cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Is botulinum toxin type A more effective and safer than other treatments for the management of lower limb spasticity in children with cerebral palsy? A Cochrane Review summary with commentary.

Background Botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) is a well-accepted treatment for the medical management of spasticity in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of BoNT-A compared with other treatment options in managing lower limb spasticity in children with CP. Methods A summary of the Cochrane Review update by Blumetti et al. (2019), with comments. Results This review included 31 randomized controlled trials (1508 participants). Compared with usual care/physiotherapy, the evidence is very uncertain about the effect of BoNT-A on gait, function, ankle joint range of motion (ROM), satisfaction, and ankle spasticity in children with CP. Compared with placebo/sham, BoNT-A probably benefits these same outcomes, although the results for function are contradictory. BoNT-A may not be more effective than serial casting at improving gait, function, ankle ROM and spasticity at any time point. However, it may be more effective than an orthosis at medium-term follow-up for hip ROM and adductor spasticity, but not function. The rate of adverse events with BoNT-A is similar to placebo/sham and serial casting. Conclusions Evidence for the effectiveness and safety of BoNT-A for the management of lower limb spasticity in children with CP is uncertain, with better quality evidence available from studies of placebo/sham than non-placebo controls. To produce high-quality evidence, future studies need to improve their methodological quality and increase sample sizes.
Polarized imaging of visible synchrotron emission from runaway electron plateaus in DIII-D

A new approach to estimate the pitch angle of highly energetic postdisruption runaway electrons is presented by imaging the polarized runaway electron synchrotron emission. The vertical to horizontal polarization ratio is found to range between 3 and 14 in image-average studies looking at repeated shots as well as the polarization in a single discharge. Numerical studies with guiding center and full orbit simulations performed with the SOFT and KORC codes are given and compared to the experiment. The pitch angle evolution analyzed using a 1D impurity diffusion model in combination with kinetic simulations is also presented. These studies find agreement in the magnitude of the pitch angle, but not in the temporal rate of change of pitch angle. The measured pitch angle evolution timescale of order 50 ms falls between a modeled timescale of 20 ms in an equilibrium model and ≫100 ms in a nonequilibrium model.
Environmental policy analysis

Abstract Environmental pollution is now a serious problem in many developing countries. One approach to combat the problem is to implement various pollution control policies. However, due to a lack of adequate quantitative models, the economic impacts and effectiveness of many pollution control policies are still unknown. This article uses the computable general-equilibrium (CGE) approach to develop an integrated economic and environmental model for environmental policy analysis for developing countries. The model presented here incorporates various environmental components, including pollution taxes, subsidies, and cleaning activities, into a standard CGE framework. The study also presents an environmentally extended social accounting matrix (ESAM), which serves as a consistent data set for calibrating the model. The model is applied to China, the largest developing country in the world, for evaluating the effectiveness of Chinese environmental policies on pollution control and their impacts on the Chinese economy. The environmental policies under scrutiny include pollution emission taxes and pollution abatement subsidies. The economic impacts of the waste water treatment plan in China's recently launched five-year environmental protection program are also examined.
From Manteo to Murphy: Young Adult Historic Fiction Set in North Carolina

North Carolina with its status as one of the original thirteen colonies, not to mention its role in secession and the Civil War, possesses a fascinating history. With its three distinctive geographic and climactic regions, the state has even been marketed as the “Variety Vacation Land.” Why then do social studies students complain so bitterly about the dullness of its history?
Mixing and detection of electrical signals from 10 Hz to 20 GHz in a electrostrictive fiber optic sensor

The nonlinear strain-polarization relationship in electrostrictive ceramics is exploited to demonstrate for the first time, mixing and detection of electrical signals over 9 decades of frequency (10 Hz to 20 GHz) in a fiber optic electrostrictive sensor.
Isotopic exchange in solid cobalt phthalocyanine—I: Thermal treatment and charge transfer interactions

Abstract Isotopic exchange of α and s-cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) doped with carrier-free 57 CoCl 2 was studied at different temperatures in presence, and absence of oxygen. In samples sealed in evacuated vials, the exchange is induced by electrons released from multi-depth donors. The results show that s-CoPc has a smaller density of donors and a deeper distribution in depths, as compared to α-CoPc. The mode of population of traps with electrons (or holes) during the preparation is discussed. Thermal treatment of CoPc in air and followed by doping with 57 CoCl 2 (and radiochemical analysis) gives us the magnitude of isotopic exchange induced by holes, which are injected by virtue of charge transfer interactions between molecules of CoPc and O 2 . Our observations indicate that the rate of diffusion of O 2 into CoPc crystallites depends on the temperature and the period of thermal treatment. The diffusion continues well beyond 1 week even at relatively high temperatures. The concentration of the injected holes and therefore the magnitude of exchange depends on the size of particles. The diffusion and chemisorption of O 2 seems to be facilitated considerably when the microcrystallites of CoPc are suspended in oxygenated water (as compared to the dry powder). When aliquots of 57 Co 2+ -doped CoPc are compacted with o -chloranil or iodine, strong charge transfer interactions between CoPc, and o -chloranil, and (to a lesser extent) iodine molecules, inject high concentrations of holes and thereby induce considerable exchange. When samples of 57 Co 2+ -doped α- or s-CoPc are heated in air, either detrapped electrons or injected holes may induce exchange. In ball-milled samples, consisting of very fine particles, the contributions towards exchange by electrons and holes, become additive. This amazing observation indicates that large non-equilibrium concentrations of electrons and holes co-exist for considerable lengths of time without recombination. In conclusion, the dopant 57 Co 2+ in CoPc constitutes a good probe and we have obtained a wealth of information which would be difficult to obtain by purely physical measurements.
Investigating Overbidders in Online Art Auctions Using a Bilinear Mixed Model

The recent advancements in network data modeling such as bilinear mixed models have opened doors to many other social researches that were not possible to explore earlier. In this paper, we demonstrate an application of a bilinear mixed model for a complex human behavior such as overbidding in auctions, i.e. placing a bid of higher value than his or her preset valuation of the item. We use an innovative approach of illustrating auction data in the form of a network. The rich network framework allows us to consider bidder interdependence and examine overbidders (termed in the paper as Reactors) in the presence of bidders who have influenced them to do so (termed here as Influencers). Results show that Reactors bid on fewer items, but on those with high pre-auction estimated values. They also tend to bid more in the second half of the auction as compared to the first half. Implications for the auction house managers were also presented.
Bubbles and Crashes: a Cyborg Approach

In joint work since 2004 we have created a family of agent-based models for nancial markets in which bubbles and crashes occur in imitation of real markets. The evolution of behavioral rules in these models has shed light on some possible mechanisms used by human account managers or traders. Our programming environment, NetLogo, has proved ideal for this work, and also oers a feature, HubNet, capable of extending simulations to include human as well as robot traders. Recently we have used this feature to test a bubbles and crash model in a controlled laboratory environment. The experiment uses agent-based modeling to create a virtual nancial market where human subjects act as stock market traders alongside automated robots. We use the experimental data to rst test whether humans adjust their exposure to risk
Induction and Regulation of Tumor Necrosis Factor-related Apoptosis-inducing Ligand/Apo-2 Ligand-mediated Apoptosis in Renal Cell Carcinoma

The lack of effective therapy for disseminated renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has stimulated the search for novel treatments including immunotherapeutic strategies. However, poor therapeutic responses and marked toxicity associated with immunological agents has limited their use. The tumor necrosis factor family member tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)/Apo-2 ligand induces apoptosis in a variety of tumor cell types, while having little cytotoxic activity against normal cells. In this study the activation and regulation of TRAIL-induced apoptosis and TRAIL receptor expression in human RCC cell lines and pathologic specimens was examined. TRAIL induced caspase-mediated apoptotic death of RCC cells with variable sensitivities among the cell lines tested. Compared with TRAIL-sensitive RCC cell lines (A-498, ACHN, and 769-P), the TRAIL-resistant RCC cell line (786-O) expressed lesser amounts of the death-inducing TRAIL receptors, and greater amounts of survivin, an inhibitor of apoptosis. Incubation of 786-O with actinomycin D increased the expression of the death-inducing TRAIL receptors and, concomitantly, decreased the intracellular levels of survivin, resulting in TRAIL-induced apoptotic death. The link between survivin and TRAIL regulation was confirmed when an increase in TRAIL resistance was observed after overexpression of survivin in the TRAIL-sensitive, survivin-negative RCC line A-498. These findings, along with our observation that TRAIL receptors are expressed in RCC tumor tissue, suggest that TRAIL may be useful as a therapeutic agent for RCC and that survivin may partially regulate TRAIL-induced cell death.
The Optimum Plant

Scientists interested in predictions of the behavior of living organisms first need to be able to describe the processes that shape those behaviors. Toward that end, they frequently find it advantageous to set up optimality hypotheses of the organism’s behavior and then compare the optimization results with results of experiments on the actual dynamics of the organism. In this chapter, we postulate that a plant strives to produce the maximum reproductive biomass by the end of its growing season, derive the optimal switch from vegetative growth to reproductive growth, and suggest a way to confirm the basic insights of this model with experimental data.
Ephemeral gully channel width and erosion simulation technology

Concentrated surface runoff, such as associated with ephemeral gully channels, increases erosion and transfers fine sediment and associated agrichemicals from upland areas to stream channels. Ephemeral gully erosion on cropland may contribute up to 40 % or more of the sediment delivered to the edge of agricultural fields, significantly threatening the health of downstream ecological services. Typically, conservation practices developed for sheet and rill erosion are also expected to treat ephemeral gully erosion, but technology and tools are needed to account for the separate benefits and effects of practices on various sediment sources. Without improved research studies, subjective observations will continue to be used to satisfy quality criteria in lieu of scientifically defensible, quantitative methods to estimate the impact of gully erosion. Ephemeral gully channels evolve by one, or combination of, complex physical process in the form of incision, headcut migration upslope, and channel sidewalls expansion (widening). This study focused on the latter, ephemeral gully channel widening relationships. The impact of various width functions on erosion can be very significant and is dependent on discharge, slope, soil properties, and management conditions. A description is provided on six ephemeral gully widening relationships, followed by recommended improvements, comparative application, and identification of future research needs. Improvements in the development of ephemeral gully width algorithms are critical to understanding the impact of conservation practices on controlling ephemeral gully erosion. Tools are needed to predict and quantify ephemeral gully erosion, including the capability to evaluate the effect of conservation practices to control erosion. An improved critical shear stress equation was developed and described that provides an approach to incorporating impacts of management practices on the resulting gully erodibility. Conservation management planning by organizations needs a systematic approach to determining the extent of ephemeral gully erosion problems on a field, watershed, or national basis, or to predict the recurring or new locations of ephemeral gullies prior to their development.
How Conifer Diversity and Availability Influence the Abundance and Biology of the Red Crossbill

In order to understand the distributions and abundances of animals, many environmental factors must be considered, particularly the availability of food resources. Food resources are especially important to nomadic species survival that moves in response to their spatial and temporal availability. An example of such nomadic species is the red crossbill (Loxia curvirostra), which specializes on conifer seeds, a resource that significantly varies both temporally and geographically. Thus, crossbills will move large distances each year to find areas with abundant conifer seeds. While conifer seed impact the distribution, abundance, and reproductive rate of crossbills, it is likely not the only factor driving these patterns. To truly understand what drives the distribution and abundance of crossbills across North America, further study is needed not only on how external environmental factors of food abundance affect these patterns, but how tradeoffs among internal physiological processes such as reproduction and immune function may affect when crossbills migrate or whether or not reproduction occurs. Historically, research to understand how organisms orchestrate their annual cycles with respect to these costly and conflicting physiological processes has focused narrowly on seasonal breeders that constrain reproduction to times of year when thermoregulatory demand is low (i.e., summer), which provide limited opportunities to reveal how physiological costs of different processes may interact with environmental conditions to influence the evolution of investment strategies. In this study, we are examining how the diversity, abundance, and size of cone crop of conifers influence both 1) the quantity and diversity of red crossbills, as well as 2) their seasonal modulation in investment patterns in reproduction and self-maintenance processes such as immune function in Grand Teton National Park, where crossbills can be found breeding in both summer and winter. Preliminary results from this study have indicated that both conifer diversity and cone crop size affect overall quantity and vocal type diversity of crossbills in Grand Teton National Park, as well as affecting their investment in reproduction and immunity. Overall, results from this study will provide information on how species in general and crossbills specifically, respond to rapidly changing environments, which has become increasingly important in light of the effects of anthropogenic change.
Effects of estrogen on daylong circulating calcium, phosphorus, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin d, and parathyroid hormone in postmenopausal women

We studied the effects of estrogen on daylong circulating levels of calcium, inorganic phosphorus, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and 1,25-(OH)2D3 (calcitriol) in a group of 10 postmenopausal women (68.5 +/- 1.4 years, mean +/- SEM). The study was conducted under strict dietary control, with mean calcium and phosphorus intakes of 845 and 970 mg. After treatment with conjugated equine estrogens, 1.25 mg/day, for 1 month, significant decreases in fasting (0800 h) serum levels were observed for calcium (9.09 +/- 0.08 versus 9.46 +/- 0.10 mg/dl, p less than 0.01) and phosphorus (3.38 +/- 0.10 versus 3.73 +/- 0.08 mg/dl, p less than 0.01). On the 0800 h fasting specimen, midmolecule PTH concentrations were higher (44.0 +/- 7.9 versus 34 +/- 8.2 pg/ml, p less than 0.05), but intact PTH was unchanged (28.6 +/- 2.7 versus 29.1 +/- 1.7 pg/ml) and a rise in circulating calcitriol (39.8 +/- 4.3 versus 31.6 +/- 2.1 pg/ml) was marginally significant (p = 0.07). When data represented multiple samples averaged over 7 and 15 h, significant estrogen-related reductions in serum calcium and phosphorus concentrations were observed. In addition, estrogen was associated with a significant rise in the daylong (15 h) level of calcitriol (39.4 +/- 4 versus 30.5 +/- 2.4 pg/ml, p less than 0.01). Daylong mid- and intact PTH concentrations were unchanged on estrogen compared to baseline values. No significant correlations were observed between changes in fasting calcitriol level and changes in fasting concentrations of calcium, phosphorus, or PTH. Further, the rise in daylong calcitriol concentration did not correlate significantly with changes in fasting or integrated values of calcium or PTH.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Borel reductions of profinite actions of SL n ( Z )

Abstract Greg Hjorth and Simon Thomas proved that the classification problem for torsion-free abelian groups of finite rank strictly increases in complexity with the rank. Subsequently, Thomas proved that the complexities of the classification problems for p -local torsion-free abelian groups of fixed rank n are pairwise incomparable as p varies. We prove that if 3 ≤ m n and p , q are distinct primes, then the complexity of the classification problem for p -local torsion-free abelian groups of rank m is again incomparable with that for q -local torsion-free abelian groups of rank n .
Bioenergetics of the cave cricket, Hadenoecus subterraneus

Abstract 1. 1. In late spring, cave crickets in Mammoth Cave National Park were investigated in order that their bioenergetics might be elucidated. 2. 2. A predictive relation between crop-empty live weight and hind femur length independent of sex was found. 3. 3. Long-term weight loss patterns were 1.55 and 1.19mg/hr for females and males, respectively, suggesting feeding intervals of 11.5 and 9.9 days. 4. 4. Calorific assimilation efficiencies were found to be 80.4% for females and 82.5% for males. 5. 5. The estimated maximal metabolic rates were half that expected for insects of similar mass. 6. 6. The mixed waste calorific levels were found to be exceptionally low.
Universal Instability in a Fully Ionized Inhomogeneous Plasma

Low-frequency oscillations of a fally ionized inhomogeneous cylindrical cesium plasma column in a magmetic field that were identified as normal modes of the universal instabiiity are reported. The experiments were performed at densities of (1 to 4) x 10/sup -11/ cm/sup -3/ with magnetic fields ranging from 3000 to 5000 gauss. (C.E.S.)
The Use of a Combination of Atom and Ion Lines as Internal Standards in General Spectrochemical Analysis

This study showed that using the atom, ion, and a combination of atom and ion lines of only two elements as internal standards, it was possible to obtain very good results on a wide variety of elements in different matrices The samples were mixed into a rubidium chloride-graphite medium and burned to completion in a dc arc using a Stallwood jet. Analysis of the results, carried out on twelve elements in six matrices, showed that in 55 out of 70 cases an accuracy of better than 15% was attained (29 of these were within 5%). Both major and minor components were determined on the same spectrogram. Elements included Na, Al, Ba, Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, Pb, Si, Sn, Zn, and Zr with indium and lutetium used as the internal standards.
Characterization of tobacco withdrawal symptoms: transdermal nicotine reduces hunger and weight gain

The accurate assessment of both tobacco withdrawal and the impact of the nicotine patch on withdrawal may be compromised by attrition of subjects, or by subjects smoking during withdrawal. To reduce these occurrences, 211 participants were provided with intensive cessation counseling while trying to quit smoking with either nicotine (21 mg) or placebo transdermal patches. Subject attrition was low, with 80.5% of participants continuing through the 5-week study period. Abstinence rates were also high over this period (75% and 61% in active and placebo groups, respectively). In this multisite, double-blind trial, withdrawal severity was assessed using a nine-item daily self-report questionnaire, and abstinence was confirmed via CO monitoring. Abrupt smoking cessation increased multiple tobacco withdrawal symptoms/signs including craving for cigarettes, irritability, anxiety, appetite, sleep disruption, difficulty concentrating, restlessness, depression, and impatience. Treatment with transdermal nicotine reduced craving for cigarettes, anxiety, irritability, and appetite, as well as weight gain (1.85 versus 2.88 kg mean gain over 4 weeks in active and placebo groups, respectively).
SegTrack: A novel tracking system with improved object segmentation

Most tracking methods depend on a rectangle or an ellipse mask to segment and track objects. Typically, using a larger or smaller mask will lead to loss of tracked objects. In this paper, we propose an object tracking system (SegTrack) that deals with partial and full occlusions by employing improved segmentation methods. Our improved mixture of Gaussians segments foreground objects from the background and solves stop-then-move and move-then-stop problems. Then, the KLT tracker tracks objects in consecutive frames and detects partial and full occlusions. In partial occlusion, a novel silhouette segmentation algorithm evolves the silhouettes of occluded objects by matching the location and appearance of occluded objects between successive frames. In full occlusion, one or more feature vectors for each tracked object are used to re-identify the object after reappearing. Our experimental results show that SegTrack provides more accurate and robust tracking when compared to other state-of-the-art trackers.
Value distribution for unbounded functions in the unit disk

Consider an unbounded meromorphic function in the unit disk which does not grow too rapidly according to its Nevanlinna characteristic. It is shown that such a function either assumes finite asymptotic values on a dense subset of the unit circle or assumes every complex number infinitely often. Similar forms of alternative behavior are shown by derivatives of the function.
Equilibration in Nonlinear Baroclinic Instability

Abstract The influences of wave-wave and wave-zonal flow interactions an the baroclinic instability in a basic quasi-geostrophic two-layer model are investigated. A minimum spectral resolution is used. The evolution of the system obtained with (without) the wave-wave interaction is referred to as the general (special) equilibration. The special equilibration leads to a steady single wave state. This wave, similar to Pedlosky's finding, has a longer zonal wavelength than that of the most unstable wave according to the linear theory under representative dissipative conditions. In contrast, the general equilibration leads to one of four distinctly different equilibrated states, depending upon the baroclinic forcing and the dissipation parameters. It can be a steady single-wave state, or a steady multiple-wave state, or a triad-limit-cycle or an incoherently fluctuating state. A regime diagram is given to delineate the bifurcations that give rise to such equilibrated states as a function of the forcing and da...
Recent Advances in the Development of an Inhaled Insulin Product

Inhaled insulin first entered clinical human testing in the mid 1990s. Since then, the commercial potential and technical challenges of an inhaled insulin product have grown increasingly clear, with several pharmaceutical partnerships now targeting treatment of diabetes mellitus through inhalation products in clinical development. While clinical results to date show the therapy to be generally promising, recent data have raised questions related to human safety and slowed progress toward a commercial product. Answering these questions positively in the coming years will be critical to making inhalation therapy a practical diabetes-care reality.
Synergistic use of AIRS and MODIS radiance measurements for atmospheric profiling

[1] Retrieval of atmospheric profiles from combined radiance measurements of the Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) and the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the NASA Aqua satellite is investigated. The collocated operational MODIS cloud mask product and the clear-sky InfraRed (IR) radiance measurements are used to characterize the AIRS sub-pixel cloud fraction and improve the atmospheric sounding and the surface parameters at the AIRS single field-of-view (SFOV) resolution. The synergistic algorithm employs an eigenvector based regression with additional information from MODIS measurements. The regression coefficients are derived from a global dataset containing atmospheric temperature, moisture, and ozone profiles. Evaluation of the retrieved profiles is performed by comparisons between AIRS soundings, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analysis fields and radiosonde observations from the Cloud And Radiation Testbed (CART) in Oklahoma. Spectral radiance calculations from the sounding retrievals agree with the observations from AIRS adjacent clear neighbor footprint quite well. These comparisons demonstrate the potential advantage of synergistic use of high-spectral sounder and high-spatial imager over either system alone.
Coordinating visual and kinaesthetic memory codes

Four experiments examined the Connolly & Jones (1970) model which postulates that translation between modalities in the cross-modal paradigm occurs before storage in short-term memory. In general, the results provided no support for the translation notion. Delaying until the end of the retention interval knowledge of the reproduction mode failed to produce a matching performance decrement. Subjects were able to maintain the code of original presentation through the retention interval even when they did not expect reproduction to be in this mode. In addition, the asymmetry in the cross-modal matching of visual (V) and kinaesthetic (K) information, whereby K-V performance is more accurate than V-K performance, was found to occur only under certain visual display conditions. The implications of these findings for general models of cross-modal translation were discussed.
Sulfite sensitivity: significance in human health

Endogenous sulfite is generated as a consequence of the body's normal processing of sulfur-containing amino acids. Sulfites occur as a consequence of fermentation and also occur naturally in a number of foods and beverages. As food additives, sulfiting agents were first used in 1664 and approved in the United States as long ago as the 1800s. With such long experience with their use, it is easy to understand why these substances have been regarded as safe. They are currently used for a variety of preservative properties, including controlling microbial growth, preventing browning and spoilage, and bleaching some foods. It is estimated that up to 500,000 (< .05% of the population) sulfite-sensitive individuals live in the United States. Sulfite sensitivity occurs most often in asthmatic adults--predominantly women; it is uncommonly reported in preschool children. Adverse reactions to sulfites in nonasthmatics are extremely rare. Asthmatics who are steroid-dependent or who have a higher degree of airway hyperreactivity may be at greater risk of experiencing a reaction to sulfite-containing foods. Even within this limited population, sulfite sensitivity reactions vary widely, ranging from no reaction to severe. The majority of reactions are mild. These manifestations may include dermatologic, respiratory, or gastrointestinal signs and symptoms. Severe nonspecific signs and symptoms occur less commonly. Broncho-constriction is the most common sensitivity response in asthmatics. The precise mechanisms of the sensitivity responses have not been completely elucidated. Inhalation of sulfur dioxide (SO2) generated in the stomach following ingestion of sulfite-containing foods or beverages, a deficiency in a mitochondrial enzyme, and an IgE-mediated immune response have all been implicated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Elastic properties of osteoporotic bone measured by scanning acoustic microscopy.

A combination of low bone mass and decreased bone quality underlies osteoporotic fracture. We used scanning acoustic microscopy, a nondestructive method for assessing bone elasticity at a resolution of about 60 μm, to estimate the quality of biopsied iliac bones. We compared the acoustic velocities and bone volumes among premenopausal normal (n = 10), osteoporotic (n = 20), and postmenopausal normal (n = 10) subjects, the latter age-matched to the osteoporotic subjects. The acoustic measurements were highly reproducible (coefficient of variation = 0.32%). Bone volume of osteoporotic subjects (BV/TV = 13.3%) was lower than that of premenopausal and age-matched normals (BV/TV = 22.8%, p = 0.0007; BV/TV = 24.8%, p = 0.0004, respectively). Acoustic velocity of osteoporotic bone was 6.2% lower than that of age-matched normal bone (p < 0.02), but 3.4% higher than that of bone from premenopausal normal women. The lower acoustic velocity of osteoporotic bone than that of age-matched normal subjects implies that osteoporosis involves altered tissue elasticity. However, the lowest acoustic velocities were measured in premenopausal normal subjects. This unexpected result may indicate a complex relationship between tissue level properties and fragility in bone.
The influence of dietary restriction on body configuration.

Summary 1. The body configurations of two groups of infants, of the same economic status and racial origin, were compared. One group, supervised in a special clinic, grew in length and weight as well as did supervised infants from a better economic environment. The unsupervised group was delayed in growth of both length and weight. 2. Accompanying the delay in growth of the unsupervised group, statistically reliable changes in body configuration occurred. The changes observed correspond to those which have been described as attributes of the linear type of body build.
Neurosteroids Enhance Spontaneous Glutamate Release in Hippocampal Neurons POSSIBLE ROLE OF METABOTROPIC ς1-LIKE RECEPTORS

Pregnenolone sulfate (PREGS), one of the most abundantly produced neurosteroids in the mammalian brain, improves cognitive performance in rodents. The mechanism of this effect has been attributed to its allosteric modulatory actions on glutamate- and gamma-aminobutyric acid-gated ion channels. Here we report a novel effect of PREGS that could also mediate some of its actions in the nervous system. We found that PREGS induces a robust potentiation of the frequency but not the amplitude of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) mediated by alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionate receptors in cultured hippocampal neurons. PREGS also decreased paired pulse facilitation of autaptic EPSCs evoked by depolarization, indicating that it modulates glutamate release probability presynaptically. PREGS potentiation of mEPSCs was mimicked by dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and (+)-pentazocine but not by (-)-pentazocine, the synthetic (-)-enantiomer of PREGS or the inactive steroid isopregnanolone. The sigma receptor antagonists, haloperidol and BD-1063, blocked the effect of PREGS on mEPSCs, as did pertussis toxin and the membrane-permeable Ca2+ chelator 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (acetoxymethyl) ester. These results suggest that PREGS increases spontaneous glutamate release via activation of a presynaptic G(i/o)-coupled sigma receptor and an elevation in intracellular Ca2+ levels. We postulate that presynaptic actions of neurosteroids have a role in the maturation and/or maintenance of synaptic networks and the processing of information in the central nervous system.
The synthesis of 3-amino-2,3,6-trideoxy-l-xylo-hexopyranose derivatives☆

Abstract Derivatives (the 3-acetamido-4-benzoate 12 , the 3-acetamido-4-acetate 13 , and the N -acetyl derivative 14 ) of the methyl glycoside of the title sugar were prepared in a sequence of high-yielding steps from methyl 3-azido-4,6- O -benzylidene-2,3-di-deoxy-α- d - arabino -hexopyranoside ( 4 ). N -Bromosuccinimide converted 4 into the crystalline 4- O -benzoyl-6-bromide 5 , which was treated with silver fluoride to afford the 5,6-unsaturated glycoside 6 . Catalytic hydrogenation of 6 led, essentially, to a 7:1 mixture of 12 and its 5-epimeric d - arabino isomer 7 . Alternatively, 6 was debenzoylated to 10 , and the latter treated with lithium aluminum hydride to give crystalline methyl 3-amino-2,3,6-trideoxy-α- d - threo -hex-5-enopyranoside ( 11 ). Reduction of 11 (as its salt) by hydrogen, with subsequent N -acetylation, furnished the methyl β- l - xylo -glycoside 13 almost exclusively, with net inversion at C-5. Compound 13 was readily converted into the crystalline target compound 14 . When dehydrobromination by silver fluoride was attempted with the 3-acetamido analog ( 2 ) of 5 , a 3,6-anhydro product ( 1 ) was obtained, instead of the expected 5,6-alkene 3 .
A process-analysis based study of the ozone weekend effect

Abstract We have used the 3D photochemical model CMAQ to simulate the ozone weekend effect, a phenomenon in which urban areas can have higher ozone concentrations on weekends than on weekdays even though NO x emissions are usually lower on weekends. A simulation containing a weekend is compared to hypothetical simulations in which the anthropogenic emissions for the weekend have been replaced by weekday emissions. The simulations are identical in all other respects. Process analysis is used to explain the results. We find that the weekend effect can be decomposed into an ozone titration component and an odd oxygen component, each contributing about half of the excess weekend ozone. The titration component simply requires that there be lower weekend NO x emissions. The odd oxygen component additionally requires that on weekends there be a higher rate of OH + (VOC or CO) reactions, brought about by one or more of lower nitric acid formation, higher OH formation from O 3 photolysis, and higher VOC emissions. This causes higher weekend peroxy radical formation. The odd oxygen component also requires sufficiently high NO concentration even on the lower-NO x weekends to propagate this higher rate of peroxy formation back to higher weekend OH formation.
Myelin formation in myelin-deficient rat spinal cord following transplantation of normal fetal spinal cord

Previous studies of the myelin-deficient rat spinal cord have suggested that astrocytes may play a role in preventing the formation of myelin in this mutant, or causing its breakdown. Comparison of mutant and normal littermate spinal cords shows a marked hypertrophy of astrocytes in the mutant in both gray matter and fiber tract regions. Nevertheless, when normal fetal spinal cord fragments are transplanted into mutant host spinal cord, clusters of normal-looking myelin sheaths develop with no sign of attack by host astrocytes.
Interface Cavitation Damage in Polycrystalline Copper

Abstract Determination of an interface damage function (IDF) [Adams, Zhao and O'Hara, Acta metall. mater. 38 , 953 (1990)], from a stereological procedure similar to that presented by Hilliard [ Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Engrs 224 , 1201 (1963)], is described. The mathematical and experimental simplicity of the method is utilized in measuring an IDF for polycrystalline copper crept at 0.6 T m under uniaxial tension. Whereas previous work focussed on a five parameter description of the local state of a grain boundary, the domain of the IDF is increased to eight degrees of freedom in the present study to include the complete geometrical description of grain boundary structure. The resulting functions identify certain types of grain boundaries which were preferentially damaged. Most of the damage occurred on interfaces oriented nearly normal to the principal stress axis. Some relatively small angle boundaries demonstrated a surprising propensity to cavitate as did certain special boundaries distinguished by a group multiplicity in misorientation space greater than one. A sequence of two dimensional projections through the eight-dimensional domain of the IDF is shown to identify a number of interface structures which are readily damaged.
Identification of a putative network of actin-associated cytoskeletal proteins in glomerular podocytes defined by co-purified mRNAs.

The glomerular podocyte is a highly specialized and polarized kidney cell type that contains major processes and foot processes that extend from the cell body. Foot processes from adjacent podocytes form interdigitations with those of adjacent cells, thereby creating an essential intercellular junctional domain of the renal filtration barrier known as the slit diaphragm. Interesting parallels have been drawn between the slit diaphragm and other sites of cell-cell contact by polarized cells. Notably mutations in several genes encoding proteins localized to the foot processes can lead to proteinuria and kidney failure. Mutations in the Wilm's tumor gene (WT1) can also lead to kidney disease and one isoform of WT1, WT1(+KTS), has been proposed to regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally. We originally sought to identify mRNAs associated with WT1(+KTS) through an RNA immunoprecipitation and microarray approach, hypothesizing that the proteins encoded by these mRNAs might be important for podocyte morphology and function. We identified a subset of mRNAs that were remarkably enriched for transcripts encoding actin-binding proteins and other cytoskeletal proteins including several that are localized at or near the slit diaphragm. Interestingly, these mRNAs included those of α-actinin-4 and non-muscle myosin IIA that are mutated in genetic forms of kidney disease. However, isolation of the mRNAs occurred independently of the expression of WT1, suggesting that the identified mRNAs were serendipitously co-purified on the basis of co-association in a common subcellular fraction. Mass spectroscopy revealed that other components of the actin cytoskeleton co-purified with these mRNAs, namely actin, tubulin, and elongation factor 1α. We propose that these mRNAs encode a number of proteins that comprise a highly specialized protein interactome underlying the slit diaphragm. Collectively, these gene products and their interactions may prove to be important for the structural integrity of the actin cytoskeleton in podocytes as well as other polarized cell types.
Spiders in motion: demonstrating adaptation, structure-function relationships, and trade-offs in invertebrates

Evolutionary history and structural considerations constrain all aspects of animal physiology. Constraints on invertebrate locomotion are especially straightforward for students to observe and unde...
Sage: Five Powerful Ideas for Studying and Transforming the Intelligence Analyst's Task Environment

Sage provides a scaled world in which real and simulated intelligence analysts work to solve realistic scenarios in innovative task environments. All aspects of Sage are instrumented for data collection and Sage itself is built to facilitate the swapping in and out of prototypes of innovative tools for information search, hypothesis generation, and hypothesis testing. Sage focuses not simply on the promised functionality of these tools, but the way in which the design of the interface supports or hinders the realization of this functionality. Beyond the individual tool and its interface, Sage supports the cognitive engineering of integrated task environments by the use of simulated cyborgs (simBorgs). SimBorgs combine high-fidelity computational cognitive models with low-fidelity artificial intelligence (AI) based reasoning components. This combination of cognitive modeling with AI enables the creation of intelligent agents, simBorgs, that will work tirelessly to perform usability testing on various combinations of tasks and interfaces. NIMD supports innovative, creative, and high-risk research with the goal of supporting the intelligence analyst (IA) in discovering “novel intelligence from massive data”. In advancing towards this goal, most of the funded projects focus on building software tools that can be used to augment the intelligence analyst’s (IA’s) task environment. Sage 1 takes a different path toward this goal, one that may support some of the other efforts while contributing innovative and creative research of its own. Sage is the vision of Booz Allen Hamilton (Booz Allen) which teamed with Planet 9 Studios and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to help make the vision happen. Although the current report encompasses the full scope of Sage it emphasizes the work done by Rensselaer with a strong emphasis on the cognitive engineering focus provided by Rensselaer’s CogWorks Laboratory. Sage is built around five powerful ideas. Each of the following sections emphasizes one of these powerful ideas. The final section summarizes these ideas and accesses our likelihood of achieving them. Powerful Idea #1: Sage as a Scaled World
Functional importance of amino acid residues making up peptide antigenic determinants.

The functional importance of each amino acid residue making up the antigenic determinants of three different peptide-mAb interactions was determined using complete series of substitution analogs of the three immunizing synthetic peptides. Fingerprint substitution profiles for the three different antigenic determinants were obtained separately by direct and competitive ELISA. Competitive ELISA was found to offer the advantage of being able to measure the concn of each peptide substitution analog necessary to inhibit antibody binding to the original peptide. In this manner, the relative functional contribution to antibody binding of each amino acid residue making up the antigenic determinant was determined and termed the relative positional importance factor (RPIF). Each antigenic determinant was found to contain one very highly specific residue (i.e., highest RPIF) that was, on average, the least replaceable with any of the natural L-amino acids (the average decrease in recognition ranged 250- to 28,000-fold). At the other extreme, two or three positions in each antigenic determinant were found to be only weakly involved in recognition. These positions were considered redundant since the average decrease in recognition of the substitution analogs for these positions was found to be 20-fold or less. The remaining antigenic determinant residues exhibited the fine specificity common to antigen-antibody interactions in that only relatively conservative substitutions for these residues were recognized by their respective antibodies. It is of interest that the positional arrangement of specific and nonspecific residues were different for each of the three antigenic determinants examined.
Abstract 3244: Supplementation with selenium-enriched yeast but not selenomethionine reduces oxidative stress in healthy men in a randomized clinical trial

Epidemiological and laboratory studies indicate that dietary selenium is protective against prostate cancer. Results from clinical trials suggest that selenium-enriched yeast (SY) but not selenomethionine (SeMet) may be effective at reducing prostate cancer risk. Our objectives were to directly compare for the first time the effects of SeMet and SY on prostate cancer relevant biomarkers in men. We performed a randomized double blind, placebo-controlled trial of SY (200 or 285 μg/day) and SeMet (200 μg/day) administered for 9 months in 69 healthy adult males. Biomarkers including blood selenium, glucose, PSA and glutathione (GSH) and urine 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and 8-iso-prostaglandin-F2α (8-iso-PGF2α) were measured at baseline and various times thereafter. Compliance was high in all groups (>95%). Plasma selenium levels were increased 93%, 54%, and 86% after 9 months in the SeMet and low and high dose SY groups, respectively, and returned to baseline levels after a 3 month washout (P Citation Format: Matt G. Kaag, John P. Richie, Arun Das, Ana Calcagnotto, Raghu Sinha, Wanda Neidig, Jiangang Liao, Eugene J. Lengreich, Arthur Berg, Terryl J. Hartman, Amy Ciccarella, Aaron Baker, Telih Boyiri, Susan Goodin, Robert S. DiPaola, Karam El-Bayoumy. Supplementation with selenium-enriched yeast but not selenomethionine reduces oxidative stress in healthy men in a randomized clinical trial. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3244. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3244
Electron microscopy of ultraviolet irradiated bacteria and their interaction with bacteriophage

Abstract Electron microscopic observation shows that most bacteria in a suspension of E. coli receiving doses of ultraviolet light many times that sufficient to reduce plate counts of viable organisms 10 5 fold can grow and multiply for some time after irradiation. Evidence of this residual metabolism diminishes with increased dose of radiation. Such bacteria are lysed by bacteriophage with yields of new bacteriophage that also diminish with increased irradiation.
Argumentative stance and political faith healing: “The dream will come true”

This essay analyzes President Ronald Reagan's speech “On Our Economic Recovery” as a means of exploring the argumentative resources of political faith healing. By exploiting the illocutionary ambiguity of “shall” and “must,” the faith healer as rhetor permits a state of healing to be seen as either prediction or command. By strategic identification and division, faith healers—both mystical and political—can take credit for successful acts of healing. In contrast, when healing does not occur, strategies such as those used in the Reagan speech can locate responsibility for failures of policy in the failed faith of the populace.
Interaction of Supernova Eject with Interstellar and Circumstellar Matter

The series of one-dimensional numerical simulations of supernova ejecta interactions with both interstellar and circumstellar matter whose results are presented was prompted by Chevalier's (1982) indication that the late time behavior of such interactions can be modeled by certain exact analytic self-similar solutions corresponding to ideal gas spheres whose profiles expand into a rarefied ambient medium. The density profile of the interaction region between the forward and reverse shocks seems to be Rayleigh-Taylor unstable. An attempt is made to check the validity and limitations of self-similar solutions and to note the change in the shock structure when electron and ion thermal conductivities are included and the ion temperature is greater than the electron temperature.