cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Potency of the effect of D-stereoisomer of aminoglutethimide on adrenal and extraadrenal steroidogenesis.

The racemic form of aminoglutethimide (DL-AG) inhibits several steroid biosynthetic steps, including cholesterol to pregnenolone conversion, the C-11, C-18, and C-21 hydroxylations, and the peripheral aromatization of androstenedione to estrone. Recent data suggested that the D-stereoisomer possesses most of the inhibitory activity. To evaluate the potency of the D-stereoisomer of AG, we measured estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), androstenedione (Δ4-A), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) in postmenopausal patients with breast carcinoma during the administration of either the D or DL form of AG. In response to 1000 mg DL-AG and 40 mg hydrocortisone (HC) daily, E, fell from basal plasma levels of 46.5 ± 19.1 to 8.9 ± 1.1 pg/ml. Similarly, the concentrations of E2, Δ4-A, and DHEA-S were also suppressed by DL-AG and HC. When patients were then switched to 450 mg D-AG, the levels of E1, Δ4-A, and DHEA-S were suppressed to the same extent as with 1000 mg DL-AG. With respect to E2, a slight but significantl...
EnTable: Rewriting Web Data Sets as Accessible Tables

Today, many data-driven web pages present information in a way that is difficult for blind and low vision users to navigate and to understand. EnTable addresses this challenge. It re-writes confusing and complicated template-based data sets as accessible tables. EnTable allows blind and low vision users to submit requests for pages they wish to access. The system then employs sighted informants to markup the desired page with semantic information, allowing the page to be re-written using straightforward tags. Screen reader users who browse the web using the EnTable browser extension can report data sets that are confusing, and utilize data sets re-written with the tag based on their own requests or on the requests of other users.
Relationship of plasma leucine and α-ketoisocaproate during a L-[1-13C]leucine infusion in man: A method for measuring human intracellular leucine tracer enrichment

The keto analog of leucine, alpha-ketoisocaproate (KIC), is formed intracellularly from leucine and is released, in part, into the systemic circulation. Therefore. KIC can be used to estimate intracellular leucine tracer enrichment in man during labeled-leucine tracer experiments without requiring tissue biopsy samples. This approach was studied in young, healthy, male adults maintained on different dietary protein intakes from generous (1.5 g kg-1d-1) to deficient (0.0 g kg-1d-1) for 5-7 day periods. At the end of each dietary period, the volunteers were given a primed, continuous infusion of L-[1-13C]leucine either after an overnight fast (postabsorptive state) or while being fed hourly aliquots of the same diet. The plasma concentrations of all 3 branched-chain amino and keto acid pairs were measured from early morning blood samples taken from 4 subjects at 4 different levels of protein intake. Leucine concentration showed a weak correlation, and valine concentration showed a strong correlation with protein intake; isoleucine and the 3 keto acids did not. However, each branched-chain amino acid concentration was strongly correlated with its corresponding keto acid concentration. In plasma samples obtained during the L-[1-13C]leucine infusions, the ratio of [1-13C]KIC to [1-13C]leucine enrichment ratio remained relatively constant (77 +/- 1% over the wide range of dietary protein intakes and for both the fed and postabsorptive states. For the tissues from which the plasma KIC originates, the rate of plasma leucine into cells will account for approximately 77% of the intracellular leucine flux with the remaining 23% coming primarily from leucine release via protein breakdown. The constant nature of the plasma KIC to leucine 13C enrichment ratio implies that relative changes in leucine kinetics will appear the same under many dietary circumstances regardless of whether plasma leucine or KIC enrichments are used for the calculations.
Incidence and predictors of aspiration after prolonged intubation in trauma patients

Abstract Introduction: Prolonged intubation has been associated with increased risk for aspiration. We hypothesized that trauma patients have higher incidence of aspiration after prolonged intubation when compared to a non-trauma group. Methods: A case-control study was conducted at an academic Level-I trauma center over a 4-year period. Adult patients who underwent videofluoroscopic swallow studies (VFSS) for aspiration assessment after extubation were included in the analysis. Trauma patients requiring prolonged intubation (cases) were compared to a non-trauma control group. Aspiration was defined as the passage of the barium bolus below the true vocal folds and silent aspiration by the absence of a cough response. Demographic, clinical and VFSS data were recorded. Statistical analysis included stepwise regression analysis. Results: Seventy-two critically-ill patients (trauma n=22 and non-trauma n=50; mean age 45.4+−23 vs. 70.9+−15 years) underwent prolonged intubation (11.6±12 vs. 11.0±12 ventilator days) and VFSS. No significant differences in aspiration (50.0 vs. 36.0%) or silent aspiration rates (31.8 vs. 28.0%) were found. Sixty percent of cases sustained traumatic brain injury (TBI). After controlling for age, gender, setting of intubation, mechanism of injury, tracheostomy, neck injuries, ventilator and ICU days, GCS, and Injury Severity Score; TBI was an independent risk factor for silent aspiration after prolonged intubation (p Conclusions: Trauma patients have a non-significant increased incidence of aspiration after prolonged intubation when compared to the non-trauma population. TBI is a significant predictor of silent aspiration after prolonged intubation. VFSS performed routinely after extubation in this group of patients may prevent undetected aspirations and subsequent pneumonia.
Interaction of a group II intron ribonucleoprotein endonuclease with its DNA target site investigated by DNA footprinting and modification interference.

Group II intron mobility occurs by a target DNA-primed reverse transcription mechanism in which the intron RNA reverse splices directly into one strand of a double-stranded DNA target site, while the intron-encoded protein cleaves the opposite strand and uses it as a primer to reverse transcribe the inserted intron RNA. The group II intron endonuclease, which mediates this process, is an RNP particle that contains the intron-encoded protein and the excised intron RNA and uses both cooperatively to recognize DNA target sequences. Here, we analyzed the interaction of the Lactococcus lactis Ll.LtrB group II intron endonuclease with its DNA target site by DNA footprinting and modification-interference approaches. In agreement with previous mutagenesis experiments showing a relatively large target site, DNase I protection extends from position -25 to +19 from the intron-insertion site on the top strand and from -28 to +16 on the bottom strand. Our results suggest that the protein first recognizes a small number of specific bases in the distal 5'-exon region of the DNA target site via major-groove interactions. These base interactions together with additional phosphodiester-backbone interactions along one face of the helix promote DNA unwinding, enabling the intron RNA to base-pair to DNA top-strand positions -12 to +3 for reverse splicing. Notably, DNA unwinding extends to at least position +6, somewhat beyond the region that base-pairs with the intron RNA, but is not dependent on interaction of the conserved endonuclease domain with the 3' exon. Bottom-strand cleavage occurs after reverse splicing and requires recognition of a small number of additional bases in the 3' exon, the most critical being T+5 in the now single-stranded downstream region of the target site. Our results provide the first detailed view of the interaction of a group II intron endonuclease with its DNA target site.
Modulated induction of tau proteins in cultured human neuroblastoma cells

Previous studies indicated that a chemically-defined, differentiation medium (DM) induces neuroblastoma cells, especially IMR32K cells, to exhibit phenotypes of mature neurons (including neurite outgrowth and synthesis of neurofilament polypeptides) and develop certain attributes of the neurons which are affected by neurofibrillary degeneration in Alzheimer's disease, such as expression of tangle-associated epitopes and accumulation of paired helical filaments-(PHF-) like fibrils. Immunocytochemical staining suggested that this cytoskeletal abnormality most likely results from altered expression of tau proteins. In the current study, we addressed this issue by analyzing tau-enriched preparations of IMR32K cells that were previously exposed to different incubation media using a panel of antibodies specific to tau and related microtubule-associated proteins. These cultured cells exhibited three groups of tau immunoreactivities which differ in molecular weight. Among them the level of high molecular weight tau (MW 90-112 kDa) was selectively augmented after DM incubation. The tau proteins produced in these neuron-like cells shared phosphorylated sites with PHF-tau and fetal tau, but differed from PHF-tau in their lack of the N-terminal insert which characterizes adult isoforms.
κ-Opioid receptor agonist-induced prolactin release in primates is blocked by dopamine D2-like receptor agonists

Abstract Kappa (κ)-opioid receptor agonists may have pharmacotherapeutic potential in the management of psychostimulant abuse, due to their ability to modulate dopamine receptor systems involved in drug reinforcement. κ-Opioid receptor agonists also modulate dopamine receptor function in the hypothalamic tuberoinfundibular system, which has inhibitory control over an anterior pituitary hormone, prolactin. Prolactin levels may thus be a “biomarker” for the ability of κ-opioid receptor agonists (e.g., (+)-(5α,7α,8β)- N -methyl- N -[7-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-oxaspiro[4.5]dec-8-yl]-benzeneacetamide (U69,593)) to modulate a dopamine receptor system in vivo in primates. The effectiveness of dopamine D 2 -like receptor agonists (quinpirole and (±)-7-hydroxy-dipropylaminotetralin (7-OH-DPAT); 0.0032–0.1 mg/kg) in preventing U69,593–induced prolactin release was studied in intact female rhesus monkeys. Quinpirole and 7-OH-DPAT inhibited U69,593-induced prolactin release (ID 50 values: 0.013 and 0.0072 mg/kg, respectively). However, the dopamine D 1 -receptor agonist (±)-6-chloro-7,8-dihydroxy-3-allyl-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1 H -3-benzazapine (SKF 82958; 1 mg/kg) did not inhibit U69,593-induced prolactin release under the same conditions. In contrast, the largest doses of quinpirole or 7-OH-DPAT presently studied (0.1 mg/kg), did not decrease sedation caused by U69,593 (0.01, 0.032 mg/kg), a prominent effect of centrally penetrating κ-opioid receptor agonists. The sedative effect of U69,593 (0.032 mg/kg) was prevented by naltrexone (0.32 mg/kg), consistent with κ-opioid receptor mediation of this effect. These studies suggest that prolactin release is a valid biomarker for the ability of κ-opioid receptor agonists to modulate dopamine D 2 -like receptor function, and may also be used to quantify dopamine D 2 -like receptor agonist potency in primates.
TREATMENT OF EXPERIMENTAL SALMONELLOSIS IN CHICKS WITH SYNNEMATIN B.

SummaryIn chicks treated with synnematin B by subcutaneous injection beginning 1-3 days after peroral infection by various Salmonella species, there was evidence of a bactericidal effect against microorganisms localizing in visceral organs and, to a limited extent, those in the alimentary tract. Although the antibiotic was not appreciably absorbed from the gut, combined peroral and subcutaneous treatment was sometimes advantageous. Some infections did not yield to chemotherapy even though in vitro tests indicated the responsible Salmonella strains to have a considerable degree of susceptibility to synnematin B.The assistance of Mrs. Alfred Lewis and Mrs. Henrik Pontoppidan is gratefully acknowledged.
Resequencing and mutational analysis using oligonucleotide microarrays

Oligonucleotide microarray (DNA chip)–based hybridization analysis is a promising new technology which potentially allows rapid and cost–effective screens for all possible mutations and sequence variations in genomic DNA. Here, I review current strategies and uses for DNA chip–based resequencing and mutational analysis, the underlying principles of experimental designs, and future efforts to improve the sensitivity and specificity of chip–based assays.
Identifying the norms of professional practice: Reviewing PRSA's Silver Anvil award-winning campaigns

Abstract This study uses content analysis of 420 Public Relations Society of America Silver Anvil award-winning campaigns to assess how well the ROPES process of campaign management has been institutionalized into the public relations industry. By analyzing 42 years of award-winning campaigns, the research found notable trends in relation to the research practices, goal and objective planning, strategy design and implementation, campaign evaluation, and on-going efforts to cultivate relationships with stakeholders. These trends are discussed in relation to the continued struggles of public relations educators to professionalize the industry and move away from stereotypes as publicity seekers and special event planners.
Macrophages in murine uterus are immunosuppressive

The mechanisms by which the fetal allograft is protected from a maternal anti-fetal immune response are not understood. This study was designed to examine the possibility that tissues near the developing fetus contain immunoregulatory cells and to begin the process of identification of those cells. Dispersed uterine cell suspensions from pregnant Swiss/Webster mice consistently inhibited the responses of normal murine spleen cells to the polyclonal mitogen phytohemagglutinin (PHA). These suspensions contained few lymphocytes (mean 1%), but abundant macrophages (mean 28%), identified by morphology and Fc gamma-receptor expression. Depletion of Fc gamma-receptor-positive cells restored spleen cell (SC) responses to PHA to near normal levels and partial depletion of adherent cells provided varying degrees of relief of the observed suppression. Adherent cells (greater than 95% macrophages) recovered from plastic surfaces were highly immunosuppressive. Suppressor cells appeared to interfere with both early and late stages of spleen cell proliferative responses. The results suggest that cells with some characteristics of macrophages within tissues near the maternal-fetal interface may create a local environment prohibitive to maternal lymphocyte proliferation.
Hypothermic renal storage: I. Adverse effect of papaverine

Abstract The use of papaverine HCl for kidney preservation has been studied in 10 dogs. Each animal underwent unilateral nephrectomy, the kidneys were perfused for 5 min with either Collins' C3 solution (five dogs), or the same solution to which papaverine HCl (60 mg/liter) had been added (five dogs). After 24-hr storage, autotransplantation and contralateral nephrectomy were carried out. In the C3 group, all animals survived the first week, with the exception of one animal which died at 5 days from undetermined cause with normal serum creatinine. By contrast, every animal in the papaverine group died with very high creatinine levels, and all were dead by the sixth postoperative day. It is suggested that the use of papaverine for clinical organ preservation in the dosage and manner described be avoided.
Addressing Nonresponse in Schizophrenia

Atypical antipsychotics are recommended as first-line treatment for schizophrenia, but patients may have little or no response to an initial antipsychotic trial. Strategies for managing treatment nonresponse include increasing the dose, addressing nonadherence, augmenting the original medication, and switching the patient to another medication. Clozapine is recommended for patients with schizophrenia who have not responded to 2 other antipsychotic trials of adequate duration, but many physicians are hesitant to prescribe clozapine due to the complexity of the treatment regimen and the possibility of severe adverse effects. However, for patients with resistant schizophrenic symptoms, the benefits of clozapine may outweigh the risks. Data show that patients have more favorable opinions of clozapine treatment than many physicians expect. If clozapine treatment is initiated, physicians should mitigate risk by carefully monitoring and addressing side effects.
Patterns-of-care for thoracic stereotactic body radiotherapy among practicing radiation oncologists in the United States.

Introduction Radiation oncologists were surveyed to assess practice patterns in the use of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for lung cancer. Methods A customized patterns-of-care survey, consisting of 18 questions and two clinical scenarios, was e-mailed to 136 academic radiation oncologists and 768 community practitioners to evaluate the technical basis and delivery parameters associated with SBRT. Results A total of 117 surveys were evaluable. The cited delivery techniques included: static noncoplanar beams (48%), intensity-modulated radiotherapy (41%), rotational intensity-modulated radiotherapy (47%), dynamic conformal arcs (7%), and small-beam delivery with fiducial tracking (24%), with 46% using multiple techniques. The immobilization methods included: stereotactic frame (10%), alpha cradle or vacuum-lock system (52%), wingboard (3%), stereotactic frame with an alpha cradle or vacuum-lock system (11%); combination of devices (14%), or no immobilization (9%). Abdominal compression was used by 51% and respiratory gating by 31%. For a peripheral T1N0 tumor, the preferred doses included: 25 to 34 Gy in one fraction (1%); 54 to 60 Gy in three fractions (56%), 48 to 50 Gy in four fractions (18%), and 50 to 60 Gy in five fractions (25%). For a centrally located T1N0 tumor, 58% recommended SBRT outside a clinical protocol, with recommended doses ranging from 40 to 60 Gy in three to 10 fractions. The recommended interval to first surveillance imaging ranged from 6 weeks or lesser (32%) to 25 weeks or more (2%). Conclusions Considerable variation exists for thoracic SBRT with regard to dose selection, fractionation, immobilization, planning, management of central lesions, and surveillance. Ongoing prospective evaluation is recommended to identify best practices and provide continual process improvement.
An algorithm for generating chi random variables

An algorithm is presented for generating random variables from the chi family of distributions with degrees of freedom parameter LY 2 1. It is based on the ratio of uniforms method and can be used effectively for the gamma family.
The oscillations of a viscous compressible fluid in an arbitrarily-shaped pore

Abstract In this paper we give the general solution of a two-dimensional problem of oscillation of a viscous compressible fluid in a long thin arbitrarily-shaped pore. The solution of this problem is reduced to an ordinary differential equation of second order. For the step-shaped pore an exact solution is obtained. The model is extended to the case when the walls of the pore are permeable. The problem can be solved for different boundary conditions representing complete or partial saturation of the pore space. Analytical and numerical solutions of the problem reveal the effect of reasonance in the pore, resulting in a non-monotonous form of a relationship between the average pressure in the pore and the frequency of oscillation. This relation has a periodical shape with decreasing amplitude.
Blockade of Testosterone-Induced Mounting Behavior in the Male Rat with Intracranial Application of the Aromatization Inhibitor, Androst-l,4,6-triene-3,17-dione

Propylene glycol (glycol) solutions containing either testosterone (T) or estradiol (E2) were infused directly into the preoptic area (POA) of longterm castrated rats in order to reinstate male copulatory behavior. In addition, castrated males were administered T or E2 in the POA in combination with a steroid that has been shown to block the aromatization of testosterone to estradiol, androstl, 4,6-triene-3,17-dione (ATD). The facilitatory action of testosterone on mounting behavior was blocked when it was given in combination with ATD. Animals treated in the POA with glycol † T, glycol † E2, or ATD 4- E2 all showed significant increases in mounting behavior over preimplant levels. There was no significant rise in the number of intromissions or ejaculations in any of the treatment groups. These results support the hypothesis that, at least for mounting behavior, aromatization is necessary for the stimulation of male sexual behavior by testosterone. (Endocrinology 97: 1545, 1975)
Being Political: Genealogies of Citizenship. By Engin F. Isin. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2002. 384p. $62.95 cloth, $24.95 paper

Over the course of the past year, we have had many opportunities to reflect on the nature of citizenship. Defining and contesting citizenship is a high-stakes enterprise, and in light of the current climate, Engin F. Isin's Being Political is a timely intervention into these debates. It is a series of genealogies that describe citizenship as alterity in cities, chronologically spanning urban spaces from the Athenian polis through the present-day cosmopolis. Taking his methodological cue from Michel Foucault, Isin's genealogies seek to break up the continuous narratives of citizenship imagined by the victors of history—that democratic citizenship in the United States, for example, is the direct descendant of Athenian democracy—and reveal the disparate forms that citizenship and its others have taken over time. By exposing these discontinuous narratives of citizenship, Isin demonstrates how the fiction of the unified city serves the interests of dominant groups by suppressing the agonistic character of this space.
Reply to the comment on the paper "Is the track of the Yellowstone hotspot driven by a deep mantle plume?-Review of volcanism, faulting, and uplift in light of new data"

Article history: Received 11 February 2011 Accepted 21 February 2011 Available online 4 March 2011 connection across the present Continental Divide, we might better have cited the two papers on the worm (Rhynchelmis gustafsoni) rather than a personal communication. We agree with the qualifications (only organismal distribution, species may require taxonomic revision) noted in the Comment by Hershler and Lui (2011-this issue). We welcome this timely discussion between geologists and biogeographers who are pursuing very similar questions on topics of
Methanol Adsorption on Clean and Oxygen-Predosed V(100) Single-Crystal Surfaces

The thermal chemistry of methanol on V(100) single-crystal surfaces was investigated in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) by temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and isotope labeling experiments. It was found that thermal activation of adsorbed methanol leads to the production of methane, ethylene, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide. Methane desorption is seen in two states centered at 320 and 490 K, both rate-limited by the dehydrogenation steps that supply the needed extra hydrogen atoms, from the hydroxyl and methyl moieties, respectively. The presence of submonolayer coverages of oxygen on the surface enhances the yield of the high-temperature methane state at the expense of the low-temperature methane production, and delays all of the surface reactions to higher temperatures. The mechanism for the formation of ethylene in this conversion was investigated by comparing the TPD profiles of several reference molecules. The results suggest adsorbed formaldehyde as the key i...
L'important, C'est Les Lunettes

Applying mathematics to solve any problem inevitably grants an aura of objectivity and truth to the results generated through such methodology. However, mathematics remains a means of elucidation that functions within strict constraints of tractability and stylization. Despite the aesthetics of models and the precision of computation, mathematical representations are but a shadow of the reality they seek to characterize. Nonetheless, because mathematics' pure form hides its own limitations, it becomes a privileged site of scholastic reason and, at the same time, of symbolic violence, two notions that Bourdieu theorized in his work. Despite this handicap, Bourdieu recognized the importance of formalizing tools such as those derived from mathematics. He thus devised many strategies to take advantage of their power of elucidation while avoiding the distortions and dogmatic stance they unavoidably bring about. This paper examines these strategies in detail to further inspire the identification of a number of ...
Clitic Reduction in the Formation of Modal Prefixes in the Post-Classical Arabic Dialects and Classical Arabic SA-/ SAWFA

L'A. analyse le processus de reduction qui produit les prefixes responsables du marquage de l'aspect dans les dialectes arabes modernes et en arabe classique. Il analyse ensuite les types de construction qui sous-tendent une telle reduction
Comparison of domestic and wild channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) populations provides no evidence for genetic impact

Abstract Genetic diversity of wild channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) populations was analyzed using AFLP markers and compared to that of domestic catfish populations to determine the genetic impact of domestic catfish on wild catfish populations. Fourteen wild populations within various watersheds of Alabama were analyzed using five AFLP primer combinations. A total of 396 polymorphic bands were detected from 269 individuals, with an expected mean heterozygosity of 0.16. The percentage of polymorphic bands varied greatly among populations, from 32.2% to 85.0%. The estimated level of population differentiation as measured by average FST value across all loci was 0.36. The 14 tested wild populations were related with 88% similarity as revealed by Nei's (Nei, M., 1978. Estimation of average heterozygosity and genetic distance from a small number of individuals. Genetics 89, 583–590) unbiased population-wise identity measures. In order to analyze the interactions between domestic and wild populations of channel catfish, 191 polymorphic bands were used to evaluate 569 individuals from 31 populations. The wild populations exhibited higher levels of polymorphisms and heterozygosities than the domestic populations. Strong genetic structures were associated with the geographical distribution of samples, with all samples from a single watershed being closely related. The domestic populations were all related to one another, forming a single branch in the phylogenetic analysis, while all but the Tennessee River populations of many wild populations were more related to one another than to domestic populations. Genetic identities of wild fish from proximal and distal sites were similar, while both wild populations differed from the nearby domestic catfish populations, providing no molecular genetic evidence for apparent impact of domestic catfish on wild populations.
Three mammalian cytochromes b561 are ascorbate-dependent ferrireductases

Cytochromes b(561) are a family of transmembrane proteins found in most eukaryotic cells. Three evolutionarily closely related mammalian cytochromes b(561) (chromaffin granule cytochrome b, duodenal cytochrome b, and lysosomal cytochrome b) were expressed in a Saccharomyces cerevisiaeDeltafre1Deltafre2 mutant, which lacks almost all of its plasma membrane ferrireductase activity, to study their ability to reduce ferric iron (Fe(3+)). The expression of each of these cytochromes b(561) was able to rescue the growth defect of the Deltafre1Deltafre2 mutant cells in iron-deficient conditions, suggesting their involvement in iron metabolism. Plasma membrane ferrireductase activities were measured using intact yeast cells. Each cytochrome b(561) showed significant FeCN and Fe(3+)-EDTA reductase activities that were dependent on the presence of intracellular ascorbate. Site-directed mutagenesis of lysosomal cytochrome b was conducted to identify amino acids that are indispensable for its activity. Among more than 20 conserved or partially conserved amino acids that were investigated, mutations of four His residues (H47, H83, H117 and H156), one Tyr (Y66) and one Arg (R67) completely abrogated the FeCN reductase activity, whereas mutations of Arg (R149), Phe (F44), Ser (S115), Trp (W119), Glu (E196), and Gln (Q131) affected the ferrireductase activity to some degree. These mutations may affect the heme coordination, ascorbate binding, and/or ferric substrate binding. Possible roles of these residues in lysosomal cytochrome b are discussed. This study demonstrates the ascorbate-dependent transmembrane ferrireductase activities of members of the mammalian cytochrome b(561) family of proteins.
Mudança e inovação educacional: notas para reflexão.

Este texto faz parte de uma serie de ensaios escritos no âmbito do Projeto Inovacoes Educacionais na America Latina, desenvolvido pela Unesco com diferentes paises da regiao. Tais ensaios representam um esforco para lancar luz sobre diferentes significados que podem ser atribuidos ao conceito de inovacao, de modo que possibilite que os grupos envolvidos com a tematica estabelecam, mediante consenso, um conjunto de referencias teoricas capazes de balizar a escolha e a analise das experiencias que sinalizam efetivas modificacoes nas praticas educativas.
Analysis of Covariance: A Delicate Instrument

. . we would emphasize that the analysis of variance [and covariance], like other statistical techniques, is not a mill which will grind out results automatically without, care or forethought on the part of the operator. It is a rather delicate instrument which can be called into play when precision is needed, but requires skill as well as enthusiasm to apply to the best advantage. The reader who roves among the literature of the subject will sometimes find elaborate analyses applied to data in order to prove something which was almost obvious from careful inspection right from the start; or he will find results stated without qualification as "significant" without any attempt at critical appreciation.
Structure of the Pauli and Correlation-Kinetic Components of the Kohn–Sham Exchange Potential at a Metal Surface

According to the rigorous physical interpretation of Kohn–Sham (KS) density-functional theory in terms of the components of the true wavefunction, the KS exchange potentialνKSx(r)=δEKSx[ρ]/δρ(r), whereEKSx[ρ] is the exchange energy functional, is the work done to move an electron in a conservative fieldR(r). This field comprises a component EKSx(r) representative of Pauli correlations and anotherZ(1)tc(r) that constitutespartof the correlation contribution to the kinetic energy. The field EKSx(r) is derived via Coulomb's law from the KS Fermi hole charge, and the fieldZ(1)tc(r) from the kinetic-energy-density tensor involving the first-order correction to the KS single-particle density matrix. For systems in which the curls of these component fields separately vanish, the potentialvKSx(r) is the sum of the work doneWKSx(r) andW(1)tc(r) in the fields EKSx(r) andZ(1)tc(r), respectively. In this paper we study the structure of the workWKSx(r) andW(1)tc(r) at a simple-metal surface as represented by the jellium and structureless-pseudopotential models for which the workWKSx(r) andW(1)tc(r) are separately path-independent. A general expression for the field EKSx(r) is derived in terms of momentum-space integrals of the electron orbitals. This enables its easy determination, and thereby determination of the potentialWKSx(r). The field expression further allows for the derivation of theexact analyticalasymptotic structure of the potentialWKSx(r) in the vacuum region, a result valid for thefully self-consistentlydetermined orbitals of both models. With the exact analytical asymptotic structure ofvKSx(r) in the vacuum known, that of the potentialW(1)tc(r) in this region is then determinedanalytically. As is the case forvKSx(r) which decays asymptotically in the vacuum as −αKS/x, the potentialsWKSx(r) andW(1)tc(r) also decay as −αW/xandα(1)tc/x, respectively, the decay coefficients depending upon the metal Fermi energy and barrier height. It is further shown that for metallic densities,WKSx(r) does not approach thevKSx(r) asymptotic metal-bulk value of (−kF/π), so thatWtc(1)(r) is also finite in this region. Thus, at a metal surface, the KS exchange potentialvKSx(r) comprises principally its Pauli componentWKSx(r), with the correlation-kinetic partW(1)tc(r) beingfiniteandlong-rangedin both the vacuum and metal-bulk regions, its contribution diminishing with increasing metal density.
Additive Interactions between Pairs of Polybrominated Dibenzo-p-dioxin, Dibenzofuran, and Biphenyl Congeners in a Rainbow Trout Early Life Stage Mortality Bioassay

Abstract Use of fish-specific toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) to estimate the risk that exposure to polybrominated dibenzo- p -dioxins (PBDDs), dibenzofurans (PBDFs), and biphenyls (PBBs) pose to fish early life stage survival depends on validation of the hypothesis that these chemicals act additively to produce mortality. A rainbow trout early life stage bioassay was used to determine how pairs of PBDD, PBDF, and PBB congeners interact to produce 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin (TCDD)-like toxicity associated with sac fry mortality. The congener pairs tested were 2,3,7,8-tetra- bromodibenzo- p -dioxin (2,3,7,8-TBDD)/1,2,3,7,8-pentabromodi- benzo p -dioxin (1,2,3,7,8-PBDD); 2,3,7,8-TBDD/1,2,3,7,8-penta- bromodibenzofuran (1,2,3,7,8-PBDF); 1,2,3,7,8-PBDD/2,3,4,7,8-pentabromodibenzofuran (2,3,4,7,8-PBDF); and 2,3,4,7,8-PBDF/3,3′,4,4′-tetrabromobiphenyl (3,3′,4,4′-TBB). Graded doses of each congener alone, or graded doses of fixed ratios of paired congeners were injected into newly fertilized rainbow trout eggs. In all cases, interactions between congener pairs were additive as tested by a probit model. Isobolographic analysis also supported the hypothesis that the PBDD, PBDF, and PBB congeners act additively. Thus, the use of fish-specific TEFs to convert fish tissue concentrations of individual PBDD, PBDF, and PBB congeners to TCDD equivalents (TEs) and then adding the TEs contributed by the various congeners to give the total TCDD equivalents concentration (TEC) in the tissue is supported by these results. By comparing the TEC in feral fish eggs to the fish egg TCDD no-observed-effect level (NOEL) and lowest-observed-effect level (LOEL) for early life stage mortality, the risk that complex mixtures of these polybrominated chemicals in eggs pose to sac fry survival can be estimated.
Trends in the production of highly charged ions

This paper will concentrate on the present state of the art of one type of highly charged ion sources used as injectors in cyclotrons and linacs, the electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS), summarizing general design principles and presenting technical innovations applied in the construction of this type of ion sources. In order to increase the performance of the ECRIS is necessary to increase the confinement time of the ions and the plasma density. The main ingredients to reach these goals are strong magnetic fields and high microwave frequencies. The continuous advance in the last three decades of the superconducting magnet technology was the main driving force in the spectacular development of these ion sources. Several projects under design or construction will be presented.
Liquid carbon in the lower mantle

Elemental carbon in the lower mantle might be a metallic liquid. If present in sufficient concentrations, this substance might promote the ascent of heat and matter from the deep mantle by locally increasing thermal conductivity and reducing viscosity. We propose that such carbon in the lower mantle induces mantle plumes.
Novel Uses of Thyroid Hormones in Patients with Affective Disorders

Hormones of the thyroid axis have been used to treat patients with any of several mental illnesses. However, in recent decades interest has focused almost exclusively on depression, though thyroid hormones, mainly thyroxine (T4), are used with lithium in rapid cycling bipolar disorder, a condition in which depression and mania rapidly alternate. In depression L-triiodothyronine (T3) has been used in preference to T4 because of its rapid onset and offset of action. In women starting treatment, T3 hastens the onset of therapeutic action of standard antidepressant drugs. It fails to do so in depressed men, who anyway respond faster than women to standard antidepressants. Standard drugs fail to produce satisfactory improvement in one-quarter to one-third of depressed patients. Then, in both men and women, T3 converts about two-thirds of drug failures to successes in rapid fashion. Lithium, which has antithyroid properties, produces a similar conversion rate. The majority of depressed patients are grossly euthyroid, but many show one or another subtle change in thyroid axis activity. However, the thyroid state of patients has not been matched systematically with their response to thyroid hormone augmentation. It seems likely that a tendency toward hypothyroidism can predispose to depression, but when depression occurs in a euthyroid patient, the thyroid axis is often invoked in the process of restitution.
Do Bugs Control Our Fate? The Influence of the Microbiome on Autoimmunity

Autoimmune disease has traditionally been thought to be due to the impact of environmental factors on genetically susceptible individuals causing immune dysregulation and loss of tolerance. However, recent literature has highlighted the importance of the microbiome, (a collective genome of microorganisms in a given niche) in immune homeostasis. Increasingly, it has been recognized that disruptions in the commensal microflora may lead to immune dysfunction and autoimmunity. This review summarizes recent studies investigating the interplay between the microbiome and immune-mediated organ-specific diseases. In particular, we review new findings on the role of the microbiome in inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, type I diabetes, and multiple sclerosis.
The agreement metric for labeled binary trees

Let S be a set of n objects. A binary tree of S is a binary tree whose leaves are labeled without repetition from S. The operation of pruning a tree T is that of removing some leaves from T and suppressing all inner vertices of degree 2 which are formed by this deletion. Given two trees T and U, an agreement tree is a tree that can be obtained from T as well as from U by pruning the fewest number of leaves from the two trees. A quadratic algorithm is presented for doing this and two metrics are defined based on agreement trees.
The Use of Spatial Statistics and Nuisance Variables in Estimating Parameters for Validating Models and Predictions

Estimation of parameters for nonlinear systems is often computationally expensive and slow to converge. The procedure is aggravated when parameters, other than those sought, are not known with precision. By using Bayesian estimation, it is possible to eliminate such nuisance variables, but often at considerable cost. Using response surface approaches is effective only a) for linear systems, b) when the initial guess is close to the final values. By using concepts from spatial statistics and incorporating nuisance variables, the convergence is improved and only a reduced number of computations need be performed. Spatial statistics also provides an efficient means for predictions.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
What’s truth got to do with it?

This paper offers a critique of mainstream formal semantics. It begins with a statement of widely assumed adequacy conditions: namely, that a good theory must (1) explain relations of entailment, (ii) show how the meanings of complex expressions derive from the meanings of their parts, and (iii) characterize facts of meaning in truth-theoretic terms. It then proceeds to criticize the orthodox conception of semantics that is articulated in these three desiderata. This critique is followed by a sketch of an alternative conception—one that is argued to be more in tune with the empirical objectives of linguistics and the clarificatory aims of philosophy. Finally, the paper proposes and defends a specific theoretical approach—use based rather than truth based—that is suggested by that alternative conception.
Reduced deposition and improved system performance of radiating system in presence of human head

At the end of 2005, there were more than 180 million wireless subscribers in the US and over 2 billion worldwide. Despite this incredible popularity, health concerns associated with mobile communication technology arose in the mid 1990s. Since that time, numerous studies and research activities have been executed and continue today. A major thrust of current research focuses on possible links between mobile phone use and certain types of cancers and tumors.This is the motivation to develop a method to design mobile communications antennas that simultaneously reduce the deposited energy on the user and achieve the needed performance. The specific goal of this work is to find the parameters of two or more Hertzian dipoles located on a equi-radius Gaussian surface that significantly reduces the deposited energy within the head model, while, at the same time, provide adequate farfield performance. This was accomplished by; simplifying the forward solving problem by using a layered sphere as a "head" model, taking advantage of the spherical symmetry of the problem and utilizing a non-linear optimization package to find the parameters of two or more dipoles that reduce the deposited energy in the head and provide for adequate farfield performance.
John Paul II's vision of the social economy

Purpose – John Paul II's views on economic systems have been construed differently by some commentators who have been seeking approval for their own views rather than searching for the meaning that he himself intends to convey. John Paul is labeled by many as favoring capitalism, and by others as supporting socialism. A few have been scrutinizing his statements in hopes of finding support for a “third‐way.” In this paper, John Paul is quoted at length to represent his views more accurately.Design/methodology/approach – This paper originated in a collection of essays on the theme of John Paul II's vision of the social economy that was published by the International Journal of Social Economics in fall 1998. This author is indebted to the contributors to that collection for many insights into John Paul's vision. Eight topics are covered: consumption, distribution, capital investment, work as such, leisure, labor, development, and market economy versus command economy. This paper uses many more direct quotes ...
Herbivore-infested plants selectively attract parasitoids

1-3 . Here we use chemical and behavioural assays to show that these plant emissions can transmit herbivore-specific infor- mation that is detectable by parasitic wasps (parasitoids). Tobacco, cotton and maize plants each produce distinct volatile blends in response to damage by two closely related herbivore species, Heliothis virescens and Helicoverpa zea. The specialist parasitic wasp Cardiochiles nigriceps exploits these differences to distinguish infestation by its host, H. virescens, from that by H. zea. The production by phylogenetically diverse plant species and the exploitation by parasitoids of highly specific chemical signals, keyed to individual herbivore species, indicates that the interaction between plants and the natural enemies of the herbi- vores that attack them is more sophisticated than previously realized. Herbivore-induced plant signals are important for the foraging success of parasitoids and for the plants' defence 3-8 . The production and release of volatiles is triggered at least in part by substance(s) in the oral secretion of herbivores 2,9 ; in cotton, this is known to be an active process in which several terpenoids are synthesized de novo in response to insect feeding 10 . The chemical composition of released volatiles varies among plant tissues (cotton leaves, flowers and bolls, for example) 11 , varieties 12 and cultivars 13 . Although volatile emis-
Soluble-E-Cadherin Activates HER and IAP Family Members in HER2+ and TNBC Human Breast Cancers

Recent literature suggests that sEcad exerts pro-oncogenic effects, possibly acting as a ligand for the human epidermal growth factor family. Here we show that sEcad is a novel candidate protein for drug targeting since it is increased in human and mouse HER2-positive (HER2+) breast tumors, MMTV-PyMT bodily fluids and human cell culture systems. Mechanistically, we show that endogenous sEcad, and to a lesser extent membrane-bound E-cadherin, associates with HER1, HER2, and HER3 in human and MMTV-PyMT mouse HER2+ tumors and with HER1 in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) specimens. Furthermore, addition of exogenous recombinant human E-cadherin/Fc chimeric protein (rhEcad/Fc; sEcad) to HER2+ MCF-7, SKBR3, and HER2-negative MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells, resulted in sEcad-HER receptor family interactions, activation of HER1-4 and downstream pro-survival signaling, including the MAPK-PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways and IAP family members. Lastly, we demonstrate that sEcad exerts pro-oncogenic effects via HER signaling, and acts additively with the HER ligand EGF to promote HER2+ breast cancer proliferation and migration, as well as TNBC invasion. Because sEcad associates and activates many of the oncogenic pathways that tumors utilize for growth and survival and serum levels in patients correlates with clinical response, suggests that targeted therapy against sEcad in combination with other therapies may potentially offer a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of breast cancers.
Secondary System Distribution Planning for Load Growth

A computer program which determines growth patterns and characteristics of secondary distribution systems under the influences of time and load growth is described. New methods of considering the basic load characteristics of customers are employed to determine accurate system costs for future years for all growth paths permitted by specified design changes. Using present worth arithmetic, comparisons of these costs are made to determine the schedules of design changes which will result in greatest economy for the system studied.
Rate Limitations of Unitary Event Analysis

Unitary event analysis is a new method for detecting episodes of synchronized neural activity (Riehle, Gruun, Diesmann, & Aertsen, 1997). It detects time intervals that contain coincident firing at higher rates than would be expected if the neurons fired as independent inhomogeneous Poisson processes; all coincidences in such intervals are called unitary events (UEs). Changes in the frequency of UEs that are correlated with behavioral states may indicate synchronization of neural firing that mediates or represents the behavioral state. We show that UE analysis is subject to severe limitations due to the underlying discrete statistics of the number of coincident events. These limitations are particularly stringent for low (0--10 spikes/s) firing rates. Under these conditions, the frequency of UEs is a random variable with a large variation relative to its mean. The relative variation decreases with increasing firing rate, and we compute the lowest firing rate, at which the 95% confidence interval around the mean frequency of UEs excludes zero. This random variation in UE frequency makes interpretation of changes in UEs problematic for neurons with low firing rates. As a typical example, when analyzing 150 trials of an experiment using an averaging window 100 ms wide and a 5ms coincidence window, firing rates should be greater than 7 spikes per second.