cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CHAPTER 9 – CONCLUSION

Publisher Summary The essential form of the concordance is simple and its execution is equally simple. However, many concordance editors have lost sight of that fact and while lusting for novelties, they have abandoned the simplicities, which they never really understood in the first place. There are two general tendencies in the publication of concordances, which need to be noted. Micropublication is as good a way of burying a concordance. Micropublication does not permit comfortable, conventional use of a concordance. There is no good argument for why the scholarly users of concordances should adapt detrimentally to an inferior and marginally useful form of publication. Concordance editors seek to avoid publishing from computer printout in any event as it is difficult to ensure the clear legibility of the print, even when the availability of upper- and lower-case print chains enables the concordance editor to avoid printing the concordance entirely in the upper case characters. Between these two modern extremes and the lavish but prohibitively costly type composition of earlier days lies photo-composition. The concordance editor should determine the format in which the concordance has to be published as early as possible because sometimes form determines content.
Genetic architecture of four smoking behaviors using partitioned h2SNP

Abstract Background and Aims Smoking is a leading cause of premature death. Although genome-wide association studies have identified many loci that influence smoking behaviors, much of the genetic variance in these traits remains unexplained. We sought to characterize the genetic architecture of four smoking behaviors through SNP-based heritability (h2SNP) analyses. Design We applied recently-developed partitioned h2SNP approaches to smoking behavior traits assessed in the UK Biobank. Setting UK Biobank. Participants UK Biobank participants of European ancestry. The number of participants varied depending on the trait, from 54,792 to 323,068. Measurements Smoking initiation, age of initiation, cigarettes per day (CPD; count, log-transformed, binned, and dichotomized into heavy versus light), and smoking cessation. Imputed genome-wide SNPs. Findings We estimated h2SNP(SE)=0.18(0.01) for smoking initiation and 0.12(0.02) for smoking cessation, which were more than twice the previously reported estimates. Estimated age of initiation h2SNP=0.05(0.01) and binned CPD h2SNP=0.1(0.01) were similar to previous reports. These estimates remained substantially below published twin-based h2 of roughly 50%. CPD encoding strongly influenced estimates, with dichotomized CPD h2SNP=0.28. We found significant contributions of low-frequency variants and variants in low linkage-disequilibrium (LD) with surrounding genomic regions. Functional annotations related to LD, allele frequency, sequence conservation, and selective constraint also contributed significantly to the partitioned heritability. We found no evidence of dominance genetic variance for any trait. Conclusion h2SNP of these four specific smoking behaviors is modest overall. The patterns of partitioned h2SNP for these highly polygenic traits is consistent with negative selection. We found a predominant contribution of common variants, and our results suggest a role of low-frequency or rare variants, poorly tagged by surrounding regions. Deep sequencing of large samples and/or improved imputation will be required to fully assess the role of rare variants.
TERT promoter mutation analysis for blood-based diagnosis and monitoring of gliomas

Abstract Liquid biopsy offers a minimally invasive tool to diagnose and monitor the heterogeneous molecular landscape of tumors over time and therapy. Gliomas have been challenging to sample with blood-based liquid biopsy due to low levels of circulating tumor-derived nucleic acid, and prior efforts have shown specific point mutations in less than 5% of glioma patients. Detection of TERT promoter mutations (C228T, C250T) in cfDNA has been successful for some systemic cancers but has yet to be demonstrated in gliomas, despite the high prevalence of these mutations in glioma tissue (>60% of all tumors). Here, we developed a novel digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) assay, that incorporates features to improve sensitivity and allows for the simultaneous detection and longitudinal monitoring of two TERT promoter mutations (C228T and C250T) in cfDNA from the plasma of glioma patients. In baseline performance in tumor tissue, (n = 157 samples), the assay had perfect concordance with an independently performed clinical pathology laboratory assessment of TERT promoter mutations in the same tumor samples (95% CI 94%-100%). Extending to matched plasma samples, we detected TERT mutations in both discovery and blinded multi-institution validation cohorts with an overall sensitivity of 62.5% (95% CI 52%-73%) and a specificity of 90% (95% CI 80%-96%) compared to the gold standard tumor tissue-based detection of TERT mutations. Upon longitudinal monitoring in 5 patients, we report that peripheral TERT mutant allele frequency reflects the clinical course of the disease with levels decreasing after surgical intervention and therapy and increasing with tumor progression. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of detecting circulating cfDNA TERT promoter mutations in glioma patients with clinically relevant sensitivity and specificity using a novel, enhanced ddPCR approach. The functionality of this assay also suggests a new clinical role for plasma-based cfDNA analysis to complement tissue-based histopathologic and molecular characterization for diagnosis and spatiotemporal monitoring of brain tumors.
Semi-automated weak annotation for deep neural network skin thickness measurement.

Correctly calculating skin stiffness with ultrasound shear wave elastography techniques requires an accurate measurement of skin thickness. We developed and compared two algorithms, a thresholding ...
Amatl: behind the wallpaper

Ce’Cati was using her fingernails to scrape at the paper that was stuck to the old wall. It felt disrespectful to use a blade or stone. She’d been coming here for at least half a moon, since the da...
The Long-Term Effect of Trauma for Disaster Victims

The literature on the prevalence of traumatic exposure among older adults is vast; but only during the last years have data emerged about the actual lifetime prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in late life, and the chronic course of the disorder. One of the main risk factors for the development of PTSD is exposure to multiple traumatic events. Therefore older adults with a past history of trauma are at increased risk of mental health sequelae when exposed to a disaster. Past history of trauma is also associated with comorbid medical and mental illnesses, further complicating the delivery of care immediately following a disaster, among this group of vulnerable older adults. This chapter reviews the topic with special focus on Holocaust Survivors for which a very long-term follow up since the initial traumatic event is available.
Mesoscale: Landform Differentiation

Macroclimate accounts for the largest share of systematic environmental variation at the macroscale or regional level. At the mesoscale, landform (geology and topography) breaks up the broad patterns. For example, solar energy will be received and processed differently by a field of sand dunes, a lacustrine plain, or an upland hummocky moraine.
Greatest common right divisors, least common left multiples, and subresultants of ore polynomials

Publisher Summary This chapter summarizes the progress in computing greatest common right divisors (GCRDs) and least common left multiples (LCLMs) of Ore polynomials. A subresultant theory for Ore polynomials is described, and fraction-free and modular algorithms for computing GCRDs and LCLMs are outlined. Polynomial GCD computation is one of the most fundamental building blocks in computer algebra systems. There is little theoretical difference between division and pseudo-division. These two operations are quite different from a computational point of view, because the pseudo-division only requires arithmetic within the coefficient domain. The classical algorithms for computing GCRDs and LCLMs are presented. The extended Euclidean algorithm yields a GCRD and an LCLM of two Ore polynomials altogether. It is found that if the input polynomials have a trivial GCRD, then the method for computing LCLMs by solving linear equations has a very good performance. The idea of commutative subresultants is to express the members of a polynomial remainder sequence (PRS) as determinantal polynomials in the coefficients. It is observed that the subresultant algorithm computes a PRS in a fraction-free fashion as the pseudo-Euclidean algorithm does.
EVIDENCE FOR COALESCENCE OF LAURENTIDE AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN GLACIERS EAST OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MONTANA

Evidence indicates that Laurentide and Rocky Mountain piedmont glaciers coalesced in the Willow Creek drainage east of Glacier National Park. Wisconsin-aged moraines of these glaciers converge and overlap at 1384 to 1432 m elevation about 1 km east of Hall Coulee and 1 to 2 km north of Galbreath Ridge. This zone of glacier contact extended about 7 km northward to the International Boundary where moraines of the two glaciers again converge at 1341 to 1432 m elevation. Piedmont moraines also mantle the floors of Emigrant Gap and the North Fork of the Milk River glacial spillways. For alpine ice to have been diverted into these spillways, the glaciers must have coalesced near the (northern) heads of the spillways. Based on relative soil development, alpine tills in the North Fork of the Milk River could be two ages (late Wisconsin and earlier Wisconsin or late Illinoian [?]), suggesting two distinct coalescence events. Up to 1-m diameter Shield erratics occur on Galbreath Ridge south of Willow Creek drainage...
A Solid Phase Synthetic Study of Structure-Function Relationships in the Amino-terminal Region of Staphylococcal Nuclease

Synthetic peptides corresponding to residues (6 through 47), (9 through 47), (10 through 47), (11 through 47), (12 through 47), (16 through 47), and (18 through 47) in staphylococcal nuclease were prepared by the Merrifield solid phase method. Whereas synthetic-(6–47) and synthetic-(9–47) are about equally effective in generating both RNase and DNase activity upon mixing with native nuclease tryptic fragment nuclease-T-(49–149), synthetic-(10–47) is only partially effective and synthetic-(11–47) through synthetic-(18–47) generate essentially no activity. Synthetic-(6–47) is also the most capable of forming a stable complex with nuclease-T-(49–149), as judged by the resistance of the DNase activity of this semisynthetic nuclease-T species to destruction by trypsin in the presence of deoxythymidine 3',5'-diphosphate and Ca++, as well as by the extent of the shift and intensification of the fluorescence emission spectrum of the tryptophanyl residue in nuclease-T-(49–149). By these latter criteria, synthetic-(9–47) and synthetic-(10–47) form progressively weaker nuclease-T complexes than does synthetic-(6–47). On the other hand, all of the synthetic peptides through synthetic-(18–47) are able to bind, at least slightly, with nuclease-T-(49–149) as judged by the ability to enhance the binding of 125I-[nuclease-T-(49–149)] to antinuclease antibody. The results for these peptides, considered together with structural features in the 2 A model of nuclease elucidated by Dr. F. A. Cotton and his associates, suggest important structural functions for residues lysine 9 and glutamic acid 10 in both nuclease-T and nuclease.
A QUANTITATIVE EXPRESSION FOR NITROGEN RETENTION WITH ANABOLIC STEROIDS. 3. NORTESTOSTERONE DIPROPIONATE.

Abstract A series of 22 trials on the nitrogen retaining effects of parenteral and oral Nortestosterone Dipropionate was carried out. The parenteral compound was as effective as other compounds previously tested in its nitrogen retaining effect but the oral compound was comparatively ineffective. Values for retention calculated in the conventional terms of Gm./day or Gm./Kg./day, or in terms of lean body mass or surface area, were in a rather wide range, more than twofold. Calculation of retention in terms of the new expression, the retention ratio, yielded a much narrower range of values. The mean retention ratio for this compound was practically identical to those previously determined for Norethandrolone, Norethandrolone Propionate and Testosterone Propionate. The superiority of the retention ratio as a quantitative expression for nitrogen retention and its indenpendence from the usual variables of steroid-induced anabolism is again noted.
L‐Monosodium Glutamate(MSG)

Monosodium glutamate (MSG), more specifically monosodium l-glutamate, is used in large quantities as a flavor enhancer throughout the world. The world capacity for production of MSG continues to increase. Demand is expected to increase in developing countries as its use in commercially prepared packaged foods, ready-made soups, and as a table seasoning increase Monosodium l-glutamate, , crystallizes from aqueous solution at room temperature as rhombic prisms. Commercially preferred crystals for use as flavor enhancement are obtained by crystallization in the presence of amino acids such as alanine. Glutamic acid-producing microorganisms are distributed widely throughout the natural environment. They are classified taxonomically as the Micrococcus, Brevibacterium, Corynebacterium, and Aerobacter sp. and Microbacterium genera. Most of these microorganisms are gram-positive, nonspore-forming, nonmotile, and require biotin for growth. The carbon sources for biosynthesis of glutamic acid include acetic acid and the commonly used carbohydrates. For industrial production, molasses and starch hydrolyzate are generally used at present. Monosodium l-glutamate elicits a unique taste, known as umami, which is different from the four basic tastes of sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. l-Glutamic acid is employed as a pharmaceutical and raw material for cosmetics. The acute toxicity of MSG is low. The main use of MSG is as a food ingredient. No specific toxic effects, and no evidence for carcinogenicity or mutagenicity have been demonstrated. Keywords: Monosodium glutamate (MSG); Fermentation process; Umami; L-Glutamic acid; Taste; Chinese restaurant syndrome; Flavor enhancer
Role of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase-Mediated Cytosolic Phospholipase A2 Activation in Arachidonic Acid Metabolism in Human Eosinophils

The objective of this investigation was to determine the role of secretory and cytosolic isoforms of phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) in the induction of arachidonic acid (AA) and leukotriene synthesis in human eosinophils and the mechanism of PLA(2) activation by mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) isoforms in this process. Pharmacological activation of eosinophils with fMLP caused increased AA release in a concentration (EC(50) = 8.5 nM)- and time-dependent (t(1/2) = 3.5 min) manner. Both fMLP-induced AA release and leukotriene C(4) (LTC(4)) secretion were inhibited concentration dependently by arachidonic trifluoromethyl ketone, a cytosolic PLA(2) (cPLA(2)) inhibitor; however, inhibition of neither the 14-kDa secretory phospholipase A(2) by 3-(3-acetamide-1-benzyl-2-ethylindolyl-5-oxy)propanephosphonic acid nor cytosolic Ca(2+)-independent phospholipase A(2) inhibition by bromoenol lactone blocked hydrolysis of AA or subsequent leukotriene synthesis. Pretreatment of eosinophils with a mitogen-activated protein/extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) kinase inhibitor, U0126, or a p38 MAPK inhibitor, SB203580, suppressed both AA production and LTC(4) release. fMLP induced phosphorylation of MAPK isoforms, ERK1/2 and p38, which were evident after 30 s, maximal at 1-5 min, and declined thereafter. fMLP stimulation also increased cPLA(2) activity in eosinophils, which was inhibited completely by 30 microM arachidonic trifluoromethyl ketone. Preincubation of eosinophils with U0126 or SB203580 blocked fMLP-enhanced cPLA(2) activity. Furthermore, inhibition of Ras, an upstream GTP-binding protein of ERK, also suppressed fMLP-stimulated AA release. These findings demonstrate that cPLA(2) activation causes AA hydrolysis and LTC(4) secretion. We also find that cPLA(2) activation caused by fMLP occurs subsequent to and is dependent upon ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK activation. Other PLA(2) isoforms native to human eosinophils possess no significant activity in the stimulated production of AA or LTC(4).
Plough, Sword and Book: The Structure of Human History; Culture Through Time: Anthropological Approaches

Ernest Gellner. Plough Sword and Book: The Structure of Human History. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988. Emiko Ohnuki-Tiemey. Culture Through Time: Anthropological Approaches. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1991.
The Availability and Persistence of Web References in D-Lib Magazine

We explore the availability and persistence of URLs cited in articles published in D-Lib Magazine. We extracted 4387 unique URLs referenced in 453 articles published from July 1995 to August 2004. The availability was checked three times a week for 25 weeks from September 2004 to February 2005. We found that approximately 28% of those URLs failed to resolve initially, and 30% failed to resolve at the last check. A majority of the unresolved URLs were due to 404 (page not found) and 500 (internal server error) errors. The content pointed to by the URLs was relatively stable; only 16% of the content registered more than a 1 KB change during the testing period. We explore possible factors which may cause a URL to fail by examining its age, path depth, top-level domain and file extension. Based on the data collected, we found the half-life of a URL referenced in a D-Lib Magazine article is approximately 10 years. We also found that URLs were more likely to be unavailable if they pointed to resources in the .net, .edu or country-specific top-level domain, used non-standard ports (i.e., not port 80), or pointed to resources with uncommon or deprecated extensions (e.g., .shtml, .ps, .txt).
Polymer lattices as mechanically tunable 3-dimensional photonic crystals operating in the infrared

Broadly tunable photonic crystals in the near- to mid-infrared region could find use in spectroscopy, non-invasive medical diagnosis, chemical and biological sensing, and military applications, but so far have not been widely realized. We report the fabrication and characterization of three-dimensional tunable photonic crystals composed of polymer nanolattices with an octahedron unit-cell geometry. These photonic crystals exhibit a strong peak in reflection in the mid-infrared that shifts substantially and reversibly with application of compressive uniaxial strain. A strain of ∼40% results in a 2.2 μm wavelength shift in the pseudo-stop band, from 7.3 μm for the as-fabricated nanolattice to 5.1 μm when strained. We found a linear relationship between the overall compressive strain in the photonic crystal and the resulting stopband shift, with a ∼50 nm blueshift in the reflection peak position per percent increase in strain. These results suggest that architected nanolattices can serve as efficient three-dimensional mechanically tunable photonic crystals, providing a foundation for new opto-mechanical components and devices across infrared and possibly visible frequencies.
In situ composites processed by simple shear

Abstract A new deformation method for the fabrication of in situ composites is described. It is found that intensive simple shear, performed repeatedly in the same direction, transforms ductile second phase particles into aligned filaments. Processing is performed by multi-step equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE). Results of experiments on Cu-18Nb and Cu-25Ag alloys demonstrate the ability of this method to fabricate filamentary composites from cast bulk products with no change in the work piece cross-section.
Direct Association of Grb2 with the p85 Subunit of Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) has been shown to play a key role in growth factor signaling pathways, although its signaling mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Using the yeast interaction trap system, we have identified Grb2 as a PI 3-kinase interacting protein. Our experiments demonstrate that p85, the regulatory subunit of PI 3-kinase, interacts with Grb2 in vivo, and this interaction is independent of growth factor stimulation. The direct association between Grb2 and p85 was reconstituted in vitro with glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins. Domain analyses and peptide competition indicate that the association is mediated by the SH3 domains of Grb2 and the proline-rich motifs of p85 and that only one SH3 domain is required for minimal binding. The interaction does not displace the catalytic subunit of PI 3-kinase but is exclusive of Sos. Signaling through PI 3-kinase, therefore, may involve the ubiquitous adapter Grb2, which serves as a convergence point for multiple pathways.
Studies of the biogenic amine transporters. VII. Characterization of a novel cocaine binding site identified with [125I]RTI‐55 in membranes prepared from human, monkey and guinea pig caudate

[125I]RTI-55 is a cocaine analog with high affinity for dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) transporters. Quantitative ligand binding studies revealed a novel high affinity [125I]RTI-55 binding site assayed under 5-HT transporter (SERT) conditions which has low affinity for almost all classic biogenic amine transporter ligands, including high affinity 5-HT transporter inhibitors such as paroxetine, but which retains high affinity for cocaine analogs. This site, termed SERTsite2 for its detection under 5-HT transporter conditions (not for an association with the SERT) occurs in monkey caudate, human caudate, and guinea pig caudate membranes, but not in rat caudate membranes. SERTsite2 is distinguished from the DA transporter (DAT) and SERT by several criteria, including a distinct ligand-selectivity profile, the inability to detect SERTsite2 in cells stably expressing the cloned human DAT, and insensitivity to irreversible ligands which inhibit [125I]RTI-55 binding to the DAT and SERT. Perhaps the most striking finding about SERTsite2 is that a wide range of representative antidepressant agents have very low affinity for SERTsite2. The affinity of cocaine for this site is not very different from the concentration cocaine achieves in the brain at pharmacological doses. Viewed collectively with the observation that ligands with high affinity for SERTsite2 are mostly cocaine analogs, these data lead us to speculate that actions of cocaine which differ from those of classic biogenic amine uptake inhibitors may be mediated in part via SERTsite2. Synapse 28:322–338, 1998. Published 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Mapping Trade-Offs in Teachers' Integration of Technology-Supported Inquiry in High School Science Classes

This paper explores how two teachers concurrently enacting the same technology-based inquiry unit on evolution structured activity and discourse in their classrooms to connect students' computer-based investigations to formal domain theories. Our analyses show that the teachers' interactions with their students during inquiry were quite similar, and each teacher used whole-class discussions as a major vehicle for connecting students' understanding to formal domain theories. Each teacher, however, structured the discourse in these discussions quite differently. We interpret these differences as each teacher navigating a set of trade-offs to balance, on the one hand, opportunities for students to actively develop their own ideas, and on the other, their concerns that students develop normative understandings. We identify several dimensions of trade-offs that emerge from our data, and suggest how teachers' choices on these dimensions shape students' opportunities for learning.
The Xenopus laevis estrogen receptor: sequence homology with human and avian receptors and identification of multiple estrogen receptor messenger ribonucleic acids.

We have isolated and sequenced a cDNA clone encompassing the entire protein coding region of the Xenopus laevis estrogen receptor (xER). The Xenopus ER, the first steroid hormone receptor to be sequenced from a cold-blooded organism, exhibits two regions of striking amino acid homology with the human and avian ERs. In the putative DNA binding region, the amino acid sequence of the xER differs from those of the human and avian ERs atonly one of 83 amino acids. The putative hormone binding region contains 44 and 46 amino acid blocksin which the sequence is identical in the Xenopus and human ERs. Blot hybridizations of Xenopus liver RNA suggest that the xER is encoded by four mRNAs with lengths of approximately 9, 6.5, 2.8, and 2.5 kilobases. In contrast, hybridization of human RNA to a human ER cDNA clone reveals only a single major ER RNA, approximately 6.7 kilobases in length.
Graded Activation in Frog Muscle Fibers

The membrane potential of frog single muscle fibers in solutions containing tetrodotoxin was controlled with a two-electrode voltage clamp. Local contractions elicited by 100-ms square steps of depolarization were observed microscopically and recorded on cinefilm. The absence of myofibrillar folding with shortening to striation spacings below 1.95 µm served as a criterion for activation of the entire fiber cross section. With depolarizing steps of increasing magnitude, shortening occurred first in the most superficial myofibrils and spread inward to involve axial myofibrils as the depolarization was increased. In contractions in which the entire fiber cross section shortened actively, both the extent of shortening and the velocity of shortening at a given striation spacing could be graded by varying the magnitude of the depolarization step. The results provide evidence that the degree of activation of individual myofibrils can be graded with membrane depolarization.
Conspecific Attraction and the Determination of Metapopulation Colonization Rates

Natural habitats, hence animal populations, are becoming increasingly fragmented and vulnerable as the result of human activities. The metapopulation concept (Levins 1970; Gilpin 1987; Harrison et al. 1988), which is applied to interdependent patches of occupied and unoccupied habitat, can be used to describe the dynamics of these fragmented populations. The ultimate goal is to understand these systems well enough to predict their behavior and manage for their persistence (Gilpin 1987). One of the most important aspects of metapopulation dynamics is the flow of individuals between patches (Gilpin 1987), yet dispersal between patches and their subsequent colonization have generally been assumed to be stochastic processes. Here we propose that the actions of dispersers may be profoundly influenced by the presence of conspecifics on neighboring patches, leading to a colonization process that may be much more deterministic than was previously believed. We advance the idea that taking nonrandom dispersal and colonization patterns into account can enhance management of metapopulation systems. The persistence of metapopulations is a function of the extinction rate of individual patches and their probability of subsequent colonization (Levins 1970; Gilpin 1987). A rich literature has outlined the factors that may influence the balance between extinction and coloniza-
What chess games and chess problems tell us about digital games and art

This article examines the relationship between chess games and chess problems (‘compositions’) in order to describe the chess problem as art. Arguing that the chess problem is a manipulation of game form guided by human aesthetic principles (e.g. Schiller's ‘beauty’ and Wimsatt's ‘human condition’), the article draws a parallel between art derived from games and art derived from nature. This parallel has important implications in circumstances where a natural world is replaced by a virtual world and nature is, in some sense, ‘lost’ to the artist. The article argues that, in such circumstances, the interactive and ‘concreative’ nature of digital media – particularly digital games – allows for unabated aesthetic production.
Budget surpluses and social security reform: U.S. fiscal policy issues in 1998

In 1997 the US President and Congress concluded an agreement that imposed caps on discretionary government spending and which was expected to balance the budget by the year 2002. Just one year later the tide has turned: the fiscal year 1998 resulted in a US budget surplus for the first time since 1969. This article discusses the causes for this surprising development and the link between budget surpluses and Social Security's finances. It also relates some recent proposals on how to preserve the budget surplus for Social Security to the sustainability of fiscal policy.
Parent training: A review of methods for children with developmental disabilities

Great strides have been made in the development of skills and procedures to aid children with developmental disabilities to establish maximum independence and quality of life. Paramount among the treatment methods that have empirical support are treatments based on applied behavior analysis. These methods are often very labor intensive. Thus, parent involvement in treatment implementation is advisable. A substantial literature on parent training for children has therefore emerged. This article reviews recent advances and current trends with respect to this topic.
Gender, Culture and ICT Use in Rural South India:

In this article we explore how women use and perceive information technology in five villages in rural Tamil Nadu, India. We analyse the outcomes from structured in-depth interviews with 17 women I...
Efecto de la heparina no fraccionada sobre la síntesis de citocinas en la obstrucción venosa aguda

La flegmasia cerulea dolens es una complicacion devastadora de la trombosis venosa profunda masiva, que, desde un punto de vista clinico, se caracteriza por un edema global de la extremidad inferior e insuficiencia arterial posterior. En estos experimentos se evaluaron los efectos tisulares locales de la obstruccion venosa aguda combinada con isquemia arterial parcial. Los experimentos se efectuaron para evaluar los efectos de la heparina sobre la respuesta de las citocinas a la obstruccion venosa y arterial parcial simultaneas. Se sometieron las patas traseras de ratones a condiciones de oclusion venosa unilateral e isquemia parcial de la pata con torniquete, confirmadas mediante registros de laser Doppler (LD). Los ratones se sometieron a obstruccion venosa de la pata trasera con heparina no fraccionada intravenosa (200 UI/kg) o suero salino intravenoso 5 min antes de la oclusion venosa. Los ratones sometidos a tratamiento simulado recibieron anestesia sola sin oclusion venosa. Despues de 3 h, se sacrifico a los animales y se obtuvo tejido para determinacion del edema (proporcion de peso total con respecto al seco, H/S), viabilidad muscular, indices de trombosis local (complejo trombina-antitrombina [TAT]) y analisis de citocinas para el oncogen 1 relacionado con el crecimiento (GRO-1) e interleucina 6 (IL-6), niveles de proteina a traves de un enzimoinmunoanalisis de adsorcion y ARNm a traves de una reaccion en cadena de la polimerasa retrotranscriptasa. Para confirmar la anticoagulacion sistemica en ratones tratados con suero salino y heparina, se documento el tiempo de sangria y el volumen de hemorragia. La administracion de heparina intravenosa dio lugar a un aumento marcado de ambos parametros. El examen con LD confirmo la obstruccion venosa y el flujo arterial continuado. La obstruccion venosa dio lugar a un edema visible agudo que se correlaciono con una proporcion H/S significativamente mayor pero que no se asocio con una disminucion significativa de la viabilidad muscular. Los niveles de proteina y ARNm de GRO-1 e IL-6 aumentaron significativamente en el grupo de oclusion venosa comparado con el de simulacion. El tratamiento con heparina disminuyo significativamente los niveles de TAT III pero no altero el perfil de los niveles de proteina de GRO-1 o de IL-6 observados con la oclusion venosa. La oclusion venosa con isquemia parcial induce una expresion exclusiva y potente de citocinas locales. El tratamiento con heparina no mejoro la respuesta de las citocinas. Estos datos indican que este tratamiento no modula su respuesta a la obstruccion venosa.
FIEFDom: a transparent domain boundary recognition system using a fuzzy mean operator

Protein domain prediction is often the preliminary step in both experimental and computational protein research. Here we present a new method to predict the domain boundaries of a multidomain protein from its amino acid sequence using a fuzzy mean operator. Using the nr-sequence database together with a reference protein set (RPS) containing known domain boundaries, the operator is used to assign a likelihood value for each residue of the query sequence as belonging to a domain boundary. This procedure robustly identifies contiguous boundary regions. For a dataset with a maximum sequence identity of 30%, the average domain prediction accuracy of our method is 97% for one domain proteins and 58% for multidomain proteins. The presented model is capable of using new sequence/structure information without re-parameterization after each RPS update. When tested on a current database using a four year old RPS and on a database that contains different domain definitions than those used to train the models, our method consistently yielded the same accuracy while two other published methods did not. A comparison with other domain prediction methods used in the CASP7 competition indicates that our method performs better than existing sequence-based methods.
Reexamining the goodness-of-fit problem for interval-scale scores

A classic data-analytic problem is the statistical evaluation of the distributional form of interval-scale scores. The investigator may need to know whether the scores originate from a single Gaussian distribution or from a mixture of Gaussian distributions or from a different probability distribution. The relative merits of extant goodness-of-fit metrics are discussed. Monte Carlo power analyses are provided for several of the more powerful goodness-of-fit metrics.
Slow and Fast Gamma Rhythms Coordinate Different Spatial Coding Modes in Hippocampal Place Cells

Previous work has hinted that prospective and retrospective coding modes exist in hippocampus. Prospective coding is believed to reflect memory retrieval processes, whereas retrospective coding is thought to be important for memory encoding. Here, we show in rats that separate prospective and retrospective modes exist in hippocampal subfield CA1 and that slow and fast gamma rhythms differentially coordinate place cells during the two modes. Slow gamma power and phase locking of spikes increased during prospective coding; fast gamma power and phase locking increased during retrospective coding. Additionally, slow gamma spikes occurred earlier in place fields than fast gamma spikes, and cell ensembles retrieved upcoming positions during slow gamma and encoded past positions during fast gamma. These results imply that alternating slow and fast gamma states allow the hippocampus to switch between prospective and retrospective modes, possibly to prevent interference between memory retrieval and encoding.
Studies of alteration of hepatic cholesterol metabolism in puromycin-induced nephrotic syndrome in rats

Studies of alteration of hepatic cholesterol metabolism in puromycin-induced nephrotic syndrome in rats. Hypercholesterolemia frequently accompanies the nephrotic syndrome, but the mechanism responsible for elevation of plasma cholesterol is poorly understood. Specifically, the contribution of abnormal hepatic cholesterol metabolism to elevated concentrations of serum cholesterol has never been studied in depth. The objective of the present study was to define the alteration of hepatic cholesterol metabolism in puromycin induced nephrotic syndrome in rats. Studies involved measurements of specific activities of four enzymes participating in the maintenance of hepatic cholesterol metabolism: HMG-CoA-reductase, the rate limiting enzyme of cholesterol synthesis; cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase, the rate limiting enzyme in bile acid synthesis; acyl CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase, the enzyme responsible for esterification of cholesterol; and cholesterol ester hydrolase (CEH), an enzyme which hydrolyzes cholesterol. Multiple injections of puromycin resulted in a production of nephrotic syndrome with massive proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, hypercholesterolemia, ascites and edema. HMG-CoA-reductase (nmol/hr/mg protein) and cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase activities (nmol/hr/mg protein) in rats with nephrotic syndrome were not statistically significant as compared to control rats (4.0 ± 0.7 and 2.0 ± 0.6 vs. 3.3 ± 0.4 and 1.6 ± 0.2), respectively. Our results also demonstrate, for the first time, that the normal diurnal rhythm in HMG-CoA reductase activity is no longer present in the nephrotic animals. The activities in the nephrotics in the day was 4.0 nmol/hr/mg and at night, 3.9 nmol/hr/day, compared to the control values of 3.3 nmol/hr/mg in the day and 6.9 nmol/hr/mg at night. ACAT activities were 428 ± 78 versus 302 ± 64 pmol/min/mg/protein (P = NS). CEH activity was markedly increased in the nephrotic syndrome 3.4 ± 0.7 versus 1.1 ±0.1 nmol/hr/mg protein in control rats. There was a 25% increase in microsomal free cholesterol in rats with nephrotic syndrome (P 14 C]-leucine incorporation in TCA precipitable fraction was not affected by puromycin injection in the first 12 days of the experiment, suggesting that the determinations of enzyme activities were not affected by puromycin, a known inhibitor of protein synthesis. We conclude that the hypercholesterolemia in nephrotic syndrome is not due to a marked alteration of hepatic cholesterol synthesis or degradation. A marked threefold increase in CEH was observed, but its role in the genesis of hypercholesterolemia is uncertain.
Electrocatalytic oxidation of glycerol on Pt/C in anion-exchange membrane fuel cell: Cogeneration of electricity and valuable chemicals

Abstract Electrocatalytic oxidation of glycerol for cogenerating electricity and higher-valued chemicals on a Pt/C anode catalyst (2.4 nm) in an anion-exchange membrane fuel cell (AEMFC) was investigated. The peak power density of an anion-exchange membrane – direct glycerol fuel cell (AEM-DGFC) with 1.0 mgPt cm−2 anode and non-PGM catalyst cathode can reach 124.5 mW cm−2 at 80 °C and 58.6 mW cm−2 at 50 °C, while the highest selectivity of C3 acids (glyceric acid + tartronic acid) can reach 91%. The study found that higher pH reaction media could enhance fuel cell output power density (electricity generation) and selectivity of C3 acids, while lower glycerol concentration could improve the selectivity of deeper-oxidized products (mesoxalic acid and oxalic acid). The fuel cell reactor with the Pt/C anode catalyst demonstrated an excellent reusability, and successfully obtained tartronic acid with a selectivity of 50% and mesoxalic acid with a selectivity of 7%, which are high compared to heterogeneous catalytic glycerol oxidation in batch reactors. It is found that the anode overpotential can regulate the oxidation product distribution, and that higher anode overpotentials favor C C bond breaking, thus lowering the C3 acids selectivity. The reaction sequence of glycerol electro-oxidation detected in an electrolysis half cell with an on-line sample collection and off-line HPLC analysis agrees with the results obtained from single fuel cell tests. However, inconsistencies between the two systems still exist and are possibly due to different reaction environments, such as electrode structure, glycerol:catalyst ratio, and residence time of reactants.
Irregular Astigmatism After Radial and Astigmatic Keratotomy

Eleven eyes of six patients, who had been referred for management of irregular astigmatism after receiving crossed incisions for myopic astigmatism, had moderate to marked irregular corneal astigmatism with marked flattening in the meridians of intersecting incisions. All six patients had a decrease in best-corrected visual acuity with spectacles after surgery. Visual acuity with spectacles was 20/40 in five of 11 eyes; with contact lenses it reached 20/40 in ten of 11 eyes. However, two patients could not wear the contact lenses because of lens decentration caused by the marked distortion in corneal topography. Even with contact lenses, visual acuity could only be improved to 20/25 or better in six of 11 eyes.
Dual-Band Composite Right/Left-Handed (CRLH) Phased-Array Antenna

A dual-band, all-passive phased-array feed network using composite right/left-handed (CRLH) dispersive lines is presented. This single feed network provides phase advance in addition to phase delay, which allows dual-band operation capable of directing the radiated beam to arbitrary directions. A simple design guide for a dual-band CRLH-based phased array is provided, and the array's performance is verified experimentally. The simulated and measured results show good agreement. This proposed array network is compatible with any type of conventional dual-band antennas.
Optimal Design Of Standby Redundant Components For A System Which Has A Mission Of Random Duration

Abstract The behavior of an n-component/n-1 cold standby system is analyzed over a horizon whose duration is assumed to be random. Under certain stochastic assumptions concerning the individual components, system performance measures are computed which are applicable for a system that is observed over a random interval of time. Two measures of system performance, expected accumulated uptime and random interval reliability, are used to demonstrate the computational tractability of the modeling perspective proposed in the paper. These measures may be used to optimally choose the number of standby components in the system. Optimization examples are included to illustrate the application of the theory developed.
A new theory of guilds and european economic development

Abstract This paper presents and tests a new interpretation of European guilds and the economic effects of their policies. The traditional view, from classical economics, is that guilds, at least those of the bureaucratively active, entry-restrictive variety common in late medieval Europe, were monopolistic and economically inefficient, representing net drains on the society's resources. In contrast, our interpretation is that such guilds were first adopted and then eliminated by legislatively pragmatic European states soon after the corresponding changes in economic policy were in the substantial collective interest of the members of the state. And states abandoning legislative pragmatism in favor of legislative ideology, classical economics included, have systematically overdiscouraged guilds and suffered greatly as a result.
Tectonic setting and terrane accretion of the Archean Zimbabwe craton

The Archean Zimbabwe craton is made of a number of distinct tectonostratigraphic terranes assembled by plate tectonic processes. The central Tokwe terrane consists of 3.5–2.95 Ga gneissic rocks and structurally complex inliers of possibly older greenstone belts. These are overlain unconformably by a 2.9–2.8 Ga assemblage of mafic and felsic volcanic rocks and conglomerates, and a separate 3.0–2.7 Ga southeastward thickening platform sequence of sandstone, shale, and limestone. 2.7 Ga greenstone belts form two distinctly different domains flanking the central terrane. Northwest of the ancient gneissic terrane, ca. 2.7 Ga greenstone belts comprise a series of calc-alkaline lavas and intercalated sedimentary rocks intruded by syn-volcanic plutons. Southeast of the ancient gneissic complex, 2.7 Ga greenstone belts consist of thick piles of tholeiitic basalts overlying ultramafic lavas, resting allochthonously over the shallow-water platform sequence and older gneissic terrane. This division of the Zimbabwe craton is interpreted to show that the central Tokwe terrane had a continental magmatic arc built on its northwestern edge, as its southeastern margin rifted from another fragment, forming the Sea of Umtali. A passive-margin sedimentary wedge formed on the rifted southeastern edge of this ancient continent, and prograded onto the craton during sedimentary and tectonic loading of the craton margin. The southeastern greenstone belts formed as thick oceanic crust (oceanic plateau) in this back-arc basin, and were later obducted on to the rift and passive margin sequence as the Sea of Umtali closed ca. 2.7 Ga. This was followed by intrusion of granitic plutons of the Chilimanzi suite ca. 2.6 Ga in a tectonic regime of intracontinental strike-slip faulting, representing a response to the Zimbabwe-Kaapvaal continent-continent collision. Crustal and lithospheric thickening during intrusion of these late granites may have played a role in stabilizing the Zimbabwe craton and forming the lithospheric root.
A new paradigm in portal imaging QA: fast measurements of modulation transfer function (MTF) and detective quantum efficiency (DQE) using line-pair bar patterns

In portal imaging, the role of electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) to implement complex radiation therapy protocols is crucial, and regular quality assurance (QA) of EPID image quality is necessary to ensure treatment efficacy. The modulation transfer function (MTF), noise power spectrum (NPS) and detective quantum efficiency (DQE) are universal metrics that can completely describe radiographic image quality. These metrics are independent of measurement geometry and the user, and allow intra and inter detector performance evaluation. Though NPS and DQE calculations are straightforward, conventional MTF measurements using slit/edge phantoms are difficult and time consuming. Therefore, such measurements are not feasible within routine clinical QA. Currently, EPID performance is monitored using image quality indices obtained from commercial QA phantoms. Such methods may be qualitative or sensitive to imaging conditions, and hence not appropriate for rigorous QA. In this work, a simple and quick method for EPID QA is presented based on a line-pair bar-pattern for fast MTF measurement, coupled with standard NPS and DQE measurements, all of which can be carried out within two minutes. The method to determine MTF from line-pair modulations was developed based on theoretical analyses and Monte Carlo simulations to identify accurate and reliable measurement conditions. The bar-pattern based QA method was tested with two clinical EPIDs and found to be in excellent agreement with slit/edge measurements. It was also implemented for weekly QA checks, and compared with established commercial QA methods. This bar-pattern based QA was more sensitive to potential decrease of EPID image quality.
Single-stage transmediastinal replacement of the ascending, arch, and descending thoracic aorta

Abstract Background . Aneurysms of the ascending, arch, and descending thoracic aorta are typically managed with two operations. The first stage involves replacement of the ascending and arch aorta leaving a segment of graft in the proximal descending aorta with a mortality and stroke risk of 8%. The second stage involves replacement of the descending aorta with a mortality of 5% and a paraplegia risk of 5% to 10%. Some patients refuse surgical completion and others are at increased risk to undergo the second stage thoracotomy, leaving them with untreated descending thoracic aortic aneurysms vulnerable to rupture. A single-stage transmediastinal operation used in 14 patients is described. Methods . Under circulatory arrest, the descending thoracic aorta is opened. A wire is passed up to the arch and a graft is brought down and secured excluding the descending thoracic aneurysm. The arch vessels are attached as a single patch and the graft is brought forward, replacing the ascending aorta. Results . Fourteen patients have undergone single-stage replacement of the ascending, arch, and descending aorta with a 14% mortality rate and 14% incidence of paraplegia. Conclusions . Patients with aneurysms of the ascending, arch, and descending thoracic aorta can be managed with a single operation with comparable mortality and morbidity of the two-stage approach.