cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Disambiguation Preferences in Noun Phrase Conjunction Do Not Mirror Corpus Frequency

Abstract The results of two self-paced reading studies of a syntactic ambiguity involving conjoined noun phrases to three potential noun phrase sites were compared to the corpus frequencies of the resolutions of the same ambiguity. The reading times for the attachment to the first noun phrase were faster than for the attachment to the second noun phrase, but, to the extent that any differences were observed in the corpus frequencies, attachments to the second noun phrase were more frequent. We therefore argue that the sentence comprehension mechanism is not using corpus frequencies in arriving at its preference in this ambiguity, and hence the decision principles of sentence comprehension and sentence production must be partially distinct. It is proposed that there is a factor operative in sentence comprehension that is not operative in sentence production, and this factor favors attachment to the first noun phrase.
Clinical factors associated with urinary albumin excretion in type II diabetes

Clinical factors associated with urinary albumin excretion (UAE) in type II diabetes are less well known than in type I diabetes. To examine the factors associated with UAE in type II diabetes, 933 Appropriate Blood Pressure Control in Diabetes Trial patients were classified according to UAE status: normoalbuminuria ( 200 micrograms/min). The class of UAE was then correlated with various clinical factors. Using univariate analyses, Hispanic ethnicity, African-American race, male gender, poor glycemic control, insulin use, long duration of diabetes, dyslipidemia, diastolic and systolic hypertension, smoking, and obesity were significantly correlated with microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria. Using multivariate logistic regression analyses controlling for diabetes duration, glycosylated hemoglobin, gender, and race, the most significant predictors of microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria were systolic hypertension, body mass index, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, insulin use, and smoking pack-years. Of these factors, several are potentially reversible with aggressive intervention.
The person behind the eponym: Wilhelm Frederick von Ludwig (1790-1865).

In 1836, Wilhelm Frederick von Ludwig described a fast-spreading, nearly always fatal infection involving the connective tissues of the neck and floor of the mouth. Named after this Stuttgart physician, the condition has been known since as "Ludwig's angina". This biographical sketch highlights the life and times of the man behind the eponym, who was lauded for his surgical prowess at the age of 19, went on to become president of the Wurttemberg Medical Association, and whose name and the condition he described continue to be recognized today.
Effects of age on the mother-child interactions of ADD-H and normal boys.

The interactions of 60 ADD-H boys with their mothers were compared to those of 60 normal boys during both freeplay and task situations. Both groups were equally subdivided into five age levels (years 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9). In free play, ADDH boys played more independently of and were more negative toward their mothers, while their mothers gave more commands and initiated fewer interactions than normal motherchild dyads. There were no effects of age in this setting. During the task setting, ADD H boys were less compliant, sustained their compliance for shorter time periods, and were more negative and off task than the normal boys. Mothers of ADD-H boys gave more commands, were more negative, initiated fewer interactions, and responded with greater control over both compliance and offtask behavior than did normal mothers. Several age effects were noted suggesting that older boys in both groups were more compliant while their mothers gave fewer commands and controlled their compliance less than the motherchild dyads of younger boys. While the interactions of ADD-H boys appear to improve with age, the boys continue to display a developmental lag in social behavior that is more evident with increasing situational demands.
Stimulus interval, rate and direction differentially regulate phosphorylation for mechanotransduction in neonatal cardiac myocytes

The effect of interval, direction and rate of strain on mechanotransduction in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes is determined for focal adhesion kinase (Y397pFAK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase ERK1/2 (Thr183/Tyr185) and paxillin (pY31) and phosphorylation time courses to 10% strain assessed. Cells are non-responsive at 5-minutes but recover at 15 minutes (p<0.03) with FAK nuclear translocation by 30-minutes. Cyclic biaxial strain increased phosphorylation from slower to faster rates (p<0.05). Uniaxial strain to groove-aligned myocytes increased FAK and ERK1/2 phosphorylation transversely more than longitudinally (p<0.05). Mechanotransduction may have a refractory period of 5-minutes and differentiate directions and rates of strain.
Density Functional Investigation of the Thermodynamic Stability of Lithium Oxide Bulk Crystalline Structures as a Function of Oxygen Pressure

Density functional theory is used together with classical statistical mechanical analyses to investigate the thermodynamic stability of bulk crystalline LiO2, Li2O, and Li2O2 as a function of the oxygen environment. The results indicate that lithium peroxide (Li2O2(s)) and superoxide (LiO2(s)) are likely to be stable only under O2-rich conditions with high oxygen partial pressures (PΟ2), whereas Li2O is the most stable at ambient conditions. Additionally, the trends in the density functional calculated equilibrium potential for an ideal reversible Li–O2 couple can be described by an analytical equation as a function of pressure and temperature. As part of this work, we have also calculated the structure and thermodynamics for lithium superoxide. It is found to be stable with respect to lattice vibrations, with an O–O stretching vibration mode very similar to that of the isolated LiO2 molecule and to the O2– ion radical.
The Realization of Scalar Inferences: Context Sensitivity without Processing Cost

Scalar inference is the phenomenon whereby the use of a less informative term (e.g., some of) is inferred to mean the negation of a more informative term (e.g., to mean not all of). Default processing accounts assume that the interpretation of some of as meaning not all of is realized easily and automatically (regardless of context), whereas context-driven processing accounts assume that it is realized effortfully and only in certain contexts. In the present study, participants’ self-paced reading times were recorded as they read vignettes in which the context did or did not bias the participants to make a scalar inference (to interpret some of as meaning not all of). The reading times suggested that the realization of the inference was influenced by the context, but did not provide evidence for processing cost at the time the inference is realized, contrary to the predictions of context-driven processing accounts. The results raise the question of why inferencing occurs only in certain contexts if it does not involve extra processing effort.
Reticular tapeto-retinal dystrophy. As a possible late stage of Sjögren's reticular dystrophy.

Findings from two patients with a reticular tapetoretinal dystrophy strongly suggested advanced stages of Sjogren9s reticular dystrophy. These observations emphasize that, although initially a benign disease, advanced stages of Sjorgren9s dystrophy may eventually manifest diffuse photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelial disease.
Application of a New Dual Localization-Affinity Purification Tag Reveals Novel Aspects of Protein Kinase Biology in Aspergillus nidulans

Filamentous fungi occupy critical environmental niches and have numerous beneficial industrial applications but devastating effects as pathogens and agents of food spoilage. As regulators of essentially all biological processes protein kinases have been intensively studied but how they regulate the often unique biology of filamentous fungi is not completely understood. Significant understanding of filamentous fungal biology has come from the study of the model organism Aspergillus nidulans using a combination of molecular genetics, biochemistry, cell biology and genomic approaches. Here we describe dual localization-affinity purification (DLAP) tags enabling endogenous N or C-terminal protein tagging for localization and biochemical studies in A. nidulans. To establish DLAP tag utility we endogenously tagged 17 protein kinases for analysis by live cell imaging and affinity purification. Proteomic analysis of purifications by mass spectrometry confirmed association of the CotA and NimXCdk1 kinases with known binding partners and verified a predicted interaction of the SldABub1/R1 spindle assembly checkpoint kinase with SldBBub3. We demonstrate that the single TOR kinase of A. nidulans locates to vacuoles and vesicles, suggesting that the function of endomembranes as major TOR cellular hubs is conserved in filamentous fungi. Comparative analysis revealed 7 kinases with mitotic specific locations including An-Cdc7 which unexpectedly located to mitotic spindle pole bodies (SPBs), the first such localization described for this family of DNA replication kinases. We show that the SepH septation kinase locates to SPBs specifically in the basal region of apical cells in a biphasic manner during mitosis and again during septation. This results in gradients of SepH between G1 SPBs which shift along hyphae as each septum forms. We propose that SepH regulates the septation initiation network (SIN) specifically at SPBs in the basal region of G1 cells and that localized gradients of SIN activity promote asymmetric septation.
Salicylate ototoxicity: Review and synthesis

Abstract The effects of salicylates on the auditory system are reviewed. The clinical manifestations of aspirin ototoxicity are described, including changes in the sensitivity and suprathreshold characteristics of hearing, as well as tinnitus. The results of animal experiments on salicylate ototoxicity are discussed, including behavioral, anatomic, and physiologic studies examining the mechanisms of salicylate ototoxicity. The use of salicylates in the study of the basic mechanisms of hearing and hearing loss is also considered.
Transfer of training of the biofeedback-assisted control of hand temperature

This study examined the effect of prior biofeedback-assisted training of hand warming or hand cooling on the subsequent ability to train the opposite response. A two-group crossover design employed 43 subjects with one group receiving three days of hand warming followed by three days of hand cooling, while the second group received the opposite sequence. Analysis indicated subjects were able to produce the appropriate changes in hand temperature and were more successful at hand cooling than hand warming. During the transfer of training phase, subjects with prior training in hand cooling were able to produce warming above baseline levels compared with subjects initially trained to hand warm. In contrast, prior training of hand warming had no effect on the subsequent ability to cool hands.
Cross Sectional and Longitudinal Models of 1977 National Social Insurance Expenditures

Abstract This article partially replicates Cutright's (1967) analysis of determinants of cross-national differences in 1960 social insurance expenditures. Analyses of national differences in 1977 finds that a proxy for Cutright's theoretical construct of an egalitarian political system does not influence social insurance expenditures in the low GNP/per capita (GNP/C) stratum, but it is an important variable in analyses the high GNP/C stratum. This proxy is also significant in analysis of 1965 to 1977 increases in expenditures in high GNP/C countries. The percentage of the labor force in industry, an indicator of the control of the population over its environment and its vulnerability to economic change was a significant predictor in the high GNP/C stratum in 1977, but was unimportant among lower GNP/C nations. The experience and power of the social insurance bureaucracy and its constituency as indexed by the years of program experience (SIPE) was significant in analysis of 1977 expenditures in both high a...
Relations of parental supervision and monitoring to children's functioning in various contexts: Moderating effects of families and neighborhoods

Interactions among supervision and monitoring, maternal marital status, and neighborhood safety and their relations to child outcomes were examined using a sample of 355 third- and fourth-grade students in a large midwestern city. Three levels of supervision were considered: no adult supervision or monitoring, no adult supervision with distal parent monitoring, and full-time adult supervision. Results show that, although supervision and monitoring do not produce any main effects on children's social, emotional, and cognitive functioning, interactions between supervision and contextual variables do produce significant effects. These effects differ according to the outcome variable studied. Neighborhood crime rates were found to moderate the effects of supervision on children's behaviors, peer relations, locus of control, and language achievement. Although children in dangerous neighborhoods who experience low supervision and monitoring showed good behaviors and language skills, they also showed lower self-efficacy. Maternal marital status moderated effects of supervision on children's school achievement, with a lack of supervision and monitoring relating to low achievement for children in single-parent but not married-parent households. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of considering contextual factors when searching for effects of parenting practices on children's development.
Equity and efficiency in non-convex economies

The objective of this paper is to consider the following question. Does the presence of increasing returns introduce a fundamental trade-off between equity and efficiency objectives? We show that if the no-envy notion of Foley (1967) is taken as the equity criterion and Pareto optimality as the efficiency criterion, then the answer is yes; there exist economies with increasing returns and well-behaved preferences (and no agent-specific inputs) in which there do not exist any envy-free and Pareto optimal allocations. We also propose a weakening of the no-envy criterion and prove that this weaker equity notion is compatible with Pareto optimality in general non-convex economies.
SUPRAPUBICALLY ASSISTED OPERATIVE CYSTOSCOPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF INTRAVESICAL TVT SYNTHETIC MESH SEGMENTS

The tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) sling has become one of the most common procedures performed for the treatment of female stress incontinence. Perforations of the bladder during the TVT placement are relatively common, but are usually noted on cystoscopy and corrected at the time of the procedure. Undetected perforation may result in several complications including recurrent urinary tract infections, bladder stone formation, and pelvic pain. A novel technique is described using operative cystoscopy with suprapubic assistance, which provides an effective means for resection of intravesical mesh. Unlike traditional approaches via laparotomy, this minimally invasive procedure may allow for successful mesh removal while avoiding the morbidity of an open procedure.
Preparation and characterization of electropolymerized poly(N‐substituted maleimide‐co‐styrene) coatings on copper substrates

poly(N-substituted maleimide-co-styrene) copolymer films were electropolymerized onto copper substrates as possible candidates for electronic applications. The N-substituted moieties that were investigated include phenyi, 3-carboxyphenyl, and 4-carboxyphenyl. Uniform coatings of 25 μm or more thickness were successfully applied using each of the three N-substituted maleimides. The thickness was controlled by manipulating the monomer concentration, current density, and reaction time. Not only did the 3- and 4-carboxyphenylmaleimide (CMI)/styrene copolymers have high glass transition temperatures (220°C) and fairly good thermal stability (≈ 430°C), but they also have rather low dielectric constants (2.55 for 4-CMI/styrene), comparable to those of polyimides. Polymerization of the coatings was observed by in-situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIRS), using a special cell that made the observation of the polymer structure development possible. It was found by FTIRS that all three monomers, when used with styrene, produced alternating copolymers. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Coulomb distortion effects on single particle exchange singularities

Abstract It is shown that Coulomb distortion modifies the single-particle exchange pole residue by a factor independent of the orbital angular momentum of the bound states involved in the exchange process. The implications of this result on the polarization observables and on recent determinations of the deuteron asymptotic D- to S-state ratio, using analyticity, are discussed.
Simulated Physical Mechanisms Associated with Climate Variability over Lake Victoria Basin in East Africa

Abstract A fully coupled regional climate, 3D lake modeling system is used to investigate the physical mechanisms associated with the multiscale variability of the Lake Victoria basin climate. To examine the relative influence of different processes on the lake basin climate, a suite of model experiments were performed by smoothing topography around the lake basin, altering lake surface characteristics, and reducing or increasing the amount of large-scale moisture advected into the lake region through the four lateral boundaries of the model domain. Simulated monthly mean rainfall over the basin is comparable to the satellite (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) estimates. Peaks between midnight and early morning hours characterize the simulated diurnal variability of rainfall over the four quadrants of the lake, consistent with satellite estimates, although the simulated peaks occur a little earlier. It is evident in the simulations with smoothed topography that the upslope/downslope flow generated by t...
METHOD FOR QUANTIFYING FRESHWATER INPUT AND FLUSHING TIME IN ESTUARIES

A method is developed to quantify total freshwater input and flushing time in estuaries using measured flow and salinity data at the estuary-ocean boundary. A formula is derived to calculate the volume of mixed estuarine water that leaves the estuary on the ebb tide. The calculated volume of mixed estuarine water, along with the volume of new ocean water that enters the estuary on the flood tide, is used to quantify the total volume of freshwater input. The calculated volume of mixed estuarine water is also used to quantify the flushing time. The developed method is applied to Barnegat Bay, N.J. The volume of freshwater input calculated from the new method compares well with that estimated using watershed, aquifer, and meteorological data. The flushing time calculated from the new method is between that calculated from the classical tidal prism method and that from the fraction of freshwater method. An assessment is made on the sensitivity of calculated values to the quality of measured data at the estuary-ocean boundary. The volume of freshwater input and the flushing time calculated from the developed method are highly reliable when there is a significant salinity difference between flood and ebb tides.
National subsidies in the international commercial launch market

Abstract The agreement by the USA and Cocom to allow the export of US-built satellites for launch on Chinese launchers raised the national subsidy issue. The international commercial launch market is multinational and highly competitive; launch suppliers have accused each other of being unfairly subsdized. Currently the US government is engaged in various negotiations to establish a ‘level playing field’. A clear study of the subsidy issue is essential. This article examines some of the charges and the current situation associated with each country and suggests a possible approach for the USA to remain competitive in the international commercial launch market.
Thermus oshimai JL-2 and T. thermophilus JL-18 genome analysis illuminates pathways for carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycling

The complete genomes of Thermus oshimai JL-2 and T. thermophilus JL-18 each consist of a circular chromosome, 2.07 Mb and 1.9 Mb, respectively, and two plasmids ranging from 0.27 Mb to 57.2 kb. Comparison of the T. thermophilus JL-18 chromosome with those from other strains of T. thermophilus revealed a high degree of synteny, whereas the megaplasmids from the same strains were highly plastic. The T. oshimai JL-2 chromosome and megaplasmids shared little or no synteny with other sequenced Thermus strains. Phylogenomic analyses using a concatenated set of conserved proteins confirmed the phylogenetic and taxonomic assignments based on 16S rRNA phylogenetics. Both chromosomes encode a complete glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and pentose phosphate pathway plus glucosidases, glycosidases, proteases, and peptidases, highlighting highly versatile heterotrophic capabilities. Megaplasmids of both strains contained a gene cluster encoding enzymes predicted to catalyze the sequential reduction of nitrate to nitrous oxide; however, the nitrous oxide reductase required for the terminal step in denitrification was absent, consistent with their incomplete denitrification phenotypes. A sox gene cluster was identified in both chromosomes, suggesting a mode of chemolithotrophy. In addition, nrf and psr gene clusters in T. oshmai JL-2 suggest respiratory nitrite ammonification and polysulfide reduction as possible modes of anaerobic respiration.
Simulated Importance of Dispersal, Disturbance, and Landscape History in Long-Term Ecosystem Change in the Big Woods of Minnesota

Dynamic relationships among climate, disturbance, and vegetation affect the spatial configuration and composition of ecological communities. Paleoecological records indicate the importance of such relationships in Minnesota’s Big Woods (BW) region, where isolated hardwood forest populations expanded to regional dominance after AD 1250. We used LANDIS-II to model the BW forest expansion, and conducted simulation experiments that isolated the important ecological factors in this regional change. In our simulations, BW forest expanded at approximately 15 m per year to achieve regional dominance within 600 years, which is comparable to empirical records. The distribution of the BW depended on the locations of scattered pre-existing tree populations that were sheltered from previous severe fire regimes by firebreaks. During the simulated spread of the tree populations, however, the presence or absence of firebreaks did not further influence vegetation pattern. When we assumed a fire rotation of 10–13 years in grasslands/woodlands and more than 400 years in BW, the feedback between fire-resistant BW fuels and fire severity caused fire severity to decline in a time frame consistent with sedimentary data. In our simulations, seed dispersal from core initial populations caused forest expansion, changed fuel loads, and thus reduced fire severity—not the other way around as has been commonly proposed. Forest expansion was slowed by fire, but species’ life history attributes, namely seed dispersal distances and maturity ages, asynchronous successional dynamics across many stands, and landscape history were at least as important in the temporal and spatial patterns of the regional response to climate change.
Sustained Rises in Serum Thyrotropin, Thyroxine, and Triiodothyronine during Long Term, Continuous Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone Treatment in Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis*

In a pilot therapeutic trial, four patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) were treated with long term, continuous infusions of TRH, three intrathecally and one epidurally. They had prompt increases in serum TSH and thyroid hormone concentrations, averaging 120% for TSH, 49% for serum T4, 68 % for the serum free T4 index, 49% for serum T3, and 67% for the serum free T3 index. These elevations were statistically significant (for all but serum T3 and persisted for the duration of treatment (4–7 months). Mean values during treatmentwere near the upper limit of normal for each of these hormone measurements. After TRH withdrawal, serum TSH fell transiently below the normal range. A comparison group of four patients with ALS treated by twice weekly intrathecal bolus doses of TRH had no significant(changes in serum TSH, T4 or (T3. Durin g continuous TRH treatment,the responsiveness of both TSH and PRL to a standard iv TRH stimulation test was blunted, but not abolished. Basal serum PRL was occasionally...
Age and Rate of Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer Disease: Implications for Clinical Trials

Background Factors that affect the rate of progression of Alzheimer disease (AD) need to be considered in the clinical trial designs of potential disease-modifying therapies. Objective To determine the influence of age on AD course in a clinical trial setting. Design Pooled cohort study from 3 AD clinical trials of 18-month duration conducted by the Alzheimer Disease Cooperative Study group. Setting Alzheimer disease research centers from across the United States. Patients Four hundred seventy-one subjects with mild to moderate AD assigned to the placebo arm of 3 clinical trials. Main Outcome Measures The relationships between baseline age and rate of change in the Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale–cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog) 11, Mini-Mental State Examination, Clinical Dementia Rating scale Sum of Boxes score, Alzheimer Disease Cooperative Study–activities of daily living scale, and Neuropsychiatric Inventory were analyzed using a mixed-effect regression model. Sample size calculation for possible future AD clinical trials lasting 18 months using the results of the change in ADAS-cog 11 by tertiles of age groups. Results Older age at baseline was associated with a slower rate of decline in the ADAS-cog 11 and the Mini-Mental State Examination scores. Almost twice as many subjects aged 80 years and older compared with those aged younger than 70 years would be required to demonstrate a 30% treatment effect on the ADAS-cog 11 in an 18-month AD trial. Conclusion Subject age is an important factor to consider when defining the study population in and analyzing data from AD trials of potential disease-modifying therapies.
Self-Recording Mutually Exclusive Multiple Responses

Self-recording procedures generally focus on a single target response despite the fact that the situations to which they are applied often involve choices among competing responses. This analogue study explored the effects of self-recording on several mutually exclusive responses in a situation in which limited behavior was available to allocate among the responses. Four young competitive swimmers could swim 25 yards of any of four swimming strokes on a given trial. During baseline all subjects exhibited distinct preferences for one of the strokes. In different conditions subjects then self-recorded choices of all strokes or of only one stroke. When only one stroke was self-recorded, choice of that stroke increased in frequency. However, when all strokes were recorded choice patterns tended toward equity among the strokes for three of four subjects, an outcome not predicted by the existing literature. The results suggest that self-recording research, and possibly applications, might be improved through be...
Equation-free Computations as DDDAS Protocols in the Study of Engineered Granular Crystals☆

Abstract We explore the use of Equation-Free algorithms as Dynamic Data Driven experimental design protocols for the computational as well as laboratory study of the dynamics of engineered granular crystals and their models. The ability to prescribe de- sired initial conditions for computational -and, in this case, also possibly for laboratory- experiments provides an interesting link between traditional, matrix-free numerical analysis and the acceleration of dynamic studies. The framework is further enhanced through combination with data-mining algorithms that process detailed, fine-scale data to uncover underlying im- portant, coarse-grained variables (macroscopic system observables).
MAP-MRF Approach to Landsat ETM+ SLC-Off Image Classification

Land cover classification is an important application of Landsat images. Unfortunately, the scan-line corrector (SLC) failure in 2003 causes about 22% pixels to remain unscanned in each Landsat 7 ETM+ image. This problem seriously limits the application of Landsat 7 ETM+ images for land cover classification. A common strategy for addressing this problem is filling the unscanned gaps before classification work. However, the simple and high-speed methods for gap-filling cannot yield satisfactory results, especially for heterogeneous landscapes, while the gap-filling methods with high accuracy are often complicated and inefficient in the use of time. This paper develops a new method based on the maximum a posteriori decision rule and Markov random field theory (the MAP-MRF classification framework) for classifying SLC-off ETM+ images without filling unscanned gaps beforehand. The proposed method efficiently avoids the complicated process for gap-filling. The performance of the proposed method was validated by simulated SLC-off images. The results show that the classification accuracy of the proposed method is even higher than that of classification from an image filled by the precise gap-filling algorithm neighborhood similar pixel interpolator, which indicates that an accurate land cover map can be generated without spending time and effort to fill gaps in SLC-off images prior to the land cover classification.
Why Did Prices Rise in the 1930s

Prices rose in most years between 1933 and 1941 even though output was substantially below trend. This inflation cannot be explained as simply the effect of devaluation and changes in expectations. Rather, because prewar price changes depended significantly on the growth rate of real output, the extraordinarily rapid growth after 1933 was an important force leading to inflation. At the same time, the NIRA, by encouraging minimum wages and collusive pricing arrangements, caused a crucial diminution of the usual deviation-from-trend effect. The conjunction of these forces caused inflation at a time when the U.S. economy remained depressed.
Programmer's Apprentice For A Special-Purpose Robotics Dataflow Language

The motivation for this development is a need to construct a robot simulation facility which will assist in the development of effective algorithms to plan and control robot movements. It was thought that a system that presented robot's movements with an animated graphic display would be useful in the design and testing of robot planning and control programs. In this research a "programmer's apprentice", called the Graph Design Assistant (GDA), has been designed to help researchers construct robot simulation models on an Evans and Sutherland PS 300 graphic workstation. A programmer's apprentice is an expert system with knowledge about a programming task. It guides and advises a programmer as he interactively builds a program. This article describes how the system allows a researcher to develop a program on the PS 300 without having to learn the intricacies of the PS 300's dataflow language. In this system, plans are templates for portions of a graph in the functional graph network. The plans are similar to the macros used in the Evans and Sutherland Functional Graph Network Editor. The difference is that plans have slots which can be expanded to arbitrary structures. Some of the other aspects of the GDA are the development of an interactive interface, a library of plans, a user controlled agenda, consistency checker, and plan creation and editing capability.© (1985) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
PATTERNS OF WORD-LIST GENERATION IN MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT AND ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) have been described as exhibiting greater impairment on tests of category fluency than letter fluency. This has been offered as evidence that this condition represents pre-clinical Alzheimer's disease (AD). We hypothesized that this pattern of differential impairment is dependent on the specific semantic categories and initial letters selected, and is not specific to AD and aMCI. A total of 40 cognitively normal older adults, 74 MCI patients-25 "amnestic single domain" (aMCI), 27 "amnestic multiple domain", and 22 non-amnestic-and 29 AD patients were tested with multiple forms of semantic-category and initial-letter fluency tasks. The pattern of deficits within and across groups was highly dependent on the specific categories and letters chosen. Overall, aMCI patients did not demonstrate greater impairment in category than letter fluency. In fact, the level and pattern of their performance resembled that of cognitively normal older adults much more than AD patients. MCI patients with deficits in multiple cognitive domains performed most like AD patients. These findings indicate that verbal fluency performance is highly influenced by the specific tasks used, and impairment on semantic fluency is not characteristic of pure amnestic MCI.
BTB-ZF factors recruit the E3 ligase cullin 3 to regulate lymphoid effector programs

The differentiation of several T- and B-cell effector programs in the immune system is directed by signature transcription factors that induce rapid epigenetic remodelling. Here we report that promyelocytic leukaemia zinc finger (PLZF), the BTB-zinc finger (BTB-ZF) transcription factor directing the innate-like effector program of natural killer T-cell thymocytes, is prominently associated with cullin 3 (CUL3), an E3 ubiquitin ligase previously shown to use BTB domain-containing proteins as adaptors for substrate binding. PLZF transports CUL3 to the nucleus, where the two proteins are associated within a chromatin-modifying complex. Furthermore, PLZF expression results in selective ubiquitination changes of several components of this complex. CUL3 was also found associated with the BTB-ZF transcription factor BCL6, which directs the germinal-centre B cell and follicular T-helper cell programs. Conditional CUL3 deletion in mice demonstrated an essential role for CUL3 in the development of PLZF- and BCL6-dependent lineages. We conclude that distinct lineage-specific BTB-ZF transcription factors recruit CUL3 to alter the ubiquitination pattern of their associated chromatin-modifying complex. We propose that this new function is essential to direct the differentiation of several T- and B-cell effector programs, and may also be involved in the oncogenic role of PLZF and BCL6 in leukaemias and lymphomas.
Integrating Graduate Design Coaches in Undergraduate Design Project Teams

This paper describes how a graduate mechanical engineering student was employed as a design coach on a senior undergraduate design team working on the development of a low-cost, low-volume plastic ...
Behavioral Treatment of Pediatric Obesity: Review and Future Directions

Pediatric obesity is a growing concern in modern society, and a number of troubling physical and psychosocial problems are often comorbid with this condition. This article outlines the definition, prevalence, and factors that affect the onset of obesity in childhood. It then reviews behavioral treatment components used to treat pediatric obesity. Research supporting the efficacy of behavioral treatments for pediatric obesity is highlighted, and attention is given to important areas of future inquiry. A number of nuances in the treatment and study of pediatric obesity are explicated as they apply to health professionals. Implications for practice are presented at the conclusion.
Evidence that the frog skin excretes ammonia

Abstract 1. 1. The skin of Rana pipiens excretes NH+4 in an in vitro preparation. 2. 2. The excretion of NH+4 is increased by loading the animal with NH4Cl (metabolic acidosis). 3. 3. Skins from normal frogs are stimulated to increase excretion of NH4+ by an extract of plasma obtained from a dog during metabolic acidosis.
Electrical properties of new organic conductor (BEST)(2)InBr(4) [BEST = bis(ethylenediseleno)tetrathiafulvalene] up to 10.8 GPa and antiferromagnetic transition of (BEST)(2)FeBr(4).

A new organic conductor, (BEST)2InBr4, with alternating donor layer arrangement has been synthesized, and the electrical properties have been investigated up to 10.8 GPa. The temperature dependence...
Dystrophic mouse muscles have leaky cell membranes.

Abstract We examined the spaces occupied by mannitol, sucrose, polyethylene glycol molecular weight 900 (PEG 900), and polyethylene glycol molecular weight 4000 (PEG 4000) in the soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles of normal and dystrophic mice (strain ReG-129 dy dy ). The space occupied by all those tracers was larger in dystrophic than in normal muscles. The enlargement of tracer space was more marked in EDL than in soleus muscles. The smaller tracers (sucrose, mannitol, and PEG 900) equilibrate with nearly all the water in dystrophic EDL whereas there is a water space inaccesible to the larger tracers (inulin and PEG 4000). We suggest that the tracers penetrate into the cell through defects in the cell membrane of the dystrophic muscles.
Inching over hurdles: how DNA helicases move on crowded lattices

Many of the genome maintenance transactions require continuous progression of molecular motors along single or double stranded DNA (dsDNA) molecule. DNA, however, is rarely found in the cell in its bare form. Structural proteins organize dsDNA and control its accessibility to molecular machines of DNA replication, repair, recombination, and transcription. Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) is sequestered by ssDNA binding proteins, which protect it from degradation, modification and undesired transactions. Appreciation of how molecular machines compete with these stationary blocks and with each other for the access to DNA is important for our understanding of the mechanisms underlying genome maintenance. This understanding in turn establishes the molecular basis of various human diseases resulting from defects in molecular motors and their ability to navigate in crowded intracellular environments. By building upon our recent finding that it is possible for a helicase translocating on ssDNA to bypass a stationary ...
Sulfasalazine inhibits the growth of primary brain tumors independent of nuclear factor-κB

Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) is a pleiotropic transcription factor that generally enhances cellular resistance to apoptotic cell death. It has been shown to be constitutively active in some cancers and is being pursued as potential anticancer target. Sulfasalazine which is used clinically to treat Crohn's disease has emerged as a potential inhibitor of NF-kappaB and has shown promising results in two pre-clinical studies to target primary brain tumors, gliomas. Once digested, sulfasalazine is cleaved into sulfapyridine and 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA; mesalamine) by colonic bacteria, and the latter, too, is reported to suppress NF-kappaB activity. We now show that glioma cells obtained from patient biopsies or glioma cell lines do not show significant constitutive NF-kappaB activation, unless exposed to inflammatory cytokines. This does not change when gliomas are implanted into the cerebrum of severe combined immun-deficient mice. Nevertheless, sulfasalazine but not its cleaved form 5-ASA caused a dose-dependent inhibition of glioma growth. This effect was entirely attributable to the inhibition of cystine uptake via the system x(c)(-) cystine-glutamate transporter. It could be mimicked by S-4-carboxy-phenylglycine (S-4-CPG) a more specific system x(c)(-) inhibitor, and lentiviral expression of a constitutively active form of IkappaB kinase b was unable to overcome the growth retarding effects of sulfasalazine or S-4-CPG. Both drugs inhibited cystine uptake causing a chronic depletion of intracellular GSH and consequently compromised cellular redox defense which stymied tumor growth. This data suggests that system x(c)(-) is a promising therapeutic target in gliomas and possibly other cancers and that it can be pharmacologically inhibited by Sulfasalazine, an FDA-approved drug.
Application of Exopolysaccharide-Producing Cultures in Reduced-Fat Cheddar Cheese: Texture and Melting Properties*

Textural, melting, and sensory characteristics of reduced-fat Cheddar cheeses made with exopolysaccharide (EPS)-producing and nonproducing cultures were monitored during ripening. Hardness, gumminess, springiness, and chewiness significantly increased in the cheeses as fat content decreased. Cheese made with EPS-producing cultures was the least affected by fat reduction. No differences in hardness, springiness, and chewiness were found between young reduced fat cheese made with a ropy Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris [JFR1; the culture that produced reduced-fat cheese with moisture in the nonfat substance (MNFS) similar to that in its full-fat counterpart] and its full-fat counterpart. Whereas hardness of full-fat cheese and reduced-fat cheese made with JFR1 increased during ripening, a significant decrease in its value was observed in all other cheeses. After 6 mo of ripening, reduced fat cheeses made with all EPS-producing cultures maintained lower values of all texture profile analysis parameters than did those made with no EPS. Fat reduction decreased cheese meltability. However, no differences in meltability were found between the young full-fat cheese and the reduced-fat cheese made with the ropy culture JFR1. Both the aged full- and reduced-fat cheeses made with JFR1 had similar melting patterns. When heated, they both became soft and creamy without losing shape, whereas reduced-fat cheese made with no EPS ran and separated into greasy solids and liquid. No differences were detected by panelists between the textures of the full-fat cheese and reduced-fat cheese made with JFR1, both of which were less rubbery or firm, curdy, and crumbly than all other reduced-fat cheeses.
Share your expertise with Congress: Apply for an AGU Congressional Science Fellowship

Scientists interested in using their skills to work on problems of public importance should consider applying for an AGU Congressional Science Fellowship. The fellowship is an opportunity to directly influence high-priority public policy issues such as natural hazards mitigation, mineral and energy resources, air and water quality, and federal support for basic research. Following an intensive 2-week course on politics and the legislative process run by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, congressional fellows work for a year as staff members in the offices of a senator, representative, or congressional committee. Their duties as staff members may include writing legislation, advising on votes, organizing congressional hearings, meeting with lobbyists and constituents, and conducting legislative research, among other tasks.
The search for endogenous siRNAs in the mammalian brain

A decade ago, RNA interference was proposed to serve as a physiologic means of regulating long-term gene expression in the mammalian brain. However, during the intervening years, this hypothesis appeared to be contradicted by both experimental data and theoretical considerations. More recently, the advent of deep sequencing technology has permitted a re-assessment of this issue. As reviewed here, a large population of small RNAs having features characteristic of endogenous siRNAs are detected within adult mouse hippocampus, which derive from genes involved in synaptic structure and signaling, and which show a significant, though modest (16-22%) up-regulation during olfactory discrimination training. Small RNAs derived from abundant cellular noncoding RNAs are also detected; in particular, a subpopulation of RNAs 25-30 nt. in length shows very large (>100 fold) up-regulation during olfactory discrimination training. Preliminary data suggest that the 25-30 nt. RNAs may associate with MIWI rather than Argonaute 1-4 homologues. I conclude that, despite their apparent low abundance, endogenous siRNAs and noncoding RNA-derived small RNAs are likely to play an important role in regulating synaptic plasticity.
The enzymic synthesis of dihydrofolate from 2-amino-4-hydroxy-6-hydroxymethyldihydropteridine and p-aminobenzoylglutamate by extracts of Lactobacillus plantarum.

Dialyzed extracts of Lactobacillus plantarum 17-5 were shown to couple 2-amino-4-hydroxy-6-hydroxymethyldihydropteridine with p-aminobenzoylglutamic acid to form dihydrofolic acid. This reaction is dependent upon the presence of adenosinetriphosphate. Dihydrofolic acid is then reduced to tetrahydrofolic acid. The preparation and spectral characteristics of 2-amino-4-hydroxy-6-hydroxy-methyldihydropteridine and the tetrahydropteridine derivative are presented.
Parallel Colt: A High-Performance Java Library for Scientific Computing and Image Processing

Major breakthroughs in chip and software design have been observed for the last nine years. In October 2001, IBM released the world’s first multicore processor: POWER4. Six years later, in February 2007, NVIDIA made a public release of CUDA SDK, a set of development tools to write algorithms for execution on Graphic Processing Units (GPUs). Although software vendors have started working on parallelizing their products, the vast majority of existing code is still sequential and does not effectively utilize modern multicore CPUs and manycore GPUs. This article describes Parallel Colt, a multithreaded Java library for scientific computing and image processing. In addition to describing the design and functionality of Parallel Colt, a comparison to MATLAB is presented. Two ImageJ plugins for iterative image deblurring and motion correction of PET brain images are described as typical applications of this library. Performance comparisons with MATLAB, including GPU computations via AccelerEyes’ Jacket toolbox are also given.
Orbital Magnetism and Spin-Orbit Effects in the Electronic Structure of BaIrO 3

The electronic structure and magnetism of Ir $5{d}^{5}$ states in nonmetallic, weakly ferromagnetic ${\mathrm{BaIrO}}_{3}$ are probed with x-ray absorption techniques. Contrary to expectation, the Ir $5d$ orbital moment is found to be $\ensuremath{\sim}1.5$ times larger than the spin moment. This unusual, atomiclike nature of the $5d$ moment is driven by a strong spin-orbit interaction in heavy Ir ions, as confirmed by the nonstatistical large branching ratio at Ir ${L}_{2,3}$ absorption edges. As a consequence, orbital interactions cannot be neglected when addressing the nature of magnetic ordering in ${\mathrm{BaIrO}}_{3}$. The local moment behavior persists even as the metallic-paramagnetic phase boundary is approached with Sr doping or applied pressure.
Neurophysiological and neuropsychological function in mercury-exposed dentists.

Abstract In a study of the relation between cumulative exposure to mercury and chronic health impairment 298 dentists had their mercury levels measured by an X-ray fluorescence technique. Electrodiagnostic and neuropsychological findings in the dentists with more than 20 μg/g tissue mercury levels were compared with those of a control group consisting of dentists with no detectable mercury levels. 30% of the 23 high mercury dentists had polyneuropathies. No polyneuropathies were detected in the control group. The high mercury group had mild visuographic dysfunction; they also had more symptom-distress than did the control group. These findings suggest that the use of mercury as a restorative material is a health risk for dentists.