cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stimulation of surfactant secretion by vasopressin in primary cultures of adult rat type II pneumocytes.

Abstract The current study examined the effect of vasopressin on the secretion of phosphatidylcholine, the principal component of pulmonary surfactant, from adult rat alveolar type II pneumocytes in primary culture. Vasopressin stimulated secretion in a time- and dose-dependent manner. At a concentration of 10 nM, vasopressin stimulated release by 6-fold over the basal secretory rate. The concentration producing half the maximal response for vasopressin-induced secretion was 0.4 nM. The stimulation of phosphatidylcholine release by vasopressin was duplicated by the vasopressin fragment, amino acids 4 through 9. [Lys8]vasopressin and the selective vasopressin-2 agonist [deamino-8- d -Arg]vasopressin did not stimulate surfactant secretion effectively. The vasopressin- and fragment-induced secretion was inhibited by the vasopressin-1 receptor antagonist d(CH2)5TDAVP and the protein kinase C inhibitor, tetracaine, but not by the β-adrenergic antagonist alprenolol. Vasopressin did not activate adenylate cyclase, which suggests that stimulation by vasopressin was independent of cyclic AMP. When vasopressin and isoproterenol were added concomitantly, the effects on phosphatidylcholine secretion were additive. This suggests that these two secretagogues operate via separate mechanisms.
Antioxidant content of edible sprouts: effects of environmental shocks.

BACKGROUND: Edible sprouts are thought to be rich in health-promoting phytochemicals that are known to prevent a number of chronic and degenerative diseases. In mature plants, environmental shocks have been used to enhance health-promoting phytochemicals. The primary objective of this study was to use environmental shocks involving high light and chilling in sprouts of alfalfa, broccoli and radish to improve their phenolic composition. RESULTS: Young sprouts had high total phenolic content and correspondingly high antioxidant capacity, both of which declined sharply with plant age. Exposure of sprouts to high light or chilling resulted in higher total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity compared with untreated controls. During recovery following shock treatments, high light produced a stronger response in increasing the levels of individual phenolic compounds. Alfalfa sprouts subjected to high light and chilling accumulated about 2.0 and 1.5 times significantly higher concentration of ferulic acid respectively, while high light induced 83% more sinapic acid in broccoli sprouts compared with untreated controls. Myricetin, while not detected in 5-day-old control or chilling-treated radish sprouts, accumulated in response to high light. Environmental shocks did not adversely affect the dry biomass accumulation. CONCLUSION: Environmental shocks involving high light and chilling enhanced the antioxidant phenolic content in sprouts of alfalfa, broccoli and radish, suggesting that this approach can be successfully used to enhance the health-promoting qualities of these sprouts. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry
Evaluation of Engineering Properties of Rubberized Laboratory Mixes Containing Warm Mix Additives

Warm mix asphalt (WMA) refers to technologies which allow a significant reduction of mixing and compaction temperatures of asphalt mixes. From previous studies, it is observed that warm mix additives work in different ways, either in reducing the viscosity of the asphalt binder or allowing better workability of the asphalt mix at lower temperatures through volume expansion in the binder. If the technologies of WMA are incorporated into rubberized asphalt mixes, which are generally produced and compacted at higher temperature than conventional mixes, it is possible to reduce the mixing and compaction temperatures of rubberized mixes to those of conventional mixes. This paper presents a limited study that characterizes the engineering properties of crumb rubber modifier (CRM) mixtures containing warm mix additives. Six CRM mixtures (two of control mixtures and four of warm mixtures) were prepared using two aggregate sources and two additives: Aspha-min® and Sasobit®. Evaluation of all mixtures included the following testing procedures: tensile strength ratio, asphalt pavement analyzer, resilient modulus, and resilient modulus after long-term oven aging. The results from this study showed that in general, there was no significant difference between the control and warm CRM mixtures for the properties evaluated in this study, indicating that the use of WMA technologies into CRM mixes is expected to have no negative effect on the mixture’s engineering properties.
Consumer willingness to purchase organic products: Application of the theory of planned behavior

The organic industry continues to increase year on year, and organic apparel is the second largest organic market in terms of generating annual sales. More and more retailers, such as Nike, Gap and Wal-Mart, are beginning to offer their consumers organic apparel options. Despite this growth, there has been little research that studies consumer purchasing behavior toward organic apparel products: most of the literature about the organic industry focuses on the organic food market. This research applied the Theory of Planned Behavior to examine consumer purchasing intentions toward organic apparel products. Participants at a university in the southeastern United States were asked to complete a questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Attitude and subjective norm were found to have a direct influence on consumer purchasing intention. Perceived behavioral control and perceived expensiveness were found to indirectly influence intention through attitude. Awareness, an external v...
Rhodopsin Content of Frog Photoreceptor Outer Segments

VISUAL receptor rod outer segments transduce the energy of absorbed photons into nerve signals. These membranous organelles can be isolated in quantities sufficient for biochemical studies, and are a favourable preparation for studying the chemistry of sensory nerve membrane excitation. Unlike other nerve membrane systems they contain an excitable protein component which binds an easily identified prosthetic group. This prosthetic group, 11-cis-retinaldehyde, combines with the protein opsin to form the light sensitive visual pigment rhodopsin. Retinaldehyde has been used as a label in the isolation arid analysis of the opsin protein1–3. Opsins prepared from frog, cattle and rat outer segment membranes by detergent solubilization and column chromatography are now reported to have molecular weights in the range of 27,000 to 40,000 g per mole of retinaldehyde bound3–6. These opsins are thought to constitute a significant fraction of the total protein present in outer segment membranes6–8.
Transgenic mouse models of hormonal mammary carcinogenesis: Advantages and limitations

Mouse models of breast cancer, especially transgenic and knockout mice, have been established as valuable tools in shedding light on factors involved in preneoplastic changes, tumor development and malignant progression. The majority of mouse transgenic models develop estrogen receptor (ER) negative tumors. This is seen as a drawback because the majority of human breast cancers present an ER positive phenotype. On the other hand, several transgenic mouse models have been developed that produce ER positive mammary tumors. These include mice over-expressing aromatase, ERα, PELP-1 and AIB-1. In this review, we will discuss the value of these models as physiologically relevant in vivo systems to understand breast cancer as well as some of the pitfalls involving these models. In all, we argue that the use of transgenic models has improved our understanding of the molecular aspects and biology of breast cancer.
Comment on “Testing the Interbasin Flow Hypothesis at Death Valley, California”

In the 1960s, a major hydrogeologic investigation was conducted at the Nevada Test Site (NTS, Figure 1) that included drilling, hydraulic testing, and hydrogeochemical studies in conjunction with geologic mapping and geophysical surveys. This work demonstrated that a large part of south central Nevada is underlain by thick (several kilometers) highly fractured Paleozoic carbonate rocks that typically act as an aquifer. The aquifer flanks and underlies most of the intermontane basins from east central Nevada southward, through the NTS, to the southern Funeral Mountains east of Death Valley (Figure 1). Water levels measured in many test holes demonstrate that the potentiometric surface in the carbonate aquifer generally is uninterrupted by the ridges that separate the many topographically closed basins of the region.
On finite deformation elasto-plasticity

Lee (1969) has proposed a theory based on the decomposition of the total deformation gradient to an elastic and plastic part, and from it has concluded that the additive decomposition of the strain rates holds only approximately. Lubarda and Lee (1981) have declared that Lee's 'exact finite-deformation kinematics shows the almost universal assumption that the total velocity strain or rate of deformation is the sum of elastic and plastic rates to be in error'. Hence questions are raised regarding the validity of essentially all finite deformation elasto-plasticity theories. The present investigation is concerned with these questions. It is shown that the additive decomposition of the strain rates follows from all common finite elasto-plasticity concepts. Lee's theory is examined, and it is shown that this theory also leads to an additive strain rate decomposition, and therefore, his conclusion stems from misinterpretation. It is found that the elastic and the plastic strain rates considered by Lee do not correspond to the same configuration. They are, therefore, not compatible measures.
Infra-red transmission spectroscopy of GaAs during molecular beam epitaxy

Abstract Direct radiative heating of GaAs substrates for molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) has a very useful side-benefit: the infra-red light which heats the substrate can also serve as a light source for transmission spectroscopy. We demonstrate the use of in-situ transmission spectroscopy in two important applications, temperature measurement and growth rate measurement. The substrate temperature can be accurately determined by measuring the position of the band-gap absorption edge. The band gap of GaAs shifts about 50 mV per 100°C in the usual temperature range of MBE growth, and has been well characterized previously. We can measure the position of the absorption edge to better than 5 mV, so a temperature can be determined with an accuracy of better than 10°C. The precision of the measurement is ±2°C. We have measured GaAs substrate temperatures as low as 450°C, and the technique is easily extendable to much lower temperatures. We have used this technique to calibrate the thermocouple used to control our substrate heater during normal MBE growth. The growth rates of AlxGa1−xAs and GaAs can be determined by measuring the Fabry-Perot interference fringes resulting from thin layers. For a single AlxGa1−xAs layer, the amplitude of the fringes observed as a function of time is a good measure of the index difference between the layer and the substrate. From published data about the GaAs index at high temperature, we can get the AlxGa1−xAs index, and thus an estimate of the Al mole fraction of the layer. By counting the fringes as the layer is grown, we can determine the thickness of the layer. For a single layer of Al0.3Ga0.7As on GaAs, we observe fringes of magnitude 3.85%±0.62% at 1.468 μm. The optical thickness can be determined to within ±24 nm. For multi-layer structures, the variations of the transmittance with wavelength become large, so that the optical thickness of both GaAs and AlAs can be extracted from a single wavelength scan. An accurate determination of the refractive indices of these materials at high temperatures could make this technique very important for the reproducible growth of AlxGa1−xAs-GaAs heterostructures, because a high precision calibration could be done during each growth.
The salivary glands as a privileged site of cytomegalovirus immune evasion and persistence

The salivary glands (SG) provide a haven for persistent cytomegalovirus replication, and in this regard are a privileged site of virus immune evasion. The murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) model has provided insight into the immunological environment of the SG and the unqiue virus-host relationship of this organ. In response to MCMV infection, a robust T cell-mediated immune response is elicited, comprised predominantly of CD8+ T cells that phenotypically and functionally appear activated. However, they fail to clear virus by an unknown evasion mechanism that is independent of inhibitory NKG2A- or Programmed Death 1-mediated signaling. Virus is eventually eliminated from the SG by effector CD4+ T cells expressing antiviral cytokines. However, this mechanism is severely dampened by high levels of the immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10, selectively expressed by SG CD4+ T cells.
Clostridium tetani Infection in a Haitian Earthquake Victim

© 2011 Elsevier 0196-4399/00 (see frontmatter) 37 We report a case of Clostridium tetani infection in a man who was transferred to a U.S. hospital from Haiti, following the earthquake that occurred on 12 January 2010. We describe the microbiology and pathophysiology of this infectious disease process. C. tetani elaborates toxins that interrupt central nervous system signaling, producing tonic paralysis. So that life-saving therapeutic measures can be instituted, the clinician and microbiologist must collaborate to quickly establish C. tetani as the pathogen responsible for the disease. Appropriate clinical vigilance may avert a poor patient outcome associated with respiratory insufficiency, acute renal failure, and autonomic dysfunction. Our best defense against tetanus is implementation of a worldwide vaccination program. Mailing Address: Asa Oxner, MS IV, 8775 Orange Oaks Circle, Tampa, FL 33637. Tel.: 813-732-7675. E-mail: aoxner@health.usf.edu Case Report
Formation of tungsten carbide during carbon monoxide activation of tungsten oxide on silica disproportionation catalysts

Tungsten carbide is formed during the carbon monoxide activation of tungsten oxide on silica gel disproportionation catalysts. A study of the catalyst activation in H2, H2 + H2O, CO, and CO + CO2 has shown that the catalyst can be selectively reduced to the substoichiometric oxides WO2.84 and WO2.72, WO2, and WC. Reduction in CO only or H2 followed by CO did not produce a uniform reduction along the length of the catalyst bed due to the inhibiting effect of CO2 on the reduction. The pure binary oxide forms were not highly active for the disproportionation reaction. Minor amounts of tungsten carbide in a matrix of WO2.72 or pure tungsten carbide on silica gel are highly active for the disproportionation reaction.
Near Infrared Measurement of Cotton Fiber Micronaire, Maturity and Fineness - a Comparative Investigation

A key cotton fiber quality property is micronaire, which acts as an indicator of the fiber’s maturity and fineness. Previous studies have demonstrated the ability of Near Infrared (NIR) instrumentation to measure these cotton properties with varying degrees of success, but these studies did not provide conclusions on the capabilities of NIR spectroscopy as a general technique for these analyses. Recent advances in NIR technology could result in improved measurements of these cotton properties. A comparative investigation was implemented to determine the capabilities of modern commercial bench-top and portable NIR systems to monitor cotton fiber micronaire, maturity, and fineness in order to gain insight as to the “universality” of the NIR measurements for these fiber properties. Cotton samples were analyzed on five commercial systems and an older, custom-built system. Very good spectral agreement was observed between the portable and bench-top NIR units. The rapid and simultaneous measurement of cotton mi...
Analyses of Bering Sea bottom-trawl surveys in Norton Sound: absence of regime shift effect on epifauna and demersal fish

Hamazaki, T., Fair, L., Watson, L., and Brennan, E. 2005. Analyses of Bering Sea bottomtrawl surveys in Norton Sound: absence of regime shift effect on epifauna and demersal fish.e ICES Journal of Marine Science, 62: 1597e1602. This study retrospectively examined evidence of ocean climate regime shift effects on epifauna and demersal fish of Norton Sound, Alaska, northeast Bering Sea, based on triennial bottom-trawl surveys from 1976 to 2002. Throughout the period, benthic fauna was dominated by sea stars (48e78%), followed by cods (5e19%), flatfish (5e15%), sculpins (1.5e7%), and crabs (2e6%). From 1976 to 2002, the cpue index of total species increased exponentially (4.5% y 1 ) by threefold with some declines in 1991 and 1999. The increase was also observed in sea stars (5.1% y 1 ), flatfish (6.1% y 1 ), and crabs (2.5% y 1 ). However, trends of cods and sculpins were mixed. Regression analysis showed the cpue index of total species to be positively correlated with survey years and bottom-water temperature. However, bottom-water temperature, when considered by itself, was not significant. Results suggest that regime shifts caused biomass increases of Norton Sound epifauna and demersal fish.
Street Crime, Labor Surplus, and Criminal Punishment, 1980-1990

Conventional wisdom holds that variation in state use of criminal punishment is produced principally by variation in the rate of street crime. Neo-Marxist variants of conflict theory predict that use of punishment by capitalist states also varies with economic conditions generally and with the size of the labor surplus in particular. Many investigators have found support for this relationship, but recurring design and analytic shortcomings of their studies limit confidence in it. We test for the labor surplus/punishment relationship using a theoretically more appropriate sample and methodology. Residual-change regression analysis is applied to crime, demographic, economic, and prison-commitment data for a sample of 269 United States urban counties for the period 1980 to 1990. It identifies independent contributions to change in state use of imprisonment by change in violent street crime and in the proportionate size of both the young male population and the labor surplus. The findings, therefore, lend further support to and strengthen confidence in neo-Marxist theories of official punishment.
Selective Reward Deficit in Mice Lacking β-Endorphin and Enkephalin

It has been impossible to unequivocally identify which endogenous opioids modulate the incentive value of rewarding stimuli because these peptides are not highly selective for any single opioid receptor subtype. Here, we present evidence based on the measurement of instrumental behavior of β-endorphin and enkephalin knock-out mice that both opioid peptides play a positive role. A progressive ratio schedule was used to measure how hard an animal would work for food reinforcers. The loss of either opioid reduced responding under this schedule, regardless of the palatability of the three different formulas of reinforcers used. The phenotype of mice lacking both endogenous opioids was nearly identical to the phenotype of mice mutant for either individual opioid. Responses were tested in nondeprived and deprived feeding states but were reduced in β-endorphin- and enkephalin-deficient mice only when they were maintained under nondeprived conditions. Other operant manipulations ruled out variables that might contribute nonspecifically to this result such as differences in acquisition, early satiation, motor performance deficit, and reduced resistance to extinction. In contrast to the effects on instrumental performance, the loss of either or both endogenous opioids did not influence preference for water flavored with sucrose or saccharin in a two-bottle free-choice drinking paradigm. We conclude that both β-endorphin and enkephalin positively contribute to the incentive-motivation to acquire food reinforcers. Because the attenuation of operant responding was observed only during a nondeprived motivational state, the hedonics of feeding are likely altered rather than energy homeostasis.
A linear-size zero-one programming model for the minimum spanning tree problem in planar graphs

A new linear zero-one programming model is presented for the problem of finding minimum spanning trees (MSTs) in undirected planar graphs. Existing MST solution algorithms, which are applicable to both planar and nonplanar graphs, have strong computational advantages over existing MST integer-linear programming (LP) models. The latter tend not to be amenable to LP solution methods except for relatively small problems, but may, nevertheless, be desirable for reasons of convenience, exibility, and adaptability to related and difficult problems such as the network Steiner tree problem. The purpose of this paper was to present a zero—one model whose size and solvability more closely resemble the properties of existing algorithms than do other proposed integer-LP models. This new model exploits the special primal-dual structure that exists for planar graphs. The model's constraint matrix is both unimodular and linear in size relative to graph size. Hence, LP solution methods become practical for solving large planar graph MST problems exactly. A bi-objective generalization of the model is presented and the model's LP dual is briefly discussed. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Mobile agent programming in Ajanta

The paper gives an overview of Ajanta, a Java based system for mobile agent programming. We outline the Ajanta architecture, and discuss the basic elements that comprise an agent based application. Ajanta's programming environment is defined in terms of a set of primitive operations for agent creation, dispatch, migration and remote control. Agents can access server resources using a proxy based access control mechanism. We describe a scheme for agent migration based on the composition of some basic migration patterns which incorporate exception handling mechanisms. Finally, we present two agent based distributed applications implemented using the Ajanta system. One is a middleware which supports file sharing over the Internet and the other is a distributed calendar manager.
Hierarchical Dirichlet process model for gene expression clustering

Clustering is an important data processing tool for interpreting microarray data and genomic network inference. In this article, we propose a clustering algorithm based on the hierarchical Dirichlet processes (HDP). The HDP clustering introduces a hierarchical structure in the statistical model which captures the hierarchical features prevalent in biological data such as the gene express data. We develop a Gibbs sampling algorithm based on the Chinese restaurant metaphor for the HDP clustering. We apply the proposed HDP algorithm to both regulatory network segmentation and gene expression clustering. The HDP algorithm is shown to outperform several popular clustering algorithms by revealing the underlying hierarchical structure of the data. For the yeast cell cycle data, we compare the HDP result to the standard result and show that the HDP algorithm provides more information and reduces the unnecessary clustering fragments.
Dynamics of Dental Epithelium During Tooth Eruption

The dental epithelium of developing rat molars was labeled with tritiated thymidine administered by gastric intubation. Labeled ameloblasts were lost from all enamel surfaces at approximately the same time by desquamation into the gingival sulcus. The other cells of the dental epithelium proliferated to form the renewing epithelial cuff.
Laryngeal Amyloidosis: A Clinicopathologic and Immunohistochemical Review:

The clinical nature of laryngeal amyloidosis has not been well established, and the natural history of the disease remains a controversial matter. To address these issues, we reviewed the clinicopa...
Use of the progestin challenge test in nonhuman primates (Macaca fascicularis)

Abstract Objective: To determine whether the progestin challenge test (PCT) would provide a reliable, noninvasive indicator of endometrial stimulation in nonhuman primates. Design: Randomized, 2×2, crossover study. Setting: Nonhuman primates ( Macaca fascicularis ) in an academic research environment. Patient(s): Adult, surgically postmenopausal, female cynomolgous macaques (n = 27) were studied. Intervention(s): Females were randomly assigned to receive estradiol (n = 14; 0.028 mg/kg body weight) or vehicle (n = 13) daily. All animals were administered two PCTs in a crossover study design using two doses (0.28 mg/kg or 0.56 mg/kg body weight) of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). Main Outcome Measure(s): Incidence and severity of withdrawal bleeding and serum estradiol (E 2 ) and progesterone (P 4 ) levels were evaluated. Result(s): Estradiol treatment resulted in endometrial "withdrawal" bleeding in all but one instance. Females receiving daily doses of E 2 exhibited a significantly greater ( P Conclusion(s): These results indicate that the PCT is a useful, noninvasive method for determining the presence of endometrial stimulation in nonhuman primates.
Carbon nanotube electronic and optoelectronic devices

Recent developments in our research on single carbon nanotube field-effect transistors, electrically driven infrared emitters, and photo-detectors are discussed. Special emphasis is placed on the electrostatic and chemical control of the Schottky barriers at metal-nanotube contacts.
Hospitalization Versus Imprisonment and the Insanity Plea

Insanity as a legal defense for criminal acts has been widely criticized, most tellingly on the grounds that commitment to a mental hospital when found insane results in longer incarceration than would imprisonment for the crime. Forty-three individuals who invoked an insanity plea to the charge of murder—about one-third of whom were found to be legally insane and were hospitalized and the other two-thirds were found sane and imprisoned—were followed up some 23 years later. There was no significant difference in the mean length of incarceration. For both groups it was slightly over 11 years. These data do not support the contention that being found not guilty by reason of insanity leads to longer incarceration than being found sane.
CTLA-4 is not required for induction of CD8(+) T cell anergy in vivo.

Recent studies of T cell anergy induction have produced conflicting conclusions as to the role of the negative regulatory receptor, CTLA-4. Several in vivo models of tolerance have implicated the interaction of CTLA-4 and its ligands, B7.1 and B7.2, as an essential step in induction of anergy, while results from a number of other systems have indicated that signals from the TCR/CD3 complex alone are sufficient to induce T cell unresponsiveness. One explanation for this disparity is that the requirements for anergy induction depend closely on the details of the system: in vivo vs in vitro, route of stimulus administration, naive vs memory cells, CD4+ vs CD8+ cells, etc. To test this possibility, we established an in vivo anergy model using mice transgenic for the 2C TCR on a recombination-activating gene-2-deficient background, that either express or lack the CTLA-4 molecule. This system provides us with a very homogeneous pool of naive Ag-specific CD8+ T cells, allowing us to control some of the conditions mentioned above. We found that T cells from CTLA-4-deficient mice were anergized by injections of soluble antigenic peptide as efficiently as were CTLA-4-expressing cells. These results indicate that CTLA-4 is not universally required for in vivo T cell anergy induction and may point to distinctions between regulation of peripheral tolerance in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells.
Teaching Ethnographic Writing: A Review Essay

This essay selectively reviews the ethnographic criticism literature and considers its potential applications for the teaching of ethnographic writing. Three major areas are discussed: textual organization, ranging from "holistic" to experimental ethnographies; voice, which includes questions of first person and the potential pitfalls of teaching "polyphony"; and the politics of metaphor, or teaching political awareness of choices of language and literary forms. ETHNOGRAPHY, WRITING, CRITICISM, TEACHING, EDUCATION
An Investigation of Environmental Racism Claims: Testing Environmental Management Approaches with a Geographic Information System

The purpose of this research was to explore the concept of an environmental racism claim through the use of several environmental management tools. The EPA's Toxics Release Inventory, Cumulative Exposure Project, and the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services' Hot Zone Census Tract Assessment were combined with racial and socioeconomic data to test claims that minorities in South Central Los Angeles are disproportionately exposed to environmental lead. Multivariate analysis indicated that race is strongly associated with the number of cases of elevated blood lead levels in South Central, irrespective of poverty status. Proximity to point sources, a common focal point for studies of environmental racism, was not a contributing factor to health outcomes. Proximity to transportation corridors was consistently the strongest indicator of environmental lead exposure, while median home values were significantly and positively related to elevated blood lead levels. Implications for environmental justice advocates and social and environmental scientists are discussed.
Joint attention and symbolic play in young children with autism: a randomized controlled intervention study

Background: Delays and deficits in joint attention and symbolic play constitute two important developmental problems in young children with autism. These areas of deficit have been well studied in autism but have rarely been the focus of treatment efforts (see Kasari, Freeman, & Paparella, 2001). In this study, we examine the efficacy of targeted interventions of joint attention and symbolic play. Methods: Participants were 58 children with autism aged 3 and 4 years (46 boys). Children were randomized to a joint attention intervention, a symbolic play intervention, or control group. Interventions were conducted 30 minutes daily for 5–6 weeks. Both structured assessments of joint attention and play skills and mother–child interactions were collected pre and post intervention by independent assessors. Results: Results indicate that both intervention groups improved significantly over the control group on certain behaviors. Children in the joint attention intervention initiated significantly more showing and responsiveness to joint attention on the structured joint attention assessment and more child-initiated joint attention in the mother–child interaction. The children in the play group showed more diverse types of symbolic play in interaction with their mothers and higher play levels on both the play assessment and in interaction with their mothers. Conclusions: This randomized controlled trial provides promising data on the specificity and generalizability of joint attention and play interventions for young children with autism. Future studies need to examine the long-term effects of these early interventions on children's development.
Trajectories of Social Engagement and Mortality in Late Life

Objective: There is a dearth of empirical research examining how patterns of stability and change in social engagement affect mortality. This study uses social integration theory within a life course framework to examine trajectories of social engagement over time and how those patterns relate to mortality. Method: Data are drawn from the Americans’ Changing Lives survey, a nationally representative panel study, with mortality information spanning from 1986 to 2005. Results: Even after controlling for known predictors of mortality, membership in a trajectory of high and slightly increasing social engagement was related to lower risk of mortality. Sociodemographic, health condition, and health behavior variables mediated the impact of the other social engagement trajectories on mortality. Discussion: Findings suggest the importance of maintaining high levels of social engagement over time for the health of older adults.
Endoscopic diagnosis of duodenal stenosis in a 5-month-old male infant

Duodenal stenosis and duodenal atresia are well-known gastrointestinal anomalies in patients with Down syndrome. Although duodenal atresia presents early and classically with vomiting in the immediate neonatal period, the presentation of duodenal stenosis can be significantly more subtle and the diagnosis delayed. Here, we describe the case of a 5-month-old male infant with Down syndrome and delayed presentation of high-grade duodenal stenosis diagnosed endoscopically. Pediatric gastroenterologists should include duodenal stenosis in the differential diagnosis of older infants and children with vomiting and should be familiar with the endoscopic appearance of this lesion.
Condensation shocks in nozzle flows

Supersonic nozzle flows of a condensable vapour are considered in the high activation limit for homogeneous nucleation. Conditions are determined under which the final collapse of the supersaturated state is described by a condensation shock. It is shown that the shock zone is associated with droplet growth: droplet production occurs in a thin layer upstream of the growth region. Some new scaling laws are obtained for the structure of the production layer.
Fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity, and mortality in older community-dwelling women.

DESIGN: Six Cox proportional hazards models examined independent and additive relationships between physical activity, carotenoids, and all-cause mortality. Additional models tested whether physical activity and carotenoids were conjointly related to mortality. Models were adjusted for age, education, and race and ethnicity. SETTING: Baltimore, Maryland. PARTICIPANTS: Seven hundred thirteen women aged 70 to 79 participating in the Women’s Health and Aging Studies. MEASUREMENTS: Total serum carotenoids, a marker of fruit and vegetable intake, and physical activity were measured at baseline. Physical activity was measured according to kilocalorie expenditure. RESULTS: During 5 years of follow-up, 82 (11.5%) participants died. Measured continuously, physical activity improved survival (HR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.41–0.66, P < .001). The most active women were more likely to survive than the least physically active women (HR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.13–0.59, P < .001). Continuous measures of carotenoids improved survival (HR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.51–0.89, P = .01). Women in the highest tertile of total carotenoids were more likely to survive those in the lowest (HR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.27–0.91, P = .03). When examined in the same model, continuous measures of physical activity (HR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.42–0.68, P < .001) and carotenoids (HR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.59– 0.98, P = .04) predicted survival during follow-up. CONCLUSION: The combination of low total serum carotenoids and low physical activity, both modifiable risk factors, strongly predicted earlier mortality. These findings provide preliminary support that higher fruit and vegetable intake and exercise improve survival. J Am Geriatr Soc 60:862–868, 2012.
Legal Research: Lexis Advance

LexisNexis recently released the newest iteration of its legal research system, Lexis Advance. Written for Student Lawyer magazine, this legal research column examines some of the new features of Lexis Advance with an eye towards what law students need to know.
Composition Determination at High Temperatures by Laser Produced Plasma Analysis

Materials in a high temperature condensed phase require new means of characterization. The method of analysis by laser produced plasmas (LPP) combines interaction of a high power laser pulse with the surface in nanosecond time scales and time-and space-resolved detection of the emission spectrum from the plasma plume. In order to meet the requirement that the plasma plume has the same elemental composition as in the condensed phase, a rule of thumb for operation of the laser has been first established in terms of the relationship between the thermal diffusion speed and the rate at which the surface layer is removed by evaporation. This paper describes the physical processes of the laser - matter interaction and the evolution of the plasma plume in time and space, as revealed by experiment and numerical simulation. An account of a new application of the LPP method to compositional analysis of molten metals is presented.
Are Proxy Wars Cheaper?: Civil War Intervention and Security Outcomes

States often substitute one foreign policy tool for another in their pursuit of security, including delegating fighting responsibilities against rival and other states to non-state actors such as rebel groups and friendly governments facing domestic competition for control of the state. The question remains as to whether intervening in civil wars is an efficient method for states to satisfy foreign policy objectives and achieve security. States often pursue this option because it is cheaper in treasure and blood, and avoids the political costs associated with militarized conflict, assuming such a policy is the only remaining alternative. However, the field has yet to examine if states actually save resources by utilizing this alternative to direct military intervention. If interventions are cheaper, then the field should be able to observe an increase in state security. However, this paper argues that intervening states do not gain a great amount of security by engaging in civil wars. Further, there is reason to believe that as states become involved in proxy conflicts, their security issues and costs increase over time, due to the their involvement. I test this argument utilizing a sample covering 1975-1999, which results that offer mixed support for the theory.
Simulation of the experimental thermal cleaning procedure in LiF:Mg,Ti and investigation of the origin of the first-order kinetics of its peaks

In this paper, the simulation of the thermal cleaning procedure in LiF:Mg,Ti as well as the investigation of the origin of its glow-peaks have been performed by six electron trapping levels and one recombination center phenomenological model. The most generally accepted parameter of the glow-peaks 1 to 5 of LiF:Mg,Ti is their first-order kinetics; this was particularly investigated by the use of the random variation of the kinetic parameters method.
Exome sequencing results in successful diagnosis and treatment of a severe congenital anemia

Whole-exome sequencing is increasingly used for diagnosis and identification of appropriate therapies in patients. Here, we present the case of a 3-yr-old male with a lifelong and severe transfusion-dependent anemia of unclear etiology, despite an extensive clinical workup. Given the difficulty of making the diagnosis and the potential side effects from performing interventions in patients with a congenital anemia of unknown etiology, we opted to perform whole-exome sequencing on the patient and his parents. This resulted in the identification of homozygous loss-of-function mutations in the EPB41 gene, encoding erythrocyte protein band 4.1, which therefore causes a rare and severe form of hereditary elliptocytosis in the patient. Based on prior clinical experience in similar patients, a surgical splenectomy was performed that resulted in subsequent transfusion independence in the patient. This case illustrates how whole-exome sequencing can lead to accurate diagnoses (and exclusion of diagnoses where interventions, such as splenectomy, would be contraindicated), thereby resulting in appropriate and successful therapeutic intervention-a major goal of precision medicine.
Cytological and Chemical Adaptations of Fat Deposition in Migratory Birds

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An Economic and Land-Use Model for Reducing Insecticides on Cotton and Corn

This analysis was designed to estimate the impact on crop prices and land use of producing cotton and corn with and without insecticides. A nationwide linear-programming model for a population of 280 million people in the year 2000 was employed to calculate crop costs and land-use patterns that could be expected for several different restrictions regarding land and insecticide use. Without U.S. government acreage controls (in which case, crops could be grown in regions most suited for their production), national crop production with or without insecticides was more efficient and was ca. 50% less expensive than production under a land retirement program. Without U.S. government acreage controls, the calculated costs of growing cotton and corn without insecticides were 11 and 1% greater, respectively, and required 2.1 million acres more land than with insecticide use. Based on various analyses, the conclusion was that the costs of producing crop commodities without insecticides on corn and cotton are slightly greater than the costs of producing these commodities with insecticides and without government acreage controls. However, corn and cotton commodity-production costs without insecticides are considerably less than the cost of producing the commodities with insecticides and under U.S. government acreage controls. Hence, restrictions on land use apear to have much more of an influence in causing higher crop prices than restrictions on insecticide use.
The progress on mechanism of molecular imprinted chiral recognition and applied in chromatography

As a new chiral stationary phases of peculiar molecular recognition,molecular imprinted polymers(MIPs)have a series of advantages,such as prediction in elution order,excellent selective,and the advantages of physical and chemical stability et al,which make it used in chiral separations of chromatography.In this article,the development of molecular imprinted technology and mechanism of chiral recognition were introduced.On the base of these reviews,in the application status of chromatography,the problems need to be resolved and the trends of development were discussed.
Communication and Employee Retention

Retaining high-performing employees is no longer simply the concern of human resources (HR) directors; rather, attracting and retaining employees are consistently listed as one of the top concerns of global chief executive officers (CEOs), alongside growing the business and becoming more profitable. Retention of employees encompasses a wide spectrum of topics, and the literatures of the following six areas of study are briefly reviewed: organizational commitment, turnover intentions and voluntary turnover, psychological contracts and their violations, trust, perceived organizational support, and perceived supervisor support. Four communication applications that increase employee retention are considered: (1) meeting regularly with employees, (2) providing regular performance management feedback, (3) committing to ongoing learning and professional development, and (4) conducting periodic stay interviews. Keywords: applied communication; business and management; corporate communication; organizational change; organizational commitment; organizational communication; perceived organizational support; perceived supervisor support; psychological contracts; retention
Longitudinal distribution of vascular resistance in the lung.

We have modified the low-viscosity bolus technique for determining the longitudinal distribution of pulmonary vascular resistance. A bolus of saline was introduced into the pulmonary artery of an isolated cat lung. As this low-viscosity bolus passed through the lung, a fall in inflow pressure was recorded which had a characteristic shape depending on the changing shape and position of the low-viscosity bolus and the longitudinal distribution of resistance. The shape and position of the bolus within the lung at a given time were calculated using the change in viscosity of the blood measured as the bolus entered the pulmonary artery and as it emerged from the left atrium. Assuming that the hemodynamic resistance of a small segment of the vasculature is proportional to the product of the viscosity and its geometric factor, we employed a sequential-pattern search technique to calculate the “best” longitudinal distribution of the geometric factor, compatible with the position and dispersion of the bolus at any time and the arterial pressure curve.
Translational Effectiveness in the Context of Translational Science

With this chapter, we open the present examination of the fundamentals of evidence-based health care in general and evidence-based dentistry in particular. We establish the correspondence between evidence-based health care and translational effectiveness, which, as defined by AHRQ, represents the utilization of the best available evidence in clinical settings. We discuss the process of evidence-based health care and translational effectiveness in the larger context of translational science, which we propose to be consisting of two fundamental facets: translational research, which we describe from the perspective of the original definition provided by NIH, and translational effectiveness. This chapter also serves to introduce the line of ought that is sustained consistently throughout this book that translational effectiveness pertains to a novel model of health care for the twenty-first century: one that is patient centered, effectiveness focused, and evidence based and one that emphasizes both the empowerment of patients and stakeholders in the process of clinical decision-making and the need for global interaction, collaboration, and consultations with respect to obtaining and disseminating the best available evidence. In this vein, the chapter introduces and discusses three concepts, which are likely to be the drivers of health care in the next decade. Firstly, the nature of the patient-based medical/dental home/neighborhood is outlined, with emphasis on its role in the context of the communities of practice and on its function for fostering health literacy. Consistent with the fact that evidence-based health care and translational effectiveness depend as much upon the process of uncovering the best available evidence—a research process—as upon the utilization of the uncovered best available evidence in the practice of clinical medicine and dentistry, the chapter establishes the foundations of research synthesis as the tools and means for the systematic hypothesis-driven pursuance of the best available evidence. The chapter describes how this activity can be and must be obtained with the involvement of both academic researchers and the clinical practice in the community. In this context, the chapter describes the role, structure, and functionality of the practice-based research network. The third main concept that will support and sustain evidence-based health care and translational effectiveness in the next decades is the pursuit at its very core of the optimal fit between the objective evidence—that is to say, the best available evidence—the objective assessment of the clinical provider’s expertise and literacy of the best available evidence, and of the objective evaluation of the patient’s needs and wants that result from clinical history, as well as translational research outcomes. Posed in this manner, reminiscent of the person–environment fit model of occupational psychology, the proposed patient–evidence provider fit model yields novel quantifiable measures for monitoring comparative effectiveness and comparative efficacy.