cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Teachers Speak out on Assessment Practices.

A 1997 statewide survey of Michigan teachers, administrators, and parents about assessment practices revealed that all 3 groups held similar views about what constitutes appropriate assessment in the early years, and they put little faith in test scores. This study reports on follow-up interviews aimed at determining the types, frequency, and utility of assessment techniques used by classroom teachers. Specifically, this study focused on the types of assessment techniques used by a sample of elementary teachers, including how often they use paper-and-pencil tests, how often they write observation notes and what they do with the notes, whether they use children's portfolios as assessment, and whether their teaching is influenced by mandated tests. Study findings revealed that paper and pencil tests were regularly used by teachers in grades 3 and 4 (92%), and rarely or occasionally used by the teachers below that level (16% rarely and 20% occasionally). Seventy-three percent of the early level teachers and 76% of the teachers in grade 3 and 4 used observation for summative rather than formative analysis. Teachers in both groups used checklists frequently, primarily for summative purposes. Portfolios, like other assessment tools, are used primarily for summative rather than formative purposes.
ENABLING AND SUSTAINING SHARED LEADERSHIP IN AUTONOMOUS TEAMS

A proliferation of autonomous teams across industries entices researchers to examine the transformation of emergent leadership into sustainable shared leadership as an optimal condition for team effectiveness. Little, if any, in-depth research has surfaced in the literature to explain shared leadership. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine specific organizational dynamics most likely to enable and sustain shared leadership in autonomous teams. In this exploratory study, empirical feedback representing personal team experiences of 18 autonomous team members was collected and arranged in themes. What resulted was evidence that top-leader support, an institution-wide focus on team outcomes, face-toface communication and frequent feedback, and equity in team-member recruitment processes were perceived to be the most critical organizational dynamics shaping shared leadership in autonomous teams.
Hierarchical test access architecture for embedded cores in an integrated circuit

The rapid emergence of reusable core-based designs, in the last few years, poses new challenges to the IEEE test access standard 1149.1. Due to widespread industrial acceptance of 1149.1 standard, ICs are now expected to be 1149.1-compliant. At the same time, a typical IC, like the TMS470 microcontroller manufactured by TI, often contains multiple cores with built-in 1149.1 compliant Test Access Port (TAP), as well as significant amounts of non-core logic, which does not have any built-in test access mechanism. In this paper, we present a new TAP design that enables systematic integration of TAP'ed cores with non-TAP'ed logic, and makes the total IC 1149.1 compliant, at the same time. This TAP design, designated Hierarchical Test Access Port (HTAP), has exactly the same I/O pin specifications as an 1149.1-compliant TAP, and can either serve as an 1149.1-compliant TAP, or act as an arbitrator between existing TAPs in the Embedded cores. Behavior of the HTAP-whether to act as a TAP or as an arbitrator of TAPs-is controlled via the TMS input pin.
Critical Inuit Studies: An Anthology of Contemporary Arctic Ethnography

Critical Inuit Studies: An Anthology of Contemporary Arctic Ethnography. Pamela Stern and Lisa Stevenson, eds. Lincoln: Nebraska University Press, 2006. 302 pp.
New parabolized Navier-Stokes code for three-dimensional chemically reacting flows

A NEW parabolized Navier-Stokes (PNS) code has been developed to compute the laminar hypersonic chemically reacting flow around three-dimensional bodies. This new space-marching code solves the gasdynamic and species conservation equations in a fully coupled manner using a noniterative, implicit, approximately factored, finite-difference algorithm. The space-marching method is made well-posed by special treatment of the stream wise pressure gradient term. The code has been used to compute the hypersonic laminar . flow over cones at various angles of attack. The flow medium in these calculations is a multicomponent mixture of O2, N2, O, N, NO, NO , and e~ . The results of these calculations have been compared with the results from reacting boundarylayer calculations and show excellent agreement.
Analyses of Vehicle Trajectories and Speed Profiles Along Horizontal Curves

Vehicle speed and lane position are two of the many possible factors that lead to crashes on horizontal curves. Vehicle position and speed through horizontal curves are of great relevance to many areas of traffic engineering, including countermeasure design, design consistency, and policy. This article discusses the results of an exploratory analysis of vehicle trajectories and speed profiles at two horizontal curves located in central Iowa. The sites include an urban and rural curve. Data were collected at five stations within the horizontal curves in both directions of travel using pneumatic road tubes set up in a Z-configuration. Overall, vehicles were found to cut the horizontal curve in the inside and outside travel lanes. However, the trajectories were seen to be different at the two curve sites. Vehicle mean speed profiles indicated that the curve site selected for evaluation operate differently and are reflected in the speed profiles. Speed deviations of individual vehicles as they traversed the c...
Resources, Resistances, and Economic Growth

Erich W. Zimmermann′s functional interpretation of resources is expanded and elaborated into an instrumental theory of resources, resistances, and economic growth. Both resources, which are useful to man, and resistances, which interfere with the satisfaction of his wants, are defined by technology and redefined by every technological innovation. Therefore, technological innovation can create new resources and can transform resistances into resources by teaching man how to use environmental features which were previously useless. Technological progress becomes the basis of unlimited economic growth. This instrumental theory is used to suggest solutions to problems associated with resource depletion, environmental pollution, and economic growth.
Selective Two-Photon Imaging of a Biological Sample

The use of phase shaped 13 fs pulses to selectively enhance fluorophore excitation in biological samples is shown. Images of a mouse kidney sample show high contrast without the use of filters or tuning the laser.
Slow potential shifts of human brain during forewarned reaction.

Abstract The slow brain potentiels observed during the 4 sec interstimulus interval (ISI) of a CNV paradigm were investigated by a factorial manipulation of the parameters that have been identified as affecting the CNV at ISIs of 1 or 2 sec. Subjects performed choice and simple reaction time (RT) tasks under all possible combinations of auditory and visual warning (S1) and imperative (S2) stimuli. The choice task involved easy or difficult intensity discriminations at S2, which were forewarned by S1s that cued the subject as to the level of difficulty for that trial. Principal components analysis (PCA) of the data revealed two negative afterwave factors and a late positive component (LPC) related to warning stimulus variables, and a late negative shift preceding S2 that was related to motor preparation. The negative afterwave components were enhanced in the choice RT task, and the earlier of the two components showed a modality-specific distribution. The LPC factor was also enhanced in the choice task and was further enhanced by S1s signaling difficult discriminations. Additionally, the LPC was larger for visual S1s. The S1-related components are interpreted in terms of orienting, while the later shift is identified with the readiness potential and motor preparation. The results support the notion that the conventionally recorded CNV consists of S1 evoked and response-related potentials rather than non-specific and modality-specific anticipatory potentials.
Behavioural compensation for mate loss in the burying beetle Nicrophorus orbicollis

Abstract Abstract. Brood-care behaviour by single parents was studied in the burying beetle Nicrophorus orbicollis by comparing the time budgets of single males, single females, paired males, and paired females. Single females regurgitated to larvae for a longer duration than single males on the third day of brood care, but there were no other significant differences between single males and single females in either the frequency or duration of brood-care behaviour. Both single males and single females regurgitated to larvae and maintained the carrion more frequently than paired males and females, respectively. The increase in larval provisioning and carrion maintenance resulted in single parents guarding the brood less frequently and for a shorter duration than did their paired counterparts. The data suggest that male and female burying beetles increase their brood-care behaviour to compensate for the loss of a mate. Behavioural compensation for mate loss has been reported in several bird species, and in one fish species; and this study may represent the first demonstration of compensation for mate loss in an invertebrate.
Monoaminergic nerve terminals in the cerebellar cortex of purkinje cell degeneration mutant mice: Fine structural integrity and modification of cellular environs following loss of Purkinje and granule cells

The cerebellar cortex of normal and Purkinje cell degeneration mutant mice was examined by electron microscopy after fixation with potassium permanganate for the demonstration of small granular vesicles in monoaminergic nerve terminals. In control mice, monoaminergic terminals were found mainly in apposition to Purkinje cell dendrites. After the degeneration of Purkinje cells, which constitute the major target for monoaminergic fibres in the cerebellum, monoaminergic terminals persisted in the cerebellar cortex of Purkinje cell degeneration mutant mice. They were ensheathed by astroglial processes in most of the instances. They were also apposed to boutons that contained agranular vesicles, and to stellate cells in the molecular layer. Clear synaptic specializations in the form of thickening of the synaptic membranes were not observed in either control or mutant mice. It is hypothesized that the survival of monoaminergic axons following loss of their target cells may be attributed to the lack of intimate adhesion to their target elements, to a possible functional interaction with the glia, or to the integrity of the extracerebellar terminal fields of the monoamine axon collaterals.
Incidence of diffuse lamellar keratitis after LASIK with 15 KHz, 30 KHz, and 60 KHz femtosecond laser flap creation

Purpose To compare the incidence of diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK) after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) with flap creation using the 15 kHz (FS15), 30 kHz (FS30), or 60 kHz (FS60) femtosecond laser. Setting University-based academic practice, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. Design Retrospective comparative case series. Methods Consecutive myopic LASIK cases performed between January 1, 2005, and June 1, 2007, using the IntraLase FS15, FS30, or FS60 femtosecond laser for flap creation were reviewed. Preoperative clinical characteristics, treatment parameters, and intraoperative and postoperative complications were recorded. Statistical comparisons were made using repeated measures analysis, analysis of variance, chi-square, and Fisher exact tests. Results Five hundred twenty eyes of 274 patients were included in the study. One hundred seventy-six eyes (93 patients) were treated with the FS15 laser, 180 eyes (93 patients) with the FS30 laser, and 164 eyes (89 patients) with the FS60 laser. Seventeen eyes (10%) in the FS15 laser group, 24 eyes (13%) in the FS30 laser group, and 23 eyes (14%) in the FS60 laser group developed DLK. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of DLK between the 3 groups ( P = .68). Conclusion There was no significant difference in the incidence of DLK between the FS15, FS30, and FS60 groups. Financial Disclosure No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Between indifference and coercion: Third-party intervention techniques in ongoing disputes

Research on third parties’ conflict management has traditionally proposed a stark dichotomy between neutral mediators and non-neutral military joiners. Recent studies have blurred this dichotomy bu...
Separation and behavior in vitro of hemocytes from the moth, Pseudoplusia includens.

Hemocytes collected from larvae of Pseudoplusia includens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) were separated by centrifugation on Percoll cushions. The procedure resulted in 95% purity of plasmatocytes and greater than 99% purity of granular and spherule cells. Medium supplemented with chicken serum enhanced cell viability and promoted spreading of plasmatocytes. Cell-free plasma and medium preconditioned by plasmatocytes or granular cells stabilized cells in vitro and also accelerated spreading of plasmatocytes relative to medium supplemented with chicken serum. Oenocytoids were the only morphotype that exhibited endogenous phenoloxidase activity, while granular cells and plasmatocytes were the only cells that endocytosed fluorescent beads in vitro. Granular cells and plasmatocytes ingested fluorescently labelled beads, both in mixed populations of hemocytes and after separation. Plasmatocytes were the only morphotype that encapsulated large foreign targets in vitro following separation. Separated granular cells attached and spread on the surface of foreign targets but never formed a multilayered capsule.
Information Theoretic Measures for Quantifying the Integration of Neural Activity

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in quantifying the interaction and integration between different neuronal activities in the brain. One problem of interest has been to quantify how different neuronal sites communicate with each other. For this purpose, different measures of functional integration such as spectral coherence, phase synchrony and mutual information have been proposed. In this paper, we introduce information-theoretic measures such as entropy and divergence to quantify the interaction between different neuronal sites. The information- theoretic measures introduced in this paper are adapted to the time-frequency domain to account for the dynamic nature of neuronal activity. Time-frequency distributions are two-dimensional energy density functions of time and frequency, and can be treated in a way similar to probability density functions. Since time-frequency distributions are not always positive, information measures such as Renyi entropy and Jensen-Renyi divergence are adapted to this new domain instead of the well-known Shannon entropy. In this paper, we first discuss some properties of these modified measures and then illustrate their application to neural signals. The proposed measures are applied to multiple electrode recordings of electroencephalogram (EEG) data to quantify the interaction between different neuronal sites and between different cognitive states.
Superplasticity in a 17 vol.% SiC particulate-reinforced ZK60A magnesium composite (ZK60/SiC/17p)

The superplastic characteristics of a 17 vol.% SiC particulate-reinforced ZK60A magnesium composite (ZK60/SiC/17p) have been studied. The composite has a fine microstructure (grain size ∼0.5 μm) and is stable at high temperatures. As a result of the fine microstructure, the composite exhibits superplasticity (with an elongation to failure of 350%) at very high strain rate (∼1 s−1). The superplastic properties of the composite, including elongation, strain rate sensitivity, activation energy, grain size dependence, and cavitation, were all characterized. From experimental results, i.e., the strain rate sensitivity value, the grain size dependence of strain rate, and the activation energy, the operative superplastic deformation mechanism in ZK60/SiC/17p is proposed. A comparison between the superplastic behavior of the composite and that of magnesium alloys, and particularly the unreinforced magnesium alloy counterpart of the composite, has also been made.
Response to Endothelial Dysfunction, Isoprostanes, and Copper Deficiency

We appreciate Klevay’s comments1 regarding the potential role of copper supplement for the treatment of endothelial dysfunction. Our study focused on the association among coronary endothelial dysfunction, local bioavailability of NO, and local reactive oxygen species generation.2 We demonstrated that, in patients with endothelial dysfunction, there is increased local ROS generation, reduced …
The effects of local versus bulk disorder on the magnetic behavior of stoichiometric Ni3Al

Abstract The magnetic behaviors of both ball-milled and cold-rolled stoichiometric Ni3Al have been investigated both before and after annealing using X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and vibrating sample magnetometery. Mechanical alloying produced a fully disordered structure while cold rolling produced only local disorder. Hence, the enthalpy of reordering was found to be different in the two cases. It was also found that whereas annealing decreased the saturation magnetization for the milled Ni3Al, it increased the magnetization for the rolled material. The origin of this behavior is discussed.
Venodilatation techniques to enhance venepuncture and intravenous cannulation

Venepuncture and venous cannulation are the most commonly performed invasive medical procedures in hospitalized patients. Venodilatation can facilitate these procedures and minimize discomfort for patient and practitioner alike. This article describes useful venodilatation techniques that can be employed by medical personnel.
Moving into Homelessness After Psychiatric Hospitalization

A six-month follow-up study of 132 former patients of a state hospital examines those subjects who become homeless and compares them with those subjects who do not. A quantitative and qualitative approach is used to document the process of homelessness that occurs after psychiatric hospitalization. A set of policy options is resented that can respond to the special needs of homeless mentally ill persons.
Smoking Cessation or Reduction in Pregnancy Treatment Methods: A Meta-Evaluation of the Impact of Dissemination

Active and passive exposure to tobacco smoke during pregnancy and infancy is the most serious and preventable cause of adverse maternal, fetal, and infant outcomes in the United States. The multiple risks of tobacco exposure to mothers and infants are definitive, and the clinical and economic benefits of cessation have been documented. This article provides a synopsis of the state of the science and art in this specialized area and reviews the evidence for validity of patient assessment methods and the effectiveness of smoking cessation/reduction treatments for pregnant women. A synthesis of 4 topics is presented: (1) the validity of patient reports of smoking status and recent trends during pregnancy and postpartum; (2) definition of "Best Practice" smoking cessation methods for pregnant women; (3) the effect of dissemination of effective clinical practice methods among the 800,000+ pregnant US smokers each year; and (4) the evidence for the cost-benefit of improved maternal and infant outcomes from cessation.
Deformation and Forming of Joined Materials

As manufacturers strive to improve product performance and reduce weight, particularly in the transportation industries, designers are optimizing material usage with combinations of many different materials and alloys. The goal is to optimize mechanical behavior by selecting material specifically tailored for locations within a product or component. Such mixed material solutions require innovative joining technologies to combine, for example, aluminum and steel or magnesium and carbon fiber composite, etc. Critical to expanding the use of such joined materials in structural applications is the relevant technical understanding of how they form and deform across varying strain rates ranging from superplastic forming to stamping to crash events. With an increasingly rapid development of advanced materials, knowledge gained by assessing the post-weld formability of joined similar and multimaterial structures is crucial to providing the data needed to enable more widespread utilization. On the other end of the spectrum, increased insight characterizing the deformation of these joined structures is also critical to paving the way toward successful implementation. Characterizations via experimentation as well as predictive capabilities are essential to this effort as explored by the articles included in this issue. First, Judy Schneider and Ron Radzilowski provide a history of various processes for joining aluminum and iron-based materials in ‘‘Welding of Very Dissimilar Materials (Fe-Al).’’ They discuss how welding technologies were developed for specific families of materials followed by the joining of dissimilar materials and how such technologies are implemented in the automotive industry. Next, Mike Miles et al. describe efforts in modeling material deformation of advanced highstrength steels joined by friction stir spot welding. This work combines heat input from deformation as well as frictional heating from the welding process and relates processing parameters to microstructure and deformation behavior. The model was validated with experimental data and accurately predicted nugget geometry and thermal profiles.
Inverse Models: A Necessary Next Step in Ground‐Water Modeling

Inverse models using, for example, nonlinear least-squares regression, provide capabilities that help modelers take full advantage of the insight available from ground-water models. However, lack of information about the requirements and benefits of inverse models is an obstacle to their widespread use. This paper presents a simple ground-water flow problem to illustrate the requirements and benefits of the nonlinear least-squares regression method of inverse modeling and discusses how these attributes apply to field problems. The benefits of inverse modeling include: (1) expedited determination of best fit parameter values; (2) quantification of the (a) quality of calibration, (b) data shortcomings and needs, and (c) confidence limits on parameter estimates and predictions; and (3) identification of issues that are easily overlooked during nonautomated calibration.
A Dislocation Shielding Prediction of the Toughness Transition during Cleavage of Semibrittle Crystals

An interconnected set of observations assesses current equilibrium models of the ductile-brittle-transition temperature (DBTT). This involvesin situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies of crack-tip dislocations in single and polycrystals and bulk fracture toughness tests at various temperatures. Beyond KI values of 8 MPa · m1/2 in both iron-base single and polycrystals, large numbers of redundant dislocations are created, as postulated recently by Weertman. [38] Still, the necessary shielding dislocations, as required by equilibrium, can be detected at values as high as 20 and 40 MPa · m1/2 byex situ TEM and electron channeling, respectively. In addition, the close approach of dislocations to the crack tip in some of the studies, as opposed to others, suggests that large dislocation free zones (DFZ) are a thin-film artifact. However, a failure criterion based partly on the Rice-Thomson model’21 is both consistent with the absence of a large DFZ and observed fracture toughness variations with test temperature. It is emphasized that this toughness transition is entirely in the semibrittle regime where cleavage is the failure mode. Nevertheless,Klc values increase from 3 to 60 MPa·m1/2 with an increase in test temperature.
Thermal stresses in optical waveguides.

Birefringence of optical waveguides is closely related to the anisotropy of thermal stresses in the core. Closed-form solutions for estimating the thermal stresses in the cladding layers and in the core of an embedded channel waveguide are presented. The solutions are verified by finite-element simulation. It is found that the thermal stress in the core in the direction perpendicular to the wafer cannot be ignored, and one can tune the core stress anisotropy in the plane normal to the light-propagation direction by varying the thermal-expansion mismatch between the upper cladding layer and the substrate.
Correction to ‘Phylogenetic evidence for a shift in the mode of mammalian body size evolution at the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary’, and a note on fitting macroevolutionary models to comparative paleontological data sets

Summary In this note, I correct two errors from an earlier paper that investigated tempo and mode of mammalian body size evolution across the Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary. Both errors arose from use of branch length rescaling under the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, which I here show to be inappropriate for non-ultrametric trees. Correction of these errors does not change the conclusions of my original study. However, recognition of the underlying problem highlights that comparative methods developed by biologists for examining trait evolution on ultrametric trees may not always be appropriate for paleontological datasets.
An illustrative model for non-perturbative scattering in theories with weak coupling

A simple two-dimensional model with one scalar field and a slightly metastable vacuum is used as a test ground to analyze non-perturbative multiparticle scattering at high energy induced by a non-trivial saddle point configuration in the euclidean path integral analogous to the instanton-induced multiparticle processes in the electroweak theory. Existence of an additional small parameter in the theory makes it possible to find the behavior of the scattering amplitudes up to the analog of the sphaleron energy. In particular it is illustrated that large quantum corrections arising in the existing instanton calculations of such amplitudes develop because the quantization is performed near the stationary configuration which is not distorted by the sources of external particles. It is explicitly shown that once the proper saddle point configuration in the presence of external sources is found the quantization around it yields only small corrections. Also the explicit solution shows what happens to some known first quantum effects when they are incorporated in the non-perturbative result.
Lean Product Development Research: Current State and Future Directions

Abstract:Lean Product Development (LPD) is one of the leading approaches currently being adopted by organizations attempting to maximize value, increase quality, shorten lead times, and lower costs for product development (PD) processes; however, it appears that the mere translation of lean manufacturing principles into PD settings does not necessarily equate to an effective lean PD process, and many organizations continue to struggle to deploy LPD. In order to better understand the theoretical content of LPD research, as well as the potential reasons for implementation difficulties, this article presents results from a systematic review of the LPD literature over the past 21 years. Findings are used to identify trends and themes in the current research, areas for future research, and implications for practicing engineering managers. In particular, we find that current themes in LPD research can be mapped to seven knowledge domains, and we identify practices and principles that have been proposed for deal...
Cocaine-mediated induction of platelet-derived growth factor: implication for increased vascular permeability.

Neuroinflammation associated with advanced HIV-1 infection is often exacerbated in cocaine-abusing, HIV-infected patients. The underlying mechanisms could, in part, be attributed to the increased impairment of blood brain barrier integrity in the presence of cocaine. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) has been implicated in several pathologic conditions, specifically attributable to its potent mitogenic effects. Its modulation by drug abuse, however, has received very little attention. In the present study, we demonstrated cocaine-mediated induction of PDGF-BB in human brain microvascular endothelial cells through the binding to its cognate σ receptor. Furthermore, this effect was mediated, with subsequent activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and Egr-1 pathways, culminating ultimately into increased expression of PDGF-BB. Cocaine exposure resulted in increased permeability of the endothelial barrier, and this effect was abrogated in mice exposed to PDGF-BB neutralizing antibody, thus underscoring its role as a vascular permeant. In vivo relevance of these findings was further corroborated in cocaine-treated mice that were administered neutralizing antibody specific for PDGF-BB as well as in Egr-1−/− mice. Understanding the regulation of PDGF-BB expression may provide insights into the development of potential therapeutic targets for neuroinflammation associated with HIV infection and drug abuse.
Second‐order boundary value problems with nonhomogeneous boundary conditions (I)

We study the nonlinear boundary value problem with nonhomogeneous multi-point boundary condition Sufficient conditions are found for the existence of solutions of the problem based on the existence of lower and upper solutions with certain relation. Using this existence result, under some assumptions, we obtain explicit ranges of values of λ1 and λ2 with which the problem has a solution, has a positive solution, and has no solution, respectively. Furthermore, we prove that the whole plane for λ1 and λ2 can be divided into two disjoint connected regions ΛE and ΛN such that the problem has a solution for (λ1, λ2) ∈ ΛE and has no solution for (λ1, λ2) ∈ ΛN. We also show that under different assumptions, the problem has a solution for all (λ1, λ2) ∈ ℝ2. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Oxidative stress alters neuronal RNA- and protein-synthesis: Implications for neural viability

Recent studies have demonstrated that impaired protein synthesis occurs in several neurodegenerative conditions associated with oxidative stress. Studies have also demonstrated that administration of oxidative stressors is sufficient to impair different and discrete regulatory aspects of protein synthesis in neural cells, with the majority of these studies focused on the effects of oxidative stressors towards initiation factors. Currently, little is known with regards to oxidative stress effects on the rates of RNA- and protein-synthesis, or the relationship between oxidant-induced impairments in RNA-/protein-synthesis to subsequent neuron death. In the present study, we demonstrate that administration of an oxidative stressor (hydrogen peroxide) induces a significant and time-dependent decrease in both RNA- and protein-synthesis in primary neurons and neural SH-SY5Y cells. Increases in RNA oxidation and disruption of ribosome complexes were selectively observed following the longer durations of oxidant exposure. Significant correlations between the loss of RNA- and protein-synthesis and the amount of oxidant-induced neuron death were also observed. Interestingly, the addition of a protein synthesis inhibitor (cycloheximide) did not significantly alter the amount of neuron death induced by the oxidative stressor. These data demonstrate that oxidant exposure promotes a time-dependent decrease in both RNA- and protein-synthesis in neurons, and demonstrate a role for elevations in RNA oxidation and ribosome dysfunction as potential mediators of impaired protein synthesis. These data also suggest that there is a complex relationship between the ability of oxidative stressors to modulate RNA- and protein-synthesis, and the ability of oxidative stressors to ultimately induce neuron death.
CaMKII-Dependent Phosphorylation of RyR2 Causes Domain Unzipping and Reduced Calmodulin Binding, But Dantrolene Reverses These Effects

Increased diastolic SR Ca2+ (Ca) leak via cardiac ryanodine receptors (RyR2) can cause cardiac arrhythmias and dysfunction in heart failure (HF). CaMKII-dependent RyR2 phosphorylation (at S2814) is thought to be a critical promoter of leaky RyR2 in HF. A conformational change in RyR2 (“domain unzipping”) observed in HF can also increase SR Ca leak. Calmodulin (CaM) quiets RyR2 gating, and the CaM affinity for RyR2 is reduced in HF. Further, we have shown reciprocal negative coupling between CaM binding to RyR2 and accessibility of the unzipping RyR peptide DPc10 (Oda et al. 2013). That is, unzipping with DPc10 reduced CaM binding and increased Ca leak, whereas CaM quieted leak and inhibited DPc10 access. Here, we tested the hypothesis that RyR2 phosphorylation by CaMKII increases Ca leak by favoring the same unzipped-conformation that exhibits reduced CaM affinity. We either activated endogenous myocyte CaMKII or used knock-in mice expressing non-phosphorylatable RyR2-S2814A or phosphomimetic RyR2-S2814D. We used FRET to directly detect binding of fluorescently labeled DPc10, FKBP12.6, and CaM to RyR2 in permeabilized cardiomyocytes. In phosphomimetic S2814D vs. S2814A myocytes, CaM-RyR2 affinity was reduced 3-fold (Kd= 72 ± 9 nM vs. 20 ± 2 nM), but FRETmax was unaltered. Access of DPc10 was also 2-fold faster in S2814D versus S2814A myocytes. Dantrolene (1 μM), which stabilizes the zipped conformation, restored CaM-RyR2 binding affinity in S2814D, slowed DPc10 wash-in, and lowered Bmax. Forced RyR2-S2814D saturation with 500 nM CaM also slowed DPc10 wash-in and reduced Bmax. We conclude that RyR2 phosphorylation by CaMKII causes pathological conformation changes (unzipping) that reduce RyR2-CaM affinity and ability to quiet SR Ca leak. Dantrolene effectively reverses these effects.
Clinical outcomes of women with recurrent or persistent uterine leiomyosarcoma.

Objectives This study aimed to identify prognostic factors influencing the outcome of recurrent or persistent uterine leiomyosarcoma (ULMS). Methods All patients with recurrent or persistent ULMS who underwent treatment at the participating institutions between January 2000 and December 2010 were identified from the tumor registry. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to generate overall survival data. Factors predictive of outcome were compared using the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model. Results One hundred fifteen (68.8%) patients who had recurrent/persistent disease were identified, 40 (34.8%) had persistent disease, and 75 (65.2%) had a recurrence. Median follow-up time was 24.9 months. The 5-year postrelapse survival rate was 15% and was not significantly different between women with recurrent or persistent disease (16% vs 13%; P = 0.1). Variables identified affecting the 5-year postrelapse survival rate included low number of mitosis at the time of diagnosis ( 6 months, 8% vs 22%; P = 0.003)), and surgical treatment (17% vs 12%; P = 0.01). Age, stage, chemotherapy at time of original diagnosis or at the time of relapse, site of recurrence, and single versus multiple sites of recurrence were not associated with survival. In a multivariate Cox regression model, only low number of mitosis (hazard ratio, 0.5; 95% confidence interval, 0.3–0.8, P = 0.02) was identified as a predictor of overall survival. Conclusions The prognosis of patients with recurrent/persistent ULMS is, in general, poor. Women who have low number of mitosis at the time of diagnosis seemed to have better postrelapse survival.
Poor outcome and quality of life in female patients undergoing secondary surgery for recurrent peptic ulcer disease

Secondary peptic ulcer surgery is uncommon given the success of a wide variety of medical therapies, plus the good outcome expected after primary peptic ulcer surgery. Early reports of secondary peptic ulcer surgery in the 1950s and 1960s suggested good long-term outcome in most patients; however, recent data suggest that patients operated in the Helicobacter pylori era have a worse outcome. We have attempted to quantify the poor outcome in these patients and measure the effect of sex, a previously unrecognized risk factor for poor outcome after peptic ulcer surgery. We reviewed the outcomes of 35 patients who underwent secondary peptic ulcer surgery for symptoms of persistent or recurrent peptic ulcer symptoms or complications of the condition. These patients were compared to a "control" group of patients to determine long-term quality of life as measured by the SF-36 and Visick scores (average follow-up 60 months). Visick and SF-36 scores were obtained through telephone interviews. The two groups of patients were age matched to eliminate age as a variable in the SF-36 results. There were more females than males in the secondary peptic ulcer surgery group (4.5/1 female-to-male ratio). Although perioperative mortality was zero for both groups, patients undergoing secondary peptic ulcer surgery had a high number of complications (57% of patients had complications). Patients undergoing secondary peptic ulcer surgery scored lower in seven of the eight subclasses of the SF-36 questionnaire compared to their age-matched cohorts. In contrast, average Visick scores showed slight improvement for three out of four symptoms reported. Immediate postoperative complications were not related to long-term quality of life issues. Secondary peptic ulcer surgery is more prevalent in females than in males. Although secondary peptic ulcer surgery is partially effective in alleviating symptoms, quality of life is poor.
How glaciers entrain and transport basal sediment: Physical constraints

Abstract Simple insights from the physics of ice, water and sediment place constraints on the possible sediment-transport behavior of glaciers and ice sheets. Because glaciers concentrate runoff, streams generated by glaciers transport much sediment and may erode bedrock rapidly. Deforming glacier beds also can transport much sediment, particularly in marginal regions. Rapid sediment entrainment producing thick debris-rich basal zones may occur by regelation into subglacial materials, and by freeze-on from rising supercooled waters. Numerous other mechanisms may be important but primarily near ice margins, especially those of advancing or fluctuating glaciers. Several sediment-entrainment mechanisms may be active beneath a single glacier, but one process is likely to be dominant at any place and time.
Studies of the proteins of contracted sheath of T-even coliphage.

Abstract The contracted sheath of T2H coliphage was isolated and purified. The sheath was found to be extremely stable to different methods of solubilization. Treatment with 67% acetic acid and 0.1 M HCl followed by urea and Cleland's reagent reduced the subunits having a molecular weight of 50,000. Gel electrophoresis of this material showed reproducibly two bands. No differences were found between T2H and T4D or any of the T2H tail mutants.
Kernel Regression Estimation Using Repeated Measurements Data

Abstract The estimation of growth curves has been studied extensively in parametric situations. Here we consider the nonparametric estimation of an average growth curve. Suppose that there are observations from several experimental units, each following the regression model y(xi)=f(xj)+e(j=1,…,n), where e1, …, e n are correlated zero mean errors and 0≤x1<…<xn≤1 are fixed constants. We study some of the properties of a kernel estimator of f(x). Asymptotic and finite-sample results concerning the mean squared error of the estimator are obtained. In particular, the influence of correlation on the bandwidth minimizing mean squared error is discussed. A data-based method for selecting the bandwidth is illustrated in a data analysis. Most previous research on kernel regression estimators has involved uncorrelated errors. We investigate how dependence of the errors changes the behavior of a kernel estimator. Our theorems concerning the asymptotic mean squared error show that the estimator cannot be consistent un...
Pathological gambling, problem gambling and sleep complaints: an analysis of the National Comorbidity Survey: Replication (NCS-R).

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between sleep disturbances and gambling behavior. Data from the National Comorbidity Survey—Replication (NCS-R) was used to examine the relationship between three specific sleep complaints (difficulty initiating sleep [DIS], difficulty maintaining sleep [DMS], and early morning awakening [EMA]) and gambling behavior. Bivariate logistic regression models were used to control for potentially confounding psychiatric disorders and age. Almost half of respondents with problem gambling behavior (45.9%) and two thirds (67.7%) of respondents with pathological gambling behavior reported at least one sleep compliant. Compared to respondents with no gambling pathology, respondents with pathological gambling were significantly more likely to report at least one sleep complaint (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 3.444, 95% CI = 1.538–7.713), to report all sleep complaints (AOR = 3.449, 95% CI = 1.503–7.914), and to report any individual complaint (DIS: OR = 2.300, 95% CI = 1.069–4.946; DMS: AOR = 4.604, 95% CI = 2.093–10.129; EMA: AOR = 3.968, 95% CI = 1.856–8.481). The relationship between problem gambling and sleep complaints were more modest (any sleep complaint: AOR = 1.794, 95% CI = 1.142–2.818; all three sleep complaints: AOR = 2.144, 95% CI = 1.169–3.931; DIS: AOR = 1.961, 95% CI = 1.204–3.194; DMS: AOR = 1.551, 95% CI = 0.951–2.529; EMA: AOR = 1.796, 95% CI = 1.099–2.935). Given the individual and societal ramifications linked with the presence of sleep problems, this study presents another health-related repercussion associated with gambling pathology rarely discussed in the literature.
Sensitivity analysis of reliability performance of multi-level converters

In recent years, several multilevel converters have been developed for high power applications. The basic multilevel converter types are: diode clamped, capacitor clamped and cascade. From these basic configurations, numerous configurations have been developed to achieve different performance objectives such as increasing efficiency, reducing number of diodes or switches and increasing system reliability. The wide applications of these converters motivates the development of reliability methods to evaluate the performance of such devices. There are some work were done on estimating power electronic converters reliability indices. However, these indices do not identify the most critical components or parameters for system reliability. This paper defines an index, Performance Degradation Probability (PDP) and evaluates its sensitivity with respect to components parameters such as their availabilities, failure rates and repair times. The method is demonstrated on a generalized five-level converter.
fMRI congruous word repetition effects reflect memory variability in normal elderly

Neural circuits mediating repetition effect for semantically congruous words on functional MRI were investigated in seventeen normal elderly (mean age=70). Participants determined if written words were semantically congruent (50% probability) with spoken statements. Subsequent cued-recall revealed robust explicit memory only for congruous items (83% versus 8% for incongruous). Event-related BOLD responses to New>Old congruous words were found in the left>right cingulate and fusiform gyri, left parahippocampal cortex, middle and inferior frontal gyri (IFG). A group with above-median subsequent recall had markedly more widespread BOLD responses than a Low-Recall subgroup, with larger responses in the left medial temporal lobe (LMTL), IFG, and bilateral cingulate gyri. The magnitude of LMTL activation (New-Old) correlated with subsequent cued-recall, while the spatial extent of LMTL activation (New>Old) correlated with recall and recognition. Both magnitude and spatial extent of left fusiform activation correlated with subsequent recall/recognition. A neural circuit of left-hemisphere brain regions, many identified as P600 generators by invasive electrophysiological studies, was activated by New>Old congruous words, likely mediating successful verbal encoding.
‘The camp’ and ‘the lesser evil’: humanitarianism in Sri Lanka

This article examines the 2009 humanitarian disaster in Sri Lanka through fieldwork conducted at the time and through theoretical lenses supplied by Arendt, Foucault and Agamben. The article suggests that this catastrophe represents a salutary example of the consequences of promoting a ‘lesser evil’ in the context of a government-fuelled human rights disaster. In line with Arendt's critique of the ‘lesser evil’, the case illustrates the limits to prioritising compromise, quietude and ‘access’. At the same time, while ‘democracy’ and ‘terror’ have frequently been posed as opposites, this tragedy shows how democratic forces, nationally and even internationally, can embrace something that approximates to Agamben's ‘camp’, a state of emergency in which entire groups of people lose their rights and can, at the extreme, be killed with impunity. Meanwhile, a pervasive official language of ‘care’ and ‘humanitarianism’ (corresponding to Foucault's politics of ‘life’) not only proved entirely consistent with ethnic...
Asymptotic formulas for the number of self-complementary graphs and digraphs

The number of self-complementary graphs and the number of self-complementary digraphs were expressed by Read [4] in terms of cycle indexes of the appropriate pair groups. These formulas for and , together with a modification of the method employed by Oberschelp [3] for graphs, can be used to obtain estimates for and and a bound on the error. For graph theoretic definitions not given here, we refer to the book [2].
Increased food intake after type A but not type B cholecystokinin receptor blockade

Abstract To assess the role of cholecystokinin (CCK) receptors in mediating the satiating effect of an oral preload, overnight food-deprived rats (n=7) were given access to a high-carbohydrate liquid diet for 40 min. At the end of 40 min, food was removed and rats were injected subcutaneously (SC) with devazepide (DVZ; 1 ng/kg-1 mg/kg), an antagonist selective for the CCK-A receptor, or its vehicle, 0.5% carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). Thirty min after injection, rats were given access to the same liquid food for 60 min. DVZ increased food intake significantly. Furthermore, the effectiveness of a very low dose of DVZ (10 ng/kg) is strong evidence that the effect of DVZ was specific for CCK-A receptors. Three of the rats that increased food intake after DVZ were also tested with L-365,260, an antagonist selective for the CCK-B receptor (10 ng/kg-100 μg/kg). L365,260 did not increase food intake significantly. These results confirm and extend previous reports that CCK-A receptor blockade increases food intake after an oral preload. They do not, however, demonstrate a role for the CCK-B receptor in mediating the satiating effect of ingested food under the same experimental conditions.