cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Drivers of HIV Infection Among Cisgender and Transgender Female Sex Worker Populations in Baltimore City: Results From the SAPPHIRE Study.

Objective To determine and compare risk factors for HIV infection among cisgender female sex workers (CFSWs) and transgender female sex workers (TFSWs). Design Baseline data from a cohort study (SAPPHIRE) of street-based CFSW and TFSW in Baltimore, MD. Methods Women were queried about individual (eg, drug use), interpersonal (eg, sexual abuse), and structural (eg, housing) risk factors and questioned on their sex work risk environment. Women were tested for HIV/sexually transmitted infections. We used logistic regression to identify key risk factors for prevalent HIV in each population. Results We recruited 262 CFSW and 62 TFSW between 2016 and 2017. Compared with TFSW, CFSW were more likely to be white (66% vs. 0%), recently homeless (62% vs. 23%, P 5 years in sex work (aOR = 5.40, 95% CI: 2.10 to 13.90) were independently associated with HIV among CFSW. Childhood sexual abuse (aOR = 4.56, 95% CI: 1.20 to 17.32), being in sex work due to lack of opportunities (aOR = 4.81, 95% CI: 1.29 to 17.90), and >5 years in sex work (aOR = 5.62, 95% CI: 1.44 to 21.85) were independently associated with HIV among TFSW. Conclusions Although distinct, both populations share a history of extensive childhood abuse and later life structural vulnerability, which drive their engagement in street-based sex work and their HIV risk profiles.
Exploring teachers’ beliefs and feelings about race and police violence

In this article, the authors analyzed White teachers’ open-ended responses to three critical items on the Teachers’ Race Talk Survey (TRTS). The authors focused on: (1) teachers’ beliefs about the ...
THREE-YEAR OUTCOMES OF TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT WITH SAPIEN-3

Earlier generation SAPIEN valves have indicated 25-50% 3-year mortality after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Despite favorable 30-day and 1-year outcomes after SAPIEN-3 TAVR, longer term results have not been reported. The PARTNER 2 SAPIEN 3 registries enrolled intermediate (S3i)
Hyperoxia inhibits fetal rat lung fibroblast proliferation and expression of procollagens

The direct effects of hyperoxia on collagen production by fetal lung fibroblasts are unknown and would be important to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in bronchopulmonary dysplasia in premature infants. We studied the effect of hyperoxia on 1) proliferation, 2) mRNA levels for type I and III procollagens, and 3) net collagen production in primary cultures of fetal rat lung fibroblasts. Fibroblasts from 19-day-old rat fetuses (term is 22 days) were obtained. Test plates were incubated in hyperoxia and controls in room air for varying time periods. Cell viability in both conditions was >97% as determined by trypan blue exclusion. Fibroblast proliferation in nonconfluent cultures was found to be significantly reduced with exposure to hyperoxia (P < 0.001). Steady-state levels of type I and III procollagen mRNAs, analyzed on Northern blots hybridized to [32P]cDNA probes, were significantly decreased in hyperoxia (P < 0.01). This effect was noted as early as 4 h of exposure to hyperoxia and persisted for 5 days. There was a significant inverse correlation between duration of exposure to O2 and steady-state levels of mRNA for alpha1(I)-procollagen (r = -0.904) and alpha1(III)-procollagen (r = -0.971). There were no significant changes in steady-state levels of beta-actin mRNA. We also found a significant decrease in collagen synthesis in hyperoxia-exposed fibroblasts (P < 0.05). We conclude that hyperoxia directly effects a reduction in fetal lung fibroblast proliferation and net collagen production at a pretranslational level.
Risk of ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection with coexisting percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube and associated factors.

Abstract Objectives Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tubes and ventriculoperitoneal shunts (VPS) are commonly placed in neurologically impaired patients. There is concern about safety of VPS coexisting with PEG tubes due to the potential for an increased risk of infection. In this study, we assess the risk of VPS infection and the amount of time between both procedures. Patients and methods Retrospective chart review of patients from our institution who had VPS and PEG tubes placed during the same hospitalization between 2014 and 2018. Our primary focus was assessing risk of VPS infection and timing of procedures in this patient population. Additionally, we assessed other factors which may contribute to VPS infection including SIRS criteria at time of VPS placement, comorbidities and other procedures performed. None of the SIRS factors were associated with VPS infection. Results 45 patients met inclusion criteria. Our VPS infection rate was found to be 7% (n = 3). These patients had 4, 16, and 36 days between procedures. 89% of our patients had PEG tube placed prior to VPS with 2 of these patients developing a VPS infection. At the time of VPS placement 42% of patients had SIRS. None of the SIRS factors were associated with VPS infection. Conclusion Our VPS infection rate remained low even when they were performed during the same hospitalization as a PEG tube placement. SIRS is not associated with the development of VPS infections and is not an absolute contraindication to placing a VPS.
Towards a Unified Concept of Democratic Backsliding

Across the world, multiple democracies have recently experienced an erosion of their democratic institutions. To date, however, we lack a shared understanding of the concept of "democratic backsliding" in theory and practice. While the term is ubiquitous in scholarly work and public discourse, how backsliding is conceptualized and measured varies widely. This paper provides a framework to distinguish between processes of backsliding across three arenas of democratic politics derived from foundational goals of democratic governance: freedom of choice, freedom from tyranny, and equality in freedom. We illustrate the usefulness of this framework with application to contemporary cases of democratic decline in the United States, Hungary, and Mexico. Overall, we argue that a common conceptual understanding of backsliding is critical to building cumulative knowledge about its causes and consequences. Our framework enables scholars to identify and explain cases of democratic backsliding in a systematic and explicitly comparative way.
An Infrared High Proper Motion Survey Using 2MASS and SDSS: Discovery of M, L and T Dwarfs

A search of the Two Micron All Sky Survey and Sloan Digital Sky Survey reveals 36 previously unknown high proper motion objects with J<17. Their red-optical colors indicate that 27 are M dwarfs, 8 are early-type L dwarfs, and 1 is a late-type T dwarf. The L dwarfs have J-Ks colors near the extrema of known L dwarfs indicating that previous surveys for L dwarfs using color as a selection criterion may be biased. Followup near-infrared spectroscopy of 6 dwarfs confirm they are all late-type with spectral types ranging from M8 to T4. Spectroscopy also shows that some of the L dwarf spectra exhibit peculiar features similar to other peculiar "blue" L dwarfs which may indicate that these dwarfs have a relatively condensate free atmosphere or may be metal poor. Photometric distance estimates indicate that 22 of the new M, L and T dwarfs lie within 100 pc of the Sun with the newly discovered T dwarf, 2MASS J10595185+3042059, located at about 25 pc. Based on the colors and proper motions of the newly identified objects, several appear to be good subdwarf candidates. The proper motions of known ultracool dwarfs detected in our survey were also measured, including, for the first time, SDSS J085834.42+325627.6 (T1), SDSS J125011.65+392553.9 (T4) and 2MASS J15261405+2043414 (L7).
The Legal Violence of Care: Navigating the US Health Care System While Undocumented and Illegible

Medical sociologists widely conceptualize illegality as a social determinant of health, implicating immigration law but not health care law in immigrant health disparities. Contributing to an emerging literature on legal violence in the context of health care, I explore how the Harris Health System in Houston, Texas legally affects low-income undocumented migrants' lives as they seek care. Drawing on eleven months of ethnographic and interview research with migrants and volunteers at a community-based organization, I argue that the health care system legally exacerbates migrant vulnerability in particular ways. Clerical staff follow medical protocol to deny migrants care on the basis of legibility (i.e., a photo ID), not legality (i.e., legal status), resulting in two classifications of illegality - what I term legible and illegible illegality. The former keeps migrants visible to the state but offers potential care, and the latter legally relegates migrants to the exploitative conditions of informal home care and/or a protracted state of suffering where, for many, death is the only recourse. This research shows that without substantive health reform, health practitioners - physicians, social workers, clerical staff, and home care workers - play an (in)direct role in shaping and normalizing immigrant health disparities.
Effect of Nursing Interventional Package on Urinary Incontinence Among Elderly Women Residing at Kottayam District, Kerala, India

Urinary incontinence is a common and distressing problem of elder women. With a view to assess the effect of nursing interventional package on urinary incontinence a community-based randomized controlled trial was done among 60 elder women (30 in the experimental group and 30 in the controlled group) residing at Kottayam district, Kerala. The data were collected using background information questionnaire and revised urinary incontinence scale. After identifying the elderly women with urinary incontinence randomly assigned them into experimental group and control group. Pretesting of both experimental group and control group was done using revised urinary incontinence scale and implemented the nursing interventional package for the experimental group for one month. The result shows that after the implementation of the intervention the frequency of elderly women with mild incontinence 13, moderate incontinence 11 and severe incontinence 6 is reduced to 14 elder women with no incontinence, 3 with mild incontinence, 4 with moderate incontinence and 9 with severe incontinence. The‘t’ computed between the pretest and posttest score of the revised urinary incontinence scale of experimental group was 17.16 with ‘p’ value 0.001 which is significant. And also the ‘t’ computed between the posttest score of the revised urinary incontinence scale of experimental group and control group was -9.64 with ‘p’ value 0.001 and is significant. The study concluded that the nursing interventional package is effective in relieving the symptoms of urinary incontinence.
Corporal Punishment and Elevated Neural Response to Threat in Children.

Spanking remains common around the world, despite evidence linking corporal punishment to detrimental child outcomes. This study tested whether children (Mage = 11.60) who were spanked (N = 40) exhibited altered neural function in response to stimuli that suggest the presence of an environmental threat compared to children who were not spanked (N = 107). Children who were spanked exhibited greater activation in multiple regions of the medial and lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), including dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, dorsomedial PFC, bilateral frontal pole, and left middle frontal gyrus in response to fearful relative to neutral faces compared to children who were not spanked. These findings suggest that spanking may alter neural responses to environmental threats in a manner similar to more severe forms of maltreatment.
Tumor-derived exosomes: Nanovesicles made by cancer cells to promote cancer metastasis

Abstract Nanomedicine usually refers to nanoparticles that deliver the functional drugs and siRNAs to treat cancer. Recent research has suggested that cancer cells can also make nanoparticles that also deliver functional molecules in promoting cancer metastasis, which is the leading cause of various cancer mortalities. This nanoparticle is called tumor-derived vesicles, or better-known as tumor-derived exosomes (TEXs). TEXs are nanoscale membrane vesicles (30–140 nm) that are released continuously by various types of cancer cells and contain tumor-derived functional biomolecules, including lipids, proteins, and genetic molecules. These endogenous TEXs can interact with host immune cells and epithelial cells locally and systemically. More importantly, they can reprogram the recipient cells in favor of promoting metastasis through facilitating tumor cell local invasion, intravasation, immune evasion, extravasation, and survival and growth in distant organs. Growing evidence suggests that TEXs play a key role in cancer metastasis. Here, we will review the most recent findings of how cancer cells harness TEXs to promote cancer metastasis through modulating vascular permeability, suppressing systemic immune surveillance, and creating metastatic niches. We will also summarize recent research in targeting TEXs to treat cancer metastasis.
A protocol to detect neurodegeneration in Drosophila melanogaster whole-brain mounts using advanced microscopy

Summary Drosophila melanogaster is an excellent model organism to study neurodegeneration. Assessing evident neurodegeneration within the fly brain involves the laborious preparation of thin-sectioned H&E-stained heads to visualize brain vacuole degeneration. Here, we present an advanced microscopy-based protocol, without the need for sectioning, to detect vacuole degeneration within whole fly brains by applying commonly used stains to reveal the brain parenchyma. This approach preserves the whole-brain architecture and enables rapid, reproducible, and quantitative analyses of vacuole-like degeneration associated with specific brain regions. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Behnke et al. (2021) .
How Do Fluctuations in Pain, Fatigue, Anxiety, Depressed Mood, and Perceived Cognitive Function Relate to Same-Day Social Participation in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury?

Objective This study aimed to examine same-day associations of pain, fatigue, depressed mood, anxiety, and perceived cognitive function with social participation in the daily lives of adults with spinal cord injury (SCI). Design Observational study utilized a combination of baseline surveys and 7 end-of-day (EOD) diaries. Setting General community. Participants Individuals with SCI (N = 168; mean age= 49.8 years; 63% male, 37% female). Main outcome measures Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) short form measures (Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities, Pain Intensity, Depression, Anxiety, and Cognitive Function Abilities) were adapted for daily administrations as EOD diaries. Result Results of multilevel modeling showed that daily increases in fatigue (B= -0.10; p=0.004) and depressive symptoms (B= -0.25; p=. Conclusion This is the first study that shows within-person associations of common SCI symptoms with social participation in the daily lives of adults with SCI. Results from the current study may help to develop more effective individualized treatments of symptoms and symptom impact aimed at improving social participation.
Staff support and administrative capacity in strategic planning for local sustainability

Strategic plans are widely used by municipalities as a means of directing their own activities, but relatively few studies have examined factors associated with cities’ decisions to embed sustainab...
Sufficient Conditions for Stability of General Systems

In this section, we give sufficient conditions for stability of the solution x = 0 of (3.1) and illustrate the results with examples. If V: R+ × CH→ R is continuous we let $${\rm{\dot V}}\left( {{\rm{t}},{\rm{\phi }}} \right) = \mathop {\overline {\lim } }\limits_{{\rm{h}} \to 0^ + } \frac{1}{{\rm{h}}}\left[ {{\rm{V}}\left( {{\rm{t + h,x}}_{{\rm{t}} + {\rm{h}}} \left( {{\rm{t}},{\rm{\phi }}} \right)} \right) - {\rm{V}}\left( {{\rm{t}},{\rm{\phi }}} \right)} \right]$$ where xt+h(t,ϕ) is the solution of (3.1) through (t,ϕ). V(t,ϕ) is the upper right hand derivate of V(t,ϕ) along the solutions of (3.1).
Representativeness and Heterogeneous Beliefs Among Individual Investors, Financial Executives, and Academics

This chapter focuses on individual investors, academics, and corporate financial executives. Different distributions give rise to different shapes of the SDF. Individual investors forecast future returns by engaging in trend following and predicting continuation. In this respect they display hot hand fallacy. Moreover, there is significant heterogeneity among forecasts, and the degree of heterogeneity rose as the bull market of the 1990s turned into a bear market during the early 2000s. As a group, academic financial economists also appear to engage in trend extrapolation, at least in respect to their forecasts of the equity premium. Notably, they too exhibit considerable heterogeneity in their forecasts. Notably, during the late 1990s, proponents of traditional asset pricing appeared to hold very different views about the future equity premium than proponents of behavioral finance. However, as the bull market came to an end, the forecasts of traditional economists moved in the direction of their behavioral colleagues. Corporate financial executives also engage in trend following, and their volatility expectations are negatively related to past returns. Notably, executives underestimated market volatility.
Assigning Inquiry: How Handouts for Research Assignments Guide Today's College Students

A report of findings from a content analysis of 191 course-related research assignment handouts distributed to undergraduates on 28 college campuses across the U.S., as part of Project Information Literacy. A majority of handouts in the sample emphasized standards about the mechanics of compiling college research papers, more so than guiding students to finding and using sources for research. Most frequently, handouts advised students to use their campus library shelves and/or online library sources when conducting research for assignments, though most handouts lacked specific details about which of the libraryʼs hundreds of databases to search. Few handouts advised students about using Internet sources, even though many of todayʼs students almost always integrate the Web into their research activities. Very few handouts recommended consulting a librarian about research assignments. Details about evaluating information, plagiarism, and instructor availability appeared in only a minority of the handouts analyzed. The findings suggest that handouts for academic research assignments provide students with more how-to procedures and conventions for preparing a final product for submission, than guidance about conducting research and finding and using information in the digital age.
A Western Legacy: The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum

A Western Legacy: The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. STEVEN L.GRAFE, SUSAN HALLSTEN MCGARRY, CHARLES E. RAND, RICHARD C. RATTENBURY, AND DONALD W. REEVES. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2005. 256 pp.
Screening Ceramic Materials for Intense Radiant Heat Applications

The Sandia 16kW solar furnace was used to expose the candidate materials to high flux density sunlight. The specimen (normally 6 x 6 x 1 in. size) was positioned at the focus of the parabolic concentrator with the attenuator closed. The attenuator was opened incrementally in steps of about 5 W/sq. cm. Each step up was made after holding a constant flux density on the last step for one minute. The specimen was visually observed during the flux density increases using our closed circuit video system. We considered failure to be the flux density at which the specimen started to melt, crack or shrink. While working out this test procedure, it was determined that step plateaus longer than one minute did not alter the flux density at which the specimen failed.
Tetrahedral Bisection and Adaptive Finite Elements

An adaptive finite element algorithm for elliptic boundary value problems in ℝ3 is presented. The algorithm uses linear finite elements, a-posteriori error estimators, a mesh refinement scheme based on bisection of tetrahedra, and a multi-grid solver. We show that the repeated bisection of an arbitrary tetrahedron leads to only a finite number of dissimilar tetrahedra, and that the recursive algorithm ensuring conformity of the meshes produced terminates in a finite number of steps. A procedure for assigning numbers to tetrahedra in a mesh based on a-posteriori error estimates, indicating the degree of refinement of the tetrahedron, is also presented. Numerical examples illustrating the effectiveness of the algorithm are given.
Comparison of the biological responses induced by lipopolysaccharide and endotoxin of Treponema hyodysenteriae and Treponema innocens.

The chemical composition and classical biologic activities of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; phenol-water) and endotoxin (butanol-water) preparations from virulent Treponema hyodysenteriae and avirulent Treponema innocens were examined. The LPS and endotoxin preparations from T. hyodysenteriae B204 contained approximately 80.9 and 35.2% hexose, 0.12 and 0.45% thiobarbituric acid-reactive compound, and less than 1 and 11.3% protein, respectively. The LPS and endotoxin preparations of T. innocens B1555a contained approximately 56.3 and 37.8% hexose, 0.45 and 0.4% thiobarbituric acid-reactive compound, and less than 1 and 26% protein, respectively. A silver-stained 7.5 to 15% sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel showed four bands for the T. hyodysenteriae preparations, while the T. innocens preparations failed to resolve into discrete bands on electrophoresis. We determined by the Limulus amebocyte lysate assay that the treponemal preparations had comparable amounts of endotoxin activity when Escherichia coli LPS was used as a standard. The 50% lethal doses of LPS and endotoxin from T. hyodysenteriae for BALB/cByJ mice were 380 and 80 micrograms, respectively. The treponemal preparations were poor adjuvants, failed to induce a dermal Shwartzman reaction, and were not pyrogenic. The treponemal LPS preparations, unlike the endotoxin preparations, were not mitogenic for murine spleen cells. Differences in virulence between the two treponemal species could not be associated with the biologic activities of the respective LPS or endotoxin moieties, but the endotoxin preparations were consistently more active than the purified LPS preparations. Images
Energy Efficient Parallel Matrix-Matrix Multiplication for DVFS-enabled Clusters

Excessive energy consumption has become one of the major challenges in high performance computing. Reducing the energy consumption of frequently used high performance computing applications not only saves the energy cost but also reduces the greenhouse gas emissions. This paper focuses on developing energy efficient algorithms and software for the widely used matrix-matrix multiplication, so that it is able to consume less energy in a DVFS-enabled cluster with little sacrifice in performance. The state-of-the-art practical parallel matrix matrix multiplication algorithm in ScaLAPACK partitions matrices into small blocks and distributes matrices using a two dimensional block cyclic distribution approach. Experimental results demonstrate that our energy efficient matrix-matrix multiplication algorithm can save up to 26.35% of energy with about 1% performance penalty. And the modified PDGEMM of ScaLAPACK is able to save energy more than 20% with less than 2% of performance loss.
Radioelectrocomplexing: a counterelectrophoretic method for hapten--antibody interaction.

Abstract We have described an application of a radioimmunoassay (RIA) method, known as radioelectrocomplexing (REC), which involves the anodal migration of antigen and the cathodal migration of antibody in agar electrophoresis. The agar is divided into zones of free antigen (DNP125I-HSA) and antigen bound with anti-DNP. Complete assays of anti-DNP can be performed in 2–4 hr since both immune complex formation and separation of free from bound antigen can be accomplished by electrophoresis in 60–90 min. Estimation of the weight of specifically-purified anti-DNP chicken antibodies in the nanogram range by REC is of the same order as the reported sensitivity of other RIA methods. The method was capable of demonstrating the higher avidity of the 17 S than 7 S antibody. Based on hapten inhibition the relative binding constants of DNP derivatives and anti-DNP were of the same order as reported from more definitive methods.
Reading in America : literature & social history

"A rich resource for readers interested in the study of American culture."--'South Atlantic Review. '"The essays are noteworthy in their own right, and the collection overall is unified and coherent...'Reading in America' shows a field in its early stages that is attracting a group of extremely talented scholars."--'Journal of American History.
α-Melanocyte stimulating hormone discloses a stimulatory effect of β-endorphin on somatostatin release

Abstract The influence of α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) and β-endorphin (β-END) on the secretion of somatostatin (SRIF) from the median eminence (ME) was studied using an in vitro incubation system. The MEs from adult male rats were first preincubated at 37 °C for 30 min with constant shaking in 0.4 ml of Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate-glucose buffer (pH 7.4) containing bacitracin in an atmosphere of 95% O 2 /5% CO 2 . Medium was discarded and replaced by medium containing different doses of α-MSH, β-END, or a fixed dose of α-MSH (10 −7 M or 10 −9 M) plus β-END at various concentrations. By themselves α-MSH and β-END did not alter basal SRIF release, but in the presence of α-MSH (10 −7 M) β-END stimulated somatostatin release. This effect was significant at concentrations of β-END of 10 −8 M and higher. The permissive effect of α-MSH was observed at a concentration as low as 10 −9 M, but in this case the stimulatory effect of β-END became evident only at higher doses tested (10 −7 M). It is suggested that α-MSH and β-END participate in the modulation of SRIF release. By themselves β-END and α-MSH did not affect basal release of SRIF but in the presence of α-MSH, β-END had a stimulatory effect on SRIF release. The mechanism for this interaction is unknown. The results are consistent with the possibility that β-END neurons have stimulatory and inhibitory effects on SRIF release and that α-MSH, by blocking the inhibitory components, discloses the stimulatory effect of β-END on SRIF release.
Kinetics of the cubic-to-hexagonal phase transformation in ice doped with Mössbauer ions

Abstract The transformation of cubic to hexagonal ice has been studied by measuring the time dependence of the dependence of the disappearance and reappearance of the Mossbauer effect in frozen aqueous solutions containing ferrous, ferric and europic ions. The rate tranformation is significantly decreased, compared to pure ice, and depends strongly on the identity and concentration of the trapped ions. Our observations indicate that the transformation occurs in at least two stages, with an intermediate state which can persist for extended time periods, and during which no Mossbauer resonance could be detected.
Sterile isolation and cryopreservation of human adherent monocytes/macrophages from mononuclear cell apheresis preparations.

There is evidence from animal and human study that suggests clinical use of monocytes/macrophages may be of benefit in wound healing, tissue regeneration, and cancer therapy. To facilitate further study, a method was developed for sterile isolation and cryopreservation of adherent monocyte/macrophages from mononuclear cell apheresis units collected from unstimulated normal human donors. Preparations contained approximately 1 × 108 total cells and were comprised of approximately 60% monocytes, 38% lymphocytes, and 2% granulocytes. Cells could be cryopreserved for up to 8 months and subsequently thawed and stored at 1–6°C for up to 4 hours with retention of viability and adequate phagocytic function. These cells can be used in clinical trials to determine their possible therapeutic benefit, e.g., whether administration of exogenously supplied cells improves the healing of chronic wounds or promotes the regeneration of transected nerves. (WOUND REP REG 2003;11:145–149)
Direct structural measurements of relaxation processes during transformations in amorphous ice

Sequential structure-factor data have been collected during the transformation from relaxed high-density to low-density amorphous ice at temperatures above 105 K. Trends in the measured structure factor and in particular the height of the first sharp diffraction peak as a function of its position show that, at ambient pressure, this transformation is clearly divided into two distinct structural relaxation trends. The corresponding radial-distribution functions show that the first of these relaxational processes may be described by a continuous depletion of the ``interstitial oxygen'' located in the 3.6 \AA{} region, i.e., between the first- and second-coordination shells of the low-density amorphous form, and a corresponding sharpening of oxygen-oxygen correlations with characteristic lengths of 2.75 and 4.5 \AA{}. At the end of this relaxation process, the basic structural features of the low-density amorphous form have been established and are described by well-defined first- and second-coordination shells. This is followed by a second, distinctly different, relaxation process that is characterized by much smaller changes at 2.75 and 3.6 \AA{} and a smooth expansion at longer length scales.
Written codeswitching in the classroom: can research resolve the tensions?

Abstract Some US researchers and practitioners are calling for the use of written codeswitching in mainstream college courses, despite a strong English-only sentiment among many teachers and the public. This paper describes the existing positions in this debate and presents findings from the author's research to shed light on the debate and make recommendations for the classroom. The research describes the functions of codeswitching found in 47 personal letters exchanged between two young adults. Findings indicate that there are many similarities between the functions of informal written and oral codeswitching. Also, not all bilinguals codeswitch or do so with the same frequency. In addition, bilinguals who codeswitch in writing are more likely to do so in informal situations among other codeswitching bilinguals than in formal school environments. Written codeswitching provides an unsurpassed opportunity for bilingual students to fully express themselves, but its use in the classroom runs counter to lingu...
Hedgehog black holes and the Polyakov loop at strong coupling

In N=4 super-Yang-Mills theory at large N, large {lambda}, and finite temperature, the value of the Wilson-Maldacena loop wrapping the Euclidean time circle (the Polyakov-Maldacena loop, or PML) is computed by the area of a certain minimal surface in the dual supergravity background. This prescription can be used to calculate the free energy as a function of the PML (averaged over the spatial coordinates), by introducing into the bulk action a Lagrange multiplier term that fixes the (average) area of the appropriate minimal surface. This term, which can also be viewed as a chemical potential for the PML, contributes to the bulk stress tensor like a string stretching from the horizon to the boundary (smeared over the angular directions). We find the corresponding 'hedgehog' black hole solutions numerically, within an SO(6)-preserving ansatz, and derive part of the free energy diagram for the PML. As a warm-up problem, we also find exact solutions for hedgehog black holes in pure gravity, and derive the free energy and phase diagrams for that system.
Medication Adherence in Hispanics to Latent Tuberculosis Treatment: A Literature Review

To review the literature on medication adherence for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in Hispanics. Improving adherence to medication regimen could reduce the likelihood of further tuberculosis resistance. A literature review searched for studies of medication adherence in Hispanics in the United States. Data on study purpose, design, population description, method of measuring adherence and main findings were collected. Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. Methods of measuring adherence were mostly indirect. The review identified financial status, health literacy, and cultural factors as important barriers to medication adherence. The relationship between medication adherence and demographics, gender, self-reported health, and side-effects was inconclusive. A balanced relationship between the patient and healthcare provider could increase adherence. Limited availability of published literature show there are important gaps in the conceptual understanding of this problem. Additional research is needed identify factors affecting medication adherence in Hispanics with LTBI.
Olfactory bulb transplantation into the olfactory bulb of neonatal rats: a WGA-HRP study.

Abstract After unilateral bulbectomy in neonatal (P1–P5) rats, autoradiographically prelabeled presumptive olfactory bulbs from E15 and E17 embryos were transplanted in place of the removed tissue. After 2–7 months, the animals received injections of wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) into the piriform cortex. Nine of the twenty animals revealed WGA-HRP-positive neurons among neurons autoradiographically labeled, providing thus evidence that the axons of the output neurons from the homotopically transplanted olfactory bulb reconnect with the host piriform cortex.
Liquid Helium Vapor Pressure Equation

An empirical equation for the vapor pressure of liquid helium has been developed. This equation is valid throughout the entire range of temperatures below the critical point, and is in accord with the latest available data on the vapor pressure to within about \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.002\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K.
Outflow graft thrombectomy during HeartMate II left ventricular assist device exchange

We report the pump exchange secondary to a detached bend relief sheath of a HeartMate II (Thoratec Corporation, Pleasanton, CA, USA) left ventricular assist device, consistent with previous Food and Drug Administration warnings. This report highlights a thrombectomy technique and reuse of the outflow graft during subcostal pump exchange in a patient with relative contraindications to repeat sternotomy.
Time-Dependent Ginzburg–Landau: From Single Particle to Collective Behavior

The Ginzburg–Landau theory of phase transitions is one of the most successful and elegant theories that have a very general applicability to a large variety of phenomena. Moreover, its extension into time domain has produced a wealth of interesting new predictions and applications all the way from materials science to cosmology. Here, we describe applications of time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau theory to conventional superconductors and show that there is a clear-cut transition in the time dependence from single particle to collective behavior as a function temperature.
Recent advances and applications of mid-infrared based trace gas sensor technology

Recent advances in the development of sensors based on infrared quantum cascade lasers for the detection of trace gas species is reported. Several selected examples of applications in environmental and industrial process monitoring as well as in medical diagnostics using quartz enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy and laser absorption spectroscopy will be described.
Ciprofloxacin Modulates Cytokine/Chemokine Profile in Serum, Improves Bone Marrow Repopulation, and Limits Apoptosis and Autophagy in Ileum after Whole Body Ionizing Irradiation Combined with Skin-Wound Trauma

Radiation combined injury (CI) is a radiation injury (RI) combined with other types of injury, which generally leads to greater mortality than RI alone. A spectrum of specific, time-dependent pathophysiological changes is associated with CI. Of these changes, the massive release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, severe hematopoietic and gastrointestinal losses and bacterial sepsis are important treatment targets to improve survival. Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is known to have immunomodulatory effect besides the antimicrobial activity. The present study reports that CIP ameliorated pathophysiological changes unique to CI that later led to major mortality. B6D2F1/J mice received CI on day 0, by RI followed by wound trauma, and were treated with CIP (90 mg/kg p.o., q.d. within 2 h after CI through day 10). At day 10, CIP treatment not only significantly reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine concentrations, including interleukin-6 (IL-6) and KC (i.e., IL-8 in human), but it also enhanced IL-3 production compared to vehicle-treated controls. Mice treated with CIP displayed a greater repopulation of bone marrow cells. CIP also limited CI-induced apoptosis and autophagy in ileal villi, systemic bacterial infection, and IgA production. CIP treatment led to LD0/10 compared to LD20/10 for vehicle-treated group after CI. Given the multiple beneficial activities of CIP shown in our experiments, CIP may prove to be a useful therapeutic drug for CI.
LOCALIZATION AND PARTIAL CHARACTERIZATION OF MELATONIN RECEPTORS IN AMPHIOXUS, HAGFISH, LAMPREY, AND SKATE

Through its secretion of melatonin, the pineal complex of vertebrates exerts a range of physiological effects including regulation of circadian rhythms, seasonal reproduction, metamorphosis, and body color change. Little is known about phylogenetic differences in the distribution and characteristics of melatonin binding sites in fishes. We used in vitro autoradiography to examine binding of [2-125I]iodomelatonin (IMEL) in 20-micron frozen sections of amphioxus (Branchiostoma lanceolatum), Atlantic hagfish (Myxine glutinosa), larval and adult lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), little skate (Raja erinacea), and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Tissue was incubated with IMEL in the presence or absence of unlabeled melatonin (1 muM, in order to assess nonspecific binding). A concentration of 32 pM IMEL was used for single point assays and competition studies. No specific binding was found in hagfish or amphioxus, which lack a pineal complex. In the optic tecta of lamprey, skate, and trout, IMEL binding is highly specific (melatonin >> N-acetylserotonin > 5- methoxytryptophol >> serotonin). Scatchard analysis revealed that the tectal binding sites are of high affinity (Kd = 36, 38, and 50 pM) and low capacity (Bmax = 8.1, 19.8, and 21.8 fmol/mg protein) in lamprey, skate, and trout, respectively. In adult lampreys, intense specific IMEL binding is found in the optic tectum (layer I > II > III) and preoptic nucleus (pars parvocellularis > magnocellularis). Binding was less intense and consistent in the same areas of ammocoete brain. In skates and trout, intense specific binding is found in optic tectum, lateral geniculate body, diencephalic preoptic and suprachiasmatic nuclei, basal hypothalamus, and the medial pallium. These results indicate that specific melatonin binding sites are present in all craniate taxa examined except in hagfish. Although we cannot rule out the possibility that melatonin receptors are secondarily lost in hagfish, their absence in amphioxus makes this unlikely. We speculate that melatonin actions in early vertebrates may have included regulation of visual and endocrine responses to light.
Reimbursement and insurance coverage in cases of suspected sexual abuse in the emergency department

Abstract Objective. To characterize third party payor types and rates of reimbursement for hospital costs in emergency department (ED) evaluations of preadolescents presenting as suspected victims of sexual abuse (SSA). Design and Methods. Retrospective chart review, comparing a set of 186 SSA patients with 623 evaluated for upper limb fracture and cumulative reimbursement and insurance data for all patients presenting to the ED during a 12-month period. Results. A greater percentage of SSA patients was uninsured (N = 96, 52%) as compared to patients with fractures (N = 9, 1%); 23% of all ED billing came from the uninsured. Of the 96 self-pay SSA patients' bills only 4% reimbursement was received. Of the insured, a greater percentage of the SSA patients was covered by publicly-funded plans (N = 59, 66%) as compared to fracture patients (N = 327, 52%). A lower percentage of insured SSA bill reimbursement was received from publicly-funded insurance than from commercial insurance (28% vs. 58%). Conclusions. Hospital costs of SSA patients are more often and to a greater degree underwritten by the hospital itself as a result of lower reimbursement and a higher percentage of uninsured and publicly-funded plans in that group, raising critical questions about how care for children with serious socially-based diagnoses is delivered and funded.
Structure-based design of a lysozyme with altered catalytic activity

Here we show that the substitution Thr 26→His in the active site of T4 lysozyme causes the product to change from the α- to the β-anomer. This implies an alteration in the catalytic mechanism of the enzyme. From the change in product, together with inspection of relevant crystal structures, it is inferred that wild-type T4 lysozyme is an anomer-inverting enzyme with a single displacement mechanism in which water attacks from the α-side of the substrate. In contrast, the mutant T26H is an anomer-retaining enzyme with an apparently double displacement mechanism in which a water molecule attacks from the opposite side of the substrate. The results also show that the mechanism of wild-type T4 lysozyme differs from that of hen egg-white lysozyme even though both enzymes are presumed to have evolved from a common precursor.
Credit Default Swap Market Determinants

This article explores the ability of variables suggested by structural models to explain variation in credit default swap (CDS) spread changes. Using monthly changes in CDS spreads for 333 firms from January 2001–March 2006, Greatrex finds that these variables are able to explain 35% of the variation in CDS spread changes. A rating-based CDS index that accounts for overall market conditions is the single best predictor of CDS spread changes. Leverage and volatility, however, are also key determinants, as these two variables can account for approximately half of the explained variation in monthly CDS spread changes.
Social-Based Trust in Mobile Opportunistic Networks

The fundamental challenge in opportunistic networking, regardless of the application, is enabling node cooperation in order to forward a message. While node cooperation is considered as a fundamental property in such networks, ensuring such a property between two devices in mobile opportunistic networks remains largely unexplored. In this paper, we investigate the potential impact of the lack of trust on node cooperation. We adopt a real-trace driven approach to study and analyze the trade-off between trust and success delivery rates in opportunistic networks. We first explore leveraging social information to establish trustworthy communication for mobile opportunistic networks. We then propose six trust based filters that use three social-based estimators of trust including common interests, common friends, and the distance in the social graph, coupled with two major techniques of trust establishment including Relay-to-Relay, and Source-to-Relay. We finally show that our trust filters yield a fair trade-off between trust and success rate by achieving more than 35\% success rate compared to an untrusted environment where 10% of the nodes refuse to cooperate in the absence of trust.
Business as Unusual: Conglomerate-Sized Challenges for Film and Television in the Digital Arena

Abstract This article examines the diverse strategies that the film and television divisions of media conglomerates have employed in circulating their properties online. The author shows how historical relationships as well as long-standing business practices tied to both theatrical motion pictures and prime-time television series have affected decisions about what, where, when, and how content is offered on the Internet. Comparing the Internet-related activities of these different divisions sheds light on the distinct challenges each medium faces in the online realm and also points to the complex nature of the responses of contemporary media conglomerates to new technologies.
Myoid gonadal stromal tumor: a clinicopathologic study of three cases of a distinctive testicular tumor.

Objectives: To report three new cases of testicular myoid gonadal stromal tumor to better characterize its features. Methods: The clinicopathologic findings (including follow-up) were evaluated and a review of the literature was performed. Results: The patients were 38, 43, and 59 years old, and tumor sizes were 1.2, 1.3, and 3.2 cm. All were unilateral, well circumscribed, adjacent to the rete testis, and composed exclusively of spindled cells with elongated nuclei and occasional nuclear grooves arranged in fascicles with admixed variably ectatic blood vessels. Nucleoli were inconspicuous, and the cytoplasm was scant, ill-defined, and pale/lightly eosinophilic. No sex cord component was present. Mitotic figures ranged from zero to five per 10 high-power fields. Significant atypia, lymphovascular invasion, and necrosis were absent. All were consistently positive for smooth muscle actin, S100 protein, FOXL2, and steroidogenic factor 1 but negative for h-caldesmon, calretinin, and SOX9. Inhibin and calponin were focally positive. All patients were alive and well at 5, 31, and 58 months postorchiectomy. Combining our cases with those previously reported (n = 6) shows that this neoplasm occurs mostly in younger men (mean, 37 years), and all follow-up thus far (mean, 25 months) has been benign. Conclusions: Myoid gonadal stromal tumors are small (<4 cm) indolent testicular tumors distinctly different from other sex cord–stromal tumors and are adequately managed by orchiectomy.
Coordination of JNK1 and JNK2 Is Critical for GADD45α Induction and Its Mediated Cell Apoptosis in Arsenite Responses

Arsenite is a well documented environmental pathogen, whereas it has also been applied as medication to treat various neoplasmas. The pathogenic and therapeutic effects of arsenite are associated with cellular apoptotic responses. However, the molecular mechanisms of arsenite-induced apoptosis are not very well understood. Our previous study has shown that arsenite exposure is able to activate JNKs, which subsequently mediate the apoptotic outcome. The present study further revealed that the coordination of JNK1 and JNK2 was critical for the arsenite-induced expression of GADD45α (growth arrest and DNA damage 45α), which in turn mediated the cellular apoptosis. The arsenite-induced apoptosis and GADD45α expression were significantly impaired in mouse embryonic fibroblasts deficient in either jnk1 (JNK1–/–) or jnk2 (JNK2–/–). Knockdown of GADD45α by its specific small interfering RNA also dramatically reduced the apoptotic responses, and overexpression of GADD45α in either JNK1–/– or JNK2–/– mouse embryonic fibroblasts partially resensitized the cell death. Furthermore, it was found that the regulation of GADD45α by JNK1 and JNK2 was achieved through mediating the activation of c-Jun, since in the JNK1–/– and JNK2–/– cells the c-Jun activation was impaired, and overexpression of the dominant negative mutant of c-Jun (TAM67) in wild type cells could also block GADD45α induction as well as cellular apoptosis. Our results demonstrate that the coordination of JNK1 and JNK2 is critical for c-Jun/GADD45α-mediated cellular apoptosis induced by arsenite.