cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Risk factors for seizures after intracerebral hemorrhage: Ethnic/Racial Variations of Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ERICH) Study.

Abstract Objective We aimed to identify risk factors for seizures after intracerebral hemorrhage, and to validate the prognostic value of the previously reported CAVE score (0–4 points: cortical involvement, age 10 mL, and early seizures within 7 days of hemorrhage). Patients and methods Ethnic/Racial Variations of Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ERICH) was a prospective study of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. We included patients who did not have a prior history of seizure and survived to discharge. Univariate analysis and multiple logistic regression modeling were used to identify risk factors for seizure. Results From 2010–2015, 3000 cases were recruited, and 2507 patients were included in this study. Seizures after hospital discharge developed in 77 patients 3.1 %). Patients with lobar (cortical) hemorrhage (OR 3.0, 95 % CI 1.8–5.0), larger hematoma volume (OR 1.5 per cm3, 95 % CI 1.2–2.0), and surgical evacuation of hematoma (OR 2.6, 95 % CI 1.4–4.8) had a higher risk of late seizure, and older patients had a lower risk (OR 0.88 per 5-year interval increase, 95 % CI 0.81–0.95). The CAVE score was highly associated with seizure development (OR 2.5 per unit score increase, 95 % CI 2.0–3.2, p Conclusions Lobar hemorrhage, larger hematoma volume, younger age, and surgical evacuation are strongly associated with the development of seizures. We validated the CAVE score in a multi-ethnic population, and found the CAVS score to have similar predictive value while representing the current practice of AED use.
Diabetes, mental health, and utilization of mental health professionals among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander adults

National reports of diabetes and mental health for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) are high, yet mental health professional access is low. We used multiple logistic regression to analy...
A Bandwidth-Efficient Secure Authentication Module for Smart Grid DNP3 Protocol

DNP3 is one of the oldest and widely used communication protocols for smart power grid, which has been upgraded to DNP3 Secure Authentication (SA) to address the increasing security needs of power grid applications. However, in practice, such upgrade was only deployed for critical operations due to its major overhead while non-critical operations are still not protected. Nevertheless, with the ongoing transformations in power grid, the underlying infrastructure is no longer isolated and needs to support a wide variety of applications. Consequently, this transformation requires applying DNP3-SA for all operations, whether they are critical or not. This requirement creates additional challenges since it will reduce network bandwidth availability by causing additional overhead on communication links especially if the underlying infrastructure is legacy. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a revision for DNP3-SA module to eliminate such overhead concerns on the bandwidth due to security operations. Specifically, we introduce a new authentication module that utilizes dynamic key-generation schemes to support mutual authentication for DNP3 in 0-Round Trip Time (RTT) and provides replay-attack prevention. The evaluation on a realistic low-bandwidth wireless LoRa testbed shows that the proposed extensions improve the security of DNP3-SA while significantly decreasing the message overhead of currently used authentication module. Thus, it is suitable for ongoing power grid transformation and supports evolving security needs.
'Essential and undervalued: health disparities of African American women in the COVID-19 era'.

Transforming the landscape of American healthcare, COVID-19 has had unprecedented effects on the African American community. African Americans are more likely to contract COVID-19, develop complica...
Liver Disease is Associated with Increased Mortality and Major Morbidity After Infra-Inguinal Bypass but not After Endovascular Intervention

Objective Liver disease increases mortality after abdominal surgery, including endovascular aortic aneurysm repair. However, its effect on mortality and morbidity after endovascular and open management of peripheral vascular disease has not been widely evaluated. Methods The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program was used to evaluate patients undergoing infra-inguinal bypass and endovascular intervention (2005 – 2016). Aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio (APRI score) is a non-invasive tool recommended by the World Health Organisation to identify liver disease and was calculated for all patients. A ratio of > 0.5 was used to identify patients with liver fibrosis. Demographics, comorbidities, and 30 day outcomes were evaluated for patients with and without liver fibrosis. A subgroup analysis was completed in patients with APRI scores > 0.5, to evaluate the effect of increasing Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores on outcomes. Multivariable regression was used to account for differences in baseline factors. Results In total, 17 603 patients underwent infra-inguinal bypasses. Fibrosis was associated with higher mortality (3.8% vs. 2.4%; p 15 but not after endovascular intervention. Conclusion Liver fibrosis was associated with higher 30 day mortality and major complications after infra-inguinal bypass, with outcomes worsening as MELD scores increased. Surgeons may consider an endovascular first approach in managing peripheral arterial disease among those with liver fibrosis.
Radiosynthesis and initial in vitro evaluations of [18F]KBM-1 as a potential RAR-α imaging agent

1077 Objectives Retinoic acid receptor (RAR-α) plays an important role in amyloid plaque formation in Alzheimer9s Disease(AD) patients. It has been shown in some animal models that AD can be induced via retinoic acid dysregulation, which is manifested by RAR-α down-regulation. We therefore radiolabeled a novel boron-containing derivative of the RAR-α specific agonist that has been confirmed to bind RAR-α with high affinity and exhibit less cellular toxicity than known RAR agonists, Am580 and ATRA. In this study, we report the radiochemical synthesis of [18F]KBM-1 for the first time, using ArBF3-/KHF2 chemistry and demonstrate its initial in vitro binding. Methods The radiochemical synthesis of [18F]KBM-1 was carried out by formation of [18F]fluoride pendant arylboronic ester through KHF2 assisted substitution of [18F]- with corresponding p-ArBF3 at 40 °C for 180 min. In vitro cell uptake assay was performed on human tumor cell line that expresses RARα with and without unlabeled blocking agent to evaluate the specificity and binding efficiency of [18F]KBM-1. The data was expressed as %ID/mg of protein present in each well with p values ≤ .05 considered statistically significant. Results [18F]KBM-1 was synthesized with high radiochemical purity (>98%) and specific activity ~3000 mCi/µmol (decay corrected to EOS). [18F]KBM-1 was produced in 13% decay corrected radiochemical yield (n>10) in a total synthesis and formulation time of 3.0 h. From the in vitro cell uptake assay results, the uptake of [18F]KBM-1 was inhibited by blockade ~50%, 34% and 35% after 5, 15 and 60 min of incubation times respectively. Conclusions [18F]KBM-1 was synthesized for the first time using the ArBF3-/KHF2 chemistry with high radiochemical purity and specific activity. The in vitro cell uptake assay indicate that [18F]KBM-1 has the potential to serve as a RAR-α imaging agent with further in vivo studies.
Associations between rice consumption, arsenic metabolism, and insulin resistance in adults without diabetes.

Abstract Rice consumption is an important source of arsenic exposure. Little has known about the impact of rice consumption on arsenic metabolism, which is related to insulin resistance. In this study, we examined the associations between rice consumption and arsenic metabolism, and between arsenic metabolism and insulin resistance in non-diabetic U.S adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2016. Rice consumer was defined as ≥0.25 cups of cooked rice/day. HOMA2-IR was calculated using HOMA2 Calculator software based on participant's fasting glucose and insulin values. Urinary arsenic concentrations below limits of detection were imputed first, and then arsenic metabolism (the proportions of inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsonate (MMA), and dimethylarsinate (DMA) to their sum) were calculated (expressed as iAs%, MMA%, and DMA%). Using the leave-one-out approach, rice consumers compared with non-consumers had a 1.71% (95% CI: 1.12%, 2.29%) higher DMA% and lower MMA% when iAs% fixed; a 1.55% (95% CI: 0.45%, 2.66%) higher DMA% and lower iAs% when MMA% fixed; and a 1.62% (95% CI: 0.95%, 2.28%) higher iAs% and lower MMA% when DMA% fixed, in multivariable adjustment models. With every 10% decrease in MMA%, the geometric mean ratio of HOMA2-IR was 1.06 (95% CI: 1.03,1.08) and 1.05 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.09) when DMA% and iAs% was fixed, respectively; however, the associations were attenuated after adjusting for body mass index. In stratified analysis, we found that lower MMA% was associated with higher HOMA2-IR in participants with obesity: a 10% increase in iAs% with a 10% decrease in MMA% was associated with higher HOMA2-IR with the geometric mean ratio of 1.05 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.09). Our findings suggest that rice consumption may contribute to lower MMA% that was further associated with higher insulin resistance, especially in individuals with obesity. Future prospective studies are needed to confirm our results in different populations.
Note on Exact and Asymptotic Distributions of the Parameters of the Loop-Erased Random Walk on the Complete Graph

We study the loop-erased random walk algorithm for generating a random spanning tree of the complete graph on n vertices. The number of moves is shown to be distributed as n − 2 plus G1/n, a Geometric with expectation n. The lengths of the paths (branches) that are added to a subtree are jointly distributed as the consecutive waiting times for heads in a sequence of time-biased, but independent, coin flips. As a corollary, the subtree size is shown to grow, with high probability, at the rate (rn)1/2, r being the number of branches added. The lengths of the largest path and the largest loop are shown to scale with n1/2 and (n log n)1/2; the limiting distributions are obtained as well.
Eckardt Loci on Hypersurfaces

We compute the dimensions and cohomology classes of the loci on a general hypersurface where the second fundamental form has rank at most r. We also determine the number of hypersurfaces in a general pencil in ℙ n , with , that contain a point where the second fundamental form has rank n − 1 − q. These results generalize many classical formulae.
Sociological Theories of Disability, Gender, and Sexuality: A Review of the Literature

This literature review explores sociological theories of disability, gender, and sexuality. Though research on the intersection of disability, gender, and sexuality is limited, theories of disability that incorporate discussions of gender and sexuality can be identified and used for this analysis. These theories are organized in the following categories: social constructionist theory, feminist and gender theory, queer theory, and resistance theory. The review concludes with implications for expanding our understanding of human behavior and the social environment.
Particle Swarm Trained Neural Network for Fault Diagnosis of Transformers by Acoustic Emission

A top-down experimental procedure for defect type recognition of epoxy-resin transformers by Partial Discharge (PD) is proposed. Most of the PD detection methods could be performed only at the shutdown period of equipments. By using Acoustic Emission (AE), the real-time and online detection could be reachable. Therefore, this paper conducted high voltage test of pre-faulty transformers and measured those PD signals for recognition needed. Afterward, the selected features that proposed in this paper can be extracted from these collected PD signals. According to these features, effective identification of their faulty types can be done using the proposed particle swarm optimization combined with neural network. Finally, with a view to apply in field, this research adds different noise levels to distort the original data. These distorted data are entered for subsequent testing. Research shows encouraging results that with 30% noise per discharge count, an 80% successful recognition rate can be achieved.
Treatment strategy profiles in substance use disorder treatment programs: A latent class analysis

Background Modern treatment options for substance use disorder are diverse. While studies have analyzed the adoption of individual evidence-based practices in treatment centers, little is known about the specific make-up of treatment strategy profiles in treatment centers throughout the United States. The current study used latent class analysis to profile underlying treatment strategies and to evaluate philosophical and structural supports associated with each profile.
Godardiana: A Reply to Marcia Landy

Marcia Landy \'Godard: Thinking Media\' _Film-Philosophy_, vol. 6 no. 30, September 2002
Large-Scale Cryopumping for Controlled Fusion

Cryogenics has always been an important part of fusion research technology. The necessity of cryogenically cooled superconducting magnets for fusion reactors is well recognized. Fusion research requires the attainment and maintenance of high vacua, since cold background gas and the presence of impurities are highly unfavorable to the maintenance of high-temperature plasma. Historically, cryogenics has played an important part in the development of vacuum technology, and vice versa.
Ceramic Matrix Composites: CVI (Chemical Vapor Infiltration)

The principles of chemical vapor infiltration are described for carbon and silicon carbide infiltration. The preparation of fiber preforms including the necessary fiber treatment before infiltration is discussed and outlined in a discussion about the fracture toughness of ceramic matrix composites. The materials are presented with respect to porosity, strength data, thermal and electrical conductivity, corrosion, and tribology. Concise statements about the development status for space applications and the successful application in slide bearings are made. Keywords: chemical vapor infiltration; carbon–carbon; methyl-trichloro-silane; fracture toughness; crack resistance; stress intensity factor; fiber preform; low cycle fatigue; oxidation protection; friction coefficient; space vehicles; slide bearings; journal bearings; ceramic matrix composites; tribology
Use of Crushed Limestone to Neutralize Acid Wastes

To provide for the rational design of limestone neutralization processes, the kinetics of the chemical reactions involved were evaluated by experiment, and an analysis made of the chemical and physical boundary conditions that control the extent to which the reactions are completed. The rate limiting reactions are the attack of limestone by hydrogen ions, and the exsolution of carbon dioxide which is thereby generated; the latter reaction has an increasing effect on process effciency above pH 5. Rate constants for the limiting reactions were evaluated each as a function of temperature, ionic strength, water turbulence, and for the first reaction bicarbonate ion concentration, which catalyzes the attack of limestone by hydrogen ions. A mathematical model of limestone neutralization processes was simplified to obtain a graphical procedure for the process design for neutralization. These graphs indicate the quantity of crushed limestone of given size that is required to neutralize a specified flow of acid waste from the initial pH to the required final pH.
Managing Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea, cessation of breathing during sleep, is potentially life threatening and requires prompt intervention. A prosthesis can reposition the mandible during sleep and minimize or prevent the tongue from collapsing against the pharynx. Two case reports discuss the effectiveness of prosthetic devices.
Middleborns' Perceptions of Family Relationships:

Responses of 657 college students of both sexes to questions about family relationships showed significant differences between 185 middleborn children and 472 children in other birth order positions. These differences support findings of prior studies of adolescents and children, suggesting that middleborns feel less parental support than other children. A significantly higher percent of middleborn students indicated that they received no parental assistance with their college expenses. Middleborns were less likely to indicate having a close relationship with their parents, less likely to indicate frequent telephone calls home, and more likely to indicate brother or sister (rather than parent) as having difficulty adjusting to their absence.
The child as a projectile

Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death in children under the age of fourteen. The majority of these injuries/deaths occur when the child becomes airborne during an accident. The most common mechanisms by which children become airborne are motor vehicle collisions, bicycling accidents, and falls. A head injury is seen in a significant number of children in this setting. This includes injury to the scalp, skull, coverings of the brain, or the brain itself. These injuries are the most common cause of death in children resulting from unintentional injury. Other typical injuries include external bruises and abrasions, extremity fractures, and bruising or bleeding of internal organs. We propose to name this constellation of injuries the projectile child syndrome. This refers to those injuries occurring in infants and children as a result of becoming airborne during the events of an accident. The pattern of injuries seen as related to the anatomy of the child is stressed. A review of the impact to society and guidelines for prevention are presented. Language: en
Relative Dielectric Permittivity And Resting Membrane Potential In Living Cells Suspensions: An Experimental Approach

We present a method to obtain the resting membrane potential (ΔΨ) from the dielectric behavior of a suspension of living cells by the use of dielectric spectroscopy. Since cells behave as conducting particles surrounded by low-conducting shells with surface charge densities, we can apply this technique to record the dielectric permittivity e and conductivity σ of the suspension as a function of frequency. A previous theoretical model has correlated the relative dielectric permittivity e of the suspension with resting membrane potential in the very low radio frequency regime (alpha). We use this model with our experimental results to obtain ΔΨ for bacteria (E.Coli K12) and mammalian cell suspensions from HEK293-hERG line. We compare our value for ΔΨ and its changes with the traditional methods-voltage sensitive dyes and patch clamping. For E. Coli measurements, resting membrane potential is changed by KCl addition to the suspension bath. As for mammalian cells, ΔΨ changes are triggered by the use of various pharmaceutical compounds that act as HERG K+ channel blockers and IC50 values are computed for each compound.Precise measurements of the dielectric permittivity e and conductivity σ of live cells suspensions in the alpha frequency regime require prior elimination of the polarization errors. Polarization errors are caused by the ionic content of a buffer, and they affect the total impedance in the low frequency interval. We hereby present our approach of measure the polarization impedance then remove it by fitting both real and imaginary experimental curves with an ideal impedance Z=d/iωe∗S, where e∗=e+1/iωσ.
Adaptive finite difference methods for liquid membranes

A domain-adaptive technique and an iterative, block bidiagonal method are used to analyse the unsteady dynamics of annular liquid membranes subject to fluctuations in the mass injected into the volume enclosed by the membranes. The domain-adaptive technique maps the unknown, time-dependent, curvilinear geometry of the liquid membrane into a unit interval. The condition that the membrane's radius is zero at the convergence point is used to determine the convergence length, which is governed by an ordinary differential equation. This equation is solved iteratively together with those which govern the fluid dynamics equations. A block bidiagonal technique is used to determine the mass per unit length, radius, and axial and radial velocity components of the membrane. It is shown that the pressure of the gases enclosed by the liquid membrane responds instantaneously to changes in and exhibits the same periodic behaviour as the mass injection rate. The convergence length takes a delay time to respond to the mass injection rate fluctuations. The magnitude of this delay time increases as the Froude and Weber numbers and the nozzle exit angle are increased. The amplitude of the oscillations of both the convergence length and the pressure coefficient increases as the pressure difference across the membrane and the amplitude of the mass injection rate fluctuations are increased.
DISPERSIVE MODELS FOR THE FINITE-DIFFERENCE TIME-DOMAIN METHOD : DESIGN, ANALYSIS, AND IMPLEMENTATION

Digital signal processing techniques are used to design, analyze, and implement discrete models of polarization dispersion in finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. These methods are warranted by the extreme importance of dispersion to the propagation behavior of femtosecond-duration optical pulses. Input-invariant and frequency-approximation methods of designing discrete analogs of continuous-time dispersive electromagnetic systems are presented. Our methods are shown to unify existing design techniques. The inherent accuracy of each dispersive design is quantified by truncation error and frequency response methods, and stability analysis of the total FDTD system is found through root locus techniques. Implementation of the design is accomplished by algebraic manipulation of the system function in the frequency domain, resulting in canonical, partial fraction, or cascade structures that minimize the number of stored variables and provide a trade-off between efficiency and sensitivity to finite precision.
Fluorescence mapping of afferent topography in three dimensions

Neural circuits are organized into complex topographic maps. Although several neuroanatomical and genetic tools are available for studying circuit architecture, a limited number of methods exist for reliably revealing the global patterning of multiple topographic projections. Here we used wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) conjugated to Alexa 555 and 488 for dual color fluorescent mapping of parasagittal spinocerebellar topography in three dimensions. Using tissue section and wholemount imaging we show that WGA-Alexa tracers have three main characteristics that make them ideal tools for analyses of neural projection topography. First, the intense brightness of Alexa fluorophores allows multi-color imaging of patterned afferent projections in wholemount preparations. Second, WGA-Alexa tracers robustly label the entire trajectory of developing and adult projections. Third, long tracts such as the adult spinocerebellar tract can be traced in less than 6 h. Moreover, using WGA-Alexa tracers we resolved a level of complexity in the compartmentalized topography of the spinocerebellar projection map that has never before been appreciated. In summary, we introduce versatile tracers for rapidly labeling multiple topographic projections in three dimensions and uncover wiring complexities in the spinocerebellar map.
Economic Depreciation of Residential Real Estate: Microlevel Space and Time Analysis

Three elements in the study of real estate depreciation that warrant further consideration are uncovered: the spatial variation of depreciation on a micro scale, the variability of depreciation within a single market across time and the recognition of land value as an influence in modeling real property prices. Taken together, these three dimensions provide an opportunity to further expand the understanding of residential economic depreciation while enhancing the predictive power of real estate market models. The analytical results, utilizing a land-value-adjusted hedonic model, indicate that both the intramarket location and the year in which the property sold have significant impacts on the observed rate of economic depreciation. Such information is vitally important to policymakers and others interested in accurate modeling of real estate markets.
Trust in engineering teams and groups and virtual facilitation methods

This paper presents two related studies the first explores the typical recurring dysfunction engineering student teams face and the second evaluates the effectiveness of a virtual facilitator called the Droid Communication System (DCS) in training such teams to address the dysfunction. Using Patrick Lencioni's Theory of Five Dysfunctions of a Team this study first measured for the following: absence of trust fear of conflict lack of commitment avoidance of accountability and inattention to results. Then a virtual trust-building vignette was developed and loaded onto Droid phones to guide students to potential solutions. The studies' findings indicate that absence of trust seems to be a significant problem for engineering student teams and that 42% of participants indicate that the DCS process increased their confidence in communicating and interacting with their teams. The development of the vignettes and experimental evaluation can provide a model for future research on engineering education and on student team development.
Catching the ‘Shanghai Spirit’: How the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Promotes Authoritarian Norms in Central Asia

Abstract This article examines how the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) seeks to undermine democratisation in Central Asia. Prior studies of the interplay between international organisations and democracy have tended to examine only one half of this relationship: whether, how, and under what circumstances do international organisations promote democracy? However, the opposite has been largely ignored: how do international organisations sustain autocracy? Authoritarian governments are increasingly adopting policies aimed at preserving their political power and the SCO represents an additional strategy in this regard: utilising multilateral cooperation to defend themselves against regional or global democratic trends. As such, the ‘Shanghai Spirit’ may be a sign of things to come as autocratic leaders become more bold in their rejection of democratic norms.
Evolving physician perception of world wide web education 2007 update and review of the literature.

As a profession driven by technologic advancement, medicine was destined to embrace the Internet. Progressive growth in availability and speed has increased Internet utilization in research, practice, and education. This review focuses on the use of the World Wide Web (Web) for education by practicing physicians. Particularly in radiology, where workloads are increasing, the Web represents a readily available educational resource for physicians with limited time. However, survey data from 2005 revealed that traditional educational resources are preferred by radiologists for both information retrieval and continuing medical education (CME) (1). Accordingly, we sought to evaluate patterns of internet utilization for information seeking and use of web-based resources for CME over time, in an attempt to delineate how Web-based educational programs can best serve physicians.
Absence of neurological deficits following extensive demyelination in a class I-deficient murine model of multiple sclerosis

Demyelination alone has been considered sufficient for development of neurological deficits following central nervous system (CNS) disease. However, extensive demyelination is not always associated with clinical deficits in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), the most common primary demyelinating disease in humans. We used the Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus model of demyelination to investigate the role of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and class II gene products in the development of functional and neurophysiological deficits following demyelination. We measured spontaneous clinical activity by two independent assays and recorded hind-limb motor-evoked potentials in infected class I-deficient and class II-deficient mice of an identical genetic background as well as in highly susceptible SJL/J mice. The results show that despite a similar distribution and extent of demyelinated lesions in all mice, only class I-deficient mice were functionally normal. We propose that the mechanism by which demyelinated class I-deficient mice maintain neurologic function results from increased sodium channel densities and the relative preservation of axons. These findings are the first to implicate a role for MHC class I in the development of neurological deficits following demyelination.
Weight loss and mortality: what does the evidence show?

A study in this month's PLoS Medicine concludes that, "deliberate weight loss in overweight subjects, without known co-morbidities, may be hazardous in the long term." Stampfer questions whether the data really support such a conclusion.
A microscopic calculation of the imaginary potential in heavy-nucleus scattering

Abstract The imaginary part of the optical potential for the scattering of one heavy nucleus by another is computed from two-nucleon phase shifts using an extended version of Harada-Oda's theory and is a) volume-like, b) L -dependent and c) energy dependent.
Nutrition-Education Research: An Interdisciplinary Evaluation and Review

An interdisciplinary evaluation approach was developed to analyze and compare school nutrition education programs systematically. Theore tical models from education, preventive medicine, health education and statistical evaluation were applied to 22 studies published between 1968 and 1978 to judge program impact on nutrition knowledge, behavior, and attitudes. Six studies reported XS and SDs for control and experimental groups. Effect sizes, showing average treatment effect in standard devia tion units, were calculated for those six studies. It can be concluded that the more interdisciplinary criteria a study fulfills, the more likely it is to in fluence knowledge, behavior, and attitudes.
Early viral protein synthesis is necessary for NF-κB activation in modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA)-infected 293 T fibroblast cells

Modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) is an attenuated vaccinia virus, and is a promising vaccine vector for variola and monkeypox viruses, as well as for other pathogens. The MVA determinants important for vaccine efficacy and immunogenicity are poorly defined. MVA infection of fibroblast cells activates NF-kappaB, a characteristic not ascribed to wild-type vaccinia viruses. Thus, NF-kappaB activation, and the subsequent upregulation of host immune molecules, could be one of the determinants for MVA's immunogenicity. We report that ERK2 phosphorylation, an event preceding and required for NF-kappaB activation, occurred rapidly after virus infection. ERK2 and NF-kappaB remained inert when virus endocytosis was prevented, suggesting that virus-host cell interactions were insufficient for activating NF-kappaB. Inhibition of viral protein synthesis decreased NF-kappaB activation, and elimination of intermediate and late gene expression did not alter MVA-induced NF-kappaB activation. Thus, early gene expression activates NF-kappaB.
Affirming the Empirical Basis of Social Psychological Theorizing

Gergen has argued that American social psychological theorizing has had little impact outside the discipline because it has failed to challenge cultural assumptions. According to Gergen, this shortcoming could be remedied if theory construction were detached from data collection and hypothesis testing. An examination of Gergen's analysis reveals numerous misconceptions and inconsistencies. It is argued that social psychological theorizing could best advance by maintaining and extending its empirical foundation.
Parallel languages for discrete-event simulation models

The growing complexity of simulation models has promoted the increased use of parallelism to speed turnaround of large, detailed models of heterogeneous system. The article presents an overview of parallel simulation languages and briefly describes the Parallel Simulation Environment for Complex systems (Parsec), developed at UCLA.
The Cell Cycle Status of Fetal Granulocytic Progenitors is Different than Adult Progenitors |[bull]| 775

Septic premature infants are frequently neutropenic, a characteristic also observed in a neonatal rat model. In rats, the responsible mechanism is linked to a near-maximal proliferation of granulocyte progenitors in the non-infected state, which limits their proliferative response to sepsis (Pediatr. Res., 1982). Although this scenario may explain the frequent depletion of marrow neutrophils during sepsis in human neonates, the cycling status of their granulocytic progenitors is unknown. To test this, we performed tritiated thymidine clonogenic studies and flow cytometric DNA analysis on CD34+ cells isolated from fetal bone marrow (BM), cord blood (CB), and for controls, from adult BM. For clonogenic studies, CD34+ cells were incubated with either tritiated or non-radioactive thymidine prior to plating in methylcellulose, and colonies were scored after 14 d of culture. Cell kill, a function of thymidine uptake and an indirect measure of active cycling status, was greater for granulocytic clones in CB than in adult BM (X±SD; 49±7% vs. 25±12%; p < 0.05). To more directly determine cell cycle status, flow cytometric DNA analysis of CD34+ cells was performed using a propidium iodide method (Cycle TEST™ PLUS DNA Reagent Kit, Becton Dickinson). In the fetal BM, the proportion of cells in S-phase nearly doubled those of adult BM, while only a small proportion of CB CD34+ cells were in S-phase (*p < 0.01 vs. adult cells). These results contrast with those of the tritiated thymidine studies and suggest that thymidine uptake in CB CD34+ cells might occur in G1-phase as well as S-phase. To investigate this, studies utilizing acridine orange dye to differentiate G0 and G1 status in CD34+ cells from CB and adult BM are underway. Cell cycle status studies of granulocytic progenitors in the human fetus and neonate might further delineate the mechanism(s) associated with the neutropenia that occurs during bacterial sepsis. Table
Improvement of the staggered fermion operators

We present a complete and detailed discussion of the finite lattice spacing corrections to staggered fermion matrix elements. Expanding upon arguments of Sharpe, we explicitly implement the Symanzik improvement program demonstrating the absence of order a terms in the Symanzik improved action. We propose a general program to improve fermion operators to remove all O(a) corrections from their matrix elements, and demonstrate this program for the examples of matrix elements of fermion bilinears and B{sub K}. We find the former does have O(a) corrections while the latter does not. Also, we give an explicit form of lattice currents which are accurate to order a{sup 2} at the tree level. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Propaganda, effect, and the cold war: Gauging the status of america's “war of words”

The article examines the interrelationship among propaganda, effect, and the Cold War during congressional debates over America's first peacetime propaganda program. Although the rise of the communication research paradigm affected the production of statistical evidence to measure the effectiveness of America's Cold War propaganda, this case study argues that the “war of words” metaphor further heightened the need for empirical proof of America's status in that conflict, Just as with any physical battle that relies on body counts and land measurements to determine the success of America's war efforts, the criteria for measuring the status of America's “war of words” were driven by a similar demand for “objective” proof. The longevity of the Cold War helped ensure the institutionalization of the communication research paradigm, which rejected the use of anecdotal evidence as support for the program's impact.
INFLUENCE OF THERMAL PROCESSING AND COOKING METHODS ON NATURALLY OCCURRING RESIDUES OF DDT AND ITS METABOLITES IN BEEF

The effects of two thermal processes and two cooking methods (broiling and microwave) on natural residues of DDT and its metabolites in beef were studied. Residue analysis was performed by aluminum oxide cleanup of fat and electron capture gas chromatography. Similar residue losses resulted from broiling, microwave preparation, and processing beef at 104°C for 342 min. Less residue loss occurred when beef was processed at 127°C for 66 min.
Efficient Online Algorithms for Dynamic Shared Path Protection in WDM Optical Networks

In this work, we have proposed and studied efficient online algorithms for shared path protection under dynamic traffic conditions in survivable WDM optical mesh networks. Given a connection request, routing and wavelength assignment of a working path and a protection path for the request is formulated as two integer linear programs based on shared and dedicated path protection, respectively. The objective is to minimize the total cost of additional resources used by the working path as well as the protection path to accommodate a new connection request. We then devise two resource efficient online algorithms using pre-computed candidate routes. The first algorithm uses one candidate working path and one candidate protection path for each newly arrived connection request while the second algorithm may use multiple candidate working paths and/or multiple candidate protection paths. The selection of a pair of paths from candidate routes as well as the assignment of appropriate wavelengths to accommodate a connection request is then jointly considered to minimize the total cost of additional resources. The solutions to the ILP formulations serve as the baseline for evaluating the performance of the proposed algorithms. We have evaluated the effectiveness of the proposed online algorithms via extensive simulations in terms of the connection blocking probability and the revenue earnings improved over the dedicated path protection approach. Our simulations indicate that our proposed computationally efficient online algorithms are able to provide 100% restorability against single failures with a resource efficiency comparable to that of the optimal shared path protection. The results also show that a small increase in the number of candidate working paths or protection paths (from 1 to 3) provides better performance, but a further increase does not improve the performance significantly. Therefore, a proper balance can be struck to achieve both satisfactory performance and efficient computation.
Comparative modification of insecticide-resistance spectrum of Culex pipiens fatigans wied. By selection with temephos and temephos/synergist combinations

The evolution of strong organophosphorus multiresistance, suppressible by S,S,S-tributyl phosphorotrithioate (TBPT), in a California strain of Culex pipiens fatigans was examined by further selection with temephos, alone and in combination with the synergists TBPT or piperonyl butoxide (PB). Selection by temephos and temephos + PB increased resistance to higher levels. However, selection by temephos + TBPT virtually abolished TBPT-suppressible resistance while preventing the emergence of significant alternative resistance mechanisms. The phenomenon of synergism may enable the extended use of an insecticide where alternative resistance mechanisms are either absent or of low efficiency in the target population.
Improving Short-Term Numerical Weather Prediction in the California Coastal Zone by Dynamic Initialization of the Marine Boundary Layer

Abstract Few data are available over the world’s oceans to characterize the initial atmospheric state in numerical models. Objective analysis in these regions is largely based on forecast fields obtained from a global model and used as the background (“first guess”). Unfortunately, global models often do not resolve the marine boundary layer (MBL) structure, which is important for simulating stratus clouds, coastal zone circulations, and electromagnetic wave propagation. Furthermore, initialization of the MBL in the coastal zone and data-sparse oceanic regions poses a challenging mesoscale modeling problem. The goal of this study, therefore, is to improve warm-season short-term mesoscale numerical prediction of California coastal zone meteorology by improving the model initial conditions in the coastal zone and offshore data-void regions. Initialization strategies tested include standard static and dynamic techniques and a new marine boundary layer initialization scheme that uses a dynamic initialization ...
The consequences of recruitment limitation: reconciling chance, history and competitive differences between plants

Abstract Plant competition for space is studied using analytical and simulation models. Here, the interaction is viewed as a local competition between juveniles of different species for environmentally variable sites vacated by the random deaths of adults. Because plants are sedentary and have finite fecundity, often only a subset of species will compete for an available site. When a dominant species is recruitment limited, inferior competitors will win some sites by forfeit. It is shown that recruitment limitation allows “winning-by-forfeit” which lessens the effect of competitive asymmetries and slows population and community dynamics. Moreover, since recruitment limitation is likely to be most pronounced in highly diverse communities because of the rarity of many species, it is suggested that there is no conflict between the hypothesis that species-rich plant communities are more influenced by chance and history than regulated by competition, and observations of strong interspecific differences among plants.
Enhanced expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in prostatic adenocarcinoma metastases.

Abstract Objectives Determining the genetic changes associated with the development of metastatic prostate cancer is of utmost importance in patient prognosis and therapy. Our goal is to identify genes whose enhanced expression is associated with metastatic prostate cancer. Methods Total ribonucleic acid was isolated from prostatic tissue exhibiting no histologic evidence of carcinoma and from a prostatic adenocarcinoma lymph node metastasis. The differential display polymerase chain reaction (DD-PCR) technique was used to isolate genes that exhibited increased expression in the metastatic tissue sample. Isolated PCR products were cloned, sequenced, and identified by screening complementary deoxyribonucleic acid (cDNA) databases. Results Using DD-PCR, we identified three cDNA clones that exhibit enhanced expression in metastatic prostatic tissue. Two of these cDNA clones have not been identified because they show no homology to known database sequences. The third cDNA is 166 base pairs in length and exhibits 93% homology to nucleotides 662 to 828 of human macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF). Slot blot analysis using RNA from various prostate-derived sources suggests that increased expression of MIF is associated with metastatic prostate cancer. Conclusions These results show that the DD-PCR technique is applicable for the identification and cloning of human genes that exhibit enhanced expression in prostate cancer metastases. These results indicate the possibility that MIF production by prostate cancer cells plays a role in the development of metastases. The enhanced expression of MIF by prostate cancer cells may be a potential prognostic marker for metastatic prostate cancer.
Father-son chats: inheriting stress through sperm RNA

Although mounting evidence in mammals suggests that certain ancestral environmental exposures can influence the phenotype in future generations, mechanisms underlying such intergenerational information transfer remain unclear. A recent report suggests that RNA isolated from sperm can inform offspring of a father's history of early life trauma (Gapp et al., 2014).
Structure And Chemistry Of The Human P300/CBP And Yeast Rtt109 Histone Acetyltransferases

Histone actyltransferase (HAT) enzymes form a superfamily of proteins that transfer an acetyl group from the acetyl-coenzyme A (Ac-CoA) cofactor to the epsilon amino group of histone or sometimes non-histone proteins to promote gene activation. Paradoxally, despite the similar chemistry carried out by these enzymes, and their structurally related core regions, they fall into subfamilies with very limited to no sequence homology, structurally divergent core flanking regions and they use divergent mechanisms for catalysis. Four well studied HAT families include Gcn5/PCAF, MYST, p300/CBP and Rtt109. Although the structure and chemistry of the evolutionarily conserved Gcn5/PCAF and MYST HATs have been previously characterized, the metazoan-specific p300/CBP and fungal-specific Rtt109 have only recently been characterized at the structural and chemical levels. These recent studies provide new insights into the ancestral relationship between HATs and their functions and point to a common HAT ancestor that has evolved around a common structural framework to form HATs with divergent catalytic and substrate binding properties. These studies also point to the importance of regulatory loops within HATs and autoacetylation in HAT function. Implications for future studies will also be discussed.
Standpoint: On regulating broadcast alcohol advertising

Banning alcoholic beverage commercials would be ineffectual and counterproductive; tightened restrictions and increased prevention information offer more promising approaches for addressing drinking problems.
Robotic single port surgery: Current status and future considerations

Introduction and Objectives: It has been established that robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery has several advantages when compared with standard laparoscopic surgery. Optics, ergonomics, dexterity and precision are all enhanced with the use of a robotic platform. For these reasons, it was postulated that the application of robotics to laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) could overcome some of the constraints seen with the conventional laparoscopic approach. Issues such as instrument clashing, inability to achieve effective triangulation for dissection and difficulties with intracorporeal suturing have limited the widespread adoption of conventional LESS. The application of robotics has eliminated many of the constraints experienced with conventional LESS; however, challenges still remain. Materials and Methods: A systematic literature review was performed using PubMed to identify relevant studies. There were no time restrictions applied to the search, but only studies in English were included. We used the following search terms: Robotic single site surgery, robotic single port surgery, robotic single incision surgery and robotic laparoendoscopic single site surgery. Results: A number of centers have published their experience with robotic-laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (R-LESS); however, no prospective studies exist. What is clear is that R-LESS minimizes several of the difficulties experienced with conventional LESS, including intracorporeal suturing and triangulation during dissection. Outcomes are comparable to standard robotic surgery, with a trend toward improved cosmesis and reduced pain. However, a significant advantage with regard to these two factors has yet to be demonstrated. Conclusions: R-LESS is technically feasible and the benefits of robotic surgery eliminate many of the challenges seen with conventional LESS. However, despite the advantages of the robotic platform, R-LESS is not free of challenges. Instrument clashing remains an issue due to the bulky profile of the current robotic system. Other issues include lack of space for the assistant at the bedside, inability to incorporate the 4 th robotic arm for retraction and difficulties with triangulation. Although solutions for some of these issues are currently under development, R-LESS is still very much in its infancy.