cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Single-Locus Control of Saccharin Preference in Mice

VIDENCE for single-locus control of behavioral differences among inbred strains of mice is accumulating; examples include proneness to audiogenic seizure ' , avoidance learning', various activity measures", and vocalization' ' beginning with .096 percent W/V) and doubling succes- sively to 3.08 percent (W/V)). No differences were found between strains B and D in acuity threshold or aversion threshold. The B mice had a lower threshold for preference and drank more from the higher concentrations when the six solutions were simul- taneously presented. The F, hybrids responded like the B mice. The preference and avoidance thresholds are shown in Figure 1. Note that in comparison with the two other genotypes the area of preference for the D mice is restricted both with respect to range of concentrations (horizontal dimension) and to intensity of preference when it occurs (vertical dimension). This pattern sug- gests the complete dominance of the B strain's prefer- ence for saccharin. The hypothesis was further sup- ported by the response to saccharin of both strains and their hybrid during food deprivation s . Pelz et al. 9 also found large differences between inbred strains and feral mice in their preference for saccharin, and although they reported no data from crosses beyond the F,, their results are compatible with the hypothesis of single-locus regulation of preference for saccharin at moderate concentrations. This paper discusses the results of an experiment in which the genetics of preference were investigated in hybrids between B and D mice. Method
Strategic planning for value‐based management: An empirical examination

This paper developed a model to identify empirically the critical strategic variables for value‐based management. Since “value” is abstract in its nature, managers need to know more concrete and clear target measures that derive the value of their business. In this model common financial variables and their variations are used as input variables to synthesize the market value added (MVA). The model used an artificial intelligence technique that is non‐parametric by nature and intended to capture a dynamic relationship between input and output variables. The study results show that this model is able to identify a set of strategic variables that are linked directly to the MVA of companies involved.
Poliovirus RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase Synthesizes Full-Length Copies of Poliovirion RNA, Cellular mRNA, and Several Plant Virus RNAs In Vitro

The poliovirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase was active on synthetic homopolymeric RNA templates as well as on every natural RNA tested. The polymerase copied polyadenylate. oligouridylate [oligo(U)], polycytidylate . oligoinosinate, and polyinosinate. oligocytidylate templates to about the same extent. The observed activity on polyuridylate. oligoadenylate was about fourfold less. Full-length copies of both poliovirion RNA and a wide variety of other polyadenylated RNAs were synthesized by the polymerase in the presence of oligo(U). Polymerase elongation rates on poliovirion RNA and a heterologous RNA (squash mosaic virus RNA) were about the same. Changes in the Mg(2+) concentration affected the elongation rates on both RNAs to the same extent. With two non-polyadenylated RNAs (tobacco mosaic virus RNA and brome mosaic virus RNA3), the results were different. The purified polymerase synthesized a subgenomic-sized product RNA on brome mosaic virus RNA3 in the presence of oligo(U). This product RNA appeared to initiate on oligo(U) hybridized to an internal oligoadenylate sequence in brome mosaic virus RNA3. No oligo(U)-primed product was synthesized on tobacco mosaic virus RNA. When partially purified polymerase was used in place of the completely purified enzyme, some oligo(U)-independent activity was observed on the brome mosaic virus and tobacco mosaic virus RNAs. The size of the product RNA from these reactions suggested that at least some of the product RNA was full-sized and covalently linked to the template RNA. Thus, the polymerase was found to copy many different types of RNA and to make full-length copies of the RNAs tested.
Drosophila mauve Mutants Reveal a Role of LYST Homologs Late in the Maturation of Phagosomes and Autophagosomes

Chediak–Higashi syndrome (CHS) is a lethal disease caused by mutations that inactivate the lysosomal trafficking regulator protein (LYST). Patients suffer from diverse symptoms including oculocutaneous albinism, recurrent infections, neutropenia and progressive neurodegeneration. These defects have been traced back to over-sized lysosomes and lysosome-related organelles (LROs) in different cell types. Here, we explore mutants in the Drosophila mauve gene as a new model system for CHS. The mauve gene (CG42863) encodes a large BEACH domain protein of 3535 amino acids similar to LYST. This reflects a functional homology between these proteins as mauve mutants also display enlarged LROs, such as pigment granules. This Drosophila model also replicates the enhanced susceptibility to infections and we show a defect in the cellular immune response. Early stages of phagocytosis proceed normally in mauve mutant hemocytes but, unlike in wild type, late phagosomes fuse and generate large vacuoles containing many bacteria. Autophagy is similarly affected in mauve fat bodies as starvation-induced autophagosomes grow beyond their normal size. Together these data suggest a model in which Mauve functions to restrict homotypic fusion of different pre-lysosomal organelles and LROs.
Human identification using dental biometric analysis

Human identification is becoming one of the major worldwide issue now a days. Dental biometrics is the leading biometric technique to identify individuals on the basis of their dental characteristics. Dental Features of persons are naturally unique. They can be used to authenticate humans exactly or almost to the maximum possible similarity. In this paper, we present an efficient workable method to authenticate humans correctly and identify them properly, which is based on dental work information extracted out from dental data. The method we have proposed here comprises of five main processing stages; the initial stage is pre-processing, i.e. initial work on dental data then the Segmentation step, i.e. getting the relevant part of dental data and other processing steps in segmentation. Then Features extraction is performed on segmented images and finally biometric analysis is done which is the most important step for matching. The method is tested on two databases i.e. dental radiographs and colored teeth images and the results are highly encouraging. The data set comprises dental radiographs of 14 persons and colored teeth images of 45 persons. An Equal Error Rate (EER) of 85.7% dental radiographs and 88.8% for colored teeth images found on matching the performance of our dental biometric analysis, which shows highly accuracy using our proposed methodology on the data set.
Topology and grid adaption for high-speed flow computations

This study investigates the effects of grid topology and grid adaptation on numerical solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations. In the first part of this study, a general procedure is presented for computation of high-speed flow over complex three-dimensional configurations. The flow field is simulated on the surface of a Butler wing in a uniform stream. Results are presented for Mach number 3.5 and a Reynolds number of 2,000,000. The O-type and H-type grids have been used for this study, and the results are compared together and with other theoretical and experimental results. The results demonstrate that while the H-type grid is suitable for the leading and trailing edges, a more accurate solution can be obtained for the middle part of the wing with an O-type grid. In the second part of this study, methods of grid adaption are reviewed and a method is developed with the capability of adapting to several variables. This method is based on a variational approach and is an algebraic method. Also, the method has been formulated in such a way that there is no need for any matrix inversion. This method is used in conjunction with the calculation of hypersonic flow over a blunt-nose body. A movie has been produced which shows simultaneously the transient behavior of the solution and the grid adaption.
Galactic Evolution of the Light Elements: A New Set of B Observations

The boron 2500 A spectral region has been observed with the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in a new set of metal-poor stars and analyzed by spectrum synthesis technique, adopting the most recent model atmospheres. By taking into account the Li and Be abundances available from the literature for this same set of objects, the resulting patterns of their light elements abundances cannot be easily justified with the currently known stellar structure scenarios. The finding of real differences in the B content between stars with very similar stellar characteristics suggest that also production effects, rather than depletion and/or mixing only, should be taken into account as a possible and valuable explanation.
A detrital record of Mesozoic island arc accretion and exhumation in the North American Cordillera: U‐Pb geochronology of the Kahiltna basin, southern Alaska

[1] The stratigraphic record of Mesozoic arc accretion in the North American Cordillera is preserved in a discontinuous belt of clastic strata that are exposed inboard (cratonward) of the allochthonous Wrangellia composite terrane in southern Alaska, western Canada, and Washington State. LA-ICPMS analyses of eight samples (n = 714 detrital zircon grains) collected at different stratigraphic intervals from the Jurassic-Cretaceous Kahiltna assemblage in southern Alaska reveals a bulk U-Pb age distribution of Precambrian-Mesozoic age grains (Mz 74%, Pz 11%, Pc 15%). A comparison of U-Pb ages from older to younger stratigraphic intervals within the Kahiltna assemblage reveals three stages of exhumation and basin development during arc accretion. Stages include (1) an initial Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous pre/early collisional phase during which detritus was derived almost solely from Middle–Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous magmatic sources of the outboard Wrangellia composite terrane (Mz 100%, Pz 0%, Pc, 0%), (2) a second Early Cretaceous syncollisional phase that reflects the introduction of Paleozoic and Precambrian detritus from the inboard Intermontane belt (Mz 84%, Pz 11%, Pc 5%) and an upsection increase in older detrital zircon grains compared to Mesozoic age grains (Mz 65%, Pz 11%, Pc 24%), and (3) a final Early-Late Cretaceous late/postcollisional phase that represents continued detrital contributions from Precambrian–Mesozoic source areas (Mz 19%, Pz 22%, Pc 59%) located inboard and outboard of the Kahiltna basin. Similar bulk trends in detrital zircon age populations have been reported from along-strike, age-equivalent strata of the Gravina belt (Mz 74%, Pz 20%, Pc 6%) in southeastern Alaska suggesting that similar provenance trends may exist in basins along this >2000 km -long collisional zone.
Germ Cell Development in the XXY Mouse: Evidence That X Chromosome Reactivation Is Independent of Sexual Differentiation

Prior to entry into meiosis, XX germ cells in the fetal ovary undergo X chromosome reactivation. The signal for reactivation is thought to emanate from the genital ridge, but it is unclear whether it is specific to the developing ovary. To determine whether the signals are present in the developing testis as well as the ovary, we examined the expression of X-linked genes in germ cells from XXY male mice. To facilitate this analysis, we generated XXY and XX fetuses carrying X chromosomes that were differentially marked and subject to nonrandom inactivation. This pattern of nonrandom inactivation was maintained in somatic cells but, in XX as well as XXY fetuses, both parental alleles were expressed in germ cell-enriched cell populations. Because testis differentiation is temporally and morphologically normal in the XXY testis and because all germ cells embark upon a male pathway of development, these results provide compelling evidence that X chromosome reactivation in fetal germ cells is independent of the somatic events of sexual differentiation. Proper X chromosome dosage is essential for the normal fertility of male mammals, and abnormalities in germ cell development are apparent in the XXY testis within several days of X reactivation. Studies of exceptional germ cells that survive in the postnatal XXY testis demonstrated that surviving germ cells are exclusively XY and result from rare nondisjunctional events that give rise to clones of XY cells.
Role of ornithine as a proline precursor in healing wounds

The successful healing of wounds requires the local synthesis of significant amounts of collagen. The amino acid pool that is the immediate precursor for collagen synthesis within wounds has not been specifically identified but is likely to include the free amino acids contained in the extracellular wound fluid. This fluid is here shown to be rich in proline and its metabolic precursors: ornithine, glutamate, and glutamine. While the metabolic origins for wound fluid glutamine and glutamate remain undetermined, ornithine is known to be synthesized locally through the catabolism of arginine by arginase. Experiments reported here tested the hypothesis that ornithine accumulating in the extracellular space of wounds serves as a precursor for proline contained in fibroblast secretory proteins. Results demonstrated that little ornithine is directly incorporated as protein-bound proline by wound-derived fibroblasts in culture and that the incorporation ornithine-derived proline into protein is markedly suppressed by preformed proline. In turn, the appearance of ornithine-derived free proline in the culture supernatants is quantitatively more important than its incorporation into protein and it is enhanced, rather than suppressed, by preformed proline. Therefore, ornithine may contribute to the synthesis of protein-bound proline in wounds by increasing the extracellular pool of free proline.
A bijection on Dyck paths and its consequences

Abstract A bijection is introduced in the set of all Dyck paths of semilength n from which it follows that (i) the parameters ‘height of the first peak’ and ‘number of returns’ have the same distribution and (ii) the parameter ‘number of high peaks’ has the Narayana distribution.
Route learning impairment in temporal lobe epilepsy

Abstract Memory impairment on neuropsychological tests is relatively common in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients. However, memory has been rarely evaluated in more naturalistic settings. This study assessed TLE (n = 19) and control (n = 32) groups on a real-world route learning (RL) test. Compared to the controls, the TLE group committed significantly more total errors across the three RL test trials. Route learning errors correlated significantly with standardized auditory and visual memory and visual–perceptual test scores in the TLE group. In the TLE subset for whom hippocampal data were available (n = 14), RL errors also correlated significantly with left hippocampal volume. This is one of the first studies to demonstrate real-world memory impairment in TLE patients and its association with both mesial temporal lobe integrity and standardized memory test performance. The results support the ecological validity of clinical neuropsychological assessment.
Forces influencing developing country views of agricultural biotechnology: an analysis of training programme participants’ perceptions

Agricultural biotechnology is expanding around the world, but societal acceptance remains an important issue. Michigan State University (MSU) has developed and implemented an agricultural biotechnology short course for developing countries. Four courses were taught to regional groups in 2002–2003 and eight more were taught to geographically diverse groups in 2004–2008. One half day of each course was devoted to issues related to biotechnology acceptance. The participants discussed the pro-GM and anti-GM forces in their countries. Scientists were the top ranked pro-GM force and information was the top anti-GM force. Regional differences were found between forces such as food security and economics. Possible temporal differences included a rising influence of farmers on the pro-GM side and a falling influence of environmental NGOs on the anti-GM side.
Do Better Wages Reduce Crime? A Research Note

. Recent research has called into question theoretical and empirical findings demonstrating a deterrent effect of punishment. Also challenged has been the view that improved employment opportunities help to reduce participation in illegitimate activities. This research note summarizes newly published econometric findings revealing that better wages and employment indeed do appear to reduce individual recidivism rates, at least in the major data set studied. The data are drawn from the Baltimore LIFE experiment. Maximum likelihood methods are used to estimate the probability of recidivism one year after release from prison and the probability of avoiding rearrest or “survival” each month after release from prison. It is found that higher average weekly wages are associated with lower recidivism and higher survival rates. In contrast, no evidence is found to confirm a deterrent effect of punishment. [Complete documentation is published in S. L. Myers, Jr “Estimating the Economic Model of Crime: Employment vs. Punishment Effects,”.
SU‐E‐J‐112: Improving Target Delineation by Using Deformably Registered Multi‐Modality Images for Radiation Therapy of Pancreatic Cancer

Purpose: Combined multi‐modality images can provide unsurpassed target recognition, yet the large variation of contour volumes from different modalities prevents accurate contour transfer onto CT images for radiation therapy (RT) planning. This work demonstrates improved agreement between target contours from multi‐modality images after deformable multi‐modality image registration for pancreatic cancer RT. Methods: PET, and various MRI including T1, T2, DWI and DCE, were rigidly registered with CT for representative patients with pancreatic cancer. Gross tumor volume (GTV) and organs at risk (OARs) were delineated on multi‐modality images and were exported into a presently‐developed deformable multi‐modality image registration tool. The derived deformation fields were applied to deform the corresponding modality contours, which were later overlapped onto the planning CT. Results: Substantial variations among contours from multi‐modality images were observed for both GTV and OARs. When using T1 weighted contour volume as nominator, the delineated volumes vary from 0.5 to 1.8 for GTV, from 0.81 to 1.05 for OARs between the image modalities. The overlapping ratio between different modalities varies from 0.22 to 0.74 for GTV, and from 0.65 to 0.84 for OARs. After deformable image registration, the contour volumes are changed by deformation fields by 6% to 11%. These changes do not impact volume variation between different modalities, but improve significantly the overlapping ratio between contours from different modalities, for example, changing from 0.55 to 0.82 for GTV. Conclusion: The deformable image registration of multi‐modality images increases the agreement between contours from different image modalities, improving accuracy for target and normal structure delineation for radiation treatment planning of pancreatic cancer.
Raman scattering studies of individual polar semiconducting nanowires: phonon splitting and antenna effects

Results from Raman scattering experiments on individual crystalline GaP nanowires are presented which indicate that the shape of the nanowire, i.e., the high aspect ratio, may be responsible for two new phenomena involving optical phonons: (1) a shape-inducedsplitting of both the longitudinal optical (LO) and transverse optical (TO) phonons at the center of the Brillouin zone (q=0), and (2) a Raman scattering “antenna” effect which masks the normal Raman polarization selection rules. We suggest that (1) stems from the asymmetry in the long range dipolar sums that control the electromagnetic LO-TOsplitting, and we identify the Raman antenna effect (2) with the internal electric field created by Mie resonances in the nanowire driven by the incident laser field. Although these effects are reported here for GaP, they are expected to be general effects observable in many semiconducting nanowire systems.
Microtubule Stabilization Opposes the (TNF-α)-Induced Loss in the Barrier Integrity of Corneal Endothelium

Microtubule disassembly breaks down the barrier integrity in a number of epithelial and endothelial monolayers. This study has investigated effects of TNF-α, which is implicated in corneal allograft rejection, on microtubules and barrier integrity in cultured bovine corneal endothelial cells. Exposure to TNF-α led to disassembly of the microtubules, and also caused disruption of the perijunctional actomyosin ring (PAMR). As a measure of barrier integrity, trans-endothelial electrical resistance (TER) was determined based on electrical cell-substrate impedance sensing in realtime. Exposure to TNF-α caused a slow decline in TER for > 20 h, and a similar exposure to cells grown on porous culture inserts led to a significant increase in permeability to FITC dextran. These changes, indicating a loss of barrier integrity, were also reflected by dislocation of ZO-1 at the cell border and disassembly of cadherins. These effects of TNF-α were inhibited upon stabilization of microtubules by pre-treatment with paclitaxel or epothilone B. Microtubule stabilization may be a useful strategy to overcome (TNF-α)-induced loss of the barrier integrity of corneal endothelium during inflammation associated with transplant rejection and uveitis.
The physics of SuperLEAR

Abstract The physics topics accessible with new high-energy cooled antiproton beams are discussed following the guidelines of the proposed SuperLEAR facility at CERN. This review attempts to paint the overview of the envisioned physics program as it is presently discussed. Conventional and exotic meson searches extending to the charm quark sector highlight the plans and are accompanied by a broad program in hyperon-antihyperon production, two-body reaction studies, and interesting tests using nuclear targets. The emphasis is on realistic opportunities with the further aim to point out the most meaningful first-generation experiments.
The Laws of Elastico-Viscous Flow.

' "The Laws of Elastico-Viscous Flow. I" appeared in Jour. Geol., XXV (1917), pp. 405-1o. 2 Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, LXXVII, No. 5. 3 "The Laws of Elastico-Viscous Flow," Jour. Geol., XXV (1917). 4 The strains in these experiments were torsional, thus involving only the rigidity constant n. In the formula as given in the paper referred to the coefficients C and the exponents h are functions of the temperature. The stress P is constant and p is
Women's Approach and Avoidance of Social Comparison Opportunities When Exercising

Times for college women in an exercise facility to begin working out on a target apparatus were unobtrusively recorded under three nearby peer conditions: fit peer, unfit peer, or no peer. In 116 trials, approach times were significantly faster in the unfit compared to the no-peer and fit-peer conditions, which did not differ significantly. Of those who approached (N = 75), neither exercise time nor post-exercise body satisfaction differed by condition. The results provide the first evidence that women in a naturalistic environment, when possible, manage their comparison opportunities and do so in a manner that may maintain body satisfaction.
Soil phosphorus transformations under forest burning and laboratory heat treatments

Abstract Natural and prescribed fires (including site preparation burning) are common in pine and mixed-pine forests in the southeastern USA. The present high fuel load condition of many forests has renewed concerns about the effects of hot fires on soil nutrients and on nonpoint sources of pollution [i.e. sediments and phosphorus (P)]. Variation in temperature and velocity of fire due to unequal fuel loading and soil moisture can affect the extent of soil nutrient alterations including transformation of organic forms of P (Po) to inorganic forms (Pi). This variation in fire severity is difficult to capture systematically in the field, thus laboratory experiments simulating fire have been utilized. Most of these studies have used long duration treatments (> 1 h) that do not reflect field conditions where soils may be heated for only minutes. The objective of this study was to investigate soil P changes in relation to short-duration soil heating. Soil samples were collected before and after a prescribed burn in a 40-yr-old loblolly pine forest. Pre-burn soil samples were also subjected to temperature (100, 200, 300, 500, and 1000 °C) by heating duration (2.5, 5, 15, 30, and 45 min) treatments in the laboratory. In all cases, a partial sequential P extraction was performed. We hypothesized that pyromineralization of O horizon would increase water extractable soil P in the A horizon along with Po transformation to Pi within the A horizon. In the field, the NaHCO3 inorganic P fraction increased in 0–5 cm by 0.8 kg P ha− 1 one week after the burn: this increase was likely due to ash addition. In the laboratory, all 0–5 cm soil P pools responded to heating with Po converting to Pi and total P declining at the highest temperatures and durations. The combination of temperature * duration determined the extent of change with a high temperature-short duration (e.g., 1000 °C * 2.5 min) burn having the same impact on soil P as a medium temperature-longer duration burn (e.g., 300 °C * 45 min). Increasing forest fuel loads may be sufficient to alter the fire severity of future prescribed fires such that an increase in A horizon Po transformations to Pi could prove to be significant for P mobility in soils and plant growth.
Synthesis of probability transformers

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to show how one random-symbol generator (such as used for implementing Monte Carlo programs or for simulating probabilistic discrete-state systems) can be converted into a different random-symbol generator. Specifically, given the characteristics of an available source and of a desired source, a device is sought which would transform the available source into the desired one, within a prescribed accuracy level. It is shown, constructively, that such a “transformer” can always be realized in the form of a deterministic sequential machine. As a possible realization, a machine is chosen which can be constructed by means of conventional computer components and circuits; it also features adaptability to a wide variety of input, output and accuracy specifications.The characteristics of the machine are described through equations and graphs which facilitate practical design by relating the source specifications to the accuracy and the rate at which the output of the transformer is to be sampled. Also, a method is presented for minimizing the number of states in the machine—a vital step in simplifying the structure and increasing the output rate of the synthesized transformer.
Progress in Cytogenetics: Implications for Child Psychopathology

Objective This review considers the impact of chromosomal studies on the understanding of childhood neuropsychiatric syndromes, highlighting key discoveries, advances in technology, and new challenges faced by clinicians trying to interpret recent findings. Method We review the literature on the genetics of child psychiatric disorders, including autism, childhood-onset schizophrenia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and Tourette syndrome, with a focus on studies of chromosomal structure. Results Over several decades, cytogenetic investigations have led to key findings relevant to child psychiatry. During this time, technology has transitioned from light microscopy to molecular cytogenetics to microarray-based detection of structural variation, resulting in a dramatic increase in the resolution of such approaches. Each of these methods has contributed to the understanding of the genetic bases of developmental neuropsychiatric disorders. Moreover, the implementation of microarray technology has prompted a reconceptualization of the nature of human genetic variation, demonstrating that both the sequence of DNA as well as the fine structure of chromosomes vary in affected and unaffected individuals. Conclusions The study of chromosomal variation at high resolution continues to be a promising area of research that is yielding critical data regarding the genetic underpinnings of childhood psychiatric disorders. Preliminary data indicate that apparently identical submicroscopic variations in chromosomal structure may predispose to a very broad range of phenotypes. These findings suggest that disruption of the same basic neurodevelopmental mechanisms, such as synapse function, may result in outcomes that span a broad sweep of DSM-IV psychiatric diagnoses.
Neutrophil extracellular chromatin traps connect innate immune response to autoimmunity

Autoantibodies to DNA and histones (chromatin) are the defining antigen specificity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and related musculoskeletal disorders but the mechanisms responsible for their induction remain mysterious. That situation rapidly changed once neutrophil extracellular chromatin traps (NETs) were discovered and observed to play a conserved role in innate immune responses to a broad variety of microbial pathogens. At the center of an infectious process, neutrophils exert various antimicrobial defenses, including the release of nuclear chromatin into the extracellular space. The externalized NETs, a complex meshwork of nuclear chromatin and antimicrobial proteins, serve to immobilize and degrade microbial pathogens. Here, we critically evaluate the evidence supporting NETs versus apoptotic bodies as a source for nuclear antigens in autoimmunity. We also discuss the possibility that NET chromatin forms an essential component of immune deposits in the pathogenesis of glomerulonephritis in SLE and other autoimmune immune complex diseases.
Tissue engineering and cartilage

Human articular cartilage is an avascular structure, which, when injured, poses significant hurdles to repair strategies. Not only does the defect need to be repopulated with cells, but preferentially with hyaline-like cartilage. Successful tissue engineering relies on four specific criteria: cells, growth factors, scaffolds, and the mechanical environment. The cell population utilized may originate from cartilage itself (chondrocytes) or growth factors may direct the development of mesenchymal stem cells toward a chondrogenic phenotype. These stem cells may originate from various mesenchymal tissues including bone marrow, synovium, adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and periosteum. Another unique population of multipotent cells arises from Wharton’s jelly in human umbilical cords. A number of growth factors have been associated with chondrogenic differentiation of stem cells and maintenance of the chondrogenic phenotype by chondrocytes in vitro, including TGF-β; BMP-2, 4, and 7; IGF-1; and GDF-5.The scaffo...
Validation of an Inventory of Best Practices in the Provision of Augmentative and Alternative Communication Services to Students With Severe Disabilities in General Education Classrooms

Purpose To compile and then validate a set of evidence-based best practices related to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and its role in fostering the inclusion of students with seve...
Hobbes’s and Locke’s Contract Theories: Political not Metaphysical

Abstract Inspired by Rawls’s admission that his twentieth‐century contract theory builds in the parochial horizon of modern constitutional democracy, this essay critically examines two truisms abou...
Analogue circuits fault dictionary. New approaches and implementation

The d.c. fault dictionary approach has been found very useful for diagnosing hard failures (open circuits and short circuits) in non-linear analogue circuits. In this paper we present the use of several techniques to enhance the capability of the d.c. fault dictionary. These include (1) modelling all non-linearities by piecewise linear characteristics, (2) solving the piecewise linear resistive network by Lemke's complementary pivot algorithm, (3) using multilevel logic operation to compile an integer-code fault dictionary which totally eliminates any post-test calculations. the automatic generation of a fault dictionary for a video amplifier by the use of the computer program HAFDIC is described.
A 2-MW Motor And ARCP Drive for High-Speed Flywheel

A high-speed induction motor and soft-switching electronic drive are selected to transfer energy between a flywheel and the other power components of a prototype hybrid locomotive power system. The motor-generator operates in direct coupling at 15,000 RPM with the composite flywheel. The motor drive rating is 2MW (2600HP) over the operating frequency range of 125 to 250 Hz. The power-frequency range and harmonic heating considerations have led to an auxiliary resonant commutated pole (ARCP) soft-switching design. The drive and motor have been tested to nearly the full speed range. Unique requirements of energy storage and transfer are also presented.
Outcomes of endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy without mucosal flap preservation.

Purpose: Dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) is the standard procedure for the treatment of acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO) that can be performed through an external or endonasal approach. Both techniques create a fistula from the lacrimal sac into the nasal cavity via a bony osteotomy. Historically, external DCR has been considered the gold standard; however, recent reports suggest endonasal DCR is an effective alternative. There are numerous variations of endonasal DCR described in the literature that report variable success rates. The purpose of this study is to describe the approach and success rate with endonasal DCR in which nasal mucosa, bone, and lacrimal sac mucosa are sequentially removed. Methods: The authors retrospectively reviewed cases of endonasal DCR from 2004 to 2011 from 2 institutions (the University of California, San Diego, California, and the Fante Eye and Face Center in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.). Patients with a history of epiphora and NLDO confirmed with punctal irrigation were included. Exclusion criteria were the presence of canalicular obstruction, history of orbital trauma, and prior DCR surgery. Success was defined as subjective relief of epiphora and confirmation of ostium patency with irrigation. Results: A total of 324 patients (74 men, 250 women; mean age 59.3) encompassing 407 endonasal DCR cases were included in the study. The total case success rate was 92.2% with an average follow-up time of 91.5 days. Revision surgery was performed in 7 of the failed cases and resulted in success in 6 of these cases. Conclusions: Endonasal DCR is a simple and effective approach to surgically treat NLDO and offers success rates comparable with external DCR.
College Students’ Perceived Risk of Sexual Victimization and the Role of Optimistic Bias:

Many college women believe that their chances of experiencing a sexual assault are less than their peers. This phenomenon, called optimistic bias, has been hypothesized to be one important element to address in sexual assault risk reduction and awareness programs aimed at reducing women's chances of experiencing a sexual assault. The present study examined the role that participants' (N = 89) perceived similarity to a narrator (portraying a sexual assault survivor) describing an assault plays in reducing this bias. The age of the narrator was manipulated (similar or dissimilar to age of participants) with the aim of assessing whether the program could produce reductions in optimistic bias for those participants who watched a video of someone similar to them in age. A significant interaction between pre- and post-program and age similarity indicated a significant decrease in optimistic bias from pre- to posttest for the similar group. Furthermore, an exploratory analysis indicated optimistic bias for White participants decreased from pre- to posttest, whereas optimistic bias for the Black participants increased. These results suggest that some factors such as age similarity may reduce optimistic bias in sexual assault risk reduction and awareness programs. However, a race dissimilarity may increase optimistic bias. Thus, more research is needed to understand the factors that affect optimistic bias with regard to sexual assault awareness.
Neural mechanisms underlying pain's ability to reorient attention: evidence for sensitization of somatic threat detectors.

Pain typically signals damage to the body, and as such can be perceived as threatening and can elicit a strong emotional response. This ecological significance undoubtedly underlies pain’s well-known ability to demand attention. However, the neural mechanisms underlying this ability are poorly understood. Previous work from the author’s laboratory has reported behavioral evidence suggesting that participants disengage their attention from an incorrectly cued visual target stimulus and reorient it toward a somatic target more rapidly when the somatic target is painful than when it is nonpainful. Furthermore, electrophysiological data suggest that this effect is mediated by a stimulus-driven process, in which somatic threat detectors located in the dorsal posterior insula activate the medial and lateral prefrontal cortex areas involved in reorienting attention toward the painful target. In these previous studies, the painful and nonpainful somatic targets were given in separate experiments involving different participants. Here, the nonpainful and painful somatic targets were presented in random order within the same block of trials. Unlike in the previous studies, both the nonpainful and painful somatic targets activated the somatic threat detectors, and the times taken to disengage and reorient attention were the same for both. These electrophysiological and behavioral data suggest that somatic threat detectors can become sensitized to nonpainful somatic stimuli that are presented in a context that includes painful stimuli.
Vermial virucidal activity: Implications for management of pathogenic biological wastes on land

The earthworm Eisenia fetida, known to contain bactericidal enzymes, was tested for virucidal activity using Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) and Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) as model agents. Earthworms were fed cellulose saturated with a virus suspension and their excreted castings were analyzed for structurally intact virus protein using enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) and virus infectivity by local lesion assays. Observations of the feeding experiments indicated a considerable reduction in the infectivity of both viruses. Virucidal activity was also observed when virus suspensions were incubated with the earthworm enzyme extract and analyzed by local lesion assay. The observed reductions in the infectivity of both viruses suggest that E. fetida may possess a virucidal enzyme system and, accordingly, may contribute to the inactivation of pathogenic viruses potentially associated with land application of sewage sludges and livestock manures.
Rapid ionization of the environment of SN 1987A

It has been suggested by some authors that IUE observations of the supernova SN 1987A show the presence of a strong component of the interstellar C IV 1550 and Si IV 1393 absorption lines at a velocity that approximately corresponds to the velocity of the LMC. It is possible that this component might come from originally neutral (or at least not very highly ionized) gas which has been photoionized by the initially very strong ionizing radiation field of the supernova. Theoretical considerations of this scenario lead to the study of fast (with velocities of about c) ionization fronts. It is shown that for reasonable model parameters it is possible to obtain considerably large C IV column densities, in agreement with the IUE observations. On the other hand, the models do not so easily predict the large Si IV column densities that are also obtained from the IUE observations. It is found that only models in which the interstellar medium surrounding SN 1987A is initially composed of already ionized hydrogen and helium predict substantial Si IV column densities. This result provides an interesting prediction of the ionization state of the environment of the presupernova star.
Folding Free Energy Surface of a Three-Stranded β-Sheet Protein

We present a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation study of the folding thermodynamics of the three-stranded β-sheet protein Betanova. The protein and solvent are explicitly described by employing all...
AN ABSTRACT, SHARED AND PERSISTENT DATA STRUCTURE FOR SUPPORTING DATABASE MANAGEMENT AND MULTILINGUAL NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING

Neither today’s general purpose programming environment nor high-level programming languages, including those designed for AI purposes, provide adequate support for database systems. Furthermore, non-English language databases are difficult to treat either in existing database systems or with current high-level languages, because they require culture-sensitive operations on multiple foreign character sets. In this paper, we present an abstract, shared and persistent data structure, called HL+, capable of supporting database management applications. We also describe the means for coping with the aforementioned problems by accessing HL+ features of database management from high-level programming languages with an extensible programmable high-level language interface. Extensions to the data structure to accommodate processing of multiple foreign character strings are also described, and examples of multilingual applications are given.
Political e-identity: campaign funding data and beyond

This paper describes a joint university-government effort to develop software that helps journalists, voters, and watchdog organizations visualize campaign funding data in San Francisco. The paper also presents broader plans for constructing comprehensive electronic identities for politicians, and describes how emerging trends in on-line information systems can be leveraged. The newest version of the software is at http://www.whosfundingwhom.org.
Magnetic dimensional resonances in Fe 3 O 4 spheres

A series of new magnetic resonances were observed in magnetite (${\mathrm{Fe}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{4}$) spheres in microwave magnetotransmission experiments, as follows. Microwaves (32--37 GHz) traveling in a cylindrical waveguide were incident on a small magnetite sphere suspended at the center of the guide. The waveguide passed axially through a superconducting solenoid, whose field could be varied from 0 to 6 T. The waves were circularly polarized in the plane perpendicular to the applied field. The experiments were performed at 5 K. The transmitted microwave power was measured as a function of the field. In addition to ferromagnetic resonances, new size-dependent resonances were observed, and were studied as a function of sphere diameter and microwave frequency. The behavior of the new resonances cannot be explained in terms of ordinary Walker modes. The dependence of these resonances on frequency and size is quite dramatic, showing a linear relation between the variables (${B}_{0}$-${B}_{R}$${)}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ and (\ensuremath{\omega}d${)}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}2}$, where ${B}_{0}$ is the field at which the resonance occurs, ${B}_{R}$ is the ferromagnetic resonance field for a given microwave frequency \ensuremath{\omega}, and d is the sphere diameter. The strength of the observed effect holds promise for application in nonreciprocal microwave devices.
Comparison of the acute toxicity of endothal and cantharidic acid on mouse liver in vivo

Endothal and cantharidic acid were administered intraperitoneally to mice at 75 and 10 mg/kg, respectively, to compare their acute toxicity on liver tissue in vivo. Within 45 min both treatments caused extreme liver enlargement and congestion. Hepatic glycogenolysis was increased as evidenced by elevations in blood glucose and hepatic glycogen phosphorylase levels and by corresponding reductions in hepatic glycogen content and glycogen synthase activity. Endothal decreased hepatic ATP concentrations, although neither compound altered mitochondrial Mg2+-ATPase activity. Microsomal Mg2+-ATPase levels, however, were reduced by both treatments. There were no indications that reactive intermediates were involved in the toxicity of either compound. The results show that endothal and cantharidic acid act directly and cause similar biochemical changes in mouse liver in vivo.
Youth perspectives on street outreach workers: results from a community-based survey.

The United Teen Equality Center in Lowell, Massachusetts uses Street Outreach Workers (SWs) to intervene with individuals 13–23 years old who are involved in high risk behaviors or in need of assistance. Few studies have explored the perceptions of SWs by their target population (both individuals they have worked with and those who they have not yet worked with). To better understand how youth perceive the SWs and to contribute to the scant literature regarding their roles and impacts, we conducted a community-based survey to capture youth perspectives of, and experiences with SWs. Regardless of whether they had worked with a SW, youth respondents reported that their peers believed the SWs made Lowell a better place. Youth who had prior contact with a SW were more likely to respond that their peers view the SWs as helpful to youth and respected. Youth who had no prior contact with SWs were more likely to report that SWs were not present where they lived. Among youth who had worked with a SW 38% received help finding a job and 67% indicated that working with a SW made a difference in their lives. Approximately 82% of individuals who participated in mediation activities led by the SWs reported that it resolved their conflict. These results support the value of SWs in helping youth meet their needs and in mediating disputes. SWs should continue to connect with local agencies to address the needs of youth, especially employment, which was a priority.