cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
School–Based Early Intervention and Later Child Maltreatment in the Chicago Longitudinal Study

Investigated were the effects of participation in the Title I Child-Parent Centers (CPC) on substantiated reports of child maltreatment for 1,408 children (93% of whom are African American) in the Chicago Longitudinal Study. The CPCs provide child education and family support services in high-poverty areas. After adjusting for preprogram maltreatment and background factors, 913 preschool participants had significantly lower rates of court petitions of maltreatment by age 17 than 495 children of the same age who participated in alternative kindergarten interventions (5.0% vs. 10.5%, a 52% reduction). Participation for 4 to 6 years was significantly associated with lower rates of maltreatment (3.6% vs. 6.9%, a 48% reduction). Findings based on child protective service records (as well as combined protective service and court records) were similar. Preschool length, family risk, and school poverty were associated with lower rates of maltreatment. Parental involvement in school and school mobility were significant mediators of intervention effects.
Recruitment strategies for an acupuncture randomized clinical trial of reproductive age women.

Summary Objectives To assess the most effective recruitment strategies for an acupuncture clinical trial of reproductive age women. Design The underlying study is an acupuncture randomized clinical trial for an ovulatory disorder that affects approximately 6.5% of reproductive age women (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome). Study participation involved 2 months of intervention and 3 months of follow-up with US$170 compensation. Success of each recruitment method used during the first 37 study months was analyzed. Setting Clinical trial in the Dept. of OB/GYN at the University of Virginia, US. The original geographic residency target was an 80 mile radius around a college town in Virginia (population 155,000), and was expanded to the state capital (population 850,000) in recruitment Year 2. Main outcome measures Number of study inquiries (phone calls or emails) over time and by recruitment source. Results In the first 37 months of recruitment (January 2006–January 2009), there were 800 study inquiries (582 by phone, 218 by email), of which 749 were screened via telephone questionnaire. The most successful recruitment methods were flyers (28% of inquiries and 26% of participants) and direct mailing to targeted zip codes (26% and 27%, respectively). The direct mailing cost US$110/inquiry, while the flyers cost less than US$300 in total. Study inquiries were least likely in May and November. Almost all prospective participants (94%) were acupuncture-naive. Conclusions Posters/flyers and direct mailings proved to be the most successful recruitment methods for this CAM study. Active recruitment with multiple methods was needed for continual enrollment.
Rad54, a Swi2/Snf2-like Recombinational Repair Protein, Disassembles Rad51:dsDNA Filaments

Rad54 protein is a member of the Swi2/Snf2-like family of DNA-dependent/stimulated ATPases that dissociate and remodel protein complexes on dsDNA. Rad54 functions in the recombinational DNA repair (RAD52) pathway. Here we show that Rad54 protein dissociates Rad51 from nucleoprotein filaments formed on dsDNA. Addition of Rad54 protein overcomes inhibition of DNA strand exchange by Rad51 protein bound to substrate dsDNA. Species preference in the Rad51 dissociation and DNA strand exchange assays underlines the importance of specific Rad54-Rad51 protein interactions. Rad51 protein is unable to release dsDNA upon ATP hydrolysis, leaving it stuck on the heteroduplex DNA product after DNA strand exchange. We suggest that Rad54 protein is involved in the turnover of Rad51-dsDNA filaments.
Explanation of cocaine desensitization of blood pressure responses to ephedrine

It is suggested that cocaine desensitizes ephedrine blood pressure responses by depletion of norepinephrine depots. This was shown by reversing cocaine desensitization through the administration of agents such as bretylium, which has a sparing effect on norepinephrine, and by the infusion of norepinephrine itself.
Just-in-time synthesis for reactive motion planning with temporal logic

The cost of the great expressivity of motion planning subject to temporal logic formulae is intractability. Recent advances in sampling-based methods seem to be only applicable to “low-level” control. The problem of realizing “high-level” controllers that satisfy a temporal logic specification does not readily admit approximations, unless the notion of correctness is relaxed as might be achieved with probabilistic variants of temporal logics. In this paper, we argue that not all possible environment (uncontrolled) behaviors need to be explicitly planned for, but rather short-time strategies can be generated online while maintaining global correctness. We achieve this by separating feasibility from controller synthesis, using metrics from the underlying continuous state space to ensure short-time strategies chained together provide globally correct behavior.
Ritual or residential? An integrated approach to geochemical prospection for understanding the use of plaza spaces at Palmarejo, Honduras

Patios and plazas represent two of the most common types of open space found at ancient Mesoamerican settlements. Patios tended to serve as areas for household activities, while plazas were commonly the focus of community wide religious and political rituals. With the aid of geochemical prospection of sediments and plasters, archaeologists have been able to successfully identify and characterize these spaces at many archaeological sites in the Maya region of southern Mesoamerica. However, in communities located adjacent to the Maya world where cultural interactions between different ethnic groups were highly complex, it is difficult to understand the use, management, and meaning of open spaces, which often shifted over time. While geochemical studies in the region have been useful for detecting the locations of activity areas in open spaces, the structure and composition of these activities often remain challenging to interpret because they represent a palimpsest of different practices over time. In this paper, we examine the interplay of chemical residues with other sediment properties, including organic matter and potential hydrogen, with the greater goal of increasing the interpretive potential of geochemical data for understanding activity spaces at the site of Palmarejo in northwest Honduras (ca. AD 600–900). Using a mild acid extraction procedure and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, we chemically characterize anthrosols from a formally defined open space at the site, and analyze the data quantitatively and spatially using interpolation with Kriging. We then compare the spatial patterns of the chemical elements to the distributions of soil organic matter (loss-on-ignition) and soil pH (glass electrode), and evaluate the results with excavation data from the space. While the results are not straightforward, our research leads us to conclude that the area under investigation most likely served as a venue for ritual activities, a finding that is consistent with similarly structured areas in the community and the broader region. These results lead us to advocate for more integrated analyses of multiple sediment properties in archaeological prospection of complex spaces.
Neisseria meningitidis, a Respiratory Pathogen?

The literature on meningococcal disease in the past few years has been dominated by discussions of sulfonamide resistance, prophylaxis, intravascular coagulation in fulminant disease, and determination of additional serological groups. This paper considers yet another facet, namely, the role of the meningococcus in respiratory disease and bacterial pneumonia. Well-substantiated cases of meningococcal pneumonia have been described in the past [1-12]. A summary of the literature is presented in table 1. Significant points in these reports include: (i) the large aggregation of cases associated with the 19181919 influenza pandemic; (2) the origin of most of the reports in military hospitals; (3) the isolation of meningococci from sputum and from pulmonary tissue at autopsy, often in pure culture; (4) the relative infrequency of positive blood, pleural fluid, or spinal fluid cultures; and finally, (5) the lack of occurrence or recognition of this entity for many years after 1919. In fact, the meningococcus apparently has not been studied systematically as a possible lower respiratory pathogen since that time. Three isolations of Neisseria meningitidis from the sputa of patients with pneumonia in December, 1967 prompted this investigation.
On the Addition of •OH Radicals to the Ipso Positions of Alkyl-Substituted Aromatics: Production of 4-Hydroxy-4-methyl-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-one in the Radiolytic Oxidation of p-Cresol

4-Hydroxy-4-methyl-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-one has been conclusively identified by its 1H and 13C NMR spectra as a significant initial product in the radiolysis of aqueous solutions of p-cresol. This product is formed as the result of oxidation of the hydroxycyclohexadienyl radicals produced by addition of ∼12% of the •OH radicals to the aromatic ring at the ipso position adjacent to the methyl group. It has a strong absorption band at 228 nm that is similar to the 246 nm band of p-benzoquinone. Its proton NMR spectrum exhibits strong coupling between two pairs of ring protons. A quartet is observed in the spectrum of the methyl-13C labeled product, confirming that a methyl group is attached to the dienone ring.13C chemical shifts and 13C−H spin−spin splittings of the dienone are reported. Although DFT calculations of the proton NMR parameters are in very good agreement with the experimental values, the calculated chemical shifts of the ring 13C carbons are 4−8 ppm too high, indicating that the DFT calculatio...
Looping P-T paths and high-T, low-P middle crustal metamorphism: Proterozoic evolution of the southwestern United States

Proterozoic rocks of the southwestern United States exhibit a variety of tectonometamorphic histories that can all be explained by a characteristic looping style of pressure-temperature ( P-T ) path. The path is fundamentally clockwise. However, because the rocks were cooled isobarically at 3 kbar after tectonism, the cooling path crosses the prograde path, leading to a geometry with a counterclockwise character. The absolute size of the loop in the P-T path varies across the region because of different amounts of overthickening (and resulting exhumation) during the contractional event, combined with variable amounts of heating from syntectonic plutons. This style of looping P-T path may be characteristic of high- T , low- P metamorphic terranes and middle crustal tectonism, particularly where syntectonic plutons contribute to elevated geotherms and polymetamorphism and where rocks become stabilized and reside for long periods at middle-crustal depths before being exhumed during a later tectonic event.
Relations between uniformed and contractor personnel in complex operations

Contemporary operations require the US military to work with enormous numbers of private contractors. The official reasoning for this is that private contractors are more cost-effective than military personnel, as contractors can be hired and paid for specific jobs, while military personnel must be maintained year-round at a high cost. On the other hand, many service-members bring back stories of contractor failure or misconduct. Is it in fact more efficient to use contractors on a battlefield? How can multi-agency operations be made most effective? This article attempts to contribute to these questions by determining the conditions under which contractors will ‘work’ for the military. Theory indicates that they will do so if the likelihood of being caught and punished for shirking is high. I examine the relations between military personnel deployed in Iraq and the contractors accompanying them through a questionnaire and targeted interviews.
Substrate Specificity and Stereoselectivity of Rat Brain Microsomal Anandamide Amidohydrolase.

Anandamide amidohydrolase (AAH) catalyzes the hydrolysis of arachidonylethanolamide (anandamide), an endogenous cannabinoid receptor ligand. To delineate the structural requirements of AAH substrates, rat brain microsomal AAH hydrolysis of a series of anandamide congeners was studied using two reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) assays developed in our laboratory. Arachidonamide (1) was found to be the best substrate with an apparent Km of 2.34 mM and a Vmax of 2.89 nmol/min/mg of protein. Although anandamide (2) has a similar Km value, its Vmax is approximately one-half that of arachidonamide. N,N-Bis(2-hydroxyethyl)arachidonamide (3) was not hydrolyzed, suggesting specificity for unsubstituted or mono-N-substituted arachidonamides. Analogues with a methyl group at the 1‘-position of the ethanolamido headgroup were also found to have greater resistance to enzymatic turnover and therefore increased metabolic stability. The enzyme exhibited high stereoselectivity as the rate of h...
Tax Planning, Regulatory Capital Planning, and Financial Reporting Strategy for Commercial Banks

We test whether banks' investment and financing policies can be explained by tax status. We document changes in bank holdings of municipal bonds in response to changes in tax rules relating to deductibility of interest expense. We also document an association between banks' marginal tax rates and their investment and financing decisions, which is consistent with the existence of tax clienteles. However, banks do not sort themselves perfectly into investment and financing clienteles because of adjustment costs. We posit specific types of transaction-cost impediments to tax planning, and document that banks apparently trade off these costs against tax-planning benefits. Article published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Financial Studies in its journal, The Review of Financial Studies.
FOSTERING RIPENESS IN SEEMINGLY INTRACTABLE CONFLICT: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Disputant “ripeness” is a state and a process of critical importance to the resolution of seemingly intractable conflict. Fostering ripeness is often a primary goal of those who attempt to intervene. This study presents a typology of interventions for promoting ripeness in highly escalated, protracted conflicts, and investigates the distinct effects of four different types of intervention strategies on the commitment of disputants to make peace. The model defines a state of ripeness at the individual psychological level as a high level of commitment by a party to change the direction of the normative escalatory processes of the relations towards deescalation. Lewin's “drive” and “resistance” change‐force strategies are combined with “process” and “outcome” oriented interventions to yield the four strategies. Results indicated that process‐oriented interventions targeted at removing resistance obstacles to peace were more effective at fostering ripeness than outcome‐oriented interventions aimed at driving constructive change. The implications of the findings are discussed.
Anatomical lung resection after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.

The critical role for anatomical lung resection—segmentectomy, lobectomy, pneumonectomy—in the treatment of Stage I and II non-small cell lung cancer is undisputed. In contrast, the primacy of surgery in the management of Stage III disease is not established. Increasingly, however, the multimodality approach to locally advanced lung cancer has gained acceptance, and the integration of surgery into the treatment algorithms for Stage III cancers, particularly N2 spread, has evolved. Herein, the important steps in this evolution are defined. The concept of induction or neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by resection is emphasized, and evidence supporting surgery's therapeutic value in this schema is provided. Our center's strategy for the successful and safe delivery of trimodality care is comprehensively outlined.
A new method for predicting the fatigue life of fiber-reinforced plastic laminates

This article introduces a new methodology for predicting the fatigue life of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) laminates at various stress levels. This method is based on the evolution of the center of gravity (CG) of the hysteresis loops (HL), and is termed the CG method. The CG method provides precise information regarding the fatigue behavior and damage situation within FRPs, offering highly accurate predictability of fatigue failure. Furthermore, the CG method can be constructed by tests performed on only one specimen by utilizing a new periodic function that represents the response of FRP specimens under dynamic loading fatigue tests - either in displacement control mode or load control mode. The authors originated the CG method in (Momenkhani, K. (2003). Using Geometric Properties of Hysteresis Loops for Predicting Fatigue Damage Accumulation in Fiber Reinforced Plastic Laminates, Doctoral Dissertation, The George Washington University, pp. 49-130), and published it in (Momenkhani, K., Sarkani, S. and ...
Determination and evaluation of 3D biplane imaging geometries without a calibration object

Quantitative vascular analysis is useful for treatment planning and evaluation of atherosclerosis, but it requires accurate and reliable determination of the 3D vascular structures from biplane images. To facilitate vascular analysis, we have developed technique for reliable estimation of the biplane imaging geometry as well as 3D vascular structures without using a calibration phantom. The centerlines of the vessels were tracked, and bifurcation points and their hierarchy were then determined automatically. The corresponding bifurcation points in biplane images were used to obtain an estimate of the imaging geometry with the enhanced Metz-Fencil technique, starting with an initial estimate based on gantry information. This initial estimate was iteratively refined by means of non-linear optimization techniques that aligned the projections of the reconstructed 3D bifurcation points with their respective image points. Methods have also been developed for assessing the accuracy and reliability of the calculated 3D vascular centerlines. Accuracy was evaluated by comparison of distances within a physical phantom with those in the reconstructed phantom. The reliability of the calculated geometries and 3D positions were evaluated using data from multiple projections and observers.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Regulation of plasma-cell development

Plasma cells are the terminally differentiated, non-dividing effector cells of the B-cell lineage. They are cellular factories devoted to the task of synthesizing and secreting thousands of molecules of clonospecific antibody each second. To respond to microbial pathogens with the necessary specificity and rapidity, B cells are exquisitely regulated with respect to both development in the bone marrow and activation in the periphery. This review focuses on the terminal differentiation of B cells into plasma cells, including the different subsets of B cells that become plasma cells, the mechanism of regulation of this transition, the transcription factors that control each developmental stage and the characteristics of long-lived plasma cells.
Renal and Hepatic Effects on Potency of Testosterone Propionate in Chicken

SummaryOur data indicate that the weight of the comb is a good parameter to find out the extent of testosterone propionate activity, as the increase in C.F.U. and the lack of difference between the amount of comb growth when the testosterone propionate is injected by the pectoral or by the hind leg route indicate that there is no detoxification of testosterone propionate in the chicken kidney. The liver plays a major role in its detoxification.
Effects of a partially purified factor from chick embryos on macromolecular synthesis of embryonic pancreatic epithelia.

Abstract Essentially normal development of early embryonic pancreatic epithelium occurs only in the presence of mesenchymal tissues ( Golosow and Grobstein, 1962 ), or a particulate fraction (MF) obtained from extracts of chicken embryos (Rutter et al. , 1964). We have shown that this fraction also stimulates the incorporation of thymidine- 3 H into DNA. This stimulatory activity was detected in particulate fractions from homogenates of several mesodermal tissues from rat and chick embryos, as well as in fibroblasts cultured from these tissues, but not in embryonic epithelial tissues. This activity may thus be related to the mesodermal tissue requirement for pancreatic development. MF was solubilized and partially purified from homogenates of chick embryos. It is stable to collagenase, hyaluronidase, and neuraminidase. Activity is lost by heating and by treatment with trypsin. It is presumed, therefore, that the factor is associated with a protein that is not collagen. The effects of the MF upon macromolecular synthesis were tested in pancreatic tissues from 12-day rat embryos. When isolated epithelia were cultured in the absence of mesoderm or MF, the rate of thymidine- 3 H incorporation into DNA decreased to low levels. The specific activities of DNA polymerase and deoxycytidylate deaminase in epithelial extracts also declined. In contrast, the rate of thymidine- 3 H incorporation into DNA increased 5- to 8-fold over the initial rates in epithelia cultured with MF. Concurrently DNA polymerase activity in tissue extracts increased by 2- to 3-fold; deoxycytidylate deaminase activity declined slightly. MF also affected RNA and protein synthesis. The rate of leucine- 3 H incorporation into protein and uridine- 14 C incorporation into RNA in isolated pancreatic epithelia was comparable to that of intact rudiments. Cultures in the presence of MF increased these rates severalfold after 20 hr. These results suggest that MF, and by implication, mesoderm, may supply a growth factor for epithelial tissue and thus serves a permissive rather than a determining role in the differentiation process in pancreatic development.
Visual discrimination learning by the visually-naive split-brain cat'

Visual-discrimination learning rates of the separate cerebral hemispheres were compared in dark-reared and normally-reared split-brain cats. No significant difference was found in the hemispherical learning rates of the dark-reared Ss; a significant difference was found in one of the normally-reared Ss. Performance with one hemisphere on a given trial was found to have no significant effect on the performance of the opposite hemisphere on the following trial.
156 EFFECTS OF COLD CARDIOPLEGIA IN TETRALOGY OF FALLOT REPAIR

The value of cold cardioplegia was studied in 196 successive patients receiving three different methods of myocardial preservation during intracardiac repair of Tetralogy of Fallot. Group A (n=100)were repaired normothermic using intermittent aortic arch clamping (IAAC). Group B (n=43) received moderate hypothermia (28°C)and IAAC. Group C (n=53) were given moderate hypothermia and cold cardioplegia fluid. There was no significant difference in sex, type of right ventricular outflow tract obstruction or pre-op hemoglobin between groups. More Group A patients had a previous shunt (p<01) and had higher pre-op systemic saturations (p<.01). Group B patients tended to be older and larger at repair though these patients had significantly higher incidence of early death (within 30 days post-op) ,(p<.01). Aortic cross clamp time was significantly longer in C patients than other groups (p<.01). Post-op pressures in the right ventricle (p<.01) and pulmonary artery (p<.01) were lower in C patients. The major difference between groups occurred in comparing duration of inotropic support. Group A patients required 33 ± 2.9 hours,Group B 39 ± 4.3 hours. Significantly, Group C patients required only 12.5 ± 2.9 hours (p<.001) of dopamine or isoproterenol to maintain clinically normal cardiac output in the post-operative period. In conclusion, cold cardioplegia offers markedly better myocardial preservation than previous methods, allowing longer operative time with less compromise of cardiac output in the post-operative period.
Structure and function in angiosperm pollen wall evolution

Abstract Observations and measurements from angiosperm species in more than 150 genera from 15 monocotyledonous and 69 dicotyledonous families show that harmomegathy, changes in size, shape, and volume of pollen grains as a result of water loss or intake are characteristic for flowering plants. Size changes as measured from the exterior wall surfaces average 46%. No particular pollen types or kinds or arrangements of apertures seem to be superior for providing mechanisms to accomodate these volumetric changes and the associated stress. As water is lost from a grain, contractions and invaginations of thinner areas of the wall establish geometric forms related to the positions and numbers of germinal apertures, and to internal and sculptural elements of the exine. As a result of these invaginations and accompanying flexion and arcuation (arching) of interapertural wall sections, configurations are created that permit the grain to develop and withstand enormous stress without breaking. The stress is a measure of negative wall pressure that helps establish a water deficit within the grain that brings the living substance of the protoplast into equilibrium with the desiccating forces of the atmosphere. Stress is accommodated through the inherent strength and resiliency of sporopollenin, enhanced by cellularization (baculation, lamination, plication, and alveolation), and by strutting and reinforcement systems involving massive deposits of sporopollenin at special bearing and stress points, such as costal and oral margins, or the poles. Architectural features that distribute and bear the stress include mechanisms for tension, arcuation, and suspension that carry stress to bearing points. The effect of these accommodations is to permit the pollen grain to arrive at the stigma alive and in condition to respond and grow quickly. It is hypothesized that evolution of structural features that meet harmomegathal stress requirements provides the principal explanation for pollen wall form, composition, organization, and architecture.
Trps1 and Its Target Gene Sox9 Regulate Epithelial Proliferation in the Developing Hair Follicle and Are Associated with Hypertrichosis

Hereditary hypertrichoses are a group of hair overgrowth syndromes that are extremely rare in humans. We have previously demonstrated that a position effect on TRPS1 is associated with hypertrichosis in humans and mice. To gain insight into the functional role of Trps1, we analyzed the late morphogenesis vibrissae phenotype of Trps1Δgt mutant mice, which is characterized by follicle degeneration after peg downgrowth has been initiated. We found that Trps1 directly represses expression of the hair follicle stem cell regulator Sox9 to control proliferation of the follicle epithelium. Furthermore, we identified a copy number variation upstream of SOX9 in a family with hypertrichosis that significantly decreases expression of the gene in the hair follicle, providing new insights into the long-range regulation of SOX9. Our findings uncover a novel transcriptional hierarchy that regulates epithelial proliferation in the developing hair follicle and contributes to the pathology of hypertrichosis.
FLOW-THROUGH SYSTEM FOR CHRONIC EXPOSURE OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS TO SEAWATER-SOLUBLE HYDROCARBONS FROM CRUDE OIL: CONSTRUCTION AND APPLICATIONS

ABSTRACT Flow-through systems circumvent problems associated with static systems for exposing aquatic organisms to water-soluble hydrocarbons by providing an uninterrupted supply of water-soluble fraction with minimal compositional variations. Moreover, there is little accumulation of deleterious excretory products. Yet the design of a flow-through system for crude petroleum poses practical problems. All exposed surfaces of equipment become coated with thick oily residues, which, if ignored, result in changes in water flow rates and in levels of soluble hydrocarbons. To circumvent such problems, a modular system was built which can be adjusted to compensate for oil accumulation. Analysis of the water-soluble fraction prepared from Prudhoe Bay crude oil showed it to contain primarily low molecular weight aromatic compounds as follows (average concentration, ppm): benzene, 0.26; toluene, 2.45; total xylenes, 1.73; C3- and C4-substituted benzenes, 0.26; naphthalene, 0.01; 1-methyl naphthalene, 0.02; 2-methyl...
Characterizing the Compressive Resistance and Recovery of Shape Memory Polymer Cylinders

Each year, approximately 200,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). Despite improved preventative screening programs, AAAs are still listed as the cause of death for an estimated 15,000 Americans each year [1–2]. Despite the relatively low mortality rate for open surgical repair of AAA, the minimally-invasive nature of endovascular repair has made this treatment extremely popular. Our research team seeks to develop the next generation of endovascular stent-grafts which resist the two main modes of graft failure — endoleak and graft migration [3–5]. We believe that such a stent-graft can be made from novel smart polymer formulations. Towards this end, shape memory polymer (SMP) cylindrical tubes were fabricated and tested for their recovery force.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
A Reverse Time-Course Method for Transcriptional Chase Analyses of mRNA Half-Lives in Cultured Cells

Standard methods for assessing mRNA stabilities in intact cells are labor-intensive and can generate half-life (t1/2) measures that are both imprecise and inaccurate. We describe modifications to a conventional tetracycline-conditional transcriptional chase method for analyzing mRNA stability that significantly simplify its conduct, while generating highly reproducible and accurate t1/2 values. The revised method–which is conducted as a reverse time course, and which accounts for interval expansion in the number of cultured cells–is validated for the analyses of mRNAs with both short and long half-lives. This approach facilitates accurate assessment of mRNA metabolism, providing a user-friendly tool for detailed investigations into their structures and functions, as well as the processes that contribute to their post-transcriptional regulation.
Strain analysis of the Hemispherical Stretch-Bend Test

A number of simulative tests have been developed over the years to assess sheet metal formability. Two of the tests, namely, the Forming Limit Diagram (FLD) and the Limiting Dome Height (LDH), are being used as standard tests for the evaluation of stretch-type forming operations. The tests do not include the effect of bending on formability and hence are limited in their application. Recently, the Hemispherical Stretch-Bend Test (HSBT) was introduced to assess the combined effect of material and design variables on stretchbend type forming. This paper presents a strain data base for the HSBT and gives the influence of punch curvature and sheet thickness on the limit strains and the strain distributions after forming. Curvature and thickness alter the strain distribution so much that one punch cannot be representative of all stretch-bend forming operations.
Symmetry in diet phase transitions

Abstract Analysis of the route of the phase transitions in transition metal oxides driven by DIET of oxygen from the surfaces observed by high resolution electron microscopy indicates that there is a symmetry selection rule. The phase transitions are to a structure with a higher point group symmetry where the new phase with a lower oxygen content is either one with a supergroup symmetry with respect to the original phase, or is an amorphous intermediary. The final phase has the highest symmetry and is also a metallic conductor. If a possible lower oxygen content phase does not have the correct supergroup symmetry, it is not formed. It is also found that the point group is conserved during the phase transition if the oxide belongs to the highest groups O h or D 6h . This symmetry selection rule can therefore be used to predict the route of the phase transition. The symmetry rule operates when the phase transition is diffusional.
Generating functional for electron-phonon systems from functional integrals with one-sided boundary conditions.

Abstract : The generating functional of thermal Green funcitons are generated for an interacting electron-phonon system through the use of functional integrals in holomorphic representations (c numbers for phonons and Grassman numbers for electrons). These integrals are over paths obeying one sided boundary conditions at either 0 or beta=1/kT, and do not require normalization factors unlike previous derivations. The Matsubara perturbation formalism is recovered without using any results from the standard operator method.
Application of a key generation and distribution algorithm for secure communication in open systems interconnection architecture

A key generation and distribution algorithm is presented in this paper and shown applied for secure transmission of user data between two peer-layers of an Open Systems Interconnection Reference Model Architecture located at any source and destination end-user host systems. In particular, the algorithm (i) generates and distributes a session key between two peer-layers during Connection Establishment phase, (ii) encrypts and decrypts their user data, present in the Protocol Data Unit, using the same session key during Data Transfer phase, and (iii) after transmitting user data, it destroys the session key during Connection Release phase. For simulation purpose, the algorithm is shown applied between the transport service user and provider, present at the source and destination host systems, for secure transfer of transport service user data to the corresponding remote peer layer using Class 4 Transport Protocol of OSI-RM Architecture.
Higher psychological distress is associated with unintentional injuries in US adults

Background Links between mental illness, self-inflicted injury and interpersonal violence are well recognised, but the association between poor mental health and unintentional injuries is not well understood. Methods We used the 2010 National Health Interview Survey to assess the association between psychological distress and unintentional non-occupational injuries among US adults. Psychological distress was measured by the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, a symptom scale shown to identify community-dwelling persons with mental illness. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted ORs (AOR) and 95% CIs. Results Of the 26 776 individuals analysed, 2.5% reported a medically attended unintentional injury in the past 3 months. Those with moderate and severe psychological distress had 1.5 (1.2 to 1.8) and 2.0 (1.4 to 2.8) times higher odds of injury, respectively, as compared to those with low distress levels, after adjusting for age, sex, race, marital status, education level, alcohol use, physical functional limitation, medical comorbidity, employment status and health insurance status. Psychological distress was significantly associated with falls (AOR 1.4 (1.1 to 1.9)) and sprain/strain injuries (AOR 2.0 (1.5 to 2.8)), but not transportation-related injuries (AOR 1.2 (0.7 to 1.9)) or fractures (AOR 1.1 (0.8 to 1.6)). Conclusions Among community-dwelling US adults, psychological distress is significantly associated with unintentional non-occupational injury, and the magnitude of association increases with severity of distress. The association between psychological distress and injury may be particularly strong for falls and sprain/strain injuries. These findings draw attention to a large group of at-risk individuals that may merit further targeted research, including longitudinal studies.
Adenoviral-mediated gene transfer in human and animal vein grafts using clinically relevant exposure times, pressures, and viral concentrations.

This study examined the efficiency of adenoviral-mediated gene transfer in experimental vein grafts and cultured human saphenous vein under physiologic conditions using clinically relevant exposure times, pressures, and viral concentrations. The external jugular veins of 25 male New Zealand White rabbits were exposed to 0.5 mL of replication-deficient adenovirus vectors encoding β-galactosidase (Ad/acZ), control adenovirus (AdBg/ll), or vehicle at pressures ranging from 0 to 120 mmHg for 10 min. Veins were excised and grafted into the carotid circulation. After 5 days, the vessels were reexposed, excised, and stained with X-gal chromagen for β-galactosidase (β-gal) activity. Gene transfer was also performed in 13 segments of human saphenous vein discarded at the time of bypass grafting. The veins were cultured for 0–21 days and assayed for β-gal activity as above. Rabbit vein grafts exposed to high-pressure Ad/acZ transfection showed significant transgene expression in 100% of grafts (39 ± 2% positive cells/hpf) while only 60% of those transfected at low pressure expressed β-gal (9 ± 3% positive cell/hpf). All human veins exposed to Ad/acZ expressed β-gal to a variable degree (range 10–50% positive cells/hpf). No control grafts or veins expressed the transgene. Efficient adenoviral-mediated gene transfer in experimental vein grafts and human saphenous vein segments can be achieved using clinically feasible parameters of exposure time, pressure, and viral concentration.
Drug discrimination and receptor binding studies of N-Isopropyl lysergamide derivatives

N-Isopropyl (IPLA), N-methyl-N-isopropyl (MIPLA), N-ethyl-N-isopropyl (EIPLA), and N,N-diisopropyl (DIPLA) lysergamides were evaluated for lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)-like activity. In rats trained to discriminate 0.08 mg/kg LSD tartrate from saline, each of the subject compounds completely substituted, with an ED50 two to three times larger than that LSD except for DIPLA, which had an ED50 about eightfold greater. Similarly, all the compounds displaced [125I](itR)-1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl) -2-aminopropane ([125I]DOI) from rat cortical homogenates and displaced ([3H]8-OH-DPAT) from rat hippocampal homogenates with KI values similar to those of LSD, again with the exception of DIPLA, which had about nine- and fourfold lower affinities, respectively. Interestingly, all the compounds had four- to fivefold lower affinities than LSD in displacing [3H]ketanserin from 5-HT2 binding sites. Molecular modeling studies found that all the compounds had low energy conformations similar to LSD. No correlation between the activity of the compounds and the preferred conformation of the amide substituents was apparent. In summary, N-alkyl-N-isopropyl analogs of LSD retain LSD-like activity in drug discrimination and 5-HT1A and 5-HT2 agonist binding assays only until the N-alkyl substitution is as large as ethyl; LSD-like activity dramatically drops when the second alkyl substituent is N-isopropyl.
Ultrasound measurement of fetal adrenal gland enlargement: an accurate predictor of preterm birth.

Objective The objective of the study was to test whether ultrasound-measured fetal adrenal gland volume (AGV) and fetal zone enlargement (FZE) predicts preterm birth (PTB) better than cervical length (CL). Study Design Three-dimensional and 2-dimensional ultrasound were used prospectively to measure fetal AGV, FZE, and CL in women with preterm labor symptoms. We corrected AGV for fetal weight (cAGV). The ratio between whole gland depth (D) and central fetal zone depth (d) (d/D) was used to measure FZE. Ability of cAGV, d/D, and CL to predict PTB 7 days or less was compared. Results Twenty-seven of 74 women (36.5%) presenting between 21 and 34 weeks had PTB of 7 days or less. FZE greater than 49.5% was the single best predictor for PTB (sensitivity/specificity 100%/89%) compared with cAGV (81%/87%) and CL (56%/60%; P Conclusion The 2-dimensional measurement of the adrenal gland FZE is highly effective performing superior to CL in identifying women at risk for PTB within 7 days.
Reduction of mutant huntingtin accumulation and toxicity by lysosomal cathepsins D and B in neurons

Huntington's disease is caused by aggregation of mutant huntingtin (mHtt) protein containing more than a 36 polyQ repeat. Upregulation of macroautophagy was suggested as a neuroprotective strategy to degrade mutant huntingtin. However, macroautophagy initiation has been shown to be highly efficient in neurons whereas lysosomal activities are rate limiting. The role of the lysosomal and other proteases in Huntington is not clear. Some studies suggest that certain protease activities may contribute to toxicity whereas others are consistent with protection. These discrepancies may be due to a number of mechanisms including distinct effects of the specific intermediate digestion products of mutant huntingtin generated by different proteases. These observations suggested a critical need to investigate the consequence of upregulation of individual lysosomal enzyme in mutant huntingtin accumulation and toxicity. In this study, we used molecular approaches to enhance lysosomal protease activities and examined their effects on mutant huntingtin level and toxicity. We found that enhanced expression of lysosomal cathepsins D and B resulted in their increased enzymatic activities and reduced both full-length and fragmented huntingtin in transfected HEK cells. Furthermore, enhanced expression of cathepsin D or B protected against mutant huntingtin toxicity in primary neurons, and their neuroprotection is dependent on macroautophagy. These observations demonstrate a neuroprotective effect of enhancing lysosomal cathepsins in reducing mutant huntingtin level and toxicity in transfected cells. They highlight the potential importance of neuroprotection mediated by cathepsin D or B through macroautophagy.
Review and judgement: Measurement and control (systems science) in social contexts:

The essence of this paper recommends some major shifts in emphasis and approach, away from the scientific base of traditional systems science (as exemplified by traditional measurement and control methods) toward interpretive, subjective methods, when context relates to social situations. Radical change in place of regulation will also be discussed. This paper is equally a review paper, in that an historical overview is necessarily taken, and the development of systems science is traced therefrom. Particular attention is paid to systems in organisation theory and so-called problem solving'.
Imaging periodic currents using alternating balanced steady‐state free precession

Existing functional brain MR imaging methods detect neuronal activity only indirectly via a surrogate signal such as deoxyhemoglobin concentration in the vascular bed of cerebral parenchyma. It has been recently proposed that neuronal currents may be measurable directly using MRI (ncMRI). However, limited success has been reported in neuronal current detection studies that used standard gradient or spin echo pulse sequences. The balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) pulse sequence is unique in that it can afford the highest known SNR efficiency and is exquisitely sensitive to perturbations in free precession phase. It is reported herein that when a spin phase-perturbing periodic current is locked to an RF pulse train, phase perturbations are accumulated across multiple RF excitations and the spin magnetization reaches an alternating balanced steady state (ABSS) that effectively amplifies the phase perturbations due to the current. The alternation of the ABSS signal therefore is highly sensitive to weak periodic currents. Current phantom experiments employing ABSS imaging resulted in detection of magnetic field variations as small as 0.15nT in scans lasting for 36 sec, which is more sensitive than using gradient-recalled echo imaging. Magn Reson Med 59: 140 –148, 2008. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Control of a walking biped using a combination of simple policies

We present a decoupled controller for a simulated three-dimensional biped. To handle the high-dimensionality of the system, we break the dynamics down into multiple subsystems, which we control separately. For both the sagittal and coronal plane dynamics, we use dynamic programming to simultaneously optimize body motion, foot placement, and step timing for a two link inverted pendulum model. To use these simplified policies we map the full state to a simplified state, and then map the control action back onto the full system. The swing leg is controlled via continuously updated desired trajectories. These separate policies are then coordinated by the estimated time until touchdown, which is provided by the sagittal policy. By varying the lean angle or changing the sagittal policy we are able to contol the walking speed. We also evaluate the performance of our controller in terms of robustness to perturbations.
Variable Thickness Shear Layer Aerodynamics Revisited

The constant boundary-layer thickness (BLT) figuring in the Ventres (1975) Kernel function can be replaced by a slowly varying BLT, in the case of shear layers of slowly varying thickness. A simplification of the extension by Chi (1976) of Ventres' solution is put forward. The Kernel function in this instance relates pressure on the lifting surface to downwash over the surface. The results should also apply, formally, to three-dimensional compressible unsteady flows, but the accuracy in assuming slowly varying shear BLT remains to be determined. All variants of the shear layer model fail when the shear layer thickness varies rapidly.
Multicenter clinical trial of ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide in the evaluation of mediastinal lymph nodes in patients with primary lung carcinoma.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide particles as a magnetic resonance (MR) contrast agent in differentiating metastatic from benign lymph nodes. Eighteen patients with primary lung malignancy and suspected regional lymph node metastases underwent MR imaging before and after Combidex® infusion in a multi-institutional study. All MR sequences were interpreted by one or more board-certified radiologists experienced in imaging thoracic malignancy. Each patient was evaluated for the number and location of lymph nodes, homogeneity of nodal signal, and possible change of MR signal post contrast. All patients underwent resection or sampling of the MR-identified lymph node(s) 1–35 day(s) post contrast MR imaging. In all, 27 lymph nodes or nodal groups were available for histopathologic correlation. Combidex had a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 80% in identifying pathologically confirmed metastatic mediastinal lymph nodes. Based on our preliminary data, Combidex MR imaging may provide additional functional information useful in the staging of mediastinal lymph nodes. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 1999;10:468–473. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Factor Structure of Organizational Commitment: Differences between U.S. and South Korean Samples

The current study compared the factor structures of the construct of organizational commitment between two samples of financial employees, one from the U.S. (n = 103) and one from South Korea (n = 109). Participants completed a 26-item questionnaire. Two factors (an affective component and a normative component) emerged for the U.S. sample; only one factor for the Koreans. Results suggest that culture should be considered when trying to assess organizational commitment.
An alternative possibility for seed coat color determinaton in Mendel's experiment.

IT is possible that in his test of the hypothesis of independence among three genes influencing seed characters of pea (cotyledon color and shape and flower or seed color) Mendel relied on partial dominance of seed color to classify heterozygotes as well as homozygotes in his cross. It would make
Del1 mediates VSMC adhesion, migration, and proliferation through interaction with integrin αvβ3

Del1 is a matrix protein transiently expressed by embryonic endothelial cells. It was recently demonstrated that vascular endothelial cells adhere and interact with Del1 through αvβ3- integrins, pr...