cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of E-cigarette Sampling on Cigarette Dependence and Reinforcement Value.

Introduction E-cigarettes have risen in prevalence in recent years, and most public health experts agree they deliver fewer toxicants than combustible tobacco products such as cigarettes. Thus, it is important to understand how use of e-cigarettes by current smokers impacts dependence on combustible cigarettes. Methods The present study is a secondary analysis of a randomized pilot trial of e-cigarette sampling. Nontreatment seeking current smokers were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to either receive or not receive a weekly supply of e-cigarettes for 3 weeks. Participants completed the Brief Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives (WISDM) scale and the cigarette purchase task before and after the sampling period and at monthly follow-up visits for 3 months. Results Individuals assigned to receive an e-cigarette had significantly lower mean WISDM scores at the end of sampling and the end of the follow-up period compared with those in the control group. Both frequency of e-cigarette use as well as nicotine concentration of the e-cigarette given to smokers were significant predictors of changes in the mean WISDM score. E-cigarette sampling significantly reduced the demand parameter Omax, which measures the maximum amount of money participants estimate they would spend on cigarettes in a single day. Conclusions These data suggest that current smokers who try using an e-cigarette may experience reductions in dependence on combustible cigarettes. Implications The present analysis suggests that providing an e-cigarette to current cigarette smokers is likely to reduce cigarette dependence, especially if the e-cigarette delivers sufficient nicotine and is used frequently.
A transcriptomics analysis of the Tbx5 paralogues in zebrafish

TBX5 is essential for limb and heart development. Mutations in TBX5 are associated with Holt-Oram syndrome in humans. Due to the teleost specific genome duplication, zebrafish have two copies of TBX5: tbx5a and tbx5b. Both of these genes are expressed in regions of the lateral plate mesoderm and retina. In this study, we perform comparative RNA sequencing analysis on zebrafish embryos during the stages of lateral plate mesoderm migration. This work shows that knockdown of the Tbx5 paralogues results in altered gene expression in many tissues outside of the lateral plate mesoderm, especially in the somitic mesoderm and the intermediate mesoderm. Specifically, knockdown of tbx5b results in changes in somite size, in the differentiation of vasculature progenitors and in later patterning of trunk blood vessels.
Absolute photoluminescence intensity in thin film solar cells

A calculation is presented for the direct conversion of a measured luminescence signal to the implied open circuit voltage. The effects of re-absorption, spectral dependence, and interference with front and back interfaces are all included, so long as the optical properties of the structure are known. The method is validated through a comparison of the terminal open-circuit voltage with the photoluminescence intensity of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells, each as a function of illumination intensity.
Media Concentration in American and the World

The study tries to respond to a question of great current policy interest: have American media become more concentrated due to various M&As and shake-outs, or have then become less concentrated due to Internet and other new types of media entry? The study analyzes 100 different media and information industries over a period of 20 years, and aggregates them for broad trends. It establishes a model to explain the trends. It also looks at local, vertical, and ownership concentration, and makes international comparisons. Finally, it proposes a new index for media concentration.
Identification of whole blood mRNA and microRNA biomarkers of tissue damage and immune function resulting from amphetamine exposure or heat stroke in adult male rats

This work extends the understanding of how toxic exposures to amphetamine (AMPH) adversely affect the immune system and lead to tissue damage. Importantly, it determines which effects of AMPH are and are not due to pronounced hyperthermia. Whole blood messenger RNA (mRNA) and whole blood and serum microRNA (miRNA) transcripts were identified in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats after exposure to toxic AMPH under normothermic conditions, AMPH when it produces pronounced hyperthermia, or environmentally-induced hyperthermia (EIH). mRNA transcripts with large increases in fold-change in treated relative to control rats and very low expression in the control group were a rich source of organ-specific transcripts in blood. When severe hyperthermia was produced by either EIH or AMPH, significant increases in circulating organ-specific transcripts for liver (Alb, Fbg, F2), pancreas (Spink1), bronchi/lungs (F3, Cyp4b1), bone marrow (Np4, RatNP-3b), and kidney (Cesl1, Slc22a8) were observed. Liver damage was suggested also by increased miR-122 levels in the serum. Increases in muscle/heart-enriched transcripts were produced by AMPH even in the absence of hyperthermia. Expression increases in immune-related transcripts, particularly Cd14 and Vcan, indicate that AMPH can activate the innate immune system in the absence of hyperthermia. Most transcripts specific for T-cells decreased 50-70% after AMPH exposure or EIH, with the noted exception of Ccr5 and Chst12. This is probably due to T-cells leaving the circulation and down-regulation of these genes. Transcript changes specific for B-cells or B-lymphoblasts in the AMPH and EIH groups ranged widely from decreasing ≈ 40% (Cd19, Cd180) to increasing 30 to 100% (Tk1, Ahsa1) to increasing ≥500% (Stip1, Ackr3). The marked increases in Ccr2, Ccr5, Pld1, and Ackr3 produced by either AMPH or EIH observed in vivo provide further insight into the initial immune system alterations that result from methamphetamine and AMPH abuse and could modify risk for HIV and other viral infections.
Impact of the Approval of Eculizumab by the Food and Drug Administration on the Frequency of Patients Screened for Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria

Abstract Abstract 4377 Background: Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is an acquired complement-mediated hemolytic disorder. Eculizumab, a monoclonal antibody designed to inhibit terminal complement activation, reduces intravascular hemolysis while leading to improvements in anemia, fatigue, and quality of life as well as reductions in blood transfusions and thrombosis. This medication was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 16, 2007. The intent of our study was to assess if the number of patients screened for PNH has increased after the approval of eculizumab by the FDA. Methods: Retrospective single institution chart review over a period of 6 years from January 2004 to June 2010. Our study population comprised 174 patients screened for PNH by flow cytometry. Results: Between January 2004 and March 16, 2007 (39 months), a total of 68 cases were screened for PNH. On the other hand, between March 17, 2007 (date of FDA approval) and June 2010 (39 months), a total of 106 cases were screened for PNH with an increase in the frequency of testing by 55.8% ( Figure 1 ). 1 out of 68 cases (1.5%) screened before March 16, 2007 were positive for PNH. 6 out of 106 cases (5.6%) screened after March 16, 2007 were positive for PNH ( Table 1 ). 74 patients were male (42.5%) and 100 were female (57.5%). Average age at screening for PNH was 53.3 years. Screening was most commonly requested by Hematology (151 cases; 86.7%) followed by Internal medicine (5 cases), Hepatology (3 cases), Neurology (1 case) and Pulmonary (1 case). We found no information available in 13 cases regarding the location of the patient or the service that requested PNH screening. The clinical indications to screen for PNH were cytopenias (110 cases; 63.2%), thrombotic events (39 cases; 22.4%), or a combination of cytopenia plus a thrombotic event (9 cases; 5.2%). No indication for PNH screening was documented in 16 cases. Conclusion: Our hypothesis is that an approval of a new medication can increase both, the awareness of a disease among physicians, and the frequency of ordering its diagnostic tests. The number of patients screened for PNH sharply increased after the approval of eculizumab by the FDA, confirming our hypothesis. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare. Download : Download high-res image (24KB) Download : Download full-size image
The role of plan choice in health care utilization of high-deductible plan enrollees.

Objective To study whether the negative association between enrollment in high-deductible plans and health care utilization is driven by reverse moral hazard or favorable selection, by examining adults with and without a choice of plans. Data source 2011-2016 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component data on nonelderly adults enrolled in employer-sponsored insurance. Study design Four types of plans were examined: high-deductible health plans (HDHPs), consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs), low-deductible health plans (LDHPs), and no-deductible health plans (NDHPs). Multivariate logistic regressions of various measures of health care utilization were conducted to estimate the differences in utilization across plan types among those who had a choice of plans and those who did not. Principal findings Among adults with a choice of plans, HDHP enrollees had lower levels of utilization compared with those of the NDHP enrollees for any ambulatory visit, any specialist visit, and most preventive services. Among adults without any choice of plans, the differences between HDHP enrollees and NDHP enrollees were not statistically significant. Conclusions The differences between those with and without choice of plans in the relationship between HDHP enrollment and health care utilization might possibly be explained by favorable selection.
Introduction to Myositis

To understand the myositis syndromes, also called the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs), one must first understand the terminology used to describe the entities within them and how those entities are defined. Although what we know now as the IIMs were recognized as early as 1863, defining them is difficult because their definitions have changed over time, and new entities that comprise them have been discovered. Muscle diseases as a group are called myopathies, and myositis refers to a myopathy that has muscle inflammation as a prominent feature. When the cause of the myositis is unknown, it is classified as an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy. The IIMs have been subdivided in many ways. They were originally separated into dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis using the classic criteria proposed by Bohan and Peter that focused on muscle biopsy, electromyographic findings, laboratory tests (i.e., muscle enzyme elevation), physical exam features of proximal muscle weakness, and the classic rash(es) of DM. These diseases were further subdivided by their association with cancer (cancer-associated myositis), the age at onset (juvenile vs. adult versions of disease), and the presence of other autoimmune diseases (overlap connective tissue disease myositis). Later, additional IIM subgroups were added, including inclusion body myositis, clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis, and immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy. New findings relating to the importance of myositis autoantibodies have led to a parallel classification of the IIMs based on autoantibody status. Although there remains disagreement in the field as to the optimal ways to define and classify the IIM, there are currently concerted efforts to develop global consensus in this area by integrating all that has been learned about these evolving complex diseases.
Successful Oocyte Retrieval, Fertilization, and Clinical Pregnancy with Low Serum β-hCG on the Day of Oocyte Collection: A Reappraisal of the Definition of the Empty Follicle Syndrome.

Objective To describe a case of successful oocyte retrieval, fertilization and clinical pregnancy despite very low β-hCG level, twelve hours after ovulation trigger. Design Case report. Setting. Academic medical center. Patient. A 38-year-old patient inadvertently administered 2,000 IU hCG for final oocyte maturation; serum hCG twelve hours later was 16 IU/L. Interventions. Effort to obtain and administer a booster dose of hCG over the next twenty-seven hours failed. Main Outcome. Successful oocyte retrieval. Results Fourteen oocytes were retrieved of which twelve were in metaphase II and nine fertilized after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Of these, eight embryos survived to day 5 and were subjected to preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). Results were available the next day, three of the embryos were euploid and one was transferred on day 6. Pregnancy was confirmed twelve days later and currently the patient has an ongoing singleton intrauterine pregnancy. Conclusion Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility specialists should be aware that final oocyte maturation could occur following injection of a lower dose of hCG with excellent fertilization rate and embryo development.
Dose and time-course evaluation of a redox-based estradiol-chemical delivery system for the brain. I. Tissue distribution.

Brain-enhanced delivery and sustained release of estradiol (E2) may be potentially useful in the treatments of vasomotor hot flushes and prostatic adenocarcinoma and for fertility regulation. Therefore, we have evaluated a redox-based estradiol-chemical delivery system (E2-CDS) for the brain. The mechanism of this drug delivery is based on an interconvertible dihydropyridine⇌pyridinium salt redox reaction. In this study, we investigated the dose- and time-dependent effects of E2-CDS on the tissue distribution of E2-Q+ and E2, the inactive (intermediate) and active metabolites, respectively, of the E2-CDS. Ovariectomized rats received a single iv injection of E2-CDS at 0.01, 0.1, or 1.0 mg/kg or an E2 dose of 0.7 mg/kg or the drug's vehicle, 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPCD), on day 0. Tissue samples including brain and peripheral tissues were then analyzed for both E2-Q+ and E2 at 1, 7, 14, 21, or 28 days following the E2-CDS administration. Initially, both E2-Q+ and E2 were detected in all tissues analyzed. The dose-distribution and time-course study demonstrates that (1) at 24 hr (1 day) after administration of E2-CDS, all tissues showed a dose-proportional increase in concentrations of E2-Q+ and E2; (2) the enzymatic oxidation of E2-CDS to E2-Q+ was dose dependent over the 100-fold dose range examined; and (3) the disappearance of E2-Q+ as well as E2 was slow in whole brain and hypothalamus, with an apparent t $$\frac{1}{2}$$ = 8–9 days, while both of these metabolites were rapidly cleared from plasma, liver, fat, anterior pituitary, kidney, lung, heart, and uterus. Finally, when the kinetic behaviors of E2-CDS and E2 were compared on molar basis, the E2-CDS (1.0-mg/kg dose) produced E2 concentrations in brain tissue which were 81- and 182-fold greater than those achieved following equimolar E2 (0.7 mg/kg) injection at 1 and 7 days, respectively. These data demonstrate that the E2-CDS is much more effective than E2 itself in delivering the estrogen to the brain. Collectively, these data support the concept of the brain-enhanced delivery and sustained release of E2 using the redox-based chemical delivery system.
An Investigation of GPS-Denied Navigation Using Airborne Radar Telemetry

A supplementary sensor being explored in the field of GPS-denied navigation is Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) with its resulting images. In contrast to passive, camera-based methods, SAR provides illumination of a scene, direct measurement of range, and can operate day and night or through incliment weather. The research presented in this paper investigates the feasibility of using range and range-rate measurements from a SAR system to perform GPS-denied navigation. In support of this research, a 6DOF aircraft navigation and radar simulation is developed and presented. The core sensor used to propagate the navigation states is an inertial measurement unit, corrupted by bias and noise. An indirect extended Kalman filter (EKF) is developed and the covariance of estimation errors is validated via Monte Carlo analysis.
A Humean explanation of acting on normative reasons

This article presents a limited defense of Humeanism about practical reason. Jonathan Dancy and other traditional objective-reasons theorists (e.g., Schueler, Bittner) argue that all practical reasons, what we think about when we deliberate, are facts or states of affairs in the world. On the Humean view, the reasons that motivate us are belief-desire combinations, which are in the mind. Thus, Dancy and others reject Humeanism on the grounds that it cannot allow that anyone acts from a normative reason. I argue, first, that this critique fails. What we deliberate about prior to action in cases of conflict sometimes are our desires: we consider our wants from a “normative” perspective (akin to Hume’s general or common point of view). So normative reasons are also desire-based, but involve appeal to desires of a higher order. These second-order desires can motivate. Second, I argue that objective-reasons theorists have a reverse problem with explanation of behavior. If reasons are considerations in the world, a person has reasons to do any number of actions at any given time. I charge that theories that exclude desire-based reasons cannot explain why an agent does one particular action rather than another. Recent philosophers (Alvarez, Hironymi, Lord, and Mantel) strike a compromise position, allowing for normative reasons in terms of facts and motivating reasons in other terms. However, I suggest that they may be subject to the same difficulty because of the relation between normative and motivating reasons that each has.
Social Influence and Entrapment

Taken together, the results described in the previous two chapters provide a useful first step in identifying some antecedents of entrapment. A more complete analysis, however, should consider the interpersonal factors that affect such escalation decisions. Note that in most entrapment situations there exist or could exist a “cast of characters,” each of whom may influence the decision makers’ degree of entrapment For instance, in some entrapment situations decision makers must compete against another person or group in order to reach their objectives, while in other circumstances decision makers must “compete” against a nonsocial entity (e.g., chance). Is entrapment more apt to occur under one condition rather than the other?
Water-soluble and cell-permeant zwitterionic rhodamine dyes enable quantitative imaging of drug target engagement

Intracellular paired-agent imaging (iPAI) utilizes fluorescent-labeled small molecule therapeutics to measure drug target engagement. Our new water-soluble, cell-permeant fluorophores termed Sulfo-Rh and Sulfo-SiRh show substantially improved optical stability against solvent polarity changes over tetramethylrhodamine (TMR) and silicon-substituted TMR, respectively, while retaining the desirable photophysical properties of the base compounds, including brightness, to facilitate stable biological imaging. Targeted and untargeted versions of an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor labeled with these fluorophores, demonstrated similarity to the parent drug in competitive binding and cytotoxicity assays. Utilizing iPAI to visualize drug target engagement enables quantitative small molecule imaging in living systems.
Telerounding Has Clinical Value and Enables the Busy Surgeon: A Colorectal Surgeon's Ten-Year Experience.

BACKGROUND: Study of telemedicine and telerounding in surgical specialties is limited. The push for telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the face-to-face rounding paradigm and creates an opportunity for reflection on the benefits of telemedicine, especially for balancing competing corporate and clinical demands. METHODS: The 117-month video-based inpatient telerounding experience of a colorectal surgeon in an academic medical system was recorded, including patient characteristics, diagnoses, technology, content of telerounding encounters, and logistical considerations. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: 163 patients were seen in 201 telerounding encounters, primarily for routine postoperative care (90.5%). Most were admitted for inflammatory bowel disease (63.2%). Changes were made to plans of care during 28.9% of encounters, and discharge planning was part of 26.4%. Encounters were conducted primarily from the surgeon's administrative office (68.7%) or other work-related locations (10.9%), while 6.5% originated from the surgeon's home. Technologic issues occurred in 5.5% of encounters. 89.1% of patient feedback was positive and none was negative. CONCLUSION: Telerounding is technologically feasible and has clinical value, including for patients with complex surgical problems. Technologic problems are rare and patient satisfaction is high. Surgeons should consider telerounding as a means to balance competing demands.
The Prognosis of Epilepsy with Naive Bayes Classifier On FPGA Using HDL Coder

Epilepsy is one of the serious neurological disorder that affects about 50 million individuals globally at all ages and that can be detected from electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. This paper discusses the implementation of the Naive Bayes' classifier for the classification of epileptic events into seizure or non-seizure class. The design is carried out in Simulink environment where as it's implementation is performed on qkintex-7 FPGA hardware using HDL coder. The fixed point tool of the MATLAB is used for the conversion of floating point data into fixed point to make the hardware implementation possible. This classification is performed in real time with approximately 95 % to 100% classification accuracy.
A quadrature-based moment method for the evolution of the joint size-velocity number density function of a particle population

Abstract A quadrature-based moment method for the approximate solution of the generalized population balance equation (GPBE) governing the evolution of the joint size-velocity number density function (NDF) of a particle population is formulated and tested. The proposed method relies on the third-order hyperbolic conditional quadrature method of moments developed for velocity distribution transport. This approach is combined with the conditional quadrature method of moments to incorporate the dependency of the NDF on particle size, leading to an efficient, stable, quadrature method that uses an analytical solution to determine the size-conditioned velocity moments. The incorporation of source terms accounting for aggregation, breakup, and collisions, as well as acceleration terms such as gravity and drag, is performed using a realizable ODE solver. The approach is then demonstrated by considering zero-dimensional cases to verify the correct integration of the source terms. A set of one-dimensional cases involving droplet evaporation and coalescence is used to validate the velocity-dependent source terms. A two-dimensional case of crossing jets of particles with different sizes is used to demonstrate the proposed method in the case of a polydisperse flow with inertial particles. All work has been implemented in the open-source framework OpenQBMM, based on OpenFOAM®.
An Edge Detection IP of Low-Cost System on Chip for Autonomous Vehicles

This chapter proposes a demonstration of edge detection on field-programmable gate array (FPGA), enabling to detect the edge of 320 × 240 size of images at 1302 frames per second (fps). The future work is an integrated system on chip (SoC) with a low-cost bus architecture, a security engine, and an image/video processing data path including OV7670 camera and VGA-interfaced display. The end goal will be a demonstration and simulation on self-driving vehicle to detect obstacles at the network edge. The design of many intellectual properties (IPs) of the SoC has been made publicly available to serve research and teaching courses at University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL), as well as to bring together researchers in other universities with interests in integrated circuit design, robotics, and FPGA prototyping.
Open Source Software Practices in CS2

By contributing to open source software (OSS), students can gain professional software development experience and learn about applications of computer science (CS) concepts in pragmatic contexts. However, integrating such projects in classrooms requires substantial logistical planning by instructors as well as adequate programming skills from students. To mitigate these challenges, we propose four model curricula to serve as accessible strategies of integrating practicable learning opportunities in lower-level CS classes. Depending on classroom circumstances, instructors can assign projects that involve student contributions to OSS, custom plug-ins, simulated open source communities, or practical code excerpts. As a result, students will be able to explore the utility of CS and discover an exciting future in computing.
Radiation-Induced Pathology in the Metamorphosis of the Mexican Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Late third instars of the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens (Loew), exposed to ≥20 Gy of gamma radiation are able to pupariate normally but do not emerge as adults. Contrary to expectations, the...
Taxation and Endogenous Growth in Open Economies

This paper examines the effects of taxation of human capital, physical capital and foreign assets in a multi-sector model of endogenous growth. It is shown that in general the growth rate is reduced by taxes on capital and labor (human capital) income. When the government faces no borrowing constraints and is able to commit to a given set of present and future taxes, it is shown that the optimal tax plan involves high taxation of both capital and labor in the short run. This allows the government to accumulate sufficient assets to finance spending without any recourse to distortionary taxation in the long run. When restrictions to government borrowing and lending are imposed, the model implies that human and physical capital should be taxed similarly.
Some Extensions of the Gain Margin Maximization Problem for Uncertain Parameter Plants with Sensitivity Constraints

We consider robust stabilization and the weighted sensitivity or complementary sensitivity minimization for SISO plants with a real uncertain parameter which may occur either in the numerator or denominator of the plant transfer function. We derive necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of robust controllers. Their structure and parameterization can be obtained from the corresponding Nevanlinna-Pick interpolation problems. This work extends the previously known case of an uncertain gain parameter and sensitivity minimization.
How to Avoid Learning Expect -or- Automating Automating Interactive Programs

Expect is a tool for automating interactive programs. Expect is controlled by writing Tcl scripts, traditionally a manual process. This paper describes Autoexpect - a tool that generates Expect scripts automatically by watching actual interactions and then writing the appropriate script. Using Autoexpect, it is possible to create Expect scripts without writing any actual Expect statements and without any knowledge of Expect.
Integrated LED-photodiode chemical sensor

The presence of surface states, which pins the Fermi level within the bandgap, contributes to the degradation in the performance of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and p-i-n photodiodes due to an increase in the non-radiative recombination rate. Chemical modification on the facet or device surface can greatly enhance the output power of LED's and photocurrent of p-i-n photodiodes. Adsorbing molecules can change either the density or energy distribution of surface states. This effect leads to changes in surface recombination which result in systematic variations in light output, and thus the effect can be used for detection of analytes. This mechanism was used to realize a compact chemical sensor based on III/V LED/Detector structures. Initially, we fabricated InGaAlP/InGaP/InGaAlP double heterostructure (DH) LEDs (400 X 1000 micrometer2) with three different active region thicknesses: 50, 250 and 500 nm. In constant current mode, the DH LED exhibits electroluminescence (EL) at approximately 670 nm for an InGaP active region. The EL intensity changes of the LED in various gaseous ambients (NH3, NH2(CH3), NH(CH3)2, N(CH3)3, and SO2) are measured. The data show reproducible trends: DH LED structures with thicker active regions result in larger emission intensity changes due to analyte adsorption. Our findings are consistent with active-layer surface area dependence. Thicker active layer devices have larger carrier losses due to nonradiative surface recombination, and thus show a stronger sensitivity to the surface chemistry. Furthermore, we used this DH LED design to build a highly versatile compact sensor. The MOCVD-grown LED wafer is patterned and chemically etched to fabricate integrated GaAs/AlGaAs edge-emitting LEDs and p-i-n photodiode units. The light emitted from the edge-emitting LEDs is absorbed at the sidewall of the adjacent photodiode, and the resulting photocurrent is measured. The device design concept is based on increasing the ratio of analyte-accessible facet area to the volume of the active region. This integrated LED- photodiode device can serve as an on-line chemical sensor for a variety of analytes.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Characterization of a cDNA clone encoding a basic protein, TP2, involved in chromatin condensation during spermiogenesis in the mouse.

Abstract A cDNA clone encoding a small cysteine and serine-rich basic protein has been isolated from a mouse testis cDNA library. This cDNA clone encodes the mouse homologue of a protein involved in the initial phases of condensation of chromatin during spermiogenesis in rats, TP2, based on similarities in the sequence of the carboxyl terminus, composition, molecular weight, and electrophoretic mobility. Mouse TP2 can be divided into a highly basic domain comprising about one-third of the polypeptide chain at the carboxyl terminus and a much less basic domain comprising the remaining two-thirds at the amino terminus. The 5' end of the mouse TP2 mRNA contains two in-phase initiation codons both of which may be used generating two polypeptides which differ in length at the amino terminus. Southern blots demonstrate that there is a single copy of the TP2 gene in the mouse genome and Northern blots demonstrate that the polyadenylated TP2 mRNA is present at high and essentially equal levels in early and late haploid cells, and that it is virtually absent from meiotic cells.
To discount or not to discount in reinforcement learning: a case study comparing R learning and Q learning

Abstract Most work in reinforcement learning (RL) is based on discounted techniques, such as Q learning, where long-term rewards are geometrically attenuated based on the delay in their occurence. Schwartz recently proposed an undiscounted RL technique called R learning that optimizes average reward , and argued that it was a better metric than the discounted one optimized by Q learning. In this paper we compare R learning with Q learning on a simulated robot box-pushing task. We compare these two techniques across three different exploration strategies: two of them undirected, Boltzmann and semi-uniform, and one recency-based directed strategy. Our results show that Q learning performs better than R learning, even when both are evaluated using the same undiscounted performance measure. Furthermore, R learning appears to be very sensitive to choice of exploration strategy. In particular, a surprising result is that R learning's performance noticeably deteriorates under Boltzmann exploration. We identify precisely a limit cycle situation that causes R learning's performance to deteriorate when combined with Boltzmann exploration, and show where such limit cycles arise in our robot task. However, R learning performs much better (although not as well as Q learning) when combined with semi-uniform and recency-based exploration. In this paper, we also argue for using medians over means as a better distribution-free estimator of average performance, and describe a simple non-parametric significance test for comparing learning data from two RL techniques.
Steps to Implementing Technology in Inclusive Early Childhood Programs

Twenty-first-century preschool children, with and without disabilities, may be found using technology, including assistive technologies, on a daily basis in their homes, schools, and communities. Early childhood educators are exploring opportunities to integrate technology and interactive media into the present-day curriculum. The authors suggest implementing the following five-step process to support using technology in early childhood inclusive programs: (a) assessing technology knowledge of young children, (b) developing technology rules with young children, (c) applying professional judgment and program policy, (d) implementing technology into the curriculum, and (e) collecting data for decision making. Through this process, early educators may define children's background knowledge and subsequently design a curriculum approach, including instructional methods and strategies, to engage young children while fostering creative learning experiences.
Obesity and Hypertension: Roles of Hyperinsulinemia, Sympathetic Nervous System and Intrarenal Mechanisms

Hypertension is a well-recognized complication of obesity. However, the mechanisms for the development of obesity hypertension are not known. One mechanism proposed is that the hyperinsulinemia present in obese hypertensive patients causes hypertension via sodium retaining and/or sympathetic nervous system stimulatory effects. However, numerous studies in dogs have revealed no evidence for such chronic pressor actions of hyperinsulinemia. This is in close agreement with studies in human insulinoma patients that show marked hyperinsulinemia and normal blood pressure. The appropriateness of the dog as an experimental model is strengthened by reports from our laboratory and others that inducing obesity in dogs reproduces many of the characteristics of obesity in humans, including insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, sodium retention, hypertriglyceridemia and hypertension. Recent studies in obese dogs have indicated that significant increases in renal medullary cellularity and intercellular matrix deposition could contribute to the sodium retention and hypertension. Additional evidence suggests that sympathetic nervous system stimulation also may contribute to the elevated blood pressure. However, the mechanisms through which obesity induces these changes and the temporal relationship between these factors and the development of the hypertension remains to be determined.
Using Formal and Informal Mechanisms to Limit Opportunism - Review and Classification of the Hold-Up Literature

The hold-up problem has been the source of much investigation by fields ranging from economics to accounting. Despite contractual protection, firms and researchers are still looking for better remedies to hold-ups and searching for ways to encourage firms to make socially optimal specialized investments. In this study, I review and classify analytical and empirical research aimed at finding and testing mitigating mechanisms to hold-ups and I suggest avenues for future research. This research is organized around strategic decision-making with organizational design, trade decisions, and resource allocations. I find that analytical research has focused on formal mitigating mechanisms to hold-ups (i.e., integration, joint ownership, contracts, pricing mechanisms, incentives, and interdependence) and only recently complemented these formal safeguards with informal mechanisms in the form of relational contracting and private information. Empirical research has taken a different approach by focusing overwhelmingly on informal mechanisms. This review also shows that although hold-ups are likely to occur with intra-firm trade and resource allocations, these research streams have not pursued analytical and empirical investigations to the same extent as research on inter-firm trade. As a result, this review not only integrates the findings of the various research streams, but also provides suggestions for future research.
Dynamic friction in the control of robots

Frictional memory is a delay between a change in sliding velocity or normal force and the consequent change in friction. Several sensitive studies of frictional dynamics have shown the presence of frictional memory in tribology experiments and in robots. In the present work, frictional memory is shown to be necessary to account for the extinction of stick slip at high stiffness. By showing that frictional memory is required to account for the gross behavior of common mechanical systems, the range of mechanisms known to exhibit frictional memory is greatly extended. Stiff (high gain) control has long been used to eliminate stick slip in robots and other precision, position-controlled mechanisms. Consideration of frictional memory will permit the systematic design of these controllers so that stick-slip free motion is achieved. >
Resolution and the Weak Pigeonhole Principle

We give new upper bounds for resolution proofs of the weak pigeonhole principle. We also give lower bounds for tree-like resolution proofs. We present a normal form for resolution proofs of pigeonhole principles based on a new monotone resolution rule.
Prototype Potentiometric Biosensor Using Intact Chemoreceptor Structures

Abstract Antennule structures from blue crabs are directly coupled with potentiometric electrodes to devise a novel type of biosensor. The prototype sensors are shown to yield sensitive and selective responses to amino acids in solution based upon nerve signals from the olfactory cheraoreceptors at the sensory tip of the antennule. Both single-unit and multi-unit responses can be observed and correlated with analytical variables.
Thromboelastography in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke

BackgroundThromboelastography measures the dynamics of coagulation. There are limited data about thromboelastography in acute ischemic stroke other than a single study from 1974 suggesting that acute ischemic stroke patients are hypercoagulable. There have been no studies of thromboelastography in the thrombolytic era despite its potential usefulness as a measure of clot lysis. This study was designed to provide initial thromboelastography data in stroke patients before and after tissue plasminogen activator therapy and to provide the necessary preliminary data for further study of thromboelastography's ability to identify clot subtype and predict response to tissue plasminogen activator therapy.MethodsAll acute ischemic stroke patients presenting between 11/2009 and 2/2011 eligible for tissue plasminogen activator therapy were screened and 56 enrolled. Blood was drawn before (52 patients) and 10 mins after tissue plasminogen activator bolus (30 patients). Demographics, vitals, labs, 24 h National Institu...
Drosophila NAB (dNAB) is an orphan transcriptional co-repressor required for correct CNS and eye development.

The mammalian NAB proteins have been identified previously as potent co-repressors of the EGR family of zinc finger transcription factors. Drosophila NAB (dNAB), like its mammalian counterparts, binds EGR1 and represses EGR1-mediated transcriptional activation from a synthetic promoter. In contrast, dNAB does not bind the Drosophila EGR-related protein klumpfuss. dnab RNA is expressed exclusively in a subset of neuroblasts in the embryonic and larval central nervous system (CNS), as well as in several larval imaginal disc tissues. Here, we describe the creation of targeted deletion mutations in the dnab gene and the identification of additional, EMS-induced dnab mutations by genetic complementation analysis. Null alleles in dnab cause larval locomotion defects and early larval lethality (L1-L2). A putative hypomorphic allele in dnab instead causes early adult lethality due to severe locomotion defects. In the dnab -/- CNS, axon outgrowth/guidance and glial development appear normal; however, a subset of eve+ neurons forms in reduced numbers. In addition, mosaic analysis in the eye reveals that dnab -/- clones are either very small or absent. Similarly, dNAB overexpression in the eye causes eyes to be very small with few ommatidia. These dramatic eye-specific phenotypes will prove useful for enhancer/suppressor screens to identify dnab-interacting genes.
Inheritance of large mitochondrial RNA's in alfalfa.

Several large RNA molecules that migrated to electrophoretic positions ranging from 1.7–10 kb were observed in preparation of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) mitochondria. F1 progenies inherited the RNA's from both maternal and paternal parents (Fig. 1). Treatment of intact mitochondria with RNase A failed to remove the RNA's, indicating that they were contained within an RNase impermeable compartment. Further purification of mitochondria in linear sucrose gradients failed to separate the RNA's from mitochondria. Transmission electron microscopic examination of sucrose gradient purified mitochondria revealed that mitochondria were free of contamination by virus-like particles, indicating that the RNA's were contained within the mitochondrion. Biparental inheritance of large mitochondrial RNA's in alfalfa provides evidence that mitochondria are inherited biparentally in this species.
A wide bandpass low energy electron spectrometer

Abstract We have developed a high efficiency, wide bandpass solenoid spectrometer for the detection of electrons between 1 and 20 keV. The apparatus utilizes baffles to impose minimum and maximum constraints ofthe radii of electron trajectories, and therefore on the component of their momentum perpendicular to the magnetic field. Electric fields parallel to the magnetic field and time-of-flight information are used to contrain the electron's momentum component along the magnetic axis. A microchannel plate detects the electrons with high efficiency and provides fast timing. The performance of the apparatus was studied through a comparison between binary encounter approximation (BEA) calculations and measurements of δ-electron emmission in 5 MeV proton collisions with thin solid carbon targets.
Testing for HIV – the first three decades

Background HIV was discovered in 1984, with high rates of virus isolation and antibody (Ab) detection in haemophiliacs and recipients of blood from HIV-infected donors, demonstrating the critical need to develop tests for donor screening. Aims/Methods Review evolution of HIV-donor screening, and broader applications of HIV tests and infected-donor surveillance to research and public health. Results In mid-1984, scientists in governments and industry collaborated to develop HIV-Ab tests that were implemented in blood banks ~1 year following discovery of HIV. Initial Ab screening did not eliminate TT-HIV, however, with numerous breakthrough cases detected following introduction of first-generation assays, which were determined to have an infectious pre-seroconversion (SC) window period (WP) of ~56 days. Improvements in sensitivity of second-generation tests in the late-1980s and third-generation tests in the mid-1990s reduced the pre-SC WP to approximately 3 weeks. Subsequent additions of p24 antigen and then nucleic acid technology (NAT)-screening in the late 1990s closed the infectious WP to 5–10 days. NAT-screening assays and algorithms and fourth-generation Ag/Ab serological tests developed for blood bank screening and staging of early HIV infections are now in widespread use in clinical diagnostic, research and public health settings. NAT assays developed for donor screening have been applied to detect persistent low-level viral replication in studies of patients on HAART, ‘elite controllers’ and ‘HIV-eradication’ research. Conclusions Progressive improvements in HIV screening assays have virtually eliminated TT-HIV infections, and consequent advances in HIV testing have contributed to HIV diagnostics, research and public health.
N6-Methyldeoxyadenosine Marks Active Transcription Start Sites in Chlamydomonas

Summary N 6 -methyldeoxyadenosine (6mA or m 6 A) is a DNA modification preserved in prokaryotes to eukaryotes. It is widespread in bacteria and functions in DNA mismatch repair, chromosome segregation, and virulence regulation. In contrast, the distribution and function of 6mA in eukaryotes have been unclear. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of the 6mA landscape in the genome of Chlamydomonas using new sequencing approaches. We identified the 6mA modification in 84% of genes in Chlamydomonas . We found that 6mA mainly locates at ApT dinucleotides around transcription start sites (TSS) with a bimodal distribution and appears to mark active genes. A periodic pattern of 6mA deposition was also observed at base resolution, which is associated with nucleosome distribution near the TSS, suggesting a possible role in nucleosome positioning. The new genome-wide mapping of 6mA and its unique distribution in the Chlamydomonas genome suggest potential regulatory roles of 6mA in gene expression in eukaryotic organisms.
A Theoretical Model and Study of Weighted MCTF Residual Energy

This paper presents a theoretical model and study of the impact of the weighted motion-compensated residual energy on the coding efficiency of motion-compensated temporal filtering (MCTF) when MCTF update steps are performed at both encoder and decoder sides and when update steps are executed at the encoder side only. We observe that in the presence of the uncompensated quantization errors due to the MCTF open-loop structure, the decoder must attempt to recover the update weight used by the encoder and this non-linear transform may contribute to the possible magnification of the quantization errors. We apply our analysis to the Joint Scalable Video Model (JSVM) 2.0. It is demonstrated that performing the MCTF update step at the decoder side does not contribute significantly to the coding efficiency, except at high spatial-temporal resolutions with high bit rates. This further justifies theoretically the elimination of the MCTF update step as a normative tool for temporal scalability in the current H.264/AVC scalable extension development.
Developmental changes of sepiapterin synthase activity associated with a variegated purple gene in Drosophila melanogaster.

A variegated position effect on the autonomous gene, purple, has been studied enzymologically in Drosophila melanogaster. Sepiapterin synthase, the enzyme system associated with pr +, was examined for activity in different developmental stages of the fly. The results indicate that T(Y:2) pr c5, cn/prc4 cn flies (flies in which pr + has been translocated and which exhibit variegation) have a reduced amount of enzyme activity as compared with both Oregon-R and pr 1 flies. This reduction in activity was not found in larval stages, which suggests that the inactivation process probably occurs in late larval or early pupal stages. The phenotype of the variegated adult has white eyes with red-colored spots and patches where drosopterins occur. The phenotype of the fly carrying the translocation is modified by the presence of additional Y chromosomes. This extends the observation from other systems that extra heterochromatin acts to suppress the variegated position effect. The advantages of studying the variegation by measuring enzyme activity, as well as the phenotypic expression, are several; for example, the developmental time at which variegation occurs may be estimated even though drosopterin synthesis is not occurring.
The child with chronic renal failure: I. Change and challenge.

Children with chronic renal failure present a myriad of complex problems. Health care professionals must address these problems within the context of the individual child, as no two children present and identical array of problems. Over the past 10 years, the treatment of CRF in children-by dialysis and by transplantation-has changed dramatically, significantly improving the prognosis for these children.