cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative conflict resolution patterns among parent-teen dyads of four ethnic groups in Hawaii

Ninety-six high school students reported their own behavior and the behavior of their parents in the resolution of conflicts during the previous year, using the Conflict Tactics Scale (Straus, 1979). Parent-teen dyadic aggression levels for Americans of European, Japanese, Polynesian, and Filipino ancestry were compared in a series of orthogonal contrasts. The adolescent children of Polynesian American parents reported significantly higher parent aggression levels than did adolescents with parents of other ethnicity. Parent aggression was the best predictor of teen aggression directed toward parents. Subjects reciprocated with counteraggression toward European American parents significantly more often than toward parents of other ethnicity. Aggression by one parent was highly correlated with aggression by the other parent. Aggression by either parent was more highly correlated with teen aggression toward the mother, than with teen aggression toward the father.
Comments on "Minimization of Fuzzy Functions"

This correspondence points out the insufficiency of the method for minimization of fuzzy functions as presented in a recent short note.1 Two lemmas, which are the basis for a new minimization technique [2], are represented.
Another Look at the Doctrine of Verstehen

The long-standing doctrine that a special kind of understanding-empathic understanding-is required in the field of human behaviour has been given new life in recent years. Traditionally, this doctrine has been part of the general thesis that the natural and social sciences differ fundamentally because of their different subject matter. Roughly, the claim is that to understand human beings and their actions we must put ourselves in their position, e.g. think their thoughts, feel their feelings. We are able to do this because we too are human; that is to say, we understand others on an analogy with ourselves. This doctrine, usually called the theory of Verstehen, has found wide support among philosophers, social scientists, and historians. In the past it has been expressed in vague, metaphorical language and supported by metaphysical arguments. Contemporary philosophers have tried to strip it of these trappings while preserving the core of the doctrine. The standard criticism of the Verstehen doctrine has been that empathic understanding is nothing more than a useful heuristic device for thinking up explanations; it is in no sense required for understanding human behaviour. Empathic understanding, it is objected, does not guarantee that the explanation of behaviour so obtained is sound; nor is it necessary for obtaining sound explanations of behaviour (Hempel, 1965, pp. 239-40). In effect the critics of the doctrine have maintained that empathic understanding belongs to the context of discovery rather than to the context of validation and that proponents of the Verstehen doctrine have failed to distinguish these two contexts adequately.1 Some have gone so far as to assert that the method of empathy is available to anyone; that is is not the affair of the social scientist and historian exclusively since physicists can use it in studying atoms (Popper, 1957, p. I38). But even when it is granted that empathy is exclusively the affair of social scientists, the criticism that its status is that of a heuristic device hits home, at least with modern Verstehen theorists. In reformulating the doctrine their concern is not simply to state it in the relatively precise language of contemporary philosophy but to give the doctrine 'logical force'.
Genetic Polymorphisms Influence Recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public health concern in both civilian and military populations. Recently, genetics studies have begun to identify individual differences in polymorphisms that could affect recovery and outcome of cognitive and social processes following TBI. This review considers the potential for polymorphisms to influence six specific cognitive and social functions, which represent the most prominent domains of impairment following TBI: working memory, executive function, decision making, inhibition and impulsivity, aggression, and social and emotional function. Examining the influence of polymorphisms on TBI outcome has the potential to contribute to an understanding of variations in TBI outcome, aid in the triaging and treatment of TBI patients, and ultimately lead to targeted interventions based on genetic profiles.
Determination of the Protonation Constants of Gadolinium(Iii) Diethyltriaminepentaacetic Acid by Solvent Extraction and Icp-Aes

Abstract The first and second protonation constant (logβ111,logβ121 ) of the metal-ligand complex Gadolinium(III)-diethyltriamine-pentaacetic acid (DTPA) have been determined to be 2.27 and 1.52 at 25 °C and I = 0.1. A technique in which the three complexes (H2Gd-DTPA, HGd-DTPA−1, Gd-DTPA−2) are separated according to their relative polarity is utilized. An inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES) is used to determine the relative concentrations of each species by monitoring the gadolinium concentration.
REGULATION OF ERYTHROPOIESIS DURING ERYTHROBLASTIC CRISIS OF JUVLNILE CHRONIC MYELOCYTIC LEUKEMIA (JCML)

REGULATION OF ERYTHROPOIESIS DURING ERYTHROBLASTIC CRISIS OF JUVLNILE CHRONIC MYELOCYTIC LEUKEMIA (JCML)
The indoor radon problem: Studies in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area

Radon buildup in homes is now recognized throughout the world as a potentially major health hazard. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimate 8,000–30,000 fatalities per year in the United States due to indoor radon. The Albuquerque, New Mexico area was chosen for study because it is representative of metropolitan areas in the southwestern United States where slightly uraniferous source rocks (Sandia granite) have provided the very immature soil for much of the area. The granite contains 4.7 ppm U, and limestone capping the granite 5.7 ppm U. Soils in the area average 4.24 ppm U, and Th/U ratios average 3.2. These data suggest some removal of U from the source rocks, but fixation of the U in the soils (that is, as opposed to widespread removal of the U by solution), thus providing a ready source for soil radon. A pilot study of soil radon in the area in winter of 1983–1984 shows high values, 180 pCi/l, relative to the U.S. average (about 100 pCi/l). In the winter of 1986–1987, 180 dwellings were surveyed for their indoor radon levels, including 20 that had been surveyed in summer of 1986. Twenty-eight percent of those in the winter study yielded indoor radon above the EPA suggested maximum permissible level of 4 pCi/l air, well above the EPA estimate of 10–15 dwellings for the U.S. The indoor radon levels show positive correlation with closeness to the Sandia Mountains, to soil radon, to excess insulation, to homes with solar capacities, and other factors. Building materials may provide a very minor source of some indoor radon. Summer readings are lower than winter readings except when the houses possess refrigerated air conditioning.
Purification and characterization of the sex hormone-binding globulin in serum from Djungarian hamsters☆

A high-affinity sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) was purified from the serum of prepubertal Djungarian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus). A purification of more than 2000-fold with an overall yield of 23% was achieved without the use of androgen affinity chromatography. Two predominant variants (51 and 55 kDa) were resolved by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Both variants participated in the binding of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and had identical amino-terminal sequences. The sequences obtained for Djungarian hamster SHBG (dhSHBG) showed a high degree of identity with those of other mammals. The affinity of purified dhSHBG for DHT (2.5 × 109 M−1) was similar to that measured in unfractionated serum. This protein was isolated as a dimer with a single calcium-dependent steroid-binding site and a major pI of 4.7. The described purification procedure yielded active dhSHBG from small volumes of prepubertal serum. These studies also provide the first direct structural evidence that a SHBG-like protein, not of testicular origin, is expressed by a rodent during prepubertal development.
Protecting Drinking Water Quality Against Contamination by Pesticides: An Alternative Regulatory Framework

Samenvatting In onderstaand artikel wordt de huidige regulering van de vervuillng van drinkwater door pesticiden geanalyseerd. Deze regulering is een samenspel tussen EG-en nationale instrumenten. Aan de hand van de casus van drinkwatervervuiling in Italie door de pesticide atrazine wordt aangetoond dat de huidige regulering niet functioneert. Met name het Italiaans verbod op het gebruik van de pesticide verschuift enkel het vervuilingsprobleem. De auteurs proberen middels een economische analyse te komen tot een alternatief voorstel voor regulering van het pesticidenprobleem. Aan de basis van dit voorstel liggen optimaal gedifferentieerde standaarden en een juist samenspel tussen Europese en nationale regelgeving. Het artikel geeft hiermee een voorstel voor een efficiente en effectieve oplossing van het probleem van de vervuiling van drinkwater door pesticiden.
Fatigue of annealed and cold worked stable and unstable stainless steels

Fatigue crack growth rates (FCGR) in AISI 301 and 302 austenitic stainless steel alloys have been measured in controlled load cycles withR = 0.05. Both annealed and cold rolled conditions were examined. The austenite phase of the AISI 301 alloy was unstable under stress and transformed martensitically to α′ to a much greater extent than the AISI 302 alloy. At low values of mean stress the unstable alloy had a lower FCGR than the more stable 302 alloy. The FCGR increased with mean stress until values of mean stress ⪞70 MPa, where the FCGR was independent of mean stress and was the same for both alloys. Various metallographic and macroscopic measurements were made to try to understand this behavior. It was concluded that residual compressive stress due to transformation at the crack tip was responsible for the lower crack growth rates of the unstable 301 alloy. Cold worked specimens had significantly lower crack growth rates than the annealed specimens, and both alloys behaved identically.
DNA/RNA nucleotides and nucleosides: direct measurement of excited-state lifetimes by femtosecond fluorescence up-conversion

Fluorescence decay times of the nucleosides: adenosine, guanosine, cytidine and thymidine, and of the corresponding nucleotides, were determined using the technique of fluorescence up-conversion with femtosecond time resolution. The excited-state lifetimes of these nucleic acid molecules all fall in the sub-picosecond time scale, confirming the presence of an ultrafast internal conversion channel for both the nucleotides and the nucleosides; the nucleotides lifetimes are longer than those of the nucleosides by up to 20%. The ultrafast internal conversion is biologically relevant to the stability of DNA, and our results support the sub-picosecond repopulation of the ground state, consistent with transient absorption studies on the femtosecond time scale.
Immune regulation of bone metastasis

Metastases to bone occur in about 70% of patients with metastatic prostate and breast cancers. Unfortunately, bone metastases result in significant morbidity and mortality and treatment options are limited. Thus, significant effort has focused on understanding the mechanisms that drive tumor dissemination to bone. Bone metastases are typically characterized by a self-perpetuating 'vicious' cycle wherein tumor cells and bone-resorbing cells (osteoclasts) are locked in a cycle that leads to osteoclast-driven bone destruction and the release of bone-stored factors that in turn stimulate tumor cell proliferation and survival. To break this 'vicious' cycle, potent antiresorptive agents such as zoledronic acid (ZOL) have been used. However, in the clinical setting, ZOL failed to improve the overall survival of cancer patients even though it inhibited osteoclast resorptive activity. Thus, other cells in addition to osteoclasts are likely involved in modulating tumor growth in the bone. The immune system has the ability to eliminate tumor cells. Nevertheless, tumor cells can acquire the ability to escape immune control. Our recent observations indicated that a decline in the ability of the immune cells to recognize and kill the tumor drives tumor dissemination to bone even when osteoclasts are inhibited by potent antiresorptive agents. This review focuses on the antitumor and protumor effects of various immune cell populations involved in the bone metastatic process. We also discuss strategies to enhance antitumor immune responses and bypass cancer immune resistance.
Observations of the ultrastructure of the developing primate choroid coat

Abstract A descriptive analysis of some of the fine structural features of the choroidal components is made in a chronological sequence of Macaca mulatta embryos and fetuses. The observations indicate the emergence of primitive choroidal capillaries from locally differentiated cells of the retrobulbar mesenchymal tissue. Early capillaries are of two types: one represented by the choriocapillary with low endothelial cells, having extremely thin, fenestrated regions covered by basal lamina, the other by small channels in the retrobulbar mesenchymal network, with cuboidal endothelium bulging into slit-like lumina and bearing pronounced marginal folds. Discontinuous endothelium, large intercellular clefts and interrupted basal lamina permitting the passage of blood elements into the extracellular space may be associated with both types of capillaries. Primitive perieytes and muscle cells appear to be modifications from the existing mesenchymal cells adjacent to the developing vascular endothelium. The adult choroidal layering is well defined by mid-term. The fibrillar and vesicular content of the endothelial cytoplasm increases early during the second half of gestation. Cell to cell adhesions become more pronounced in the choriocapillary endothelium during this period. In the arterioles the intercellular spaces remain incompletely scaled off till birth. Appearance of the structural components indicate the involvement of some of these cells in transport mechanisms shortly after mid-gestation.
Architecture of the 99 bp DNA-six-protein regulatory complex of the λ att site

The highly directional and tightly regulated recombination reaction used to site-specifically excise the bacteriophage λ chromosome out of its E. coli host chromosome requires the binding of six sequence-specific proteins to a 99 bp segment of the phage att site. To gain structural insights into this recombination pathway, we measured 27 FRET distances between eight points on the 99 bp regulatory DNA bound with all six proteins. Triangulation of these distances using a metric matrix distance-geometry algorithm provided coordinates for these eight points. The resulting path for the protein-bound regulatory DNA, which fits well with the genetics, biochemistry, and X-ray crystal structures describing the individual proteins and their interactions with DNA, provides a new structural perspective into the molecular mechanism and regulation of the recombination reaction and illustrates a design by which different families of higher-order complexes can be assembled from different numbers and combinations of the same few proteins.
Knowledge-Based Information Resource Management System for Materials of Fast Reactors

In the development of advanced fast reactors, materials and coolant/material interactions pose a critical barrier for higher temperature and longer core life designs. For advanced burner reactors (sodium cooled), experience has shown that the qualified structural materials and fuel cladding severely limits the economic performance. In other liquid metal cooled reactor concepts, advanced materials and better understanding and control of coolant and materials interactions are necessary for realizing the potentials. Researches from universities, national laboratories and related industrial participants have been continuously generating invaluable data and knowledge about materials and their interactions with coolants in the past few decades. Under the consideration of cost and time constraints, the paradigm of designing and implementing a successful Gen IV Nuclear Energy Systems can be shifted and updated via the integration of information and internet technologies. Such efforts can be better visualized by implementing collective (centralized or distributed) data storages to serve the community with organized material data sets. Material property data provided by MatWeb.com and the ongoing development of web-based GEN IV material handbook are few examples. From system design perspective, sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) proposed in the GEN IV system have been significantly developed. According to the GEN IV ten-year program plan, current R&D work will be pointed to demonstration of the design and safety characteristics, and design optimization. All of those activities follow the path of data generation, analysis, knowledge discovery and finally decision making and implementation. We are proposing to create a modularized web-based information system with models to systematically catalog existing data and guide the new development and testing to acquire new data. Technically speaking, information retrieval and knowledge discovery tools will be implemented for researchers with both information lookup options from material database and technology/development gap analysis from intelligent agent and reporting components. The goal of the system is not only to provide another database, but also to create a sharable and expandable platform-free, location-free online system for research institutes and industrial partners.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Exact Dosing Times Calculations in Linear Pharmacokinetics

Abstract The problem of determining the particular dosing time, τ, that results in a certain ratio between peak and trough drug levels at steady state (ss) is addressed. Calculation of τ in combination with simple dose linearity principles ensures constraint on the drug level variations at ss, contrary to calculations based on only clearance principles. It is shown that the dosing time problem is solved using a nested, single-variable rootsolving. Using a derivative-free, robust, single-variable rootsolver enables automatic, reliable calculations of r. An algorithm and computer program, SSTATE, for the automatic calculation of τ in intra- and extravascular dosings are presented. Contrary to various approximation formulae proposed in the past, SSTATE provides solutions that are exact. SSTATE provides additional ss parameters such as time to peak, and maximum, minimum, and mean levels, and can also be executed in a simulation mode to explore various practical dosage regimen schemes. Dosage regimen calculations for quinidine are presented to demonstrate the practical utility of the proposed approach. It is also demonstrated by simulation studies that some approximation formulae previously proposed may produce excessive errors, especially when applied to extravascular dosings.
Examining constraints to leisure and recreation for residents in remote and isolated communities: an analysis of 14 communities in the Northwest Territories of Canada

The present study examined leisure constraints facing residents living in communities that are considered remote and isolated environments. Characteristics associated with remote and isolated communities include small population size, movement and density relative to metropolitan centres, and distance from large population centres impacting on the travel and accommodation arrangements of users and providers of services. Multiple methods of data collection were used to gather leisure constraint data from residents of 14 remote and isolated communities in Canada's Northwest Territories. Results indicated that residents' work and school commitments, the price of recreation and sports equipment, days and times of programmes, the cost of recreation programmes and not having a programme close to home, were significant constraints upon recreation and leisure opportunities.
Effects of long-term cardiac hypertrophy on coronary vasodilator reserve in SHR rats

The effects of long-term left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy on coronary vascular reserve have not been extensively investigated. To test the hypothesis that the duration of LV hypertrophy may modulate coronary vascular reserve, a newly developed pulsed Doppler flowmeter was used to compare the characteristics of coronary reactive hyperemia in Wistar Kyoto (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats. The data suggest that coronary reactive hyperemic responses in the rat are markedly different from those in larger animals and humans, e.g., peak/rest blood flow velocity ratio and the repayment/debt area ratio were 30 to 50% of those observed in larger laboratory animals. Because minimal coronary vascular resistance is similar in the rat and larger animals, the relatively high myocardial oxygen consumption at rest and consequent high myocardial blood flow at rest probably account for the alteration of coronary reactive hyperemia in the rat. In SHR rats, the characteristics of coronary reactive hyperemia decreased during developing (3-month-old) and peak (7-month-old) LV hypertrophy compared with those in their age-matched WKY controls. However, in 12-month-old SHR rats with stable LV hypertrophy, the coronary reactive hyperemic response was similar to that of 12-month-old WKY rats. Mean arterial pressures were significantly elevated in each of the 3 SHR groups. These data suggest a significant decrement in coronary vascular reserve during actively developing and peak LV hypertrophy, but the decrement disappears during stabilized hypertrophy. These studies suggest that the duration of LV hypertrophy may modulate the interaction between pathologic increases in cardiac mass and growth of the coronary vasculature.
Dysregulation of Corticostriatal Ascorbate Release and Glutamate Uptake in Transgenic Models of Huntington's Disease

Abstract Significance: Dysregulation of cortical and striatal neuronal processing plays a critical role in Huntington's disease (HD), a dominantly inherited condition that includes a progressive deterioration of cognitive and motor control. Growing evidence indicates that ascorbate (AA), an antioxidant vitamin, is released into striatal extracellular fluid when glutamate is cleared after its release from cortical afferents. Both AA release and glutamate uptake are impaired in the striatum of transgenic mouse models of HD owing to a downregulation of glutamate transporter 1 (GLT1), the protein primarily found on astrocytes and responsible for removing most extracellular glutamate. Improved understanding of an AA–glutamate interaction could lead to new therapeutic strategies for HD. Recent Advances: Increased expression of GLT1 following treatment with ceftriaxone, a beta-lactam antibiotic, increases striatal glutamate uptake and AA release and also improves the HD behavioral phenotype. In fact, treatment w...
Diode Effect in a Superconductor-Carbon Nanotube-Ferromagnet Structure

The electronic transport is studied for a carbon nanotube quantum dot with one ferromagnetic and one superconducting lead. We observe a gap in the conductance which is consistent with the energy gap of a superconductor. For bias voltages well above this gap, we observe spin-diode behavior. Low-bias measurements below the sequential-tunneling regime indicate that the spin-diode effect is suppressed. Additionally, the spin-diode effect is even reversed at bias voltages below the superconducting energy gap.
Active management of naturally separated flow over a solid surface. Part 2. The separation process

The controlled separation of flow from an inclined straight flap at high inclination angles was investigated experimentally. The separation process was initiated by an abrupt change in the excitation emanating from a slot at the flap shoulder. A complete cessation of the actuation resulted in formation of a large vortex above the flap akin to the familiar 'dynamic stall vortex' (DSV) seen over oscillating airfoils in pitch. The DSV temporarily increased the aerodynamic load over the flap before it dropped to its low separated value. The duration of this overload decreased as the flap inclination increased. The use of periodic excitation during separation slowed down the rate of separation and changed its character depending on the amplitude and the frequency used. Forcing separation by switching the excitation to a high frequency (3 < F + < 8) reduced or even eliminated the increase in flap loading that is associated with the DSV. A switch to low frequencies (F + < 1) extended the duration of separation and increased the transient overload during the initial stage of the process
Contribution of de novo point mutations to the overall mutational burden in mitochondrial DNA of adult rats.

This study analyzed the incidence of point mutations in mitochondrial DNA of brain and muscle tissues from young (6-month) and old (24-month) male F344 rats. Coding sequence mutations in subunit 5 of the NADH dehydrogenase gene were detected after high-fidelity PCR amplification and cloning by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) assay followed by sequencing of detected mutants. In total, almost a thousand individual clones were analyzed both in brain and muscle samples. On average, mtDNA from brain tissue showed a 66% increase with age in mutation frequencies (2.3G1.9 vs. 3.8G4.5!10 K4 mutations/bp, meanGSD), which failed to reach statistical significance (pZ0.45). Muscle tissues yielded substantially fewer mutants with average mutant frequencies for both young and old rats almost 10 times lower than the corresponding values in the brain tissue (0.3G0.4 and 0.5G0.6!10 K4 , respectively). The difference in mutation accumulation between muscle and brain was highly significant in both the younger group (Chi-squaredZ9.7, p%0.01) and in older animals (Chi-squaredZ10.9, p%0.001). Molecular analysis of the mutated sequences revealed that almost half were identical sequences recurring in different samples and tissues. Our findings indicate that the process of mutation accumulation in mitochondria begins in the germ-line and/or during earlier stages of life, contributing up to half of the total mutational burden, whereas de novo spontaneous formation of point mutations in adulthood is far less than was anticipated.
Reflections in extended Bianchi groups

Let d be a positive square-free number. Let Od be the ring of integers in Q(√ −d). The groups PSL(2, Od) are called collectively the Bianchi groups. The extended Bianchi group Bd is the maximal discrete extension of PSL(2, Od) in PSL(2, C). The group Bd acts by linear fractional transformations on the complex plane C. Let RBd be Bd with the generator θ, , adjoined. (RBd will be also called an extended Bianchi group (cf. [18])). A group is said to be reflective if it contains a Coxeter subgroup (i.e. a subgroup generated by reflections) of finite index. The groups RBd and their subgroups have been investigated in [3, 6, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21]. In 1892 Bianchi[3] proved that PGL(2, Od)⋊{θ} is reflective if d ≤ 19, d ╪ 14 or 17. Vinberg [18] proved that if the group RBd is reflective, then the orders of all elements of the ideal-class group of the field Q(√ −d) should divide 4. Shaiheev [16] proved that there are only finitely many reflective extended Bianchi groups and found all of them for d ≤ 30. Similar results are obtained for groups PGL(2, Od) ⋊ {θ} which, as Shvartsman [17] showed, are reflective only when d = 1, 2, 5, 6, 10, 13, 21, provided d = 1 or 2 (mod 4).
Prophages in Listeria monocytogenes Contain Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms That Differentiate Outbreak Clones within Epidemic Clones

A fragment end ligation-mediated PCR strategy was used to analyze the AscI pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns of Listeria monocytogenes epidemic clone II (ECII), which led to the identification of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in prophage regions that differentiated the two ECII outbreak clones. SNPs in prophages that differentiated the outbreak clones of ECIII and -IV were also identified.
What is the best way to prove a cryptographic protocol correct

In this paper, we identify that protocol verification using invariants have significant limitations such as inapplicability to some protocols, non-standard attacker inferences and non-free term algebras. We argue that constraint solving for bounded process analysis can be used in conjunction with decidability of context-explicit protocols as a verification tool and can overcome those limitations. However, this is possible only when new decidability results are obtained for protocol security, especially in presence of non-standard inferences and non-free term algebras.
Akt and mTOR mediate programmed necrosis in neurons.

Necroptosis is a newly described form of regulated necrosis that contributes to neuronal death in experimental models of stroke and brain trauma. Although much work has been done elucidating initiating mechanisms, signaling events governing necroptosis remain largely unexplored. Akt is known to inhibit apoptotic neuronal cell death. Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a downstream effector of Akt that controls protein synthesis. We previously reported that dual inhibition of Akt and mTOR reduced acute cell death and improved long term cognitive deficits after controlled-cortical impact in mice. These findings raised the possibility that Akt/mTOR might regulate necroptosis. To test this hypothesis, we induced necroptosis in the hippocampal neuronal cell line HT22 using concomitant treatment with tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) and the pan-caspase inhibitor N-benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone. TNFα/zVAD treatment induced cell death within 4 h. Cell death was preceded by RIPK1–RIPK3–pAkt assembly, and phosphorylation of Thr-308 and Thr473 of AKT and its direct substrate glycogen synthase kinase-3β, as well as mTOR and its direct substrate S6 ribosomal protein (S6), suggesting activation of Akt/mTOR pathways. Pretreatment with Akt inhibitor viii and rapamycin inhibited Akt and S6 phosphorylation events, mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production, and necroptosis by over 50% without affecting RIPK1–RIPK3 complex assembly. These data were confirmed using small inhibitory ribonucleic acid-mediated knockdown of AKT1/2 and mTOR. All of the aforementioned biochemical events were inhibited by necrostatin-1, including Akt and mTOR phosphorylation, generation of oxidative stress, and RIPK1–RIPK3–pAkt complex assembly. The data suggest a novel, heretofore unexpected role for Akt and mTOR downstream of RIPK1 activation in neuronal cell death.
Variability of breaking wave characteristics and impact loads on offshore wind turbines supported by monopiles

Most existing and planned offshore wind turbines (OWTs) are located in shallow water where the possibility of breaking waves impacting the structure may influence design. Breaking waves and their associated impact loads are challenging to model because the breaking process is a strongly non-linear phenomenon with significant statistical scattering. Given the challenges and uncertainty in modeling breaking waves, there is a need for comparing existing models with simultaneous environmental and structural measurements taken from utility-scale OWTs exposed to breaking waves. Overall, such measurements are lacking; however, one exception is the Offshore Wind Turbines at Exposed Sites project, which recorded sea state conditions and associated structural loads for a 2.0 MW OWT supported by a monopile and located at the Blyth wind farm off the coast of England. Measurements were recorded over a 17 month campaign between 2001 and 2003, a period that included a storm that exposed the instrumented OWT to dozens of breaking waves. This paper uses the measurements from this campaign to categorize and identify breaking waves and quantify the variability of their impact loads. For this particular site and turbine, the distribution of measured mudline moments due to breaking waves has a mean of 8.7 MN-m, a coefficient of variation of 26% and a maximum of 14.9 MN-m. The accuracy of several breaking wave limits and impact force models is compared with the measurements, and the impact force models are shown to represent the measurements with varying accuracy and to be sensitive to modeling assumptions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluating the Orthopoxvirus Type I Interferon-Binding Molecule as a Vaccine Target in the Vaccinia Virus Intranasal Murine Challenge Model

The biological threat imposed by orthopoxviruses warrants the development of safe and effective vaccines. We developed a candidate orthopoxvirus DNA-based vaccine, termed 4pox, which targets four viral structural components, A33, B5, A27, and L1. While this vaccine protects mice and nonhuman primates from lethal infections, we are interested in further enhancing its potency. One approach to enhance potency is to include additional orthopoxvirus immunogens. Here, we investigated whether vaccination with the vaccinia virus (VACV) interferon (IFN)-binding molecule (IBM) could protect BALB/c mice against lethal VACV challenge. We found that vaccination with this molecule failed to significantly protect mice from VACV when delivered alone. IBM modestly augmented protection when delivered together with the 4pox vaccine. All animals receiving the 4pox vaccine plus IBM lived, whereas only 70% of those receiving a single dose of 4pox vaccine survived. Mapping studies using truncated mutants revealed that vaccine-generated antibodies spanned the immunoglobulin superfamily domains 1 and 2 and, to a lesser extent, 3 of the IBM. These antibodies inhibited IBM cell binding and IFN neutralization activity, indicating that they were functionally active. This study shows that DNA vaccination with the VACV IBM results in a robust immune response but that this response does not significantly enhance protection in a high-dose challenge model.
Mastery in clinical occupational therapy.

This study sought to describe the characteristics of mastery in occupational therapy practice. A Delphi survey (i.e., an inquiry technique used to predict and define constructs [Linstone & Turoff, 1975]) of 33 occupational therapy experts was conducted to obtain their conceptions of the characteristics of occupational therapy mastery. Three master clinicians, identified by the expert respondents, were then interviewed to validate and illustrate the concepts of mastery identified in the Delphi survey. The results suggest that mastery is a combination of selected personal traits, creative and flexible judgment, the use of occupation as the foundation for practice decisions, and a strong commitment to occupational therapy practice. Further, mastery is expressed through a personal style that is unique to each clinical master.
Third-order cascaded sigma-delta modulators

A sigma-delta modulator architecture wherein third-order noise shaping is achieved with relatively modest constraints on device matching is explored. The architecture is based on a cascade of a second-order modulator stage followed by a first-order stage, both using 1-b quantization. To improve the dynamic range, the input to the second stage is generated as an asymmetrically weighted error signal from the first stage. An analytical model for assessing the performance and device matching requirements of cascaded architectures is introduced, and computer simulations are used to verify the approximations made in this model. The analytical model is used to show that the proposed architecture offers performance comparable to other third-order cascaded sigma-delta modulator topologies, while being less sensitive to device matching errors. >
Upper thoracic vertebroplasty with a 15-gauge needle for osteoporotic fracture secondary to anorexia nervosa.

Editor: Women with anorexia nervosa have an increased incidence of osteopenia, osteoporosis, and vertebral fractures, often making them candidates for vertebroplasty (1,2). Although vertebroplasty has been well described below the level of T4, performing vertebroplasty above T4 is complicated by the reduction in pedicle diameter. Herein, we describe a successfully performed vertebroplasty at an unusually high thoracic level in a 36-year-old woman with osteoporosis secondary to anorexia nervosa by using a 15gauge vertebroplasty needle. Informed consent was obtained from the patient and her mother before vertebroplasty. The patient was placed on a biplane angiographic table, and the skin, fat, and periosteum were anesthetized. We first attempted to pass a 13-gauge M1M Cook needle (W.E. Cook, Bloomington, Ind) down the pedicle of the left side of T4 but were unable to pass it safely because the diameter of the needle exceeded the diameter of the pedicle and caused the patient pain. Another attempt was made with a Martin 15-gauge Cook vertebroplasty needle (W.E. Cook). Under biplane fluoroscopic guidance with the same standard vertebroplasty technique, we successfully introduced this needle into the junction of the middle and anterior thirds of the vertebral body. Approximately 3 mL of U.S. FDA–approved Vertefix bone cement (W.E. Cook) was injected into the vertebral body. Imaging of this in the lateral projection was complex given the superimposition of shadows of scapula and ribs/shoulders. We achieved cement flow across the midline and removed the needle. We then applied pressure over the puncture site because we believe that this decreases postprocedural pain by decreasing the risk of needle-induced muscle hematoma. The patient recovered without incident from this procedure (Figure). Anorexia nervosa is an illness characterized by low body weight, inadequate nutrition, and amenorrhea in women of appropriate age according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (3). In the United States, women have a 0.3%–1% risk of developing anorexia nervosa within their lifetimes, predisposing them to bone loss (1). This bone loss consists of several dynamics: estrogen deficiency, the effects of malnourishment, and the persistence of bone loss after weight recovery. The study by Grinspoon et al (1) looked at a highly representative sample of 130 young, anorexic women and
On The Use Of Stochastic Process-based Methods For The Analysis Of Hyperspectral Data

Further development in remote sensing technology requires refinement of information system design aspects, i.e., the ability to specify precisely the data to collect and the means to extract increasing amounts of information from the increasingly rich and complex data stream created. One of the principal directions of advance is that data from much larger numbers of spectral bands can be collected, but with significantly increased signal-to-noise ratio. The theory of stochastic or random processes may be applied to the modeling of second-order variations. A multispectral data set with a large number of spectral bands is analyzed using standard pattern recognition techniques. The data were classified using first a single spectral feature, then two, and continuing on with greater and greater numbers of features. Three different classification schemes are used: a standard maximum likelihood Gaussian scheme; the same approach with the mean values of all classes adjusted to be the same; and the use of a minimum distance to means scheme such that mean differences are used.
Elf: a language for logic definition and verified metaprogramming

A description is given of Elf, a metalanguage for proof manipulation environments that are independent of any particular logical system. Elf is intended for metaprograms such as theorem provers, proof transformers, or type inference programs for programming languages with complex type systems. Elf unifies logic definition (in the style of LF, the Edinburgh logical framework) with logic programming (in the style of lambda Prolog). It achieves this unification by giving types an operational interpretation, much the same way that Prolog gives certain formulas (Horn clauses) an operational interpretation. Novel features of Elf include: (1) the Elf search process automatically constructs terms that can represent object-logic proofs, and thus a program need not construct them explicitly; (2) the partial correctness of metaprograms with respect to a given logic can be expressed and proved in Elf itself; and (3) Elf exploits Elliott's (1989) unification algorithm for a lambda -calculus with dependent types. >
Cannabinoids Enhance Subsecond Dopamine Release in the Nucleus Accumbens of Awake Rats

Dopaminergic neurotransmission has been highly implicated in the reinforcing properties of many substances of abuse, including marijuana. Cannabinoids activate ventral tegmental area dopaminergic neurons, the main ascending projections of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system, and change their spiking pattern by increasing the number of impulses in a burst and elevating the frequency of bursts. Although they also increase time-averaged striatal dopamine levels for extended periods of time, little is known about the temporal structure of this change. To elucidate this, fast-scan cyclic voltammetry was used to monitor extracellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens of freely moving rats with subsecond timescale resolution. Intravenous administration of the central cannabinoid (CB1) receptor agonist, R(+)-[2,3-dihydro-5-methyl-3-[(morpholinyl)methyl]pyrrolo[1,2,3-de]-1,4-benzoxazin-6-yl]-(1-naphthalenyl) methanone mesylate, dose-dependently produced catalepsy, decreased locomotion, and reduced the amplitude of electrically evoked dopamine release while markedly increasing the frequency of detected (nonstimulated) dopamine concentration transients. The CB1 receptor antagonist [N-piperidino-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methylpyrazole-3-carboxamide] reversed and prevented all agonist-induced effects but did not show effects on dopamine release when injected alone. These data demonstrate that doses of a cannabinoid agonist known to increase burst firing produce ongoing fluctuations in extracellular dopamine on a previously unrecognized temporal scale in the nucleus accumbens.
Targeted Systemic Exposure for Pediatric Cancer Therapy

Pharmacokinetic variability in pediatric patients due to maturational changes in organ function, effects of concomitant disease, and drug toxicity or interactions commonly results in drug clearances that differ by a factor of 4 or 5. This intersubject pharmacokinetic variability has been shown to correlate to an increased likelihood of toxicity in patients with low drug clearances, and therapeutic failure in patients with high drug clearances [1, 2]. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling strategies have been developed and incorporated into clinical studies intended to define the unique pharmacokinetics of anticancer drugs in pediatric patients, identify clinical correlates (e. g., patient characteristics, laboratory indices of organ function) of pharmacokinetic differences, and adjust dosage regimens to control for pharmacokinetic variability.
Animal Models of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia may well represent one of the most heterogenous mental disorders in human history. This heterogeneity encompasses (1) etiology; where numerous putative genetic and environmental factors may contribute to disease manifestation, (2) symptomatology; with symptoms characterized by group; positive – behaviors not normally present in healthy subjects (e.g. hallucinations), negative – reduced expression of normal behaviors (e.g. reduced joy), and cognitive – reduced cognitive capabilities separable from negative symptoms (e.g. impaired attention), and (3) individual response variation to treatment. The complexity of this uniquely human disorder has complicated the development of suitable animal models with which to assay putative therapeutics. Moreover, the development of animal models is further limited by a lack of positive controls because currently approved therapeutics only addresses psychotic symptoms, with minor negative symptom treatment. Despite these complexities however, many animal models of schizophrenia have been developed mainly focusing on modeling individual symptoms. Validation criteria have been established to assay the utility of these models, determining the (1) face, (2) predictive, (3) construct, and (4) etiological validities, as well as (5) reproducibility of each model. Many of these models have been created following the development of major hypotheses of schizophrenia, including the dopaminergic, glutamatergic, and neurodevelopmental hypotheses. The former two models have largely consisted of manipulating these neurotransmitter systems to produce behavioral abnormalities with some relevance to symptoms or putative etiology of schizophrenia. Given the serotonergic link to hallucinations and cholinergic link to attention, other models have manipulated these systems also. Finally, there has also been a drive toward creating mouse models of schizophrenia utilizing transgenic technology. Thus, there are opportunities to combine both environmental and genetic factors to create more suitable models of schizophrenia. More sophisticated animal tasks are also being created with which to ascertain whether these models produce behavioral abnormalities consistent with patients with schizophrenia. While animal models of schizophrenia continue to be developed, we must be cognizant that (1) validating these models are limited to the degree by which Clinicians can provide relevant information on the behavior of these patients, and (2) any putative treatments that are developed are also likely to be given with concurrent antipsychotic treatment. While our knowledge of this devastating disorder increases and our animal models and tasks with which to measure their behaviors become more sophisticated, caution must still be taken when validating these models to limit complications when introducing putative therapeutics to human trials.
Maryland’s Death Penalty Statute Recognizes the Need to Protect Police Officers

This six-page 2005 article is titled “Maryland’s Death Penalty Statute Recognizes the Need to Protect Police Officers.” It was published in The Trooper magazine. The article shows how the legislature, in enacting Maryland’s death penalty statute, protects law enforcement officers by considering “law enforcement” factors as heavy factors when deciding whether to impose the death penalty. Topics include (1) the death penalty prior to the 1972 Supreme Court decision in Furman v. Georgia, (2) application of Furman v. Georgia to state law, (3) reinstatement of the death penalty after five 1976 Supreme Court decisions, (4) the recognition in death penalty statutes of the need to protect police and other law enforcement officers, and (5) aggravating factors based on the victim being a police officer and/or a police officer in the line of duty.
Predicting Adult Crime Status from Delinquency, Age, Frequency, and Court Dispositions

The previous chapter established the basic parameters surrounding the prevalence of adult criminality in the 1958 birth cohort. Generally, we found that continuity rather than discontinuity was the more likely type of transition from childhood to adulthood. The prevalence data also clearly established that, as the frequency of delinquency increases, there is a discernible and substantial increase in the percentage of adult offenders, for both males and females and regardless of either race or socioeconomic status level. Further, it was also even more clearly established that, as the frequency of delinquency increases, there is generally a concomitant increase in the level of adult criminality, again regardless of the usual confounding effects of race and socioeconomic status.