cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Variation in aluminum resistance among arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi mediate interactions between plants and soils, and are important where nutrient or metal concentrations limit plant growth. Variation in fungal response to edaphic conditions may influence the effectiveness of the plant-mycorrhizal association in some soil environments. Andropogon virginicus (broomsedge) colonizes disturbed sites in the eastern United States, including acidic mine soils where aluminum (Al) is phytotoxic, and Al resistance in broomsedge has been associated with colonization by the AM fungus Glomus clarum. In the present study, inter- and intra-specific variation to confer Al resistance to broomsedge was assessed among selected species of AM fungi. Broomsedge seeds were grown in sand culture inoculated with one of five isolates of three species of fungi (G. clarum, Acaulospora morrowiae, and Scutellospora heterogama). Plants were exposed to 0 or 400 µM Al in nutrient solution and harvested after 4 or 9 weeks of growth. Mean infection percentage, plant biomass, and plant tissue Al and phosphorus (P) concentrations were measured. G. clarum conferred the greatest Al resistance to broomsedge, with the lowest variability among isolates for colonization and growth inhibition by Al [tolerance indices (TI) between 22.4 and 92.7%]. Broomsedge plants colonized by A. morrowiae were consistently the most sensitive to Al, with little variation among isolates (TI between 1.6 and 12.1%). Al resistance by S. heterogama isolates was intermediate and wide-ranging (TI between 3.9 and 40.0%). Across all AM fungal isolates, resistance was associated with high rates of colonization and low tissue Al concentrations of broomsedge plants. The functional diversity in Al resistance displayed by these AM fungi reflect variation in acclimation mechanisms operating in the mycorrhizal symbiosis under environmental stress.
Chemical and hematological studies on blood of bovine dwarfs.

Summary1. Serum proteins, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus of “short-headed” bovine dwarfs are all within normal limits. 2. Serum cholesterol and protein-bound iodine levels are within the normal range and indicate that the “short-headed” bovine dwarf is not a primary thyroid cretin. 3. All hematological values appear normal except for the differential count. Deviations from the normal are discussed.
PAP: a comprehensive workbench for mammalian transcriptional regulatory sequence analysis

Given the recent explosion of publications that employ microarray technology to monitor genome-wide expression and that correlate these expression changes to biological processes or to disease states, the determination of the transcriptional regulation of these co-expressed genes is the next major step toward deciphering the genetic network governing the pathway or disease under study. Although computational approaches have been proposed for this purpose, there is no integrated and user-friendly software application that allows experimental biologists to tackle this problem in higher eukaryotes. We have previously reported a systematic, statistical model of mammalian transcriptional regulatory sequence analysis. We have now made crucial extensions to this model and have developed a comprehensive, user-friendly web application suite termed the Promoter Analysis Pipeline (PAP). PAP is available at: http://bioinformatics.wustl.edu/webTools/portalModule/PromoterSearch.do.
Computational modeling for multiphase flows with spacecraft application

Abstract Many engineering applications involve interactions between solid, gas and liquid phases under normal or micro-gravity conditions. Numerical simulations of such fluid flows need to track the location and the shape of the fluid interface as part of the solution. The merits and basic characteristics of various approaches for numerical computations of interfacial fluid dynamics are reviewed. The computational challenges include: (i) the algorithmic complexity for handling irregularly shaped moving boundaries that can experience merger and break-up; (ii) resolution refinement techniques to maintain desirable resolution of length scales, in accordance with the evolving fluid dynamics; (iii) data structure needed to support identification of the interface and satisfaction of the physical laws in the bulk fluids as well as around the phase boundaries; and (iv) efficient parallel processing techniques required for practical engineering analysis. The present review focuses on these issues related to the Lagrangian–Eulerian approach, utilizing the immersed boundary method with marker-based tracking, as the main framework for interfacial flow computations on Cartesian grids. Specifically, we offer in-depth discussion of the organization and layout of the mesh systems for both fluid and interface representations, local adaptive refinement on two-dimensional/three-dimensional (2D/3D) Cartesian grids, and multi-level domain decomposition method that utilizes Hilbert space filling curves for parallel processing strategy. The effectiveness of individual components and overall algorithm are presented using various tests such as, binary drop-collision computations to highlight grid adaptation and interface tracking algorithms to handle complex interface behavior, and bubble/droplet placed in a vortex field with various density/viscosity ratios across interfaces to address load balancing and scalability aspects of parallel computing. A time-dependent draining flow problem motivated by spacecraft applications is presented to aid spacecraft design efforts.
Stendhal the Sollersian: A Twenty-First-Century Autoportrait

Under cover of a love story, Sollers’s 2011 Tresor d’amour is actually a highly personal essay about Stendhal, its plot merely a thin pretext to quote extensively from Stendhal’s writings and to discuss his life and his love affairs. Sollers’s autobiographical protagonist channels Stendhal throughout, expanding the horizon of Stendhal’s continuing presence and surreptitiously placing Stendhal before a twenty-first-century readership. Adding to his own multiple self-portrait, Sollers now gives us to understand a changed and richer Stendhal: Sollers shows us a Stendhal for our time that even Stendhal did not realize he could be, because Sollers sees himself in the nineteenth-century writer and takes the trouble to illustrate this resurrection in a long work. In his idiosyncratic manner, Sollers shows how Stendhal’s presence has never been more persuasive than it is today.
Virus-like flexuous rods associated with pear vein yellows

Pear vein yellows affectedPyrus communis L. leaves were examined with light and electron microscopes. Virus-like flexuous rods were observed in leaf dip preparations. Some rods were 20 nm in diameter and 700–800 nm long. Other longer rods of like diameter apparently resulted from end to end aggregation. In cells, the rods occurred as aggregates or in inclusion bodies. Vein-yellows-affected leaf mesophyll cells had fewer and smaller chloroplasts than healthy leaf mesophyll cells. Neither the flexuous rods nor the inclusion bodies were found in healthy pear leaves.
Self-Diffusion in Near-Equiatomic Ordered Au-Cd Alloys

Self-diffusion measurements in near-equiatomic ordered Au-Cd alloy single-crystal specimens having 47.5, 49.0, and 50.5 at.% Cd nominal composition have been made over a temperature range of 353-598\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C, using ${\mathrm{Cd}}^{109}$, ${\mathrm{Cd}}^{115}$, and ${\mathrm{Au}}^{195}$ radioactive tracers and sectioning techniques. A differential counting method made possible direct measurement of the ratio of diffusivities $\frac{{D}_{\mathrm{cd}}}{{D}_{\mathrm{Au}}}$ to within a few percent, following simultaneous diffusion of ${\mathrm{Au}}^{195}$ and ${\mathrm{Cd}}^{109}$ tracers in the same specimen. The experimental determination of this ratio as a function of composition and temperature furnishes strong evidence for a diffusion mechanism in $\ensuremath{\beta}$ ordered alloys by a correlated sequence of six atom-vacancy jumps. This six-jump unit process is apparently controlled by the relative segregation of vacancies on the two sublattices. In the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ Au-Cd ordered alloys, segregation of vacancies on the two sublattices appears to be conditioned by the relative size of the alloy constituents and the paramount requirement of maintaining long-range order. Thus there are more vacancies on the Cd sublattice in Au-rich alloys and on the Au sublattice in equiatomic and Cd-rich alloys. The diffusion coefficients obey simple Arrhenius relationships in the various alloys over the whole temperature range. The activation energies and frequency factors for both species show maximum values at approximately 49 at.% Cd composition. The observations are consistent with the presence of a nonequilibrium vacancy defect structure on the Cd-rich side only, as revealed by a measurable difference between x-ray and macroscopic densities of the alloys.
Seismic centrifuge modelling of offshore wind turbine with tripod foundation

The development of offshore wind energy is fast as it is clean, safe, and of high efficiency. The harsh marine environment raises high demand on the foundation design of offshore wind turbine. Earthquake loading is one of the most significant factors which should be considered in the design phase. In this paper, a group of earthquake centrifuge tests were conducted on a physical model of a wind turbine with tripod foundation. The seismic responses of both wind turbine and foundation soil were analyzed in terms of the recorded accelerations, pore water pressures, lateral displacements and settlements. The results were also compared with those measured in the previous research on monopile foundation. It is demonstrated that the tripod foundation can provide better resistance in the lateral displacement and structural settlement under earthquake loading.
Synthesis Bone Mineral (SBM) for Osteoporosis Therapy: Part 1 - Prevention of Bone Loss from Mineral Deficiency

Osteoporosis is a ‘silent’ disease characterized by thinning cortical bone and disorganized trabecular architecture causing bone fragility leading to fracture. Osteoporosis results when the rate of bone resorption far exceeds the rate of bone formation. Current pharmaceutical interventions (estrogen therapy, bisphosphonate-based drugs) focus on inhibiting bone resorption. However, some of these therapies have serious side effects (e.g., cancer risk from estrogen therapy; osteonecrosis of the jaw and delayed fracture healing from bisphosphonate-based drugs). The long term objective of the study was to develop a novel material for potential osteoporosis therapy, prevention and fracture repair. This novel material MZF-CaP or synthetic bone mineral, SBM) incorporates Mg, Zn and F ions in a calcium phosphate matrix. Separately, magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn) and fluoride (F) ions have been associated with biomineralization and osteoporosis therapy in human and in animals. MZF-CaP or SBM was prepared by a modified hydrolysis method previously described and characterized using x-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectroscopy, inductive coupled plasma and dissolution in acidic buffer. Separately, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to the following groups depending on the diet: GA: normal on basic diets; GB: on mineral deficient diets (md); GC: on md + Mg-CaP; GD: on md + Zn-CaP; GE: md+F-CaP; and GF: md+MZF-CaP. The rats were sacrificed after 3 months and the femur bones separated, cleaned of extraneous soft tissues and stored until needed for analyses. Femur bones were analyzed using microradiography (Faxitron), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and microCT. Results: SEM, Faxitron and microCT analyses showed thinning of cortical bone and disorganized trabecular bone architecture for osteoporotic rats on mineral deficient diet (GB) and prevention of bone loss in rats receiving the supplemented diets (GC,GD,GE,GF). Conclusion: These results indicate that the novel material, MZF-CaP or SBM had a potential for osteoporosis therapy and prevention. Studies to demonstrate the use of SBM in reversing (recovering) bone loss are in progress.
The effect of dietary soybean trypsin-inhibitor on the histology of dog pancreas.

Abstract No adverse histopathological effects were observed in the cellular structure of the pancreas of adult dogs fed a 15% raw soybean diet for 16 weeks. There was no evidence of necrosis, fibrosis, hemmorrhage, hyperplasia or hypertrophy in any of the pancreatic sections taken from the dogs, although a widening of the ergastoplasmic zone of the acini was found in dogs eating the raw soybean diet. It was also found that there was no significant enlargement of the pancreas, or change in body weight, to substantiate previous reports of pancreatic hypertrophy observed in young rats and chicks. Results indicated that a 15% raw soybean diet had no adverse effects upon the histological structure of the adult dog pancreas.
The Predictive Value of General Surgery Application Data for Future Resident Performance

Objective The predictive value of application data for future general surgery resident performance and attrition are poorly understood. We sought to determine what variables obtained in the application process might predict future resident success. Methods We performed an 18-year review (1990-2008) of all matched residents (n = 101) to a university program. Both categorical graduates (CG) and nongraduates (CNG) and nondesignated preliminaries matching (PM) and preliminaries nonmatching (PNM) were evaluated. We also screened for previous high-performance accomplishments outside of the medical field such as in the performing arts or collegiate athletics (SKILL). Outcome data include graduation or match status, American Board of Surgery In-service Training Examination (ABSITE), and faculty Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competency evaluations. Results Background data from the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) application between the various groups was compared with univariate analysis and logistic regression. There were significant differences between the groups on the measures of USMLE step 1 (STEP1) (p = 0.001), medical school grade point average (GPA) (p = 0.023), interview data (INTERVIEW) (p Conclusions Within our system, INTERVIEW, USMLE STEP1, and SKILL predict successful completion of a general surgery residency. In contrast to prior reports, female sex, ethnicity, medical school grades, or Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society (AOA) status were not significant. The variable SKILL is novel and highlights the importance of nonacademic background data. Our data indicate STEP1 is an independent predictor of resident success in general surgery and should maintain an important role in general surgery applicant screening. The ideal screening threshold is likely > 215.
Real-time multistream routing over integrated services networks

This paper presents an analytical framework for evaluating and optimizing routing and path establishment strategies for multimedia communication in an integrated services network. Based on a given routing strategy, we show how to determine the probability of success for the establishment phase by using a stochastic knapsack approximation. Our method can be used to optimize the assignment routing paths in a manner which maximizes the probability of the network being able to support multimedia connection requests. This is done through the use of a new cost function called the marginal blocking cost of a link.
Toward analysis of the relations among the youth counterculture, telephone hotlines, and anonymity.

During the 1960s, there emerged a youth culture which had two major orientations: the Counterculture and the Movement. We are well informed about this youth culture, its social values, social norms, and emergent social roles (e.g., “hippie”, “freak”, “radical”, “dropout”). Part of these social and political movements was the creation of “alternative”, “counterculture”, or “radical” human service programs. Early examples were free medical clinics, drop-in centers, and telephone hotlines. Among the actual differences in these programs compared to older, “established” human service agencies was (is) the prominent position of the social value of client anonymity. This notion of client anonymity is examined in the attempt to understand its role in the relations among themes of the Counterculture, individual youth, their peers, and youth-serving agencies.
Epithermal Gold-Silver Deposits of the Hauraki Goldfield, New Zealand: An Introduction

The five papers that follow describe diverse aspects of epithermal gold-silver deposits and genetically related hydrothermal systems in the Hauraki goldfield on the Coromandel peninsula of the North Island of New Zealand (Fig. 1). The Hauraki goldfield contains more than 50 Miocene and Pliocene epithermal Au-Ag deposits and several porphyry Cu-Au-Mo occurrences in a 200-km-long by 40-km-wide north-south–trending belt (Fig. 1C; Christie et al., 2007). Production from these deposits between 1862 and 2009 totaled approx. 335,000 kg (10.8 Moz) of Au and 1.6 million kg (51.4 Moz) of Ag (Mauk et al., 2011). The epithermal deposits are related to subaerial hydrothermal systems hosted in rocks of the early Miocene to late Pliocene (~18–1.9 Ma) Coromandel volcanic zone (Skinner, 1986). Fig 1 A and B. Location of the Hauraki goldfield and Coromandel volcanic zone. C. Regional geology, mineral deposits, and provinces. D. Structural features of the Coromandel volcanic zone and Hauraki goldfield. Black open box in C and D shows location of Waihi-Waitekauri geophysical study area of Morrell et al. (2011). Figure modified from Christie et al. (2007). Placer gold was first discovered near Coromandel township in 1852, but because of the small size of these placers, little mining activity occurred until the discovery of Au-bearing quartz veins in 1861 at the site of the Kapanga mine (Fig. 1C). Prospecting elsewhere on the Coromandel peninsula resulted in the opening of mines at Thames in 1865, Karangahake in 1875, and Waihi (Martha) in 1878. The major period of gold mining ended with the closure of the underground Martha mine at Waihi in 1952. Total production during this period was more than 250,000 kg (8.0 Moz) of Au and 1,100,000 kg (35.3 Moz) of Ag (Christie et al., 2007). Higher gold prices in the 1980s led to renewed exploration, and the …
Interpolative GCD aggregators

This paper investigates the structure and properties of interpolative generalized conjunction/disjunction (GCD) aggregators. The main advantage of interpolative aggregators is the possibility to include suitable properties and to exclude inconvenient properties of aggregators. Using this method we can create new forms of logic aggregators by interpolating between heterogeneous base aggregators, i.e. aggregators that belong to different families and have different logic properties. The resulting interpolative aggregators then extend the desirable properties inherited from the base aggregator classes. We propose a general interpolative GCD aggregator (IGCD) and its important uniform special case. I GCD can be used to build compound aggregators and complex logic aggregation structures with suitable logic properties.
MO‐A‐137‐06: A Stochastic Optimization Approach to Adaptive Lung Radiation Therapy Treatment Planning

Purpose: We have demonstrated that the ratio between a lung cancer patient's TGFβ1 level two weeks into treatment versus pre‐treatment is a predictive biomarker for radiation induced lung toxicity (RILT). Instead of adapting to this new information only when the data is available, we present a stochastic optimization model that can explicitly incorporate this future knowledge into adaptive lung radiation therapy treatment planning. Methods: A two‐stage stochastic treatment plan optimization model is developed that accommodates knowledge of a patient's predisposition to RILT that would be obtained during treatment. The goal of the stochastic model is to maximize the population probability of local tumor control (LTC) after 2 years while controlling the probability of RILT. Two adaptive strategies are considered: (1) bounding the expected proportion of the entire population that will experience RILT, and (2) bounding the probability that each individual patient will experience RILT. These strategies were compared to a non‐adaptive treatment planning strategy that uses a simple bound on the mean lung dose to control the probability of RILT. Results: This technique is applied to lung cancer cases that are treated in daily fractions over a six‐week period. The tradeoffs between the probability of RILT and LTC are observed for each strategy. Both adaptive strategies dominate (are always better than) the non‐adaptive treatment plans in the worst‐case sense (i.e., highest probability among all treated patients), while adaptive strategy (1) dominates it in the population sense in terms of the tradeoff between probability of RILT and expected probability of LTC. Conclusion: By incorporating future knowledge into a two‐stage stochastic IMRT treatment planning model, superior adaptive treatment plans can be obtained that improve both population and worst‐case outcomes for patients. In addition, this modeling paradigm provides treatment planners a tool to help personalize treatment plans for individual patients. Troy Long is on a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Data collection was assisted by R01CA142840 grant.
Neuroimaging of fractureless transforamen magnum penetrating injury of the cerebellum

An unusual case of penetrating injury to the cerebellum by a foreign body is described. The authors recommend plain radiographs and computed tomography to rule out fractures of the skull vault and base and the upper cervical spine, as well as to ascertain the presence and location of foreign bodies. Magnetic resonance imaging is ideal for the follow-up assessment of brain damage.
Attitude organization and the attitude–behavior relation: A critique of Bagozzi and Burnkrant's reanalysis of Fishbein and Ajzen.

Les auteurs ont reexamine les tests empiriques rapportes par Bagozzi & Burnkrant, concernant la validite convergente et nomologique des modeles d'attitudes a composants multiples ou uniques
The Effect of Matrix Density on the Regulation of 3-D Capillary Morphogenesis

The means by which extracellular matrix density regulates three-dimensional capillary morphogenesis is unclear. To study this phenomenon, we utilized a fibrin-based in vitro assay in which a fibroblast monolayer is plated atop a fibrin gel approximately 2.5 mm away from endothelial cell-coated beads within the matrix. Increasing fibrin density from 2.5 to 10 mg/ml resulted in a threefold reduction in capillary network formation. However, distributing fibroblasts throughout the matrix completely eliminated this inhibitory effect, resulting in robustly vascularized matrices suitable for in vivo applications, as functional anastomoses formed between the implanted tissues and host vasculature when implanted into immune-compromised mice. Dense matrices did not stimulate fibroblast-mediated matrix remodeling: differentiation into myofibroblasts, matrix production, and protease secretion were not enhanced by the dense condition. Instead, quantifying diffusivity of FITC-dextran (molecular mass 10, 40, 70, and 150 kDa) through fibrin revealed a two- to threefold decrease within the 10 mg/ml matrices. Thus, distributing a proangiogenic source (fibroblasts) throughout the matrix stimulates capillary network formation by overcoming this diffusion restriction due to significantly reduced diffusion distances. Although roles for matrix stiffness and ligand binding density have previously been identified, our results emphasize the importance of diffusion restrictions in limiting capillary morphogenesis.
Personality Disorder as a Contraindication for Liver Transplantation in Alcoholic Cirrhosis

Severe personality disorder has been proposed as a contraindication for liver transplantation. Seventy-three subjects with alcoholic-related liver disease were evaluated for personality disorder and followed for 6 months. The subjects with severe personality disorder had higher rates of divorce, higher rates of comorbid drug abuse or dependence, lower Weschler Adult Inventory Scale IQ estimates, and higher scores on indicators of emotional impairment. Personality disorder was not associated with a higher rate of return to alcohol use during the follow-up period. Three subjects with personality disorder underwent liver transplantation without behavioral or substance abuse complications. This study does not support routine exclusion of subjects based solely on a diagnosis of a severe personality disorder.
Spontaneous alternation as a function of number of forced-choice responses in the goldfish (Carassius auratus)

This experiment assessed the role of the number of forced-choice trials on spontaneous alternation in the goldfish. Goldfish were forced to the preferred reinforced arm of a T-maze for 1, 5, 7, 10, or 15 trials. Following these forced-choice trials, the direction of turn on a free-choice trial was recorded. The likelihood of alternation was found to be a function of the number of previous forced-choice trials. The similarity of the functional relationship found in this experiment was related to that found in similar experiments using other species as Ss.
Strand-specific discontinuity in replicating P2 DNA

Shortly after circularization and covalent closure, infecting bacteriophage P2 DNA becomes attached to a rapidly sedimenting DNA- “membrane” complex ( Ljungquist, 1973 ). In an Escherichia coli rep host, where normal P2 DNA replication is blocked ( Calendar et al. , 1970 ), complex formation occurs, and relaxed circular molecules with short double-stranded tails are produced. The heavy strand of the infecting DNA is preserved as a circle, while the light strand is broken. A functional P2 A gene is required for the production of the strand-specific opening, while the product of the B gene functions in a subsequent step of DNA replication.
Prevalence of beta0 and beta+ thalassemia genes in Greek children with homozygous beta-thalassemia.

In an attempt to estimate the prevalence of β0 and β+thalassemia genes in Greece chromatographic analysis of hemoglobins was performed in 30 children with homozygous β-thalassemia prior to any transfusion. In 13 (43%) no HbA was detected, suggesting the presence of β0 gene in the homozygous state (β0/β thal). In the remaining 17, HbA showed a bimodal distribution with values ranging from 4–36%. The detection of HbA suggests the presence of β+ gene, while the bimodal distribution could be explained by the assumption that the β+ gene in single dose and in combination with β0 gene (β0/β+ thai) results in the production of small amounts of HbA ranging from 4–11%, (first curve), while in double dose (β+/β+ thal), in the production of higher amounts of HbA ranging from 24–36% (second curve). The β0/β+ thai was observed in 11 (37%), and the β+/β+ thai in 6(20%). It is concluded that both β0 and β+genes are common in Greece and chromatographic analysis helps to determine the genotype of patients with homozygous β...
Studies on hydroxyamino acids. I. Synthesis of some α-alkylated serines

Abstract The coproduct which accompanies serine formation upon treatment of an aqueous alkaline solution of glycine with formaldehyde, in the presence of catalytic amounts of cupric ion, has been identified as α-(hydroxymethyl)serine. The latter product, which could be induced to form almost exclusively in the same reaction system solely by increasing the cupric ion concentration, was characterized by (a) decarboxylation with ninhydrin, (b) deamination with nitrous acid, (c) oxidative degradation with periodate and (d) reduction with hydriodic acid. An alternate synthesis of this material was achieved in high yield via the cupric ion-mediated condensation of serine and formaldehyde in alkaline aqueous solution. Substitution of the serine component in the last-mentioned reaction with alanine permitted the facile single-step synthesis of α-methylserine; comparable substitution with α-amino-n-butyric acid led to α-ethylserine.
Worksite wellness programs and lifestyle behaviors.

Do employees who participate in worksite wellness programs differ from those who do not? What health-related lifestyle behaviors are practiced most frequently by which employees? A descriptive, correlational, comparative design was used to investigate these questions. Four hundred employees at a large public university were selected through stratified random sampling to complete a demographic sheet and the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP). Study findings revealed that men used self actualization and exercise behaviors more frequently than women. Women practiced more health responsibility behaviors than men. Employees who were members of the wellness program more frequently practiced health responsibility and exercise behaviors than nonmembers. Overall, wellness program members used a greater number of the total health-related behaviors than other employees. Membership in the wellness program and the number of times per week a person exercised explained 21% of the variance in the HPLP scores.
An upstream signal is required for in vitro transcription of Neurospora 5S RNA genes.

The DNA sequences upstream of the 5S RNA genes inNeurospora crassa are largely different from one another, but share a short consensus sequence located in the segment 29 to 26 nucleotides preceding the transcribed region. Differences among flanking sequences do not appear to affect transcription. Deletion analysis indicates, however, that a DNA segment including the conserved “TATA box” is required for in vitro transcription of Neurospora 5S RNA genes.
Young mothers' involvement in a prenatal and postpartum support program†

The involvement of 124 young mothers in a doula support program was measured in two dimensions—quantity of program contact and quality of mother–doula helping relationship. The study examined each dimension's differential associations with maternal outcomes, as well as the moderating effects of mother characteristics on these associations. Quantity of program contact was related to the quality of helping relationship, especially when rated by doulas. Both quantity and quality of involvement predicted the maternal outcomes, although not always in the expected direction. For mothers with limited vocabulary skills and better connections with the baby's father, program contact was more likely to promote positive birth experiences. A negative association between program contact and parenting behaviors was observed among mothers who were less mature or had less positive social relationships. The study suggests the multidimensionality of program involvement and the complexity of interactions between program and participant factors in producing program outcomes. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Hybrid polymer-CdSe solar cells with a ZnO nanoparticle buffer layer for improved efficiency and lifetime

We report the use of a solution-processed ZnO nanoparticle buffer layer in hybrid solar cells based on blends of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and CdSe quantum dots. Depending on the size of the CdSe nanocrystal, these devices exhibit 20–70% higher photocurrent output than similar devices without the ZnO nanoparticle layer, which is attributed to a combination of electronic and optical effects. With negligible change in open-circuit voltage and a small increase in the fill factor, the power conversion efficiency of these P3HT:CdSe hybrid solar cells was increased by 30–80% with incorporation of the ZnO nanoparticle layer. The presence of the ZnO nanoparticle layer also drastically improves the stability of these hybrid solar cells. Less than 40% loss in efficiency was observed for such devices after 70 days of exposure to the laboratory ambient without any type of encapsulation.
Altered expression and action of the low-affinity IgE receptor FcϵRII (CD23) in asthmatic airway smooth muscle

Abstract Background: Changes in cell surface expression of certain immunoglobulin Fc receptors have been demonstrated in leukocytes isolated from the lungs of atopic asthmatic individuals. This, together with emerging evidence that Fc receptors can also be expressed and activated in non–bone marrow–derived cell types, including airway smooth muscle (ASM), raises the hypothesis that the atopic asthmatic ASM phenotype is associated with an altered endogenous expression and action of specific Fc receptors present in the ASM itself. Objective: The current study addressed the above hypothesis by examining (1) whether the expression of certain key Fc receptor subtypes for IgE and IgG is altered in ASM tissue isolated from human atopic asthmatic individuals and (2) whether this altered Fc receptor expression is comparably induced in naive human ASM tissue and cultured cells after their passive sensitization with human atopic asthmatic serum or IgE immune complexes. Methods: Messenger RNA and cell surface protein expression of the individual IgG receptor subtypes FcγRI, FcγRII, and FcγRIII, as well as the IgE receptor subtypes FcϵRI and FcϵRII, were examined in human ASM tissue isolated from atopic asthmatic and control (nonatopic/nonasthmatic) individuals. In addition, we examined the effects of passive sensitization of ASM tissue and cultured ASM cells with control serum, atopic asthmatic serum, or exogenously administered IgE immune complexes on Fc receptor expression and action (ie, induction of proinflammatory cytokine release). Results: The observations demonstrate that (1) human ASM tissue expresses messenger RNA and surface protein for FcϵRII, as well as for all the Fcγ receptor subtypes, (2) in contrast to unaltered Fcγ subtype expression, however, relative to control human ASM, FcϵRII is significantly up-regulated in inherently asthmatic ASM tissue, (3) up-regulated expression of FcϵRII represents, at least in part, an inducible phenomenon that is largely attributed to IgE immune complex–coupled activation of the receptor, and (4) the latter action is associated with FcϵRII-induced autologous elaboration of the proinflammatory cytokine, IL-1β, by the atopic sensitized ASM. Conclusion: These observations provide new evidence that human ASM tissue expresses FcϵRII in addition to all 3 subtypes of Fcγ receptors and that the expression of FcϵRII is selectively increased in atopic asthmatic ASM, a phenomenon associated with IgE immune complex/FcϵRII–mediated elaboration of IL-1β by the ASM itself. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999;104:575-84.)
Role of the cytoskeleton in growth cone motility and axonal elongation

Abstract During axonal pathfinding, the direction of nerve fiber extension is established by the growth cone, the motile structure at the distal tip of an elongating axon. It is the growth cone that navigates and directs axonal outgrowth by detecting and responding to complex molecular cues in the nervous system environment. Changes in growth cone behavior and morphology that result from contact with these cues depend on the regulated assembly and dynamic reorganization of actin filaments and microtubules. Therefore, an understanding of growth cone guidance requires resolution of the cytoskeletal rearrangements that occur as navigating growth cones respond to stimulatory and inhibitory molecular signals in their milieu. In this review, we discuss the role of the cytoskeleton in growth cone navigation.
Population Knowledge and Attitudes of Latin American Adolescents: Impact of Gender, Schooling, and Culture

Several thousand students in each of three Latin American secondary schools completed questionnaires dealing with birth control and population. Sex, grade level, and country were among the more important characteristics affecting knowledge and attitude. However, desired family size was unaffected by years of schooling and is set at between two and three children by Grade 7. The impact of schooling was only partially accounted for by associated social and economic controls.
An engine for logic program analysis

An engine that is based on unfolding of semantic equations is presented. A main advantage of the unfolding engine is a uniform treatment of structural information in a program. In particular, reasoning about partially instantiated structures, an area where traditional algorithms have been weak, is greatly enhanced. It is shown that the engine is uniformly more accurate than the standard engine in the sense that, given an abstract domain, its output, for any program is more accurate than that of the standard engine. >
Resolution and frequency response in secondary emission devices

The resolution of a secondary emission tube is characterized by an equivalent, or effective, current distribution in the beam. This current distribution is defined as that which would cause the actual resolution degradation when landing on the target surface in an ideal way, i.e., without redistribution nor charge-to-potential mapping on the target. A "frequency response" technique is then introduced to measure the equivalent current distribution, and the theoretical responses for two distributions assumed a priori as possible, i.e., the Gaussian and the cosinusoidal, are derived. These findings are compared with experimental results which show that (1) it is legitimate to characterize the resolution of a storage tube by means of its effective distribution, and (2) both the Gaussian and the cosine distribution are good models for the real situation, the former giving a better fit for somewhat defocused beams. The formulas and experimental techniques describe the tube behavior for all values of scanning speed during both the writing and reading cycles, and for all input frequencies. The results can also be used to determine spatial resolution when discontinuous scanning is used.
The glacial anticyclone theory examined in the light of recent meteorological data from Greenland—Part I

The glacial anticyclone theory, which William H. Hobbs propounded in 1910, is today still the only definitely formulated theory concerning the atmospheric movements that take place over an ice sheet of large extent. It stands chiefly on deductive grounds and contains several features that to climatologists as well as to glaciologists have always seemed questionable. Aside from the need of its verification for scientific reasons, there is now also urgent practical need for reliable information about the weather conditions that prevail over the ice sheet of Greenland, for Greenland lies athwart several of the great air routes of the future. In this paper, accordingly, the glacial anticyclone theory is first analyzed and then confronted with the facts of observation that are now at hand, especially those reported from the fixed meteorological stations which were maintained in the interior of Greenland during the 1930s. In this, the first part of the paper, the meteorological data from the Eismitte station of the German Wegener Expedition are reviewed. The second part will cover the areological data of that expedition and the similar material from the other ice-cap stations. The conclusions reached are that there is no evidence of a virtually permanent “glacial anticyclone” centered over the Greenland ice sheet. On the contrary, there is consistent evidence from all parts of Greenland that the weather over the ice sheet is controlled by alternating cyclonic and anticyclonic movements. Cyclonic activity is most intense in southern Greenland and weakest in northern Greenland. The entire ice sheet is supplied with snow brought by rising maritime air masses, not by air descending from the upper troposphere. Aviators need not expect so much as a fifty-fifty chance of meeting with good weather on flights across central Greenland, except for a few weeks in midsummer.
Classification of the cardiomyopathies

The cardiomyopathies have represented a challenging group of disorders to classify. The diversity of the disorders and the fact that many have only been recognized as clinical entities over the past 25 years continues to impede progress. Classification systems based on morphology, physiology, and etiology have been attempted and most systems are based on a combination of these three organizing principles. Despite these efforts, there are significant limitations with each of these systems, with many ambiguous cases, some newer cardiomyopathies that do not readily fit within the existing nomenclature systems, and a general sense of dissatisfaction with the mixed bases for these classification systems (phenotype and etiology). The continuing and accelerating molecular definition of the causes of many of these disorders has led a number of investigators to suggest that a classification based on the genetic basis for many of these diseases might overcome some of the limitations of prior systems. An American Heart Association Consensus Panel was convened to consider this issue and their scientific statement was published in 2006. This consensus document reviewed the problems associated with the phenotypic-based classification of the cardiomyopathies and proposed a new system that represents a significant departure from current clinical use. The changes recommended by this panel included implementing the presence or absence of a genetic etiology as the first order organizing principle. The panel recommended that use of the term hypertrophic cardiomyopathy be restricted to individuals with sarcomeric gene defects that manifest as a hypertrophic cardiomyopathic phenotype. They also recommended the inclusion of cardiac disorders that manifest primarily as arrhythmias (ion channelopathies) as forms of cardiomyopathies. This article reviews the implications of these recommendations and compares the existing and the proposed systems of classification. © 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
A real-time VLSI neuroprocessor for adaptive image compression based upon frequency-sensitive competitive learning

The frequency-sensitive competitive learning (FSCL) algorithm and its associated VLSI neuroprocessor have been developed for adaptive vector quantisation (AVQ). Simulation results show that the FSCL algorithm is capable of producing a good-quality codebook for AVQ at high compression ratios of more than 20 in real time. This VLSI neural-network-based vector quantization design includes a fully parallel vector quantizer and a pipelined codebook generator to provide an effective data compression scheme. It provides a computing capability as high as 3.33 billion connections per second. Its performance can achieve a speedup of 750 compared with SUN-3/60 and a compression ratio of 33 at a signal-to-noise ratio of 23.81 dB. >
The Determination of Flash Temperature in Intermittent Magnetic Head/Disk Contacts Using Magnetoresistive Heads: Part I—Model and Laser Simulation

The feasibility of using a magnetoresistive magnetic head to determine the flash temperature of intermittent magnetic head/disk contacts is investigated. A finite difference model is developed to study the effects of the magnetoresistive sensor height, the contact power intensity and the contact duration on the temperature response characteristics of the magnetoresistive sensor. A pulsed neody-minum:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser is used as the heat source to simulate the contact and verify the model. The simulation results agree well with the theoretical model. Based on the theoretical model and laser simulation, a temperature sensitivity coefficient ζ is proposed to determine the surface temperature rise.
Children's Relationships with Peers: Differential Associations with Aspects of the Teacher-Child Relationship

Associations between children's social competence with peers and differential aspects of their teacher-child relationships were examined in a longitudinal sample of 48 4-year-old children enrolled in child care as infants. Toddler security with teacher was negatively associated with hostile aggression and positively with complex peer play and gregarious behaviors. Prosocial behaviors and withdrawing behaviors were associated with preschool security with teacher. Dependence on teachers as a preschooler was associated with social withdrawal and hostile aggression. Positive toddler teacher socialization was associated with higher perceived peer acceptance. Preschool teacher negative socialization was negatively associated with complex peer play, teacher ratings of hesitancy, friendly enactment, and accidental attribution and positively related to teacher ratings of difficulty.
The Impact of Modality on Mind Wandering during Comprehension

Summary The executive resource hypothesis assumes a positive relationship between resource availability and mind wandering. Under the assumption that different modalities of information delivery differentially tax resources, we compared mind wandering across different modalities during the presentation of The Red Headed League (Experiment 1 and 2) and Walden (Experiment 3). An Audio only condition produced the most mind wandering. Two conditions that presumably consumed more executive resources than the Audio Only condition (i.e. Audio + Text and Self-paced Reading) produced equivalent amounts of mind wandering during Experiments 1 and 2. In Experiment 3 the reading time of the Self-paced readers moderated the effect of mind wandering in that the fast readers mind wandered more than those in the Audio + Text condition. Results are discussed in the context of the demands of different modes of information delivery methods and mind wandering as well as the potential effects of material type. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Viewing the Reconstruction of Primary Schooling in Southern Sudan through Education Data, 2006-2009.

After one of the longest wars in the history of Africa, Southern Sudan accomplished one of the world’s quickest education reconstruction programmes. Once the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed in 2005, the international donor community and the government and people of Southern Sudan united under a common goal: to increase access to education for both children and adults. Southern Sudan’s experience leads to three lessons. First, countries entering a post-conflict situation should anticipate and plan for the possibility of a large and rapid influx of new students immediately after hostilities end. Second, after a prolonged conflict, an alternative education system is critical to allow children, and the young adults who were previously deprived of education, the opportunity to acquire the skills they need to earn a living. Finally, donors must respond rapidly, demonstrate considerable flexibility, forgo extensive planning and documentation before acting, and be willing to make a multi-year commitment.
Normal and anomalous solitons in the theory of dynamical Cooper pairing

We obtain multisoliton solutions of the time-dependent Bogoliubov--de Gennes equations or, equivalently, Gorkov equations that describe the dynamics of a fermionic condensate in the dissipationless regime. There are two kinds of solitons---normal and anomalous. At large times, normal multisolitons asymptote to unstable stationary states of the BCS Hamiltonian with zero order parameter (normal states), while the anomalous ones tend to eigenstates characterized by a nonzero anomalous average. Under certain circumstances, multisoliton solutions break up into sums of single solitons. In the linear analysis near the stationary states, solitons correspond to unstable modes. Generally, they are nonlinear extensions of these modes, so that a stationary state with $k$ unstable modes gives rise to a $k$-soliton solution. We relate parameters of the multisolitons to those of the asymptotic stationary state, which determines the conditions necessary for exciting solitons. We further argue that the dynamics in many physical situations is multisoliton.
Empiric vancomycin use in febrile neutropenic oncology patients

Vancomycin is commonly added as empiric therapy for febrile neutropenia. A retrospective chart review was conducted at a large community teaching institution to evaluate vancomycin use in oncology patients. The results revealed that a majority of empiric vancomycin therapy was inappropriate, raising concern for antibiotic resistance and prompting opportunities for improvement.