cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Accelerated Host Metabolism of L-Thyroxine During Acute Infection: Role of the Leukocyte and Peripheral Leukocytosis

Metabolism of thyroid hormones is accelerated during acute infection in man and in experimental animals. The pathogenetic mechanisms mediating this phenomenon are uncertain, but activated leukocytes of the infected host have been implicated as potentially important sites of hormone degradation. The present studies were conducted in an attempt to assess the in vivo contribution of leukocytes and peripheral leukocytosis to the enhancement of L-thyroxine (T4) clearance seen during infection, and to evaluate further the possible roles of fever and of changes in the extracellular binding of T4. In 10 rhesus monkeys inoculated with virulent yellow fever (YF) virus, peripheral disposal of T4 was significantly accelerated (2-fold) during the febrile phase of the illness. This experimental viral infection was not accompanied by neutrophilic leukocytosis nor by detectable changes in serum free T4 levels, suggesting that neither an increased circulating neutrophil mass nor diminished extracellular binding of T4 cont...
Introduction to the Special Issue of Social Development: Emotion Socialization in Childhood and Adolescence

This Special Issue of Social Development focuses on social contextual influences that shape emotional repertoires for those in middle childhood and adolescence. Acknowledging a broad array of potential influences, the emphasis of this issue is on family emotional processes. Research advances over the past two decades have contributed considerably to our knowledge of maternal practices in shaping emotion in infants and young children (for recent reviews refer to Denham, Bassett, & Wyatt, 2006 and Eisenberg, Cumberland, & Spinrad, 1998; and a special issue of Marriage and Family Review edited by Fabes,Valiente, & Leonard, 2002).Yet, there continues to be a paucity of research examining parents’ role in socializing emotional behavior in older children, particularly during the adolescent years. The collection of manuscripts in this Special Issue represents a significant step in addressing this gap in our knowledge. In this Introduction we provide an overview of some of the central themes that unify this body of research including salient adaptive and maladaptive developmental processes relevant to emotion socialization with older children and the conceptual and methodological issues that are centrally relevant to this topic of inquiry. Recent empirical advances and conceptual developments in the field are highlighted with recommendations for future research integrated throughout.
Plasminogen activator activity by cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells.

Abstract This communication reports the observations that bovine aortic endothelial cells (EC) in culture during their log phase of growth secrete plasminogen activator. Hydrocortisone, dibutyryl cAMP, theophylline, colchicine and cycloheximide, dependent upon concentration, inhibit plasminogen activator activity. Several substances associated with inflammation and thrombosis, such as thrombin, serotonin,catecholomines, histamine, vasopressin, endotoxin, and indomethacin, at the concentrations tested, did not significantly alter plasminogen activator activity when compared with controls.
Who Chased Out the “Chili Queens”? Gender, Race, and Urban Reform in San Antonio, Texas, 1880–1943

From time immemorial San Antonio was famed for its “chili queens.” Then, in 1937, with an election coming on, Mayor Charles Kennon Quin conceived a sudden passion for civic reform. His city health officer announced that the chili stands were unsanitary (as if any germ could survive in a bath of salsa piquante) and his burly police ran them off the streets. 1
Fiscal year-end and non-lateral auditor switches

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential effect of busy season resource constraints on the selection of a new auditor, conditioned upon the status of the prior auditor. Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs multivariate logistic regressions for a sample of firms that changed auditors between 1979 and 2005 to explore the empirical correlations between having a December fiscal year-end (FYE) and non-lateral switches. Findings – The paper finds that non-BigN clients with December FYEs are less likely to switch to BigN auditors than those with non-December FYEs prior to the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX). This trend subsides after SOX. For firms with BigN predecessor auditors, fiscal year-end appears to have insignificant influence on auditor switching. Research limitations/implications – The findings suggest that upwardly mobile clients face greater audit supply constraints compared to clients already being audited by a BigN firm during the traditional busy season....
Ionization Energies and Dyson Orbitals of 1,2-Dithiin

Photoelectron spectra of 1,2-dithiin are assigned with ab initio electron propagator calculations of vertical ionization energies and corresponding Dyson orbitals. Close agreement with experimental peaks obtains for the first nine final states. Dyson orbitals for the first three vertical ionization energies are composed chiefly of sulfur 3p and butadiene π fragment orbitals. Constructive interference between the second highest occupied π orbital of butadiene and sulfur 3p orbitals is seen in the Dyson orbitals pertaining to the fourth and seventh ionization energies. Weak σ bonding between sulfur atoms is found in the Dyson orbital for the fifth final state.
Effects of embryonic CO2 exposure on the adult ventilatory response in quail: does gender matter?

Abstract To test the hypothesis that the adult ventilatory response to CO 2 can be modified by exposure to CO 2 during development, we exposed Japanese quail ( Coturnix japonica ) from two populations to 2% CO 2 throughout embryonic development. The ventilatory response to 6% CO 2 was subsequently measured in control and CO 2 -exposed quail following a 6–9 week deacclimation period. In one population of quail, CO 2 -exposed female, but not male, quail had a reduced ventilatory response to 6% CO 2 as adults ( P 2 -exposed quail had similar ventilation while breathing air, CO 2 -exposed females exhibited a 26% reduction in mean ventilation at 6% CO 2 , primarily due to a reduced tidal volume. In contrast, the identical incubation treatment had no effect on the ventilation of either gender in a second population of quail. It appears that developmental plasticity in the hypercapnic ventilatory response may generally be greater in females, although this conclusion may vary depending on genetic factors.
Congruence Between Gender Stereotypes and Activity Preference in Self-Identified Tomboys and Non-Tomboys

The major goal was to examine a central tenet of cognitive approaches to gender development, namely, that congruence exists between personal gender stereotypes and behaviors. Item-by-item comparisons of girls' stereotypes about activities and their preferences for activities were conducted, for both girls who claimed to be tomboys and those who did not. Congruence was expected for all girls, but because of their gender non-normative interests, tomboys may exhibit less congruence. A secondary goal was to examine factors that might influence congruence, specifically, whether tomboys develop more inclusive stereotypes and develop greater understanding of stereotype variability. Participants included 112 girls (7-12 years old, M age=9). Girls were interviewed about their activity preferences, beliefs about girls' and boys' activity preferences, understanding variability of stereotypes, and identification as tomboys. Tomboys (30% of the sample) and non-tomboys did not differ in their liking of or in the number of liked feminine activities. However, tomboys showed more interest in masculine activities than non-tomboys. Tomboys and non-tomboys did not differ in stereotype inclusiveness, although tomboys showed a trend toward more inclusive stereotypes. Both groups showed high levels of congruence between stereotypes and preferences. Congruence was stronger for nontomboys (14 times more likely to exhibit responses congruent with stereotypes vs. incongruent ones), as compared to tomboys who were four times more likely to exhibit responses congruent with stereotypes versus incongruent ones. Implications of these findings for cognitive approaches to gender development are discussed.
Loss of chromosome 8p sequences in human breast carcinoma cell lines

Cytogenetic and molecular analyses of human breast cancer cells have identified consistent losses of specific chromosomal regions in these tumors, suggesting that such regions harbor tumor suppressor genes whose homozygous loss or inactivation directly contributes to tumorigenesis. To date, deletions of chromosome 8 sequences have been described infrequently and only in low percentages of breast carcinomas. We report the identification of a new DNA marker on chromosome 8p that is deleted in 6 (75%) of 8 breast carcinoma cell lines and in 1 primary breast carcinoma examined. No deletion of this marker was detected in any normal or nonbreast carcinoma cell lines analyzed. Southern blot and fluorescence in situ hybridization studies indicate that this clone maps to chromosome 8 between bands p12 and p21. These observations suggest that a new gene, whose loss or inactivation may foster breast carcinoma tumorigenesis, may reside in this chromosome 8p region.
LET MANY FLOWERS BLOOM

In this rich and sensible assessment of historians' practice and prospects, Allan Megill focuses on the obligation that historians have to support their accounts with evidence. He does this, first, by illustrating the difference between real and merely claimed evidence and, then, by giving an analysis of the underlying nature of evidence in historical accounts. Turning later to the question of how historians and their public should feel about diminishing unity (fragmentation) in historiography and the practices that generate it, Megill explains the sources of fragmentation and then argues that it doesn't matter whether historians are doing the same thing and/or doing it in the same way. What matters, rather, is whether they are doing interesting things and doing them well.
A new laser vorticity probe - LAVOR: Its development and validation in a turbulent boundary layer

Vorticity measurements, which are scarce at the present time, can provide valuable dynamical information, particularly in unsteady and separated flows. Advances in laser Doppler anemometry and optical techniques have furnished the opportunity for the development of a non-intrusive vorticity probe with very fine spatial and temporal resolutions. The laser vorticity probe (LAVOR), which makes use of minimal laser beams and optical components, is capable of measuring velocity gradients with a separation distances as small as 0.3 mm. Velocity gradients are measured using two points on the same probe volume. However, unlike other techniques, the LAVOR also provides the instantaneous velocity at each point in the probe volume, and so provides additional dynamical information. The LAVOR probe was used in a fully turbulent two-dimensional boundary layer, and the data obtained are compared with the existing hot-wire vorticity data obtained in the same wind tunnel facility and with data obtained in other facilities. The spatial resolution is of the order of three Kolmogorov microscale units.
Numerical solution of the Vlasov equation with the accurate space derivative method

Abstract A numerical procedure is described for the solution of the Vlasov-Poisson system of equations in two and three phase-space variables. In this approach the distribution function is represented over a computational mesh. Time integration is done by advancing the distribution in real phase space as in finite difference methods. However, the derivatives with respect to all the phase-space variables are computed by finite Fourier transform methods. Truncation errors are principally due to time discretization, and are controlled by the choice of the time step. As for the phase-space variables, the accuracy of the computation is determined by the harmonic content of the distribution function, since contributions due to coupling between Fourier modes are computed with high accuracy. The numerical method has been tested on linear and nonlinear problems, and our results agree remarkably well with those obtained from the Fourier-Hermite method. However, for comparable overall accuracy, the present method is about ten times more efficient (CPU time) than the Fourier-Hermite method in some of the examples discussed in this paper.
Cation binding by valinomycin and trinactin at the air-water interface: Cooperativity in cation binding by valinomycin

Abstract A previous communication reported the uptake of monovalent cations by a valinomycin monolayer at the air-water interface (Colacicco, G., Gordon, E. E. and Berchenko, G. (1968) Biophys. J. 8,22a). A similar study has been done with trinactin. As in the case of valinomycin, an elevated surface potential is obtained when the cation-ionophore complex is formed. A surface potential of 0.82 V was obtained for the trinactin-cation complex, as compared with 0.54 V for uncomplexed trinactin. The observed cation selectivity NH4+ > K+ > Rb+ > Cs+, Na+ and Li+ is in agreement with partition and bilayer conductance experiments. A minimum packing area of 130 A2 obtained for the trinactin-cation complex was in excellent agreement with the 125 A2 predicted from space filling models, reinforcing the suggestion that area-per-molecule calculations obtained at the air-wate interface can provide useful information on the molecular dimensions of these hydrophobic, relatively low molecular weight transport antibiotics. Comparison of the data obtained previously with valinomycin and with trinactin revealed two striking differences: (1) a large inflection in the force-area curve concurrent with cation binding and indicative of a conformational change was obtained with valinomycin,, but no evidence was found with trinactin; (2) the uptake of cations by trinactin could be predicted by simple equilibrium expressions, but the uptake of cations by valinomycin was strongly cooperative. Possible mechanisms for this cooperative association fo cations are discussed.
Memory and Hypothesis in Solving Alternation Problems with Random Competition

Three experiments are described dealing with solution attempts for single, double, and quadruple alternations in one or two of three possible symbol-sequence classification dimensions. Results showed that alternation length did not alter solution difficulty. The conclusion is formulated that the way in which Ss tackled alternation problems could not lead to solutions on the basis of “reading off” from memory or learning on an incremental basis. Therefore the concept of an hypothesis must be brought in to account for Ss with incomplete evidence often obtaining successful solutions and yet not differing in problem-solving approach from nonsolvers. There is also some indication that single alternation may be easier than double alternation when coding of symbol sequences is most straightforward, but there is no indication of any circumstances that favor double over quadruple alternation.
Towards a theoretical framework for the comparative understanding of globalisation, higher education, the labour market and inequality

This paper is a theoretical examination of three major empirical trends that affect many people: globalisation, increasingly close relations between higher education (HE) and labour markets, and in...
Elastic strain energy of inhomogeneous solids

A two-phase elastically inhomogeneous coherent mixture of two phases with the transformation-induced crystal lattice misfit is considered under the loaded and unloaded conditions. It is assumed that the constituent phases particles, composing the mixture, have the structural pattern of an arbitrary morphology but the system is macroscopically homogeneous. It is shown that the microstructure-dependent part of the strain energy in the loaded and unloaded conditions is described by the same equations with a minor modification of constants. This allows us to use the theory for a characterization of coarsening under applied stress. The theory that formulates the phase transformation-induced strain energy in terms of the interaction between finite elements of the constituent phases is proposed. It is shown that the strain energy of the system can be presented as a sum of multiparticle interactions between finite elements of the constituent phases, pairwise, triplet, quadruplet, and so on, the $n$-particle interaction energy being related to the $(n\ensuremath{-}2)\mathrm{th}$ order term in the Taylor expansion of the Green function with respect to the elastic modulus misfit. Particularly, the zeroth order term in such an expansion corresponding to the homogeneous modulus case is related to the pairwise interaction between finite elements. The applicability and accuracy of the effective elastic media approximation are discussed.
Ionospheric Total Electron Content Behaviour during Geomagnetic Storms

This article describes a new study of the total content storm effects and gives the first set of average storm patterns for the mid-latitude ionosphere.
Optimizing Pharmacodynamic Target Attainment Using the MYSTIC Antibiogram: Data Collected in North America in 2002

The OPTAMA Program is intended to examine typical antimicrobial regimens used in the treatment of common nosocomial pathogens and the likelihood of these regimens attaining appropriate pharmacodynamic exposure in different parts of the world. A 5,000-subject Monte Carlo simulation was used to estimate pharmacodynamic target attainment for meropenem, imipenem, ceftazidime, cefepime, piperacillin-tazobactam, and ciprofloxacin against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Standard dosing regimens from North America were used. Pharmacokinetic parameter variability was derived from existing healthy volunteer data, and MIC data came from the 2002 MYSTIC Program. Ciprofloxacin displayed the lowest target attainment against all bacterial species (41 to 46% for A. baumannii, 53 to 59% for P. aeruginosa, and 80 to 85% for the Enterobacteriaceae). Increasing the dose to 400 mg every 8 h did not significantly increase target attainment against nonfermenters. Piperacillin-tazobactam target attainments were similar to that of ceftazidime against all pathogens. Higher doses of both compounds were needed to achieve better target attainments against P. aeruginosa. Overall, meropenem, imipenem, and cefepime attained the highest probabilities of attainment against the Enterobacteriaceae (99 to 100%). The carbapenems appear to be the most useful agents against A. baumannii (88 to 92%), and these agents, along with higher doses of any of the β-lactams, would be the most appropriate choices for empirical therapy for P. aeruginosa infection. Given the lack of agreement between percent susceptibility and probability of target attainment for certain antimicrobial regimens, a methodology employing stochastic pharmacodynamic analyses may be a more useful tool for differentiating the most-optimal compounds and dosing regimens in the clinical setting of initial empirical therapy.
Gamma rays /250 keV-2.3 MeV/ from NP 0532

WE wish to report preliminary results of a search for a pulsating gamma ray flux from the pulsar NP 0532 between energies of 250 keV and 2·3 MeV. The experiment, similar to that of Hillier and coworkers1, leads to a considerably lower pulsed power than reported previously, and is consistent with an extrapolation of pulsed spectra measured below 200 keV.
Women in Recovery Their Perceptions of Treatment Effectiveness

Research with chemically dependent women over the past two decades indicates that women substance abusers have special characteristics and needs that warrant gender-sensitive drug-treatment approaches. While the potential benefit of such treatment seems clear, little empirical data is available on how women perceive the effectiveness of gender-sensitive specialized drug treatment. This article presents findings from an exploratory study of the present and past treatment experiences of 24 women in recovery. Results indicate that while some specialized services such as child care and women-only therapy groups are increasingly available, many drug-treatment programs fail to provide these services in a context which supports and promotes women. As a result, women in drug treatment continue to experience negative stereotyping and sexual harassment as their gender-specific needs remain ignored, silenced, or deemed pathological. Major gaps in drug treatment for women are discussed as are implications for the provision of effective gender-sensitive treatment.
A new morphological algorithm for fusing ultrasonic and eddy current images

This paper describes a new algorithm for fusing ultrasonic and eddy current images employing morphological image processing techniques. The fusion is accomplished in two stages. The first stage employs morphological approaches to reduce unwanted artifacts such as speckle noise in the ultrasonic image. In addition to achieving this goal, information about the locations and boundaries of defects contained in the ultrasonic image is also extracted. The second stage aims to fuse the data from the two images by combining information relating to the locations and boundaries of the defect obtained from the ultrasonic data with the defect depth data derived from the eddy current image. The validity of the approach is demonstrated using several ultrasonic and eddy current images.
Jet conversions in a quark-gluon plasma

We report our recent work on conversions between gluon and quark jets as they traverse through a quark-gluon plasma (QGP) and their effects on the nuclear modification factors for quark and gluon jets as well as the ratios of p/p+ and $\bar{p}$/p- at high transverse momentum in ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions.
Human amyloid β-induced neuroinflammation is an early event in neurodegeneration

Using a human amyloid beta (Abeta) intracerebroventricular infusion mouse model of Alzheimer's disease-related injury, we previously demonstrated that systemic administration of a glial activation inhibitor could suppress neuroinflammation, prevent synaptic damage, and attenuate hippocampal-dependent behavioral deficits. We report that Abeta-induced neuroinflammation is an early event associated with onset and progression of pathophysiology, can be suppressed by the glial inhibitor over a range of intervention start times, and is amenable to suppression without inhibiting peripheral tissue inflammatory responses. Specifically, hippocampal neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration occur in close time proximity at 4-6 weeks after the start of infusion. Intraperitoneal administration of inhibitor for 2-week intervals starting at various times after initiation of Abeta infusion suppresses progression of pathophysiology. The glial inhibitor is a selective suppressor of neuroinflammation, in that it does not block peripheral tissue production of proinflammatory cytokines or markers of B- and T-cell activation after a systemic lipopolysaccharide challenge. These results support a causal link between neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, have important implications for future therapeutic development, and provide insight into the relative time window for targeting neuroinflammation with positive neurological outcomes.
Sub-micron parallel laser direct-write

Abstract We have developed a modified laser induced forward transfer (LIFT) technique which allows for the parallel deposition of hundreds of sub-micron features. The approach utilizes a self-assembled monolayer of monodisperse polystyrene microspheres as the focusing element. A monolayer of close-packed microspheres is formed on top of an ultra-thin quartz support (25 μm thick), and a metallic thin film is then deposited on the underside of the quartz. This approach is different from previous parallel microsphere-assisted LIFT experiments that required the deposition of metal directly onto the surface of the periodic microsphere structure. For this study, an 800 nm, 130 fs laser pulse was directed toward the microsphere layer to focus the incident laser beam through the thin quartz layer to the quartz–metal interface. At this interface, a portion of the thin metal film was ablated directly below each microsphere, resulting in an array of holes in the thin metal film. The metal removed from the film was patterned onto a receiving substrate to form an array of discrete deposits. In some cases, a two layer thin film was utilized resulting in the forward transfer of bilayer metal features. The holes and deposited features were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and scanning Auger electron spectroscopy. The diameter of the holes (0.5–5 μm) as well as the diameter (0.9–5 μm) and quality of the deposited metallic features were modulated by varying the sphere size, incident laser energy, and material composition.
Marketing sophistication in private sawmilling companies in the United States

Recent research in the field of marketing documents a shift from a production–sales orientation to a customer–market–stakeholder orientation. However, there is no systematic investigation of market...
The brain in the age of old: The hippocampal formation is targeted differentially by diseases of late-life

Objective—To rely on the anatomical organization of the hippocampal formation to understand how late-life diseases such as diabetes and stroke contribute to age-related cognitive decline. Methods—Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to document brain infarcts and to generate high-resolution functional maps of the hippocampal formation in 240 community-based nondemented elders (mean age=79.7) who received a comprehensive medical evaluation. Sixty participants had type 2 diabetes mellitus while 74 had MRI-documented brain infarcts, and the first analysis was designed to pinpoint hippocampal subregions differentially linked to each disorder. Then, guided by the results, additional fMRI studies in aging rhesus monkeys and mice were used to test proposed mechanisms of dysfunction. Results—Although both diabetes and brain infarcts were associated with hippocampal dysfunction, each was linked to separate hippocampal subregions, suggesting distinct underlying mechanisms. The hippocampal subregion linked to diabetes implicated blood glucose as a pathogenic mechanism, a hypothesis confirmed by imaging aging rhesus monkeys and a mouse model of diabetes. The hippocampal subregion linked to infarcts suggested transient hypoperfusion as a pathogenic mechanism, a hypothesis provisionally confirmed by comparing anatomical patterns across subjects with infarcts in different vascular territories. Interpretation—Taken together with previous findings, these results clarify how diseases of latelife differentially target the hippocampal formation, identify causes that contribute to age-related cognitive decline, and suggest specific interventions that can preserve cognitive health.
Exploring the Effectiveness of Business Gifts: A Controlled Field Experiment

To measure the effectiveness of business gifts, a controlled field experiment was designed to isolate the attitudinal and behavioral intent effects of business gift giving by an actual company and its customers. Customers were randomly assigned to experimental groups, (who received a business card file) and control groups (who received no business gift) according to a Solomon four-group design. Mail questionnaires were utilized to collect data on respondent attitudes toward four product attributes (price, quality, service, and delivery) across three product lines, and on customers’ likelihood to contact the donor company versus the majority of its major competitors., Consistent with the reciprocal intent of business gift giving, the results indicate the ability of business gifts to work in synergy with the other elements of an organization’s marketing communications program.
Expression of sodium channels Nav1.2 and Nav1.6 during postnatal development of the retina

During the second and third postnatal weeks, there is a developmental switch from sodium channel isoform Nav1.2 to isoform Nav1.6 at initial segments and nodes of Ranvier in rat retinal ganglion cells. We used quantitative, real-time PCR to determine if the developmental appearance of Nav1.6 channels is accompanied by an increase in steady-state level of Nav1.6 mRNA in the retina. Between postnatal day 2 (P2) and P10, Nav1.6 levels did not change, but between P10 and P19, there was an approximately three-fold increase in Nav1.6 transcript levels. This coincides with the appearance of Nav1.6 channels in the retina and optic nerve. The steady-state level of Nav1.2 mRNA also increased during this same period, which suggests that the rise in Nav1.6 may be part of a general increase in sodium channel transcripts at about the time of eye opening at P14. The results are consistent with a developmental increase in steady-state transcripts giving rise to a corresponding increase in sodium channel protein expression.
Physically interacting with four dimensions

People have long been fascinated with understanding the fourth dimension. While making pictures of 4D objects by projecting them to 3D can help reveal basic geometric features, 3D graphics images by themselves are of limited value. For example, just as 2D shadows of 3D curves may have lines crossing one another in the shadow, 3D graphics projections of smooth 4D topological surfaces can be interrupted where one surface intersects another. The research presented here creates physically realistic models for simple interactions with objects and materials in a virtual 4D world. We provide methods for the construction, multimodal exploration, and interactive manipulation of a wide variety of 4D objects. One basic achievement of this research is to exploit the free motion of a computer-based haptic probe to support a continuous motion that follows the local continuity of a 4D surface, allowing collision-free exploration in the 3D projection. In 3D, this interactive probe follows the full local continuity of the surface as though we were in fact physically touching the actual static 4D object. Our next contribution is to support dynamic 4D objects that can move, deform, and collide with other objects as well as with themselves. By combining graphics, haptics, and collision-sensing physical modeling, we can thus enhance our 4D visualization experience. Since we cannot actually place interaction devices in 4D, we develop fluid methods for interacting with a 4D object in its 3D shadow image using adapted reduced-dimension 3D tools for manipulating objects embedded in 4D. By physically modeling the correct properties of 4D surfaces, their bending forces, and their collisions in the 3D interactive or haptic controller interface, we can support full-featured physical exploration of 4D mathematical objects in a manner that is otherwise far beyond the real-world experience accessible to human beings.
Special education in Turkey

Special education has been gaining intense attention from governments and educators throughout the world. As a developing country, and official candidate for the European Union, Turkey has been working on issues related to special education provision and inclusive education to improve the quality of services for citizens with disabilities. This article presents the developments and current status of special education in Turkey. The purpose of this paper is to describe the structure of the special education system in Turkey and current developments within the special education field. Topics include a brief history of special education services, an overview of special education laws and regulations, as well as a summary of efforts around inclusion and current directions in teacher training. We conclude by noting several challenges in the ongoing improvement of the quality of special education in Turkey.
Ligand responses of Vfr, the virulence factor regulator from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Vfr, a transcription factor homologous to the Escherichia coli cyclic AMP (cAMP) receptor protein (CRP), regulates many aspects of virulence in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Vfr, like CRP, binds to cAMP and then recognizes its target DNA and activates transcription. Here we report that Vfr has important functional differences from CRP in terms of ligand sensing and response. First, Vfr has a significantly higher cAMP affinity than does CRP, which might explain the mysteriously unidirectional functional complementation between the two proteins (S. E. H. West et al., J. Bacteriol. 176:7532-7542, 1994). Second, Vfr is activated by both cAMP and cGMP, while CRP is specific to cAMP. Mutagenic analyses show that Thr133 (analogous to Ser128 of CRP) is the key residue for both of these distinct Vfr properties. On the other hand, substitutions that cause cAMP-independent activity in Vfr are similar to those seen in CRP, suggesting that a common cAMP activation mechanism is present. In the course of these analyses, we found a remarkable class of Vfr variants that have completely reversed the regulatory logic of the protein: they are active in DNA binding without cAMP and are strongly inhibited by cAMP. The physiological impact of Vfr's ligand sensing and response is discussed, as is a plausible basis for the fundamental change in protein allostery in the novel group of Vfr variants.
Asymptotic stability of m-switched systems using Lyapunov functions

An investigation of asymptotic stability of m-switched systems based on Lyapunov functions is given. An m-switched system is a system x.=A/sub ik/x where A/sub ik/ in (A/sub 1/,. . .,A/sub m/) and i/sub k/ is an index from a switching sequence, i.e., control is achieved by switching between possible A/sub i/-matrices. The authors consider questions such as: existence of regions, called Omega -regions, where the m-switched system energy decreases as measured by Lyapunov functions associated with these regions; inclusion of one Omega -region by another; coverage of the state-space by the totality of these regions; and structural conditions on the time derivatives of the Lyapunov functions so that this state-space coverage can be accomplished. Answering these questions is necessary to satisfy a theorem and its associated conditions for asymptotic stability of an m-switched system. >
AN INTEGRATED MORPHOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL STUDY OF A PURIFIED PREPARATION OF THE SUCCINATE AND DPNH OXIDASE SYSTEM

Electron micrographs of a purified succinate and DPNH oxidase system prepared from heart muscle reveal that it has a vesicular appearance and is membranous in nature. In keeping with its vesicular appearance is the fact that light scattering by this preparation shows marked changes as the molarity of the suspending medium is altered. Treatment of this preparation with 0.5 per cent deoxycholate solutions removes a large part of the lipide material, which comprises almost half of the dry weight of the preparation. The residue, which still contains the "core" of the cytochrome electron transmitter system, as shown by spectroscopic and enzymatic experiments, is still structured and is membranous in morphological appearance. It is concluded that the enzyme preparation is largely composed of fragmented mitochondrial membranes, and some of the consequences of the localization of the succinate and DPNH oxidase systems in or on these membranes are discussed.
Indications and practice with androgen deprivation therapy.

The Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urological Research Endeavor (CaPSURE) is an ongoing longitudinal observational study of current trends in prostate cancer staging and treatment across a spectrum of different treatment facilities in the United States. To date, the study has documented 2 principal findings: (a) a large variation exists in the treatment choices applied to similar patient presentations across the range of facility type, size, and geographic location in the United States; and (b) although it does not seem to make much difference in mortality outcomes which approach—hormonal therapy, radiotherapy, or surgery—is applied to men at low or intermediate risk, a survival benefit exists with surgery for men at high risk.
THEORY AND RESEARCH ON DESISTANCE FROM ANTISOCIAL ACTIVITY AMONG SERIOUS ADOLESCENT OFFENDERS

Improving juvenile court decision making requires information about how serious adolescent offenders desist from antisocial activity. A systematic research agenda on this topic requires consideration of several processes, including normative development in late adolescence, what constitutes desistance, and the factors likely to promote the end of involvement in antisocial behavior and successful adjustment in early adulthood. This article presents an overview of the major points to consider in pursuing this research agenda.
A Spatial and Temporal Autocorrelated Growth Model for City Rank—Size Distribution:

Rank—size distribution has been an important tool in characterising and analysing city size distributions across spatial and temporal scales. Zipf’s law in city rank—size distribution has been obse...
Impact of Proposed Burlington and Hamilton Sewage Discharges in Western Lake Ontario

The alternate strategy of open-lake discharge may alleviate the need for unusually stringent treatment needed to meet water quality goals of the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan (RAP). The latest update of the RAP recommended a study of the possibility of offshore discharges. A study conducted for the City of Burlington has proposed a location for outfall in Lake Ontario. This paper utilizes a combination of physical limnological data and mathematical models to predict the waste plume characteristics for the proposed outfall in the lake. Near-field dilutions obtained from a mixing zone model show that, for treated effluents with a discharge condition of 2 m 3 /s at the proposed outfall site at Burlington, the dilution ratios are in the range of 13:1 to 28:1 for weak to moderate currents during summer stratification. Winter dilution ratios increased to 21:1 to 96:1 for moderate currents. The recommended site for openlake outfall provides acceptable near-field dilutions for treated effluents under typical lake currents and density structure. The extension of outfall to a location farther offshore is only marginally beneficial. With the proposed Burlington outfall location and discharge conditions, no far-field contamination is observed near the beaches or nearby water intakes for typical summer and winter conditions. Thus, this study indicates that by discharging the treated sewage from an outfall in Lake Ontario it is possible to achieve the Hamilton Harbour RAP goals.
Ensemble feature selection: consistent descriptor subsets for multiple QSAR models.

Selecting a small subset of descriptors from a large pool to build a predictive quantitative structure−activity relationship (QSAR) model is an important step in the QSAR modeling process. In general, subset selection is very hard to solve, even approximately, with guaranteed performance bounds. Traditional approaches employ deterministic or stochastic methods to obtain a descriptor subset that leads to an optimal model of a single type (such as linear regression or a neural network). With the development of ensemble modeling approaches, multiple models of differing types are individually developed resulting in different descriptor subsets for each model type. However, it is advantageous, from the point of view of developing interpretable QSAR models, to have a single set of descriptors that can be used for different model types. In this paper, we describe an approach to the selection of a single, optimal, subset of descriptors for multiple model types. We apply this approach to three data sets, covering ...
Slow and Persistent Viral Infections

There are two types of viral infections that bring about chronic, progressive, and usually fatal diseases involving the central nervous system (CNS). Each of them poses problems in meeting the postulates of causation thus far discussed. One type is caused by a unique group of viruses with no detectable immune response. These viruses are called “slow viruses” or “lentiviruses” because of the long period between exposure and the appearance of clinical disease, which presumably reflects the primary incubation or multiplication time for the agents. The second type of infection is caused by a group of several common and ubiquitous viruses that affect the brain several years after the primary infection and that are associated with an aberrant immune response. The two groups will be discussed separately because they require different criteria to establish a causal relationship between the virus and the disease. Certain members of the retrovirus family that bear a molecular resemblance to some of the slow viruses of animals are suspected of causing chronic infections of the CNS in humans. There are also several chronic and progressive diseases of the CNS in which a viral etiology is suspected, among which is multiple sclerosis.
Obstructive sleep apnea and obesity.

This article reviews the association between obstructive sleep apnea and obesity. A brief review of obesity and its clinical importance is included. The obese patient is at increased risk for obstructive sleep apnea and for many other medical problems. The physician needs to evaluate the obstructive sleep apnea patient for other medical problems that can affect obstructive sleep apnea and complicate the clinical course.
Safety and immunologic effects of high- vs low-dose cholecalciferol in multiple sclerosis.

Objective: To study the safety profile and characterize the immunologic effects of high- vs low-dose cholecalciferol supplementation in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: In this double-blind, single-center randomized pilot study, 40 patients with relapsing-remitting MS were randomized to receive 10,400 IU or 800 IU cholecalciferol daily for 6 months. Assessments were performed at baseline and 3 and 6 months. Results: Mean increase of 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels from baseline to final visit was larger in the high-dose group (34.9 ng/mL; 95% confidence interval [CI] 25.0–44.7 ng/mL) than in the low-dose group (6.9 ng/mL; 95% CI 1.0–13.7 ng/mL). Adverse events were minor and did not differ between the 2 groups. Two relapses occurred, one in each treatment arm. In the high-dose group, we found a reduction in the proportion of interleukin-17 + CD4 + T cells ( p = 0.016), CD161 + CD4 + T cells ( p = 0.03), and effector memory CD4 + T cells ( p = 0.021) with a concomitant increase in the proportion of central memory CD4 + T cells ( p = 0.018) and naive CD4 + T cells ( p = 0.04). These effects were not observed in the low-dose group. Conclusions: Cholecalciferol supplementation with 10,400 IU daily is safe and tolerable in patients with MS and exhibits in vivo pleiotropic immunomodulatory effects in MS, which include reduction of interleukin-17 production by CD4 + T cells and decreased proportion of effector memory CD4 + T cells with concomitant increase in central memory CD4 + T cells and naive CD4 + T cells. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class I evidence that cholecalciferol supplementation with 10,400 IU daily is safe and well-tolerated in patients with MS and exhibits in vivo pleiotropic immunomodulatory effects.
Small molecule inhibitor screen of MHCII processing pathways using influenza virus A/PR/8/34 (130.11)

During a viral infection, antigen presenting cells (APCs) process foreign intracellular material into short peptides (epitopes) and present them on the cell surface for recognition by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. We have previously identified three immunodominant epitopes derived from the surface proteins of the influenza virus strain A/PR/8/34. S1 and S3 are derived from endocytosed hemagglutinin protein whereas NA79 is derived from endogenously-produced neuraminidase. Although these three epitopes are restricted to the same MHCII molecule I-Ed, their processing pathways are reported to be dependent on different cellular components such as H2-DM, TAP, and endosomal proteases. To discover additional components of these distinct antigen presentation pathways, we screened a small molecule library for compounds that would selectively inhibit presentation of S1, S3, and NA79. We screened 8,000 compounds from the NCI/DTP Open Chemical Repository and identified 239 primary leads for specific inhibition of epitope presentation ranging from 50% - 100 %. To further validate the primary leads, we performed dose responses to identify 27 potent inhibitors of our known epitopes. Future work will involve purification methods to identify cellular targets that directly interact with our small molecule hits.
Induction of Xylose Reductase in Germinating Spores of Penicillium Chrysogenum

In an investigation of the metabolism of D-xylose by cell-free extracts of Penicillium chrysogenum Thom, Chiang and Knight (1959) stated that the soluble TPNH-linked enzyme which catalyzes the reduction of xylose to xylitol, and for which they proposed the name D-xylose reductase ". . . appears to be inducible . . ." when the cells are grown on a medium containing D-xylose. The basis for this statement lay in the fact that no reductase activity could be detected in cell-free extracts of mycelium grown on the same medium in which glucose was substituted for xylose. The purpose of this study was to establish a firmer foundation for this statement and to examine some of the characteristics of the induction of the enzyme. The methods presented by Chiang and Knight suggested that if the enzyme was inducible, the induction probably occurred in the germinating conidia, since a spore suspension had been used as the inoculum. If no reductase activity could be demonstrated in extracts of ungerminated spores, and furthermore, if reductase activity was demonstrable in extracts of spores as they germinated in the medium that contained xylose, the hypothesis would be strengthened.
Dissociation quotients of oxalic acid in aqueous sodium chloride media to 175°C

The first and second molal dissociation quotients of oxalic acid were measured potentiometrically in a concentration cell fitted with hydrogen electrodes. The emf of oxalic acid-bioxalate solutions was measured relative to an HCl standard solution from 25 to 125°C over 25o intervals at nine ionic strengths ranging from 0.1 to 5.0 molal (NaCl). The molal dissociation quotients and available literature data were treated in the all anionic form by a five-term equation that yielded the following thermodynamic quantities at infinite dilution and 25°C: logK1a=−1.277±0.010, ΔH 1a o =−4.1±1.1 kJ-mol−1, ΔS 1a o =38±4 J-K−1-mol−1, and ΔC p,1a o =−168±41 J-K−1-mol−1. Similar measurements of the bioxalate-oxalate system were made at 25o intervals from 0 to 175°C at seven ionic strengths from 0.1 to 5.0m. A similar regression of the experimentally-derived and published equilibrium quotients using a seven-term equation yielded the following values at infinite dilution and 25°C: logK2a=−4.275±0.006, ΔH 2a o =−6.8±0.5 kJ-mol−1, ΔS 2a o =−105±2 J-K−1-mol−1, and ΔC p,2a o =−261±12 J-K−1-mol−1.
Fragile X Syndrome Recognition

The clinical characteristics of 20 children younger than 7½ years of age with the fragile X syndrome were reviewed at the Cincinnati Center for Developmental Disorders, Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati.