cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Language Experience Approach to Story Problems.

Children fail at solving story (verbal) problems for many reasons. Some of the reasons are low reading comprehension, lack of experience with the problem situation, unfamiliarity with the language of the situation, and irrelevancy of the problem, to name a few. The "language-experience" approach to teaching children to solve story problems is one method that short circuits these reasons for failure. When this approach is used, children are given the experience of writing their own problems in their own language and using their own previous experiences. The children, therefore, are familiar with the problem situation, know the language of the problem, have no trouble reading the problem, and can relate to the information in the problem. In 1974 our elementary education department at Eastern Kentucky University became involved in a Right-toRead project. Thus students in our methods classes have been using the language-experience approach in the teaching of reading. This approach has also been used to teach reading in the other subject matter areas as well. In the mathematics classroom story problems became the vehicle for the use of the language-experience approach. A typical story-problem session would come from an activity in which our methods students had involved the children; for example, a science project. On completion of the project, the children would write a story about it. Much time would be spent discussing the meaning of words, good sentence structure and so on. The children would practice reading their own stories and the stories of their classmates. After the language arts lesson, the children would be asked to write story problems from the informa-
Nonlinear combining of multiple laser beams in multimode optical fiber

We consider combining of 127 laser beams into diffraction-limited beam by beam self-focusing (collapse) in multimode optical fiber with 1mm fiber diameter. Beam quality of combined beam is not affected by moderate fluctuations of initial beams phases.
Cognitive and interpersonal features of intellectual humility.

Four studies examined intellectual humility-the degree to which people recognize that their beliefs might be wrong. Using a new Intellectual Humility (IH) Scale, Study 1 showed that intellectual humility was associated with variables related to openness, curiosity, tolerance of ambiguity, and low dogmatism. Study 2 revealed that participants high in intellectual humility were less certain that their beliefs about religion were correct and judged people less on the basis of their religious opinions. In Study 3, participants high in intellectual humility were less inclined to think that politicians who changed their attitudes were "flip-flopping," and Study 4 showed that people high in intellectual humility were more attuned to the strength of persuasive arguments than those who were low. In addition to extending our understanding of intellectual humility, this research demonstrates that the IH Scale is a valid measure of the degree to which people recognize that their beliefs are fallible.
Bridging the Gap: Racial concordance as a strategy to increase African American participation in breast cancer research.

Lack of African American females in breast cancer research has been receiving substantial attention. This study seeks to identify research perceptions and motivating factors needed to increase raci...
Effects of Serum Lipoproteins on the Morphology, Growth, and Metabolism of Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells

This paper summarizes some of the work we have been doing during the past five years to study the effects of hyperlipemia upon the growth, morphology and metabolism of arterial medial cells grown from primary explants. Although tissue culture methods have been used for over 70 years they were first introduced in the study of problems related to atherogenesis during the 1950’s. Since this time there have been many studies of both experimentally induced and naturally occurring hyperlipemia and their effects on cultured cells, either of vascular origin or, more often, of established cell-lines unrelated to vascular tissue. Work has been reported on this subject by Rutstein and associates (1964), Robertson (1967), Rothblatt (1969), Baily and Keller (1971) and others. We have chosen to concentrate our efforts on medial cells, since more and more evidence has emphasized their importance in the pathogenesis of mammalian atherosclerosis (Haust et al., 1960; Wissler, 1968; Stary and McMillan, 1970; Thomas et al., 1971).
Trial By Firing: Saga of a Rookie Manager

This chapter talks about the author's experience working for a large telecommunications research laboratory. He joined as a member of the technical staff. Later, he was made the department manager, and was coached through a wide variety of challenges during the first few months. The chapter describes his varied experience of delivering the firing orders (much to his dislike) to two of his employees. The first employee resigned before he could be dismissed, which made the author feel proud that problem number one had been solved. In the second case, the employee told others in the department about his dismissal which led them to question the author's decision. At the end, the author learned two important lessons: firing somebody is very painful; and no matter how many people are supportive of a painful decision, a person is all alone after implementing the decision.
Staging of T1 esophageal adenocarcinoma with volumetric laser endomicroscopy: a feasibility study.

Background and study aims Precise staging in T1 esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is critical in determining candidacy for curative endoscopic resection. High-frequency endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has demonstrated suboptimal accuracy in T1 EAC staging due to insufficient spatial resolution. Volumetric laser endomicroscopy (VLE) allows for high-resolution wide-field visualization of the esophageal microstructure. We aimed to investigate the role of VLE in staging T1 EAC. Patients and methods Patients undergoing endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) were prospectively enrolled and only T1 EAC cases were included. EMR specimens were imaged using second-generation VLE immediately after resection. VLE images were analyzed for signal intensity by depth and signal attenuation (dB/mm) in both cross-sectional and en-face orientation. A decision tree model was constructed to combine measured VLE parameters and delineate diagnostic thresholds. Results Thirty EMR scans were obtained – 15 T1a specimens from 9 patients and 15 T1b specimens from 11 patients. T1b specimen VLE scans exhibited higher signal intensity (P Conclusions VLE signal intensity and signal attenuation are quantitatively distinct in T1a and T1b EAC and associated with grade of differentiation. This is the first study examining the role of VLE for staging of T1 EAC and demonstrates promising diagnostic performance. With further in vivo validation, VLE may serve a role in staging superficial EAC.
Tpm3.1 association with actin stress fibers is required for lens epithelial to mesenchymal transition

Abstract Purpose Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a cause of anterior and posterior subcapsular cataracts. Central to EMT is the formation of actin stress fibers. Targeting specific, stress fiber associated tropomyosin in epithelial cells may be a means to prevent stress fiber formation and repress lens EMT. Methods We identified Tpm isoforms in mouse immortalized lens epithelial cells and isolated whole lenses by semi-quantitative PCR followed Sanger sequencing. We focused on the role of one particular tropomyosin isoform, Tpm3.1, in EMT. To stimulate EMT, we cultured cells or native lenses in TGFβ2. To test the function of Tpm3.1, we exposed cells or whole lenses to a Tpm3.1-specific chemical inhibitor, TR100, as well as investigated lenses from Tpm3.1 knockout mice. We examined stress fiber formation by confocal microscopy and assessed EMT progression by αsma mRNA (qPCR) and protein (WES immunoassay) analysis. Results Lens epithelial cells express eight tropomyosin isoforms. Cell culture studies showed that TGFβ2 treatment results in an upregulation of Tpm3.1, which associates with actin in stress fibers. TR100 prevents stress fiber formation and reduces αsma in TGFβ2 treated cells. We confirmed the role of Tpm3.1 in lens epithelial cells in the native lens ex vivo. Culture of whole lenses in the presence of TGFβ2 results in stress fiber formation at the basal regions of epithelial cells. Knockout of Tpm3.1 or treatment of lenses with TR100 prevents basal stress fiber formation and reduces epithelial αsma levels. Conclusion Targeting specific stress fiber associated tropomyosin isoform, Tpm3.1, is a means to represses lens EMT.
Games for mathematics and science: a Tri-P-LETS initiative

In this tutorial, participants will learn the basic programming constructs of the game-authoring and simulation tool AgentSheets by building a simulation of the hydrological water cycle. They will also have the opportunity to play several serious games emphasizing science and mathematics concepts. All AgentSheets projects were developed for the NSF-funded project Tri-P-LETS (Three P Learning Environment for Teachers and Students), which provides an enhanced curriculum for high school programming classes in the Memphis area.
A survey of U. S. state insurance commissioners concerning genetic testing and life insurance: Redux at 27

Nearly three decades ago, scientists set out on one of the largest research endeavors in modern history-mapping the human genome. The research not only sparked new technologies and genetic tests, but also concomitant concerns regarding ethical, legal, and social implications of the technologies. These developments ultimately resulted in an expanded role for genetic counselors to educate consumers about the possible consequences of receiving genetic test results. In particular, many individuals undergoing testing worry that the resulting information could be used by social actors, such as life insurers, in harmful ways. Because life insurance is regulated at the state level, there is significant variability across the United States in laws and enforcement protecting consumers' genetic information. This article reports the results of a survey of U.S. state insurance commissioners regarding regulation of genetic testing and life insurance. The survey builds on a 1992 survey conducted by Jean E. McEwen et al. It returns to current U.S. state insurance commissioners to investigate changes in the climate surrounding genetic information use and risks of misuse within the insurance industry. In their 1992 survey, McEwen et al. found that: (a) genetic testing was not yet perceived to pose a significant problem for insurance rating, (b) life insurers had quite a bit of legal freedom to require and use genetic test results, and (c) insurance commissioners had received few consumers' complaints about the use of genetic information. Twenty-seven years later, our survey finds an increase in regulation protecting genetic information in insurance, but at a pace much slower than that of advances in new DNA technologies. This lag in policy to match technology increases potential risks for consumers. Our study further reveals certain inconsistencies in the letter of state law protecting consumers' genetic information and how state insurance commissioners apply that law. The study also shows that despite empirical evidence in the literature demonstrating consumer fear about genetic discrimination, consumers do not report these concerns to their state insurance commissioner. We suggest genetic counselors are key stakeholders who can help fill current gaps between consumers and the insurance industry.
Interpretation of risk loci from genome-wide association studies of Alzheimer's disease

Summary Background Alzheimer's disease is a debilitating and highly heritable neurological condition. As such, genetic studies have sought to understand the genetic architecture of Alzheimer's disease since the 1990s, with successively larger genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and meta-analyses. These studies started with a small sample size of 1086 individuals in 2007, which was able to identify only the APOE locus. In 2013, the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project (IGAP) did a meta-analysis of all existing GWAS using data from 74 046 individuals, which stood as the largest Alzheimer's disease GWAS until 2018. This meta-analysis discovered 19 susceptibility loci for Alzheimer's disease in populations of European ancestry. Recent developments Three new Alzheimer's disease GWAS published in 2018 and 2019, which used larger sample sizes and proxy phenotypes from biobanks, have substantially increased the number of known susceptibility loci in Alzheimer's disease to 40. The first, an updated GWAS from IGAP, included 94 437 individuals and discovered 24 susceptibility loci. Although IGAP sought to increase sample size by recruiting additional clinical cases and controls, the two other studies used parental family history of Alzheimer's disease to define proxy cases and controls in the UK Biobank for a genome-wide association by proxy, which was meta-analysed with data from GWAS of clinical Alzheimer's disease to attain sample sizes of 388 324 and 534 403 individuals. These two studies identified 27 and 29 susceptibility loci, respectively. However, the three studies were not independent because of the large overlap in their participants, and interpretation can be challenging because different variants and genes were highlighted by each study, even in the same locus. Furthermore, neither the variant with the strongest Alzheimer's disease association nor the nearest gene are necessarily causal. This situation presents difficulties for experimental studies, drug development, and other future research. Where next? The ultimate goal of understanding the genetic architecture of Alzheimer's disease is to characterise novel biological pathways that underly Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis and to identify novel drug targets. GWAS have successfully contributed to the characterisation of the genetic architecture of Alzheimer's disease, with the identification of 40 susceptibility loci; however, this does not equate to the discovery of 40 Alzheimer's disease genes. To identify Alzheimer's disease genes, these loci need to be mapped to variants and genes through functional genomics studies that combine annotation of variants, gene expression, and gene-based or pathway-based analyses. Such studies are ongoing and have validated several genes at Alzheimer's disease loci, but greater sample sizes and cell-type specific data are needed to map all GWAS loci.
Making social services work better for the poor: Evidence from a natural experiment with health sector decentralization in Honduras

Abstract Governments in many less developed countries have decentralized their social support systems over the last several decades. However, despite enthusiasm for these reforms, evidence remains limited and mixed as to whether they improve the delivery of basic social services. I take advantage of an unexpected pause in reform implementation in Honduras due to the country’s 2009 coup to investigate the effects of decentralization on local health services. Drawing on administrative data, an original survey of health workers, and qualitative interviews, my analysis shows that decentralization is credibly associated with increases in preventive care for women and that improved accountability and greater resilience to shocks are important mechanisms for this change. Moreover, my analysis highlights how regional organizations use decentralization to assert their own influence and deflect negative political consequences while pressuring for improvements in service delivery. These findings shed light both on the possibilities for improving local social services through governance reform and how national-level reforms can be leveraged by powerful actors at lower rungs of the governmental hierarchy.
A novel formulation of the unintegrated gluon distribution for DIS

We provide a semi-classical description of the inclusive gluon induced Deep Inelastic Scattering cross section in a way that accounts for the leading powers in both the Regge and Bjorken limits. Our approach thus allows a systematic matching of small and moderate $x_{\rm Bj}$ regimes of gluon proton structure functions. We find a new unintegrated gluon distribution with an explicit dependence on the longitudinal momentum fraction $x$ which entirely spans both the dipole operator and the gluonic Parton Distribution Function. Computing this gauge invariant gluon operator on the lattice could allow to probe the energy dependence of the saturation scale from first principles.
Library for evolutionary algorithms in Python (LEAP)

There are generally three types of scientific software users: users that solve problems using existing science software tools, researchers that explore new approaches by extending existing code, and educators that teach students scientific concepts. Python is a general-purpose programming language that is accessible to beginners, such as students, but also as a language that has a rich scientific programming ecosystem that facilitates writing research software. Additionally, as high-performance computing (HPC) resources become more readily available, software support for parallel processing becomes more relevant to scientific software. There currently are no Python-based evolutionary computation frameworks that adequately support all three types of scientific software users. Moreover, some support synchronous concurrent fitness evaluation that do not efficiently use HPC resources. We pose here a new Python-based EC framework that uses an established generalized unified approach to EA concepts to provide an easy to use toolkit for users wishing to use an EA to solve a problem, for researchers to implement novel approaches, and for providing a low-bar to entry to EA concepts for students. Additionally, this toolkit provides a scalable asynchronous fitness evaluation implementation friendly to HPC that has been vetted on hardware ranging from laptops to the worlds fastest supercomputer, Summit.
Overexpression of arylsulfatase B or of galactose-6-sulfatase leads to increased expression of syndecan-1 and decorin and increased chondroitin sulfate in MCF-7 cells

2812 Arylsulfatase B (ASB) and galactose-6-sulfatase (GALNS) are human lysosomal enzymes that can modify the glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) chondroitin 4-sulfate (C4S;CSA) and chondroitin 6-sulfate (C6S;CSC), by removing sulfate groups of the target disaccharide at the non-reducing end. This function has clinical significance in the genetic diseases MPS VI and MPS IVA, associated with deficient ASB or GALNS activity, respectively. Previously, we reported that activity of GALNS and ASB in MCF-7 cells is 2-8 fold less than in normal primary mammary epithelial and myoepithelial cells. To determine whether these enzymes may have a role in modification of the GAGs on vital cell surface proteoglycans in malignant cells, we overexpressed these enzymes in MCF-7 cells and determined the impact on expression of syndecan and decorin by QRT-PCR, and on C4S and C6S by Western blot. Since proteoglycans, such as syndecan and decorin, are characterized and differentiated by their GAG side chains, changes in sulfatase function may have relevance for altered cell-cell interactions of malignant cells. MCF-7 cells, grown in phenol-red free RPMI with 10% FBS and Pen-Strep antibiotics, were transiently transfected with full-length ASB (OriGene; NM_000046) or GALNS (Origene; NM_00512.3) in pCMV6-XL4 vector with LipofectamineTM 2000 (Invitrogen). Cell lysate was harvested for RNA extraction or enzyme activity assay at 72 hours. Baseline ASB activity rose from 53.4 (±1.2) to 100.5 (±4.8) nmol/hr/mg protein, an 88% increase. Baseline GALNS activity increased from 3.6 to 8.2 nmol/hr/mg protein, a 228% increase. Quantitative PCR demonstrated 2.2-fold increase in transcript abundance of syndecan-1 and 5.2-fold increase in expression of decorin following overexpression of ASB. Following overexpression of GALNS, there was 3.0-fold increase in syndecan-1 and 2.3-fold increase in decorin transcript expression, compared to control vector transfections. Changes are statistically significant (p
Moral Education in a Time of Human Ecological Devastation.

Stories of civilization and progress tell us that humans cannot help being destructive, selfish, and aggressive, which are side effects of progress requiring sanctions and engineering. It can be ar...
A double-dichotomy clustering of dual pathology dementia patients.

Abstract Introduction Subcortical ischemic vascular disease (SIVD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) related dementia can coexist in older subjects, leading to mixed dementia (MX). Identification of dementia sub-groups is important for designing proper treatment plans and clinical trials. Method An Alzheimer's disease severity (ADS) score and a vascular disease severity (VDS) score are calculated from CSF and MRI biomarkers, respectively. These scores, being sensitive to different Alzheimer's and vascular disease processes are combined orthogonally in a double-dichotomy plot. This formed an objective basis for clustering the subjects into four groups, consisting of AD, SIVD, MX and leukoaraiosis (LA). The relationship of these four groups is examined with respect to cognitive assessments and clinical diagnosis. Results Cluster analysis had at least 83% agreement with the clinical diagnosis for groups based either on Alzheimer's or on vascular sensitive biomarkers, and a combined agreement of 68.8% for clustering the four groups. The VDS score was correlated to executive function (r = -0.28, p Conclusions The double-dichotomy clustering based on imaging and fluid biomarkers offers an unbiased method for identifying mixed dementia patients and selecting better defined sub-groups. Differential correlations with neuropsychological tests support the hypothesis that the categories of dementia represent different etiologies.
An Item Response Theory examination of the original and short forms of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) in pregnant women

Objectives Emotion dysregulation during pregnancy may impede women's capacity to navigate increased stressors during this period and may elevate risk for psychosocial impairment, especially for socioeconomically disadvantaged or racially marginalized women. Valid and efficient assessment of emotion dysregulation is needed. Methods We used Item Response Theory (IRT) to examine the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) in 248 low income, primarily Latina/x pregnant women, to compare the short forms relative to the full DERS. Results IRT indicated that the short forms exhibited modest reliability, but also indicated a substantial decrease in information (i.e., reliability) for the short forms compared with the full DERS. IRT indicated that the DERS-16 appeared more reliable (conserve more information) relative to the other short forms, the DERS-SF and DERS-18. Conclusion Findings suggest that clinicians and researchers use the full DERS when time permits and the DERS-16 when needing a briefer version.
Metabolic Imaging with Dynamic Hyperpolarized NMR

The increased signal-to-noise ratio provided by dynamic nuclear polarization presents new opportunities for the in vivo investigation of metabolism, in particular when combined with imaging. At the same time the nonrecoverable nature of the magnetization poses challenges on the data acquisition. This chapter describes the basic concepts of encoding the spatial information in magnetic resonance imaging and chemical shift imaging and then presents acquisition methods that permit the spatially and temporally resolved measurement of the metabolite signals within the limited lifetime of the hyperpolarized signal amplification.
Introduction to U.S. Health Policy: The Organization, Financing, and Delivery of Health Care in America

Health care reform has dominated public discourse over the past several years, and the recent passage of the Affordable Care Act, rather than quell the rhetoric, has sparked even more debate. Donald A. Barr reviews the current structure of the American health care system, describing the historical and political contexts in which it developed and the core policy issues that continue to confront us today. This comprehensive analysis introduces the various organizations and institutions that make the U.S. health care system work-or fail to work, as the case may be. A principal message of the book is the seeming paradox of the quality of health care in this country-on the one hand it is the best medical care system in the world, on the other it is one of the worst among developed countries because of how it is organized. Barr introduces readers to broad cultural issues surrounding health care policy, such as access, affordability, and quality. He discusses specific elements of U.S. health care, including insurance, especially Medicare and Medicaid, the shift to for-profit managed care, the pharmaceutical industry, issues of long-term care, the plight of the uninsured, medical errors, and nursing shortages. The latest edition of this widely adopted text updates the description and discussion of key sectors of America's health care system in light of the Affordable Care Act.
The Fas pathway contributes to the metastatic potential of osteosarcoma to the lungs

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006 738 Fas and its ligand (FasL) are complementary receptor-ligand proteins that induce apoptosis in many cell types. Disregulation of the Fas mechanism has been implicated in tumor progression. However, how alterations in this mechanism affect metastatic activity of tumor cells remains unclear. Osteosarcoma (OS) is bone malignancy that metastasizes almost exclusively to lungs. Immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis of lung metastases from patients with OS and from our OS animal models showed negligible levels of Fas. We hypothesized that since FasL is constitutively expressed in the lungs, the lack of Fas receptor or corruption of the Fas-mediated pathway may be used by tumor cells to evade host-defense mechanism. To validate this hypothesis we sorted Fas-negative populations of mouse OS Dunn and Dunn LM8 (DLM8) cells, which have low and high incidence of lung metastases following s.c. injection, respectively. Approximately 70-80% of Dunn and DLM8 cells are Fas- under ambient in vitro conditions. Equal numbers of not-sorted cells (Fas) and their Fas-negative subpopulations (Fas-) were injected s.c. into syngenic C3H mice. We did not observe significant changes in the rate of s.c. tumor growth between Fas- and Fas cells. However, examination of animal lungs revealed that incidence of visible metastases in Fas- groups significantly increased, when compared with Fas groups for both Dunn and DLM8 cells. We also transfected mouse OS K7 cells, that express high levels of Fas and are sensitive to recombinant soluble FasL treatment in vitro , with FADD-dominant negative (FDN) plasmid that inhibits the Fas pathway. Three K7/FDN clones that became resistant to FasL treatment following FDN transfection were selected and injected i.v. into BALB/c mice. K7 cells that were not transfected or transfected with “empty” plasmid (K7/neo) were used as controls. Parental K7 cells have very low incidence of lung metastases, which are usually represented by few tumor lesions of microscopic size. Transfection of K7 cells with empty plasmid did not alter their metastatic property. In contrast, inhibition of Fas pathway in K7/FDN clones lead to significant increase of their metastases incidence and tumor burden in animal lungs. IHC staining of pulmonary metastases formed by K7/FDN clones showed increased levels of Fas expression, whereas metastases formed by K7 and K7/neo cells remained Fas-negative. These data indicate that during invasion of OS cells into the lungs, tumor cells are selected for the Fas, i.e. cells that express functional Fas receptor on their cell surface undergo apoptosis upon binding to FasL expressed in the lungs, in contrast, cells that lack Fas or have impaired Fas mechanism can survive and form lung metastases. Using different approaches and two different animal models we identified that Fas loss-of-function is sufficient for acquisition and may enforce the metastatic phenotype of OS tumor cells.
A vehicle-centric algorithm for hybrid route guidance

This paper presents a decentralized algorithm that can function as a component of a hybrid centralized/decentralized route guidance system. The focus of the algorithm's design is on vehicle-level communication and computation for the purpose of developing vehicle-centric route guidance. The algorithm has been implemented and tested on a sample network in which both guided and unguided vehicles are modeled. Results are given which show that the algorithm is successful at responding to small amounts of network stochasticity as well as to congestion caused by incidents.
A Late Prehistoric Bison Processing Camp in the Central Plains: Montana Creek East (14JW46)

Bison utilization during the Late Prehistoric period in the central Plains varied from the diffuse pattern that characterizes the Central Plains tradition to the focal pattern of the westernmost Oneota. Both patterns are represented at sites in the Lovewell locality on White Rock Creek, a tributary of the lower Republican River in north-central Kansas. Intensive bison exploitation is also represented at the Montana Creek East (14JW46) site within this locality. Abundant faunal remains indicative of marrow and bone grease processing are associated with the varied, if modest, lithic and ceramic assemblages. These do not suggest use by Oneota or Central Plains tradition peoples although a date fits the Late Prehistoric period. A buried Plains Woodland component, previously undocumented at Lovewell, indicates earlier evidence of bison hunting. Together the remains at this and certain other sites at Lovewell indicate extensive use of bison by different groups.
Space motions of the draco, fornax, and sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxies

Because of the diffraction-limited resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), it became possible to measure proper motions of the nearby dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies using imaging with time baselines of only several years. This contribution discusses the motivation for measuring proper motions; describes highlights of the observational and data-reduction techniques; and reports the proper motions and their implications for the Draco, Fornax, and Sagittarius galaxies.
Dating Violence Among Chinese American and White Students: A Sociocultural Context

SUMMARY A sample of 289 Chinese American and 138 White students from a university campus was recruited from social science courses to complete a survey on perceptions of and experiences with dating violence and gender role beliefs. White students were more likely to define dating violence as physical and sexual aggression compared to the Chinese American students. Although the majority of students from both ethnic groups did not agree that dating violence is justified under various circumstances, the Chinese American students were more likely to provide a contextual justification for the use of dating violence. Findings also indicated that 20% of Chinese American students and 31.3% of the White students have experienced some form of physical dating violence since they started dating. For both the Chinese American and White students, those who were more likely to agree that various acts of physical aggression are considered dating violence were less likely to perpetrate physical dating violence in the last...
Chapter 3 Transcriptional regulation of the human choline acetyltransferase gene

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the transcriptional regulation of the human choline acetyltransferase gene. These studies demonstrate the presence of two important regulatory elements in the human choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) gene. An enhancer element that is composed of two GC-box sequences plus an intervening sequence, which is required for efficient transcription of the gene, and a repressor element that is composed of two E-box sequences and is in part responsible for cell specific expression of the ChAT gene. These regulatory elements are located downstream of the most distal exon—exon R. The studies of the rat ChAT gene also indicate the presence of a cell specific repressor element; however, in this case, the repressor element is located upstream of the distal R exon. Preliminary studies in this laboratory confirm the presence of a cell specific element in this region of the human ChAT gene. Thus, there appears to be at least two, and possibly three, cell specific regulatory elements in the ChAT gene.
Applications of Time-Bounded Kolmogorov Complexity in Complexity Theory

This paper presents one method of using time-bounded Kolmogorov complexity as a measure of the complexity of sets, and outlines a number of applications of this approach to different questions in complexity theory. Connections will be drawn among the following topics: NE predicates, ranking functions, pseudorandom generators, and hierarchy theorems in circuit complexity.
Effect of exposure area on nerve agent absorption through skin in vitro

Diffusion cells are used to determine the penetration of chemicals through skin in vitro. The cells have a limited surface area defined by the edge of the donor chamber. Should the penetrant spread rapidly to this containment limit the penetration rate can be accurately quantified. For the hazard assessment of small droplets of toxic chemicals, such as cholinesterase inhibitors, limiting skin surface spread in vitro could lead to underestimation of percutaneous penetration and hence underestimation of systemic toxicity in vivo. The current study investigated the dependency of the percutaneous penetration of undiluted radiolabelled nerve agents (VX and soman (GD), 10 μl) on skin surface spread (pig and guinea pig) using Franz-type glass diffusion cells with an area available for diffusion of either 2.54 cm(2) or 14.87 cm(2). Both VX and GD spread to the edge of the 2.54 cm(2) cells, but, not the 14.87 cm(2) cells over the study duration. Amounts of VX and GD penetrating pig and guinea pig skin in the 2.54 cm(2) cells were less than in the 14.87 cm(2) cells (except for GD under unoccluded conditions); however, penetration rates expressed per unit area were similar. Artificial limitation of skin surface spread in vitro does not impact percutaneous penetration in vitro as long as penetration is expressed in terms of mass per unit area.
Management of hyperglycemia from epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) targeting T790M-mediated resistance

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients are associated with sensitivity to small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) such as erlotinib, gefitinib, and afatinib. Although studies show an increased progression free survival (PFS) with use of EGFR TKIs in the first-line setting, most patients will develop resistance to therapy after the first 8-16 months. T790M is an acquired resistance mutation reported in 60-70% of patients who initially responded to a prior EGFR TKI. Recently, EGFR TKIs targeting T790M have been developed to overcome resistance with positive results in PFS and objective response rate in patients who have had disease progression on at least one TKI. Two EGFR TKIs targeting T790M, AZD9291 and rociletinib, are new active treatment options for NSCLC but differ in adverse effect profiles. Dose-limiting hyperglycemia has been reported with rociletinib and has required dose reduction, an oral antihyperglycemic, or both, without discontinuation of therapy. This suggests that patients may be effectively treated chronically for hyperglycemia associated with EGFR TKIs targeting T790M, however, guidelines for treatment of hyperglycemia in this setting have not been published. We discuss mechanisms of hyperglycemia associated with TKIs and initial management of hyperglycemia, including benefits and limitations of oral antihyperglycemic options, adjustment of therapy based on grade of hyperglycemia, and recommendations for follow-up glucose monitoring.
Susceptibility tensor imaging of the kidney and its microstructural underpinnings

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine whether susceptibility tensor imaging (STI) could overcome limitations of current techniques to detect tubules throughout the kidney. Methods Normal mouse kidneys (n = 4) were imaged at 9.4T using a three-dimensional gradient multi-echo sequence (55-micron isotropic resolution). Phase images from 12 orientations were obtained to compute the susceptibility tensor. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) with 12 encoding directions was compared with STI. Tractography was performed to visualize and track the course of tubules with DTI and STI. Confocal microscopy was used to identify which tubular segments of the nephron were detected by DTI and STI. Results Diffusion anisotropy was limited to the inner medulla of the kidney. DTI did not find a significant number of coherent tubular tracks in the outer medulla or cortex. With STI, we found strong susceptibility anisotropy and many tracks in the inner and outer medulla and in limited areas of the cortex. Conclusion STI was able to track tubules throughout the kidney, whereas DTI was limited to the inner medulla. STI provides a novel contrast mechanism related to local tubule microstructure and may offer a powerful method to study the nephron. Magn Reson Med 73:1270–1281, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Framework to predict optimal buffer layer pairing for thin film solar cell absorbers: A case study for tin sulfide/zinc oxysulfide

An outstanding challenge in the development of novel functional materials for optoelectronic devices is identifying suitable charge-carrier contact layers. Herein, we simulate the photovoltaic device performance of various n-type contact material pairings with tin(II) sulfide (SnS), a p-type absorber. The performance of the contacting material, and resulting device efficiency, depend most strongly on two variables: conduction band offset between absorber and contact layer, and doping concentration within the contact layer. By generating a 2D contour plot of device efficiency as a function of these two variables, we create a performance-space plot for contacting layers on a given absorber material. For a simulated high-lifetime SnS absorber, this 2D performance-space illustrates two maxima, one local and one global. The local maximum occurs over a wide range of contact-layer doping concentrations (below 1016 cm−3), but only a narrow range of conduction band offsets (0 to −0.1 eV), and is highly sensitive t...
Effect of Folic Acid and Bis (β-Chloroethyl) Sulfide (Mustard Gas) on Transplanted Mouse Lymphosarcoma.

Summary“Synthetic folic acid”, “Fol-vite,” or “Teropterin” in the dosage employed do not produce regression in transplanted 6C3HED tumors in C3H mice. Administration of synthetic folic acid partially inhibits the effect of bis (β-chloroethyl) sulfide on lymphosarcoma 6C3HED.
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome: Experience with palliative surgery

Aortic atresia is a form of hypoplastic left heart syndrome always complicated by associated severe hypoplasia of the ascending aorta and various degrees of mitral valve and left ventricular hypoplasia. At present it is a universally fatal lesion in early infancy. This is a report of a new palliative procedure for hypoplastic left heart syndrome that has resul;ed in early ongoing survival of two infants with aortic atresia. On the basis of experience with a third patient, an operation for future physiologic correction is proposed.
The use of 36Cl and chloride/bromide ratios in discerning salinity sources and fluid mixing patterns: A case study at Saratoga Springs

Abstract The well-known Saratoga Springs of New York State are low-temperature (10–19 °C), mildly acidic, highly carbonated mineral springs which discharge along the many normal faults in the Saratoga–McGregor Fault System of Eastern North America. Fifteen saline and moderately saline fluids collected from the Saratoga Springs system and its surroundings were measured for 36 Cl/Cl ratios, chloride concentrations, and Cl − /Br − ratios to determine the sources of salinity, fluid mixing patterns and history of these waters. The springs have total chloride concentrations between 300 and 6500 mg/L, far in excess of local freshwater, and Cl − /Br − ratios typically in the range of 100–140. 36 Cl/Cl ratios for these waters range from (3–22) × 10 − 15 , markedly below both the modern rainwater 36 Cl/Cl ratio of above 1500 × 10 − 15 , and the expected pre-nuclear rainwater 36 Cl/Cl ratio for the region of 400 × 10 − 15 , indicating that Cl − and 36 Cl in these springs are primarily derived from subsurface, non-meteoric sources. 36 Cl concentrations and Cl − /Br − ratios can be effectively used to eliminate the possibility of magmatic, ancient marine, porefluid, and evaporite contributions to the springs. 36 Cl production rates and secular equilibrium 36 Cl/Cl ratios were derived for different subsurface lithologies in the region based on estimated subsurface neutron fluxes for different rock types. A comparison of 36 Cl/Cl ratios and Cl − /Br − ratios in the Saratoga Springs with secular equilibrium 36 Cl/Cl ratios and with Cl − /Br − ratios in potential host formations indicates water/rock interactions in the subsurface to be the main source of 36 Cl to the springs, especially from the Ordovician carbonates which make up the aquifer, and the underlying Cambrian clastic rocks. The more dilute springs appear to be a mix of saline springs and a meteoric component, probably due to the addition of rainwater as the springs rose to the surface along the fault zone. The use of chloride/bromide ratios was found to be an effective way to support and clarify the information yielded by 36 Cl/Cl ratios and chloride concentrations in the study of brine history.
Relapsing fever spirochetes: an aberrant strain of Borrelia parkeri from Oregon.

An aberrant strain of Borrelia parkeri is reported from Oregon. This strain is transmitted regularly by Ornithodoros parkeri from Washington, erratically by Ornithodoros turicata from New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas but not by O. turicata from Mexico. The reason for the irregular and finally all but discontinued transmission by O. turicata was made clear by the dark-field examination of the tick tissues from time to time. Initially, the spirochetes were found in the salivary glands, as well as in the coxal organs and the central ganglion, while later they were found, for the most part, only in the central ganglion. In O. turicata, which was carrying B. turicatae, and in O. parkeri, which was carrying the Oregon spirochete, the spirochetes were found regularly in the salivary glands. The Oregon O. parkeri spirochete was not transmitted transovarially by O. turicata. This is typical of B. parkeri, none of which are transmitted transovarially by O. parkeri.
Sources of error in a hospital blood bank.

An analysis has been made of the 12 technical and 52 clerical errors occurring in a hospital blood bank over a 21-month period during which 5,806 transfusions were given. All but four of these errors were discovered before blood was transfused and no clinical complications resulted. In some cases, discovery of the error was quite fortuitous but the role of clinically oriented laboratory personnel in recognizing unusual situations is stressed. Specific corrective measures are described and it is urged that a workable plan of reducing errors can only be achieved in each blood bank by an analysis based on past experience of the clinical effects of its own operation.
Related neuropeptides use different balances of unitary mechanisms to modulate the cardiac neuromuscular system in the American lobster, Homarus americanus

To produce flexible outputs, neural networks controlling rhythmic motor behaviors can be modulated at multiple levels, including the pattern generator itself, sensory feedback, and the response of the muscle to a given pattern of motor output. We examined the role of two related neuropeptides, GYSDRNYLRFamide (GYS) and SGRNFLRFamide (SGRN), in modulating the neurogenic lobster heartbeat, which is controlled by the cardiac ganglion (CG). When perfused though an isolated whole heart at low concentrations, both peptides elicited increases in contraction amplitude and frequency. At higher concentrations, both peptides continued to elicit increases in contraction amplitude, but GYS caused a decrease in contraction frequency, while SGRN did not alter frequency. To determine the sites at which these peptides induce their effects, we examined the effects of the peptides on the periphery and on the isolated CG. When we removed the CG and stimulated the motor nerve with constant bursts of stimuli, both GYS and SGRN increased contraction amplitude, indicating that each peptide modulates the muscle or the neuromuscular junction. When applied to the isolated CG, neither peptide altered burst frequency at low peptide concentrations; at higher concentrations, SGRN decreased burst frequency, whereas GYS continued to have no effect on frequency. Together, these data suggest that the two peptides elicit some of their effects using different mechanisms; in particular, given the known feedback pathways within this system, the importance of the negative (nitric oxide) relative to the positive (stretch) feedback pathways may differ in the presence of the two peptides.
Symptomatic spinal cord deformity secondary to a redundant intramedullary shunt catheter. Clinical and radiographic features.

Right arm pain, motor and senory loss in the right arm and right facial numbness recurred in a 27 year old quadraplegic shortly after a posttraumatic spinal cord cyst (PTSCC) was shunted via a catheter into the adjacent subarachnoid space. Although shunt malfunction was clinically suspected, metrizamide computed tomography (MCT) suggested that redundancy of the catheter had caused deformity of the spinal cord. This hypothesis was confirmed at surgery when intraoperative spinal sonography (IOSS) showed that the spinal cord deformity at C1−C2 disappeared when the catheter was withdrawn. This case shows that new or recurrent spinal cord symptoms may be due to a mechanical deformity of the cord rather than shunt malfunction, that restricting the length of the shunt catheter which is used to decompress PTSCCs is important, and that IOSS is an indispensible tool for visualizing the changes in spinal cord morphology during shunting procedures.
Can Flush and Lock Solutions Used in Human Medicine Be Applied to Large Animal IV Therapy: A Systematic Review

A recent shortage of prepackaged heparinized saline (HS) syringes has led to the question of whether or not normal saline (NS) can be used to both flush and lock IV catheters in large animal medicine (LAM). Moreover, several known medication incompatibilities exist with IV heparin administration. This is of particular concern in veterinary medicine where limited to no compatibility data exists between “veterinary only” (non-Food and Drug Administration approved) medications and heparin. Most of the literature on this subject is in human medicine where flushing of peripheral IV lines (PIVL) is done safely and effectively with NS. The jugular lines inserted in LAM have characteristics that are more similar to PIVLs versus most central venous access devices used in human patients. In addition, LAM catheters are of larger diameter than those typically used in human medicine thereby reducing the risk of occlusion. Based on the data evaluated, flushing and locking all LAM catheters with of NS is a reasonable alternative method for maintaining IV patency and eliminating problems associated with medication-related incompatibilities or shortages of prepackaged HS syringes.