cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Results of a two-year longitudinal study of beverage-specific alcohol use among adolescents.

This study explored beverage-specific alcohol consumption patterns among a sample of high school students over a two-year period. Four hundred fifty-five students completed the validated questionnaire at all three time points (2002, 2003, 2004). Variables of interest included five use measures (past year use, 30-day frequency, quantity, heavy use, chugging), each measured for six beverages (beer, wine, flavored coolers, fortified wine, liquor, malt liquor). Descriptive statistics and repeated measures MANOVAs revealed differences in beverage-specific consumption patterns over time, with liquor use increasing, wine use decreasing, and the remaining beverages showing no changes; and differences in beverage choice and drinking patterns by gender and ethnicity. Results indicate need for testing interventions that: target beverages most popular among students including those used earlier and later in high school; are sensitive to gender and ethnic differences; and address perceptions about specific beverages and their unique risks in order to reduce adolescent alcohol consumption. Language: en
The importance of the intrarenal renin–angiotensin system

Evidence suggests that virtually every organ system in the human body possesses a local renin-angiotensin system (RAS). These local systems seem to be independently regulated and compartmentalized from the plasma circulation, perhaps with the exception of the vascular endothelial system, which is responsible for maintaining physiological plasma levels of RAS components. Among these local RASs, the kidney RAS--the focus of this Review--seems to be of critical importance for the regulation of blood pressure and salt balance. Indeed, overactivation of the intrarenal RAS in certain disease states constitutes a pathogenic mechanism that leads to tissue injury, proliferation, fibrosis and ultimately, end-organ damage. Intrarenal levels of angiotensin peptides are considerably higher than those in plasma or any other organ tissue. Moreover, the kidney has a unique capacity to degrade angiotensin peptides, perhaps to maintain its intrinsic homeostasis. Interestingly, each local RAS has a distinct enzymatic profile resulting in different patterns of angiotensin fragment generation in different tissues. A better understanding of the autocrine and paracrine mechanisms involved in the renal RAS and other local RASs might direct future organ-specific therapy.
Differential Effects of Rapamycin and Dexamethasone in Mouse Models of Established Allergic Asthma

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) plays an important role in cell growth/differentiation, integrating environmental cues, and regulating immune responses. Our lab previously demonstrated that inhibition of mTOR with rapamycin prevented house dust mite (HDM)-induced allergic asthma in mice. Here, we utilized two treatment protocols to investigate whether rapamycin, compared to the steroid, dexamethasone, could inhibit allergic responses during the later stages of the disease process, namely allergen re-exposure and/or during progression of chronic allergic disease. In protocol 1, BALB/c mice were sensitized to HDM (three i.p. injections) and administered two intranasal HDM exposures. After 6 weeks of rest/recovery, mice were re-exposed to HDM while being treated with rapamycin or dexamethasone. In protocol 2, mice were exposed to HDM for 3 or 6 weeks and treated with rapamycin or dexamethasone during weeks 4–6. Characteristic features of allergic asthma, including IgE, goblet cells, airway hyperreactivity (AHR), inflammatory cells, cytokines/chemokines, and T cell responses were assessed. In protocol 1, both rapamycin and dexamethasone suppressed goblet cells and total CD4+ T cells including activated, effector, and regulatory T cells in the lung tissue, with no effect on AHR or total inflammatory cell numbers in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Rapamycin also suppressed IgE, although IL-4 and eotaxin 1 levels were augmented. In protocol 2, both drugs suppressed total CD4+ T cells, including activated, effector, and regulatory T cells and IgE levels. IL-4, eotaxin, and inflammatory cell numbers were increased after rapamycin and no effect on AHR was observed. Dexamethasone suppressed inflammatory cell numbers, especially eosinophils, but had limited effects on AHR. We conclude that while mTOR signaling is critical during the early phases of allergic asthma, its role is much more limited once disease is established.
A fast, complete method for automatically assigning causality to bond graphs

The state transition table method of finite state automata theory has been used to automate causality assignment in bond graphs. The state transition table consists of rows for each type of node in the bond graph: E, F, R, C, I, T, G, 0- and 1-junctions, and columns for the various conditions that can occur at the nodes: starting state, effort state, flow state, R state, and R opposite state. The cells of the table describe what action to take, such as assign causality, go to another state or execute a reversal procedure to pick the next starting node when causality has been extended as far as possible along the current path. The method is complete in that it attempts to resolve all causal conflicts. It is more efficient, requires less code, and is more easily maintained than conventional if-then-else programming techniques.
Curriculum Issues Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for the Gifted: A Problem-Based Learning Scenario

This column expresses ideas on curriculum, instruction, and assessment that provide assistance to practitioners responsible for planning and implementing programs for the gifted. The article featur...
New Therapeutic Approaches to the Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common disease that affects up to 1% of the population, and causes significant morbidity and early mortality. The aetiology of RA is unknown; however, in the last 10 to 15 years significant advances in molecular technology have provided a greater understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease. This has led to the development of new approaches to the treatment of RA. The disease modifying antirheumatic oral agent leflunomide inhibits the proliferation of activated T cells that are important in the inflammation and degradation of synovial tissues. The 2 biological agents approved for the treatment of RA, infliximab and etanercept, are inhibitors of the pro-inflammatory cytokine, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha). Infliximab is a chimeric human/mouse monoclonal antibody which is administered by intravenous infusion and binds with high affinity to TNFalpha, thereby neutralising its effects. Etanercept is a recombinant, soluble TNF receptor molecule which is administered subcutaneously and binds to TNFalpha in the serum rendering it biologically inactive. The protein A immunoadsorption column is a medical device that in conjunction with plasmapheresis can be used in patients with refractory RA. These agents have provided new and effective therapies for the treatment of patients with RA.
The Influence of Mental Workload and Information Reliability on Aerial Search Performance

Western society continues to become increasingly technological and, by extension, automated. It should come as no surprise, then, that researchers have devoted a considerable amount of time and effort to identifying and understanding psychological constructs, such as cognitive workload and trust, as they apply to the relationship between human and machine, especially in the military domain. The current research seeks to expand on past work by considering the joint influence of workload and system reliability on operator trust, as well as performance, as measured by accuracy in identifying a target stimulus, reaction time, and situation awareness. Results suggested that task workload had a significant impact on all measured aspects of operator performance, but not trust in the automated system. Surprisingly, system reliability had no statistical effect on operator performance or measured trust.
Education for renewable electric energy delivery and management systems

The Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management (FREEDM) Systems Center is a National Science Foundation (NSF) Generation-III Engineering Research Center (ERC) established in 2008 with the mission to develop the fundamental and enabling technologies necessary for a new and paradigm shifting power grid infrastructure, the FREEDM System. The center involves more than fifty professors and one hundred fifty graduate and undergraduate students from five US universities and two international universities, as well as more than sixty companies and national laboratories in 28 states and nine countries. This paper will discuss some of the on-going efforts to educate students to be prepared for the future electric energy systems.
Quasi-optimum control and the SDRE method

Abstract Two suboptimum control methods are compared. One is the currently popular state-dependent Riccati equation (SDRE) method and the other is based on the quasi-optimum control method developed by the author in the 1960's. Both methods are applied to a nonlinear dynamic system with a quadratic performance criterion. Both methods include the special case of a “mildly” nonlinear process, giving rise to 4 methods to be compared. After presenting a brief summary of the theory, two applications are developed in which each of the variations of the two methods are applied and the results compared. It is concluded that has advantages and disadvantages, but most problems are amenable to treatment by at least one of them.
Thermal conductivity of bismuth at ultralow temperatures

Abstract Our measurements indicate that the phonon mean free path is shortened below 1 K due to enhanced scattering by electrons. For one sample, the predominant thermal conduction by carriers near 0.1 K was suppressed with a small transverse magnetic field.
Ab initio molecular orbital calculation on graphite: Selection of molecular system and model chemistry

Abstract An ab initio molecular orbital study is performed on a single layer of graphite. Six graphite models with increasing sizes up to seven rings are used. All edges, except one side which is the free “surface”, are saturated with hydrogen atoms. The calculated results on bond length, bond angle, bond order, and Raman frequency and activity are compared with experimental data on graphite. Three levels of ab initio calculations are performed for all graphite models in order to select the suitable model as the Molecular System and the suitable level of calculation as the Model Chemistry. The model chemistry of the HF/3–21G(d) level, which demands substantially less computation compared to higher levels, can produce results in good agreement with experimental data. The graphite model C25H9 is adequate to represent graphite.
Radioimmunoassay of brain tissue and cell nuclear corticosterone

A combined cell fractionation-radioimmunoassay procedure is described to measure tissue and cell nuclear levels of corticosterone (CORT) in rat brain in intact animals in morning, afternoon, and following ether stress as well as in adrenalectomized animals with and without replacement therapy. Tissue and nuclear CORT are, as expected, higher in afternoon than in morning and still higher after stress. Replacement of CORT by a subcutaneous pellet and by single injection of 100 microgram CORT give tissue and nuclear levels in the afternoon range. Measurement of cell nuclear CORT in brain regions reveals a pattern in intact rats very similar to that seen in ADX rats given CORT replacement, with highest CORT concentrations in hippocampus. In ADX rats comparison of cell nuclear CORT levels by radioimmunoassay with levels obtained by scintillation counting after [3H]-CORT gives further validation of the radioimmunoassay procedure.
Disease Forecasts and Livestock Health Disclosure: A Shepherd’s Dilemma

We analyze how to induce sellers to disclose food safety. With repeated interactions and safety correlated over time, cash transfers alone do not ensure disclosure. Perfect, but costly, testing ensures disclosure with a complex lottery that may be difficult to implement in practice. In contrast, even a noisy quality forecast allows the buyer to induce perfect disclosure with a simple pricing scheme. Forecast introduction may benefit or harm sellers. After introduction, sellers may suffer from increases in forecast precision. As an illustration, we cast our model in the context of Rift Valley fever in an East African livestock market. Copyright 2010, Oxford University Press.
QuickUML: a tool to support iterative design and code development

We demonstrate QuickUML, a tool which supports iterative design and code development by providing facilities to draw UML class diagrams, to generate Java code from such diagrams, and also to automatically generate a UML class diagram from a collection of Java source code files. We also discuss how use of the tool provides general support for teaching students the importance of design in software development.
Band tails and the insulator-metal transition in the persistent photoconductor Cd1-xMnxTe:In

Abstract Persistent photoconductivity has been demonstrated in the dilute magnetic semiconductor Cd 1-x Mn x Te:In and has been used to elucidate the shape of the band tail. It is further shown that the insulator-metal transition may be approached, in one sample, by controlling the persistent carrier density with illumination.
Influence of additive damping on resonance fatigue of structures

Abstract In this paper, progress made at the Air Force Materials Laboratory toward the development of materials and techniques for the control of resonance fatigue in aerospace structures under severe environmental conditions is described. The areas discussed include a simple multi-modal analysis of random response under acoustic excitation incorporating comparisons with experimental data; damping properties of structural metals; high damping metals; plastics and elastomers; tuned damping devices and layered damping techniques incorporating a simple generalization of the classical equations of Oberst to account for free layer treatment behavior in stiffened structures. Finally, examples are given of the manner in which damping has been used to solve practical vibration control problems in the United States Air Force under operational conditions.
Stability of some mixed finite element methods for Stokesian flows

In so-called primitive variable formulations of problems of flow of viscous, incompressible, Stokesian fluids, two fields appear as unknowns: the velocity field u and the pressure field p, the latter representing a Lagrange multiplier associated with the incompressibility constraint, div u = 0. Finite element methods based on such formulations were first introduced over a decade ago [18]. Since the mid-1970s, interest in these methods was rekindled by the appearance of several new techniques which provided for very efficient calculation of the element pressures. These included mixed methods which employ pressure approximations which are discontinuous at interelement boundaries as well as the closely related mixed-type methods which employ an exterior penalty approximation of the incompressibility condition and reduced integration of the penalty terms. All of these methods have the attractive feature that the discontinuous element pressures can be eliminated element by element, reducing the problem to one only involving velocities. Upon determining velocities, element pressures can then be evaluated through a simple post-processing operation. Methods of this type were developed and discussed by several authors, and we mention in particular the papers of Malkus [14, 151, Hughes [12], Malkus and Hughes [17], Reddy [24], Bercovier [2], the book of Engleman and Sani [6], and the references therein. In 1980, however, mathematical analyses indicated that some of the more popular discontinuouspressure/mixed methods might be numerically unstable [W-22]. It was discovered that while certain of these methods perform well in problems with smooth solutions for which regular uniform meshes are employed, serious oscillations in the pressure approximation can occur when the data or the mesh pattern are mildly irregular, and these oscillations increase in amplitude as the mesh is refined. Oden, Kikuchi and Song [22] attributed the deficiency of these unstable methods to their failure to satisfy a key stability criterion which they referred to as the ‘LBB condition’, making reference to the work of Ladyszhenskaya [13] on existence theorems of viscous flow problems and of BabuSka [l] and Brezzi [3] on the approximation of elliptic problems with constraints. The discrete LBB condition of Oden, Kikuchi and Song is basically the requirement that the discrete approximation BZ of the transpose B* of the constraint operator B = div be bounded
Why Fat is a Feminist Issue

The proposition that fat is a feminist issue is almost an axiom within the feminist literature. And yet, different feminist scholars see fat as a feminist issue for radically different reasons. An analysis of mainly U.S. research suggests that for some, fat is a symptom of underlying distress and compulsive eating as a coping mechanism for this gendered anguish. For others, higher rates of “obesity” among poor women and women of color is a scandalous form of environmental injustice necessitating policy interventions to combat obesity in these populations. Others have argued that fat is a feminist issue because the fear of being or becoming fat tyrannizes average-size and relatively thin women, limiting their quality of life and often leading to eating disorders. In contrast, Fikkan and Rothblum (2011) argue that fat is a feminist issue because fat women are subjugated to bias, discrimination and abuse precisely because they are fat women. Unlike other approaches, they put actual fat women at the heart of their analysis, comparing their experience to that of both thin women and to fat men. They rightly signal the importance of examining how the social experiences of fat people vary by sex, social class, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation, among other factors. While emphasizing the importance of their perspective, this article advocates that this line of feminist analysis be pushed even further.
When Does Generation Enhance Memory for Location

Generation is thought to enhance both item-specific and relational processing of generated targets as compared with read words (M. A. McDaniel & P. J. Waddill, 1990). Generation facilitates encoding of the cue-target relation and sometimes boosts encoding of relations across list items. Of interest is whether generation can also increase the encoding of target-location associations. Because the literature on this point is mixed, 3 procedural differences between 2 studies (E. J. Marsh, G. Edelman, & G. H. Bower, 2001; N. W. Mulligan, 2004) were identified and manipulated. A positive generation effect was found for location memory, but this effect was reduced when subjects wrote down the study words and when the filler task involved generation. Generation can enhance location memory in addition to item memory but only if the experimental parameters do not interfere with the processing benefits of generation.
The use of carbethoxysyringoyl methylreserpate in hypertension.

Abstract 1. (1) Single intravenous doses of carbethoxysyringoyl methylreserpate given to 2 patients with moderately severe hypertension produced a marked hypotensive effect. 2. (2) Four individuals with severe hypertension in the accelerated phase showed encouraging responses to prolonged intramuscular administration of this new drug. 3. (3) In the oral form, carbethoxysyringoyl methylreserpate can be given in relatively large doses without serious side effects. This should be of value in those patients unable to tolerate reserpine.
Interaction of Slow Electrons with the Surface of a Model Dielectric: Theory of Surface Polarons

We discuss the interaction of a slow electron with the surface of a semi-infinite dielectric with dielectric constant that differs from unity by virtue of the presence of an infrared-active TO phonon. We obtain an expression for the effective interaction energy between the electron and the surface which reduces to the expression obtained from image-potential theory when the electron is far from the surface, either inside or outside the crystal. When the electron is near the surface, the effective potential differs from the image potential and becomes nonlocal. The form of the image potential is obtained by adapting to the present problem a method used by Lee, Low, and Pines in bulk polaron theory. We have applied the theory to the study of the binding of electrons to the crystal surface produced by the coupling of the electron to surface optical phonons and bulk LO phonons. We consider both the case where the electron is outside the crystal and trapped on the surface (the exterior-surface polaron) and the case where it is on the inside (the interior-surface polaron).
Dynamics of the Chest Wall during Speech Production: Function of the Thorax, Rib Cage, Diaphragm, and Abdomen

Anteroposterior diameters of the rib cage and abdomen and esophageal and gastric pressures were measured in normal subjects in upright and supine body positions during respiratory maneuvers and utt...
Some Percentile Estimators for Weibull Parameters

A percentile estimator for the shape parameter of the Weibull distribution, based on the 17th and 97th sample percentiles, is proposed which is asymptotically about 66% efficient when compared with the MLE (maximum likelihood estimator). A two-observation percentile estimator, based on the 40th and 82nd sample percentiles, for the scale parameter when the shape parameter is unknown is asymptotically about 82y0 efficient when compared with the MLE. The 24th and 93rd sample percentiles yield asymptotically about 41ye jointly efficient percentile estimators for both the scale and shape parameters in a class of two-observation percentile estimators when compared with their MLEs. Some other simple percentile estimators for these parameters are also briefly discussed. Finally, asymptotic properties of these estimators are investigated and their application in statistical inference problems is mentioned.
Release kinetics and alteration of waste glass in crystalline rocks systems

Abstract Miniature open-end stainless steel canisters of uranium-doped PNL- 76-68 waste glass were reacted with crushed basalt and granite at 250°C, 13.6 MPa, for up to 8 weeks. Solutions sampled periodically at P and T indicate that B and Mo release from glass is not affected by surrounding rock, but Cs release is lowered. Solution concentrations of alkali ions and silica in rock-dominated systems can be partly described by feldspar-quartz-water reactions. The altered glass surface is characterized by heavy-element zonation with an Fe-silicate fringe on the exposed surface.
Differences between the conformations of nitrotyrosyl-248 carboxypeptidase A in the crystalline state and in solution.

Abstract In solution, nitrocarboxypeptidase A, modified at tyrosyl-248, exhibits a nitrotyrosyl pK apparent of 6.3. In the crystalline state, the pK apparent is about 8.2. This change in ionization is consistent with the hypothesis that crystallization of the enzyme causes a displacement of tyrosine-248 away from the active site zinc ion.
The Misrepresentation of Anthropology and Its Consequences

Critiques of anthropology from within the discipline and from without have been a major feature of our intellectual life since the late 1960s. The theoretical and empirical bases of cultural and social anthropology have been under attack since the Marxist and New Left critiques of the 1960s to those coming more recently from poststructuralism, postmodernist and literary theory, and postcolonial and cultural studies. As a result, several academic generations have been educated by reading the attacks on the field but rarely dealing with the actual theoretical works and ethnographies of earlier anthropologists. This article deals with several of the most common charges leveled at anthropology, notably that it has regularly and necessarily exoticized "Others," has been ahistorical, and has treated each culture as if it were an isolate, unconnected to any other. It demonstrates how inaccurate and easily falsifiable such claims are and recommends a critical reevaluation of these unexamined and destructive cliches,
Chemometric analysis of MALDI mass spectrometric images of three-dimensional cell culture systems

As imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) has grown in popularity in recent years, the applications of this technique have become increasingly diverse. Currently there is a need for sophisticated data processing strategies that maximize the information gained from large IMS data sets. Traditional two-dimensional heat maps of single ions generated in IMS experiments lack analytical detail, yet manual analysis of multiple peaks across hundreds of pixels within an entire image is time-consuming, tedious and subjective. Here, various chemometric methods were used to analyze data sets obtained by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) IMS of multicellular spheroids. HT-29 colon carcinoma multicellular spheroids are an excellent in vitro model system that mimic the three dimensional morphology of tumors in vivo. These data are especially challenging to process because, while different microenvironments exist, the cells are clonal which can result in strong similarities in the mass spectral profiles within the image. In this proof-of-concept study, a combination of principal component analysis (PCA), clustering methods, and linear discriminant analysis was used to identify unique spectral features present in spatially heterogeneous locations within the image. Overall, the application of these exploratory data analysis tools allowed for the isolation and detection of proteomic changes within IMS data sets in an easy, rapid, and unsupervised manner. Furthermore, a simplified, non-mathematical theoretical introduction to the techniques is provided in addition to full command routines within the MATLAB programming environment, allowing others to easily utilize and adapt this approach.
Victims With Voices: How Abused Women Conceptualize the Problem of Spousal Abuse and Implications for Intervention and Prevention

Working from the conceptualization of abused women as both victims of and experts on spousal abuse, this study compares how women who have been abused, and how men and women with either less direct or no experience with spousal abuse, understand the problem and their beliefs about how it should be addressed. Results of a telephone survey of Philadelphia adults (N = 1,850) indicate that although in many ways abused women's opinions regarding domestic violence do not differ from those of nonabused women, abused women are more likely to believe that society gives tacit consent to abusive behavior through its silence and that talking openly about the problem will make it easier to solve. These findings suggest that initiatives aimed at changing the social norm around domestic violence may assist in both intervention and prevention efforts.
Gene prediction with Glimmer for metagenomic sequences augmented by classification and clustering

Environmental shotgun sequencing (or metagenomics) is widely used to survey the communities of microbial organisms that live in many diverse ecosystems, such as the human body. Finding the protein-coding genes within the sequences is an important step for assessing the functional capacity of a metagenome. In this work, we developed a metagenomics gene prediction system Glimmer-MG that achieves significantly greater accuracy than previous systems via novel approaches to a number of important prediction subtasks. First, we introduce the use of phylogenetic classifications of the sequences to model parameterization. We also cluster the sequences, grouping together those that likely originated from the same organism. Analogous to iterative schemes that are useful for whole genomes, we retrain our models within each cluster on the initial gene predictions before making final predictions. Finally, we model both insertion/deletion and substitution sequencing errors using a different approach than previous software, allowing Glimmer-MG to change coding frame or pass through stop codons by predicting an error. In a comparison among multiple gene finding methods, Glimmer-MG makes the most sensitive and precise predictions on simulated and real metagenomes for all read lengths and error rates tested.
Source code that talks: an exploration of Eclipse task comments and their implication to repository mining

A programmer performing a change task to a system can benefit from accurate comments on the source code. As part of good programming practice described by Kernighan and Pike in the book The Practice of Programming, comments should "aid the understanding of a program by briefly pointing out salient details or by providing a larger-scale view of the proceedings." In this paper, we explore the widely varying uses of comments in source code. We find that programmers not only use comments for describing the actual source code, but also use comments for many other purposes, such as "talking" to colleagues through the source code using a comment "Joan, please fix this method." This kind of comments can complicate the mining of project information because such team communication is often perceived to reside in separate archives, such as emails or newsgroup postings, rather than in the source code. Nevertheless, these and other types of comments can be very useful inputs for mining project information.
Cigarette smoke extract inhibits oxidative modification of low density lipoprotein

Oxidative modification of low density lipoprotein (LDL) by cigarette smoke has been suggested in several recent studies. To characterize possible modification of LDL by cigarette smoke extract (CSE), we incubated LDL with CSE either in the presence or absence of the chemical pro-oxidants, cupric chloride or 2,2'-azo-bis(2-amidinopropane) hydrochloride (AAPH). Surprisingly, CSE inhibited oxidative modification of LDL induced by either copper or AAPH. Under such oxidant stress conditions, CSE inhibited formation of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and also inhibited the increased agarose gel electrophoretic mobility of LDL in a dose-response manner. In addition, CSE prevented degradation of phosphatidylcholine to lysophosphatidylcholine and also fragmentation of the apolipoprotein B-100 moiety of LDL. Finally, CSE inhibited loss of immunoreactivity of the treated LDL with a murine monoclonal antibody against human apolipoprotein B-100. On the other hand, at higher concentrations, CSE per se was still able to cause structural changes in LDL. After incubation with CSE for 24 h, LDL showed a slight increase in agarose gel electrophoretic mobility, a slight loss of immunoreactivity with monoclonal antibody, and a marked increase in protein carbonyl formation. Lipid peroxidation did not appear to be involved in the modification of LDL caused by CSE. It is suggested that reactive aldehydes present in cigarette smoke may cause direct chemical modification of LDL. Furthermore, the free radical-scavenging potential of the tar fraction of cigarette smoke may be responsible for the apparent antioxidant properties of CSE against LDL oxidation.
pepA, a Gene Mediating pH Regulation of Virulence Genes in Vibrio cholerae

ToxT, a member of the AraC family of transcriptional regulators, controls the expression of several virulence factors in Vibrio cholerae. In the classical biotype of V. cholerae, expression of toxT is regulated by the same environmental conditions that control expression of the virulence determinants cholera toxin and the toxin coregulated pilus. Several genes that activate toxT expression have been identified. To identify genes that repress toxT expression in nonpermissive environmental conditions, a genetic screen was used to isolate mutations which alter the expression of a toxT-gusA transcriptional fusion. Several mutants were isolated, and the mutants could be divided into two classes. One class of mutants exhibited higher expression levels of toxT-gusA at both the nonpermissive pH and temperature, while the second class showed elevated toxT-gusA expression only at the nonpermissive pH. One mutant from the second class was chosen for further characterization. This mutant was found to carry a TnphoA insertion in a homolog of the Escherichia coli pepA gene. Disruption of pepA in V. cholerae resulted in elevated levels of expression of cholera toxin, tcpA, toxT, and tcpP at the noninducing pH but not at the noninducing temperature. Elevated levels of expression of toxT and tcpP at the nonpermissive pH in the pepA mutant were abolished in tcpP toxR mutant and aphB mutant backgrounds, respectively. A putative binding site for PepA was identified in the tcpPH-tcpI intergenic region, suggesting that PepA may act at the level of tcpPH transcription. Disruption of pepA caused only partial deregulation at the noninducing pH, suggesting the involvement of additional factors in the pH regulation of virulence genes in V. cholerae.
Discovery Of Genetically Distinct Sympatric Lineages in the Freshwater Mussel Cyprogenia Aberti (Bivalvia: Unionidae)

The western fanshell, Cyprogenia aberti, occurs in the Central Highlands region of North America and is the only congener of the federally endangered fanshell, C. stegaria. Due to a reduction in range size and local extirpations, extant populations of C. aberti have become increasingly isolated. Consequently, C. aberti has been the focus of numerous conservation efforts, yet no work has examined the degree of genetic variation among the species’ disjunct populations. Phylogenetic analyses of nucleotide sequences from two mitochondrial gene portions (CO1 and ND1) revealed results important to the conservation management of C. aberti. First, phylogenetic analyses do not support a monophyletic C. aberti. Second, C. aberti is comprised of as many as five independent lineages, one of which includes the federally endangered C. stegaria. Third, analysis recovered two genetically distinct sympatric lineages of C. aberti in the Ouachita River Drainage. These phylogenetic results suggest that the five distinct evolutionary lineages of C. aberti should be managed as separate conservation units. This study illustrates why it is critical to evaluate genetic variability in endangered and threatened ‘species’ prior to implementing a recovery program. These data also reveal the value of assessing biological diversity of nonimperiled taxa before populations are extirpated and valuable genetic data necessary for reconstruction of evolutionary relationships is lost.
Acute disseminated intravascular coagulation following ICD lead extraction

We present an unusual case of disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) complicating percutaneous laser-assisted lead extraction. DIC has not been previously reported in association with lead extraction. It is possible to have occurred following the denudement of venous endothelium and exposure of underlying fibrous tissue. Practitioners need to be aware of this rare but potentially fatal complication of transvenous lead extraction.
Reducing Health Disparities: The Perfect Fit for Counseling Psychology

This reaction to the Major Contribution presents a conceptualization of health disparities as another form of oppression of marginalized populations in our society. Consistent with this view, health disparities are then situated within a larger, national context, showing that counseling psychologists' involvement is an integral part of a multidisciplinary national effort. Examples of roles that counseling psychologists can take, beyond those related to patient-provider interactions, are presented in the context of cancer health disparities in Latina women. These roles include acting as staff trainer and consultant, patient and community health empowerment coach, patient advocate, and public policy analyst, as well as the traditional roles of health counselor, psychotherapist, and researcher. Finally, the author issues a call for action for counseling psychologists, for whom the amelioration of disparities is a perfect fit.
Dyslipidemia and the metabolic syndrome.

This is the third in a series of articles on presentations at the American Diabetes Association Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida, 4–8 June 2004. A number of presentations at the June American Diabetes Association (ADA) meeting addressed aspects of lipid therapy of persons with diabetes. Brown et al. (abstract 929) reported the correlation between fasting lipids and HbA1c in 11,938 persons with diabetes in the Kaiser Permanente Northwest population. Comparing persons with no, one, and two high–cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk lipid abnormalities, HbA1c was 7.3, 7.5, and 7.9%, triglycerides 150, 210, and 381 mg/dl, and HDL 54, 40, and 37 mg/dl, respectively, suggesting association of poorer glycemic control with dyslipidemia in type 2 diabetes. Pladevall et al. (abstract 948) described trends in the management of dyslipidemia in patients with diabetes using a managed care database of 9,642 persons, 6,751 of whom were followed from 1997 to 2001. Lipid testing was performed in 37, 44, 51, 55, and 6% in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001, respectively. During this period, 19, 23, 28, 33, and 41% of patients were prescribed a lipid-lowering agent and the LDL cholesterol goal of <100 mg/dl was attained by 22%, 27%, 32%, 34%, and 37%, respectively, suggesting that important improvement has been made, although there is a great deal yet to be done in lipid treatment of persons with diabetes in the U.S. Ronald Goldberg (Miami, FL) discussed LDL-targeted therapy, addressing the relationship between LDL cholesterol and CVD in diabetes, lessons learned from statin trials in diabetes, current guidelines for LDL-targeted therapy, and new data regarding the question of more rather than less statin, as well as special subgroups and obstacles to achieving goals. In the UKPDS (U.K. Prospective Diabetes Study), LDL levels were similar to those of persons without diabetes in men and slightly …
A rectangular metal-insulator-metal based nanoscale plasmonic resonator

We present an optical range resonator based on single mode metal-insulator-metal plasmonic gap waveguides. Near lossless transmission at 90deg bends enables us to design rectangular structures with cross-section area less than 500 nm2, which also leads to easing the fabrication process. The resonator exhibits a free spectral range of 270 nm. We show that a small bridge between the resonator and the input waveguide can be used to tune the resonance frequency. In addition, nanoscale add/drop directional couplers are realizable using the presented ring resonator structure.
T helper subset development: roles of instruction, selection, and transcription

The past 15 years have seen the development of a field in immunology entirely devoted to understanding the divergence of CD4+ T cells into distinct cytokine-producing subsets. Generally speaking, the immune response to a pathogen can develop toward a more strongly cellular type (type 1), or toward a more allergic type of response (type 2). When well developed, these gear the immune response for the effective elimination of different types of pathogens, with a type 1 response being more effective against intracellular pathogens, for example Listeria monocytogenes or mycobacteria. Type 2 allergic responses, in contrast, favor the elimination of parasites such as helminths. The basis for this selective action resides in the cytokines made by the CD4+ T helper cell subsets in these responses. T helper type 1 (Th1) cells produce several characteristic cytokines, most notably IL-2 and IFN-γ, whereas Th2 cells produce a set of cytokines, most notably IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13. In turn, IL-2 and IFN-γ promote the development of strong cell-mediated immunity, whereas the type 2 cytokines promote allergic responses effective in eliminating parasites. When confronted with a pathogen, it is important that the immune system activate the appropriate type of response. Fortunately, it has developed reliable mechanisms that help naive CD4 T cells in this choice. These mechanisms have been fairly well worked out at many levels over the last decade, and several thorough reviews have described recent findings regarding the signaling pathways and transcription factors that contribute to peripheral CD4+ Th development (1–3). Despite the great progress in the molecular understanding of these processes, there are still issues in this area that are controversial and actively debated. Here, we will focus on some aspects that are unresolved within the various models of Th1 and Th2 development and will try to fit together some of the recent observations that have motivated these somewhat theoretical considerations. In particular, we will take this opportunity to focus on a difficult topic, that of whether Th1/Th2 development rests on selective or instructive mechanisms, a general issue that is also debated in regard to CD4/CD8 lineage commitment and is common to many developmental systems. Distinguishing between strictly selective and instructive models is difficult, as many experimental results can be compatible with both interpretations.
Kathleen Paul, Whitewashing Britain: Race and Citizenship in the Postwar Era. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1997. xvii + 253 pp. $39.95 cloth; $16.95 paper.

Kathleen Paul's Whitewashing Britain: Race and Citizenship in the Postwar Era is an important investigation and discussion of the formation of policy about nationality, migration, and race, and the concerns of those responsible for that policy, i.e., officials in the British government. Along with carefully documenting how important postwar nationality legislation was enacted, Paul makes two important arguments.
MouseTracker: Software for studying real-time mental processing using a computer mouse-tracking method

In the present article, we present a software package, MouseTracker, that allows researchers to use a computer mouse-tracking method for assessing real-time processing in psychological tasks. By recording the streaming x-, y-coordinates of the computer mouse while participants move the mouse into one of multiple response alternatives, motor dynamics of the hand can reveal the time course of mental processes. MouseTracker provides researchers with fine-grained information about the real-time evolution of participant responses by sampling 60–75 times/sec the online competition between multiple response alternatives. MouseTracker allows researchers to develop and run experiments and subsequently analyze mouse trajectories in a user-interactive, graphics-based environment. Experiments may incorporate images, letter strings, and sounds. Mouse trajectories can be processed, averaged, visualized, and explored, and measures of spatial attraction/curvature, complexity, velocity, and acceleration can be computed. We describe the software and the method, and we provide details on mouse trajectory analysis. We validate the software by demonstrating the accuracy and reliability of its trajectory and reaction time data. The latest version of MouseTracker is freely available at http://mousetracker.jbfreeman.net.
THE CHEMILUMINESCENT NO—O‐ATOM REACTION

Chemiluminescent NO-O-atom reaction, determining effect of change of emission intensities and third bodies
The Parent-Child Relationship during Beginning Reading:

This article addresses the affective quality of the parent-child relationship during shared book reading with kindergarten and first-grade children. Research has emphasized the frequency, rather than quality, of parent-child reading with beginning readers. However, frequent shared reading may not be beneficial if parents are hostile and critical as their child struggles to read. Thirty-two parent-child dyads were videotaped reading to each other. Interaction was coded for several affective dimensions: praise, hostility, criticism, support, positive affect, emotional spontaneity, physical proximity, and affection. manova analyses indicated that there was a significant difference in the affective quality of the parent-child relationship related to both the child's attitude toward readingand the child's reading fluency. Dyads who were affectionate during shared reading had children who were less frustrated with and more engaged in reading and who read more words per minute earlier, than less affectionate dya...
Prominence Effect in Shanghai Apartment Prices

A field study conducted in Shanghai identified a robust inconsistency between real estate developers' desired sales pattern (selling all apartments in a building at similar rates) and the actual sales pattern (selling good apartments faster). The authors explained this inconsistency with Tversky, Sattath, and Slovic (1988)'s prominence principle, according to which buyers, who were in a choice mode, weighed the desirability of floors more heavily than developers, who were in a matching mode when setting prices. This explanation is corroborated by controlled experiments involving potential homebuyers and professional real-estate price-setters. The research relates an intriguing anomaly originally found in paper-and-pencil surveys to a real-world issue in one of the world's most active markets. These findings also have implications for issues beyond real estate markets.
The Effect of Eye Drop Technique Education in Patients With Glaucoma

ABSTRACTEducation about how to administer eye drops may improve a patient’s ability to instill his or her eye drops correctly. Our objectives were to (a) document the methods providers use to educate glaucoma patients about eye drop technique; (b) determine whether eye drop technique education varies by provider and patient characteristics; and (c) evaluate whether education predicts improved patient technique. We conducted an 8-month longitudinal study of 279 glaucoma patients and 15 providers in which we recorded on videotape the content of glaucoma office visits at two time points (baseline and 4- to 6-week follow-up) and videotaped patient eye drop technique at three time points (baseline, 4- to 6-week follow-up, and 8-month follow-up). Mann–Whitney rank sum tests were used to determine whether education was associated with improved patient eye drop technique over time. Ninety-four patients (34%) received technique education at either visit; 31% received verbal education and 10% received a technique d...