cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mindfulness predicts current risk of opioid analgesic misuse in chronic low back pain patients receiving opioid therapy

Abstract Background Acceptance and mindfulness processes indicating psychological flexibility may be important mechanisms in chronic pain adaptation; however, their association with opioid analgesic misuse (OA) risk is unclear. The present study investigated the extent to which psychological flexibility is associated with OA misuse risk within a chronic low back pain population on long-term opioid therapy. Methods Participants were 156 patients presenting for treatment at an academic pain clinic. Aspects of psychological flexibility were assessed using the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II (AAQ II). The Current Opioid Misuse Measure (COMM) determined heightened risk of opioid analgesic misuse. Participants were 59% female, 48.3 years old on average (SD = 9.8), and largely White, Hispanic. Results Nested multiple linear regression indicated that the higher mindfulness levels predicted opioid misuse risk while controlling for pain severity, pain-related interference, pain anxiety, and acceptance. The full regression model predicted 54% of the variance in OA misuse risk. Conclusion Results suggest that psychological flexibility, particularly mindfulness processes, may be important in predicting and mitigating OA misuse risks among chronic pain patients. Non-pharmacological interventions are critical to addressing the current opioid misuse crisis.
THz Gas Sensing with Submillimeter Techniques

There has been considerable interest in the use of the Submillimeter/THz (SMM/THz) spectral region for gas analysis and detection. This has been driven both by the importance of the application and the THz-TDS community. In this paper we will discuss and compare the attributes of an attractive alternative: cw submillimeter spectroscopy. Particular attention will be paid to sensitivity, specificity, and the investigations of harsh environments. A particularly simple system approach, the FAst Scan Submillimeter Spectroscopy Technique (FASSST), will be discussed and a compact and potentially very low cost implementation described. Results will be presented which include the analyses of complex mixtures of gases with absolute specificity.
Resolving the two-dimensional axial next-nearest-neighbor Ising model using transfer matrices

Some features of the phase diagram of the two-dimensional axial next-nearest-neighbor Ising model have long been debated. The extended structural correlations and long relaxation times associated with its Kosterlitz-Thouless phase indeed result in analytical and numerical treatments making contradictory predictions. Here, we introduce a numerical transfer matrix approach that bypasses these problems and thus clears up various ambiguities. In particular, we confirm the transition temperatures and the order of the transition to the floating incommensurate phase. Our approach motivates considering transfer matrices for solving long-standing problems in related models.
Smartphone-based incentives for promoting adherence to antiretroviral therapy: A randomized controlled trial

Antiretroviral therapy can improve the lives of people living with HIV and reduce the rate of transmission. However, high levels of adherence are required. Some people living with HIV, including people who use drugs, are at elevated risk for non-adherence. Contingency management is a promising intervention for promoting adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Barriers to adoption of contingency management include lack of provider expertise and implementation effort. To address these barriers, a smartphone-based adherence intervention was developed. HIV + people with a substance use disorder were required to submit video selfies of medication consumption that met validity criteria. Monetary incentives were delivered to participants via reloadable debit cards, contingent upon a valid video. The intervention was evaluated in a small (n = 50) randomized controlled trial. Intervention participants submitted 75% of possible videos, and 81% of videos met validity criteria, indicating a high level of usability. Participants also rated the intervention as highly acceptable. Adherence was measured as the percent of participants who achieved a 95% adherence threshold, and also as the overall percent of days in which participants were adherent to their antiretroviral therapy. The former showed a significant effect for group, (p = .034) but this was not maintained when adjusting for stratification variables as covariates (p = .094). The latter measure showed a significant group × time interaction. Smartphone-based contingency management is a promising method for promoting adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Assessing the cost-benefit of the intervention and development of strategies for long-term adherence are priorities for future research.
Does Behavioral Dysregulation Moderate the Links Between Contextual Factors and Substance Use Among Detained Youth

This study examined whether behavioral dysregulation moderated associations between individual contextual factors (i.e. psychological control, peer delinquency, peer victimization, and negative lif...
Specific phenotypic, genomic, and fitness evolutionary trajectories toward streptomycin resistance induced by pesticide co-stressors in Escherichia coli

To explore how co-occurring non-antibiotic environmental stressors affect evolutionary trajectories toward antibiotic resistance, we exposed susceptible Escherichia coli K-12 populations to environmentally relevant levels of pesticides and streptomycin for 500 generations. The coexposure substantially changed the phenotypic, genotypic, and fitness evolutionary trajectories, resulting in much stronger streptomycin resistance (>15-fold increase) of the populations. Antibiotic target modification mutations in rpsL and rsmG, which emerged and dominated at late stages of evolution, conferred the strong resistance even with less than 1% abundance, while the off-target mutations in nuoG, nuoL, glnE, and yaiW dominated at early stages only led to mild resistance (2.5–6-fold increase). Moreover, the strongly resistant mutants exhibited lower fitness costs even without the selective pressure and had lower minimal selection concentrations than the mildly resistant ones. Removal of the selective pressure did not reverse the strong resistance of coexposed populations at a later evolutionary stage. The findings suggest higher risks of the selection and propagation of strong antibiotic resistance in environments potentially impacted by antibiotics and pesticides.
Longitudinal associations of neighborhood environment features with pediatric body mass index

Abstract Introduction It has been posited that policies to promote child health and prevent obesity should target neighborhood environments but evidence on the impact of neighborhoods on child weight is conflicting and longitudinal studies (which have benefits for causal inference) are scarce. Methods We used electronic health records (2007–2016) from an urban, pediatric integrated delivery system and linked children (N = 51,873, ages 6–19 years, 77% African American) to neighborhood-level data to investigate how changes in neighborhood environments relate to changes in body mass index (BMI). Measures of neighborhood environment were resources for healthy foods and physical activity (‘resources’), greenness, violent crime rate, perceived safety and social cohesion. Fixed effects models estimated associations between changes in neighborhood environment exposures and changes in BMI z-score and whether effects differed by sex, baseline age, neighborhood socioeconomic status and population density. Results Approximately 22% of the cohort was obese (BMI z-score ≥ 95th percentile). In adjusted models, increases in neighborhood greenness and perceived safety were associated with decreases in BMI z-score (mean change in BMI z-score for 1-SD increase for both: -0.012; 95% CI= (−0.018, −0.007)). Increases in neighborhood safety had a stronger effect in children ages 6–10 years than in older children. Increases in social cohesion were associated with increases in BMI z-score (mean change: 0.005 95% CI = (0.003, 0.008)) especially in boys. Increases in food and physical activity resources were not associated with changes in BMI. Conclusions This study suggests that increasing neighborhood greenness and safety are potential approaches to reduce children's BMI.
DE NOUVEAUX DROITS ET PRINCIPES POUR L'ENVIRONNEMENT (New Rights and Principles for the Environment)

French Abstract: L’application des droits traditionnels a l’environnement est indispensable, mais pour autant elle demeure insuffisante. C’est pourquoi des droits nouveaux, specifiques a l’environnement, ont emerge dans de nombreux pays depuis des decennies, souvent a la suite de declarations internationales, comme celles de Stockholm en 1972, ou de Rio, en 1992. Ces droits sont relativement nombreux, et ils sont generalement, mais pas toujours, des declinaisons du droit de l’homme a un environnement sain. Erin Daly et James May, auteurs d’un des ouvrages les plus importants sur la question, presentent ici un panorama general de cette question dans le monde. Il conviendra ensuite d’approfondir certains aspects de cette question en France pour observer l’incidence inegale de certains de ces droits. English Abstract: This chapter assesses the development of environmental rights in France and throughout the world, and prospects for implementation going forward.
Examining Front-of-Package Product Names and Ingredient Lists of Infant and Toddler Food Containing Vegetables

Abstract Objective To investigate the alignment between vegetables and fruits listed in the ingredients of commercially produced infant and toddler food (ITF) and inclusion in front-of-package product names. Design A database of commercial ITF containing vegetables (n = 548) was created. Inclusion of each vegetable or fruit in the product name (yes/no), form (ie, whole/puree, juice/juice concentrate, etc), and ingredient list position (ie, first, second) were recorded. Vegetables were classified per US Department of Agriculture categories; fruits were classified into 2 categories. Analysis Chi-square tests of association tested associations between product name inclusion and (1) vegetable and fruit category, (2) form, and (3) form by category. Results Associations were observed between vegetable and fruit categories and inclusion in product names [χ2 (6, N = 1,462) = 70.3, P Conclusions and Implications Substantial discrepancies exist between ITF ingredient lists and front-of-package product names. When only front-of-package information informs purchases, caregivers may not be purchasing products that facilitate children's building of vegetable preferences.
Quantile Regression Evidence on Italian Education Returns

This study intends to provide some updated empirical evidence on Italian Education Returns through Quantile Regression. Such a methodology enables us to explore the (Quantile Treatment) Effect of Schooling on the (shape of) income conditional distribution (viewed as reflecting the distribution of unobservable ability), and to analyze indirectly the education-ability interaction in the generation of human capital, and its effect on earnings. We obtain estimates displaying a U-shaped pattern, i.e. higher returns at the highest and lowest quantiles of income, suggesting substitution among human capital factors for low ability individuals, and complementarity for high ability earners.
Trastuzumab induced diastolic heart failure

Background: Trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity has been well accepted. Cardiotoxicity especially with concomitant or sequential use of anthracycline has been clinically identified as decreased left ventricular ejection fraction with or without symptoms of heart failure. Acute diastolic heart failure has not been reported. Case report : A 62-year-old female patient with HER2 + positive breast cancer presented to the emergency room with acute heart failure symptoms after trastuzumab use. Chest X-ray and CT demonstrated acute pulmonary edema. Echocardiography showed normal left ventricular ejection fraction, elevated left ventricular filling pressure, and moderate pulmonary hypertension, which are consistent with acute diastolic heart failure. The patient symptoms resolved quickly with diuretic therapy and Trastuzumab was discontinued. A follow-up echocardiography showed normal left and right ventricular function and a follow-up right heart catheterization demonstrated normal cardiac filling pressure and normal cardiac index. Conclusions: Trastuzumab induced cardiac toxicity could occur in a spectrum - from transient diastolic heart failure to systolic heart failure. The monitoring of both diastolic and systolic function during the course of trastuzumab treatment with or without other chemotherapy agents should be considered. Normal 0 false false false EN-US ZH-CN X-NONE
Initiation of esophageal secondary peristalsis by slow fluid infusion in the opossum: effect of hydrochloric acid

We investigated the mechanisms of slow fluid infusion-induced secondary peristalsis and the effects of hydrochloric acid on this response. In 13 chronically esophagostomized opossum, acidic and neutral barium sulfate were infused into the distal esophagus at a rate of 1.1 ml/min, while recording the esophageal dimension by videofluoroscopy and esophageal intraluminal pressure concurrently. The effects of atropine, tetrodotoxin, capsaicin, and bilateral cervical vagotomy on the response to slow fluid infusion were examined. Acidic barium initiated secondary peristalsis more frequently and at shorter latency with less increase of preperistaltic intraesophageal pressure than neutral barium (P < 0.05). Atropine abolished secondary peristalsis initiated by neutral barium. For acidic barium, atropine decreased the incidence of secondary peristalsis, increased the latency for initiation of secondary peristalsis, and initiated secondary peristalsis more distally (P < 0.05). Tetrodotoxin or vagotomy and capsaicin abolished activation of secondary peristalsis. We concluded that secondary peristalsis can be stimulated in response to slow distension by minute amounts of fluid. This peristalsis is atropine and capsaicin sensitive and vagally mediated. The presence of acid significantly lowers the threshold for stimulation of secondary peristalsis induced by slow fluid distension. This effect seems to be atropine resistant.
Microbial penetration and utilization of organic aircraft fuel-tank coatings.

Abstract Microorganisms have been found as contaminants in various types of aircraft fuel tanks. Their presence introduces problems in the operation of the aircraft, including destruction of components such as the organic coatings used as protective linings in the fuel tanks. Microbial penetration and utilization of the currently used organic coatings, EC 776, DV 1180, PR 1560, and DeSoto 1080, were determined by changes in electrical resistances of the coatings; mycelial weight changes; growth counts of the bacteria; and manometric determinations on Pseudomonas aeruginosa (GD-FW B-25) and Cladosporium resinae (QMC-7998). The results indicate EC 776 and DV 1180 to be less resistant to microbial degradation than the other coatings. Organic coatings, serving as a source of nutrition, would be conducive to population buildups in aircraft fuel tanks.
Neurological complications of immune reconstitution in HIV‐infected populations

The introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has transformed this disease from a fatal infection to a chronic yet manageable condition by restoring immune function. All the same, this restoration of immune response in some may be associated with deterioration in clinical status, which has been termed immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS). This syndrome often occurs in the context of an underlying opportunistic infection and develops after an interval of weeks to months after the initiation of HAART. Occasionally, IRIS may occur in the brain without any opportunistic infection, which presents as a T cell-mediated encephalitis. This paradoxical infiltration of previously immune suppressed patients with T cells represents a diagnostic challenge and a treatment dilemma. Nonetheless, CNS-IRIS with or without an opportunistic infection can range in severity. Severe cases can be fatal and hence require intervention with steroid treatment. This review discusses the diagnosis, clinical manifestations, risk factors, pathophysiology, and potential treatment strategies of the various forms of IRIS that involve the nervous system.
Water acquisition and partitioning in Drosophila melanogaster: effects of selection for desiccation-resistance.

SUMMARY We examined physiological features related to water balance in five replicate populations of Drosophila melanogaster that have undergone selection for enhanced resistance to desiccation (D populations) and in five replicate control (C) populations. Adult D flies contain 34 % more water than the control flies. We examined two hypotheses for increased water acquisition in the D flies: (i) that they accumulate more water early in development and (ii) that they have a reduced post-eclosion diuretic water loss. We found no evidence of differential water or dry mass acquisition between the C and D populations prior to adulthood. We also found no evidence of differential post-eclosion diuresis, i.e. both C and D groups showed insignificant changes in water volume in the 4 h period immediately after eclosion. In addition, we quantified water content in the intra- and extracellular compartments of the C and D populations and were able to identify the hemolymph as the primary storage site of the ‘extra’ water carried by the desiccation-resistant flies. We estimated that 68 % of the increased water volume observed in the D flies was contained in the hemolymph. Desiccation-resistance was strongly correlated with hemolymph volume and only weakly with intracellular water volume. Survival during desiccation was also strongly related to the carbohydrate content of the D flies. It has been presumed that the D flies accumulate carbohydrate primarily as intracellular glycogen, which would result in a significant increase in intracellular water volume. We found that carbohydrate content was weakly correlated with intracellular water volume and more strongly with hemolymph volume. The carbohydrate pool in the D flies may, therefore, be contained in the extracellular compartment as well as in cells. These results are suggestive of the importance of modifications in hemolymph volume and hemolymph solute concentrations in the evolution of enhanced desiccation-tolerance in populations of Drosophila melanogaster .
Family involvement in residential treatment of children with retardation: is there evidence of detachment?

Family involvement could be critical for successful residential treatment. Historically, however, out of home placement for children wish mental retardation meant a severing of meaningful ties with their families. Today, families have greater involvement with pre-placement services and might be more involved in residential treatment as well. Families (N= 55) were interviewed twice, approximately one and two years after placement, to assess their involvement with the child and their reactions to placement. Contrary to previous findings, family involvement was high and stable; there was no evidence of behavioral detachment. Moreover, respondents primarily reported post -placement benefits to the family. Family emotional reactions were considered within a framework of “psychological tasks of placement”.
Characterization of the intrinsic activity for a novel class of cannabinoid receptor ligands: Indole quinuclidine analogs

Our laboratory recently reported that a group of novel indole quinuclidine analogs bind with nanomolar affinity to cannabinoid type-1 and type-2 receptors. This study characterized the intrinsic activity of these compounds by determining whether they exhibit agonist, antagonist, or inverse agonist activity at cannabinoid type-1 and/or type-2 receptors. Cannabinoid receptors activate Gi/Go-proteins that then proceed to inhibit activity of the downstream intracellular effector adenylyl cyclase. Therefore, intrinsic activity was quantified by measuring the ability of compounds to modulate levels of intracellular cAMP in intact cells. Concerning cannabinoid type-1 receptors endogenously expressed in Neuro2A cells, a single analog exhibited agonist activity, while eight acted as neutral antagonists and two possessed inverse agonist activity. For cannabinoid type-2 receptors stably expressed in CHO cells, all but two analogs acted as agonists; these two exceptions exhibited inverse agonist activity. Confirming specificity at cannabinoid type-1 receptors, modulation of adenylyl cyclase activity by all proposed agonists and inverse agonists was blocked by co-incubation with the neutral cannabinoid type-1 antagonist O-2050. All proposed cannabinoid type-1 receptor antagonists attenuated adenylyl cyclase modulation by cannabinoid agonist CP-55,940. Specificity at cannabinoid type-2 receptors was confirmed by failure of all compounds to modulate adenylyl cyclase activity in CHO cells devoid of cannabinoid type-2 receptors. Further characterization of select analogs demonstrated concentration-dependent modulation of adenylyl cyclase activity with potencies similar to their respective affinities for cannabinoid receptors. Therefore, indole quinuclidines are a novel structural class of compounds exhibiting high affinity and a range of intrinsic activity at cannabinoid type-1 and type-2 receptors.
Of Disasters, Status, and Health

This paper examines if socioeconomic status can explain the way health is affected from exposure to environmental extremes. The paper starts with the hypothesis that deficits in health in the event of a disaster may overlap with deficits in achieved and ascribed social status at the time of the disaster event. To test this hypothesis, the paper draws upon a rich dataset from flood-devastated Bangladesh, and describes disease incidences across various poles of social and identity stratification. Causal roles of different indicators of socioeconomic status (viz., consumption expenditure, education, occupation, and asset ownership), vis-a-vis severity of disaster exposure, in affecting disease incidences are then analyzed, taking into account the differences in innate physiological status of exposed individuals (as determined by their age and gender). In light of the empirical results, the paper fails to reject its initial hypothesis, and concludes: while disaster exposure increases risk of ailment, this risk is independently affected by social deprivation and inequities embedded in a stratified society.
Mutations induced in a shuttle vector plasmid exposed to monofunctionally activated mitomycin C

Reductive activation of mitomycin C leads to its covalent binding to DNA, forming monoadducts and cross-links. The cytotoxicity of mitomycin C has been attributed to cross-link formation, whereas monoadducts are assumed to cause mutagenicity. We have developed a 32P-postlabeling technique to measure mitomycin C DNA adducts. Using this technique, we have measured monoadduct formation in the shuttle vector plasmid pSP189 and have determined mutations induced by monoadduct formation. The shuttle vector plasmid was incubated with mitomycin C under conditions favoring monofunctional activation of mitomycin C. The plasmid was then replicated in human Ad293 cells, rescued in bacteria, and analyzed for mutations in the supF tRNA gene sequence of pSP189. One major mitomycin C/DNA adduct was observed by 32P-postla-beling and was characterized as a monoadduct ofguanine. When pSP189 was exposed to monofunctionally activated mitomycin C, increases in adduct levels and mutation frequency were found to be related to mitomycin C concentration. The majority of the mutations involved single bases, with base substitutions making up 59.1% of the total mutations observed. Of the base substitutions, 67.2% were transversions and 32.8% were transitions, with nearly 80% of all base substitutions involving G:C base pairs. Deletions, either as single bases or large deletions, also involved G:C base pairs the majority of the time. The observed bias of mutations atG:C and the formation of a mitomycin C/DNA monoadduct involving guanine suggests that monoadduct formation may be responsible for the mutations. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 29:143–151, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Single-Strip Decohesion Test to Characterize Nano-Scale Thin Film Delamination

A new test method, Single-Strip Decohesion Test (SSDT), has been developed and used to measure the interfacial fracture toughness of nano-scale thin film on substrate. This fixtureless test employs a stress-engineered superlayer deposited on patterned titanium (Ti) film strips to supply the energy for the delamination from a thick silicon (Si) substrate. The amount of energy available for delamination propagation is varied by fabricating an etchable thin release layer of varying width between the film strips and the substrate. By designing a decreasing area of the release layer, it is possible to arrest the delamination at a given location, and the interfacial fracture toughness or critical energy release rate can be found at the location where the delamination ceases to propagate. Common IC fabrication techniques are used to prepare the sample and execute the test, thereby making the test compatible with current microelectronic or MEMS facilities and suitable for in process measurement of thin film adhesion strength. The methodology presented in this paper is generic in nature, and can be used to measure the process-dependent interfacial fracture toughness of various micro-scale and nano-scale thin film interfaces. Ti thin film with thickness ranging from 5nm to 100nm can be studied using this method.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Light Microscopic Criteria for the Diagnosis of Early Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus: A Comparison With Lichen Planus

Lichen sclerosus (LS) and lichen planus (LP) are two conditions frequently affecting genital skin whose clinical and histologic distinction can be difficult. Both diseases can feature solitary genital lesions with bandlike lymphocytic infiltrates. We reviewed 68 cases of vulvar LS to find sections that contained a transition from a lichenoid interface reaction to pathognomonic LS (i.e., marked papillary dermal sclerosis or edema), and in these nine cases we studied routinely and specially stained sections, as well as sections stained with a panel of antisera to lymphoid antigens, and compared the findings with those in six cases of genital LP. We assumed that changes at the periphery of a lesion of LS mirror findings seen in early lesions. The features that we found more commonly in the inflammatory phase of LS included a psoriasiform lichenoid pattern (100% LS, 0% LP), basilar epidermotropism (78% LS, 0% LP), loss of papillary dermal elastic fibers (100% LS, 33% LP), basement membrane thickening (44% LS, 0% LP), and epidermal atrophy (33% LS, 0% LP). Features found more commonly in LP included many cytoid bodies (0% LS, 100% LP), wedge-shaped hypergranulosis (11% LS, 100% LP), basal squamatization (22% LS, 100% LP), and pointed rete ridges (11% LS, 83% LP). We did not detect any significant differences in the immunohistochemical features of the infiltrates. Taken together, these histologic features comprise light microscopic criteria for the diagnosis of early vulvar LS and its differentiation from LP.
The effects of neurotensin, β-endorphin and bombesin on ethanol-induced behaviors in mice

The effects of the three peptides neurotensin, β-endorphin, and bombesin on ethanol-induced behaviors were studied in mice. Intracisternal administration of these peptides to mice prolonged the duration of sleep induced by ethanol (5.2 g/kg). Neurotensin and β-endorphin also enhanced thanol-induced hypothermia. None of the peptides, when administered alone, produced sleep. Lowever, all three compounds impaired the aerial righting reflex and induced sleep when followed by an IP dose of ethanol (3.5 g/kg), which alone did not induce sleep. These results, taken together with previous findings, suggest that neuropeptides may be involved in the complex mechanisms of action of ethanol on the CNS.
Floyd Alonzo McClure (1897–1970) — A Tribute

The many friends of Floyd Alonzo McClure were saddened by his death on April 15, 1970, short a few months of his seventy-third birthday. Those who knew him personally lost a true friend, and the world lost a teacher and pre-eminent authority on bamboos, the tree grasses. A former Chinese student likened McClure's life to the villager who, after gazing for years at the Great Stone Face on the mountain, became himself the person with wisdom, strength, honesty, and solidarity like that of the mountain, the person the whole village had been searching for. Bamboo was Floyd McClure's Great Stone Face and teacher of truth in the green plant world. My friendship and admiration for Mickey, as his friends knew him, came naturally from the first time we met some years ago at the Smithsonian Institution. He was the sort of man who became a friend for life. He was at once a kind, understanding and sincere personality, compassionate, a scholar, and a bit of a poet. He was emotionally inspiring and had the ability of bringing out the best in others. I remember him most of all for his simple modesty, his generosity, his intelligence, cheerful spirit, and his inquiring mind. He loved his plants. At his home in Bethesda, Maryland, he maintainied an extensive study collection, but he was always very generous in giving away plants to friends and thus interested many people, including the writer, in bamboos. In fact, he died in his garden digging a bamboo plant for a young friend. Floyd A. McClure was born on August 14, 1897, near Sidney in Shelby County, Ohio, the son of John T. McClure, farmer and school teacher. He would have described himself as an Ohio farmboy, first and last. Nothing evoked more nostalgia in him than the sight of cornfields under a blazing sun or a bouquet of field grasses and flowers. His rugged rural youth was a warm memory throughout his life. From The Ohio State University he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 19 18 and the degree of Bachelor of Science in 19 19. Then fresh out of college, he accepted a teaching appointment in horticulture at Canton Christian College (later Lingnan University) in 1919, at Canton, China. This initiated a long residence in the Far East, broken by occasional furloughs in the United States, once to marry and to establish relations with the United States Department of Agriculture, and on two later trips to complete his academic training. The ancient traditions and closeness to the soil of the Chinese people fascinated McClure. He was at home in China and settled down in earnest to learn the language and customs of the people. Because of his linguistic aptitude, he soon became proficient in the spoken Cantonese dialect. Thus
Critical behavior of ionic-fluid models

It is argued that one should expect a fluid of symmetrically charged hard spheres (the restricted primitive model) to have an Ising-like critical point. It is further noted that the presence of a repulsive ${\mathit{r}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}4}$ ion-ion interaction term (of the sort found in real ionic systems as a result of solvent-averaged ion-dipole-ion interaction) will prevent such a critical point from developing, although competing terms that suppress its effect may also be present in real electrolytes.
High-speed communications enabling real-time video for battlefield commanders using tracked FSO

Free Space Optics (FSO) technology is currently in use to solve the last-mile problem in telecommunication systems by offering higher bandwidth than wired or wireless connections when optical fiber is not available. Incorporating mobility into FSO technology can contribute to growth in its utility. Tracking and alignment are two big challenges for mobile FSO communications. In this paper, we present a theoretical approach for mobile FSO networks between Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), manned aerial vehicles, and ground vehicles. We introduce tracking algorithms for achieving Line of Sight (LOS) connectivity and present analytical results. Two scenarios are studied in this paper: 1 - An unmanned aerial surveillance vehicle, the Global Hawk, with a stationary ground vehicle, an M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank, and 2 - a manned aerial surveillance vehicle, the E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), with an unmanned combat aerial vehicle, the Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS). After initial vehicle locations have been coordinated, the tracking algorithm will steer the gimbals to maintain connectivity between the two vehicles and allow high-speed communications to occur. Using this algorithm, data, voice, and video can be sent via the FSO connection from one vehicle to the other vehicle.
Abstract 5274: MicroRNA-214 /hepatoma-derived growth factor paracrine pathway contributes to hypervascularity of human hepatoma

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Background & Aims: Unusual hypervascularity is a hallmark of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Angiogenesis is essential for tumorigenesis and metastasis. While microRNA (miRNA) deregulation is implicated in carcinogenesis, the role of miRNAs in tumor angiogenesis remains unknown. Methods: MiRNAs deregulated in HCC were identified using array-based miRNA profiling. A luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm target association between miR-214 and hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF). Tube formation and in vivo angiogenesis assays were performed to validate the roles of miR-214 and HDGF in angiogenesis. Results: Downregulation of miR-214 was associated with HCC progression and poor clinical outcome. Ectopic expression of miR-214 suppressed cell proliferation and xenograft tumor growth and depressed the vascularity of the tumor and its surrounding tissues. The genes downregulated by ectopic expression of miR-214 were involved in the regulation of apoptosis, cell cycle, and angiogenesis. Integrated analysis implicated HDGF as a downstream target of miR-214. Conditioned medium of HCC cells contained bioactivity to stimulate tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells, which was abolished by pretreatment of the conditioned media with HDGF antibodies, and silencing of HDGF expression or ectopic expression of miR-214 of the donor HCC cells. The angiogenic activity of the conditioned media lost by ectopic expression of miR-214 in the donor cells was restored by supplementation with recombinant HDGF. In vivo tumor angiogenesis assays showed significant suppression of tumor vascularity by ectopic expression of miR-214. Conclusions: A novel miR-214/HDGF paracrine pathway contributes to hypervascularity of HCC and is a candidate target for anti-HCC therapy. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5274. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5274
The Controversy Surrounding Stem Cell Research

This article discusses the current political debate regarding federal funding for human embryo-derived stem cell research (EDSCR) including an overview of the controversy behind the issue and the legislation and political activity surrounding the topic. The main controversy about whether federal funds should be made available for EDSCR is related to the opposition’s utilitarian belief of the immorality of destroying or using human embryos for scientific research. As a result, the political discussion surrounding EDSCR falls into the category identified by Christopher Z. Mooney as morality policy. An overview of morality policy is also included to illustrate the differences between it and other types of public policy. A discussion about how nursing researchers and nurses as health policy analysts can contribute to the political debate on stem cell research is included.
Auditory evoked potentials in aged gerbils: responses elicited by noises separated by a silent gap

The compound action potential (CAP) and the auditory brainstem response (ABR; waves ii and iv) were recorded in young (4-8 month) and aged (33-37 month) gerbils using a paradigm similar to that used in some psychophysical studies of gap detection (a pair of identical low-pass noises separated by a silent gap). Response amplitudes were analyzed in terms of absolute amplitudes and the 'amplitude ratio' (the amplitude of the response to the second noise of a pair divided by that to the first). Response latencies were analyzed in terms of the absolute latencies as well as the 'latency shift' (the latency of the response to the second noise minus that to the first). Response amplitudes were much smaller in the aged subjects for both the first and second stimuli of a pair. There were minimal changes in amplitude ratios across age for both the CAP and ABR. Absolute latencies were similar between groups for the first stimulus of a pair, but latencies to wave iv were much longer for the aged subjects when the gap was short. Thus, the latency shift for the aged group was much longer for wave iv in the aged compared to the young group, but were similar between groups for the CAP or wave ii of the ABR. The results suggest that there may be changes in coding of temporal information in the auditory brainstem of aged gerbils which are not a direct result of abnormal temporal processing in the auditory periphery.
The solution structure of the Mu Ner protein reveals a helix-turn-helix DNA recognition motif

Abstract Background: The Mu Ner protein is a small (74 amino acids), basic, DNA-binding protein found in phage Mu. It belongs to a class of proteins, the cro and repressor proteins, that regulate the switch from the lysogenic to the lytic state of the phage life cycle. There is no significant sequence identity between Mu Ner and the cro proteins of other phages, despite their functional similarity. In addition, there is no significant sequence identity with any other DNA-binding proteins, with the exception of Ner from the related phage D108 and the Nlp protein of Escherichia coli. As the tertiary structures of Mu Ner and these two related proteins are unknown, it is clear that a three-dimensional (3D) structure of Mu Ner is essential in order to gain insight into its mode of DNA binding. Results The 3D solution structure of Mu Ner has been solved by 3D and 4D heteronuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The structure consists of five α helices, two of which comprise a helix-turn-helix (HTH) motif. Analysis of line broadening and disappearance of cross-peaks in a 1 H- 15 N correlation spectrum of the Mu Ner–DNA complex suggests that residues in these two helices are most likely to be in contact with the DNA. Conclusion Like the functionally analogous cro proteins from phages λ and 434, the Mu Ner protein possesses a HTH DNA recognition motif. The Ner protein from phage D108 and the Nlp protein from E. coli are likely to have very similar tertiary structures due to high amino-acid-sequence identity with Mu Ner.
New light on faint stars. VI: Structure and evolution of the Galactic spheroid

Analyse d'observations recentes de la structure du spheroide galactique. On confirme l'existence d'une composante tres applatie du spheroide. Cette composante contient environ 2% des etoiles dans le voisinage solaire. On interprete les observations dans un modele
A half-integral linear programming relaxation for scheduling precedence-constrained jobs on a single machine

We present a new linear programming relaxation for the problem of minimizing the sum of weighted completion times of precedence-constrained jobs. Given a set of n jobs, each job j has processing time p"j and weight w"j. There is also a partial order @? on the execution of the jobs: if [email protected]?k, job k may not start processing before job j has been completed. For C"j representing the completion time of job j, the objective is to minimize the weighted sum of completion times, @?"jw"jC"j. The new relaxation is simple and compact, has exactly two variables per inequality and half-integral extreme points. An optimal solution can be found via a minimum cut computation, which provides a new 2-approximation algorithm in the complexity of a minimum cut on a graph. As a by-product, we also introduce another new 2-approximation algorithm for the problem.
The effect of Brownian coagulation, gradient coagulation, turbulent coagulation, and wall losses upon the particle size distribution of an aerosol☆

Abstract Numerical solutions have been obtained for the particle size distribution of an aerosol undergoing (1) Brownian coagulation plus wall loss, (2) gradient coagulation, (3) Brownian coagulation plus gradient coagulation, and (4) turbulent coagulation. The initial aerosols had a modal radius aM = 0.250 mμ or 0.500 mμ and zeroth order logarithmic breadth parameters σ0 = 0.10 or σ0 = 0.20 with initial concentration N = 107cm−3. The various constants (e.g. wall loss constant, velocity gradient, turbulent constant) were varied over a range sufficient to give effects which caused the half-time times and the size distributions to vary significantly from purely Brownian coagulation. Each mechanism of coagulations results in qualitatively similar results. For the aerosols under consideration a velocity gradient of 104 min−1 or a turbulent constant of 107 cm−1 min−1 is needed to produce effects which are appreciable compared to purely Brownian coagulation.
Desiccation of nucleated mammalian cells in nanoliter droplets

This paper reports on the development and testing of two techniques for nebulizing cell solutions into aerosols that contain living cells in nanoliter droplets: one pneumatic technique and one ultrasonic technique. NIH 3T3 fibroblasts were tested for viability and the ability to attach and grow post-spraying. Viabilities for the two techniques ranged from 50 to 70% and virtually all cells that maintained membrane integrity post-spraying were able to attach and divide. The cellular aerosols were used to study the effect of drying rates and drying temperature on the post-rehydration survival of fibroblasts that were loaded with trehalose. Nanoliter droplets were developed for this study so that non-uniformities in moisture content and temperature within the samples would be minimized, and thus the drying rates experienced by the cells could be inferred. The main findings of this study are that the relative humidity of the drying environment does have a strong effect on the post-rehydration viability of desiccated cells, but that effect is entirely explained by differences in the residual moisture content experienced by the cells dried at different humidities. The post-rehydration viability of the cells was found to be dependent only on the residual moisture content achieved during drying and on whether or not trehalose was loaded inside the cell, and was not dependent on the drying rate or on the temperature at which drying occurred. A comparison of viabilities for cells dried in nanoliter droplets and cells dried in more commonly used 10 μL drops suggested that cells in larger drops were not experiencing the average water content for the drop as a whole during critical phases of the drying process. The apparent non-uniformity of moisture inside larger drops may contribute to difficulties in understanding and establishing successful long-term storage techniques in a dried state.
Roaming Radical Kinetics in the Decomposition of Acetaldehyde

A novel theoretical framework for predicting the branching between roaming and bond fission channels in molecular dissociations is described and applied to the decomposition of acetaldehyde. This reduced dimensional trajectory (RDT) approach, which is motivated by the long-range nature of the roaming, bond fission, and abstraction dynamical bottlenecks, involves the propagation of rigid-body trajectories on an analytic potential energy surface. The analytic potential is obtained from fits to large-scale multireference ab initio electronic structure calculations. The final potential includes one-dimensional corrections from higher-level electronic structure calculations and for the effect of conserved mode variations along both the addition and abstraction paths. The corrections along the abstraction path play a significant role in the predicted branching. Master equation simulations are used to transform the microcanonical branching ratios obtained from the RDT simulations to the temperature- and pressure-dependent branching ratios observed in thermal decomposition experiments. For completeness, a transition-state theory treatment of the contributions of the tight transition states for the molecular channels is included in the theoretical analyses. The theoretically predicted branching between molecules and radicals in the thermal decomposition of acetaldehyde is in reasonable agreement with the corresponding shock tube measurement described in the companion paper. The prediction for the ratio of the tight to roaming contributions to the molecular channel also agrees well with results extracted from recent experimental and experimental/theoretical photodissociation studies.
Detection of a HindIII restriction fragment length polymorphism in the human phenol sulfotransferase (STP) locus

The gene encoding human phenol-preferring phenol sulfotransferase (STP) has been cloned and mapped to chromosome 16p. A HindIII RFLP in this gene is described.
Collectivistic Self-Construal and Forgiveness.

This study tested a theoretical model of the relationship between collectivism and forgiveness. Participants (N= 298) completed measures of collectivistic self-construal, forgiveness, and forgiveness-related constructs. A collectivistic self-construal was related to understanding forgiveness as an interpersonal process that involved reconciliation. Individuals with more collectivistic views reported higher trait forgivingness, which predicted the tendency to respond to specific offenses with decisional rather than emotional forgiveness. Individuals with a more collectivistic self-construal may place more value on interpersonal harmony, reconciliation, and decisions to forgive rather than emotional peace. Implications suggest that counselors understand issues of conflict, hurts, and forgiveness within an assessment of clients’ self-construal.