cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application of Hick's law of response speed in Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases.

Reaction time in normal subjects is known to increase in a log-linear fashion relative to the number of alternative choices. However, this relationship (formalized as “Hick's law”) has received limited investigation in populations with neurological cognitive impairment. The present study used timed sorting of standard playing cards to test Hick's law for 20 young control subjects, and 20 each of age-matched elderly subjects with Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, and no cognitive abnormalities. Although Parkinson patients were slowest in the simple tasks of dealing out the cards and sorting by color, Alzheimer patients showed the greatest slowing for the more cognitively complex conditions of sorting by suit and rank of the cards. The performance of all four groups followed Hick's law in displaying a significant linear relationship between response time and log2 of the number of choices. These findings suggest that, although limitations of information-processing speed in Alzheimer and Parkinson disease...
Acute Toxicity of Organic Extracts of Municipal Sewage Sludge in Mice

The disposal of sludge the solid residue that is left after wastewater is treated to remove environmental contaminants is a growing problem for more and more communities. Approximately 8 billion gallons of municipal waste containing some 17,000 dry tons of sludge are produced daily in the United States (NIEHS 1977). Sludge processing and disposal account for the largest single share of the total operation cost of the municipal wastewater treatment plant (MICHEL 1970). Disposal methods have included incineration, fresh water dilution, ocean dumping, disposal in landfills, and limited use on lawns, ornamentals, forests and agricultural land (STONE 1978; HARRINGTON 1978).
Gender Levees: Rethinking Women's Land Rights in Northeastern Honduras

In the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch, one woman's impassioned speech linking women's exclusion from land rights with the failings of Honduras' state-led agrarian reform and counter-reform gathered gale force, simultaneously weakening particular levees of gender-bias while constructing others. Post-Hurricane Mitch organizational practices and reconstruction policies in Northeastern Honduras afforded women access to joint property titles and participation. Yet the practices and processes through which women gained new rights reproduced certain exclusionary gender structures and created new barriers to women's participation. These contradictory consequences speak to recent feminist assessments of women's land rights under neo-liberal land titling programmes and a resurgence of policies addressing agrarian reform, and reveal the broader stakes of struggles for women's land rights. In so doing, they underline the importance of attending to spatial connections and historical articulations between the present and the past, and thus the past and the future.
Integrating complementary and alternative medicine instruction into health professions education: organizational and instructional strategies.

Abstract A few years ago, the National Institutes of Health National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine funded a program called the Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Education Project. Grantees were 14 medical and nursing schools and the American Medical Student Association, which funded six additional medical schools. Grants were awarded in cohorts of five per year in 2000, 2001, and 2002–2003. The R25 grant recipients identified several major themes as crucial to the success of integrating CAM into health professions curricula. The rationale for integrating CAM curricula was in part to enable future health professionals to provide informed advice as patients dramatically increase the use of CAM. Success of new CAM education programs relied on leadership, including top-down support from institutions' highest administrators. Formal and informal engagement of key faculty and opinion leaders raised awareness, interest, and participation in programs. A range of faculty development efforts increased CAM-teaching capacity. The most effective strategies for integration addressed a key curriculum need and used some form of evidence-based practice framework. Most programs used a combination of instructional delivery strategies, including experiential components and online resources, to address the needs of learners while promoting a high level of ongoing interest in CAM topics. Institutions noted several benefits, including increased faculty development activities, the creation of new programs, and increased cross- and interuniversity collaborations. Common challenges included the need for qualified faculty, crowded and changing curricula, a lack of defined best practices in CAM, and postgrant sustainability of programs.
A shared promoter element regulates the expression of three steroidogenic enzymes

The adrenal cortex of the mouse coordinately expresses three cytochrome P450 enzymes that are required for the biosynthesis of corticosteroids: cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme (SCC), steroid 21-hydroxylase (21-OHase), and steroid 11 beta-hydroxylase (11 beta-OHase). Within their 5'-flanking regions, we previously identified six elements containing variations of an AGGTC motif that regulated expression in mouse Y1 adrenocortical cells: 21-OHase elements at -210, -140, and -65; SCC elements at -70 and -40; and an 11 beta-OHase element at -310. We demonstrate here that all six elements interact with the same, or closely related, DNA-binding protein(s). First, these elements all formed complexes of similar mobility in gel shift assays, suggesting that they interacted with protein(s) of similar size. Additional larger complexes were seen with those probes containing exact AGGTCA sequences. Second, competition experiments confirmed that the factor(s) interacting with different elements had closely related or identical recognition specificities. Finally, indistinguishable profiles of shift activities were seen upon fractionation of nuclear proteins over sequential chromatographic columns. Collectively, these results suggest that related elements interact with a shared protein to regulate three essential steroidogenic enzymes. An AGGTCA sequence motif comprises the response element for several members of the nuclear hormone receptor family. Oligonucleotide competitions and specific effects of antisera in gel shift assays implicated chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter-transcription factor in the formation of the larger complexes seen with the elements containing exact AGGTCA sequences. Therefore, this member of the nuclear hormone receptor family also may regulate the expression of the adrenal steroidogenic enzymes.
Aggregation of capped hexaglycine strands into hydrogen-bonding motifs representative of pleated and rippled β-sheets, collagen, and polyglycine I and II crystal structures. A density functional theory study.

We compare the energies and enthalpies of inter-action of three- and seven-stranded capped polyglycine aggregates in both the pleated and rippled antiparallel and parallel β-sheet structures as well as the collagenic (three-strand) or polyglycine II-like (seven-strand) forms using density functional theory at the B3LYP/D95(d,p) level. We present the overall interaction energies as broken down into pure H-bonding between the strands at the geometries they assume in the aggregates and the distortion energies required to achieve those geometries starting from the fully relaxed single strands. While the antiparallel sheets represent the most stable structures for both the three- and seven-strand structures, the pure H-bonding interactions are the smallest for these structures. The overall interaction energies are dominated by the energy required to distort the relaxed polyglycine strands rather than the H-bonding energies. The antiparallel β-sheet constrained to Cs symmetry has a lower enthalpy, but higher en...
A rapid and efficient algorithm for packing polypeptide chains by energy minimization

An improved algorithm for packing polypeptide chains with fixed geometry, which converges to a local energy minimum rapidly and efficiently, is described. The speed of convergence of the new algorithm is comparable to that of existing algorithms for minimizing the energies of single polypeptide chains, and it is several times greater than the speed of convergence of previous algorithms for minimizing the energy of structures consisting of several polypeptide chains. The algorithm has been used to minimize the energy of three-stranded (L-Ala)8 β-sheets, three-stranded (L-Val)6 β-sheets, and five-stranded (L-Ile)6 β-sheets, starting from regular structures found previously; of the three-stranded regular and truncated (Gly-L-Pro-L-Pro)4 structures used in earlier work to model collagen; and of the stacked β-sheet (L-Ala-GLy)6 structures used to model silk. The antiparallel L-Ala β-sheet, and Gly-Pro-Pro triple helices, and the silk II structure remained nearly regular after energy minimization, but by contrast with results from earlier computations the other structures became significantly irregular. © 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Truncation Patterns in English-Speaking Children's Word Productions

This study examines English-speaking children's truncation patterns (i.e., syllable deletion patterns) in multisyllabic words to determine if they are consistent with metrical constraints or perceptual biases. It also examines segmental influences on children's truncations. Children, age 22-34 months, produced three-syllable novel and real words and four-syllable real words, which varied across stress and segmental pattern. Results revealed a significant stress pattern effect on truncation rate, but findings were not consistent with metrical or perceptual salience predictions. The clearest account of the findings came from an analysis of truncation rate across individual words: Children truncated WSW (weak-strong-weak) words and words that contained intervocalic sonorants more frequently than other words. Analysis of truncation patterns in SWW and SWSW words revealed that final unstressed syllables were more frequently preserved than nonfinal unstressed syllables. Findings support the interaction between metrical, syllabic, and acoustic salience factors in children's multisyllabic word productions.
Experimental use of a Dot-Blot Assay to Measure Serologic Responses of Cattle Vaccinated with Brucella Abortus Strain RB51

Brucella abortus strain RB51 was recently approved as an official brucellosis calfhood vaccine for cattle by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service branch of the United States Department of Agriculture. Currently available serologic surveillance tests for B. abortus do not detect seroconversion following SRB51 vaccination. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a dot-blot assay using gamma-irradiated strain RB51 bacteria for its specificity and sensitivity to detect antibody responses of cattle vaccinated with strain RB51. Dot-blot titers of sera at a recommended dosage (10(10) colony-forming units) were similar to those of sera from cattle vaccinated with similar numbers of B. abortus strain 19 and greater (P 0.05) from titers of sera from nonvaccinated cattle. Following intraconjunctival challenge with B. abortus strain 2308, titers on the RB51 dot-blot assay did not differ (P > 0.05) between nonvaccinated cattle and cattle vaccinated at calfhood with strain 19 or strain RB51.
321 PRENATAL SURGE OF PLASMA T3 IN THE FETAL LAMB

Prenatal changes in iodothyronine levels with respect to parturition have not been clearly established. The present studies investigate the changes of fetal serum iodothyronine concentration preceeding labor. Seven fetal lambs 113-135 days gestation were chronically catheterized in-utero from early 3rd trimester to delivery. Daily plasma concentrations of Cortisol, T4, T3, and rT3 were measured. Simultaneous maternal blood samples were similarly analyzed. Mean fetal plasma T3 rose from a baseline of 30 ng/dl to 150 ng/dl one day prior to delivery with most of the increase occurring during the 4 days prior to labor. Fetal plasma Cortisol was found to increase in phase with T3. Mean Cortisol rose in the 4 days prior to labor from a baseline of 1 ng/dl to 8 ng/dl and sharply increased 1 day prior to delivery. Mean values for fetal plasma T4 and rT3 were 12 ng/dl and 450 ng/dl respectively, and although no significant changes occurred, a tendency to decrease was evident during the 10 days prior to delivery. Fetal and maternal hormone levels were independent at all times. Baseline maternal T3 and Cortisol were 2 times higher than fetal levels until the 4 days prior to delivery when fetal levels rose to 4 and 2 times the maternal levels respectively. Mean maternal T4 and rT3 levels remained ½ and ¼ of the mean fetal values. The abrupt increase in fetal T3 without a corresponding change in T4 suggests the basic alteration is in extrathyroidal T4 to T3 conversion,not in increased TSH secretion.
Playing with Subversive Spaces in Lluís Maria Todó's El juego del mentiroso and El mal francés

In El juego del mentiroso and El mal frances, Catalan author Lluis Maria Todo creates a dialogue about the physical and symbolic spaces that his homosexual male protagonists inhabit during the years of Franco's dictatorship and the subsequent Transition. The main characters in Todo's aforementioned novels are gay men who seek to understand their identities and their place in relation to—or in rebellion against—heteronormative society through a literary and physical exploration of the spaces they inhabit. With reference to spacial theory by Fredric Jameson and Michel de Certeau, as well as Johan Huzinga's play theory, this paper proposes an exploration of how the author's textual games (including metafiction, intertextuality, and gay autobiography) and the games played out by the protagonists attempt to create a subversive space for homosexual culture and identity within the larger patriarchal social context. Todo examines the ways in which his protagonists navigate various spaces, presenting those spaces ...
Double Mutant Cycle Analysis of Aspartate 69, 97, and 103 to Asparagine Mutants in the m2 Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor

Double mutant cycles provide a method for analyzing the effects of a mutation at a defined position in the protein structure on the properties of an amino acid at a second site. This approach was used to map potential interactions between aspartates 69, 97, and 103 in the m2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor transmembrane helices 2 and 3. Receptors containing single and double aspartate to asparagine mutants were expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells and their effects on ligand binding, signal transduction, and thermal stability determined. Analysis of the double mutant cycles showed that the mutations had approximately additive effects on ligand binding, signal transduction, and thermal stability. Ligand binding and thermal inactivation results support the conclusion that aspartate-103 is the ligand amine counterion. Effector coupling properties of the mutant receptors showed that aspartate-103 was also required for signal transduction activity. The mutation of aspartate-69 to asparagine completely eliminated signal transduction by the agonists acetylcholine, carbachol, and pilocarpine but not oxotremorine M, which caused reduced but significant inhibition of adenylyl cyclase and stimulation of phospholipase C. In contrast, adenylyl cyclase stimulation by the asparagine-69 mutant was elicited only by acetylcholine and carbachol but not by oxotremorine M. The variation in agonist-dependent effector coupling properties provides evidence that the asparagine-69 mutant can exist in activated receptor states that are different from the wild-type m2 muscarinic receptor.
Lidar aerosol ratios at 1 and 10 microns

Lidar (extinction-to-backscatter) ratios are computed at 0.55, 1 and 10 μm, based upon a recently published summary of the physicochemical properties of climatically relevant aerosol species. The results agree very well with previously measured values in the literature, indicating that low Sa values for desert dust (15-30) and maritime (30-45) aerosols are clearly distinguishable from biomass burning (55-65) and urban/industrial pollution (55-80). The results show that most aerosol types can be discriminated by their absorption and scattering characteristics through use of spectral lidar ratios, except between biomass burning and pollution aerosols. Predictions of on- and off-axis scattering in the presence of these aerosol types illustrate the range of signal that may be expected in a bistatic lidar system in such cases, and indicate that bistatic lidar may be successfully used to detect a source lidar signal and discriminate the aerosol species present. These findings strongly suggest that a combination of passive and active remote sensing systems operating simultaneously (e.g., ground-based sky radiance and bistatic lidar), would be capable of directly measuring the absorption and scattering characteristics required to describe the optical behaviour of the aerosol with vertical resolution. This is expected to be of great utility to climate researchers or other communities interested in comprehensively measuring atmospheric optical properties.
Targeting NF-kappaB: a promising molecular therapy in inflammatory arthritis.

The nuclear factor-κ B family of transcription factors is intimately involved in the regulation of the inflammatory responses that play a fundamental role in the damage of articular tissues. Thus, many studies have examined the important contributions of components of the NF-κB signaling pathways to the pathogenesis of various rheumatic diseases and their pharmacologic modulation. Currently available therapeutic agents including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, nutraceuticals, and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, as well as novel specific small-molecule inhibitors have been employed. In addition, promising nucleic acid–based strategies have shown encouraging results. However, further research will be needed before NF-κB–aimed strategies become an effective therapy for inflammatory arthritis.
The Management Consulting Firm as a Source of High-Levl Managerial Talent

For a number of years many companies have turned to the professional staffs of major management consulting firms when recruiting individuals to fill vacancies at the higher levels of management. The diversified experience of the consultant is viewed as an asset which lower-level managers in the company do not possess. Thus consultants, who may well have worked with the company in a client relationship, are often preferred to managers promoted from within. This movement into the higher levels of management appears to be most pronounced from the major consulting firms which provide a diverse spectrum of services to a wide range of corporate clients-the true generalists. In this category are Booz, Allen and Hamilton; McKinsey and Company; A. T. Kearney and Company; Cresap, McCormick and Paget; and Fry Consultants (3). Some measure of the extent of this movement from management consulting to company management is provided by data from one major consulting firm. An analysis for the period 1962-67 indicates that 16.5 percent of those moving out of the entry job category of consultant were promoted into partnership and assumed managerial responsibilities for client engagements. These individuals are likely to make a career of management consulting, although a few ultimately may move to corporations. The remaining 83.5 percent left the firm during the six year period. Thus
Are Buybacks Increasing EPS

Trends indicate that treasury shares or buyback shares are gaining new momentum and intensity and maybe effecting reported earnings per share. This study was undertaken by evaluating the buyback activity of the Standard and Poor’s 500, for the period of 2005-2008 to the Hribar et al (2004 and revised 2006) study of buybacks for their period of 1988-2001. Their study reflected that buybacks were not dominant due to their tri-model of low number of share being repurchased, the high number of companies experiencing a loss and high P/E multiples. This study experienced greater frequency and intensity of buybacks, due to a reversal in the three conditions being a larger number of shares purchased,) lower incident of losses and lower P/E multiples. The findings are that buybacks are more frequent, more intense, and are having an increased accredited effect on EPS. As a solution proposed here is a new EPS model that reports EPS in segments; those from operations and those from buybacks when the effect is $.01 or more. This new EPS model is responsive to the changing financial landscape and is deserving of attention at this time of international accounting assessment.
Reinforcement and backpropagation training for an optical neural network using self-lensing effects

The optical bench training of an optical feedforward neural network, developed by the authors, is presented. The network uses an optical nonlinear material for neuron processing and a trainable applied optical pattern as the network weights. The nonlinear material, with the applied weight pattern, modulates the phase front of a forward propagating information beam by dynamically altering the index of refraction profile of the material. To verify that the network can be trained in real time, six logic gates were trained using a reinforcement training paradigm. More importantly, to demonstrate optical backpropagation, three gates were trained via optical error backpropagation. The output error is optically backpropagated, detected with a CCD camera, and the weight pattern is updated and stored on a computer. The obtained results lay the ground work for the implementation of multilayer neural networks that are trained using optical error backpropagation and are able to solve more complex problems.
NHE3-dependent cytoplasmic alkalinization is triggered by Na+-glucose cotransport in intestinal epithelia

Cytoplasmic pH (pH(i)) was evaluated during Na(+)-glucose cotransport in Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cell monolayers. The pH(i) increased by 0.069 +/- 0.002 within 150 s after initiation of Na(+)-glucose cotransport. This increase occurred in parallel with glucose uptake and required expression of the intestinal Na(+)-glucose cotransporter SGLT1. S-3226, a preferential inhibitor of Na(+)/H(+) exchanger (NHE) isoform 3 (NHE3), prevented cytoplasmic alkalinization after initiation of Na(+)-glucose cotransport with an ED(50) of 0.35 microM, consistent with inhibition of NHE3, but not NHE1 or NHE2. In contrast, HOE-694, a poor NHE3 inhibitor, failed to significantly inhibit pH(i) increases at <500 microM. Na(+)-glucose cotransport was also associated with activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, and the p38 MAP kinase inhibitors PD-169316 and SB-202190 prevented pH(i) increases by 100 +/- 0.1 and 86 +/- 0.1%, respectively. Conversely, activation of p38 MAP kinase with anisomycin induced NHE3-dependent cytoplasmic alkalinization in the absence of Na(+)-glucose cotransport. These data show that NHE3-dependent cytoplasmic alkalinization occurs after initiation of SGLT1-mediated Na(+)-glucose cotransport and that the mechanism of this NHE3 activation requires p38 MAP kinase activity. This coordinated regulation of glucose (SGLT1) and Na(+) (NHE3) absorptive processes may represent a functional activation of absorptive enterocytes by luminal nutrients.
Synchronous machine parameters from sudden-short tests by back-solving

The calculation of synchronous machine parameters from sudden short-circuit measurements has been subject to unnecessary assumptions and approximations. The authors describe the nature of these approximations and a procedure to remove them, and illustrate how a new philosophy for problem formulation and solution using backsolving programs can simplify and clarify the solution process. They introduce a method of calculating eigenvalues that is based on a generalization of the eigenvalue problem. Approximations are unnecessary, and the formulation is much cleaner than in previous efforts. Even for large values of armature resistance, the time constants are correctly computed, since the coupling between axes is considered. >
exTouch: spatially-aware embodied manipulation of actuated objects mediated by augmented reality

As domestic robots and smart appliances become increasingly common, they require a simple, universal interface to control their motion. Such an interface must support a simple selection of a connected device, highlight its capabilities and allow for an intuitive manipulation. We propose "exTouch", an embodied spatially-aware approach to touch and control devices through an augmented reality mediated mobile interface. The "exTouch" system extends the users touchscreen interactions into the real world by enabling spatial control over the actuated object. When users touch a device shown in live video on the screen, they can change its position and orientation through multi-touch gestures or by physically moving the screen in relation to the controlled object. We demonstrate that the system can be used for applications such as an omnidirectional vehicle, a drone, and moving furniture for reconfigurable room.
NF-κB regulates Fas-mediated apoptosis in HIV-associated nephropathy

Renal parenchymal injury in HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) is characterized by epithelial proliferation, dedifferentiation, and apoptosis along the entire length of the nephron. Although apoptotic cell death in HIVAN has been well documented, the mechanism for HIV-induced apoptosis is poorly understood. We investigated here whether the epithelial apoptosis in HIVAN is mediate by NF-κB-activated Fas ligand expression. In human HIVAN and HIV-1 transgenic mouse kidney specimens, the expression of Fas receptor and ligand proteins were markedly up-regulated on epithelium in diseased glomerular and tubulointerstitial compartments when compared to normal. Podocyte cell lines derived from HIV-1 transgenic mice showed a similar up-regulation of Fas receptor expression and de novo expression of Fas ligand by semi-quantitative rt/PCR and Western blotting. In cultured podocytes, crosslinking of the Fas receptor to mimic ligand binding induced caspase 8 activity and apoptosis in both normal and HIVAN podocytes. Since we have demonstrated constitutive NF-κB activity in HIVAN epithelia, we sought evidence for transcriptional control of the Fas ligand expression by NF-κB. Using cultured podocytes, expression of a FasL reporter promoter plasmid was higher in HIVAN podocytes indicating increase transcriptional activity. In addition, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were performed to demonstrate p65 (RelA) containing complexes bound the Fas ligand promoter, and that suppression of activated NF-κB with a peptide inhibitor could reduce the expression of Fas ligand mRNA in HIVAN podocytes. These results suggest that NF-κB may regulate Fas-mediated apoptosis in HIVAN by controlling the expression of Fas ligand in renal epithelium.
Time as a Resource and Constraint for Parents of Young Children with Disabilities: Implications for Early Intervention Services:

Time is a fundamental resource and constraint for families. In this study we explored how parents and professionals understand time usage as a resource and constraint in the lives of families with ...
Comparative Cognition: Beginning the Second Century of the Study of Animal Intelligence

Comparative psychology has undergone many changes since its inception in Victorian England some 100 years ago. Gone are the amusing anecdotes of pet owners and amateur naturalists, replaced by the detailed observations of behavioral scientists made under carefully controlled conditions. Yet, many of the persistent problems in the comparative analysis of intelligence remain: Are the cognitive processes of animals like those of humans? Can researchers construct a phytogeny of intelligence? What is cognition without language? This article briefly reviews the history of the study of comparative cognition. It then discusses 2 of the most active and important areas of empirical inquiry—memory and conceptualization—to acquaint readers with contemporary research in the field. Given increased contact with the related areas of cognitive science, behavioral neuroscience, and behavioral ecology, comparative cognition should continue in its 2nd century to make significant contributions to the overall understanding of the principles of behavior.
Target site localization by site-specific, DNA-binding proteins.

Bacterial genomes contain over a million base pairs of DNA, and the human genome contains over a billion base pairs, yet specific locations in all this DNA must be reached and recognized in a timely manner by just a handful of molecules of any given site-specific, DNA-binding protein. How proteins rapidly search the entire genome to find a specific site has been the subject of intense discussion for decades but remains mysterious. In a recent issue of PNAS, a new article by Gowers et al. (1) provided a clear experimental distinction between two different but similar appearing search mechanisms. Work on this problem of DNA target site location began in earnest with a startling report by Riggs and colleagues (2), who showed that the Escherichia coli lac repressor protein bound to a specific target site in vitro 1,000 times faster than had been imagined possible. Subsequent studies from other groups confirmed this conclusion and extended the results to many other protein-DNA systems. Basic explanations of these results and detailed theoretical models were developed by Berg and von Hippel and their colleagues (3-5) and have since been extended to consider searching over protein-DNA complexes, such as chromatin (6), and to define the optimal search strategy (7-9). Three distinct search mechanisms, known collectively as “facilitated diffusion,” are now recognized to contribute importantly to a protein's ability to search along nonspecific DNA to find a specific target site. In the “sliding” mechanism, a protein diffuses along the length of the DNA without dissociating. The reduced dimensionality of the sliding process accelerates encounters over short distances, whereas the random walk nature of sliding (forward and backward steps are equally probable) makes this mode of searching very inefficient for long distances. In the “intersegment transfer” mechanism, a protein having two …
Factors associated with increased pain communication by older adults.

The purpose of this secondary analysis study was to identify factors associated with increased pain communication by older adults. Data were obtained from 312 older adults with osteoarthritis pain. Content analysis was conducted using criteria from the American Pain Society’s “Guidelines for the Management of Pain in Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Juvenile Chronic Arthritis” to identify important pain management information described by the older adults in response to general questions about their pain. Gender was the only factor associated with increased pain communication from the predictor variables of age, education, gender, ethnicity, race, marital status, pain intensity, functional pain interference, treatment from a practitioner for arthritis and for pain, and pain relief. The lack of association between pain communication and factors such as pain intensity suggests that practitioners should routinely elicit specific pain information from older adults who have a history of chronic painful conditions such as osteoarthritis.
Horizontal Inequality, Crosscutting Cleavages, and Civil War

In this article, the authors bring together research on horizontal inequality, geographic dispersion of ethnic groups and crosscutting cleavages to present a more holistic theory of ethnic structure and civil war onset. The authors argue that rebel leaders are thwarted in their mobilization efforts in highly crosscutting societies due to a lower probability of potential combatants identifying with nationalist goals, decreased ability to exert social control, and diminished in-group communication. Using cross-national data from over 100 countries, the authors provide evidence that civil war onset is an average of nearly twelve times less probable in societies where ethnicity is crosscut by socioeconomic class, geographic region, and religion.
Association of multiple-antibiotic-resistance profiles with point and nonpoint sources of Escherichia coli in Apalachicola Bay

A total of 765 Escherichia coli isolates from point and nonpoint sources were collected from the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, and their multiple-antibiotic-resistance (MAR) profiles were determined with 10 antibiotics. E. coli isolates from point sources showed significantly greater resistance (P < 0.05) to antibiotics and higher MAR indices than isolates from nonpoint sources. Specifically, 65 different resistance patterns were observed among point source isolates, compared to 32 among nonpoint source isolates. Examples of this contrast in MAR profiles included percentages of isolates with resistance to chlortetracycline-sulfathiazole of 33.7% and to chlortetracycline-penicillin G-sulfathiazole of 14.5% for point source isolates versus 15.4 and 1.7%, respectively, for nonpoint source isolates. MAR profile homology, based on coefficient similarity, showed that isolates from point sources were markedly more diverse than isolates from nonpoint sources. Seven clusters were observed among point source isolates, with a coefficient value of approximately 1.8. In contrast, only four clusters were observed among nonpoint source isolates. Covariance matrices of data displayed six very distinct foci representing nonpoint source E. coli isolates. Importantly, E. coli isolates obtained directly from human and animal feces also clustered among point and nonpoint sources, respectively. We conclude that E. coli MAR profiles were associated with point and nonpoint sources of pollution within Apalachicola Bay and that this method may be useful in facilitating management of other estuaries.
Backchannel-Inviting Cues in Task-Oriented Dialogue

We examine BACKCHANNEL-INVITING CUES — distinct prosodic, acoustic and lexical events in the speaker’s speech that tend to precede a short response produced by the interlocutor to convey continued attention —in theColumbiaGames Corpus, a large corpus of task-oriented dialogues. We show that the likelihood of occurrence of a backchannel increases quadratically with the number of cues conjointly displayed by the speaker. Our results are important for improving the coordination of conversational turns in interactive voice-response systems, so that systems can produce backchannels in appropriate places, and so that they can elicit backchannels from users in expected places. Index Terms: dialogue, prosody, turn-taking, backchannels.
Vertical bloch line memory

The concept of chirality in magnetic domain walls is reviewed leading to a discussion of Vertical Bloch lines as a mechanism of chirality change. Their proposed use as a magnetic memory element is reviewed. The WRITE operation is outlined. A write gate is proposed that interfaces the major loop with the VBL containing stripes that comprise the minor loop. One transfer line is required and a five pulse sequence to write and a two pulse sequence to clear. The WRITE operation seems to be practical. Propagate in the minor loops (stripes) is the most unknown. Although the structures should work in principle, the operation has yet to be demonstrated. The READ operation seems very practical. A gate similar to the WRITE gate will work but only needs a three pulse sequence. The ultimate density is yet to be established. Because of the interface to the major loop which is bubble, the limiting spacing is four bubble diameters. Spacing along the stripe will hold the answer to the ultimate density. This spacing is yet to be demonstrated.
A random‐walk algorithm for modeling lithospheric density and the role of body forces in the evolution of the Midcontinent Rift

This paper develops a Monte Carlo algorithm for extracting three-dimensional lithospheric density models from geophysical data. Empirical scaling relationships between velocity and density create a 3D starting density model, which is then iteratively refined until it reproduces observed gravity and topography. This approach permits deviations from uniform crustal velocity-density scaling, which provide insight into crustal lithology and prevent spurious mapping of crustal anomalies into the mantle. We test this algorithm on the Proterozoic Midcontinent Rift (MCR), north-central U.S. The MCR provides a challenge because it hosts a gravity high overlying low shear-wave velocity crust in a generally flat region. Our initial density estimates are derived from a seismic velocity/crustal thickness model based on joint inversion of surface-wave dispersion and receiver functions. By adjusting these estimates to reproduce gravity and topography, we generate a lithospheric-scale model that reveals dense middle crust and eclogitized lowermost crust within the rift. Mantle lithospheric density beneath the MCR is not anomalous, consistent with geochemical evidence that lithospheric mantle was not the primary source of rift-related magmas and suggesting that extension occurred in response to far-field stress rather than a hot mantle plume. Similarly, the subsequent inversion of normal faults resulted from changing far-field stress that exploited not only warm, recently faulted crust but also a gravitational potential energy low in the MCR. The success of this density modeling algorithm in the face of such apparently contradictory geophysical properties suggests that it may be applicable to a variety of tectonic and geodynamic problems. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Weighted median filters admitting complex-valued weights and their optimization

This paper introduces the concept of complex weighted median (WM) filtering admitting complex weighting. Unlike previous approaches in the literature that only allowed positive real-valued weights, the new WM structures exhibit improved performance as they exploit the richness of unrestricted complex weighting. To this end, the newly defined complex WM structures synthesize filtering operations, whereas the prior structures could only attain smoothing properties due to the inherent constraints imposed on the weights. In order to overcome the two-dimensional (2-D) search burden associated with the computation of the complex WM, two fast, robust, and very efficient approximations are introduced. Adaptive optimization algorithms for their design are developed leading to simple LMS-type weight updates. Several simulations are shown illustrating the performance of the new complex WM filter structures.
Temporal and Dose-Dependent Relationships between In Vivo B Cell Receptor-Targeted Proliferation and Deletion-Induced by a Microbial B Cell Toxin

The effective functioning of the adaptive immune system requires careful clonal regulation within the B cell compartment. Some microbial pathogens produce virulence factors, like staphylococcal protein A, which interact at high frequencies with B lymphocyte through unconventional binding sites in BCR variable region frameworks conserved during evolution. We have characterized the in vivo effect of staphylococcal protein A treatment on peripheral B cells bearing susceptible BCR, and found a dose-dependent direct relationship over the range of 2 mg to <0.2 μg in the magnitude of induced BCR-targeted supraclonal cell death. Significantly, some level of targeted B cell proliferation was always detectable, with greatest interim supraclonal expansion demonstrated at 2 days after 20-μg treatment. Subsequently, this transient expansion always collapsed. In direct comparisons, i.p. treatment was more efficacious than i.v. treatment, although at higher doses this finding was less marked. These studies elucidate a general paradigm in which in vivo encounters with a B cell superantigen are uniformly associated with proliferative expansion followed by deletion that is more rapid and complete with higher doses, whereas lower doses lead to greater transient in vivo expansion with delayed deletion to levels at later times that are still quantitatively proportional to the dose. Our results document the potent in vivo B cell-targeted properties of a microbial B cell superantigen, even at submicrogram doses associated with great molar excess of circulating Ig, and clearly illustrate the intertwined relationships between targeted proliferative cycling and apoptotic death that is induced by a microbial B cell superantigen.
Discrete multiple tone modulation with coset coding for the spectrally shaped channel

A discrete approach to multiple tone modulation is developed for digital communication channels with arbitrary intersymbol interference (ISI) and additive Gaussian noise. Multiple tone modulation is achieved through the concatenation of a finite block length modulator based on discrete Fourier transform (DFT) code vectors, and high gain coset or trellis codes. Symbol blocks from an inverse DFT (IDFT) are cyclically extended to generate ISI-free channel-output symbols that decompose the channel into a group of orthogonal and independent parallel subchannels. Asymptotic performance of this system is derived, and examples of asymptotic and finite block length coding gain performance for several channels are evaluated at different values of bits per sample. This discrete multiple tone technique is linear in both the modulation and the demodulation, and is free from the effects of error propagation that often afflict systems employing bandwidth-optimized decision feedback plus coset codes. >
A review of policy dissemination and implementation research funded by the National Institutes of Health, 2007–2014

Policy has a tremendous potential to improve population health when informed by research evidence. Such evidence, however, typically plays a suboptimal role in policymaking processes. The field of policy dissemination and implementation research (policy D&I) exists to address this challenge. The purpose of this study was to: (1) determine the extent to which policy D&I was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), (2) identify trends in NIH-funded policy D&I, and (3) describe characteristics of NIH-funded policy D&I projects. The NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool was used to identify all projects funded through D&I-focused funding announcements. We screened for policy D&I projects by searching project title, abstract, and term fields for mentions of “policy,” “policies,” “law,” “legal,” “legislation,” “ordinance,” “statute,” “regulation,” “regulatory,” “code,” or “rule.” A project was classified as policy D&I if it explicitly proposed to conduct research about the content of a policy, the process through which it was developed, or outcomes it produced. A coding guide was iteratively developed, and all projects were independently coded by two researchers. ClinicalTrials.gov and PubMed were used to obtain additional project information and validate coding decisions. Descriptive statistics—stratified by funding mechanism, Institute, and project characteristics—were produced. Between 2007 and 2014, 146 projects were funded through the D&I funding announcements, 12 (8.2 %) of which were policy D&I. Policy D&I funding totaled $16,177,250, equivalent to 10.5 % of all funding through the D&I funding announcements. The proportion of funding for policy D&I projects ranged from 14.6 % in 2007 to 8.0 % in 2012. Policy D&I projects were primarily focused on policy outcomes (66.7 %), implementation (41.7 %), state-level policies (41.7 %), and policies within the USA (83.3 %). Tobacco (33.3 %) and cancer (25.0 %) control were the primary topics of focus. Many projects combined survey (58.3 %) and interview (33.3 %) methods with analysis of archival data sources. NIH has made an initial investment in policy D&I research, but the level of support has varied between Institutes. Policy D&I researchers have utilized a variety of designs, methods, and data sources to investigate the development processes, content, and outcomes of public and private policies.
A new human B-lymphocyte surface antigen (BL 2) detectable by a hybridoma monoclonal antibody: distribution on benign and malignant lymphoid cells

A hybridoma-derived monoclonal antibody, produced by immunization with the Burkitt's tumor-derived B-lymphoblastoid cell line, B35M, was previously shown to detect a 68,000 dalton surface membrane protein, BL2, on the surface of peripheral blood B cells, which is absent from thymocytes, T cells, and granulocytes. In this study, we investigated the expression and distribution of BL2 on benign and malignant human lymphoid cells. Indirect immunofluorescent assay with this monoclonal antibody demonstrated that BL2 is expressed by cells within the fetal liver and by a variable proportion of lymph node, tonsil, and spleen B cells, but not by T cells. The neoplastic cells isolated from 18 T-cell malignancies were BL2- . BL2 was was heterogeneously expressed by a variable proportion of the malignant cells in 29/32 cases of B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia and 33/38 cases of B-cell lymphomas, but appeared to be lost in the terminal stages of B-cell differentiation, as myeloma plasma cells were BL2- . BL2 expression was not limited to B cells of a particular surface immunoglobulin isotype. Immunofluorescent staining for BL2 in cryostat tissue sections demonstrated that the majority, but not all, germinal center and interfollicular Ia+ (non-T) cells are BL2+. These findings suggest that BL2 is a B-cell lineage-specific differentiation marker that may be useful in the study of B-cell ontogeny and in defining subgroups of the B-cell malignancies.
The Transfer of Problem-Solving Skills from a Problem-Based Learning Environment

AbstractThis study examined students’ transfer of strategies modeled during a problem-based learning (PBL) unit to a novel problem situation. A hypermedia-based tool offered video segments of an expert as he engaged in the same tasks as students during PBL. Three conditions were compared. In the modeling condition, the expert “thought aloud” as he engaged in the same tasks as students. In the didactic condition, the expert gave tips and examples of how to work effectively. In the help condition, the expert explained tool functionality but did not provide support for problem solving. The results suggest that the modeling condition provided the most effective support, and that modeling an expert’s cognitive processes during PBL leads to improved performance on a transfer task.
Dietary Nutrient Intake Among Residents in Chengdu

Objective To investigate the dietary nutrient intake among Chengdu residents,thus to provide scientific basis for nutrition intervention.Methods Questionnaire was employed for the assessment of nutrition intake among 180 residents in 6 communities of Chengdu.Results The intake of energy,protein was about 80% of the recommended nutrient intakes(RNI),and the other nutrients were respectively: carbohydrates,56% of the RNI;fat,40% over approximately of RNI;VitB6 and folic acid,20% lower than RNI;VitC,VitA,riboflavin,thiamine,all less than 60% of the RNI;nicotinic acid,met the RNI standard;VitE,over the RNI by 40%;calcium,less than RNI by 52%;zinc, potassium,selenium,magnesium,iron and copper,more than RNI by 75% and sodium,over RNI by 156%.Conclusion The dietary energy,carbohydrate,protein intake are insufficient according to RNI,while fat is excessive;the vast majority of vitamins and minerals intake are insufficient,especially VitB and calcium.