cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) Disposition Following Pulmonary, Oral, Dermal, and Parenteral Exposures to Rats

In evaluating human health risks posed by dioxins, it is necessary to accurately predict systemic dosimetry or the fate of these chemicals. Pharmacokinetic parameters pertaining to inhalation, ingestion, and dermal absorption may be estimated using animal models. The present study was designed to assess absorption, tissue distribution, and elimination of TCDD following intratracheal instillation (itr), oral gavage (po), or intravenous administration (iv) of 1 nmol [3H]TCDD/kg to male rats; experimental conditions were chosed to permit comparison to a previous dermal disposition study (Banks and Birnbaum,Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol.107,302–310, 1991). After treatment, rats were housed in individual metabolism cages for 3 days with daily excreta collection. Following termination, radioactivity was quantified in tissues and excreta. By 3 days postexposure, fecal excretion accounted for 22 (iv), 26 (itr), and 32% (po) of dose, while urinary excretion was only 2.2 (iv), 1.3 (itr), and 1.4% (po). Pulmonary absorption was calculated as 95% of administered dose, while oral absorption was 88%. Dermal absorption of an equivalent administered dose was 40% (Banks and Birnbaum, 1991). For all exposure routes by 3 days, major tissue depots for absorbed dose were liver and fat. Distribution of absorbed dose was 37% (iv) and 35% (itr) to liver and 21% (iv) and 16% (itr) to fat. Oral gavage-treated rats had similar dosimetry (28–30% absorbed dose) in both liver and fat. In contrast following dermal exposure, distribution to liver and fat was 52 and 22%, respectively (Banks and Birnbaum, 1991). Results suggest that inhalation can be an important route for systemic absorption of dioxins. Moreover, all environmentally relevant routes of exposure (oral, dermal, and respiration) must be uniquely considered as important routes of systemic exposure for TCDD and related compounds.
Pyruvic acid production using methylotrophic yeast transformants as catalyst

Abstract Permeabilized transformants of the methylotrophic yeasts Hansenula polymorpha and Pichia pastoris which express both the glycolate oxidase ((S)-2-hydroxyacid oxidase, EC 1.1.3.15) from spinach and an endogenous catalase (EC 1.11.1.6) have been used as catalysts for the oxidation of l -lactic acid to pyruvic acid. Oxidations of the sodium or ammonium salts of l -lactate at concentrations of up to 1.06 M were run in unbuffered aqueous solution without pH control and with oxygen sparging. The permeabilized transformant catalysts were recovered and recycled in up to 12 consecutive oxidations of the sodium or ammonium salts of 0.50 M l -lactate, where the initial selectivity to pyruvic acid was typically > 98% at 98% conversion of l -lactate. The pyruvic acid salt was readily recovered from unbuffered reaction mixtures in high yield and purity by separation of the catalyst from the reaction mixture, followed by removal of water by evaporation or freeze-drying.
Chinese Doctoral Students' Perceptions of Their University Instructors in the United States

This study examines Chinese doctoral students’ perceptions regarding their U.S. universityinstructors’ academic and interactive behaviors. The author interviewed ten Chinese doctoralstudents from two universities in the Midwest. Participants discussed their instructors’academic behaviors, including pedagogical knowledge, instruction, and engagement, andtheir interactive behaviors, including openness, availability, and respect for students.Participants compared instruction and teaching between U.S. universities and universities inChina. In general, all ten participants were quite satisfied with instructors in U.S. universities.This study addresses implications for research, Chinese students and their U.S. instructors,and university administrators.
Viral infections and asthma inception

Respiratory tract infections caused by viruses have been implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma. Of these respiratory pathogens, viruses have been demonstrated to be associated with asthma epidemiologically in at least 3 ways (Fig 1). First, during infancy, certain viruses have been implicated in the inception of the asthmatic phenotype. Genetic susceptibility, particularly genes coding for atopic phenotypic characteristics, might differentiate, at least in part, those children who are destined to have persistent wheezing, asthma, or both later in childhood. Second, repeated exposure to infectious viruses in daycare centers or in households with multiple older siblings increases the number of respiratory infections, but in doing so, it might paradoxically reduce the long-term risk of allergies and asthma through either pre-existing or newly formed alterations in cytokine response profiles. Third, in patients with established asthma, particularly children, viral upper respiratory tract infections play a significant role in producing acute exacerbations of airway obstruction that might result in frequent outpatient visits or in hospitalizations. This review will highlight available data on respiratory syncytial virus infections and their relationship to asthma inception in childhood.
Dopamine D2 receptor-dependent modulation of striatal NO synthase activity

Striatal nitric oxide (NO)-producing interneurons receive synaptic contacts from midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons and are regulated by phasic DA transmission. Classic antipsychotic drugs elevate neuronal NO synthase (NOS) expression in the rat striatum. Given that NO signaling potently modulates the membrane excitability of striatal projection neurons, it is plausible that up-regulation of NOS activity after DA D2 receptor blockade contributes to the therapeutic efficacy and/or motor side effects associated with antipsychotic drugs. This study assessed the impact of DA D2 receptor activation on striatal NOS activity in vivo. Characterization of the dopaminergic regulation of striatal NO signaling will be relevant for understanding the mechanism(s) of action of antipsychotic drugs. Striatal NO efflux, evoked via electrical stimulation of the substantia nigra (SN) or systemic administration of the DA D1 receptor agonist SKF 81297, was assessed in anesthetized rats using an NO-selective amperometric microsensor. The facilitatory effect of SN stimulation on striatal NO efflux was attenuated by systemic administration of the DA D2 receptor agonist quinpirole. Conversely, administration of the DA D2 receptor antagonist eticlopride augmented evoked NO efflux. NO efflux induced by systemic administration of SKF 81297 was attenuated by quinpirole and restored by co-administration of quinpirole and eticlopride. The facilitatory effect of SKF 81297 on NO efflux was also significantly attenuated after pretreatment with the non-specific NOS inhibitor methylene blue. Activation of NO synthesis by phasic DA transmission is down-regulated via a DA D2 receptor-dependent mechanism. DA D2 receptor activation opposes DA D1 receptor activation of NO synthesis at a site postsynaptic to the DA terminal. Further studies examining NO–DA dynamics may have potential to reveal novel therapeutic strategies to treat various brain disorders.
73-year-old man with increasing abdominal girth and dyspnea

A 73-year-old man with a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and obesity presented to the emergency department with a 3-month history of increasing abdominal girth and shortness of breath. He also noted some mild abdominal discomfort when he moved. He denied nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, chest pain, fevers, and significant alcohol use. His medications included amlodipine, aspirin, glyburide, and hydrochlorothiazide.
Reduction of redundant stimulus information in short-term memory

Twenty-six Ss were tested on a recognition memory task in which stimulus material was presented repetitiously on some trials. The number of items and the number of repeated itmes presented for memory were varied. A typical linear function relating reaction time of the recognition response to number of items in memory was found for nonredundant information. Evidence for the reduction of redundant information was provided by the finding that reaction times were alike on trials in which the amount of information remained constant although the number of items increased.
Constrained model predictive control with simultaneous identification using wavelets

Abstract Model Predictive Control (MPC) often requires that a new process model be developed from data collected while the process remains under feedback control. How can a good model be obtained for a process under constrained MPC, without excessive perturbation of the process? We propose a novel approach, model predictive control and identification (MPCI), that relies on augmenting the standard on-line MPC optimization with a series of persistent excitation (PE) constraints that current and future process inputs must satisfy over a finite horizon. For linear processes, the resulting on-line optimization problem is solved by solving a series of semi-definite programming (SP) problems, for which efficient numerical methods with guaranteed convergence exist. The addition of the PE constraint to standard MPC paves the way for a number of different MPCI variants. A variant of MPCI involving time-frequency process identification with wavelets is proposed in the paper.
Epigenetics and autoimmunity. Overview.

The mechanisms causing most human autoimmune diseases remain obscure. Progress over the past 50 or more years has characterized the cells, molecules and antigens involved, but in most cases the mec...
The endurance of the mechanism—vitalism controversy

Contemporary scientists and historians of science' have declared the mechanism-vitalism controversy a dead issue, a matter of purely historical, indeed antiquarian interest, which, like the battle over phlogiston, marks an interesting phase in the advance of science but represents no more than a closed case history. Their defense of this position reflects a progressive conception of science which represents it as advancing through the repudiation of its own mistakes. The demonstration that a particular theory or hypothesis is erroneous is supposed to mark the triumph of careful and systematic inquiry; and one more obstacle to the understanding of objective truth is supposedly broken down. The conclusion of a controversy, it is held, follows upon the demonstration of error in one or another (or both) of a set of opposed scientific theses, which are then laid to rest while new and more adequate scientific explanations come to replace them. The raison d'etre of science, then, is to expose and repudiate the errors of the past, and the justification of contemporary science is precisely its contemporaneity which is itself sufficient to assure its superiority over historical scientific convictions. This view of science and of scientific progress requires the periodic certification of death of certain dogmas and doctrines which once were held as unassailable truths. It is not my purpose here to examine whether or not this characterization of science is correct. I believe, however, that it is, at best, a limited conception of the process of rational
Selection for growth alters the feeding response to injections of biogenic amines

Two experiments were conducted to determine if selection for growth altered the response to intracerebroventricular (ICV) injections of methoxamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). Lines of chickens divergently selected over 25 generations for 8-week body weight were used. The ICV injection of methoxamine into fully fed birds significantly increased food intake in the high-weight line but had no effect on food intake in the low-weight line. Conversely, the ICV injection of 5-HT had no effect in fully fed birds but significantly decreased food intake in 24-hr fasted birds in both weight-lines. Food intake was affected by 5-HT for a much longer period in the high-weight line than in the low-weight line. These results suggest that selection for growth alters the brain response to biogenic amines.
Silicon-carbon fullerenelike nanostructures: An ab initio study on the stability of Si 60 C 2 n ( n = 1 , 2) clusters

Fullerenelike nanostructures of silicon with two and four carbon atoms substituted on the surface of ${\mathrm{Si}}_{60}$ cages, as well as inside the cage at various symmetry orientations, have been studied within the generalized-gradient approximation to density-functional theory. Full geometry optimizations have been performed without any symmetry constraints using the GAUSSIAN 03 suite of programs and the Los Alamos National Laboratory 2 double-$\ensuremath{\zeta}$ basis set. For the silicon atom, the Hay-Wadt pseudopotential with the associated basis set are used for the core electrons and the valence electrons, respectively. For the carbon atom, the Dunning-Huzinaga double-$\ensuremath{\zeta}$ basis set is employed. Electronic and geometric properties of the nanostructures are presented and discussed in detail. It was found that optimized silicon-carbon fullerenelike cages have increased stability compared to the bare ${\mathrm{Si}}_{60}$ cage and the stability depends on the number and orientation of carbon atoms, as well as on the nature of bonding between silicon and carbon atoms.
The effect of frequency offset on the multiple antennas receiver initiated busy tone medium access (MARI-BTMA) protocol

Multi-hop ad hoc networks suffer from hidden nodes and exposed nodes. The multiple antennas receiver initiated busy tone medium access (MARI-BTMA) with the MIMO-OFDM transceiver architecture is a promising technique to exploit diversity in the physical layer of broadband wireless communications to achieve better performance in the ad-hoc network. If the channel is asynchronous then this scheme suffers from frequency offset, which results in unfairness and lowers throughput. In this paper, the power leakage from multiple carriers due to the frequency offset is calculated. Varying the carrier sensing threshold level on the busy tone channels is proposed as a way to overcome this problem. The carrier sensing threshold level chosen is a trade-off between the exposed area and the hidden area. The optimal threshold level is derived which minimizes the sum of the exposed node area and the hidden node area. Numerical results show how the total area changes with respect to the frequency offset. The effect of frequency offset, path loss exponent and distance between the transmitter and the receiver on the optimal threshold level and the carrier sensing range are also analyzed.
Urban administrative restructuring, changing scale relations and local economic development in China

Abstract China has significantly restructured its urban administrative/spatial system since the 1978 economic reforms to empower central cities to play a leading role in driving national and regional economic development. Through changes in the scale relations that are heavily conditioned by the administrative levels or ranks (dengji) of cities and counties, central cities have in fact been transformed into city-regions. In the reorganization of urban administrative space, many counties have acquired city status while others have been turned into city districts. Such changes have clearly benefited the central cities. Key to the understanding of the tensions among the spatial units constituting the urban administrative/spatial system is the administrative levels of the units in the system which can be seen as a special type of scale. Though restructured, China's space economy continues to be governed administratively.
Dielectric constants and infrared absorption of GaSe

Capacitance measurements on thin, fully depleted GaSe samples indicate a low frequency dielectric constant ϵ_0 = 8.0 ± 0.3 for E||c. Infrared reflectivity measurements show a single resonance for each polarization of the electric vector. Dispersion analysis gives ϵ_∞ = 7.1 and ϵ_0 = 7.6 for E||c and ϵ_∞ = 8.4 and ϵ_0 = 10.2 for E⊥c. More accurate channel spectra give ϵ_∞ = 7.45 and ϵ_0 = 9.80 for E⊥c. A number of weak two phonon combination bands are observed.
World Literatures in Secondary School Curricula in Iran

In his article "World Literatures in Secondary School Curricula in Iran" Massih Zekavat argues that the inclusion and teaching of works of world literature is significant at the secondary school level because it introduces students to a dialogic and polyphonic world where difference is appreciated. Further, Zekavat posits that the pedagogical use of reading world literatures would be the case in particular in countries and cultures where essentialist and homogenizing objectives and practices of culture prevail. Zekavat's argumentation is based on the recent revival of Goethe's concept of Weltliteratur in the U.S. as a pedagogical tool and practice of reading and postulates that it would be applicable in particular to secondary education in Iran
A phrase mining framework for recursive construction of a topical hierarchy

A high quality hierarchical organization of the concepts in a dataset at different levels of granularity has many valuable applications such as search, summarization, and content browsing. In this paper we propose an algorithm for recursively constructing a hierarchy of topics from a collection of content-representative documents. We characterize each topic in the hierarchy by an integrated ranked list of mixed-length phrases. Our mining framework is based on a phrase-centric view for clustering, extracting, and ranking topical phrases. Experiments with datasets from three different domains illustrate our ability to generate hierarchies of high quality topics represented by meaningful phrases.
Late reaction following twice-a-day irradiations in the murine foot: Possible repopulation or consequential late effect

Abstract The effect of twice-a-day irradiation on the foot reaction was studied in C3Hf/Sed mice. A numerical scoring system was used to evaluate the foot reaction that became visible shortly after irradiation. Peak reaction occurred on the 21st to 23rd day and reappeared after ∼ the 200th postirradiation day. These reactions are called early- and late-appearing reactions, respectively. Animals studied for early-appearing reactions were continuously scored for more than 600 days after irradiation. The late-appearing reaction increased continuously or remained constant, but never decreased during the course of the experiments. Animal feet were irradiated with a fraction size from 1.0 to 5.0 Gy twice-a-day daily with a treatment interval of 6 and 18 hours, and varying numbers of fractions were given. A top-up dose of 20 Gy was given as the last dose. The late-appearing foot reaction following a fraction size of 1.5 Gy or greater increased with increasing total dose. However, the increase in the late reaction score with increasing total dose was trivial following multiple doses with a fraction size of 1.0 Gy, suggesting a possible repopulation during prolonged irradiation or that the observed reaction was a consequential late effect. The Fe-plot based on doses which induced fibrosis in one-half of the irradiated animals, showed an α/β ratio of 6.57 ± 0.62 Gy, and the presence of a breaking point at ∼1.5 Gy. The α/β ratios calculated by Joiner's method and Thames direct analysis were identical. The slope of the Fe-plot below 1.5 Gy was significantly steeper than that above 1.5 Gy.
Self-Assessment and Reconfiguration Methods for Autonomous Cloud-based Network Systems

A system that is highly dependable under hostile conditions but whose dependability cannot be easily evaluated prior to the deployment of applications is less desirable than a system with lower but predictable dependability. This is because a decision-making on the deployment of high assurance systems is often based on a risk analysis of application failures. For systems implemented on a cloud, the problem of system certification assumes added importance because of third-party control of cloud resources and the attendant problems of faults, QoS degradations, and security violations. In this light, our paper focuses on: i) formulating metrics to quantify the dependability of cloud-based applications; and ii) identifying techniques to measure these metrics prior to deployment of applications.The paper treats system dependability as an application-level QoS for management purposes, and advocates a probabilistic evaluation of dependability. Our approach is corroborated by measurements on system-level prototypes and simulation analysis of system models in the face of hostile environment conditions. A case study of replicated data service anchored on cloud infrastructures is also described.
Delayed enrichment of mesenchymal cells promotes cardiac lineage and calcium transient development.

Abstract Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) can be induced to differentiate into myogenic cells. Despite their potential, previous studies have not been successful in producing a high percentage of cardiac-like cells with a muscle phenotype. We hypothesized that cardiac lineage development in BM-MSC is related to cell passage, culture milieu, and enrichment for specific cell subtypes before and during differentiation. Our study demonstrated that Lin− BM-MSC at an intermediate passage (IP; P8–P12) expressed cardiac troponin T (cTnT) after 21 days in culture. Cardiac TnT expression was similar whether IP cells were differentiated in media containing 5-azacytidine + 2% FBS (AZA; 14%) or 2% FBS alone (LS; 12%) and both were significantly higher than AZA + 5% FBS. This expression was potentiated by first enriching for CD117/Sca-1 cells followed by differentiation (AZA, 39% and LS, 28%). A second sequential enrichment for the dihydropyridine receptor subunit α2δ1 (DHPR-α2) resulted in cardiac TnT expressed in 54% of cultured cells compared to 28% of cells after CD117/Sca-1+ enrichment. Cells enriched for CD117/Sca-1 and subjected to differentiation displayed spontaneous intracellular Ca2+ transients with an increase in transient frequency and a 60% decrease in the transient duration amplitude between days 14 and 29. In conclusion, IP CD117/Sca-1+ murine BM-MSCs display robust cardiac muscle lineage development that can be induced independent of AZA but is diminished under higher serum concentrations. Furthermore, temporal changes in calcium kinetics commensurate with increased cTnT expression suggest progressive maturation of a cardiac muscle lineage. Enrichment with CD117/Sca-1 to establish lineage commitment followed by DHPR-α2 in lineage developing cells may enhance the therapeutic potential of these cells for transplantation.
Prospective Associations Between Perceived Barriers to Condom: Use and “Perfect Use”

Background Identifying malleable predictors of condom use in a clinic-based population may benefit efforts to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Purpose To prospectively test associations between three measures (relational-trust factors, fit and feel, and dislike of condom use) and perfect condom use in patients attending clinics diagnosing STIs. Methods A convenience sample was recruited from five clinics in three U.S. cities. Data were collected from December 2007 through April 2011. Daily electronic diaries were completed for up to 180 days. Occasions of penile−vaginal intercourse (PVI) involving condom use without any of four errors/problems were classified as "perfect use." Three subscales (relational-trust factors, fit and feel, and dislike of condom use) were developed from baseline data. Generalized estimating equations were used to account for non-independence of PVI events. Results Among 17,156 reported occasions of PVI, condoms were either not used or used with errors/problems in 8,857 (51.6%) instances. The remaining 8,829 occasions (48.4%) involved perfect use. Relational-trust ( p =0.054) and fit and feel ( p =0.13) issues were not significantly associated with perfect use. Dislike of condom use ( p =0.005) was significantly associated with perfect use (estimated OR=0.93, 95% CI=0.89, 0.98). Significant interactions with race, age, or gender were not observed. Conclusions Clinic attendees may be more likely to use condoms perfectly if three perceptions are reduced in magnitude: I won't use condoms , condoms spoil the mood , and I get turned off when my partner suggests we use condoms . Findings support a paradigm shift in the way clinics promote condom use to patients.
Taxing international capital movements in a growing world

Abstract In a world comprising two growing Solow economies linked by perfect capital mobility, this paper compares the short-run and long-run effects of capital import or capital export taxes on both per capita income and the distribution of income. Unlike the short-run theory of optimal restrictions, capital import and export taxes are not symmetrical in the long run. Also unlike the short-run theory, in a highly taxed regime it is possible for a marginal increase in capital export taxes to lower wages in the capital exporting country.
THE THERMOGENIC EFFECT AND METABOLIC FATE OF ETIOCHOLANOLONE IN MAN

The intramuscular administration in man of etiocholanolone (3α-hydrox-etiocholane-17-one), a metabolite of testicular and adrenocortical hormones, consistently provoked pyrogenic and inflammatory reactions. The thermogenic response following single injections of small amounts of this steroid was characterized by the development of high fever over a period of four to twelve hours, with equally rapid defervescence. Leukocytosis, local inflammatory reactions and a variety of transient constitutional symptoms were observed as well. The reaction is structurally specific and the pyrogenic response appears to be a direct effect of the molecule itself, since metabolic studies revealed that the steroid was excreted in large part unaltered and recovery of administered compound was high. The epimeric steroid, 3β-etiocholanolone was inert with respect to production of fever. The metabolic pattern was in contrast with that of etiocholanolone, in that there was significant transformation of the 3β to the 3α-hydroxy der...
Perceptions of mental health and substance abuse program administrators and staff on service delivery to persons with co-occurring substance abuse and mental disorders

Several initiatives in the past 20 years have been implemented in Los Angeles County to improve service delivery across the mental health and substance abuse treatment systems, with the goal of increasing access to and coordination of services for individuals with co-occurring substance abuse and mental disorders. To examine the current status of service delivery to this population, a survey was conducted with administrators of mental health and substance abuse programs that provide services to dually diagnosed patients and with the treatment staff in those programs. Administrators (n = 15) and staff (n = 99) in substance abuse programs rated the accessibility and coordination of services to dually diagnosed patients significantly lower than the mental health administrators (n = 10) and staff (n = 136). Efforts to coordinate service delivery across the two systems need to address these divergent perceptions between staff in programs that are increasingly called upon to work together to jointly deliver services.
Report of the general committee: 9

The previous report of the General Committee was published in 1999 (Taxon 48: 373-378). The Nomenclature Section of the St. Louis Congress increased the complement of the General Committee from 21 to 25 (for a list of com mittee members, see Taxon 48: 775. 1999). As had been announced in St. Louis, Dan Nicolson resigned as Secretary in 2001 and Fred Barrie assumed the office. Since the last report there have been five Committee circulars and five ballots. For the first three ballots (items 1-7), the full complement of 25 was counted when judging whether or not the 60% threshold was reached, and so 15 votes were necessary to approve or reject a recommendation to conserve or reject a name submitted by a Permanent Committee for the special groups. Four members failed to vote on the first three ballots and were considered to have
The allosteric enhancer PD81,723 increases chimaeric A1/A2A adenosine receptor coupling with Gs

PD81,723 {(2-amino-4,5-dimethyl-3-thienyl)-[3-(trifluromethyl)-phenyl]methanone} is a selective allosteric enhancer of the Gi-coupled A1 AR (adenosine receptor) that is without effect on Gs-coupled A2A ARs. PD81,723 elicits a decrease in the dissociation kinetics of A1 AR agonist radioligands and an increase in functional agonist potency. In the present study, we sought to determine whether enhancer sensitivity is dependent on coupling domains or G-protein specificity of the A1 AR. Using six chimaeric A1/A2A ARs, we show that the allosteric effect of PD81,723 is maintained in a chimaera in which the predominant G-protein-coupling domain of the A1 receptor, the 3ICL (third intracellular loop), is replaced with A2A sequence. These chimaeric receptors are dually coupled with Gs and Gi, and PD81,723 increases the potency of N6-cyclopentyladenosine to augment cAMP accumulation with or without pretreatment of cells with pertussis toxin. Thus PD81,723 has similar functional effects on chimaeric receptors with A1 transmembrane sequences that couple with Gi or Gs. This is the first demonstration that an allosteric regulator can function in the context of a switch in G-protein-coupling specificity. There is no enhancement by PD81,723 of Gi-coupled A2A chimaeric receptors with A1 sequence replacing A2A sequence in the 3ICL. The results suggest that the recognition site for PD81,723 is on the A1 receptor and that the enhancer acts to directly stabilize the receptor to a conformational state capable of coupling with Gi or Gs.
Junctureinterview: Bonnie Honig

Political theorist, Bonnie Honig, talks to Juncture about some of the driving forces behind her work and importance of ‘public things’ in a vibrant democracy.
Stability of RNA hairpin loops closed by AU base pairs

Thermodynamic parameters are reported for hairpin formation in 1 M NaCl by RNA sequence of the type GCAXUAAUYUGC, where XY is the set of 10 possible mismatch base pairs. A nearest-neighbor analysis of the data indicates that the free energy of loop formation at 37 degrees C varies from 3.2 to 5.0 kcal/mol. These results combined with the model previously developed [Dale et al. (2000) RNA 6, 608] allow improvements in the model to predict the stability of RNA hairpin loops: DeltaG degrees (37L(n) = DeltaG degrees (37i(n)) + DeltaG degrees (37MM) - 0.8 (if first mismatch is GA or UU) - 0.8 (if first mismatch is GG and loop is closed on 5' side by a purine). Here, DeltaG degrees (37i(n) is the free energy for initiating a loop of n nucleotides, and DeltaG degrees (37MM) is the free energy for the interaction of the first mismatch with the closing base pair. Hairpins with GG first mismatches were found to vary in stability depending upon the orientation of the closing base pair (5' or 3' purine relative to the loop). The model gives good agreement when tested against four naturally occurring hairpin sequences.
Seize the Day: Organizational Studies Can and Should Make a Difference

Face aux changements radicaux survenus dans les organisations ces dernieres decennies, l'A. plaide pour un role actif des chercheurs en organisations. Il ne s'agit pas pour eux de decrire, d'accompagner et d'enteriner les changements, mais d'informer les praticiens des organisations au niveau meme de la conception des projets organisationnels. L'A. prone egalement le rapprochement entre les disciplines
TARBP2 binding structured RNA elements drives metastasis.

Pathologic cellular states often result from corruption of existing gene regulatory programs. As such, a major effort is underway to discover regulatory network perturbations underlying disease ini...
Legacy of the Framingham Heart Study: Rationale, Design, Initial Findings, and Implications

Summary With the dramatic rise in coronary heart disease (CHD) during the first half of the 20th century, the newly formed National Heart Institute realized the significant gap in knowledge about the causes of CHD and embarked in 1947 on planning what was to become the renowned Framingham Heart Study. Dr. Thomas Royal Dawber's initial paper on the design of the project described studying up to 6,000 persons in a single geographic area and the formation of a technical advisory committee of 11 physicians in cardiology and public health to determine the hypotheses and protocol. A comprehensive physical examination and series of measurements and laboratory work were proposed and the initial examination was completed in 1952. The first paper describing 4 years of follow-up was published in 1957, and this was followed by a subsequent report in 1959 describing 6 years of follow-up. The first follow-up report described sex and age group differences in incidence of CHD and pointed out the noteworthy prominence of sudden cardiac death as the first manifestation of CHD and the initial observations regarding the significance of elevated blood pressure, cholesterol, and overweight in predicting future CHD. Importantly, the significance of a combination of risk factors for identifying those at highest risk was described as well as how the number of risk factors related to risk (the beginnings of what was decades later to become the famous risk scores from Framingham). Dr. William Kannel's 1961 publication, "Factors of Risk in the Development of Coronary Heart Disease," first highlighted the term risk factors , and it described how specific levels of cholesterol, blood pressure, as well as how electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy predicted future CHD incidence. The standardized measurement of risk factors and follow-up in Framingham served as an important precedent for future observational studies designed and directed by what is now the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, including the ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) study, the CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) study, the CHS (Cardiovascular Health Study), and the MESA (Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis). These studies and others continue the legacy that Framingham began more than 60 years ago into the investigation of the epidemiology of cardiovascular diseases.
Nonspeech Noun Usage Training With Severely and Profoundly Retarded Children.

A nonspeech symbol system, consisting of small pieces of masonite cut into various shapes, was used to investigate the learning of noun usage by nonverbal, severely and profoundly retarded children...
The learning curve, R & D management, and marketing strategies for new products

This paper represents a review of the learning phenomenon which is useful in evaluating the potential of new industrial products. The learning curve in quantitative form provides a means for forecasting costs and prices in many industrial situations. While there are many metho-dological problems to be solved in any specific new project evaluation, the utilization of the learning curve should lead to improved estimates of costs, revenues, and profits. The important role of R & D management in connection with the learning curve is discussed. The interrelationships involving R & D, the learning curve, and marketing strategies are examined.
Initializing the EM algorithm in Gaussian mixture models with an unknown number of components

An approach is proposed for initializing the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm in multivariate Gaussian mixture models with an unknown number of components. As the EM algorithm is often sensitive to the choice of the initial parameter vector, efficient initialization is an important preliminary process for the future convergence of the algorithm to the best local maximum of the likelihood function. We propose a strategy initializing mean vectors by choosing points with higher concentrations of neighbors and using a truncated normal distribution for the preliminary estimation of dispersion matrices. The suggested approach is illustrated on examples and compared with several other initialization methods.
Evidence concerning the existence of loess deposits at Tell Fara, northern Negev, Israel

Abstract Loess has been identified as an aeolian deposit over much of the northern Negev, including the Beer Sheva basin, and specifically at Tell Fara. The results from examination of the Fara sequence by means of analysis of grain size and sedimentary structures indicate that these sediments are not aeolian in origin, and therefore cannot be classified genetically as loess. The results also show that the Fara sediments do not correspond texturally to the more commonly recognized descriptive characteristics of loess, and that the sedimentary structures are representative of fluvial deposition on a scale larger than that of local redeposition. For these reasons the sediments at Fara are not interpreted as redeposited loess. It is suggested that the sediments be viewed in the context of the drainage basin.
Formation of starch-guest inclusion complexes in electrospun starch fibers

We have demonstrated a method of fabricating starch fibers with an average diameter in the order of micrometers. In the present study, the formation of starch-guest inclusion complexes in the electrospun starch fibers was evaluated. Two methods were used to electrospin starch fibers with starch-guest inclusion complexes: a dope mixing method, where guest material was mixed into the starch dispersion prior to electrospinning, and a bath mixing method, where guest material was mixed into the coagulation bath into which starch dispersions were electrospun. Three selected guest compounds, palmitic acid, ascorbyl palmitate, and cetyl-trimethylammonium bromide, formed inclusion complexes with starch in the electrospun starch fibers. The presence of native lipids was not necessary to induce the inclusion complex formation. Encapsulation of these molecules in electrospun starch fibers may increase their stability during processing and storage, while providing controlled release properties.
A new perspective to near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy : A wavelet approach

Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) has been widely used in precision agriculture to quantitatively assess properties of many agricultural objects. The accuracy of NIRS depends largely on an adequate data analysis technique to preprocess raw spectroscopic data. A method for incorporating wavelet analysis as a preprocessing tool into NIRS was developed and evaluated with two datasets: (1) a synthetic spectroscopic reflectance dataset, and (2) an actual soil spectroscopic reflectance dataset. The resultant wavelet regression models were evaluated and compared with conventional regression models on their prediction accuracy and numbers of regressor variables. Physical interpretation of the wavelet regression model was attempted. For dataset 1, the results showed that both the wavelet and conventional (with band-averaging as the preprocessing tool) models yielded r2 values of 0.99 and root mean square errors (RMSE) of 1.5%. For dataset 2, the r2 value and RMSE of the wavelet model for total clay content were 0.83 and 57 g/kg, respectively, both of which were similar to those of the conventional model (with band-averaging, 1st derivative, and partial least squares). However, the wavelet model had fewer regressor variables and was thus better suited to sensor development. It was also shown that, because of the multi-resolution capability of wavelet analysis, the wavelet model had the potential to distinguish narrow and broad spectral absorptions by selecting wavelet regressors at different scales. This capability facilitated physical interpretation of the wavelet model in terms of relating wavelet regressors to true spectral absorptions of targeted objects.
Testing a test: a report card for DWI in acute stroke.

In this issue of Neurology , two reports describe the use of MRI in acute stroke.1,2 Both conclude that diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is better than CT or conventional MRI for patient care. How should the data be evaluated? If these were treatment trials, the answer would be straightforward. Prospective, randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trials designed to minimize bias and carried out with a sufficient number of patients and an important clinical endpoint are widely accepted as the best evidence for treatment efficacy. Other study designs are more subject to bias and provide weaker evidence. Specific criteria based on assessment of the quality of the published evidence are used to evaluate therapies and provide recommendations for patient care.3-5 Similar evidence-based standards exist for the evaluation of studies of diagnostic tests. Proper study design to minimize bias is as critical for evaluation of diagnostic tests as it is for the evaluation of new treatments. Studies with methodologic shortcomings tend to overestimate the accuracy of diagnostic tests.6 The optimal design for assessing the accuracy of a diagnostic test is a prospective, blinded comparison of the test to a reference standard in a consecutive series of patients from a relevant clinical population.6 Prospective studies with predefined endpoints are necessary to prevent the bias that occurs when results are used to guide the selection of endpoints or establish criteria for a positive test result. Even subsequent blinded reading cannot overcome this problem. If the comparison is to an existing technology, patients must be selected before either test is done; the tests must be performed close together in time, obtained in random order, and interpreted independently of each other.7,8 There are a variety of methodologic aspects to proper study design that are specific to the evaluation …
Relative independent yields for 95Nb and 95mNb from low energy fission

Abstract The isomeric cross section ratio σ(I = 9 2 )/[σ(I = 9 2 ) + σ(I = 1 2 )] for the independent production of 95 Nb and 95 m Nb from 10 MeV proton-induced fission of 235 U has been determined to be 0·96 −0·02 +0·01 . The favouring of the high spin isomer is to be contrasted with a recent report that the low spin isomer is strongly favoured in low energy fission of 238 U, but is consistent with expectations based on previously reported isomer ratios for other isomeric pairs.
The World's Great Lakes

Abstract Most of the large lakes lie in glacial scour basins in the northern hemisphere. These lakes are closely similar in physicochemical characteristics and in their biota. Most of the other large lakes are tectonic in origin and they differ greatly among themselves and from other lakes since they occur in a diversity of terrestrial environments under a broad range of climatic conditions. Large lakes have a great diversity of habitats resulting in great species diversity and endemism in ancient lakes. The pronounced horizontal gradients in physicochemical conditions in large lakes contribute to the diversity of habitats. Conditions found in Lakes Michigan and Skadar are examples.
Relative deprivation in income and self-rated health in the United States

Absolute income is robustly associated with health status. Few studies have, however, examined if relative income is independently associated with health. We examined if, over and above the effects of absolute income, individual relative deprivation in income as well as position in the income hierarchy is associated with individual poor health in the U.S. Using three rounds of the Current Population Surveys (CPS), we analyzed the association between self-rated health (1=fair/poor, 0=otherwise) and the Yitzhaki index of relative deprivation in income and percentile position in the income hierarchy across 17 reference groups. Over and above the effects of absolute income, the odds ratio for reporting poor health among individuals in the highest quintile of relative deprivation compared to the lowest quintile ranged between 2.18 and 3.30, depending on the reference groups used. A 10 percentile increase in income position within reference groups was associated with an odds ratio of poor health of 0.89. Relative deprivation appeared to explain between 33 and 94% of the association between individual income and self-rated health. Relative deprivation in income is independently associated with poor health over and above the well established effects of absolute income on health. Relative deprivation may partly explain the association between income inequality and worse population health status.
Liberating Bicentennial America Imagining the Nation through TV Superwomen of the Seventies

With popular 1970s television programs Wonder Woman (ABC 1975—1976, CBS 1977—1979) and Isis (CBS 1975—1977) as its primary focus, this article explores the ways that network television utilized images of liberated women to revise its aesthetics, ensure audience capture, and produce fictions about American cultural coherence and political superiority. These television programs expressed fantasies of a viable American society during the mid- to late 1970s, a time of uncertainty and flux in American cultural coherence and global political might. Both fantasy superheroine series illustrate the ways representations of America's "progressive" gender politics worked to the economic advantage of TV networks, formulated reassuring messages about the state of the nation, helped manage America's less progressive attitudes about race and other nations, and justified America's imperialist impulses.
Influence of Non-ideal Integration on Sampling Circuits with Internal Antialiasing Filtering

Ideally, filtering properties of a sampling circuit (SC) with internal antialiasing filtering are completely determined by its weight function. Imperfect parameters of the SC units may significantly distort its transfer function. Insufficient gain and input resistance of an operational amplifier (opamp) used in the SC integrator are among the major factors that may adversely affect antialiasing filtering. Influence of these factors on the SC transfer function is examined in this paper. To this end, equations for the transfer functions of SCs with finite gain and input resistance of the opamps are derived. It is shown that these factors have minimal impact on the amplitude-frequency responses (AFRs) of the SCs within their passbands. At the same time, they significantly influence the SCs' phase-frequency responses (PFRs) within the pass-bands and the SCs' AFRs within the stopbands.
Stochastic Optimization Approach to Transistor Sizing for CMOS VLSI Circuits

A stochastic global optimization approach is presented for transistor sizing in CMOS VLSI circuits. This is a direct search strategy for the best design among feasible ones, with the designer determining when the search is stopped. Through examples, we show the power of this technique in quickly obtaining very good designs, for skew minimization problems.
Heteroepitaxy and Waveguide Formation for Solution Deposited LiNbO3 Thin Layers

Lithium niobate thin layers have potential applications in integrated, high efficiency signal modulators, and in second harmonic generation devices. We report the solution deposition of heteroepitaxial LiNbO3 thin layers on (006), (110) and (012) sapphire. Factors affecting surface roughness were investigated by atomic force microscopy. The best results for optical losses occurred after fresh, 0.1M unhydrolyzed solutions were used. Channel waveguides were developed by lithography and proton exchange. Waveguides were formed in Nd3+- and Er3+-doped thin layers to confine light and assess the possibility of integrated waveguide lasers.
The new social movement phenomenon: Placing France in comparative perspective

(1999). The new social movement phenomenon: Placing France in comparative perspective. West European Politics: Vol. 22, The Changing French Political System, pp. 57-75.