cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Studies on the anti-inflammatory properties of thalidomide: Effects on polymorphonuclear leukocytes and monocytes

The effects of thalidomide on polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) and monocyte function were studied in vitro. Phagocytosis of latex beads by both PMNs and adherent monocytes was significantly depressed (p µ g/ml of thalidomide. Concentrations of 1 µ g/ml stimulated monocyte Phagocytosis (p µ g/ml resulted in a significant reduction of chemiluminescence (CL) but had no effect at 1 µ /ml concentrations. There was no significant action on PMN CL at either concentration. Finally, 10 , µ g/ml concentrations of thalidomide were not cytotoxic for either cell type after 18-hour incubations. In conclusion, the results of these studies may at least partially explain the efficacy of thalidomide in some inflammatory conditions.
On the electrical resistance of carbon fiber polymer matrix composites

This paper studies the response of carbon fiber polymer matrix composites subjected to DC electric currents. A new fully automated experimental setup that enables one to measure electric field characteristics (current, voltage, resistance) and temperature at the surface of electrified composites in real time has been developed. The experimental procedure ensured a low contact resistance between the composite and electrodes and low resistance heating. An extensive experimental study on the electrical characterization of AS4/3501-6 and IM7/977-2 carbon fiber polymer composites of different lay-up and thickness has been conducted. The effect of the resistive heating was studied using experimental analysis as well as the finite element modeling.
The faces pain scale: Reliability and validity with mature adults

A MONG HOSPITALIZED patients, interventions that reduce pain are associated with important outcomes such as improved respiratory function, increased rest, better wound healing, and decreased stress (Puntillo, 1991). Assessment is the first step toward effective pain management; therefore, measures of a patient's pain must be reliable and accurately reflect the intensity of pain being experienced. Factors such as age, verbal fluency, and ability to understand English influence the patient's understanding of measures such as the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) or verbal scales (Frank, Moll, & Hort, 1982; Herr & Mobily, 1993). For very ill patients with limited energy reserves, measures requiting their careful attention may be inappropriate. Cartoon-type faces scales, widely used in pediatric clinical settings, have been suggested as possible options for measuring pain intensity in adults. Validity of faces scales is supported by research
SURFACE TEXTURED ZINC OXIDE FILMS

Both epitaxial and crystallographically fiber-textured ZnO films can exhibit a surface texturing (“cratered”) morphology when grown by pulsed laser deposition at temperatures in the range of 350–750 °C in a background pressure of oxygen. The surface texturing is a consequence of the nucleation of oriented c axis grains that grow geometrically and impinge laterally. It is concluded that the surface texturing is due to nonequilibrium growth, being the result of a competition between the arriving flux, diffusive flux along the surface, and, possibly, concurrent ion etching from the laser-ablated plasma plume. At higher temperatures, no surface texturing occurs, presumably because of concurrent grain growth and more rapid surface smoothing by diffusion.
Planning for health: a community-based spatial analysis of park availability and chronic disease across the lifespan.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore the spatial relationship between park availability and chronic health conditions (CHCs) across age groups in Kansas City, MO. Multinomial logistic regression examined the association between having a park within one-half mile from home and the likelihood of having 0, 1, or 2 or more CHCs. Among respondents aged 40–59, those without a park within one-half mile from home were more than twice as likely to have 2 or more CHCs compared to respondents that had a park nearby. Parks may be an important protective factor for chronic diseases, especially among middle-aged adults among whom access to neighborhood recreational environments may be particularly important.
The Injection of Energy into the Interstellar Medium by Stars (Invited Review)

Stars inject energy into the interstellar medium (ISM) by radiation, stellar winds, and supernova explosions. This energy injection causes the ISM to be inhomogeneous, which in turn alters the manner in which the energy is transferred through the ISM. A significant fraction of the energy is injected by massive stars, which form HII regions in the ISM. The structure and evolution of HII regions in a cloudy medium differs significantly from that in a homogeneous one. The strong stellar winds produced by massive stars form bubbles in the ISM, and the structure of these bubbles is often dominated by the structure of the HII region in which they are embedded. Finally, when the star explodes as a supernova, the evolution and appearance of the resulting remnant is determined by the structure of the bubble and HII region formed by the star during its lifetime.
The Biology of Mass Extinction: A Palaeontological View

Extinctions are not biologically random: certain taxa or functional/ecological groups are more extinction-prone than others. Analysis of molluscan survivorship patterns for the end-Cretaceous mass extinctions suggests that some traits that tend to confer extinction resistance during times of normal ('background') levels of extinction are ineffectual during mass extinction. For genera, high species-richness and possession of widespread individual species imparted extinction-resistance during background times but not during the mass extinction, when overall distribution of the genus was an important factor. Reanalysis of Hoffman's (1986) data (Neues Jb. Geol. Palaont. Abh. 172, 219) on European bivalves, and preliminary analysis of a new northern European data set, reveals a similar change in survivorship rules, as do data scattered among other taxa and extinction events. Thus taxa and adaptations can be lost not because they were poorly adapted by the standards of the background processes that constitute the bulk of geological time, but because they lacked--or were not linked to--the organismic, species-level or clade-level traits favoured under mass-extinction conditions. Mass extinctions can break the hegemony of species-rich, well-adapted clades and thereby permit radiation of taxa that had previously been minor faunal elements; no net increase in the adaptation of the biota need ensue. Although some large-scale evolutionary trends transcend mass extinctions, post extinction evolutionary pathways are often channelled in directions not predictable from evolutionary patters during background times.
Experimental evaluation of geometrical shape factors for short cylindrical probes used to measure soil permeability to air

Abstract Permeability of soil has become recognized as an important parameter in determining the rate of transport and entry of radon from the soil into indoor environments. This parameter is usually measured in the field by inserting a cylindrical tube with a short porous section into the soil and measuring the flow rates that result from a range of applied pressures. A variety of mathematical relationships have been used to analyze the resulting data. It is demonstrated that a commonly used mathematical approximation to describe flow through porous cylinders breaks down when the lengths of the cylinders approach their radii. It is also shown that this problem can be avoided by approximating short porous cylinders as ellipsoids. This study compared side-by-side measurements of soil permeability for a number of porous cylinders and spheres with different sizes and orientations. It is shown that all the data can be analyzed with a single curve when the appropriate shape factors (geometrical factor that describes the shape and size of the porous section of the probe) are used. This study also looked at the effects of moisture profile in the soil on the permeability obtained by different measurement methods. It is shown that the effective permeability (equivalent value for a uniform, isotropic medium) in the soil differs by two orders of magnitude in a 1-m deep soil column when the measurement locations differ by only 35 cm. The effective permeability was obtained by inverting the arithmetic average of the reciprocal values of the position-dependent permeability.
Genetic models for transforming growth factor beta superfamily signaling in ovarian follicle development

The transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) superfamily has wide-ranging and profound effects on many aspects of cellular growth and development. Many TGFbeta-related ligands, receptors, and intracellular signaling proteins are expressed in the ovary and are critical for normal follicle development. Our laboratory and others have analyzed the in vivo function of the TGFbeta superfamily signal transduction pathways by using gene knockout and knockin approaches. Two TGFbeta superfamily ligands, growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15), are expressed in developing oocytes. Based on in vivo data using knockout models, GDF9 is critical at both the primary and preovulatory stages of follicle development, and physiologically interacts with BMP15 during the latter stages of folliculogenesis. A knockin model of activin betaB expressed from the activin betaA locus, revealed that activin betaB can act as a hypomorphic protein and rescue some but not all of activin betaAs functions. Questions of functional redundancy of signaling components and multiple receptor utilization by different ligands still need to be addressed for these pathways. Answers will likely come from using existing single null mouse models to generate combinatorial ligand and receptor null mice. These new models may reveal the in vivo genetic interactions of TGFbeta superfamily ligands, receptors, binding proteins, and downstream signaling pathways.
DUAL DIAGNOSIS IN ELDERS DISCHARGED FROM A PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL

Recent evidence indicates persons 60 years and over experience significant alcohol and substance abuse problems. Since a combination of alcoholism and depression is likely to increase the relative rsk of suicide, it is important to examine the prevalence of dual diagnosis in older adults. The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence and correlates of dual diagnosis in older psychiatric inpatient populations and compare our results with findings from studies of younger hospitalized dually diagnosed patients. A retrospective chart audit was performed on 101 elders who were discharged from three psychiatric hospitals. Clinical variables that were examined included length of hospital stay, psychiatric and medical diagnoses, medications and history of suicidal ideation or intent. The leading psychiatric disorder diagnosis for our sample of hospitalized psychiatric elders was depression. Over one-third (37.6%) had a substance abuse disorder in addition to a psychiatric disorder, and almost three-fourths (71%) of this ‘dual diagnosis’ group abused alcohol and 29% abused both alcohol and other substances. In addition, significantly more elders in the ‘dual diagnosis’ group (17.7%) than in the group with only a mental disorder diagnosis (3.3%) made a suicide attempt prior to admission to the hospital. Because affective disorders in conjunction with alcohol abuse are the most frequently found disorders in completed suicides, our findings have important relevance for the advocating of routine use of diagnostic assessment and screening for both substance abuse and mental disorders in this population. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effect of glycidate, an inhibitor of glycolate synthesis, on photorespiration and net photosynthesis

Abstract Glycolate synthesis was inhibited 40–50% in illuminated tobacco leaf disks, which have rapid rates of photorespiration, when floated on 20 m m potassium glycidate (2,3-epoxypropionate), an epoxide similar in structure to glycolate. The inhibitor also decreased the release of photorespiratory CO 2 about 40%, and the specificity of glycidate was demonstrated by the 40–50% increase in rate of photosynthetic CO 2 uptake observed in its presence. The importance of glycolate synthesis and metabolism in the production of photorespiratory CO 2 and the role of glycolate in diminishing net photosynthesis in species with rapid rates of photorespiration was thus further confirmed. L -(or 2 S )-Glycidate was slightly more active than DL -glycidate, but glycidate was more effective as a specific inhibitor in leaf tissue than several other epoxide analogs of glycolate examined. The products of photosynthetic 14 O 2 fixation after 3 or 4 min of uptake were proportionately altered in the presence of glycidate, and the specific radioactivity of the [ 14 C]glycolate produced was closer to that of the 14 CO 2 supplied. Glycidate inhibited glycolate synthesis in tobacco leaf disks irreversibly, since the degree of inhibition was the same for at least 2 hr after the inhibitor solution was removed. Glycidate also blocked glycolate synthesis in maize leaf disks, tissue with low rates of photorespiration, but large increases in net photosynthesis were not observed in maize with glycidate, because glycolate synthesis is normally only about 10% as rapid in maize as in tobacco. The demonstration of increases in net photosynthesis of 40–50% when glycolate synthesis (and photorespiration) is blocked with glycidate indicates in an independent manner that the biochemical or genetic control of photorespiration should permit large increases in plant productivity in plant species possessing rapid rates of photorespiration.
Risk Factors for Esophageal Cancer Development

The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma is increasing at a rate greater than that of any other cancer in the Western world today. Barrett's esophagus is a clearly recognized risk factor for the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma, but the overwhelming majority of patients with Barrett's esophagus will never develop esophageal cancer. To date, dysplasia remains the only factor useful for identifying patients at increased risk for the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma in clinical practice. Other epidemiologic risk factors include aging, gender, race, obesity, reflux symptoms, smoking, and diet. Factors that may protect against the development of adenocarcinoma include infection with Helicobacter pylori, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and consumption of aspirin and NSAIDs.
Getting the story right: a Reductionist narrative account of personal identity

A popular �Reductionist� account of personal identity unifies person stages into persons in virtue of their psychological continuity with one another. One objection to psychological continuity accounts is that there is more to our personal identity than just mere psychological continuity: there is also an active process of self-interpretation and self-creation. This criticism can be used to motivate a rival account of personal identity that appeals to the notion of a narrative. To the extent that they comment upon the issue, proponents of narrative accounts typically reject Reductionist metaphysics that (ontologically) reduce persons to aggregates of person stages. In contrast to this trend, we seek to develop a narrative account of personal identity from within Reductionist metaphysics: we think person stages are unified into persons in virtue of their narrative continuity with one another. We argue that this Reductionist version of the narrative account avoids some serious problems facing non-Reductionist versions of the narrative account.
Tests for equality of several alpha coefficients when their sample estimates are dependent

In a variety of measurement situations, the researcher may wish to compare the reliabilities of several instruments administered to the same sample of subjects. This paper presents eleven statistical procedures which test the equality ofm coefficient alphas when the sample alpha coefficients are dependent. Several of the procedures are derived in detail, and numerical examples are given for two. Since all of the procedures depend on approximate asymptotic results, Monte Carlo methods are used to assess the accuracy of the procedures for sample sizes of 50, 100, and 200. Both control of Type I error and power are evaluated by computer simulation. Two of the procedures are unable to control Type I errors satisfactorily. The remaining nine procedures perform properly, but three are somewhat superior in power and Type I error control.
Ranking robustness: a novel framework to predict query performance

In this paper, we introduce the notion of ranking robustness, which refers to a property of a ranked list of documents that indicates how stable the ranking is in the presence of uncertainty in the ranked documents. We propose a statistical measure called the robustness score to quantify this notion. We demonstrate that the robustness score significantly and consistently correlates with query performance in a variety of TREC test collections including the GOV2 collection. We compare the robustness score with the clarity score method which is the state-of-the-art technique for query performance prediction. Our experimental results show that the robustness score performs better than or at least as good as the clarity score. We find that the clarity score is barely correlated with query performance on the GOV2 collection while the correlation between the robustness score and query performance remains significant. We also notice that a combination of the two usually results in more prediction power.
Neighborhoods and Violent Crime: A Multilevel Study of Collective Efficacy

It is hypothesized that collective efficacy, defined as social cohesion among neighbors combined with their willingness to intervene on behalf of the common good, is linked to reduced violence. This hypothesis was tested on a 1995 survey of 8782 residents of 343 neighborhoods in Chicago, Illinois. Multilevel analyses showed that a measure of collective efficacy yields a high between-neighborhood reliability and is negatively associated with variations in violence, when individual-level characteristics, measurement error, and prior violence are controlled. Associations of concentrated disadvantage and residential instability with violence are largely mediated by collective efficacy.
The supply chain management of shopper marketing as viewed through a service ecosystem lens

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine shopper marketing through service-dominant logic and service ecosystem lenses. In doing so, the authors reveal challenges and opportunities for supply chain management. Design/methodology/approach – The work is conceptual, drawing on contemporary service-dominant logic thinking. Findings – Examination of shopper marketing reveals that it is currently stuck in goods-dominant logic and micro-level ways of thinking. By taking a macro service ecosystem view, all actors, including shoppers, are seen as resource integrators seeking resource density. The macro view highlights a significant amount of goods and information flow and variance now being added throughout shopper marketing systems. Research limitations/implications – A guiding framework with appropriate terms defined offers new research directions and new ways practitioners can approach challenges in the industry. Research programs are suggested in the areas of facilitating resource density, examining t...
Feeding and ovipositional behaviour in some reduviids (Insecta-Heteroptera)

Feeding behavioural studies of many exclusively predatory species exhibit clearcut stimuli-response mediated sequences and these can be categorised into distinct sub-units like: search and location of prey → approach and attack of prey → immobilisation of prey → transportation of prey to safe place → consumption of prey. These feeding behavioural activities differ among reduviids particularly with respect to prey types. These bugs are endowed with many structural, physiological and behavioural adaptations for efficient predation. The ovipositional behaviour of reduviids in different habitats also shows considerable variation and their reproductive strategies include selection of suitable sites to assure successful emergence and development of young ones and so far very few egg predators and egg parasites have been reported for these terrestrial insects.
Effect of torrefaction on biomass structure and hydrocarbon production from fast pyrolysis

Torrefaction has been shown to improve the chemical composition of bio-oils produced from fast pyrolysis by lowering its oxygen content and enhancing the aromatic yield. A Py-GC/MS study was employed to investigate the effect of torrefaction temperatures (225, 250 and 275 °C) and residence times (15, 30 and 45 min) on product distribution from non-catalytic and H+ZSM-5 catalyzed pyrolysis of pinewood. During torrefaction, structural transformations in biomass constitutive polymers: hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin took place, which were evaluated using component analysis, solid state CP/MAS 13C NMR and XRD techniques. Torrefaction caused deacetylation and decomposition of hemicellulose, cleavage of aryl ether linkages and demethoxylation of lignin, degradation of cellulose and an overall increase in aromaticity of biomass, all of which affected the product yield from pyrolysis of torrefied biomass. For non-catalytic pyrolysis, selectivity of phenolic compounds increased with an increase in torrefaction severity while that of furan compounds decreased. In the case of catalytic pyrolysis, the sample torrefied at 225 °C-30 min and 250 °C-15 min resulted in a significant increase in aromatic hydrocarbon (HC) and also total carbon yield (approx. 1.6 times higher) as compared to catalytic pyrolysis of non-torrefied pine. Cleavage of aryl ether linkages and demethoxylation in lignin due to torrefaction caused increased yield of phenolic compounds, which in the presence of a catalyst were dehydrated to form aromatic HC.
The ``Heavisidion'' A Computing Kinematic Device for Long Trransmission Lines

Subject of the Paper. — A kinematic computing device is described which can be set to represent vectorially the voltage and the current at any point of a long transmission line with uniformly distributed properties and with a given load. The device has been named after Oliver Heaviside who was among the first to establish and to solve the fundamental differential equations of such a line. The parts of the device are made to assume at will different positions corresponding to different points on the line. The constants of a line to be represented by the device are adjustable at will, and a complete set of performance curves of a given transmission line can be obtained. Conversely, by a few simple trials, the best constants of a line and the necessary kv-a. of a synchronous condenser may be found, to give the required performance characteristics. The current, the voltage, and the power factor (or the phase angle) can be read off directly on the device for any desired point of the line, including the generator and the load end. Results of computations are shown for two transmission lines, 1000 and 300 miles long, values having been obtained in the usual tedious way by means of hyperbolic functions of a complex variable, and also read off directly on the Heavisidion. The agreement is as good as could be desired, showing that the device is reliable and that a considerable saving in time is possible with it. The device consists mainly of steel and celluloid bars, proportional dividers, parallel double tongs, and other simple kinematic linkages. Two sharp-edged wheels are used, similar to those used in planimeters. The parts are so combined as to satisfy the familiar exponential vectorial expressions for the sinusoidal voltage and the current, the independent variable being the distance from one of the ends of the line.
An extended boundary node method for modeling normal derivative discontinuities in potential theory across edges and corners

Abstract The Boundary Node Method (BNM) [Int. J. Numer. Meth. Engng 40 (1997) 797] is a boundary-only meshfree method that combines the Moving Least squares (MLS) interpolation scheme with the standard Boundary Integral Equations (BIEs) for a boundary value problem. Curvilinear boundary co-ordinates were originally proposed and used in this method—for both two- [Int. J. Numer. Meth. Engng 40 (1997) 797] and three-dimensional [Boundary methods—elements contours and nodes, 2004] (2D and 3D) problems. Li and Aluru [Comput. Meth. Appl. Mech. Engng 191 (2002) 2337; Engng Anal. Bound. Elem. 27 (2003) 57] have recently proposed an elegant improvement to the BNM (called the Boundary Cloud Method, BCM) that allows the use of Cartesian co-ordinates. Their novel variable basis BCM [Engng Anal. Bound. Elem. 27 (2003) 57] has several advantages relative to the original BCM. It does, however, have a drawback in that continuous approximants are used for all boundary variables, even across corners. It is well known, for example, that the normal derivative of the potential function in potential theory, or the traction in linear elasticity, often suffers jump discontinuities across corners in 2D and across edges and corners in 3D problems. The present paper describes a further improvement to the BNM and the variable basis BCM. This new approach is called the Extended Boundary Node Method (EBNM). This method employs Cartesian co-ordinates with variable bases, together with appropriate approximants for the normal derivative across edges and corners that can model discontinuities in this variable. This new formulation is presented below in detail for 2D problems in potential theory. Numerical results from the EBNM, for 2D potential theory, are compared with those from the variable basis BCM for selected examples.
The synthesis of dopamine from DOPA in the ganglia of Mercenaria mercenaria (Mollusca, Pelecypoda).

1. 1. Ganglia of Mercenaria mercenaria are able to synthesize dopamine† from DOPA.† 2. 2. Tissues of Mercenaria other than ganglia contain low levels of newly synthesized dopamine following injection of DOPA-3H, but ganglia are the most concentrated sites of dopamine synthesis. 3. 3. Measurements of dopamine turnover in isolated pedal ganglia and the time course of ganglionic dopamine synthesized in the animal suggest that dopamine is not actively metabolized in Mercenaria ganglia.
Psammoma bodies and optically clear nuclei in bronchiolo‐alveolar cell carcinoma. Diagnosis by fine needle aspiration biopsy with histologic and ultrastructural confirmation

The fine needle aspiration cytology of two cases of bronchiolo-alveolar cell carcinoma of the lung having unusual features is reported. One case demonstrated numerous psammoma bodies in the cytologic smears, whereas the other case showed an abundance of cells with optically clear nuclei. Both peripherally located tumors were resected and confirmed as primary bronchiolo-alveolar cell carcinoma by histologic and ultrastructural examination. We believe this to be the first report describing these unusual features of bronchiolo-alveolar cell carcinoma diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology. Presented is a discussion of psammoma bodies and optically clear nuclei seen in primary and metastatic tumors of the lung. This will aid in the diagnosis of these cases.
Highly correlated stimuli do not necessarily facilitate the measurement of unconscious perception: Exclusion failure is hard to find in forced-choice tasks

Abstract Persaud and McLeod (2008) report that unconscious perception is easier to measure with forced-choice exclusion tasks when the stimuli are highly similar, such as choosing between the letters ‘h’ and ‘b’. The high degree of stimulus similarity may decrease conscious awareness of the target stimuli while leaving unconscious cognition intact. The present experiments used forced-choice exclusion tasks (i.e., choosing the opposite of a masked target stimulus) with the aim of replicating these findings. No evidence of relevant perception – either conscious or unconscious – was obtained with short duration targets. The forced-choice exclusion task was correctly performed at longer target durations (25 ms and higher), which suggests conscious perception of the target stimuli. We conclude that increasing stimulus similarity does not reliably produce exclusion failure effects and does not appear to facilitate the measurement of unconscious cognition.
Changes in Sexual Functioning and Mood Among Women Treated for Gynecological Cancer Who Receive Group Therapy: A Pilot Study

This study examined changes in sexual functioning and mood disturbance among women who have been treated for gynecological cancer and who participated in a 12-week group intervention for psychosexual problems. The Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (CSFQ) assessed the sexual functioning, and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) assessed the mood disturbance of 19 women at baseline who completed follow-ups conducted posttreatment and three-month posttreatment. The results showed that the women improved significantly in their CSFQ total scores after being provided with the group therapy intervention at the posttreatment assessment (p < .01), and a statistical trend (p < .10) suggested continued improvement in CSFQ total scores at the three months posttreatment follow-up. Women's POMS total mood disturbance scores improved significantly at the posttreatment assessment (p = .01), but did not show significant improvement at the 3-month posttreatment follow-up. These results suggest that this group intervention achieved its main goal in treating sexual dysfunction as well as mood disturbance, but these improvements dissipated over time and may require further intervention in order to be maintained.
Eye tracking with the adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope

Recent advances in high magnification retinal imaging have allowed for visualization of individual retinal photoreceptors, but these systems also suffer from distortions due to fixational eye motion. Algorithms developed to remove these distortions have the added benefit of providing arc second level resolution of the eye movements that produce them. The system also allows for visualization of targets on the retina, allowing for absolute retinal position measures to the level of individual cones. This paper will describe the process used to remove the eye movement artifacts and present analysis of their spectral characteristics. We find a roughly 1/f amplitude spectrum similar to that reported by Findlay (1971) with no evidence for a distinct tremor component.
Eligibility Criteria for Learning Disabilities Programs Institutionalized Discrimination

Eligibility criteria for the identification and programming of students for learning handicapped classes are described as being arbitrary, based mainly on fiscal concerns. It is further pointed out that special instruments for diagnosing learning disabilities are highly suspect, as are specialized techniques used in classrooms for teaching basic skills. It is suggested that good basic teaching techniques, which may be offered in standard teacher training programs, should receive greater emphasis in the preparation of special educators.
Do Membership Associations Affect Entrepreneurship? The Effect of Type, Composition, and Engagement

This article focuses on how membership associations can increase entrepreneurial activity in communities by facilitating access to resources that enable entrepreneurs to launch businesses. While much research differentiates membership associations based on association type, this article suggests that their effect on entrepreneurship may be better assessed by examining the composition of each association’s membership and their engagement in associational activities. An exploratory analysis of every community in the contiguous United States from 1999 to 2008 reveals that when it comes to facilitating entrepreneurial activity, association type may be less relevant than whether the association is sociodemographically diverse and whether its members are also members of other associations. However, engagement may not be as important when assessing an association’s ability to encourage entrepreneurial activity. These findings suggest that future research should look beyond association type and examine additional...
Rice TATA Binding Protein Interacts Functionally with Transcription Factor IIB and the RF2a bZIP Transcriptional Activator in an Enhanced Plant in Vitro Transcription System

TATA binding protein (TBP) and transcription factor IIB (TFIIB) are key factors for the assembly of eukaryotic transcription initiation complexes. We used a rice whole-cell extract in vitro transcription system to characterize the functional interactions of recombinant plant TBP and TFIIB. Bacterially expressed rice TBP (OsTBP2) bound to the TATA box of the rice pal gene encoding phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, caused DNA bending, and enhanced basal transcription from the pal promoter in a TATA box–dependent manner. Recombinant rice TFIIB (OsTFIIB) stimulated the DNA binding and bending activities of OsTBP2 and synergistically enhanced OsTBP2-mediated transcription from the pal promoter and the promoter of Rice tungro bacilliform virus but not from the barley pr1 promoter. We also demonstrate a physical interaction between OsTBP2 and RF2a, a rice bZIP transcription factor that bound to the box II cis element of the promoter of Rice tungro bacilliform virus, resulting in enhanced transcription from the viral promoter. Enhancement of rice whole-cell extracts with recombinant transcription factors thus provides a powerful tool for the in vitro determination of plant gene regulation mechanisms. We conclude that OsTBP2 undergoes promoter-specific functional interactions with both the basal transcription factor OsTFIIB and the accessory transcription factor RF2a.
Metabolic modeling of a mutualistic microbial community

The rate of production of methane in many environments depends upon mutualistic interactions between sulfate-reducing bacteria and methanogens. To enhance our understanding of these relationships, we took advantage of the fully sequenced genomes of Desulfovibrio vulgaris and Methanococcus maripaludis to produce and analyze the first multispecies stoichiometric metabolic model. Model results were compared to data on growth of the co-culture on lactate in the absence of sulfate. The model accurately predicted several ecologically relevant characteristics, including the flux of metabolites and the ratio of D. vulgaris to M. maripaludis cells during growth. In addition, the model and our data suggested that it was possible to eliminate formate as an interspecies electron shuttle, but hydrogen transfer was essential for syntrophic growth. Our work demonstrated that reconstructed metabolic networks and stoichiometric models can serve not only to predict metabolic fluxes and growth phenotypes of single organisms, but also to capture growth parameters and community composition of simple bacterial communities.
A new hereditary cylindromatosis family associated with CYLD1 on chromosome 16

Hereditary cylindromatosis (HC; MIM 132700) is an autosomal dominant condition characterized by benign skin appendage tumors most commonly on the scalp and face. Previously, the HC gene (CYLD1) was linked to chromosome 16q12-13, and tumors showed loss of heterozygosity (LOH), suggesting that CYLD1 is a tumor suppressor gene. Here we report a new multi-generation cylindromatosis family whose condition maps to that region, with 7/13 tumors showing LOH on 16q.
Hodgkin lymphoma: 2014 update on diagnosis, risk-stratification, and management.

Disease overview: Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is an uncommon B-cell lymphoid malignancy affecting 9,200 new patients annually and representing approximately 11.5% of all lymphomas in the United States. Diagnosis: HL is composed of two distinct disease entities; the more commonly diagnosed classical HL and the rare nodular lymphocyte-predominant HL. Nodular sclerosis, mixed cellularity, lymphocyte depletion, and lymphocyte-rich HL are subgroups under the designation of classical HL. Risk stratification: An accurate assessment of the stage of disease in patients with HL is critical for the selection of the appropriate therapy. Prognostic models that identify patients at low or high risk for recurrence, as well as the response to therapy as determined by positron emission tomography scan, are used to optimize therapy. Risk-adapted therapy: Initial therapy for HL patients is based on the histology of the disease, the anatomical stage, and the presence of poor prognostic features. Patients with early stage disease are treated with combined modality strategies using abbreviated courses of combination chemotherapy followed by involved-field radiation therapy, while those with advanced stage disease receive a longer course of chemotherapy often without radiation therapy. Management of relapsed/refractory disease: High-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) followed by an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) is the standard of care for most patients who relapse following initial therapy. For patients who fail HDCT with ASCT, brentuximab vedotin, palliative chemotherapy, nonmyeloablative allogeneic transplant, or participation in a clinical trial should be considered. Am. J. Hematol. 89:772–779, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Flow around a thin body moving in shallow water.

Approximations for shallow-water ship waves are sought which are valid near the critical speed U = (gh)1/2. For sufficiently thin bodies (struts or ships) the governing equation is dispersive. Simple analytic solutions are given which are valid for all F2 ≤ O(1). As the thickness increases, nonlinearity also enters. A soliton solution is discussed which applies to a sharp-nosed half-body at slightly supercritical speed.
Mu opioid receptor activation normalizes temporo-ammonic pathway driven inhibition in hippocampal CA1.

The hippocampus of the mammalian brain is important for the formation of long-term memories. Hippocampal-dependent learning can be affected by a number of neurotransmitters including the activation of μ-opioid receptors (MOR). It has been shown that MOR activation can alter synaptic plasticity and network oscillations in the hippocampus, both of which are thought to be important for the encoding of information and formation of memories. One hippocampal oscillation that has been correlated with learning and memory formation is the 4-10 Hz theta rhythm. During theta rhythms, inputs to hippocampal CA1 from CA3 (Schaffer collaterals, SC) and the entorhinal cortex (perforant path) can integrate at different times within an individual theta cycle. Consequently, when excitatory inputs in the stratum lacunosum-moleculare (the temporo-ammonic pathway (TA), which includes the perforant path) are stimulated approximately one theta period before SC inputs, the TA can indirectly inhibit SC inputs. This inhibition is due to the activation of postsynaptic GABA(B) receptors on CA1 pyramidal neurons. Importantly, MOR activation has been shown to suppress GABA(B) inhibitory postsynaptic potentials in CA1 pyramidal neurons. Therefore, we examined how MOR activation affects the integration between TA inputs and SC inputs in hippocampal CA1. To do this we used voltage-sensitive dye imaging and whole cell patch clamping from acute hippocampal slices taken from young adult rats. Here we show that MOR activation has no effect on the integration between TA and SC inputs when activation of the TA precedes SC by less than one half of a theta cycle ( 150 ms). This MOR suppression of TA driven inhibition occurred in both the SC input layer of hippocampal CA1 (stratum radiatum) and the output layer of CA1 pyramidal neurons (stratum pyramidale). Thus MOR activation can have profound effects on the temporal integration between two primary excitatory pathways to hippocampal CA1 and subsequently the resultant output from CA1 pyramidal neurons. These data provide important information for understanding how acute or chronic MOR activation may affect the integration of activity within hippocampal CA1 during theta rhythm.
Bandwidth enhancement of large planar slot arrays

This paper presents a slot geometry for large arrays that offers an increase in slot bandwidth over the conventional geometry. This new approach is compared with the conventional one and discuss its advantages and disadvantages in applications for large slot arrays.This research discusses methods of using the infinite array model for efficient and accurate design and analysis of large arrays. Examples of a 160x160 Ka-band array designed using 10x10-element subarrays with regular offsets and alternating ("Svensson") offsets illustrate the procedures.
In Vivo Tumor Grading of Prostate Cancer Using Quantitative 111In-Capromab Pendetide SPECT/CT

We have developed an in vivo method to quantify antibody uptake using 111In-capromab pendetide SPECT combined with CT (SPECT/CT). Our goal was to evaluate this method for potential grading of prostate tumors. Methods: Our phantom experiments focused on the robustness of an advanced iterative reconstruction algorithm that involves corrections for photon attenuation, scatter, and geometric blurring caused by radionuclide collimators. The conversion factors between image values and tracer concentrations (in Bq/mL) were calculated from a uniform phantom filled with an aqueous solution of 111InCl3 using the same acquisition protocol and reconstruction parameters as for patient studies. In addition, the spatial resolution of the reconstructed images was measured from a point source phantom. The measured spatial resolution was modeled into a point-spread function, and the point-spread function was implemented in a deconvolution-based partial-volume-error correction algorithm. The recovery capability to correctly estimate true tracer concentrations was tested using prostatelike and bladderlike lesion phantoms fitted in the modified National Electrical Manufacturers Association/International Electrotechnical Commission body phantom. Patients with biopsy-proven prostate cancer (n = 10) who underwent prostatectomy were prospectively enrolled in the preoperative SPECT/CT studies at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The CT portion of SPECT/CT was used to generate CT-based attenuation maps and as an anatomic localization tool for clinical interpretation. Pathologic Gleason grades were compared with in vivo antibody uptake value (AUV) normalized by injected dose, effective half-life, and injection-scan time difference. AUVs were calculated in each lobe of the prostate gland with cylindric volumes of interest having dimensions of 1.5 cm in both diameter and height. Results: Reconstructed SPECT images further corrected by the deconvolution-based partial-volume-error correction could recover tracer concentrations up to 90% of true values in measurements of phantom volumes as small as 7.77 mL. From patient studies, there was a statistically significant correlation (ρ = 0.71, P = 0.033) between higher AUVs (from either left or right lobe) and higher components of pathologic Gleason scores. Conclusion: Our results strongly indicate potential for noninvasive prostate tumor grading using quantitative 111In-capromab pendetide SPECT/CT.
The effect of anisotropic properties of randomly oriented particles on polarized light: an operational calculus for spatially heterogeneous distributions.

Recent publication of the application of Mueller-Stokes calculus to a model of optical microdomains by Hjelm et al, (Biopolymers vol. 25 1359–1378, 1986) states that the circular dichroism (CD), of randomly orientated microdomains, show apparent CD due to the linear dichroism components. In this paper we show that these conclusions are erroneous due to a misapplication of the Mueller calculus to the model proposed by Hjelm et al. We further prove that ordinary Stokes vectors do not represent the polarization properties of light in systems that are a heterogeneous distribution of optical microdomains in the plane perpendicular to the light beam and the Mueller matrices cannot be used to compute the interaction of light with these heterogeneous distributions of optical microdomains. A modified optical calculus is proposed, in which extended space matrices and extended space polarization vectors will give the correct formulation for the heterogeneous distribution of microdomains.
CP-71,362: A Pentapeptide Renin Inhibitor Selective for the Canine Enzyme

Most renin inhibitors are primate-specific. In the present paper, we describe the effects of CP-71,362, a pentapeptide which preferentially inhibits canine (and to a lesser extent, rat) plasma renin. Vs. the canine enzyme, its affinity (IC50 = 3.3 × 10−12 M) is 1000x greater than for rat renin (IC50 = 3.3 × 10-9 M), and 10000x greater than for human (IC50 = 2.3 × 10-8 M), cynomolgus monkey (IC50 = 1.6 × 10-8 M), or guinea pig (IC50 = 5.2 × 10-8 M) enzyme.
A SUPERCONDUCTIVE DEVICE TO PROVIDE REFERENCE TEMPERATURES BELOW 0.5 K

We have developed a device containing five superconductive materials W, Be, Ir, AuAl2 and AuIn2 which provides reference temperatures at 0.015 K, 0.024 K, 0.0975 K, 0.159 K and 0.204 K respectively. The reproducibility of three devices each containing these five superconductors was found to vary from 0.1 to 0.4 mK except for Be where it was 1 mK.
Fiber laser oscillators and amplifiers

Summary form only given. Although erbium-doped fiber amplifiers at 1.5 /spl mu/m in silica have been outstandingly successful, other hosts such as fluorides or tellurites have been studied because of their broader gain lines, which could make them advantageous for WDM systems. The use of other hosts doped with other rare earths are being considered for other wavelengths, particularly the near-IR 3- to 5-/spl mu/m region. The choice of a glass host for a given rare earth transition depends on the competition between radiative transition probabilities and the quenching phonon relaxations.
Multiple interactions between the alpha2C- and beta1-adrenergic receptors influence heart failure survival

Background: Persistent stimulation of cardiac β 1 -adrenergic receptors by endogenous norepinephrine promotes heart failure progression. Polymorphisms of this gene are known to alter receptor function or expression, as are polymorphisms of the α2C-adrenergic receptor, which regulates norepinephrine release from cardiac presynaptic nerves. The purpose of this study was to investigate possible synergistic effects of polymorphisms of these two intronless genes (ADRB1 and ADRA2C, respectively) on the risk of death/transplant in heart failure patients. Methods: Sixteen sequence variations in ADRA2C and 17 sequence variations in ADRB1 were genotyped in a longitudinal study of 655 white heart failure patients. Eleven sequence variations in each gene were polymorphic in the heart failure cohort. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to identify polymorphisms and potential intra- or intergenic interactions that influenced risk of death or cardiac transplant. A leave-one-out cross-validation method was utilized for internal validation. Results: Three polymorphisms in ADRA2C and five polymorphisms in ADRB1 were involved in eight cross-validated epistatic interactions identifying several two-locus genotype classes with significant relative risks ranging from 3.02 to 9.23. There was no evidence of intragenic epistasis. Combining high risk genotype classes across epistatic pairs to take into account linkage disequilibrium, the relative risk of death or transplant was 3.35 (1.82, 6.18) relative to all other genotype classes. Conclusion: Multiple polymorphisms act synergistically between the ADRA2C and ADRB1 genes to increase risk of death or cardiac transplant in heart failure patients.