cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Filter-Based Subset Selection for Easy, Moderate, and Hard Bioinformatics Data

Researchers and practitioners in bioinformatics often encounter the problem of high dimensionality (a very large feature space). This large number of features severely hinders gene discovery and makes subsequent analysis computationally expensive. Thus, practitioners apply feature selection to reduce the number of features and simplify computation. One family of feature selection called filter-based feature selection (filters) employs statistical methods without the use of a classifier to find the most important features. Within the domain of filters, filter-based subset selection techniques evaluate a group of features simultaneously rather than each individual feature (i.e. filter-based feature ranking). Thus, filterbased subset selection techniques have the advantage of selecting unique features (not highly correlated with other features in the selected set) compared to ranker-based feature selection techniques (which can only target relevant features instead of redundant). Unfortunately, noise (incorrect and missing values in the data) is a prevalent problem in bioinformatics. Noise can confuse data mining techniques and render datasets more difficult to learn from. Relatively little work focused on filterbased subset selection techniques, let alone investigated their effectiveness in the context of difficulty of learning due to noise, especially in bioinformatics. In the present study, we compare two filter-based subset selection techniques using real-world high dimensional bioinformatics datasets with varying levels of learning difficulty due to noise. We employ Correlation-Based Feature Selection (CFS) and Consistency followed by classification, using four commonly used classifiers. We found that CFS consistently outperforms Consistency across all difficulty levels and learners. Thus, we recommend using CFS as the subset evaluation technique which not only identifies important genes but also removes redundant genes.
Emotions Experienced by First-Year Engineering Students During Programming Tasks

Learning computer programming is hard for novices and may induce both positive and negative emotions. This dissertation research employs a novel multi-modal research design in an attempt to understand emotions that novices experience while learning programming in an introductory undergraduate programming course. I want to participate in the doctoral consortium to get feedback on my research, specifically on how to improve my data analysis strategy and to make sense of the data.
Health researchers' experiences, perceptions and barriers related to sharing study results with participants.

Although research participants are generally interested in receiving results from studies in which they participate, health researchers rarely communicate study findings to participants. The present study was designed to provide opportunity for a broad group of health researchers to describe their experiences and concerns related to sharing results (i.e. aggregate study findings) with research participants. We used a mixed–methods concurrent triangulation design, relying on an online survey to capture health researchers’ experiences, perceptions and barriers related to sharing study results with participants. Respondents were health researchers who conduct research that includes the consent of human subjects and hold a current appointment at an accredited academic medical institution within the United States. For quantitative data, the analytic strategy focused on item-level descriptive analyses. For the qualitative data, analyses focused on a priori themes and emergent subthemes. Respondents were 414 researchers from 44 academic medical institutions; 64.5% reported that results should always be shared with participants, yet 60.8% of respondents could identify studies in which they had a leadership role where results were not shared. Emergent subthemes from researchers’ reasons why results should be shared included participant ownership of findings and benefits of results sharing to science. Reasons for not sharing included concerns related to participants’ health literacy and participants’ lack of desire for results. Across all respondents who described barriers to results sharing, the majority described logistical barriers. Study findings contribute to the literature by documenting researchers’ perspectives and experiences about sharing results with research participants, which can inform efforts to improve results sharing. Most respondents indicated that health research results should always be shared with participants, although the extent to which many respondents described barriers to results sharing as well as reported reasons not to share results suggests difficulties with a one-size-fits-all approach to improving results sharing.
Dark green humility: religious, psychological, and affective attributes of proenvironmental behaviors

Through a novel survey instrument, we examined traits and characteristics that various scholars and observers have averred promote or hinder proenvironmental behaviors. We found that those who hold anthropocentric and monotheistic religious views, and express low levels of environmental, religious, and cosmic humility, are less likely to engage in proenvironmental behaviors than those who maintain views, or express affinity with affective traits, values, and spiritual understandings, that are ecocentric, Organicist/Gaian, pantheistic, animistic, and that in general reflect humility about the human place in the world.
Four Narratives and the Enigma of Alterity

In this article, the author intends to explore the concept of alterity as otherness through an analysis of four highly differentiated narratives drawn from varied textual sources. The paper argues that alterity is depicted in four different and fluid meanings, namely those of separation, difference, assimilation and co-option, constituting enigmas of alterity. In conclusion, the author comments on the cultural-political process, by which these enigmatic constructs are produced and identifies and explains coercion and consent as the hegemonic impetus for its unfolding presence in current cultural-politics. Keywords: Alterity and Otherness, Enigmas of Alterity, Assimilation and Co-option
Editorial Commentary: At the Intersection of Borderline Dysplasia and Femoroacetabular Impingement—Which Way Should We Turn?

Abstract Borderline acetabular dysplasia remains a controversial topic in hip preservation, with poor current comparative literature to guide accurate diagnosis and treatment decision making. Borderline dysplasia represents a “transitional acetabular coverage” pattern between more classic acetabular dysplasia and normal coverage. Traditionally, borderline dysplasia has been defined by a lateral center-edge angle between 20° and 25°, whereas more recently, some authors have used 18° to 25°. Treatment decisions between isolated hip arthroscopy (addressing labral tears, femoroacetabular impingement morphology, and capsular laxity) and periacetabular osteotomy (improving joint stability, often combined with arthroscopy) remain challenging because the fundamental mechanical diagnosis (instability vs femoroacetabular impingement) can be difficult to determine clinically. Obtaining an accurate diagnosis to direct surgical treatment relies on comprehensive assessment of additional bony anatomy features (including femoral version) and patient characteristics (including sex, soft-tissue laxity, and range of motion). Future research efforts in borderline dysplasia should better characterize the role of disease- and patient-specific factors that will inform accurate diagnoses, leading to the development of optimal treatment strategies in distinct patient subgroups through comparison of treatment outcomes.
Does Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Increase Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery Perioperative Complication Risk? A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective To determine if women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) undergoing pelvic reconstructive surgery (PRS) have an increased risk of perioperative and postoperative complications compared with HIV-negative controls. Study design Multicenter, retrospective matched cohort study of patients with and without HIV infection who underwent PRS between 2006 and 2016. Cases were identified using International Classification of Disease, 9th edition Clinical Modification and 10th edition Clinical Modification and current procedural terminology (CPT) codes encompassing HIV diagnoses and pelvic reconstructive surgeries. Controls were identified as patients without HIV who underwent similar procedures, performed by the same surgeon during the same 1-year period as surgeries performed on patients with HIV. Cases were matched to controls at a ratio of 1:3. The primary outcome was composite complication rate within 1 year of surgery. Results Sixty-three patients with HIV and 187 controls were identified. There was no difference in the composite complication rate between women with HIV and HIV-negative women (36.5% vs 30.0%, P = 0.15) over 1 year. However, 19.1% of patients with HIV compared with 5.4% controls had Clavien Dindo Grade I complications (P = 0.002), and 11.1% of HIV patients had urinary retention within 6 weeks of surgery compared with 3.2% of controls (P = 0.02). After multivariable logistic regression used to adjust for confounders, living with HIV was not associated with an increased risk of complications. Conclusions Patients living with HIV are not at an increased risk of complications within 1 year of PRS compared with patients without HIV.
MLIoT: An End-to-End Machine Learning System for the Internet-of-Things

Modern Internet of Things (IoT) applications, from contextual sensing to voice assistants, rely on ML-based training and serving systems using pre-trained models to render predictions. However, real-world IoT environments are diverse, with rich IoT sensors and need ML models to be personalized for each setting using relatively less training data. Most existing general-purpose ML systems are optimized for specific and dedicated hardware resources and do not adapt to changing resources and different IoT application requirements. To address this gap, we propose MLIoT, an end-to-end Machine Learning System tailored towards supporting the entire lifecycle of IoT applications. MLIoT adapts to different IoT data sources, IoT tasks, and compute resources by automatically training, optimizing, and serving models based on expressive application-specific policies. MLIoT also adapts to changes in IoT environments or compute resources by enabling re-training, and updating models served on the fly while maintaining accuracy and performance. Our evaluation across a set of benchmarks show that MLIoT can handle multiple IoT tasks, each with individual requirements, in a scalable manner while maintaining high accuracy and performance. We compare MLIoT with two state-of-the-art hand-tuned systems and a commercial ML system showing that MLIoT improves accuracy from 50% - 75% while reducing or maintaining latency.
Chapter Eight: Sex, Lies, and Law: Rethinking Rape-by-Fraud

Recent cases in the US and abroad (UK and Israel in particular) have brought to the academic and public attention the question of whether criminal law should punish an individual who has obtained his partner’s sexual consent by fraudulent statements or actions. Traditionally, sexual consent has been held invalid in cases of fraud in the factum. In cases of fraud in the inducement, on the other hand, consent has not been deemed vitiated. This distinction has been criticized: after all, if A would not have consented to sex with B but for B’s deception, why does it matter what kind of deception it was? In my paper, I explore the arguments for and against criminalization of sexual conduct in cases when consent has been obtained by fraud in the inducement. I conclude that, in those cases in which B’s deception did not significantly diminish A’s capacity for rational decision-making, fraud in the inducement should not eliminate otherwise valid consent. A’s motive for entering into a morally neutral transaction (sexual encounter) is irrelevant. Moreover, A has no right that A’s potential sexual partners forbear from lying or exaggerating or otherwise misrepresenting facts. Finally, interpersonal lies are inevitable and often perform important social functions.
UKIP Support in Local Elections: Which Factors Play a Role in Determining Electoral Fortunes?

In recent years, a growing body of research has been produced concerning factors driving electoral support for the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP). In this article, I seek to provide novel insights into factors that drive UKIP support in elections at the local level. Drawing on electoral, economic, migratory, demographic, and crime data from 2004-2016 for all London boroughs, a series of fixed effect panel models are constructed to assess longitudinal effects on UKIP support. Results display rising crime, falling turnout, and falling Conservative party vote share lead to rises in UKIP vote share, while changes in migration rates, economic well-being, size of British population, and Labour party vote share have no meaningful effect on UKIP vote share. These findings show that while perceptions of immigration and the economy may affect voter choice for Eurosceptic, nationalist, and populist parties, actual change in migration and economic conditions have no effect on voter support. Additionally, there is substantial evidence that rising rates of local crime lead voters to seek out parties with a policy platform supporting strengthened criminal justice measures. Finally, UKIP support in local elections is shown to be drawn heavily from former Conservative voters, as opposed to disenchanted Labour supporters.
Frequency and characteristics of promissory conference abstracts, i.e. abstracts without results, accepted at Cochrane Colloquia 1994-2020.

BACKGROUND The purpose of a conference abstract is to summarize the main points of a research-related report that will be presented at an academic conference. However, some conferences accept and publish abstracts without results, which is contrary to the basic idea of a conference abstract as a dissemination tool. A conference abstract without results included is called a "promissory abstract". This study aimed to analyze the frequency and characteristics of promissory conference abstracts, i.e. abstracts submitted without results, accepted at Cochrane Colloquia. METHODS We analyzed 8297 conference abstracts accepted at 25 Cochrane Colloquia, organized in 1994-2020, which were publicly available on the website of the Cochrane Library. Two authors screened abstracts to identify promissory abstracts. We extracted characteristics of promissory abstracts. RESULTS Among abstracts accepted for Cochrane Colloquia, 8.7% were promissory; 475 (66%) were accepted as poster presentations, 241 (34%) as oral presentations and 1 as a workshop. The median number of authors in promissory abstracts was 4 (interquartile range: 3 to 6 authors). In 245 (34%) promissory abstracts, affiliations of authors were not reported. The authors were most commonly affiliated with the following countries: UK (472; 36%), Canada (N = 123; 26%), China (N = 76; 16%), United States (N = 66; 14%) and Australia (N = 53; 11%). There were 512 (71%) promissory abstracts in which study design was not reported. CONCLUSION Promissory abstracts were commonly accepted at Cochrane Colloquia. Such abstracts deserve further attention, as they are detrimental in terms of the dissemination of new knowledge presented at a conference. Conference organizers could ask authors to update the abstract results subsequently to enable the dissemination of information presented at a conference.
Endothelial Expression of Endothelin Receptor A in the Systemic Capillary Leak Syndrome.

Idiopathic systemic capillary leak syndrome (SCLS) is a rare and potentially fatal vascular disorder characterized by reversible bouts of hypotension and edema resulting from fluid and solute escape into soft tissues. Although spikes in permeability-inducing factors have been linked to acute SCLS flares, whether or not they act on an inherently dysfunctional endothelium is unknown. To assess the contribution of endothelial-intrinsic mechanisms in SCLS, we derived blood-outgrowth endothelial cells (BOEC) from patients and healthy controls and examined gene expression patterns. Ednra, encoding Endothelin receptor A (ETA)—the target of Endothelin 1 (ET-1)—was significantly increased in SCLS BOEC compared to healthy controls. Although vasoconstriction mediated by ET-1 through ETA activation on vascular smooth muscle cells has been well characterized, the expression and function of ETA receptors in endothelial cells (ECs) has not been described. To determine the role of ETA and its ligand ET-1 in SCLS, if any, we examined ET-1 levels in SCLS sera and functional effects of endothelial ETA expression. ETA overexpression in EAhy926 endothelioma cells led to ET-1-induced hyper-permeability through canonical mechanisms. Serum ET-1 levels were elevated in acute SCLS sera compared to remission and healthy control sera, suggesting a possible role for ET-1 and ETA in SCLS pathogenesis. However, although ET-1 alone did not induce hyper-permeability of patient-derived BOEC, an SCLS-related mediator (CXCL10) increased Edrna quantities in BOEC, suggesting a link between SCLS and endothelial ETA expression. These results demonstrate that ET-1 triggers classical mechanisms of vascular barrier dysfunction in ECs through ETA. Further studies of the ET-1-ETA axis in SCLS and in more common plasma leakage syndromes including sepsis and filovirus infection would advance our understanding of vascular integrity mechanisms and potentially uncover new treatment strategies.
Motivation: Mechanik und Optik

Fur ein mathematisches Billard braucht man ein Gebiet G, beispielsweise in der Ebene (den Billardtisch), und einen Massepunkt (die Billardkugel), der sich in diesem Gebiet frei bewegt. Der Massepunkt bewegt sich so lange geradlinig mit konstanter Geschwindigkeit, bis er auf den Rand trifft. Die Reflexion am Rand ist elastisch und unterliegt einem bekannten Gesetz: Der Einfallswinkel ist genauso gros wie der Reflexionswinkel. Nach der Reflexion bewegt sich der Massepunkt mit der neuen Geschwindigkeit weiter frei fort, bis er erneut den Rand trifft.
Abstract 16860: Epicardial Adipose Tissue Volume Predicts Extent of Left Atrial Fibrosis in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

Introduction: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), located between the myo-epicardium and the visceral pericardium, has been associated with the incidence and severity of atrial fibrillation (AF) independent of known risk factors and body mass index (BMI). The secretome of EAT is metabolically active, releasing various adipokines and inflammatory mediators which may promote fibrosis in adjacent left atrial (LA) myocardium. New innovations in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) allow LA fibrosis and EAT to be precisely quantified. Hypothesis: We assessed the hypothesis that increased EAT volume is associated with more extensive LA fibrosis. Methods: We studied 54 patients with AF who underwent CMR prior to ablation. Images were acquired on a 3T scanner (Siemens Trio) by SSFP using a standard short axis stack through the atria and ventricles. EAT was assessed volumetrically in consecutive short-axis views through the heart using the multi-slice method during end-diastole. Late gadolinium enhanced CMR was performed using customized pulse sequences and protocols for LA imaging (Marrek Inc, Salt Lake UT). An LA fibrosis score was quantified as the volumetric percentage of LA wall enhancement using custom software (Corview, Marrek). Results: Mean EAT volume was 120±62 cc, and LA fibrosis score was 14±7%. Mean age was 62±10 years, and 59% of patients were men. AF was paroxysmal in 76%. Comorbidities included hypertension in 52%, diabetes in 11%, and obstructive sleep apnea in 7%. Mean BMI and LA volumes were 28±5 kg/m 2 and 107±37ml, respectively. By univariate analysis, the LA fibrosis score was significantly correlated with EAT volume (r = 0.45, p=0.006), but not LA volume (r=0.14, p=0.42) or BMI (r=0.30, p=0.07). EAT volume remained the only significant predictor of fibrosis score in a multivariate linear regression model incorporating all other variables (p = 0.024). Conclusions: Increasing EAT volume is associated with a greater extent of LA fibrosis quantified by CMR in AF patients, independent of LA volume, BMI, and other AF risk factors. These data suggest that the EAT secretome may contribute to the fibrotic substrate of AF, and provide a novel target for therapeutic interventions.
On a new definition of a stochastic-based accuracy concept of data reconciliation-based estimators

Abstract Traditionally, accuracy of an instrument is defined as the sum of the precision and the bias. Recently, this notion was generalized to estimators. However, the concept used a maximum undetected bias, as well as ignored the frequency of failures. In this paper the definition of accuracy is modified to include expected undetected biases and their frequency.
Playing Board Games: An Analysis of the Federal Proxy Access Rules and Why Such a System is Ultimately Unnecessary

This paper sets forth the history and policies underlying the debate over proxy access - a system that would permit shareholders meeting certain criteria to include a director candidate directly on a corporations ballot. Such a system, it is argued, would reduce the cost burden associated with running director candidates against management incumbents. In turn, corporate elections would provide shareholders with the voice they believe they are entitled to under a theory of corporate democracy, and which the current system does not provide. This paper analyzes the arguments on both sides of the perennial proxy access debate in light of Dodd-Frank's explicit authorization of proxy access rule-making authority and the SEC's subsequent exercise of that authority. The conclusion that a federal proxy access rule is ultimately unnecessary stems from the following: a director-centric model of the corporation more accurately describes the modern corporation and is preferable to greater shareholder power; the increase in institutional ownership of corporations and the attendant rise of proxy voting and advisory services creates risk that proxy access rules would not be utilized for their intended purposes; and existing mechanisms adequately promote shareholder involvement in corporate governance.
Using a Wii Balance Board to Measure Disease Onset in Huntington’s disease (P5.288)

OBJECTIVE: To enhance estimates of Huntington’s disease (HD) onset using a simple and practical body sway assessment device (i.e. Wii Balance Board). BACKGROUND: HD is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms that typically emerge in the fourth or fifth decades. Balance assessments may be useful for predicting disease onset and progression, but studies are limited. DESIGN/METHODS: We assessed total body sway (TBS) on 59 HD gene carriers and 28 normal controls (NC) employing a Wii balance board and laptop software. Gene carriers were stratified on the basis of the UHDRS Total Functional Capacity (TFC) and Penny Burden of Pathology (BOP) score as early pre-manifest, transitional, or later HD. Subjects were administered a balance test consisting of 12, 10-second static balance trials that included combinations of eyes open or closed while standing on a stable versus unstable (i.e. foam) surface. A one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with Tukey post-hoc comparisons was used in each condition to compare TBS. Correlations were assessed in transitional and later HD subjects using Pearson’s r. RESULTS: Subjects were well matched with regard to age and education. The Later HD subjects (n=25) showed more statistically significant TBS relative to controls in all conditions (p<0.001) as did transitional subjects (p=.001-.03). TBS correlated most strongly with measures of motor ability (r=.423 to .662) and total functional capacity (r=-.313 to -.611) as opposed to cognition (r=-.081 to -.302). CONCLUSIONS: Increased body sway, easily evaluated using a brief balance assessment, may serve as an important functional marker in patients with, and during the transition to, HD. Further studies will be needed to confirm and extend these findings. Study Supported by: UCSD Huntington9s Disease Society of America Center of Excellence and the UCSD Shiley-Marcos Alheimer9s Disease Research Center NIH P50 AG005131 Disclosure: Dr. Herndon has nothing to disclose. Dr. Corey-Bloom9s husband holds stock and/or stock options in Alkermes. Dr. Corey-Bloom has received research support from PRANA, Omeros, Teva, HSG, and CHDI. Dr. Lam has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gilbert has nothing to disclose. Dr. Goble has nothing to disclose.
World population pressures.

One of the most difficult and complex global health issues is overpopulation, The problem poses a major threat to the adequacy of clean food, water and even air needed for human survival. This paper establishes the scope of the population problem and discusses the interconnections between population and other factors such as environmental problems, education, human rights, political and economic issues, It also considers some of the moral and ethical complexities of the problem, Discussions concerning levels of human population often describe the extent of the problem in terms of the numbers of people 'living on earth', as if the earth were a sort of spaceship designed to carry human beings from birth to death. The discussions also use the phrase 'carrying capacity' to describe theories of the optimal numbers of people our planet can reasonably support. Use of this language reflects and reinforces the sense that humans are separate from the earth, and that the primary purpose of the earth is to function as a life-support system for human-kind. While this view is both understandable and useful, it might also be seen as analogous to the infant who feels that his mother has no other role but to nourish and nurture him. As maturation
Synaptic Vesicle Exocytosis at the Dendritic Lobules of an Inhibitory Interneuron in the Mammalian Retina

Ribbon synapses convey sustained and phasic excitatory drive within retinal microcircuits. However, the properties of retinal inhibitory synapses are less well known. AII-amacrine cells are interneurons in the retina that exhibit large glycinergic synapses at their dendritic lobular appendages. Using membrane capacitance measurements, we observe robust exocytosis elicited by the opening of L-type Ca(2+) channels located on the lobular appendages. Two pools of synaptic vesicles were detected: a small, rapidly releasable pool and a larger and more slowly releasable pool. Depending on the stimulus, either paired-pulse depression or facilitation could be elicited. During early postnatal maturation, the coupling of the exocytosis Ca(2+)-sensor to Ca(2+) channel becomes tighter. Light-evoked depolarizations of the AII-amacrine cell elicited exocytosis that was graded to light intensity. Our results suggest that AII-amacrine cell synapses are capable of providing both phasic and sustained inhibitory input to their postsynaptic partners without the benefit of synaptic ribbons.
Nereistoxin Interaction with the Acetylcholine Receptor-Ionic Channel Complex

The effect of nereistoxin (NTX) was studied, by electrophysiological methods on neuromuscular transmission in frog sartorius and rat diaphragm muscles, and by biochemical methods on binding of ligands to the acetylcholine (ACh) receptor and its ionic channel in membranes from Torpedo electroplax. NTX blocked the indirectly elicited twitch tension but not the directly elicited ones, and did not affect action potential, quantal content and frequency of the spontaneous miniature endplate potentials. The postsynaptic inhibition by NTX was evident from the reduction it caused in the amplitudes of the endplate potential and endplate current as well as the extrajunctional ACh sensitivity of denervated rat soleus muscle, and its inhibition of binding of [3H]ACh and [125I]α-bungarotoxin to Torpedo ACh receptors. In addition, NTX caused initial postsynaptic depolarization and potentiation of the indirectly elicited twitch tension. Although NTX by itself activated receptor-induced 22Na influx in Torpedo microsacs to a small degree, it also inhibited the carbamylcholine-activated 22Na influx. Since NTX did not inhibit binding of [3H]perhydrohistrionicotoxin to Torpedo membranes and did not alter the linearity of the current voltage relationship, nor the time course of endplate current in frog sartorius muscle, we suggested that its inhibition of neuromuscular transmission was due to its inhibition of the ACh-receptor sites and not the ionic channel sites. Also, NTX acted as a partial agonist since it could activate the ACh receptor although its major action was that of an antagonist. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We are grateful to Dr. M. Sakai of Takeda Chemical Industries, Kyoto, Japan, for kindly donating the nereistoxin used in the present study and to Drs. B. Witkop and J. Daly of the National Institutes of Health for kindly providing us with [3H]perhydrohistrionicotoxin. We are most indebted to Ms. Mabel Alice Zelle for the computer analysis.
Telomerase Mediates the Cell Survival-Promoting Actions of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Secreted Amyloid Precursor Protein in Developing Hippocampal Neurons

Telomerase, a reverse transcriptase that maintains chromosome ends (telomeres) during successive cell divisions in mitotic cells is present in neuroblasts and early postmitotic embryonic neurons but is absent from adult neurons. The signals that control telomerase levels during development are unknown, as are the functions of telomerase in developing neurons. We now report that telomerase activity and levels of its catalytic subunit telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) are increased in embryonic hippocampal neurons by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and a secreted form of beta-amyloid precursor protein (sAPP). BDNF and sAPP promote the survival of the embryonic neurons, and these trophic effects are blocked when TERT production is suppressed using antisense technology. Telomerase is required for the long-term survival of early postmitotic neurons during a time window of approximately 1 week in culture; telomerase is then downregulated and is not required for BDNF and sAPP survival signaling in mature neurons. The increase in telomerase activity and trophic effects of BDNF and sAPP are mediated by phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase and p42/p44 MAP kinases. Our findings demonstrate a requirement for telomerase in the cell survival-promoting actions of BDNF and sAPP in early postmitotic hippocampal neurons, suggesting a previously unknown role for telomerase in mediating the biological actions of neurotrophic factors during brain development.
Qualitative dimensions in question answering: extending the definitional QA task

Current question answering tasks handle definitional questions by seeking answers which are factual in nature. While factual answers are a very important component in defining entities, a wealth of qualitative data is often ignored. In this incipient work, we define qualitative dimensions (credibility, sentiment, contradictions etc.) for evaluating answers to definitional questions and we explore potential benefits to users. These qualitative dimensions are leveraged to uncover indirect and implicit answers and can help satisfy the user's information need.
Social Comparison and Influence in Groups

Kathi Hudson worried that members of Operation Rescue, a pro-life group, were engaged in illegal activities that would limit women’s rights. So she infiltrated the group to spy on their procedures and activities. Two years later she abandoned her pro-choice attitudes and became a born-again Christian. Tobias Schneebaum (1969), a painter from New York City, encountered a tribe called the Akaramas when visiting Peru. For 6 months he lived with them, adopting their customs so completely that he joined them in attacks on neighboring tribes and cannibalistic rituals. David Moore joined a new-age group interested in personal development, religion, and space travel. He gradually adopted the group’s standards as his own, to the point that he believed that a passing comet was actually a spacecraft sent to collect his consciousness. He and 38 other members of the group (Heaven’s Gate) tried to board the ship by committing suicide.
Improving response to critical laboratory results with automation: results of a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of an automatic alerting system on the time until treatment is ordered for patients with critical laboratory results. Design: Prospective randomized controlled trial. Intervention: A computer system to detect critical conditions and automatically notify the responsible physician via the hospital's paging system. Patients: Medical and surgical inpatients at a large academic medical center. One two-month study period for each service. Main outcomes: Interval from when a critical result was available for review until an appropriate treatment was ordered. Secondary outcomes were the time until the critical condition resolved and the frequency of adverse events. Methods: The alerting system looked for 12 conditions involving laboratory results and medications. For intervention patients, the covering physician was automatically notified about the presence of the results. For control patients, no automatic notification was made. Chart review was performed to determine the outcomes. Results: After exclusions, 192 alerting situations (94 interventions, 98 controls) were analyzed. The intervention group had a 38 percent shorter median time interval (1.0 hours vs. 1.6 hours, P = 0.003; mean, 4.1 vs. 4.6 hours, P = 0.003) until an appropriate treatment was ordered. The time until the alerting condition resolved was less in the intervention group (median, 8.4 hours vs. 8.9 hours, P = 0.11; mean, 14.4 hours vs. 20.2 hours, P = 0.11), although these results did not achieve statistical significance. The impact of the intervention was more pronounced for alerts that did not meet the laboratory's critical reporting criteria. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the number of adverse events. Conclusion: An automatic alerting system reduced the time until an appropriate treatment was ordered for patients who had critical laboratory results. Information technologies that facilitate the transmission of important patient data can potentially improve the quality of care.
Improved resolution of human cerebrospinal fluid proteins on two-dimensional gels.

Proteomics combines two-dimensional gel electro phoresis and peptide mass fingerprinting and can potentially identify a protein(s) unique to disease. Such proteins can be used either for diagnosis or may be relevant to the pathogenesis of disease. Because patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have increased amounts of immunoglobulin (Ig) G in their cerebrospinal fluid (C SF) that is directed against an as yet unidentified protein, we are applying proteomics to MS C SF, studies that require optimal separation of proteins in human C SF. We found that recovery of proteins from C SF of MS patients was improved using ultrafiltration, rather than dialysis, for desalting. Resolution of these proteins was enhanced by aceto ne precipitatio n of desalted C SF before electrophoresis and by fractionation of C SF using C ibacron Blue sepharose affinity chromatography. Improved protein recovery and resolution will facilitate excision from gels for analysis by peptide mass fingerprinting.
Printed versus electronic: Policy issues in the case of the environmental journal

(1994). Printed Versus Electronic: Policy Issues in the Case of the Environmental Journal. Serials Review: Vol. 20, No. 3, pp. 17-22.
Children’s Self‐documentation and Understanding of the Concepts ‘Healthy’ and ‘Unhealthy’

The present paper describes a study in which 13 children aged 9–11 years, of diverse ethnic, linguistic, and socio‐economic backgrounds, were asked to use a digital camera and small notebook to document the range of things they consider to be healthy and unhealthy. Using open‐ended interview questions, the children were then asked to explain each item, including what it was, why they chose it, and why they thought it was either healthy or unhealthy. The range of definitions of ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ invoked by the children was surprisingly broad, encompassing not only illness and proper nutrition, but also environmental health, mental health, cleanliness, and other meanings. Findings across all 13 children are displayed, and a case study of one child serves as a detailed example of the types of meanings children ascribe to the words ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’, as well as the kinds of analyses being employed on these data. The theoretical implications of these results for research on children’s ideas abo...
DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURED BARLEY EMBRYOS I. GROWTH OF 0.1–0.4-mm EMBRYOS

Excised embryos of barley were cultured on a synthetic medium and their growth rate was determined to be at least equial to that of natural embryos in vivo. Embryos, 0.4 mnm wheni excised, averaged 3.5 mm in length after 10 days' culture. Morphogenetically, the development of cultured embryos and proembryos (0.15-0.25 mm) duplicated normal einbrvroger.esis. Some embryos continued to grow in culture and became up to 4.5 times larger than natural embryos, but most of the increase was doie to scutellar overgrowth. Proembryos of 0.1 mm length or less did not follow normal development patterns but formed protocorm-like embr vos with severaI shoots and roots. It is suggested that embryonic form in barley may be determined in later stages of pioembryonic growth, since earlier proembryos exhibited morphogenetic plasticity in culture.
Report of the CCRI comparison CCRI(II)-K2.Lu-177

An international key comparison of 177Lu was performed in 2009, with identifier CCRI(II)-K2.Lu-177. A total of twelve laboratories performed assays for radioactivity content on aliquots of a common master solution of 177Lu, leading to eleven results submitted for entry into the Key Comparison Database. A proposed Comparison Reference Value was calculated to be 3.288(5) MBq g−1 using all eleven results. Preliminary degrees of equivalence were calculated for each reporting laboratory based on the Comparison Reference Value. The Key Comparison Reference Value and final degrees of equivalence will be calculated from the data contained herein and data from measurements made in the International Reference System (SIR) held at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCRI, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).
Financial responsibility for children following divorce and remarriage

In this article the phenomena of the declining financial status of children following the divorce of their parents are explored. Two cultural beliefs are proposed as particularly relevant for understanding why some parents do not provide financially for their children following divorce: the belief that the nuclear family form is the only one that is normal and natural, and the belief that an individual's rights are of supreme importance. The consequences of these beliefs for the financial support of children are discussed, and suggestions for addressing the situation are presented.
Defective Entry into Mitosis 1 (Dim1) Negatively Regulates Osteoclastogenesis by Inhibiting the Expression of Nuclear Factor of Activated T-cells, Cytoplasmic, Calcineurin-dependent 1 (NFATc1)

Bone remodeling is a continuous process of osteoblastic bone formation and osteoclastic bone resorption to maintain normal bone mass. NFATc1 is the master regulator of osteoclastogensis and transcriptionally activated by c-Fos and NF-κB in response to receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) treatment. Defective entry into mitosis 1 (Dim1) is a nuclear protein that is implicated in pre-mRNA splicing and cell cycle progression, but the possible role of Dim1 in regulating other cellular processes remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that Dim1 attenuates RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis by targeting NFATc1 signaling pathway. Expression levels of Dim1 and NFATc1 are significantly increased during the formation of multinucleated osteoclasts. RNAi-mediated knockdown of Dim1 markedly enhances the expression of NFATc1 and its target genes, leading to the increase of RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis in bone marrow-derived macrophages. Conversely, ectopic expression of Dim1 decreases RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation by silencing NFATc1 and its target genes, further linking Dim1 to the dynamic regulation of osteoclastogenesis. Consistent with this notion, ChIP and interaction studies show that Dim1 directly associates with c-Fos and prevents c-Fos from binding to the NFATc1 promoter, resulting in targeted inactivation of the NFATc1 gene. Therefore, our studies reveal an unrecognized role for Dim1 as a master modulator of osteoclast differentiation, as well as the molecular mechanism underlying its repressive action toward osteoclastogensis.
Serum Alterations in Avian Malaria

SYNOPSIS. A study by means of paper electrophoresis of the scrum.proteins and lipoproteins during the course of infection of chicks with Plasmodium lophurae, reveals a qualitative change in the gamma-globulin and demonstrates: a significant crisis period depression of the albumin; no alteration of the alpha-globulin or alpha-lipoprotein; a significant crisis period rise in the beta- and gamma-g'obuiins with the former persisting in higher amounts well after the crisis of the infection. The significance of such changes with reference to previous work and the induced pathology is discussed.
Molecular details of tomato extensin and glycine-rich protein gene expression.

In a recent publication (Plant Molecular Biology 16: 547–565 (1991)) Showalter et al. described the isolation and initial characterization of fifteen extensin and extensin-like tomato cDNAs. These cDNAs were determined to fall into five distinct classes; class I and II clones encoded extensins, class III and V clones encoded glycine-rich proteins (GRPs), and class IV clones encoded a portion of a GRP sequence on one DNA strand and a portion of an extensin sequence on the other DNA strand. In this publication, a more detailed analysis of the expression of these cDNA classes was performed with respect to wounding in various tomato organs, development, kinetics and systemic extent of the wound response, ethylene treatment, abscisic acid (ABA) treatment, and drought stress by using RNA gel blot hybridizations. In general, extensin gene expression was readily detected in stems and roots, but not in leaves. With both class I and II extensin cDNA probes, wound-induced accumulation of mRNA in stems was first detected between 4 and 8 h after wounding with maximal accumulation occurring after 12 h. Moreover, these extensin wound responses were detected locally at the wound site but not systemically. Expression of the class III GRP was largely limited to wounded stem tissue. Initial detection and maximal accumulation of the class III GRP mRNA was similar to the extensins mRNAs; however, this GRP wound response occurred both locally and systemically. Additionally, abscisic acid treatment and drought stress resulted in the marked accumulation of the class III GRP mRNA in tomato stems, but did not alter the expression of the other cDNA classes. In contrast, expression of the class V GRP occurred in stems and roots and to a lesser extent in leaves and decreased in response to wounding over a 24 h time period. The class V GRP wound response was further characterized by an early, transient accumulation of mRNA occurring 2–4 h after wounding in stems and by its local nature.
Theory of conical equiangular-spiral antennas--Part I--Numerical technique

The integral equation method is applied to find the rigorous solutions of the current distributions on conical, eqaiangular-spiral antennas of arbitrary spiral parameter and cone angle. With a transcendental interpolation function, antennas up to 10\lambda in armlength can be calculated. Comparisons of calculated and experimental results are presented, indicating excellent agreement. The computer programming resulting from this investigation thus replaces painstaking procedures of design, experimentation, and optimization of equiangular-spiral antennas by a few minutes of computer calculations.
MAZE LEARNING IMPAIRMENT IS ASSOCIATED WITH STRESS HEMOPOIESIS INDUCED BY CHRONIC TREATMENT OF AGED RATS WITH HUMAN RECOMBINANT ERYTHROPOIETIN

Abstract Mean cell volume (MCV) of erythrocytes has been reported to increase with age in humans, and to be negatively correlated with memory performance in humans and rats. We evaluated hematological changes in 21-mo old male Fischer 344 rats undergoing a 3-mo twice weekly subcutaneous injection of human recombinant erythropoietin (EPO). A baseline hematocrit (HCT) was obtained initially and repeated at monthly intervals to determine the effectiveness of EPO treatment. At 24-mo of age and after 3 mo EPO treatment, the rats were tested for their ability to learn a 14-unit T maze. Following maze testing, blood was drawn for hematologic analyses, including HCT, MCV, maximum swollen cell volume (MCVS), mean cell transit time (MCTT), and the membrane shear modulus of elasticity (G), the latter a derived measure of the relative elasticity of the red cell membrane. After 1 mo EPO treatment, HCT significantly increased compared to saline-injected controls. After 2 mo treatment, HCT began to decline but remained elevated above baseline levels even after 3 mo treatment. After 3 mo EPO treatment, MCV was significantly lower in EPO-treated rats compared to controls. These changes imply altered hemopoiesis to produce cells which undergo shrinkage associated with accelerated cellular aging. The lower MCV would have predicted a shorter MCTT which instead was unchanged. This observation suggested the presence of an additional factor contributing to the MCTT. The G, which measures the membrane contribution to deformability, very significantly increased with EPO treatment. This finding indicates an increased contribution of membrane properties to the MCTT after EPO treatment, which cancels the expected decrease in MCTT for smaller cells. After 3 mo of EPO treatment, aged rats exhibited significantly impaired maze learning compared to controls. A relationship between, changes in erythrocyte membrane properties and impaired function was indicated by a significant correlation (r = 0.67, p
Effect of Domperidone, an Extracerebral Inhibitor of Dopamine Receptors, on Thyrotropin, Prolactin, Renin, Aldosterone, and 18-Hydroxycorticosterone Secretion in Man

This study investigates the dopaminergic mechanisms involved in the control of corticosteroid secretion in normal subjects. TSH, PRL, PRA, aldosterone, and 18-hydroxycorticosterone (18-OHB) were measured before and after the administration of domperidone (10 mg, iv) to eight healthy males. Domperidone, a selective peripheral dopamine antagonist, stimulated TSH and PRL secretion. Plasma concentrations of aldosterone, 18-OHB, cortisol, and PRA were not altered by domperidone. This is in contrast to previous observations of aldosterone, 18-OHB, and PRA responses to metoclopramide, a dopamine antagonist which readily crosses the blood-brain barrier. Domperidone may fail to stimulate aldosterone, 18-OHB, and renin secretion because it does not cross the blood-brain barrier or does not function as an antagonist for adrenal dopamine receptors modulating 18-OHB and aldosterone secretion.