable self-similar scaling relationships over many orders of magnitude. River plume areas scale with source drainage area to a power significantly less than one (average = 0.65), and this power relationship decreases significantly with distance offshore of the river mouth. Observations of plumes from large rivers reveal that this scaling continues over six orders of magnitude of river drainage basin areas. This suggests that the cumulative area of coastal influence for many of the smallest rivers of the world is greater than that of single rivers of equal watershed size.
Politics and Theatrical Culture in Restoration England

This article explores the relationship between politics and the theatre in England between 1660 and 1688. Following a discussion of the place of the theatre within the broader political landscape, the article looks at the political nature of the drama during this period, outlining the various ways in which plays could comment upon contemporary politics, ranging from overt political satire to ‘impressionistic’ allegory to complex roman a clef. Additional political opportunities afforded by the publication of playtexts are also discussed. The article then examines the operation of politics in the playhouses themselves, including the behavior of actors, both onstage and off, and the close connections between the public theatres and the world of the royal court.
Size-aided opportunistic scheduling in wireless networks

We study opportunistic scheduling in a multiuser wireless network where there are K users, each with a backlogged message for transmission. A key goal is to minimize the total completion time via a cross-layer design approach. Our main contribution consists of two size-aided opportunistic scheduling (SAOS) schemes. The SAOS schemes use both the traffic information and channel variation to reduce the completion time. Our results show that the SAOS schemes can yield significant reduction in the total completion time. We also examine two extreme cases, i.e., wireless shortest processing time first (SRPT) and "riding on the channel peak", which utilize only either the file size information or the instantaneous channel conditions.
Long-Term Use of Unidirectional Bacteriologic Filters to Reduce Peritonitis Frequency in CAPD

We report the long term (up to 24 months) use of a 0.22 μ, 270 cm2 membrane bacteriologic filter on the frequency of peritonitis in 33 patients considered to be at high risk for developing peritonitis. The frequency of peritonitis in 20 patients (in 325 patient-months) before the filter was placed was one in 3.38 months, and this was reduced (over 250 patient-months) to one in 5.95 months, a decrease of 49.9% (p < 0.001). In all 33 patients the cumulative probability of peritonitis was significantly reduced and the mean crude incidence \( (\bar{\lambda }) \) of peritonitis was reduced from 0.265 to 0.134 (p < 0.01). This confirmed that the filter reduced the incidence of peritonitis and that the use of the filter maintained the reduction of peritonitis up to 24 months. Bacteria and spores introduced into dialysis fluid by touch contamination are trapped on the inflow surfaces of the filter, which reduced the probability of peritonitis and drop-outs from CAPD.
Steroid Regulation of GnRH Neurons

: GnRH neurons form the final common pathway for regulating fertility. Estradiol feedback controls GnRH release, but the cellular mechanisms are unknown. Targeted extracellular recordings were used to examine the firing rate of GFP-identified GnRH neurons in a model for estradiol negative feedback (OVX vs. OVX+E). Episodes of increased firing rate occurred in both groups with intervals consistent with hormone secretion; estradiol more than doubled this interval. Spectral analysis identified additional rhythmic activity that was grouped by period: bursts ( 1000 s). Bursts were trains of action currents. Estradiol did not alter burst characteristics, but rather changed the patterning of inter-burst intervals to increase the period of the low-frequency episode rhythm. To change interburst-interval, estradiol might alter conductances in GnRH neurons, such as potassium currents. Whole-cell voltage-clamp revealed that estradiol affected the amplitude, decay time, and the voltage dependence of A-type potassium currents in GnRH neurons. Blockade of protein kinases reversed some but not all effects of estradiol. Consistent with changes in the A-current, estradiol increased excitability in GnRH neurons. Estradiol thus targets multiple mechanisms to alter GnRH neuron firing patterns, and the balance of stimulatory and inhibitory actions determines whether the integrated response is to increase or to decrease release.
Comparison of pulsatile subcutaneous gonadotropin-releasing hormone and exogenous gonadotropins in the treatment of men with isolated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.

Eight men with isolated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism were treated with pulsatile gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) after maximal testicular growth and function had already been achieved with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG). Only four subjects could normalize plasma testosterone (T) levels (group A). After 18months of GnRH therapy, testicular size of group A increased by 53% ( P
Facile synthesis of SAM–peptide conjugates through alkyl linkers targeting protein N-terminal methyltransferase 1

We report the first chemical synthesis of SAM–peptide conjugates through alkyl linkers to prepare bisubstrate analogs for protein methyltransferases. We demonstrate its application by developing a series of bisubstrate inhibitors for protein N-terminal methyltransferase 1 and the most potent one exhibits a Ki value of 310 ± 55 nM.
Africans and the Industrial Revolution in England: The Atlantic Slave Economy and the Development of Financial Institutions

THE EVOLUTION OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS – comprising banking houses, discount houses, the stock exchange, and insurance houses – constituted an important part of the development of the English economy between 1650 and 1850. The combined operation of these institutions structured the credit economy in England during and after the Industrial Revolution. Their importance in the development process can be viewed from different angles. Being part of the service sector of the economy, their independent contribution to the growth of national income and employment over time can be examined in its own right. Crafts has estimated that government and defense, and housing and services contributed 27 percent of British national output in the eighteenth century, and 26 percent in the period 1801–31. C. H. Lee takes a broader view of the service sector to include trade, transport, insurance, banking, financial and business services, professional and scientific services, public administration, and defense – in short, the residual of the national income after taking out the contribution of agriculture, mining, industry, and construction. Under his broad conception of the service sector, Lee computes that the contribution of the respective sectors to the estimated overall employment growth rate of 1.73 percent per annum between 1755 and 1851 was 54.9 percent for industry (including manufacturing, mining, and construction), 22.0 percent for agriculture, 19.1 percent for services, and unclassified, 4.0 percent.
Residual Ductility and Microstructural Evolution in Continuous-Bending-under-Tension of AA-6022-T4

A ubiquitous experiment to characterize the formability of sheet metal is the simple tension test. Past research has shown that if the material is repeatedly bent and unbent during this test (i.e., Continuous-Bending-under-Tension, CBT), the percent elongation at failure can significantly increase. In this paper, this phenomenon is evaluated in detail for AA-6022-T4 sheets using a custom-built CBT device. In particular, the residual ductility of specimens that are subjected to CBT processing is investigated. This is achieved by subjecting a specimen to CBT processing and then creating subsize tensile test and microstructural samples from the specimens after varying numbers of CBT cycles. Interestingly, the engineering stress initially increases after CBT processing to a certain number of cycles, but then decreases with less elongation achieved for increasing numbers of CBT cycles. Additionally, a detailed microstructure and texture characterization are performed using standard scanning electron microscopy and electron backscattered diffraction imaging. The results show that the material under CBT preserves high integrity to large plastic strains due to a uniform distribution of damage formation and evolution in the material. The ability to delay ductile fracture during the CBT process to large plastic strains, results in formation of a strong fiber texture throughout the material.
The Ecdysone and Notch Pathways Synergistically Regulate Cut at the Dorsal-Ventral Boundary in Drosophila Wing Discs.

Metazoan development requires coordination of signaling pathways to regulate patterns of gene expression. In Drosophila, the wing imaginal disc provides an excellent model for the study of how signaling pathways interact to regulate pattern formation. The determination of the dorsal-ventral (DV) boundary of the wing disc depends on the Notch pathway, which is activated along the DV boundary and induces the expression of the homeobox transcription factor, Cut. Here, we show that Broad (Br), a zinc-finger transcription factor, is also involved in regulating Cut expression in the DV boundary region. However, Br expression is not regulated by Notch signaling in wing discs, while ecdysone signaling is the upstream signal that induces Br for Cut upregulation. Also, we find that the ecdysone-Br cascade upregulates cut-lacZ expression, a reporter containing a 2.7 kb cut enhancer region, implying that ecdysone signaling, similar to Notch, regulates cut at the transcriptional level. Collectively, our findings reveal that the Notch and ecdysone signaling pathways synergistically regulate Cut expression for proper DV boundary formation in the wing disc. Additionally, we show br promotes Delta, a Notch ligand, near the DV boundary to suppress aberrant high Notch activity, indicating further interaction between the two pathways for DV patterning of the wing disc.
Hot electron temperature and coupling efficiency scaling with prepulse for cone-guided fast ignition.

The effect of increasing prepulse energy levels on the energy spectrum and coupling into forward-going electrons is evaluated in a cone-guided fast-ignition relevant geometry using cone-wire targets irradiated with a high intensity (${10}^{20}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{W}/{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$) laser pulse. Hot electron temperature and flux are inferred from $K\ensuremath{\alpha}$ images and yields using hybrid particle-in-cell simulations. A two-temperature distribution of hot electrons was required to fit the full profile, with the ratio of energy in a higher energy (MeV) component increasing with a larger prepulse. As prepulse energies were increased from 8 mJ to 1 J, overall coupling from laser to all hot electrons entering the wire was found to fall from 8.4% to 2.5% while coupling into only the 1--3 MeV electrons dropped from 0.57% to 0.03%.
Hierarchical Hybrid Shape Representation for Medical Shapes.

Recently, shape analysis has become of increasing interest in the medical community due to its potential in capturing the morphological variations across a population. The high quality 3D images captured can be used to extract 3D shape of the organs. 3D models of organs can also be used for training personnel, for visualization during image guided interventions and in simulations. A compact shape model that has implicit and explicit forms will aid in some of these medical use-cases. We propose a compact hybrid shape model as a combination of Extended Superquadrics (ESQ) [1] and Radial basis interpolation function (RBF). The hybrid shape model in its parametric form is given as ( f (θ ,φ)= h(θ ,φ)+g(θ ,φ)). h is the extended superquadric function and g is radial basis interpolation function. The points on the surface of the shape are given by
Laboratory evaluations of codling moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) oviposition on three species of stone fruit grown in California

Codling moth (CM), Cydia pomonella (L.), ovipositional behavior in laboratory tests was studied on nectarines, Prunus persica (L.) Batsch var. nucipersica , peaches, P. persica (L.) Batsch, and plums, P. salicina Lindl., maturing at different times of the growing season. Neither stage of fruit maturity nor skin color of nectarines influenced CM oviposition. CM oviposited more eggs on mature, packed peaches than on firm, immature green peaches and oviposited more eggs on firm, immature green plums than on more mature plums. The calyx and stem ends of nectarines, peaches, and plums were the most acceptable ovipositional sites on each fruit. Low numbers of CM eggs were removed from ovipositional sites when nectarines were passed through a packinghouse washer. No significant differences were found in CM oviposition among cultivars within each stone fruit species, except that a significantly higher number of CM eggs were oviposited on plums of the ‘Queen Ann’ cultivar. CM oviposition on seasonal cultivars was compared in tests among mixed stone fruit species.
Emetic and Fatal Doses of Digitalis at High Altitudes

ConclusionsThe emetic and fatal doses of digitalis in significant numbers of pigeons were found to be 40 and 22% less, respectively, at an altitude of 10,000 feet than at sea-level. A similar tendency was shown by the extremes in fatal doses for cats, hut the results were inconclusive, due probably to greater variations in cats and smaller numbers used. The higher potency of digitalis at high altitudes reflects changes in state of the emetic and circulatory functions at high levels and indicates the desirability of reducing the dosage of the drug at high levels so as to avoid undesirable and toxic reactions.
Effects of the Microsporidium, Nosema pyrausta , on Field Populations of European Corn Borers in Nebraska

The incidence and development of the protozoan parasite, Nosema pyrausta (Paillot), in field populations of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hbn.), is documented for 2 Nebraska counties over a 16-yr period. In one county, N. pyrausta reached epizootic proportions twice and in the other the relationship was mostly enzootic. The epizootic development followed periods of increasing host density. Reduced ECB populations and larval weights followed epizootic peaks attesting to the debilitating and mortal effects of N. pyrausta on the host.
Association of Primary Germ Cell Tumor of the Testis and Renal Cell Carcinoma

The combined presentation of 2 separate neoplasms is rare. We report 3 cases of primary testicular cancer that were associated with renal cell carcinoma and discuss their management.
Posterior Cervical Foraminotomy

The posterior cervical foraminotomy (PCF) approach was first described by Spurling and Scoville for the treatment of posterolateral cervical soft disc herniations with concordant radiculopathy [1]. Subsequently, multiple surgical series have demonstrated a high rate of clinical success using this approach, citing a low complication rate, morbidity, rate of disk recurrence, and rate of reoperation [2–6]. The ideal management of cervical radiculopathy is still contested. Proponents of the ventral approach argue that the anterior discectomy and fusion (ACF) has less postoperative pain and cervical deformity due to the avoidance of posterior muscular dissection, providing a wider exposure of the pathology affording safe disc removal, as well as a lower rate of iatrogenic nerve injury [7, 8]. One important drawback of the ACF is that it does not preserve mobility. The cervical disc arthroplasty, an alternative anterior option is motion-sparing, but still carries risks inherent to an anterolateral approach. One of the most common complications is dysphagia which can persist after surgery while the least common and most concerning of outcomes is injury to the esophagus or vertebral artery [9]. In the postoperative months, the risks of graft subsidence and pseudoarthrosis are unique to the anterior approach [7]. Moreover, after successful fusion, adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) can complicate an uneventful ACF with approximately a 25% risk of occurrence in the first ten postoperative years [10, 11]. Muscle-sparing tubular approaches for PCF have gained popularity, as well as ‘keyhole foraminotomy’ approaches that allow for less-invasive corridor with microscopic or endoscopic assistance or in conjunction with a muscle-splitting tubular retractor.
Financial Capacity and Financial Exploitation of Older Adults: Research Findings, Policy Recommendations and Clinical Implications.

ABSTRACTBackground: Financial exploitation (FE) of older adults is a social issue that is beginning to receive the attention that it deserves in the mediathanks to some high profile cases, but empirical research and clinical guidelines on the topic are just emerging.Objective: Our review seeks to synthesize the current research in the area and develop a concentpual model. Method: In this review, we describes the significance of the problem, proposes a theoretical model for conceptualizing FE, and summarizes related areas of research that may be useful to consider in the understanding of FE.Results: We identify key structural issues that have limited interventions in the past and make specific public policy recommendations in lightof the largest intergenerational transfer of wealth in history.Conclusions: FE is a significant social problem, in this article we discuss implications for clinical practice.
Co-Curricular Outcomes Assessment and Accreditation.

This chapter describes how assessment of co-curricular student learning outcomes can be used as part of the institutional accreditation process and the opportunities institutional researchers and student affairs educators have to collaborate in those efforts.
Patterns of nodal failure after intensity modulated radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Objectives To evaluate the sites of nodal failure (NF) of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Study Design Retrospective chart review. Methods We reviewed the records of 165 patients with nonmetastatic NPC treated with IMRT between July 1998 and April 2011 at our institution. Recurrent nodes were delineated on imaging and coregistered with the original treatment planning computed tomography. Failures were assessed as in-field, out-field, or marginal based on the relative volumes of the recurrent nodes covered by the original dose distribution. Results Ten patients had NF at a median follow-up of 70.4 months for surviving patients. The 3- and 5-year overall survival and NF rates were 88.7%, 76.0% and 5.8%, 7.7%, respectively. Six of the nodal failures were in-field, of which five occurred in level II; whereas four had out-field failures, all of which were in the protected parotid gland area. There were no recurrences in level 1b despite this region being protected. The cumulative 3- and 5-year failure rates in the parotid gland area were 2.2% and 3.1%, respectively. Three patients with parotid failure initially had subcentimeter, nonspecific nodules in the same locations of the parotid gland as the recurrent nodes. Conclusion Nodal failure is uncommon after IMRT in NPC. Recurrence in the parotid gland region accounts for all of the out-field failures and 40% of NF in our study. Comprehensive assessment of nodules in or around the parotid gland is therefore a key aspect of treatment planning and follow-up. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 2016 127:377–382, 2017