cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
No longer alone: finding common ground in collaborative virtual environments

When a team works on a collaborative task, the experience of a common workspace benefits their performance and transforms their use of communication. Visual information helps collaborative users understand the current state of their task, ground their conversations, and communicate efficiently [10]. However, head-mount virtual reality technologies impinge on the visual information needed to support collaboration. We explore how grounding can be attained by integrating the physiological information of co-located subjects into a collaborative virtual work environment. Our results suggest that the presence of this information supports common ground, providing VR users with a less isolated experience, and providing the foundation for enhanced collaboration. We observed that collaborators tend to communicate more when solving sub-problems in parallel, and found that subjects tend to expend 30% more effort (in the form of physical movement) during independent competitive problem solving, and 9% more effort when collaborating in a turn-based fashion.
Childbirth in the Mayan Communities

Mayan worldview and traditional religion have long woven interpretations of dreams and visions into the beliefs and lifeways of the community members. In the 1950s and 1960s strongly organized evangelical Protestant and conservative Catholic groups attacked dream interpretation as paganism, which led to the formation of distinct factions that devalued the practice. Recently there has been a rebirth of the inclusion of dreams and visions in Mayan interpretation of the world around them (Tedlock 1992:453).
Development of a Producibility Engineering Expert System

As companies strive to design and produce more cost efficient products, it becomes increasingly apparent that the key to cost effective resource allocation lies in a life-cycle approach to product development and manufacture. The cost considerations must begin upon initiation of the system design process and continue through the development process. One cost control method which is recieving increasing emphasis is Producibility Engineering. Producibility can be defined as the relative ease of producing an item that is governed by the characteristics and features of a design that enable economical fabrication, assembly, inspection, and testing using available production technology. The concepts underlying producibility engineering are not new. The success of this method stems from the careful consideration of manufacturing issues during the early phases of the design effort in order to anticipate and eliminate high risk or high cost production problems. The key to successful implementation of a producibility engineering program is a management committment to the allocation of sufficient resources to insure that design concepts have been subjected to thorough analyses before the design matures to the state where changes become cost prohibitive. Figure 1 shows the relationship between the maturity of the design and the ability to institute design modifications. Although the processes may require additional “up-front” expense, the benefits obtained through reduced production, testing, and maintainence cost and productivity savings will make the effort more than worthwhile.
CIMDIFF: advanced difference tracking tool for CIM compliant devices

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for any enterprise scale data center is significantly dependent upon the effectiveness of the system management solutions and procedures deployed. Complexity of managing a data center increases as various enterprise applications demand diverse sets of requirements, leading to a very heterogeneous environment often fueled by diverse emerging technologies. Emergence of the industry standard Common Information Model (CIM) has introduced uniformity and interoperability into this complex managed environment. In this paper, we describe a tool CIMDIFF that provides syntactic and semantic difference tracking for CIM compliant devices in both spatial and temporal flavors. Since this problem is NP-hard, in this paper we present an efficient technique that combines domain specific object oriented knowledge with hierarchical structure of CIM-XML to derivemeaningful differences. We demonstrate the value of this tool for a) tracking difference in device characteristics b) verification of proper operation as well as automated validation of management software given the limited resources of testing infrastructure. An experimental evaluation of this tool in a complex data center is provided.
Printable QR code paper microfluidic colorimetric assay for screening volatile biomarkers.

Abstract We present a QR code paper microfluidic colorimetric assay that can exploit the hardware and software on mobile devices, and circumvent sample preparation by directly targeting volatile biomarkers. Our platform is a printable microarray of well-defined reaction regions, which outputs an instant diagnosis by directing the user to a URL containing their test result, while simultaneously storing epidemiological data for remote access and bioinformatics. To assist in the rapid identification of Escherichia coli in bloodstream infections, we employed an existing colorimetric reagent (p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde) and adapted its use to detect volatile indole, a biomarker produced by E. coli. Our assay was able to quantitatively detect indole in the headspace of E. coli culture after 12 h of growth (27.0 ± 3.1 ppm), assisting in species-level identification hours earlier than existing methods. Results were confirmed with headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-ToFMS), which estimated indole concentration in E. coli culture to average 32.3 ± 5.2 ppm after 12 h of growth. This QR paper microfluidic platform represents a novel development in both telemedicine and diagnostics using volatile biomarkers. We envision that our QR code platform can be extended to other colorimetric assays for real-time diagnostics in low-resource environments.
ADVANCES IN AUTOMATIC CONTROLS EDUCATION

A summary report on two sessions of papers presented at the recent American Control Conference in Atlanta, Georgia on June 15-17, 1988. The presentations focused on new laboratory experiments, new classroom demonstrations, new P.C. software packages, new problem/project solutions that can be replicated, and relevant video-tape segments. This report will summarize and evaluate all of those presentations and will include detailed descriptions of all of the table-top exhibits associated with the presentations.
Inhaled corticosteroid beliefs, complementary and alternative medicine in children presenting to the emergency department for asthma.

Negative beliefs about inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and endorsement of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) have been associated with medication non-adherence and uncontrolled asthma. The ...
William Lane and the Minerva Press in the Review Periodical, 1790–1820

As the most infamous novel publisher of the Romantic period, William Lane’s Minerva Press garnered significant attention in the book review periodicals of the day. This article uses the Novels Reviewed Database, 1790–1820 and quantitative methodologies to track the ways that Lane, his press and the novels it published, were presented to England’s reading public while the press flourished. The Reviews critique the novels’ subject matter, originality, the material makeup of the printed books and gendered authorship. Taking up that data, this article provides a qualitative analysis of the long reaching implications of the rhetoric deployed by the Reviews in their scathing criticisms, and traces how it continues to pervade modern scholarship on the press today.
How do you implement value-based care methodologies in dentistry with existing dental organizational paradigms?

The U.S. healthcare sector is a paradox - achieving comparatively poor population health outcomes despite outspending the world - and the current paradigm is a dichotomy - pursuing value definition consisting of quality, outcome, and cost, but failing to act in aligned and informed manner. In 2018, U.S. dental spending was $136 billion, accounting for 3.7 percent of total healthcare spending, a relatively nominal amount when considering oral diseases are among the most prevalent and have serious health and economic burdens, greatly reducing quality of life for those affected. Consistent and growing evidence shows that primary care-oriented systems achieve better health outcomes, more health equity, and lower costs; however, to date, there is little means to structuralize the role of oral health and quantify the value provided. To understand the reasons behind the abstract nature of value-based care requires an in-depth understanding of the drivers impeding the transition to a value based oral health system of care. One large clinically integrated network will provide detail of their experience.
#T1DLooksLikeMe: Exploring Self-Disclosure, Social Support, and Type 1 Diabetes on Instagram

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is diagnosed mostly during childhood or adolescent years. During such transitional phases of life, having support from others in similar situations can reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness. Instagram, a platform with high use among teens or young adults, acts as an alternative to traditional online health communities. To better understand individuals self-disclosure on Instagram related to T1D, we conducted an exploratory quantitative content analysis of a sample of 423 posts using the hashtag #t1dlookslikeme. These posts were collected using Netlytic between July – October 2018. Our research questions asked about the types of hashtags used, the content of the images, the sentiments of the posts, the relationship between post engagement and post sentiment, if and how the posts represented self-disclosure, and the presence of social support. A codebook containing 43 items on the image and 10 codes for captions was created for this study, and all data were analyzed using SPSS. Our dataset included 89% images compared to 6.4% video clips. Additionally, 83.5% of the posts were personal images whereas 11.6% were categorized as memes. We noted the most popular hashtags, and other characteristics of the images used by individuals to self-disclose their T1D. Overall, our random sample contained more positive sentiment posts rather than negative – and these positive sentiment posts were correlated with a higher number of hashtags in each post. Indicating a possible connection between self-disclosure and positive sentiment. This finding also reflected elements of empowerment (such as taking the “power” away from T1D and returning it to themselves), which is also discussed.
40th Anniversary of the first international topical meeting on nuclear reactor thermal-hydraulics: Highlights of thermal-hydraulics research in the past four decades

Abstract The year 2020 marks the 40th anniversary of the first International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal-hydraulics (NURETH-1). Hosted by the thermal-hydraulics division (THD) of the American Nuclear Society, the NURETH series is the premier topical meeting exclusively dedicated to advances in nuclear reactor thermal-hydraulics. In this article, which opens a special issue dedicated to the 40th anniversary of NURETH-1, we provide a brief history of the NURETH series. We dedicate the bulk of the manuscript to a summary of the progress in thermal-hydraulics in the past 40 years, highlighting, key contributions presented in the NURETH series of conferences. We emphasize that, given the size and complexity of the field examined, this cannot be considered a comprehensive review. However, We hope the reader will find this article useful to reflect on the advances in the past 40 years and the current state of the art.
Being nice and being mean: Friend characteristics foreshadow changes in perceptions of relationship negativity.

This study examines the proposition that friend characteristics forecast changes in perceptions of relationship negativity. The participants (ages 9 to 11) were 240 pre- and young adolescents (114 boys, 126 girls) involved in 120 same-sex best friendships that were stable across a period of 4 to 12 weeks. Each friend described perceptions of negativity in their relationship. Prosocial behavior and relational aggression were assessed via peer nominations. Dyadic analyses indicated that one friend's prosocial behavior and relational aggression uniquely forecast changes in the other friend's perception of negativity in the relationship. Greater initial levels of prosocial behavior anticipated decreases in perceived negativity, whereas greater initial levels of relational aggression forecast increases in perceived negativity.
G2PMineR: A Genome to Phenome Literature Review Approach

There is a gap in the conceptual framework linking genes to phenotypes (G2P) for non-model organisms, as most non-model organisms do not yet have genomic resources readily available. To address this, researchers often perform literature reviews to understand G2P linkages by curating a list of likely gene candidates, hinging upon other studies already conducted in closely related systems. Sifting through hundreds to thousands of articles is a cumbersome task that slows down the scientific process and may introduce bias into a study. To fill this gap, we created G2PMineR, a free and open source literature mining tool developed specifically for G2P research. This R package uses automation to make the G2P review process efficient and unbiased, while also generating hypothesized associations between genes and phenotypes within a taxonomical framework. We applied the package to a literature review for drought-tolerance in plants. The analysis provides biologically meaningful results within the known framework of drought tolerance in plants. Overall, the package is useful for conducting literature reviews for genome to phenome projects, and also has broad appeal to scientists investigating a wide range of study systems as it can conduct analyses under the auspices of three different kingdoms (Plantae, Animalia, and Fungi).
Bending of Soft Micropatterns in Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication Tribology

Soft tribology is increasingly important in the design and engineering of materials used in robotics, haptics, and biomechanics studies. When patterned surfaces are part of a lubricated tribopair that undergoes sliding and compressive deformation, the patterns experience a bending strain that affects the lubrication film thickness and elastohydrodynamic friction. The contribution of bending patterns to soft tribology is not well understood because earlier studies focused on hard tribopairs with effectively flat surfaces. We investigate and model the differences in lubricated friction for poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) elastomer and PEGDA/alginate double network hydrogel patterns in order to determine the effect of height-to-width aspect ratio and bending angle on the elastohydrodynamic friction. Photoresists of two different viscosities are spin coated onto silicon substrates to fabricate molds with pattern heights ranging from 20 μm to 50 μm. Tribological characterization of the tribopairs in the elastohydrodynamic lubrication regime shows that the patterns generate a friction peak that is independent of aspect ratio for short patterns but displays a “power-law fit” decrease with increasing aspect ratio for taller patterns. Two independent models are used to estimate the theoretical bending and deflection angles for the tribopairs. The decrease in lubricated friction is attributed to taller patterns having large bending angles and a reduced effective surface for fluid load bearing. Results suggest that the bending of micropatterns could be harnessed to engineer lubricated friction in a variety of applications.
Young migrant students’ motivators and drive for obtaining education

This article investigates how students from migrant backgrounds describe their motivators and drive for obtaining an education. It is based on a qualitative study of 17 young people aged 16-24. All are students in combination classes at a large upper-secondary school in Eastern Norway and are recent arrivals in Norway with little prior education. Half aspire to higher education, while the others are applying for vocational training. In this article, we link these educational ambitions to four forms of motivation. The immigrant motivator relates to high academic expectations among parents and other family members. In addition to the immigrant motivator, there is what we refer to as the middle-class motivator, where parents of low socio-economic status exert influence in a way that can be understood as a kind of middle-class behaviour. The world-citizen motivator encompasses the students’ desires to contribute by giving something back to their home countries, the host country, and the global community. The opportunity motivator is linked to the efforts of the school community to provide an inclusive and facilitative environment for this group of students. Schools that offer adapted and differentiated teaching, customized to the needs of individual students, as with combination classes, seem to function as important protective factors.
Case 20-2021: A 69-Year-Old Man with Ataxia.

A Man with Ataxia A 69-year-old man with a family history of celiac disease was evaluated at this hospital for progressive ataxia of 9 years’ duration. He had impaired proprioception, vestibulopath...
Substrate Integrated Waveguides in Glass Interposers for mm Wave Applications

This paper presents the first demonstration of Substrate Integrated Waveguides in glass interposers operating in D-band (110 GHz to 170 GHz) for mmWave applications. The material stack-up consists of 100 µmthick AGC ENA1 glass core laminated with 15 µm thick Ajinomoto Build up Films (ABF GL102) on both sides. The stack-up has been metallized using a newly developed Semi Additive Process (SAP). SIWs have been fed using broadband microstrip taper transitions. Conductor Backed Coplanar Waveguide (CBCPW) to microstrip transitions were designed to probe the samples. Cascade Infinity Probes (170-S-GSG-75-BT) were used for the electrical measurements. The measured insertion loss of glass based SIWs varies from 0.5dB/mm to 1 dB/mm in the entire D-band. For most of the frequencies it varies in the range of 0.5-0.8 dB/mm. The performance of glass interposer based SIWs has been compared with SIWs in LCP and silicon interposer.
Growth of Human Breast Carcinomas in Nude Mice and Subsequent Establishment in Tissue Culture

Thirty-two malignant human breast tumors were implanted s.c. in female nude mice. Seven tumors survived for two passages, and four were established into permanent transplantable tumor lines. The transplantable tumors have retained the histopathology of the original tumor throughout passaging in the nude mice. In addition, two of the transplantable tumors have low concentrations of estrogen receptor. Tissue culture of the original tumor specimens upon receipt resulted in epithelial outgrowth in 15 of 32 primary cultures. However, no permanent cell lines were established. Attempts to culture 23 tumors frozen with dimethyl sulfoxide upon receipt were unsuccessful. In contrast, establishment of cell strains was successful with tumor specimens cultured following passage in the nude mice; three cell strains were initiated from two of the transplantable tumors.
Multiuser detection for integrated multi-rate CDMA

We extend the LMMSE multiuser detector to multi-rate CDMA systems, where different users have different quality-of-service (QoS) requirements. The proposed LMMSE detectors can work on dual-rate mode according to different computational constraints. Only the signature of the desired user is needed in using the proposed multi-rate LMMSE detectors. The proposed detectors have better detection performance and less computational requirement than the dual-rate decorrelating detectors. Computer simulations verified analytical results and conjecture.
Tumor necrosis factor α-induced glucose transporter (GLUT-1) mRNA stabilization in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes : regulation by the adenosine-uridine binding factor

Abstract Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate and cAMP stimulate hexose transport in quiescent 3T3-L1 preadipocytes by stabilizing the relatively labile mRNA coding for the basal glucose transporter, GLUT-1. The 3'-UTR of GLUT-1 mRNA contains a single copy of the destabilizing AUUUA motif in the context of an AU-rich region. The adenosine-uridine binding factor (AUBF) is a cytosolic protein which interacts with similar AU-rich regions in a variety of labile cytokine and oncogene mRNAs. Here, we demonstrate that AUBF complexes in vitro with GLUT-1 mRNA through the AU-rich portion of the 3'-UTR. AUBF activity is very low in quiescent preadipocytes, but can be up-regulated by agonists such as TPA, TNF alpha, cAMP, and okadaic acid, all of which stabilize GLUT-1 mRNA. The time courses of TNF alpha- and TPA-mediated AUBF up-regulation and GLUT-1 mRNA stabilization are coincident, suggesting a cause and effect relationship.
A JAW CRUSHER FOR PLUTONIUM CERAMICS.

Statistical analysis of test results obtained by crushing SiC and ZrO2 yielded the optimum design characteristics for a miniature jaw crusher. The device was needed to reduce subcritical amounts of...
Comparison of the Stability of Pelargonidin-based Anthocyanins in Strawberry Juice and Concentrate

Strawberries were processed into juice (8° Brix) and concentrate (65° Brix) and different lots were fortified with pelargonidin 3-glucoside, pelargonidin 3-sophoroside, and acylated pelargonidin 3-sophoroside 5-glucoside. Changes in pigment concentration, color (CIE L*a*b*) and ascorbic acid content were monitored during storage at 25 °C. Anthocyanin and ascorbic acid degradations followed 1st order reaction kinetics. Fortification increased the half-life of the pigments from 3.5 to 5 d in concentrate and from 5 to 12 d in juice. The half-life of ascorbic acid was 2 d in juice samples and ranged from 3 to 10 d in concentrate samples. Both systems showed changes in chroma and hue angle, but maintained L* values.
The effect of manipulated success ratios on task preference

Abstract The hypothesis that success influences task preferences was tested by subjecting 230 S s to three different success-failure reinforcement schedules and observing subsequent preferences for the tasks concerned. Success ratios of 85-15%, 70-30%, and 50-50% in tasks dealing with unpreferred stimuli were used. Results supported the hypothesis: the probability of change in task preference was greatest under high success reinforcement ratio conditions.
Archaeology of middle Pleistocene lacustrine and spring paleoenvironments in the Kapthurin Formation, Kenya

Abstract A number of key events occur in Africa during the middle Pleistocene including the disappearance of the Acheulian, the appearance of the Middle Stone Age, and the emergence of modern Homo sapiens. However, little is known about either the fossil or behavioral record for this critical time period. Excavation was undertaken at two middle Pleistocene archaeological sites, GnJh 42 and GnJh 50. These sites are located in close proximity to a large fresh water spring, a focal point on the landscape that supported a diverse plant and animal community. The lithic assemblages are dominated by flakes and cores, and lack all formal tools. However, the oldest evidence for systematic blade production can be found at these sites, indicating that important technological innovations were appearing at this time. Tendency to focus on the presence or absence of formal tools, means that assemblages of this age, lacking diagnostic artifacts, are typically subsumed within the Acheulian technocomplex. This practice disguises actual patterns of innovation and technological evolution. It is critical not to overlook this, as small-scale technological innovation allowed for more behavioral flexibility in response to rapid environmental change in a arid, mosaic environment.
“Bug Bites”: A facility-wide educational tool

ISSUE: Education of healthcare workers is the cornerstone of all infection control programs. In a busy healthcare environment, providing timely and consistent educational updates to 4200+ employees in a 642-bed suburban hospital was a challenge. To meet this need, we set out to develop a vehicle of communication that is accessible, creative, informative, and concise enough for even the busiest of healthcare workers to utilize. PROJECT: Our primary focus was to determine the type of communication to develop. We looked at various ways to provide education. Each option was reviewed for positive and negative factors. Options included classroom lectures, 1-day poster displays, e-mail blasts, Internet updates, fairs, and written modules. Once type of presentation was determined, we searched for a catchy title and consistent logo that would earmark the product as an infection control communication. Our next decision was the method of dissemination and the frequency. Content was our final hurdle to overcome. RESULTS: Our final product was called “Bug Bites.” The title derived from the fact that infection control professionals are always seeking out the bugs in a facility, and “bites” implying a small amount of concise information. We felt that this was creative enough to entice healthcare workers to want to read the document. Our logo was derived from an infection control week theme of “It's in your hands.” It is a one-page, monthly document that is distributed to each hospital department in written and electronic form. Once initially distributed, it is then archived onto our hospital intranet site as a reference document for staff access. Topics since the inception in 2003 have included hand hygiene, isolation practices, personal protective equipment, sharps safety, communicable diseases (Avian flu, influenza), Clostridium difficile, construction, healthcare-associated infections, sterilization and disinfection, respiratory etiquette, and winter illness prevention. LESSONS LEARNED: Supplying educational information to healthcare workers can be a challenge, but if you find the appropriate vehicle of communication for your facility, it becomes a fun and reliable way to keep staff updated on issues of importance within your facility.
A Nonparametric Sequential Test for Data with Markov Dependence

A nonparametric sequential probability ratio test has been formed for dependent data. Operating characteristics are provided and their dependence upon the parameters is investigated. An example is given for second-order Markov dependence.
Waist‐to‐hip ratio and body dissatisfaction among college women and men: Moderating role of depressed symptoms and gender

We examined the interrelationships of waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), body dissatisfaction, gender, and depressed and eating disordered symptoms cross-sectionally among 131 male and female undergraduates. Based on past findings on physical and mental health, attractiveness, and depressive realism, we predicted that the WHR x Depression x Gender interaction would be significantly related to body dissatisfaction, such that the correspondence between WHR and body dissatisfaction would be more pronounced among depressed than among nondepressed women and men. This hypothesis received support. Implications of our results for work on body dissatisfaction were discussed.
AGE-DEPENDENT SUSCEPTIBILITY OF CNS GLIAL POPULATIONS IN SITU TO THE ANTIMETABOLITE 6-AMINONICOTINAMIDE

Intraperitoneal injections of the nicotinamide antagonist 6-aminonicotinamide (6-AN) were used to determine if there are regional differences in putative glial energy metabolism between the developing and adult rat CNS. 6-AN shuts down the hexose monophosphate pathway, which is used preferentially by astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. These cells subsequently undergo cytotoxic edema and cell death. Adult rats and pups ranging in age from 7 to 31 d received a single injection of 6-AN and were sacrificed after 24 h. As demonstrated with immunocytochemical staining for the astroglia-specific markers GFAP and S-100β, the 7–9-d-old animals exhibited a uniform appearance with edematous glial cells located throughout the CNS. However, with advancing age, a consistent pattern of progressively decreasing amounts of injured glia, which has not been previously described, occurred in cerebral and cerebellar structures. After 3 wk postnatal, the adult pattern was manifested in which glial degeneration occurred only in specific regions of the spinal cord, cerebellum, medulla, and thalamus, whereas the remainder of the CNS appeared normal. The results suggest the presence of heterogeneous populations of glia whose preferred use of the hexose monophosphate pathway is predicated on both the age of the animal and their location in the CNS.
North Africa and Europe: energy partnership

The European Union (EU) is heavily dependent on Russia to meet its vast and growing demand for oil and gas supplies. In the last several years, because of disagreements between Russia and Ukraine, natural gas supplies to Europe had been interrupted. This interruption has highlighted the EU's over-dependence on its large neighbour. Given Russia's massive hydrocarbon resources and geographical proximity, the EU–Russia interdependence is likely to endure for many years. Still, in order to reduce Brussels' energy vulnerability, the EU has sought to initiate and consolidate cooperation with major oil- and gas-producing regions. This paper examines the emerging energy partnership between the EU and North Africa (Algeria, Egypt and Libya). The growing cooperation between the two sides is likely to improve Europe's energy security.
Evidence for time-variant decision making

Computational models based on diffusion processes have been proposed to account for human decision-making behaviour in a variety of tasks. The basic idea is that the brain keeps accumulating noisy sensory evidence until a critical level is reached. This study explores whether such models account for the speed and accuracy of perceptual decisions in a reaction-time random dot motion direction discrimination task, and whether they explain the decision-related activity of neurons recorded from the parietal cortex (area LIP) of monkeys performing the task. While a simple diffusion model can explain the psychometric function and the mean response times of correct responses, it fails to account for the longer response times observed for errors and for the response time distributions. Here I demonstrate that a time-variant version of the diffusion model can explain the psychometric function, the mean response times and the shape of the response time distributions. Such a time-variant mechanism could be implemented in different ways, but the best match between the physiological data and model predictions is provided by a diffusion process with a gain of the sensory signals, which increases over time. It can be shown that such a time-variant decision process allows the monkey to perform optimally (in the sense of maximizing reward rate) given the risk of aborting a trial by breaking fixation before a choice can be reported. The results suggest that the brain trades off speed and accuracy not only by adjusting parameters between trials but also by dynamic adjustments during an ongoing decision.
Suppression of lymphokine production: II. Macrophage-dependent inhibition of production of macrophage activating factor.

Abstract The ability of different populations of macrophages to affect the production of macrophage activating factor (MAF) by stimulated T lymphocytes was investigated. We found that activated macrophages, infiltrating MSV-induced regressing tumors or macrophages recovered from the peritoneum of mice injected with Corynebacterium parvum, were able to actively suppress the production of MAF. MAF production by antigen-stimulated MSV-immune or -alloimmune spleen cells and by normal spleen cells stimulated by Con A was susceptible to macrophage-dependent suppression to a similar extent. In contrast, resident macrophages or those elicited by light mineral oil or proteose-peptone did not affect MAF production. While suppressor macrophages added at the time of the lymphocyte stimulation inhibited MAF production, the same cells added 4–6 hr after stimulation were ineffective. Therefore, it seems that the macrophages suppressed the early events of lymphocyte activation leading to MAF production. Suppressor macrophages, by inhibiting MAF production, may limit the expansion of the cytotoxic activity. This regulation of macrophage functions, mediated by the effects of suppressor macrophages on T lymphocytes, could be responsible for an insufficient antitumor cytotoxic response by macrophages.
High precision measurements of the diamond Hugoniot in and above the melt region

High-precision measurements of the diamond principal Hugoniot have been made at pressures between 6 and 19 Mbar. Shock velocities were determined with 0.3%--1.1% precision using a velocity interferometer. Impedance-matching analysis, incorporating systematic uncertainties in the equation of state of the quartz standard, was used to determine the Hugoniot with 1.2%--2.7% precision in density. The results are in good agreement with published ab initio calculations, which predict a small negative melt slope along the Hugoniot, but disagree with previous laser-driven shock wave experiments, which had observed a large density increase in the melt region. In the extensive solid-liquid coexistence regime between 6 and 10 Mbar, the present measurements indicate that the mixed phase is a few percent more dense than what would be expected from a simple interpolation between liquid and solid Hugoniots.
Arginine 60 in the ArsC arsenate reductase of E. coli plasmid R773 determines the chemical nature of the bound As(III) product.

Arsenic is a ubiquitous environmental toxic metal. Consequently, organisms detoxify arsenate by reduction to arsenite, which is then excreted or sequestered. The ArsC arsenate reductase from Escherichia coli plasmid R773, the best characterized arsenic-modifying enzyme, has a catalytic cysteine, Cys 12, in the active site, surrounded by an arginine triad composed of Arg 60, Arg 94, and Arg 107. During the reaction cycle, the native enzyme forms a unique monohydroxyl Cys 12-thiol-arsenite adduct that contains a positive charge on the arsenic. We hypothesized previously that this unstable intermediate allows for rapid dissociation of the product arsenite. In this study, the role of Arg 60 in product formation was evaluated by mutagenesis. A total of eight new structures of ArsC were determined at resolutions between 1.3 A and 1.8 A, with Rfree values between 0.18 and 0.25. The crystal structures of R60K and R60A ArsC equilibrated with the product arsenite revealed a covalently bound Cys 12-thiol-dihydroxyarsenite without a charge on the arsenic atom. We propose that this intermediate is more stable than the monohydroxyarsenite intermediate of the native enzyme, resulting in slow release of product and, consequently, loss of activity.
Consumer opinion on smoking bans and predicted impact on restaurant frequency.

ABSTRACT This study assessed the opinion of Kentucky consumers regarding smoking policies in restaurants. It examined differences in opinion between smokers, nonsmokers, and former smokers, and predicted restaurant behavior if a smoking ban was enacted. Data was collected through a telephone survey in winter 2003, yielding 825 interviews. There were no significant differences in frequency of eating out between the three smoking status groups. Significantly, different reactions to smoking bans were found with regard to certain demographics: smoking status, place of residence, and education. Smokers believed smoking in restaurants is less of a problem than nonsmokers and former smokers, whereas nonsmokers and former smokers were more likely to choose a restaurant based on it being smoke-free and to believe smoking makes dining out less enjoyable. Nonsmokers and former smokers are significantly more likely than smokers to predict that they will dine out more or about the same if a smoking ban is implemented,...
Variation in the Color Doppler Area of a Regurgitant Jet with Changes in the Absolute Chamber Pressure: An In Vitro Study

The color Doppler appearance of a regurgitant jet depends on jet momentum, determined in part by the pressure difference between the two chambers. However, it is not clear if absolute chamber pressure has an independent effect on jet area. To test this question, an in vitro experiment was performed in which dynamically decaying jets were created with identical initial pressure gradients but five different levels of absolute chamber pressures. At every level of chamber pressure, color Doppler images were recorded with two different transducers (3.5 and 5.0 MHz) and jet areas were measured at four different flow rates (0 to 9.9 cm 3 /sec). A multilinear regression model was created with jet area as the dependent variable and jet flow rate, transducer frequency, and absolute chamber pressure as independent parameters. Jet area was most strongly predicted by flow rate (univariate r = 0.90) and transducer frequency ( r = 9.32). Even after adjusting for these effects, however, a small but significant ( p 2 for each 10 mm Hg increase in absolute chamber pressure (multivariate r = 0.96, p
Virologic Markers of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 in Cerebrospinal Fluid

As part of a longitudinal study, 265 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens from 204 human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-seropositive subjects and 43 seronegative controls were evaluated. Of the 204 seropositive persons, 78 (38%) had > or = 1 CSF culture positive for HIV-1; the probability of being culture positive increased as the number of CSF samples obtained increased (P = .0018). Significantly correlated with culture positivity were elevations in CSF protein level (P = .014) and CSF white blood cell count (P = .001). Virus was more readily cultured from clarified CSF (89%, 42/47) than from the cellular fraction (30%, 14/47; P < .00001). Amplification of HIV-1 DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from 25 seropositive persons was positive in 9 (82%) of 11 culture-positive and in 4 (29%) of 14 culture-negative specimens, while amplification of viral RNA detected all 11 culture-positive and 9 (64%) of the 14 culture-negative CSF specimens. These data support the hypothesis that the development of HIV-1-associated neurocognitive disorders are not dependent solely on the presence of HIV-1 within the central nervous system.
The role of general initiation factors in transcription by RNA polymerase II.

Transcription initiation on protein-encoding genes represents a major control point for gene expression in eukaryotes, and is mediated by RNA polymerase II and a surprisingly complex array of general initiation factors (TFIIA, -B, -D, E, -F and -H) that are highly conserved from yeast to man. Elucidation of structural and functional features of these factors on model promoters has revealed insights into biochemical mechanisms and provides a basis for understanding their regulation on diverse promoters by gene- and cell-specific activators.
Universality, Tricriticality, and the Potts Transition in First-Stage Lithium-Intercalated Graphite

With use of ac calorimetry and neutron diffraction, the lithium sublattice melting transition in ${\mathrm{C}}_{6}$Li, which belongs to the universality class of the discrete three-dimensional, three-state Potts model, has been discovered and studied. Strong precursive effects surround the (weak) first-order transition at 715\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2 K. Fitting power laws away from the discontinuous region yields $\ensuremath{\alpha}=0.50\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05$ and $\ensuremath{\beta}=0.22\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.03$. These values are consistent with three-dimensional tricritical exponents and may reflect conjectured tricritical behavior.
Renoprotection by pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide in multiple myeloma and other kidney diseases.

Abstract Renal involvement in patients with multiple myeloma complicates their treatment and shortens their life-span. The main renal lesion is a tubulointerstitial transformation with fibrosis, frequently associated with cast formation in the distal nephron that results from co-precipitation of pathological immunoglobulin light chains with Tamm–Horsfall proteins. The human renal proximal tubular reabsorption of excessive light chains by endocytosis causes cellular protein overload and activates the transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB). The activation of NFκB promotes the synthesis of inflammatory cytokines and activates signaling pathways, such as mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, Jun kinase, and p38 MAPK, thus promoting interstitial inflammation and fibrosis. We tested the concept that pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), a member of the secretin/vasoactive intestinal peptide family, could prevent the development of cast nephropathies. PACAP38 inhibited myeloma light chain-induced proinflammatory cytokine expression with greater potency than dexamethasone, and attenuated the resulting cell damage in the renal proximal tubule epithelial cells. The results indicated that its effects are mediated through inhibition of phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and nuclear translocation of the p50 subunit of NFκB via both the PAC 1 and VPAC 1 receptors. PACAP was also shown to be efficacious in other common in vivo animal models for kidney hypertrophies, including streptozotocin-induced diabetic nephropathy and gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity. Thus, our studies suggest that PACAP38 could be used as a cytoprotective agent that would be effective in the treatment of renal tubule injury in multiple myeloma and other chronic kidney diseases.
Telephone reporting in the consultant–generalist relationship

Rationale, aims and objectives The aim of this paper is to examine the issue of telephone reporting by consultants in the medical community, which is rarely used in medicine today. Methods The paper reviews principal publications addressing this field that have shown that communication between consultants and primary care physicians has many shortcomings, frequently leaving the primary care physician with unanswered questions. Discussion and conclusions We present the value of routine telephone reporting by consultants to their primary care counterparts and also discuss possible future implications of communication via electronic mail.
Landscape-scale relationships between the exotic invasive shrub Lantana camara and native plants in a tropical deciduous forest in southern India.

Understanding exotic–native plant relationships within the context of landscape-scale environmental factors such as rainfall, topography, disturbance and forest structure, is important for distinguishing the role of invasions in native plant community change. In this study, the relationship between Lantana camara invasion and native forest understorey vegetation was described after accounting for environmental influences. Rainfall, terrain slope, altitude and fire frequency were measured from GIS layers, and tree density, dry above-ground L. camara biomass, and native plant abundance and species richness were measured in nested plots (four 1 × 1-m plots for grass, tree seedlings and L. camara within one 5-m-radius plot for tree saplings and herbs and shrubs within one 10-m-radius plot for trees) at 80 locations distributed across Bandipur Tiger Reserve, a tropical deciduous forest in southern India. Relationships between environmental factors and L. camara abundance were described using a multiple regression. Further, the role of L. camara abundance in explaining residual variation in native vegetation, after accounting for environmental influences, was described using linear models. Lantana camara abundance decreased with increasing tree density, supporting the notion that it thrives in disturbed forest with fewer trees. Whereas native tree seedling and herb and shrub density showed no relationship to L. camara abundance, both tree sapling density and grass volume decreased under L. camara biomass exceeding 2 kg m−2. These data suggest that, by association with grass decline and decreased recruitment of tree saplings, L. camara may be linked to the gradual transition of these tropical deciduous forests into exotic-dominated shrubland, and overall native biodiversity loss.
Identification of the site of binding of sulfated, low molecular weight lignins on thrombin.

Sulfated, low molecular weight lignins (LMWLs), designed recently as macromolecular mimetics of the low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs), were found to exhibit a novel allosteric mechanism of inhibition of human thrombin, factor Xa and plasmin, which translates into potent human blood anticoagulation potential. To identify the site of binding of sulfated LMWLs, a panel of site-directed thrombin mutants was studied. Substitution of alanine for Arg93 or Arg175 induced a 7–8-fold decrease in inhibition potency, while Arg165Ala, Lys169Ala, Arg173Ala and Arg233Ala thrombin mutants displayed a 2–4-fold decrease. Other exosite 2 residues including those that play an important role in heparin binding, such as Arg101, Lys235, Lys236 and Lys240, did not induce any deficiency in sulfated LMWL activity. Thrombin mutants with multiple alanine substitution of basic residues showed a progressively greater defect in inhibition potency. Comparison of thrombin, factor Xa, factor IXa and factor VIIa primary sequences reiterated Arg93 and Arg175 as residues likely to be targeted by sulfated LMWLs. The identification of a novel site on thrombin with capability of allosteric modulation is expected to greatly assist the design of new regulators based on the sulfated LMWL scaffold.
Implications for Instruction from Developmental Spelling

This article provides a critical analysis of the assumption that levels of developmental spelling in children indicate that formal instruction in spelling must not be practiced at certain of these levels. It argues that the research on children's developmental spelling does not allow this conclusion. Further indications of the weaknesses of using developmental stages in spelling as a guide for instruction in this subject are desc for direct research on this question is pointed
MicroRNAs and their applications in kidney diseases

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, non-coding RNAs that employ classic Watson–Crick base-pairing to identify their target genes, ultimately resulting in destabilization of their target mRNAs and/or inhibition of their translation. The role of miRNAs in a wide range of human diseases, including those afflicting the kidney, has been intensely investigated. However, there is still a vast dearth of knowledge regarding their specific mode of action and therapeutic effects in various kidney diseases. This review discusses the latest efforts to further our understanding of the basic biology of miRNAs, their impact on various kidney diseases and their potential as novel biomarkers and therapeutic agents. We initially provide an overview of miRNA biology and the canonical pathway implicated in their biogenesis. We then discuss commonly employed experimental strategies for miRNA research and highlight some of the newly described state-of-the-art technologies to identify miRNAs and their target genes. Finally, we carefully examine the emerging role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of various kidney diseases.