cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Systems of Canadian Studies: The Case of Literature and Alice Munro

The study unfolds in five sections. First is an overview of Canadian Studies that calls for more unified efforts in the field – most notably, integration of humanities with social sciences. The second section provides an exegesis of Itamir Even-Zohar's (1990) literary system, a mechanism with potential to help bridge the preceding gap. A diagrammatic exposition, linked to Even-Zohar's framework, is used in the third section to tell the story of Alice Munro's early career. The fourth section focuses on the potential value added from that enterprise. Fifth and last are a few general conclusions.
A simple test of changes in mean in the possible presence of long‐range dependence

We propose a simple testing procedure to test for a change point in the mean of a possibly long-range dependent time series. Under the null hypothesis, the series is stationary with long-range dependence and our test statistic converges to a non-degenerate distribution, whereas under the alternative, the series has a change point in the mean and the test statistic diverges to infinity. We demonstrate the good size and power properties of our test via simulations and illustrate its usefulness by analysing two real data sets.
How to Help a Bully: Recommendations for Counseling the Proactive Aggressor

Initiatives to stop school bullying often prescribe counseling for the bullies. However, specific strategies for the counseling of bullies are not well defined. To succeed in stopping the aggressive behavior of bullies, school counselors must first understand the needs and motivations behind the behavior. This article distinguishes the characteristic type of aggression displayed by bullies& mdash;proactive aggression. Type-specific recommendations are presented for maximizing school counselors' effectiveness in their direct efforts to help bullies change.
A Conceptual Framework for Comparing Instructional Design Models.

Instructional design (ID) professionals typically employ models that guide their practice. However, it is unclear how a specific model is selected for an instructional situation. Andrews and Goodson (1980) provided a valuable procedure for comparing instructional design models, but because of the proliferation of variations in instructional design applications during the past decade, the introduction of instructional design into new learning contexts and the emergence of alternative approaches to instructional design, there has emerged a need for a new framework which assesses the potential success of any instructional design model. A framework is presented here which is intended to provide a conceptual tool for determining appropriate instructional design applications.
Modes of linear stationary response of the atmospheric boundary layer to a cold surge in the Black Sea

To describe the phenomenon of cold surges in the Black Sea in winter, we study the problem of atmospheric response to a local heat source on the surface in two simple formulations. In the shallow-water model, the planetary boundary layer of the atmosphere is homogeneous with variable upper bound. In the second model, the boundary layer has a constant thickness and its stratification is homogeneous. In the one-dimensional problem, for a constant wind blowing perpendicularly to the sea coast, the atmospheric response is determined by a single dimensionless parameter called the Froude number. Depending on its value, there are two possible different modes of the response. The range Fr 1 (supercritical mode) corresponds to strong winds, weak stratifications, thin boundary layers, and low wave velocities. In the two-dimensional problem for a round sea, there are four qualitatively different types of response depending on the combination of two dimensionless parameters: the Froude number and the ratio of the radius of the sea to the radius of deformation.
Feature-preserving triangular geometry images for level-of-detail representation of static and skinned meshes

Geometry images resample meshes to represent them as texture for efficient GPU processing by forcing a regular parameterization that often incurs a large amount of distortion. Previous approaches broke the geometry image into multiple rectangular or irregular charts to reduce distortion, but complicated the automatic level of detail one gets from MIP-maps of the geometry image.We introduce triangular-chart geometry images and show this new approach better supports the GPU-side representation and display of skinned dynamic meshes, with support for feature preservation, bounding volumes, and view-dependent level of detail. Triangular charts pack efficiently, simplify the elimination of T-junctions, arise naturally from an edge-collapse simplification base mesh, and layout more flexibly to allow their edges to follow curvilinear mesh features. To support the construction and application of triangular-chart geometry images, this article introduces a new spectral clustering method for feature detection, and new methods for incorporating skinning weights and skinned bounding boxes into the representation. This results in a tenfold improvement in fidelity when compared to quad-chart geometry images.
Electrolyte-free water clearance: a key to the diagnosis of hypernatremia in resolving acute renal failure

Hypernatremia usually results from the loss of water from the body in excess of loss of electrolytes. Although urinary loss of free water is usually thought of when the urine is dilute, it can also occur when the urine is relatively concentrated, for example after administration of osmotic diuretics. We present a case of hypernatremia in the setting of resolving acute renal failure. Quantitative analysis of urinary losses and the concept of electrolyte-free water clearance help to explain the development and persistence of hypernatremia in this case. Urine in such cases is typically rich in urea (an irrelevant osmole from the perspective of plasma sodium) with low concentrations of sodium and potassium (osmoles that determine plasma sodium concentration). So from the perspective of plasma sodium-determining osmoles (sodium and potassium) this hyperosmolar urine is actually “dilute”, resulting in loss of free water and a rise in the plasma sodium concentration. This case illustrates the utility of the electrolyte-free water concept in understanding the development of hypernatremia in resolving acute renal failure. We discuss the evolution of these concepts and how they can be applied to typical clinical situations.
Hypercalciuria in children with hematuria

Urinary calcium excretion was assessed in 83 consecutive children with gross or microscopic hematuria in whom the presence of proteinuria or urinary-tract infection had been excluded. Twenty-three children had hypercalciuria. Clinical features that were more commonly associated with hypercalciuria included gross hematuria and a family history of urolithiasis. No clinical or pathological basis for the hematuria was determined in 22 of the 23 children with hypercalciuria or in 38 of the 60 children with normal calcium excretion. Urolithiasis developed in two children with hypercalciuria during the period of study. Oral calcium-loading tests were performed in all 23 children with hypercalciuria. Absorptive hypercalciuria was demonstrated in 10 children, whereas 13 had renal (fasting) hypercalciuria. Hematuria resolved during anticalciuric therapy in 20 of the 23 patients with hypercalciuria. We conclude that determination of urinary calcium excretion is warranted in the routine evaluation of children with hematuria.
Long-term follow-up of percutaneous repair of paravalvular prosthetic regurgitation.

Objectives The goal of this study was to determine the long-term clinical efficacy of percutaneous repair of paravalvular prosthetic regurgitation. Background Percutaneous repair has emerged as an effective therapy for patients with paravalvular prosthetic regurgitation. Methods We retrospectively identified 126 patients who underwent catheter-based treatment of symptomatic prosthetic paravalvular regurgitation. Patients were contacted for symptoms, clinical events, and vital status. Results The 3-year estimate for survival was 64.3% (95% confidence interval: 52.1% to 76.8%). Mortality occurred due to cardiac, noncardiac, and unknown causes in 9.5%, 7.1%, and 5.6% of patients, respectively. Among survivors, 72% of patients who had presented with heart failure were free of severe symptoms and need for cardiac surgery. Severity of residual regurgitation was not related to overall survival but was an important determinant of other clinical events. For those with no, mild, or moderate or severe residual regurgitation, 3-year estimate of survival free of death or need for surgery was 63.3%, 58.3%, and 30.3% (p = 0.01), respectively. Conclusions Percutaneous repair of paravalvular prosthetic regurgitation can lead to durable symptom relief in selected patients. Nonetheless, mortality remains significant in symptomatic patients with paravalvular prosthetic regurgitation. Long-term clinical efficacy is highly dependent on residual regurgitation.
A finiteness proof for modified dantzig cuts in integer programming

Let be a basic solution to the linear programming problem subject to: where R is the index set associated with the nonbasic variables. If all of the variables are constrained to be nonnegative integers and xu is not an integer in the basic solution, the linear constraint is implied. We prove that including these “cuts” in a specified way yields a finite dual simplex algorithm for the pure integer programming problem. The relation of these modified Dantzig cuts to Gomory cuts is discussed.
Maximum-likelihood modulation classification with incomplete channel information

This paper presents a discussion of the classification of digital communication signals given incomplete knowledge of the channel. Through a maximum-likelihood framework, modulation classifiers are presented which assume no or limited a priori knowledge of the fading experienced by the signal (including time offset, phase shift, and amplitude) and/or the distribution of the noise added in the channel. A recently published asynchronous classifier for digitally modulated signals, which uses a new channel estimator that is blind to the modulation scheme of the received signal, is introduced and analyzed. In addition, results are presented of our recent work on the classification of digitally modulated signals in flat fading non-Gaussian channels.
Desorption of p,p′-DDE from sediment during resuspension events on the Palos Verdes shelf, California: a modeling approach

Abstract Desorption rates for sediment-associated contaminants during resuspension events are investigated for a site on the Palos Verdes shelf, California. This study focuses on p , p ′-DDE, the most abundant DDT compound present in an effluent-affected near-surface sediment deposit on the Palos Verdes shelf. Frequency, magnitude, and duration of resuspension events are estimated from bottom boundary layer measurements and a 17-yr record of surface wave conditions. Desorption of p , p ′-DDE from sediment in suspension is calculated using a radial diffusion model for porous aggregates. Suspended sediment concentrations and size distributions during resuspension events are found using a shelf sediment-transport model. Calculations are made for a 60-m site where measurements of near-bed flow and sediment properties, including p , p ′-DDE concentration and percent organic carbon by size fraction, are available. The results indicate that the time scales of p , p ′-DDE desorption from the finest sediment fractions ( 63 μm); the median bed grain size is about 45 μm. Our calculations suggest that 25–50% of the mass of p , p ′-DDE in the surface active layer of the bed is lost during a resuspension event; mean active layer depth is 0.2 cm and mean p , p ′-DDE concentration in the uppermost 2 cm of the bed at the study site is 11 μg −1 . Total annual loss depends on the number of events per year. Wave data indicate an average of 10 resuspension events per year at a depth of 60-m on the Palos Verdes shelf from 1982 to 1999. This leads to an estimated average loss of p , p ′-DDE by desorption during wave-driven resuspension of 3–7 μg cm −2 yr −1 for the 60-m site. The range in average loss rates is due to the large range in published values of the partition coefficient for DDE.
The effect of age of acquisition, socioeducational status, and proficiency on the neural processing of second language speech sounds.

Abstract This study investigates the role of age of acquisition (AoA), socioeducational status (SES), and second language (L2) proficiency on the neural processing of L2 speech sounds. In a task of pre-attentive listening and passive viewing, Spanish–English bilinguals and a control group of English monolinguals listened to English syllables while watching a film of natural scenery. Eight regions of interest were selected from brain areas involved in speech perception and executive processes. The regions of interest were examined in 2 separate two-way ANOVA (AoA × SES; AoA × L2 proficiency). The results showed that AoA was the main variable affecting the neural response in L2 speech processing. Direct comparisons between AoA groups of equivalent SES and proficiency level enhanced the intensity and magnitude of the results. These results suggest that AoA, more than SES and proficiency level, determines which brain regions are recruited for the processing of second language speech sounds.
Cerebral Herniation as a Complication of Chest Tube Drainage of Cerebrospinal Fluid After Injury to the Spine

Background Patients with concomitant injuries to the thorax and thecal sac requiring chest tube drainage are at risk for cerebral herniation caused by overdrainage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Case Description A 40-year-old man presented to the trauma service awake, alert, and oriented with an isolated gunshot wound to the midaxillary line through the tenth intercostal space and a complete spinal cord injury at T12. The patient was stabilized and intubated. A chest tube was placed, and he was transferred to the neurologic intensive care unit. The patient was found to be comatose with complete absence of brainstem reflexes 3 hours after admission. Results Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and autopsy revealed diffuse cerebral edema, occlusion of the bilateral posterior cerebral arteries, and tonsillar herniation extending several centimeters below the foramen magnum, with petechial hemorrhages and absence of gliosis. Conclusions To the authors' knowledge, this case represents the first report of cerebral herniation secondary to chest tube drainage of a CSF leak caused by traumatic injury to the thecal sac.
Translating practice guidelines into patient care : guidelines at the bedside.

Practice guidelines have been developed by a myriad of government, subspecialty, and local organizations in an attempt to reduce undesirable variations in care and to improve the quality of care. Despite the current enthusiasm driving the creation of thousands and thousands of guidelines, their longevity will depend on the ability to demonstrate measurable improvements in patient care caused by the dissemination and implementation of guidelines. In order for guidelines to improve care, they must influence the decisions that physicians and other health-care providers make as they care for patients on a day-to-day basis. Studies on this topic show that some guideline implementation strategies are consistently effective, meaning that they lead to changes in care that benefit patients. Other strategies have been shown to be consistently ineffective. Using an evidence-based approach to selecting guideline dissemination and implementation strategies may facilitate the greatest chance of success, and enhance the probability that patient care will be meaningfully improved as a result of these efforts.
Local Peeling of Graphene

“Perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away,” noted Antoine de Saint-Exupery ( 1 ). He could have been writing about graphene sheets, just an atomic layer or two thick, which have properties much more interesting than those of the bulk. From the time when graphite would be rubbed on an insulating surface with the hope that one of the exfoliated flakes would be a single layer, graphene manufacture has progressed rapidly and is now routinely grown on or transferred onto many substrates, even up to sizes large enough for TV displays ( 2 ). Despite such advances, reproducible spatial control over the number of graphene layers has not been achieved. On page 1168 of this issue, Dimiev et al. describe a technique that overcomes this limitation and allows peeling of graphene layer by layer at predetermined locations of the surface ( 3 ).
Neutron scattering experiment automation with Python

PyDas is a set of Python modules that are used to integrate various components of the SNS DAS system. It enables customized automation of neutron scattering experiments in a rapid and flexible manner. It provides wxPython GUIs for routine experiments as well as IPython command line scripting. Matplotlib and NumPy are used for data presentation and simple analysis. We present an overview of SNS Data Acquisition System and PyDas architectures and implementation along with the examples of use. We also discuss plans for future development as well as the challenges that have to be met while maintaining PyDas for 20+ different scientific instruments.
NMR Spectral Assignment and Determination of the Bridge Reversal Barrier in 3-n-Butyl-[3]-trithiaferrocenophane

The high barrier to reversal of the bent trisulfide bridge in 3-n-butyl-[3]-trithiaferroceneophane results in syn and anti stereoisomers which are distinguishable by NMR at 300 K. All seven ring hydrogen atoms and their directly attached carbon atoms in each stereoisomer are nonequivalent and have been uniquely assigned using a suite of one- and two-dimensional experiments. Row slices of the total correlation (TOCSY) spectrum provide the individual ring 1H NMR subspectra. The two ring proton sets of each stereoisomer can be correlated via inter-ring nuclear Overhauser effects across the iron atom of the sandwich. The syn and anti isomers are in a slow dynamic equilibrium brought about by reversal of the trisulfide bridge, which interconverts the hydrogen-atom pairs in the two stereoisomers. The rate of this process has been measured with high accuracy by 2D exchange spectroscopy. The rate constant k = 0.07 s-1 at 300 K corresponds to an activation barrier of 19.1 kcal/mol, virtually identical with that of...
Nucleophilic displacement of aromatic nitro groups

Abstract The relative nucleofugicity of the nitro group in many aromatic nucleophilic substitution reactions rivals, and in some cases surpasses, that of the fluorine atom. The use of the nitro function as a leaving group in such reactions facilitates the synthesis of novel substituted benzene derivatives and simplifies the synthesis of a wide variety of heterocycles.
RSV immune globulin prophylaxis: is an ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure?

* Abbreviations: RSV-IVIG = : respiratory syncytial virus immune globulin, intravenous • AAP = : American Academy of Pediatrics In this issue of Pediatrics, Joffe et al reported limited cost-effectiveness of the immune globulin products (RSV-IGIV [Respigam] or palivizumab [Synagis]) to prevent RSV hospitalization. Several assumptions strongly favoring immune globulin prophylaxis were used in their analyses. The authors concluded that current AAP recommendations regarding RSV immune globulin products may be too broad because a lack of cost-effectiveness observed.1 In only 1 of the 8 subgroup analyses (Group A infants with gestation <32 weeks, oxygen requirement 28 days, neonatal intensive care unit discharge between September and November, and prophylaxis with palivizumab), was cost-effectiveness in terms of cost per life-year saved and cost to avoid hospitalization seemingly approached. It is important in cost-effectiveness studies for reviewers and readers to carefully consider assumptions made because results may be profoundly affected. To their credit, the authors carefully acknowledged intentionally biasing their assumptions in the direction of benefiting the immune globulin therapies. For example, one assumption made was that only 4 doses of a RSV immune globulin preparation would be necessary to prevent RSV disease each season. In previous efficacy studies, 5 doses were generally administered. The …
PERCEPTION OF HAPPINESS AMONG ELDERLY PERSONS IN METROPOLITAN USA

The relationships of some selected sociodemographic variables with perception of happiness among older individuals living in metropolitan areas in the United States were examined. Data from the General Social Surveys for the ten years between 1982-1991 were analyzed. Seven sociodemographic variables, six social participation variables, and six attitudinal variables covering the six domains of life were considered independent variables with perception of happiness as the dependent variable. Analysis of variance indicated that race, marital status, education, financial status, and religious attendance were significantly related to perception of happiness and the six attitudinal variables increased the total variance accounted for in perceived well-being.
National trends and complication rates for invasive extraoperative electrocorticography in the USA.

Invasive electrocorticography (ECoG) is used in patients when it is difficult to localize epileptogenic foci for potential surgical resection. As MR neuroimaging has improved over the past decade, we hypothesized the utilization of ECoG diminishing over time. Using the USA Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we collected demographic and complication data on patients receiving ECoG over the years 1988–2008 and compared this to patients with medically refractory epilepsy during the same time period. A total of 695 cases using extraoperative ECoG were identified, corresponding to 3528 cases nationwide and accounting for 1.1% of patients with refractory epilepsy from 1988–2008. African Americans were less likely to receive ECoG than whites, as were patients with government insurance in comparison to those with private insurance. Large, urban, and academic hospitals were significantly more likely to perform ECoG than smaller, rural, and private practice institutions. The most frequent complication was cerebrospinal fluid leak (11.7%) and only one death was reported from the entire cohort, corresponding to an estimated six patients nationally. Invasive ECoG is a relatively safe procedure offered to a growing number of patients with refractory epilepsy each year. However, these data suggest the presence of demographic disparities in those patients receiving ECoG, possibly reflecting barriers due to race and socioeconomic status. Among patients with nonlocalized seizures, ECoG often represents their only hope for surgical treatment. We therefore must further examine the indications and efficacy of ECoG, and more work must be done to understand if and why ECoG is preferentially performed in select socioeconomic groups.
Re-evaluation of colorimetric Cl− data from natural waters with DOC

Colorimetric Cl− data from natural solutions that contain dissolved organic carbon (DOC) may be biased high. We evaluated aquatic Cl- concentrations in ecosystem compartments at the Bear Brook Watershed, Maine, and from lakes in Maine, using ion chromatography and colorimetry. DOC imparts a positive interference on colorimetric Cl− results proportional to DOC concentrations at approximately 0.8 µeq Cl−/L per mg DOC/L. The interference is not a function of Cl− concentration. The resulting bias in concentrations of Cl− may be 50% or more of typical environmental values for Cl− in areas remote from atmospheric deposition of marine aerosols. Such biased data in the literature appear to have led to spurious conclusions about recycling of Cl− by forests, the usefulness of Cl− as a conservative tracer in watershed studies, and calculations of elemental budgets, ion balance, charge density of DOC, and dry deposition factors.
Racial disparity in colorectal cancer: the role of equal treatment.

BACKGROUND Racial disparity exists in colorectal cancer outcomes. The reasons for this are multifactorial. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of equal treatment of blacks and whites in the elimination of racial disparity in colorectal cancer outcomes. DESIGN A retrospective cohort study of 878 patients with colorectal cancer diagnosed between 1998 and 2008 was done at a University tertiary referral center. Demographic variables including age, sex, and race were abstracted. Tumor-specific variables including American Joint Committee on Cancer stage, anatomic tumor location, vital status, and survival were obtained. Treatment-specific variables including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and follow-up were also obtained. Racial differences in these variables were studied and their effect on overall survival was determined by using univariate and multivariate analyses. The findings were then compared with previous data from our institution. SETTING University tertiary referral center. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcomes measured were overall survival and cancer-specific mortality. RESULTS A total of 878 patients met the inclusion criteria, 186 (21.2%) of whom were black. Blacks were significantly younger at diagnosis in comparison with whites, with a median (quartiles) age of 55 years (28-87) compared with 59 years (23-94) (p = 0.0012). Equal proportions of blacks (78.5%) and whites (79.2%) underwent surgery (p = 0.84), similar proportions of blacks (55.4%) and whites (60.8%) received chemotherapy (p = 0.18), and similar proportions of blacks (17.2%) and whites (20.5%) received radiation therapy (p = 0.31). There was no difference in overall survival or cancer-specific mortality between the 2 racial groups. Univariate analysis showed American Joint Committee on Cancer stage and surgery as the only statistically significant factors for overall survival. On multivariate analysis, stage, surgery, and chemotherapy were the only statistically significant factors. Race was not an independent determinant of survival. CONCLUSIONS There were no differences in overall survival and cancer-related mortality between blacks and whites, and this may have resulted from identical treatment. The previously noted disparities in treatment and overall survival at our institution have disappeared.
MR Microscopy of the Arterial Wall in an Experimental Model of Atherosclerosis: Preliminary Results

Purpose To obtain images of the arterial lumen and wall in a rabbit model of atherosclerosis with use of high-resolution magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to follow morphologic changes during the induction of atherosclerosis and, hence, develop a non-invasive tool to investigate restenosis. Materials and Methods In vivo microscopic MR images of rabbit aorta were acquired after balloon injury. Measurements of wall and lumen diameter from MR images area were compared with measurements obtained from histologic and angiographic examination. Results Injured rabbits exhibited an obvious thickening of the arterial wall, accompanied by an increased wall conspicuity, probably due to increases in T2. Quantitative MR morphometry corresponded well with morphologic measurements based on angiographic and histologic study. Conclusions MR implanted coil technology affords imaging of the arterial lumen and wall, allowing temporal assessment of the morphologic changes due to intimal hyperplasia after balloon dilation and may enable the evaluation of novel techniques to eliminate restenosis.
Expert views of climate change adaptation in the Maldives

This essay assesses the “Integrating Climate Change Risks into Resilient Island Planning in the Maldives” Program, or ICCR, a four-year $9.3 million adaptation project supported by the Least Developed Countries Fund, Maldivian Government and the United Nations Development Program. The essay elaborates on the types of challenges that arise as a low-income country tries to utilize international development assistance to adapt to climate change. Based primarily on a series of semi-structured research interviews with Maldivian experts, discussed benefits to the ICCR include improving physical resilience by deploying “soft” infrastructure, institutional resilience by training policymakers, and community resilience by strengthening assets. Challenges include ensuring that adaptation efforts are sufficient to reduce vulnerability, lack of coordination, and the values and attitudes of business and community leaders.
Optimizing on-demand data broadcast scheduling in pervasive environments

Data dissemination in pervasive environments is often accomplished by on-demand broadcasting. The time critical nature of the data requests plays an important role in scheduling these broadcasts. Most research in on-demand broadcast scheduling has focused on the timely servicing of requests so as to minimize the number of missed deadlines. However, there exists many pervasive environments where the utility of the data is an equally important criterion as its timeliness. Missing the deadline reduces the utility of the data but does not make it zero. In this work, we address the problem of scheduling on-demand data broadcasts with soft deadlines. We investigate search based optimization techniques to develop broadcast schedulers that make explicit attempts to maximize the utility of data requests as well as service as many requests as possible within the acceptable time limit. Our analysis shows that heuristic driven methods for such problems can be improved by hybridizing them with local search algorithms. We further investigate the option of employing a dynamic optimization technique to facilitate utility gain, thereby surpassing the requirement of a heuristic in the process. An evolution strategy based stochastic hill climber is investigated in this context.
The FAD cofactor of RebC shifts to an IN conformation upon flavin reduction.

RebC is a putative flavin hydroxylase functioning together with RebP to carry out a key step in the biosynthesis of rebeccamycin. To probe the mechanism of flavin-based chemistry in RebC, we solved the structure of RebC with reduced flavin. Upon flavin reduction, the RebC crystal undergoes a change in its unit cell dimension concurrent with a 5 A movement of the isoalloxazine ring, positioning the flavin ring adjacent to the substrate-binding pocket. Additionally, a disordered helix becomes ordered upon flavin reduction, closing off one side of the substrate-binding pocket. This structure, along with previously reported structures, increases our understanding of the RebC enzyme mechanism, indicating that either the reduction of the flavin itself or binding of substrate is sufficient to drive major conformational changes in RebC to generate a closed active site. Our finding that flavin reduction seals the active site such that substrate cannot enter suggests that our reduced flavin RebC structure is off-pa...
D1 priming enhances both D1- and D2-mediated rotational behavior and striatal Fos expression in 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rats.

Abstract Rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesions exhibit behavioral sensitization upon repeated treatment with dopamine agonists, a phenomenon called ‘priming’. We examined the effectiveness of priming with D1 or D2 agonists on rotational behavior and striatal Fos expression following challenge with D1 or D2 agonists. Twenty-one days post-lesion, rats received three priming injections, spaced 3–6 days apart, with water, D1 agonist SKF38393 (10 mg/kg) or D2 agonist quinpirole (1 mg/kg). One week later, 6-OHDA rats were challenged with water, SKF38393 (1 or 10 mg/kg) or quinpirole (0.25 mg/kg). 6-OHDA rats challenged with SKF38393 (1 mg/kg) showed no contralateral rotational behavior, but robust striatal Fos expression in D1-primed animals. Challenge with SKF38393 (10 mg/kg) led to pronounced contralateral rotational behavior and striatal Fos expression in all priming groups — with the largest behavioral response in D1- and D2-primed rats. Quinpirole challenge (0.25 mg/kg) led to robust contralateral rotational behavior and striatal Fos expression in D1-primed animals, but only mild rotational behavior and baseline levels of striatal Fos expression in D2-primed animals. These data suggest that D1- or D2-priming enhances rotational behavior following challenge with D1 or D2 agonist, but only D1-priming enhances D1- and D2-mediated striatal Fos expression in 6-OHDA rats.
Evaluating the importance of human-modified lands for neotropical bird conservation

: Development of effective conservation plans for terrestrial animals will require some assessment of which human-modified and natural habitats can support populations of priority species. We examined bird communities associated with 11 natural and human-modified habitats in Panama and assessed the importance of those habitats for species of different vulnerability to disturbance. We calculated habitat importance scores using both relative habitat preferences and vulnerability scores for all species present. Species of moderate and high vulnerability were primarily those categorized as forest specialists or forest generalists. As expected, even species-rich nonforest habitats provided little conservation value for the most vulnerable species. However, shaded coffee plantations and gallery forest corridors were modified habitats with relatively high conservation value. Sugar cane fields and Caribbean pine plantations offered virtually no conservation value for birds. Our method of assessing the conservation importance of different habitats is useful because it considers the types of species present and the potential role of the habitat in the conservation of those species ( i.e., habitat preference ). This method of habitat evaluation could be tailored to other conservation contexts with any measure of species vulnerability desired. Resumen: El desarrollo de planes de conservacion efectivos para animales terrestres requerira de algunas evaluaciones para identificar aquellos habitats modificados por humanos y naturales que puedan soportar poblaciones de especies prioritarias. Examinamos las comunidades de aves asociadas con 11 habitats naturales y modificados por humanos en Panama y evaluamos la importancia de estos habitats para especies de diferente vulnerabilidad a la perturbacion. Se calcularon los valores de importancia del habitat usando tanto los valores de preferencia relativa de habitat como los de vulnerabilidad para todas las especies presentes. Las especies de vulnerabilidad moderada y alta fueron principalmente aquellas catalogadas como especialistas de bosque o generalistas de bosque. Segun lo esperado, aun los habitats no forestales ricos en especies proveyeron poco valor de conservacion para la mayoria de las especies. Sin embargo, las plantaciones de cafe con sombra y los corredores de galerias de bosque fueron habitats modificados con un valor relativamente alto de conservacion. Las plantaciones de cana de azucar y de pino del Caribe virtualmente no ofrecieron valor de conservacion para las aves. Nuestro metodo de evaluacion de la importancia para la conservacion de diferentes habitats es util puesto que considera los tipos de especie presentes y el papel potencial del habitat en la conservacion de estas especies ( es decir, habitat preferencial ). Este metodo de evaluacion de habitat puede ser adaptado a otros contextos de conservacion usando cualquier medida de vulnerabilidad de especies deseada.
TPN- and DPN-Specific 3α-Hydroxy- and Δ5-3β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases of Liver and Kidney

DPN- and TPN-specific 3α- and Δ5-3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases have been demonstrated in the liver and kidney. The nucleotide specific enzymes were readily separated by centrifugation. They were localized in either the microsomal or soluble fractions. In some instances the same type of dehydrogenase activity was found in both cellular particulate fractions, and the DPN dehydrogenases of the mouse, rat and hamster kidney required both fractions. The activity of the enzymes varied between tissues and among animals. A pH optimum of about 9.6 was shown by all the dehydrogenases. The microsomal enzymes were precipitated by Mg++ and by treatment with RNase but those in the soluble fraction were not. The microsomal enzymes were readily solubilized by 0.15% Triton X-100 or 0.2% desoxycholate. The enzymes lost activity on storage at 4 C. The loss was partly prevented by EDTA at an optimum concentration of 0.5–1.0 mM. A DPN reductase(s) was present in the liver. It had a pH optimum of 8.5 and was stimulated by a...
Future Directions for Pediatric Obesity Treatment

The goal of this commentary was to present ideas that could help to guide the evolution of the next generation of pediatric obesity treatments. Whereas considerable progress has been made in treatment efficacy studies, there is the potential for enhancing the efficacy of existing treatments and developing new paradigms to treat pediatric obesity by tailoring treatment based on moderators of treatment success, and translating basic science into clinical interventions. It will be necessary to then evaluate efficacious treatments using effectiveness designs, and to evaluate their cost-effectiveness.
Prior Adjustment of Violent Juvenile Offenders

This study compares 202 juvenile offenders on a series of preoffense adjustment variables grouped into five categories: Family Dysfunction, School Adjustment, Prior Violence, Criminal Activity, and Substance Abuse. Emphasis is placed on the importance of distinguishing subgroups of violent youth based on the type of assault (interpersonal conflict or crime-related) and the youth's relationship to the victim (parent or other victim). Findings support the need to identify multiple developmental pathways and distinctive risk factors for different forms of juvenile violence.
Peripheral and cognitive components of eye guidance in filled-space reading.

Five undergraduates read aloud three pages of text a day for 10 days. One page of text each day had interword spaces filled with a black letter-like filler, one with a red filler, and one was normal (control). Results showed that (1) red fillers produced a reading rate significantly below normal text, (2) black fillers yielded a significantly lower reading rate than red fillers, and (3) with practice, the reading rate for the black-filled condition rose significantly. Testing on Day 11 with an alternative filler form showed that a specific form was being learned with practice. Results were interpreted as support for both peripheral guidance of eye movement by physical cues and cognitive guidance involving reader-generated hypotheses about the text.
Properties of a temporal difference reinforcement learning brain machine interface driven by a simulated motor cortex

Our overall goal is to develop a reinforcement learning (RL) based decoder for brain machine interfaces. As an important step in this process, we determine the basic stability and convergence properties of a Temporal Difference (TD) RL architecture being driven by a simulated motor cortex.
Electromechanical actuators with multichip module electronic controllers for unmanned vehicles

As the expanding field of navigation technologies allows more accurate guidance of unmanned vehicles (UV), higher performance, smaller size control actuation systems are required. Because of their low cost and minimum maintenance, electro-mechanical actuators have been used extensively in air, ground, and underwater UV. Electronic controllers currently utilized with EM actuators use discrete components integrated on a printed circuit board.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The elastic analysis with galaxy on the cloud

As experimental biologists become increasingly reliant on high-throughput data production, the scale and sophistication of computational infrastructure needed to support data storage and analysis has grown dramatically. In addition, the computational infrastructure needs to be coupled with the appropriate data analysis tools. Such an environment requires informatics support to setup, configure and maintain the infrastructure. Moreover, once setup, the complete environment needs to be maintained during the periods of inactivity or low usage. For the experimentalists, such requirements represent a barrier to realizing the next step in science. Cloud computing has recently emerged as a model that is well suited for the periodic computational requirements convenient to experimental biologists. However, cloud computing resources are not yet suitable for immediate use by the experimentalists because they still need to be configured and managed. To help in enabling seamless next-generation sequencing (NGS) analyses on the cloud, we have developed Galaxy CloudMan. Galaxy CloudMan is a comprehensive manager for running and managing cloud computing resources. Cloud resources managed by Galaxy CloudMan are preconfigured with tools necessary for the NGS analyses. Access and interaction with the preconfigured NGS tools is handled through Galaxy, an open-source, web based system that provides an integrated analysis environment where domain scientists can, without informatics expertise, interactively construct multi-step analyses, with outputs from one step feeding seamlessly to the next. Separate from the Galaxy analysis interface, CloudMan offers a simple web-based interface that allows anyone to acquire a desired number of computational and storage resources on a cloud infrastructure and access the familiar Galaxy interface and associated tools. CloudMan automatically handles all aspects of resource acquisition, configuration, and data persistence, thus entirely insulating a user from the low-level computational details. With Galaxy CloudMan, an individual researcher can, without any informatics support, gain access to a complete NGS data analysis solution in a matter of minutes and release it once the analysis has completed, thus eliminating the need for the infrastructure maintenance.
Direct detection of Shiga-like toxin-producing Escherichia coli in ground beef using the polymerase chain reaction.

We recently reported the development and assessment of a technique for the detection of Shiga-like toxin-producing Escherichia coli (SLTEC) using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and a digoxigenin-11-dUTP-labelled DNA probe. This technique has now been adapted for the direct identification of SLTEC in ground beef. Ground beef homogenates were diluted 1000-fold to reduce the concentration of components which inhibit the thermostable polymerase. Assessment of four different ground beef samples using the PCR detection technique revealed that fat content was a major inhibitory component. As few as 30 SLTEC ml−1 of a ground beef homogenate were detected using the PCR technique, although it was necessary to enrich six of the samples for positive detection. These findings indicate that the PCR detection technique is suitable for the identification of SLTEC directly from contaminated ground beef without isolation of the bacterium or purification of its DNA.
Promoting Preschool Mental Health: Results of a 3 Year Primary Prevention Strategy

Challenging behaviors that disrupt the preschool classroom are increasingly common and can lead to poor outcomes in adulthood, such as delinquency, aggression, antisocial behavior, and substance abuse. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a preschool-based mental health intervention on challenging behaviors amongst 3- and 4-year old children enrolled in four urban preschools in northern New Jersey. The intervention consisted of a mental health consultant providing a curriculum (Second Step) to all 3- and 4-year old children in the preschools, consultation with teachers, and play-therapy for identified children. The Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKSB-2) was utilized to assess change in behavior between the beginning and the end of the school year and a cost-effectiveness analysis was also conducted. Results indicate improved behavior in all areas—social cooperation, social interaction, social independence, externalizing behavior and internalizing behavior—after 1 year of intervention and additional gains following 2 years of intervention. Further, the cost of providing this intervention was determined to be $900 per child, per year. While this study utilized a scale that yields risk levels based on normed comparisons, there was no comparison group in this study. It is uncertain how much change is related to maturation and other factors. However, this study does suggest that the intervention has merit for further research with this population and shows promise for providing a tiered approach to addressing the various degrees of challenging behaviors in the preschool classroom.
Mitochondrial dynamics and neurodegeneration

Mitochondria are key organelles in eukaryotic cells that not only generate adenosine triphosphate but also perform such critical functions as hosting essential biosynthetic pathways, calcium buffering, and apoptotic signaling. In vivo, mitochondria form dynamic networks that undergo frequent morphologic changes through fission and fusion. In neurons, the imbalance of mitochondrial fission/fusion can influence neuronal physiology, such as synaptic transmission and plasticity, and affect neuronal survival. Core components of the mitochondrial fission/fusion machinery have been identified through genetic studies in model organisms. Mutations in some of these genes in humans have been linked to rare neurodegenerative diseases such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth subtype 2A and autosomal dominant optic atrophy. Recent studies also have implicated aberrant mitochondrial fission/fusion in the pathogenesis of more common neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. These studies establish mitochondrial dynamics as a new paradigm for neurodegenerattve disease research. Compounds that modulate mitochondrial fission/fusion could have therapeutic value in disease intervention.
Effect of pregnancy on hepatic microsomal drug metabolism in rabbits and rats

In Dutch-belted rabbits, pregnancy caused several-fold decrease of in vitro hepatic microsomal aminopyrine, benzphetamine, and hexobarbital biotransformations. In pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats, various kinds of expressing the in vitro rates of hexobarbital biotransformation (per mg of microsomal protein, g of liver, 100 g of body weight) indicated unchanged or slightly elevated microsomal enzyme activity. In vivo, the course of hexobarbital blood levels after i. p. hexobarbital sodium, 100 mg/kg, indicated that the fate of hexobarbital was not primarily determined by the small changes of microsomal enzyme activity but, rather, by changed hexobarbital distribution. Different ways of expressing in vitro rates of aniline biotransformation showed decreased or unchanged enzyme activity during pregnancy and in vivo experiments indicated that these changes did not affect aniline metabolism in living rats. The results pointed out marked species differences in the effect of pregnancy on drug metabolism. Interpretation of in vitro biotransformation data for living animals suggested that with different substrates, microsomal enzyme activity and distribution, respectively, may exert different effects playing either significant or apparently minor role in drug disposition.