cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Foreign Direct Investment and transition

This article examines the debate on the developmental impact of foreign direct investment (FDI). While the most frequent finding within sociology is that FDI is harmful or at least less beneficial than domestic investment, most who study the transition from socialism or make economic policy in the region consider FDI to be a major motor of development. This paper examines the impact of FDI with a novel methodology. Rather than employing the standard analytic strategy that uses state-level macroeconomic data in a crossnational comparison, this article direcdy compares the performance of foreign owned firms to domestically owned firms. In the analysis six hypotheses derived from this debate on the role of FDI are tested with logistic regression on two large random sample surveys of Hungarian firms The findings support the position that foreign direct investment is beneficial for the recipient country. In addition, they support the idea that foreign owned firms are more beneficial than domestically owned firms.
A CHOLINERGIC MECHANISM IN THE BRAINSTEM RETICULAR FORMATION: INDUCTION OF PARADOXICAL SLEEP.

Abstract Microinjection of oxotremorine (a muscarinic agent) or carbachol into the pontomesencephalic reticular formation in conscious cats causes atonia, cortical desynchronization and synchronization of hippocampal activity. Some animals present a behavioral and electrographic picture indistinguishable from paradoxical sleep (PRS), while others, judging from EEG patterns and eye activity, appear to be alert despite the absence of muscular tone. These effects may be induced by as little as 0.2 of either drug, and persist for 45–60 min; they are antagonized by atropine sulfate administered either focally into the same sites, or systemically. These findings constitute evidence for the existence of a cholinergic mechanism in this area of the reticular formation. It is concluded that the receptor sites involved are muscarinic, and that the effects described most probably occur as a result of the selective activation of inhibitory neurones. A method for recording sleep cycles, based upon the measurement of hippocampal theta wave activity, is presented.
Mechanics of composite rotating machines for pulsed power applications

Composite rotating machines are currently used in pulsed power generators, which convert kinetic energy stored in the rotor into electrical current. The rotor could be constructed from a series of concentric press-fitted field coils and composite cylinders. Radial compressive stresses are "built-in" to compensate for the centripetal force resulting from high-speed rotation, and to enhance the shear and radial strength at the interfaces. This paper discusses mechanical concerns at the interfaces of the rotor including press-fit, rotor dynamics, preload relaxation, and a potential rotor failure mechanism. Models and analyzes were then developed for the rotor structural optimization based on these critical parameters, in particular, the concerns about prestress loss attributed to the creep and stress relaxation in the composite materials. Stresses induced by centripetal and magnetic forces might initiate delamination at the interfaces that could eventually propagate causing rotor failure.
Carbon monoxide consumption in upland boreal forest soils

Abstract Biological consumption by aerobic soils is an important, but poorly understood sink for carbon monoxide, a chemically active atmospheric trace gas. We used laboratory experiments to characterize CO consumption in representative soils of the northern boreal forest. This ecozone may be important in atmospheric CO consumption because it occupies 13% of the world's landmass. Soils initially showing net CO consumption emitted CO following biocidal treatment (ethylene oxide or γ-irradiation), indicating that CO consumption was biologically mediated. The use of selective inhibitors (cycloheximide, streptomycin) suggested that both prokaryotes and eukaryotes were responsible. Soil profiles generally indicated net consumption of atmospheric CO to a depth of 15 cm (concentrations decreasing from ~150 to −1 with depth) and a dynamic equilibrium between CO production and consumption in deeper soils (concentrations nearly constant at −1 ). Soils to a depth of 30 cm showed vigorous CO-consuming activity, suggesting that local CO production provided necessary substrate beneath the 15 cm surface zone of atmospheric influence. Radiotracer experiments demonstrated that only 5–7% of assimilated 14 CO was incorporated into biomass in 5 cm core sections taken to 30 cm and that 14 CO was incorporated into cellular material by a methanotroph isolated from this soil. Collectively, these data point to nonutilitarian oxidation of CO by a diverse microbial community. Carbon monoxide oxidation increased with increasing temperature over the range 4–34°C, with a Q 10 of 1.8. Apparent half-saturation constants (8–36 (μl CO l −1 ), and maximum rates of CO consumption (0.7–2.7 μg g dry soil −1 h −1 ) were comparable to reports for diverse temperate soil environments, pointing to a fundamental similarity among CO-consuming microbial communities in aerobic soils.
Synthesis and Evaluation of Bivalent NDP-α-MSH(7) Peptide Ligands for Binding to the Human Melanocortin Receptor 4 (hMC4R)

We demonstrate the potential utility of multivalent ligands as targeting agents for cancer imaging or therapy by determining the binding of homobivalent ligands to their corresponding receptors. This manuscript details the synthesis and evaluation of a series of bivalent ligands containing two copies of the truncated heptapeptide version of [Nle4-d-Phe7]-α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (NDP-α-MSH), referred to as MSH(7). These were connected with various semirigid linkers containing Pro-Gly repeats, with or without flexible poly(ethylene glycol) (PEGO) moieties at their termini. Modeling data suggest a distance of 20−50 A between the ligand binding sites of two adjacent G-protein coupled receptors, GPCRs. These bivalent ligands were observed to bind with higher affinity compared to their monovalent counterparts. Data suggest these ligands may be capable of cross-linking adjacent receptors. An optimal linker length of 25 ± 10 A, inferred from these ligands, correlated well with the inter-receptor distance...
Splitting of the zone-center phonon in MnO and NiO

Abstract We develop a model based on the superexchange interaction and the Heisenberg Hamiltonian to understand the zone-center transverse optical (TO) phonon splittings in the late transition-metal oxides with type-II antiferromagnetic ordering. Even for a cubic rocksalt lattice, the anisotropic magnetic coupling due to the non-cubic distribution of the spin density can produce a splitting of the TO phonon energies. To calculate these splittings for MnO and NiO, we apply a recently implemented LSDA+U method based on a pseudopotential plane-wave formalism and obtain results for both MnO and NiO which are consistent with our model predictions. The calculated splitting for MnO is in excellent agreement with a recent experiment, while the result for NiO appears to be inconsistent with current experimental results and entails further investigation.
Enhancement of Shelf Life and Handling Properties of Drug Nanoparticles: Nanoscale Mixing of Itraconazole with Silica

Nanoflakes of itraconazole, which is a poorly water-soluble antifungal drug, are produced using a procedure known as supercritical antisolvent solvent with enhanced mass transfer (SAS-EM). The nanoflakes show poor flowability and shelf life, each of which is improved by mixing with silica nanoparticles. To intimately mix at the nanoscale level, a macroscopic mixture of itraconazole nanoflakes and silica nanoparticles first is pressurized with supercritical carbon dioxide and then is rapidly depressurized through a nozzle. The rapid depressurization of the supercritical suspension (RDSS) causes deagglomeration and mixing, because of the high CO2 expansion velocity. Upon mixing, because of the presence of silica nanoparticles between itraconazole nanoflakes, growth of the drug particles during storage is avoided or reduced and the particle flow properties are improved significantly. The handling properties are characterized using properties such as the angle of repose, the compressibility index, and the Hau...
The rhesus macaque is three times as diverse but more closely equivalent in damaging coding variation as compared to the human

As a model organism in biomedicine, the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) is the most widely used nonhuman primate. Although a draft genome sequence was completed in 2007, there has been no systematic genome-wide comparison of genetic variation of this species to humans. Comparative analysis of functional and nonfunctional diversity in this highly abundant and adaptable non-human primate could inform its use as a model for human biology, and could reveal how variation in population history and size alters patterns and levels of sequence variation in primates. We sequenced the mRNA transcriptome and H3K4me3-marked DNA regions in hippocampus from 14 humans and 14 rhesus macaques. Using equivalent methodology and sampling spaces, we identified 462,802 macaque SNPs, most of which were novel and disproportionately located in the functionally important genomic regions we had targeted in the sequencing. At least one SNP was identified in each of 16,797 annotated macaque genes. Accuracy of macaque SNP identification was conservatively estimated to be >90%. Comparative analyses using SNPs equivalently identified in the two species revealed that rhesus macaque has approximately three times higher SNP density and average nucleotide diversity as compared to the human. Based on this level of diversity, the effective population size of the rhesus macaque is approximately 80,000 which contrasts with an effective population size of less than 10,000 for humans. Across five categories of genomic regions, intergenic regions had the highest SNP density and average nucleotide diversity and CDS (coding sequences) the lowest, in both humans and macaques. Although there are more coding SNPs (cSNPs) per individual in macaques than in humans, the ratio of dN/dS is significantly lower in the macaque. Furthermore, the number of damaging nonsynonymous cSNPs (have damaging effects on protein functions from PolyPhen-2 prediction) in the macaque is more closely equivalent to that of the human. This large panel of newly identified macaque SNPs enriched for functionally significant regions considerably expands our knowledge of genetic variation in the rhesus macaque. Comparative analysis reveals that this widespread, highly adaptable species is approximately three times as diverse as the human but more closely equivalent in damaging variation.
Segmented assimilation on the ground : The new second generation in early adulthood

Abstract We review the literature on segmented assimilation and alternative theoretical models on the adaptation of the second generation ; summarize the theoretical framework developed in the course of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study [CILS]; and present evidence from its third survey in South Florida bearing on alternative hypotheses. We find that the majority of second-generation youths are moving ahead educationally and occupationally, but that a significant minority is being left behind. The latter group is not distributed randomly across nationalities, but corresponds closely to predictions based on immigrant parents’ human capital, family type, and modes of incorporation. While it is clear that members of the second generation , whether successful or unsuccessful will assimilate – in the sense of learning English and American culture – it makes a great deal of difference whether they do so by joining the mainstream middle-class or the marginalized, and largely racialized, population at...
A comparison between Northern and Southern blacks residing in the North

Differences between Southern and non-Southern blacks living in the North and West are considered for a wide variety of attributes such as employment, occupation, income, marital stability, and offspring's performance in school. Migrant blacks have generally more favorable rates than their Northern- and Western-born compatriots after standard domographic controls are applied to an unusually detailed set of cross-tabulations based on the One-Percent Sample Tapes for 1960. Perhaps the sharpest gap exists with respect to marital conditions; Southern blacks of both sexes are more likely to marry and, among those ever married, live more frequently with their spouses. Some of the results reported by earlier investigators require considerable modification; For example, the fact that Northern black men are less often at work than migrants has led to speculations about regional differences in work orientation among blacks, but a detailed analysis of labor force activity indicates this pattern does not hold for women. Likewise, the migrant income advantage is found to vary by education such that it is confined to those with low educational attainment. The use of sample tapes permits a novel analysis of differences between Northern-born blacks classified by whether they are second or at least third generation residents of the North (children of Southern- or Northern-born parents, respectively). For the attribute measured, school performance, the gap is essentially nil. Finally, an alternative is suggested to the existing causal interpretations of North-South gaps among black residents of the North. Reconsidered in particular are the higher labor force rates of migrant men and their more frequent employment in blue collar jobs;
A Light Stabilized Photomultiplier Detector Assembly with Pulse and Current Mode Operation

This unit was developed to provide an economical scintillator detector assembly for microprocessor controlled effluent monitoring systems. The Integral high voltage supply is controlled to maintain constant photomultiplier gain from a pulsed light emitting diode reference source. This control method also provides current mode operation if high radiation levels are present. In addition, a simple comparision of the light output pulse gives an assurance of detector operation.
Description and application of the background irradiance gradient-single turnover fluorometer (BIG-STf)

Based on previous single turnover, pulse amplitude modulated, and fast repetition rate fluorometers, I describe a novel, bench top, single turnover fluorometer (BIG-STf) that quantifies multiple biophysical properties of Photosystem II (PSII) of phytoplankton over a programmable range of background light levels. The instrument measures the photochemical conversion efficiency (variable fluorescence/maximal fluorescence yield, F v /F m ) and functional cross-sectional area of PSII (σ PSII ) over a background light gradient, and generates light-response curves of the biophysical properties of PSII. These curves can be used to assess variability in PSII structure and function or, in conjunction with oxygen- or carbon-derived photosynthesis-irradiance (P-E) curves, to evaluate how the properties of PSII may influence total photosynthetic rate and efficiency. Nitrogen-starved batch cultures of Skeletonema costatum are used to demonstrate the utility of these measurements by comparing the quantum yield of carbon uptake as a function of light (Φ C -E) and its saturation intensity index (E k,Φ ) to F v /F m and σ PSII as a function of light (F v /F m -E and σ PSII -E) and their saturation intensity indices (E k,PSII ). It is shown that in addition to changes in dark-measured values (# Φ,max , F v /F m(0) and σ PSII(0) ) there are also significant changes in the shapes of Φ C -E t F v /F m -E and σ PSII -E curves in response to N starvation. Changes in the shape of the curves (summarized by approximate 2-fold decreases in both E k,Φ and E k,PSII ) are consistent with the observed ∼2-fold increase in σ PSII (r 2 = 0.74). These results suggest that in response to N starvation (1) most of the decrease in Φ C can be explained by PSII-dependent processes, (2) there are decreased saturation intensities of F v /F m and Φ C with concomitant increases in σ PSII(0) , and (3) the turnover rate (1/τ) does not change significantly. The PSII light-response curves, which can be measured quickly by the BIG-STf instrument, provide a direct means of evaluating the role that PSII plays in regulating photosynthetic rates and efficiency in aquatic environments.
Measuring outward orientation in LDCs: Can it be done?

Abstract In recent years abundant evidence has been put forth to show that something about a country's trade policy stance improves economic performance. However, less examined is the question of what exactly that trade policy something that matters for performance is. Examination of the link between various empirical indicators used in the literature to measure trade policy stance reveals that, with minor exceptions, they are pairwise uncorrelated. This finding raises obvious questions about the their reliability in capturing some common aspect of trade policy and the interpretation of the empirical evidence on economic performance.
Impact of recent blackout: Return of experience of experience on utility operational IT infrastructures

The utility operational environment has been facing over the last 10 years significant changes mainly derived from the unbundling of the overall energy supply chain as well as from fundamental changes observed in the mix of the energy resources portfolio towards lower size renewable energies. These challenges have been changing the former flow patterns observed within transmission and distribution networks towards larger amount of cross-border flows from less observable areas as well as massive counter-flows from distribution to transmission related to the larger penetration of distribution energy resources. Meanwhile the growing regulatory pressure tends to focus network operator attention to grow the return of their assets their existing asset though aging. These growing operational constraints have grown the amount of dispatcher stress while various blackouts have happened in Europe and US. Several working groups analysing the context of these major incidents have been launched, AREVA T&D technical experts having participated to several of them. This paper proposes to list the various consequence of this analysis onto energy management system technologies.
Flavonoids and a coumarin from Gutierrezia sphaerocephala

Abstract The ethyl acetate extract of the aerial parts of Gutierrezia sphaerocephala afforded, in addition to one coumarin, 10 known and two new flavonoids. The structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. The new, flavonoids are 5,3′,4′,5′-tetrahydroxy-6,7-dimethoxyflavone and 5,7,4′-trihydroxy-6,3′-dimethoxyflavanone.
The Problem of Monetary and Economic Stability

I. Range and variations in the price level, 175.— II. Wide divergence of views as to cause, 178.—III. Measures of basic production, and of trade, 179.— IV. The stability of relative prices, 181.— V. Evidence as to relations of supply and price variations, 183.— VI. Measures of the factors in the Equation of Exchange, 184.— VII. Gold supply and prices, 189.— VIII. Commodity prices and the General Price Level, 190.— IX, X. The role of bank credit and the need of control, 195.— XI. Mechanisms in human affairs, 201.— XII. Results and conclusions, 202.
Use of Robotic Monitoring to Assess Turbidity Patterns in Onondaga Lake, NY

Abstract Selected temporal and vertical patterns of turbidity (Tn) are documented for an eutrophic urban lake, Onondaga Lake, NY, and their diagnostic value in identifying hydrodynamic and metabolic processes and in estimating clarity is established. The analysis is supported by five years (spring to fall) of daily robotic profiling of Tn, temperature (T), and dissolved oxygen, and an array of more temporally limited measurements that included Tn and T levels in the major tributary input of terrigenous solids; lake particle characterizations with a profiling particle counter and a scanning electron microscope coupled with automated image analysis and X-ray microanalysis; and Secchi disc transparency (SD). Major runoff events are demonstrated to cause conspicuous short-term increases in Tn that are manifested as metalimnetic peaks in summer and early fall, associated with the entry of the negatively buoyant primary tributary source as an interflow. The annual occurrence of Tn maxima within the oxycline of ...
Selected reference sources in polling and survey research methodology, 1971–1996

As we approach the millennium, we find ourselves in a world that places ever greater weight and significance on the outcome of polls, surveys, and market research. The advent of modern polling began with the use of scientific sampling in the mid‐1930s and has progressed vastly beyond the initial techniques and purposes of the early practitioners such as George Gallup, Elmo Roper, and Archibald Crossley. In today's environment, the computer is an integral part of most commercial survey work, as are the efforts by academic and nonprofit enterprises. It should be noted that the distinction between the use of the words “poll” and “survey” is somewhat arbitrary, with the mass media seeming to prefer “polling,” and with academia selecting “survey research.” However, searching online systems will yield differing results, hence this author's inclusion of both terms in the title of this article.
OVERRATING PORNOGRAPHY AS A SOURCE OF SEX INFORMATION FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: ADDITIONAL CONSISTENT FINDINGS '

This study is an empirical investigation of how 175 university students obtained their knowledge of sexual matters and whether pornography functioned as an important source. Analysis indicated that pornography does not play an important role in the dissemination of sexual information; peers appear to be the primary source. There are, however, certain statistically significant differences between the sexes in reports of the extent of specific sexual information from pornography on matters such as oral and anal intercourse. The findings extend research on pornography as a source of sex information and are contrasted with previous studies.
Anharmonicity in the surface and size effects in the specific heat of linear chains

Contributions of anharmonicity to the size and surface effects in the specific heat of the monatomic linear chain are investigated with anharmonic perturbation theory for small to intermediate number of atoms and for temperatures from 0 K up to θ0, the zero-temperature Debye temperature. It is shown that the surface specific heat CS can reliably be extracted for chains of intermediate particle number, although size effects are still quite appreciable for chains of as many as 50 atoms. The main effects of anharmonicity in the surface specific heat (as compared to that of a harmonic chain) are a small peak at T ≈ 0.09θ0 and a linear increase with T for T ⪆ 0.7θ0. Fur eine kleine bis mittlere Zahl von Atomen und fur Temperaturen zwischen 0K und θ0, der Nullpunkts-Debye-Temperatur, werden die anharmonischen Beitrage zum Size- und Oberflacheneffekt der spezifischen Warme einer monoatomaren Kette mit anharmonischer Storungstheorie untersucht. Es wird gezeigt, das die spezifische Oberflachenwarme CS zuverlassig fur Ketten mit mittlerer Teilchenzahl erhalten werden kann, obwohl die Size-Effekte noch fur Ketten von bis zu 50 Atomen betrachtlich ist. Die Haupteffekte der Anharmonizitat in der spezifischen Oberflachenwarme (verglichen mit der harmonischen Kette) sind ein kleines Maximum bei T ≈ 0,09θ0 und ein linearer Anstieg mit T fur T ⪆ 0,7θ0.
Low-frequency and resonance magnetoelectric effects in piezoelectric and functionally stepped ferromagnetic layered composites

The strain mediated magnetoelectric (ME) coupling is studied in bilayers of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and a ferromagnetic layer that is functionally stepped. Nickel with negative piezomagnetic coefficient $q$ and Metglas with positive $q$ are bonded to achieve the desired step in $q$ for the ferromagnetic phase. Samples of PZT-Ni-Metglas and PZT-Metglas-Ni are used for measurements of ME voltage coefficient (MEVC) at low frequencies and at frequencies corresponding to bending resonance. It is shown that at low frequencies the bending moment due to stepped-$q$ counteracts the asymmetry-related flexural strain in the sample and enhances the strength of ME coupling. The MEVC is found to be as high as in symmetric trilayers in which flexural deformation is absent, and it ranges from 0.4 to 3.4 V/cm Oe depending on the grading scheme and the thickness of Metglas. A resonance enhancement of the MEVC to 40--220 V/cm Oe is measured at bending modes for samples clamped at one end. Samples of PZT-Ni-Metglas show a higher MEVC than for PZT-Metglas-Ni both at low frequencies and at bending resonance. The $q$-stepped composites are of importance for ultra-sensitive magnetic field sensors.
Ranking predicted protein structures with support vector regression

Protein structure prediction is an important problem of both intellectual and practical interest. Most protein structure prediction approaches generate multiple candidate models first, and then use a scoring function to select the best model among these candidates. In this work, we develop a scoring function using support vector regression (SVR). Both consensus-based features and features from individual structures are extracted from a training data set containing native protein structures and predicted structural models submitted to CASP5 and CASP6. The SVR learns a scoring function that is a linear combination of these features. We test this scoring function on two data sets. First, when used to rank server models submitted to CASP7, the SVR score selects predictions that are comparable to the best performing server in CASP7, Zhang-Server, and significantly better than all the other servers. Even if the SVR score is not allowed to select Zhang-Server models, the SVR score still selects predictions that are significantly better than all the other servers. In addition, the SVR is able to select significantly better models and yield significantly better Pearson correlation coefficients than the two best Quality Assessment groups in CASP7, QA556 (LEE), and QA634 (Pcons). Second, this work aims to improve the ability of the Robetta server to select best models, and hence we evaluate the performance of the SVR score on ranking the Robetta server template-based models for the CASP7 targets. The SVR selects significantly better models than the Robetta K*Sync consensus alignment score. Proteins 2008. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Developmental biology: How neurons avoid derailment.

During development, neurons extend thin protrusions that must choose between alternative routes. A study of this process in fruitflies unites two previously disparate protein families.
Emission ratiometry for simultaneous calcium and action potential measurements with coloaded dyes in rabbit hearts: reduction of motion and drift.

Simultaneous Ca and AP Emission Ratiometry. Introduction: Optical measurements of the cardiac calcium transient (Ca) and transmembrane action potential (AP) may be performed simultaneously with emission ratiometry to lessen motion artifacts and photobleaching effects. We examined changes in emission spectrum in perfused rabbit hearts coloaded with Rh237 and a green-emitting Ca dye (Fluo-4 or Oregon Green BAPTA 1) to determine wavelength bands for emission ratiometry and to test whether ratiometry reduces motion artifacts and drift. Methods and Results: A 488-nm laser illuminated hearts while a spectrofluorometer collected fluorescence from 489 to 838 nm at 1 kHz. Ratiometry with the Ca- and AP-insensitive emission band 663 to 685 nm (IS) as denominator and the Ca-sensitive band 510 to 532 nm as numerator lessened motion artifacts, which was quantified as a 1.4-fold increase in relative amplitude of the Ca(P < 0.05). Ratiometry with the AP-sensitive band 772 to 794 nm as denominator and the IS as numerator produced a 1.7-fold increase in relative amplitude of the AP(P < 0.05). The ratiometry decreased photobleaching-dependent drift by a factor of0.6 (P < 0.05)for Ca and 0.45(P < 0.05)for AP. Conclusion: Simultaneous Ca and AP emission ratiometry reduces motion artifacts and drift in hearts with coloaded dyes.
Public Management and Educational Performance: The Impact of Managerial Networking

Policies are implemented in complex networks of organizations and target populations. Effective action often requires managers to deal with an array of actors to procure resources, build support, coproduce results, and overcome obstacles to implementation. Few large-n studies have examined the crucial role that networks and network management can play in the execution of public policy. This study begins to fill this gap by analyzing performance over a five-year period in more than 500 U.S. school districts using a nonlinear, interactive, contingent model of management previously developed by the authors. The core idea is that management matters in policy implementation, but its impact is often nonlinear. One way that public managers can make a difference is by leveraging resources and buffering constraints in the program context. This investigation finds empirical support for key elements of the network-management portion of the model. Implications for public management are sketched.
Phase II Study of Cisplatin Plus Etoposide and Bevacizumab for Previously Untreated, Extensive-Stage Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Study E3501

Purpose To investigate the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab plus cisplatin and etoposide in patients with extensive-stage disease, small-cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC). Patients and Methods In this phase II trial, 63 patients were treated with bevacizumab 15 mg/kg plus cisplatin 60 mg/m2 and etoposide 120 mg/m2, which was followed by bevacizumab alone until death or disease progression occurred. The primary end point was the proportion of patients alive at 6 months without disease progression (ie, progression-free survival [PFS]). Secondary end points included overall survival (OS), objective response rate, and toxicity. Correlative studies were performed to explore the relationship between baseline and changes in plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), soluble cell adhesion molecules (ie, vascular cell adhesion molecule [VCAM], intercellular cell adhesion molecule [ICAM], and E-selectin) and basic fibroblast growth factor and outcome. Results The 6-month PFS was 30.2%, the median PFS was 4.7 mont...
Investigating the impact of parental status and depression symptoms on the early perceptual coding of infant faces: An event-related potential study

Infant faces are highly salient social stimuli that appear to elicit intuitive parenting behaviors in healthy adult women. Behavioral and observational studies indicate that this effect may be modulated by experiences of reproduction, caregiving, and psychiatric symptomatology that affect normative attention and reward processing of infant cues. However, relatively little is known about the neural correlates of these effects. Using the event-related potential (ERP) technique, this study investigated the impact of parental status (mother, non-mother) and depression symptoms on early visual processing of infant faces in a community sample of adult women. Specifically, the P1 and N170 ERP components elicited in response to infant face stimuli were examined. While characteristics of the N170 were not modulated by parental status, a statistically significant positive correlation was observed between depression symptom severity and N170 amplitude. This relationship was not observed for the P1. These results suggest that depression symptoms may modulate early neurophysiological responsiveness to infant cues, even at sub-clinical levels.
Factors regulating pulmonary “capillary” pressure in mitral stenosis. IV

Abstract 1. 1. Pulmonary edema occurred at rest in six patients and during exercise in three other patients with severe mitral stenosis during cardiac catheterization. 2. 2. Pulmonary “capillary” pressure was 32 mm. Hg or higher in all nine patients. 3. 3. Pulmonary “capillary” pressure, actually an index of left atrial pressure, was elevated to such high levels in order to maintain blood flow through the mitral valve. 4. 4. Factors which resulted in an increased mitral valve flow rate, thus requiring an elevation in pulmonary “capillary” pressure, were (a) increased cardiac output and (b) decreased diastolic filling period. The latter was decreased by increases in (1) heart rate and (2) duration of ventricular systole. 5. 5. The degree of anatomic mitral stenosis affected the degree of pulmonary “capillary” pressure rise in exponential fashion. 6. 6. The mechanism of elevation of pulmonary “capillary” pressure was believed to be a momentary imbalance in ventricular outputs such that pulmonary blood volume and pressure were increased. 7. 7. It has been demonstrated that in patients with mitral stenosis, a normal cardiac output can be delivered only at the expense of high pulmonary “capillary” pressure. 8. 8. The role of tachycardia, even of a mild degree, in producing or aggravating symptoms of pulmonary edema is emphasized.
“Human Babesiosis”: An Emerging Transfusion Dilemma

Babesiosis, a common disease of animals, can infect humans via vector “tick bite”, particularly in endemic areas. The recent reports of fatal cases in Hepatitis C and postliver transplant patients resulting from transfusion of contaminated blood should alert the medical profession regarding this emerging dilemma in endemic as well as nonendemic areas and the need for accurate blood screening for transfusion. Here, we illustrate different stages of the parasite lifecycle, progression of babesiosis in animal model, some aspects of pathologic outcomes, ongoing therapeutic modalities, and a feasible Acridine Orange fluorescent methodology for the diagnostic evaluation of blood samples.
An Unusual Cause of Acute Renal Failure: Bilateral Ureteral Obstruction Due to Candida tropicalis Fungus Balls

Fungus balls have rarely been implicated as a cause of urinary tract obstruction. Approximately 50 cases of fungus balls of the urinary tract have been reported previously; the majority of cases were characterized by unilateral ureteral involvement or bladder involvement, and Candida albicans has been the organism most frequently isolated. We report, to our knowledge, the first case of bilateral ureteral obstruction caused by Candida tropicalis fungus balls.
Effective indexing and filtering for similarity search in large biosequence databases

We present a multi-dimensional indexing approach for fast sequence similarity search in DNA and protein databases. In particular, we propose effective transformations of subsequences into numerical vector domains and build efficient index structures on the transformed vectors. We then define distance functions in the transformed domain and examine properties of these functions. We experimentally compared their (a) approximation quality for k-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN) queries, (b) pruning ability and (c) approximation quality for E-range queries. Results for k-NN queries, which we present here, show that our proposed distances FD2 and WD2 (i.e. Frequency and Wavelet Distance functions for 2-grams) perform significantly better than the others. We then develop effective index structures, based on R-trees and scalar quantization, on top of transformed vectors and distance functions. Promising results from the experiments on real biosequence data sets are presented.
Writers and Readers of Histone Acetylation: Structure, Mechanism, and Inhibition

Histone acetylation marks are written by histone acetyltransferases (HATs) and read by bromodomains (BrDs), and less commonly by other protein modules. These proteins regulate many transcription-mediated biological processes, and their aberrant activities are correlated with several human diseases. Consequently, small molecule HAT and BrD inhibitors with therapeutic potential have been developed. Structural and biochemical studies of HATs and BrDs have revealed that HATs fall into distinct subfamilies containing a structurally related core for cofactor binding, but divergent flanking regions for substrate-specific binding, catalysis, and autoregulation. BrDs adopt a conserved left-handed four-helix bundle to recognize acetyllysine; divergent loop residues contribute to substrate-specific acetyllysine recognition.
Scribe4Me: evaluating a mobile sound transcription tool for the deaf

People who are deaf or hard-of-hearing may have challenges communicating with others via spoken words and may have challenges being aware of audio events in their environments. This is especially true in public places, which may not have accessible ways of communicating announcements and other audio events. In this paper, we present the design and evaluation of a mobile sound transcription tool for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Our tool, Scribe4Me, is designed to improve awareness of sound-based information in any location. When a button is pushed on the tool, a transcription of the last 30 seconds of sound is given to the user in a text message. Transcriptions include dialog and descriptions of environmental sounds. We describe a 2-week field study of an exploratory prototype, which shows that our approach is feasible, highlights particular contexts in which it is useful, and provides information about what should be contained in transcriptions.
Spitzoid Melanomas in Children, Like Spitz Nevi, Lack Common Activating Mutations in BRAF and NRAS

Spitzoid melanoma in children is a rare tumor that can mimic Spitz nevus both clinically and histologically. Recently, dysregulation of the RAS-RAF-MAPK signalling pathway was reported in 89% of sporadic melanomas due to activating mutations in the BRAF or NRAS gene. BRAF mutations are found in 53–80% of primary melanomas and 70–90% of common melanocytic nevi, whereas none are present in Spitz nevi. NRAS mutations occur in 5–37% of melanomas and 9–56% of common melanocytic nevi. The mutational status of NRAS in Spitz nevi is unknown. This is the first study analyzing the mutational profile of BRAF and NRAS in Spitzoid melanomas occurring in prepubertal children (10 years of age or younger). Primary tumor cells were isolated via laser capture microdissection from 10 typical Spitz nevi and 10 metastatic Spitzoid melanomas. Exons 11 and 15 of BRAF and exons 2 and 3 of NRAS were amplified by PCR and directly sequenced. Common activating mutations were not identified in BRAF or NRAS. Absence of the V599E hot-spot mutation in BRAF was further confirmed by allele-specific PCR. We conclude that Spitzoid melanomas in children share clinical, histological and genetic similarities to Spitz nevi, and are genetically distinct from other melanoma subtypes.
Contractile Strength during Variable Heart Duration Is Species and Preload Dependent

We investigate the effect of beat-to-beat variability on cardiac contractility. Cardiac trabeculae were isolated from the right ventricle of rabbits and beagle dogs and stimulated to isometrically contract, alternating between fixed steady state versus variable interbeat intervals. Trabeculae were stimulated at physiologically relevant frequencies for each species (dog 1 and 4 Hz; rabbit 2 and 4 Hz) intercalating fixed periods with 40% variability. A subset of the trabeculae (at 90% of optimal length) was stretched prior to stimulation between 5 and 13% and stimulated at the same frequencies with a fixed versus 40% variation. Fixed rate response at the same base frequency was measured before and after each variable period and the average force reported. In canine preparations no change in force was observed as a result of the imposed variability in beat-to-beat duration. In the rabbit, we observed a nonsignificant decrease in force between fixed and variable pacing at both 2 and 4 Hz (n = 8) when 40% variability was introduced. When a 5% and 13% stretch was applied, the correlation coefficient sharply increased, indicating a more prominent impact of the prebeat duration on the following cycle with higher preload.
Identification and Differentiation between Hoodia gordonii (Masson) Sweet ex Decne., Opuntia ficus indica (L.) P. Miller, and Related Hoodia Species Using Microscopy and PCR

Hoodia gordonii, an appetite suppressant, is used extensively as a botanical dietary supplement. Microscopy and molecular genetic procedures are provided for identification and differentiation between H. gordonii, Opuntia ficus indica, and other related Hoodia species.
Modeling with event graphs

Event Graphs are a way of graphically representing discrete-event simulation models. Also known as "Simulation Graphs," they have a minimalist design, with a single type of node and two types of edges with up to three options. Despite this simplicity, Event Graphs are extremely powerful. The Event Graph is the only graphical paradigm that directly models the event list logic. There are no limitations to the ability of Event Graphs to create a simulation model for any circumstance. Their simplicity, together with their extensibility, make them an ideal tool for rapid construction and prototyping of simulation models. In this paper we will demonstrate the ability of Event Graphs to leverage simple models into more complex ones with very few additional features.
Application Modeling for Scalable Simulation of Massively Parallel Systems

Macro-scale simulation has been advanced as one tool for application -- architecture co-design to express operation of exascale systems. These simulations approximate the behavior of system components, trading off accuracy for increased evaluation speed. Application skeletons serve as the vehicle for these simulations, but they require accurately capturing the execution behavior of computation. The complexity of application codes, the heterogeneity of the platforms, and the increasing importance of simulating multiple performance metrics (e.g., execution time, energy) require new modeling techniques. We propose flexible statistical models to increase the fidelity of application simulation at scale. We present performance model validation for several exascale mini-applications that leverage a variety of parallel programming frameworks targeting heterogeneous architectures for both time and energy performance metrics. When paired with these statistical models, application skeletons were simulated on average 12.5 times faster than the original application incurring only 6.08% error, which is 12.5% faster and 33.7% more accurate than baseline models.
Effects of Weight Reduction on Selected Anthropometric, Physical, and Performance Measures of Wrestlers

Abstract Eighteen girth, skinfold, cardiovascular, cable tension strength, and response time measurements were obtained in order to assess the effects of weight reduction on a group of college wrestlers. In 10 of the 18 measurements mean differences were found to be significant at the .05 level from the statistical analysis provided by a repeated measures analysis of variance. It was generally concluded that for the ten subjects studied up to 7 percent of body weight may be lost without adversely affecting factors apparently related to wrestling performance —strength, cardiovascular endurance, and response time.
Teaching Transformational Leadership to Undergraduate Agricultural Leadership Students: Using the Personality Trait of Agreeableness To Improve Understanding

Training undergraduate agricultural students to be strong, positive leaders will have a large impact on the industries they work within and therefore should be of utmost importance to agricultural educators. Transformational leaders (TL) tend to have higher performing, more satisfied teams; consequently, development of TL characteristics should result in a more productive future workforce. The personality trait of agreeableness has been associated with the interpersonal aspects of leadership; however, the literature is unclear whether agreeableness is a significant predictor of TL. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between the personality trait agreeableness and TL in undergraduate agricultural leadership students. The findings indicated the facets of agreeableness had more predictive power on TL than the broader trait of overall agreeableness. Recommendations include framing TL development in a personality context. When discussing personality, a review of the facets of agreeableness should result in more meaningful learning for participants.
A number of options: rationalist, constructivist, and Bayesian insights into the development of exact-number concepts.

Abstract The question of how human beings acquire exact-number concepts has interested cognitive developmentalists since the time of Piaget. The answer will owe something to both the rationalist and constructivist traditions. On the one hand, some aspects of numerical cognition (e.g. approximate number estimation and the ability to track small sets of one to four individuals) are innate or early-developing and are shared widely among species. On the other hand, only humans create representations of exact, large numbers such as 42, as distinct from both 41 and 43. These representations seem to be constructed slowly, over a period of months or years during early childhood. The task for researchers is to distinguish the innate representational resources from those that are constructed, and to characterize the construction process. Bayesian approaches can be useful to this project in at least three ways: (1) As a way to analyze data, which may have distinct advantages over more traditional methods (e.g. making it possible to find support for a null hypothesis); (2) as a way of modeling children’s performance on specific tasks: Peculiarities of the task are captured as a prior; the child’s knowledge is captured in the way the prior is updated; and behavior is captured as a posterior distribution; and (3) as a way of modeling learning itself, by providing a formal account of how learners might choose among alternative hypotheses.
Prognostic value of lactate in metastatic lung cancer.

e18563 Background: Hyperlactatemia with or without type B lactic acidosis is a rare complication of cancer, previously observed most often in hematological malignancies. The aim of this study was t...