cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Working at the intersection of context, culture, and technology: Provider perspectives on antimicrobial stewardship in the emergency department using electronic health record clinical decision support.

Background Antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs) have not been fully developed for the emergency department (ED), in part the result of the barriers characteristic of this setting. Electronic health record–based clinical decision support (EHR CDS) represents a promising strategy to implement ASPs in the ED. We aimed to determine the cultural beliefs and structural barriers and facilitators to implementation of antimicrobial stewardship in the pediatric ED using EHR CDS. Methods Interviews and focus groups were conducted with hospital and ED leadership, attending ED physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and residents at a single health system in Colorado. We reviewed and coded the data using constant comparative analysis and framework analysis until a final set of themes emerged. Results Two dominant perceptions shaped providers' perspectives on ASPs in the ED and EHR CDS: (1) maintaining workflow efficiency and (2) constrained decision-making autonomy. Clinicians identified structural barriers to ASPs, such as pace of the ED, and various beliefs that shaped patterns of practice, including accommodating the prescribing decisions of other providers and managing parental expectations. Recommendations to enhance uptake focused on designing a simple yet flexible user interface, providing clinicians with performance data, and on-boarding clinicians to enhance buy-in. Conclusions Developing a successful ED-based ASP using EHR CDS should attend to technologic needs, the institutional context, and the cultural beliefs of practice associated with providers' antibiotic prescribing.
Survey of Multiply Handicapped, Visually Impaired Children in the Rocky Mountain/Great Plains Region:

In the fall of 1982, a survey of visually impaired children, from birth to age 12, was conducted in the 11-state Rocky Mountain/Great Plains region. The results indicated that within the population...
Mechanism of opening a sliding clamp

Clamp loaders load ring-shaped sliding clamps onto DNA where the clamps serve as processivity factors for DNA polymerases. In the first stage of clamp loading, clamp loaders bind and stabilize clamps in an open conformation, and in the second stage, clamp loaders place the open clamps around DNA so that the clamps encircle DNA. Here, the mechanism of the initial clamp opening stage is investigated. Mutations were introduced into the Escherichia coli β-sliding clamp that destabilize the dimer interface to determine whether the formation of an open clamp loader-clamp complex is dependent on spontaneous clamp opening events. In other work, we showed that mutation of a positively charged Arg residue at the β-dimer interface and high NaCl concentrations destabilize the clamp, but neither facilitates the formation of an open clamp loader-clamp complex in experiments presented here. Clamp opening reactions could be fit to a minimal three-step 'bind-open-lock' model in which the clamp loader binds a closed clamp, the clamp opens, and subsequent conformational rearrangements 'lock' the clamp loader-clamp complex in a stable open conformation. Our results support a model in which the E. coli clamp loader actively opens the β-sliding clamp.
Self-biased feedback-controlled pull-down emitter follower for high-speed low-power bipolar logic circuits

The self-biased, feedback-controlled, active-pull-down emitter follower is a very efficient and superior circuit applicable to high-speed low-power bipolar/BiCMOS digital VLSIs. The circuit is effective because the biasing, inverting, level-shifting, and coupling functions are simply merged into a small number of devices and is versatile for logic implementations because it does not need any extra out-of-phase signal from the logic stage, allowing the collector-dotting and emitter-dotting. The push-pull operation of this novel circuit is precisely controlled by a feedback mechanism and results in a remarkable performance enhancement: 2.7x typical simulated pull-down speed and 10x drive capability over the conventional RPD-ECL.
Perspectives on Functional (Behavioral) Assessment

In the 25 years since the publication of the article reprinted in this issue of Behavioral Disorders, a tremendous amount of research and opinion has been published on the topics of functional anal...
Measuring coverage and accuracy of whole-exome sequencing in clinical context.

To evaluate the coverage and accuracy of whole-exome sequencing (WES) across vendors. Blood samples from three trios underwent WES at three vendors. Relative performance of the three WES services was measured for breadth and depth of coverage. The false-negative rates (FNRs) were estimated using the segregation pattern within each trio. Mean depth of coverage for all genes was 189.0, 124.9, and 38.3 for the three vendor services. Fifty-five of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics 56 genes, but only 56 of 63 pharmacogenes, were 100% covered at 10 × in at least one of the nine individuals for all vendors; however, there was substantial interindividual variability. For the two vendors with mean depth of coverage >120 ×, analytic positive predictive values (aPPVs) exceeded 99.1% for single-nucleotide variants and homozygous indels, and sensitivities were 98.9–99.9%; however, heterozygous indels showed lower accuracy and sensitivity. Among the trios, FNRs in the offspring were 0.07–0.62% at well-covered variants concordantly called in both parents. The current standard of 120 × coverage for clinical WES may be insufficient for consistent breadth of coverage across the exome. Ordering clinicians and researchers would benefit from vendors’ reports that estimate sensitivity and aPPV, including depth of coverage across the exome.
Cost Transparency in Neurosurgery: A Single-Institution Analysis of Patient Out-of-Pocket Spending in 13 673 Consecutive Neurosurgery Cases.

BACKGROUND Patient out-of-pocket (OOP) spending is an increasingly discussed topic; however, there is minimal data available on the patient financial burden of surgical procedures. OBJECTIVE To analyze hospital and surgeon expected payment data and patient OOP spending in neurosurgery. METHODS This is a retrospective cohort study of neurosurgical patients at a tertiary-referral center from 2013 to 2016. Expected payments, reflecting negotiated costs-of-care, as well as actual patient OOP payments for hospital care and surgeon professional fees were analyzed. A 4-tiered model of patient OOP cost sharing and a multivariate model of patient expected payments were created. RESULTS A total of 13 673 consecutive neurosurgical cases were analyzed. Patient age, insurance type, case category, severity of illness, length of stay (LOS), and elective case status were significant predictors of increased expected payments (P < .05). Craniotomy ($53 397 ± 811) and posterior spinal fusion ($48 329 ± 864) were associated with the highest expected payments. In a model of patient OOP cost sharing, nearly all neurosurgical procedures exceeded yearly OOP maximums for Healthcare Marketplace plans. Mean patient payments for hospital care and surgeon professional fees were the highest for anterior/lateral spinal fusion cases for commercially insured patients ($1662 ± 165). Mean expected payments and mean patient payments for commercially insured patients increased significantly from 2013 to 2016 (P < .05). CONCLUSION Expected payments and patient OOP spending for commercially insured patients significantly increased from 2013 to 2016, representing increased healthcare costs and patient cost sharing in an evolving healthcare environment. Patients and providers can consider this information prior to surgery to better anticipate the individual financial burden for neurosurgical care.
A Non-Probabilistic Justification of Induction

If a probability, either in the Laplacian sense or in an empirical sense or in a sense of habit, ought not to be ascribed to an inductive conclusion, then on what ground should we say that induction is valid? In other words, since it is nonsense to speak of the probability of a single inductive inference and its conclusions in either sense, how should we conceive of the problem of justifying induction and explain the inductive validity? In his article entitled “Validity” in Baldwin’s Dictionary of Philosophy and Psycology, Peirce explains the validity of an argument in the following terms: Every argument or inference professes to conform to a general method or type of reasoning, which method, it is held, has one kind of virtue or another in producing truth. In order to be valid the argument or inference must really pursue the method it professes to pursue, and furthermore, that method must have the kind of truth-producing virtue which it is supposed to have.1
Thin Film Tribology and Rubber Bearings

Plasto-Elastohydrodynamics is the name given to the interaction of elastic and hydrodynamic forces in properly designed rubber bearings. Resulting design features include reduced rubber thickness (forms a lubricant-trapping pocket), glass-smooth bearing surface (maintains thin film to very low shaft speeds), wide staves (eliminates edge interaction), reduced number of staves or lands (lower friction) and shorter bearings. The rubber bearing designs now in use originated in the 1920's. These new improvements will enable rubber bearings to perform in a manner superior to other water-lubricated bearing materials and possibly even to oil-lubricated metal bearings in marine applications. Retained will be unique advantages such as the ability to handle grit-laden lubricant.
Building Worlds for an Interactive Experience: Selecting, Organizing, and Showing Worlds of Information Through Comics

AbstractScott McCloud’s “Google Chrome” comic appeared in October 2008 as a piece of information design in the comics form. Days later, Peter Gasston, in a blog post entitled “Understanding Comics and User Experience,” convincingly connects Scott McCloud’s six steps of creating an effective comic (in Understanding Comics) to Jesse James Garrett’s (2002) five planes of a webpage structure, in The Elements of User Experience, claiming that the two are describing significant methods of information design. Both Garrett and McCloud, however, have another common trait in their theoretical approaches to designing information: they each seek to build worlds of information that engage an audience to integrate the story of that information into their lives. The construction of a world, defined as a particular view of the world, develops through the selection, organization and structure of the story in which that information develops to create contextual wisdom. The Google Chrome comic, enacts McCloud’s (1994) claim...
Linguistic Theory in the Later Middle Ages

After the 11th century, linguistic theory was developed primarily through commentaries and treatises on Priscian's Latin grammar. Late medieval linguistic theory emphasized syntax and semantics. In the mid–12th century, some grammarians and philosophers considered words in terms of how language signifies universals in different ‘modes of signifying.’ In the 13th and 14th centuries, speculative grammarians (modistae) developed a sophisticated moderate realist theory of grammar and the different modes of signification (being, understanding, expression) of the parts of speech based on syntactic and semantic criteria. Other grammarians and philosophers extended the modistae's theory of grammar by also accounting for grammaticality in terms of speech contexts and intentions.
Primaries and Candidate Polarization: Behavioral Theory and Experimental Evidence

Do primary elections cause candidates to take extreme, polarized positions? Standard equilibrium analysis predicts full convergence to the median voter’s position with complete information, but behavioral game theory predicts divergence when players are policy-motivated and have out-of-equilibrium beliefs. Theoretically, I show that primary elections can cause greater extremism or moderation, depending on the beliefs candidates and voters have about their opponents. In a controlled incentivized experiment, I find that candidates diverge substantially and that primaries have little effect on average positions. Voters employ a strategy that weeds out candidates who are either too moderate or too extreme, which enhances ideological purity without increasing divergence. The analysis highlights the importance of behavioral assumptions in understanding the effects of electoral institutions.
Does the body give the brain an attentional boost? Examining the relationship between attentional and cardiac gating

Abstract Studies on mind-body interactions have largely focused on how mental states modulate bodily physiological responses. Increasing evidence suggests that bodily states also modulate mental states. Here we investigated how both may be integrated in the brain at the resolution of a heartbeat, examining how phasic fluctuations of peripheral blood pressure and central attentional resources combine to influence cognition. We examined the effects of cardiac phase on the performance of two simultaneous tasks: a go/no-go letter detection task where targets were concurrently presented on background faces and a short-term memory face discrimination task. Short-term memory for the background face was better when the initial face was encoded during the systole rather than diastole phase and when it was paired with a target rather than a distractor. There was no significant interaction between cardiac phase and letter detection. These data suggest that peripheral blood pressure and central attention independently regulate cognitive performance.
Decomposition algorithm for distributionally robust optimization using Wasserstein metric with an application to a class of regression models

Abstract We study distributionally robust optimization (DRO) problems where the ambiguity set is defined using the Wasserstein metric and can account for a bounded support. We show that this class of DRO problems can be reformulated as decomposable semi-infinite programs. We use a cutting-surface method to solve the reformulated problem for the general nonlinear model, assuming that we have a separation oracle. As examples, we consider the problems arising from the machine learning models where variables couple with data in a bilinear form in the loss function. We present a branch-and-bound algorithm to solve the separation problem for this case using an iterative piece-wise linear approximation scheme. We use a distributionally robust generalization of the logistic regression model to test our algorithm. We also show that it is possible to approximate the logistic-loss function with significantly less linear pieces than those needed for a general loss function to achieve a given accuracy when generating a cutting surface. Numerical experiments on the distributionally robust logistic regression models show that the number of oracle calls are typically 20–50 to achieve 5-digit precision. The solution found by the model has better predicting power than classical logistic regression when the sample size is small.
Photochemically-Mediated, Nickel-Catalyzed Synthesis of N-(Hetero)aryl Sulfamate Esters.

A general method is described for the coupling of (hetero)aryl bromides with O-alkyl sulfamate esters. The protocol relies on catalytic amounts of nickel and photoexcitable iridium complexes and pr...
Prediction of Heat Leakage Through Fish Hold Wall Sections

Heat transfer through hold wall sections was investigated to improve prediction of heat leakage through fish hold boundaries of steel fishing vessels in the range of 14 to 32 m (45 to 105 ft). A finite-difference heat-transfer model was developed and eight fish hold wall sections representative of a 14 m (45 ft) boat were tested using the «guarded hot box» technique (ASTM C 236-80). Good agreement was obtained between the predicted and tested results. By applying the model, design curves of wall sections representative of typical West Coast steel vessels are presented
Monitoring results of human brucellosis epidemic from 2008 to 2012 in Harbin

Objective As brucellosis epidemic is constantly rising in Harbin in recent years,we analyze the epidemic and surveillance results at municipal surveillance spots of brucellosis from 2008 to 2012,to find out the epidemic characteristics of Harbin brucellosis,and to provide scientific evidences for development of countermeasures.Methods Brucellosis surveillance data which were collected from the "National Diseases Surveillance Information Management System" from 2008 to 2010,the epidemic characteristics of Harbin brucellosis (including regional,time and population distribution) and the municipal surveillance results in Harbin (including epidemiological investigation and serological surveillance) were analyzed.Results A total of 1348 cases of brucellosis were reported in Harbin from 2008 to 2012,and the incidence of brucellosis increased from 1.79 per 100 000 to 4.62 per 100 000; in addition to Pingfang District (2008-2011) and Fangzheng County(2009 and 2011),all eighteen districts (counties or cities) in Harbin had reported epidemic in the past five years,the highest incidence was in Yilan (382 cases),and the incidence was significantly increased in Shuangcheng(111 cases) and Binxian(73 cases) in 2012; the time of onset focused on March to July,which accounted for 62.54％(843/1348) of annual incidence; age distribution,mainly young adults aged 30 to 60(71.59％,965/1348); gender distribution predominantly male (75.45％,1017/1348) ; occupational distribution farmers(84.87％,1144/1348),and the number of infected students and house workers were also high in the past five years(4.23％,57/1348 and 2.52％,34/1348).In the municipal surveillance spots from 2008 to 2012,13 010 cases were surveyed,of which 2695 cases received serological test,the positive rate was 3.93％ (106/2695),and the positive rate was increasing year by year.Conclusions The incidence of Harbin brucellosis is increasing year by year,onset season mainly in the spring and summer,young men with a high incidence,and farmers are main professional people.Brucellosis has also occurred among students,domestic workers,which should be vigilant.Therefore,we should further strengthen surveillance,timely analyze and report the epidemic,and provide a scientific basis to ensure each measure of eliminating the sources of infection put in place,vigorously develop health education,strengthen inter-departments cooperation,and control the spread of epidemic. Key words: Brucellosis; Epidemiologic studies ; Surveillance
Laptop or Bust: How Lack of Technology Affects Student Achievement

Research shows that digital divides and inequalities are related to lower socioeconomic status and detrimental to social and economic capital acquisition. Other studies show that use of information...
The Road to Becoming a Design Thinking Business Professional: Expected Bumps Along the Way

Business schools around the world are increasingly integrating design thinking into their curricula, which invites definition of a new professional identity for individuals effectively working at the intersection of the two fields. Research is needed, however, to understand what such a profession might entail and in what ways students might best be prepared to enter it. Defining the capabilities that a design thinking business professional will embody requires an understanding of the ways design thinking complements or contradicts more traditional critical thinking approaches applied to business decisions. This chapter adopts a framework grounded in learning theory to describe the four basic capabilities needed to frame and solve problems in practice: observing and noticing; framing and reframing; imagining and designing; and making and experimenting. Using that framework, it unpacks the contributions that design and critical thinking make to the development of each of the capabilities in a business setting and highlights challenges associated with helping business students learn design thinking and how they might use it to complement other approaches to framing and solving business problems.
Accelerometer-Based, Computer-Navigated Total Knee Arthroplasty to Correct a Complex Deformity in a Patient With Multiple Hereditary Exostoses

Abstract Background Accelerometer-based computer-assisted navigation systems (ABCANSs) have been shown to improve alignment accuracy in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and are effective in treating complex extra-articular deformity. We present an ABCANS-assisted TKA performed in a 68-year-old male with end-stage arthritis of the right knee, in the setting of a severe valgus deformity secondary to multiple hereditary exostoses. Methods The KneeAlign 2 system (OrthAlign, Inc.; Aliso Viejo, CA) was used to perform the TKA in this clinical scenario, given its functionality, which allows angular correction to be tailored to a given deformity, and its reported accuracy in performance of bony resection in TKA. The patient was prospectively followed up for one year postoperatively. Radiographs, PROMs, and patient satisfaction were reported. Results After the ABCANS-assisted TKA, the patient's alignment was improved from 25° to 4° of valgus. His final range of motion was 0-135° without an instability. In addition, the patient reported excellent scores on multiple joint-specific outcome measures, including the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for Joint Replacement, the Forgotten Joint Score, and the Oxford Knee Score. Conclusion This case report illustrates the rationale, technique, and the excellent clinical outcomes achieved in a complex patient with extra-articular deformity using an ABCANS-assisted TKA.
Privacy-preserving polling

Can you answer a poll without revealing your true preferences and have the results of the poll still be accurate?
Regulation of Serum Exosomal MicroRNAs in Mice Infected with Orientia tsutsugamushi

Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles that carry proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. They are circulated in many body fluids and play an important role in intercellular communications. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), as major components of exosomes, are often regulated in many diseases including bacterial and viral infections. Functionally, exosome-carried miRNAs interact with various immune cells and affect their behavior. Little is known whether exosomal miRNAs are regulated during scrub typhus, a potentially lethal infection caused by intracellular bacteria, Orientiatsutsugamushi. In the present study, we utilized a scrub typhus mouse model and collected serum at various time points post infection. A custom quantitative PCR array covering 92 murine miRNAs was used to profile serum exosomal miRNAs. A total of 12 miRNAs were found to be significantly up- or down-regulated at least at one time point post infection when compared to uninfected animals. Further analysis identified multiple miRNAs in the let-7 family that were consistently down-regulated at early and late phase of infection. Functionally, serum exosomes isolated from infected mice displayed strong proinflammatory effect when incubated with bone marrow-derived macrophages. Our data revealed dynamic regulations of serum exosomal miRNA during scrub typhus infection, which could significantly influence host immune responses and disease outcome.
EXPLORING TRANSIENT, NEUTRONIC, REDUCED-ORDER MODELS USING DMD/POD-GALERKIN AND DATA-DRIVEN DMD

There is growing interest in the development of transient, multiphysics models for nuclear reactors and analysis of uncertainties in those models. Reduced-order models (ROMs) provide a computationally cheaper alternative to compute uncertainties. However, the application of ROMs to transient systems remains a challenging task. Here, a 1-D, twogroup, time-dependent, diffusion model was used to explore the potential of three different ROMs: the intrusive POD-Galerkin and DMD-Galerkin methods and the purely datadriven DMD. For the problem studied, POD-Galerkin exhibited by far the best accuracy and was selected for further application to uncertainty propagation. Perturbations were introduced to the initial condition and to the cross-section data. A greedy-POD sampling procedure was used to construct a reduced space that captured much of the variation in the uncertain these parameters. Results indicate that relatively few samples of the uncertain parameters are needed to produce a basis for POD-Galerkin that leads to distributions of the quantities of interest that match well with those obtained from the full-order model using brute-force, forward sampling.
Managing disruptive patients in the perioperative setting: A case-based review

Abstract Physician-patient conflict is inevitable in the field of medicine. Difficult patient encounters can contribute to physician burnout and job dissatisfaction, as well as potentially compromise medical judgment and adversely affect patient care. The perioperative area in particular presents unique challenges to both physicians and their patients. This article illustrates how distinct emotional and time pressures characteristic of the perioperative care area can produce a magnification of stress and misunderstanding between the physician and patient. We describe the impact of conflict on the physician and patient and the ethical principles that apply when this occurs. We also guide the reader on how to effectively navigate negatively charged physician-patient interactions, both personally and institutionally.
Crystallization of Polymers: Polymer–polymer mixtures

Introduction This chapter is concerned with the thermodynamic aspects of the fusion of binary mixtures of two homopolymers. The structural and morphological features that result from the departure from equilibrium, and their influence on properties, will be discussed in a subsequent chapter. Binary polymer blends present several different situations. An important distinction has to be made as to whether the components are miscible, immiscible or partially miscible with one another in the molten or liquid state. Flory has pointed out that the mixing of two polymeric components in the liquid state follows normal thermodynamic principles. Since the entropy change of mixing two long chain molecules is small, only a minute, positive enthalpic interaction will produce limited miscibility. It can then be expected that incompatibility of chemically dissimilar polymers should be the general rule. Experiment supports this conclusion. Compatibility, or miscibility, should be the exception. However, many polymer pairs have been found that are miscible, or partially miscible, with one another. Miscibility involves very specific, favorable interactions between the two components. Among the types of interactions involved are hydrogen bonding, charge transfer complexing and dipolar effects. There are different situations within the miscible or partially miscible categories that need to be recognized and analyzed separately. The main groupings are: mixtures of two chemically different species, only one of which crystallizes; two chemically different species, each of which crystallizes independently; two chemically different species that co-crystallize; and mixtures of chemically identical polymer species that either do or do not co-crystallize.
Chapter 26 Toward the chronobiology and chronomics of the intestine

Publisher Summary Chronomics, a computer-aided data collection and analysis, map time structures, chronomes, in the alimentary canal and elsewhere. Chronomics complement chronobiology, as genomics complement genetics. This chapter introduces the conceptual and methodological steps underlying the time-microscopic mapping of the normal range of variation in general, and in the gut in particular. With chronobiologic provisions and safeguards, chronomics can map an integrative internal–external collateral hierarchy for physiological coordination that replaces the illusion of a master clock serving for constancy. The naked eye is an important tool, but if used alone, it has severe limitations. A ubiquitous phase-adjusting mechanism with subtractive coupling, effects upon the circadian amplitude, the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), has particular pertinence for the alimentary canal. On a restricted diet, the gut overrides the hypothalamus in collateral rather than up/down hierarchy, a basic finding that awaits time-microscopic manipulation in various applications.
Triene electrocyclizations: Some structure reactivity relations☆

Abstract Two stereoselective routes for the synthesis of trienes having a central cis double bond have been devised. These were employed for the synthesis of (Z)-1-(cyclohexen-1-yl)-1,3-butadiene ( 1 ), (Z,E)-1-(cyclohexen-1-yl)-1,3-pentadiene ( 2 ), (Z,Z)-1-(cyclohexen-1-yl)-1,3-pentadiene ( 3 ), 1,2-divinyleyclohexene ( 4 ), (E,Z)-1-phenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene ( 5 ), (Z,Z)-1-phenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene ( 6 ) and (E,Z)-1-( p -chlorophenyl)-1,3,5-hexatriene ( 7 ). Rates of the thermal electrocyclization and activation parameters were measured for these in inert solvents. The results are tabulated below. Compound k 1 x 10 5 (sec −1 ) Temp (°C) Δ H ‡ Δ S ‡ 1 12·8 132 29 −6 2 12·5 132 29 −1 3 2·6 173 34 −5 4 3·86 125 25 −15 5 16·0 145 28 −8 6 3·0 195 7 15·0 145 25 −18(?) The results and their implications for transition state geometry are considered.
Computer-aided sensitivity analysis of transistor microwave oscillators

A methodology to perform sensitivity analysis on a given oscillator circuit prior to its construction is presented. The method uses a computer program developed to obtain the solution of the oscillation equations, and a commercially available curve-fitting routine. Results of the sensitivity analysis performed on a 2 GHz oscillator circuit are presented. >
A Single RNaseIII Domain Protein from Entamoeba histolytica Has dsRNA Cleavage Activity and Can Help Mediate RNAi Gene Silencing in a Heterologous System

Dicer enzymes process double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) into small RNAs that target gene silencing through the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. Dicer enzymes are complex, multi-domain RNaseIII proteins, however structural minimalism of this protein has recently emerged in parasitic and fungal systems. The most minimal Dicer, Saccharomyces castellii Dicer1, has a single RNaseIII domain and two double stranded RNA binding domains. In the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica 27nt small RNAs are abundant and mediate silencing, yet no canonical Dicer enzyme has been identified. Although EhRNaseIII does not exhibit robust dsRNA cleavage in vitro, it can process dsRNA in the RNAi-negative background of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and in conjunction with S. castellii Argonaute1 can partially reconstitute the RNAi pathway. Thus, although EhRNaseIII lacks the domain architecture of canonical or minimal Dicer enzymes, it has dsRNA processing activity that contributes to gene silencing via RNAi. Our data advance the understanding of small RNA biogenesis in Entamoeba as well as broaden the spectrum of non-canonical Dicer enzymes that contribute to the RNAi pathway.
Determination of the isocyanate and isothiocyanate groups. Micro and semimicro methods

Abstract The procedures for micro (0.1 meq.) and semimicro (0.1 meq.) determination of the isocyanate or isothiocyanate group are presented The method is based on the addition reaction of n-butylamine in dioxane solution to the -NCO or -NCS group. The reaction is complete in 15 minutes for aromatic compounds and 45 minutes for aliphatic compounds. The excess amine is determined by direct titration with standard acid using methyl red as indicator. The stability of the n-butylamine reagent solution has been studied and the precision of the method was found to be about 0.5%.
Genomic and expression profiling of adrenocortical carcinoma: application to diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is an aggressive endocrine tumor with a poor 5-year survival rate of 10–20%. Current therapy is often ineffective and may be associated with intolerable side effects. Although ACC is extremely rare, recent advances in genomic and expression profiling, coupled with knowledge gained from the study of the inherited syndromes that increase ACC risk, are beginning to bring together a picture of a tumor type dependent on p53, the G2/M cell cycle transition and IGF2 stimulation. Nevertheless, ACC remains a heterogeneous disease. Only recently have sufficient tumors been characterized and results published to permit an exploration of this diversity. Advances in treatment will depend on exploiting those pathways already implicated in ACC, along with those yet to be identified, and testing those treatments in better models of the disease than the three cell lines that currently exist and are widely available to the community.
Nematodes Parasitic On Forest Trees

Seedlings of nine pine species native to the Southeast were grown in 20-cm pots in the greenhouse and inoculated with eight species of endoparasitic nematodes. Completion of life cycles after 6 to 9 months indicated a positive host-parasite relationship for a given nematode-pine combination. Lance (Hoplolaimus galeattts), pine cystoid (Meloidodera floridensis), and root-lesion (Pratylenchus brachyurus) nematodes reproduced on most of the pines tested. None of the pines were hosts for the remaining five nematode species tested: Meloidogyne arenaria, M. hapla, M. incognita, M. javanica, and Pratylenchus zeae.
Effects of P, K, and liming on soil pH, Al, Mn, K, and forage barley dry matter yield and quality for a newly-cleared cryorthod

Forage barley dry matter yield and quality, as well as soil pH, Al, and Mn were monitored in response to P, K, and lime application on a newly cleared Typic Cryorthod (Orthid Podzol). The overall yearly yield level was affected by precipitation. Without liming soil acidification occurred after three years of production. The liming rate of 2.2 Mg.ha−1 was found optimal for maintaining initial pH levels (5.66) and increasing forage barley yields. It was also found optimum for K and P utilization for these first years of production. Soil pH dropped an average of 0.33 units over the three years on unlimed P plots and 0.46 units over 4 years on K plots. Phosphorus and K fertilization increased N utilization and resulted in decreased soil acidification. Phosphorus availability was greater in the first year of cropping than in subsequent years, this was likely due to the effects of higher available moisture, liming release of native P, and effects of initial fertilization. There was a 148% increase in total dry matter yield and an 85% increase in protein yield of forage barley with P application. Liming increased total forage barley yields an average of 69% and total protein yields 48%. Reduced barley yields in unlimed plots were due to low soil pH. After two years of cultivation, unlimed plots contained exchangeable Al and soluble Mn levels reported toxic for other soils. The higher liming rates of 4.4 and 6.6 Mg.ha−1 reduced soluble Mn to near critically low levels. soil Al and Mn were highly correlated to pH. Soil exchangeable Al, Mn, and soluble Mn along with tissue Al were inversely correlated to percentage yield. The average yield respone to three levels of applied K, increased from zero initially to 67% by the fourth year. Total dry-matter production increased 32% and total protein yield increased an average of 32% and total protein yield increased an average of 15% with K fertilization over four years. About 60% of the yield response occurred between the 0 and 22kg K.ha−1 rates. Initial soil exchangeable K levels were not maintained even at the highest 66kg K.ha−1 treatment. Soil exchangeable Al and soluble Mn were elevated with dropping pH. Soil K reserves and resupply of exchangeable K in these soils over the long term will be an important factor in crop production.
Examining Risk and Protective Factors for Alcohol Use in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth: A Longitudinal Multilevel Analysis

Objective:Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth are at increased risk for alcohol misuse, but little is known about the psychosocial and demographic factors that are associated with these differences over time. The purpose of this study was to investigate change in alcohol use across development. We aimed to describe group/demographic differences in alcohol use, the effects of psychosocial variables on drinking within persons (i.e., psychological distress, sexual orientation–based victimization, and perceived family support), and the interactions between demographic differences and longitudinal psychosocial variables in predicting rates of alcohol use.Method:The current study used data from the longest running longitudinal study of LGBT youth. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine both demographic differences and psychosocial predictors of alcohol use in an ethnically diverse sample of 246 LGBT youth (ages 16–20 years at baseline) across five time points over 2.5 years.Results:Dr...
Localization of high-affinity and low-affinity nerve growth factor receptors in cultured rat basal forebrain.

Abstract Previous work has indicated that nerve growth factor specifically and selectively increases choline acetyltransferase and acetylcholinesterase in organotypic cultures of rat basal forebrain-medial septal area. To determine whether these actions are potentially receptor-mediated, organotypic and dissociated basal forebrain-medial septal area cultures were examined. Two independent methods, [ 125 I]nerve growth factor binding and immunocytochemistry with a monoclonal nerve growth factor receptor antibody (192-IgG), detected specific receptors. The nerve growth factor receptors were localized to two different cellular populations: flat, large, non-neuron-like cells, and small, round, process-bearing, neuron-like cells. Dissociation studies with [ 125 I]nerve growth factor suggested that high-affinity receptors were localized to the neuron-like population, while only low-affinity receptors were localized to the non-neuron-like cells. We tentatively conclude that nerve growth factor may elicit cholinergic effects by directly binding to high-affinity receptors on neurons. To begin examining receptor regulation, cultures were exposed to exogenous, unlabeled nerve growth factor continuously for 10 days before binding studies were performed. Prior exposure to nerve growth factor did not alter binding characteristics of the receptor, using the present methods.
Tumor inhibitors II: Constituents and antitumor activity of sarracenia flava

Abstract The chloroform extracts of the roots and leaves of Sarracenia flava showed antitumor activity against lymphocytic leukemia P‐388. Lupeol was identified as one constituent responsible for this activity. β‐Sitosterol and α‐amyrin were isolated from the hexane extract of the roots.
Memantine as adjunctive therapy in children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders: an observation of initial clinical response and maintenance tolerability.

Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified are common developmental problems often seen by child neurologists. There are currently no cures for these lifelong and socially impairing conditions that affect core domains of human behavior such as language, social interaction, and social awareness. The etiology may be multifactorial and may include autoimmune, genetic, neuroanatomic, and possibly excessive glutaminergic mechanisms. Because memantine is a moderate affinity antagonist of the N-methylD-aspartic acid (NMDA) glutamate receptor, this drug was hypothesized to potentially modulate learning, block excessive glutamate effects that can include neuroinflammatory activity, and influence neuroglial activity in autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. Open-label add-on therapy was offered to 151 patients with prior diagnoses of autism or Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified over a 21-month period. To generate a clinician-derived Clinic...
Two libraries, one direction

Compares New York’s Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Skidmore College, two very different institutions with very different libraries. Both libraries are challenged by higher costs for serials. Both have cancelled serials. Although very different, both libraries are moving in the same direction: increasing electronic access; introducing full‐text electronic journals; and participating in collaborative efforts among libraries to provide access to information. Neither library is a trend setter. Believes that their choices and their direction may indicate how far‐reaching the effects of the serials crisis truly are, as well as indicate how much libraries have changed.
Aprt/Opn double knockout mice : Osteopontin is a modifier of kidney stone disease severity

Aprt/Opn double knockout mice: Osteopontin is a modifier of kidney stone disease severity. Background Osteopontin (OPN) is reported to have two distinct functions in kidney disease: Promotion of inflammation at sites of tissue injury, and inhibition of calcium oxalate monohydrate stone formation. However, many of the studies supporting these functions were carried out in animal models of acute renal injury or in cultured cells; thus, the role of OPN in chronic renal disease is not well defined. We examined the role of OPN in adenine phosphoribosyltransferase ( Aprt ) knockout mice, in which inflammation and formation of 2,8-dihydroxyadenine (DHA) kidney stones are prominent features, by generating Aprt / Opn double knockout mice. Methods We characterized the phenotypes of six- and 12-week-old Aprt-/- Opn-/- , Aprt-/- Opn+/+ , Aprt+/+ Opn-/- , and Aprt+/+ Opn+/+ male and female mice using biochemical, histologic, immunohistochemical, and in situ hybridization techniques. Results At 6 weeks of age, there was no difference in phenotype between double knockout and Aprt knockout mice. At 12 weeks, there was increased adenine and DHA excretion, renal crystal deposition, and inflammation in double knockout versus Aprt knockout male mice. Double knockout and Aprt knockout female mice at 12 weeks had less pathology than their male counterparts, but kidneys from double knockout females showed more inflammation compared with Aprt knockout females; both genotypes had similar levels of DHA crystal deposition. Conclusion We conclude that ( 1 ) OPN is a major inhibitor of DHA crystal deposition and inflammation in male mice; and ( 2 ) OPN is a major modifier of the inflammatory response but not of crystal deposition in female mice. Thus, separate mechanisms appear responsible for the tissue changes seen in DKO males versus females.
Chasing the phantom: A closer look at type Ia supernovae and the dark energy equation of state

Some recent observations provide $g2\ensuremath{\sigma}$ evidence for phantom dark energy---a value of the dark energy equation of state less than the cosmological-constant value of $\ensuremath{-}1$. We focus on constraining the equation of state by combining current data from the most mature geometrical probes of dark energy: type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) from the Supernova Legacy Survey (SNLS3), the Supernova Cosmology Project (Union2.1), and the Pan-STARRS1 survey (PS1); cosmic microwave background measurements from Planck and WMAP9; and a combination of measurements of baryon acoustic oscillations. The combined data are consistent with $w=\ensuremath{-}1$ for the Union2.1 sample, though they present moderate ($\ensuremath{\sim}1.9\ensuremath{\sigma}$) evidence for a phantom value when either the SNLS3 or PS1 sample is used instead. We study the dependence of the constraints on the redshift, stretch, color, and host galaxy stellar mass of SNe, but we find no unusual trends. In contrast, the constraints strongly depend on any external ${H}_{0}$ prior: a higher adopted value for the direct measurement of the Hubble constant (${H}_{0}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}71\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{km}/\mathrm{s}/\mathrm{Mpc}$) leads to $\ensuremath{\gtrsim}2\ensuremath{\sigma}$ evidence for phantom dark energy. Given Planck data, we can therefore make the following statement at $2\ensuremath{\sigma}$ confidence: either the SNLS3 and PS1 data have systematics that remain unaccounted for or the Hubble constant is below $71\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{km}/\mathrm{s}/\mathrm{Mpc}$; else the dark energy equation of state is indeed phantom.
Generating Efficient Quantum Chemistry Codes for Novel Architectures

We describe an extension of our graphics processing unit (GPU) electronic structure program TeraChem to include atom-centered Gaussian basis sets with d angular momentum functions. This was made possible by a "meta-programming" strategy that leverages computer algebra systems for the derivation of equations and their transformation to correct code. We generate a multitude of code fragments that are formally mathematically equivalent, but differ in their memory and floating-point operation footprints. We then select between different code fragments using empirical testing to find the highest performing code variant. This leads to an optimal balance of floating-point operations and memory bandwidth for a given target architecture without laborious manual tuning. We show that this approach is capable of similar performance compared to our hand-tuned GPU kernels for basis sets with s and p angular momenta. We also demonstrate that mixed precision schemes (using both single and double precision) remain stable and accurate for molecules with d functions. We provide benchmarks of the execution time of entire self-consistent field (SCF) calculations using our GPU code and compare to mature CPU based codes, showing the benefits of the GPU architecture for electronic structure theory with appropriately redesigned algorithms. We suggest that the meta-programming and empirical performance optimization approach may be important in future computational chemistry applications, especially in the face of quickly evolving computer architectures.
Children's understanding of counting

Abstract This study examines the abstractness of children's mental representation of counting, and their understanding that the last number word used in a count tells how many items there are (the cardinal word principle). In the first experiment, twenty-four 2- and 3-year-olds counted objects, actions, and sounds. Children counted objects best, but most showed some ability to generalize their counting to actions and sounds, suggesting that at a very young age, children begin to develop an abstract, generalizable mental representation of the counting routine. However, when asked “how many” following counting, only older children (mean age 3:6) gave the last number word used in the count a majority of the time, suggesting that the younger children did not understand the cardinal word principle. In the second experiment (the “give-a-number” task), the same children were asked to give a puppet one, two, three, five and six items from a pile. The older children counted the items, showing a clear understanding of the cardinal word principle. The younger children succeeded only at giving one and sometimes two items, and never used counting to solve the task. A comparison of individual children's performance across the “how-many” and “give-a-number” tasks shows strong within-child consistency, indicating that children learn the cardinal word principle at roughly 3 1/2years of age. In the third experiment, 18 2- and 3-years-olds were asked several times for one, two, three, five, and six items, to determine the largest numerosity at which each child could succeed consistenly. Results indicate that children learn the meanings of smaller number words before larger ones within their counting range, up to the number three or four. They then learn the cardinal word principle at roughly 3 1/2 years of age, and perform a general induction over this knowledge to acquire the meanings of all the number words within their counting range.