cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Radiographic and clinical characteristics associated with a positive PART (Prone Apprehension Relocation Test): a new provocative exam to elicit hip instability.

Hip instability due to mild dysplasia can be a diagnostic challenge. The physical exam is an important adjunct to radiographic evaluation for the clinical diagnosis of hip instability. Herein, we describe a new maneuver to replicate hip instability pain, called the PART (Prone Apprehension Relocation Test). We retrospectively identified patients in our institution's hip preservation registry who presented for evaluation of hip pain. We divided patients into 'positive' or 'negative' PART and analyzed associated clinical and radiographic findings. Ninety patients (159 hips) were included, 83 female and 7 male, average age 27.3 ± 9.1 years. Thirty-four hips (21.4%) had a positive PART. There were no significant differences in hip range of motion, lateral center edge angle, or in acetabular depth. There was, however, a significant difference in acetabular version at 3 o'clock between the two test groups (18.5 ± 6.9° in negative, 21.2 ± 4.9° in positive, P = 0.045). There was no association between PART and previously described anterior apprehension testing. Historical methods of diagnosing hip dysplasia may not adequately identify patients with clinical hip instability. We describe a new provocative exam, the PART, which may be helpful in replicating hip instability symptoms in patients with anterior acetabular undercoverage. PART positive patients had significantly more acetabular anteversion at the 3 o'clock position, which is measured on computed tomography and is not visible on standard anteroposterior (AP) pelvis or false profile radiographs. We believe that the PART is a valuable supplement to clinical examination and radiographic measurements to identify patients with symptomatic hip instability.
The Visualization and Analysis of Historical Space

A brief introduction to historical Geographic Information Systems and the creation of the China Historical GIS. Introductions are given to the CHGIS datasets covering 221 BCE to 1911 and the many GIS datasets on nineteenth and twentieth century China created under the leadership of the late G. William Skinner.
Giant Anomalous Hall Effect due to Double-Degenerate Quasiflat Bands.

We propose a novel approach to achieve a giant anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in materials with flat bands (FBs). FBs are accompanied by small electronic bandwidths, which consequently increases the momentum separation ($\mathcal{K}$) within pair of Weyl points and, thus, the integrated Berry curvature. Starting from a simple model with a single pair of Weyl nodes, we demonstrated the increase of $\mathcal{K}$ and the AHE by decreasing the bandwidth. It is further expanded to a realistic pyrochlore lattice model with characteristic double-degenerated FBs, where we discovered a giant AHE while maximizing the $\mathcal{K}$ with nearly vanishing band dispersion of FBs. We identify that such a model system can be realized and modulated through strain engineering in both pyrochlore and spinel compounds based on first-principles calculations, validating our theoretical model and providing a feasible platform for experimental exploration.
Quality of Life After Thyroidectomy for Hashimoto Disease in Patients With Persistent Symptoms

Objectives:To determine whether thyroidectomy improves quality of life in patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis with persistent symptoms despite biochemical euthyroidism.Methods:A retrospective cohor...
The effect of import competition on educational attainment at the postsecondary level: Evidence from NAFTA

Abstract The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) substantially lowered the trade barrier between Mexico and the United States. I study the effect of American industries’ increased competition against Mexican imports on educational attainment at the postsecondary level. Using the commuting-zone-by-state level variations in the protection against import competition, I find evidence for a substantial increase in both enrollment and degree acquisition in public two- year colleges as a result of lowered tariffs on manufactured goods from Mexico. Educational attainment at four-year colleges, in the contrary, does not respond to NAFTA in a statistically meaningful manner.
Short stay after shoulder arthroplasty does not increase 90-day readmissions in Medicare patients compared with privately insured patients.

Background As of January 1, 2021, total shoulder arthroplasty was removed from the Medicare inpatient-only list, reflecting a growing belief in the potential merits of same-day discharge regardless of insurance type. It is yet unknown whether Medicare populations, which frequently have more severe comorbidity burdens, would experience higher complication rates relative to privately insured patients, who are often younger with fewer comorbidities. Given the limited number of true outpatient cohorts available to study, discharge at least by postoperative day 1 may serve as a useful proxy for true same-day discharge, and we hypothesized that these Medicare patients would have increased 90-day readmission rates compared with their privately insured counterparts. Methods Data on 4723 total shoulder arthroplasties (anatomic in 2459 and reverse in 2264) from 2 large, geographically diverse health systems in patients having either Medicare or private insurance were collected. The unplanned 90-day readmission rate was the primary outcome, and patients were stratified into those who were discharged at least by postoperative day 1 (short inpatient stay) and those who were not. Patients with private insurance (n = 1845) were directly compared with those with Medicare (n = 2878), whereas cohorts of workers’ compensation (n = 198) and Medicaid (n = 58) patients were analyzed separately. Forty preoperative variables were examined to compare overall health burden, with the χ2 and Wilcoxon rank sum tests used to test for statistical significance. Results Medicare patients undergoing short-stay shoulder arthroplasty were not significantly more likely than those with private insurance to experience an unplanned 90-day readmission (3.6% vs. 2.5%, P = .14). This similarity existed despite a substantially worse comorbidity burden in the Medicare population (P Conclusions Despite a substantially more severe comorbidity profile, Medicare patients undergoing short-stay shoulder arthroplasty did not experience a significantly higher rate of unplanned 90-day readmission relative to privately insured patients. A higher incidence of reverse shoulder arthroplasty in Medicare patients does increase their overall readmission rate, but a similar increase also appears in privately-insured patients undergoing a reverse indicating that Medicare populations may be similarly appropriate for accelerated-care pathways.
Bootstrapping in-situ workflow auto-tuning via combining performance models of component applications

In an in-situ workflow, multiple components such as simulation and analysis applications are coupled with streaming data transfers. The multiplicity of possible configurations necessitates an auto-tuner for workflow optimization. Existing auto-tuning approaches are computationally expensive because many configurations must be sampled by running the whole workflow repeatedly in order to train the auto-tuner surrogate model or otherwise explore the configuration space. To reduce these costs, we instead combine the performance models of component applications by exploiting the analytical workflow structure, selectively generating test configurations to measure and guide the training of a machine learning workflow surrogate model. Because the training can focus on well-performing configurations, the resulting surrogate model can achieve high prediction accuracy for good configurations despite training with fewer total configurations. Experiments with real applications demonstrate that our approach can identify significantly better configurations than other approaches for a fixed computer time budget.
Fluorescent dissolved organic matter as a multivariate biogeochemical tracer of submarine groundwater discharge in coral reef ecosystems

Abstract In Hawaiʻi and other Pacific high islands submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) can be a significant and continuous source of solutes to nearshore reefs and may play a key role in the structure and function of benthic coral and algal communities. Identifying SGD sources and linking them to reef biogeochemistry is technically challenging. Here we analyzed spectra of fluorescent dissolved organic matter (fDOM) in coral reefs in the context of a suite of biogeochemical parameters along gradients of SGD to characterize fDOM composition and evaluate the utility of fDOM signatures in tracking groundwater dispersal and transformation. We spatially mapped water column chemistry in Maunalua Bay, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi by collecting 24 water samples in grids at each of two ~ 0.15 km 2 regions during both high and low tides over a two-day period. We observed clear horizontal gradients in the majority of 15 measured parameters, including inorganic and organic solutes and organic particles that tracked concentrations of conservative SGD tracers (radon, salinity and silicate). Multivariate scanning excitation–emission fluorometry successfully differentiated two distinct groundwater sources and delineated regions of SGD dispersion in each reef from the surrounding water column samples without detectable groundwater. Groundwater was consistently depleted in DOC and enriched in nutrients; although the two SGD sources varied widely in fDOM quantity and fluorophore proportions, indices of humification were consistently elevated in SGD at both sites. Our results provide a robust spectral characterization of fDOM in SGD-influenced coral reefs and indicate the potential for this rapid and cost-effective measurement technique to be useful in tracking SGD dispersal in nearshore ecosystems.
Correction for Multiplicity in Genetic Association Studies of Triads: The Permutational TDT

New technology for large-scale genotyping has created new challenges for statistical analysis. Correcting for multiple comparison without discarding true positive results and extending methods to triad studies are among the important problems facing statisticians. We present a one-sample permutation test for testing transmission disequilibrium hypotheses in triad studies, and show how this test can be used for multiple single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) testing. The resulting multiple comparison procedure is shown in the case of the transmission disequilibrium test to control the familywise error. Furthermore, this procedure can handle multiple possible modes of risk inheritance per SNP. The resulting permutational procedure is shown through simulation of SNP data to be more powerful than the Bonferroni procedure when the SNPs are in linkage disequilibrium. Moreover, permutations implicitly avoid any multiple comparison correction penalties when the SNP has a rare allele. The method is illustrated by analyzing a large candidate gene study of neural tube defects and an independent study of oral clefts, where the smallest adjusted p-values using the permutation procedure are approximately half those of the Bonferroni procedure. We conclude that permutation tests are more powerful for identifying disease-associated SNPs in candidate gene studies and are useful for analysis of triad studies.
Structural Change in U.S. Presidents' Use of Force

Has there been a structural change in the way U.S. presidents use force abroad since the nineteenth century? In this article, I investigate historical changes in the use of force by U.S. presidents using Bayesian changepoint analysis. In doing so, I present an integrated Bayesian approach for analyzing changepoint problems in a Poisson regression model. To find the nature of the breaks, I estimate parameters of the Poisson regression changepoint model using Chib's (1998) hidden Markov model algorithm and Fruhwirth-Schnatter and Wagner's (2006) data augmentation method. Then, I utilize transdimensional Markov chain Monte Carlo methods to detect the number of breaks. Analyzing yearly use of force data from 1890 to 1995, I find that, controlling for the effects of the Great Depression and the two world wars, the relationship between domestic conditions and the frequency of the use of force abroad fundamentally shifted in the 1940s.
Counting the Costs of Digital Preservation: Is Repository Storage Affordable?

The Harvard University Library and the Online Computer Library Center, Inc. (OCLC) each manage centralized repositories optimized for long-term storage of library collections. Both organizations fully recover operational expenses by charging owners annual rates for managed storage services, regardless of materials use. The Harvard Depository assesses rates for analog storage per billable square foot. The OCLC Digital Archive assesses rates per gigabyte for storage of digital objects. Formats are significant, but not sole factors in determining preservation costs in these models. Owners’ definitions of content integrity and tolerance for risk, which can change over time, are also important variables in the complex equation of preservation costs and affordability.
Density and destiny

Will the Universe perpetually expand, or eventually collapse? Is space flat, or curved? The answers depend on the density of the Universe, and on whether empty space has an energy density. Observations of so called type-1a supernovae in distant galaxies are beginning to hint that expansion is here to stay — perhaps even that it will accelerate in the future.
Axl as a mediator of cellular growth and survival

The control of cellular growth and proliferation is key to the maintenance of homeostasis. Survival, proliferation, and arrest are regulated, in part, by Growth Arrest Specific 6 (Gas6) through binding to members of the TAM receptor tyrosine kinase family. Activation of the TAM receptors leads to downstream signaling through common kinases, but the exact mechanism within each cellular context varies and remains to be completely elucidated. Deregulation of the TAM family, due to its central role in mediating cellular proliferation, has been implicated in multiple diseases. Axl was cloned as the first TAM receptor in a search for genes involved in the progression of chronic to acute-phase leukemia, and has since been established as playing a critical role in the progression of cancer. The oncogenic nature of Axl is demonstrated through its activation of signaling pathways involved in proliferation, migration, inhibition of apoptosis, and therapeutic resistance. Despite its recent discovery, significant progress has been made in the development of effective clinical therapeutics targeting Axl. In order to accurately define the role of Axl in normal and diseased processes, it must be analyzed in a cell type-specific context.
The Synthesis Map Is a Multidimensional Educational Tool That Provides Insight into Students’ Mental Models and Promotes Students’ Synthetic Knowledge Generation

Concept mapping was developed as a method of displaying and organizing hierarchical knowledge structures. Using the new, multidimensional presentation software Prezi, we have developed a new teaching technique designed to engage higher-level skills in the cognitive domain. This tool, synthesis mapping, is a natural evolution of concept mapping, which utilizes embedding to layer information within concepts. Prezi's zooming user interface lets the author of the presentation use both depth as well as distance to show connections between data, ideas, and concepts. Students in the class Biology of Cancer created synthesis maps to illustrate their knowledge of tumorigenesis. Students used multiple organizational schemes to build their maps. We present an analysis of student work, placing special emphasis on organization within student maps and how the organization of knowledge structures in student maps can reveal strengths and weaknesses in student understanding or instruction. We also provide a discussion of best practices for instructors who would like to implement synthesis mapping in their classrooms.
Text clustering on latent thematic spaces: variants, strengths and weaknesses

Deriving a thematically meaningful partition of an unlabeled text corpus is a challenging task. In comparison to classic term-based document indexing, the use of document representations based on latent thematic generative models can lead to improved clustering. However, determining a priori the optimal indexing technique is not straightforward, as it depends on the clustering problem faced and the partitioning strategy adopted. So as to overcome this indeterminacy, we propose deriving a consensus labeling upon the results of clustering processes executed on several document representations. Experiments conducted on subsets of two standard text corpora evaluate distinct clustering strategies based on latent thematic spaces and highlight the usefulness of consensus clustering to overcome the optimal document indexing indeterminacy.
A circuit-theoretic approach to the design of minimax control

An outline is given of an algorithm that may be used in the design of rate feedback systems that satisfy the conditions in the conjecture of R.S. Bucy et al. (1989). Two low-order examples demonstrate the applicability of the algorithm. A finite design procedure is described for the general minimax system. >
Recovery in distributed systems using optimistic message logging and check-pointing

Message logging and check pointing can provide fault tolerance in distributed systems in which all process communication is through messages. This paper presents a general model for reasoning about recovery in these systems. Using this model_ we prove that the set of recoverable system states that have occurred during any single execution of the system forms a lattice, and that therefore, there is always a unique maximum recoverable system state, which never decreases. Based on this model, we present an algorithm for determining this maximum recoverable state, and prove its correctness. Our algorithm utilizes all logged messages and checkpoints, and thus always finds the maximum recoverable state possible. Previous recovery methods using optimistic message logging and checkpointing have not considered the existing checkpoints, and thus may not find this maximum state. Furthermore, by utilizing the checkpoints, some messages received by a process before it was checkpointed may not need to be logged. Using our algorithm also adds less communication overhead to the system than do previous methods. Our model and algorithm can be used with any message logging protocol, whether pessimistic or optimistic, but their full generality is only required with optimistic logging protocols.
Application of Stark broadening theory to transitions involving continuum radiator wavefunctions.

Abstract While the formal development of Stark broadening theory admits the consideration of transitions involving continuum radiator wavefunctions, standard implementations of the theory use techniques and approximations inappropriate to the calculation of spectra involving these transitions. By means of model systems we will illustrate techniques and approximations that are appropriate, and will speculate on the application of Stark broadening theory to a problem of current interest, namely continuum lowering.
Fate of endogenous steroid hormones in steer feedlots under simulated rainfall-induced runoff

Steroid hormones pose potential risks to fish and other aquatic organisms at extremely low concentrations. To assess the factors affecting the release of endogenous estrogenic and androgenic steroids from feedlots during rainfall, runoff, and soil samples were collected after simulated rainfall on a 14-steer feedlot under different rainfall rates and aging periods and analyzed for six steroid hormones. While only 17α-estradiol, testosterone, and progesterone were detected in fresh manure, 17β-estradiol, estrone, and androstenedione were present in the surficial soil after two weeks. In the feedlot surficial soil, concentrations of 17α-estradiol decreased by approximately 25% accompanied by an equivalent increase in estrone and 17β-estradiol. Aging of the feedlot soils for an additional 7 days had no effect on estrogen and testosterone concentrations, but androstenedione concentrations decreased substantially, and progesterone concentrations increased. Androstenedione and progesterone concentrations in the...
Feasibility and tolerability of transnasal/per-oral placement of the wireless pH capsule vs. traditional 24-h oesophageal pH monitoring--a randomized trial.

Background : The wireless pH is a new technique to monitor oesophageal acid exposure. Aim : To compare the feasibility and tolerability of the wireless pH capsule vs. the traditional pH probe. Methods : Consecutive patients referred for a pH test were enrolled into the study. Patients were randomized to traditional pH probe, or wireless pH capsule. Patients recorded their activities, food consumption, symptoms, satisfaction with the test and completed a quality of life questionnaire. Results : Of the 50 patients recruited, 25 patients underwent placement of the traditional pH probe, and 25 the wireless pH capsule. Patients with the wireless pH capsule had less nose pain, runny nose, throat pain, throat discomfort and headache as compared with those with the traditional pH probe (P = 0.047, P = 0.001, P = 0.032, P = 0.001, P = 0.009, respectively). Patients in the wireless pH capsule group had more chest discomfort during the pH test (P = 0.037). Patients in the wireless pH capsule group perceived the test as interfering less with their overall daily activities, eating and sleep (P =0.001, P = 0.003, P = 0.025, respectively), and had overall satisfaction with the test (P = 0.023). Conclusions : Transnasal/per-oral placement of the wireless pH capsule is significantly better tolerated then the traditional pH probe.
Relevance aggregation projections for image retrieval

To narrow the semantic gap in content-based image retrieval (CBIR), relevance feedback is utilized to explore knowledge about the user's intention in finding a target image or a image category. Users provide feedback by marking images returned in response to a query image as relevant or irrelevant. Existing research explores such feedback to refine querying process, select features, or learn a image classifier. However, the vast amount of unlabeled images is ignored and often substantially limited examples are engaged into learning. In this paper, we address the two issues and propose a novel effective method called Relevance Aggregation Projections (RAP) for learning potent subspace projections in a semi-supervised way. Given relevances and irrelevances specified in the feedback, RAP produces a subspace within which the relevant examples are aggregated into a single point and the irrelevant examples are simultaneously separated by a large margin. Regarding the query plus its feedback samples as labeled data and the remainder as unlabeled data, RAP falls in a special paradigm of imbalanced semi-supervised learning. Through coupling the idea of relevance aggregation with semi-supervised learning, we formulate a constrained quadratic optimization problem to learn the subspace projections which entail semantic mining and therefore make the underlying CBIR system respond to the user's interest accurately and promptly. Experiments conducted over a large generic image database show that our subspace approach outperforms existing subspace methods for CBIR even with few iterations of user feedback.
Cognitive effort in additive task groups: The effects of shared responsibility on the quality of multiattribute judgments

Abstract The two experiments described here use mathematical models of judgment strategies to assess cognitive effort in a multiattribute judgment task. It was hypothesized that judges who shared responsibility for the judgment task would exert less cognitive effort than judges bearing sole responsibility for outcomes. In Experiment 1, 23 males were led to believe they were participating in a study of college student work preferences and evaluated a series of job descriptions. Consistent with hypotheses, those who believed responsibility for the task was shared produced fewer evaluations and used less complex judgment strategies than individual evaluators. In Experiment 2, 41 males and females performed the same judgment task. Again, the results supported predictions. Individual judges used more of the available information and were more predictable from a linear model than multiple evaluators. Psychological explanations for this effect are proposed and future research is suggested.
“Pitting” in mercury targets–crucial test experiments at LANSCE

Abstract Scientists from the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), which is being constructed in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA, have been using the high-intensity Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) proton beam to study issues associated with the design of their liquid-metal targets. This team is a partnership involving six DOE national laboratories (Argonne, Brookhaven, Jefferson, Lawrence Berkeley, Los Alamos, and Oak Ridge) in the design and construction of the SNS. In addition, scientists from Europe and Japan are also collaborating in these experiments because of their interest in developing high-power spallation sources at their home institutions. This extensive partnership has allowed collaborators access to the best technical expertise and most innovative technologies available. When completed, the SNS facility will be the most powerful spallation neutron source in the world for scientific research and industrial development.
Interaction of Mn+ and Mn2+ with C60. Exohedral and endohedral metal-fullerene bonding

Mn + and Mn 2 + were reacted with C 60 vapor in a guided-ion beam mass spectrometer. In addition to the expected charge transfer and fragmentation products, we also observed two distinct forms of an MnC 60 + adduct. At low collision energies a weakly bound adduct forms with no activation energy. This is attributed to an exohedral complex. At high collision energies a second isomer of MnC 60 + is observed, that has a substantial activation barrier for formation and decomposition. Possible structures for this high energy isomer are discussed. In reaction with Mn 2 + , exohedral adduct formation efficiency is substantially increased, yet no di-manganese adduct is observed.
Participant Dropout as a Function of Survey Length in Internet-Mediated University Studies: Implications for Study Design and Voluntary Participation in Psychological Research

Internet-mediated research has offered substantial advantages over traditional laboratory-based research in terms of efficiently and affordably allowing for the recruitment of large samples of participants for psychology studies. Core technical, ethical, and methodological issues have been addressed in recent years, but the important issue of participant dropout has received surprisingly little attention. Specifically, web-based psychology studies often involve undergraduates completing lengthy and time-consuming batteries of online personality questionnaires, but no known published studies to date have closely examined the natural course of participant dropout during attempted completion of these studies. The present investigation examined participant dropout among 1,963 undergraduates completing one of six web-based survey studies relatively representative of those conducted in university settings. Results indicated that 10% of participants could be expected to drop out of these studies nearly instantaneously, with an additional 2% dropping out per 100 survey items included in the study. For individual project investigators, these findings hold ramifications for study design considerations, such as conducting a priori power analyses. The present results also have broader ethical implications for understanding and improving voluntary participation in research involving human subjects. Nonetheless, the generalizability of these conclusions may be limited to studies involving similar design or survey content.
Families with more than one handicapped child.

Summary Clinical patterns, aetiological factors and utilization of services were studied in 40 families who had more than one handicapped child. By retrospective review of the case notes and interviewing consenting parents (90%), data relating to diagnosis, investigations, genetic counselling, social circumstances and help received were obtained. Both children had the same disorder in 31 families, however in only nine of these families did the children have a specific diagnosis. Non-specific mental retardation was the commonest disorder (40 children). Of the 673 special investigations performed, only 14 were diagnostic. Genetic counselling had been given to only 19 families. Thirty-two of the families had remained as stable units and of the children, 51 received attendance allowances and 21 had periods of respite care. The implications of these findings are discussed.
The paradoxes of public space

AbstractThis paper deals with one particular purpose for public space, the role it plays in permitting popular public participation in in democratic governance, democratic governance in a very political sense. For the United States, it might be called “First Amendment Space”, after the provision in the U.S.A. Constituting establishing the rights of free speech and free assembly. In a broader sense, public space should also be available democratically and based on equality of rights for a full range of social interchanges, for recreation, sports, picnicking, hiking, running, sitting, chatting, simply enjoyment, by all people, equally. Such uses, carried out democratically, are in turn necessary for democratic governance, but in a different way. Let me call them “Social Spaces”. And they may be divided between Convening spaces, where convening for the purposes of political effectiveness may be planned, and Encounter Spaces, where chance meetings and discussion may be take place without prior planning/conven...
Renal disease in hepatitis C-positive liver transplant recipients

Glomerular abnormalities are frequent in patients undergoing liver transplantation; however, renal dysfunction following transplantation is mainly attributed to cyclosporine toxicity. Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) is seen in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), the virus responsible for 30% of the end-stage liver disease leading to liver transplantation. To determine the incidence of renal abnormalities in liver transplant recipients and the association with HCV, we undertook a longitudinal study in HCV-positive (n=91) and HCV-negative (n=106) liver transplant recipients. Mean creatinine clearance before transplantation was 94 ml/min/1.73 m2 in HCV+ patients and 88 ml/min/1.73 m2 in HCV- patients. By 3 months after transplantation, the mean creatinine clearance decreased by approximately one third in both groups. A greater proportion of HCV+ patients excreted >2 g protein/day after transplantation (P=0.05) and had renal biopsies showing MPGN than did HCV- recipients (4/10 HCV+ patients vs. 0/7 HCV- patients; P=0.1). In the HCV+ group, proteinuria was not associated with recurrent HCV hepatitis, DQ matching, posttransplant diabetes, or hypertension. Treatment of HCV-related MPGN with interferon-alpha2b appeared to stabilize proteinuria and renal function but did not reverse renal dysfunction nor cause liver allograft rejection. After transplantation, HCV+ patients had similar renal function over 3 years after transplantation, compared with HCV- patients, but they had an increased risk of proteinuria and occurrence of MPGN that was only partially responsive to interferon.
Partial ureteral obstruction dysregulates the renal renin-angiotensin system in the fetal sheep kidney.

Objectives. To investigate whether partial ureteral obstruction (PUO) in the fetus induces dysregulation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP1) expression. Previous studies have indicated that renal and urinary tract development depend on an intact renal RAS. Fetal urinary obstruction is distinct from postnatal obstruction. It has been suggested in postnatal animal studies that dysregulation of the RAS, and subsequent increased expression of TGF-β1 and TIMP1, leads to changes in extracellular matrix composition. Methods. Bilateral PUO was created in 4 fetal sheep. Seven animals (four obstructed and three controls) were killed at birth and their kidneys removed. Semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify the levels of renin, angiotensinogen, angiotensin receptor type 1 (AT1 receptor), angiotensin receptor type 2 (AT2 receptor), TGF-β1, and TIMP1. These messages were normalized to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase mRNA. Results. All obstructed animals had moderate to severe hydronephrosis with enlarged kidneys (mean weight 22.0 g versus 9.4 g for the control animals; P <0.05). The increase in the levels of renin, angiotensinogen, AT1 receptor, TGF-β1, and TIMP1 mRNA was significant in the PUO group compared with the control group (P <0.05). AT2 receptor levels did not increase, but the AT1/AT2 mRNA ratio was significantly increased over normal (P <0.005). Also, a significant linear correlation was found between the increased renal weight and increased TGF-β1 mRNA levels (P <0.005). Conclusions. Our findings suggest that fetal PUO can cause upregulation of the renal RAS and increased expression of TGF-β1 and TIMP1, which may alter the balance between the generation and degradation of the extracellular matrix. The coordinate increases in renin, angiotensinogen, and AT1 receptor mRNA levels in chronic fetal PUO may represent a maladaptive response that contributes to interstitial fibrosis and prolonged vasoconstriction. RAS components and growth factors, particularly TGF-β1, may be considered relevant targets in the prevention and treatment of congenital obstructive nephropathy.
CSF somatostatin in affective illness and normal volunteers

Abstract 1. 1. Somatostatin is a hypothalamic tetradecapeptide with many central nervous system actions. 2. 2. We investigated a potential role for altered Somatostatin activity in affective disorder by measuring somatostatin in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 47 patients with affective disorder and of 39 normal volunteers. 3. 3. Medication-free depressed patients showed significantly lower levels of CSF Somatostatin than normal volunteers (p 4. 4. Somatostatin levels were significantly and inversely correlated with duration of sleep on the night of the lumbar puncture (p 5. 5. Treatment with carbamazepine reduced CSF Somatostatin (p 6. 6. The implications of these findings with respect to attempts to explore the neurobiology of depression are discussed.
Intervention to Strengthen Emotional Self-Regulation in Children with Emerging Mental Health Problems: Proximal Impact on School Behavior

A model for teaching children skills to strengthen emotional self-regulation is introduced, informed by the developmental concept of scaffolding. Adult modeling/instruction, role-play and in vivo coaching are tailored to children's level of understanding and skill to promote use of skills in real life contexts. Two-hundred twenty-six kindergarten-3rd grade children identified with elevated behavioral and social classroom problems from a population-based screening participated in a wait listed randomized trial of the Rochester Resilience Project derived from this model. In 14 lessons with school-based mentors, children were taught a hierarchical set of skills: monitoring of emotions; self control/ reducing escalation of emotions; and maintaining control and regaining equilibrium. Mentors provided classroom reinforcement of skill use. Multi-level modeling accounting for the nesting of children in schools and classrooms showed the following effects at post-intervention: reduced problems rated by teachers in behavior control, peer social skills, shy-withdrawn and off-task behaviors (ES 0.31-0.47). Peer social skills improved for girls but not for boys. Children receiving the intervention had a 46% mean decrease in disciplinary referrals and a 43% decrease in suspensions during the 4-month intervention period. Limitations and future directions to promote skill transfer are discussed.
An ecological study of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi in the primary forest of Taman Negara, Peninsular Malaysia.

To investigate the ecology of scrub typhus in primary forest, a collection of small mammals and their ectoparasites was made in Taman Negara, Peninsular Malaysia. From the 35 mammals collected, 2 isolates of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi were made. These isolates were antigenically similar to the Karp and TA763 strains. Of the 2107 chiggers identified, only a single specimen of the known vector, Leptotrombidium (Leptotrombidium) deliense , was collected.
A stochastic model of temporally regulated generation of oligodendrocytes in cell culture

The results of our previous analyses suggest that O-2A progenitor cells become competent for differentiation in vitro after they complete a certain number of critical mitotic cycles. The number of critical cycles varies from clone to clone and should be thought of as a random variable. We propose an approach to the analysis of oligodendrocyte generation in vitro based on a stochastic model allowing for an arbitrary distribution of this random variable with a finite support. When applied to experimental data on clonal growth and differentiation of purified O-2A progenitor cells obtained from optic nerves of 1 and 7 day-old rats, the model provides a good quantitative description not only of the first two moments (mean and variance) of the number of O-2A progenitor cells and oligodendrocytes at different times after the start of experiment, but of the corresponding distributions as well. As our estimates show, there are scarcely any O-2A progenitor cells that divide in vitro more than twice before they acquire the competence for differentiation. Those O-2A cells that have undergone the critical divisions differentiate into an oligodendrocyte in each of the subsequent mitotic cycles with a certain probability. We give estimates of this probability for O-2A cells under different growth conditions. Our analysis suggests that the effect of thyroid hormone is twofold: it reduces the mean duration of the mitotic cycle for progenitor cells, and it increases the probability of their transformation into oligodendrocytes.
Microsite variations in soil chemistry and nitrogen mineralization in a beech-maple forest

Though whole forest stand and ecosystem estimates of soil nitrogen dynamics are common, few studies have included measurements of within-stand variations in N mineralization and nitrification among microsites. We evaluated soil chemical status, net mineralization and nitrification potential during Autumn 1986 in A- and B-horizon soils taken from near the bases of Fagus grandifolia (American beech), Acer saccharum (sugar maple), and Fraxinus americana (white ash) trees and from sites > 2 m from trees using buried bag exposures. Fagus sites had significantly lower pH in both horizons than did other sites. Soils near Acer trees had higher organic C and NH4+ concentrations and Fraxinus soils had significantly higher PO43− availability. Moisture and NO3− concentrations were similar among microsites. Using stepwise discriminant analysis, we constructed functions which differentiated among site types at P < 0.01 on the basis of these chemical measures. A-horizon N mineralization rates were generally 50% greater near Acer trees than away from trees, with Fagus and Fraxinus sites intermediate. B-horizon mineralization rates were highest under Fraxinus, but only 2–36% of A-horizon rates. Relative nitrification was approached 100% in all site types despite soil pH < 4. Calculation of N mineralization on an area basis with and without accounting for the differences among microsite types indicates that whole-ecosystem estimates of N mineralization generated by sampling schemes which do not explicitly include unique microsites around tree bases may be biased low by 8–20%.
Calcium channel antagonists in the modern era of coronary thrombolysis: Benefit or detriment?

Calcium channel antagonists are among the world's most widely prescribed class of drugs and are used most often in patients with hypertension and coronary artery disease. However, in the recent past serious questions have been raised concerning their potentially detrimental effects. One area of considerable clinical importance that deserves close inspection is the role of calcium channel antagonists following coronary reperfusion. Specifically, is there benefit or detriment?
Unusual Dissolution Behavior of Tooth Enamel and Synthetic HAP Crystals Under High Partial Saturation Conditions

The dissolution behavior of enamel and synthetic hydroxyapatite in acidic media possessing a high degree of partial saturation was found to be neither simple surface dissolution nor linear with time. Instead, a repetitive, stepwise dissolution pattern was observed. To explain this phenomenon, a model based upon a hypothesis that the crystals dissolve in a synchronized fashion was proposed.
Delayed-Staging Hierarchy Optimization

A geometric programming model is developed to optimize delayed-staging (DS) storage hierarchies. These hierarchies have direct paths between the CPU and the k fastest storage levels (k = 1 in a linear hierarchy), allowing for some concurrency in the flow of data through the hierarchy. The criterion for optimization is the minimization of average hierarchy access time subject to budgetary limitations, given the cache access time and the backing-store capacity.
The Influence of Sex of Subject and Photo in the Hemispheric Specialization of Facial Recognition

This study was conducted to assess the effects of sex of subject, sex of photo, and hemispheric specialization on the ability of male (n = 21) and female (n = 21) subjects to recognize previously seen black and white male and female faces. Results indicated better performance with female faces and a significant interaction for sex of photo and laterality. Overall performance was best for female photos and worst for male photos in the LVF. A greater number of false alarms occurred in the LVF with male photos. The differential processing of distinctive cues of male and female faces by the LVF and RVF was discussed.
Working together for AGU and you

The AGU Board of Directors and Council continue to advance AGU's strategic plan and are working together to fulfill AGU's vision to “collaboratively advance and communicate science and its power to ensure a sustainable future.” Both met recently. The key outcomes from both meetings are described below and posted on the AGU Web site ( http://www.agu.org/about/governance/).
Effects of Victim, Defendant, and Juror Gender on Decisions in Child Sexual Assault Cases1

We examined the combined influence of juror, victim, and defendant gender on jurors’ decisions in child sexual abuse cases. Mock jurors read scenarios of an assault case involving a man or woman defendant accused of molesting a 15-year-old boy or girl. Jurors then rendered verdicts and rated the defendant's and victim's believability and responsibility for the abuse. Female jurors were generally more pro-victim in case judgments than were male jurors. Additionally, a woman perpetrator was evaluated more leniently than was a man perpetrator, especially by male jurors when the victim was a boy. Case judgments were unrelated to jurors’ social conservatism, sexism, or attitudes toward homosexuality. Results have implications for understanding social perceptions of mixed- and same-gender abuse involving adolescent victims, and juror decision making in man- and woman-perpetrated child sexual assault cases.
Online Behavioral Advertising (OBA) with privacy protection

The introduction of Online Behavioral Advertising (OBA) to the world of Internet advertising has considerably increased the revenues of advertising companies. Prospectively, it is being considered as an approach that will be used for a long-term strategy by the industry. Therefore, the privacy protection of consumers should be one of the core building blocks for the framework that is employed in the process of collecting and aggregating the information regarding the users. However, this is not the case in the current OBA environment and hence concerns are being raised surrounding this issue. In this paper we propose a generic, secure OBA framework that can be applied to the industry, promoting the online market under the criteria of preserving the privacy of the users.
Structure and composition of Cu(hkl) surfaces exposed to O2 and emersed from alkaline solutions: Prelude to UHV-EC studies of CO2 reduction at well-defined copper catalysts

The ability of copper electrodes to catalyze the reduction of carbon dioxide better than any single-metal material is now well known. However, it is also an established fact that copper is an efficient scavenger of dry oxygen. Hence, the initiation of the CO_2 reduction reaction at copper must contend with the presence of surface oxides spontaneously formed when the metal is exposed to ambient air. In this regard, the interfacial structures and compositions of Cu(1 0 0), Cu(1 1 0) and Cu(1 1 1), before and after exposure to gaseous oxygen and emersion from in mildly alkaline media (pH 8 and 10), were characterized by a combination of electrochemistry and electron spectroscopy (low-energy electron diffraction and Auger electron spectroscopy). The affinity of the low-index copper planes to oxygen gas was found to decrease in the order Cu(1 1 0) > Cu(1 0 0) > Cu(1 1 1). The same reactivity trend was exhibited by the electrodes emersed from alkaline K_2SO_4 solution. The initial stages of the anodic oxidation of copper, prior to formation of bulk oxides, span a wide potential window that is pH-sensitive; within this precursory region, submonolayer coverages of oxygen tended to form surface domains with long-range order. At potentials far below the anodic-oxidation region (E < −0.90 V), the surface compositions and structures of Cu(hkl) are expected to mimic those of zerovalent copper. These results may bear significant implications in the generation as well as identification of surface-bound intermediates that define the electrocatalytic selectivity of copper towards the reduction of molecular species such as CO_2 and CO in alkaline media.
Sodium Chloride Timing and Length of Exposure Affect Onion Growth and Flavor

ABSTRACT This study investigated how sequentially exposing plants to sodium chloride (NaCl) would affect growth and the flavor quality of onion (Allium cepaL.) bulbs at harvest. In a greenhouse experiment beginning 74 d before harvest, 100 mM concentrations of NaCl were applied at biweekly intervals to onions growing in nutrient solutions. At harvest, fresh weights (FW) were measured and the bulbs were analyzed for soluble solids content (SSC), bulb pungency as measured by total pyruvate (TPY), bulb sulfur (S) and sulfate (SO4 −2) accumulation, flavor precursors, and their biosynthetic intermediates. Bulb and leaf FW decreased linearly the earlier NaCl was added during plant growth and development. While total bulb S was significantly affected by sequential addition of NaCl, bulb SO4 −2 was unaffected. Bulb pungency was significantly reduced by NaCl, especially when NaCl was introduced during early bulb development. NaCl generally reduced flavor precursor accumulation in a quadratic response, with the gre...
Detection of nitric oxide in the dark cloud L134N

The first detection of interstellar nitric oxide (NO) in a cold dark cloud, L134N is reported. Nitric oxide was observed by means of its two 2 Pi 1/2, J = 3/2 - 1/2, rotational transitions at 150.2 and 150.5 GHz, which occur because of Lambda-doubling. The inferred column density for L134N is about 5 x 10 to the 14th/sq cm toward the SO peak in that cloud. This value corresponds to a fractional abundance relative to molecular hydrogen of about 6 x 10 to the -8th and is in good agreement with predictions of quiescent cloud ion-molecule chemistry. NO was not detected toward the dark cloud TMC-1 at an upper limit of 3 x 10 to the -8th or less.