cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
From the Inside Out: Efforts by Homeless Women to Disrupt Cycles of Crime and Violence

The premise that childhood victimization is a risk factor for crime and violence in adulthood finds general support, though few agree that there is a direct causal relationship. Mediating factors and intervening variables are often studied. Rarely investigated, however, are the complex and difficult dynamics experienced by those enmeshed in these “cycles of violence.” In this study we explore the struggles of homeless women to disrupt patterns of violence in their lives. Using in-depth qualitative interviews, we illustrate how these women learn and understand that they are caught up in cycles of crime and violence and, to varying degrees, have made active efforts to disrupt them. However, we find that they have very few tools or resources with which this could be accomplished, which ultimately thwarts potentially successful efforts for lasting change while foregrounding deficiencies in systemic support.
Clinical safety of magnetic resonance imaging in patients with implanted SynchroMed EL infusion pumps

Patients with implanted SynchroMed spinal infusion pumps (Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, MN) routinely undergo magnetic resonance imaging at our institution. In August 2008, Medtronic issued an urgent medical device correction report regarding several pumps. Because of the rare potential “for a delay in the return of proper drug infusion” and “for a delay in the logging of motor stall events,” “a patient’s pump must be interrogated after MRI exposure in order to confirm proper pump functionality.” This is particularly important in patients receiving intrathecal baclofen, for whom a delay in return of proper pump infusion could lead to life-threatening baclofen withdrawal syndrome. The objective of this report is to present our experience and protocol of performing magnetic resonance imaging in patients with implanted SynchroMed EL pumps. We retrospectively reviewed records of 86 patients with implanted SynchroMed EL spinal infusion pumps who underwent 112 examinations on 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging scanners from September 1, 1998 to July 7, 2004. No SynchroMed EL pumps were damaged by magnetic resonance imaging, and the programmable settings remained unchanged in all patients. Our data suggest that SynchroMed EL pump malfunction is indeed rare after routine clinical 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging examinations. However, based on the Medtronic correction report, we perform pump interrogation before and after imaging.
Respiration capacity of mitochondria isolated from unfertilized and fertilized sea urchin eggs

Abstract Mitochondria were isolated from unfertilized and fertilized eggs of the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus . Both preparations exhibited coupled adenosine 5′-diphosphate (ADP)-dependent) oxidation of flavin and pyridine-linked substrates and both yielded the expected P:O ratios with these substrates. Highest respiratory control indices (>4.0) were observed when succinate or pyruvate + malate were used as substrates. Mitochondria from unfertilized and fertilized eggs exhibited sensitivity to respiratory and phosphorylation inhibitors and uncouplers and both preparations exhibited cross-over points at sites I, II and III of the respiratory chain. Low-temperature difference spectra revealed a normal complement of cytochromes c , b and aa 3 , although cytochrome c from unfertilized eggs appears to be more subject to extraction during the course of mitochondrial isolation than does cytochrome c from fertilized eggs. An unidentified pigment absorbing at approx. 570 nm was visible in low-temperature spectra of unfertilized eggs and unfertilized egg mitochondria.
Digestion of Wax by the Greater Wax Moth, Galleria mellonella

The greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella (L.), was reared on old honeycomb. Lipid extracts of the comb and the moth excreta were analyzed by silicic acid and gas chromatography. The wax contained 31 fatty acids consisting of carbon numbers 12 to 22 in the saturated series, and 4 unidentified series. The excrement contained the same saturated series, plus members of the normal unsaturated series. The unsaponifiable fractions contained alcohols tentatively identified as the 21 to 28 straight-chain members, as well as paraffin hydrocarbons. Comparative ester analysis of silicic acid column effluents showed that the insects had utilized some of the esters originally present in the honeycomb.
A simplified 51Cr-release assay for killer cells.

Abstract A simplified chronium-51 release assay for lymphoid cell-associated cytotoxic (killer) activity is described that uses a microtest plate for incubation instead of tubes. There is no centrifugation necessary for the assay itself, and it does not require custom equipment. It compares favorably with both the Brunner et al. (1968) assay of which it is a derivative and the assay described by Canty and Wunderlich (1970). The assay was found to be intensitive to changes in incubation media, sera, buffers and vessel shape. Two modifications are described that hasten cell-to-cell contact and greatly reduce the number of target cells required.
Electron microscopy, electron diffraction, and element analysis of wet biological specimens

Temperature controlled differentially pumped environmental chambers now allow more routine examination of wet specimens in the electron microscope. A sensitive test of their efficiency is the ability to provide high resolution electron diffraction patterns from wet, unfixed protein microcrystals. Fortunately, wet specimens can be prepared with only a few tens of nanometers thickness of remaining water, so extraneous electron scattering by liquid water can be kept to a minimum. It still remains to be determined whether microprobe analysis (X-ray or electron energy-loss spectroscopy) using wet specimens gives better element localization in cells than the current freezing methods. More extensive comparisons are also required of the ultrastructural preservation and visibility of macromolecules immersed in a thin layer of water vs immersion in a thin layer of amorphous ice. However, the recent introduction of commercial forms of the necessary equipment now make these comparisons more feasible.
Warnings, terrorist threats and resilience: A laboratory experiment

One of the main goals of terrorism is to instill fear in a targeted populace. We investigate how information precision about rare, but highly devastating terrorist attacks influences psychological resilience, which we operationalize as the ability to continue to take optimum risks. First, we develop a mathematical model of a citizen’s resilience in the face of a terrorist threat. We then test the model in a laboratory experiment in which individuals face a choice between lotteries that offer higher payoffs but have a small probability of a large negative loss and a safe option. In the experiment, we vary the nature of warnings about the lotteries to see how vague warnings vs precise information influence optimal risk-taking (resilience). We find that precise information increases subjects’ willingness to take risks. Warnings containing no information do not influence subjects’ willingness to accept risk, but can influence resilience through affecting which risks subjects take.
Adsorption and Desorption of Atrazine, Deethylatrazine, Deisopropylatrazine, and Hydroxyatrazine on Levy Wetland Soil

The adsorption and desorption of atrazine, and its three metabolites, deethylatrazine (DEA), deisopropylatrazine (DIA), and hydroxyatrazine (HA), on Levy wetland soil were measured using the batch equilibration technique. Solution concentrations for each chemical were 1.3, 3.8, 6.6, and 13.2 μmol L-1. Four 24-h period desorptions for each concentration were conducted immediately after adsorption. The adsorption of all the chemicals conformed to linear isotherms. Adsorption coefficients decreased in the order HA (109.7) > atrazine (38.6) > DIA (26.3) > DEA (22.1). The organic carbon partition coefficients (Koc) for HA, atrazine, DIA, and DEA were 1500, 440, 290, and 240 L kg-1, respectively. Percent of chemical desorbed was about 29% for DEA, 24% for atrazine, 23% for DIA, and 16% for HA. The slopes of all desorption isotherms were less than their respective adsorption slopes, indicating hysteresis. Atrazine and its metabolites were relatively more strongly adsorbed and the binding was less reversible in t...
Wasserstein distances for discrete measures and convergence in nonparametric mixture models 1

We consider Wasserstein distance functionals for comparing between and assessing the convergence of latent discrete measures, which serve as mixing distributions in hierarchical and nonparametric mixture models. We explore the space of discrete probability measures metrized by Wasserstein distances, clarify the relationships between Wasserstein distances of mixing distributions and f -divergence functionals such as Hellinger and Kullback-Leibler distances on the space of mixture distributions. The convergence in Wasserstein metrics has a useful interpretation of the convergence of individual atoms that provide support for the discrete measure. It can be shown to be stronger than the weak convergence induced by standard f -divergence metrics, while the conditions for establishing the convergence can be formulated in terms of the metric space of the supporting atoms. These results are applied to establish rates of convergence of posterior distributions for latent discr ete measures in several mixture models, including finite mixtures of multivariate dist ributions, finite mixtures of Gaussian processes and infinite mixtures based on the Dirich let process.
Histone HMf from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Methanothermus fervidus binds to DNA in vitro using physiological conditions

The concentration of HMf (histone Methanothermus fervidus) in vivo has been shown to be between 1 and 2 × 104 molecules per genome. At this mass ratio the amount of HMf bound to pUC19 DNA in vitro was found to be dependent on the topology of the plasmid DNA. M. fervidus grows optimally between 80 and 85°C and contains approx. 1 M K+ plus 300 mM 2′3′(cyclic) diphosphoglycerate. (Hensel, R. and Konig, H. 1988. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 49, 75–79). HMf binding to DNA in vitro under these conditions has been demonstrated.
Prevention and treatment of adverse effects related to chemotherapy for recurrent ovarian cancer.

Abstract Objectives: To review the side effects frequently observed with ovarian cancer, focusing on the development of interventions to assess, prevent, and treat these events. Data sources: Research articles and textbooks. Conclusion: Treatment-related side effects impact the quality of life of patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. Simple tools for assessment of side effects are needed to identify their development and resolution. Implications for nursing practice: Careful assessment of patients undergoing chemotherapy for ovarian cancer promotes immediate attention to a patient’s concerns and empowers women to take an active part in managing their disease. Knowledge of side effects and their dose/schedule relationships enables the oncology nurse to institute proactive interventions that may limit side effect progression.
Molecular modeling of ErbB4/HER4 kinase in the context of the HER4 signaling network helps rationalize the effects of clinically identified HER4 somatic mutations on the cell phenotype

In the ErbB/HER family of receptor tyrosine kinases, the deregulation of the EGFR/ErbB1/HER1, HER2/ErbB2, and HER3/ErbB3 kinases is associated with several cancers, while the HER4/ErbB4 kinase has been shown to play an anti-carcinogenic role in certain tumors. We present molecular and network models of HER4/ErbB4 activation and signaling in order to elucidate molecular mechanisms of activation and rationalize the effects of the clinically identified HER4 somatic mutants. Our molecular-scale simulations identify the important role played by the interactions within the juxtamembrane region during the activation process. Our results also support the hypothesis that the HER4 mutants may heterodimerize but not activate, resulting in blockage of the HER4-STAT5 differentiation pathway, in favor of the proliferative PI3K/AKT pathway. Translating our molecular simulation results into a cellular pathway model of wild type versus mutant HER4 signaling, we are able to recapitulate the major features of the PI3K/AKT and JAK/STAT activation downstream of HER4. Our model predicts that the signaling downstream of the wild type HER4 is enriched for the JAK-STAT pathway, whereas downstream of the mutant HER4 is enriched for the PI3K/AKT pathway. HER4 mutations may hence constitute a cellular shift from a program of differentiation to that of proliferation.
Portable-Monitor Testing: An Alternative Strategy for Managing Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Portable-monitor testing is being used increasingly in ambulatory management pathways for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Wide varieties of portable monitors are commercially available and they range from single-channel recorders to units that record a full polysomnogram. Recent comparative effectiveness research studies have shown that clinical outcomes of patients with a high pretest probability for obstructive sleep apnea who receive ambulatory management using portable-monitor testing have similar functional outcomes and adherence to continuous positive airway pressure treatment, compared to patients managed with in-laboratory polysomnography. The cost-effectiveness of portable-monitor testing and its potential to improve patient access to diagnosis and treatment requires further investigation.
Serotonin syndrome in the intensive care unit: Clinical presentations and precipitating medications

Serotonin syndrome (SS) is becoming a more frequent diagnosis in the intensive care unit (ICU). We sought to determine the clinical presentation, drug exposures, and outcomes of SS in critically ill patients. A retrospective study of 33 consecutive ICU patients with SS between March 2007 and March 2012 in ICUs in a large teaching hospital. SS was defined using the Hunter Serotonin Toxicity Criteria. Seventeen patients (52 %) were admitted for mental status changes, including seven patients (21 %) with drug overdose and four cases (12 %) in which SS was considered the primary admission diagnosis. In 13 patients (39 %) the features of SS developed only after a mean of 6.8 ± 9 days of hospitalization. Most received multiple serotonergic drugs upon diagnosis (median three drugs, range 1–5). Antidepressants were the serotonergic medications most often used before admission, and opioids (principally fentanyl) and antiemetics were the most frequently prescribed new serotonin-enhancing medications. Altered mental status was present in all patients and myoclonus, rigidity, and hyperreflexia were the most prevalent examination signs. All but one patient had documented recovery. The mean time to neurological improvement was 56 ± 5 h, but ranged from 8 to 288 h. There were no cases of renal failure related to rhabdomyolysis, or death or persistent disability caused by SS. SS in the ICU occurs most often because of exposure to multiple serotonergic agents. Continuation of antidepressants plus the addition of opioids and antiemetics during hospitalization are most commonly responsible for this complication.
Pharmacokinetics, Metabolism, and Excretion of [14C]Axitinib, a Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor, in Humans

The disposition of a single oral dose of 5 mg (100 μCi) of [(14)C]axitinib was investigated in fasted healthy human subjects (N = 8). Axitinib was rapidly absorbed, with a median plasma Tmax of 2.2 hours and a geometric mean Cmax and half-life of 29.2 ng/ml and 10.6 hours, respectively. The plasma total radioactivity-time profile was similar to that of axitinib but the AUC was greater, suggesting the presence of metabolites. The major metabolites in human plasma (0-12 hours), identified as axitinib N-glucuronide (M7) and axitinib sulfoxide (M12), were pharmacologically inactive, and with axitinib comprised 50.4%, 16.2%, and 22.5% of the radioactivity, respectively. In excreta, the majority of radioactivity was recovered in most subjects by 48 hours postdose. The median radioactivity excreted in urine, feces, and total recovery was 22.7%, 37.0%, and 59.7%, respectively. The recovery from feces was variable across subjects (range, 2.5%-60.2%). The metabolites identified in urine were M5 (carboxylic acid), M12 (sulfoxide), M7 (N-glucuronide), M9 (sulfoxide/N-oxide), and M8a (methylhydroxy glucuronide), accounting for 5.7%, 3.5%, 2.6%, 1.7%, and 1.3% of the dose, respectively. The drug-related products identified in feces were unchanged axitinib, M14/15 (mono-oxidation/sulfone), M12a (epoxide), and an unidentified metabolite, comprising 12%, 5.7%, 5.1%, and 5.0% of the dose, respectively. The proposed mechanism to form M5 involved a carbon-carbon bond cleavage via M12a, followed by rearrangement to a ketone intermediate and subsequent Baeyer-Villiger rearrangement, possibly through a peroxide intermediate. In summary, the study characterized axitinib metabolites in circulation and primary elimination pathways of the drug, which were mainly oxidative in nature.
A mathematical homogenization perspective of virial stress

A continuum stress measure is derived from molecular dynamics equations using a generalized mathematical homogenization (GMH) theory. GMH consists of solving a coupled fine-scale (atomistic unit cell) problem and a coarse-scale (continuum) problem. The fine-scale problem derived can be interpreted as a molecular statics (at 0 K) problem, where the coarse-scale problem derived is a constitutive law-free continuum equation, which calculates the Cauchy stress directly from atomistics. The continuum stress derived is compared to various versions of the virial stress formula. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Radiation Alone for Solid Tumors and the Questionable Development of Therapy-Related Myelodysplastic Syndromes

not be as leukemogenic as combined modality treatment or total body irradiation—an important hypothesis worthy of testing when considering the increased number of cancer survivors after RT. Before rushing to the conclusion that RT alone is free of leukemogenic potential, it is important to address the question from the direction of a solid-tumor patient. Up until this point, oncologists studied t-MN incidence by first finding t-MN patients and then parsing their characteristics based on prior therapy (RT vs chemotherapy vs combined modality vs surgery). In these retrospective analyses, the potential for selection bias is large. In contrast, the real questions are 1) whether solid tumor patients treated with RT alone go on to develop t-MNs at a rate higher than radiation-free counterparts and 2) how post-RT t-MN pathobiology and clinical outcomes compare with those of radiation-free cohorts. Both of these questions require a forward perspective starting from the
A quasi-linear time design for a near optimal entropy-constrained scalar quantizer

Entropy-constrained scalar quantizers (ECSQ) with the mean-squared error (MSE) distortion measure are widely used in the field of image compression. The design is based on the iterative Lloyd clustering algorithm, which ensures only a locally optimum quantizer and is highly dependent on the training parameters. We propose an alternative quasi-linear time (in the number of training samples) design that guarantees a near globally optimal ECSQ and we provide the upper bound on the loss of optimality. Our simulations, using l.l.d. Gaussian samples and a set of aerial images, indicate that our algorithm leads to a better rate-distortion performance than the Lloyd algorithm with a comparable design complexity.
ESTIMATING SITE OCCUPANCY AND SPECIES DETECTION PROBABILITY PARAMETERS FOR TERRESTRIAL SALAMANDERS

Recent, worldwide amphibian declines have highlighted a need for more extensive and rigorous monitoring programs to document species occurrence and detect population change. Abundance estimation methods, such as mark–recapture, are often expensive and impractical for large-scale or long-term amphibian monitoring. We apply a new method to estimate proportion of area occupied using detection/nondetection data from a terrestrial salamander system in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Estimated species-specific detection probabilities were all <1 and varied among seven species and four sampling methods. Time (i.e., sampling occasion) and four large-scale habitat characteristics (previous disturbance history, vegetation type, elevation, and stream presence) were important covariates in estimates of both proportion of area occupied and detection probability. All sampling methods were consistent in their ability to identify important covariates for each salamander species. We believe proportion of area occupie...
Using Multi-modal Sensing for Human Activity Modeling in the Real World

Traditionally smart environments have been understood to represent those (often physical) spaces where computation is embedded into the users’ surrounding infrastructure, buildings, homes, and workplaces. Users of this “smartness” move in and out of these spaces. Ambient intelligence assumes that users are automatically and seamlessly provided with context-aware, adaptive information, applications and even sensing – though this remains a significant challenge even when limited to these specialized, instrumented locales. Since not all environments are “smart” the experience is not a pervasive one; rather, users move between these intelligent islands of computationally enhanced space while we still aspire to achieve a more ideal anytime, anywhere experience. Two key technological trends are helping to bridge the gap between these smart environments and make the associated experience more persistent and pervasive. Smaller and more computationally sophisticated mobile devices allow sensing, communication, and services to be more directly and continuously experienced by user. Improved infrastructure and the availability of uninterrupted data streams, for instance location-based data, enable new services and applications to persist across environments.
Examination of the structural and functional versatility of glmS ribozymes by using in vitro selection

Self-cleaving ribozymes associated with the glmS genes of many Gram-positive bacteria are activated by binding to glucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN6P). Representatives of the glmS ribozyme class function as metabolite-sensing riboswitches whose selfcleavage activities down-regulate the expression of GlmS enzymes that synthesizes GlcN6P. As with other riboswitches, natural glmS ribozyme isolates are highly specific for their target metabolite. Other small molecules closely related to GlcN6P, such as glucose-6-phosphate, cannot activate self-cleavage. We applied in vitro selection methods in an attempt to identify variants of a Bacillus cereus glmS ribozyme that expand the range of compounds that induce self-cleavage. In addition, we sought to increase the number of variant ribozymes of this class to further examine the proposed secondary structure model. Although numerous variant ribozymes were obtained that efficiently self-cleave, none exhibited changes in target specificity. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that GlcN6P is used by the ribozyme as a coenzyme for RNA cleavage, rather than an allosteric effector.
Your place or mine?: the effect of place creation on environmental values and landscape meanings

The creation of place is predicated on two factors: (1) the social and cultural contexts in which people describe and define a space into a place and (2) the nature of a given space, much of which may not be readily recognizable or categorizable. This qualitative inductive analysis illustrates the concept of place creation through the voices of rural residents as they describe how they believe the resources within a local river drainage should be managed. The results of the interviews indicate that personal experience of a place can alter the values, beliefs, and wisdoms that individuals normally share with their primary social group. However, individuals may be reluctant to share their feelings of emotional ties to a place in traditional public involvement frameworks. Exposure of these conflicting values suggests the importance of using methodologies and public involvement programs conducive to expression of the creation of place.
Luteotropic and antiluteolytic activities of the rabbit conceptus.

We have previously confirmed that maternal recognition of pregnancy in the rabbit occurs between Days 10 and 18 following mating. However, the mechanisms by which the conceptuses affect continued maternal corpus luteum progesterone secretion have not been completely defined. To determine whether the conceptuses develop a gonadotropin-like activity as a function of gestation time, preimplantation embryos collected on Day 6 post coitum (p.c.), early postimplantation conceptuses obtained on Day 10 p.c., and medium from preincubations of fetal placentas obtained on Days 18 and 26 p.c. were tested for their ability to increase testosterone production by dispersed rat testicular interstitial cells. A very low gonadotropin-like activity was evident in post-implantation conceptuses; however, as gonadotropin-like activity in maternal peripheral serum was greater than that observed in uterine venous serum, the significance of a direct gonadotropic signal from the conceptus remains unclear. Furthermore, in an additional bioassay for gonadotropin-like activity, rabbit fetal placentas obtained on Days 17-20 p.c. failed to stimulate ovarian growth and ovulation in immature rats. These data suggest that a direct luteotropic stimulus from the conceptus may not be a significant factor in continued corpus luteum function during pregnancy. Other investigators have reported that the rabbit conceptus plays a role in blocking a uterine induced luteolysis at or near the time of maternal pregnancy recognition. Following hysterectomy of pregnant and pseudopregnant rabbits on Days 6 or 10 p.c., the decline in serum progesterone levels was gradual, but the progesterone levels were significantly different from those of intact pregnant does as early as Days 16-18 p.c. In contrast, after hysterectomy on either Day 18 or 26 of pregnancy, serum progesterone concentrations declined abruptly. These data indicate that removal of a uterine luteolytic factor may only partially sustain corpus luteum function for a brief period of time following pregnancy recognition. An additional antiluteolytic role of the conceptus, in blocking a possible extrauterine prostaglandin mediated luteolysis was examined by treating pregnant rabbits hysterectomized on Day 18 with indomethacm, a potent inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis. This treatment, initiated immediately postsurgery, failed to prevent the rapid decline in serum progesterone levels following hysterectomy, suggesting that in the rabbit prostaglandins may not be involved as extrauterine luteolytic factors.
Surface potential at threshold in thin-film SOI MOSFET's

The usual condition for threshold in bulk MOSFETs, of equal rates of change with gate voltage of the inversion and bulk charges, is suitably modified to describe threshold in fully depleted SOI MOSFETs. Using this modified condition the value of the surface potential at threshold in fully depleted transistors is obtained analytically in terms of device dimensions, film doping level, and applied voltages. The results are in excellent agreement with one-dimensional numerical simulations, and it is shown that the surface potential at threshold may differ significantly from 2 phi /sub F/, the value conventionally assumed. >
Biofuel Cells: Enhanced Enzymatic Bioelectrocatalysis

Enzymatic biofuel cells represent an emerging technology that can create electrical energy from biologically renewable catalysts and fuels. A wide variety of redox enzymes have been employed to create unique biofuel cells that can be used in applications such as implantable power sources, energy sources for small electronic devices, self-powered sensors, and bioelectrocatalytic logic gates. This review addresses the fundamental concepts necessary to understand the operating principles of biofuel cells, as well as recent advances in mediated electron transfer– and direct electron transfer–based biofuel cells, which have been developed to create bioelectrical devices that can produce significant power and remain stable for long periods.
A variational approach for the design of spatial four-bar mechanism

ABSTRACT An analytical formulation for computing kinematic sensitivity of the spatial four-bar mechanism is presented. The experimental code developed is used to compute an assembled configuration for the mechanism that accounts for the effect of a design variation. The mechanism is modeled using graph theory, in which a body is defined as a node and a kinematic joint is defined as an edge. The spherical joint is cut to convert the model into a tree structure by cutting an edge and introducing constraints. The effect of variation in mechanism design using concepts of virtual displacement and rotation is introduced. The variation of the spherical constraint is computed, maintaining joint-attachment vectors and orientation matrices as variables. A system of equations that has a greater number of design variables than equations is then solved using the modified Moore-Penrose pseudo inverse. A recursive formulation is introduced, which can be used to obtain the state variation of a body in terms of the state ...
Brain motor control assessment

Motor control can be studied by characterizing the activity of spinal motor nuclei to brain control, expressed as motor unit activity recordable by surface electrodes. The authors used multichannel recording systems with standardized protocols to accomplish such brain motor control assessment. In this assessment, aspects of preparatory and executive control can be differentiated, responses qualified, and subclinical phenomena observed and classified. Difficulties remain in deriving new methods of analysis of electromyographic signals which describe the basic features of neurocontrol, rather than attempting a kinesiological analysis. >
Age-Specific Determinants of Stunting in Filipino Children

This study identifies age-specific factors related to new cases of stunting that develop in Filipino children from birth to 24 mo of age. Data come from nearly 3000 participants in the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey, a community-based study conducted from 1983 to 1995. Length, morbidity, feeding and health-related data were collected bimonthly during home visits. Stunting (length >2 SD below the WHO age- and sex-specific medians) occurred in 69% of rural and 60% of urban children by 24 mo of age. We used a multivariate discrete time hazard model to estimate the likelihood of becoming stunted in each 2-mo interval. The likelihood of stunting was significantly increased by diarrhea, febrile respiratory infections, early supplemental feeding and low birth weight. The effect of birth weight was strongest in the first year. Breast-feeding, preventive health care and taller maternal stature significantly decreased the likelihood of stunting. Males were more likely to become stunted in the first year, whereas females were more likely to become stunted in the second year of life. Because stunting is strongly related to poor functional outcomes such as impaired intellectual development during childhood, and to short stature in adulthood, these results emphasize the need for prevention of growth retardation through promotion of prenatal care and breast-feeding, as well as control of infectious diseases.
Load/Unload technology for disk drives

Load/Unload (L/UL) is an alternative to contact start-stop (CSS) technology which eliminates stiction and wear failure modes associated with CSS. Other benefits of L/UL include increased areal density due to smooth disk surfaces, thinner overcoats and lower head flying height; improved shock resistance due to elimination of head slap; and reduced power consumption. Several mechanical design options exist for L/UL, and tolerance analysis plays a key role in height budgeting, interdisk spacing, and disk real estate usage. To prevent stiction failures arising from unintended landing of heads on stopped disks, a reliable actuator latch and power-off retract system are employed. A bidirectional inertia latch has better reliability than conventional inertia latch designs. A low voltage drop retract rectifier is required for reliable power-off retract in drives with supply voltages of 5 V or less.
Multistress accelerated aging of polymer housed surge arresters under simulated coastal Florida conditions

Long-term performance of polymer housed surge arresters under multistress accelerated conditions simulating coastal Florida service environment in the lab has been presented. Commercial 9 kV ethylene propylene silicone blend (EPSB) and silicone rubber (SiR) arresters were procured and used for this purpose. Multi-stress aging was used to realistically and meaningfully simulate the actual service environment that has the synergy of several environmental stresses. The various stresses applied include ultraviolet-A radiation (UVA), rain, heat, clear mist, and salt fog. Summer and winter weather cycles were designed to apply these stresses cyclically as they occur in the service environment. This method provides a comprehensive evaluation of the insulator, the hardware and its attachment. Coastal Florida conditions were chosen as the year-around warm temperatures and the high humidity challenge any insulating material, ceramic or polymeric. The evaluation was conducted for a period of 15 simulated service years of aging (15 lab-years) in the multistress accelerated aging chamber. Compared to the unaged (virgin) sample, the EPSB arresters showed chalking, reduced hydrophobicity, and reduction in hydrocarbon (CH) group molecules in the attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) measurements. The SiR arrester surfaces showed no noticeable changes in the FTIR measurements. However, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs indicated increased surface roughness and disintegration of the material for both the SiR and EPSB surfaces. Research results indicated that multistress accelerated tests are desirable since they reflect the real world.
Importance of Sampling Along a Vertical Gradient to Compare the Insect Fauna in Managed Forests

Unbiased samples from insect traps are dependent on the placement of traps to account for variation in the spatial distribution of insect fauna. In forests, the spatial distribution of insects reflects forest vertical structure. However, comparative studies of insect diversity in managed forests have traditionally focused a single forest stratum (e.g., forest floor, canopy). We evaluated the importance of sampling along a vertical gradient to assess the effects of silvicultural treatments on insect fauna. We compared the catch from flight-intercept traps suspended at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 m above the forest floor in eight forest stands representing three management types: two clearcut stands, two shelterwood stands, and four selection stands. The vertical distribution of insects was significantly different across the three management systems. A greater proportion of the insect fauna was recovered close to the forest floor in clearcut stands than in selection and shelterwood stands. Some insect taxa were restricted to the higher traps; whereas other taxa showed different height associations across the three management systems. Therefore, vertical sampling is important to compare the insect fauna in managed forests differing in vertical structure.
Multimodal Dialogue Systems

Multimodal systems are moving to the centre-stage of dialogue research, reflecting the maturing of component technologies and the recognition that “interface” per se may not be the best way to describe the functionality of such systems. Rather they are emerging as full communications systems, with a corresponding rich set of expressive capabilities.
Upregulation of oncogenic MUC1 by the EMT transcription factor brachyury mediates immunotherapy-resistance in tumor cells

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a molecular and cellular program in which epithelial cells lose their well-differentiated phenotype and adopt mesenchymal characteristics. This process occurs during the progression of cancer to metastatic disease, and is also associated with recurrence as conventional therapies fail to eliminate the minority of resistant tumor cells that have undergone EMT. Brachyury is a transcription factor that controls EMT during development, and we have shown that brachyury is aberrantly overexpressed in various human cancers where it promotes tumor cell EMT, metastatic dissemination, and resistance to conventional therapies. Further, we have recently reported that very high expression of brachyury can protect against caspase-dependent immune cell-mediated cytotoxicity. In seeking to elucidate mechanisms of immunotherapy resistance, we have discovered a novel association between brachyury and mucin-1 (MUC1). MUC1 is overexpressed in the majority of carcinomas, and it has been shown to mediate oncogenic signaling, induce EMT, increase stem cell characteristics, and confer resistance to genotoxic agents. Here, we report a novel positive association between brachyury and MUC1 in both cancer cell lines and patient tumor tissues, in which brachyury was found to upregulate MUC1 expression at the level of transcript stability. Targeting MUC1 by siRNA-based gene silencing was found to abrogate the resistance of brachyury-expressing tumor cells to killing by recombinant tumor necrosis-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and to lysis by natural killer (NK) cells. These studies confirm a protective role for MUC1 as a mediator of immunotherapy-resistance in brachyury-expressing tumor cells, and demonstrate that targeting MUC1 restores the susceptibility of mesenchymal tumor cells to immune attack.
Topological charge algebra of optical vortices in nonlinear interactions

We investigate the transfer of orbital angular momentum among multiple beams involved in a coherent Raman interaction. We use a liquid crystal light modulator to shape pump and Stokes beams into optical vortices with various integer values of topological charge, and cross them in a Raman-active crystal to produce multiple Stokes and anti-Stokes sidebands. We measure the resultant vortex charges using a tilted-lens technique. We verify that in every case the generated beams’ topological charges obey a simple relationship, resulting from angular momentum conservation for created and annihilated photons, or equivalently, from phase-matching considerations for multiple interacting beams.
A nitric oxide and prostaglandin-dependent component of NANC off-contractions in cat colon

The actions of NO synthase inhibitors and indomethacin, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor, on the nonadrenergic noncholinergic (NANC) mechanical responses of cat distal colon were studied in vitro using muscle strips orientated in the axis of the longitudinal muscle layer with pelvic nerves attached. Electrical field stimulation (EFS) or pelvic nerve stimulation (PNS) caused inhibition of spontaneous contractions followed by off-contractions. Indomethacin (10-30 microM) caused concentration-dependent reductions in amplitude and duration of EFS- and PNS-evoked off-contractions but not latency. The NO synthase inhibitors, N omega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA), N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) and NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) (each at 100 microM) significantly reduced latency, amplitude, and duration of off-contractions evoked by EFS and PNS. This inhibition was partially reversed by L-arginine (120 microM) but not by D-arginine. Incubation of colonic strips with alpha-chymotrypsin (2 U/ml) decreased latency, amplitude, and duration of NANC off-contractions. L-NNA reduced amplitude, duration, and latency of off-contractions in preparations pretreated with alpha-chymotrypsin. Hydroquinone (10-30 microM), a generator of superoxide anions, caused significant depression of amplitude, duration, and latency of off-contractions which was completely reversed by superoxide dismutase (200 U/ml). These data suggest that the components of NANC off-contractions evoked by EFS and PNS involve peptides, NO, and prostaglandins.
Leveraging conflict to achieve advances in civil rights: community leadership — an unfinished work for educators

AbstractThe purpose of this research was to identify community leadership praxis of an activist for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender civil rights in community housing, employment and public accommodations. The qualitative single-case study included data from city council meetings, interviews with Tony Stewart, the community leader/activist, other leaders, documents, archival records and newspaper articles. Community leadership praxis involved: (1) framing the issue by understanding the opposition’s viewpoint to leverage conflict for civil rights and social change, (2) building social capital and assessment of organized resistance, which resulted in capacity to counter the argument and (3) mobilizing through actions that addressed resistance and engaged resources to advance civil rights. Contributions to community leadership theory and implications for educators are discussed.
Angiopoietin-1 increases intracellular free Mg~(2+) by tyrosine kinase/PI3K in HUVECs

AIM: The mechanism of angiopoietin-1(Ang-1) in mediating increase in intracellular free magnesium([Mg~(2+)]_i) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs) was investigated in this study.METHODS: The change of [Mg~(2+)]_i in HUVECs was quantitatively detected in intracellular cation measurement system via loaded with the fluorescent magnesium indicator mag-fura-2.RESULTS: Ang-1 increased [Mg~(2+)]_i,and there was not any significant difference among the groups of 0 mmol/L and 1 mmol/L of extracellular Mg~(2+).Similar results were obtained in groups done with Ca2+.Pretreatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors(tyrphostin A23 and genistein),phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K) inhibitors(wortmannin and LY294002) blocked the increase in [Mg~(2+)]_i induced by Ang-1.However,mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitors(SB202190 and PD98059) had no effect on the Ang-1-induced [Mg~(2+)]_i increase.CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the increase in [Mg~(2+)]_i by Ang-1 come from intracellular Mg~(2+) pools mediated by tyrosine kinase/PI3K-dependent signaling pathways.
Distribution of Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) and its relation to selenium content in soil-plant-animal (human being) ecosystem in Tibet

The selenium contents in the soil, food, and children’s hair samples collected from Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) and non-KBD areas in Tibet were determined to approach the relationship between the distribution of KBD and the selenium content in soil-plant-animal (human being) ecosystem in Tibet. The results showed that in Tibet, there was an overall low level of selenium. The selenium content in the samples collected from KBD areas was significantly lower than that in non-KBD areas (P0.05). The low soil selenium content in KBD areas was the critical reason leading to the low selenium level in grain and human bodies in these areas, and the KBD prevalence in Tibet. Therefore, to improve soil environment and to increase soil selenium content would be the critical way to prevent the KBD prevalence in Tibet. Moreover, selenium supplement could obviously improve the selenium content of children’s hair, and prevent and control KBD effectively. However, this supplement should be insisted on longtime.
Efficacy of pediatric hydrocele treated with laparoscopic sharp syringe needle with stitch

Objective To assess the efficacy of sharp syringe needle with stitch in laparoendoscopic surgery for pediatric hydrocele.Methods Surgery was performed for 180 cases of pediatric hydrocele.The 5mm and 3mm trocars were inserted through navel and rectus side.A10c sharp syringe needle was penetrated percutaneously,and then advanced into the preperitoneal space of the PPV to obliterate the internal ring defect.All cases were followed up for 1 month to 10 months(averaging 6 months).Results The operation time was 7 to 10 minutes in one side(averaging 8 minutes)and 12 to 15 minutes in both sides(averaging 12 minutes).The post-operative hospitalization time was 1 day.No serious pain happened.All children recovered well.No complications and recurrences occurred,and no obvious scar was found in the operative areas.ConclusionsThe sharp syringe needle with stitch in laparoendoscopic surgery for pediatric hydrocele has the advantages of short operation time,few complication,good efficacy and no obvious scar,which should be recommended in pediatric surgery.
E-128 five-year endovascular acute ischemic stroke intervention experience at a rural academic medical center

We present our five year endovascular acute ischemic stroke intervention results along with our clinical decision making process and institutional guidelines at a low volume academic medical center. We retrospectively reviewed our neurointerventional stroke database for the stroke interventions performed in the last 5 years at our institution, the only tertiary care academic medical center located at a rural setting in the northeast US serving a catchment area of more than a million population. We hypothesize that following the national guidelines and incorporating the evidence available in the current literature into clinical decision making, even at a relatively low volume referral center, clinical results on par with national standards can be achieved. We had a total of 1588 admissions for ischemic stroke between 06/2009 and 06/2014, 40 of which underwent endovascular intervention. We present our results and complications in comparison to national standards. Of the 40 patients elected for intervention, mean admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale was 15, 21 patients achieved adequate reperfusion (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction Score greater than or equal to 2b) after intervention, perioperative complication rate was%7.5 (3 in 40 patients). Mean follow up was 12 months, mean modified Ranking Scale on discharge was 3 and on last follow up was 2. In conclusion, we present our experience at a rural academic setting as a real world test ground for the current guidelines and trends in endovascular stroke intervention. Disclosures E. Akture: None. C. O9Neill: None. M. Gorman: None. C. Commichau: None. G. Linnell: None. D. Johnson: None.