cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
196) Using the Modified Functional Movement Screen for Assessment of Movement Impairments in Young Adults with Low Back Pain

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common complaints in individuals who seek medical care and is a leading cause of movement impairments. One test, which has been developed to evaluate neuromuscular impairments with movement, is the Functional Movement Screen (FMS). The reliability and validity of the FMS have been established for different healthy populations, but have not yet been examined for the LBP population because of a limitation of its original scoring system. The purposes of this study were to determine the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability and construct validity (the known-groups method) of the FMS using a modified scoring system in young adults with and without LBP. The FMS scores were modified by assigning a zero score only when there was an increase in the LBP during each movement test, not just for the presence of pain, as in the original FMS scoring system. Twenty-two participants with LBP (8 males and 14 females, 26.7±4.7 years old) and 22 age- and gender-matched participants without LBP (26.64 ±4.20 years old) completed the study. In addition, there was no group-difference in body mass index. Reliability was determined using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). The total composite score was calculated, and a t-test was used to determine differences in the FMS scores between the two groups. The ICC values ranged from 0.93 to 0.98 for both groups, indicating excellent inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the FMS composite score. In addition, the LBP group scored significantly lower than the group without LBP (p = 0.008). The results indicate that the FMS is able to distinguish between individuals with and without LBP based on their movement performance. Therefore, the FMS could be a useful test for clinicians to quantify movement quality and to assess movement restrictions in individuals with LBP.
Structural and Functional Connectivity: A Combined Analysis of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis Using Joint-ICA

The human brain can be compared to a “bundle of wires” composed by neurons that interconnect distinct gray matter regions. These “bundle of wires” are the principal composition of the white matter and has the fundamental function of conducting the synaptic signals to the gray matter. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) corresponds to a neuroimage modality optimized to quantify neural activity that occurs in the gray matter, whereas the Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) is another neuroimage modality optimized to quantify distinct white matter properties. Despite the resulting signal of these image modalities come from different tissues, they are signals that contain complementary information. In neurodegenerative diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), the myelin sheath of neurons are damaged, and can provoke a series of dysfunctions such as motor disability, problems with speech, visual problems, fatigue, among other complications. Knowing the existence of this intimate functional and structural correlation among white and gray matter, this study seeks to unify both, functional connectivity measures of fMRI and structural connectivity measures of DTI, using the statistical tool joint independent component analysis (J-ICA). Results show that the coupling of these different imaging modalities is modulated by scores derived from neuropsychological tests used to evaluate patient’s cognitive impairment by MS.
A phase II study of ipilimumab and nivolumab with radiation in microsatellite stable (MSS) metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma (mCRC).

3514Background: mCRC remains a lethal cancer and immunotherapy in MSS mCRC has yet to show significant activity. In preclinical models, radiation induced cellular damage may increase responsiveness...
Low-Level Nanog Expression in the Regulation of Quiescent Endothelium.

Objective Nanog is expressed in adult endothelial cells (ECs) at a low-level, however, its functional significance is not known. The goal of our study was to elucidate the role of Nanog in adult ECs using a genetically engineered mouse model system. Approach and Results: Biochemical analyses showed that Nanog is expressed in both adult human and mouse tissues. Primary ECs isolated from adult mice showed detectable levels of Nanog, Tert (telomerase reverse transcriptase), and eNos (endothelial nitric oxide synthase). Wnt3a (Wnt family member 3A) increased the expression of Nanog and hTERT (human telomerase reverse transcriptase) in ECs and increased telomerase activity in these cells. In a chromatin immunoprecipitation experiment, Nanog directly bound to the hTERT and eNOS promoter/enhancer DNA elements, thereby regulating their transcription. Administration of low-dose tamoxifen to ROSAmT/mG::Nanogfl/+::Cdh5CreERT2 mice induced deletion of a single Nanog allele, simultaneously labeling ECs with green fluorescent protein and resulting in decreased Tert and eNos levels. Histological and morphometric analyses of heart tissue sections prepared from these mice revealed cell death, microvascular rarefaction, and increased fibrosis in cardiac vessels. Accordingly, EC-specific Nanog-haploinsufficiency resulted in impaired EC homeostasis and angiogenesis. Conversely, re-expression of cDNA encoding the hTERT in Nanog-depleted ECs, in part, restored the effect of loss of Nanog. Conclusions We showed that low-level Nanog expression is required for normal EC homeostasis and angiogenesis in adulthood.
Self-Confidence of Females in Sports and Physical Activity

The research evidence suggests that many females lack confidence in sports and physical activities. When the activities are judged to be sex-role inappropriate, to be self-evaluative or competitive, or to be lacking in positive feedback, confidence among females is especially likely to be low. Guidelines for building self-confidence—including insuring successful performance, using positive reinforcement, providing positive role models, improving communications, and reducing anxiety—are presented.
A deep learning approach to student registered nurse anesthetist (SRNA) education.

Objectives This manuscript describes the application of deep learning to physiology education of Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNA) and the benefits thereof. A strong foundation in physiology and the ability to apply this knowledge to challenging clinical situations is crucial to the successful SRNA. Deep learning, a well-studied pedagogical technique, facilitates development and long-term retention of a mental knowledge framework that can be applied to complex problems. Deep learning requires the educator to facilitate the development of critical thinking and students to actively learn and take responsibility for gaining knowledge and skills. Methods We applied the deep learning approach, including flipped classroom and problem-based learning, and surveyed SRNA students (n=127) about their learning experience. Results Survey responses showed that the majority of students favored the deep learning approach and thought it advanced their critical thinking skills. Conclusions SRNAs reported that their physiology knowledge base and critical thinking benefited from the use of the deep learning strategy.
Bovi-Shield GOLD® FP® 5 VL5* Induces Fetal Protection against a Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus Type 2 Persistently Infected-Seeder Calf Challenge

Efficacy ofBovi-Shield GOLD® FP® 5 VL5 in heifers at five to seven months of gestation was evaluated following exposure to seeder calves persistently infected (Pl) with bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) type 2.
On the impact of canopy model complexity on simulated carbon, water, and solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence fluxes

Abstract. Lack of direct carbon, water, and energy flux observations at global scales makes it difficult to calibrate land surface models (LSMs). The increasing number of remote sensing based products provide an alternative way to verify or constrain land models given its global coverage and satisfactory spatial and temporal resolutions. However, these products and LSMs often differ in their assumptions and model setups, for example, the canopy model complexity. The disagreements hamper the fusion of global scale datasets with LSMs. To evaluate how much the canopy complexity affects predicted canopy fluxes, we simulated and compared the carbon, water, and solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) fluxes using five different canopy complexity setups from a one-layered big-leaf canopy to a multi-layered canopy with leaf angular distributions. We modeled the canopy fluxes using a recently developed Land model by the Climate Modeling Alliance. Our model results suggested that (1) when using the same model inputs, model predicted carbon, water, and SIF fluxes were all higher for simpler canopy setups; (2) when accounting for vertical photosynthetic capacity heterogeneity, differences among canopy complexity levels increased compared to the scenario of a uniform canopy; (3) SIF fluxes modeled with different canopy complexity levels changed with sun-sensor geometry. Given the different modeled canopy fluxes with different canopy complexities, we recommend (1) not misusing parameters inverted with different canopy complexities or assumptions to avoid biases in model outputs, and (2) using complex canopy model with angular distribution and hyperspectral radiation transfer scheme when linking land processes to remotely sensed spectra.
State-Level Implementation of Health and Safety Policies to Prevent Sudden Death and Catastrophic Injuries Within High Schools: An Update

Background Mandated sports safety policies that incorporate evidence-based best practices have been shown to mitigate the risk of mortality and morbidity in sports. In 2017, a review of the state-level implementation of health and safety policies within high schools was released. Purpose To provide an update on the assessment of the implementation of health and safety policies pertaining to the leading causes of death and catastrophic injuries in sports within high school athletics in the United States. Study design Cross-sectional study. Methods A rubric composed of 5 equally weighted sections for sudden cardiac arrest, traumatic head injuries, exertional heatstroke, appropriate health care coverage, and emergency preparedness was utilized to assess an individual state's policies. State high school athletic/activities association (SHSAA) policies, enacted legislation, and Department of Education policies were extensively reviewed for all 50 states and the District of Columbia between academic year (AY) 2016-2017 (AY16/17) and 2019-2020 (AY19/20). To meet the specific rubric criteria and be awarded credit, policies needed to be mandated by all SHSAA member schools. Weighted scores were tabulated to calculate an aggregate score with a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 100. Results A total of 38 states had increased their rubric scores since AY16/17, with a mean increase of 5.57 ± 6.41 points. In AY19/20, scores ranged from 30.80 to 85.00 points compared with 23.00 to 78.75 points in AY16/17. Policies related to exertional heatstroke had the greatest change in scores (AY16/17 mean, 6.62 points; AY19/20 mean, 8.90 points; Δ = 2.28 points [11.40%]), followed by emergency preparedness (AY16/17 mean, 8.41 points; AY19/20 mean, 10.29 points; Δ = 1.88 points [9.40%]). Conclusion A longitudinal review of state high school sports safety policies showed progress since AY16/17. A wide range in scores indicates that continued advocacy for the development and implementation of policies at the high school level is warranted.
Why is change so hard

Awareness of the importance of communication in veterinary medicine has been heightened in the last 2 decades. Formal communication instruction is now a core requirement for all AVMA-accredited Colleges of Veterinary Medicine. The profession as a whole is realizing the importance of communication as it relates to business success, professional satisfaction, and patient outcomes. Clinicians, clients, and patients benefit from the use of evidence-based clinical communication skills; assuring accurate, efficient, and effective transfer of information. While the initial efforts for communication in veterinary medicine seemed to focus on companion animal practice, few would dispute that communication is critical for production animal veterinarians. The complexity of the contexts in which production animal veterinarians work to effect change requires even greater understanding of how people make decisions and how to influence those decisions effectively. Veterinarians are encouraged to be curious: Take the time to understand your clients and stakeholders; what extrinsic and intrinsic motivators are present? How does their organization run and why is it run that way? To ensure accurate understanding, consider demonstrating an understanding of the client through summarizing and empathy. Once there is clear understanding that has been communicated, only then can the veterinarian begin to make recommendations.
Indigenous Women's Experiences of Smoking and Quitting Smoking in Pregnancy: A Phenomenological Study.

BackgroundMaternal smoking during pregnancy (MSDP) is an important public health concern because of potential adverse health effects to the woman, fetus, and child after birth. Prevalence rates are...
HOME DM-BAT: home-based diabetes-modified behavioral activation treatment for low-income seniors with type 2 diabetes-study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

About 13% of African Americans and 13% of Hispanics have diabetes, compared to 8% of non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs). This is more pronounced in the elderly where about 25–30% of those aged 65 and older have diabetes. Studies have found associations between social determinants of health (SDoH) and increased incidence, prevalence, and burden of diabetes; however, few interventions have accounted for the context in which the elderly live by addressing SDoH. Specifically, psychosocial factors (such as cognitive dysfunction, functional impairment, and social isolation) impacting this population may be under-addressed due to numerous medical concerns addressed during the clinical visit. The long-term goal of the project is to identify strategies to improve glycemic control and reduce diabetes complications and mortality in African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos with type 2 diabetes. This is a 5-year prospective, randomized clinical trial, which will test the effectiveness of a home-based diabetes-modified behavioral activation treatment for low-income, minority seniors with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) (HOME DM-BAT). Two hundred, aged 65 and older and with an HbA1c ≥8%, will be randomized into one of two groups: (1) an intervention using in-home, nurse telephone-delivered diabetes education, and behavioral activation or (2) a usual care group using in-home, nurse telephone-delivered, health education/supportive therapy. Participants will be followed for 12 months to ascertain the effect of the intervention on glycemic control, blood pressure, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. The primary hypothesis is low-income, minority seniors with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes randomized to HOME DM-BAT will have significantly greater improvements in clinical outcomes at 12 months of follow-up compared to usual care. Results from this study will provide important insight into the effectiveness of a home-based diabetes-modified behavioral activation treatment for low-income, minority seniors with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus and inform strategies to improve glycemic control and reduce diabetes complications in minority elderly with T2DM. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04203147 ). Registered on December 18, 2019, with the National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Registry.
Organizational Determinants of Job Stressors

As we have already seen, most job stress, far from being the result of idiosyncratic work structures or situations, is the routine outcome of certain job conditions, such as the absence of decision latitude or social support, or the presence of too many demands. These job conditions are not created randomly but are routinely produced and reproduced, and are distributed among workers in known ways, in much the same way that other job outcomes are distributed – earnings, for example. The probability of encountering stressful job conditions is not random. In the next four chapters, we consider why’s and how’s of the production, reproduction, and distribution of job stress. We start with the most proximate determinants of a worker’s job conditions: the organizational structures and practices of the firms in which she/he works.
Experimental studies on nicotine absorption during pregnancy. IV. The postmature neonate.

Abstract This report deals with 55 pregnant rats assigned randomly, 5 each, to 11 study groups. Three groups were untreated controls delivered either spontaneously on the twenty-second day of gestation (term), or by cesarean section on the twenty-first and twenty-second day. Four groups were rendered postmature by prolonging gestation with chorionic gonadotropin and were delivered by section on days 21, 22, 23, and 24. Four other experimental groups producing postmature young were delivered by section on these same days after having been treated chronically with nicotine throughout pregnancy. While gestation had been equally prolonged in the two experimental groups, hormone-induced postmaturity yielded young with many of the characteristics that have been ascribed to the postmaturity syndrome in man. However, nicotine-exposed young were underweight, virtually fetal in appearance, had narrower transverse head diameters, shorter vibrissae, shorter claws or none at all, and ossification in the long bones had not progressed as far as it had in term young of equal weights. Both groups of experimental animals would have delayed delivery even longer had sectioning not intervened. The nicotine-treated off spring could have passed for premature and were somewhat comparable to the peculiar, small, malnourished infants with prolonged gestations described recently in the human literature.
Design of network polymers by photopolymerization

The base and transition metal catalyzed isomerization of allyl and crotyl ethers affords a facile, high yield route to the preparation of a variety of mono-, di-, and multifunctional 1-propenyl and 1-butenyl ethers. Employing this novel method, monomers containing epoxide, ester, ether carbonate and urethane groups can be prepared from their readily available allyl and crotyl precursors. In general, these monomers display very high reactivity in cationic polymerizations. In our work, we have focused on photoinduced cationic polymerizations of these monomers using diaryliodonium and triarylsulfonium salt photoinitiators. To study these very fast photopolymerizations, extensive use of real-time infrared spectroscopy was made. Employing this technique, the effects of monomer and photoinitiator structure on the rates of polymerization were studied.
Conditional Granger causality and partitioned Granger causality: differences and similarities

Neural information modeling and analysis often requires a measurement of the mutual influence among many signals. A common technique is the conditional Granger causality (cGC) which measures the influence of one time series on another time series in the presence of a third. Geweke has translated this condition into the frequency domain and has explored the mathematical relationships between the time and frequency domain expressions. Chen has observed that in practice, the expressions may return (meaningless) negative numbers, and has proposed an alternative which is based on a partitioned matrix scheme, which we call partitioned Granger causality (pGC). There has been some confusion in the literature about the relationship between cGC and pGC; some authors treat them as essentially identical measures, while others have noted that some properties (such as the relationship between the time and frequency domain expressions) do not hold for the pGC. This paper presents a series of matrix equalities that simplify the calculation of the pGC. In this simplified expression, the essential differences and similarities between the cGC and the pGC become clear; in essence, the pGC is dependent on only a subset of the parameters in the model estimation, and the noise residuals (which are uncorrelated in the cGC) need not be uncorrelated in the pGC. The mathematical results are illustrated with a simulation, and the measures are applied to an EEG dataset.
KAIRO 3: Moving over stairs & unknown obstacles with reconfigurable snake-like robots

We present a planning approach for complex motions of reconfigurable snake-like robots to overcome challenging obstacles like stairs or large steps. The current robot configuration as well as different optimization criteria like distance, time or energy, are taken into account. The planning time remains unaffected by the amount of robot modules by combining the planning method with a follow-the-leader control approach. Implementation details on the developed method are presented and extensively evaluated with the reconfigurable snake-like inspection robot KAIRO 3 in three different scenarios. Our results show that the approach enables snake-like robots to overcome previously unknown obstacles according to their robot configuration.
Studies on the acute cardiovascular effects of intravenous sodium nitroprusside.

Abstract 1. 1. Sodium nitroprusside administered intravenously to seventeen hypertensive and thirteen normotensive patients produced in most subjects a marked lowering of the systemic arterial pressure, a mild decrease in cardiac output and a moderate diminution in calculated total peripheral vascular resistance. 2. 2. The decrease in calculated total peripheral vascular resistance suggests arteriolar vasodilation. The decrease in cardiac index occasionally noted and the decrease in stroke index usually noted may have been due to peripheral vascular pooling of blood. 3. 3. The biochemistry of sodium nitroprusside has been briefly reviewed and the nitroso (NO) group is assumed to be responsible for the acute circulatory effects of intravenous sodium nitroprusside while thiocyanate or cyanide subsequently formed may be responsible for some of the later effects. 4. 4. Sodium nitroprusside would appear to have clinical usefulness when administered intravenously in situations in which acute and transient decrease in blood pressure is desired.
Time-constant adaptations in heart failure

The circulatory compensatory mechanisms designed to cope quickly with physiological stress (e.g. sympathetic nervous system and the Frank-Starling mechanism) are less effective when there is chronic pathological stress, such as congestive heart failure (CHF). Other mechanisms come into play that operate over a longer time (e.g. activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, myocardial hypertrophy and physiological deconditioning). Changes in blood vessels and skeletal muscle metabolism that result from inadequate delivery of oxygenated blood to working muscles belong to the group of mechanisms that develop slowly. When CHF therapy is successful, the abnormalities produced by this latter group of mechanisms will improve, but slowly. The concept that compensatory mechanisms have either short or long time constants for activation and reversal may explain why exercise tolerance improves much later than haemodynamics, which can be reversed acutely with vasodilator therapy.
A mosaic PTEN mutation causing Cowden syndrome identified by deep sequencing.

Mosaic PTEN mutations are not well described in Cowden syndrome. We report a 40-year-old woman with a clinical diagnosis of Cowden syndrome including Lhermitte–Duclos disease, who had a mosaic PTEN mutation detected by next-generation deep sequencing. Complete PTEN gene sequencing by the Sanger method and deletion/duplication analysis performed on DNA extracted from blood leukocytes at a commercial clinical laboratory did not identify a mutation. Because of high suspicion of a PTEN mutation, we repeated testing by next-generation sequencing using the ColoSeq assay, which sequences the entire PTEN locus at >320-fold average coverage. ColoSeq identified a frameshift PTEN mutation (c.767_768delAG) in 1.7% of sequencing reads from peripheral blood leukocytes (21/1,184 reads), which is below the limit of detection of most Sanger sequencing methods. The mutation was detected at full heterozygous levels in skin fibroblasts and a cerebellar tumor, and at approximately the 25% level in colonic and endocervical mucosa, confirming somatic mosaicism. Our report highlights the power of deep next-generation sequencing to identify mosaic mutations that can be missed by traditional less sensitive approaches. We speculate that mosaic PTEN mutations are more common in Cowden syndrome than previously described. Genet Med 15 12, 1004–1007.
Be sympathetic to your nervous system

the influence of the sympathetic nervous system in the regulation of cardiovascular function has been recognized since antiquity. Early reports of the so called “vegetative nervous system” were based largely on anatomical observations ([1][1]). It is now well accepted that alterations in
Characterization of T cell proliferative responses induced by anti-Qa-2 monoclonal antibodies

Abstract The MHC class I Qa-2 Ag are attached to the cell surface by a glycanphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. Crosslinking of Qa-2 and several other cell surface Ag attached by the GPI linkage has been shown to lead to cell activation. We have developed 10 new anti-Qa-2 mAb and characterized their capacity to induce proliferation of spleen cells. In the absence of anti-Ig-mediated crosslinking, none of the mAbs alone could induce activation. However, mAb 23.1 which reacts with the α3 domain of Qa-2, when combined with most of the other mAbs (α1, α2 domain reactive), activated cells in the absence of anti-Ig crosslinking. The mAb pair 23.1 plus 24.16 was the most proficient and induced proliferation in the absence of any exogenous second signals. Responses were greatly enhanced and equivalent to those seen with anti-CD3 by the addition of phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). lonomycin, rIL-2, or rIL-4 also potentiated anti-Qa-2 responses but less efficiently than PMA. Significant strain variation in the magnitude Qa-2-mediated proliferative responses was observed correlating with the levels of Qa-2 expressed on the cell surface. Crosslinking of Qa-2 molecules by the mAb combinations was required because monovalent Fab fragments failed to activate cells. F(ab')2 fragments of mAb 23.1 plus 24.16 induced vigorous proliferation indicating that accessory cell presentation of the mAb via Fc receptors was not required. Immobilized (plate bound) anti-Qa-2 mAb induced proliferation suggesting that the Qa-2 pathway may be distinct from that of other GPI molecules such as Thy-1 and Ly-6. Populations enriched for T cells (~95%) responded as well as whole spleen cells, whereas B lymphocytes failed to proliferate to anti-Qa-2. Both CD4+ and CD8+ cells were activated following crosslinking of Qa-2. Finally, T cell activation mediated by Qa-2 induced elevation of [Ca2+]i, IL-2R expression, and the release of IL-2. These data demonstrate that crosslinking of Qa-2 on T lymphocytes represents a potent pathway for inducing cell activation.
Synthesis, structure, and ethylene/α-olefin polymerization behavior of (cyclopentadienyl)(nitroxide)titanium complexes

Mono-Cp titanium coordination compounds bearing monoanionic ligands derived from stable nitroxyl radicals have been synthesized by two methods: (i) trapping of CpTi(III) species with the stable nitroxyl radical TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl) to provide Cp‘TiCl2(TEMPO) (Cp‘ = Cp (1) and Cp* (2)) and (ii) salt metathesis of Ti(IV) halides with a nitroxide anion generated by the in situ methylation of tert-butyl-α-phenylnitrone. Alkylation of these complexes with MeLi or MeMgBr furnishes Cp*TiMe2(TEMPO) (3) and Cp‘TiMe2(ON(tBu)(CHMePh)) (Cp‘ = Cp(4) and Cp* (5)). The molecular structure of 2 has been determined by X-ray crystallography to reveal a monoanionic η1-TEMPO ligated to titanium. Complexes 3 and 4 activated with iprAFPB (2,6,-diisopropyl-N,N-dimethylanilinium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate) efficiently copolymerize ethylene and 1-hexene to provide copolymers having higher 1-hexene contents and higher productivities than the related Cp*Ti(CH2Ph)3 under identical conditions. Comparis...
The influence of hydrostatic pressure on gas diffusion in polymer and nano-composite membranes: Application to membrane inlet mass spectrometry

Abstract A nano-composite membrane, created by coating a thin polysiloxane film to the surface of an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane, was directly coupled to the inlet system of a mass spectrometer. The gas-permeation properties of the polysiloxane nano-composite (PNC) membrane were compared to those of a conventional polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane over a range of hydrostatic pressures. Permeation of gases through the conventional PDMS membrane was reduced at high pressure by compression of the siloxane matrix. The PNC membrane had a much higher mechanical strength than the PDMS membrane, and exhibited little deviation in gas permeation at elevated hydrostatic pressure. Consistent with this difference in behavior, whereas the PDMS membrane exhibited hysteresis throughout cycles of increasing and decreasing hydrostatic pressure, hysteresis effects were substantially limited for the PNC membrane. The time required to attain steady-state diffusion through the PNC membrane was substantially reduced relative to the PDMS membrane.
Transport of dissolved oxygen through silicone rubber membrane

Abstract The transport of dissolved oxygen in water through a silicone rubber membrane was studied theoretically and experimentally. The apparent oxygen permeability coefficients of silicone rubber were measured at various membrane thicknesses, temperatures, and concentration levels. The permeation flux was measured under both steady-and unsteady-state conditions. For the first time, the thickness effect of dissolved gas permeation has been studied. It was found that the apparent permeability increases with increasing membrane thickness and approaches asymptotically to the gas phase permeability. A general equation was developed to explain this phenomenon based on the concept of immobile boundary layers. It was also observed that the apparent oxygen permeability increased exponentially with increasing concentration levels in water. The temperature dependency of permeability was of the Arrhenius type.
MRI findings in the parents and siblings of specifically language-impaired boys.

Four families that include a specifically language-impaired (SLI) boy were studied to test the hypothesis that developmental language disorders are biologically transmittable. A majority of the parents of the SLI boys had experienced communication difficulty (i.e., difficulty with speech, language, or academic skills) as children. Evidence of communication difficulty was paired on an individual basis with neuroanatomical data obtained through quantitative analysis of magnetic resonance imaging scans. Atypical perisylvian asymmetries were documented in a majority of the parents and were frequently associated with a history of communication difficulty. Atypical perisylvian asymmetries and disordered language skills were also documented for siblings of SLI boys. These findings suggest that atypical perisylvian asymmetries reflect a transmittable, biological factor that places some families at risk for language impairment.
The Lorenz Curve and the Gini Coefficient

(2003). The Lorenz Curve and the Gini Coefficient. The Journal of Economic Education: Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 296-296.
Generation of transgenic mice using lentiviral vectors: a novel preclinical assessment of lentiviral vectors for gene therapy

Lentiviral vectors have become attractive delivery vehicles for gene therapy investigators. Specifically, the ability of lentiviral vectors to integrate into nondividing cells and provide stable and long-term gene expression in vivo is a desirable attribute of gene therapy approaches. We report here a simple method for generating transgenic mice using lentiviral vectors, which could be useful models for gene therapy. After removal of the zona pellucida, fertilized eggs were co-incubated with oncoretroviral or lentiviral vectors. The resulting blastocysts were transferred into uteri of pseudo-pregnant females. In both cases, around 60–70% of founder pups were transgenic as determined by PCR analysis. Southern blot analysis revealed that the transgenes were integrated at different genetic loci and transmitted through the germ line. Most of the transgenes delivered by lentiviral vectors were expressed in transgenic mice, although those delivered by oncoretroviral vectors were completely silenced. When the upstream sequences of the rhodopsin gene and the red pigment gene were used as tissue-specific promoters, consistent enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) expression was observed in rod and cone photoreceptor cells, respectively, in retina. However, mice generated with the corneal epithelium-specific keratin-12 promoter displayed EGFP expression not only in cornea but also in other tissues of the mouse. We conclude that the generation of transgenic mice using lentiviral vectors is a simple and robust method to evaluate the promoter specificity in lentiviral vectors in vivo prior to undertaking a gene therapy strategy.
Tactical Requirements Enforcing Ability Analysis of Different WeaponManipulators for Military Unmanned Ground Vehicles

It is an important work to design a weapon manipulator to satisfy the tactical needs for the militaryunmanned ground vehicles (MUGV). In this work, the RRR and 6-SPS mechanisms are proposed to designa weapon manipulator. The design factors for the weapon manipulator to satisfy the tactical needs are alsodiscussed. According to the direct and inverse position analysis methods, the workspace analysis results showthat these two mechanisms have better performances in satisfying the tactical needs than the RR and RPRmechanisms. The gradability performance is also discussed to verify that the proposed mechanisms can achievea good performance. The analysis results can provide a reference resource for designers to design a weaponmanipulator for MUGV. Defence Science Journal, 2008, 58(5), pp.664 -677 , DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.58.1690
L’Acadie rayonne : Lire France Daigle à travers sa traduction

Les romans recents de France Daigle traitent de deplacements et d’ancrages dans l’espace — ancrages et deplacements aussi bien linguistiques que thematiques. De cette oeuvre acadienne importante, Robert Majzels — ecrivain anglo-montrealais feru de plurilinguisme — est devenu le traducteur attitre. Le present article explore le discours sur la traductibilite tel qu’il s’articule deja dans l’oeuvre de Daigle et tel que le fait resonner sa traduction. Il montre comment l’evolution qui sous-tend les trois derniers romans de Daigle autorise Majzels a accomplir une veritable revolution traductionnelle.
Metabolic rate, organ mass, and mitochondrial proton leak variations in lean and obese rats

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine if differences in metabolic rate between lean and obese strains of rats were associated with differences in proton leak across the inner mitochondrial membrane. Metabolic rates were determined for each of five obese Zucker, Sprague-Dawley, and Fisher 344 rats and three lean Zucker rats by 24-hour indirect respiration calorimetry measurements. Feed intakes were different ( P
Noise in MgO electron emission and electroluminescence

Abstract MgO cold emitters show electron emission and electro-luminescence. Large amounts of noise are associated with the electron emission and the photon emission processes. Both types of noise spectra show maxima and minima at about the same frequencies and the two noises are partially correlated. The correlation increases with increasing frequency; this is caused by the fact that there is some low-frequency noise in the electron emission that does not show up in the light emission. The two noise phenomena are interpreted in terms of fluctuations in tunnel emission from the metal substrate and fluctuations in the emptying of activator centers by Zener effect and avalanche multiplication. This results in a partial correlation between the two noise phenomena. The maxima and minima in the spectra can be explained by assuming that the noise sources introduced into the theory are not white and that some of the resistances in the equivalent circuit of the MgO layer have inductances associated with them.
Hidden Literacies and Inquiry Approaches of Bilingual High School Writers.

This article presents findings from case studies of two Latina bilingual high school writers engaged in a year-long research and writing project. Both young women demonstrated unique patterns relat...
The use of justifications in the linguistic construction of agency and social connection in Latina mother–child conflict

Abstract The current study investigates the linguistic construction of self and other through use of justifications by Mexican heritage preschoolers and their mothers. Justifications occurring in spontaneous conflicts of 9 mother–child dyads are analyzed in terms of speech act context (i.e. justifying refusals, justifying directives) and use of self- and other-references. Mothers most often justify their directives to their children, while children most often justify their refusals to their mothers. While children and mothers use self-reference forms similarly, children refer to their mothers infrequently and use very few other-reference forms, while mothers make more frequent and varied use of other-reference forms. These results show that the use of justifications by these Spanish-speaking mothers and their preschoolers play a complex role in the construction of agency and social connection in their conflicts with one another. They contribute to the construction of a child-centered discourse while at the same time indicating that the children are well on their way to developing a pragmatic orientation to communicative interactions with their mothers.
Children assessed for Autism Spectrum Disorder: Developmental delay and change over time in BDI-2 developmental quotients

Abstract Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have overall developmental delays and delays in developmental domains outside of the core ASD symptoms. Research results have been mixed regarding the stability of level of functioning over time in young children with ASD symptoms. Elements that influence development over time in young children with ASD symptoms are an important area of research. Early assessment and intervention is critical to improving prognosis, though effectiveness of intervention depends on a number of factors with some researchers suggesting IQ or overall functioning may influence the degree or rapidity of treatment effects. Using the Battelle Developmental Inventory, this study investigates the effect of overall developmental quotient (DQ) at first assessment on subsequent DQ scores, including scores in communication and adaptive domains in a sample of toddlers evincing significant ASD symptoms.
Sizing of single-stranded regions in double-stranded DNA by preparative benzoylated DEAE-cellulose chromatography

The concentration of caffeine required to elute wholly single-stranded DNA from benzoylated DEAE-cellulose is proportional to the polynucleotide length. The use of benzoylated DEAE-cellulose chromatography for isolating and sizing single-stranded regions in double-stranded DNA has been examined using a series of hybrid molecules. Restriction fragments of the replicating form of bacteriophage ϕX174 were hybridized to the intact ‘plus’ strand, thereby forming hybrids having single- and/or double-stranded regions in the kilobase range. A series of such hybrid preparations were subject to caffeine concentration gradient elution from benzoylated DEAE-cellulose. After logarithmic transformation, a linear relationship (R = 0.94) could be demonstrated between eluting caffeine concentration and single-stranded length, irrespective of the length of associated double-stranded regions or the location, within a given fragment, of unpaired nucleotides. Benzoylated DEAE-cellulose chromatography may therefore be used to separate and characterize, on a preparative scale, double-stranded DNA containing single-stranded regions.
Monomial actions of the symmetric group

Abstract Let F be a field, let G be a finite group and let M be a G -faithful ZG -lattice. We investigate the stable rationality of F ( M ) G over F , when G is S p , the symmetric group on p letters, and p is a prime. It follows from work of Endo, Miyata, Lenstra, and Swan that G -faithful ZG -lattices are in the same flasque class if and only if they have G -isomorphic corresponding fields. Thus the study of flasque classes of ZS p -lattices plays a fundamental role in this investigation. Let N be the normalizer of a p -Sylow subgroup of S p . We show that there are classes of ZS p -lattices for which induction restriction from N to S p , does not affect the flasque class. In particular, we study the flasque class of a specific lattice, G p , which has the property that F ( G p ) S p is stably isomorphic to the center of the division ring of generic matrices [Formanek, Linear and Multilinear Algebra 7 (1979) 203–212]. For a finite group G , lattices in the same genus are not in general in the same flasque class, however they are for G = S n . We show that there is a class of ZS p -lattices, containing the genus of G p , whose elements are in the flasque of G p .
Identification and Characterization of Proteins Binding A + U-Rich Elements

Abstract A + U-Rich elements (AREs) have been extensively investigated as cis- acting determinants of rapid mRNA turnover. Recently, a number of RNA-binding proteins interacting with AREs have been described. This article presents strategies and techniques used by our laboratory to identify and characterize a family of ARE-binding proteins collectively termed AUF1. However, these techniques may be applied to the study of any protein displaying sequence-specific RNA binding activity. The techniques described here include the purification of native AUF1 from cultured cells as well as the preparation of recombinant AUF1 proteins using a bacterial expression system. Analyses of RNA–protein interactions are also described, including the use of gel mobility shift assays with synthetic RNA probes to monitor specific RNA binding activity in cell extracts or with recombinant proteins. Variations of this technique are also described to evaluate the RNA binding affinity of recombinant proteins and the use of specific RNA competitors to assess RNA determinants of protein binding specificity. Other techniques presented include the identification of specific proteins in RNA:protein complexes using antibody supershifts and the estimation of molecular weights of RNA-binding proteins by UV crosslinking. Results of individual experiments are presented as examples of some techniques. Throughout the article, suggestions are included to avoid commonly encountered problems and to assist in the optimization of these techniques for the study of other RNA-binding proteins.
Within-Tree Distribution of Phyllonorycter blancardella (F.) and P. crataegella (Clemens) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) and Associated Levels of Parasitism in Commercial Apple Orchards

Abstract The within-tree distribution of Phyllonorycter blancardella (F.) and P. crataegella (Clemens) and the associated levels of parasitism in commercial apple orchards were examined for 2 years at two sites in west-central Missouri. Canopies of 10 trees at both sites were divided into three regions (or heights): upper, middle, and lower. Each region was further divided into within-row and between-row positions. Leaf and mine samples were taken at the end of every leafminer generation to determine mean leafminer density (mines/leaf) and percent parasitism. Neither the leafminers nor the parasitoids displayed a preference for either the within-row or between-row canopy positions of the tree. However, at both sites and years, the mean level of mines/leaf was generally greater in the lower-middle canopy regions of the tree. Conversely, parasitoid activity appeared to be more evenly distributed throughout the tree with a tendency for higher levels of parasitism to be found in the middle-upper canopy regions. Early-season monitoring of leafminer and parasitoid activity can be accurately determined with leaf samples gathered from the lower portion of the canopy.
A novel target cell antigen involved in the NK-like lytic activity of antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been derived which identify a target cell antigen involved in human natural killer (NK) cell lysis. The effects of the mAbs on the NK-like cytotoxic activity exhibited by different populations of human cytolytic T cells were examined. The anti-target cell mAbs 1E7 and 18C2 inhibited the lysis of K562 target cells by endogenous NK cells, antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) with NK-like activity, and non-major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-restricted T cells. Cytolysis of K562 target cells was not affected by treatment of the target cells with the anti-class I HLA mAb W6/32. Further, the anti-target cell mAbs had no effect on antigen-specific lysis by the CTL. The mAb W6/32, however, inhibited the antigen-specific killing. Experiments at the single-cell level revealed that the anti-target cell mAbs inhibited the formation of conjugates between the effector cells and K562 tumor cells but had no effect on CTL binding to the antigen-specific target cells. Thus, antigen-specific CTL exhibiting NK-like lytic function appeared to recognize a novel target cell antigen that is distinct from typical MHC antigens and is identical to the target-cell antigen recognized by true NK cells.
If SIGIR had an Academic Track, What Would Be In It?

It used to be the case that very little industry research was presented at SIGIR. Now the balance has radically changed -- many accepted papers have industry authors and many rely on industry data sets -- To the extent that a leading academic member of the SIGIR community has light-heartedly proposed the creation of an Academic Track. Behind the levity lies the important question of how a researcher can make a meaningful contribution to the field, in the absence of petabyte-scale sets of documents and massive user-interaction logs. Theoretical contributions can revolutionize thinking, but have greatest impact when applicable in practice, and when empirically validated. In my years at Funnelback and more recently at Microsoft I have been very aware of high-impact but not-well-solved IR problems involving relatively tiny datasets. Many of them are characterized by sparsity of user interaction data and are hence not well-suited to simple machine learning approaches or to large scale A/B testing. My talk will illustrate and attempt to characterize these problems and to suggest fruitful areas for academic research. If time permits, I will mention some areas in which academic research has contributed to current large-scale industry practice.
SUBSTANCE AND STYLE: AN APPRAISAL OF THE SOCIOLOGICAL LEGACY OF HERBERT BLUMER

The substance and the style of Herbert Blumer's legacy to sociology are examined. Examining the former proceeds by specifying essentials and nonessentials of a symbolic interactionist framework, and by distinguishing between Blumer's ideas that do and do not contribute toward the objective of general explanatory theory premised on the framework together with rigorous tests of such theory using a full arsenal of research methods and techniques. Examining the latter proceeds by suggesting that Blumer's style of combative and oppositional argumentation, while not without its utility, has contributed to a present-day scholasticism within symbolic interactionism that inhibits the development of the framework.
A curious renewal process average

Abstract The lifetimes of a renewal process observed during a fixed interval (0, t ] are smaller, on the average, than the process mean lifetime; it is shown that the mean observed lifetime has a particularly simple form.