cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Substance Use as a Longitudinal Predictor of the Perpetration of Teen Dating Violence

The prevention of teen dating violence is a major public health priority. However, the dearth of longitudinal studies makes it difficult to develop programs that effectively target salient risk factors. Using a school-based sample of ethnically diverse adolescents, this longitudinal study examined whether substance use (alcohol, marijuana, and hard drugs) and exposure to parental violence predicted the perpetration of physical dating violence over time. 1,042 9th and 10th grade high schools students were recruited and assessed in the spring of 2010, and 93 % of the original sample completed the 1-year follow-up in the spring of 2011. Participants who had begun dating at the initial assessment and who self-identified as African American (n = 263; 32 %), Caucasian (n = 272; 33 %), or Hispanic (n = 293; 35 %) were included in the current analyses (n = 828; 55 % female). Slightly more than half of the adolescents who perpetrated dating violence at baseline reported past year dating violence at follow-up, relative to only 11 % of adolescents who did not report perpetrating dating violence at baseline. Structural equation modeling revealed that the use of alcohol and hard drugs at baseline predicted the future perpetration of physical dating violence, even after accounting for the effects of baseline dating violence and exposure to interparental violence. Despite differences in the prevalence of key variables between males and females, the longitudinal associations did not vary by gender. With respect to race, exposure to mother-to-father violence predicted the perpetration of dating violence among Caucasian adolescents. Findings from the current study indicate that targeting substance use, and potentially youth from violent households, may be viable approaches to preventing the perpetration of teen dating violence.
Materials and Processes For Silicon TFT’s On Aluminosilicate Glass: An Alternative Soi Technology

As-deposited polycrystalline silicon and argon ion laser recrystallized silicon thin film transistors (TFT’s) have been fabricated on Corning Code 1729 glass substrates. This novel aluminosilicate glass has an expansion coefficient matched to that of silicon and a chemical durability comparable to that of fused silica. N-channel enhancement mode transistors were made using conventional IC device fabrication procedures (including thermal oxidation to form the gate insulator) modified to have a maximum processing temperature of 800 C. The- polycrystalline silicon TFT’s exhibit leakage currents of less than 2x10-11 A/ μm; of channel width and good stability and reproducibility. Transistors made in the recrystallized silicon show field effect electron mobilities as high as 270 cm2/V s, approximately 15 times the mobility of comparable devices made in as-deposited polycrystalline silicon. The recrystallized silicon devices also exhibit lower threshold voltages and lower leakage currents than do the comparable polycrystalline silicon devices. Major advantages of this TFT technology include the use of a novel, potentially low cost glass substrate and the simultaneous processing of both polycrystalline and recrystallized silicon devices on the same substrate material. This approach represents a new avenue for the incorporation of active devices into a variety of applications including integrated active matrix displays.
Peer-facilitated eating disorder prevention: A randomized effectiveness trial of cognitive dissonance and media advocacy.

The authors investigated the effectiveness of 2 interventions in reducing eating disorder risk factors under naturalistic conditions in sororities. On the basis of previous research, the campus sororities chose to implement a semimandatory, 2-session eating disorder prevention program to all new sorority members (N = 90) during sorority orientation. To facilitate evaluation, sororities agreed to random assignment of new members to either a cognitive dissonance or a media advocacy intervention. Undergraduate peer facilitators ran the groups. Although both interventions had an effect, cognitive dissonance generally was superior at 8-month follow-up. Results further support the utility of cognitive dissonance in reducing eating disorder risk factors and suggest that nondoctoral-level leaders can deliver the program. Results also indicate that a semimandatory format does not reduce effectiveness.
Quantum mechanics and the generalized uncertainty principle

The generalized uncertainty principle has been described as a general consequence of incorporating a minimal length from a theory of quantum gravity. We consider a simple quantum mechanical model where the operator corresponding to position has discrete eigenvalues and show how the generalized uncertainty principle results for minimum uncertainty wave packets.
Delta spots and great flares

The development of delta spots and the great flares they produce are reviewed based on 18 years of observations. Delta groups are found to develop in three ways: (1) by the eruption of a single complex active region formed below the surface; (2) by the eruption of large satellite spots near a large older spot; and (3) by the collision of spots of opposite polarity from different dipoles. It is shown that the present sample of 21 delta spots never separate once they lock together, and that the driving force for the shear is spot motion. Indicators for the prediction of the occurrence of great flares are identified.
An In Vitro Experimental Approach to Study Magnetically Targeted Release of Methotrexate From Superparamagnetic Starch Nanocarriers

In the field of drug delivery, magnetic nanoparticles have great potential to modernize anticancer therapy. In the present study iron oxides containing superparamagnetic starch nanoparticles were prepared by emulsion crosslinking method. The anticancer drug methotrexate was used for loading onto the magnetic starch nanoparticles and released drug was spectrophotometrically monitored at physiological pH (7.4) under application of a modulating magnetic field. The spectroscopic techniques such as FTIR, TEM, X-ray diffraction, and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSEM) studies were used to characterize the magnetic starch nanocarriers. The influence of various experimental parameters such as pH and temperature of the release media, percent drug loading, chemical compositions of nanocarriers, and applied magnetic field were investigated on the drug release profiles of synthesized magnetic starch nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were also evaluated for cytotoxicity and in vitro blood compatibility.
Transfer From a Coronary Care Unit: Some Adverse Responses

A series of 14 patients with myocardial infarction hospitalized on a Coronary Care Unit and then transferred to a general medical ward were studied by clinical observation and measurement of urinary catecholamine excretion. Emotional changes were frequent and correlated temporally with urinary catecholamine changes at the time of transfer. The incidence of cardiovascular complications was reduced in patients prepared for transfer and followed by a nurse and physician throughout their hospitalization. The findings reaffirm the importance of continuity of care in the treatment of patients with myocardial infarction.
Molecular Characterization of the Ran-binding Zinc Finger Domain of Nup153 *

The nuclear pore complex is the gateway for selective traffic between the nucleus and cytoplasm. To learn how building blocks of the pore can create specific docking sites for transport receptors and regulatory factors, we have studied a zinc finger module present in multiple copies within the nuclear pores of higher eukaryotes. All four zinc fingers of human Nup153 were found to bind the small GTPase Ran with dissociation constants ranging between 5 and 40 mum. In addition a fragment of Nup153 encompassing the four tandem zinc fingers was found to bind Ran with similar affinity. NMR structural studies revealed that a representative Nup153 zinc finger adopts the same zinc ribbon structure as the previously characterized Npl4 NZF module. Ran binding was mediated by a three-amino acid motif (Leu(13)/Val(14)/Asn(25)) located within the two zinc coordination loops. Nup153 ZnFs bound GDP and GTP forms of Ran with similar affinities, indicating that this interaction is not influenced by a nucleotide-dependent conformational switch. Taken together, these studies elucidate the Ran-binding interface on Nup153 and, more broadly, provide insight into the versatility of this zinc finger binding module.
Current perspectives on the development of non-biogenic amine-based antidepressants.

Abstract Compounds that inhibit the re-uptake and/or metabolism of biogenic amines (i.e. serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine) have been used to treat depression for more than 40 years. Selective re-uptake inhibitors, currently the most widely prescribed class of biogenic amine-based agents, are certainly safe and relatively easy to use, but do not exhibit either a faster onset of action or greater efficacy than their predecessors. An approach to overcome the limitations that may be inherent to these ‘conventional’ therapies is to circumvent the monoaminergic synapse. In this review, two potential antidepressant strategies are discussed that may converge with intracellular pathways impacted by chronic treatment with biogenic amine-based agents. Drugs emerging from these strategies may offer significant advantages over currently used antidepressants.
Dynamic target tracking with fringe-adjusted joint transform correlation and template matching

Target tracking in forward-looking infrared (FLIR) video sequences is a challenging problem because of various limitations such as low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), image blurring, partial occlusion, and low texture information, which often leads to missing targets or tracking nontarget objects. To alleviate these problems, we developed a novel algorithm that involves local-deviation-based image preprocessing as well as fringe-adjusted joint-transform-correlation- (FJTC) and template-matching- (TM) based target detection and tracking. The local-deviation-based preprocessing technique is used to suppress smooth texture such as background and to enhance target edge information. However, for complex situations such as the target blending with background, partial occlusion of the target, or proximity of the target to other similar nontarget objects, FJTC may produce a false alarm. For such cases, the TM-based detection technique is used to compensate FJTC breaking points by use of cross-correlation coefficients. Finally, a robust tracking algorithm is developed by use of both FJTC and TM techniques, which is called FJTC-TM technique. The performance of the proposed FJTC-TM algorithm is tested with real-life FLIR image sequences.
Dynamics of Vapor Pockets at Phase Boundary: An Application in LNG Sloshing

In LNG shipping / offshore offloading, liquid motion within the container sometimes leads to vapor entrapment at the container walls. Dynamic behavior of the entrapped vapor is governed by its thermal or thermodynamic state and profoundly affects LNG sloshing pressure on the container walls. In this paper, the authors will discuss experimental observation of condensable vapor dynamics including steam and natural gas at cryogenic temperatures. Additionally, the authors will also discuss relevant implications in sloshing experiments and the scale up to prototype design.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
White or tan? A cross-cultural analysis of skin beauty advertisements between China and the United States

Femininity and beauty ideals are historically and culturally constructed. The current study examines the role of advertising in cultivating and accentuating cultural ideals of skin beauty. A content analysis was conducted on skin beauty advertisements (SBAs) in women's magazines (local editions Cosmopolitan and Vogue) from China and the USA. The findings provide evidence for the ‘white or tan’ dichotomy in skin beauty ideals between contemporary Eastern and Western cultures as how they are reflected and reproduced in SBAs, although the ‘tan ideal’ in the US was not as apparent as the ‘white ideal’ in China. The study also sheds light on the divergence and similarity in global advertising strategies (level of localization and standardization in execution elements) within the two markets. Implications for the globalization of beauty ideals and marketing practices are discussed.
Unified molecular field theory for collinear and noncollinear Heisenberg antiferromagnets

In this study, a unified molecular field theory (MFT) is presented that applies to both collinear and planar noncollinear Heisenberg antiferromagnets (AFs) on the same footing. The spins in the system are assumed to be identical and crystallographically equivalent. This formulation allows calculations of the anisotropic magnetic susceptibility χ versus temperature T below the AF ordering temperature TN to be carried out for arbitrary Heisenberg exchange interactions Jij between arbitrary neighbors j of a given spin i without recourse to magnetic sublattices. The Weiss temperature θp in the Curie-Weiss law is written in terms of the Jij values and TN in terms of the Jij values and an assumed AF structure. Other magnetic and thermal properties are then expressed in terms of quantities easily accessible from experiment as laws of corresponding states for a given spin S. For collinear ordering these properties are the reduced temperature t=T/TN, the ratio f = θp/TN, and S. For planar noncollinear helical or cycloidal ordering, an additional parameter is the wave vector of the helix or cycloid. The MFT is also applicable to AFs with other AF structures. The MFT predicts that χ(T ≤ TN) of noncollinear 120° spin structures on triangular lattices ismore » isotropic and independent of S and T and thus clarifies the origin of this universally observed behavior. The high-field magnetization and heat capacity for fields applied perpendicular to the ordering axis (collinear AFs) and ordering plane (planar noncollinear AFs) are also calculated and expressed for both types of AF structures as laws of corresponding states for a given S, and the reduced perpendicular field versus reduced temperature phase diagram is constructed.« less
Spectrum of narrow states produced in low-energy heavy-ion collisions

Abstract A prominent, narrow two-photon state at 1062 keV has been observed recently in 5.95 MeV/ A U + Th collisions at LBL. Together with the four e + e − narrow states previously found in similar collisions at GSI, we note that these five states fit a simple 1 n energy spectrum. Predictions of four more intermediate if(in n ) states are made. A scenario is presented in which this spectrum of states with a mass scale on the order of an MeV corresponds to glowball states in the SO(3)-glow model of spontaneously broken QCD.
Influence of a white layer on the performance of hard machined surfaces in rolling contact

AbstractThis study investigates the influence of a machining-induced white layer on the performance of hard machined surfaces in rolling contact. Based on the residual stress and microhardness distribution of a specimen without a white layer and one with a white layer, fatigue parameters are computed to investigate its effect on the fatigue performance. Fatigue tests are then performed to substantiate the computations. It is noted that the white layer moves the crack initiation depth to a deeper location at low maximum Hertzian stresses, whereas it moves the crack initiation depth to a shallower location at the highest maximum Hertzian stress. The white layer can increase the maximum shear stress at crack initiation depth by 54 per cent. The white layer can reduce the crack initiation life by 75 per cent, while reducing the crack propagation life by 89 per cent. Accordingly, it can reduce the fatigue life by 85 per cent. The effect of the white layer on crack initiation life, crack propagation life, and f...
Incorporating reliability analysis into the design of passive cooling systems with an application to a gas-cooled reactor

Abstract A time-dependent reliability evaluation of a two-loop passive decay heat removal (DHR) system was performed as part of the iterative design process for a helium-cooled fast reactor. The system was modeled using RELAP5-3D. The uncertainties in input parameters were assessed and were propagated through the model using Latin hypercube sampling. An important finding was the discovery that the smaller pressure loss through the DHR heat exchanger than through the core would make the flow to bypass the core through one DHR loop, if two loops operated in parallel. This finding is a warning against modeling only one lumped DHR loop and assuming that n of them will remove n times the decay power. Sensitivity analyses revealed that there are values of some input parameters for which failures are very unlikely. The calculated conditional (i.e., given the LOCA) failure probability was deemed to be too high leading to the identification of several design changes to improve system reliability. This study is an example of the kinds of insights that can be obtained by including a reliability assessment in the design process. It is different from the usual use of PSA in design, which compares different system configurations, because it focuses on the thermal–hydraulic performance of a safety function.
Fast and Accurate Approximation to Significance Tests in Genome-Wide Association Studies.

Genome-wide association studies commonly involve simultaneous tests of millions of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) for disease association. The SNPs in nearby genomic regions, however, are often highly correlated due to linkage disequilibrium (LD, a genetic term for correlation). Simple Bonferonni correction for multiple comparisons is therefore too conservative. Permutation tests, which are often employed in practice, are both computationally expensive for genome-wide studies and limited in their scopes. We present an accurate and computationally efficient method, based on Poisson de-clumping heuristics, for approximating genome-wide significance of SNP associations. Compared with permutation tests and other multiple comparison adjustment approaches, our method computes the most accurate and robust p-value adjustments for millions of correlated comparisons within seconds. We demonstrate analytically that the accuracy and the efficiency of our method are nearly independent of the sample size, the nu...
Blues Tourism in the Mississippi Delta: The Functions of Blues Festivals

(2004). Blues Tourism in the Mississippi Delta: The Functions of Blues Festivals. Popular Music and Society: Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 455-475.
Evaluation of pulse oximeters in horses.

Evaluation of pulse oximeters over a wide range of hemoglobin saturation is very limited in horses. This study evaluated five pulse oximeter models for accuracy in horses. Five horses (mean age, 9.8 year; mean weight, 493 kg) were anesthetized and instrumented with arterial catheters. Anesthesia was induced with xylazine (1.1 mg kg−1 IV) followed by diazepam (0.03 mg kg−1 IV) and ketamine (2.2 mg kg−1 IV) and maintained with isoflurane. Horses were mechanically ventilated and mean blood pressure was maintained at >60 mm Hg. The PaO2 was measured at beginning and end of anesthesia. The Nellcor Puritan Bennett NPB-395, NPB-190, NPB-290, NPB-40, and Surgi-Vet V3304 were attached to veterinary probes placed on five sites (5 × 5 Latin square design). Sites included the tongue, lip, nostril, ear and prepuce or vulva. Ten readings (SpO2) were taken at each of three hemoglobin saturation plateaus (98, 85 and 72% achieved by mixing nitrogen into the anesthesia circuit) in each horse from each probe site. SaO2 was measured by a co-oximeter (set in horse mode and calibrated with manufacturer's QC solutions), using arterial samples drawn concurrently. Accuracy of saturation measurements was calculated as the root mean squared difference (RMSD)(a product of bias and precision; usual human RMSD = 2.5–3.5%). RMSD (%) were 3.1, 3.0, 4.7, 3.3, and 2.1 for the NPB-395, NPB-190, NPB-290, NPB-40, and V3304, respectively. Pulse oximeters failed to obtain readings on numerous occasions: 10, 21, 0, 17, and 60% from the NPB-395, NPB-190, NPB-290, NPB-40 and V3304, respectively. Failure to obtain readings may have been related to vasoconstriction caused by induction drugs (many failures occurred within 30 minutes after induction), dark pigmentation and probe placement sites. Accuracy of the monitors varied as did ability to obtain readings. Generally, all of the monitors evaluated, produced fairly accurate readings when readings were available.
An empirical analysis of the impact of large changes in institutional ownership on CEO compensation risk

Using a panel of publicly traded companies with large changes in institutional holdings, we find that CEO compensation risk is significantly higher in a company with a higher level of aggregate institutional holdings excluding top five holdings. Conversely, institutional ownership concentration, measured by the top five to total institutional holdings and institutional Herfindahl index, is negatively related to CEO compensation risk. We argue that while general institutional investors with relatively small stakes in a firm favor companies characterized by a higher CEO compensation risk, top institutional investors tend to lower the level of CEO compensation to address the concern of possible “public outrage.”
Who Has Heart? Vicarious Empathy vs. Residency Match

There are two types of empathy—vicarious and cognitive—and having empathy is critical for establishing a successful physician-patient relationship. A physician who establishes an empathic connection with their patients has greater patient compliance and fewer malpractice suits. We hypothesized students who showed greater vicarious empathy would more likely enter specialties with greater patient contact and continuity of care. This study preferentially examined vicarious empathy using the Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (BEES). At the start of the medical school senior year, the BEES was given to the 2001–2004 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences graduating classes. Residency match was also obtained. Specialties were divided into core and non-core categories. The 5 core specialties (family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, and psychiatry) exhibit greater degrees of patient contact and continuity of care; the other 18 specialties were considered non-core with lesser degrees of continuity of patient care. The average BEES score for a normal population is 45. The average BEES score for the combined male and female cohort, for specialties with an n ≥ 7 (14 of 23 specialties), ranged from 49.19 to 15.06 for obstetrics/gynecology and orthopedics, respectively. Four of the five core specialties were the top four in the rank-order list, with combined cohort average BEES scores ranging from 49.19 to 37.15 for obstetrics/gynecology and family medicine, respectively. The core specialty with the lowest combined average BEES score, internal medicine (33.81), was ranked sixth out of 14 specialties. Non-core specialties had combined cohort average BEES scores that ranged from 35.68 (anesthesiology) to 15.06 (orthopedics). Data support the hypothesis; core specialties, characterized by continuity of patient care, are chosen most often by men and women medical students who have higher BEES scores.
Time course of fiber outgrowth from fetal anterior hypothalamic heterografts

Abstract Fetal anterior hypothalamic (AH) heterografts can restore circadian rhythmicity to animals rendered arhythmic following ablation of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Behavioral restoration of circadian activity typically begins between two and six weeks post-implantation. The time course of fiber outgrowth from fetal AH heterografts was examined to determine whether neuronal outgrowth from the implants precedes the typically observed effects of such implants upon circadian behavior. Fetal mouse or rat AH tissue containing the SCN was implanted into the third ventricle of SCN-lesioned hamsters. Using species-specific monoclonal antibodies generated against mouse or rat neuronal elements, fiber outgrowth into the host hypothalamus was examined at 2, 4, 7, 14, 30 and 45 days after implantation. Fibers were observed to have emerged from the implant at the earliest time point examined. Four days after surgery, individual fibers had extended up to 0.6 mm into the host neuropil. By 14 days post-implantation, outgrowth from the implant had formed a dense fiber plexus in the host hypothalamus. This observation demonstrates that neuronal integration of the implant with the host brain begins within 48 hours of implantation, and is extensively established well before a restoration of rhythmicity is typically observed. Thus, on the basis of the time course of fiber outgrowth, it is clear that neuronal contact between graft and host may mediate the observed restoration of circadian rhythmicity.
Intergranular diffusion kinetics of Fe and Mg during retrograde metamorphism of a pelitic gneiss from the Adirondack Mountains

Abstract Pelitic granulite gneiss from the Irving Pond Formation in the southern Adirondack Highlands, New York, contains chemical zoning in Fe and Mg in both individual mineral grains and over a distance of millimeters in the polycrystalline matrix. Garnet porphyroblasts are zoned with increasing XAlm and decreasing XPrp towards crystal rims. Compositions of individual biotite grains in the matrix vary systematically with distance from the garnet porphyroblasts up to about 1 mm, with the highest Mg concentrations in grains adjacent to the garnet and progressive Fe-enrichment in grains further away. We have constructed numerical models of the distribution of Fe and Mg components obtained during the retrograde reaction and diffusion history of this rock based on the mineral assemblage, modes, textural information, and the preserved zoning trends. These simulations indicate that the effective rate of intergranular transport of Fe and Mg components through the polycrystalline matrix was only one order of magnitude faster than the rate of volume diffusion in garnet. The relatively slow intergranular kinetics indicate that grain boundaries did not provide rapid diffusion pathways. Absence of an interconnected fluid phase along grain edges and grain boundary annealing likely inhibited intergranular diffusivities during cooling. Our models also suggest that the mineral assemblage experienced metamorphic temperatures in excess of 700°C, followed by rapid cooling. This T-t evolution is quite different than determined for the ca. 1060-1000 Ma regional granulite-facies metamorphism in the Adirondack Highlands. Fe Mg distribution in the gneiss likely reflects and earlier metamorphic episode.
Scanning electron microscopy of epiplexus macrophages (Kolmer cells) in the dog.

Young dogs (6–14 weeks) were perfused with buffered aldehydes by standard techniques. The inferior medullary velum and tela choroidea were removed intact from the fourth ventricle, post-osmicated, dehydrated, critical point dried, coated with palladium-gold and examined in a Cambridge Stereoscan S4 scanning electron microscope. Selected samples after thorough scanning were routinely prepared for transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This study depicts numerous epiplexus (Kolmer cell) macrophages that exhibit extreme polymorphism. Because of the pleomorphic nature of these cells and their processes, classification based on external morphology is not practical. TEM shows their internal structure to be that of a macrophage. Bleb-like structures and bulbous projections appear to emerge from certain ependymal cell surfaces which seem to be completely or partially devoid of cilia.
A taxonomic study of fifty gram positive anaerobic diphtheroids isolated from the oral cavity of man.

Fifty strains of predominant cultivable gram positive non-sporeforming, pleomorphic anaerobic rods were isolated from the human oral cavity. These organisms were investigated with regard to morphology, carbohydrate fermentation, biochemical, reactions, and fermentation acids. Seven of these organisms were probably similar to Propionibacterium acnes (Gilchrist) (Douglas and Gunter comb. nov. 1946). Six appeared to belong to the genus Corynebacterium but could not be placed into any recognized species. The remaining thirty-seven strains could be considered Actinomyces. Of these only eleven appeared compatible with species described in the literature. All fifty strains appeared to represent a heterogeneous spectrum of organisms, and subdivision into species on the basis of criteria proposed in the literature seemed arbitrary at best, and was impossible for most strains.
Ultrafiltration of human serum to determine the size of species that poison voltammetric electrodes

Solutions containing the electroactive species tris(2,2'-bipyridine)-ruthenium dication and ferrocene carboxylate as well as bovine serum albumin (BSA), gamma globulin (IgG) or human serum were ultrafiltered. Cyclic voltammetry at a glassy carbon electrode showed that the deleterious effects of BSA and IgG were eliminated by passing the solution through a 30 kdalton filter. This was insufficient filtration of serum, however. Ultrafiltration with 3 or 5 kdalton filters was required for good voltammetry. This indicates that the removal of the preponderant proteins is necessary, but not sufficient, to protect electrochemical surfaces.
A re-examination of the effect of socioeconomic status on childhood survival in Malawi, 1987-2004

Studies worldwide have established a close link between higher socioeconomic status (SES) and demographic outcomes such as lower infant and child survival. This relationship has often been studied by utilizing information on ownership of household assets. Recently, we examined the effect of a proxy for SES on child survival in Malawi using the 1987 and 1998 census data. Results showed that in 1987 there was an increase in mortality for children belonging to poor households; in 1998 results were reversed: child mortality was higher among rich households and also among middle-aged women. Parallel analysis of the 1992 and 2000 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data showed similar results. We replicate our earlier analyses and assess whether the results persist in the 2004 DHS. Results show that child mortality is higher in richer households but at lower levels than those observed earlier owing to modest improvement in the living standards of people.
Neural network‐based prediction of mutation‐induced protein stability changes in Staphylococcal nuclease at 20 residue positions

Protein-based therapeutics are playing an increasingly important role in the treatment of diseases, including diabetes and cancer. The viability of these treatments, however, are highly dependent on the stability of the therapeutic, since stability affects both the shelf life of the therapeutic as well as its active life in the body. Stability engineering can, therefore, be used to increase the effectiveness of protein-based therapeutics. Computational methods of protein stability prediction have been under development for about a decade, but complex molecular interactions make stability prediction difficult and computationally intensive. A rapid computational method of protein stability prediction is developed using feed-forward neural networks and used to predict mutation-induced stability changes in Staphylococcal nuclease. The input to the neural network consisted of sequences of evolutionarily based amino acid similarity scores that were obtained through the comparison of the amino acids in a mutation containing sequence to their positional counterparts in the baseline wild-type amino acid sequence. A training set was created which consisted of similarity score sequences, for which the stabilities of the corresponding amino acid sequences were known, paired with the relative stabilities of the sequences to that of the baseline. Back-propagation of error was used to train the network to output accurate relative stability scores for the sequences in the training set. Neural network-based relative stability predictions for 55 sequences containing mutation combinations not found in the training set had an accuracy of 92.8%.
Neural tube, skeletal and body wall defects in mice lacking transcription factor AP-2

The retinoic acid-inducible transcription factor AP-2 is expressed in epithelial and neural crest cell lineages during murine development. AP-2 can regulate neural and epithelial gene transcription, and is associated with overexpression of c-erbB-2 in human breast-cancer cell lines. To ascertain the importance of AP-2 for normal development, we have derived mice containing a homozygous disruption of the AP-2 gene. These AP-2-null mice have multiple congenital defects and die at birth. In particular, the AP-2 knockout mice exhibit anencephaly, craniofacial defects and thoraco-abdominoschisis. Skeletal defects occur in the head and trunk region, where many bones are deformed or absent. Analysis of these mice earlier in embryogenesis indicates a failure of cranial neural-tube closure and defects in cranial ganglia development. We have shown that AP-2 is a fundamental regulator of mammalian craniofacial development.
Obturator hernia: Current diagnosis and treatment

Background. Obturator hernia is a rare pelvic hernia for which both diagnosis and therapy are difficult. Because symptoms are nonspecific and specific physical findings are often obscure, diagnosis of obturator hernia is often delayed until laparotomy for bowel obstruction. Strangulation is frequent, and mortality remains high (25%). Primary closure of the hernia defect is difficult because adjacent tissues are not easily mobilized. Although a variety of techniques have been described, surgical repair has not been standardized. Methods. We report a case of bilateral obturator hernia with incarceration in association with bilateral femoral hernia in which these problems were satisfactorily addressed. Results. The hernias were diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) scan and repaired with synthetic mesh placed in the preperitoneal space. This technique is well suited to unilateral and bilateral combinations of obturator, inguinal, and femoral hernias. CT scan in the work-up of severe gastrointestinal symptoms with weight loss may lead to a diagnosis of occult hernia, thereby allowing elective repair and, hopefully, a reduction in mortality risk. Conclusions. We recommend CT scan for suspected obturator hernia and preperitoneal mesh repair of noninfected cases.
Passive Vibration Control of Airborne Equipment using a Circular Steel Ring

Vibration isolation is needed to protect avionics equipment from adverse aircraft vibration environments. Passive isolation is the simplest means to achieve this goal. The system used here consists of a circular steel ring with a lump mass on top and exposed to base excitation. Sinusoidal and filtered zero-mean Gaussian white noise are used to excite the structure and the acceleration response spectra at the top of the ring are computed. An experiment is performed to identify the natural frequencies and modal damping of the circular ring. Comparison is made between the analytical and experimental results and good agreement is observed. The ring response is also evaluated with a concentrated mass attached to the top of the ring. The effectiveness of the ring in isolating the equipment from base excitation is studied. The acceleration response spectra of a single degree of freedom system attached to the top of the ring are evaluated and the results are compared with those exposed directly to the base excitation. It is shown that a properly designed ring could effectively protect the avionics from possible damaging excitation levels.
Effects of captopril on responses to bradykinin in the hindquarters vascular bed of the rat.

Abstract Nossaman, B. D., A. D. Kaye, B. Kang, C. J. Feng and P. J. Kadowitz. Effects of captopril on responses to bradykinin in the hindquarters vascular bed of the rat. Peptides 18(4) 491–494, 1997.—The effects of captopril, an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, on responses to bradykinin (BK), to angiotensin (Ang) I and II, and to other agonists were investigated in the hindquarters vascular bed of the rat. Under conditions of controlled flow, intra-arterial (i.a.) injections of BK in doses of 0.1–1.0 μg, produced dose related decreases in hindquarters perfusion pressure and evoked decreases in systemic arterial pressure. Intra-arterial injections of Ang I and II produced dose-related increases in hindquarters perfusion pressure. Following administration of captopril in a dose of 2 mg/kg i.v., vasodilator responses to i.a. injections of BK were only slightly enhanced in the hindquarters vascular bed, whereas the evoked systemic vasodepressor responses to i.a. injections of BK were markedly enhanced by the ACE inhibitor. Captopril significantly reduced vasoconstrictor responses to i.a. injections of Ang I, whereas vasoconstrictor responses to i.a. injections of Ang II were significantly enhanced. The ACE inhibitor did not significantly alter vasodilator responses to i.a. injections of acetylcholine, nitroglycerin, nitric oxide, albuterol, or pinacidil. The present data show that BK has potent vasodilator activity in the hindquarters vascular bed of the rat and suggest that the site of action is most likely upstream from the site of inactivation, whereas the site of action of Ang I is at or near the site of conversion to Ang II in the hindquarters vascular bed. The observation that the evoked systemic vasodepressor responses to i.a. injections of BK were greatly enhanced, suggest that the lung is the major site of inactivation of BK.
Organizing Civil Society in Russia and China: A Comparative Approach

Despite their authoritarian tendencies, the current regimes in Russia and China have both actively promoted stronger civil societies. This article explores this apparent paradox for insights both into the meaning of civil society and into the nature of governance in these two regimes. It argues that the social organizations that make up civil society both inhabit and construct a public sphere where individuals assist in their own governance. Recognizing that administered societies cannot compete in a globalizing economy, these regimes look to social organizations to perform functions previously left to the state, but at the same time use similar repertoires of regulation, revenue control, and repression to ensure such organizations do not transgress acceptable boundaries. Still, different notions of state–society relations in the two countries have led to different patterns of social organizations in the two countries. In Russia, a sharp distinction between state and society has contributed to a government strategy that seeks to dominate the public sphere leaving little room for autonomous civic action. In China, by contrast, deeply embedded institutionalized accounts see state and society as overlapping spheres of activity, creating pyramid-like structures encompassing both state-based and more autonomous organizations, and allowing more room for negotiation between the two.
The effects of mercury film electrode morphology on square wave voltammetric peak current response as a function of frequency

Abstract The net peak-current response as a function of frequency, for both direct and stripping square-wave voltammetry at mercury film electrodes, can differ significantly from theory when either the surface morphology of the mercury film deviates from being a true flat film or the substrate interacts with the analyte in some manner. Mercury layers of various morphologies (film, patches or droplets) and thicknesses (1.0 to 24.0 μm) were prepared by depositing Hg(II) onto an iridium or glassy carbon substrate. Test solutions of Cd(II), Pb(II) and K4Fe(CN)6 in 0.1 M potassium nitrate were used. For square-wave frequencies of 10 to 2000 Hz, the iridium electrodes with true mercury films and the bare Ir electrodes gave a theoretical response for both direct SWV and SWASV with all analytes tested. For the Hg films on glassy carbon or the non-solid Hg-film on Ir, the peak-current response for direct SWV began to decrease at SW frequencies of 900 and 100 Hz respectively. The effect with SWASV was more pronounced, the decrease occurring at 100 and 50 Hz. This behavior is attributed to several factors but mainly to the increased exposure of the substrate as a result of the decreasing thickness of the diffusion layer, and the behavior of the mercury droplets as a collection of ultramicroelectrodes.
Life-threatening illness with elevated temperature

Abstract The evaluation and treatment of a moribund patient with elevated temperature without localizing signs can be challenging stressful. Elevated temperature is typically assumed to indicate infection. In fact, the differential diagnosis of this scenario is broad. Many of the nonsepsis causes require a high level of suspicion and prompt treatment to prevent poor outcomes. This article reviews some of the causes, mechanisms, and treatment of noninfectious disorders in the very ill patient with an elevated temperature.
Assessing the social and environmental achievements of New Urbanism: evidence from Portland, Oregon

This study examines the extent to which specific social and environmental objectives have been achieved in the New Urbanist community of Orenco Station (Portland, Oregon). House-level surveys were conducted in Orenco Station, as well as a traditional suburb and two long-established urban neighborhoods. Survey data reveal higher levels of social interaction in the New Urbanist community than the comparison neighborhoods. The analysis also reveals a higher level of walking, and an increase in the occasional use of mass transit, in the New Urbanist community. However, the majority of residents in all four neighborhoods (including the New Urbanist neighborhood) rely on single occupancy vehicles for their regular commute. In summary, this study shows that Orenco Station is very effective in achieving its social objectives, successful in encouraging walking and the occasional use of mass transit – but less effective in increasing primary reliance on mass transit for commuting.
Commentary: Publishing Cancer Clinical Trial Results: A Scientific and Ethical Imperative

For calendar year 2007, approximately 50,000 patients were accrued to therapeutic clinical trials performed at cancer centers supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Although large, this accrual statistic represents only a fraction of the total yearly accrual of cancer patients to treatment trials in the U.S., because a large number of such studies are performed outside major academic medical centers [1]. In light of this major clinical trials effort, the report by Ramsey and Scoggins in this issue of The Oncologist [2] provides disturbing data regarding the remarkably modest number of oncologic clinical trials published in the peerreviewed literature. In the roughly 3–8 years following the availability—and subsequent requirement—for registration of all clinical trials in the National Library of Medicine’s database, ClinicalTrials.gov, only one in five clinical trials could be accessed as a full publication in PubMed. As outlined by the authors, these data provide continuing support for the presumption of a strong bias toward the publication of “positive” results in the cancer clinical trials literature [3]. More importantly, however, and despite the limitations of the retrospective nature of the methodology employed (limited time frame following trial registration analyzed for publication, use of only PubMed citations as evidence of publication, focus solely on studies registered in ClinicalTrials.gov), 6% of all industry-sponsored studies had been published over this time frame, and 75% of those had reached a “positive” conclusion. On the other hand, 59% of the clinical trials performed by NCI-supported clinical trials networks had been published over the same period of time, and half of those trials reported a “positive” result. The latter figure, furthermore, is consistent with an ongoing evaluation of the publication rate of 1,500 phase II and III clinical trials performed in 2000– 2005 by NCI’s Cooperative Clinical Trials Groups. The apparent lack of access to the final efficacy and toxicity data for cancer clinical trials from all sponsors, but especially for industry-sponsored studies, poses multiple scientific and ethical questions. In the period 1959–1987, when the Division of Cancer Treatment at the NCI was the predominant sponsor of clinical new drug trials worldwide, the NCI supported peer-reviewed publications (Cancer Chemotherapy Reports and its successor, Cancer Treatment Reports) that were specifically devoted to the dissemination of cancer clinical trials results, both positive and negative, that frequently reported the outcomes of studies NCI was, itself, sponsoring. With the remarkable growth of
Immunocytochemical localization of the precursor protein for β-amyloid in the rat central nervous system

Two rabbit polyclonal antibodies generated against different portions of the amyloid precursor protein were used to localize this protein in normal rat brain. Light and electron microscopic immunohistochemical localizations demonstrate that the protein is widely distributed throughout the neuraxis, with the highest concentrations of immunoreactive neurons occurring in the olfactory bulb, cerebral cortex, septum-diagonal band, globus pallidus, cerebellum, and hippocampus. Immunoreactive astrocytes are also present in the cerebral cortex in relation to both neurons and capillaries. However, immunoreactivity was not observed within the endothelium of the cerebral vasculature. These data demonstrate that the beta-amyloid precursor is widely distributed in the CNS and provide further insight into the cellular elements that may be involved in the neuropathological changes associated with Alzheimer's disease.