cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Do child gender and temperament moderate associations between Head Start classroom social-emotional climate and children’s social-emotional competencies?

Abstract Little research has examined teachers' classroom social-emotional practices, including how teachers' warmth and their more explicit emotion socialization practices may be associated with children's social-emotional competencies in different but complementary ways. Likewise, there is scant knowledge on how the effects of the classroom climate may vary by child characteristics. We examined the moderating roles of child gender and temperament in the associations between two aspects of the classroom climate, Head Start teachers' warmth and their explicit emotion socialization practices, and preschoolers' (N = 611) social-emotional competencies, including emotion recognition, self-regulation, and positive social behaviors. While no three-way interactions (teachers' warmth and teachers' emotion socialization practices × child gender × temperament) were significantly associated with outcomes, a two-way interaction between teachers' emotion socialization practices and temperament was significant. Specifically, teachers' emotion socialization practices in the fall were associated with greater self-regulation for all children in the spring, including children with more reactive temperaments although effects were most robust for children with the least reactive temperaments. Implications for teacher practices are discussed.
Development of a seedling inoculation technique for rapid evaluation of soybean for resistance to Phomopsis longicolla under controlled conditions

Phomopsis seed decay (PSD) of soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) is caused primarily by the seed-borne fungal pathogen Phomopsis longicolla T. W. Hobbs. The PSD disease reduces seed quality and yield worldwide. Development of effective techniques to evaluate soybean for resistance to PSD can facilitate identification of new sources of host resistance to manage the disease. This study was undertaken to develop and utilize a rapid cut-seedling inoculation technique to evaluate soybean genotypes for resistance to P. longicolla under controlled conditions. There were no significant differences in stem lesion length determined as the area under disease progress curve at 24 °C and 30 °C. The 21 and 14-day-old seedlings were more susceptible than the older seedlings. Inoculation with 7 or 14-day-old pathogens caused higher values of AUDPC than older pathogen cultures. Isolates MS17-1 was the most aggressive isolate from the test of 25 isolates from seven states in the U.S. Eighteen previously reported field PSD-resistant accessions had significantly lower AUDPC than the susceptible checks and other entries (P ≤ 0.05). This study provided rapid evaluation of soybeans for reaction to P. longicolla and identification of PSD-resistant genotypes. Although PSD is a soybean seed disease, results from the cut-seedling inoculation assays without waiting a whole growing season were comparable to those obtained from field tests. Additionally, concerns about the environmental effects and uneven distribution of the pathogen in the field were ameliorated. The cut-seedling inoculation technique can also be used to speed up evaluation of PSD populations for the discovery of PSD-resistance gene(s), and high throughput phenotyping of seed diseases at seedling stage for genetics and genomic studies.
Sleep disturbances and suicide—New battles for veterans of U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq: A retrospective review

In this article, we systematically reviewed 116 veterans’ medical records to explore the mitigating factors in sleep disturbance, polytrauma clinical triad (PCT), and suicide. We discovered that a ...
Becoming Hispanic: The negotiation of ethnoracial identity in US census interviews

Researchers across disciplines have analyzed the ethnoracial classification of Latinxs in the US census, as well as the ideological, political, and material underpinnings and effects of such classification. In this article, I advance our understanding of the census’ reproduction of racial identities and racial discourse in two ways. First, I demonstrate that sociolinguistic theory and methods can shed new light on census classification in three distinct areas: (1) the categories and classifications themselves, (2) the negotiation of ethnoracial classification during census interviews, and (3) the language in which censuses are conducted. Second, I demonstrate that census-taking does not consist simply of recording preexisting ethnoracial identities, or of disseminating official discourses from interviewers to respondents. Instead, census interviews involve the intersubjective construction and production of ethnoracial identities, as interviewers and respondents negotiate the meaning of the categories provided and their places within them.
An Association between Right Ventricular Dysfunction and Sudden Cardiac Death

Background The effectiveness of severely reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether RV abnormalities were associated with SCD after accounting for LVEF and other patient characteristics. Methods In a large, prospective ongoing community-based study of SCD in the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area, SCD cases (age ≥18 years; 2002–2014) were compared to controls with coronary artery disease but no SCD. Using a novel archive of digital echocardiograms, a standardized approach was used to evaluate RV basal diameter, RV end-diastolic area, and right ventricular fractional area change (RVFAC). Results A total of 350 subjects were studied, including 81 SCD cases (age 68.7 ± 13.6 years; 73% male) and 269 controls (age 66.5 ± 10.2 years; 69% male). In multivariate analysis, RVFAC was significantly associated with SCD (odds ratio 1.14 for each 5% decrease; 95% confidence interval 1.03–1.25; P = .01). When modeled with LVEF ≤35%, RVFAC ≤35% was significantly associated with increased risk of SCD. Individuals with both left ventricular and RV dysfunction had a 3× higher odds of SCD than those with neither (odds ratio 3.19; 95% confidence interval 1.33–7.68; P = .01). Conclusion RV dysfunction was associated with a significantly increased risk of SCD independent of LVEF and, when combined with LVEF, had additive effects on SCD risk.
Scalable traffic stability analysis in mixed-autonomy using continuum models

Abstract This paper presents scalable traffic stability analysis for both pure connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) traffic and mixed traffic based on continuum traffic flow models. Human-drive vehicles (HDVs) are modeled by a non-equilibrium traffic flow model, i.e., Aw-Rascle-Zhang (ARZ) to capture HDV traffic's unstable nature. CAVs are modeled by a mean field game describing their non-cooperative behaviors as rational utility-optimizing agents. Working with continuum models helps avoiding scalability issues in microscopic multi-class traffic models. We demonstrate from linear stability analysis that the mean field game traffic flow model behaves differently from traditional traffic flow models and stability can only be proved when the total density is in a certain regime. We also show from numerical experiments that CAVs help stabilize mixed traffic. Further, we quantify the impact of CAV's penetration rate and controller design on traffic stability. The results may provide qualitative insights on traffic stability in mixed-autonomy for human drivers and city planners. The results also provide suggestions on CAV controller design for CAV manufacturers.
Suppressors of Cytokine Signaling (SOCS)1 and SOCS3 Proteins Are Mediators of Interleukin-10 Modulation of Inflammatory Responses Induced by Chlamydia muridarum and Its Major Outer Membrane Protein (MOMP) in Mouse J774 Macrophages

The immunopathology of chlamydial diseases is exacerbated by a broad-spectrum of inflammatory mediators, which we reported are inhibited by IL-10 in macrophages. However, the chlamydial protein moiety that induces the inflammatory mediators and the mechanisms by which IL-10 inhibits them are unknown. We hypothesized that Chlamydia major outer membrane protein (MOMP) mediates its disease pathogenesis, and the suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)1 and SOCS3 proteins are mediators of the IL-10 inhibitory actions. Our hypothesis was tested by exposing mouse J774 macrophages to chlamydial stimulants (live Chlamydia muridarum and MOMP) with and without IL-10. MOMP significantly induced several inflammatory mediators (IL-6, IL-12p40, CCL5, CXCL10), which were dose-dependently inhibited by IL-10. Chlamydial stimulants induced the mRNA gene transcripts and protein expression of SOCS1 and SOCS3, with more SOCS3 expression. Notably, IL-10 reciprocally regulated their expression by reducing SOCS1 and increasing SOCS3. Specific inhibitions of MAPK pathways revealed that p38, JNK, and MEK1/2 are required for inducing inflammatory mediators as well as SOCS1 and SOCS3. Chlamydial stimulants triggered an M1 pro-inflammatory phenotype evidently by an enhanced nos2 (M1 marker) expression, which was skewed by IL-10 towards a more M2 anti-inflammatory phenotype by the increased expression of mrc1 and arg1 (M2 markers) and the reduced SOCS1/SOCS3 ratios. Neutralization of endogenously produced IL-10 augmented the secretion of inflammatory mediators, reduced SOCS3 expression, and skewed the chlamydial M1 to an M2 phenotype. Inhibition of proteasome degradation increased TNF but decreased IL-10, CCL5, and CXCL10 secretion by suppressing SOCS1 and SOCS3 expressions and dysregulating their STAT1 and STAT3 transcription factors. Our data show that SOCS1 and SOCS3 are regulators of IL-10 inhibitory actions, and underscore SOCS proteins as therapeutic targets for IL-10 control of inflammation for Chlamydia and other bacterial inflammatory diseases.
Communicating in the Face of Racism: Infinitive v. Gerund Verbal Complements in English

As COVID-19 continues to spread across the country, Asian Americans and Asian immigrants have experienced an increase in racist attacks. This paper presents a lesson plan that is intended to help English as a Second Language (ESL) learners of East Asian origin communicate in the face of racial discrimination. In addition to outlining this teaching technique, the article provides a linguistic analysis of the lesson plan’s grammatical focus: the distinction between infinitive and gerund verbal complements. The author argues that the Bolinger Principle, a theory that articulates the reasoning behind this distinction, provides an effective and meaning-informed teaching strategy for teaching infinitives and gerunds. The purpose of the article is to offer guidance for teachers who may wish to use this form-focused technique in their own classrooms. Keywords: ESL, racism, Asian immigrants, infinitive complements, gerund complements, Bolinger Principle
Raptor Zonal Statistics: Fully Distributed Zonal Statistics of Big Raster + Vector Data

Recent advancements in remote sensing technology have resulted in petabytes of data in raster format. This data is often processed in combination with high resolution vector data that represents, for example, city boundaries. One of the common operations that combine big raster and vector data is the zonal statistics which computes some statistics for each polygon in the vector dataset. This paper proposes a novel distributed system to solve the zonal statistics problem which can scale to petabytes of raster and vector data. The proposed method does not require any preprocessing or indexing which makes it perfect for ad-hoc queries that scientists usually want to run. We devise a theoretical cost model that proves the efficiency o f o ur a lgorithm o ver the baseline method. Furthermore, we run an extensive experimental evaluation on large scale satellite data with up-to a trillion pixels, and big vector data with up-to hundreds of millions of edges, and we show that our method can perfectly scale to big data with up-to two orders of magnitude performance gain over Rasdaman and Google Earth Engine.
Application of the Gibbs Phase Rule, Azeotrope, and Sample Problem

The material presented in this lecture is adapted from Chapter 15 in T&M. First, we will utilize the Gibbs Phase Rule derived in Lecture 27 to elucidate the P-T phase diagram of a one-component (n = 1) substance, in the absence of chemical reactions (r = 0), which can exist in Solid (S), Liquid (L), and Vapor (V) phases. In each of the three phases, T and P can vary independently, and as a result, the system is referred to as divariant. Second, Solid and Vapor, Solid and Liquid, and Liquid and Vapor can coexist along the S/V, S/L, and L/V equilibrium lines, respectively. Along each of these lines, P = f (T), and the system is referred to as monovariant. The S/V, S/L, and L/V monovariant lines meet at a special point, known as the triple point, which is invariant. The L/V monovariant line begins at the triple point and ends at another special point, known as the critical point, which is invariant. Finally, we will qualitatively solve Sample Problem 28-1 to examine the boiling of a binary liquid mixture coexisting with its binary vapor mixture. Specifically, we will utilize the Gibbs Phase Rule to understand qualitatively how the mixture vapor pressure changes as a function of the solution composition at constant temperature, including discussing the pressure-composition phase diagram, and the azeotropic point.
New formulas for cup-$i$ products and fast computation of Steenrod squares

Operations on the cohomology of spaces are important tools enhancing the descriptive power of this computable invariant. For cohomology with mod 2 coefficients, Steenrod squares are the most significant of these operations. Their effective computation relies on a cup-$i$ construction, a structure on (co)chains which is important in its own right, having connections to, among others, lattice field theory, convex geometry and higher category theory. In this article we present new formulas defining a cup-$i$ construction, and use them to introduce a fast algorithm for the computation of Steenrod squares on the cohomology of simplicial complexes.
Subcapital Metacarpal Fractures

Subcapital metacarpal fractures result from direct impact, usually in a fist. They tend to angulate because of the pull of the intrinsic muscles. Volar comminution accentuates the deformity and adds to the instability. It tends to cause the fracture to settle back to its original position. For these reasons, reduction can be difficult to maintain, and, indeed, the more severe and angulated the original fracture, the more difficult it is to maintain.
Stable Finite Element Discretizations for Viscoelastic Flow Models

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the way a general macroscopic viscoelastic fluid model can be reformulated, in terms of the conformation tensor, as a Riccati differential equation. It also discusses the way this reformulation can be used to establish the positive definiteness of the conformation tensor and key numerical methods based on the Eulerian–Lagrangian method, which discretizes the momentum equation and constitutive equations by solving the nonlinear ordinary differential equations that define the characteristics related to the transport part of the equation. The way the resulting discrete system can be effectively solved iteratively by combining multigrid and parallel computing techniques is discussed in the chapter. The chapter reviews the basic properties of the flow maps, the generalized Lie derivatives, and the algebraic Riccati differential equations. It introduces the connection between the algebraic Riccati differential equations and the macroscopic constitutive relations for viscoelastic fluids. It discusses the properties of various macroscopic models for viscoelastic fluids. The existing numerical schemes designed for simulating viscoelastic fluids at high Weissenberg number regimes is reviewed in the chapter.
Technology integration practice as a function of pedagogical expertise

AbstractThis study investigated how teachers at various levels of technology use and teaching abilities used technology and how technology use related to general teaching practice. Data from case studies of exemplary technology integrators, representing categories of teaching and technology ability, resulted in assertions about the ways these teachers taught with technology, including the existence of teachers’ personal definitions of technology integration, distinctive planning habits when planning for technology inclusion, strategies for teaching about technology that matched teacher learning strategies, management of student computer use, and altered perspectives on assessment. Differences observed among technology use were associated with individual levels of teaching expertise.
ADHD-Related School Compositional Effects: An Exploration:

Background/ ContextChildren with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) provide a test case through which to investigate psychosocial school compositional effects. Characterized by develop...
Mode Error in Supervisory Control of Automated Systems

Mode errors are one kind of breakdown in human-computer interaction. The concept was developed originally in the context of relatively simple reactive computerized devices such as word processors. ...
U.S. Policy Toward the Newly Independent States: A Pragmatic Strategy Grounded in America’s Fundamental Interests

The United States supports reform in the Newly Independent States because in the long run its success benefits not only the people of the region but the American people as well. The secretary of state characterizes the approach as realistic and grounded in America’s strategic interests.
Grammatical Planning Units During Real-Time Sentence Production in Speakers With Agrammatic Aphasia and Healthy Speakers

Purpose Grammatical encoding (GE) is impaired in agrammatic aphasia; however, the nature of such deficits remains unclear. We examined grammatical planning units during real-time sentence production in speakers with agrammatic aphasia and control speakers, testing two competing models of GE. We queried whether speakers with agrammatic aphasia produce sentences word by word without advanced planning or whether hierarchical syntactic structure (i.e., verb argument structure; VAS) is encoded as part of the advanced planning unit. Method Experiment 1 examined production of sentences with a predefined structure (i.e., “The A and the B are above the C”) using eye tracking. Experiment 2 tested production of transitive and unaccusative sentences without a predefined sentence structure in a verb-priming study. Results In Experiment 1, both speakers with agrammatic aphasia and young and age-matched control speakers used word-by-word strategies, selecting the first lemma (noun A) only prior to speech onset. However,...
Exact Lattice Supersymmetry from Topological Field Theory

We discuss the connection between supersymmetric field theories and topological field theories and show how this connection may be used to construct local lattice field theories which maintain an exact supersymmetry. It is shown how metric independence of the continuum topological field theory allows us to derive the lattice theory by blocking out of the continuum in a deformed geometry. This, in turn, allows us to prove the cut-off independence of certain supersymmetric Ward identities.
Panel Bed Filters for Simultaneous Removal of Fly Ash and Sulfur Dioxide

Experimental studies of the filtration of dilute aerosols of Dow microspheres by beds of sand have been conducted with flows passing vertically upward, vertically downward, and horizontally. With the use of Happel’s “free surface” model for a granular bed, the results can be correlated reasonably well by semiempirical, semitheoretical considerations taking into account collection by diffusion, gravity settling, direct interception, and inertial impaction. The results are preliminary to experiments to be made on filtration of aerosols by a filter cake of fly ash resting upon a sand bed.
KINEMATIC DESCRIPTION OF THE SIDEWINDING LOCOMOTION OF FOUR VIPERS

ABSTRACT Computerized analysis of the sidewinding locomotion of four vipers provides a general overview of the locomotive pattern as well as permits us to emphasize similarities and differences among the species. Interspecific variations mainly affect the head and tail. As most of the kinetic energy is generated in the midportions, such differences have minimal effect. The displacement pattern, kinetic energy value and the placement of tracks change as an animal changes its direction of travel by moving its center of gravity out of line with sites of static contact.
Building Integrated Ontological Knowledge Structures with Efficient Approximation Algorithms

The integration of ontologies builds knowledge structures which brings new understanding on existing terminologies and their associations. With the steady increase in the number of ontologies, automatic integration of ontologies is preferable over manual solutions in many applications. However, available works on ontology integration are largely heuristic without guarantees on the quality of the integration results. In this work, we focus on the integration of ontologies with hierarchical structures. We identified optimal structures in this problem and proposed optimal and efficient approximation algorithms for integrating a pair of ontologies. Furthermore, we extend the basic problem to address the integration of a large number of ontologies, and correspondingly we proposed an efficient approximation algorithm for integrating multiple ontologies. The empirical study on both real ontologies and synthetic data demonstrates the effectiveness of our proposed approaches. In addition, the results of integration between gene ontology and National Drug File Reference Terminology suggest that our method provides a novel way to perform association studies between biomedical terms.
C-reactive protein, early life stress, and wellbeing in healthy adults.

Carpenter LL, Gawuga CE, Tyrka AR, Price LH. C-reactive protein, early life stress, and wellbeing in healthy adults. Objective: To determine whether C-reactive protein (CRP) can serve as a marker for alterations in immune function prior to the manifestation of significant psychiatric and medical disorders. Method: Ninety-two healthy adults were recruited from the community and determined to be free of psychiatric or medical disorders. The concentration of plasma CRP from a single resting sample was examined in relation to current mental and physical health as well as to self-reported history of early life adversity. Results: C-reactive protein showed a significant positive correlation with body mass index (BMI; r = 0.477, P < 0.001). Non-specific pain, fatigue, and lower overall quality of physical health were all associated with higher CRP concentrations (all P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), after controlling for effect of BMI and other relevant covariates. Subthreshold depression symptoms and other indices of mental/emotional wellbeing were not associated with CRP, nor was CRP significantly linked to any measures of early life adversity. Conclusion: Lower-quality physical health and wellbeing, but not the presence of mood/anxiety symptoms or early life stress (ELS), were significantly related to plasma CRP. Elevated CRP does not appear to be a fundamental consequence of ELS among healthy adults.
Maternal smoking during pregnancy and failure of the georgia first grade criterion-referenced competency test.

Background Maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSDP) has been reported to be associated with impaired measures of cognitive function, but it remains unclear whether exposure to MSDP has an impact upon offspring school performance. We examined the association between MSDP and failure of the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) among Georgia first grade students. Methods A retrospective cohort was created by deterministically linking 331 531 children born in Georgia from 1998 to 2002 (inclusive) to their individual CRCT education records from 2005 to 2009. We evaluated the association between MSDP (yes/no) and failure of the CRCT Reading, English/Language Arts (ELA), and Mathematics tests, with adjustment for maternal and child sociodemographic characteristics and birth outcomes. Log-binomial models estimated the risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Conditional models were fitted to paired sibling data. Results MSDP was associated with CRCT failure with an adjusted risk ratios for Reading: 1.16 [95% CI 1.12, 1.21]; ELA: 1.12 [95%CI 1.10, 1.15]; and Mathematics: 1.13 [95%CI 1.10, 1.16]. The association remained significant in paired sibling analyses. Conclusions MSDP may have independent long-term effects on offspring school performance, which does not appear to be through smoking-related adverse birth outcomes.
Retinoic acid alters subcellular compartmentalization of ATP pools in 3T3 cells but not in HeLa cells

Retinoic acid (RA; beta-all-trans) inhibits the proliferation of both murine 3T3 cells and human HeLa cells. Flow cytometric analyses of exponentially growing cultures show that 3T3 cells are inhibited during the S phase of their cell cycle, while HeLa cells show only a small increase in G1 phase cells. RA (10 microM) causes a 50% increase in total cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) pools of 3T3 cells, but not of HeLa cells. We have previously demonstrated that the effects of RA on cellular ATP pools of 3T3 cells are directly related to its inhibition of cellular growth, and now report data which provide a biochemical basis for this process. Established procedures were utilized to investigate the effects of RA on the functional compartmentalization of the nuclear ATP pool which serves as a precursor for RNA synthesis in these cells, and which is shown to be a small pool in comparison with cytoplasmic ATP pools. Expansion of total cellular ATP pools by 1 mM of exogenously supplied unlabeled adenosine is ineffective in reducing the subsequent incorporation of [3H]adenosine into RNA of 3T3 cells. Similar treatment of HeLa cells yields a modest reduction in the incorporation of [3H]adenosine into RNA. RA treatment of HeLa cells does not affect the preferential uptake of exogenous [3H] adenosine into the immediate precursor ATP pool for RNA synthesis. RA treatment of 3T3 cells markedly reduces the incorporation of [3H] adenosine into RNA, indicating a lesser degree of functional compartmentalization of the nuclear ATP pool. Similar conclusions are drawn from correlations of the specific radioactivities of total cellular [3H] ATP pools and the levels of incorporation of radioactive label into cellular RNA. In addition, pulse-chase experiments show that RA-treated 3T3 cells continue to incorporate radioactive label from pools prelabeled with [3H]adenosine despite the presence of a large excess of unlabeled adenosine in the chase medium. Control 3T3 and both control and RA-treated HeLa cells cease to incorporate label immediately upon the start of the chase, suggesting that the functional precursor ATP pool for RNA synthesis is small and readily diluted. These data suggest that RA decreases the degree of functional compartmentalization for 3T3, but not HeLa cell ATP pools, and provides a probable mechanism for expansion of nuclear ATP pools of 3T3 cells. The expanded nuclear ATP pools may provide the biochemical mechanism for the inhibition of DNA synthesis during the S phase of the 3T3 cell cycle.
Some observations on humor and laughter in young adolescent girls.

Some of the functions of humor and laughter in two groups of young adolescent girls were studied. When humor was successful and giggling and laughter a pleasureful release, the material, spontaneous talk and jokes, resonated with current developmental tasks. Among them were those dealing with bodily changes, early relationships with boys, disguised masturbatory wishes, and ambivalent feelings toward mothers. Some cognitive aspects of joking are examined. Humor worked when frightening words could be reduced to familiar or diminutive ones. Humor failed when content was too “grownup”: when the subject matter stimulated frightening fantasies of male penetration and damage and frightening images of the mature female body or fears of punishment.
Efficacy of protected renal artery primary stenting in the solitary functioning kidney.

Background Significant renal artery stenosis (RAS) in a solitary functioning kidney (SFK) represents one of the most acceptable indications for renal revascularization. Percutaneous transluminal renal artery stenting (PTRAS) is increasingly being used as a first line treatment for renal revascularization, associated with renal function improvement or stabilization in the majority of the patients with solitary kidneys, but also with deterioration in up to 38% of the cases. Atheroembolism during PTRAS has been postulated as a potential cause for this acute renal function worsening. The aim of this study was to report on the feasibility, safety, and early outcomes of PTRAS in a series of patients with SFK using distal embolic protection (DEP). Methods All PTRAS procedures in SFKs performed under DEP between June 2002 and September 2007 were reviewed. Renal function, blood pressure, and the number of anti-hypertensive medications were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Renal function improvement and deterioration were defined as a 20% increase and decrease in serum creatinine, respectively, compared with preoperative values. Primary and primary assisted patency rates were also calculated. Statistical differences between values before and after intervention were determined by the Student t test and statistical significance was taken at P Results Protected PTRAS was performed in 14 patients with a SFK (9 men, 6 women, mean age 65.6 ± 6.8 years). All patients were hypertensive and had varying degrees of azotemia. Mean pre-intervention stenosis degree was 86.8% ± 7.8%. Immediate technical success was obtained in 100% of the patients. Renal function was cured (7.1%), improved (50%), or stabilized (42.9%) in all 14 (100%) patients after the procedure and no deterioration was noticed in any patient at 6-month follow-up. Pre- and postintervention serum creatinine levels were 3.01 ± 1.15 mg/dL and 2.16 ± 0.68 mg/dL, respectively, ( P = .02). Hypertension was improved in 6 (42.9%) patients and stabilized in the remaining 8 (57.1%). Primary patency was 100% and 90% at 1 and 3 years, respectively, while primary assisted patency remained 100% for the whole follow-up period (mean, 31.8 ± 19.4 months). Conclusion These findings suggest that in patients with a SFK, protected PTRAS represents a safe and effective treatment for halting the progression of renal dysfunction to renal loss and warrants further investigation.
Nanoscale rapid melting and crystallization of semiconductor thin films.

The current study details nanosecond laser-based rapid melting and crystallization of thin amorphous silicon (a-Si) films at the nanoscale using two different optical near-field processing schemes. Both apertureless and tapered fiber near-field scanning optical microscope probes were utilized to deliver highly confined irradiation on the target surface. The various modification regimes produced as a result of the rapid a-Si melting and crystallization transformations were shown to critically depend on the applied laser fluence. Consequently, the crystallized pattern morphology and feature size could be finely controlled. High energy density was observed to impart ablation surrounded by a narrow melt ring. At much lower incident laser energy density, single nanostructures with a lateral dimension of ∼90 nm were defined.
Collision forecasting: A low-power MAC with traffic and power shaping

In an important class of mobile networked applications, it is not computation or sensing, but radio communications that dominate the wireless nodes' power budget. While it is often required that a predefined minimum network lifetime be guaranteed at deployment time, it is nontrivial to control the power consumption of the radio communication subsystem when the network size may change over time.We present the Asynchronous Random Schedules with Collision Forecast (ARS/CF) protocol, a low-power MAC for infrastructureless single-hop networks, with MAC-level support for prescribing a power budget. Instead of relying on channel sampling or common communication schedules, ARS/CF uses randomized local transmission schedules, which are shared with neighbors within the collision domain. Collisions are forecasted by examining the transmission times in the local as well as in the neighbors' schedules. When a collision is imminent, the corresponding transmissions and receiver wake-ups are canceled ahead of time, thereby avoiding unnecessary waste of energy on both the sender and receiver side. ARS/CF controls energy consumption by dynamically adjusting transmission rates. Given a pre-set power budget, as well as an estimate of the typical number of nodes in the collision domain, we derive a closed form solution for the optimal protocol parameters, and provide guarantees that the average power draw will stay within the predefined envelope even if the actual neighborhood size is different from the estimate. We provide theoretical as well as experimental results on the performance of ARS/CF and show that it outperforms CSMA-based asynchronous low-power MACs under periodic workloads in terms of energy efficiency.
Structural requirements for conserved arginine of parathyroid hormone.

Arg-20 is one of two residues conserved in all peptides known to activate the parathyroid hormone (PTH) receptor. Previous studies have failed to find any naturally encoded analogues of residue 20 that had any adenylyl cyclase (AC) stimulating activity. In this work we have studied substitutions of Arg-20 with nonencoded amino acids and conformationally constrained analogues with side chains mimicking that of Arg. No analogue had more than 20% of the AC-stimulating ability of the natural Arg-20-bearing peptide. In descending order of activity, the most active analogues had (S)-4-piperidyl-(N-amidino)glycine (PipGly), norleucine (Nle), citrulline (Cit), or ornithine (Orn) at residue 20. Analogues with Arg-20 substituted with l-4-piperidyl-(N-amidino)alanine, Lys, Glu, Ala, Gln, (S)-2-amino-4-[(2-amino)pyrimidinyl]butanoic acid, or l-(4-guanidino)phenylalanine had very low or negligible activity. Low or negligible activities of Lys or Orn analogues suggested ionic interactions play a minor role in the Arg i...
Neuroepithelial body increases in bleomycin-treated mice.

Abstract Neuroepithelial bodies (NEBs) serve a niche for lung stem cells and proliferate in a variety of pulmonary diseases. We hypothesize that NEBs play an important role in lung injury repair processes, such as during pulmonary fibrosis. To test this hypothesis, we examined NEBs in a bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis mouse model. We divided FVB/NJ mice into bleomycin-treated (BL) and normal saline-treated (NS) groups. Two weeks after intravenous treatment, we immune-stained NEBs with anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in whole mount preparations and found that the number of NEBs per unit area of airway almost tripled in the BL group (1.11 ± 0.28 number/mm2; n = 5) compared with the NS group (0.32 ± 0.14 number/mm2; n = 4, p = 0.001). The size of NEBs increased significantly in the BL group. Our findings support that NEBs play an important role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis.
Effects of yeast DNA topoisomerase III on telomere structure.

Abstract The yeast TOP3 gene, encoding DNA topoisomerase III, and EST1 gene, encoding a putative telomerase, are shown to be abutted head-to-head on chromosome XII, with the two initiation codons separated by 258 bp. This arrangement suggests that the two genes might share common upstream regulatory sequences and that their products might be functionally related. A comparison of isogenic pairs of yeast TOP3+ and delta top3 strains indicates that the G1-3T repetitive sequence tracks in delta top3 cells are significantly shortened, by about 150 bp. Cells lacking topoisomerase III also show a much higher sequence fluidity in the subtelomeric regions. In delta top3 cells, clusters of two or more copies of tandemly arranged Y' elements have a high tendency of disappearing due to the loss or dispersion of the elements; similarly, a URA3 marker embedded in a Y' element close to the chromosomal tip shows a much higher rate of being lost relative to that in TOP3+ cells. These results suggest that yeast DNA topoisomerase III might affect telomere stability, and plausible mechanisms are discussed.
Another Look at Biblical Hebrew bm ‘High Place’1

AbstractThis study presents a solution for morphological and lexical problems that remain outstanding concerning bm. Two distinct Semitic nouns are identified as the derivational basis for the attested forms and meanings in biblical Hebrew.
Reformulation of quasi-linear theory

Standard plasma quasi-linear theory is reformulated on the basis of a classical quantum derivation proceeding from the Vlasov equation and dealing only with frequency, wavenumber, and velocity. The wave amplitudes are assumed to be weakly time-dependent, and no distinction is made between growing and decaying waves. The proposed method leads to no negative diffusivity of 'fake' diffusion. By appropraite treatment of nonresonant interaction, expressions are obtained for wave energy and momentum.
Inhibition of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase activities by hydroxylamine☆

Hydroxylamine directly and reversibly inhibits both activities of homogeneous ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (3-phospho-D-glycerate carboxy-lyase (dimerizing), EC 4.1.1.39) isolated from diverse sources. NH2OH is an uncompetitive inhibitor of carboxylase activity with respect to ribulose-bisphosph ate. This reagent also reacts non-enzymically with ribulosebisphosphate to deplete this substrate. Contrary to previous reports, these results indicate that hydroxylamine directly and indirectly inhibits both activities of this bifunctional enzyme.
STRUCTURAL CHARACTERIZATION OF MODERN HIGHWAY OVERCROSSINGS--CASE STUDY

This paper revisits the mechanical characterization of the main substructure elements of highway overcrossings in an effort to build a more balanced methodology to compute earthquake response of seismically protected bridges accounting for the effects of soil-structure interaction. Various macroscopic constitutive laws that are well known in literature are summarized and synthesized in a way that can be incorporated in reduced-order stick models used in practice. Here, the authors discuss the required sophistication level of the proposed macroscopic constitutive laws in order to capture the leading mechanical behavior of each substructural element without adding unnecessary complications when incorporated in a stick model idealization of the bridge.
Alterations in catalytic and regulatory properties of glutamate dehydrogenase resulting from reaction with one molecule of 14C-labeled methylmercuric iodide

Abstract 14 C-Labeled methylmercuric iodide was synthesized and used for studying the regulatory effects of organic mercurial on glutamate dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.1.3.). When the methylmercuric iodide was bound to the enzyme at a mole ratio of 1:1, based on the enzyme molecular weight of 53,500, there was a maximum stimulation for the glutamate α-ketoglutarate reaction and the enzyme became relatively insensitive to the effect of various allosteric effectors. When the binding ratio did not exceed 1:1, the enzyme remained stable in solution. These studies show that 1—SH group plays a critical role in the control of the catalytically active conformation of the enzyme.
Coronary arterioles in type 2 diabetic (db/db) mice undergo a distinct pattern of remodeling associated with decreased vessel stiffness

Little is known about the impact of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) on coronary arteriole remodeling. The aim of this study was to determine the mechanisms that underlie coronary arteriole structural remodeling in type 2 diabetic (db/db) mice. Passive structural properties of septal coronary arterioles isolated from 12- to 16-week-old diabetic db/db and control mice were assessed by pressure myography. Coronary arterioles from 12-week-old db/db mice were structurally similar to age-matched controls. By 16 weeks of age, coronary wall thickness was increased in db/db arterioles (p < 0.01), while luminal diameter was reduced (control: 118 ± 5 μm; db/db: 102 ± 4 μm, p < 0.05), augmenting the wall-to-lumen ratio by 58% (control: 5.9 ± 0.6; db/db: 9.5 ± 0.4, p < 0.001). Inward hypertrophic remodeling was accompanied by a 56% decrease in incremental elastic modulus (p < 0.05, indicating decreased vessel coronary wall stiffness) and a ~30% reduction in coronary flow reserve (CFR) in diabetic mice. Interestingly, aortic pulse wave velocity and femoral artery incremental elastic modulus were increased (p < 0.05) in db/db mice, indicating macrovascular stiffness. Molecular tissue analysis revealed increased elastin-to-collagen ratio in diabetic coronaries when compared to control and a decrease in the same ratio in the diabetic aortas. These data show that coronary arterioles isolated from type 2 diabetic mice undergo inward hypertrophic remodeling associated with decreased stiffness and increased elastin-to-collagen ratio which results in a decreased CFR. This study suggests that coronary microvessels undergo a different pattern of remodeling from macrovessels in type 2 DM.
Building an evaluation research system for joint business and higher education use: Critical questions

too few joint evaluation efforts between business and higher education (Arthur Andersen & Co., 1984), and therefore, an absence of a shared data base to be used both by industry and higher education. As a result, methodological improvements for evaluating human resource development are delayed in both sectors. The conference report concluded with a number of recommendations for accelerating the exchange of methodology, information, and personnel in human resource evaluation between higher education and business. In September of 1985, IC Industries Employee Benefits staff contracted with the Office for Health Promotion, Northern Illinois University (NIU), for program development as well as evaluation research services to augment its health care benefit programs funded by a Welfare Trust (the "Trust"). In this paper we will first delineate the eight conclusions reached by the joint business and university conference. This provides the framework for the case study description of a cooperative enterprise in practice. The Conference on Joint Ventures Between Business and Higher Education: Human Resource Evaluation ended with
In vivo measurement of critical level of kidney cadmium: Dose effect studies in cadmium smelter workers

In vivo measurements of kidney and liver cadmium burdens were obtained in 82 industrially exposed workers and ten control subjects. Kidney cadmium levels ranged from 0.9 mg to 57 mg, and liver concentrations ranged from 0.8 ppM to 120 ppM for the industrial group. Comparison values for the control group were 0.4 mg to 11.8 mg for the kidney and 0.6 ppM to 7.9 ppM for the liver. A biphasic relationship between kidney Cd levels and liver Cd levels was observed. The kidney and liver Cd levels showed an increase until approximately a 40 ppM concentration was reached in the liver. Thereafter, the kidney levels decreased as the liver concentration continued to increase. The kidney cadmium level at which this change occurred was approximately 31 mg for the total kidney. Further estimates of the critical level, based on years of exposure and renal dysfunction (..beta../sub 2/-microglobulin, proteinuria), yielded estimates of 31 mg to 42 mg cadmium (300 to 400 ..mu..g/gm for the renal cortex).
The variability of magnetic field perturbations and IMF control of field-aligned currents in the inner magnetosphere

Abstract Magnetic field perturbations and field-aligned currents are observed by the ISEE-1 and -2 spacecraft. We use the two spacecraft to separate the temporal current variations from the spatially varying currents. We find that the majority of the magnetic field perturbations are due to currents for which we cannot clearly resolve temporal from spatial variations. On examining the variability of the magnetic field perturbations at different spacecraft separations, we find a spacecraft separation of greater than one minute and less than five minutes is optimum for analysis of spatially varying currents. We find that the spatially varying field-aligned currents occur more for a southwardly directed Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF), while the occurrence of temporally varying (or inadequately resolved) currents does not depend on the IMF. Both types of current tend to increase in intensity for a more southward field.
Documentary or non‐fiction film?

Erik Barnouw. Documentary: A History of the Non‐Fiction Film. London, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1974. 332 pp. $3.95 paper. Richard Meran Barsam, ed. Nonfiction Film Theory and Criticism. New York: Dutton, 1976. 382 pp. $6.95.
Review of companies and drug classes in the 2007-2011 antihypertensive patent literature

Hypertension, defined as elevated systolic blood pressure and/or diastolic blood pressure generally greater than 140/90 mmHg, is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular outcomes such as arterial aneurysm, myocardial infarction and stroke, and for nonvascular conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. The prevalence of the disease is rapidly increasing both in the USA and in the rest of the world. Hypertension can be managed to a degree through behavioral changes (e.g., reduction in salt intake and loss of excess body weight). When lifestyle changes fail, pharmacological therapy provides benefits, with combination drug therapy often required for many patients to reach their blood pressure-reduction goals. Approximately one-third of hypertensive patients who seek treatment fail to reach their goals, either because they are resistant to drug therapy or stop treatment due to side-effect issues. A medical need exists for new antihypertensive agents with improved risk-benefit profiles. However, within the past decade, the economics of bringing a new antihypertensive agent to market have become challenging due to the plethora of generic drugs available, the advent of polypharmacology, and the difficulty of identifying agents that are better than the standard of care. Only a few new mechanistic classes of antihypertensive agents have been recently approved, suggesting a lack of innovation within the industry. In this review, we describe the results of a survey of drug companies and drug classes in the 2007-2009 antihypertensive patent literature and comment on the current state of innovation in antihypertensive drug discovery.