cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A regional scale temporal analysis of the net migration patterns of elderly persons over time.

This study examined long-term elderly migration patterns [in the United States] at a regional scale in New England by addressing two questions: (a) Can the changes over time in migration experience for counties be generalized; and (b) What distinguishes counties with different types of migration patterns? Net migration rates were used to identify types of temporal migration patterns experienced by New England counties for their young (ages 65 through 74) and old (ages 75+) elderly populations during a 50-year period 1930-1980....Four types of temporal patterns of net migration rates can be used to summarize the elderly migration [trends namely] positive rate negative rate (positive) turnaround and miscellaneous. County characteristics that discriminate among the types suggest that positive-rate counties are long-standing recreation and retirement areas; negative-rate counties are the largest urban counties and the most rural isolated ones; turnaround counties are those with with more recently developed recreation and retirement attractions; miscellaneous counties include suburban counties with a temporary increase in net migration during their growth spurts. (EXCERPT)
STRUCTURE OF THE THERMOLABILE MUTANT ALDOLASE B, A149P: MOLECULAR BASIS OF HEREDITARY FRUCTOSE INTOLERANCE

Hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI) is a potentially lethal inborn error in metabolism caused by mutations in the aldolase B gene, which is critical for gluconeogenesis and fructose metabolism. The most common mutation, which accounts for 53% of HFI alleles identified worldwide, results in substitution of Pro for Ala at position 149. Structural and functional investigations of human aldolase B with the A149P substitution (AP-aldolase) have shown that the mutation leads to losses in thermal stability, quaternary structure, and activity. X-ray crystallography is used to reveal the structural basis of these perturbations. Crystals of AP-aldolase are grown at two temperatures (4 °C and 18 °C), and the structure solved to 3.0 A resolution, using the wild-type structure as the phasing model. The structures reveal that the single residue substitution, A149P, causes molecular disorder around the site of mutation (residues 148–159), which is propagated to three adjacent β-strand and loop regions (residues 110–129, 189–199, 235–242). Disorder in the 110–129-loop region, which comprises one subunit–subunit interface, provides an explanation for the disrupted quaternary structure and thermal instability. Greater structural perturbation, particularly at a Glu189-Arg148 salt bridge in the active-site architecture, is observed in the structure determined at 18 °C, which could explain the temperature-dependent loss in activity. The disorder revealed in these structures is far greater than that predicted by homology modeling and underscores the difficulties in predicting perturbations of protein structure and function by homology modeling alone. The AP-aldolase structure reveals the molecular basis of a hereditary disease and represents one of only a few structures known for mutant proteins at the root of the thousands of other inherited disorders.
Encagement of Gold Nanoclusters in Crosslinked Resorcinarene Shells

Monolayers of resorcinarene tetraene 1 on gold nanoclusters could be crosslinked by olefin metathesis into a nondesorptive shell. Crosslinking conditions were optimized by monitoring olefin metathesis of 1 by 1 H NMR spectroscopy and obtaining empirical rate constants. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) was found to be a useful tool for evaluating the enhanced stability of the encaged nanoparticles; resorcinarene-encapsulated nanoparticles which were not subjected to olefin metathesis did not survive GPC analysis, whereas nanoparticles in crosslinked shells were found to be stable.
Long Term Efficacy and Safety of Etanercept in the Treatment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory disease affecting both the skin and joints. Approximately 20% of patients suffer a moderate to severe form of skin disease and up to 30% have joint involvement. Standard therapies for psoriasis include topical medications, phototherapy, and both oral systemic and biological therapies whereas therapies for psoriatic arthritis include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs followed by disease modifying antirheumatic drugs and/or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α inhibitors and interleukin-12/23p40 inhibitors. Treatment of both diseases is typically driven by disease severity. In the past decade, major advances in the understanding of the immunopathogenesis of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis have led to the development of numerous biological therapies, which have revolutionized the treatment for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Anti-TNF-α agents are currently considered as first line biological therapies for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Currently approved anti-TNF-α agents include etanercept, adalimumab, and infliximab for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis as well as golimumab and certolizumab for psoriatic arthritis. In this article, we aim to evaluate the long term safety and efficacy of etanercept in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
Reproducibility of the histopathological classification of vulvar squamous carcinoma and intraepithelial neoplasia.

: Invasive vulvar carcinoma has been shown to be etiologically heterogeneous on the basis of pathological, virological, and epidemiological criteria. Human papillomavirus–related invasive vulvar carcinoma has basaloid or warty morphology and has adjacent basaloid or warty intraepithelial neoplasia. Invasive carcinoma unrelated to human papillomavirus is a keratinizing squamous carcinoma that may have adjacent squamous hyperplasia. We provided to 3 pathologists for their review and pathological diagnoses stained tissue sections from 95 patients with vulvar carcinoma. The reproducibility for grading individual categories of intraepithelial lesions was only fair (kappa values of 0.31–0.43). The reproducibility was better (moderate to good; kappa values of 0.58–0.59) for grading individual categories of invasive carcinomas. The agreements improved when the basaloid and warty categories were combined. Good agreement was achieved (kappa values of 0.55–0.79) in distinguishing human papillomavirus–related lesions from those unrelated to human papillomavirus; all three reviewers agreed on this classification for 67% of the cases. The intrareviewer agreement was of the same order as interreviewer agreement. Difficulties in differentiating between some lesions (e.g., a warty carcinoma with little atypia from a well- to moderately differentiated keratinizing squamous carcinoma) and concurrent occurrence of human papillomavirus–related lesions and those lesions unrelated to human papillomavirus in a patient may account for some of the discrepancies in the histopathological diagnoses of vulvar carcinoma.
Repeatability of standardised nasal nitric oxide measurements in healthy and asthmatic adults and children.

Summary Several nasal nitric oxide (NO) measurement techniques have been described, but there is not a widespread measurement technique for measurement of nasal NO. In this study we evaluated the repeatability of one technique of nasal NO measurements using the nasal application of the NIOX ® system. Methods Three nasal NO measurements (NIOX ® Nitric Oxide Monitoring System, Aerocrine, Sweden) were made on a single occasion in 22 healthy subjects and 27 patients with asthma, aged 5–69 years. Nasal NO was sampled during breath hold from one nostril at a flow rate of 5ml/s. Results The repeatability of nasal NO assessed by the coefficient of variation (CV) was 12.5% (95% Confidence interval (CI) 11.0–14.7%) for the total population. Healthy adults had a significantly better repeatability than healthy children ( P 0.008 ). The mean NO level for the total population was 837ppb. The mean NO levels in children were lower than in the adults (751 and 897ppb, respectively). The mean breath hold length needed to obtain a steady NO plateau for all subject categories combined was 20.4±6.01s. The average number of attempts needed to obtain three approved NO measurements was 5.4 (range 3–13) for the total population. There were no significant differences between the different subject categories. When using two measurements per session instead of three, the overall CV was 10.5% (95% CI 8.8–13.1%). Most subjects found the measurements easy to perform and all of them would accept to do the examination as a routine. Conclusions Nasal NO measurements in NIOX may provide a useful reliable clinical tool to assess and monitor upper airways in different diseases, for example PCD and rhinitis, and are acceptable by both healthy and asthmatic adults and children, as a part of their routine visit to a physician.
Kraepelinian schizophrenia: A replication in an independent sample

Chronic, unremitting schizophrenic patients, who for the past 5 years had been either continuously hospitalized or completely dependent on others for their survival are designated Kraepelinians according to Emil Kraepelin’s description of dementia praecox. Previous studies from our center have demonstrated that Kraepelinian patients more consistently received a diagnosis of schizophrenia across a variety of cross-sectional and longitudinal diagnostic criteria and had more severe negative symptoms and formal thought disorder compared to a group of age-matched non-Kraepelinian chronic schizophrenic patients. In addition, Kraepelinian schizophrenics had a greater morbid risk for schizophrenia spectrum disorders in their first-degree relatives, had a greater left-to-right asymmetry of their lateral cerebral ventricles, and had less of a prospective response to a standard dose of haloperidol. On the other hand, the severity of positive symptoms did not distinguish Kraepelinian schizophrenics from other chronic schizophrenic patients. This study presents data on a completely independent sample of 22 Kraepelinian and 86 non-Kraepelinian schizophrenic patients. Initial data analyses suggest a replication of the findings reported on the original cohort. Kraepelinian patients had more severe negative symptoms (p < 0.002) and formal thought disorder (p c 0.001) than non-Kraepelinian chronic schizophrenic patients. The first degree relatives of Kraepelinian patients had a greater morbid risk for schizophrenia spectrum disorders than the relatives of other chronic schizophrenic patients (z = 3.3 1, p < 0.001). CT ventricular measures indicated a left frontal horn enlargement in Kraepelinian patients relative to nonKraepelinians (p < 0.05). These analyses provide independent confirmation that Kraepelinian schizophrenic patients, who require institutionalization or institution-like care, differ from other schizophrenic patients on measures of clinical presentation and family history, suggesting that these patients are a relatively homogenous subgroup of schizophrenics with very severe symptoms and uniformly poor outcomes.
Play desensitization of fear of darkness in preschool children

Systematic desensitization therapy (SDT) is considered to be a technique of established effectiveness in reducing monosymptomatic fears (Paul, 1969a, 1969b), yet little systematic research has been done to investigate the merit of desensitization procedures in modifying children's behavior. The few available controlled studies (Miller et al., 1972; Obler and Terwilliger, 1970; Oliver, 1971) on desensitization with children have produced equivocal results. Although imagery and relaxation have been reported of benefit when used separately (Graziano and Kean, 1971; Lazarus and Abramovitz, 1962), evidence suggests that the usual combination of imagery and relaxation is not effective in reducing children's fears (Miller et al., 1972). Investigators in this area have often modified traditional SDT to include alternatives to imagery such as pictures, drawings, play (Cassell, 1965; Lazarus, 1960; Obler and Terwilliger, 1970; Patterson, 1965), or in vivo exposure to the feared stimulus (Obler and Terwilliger, 1970). Relaxation has often been replaced with other responses thought to be incompatible with anxiety such as eating (Jones, 1924). Another deviation from traditional SDT has been the delivery of positive reinforcement (food, praise, or toys) contingent upon the child's approaching the feared object (Obler and Terwilliger, 1970; Patterson, 1965). On the basis of such varied techniques, it is impossible to determine which of these procedures constitutes an effective treatment method for children. In the following study, three desensitization procedures involving graded exposure to the feared stimulus (darkness) through symbolic play, were compared to no-treatment and placebo control groups under differing instructional sets. Treatments were designed to determine the therapeutic efficacy of play as a method of stimulus presentation with children, and to determine whether reciprocal inhibition, extinction, operant reinforcement, or instructional set contribute to fear reduction in desensitization with children.
Visibility of ATP and ADP in freeze-trapped tissue from perfused rat liver during normoxia and ischemia using 31P-cryo-NMR

The visibility of ATP and ADP to NMR was studied by comparing simultaneous measurements of freeze-trapped tissue sections from perfused rat liver under normoxia and ischemia using a modified 31P-cryo-NMR method and biochemical assay. The 31P-cryo-NMR method provides good time resolution and allows the quantitation of absolute metabolite concentrations. Prior to 31P-cryo-NMR measurements, freeze-trapped tissues were thawed in the presence of cryoprotectant and EDTA. With this sample preparation procedure, the integrity of the plasma and mitochondrial membranes was not maintained, inducing homogeneous microviscosity and chelation of intracellular divalent cations, thereby increasing the visibility of metabolites compared to the in vivo NMR measurement. With ischemic stress, total cellular ATP concentration decreased significantly (P < 0.001). While ADP concentrations measured by cryo-NMR and biochemical analysis were consistent during normoxia and ischemia, ATP concentrations measured by cryo-NMR were significantly lower (P < 0.05) than those obtained by biochemical analysis. The amount of invisible ATP (0.42 ± 0.10 μmol/g wet weight: mean±S.E.) did not change after the induction of ischemia. The results of this study suggest that ATP invisibility to cryo-NMR is not due to compartmentation into regions of high paramagnetic ion concentrations or high microviscosity, but is influenced by other factors.
Feedback control of systems with parasitic effects

The state-dependent algebraic Riccati equation (SDARE) method is used for the design of control systems with the parasitic effects of friction and backlash. In the case of friction, the SDARE method results in treating the friction as an exogenous variable for which the linear quadratic control theory has already been developed. The effect of backlash is treated by representing the backlash nonlinearity by a two-level gain function, which leads to a control law that switches between two sets of gains. The performance of a hypothetical control system for a plant comprising a belt-driven robot arm was simulated and it was found that the proposed techniques promise considerably improvement in system performance.
Fall Armyworm: Disruption of Pheromone Communication with Synthetic Acetates

Four synthetic acetates and an alcohol were field tested in traps as possible sex attractant inhibitors for the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith). Two of the compounds (( Z )-7-dodecen-1-ol acetate and ( Z,E )-9,12-tetradecadien-1-ol acetate) reduced the attraction of males to females 90–100%. These 2 chemicals and Z -9-dodecen-1-ol acetate subsequently were field tested as pheromone-communication disruptants. ( Z )-9-dodecen-1-ol acetate and ( Z,E )-9,12-tetradecadien-1-ol acetate effected a greater than 85% disruption of communication between males and females when they were evaporated into the atmosphere surrounding calling females. The former compound is a sex attractant of the fall armyworm; the latter is a sex attractant of Plodia interpunctella (Hubner), S. exigua (Hubner), and S. eridania (Cramer). The use of these compounds to interrupt the normal reproductive cycle of the fall armyworm on an area-wide basis might therefore be feasible.
I. Topical invention and metaphoric interaction

(1983). I. Topical invention and metaphoric interaction. Southern Speech Communication Journal: Vol. 48, No. 3, pp. 214-229.
Role of microstructure, composition and hardness in resisting hydrogen embrittlement of fastener grade steels

The degree of hydrogen embrittlement for several fastener grade steels has been determined. While microstructural alteration resulted in some improvement in resistance to hydrogen embrittlement, the overriding factor contributing to susceptibility of the steel was strength. The degree of susceptibility of the microstructures to hydrogen embrittlement, ranked in increasing order, is as follows: fine pearlite, bainite, tempered martensite. The effects of alloying were also assessed by comparing results from different fastener grade steels with similar microstructures. In most cases, the alloy chemistry had little effect, presumably due to trap saturation associated with this testing technique.
A t-Statistic for Objective Interpretation of Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH) Profiles

An objective method for interpreting comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) is described and compared with current methods of interpretation. The method is based on a two-sample t-statistic in which composite test:reference and reference:reference CGH profiles are compared at each point along the genome to detect regions of significant differences. Composite profiles are created by combining CGH profiles measured from several metaphase chromosomes for each type of chromosome in the normal human karyotype. Composites for both test:reference and reference:reference CGH analyses are used to generate mean CGH profiles and information about the variance therein. The utility of the method is demonstrated through analysis of aneusomies and partial gain and loss of DNA sequence in a myeloid leukemia specimen. Banding analyses of this specimen indicated inv (3) (q21q26), del (5) (q2?q35), −7, + 8 and add (17) (p11.2). The t-statistic analyses of CGH data indicated rev ish enh (8) and rev ish dim (5q31.1q33.1,7q11.23qter). The undetected gain on 17p was small and confined to a single band (17p11.2). Thus, the t-statistic is an objective and effective method for defining significant differences between test and reference CGH profiles. Cytometry 28:183–190, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Osteoporosis in the at-risk asthmatic.

The effect of inhaled glucocorticosteroids (ICS) on bone metabolism and subsequent osteoporosis is controversial. Explanations for this controversy include various study designs, duration of use, outcome measures, and population demographics of research studies with intranasal or inhalational ICS. Patients with poorly controlled asthma are at greatest risk of osteoporosis because they are commonly treated with intermittent or continuous systemic corticosteroids (SCS) or high-dose ICS. A 45-year-old Caucasian woman presents with moderate-to-severe asthma with frequent albuterol use and nighttime awakenings at least once weekly. She is on fluticasone/salmeterol 500/50 μg one inhalation twice daily and montelukast 10 mg/day. She requires prednisone 15 mg three times per day for 5 days up to three times a year. Is this patient at greater risk of osteopenia, characterized by a T-score between −1.0 and −2.5, and subsequent osteoporosis and an increased risk of fractures? If she has osteopenia, should she be treated with a bisphosphonate? The risk of osteoporosis and fracture increases significantly with frequent administration of SCS, and patients on such medications should undergo preventative measures and treatment. This study discuses factors that contribute to an increased risk of osteoporosis/osteopenia in patients with asthma and suggests recommendations based on the current literature.
On the nature and significance of the Antarctic Slope Front

Abstract The region near the edge of the continental shelf around Antarctica is the primary site for renewal of Antarctic surface waters and the deepest layers of the World Ocean. Here the Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) reservoir approaches the sea surface and is transformed into a variety of surface, slope and shelf waters. It is the locus of enhanced exchange of heat, salt, gases and freshwater between the ocean, atmosphere, sea ice and glacial ice, and of nutrient and particulate material transport on and off the continental shelf. Rejuvenated near-surface waters here mix back into the deep ocean to modify the CDW and form Antarctic Bottom Water. The Antarctic Slope Front is a common oceanographie feature near the shelf break and has a major bearing on these processes. This topographically controlled front is marked by strong subsurface gradients in ocean temperature and chemistry, and by stronger alongshore currents than most of the adjacent continental shelf. It is one of the preferred routes for icebergs moving westward along the continental margin, and is characterized by regionally lower winter sea ice cover. There is significant evidence for regionally higher biological productivity along the Antarctic Slope Front.
Evolution of the Cape Fear Terrace: A complex interaction between the Gulf Stream and a paleo-shelf edge delta

Abstract A high-resolution seismic stratigraphic study of the Cape Fear Terrace (outer continental shelf off Cape Fear, North Carolina) combined with bio-lithostratigraphic data have yielded a complex chronostratigraphic framework of the Quaternary sequences that comprise this portion of the North American continental margin. The Cape Fear Terrace is one of six terraces/protuberances that form significant topographic irregularities along the South Carolina and North Carolina shelf-slope break. The Cape Fear Terrace is situated upon an anomalous, point-source, prograding, shelf margin feature which has protruded out onto the upper slope throughout much of the Quaternary. This upbuilding/outbuilding followed a period of active submarine erosion in which the ancestral Gulf Stream and/or associated meanders cut an erosional path beneath the present shelf margin during the early Pliocene. The protuberance was originally constructed during a relative lowstand of sea level as a shelf-edge delta. Severe modification of this deltaic lobe occurred during a relative highstand of sea level as Gulf Stream activities began to more effectively modify the margin. The anomalous thick accumulation of shelf-edge sediments acted as a barrier to flow inducing complex flow patterns of the Gulf Stream causing preferential erosion on its downstream side. Subsequent deposition may have resulted during more elevated highstands of sea level, as evidenced by the presence of active sand waves in the terrace protuberance region today. Once this shelf-edge bathymetric irregularity had been established, the Gulf Stream acted as a dynamic force inducing cellular flow structures within the shelf environment and enabling sediments to be transported seaward along the paleo-shoals complex.
Inactivation of dorsolateral striatum enhances sensitivity to changes in the action–outcome contingency in instrumental conditioning

Actions become compulsive when they are no longer controlled by their consequences. Compulsivity can be assessed using the omission procedure in which animals are required to withhold a previously reinforced action to earn reward. The current study tested the hypothesis that inactivation of the dorsolateral striatum (DLS), a structure implicated in habitual behavior, can enhance sensitivity to changes in the action-outcome contingency during omission training, thus leading to a reduction in compulsive responding. Over 10 days rats were trained to press a freely available lever for sucrose reward delivered on interval schedules of reinforcement. After learning to press the lever at a stable and high rate, rats in the omission group received a session in which the rewards were now delayed by pressing the lever; i.e. withholding lever pressing resulted in increased access to reward. A control group was yoked to the omission group and received the same number and pattern of reward delivery but without the omission contingency. Half the rats in each group received infusions of vehicle into the DLS prior to this training whereas the remainder received an infusion of the GABA-A receptor agonist muscimol. On the next day, the effect of these treatments was assessed on a probe test in which the tendency of the various groups to press the lever was assessed in extinction and without drug infusion. Rats that received vehicle infusions prior to the omission session showed complete insensitivity to the newly imposed omission contingency. In contrast, rats given the infusion of muscimol selectively reduced lever pressing compared to yoked controls. Thus, extended training with interval schedules resulted in compulsive lever pressing that prevented the learning of the omission contingency, whereas inactivation of the DLS appeared to enhance the rats' sensitivity to this change in the action-outcome contingency.
Adaptive loop transformations for scientific programs

To facilitate the efficient execution of scientific programs, parallelizing compilers apply a wide range of loop transformations. In some situations it may not be possible to determine the applicability and usefulness of the transformations at compile time. We develop adaptive versions of various loop transformations which lend themselves to efficient application at run time. instead of explicitly applying a transformation at compile time, we generate adaptive code which is able to behave like the transformed code, if so desired, at run time. Therefore an adaptive program can be viewed as expressing multiple ways of executing a program. The selection of the particular execution is based upon run time information. Adaptive programs offer a more practical and powerful alternative to multiversion programs.
Participatory Fishing Community Assessments to Support Coral Reef Fisheries Comanagement

Abstract: Comanagement of natural resources involves shared management authority and responsibility between resource users or community groups at local levels and central government authorities. In data-poor, small-scale fisheries systems, community-based planning efforts can be informed by participatory research approaches that involve community members and stakeholder groups in the design, development, and implementation of research. This article draws upon research in Maunalua Bay, O'ahu , Hawai'i, to illustrate the utility of participatory assessments in communities, institutions, and organizations as they transition toward comanagement arrangements. A community-led survey effort revealed temporal changes in habitat use patterns and declines in key fisheries species and habitats. Fishing activities in Maunalua Bay are primarily noncommercial in nature and many of the direct benefits from local fisheries are distributed through social-kinship networks. The fishing community exhibited a high capacity fo...
Experimental Simulation of Contaminant Deposition on a Film Cooled Turbine Airfoil Leading Edge

A significant challenge of utilizing coal-derived synthetic fuels for gas turbine engines is mitigating the adverse effects of fuel-born contaminant deposits on film cooled turbine surfaces. A new experimental technique has been developed that simulates the key physical, but not the chemical, aspects of coal ash deposition on film cooled turbine airfoil leading edges in order to better understand the interaction between film cooling and deposition and to produce improved film cooling designs. In this large-scale wind tunnel facility, the depositing contaminants were modeled with atomized molten wax droplets sized to match the Stokes numbers of coal ash particles in the engine conditions. The sticking mechanism of the molten contaminants to the turbine surfaces was modeled by ensuring the wax droplets remained somewhat molten when they arrived at the cooled model surface. The airfoil model and wax deposits had thermal conductivities such that they matched the Biot numbers of clean and fouled turbine airfoils at engine conditions. The behavior of the deposit growth was controlled by adjusting the mainstream, coolant, and wax solidification temperatures. Simulated deposits were created for a range of test durations, film cooling blowing ratios, and controlling temperatures. Inspection of the resulting deposits revealed aspects of the flow field that augment and suppress deposition. Deposit thickness was found to increase in time until an equilibrium thickness was attained. Blowing ratio and the difference between mainstream and wax solidification temperatures strongly affected characteristics of the deposits. Model surface temperatures greatly reduced under the deposits as they developed.
Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of Aerospike Nozzles in a Hybrid Rocket Propulsion System

An experimental and theoretical investigation was conducted on an annular aerospike plug nozzle and its compatibility with a hybrid fuel propulsion system. The higher efficiency of an aerospike nozzle, low operating costs, improved safety, throttleability, restartability, and characteristics of a hybrid rocket propulsion system meet the high mass-ratio of SingleStage-To-Orbit vehicles and enable it to be met in an environmentally-friendly manner. Ignition of the hybrid rocket motor using nitrous oxide and polyvinyl chloride with an aerospike nozzle was achieved. The thrust profile of the hybrid spike plug nozzle motor was qualitatively similar to the conventional hybrid rocket motor. The aerospike nozzle efficiency was calculated to be 0.95 from exhaust plume simulations. Theoretical results of the nozzles, hybrid rocket motors, and ground data acquisition system are described in detail.
Distinct Functions of Vascular Endothelial and Smooth Muscle PPARγ in Regulation of Blood Pressure and Vascular Tone

Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are peroxisome proliferators–activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) activators that exhibit antihypertensive and vasculoprotective effects. Here we describe the use of Tie2Cre/flox and SM22Cre/flox mice, which respectively lacked PPARγ in the endothelium and the smooth muscle, to study vascular function of PPARγ. Rosiglitazone (RGZ) induced a similar blood pressure (BP)–lowering effect in deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) salt–treated PPARγ f/f and SM22Cre/flox mice, whereas Tie2Cre/flox mice were completely resistant to this effect. The femoral arteries lacking endothelial PPARγ exhibited increased reactivity to various vasoconstrictors without a significant alteration in acetylcholineinduced relaxation. In sharp contrast, the vasculature lacking smooth muscle PPARγ had blunted sensitivity to α1-adrenergic agents but enhanced sensitivity to acetylcholine. Our results demonstrated endothelium but not smooth muscle as the site for TZD-induced BP-lowering effect and also uncovered distinct functions of endothelial and smooth muscle PPARγ in regulation of vascular tone.
Rotavirus Vaccine — A Powerful Tool to Combat Deaths from Diarrhea

Rotavirus infection, the leading cause of severe childhood diarrhea in both developed and developing countries, results in over half a million deaths each year.1 Currently, two rotavirus vaccines (Rotarix [GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals] and RotaTeq [Merck]) are licensed in many countries and used routinely in several. Until recently, available efficacy data were from developed and developing countries with relatively low mortality rates among children younger than 5 years of age. In this issue of the Journal, efficacy trials conducted in Africa by Madhi and colleagues2 and a postmarketing study conducted in Mexico by Richardson and colleagues3 are described. The data support the . . .
A Multilevel Mediation Model of Stress and Coping for Women with HIV and Their Families

Families are influential systems and may be an important context in which to consider the stress and coping process. To date, many studies have focused on modeling the stress and coping process for the individual, isolated from the family. The purpose of this secondary analysis was to investigate a cross-sectional stress and coping model for HIV-positive African-American mothers recruited from HIV service facilities in South Florida (n=214) and their family members (n=294). Avoidance coping was hypothesized to mediate the relationship between stress and psychological distress. In addition, the family average of individual stress was hypothesized to moderate the relationship between avoidance coping and psychological distress. For all constructs, individuals reported on themselves and multilevel modeling techniques were used to account for similarities between members of the same family. The estimated mediation effect was significant. Aggregated family stress significantly moderated the relationship between avoidance coping and psychological distress. This study suggests that individuals exhibit different relationships between avoidance coping and psychological outcomes and that average stress reported by members of a family moderates the relationship between avoidance coping and psychological distress.
Motor neuron recognition in the Drosophila ventral nerve cord

We exploit the morphological stereotypy and relative simplicity of the Drosophila nervous system to model the diverse neuronal morphologies of individual motor neurons and understand underlying principles of synaptic connectivity in a motor circuit. In our analysis, we use images depicting single neurons labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) and serially imaged with laser scanning confocal microscopy. We model morphology with a novel formulation of Conditional Random Fields, a hierarchical latent-state CRF, to capture the highly varying compartment-based structure of the neurons (soma-axon-dendrites). In the training phase, we follow two approaches: (i) hierarchical learning, were compartment labels are given, and (ii) latent-state learning, where compartment labels are not given in the training samples. We demonstrate the accuracy of our approach using wild-type MNs in the larval ventral nerve cord. However, our method can also be used for the identification of MN mutations, as well as the automated annotation of the motor circuitry in wild type and mutant animals.
Meeting the Needs of Industry: SMU's Master's Degree Program in Software Engineering

In response to industry demand, the Master's degree program in software engineering at Southern Methodist University (SMU) was established in 1993. Drawing on the strengths of the university, the regional business community, and the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), SMU's curriculum addresses the software engineering process from both a technical and management perspective. The SMU curriculum affirms the tenet that software engineering must be a well-managed discipline supported by an underpinning of science and technology.
Fault-tolerant real-time task scheduling in the MAFT distributed system

The development of the task scheduling mechanism for the multicomputer architecture for fault-tolerance (MAFT) is discussed. MAFT is a distributed computer system designed to provide high performance and extreme reliability in real-time control applications. The impact of the system's functional requirements, fault-tolerance requirements, and architecture on the development of the scheduling mechanism is examined. MAFT uses a priority-list scheduling algorithm modified to provide extreme reliability in the monitoring of tasks and the detection of scheduling errors. It considers such issues as modular redundancy, Byzantine agreement, and the use of multiversion software and dissimilar hardware. An example of scheduler performance with a realistic workload is presented. >
Broadcasting and religious freedom

Although almost all broadcasters have at least a nodding acquaintance with religion, it is unlikely that many of us have explored the great semantic differences between theologians and communications lawyers and broadcasters. Terms such as “community,”; “freedom”; and “responsibility”; mean something quite different to the two groups. The following article, by Dr. Robert R. Smith, currently acting chairman of the broadcasting department of Boston University's School of Public Communication, is an attempt at reconciling the various viewpoints. Inspired by former Commissioner Lee Loevinger's “Broadcasting and Religious Liberty”; (Journal of Broadcasting, X:1:3‐23), Prof. Smith ranges across the field of religious broadcasting, pointing out the vast practical gulf between “liberty”; and “freedom.”
Nondestructive, ultra-low resistance, thermally stable contacts for use on shallow junction InP solar cells

Contact formation to InP is plagued by violent metal-semiconductor intermixing that takes place during the contact sintering process. Because of this the InP solar cell cannot be sintered after contact deposition. This results in cell contact resistances that are orders of magnitude higher than those that could be achieved if sintering could be performed in a nondestructive manner. The authors report on a truly unique contact system, involving Au and Ge, which is easily fabricated, which exhibits extremely low values of contact resistivity, and in which there is virtually no metal-semiconductor interdiffusion, even after extended sintering. they present a description of this contact system and suggest possible mechanisms to explain the observed behavior. >
Spiritual coaching in cancer patients: treating the spirit as well as the disease.

Interest in the exploration of spirituality in medical practice has been growing recently due to some studies suggesting its role in the improvement of patient well-being and quality of life. This ...
The Victims' Court? A Study of 622 Victim Participants at the International Criminal Court

Author(s): Koenig, Alexa; Stover, Eric; Smith Cody, Stephen; Balthazard, Mychelle | Abstract: This multi-country study interviews 622 survivors of war crimes and crimes against humanity is an independent study written at the request of the International Criminal Court and released at the Assembly of States Parties meeting in The Hague on Nov. 20, 2015. The study finds that meaningful victim participation at the International Criminal Court (ICC) hinges on greater investment by member states in outreach and educational programs, so that victims can more fully understand their rights under the Rome Statute.
Screech frequency prediction in light of mode detection and convection speed measurements for heated jets

The results of a series of experiments to measure the dominant mode shapes of the jet instabilities associated with screech are used to improve the accuracy of the current screech frequency prediction scheme for circular jets. Measurements of the convection speeds of the jet instabilities were also used to further refine the screech frequency prediction. The improved frequency prediction scheme is validated using data from three separate nozzles for four temperature ratios and is found to significantly improve the accuracy of the predicted frequency. It is found that under certain conditions a jet can screech at two different frequencies simultaneously, and each of these frequencies is associated with a different family of instability waves. The results seem to indicate that the dominance of the flapping type instabilities is diminished as the temperature is increased.
Cognitive approaches to stress and coping

Purpose of reviewThis paper provides an overview of the cognitive approaches that have recently been used to study stress and coping. Our review focuses on empirical research that links an individual's initial cognitive interpretation (e.g. appraisal, attribution) of a stressor to coping methods and
Application of Quality Control Circle Activity in Quality Management of Children's Condition Mastered by Duty Nurse

Objective: To analyze the effect of quality control circle in improving the awareness rate of children's condition mastered by duty nurse. Method: First, a quality control circle was established and the theme was set up as "improving the awareness rate of children's condition mastered by duty nurse". Then current situation holding, status grasping and goal setting were carried out. Result: The awareness rate raised from 61.47% to 93.33% percent after the application of quality control circle. Conclusion: The quality control circle is more effective to improve the awareness rate of primary nurse to the children's condition.
Modification of Electronic and Vibrational Properties of Doped Black-P Films

Black phosphorus (black-P) research has been the most absent for 100 years since its date of first synthesis in 1914 among all the polymorphs of phosphorus. However, recently it has been re-examined due to its specific puckered single layer geometry. Few or single atomic layer forms of black-P can be isolated using techniques such as micromechanical or liquid exfoliation. However, the exfoliation techniques limit the use of black-P, hence a method of black-P layer deposition onto a substrate is needed. Few or atomic layer deposition of black-P leads to substrate-material interactions and a possible appearance of a band gap opening at the K point. Hence, a series of experiments were conducted in order to grow black-P on different substrates. With the incorporation of doping elements, there was substantial modification in the vibrational and electrical properties. It was observed that sulfur and boron doped films exhibit improved electrical and electronic properties as compared to pristine black-P. Density functional theory predicts significant changes in the band structure and density of states as a consequence of doping. The effects of doping was also reflected in Raman A1g mode. The shift in peak position was also found to be consistent with molar mass of dopants.
Geriatric sexuality and chronic diseases.

The age-related changes in sexual behavior are often the result of coexisting systemic illness and use of medications. Many diseases alter sexual activity through interference with vascular or neural integrity of the genitalia or through psychosocial sequelae. Elderly patients would benefit from instruction in alternate sexual techniques in addition to optimization of their underlying physical conditions.
Comparing the mechanism and energetics of CO2 sorption in the SIFSIX series

Simulations of CO2 sorption were performed in five members of the previously discovered SIFSIX series: SIFSIX-1-Cu, SIFSIX-2-Cu, SIFSIX-2-Cu-i, SIFSIX-3-Zn, and SIFSIX-3-Cu. These metal–organic materials (MOMs) consist of metal ions that are coordinated to linear ligands and are pillared with SiF62− (“SIFSIX”) ions. These MOMs mostly differ in the ligand that is used to synthesize the material, although interpenetration and substitution of the metal ion is also responsible for the formation of some members. The pore size in this series ranges from 3.54 to 13.05 A. The simulated CO2 sorption isotherms and isosteric heat of adsorption (Qst) values for all five MOMs are in good agreement with the corresponding experimental data. Consistent with experimental measurements, our simulations demonstrate that the Qst for CO2 increases as the pore size decreases in this series. It was found that SIFSIX-1-Cu and SIFSIX-2-Cu-i exhibit favorable MOM–sorbate and sorbate–sorbate interactions upon CO2 sorption, which explains why the CO2Qst increases as a function of loading in these variants. Further, SIFSIX-3-Zn and SIFSIX-3-Cu display nearly constant Qst values for all loadings considered because only one type of sorption site is present in these MOMs. Notable differences in the repulsion/dispersion and electrostatic contributions for CO2 sorption were observed in all five SIFSIX MOMs, with no particular trend upon variation of the pore size. SIFSIX-2-Cu-i exhibits the highest contributions from repulsion/dispersion interactions, while SIFSIX-3-Cu displays the highest percentage from electrostatic interactions within the series. Polarization interactions are negligible for all five members. Overall, our simulations reveal that these five SIFSIX MOMs display different CO2 sorption mechanisms and energetics. This led to differences in the sorbate induced dipole distribution and the radial distribution functions (g(r)) about the Si atoms for all MOMs.
Frequency of Interpersonal Trauma Types, Avoidant Attachment, Self-Compassion, and Interpersonal Competence: A Model of Persisting Posttraumatic Symptoms

ABSTRACTGiven limited knowledge about how psychosocial factors interact to modulate posttraumatic stress symptoms, this study evaluated an integrative model proposing that experiencing more interpersonal trauma types (e.g., abuse, assault, rape, etc.) leads to greater avoidant attachment and lower self-compassion, which limits the development and use of effective interpersonal skills. In turn, lower levels of self-compassion and interpersonal competence perpetuate posttraumatic symptoms. Anonymous trauma-experienced adults (n = 132) completed self-report measures in an online study hyperlinked on trauma support websites. Data were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, which provided support for the hypothesized model. Specifically, higher frequency of interpersonal trauma types experienced was linked to higher avoidant attachment and lower self-compassion, which in turn were associated with lower interpersonal competence, which correlated with greater posttraumatic st...
Trace element and U isotope analysis of uraninite and ore concentrate: Applications for nuclear forensic investigations

Abstract Uranium ore concentrate (UOC), is an important intermediate material in the nuclear fuel cycle. Trace element distributions in UOCs can be related to the geologic conditions in which the source uranium ore formed, and hence are characteristic for each deposit type. These chemical signatures can then potentially be used as an essential tool for nuclear forensic analysis of derivative radioactive materials. In this study, several samples of UOC and uraninite extracted from sandstone-hosted roll front deposits in the Powder River basin U province in Wyoming (USA) have been analyzed for their trace element abundances and U isotopic compositions. UOCs were analyzed both in solution mode-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SM-ICP-MS) subsequent bulk sample digestion, and at high-spatial resolution (10s of micron scale) using a laser ablation (LA)-ICP-MS technique. Comparison of trace elemental abundances obtained by SM- and LA-ICP-MS indicates corroborating results, with comparable chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns; those obtained by LA-ICP-MS show a slightly larger variation in absolute elemental abundances compared with corresponding bulk sample digestions. U isotopic measurements for UOCs and uraninite were conducted by solution mode multi-collector (MC)-ICP-MS. 238 U/ 235 U, 235 U/ 234 U and 238 U/ 234 U ratios for uraninite and UOC overlap and confirm a lack of significant isotopic fractionation during the fabrication process. The results reported here assert the validity of analyzing UOC for source attribution purposes and simultaneously demonstrate that corroborating trace element signatures can be obtained with both LA and SM-ICP-MS analytical techniques for U-rich materials relevant to the nuclear fuel cycle. REE abundances and U isotopes did not fractionate during early ore processing of materials investigated in this study.