cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Memory Processes in Children with Learning Disabilities: Evidence for Deficient Rehearsal.

Abstract The possibility that deficient rehearsal is responsible for poor learning in children with learning disabilities was examined by comparing single-trial immediate and delayed free recall of learning-disabled children and children with no such disability. The two groups were matched for sex, age (9–10 years), and IQ ( X approximately 100). In Experiment 1, 11 words were presented and recalled after delays of 0 to 120 sec.; the delay was either unfilled or filled by an irrelevant counting task. The results showed that in immediate free recall primacy was poorer in the learning-disabled group, but recency of both groups was similar. In delayed free recall both primacy and recency of the learning-disabled group were poorer. Counting reduced recall of both groups to the same relative degree. In Experiment 2, 3, 6, 9, or 12 words were presented and recalled immediately or after a 30-sec delay. In immediate recall of three-word lists, the two groups were similar. With longer lists, primacy of the learning-disabled group was lower than the nondisabled, but recency of both groups was similar. In delayed recall of three-item lists, learning-disabled children were poorer than nondisabled ones, and with longer lists both primacy and recency of learning-disabled children were lower. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that rehearsal and/or retrieval from long-term storage are deficient in children with learning disabilities.
Conceptual design of flapping-wing micro air vehicles

Traditional micro air vehicles (MAVs) are miniature versions of full-scale aircraft from which their design principles closely follow. The first step in aircraft design is the development of a conceptual design, where basic specifications and vehicle size are established. Conceptual design methods do not rely on specific knowledge of the propulsion system, vehicle layout and subsystems; these details are addressed later in the design process. Non-traditional MAV designs based on birds or insects are less common and without well-established conceptual design methods. This paper presents a conceptual design process for hovering flapping-wing vehicles. An energy-based accounting of propulsion and aerodynamics is combined with a one degree-of-freedom dynamic flapping model. Important results include simple analytical expressions for flight endurance and range, predictions for maximum feasible wing size and body mass, and critical design space restrictions resulting from finite wing inertia. A new figure-of-merit for wing structural-inertial efficiency is proposed and used to quantify the performance of real and artificial insect wings. The impact of these results on future flapping-wing MAV designs is discussed in detail.
CEST: from basic principles to applications, challenges and opportunities

Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) offers a new type of contrast for MRI that is molecule specific. In this approach, a slowly exchanging NMR active nucleus, typically a proton, possessing a chemical shift distinct from water is selectively saturated and the saturated spin is transferred to the bulk water via chemical exchange. Many molecules can act as CEST agents, both naturally occurring endogenous molecules and new types of exogenous agents. A large variety of molecules have been demonstrated as potential agents, including small diamagnetic molecules, complexes of paramagnetic ions, endogenous macromolecules, dendrimers and liposomes. In this review we described the basic principles of the CEST experiment, with emphasis on the similarity to earlier saturation transfer experiments described in the literature. Interest in quantitative CEST has also resulted in the development of new exchange-sensitive detection schemes. Some emerging clinical applications of CEST are described and the challenges and opportunities associated with translation of these methods to the clinical environment are discussed.
ω-Agatoxin IVA blocks spinal morphine/clonidine antinociceptive synergism

Abstract Involvement of P-type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels in spinal morphine- or clonidine-induced antinociception and in the synergistic interaction between morphine and clonidine was examined in the present studies. Coadministration of the selective P-type antagonist, ω-agatoxin IVA (25 ng) intrathecally (i.t.) to mice along with morphine or clonidine enhanced the tail flick antinociception of each agonist 5–6-fold. The greater-than-additive (synergistic) interaction that occurred when morphine and clonidine were coadministered i.t. decreased to an additive interaction in the presence of ω-agatoxin IVA. In mice pretreated with pertussis toxin (10 ng) to inactivate G proteins, ω-agatoxin IVA did not alter the morphine/clonidine synergism. Surprisingly, ω-agatoxin IVA reversed the additive morphine/clonidine interaction that occurs in morphine-tolerant mice back to synergism. These results suggest that functional P-type Ca2+ channels play an essential role in the antinociceptive synergism between spinal morphine and clonidine.
Effect of the crystallization conditions on the phase behavior of syndiotactic polystyrene/poly(phenylene oxide) blends

Syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) and poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO) blends, miscible in the melt state, were crystallized from the melt and the quenched state at different temperatures. The effect of the crystallization temperature on the phase behavior of the blends and the polymorphic changes in sPS was investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), and density measurements. In most blends, the crystallization of sPS induced segregation into two homogeneous amorphous phases of different compositions. The temperatures of the DMA relaxations of the neat homopolymers and crystallized blends were fit by the Gordon–Taylor relation to calculate the compositions of these phases. In melt-crystallized blends, with slower crystallization, the major amorphous phase became sPS-rich, whereas the minor phase became PPO-rich. These major and minor amorphous phases could be tentatively assigned to interfibrillar and interlamellar regions, respectively. In cold-crystallized blends, slower crystallization decreased the sPS concentration in both phases, and the scale of segregation was much smaller. WAXD studies and density measurements indicated a complex polymorphic behavior of sPS after it was blended with PPO. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 87: 1975–1983, 2003
Should political Liberals Be Compassionate Conservatives? Philosophical Foundations of the Faith-Based Initiative

INTRODUCTION It is easy and popular these days to be a political liberal. Compared to ‘ethical liberals’, who justify the use of state power by way of one or another conception of people's true moral nature, ‘political liberals’ seek a less controversial foundation for liberal politics. Pioneered within the past twenty years by John Rawls and Charles Larmore, the ‘political liberal’ approach seeks to justify the coercive power of the state by reference to general political ideas about persons and society. Since it abandons the debates about personal moral value that have historically dogged liberal theory, political liberalism offers itself as a more latitudinarian, indeed a more liberal, form of liberalism. Being a political liberal is not the only way to be a good liberal, but this approach has become prevalent enough that I shall focus upon it here. At the same time, it is not so easy or popular these days to be a compassionate conservative. As a presidential candidate in 2000, George W. Bush sprinkled his campaign speeches with references to a new, more compassionate form of conservatism. Unlike some forms of conservative thinking, Bush's stated approach rested not on the ideal of cutting back public spending for welfare, assistance, or schooling programs, with the goal of returning the provision of such goods to the realm of the market and activity among voluntary associations. Instead, Bush emphasized his determination to retain a large public role in the provision of social services, but to remodel the way in which such services are delivered.
RACNet: a high-fidelity data center sensing network

RACNet is a sensor network for monitoring a data center's environmental conditions. The high spatial and temporal fidelity measurements that RACNet provides can be used to improve the data center's safety and energy efficiency. RACNet overcomes the network's large scale and density and the data center's harsh RF environment to achieve data yields of 99% or higher over a wide range of network sizes and sampling frequencies. It does so through a novel Wireless Reliable Acquisition Protocol (WRAP). WRAP decouples topology control from data collection and implements a token passing mechanism to provide network-wide arbitration. This congestion avoidance philosophy is conceptually different from existing congestion control algorithms that retroactively respond to congestion. Furthermore, WRAP adaptively distributes nodes among multiple frequency channels to balance load and lower data latency. Results from two testbeds and an ongoing production data center deployment indicate that RACNet outperforms previous data collection systems, especially as network load increases.
Elevated μ-opioid receptor expression in the nucleus of the solitary tract accompanies attenuated withdrawal signs after chronic low dose naltrexone in opiate-dependent rats

We previously described a decrease in withdrawal behaviors in opiate-dependent rats that were chronically treated with very low doses of naltrexone in their drinking water. Attenuated expression of withdrawal behaviors correlated with decreased c-Fos expression and intracellular signal transduction elements [protein kinase A regulatory subunit II (PKA) and phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein (pCREB)] in brainstem noradrenergic nuclei. In this study, to determine whether similar cellular changes occurred in forebrain nuclei associated with drug reward, expressions of PKA and pCREB were analyzed in the ventral tegmental area, frontal cortex, striatum, and amygdala of opiate-treated rats that received low doses of naltrexone in their drinking water. No significant difference in PKA or pCREB was detected in these regions following drug treatment. To examine further the cellular mechanisms in noradrenergic nuclei that could underlie attenuated withdrawal behaviors following low dose naltrexone administration, the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) and locus coeruleus (LC) were examined for opioid receptor (OR) protein expression. Results showed a significant increase in μOR expression in the NTS of morphine-dependent rats that received low doses of naltrexone in their drinking water, and increases in μOR expression were also found to be dose dependent. Protein expression of μOR in the LC and δOR in either brain region remained unchanged. In conclusion, our previously reported decreases in c-Fos and PKA expression in the NTS following pretreatment with low doses of naltrexone may be partially explained by a greater inhibition of NTS neurons resulting from increased μOR expression in this region. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
FAST CONVERGENCE RATES IN ESTIMATING LARGE VOLATILITY MATRICES USING HIGH-FREQUENCY FINANCIAL DATA

Financial practices often need to estimate an integrated volatility matrix of a large number of assets using noisy high-frequency data. Many existing estimators of a volatility matrix of small dimensions become inconsistent when the size of the matrix is close to or larger than the sample size. This paper introduces a new type of large volatility matrix estimator based on nonsynchronized high-frequency data, allowing for the presence of microstructure noise. When both the number of assets and the sample size go to infinity, we show that our new estimator is consistent and achieves a fast convergence rate, where the rate is optimal with respect to the sample size. A simulation study is conducted to check the finite sample performance of the proposed estimator.
Difficulty with negative feedback: face-to-face evaluation of junior medical student clinical performance results in grade inflation

Hypothesis. Direct, face-to-face feedback regarding a medical students' clinical performance will not increase critical, objective analysis of their performance. Methods. A new ward evaluation system (NS) was used concurrently with our standard written ward evaluation system (OS). The two methods were directly compared using a standard t test. The OS is a subjective written evaluation of clinical performance, with a summary grade of 1–6 given as a final grade, with 1 = fail and 6 = honors. The NS retains the 1–6 grading scale; however, students met with individual faculty and residents and received a face-to-face evaluation of their performance, as well as a written summary. Twenty-four third-year medical students rotating on general surgery at the University of Michigan Medical Center participated in the study. Results. There was a significant degree of grade inflation with the NS, particularly for students with poorer performance. The average grade using the OS was 5.11 ± 0.11; with the NS, the average grade was 5.62 ± 0.07 (P < 0.001). If students with grades of 5.0 or less in the OS are studied, then the average grade using the OS is 4.24 ± 0.32, in contrast to 5.47 ± 0.14 with the NS (P < 0.005). An additional interesting finding was noted: among the students who failed to participate in the face-to-face interviews (n = 4), the average grade using the OS was 4.36 ± 0.29 (P < 0.05 vs OS total). Conclusions. While students desire more timely, direct feedback on their clinical performance, faculty are poor at giving direct, objective, face-to-face feedback, particularly when it involves negative feedback, with resultant grade inflation.
Efficient record linkage in large data sets

This paper describes an efficient approach to record linkage. Given two lists of records, the record-linkage problem consists of determining all pairs that are similar to each other where the overall similarity between two records is defined based on domain-specific similarities over individual attributes constituting the record. The record-linkage problem arises naturally in the context of data cleansing that usually precedes data analysis and mining. We explore a novel approach to this problem. For each attribute of records, we first map values to a multidimensional Euclidean space that preserves domain-specific similarity. Many mapping algorithms can be applied, and we use the FastMap approach as an example. Given the merging rule that defines when two records are Similar a set of attributes are chosen along which the merge will proceed A multidimensional similarity join over the chosen attributes is used to determine similar pairs of records. Our extensive experiments using real data sets show that our solution has very good efficiency and accuracy.
Interactions of Escherichia coli Thioredoxin, the Processivity Factor, with Bacteriophage T7 DNA Polymerase and Helicase

Escherichia coli thioredoxin binds to a unique flexible loop of 71 amino acid residues, designated the thioredoxin binding domain (TBD), located in the thumb subdomain of bacteriophage T7 gene 5 DNA polymerase. The initial designation of thioredoxin as a processivity factor was premature. Rather it remodels the TBD for interaction with DNA and the other replication proteins. The binding of thioredoxin exposes a number of basic residues on the TBD that lie over the duplex region of the primer-template and increases the processivity of nucleotide polymerization. Two small solvent-exposed loops (loops A and B) located within TBD electrostatically interact with the acidic C-terminal tail of T7 gene 4 helicase-primase, an interaction that is enhanced by the binding of thioredoxin. Several basic residues on the surface of thioredoxin in the polymerase-thioredoxin complex lie in close proximity to the TBD. One of these residues, lysine 36, is located proximal to loop A. The substitution of glutamate for lysine has a dramatic effect on the binding of gene 4 helicase to a DNA polymerase-thioredoxin complex lacking charges on loop B; binding is decreased 15-fold relative to that observed with wild-type thioredoxin. This defective interaction impairs the ability of T7 DNA polymerase-thioredoxin together with T7 helicase to mediate strand displacement synthesis. This is the first demonstration that thioredoxin interacts with replication proteins other than T7 DNA polymerase.
Sensitivity of a heavy‐rain‐producing western Mediterranean cyclone to embedded potential‐vorticity anomalies

The development and track of a surface cyclone that produced heavy precipitation in the western Mediterranean region on 28–29 September 1994 is numerically simulated using a mesoscale model. Diagnostic calculations reveal that surface-pressure falls-and upward motion-occur in response to a well-defined pattern of upward quasi-geostrophic forcing at all tropospheric levels. In addition, convective instability and low-tropospheric water vapour flux convergence are significant over the western Mediterranean, and therefore the environment is highly supportive for convection development. The appreciable dynamical forcing at upper levels appears to be associated with two positive potential-vorticity (PV) anomalies that are embedded within the large-scale trough and rotate about each other. Motivated by the fact that the small-scale features of the PV field are more prone to analysis or forecast error than the large-scale components, a sensitivity study is conducted in order to analyse the dependence of the mesoscale forecast on the initial intensity and position of the two embedded PV centres. This is accomplished by first applying a piecewise PV-inversion technique which allows the balanced flow associated with each PV centre to be calculated, and then the inverted mass and wind fields are used to modify the model initial conditions. Eight simulations are run after doubling or removing one or both anomalies (sensitivity to intensity), and eight other simulations after displacing the anomalies towards or away from the Iberian peninsula (sensitivity to position). The results exhibit a clear dependence of the track and shape of the surface cyclone and its associated pattern of low-tropospheric warm air advection on the characteristics of the PV anomalies. Therefore, spatial details of the mesoscale forecast are shown to be highly sensitive to the precise structure of the upper-level dynamic forcing. Nevertheless, for the full set of arbitrarily defined initial conditions, one or several low pressure systems develop in the western Mediterranean area and heavy precipitation always occurs. On the other hand, there is an overall tendency of the simulations to favour cyclone development leeward of the Atlas mountain range and local rainfall enhancements over the exposed mountains of eastern Spain. The relative roles of the orography and sea surface latent-heat flux versus the action of the upper-level PV centres are examined by means of additional simulations.
GEL FILTRATION CHROMATOGRAPHIC STUDIES OF THE ISOLATED MEMBRANE DOMAIN OF BAND 3

We have investigated the oligomeric state of the membrane domain of band 3 (MDB3) in non-ionic detergent solution using Sepharose CL-4B gel filtration chromatography to study the hydrodynamic properties of the protein as a function of its concentration. The studies were performed in a C12E9 (polyox-yethylene-9-lauryl ether) buffer containing phosphatidylcholine and sodium chloride, which significantly slow a dilution-induced band 3 conformational change, and an associated aggregation process. Under these conditions native MDB3 eluted predominantly as a single Gaussian peak with a Stokes radius of 76 ± 14 A, at all protein concentrations studied between 0 2 and 12 μM. This value agrees with the calculated Stokes radius (74A) determined from the crystal structure of the MDB3 dimer. The Stokes radius of the MDB3 monomer was obtained experimentally by treating native MDB3 with 0·5% SDS, and exchanging the SDS for C12E9 on the Sepharose column. SDS-treated MDB3 showed two peaks whose ratio was strongly depende...
Eba Poon (Theocritus, Id . I. 139, 140).

The mystical part of Reitzenstein′s interpretation of the song in Theocritus′s first idyll has not been generally accepted;it is somewhat surprising to find a new interpretation of the legend of Daphnis, and a new explanation of the genesis of pastoral poetry, introduced by the statement, referring to Reitzenstein: ‘ Nicht zu kiihn war er, sondern noch nicht kiihn genug.’ Starting from Reitzenstein′s contention that the pastoral was developed from a cult-song, Fries elaborates the theory that Daphnis is a Greek Krishna; that the maiden of Theocritus′s first idyll is the counterpart of the heroine of the Song of Songs ; that astral mythology, Oriental in origin, supplies the clue to Theocritus′s handling of the legend. On the basis of this and other material Fries constructs further theories affecting the development of other literary types than the pastoral, and leads us ultimately to a novel interpretation of the Phaeacian episode in the Odyssey .
Cardiac Football or Cause of Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation

77-YEAR-OLD, 175-cm, 71-kg man was admitted to the authors’ institution for evaluation of progressive dyspnea on exertion and reduced exercise tolerance of 2 years duration. His symptoms occasionally were accompanied by chest pressure without radiation and were relieved consistently with rest. The patient also described intermittent paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea and recent lower-extremity swelling, but he denied orthopnea, diaphoresis, syncope, and palpitations. The patient had undergone 2-vessel coronary artery bypass graft surgery and an aortic valve replacement with a Carpentier-Edwards bioprosthetic valve (Edwards Life Sciences, Irvine, CA) for aortic insufficiency 24 years before the current admission. The patient’s past medical history also was notable for chronic atrial fibrillation (for which he received digoxin and warfarin), wellcontrolled essential hypertension (treated with carvedilol, lisinopril, and furosemide), and hyperlipidemia (treated with simvastatin). The physical examination revealed a harsh grade III of VI crescendo-decrescendo systolic murmur best heard at the 4th left intercostal space that radiated to the left axilla. A second, lower-pitched holosystolic murmur (grade II of VI) was noted at the 2nd right intercostal space. A grade II of VI early diastolic murmur also was heard at the left ventricular apex. Auscultation of the lungs indicated bilateral basilar rales. There was jugular venous distention present, and lower-extremity pitting edema was observed, but hepatojugular reflux was not elicited. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) was performed as part of the evaluation. The leaflets of the bioprosthesis were thickened, calcified, and sclerotic (not shown). Moderate aortic stenosis (peak gradient of 37 mmHg, area of 1.05 cm 2 ) and severe aortic insufficiency were present. The mitral valve leaflets also were calcified and showed reduced mobility concomitant with mild stenosis (area of 1.9 cm 2 ) and severe regurgitation (not shown). The TEE examination further revealed the images shown in Figures 1 through 3. What is the diagnosis? What is the mechanism responsible for the echocardiographic findings?
Systematic Eclectic Models

Although increasingly popular, eclecticism has sometimes been characterized by its critics as "seat of the pants " therapy. This has led some authors to provide organizing principles for the eclectic field. These systematic eclectic models help counselors and therapists integrate interventions from various schools of psychotherapy. Four systematic eclectic models (Beutler 's eclectic psychotherapy; Howard, Nance, and Myers' adaptive counseling and therapy; Lazarus' multimodal therapy; and Prochaska and DiClemente's transtheoretical approach) are presented and evaluated on five dimensions. Additionally, the article examines support for the models, and makes conceptual and empirical recommendations.
Compulsory Treatment for Drug Abuse

Using research which shows treatment to be effective in reducing intravenous drug abuse, and the importance of retention in treatment as a determinant of outcome, compulsory treatment is examined and a set of policy and research recommendations are developed. Particularly, civil commitment and court diversion programs are reviewed for their potential impact on reducing the number of intravenous drug abusers at risk for contracting and transmitting the AIDS virus. Recommendations include the provision of: effective methods for detecting drug abusers, appropriate legal protections, systems linkages, treatment, and recognition that drug dependence is chronic. It is also suggested that available treatments such as methadone maintenance be used by the criminal justice system for referrals.
Optical photonic crystals synthesized from colloidal systems of polystyrene spheres and nanocrystalline titania

We have developed a novel ceramic processing technique to fabricate photonic crystals (PCs) with close-packed lattices of air pores in a dielectric background. The ordering of colloidal spheres and incorporation of the titania is performed simultaneously, in contrast to other approaches. Excellent ordering of the lattice of air pores is achieved over domains extending over 100 /spl mu/. The PCs exhibit a uniform color and a corresponding sharp peak in the reflectivity at the wavelength of the first stopband. The position of the reflectivity peak scales very well with the size of the air pores, providing strong evidence for photonic crystal effects.
Missense mutations of the BRAF gene in human lung adenocarcinoma

Mutations of the BRAF protein serine/threonine kinase gene have recently been identified in a variety of human cancers, most notably melanomas. We sought to determine the frequency of BRAF mutations in human lung cancer pathogenesis. Analysis of BRAF sequence from 127 primary human lung adenocarcinomas revealed mutations in two tumor specimens, one in exon 11 (G465V), and a second in exon 15 (L596R). These specimens belong to the same adenocarcinoma subgroup as defined by clustering of gene expression data. BRAF may provide a target for anticancer chemotherapy in a subset of lung adenocarcinoma patients.
Taphonomic Trends Along a Forereef Slope: Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas. II. Time

Abstract The Shelf and Slope Experimental Taphonomy Initiative (SSETI) Program was established to measure taphonomic rates in a range of continental shelf and slope environments over a long period of time. For this report, mollusk shells were deployed for one and two years at seven different environments of deposition (EODs) along two onshore-offshore transects off Lee Stocking Island in the Bahamas. The experimental sites were located: in sand channels on the platform top (15 m) and the platform edge (33 m); on ledges down the wall (70–88 m); on the upper (183 m) and lower (210–226 m) talus slope below the wall; and on the crest (256–264 m) and in the trough (259–267 m) of large sand dunes. Shell condition was assessed using a range of taphonomic attributes including dissolution, abrasion, edge alteration, discoloration, and changes in shell weight. After two years, taphonomic alteration was not particularly intense in any EOD. No species was particularly susceptible or resistant to taphonomic alteration...
The fall from Eden: why libertarianism isn't justified by experience

Libertarians claim that our experience of free choice is indeterministic. They think that, when we choose, our choice feels open in a way that would require indeterminism for the experience to be accurate. This claim then functions as a step in an argument in favour of libertarianism, the view that freedom requires indeterminism and we are free. Since, all else being equal, we should take experience at face value, libertarians argue, we should endorse libertarianism. Compatibilists, who think that freedom is consistent with determinism, respond to this argument in a number of ways, none of which is adequate. This paper defends a stronger compatibilist response. Compatibilists should concede, at least for argument's sake, that our experience of freedom is in a sense libertarian. Yet they should also insist that our experience is in another sense compatibilist. Thus, even if libertarian descriptions of experience are phenomenologically apt, there is still a sense in which the experience might be veridical, ...
Balancing Boutique-Level Quality and Large-Scale Production: The Impact of “More Product, Less Process” on Digitization in Archives and Special Collections

Introduction Few writings within the realms of archives and special collections have reverberated throughout the field to the degree of Mark A. Greene and Dennis Meissner’s 2005 article “More Product, Less Process: Revamping Traditional Archival Processing.” 1 Its clarion call to shift archival arrangement and description away from time-consuming, detailed processes toward rapid, minimalist strategies was met with both cheers and groans that continue unabated. In a sign of its ubiquity, the approach advocated by Greene and Meissner is now simply referred to as “MPLP,” and its implementation is the subject of ongoing discussion in numerous venues, including professional journals, conference . . .
Superchurch: The Rhetoric and Politics of American Fundamentalism, by Jonathan J. Edwards

In the contemporary United States, concerns about the rise and continued influence of Christian Fundamentalism are likely to be more political than religious in nature. Based on widely held assumpt...
Cost-Effectiveness of College Achievement by Androgynous Men and Women

Androgynous college women (n = 20) were superior in academic achievement to nonandrogynous women (n = 20), and the better achievement was not associated with excessive stress. There was no achievement difference between androgynous (n = 15) and nonandrogynous (n = 16) men.
Understanding the Influence of Environmental Standards on Judgments and Choices

This article offers a cognitive account of the means versus ends focus of environmental regulation. The first of two studies suggests that standards (the means) exert an influence on judgments of p...
Agency Problems in Divested Business Units: Evidence from the Boards of Directors of Spinoff Firms

This paper investigates the governance of firms created in corporate spinoffs by studying the influence of directors of divesting parent companies who serve on the boards of their spinoff firms. Th...
Antigen-induced contraction of guinea pig isolated pulmonary arteries and lung parenchyma

We characterized the kinetics of and determined the mediators involved in antigen-induced contraction of pulmonary arteries (PA) and lung parenchyma isolated from actively sensitized guinea pigs. Ovalbumin (10(-2) mg/ml) induced contractions of PA rings, which reached maximum amplitude by 2 min and decayed to 50% of maximum by 4-6 min. Pyrilamine (10(-6) M) delayed the onset of contraction and decreased the peak of the response by > 50%. Metiamide (10(-4) M) partially reversed this effect. The addition of indomethacin (10(-6) M) to the combination of pyrilamine and metiamide had no significant effect. The further addition of the leukotriene (LT) D4/LTE4 receptor antagonist SKF 104353 (10(-5) M) reduced the contraction by > 80%. The maximum amplitude of antigen-induced contraction of parenchymal strips was reached by 15 min and was sustained for > 60 min. In these tissues, SKF 104353 inhibited the contraction by approximately 35%, but the histamine receptor antagonists and indomethacin had no significant effect. These results suggest that both histamine and sulfidopeptide LTs mediate antigen-induced contraction of PA, whereas sulfidopeptide LTs, but not histamine, are involved in the parenchymal response.
The Effects of Giving Feedback on the Persuasive Writing of Fourth- and Fifth-Grade Students.

Peer review is a reciprocal process in which writers both give and receive feedback. Both activities may contribute to student learning; however, few studies have examined the effects of giving feedback separately. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of giving feedback on the quality of the reviewers’ own persuasive writing. Fourth- and fifth-grade students (n = 145) received training in evaluation using genre-specific criteria. They were then randomly assigned to three groups: reviewer, reader control, and time control. The reviewers read persuasive essays, rated them, and gave written suggestions. To control for the effect of reading the essays, the reader control group read the same essays but did not evaluate them; finally, the time control group read narratives to control for time and effort. On the immediate posttests, to assess effects on revision, all students revised two essays written at pretest. To assess transfer and delayed transfer, students wrote and revised essays on new topics. On the immediate posttests, students in the reviewer group included more elements to address the opposing position and end with a message to the reader. In addition, reviewers produced better quality final essays than both control groups did on one immediate posttest and the transfer posttest, and better essays than the reader control group did on the delayed transfer. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Abstract 3205: Defining the immune checkpoint landscape of acute myeloid leukemia (AML)

Introduction: The expression of co-stimulatory (costim) receptors/ligands in the bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) in patients (pts) with AML has not been defined. Identification of immune-checkpoint pathways that dominate in AML will guide the rational selection of specific antibodies for clinical trials. Methods: Between March, 2015 and October 2015 we performed 17-color multi-parameter flow-cytometry (MFC) on 15 untreated AML and 25 relapsed AML to assess expression of costim ligands (4-1BBL, B7-1, B7-2, ICOSL, PDL-1, PDL-2, OX40L) on leukemic blasts and costim receptors (4-1BB, CTLA-4, ICOS, PD-1, OX40, GITR, LAG-3, TIM-3) on T cell subsets: CD4 T effector cells [Teff]: CD3 + CD4 + CD127 lo/+ Foxp3 − , CD4 T regulatory cells [Treg]: CD3 + CD4 + CD127 − Foxp3 + , and CD8 T cells: CD3 + CD8 + . Four healthy human BMs were used as control. Expression is denoted by percentage of specific T-cell subset or gated AML blasts positive for the marker indicated. PB mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and blasts were evaluated at the same time-point. Results: OX40+ Teffs and OX40+ CD8 cells were higher in untreated AML BM as compared to healthy donor BM (median [med]: 7.2% versus [vs] 0.26%; P = 0.0005 and med: 2.03% vs 0.06%; P = 0.07, respectively). PD1+ Tregs and OX40+ Tregs were also higher in untreated AML BM as compared to healthy donor BM (med: 19.7% vs 7.5%; P = 0.03 and med: 10.3% vs 0.5%; P = 0.02, respectively). PD1+ Teffs, OX40+ Teffs, and ICOS+ Teffs were higher in relapsed AML BM as compared to healthy donor BM (med: 17.7% vs 6.7%; P = 0.047, med: 12% vs 0.27%, P = 0.002, and med: 13.3% vs 1.1%; P = 0.07, respectively). OX40+ CD8 cells, ICOS+ CD8 cells, TIM3+ CD8 cells (med: 5.0% vs 0.07%; P = 0.04, med: 18.5% vs 2.6%; P = 0.09, and med: 2.7% vs 0.7%; P = 0.01, respectively) and OX40+ Tregs (med: 15.5% vs 0.5%; P Conclusions: Clinically targetable checkpoint receptors including PD1, OX40, and ICOS appear to be overexpressed in the BM of pts with AML as compared to healthy donor BM. Relapsed AML had higher expression of costim receptors than untreated AML. Three anti-PD1 based clinical trials for pts with AML are enrolling at our institution (NCT02397720, NCT02464657, NCT02532231). Citation Format: Naval Daver, Sreyashi Basu, Guillermo Garcia-Manero, Jorge Cortes, Farhad Ravandi, Steven Kornblau, Marina Konopleva, Michael Andreeff, Gautam Borthakur, Nitin Jain, William Wierda, Srdan Verstovsek, Peter Ruvolo, Tapan Kadia, Jairo Matthews, Wilmer Flores, Hui Yang, Carlos Bueso-Ramos, Narmeen Somani, Jorge Blando, James Allison, Hagop Kantarjian, Padmanee Sharma. Defining the immune checkpoint landscape of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 3205.
Intelligence: Why it Matters. Biological Significance of Emotional Intelligence and Its Relation to Hemispheric Specialization in Man

Students of artificial intelligence often focus on processes involved in solving highly abstract problems: synthesizing a chemical structure from given precursors, optimizing the design of an electrical circuit, or constructing a winning chess strategy. These problems are of obvious interest to the human mind-and brain-and yet we cannot say that our lives depend directly on their solution!
Leakage reduction techniques for FinFET datapath circuits

Due to its reduced leakage and suppressed short channel effects, FinFET has been adopted by semiconductor industry to replace conventional bulk CMOS on most advanced process nodes. In this paper, performance of Predictive Technology Model (PTM) and BSIM-CMG models are investigated, and leakage reduction techniques are applied to adder circuit designs in order to minimize static power. HSPICE simulation results confirm significant leakage reduction with negligible performance penalty when power gating and zig-zag selection of sleep transistors are used simultaneously.
Head and Neck Quality Assurance 2014

Quality assurance (QA) in complex head and neck cancer trials is essential. The need for QA is made more relevant with trials comprised of multiple end points, worldwide participation, and increasing use of adaptive strategies/advanced technology to validate/verify outcome analyses. Integration is necessary for tissue analysis, biomarker assessment, imaging, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and/or targeted therapy for patients with new diagnosis, relapse, and second head and neck malignancies.
Setting a Standard for Chemistry Education in the Next Generation: A Retrosynthetic Analysis.

A diverse and highly qualified chemistry teaching workforce is critical for preparing equally diverse, qualified STEM professionals. Here, we analyze National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) data to provide a demographic comparison of the U.S. secondary chemistry teaching population in high-needs and non-high-needs public schools as well as private schools during the 2011–2012 academic year. Our analysis reveals that the chemistry teaching workforce is predominantly white and significantly lacks in-field degrees or certification across school types, though high-needs and private schools are most affected by this lack of teacher qualification. Given these results, we attempt to retrosynthetically identify the pathway yielding a qualified chemistry teaching workforce to draw attention to the various steps in this scheme where reform efforts on the part of individual faculty, academic institutions, and organizations can be concentrated.
Ringer: web automation by demonstration

With increasing amounts of data available on the web and a diverse range of users interested in programmatically accessing that data, web automation must become easier. Automation helps users complete many tedious interactions, such as scraping data, completing forms, or transferring data between websites. However, writing web automation scripts typically requires an expert programmer because the writer must be able to reverse engineer the target webpage. We have built a record and replay tool, Ringer, that makes web automation accessible to non-coders. Ringer takes a user demonstration as input and creates a script that interacts with the page as a user would. This approach makes Ringer scripts more robust to webpage changes because user-facing interfaces remain relatively stable compared to the underlying webpage implementations. We evaluated our approach on benchmarks recorded on real webpages and found that it replayed 4x more benchmarks than a state-of-the-art replay tool.
Early detection of consciousness in patients with acute severe traumatic brain injury

See Schiff (doi:10.1093/awx209) for a scientific commentary on this article. Patients with acute severe traumatic brain injury may recover consciousness before self-expression. Without behavioural evidence of consciousness at the bedside, clinicians may render an inaccurate prognosis, increasing the likelihood of withholding life-sustaining therapies or denying rehabilitative services. Task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography techniques have revealed covert consciousness in the chronic setting, but these techniques have not been tested in the intensive care unit. We prospectively enrolled 16 patients admitted to the intensive care unit for acute severe traumatic brain injury to test two hypotheses: (i) in patients who lack behavioural evidence of language expression and comprehension, functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography detect command-following during a motor imagery task (i.e. cognitive motor dissociation) and association cortex responses during language and music stimuli (i.e. higher-order cortex motor dissociation); and (ii) early responses to these paradigms are associated with better 6-month outcomes on the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended. Patients underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging on post-injury Day 9.2 ± 5.0 and electroencephalography on Day 9.8 ± 4.6. At the time of imaging, behavioural evaluation with the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised indicated coma (n = 2), vegetative state (n = 3), minimally conscious state without language (n = 3), minimally conscious state with language (n = 4) or post-traumatic confusional state (n = 4). Cognitive motor dissociation was identified in four patients, including three whose behavioural diagnosis suggested a vegetative state. Higher-order cortex motor dissociation was identified in two additional patients. Complete absence of responses to language, music and motor imagery was only observed in coma patients. In patients with behavioural evidence of language function, responses to language and music were more frequently observed than responses to motor imagery (62.5-80% versus 33.3-42.9%). Similarly, in 16 matched healthy subjects, responses to language and music were more frequently observed than responses to motor imagery (87.5-100% versus 68.8-75.0%). Except for one patient who died in the intensive care unit, all patients with cognitive motor dissociation and higher-order cortex motor dissociation recovered beyond a confusional state by 6 months. However, 6-month outcomes were not associated with early functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography responses for the entire cohort. These observations suggest that functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography can detect command-following and higher-order cortical function in patients with acute severe traumatic brain injury. Early detection of covert consciousness and cortical responses in the intensive care unit could alter time-sensitive decisions about withholding life-sustaining therapies.
Advance care planning in Hispanic/Latino and non-Hispanic white patients with cancer.

10Background: Advance care planning (ACP) is a process whereby patients communicate their end-of-life treatment preferences. Despite a growing US Hispanic/Latino population, much remains unknown re...
Demystifying Syndromes II: Clinical and Educational Implications of Common Syndromes Associated With Persons With Intellectual Disabilities

Genetic professionals are often asked for syndrome-specific information that can help families, other health-care providers, and educators understand the implications of a genetic diagnosis for an ...
Adiponectin and the steatosis marker Chi3L1 decrease following switch to raltegravir compared to continued PI/NNRTI-based antiretroviral therapy.

Background People with HIV are at for metabolic syndrome (MetS) and fatty liver disease, but the role of Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is poorly understood. MetS and fatty liver disease been associated with changes in adiponectin, soluble ST2 (sST2), chitinase 3-like 1 (Chi3L1), hyaluronic acid (HA), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), lysyl oxidase-like-2 (LOXL2) and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) concentrations in HIV-uninfected populations. Protease (PI) and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) may contribute to these comorbidities, but the effects of switching from PI- or NNRTI to raltegravir (RAL) on these biomarkers is unknown. Methods Cryopreserved plasma was obtained from a completed, prospective trial of HIV-infected women with central adiposity on NNRTI- or PI-based ART during which they were randomized to remain on their current ART or switch to a RAL based regimen. Biomarker concentrations were quantified using ELISA and Multiplex assays at baseline and 24 weeks after randomization. Wilcoxon-signed rank test evaluated within-group changes, Spearman and linear regression models evaluated correlations between biomarkers and clinical covariates. Results Participants had a median age of 43 years, CD4+ T lymphocyte count 558 cells/mm3 and BMI 32 kg/m2; 35% met criteria for MetS. At baseline, higher adiponectin levels correlated with higher Chi3L1 levels (r = 0.42, p = 0.02), as did declines after 24 weeks (r = 0.40, p = 0.03). Changes in sST2 correlated with changes in Chi3L1 (r = 0.43, p = 0.02) and adiponectin (r = 0.40, p = 0.03). Adiponectin and Chi3L1 levels decreased significantly in women switched to RAL vs continue PI/NNRTI. Conclusion In women with HIV and central obesity, the hepatic steatosis/fibrosis marker Chi3L1 and adiponectin decrease in conjunction with sST2 decreases following switch to RAL. Whether switching from NNRTI/PI-based regimens to RAL can improve hepatic steatosis and dysmetabolism requires further study. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00656175
Promoting MedlinePlus utilization in a federally qualified health center using a multimodal approach

Background: Most patients want more health information than their clinicians provide during office visits. Written information can complement information that is provided verbally, yet most primary care practices, including federally qualified health centers, have not implemented systematic programs to ensure that patients receive understandable, relevant, and accurate health information at the point of care. MedlinePlus in particular is underutilized. Case Presentation: The authors conducted a multimodal intervention to promote the use of MedlinePlus at a federally qualified health center. We provided MedlinePlus training to clinicians and patients through group and one-on-one trainings and multimedia promotion. We administered pre- and post-intervention surveys to patients, clinicians, and nurses to assess changes in the use and recognition of MedlinePlus at the point of care. We used quantitative and qualitative data to understand the impact of the intervention. A National Library of Medicine grant provided resources that supported equipment and staff. Group training improved use of MedlinePlus by clinicians and staff. One-on-one training was most effective for patients, particularly when it was integrated into the work-flow. Conclusions: A multimodal approach can promote use of MedlinePlus among community health center patients. However, the process is labor- and resource-intensive and requires careful attention to work flow and leveraging of brief opportunities.