cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cardiac Left-Right Asymmetry

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews mechanisms that influence left–right asymmetry in vertebrate heart development. In the formation of the parallel systemic and pulmonary circulatory systems of the heart, left–right asymmetry is an essential aspect in determining both structure and function. It is becoming clear that traditional examples such as dextrocardia, the misplacement of the heart to the right, or heterotaxia, the alteration of heart orientation with respect to other organs, are only a subset of left–right cardiac defects. More commonly, subtle defects result in misalignment of the inflow and outflow tracts of the heart, resulting in a significant spectrum of congenital defects. Left–right patterning involves over 100 genes that encode components of several major cell–cell signaling pathways, as well as transcription factors and proteins required for formation of cilia. Strikingly, several embryonic tissues outside the cardiogenic fields are essential for normal cardiac left–right patterning, including cells in the embryonic node, caudal mesoderm, lateral plate mesoderm, notochord, and ventral floorplate of the neural tube. Thus, defects in cardiac left–right development can often be part of a syndrome that also presents with cilia defects or subclinical defects in midline or neural tube patterning. The understanding of the molecular basis of left–right development has greatly expanded in the last decade. The mechanisms that generate left–right asymmetry are actively studied in several vertebrate model systems, including embryos of mice, zebrafish, frogs, medaka fish, chick and rabbit, and by genetic analysis for inherited laterality defects in humans. In addition, the noncardiac cells that are essential for cardiac left–right patterning, such as ciliated cells, midline cells, and lateral plate mesoderm are becoming better understood.
DSP Integration Examples

This chapter analyzes digital signal processing (DSP) integration examples. These examples correspond to the DSP systems built by LabVIEW including digital filtering, integer arithmetic, adaptive filtering, and frequency processing. In order to specify a project to be used by the code composer studio (CCS) automation virtual instruments (VIs), a file path to the project file should be built. Two methods for creating a path include—creating a relative path by assuming that the CCS project file is located in the folder where the VI resides and the other method is creating a project path using an absolute path. It is noted that data is continuously exchanged using the CCS Communication VIs, when both the VI and CCS are running. In context to digital filtering, the filtering code written in C is often used to run the filtering block on the DSP. After creating the VI for the signal source and the CCS project for the FIR filtering block, VI is run from LabVIEW.
Convergence of Numerical Method for Multistate Stochastic Dynamic Programming

Abstract Convergence of corrections is examined for a predictor-corrector method to solve Bellman equations of multi-state stochastic optimal control in continuous time. Quadratic costs and constrained control are assumed. A heuristically linearized comparison equation makes the nonlinear, discontinuous Bellman equation amenable to linear convergence analysis. Convergence is studied using the Fourier stability method. A uniform mesh ratio type condition for the convergence is results. The results are valid for both Gaussian and Poisson type stochastic noise. The convergence criteria has been extremely useful for solving the larger multi-state problems on vector supercomputers and massively parallel processors
Chapter Five: The Broad Problem of Airport Noise: Airports, the Courts, the Federal Government, and the Environment

Aircraft noise took on extreme urgency following the introduction of jet airliners in the late 1950s, becoming the single largest environmental issue facing commercial airports. This chapter details how the noise issue illustrates the often strained relationship between the federal government and local governments over airports, especially after a crucial 1962 Supreme Court decision in Griggs v. Allegheny County placing full liability for aircraft noise on the airport owners and managers. Local officials argued that the federal government—as well as the airlines and the aircraft industry—needed to take greater responsibility for and make far greater efforts to deal with jet aircraft noise. However, the federal government and others were perfectly happy to let local officials find the solutions, but within very restricted parameters.
The 8.6 inch-diagonal TFT-LCDs of symmetric sub-dot design

TFT-LCDs (thin-film transistor liquid-crystal displays) of symmetric subdot design that are 8.6 in measured diagonally have been developed. Each dot is divided into two subdots. These two subdots are symmetrical with respect to a source-busline. This configuration cancels the DC offset difference which is induced by the alignment tolerance and is especially effective for large-size TFT-LCDs. >
Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors control baseline activity and Hebbian stimulus-timing dependent plasticity in fusiform cells of the dorsal cochlear nucleus

This study is the first to use a novel method of atropine infusion directly into the fusiform cell layer of the DCN coupled with simultaneous recordings of neural activity to clarify the contributi...
Robust Design Optimization and Optimal Uncertainty Apportionment for Nonlinear Vehicle Systems

All real-life systems, including mechanical systems, are affected by uncertainties that can occur in the system parameters, in the initial conditions, in the external excitations, in the sensor signal, etc. Such uncertainties must be accounted for when designing a mechanical system; designs that ignore uncertainty often lead to poor robustness and suboptimal performance. Thus, in this study, we develop a novel optimal design framework that focuses on uncertain dynamical systems described by ordinary differential equations. Using prior research conducted in our group, in this work the uncertainties are modeled using a Generalized Polynomial Chaos (gPC) approach and are solved quantitatively using a least-square collocation method. The computational efficiency of this approach allows statistical moments to be explicitly included in the formulations of the objective function(s) and of the constraints to perform optimal designs under uncertainty. The mechanical systems that benefit the most from this research methodology are nonlinear, have active constraints, or conflicting design objective, such as the vehicle systems. Using a constraint-based multi-objective formulation, the direct treatment of uncertainties during the optimization process is shown to shift the resulting Pareto optimal trade-off curve.
Incorporating a Minimum Tax in a Territorial System

In this report, Fleming, Peroni, and Shay analyze the effects of including a final, low-rate minimum tax on U.S. multinational corporations in a territorial system. They continue to prefer a real worldwide international tax system, but see a final, low-rate minimum tax as a second-best measure to reduce the revenue loss of a territorial system.
Using Clinical Notes and Natural Language Processing for Automated HIV Risk Assessment.

Objective:Universal HIV screening programs are costly, labor intensive, and often fail to identify high-risk individuals. Automated risk assessment methods that leverage longitudinal electronic health records (EHRs) could catalyze targeted screening programs. Although social and behavioral determina
It's All in Your Head: Neurotechnological Lie Detection and the Fourth and Fifth Amendments

Advances in lie detection technology raise important and tricky new legal questions, especially in terms of criminal procedure. This article examines several types of brain-scan-based lie detection, both those being sold now and those that are still several years away from in-the-field use, in terms of the protections of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. Focusing on the most developed of the technologies - FMRI - the article concludes that proper use of such lie detectors violates neither the Fourth nor Fifth Amendments.
Applying a cultural multilevel selection framework to the adoption of sustainable management practices in California viticulture

In light of the ongoing environmental impacts of agriculture, understanding farmer adoption of sustainable management practices (SMPs) is an important priority. Relatively little work in agricultural adoption has explicitly examined the multilevel dynamics of adoption decision-making. Yet because many SMPs involve cooperative dilemmas—they are individually costly but provide group benefits—understanding the dynamics of both individual and group level behavioral change is critical. In this paper, we argue that cultural evolutionary theory is well suited to examining the emergence and spread of cooperative SMPs, and we illustrate this claim by applying a cultural multilevel selection (CMLS) framework to the adoption of SMPs on the part of winegrape growers in California, USA. Using survey data from over 800 winegrape growers in 3 regions, we estimate the individual-level costs and group-level benefits of 44 different SMPs. We then relate this to variation in their adoption within and between winegrape growing regions to characterize the scope for cultural group selection of the various practices. We also identify a number of mechanisms that might plausibly explain the observed patterns of variation, including various forms of cultural group selection. We highlight the added value of this perspective with respect to the established approaches and outline the data requirements for researchers to conduct similar studies in other settings. Our results underscore the potential for a cultural evolutionary perspective to shed light on the multiscale mechanisms driving adoption of SMPs and, more generally, the promise of cultural evolutionary approaches to supplement existing analytical toolkits in sustainability science.
High Turnover of Tissue Macrophages Contributes to Tuberculosis Reactivation in Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Rhesus Macaques.

Background Tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) profoundly affect the immune system and synergistically accelerate disease progression. It is believed that CD4+ T-cell depletion by HIV is the major cause of immunodeficiency and reactivation of latent TB. Previous studies demonstrated that blood monocyte turnover concurrent with tissue macrophage death from virus infection better predicted AIDS onset than CD4+ T-cell depletion in macaques infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). Methods In this study, we describe the contribution of macrophages to the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)/SIV coinfection in a rhesus macaque model using in vivo BrdU labeling, immunostaining, flow cytometry, and confocal microscopy. Results We found that increased monocyte and macrophage turnover and levels of SIV-infected lung macrophages correlated with TB reactivation. All Mtb/SIV-coinfected monkeys exhibited declines in CD4+ T cells regardless of reactivation or latency outcomes, negating lower CD4+ T-cell levels as a primary cause of Mtb reactivation. Conclusions Results suggest that SIV-related damage to macrophages contributes to Mtb reactivation during coinfection. This also supports strategies to target lung macrophages for the treatment of TB.
Memory for Meaning and Surface Memory

Psychologists, linguists, and philosophers draw a distinction between the meaning of a discourse and the exact wording, or surface form, which conveys that meaning. Psycholinguistic research has shown that people recall meaning much better than form. Surface memory seems most robust in natural settings where the exact wording of a sentence is socially relevant. The meaning of a discourse is represented in memory by two distinct, but interconnected, knowledge structures. The propositional textbase is a richly interconnected network of ideas that represents the meaning of the discourse per se. It is primarily a linguistic knowledge structure. Listeners and readers can sometimes go beyond the propositional textbase to create a representation of the situation that the discourse describes. This representation, called the situation model, is more like the representation that would result from direct experience. It often includes sensory-motor information that is not normally associated with strictly linguistic knowledge structures. The most widely studied situation models are those associated with spatial descriptions and simple narratives.
Stress Inoculation Training for Adolescent Anger Problems

Adolescent aggression and antisocial behavior represent a significant clinical and social problem. Although youths between the ages of 13 and 18 form only 11% of the population, in 1977 people under 18 years of age constituted 41% of the arrests for the Crime Index offenses of homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and auto theft (Webster, 1979). Furthermore, the rate of arrests for violent juvenile crime increased by 98% between 1967 and 1976 compared with a 65% increase in arrests for people over 18 years of age (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1977). These aggressive acts are not just transitory adjustment problems. After review of 16 longitudinal studies, Olweus (1979) concluded that aggressive behavior is not situation-specific, but is a relatively stable, individually consistent reaction pattern to many situations. In fact, temporal stability of aggressive behavior almost equals that typically reported for intellectual and cognitive processes. While some aggression is instrumental in securing external rewards, much of adolescent aggression represents rapid, unplanned, impulsive reactions to provocations (Saunders, Reppucci, & Sarato, 1973).
Abstract 180: Restoration of MiRNA MiR-181c-5p Rescue From the Detrimental Effect of Social Isolation in the Mice Subjected to Ischemic Stroke

Introduction: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of short non-coding RNAs. Dysregulation of a variety of miRNAs have been tied to several neurological disorders including stroke. Recent studies have al...
Technology Displaces Metaphysics – Bacon’s New Hierarchy of the Arts and Sciences

The classical hierarchy of the arts and sciences had subordinated the merely useful mechanical arts associated with technology, to the liberal arts (as philosophy, poetry, music) which have their own intrinsic nobility. This went along with the exaltation of theoretical science over “banausic” or slavishly practical activities. For Aristotle at the top of the hierarchy of the sciences stood First Philosophy (Metaphysics) whose very inutility was referred to as evidence of its superior nobility and excellence. Bacon launched the modern revolution by reconceiving of the aim of knowledge as power over nature. This had the effect of entirely overturning the classical hierarchy of the arts. From the perspective of utility with respect to technological power it is the mechanical arts which have the highest worth and value among the sciences. Correspondingly the liberal arts began a long process of decline. In particular the value of the once supreme theoretic science of metaphysics became in modernity increasingly called into question. In essence technology has overthrown metaphysics.
Low energy photoemission from (100) Ba1−xLaxSnO3 thin films for photocathode applications

Recent research on photocathodes for photoinjectors has focused on the understanding of the photoemission process at low energy (i.e. at photon energy close to the material’s work function) as well as on the study of ordered and innovative photocathode materials, with the aim of minimizing the emittance at the cathode. We here present a preliminary study on low energy photoemission from (100) oriented Ba1−xLaxSnO3 thin films, characterizing their quantum efficiency and the mean transverse energy of the photoelectrons. The aim of the study is to pave the way for future experiments on innovative photocathodes based on perovkite oxides.
Crypto-Mathematics in Ethnography: Estimation and Approximation via Ballparks and Eyeballing

Of course, I know that counting isn’t really maths, but the cognitive play in estimation and approximation might qualify! To set this up, some relations pertaining to mathematics and arithmetic, and to anthropology and ethnography, are in order, as ethnography is the quintessential way humans study humans, whether they’re aware of the process or not.
What Exactly Causes Light-Induced Halide Segregation in Mixed-Halide Perovskites?

Light-induced halide segregation is an intrinsic instability of mixed-halide perovskites, which complicates their successful use in tandem solar cells. Methods to suppress this phenomenon remain elusive because of its ambiguous origin. Beal et al. demonstrate that photostability is not an exclusive property of perovskite crystal structure and instead highlight the need for a microscopic understanding of the phenomenon.
Functioning of adults in alcohol use disorder treatment: Role of concerned others

Abstract Objective This study examined patients in treatment for alcohol use disorders (“Patients”) and their “concerned others” (COs—family and friends): (1) Did Patients' functioning differ according to COs' study participation? Among Patients with participating COs, (2) did Patients and COs agree on Patients' functioning, and (3) was Patients' functioning associated with COs' functioning and quality of CO-Patient relationships? Method Four-hundred and two Patients (mean age = 44, majority white men) and 277 COs (mean age = 52, majority white women) completed validated assessments. Results (1) Unexpectedly, Patients who did not identify a CO for potential study participation had more protective factors against future substance use and more readiness to participate in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) than patients who did identify a CO. (2) Patients had higher scores than COs did when rating the Patient's protective factors, viewed the Patient-CO relationship as having more resources and fewer stressors than COs did, and reported fewer incidents of violence toward the CO than the CO did. (3) Patients had higher risk factors scores when their COs binge drank, and the Patient-CO relationship had more stressors and violence. Patients had higher protective factors scores when COs had greater readiness for Al-Anon participation, and Patients had attended more AA meetings, reported more resources in their relationship with their CO, and used more negotiation tactics when in conflict with their CO. Conclusions Findings suggest that interventions to improve Patients' functioning should be broadened beyond COs who are spouses or partners, decrease COs' binge drinking, facilitate 12-step participation, decrease relationship stressors and conflict, and increase relationship resources.
Risks of ACE Inhibitor and ARB Usage in COVID-19: Evaluating the Evidence.

Concerns have been raised regarding the safety of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in patients with coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), based on the hypothesis that such medications may raise expression of ACE2, the receptor for severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We conducted a literature review of studies (n = 12) in experimental animals and human subjects (n = 12) and evaluated the evidence regarding the impact of administration of ACEIs and ARBs on ACE2 expression. We prioritized studies that assessed ACE2 protein expression data, measured directly or inferred from ACE2 activity assays. The findings in animals are inconsistent with respect to an increase in ACE2 expression in response to treatment with ACEIs or ARBs. Control/sham animals show little to no effect in the plurality of studies. Those studies that report increases in ACE2 expression tend to involve acute injury models and/or higher doses of ACEIs or ARBs than are typically administered to patients. Data from human studies overwhelmingly imply that administration of ACEIs/ARBs does not increase ACE2 expression. Available evidence, in particular, data from human studies, does not support the hypothesis that ACEI/ARB use increases ACE2 expression and the risk of complications from COVID-19. We conclude that patients being treated with ACEIs and ARBs should continue their use for approved indications.
Closed loop enhancement and neural decoding of human cognitive control

Cognitive control is the ability to withhold a default, prepotent response in favor of a more adaptive choice. Control deficits are common across mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, and addiction. Thus, a method for improving cognitive control could be broadly useful in disorders with few effective treatments. Here, we demonstrate closed-loop enhancement of cognitive control by direct brain stimulation in humans. We stimulated internal capsule/striatum in participants undergoing intracranial epilepsy monitoring as they performed a cognitive control task. Stimulation enhanced performance, with the strongest effects from dorsal capsule/striatum stimulation. We then developed a framework to detect control lapses and stimulate in response. This closed-loop approach was more effective than open-loop stimulation. Participants who self-reported difficulties with self-control reported that stimulation made them more able to shift attention away from internal distress. Finally, we decoded cognitive control directly from activity on a small number of electrodes, using features compatible with existing closed-loop brain implants. Our findings suggest a new approach to treating severe mental disorders, by directly remediating underlying cognitive deficits.
If a Machian Relationship Between Gravitons and Gravitinos Exist, What Does Such a Relationship Imply as to Scale Factor, and Quinessence Evolution?

The Mach’s principle as unveiled in this paper is really a statement as to information conservation, with Gravitons and Gravitinos being information carriers. What we wish to know is are there measurable consequences as far as scale factor evolution, spatial distance expansion and cosmological density proportional to a quinessent variant of the cosmological ‘constant’ parameter ?
Progress on Chemical Management of Postharvest Diseases of Subtropical and Tropical Fruits

Application of postharvest fungicides is a highly effective, targeted, and economical way to protect fruit from decay after harvest including during shipment and marketing with proper application methods, fungicide residues remain within maximum residue limits, similar to levels found after preharvest field applications. The United States have been on the forefront in developing these treatments. For sub-tropical crops such as citrus, pomegranates, pineapples, and avocados, new fungicides have been introduced to manage major diseases. They represent different FRAC (Fungicide Resistance Action Committee) groups ranging from conventional (propiconazole), reduced-risk (pyrimethanil; azoxystrobin; fludioxonil) to bio-pesticide (natamycin) compounds, and also include pre-mixtures (fludioxonil-propiconazole, -azoxystrobin, and -cyprodinil). Selection and development of these fungicides has been done gradually as products designated safer by the United States Environmental Protection Agency were identified that maintain high performance, use low rates, and have broad-spectrum activity similar to previous standards. Natamycin, a fermentation product of Streptomyces spp., is exempt from tolerance in North America, it potentially may be certified as an organic treatment, and resistance has not been reported in filamentous fungi in over 30 years of use. This may prove crucial in the management of Penicillium spp. and other postharvest decays of subtropical crops. Although moderately effective by itself, mixtures provide high efficacy and resistance management.
A rare case of primary effusion lymphoma in HIV negative patient: Diagnostic challenges and literature review

We present a rare case of primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) in a 75 year old, HIV-negative male patient with multiple comorbidities. Imaging studies revealed a massive right pleural effusion and a significant lung collapse with multiple plural soft tissue nodules. Immediate thoracentesis was performed. Cytologic evaluation of the pleural fluid showed abnormally large cell with increased nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio, irregular nuclear contours and prominent nucleoli, with phenotypic expression of HHV-8, CD138, CD30, and MUM1 markers and negative staining for epithelial and mesothelial markers. PEL is a rare and aggressive large B-cell lymphoma often affecting immunocompromised adults and is mostly associated with human herpes virus 8/Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpes virus (HHV-8/KSHV). However, cases in immunocompetent elderly patients have been reported. The cytomorphologic features of PEL overlaps with those of aggressive lymphomas such as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, plasmablastic lymphoma, and anaplastic large-cell lymphoma. Also, mesothelioma, metastatic carcinoma or melanoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis. Hence, PEL should be kept in mind in the diagnostic algorithm of cytological evaluation of serosal fluid not only in HIV positive patients but also HIV-negative elderly patients. In this report, we aim to highlight the cytologic and immunohistochemical staining pattern of this rare entity to increase awareness of this entity among cytopathologists.
The Detrimental Impacts of Restrictive Immigration Policies During Global Health Crises: Health Inequities and Mobility Crisis

The pivotal role of Legislative Policy Entrepreneurs (LPE) in reshaping and promoting immigration policies amid significant global health crises has been a persistent research interest for policy analysts and political scientists in recent years [6],[41],[42]. Usually, LPE is an elected official who primarily functions as a change agent to influence and promote policies and measures during a policy window. This study mainly focuses on the role of LPE during global health crises in the 20th century. Furthermore, this study also analyzes LPE’s influences and impacts during global health crises in reshaping and implementing immigration policies. Policy analysts argue that the LPE exploits the health crises of the twentieth century as a policy window to promote and implement politically motivated restrictive immigration policies, resulting in inequitable access to health services and a major mobility problem for immigrants in their host country. [26],[50],[51]. This article will first present the theoretical concept of policy entrepreneurship and how they function as change agents in agenda-setting and policy development. The next section will consolidate and present the existing studies and analysis on policy entrepreneurs and their strategic activities using a political science and public policy and administration prism. Further to that, this work would link disparate studies on the LPE’s role in influencing immigration policies during global health crises. Finally, this paper would identify differences in the literature on the complex dynamics of immigration policies during public health emergencies and their interdependence on the local political climate.
Real-Time EMG Signal Classification via Recurrent Neural Networks.

Real-time classification of Electromyography signals is the most challenging part of controlling a prosthetic hand. Achieving a high classification accuracy of EMG signals in a short delay time is still challenging. Recurrent neural networks (RNNs) are artificial neural network architectures that are appropriate for sequential data such as EMG. In this paper, after extracting features from a hybrid time-frequency domain (discrete Wavelet transform), we utilize a set of recurrent neural network-based architectures to increase the classification accuracy and reduce the prediction delay time. The performances of these architectures are compared and in general outperform other state-of-the-art methods by achieving 96% classification accuracy in 600 msec.
Acquisition and Retention of Bacterial Spores (Bacillus Atrophaeus) by Eight Insect Species

ACQUISITION AND RETENTION OF BACTERIAL SPORES (BACILLUS ATROPHAEUS) BY EIGHT INSECT SPECIES By Kieron Marie Torres, M.S. A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2006 Co-Director: Dr. Karen M. Kester Associate Professor, Department of Biology Co-Director: Dr. Bonnie L. Brown Associate Professor, Department of Biology Acquisition and retention of spores of an anthrax surrogate, Bacillus atrophaeus Nakamura ("BG) were evaluated in eight insect species. Species included: house cricket (Acheta domesticus L.), German cockroach (Blatella germanica L.), common house fly (Musca domestics L.), blue bottle fly (CalZiphora vomitoria L.), hairy rove beetle (Creophilus maxillosus L.), yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.), common paper wasps (Polistes exclamans exclamans Viereck), red paper wasps (Polistes carolina L.), red harvester ant (Pogonymyrmex barbatus Smith). Individual insects were offered BG-
Comprehensive Treatment Models for Children and Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Comprehensive treatment models (CTMs) have a long history as sources for intervention, therapeutic, and educational services for children and youth with ASD and their families. The original models have evolved and new CTMs have been developed based on a variety of theoretical and conceptual frameworks. While great emphasis is still placed on operationalization, a greater awareness of the need for accurate measurement of fidelity and implementation has emerged. Replications or utilizations of CTMs may well increase in the future through the more accurate measurement of implementation and the lessons currently being learned from the broader field of implementation science. Accompanying such increases is the continued need for examinations of efficacy of CTMs by the purveyor and the evaluation of scaled-up implementation of CTMs by researchers other than the purveyor. Such evidence will strengthen the argument for adoption of CTMs by programs for use in everyday practice, although adoption will also be influenced by community and sociopolitical contexts. Keywords: Center for Autism and Related Disorders; comprehensive treatment models; efficacy research; implementation measures; operationalization; replication
ALS3 encodes a phloem-localized ABC transporter-like protein that is required for aluminum tolerance in Arabidopsis

Aluminum (Al) toxicity in acid soils is a worldwide agricultural problem that severely limits crop productivity through inhibition of root growth. Previously, Arabidopsis mutants with increased Al sensitivity were isolated in order to identify genes important for Al tolerance in plants. One mutant, als3, exhibited extreme root growth inhibition in the presence of Al, suggesting that this mutation negatively impacts a gene required for Al tolerance. Map-based cloning of the als3-1 mutation resulted in the isolation of a novel gene that encodes a previously undescribed ABC transporter-like protein, which is highly homologous to a putative bacterial metal resistance protein, ybbM. Northern analysis for ALS3 expression revealed that it is found in all organs examined, which is consistent with the global nature of Al sensitivity displayed by als3, and that expression increases in roots following Al treatment. Based on GUS fusion and in situ hybridization analyses, ALS3 is primarily expressed in leaf hydathodes and the phloem throughout the plant, along with the root cortex following Al treatment. Immunolocalization indicates that ALS3 predominantly accumulates in the plasma membrane of cells that express ALS3. From our results, it appears that ALS3 encodes an ABC transporter-like protein that is required for Al resistance/tolerance and may function to redistribute accumulated Al away from sensitive tissues in order to protect the growing root from the toxic effects of Al.
The structure of crystalline Escherichia coli-derived rat intestinal fatty acid-binding protein at 2.5-A resolution.

Abstract Rat intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) is an abundant cytoplasmic protein which is synthesized in the small intestinal lining cell where it is thought to participate in the absorption and intracellular metabolism of fatty acids. Each mole of this 132-residue polypeptide binds 1 mol of long chain fatty acid in a noncovalent fashion. Because of its small size and single ligand-binding site, I-FABP represents an attractive model for defining the molecular details of long chain fatty acid-protein interactions. The structure of Escherichia coli-derived rat I-FABP has now been solved to 2.5 A resolution using three isomorphous heavy atom derivatives. The protein consists of 10 anti-parallel beta-strands present as two orthogonal beta-sheets. Together a "clam shell-like" structure is formed with an opening located between two beta-strands and an interior that is lined with the side chains of nonpolar amino acids. The bound fatty acid ligand is located in the interior of the protein and has a bent conformation, possibly reflecting the presence of several gauche bonds in the hydrocarbon tail. Our present interpretation of the electron density map suggests that the fatty acid is oriented with its carboxylate group facing the guanidinium group of Arg127, whereas the end of its hydrocarbon tail is in close proximity to Val106. The indole side chain of Trp83 forms the molecular framework around which the principal bend of the hydrocarbon chain occurs.
KAINATE RECEPTORS : FINDING HOMES AT SYNAPSES

Three types of receptor — NMDA, AMPA and kainate — bind the neurotransmitter glutamate in the brain. But the function of the kainate receptors has remained a mystery. Now, several groups have shown that activation of these receptors has an inhibitory effect on the release of another neurotransmitter, GABA, leading to a depression of excitatory synaptic transmission.
A Comparison of Three Instructional Methods for Teaching Math Skills to Secondary Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

The purpose of this study was to determine the most effective of three instructional methods for teaching mathematics to secondary students with emotional and behavioral disorders. A single-subject...
The Touching Tail of a Mechanotransduction Channel.

In mechanotransduction, sensory receptors convert force into electrical signals to mediate such diverse functions as touch, pain, and hearing. In this issue of Cell , Zhang et al. present evidence that the fly NompC channel senses mechanical stimuli using its N-terminal tail as a tether between the cell membrane and microtubules.
GATA-3 Regulates the Homeostasis and Activation of CD8+ T Cells

GATA-3, a C2C2-type zinc finger transcription factor, regulates many steps of T cell development and differentiation. It is also required for optimal production of type 2 cytokines by CD8(+) T cells. However, its role in the development and function of this subset of T cells is still poorly characterized. In this paper, we report that GATA-3 is required for MHC-mediated positive selection and final maturation of CD8 single-positive thymocytes. Deficiency of GATA-3 mediated by a CD4cre transgene led to age-dependent lymphadenopathy partly because of abnormal expansion of CD8(+) T cells driven by a cell-extrinsic mechanism. Paradoxically, GATA-3-deficient CD8(+) T cells were hyporesponsive to Ag stimulation due to a defect in the maintenance/progression, but not initiation, of activation signals. More importantly, GATA-3-deficient CD8(+) T cells were less efficient in killing Ag-bearing tumor cells in vivo. Taken together, our data further expand the role of GATA-3 in T cells.
Depression and Political Participation

In this paper, I propose that depression is a political phenomenon insofar as it has political sources and consequences. I then investigate one aspect of this argument-whether depression reduces participation. I hypothesize that individuals with depression lack the motivation and physical capacity to vote and engage in other forms of political participation due to somatic problems and feelings of hopelessness and apathy. Moreover, I examine how depression in adolescence can have downstream consequences for participation in young adulthood. The analyses, using both cross-sectional and longitudinal data, show that voter turnout and other forms of participation decrease as the severity of depressed mood increases. These findings are discussed in light of disability rights and potential efforts to boost participation among this group.
Remarks on positive frequency and Hamiltonians in expanding universes.

We examine critically the persistent belief that the physical interpretation of a quantum field theory in curved space-time is to be found by introducing a notion of particles at each time in terms of the exact eigenstates of some energylike operator at that time. It seems that all straightforward implementations of this principle suffer from either ambiguity or failure to produce finite particle densities and renormalizable energy-momentum tensors. Calculations are done for a cosmological model of Bianchi type I, containing a scalar fieldφ whose equation includes the term ξRφ. Diagonalization of thetotal energy suggests a certain particle definition, which, however, yields a finite particle creation rate only when ξ=1/6 and the universe is isotropic. Diagonalization of acanonical Hamiltonian is a prescription loose enough to be made consistent with almost any ansatz (including one that does yield physically acceptable expectation values), hence of no theoretical value. An apparently successful naive approach to the isotropic case (for any ξ) is explained as an unconscious first approximation to an adiabatic analysis of the notion of positive frequency.
ASKBUDJr: A precursor of an expert system for the evaluation of fire hazard

The Center for Fire Research (CFR) has a long-term project to develop expert systems as a technology transfer mechanism. The goal of this project is to develop a computer program which will make an expert estimate of the firesafety of a building based on CFR's deterministic physical models, technical data, and the expert judgment of its staff. The first significant computer program to be developed by this project will be based on the expertise of Harold E. (Bud) Nelson. Thus, it will be called ASKBUD. In this article, the first exploratory steps taken to develop this program are described. Also, the progress made to date, as well as some of the major problems that must be solved, will be discussed. Since the system described in this article is in its infancy, we call it ASKBUDJr.
Counting Sequences with Large Local Distance

The 2n n-bit vectors can be ordered so that any vector in the sequence has some minimum Hamming distance from any vector near it in the sequence.
Characterization of the foot withdrawal response to noxious radiant heat in the rat

The rat foot withdrawal response to noxious radiant heat has been used as a model of nociception that is particularly useful for measurements of unilateral changes in nociceptive responses. The purpose of these studies was to characterize the foot withdrawal response to graded rates of noxious skin heating. Response latencies and both surface and subsurface temperatures produced by 6 different intensities of radiant heat were measured to determine whether response latency is an appropriate measure of nociceptive threshold. With constant intensity heating, the temperature of the skin surface increased as logarithmic function of time, while subsurface temperature increased linearly with time. In contrast, a heating function that linearly increased the temperature at the skin surface increased the subsurface temperature as an exponential function of time. These results and published reports of nociceptive afferent recordings which used similar skin heating parameters, indicate that nociceptive foot withdrawal responses occur at about the same skin temperature as the activation of nociceptors. These results also indicate that since constant intensity heating produces linear increases in the subsurface temperature, then response latency can be used as an accurate measure of changes in nociceptive threshold produced by drug treatments. These observations lead to the conclusion that the foot withdrawal response latency is a valid and useful measure of nociceptive threshold in rodents.
Metastatic small‐cell carcinoma of the prostate diagnosed by fine‐needle aspiration biopsy

Fourteen fine-needle aspiration biopsies (FNABs) of metastatic small-cell carcinoma done on 12 patients who had histologically documented primary small-cell carcinoma of the prostate are described. The FNABs were of lymph node (four cases), liver (four cases), bone (two cases), pancreas (one case), perirectal soft tissue (one case), perineum (one case), and lung (one case). One patient underwent three FNABs. No patient had a second primary tumor elsewhere. Cytologic smears were cellular with numerous single tumor cells, many apoptotic bodies, and variable numbers of mitotic figures. Tight cell clusters with molded nuclei and finely stippled chromatin were seen in all cases. An organoid pattern of tumor cells was seen focally in two cases. Features distinguishing small-cell carcinoma from poorly differentiated prostate carcinoma were cell size, finely stippled chromatin, inconspicuous nucleoli, and numerous single tumor cells. Distinction from small-cell carcinoma of other primary sites requires clinical and radiologic correlation. We conclude that cytologic specimens are useful for documenting metastatic small-cell carcinoma of the prostate and for differentiating between it and conventional prostate carcinoma in metastatic sites.
THE PERCENT OF CORES POSITIVE FOR CANCER IN PROSTATE NEEDLE BIOPSY SPECIMENS IS STRONGLY PREDICTIVE OF TUMOR STAGE AND VOLUME AT RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY

Purpose: Pretreatment clinical staging of prostatic adenocarcinoma is important due to the increasing use of nonsurgical treatment options. Using multivariate analysis we assessed the predictive value of biopsy cores positive for cancer as a percent of all cores obtained as well as the percent surface area of needle cores involved with tumor for determining tumor volume and pathological stage at radical prostatectomy. Candidate variables for the multivariate model included patient age, clinical disease stage, serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) and Gleason score of cancer in the needle biopsy. Materials and Methods: We reviewed prostate needle biopsy findings in 207 consecutive patients who subsequently underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy. Each biopsy specimen was assessed for tumor involvement by calculating the percent of cores positive for cancer, percent surface area involved in all cores and Gleason score. Initial serum PSA and preoperative clinical disease stage were incorporated with biopsy results into a multivariate model to determine the parameters most predictive of pathological stage and tumor volume at radical retropubic prostatectomy. Results: Of the 207 patients 152 (73.4%) had organ confined cancer and 55 (26.6%) had extraprostatic extension (pathological stages T2 and T3 or greater, respectively). Preoperative clinical staging information was available in 195 cases, in which disease was clinically confined and not confined in 184 (94.4%) and 11 (5.6%), respectively. Needle biopsy revealed a surface area of cancer ranging from less than 5% in 69 patients (33.3%) to 90% (mean 16, median 10). Univariate analysis demonstrated that the risk of extraprostatic extension was predicted by preoperative serum PSA (p = 0.027), the percent of cores and percent of surface area positive for cancer (p Conclusions: The percent of needle biopsy cores and surface area positive for cancer are the strongest predictors of pathological stage and tumor volume on multivariate analysis incorporating preoperative serum PSA and Gleason score.
Effect of Polymerizing Diacetylene Groups on the Lowering of Polymerization Temperature of Benzoxazine Groups in the Highly Thermally Stable, Main-Chain-Type Polybenzoxazines

A series of novel benzoxazine polymers containing diacetylene groups in the main chain have been synthesized. Various propargyl and ethynyl functional benzoxazine monomers have been prepared and polymerized utilizing the oxidative coupling approach. The structure of the polymers is confirmed by 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is used to study the thermal cross-linking of the polymers. The polymers show two exothermic peaks with the first exotherm exhibiting considerably lower cross-linking temperatures than conventional benzoxazines with onset at around 125 °C and its maximum at 185 °C. FTIR study shows that the lower temperature exothermic process relates to the partial benzoxazine polymerization. The number-average molecular weight is estimated from size exclusion chromatography (SEC) to be in the range from 15 000 to 25 000 Da. Outstandingly high thermal stability of cross-linked polymer...
Transient processing in chromatic induction

Abstract The non-additivity of steady backgrounds and superimposed test flashes was investigated with 25 observers using a hue cancellation procedure. The subject's task was to vary the ratio of two lights comprising an incremental test flash (ΔR/ΔR) so as to maintain a unique yellow hue (i.e. red-green equilibrium) in the presence of a long-wavelength adapting background. Measurements were obtained for four different luminances of the test flash (for each background), covering a range of 1.5–2.0 log units. The adaptive hue shifts generally support Walraven's finding that the background affects the hue of the test flash only by way of altering the spectral sensitivities of the receptors, but it does not add to the hue signals from the test flash.