cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High-Resolution Mapping of the Blood Pressure QTL on Chromosome 7 Using Dahl Rat Congenic Strains

It was previously shown using Dahl salt-sensitive (S) and salt-resistant (R) rats that a blood pressure quantitative trait locus (QTL) was present on rat chromosome 7. In the present work, this QTL was localized to a region less than 0.54 cM in size on the linkage map using a series of congenic strains. This region was contained in a single yeast artificial chromosome that was 220 kb long. This small segment still contained the primary candidate locus Cyp11b1 (11b-hydroxylase), but the adjacent candidate genes Cyp11b2 (aldosterone synthase) and Cyp11b3 were ruled out. It is concluded that 11b-hydroxylase, through its known genetic variants altering the production of 18-hydroxy11-deoxy corticosterone, is very likely to account for the blood pressure QTL on chromosome 7 in the Dahl rat model of hypertension. This QTL accounts for about 23 mm Hg under the condition of 2% NaCl diet for 24 days. © 2001 Academic Press
Some Effects of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid on Thyroid Function in the Rat: Effects on Peripheral Thyroxine1

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), a weedicide previously shown not to affect pituitary thyrotropin secretion, lowers the serum level of protein-bound iodine. The effect appears to be based upon a lowering of thyroxine binding by serum proteins from 2,4-D treated rats, which was demonstrated by dialysis, “thyroxine stabilization,” and in vitro incubation techniques. The thyroxine displaced from serum proteins localizes principally in the liver, and the apparent thyroxine distribution volume is significantly increased. The results are discussed with respect to the significance of tests for serum thyroxine binding and the role of serum thyroxine not bound to protein in controlling the pituitary-thyroid feedback system.
A Cone Calorimetric Study of Flame Retardant Elastomeric Polyurethanes Modified with Siloxanes and Commercial Flame Retardant Additives

Polyurethanes are the single most versatile family of polymers with a wide range of applications. There is a substantial need for the development of polyurethane materials with low heat release rate and low smoke release rate. In this study, an extensive series of elastomeric polyurethanes based on diphenylmethane-4,4 '-diisocyanate (MDI) prepolymers were prepared and further modified with fluid and powered siloxanes and conventional flame retardant additives. The flame retardant behavior of these polymers was studied using the Cone Calorimeter (ASTM: E-1354), the instrument that has emerged as an important tool for the analytical testing of materials for their fire properties.** All powdered siloxane additives used in this study, even at 5% loading level, gave a 70-80% reduction in peak heat release rates compared to standard materials. The reductions of peak HRR of fluid siloxane-modified materials compared to the base material were in the range of 49-78%. The conventional flame retardant additives used in this study also reduced peak heat release rate dramatically. The synergistic effect of conventional flame retardant additives with siloxane powders is discussed.
Evaluation of uncertainty in dynamic simulations of power system models: The probabilistic collocation method

This paper explores the use of a new technique, the probabilistic collocation method (PCM), to enable the evaluation of uncertainty in power system simulations. The PCM allows the uncertainty in transient behavior of power systems to be studied using only a handful of simulations. The relevant theory is outlined here and simple examples are used to illustrate the application of PCM in a power systems setting. In addition, an index for identification of key uncertain parameters, as well as an example with a more realistic power system, are presented.
The reconstruction of the abbey church at St-Denis (1231–81): the interplay of music and ceremony with architecture and politics

During the Middle Ages, the construction or renovation of a great church was a vast undertaking in terms of time and of money. An array of cathedrals that still rise above the cities and towns of northern France bears witness to medieval ingenuity and industry. The first structure which embodies many of the elements that are now called Gothic was begun at St-Denis in 1140. The church as we know it, however, was not entirely the work of the twelfth century. Only much later, between 1231 and 1281, was St-Denis finally completed. Substantial evidence of the thirteenth-century rebuilding is found in the monument which stands just to the north of Paris. But the stones of St-Denis do not tell the entire story: a small handful of documents refer to stages of the fifty-year reconstruction of the abbey, and now, new witness exists in the form of the liturgical manuscripts which have survived from the thirteenth century.
Quantitating tissue specificity of human genes to facilitate biomarker discovery

We describe a method to identify candidate cancer biomarkers by analyzing numeric approximations of tissue specificity of human genes. These approximations were calculated by analyzing predicted tissue expression distributions of genes derived from mapping expressed sequence tags (ESTs) to the human genome sequence using a binary indexing algorithm. Tissue-specificity values facilitated high-throughput analysis of the human genes and enabled the identification of genes highly specific to different tissues. Tissue expression distributions for several genes were compared to estimates obtained from other public gene expression datasets and experimentally validated using quantitative RT-PCR on RNA isolated from several human tissues. Our results demonstrate that most human genes (~98%) are expressed in many tissues (low specificity), and only a small number of genes possess very specific tissue expression profiles. These genes comprise a rich dataset from which novel therapeutic targets and novel diagnostic serum biomarkers may be selected. Contact: [email protected] Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
The Design of a Multi-party VoIP Conferencing System over the Internet

In this paper, we present the design of a VoIP conferencing system that enables the voice communication of multiple users in the Internet. After studying the conversational dynamics in multi-party conferencing, we identify user-observable metrics that affect the perception of conversational quality and their trade-offs. Based on the dynamics and the behavior on delays, jitters, and losses of Internet traces collected in the PlanetLab, we design the transmission topology and schemes for loss concealments and play-out scheduling. Last, we compare the performance of our system and Skype (version 3.5.0.214) using repeatable experiments that simulate human participants and network conditions in a multi-party conferencing scenario.
Comparing point clouds

Point clouds are one of the most primitive and fundamental surface representations. A popular source of point clouds are three dimensional shape acquisition devices such as laser range scanners. Another important field where point clouds are found is in the representation of high-dimensional manifolds by samples. With the increasing popularity and very broad applications of this source of data, it is natural and important to work directly with this representation, without having to go to the intermediate and sometimes impossible and distorting steps of surface reconstruction. A geometric framework for comparing manifolds given by point clouds is presented in this paper. The underlying theory is based on Gromov-Hausdorff distances, leading to isometry invariant and completely geometric comparisons. This theory is embedded in a probabilistic setting as derived from random sampling of manifolds, and then combined with results on matrices of pairwise geodesic distances to lead to a computational implementation of the framework. The theoretical and computational results here presented are complemented with experiments for real three dimensional shapes.
Importance of the SDF-1:CXCR4 Axis in Myocardial Repair

See related articles, pages 1209–1216 Since the original descriptions of the role of stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)-1 in recruiting bone marrow derived stem cells to the sites of vascular1 and myocardial injury,2 there has been increasing evidence of the broader importance of the SDF-1:CXCR4 axis in regulating myocardial repair following ischemic injury.2–6 In this issue of Circulation Research , Tang et al investigate the role of the SDF-1:CXCR4 axis in the recruitment of exogenously derived cardiac stem cells.7 They further investigate how cardiac stem cell exposure to hypoxia before their intravenous administration alters cardiac stem cell engraftment and subsequent effects on myocardial repair. Cardiac stem cells were derived from cardiosphere cultures and were defined by as CLK (cardiosphere-derived c-Kit+ Lin−) cells. The cells were shown to have evidence of cardiac potential through the expression of green fluorescent protein under control of the Nkx2.5 promoter. The cells were administered intravenously 1 hour following permanent left anterior descending coronary artery ligation in the murine model of myocardial infarction. In vitro studies demonstrated that CLK cells grown under normoxic conditions did not migrate significantly in response to SDF-1, nor was there significant engraftment of functional effects of these cells following the intravenous administration 1 hour after acute myocardial infarction. Conversely, culturing the CLK cells for 6 hours before harvest and infusion led to robust migration of the CLK cells in response to SDF-1 in vitro. Furthermore, the hypoxia treatment led to significant migration and engraftment of CLK cells following intravenous infusion and significant functional effects including decreased infarct size, increased vascular growth, and improved cardiac function. Several lines of evidence are offered, suggesting that the upregulation of CXCR4 in response to hypoxia is responsible for the increased CLK …
A Wide Range Charge-Balancing Circuit using Floating-Gate Transistors

A CMOS circuit has been designed to produce charge-balanced biphasic current pulses for electrical stimulation of neurons. The circuit uses synaptic current source to generate discharging current pulses for stimulating current with amplitude ranging from 100 pA to 110 nA and period ranging from 0.2 s to Is. The amplitude and duration of the discharging current is controlled using programmable floating-gate transistors. The circuit has high stimulation efficiency and can be used in various neural microstimulators.
A systems analysis of the chemosensitivity of breast cancer cells to the polyamine analogue PG-11047.

Polyamines regulate important cellular functions and polyamine dysregulation frequently occurs in cancer. The objective of this study was to use a systems approach to study the relative effects of PG-11047, a polyamine analogue, across breast cancer cells derived from different patients and to identify genetic markers associated with differential cytotoxicity.
Auto-Tuning CUDA Parameters for Sparse Matrix-Vector Multiplication on GPUs

Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) has become an attractive coprocessor for scientific computing due to its massive processing capability. The sparse matrix-vector multiplication (SpMV) is a critical operation in a wide variety of scientific and engineering applications, such as sparse linear algebra and image processing. This paper presents an auto-tuning framework that can automatically compute and select CUDA parameters for SpMV to obtain the optimal performance on specific GPUs. The framework is evaluated on two NVIDIA GPU platforms, GeForce 9500 GTX and GeForce GTX 295.
The Endorsement of Communication Conflict Rules as a Function of Engagement, Marriage and Marital Ideology

The maintenance of relationships is examined using a rules-based perspective in which engaged and married couples rated how often they followed a number of communication rules for conflict management in the marriage. In addition, couples were measured on their ideolgy about marriage using Fitzpatrick's (1988) marital typology descriptions. The results reveal four basic communicative rule dimensions dealing with conflict that include signaling positive understanding to one's partner, being rational, being concise and showing consideration to the partner. Analyses revealed marital status and marital type differences in terms of rule endorsement. Other differences attached to judgments of the applicability of the rules along a number of situational dimensions such as applying more in public/private, applying to men/women, not being important/extremely important, applying only in conflict vs other situations, and applying only to unhappy vs happy marriages. Most importantly, the results indicate that endorsem...
Modeling an IT-centric complex system via digital ecology concepts

A complex system is an embodiment of stochastically interacting subsystems through dynamics of vast information exchange (as seen in biological systems). In this context, a digital ecosystem can be regarded as being deeply intertwined with profiles of an IT-centric complex system. Hence, the complexity of evolution of modern telecommunication (telco) business (in terms of service expansion, revenue growth and customer population) can be modeled via digital ecology concepts inasmuch as the growth and survival of underlying IT activity are implicated by interacting subsystems of a cyberspace. This paper offers an algorithmic model that describes the infrastructure growth of telco service as a complex system evolution projected in the framework of digital ecology. Relevant ontology and computational approach are indicated in pseudo-code formats.
miR‐29 suppression of osteonectin in osteoblasts: Regulation during differentiation and by canonical Wnt signaling

The matricellular protein osteonectin, secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC, BM-40), is the most abundant non-collagenous matrix protein in bone. Matricellular proteins play a fundamental role in the skeleton as regulators of bone remodeling. In the skeleton, osteonectin is essential for the maintenance of bone mass and for balancing bone formation and resorption in response to parathyroid hormone (PTH). It promotes osteoblast differentiation and cell survival. Mechanisms regulating the expression of osteonectin in the skeleton and in other tissues remain poorly understood. We found that the proximal region of the mouse osteonectin 3' untranslated region (UTR) contains a well-conserved, dominant regulatory motif that interacts with microRNAs (miRs)-29a and -29c. Transfection of osteoblastic cells with miR-29a inhibitors increased osteonectin protein levels, whereas transfection of miR-29a precursor RNA decreased osteonectin. miR-29a and -29c were increased during osteoblastic differentiation in vitro. The up-regulation of these miRNAs correlated with decreased osteonectin protein during the matrix maturation and mineralization phases of late differentiation. In contrast, osteonectin transcript levels remained relatively constant during this process, implying repression of translation. Treatment of osteoblasts with LiCl induced miR-29a and -29c expression and decreased osteonectin synthesis. When cells were treated with Dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1), miR-29a and -29c expression was repressed. These data suggest that canonical Wnt signaling, which is increased during osteoblastic differentiation, induces expression of miR-29. Osteonectin and miR-29 are co-expressed in extra-skeletal tissues, and the post-transcriptional mechanisms regulating osteonectin in osteoblasts are likely to be active in other cell systems.
Affective response to a set of new musical stimuli.

Summary Recently, a novel set of musical stimuli was developed in an attempt to bring more rigor to a paradigm which often falls under scientific scrutiny. Although these musical clips were validated in terms of recognition for emotion, valence, and arousal, the clips were not specifically tested for their ability to elicit certain affective responses. The present study examined self-reported “elation” among 82 participants after listening to one of two types of the musical clips; 47 listened to happy music and 35 listened to sad music. Individuals who listened to happy music reported significantly higher “elation” than individuals who listened to the sad music. These results support the idea that music can elicit certain affective state responses.
Global anthropogenic aerosol direct forcing derived from satellite and ground-based observations

[1] A global estimate of the direct effects of anthropogenic aerosols on solar radiation in cloudy skies is obtained by integrating satellite and ground-based observations with models of aerosol chemistry, transport, and radiative transfer. The models adopt global distribution of aerosol optical depths (from MODIS), clouds, water vapor, ozone, and surface albedo from various satellite climatology. Gaps and errors in satellite derived aerosol optical depths are filled and corrected by surface network (AERONET), and an aerosol chemical-transport model (GOCART) by using statistical techniques. Using these derived aerosol properties and other related variables, we generate climatological monthly mean anthropogenic aerosol forcing for both clear and average cloudy skies. Unless otherwise stated, our estimates are for average cloudy skies, also referred to as all sky conditions. The global annual mean direct forcing is −0.35 Wm−2 (range of −0.6 to −0.1 Wm−2) at the top-of-the atmosphere (TOA), +3.0 Wm−2 (range of +2.7 to +3.3Wm−2) in the atmosphere, and −3.4 Wm−2 (range of −3.5 to −3.3 Wm−2) at the surface. The uncertainty of about 10–20% in the surface and atmosphere forcing translates into a six fold uncertainty in the TOA forcing because the TOA forcing is a small sum of two large terms (surface and atmosphere) of opposing signs. Given the current state of observations and modeling, it is very difficult to further reduce the uncertainty in the estimated TOA forcing. The major contributors to the uncertainty in atmospheric absorption are from the uncertainty in the vertical distribution of aerosols and the single scattering albedo of aerosols. The TOA forcing in clear skies is a factor of two different, while the surface and atmosphere forcing terms differ by only about 10–25%. Another major finding of this study is that the reduction in the surface solar radiation is a factor of 10 larger than the reduction in net solar (down minus up) radiation at TOA. The TOA forcing changes sign regionally, whereas the surface forcing is always negative. Thus caution must be exercised against relying too strongly on assessing the aerosol impacts based solely on global mean forcing. Aerosols over the NH contribute about 64% to the global surface forcing. Regionally the populated tropical regions contribute the most to the global surface forcing, with Asia the largest contributor. Roughly 49% of the total surface forcing is over the oceanic regions. Most of the previous global aerosol forcing estimate studies were conducted with a chemical transport model coupled to a general circulation model with model generated aerosols and cloudiness. Thus the present study, which adopts observed aerosol properties and observed three dimensional cloudiness, provides an independent approach for estimating the aerosol forcing.
Information Maximization in Single Neurons

Information from the senses must be compressed into the limited range of firing rates generated by spiking nerve cells. Optimal compression uses all firing rates equally often, implying that the nerve cell's response matches the statistics of naturally occurring stimuli. Since changing the voltage-dependent ionic conductances in the cell membrane alters the flow of information, an unsupervised, non-Hebbian, developmental learning rule is derived to adapt the conductances in Hodgkin-Huxley model neurons. By maximizing the rate of information transmission, each firing rate within the model neuron's limited dynamic range is used equally often.
ANNUAL LIPID CYCLES IN HIBERNATORS: Integration of Physiology and Behavior

▪ Abstract Mammalian hibernation is a temporary suspension of euthermia allowing endotherms to undergo reversible hypothermia and generate a marked savings in energy expenditure. In most fat-storing hibernator species, seasonal changes in food intake, triacylglycerol deposition, metabolism, and reproductive development are controlled by a circannual clock. In ground-dwelling sciurid rodents (ground squirrels and marmots), for example, energy intake increases during a summer body mass gain phase, and toward the end of this phase metabolic rate also begins to decrease, resulting in a profound increase in lipid deposition as fat. Increased activity of lipogenic hormones and enzymes correspond with this increase. The hibernation mass loss phase begins after the body mass peak in the fall and ends in spring. During this phase, stored lipids are slowly utilized in a programmed manner by undergoing deep torpor or hibernation during which the hypothalamic setpoint for body temperature is typically reduced to just...
Rapid and tunable control of protein stability in Caenorhabditis elegans using a small molecule.

Destabilizing domains are conditionally unstable protein domains that can be fused to a protein of interest resulting in degradation of the fusion protein in the absence of stabilizing ligand. These engineered protein domains enable rapid, reversible and dose-dependent control of protein expression levels in cultured cells and in vivo. To broaden the scope of this technology, we have engineered new destabilizing domains that perform well at temperatures of 20–25°C. This raises the possibility that our technology could be adapted for use at any temperature. We further show that these new destabilizing domains can be used to regulate protein concentrations in C. elegans. These data reinforce that DD can function in virtually any organism and temperature.
Path Analysis of Multitrait-Multimethod Matrices:

Path analyses of two multitrait-multimethod ma trices are used as examples of the kind of informa tion afforded by application of the technique. Dis cussed are tests of various possible models of the matrix, the reproduction of several correlations, and various reduced models. It is concluded that the technique should be of considerable aid to re searchers who want to evaluate the convergent and discriminant validity of their measures.
Transition moments, Franck-Condon factors, and lifetimes of forbidden transitions - Calculation of the intensity of the Cameron system of CO.

Discussion of the factors affecting the intensity of forbidden transitions in diatomic molecules. It is shown that using Franck-Condon factors to predict relative band intensities is less reliable for forbidden transitions than it is for allowed transitions. The intensity of the 0,0 and 1,0 bands of the a super 3 pi-super 1 sigma Cameron system of CO are calculated using perturbation theory. The intensity arises from spin-orbit mixing of the A super 1 pi state with the a super 3 pi state. From the known spin-orbit coupling constant of the a super 1 pi state and the known intensity of the fourth positive A super 1 pi-super 1 sigma transition, the oscillator strengths of the 0,0 and 1,0 bands are calculated to be 1.63 x 10 to the minus 7th power and 1.99 x 10 to the minus 7th power. Lifetimes of various rotational levels are shown to range from 2.9 to several hundred milliseconds.-
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder After Early Exposure to Procedures Requiring General Anesthesia

Objective To study the association between exposure to procedures performed under general anesthesia before age 2 years and development of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Speaking of news: Press, democracy, and metapragmatics in a changing India

That the news matters is a fundamental postulate of modernity. Yet the ways people talk about the news varies across cultures and over time. In this article, I examine how such “metapragmatic” speech about the news changed across a 15-year period, during which India underwent seismic shifts in its political and economic order. By unpacking and contextualizing five metapragmatic utterances collected between two fieldwork periods, 1992–93 and 2007–08, I examine how people used the tension between the concepts of “news as public good” and “news as commodity” to indexically position themselves as democratic citizens in a changing nation. Furthermore, I explore how and why these discursive practices changed during the Indian economy's so-called liberalization.
Received Opinion and Utilitarianism

Etude du statut de l'opinion recue en philosophie morale. Verifiant la these de R. M. Hare selon laquelle l'argument de l'opinion recue ne suffit pas a refuter l'utilitarisme, l'A. compare la force probative de l'intuition morale face a la theorie morale.
Evaluating Transformative Mediation in Practice: The Premises, Principles, and Behaviors of USPS Mediators

This study explores the tactics and strategies of transformative mediators in practice. Specifically, the study examines the premises, principles, and behaviors of mediators in REDRESS, the United States Postal Service (USPS) employment mediation program. The study is also a process evaluation used to determine whether the REDRESS program is being implemented by mediators as designed by the USPS. Survey results indicate that REDRESS mediators understand and correctly use the transformative model. Moreover, triangulation of the results with other studies suggests that the REDRESS program has been implemented as it was designed.
Collapse of the Late Triassic megamonsoon in western equatorial Pangea, present-day American Southwest

During the Late Triassic, western equatorial Pangea, in the present-day American Southwest, was unusually humid, as indicated by sedimentological evidence and inferred from general circulation models. These studies show that once equatorial Pangea was assembled, cross-equatorial summer air flow penetrated into western equatorial Pangea, bringing abundant megamonsoon rainfall and warm temperatures. However, many of these investigations indicate that gradual aridification began sometime during the Late Triassic to Jurassic. We show from field properties, geochemical transfer functions, and isotopic analysis of paleosols in the Chinle Formation of Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, that the western equatorial Pangea megamonsoon collapsed by 214.7 Ma during the “middle Norian climate shift.” Paleosols include Entisols, Inceptisols, Vertisols, Aridisols, and Alfisols, with transfer functions for mean annual precipitation (chemical index of alteration minus potassium [CIA–K]) and mean annual temperature (NAK)(salinization) developed from analogous modern data sets. The most notable shift is the appearance of carbonate-enriched paleo-Inceptisols and paleo-Vertisols after 214.7 Ma and paleo-Aridisols after 210 Ma. Prior to the middle Norian climate shift, the region is classified as humid (humidity province) based on rainfall estimates. Initiation of the middle Norian climate shift was characterized by an increase in paleosol carbonate content and rapidly declining rainfall as the region shifted to subhumid, and eventually to semiarid and arid after 210 Ma. Paleosol-derived temperatures are indicative of warm temperate to subtropical ecozones, whereas general circulation models show higher temperatures and tropical conditions, perhaps because boundary conditions were set to atmospheric p CO 2 4–5× present. Elevations of >1.5–2 km adjacent to the Cordilleran magmatic arc complex located ~400 km west of the study area may account for nontropical temperatures. After 210 Ma, however, temperatures began to increase, possibly as a result of escalating atmospheric p CO 2 from shale oxidation during marine regression and from coal and paleosol organic matter oxidation during prolonged aridification. Paleomagnetic studies have suggested northward continental drift of western equatorial Pangea to outside of the Intertropical Convergence Zone as the cause of monsoonal collapse during the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic. The formation of a rain shadow as a result of the evolving Cordilleran magmatic arc as the cause of aridification is supported by recent magnetostratigraphic work substantiating that the region remained in the tropics through the Triassic. According to our age model, the middle Norian climate shift is dated to near the same time as the Manicouagan impact crater, but there is no evidence of such an event in the study area, either geochemically or sedimentologically at our scale of observation. However, a regionally defined faunal turnover may have been a response to rapidly changing climates in the region.
Characterization of intense laser-produced fast electrons using hard x-rays via bremsstrahlung

Energy distribution of high-power, short-pulse laser produced fast electrons was experimentally and numerically studied using high-energy bremsstrahlung x-rays. The hard x-ray photons and escaping electrons from various metal foils, irradiated by the 50 TW Leopard laser at Nevada Terawatt Facility, were recorded with a differential filter stack spectrometer that is sensitive to photons produced by mainly 0.5–2 MeV electrons and an electron spectrometer measuring >2 MeV electrons. The experimental bremsstrahlung and the slope of the measured escaped electrons were compared with an analytic calculation using an input electron spectrum estimated with the ponderomotive scaling. The result shows that the electron spectrum entering a Cu foil could be continuous single slope with the slope temperature of ~1.5 MeV in the detector range. The experiment and analytic calculation were then compared with a 2D particle-in-cell code, PICLS, including a newly developed radiation transport module. The simulation shows that a two-temperature electron distribution is generated at the laser interaction region, but only the hot component of the fast electrons flow into the target during the interaction because the low energy electron component is trapped by self-generated magnetic field in the preformed plasma. A significant amount of the photons less than 100 keV observed in the experiment could be attributed to the low energy electrons entering the foil a few picoseconds later after the gating field disappears.
The natural history of retinal hemorrhage in pediatric head trauma

BACKGROUND: Ophthalmologists are commonly asked to interpret appearance of retinal hemorrhages (RH) in children with suspected traumatic head injury. We sought to determine the natural history of RH in young children with head trauma and to identify patterns suggestive of chronicity in order to help establish timing of suspected traumatic injury. METHODS: The medical records of children 20, too numerous to count [TNTC]). RESULTS: A total of 91 eyes of 52 children were studied. All eyes had IRH (62 eyes with TNTC). In all but one eye, IRH resolved to none or mild within 1-2 weeks. TNTC IRH did not persist beyond a few days. The longest an isolated IRH persisted was 32 days. Preretinal hemorrhage (PRH) was present in 68 eyes, persisting 5-111 days. On initial examination, 25% of eyes had only IRH, 75% both PRH and IRH; no eyes had only PRH. At 2 weeks, 3% had only IRH, 18% both, and 45% only PRH. In no eyes did RH worsen. CONCLUSIONS: IRH clears rapidly, whereas PRH may persist for many weeks. The presence of TNTC IRHs indicates that trauma occurred within a few days prior to examination, whereas the presence of PRH with no or few IRHs suggests days to weeks since trauma. To accurately identify these patterns, eye examinations should be completed as soon as possible after admission, preferably within 24-48 hours.Copyright © 2016 American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Language: en
Management imperatives forVarecia in captivity

A review of the captive history and status ofVarecia is presented followed by specific management recommendations for bothVarecia v. variegata andVarecia v. rubra. The total living captive population for the nominate form numbers 398 animals while that for the red and black form numbers 148 individuals as of 31 December 1986.Varecia v. variegata is reported to be a rapidly growing population originating from a founder population (wildborn animals which have produced offspring) of 21 animals. Management direction for this subspecies includes equalization of founder representation and controlled reproduction.Varecia v. rubra is reported to be more highly inbred with 79.35% of the captive population originating from 3 of 8 founders. The management imperatives for this subspecies include: 1) acquisition of a small number of wildborn red ruffed lemurs to be infused into the captive population over an extended period of time; 2) increase population; 3) equalize founder representation; 4) locate space. Encouragement ofin situ research and conservation activities is strongly advocated.
The History,Development and Status of Medical Assistance

Medical Assistance(MA) is one important part of Medical Security System(MSS),and it plays an important role in alleviating difficulty in acquiring and affording medical services for the poor in urban and rural areas.This paper analyzed its targets of MSS and Social Assistance System(SAS) from theoretical aspect,demonstrated its relationship with other institutions as medical insurance and DiBao clearly.In addition,the paper analyzed its property in ancient times,modern times,the period from country-founding to reforming and opening-up,the period from reforming and opening-up to the beginning of this century and current MA policy,showed the history and development of MA,and concluded its characters in different periods,so it would be meaningful for improving current MA policy.
Experimental Study of the Raining Effect on Frequency Breakdown Voltage of Air-gap

It is important to study the air-gap breakdown characteristics between conductor and tower in rainy weather for improving the reliability of high voltage power grid.In this paper,the breakdown characteristics were studied through artificial simulation test,and the relationships among breakdown voltage and some factors,such as rain intensity,rainwater resistivity,and drop direction were investigated,and the corresponding results were obtained.This study would be helpful for design and maintenance of transmission line against rainy weather.
Adenosine cyclic 3',5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase and ornithine decarboxylase involvement in the induction of cytochrome P-450 and hepatic hypertrophy.

The administration of a single dose of Aroclor-1254 (500 mg/kg intraperitoneally) resulted in a biphasic response in rat liver of the activation of cyclic 3',5'-AMP-dependent protein kinase, the induction of ornithine decarboxylase, and the activation of RNA polymerase I. The first cycle of this biphasic response involved activation of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase from 2 to 6 hr (177% of control), increased activity of ornithine decarboxylase from 3.5 to 6 hr, and elevation of RNA polymerase I activity from 4 to 6 hr after drug administration. By 8 hr activities of these enzymes had essentially returned to control levels. However, between 10 and 20 hr, cyclic AMP dependent protein kinase activity again rose to about 170% of control, followed by elevated activities of ornithine decarboxylase and RNA polymerase I. The maximal stimulation of ornithine decarboxylase activity was 5-6-fold in both phases of its response, and RNA polymerase I activity was maximal (150% of control) at 5 and 20 hr. Hepatic cytochrome P-450 concentration was increased within 6 hr after a single dose of Aroclor-1254 and reached a maximal concentration of 4 times the control level by 8 days. The liver weight to body weight ratios in rats given the drug were about 150% of control within 2 days and maintained this level through 15 days. Aminophylline and/or dibutyryl cyclic AMP given together with a single low dose of Aroclor-1254 (50 mg/kg) resulted in a greater increase in cytochrome P-450 concentration than did a low dose of Aroclor-1254 administered alone. These data support the concept that the activation of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, elevation of ornithine decarboxylase activity, and enhanced RNA polymerase I activity form a tight temporal sequence of biochemical events that are related to drug-induced liver hypertrophy and to microsomal enzyme induction.
Role of IgG Fc Receptors in Monoclonal Antibody Therapy of Cancer

Historically, lack of specificity for cancer cells has been a major problem in cancer treatment; however, the development of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), which combine high specificity with multiple mechanisms of action (MoAs), started a revolution in anti-cancer treatment options which continues to date. As of January 2013, 15 major antibody products were being marketed for cancer treatment in various countries around the globe, 10 of which are unmodified mAbs, which generally have multiple potential MoAs and may act via direct, Fab-domain-related effects or indirect, Fc-domain-related effects. Fc-domain-related effects consist of immune-mediated effector functions, which include complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP). ADCC and ADCP depend on the engagement of Fcγ-receptors (FcγR) on immune effector cells by Fc-domains clustered due to antibody–antigen binding. Similarly, CDC depends on the engagement of proteins of the complement system by clustered antibody Fc domains. In this chapter, preclinical and clinical studies with approved anti-cancer mAbs are reviewed, with an emphasis on the role of FcγR-mediated effector functions. The importance of therapeutic antibody–FcγR interactions for human treatment can be deduced from correlations of clinical responses with FcγR polymorphisms, results supported by a wealth of preclinical and in vitro studies.
A least squares based phase unwrapping algorithm for MRI

The authors have developed a technique based on a solution of the Poisson equation to unwrap the phase in magnetic resonance (MR) phase images. The method is based on the assumption that the magnitude of the inter-pixel phase change is less than /spl pi/ per pixel. Therefore, the authors obtain an estimate of the phase gradient by "wrapping" the gradient of the original phase image. The problem is then to obtain the absolute phase given the estimate of the phase gradient. The least-squares (LS) solution to this problem is shown to be a solution of the Poisson equation allowing the use of fast Poisson solvers. The absolute phase is then obtained by mapping the LS phase to the nearest multiple of 2/spl pi/ from the measured phase. The proposed technique is evaluated using MR phase images and is proven to be robust in the presence of noise. An application of the proposed method to the three-point Dixon technique for water and fat separation is demonstrated. >
Combined active / passive retrievals of ocean vector winds and salinities from SMAP

In this talk we introduce the combined active / passive (CAP) data product for the Soil Moisture Active Passive mission. We develop the algorithms for a radiometer-only salinity product, a radar-only vector wind product, and a combined active / passive vector wind and salinity product. We show the radiometer-only salinity product nears the Aquarius salinity accuracy requirements, that the radar-only vector wind product meets the QuikSCAT requirements, and that the combined active / passive salinity and vector wind product has performance better than both.
Comparison of the Microbiota of Older Adults Living in Nursing Homes and the Community.

ABSTRACT Our objective for this study was to characterize the microbial communities of the anterior nares (nose), posterior pharynx (throat), and skin of the femoral and subclavian areas in older adults from nursing homes and the community. Older adults (≥65 years) without antibiotic use for the past 3 months were recruited from nursing homes (NH; n = 16) and from the community (CB; n = 51). Specimens were taken from nose, throat, and skin sites for culture and bacterial profiling using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We found that pathogenic Gram-negative rod (GNR) colonization on the femoral skin was higher in NH participants than CB participants; otherwise, there were no differences in GNR colonization at other body sites or in Staphylococcus aureus colonization at any body site. Bacterial community profiling demonstrated that the operational taxonomic unit compositions of the different body sites were similar between NH and CB participants, but the analysis identified differences in relative abundance levels. Streptococcus spp. were more abundant and Prevotella spp. were less abundant in the throats of NH participants than in throats of CB participants. Proteus, Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus were more abundant in NH participants on the femoral skin. We found a pattern of decreased abundance of specific Proteobacteria in NH participants at the anterior nares and at both skin sites. We concluded that bacterial communities were largely similar in diversity and composition within body sites between older adults without recent antibiotic use from NH compared to those from the community. Our findings support the rationale for improved hygiene in NH residents to reduce the transmission risk of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as Enterococcus spp. or Enterobacteriaceae. IMPORTANCE The nose, throat, and skin over the subclavian and femoral veins are the body sites which harbor the bacteria which most commonly cause health care-associated infection. We assessed the effect of nursing home residence on the microbiota of these body sites in older adults. We found that the microbiota composition of the different body sites was similar between nursing home and community participants, but we identified differences in relative abundance levels. We found remarkable similarities in the bacterial communities of different body sites in older adults who lived in nursing homes compared to those in the community among people who had not been on antibiotics for the past 3 months. We also found that the femoral skin microbiota had evidence of stool contamination in the nursing home residents, providing a rationale for improved skin hygiene. Taken together, it appears that the health care environment does not alter the microbiota to the extent that antibiotics do.
Peripheral Nerve Block for the Management of Headache and Face Pain

Peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) are valuable diagnostic and therapeutic tools in the management of headaches and face pain. These nerve blocks include supraorbital nerve, supratrochlear nerve, infraorbital nerve, inferior alveolar nerve, mental nerve, auriculotemporal nerve, glossopharyngeal nerve, and greater auricular nerve. Maxillary nerve, mandibular nerve, and occipital nerve blocks will be discussed in other chapters.
Debt Financing and Supply Chain Capacity Investment

This paper studies a supply chain composed of a supplier and a buyer. The supplier has to make a buyer-specific capacity investment before demand uncertainty has been resolved. After the uncertainty has been revealed, the firms decide whether to trade with each other and on what terms through bilateral bargaining. I show that the supplier will borrow risky debt and invest more in capacity than if it Ire purely equity financed. The expanded capacity under risky borrowing is below the channel-efficient level if it is optimal to finance capacity investment with a mixture of equity and debt, and above the channel-efficient level if it is optimal to finance capacity investment entirely with debt.
Recreation-Based Camps for Military Children: Past, Present, and Future

This article discusses current literature and recommendations for future recreation-based camps for military children aged 7 to 17. Since the beginning of the Global War on Terrorism, the amount of government and community-based programs offered for military families over the past 15 years has significantly increased. This article gives a brief overview of the challenges military children face, specifically children with a parent serving in the National Guard or Reserves. This article explores the continuous focus of organizations to promote resiliency and coping skills as they relate to parental deployments. This article organizes programs for military children as non-recreation based and recreation based to examine the literature available and highlight the gap of literature available on recreation-based camps for military children. The article also provides recommendations for future areas of research and implications for practitioners developing camps designed for military children. Subscribe to JOREL
Comparison of the Structure-Properties in 2,4 TDI Based Polyether Polyurethanes and Polyurethaneureas

The objective of this paper is to review and compare the structure-property relationships in segmented polyurethanes and polyurethaneureas based on 2,4 toluene diisocyanate. In this paper, polyurethanes refer to polymers extended with butane diol, while polyurethaneureas refer to polymers extended with ethylene diamine. Both polyurethanes and polyurethaneureas consist of alternating soft segment (aliphatic polyether) and hard segment (aromatic urethane or urea). Due to the thermodynamic incompatibility of the hard segments with the soft segments, microphase segregation occurs in these polymers to a varying degree, which is strongly influenced by the compositional variables (1–4). In this paper, the effect of urethane linkage (as in polyurethanes) versus urea linkage (as in polyurethaneureas) in the hard segment will be discussed with polymers based on asymmetric diisocyanates, such as 2,4 toluene diisocyanate. Due to its asymmetry, the hard segment domains in these polymers are amorphous (2,5), thus complications arising from a partial crystallinity in the hard segment domains (as in MDI based polyurethanes) are absent. The soft segment used in these polymers is polytetramethylene oxide (M.W. 1000 or M.W. 2000), which was found to be amorphous in segmented polyurethanes or polyurethaneureas.
Correlation between the minimum grain size obtainable by ball milling and lattice strain

Abstract Primary among the top-down processing techniques that can be used to synthesize nanocrystalline materials is ball milling. During milling, the gain size decreases with milling time, reaching a minimum grain size, d min . Minimum grain size attainable is a characteristic of each material. Ball milling introduces considerable amount of lattice strain, e. Such a strain increases rapidly with time, reaching a maximum value that coincides with d min . By applying a recently developed dislocation model, which relates, d min , to several physical parameters (such as the stacking fault energy and hardness), and by adopting several fundamental concepts, which are related to deformation behavior in materials, it is shown that d min / b depends on ( 1 / e ) 0.94 , where b is the Burgers vector . The validity of this functional dependence is examined by analyzing experimental data on several nanocrystalline materials.
Microgravity effect on microstructural development of tri-calcium silicate (C3S) paste

For the first time, tricalcium silicate (C3S) and an aqueous solution were mixed and allowed to hydrate in the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The research hypothesis states that minimizing gravity-driven transport phenomena, such as buoyancy, sedimentation, and thermosolutal convection ensures diffusion-controlled crystal growth and, consequently, lead to unique microstructures. Results from SEM micrographs, image analysis, mercury intrusion porosimetry, thermogravimetry, and x-ray diffraction revealed that the primary differences in g hydrated C3S paste are increased porosity and a lower aspect ratio of portlandite crystals, likely due to a more uniform phase distribution. Relevant observations led by the presence or absence of gravity, including bleeding effect, density, and crystallography are also presented and discussed.