cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A multiple mediation model of trait worry and hazardous drinking among treatment-seeking smokers: the roles of coping and conformity drinking motives.

Alcohol use is associated with poorer smoking cessation-related outcomes, and smokers with elevated levels of worry experience greater smoking cessation problems. Yet, little is known about the exp...
Novel Virtual Reality System for Auditory Tasks in Head-fixed Mice

An emerging corpus of research seeks to use virtual realities (VRs) to understand the neural mechanisms underlying spatial navigation and decision making in rodents. These studies have primarily used visual stimuli to represent the virtual world. However, auditory cues play an important role in navigation for animals, especially when the visual system cannot detect objects or predators. We have developed a virtual reality environment defined exclusively by free-field acoustic landmarks for head-fixed mice. We trained animals to run in a virtual environment with 3 acoustic landmarks. We present evidence that they can learn to navigate in our context: we observed anticipatory licking and modest anticipatory slowing preceding the reward region. Furthermore, we found that animals were highly aware of changes in landmark cues: licking behavior changed dramatically when the familiar virtual environment was switched to a novel one, and then rapidly reverted to normal when the familiar virtual environment was re-introduced, all within the same session. Finally, while animals executed the task, we performed in-vivo calcium imaging in the CA1 region of the hippocampus using a modified Miniscope.org system. Our experiments point to a future in which auditory virtual reality can be used to expand our understanding of the neural bases of audition in locomoting animals and the variety of sensory cues which anchor spatial representations in a new virtual environment.
Bigger than sports: Identity politics, Colin Kaepernick, and concession making in #BoycottNike

Abstract A considerable amount of research has explored echo chambers, or the propensity for online discussions to reflect the same views of individual users, and the online disinhibition effect, which helps to explain the tendency for online discussions to become hostile. Less work has been done to examine instances in online messaging or discussions where social media users signal a willingness to consider or accept a competing point of view. In this study we address this gap using a mixed-methods approach to investigate concession making, or users demonstrating a willingness to adjust their position on a contentious political issue. As a case study, we engage over 2 million tweets related to Colin Kaepernick, a football player who knelt during the national anthem as a form of protest. Here, we build upon the intersection of filter bubbles and online disinhibition effects to make a unique contribution to literature of not only communication about sports and race but contentious issues on social media more broadly.
"Our perspective matters.": using universal design goals to guide technology design in the global south

Traditional approaches to accessible human-computer interaction focus on the needs and requirements of users in the Global North. While there has been some work on interaction accessibility for people in the Global South, these efforts usually focus on assistive technology rather than universal design. The work described here uses the goals of universal design, like cultural appropriateness, to understand the needs of diverse users in Kampala, Uganda, and Kigali, Rwanda. Preliminary results have revealed prominent absences of features related to physical mobility and hearing impairments. The subsequent phase of this work is to partner with local organizations to implement the resulting recommendations. Our goal is for these recommendations to inform new information technology and interactions designs that can support local stakeholders in their efforts to provide transportation services to people of all abilities.
A Theory of Standards for Intermediary Powers

There is a widespread sense that intermediary institutions which made representative democracy function ever since the nineteenth century—political parties and free media—are presently undergoing profound structural transformations. We partly have trouble judging those transformations—will they destroy or strengthen democracy?—because we lack a set of clear normative standards for intermediary powers. The article suggests such standards: institutions should be accessible, accurate, autonomous, assessable, and accountable. A precondition for these attributes to be realized is financial transparency and the empowerment of citizens other than the owners of concentrated wealth to influence intermediary powers. Accordingly, the article also endorses a scheme to put financing into the hands of citizens themselves via a voucher scheme for both political parties and media.
The murine neonatal Fc receptor is required for transport of immunization-induced C. difficile- specific IgG to the gut and protection against disease but does not affect disease susceptibility

The pathology associated with Clostridioides difficile disease is caused in large part by TcdB, an intracellular bacterial toxin that inactivates small GTPases. Despite C. difficile causing enteric disease, antitoxin IgG is a clear correlate of protection against infection-associated pathology. Immunization with TcdB-based immunogens or passive transfer of monoclonal antibodies specific for the TcdB carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) confers protection following C. difficile infection. Whether the mechanism by which circulating IgG is delivered to the gut depends on specific receptor-mediated transport or is solely reflective of infection-induced damage to the gut remains unclear. Here, we tested the hypothesis that neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) is required for the delivery of systemic TcdB-specific IgG to the gut and protection against C. difficile-associated pathology. FcRn-expressing mice and FcRn-deficient littermates were immunized subcutaneously with Alhydrogel adjuvant-adsorbed CTD before challenge with live C. difficile spores. FcRn was required for the delivery of systemic TcdB-specific IgG to the gut and for vaccine-induced protection against C. difficile-associated disease. The lack of FcRn expression had minimal effects on the composition of the gut microbiome and did not affect susceptibility to C. difficile infection in nonimmunized mice. In further experiments, intraperitoneal injection of immune sera in FcRn-deficient mice led to the transport of protective IgG to the gut independently of infection, confirming a reported method of bypassing the FcRn. Our results reveal an FcRn-dependent mechanism by which systemic immunization-induced IgG protects the gut during enteric C. difficile infection. These findings may be beneficial for the targeting of C. difficile-specific IgG to the gut.
The Role of Valuation in the Federal Bankruptcy Exemption Process: The Supreme Court Reads Schedule C

In Taylor v. Freeland & Kronz, a debtor claimed a law suit was exempt. The bankruptcy trustee failed to object within the required period. Later, the law suit realized an amount that far exceeded the monetary limit to which the debtor was entitled. The Supreme Court permitted the debtor to keep all of the proceeds, even beyond the statutory limit, claiming that a deadline was a deadline. Recently, in Schwab v. Reilly, the Supreme Court overruled Taylor, holding that a claim to a monetarily limited item can only exempt the monetary limit. The Court tries and fails to "reconcile" these two holdings. Nevertheless, the rule reached in Schwab is a rational and sensible reading of bankruptcy's exemption process. In the new vision, judicial valuations play no role. An interpretive difficulty arises, however. If judicial valuations play no role in the exemption process, why did Congress bother to craft a careful definition of valuation in Bankruptcy Code section 522(a)(2)? In spite of this embarrassment, a humble role can be found for section 522(a)(2), and the Supreme Court's interpretation of the exemption process can be defended.
3-transposition groups

Part I. Fischer's Theorem: 1. Preliminaries 2. Commuting graphs of groups 3. The structure of 3-transposition groups 4. Classical groups generated by 3-transpositions 5. Fischer's theorem 6. The geometry of 3-transposition groups Part II. Existence and Uniquenesss Of The Fischer Groups: 7. Some group extensions 8. Almost 3-transposition groups 9. Uniqueness systems and coverings of graphs 10. U4 (3) as a subgroup of U6 (2) 11. The existence and uniqueness of the Fischer groups Part III. The Local Structure Of The Fischer Groups: 12. The 2-local structure of the Fischer groups 13. Elements of order 3 in orthogonal groups over GF(3) 14. Odd locals in Fischer groups 15. Normalisers of subgroups of prime order in Fischer groups.
Nonstationary expected returns

Abstract Recent evidence reveals significant negative serial correlation in aggregate (market-wide) stock returns. We extend this result to relative (market-adjusted) returns, demonstrating negative serial correlation in five-year returns. We then test two competing explanations: (1) market mispricing and (2) changing expected returns in an efficient market. The tests are conducted using the capital asset pricing model to estimate relative returns. The evidence suggests that negative serial correlation in relative returns is due almost entirely to variation in relative risks, and therefore expected relative returns, through time. We document substantial relative risk shifts, particularly for extreme-performing stocks.
Kisspeptin receptor agonist (FTM080) increased plasma concentrations of luteinizing hormone in anestrous ewes

Kisspeptin receptor (KISS1R) agonists with increased half-life and similar efficacy to kisspeptin in vitro may provide beneficial applications in breeding management of many species. However, many of these agonists have not been tested in vivo. These studies were designed to test and compare the effects of a KISS1R agonist (FTM080) and kisspeptin on luteinizing hormone (LH) in vivo. In experiment 1 (pilot study), sheep were treated with FTM080 (500 pmol/kg BW) or sterile water (VEH) intravenosuly. Blood was collected every 15 min before (1 h) and after (1 h) treatment. In experiment 2, sheep were treated with KP-10 (human Metastin 45-54; 500 pmol/kg BW), one of three dosages of FTM080 (500 (FTM080:500), 2500 (FTM080:2500), or 5000 (FTM080:5000) pmol/kg BW), or VEH intravenously. Blood was collected every 15 min before (1 h) and after (4 h) treatment. In experiment 1, FTM080:500 increased (P < 0.05) plasma LH concentrations when compared to VEH. The area under the curve (AUC) of LH following FTM080:500 treatment was also increased (P < 0.05). In experiment 2, plasma LH concentrations increased (P < 0.05) following treatment with KP-10 and FTM080:5000 when compared to VEH and FTM080:500. The AUC of LH following KP-10 was greater than (P < 0.05) all other treatments and the AUC of LH following FTM080:5000 was greater than (P < 0.05) all treatments except KP-10. These data provide evidence to suggest that FTM080 stimulates the gonadotropic axis of ruminants in vivo. Any increased half-life and comparable efficacy of FTM080 to KP-10 in vitro does not appear to translate to in vivo in sheep.
The complete genome sequence for putative H₂- and S-oxidizer Candidatus Sulfuricurvum sp., assembled de novo from an aquifer-derived metagenome

Summary We reconstructed the complete 2.4 Mb-long genome of a previously uncultivated epsilonproteobacterium, Candidatus Sulfuricurvum sp. RIFRC-1, via assembly of short-read shotgun metagenomic data using a complexity reduction approach. Genome-based comparisons indicate the bacterium is a novel species within the Sulfuricurvum genus, which contains one cultivated representative, S. kujiense. Divergence between the species appears due in part to extensive genomic rearrangements, gene loss and chromosomal versus plasmid encoding of certain (respiratory) genes by RIFRC-1. Deoxyribonucleic acid for the genome was obtained from terrestrial aquifer sediment, in which RIFRC-1 comprised ∼ 47% of the bacterial community. Genomic evidence suggests RIFRC-1 is a chemolithoautotrophic diazotroph capable of deriving energy for growth by microaerobic or nitrate-/nitric oxide-dependent oxidation of S0, sulfide or sulfite or H2 oxidation. Carbon may be fixed via the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle. Consistent with these physiological attributes, the local aquifer was microoxic with small concentrations of available nitrate, small but elevated concentrations of reduced sulfur and NH4+/NH3-limited. Additionally, various mechanisms for heavy metal and metalloid tolerance and virulence point to a lifestyle well-adapted for metal(loid)-rich environments and a shared evolutionary past with pathogenic Epsilonproteobacteria. Results expand upon recent findings highlighting the potential importance of sulfur and hydrogen metabolism in the terrestrial subsurface.
A cultural-historical approach to university/community collaborative interventions

In this paper we explore approaches to intervention research viewed from a broadly conceived culturalpsychological perspective. Although scholars who adopt this perspective share a belief in the ce ...
Expression of the B7.1 Costimulatory Molecule on Pancreatic β Cells Abrogates the Requirement for CD4 T Cells in the Development of Type 1 Diabetes

Although HLA-DQ8 has been implicated as a key determinant of genetic susceptibility to human type 1 diabetes, spontaneous diabetes has been observed in HLA-DQ8 transgenic mice that lack expression of murine MHC class II molecules (mII −/− ) only when the potent costimulatory molecule, B7.1, is transgenically expressed on pancreatic β cells. To study the contribution of HLA-DQ8 to the development of diabetes in this model, we crossed RIP-B7.1mII −/− mice with a set of transgenic mouse lines that differed in their HLA-DQ8 expression patterns on APC subpopulations, in particular dendritic cells and cortical thymic epithelial cells. Surprisingly, we found that even in the absence of HLA-DQ8 and CD4 T cells, a substantial fraction of the RIP-B7.1mII −/− mice developed diabetes. This disease process was remarkable for not only showing insulitis, but also inflammatory destruction of the exocrine pancreas with diffusely up-regulated expression of MHC class I and ICAM-1 molecules. Expression of HLA-DQ8 markedly increased the kinetics and frequency of diabetes, with the most severe disease in the lines with the highest levels of HLA-DQ8 on cortical thymic epithelial cells and the largest numbers of CD4 T cells. However, the adoptive transfer of diabetes was not HLA-DQ8-dependent and disease could be rapidly induced with purified CD8 T cells alone. Expression of B7.1 in the target tissue can thus dramatically alter the cellular and molecular requirements for the development of autoimmunity.
Some reflections on religious knowledge

The essay that follows considers two topics. After dealing with relevant preliminaries, it asks: (a) what differences are there in what must be done in order to tell whether there is any religious knowledge if an internalist evidentialist account of knowledge is true, from what must be done in order to tell whether there is any religious knowledge if an externalist reliabilist account of knowledge is true; and (b) does the best current externalist reliabilist account of knowledge require (or perhaps already implicitly contain) an internalist evidentialist element? Put in a nutshell, then, a belief has warrant for a person S only if that belief is produced in S by cognitive faculties functioning properly (subject to no dysfunction) in a cognitive environment that is appropriate for S’s kind of cognitive faculties, according to a design plant that is successfully aimed at truth … when a belief meets these conditions and does enjoy warrant, the degree of warrant it enjoys depends on the strength of the belief, the degree of firmness with which S holds it. This is intended as an account of the central core of our concept of warrant … [Warranted Christian Belief, 156; implicit in reference to a design plan here is another feature—that the belief is subject to no undefeated defeaters; such a belief, if true, constitutes knowledge.]
Versatile uses for alginate impression material

Abstract Various uses of alginate impression material which facilitate procedures common to the practice of removable prosthodontics have been described.
Mixing of Isotactic and Syndiotactic Polypropylenes in the Melt

The miscibility of polypropylene (PP) melts in which the chains differ only in stereochemical composition has been investigated by two different procedures. One approach used detailed local information from a Monte Carlo simulation of a single chain, and the other approach takes this information from a rotational isomeric state model devised decades ago, for another purpose. The first approach uses PRISM theory to deduce the intermolecular packing in the polymer blend, while the second approach uses a Monte Carlo simulation of a coarse-grained representation of independent chains, expressed on a high-coordination lattice. Both approaches find a positive energy change upon mixing isotactic PP (iPP) and syndiotactic polypropylene (sPP) chains in the melt. This conclusion is qualitatively consistent with observations published recently by Muelhaupt and coworkers. The size of the energy chain on mixing is smaller in the MC/PRISM approach than in the RIS/MC simulation, with the smaller energy change being in better agreement with the experiment. The RIS/MC simulation finds no demixing for iPP and atactic polypropylene (aPP) in the melt, consistent with several experimental observations in the literature. The demixing of the iPP/sPP blend may arise from attractive interactions in the sPP melt that are disrupted when the sPP chains are diluted with aPP or iPP chains.
Strongly coupled dynamics of fluids and rigid-body systems with the immersed boundary projection method

A strong coupling algorithm is presented for simulating the dynamic interactions between incompressible viscous flows and rigid-body systems in both two- and three-dimensional problems. In this work, the Navier-Stokes equations for incompressible flow are solved on a uniform Cartesian grid by the vorticity-based immersed boundary projection method of Colonius and Taira. Dynamical equations for arbitrary rigid-body systems are also developed. The proposed coupling method attempts to unify the treatment of constraints in the fluid and structure-the incompressibility of the fluid, the linkages in the rigid-body system, and the conditions at the interface-through the use of Lagrange multipliers. The resulting partitioned system of equations is solved with a simple relaxation scheme, based on an identification of virtual inertia from the fluid. The scheme achieves convergence in only 2 to 5 iterations per time step for a wide variety of mass ratios. The formulation requires that only a subset of the discrete fluid equations be solved in each iteration. Several two- and three-dimensional numerical tests are conducted to validate and demonstrate the method, including a falling cylinder, flapping of flexible wings, self-excited oscillations of a system of many linked plates in a free stream, and passive pivoting of a finite aspect ratio plate under the influence of gravity in a free stream. The results from the current method are compared with previous experimental and numerical results and good agreement is achieved.
Molecular basis of seasonal time measurement in Arabidopsis

Several organisms have evolved the ability to measure daylength, or photoperiod, allowing them to adjust their development in anticipation of annual seasonal changes. Daylength measurement requires the integration of temporal information, provided by the circadian system, with light/dark discrimination, initiated by specific photoreceptors. Here we demonstrate that in Arabidopsis this integration takes place at the level of CONSTANS (CO)1 function. CO is a transcriptional activator that accelerates flowering time in long days, at least in part by inducing the expression of FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT)2,3,4,5. First, we show that precise clock control of the timing of CO expression, such that it is high during daytime only in long days, is critical for daylength discrimination. We then provide evidence that CO activation of FT expression requires the presence of light perceived through cryptochrome 2 (cry2) or phytochrome A (phyA). We conclude that an external coincidence mechanism, based on the endogenous circadian control of CO messenger RNA levels, and the modulation of CO function by light, constitutes the molecular basis for the regulation of flowering time by daylength in Arabidopsis.
Preoperative biliary stents in pancreatic cancer

Background Pancreatic cancer is a common digestive cancer with high mortality, and surgical resection is the only potential curative treatment option. Pancreatic head cancer is usually accompanied by biliary obstruction, which potentially increases surgical complications following pancreaticoduodenectomy. Thus, preoperative biliary drainage has long been advocated.
Impact of end-member mixing on depth distributions of δ13C, cadmium and nutrients in the N. Atlantic Ocean

Abstract The PO 4 , δ 13 C and Cd depth distributions measured in the N. Atlantic Ocean during recent GEOTRACES and CLIVAR cruises are a result of biological and circulation processes, with in-situ uptake and remineralization of organic matter dominating in the upper ~300 m and mixing of water masses dominating in the thermocline and deep sea. The observed slopes of the NO 3 –PO 4 , preindustrial δ 13 C–PO 4 and (by analogy) Cd–PO 4 along isopycnals deviate significantly from that expected from Redfield in the thermocline and deep sea and in each case the observed slope is similar to the slopes of the end-member water masses being mixed. The depth increase in the Cd–PO 4 slope resulting from end-member mixing explains the observed kink at ~1 μM PO 4 in the Cd–PO 4 relationship in the N. Atlantic. The observation that the PO 4 - preindustrial δ 13 C–Cd relationship in the modern N. Atlantic is heavily influenced by end-member mixing throughout most of the water column complicates the use of δ 13 C and Cd as proxies of the paleocean’s nutrient distribution because changes in the PO 4 –δ 13 C–Cd composition of locally and remotely produced end-members water masses would change the PO 4 , δ 13 C and Cd depth distributions in the paleo N. Atlantic Ocean.
Does Zhu Xi Distinguish Prudence from Morality

In Stephen Angle’s Sagehood, he contends that Neo-Confucian philosophers reject ways of moral thinking that draw hard and fast lines between self-directed or prudential concerns (about what is good for me) and other-directed or moral concerns (about what is right, just, virtuous, etc.), and suggests that they are right to do so. In this paper, I spell out Angle’s arguments and interpretation in greater detail and then consider whether they are faithful to one of the chief figures in Neo-Confucian thought. I begin by identifying some of the better-known ways in which moral philosophers give special treatment to prudential considerations, and say which of these Angle’s reading of the Neo-Confucians appears to rule out. After laying this groundwork, I proceed to test Angle’s interpretation against the moral thought of history’s most influential Neo-Confucian philosopher, Zhu Xi 朱熹 (1130-1200), arguing that even on Angle’s own reading, there are certain respects in which Zhu preserves the distinction, although by Angle’s lights these ways are perhaps less pernicious than their contemporary equivalents. I also look closely at how Angle uses the psychological structure of humane love (ren 仁) to undermine the prudence-versus-morality distinction. Here I suggest that the better way to phrase his point is to say that prudence drops out or becomes an ethically incoherent concept, which is something quite different from rejecting or collapsing the distinction between prudence and morality.
Hadronic excitation of the second 0+ state in 90Zr.

Coupled-channel analyses of new (n,n') and existing (p,p') as well as (..cap alpha..,..cap alpha..') scattering measurements for the second 0/sup +/ state (1.761 MeV) in /sup 90/Zr are described. Macroscopic form factors are assumed for the E0 and E2 transitions. Multistep E2 transitions are found to dominate the direct inelastic excitations. Compound (n,n') and (p,p') scattering processes are also found to be important at incident energies up to 16 MeV. A rather good description of shapes and magnitudes of the differential cross sections is achieved.
The effect of placental location on uterine artery flow velocity waveforms.

Abstract We examined the effect of placental location with regard to flow velocity waveforms in the uterine arteries in 84 control and 28 hypertensive women during the third trimester of pregnancy. The ratio of systolic peak to end-diastolic frequency was obtained with a continuous-wave Doppler device and the placental location was determined by real-time ultrasonography. In both normal and hypertensive pregnancies with unilateral placental location the systolic/ diastolic ratio of the ipsilateral uterine artery was significantly lower than the contralateral artery ratio [1.73 ± 0.35 (systolic/ diastolic ratio) versus 2.46 ± 0.73, p p = 0.0012, respectively]. The physiologic and clinical significance of this finding is discussed.
Novel C-17-Heteroaryl Steroidal CYP17 Inhibitors/Antiandrogens: Synthesis, in Vitro Biological Activity, Pharmacokinetics, and Antitumor Activity in the LAPC4 Human Prostate Cancer Xenograft Model

New chemical entities, steroidal C-17 benzoazoles (5, 6, 9 and 10) and pyrazines (14 and 15) were rationally designed and synthesized. The key reaction for synthesis of the benzoazoles involved the nucleophilic vinylic “addition−elimination” substitution reaction of 3β-acetoxy-17-chloro-16-formylandrosta-5,16-diene (2) and benzoazole nucleophiles, while that for synthesis of pyrazines involved palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of 17-iodoandrosta-5,16-dien-3β-ol (13) with tributylstannyl diazines. Some of the compounds were shown to be potent inhibitors of human CYP17 enzyme as well as potent antagonist of both wild type and mutant androgen receptors (AR). The most potent CYP17 inhibitors were 3β-hydroxy-17-(1H-benzimidazole-1-yl)androsta-5,16-diene (5, code named VN/124-1), 3β-hydroxy-17-(51-pyrimidyl)androsta-5,16-diene (15) and 17-(1H-benzimidazole-1-yl)androsta-4,16-dien-3-one (6), with IC50 values of 300, 500 and 915 nM, respectively. Compounds 5, 6, 14 and 15 were effective at preventing bi...
Development of Framework to Examine the Focal Association Between Wall Shear Stress and Coronary Artery Disease Progression in the Clinical Setting

Natural history data on clinical coronary artery disease (CAD) indicates that there is a critical need to prospectively identify rapidly progressing and vulnerable coronary lesions that may cause potentially fatal acute coronary events [1]. Recent prospective clinical investigations have evaluated the value of wall shear stress (WSS) as a prognostic marker for identifying rapidly progressing coronary lesions [2,3]. Data indicate that low WSS is associated with significant plaque progression, while regions of high WSS are associated with plaque regression and phenotypic transformation towards a more vulnerable lesion. While these studies provided unprecedented data on the role of hemodynamic-induced mechanical forces in lesion dynamics, they were limited by a lack of focal understanding of the association between WSS and plaque progression. Specifically, despite the understanding that WSS and plaque progression are heterogeneous around the artery’s circumference, in each image slice WSS values were spatially averaged around the circumference and correlated with average values for changes in virtual histology-intravascular ultrasound (VH-IVUS) defined plaque constituent areas.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Parental and provider preferences and concerns regarding text message reminder/recall for early childhood vaccinations.

Abstract Objective To assess parental, provider, and medical staff opinions about text message reminder/recall for early childhood vaccination. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted between January and March 2011 among 200 parents of 6–59 month-old children, 26 providers, and 20 medical staff at four academically-affiliated pediatric practices in New York City with text messaging experience. Survey questions addressed interest in, preferences for, and concerns/barriers related to vaccine-related text message reminder/recall. Results Parents were primarily Latino, Spanish-speaking, and had a high school education or less. Most parents owned a text message-enabled cell phone (89%) and used text messaging services (97%). While 84% had never received health-related text messages, 88% were comfortable receiving them. Nearly all parents reported interest in receiving reminder/recall text messages, many endorsing them over phone calls and/or letters. Preferences included personalization, interactivity, and multiple messages. While 25% of parents had no concerns, 38% were concerned about incorrect numbers; only 6% worried about cost. Providers and staff were also supportive of vaccine-related text messages. Their biggest concerns were correct cell phone numbers, appointment availability, and increased call volume. Conclusion Text message reminder/recall for early childhood vaccination was widely supported. Important barriers were identified that should be addressed to maximize their effectiveness.
Group I secreted PLA2 in the maintenance of human lower esophageal sphincter tone.

Abstract Background & Aims: In cat spontaneous lower esophageal sphincter (LES), tone is maintained by the activity of group I secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2-I) that produces arachidonic acid. Arachidonic acid metabolites activate G proteins linked to phospholipases, producing second messengers and activation of a protein kinase C–dependent pathway to maintain tone. We examined the role of sPLA2-I in the maintenance of tone in human LES samples obtained from organ donors. Methods: In vitro LES tone and sPLA2-I–induced contraction of enzymatically isolated LES smooth muscle cells were measured in the absence or presence of inhibitors. Cell permeabilization by saponin allowed use of G-protein antibodies. Results: In vitro LES tone was reduced by inhibitors of sPLA2-I, by indomethacin, by the phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C inhibitor D609, and by the protein kinase C inhibitor chelerythrine. sPLA2-I–induced contraction of isolated LES smooth muscle cells was reduced by indomethacin, pertussis toxin, Gi3 antibodies, D609, and by chelerythrine. Conclusions: Human LES tone is maintained by the activity of sPLA2-I that produces arachidonic acid and metabolites and activation of Gi3-linked receptors and of phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C, resulting in production of diacylglycerol, activation of PKC, and maintenance of tone through a protein kinase C–dependent contractile pathway. GASTROENTEROLOGY 2000;119:1243-1252
Voltage-dependent block by amiloride and other monovalent cations of apical Na channels in the toad urinary bladder.

Summary. Inhibition of the Na conductance of the apical mem- brane of the toad urinary bladder by amiloride, alkali cations and protons was voltage dependent. Bladders were bathed with a high K-sucrose serosal medium to reduce series basal-lateral re- sistance and potential difference. Transepithelial current-voltage relationships were measured over a voltage range ofmV with a voltage ramp of frequency 0.5 to 1 Hz. Na channel I-V relationships were obtained by subtraction of currents measured in the presence of maximal doses of amiloride (10 to 20/~). With submaximal doses of amiloride (0.05 to 0.5 ~M), the degree of inhibition of the Na channel current (lNa) increased as the muco- sal potential was made more positive. The data can be reason- ably well explained by assuming that amiloride blocks Na transport by binding to a site which senses ~12% of the transmembrane voltage difference. INs was reduced in a qualita- tively similar voltage-dependent manner by mucosal K, Rb, Cs and TI (-100 raM) and by mucosal H (-1 raM). Block by these cations cannot be explained in terms of interactions with a single membrane-voltage-sensing site; a model in which there are two or more blocking sites in series provides a better description of the data. On the other hand, amiloride block was reduced com- petitively by mucosal Na and K, suggesting that occupation of the channel by one cation excludes occupancy by the others. ADH and ouabain also reduce the apparent affinity of amiloride for its blocking site. Thus, intracellular Na may also compete with amilofide for occupancy of the channel.
Distribution function estimation by constrained polynomial spline regression

A smooth monotone polynomial spline (PS) estimator is proposed for the cumulative distribution function. The proposed method applies a constrained PS regression to smooth the empirical distribution function, while simultaneously ensures monotonicity by imposing a set of linear constraints on the coefficients of the PS functions. This feature is not shared by its kernel counterpart in [Cheng, M.Y., and Peng, L. (2002), ‘Regression Modeling for Nonparametric Estimation of Distribution and Quantile Functions’, Statistica Sinica, 12, 1043–1060], as the kernel estimator is not necessarily monotone. Under mild assumptions, both L 2 and uniform convergence rates are obtained. Our simulation studies show that the proposed estimator has better finite sample performance than the simple empirical distribution function. We also illustrate the use of the proposed method by analysing two real data examples.
Economics, law, and covenant marriage

Covenant marriage may be difficult to understand as a gender issue. However, marriage and divorce are closely linked to workforce participation and child rearing. This piece looks at new proposals for choices in divorce regime from legal, economic, and social perspectives, concluding that the option of contracting a more permanent form of marriage increases the possibilities for women and signals societal interest in promoting more stable families. The article favorably compares Louisiana covenant marriage legislation to other states' suggestions for returns to fault-only regimes, and pays some attention to the role one state's marriage and divorce laws play in the federal system.
Greater abundance of serotonin1A receptor in some brain areas of alcohol-preferring (P) rats compared to nonpreferring (NP) rats

Abstract Saturable [ 3 H]8-OHDPAT binding to recognition sites of 5-HT 1A receptors was shown to be higher in cortical membranes of alcohol-preferring (P) than in membranes of alcohol-nonpreferring (NP) rats. Neither the P nor the NP lines had been previously exposed to ethanol. The increase in binding was mainly due to 40–56% higher density or maximum of binding sites ( B max ) without significant change in affinity or dissociation constant ( K d ) for the radioligand. Although B max values were also consistently higher in membranes isolated from other brain areas of P rats, including hypothalamus, striatum, and hippocampus, the differences did not reach statistical significance. Similar to the previously reported lack of difference in [ 3 H]ketanserin binding to 5-HT 2 receptors in cortical membranes from P and NP rats, there were also no significant differences in saturable binding of [ 3 H]mesulergine and [ 3 H]LY278584 to recognition sites of 5-HT 1C and 5-HT 3 receptors, respectively. Thus, an upregulation of 5-HT 1A receptors in cerebral cortex and possibly in other brain areas of ethanol-naive P rats appears to have occurred as a consequence of the lower 5-HT innervation in this selected line of rats (13,15,27,28).
Quiet Eye Duration Is Responsive to Variability of Practice and to the Axis of Target Changes

We tested the hypothesis that quiet eye, the final fixation before the initiation of a movement in aiming tasks, is used to scale the movement's parameters. Two groups of 12 participants (N = 24) threw darts to targets in the horizontal and vertical axes under conditions of higher (random) or lower (blocked) target variability. Supporting our predictions, random practice and target changes in the vertical axis led to longer quiet eye duration than did blocked practice and target changes in the horizontal axis. Our data suggest that quiet eye is not simply a mediating factor in accuracy, but is responsive to the task's programming demands, being influenced by the necessity to reparameterize the movement from one trial to the next.
Formulation of a Foaming Vaginal Tablet and Suppository

Formulations for a foaming, spermicidal vaginal tablet and a foaming, spermicidal suppository are presented. Some pharmaceutical characteristics peculiar to both dosage forms were measured. A simple method is suggested for the evaluation of the quantity and collapse resistance of the foam.
Use of advanced optics in a neutron liquids reflectometer

Abstract To access a broad Q range with a moderately polychromatic (Δ λ ≈4.5 A) neutron beam, we have evaluated the use of a tapered neutron guide. The utility of this device lies not in its focusing power, but in its broad angular dispersion of the incident beam. This beam can then be sampled by slits at a number of angles to cover the required Q range. Preliminary modeling of a liquids reflectometer based on this concept indicates that, by using highly reflective incident optics (4 γ Ni c supermirror coatings), one will be able to measure reflectivities of 10 −8 in about 2 h counting time at the Spallation Neutron Source, currently under construction at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Dielectric properties of human skin at an acupuncture point in the 50-75 GHz frequency range: a pilot study.

The reason for using acupuncture points as exposure sites in some applications of millimeter wave therapy has been unclear. Acupuncture points have been suspected to exhibit particular direct current (DC), low-frequency electrical and optical properties compared to surrounding skin. To assess if such a biophysical correlation could exist at millimeter wave frequencies used in the therapy, we investigated the dielectric properties of an acupuncture point on the forearm skin within the 50 – 75 GHz range. These properties were compared with those of a neighboring ipsilateral control area and a corresponding contralateral control area. The complex reflection coefficient at the end of an open-ended rectangular waveguide loaded with a Teflon plug was measured with a vector network analyzer. A suitable model of the aperture admittance was used to calculate the dielectric properties of the skin at the measured spots. Statistical analyses were conducted with an ANOVA to compare the three sites. From these analyses, the dielectric properties of the acupuncture site were found to be somewhat different from those of surrounding non-acupuncture sites from 50 to about 61 GHz, in the case of the real part of the complex permittivity.
Low-energy positron and electron diffraction from Cu(100) and Cu(111)

We report here the first measurements of low-energy ($40\ensuremath{\le}E\ensuremath{\le}280$ eV) positron-diffraction (LEPD) intensity profiles from a Cu(100) surface as well as a normalized version of previously reported LEPD intensity measurements from a Cu(111) surface. Also reported are low-energy electron-diffraction (LEED) intensity measurements for Cu(100) made at the same angles of incidence as used in taking the positron data. Calculations based on unrelaxed surface atomic geometries for Cu(100) and Cu(111) yield quantitative descriptions of these data. The model is also shown to predict correctly the results already reported in the literature for Cu(100) and Cu(111) as well as the new Cu(100) measurements reported here. The measurements suggest that the inelastic-collision mean free paths for positrons, ${\ensuremath{\lambda}}_{\mathrm{ee}}$, vary with incident beam energy $E$ approximately as ${\ensuremath{\lambda}}_{\mathrm{ee}}\ensuremath{\sim}{E}^{\frac{1}{2}}$ over the energy range considered, $40\ensuremath{\le}E\ensuremath{\le}280$ eV, whereas those for electrons vary less rapidly with increasing beam energy. Finally, with the use of the model calculations as a guide, the consequences of the wide angular spread of positron beams relative to electron beams are examined and the potential of positron diffraction as a technique for surface-structure determination is estimated.
Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling (SOCS)-3 Protein Interacts with the Insulin-like Growth Factor-I Receptor

SOCS proteins are a class of proteins that are negative regulators of cytokine receptor signaling via the Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway. In a yeast two-hybrid screen of a human fetal brain library, we have previously identified SOCS-2 as a binding partner of the activated IGF-I receptor (IGFIR). To test whether or not SOCS-3 also binds to the IGFIR, we cloned human SOCS-3 by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction from human skeletal muscle mRNA. SOCS-3 mRNA was expressed in many human fetal and adult tissues and in some human cancer cell lines (Hela, A549 pulmonary adenocarcinoma and G361 human melanoma). We found that human SOCS-3 protein interacts directly with the cytoplasmic domains of the activated IGFIR and the insulin receptor (IR) in the yeast two-hybrid assay. In GST-SOCS-3 pull-down experiments using IGFIR from mammalian cells and in immunoprecipitation experiments in which IGFIR and FLAG-SOCS-3 were transiently expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells, we found that SOCS-3 interacts constitutively with IGFIR in vitro and in intact cells. Unlike SOCS-2, hSOCS-3 was phosphorylated on tyrosines in response to IGF-I addition to 293 cells. We conclude that SOCS-3 binds to the IGFIR and may be a direct substrate for the receptor tyrosine kinase.
The dephosphorylated form of the anaphase-promoting complex protein Cdc27/Apc3 concentrates on kinetochores and chromosome arms in mitosis.

Cell cycle regulated protein ubiquitination and degradation within subcellular domains may be essential for the normal progression of mitosis. Cdc27 is a conserved component of an essential M-phase ubiquitin-protein ligase called the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome. We examined the subcellular distribution of Cdc27 in greater detail in mammalian cells and found Cdc27 concentrated at spindle poles and on spindle microtubules as previously described, but also found Cdc27 at kinetochores and along chromosome arms. This localization was not dependent on intact microtubules. While the great majority of Cdc27 protein in M phase cells is highly phosphorylated, only the dephosphorylated form of Cdc27 was found associated with isolated chromosomes. Kinases that also associate with isolated chromosomes catalyzed the in vitro phosphorylation of the chromosome-associated Cdc27. Microinjection of anti-Cdc27 antibody into cells causes arrest at metaphase. Microinjection of cells with anti-Mad2 antibody normally in...
Effect of Co2 Anesthesia on Malathion Toxicity to Four Species of Stored-Product Insects

Anesthesia with CO2 increased malathion toxicity to the following species of stored-product insects: Adults of red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst); confused flour beetle, T. confusum Jacquelin duVal; and cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (F.); and larvae of black carpet beetle, Attagenus megatoma (F.). Except for the confused flour beetles, mortality from malathion increased when the insects were anesthetized by CO2 for as little as 5 min. Mortality increased also among the confused flour beetles after CO2 anesthesia for 60 min.
SU‐E‐T‐553: Evaluation of Rotational Errors in Treatment Setup of Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) of Lung Cancer

Purpose: The purpose is to evaluate the rotational setup errors in SBRTtreatment for lungtumors using cone beam CT(CBCT), to investigate the dosimetric impact of rotational setup error, and to determine if translational shifts can compensate the rotation. Methods: Online setup CBCT (n=38) from ten lung patients treated with SBRT were re‐evaluated offline by matching with reference CT using adjustment to 3 rotational angles (pitch, roll and yaw). To investigate the dosimetric impact, planning CTimages were rotated using the actual magnitudes obtained from offline match and the dosimetric changes were quantified by comparing the recalculated dose distribution to the original plans. Translational corrections were simulated by manual translational registration of the target volumes on the rotated images to the original CT. The correction efficacy was evaluated by comparing the recalculated plans to the original treatment plan. Results: The systematic and random setup errors in rotational angles were −0.01±0.50, − 0.57±1.08, −0.11±0.42 degrees for pitch, roll and yaw, respectively. Out of 38 acquired CBCTimages, 57.9% had rotational error >1 degree in any axis, 15.7% had error >2 degree in any axis and only 5.3% had error >3 degree in any axis of rotation. Our previous simulation study using various degrees of rotations showed that target coverage reduced significantly for rotation greater than 3 degrees. Plans recalculated using actual patient roll motions obtained from offline match showed similar reduction in tumor coverage. Translational correction resulted in a fairly good recovery of target coverage except it may result in increased dose to organs at risk (OAR). Conclusions: Rotational setup errors for lungSBRT are relatively small in magnitude and not likely to affect GTV coverage significantly. Translational corrections can be optimized to compensate for rotational setup errors; however, caution needs to be paid regarding dose increase to OAR.
An attenuated variant of Eastern encephalitis virus: biological properties and protection induced in mice.

Wild type Eastern equine encephalitis virus (E) was compared with a mutant (Em) derived from it. The latter was tested as an attenuated vaccine in mice. They differed in the following properties: Em formed smaller plaques on chick embryo (CE) cell monolayers and, unlike E, did not plaque on mouse embryo (ME) monolayers. Further, Em had a longer latent period and attained a lower peak titer than E after infection of CE cells, was more sensitive than E to chick interferon, and was less virulent for mice (SC and IP routes) and hamsters (IP route) than E. Both viruses were similar in several other properties tested.
Optimization of electrically active magnetic nanoparticles as accurate and efficient microbial extraction tools

Food defense requires the means to efficiently screen large volumes of food for microbial pathogens. Even rapid detection methods often require lengthy enrichment steps, making them impractical for this application. There is a great need for rapid, sensitive, specific, and inexpensive methods for extracting and concentrating microbial pathogens from food. In this study, an immuno-magnetic separation (IMS) methodology was developed for Escherichia coli O157:H7, using electrically active magnetic nanoparticles (EAMNPs). The analytical specificity of the IMS method was evaluated against Escherichia coli O55:H7 and Shigella boydii, and was improved over previous protocols by the addition of sodium chloride during the conjugation of antibodies onto MNPs. The analytical sensitivity of the IMS method was greatest when a high concentration of antibodies (1.0 mg/mL) was present during conjugation. EAMNP concentrations of 1.0 and 0.5 mg/mL provided optimal analytical sensitivity and analytical specificity. The entire IMS procedure requires only 35 min, and antibody-conjugated MNPs show no decline in performance up to 149 days after conjugation. This analytically sensitive and specific extraction protocol has excellent longevity and shows promise as an effective extraction for multiple electrochemical biosensor applications.