cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Highly Effective and Practical Corticosteroid Regimen to Overcome Skin Rash Associated with Immunomodulatory Drugs Allowing Reinstitution of Therapy

Introduction Immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) are backbone of myeloma therapy in induction and maintenance therapy after transplant for patients (pts) with Multiple Myeloma (MM). The incidence of IMiD-associated rash is up to 27% (Nardone, et al, Clinical Lymphoma Myeloma and Leukemia. 2013) and importantly heralds a favorable prognosis (Kojima, et al. Blood. 2016) suggesting more robust immune stimulation by this class of drugs; however, lack of optimal management strategy of this toxicity can deprive large subset of pts from maintenance therapy after transplant and lead to potential detrimental impact on survivals. The concurrent weekly dexamethasone (Dex) does not diminish the incidence of skin eruptions with IMiDs (Sviggum, et al. Archives of dermatology. 2006), therefore we designed a low dose daily and tapering corticosteroid regimen to tame this immune response upon restarting IMiDs and allow desensitization and reinstitution of the same IMiD which may not be achieved by standard weekly Dex. Here, we present our experience with this regimen. Methods In this retrospective study, pts with MM treated with lenalidomide and pomalidomide were reviewed for any IMiD-associated dermatologic toxicity. We followed the same corticosteroid regimen for all IMiD-related rash in our clinic without changing Dex dosing. Result A total of 160 pts were evaluated. The incidence of rash was found to be 13% (n=21). IMiDs were instituted as part of induction regimen in 71% (n=15) and as maintenance therapy after transplant in 29% (n=6) of pts. Median time to development of rash after IMiD initiation was 28 days (range, 2-232). The rashes were characterized as morbilliform in 86% (n=18), urticaria in 9.5% (n=2) and blisters in 5% (n=1) of pts. Pruritis or pain was associated with 86% of rashes (n=15). According to NCI-CTCAE, rashes were graded as low (I-II) in 89% (n=17) and high (III-IV) in 19% of pts. All pts were managed by temporary treatment interruption and upon clearance of rash, re-institution of the same IMiD concomitantly with a standardized 3-week steroid rash prophylaxis protocol (prednisone at 10 mg daily for 10 days, followed by 5 mg daily for 10 days, followed by 5 mg on alternate days for 10 days). As a result, all pts were able to restart the same IMiD either at same (n=5, 24%) or reduced (n=16, 76%) dose with none re-experiencing any dermatologic adverse effect afterward. There was no association between rash development and changes in creatinine clearance (p=0.42). Median eosinophil count at rash development was observed to be significantly higher as compared to eosinophil count at IMiD initiation (380 × 106 vs 130 × 106 respectively, p=0.01). Conclusion The proposed 3-week corticosteroid regimen showed 100% success rate in terms of reinstituting IMiDs, therefore it may provide a highly effective and practical short term immunosuppression required to enable pts to restart IMiDs.
Investigation of Tack Coat Bond Damage Mechanism in Asphalt Surfaced Pavements under Dynamic Truck Loads

Bonding created by the tack coat allows the pavement system to carry heavy truck loads as a monolithic structure and improves the structural integrity. In Oregon and throughout the U.S.A., CSS-1H i...
Understanding the Student Dropout in Distance Learning

This Research to Practice Full Paper introduces an approach for the early identification of students at risk of dropping out of their distance learning courses. Students dropout in university courses have long been a major issue leading to social, academic and financial impacts. Predictive modelling analysis has been used as a tool to identify at an early stage probable cases of dropout. In distance learning, this type of analysis is made possible mostly because of the increasing adoption rate of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) where data on the student academic activities can be continuously recorded. This paper discusses the design and validation of a Learning Analytics system for early identification of students at risk of dropping out. The case study presented relies on data collected from two postgraduate courses as part of Brazils Open University. The methodology for the system design and validation comprises the steps to build an intelligent data pipeline. Jupyter Notebooks have been d used as the data science analysis environment in order to create data pipelines and have their performance evaluated. Results obtained from the validation of models built out of eight machine learning techniques show an average accuracy of 84% among the set of ML techniques tested. The highest accuracy is delivered by the Extra Trees classifier with 88%. Logistic Regression performed the worst performance with an accuracy of 79%.
A novel fast-channel myasthenia caused by mutation in β subunit of AChR reveals subunit-specific contribution of the intracellular M1-M2 linker to channel gating.

Genetic variants causing the fast-channel congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS) have been identified in the α, δ, and e but not the β subunit of acetylcholine receptor (AChR). A 16-year-old girl with severe myasthenia had low-amplitude and fast-decaying miniature endplate potentials. Mutation analysis revealed two heteroallelic variants in CHRNB1 encoding the AChR β subunit: a novel c.812C>T (p.P248L) variant in M1-M2 linker (p.P271L in HGVS nomenclature), and a ~430 bp deletion causing loss of exon 8 leading to frame-shift and a premature stop codon (p.G251Dfs*21). P248 is conserved in all β subunits of different species, but not in other AChR subunits. Measurements of radio-labeled α-bungarotoxin binding show that βP248L reduces AChR expression to 60% of wild-type. Patch clamp recordings of ACh-elicited single channel currents demonstrate that βP248L shortens channel opening bursts from 3.3 ms to 1.2 ms, and kinetic analyses predict that the decay of the synaptic response is accelerated 2.4-fold due to reduced probability of channel reopening. Substituting βP248 with threonine, alanine or glycine reduces the burst duration to 2.3, 1.7, and 1.5 ms, respectively. In non-β subunits, substituting leucine for residues corresponding to βP248 prolongs the burst duration to 4.5 ms in the α subunit, shortens it to 2.2 ms in the δ subunit, and has no effect in the e subunit. Conversely, substituting proline for residues corresponding to βP248 prolongs the burst duration to 8.7 ms in the α subunit, to 4.6 ms in the δ subunit, but has no effect in the e subunit. Thus, this fast channel CMS is caused by the dual defects of βP248L in reducing expression of the mutant receptor and accelerating the decay of the synaptic response. The results also reveal subunit-specific contributions of the M1-M2 linker to the durations of channel opening bursts.
Cardiovascular Risk Assessment: From Global Risk Scoring to Risk Enhancing Factors

Risk assessment is the cornerstone in the primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). It begins with global risk assessment of short-term absolute risk of ASCVD and then targeting therapies to those at higher risk who derive the greatest benefit and who would be most tolerable of any harms. Over the past several decades, there has been an evolution from a focus on individual risk factors to deriving multivariable risk prediction models to more accurately pinpoint an individual’s ASCVD risk. Most guidelines advocate for using multivariable risk calculators as the initial step in risk assessment. The Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE) are the primary ASCVD risk scores recommended for use in the United States. However, they have several inherent limitations including over- and underestimating risk in certain groups and being applicable only in whites and blacks. Several additional risk prediction models, like the European SCORE, are available, each with their own benefits and pitfalls. Both the ACC/AHA 2019 Prevention Guidelines and 2016 ESC Prevention Guidelines synthesize comprehensive algorithms for cardiovascular risk assessment, with commonalities and important differences. Additional risk enhancing factors have been identified which are not represented in current risk models but can be used to calibrate a patient’s risk either upward or downward when the decision to initiate preventive therapies is uncertain, with further consideration of coronary calcium scores when needed.
“Coming Out Crip” in Inclusive Education:

Background/ContextThe author argues that within inclusive education's almost obsessive focus on space, there is a tendency to ignore the ideological assumptions that undergird the curricular and ex...
Imagining the Nigerian Audience: Ethnic Stereotypes and the Production of Nigeria's Sesame Square

My research investigates how media flows influence the teaching of multiculturalism around the world. I examine the Nigerian version of Sesame Street, called Sesame Square, which teaches about intercultural tolerance. Sesame Square is co-produced by Sesame Workshop and a Nigerian company. I draw on literature that questions the international diffusion of American ideas about multiculturalism, as well as on media studies literature that examines how ethnic stereotypes are reproduced through television. Through interviews with Sesame Square staff conducted during 9 months of fieldwork, I investigate how Sesame Squares creators imagine their audience and Nigerianize the program. These imaginings reveal deeply-held perceptions about cultural and educational differences between ethnic groups. Overall, Sesame Squares creators perceive their audience as over-sensitive, backwards, and academically low. These stereotypes are more pronouncedand more negativeabout Northern Nigerians. As I analyze claims about who the Nigerian audience is, hierarchies are revealed that position different ethnic groups along a continuum from backwards to civilized. Notably, these categories are utilized by Nigerians, and not by Sesame Workshop staff. This work will be useful to scholars investigating post-colonial ethnic relations in Africa, as well as to organizations who attempt to localize projects to be effective in new contexts.
Treatment Integrity Reporting in Behavior Analysis in Practice 2008–2019

Treatment integrity is the extent to which procedures are implemented in a manner consistent with their prescribed protocols and is necessary for reaching accurate conclusions regarding functional relations between dependent (i.e., behavior) and independent (i.e., the environment) variables. Several studies assessing the frequency that studies report treatment integrity have been conducted. However, no review has included articles from Behavior Analysis in Practice. Thus, the current study reviewed Behavior Analysis in Practice between 2008 and 2019 to assess the frequency of studies reporting treatment integrity data. A total of 193 articles consisting of 205 studies met the inclusionary criteria for this review. Ninety-six studies (46.83%) reported treatment integrity data, compared to 193 (94.15%) that provided interobserver agreement data. Additionally, 98 studies (47.80%) were considered high risk for treatment implementation inaccuracies. Recommendations and implications for research and practice are discussed.
Cigarette use, anxiety, and insomnia from adolescence to early adulthood: A longitudinal indirect effects test.

Abstract Background Cigarette use during adolescence has been linked to increased risk for insomnia symptoms, but limited work has examined factors that may account for this association. Adolescent cigarette use and anxiety symptoms characterized by physiological hyperarousal evidence bidirectional associations, as do anxiety symptoms and insomnia symptoms. This suggests that adolescent cigarette use, anxiety symptoms characterized by physiological hyperarousal, and insomnia symptoms may increase and maintain one another. The current study tests physiological hyperarousal anxiety symptoms as a potential indirect effect in the cigarette-insomnia symptoms link across adolescence and young adulthood. Methods: We examined data from adolescents and young adults from Waves 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 2,432 with full data). Insomnia symptoms were assessed at baseline (ages 12–16 years), 1 year later (13–17 years), and 14 years after baseline (26 – 30 years) among a nationally representative sample of adolescents. Cigarette use was assessed at baseline, 1 year later, 6 years after baseline, and 14 years after baseline. Anxiety symptoms were assessed at baseline and 1 year later. Results: Structural equation models indicated that anxiety symptoms exerted an indirect effect on the longitudinal associations between adolescent cigarette use and adult insomnia symptoms. Anxiety symptoms and cigarette use evidenced bidirectional associations during adolescence. Conclusions: These results suggest that increases in anxiety symptoms characterized by physiological hyperarousal may be one mechanism whereby cigarette use during adolescence is associated with increased insomnia symptoms during early adulthood. Prevention efforts aimed at reducing cigarette use during adolescence may have long term additional benefits for anxiety symptoms and insomnia symptoms.
The Chlamydia trachomatis Tarp effector targets the Hippo pathway.

Abstract Chlamydia trachomatis injects bacterial effector proteins into human epithelial cells to facilitate the establishment of new infections. The chlamydial type III secreted effector t ranslocated a ctin r ecruiting phospho p rotein (Tarp) has been shown to nucleate and bundle actin filaments. It is also believed to initiate new signaling pathways via an N-terminal phosphorylation domain. A comprehensive understanding of the host pathways that are controlled by Tarp to aid in the establishment of a successful infection remains incomplete. To gain further insight into the cell signaling regulated by Tarp, we generated transgenic fruit flies engineered to express the N-terminal domain of Tarp. As many signaling pathways are conserved between flies and mammals, we hypothesized that expression of the Tarp N-domain in the fruit fly might disrupt key pathways, resulting in developmental defects. Tarp N-domain expression in the fruit fly resulted in a mechanosensory bristle duplication phenotype similar to a previously characterized fly phenotype found to be a consequence of defects in the Hippo pathway. Tarp-dependent disruption of the Hippo pathway was confirmed in a C. trachomatis tissue culture infection model. The capability of Tarp to alter Hippo pathway signaling in infected epithelial cells is a previously unrecognized pathway commandeered by chlamydia and likely contributes to the establishment of chlamydia's intracellular niche.
Pancreatic volumes in immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced diabetes.

2644Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitor-mediated insulin dependent diabetes (ICI-DM) is a rare and irreversible adverse event often presenting with life-threatening diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)....
The functional morphology of the postpulmonary septum of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) has a postpulmonary septum (PPS) that partitions the intracoelomic cavity. The PPS adheres to the capsule of the liver caudally and to the visceral pleura of the lung cranially; the ventrolateral portions of the PPS are invested with smooth muscle, the remainder is tendinous. Differential pressure transducers were used to record the intrathoracic (ITP) and intraperitoneal (IPP) pressures, and determine the transdiaphragmatic pressure (TDP). Each ventilatory pulse resulted in a pulse in ITP and a significantly lower pulse in IPP; meaning that a TDP was established, and that the pleural and peritoneal cavities were functionally isolated. The anesthetized alligators were tilted 30° head-up or head-down in order to displace the liver. Head-up rotations caused a significant increase in IPP, and a significant decrease in ITP (which became negative); head-down rotations produced the opposite effect. During these rotations, the PPS maintained opposite pressures (positive or negative) in the pleural and peritoneal cavities, and established TDPs greater than have been reported for some mammals. Two types of "breaths" were recorded during these experiments. The first was interpreted as a contraction of the diaphragmaticus muscle, which displaces the liver caudally; these breaths had the same effect as the head-up rotations. The second type of breath was interpreted as constriction of the thoracic and abdominal body walls; this type of breath produced pronounced, long-duration, roughly parallel, increases in ITP and IPP. The smooth muscle within the PPS is suggestive of higher-order adjustment or tuning of the PPS's tensile state.
Using multiple Mendelian randomization approaches and genetic correlations to understand obesity, urate, and gout.

Observational studies suggest relationships between obesity, urate, and gout but are possibly confounded. We assessed whether genetically determined obesity, higher urate (and related traits), and gout were causal using multiple Mendelian randomization (MR) approaches and linkage disequilibrium score regression for genetic correlations (rg). For data, we used genome-wide association study summary statistics available through MR-Base. We observed that obesity increased urate (beta = 0.127; 95% CI = 0.098, 0.157; P-value = 1.2E−17; rg = 0.25 [P-value = 0.001]) and triglycerides (beta = 0.082; 95% CI = 0.065, 0.099; P-value = 1.2E−21; rg = 0.23 [P-value = 8.8E−12]) and decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) (beta = − 0.083; 95% CI = − 0.101, − 0.065; P-value = 2.5E−19; rg = − 0.28; [P-value = 5.2E−24]). Higher triglycerides increased urate (beta = 0.198; 95% CI = 0.146, 0.251; P-value = 8.9E−14; rg = 0.29 [P-value = 0.001]) and higher HDL decreased urate (beta = − 0.109; 95% CI = − 0.148, − 0.071; P-value = 2.7E− 08; rg = − 0.21 [P-value = 9.8E−05]). Higher urate (OR = 1.030; 95% CI = 1.028, 1.032; P-value = 1.1E−130; rg = 0.89 [P-value = 1.7E−55]) and obesity caused gout (OR = 1.003; 95% CI = 1.001, 1.004; P-value = 1.3E−04; rg = 0.23 [P-value = 2.7E−05]). Obesity on gout with urate as a mediator revealed all the effect of obesity on gout occurred through urate. Obesity on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) was null (beta = −0.011; 95% CI = −0.030, 0.008; P-value = 2.6E−01; rg = 0.03 [P-value = 0.369]). A multivariable MR of obesity, HDL, and triglycerides on urate showed obesity influenced urate when accounting for HDL and triglycerides. Obesity’s impact on urate was exacerbated by it decreasing HDL.
Recent Developments in Information-Theoretic Statistical Analysis

In this paper, first, I provide a sketch of integration of entropy in some areas of statistics during the last four decades. This will be brief and non-exhaustive. Then, I discuss entropy-based quantities that measure information loss or gain due to distributional changes. I provide examples of the information diagnostics that I have developed for measuring information loss in regression analysis and information gain in choice models.
Adriamycin-liposome interactions: A magnetic resonance study of the differential effects of cardiolipin on drug-induced fusion and permeability

Abstract Nuclear magnetic resonance and electron spin resonance spectroscopy were utilized to measure the effects of adriamycin on the fusion rates and permeability characteristics of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) liposomes containing small amounts of other lipids. Liposomes of pure DMPC in the presence or absence of adriamycin at a molar ratio of 100:1 showed little or no fusion. Incorporation of up to 5% cardiolipin into DMPC liposomes increased the rate of fusion more than 200-fold. The addition of adriamycin to cardiolipin-containing liposomes further enhanced the rate of the fusion. In contrast, liposomes containing other phospholipids, including phosphatidylglycerol, sphingomyelin, and phosphatidylserine, were not as sensitive to the addition of adriamycin. The largest increase in the rate of fusion was observed when calcium ions were also present with adriamycin. Cardiolipin-containing liposomes again showed the greatest sensitivity. Adriamycin did not increase the permeability of DMPC liposomes to the paramagnetic ion, Pr 3+ , either in the presence or absence of Ca 2+ . However, in contrast, Pr 3+ did gain access to the inside of cardiolipin-containing liposomes. Adriamycin decreased the rate of ascorbate permeation into the bilayer of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) liposomes and DPPC liposomes containing small amounts of phosphatidylglycerol or phosphatidylserine. Conversely, adriamycin stimulated the rate of ascorbate permeation of cardiolipin-containing DPPC liposomes. These results suggest that adriamycin can modulate membrane structure and function and act in a differential and specific way with membranes containing cardiolipin.
Taxation without Representation in Contemporary Rural China: Institutional Sources of Informal Tax Burdens

WHY were many of China's farmers subjected to financial burdens to the point at which some were driven to suicide and others to violent protest? In this chapter, we look for the underlying causes in the institutions and structures of China's political–administrative system. We identify five structural sources of peasant financial burdens: the vertical and horizontal deconcentration of power; performance pressures on local cadres and officials; state sprawl–the costly expansion of the bureaucracies down to the townships; muddled finances at the township level; and deeply embedded opportunities to engage in corruption. Some of these were strongly influenced by Maoist legacies. Others were based more specifically in the financial system. This chapter demonstrates the extent to which inadequate state capacity rooted in changing and deteriorating institutions was at the heart of the burden problem. DECONCENTRATION OF STATE POWER The norms of the PRC's political–administrative system prized unity of purpose and action in accordance with the top leaders' policies and instructions. Functional ministries at the central level were responsible to the Party Central Committee and the State Council and to their coordinating groups. Below Beijing, there was a dual vertical chain of command of Party and government from province down to township. Government agencies reported to their respective superior agencies as well as horizontally to their corresponding Party and government leaders, and, most important, to the territorial Party committees.
Lower Bounds for Solving Undirected Graph Problems on VLSI

We study VLSI solutions to the connected component problem on networks that have area too small to store all the edges of the graph for the entire computation. We give lower bounds on the time needed to solve this problem on such networks. The lower bounds use a new proof technique combining adversary strategy, information flow, and Kolmogorov complexity arguments. The lower bounds obtained for the connected components problem hold for a number of other undirected graph problems.
Progress in amorphous silicon tandem modules at Energy Photovoltaics, Inc

Over the past two years, EPV has directed its manufacturing research efforts toward enhancing the productivity of its tandem amorphous silicon (a-Si) photovoltaic module process. One major area of focus has been on streamlining the process to reduce the amount of time and complexity to manufacture a module by eliminating or combining process steps. In addition, significant effort has been put into improving the performance of the standard a-Si tandem module. This work has identified and developed process changes that have lead to a -20% increase in module power, with the largest contributors being the implementation of a zinc oxide/aluminum back reflector and significant increases of active area. As a result of these productivity and process improvements, the direct manufacturing cost per watt of an EPV module in the New Jersey facility has decreased by over 27%.
The Cambridge Introduction to Victorian Poetry: Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Aurora Leigh

It is one of the longest poems in the world, and there is not a dead line in it. A. C. Swinburne [ Aurora Leigh is] the greatest poem which the century has produced in any language. John Ruskin Early in 1845 Elizabeth Barrett Browning began to envision “a sort of novel-poem – a poem as completely modern as ‘Geraldine's Courtship,’ running into the midst of our conventions, & rushing into drawingrooms & the like ‘where angels fear to tread’; – & so, meeting face to face & without mask, the Humanity of the age, & speaking the truth as I conceive of it, out plainly.” By form alone Barrett Browning announces her allegiance to modernity in the resulting poem. Aurora Leigh self-consciously melds poetic and novelistic narrative into an innovative hybrid medium that, like so many Victorian novels, turns on class relations and social reform. Its novel-plot can be readily summarized. Aurora, born to a well-educated Englishman and blue-eyed Florentine, loses her mother at age four and is raised by her Italian nurse and heartbroken father (who teaches her from his books) until he too dies when she is thirteen. Aurora then travels to England to live with her maiden aunt, who attempts to suppress Aurora's Italian passions and subject her to rigid feminine discipline. Aurora survives thanks to the nurturing presence of nature glimpsed from her window, and above all her discovery of poetry, a scintillation of the universe and revelation of her true vocation.
The problem of ideals of H∞: Beyond the exponent 3/2☆

Abstract The paper deals with the problem of ideals of H ∞ : describe increasing functions φ ⩾ 0 such that for all bounded analytic functions f 1 , f 2 , … , f n , τ in the unit disc D the condition | τ ( z ) | ⩽ φ ( ( ∑ | f k ( z ) | 2 ) 1 / 2 ) ∀ z ∈ D implies that τ belong to the ideal generated by f 1 , f 2 , … , f n , i.e. that there exist bounded analytic functions g 1 , g 2 , … , g n such that ∑ k = 1 n f k g k = τ . It was proved earlier by the author that the function φ ( s ) = s 2 does not satisfy this condition. The strongest known positive result in this direction due to J. Pau states that the function φ ( s ) = s 2 / ( ( ln s −1 ) 3 / 2 ln ln s −1 ) works. However, there was always a suspicion that the critical exponent at ln s −1 is 1 and not 3/2. This suspicion turned out (at least partially) to be true, 3/2 indeed is not the critical exponent. The main result of the paper is that one can take for φ any function of form φ ( s ) = s 2 ψ ( ln s −2 ) , where ψ : R + → R + is a bounded non-increasing function satisfying ∫ 0 ∞ ψ ( x ) d x ∞ . In particular any of the functions φ ( s ) = s 2 / ( ( ln s −2 ) ( ln ln s −2 ) … ( ln ln … ln } m times s −2 ) ( ln ln … ln } m + 1 times s −2 ) 1 + ɛ ) , ɛ > 0 , works.
Automating the integration of heterogeneous databases

This new and ambitious project addresses a pervasive problem in database management: the alignment of different databases with nearly identical content. We focus on data about air quality, which is collected by local agencies and then sequentially gathered and integrated 'upward' by the chain of respective state, regional, national, and sometimes international parent organizations. This (annual) systematic integration by parent organizations of data from their children is an extremely complex exercise, since the data formats at each level are maintained and developed somewhat independently and are constantly being changed. At present, the data mappings are created by hand; the whole data delivery process takes about a year. Our challenge is to (semi-)automate this mapping process.
Controversial issues: compartment syndrome, test dose, LOR- air/saline, etc

The article ‘Controversial issues: compartment syndrome, test dose, LOR- air/saline, etc.’ by Valeria Mossetti and Giorgio Ivani (doi:10.1111/j.1460-9592.2011.03648.x), first published online on 2 July 2011 in Wiley OnlineLibrary (http://www.wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been withdrawn as it is a duplicate of the article entitled ‘Controversial issues in pediatric regional anesthesia’ by Valeria Mossetti and Giorgio Ivani (DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9592.2011.03655.x), first published online on 21 July 2011. The Publisher apologises for this error.
Warriors, authors and baseball coaches: the meaning of metaphor in theories of family therapy

This article examines the metaphors family therapists use in their theories to reveal aspects of the theories which are not explicitly stated, using Whitaker's symbolic experiential therapy, Minuchin's structural therapy and White's narrative therapy as examples. Such examination, drawing on social constructivist understandings of metaphor and meaning making, reveals that Minuchin's metaphors of family as organism and therapist as artist and warrior emphasize the family as relatively holistic and the therapist as relatively interventionist. In contrast, Whitaker's metaphor of family as ecological system or team and therapist as coach emphasizes the interdependence and context sensitivity of the family and relative powerlessness of the therapist to impose change. Finally, White, reflecting his explicitly post-structural commitment, uses the metaphor of therapy as a journey undertaken with a map and as therapy as an act of re-narrating a story.
“It's more than hair … that's why you should care”: the politics of appearance for Black women state legislators

African American women female state legislators navigate the politics of appearance differently from others. Black women's texture and style of their hair and their skin tone influences their experiences as state legislators. In sum, this essay contends that Black women's appearances have led to experiences that are linked to building their self-confidence, internal fortitude, and building their character, which they attribute to assisting them with dealing with adversities. In turn, these experiences impact their practices as state legislators.
Effect of Statin (HMG-Co-A-Reductase Inhibitor) Use on 1-Year Mortality and Hospitalization Rates in Older Patients with Cardiovascular Disease Living in Nursing Homes

OBJECTIVES: To quantify the effect of statins on 1-year mortality, hospitalizations, and decline in physical function among patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) aged 65 and older living in nursing homes. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: All Medicare/Medicaid certified nursing homes (N = 1,492) in Maine, New York, Mississippi, and South Dakota. PARTICIPANTS: We identified 51,559 older patients with CVD from a population database that merged sociodemographic data and functional, clinical, and drug treatments from more than 300,000 newly admitted nursing home residents from 1992 to 1997. Statin users (n = 1,313) were matched with nonusers (n = 1,313) in the same facilities. MEASUREMENTS: All-cause mortality, hospitalization, combined endpoint of mortality or hospitalization, and decline in physical function were determined at 1 year, and survival analysis was performed. RESULTS: Prevalence of statin use in this frail older cohort with CVD was 2.6%. Statin use varied by age, gender, comorbid condition, medication use, and cognitive and physical function. One-year mortality was 229/1,000 person-years in the statin group and 404/1,000 person-years in the nonusers, with an adjusted hazard rate ratio (HRR) of 0.69, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.58–0.81. The estimated number needed to treat was seven (95% CI = 5–13). This association with improved all-cause mortality was evident for women and men and for age groups 75 to 84, and 85 and older. CONCLUSION: Statin therapy is associated with improved clinical outcomes, including reduction in 1-year all-cause mortality, and the combined endpoint of death or hospitalization in a frail older population with CVD. Some caution should be taken in interpreting these results because potential bias from residual confounding could affect these results.
A Coupled Motion of the Thermally Induced Fluid Convection and the Membrane Motion

The present study formulates a model for a coupled oscillation of the convective flow and the solid membrane vibration, which occurs in a 2D domain of a fluid cell. The convection flow is induced by the transient thermal field of the membrane at the bottom of the fluid. The heat conduction in the solid material also causes the membrane to vibrate. This flow motion deviates from the conventional Rayleigh-Benard problem in that a transient thermal field causes the convection flow instead of a constant temperature gradient. A numerical computation reveals the synchronized motion behaviors between the Lorenz-type oscillator for the convection flow and the Duffing oscillator for the membrane motion. The bifurcation conditions from the stability analysis of the model justify the steady-state attractor behaviors and the difference in behavior from the oscillators without coupling.
Utilization of a synthetic peptide as a tool to study the interaction of heavy metals with the zinc finger domain of proteins critical for gene expression in the developing brain.

The zinc finger motif belonging to the Cys2/His2 family provides a structural framework for a number of critical proteins which are essential for cellular function. To determine whether these domains are potential targets for heavy metal perturbation, we examined the interaction between various metals and a synthetic Cys2/His2 finger peptide, of the type present in the transcription factor Sp1 and an intact recombinant human Sp1 protein (rhSp1). Sp1 has a DNA-binding domain composed of three contiguous zinc finger motifs which requires Zn(II) for its activity, and may be modulated by other transition metals. Using spectrophotometric methods, the incorporation of Zn(II) and a variety of other divalent metals into this zinc finger peptide was monitored, and their ability to displace zinc ion was evaluated. Furthermore, the DNA-binding activity of these various metal–peptide complexes and rhSp1 to their cognate DNA consensus sequence was examined electrophoretically. Our results suggested that group IIb metals [Zn(II), Cd(II), and Hg(II)] were able to complex with the peptide and bind the double-stranded DNA with high affinity as well as inhibiting Sp1 DNA-binding activity in a concentration-dependent manner. With the exception of Pb(II), non-transition-metal–peptide mixtures with Ca(II), Ba(II), and Sn(II) neither exhibited the binding spectra typical of zinc finger motifs nor bound the DNA; they also had little effect on DNA-binding ability of rhSp1. Therefore, we postulate that heavy metals may modulate zinc finger proteins through structural alterations of their zinc finger motifs and ultimately alter their function in terms of regulation of gene expression.
Preservation of Listeria monocytogenes and other pathogenic foodborne bacteria on silica gel

Preservation of Listeria monocytogenes on silica gel was examined as a means of storing and transporting bacterial cultures. Listeria monocytogenes remained viable through 168 d of storage on silica gel at room and refrigeration temperatures. The viability of Escherichia coli O157 : H7, Salmonella typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus after storage on silica gel was determined and compared with earlier reports.
CONFORMATIONAL UNFOLDING STUDIES OF THREE-DISULFIDE MUTANTS OF BOVINE PANCREATIC RIBONUCLEASE A AND THE COUPLING OF PROLINE ISOMERIZATION TO DISULFIDE REDOX REACTIONS

The equilibrium stability and conformational unfolding kinetics of the [C40A, C95A] and [C65S, C72S] mutants of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A (RNase A) have been studied. These mutants are analogues of two nativelike intermediates, des[40-95] and des[65-72], whose formation is rate-limiting for oxidative folding and reductive unfolding at 25 degrees C and pH 8.0. Upon addition of guanidine hydrochloride, both mutants exhibit a fast conformational unfolding phase when monitored by absorbance and fluorescence, as well as a slow phase detected only by fluorescence which corresponds to the isomerizations of Pro93 and Pro114. The amplitudes of the slow phase indicate that the two prolines, Pro93 and Pro114, are fully cis in the folded state of the mutants and furthermore that the 40-95 disulfide bond is not responsible for the quenching of Tyr92 fluorescence observed in the slow unfolding phase, contrary to an earlier proposal [Rehage, A., and Schmid, F. X. (1982) Biochemistry 21, 1499-1505]. The ratio of the kinetic unfolding m value to the equilibrium m value indicates that the transition state for conformational unfolding in the mutants exposes little solvent-accessible area, as in the wild-type protein, indicating that the unfolding pathway is not dramatically altered by the reduction of the 40-95 or 65-72 disulfide bond. The stabilities of the folded mutants are compared to that of wild-type RNase A. These stabilities indicate that the reduction of des[40-95] to the 2S species is rate-limited by global conformational unfolding, whereas that of des[65-72] is rate-limited by local conformational unfolding. The isomerization of Pro93 may be rate-limiting for the reduction of the 40-95 disulfide bond in the native protein and in the des[65-72] intermediate.
Improved exchange-correlation potential for polarizability and dissociation in density functional theory

The authors propose a novel approach to the problem of polarizabilities and dissociation in electric fields from the static limit of the Vignale-Kohn (VK) functional. The response to the purely scalar part of the VK response potential is considered. This potential has ground-state properties that notably improve over the full VK response density and over usual (semi-)local functionals. The correct qualitative behavior of our potentials means that it is expected to work well for polarizabilities in cases such as the H2 chain, and it will also correctly dissociate open-shell fragments in a field.
Evidence for Oxidatively Modified Lipid-Protein Complexes in Endometrium and Endometriosis

Abstract Objective: To evaluate for the presence of oxidatively modified lipid-protein complexes in endometriosis and endometrium of women with endometriosis and controls. Design: Controlled clinical study. Setting: Academic tertiary care center. Patient(s): Women undergoing surgery for pelvic pain, infertility, endometriosis, or tubal ligation controls. Intervention(s): Biopsy of endometrium and endometriosis. Main Outcome Measure(s): Staining with antibodies to oxidatively modified lipid proteins (HNE-7, MDA2), macrophages (HAM-56), and muscle cell actin (HHF-35). Result(s): Both endometrium and endometriosis tissues contain stromal cells that immunostain with HAM-56 and show immunostaining (both intracellular and extracellular) with HNE-7 and MDA2. Some endometriotic implants show patchy staining with HHF-35. Endometrium was devoid of staining with HHF-35. Control staining with nonimmune sera in both tissues was also devoid of staining. Conclusion(s): These data strongly implicate the occurrence of oxidative stress in endometriosis tissue. These data also suggest that oxidative modification is a normal physiological process in endometrium.
Role of the Endothelium in Atherosclerosis

The most common cause of morbidity and mortality in Western civilization is atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a complex process that is facilitated by hypertension, diabetes mellitus, tobacco use, and hypercholesterolemia. Elevated levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (particularly oxidized LDL) perturb the cell membrane, alter permeability and secretion, and are associated with the expression of intercellular adhesion molecules, cytokines, and growth factors. Recent evidence suggests that specific glycoprotein adhesion molecules e.g. vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM) and chemokines e.g. monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP) elaborated by endothelial cells participate in monocyte adhesion and infiltration in vessels exposed to high levels of serum cholesterol. The expression of these adhesion molecules and chemokines may explain the observation that within several days of a high cholesterol diet, monocytes adhere to the endothelium, particularly at intercellular junctions.
Review of Charm Meson Hadronic Decays and Lifetimes

Recent progress in the experimental study of charm meson hadronic decays and lifetimes is reviewed. New high-precision branching fractions and amplitude analyses improve noticeably upon previous world averages.
Polarization of Tumor-Associated Neutrophil Phenotype by TGF-β: “N1” versus “N2” TAN

TGF-beta blockade significantly slows tumor growth through many mechanisms, including activation of CD8(+) T cells and macrophages. Here, we show that TGF-beta blockade also increases neutrophil-attracting chemokines, resulting in an influx of CD11b(+)/Ly6G(+) tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) that are hypersegmented, more cytotoxic to tumor cells, and express higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines. Accordingly, following TGF-beta blockade, depletion of these neutrophils significantly blunts antitumor effects of treatment and reduces CD8(+) T cell activation. In contrast, in control tumors, neutrophil depletion decreases tumor growth and results in more activated CD8(+) T cells intratumorally. Together, these data suggest that TGF-beta within the tumor microenvironment induces a population of TAN with a protumor phenotype. TGF-beta blockade results in the recruitment and activation of TANs with an antitumor phenotype.
Vestibular Ototoxicity in Primates

Vestibulotoxicity of streptomycin, viomycin, gentamicin, and SCH 13706 was investigated in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) given these compounds accordings to different regimens of dosage. Vestibular function tests performed were: squirrel monkey rail test (to test the ability of body equilibrium maintenance), postrotatory nystagmus test (and threshould caloric test), and motion sickness test in a slow rotation chamber. The internal ear specimens from all experimental subjects were subsequently investigated morpholigically.Streptomycin sulfate injured the spiral (Corti's) organ as readily as the ampullar cristae; however, it seemed to have less predilection to the maculae. Body balance maintanence, emesis in slow rotation room, and caloric threshold declined almost simultaneously after series of streptomycin sulfate injections, but all of these changes disappeared after the injections ceased.Similar to the situation after streptomycin sulfate, the monkeys which received viomycin sulfate systemically d...
Variable selection for multivariate logistic regression models

In this paper, we use multivariate logistic regression models to incorporate correlation among binary response data. Our objective is to develop a variable subset selection procedure to identify important covariates in predicting correlated binary responses using a Bayesian approach. In order to incorporate available prior information, we propose a class of informative prior distributions on the model parameters and on the model space. The propriety of the proposed informative prior is investigated in detail. Novel computational algorithms are also developed for sampling from the posterior distribution as well as for computing posterior model probabilities. Finally, a simulated data example and a real data example from a prostate cancer study are used to illustrate the proposed methodology.
The National Security Agency Senior Technical Development Program: An Industrial-Organizational Psychologist's Experience

This article describes the NSA Senior Technical Development Program (STDP) from the perspective of a program graduate with training and education in industrial-organizational psychology. The author describes his program and uses its elements and outcomes as examples of how the STDP drives organizational transformation and supports the effective management of expertise and the people who possess it.
Training Present and Future Cardiologists

The future of cardiology rests in the hands and minds of cardiovascular trainees and fellowship programs. Education and training is rapidly changing, and the paradigm of "see one, do one, teach one" has now been replaced by formal assessments of competency, the incorporation of practice improvement and systems-based practice, and a focus on duty hours. To keep up with the expanding knowledge and science in cardiovascular medicine, the cardiology community needs to understand new educational initiatives and formulate pathways to teach, mentor, and educate trainees to become competent cardiovascular specialists. The author highlights some of the present and future issues facing cardiovascular training.
Acute Anatomic Breakdown of Motor End Plates in Hemorrhagic Shock.

SummaryThe limited evidence in this paper supports the claim that hemorrhagic shock profoundly alters the morphology of the motor end plates and finally produces loss of structural innervation of many muscle fibers in a single voluntary muscle. This histologic change is highly irregular in the different muscles of the rat, therefore large numbers of specimens from different muscles were teased. Gold staining masses of axonic materials drain out into and between the muscle fibers coincident in time with the loss of motor innervation due to the increased permeability of the end plates. The epilemmal axons, exhausted of their substances, are in many places likewise denuded of their hypolemmal end plates. There is therefore a real anatomic breakdown of many motor end plates and histologic alteration of certain skeletal muscles in hemorrhagic shock.
Communicating the Risks of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Effects of Message Framing and Exemplification

Health messages can be either informative or descriptive, and can emphasize either potential losses or gains. This study, guided by message framing theory and exemplification theory, specifically investigated the combined effects of messages with loss–gain frames mixed with statistics or exemplar appeals. The findings revealed a series of main effects and interactions for loss–gain frames and statistics-exemplar appeals on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) prevention intention, intention to know more, perceived severity, perceived fear, perceived external efficacy, and perceived internal efficacy. The gain-statistics appeal showed an advantage in promoting perceived efficacy toward FASD, while the loss-exemplar appeal revealed an advantage in increasing prevention intention, perceived severity, and perceived fear toward FASD. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.
Stereotyping in films in general and of the Hispanic in particular

The analysis explores the nature of stereotypes, in general, and of stereotypes of Hispanic characters in film, in particular. Psychological and psychoanalytic analyses of such stereotypes show tha...