cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Low real-world eligibility rates for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis patients for phase 3 clinical trial criteria application in a large academic health system.

Objective Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the most common liver disease in the USA. Clinical trials have stringent study criteria which may limit real-world generalizability. Thus, we studied whether a real-world, university-based cohort of patients could be eligible for a pivotal phase 3 NASH clinical trial. Methods We queried Yale-New Haven Health System electronic medical records for patients with a diagnosis of NASH from 2013 to 2017. Of those who received liver biopsy, we extracted demographic, clinical, laboratory, and biopsy data. We compared patient characteristics to enrollment criteria of the Randomized Global Phase 3 Study to Evaluate the Impact on NASH with Fibrosis of Obeticholic Acid Treatment. Results Of 14 403 patients with NASH, 478 (3.3%) completed liver biopsy, of whom 237 (49.6%) had histological confirmation by a gastrointestinal pathologist. Histologically-confirmed NASH patients were 51.1 ± 13.2 years old, 56.5% female, 69.6% white race, and 24.6% had cirrhosis. In this group, 68 (28.7%) patients met all inclusion criteria, 87 (36.7%) had no exclusions, and 34 (14.4%) met all enrollment criteria. Other than cirrhosis, common reasons for ineligibility were presence of medical comorbidity (n = 83) or laboratory abnormalities (n = 47). Multiple logistic regression did not reveal significant predictors of eligibility. Conclusion Within a university-based cohort of NASH patients, few met phase 3 clinical trial enrollment criteria, mostly due to low rates of liver biopsy. Of those with histologic confirmation, 14.4% met enrollment criteria. Validation of generalizability for safety and efficacy of NASH investigational agents in real-world populations is needed.
From Principle to Practice: Four Conceptions of Interpretation:

This multiple case study examined cultural interpretive programs for four different sets of goals or conceptions in a trickle-down effect from theory to practice. A proposed model, Four Conceptions...
Analysis of pedestrian-vehicle crash injury severity factors in Colorado 2006-2016

This paper investigates factors associated with the severity of pedestrian outcomes from motor vehicle crashes by analyzing a database of all 13,856 reported pedestrian crashes in Colorado over an 11-year period from 2006 to 2016. A total of 14,391 pedestrians were involved in these crashes, resulting in 612 (4.3%) pedestrian fatalities, 11,576 (80.4%) pedestrian injuries, and 2203 (15.3%) property damage only outcomes. The objective is to analyze crash records, as similarly compiled by other states, to show how lives potentially saved by improved factor levels can be estimated as needed for benefit-cost comparisons of alternative countermeasures. Odds ratios of fatal versus non-fatal pedestrian outcomes are computed both independently (unadjusted) and from logistic regression (adjusted) for each factor level accounting for possible correlations between factors. Also computed are odds ratios for fatal plus incapacitating injuries and odds ratios for just 2011-2016 versus all years. This study found that intersection proximity, lighting condition, vehicle type and speed, pedestrian age, pedestrian impairment, and driver impairment by drugs or alcohol were all significant factors associated with the severity of pedestrian outcomes from motor vehicle crashes. Risk ratios from these odds ratios are used to estimate lives potentially saved by having better factor levels present at the time of these crashes. These estimates reflect the relative magnitudes of benefits that might be achieved by potential countermeasures taking into account the number of cases affected.
Cocultivation of Anaerobic Fungi with Rumen Bacteria Establishes an Antagonistic Relationship.

Anaerobic gut fungi (Neocallimastigomycetes) live in the digestive tract of large herbivores, where they are vastly outnumbered by bacteria. It has been suggested that anaerobic fungi challenge growth of bacteria owing to the wealth of biosynthetic genes in fungal genomes, although this relationship has not been experimentally tested. Here, we cocultivated the rumen bacteria Fibrobacter succinogenes strain UWB7 with the anaerobic gut fungi Anaeromyces robustus or Caecomyces churrovis on a range of carbon substrates and quantified the bacterial and fungal transcriptomic response. Synthetic cocultures were established for at least 24 h, as verified by active fungal and bacterial transcription. A. robustus upregulated components of its secondary metabolism in the presence of Fibrobacter succinogenes strain UWB7, including six nonribosomal peptide synthetases, one polyketide synthase-like enzyme, and five polyketide synthesis O-type methyltransferases. Both A. robustus and C. churrovis cocultures upregulated S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM)-dependent methyltransferases, histone methyltransferases, and an acetyltransferase. Fungal histone 3 lysine 27 trimethylation marks were more abundant in coculture, and heterochromatin protein-1 was downregulated. Together, these findings suggest that fungal chromatin remodeling occurs when bacteria are present. F. succinogenes strain UWB7 upregulated four genes in coculture encoding drug efflux pumps, which likely protect the cell against toxins. Furthermore, untargeted nonpolar metabolomics data revealed at least one novel fungal metabolite enriched in coculture, which may be a defense compound. Taken together, these data suggest that A. robustus and C. churrovis produce antimicrobials when exposed to rumen bacteria and, more broadly, that anaerobic gut fungi are a source of novel antibiotics. IMPORTANCE Anaerobic fungi are outnumbered by bacteria by 4 orders of magnitude in the herbivore rumen. Despite their numerical disadvantage, they are resilient members of the rumen microbiome. Previous studies mining the genomes of anaerobic fungi identified genes encoding enzymes to produce natural products, which are small molecules that are often antimicrobials. In this work, we cocultured the anaerobic fungus Anaeromyces robustus or Caecomyes churrovis with rumen bacteria Fibrobacter succinogenes strain UWB7 and sequenced fungal and bacterial active genes via transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq). Consistent with production of a fungal defense compound, bacteria upregulated genes encoding drug efflux pumps, which often export toxic molecules, and fungi upregulated genes encoding biosynthetic enzymes of natural products. Furthermore, tandem mass spectrometry detected an unknown fungal metabolite enriched in the coculture. Together, these findings point to an antagonistic relationship between anaerobic fungi and rumen bacteria resulting in the production of a fungal compound with potential antimicrobial activity.
Fostering mature purpose beyond the classroom: considering family and other institutions in agentic purpose commitment

Abstract This article addresses two questions about purpose in life: what is mature purpose, and how can it be cultivated? We first outline a picture of mature purpose based in part on established purpose research, and point out new frameworks that can resolve missing pieces and tensions in the current paradigms. We contend that above and beyond fulfilling discrete criteria present in operational definitions, mature purpose requires agentic yet flexible commitment to worthy goals rather than simplistic adoption of expected goals. A review of purpose formation beyond the classroom identifies similar roles of parents, post-secondary educational institutions, and extracurricular activities for supporting development of mature purpose in the direction of agentic commitment, namely, encouraging processes of: active exploration, tentative commitment, and support in navigating and sustaining meaningful commitment.
Comparative Markedness and Opacity in Meskwaki Palatalization

0. Introduction Recent debates in phonological theory about the nature of opacity and its formal treatment have largely centered around the adequacy of output-oriented approaches such as Optimality Theory (Prince and Smolensky 1993) to capture the generalizations underlying opaque phenomena and yet at the same time maintain their architectural coherence. In this paper, I will attempt to show with data from Meskwaki (a.k.a. Fox; Algonquian) how one such approach within OT, Comparative Markedness (McCarthy 2002), not only requires certain problematic extensions of constraint ontogeny, but also results in contradictory rankings in handling palatalization and glide deletion processes in Meskwaki.
Long-Term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Basic Text

Introduction. Key concepts. Assessment, indications, and formulation. The nuts and bolts of psychotherapy: getting started. Therapeutic interventions: what does the therapist say and do? Goals and therapeutic action. Working with resistance. Use of dreams and fantasies in dynamic psychotherapy. Identifying and working with countertransference. Working through and termination. Use of supervision. Evaluating core competencies in long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy. Index.
Dust and Gas in Local Group Galaxies

The high spatial resolution possible in studies of Local Group galaxies makes them especially valuable sources of information about the details of the dust and gas content and distribution for galaxies of different Hubble types and absolute magnitudes. Even many of the Local Group elliptical galaxies have detectable gas, measured at 21 cm, and dust, measured both optically and at mm wavelengths. The spirals are now being mapped at high radio resolution with the VLA, at shorter resolution with mm arrays, and at high optical resolution with HST. Irregular galaxies, from the LMC down to extreme dwarfs such as LGS 3, have high-resolution maps of interstellar matter. There is a correlation between the gas to dust ratio and a galaxy’s elemental abundances.
Abstract 12962: Nonsustained Ventricular Tachycardia is Independently Associated With Lower Cognitive Executive Function: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Background: Atrial fibrillation is associated with greater cognitive decline and increased risk of dementia. Little is known about whether other arrhythmias, such as nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT), are associated with cognition. We aimed to assess the cross-sectional association of NSVT with cognitive test scores in the ARIC study, a community-based prospective cohort study in the USA. Methods: We included 325 (mean age, 76.9 ± 5.2 years; 52.9% women) participants who underwent cognitive tests (Table) and ≥2 days of heart rhythm recording using the Zio ® Patch (a non-invasive, leadless, 2-week ambulatory continuous ECG recording device by iRhythm Techonologies, Inc.) in July 2013-March 2014. NSVT was defined as a wide complex tachycardia >4 beats with a rate >100 bpm. We used multivariable linear regression to assess the association of NSVT with standardized z-scores of cognitive tests. Results: The mean wear and analysis time of the Zio ® Patch were 13.1 ± 2.1 and 12.7 ± 2.3 days, respectively. There were 84 (25.8%) participants with NSVT recorded. The table shows that presence of NSVT was independently associated with lower DSS, but not MMSE, DWR, AN, and CTP. Conclusions: Presence of NSVT is independently associated with lower cognitive function, specifically executive function. Given the number of cognitive tests that were evaluated, our finding will need to be replicated in other independent samples and confirmed prospectively. Further research is warranted to elucidate its mechanism.
Biomechanical analysis of the sit-to-stand motion in elderly persons

The sit-to-stand motion of ten healthy subjects, 65 to 76 years old, was evaluated using kinematic, force plate, and electromyographic data to characterize the sit-to-stand motion. Kinematic data collected by video, muscle activity monitored by surface electromyography, and ground reaction forces analyzed by a piezoelectric force plate were used for analysis. Using these synchronized data, three phases of the sit-to-stand motion were identified--phase 1, weight shift; phase 2, transition; and phase 3, lift. A consistent pattern of trunk and lower extremity motion was observed, and two distinct upper extremity movement strategies were identified. The onset of muscle activity occurred in the following order: erector spinae, rectus femoris, and vastus medialis (phase 1); biceps femoris, gluteus maximus, and rectus abdominus (phase 2). This characterization of the sit-to-stand motion for a small population of healthy elderly subjects serves as a basis for identifying problems in elderly patients who demonstrate difficulty getting up from a chair.
Cytochemical and biochemical observations on the digestive tracts of digenetic trematodes. IX. Megalodiscus temperatus.

Abstract Morphological and cytochemical studies employing the electron microscope were conducted on the digestive tract of Megalodiscus temperatus. The digestive tract consisted of two regions: the foregut and the ceca. The foregut, characterized by a lining continuous with the general tegument of the organism, appeared to be primarily ingestive and sensory in function. The latter function was confined to the pharyngeal pouches whose linings contained numerous sensory structures. The cecal region was characterized by a syncytial gastrodermis, the luminal surface of which was thrown into numerous microvilli composing a prominent brush border. Alkaline and acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1, EC 3.1.3.2) activities as well as acid glucosaminidase (EC 3.2.1.29) activity were associated with the brush border. Numerous Golgi complexes were observed in the gastrodermis, and the results from the test for macromolecular diglycols suggested that they were responsible for the elaboration of carbohydrate-containing secretions. The main component of the diet of the organism was blood. There was some evidence that the iron portion of the hemoglobin molecule was regurgitated as a soluble compound.
Designing screens: how to make your hits a hit

The basic goal of small-molecule screening is the identification of chemically 'interesting' starting points for elaboration towards a drug. A number of innovative approaches for pursuing this goal have evolved, and the right approach is dictated by the target class being pursued and the capabilities of the organization involved. A recent trend in high-throughput screening has been to place less emphasis on the number of data points that can be produced, and to focus instead on the quality of the data obtained. Several computational and technological advances have aided in the selection of compounds for screening and widened the variety of assay formats available for screening. The effect on the efficiency of the screening process is discussed.
The Body, Identity, and Self: Adapting To Impairment

Serious chronic illness undermines the unity between body and self and forces identity changes. To explicate how the body, identity, and self intersect in illness, one mode of living with impairmen...
Whole-Cell Patch-Clamp Recording Reveals Subthreshold Sound-Evoked Postsynaptic Currents in the Inferior Colliculus of Awake Bats

The inferior colliculus receives excitatory and inhibitory input from parallel auditory pathways that differ in discharge patterns, latencies, and binaural properties. Processing in the inferior colliculus may depend on the temporal sequence in which excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs are activated and on the resulting balance between excitation and inhibition. To explore this issue at the cellular level, we used the novel approach of whole-cell patch-clamp recording in the midbrain of awake bats ( Eptesicus fuscus ) to record EPSCs or IPSCs. Sound-evoked EPSCs were recorded in most neurons. These EPSCs were frequently preceded by an IPSC, followed by an IPSC, or both. These findings help explain the large latency range and transient responses that characterize inferior colliculus neurons. The EPSC was sometimes followed by long-lasting oscillatory currents, suggesting that a single brief sound sets up a pattern of altered excitability that persists far beyond the duration of the initial sound. In three binaural neurons, ipsilateral sound evoked a large IPSC that partially or totally canceled the EPSC evoked by contralateral sound. In one binaural neuron with ipsilaterally evoked IPSCs, contralaterally evoked IPSCs occurred in response to frequencies above and below the neuron’s best frequency. Thus, both monaural and binaural interactions can occur at single inferior colliculus neurons. These results show that whole-cell patch-clamp recording offers a powerful means of understanding how subthreshold processes determine the responses of auditory neurons.
Thermodynamic and kinetic properties of iron-based ternary solutions containing interstitial and substitutional solute atoms

Abstract A first-order statistical mechanical model for Fe-based ternary solutions containing a substitutional and an interstitial solute is discussed. The model is used to calculate the variation of the diffusivity of the interstitial species with the concentration of substitutional solute and the diffusivity of carbon in alloyed austenite is discussed. It has been shown that when there is virtually no misfit energy in the Fe-substitutional solute binary system, the energetics of solution formation are largely determined by electronegativity differences.
Adult stem cells gradually come of age.

Researchers have identified an adult stem cell with an unprecedented capacity for differentiation.
Electron-stimulated desorption: Principles and applications

Abstract The desorption of surface-bound species induced by electronic excitation mechanisms is a fascinating phenomenon of fundamental as well as technological importance. This article summarizes the wealth of knowledge that has been gained through studies of low-energy electron-stimulated desorption (ESD) of atoms, molecules, and molecular fragments from a variety of adsorbate/substrate systems. A survey of popular theoretical models often invoked to explain ESD phenomena is presented, followed by a brief discussion of the experimental aspects of a variety of ESD measurements. Specific literature examples are then highlighted to illustrate the usefulness of ESD techniques in elucidating the bonding geometry and surface dynamics of adsorbed species. Finally, a bibliography of published literature in the field is included as an appendix.
Distributed recurrent self-organization for tracking the state of non-stationary partially observable dynamical systems

Abstract In this paper, a distributed recurrent self-organizing architecture is presented. It can extract the current state of a dynamical system from the sequence of the recent observations provided by this system, even if they are ambiguous. The recurrent network is an adaptation of RecSOM to the context of the simulation of large scale distributed neural architectures, since it relies on a strictly local fine-grained computation. The experiments show the ability of the recurrent architecture to capture the states, but also exhibit some unexpected dynamical effects, like some instabilities of the learned mappings. The presented architecture addresses the cognitive ability to set up representations from sequences at a mesoscopic level. At that intermediate level, between cognition and neurons simulation, some complex dynamics is unveiled. It needs to be identified and understood in order to bridge the gap between neuronal activities and high level cognition.
The episodic/semantic memory distinction as an heuristic in the study of instructional effects on cognitive structure

Abstract Previous attempts to measure the effects of instruction on students' cognitive structure have produced inconsistent and ambiguous findings. One reason may be that researchers have not distinguished between well-learned, abstracted information and memorized facts or formulas. Using the distinction between episodic and semantic memory as an heuristic, a procedure was designed to increase the likelihood that student performance on structure tasks was indicative of semantic rather than episodic memory. Significant correlations between measures of cognitive structure and performance on achievement test items were observed. In addition, partial correlations revealed that the measures of cognitive structure are correlated with the achievement items tapping higher-order cognitive processes and not with items tapping lower-order processes. These results are interpreted as supporting the argument that related research needs to be guided by theory-based definitions of cognitive structure.
A note on a new class of codes

Error correcting codes of all ( k, p ) group codes ( p odd), i.e., linear mappings of k -tuples of zeros and ones into p -tuples of zero and ones, are viewed as a purely algebraic problem. This problem concerns the zeros of certain polynomials on p th roots of unity. These polynomials are parameterized via elements of subgroups of the smallest field containing the p th roots of unity. We introduce, in addition, the so-called jump-shift register codes. These are (( p + 1)/2, p ) single error-correcting codes for p , a prime for which 2 has multiplicative order p — 1. These noncyclic codes are placed in a pseudo-cyclic setting and are easily encodable and decodable.
Fighting malaria : Mosquitoes know how

The mosquito fights malaria to the incidental benefit of humans. In this issue, Frolet et al. (2006) define states of "basal" and "induced" immunity and show that a single genetic manipulation can rid the mosquito of a noxious parasite.
Molecular diffusion and thickness measurements of protein-stabilized thin liquid films

Abstract Static and dynamic measurements have been conducted on microscopic thin liquid films formed from solutions of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and BSA/lysozyme mixtures. The thickness of these films has been determined and is shown to be highly sensitive to solution parameters including pH, ionic strength, and protein concentration. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching has been used to investigate the lateral diffusion of BSA covalently labeled with a fluorophore, fluorescein isothiocyanate, in films of differing thickness. Significant mobility has been detected only in relatively thick films (approximately 90 nm) and this is believed to derive from multilayers of protein loosely associated with protein molecules irreversibly adsorbed at the two air/water interfaces. The data support a model involving rapid exchange of these weakly bound protein molecules into the interlamellar space.
Localization of C-Terminal Domains Required for the Maximal Activity or for Determination of Substrate Preference of Maize Branching Enzymes☆

Abstract Previous analysis of a chimeric enzyme mBEII-IBspHI, in which the C-terminal 229 amino acids of maize endosperm branching enzyme isoform II (mBEII) are replaced by the corresponding 284 amino acids of isoform I (mBEI), suggested that the carboxyl terminus of maize branching enzymes may be involved in catalytic efficiency and substrate preference. In the present study, additional hybrids of mBEI and mBEII were generated and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) to dissect the structure/function relationships of the C-terminal regions of maize branching enzymes. A truncated form of purified mBEII-IBspHI, which lacks the C-terminal 58 amino acids, retained similar levels of V max in branching activity, K m for reduced amylose AS 320, and substrate preference for amylose than amylopectin when compared to mBEII–IBspHI. This indicates that the C-terminal extension derived from mBEI is not required for either catalysis or substrate preference. However, deletion of an additional 87 amino acids from the carboxyl terminus resulted in complete loss of activity. Replacement of the deleted C-terminal additional 87 amino acids with the corresponding 79 amino acids from mBEII restored 25% of the mBEII–IBspHI branching activity without altering substrate preference. It thus appears that a C-terminal region encompassing Leu649-Asp735 of mBEII-IBspHI is required for maximum catalytic efficiency. Another C-terminal region, residues Gln510-Asp648, of mBEII-IBspHI (Gln476-Asp614 of mBEI) may be involved in substrate-preference determination.
Vertebrate telomere repeat DNAs favor external loop propeller quadruplex structures in the presence of high concentrations of potassium

The circular dichroism, CD, spectra of the telomere repeats of vertebrates, d(TTAGGG), indicate that parallel type quadruplex structures or disordered single-stranded structures are formed in low salt. Anti-parallel quadruplex structures are favored in the presence of high concentrations, 140 mM, of sodium. External loop, also known as propeller, parallel type structures are favored in the presence of high concentrations, 100 mM, of potassium in the presence of either 5 or 140 mM sodium. The cation dependence of the CD spectra of the vertebrate telomere repeat DNAs is distinctly different from that of the telomere repeats of Tetrahymena and Oxytricha as well as that of the thrombin binding aptamer. These results indicate that the external loop structures may be present in vertebrate telomeres under the conditions of high potassium and low sodium concentration found in nuclei.
Easily Missed Fractures in the Lower Extremity

Abstract As long as radiography remains cheap and provides value in patient care, it will continue to be widely used as a front-line imaging technique. There are limitations to what a radiograph can depict, however. It is imperative to understand the limitations of radiography to avoid pitfalls owing to the overlap of numerous osseous structures. This article reminds the reader of the association between certain radiographic abnormalities and the anatomic relevance in the patient. Although interpretive errors occur in fast-paced, high-volume emergency settings, meticulous attention to changes in the cortex and medullary bone may help to keep errors to a minimum.
Gluing for Raman lidar systems using the lamp mapping technique

In the context of combined analog and photon counting (PC) data acquisition in a Lidar system, glue coefficients are defined as constants used for converting an analog signal into a virtual PC signal. The coefficients are typically calculated using Lidar profile data taken under clear, nighttime conditions since, in the presence of clouds or high solar background, it is difficult to obtain accurate glue coefficients from Lidar backscattered data. Here we introduce a new method in which we use the lamp mapping technique (LMT) to determine glue coefficients in a manner that does not require atmospheric profiles to be acquired and permits accurate glue coefficients to be calculated when adequate Lidar profile data are not available. The LMT involves scanning a halogen lamp over the aperture of a Lidar receiver telescope such that the optical efficiency of the entire detection system is characterized. The studies shown here involve two Raman lidar systems; the first from Howard University and the second from NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. The glue coefficients determined using the LMT and the Lidar backscattered method agreed within 1.2% for the water vapor channel and within 2.5% for the nitrogen channel for both Lidar systems. We believe this to be the first instance of the use of laboratory techniques for determining the glue coefficients for Lidar data analysis.
A Network of Time-Varying Many-Server Fluid Queues with Customer Abandonment

To describe the congestion in large-scale service systems, we introduce and analyze a non-Markovian open network of many-server fluid queues with customer abandonment, proportional routing, and time-varying model elements. Proportions of the fluid completing service from each queue are immediately routed to the other queues, with the fluid not routed to one of the queues being immediately routed out of the network. The fluid queue network serves as an approximation for the corresponding non-Markovian open network of many-server queues with Markovian routing, where all model elements may be time varying. We establish the existence of a unique vector of (net) arrival rate functions at each queue and the associated time-varying performance. In doing so, we provide the basis for an efficient algorithm, even for networks with many queues.
Multiple Phenotypes in Huntington Disease Mouse Neural Stem Cells

Neural stem (NS) cells are a limitless resource, and thus superior to primary neurons for drug discovery provided they exhibit appropriate disease phenotypes. Here we established NS cells for cellular studies of Huntington's disease (HD). HD is a heritable neurodegenerative disease caused by a mutation resulting in an increased number of glutamines (Q) within a polyglutamine tract in Huntingtin (Htt). NS cells were isolated from embryonic wild-type (Htt(7Q/7Q)) and "knock-in" HD (Htt(140Q/140Q)) mice expressing full-length endogenous normal or mutant Htt. NS cells were also developed from mouse embryonic stem cells that were devoid of Htt (Htt(-/-)), or knock-in cells containing human exon1 with an N-terminal FLAG epitope tag and with 7Q or 140Q inserted into one of the mouse alleles (Htt(F7Q/7Q) and Htt(F140Q/7Q)). Compared to Htt(7Q/7Q) NS cells, HD Htt(140Q/140Q) NS cells showed significantly reduced levels of cholesterol, increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and impaired motility. The heterozygous Htt(F140Q/7Q) NS cells had increased ROS and decreased motility compared to Htt(F7Q/7Q). These phenotypes of HD NS cells replicate those seen in HD patients or in primary cell or in vivo models of HD. Huntingtin "knock-out" NS cells (Htt(-/-)) also had impaired motility, but in contrast to HD cells had increased cholesterol. In addition, Htt(140Q/140Q) NS cells had higher phospho-AKT/AKT ratios than Htt(7Q/7Q) NS cells in resting conditions and after BDNF stimulation, suggesting mutant htt affects AKT dependent growth factor signaling. Upon differentiation, the Htt(7Q/7Q) and Htt(140Q/140Q) generated numerous Beta(III)-Tubulin- and GABA-positive neurons; however, after 15 days the cellular architecture of the differentiated Htt(140Q/140Q) cultures changed compared to Htt(7Q/7Q) cultures and included a marked increase of GFAP-positive cells. Our findings suggest that NS cells expressing endogenous mutant Htt will be useful for study of mechanisms of HD and drug discovery.
DSP-based oscillator technology greatly simplifies timing architectures in multi-service platforms

Networking equipment must support a diverse and growing set of data rates including 10 G Ethernet, 10 G fibre channel, SONET OC-192 and the associated forward error correction (EEC) rates. Traditional timing sub-system architectures use a single crystal or SAW resonator for each frequency resulting in a plethora of individual oscillators on each port card. By using a DSP-based clock synthesis IC, multiple output frequencies can be generated from a single, low-frequency crystal resonator. Integrating the clock synthesis IC with the low-frequency quartz crystal into a hermetic ceramic package enables the development of multiple frequency crystal oscillator (XO) and voltage-controlled crystal oscillator (VCXO) devices. Key specifications, such as frequency stability, long-term aging, drift and mechanical integrity, are significantly improved over high-frequency fundamental (HFF) crystals or SAW-based oscillators.
The composition dependence of the third‐order elastic constants of the Cu–Ni system

The sensitivity of the third-order elastic constants to changes in the electron to atom ratio is investigated in the Cu-Ni system by determining the six third-order constants of pure copper, pure nickel, and the alloys Cu-9 at% Ni and Cu-23 at% Ni at room temperature. The values of the third-order elastic constants of pure nickel are higher than those of pure copper, and the composition dependence of each individual constant can be described by a straight line connecting the value of pure copper with the corresponding value of pure nickel. With the exception of dC′/dP, no significant changes in the pressure derivatives of the other second-order elastic constants are found in the system investigated. Die Empfindlichkeit der elastischen Konstanten dritter Ordnung bezuglich Veranderungen des Elektron-Atom-Verhaltnisses im Cu-Ni-System wird dadurch untersucht, das die sechs Konstanten dritter Ordnung fur reines Kupfer, reines Nickel und Kupferlegierungen mit 9 At% Ni und 23 At% Ni bestimmt werden. Die Werte der elastischen Konstanten dritter Ordnung fur reines Nickel sind groser als die entsprechenden Werte fur reines Kupfer. Die Zusammensetzungs-abhangigkeit last sich durch eine Gerade darstellen, die sich vom Wert fur reines Kupfer bis zum Wert fur reines Nickel erstreckt. Mit Ausnahme der Ableitung dC′/dP, werden im untersuchten System keine signifikanten Anderungen in den Ableitungen der anderen elastischen Konstanten zweiter Ordnung nach dem Druck festgestellt.
Analytical pyrolysis as a tool for the study of plastic coals

Abstract The technique of analytical pyrolysis has been used to characterize 40 similar mid-rank western Kentucky coals of widely differing ASTM Gieseler plasticity. Certain pyrolysis/g.c. variables were shown to correlate well with both ASTM Gieseler and isothermal plasticity. Highly plastic coals were shown to exhibit certain characteristic peaks in the 450 °C pyrogram which were absent in the pyrogram of the non-plastic coals. Two coals, representing the two extremes in plasticity, were selected for further study. After extraction with solvents such as DMF the characteristic peaks were absent in the 450 °C pyrogram of the extraction residue of the highly plastic coal. These peaks were also shown to decrease with increasing severity of air oxidation of the plastic coal. This technique appears to be a useful tool for the analysis of mid-rank plastic coals and supports the view that the substances contained in the bitumen fraction of these coals are involved in the development of the plastic state.
Development of a Dissimilar Temper Bead Welding Procedure for an Amine Tower Repair

An amine tower was inspected and was shown to have wall loss over the majority of the circumference. A repair plan was developed which included welding onto the tower while the tower remained in operation. The repair plan consisted of two steps the first of which was welding two Inconel 625 rings to the SA516-70N steel tower. Secondly, a stainless steel sleeve was welded to the Inconel 625 rings to cover the corroded area to contain the tower contents if the tower wall was breached and to add structural support until the next shut down. The typical requirements for welds that could possibly be exposed to amine service are outlined in the API Recommended Practice 945 document (API RP 945). API RP 945 recommends a post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) to reduce hardness and relieve stress but since the planned repair was to be made in-service, PWHT was not preferred. The objective was to develop a welding procedure to attach the Inconel 625 straps to the SA516-70N steel amine tower without using PWHT. A temper bead welding technique was used to successfully qualify a welding procedure with hardness values below 200 Brinell without PWHT, in accordance with 2006 NBIC and 2004 ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section IX. The temper bead welding procedure required strict welding heat input control and weld bead placement. The heat input can be monitored by controlling the welding parameters or by using the run-out ratio diagram which was developed during this project. The temper bead passes need to be deposited in such a manner that the weld toe of the temper bead is within 3/32 in. (2.4 mm) of the weld toe of the initial layer. When manually welding Inconel 625 to SA516-70N with SMAW electrodes it is recommended that Inconel 182 electrodes be used rather than Inconel 112 electrodes. This recommendation is based on the increase ability of the Inconel 182 electrodes to form manganese oxides, which remove the oxygen from the weld metal. This in turn helps to avoid local brittle zones which caused the Inconel 112 weld to fail qualification.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Estimation of motion parameters from sparse range data using surface interpolation

A smooth and rigid curved surface patch is undergoing 3-D rotational, as well as translational motion. Given two sets of sparse measurements of depth values on the surface at arbitrary points on the image plane at times t = ti and t2, we are required to estimate the corresponding affine transformation. It may be noted that there may not be any direct point correspondence between two such data sets as the range. finder may scan the surface at different locations at two different time instants. In order to solve the problem, we reconstruct a globally smooth surface from scattered data set at time t = t2 and determine the motion parameters by matching the data set at t = t1 on the reconstructed surface. We present a fast algorithm for a globally smooth interpolation of a visual surface from scattered range data. This method is based on matching lower order spatial moments, where the reconstructed surface is given by a linear combination of Legendre polynomials. A stochastic optimization scheme is used as the estimates of the motion parameters are iteratively updated until the data set at t = 1 best matches the shape of the surface at time t2.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Self, Memory, and the Self-Reference Effect An Examination of Conceptual and Methodological Issues

The author argues that the self is a multifaceted entity that does not easily submit to clear and precise description. The aspect of self studied by most investigators is actually a subset of the cognitive and neural underpinnings of “self” and not the “self” of first-person subjectivity. The author then looks at the dominant theoretical treatment of human long-term memory—the systems approach—and examines how the construct of “self” is situated in this framework. Finally, he reviews the best-known paradigm for exploring the role of self in memory—the self-reference effect (SRE) manipulation. He argues that there is not one SRE but rather a family of related SREs that are influenced by a variety of variables and contexts. Accordingly, researchers must exercise caution when attempting to draw conclusions about the self from the results of SRE memory performance.
Advances in the pharmacotherapy of cystic fibrosis.

SUMMARY The quality of life and life-span of cystic fibrosis patients have been improved substantially in the last 20 or 30 years. This has been accomplished largely through improved early diagnosis and advances in traditional pharmacotherapy which mainly consists of antibiotic therapy. In the past few years, the basic cellular defect of cystic fibrosis, as well as the gene determining the disease, have been described. These milestones in the quest for knowledge about the disease open the door for other innovative forms of therapy. While corrective gene therapy may be the ultimate result of advances made based upon this new knowledge, we will probably see earlier breakthroughs in the form of immune reaction inhibition and correction of ion flux disturbances. Each of these present and future forms of therapy is explored in this paper.
Competence, Personality, and Self-Efficacy: Relationships in an Undergraduate Interpersonal Course

Interpersonal communication competence is an evaluative impression of the quality of interaction (Spitzberg & Cupach, 1984). Such impressions derive from enacting skills associated with effectiveness and appropriateness in interactions. Andersen (1987) included communication competence in his discussion of communicative predispositions, which he defined as constructs that “explain and predict communication behavior and attitudes” (p. 50). Although developing students' skills is a goal for many professors in interpersonal communication, several stable traits or personality factors also appear to influence acquisition (Daly & Bippus, 1998; Greene, 2003). In addition, students' self-perceived efficacy in respect to developing competence might also relate to their ability to focus on certain skills. The purpose of this research project was to determine the relationships among interpersonal communication competence, personality traits, and self-efficacy for students who have nearly completed an interpersonal c...
Predictive value of photoscreening and traditional screening of preschool children.

Purpose: To compare the usefulness of traditional vision screening and photoscreening of 3- and 4-year-old children in the pediatrician's office. Methods: Following training of pediatricians and office staff, six pediatric clinics used both the MTI PhotoScreener™ (Medical Technology Industries, LLC, Riviera Beach, FL) and traditional acuity and stereopsis screening materials (HOTV charts/Random Dot E tests as recommended by established AAP-MCHB-PUPVS guidelines) during well-child exams. Clinics used one testing method for a 6-month period and switched to the other for the following 6 months, in a randomized manner. Referred children received a complete eye examination with cycloplegic refraction by local ophthalmologists or optometrists who forwarded the results to Vanderbilt Ophthalmology Outreach Center. Amblyogenic factors were defined using standardized published criteria. Results: Six hundred five children were screened with the photoscreener and 447 were screened with traditional techniques. Mean time for screening was less with the photoscreener: 2.5 versus 5.9 minutes ( P P = NS), but higher with the photoscreener due to one clinic's 70% unreadable rate. Referral rates were also similar: 3.8% versus 4.5%. The positive predictive value (PPV) rate differed greatly. With follow-up results obtained from 56% of referred children, 73% of photoscreening referred children (8/11 examined) had amblyogenic factors confirmed on formal eye exams, whereas all children referred using traditional screening methods (10/10 examined) were normal. Conclusion: Photoscreening is more time efficient than traditional screening and has a significantly higher PPV in 3- and 4-year-old children. This study was unable to validate traditional screening techniques in this preschool age group. If these results can be replicated, support for traditional vision screening must undergo intense scrutiny, and attention should be turned toward making photoscreening feasible for widespread implementation.
Medical tourism opportunities and challenges: Illustration from US-India trade*

AbstractMedical tourism constitutes one form of international trade in services. There has been continuing interest in the size of this segment of trade, the direction of this trade (e.g., west to east, south to north), the growth prospects for this trade, and the ability of tourism to disrupt healthcare delivery in the west. Unfortunately, research on this segment of trade has lagged behind the speculation and hype. This article examines the size and growth of this trade, and finds the volume nowhere near the original estimates. The article then examines the ability of US–India medical tourism to deliver on ‘value’ (quality divided by cost), solve the ‘iron triangle’ of healthcare (improving access and quality while controlling cost), and ‘bend the trend’ in rising healthcare costs. To deliver on this value, India's healthcare system will need to develop significant capabilities in areas that document quality improvement along with lower cost. The article concludes with a discussion of two trends taking ...
Obtaining safety in experimental electrical laboratories

Although the potential engineer often gets his first practical knowledge of electricity in a school laboratory, few safety precautions are taught in these laboratories. Suggestions are given here for increasing safety awareness and decreasing hazards in experimental electrical laboratories of schools and industrial plants.
Consistent solution for space-charge-limited current in the relativistic regime for monoenergetic initial velocities

The solution for space-charge-limited (SCL) currents in electron vacuum diodes with monoenergetic initial velocity is extended to the relativistic regime. Two types of solutions are found: Type I corresponds to zero steady state surface electric field (field emission with high enhancement factor), and Type II corresponds to a finite steady state surface electric field (other emission mechanisms). Our solution compares well to the classical space-charge-limited currents with initial energy and relativistic space-charge limited currents without initial energy in the appropriate limits. The scaling law between the true SCL and the applied voltage is discussed and the two solution types are verified by particle-in-cell simulation.
Demonstration of human papillomavirus DNA in a peripheral ameloblastoma by in situ hybridization

The peripheral ameloblastoma (PA) is a rare, extraosseous, odontogenic lesion usually located on the mandibular or maxillary gingiva. It often appears as an asymptomatic, firm, pink-red nodule with occasional secondary involvement of the underlying bone. Although histologically identical to primary intraosseous ameloblastoma, the PA is notably less aggressive in biologic behavior and rarely recurs following conservative treatment. It has a proposed dual histogenesis, while its etiology remains obscure. Several benign oral mucosal lesions have been found to be associated with various types of human papillomavirus (HPV). The following study uses a commercially available HPV DNA in situ hybridization technique to confirm the presence of HPV in a previously reported case of PA. Results were positive for HPV types 16/18 but negative for HPV types 6/11. The implications of these results with regard to etiology are discussed.
A Bug's Life and the Spatial Ontologies of Mosquito Management

This article uses the theory of Gilles Deleuze to address the disjuncture between (1) the mechanical, chemical, and thermal processes of transduction that determine the biogeographical life of the mosquito; and (2) the spatialities of historic and contemporary management strategies. The history of mosquito management reveals two operative spatial ontologies, one an immanent horizontalism underwriting an intimate strategy of detection and destruction of breeding sites, the other a transcendent verticalism appropriate for the partitioning of space in support of widespread chemical spraying of adult populations. We find that two institutions in contemporary, mosquito-rich Arizona—the Pima County Health Department and Maricopa County Vector Control—are representative of this split in management. In this article we attempt to account for the observed interagency differences. Doing so, we suggest, requires an assemblage theory that brings together managers, institutions, and sociocultural-environmental-technolo...
Isolation by high pressure liquid chromatography and characterization of benzo(a)pyrene-4,5-epoxide as a metabolite of benzo(a)pyrene

Abstract A high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) system is described that separates at least nine benzo(a)pyrene metabolites including an epoxide. The epoxide metabolite has been isolated and characterized as benzo(a)pyrene-4,5-epoxide by comparison of its HPLC retention times, ultraviolet and mass spectral analysis with synthetic benzo(a)pyrene-4,5-epoxide and its conversion by liver microsomes to benzo(a)pyrene-4,5-dihydrodiol.