cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Continuing to Be a Mother: Grandmothering on Pollap

Perspectivies from human evolution and life cycle development frame this paper on grandmothering in a Micronesian setting. On Pollap Atoll in the Central Caroline Islands, being a grandmother is part of a developmental process that involves aging and a changing parental role. Being an older woman is interwoven with being a grandmother in much the same way as being an adult woman is interwoven with being a mother. Much of the work of a grandmother toward grandchildren involves continuing responsibilities to one's adult child. Today's grandmothers continue to carry out these responsibilities in the context of adaptation to migration. The result is a degree of contact with and awareness of the wider world Pollapese have become part of. Grandmothers are not isolated, out of touch, or seen as irrelavent.
Retention of Added Acids During the Extrusion of Corn Starch/Isolated Soy Protein Blends

SUMMARY C 6 , C 8 and C 10 acids were added to either high or low amylose 70% corn starch/30% isolated soy protein blends and extruded with 24% moisture at 125°. Starches with no added protein were extruded under the same conditions and served as controls. Resulting extrudates were treated with protease and amylase and the amounts of free, starch-bound and protein-bound acids were determined by gas chromatography. In starch only systems, acid retention was greatest for low amylose starch, and retention increased with chain length. The addition of isolated soy protein increased added compound retention.
Imaging of Intrathoracic Paragangliomas

Intrathoracic paragangliomas are uncommon and only represent 1%-2% of paragangliomas. They are most commonly found in mediastinal compartments (aortopulmonary window or posterior mediastinum). Computed tomography, magnetic resonance, and specific nuclear medicine radiotracers are routinely used to characterize these lesions and help exclude other more common conditions. Selective angiography is currently used for preoperative embolization and mapping of the vascular supply before surgical resection, rather than for diagnostic purposes alone.
Urinary antimicrobial peptides: Potential novel biomarkers of obstructive uropathy.

Summary Introduction Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have historically been evaluated for their role in protecting against uropathogens. However, there is mounting evidence to support their expression in noninfectious injury, with unclear meaning as to their function. It is possible that AMPs represent urothelial injury. Urinary tract obstruction is known to alter the urothelium; however, AMPs have not been evaluated for expression in this noninfectious injury. Objective A pilot study to compare urinary AMP expression in children undergoing surgical intervention for ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) with nonobstructed controls. Study design Bladder urine was collected from consenting/assenting pediatric patients with UPJO at intervention. Control bladder urines were obtained from age-matched and sex-matched healthy children without known obstruction or infection. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were run for the following AMPs: β defense 1 (BD-1), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), cathelicidin (LL-37), hepatocarcinoma-intestine-pancreas/pancreatitis-associated protein (HIP/PAP), and human α defensin 5 (HD-5); and normalized to urine creatinine. Results were analyzed with Student's t-test or Mann–Whitney U test, when appropriate, and receiver operating characteristic curves. A P-value of Results Thirty bladder urine samples were obtained from children with UPJO at the time of decompressive intervention. Mean patient age was 4.7 years (range 0.3–18.4); 20 (67%) patients were male. Fifteen bladder urine samples were obtained from age-matched and sex-matched controls. Urinary AMP levels were significantly higher in UPJO patients than controls for BD-1 (P = 0.015), NGAL (P Discussion Certain urinary AMPs are altered even in noninfectious urinary tract pathology. This represents a novel induction of AMP expression, as the current study is the first to report elevations in BD-1 and HIP/PAP in urinary tract obstruction. This suggests other roles for these AMPs outside of their antimicrobial properties, and likely is a reflection of the urothelial and tubular stress resulting from obstructive uropathy. Conclusions Induction of AMPs BD-1, NGAL, LL-37, and HIP/PAP was found to occur in urinary tract obstruction. Further evaluation of AMP expression as a biomarker of uroepithelial injury outside of infection is indicated. Download : Download high-res image (183KB) Download : Download full-size image Summary Fig . Urinary antimicrobial peptide expression of Control Group compared with Obstructed Group patients when run upon enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. * = statistical significance. ELISA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.
The dual role of mRNA half-lives in the expression of the yeast ALG7 gene

The yeast ALG7 gene functions by initiating the synthesis of the dolichol-linked oligosaccharide precursor and plays an important role in the control of protein N-glycosylation. The levels of ALG7 multiple transcripts are modulated by the physiological status of the cell and environmental cues, and deregulation of their abundance is deleterious to several cellular functions. Since ALG7 mRNAs are unstable, we investigated the role of these transcripts' half-lives in determining their steady-state levels. Using a temperature-sensitive RNA polymerase II mutant, we demonstrate that increased stability was the primary determinant of higher ALG7 mRNA abundance in response to glucose limitation or treatment with tunicamycin. In contrast, at the G1/G0 transition point, changes in the decay rates were inversely related to ALG7 transcript accumulation: the decreased abundance of ALG7 mRNAs following exit from the mitotic cycle was associated with lengthening of the decay rates, while their increased accumulation after growth stimulation correlated with decreased stability. This suggests that, depending on the circumstance, mRNA half-lives can either directly determine the level of ALG7 transcript accumulation or oppose regulatory changes at other control levels.
New insights into the regulation of RNP granule assembly in oocytes

In a variety of cell types in plants, animals, and fungi, ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes play critical roles in regulating RNA metabolism. These RNP granules include processing bodies and stress granules that are found broadly across cell types, as well as RNP granules unique to the germline, such as P granules, polar granules, sponge bodies, and germinal granules. This review focuses on RNP granules localized in oocytes of the major model systems, Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila, Xenopus, mouse, and zebrafish. The signature families of proteins within oocyte RNPs include Vasa and other RNA-binding proteins, decapping activators and enzymes, Argonaute family proteins, and translation initiation complex proteins. This review describes the many recent insights into the dynamics and functions of RNP granules, including their roles in mRNA degradation, mRNA localization, translational regulation, and fertility. The roles of the cytoskeleton and cell organelles in regulating RNP granule assembly are also discussed.
Development and calibration of a smartphone application for use in sound mapping

Klyn and Feth (2016) reported preliminary work to use a smartphone application in a citizen-science project designed to map sound levels in Columbus, OH. Before the main project began, we discovered that the sound level measuring applications available for download had shortcomings that made them unsuitable for the proposed work. This presentation describes the development of two smartphone applications, one iOS and one Android, and the calibration procedures developed to document their accuracy and reliability. Following the suggestions of Kardous, et al. (2014, 2016), we require that the measurements be conducted using an external microphone. In use, microphone voltage is sampled for 30 seconds and processed to reflect the A-weighting scale so that sound levels are recorded as dBA values. The time and location of each sample is saved with the sound level value and can only be uploaded to the project data base if the device has been previously calibrated. Calibration stores an offset value that can be added to each sample before producing mapped values. Limits on proximity of repeated samples are included to ensure a better distribution of results. The apps are currently available for download from their respective “stores.” [Work supported by a grant from the Battelle Engineering, Technology and Human Affairs Endowment.]
Secret language and resistance to borrowing in Chini

Abstract In Chini, a language of northeastern New Guinea, speakers rely on principles of semantic extension including metonymy, metaphor, and other types of association to create new terms using material from the vernacular. They do so in a special sociolinguistically marked register referred to here as ‘secret language’, a linguistic practice not unheard of in New Guinea. The same principles at work in secret language can also be seen in the creation of terms for new, modern concepts in the sociolinguistically unmarked register of the language. There is additionally some degree of overlap between the two registers, since what were originally secret language terms have entered into use in the unmarked register. This suggests that secret language has been a resource for resistance to borrowing and brings into focus the larger point that any understanding of borrowability should be rooted in the local sociolinguistic context, to the locally relevant ideologies at work and the particular creative principles of language use that speakers employ.
The Need for Community Control of Education.

(1974). The Need for Community Control of Education. The Black Scholar: Vol. 6, The Black Community, pp. 9-15.
Spine surgeon ownership of ambulatory surgery centers.

With higher healthcare costs compared to other similarly developed countries, US regulations are increasingly shifting away from fee-for-service based reimbursement and more towards bundled reimbursements for episodic care.
Strategies and Principles of Distributed Machine Learning on Big Data

ABSTRACT The rise of big data has led to new demands for machine learning (ML) systems to learn complex models, with millions to billions of parameters, that promise adequate capacity to digest massive datasets and offer powerful predictive analytics (such as high-dimensional latent features, intermediate representations, and decision functions) thereupon. In order to run ML algorithms at such scales, on a distributed cluster with tens to thousands of machines, it is often the case that significant engineering efforts are required—and one might fairly ask whether such engineering truly falls within the domain of ML research. Taking the view that “big” ML systems can benefit greatly from ML-rooted statistical and algorithmic insights—and that ML researchers should therefore not shy away from such systems design—we discuss a series of principles and strategies distilled from our recent efforts on industrial-scale ML solutions. These principles and strategies span a continuum from application, to engineering, and to theoretical research and development of big ML systems and architectures, with the goal of understanding how to make them efficient, generally applicable, and supported with convergence and scaling guarantees. They concern four key questions that traditionally receive little attention in ML research: How can an ML program be distributed over a cluster? How can ML computation be bridged with inter-machine communication? How can such communication be performed? What should be communicated between machines? By exposing underlying statistical and algorithmic characteristics unique to ML programs but not typically seen in traditional computer programs, and by dissecting successful cases to reveal how we have harnessed these principles to design and develop both high-performance distributed ML software as well as general-purpose ML frameworks, we present opportunities for ML researchers and practitioners to further shape and enlarge the area that lies between ML and systems.
Viscoelasticity in associating oligomers and polymers: experimental test of the bond lifetime renormalization model

Recent findings that the association bond lifetimes τα* in associating polymers diverge from their supramolecular network relaxation times τc challenge past theories. The bond lifetime renormalization proposed by Rubinstein and coworkers [Stukalin et al., Macromolecules, 2013, 46, 7525] provides a promising explanation. To examine systematically its applicability, we employ shear rheology and dielectric spectroscopy to study telechelic associating polymers with different main chain (polypropylene glycol and polydimethylsiloxane), molecular weight (below entanglement molecular weight) and end groups (amide, and carboxylic acid) which form dimeric associations by hydrogen bonding. The separation between τc (probed by rheology) and τα* (probed by dielectric spectroscopy) strongly increases with chain length as qualitatively predicted by the model. However, to describe the increase quantitatively, a transition from Rouse to reptation dynamics must be assumed. This suggests that dynamics of super-chains must be considered to properly describe the transient network.
Tunneling With Spin Polarized Electrons

When a superconductor of low atomic number is placed in a magnetic field H the peaks in the quasiparticle states on each side of the energy gap are Zeeman split by an amount 2μH where μ is the magnetic moment of the electron. In order to see this effect the film must be thinner than about 100 A and oriented with its plane in the field direction. Under these conditions the effect of orbital depairing is small and the effect of spin splitting can be observed in the tunneling conductance. A1 is the most convenient substance in which to observe this Zeeman splitting because its low atomic number leads to little spin orbit scattering and thereby little mixing of the spin states. In addition, A1 films are easily made as thin as 40 A and Al2O3 forms a good tunnel barrier. The Zeeman splitting of the quasiparticle peaks allows one to study the properties of the counter-electrode by means of an electron-spin polarized tunnel current whose polarization is a known function of the voltage applied to the junction.
Effect of operating conditions and fuel type on crevice hc emissions: Model results and comparison with experiments

A one-dimensional model for crevice HC post-flame oxidation is used to calculate and understand the effect of operating parameters and fuel type (propane and isooctane) on the extent of crevice hydrocarbon and the product distribution in the post flame environment. The calculations show that the main parameters controlling oxidation are: bulk burned gas temperatures, wall temperatures, turbulent diffusivity, and fuel oxidation rates. Calculated extents of oxidation agree well with experimental values, and the sensitivities to operating conditions (wall temperatures, equivalence ratio, fuel type) are reasonably well captured. Whereas the bulk gas temperatures largely determine the extent of oxidation, the hydrocarbon product distribution is not very much affected by the burned gas temperatures, but mostly by diffusion rates. Uncertainties in both turbulent diffusion rates as well as in mechanisms are an important factor limiting the predictive capabilities of the model. However, it seems well suited to sensitivity calculations about a baseline. Copyright © 1999 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.
Latent Plasticity of Effector-like Exhausted CD8 T cells contributes to memory responses

Abstract Persistent antigen induces a dysfunctional CD8 T cell state known as T cell “exhaustion” characterized by expression of PD-1 and decreased effector functions 1–3. Nevertheless, dysfunctional CD8 T cells can mediate control of antigen burden which is long-lasting. While significant heterogeneity of exhausted CD8 T cells has been described, the cells which actively proliferate and exert direct viral control have remained elusive. Here, we define subsets of PD-1+ CD8 T cells marked by expression of CX3CR1 exhibit substantial in situ proliferation and expression of granzyme B during chronic infection for the maintenance of the effector pool through self-renewal independently of previously defined stem-like cells. Unexpectedly, the CX3CR1+ CD8 T cells retain plasticity to be reprogrammed to memory cells through expression of TCF-1 and re-gain polyfunctionality. Thus, we define a subset of effector-like exhausted CD8 T cells with capacity to contribute to the memory pool, offering a prime target for novel immunotherapies.
Superconducting Synchronous Motors for Electric Ship Propulsion

This paper develops a notional design for a 36 MW, 120 rpm motor for ship propulsion. The design exhibits high torque density (66 Nm/kg) and high efficiency (99%). This synchronous motor uses LTS (low temperature superconducting) field coils to create a minimum of 2 T magnetic field in the air gap of the motor. The motor is substantially lighter, more compact, and far more cost effective than other compared approaches. A significant feature of the LTS motor is reduction in radial forces between the field and armature by two orders of magnitude compared to a conventional motor. The motor promises significant cost and performance improvement. Conductor requirements, options, and electromagnetic features such as quench protection and cryogenic support options are discussed.
Discrete-Event Drag-Modulated Guidance Performance for Venus Aerocapture

Drag modulation provides a straightforward approach to aerocapture trajectory control. In this paper, two guidance algorithms are assessed for Venus aerocapture: a predictive-trigger and a numerica...
Diffuse Atomic and Molecular Gas near IC443

We present an analysis of results on absorption from Ca II, Ca I, K I, and the molecules CH+, CH, C2, and CN that probes gas interacting with the supernova remnant IC443. The eleven directions sample material across the visible nebula and beyond its eastern edge. Most of the neutral material, including the diatomic molecules, is associated with the ambient cloud detected via H I and CO emission. Analysis of excitation and chemistry yields gas densities that are typical of diffuse molecular gas. The low density gas probed by Ca II extends over a large range in velocities, from -120 to +80 km/s in the most extreme cases. This gas is distributed among several velocity components, unlike the situation for the shocked molecular clumps, whose emission occurs over much the same range but as very broad features. The extent of the high-velocity absorption suggests a shock velocity of 100 km/s for the expanding nebula.
The Finite-Element Method

The approximate methods presented at the end of the preceding chapter for the solution of the vibration problems of continuous systems are based on the assumption that the shape of the deformation of the continuous system can be described by a set of assumed functions. By using this approach, the vibration of the continuous system which has an infinite number of degrees of freedom is described by a finite number of ordinary differential equations. This approach, however, can be used in the case of structural elements with simple geometrical shapes such as rods, beams, and plates. In large-scale systems with complex geometrical shapes, difficulties may be encountered in defining the assumed shape functions. In order to overcome these problems the finite-element method has been widely used in the dynamic analysis of large-scale structural systems. The finite-element method is a numerical approach that can be used to obtain approximate solutions to a large class of engineering problems. In particular, the finite-element method is well suited for problems with complex geometries.
Intraoral Phaeohyphomycosis

Phaeohyphomycosis is an infection caused by pigment-producing saprophytic fungi. Systemic infections may occur in the immunocompromised patient. Infection in healthy individuals may result in subcutaneous abscess formation. Oral lesions appear to be rare. A case of intraoral phaeohyphomycosis presenting as a well-demarcated, painful nodule of the anterior hard palate in a 12-year-old healthy male is described. The mass was excised and the diagnosis was established following histopathologic examination of the tissue.
A Geriatric Perspective on Oncology Care

Cancer is primarily a disease of older adults. There is substantial heterogeneity in older adults’ health status, including differences in cognitive status, functional abilities, and social circumstances for each individual. Cancer treatments may substantially affect patients’ physical, cognitive, psychological, and social well-being. Management choices among older adults diagnosed with cancer requires informed shared decision-making. This process involves several considerations including discerning remaining life expectancy, age-specific cancer mortality with and without treatment, physiologic reserve, patient and family goals of treatment, risks and benefits of treatments, and feasibility/burden of available treatments. This chapter provides a summary of the literature in geriatric oncology and outlines an approach and framework to guide cancer management decisions for older adults.
“Low Profile” or Entrepreneurial? Gender, Class, and Cultural Adaptation in the Global Microfinance Industry

Summary This study examines how discourses of entrepreneurial womanhood, filtered through a chain of hierarchically positioned actors in global microfinance, translate into interactions with borrowers. Drawing from ethnography, interviews, and document analysis on a set of entrepreneurial trainings delivered to nonentrepreneurial borrowers in urban India, this study argues that parallel, conflicting processes of cultural adaptation within the organization, and tensions between various actors, create an environment in which there is no incentive to cater to the interests of working class clients. Commercialized microfinance, thus, may not necessarily produce accountability to client interests.
Toward a mechanistic taxonomy of cell death programs.

Background and Purpose—Programmed cell death (pcd) plays a critical role in the development of the nervous system, as well as in its response to insult. Both anti-pcd and pro-pcd modulators play prominent roles in development and disease, including ischemic cerebrovascular disease. The purpose of this article is therefore to review the basics of programmed cell death. Methods—There have been over 100 000 scientific and clinical publications on the topic of programmed cell death and its most well known form, apoptosis. The principles emerging from these studies are reviewed here. Results—Programmed cell death is a form of cell death in which the cell plays an active role in its own demise. Apoptosis is the most well-defined form of pcd, but recent studies have begun to characterize an alternative program, autophagic cell death. In addition, there appear to be programmatic cell deaths that do not fit the criteria for either apoptosis or autophagic cell death, arguing that additional programs may also be available to cells. Conclusion—Constructing a mechanistic taxonomy of all forms of pcd—based on inhibitors, activators, and identified biochemical pathways involved in each form of pcd—should offer new insight into cell deaths associated with cerebrovascular disease and other diseases, and ultimately offer new therapeutic approaches. (Stroke. 2007;38[part 2]: 652-660.)
THE DETERMINATION OF LANTHANUM, CERIUM, AND THORIUM WITHOUT SEPARATIONS.

Abstract A method is proposed for the spectrophotometric determination of small quantities of lanthanum, cerium and thorium in the presence of one another without separations. Cerium is estimated from its absorption peak in the ultraviolet region, thorium with thorin, and the 3 elements together with arsenazo. The lanthanum is calculated after subtraction of the combined absorbances of the arsenazo complexes of the thorium and cerium. The procedure can be readily applied to the determination of microgram amounts of the 2 rare earths in thorium. In this case the majority of the thorium is removed from the solution by solvent extraction with TTA before the estimation of the rare earths. The interference of iron is considered and proposals made for its removal.
Design of a low-cost general aviation flight data recording and analysis system

Aircraft enthusiasts who desire to build and fly their own aircraft are 350% more likely to be involved in an accident during the first 40 hours of flight than all other aircraft in the general aviation (GA) fleet. Pilots must manually collect measurements that are used to develop a pilot’s operating handbook (POH), to include emergency procedures. Currently, no system exists to automate the process of recording specific inflight aircraft measurements, parameterizing the aircraft, and creating the necessary documentation required by the FAA. This project proposes a low-cost flight data recording and analysis system that uses a combination of hardware and software for experimental amateur built (E-AB) aircraft pilots to use during the first 40 hours of their testing process that will help reduce error and inconsistencies. Final simulation data will be used to influence the ultimate device requirements for both the microcontroller platform, and inertial and positional sensors.
Metabolic Functions of Myo-inositol VII. ROLE OF INOSITOL IN THE TRANSPORT OF α-AMINOISOBUTYRIC ACID IN KB CELLS

Abstract The impairment by inositol deprivation of the α-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) transport system of KB cells was studied under various experimental conditions. Kinetic studies under nonsteady state conditions showed that inositol deprivation causes a decrease of the Vmax of AIB influx and efflux without affecting the respective Km values. The Km for AIB influx is 0.4 to 0.5 mm, whereas for AIB efflux it is 6.2 to 6.8 mm, in both normal and inositol-deficient cells. The AIB efflux coefficients are much lower in deficient cells at all levels of intracellular AIB. When AIB exchange fluxes were studied under steady state conditions it was found that inositol deprivation causes a decrease of the influx coefficient and the Vmax. Active AIB transport requires the presence of extracellular Na+. The effect of decreasing the extracellular Na+ concentration is to increase the Km for AIB uptake without affecting the Vmax. This increase is greater in normal (11.0 mm) than in deficient cells (1.5 mm). Active AIB transport and accumulation are inhibited by ouabain. Half-maximal inhibition is obtained at 0.35 µm for AIB uptake and 0.1 µm for AIB accumulation, with both types of cells. The fraction of AIB transport sensitive to ouabain is 62% in normal and 38% in deficient cells. However, ouabain abolishes active transport in both types of cells. It is suggested that inositol deprivation impairs AIB transport because of structural alterations at the carrier sites of the plasma membrane.
Heparin in the treatment of hypofibrinogenemia complicating fetal death in utero.

Abstract We have successfully treated with heparin a patient who had hypofibrinogenemia associated with the retention of a dead fetus without the use of either whole blood or fibrinogen. This success and her clotting studies provide strong evidence that the hypofibrinogenemia was due to disseminated intravascular coagulation with depletion of multiple clotting factors. The theoretical implications are discussed and our recommendations for the prevention and management of the hemostatic disorder are presented.
Political Geographies and Cleavages in the Russian Parliamentary Elections

Spatial-structural regression models are fitted for the votes of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and for the combined vote of the Communist Party of Russia and the Agrarian Party in the parliamentary elections of 1993 and 1995. Analysis of the regression-model results indicates that sets of explanatory socioeconomic variables, as well as their relative importance in explanation of the anti-reform vote, vary widely across the country. More specifically, the paper documents an emerging European/Asian dichotomization of Russia's electoral geography, and assesses the increasingly important role of region in the democratization process as the spatial impress of the economic transformation of the country becomes more evident. 3 figures, 2 tables, 64 references. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: H10, J18, O50.
The Origins of Stability

Writing for researchers and graduate students, the author explores the questions of why organisms are robust despite the countless random mutations per generation and how evolution has shaped such robustness.
Dynamic models of well-being: implications of affective events theory for expanding current views on personality and climate

Research investigations into employee well-being (EWB) have tended to take a between-individual approach, which highlights differences among people. This traditional paradigm has been complemented by examinations of intraindividual EWB, which explores within-person variation over periods of time. Drawing on affective events theory (AET), we further elaborate the implications of intraindividual EWB for two reasonably stable sets of constructs—personality traits and affective climates. We argue that the intraindividual paradigm challenges scholars to rethink what they mean by stability, concluding that stability can be conceptualized in two ways—as reasonably consistent levels of affect and predictable patterns of affective change.
- Cek5: Chicken embryo kinase 5 (vertebrates)

The chapter discusses the Cek5, which was identified in a search for tyrosine kinases expressed during embryonic development. Given its expression pattern, Cek5 is likely to be an important component of embryonic signal transduction pathways, including those involved in neural development. Cek5 is phosphorylated on tyrosine at substantial levels in vivo during the differentiation of the embryonic retina. Cek5 is a monomer. A variant form of Cek5, containing a 16 amino acid insertion in the juxtamembrane domain and presumably originating by alternative splicing, has been designated Cek5+. Cek5 activity can be assayed by autophosphorylation in immunoprecipitates. Cek5 mRNA has been detected in chicken blastulae. Cek5 protein has been detected in chicken embryos as early as at 2 days of development in ovo and at higher levels at later stages of development. Cek5 is widely expressed in chicken embryonic tissues at embryonic day 10, with the highest expression in the embryonic central nervous system.
Modified Folin methods for the measurement of urinary creatine and creatinine.

Some of the variables in the Folin method for measurement of urinary creatine and creatinine were studied. The effects of varying the picric acid concentration, volume of solution, and heating time on the conversion of creatine to creatinine were investigated. A study was also made of the results obtained in the chromogenic reaction by varying the concentration of picric acid and sodium hydroxide. The information from these experiments was utilized to modify the Folin procedure to yield a more convenient method for the measurement of urinary creatinine and creatine.
Epidemiology and Microbiology of Sepsis Syndromes in a University-Affiliated Urban Teaching Hospital and Level-1 Trauma and Burn Center.

Purpose:To use the 2010 to 2011 data collected by structured chart review to provide a detailed up-to-date description of the epidemiology and microbiology of the sepsis syndromes.Methods:Prospecti...
Towards nonlinear stability of sources via a modified Burgers equation

Abstract Coherent structures are solutions to reaction–diffusion systems that are time-periodic in an appropriate moving frame and spatially asymptotic at x = ± ∞ to spatially periodic travelling waves. This paper is concerned with sources which are coherent structures for which the group velocities in the far field point away from the core. Sources actively select wave numbers and therefore often organize the overall dynamics in a spatially extended system. Determining their nonlinear stability properties is challenging as localized perturbations may lead to a non-localized response even on the linear level due to the outward transport. Using a Burgers-type equation as a model problem that captures some of the essential features of sources, we show how this phenomenon can be analysed and asymptotic nonlinear stability be established in this simpler context.
Correlates of use of electronic cigarettes versus nicotine replacement therapy for help with smoking cessation.

Introduction Electronic- or e-cigarettes are nicotine-delivery devices commonly used by smokers to quit or reduce smoking. At present, not much is known about the characteristics of smokers who specifically try e-cigarettes to quit smoking compared to the nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Determining the characteristics of smokers who are likely to choose e-cigarettes as cessation aids would help develop strategies to impart valid information about e-cigarettes to such smokers as facts regarding the safety and utility of e-cigarettes emerge.
Mesenchymal cell fate and phenotypes in the pathogenesis of emphysema.

Emphysema is characterized by the destruction of alveolar parenchymal tissue and the concordant loss of lung epithelial cells, endothelial cells, and interstitial mesenchymal cells. Key features in the pathobiology of emphysema include inflammation, alveolar epithelial cell injury/apoptosis, and excessive activation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteases. Mesenchymal cells are versatile connective tissue cells that are critical effectors of wound-repair. The excessive loss of connective tissue and the destruction of alveolar septae in emphysema suggest that the mesenchymal cell reparative response to epithelial injury is impaired. Yet, the mechanisms regulating mesenchymal cell (dys)function in emphysema remain poorly understood. We propose that mesenchymal cell fate, modulated by transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1) and the balance of ECM proteases and antiproteases, is a critical determinant of the emphysema phenotype. We examine emphysema in the context of wound-repair responses, with a focus on the regulation of mesenchymal cell fate and phenotype. We discuss the emerging evidence supporting that genetic factors, inflammation and environmental factors, including cigarette smoke itself, collectively impair mesenchymal cell survival and function, thus contributing to the pathogenesis of emphysema.
Variation in Ex Day Dividend Pricing: Myth or Reality?

Recent price discreteness based reinterpretation of ex day price adjustments motivates our analysis of dividend pricing around the elimination of fixed commissions in May 1975 and the tax reform acts of 1984 and 1986. Our results are consistent with short-term, tax-neutral traders (arbitrageurs) being the marginal price setters on ex dividend days. In a regression framework, the proportional price drop varies onefor-one with the rounded down dividend scaled by price, and the intercept captures bid-ask spread effects. We document evidence of necessary and sufficient conditions against taxclienteles. We also reconcile some prior conflicting results in the literature. (JEL G12, G35)
Option pricing with an illiquid underlying asset market

Abstract We examine how price impact in the underlying asset market affects the replication of a European contingent claim. We obtain a generalized Black–Scholes pricing PDE and establish the existence and uniqueness of a classical solution to this PDE. Unlike the case with transaction costs, we prove that replication with price impact is always cheaper than superreplication. Compared to the Black–Scholes case, a trader generally buys more stock and borrows more (shorts and lends more) to replicate a call (put). Furthermore, price impact implies endogenous stochastic volatility and an out-of-money option has lower implied volatility than an in-the-money option. This finding has important implications for empirical analysis on volatility smile.
Analysis of prefission morphogenesis in Paramecium aurelia.

Paramecium aurelia has been exposed to varying concentrations of actinomycin D for extended periods and to a high concentration starting at various specific times in the cell cycle. Extended exposures at 5 μg of actinomycin per 1.0 ml of culture medium are lethal as are 24 hour exposures at 20 μ/1.0 ml. Exposures initiated at selected times in the interfission period reveal transition and stabilization points, similar to those found in Tetrahymena, that is, exposure prior to the transition point almost invariably blocks a given developmental event. Exposure after the transition point may or may not result in blockage but exposure after the stabilization point typically never shows blockage. Also the normal sequence of developmental events can be upset by exposure to actinomycin. These results are interpreted as being consistent with sequential action of the genes in the cell cycle and as indicating independence of final genetic control of different developmental processes, though all processes are dependent on common prior events. The macronucleus of exposed cells shows aggregation of dark material that is neither DNA nor RNA, and is probably a protein, but whose normal function is not known.
Theme issue on autism and technology

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), also known as pervasive development disorder, includes impairments in social interaction, communication—both verbal and non-verbal— and stereotypical or repeated behavior, interests, and activities [1]. A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control using data from the United States in 2006 indicated a rise in prevalence of ASD to 1 in 110 children: 1 in 70 boys and 1 in 315 girls [2]. Individuals across the spectrum can potentially benefit from the use of novel computing technologies, including assistive and augmentative technologies, social computational systems, sensing and context-aware systems, capture and access applications, wearable systems, and more. The purpose of this theme issue is to bring together a set of research papers that (1) advance our understanding of technologies for autism, (2) discuss the role of technology in supporting individuals with ASD, their friends and families, and (3) provide examples of effective technologies for the diagnosis, management, and treatment of autism. Submissions to this theme issue came from an open call for papers. We selected seven papers to publish after multiple rounds of rigorous reviews. A large number of reviewers assisted us in the review process. To ensure high reviewing standards, three to four reviewers evaluated each paper, and the guest editors provided additional feedback on all papers that are included in this issue. The papers in this issue can be coarsely divided into three types. First, we include two papers focused on approaches to design and study technology for autism. Second are two papers that describe early design processes and methods and their resultant prototypes. Finally, there are three papers that cover deployments and evaluations of novel systems. These papers support a wide range of challenges for autism and impact a variety of stakeholders, age ranges, and diagnoses. Taken together, they provide a compelling overview of some of the latest work in this area, and we hope a call to action for other researchers to enter this important and rewarding space.
Institutions and Commitment

The thrust of this paper is that to understand the roles institutions play in society, a deep analysis of opportunism and its implications is necessary. For that purpose, a transactions costs-cum-positive political theory approach is developed, with a focus on the role of institutions and their implications for regulatory commitment. A major issue is restraining political opportunism. Countries that have succeeded in developing a healthy private sector are those that have developed institutions that restrain governmental decision-making. But such restraining is itself a political choice. Countries with electoral and legislative systems that bring about decentralized government have stronger chances of developing equilibria where government discretion is restrained. Copyright 1996 by Oxford University Press.
On a finite dynamic element method for free vibration analysis of structures

This paper explores the concept of finite dynamic elements involving higher order dynamic correction terms in the associated stiffness and mass matrices. Such matrices are then developed for a rectangular prestressed membrane element. Next, efficient analysis techniques for the eigenproblem solution of the resulting quadratic matrix equations are described in detail. These are followed by suitable numerical examples which indicate that employment of such dynamic elements in conjunction with an efficient quadratic matric solution technique will result in a most significant economy in the free vibration analysis of structures.
Frozen core effects on nonexponential photon echo decay in ruby at high fields

Abstract Photon echo measurements for the 4A2(- 1 2 ) → E (- 1 2 ) transition in dilute ruby for magnetic fields up to 38 kG are reported. A nonexponential decay of the form I = I0exp - (4t/Tm)x was obtained with x = 1.96 and Tm = 131 μs at high fields. A calculation of Tm using the Klauder-Anderson spin “sudden jump” dephasing model, with allowance for the frozen core, gave a value of 102 μs.
t–J Model with Infinite-Ranged Hopping

The complete spectrum of energy levels is found for the t–J model with infinite-range hopping (i.e. on a simplex of N sites), for arbitrary N. By comparison with free fermions on the same simplex, the two-body interactions break an important symmetry.
Amphetamine and apomorphine restore tactile placing after motor cortex injury in the cat

Unilateral motor cortex injury in the cat results in a prolonged loss of tactile placing in the forelimb contralateral to the injury. Amphetamine (5 mg/kg) temporarily reverses this tactile placing deficit as early as 4 days following the injury. Racemic amphetamine was found to produce a significantly more prolonged restoration of placing than the d isomer, which was significantly more effective than the l isomer. Haloperidol (0.4 mg/kg) blocked the amphetamineinduced recovery of placing responses and also blocked placing in nondrugged cats showing partial spontaneous recovery. This dosage of haloperidol had no effect on tactile placing in normal cats. Apomorphine at moderate dosages (0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg) produced a weak restoration of tactile placing in motor cortex-injured animals. These pharmacological data suggest that the loss of tactile placing after motor cortex injury is due to a depression of catecholaminergic function, which is temporarily reversible by catecholaminergic stimulation.
Critical role of peripheral blood phagocytes and the involvement of complement in tumour necrosis factor enhancement of passive collagen-arthritis

Studies have implicated tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in type-II collagen (CII)-induced arthritis (CIA), a well established animal model of human rheumatoid arthritis. Precisely how TNF is involved in CIA is not yet clear. In this study the effects of TNF on CIA were examined, independent of its potential effects on the immune response, by performing peri-articular injection of TNF in combination with passive immunization of rats. A sub-arthritic dose (5 mg) of affinity-purified anti-CII IgG, which alone was insufficient to induce spontaneous clinical arthritis, was used throughout the study. Obvious clinical arthritis that persisted for several days was rapidly induced by injections of 100 ng TNF into hindpaws of rats that were passively immunized shortly before the TNF injection. Injections of TNF in non-immunized control rats did not induce clinical arthritis, nor did buffer-only injections in passively immunized controls. The clinical arthritic response was a local phenomenon, limited only to the TNF-injected hindpaws. No swelling was observed in the opposite, buffer-injected hindpaws, indicating the effects of TNF were not systemic. Depletion of peripheral blood phagocytes with anti-rat neutrophil antiserum before passive immunization completely abolished the ability of TNF to induce clinical arthritis, identifying phagocytic cells as the essential target cells in evoking this arthritic response. A role for complement activation was also demonstrated in this model through the use of a soluble recombinant version of CD35, the cell surface complement receptor type-1 (sCR1, BRL55730), which significantly reduced TNF-induced arthritis in phagocyte-replete rats.
Inhibition of proteasome activity by the dietary flavonoid apigenin is associated with growth inhibition in cultured breast cancer cells and xenografts

Proteasome inhibition is an attractive approach to anticancer therapy and may have relevancy in breast cancer treatment. Natural products, such as dietary flavonoids, have been suggested as natural proteasome inhibitors with potential use for cancer prevention and therapeutics. We previously reported that apigenin, a flavonoid widely distributed in many fruits and vegetables, can inhibit proteasome activity and can induce apoptosis in cultured leukemia Jurkat T cells. Whether apigenin has proteasome-inhibitory activity in the highly metastatic human breast MDA-MB-231 cells and xenografts, however, is unknown. MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell cultures and xenografts were treated with apigenin, followed by measurement of reduced cellular viability/proliferation, proteasome inhibition, and apoptosis induction. Inhibition of the proteasome was determined by levels of the proteasomal chymotrypsin-like activity, by ubiquitinated proteins, and by accumulation of proteasome target proteins in extracts of the treated cells or tumors. Apoptotic cell death was measured by capase-3/caspase-7 activation, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage, and immunohistochemistry for terminal nucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling positivity. We report for the first time that apigenin inhibits the proteasomal chymotrypsin-like activity and induces apoptosis not only in cultured MDA-MB-231 cells but also in MDA-MB-231 xenografts. Furthermore, while apigenin has antibreast tumor activity, no apparent toxicity to the tested animals was observed. We have shown that apigenin is an effective proteasome inhibitor in cultured breast cancer cells and in breast cancer xenografts. Furthermore, apigenin induces apoptotic cell death in human breast cancer cells and exhibits anticancer activities in tumors. The results suggest its potential benefits in breast cancer prevention and treatment.