cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chromium(III) decreases the fidelity of human DNA polymerase beta.

Certain particulate compounds of hexavalent chromium are well-known occupational and environmental human carcinogens. Hexavalent chromium primarily enters the cells and undergoes metabolic reduction; however, the ultimate trivalent oxidation state of chromium, Cr(III), predominates within the cell. DNA-bound Cr(III) has been previously shown to decrease the fidelity of replication in the M13 phage mutation assay. This study was done to understand how Cr(III), in the presence of physiological concentrations of magnesium, affects the kinetic parameters of steady-state DNA synthesis in vitro across site-specific O6-methylguanine (m6dG) residues by DNA polymerase β (pol β). Cr(III) binds to the short oligomer templates in a dose-dependent manner and stimulates the activity of pol β. Cr(III) stimulates the mutagenic incorporation of dTTP opposite m6dG more than the nonmutagenic incorporation of dCTP, and thereby Cr(III) further decreases the fidelity of DNA synthesis across m6dG by pol β. In contrast, Cr(III) ...
Creating an IHE ATNA-Based Audit Repository

Compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires gathering audit information from picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) regarding evidence trails of human interactions. Until recently, most PACS users have had limited access to auditing information. Access required resources to handle manual inspection of audit logs, and access to proprietary databases was not always available. Some vendors now produce eXtensible Markup Language (XML) audit logs based on certain events occurring in PACS. However, it is up to the user to convert this information into an easily mined data repository supporting compliance and quality control. This process can be handled in multiple ways, which could mean different audit mechanisms depending on the PACS (or other hospital system) used. It is apparent that an organized method of dealing with audit information is needed. This help may be provided within the Integrating the Healthcare Environment (IHE) framework. The IHE initiative defines a set of profiles, actors, and transactions that create common scenarios for particular workflow processes. The Integration Profiles depict security as a fundamental requirement of the framework. Specifically, the Audit Trail and Node Authentication (ATNA) profile defines standards based mechanisms for securely transmitting and storing audit records in a central repository. The data structure defined by the profile provides a number of record types that capture different audit events. A general feasibility study for storing currently available PACS audit information following the profile is defined, and steps to an automated solution are discussed.
Construct validity for the Health Utilities Index in a sleep center.

We utilized well-established and validated quality of life (QoL) measures to test the validity of the Health Utilities Index (HUI) in patients with untreated sleep disorders in a cross-sectional study. We submitted a 66-question survey to 86 patients presenting to the University of Maryland Sleep Disorders Center (68 with sleep apnea, 18 with other sleep disorders). HUI mark 2 (HUI2) and HUI mark 3 (HUI3) were compared with other indices of QoL: medical short form 12 (SF-12), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Functional Outcomes of Sleepiness Questionnaire (FOSQ). The participants of this study were eighty-six patients presenting with untreated sleep disorders to the University Medical Center. There were no interventions. The mean age in our patients was 50.7 ± 14.2 years with a mean body mass index of 32.9 ± 7.6. For patients with sleep apnea, the mean respiratory disturbance index was 32.6 ± 29.1. For all patients, the mean HUI2 score was 0.73 + 0.23, and the mean HUI3 score was 0.6 ± 0.35 (p = 0.0066 for difference from HUI2). The mean SF-12 physical components (PC) score was 43.6 ± 12.1, and the mean SF-12 mental components (MC) score was 49.8 ≡ 40.1. The mean ESS score was 10.5 + 5.2, and the mean FOSQ score was 16.4 ± 3.5. Significant bivariate correlations were found between HUI2 and HUI3 as well as between both of these and age, SF-12, SF-12 PC score, ESS, and FOSQ. Stepwise multivariate regression revealed significant independent correlations between HUI2 and age, SF-12 PC and the FOSQ, and between HUI3, SF-12 PC, and the FOSQ. There were no differences in HUI scores between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and non-OSA patients: (1) HUI3 scores are lower than HUI2 scores, (2) both HUI2 and HUI3 are correlated with other indices of QoL in sleep patients, and (3) the HUI surveys should be considered in QoL and economic impact studies in patients with sleep disorders.
Hirsutism in women. Effective therapy that is safe for long-term use.

Hirsutism should be considered part of the androgen-excess syndrome unless another cause (e.g., masculinizing tumor, androgenic-drug use) can be established. Medical evaluation for transient or late-onset androgen excess, polycystic ovary syndrome, and insulin resistance is important because of the risks associated with chronic androgen excess. Treatment of insulin resistance with antiandrogen and/or insulin-lowering therapy can reduce ovarian testosterone levels and hirsutism. Simple laboratory evaluation (i.e., measuring total and free testosterone, DHEAS, and androstenedione) identifies about half of patients with hyperandrogenism. More extensive evaluation and testing are required in the remaining half. Combination therapies, specifically oral contraceptives along with antiandrogen agents, are the most effective. Studies suggest that addition of low-dose GnRH agonist therapy prolongs remission of hirsutism. Most methods produce improvement within 6 months, with continued improvement at 12 months. Successful treatment results in finer hair, decreased rate of growth, decreased need for cosmetic camouflage or removal, and improved appearance. All methods, whether used continuously or intermittently, should be considered long term.
Globin Biosynthesis in Erythroid Bursts of Heterozygous α or β Thalassaemia

We examined globin chain synthesis in erythroid bursts (BFU-E) of patients with heterozygous alpha or beta thalassaemia. BFU-E were cloned from circulating mononuclear cells, labelled with [3H]leucine and globin chains purified by gel filtration and column chromatography. In six patients heterozygous for beta thalassaemia, globin synthesis in BFU-E was nearly balanced, with an alpha/non alpha ratio of 1.05 +/- 0.12. These BFU-E produced 33.8 +/- 12.7% gamma globin chain, an amount similar (P > 0.05) to that found in 10 controls with sickle cell anaemia (25.6 +/- 6.7) but greater (P > 0.05) than that of five normal controls (17.2 +/- 2.2). The balanced globin synthesis appeared due to the large amounts of gamma chain made by BFU-E. In two alpha thalassaemia carriers, who also had sickle cell trait, the BFU-E alpha/non-alpha ratio was 0.67 and 0.79. These BFU-E produced 15% and 20% gamma chain and 39% and 45% betaS globin. The synthesis of betaS globin in BFU-E exceeded the erythrocyte levels of 20% and 29% HbS and indicated nearly equal expression of betaA and betaB globin genes in these proliferating erythroid precursors. This provides further evidence that the low levels of HbS in sickle cell carriers with alpha thalassaemia are due to post-translational events resulting from the differing affinity of betaS and betaA globin for alpha chain and the destruction of excessive betaS chain.
The invention of American tradition

Abstract Major American beliefs about the pre-American environment were all created successively as myths after settlement in each ecological zone. Taken together, these beliefs constitute the grand tradition of the pristine wilderness—a wild American nature, far tougher to conquer than it ever was in reality. To exaggerate the conquering American achievement further, the role of native Americans in transforming the pre-American environment was denied, as was their humanity and cultural adaptability. The conquering heroes were superhuman, self-glorifying Americans: pioneers who transformed the pristine wilderness into a Jeffersonian garden of American yeomen following a Turnerian frontier conflict that left Americans deeply scarred by, and hostile to, the environment but also fashioned by it into a people of unique national character and institutions. The main period of American mythmaking was the middle and late nineteenth century in which the entire body of traditions was either invented or refashioned. Four types of invented traditions are recognized: instant traditions invented by political and religious leaders; deliberate but informal inventions by literary and artistic elites which led through myth creation to invention; images formed by the elite which were incorporated as fact into people's reminiscences and rediscovered and universalized; and, finally, ideas in the air for generations given form and substance by great men who invented grand metaphors for the nation.
Vascularization and basement membranes of the chick brain in light microscopy.

Blood vessels were first observed in the hindbrain of chick embryos at stage 20 (three to three and one half days incubation). At this time the central nervous system had a complete PAS-positive basement membrane. The surrounding blood vessels did not have a similar investment. An attenuated basement membrane, continuous with the one on the nervous tissue, enveloped each invading vessel. Invading vascular sprouts entered as solid cords which soon developed lumens and became functional capillaries.
Cyclooxygenase products sensitize muscle mechanoreceptors in humans with heart failure

Prior work in animals and humans suggests that muscle mechanoreceptor control of sympathetic activation [muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA)] during exercise in heart failure (HF) patients is ...
Melford E. Spiro, 1920–2014

Melford Eliot Spiro, born in 1920 in Ohio to Jewish immigrants, died in La Jolla in October 2014. His parents moved to Minnesota where he attended the University of Minnesota, majoring in philosophy. He received his PhD from Northwestern University in 1950. Spiro was especially interested in the philosophy of science, having a strong interest in analytic philosophy. However, Spiro found that his major interest was in the human psyche, and although philosophy raised the fundamental questions, for him anthropology was the preferred discipline because its empirical investigations covered the psychology of non-Westerners as well as Westerners.
The impact of clutter variance on feature discrimination in imaging polarimetry

The automated, or semi-automated analysis of scene elements in a clutter background is more complex in polarimetric imaging than in conventional imaging. This is largely due to the fact that misregistration of the orthogonal images used to calculate the Stokes parameter images introduces an artificial clutter. Further, there is little reported information on polarimetric image clutter. We present representative findings from an analysis of polarimetric image data, obtained over various backgrounds with various geometries, and examine the manner in which systematic and random variations impact feature discriminations.
Dextransucrase: Acceptor substrate reactions☆

Abstract Studies were carried out on the acceptor specificity of dextransucrase which had been isolated from Streptococcus sanguis 10558. Radioactive acceptors were employed in reactions with cold sucrose and the counts incorporated were taken as a measure of “acceptor activity.” An order of relative activity was found to be polysaccharide > oligosaccharide > glycoside > monosaccharide. An evaluation of the time course of the reaction with α-methyl glucoside, or maltose, showed that a homologous series of oligosaccharides were formed from each. This suggested that the individual members of the series were related as precursors and products. The kinetics of the reaction with different acceptors was studied. All acceptors studied caused an activation of the enzyme and changes in the K m for sucrose. The kinetic constants obtained were also used to compare the various acceptors.
Sound spectral properties of conditioned vocalization in monkeys.

Four monkeys were trained to emit vocalizations which were analyzed with a sound spectrograph and swept-frequency analyzer. Over the course of the study, the monkeys increased the duration of their calls and changed the character of the calls by the elimination of noise and high-frequency harmonics. At the end of training, the calls emitted by the four monkeys were similar to each other in frequency composition, and there was consistency of vocal format among successive calls given by an individual monkey. It is suggested that nonhuman primates be utilized for the further study of mechanisms of phonation.
Pattern in the laminar origin of corticocortical connections

The laminar origin of cortical projections to the frontal cortex was studied in 17 adult rhesus monkeys with the use of the retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The frontal regions injected with HRP extended from the posterior periarcuate region to the frontal pole. The architectonic boundaries of areas containing HRP-labeled neurons were determined from matched sections stained for the visualization of cell bodies, myelin, or acetylcholinesterase. The results showed that the laminar origin of both nearby and distant corticocortical projections was correlated with the architectonic differentiation of the regions giving rise to the projecting afferent fibers. Frontally directed projections from limbic cortices, which show a redimentary laminar organization, emanated mainly from deep layers. On the other hand, projections from increasingly more differentiated cortices arose progressively from the upper (or superagranular) layers. This pattern was observed for projections originating along the axis of architectonic differentiation of the visual, somatosensory, auditory, motor, and preforntal cortical systems. Thus, as the cortical architecture within each system changes from limbic areas toward the primary cortices, the origin of frontally directed projections shifts from predominantly infragranular to predominantly superagranular layers.
A Comparison of Finite Element and Test Results on the Dynamic Characteristics of Butted and Overlapped Ply Laminated Cylinders

Numerical and experimental tests were performed on three thin-wall carbon fabric/epoxy cylinders with end flanges, and their vibration characteristics were compared. Two different laminates with [(O°)]-2 ply and t(0)]3-3 ply configurations were used. All cylinders were fabricated using four gore sections per ply. One of the two 3-ply configurations was fabricated with the gore sections butted together, and the other with the sections overlapped approximately 6 mm. There was very little difference in the natural frequencies from tests with butted or overlapped ply joints. However, there was a 1-20% difference in natural frequencies between the finite element analysis (FEA) and test results for the 3-ply cylinders over the frequency range 88 to 577 Hz. The 2-ply configuration had overlapped ply joints and a 0.50 mm thick PTFE/copper substrate adhesively bonded to the outside. In this configuration there was approximately a 7% difference in natural frequencies between the FEA and test results. The effect of ...
Mass Trauma Intervention: A Case for Integrating Principles of Behavioral Health with Intervention to Restore Physical Safety, Order, and Infrastructure

The paper by Hobfoll and colleagues should be read by anyone who has wondered what can be done to support and sustain survivors of mass trauma and especially by anyone concerned with improving actions in the future to promote the well–being of those experiencing such events. Lessons learned in recent years make it clear that there are needs and opportunities for public mental health and clinical care in the immediate and mid-term periods after emergencies. At the most basic level, the public will need credible and clear information about getting and staying safe as well as the continuum of services that are available to them. There will also be acute needs related to interrupted care for chronic conditions and emerging stress-related problems. Hobfoll and colleagues have identified elements of public health and clinical care that can bolster efforts to provide for basic necessities as well as to facilitate recovery from mass trauma. Unlike other well-intentioned efforts to offer guidance, points to consider, and even principles of planning and response which have lacked a solid foundation or rationale, Hobfoll and colleagues have compiled a set of guiding principles which are theoretically and empirically defensible and translatable into practical steps for providers, administrators, and policymakers. While there is growing appreciation for the idea that the public health, including behavioral health, consequences of mass trauma events may outlast, indeed outweigh in overall cost, the physical infrastructure damage of such events, there is little evidence of effort to integrate concepts or social, psychological, and behavioral recovery into disaster and mass trauma recovery planning. Failure to address behavioral health and mental illness (pre–existing and new) in our planning means overlooking a critical element of community and individual recovery with long–term implications. The mental health community of direct health care providers, researchers, administrators, and policymakers has in recent years Psychiatry 70(4) Winter 2007 358
A quadratic configuration interaction study of the proton affinity of acetic acid

Abstract Optimized geometries and harmonic vibrational frequencies have been obtained for neutral and protonated acetic acid using quadratic configuration interaction methods. The proton affinity of acetic acid calculated at the QCISD(T)/6-311++G(3df,3pd)//QCISD/6-311+G(2d,2p) level of theory is 187.9±0.7 kcal mol −1 , in excellent agreement with the experimental value of 187.3 kcal mol−1. Thermochemical calculations using the CBS-Q, CBS-QB3, CBS-APNO, G2 and G2(MP2) model chemistries also display excellent agreement with the experimental proton affinity, suggesting that these model chemistries will provide accurate proton affinities for carboxylic acids that are too large to treat with high level ab initio methods.
Airfoil performance degradation by supercooled cloud, drizzle, and rain drop icing

A wind-tunnel test was conducted to determine the performance degradation of a scaled two-dimensional NAC A 23012 airfoil (outboard wing section of the Wyoming King Air 200T) resulting from various liquid hydrometeor sizes. The hydrometeor sizes consisted of cloud, drizzle, and rain drops. The NASA Lewis Research Center's LEWICE 1.6 computer code was used to predict the ice shapes based on natural distributions obtained by the Wyoming King Air. The tests were conducted for angles of attack between —2 and +18 deg. Test results showed a moderate reduction in CLmax for the cloud, drizzle, and rain drop ice shapes; however, the rain drop (or freezing rain) ice shape delayed flow separation when compared to the cloud and drizzle shapes, resulting in a higher angle of attack at stall. Profile drag increased by 5 35% for the cloud drop ice shape, 48-56% for the drizzle ice shape, and 10-42% for the rain ice shape. After a simulated de-icing boot activation, test results showed a 50% reduction in CLmax for the residual drizzle ice shape and 34% reduction for the residual rain ice shape. Profile drag increased by up to 790% for the residual drizzle ice shape and up to 590% for the residual rain ice shape. The residual cloud ice was assumed to be cleared by the de-icing boot activation. These results do not support the current aircraft community belief that freezing rain causes the most severe icing conditions. On the contrary, aircraft encounters with supercooled drizzle, or freezing drizzle, may result in the most severe icing.
Anteroposterior changes in tooth position as determined cephalometrically from gold implants.

Abstract Prior to orthodontic treatment ten patients received three metallic implants in each jaw. The implants were used in accurately superimposing the lateral radiographs. After banding and leveling, measurements made from cephalometric tracings indicated a mean movement of the maxillary central incisors anteriorly 3.5 (± 2.6) mm.; for the molars, the movement was posteriorly 1.6 (± 1.3) mm. The mean movement in the mandible for the central incisors was anteriorly 4.1 (± 1.6) mm.; for the molars, the movement was posteriorly 1.0 (± 0.6) mm.
Yohimbine-induced alterations of monoamine metabolism in the spontaneously hypertensive rat. I. The peripheral nervous system.

Abstract The effects of α 2 adrenoreceptor blockade with YOH on blood pressure, plasma catecholamines and norepinephrine (NE) stores in kidney, adrenal and spleen of spontaneously hypertensive rats of the Okamoto strain (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) control animals were examined. YOH administration resulted in a significant ( p p p 3 H-desmethylimipramine binding) sites ( p 2 -adrenergic antagonist, idazoxan, or the α 1 -antagonist, prazosin, failed to significantly alter renal NE levels from those found after saline injection. The enhanced YOH-induced renal NE depletion in SHR suggests an alteration in the presynaptic control of NE release in the genetically hypertensive rat, however, the effects of YOH in the SHR may be mediated by mechanisms unrelated to α 2 -adrenergic receptors.
Age-related alterations in the activation of heat shock transcription factor 1 in rat hepatocytes.

The induction of hsp70 transcription by heat shock is significantly reduced in hepatocytes isolated from old rats compared to hepatocytes isolated from young/adult rats, and the decline in hsp70 transcription is correlated with a decrease in the induction of heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) binding to the heat shock element. However, the decreased HSF1 binding activity to DNA is not due to reduced levels of HSF1 that are available for activation by heat shock. In fact, the levels of HSF1 are two- to threefold higher in hepatocytes from old rats, and the age-related increase in the levels of HSF1 protein in hepatocytes appears to arise from a decrease in the degradation of the HSF1 because HSF1 mRNA levels do not change and the synthesis of HSF1 decreases approximately 50% with age. No evidence was found for an impairment in HSF1 oligomerization in hepatocytes from old rats, e.g., the level of HSF1 trimers, the nuclear translocation of HSF1, and the phosphorylation of HSF1 after heat shock are similar in hepatocytes isolated from young/adult and old rats. However, the thermostability of the DNA binding activity of HSF1 was significantly reduced with age in a cell-free system as well as in isolated hepatocytes.
Media substitution and economies of scale in advertising

Abstract Two important issues in the economics of advertising are media substitutability in generating sales and scale economies in advertising. If media are substitutes then partial bans, e.g., broadcast bans on cigarettes or alcoholic beverages, may be ineffective; and mergers among radio and TV firms, currently widespread in the U.S. and Mexico, are unlikely to result in market power in setting advertising rates. If there are scale diseconomies in advertising, concerns that advertising increases entry barriers may be unfounded. Using U.S. beer firm data over 1983:Q1–1993:Q4 for three media categories, we find evidence of high substitutability and diseconomies of scale.
Forgetting in retarded and nonretarded persons under conditions of minimal strategy use

Abstract Short-term memory processes of mentally retarded (mild, moderate, and severe) and nonretarded persons were compared in a delayed matching-to-sample task that minimized the use of verbal rehearsal. In addition to trials with delays up to 20 s, the inclusion of trials on which the sample and comparison stimuli occurred simultaneously made it possible to isolate memory and discriminability. Forgetting was most pronounced between the simultaneous and 0-s conditions, and nonretarded subjects forgot less than retarded subjects between these conditions. There were no group differences beyond the 0-s delay. Ease of strategy use failed to account for individual differences, and reported strategy use was not related systematically to performance. These findings are incompatible with the hypothesis that normal-retarded differences occur only on tasks involving effortful cognitive strategies. Differences between nonretarded and retarded groups in this study may be due to a failure in automatic encoding processes in retarded persons.
Dynamics and directional locking of colloids on quasicrystalline substrates

In this paper, long range surface plasmon devices using metallic subwavelength gratings are experimentally demonstrated. Subwavelength gold gratings are fabricated with deep UV interference lithography. Long range surface plasmon device using these subwavelength gold gratings is characterized by measuring the surface plasmon resonance reflectance curve in an attenuated total reflection setup. Surface plasmon resonance curve with approximately ten times narrower angular width than that from long range surface plasmon propagating along metallic thin films has been observed experimentally.
Self-Transcendence: A Resource for Healing at the End of Life

An emerging body of theoretical and empirical knowledge links the concepts of self-transcendence and healing in persons facing end-of-life issues related to aging or life-threatening illness. Self-transcendence is postulated to be a resource for healing in that reaching beyond self-boundaries may lead to a sense of well-being derived from an intensified awareness of wholeness and integration among all dimensions of one's being. This paper proposes a link between self-transcendence and healing, based on clinical and empirical literature. Suggestions for approaches nurses may use to facilitate self-transcendence are included.
The comparative and combined utility of work value and interest data in career counseling with adults

Abstract In the present study, a comparative analysis was performed, the focus of which was prediction of job satisfaction: what is the contribution of work values over and beyond what is available from vocational interests? The comparative and combined analysis was informed by person-environment theoretical formulations and instrumentation from Holland's 1985 theory of careers for interests and from Dawis and Lofquist's 1984 theory of work adjustment for work values. Using work value correspondence and interest congruence as the independent variables obtained 1 year prior to the job satisfaction data, regression analyses were performed, separately for male ( N = 106) and female ( N = 119) client samples. The regression results indicated that: (a) work value correspondence accounted for significant portion of the satisfaction variance (4 to 29%) after controlling for interest congruency, (b) interest congruency was a poorer predictor for males than for females, and (c) moderate relationship between congruency and correspondence found for the female sample was not replicated for males. Implications for the use of interest inventories and work value inventories in vocational counseling were discussed.
Effects of autonomic drugs and of adrenal glands on oxygen poisoning.

Summary1. Adrenal demedullation protected mice against high oxygen pressure (HOP), but not as much as adrenalectomy. Epinephrine partially reversed the protective effect of adrenalectomy, whereas cortisone and adrenal cortex extract could completely abolish the beneficial action of adrenalectomy. These observed facts seem to demonstrate that both the adrenal cortex and medulla have a detrimental effect in HOP, but the cortex has a more important role. 2. With autonomic drugs the following observations were made: (a) Sympathomimetic Drugs. Tryptamine and oxytyramine had a protective action, whereas epinephrine and norepinephrine had a detrimental influence. (b) Sympatholytic Drugs. Dibenzyline by itself had a protective effect and counteracted the detrimental effects of epinephrine and norepinephrine, (c) Parasympathomimetic Drugs. Doryl and Mecholyl Chloride bestowed a significant protection, (d) Parasympatholytic Drugs. Atropine by itself decreased the survival time of mice exposed to 6 atmospheres of ox...
Synthesis of the Azaspiracid-1 Trioxadispiroketal

The de novo analysis, design, and synthesis of the azaspiracid-1 trioxadispiroketal system is described. A revised structural model was developed on the basis of an independent analysis of the NMR spectral data of the natural product that fit all of the data and the thermodynamically favored spiroketal paradigm. This model was then tested via synthesis using a novel trioxadispiroketalization process and supported by spectroscopic correlation.
Ledge configurations on alkali halide surfaces evaporated in an electrostatic field

Abstract The ledge structure of alkali halide crystals evaporated in the presence of an external field was investigated over the range 613–733 K. The application of a field along 〈100〉 during evaporation resulted in a significant increase in the relative concentration of screw-related lamella on vacuum cleaved (100) surfaces of NaCl. In addition, the presence of a field was found to enhance the nucleation of disc-shaped holes (DSH) between evaporation ledges on (100) surfaces. The application of the field along 〈110〉 resulted in a marked increase in ledge length along this orientation for square spirals and a roughening of portions of concentric loops related to this direction. Evidence for ledge skewing was observed on crystals which were cut at angle from (100) toward the (111) plane and were subsequently evaporated in the presence of a field. The field had no apparent effect on the morphology of Ca-doped KCl crystals. These observations are interpreted in terms of a surface charge concept consistent with the terrace-ledge-kink theory of evaporation.
A class of zero-birefrngent polymers

A class of photoelastically insensitive materials consisting of a blend of rigid and flexible polyesters is described. The mechanical and optical response of these polymers is viscoelastic in character. For a wide range of the compositions, the birefringence changes from positive to negative under constant load or constant displacement. The influence of composition, time under load, and principal stress difference on the birefringence is studied. Isochromatic-fringe development in a diametrally loaded disk shows that a major region of the stressed body becomes optically insensitive after a reasonable period of time under load and remains insensitive for a time sufficiently large for associated photoelastic operations. A typical operating-time band is presented during which the optical response of a model characterized by the fringe order per unit thickness is reasonably small. It appears that this class of photoelastically insensitive materials can be employed to produce composite models with glass-fiber reinforcements. Compared to other zero-birefringent polymers, the present material has the advantage of easier processing (casting and curing), improved adhesion to glass fibers and closer matching of the refractive index with that of glass.
α2–Plasmin Inhibitor - Plasmin Complexes in Normal and Hypertensive Pregnancy

The role of plasminogen activation in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia was studied using a sensitive enzyme-linked differential immunosorbent assay to quantify α2 -plasmin inhibitor-plasmin complexes (PIP). 21 women were studied serially during pregnancy. Pregnancy was characterized by a sustained depression of PIP (P<006) lasting throughout the third trimester. No differences were found between normal pregnancies and pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia for any period of gestation. PIP levels obtained immediately prior to labor and delivery did not distinguish pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia from normal pregnancies. Regardless of the diagnosis or method of delivery, after delivery, all women had a marked rise in PIP levels within the first post-partum week (P<.001). We conclude that systemic activation of plasminogen is not central to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia and that PIP would not be useful as a predictor of impending preeclampsia. The rapid rise of PIP in the immediate post-partum pe...
Loss of macroautophagy promotes or prevents fibroblast apoptosis depending on the death stimulus.

Macroautophagy has been implicated as a mechanism of cell death. However, the relationship between this degradative pathway and cell death is unclear as macroautophagy has been shown recently to protect against apoptosis. To better define the interplay between these two critical cellular processes, we determined whether inhibition of macroautophagy could have both pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic effects in the same cell. Embryonic fibroblasts from mice with a knock-out of the essential macroautophagy gene atg5 were treated with activators of the extrinsic and intrinsic death pathways. Loss of macroautophagy sensitized these cells to caspase-dependent apoptosis from the death receptor ligands Fas and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Atg5-/- mouse embryonic fibroblasts had increased activation of the mitochondrial death pathway in response to Fas/TNF-α in concert with decreased ATP levels. Fas/TNF-α treatment failed to up-regulate macroautophagy, and in fact, decreased activity at late time points. In contrast to their sensitization to Fas/TNF-α, Atg5-/- cells were resistant to death from menadione and UV light. In the absence of macroautophagy, an up-regulation of chaperone-mediated autophagy induced resistance to these stressors. These results demonstrate that inhibition of macroautophagy can promote or prevent apoptosis in the same cell and that the response is governed by the nature of the death stimulus and compensatory changes in other forms of autophagy. Experimental findings that an inhibition of macroautophagy blocks apoptosis do not prove that autophagy mediates cell death as this effect may result from the protective up-regulation of other autophagic pathways such as chaperone-mediated autophagy.
Constructing the Marathon Nation: US Perspectives on Korean National Identity from the 1930s to the 1950s

From the 1930s through the 1950s, Americans read Korean national identity through the prism of marathons. At the 1936 Olympics, Koreans running as conscripts for Japan won gold and bronze medals in the marathon, sparking outbreaks of Korean nationalism and creating a global image of the marathon as Korea's national sport. As Korea emerged from the Second World War divided into US and Soviet protectorates, Koreans from American-occupied South Korea starred in the Boston Marathon, reinforcing the image of Korea as the ‘marathon nation'. Koreans won the 1947 and 1950 Boston Marathons as American audiences cheered and interpreted Korean endurance prowess as a product of US imperial benevolence. In 1951, however, during the Korean War, a different interpretation emerged. Americans barred Koreans from the Boston Marathon after reports that a group of Korean soldiers had trained for the marathon rather than serving in combat with their US allies.
Tofacitinib for rheumatoid arthritis

Authors' objectives This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows:To evaluate the benefits and harms of tofacitinib for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.Our PICO question is as follows:Population: Adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Intervention: Tofacitinib alone or combined with any DMARD.Comparison: Placebo or DMARD.Outcomes: Efficacy, radiographic, patient-reported and safety outcomes. US:http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010476/abstract
School Truancy and the Disciplinary Problems of Bullying Victims.

This study describes the truancy and disciplinary problems of high school bullying victims in the USA. Analyses are based on data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002, a nationally repre...
An educational intervention to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia in an integrated health system: a comparison of effects.

Study objectives To determine whether an educational initiative could decrease rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia in a regional health-care system. Setting Two teaching hospitals (one adult, one pediatric) and two community hospitals in an integrated health system. Design Preintervention and postintervention observational study. Patients Patients admitted to the four participating hospitals between January 1, 1999, and June 30, 2002, who acquired ventilator-associated pneumonia. Intervention An educational program for respiratory care practitioners and ICU nurses emphasizing correct practices for the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia. The program included a self-study module on risk factors for, and strategies to prevent, ventilator-associated pneumonia and education-based in-services. Fact sheets and posters reinforcing the information were posted throughout the ICU and respiratory care departments. Measurements and results Completion rates for the module were calculated by job title at each hospital. Rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia per 1,000 ventilator days were calculated for all hospitals combined and for each hospital separately. Overall 635 of 792 ICU nurses (80.1%) and 215 of 239 respiratory therapists (89.9%) completed the study module. There were 874 episodes of ventilator-associated pneumonia at the four hospitals during the 3.5-year study period out of 129,527 ventilator days. Ventilator-associated pneumonia rates for all four hospitals combined dropped by 46%, from 8.75/1,000 ventilator days in the year prior to the intervention to 4.74/1,000 ventilator days in the 18 months following the intervention (p Conclusions Educational interventions can be associated with decreased rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia in the ICU setting. The involvement of respiratory therapy staff in addition to ICU nurses is important for the success of educational programs aimed at the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia.
Automated system for collecting multiple, sequential samples from soil water percolation samplers under continuous vacuum

Abstract Manually collecting a series of sequential, discrete water samples from soil water percolation samplers, or similar devices that withdraw water from unsaturated porous media under continuous vacuum, is a logistical challenge, though the resulting collection can provide valuable information on the dynamics present in both laboratory and field studies. This article describes a sequential tension autosampler (STAS) that executes such sampling automatically. The STAS operates on 12 volts direct current (VDC) and can be adapted for laboratory and field applications. A data logger was programmed to operate a series of solenoid valves, which direct soil water collected under tension to seven individual collection bottles. The number of sequential samples, sample period, start time, and between‐sample interval are specified by the user. The operator only need to attend the system periodically to transfer water samples to storage vials and program the next sampling sequence. In a laboratory study, the app...
CHANGES IN SHELL MORPHOLOGY OF ELIMIA COMALENSIS (GASTROPODA: PLEUROCERIDAE) FROM THE EDWARDS PLATEAU, TEXAS

Species in the pleurocerid genus Elimia are important components of freshwater systems in the eastern United States, but little is known about their natural history. Using dual-simultaneous linear regression and principal components analyses, we show patterns of morphological change in two populations of E. comalensis from the Edwards Plateau, Texas. Both populations had similar rates of change for all shell measurements analyzed, and both showed similar decreases in growth as total length of shell increased. However, the size at which growth slowed was different between populations, and small shells tended to have a consistent shape, while larger shells were more variable. RESUMEN—Aunque las especies del genero Elimia son componentes importantes de los sistemas de agua dulce del este de los Estados Unidos, se sabe poco de su historia natural. Usando dos analisis, uno de regresion linear dual simultanea y otro de componentes principales, mostramos patrones de cambio morfologico en dos poblaciones de E. comalensis del Edwards Plateau, Texas. Las dos tuvieron tazas de cambios similares para todas las medidas de conchas analizadas y las dos tuvieron disminuciones similares en el crecimiento mientras la longitud total de concha aumentaba. Sin embargo, el tamano al que el crecimiento disminuyofue diferente entre las poblaciones y las conchas pequenas tendieron a tener una forma consistente y las conchas mas grandes fueron mas variables.
Family physician attitudes in managing obesity: a cross-sectional survey study

Obesity is epidemic in primary care. While family physicians care for the consequences of obesity, they do not generally feel confident managing obesity itself. We examined the barriers to obesity management in a sample of family physicians in a primary care practice-based research network (PBRN). 204 family physicians were invited to respond to a survey on physician beliefs about obese patients and causes of obesity. A total of 75 physicians responded to the survey. Responses were factor analyzed using standard techniques. Comments were sorted into ranked themes by the investigators. The results show systemic barriers to obesity management. Seven general factors were identified, with some discrepancy seen in the role of "psychobehavioral causation" between rural and non-rural physicians. Themes derived from the comments reflected frustration with the resources and structure of current primary care systems to be able to deal with obesity. Our pilot survey suggests that differences in beliefs regarding the causes of obesity may exist between rural and non-rural physicians. Further research in larger, more diverse samples is necessary to further illuminate practice differences. More comprehensive approaches to obesity management, like the Chronic Care Model, are suggested by these results.
Separation of three common hover fly predators of woolly apple aphid based on the exochorionic sculpturing of eggs

The woolly apple aphid, Eriosoma lanigerum (Hausmann, 1802) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a cosmopolitan, indirect pest of cultivated apple, Malus domestica (Borkh.) (Rosaceae), (Baker 1915) that can colonize both the roots and arboreal portions of trees and adversely affect the growth, vigor, and productivity of the host (Weber and Brown 1988; Brown and Schmitt 1990; Brown et al. 1991, 1995). Historically, the solitary endoparasitoid Aphelinus mali (Haldeman, 1851) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) has been considered the most important biological control agent for E. lanigerum in many, but not all, apple-growing regions (Yothers 1953; Nicholas 2000). The role of arthropod predators in regulating woolly apple aphid populations, particularly early in the growing season, has long been recognized (Dumbleton and Jeffreys 1938; Bodenheimer 1947; Nicholas 2000; Mols and Boers 2001) but has not been adequately addressed (Asante 1997).
Immigration and Integration: Perceptions of Community Policing Among Members of Six Ethnic Communities in Central Queens, New York City

There is some evidence, based on past research, that community policing has not been as successful (in terms of awareness, participation, and impact) in Black and Latino communities as in White com...
Vegetation patterns 25 years after the eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington, USA

In 2004, we surveyed the vegetation on Mount St. Helens to document changes since 1992. We asked how communities differentiate and if they develop predictable relationships with local environments. We sought evidence from links between species and environment and changes in community structure in 271 250-m(2) plots. The habitats of the seven community types (CTs) overlapped broadly. Ordination methods demonstrated weak correlations among species distributions and location, elevation, and surface variables. Comparisons to 1992 by habitat demonstrated a large increase in plant cover and substantial development of vegetation structure. Pioneer species declined while mosses increased proportionately leading to more pronounced dominance hierarchies in most habitats. In Lupinus colonies, dominance declined, and diversity increased due to the increased abundance of formerly rare species. On once barren sites, dominance increased, but diversity changed slightly, which suggested the incipient development of competitive hierarchies. Weak correlations between vegetation and the environment suggested that initially stochastic establishment patterns had not yet been erased by deterministic factors. A vegetation mosaic that is loosely controlled by environmental factors may produce different successional trajectories that lead to alternative stable communities in similar habitats. This result has implications for restoration planning.
Bis[μ-2-(1H-imidazol-2-yl)phenolato]bis­[chloro­methano­lcopper(II)]

In the title complex, [Cu2(C9H7N2O)2Cl2(CH4O)2], the two copper(II) ions are bridged by phenolate O atoms. Each Cu is further coordinated by one imidazole N atom, one chloride ion and a methanol mol­ecule. The metal ions adopt a distorted square-pyramidal geometry. A crystallographic twofold rotation axis passes through the mid-point of the Cu⋯Cu vector.
Ipsilesional trajectory control is related to contralesional arm paralysis after left hemisphere damage

We have recently shown ipsilateral dynamic deficits in trajectory control are present in left hemisphere damaged (LHD) patients with paresis, as evidenced by impaired modulation of torque amplitude as response amplitude increases. The purpose of the current study is to determine if these ipsilateral deficits are more common with contralateral hemiparesis and greater damage to the motor system, as evidenced by structural imaging. Three groups of right-handed subjects (healthy controls, LHD stroke patients with and without upper extremity paresis) performed single-joint elbow movements of varying amplitudes with their left arm in the left hemispace. Only the paretic group demonstrated dynamic deficits characterized by decreased modulation of peak torque (reflected by peak acceleration changes) as response amplitude increased. These results could not be attributed to lesion volume or peak velocity as neither variable differed across the groups. However, the paretic group had damage to a larger number of areas within the motor system than the non-paretic group suggesting that such damage increases the probability of ipsilesional deficits in dynamic control for modulating torque amplitude after left hemisphere damage.
An Overview of the Columbia Basin Climate Change Scenarios Project: Approach, Methods, and Summary of Key Results

The Columbia Basin Climate Change Scenarios Project (CBCCSP) was conceived as a comprehensive hydrologic database to support climate change planning, impacts assessment, and adaptation in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) by a diverse user community with varying technical capacity over a wide range of spatial scales. The study has constructed a state-of-the-art, end-to-end data processing sequence from “raw” climate model output to a suite of hydrologic modelling products that are served to the user community from a web-accessible database. A calibrated 1/16 degree latitude-longitude resolution implementation of the VIC hydrologic model over the Columbia River basin was used to produce historical simulations and 77 future hydrologic projections associated with three different statistical downscaling methods and three future time periods (2020s, 2040s, and 2080s). Key products from the study include summary data for about 300 river locations in the PNW and monthly Geographic Information System products for 21 hy...