cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) changes and saliva production associated with acupuncture at LI-2 acupuncture point: a randomized controlled study

Clinical studies suggest that acupuncture can stimulate saliva production and reduce xerostomia (dry mouth). We were interested in exploring the neuronal substrates involved in such responses. In a randomized, sham acupuncture controlled, subject blinded trial, twenty healthy volunteers received true and sham acupuncture in random order. Cortical regions that were activated or deactivated during the interventions were evaluated by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Saliva production was also measured. Unilateral manual acupuncture stimulation at LI-2, a point commonly used in clinical practice to treat xerostomia, was associated with bilateral activation of the insula and adjacent operculum. Sham acupuncture at an adjacent site induced neither activation nor deactivation. True acupuncture induced more saliva production than sham acupuncture. Acupuncture at LI-2 was associated with neuronal activations absent during sham acupuncture stimulation. Neuroimaging signal changes appear correlated to saliva production.
Effect of HLA matching on organ distribution among whites and African-Americans.

A total of 159 patients received renal cadaveric grafts under 2 different allocation systems. System 1, a local variance (i.e., a point system different from that of United Network for Organ Sharing [UNOS]), and system 2, the current UNOS point system, differed in the relative emphasis on waiting time and HLA match. The racial composition of the donor pools and recipient waiting lists was the same for both periods examined. The percentage of African-Americans transplanted did not differ significantly under the 2 allocation systems and, in fact, increased slightly, from 29.4% to 33.8%, under system 2, which attributed more weight to HLA match. A difference in the allocation of kidneys from African-American donors was seen. Under system 1, only 2 of 8 kidneys from African-American donors went to African-American recipients, while under system 2, 6 of 8 kidneys from African-American donors went to African-American recipients. These data suggest that the current UNOS point system does not provide any added disadvantage to non-whites and may, in fact, provide an incentive for minority groups to donate organs, in that HLA matching appears to promote intraracial transplantation.
Pulmonary function studies in a newborn with congenital laryngeal atresia.

Abstract Congenital laryngeal atresia is a rare cause of upper airway obstruction that leads to death unless a surgical airway is immediately established. We were able resuscitate a baby boy with laryngeal atresia by the placement of an 18-gauge plastic intravenous cannula into the trachea, connected in turn to a 3-mL syringe without the plunger, and then to the connector to a 7.0-mm endotracheal tube. This arrangement allowed hand ventilation and sufficient gas exchange until a formal tracheotomy was established minutes later. The baby boy had deficient abdominal musculature (without cryptorchidism or obstructive uropathy), bilateral inguinal hernias, and idiopathic hypercalcemia (since spontaneously resolved), but no other major anomalies. His survival allowed measurements of pulmonary function in lungs distal to an obstructed upper airway, an arrangement that mimics experiments that examine the influence of lung fluid volume and pressure on developing lungs. The baby's lungs had a forced vital capacity (FVC) in the upper limits of normal (not grossly enlarged lungs seen in newborn animals undergoing ligation of the trachea in utero). Maximal expiratory flow at 25% of FVC from residual volume (MEF 25 ) was decreased, indicating airway obstruction involving smaller airways. Although direct laryngoscopy falled to find a opening in the larynx, some communication probably existed during development to allow some drainage of lung fluid. This opening, in the form of a persistent pharyngoglottic duct, prevented gross distention of the developing lung, but provided an insufficient airway at birth.
NMR Studies of Structure and Reorganization Dynamics of an [6Li]-Allylic Lithium Compound Complexed to [14N,15N]-N,N,N‘,N‘-Tetramethylethylenediamine: Inversion and Ligand Lithium Exchange

Proton, 13C, 6Li, and 15N NMR line-shape studies of exo,exo-1-trimethylsilyl-3-(dimethylethylsilyl)allyllithium-6Li complexed to [14N,15N]-N,N,N‘,N‘-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) 2 as a function of temperature and of added diamine reveal the dynamics of three fast equilibrium reorganization processes. These are (with ΔH⧧ values in kilocalories per mole and ΔS⧧ values in entropic units): mutual exchange of lithium between two 2 molecules (6.3, −21), exchange of TMEDA between its free and complexed states (5.0 and −22), and first-order transfer of complexed ligand between the allyl faces (7.0 and −20). Intermediates that are dimeric in TMEDA are proposed for the first two of these reorganization processes.
Detection of multiple gains and losses of genetic material in ten glioma cell lines by comparative genomic hybridization

A protocol for comparative genomic hybridization by use of nucleotides directly labeled with fluorochromes was used to map regions of deletion and amplification in ten glioma cell lines. The protocol greatly reduced experimental artifacts. We detected several genetic aberrations, including whole chromosome loss and gain, partial loss and gain, possible isochromosome, and higher level DNA amplification. The most frequent losses (in order of frequency) occurred on chromosomes 10, 18, 13, 11, 9, 14, 4, 6, 1, and X. The most common gain occurred on chromosome 7. Several sites of previously known and unknown amplifications were observed. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Stria Vascularis in Mániàre's Disease: A Quantitative Histopathological Study

To investigate the role of pathology of the stria vascularis in Meniere's disease, the vascularity and the cross-sectional area of the stria vascularis in a midmodiolar section of the cochlea were examined by histological observation and a computer-aided planimetric, respectively, in eight temporal bones from individuals with Meniere's disease and eight age-matched normal temporal bones. The number of vessels in the stria vascularis was significantly smaller in most of the cochlear turns in ears with Meniere's disease than in control ears, and the cross-sectional area of the stria vascularis in the same sections was significantly smaller in all the cochlear turns in ears with Meniere's disease than in controls. Furthermore, vascularity correlated significantly with the cross-sectional area of the stria vascularis in all the temporal bones examined. From these results it appears that poor vascularity of the stria vascularis is closely related to strial atrophy, and that these pathological findings might be important factors in the pathophysiology of Meniere's disease.
Putting the squeeze on the Noether gap – The case of the alternating groups $A_n$

Let \(\rho : G \hookrightarrow{\rm GL}(n, \mathbb{F})\) be a faithful representation of the finite group G over the field \(\mathbb{F}\). In 1916 E. Noether proved that for \(\mathbb{F}\) of characteristic zero the ring of invariants \(\mathbb{F}[V]^G\) is generated as an algebra by the invariant polynomials of degree at most \(|G|\). This upper bound for the degrees of the generators in a minimal generating set is referred to as Noether's bound. The result has been generalized to the case where the characteristic of \(\mathbb{F}\) is greater than the order of G, or when the characteristic of \(\mathbb{F}\) is prime to the order of G, and the group G is solvable. In this note we prove that if Noether's bound fails when the order of the group is prime to the characteristic of \(\mathbb{F}\), referred to as the nonmodular case, then it fails for a finite nonabelian simple group. We then show how yet another reworking of Noether's argument leads to a proof that Noether's bound holds in the nonmodular case for the alternating groups.
Flooding associated with predecessor rain events over the Midwest United States

This paper examines the severity and extent of flooding caused by six predecessor rain events (PREs) over the Midwest United States. PREs are areas of heavy rainfall that occur about 1000 km ahead of landfalling tropical cyclones. While recent studies have mostly focused on the synoptic conditions associated with PREs, little is known about the hydrologic impacts of these events.Here, we use discharge data collected by the US Geological Survey to perform flood analyses at the regional scale. We first examine the number of stations at which a PRE caused an annual maximum flood peak. We then compute the flood ratio, defined as the ratio between the flood peak magnitude caused by the PRE and the at-site, expected 10 year flood peak magnitude. These results indicate that PREs are responsible for significant flooding over the Midwest United States, including highly populated areas like Chicago, Illinois and Detroit, Michigan.
Contamination study on EUV exposure tools using SAGA light source (SAGA-LS)

Dedicate beam line for R&D on contamination of EUV exposure tools (BL18) was constructed at Saga Light Source (SAGA-LS) and its operation has been started. BL18 has an advantage of long time exposure, which gives accurate data compared with high-EUV-intensity and short-time experiments using an undulator beam line at New SUBARU synchrotron facility. Carbon contamination growth under low irradiance EUV radiation with fluorocarbon gas injection was examined using Mo/Si multilayer mirror samples. In the EUV intensity region from 11 W/cm2 to 0.01 W/cm2, degradation rate of reflectivity did not depend on the EUV intensity. The degradation rate was proportional to the EUV intensity in the range of less than 0.01 W/cm2. Carbon contamination due to resist outgas during EUV exposure was also investigated.
Stress, Drugs, and Alcohol Use Among Health Care Professional Students: A Focus on Prescription Stimulants

Objective:To contrast the characteristics of pharmacy, medicine, and physician assistant (PA) students regarding the prevalence of drug, alcohol, and tobacco use and to identify risk factors associated with prescription stimulant use.Participants:Five hundred eighty nine students were recruited to complete a 50-item Web-based survey.Main Outcome Measures:Demographics, nonmedical prescription medication use, illicit drug and alcohol use, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition, Text Revision; DSM-IV-TR) psychiatric diagnoses, and perceived stress scale (PSS) scores.Results:Medicine and PA students reported greater nonmedical prescription stimulant use than pharmacy students (10.4% vs 14.0% vs 6.1%; P < .05). Medicine and PA students were more likely to report a history of an anxiety disorder (12.1% vs 18.6% vs 5.9%; P < .05), major depressive disorder (9.4% vs 8.1% vs 3.3%; P < .05), and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; 4.0% vs 9.3% vs 0.7%; P < .001) than pharm...
Wiki: Using the Web Connections to Connect Students

The present study reports on action research conducted using a resource wiki. Participants included 48 certified teachers and pre-service teachers enrolled in a face-to-face graduate course supplemented with online activities. Data collected include student reflections that indicate the use of a wiki at the university level is a feasible means of online collaboration, facilitates constructing new knowledge, and provides a medium of modeling technology integration into the classroom.
Simulation of active flow control based on localized preform heating in a VARTM process

Abstract Defects in parts produced by the vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process are often attributable to the formation of voids during the mold filling stage of the process. These defects can be eliminated through the use of active control schemes to steer the flow to follow a desired path. This paper builds upon previous work of the authors [Johnson R, Pitchumani R. Induction heating assisted permeation enhancement for the VARTM process. In: Proceedings of the 34th international SAMPE technical conference. Maryland; 2002. p. 250–61; Johnson R, Pitchumani R. Enhancement of flow in VARTM using localized induction heating. Compos Sci Technol 2003;63(15):2202–15] and explores the innovative idea of using induction heating as a means of locally reducing viscosity to counteract the effects of spatial permeability variations in preform layups. Feedback of flow front locations during the filling stage of the VARTM process is used together with a numerical process model to arrive at decisions on the trajectories of the induction coil, and the coil voltage, so as to maintain a uniform flow progression without exceeding a prescribed maximum temperature limit. In the present study, various control strategies are explored in a simulation environment to arrive at an optimal scheme for practical implementation. Results of studies demonstrate that the control scheme is capable of improving the flow uniformity, as measured by the root mean squared (RMS) error relative to an ideal uniform fill by as much as 88% in comparison to an uncontrolled mold fill, while simultaneously maintaining acceptable material temperatures throughout the filling process.
An integrated approach to structural damping

Abstract This paper considers a passive damping method that can be applied to a wide range of structural geometries including machine tool bases and components. The method uses viscoelastic materials to dissipate energy in the manner of classic constrained-layer damping, however, the layers are embedded within the structure as opposed to being applied externally. This provides a robust means of incorporating damping without encountering several of the common disadvantages associated with external damping treatments. An analytical solution to the amount of damping in bending modes is presented using a modal strain energy approach. The utility of this passive damping technique is demonstrated experimentally, and examples showing the accuracy of the modal strain energy solution are presented.
Hippocampal Replay Captures the Unique Topological Structure of a Novel Environment

Hippocampal place-cell replay has been proposed as a fundamental mechanism of learning and memory, which might support navigational learning and planning. An important hypothesis of relevance to these proposed functions is that the information encoded in replay should reflect the topological structure of experienced environments; that is, which places in the environment are connected with which others. Here we report several attributes of replay observed in rats exploring a novel forked environment that support the hypothesis. First, we observed that overlapping replays depicting divergent trajectories through the fork recruited the same population of cells with the same firing rates to represent the common portion of the trajectories. Second, replay tended to be directional and to flip the represented direction at the fork. Third, replay-associated sharp-wave–ripple events in the local field potential exhibited substructure that mapped onto the maze topology. Thus, the spatial complexity of our recording environment was accurately captured by replay: the underlying neuronal activities reflected the bifurcating shape, and both directionality and associated ripple structure reflected the segmentation of the maze. Finally, we observed that replays occurred rapidly after small numbers of experiences. Our results suggest that hippocampal replay captures learned information about environmental topology to support a role in navigation.
Evolution of fibre orientation in radial direction in a center-gated disk: Experiments and simulation

Abstract The evolution of fibre orientation in transient simulations with the Folgar–Tucker model and its slip and reduced strain closure versions was assessed against experimental data measured in the shell, transition, and core layers. Decoupled and coupled transient simulations were performed using a measured orientation profile at the inlet of the mould. All three orientation models match the experimental data only in the steady region of the shell layer but are unable to predict the evolution of orientation in all three layers. Effects of coupling are very small and unable to account for the discrepancies between the experiments and simulations.
Effects of Intermittent Noise on Visual Search Tasks of Varying Complexity

The present investigation was designed to test the effects of various ratios of intermittent noise on a visual search task varied in complexity. Four noise ratios were utilized: 0, 30, 70, and 100% noise on-time in successive 5-sec. intervals. The task required that Ss search a display for a single letter located among a larger background of letters which were all the same but different from the single letter. Task complexity was varied by changing the number of background letters. Two difficulty levels were utilized: 8-letter and 32-letter displays. Twenty-two Ss were tested under all conditions specified by the task complexity by noise ratio matrix. Detection speeds for the 32-letter task condition were faster for any ratio of noise than in the control condition but for the 8-letter condition only the 30% noise ratio was faster than the control. The speeds for the 70% and 100% ratios were slower for the 8-letter condition. The order of the 30, 70, and 100% ratios, however, without the control comparison...
Latin American and Caribbean Countries in the Global Quest for World Class Academic Recognition: An Analysis of Publications in Scopus and the Science Citation Index between 1990 and 2010

The article investigates global participation in academic research productivity through the growth of publications from Latin America and the Caribbean (LA&C) in two of the most prestigious bibliographic indexes, Scopus and the Science Citation Index (SCI). Data were obtained from the SCImago Journal and Country Rank and the Iberian-American and Inter-American Network of Science and Technology Indicators databases. Tables were created for the number of citable documents in Scopus, the publications in SCI, and the comparative indicators of the number of publications in SCI from LA&C countries adjusted for number of researchers, full-time researchers, inhabitants, and national research and development (R&D) expenditure. The countries with the highest number of publications since 1990 SCI and 1996 Scopus were Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Chile. Colombia shows the largest growth in research productivity over the periods studied and became in 2010 the country with the fifth highest number of publications in both indexes. Comparative indicators adjusted for numbers of researchers, population and national R&D expenditures do not show clear differences in performance across countries. The article concludes with suggestions for the need to provide greater contextual analysis and including other bibliographic indexes and databases in order to have a fuller understanding of the reasons for particular levels of research productivity across LA&C countries.
Red cell membrane glycoprotein: Amino acid sequence of an intramembranous region

Abstract Human erythrocyte glycophorin has been purified and partially sequenced. The portion of the sequence reported here (51 residues) represents a unique region of glycophorin that, on the basis of labeling experiments reported elsewhere, is probably associated with the hydrophobic interior of the red cell membrane. This sequence has the anticipated hydrophobic characteristics for interaction with the hydrocarbon interior of a membrane and, as far as we are aware, represents the first reported sequence from a hydrophobic region of an integral membrane protein. There is a distribution of charged and hydrophobic residues topographically similar to a cross-section of a phospholipid bilayer, a structure many now accept as the basic feature of a biological membrane. We propose that the hydrophobic sequence of approximately 23 residues comprises the intramembranous domain of human erythrocyte glycophorin and is intimately and possibly specifically associated with lipids of the membrane.
Automatic Creation of an Ontological Knowledge Base from Grid and Cloud-based Wikipages

As the size of experimental data, documents, and web pages grows larger, it will be difficult for scientists to search for appropriate data and grid web-services through keyword-based grid search portal interfaces. A well designed and dynamically updated knowledge base can help understand user queries when they are structurally different, but semantically correlated, with actual data stored in a grid or cloud. In this paper we discuss the implementation of a knowledge base creation tool for grid and cloud based wikipages. In order to achieve accurate results in the query match-making process, we store the knowledge base in the rich OWL format and update it automatically with subsequent inference of new facts. Our framework extracts grid and cloud related wikipages and web pages using syntactic Link Grammar Parser and creates core ontology models specific to the grid and cloud domain. In this paper we describe two core components of the ontology generation framework - an information extraction framework and a core ontology model. We present the accuracy of search in terms of precision and recall and its relationship with the dynamically updated ontological domain knowledge base.
Hypoplastic Pulmonary Arteries and Aorta with Obstructive Uropathy in 2 Siblings

Two sisters who presented with diffuse hypoplasia of pulmonary arteries, relative hypoplasia of ascending aorta, obstructive uropathy, bilateral ureteral reflux, and hydronephrosis, are described. The subsequent course was characterized by progressive and gradual onset of right heart failure, failure to thrive, chronic malabsorption and systemic hypertension. The syndrome which appears to be transmitted by autosomal recessive inheritance can possibly represent a generalized hypoplasia and growth failure of a part or the entire arterial system. Peripheral pulmonary stenosis can occur as an isolated lesion or in association with other congenital cardiac anomalies, as well as in rubella syndrome and the syndrome of supravalvular aortic stenosis. This communication reports two siblings with a hitherto unreported combination of hypoplastic pulmonary arteries, and aorta with identical genito-urinary tract abnormalities.
Early Attachment Organization Moderates the Parent–Child Mutually Coercive Pathway to Children’s Antisocial Conduct

This multimethod study of 101 mothers, fathers, and children elucidates poorly understood role of children's attachment security as moderating a common maladaptive trajectory: from parental power assertion, to child resentful opposition, to child antisocial conduct. Children's security was assessed at 15 months, parents' power assertion observed at 25 and 38 months, children's resentful opposition to parents observed at 52 months, and antisocial conduct rated by parents at 67 months. Moderated mediation analyses indicated that in insecure dyads, parental power assertion predicted children's resentful opposition, which then predicted antisocial conduct. This mechanism was absent in secure dyads. Early insecurity acts as a catalyst for a dyad embarking on mutually adversarial path toward antisocial outcomes, whereas early security defuses this maladaptive trajectory.
Fluosol-Da: An Artificial Blood for Total Cardiopulmonary Bypass

The isolated, in situ pig heart model was used to determine if Fluosol could support myocardial function during cardiopulmonary bypass. Fourteen pigs were utilized; 7 underwent studies of myocardial metabolism (coronary blood flow and vascular resistance, myocardial oxygen consumption and extraction, lactate extraction, and adenosine triphosphate and creatine phosphate levels), and 7 underwent studies of myocardial contractility and compliance (intraventricular balloon measurements). Each study was carried out utilizing one hour of control hemic perfusion, followed by one hour of Fluosol perfusion, and followed by a third hour of a return of hemic perfusion. The results documented that in the vented, beating, nonischemic heart, myocardial metabolism and functional measurements are maintained during an hour of Fluosol perfusion. However, because of an increased level of ionized calcium during Fluosol perfusion, myocardial functional measurements document significantly increased contractility. The increased contractility is associated with an increase in anaerobic metabolism. The latter contributes to a decline in the high-energy phosphate level following a return of hemic perfusion as the heart recovers from the increased work load placed on it during Fluosol perfusion. It is concluded that here is sufficient oxygen-carrying capacity in Fluosol-DA to maintain cardiac function during perfusion in the large animal model. However, the carrier solution for the Fluosol must be adjusted to appropriate electrolyte content to avoid adverse effects on the myocardium.
Some Basic Economics of National Security

National security economics is a nascent field in our discipline. 1 We define national security (NS) as the set of public policies that protect the safety or welfare of a nation’s citizens from substantial threats. While NS policies are typically thought of in terms of military assets, our definition includes the development and deployment of any public good that would mitigate catastrophic outcomes for a large segment of the population. Thus we include certain investments in public health, safeguarding supplies of certain natural resources, as well as environmental and climate policies designed to mitigate possibly catastrophic future outcomes. Our main focus is on the common structure of
Turbine Passage of Juvenile and Adult Fish at a Warmwater Hydroelectric Facility in Northeastern Oklahoma: Monitoring Associated with Relicensing

Abstract We estimated annual turbine passage rates and susceptibilities of juvenile and adult fish at the Pensacola Dam hydroelectric facility on Grand Lake O' the Cherokees (Grand Lake) in northeastern Oklahoma as part of the relicensing of the facility. Our study was purposefully exploratory in that its primary objective was to determine if turbine passage of valuable fishes was sufficient to warrant more rigorous and expensive studies at this facility. It is the first assessment of turbine passage at a large, high-head, inland, warmwater hydropower facility. Passed fish were sampled monthly with turbine nets set on the downstream side of the dam at the draft tube openings, but contamination of these samples with fish originating in the tailwater complicated our sampling and analyses. The fish assemblage of Grand Lake in the vicinity of the dam was characterized by monthly sampling with gill nets, trap nets, and electrofishing. Annual estimated passage was about 14.7 million fish, of which more than 99%...
Lead isotope compositions and uranium decay series disequilibrium in recent volcanic rocks

Lead isotope composition and concentrations of U, Th, Ra, total Pb and Pb 210 in recent volcanic rocks, noting disequilibrium due to chemical fractionations
OpenMM: A Hardware-Independent Framework for Molecular Simulations

The wide diversity of computer architectures today requires a new approach to software development. OpenMM is an abstraction layer for molecular mechanics simulations, allowing a single program to run efficiently on a variety of hardware platforms.
Effectiveness and feasibility study of routine HIV rapid testing in an urban methadone maintenance treatment program.

AbstractBackground: Universal Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) testing and treatment are strategies to decrease AIDS-related morbidity and mortality and to reduce HIV transmission. Objective: This study examined the feasibility and effectiveness of routine HIV rapid testing implemented in the largest New York City (NYC) Methadone Maintenance Treatment Program (MMTP). Methods: A routine HIV rapid testing program performed by medical providers without pretest counseling or the provision of incentives was compared to HIV rapid testing done by referral to HIV counselors with pretest counseling and incentives over the prior 12 months. Results: Routine HIV rapid testing proved feasible and effective when performed by the medical staff in the setting of a large urban MMTP. The program increased HIV testing in all genders, race/ethnicities, and ages. HIV-positive individuals were diagnosed and successfully linked to care. The elimination of HIV prevention counseling may have facilitated expanded testing. Conclu...
Closed-loop transfer recovery with observer-based controllers. I - Analysis

The description of a novel problem in loop transfer recovery is presented. The problem of closed-loop recovery (CLTR) is examined using a measurement feedback-control law where the closed-loop transfer function from the external signal to the controlled output can be made either exactly equal or approximately close to the so-called target closed-loop transfer function achieved under full-state feedback. The analysis of CLTR applies specifically to the general class of observer-based controllers and focuses on three fundamental issues. The first issue is concerned with what can and cannot be achieved for a given system and for an arbitrary target closed-loop transfer function. The second issue is to develop necessary and/or sufficient conditions for a target closed-loop transfer function to be recoverable either exactly or approximately. The third issue deals with the necessary and/or sufficient conditions on a given system such that it has at least one recoverable target closed-loop transfer function. The result is applied to the lateral autopilot design for a commercial transport airplane.
Civilian maxillo-facial gunshot injuries

Recently, in many parts of the world, there has been an increase in the number of civilian crimes involving guns and nowadays any oral surgeon in hospital may be confronted with this type of injury. This paper reviews the mechanism of wounding by different firearms to allow an appreciation of their effect on living tissues, and then outlines the clinical management of these injuries.
MicroRNAs in pancreatic malignancy: progress and promises

Despite progress in recent years, pancreatic cancer still remains a major clinical challenge. Its incidence and mortality rates have been on consistent rise underscoring the critical need for novel diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic tools for its effective management. Recent studies have demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are deregulated in a variety of malignancies, including pancreatic cancer, and play a significant role in the initiation, progression and metastasis. Furthermore, their vital involvement in the therapeutic resistance of cancer has also been established. Hence, there has been enormous interest worldwide in investigating the roles of miRNAs in pancreatic cancer pathogenesis and exploiting their utility for clinical benefit. In this review, we summarize current knowledge on the role of miRNAs in pancreatic cancer and discuss their potential use as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, and as novel targets for development of effective therapeutic strategies.
Comparison of potato leafhopper-resistant and susceptible alfalfa in New York

Potato leafhopper [PLH; Empoasca fabae (Harris)] is the most damaging pest of alfalfa (Medicago saliva L.) in midwestern and eastern states. Our objective was to compare alfalfa populations with glandular-hairs (PLH-resistant) and susceptible populations for forage yield and quality, PLH damage, and PLH nymph and adult populations. Potato leafhopper-resistant and susceptible alfalfa populations were planted in New York (NY) plot trials in 1997, 1998, and 1999, and compared seeding year through second production year. When PLH populations exceeded the action threshold for NY, PLH-resistant populations had lower PLH damage scores (2.3 vs. 3.7), fewer number of nymphs per 10 stems (3.5 vs. 6.2), and fewer adult PLHs per five sweeps (9.1 vs. 18.1) than susceptible populations. However, PLH-resistant populations yielded more than susceptible populations only in one of four trials. Irrespective of PLH damage level, PLH-resistant populations had higher crude protein (CP) concentration (203 vs. 194 g kg -1 ) and matured earlier than susceptible populations. Seeding year trials were severely damaged by PLH. The following year at first harvest, PLH-resistant populations yielded more than susceptible populations (0.24 Mg ha -1 more in 1997 trial, and 0.61 Mg ha -1 more in 1999 trial), even though PLHs were not causing economic damage. Resistant populations that were not treated with insecticide averaged lower total season yields than insecticide-treated, PLH-susceptible populations (0.29 Mg ha -1 less in seeding year, 0.95 Mg ha -1 less in production yrs). Potato leafhopper-resistant populations provide benefits to growers such as higher CP concentration and less hopperburn, but do not provide complete protection against yield loss from PLH damage.
Galileo and Oresme: Who Is Modern? Who Is Medieval?

If a body is constantly accelerated from rest to a final velocity v, then the distance it goes in time t is the same as if it had travelled at constant velocity v/2. This fact, the Mean Velocity Law, was proved by Galileo on his way to proving the Law of Free Fall, a milestone in the evolution of modern physics. But the Mean Velocity Law itself was well known as far back as the Middle Ages. In this article, we compare Galileo�s mathematical approach to that of the medieval philosopher and mathematician, Nicole Oresme, and we also look at the scientific context�just what information the law gave�in each era, with some surprising results.
Validation of the Essential ClpP Protease in Mycobacterium tuberculosis as a Novel Drug Target

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a pathogen of major global importance. Validated drug targets are required in order to develop novel therapeutics for drug-resistant strains and to shorten therapy. The Clp protease complexes provide a means for quality control of cellular proteins; the proteolytic activity of ClpP in concert with the ATPase activity of the ClpX/ClpC subunits results in degradation of misfolded or damaged proteins. Thus, the Clp system plays a major role in basic metabolism, as well as in stress responses and pathogenic mechanisms. M. tuberculosis has two ClpP proteolytic subunits. Here we demonstrate that ClpP1 is essential for viability in this organism in culture, since the gene could only be deleted from the chromosome when a second functional copy was provided. Overexpression of clpP1 had no effect on growth in aerobic culture or viability under anaerobic conditions or during nutrient starvation. In contrast, clpP2 overexpression was toxic, suggesting different roles for the two homologs. We synthesized known activators of ClpP protease activity; these acyldepsipeptides (ADEPs) were active against M. tuberculosis. ADEP activity was enhanced by the addition of efflux pump inhibitors, demonstrating that ADEPs gain access to the cell but that export occurs. Taken together, the genetic and chemical validation of ClpP as a drug target leads to new avenues for drug discovery.
Robustness of temporal logic specifications for continuous-time signals

In this paper, we consider the robust interpretation of Metric Temporal Logic (MTL) formulas over signals that take values in metric spaces. For such signals, which are generated by systems whose states are equipped with non-trivial metrics, for example continuous or hybrid, robustness is not only natural, but also a critical measure of system performance. Thus, we propose multi-valued semantics for MTL formulas, which capture not only the usual Boolean satisfiability of the formula, but also topological information regarding the distance, @e, from unsatisfiability. We prove that any other signal that remains @e-close to the initial one also satisfies the same MTL specification under the usual Boolean semantics. Finally, our framework is applied to the problem of testing formulas of two fragments of MTL, namely Metric Interval Temporal Logic (MITL) and closed Metric Temporal Logic (clMTL), over continuous-time signals using only discrete-time analysis. The motivating idea behind our approach is that if the continuous-time signal fulfills certain conditions and the discrete-time signal robustly satisfies the temporal logic specification, then the corresponding continuous-time signal should also satisfy the same temporal logic specification.
A Watershed-Scale Model for Predicting Nonpoint Pollution Risk in North Carolina

The Southeastern United States is a global center of freshwater biotic diversity, but much of the region's aquatic biodiversity is at risk from stream degradation. Nonpoint pollution sources are responsible for 70% of that degradation, and controlling nonpoint pollution from agriculture, urbanization, and silviculture is considered critical to maintaining water quality and aquatic biodiversity in the Southeast. We used an ecological risk assessment framework to develop vulnerability models that can help policymakers and natural resource managers understand the impact of land cover changes on water quality in North Carolina. Additionally, we determined which landscape characteristics are most closely associated with macroinvertebrate community tolerance of stream degradation, and therefore with lower-quality water. The results will allow managers and policymakers to weigh the risks of management and policy decisions to a given watershed or set of watersheds, including whether streamside buffer protection zones are ecologically effective in achieving water quality standards. Regression analyses revealed that landscape variables explained up to 56.3% of the variability in benthic macroinvertebrate index scores. The resulting vulnerability models indicate that North Carolina watersheds with less forest cover are at most risk for degraded water quality and steam habitat conditions. The importance of forest cover, at both the watershed and riparian zone scale, in predicting macrobenthic invertebrate community assemblage varies by geographic region of the state.
A simple method to determine transpiration efficiency in sorghum

Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is a C4 cereal grain crop grown primarily in arid and semi-arid regions in the world with limited or no irrigation. Sorghum production fluctuates and largely depends on the amount and distribution of rainfall. Transpiration efficiency (TE), the biomass produced per unit water transpired, could be a potential trait to improve sorghum yield in areas where irrigation is limited. We have developed a mini-lysimetric method that directly measures whole plant TE in sorghum during an early vegetative stage under greenhouse conditions. The method was evaluated with 11 inbred lines and three hybrids under two greenhouse environments. In general, TE determined with the gravimetric method was higher under lower vapor pressure deficit conditions; however, similar rankings in TE were obtained across the experiments. The method described in this report offers a simple, high-throughput, and affordable way to determine the integrated TE in sorghum at an early vegetative stage.
The Relationship Between the Böhm-Vitense Gap and Stellar Activity in Open Clusters

Using published UBV photometry of nine open clusters and chromospheric activity data in five clusters, we have performed the most complete study to date of the supposed Bohm-Vitense gap in main-sequence late-A and early-F stars. Using the χ2 test on the distribution of B-V colors of the main-sequence stars of these clusters, we located gaps at the 0.90 probability level or greater in eight out of the nine clusters. Six of the nine clusters show a gap near B-V = 0.35 at this level. In four nearby clusters, Alpha Persei, Pleiades, Coma, and Praesepe, we compare the gaps with measurements of chromospheric activity via the He I λ5876 (D3) line. If the Bohm-Vitense gap is related to the onset of surface convection zones, as has been suggested, we would expect to find a direct relationship between the onset of activity and the gaps. However, in all four cases we find stars on both sides of the gap showing strong activity. The observed gaps do not appear to correlate directly with any known physical mechanism and thus either point to an unknown mechanism or a statistical anomaly.
Biochemical modulation of tumor cell energy in vivo: II. A lower dose of adriamycin is required and a greater antitumor activity is induced when cellular energy is depressed.

A quadruple drug combination--consisting of a triple-drug combination of N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate (PALA) + 6-methylmercaptopurine riboside (MMPR) + 6-amino-nicotinamide (6-AN), designed to primarily deplete cellular energy in tumor cells, + Adriamycin (Adria)--yielded significantly enhanced anticancer activity (i.e., tumor regressions) over that produced by either Adria alone at maximum tolerated dose (MTD) or by the triple-drug combination, against large, spontaneous, autochthonous murine breast tumors. The adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-depleting triple-drug combination administered prior to Adria resulted in a 100% tumor regression rate (12% complete regression; 88% partial regression) of spontaneous tumors. Histological examination of treated tumors demonstrated that the treatment-induced mechanism of cancer cell death was by apoptosis. The augmented therapeutic results (100% tumor regressions) were obtained with approximately one-half the MTD of Adria as a single agent and suggest the potential clinical benefit of longer, more effective, and safer treatment by low doses of Adria when combined with the triple-drug combination. Two likely mechanisms of action are discussed: (1) prevention of DNA repair; (2) complementary disruption of biochemical pathways by both the triple-drug combination and the biochemical cascade of apoptosis that is induced by a DNA-damaging anticancer agents such as Adria.
Oxygen reduction reactivity of cobalt(II) hangman porphyrins

Cobalt(II) hangman porphyrins are delivered from easily available starting materials, in two steps, in good yields, and with abbreviated reaction times. Selected compounds from a library of Co(II) hangman porphyrins immobilized on multiwall carbon nanotubes establish that the four-electron four-proton catalytic reduction of oxygen to water in aqueous solution can be achieved at the single cobalt center of the hangman platform. Reaction trends within the library reveal that the selective reduction of O2 to H2O occurs at electron deficient hangman porphyrin platforms possessing a distal group that is capable of proton transfer.
Enzyme-polymer adducts of aldolase, glyceraldehydephosphate dehydrogenase, and fructosediphosphatase.

On a prepare des enzymes polymeres derives de l'aldolase, de l'aldehyde glycerique-3-phosphate dehydrogenase et de la fructose-1, 6-diphosphatase. On peut, semble-t-il, tirer parti de la technique de liaison transversale par l'aldehyde glutarique pour augmenter la teneur en proteine et pour obtenir des enzymes polymeres adducteurs. Les enzymes traites sont plus stables que les enzymes intacts. La direction des changements du pH optimal et duKm apparent change selon les polymeres auxquels on lie les enzymes.
Mathematical models to predict surface finish in fine turning of steel. Part I.

Abstract This paper outlines the experimental development of mathematical models for predicting the surface finish of AISI 4140steel in fine turning operation using TiC coated tungsten carbide throw away tools. A novel experimental design called the rotatable design was used for the experimental procedures. Variables included in the model are: cutting speed, feed, depth of cut and time of cut of the tool. Statistical coding was used for the experimental variables. First order (log transformed) models were developed. For tools that exhibited lack of fit for the first-order models, a second-order model was developed. Multiple regression analysis was used in developing these prediction models. The models developed are for the TiC coated tungsten carbide tools of following nose radii: and inch. In Part fl of this paper, surface finish predictive equations for fine turning developed for both TiC coated and uncoated throwaway cutting tools are further discussed.
The generalization and maintenance of the peer social behaviors of young children who are deaf or hard of hearing

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a social skills and comparison intervention on peer social behaviours of 43 young children who were deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH). Both int...
Self-confidence, self-esteem, and assumption of sex role in young men and women.

Szrmmay.-This study investigated the use of the English translation of a paper-and-pencil self-confidence scale developed in French by Garant, Charest, Alain, and Thomassin in 1995. The translated self-confidence scale measured self-confidence, or the belief that one ~LU succeed at whatever one undertakes, as distinct from self-esteem or the feeling that one is a worthwhile person. Unlike a number of previous studies, there was no sex difference in self-confidence favoring men hol~ever, scores on the rnasculiniry portion of Bem's Sex-role hventory (1974) were h~xhly correlated with seM-confidence for both men (r = .59) and women (r = ,159). A number of studies (e.g., Lenney, 1977; Maccoby & Jackh, 1974) have yielded a sex difference in self-confidence or the belief that one w~ll succeed in whatever one undertakes, with men scoring higher on measures of performance expectancies, and self-evaluations of both abhties and completed performances. Recently, researchers have hypothesized that this sex difference is more dependent on situation than on biological sex, with men displaying greater general self-confidence and women displaying similar scores in situations in which they feel quahfied to perform. Consistent with this, Chusmir, Koberg, and Stecher (1992) found that women managers displayed as much self-confidence at work as men. h another study, female university athletes maintained their self-confidence as competition neared as well as males when they felt well-prepared (Jones, Swain, & Cale, 1991). Also consistent with this hypothesis, Lirgg (1991) found that the sex-typing of physical activity tasks contributed to sex differences in self-confidence, with men having higher scores on self-confidence than women on male-oriented tasks, and vice-versa on the one female-oriented task in the study. Krane and WJhams (1994), however, found lower scores on somatic anxiety and higher scores on self-confidence in male than in female athletes, and they found no interactions among competitive level, experience, or duration or complexity of sport that accounted for this. Jones and Cale (1989) did find that, although all athletes reported increases in somatic anxiety and decreases in self-confidence prior to important competitions, women reported these changes significantly earlier than &d men. Such timing differences could help to explain some of the overall sex differences in rated anxiety and self-confidence.