cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Solid-State NMR Studies of Ionic Surfactants Adsorbed on Cyanopropyl Bonded Phases: Implications for Micellar Liquid Chromatography

Abstract Solid-state13C NMR spectroscopy techniques, including cross polarization (CP), magic angle spinning (MAS), and high-power proton decoupling, have been used to study the interactions of two ionic surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), with the cyanopropyl bonded phase. Variable contact time CP/MAS13C NMR data suggest that the unusual behavior of cyanopropyl bonded phase columns in SDS and CTAB micellar reversed-phase liquid chromatography can be attributed to the strong interactions between the polar head group of SDS or CTAB and the cyano functionality of the polar bonded phase. Models which depict the structure of the surfactant-modified cyanopropyl bonded phase are proposed from the NMR data, and these models are in good agreement with the selectivity exhibited by cyanopropyl bonded phase columns toward polar and ionogenic compounds in MLC.
Philothermal response of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in dementia of the Alzheimer type

Abstract —The philothermal response, i.e., the tendency of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) to migrate along a temperature gradient toward warmer temperatures, was evaluated in 11 patients with a clinical diagnosis of dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) and compared to 11 age and sex-matched mentally normal individuals. While the total number of migrating PMNs did not differ significantly between these two groups, t there was a significant difference in the spatial distribution of the responding cell population. The numerical parameter, R, has been introduced to provide a quantitative measure of the distribution of populations characterized by differences in motile behavior. This R value was unusually high for 10 of the DAT patients but only one of the comparison individuals. No relation between R and duration of illness, age, or sex was detected. These preliminary findings, based on a small number of clinically diagnosed DAT patients, suggest that the philothermal response may represent a biological marker with diagnostic usefulness for at least one subgroup of DAT patients.
A new nonlinear parameter in the developed strain-to-applied strain of the soft tissues and its application in ultrasound elasticity imaging.

Strain developed under quasi-static deformation has been mostly used in ultrasound elasticity imaging (UEI) to determine the stiffness change of tissues. However, the strain measure in UEI is often less sensitive to a subtle change of stiffness. This is particularly true for Crohn's disease where we have applied strain imaging to the differentiation of acutely inflamed bowel from chronically fibrotic bowel. In this study, a new nonlinear elastic parameter of the soft tissues is proposed to overcome this limit. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the newly proposed method and demonstrate its feasibility in the UEI. A nonlinear characteristic of soft tissues over a relatively large dynamic range of strain was investigated. A simplified tissue model based on a finite element (FE) analysis was integrated with a laboratory developed ultrasound radio-frequency (RF) signal synthesis program. Two-dimensional speckle tracking was applied to this model to simulate the nonlinear behavior of the straindevelopedinatargetinclusionovertheappliedaveragestraintothesurroundingtissues.Anonlinearempir- ical equation was formulated and optimized to best match the developed strain-to-applied strain relation obtained from the FE simulation. The proposed nonlinear equation was applied to in vivo measurements and nonlinear parameters were further empirically optimized. For an animal model, acute and chronic inflammatory bowel disease was induced in Lewis rats with trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-ethanol treatments. After UEI, histo- pathology and direct mechanical measurements were performed on the excised tissues. The extracted nonlinear parameter from the developed strain-to-applied strain relation differentiated the three different tissue types with 1.96 ± 0.12 for normal, 1.50 ± 0.09 for the acutely inflamed and 1.03 ± 0.08 for the chronically fibrotic tissue. T-tests determined that the nonlinear parameters between normal, acutely inflamed and fibrotic tissue types were statistically significantly different (normal/ fibrotic (p 5 0.0000185), normal/acutely inflamed (p 5 0.0013) and fibrotic/acutely inflamed (p 50.0029)). This technique may provide a sensitive and robust tool to assess subtle stiff- ness changes in tissues such as in acutely inflamed bowel wall. (E-mail: kangkim@upmc.edu) 2012 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology.
U.S. Trends in Hospitalization and Generalist Physician Workforce and the Emergence of Hospitalists

General internists and other generalist physicians have traditionally cared for their patients during both ambulatory visits and hospitalizations. It has been suggested that the expansion of hospitalists since the mid-1990s has “crowded out” generalists from inpatient care. However, it is also possible that declining hospital utilization relative to the size of the generalist workforce reduced the incentives for generalists to continue providing hospital care. To examine trends in hospital utilization and the generalist workforce before and after the emergence of hospitalists in the U.S. and to investigate factors contributing to these trends. Using data from 1980–2005 on inpatient visits from the National Hospital Discharge Survey, and physician manpower data from the American Medical Association, we identified national trends before and after the emergence of hospitalists in the annual number of inpatient encounters relative to the number of generalists. Inpatient encounters relative to the number of generalists declined steadily before the emergence of hospitalists. Declines in inpatient encounters relative to the number of generalists were driven primarily by reduced hospital length of stay and increased numbers of generalists. Hospital utilization relative to generalist workforce declined before the emergence of hospitalists, largely due to declining length of stay and rising generalist workforce. This likely weakened generalist incentives to provide hospital care. Models of care that seek to preserve dual-setting generalist care spanning ambulatory and inpatient settings are most likely to be viable if they focus on patients at high risk of hospitalization.
Holocene and late Pleistocene slip rates on the San Andreas fault in Yucaipa, California, using displaced alluvial-fan deposits and soil chronology

We derived slip rates on the San Andreas fault from displacement of alluvial fans and from approximate dating of the fans by the degree of soil development. Distinctive red-purple sedimentary rocks of the Miocene(?) Potato Sandstone exposed on Yucaipa Ridge in the San Bernardino Mountains were transported down Wilson Creek and shed across the modern trace of the San Andreas fault. Soils developed in alluvial-fan deposits contain red-purple clasts of the Potato Sandstone and are progressively more developed toward the north-west as a result of fault displacement. We used soil development to estimate the ages of these alluvial fans and underlying deposits. Using dated soils from Cajon Pass and from the Central Valley of California, we estimated ages of Wilson Creek deposits, using a statistical method of maximum likelihood. These methods also utilize Monte Carlo simulations of larger data populations and account for soil variability, uncertainty of calibration dates, and the limited number of soils described and sampled. Resulting age estimates have considerable (as much as 80%) uncertainty, resulting largely from quality of calibration dates. Slip rates for three time intervals were obtained by restoring the medial axis of each displaced fan to Wilson Creek. Maximum slip rates were also obtained by restoring the westernmost extent of each fan to Wilson Creek. Best-estimate rates averaged to the present for 0 to 14,000 yr are 14 to 25 mm/yr; for 0 to 30,000 yr, 22 to 34 mm/yr, and for 0 to 65,000 or 90,000 yr, 12 to 16 mm/yr. Maximum rates averaged to present for 0 to 14,000 yr are as high as 65 mm/yr; older rates are as high as 80 mm/yr. When Holocene rates are accounted for, actual or incremental slip rates for the interval 30,000 to 65,000 or 90,000 yr B.P. are probably 6 to 13 mm/yr. These data tentatively suggest that slip rates on the modern trace have increased during the late Quaternary. Uncertainties in slip and age data, however, allow for rates to have been nearly constant or even decreasing toward the present.
Membrane-bound mitochondrial DNA: isolation, transcription and protein composition.

AbstractMitochondrial membrane-bound DNA complex from bovine heart mitochondria lysed in the presence of Triton X-100 was isolated by differential centrifugation. The yield of “nucleoid” is about 30 μg protein/mg mitochondrial protein. It contains about 3-5 μg DNA/mg protein and varying amounts of RNA. The heart mitochondrial nucleoid actively synthesizes RNA. The nucleoid fraction contains about sixteen different proteins as evidenced by urea-SDS gel electrophoresis and about twenty-one proteins as evidenced by acid-urea gel electrophoresis. ft appears that the nucleoid is attached to the inner membrane since it does contain cytochromes.
Wallerian degeneration of the corticospinal tract in a middle cerebral artery infarction

An 18-year-old white woman with a history of end stage renal failure secondary to hemolytic uremic syndrome, bilateral nephrectomies, rejection of two kidney transplants, and currently on chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis was admitted to the hospital with abdominal pain likely secondary to peritonitis. She coded while in the hospital and resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. She had a history of hypertension and congestive heart failure. She had a branch left middle cerebral artery infarction at age 4 resulting in a spastic right hemiparesis. A definite mechanism for her stroke was not determined, although it was presumed to be embolic. She also had a history of seizures, peripheral neuropathy, anemia, and intermittent pancreatitis. At postmortem examination, the brain weighed 1,156 kg. The cranial nerves were unremarkable. The arteries of the Circle of Willis were of normal configuration and free of arteriosclerosis or aneurysms. No vascular occlusions were noted. An old infarct involving the superior (anterior) territory of the left middle cerebral artery was present. The lesion extended deep into the insular cortex, caudate nucleus, internal capsule, and lenticular nucleus (Fig 1). The left cerebral peduncle, left basis pontis, and left pyramid were reduced in bulk secondary to Wallerian degeneration (Fig 2).
Convergence in Theories of Career Choice and Development: Review and Prospect.

Abstract Theories of career choice and development have exerted an active force on vocational research and counseling practice for more than 40 years. As the major theories have evolved, the influence of some diminished, while those remaining influential have come to resemble each other in important ways. This paper analyzes these similarities in order to determine whether the field is moving toward an integrated theory. The analysis leads to the conclusion that commonality exists in many major ways, but that some important differences between the theories remain and are useful for specific populations and purposes.
Protective Effect of Sulfamethylthiazol∗ on Experimental Salmonella enteritidis Infection in Mice

ConclusionsSulfamethylthiazol apparently exerts a definite protective effect in mice which have been experimentally infected with a virulent strain of Salmonella enteritidis. This protective effect is manifested only by an increase in average survival time of medicated animals. Eventually all of the medicated animals succumb to the Salmonella enteritidis infection.
Controlled Release of Trimaterene from Poly(DL-Lactide-Co-Glycolide) Microspheres

Release of triamterene from 150–300 gm poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microspheres was investigated in vitro as a function of lactic acid/glycolic acid (LA/GA) copolymer ratio and drug loading both with free microspheres and with microspheres embedded in a silicone matrix. Biphasic release consisting of diffusion controlled release followed by erosion controlled release corresponding to polymer degradation was observed in all samples. Drug release from PLGA 50:50 copolymer microspheres was three times faster than the release from PLGA 75:25 microspheres for the higher drug loading (20 wt%) and slightly faster for the lower drug loading (10 wt%). Release rates from spheres containing the higher drug loading were approximately one order of magnitude faster than release from spheres containing the lower drug loading for the same PLGA copolymer. The same qualitative results were observed for the spheres embedded in silicone matrices; however, the overall release was much slower. The results demonstrate that release behavior may be altered by changing LA/GA copolymer ratio, drug loading, and microsphere environment to obtain the desired release characteristics.
Maintenance of human cytomegalovirus genome in human diploid fibroblast cells

Abstract Human embryo lung cells pretreated with a combination of human leukocyte interferon and acyclovir were infected with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and treated daily for 14 days with the same inhibitor combination. After removal of the inhibitors, the incubation temperature was maintained at either 37 or 40.5°. Incubation of infected cells at 37° after inhibitor removal resulted in progressive virus-specific cytopathology and eventually total destruction of the cell culture. However, HCMV-infected cells incubated at 40.5° after inhibitor removal exhibited little or no virus-induced cytopathology and HCMV remained noninfectious for 8 days. After extended incubation at 40.5°, infectious HCMV was readily detectable even though virus-specific cytopathology was not evident. Reducing the incubation temperature from 40.5 to 37° resulted in stimulation of infectious virus replication and subsequent destruction of the infected cell culture monolayer within 10 days.
The Expression and Regulation of STATs during 3T3-L1 Adipocyte Differentiation

STATs (Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription) comprise a family of transcription factors that reside in the cytoplasm of resting cells. In response to a variety of stimuli, STATs become tyrosine-phosphorylated and translocate to the nucleus where they mediate transcriptional regulation. We have used the 3T3-L1 murine cell line to examine the expression of STAT proteins as a function of their differentiation into adipocytes. The expression of STATs 1, 3, and 5, but not of STAT 6, is markedly elevated in adipocytes as compared with their fibroblast precursors. Exposure of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes to tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) blocks their differentiation into adipocytes. Therefore, we examined STAT expression as a function of differentiation in the presence of this cytokine. The expression of STATs 1 and 5 is markedly attenuated in the presence of TNF alpha, whereas STAT 3 expression is unaffected by this treatment. Only STAT 1 is down-regulated by TNF alpha in fully differentiated cells. Thus, although the expression of STATs 1, 3, and 5 is markedly enhanced upon differentiation, only STAT 5 expression is tightly correlated with the adipocyte phenotype. These data suggest that STAT 5, and possibly STAT 1, could be potential inducers of tissue-specific genes, which contribute to the development and maintenance of the adipocyte phenotype.
Estimation of missing values for computer prognosis.

Abstract In a patient-monitoring situation, systolic pressure is measured more often than arterial pH. Both of these variables are used to calculate an index which is prognostic of the patient's state. Methods of estimating the “missing” pH are discussed and compared. It is shown that certain regression methods are useful in reducing the error of misclassification.
Toxic and teratogenic effects of hydrazine on fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) embryos

Hydrazine is widely used in commercial industries and is employed as a missile fuel in Air Force operations. The widespread use of hydrazine suggests a need for assessing its potential impact upon the aquatic environment. We designed this investigation to simulate conditions of an accidental spill which might occur during the spawning season of the fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas. This study was undertaken to determine the sensitivity of cleaving eggs to hydrazine, in particular morphological abnormalities and how they affect hatching, growth rate and certain physiological functions which may possess survival value.
Risk Factors for Persistent Ductus Arteriosus Patency during Indomethacin Treatment

Objective To test the hypothesis that patent ductus arteriosus that fail to close with prostaglandin inhibition may be regulated by mechanisms that act independently of prostaglandin production. Study design We examined a cohort of 446 infants who were treated with indomethacin (within 15 hours of birth) to inhibit prostaglandin production. We used multiple logistic regression modeling to determine which perinatal/neonatal variables were most closely associated with the persistence of ductus patency in the presence of diminished prostaglandin production. Results We identified 4 variables (immature gestational age, lack of exposure to antenatal betamethasone, severity of respiratory distress, and Caucasian race) that were significantly and independently associated with the degree of ductus patency. Conclusion Gestational age, antenatal glucocorticoid exposure, respiratory distress, and race are independent risk factors that appear to affect ductus closure even when indomethacin has been used to inhibit prostaglandin production. Future studies of these risk factors may identify new potential targets for patent ductus arteriosus treatment.
MORA routing and capacity building in disruption-tolerant networks

Disruption-tolerant networks (DTNs) differ from other types of networks in that capacity is created by the movements of network participants. This implies that understanding and influencing the participants' motions can have a significant impact on network performance. In this paper, we introduce the routing protocol MORA, which learns structure in the movement patterns of network participants and uses it to enable informed message passing. We also propose the introduction of autonomous agents as additional participants in DTNs. These agents adapt their movements in response to variations in network capacity and demand. We use multi-objective control methods from robotics to generate motions capable of optimizing multiple network performance metrics simultaneously. We present experimental evidence that these strategies, individually and in conjunction, result in significant performance improvements in DTNs.
Synthesis and Photoinitiated Cationic Polymerization of Epoxidized Castor Oil and Its Derivatives

In this communication we describe the synthesis of epoxidized castor oil (ECO) as an interesting and inexpensive biorenewable monomer by an efficient and low cost epoxidation process. Also described are studies of the photoinitiated cationic polymerization of ECO using diaryliodonium salt photoinitiators. The influence of the structure and the concentration of the photoinitiator on the polymerization are reported. The ability of photosensitizers to accelerate the photopolymerization was also studied. Studies comparing the photopolymerization behavior of ECO with other commercially available epoxidized linseed and soybean oils and with other types of synthetic epoxy monomers were conducted. The excellent reactivity of ECO can be ascribed to the presence of both epoxy and hydroxyl groups in the molecule which permits this material to polymerize mainly by an activated monomer mechanism.
Differential Expression of Vibrio vulnificus Capsular Polysaccharide

Vibrio vulnificus is a human pathogen whose virulence has been associated with the expression of capsular polysaccharide (CPS). Multiple CPS types have been described; however, virulence does not appear to correlate with a particular CPS composition. Reversible-phase variation for opaque and translucent colony morphologies is characterized by changes in CPS expression, as suggested by electron microscopy of cells stained nonspecifically with ruthenium red. Isolates with opaque colony morphologies are virulent and appear to be more thickly encapsulated than naturally occurring translucent-phase variants, which have reduced, patchy, or absent CPS. Previously, we have shown that the virulence of translucent-phase variants was intermediate between opaque-phase variants and acapsular transposon mutants, suggesting a correlation between virulence and the amount of CPS expressed. In the present study, CPS expression of phase variants and genetically defined mutants of V. vulnificus M06-24/O was examined by using a CPS-specific monoclonal antibody with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, flow cytometry, and immunoelectron microscopy. Semiquantitative analyses of CPS expression correlated well among these assays, confirming that the translucent-phase variant was intermediate in CPS expression and retained type I CPS-specific epitopes. Cell surface expression of CPS varied with the growth phase, increasing during logarithmic growth and declining in stationary culture. Significantly greater CPS expression (P = 0.026) was observed for cells grown at 30 degrees C than for those at 37 degrees C. These studies confirm that phase variation and virulence in V. vulnificus correlate with the amount of CPS expressed and demonstrate the fluidity of bacterial polysaccharide expression in response to environmental conditions.
Angiotensin II Blockade after Kidney Transplantation

Kidney transplantation provides improved vitality and longevity compared with dialytic therapy. Successful transplantation has been greatly enabled by the development of immunosuppressive regimens with an improved therapeutic index. Current transplant recipients can anticipate a >90% success rate at
The obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders

Obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders have, over the past few years, emerged as a distinct category of related disorders with important diagnostic, etiologic and therapeutic implications. This group of unique diagnostic entities may affect up to 10% of the US population and is characterized by intrusive obsessive thoughts or repetitive behaviors. Obsessive-compulsive related disorders may overlap with OCD in terms of clinical symptoms, associated features (age of onset, clinical course and comorbidity), presumed etiology, familial transmission and response to selective pharmacological or behavioral treatments. In this paper, we present an overview of the obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders and explore somatoform, dissociative, eating, schizo-obsessive, tic, neurologic and impulse control disorders.
Food, Cocoa, and the Division of Labour by Sex in Two West African Societies

This paper is an empirical study of the cultural context and historical development of the division of labour by sex in the farming systems of two peoples of the West African cocoa belt: the Yoruba of Western Nigeria and the Beti of South-Central Cameroun. It examines the way in which cocoa as an export crop has been integrated into two different indigenous economies, one in which farming was predominantly a set of tasks for males in the pre-cocoa era, and the other in which farming was women's work.
Childhood morbidities among income- and categorically-eligible WIC program participants and non-participants

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is the largest supplemental food assistance program in the United States. WIC benefits include food and infant formula, nutrition counseling, health screenings, and health-care referrals to low-income, nutritionally at-risk pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age five. This research explored the associations between childhood morbidities among income- and categorically-eligible WIC participant and non-participant groups in a diverse, nationally representative sample of children. Results indicate significant differences in the maternal sociodemographic profiles of eligible child WIC participants and non-participants. After propensity score-matching methods were used to create more appropriate comparison groups among child WIC participants and non-participants, complete covariate balance was obtained for all sociodemographic characteristics. Further, no significant differences in child asthma, respirator...
Tumor volume as a prognostic factor in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma treated with primary radiotherapy.

Objectives/Hypothesis: Tumor volume has been demonstrated to play a prognostic role in many head and neck cancers. The purpose of this study was to conduct an institutional review analyzing the correlation between tumor volume and locoregional control of oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer treated with primary radiotherapy. Study Design: Retrospective institutional chart analysis. Methods: Seventy-nine patients from 1991 to 2005 with primary T1 to T4 oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (base of tongue, n = 31; soft palate, n = 1; tonsils, n = 47) were treated with primary radiotherapy. Tumor volumes were measured from pretreatment computerized tomography scans by two observers. Three-dimensional tumor volumes were calculated using a computer digitizer for each computed tomography slice showing the primary lesion. Survival analysis, using the methods of Kaplan and Meier, was performed to assess whether tumor volume, Tumor, Node, Metastasis classification, tumor stage, or location were associated with locoregional failure. Results: Tumor volume did not significantly correlate with locoregional failure (observer 1, P = .6244; observer 2, P = .5612). There was a high interobserver correlation (r = 0.98970). Univariate analysis did, however, demonstrate a significant difference in locoregional failure between T4 tumors and all other T stages (T1 vs. T4, P = .0107; T2 vs. T4, P = .0004; T3 vs. T4, P = .0155). Nodal status, tumor stage, and location did not significantly correlate with locoregional failure rate. Conclusions: Tumor volume does not appear to play a significant role in predicting locoregional recurrence for patients with primary squamous cell cancer of the oropharynx treated with primary radiotherapy. However, T4 status was predictive of poor locoregional control.
Impact of touch preparations on core needle biopsies

BACKGROUND Touch preparations (TPs) can be performed for on-site adequacy assessment of core needle biopsies (CNBs). Although TPs can play a role in decreasing the number of nondiagnostic core biopsies, the impact of TPs on CNB has not been extensively evaluated. METHODS Computerized tomography–guided CNBs performed in a tertiary cancer center were retrospectively identified. On-site adequacy assessment was performed in all cases. The matching TPs and CNBs were evaluated for diagnostic accuracy of the TP. The relation between the site of biopsy and the cellularity of the CNB was also analyzed. RESULTS A total of 1100 CNB cases with associated TPs were identified over a 6-month period. Eighty-four cases (8%) showed marked differences in cellularity between CNB and TP, and 43 of these 84 cases (4.3%) showed the presence of diagnostic cells in either CNB or TP, but not in both. Lung was the biopsy site where CNB was most affected by loss of diagnostic cells. CONCLUSIONS TP and CNB findings must be integrated to prevent a misdiagnosis. Lung CNBs were more frequently affected by performing TPs. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2014;122:851–854. © 2014 American Cancer Society.
Workshop on Solar Flares and Magnetospheric Substorms

Among many of the fascinating phenomena displayed by nature, there are a number that involve the generation, storage, and subsequent dissipation of electromagnetic energy. Solar flares and magnetospheric substorms are two notable examples that occur in the solar system. A workshop dealing with these two phenomena, “Workshop on Solar Flares and Magnetospheric Substorms,” was held March 26–30, 1990, at the East-West Center on the University of Hawaii campus at Manoa—an efficient but delightful setting for scientific interaction. The workshop was unique in that solar physicists and magnetospheric physicists, about 25 from each group, gathered together in a single conference hall to discuss practically all aspects of both solar flares and magnetospheric substorms. Participants came from Australia, Germany, Japan, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States
Familial ALS with SOD1 mutation misdiagnosed with polyradiculopathy and myopathy

We report a 54-year-old male with progressive and asymmetrical lower extremity weakness caused by familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS) with a Cu/Zn superoxidase dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene mutation. He was initially misdiagnosed with a lumbosacral polyradiculopathy because of spinal stenosis and underwent a laminectomy surgery with no benefit. He was also misdiagnosed with a myopathy due to moderate CK elevation from acute denervation and pseudomyopathic changes on muscle biopsies from chronic denervation. He eventually developed respiratory muscle weakness and upper motor neuron signs, consistent with familial ALS.
Perfectionism and career decision-making self-efficacy

This study investigated the relationship between perfectionism and career decision-making self-efficacy. Participants completed the Almost Perfect Scale—Revised (R. B. Slaney, K. G. Rice, M. Mobley, J. Trippi, & J. S. Ashby, 2001) and the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy—Short Form (N. E. Betz, K. L. Klein, & K. M. Taylor, 1996). Adaptive perfectionists had higher levels of career decision-making self-efficacy than did maladaptive perfectionists and nonperfectionists. There was no difference between maladaptive perfectionists and nonperfectionists in career decision-making self-efficacy. Findings add to a growing body of research that suggests perfectionism has adaptive and maladaptive components. Implications for counseling and limitations are discussed.
Theoretical modeling of intumescent fire-retardant materials

A theoretical model is developed to predict the thermochemical be- havior of intumescent fire-retardant coatings. The model is based on the assump- tion that the intumescent reaction is analogous to the phase change process occurring over a finite temperature range. From the numerical results, it is found that the histories of the substrate temperature can be accurately predicted by choosing adequate pseudo latent heat and temperature range for the intumes- cent reaction, and the bending evidence observed in experiments can be success- fully predicted by the present intumescence model. Finally, it is shown that the present model can readily be extended to simulate the intumescent process with multi-intumescent zones.
Invited Review: Culling: Nomenclature, Definitions, and Recommendations

Replacing cows on a dairy is a major cost of operation. There is a need for the industry to adopt a more standardized approach to reporting the rate at which cows exit from the dairy, and to reporting the reasons why cows are replaced and their destination as they exit the dairy. Herd turnover rate is recommended as the preferred term for characterizing the cows exiting a dairy, in preference to herd replacement rate, culling rate, or percent exiting, all of which have served as synonyms. Herd turnover rate should be calculated as the number of cows that exit in a defined period divided by the animal time at risk for the population being characterized. The terms voluntary and involuntary culling suffer from problems of definition and their use should be discouraged. Destination should be recorded for all cows that exit the dairy and opportunities to record one or more reasons for exiting should be provided by management systems. Comparing reported reasons between dairies requires considerable caution because of differences in case definitions and recording methods. Relying upon culling records to monitor disease has been and will always be an ineffective management strategy. Dairies are encouraged to record and monitor disease events and reproductive performance and use this information as the basis for management efforts aimed at reducing the need to replace cows.
Beyond linear feedback for the nonlinear regulator

Nonlocal, small-signal tracking and disturbance rejection are achieved by replacing linear feedback in the nonlinear regulator of C. Byrnes and A. Isidori (1990) by globally (semiglobally) stabilizing feedback for the unperturbed system. An application of the results is demonstrated using the ball and beam example. >
Autumnal changes of sulfur fractions and the ratio of organic sulfur to total nitrogen in leaves and adjacent bark of eastern cottonwood, white basswood and actinorhizal black alder

Summary Autumnal changes in organic-S, sulfate-S, total-S and the ratios of organic-S to total-N and sulfate-S to organic-S were followed in leaves and adjacent bark of actinorhizal (Frankia-nodulated) black alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.) and eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh.) trees growing on a minespoil site high in extractable soil sulfate, and in black alder and white basswood (Tilia heterophylla Venten.) trees growing on a prairie-derived soil in Illinois. Organic-S concentrations decreased significantly (P -=c 0.05) during autumn only in foliage of trees growing on the prairie-derived soil where losses of leaf organic-S were 65% for black alder and 100% for white basswood. Leaf sulfate concentrations were relatively stable throughout autumn in white basswood growing on prairie-derived soil and in black alder at both sites. Sulfate-S concentrations in leaves were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in trees at the minespoil site than in trees growing in the prairiederived soil (5.1 mg g-i for the minespoil site and 1.2 mg g-’ for the prairie-derived soil), and in the non-actinorhizal species during late summer. During the autumn, the ratio of organic-S to total-N doubled in leaves of eastern cottonwood at the minespoil site, but in black alder and white basswood growing on the prarie-derived soil it decreased by 60 and 74%, respectively. Organic-S concentrations in bark increased more during autumn in species unable to fix atmospheric N:, than in black alder. The results suggest that patterns of autumnal translocation of leaf S can be site-dependent and that leaf S and leaf N are, at least in part, translocated independently in the fall. Black alder and eastern cottonwood seemed to incorporate sulfate-S readily into organic substances in leaves when grown in soils with a high sulfate content.
In vivo impedance spectroscopy of deep brain stimulation electrodes

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) represents a powerful clinical technology, but a systematic characterization of the electrical interactions between the electrode and the brain is lacking. The goal of this study was to examine the in vivo changes in the DBS electrode impedance that occur after implantation and during clinically relevant stimulation. Clinical DBS devices typically apply high-frequency voltage-controlled stimulation, and as a result, the injected current is directly regulated by the impedance of the electrode-tissue interface. We monitored the impedance of scaled-down clinical DBS electrodes implanted in the thalamus and subthalamic nucleus of a rhesus macaque using electrode impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements ranging from 0.5 Hz to 10 kHz. To further characterize our measurements, equivalent circuit models of the electrode-tissue interface were used to quantify the role of various interface components in producing the observed electrode impedance. Following implantation, the DBS electrode impedance increased and a semicircular arc was observed in the high-frequency range of the EIS measurements, commonly referred to as the tissue component of the impedance. Clinically relevant stimulation produced a rapid decrease in electrode impedance with extensive changes in the tissue component. These post-operative and stimulation-induced changes in impedance could play an important role in the observed functional effects of voltage-controlled DBS and should be considered during clinical stimulation parameter selection and chronic animal research studies.
Pollen and mold exposure impairs the work performance of employees with allergic rhinitis

Background Although quality of life studies suggest that allergic rhinitis has a substantial impact on work impairment, national survey estimates of the magnitude of this impairment have varied widely. Retrospective recall bias is likely to be a major cause of this variability. Objective This study used a nationally representative daily diary sample to obtain prospective data that improve on previous estimates of the work impairment because of allergic rhinitis. Methods The MacArthur Foundation National Survey of Daily Experience is a daily diary survey that included a nationally representative subsample of 739 employed people, each of whom provided daily reports on work performance for 1 randomly assigned week of the calendar year. National Allergy Bureau monitoring station data were merged with the survey data to study the association of time-space variation in pollen/mold exposure with impaired daily work quality and quantity. Results National Allergy Bureau pollen/mold counts are significantly related to work impairments only among respondents with self-reported allergic rhinitis. The average estimated monthly salary-equivalent work impairment costs associated with pollen/mold exposure for each allergy sufferer is between $109 and $156, with an annualized national projection of between $5.4 billion and $7.7 billion. Conclusions The extent to which these costs can be recovered by increasing the proportion of allergy sufferers who are successfully treated remains unknown and can only be evaluated definitively in effectiveness trials.
CN-17IMPACT OF AGE AT DIAGNOSIS ON OBESITY IN PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOR SURVIVORS

INTRODUCTION: Obesity is a long-term morbidity for children diagnosed with CNS tumors. Body Mass Index (BMI) normally declines until the age of adiposity rebound (AR), after which it increases. Tumor location, radiation therapy, or surgery near the hypothalamus increases risk of obesity. We hypothesized involvement of the hypothalamus would result in greater BMI, and diagnosis/treatment before AR would lead to the greatest BMI. METHODS: Retrospective cohort of brain tumor survivors diagnosed from 2001-2011 at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin: chart review extracted BMI (recorded as BMI z-score) at diagnosis and two-year follow-up. Children were categorized into six groups, based on age at diagnosis and hypothalamic involvement (HI). Consistent with CDC growth curves, ages were classified as "before AR" (0-41.99 months), "during AR" (42-83.99 months) and "after AR" (84.00 - 120 months old). BMI z-scores were compared using Wilcoxon signed ranks tests. RESULTS: 116 children had two-year follow-up. BMI z-score at diagnosis was similar across groups. Children pre-AR and post-AR with HI had higher BMI z-scores at two-year follow up than at diagnosis (before AR 0.466 to 1.589 p = 0.004 N = 12, after AR 0.519 to 1.268 p = 0.001 N = 18). No group without HI had increased BMI z-score at two-year follow up (before AR 0.663 to 0.518 N = 24, during AR 0.279 to 0.278 N = 18, after AR 0.658 to 0.793 N = 24). The before AR and during AR cohort with HI had a higher BMI z-score at two-year follow up then those without HI (p = 0.004 and 0.015). The after AR cohort did not significantly differ from those without HI at two-year follow up. CONCLUSIONS: Children with CNS tumors with HI have increased BMI compared to those without hypothalamic involvement. Diagnosis before adiposity rebound is associated with a greater BMI than diagnosis at later age. Future studies can help elucidate the endocrine causes of changes.
Holistic grading: an alternative approach

This paper describes a nontraditional approach to evaluating student writing: holistic grading. It involves much less time on the instructor's part and still yields a fair assessment of student writing. The rationale behind holistic assessment is to read a paper as an entire entity and to avoid dissecting it for details like spelling, punctuation, organization, etc. The paper is read and evaluated as a whole. Holistic assessment is used by many colleges and universities to evaluate final exams in lower-division writing classes.
Patterns of divergence of a large family of nodule cysteine-rich peptides in accessions of Medicago truncatula.

†‡ § SUMMARY The nodule cysteine-rich (NCR) groups of defensin-like (DEFL) genes are one of the largest gene families expressed in the nodules of some legume plants. They have only been observed in the inverted repeat loss clade (IRLC) of legumes, which includes the model legume Medicago truncatula. NCRs are reported to play an important role in plant–microbe interactions. To understand their diversity we analyzed their expression and sequence polymorphisms among four accessions of M. truncatula. A significant expression and nucleotide variation was observed among the genes. We then used 26 accessions to estimate the selection pressures shaping evolution among the accessions by calculating the nucleotide diversity at non-synonymous and synonymous sites in the coding region. The mature peptides of the orthologous NCRs had signatures of both purifying and diversifying selection pressures, unlike the seed DEFLs, which predominantly exhibited purifying selection. The expression, sequence variation and apparent diversifying selection in NCRs within the Medicago species indicates rapid and recent evolution, and suggests that this family of genes is actively evolving to adapt to different environments and is acquiring new functions.
Salicylate Treatment Improves Age-Associated Vascular Endothelial Dysfunction: Potential Role of Nuclear Factor κB and Forkhead Box O Phosphorylation

We hypothesized that I kappa B kinase (IKK)-mediated nuclear factor kappa B and forkhead BoxO3a phosphorylation will be associated with age-related endothelial dysfunction. Endothelium-dependent dilation and aortic protein expression/phosphorylation were determined in young and old male B6D2F1 mice and old mice treated with the IKK inhibitor, salicylate. IKK activation was greater in old mice and was associated with greater nitrotyrosine and cytokines. Endothelium-dependent dilation, nitric oxide (NO), and endothelial NO synthase phosphorylation were lower in old mice. Endothelium-dependent dilation and NO bioavailability were restored by a superoxide dismutase mimetic. Nuclear factor kappa B and forkhead BoxO3a phosphorylation were greater in old and were associated with increased expression/activity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase and lower manganese superoxide dismutase expression. Salicylate lowered IKK phosphorylation and reversed age-associated changes in nitrotyrosine, endothelium-dependent dilation, NO bioavailability, endothelial NO synthase, nuclear factor kappa B and forkhead BoxO3a phosphorylation, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase, and manganese superoxide dismutase. Increased activation of IKK with advancing age stimulates nuclear factor kappa B and inactivates forkhead BoxO3a. This altered transcription factor activation contributes to a pro-inflammatory/pro-oxidative arterial phenotype that is characterized by increased cytokines and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase and decreased manganese superoxide dismutase leading to oxidative stress-mediated endothelial dysfunction.
PAPR Reduction for Space-Time-Frequency Coded MIMO-OFDM Systems

Space-time/frequency coding (SFC) can achieve the spatial and multipath diversities for an MIMO-OFDM system by coding across subcarriers, multiple antennas, and/or multiple OFDM symbols, where an interesting method to achieve the multipath diversity is repeating across subcarriers proposed by Su et al. Lately, a family of space-time-frequency codes with single-symbol ML decoding have been proposed by Zhang et al to achieve both full spatial and multipath diversities by using orthogonal space-time block codes (OSTBC) across multiple antennas and OFDM symbols and in the meantime repeating across the subcarriers. The main goal of this paper is to modify the repeating process and adjust their phases by a Chu sequence so that the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) of the OFDM system is reduced for any SFC from the repeating and in the meantime, the full spatial and multipath diversities are maintained. In this paper, we also generalize the space-time- frequency coding by Zhang et al from using OSTBC to using linearly transformed quasi-orthogonal space-time block codes (QOSTBC) that possesses higher rate than the OSTBC for more than two transmit antennas, fast ML decoding and full spatial and multipath diversities.
The Appropriate Hierarchy of Global Multilateralism and Customary International Law: An Example from the WTO

This essay addresses the conflict between international rules formed through global multilateral agreements, like the WTO, and customary international law. It challenges the venerable view that no absolute hierarchy between global multilateral agreements and customary international law exists. In my view, global multilateralism takes precedence over customary international law, because the multilateral treaty process is more likely than customary international lawmaking to produce legitimate and beneficent norms. Multilateral agreements, like a legislative process, can generate precise rules and facilitate compromises by permitting tradeoffs among different provisions. Moreover, multilateral agreements are generally ratified in a manner that provides better assurance that they represent the views of nations' citizens, providing more robust legitimacy and reducing agency costs. In contrast, the process of discovering customary international law is fraught with difficulty and uncertainty, resulting in principles with vague contours. Moreover, the legal academics and international courts that announce the content of customary international law can provide little assurance that their views represent the consensus of the states, let alone the peoples of the world. Thus, unless clearly otherwise stated in the text of a multilateral agreement, the agreement should trump customary international law. I also provide a concrete illustration of the appropriate priority of multilateral agreements over customary international law by discussing the relation between the WTO regime and the precautionary principle. The precautionary principle generally empowers government to regulate risks to prevent quite speculative harms. Some have suggested that the precautionary principle can be used to supplement - indeed to override - otherwise applicable principles of the WTO. But the process from which the WTO emerges has advantages over the customary law process from which the precautionary principle emerges, providing us with greater confidence in the beneficence of these rules. The multilateral trade treaty process generates relatively fixed rules whose ratification in a domestic process focuses public attention on their content, thereby reducing agency costs. Moreover, these rules have real consequences for countries because of the WTO's dispute resolution mechanism, and those consequences make nations treat their assent as a serious matter. In contrast, the precautionary principle has not emerged from a deliberative process with real consequences. Moreover, the evidence from which publicists infer the precautionary principle is much less likely to reveal the preferences of nations' citizens.