cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Do Your Online Friends Make You Pay? A Randomized Field Experiment on Peer Influence in Online Social Networks - Online E-Companion Appendix

Demonstrating compelling causal evidence of the existence and strength of peer to peer influence has become the holy grail of modern research in online social networks. In these networks, it has been consistently demonstrated that user characteristics and behavior tend to cluster both in space and in time. There are multiple well-known rival mechanisms that compete to be the explanation for this observed clustering. These range from peer influence to homophily to other unobservable external stimuli. These multiple mechanisms lead to similar observational data, yet have vastly different policy implications. In this paper, we present a novel randomized experiment that tests the existence of causal peer influence in the general population -- one that did not involve subject recruitment for experimentation -- of a particular large-scale online social network. We utilize a unique social feature to exogenously induce adoption of a paid service amongst a group of randomly selected users, and in the process develop a clean exogenous randomization of treatment and control groups. A variety of nonparametric, semiparametric and parametric approaches, ranging from resampling-based inference to ego-level random effects to logistic regression to survival models, yield close to identical, statistically and economically significant estimates of peer influence in the general population of a freemium social network. Our estimates show that peer influence causes more than a 60% increase in odds of buying the service due to the influence coming from an adopting friend. In addition, we find that users with a smaller number of friends experience stronger relative increase in the adoption likelihood due to influence from their peers as compared to the users with a larger number of friends. Our nonparametric resampling procedure based estimates are helpful in situations of networked data that violate independence assumptions. We establish that peer influence is a powerful force in getting users from free to premium levels, a known challenge in freemium communities.
Effect of 3,4-diaminopyridine at the murine neuromuscular junction.

Introduction: We investigated the effects of 3,4-diaminopyridine (3,4-DAP) and its acetylated metabolite, N-(4-amino-pyridin-3-yl) acetamide (3-Ac), at the mammalian neuromuscular junction. Methods: Quantal release of acetylcholine was studied in diaphragm muscles of mice, using in vitro intracellular microelectrode recordings. Results: Under conditions of low probability of release, 3,4-DAP produced a 1,000% increase in quantal release, but 3-Ac had no effect. Under conditions of normal probability of release, the effect of 3,4-DAP was modest and limited by concurrent depletion of synaptic vesicles, especially with high concentrations of 3,4-DAP and high frequencies of nerve stimulation. Conclusions: These findings predict 3,4-DAP is most effective in conditions with low probability of quantal release, such as Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome. A beneficial effect is also expected in disorders of neuromuscular transmission in which the effect of 3,4-DAP on quantal release is not limited by depletion of synaptic vesicles, such as postsynaptic congenital myasthenic syndromes. Muscle Nerve, 2016 Muscle Nerve 55: 223–231, 2017
Chemotactic peptide effects on intestinal electrolyte transport.

The bacterial-derived chemotactic peptide N-formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) increases short-circuit current (Isc) and arachidonic acid metabolism (AAM) in rabbit ileum and distal colon....
Use of the Microscreen Assay for Airborne Particulate Organic Matter

The value of short-term in vitro assays to screen for potential human mutagens and carcinogens is well established. The most extensively validated short-term assay is the Ames test (Ames etal., 1975). This assay is usually included in the “battery” of tests used both in industry and in government screening programs. Other assays are usually included in the battery in order to increase the probability of detecting all genotoxic agents.
Attempts to Change Public Housing Residents’ Behaviors and Aspirations - A HOPE VI Neighborhood Run by a Phantom Homeowners’ Association

The goals of HOPE VI housing virtually mandate that property managers attempt to change the norms and behaviors of residents, but most studies of the program seem to avoid this subject. This study examines the transcripts from 23 residents of an established HOPE VI housing development to better understand how residents experience any efforts of management to change their behaviors and aspirations. Based on their responses, residents clearly believe that management has, indeed, enacted rules and procedures designed to change behaviors and aspirations. Residents experienced these actions as paternalistic, and many of the rules resemble those enacted by homeowners’ associations. Reactions to these rules are mixed, but residents tended to appreciate many of the results of these efforts (e.g. clean and quiet surroundings) and, overall, interviewees tended to focus more on positive experiences than negative ones.
1948 Cognitive Maps

Some animals may navigate using an internal representation of the world—a cognitive map. They can mentally project a route to a desired location, recalculate the route if needed, and can move from spot to spot without having to retrace their steps.
1991 Pain in Animals

Pain is a subjective representation associated with damage to body tissues and inflammation. Nonhuman animals perceive and respond to pain.
Achievement Levels in Basketball Skills for Women Physical Education Majors

Abstract This study provides tables of norms in the form of T-scores and percentile rankings for raw scores made by women physical education major students on three basketball skill tests—bounce-and-shoot, half-minute shoot, and pass for accuracy. The skill tests were selected on the basis of results obtained by Leilich in an analysis of all existing basketball skill tests for women. Scores on which the tables of norms are based were obtained from very adequate numbers of subjects in a nation-wide sampling.
Effect of Bowing on Rectangular Plane Frames

The purpose of this paper is to present results of frame analyses that allow the reader to compare the magnitude of bowing and axial deformation, and to examine the influence of bowing in altering structural response at service and collapse load level.
Reflections on Graduate Education

In 1958 at the University of Chicago, Paul Halmos taught a course in general topology using Kelley’s book of the same name. It was the first math course that I really enjoyed and worked for; it was partly Halmos’s teaching and partly those wonderful problems in Kelley’s book, e.g., the long one on the Cantor set. Furthermore, the course got me started in the direction of geometric topology.
Excessive false-positive errors in single-arm phase II trials: A simulation-based analysis

6512 Background: The use of randomized phase II designs with an experimental arm and a standard-treatment control arm (R2PII) instead of a conventional single-arm design is clearly increasing in oncology. In practice, sample size, related cost issues, the belief that historical controls are adequate, and the use of a standard-treatment control arm in a phase II setting are frequently raised objections to R2PII trials. As the expense and complexity of definitive phase III trials increase, the ability of phase II trials to provide reliable and accurate results is critical. Methods: We investigated the ability of single arm vs R2PII trials to provide accurate conclusions by modeling variability in historical controls, patient outcome drifts independent of the tested therapy, and patient selection effects. Simulations compared R2PII and single-arm designs with binary endpoints under realistic parameters (e.g. alpha = beta = 0.10, historical control success rate = 20%, target success rate = 40%). Results: In t...
The Physiology and Pathophysiology of the Parathyroid Glands

The extracellular calcium concentration (Ca2+o) is maintained nearly constant by a sophisticated homeostatic system that keeps Ca2+o within 1–2% of its normal mean value [1]. A central element within this system is the parathyroid glands, with their capacity to detect small changes in Ca2+o and to respond with appropriate alterations in the secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH) so as to restore normocalcemia. Not uncommonly, however, the parathyroid glands undergo neoplastic changes that disrupt their ability to “sense” Ca2+o. In this chapter, we will examine the physiology and pathophysiology of the parathyroid glands (Tables 29.1 and 29.2). We begin with a review of parathyroid gland physiology, because a major component of parathyroid neoplasia involves its disruption and because of its relevance to modern molecular-targeted therapeutics.
Air–Sea Interaction in the Southern Ocean: Exploring the Height of the Wave Boundary Layer at the Air–Sea Interface

We investigate the momentum and energy exchange across the wave boundary layer (WBL). Directly at the air–sea interface, we test three wave-growth parametrizations by comparing estimates of the wave-induced momentum flux derived from wave spectra with direct covariance estimates of the momentum flux. An exponential decay is used to describe the vertical structure of the wave-induced momentum in the atmospheric WBL through use of a decay rate, a function of the dimensionless decay rate and wavenumber (A = α k). The decay rate is varied to minimize the difference between the energy extracted from the WBL and the energy flux computed from wave spectra using our preferred wave-growth parametrization. For wave ages (i.e. the peak phase speed to atmospheric friction velocity ratio) in the range $$ 15 < c_{p}/u_{*} < 35 $$ we are able to balance these two estimates to within 10%. The decay rate is used to approximate the WBL height as the height to which the wave-induced flux is 0.1 of its surface value and the WBL height determined this way is found to be between 1–3 m. Finally, we define an effective phase speed with which to parametrize the energy flux for comparison with earlier work, which we ultimately attempt to parametrize as a function of wind forcing.
Oxidation of KCNB1 channels in the human brain and in mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

Oxidative modification of the voltage-gated K+ channel subfamily B member 1 (KCNB1, Kv2.1) is emerging as a mechanism of neuronal vulnerability potentially capable of affecting multiple conditions associated with oxidative stress, from normal aging to neurodegenerative disease. In this study we report that oxidation of KCNB1 channels is exacerbated in the post mortem brains of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) donors compared to age-matched controls. In addition, phosphorylation of Focal Adhesion kinases (FAK) and Src tyrosine kinases, two key signaling steps that follow KCNB1 oxidation, is also strengthened in AD vs. control brains. Quadruple transgenic mice expressing a non-oxidizable form of KCNB1 in the 3xTg-AD background (APPSWE, PS1M146V, and tauP301L), exhibit improved working memory along with reduced brain inflammation, protein carbonylation and intraneuronal β-amyloid (Aβ) compared to 3xTg-AD mice or mice expressing the wild type (WT) KCNB1 channel. We conclude that oxidation of KCNB1 channels is a mechanism of neuronal vulnerability that is pervasive in the vertebrate brain.
IL-1β predicts IVF outcome: a prospective study

Retrospective cohort studies have shown a relationship between maternal serum interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) levels and in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle outcome. The objective of this investigation was to explore the correlation between serum IL-1β and/or IL-1Ra levels obtained prospectively and IVF outcomes. Sera from 205 women were collected just prior to initiation of their IVF cycle, at the time of human chorionic gonadotropin administration, day 24 of IVF cycle, day 28, and day 35. Sera were analyzed for IL-1β and IL-1Ra using commercially available ELISA kits. Cycle outcomes were followed prospectively. Data were analyzed using Friedman analysis of variance by ranks and chi-square analysis. Among women with a viable pregnancy, IL-1β serum levels increased over time for those that proceeded to deliver or had an ongoing pregnancy. There was no increase in serum levels for those with subsequent pregnancy loss. Of the women that had an embryo transfer, detectable IL-1β levels at the start of the cycle were associated with successful IVF outcome (p = 0.027). Of women with a positive pregnancy test, undetectable IL-1β at the start of the cycle were associated with subsequent pregnancy loss (p = 0.046). For all IL1-Ra serum analysis, there were no significant results. The increasing levels of IL-1β over time are consistent with the known role of the IL-1 cytokine family in implantation and pregnancy. Additionally, we confirm in a prospective investigation the positive relationship between detectable serum IL-1β at the start of IVF cycle and outcome.
Learning to Parse Natural Language to Grounded Reward Functions with Weak Supervision

In order to intuitively and efficiently collaborate with humans, robots must learn to complete tasks specified using natural language. We represent natural language instructions as goal-state reward functions specified using lambda calculus. Using reward functions as language representations allows robots to plan efficiently in stochastic environments. To map sentences to such reward functions, we learn a weighted linear Combinatory Categorial Grammar (CCG) semantic parser. The parser, including both parameters and the CCG lexicon, is learned from a validation procedure that does not require execution of a planner, annotating reward functions, or labeling parse trees, unlike prior approaches. To learn a CCG lexicon and parse weights, we use coarse lexical generation and validation-driven perceptron weight updates using the approach of Artzi and Zettlemoyer [4]. We present results on the Cleanup World domain [18] to demonstrate the potential of our approach. We report an F1 score of 0.82 on a collected corpus of 23 tasks containing combinations of nested referential expressions, comparators and object properties with 2037 corresponding sentences. Our goal-condition learning approach enables an improvement of orders of magnitude in computation time over a baseline that performs planning during learning, while achieving comparable results. Further, we conduct an experiment with just 6 labeled demonstrations to show the ease of teaching a robot behaviors using our method. We show that parsing models learned from small data sets can generalize to commands not seen during training.
Chondroitin sulfate inhibits secretion of TNF and CXCL8 from human mast cells stimulated by IL-33

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are linear, highly negatively charged carbohydrate chains present in connective tissues. Chondroitin sulfate (CS) and heparin (Hep) are also found in the numerous secretory granules of mast cells (MC), tissue immune cells involved in allergic and inflammatory reactions. CS and Hep may inhibit secretion of histamine from rat connective tissue MC, but their effect on human MC remains unknown. Human LAD2 MC were pre-incubated with CS, Hep, or dermatan sulfate (DS) before being stimulated by either the peptide substance P (SP, 2 μM) or the cytokine IL-33 (10 ng/mL). Preincubation with CS had no effect on MC degranulation stimulated by SP, but inhibited TNF (60%) and CXCL8 (45%) secretion from LAD2 cells stimulated by IL-33. Fluorescein-conjugated CS (CS-F) was internalized by LAD2 cells only at 37 °C, but not 4 °C, indicating it occurred by endocytosis. DS and Hep inhibited IL-33-stimulated secretion of TNF and CXCL8 to a similar extent as CS. None of the GAGs tested inhibited IL-33-stimulated gene expression of either TNF or CXCL8. There was no effect of CS on ionomycin-stimulated calcium influx. There was also no effect of CS on surface expression of the IL-33 receptor, ST2. Neutralization of the hyaluronan receptor CD44 did not affect the internalization of CS-F. The findings in this article show that CS inhibits secretion of TNF and CXCL8 from human cultured MC stimulated by IL-33. CS could be formulated for systemic or topical treatment of allergic or inflammatory diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, cutaneous mastocytosis, and psoriasis. © 2018 BioFactors, 45(1):49-61, 2019.
State regulation of the development of private education in Katerynoslav region in the first half of the ХІХth century

The article examines the state regulation of the activity of private educational institutions and its influence on the development of private education in Katerynoslav region in the first half of the nineteenth century. Particular attention is paid to considering the process of formation of the normative and legal base of private education. It describes the main provisions of the «Statute of educational institutions, subordinated to universities» dated November 5, 1804, «Statute of gymnasiums and schools of counties and parishes» dated December 8, 1828, «Regulations on private educational institutions» dated January 12, 1835, «Regulations on home tutors and teachers « dated 1834, which regulated the procedure for the opening of private educational institutions, organization of educational process in them, providing home education, etc. The dynamics of the development of private educational institutions in Katerynoslav region during the studied period is described. It is concluded that the normalization of the activities of private educational institutions contributed to the development of private, in particular, education for women in Katerynoslav region.
Targeting OCA-B/Pou2af1 blocks type-1 diabetes and reduces infiltration of activated, islet-reactive T cells

Autoimmune therapies aim to inhibit autoreactivity while preserving normal immune function. The transcriptional coregulator OCA-B, also known as Bob.1/OBF-1 (gene symbol Pou2af1) is induced in stimulated naive CD4+ T cells, where it docks with transcription factor Oct1 to regulate genes such as Il2 and Ifng. OCA-B promotes expression of these targets in cases of repeated antigen exposure, a necessary feature of autoimmunity. Polymorphisms in Ocab itself and binding sites for Oct1/OCA-B complexes are associated with multiple forms of autoimmunity including autoimmune (type-1) diabetes. We hypothesized that T cell-specific OCA-B deletion would protect mice from type-1 diabetes, and that pharmacologic OCA-B inhibition would provide similar protection. We developed an Ocab conditional allele and backcrossed it onto a diabetes-prone NOD/ShiLtJ strain background. T cell-specific OCA-B loss protected mice from spontaneous T1D. Protection was associated with reduced pancreatic T cell and macrophage infiltration and reduced proinflammatory cytokine expression. We profiled prediabetic pancreatic lymph nodes and islets by single-cell RNA sequencing and T cell receptor clonotype analysis. Although lymph nodes showed minimal differences, in the islets CD8+ T cell specificities associated with diabetes pathogenesis failed to emerge in OCA-B deficient activated/memory cells. In contrast, CD4+ clones associated with diabetes were present, but only in anergic cells. The protective effect of OCA-B loss was diminished, or even eliminated, using monoclonal models with high affinity to artificial or neoantigens. Rationally-designed membrane-penetrating OCA-B peptide inhibitors normalized glucose levels, and reduced T cell infiltration and proinflammatory cytokine expression in newly-diabetic NOD mice. Together, the results indicate that OCA-B is a potent autoimmune regulator and a promising target for pharmacologic inhibition.
Unemployment and Happiness Adaptation: The Role of the Living Standard

This paper explains why people’s subjective well-being (SWB) fails to adapt to unemployment, even though people adapt to various life events. Although the unemployed downgrade their living standard when they enter into unemployment, their income is not sufficient to maintain their living. In the long run, the minimum required income for their living standard remain higher than their income. Thus, neither financial satisfaction (FS) nor life satisfaction (LS) adapts. The role of the living standard in various topics is discussed.
Use Arduino and Micro:bit as Teaching Platform for the Education Programming and Electronics on the STEM Basis

The paper illustrates use of Arduino and Micro:bit in the education of the electronics and programming. The two-parts (Arduino and Micro:bit) electronic textbook is presented. The book follows the principles of modern teaching method STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). This book is being tested in some schools and there is already the first feedback available. Both platforms are compared in this paper and there is given the recommendation for choosing the most effective platform.
Classification of Diabetic Retinopathy via Fundus Photography: Utilization of Deep Learning Approaches to Speed up Disease Detection.

In this paper, we propose two distinct solutions to the problem of Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) classification. In the first approach, we introduce a shallow neural network architecture. This model performs well on classification of the most frequent classes while fails at classifying the less frequent ones. In the second approach, we use transfer learning to re-train the last modified layer of a very deep neural network to improve the generalization ability of the model to the less frequent classes. Our results demonstrate superior abilities of transfer learning in DR classification of less frequent classes compared to the shallow neural network.
“Lest We Should Sleep”: COVID-19 and Human Rights

Any meaningful human rights law approach to COVID-19 must be holistic and recognize the breadth of the challenges to both economic, social, and cultural rights, and civil and political rights. It must be grounded in the threat posed by the disease but also address responses to it, and implicate a wide range of state and nonstate actors. Such an analysis should offer a positive vision of effective global reaction, and counter attempts to hijack rights to oppose legitimate pandemic measures.
Harnessing the Multistability of Kresling Origami for Reconfigurable Articulation in Soft Robotic Arms.

This study examines a biology-inspired approach of using reconfigurable articulation to reduce the control requirement for soft robotic arms. We construct a robotic arm by assembling Kresling origa...
Studies of the effect from reflection with a short-pulse high-power gyrotron

The effect of reflection is studied experimentally on a 110 GHz, 1.2 MW short-pulse gyrotron. The experimental setup allows variation of the reflection from 0 to 35% over a range of gyrotron operating conditions. For high-efficiency operating points, the reflection is causing a decrease of the gyrotron power and is responsible for the excitation of an unwanted transverse mode, suppressing the excitation of the main mode.
Near-infrared C-term MCD spectroscopy of octahedral uranium(V) complexes

C-term magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopy is a powerful method for probing d–d and f–f transitions in paramagnetic metal complexes. However, this technique remains underdeveloped both experimentally and theoretically for studies of U(V) complexes of Oh symmetry, which have been of longstanding interest for probing electronic structure, bonding, and covalency in 5f systems. In this study, C-term NIR MCD of the Laporte forbidden f–f transitions of [UCl6]− and [UF6]− are reported, demonstrating the significant fine structure resolution possible with this technique including for the low energy Γ7 → Γ8 transitions in [UF6]−. The experimental NIR MCD studies were further extended to [U(OC6F5)6]−, [U(CH2SiMe3)6]−, and [U(NC(tBu)(Ph))6]− to evaluate the effects of ligand-type on the f–f MCD fine structure features. Theoretical calculations were conducted to determine the Laporte forbidden f–f transitions and their MCD intensity experimentally observed in the NIR spectra of the U(V) hexahalide complexes, via the inclusion of vibronic coupling, to better understand the underlying spectral fine structure features for these complexes. These spectra and simulations provide an important platform for the application of MCD spectroscopy to this widely studied class of U(V) complexes and identify areas for continued theoretical development.
Brain and Behavioral Correlates of the Patient-Clinician Relationship: A longitudinal fMRI hyper-scanning study of chronic pain patients

Research suggests that a good patient-clinician therapeutic alliance can improve clinical outcomes. In this ongoing, longitudinal study, we applied fMRI hyper-scanning to determine whether behavioral, neural, and clinical variables associated with the therapeutic relationship between chronic pain patients and their clinicians influences clinical outcomes. Ten women with fibromyalgia (mean age=40, SD=10.71, each group N=5) were randomly assigned to either an Augmented (warm/attentive) or Limited (neutral/business-like) interaction style, and were treated with electro-acupuncture for 6 biweekly sessions. Before and after acupuncture therapy, each patient-clinician dyad underwent a simultaneously recorded fMRI hyper-scanning procedure with video connection between two scanners and an evoked cuff pressure pain/treatment paradigm. Clinical outcomes and the quality of the patient-clinician relationship were assessed by questionnaires targeting treatment-related changes in clinical pain levels, therapeutic alliance, trust, and the clinician's warmth and competence. Pooled therapeutic alliance (assessed after treatment sessions 1, 3, and 6; scale 0-50) in the Augmented group (mean=43.17, SD=2.97) was significantly higher than in the Limited group (mean=27.27, SD=10.44; t(8)=3.28, p=0.011). Similarly, clinicians’ warmth, as rated by patients, was significantly higher in the Augmented (mean=4.00, SD=0.0) than in the Limited group (3.02, SD=0.73; t(8)=3.00; p=0.017). Preliminary results show that over all 6 acupuncture treatment sessions, irrespective of group assignments, most patients experienced post-treatment clinical pain relief (p
Book Review: Texas Place Names

Texas Place Names. By Edward Callary and Jean K. Callary. Austin: University of Texas Press. 2020. Pp. 411. ISBN 1-4773-2064-8. $35.00.
A refined genetic map of the region of chromosome 17 surrounding the von Recklinghausen neurofibromatosis (NF1) gene.

The von Recklinghausen neurofibromatosis (NF1) gene has been mapped to the pericentromeric region of chromosome 17. We conducted linkage analyses of NF1 by using 10 polymorphic DNA markers from this chromosomal region. We ascertained 20 American Caucasian NF1 families (163 individuals, 98 NF1 affected) in Michigan and Ohio and also studied a large family ascertained primarily in North Carolina. The following markers were used in this study: HHH202, TH17.19, D17Z1, ERBA1, EW203, EW206, EW207, EW301, CRI-L581, and CRI-L946. NF1 did not recombine with either TH17.19 or HHH202 in any of the informative meioses surveyed (maximum lod scores of 17.04 and 7.21, respectively, at a recombination fraction of .00), indicating that these markers map very close to the NF1 gene. We also report evidence of three instances of recombination between NF1 and the centromeric marker D17Z1 (maximum lod score of 13.43 at a recombination fraction of .04), as well as two crossovers between pairs of marker loci. We find no evidence of locus heterogeneity, and our results support the localization of the NF1 gene to proximal chromosome 17q.
Cadavers as Educators: an Innovative Approach to Health Behavior and Preventable Disease Education

Objective Cadavers as Educators maximizes body donors' educational potential by using medical students (MS) to teach a hands-on curriculum that increases high school students (HSS) understanding of...
Oxygen and ascorbate mediated modification of a recombinant hemoglobin

Publisher Summary In the reduced state the iron center of each of the four heme group in recombinant hemoglobin, rHb1.1, reversibly binds molecular oxygen. Upon binding oxygen the hemoglobin can autoxidize forming metHb, which is incapable of binding oxygen. The metHb can be reduced back to the ferrous state using ascorbate and reduced oxygen conditions. In the presence of oxygen, however, ascorbate reacts with molecular oxygen to form dehydroascorbate and superoxide anion. The dehydroascorbate can undergo hydrolytic ring rupture to form 2,3-diketogulonic acid that in turn can react further with oxygen forming additional byproducts, which may modify proteins. One of the more prevalent protein modifications detected has been carboxymethylation of lysine groups to form Nɛ-(carboxymethyl)lysine. Although it is known that the superoxide reacts with and oxidizes the hemoglobin, little is known concerning the modification of the hemoglobin by dehydroascorbate and its byproducts. Subsequent interest lies in determining how rHb1.1 is modified in the presence of dehydroascorbate as well as in the presence of ascorbate and oxygen. The location of the modification has been determined using trypsin mapping. Following dehydroascorbate modification of deoxy-rHb, the main β-globin peak and the lagging shoulder of the p-globin are purified from reverse phase HPLC and mapped with trypsin. The map of the unmodified P-globin has been shown in this chapter and is not different from that of P-globin not exposed to ascorbate.
Near Shannon limit quasi-cyclic low-density parity-check codes

The paper presents two classes of quasi-cyclic low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes which perform close to the Shannon limit. The construction of these codes is based on decomposition of circulant matrices constructed from finite geometries.
10 Things I Wish the Mediator Asked Me...None of Which are 'What is Your Bottom Line?'

This short article appeared in the Nebraska Mediation Association's Mediator Minute. This piece gives practical advice for mediators dealing with represented parties.
Would We Know ‘Integration’ If We Were to See It? Measurement and The Imperative of Integration

These comments in response to Elizabeth Anderson's The Imperative of Integration focus on the problems of measurement that arise from the next step of putting her theory of integration into practice. In fact, thinking about measurement helps us with the theory as well, since it highlights issues that may not have seemed as central or salient at first glance. Contemplating the units of analysis used in the measurement of segregation, how to measure integration, and what counts as diversity or integration in the minds of ordinary Americans forces us to think more concretely about what it means for a society to have integration, which is defined by Anderson as ‘the free interaction of citizens from all walks of life on terms of equality and mutual regard'. This article concludes with a couple of thoughts on political trade-offs that may be forced by integration.
Integrating Background Knowledge into Nearest-Neighbor Text Classification

This paper describes two different approaches for incorporating background knowledge into nearest-neighbor text classification. Our first approach uses background text to assess the similarity between training and test documents rather than assessing their similarity directly. The second method redescribes examples using Latent Semantic Indexing on the background knowledge, assessing document similarities in this redescribed space. Our experimental results showthat both approaches can improve the performance of nearest-neighbor text classification. These methods are especially useful when labeling text is a labor-intensive job and when there is a large amount of information available about a specific problem on the World Wide Web.
Fatality due to intravenous diltiazem for acute ventricular rate control

Progressive, sustained bradycardia resulting in asystole and subsequent death is reported in a 70-year-old woman with hyperkalemia and suspected digoxin toxicity following a 0.25 mg/kg intravenous diltiazem dose for treatment of atrial fibrillation with a rapid ventricular response. The possible pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic interactions between diltiazem, digoxin, and an elevated plasma potassium concentration are discussed and related to the outcome of the case. The routine practice of concomitant administration of diltiazem for rapid ventricular rate control and digoxin for long-term control may be dangerous in a subset of patients.
Distinct pathways of cholesterol biosynthesis impact on insulin secretion.

Results from previous investigations have indicated that glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) is affected by changes in cholesterol and its intermediates, but the precise link between secretion and cholesterol has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we show the contribution of both protein isoprenylation and cholesterol-dependent plasma membrane structural integrity to insulin secretion in INS-1E cells and mouse islets. Acute (2 h) inhibition of hydroxyl-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase by simvastatin (SIM) resulted in inhibition of GSIS without reduction in total cellular cholesterol content. This effect was prevented by cell loading with the isoprenyl molecule geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate. Chronic (24 h) inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis resulted in inhibition of GSIS with a significant reduction in total cellular cholesterol content, which was also observed after the inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis downstream of isoprenoid formation. Electron paramagnetic resonance analyses of INS-1E cells showed that the SIM-induced reduction in cholesterol increased plasma membrane fluidity. Thus, the blockade of cholesterol biosynthesis resulted in the reduction of availability of isoprenoids, followed by a reduction in the total cholesterol content associated with an increase in plasma membrane fluidity. Herein, we show the different contributions of cholesterol biosynthesis to GSIS, and propose that isoprenoid molecules and cholesterol-dependent signaling are dual regulators of proper b-cell function.
A Telomerase Immortalized Human Proximal Tubule Cell Line with a Truncation Mutation (Q4004X) in Polycystin-1

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is associated with a variety of cellular phenotypes in renal epithelial cells. Cystic epithelia are secretory as opposed to absorptive, have higher proliferation rates in cell culture and have some characteristics of epithelial to mesenchymal transitions [1], [2]. In this communication we describe a telomerase immortalized cell line that expresses proximal tubule markers and is derived from renal cysts of an ADPKD kidney. These cells have a single detectable truncating mutation (Q4004X) in polycystin-1. These cells make normal appearing but shorter cilia and fail to assemble polycystin-1 in the cilia, and less uncleaved polycystin-1 in membrane fractions. This cell line has been maintained in continuous passage for over 35 passages without going into senescence. Nephron segment specific markers suggest a proximal tubule origin for these cells and the cell line will be useful to study mechanistic details of cyst formation in proximal tubule cells.
Executive Dysfunction in Alzheimer Disease

Background Executive dysfunction (EDF) is common in Alzheimer disease (AD); however, its relationship to other symptoms is difficult to assess in patients with AD. Objectives To determine the prevalence of EDF and study its relationship to cognitive, functional, and neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with AD. Design, Setting, and Patients A retrospective analysis of data from participants in the English Instruments Protocol of the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study. Subjects were drawn from a sample of patients evaluated at tertiary referral centers. Results A total of 64% of AD patients were classified as having EDF. Patients with EDF performed worse on tests of cognition ( P P P = .01) and had more frequent symptoms of psychosis ( P = .03) with greater emergence during the 12-month interval ( P = .03) compared with patients with normal executive function. Less than 30% of the variance in executive function performance was explained by cognitive measures. Conclusion These findings support the assessment of executive function in persons with AD and the importance of frontal lobe dysfunction in AD.
Thermoelastic behavior of a transversely isotropic material containing a flat toroidal crack

The thermoelastic behavior of a transversely isotropic material containing a flat toroidal crack is investigated using the techniques of Hankel transforms and multiplying factors. The thermal conditions are symmetrical with respect to the crack plane and the boundary conditions have three different parts. Exact expressions for the thermoelastic stress intensity factors at the inner and outer crack tips are obtained as the products of a dimensional quantity and nondimensional functions. The fracture transition of a flat toroidal crack to a penny-shaped crack and to a central crack is studied at different values of the ratio of the inner crack radius to the outer crack radius. The temperature distribution on the crack plane is also presented at different values of inner and outer crack radii
The role of the National Ignition Facility in energy production from inertial fusion

The 1993 declassification of virtually all inertial confinement fusion (ICF) target information relevant to fusion energy development, and demonstrable successes in the physics and technology related to ICF, have laid the ground work for a development plan for an Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) programme. The ICF programme, funded by the Defense Program in the USA, has clearly demonstrated there is sufficient confidence in ignition and gain to proceed with construction of the National Ignition Facility, which will test the detailed physics of targets suitable for IFE. In September 1998, the facility was about 40% complete and on schedule and within budget for completion in 2003. X–ray–drive ignition is planned for 2007, followed by direct–drive ignition experiments. The other major elements of an IFE development programme, namely, driver, target factory, and target chamber developments can be investigated separately in affordable programmes. Although much work remains, there are concepts for adequately high driver efficiency and target gain, target cost and target chamber survivability to make an exploratory programme in IFE attractive.
A tunable 3D terahertz metamaterial

We present novel optically tunable 3D metamaterials operating at terahertz frequencies with an approximate tuning range of 30%. As a function of incident laser power, a red-shift in the resonant frequency from 1.74 THz to 1.16 THz was experimentally achieved. Our device has potential applications as a terahertz modulator or switch that complements previous approaches.
Bayesian and residual maximum likelihood statistical gene mapping

Abstract Residual Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian methods for statistical gene mapping in livestock were derived and applied to simulated half‐sib designs. REML was robust to the number of QTL alleles, and Bayesian analysis permitted to fit different QTL models. Single QTLs explaining at least 12.5% of additive genetic variance were detected with power of .5 or higher. Two linked QTLs were detected when 20cM (40cM) apart and jointly accounting for 50% (25%) of additive genetic variance.
Spatiially Resolved Spectra of Miicro-Crystals and Nano-Aggiregates in Doped Polymers

Near-field optics techniques make it possible to by-pass the optical diffraction limit (“uncertainty principle) and attain spatial resolution of λ/50 or better. We present near-field scanning optical spectroscopy (NSOS) data on α and s mixed micro-crystals of perylene and on various aggregates of tetracene doped into PMMA. The spatial resolution is limited by the size of the scanning photon tip and its distance from the sample. We use nanofabricated optical fiber tips (aluminum coated) that are as small as 100 nm. These can be piezoelectrically scanned close to the sample. Fluorescence spectra easily differentiate between adjoining microcrystallites of α and s perylene, giving spectra identical with those of large (<1 cm) single crystals. The apparently homogeneous molecularly doped polymer samples of tetracene/PMMA have regions that fluoresce anywhere between green and red. Thus the spatially resolved spectra are much sharper and more detailed than the broad and featureless bulk spectra. The different emission spectra are attributed to different aggregates of the tetracene guest embedded in the PMMA host
Precision apparatus for dissolution rate determinations

An apparatus particularly useful for intrinsic dissolution rate determinations by the rotating disk method is described. It affords precision speed control, wide range of rotation rates, good shaft concentricity, and maintains constant speed over extended periods of time. The apparatus is particularly useful for dissolution rate studies at very low rates of rotation.
Dual-prism coupler for board-level free-space optical interconnects: design and simulations

An optical design for coupling light from off-chip lasers to on-chip surface-normal modulators is proposed in order to implement chip-to-chip free-space optical interconnects. The method uses a dual-prism module constructed from prisms made of two different glasses. The various alignment tolerances of the proposed system were investigated. For the off-chip lasers, vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSEL) are proposed. The rationale behind using on-chip modulators rather than VCSELs is to avoid VCSEL thermal loads on the chip, and because of higher reliability of modulators than VCSELs. Particularly above 10 Gbit/sec (Gbit/sec⁡), an empirical model shows rapid decrease of VCSEL median time to failure vs. data rate. Thus the proposed interconnect scheme which utilizes continuous wave VCSELs that are externally modulated by on-chip multiple quantum well modulators is applicable for chip-to-chip optical interconnects at 20Gbit/sec⁡ and higher line data rates.
What Do Composition Operators Know About Inner Functions

This paper gives several different ways in which operator norms characterize those composition operators that arise from holomorphic self-maps ϕ of the unit disc that are inner functions. The setting is the Hardy space H 2 of the disc, and the key result is a characterization of inner functions in terms of the asymptotic behavior of the Nevanlinna counting function. The case offers an interesting surprise.
Collaborate, plan, deploy, and train: office 2007 in the classrooms and labs across campus

St. Edward's University decided Microsoft Office 2007 will be installed on campus computers (on Windows XP) beginning summer 2008. The different support areas of the Instructional Technology (I.T.) department collaborated to plan and discuss the best way to deploy this product and train the faculty, staff, and students. The different support areas include Student Computing, Media Services, Technical Services, Computer Help Desk, Faculty Resource Center, and Computer Training, which provide the support for the students, faculty, and staff of the university. The I.T department was concerned about making sure the faculty and students have the support available for the new features of this product, and therefore have developed ways to train faculty and students on Office 2007. Computer Training has developed free short 30-minute trainings on various tips and tricks when using Office 2007. They also developed online quick guides, and online demonstrations to help ease the learning curve. The Computer Help Desk and Computer Training have also worked together to develop trainings for the Computer Help Desk student workers who provide technical support to the university.The primary focus of this paper is to share the successes and failures of how the St. Edward's University I.T. department was able to support the use of this product on campus. We will also possibly get audience involvement to share what their institutions have done. We hope this will help other institutions be inspired to blaze the trail by deploying new software on their campuses.
Examining Associations Between Cognitive-Affective Vulnerability and HIV Symptom Severity, Perceived Barriers to Treatment Adherence, and Viral Load Among HIV-Positive Adults

Background Little research on symptom impairment and quality of life among HIV-positive (HIV+) individuals has attended to the potential role of cognitive-affective vulnerabilities. Emerging research indicates that emotion regulation (ER), anxiety sensitivity (AS), and distress tolerance (DT) are associated with a range of mental health outcomes and demonstrate meaningful relations to clinical outcomes in HIV+ individuals.
Sensitivity of Cultured Tissue of Arabidopsis thaliana Races to Sulfanilamide

Callus of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. was examined for the kinetics of sulfanilamide inhibition of growth. Two geographic races of this species were compared for relative sulfanilamide sensitivity (as assessed by dry weight increase on drug-containing medium) and rate of drug uptake. It was found that low concentrations of sulfanilamide in the culture medium (∼ 100 μM) inhibited callus growth and that low concentrations of p-aminobenzoate (20 μM) competitively antagonized the sulfanilamide effect. Racial variation for sulfanilamide sensitivity was demonstrated. A partially drug-resistant race had greater sulfanilamide uptake (per gram fresh weight) than a sensitive race. suggesting that relative drug-sensitivity was not determined by the capacity to exclude sulfanilamide.
World Englishes: To Teach or Not to Teach?

ABSTRACT: As the status of English as a world language changes, and as the number of users of English grows, it is important to move beyond the traditional limits of language pedagogy and the assumption that all learners of English desire to speak British, American, Canadian, Australian, or New Zealand English. Just as it is necessary to move beyond methods in our language education programs, it is necessary to move beyond what Kachru 1988 terms ‘Inner Circle’ varieties of English as the only varieties to be explored in pedagogical settings. At the present time, little information about the roles and functions of English as a world language is presented in many TESOL preparatory programs (Vavrus, 1991), and little information in provided in three of the most popular methodology texts (Brown, 1993). It is the intention of this paper to identify the primary reasons a world Englishes perspective should be infused into the TESOL preparatory curriculum, to discuss the status of current research in world Englishes, to examine what a world Englishes perspective can contribute to language pedagogy, and to provide a bibliography of resources for teacher educators who wish to build such a perspective into their courses.
Potential of mesenchymal stem cells in gene therapy approaches for inherited and acquired diseases.

The intriguing biology of stem cells and their vast clinical potential is emerging rapidly for gene therapy. Bone marrow stem cells, including the pluripotent haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and possibly the multipotent adherent progenitor cells (MAPCs), are being considered as potential targets for cell and gene therapy-based approaches against a variety of different diseases. The MSCs from bone marrow are a promising target population as they are capable of differentiating along multiple lineages and, at least in vitro, have significant expansion capability. The apparently high self-renewal potential makes them strong candidates for delivering genes and restoring organ systems function. However, the high proliferative potential of MSCs, now presumed to be self-renewal, may be more apparent than real. Although expanded MSCs have great proliferation and differentiation potential in vitro, there are limitations with the biology of these cells in vivo. So far, expanded MSCs h...