cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Post-miscarriage thyroid dysfunction.

Background Thyroid dysfunction is a common postpartum event affecting as many as 16.7% of women. The purpose of this paper was to report the first known case of post-miscarriage thyroid dysfunction. Case A 32-year-old woman with a 9-year history of infertility underwent in vitro fertilization. After two spontaneous miscarriages, she delivered a full-term healthy child. Spontaneous menses did not return following delivery, and hormonal evaluation revealed severe postpartum thyroid disease associated with hyperprolactinemia. Retrospective analysis of frozen sera revealed thyroid dysfunction and hyperprolactinemia after the first miscarriage, even though the gestation lasted only 47 days. Conclusion The present case of thyroid dysfunction following a first-trimester miscarriage raises issues concerning the immunology of pregnancy and thyroid dysfunction after pregnancy. The incidence of post-miscarriage thyroid dysfunction and severe postpartum thyroid disease resulting in amenorrhea requires further study.
Implementation of an educational program for nursing students amidst the Ebola virus disease epidemic.

Abstract Background The global Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic of 2014/2015 prompted faculty at Emory University to develop an educational program for nursing students to increase EVD knowledge and confidence and decrease concerns about exposure risk. Purpose The purpose of this article is to describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of the EVD Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) educational program. Methods Informational sessions, online course links, and a targeted, self-directed slide presentation were developed and implemented for the EVD educational program. Three student surveys administered at different time points were used to evaluate the program and change in students' EVD knowledge, confidence in knowledge, and risk concern. Discussion Implementation of a JiTT educational program effectively achieved our goals to increase EVD knowledge, decrease fear, and enhance student confidence in the ability to discuss EVD risk. These achievements were sustained over time. Conclusion JiTT methodology is an effective strategy for schools of nursing to respond quickly and comprehensively during an unanticipated infectious disease outbreak.
Ultrasonically Determined Kidney Transplant Hypertrophy

AbstractIncreased renal transplant size is a criterion of acute rejection. Statistically significant increases in ultrasonically measured kidney graft dimensions were demonstrated in 8 recipients of living related donor kidneys who never had rejection crises. After an average followup of 4.9 ± 3.8 months (range 2 to 12 months), anteroposterior, cross-sectional and pole-to-pole measurements were increased by 0.75, 1.9 and 0.58cm., respectively. Some increase in kidney graft size is normal and should not be confused with acute rejection.
Developing a systematic framework to enhance construction procedure design

Construction projects approach design in different ways. While many consider design as the final built elements, the building process itself is often neglected. Construction projects contain intermittent operations that should be designed as well. This design is considerably different from conventional product design since the operation, without construction, is not tangible for students. Construction projects typically consist of many different activities occurring at different stages. In addition, uncertainty is an inseparable attribute of any construction project, which may result in project failure. These complex problems require a systematic solutions, which is a difficult task for novice designers. This study aims to develop a framework based on systems thinking, which not only helps students to understand components of the construction process, but also assists them in dealing with uncertainty, its sources, and its impacts. We suggest that the systemic problem framing of a project enhances the undergraduate construction students' understanding of construction activities and persuades them to take into account different factors which may cause variations in the project.
The Utilization Of Accounting Cost Controls In Conjunction With Information Technology In The Home Building Arena

This article examines how cost controls are emphasized and utilized in conjunction with information technology in the home building business by Pennsylvania’s contractors. The results of the analysis showed significant differences existed in the implementation of cost controls; the periodic use of cost variance; adjustments made based on cost variance feedback; the use of past projects to prepare estimates on future projects, and the use of information technology between and among firms when examined by firm size. The outcome of the study has led to several important implications for the home building industry.
Analytical Performance Specifications: Relating Laboratory Performance to Quality Required for Intended Clinical Use

This article proposes analytic performance goals for five quality indicators: precision, trueness, linearity, detection limits, and consistency across instruments and time. We defined our goals using methods linked to clinical practice data. Goals for desirable precision and trueness are based on biological variation. Linearity goals are related to total error recommendations. Detection limit goals are derived from 0.1 percentile of patient values. Goals for consistency are derived from the variability of distributions of patient test values. Data were collected and evaluated for each of these quality indicators for 46 chemistry tests measured on the Roche cobas 8000 analyzer.
Nichtfinanzielle Leistungsindikatoren im Lagebericht

Der Lagebericht ist ein eigenstandiges Rechnungslegungsinstrument. Neben dem aus Bilanz, Gewinn- und Verlustrechnung und Anhang bestehenden Jahresabschluss bildet der Lagebericht die zweite Saule der handelsrechtlichen Rechnungslegung. Geschaftsverlauf, Geschaftsergebnis und Unternehm enslage sollen—losgelost von den Einzelposten des Jahresabschlusses—so dargestellt werden, dass ein den tatsachlichen Verhaltnissen entsprechendes Bild vermittelt wird. Insofern kommt dem Lagebericht zunachst eine Informationsfunktion zu. Daneben hat er auch eine Rechenschaftsfunktion fur die Geschaftsleitung. Aus der Informationsfunktion werden mehrere Unterfunktionen abgeleitet.
Developing and Deploying Electronics Assembly Line Optimization Tools: A Motorola Case Study

The assignment of workloads to production equipment is one category of planning decision for an electronics assembly factory. In practice, line balancing requires not only selecting machines with sufficient placement accuracy and feeder capacity, but also address- ing a host of other operational objectives and constraints. Motorola Labs led a multi-year effort to apply mathematical programming to balance a variety of production mix and vol- ume scenarios. By representing the optimization problem as a specially structured, mixed linear-integer program, we were able to incorporate a high degree of reality in the model, simultaneously optimizing fixed setups, handling custom parts, maximizing machine uptime, and mitigating secondary bottlenecks. This paper presents the story of how we developed and deployed a software solution that significantly improved assembly cycle times, setup changeovers, and overall factory productivity, saving the company tens of millions of dollars.
Salen Metal Complexes as Catalysts for the Synthesis of Polycarbonates from Cyclic Ethers and Carbon Dioxide

This chapter focuses on well-defined metal complexes that serve as homogeneous catalysts for the production of polycarbonates from epoxides or oxetanes and carbon dioxide. Emphasis is placed on the use of salen metal complexes, mainly derived from the transition metals chromium and cobalt, in the presence of onium salts as catalysts for the coupling of carbon dioxide with these cyclic ethers. Special considerations are given to the mechanistic pathways involved in these processes for the production of these important polymeric materials.
From critical vision to critical practice: Exploring the process of critical transformational learning among archaeologists

AbstractThis case study examines a group of archaeologists working at a new project that strives to be more environmentally friendly and community inclusive, and positions these archaeologists as adult learners who are simultaneously creating a new vision of archaeology and learning to enact new forms of archaeological practice. Using the framework of critical transformational learning, we explore how the journeys of these individual archaeologists are integrated with social and contextual factors. In this paper we describe the project, present the vision that the archaeologists are currently creating, and describe some of the challenges these archaeologists are facing enacting that vision. We frame the archaeologists' learning process as critical transformational learning, and draw upon Giddens' structuration theory and Wilson and Hayes' explication of technical and practical action to expand the framework of transformational learning to take into account how these archaeologists are moving from critical...
On certain Gauss periods with common decomposition field

Fix f > 1 and a positive integer r prime to f, and consider a prime p congruent to r (mod f). The decomposition field K of the prime p in the cyclotomic field of f-roots of unity has conductor f0 ∣f. Suppose that f 0 ∣ f'∣f for some positive integer f' having the same prime divisors as f. Let Fq be the finite field of q elements, where q = e f + 1 is a power of p, and Fq', a subfield with q'= e' f'+1 elements. In this work I investigate the extent to which the Gauss periods of order e for Fq and those of order e' for Fq', are related. The results generalize those I previously noticed in the case K = Q.
Higher rates of osteoporosis treatment initiation and persistence in patients with newly diagnosed vertebral fracture when introduced in inpatients than later in outpatients

Whether in-hospital management of patients with newly identified vertebral fractures leads to a higher rate of osteoporosis medication than delayed outpatient management remains unknown. Our study showed that early osteoporosis therapy initiation in a fracture liaison service during hospital stay was a more efficacious strategy for secondary fracture prevention. Fracture liaison services are standard care for secondary fracture prevention. A higher rate of osteoporosis treatment initiation may be considered when introduced in the hospital rather than an outpatient recommendation to a primary care physician (PCP). Whether this applies to patients with newly detected vertebral fractures in a general internal medicine ward remains unknown. We prospectively investigated whether in-hospital management of newly identified vertebral fractures led to a higher rate of osteoporosis medication initiation and persistence at 3 and 6 months than delayed outpatient management by a PCP. We conducted a prospective study including hospitalized patients > 60 years systematically searched for asymptomatic vertebral fractures on lateral chest and/or abdominal radiographs. Patients were included either in phase 1 (outpatient care recommendations on osteoporosis management to a PCP) or in phase 2 (inpatient care management initiated during hospitalization). The percentage of patients under osteoporosis treatment was evaluated by telephone interview at 3 and 6 months. Outpatients’ (84 with fracture/407 assessed (21%); 75.7 ± 7.7 years) and inpatients’ (100/524 (19%); 77.8 ± 9.4 years) characteristics were similar. Osteoporosis medication was more often prescribed in inpatients at 3 (67% vs. 19%, respectively; p < 0.001) and 6 months (69 vs. 27%, respectively; p < 0.001). The percentage under treatment was also higher in inpatients than in outpatients at 3 (52 vs. 19%, p < 0.001) and 6 months (54 vs. 22%, p < 0.001). Length of stay and destination post-discharge were not different between groups. Early patient management after a newly detected vertebral fracture during hospitalization was a more efficacious strategy of secondary fracture prevention than delayed outpatient management following discharge.
Functional outcome predictors following mandibular reconstruction with osteocutaneous fibula free flaps: correlating early postoperative videofluoroscopic swallow studies with long-term clinical results

Advancements in the field of microvascular surgery and the widespread adoption of microvascular surgical techniques have made the use of osteocutaneous fibula free flaps the standard of care in the surgical management of segmental mandibular defects. Although the literature possesses abundant evidence to support the effectiveness of fibula free flaps as a reconstructive method, there are relatively few studies reporting on outcomes as objectively measured by videofluoroscopic swallowing studies (VFSS). The purpose of this study is to explore the potential correlation between early postoperative VFSS and the long-term swallowing outcomes in patients who underwent mandibular reconstruction with fibula free flaps. We performed a retrospective chart review of 36 patients who underwent mandibular reconstruction with osteocutaneous fibular free flaps between 2009 and 2012. Demographics, clinical variables, VFSS data, and diet information were retrieved. Penetration and aspiration findings on VFSS, long-term oral feeding ability, and the need for gastrostomy tube were statistical endpoints correlated with postoperative clinical outcomes. Thirty-six patients were reviewed (15 females and 21 males) with a mean age of 54 years (7–81). Seventeen cases were treated for malignancy. The size of the bony defect ranged from 3 to 15 cm (mean = 9 cm). The cutaneous paddle, a surrogate for soft tissue defect, ranged from 10 to 125 cm2 (mean = 52 cm2). A gastrostomy tube was present in patients preoperatively (n = 8), and postoperatively (n = 14). Seventeen patients had neoadjuvant exposure to radiation. Postoperative VFSS showed penetration in 13 cases (36%) and aspiration in seven (19%). Overall, 29 patients (80.6%) achieved unrestricted diet, and this was statistically correlated with age (p = 0.037), radiation therapy (p = 0.002), and preoperative gastrostomy tube (p = 0.03). The presence of penetration or aspiration on VFSS was a strong predictor for long-term unrestricted oral diet (p < 0.001). Early postoperative VFSS is an excellent predictor for long-term swallowing outcomes in patients undergoing mandibular reconstruction with osteocutaneous fibula free flaps.
Coronary microvascular dysfunction and clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) is common in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and may play a role in the pathophysiology of the condition. This study compared the rates of death or heart failure (HF) hospitalization among patients with HFpEF based on
The 1918-1920 H1N1 Influenza a Pandemic in Kansas and Missouri: Mortality Patterns and Evidence of Harvesting

The most commonly used index of influenza activity historically has been mortality due to pneumonia and influenza (P&I), which is complicated by factors such as the coding for P&I mortality on death certificates having changed through time, as has the ability of physicians to diagnose these conditions. Total death records are available for each county in Kansas and Missouri beginning in 1914. Pre-pandemic total mortality and P&I death rate baselines were determined for Kansas and Missouri counties using data from 1915-1917. Total mortality statistics from 1918-1923 were compared to baseline data to determine excess mortality rates for each county and independent city. As expected, relatively high numbers of excess deaths were seen in and around major cities. Two unexpectedly high mortality clusters are seen in the Missouri Bootheel and mining belt along the state lines near Joplin, MO and Baxter Springs, KS. Excess total mortality in Kansas and Missouri cities in 1918 was positively correlated with excess P&I mortality. Widespread negative mortality across the two-state region followed major pandemic waves, providing evidence for forward displacement of mortality, also known as harvesting.
Network structure reveals clusters of associations between childhood adversities and development outcomes

Exposure to childhood adversity is common and associated with a host of negative developmental outcomes. The most common approach used to examine the consequences of adversity exposure is a cumulative risk model. Recently, we have proposed a novel approach, the dimensional model of adversity and psychopathology (DMAP), where different dimensions of adversity are hypothesized to impact health and well-being through different pathways. We expect deprivation to primarily disrupt cognitive processing, whereas we expect threat to primarily alter emotional reactivity and automatic regulation. Recent hypothesis-driven approaches provide support for these differential associations of deprivation and threat on developmental outcomes. However, it is not clear whether these patterns would emerge using data-driven approaches. Here we use a network analytic approach to identify clusters of related adversity exposures and outcomes in an initial study (Study 1: N = 277 adolescents aged 16-17 years; 55.1% female) and a replication (Study 2: N = 262 children aged 8-16 years; 45.4% female). We statistically compare our observed clusters with our hypothesized DMAP model and a clustering we hypothesize would be the result of a cumulative stress model. In both samples we observed a network structure consistent with the DMAP model and statistically different than the hypothesized cumulative stress model. Future work seeking to identify in the pathways through which adversity impacts development should consider multiple dimensions of adversity.
Reply to Weihmann: Fifty gazelles do not equal an elephant, and other ecological misunderstandings

Weihmann’s (1) comment on our recent paper (2) presents a misunderstanding of the principles of large herbivore ecology and the African fossil record. We welcome this opportunity to correct certain misunderstandings, focusing here on the two most important issues. Our previous work shows that the richness of megaherbivores (>1,000 kg) in eastern African fossil assemblages declined over the last ∼4.5 My (2, 3). Drawing from the abundant research documenting the effects of megaherbivores on vegetation structure, fire regimes, and nutrient cycling, among other processes (4⇓⇓–7), we argue that the exceptional richness of megaherbivores in the past implies that ancient ecosystems functioned unlike … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: jfaith{at}nhmu.utah.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
The Effects of Multisiting on Productivity and Quality

Problem definition: In the modern workplace, it is increasingly common for workers to concurrently attend to tasks across multiple physical locations. However, frequent site switching can lead to i...
Heterogeneous Achievement Impacts across Schools in the Louisiana Scholarship Program

The Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP) is a school voucher initiative offering publicly-funded scholarships to students from economically-disadvantaged families to attend participating private sch...
Modeling traumatic brain injury: mechanisms of early neuronal and axon degeneration in the infant rodent brain

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a major health challenge and affects the young disproportionately. Accidental and non-accidental TBI in children is a major contributor to morbidity, disability, and death. TBI in this critical period leads to profound neuronal and axonal degeneration followed by cognitive, psychological and memory impairment, altered processing speed, impaired executive functions, emotional liability as well as word finding difficulties. Cognitive and behavioral changes may remain unrecognized for periods even after sustaining mild injury. Although accidental and non-accidental inflicted injury (blunt force or violent shaking-inflicting brain injury or “Shaken baby” syndrome) posits a major clinical and sociological problem, mechanisms of tissue degeneration might be largely similar. The scope of this review will be the experimental research related to modeling blunt (concussive) head trauma specifically to the infant rodent brain resulting in acute (early) and protracted (late) degenerative changes such as axonal degeneration and apoptotic neuronal cell death. Similarly, discussion will be limited to therapeutic windows and potentials for ameliorating the development of early brain injury.
Pharmacological Management of Insomnia

Insomnia is a highly prevalent condition associated with significant morbidity, reduction in quality of life, and increase in healthcare costs, and is a risk factor for multiple physical and mental disorders. The primary treatment modality is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) but this is associated with difficulties with access and higher cost as well as poor response in some patients. Therefore, pharmacotherapy for insomnia is common and hypnotic agents are among the most frequently prescribed medications in the United States. Older medications for insomnia are limited by their side effect burden and narrow therapeutic window. Newer hypnotics, on the other hand, have been shown to have a better safety profile and longer term efficacy. While some studies have shown that long-term hypnotic use is associated with adverse outcomes, the current evidence is equivocal. The decision to treat chronic insomnia disorder with long-term hypnotics should be individualized and balance the potential risks of continuing hypnotic medication use with the risks of untreated persistent insomnia and associated functional limitations. This clinical review discusses the currently available medication options to treat insomnia, their mechanisms of action, dosing, and side effect profiles. This review also provides guidance on long-term management of hypnotics and the use of these medications in the elderly, those with medical comorbidities, and other special populations.
Meet meets join: the interaction between pooled and common knowledge

This paper explores the lattice-theoretic properties of the family of all partitions of an arbitrary state space. I discuss a duality correspondence connecting meets (finest common coarsening) and joins (coarsest common refinement) of families of partitions, which conforms to the natural order-theoretic representations of these two operations. The partition lattice turns out to fail to be a distributive, or even a modular, lattice. I provide intuitive interpretations of these negative results in terms of the interaction between common knowledge and pooling multiple sources of private information, with applications to information exchange within and between different populations and to criminal-procedure law.
Talk in Political Economy: Welcome to Wagner’s World

Public choice economics, like most economics, typically assigns only a small role to various forms of talk between individuals. By contrast, throughout Richard Wagner’s oeuvre, there is an undercurrent of talk about talk. This essay argues that talk matters because of two key assumptions in Wagner’s approach to public choice. First, talk matters to the extent that individuals are ignorant. There are different forms of ignorance in economic theory which allow talk to communicate different sorts of information. Knightian uncertainty, however, also opens up the possibility that talk can do more. Second, talk matters when individuals have tuistic motivations. When individuals are moved to act based on the actions and judgments of others, talk becomes motivating as well as informative. I illustrate the power of talk in Wagner’s approach by examining the classic arguments put forward in Democracy in Deficit.
Challenge/initiative recreation programs as a treatment for low self-concept children.

An investigation was initiated to determine if challenge/initiative games, conducted in an existing recreation setting for one hour daily, could be an effective treatment to enhance the self-concep...
Personhood on a Plate: Gender and Food in the Construction of Proper Hungarian Women

This paper examines the ramifications for Hungarian women of the introduction into the Hungarian market since 1990 of convenience and what Hungarians call half-prepared (jelkesz) foods. My primary interest in these foods is the way they may be interrupting a discourse of household­ based female personhood and its requirement of an ability to cook proper meals for men and children. As a window onto this discourse, I analyze the food articles, images and advertisements in the two most popular Hungarian women's magazines (with readerships of about two million each), Nok Lapja and Kiskegyed, between 1994 and 1999.2 In addition, I draw upon 20 months of participant observation fieldwork in Hungary during 1993-4, 1996 and 1999 to discuss women's reactions to these magazines and the introduction of convenience foods and ingredients generally in that country. 3
Scale Effect in Mechanical Properties and Tribology

A model, which explains scale effects in mechanical properties and tribology is presented. Mechanical properties are scale dependent based on the strain gradient plasticity and the effect of dislocation-assisted sliding. Both single asperity and multiple asperity contacts are considered. The relevant scaling length is the nominal contact length – contact diameter for a single-asperity contact, and scan length for multiple-asperity contacts. For multiple asperity contacts, based on an empirical power-rule for scale dependence of roughness, contact parameters are calculated. The effect of load on the contact parameters and the coefficient of friction is also considered. During sliding, adhesion and two- and three-body deformation, as well as ratchet mechanism, contribute to the dry friction force. These components of the friction force depend on the relevant real areas of contact (dependent on roughness and mechanical properties), average asperity slope, number of trapped particles, and shear strength during sliding. Scale dependence of the components of the coefficient of friction is studied. A scale dependent transition index, which is responsible for transition from predominantly elastic adhesion to plastic deformation has been proposed. Scale dependence of the wet friction, wear, and interface temperature has been also analyzed. The proposed model is used to explain the trends in the experimental data for various materials at nanoscale and microscale, which indicate that nanoscale values of coefficient of friction are lower than the microscale values due to an increase of the three-body deformation and transition from elastic adhesive contact to plastic deformation.
The Fragility of Public Service: A Study of Richard II and Measure for Measure

Shakespeare dramatizes in Richard II and Measure for Measure his belief that public service is not merely a description of the purposes of public administration, but is also an aspirational ideal that implies commitment to professional standards and qualities of character. This ideal, however, is fragile because of weaknesses in human nature that interfere with development of ideal character, especially power and ambition. These are made worse by the awareness of the inevitable decay common to the human condition. Despite these challenges and limitations, the concept of a public service ethic should not be abandoned, but should instead be supported through professional and institutional norms. Shakespeare implies that these norms are not likely to emerge without extensive and deliberate commitment to ethical governance. This article shows how Shakespeare develops his theme of the fragile and precarious nature of public service and how he displays skepticism about the emergence of durable ethical norms. In...
The Mathematically Erroneous, Error Filled Post Keynesian 'D-Z' Model: Blaming J M Keynes for 60 Years of Post Keynesian Errors and Mistakes

J Smithin’s recent June, 2012 draft article, titled “A Rehabilitation of the Model of Effective Demand from Chapter 3 of Keynes’s General Theory (1936)”, provides an excellent summary of the error filled Post Keynesian D-Z model, as well as focusing on Patinkin’s partially correct criticisms of that model. Patinkin was the first to point out the impossibility that Z=pO. Patinkin confronted P. Davidson in 1989 on this issue by demonstrating that footnote 2 on pp. 55-56 of the General Theory (1936; GT) directly contradicted the Post Keynesian claim. Davidson and the Post Keynesian school have been engaged in a cover up ever since that time. The Post Keynesian cover up focused on blaming Keynes for the footnote. This paper will point out in detail the myraid mathematical errors contained in the Post Keynesian D-Z model, the errors in Patinkin’s critique, and the cover up that resulted from Patinkin’s discovery. These errors basically resulted from the failure of Post Keynesian and other economists to correctly integrate the derivative specified by Keynes on p. 55 in ft. .2 of the GT and their attempt to ignore and bypass Keynes’s warning to Robertson in March,1935 that the technical analysis of the D-Z model was not in chapter 3 of the General Theory, but in a later chapter, called “The Employment Function”, which, of course, is chapter 20 of the GT. The bizarre claims of Hayes and Ambrosi, that Keynes’s D-Z model is based on partial derivatives in the GT and that the footnote is abominable, are also examined and demonstrated to be intellectually worthless.
Dual-Purpose Detention Basins

Design criteria for small detention basins, which are being built in large numbers to reduce flooding in rapidly urbanizing areas, may be modified to serve additionally the purpose of reducing runoff pollution, which also accompanies urbanization. Only slight reduction in local flood-control effectiveness will be entailed by the modification, and the dual-purpose basins will be more useful in aid of flood control further downstream than the single purpose locally oriented structures. Runoff pollution from urbanizing areas is important to water-quality planning, and occurs largely in particulate form. However, the trap effectiveness of detention basins for different kinds of pollutant, retained in storage for various periods, has not yet been determined by research or practical experience; so that design criteria for dual-purpose detention basins cannot be stated with any degree of precision. Tentative criteria for interim use are suggested.
Comparative kinetic analyses of gene profiles of naïve CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from young and old animals reveal novel age-related alterations.

It is well established that immune responses are diminished in the old. However, we still do not have a clear understanding of what dictates the dysfunction of old T cells at the molecular level. Although microarray analysis has been used to compare young and old T cells, identifying hundreds of genes that are differentially expressed among these populations, it has been difficult to utilize this information to pinpoint which biological pathways truly affect the function of aged T cells. To better define differences between young and old naive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, microarray analysis was performed pre- and post-TCR stimulation for 4, 12, 24 and 72 h. Our data indicate that many genes are differentially expressed in the old compared to the young at all five time points. These genes encode proteins involved in multiple cellular functions such as cell growth, cell cycle, cell death, inflammatory response, cell trafficking, etc. Additionally, the information from this microarray analysis allowed us to underline both intrinsic deficiencies and defects in signaling only seen after activation, such as pathways involving T-cell signaling, cytokine production, and Th2 differentiation in old T cells. With the knowledge gained, we can proceed to design strategies to restore the function of old T cells. Therefore, this microarray analysis approach is a powerful and sensitive tool that reveals the extensive changes seen between young and old CD4+ and CD8+ naive T cells. Evaluation of these differences provides in-depth insight into potential functional and phenotypical differences among these populations.
Privacy-Preserving Detection of Anomalous Phenomena in Crowdsourced Environmental Sensing

Crowdsourced environmental sensing is made possible by the wide-spread availability of powerful mobile devices with a broad array of features, such as temperature, location, velocity, and acceleration sensors. Mobile users can contribute measured data for a variety of purposes, such as environmental monitoring, traffic analysis, or emergency response. One important application scenario is that of detecting anomalous phenomena, where sensed data is crucial to quickly acquire data about forest fires, environmental accidents or dangerous weather events. Such cases typically require the construction of a heatmap that captures the distribution of a certain parameter over a geospatial domain (e.g., temperature, \({\text {CO}}_{2}\) concentration, water polluting agents, etc.).
Spatial and topographic trends in forest expansion and biomass change, from regional to local scales

Natural forest growth and expansion are important carbon sequestration processes globally. Climate change is likely to increase forest growth in some regions via CO2 fertilization, increased temperatures, and altered precipitation; however, altered disturbance regimes and climate stress (e.g. drought) will act to reduce carbon stocks in forests as well. Observations of asynchrony in forest change is useful in determining current trends in forest carbon stocks, both in terms of forest density (e.g. Mg ha(-1) ) and spatially (extent and location). Monitoring change in natural (unmanaged) areas is particularly useful, as while afforestation and recovery from historic land use are currently large carbon sinks, the long-term viability of those sinks depends on climate change and disturbance dynamics at their particular location. We utilize a large, unmanaged biome (>135 000 km(2) ) which spans a broad latitudinal gradient to explore how variation in location affects forest density and spatial patterning: the forests of the North American temperate rainforests in Alaska, which store >2.8 Pg C in biomass and soil, equivalent to >8% of the C in contiguous US forests. We demonstrate that the regional biome is shifting; gains exceed losses and are located in different spatio-topographic contexts. Forest gains are concentrated on northerly aspects, lower elevations, and higher latitudes, especially in sheltered areas, whereas loss is skewed toward southerly aspects and lower latitudes. Repeat plot-scale biomass data (n = 759) indicate that within-forest biomass gains outpace losses (live trees >12.7 cm diameter, 986 Gg yr(-1) ) on gentler slopes and in higher latitudes. This work demonstrates that while temperate rainforest dynamics occur at fine spatial scales (<1000 m(2) ), the net result of thousands of individual events is regionally patterned change. Correlations between the disturbance/establishment imbalance and biomass accumulation suggest the potential for relatively rapid biome shifts and biomass changes.
Scanning photocurrent microscopy in single nanowire devices

Scanning photocurrent microscopy (SPCM) is a powerful technique for investigating local electronic structures and charge transport in semiconductor nanowires. Here we apply this technique to explore colloidal PbSe nanowires and VO 2 nanobeams. Field effect transistors incorporating single colloidal PbSe nanowires were fabricated. A fast, sensitive polarization-dependent photoresponse was observed. SPCM of as-grown PbSe nanowires showed a downward band bending towards the metal electrodes, consistent with their p-type nature. At 54 °C, SPCM of VO 2 nanobeams revealed band bending at the metallic/insulating domain boundaries. At room temperature, we observed photocurrent spots in the middle of the VO 2 nanobeams, indicating local electric fields likely caused by defects.
T Cell Receptor Clonotype Influences Epitope Hierarchy in the CD8+ T Cell Response to Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection

CD8+ T cell responses are important for recognizing and resolving viral infections. To better understand the selection and hierarchy of virus-specific T cell responses, we compared the T cell receptor (TCR) clonotype in parent and hybrid strains of respiratory syncytial virus-infected mice. KdM282–90 (SYIGSINNI) in BALB/c and DbM187–195 (NAITNAKII) in C57Bl/6 are both dominant epitopes in parent strains but assume a distinct hierarchy, with KdM282–90 dominant to DbM187–195 in hybrid CB6F1/J mice. The dominant KdM282–90 response is relatively public and is restricted primarily to the highly prevalent Vβ13.2 in BALB/c and hybrid mice, whereas DbM187–195 responses in C57BL/6 mice are relatively private and involve multiple Vβ subtypes, some of which are lost in hybrids. A significant frequency of TCR CDR3 sequences in the DbM187–195 response have a distinct “(D/E)WG” motif formed by a limited number of recombination strategies. Modeling of the dominant epitope suggested a flat, featureless structure, but DbM187–195 showed a distinctive structure formed by Lys7. The data suggest that common recombination events in prevalent Vβ genes may provide a numerical advantage in the T cell response and that distinct epitope structures may impose more limited options for successful TCR selection. Defining how epitope structure is interpreted to inform T cell function will improve the design of future gene-based vaccines.
Optical and chemical analysis of iron in Luna 20 plagioclase

Review of analytical data on the iron content of Luna 20 anorthitic plagioclase, obtained by a highly sensitive technique for measuring polarized absorption related to crystal-field splittings and by automated electron microprobe analysis of oriented single crystals. The iron content is found to range from a few hundredths to a few tenths of a weight per cent from crystal to crystal. The optical and chemical properties of the iron appear to be caused by postcrystallization migration and exsolution. Postcrystallization effects may obscure evidence of the original oxidation state and iron concentration of these crystals.
Intrinsic and network rhythmogenesis in a reduced traub model for CA3 neurons

We have developed a two-compartment, eight-variable model of a CA3 pyramidal cell as a reduction of a complex 19-compartment cable model [Traub et al, 1991]. Our reduced model segregates the fast currents for sodium spiking into a proximal, soma-like, compartment and the slower calcium and calcium-mediated currents into a dendrite-like compartment. In each model periodic bursting gives way to repetitive soma spiking as somatic injected current increases. Steady dendritic stimulation can produce periodic bursting of significantly higher frequency (8–20 Hz) than can steady somatic input (<8 Hz). Bursting in our model occurs only for an intermediate range of electronic coupling conductance. It depends on the segregation of channel types and on the coupling current that flows back-and-forth between compartments. When the soma and dendrite are tightly coupled electrically, our model reduces to a single compartment and does not burst. Network simulations with our model using excitatory AMPA and NMDA synapses (without inhibition) give results similar to those obtained with the complex cable model [Traub et al, 1991; Traub et al, 1992]. Brief stimulation of a single cell in a resting network produces multiple synchronized population bursts, with fast AMPA synapses providing the dominant synchronizing mechanism. The number of bursts increases with the level of maximal NMDA conductance. For high enough maximal NMDA conductance synchronized bursting repeats indefinitely. We find that two factors can cause the cells to desynchronize when AMPA synapses are blocked: heterogeneity of properties amongst cells and intrinsically chaotic burst dynamics. But even when cells are identical, they may synchronize only approximately rather than exactly. Since our model has a limited number of parameters and variables, we have studied its cellular and network dynamics computationally with relative ease and over wide parameter ranges. Thereby, we identify some qualitative features that parallel or are distinguished from those of other neuronal systems; e.g., we discuss how bursting here differs from that in some classical models.
Synthesis, Characterization, and Structures of Divalent Europium and Ytterbium N,N-Dimethylaminodiboranates

Treatment of the trichlorides EuCl(3) and YbCl(3) with Na(H(3)BNMe(2)BH(3)) in tetrahydrofuran (THF) results in a reduction to the corresponding divalent europium and ytterbium N,N-dimethylaminodiboranate (DMADB) complexes Eu(H(3)BNMe(2)BH(3))(2)(THF)(2) (1) and Yb(H(3)BNMe(2)BH(3))(2)(THF)(2) (2), which can be separated from trivalent Ln(H(3)BNMe(2)BH(3))(3)(THF) byproducts by extraction and crystallization from pentane. No other lanthanide trihalides react with Na(H(3)BNMe(2)BH(3)) to afford divalent products. Compounds 1 and 2 can also be prepared from the divalent lanthanide iodides EuI(2) and YbI(2) in higher yield and without the need to separate them from trivalent species. Treatment of 1 and 2 with an excess of 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME) in pentane affords the new species Eu(H(3)BNMe(2)BH(3))(2)(DME)(2) (3) and Yb(H(3)BNMe(2)BH(3))(2)(DME) (4). Compound 1 is dinuclear: each metal center is bound to two chelating DMADB ligands, one of which also bridges to the other metal. Overall, the coordination geometry about each Eu atom can be described as a distorted pentagonal bipyramid, with five B atoms from the DMADB ligands occupying the equatorial sites and two THF molecules occupying the axial sites. Unlike 1, compound 2 is monomeric owing to the smaller radius of Yb(II) versus Eu(II); the B and O atoms describe a distorted cis octahedron. The Eu(DME) complex 3 is also monomeric; both DMADB ligands and both DME molecules chelate to the metal center. The four B atoms and the four O atoms describe a distorted square antiprism, with the O atoms occupying one square face and the B atoms occupying the other. In addition to X-ray crystallographic studies, IR, NMR, and mass spectrometric data are reported for all four new compounds.
Model selection via standard error adjusted adaptive lasso

The adaptive lasso is a model selection method shown to be both consistent in variable selection and asymptotically normal in coefficient estimation. The actual variable selection performance of the adaptive lasso depends on the weight used. It turns out that the weight assignment using the OLS estimate (OLS-adaptive lasso) can result in very poor performance when collinearity of the model matrix is a concern. To achieve better variable selection results, we take into account the standard errors of the OLS estimate for weight calculation, and propose two different versions of the adaptive lasso denoted by SEA-lasso and NSEA-lasso. We show through numerical studies that when the predictors are highly correlated, SEA-lasso and NSEA-lasso can outperform OLS-adaptive lasso under a variety of linear regression settings while maintaining the same theoretical properties of the adaptive lasso.
Factors associated with temporal and spatial patterns in suicide rates across U.S. states, 1976-2000.

Using pooled cross-sectional time-series data for the 50 U.S. states over a 25-year period, this article examines how well four conceptual groups of social correlates—demographic, economic, social, and cultural factors—are associated with the 1976–2000 patterns in overall suicide rates and suicide by firearms and other means. Unlike past research that typically considers only one dimension, this analysis differentiates between spatial and temporal variation in suicide rates to determine whether and how social correlates operate differently in these two contexts. Results indicate that suicide rates correspond closely to social correlates. Within U.S. states, lower overall suicide rates between 1976 and 2000 were associated with demographic change (e.g., larger numbers of foreign-born) as well as with fewer numbers of Episcopalians. Across U.S. states, variation in overall suicide rates over the period was related to demographic (percentage male), economic (per capita income), social (percentage divorced), and cultural (alcohol consumption and gun ownership) factors. However, findings differ importantly by type of suicide, and across time and space. Reasons for these distinct patterns are discussed.
Failure of parathyroid hormone and cyclic AMP to inhibit renal carbonic anhydrase.

It has been suggested that the parathyroid hormone and cyclic AMP produce their bicarbonaturic effects through inhibition of renal carbonic anhydrase. In the present study, the incubation of renal carbonic anhydrase with parathyroid hormone or cyclic AMP in presence of ATP, Mg++ and K+ ions, did not produce any inhibition of the enzyme when the pH of the solution was maintained above 7. It is concluded, that parathyroid hormone and cyclic AMP produced urinary bicarbonate excretion by a mechanism independent of carbonic anhydrase inhibition.
Characterization of the mouse Xpf DNA repair gene and differential expression during spermatogenesis.

The human XPF protein, an endonuclease subunit essential for DNA excision repair, may also function in homologous recombination. To investigate a possible link between mammalian XPF and recombination that occurs during meiosis, we isolated, characterized, and determined an expression profile for the mouse Xpf gene. The predicted mouse XPF protein, encoded by a 3.4-kb cDNA, contains 917 amino acids and is 86% identical to human XPF. Appreciable similarity also exists between mouse XPF and homologous proteins in budding yeast (Rad1), fission yeast (Rad16), and fruit fly (Mei-9), all of which have dual functions in excision repair and recombination. Sequence analysis of the 38.3-kb Xpf gene, localized to a region in proximal mouse chromosome 16, revealed greater than 72% identity to human XPF in 16 regions. Of these conserved elements, 11 were exons and 5 were noncoding sequence within introns. Xpf transcript and protein levels were specifically elevated in adult mouse testis. Moreover, increased levels of Xpf and Ercc1 mRNAs correlated with meiotic and early postmeiotic spermatogenic cells. These results support a distinct role for the XPF/ERCC1 junction-specific endonuclease during meiosis, most likely in the resolution of heteroduplex intermediates that arise during recombination.
Wanted and wanting: antibody against methionine sulfoxide.

Abstract Methionine residues in protein can be oxidized by reactive oxygen or nitrogen species to generate methionine sulfoxide. This covalent modification has been implicated in processes ranging from normal cell signaling to neurodegenerative diseases. A general method for detecting methionine sulfoxide in proteins would be of great value in studying these processes, but development of a chemical or immunochemical technique has been elusive. Recently, an antiserum raised against an oxidized corn protein, DZS18, was reported to be specific for methionine sulfoxide in proteins (Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 485:35–40; 2009). However, data included in that report indicate that the antiserum is not specific. Utilizing well-characterized native and methionine-oxidized glutamine synthetase and aprotinin, we confirm that the antiserum does not possess specificity for methionine sulfoxide.