cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Studies of conformational isomerism in α‐melanocyte stimulating hormone by design of cyclic analogues

Results of energy calculations for α-MSH (α-melanocyte stimulating hormone, Ac-Ser1-Tyr2-Ser3-Met4-Glu5-His6-Phe7-Arg8-Trp9-Gly10-Lys11-Pro12-Val13-NH2) and [D-Phe7]α-MSH were used for design of cyclic peptides with the general aim to stabilize different conformational isomers of the parent compound. The minimal structural modifications of the conformationally flexible Gly10 residue, as substitutions for L-Ala, D-Ala, or Aib (replacing of hydrogen atoms by methyl groups), were applied to obtain octa- and heptapeptide analogues of α-MSH(4–11) and α-MSH(5–11), which were cyclized by lactam bridges between the side chains in positions 5 and 11. Some of these analogues, namely those with substitutions of the Gly10 residue with L-Ala or Aib, showed biological activity potencies on frog skin comparable to the potency of the parent tridecapeptide hormone. Additional energy calculations for designed cyclic analogues were used for further refinement of the model for the biologically active conformations of the His-Phe-Arg-Trp “message” sequence within the sequences of α-MSH and [D-Phe7]α-MSH. In such conformations the aromatic moieties of the side chains of the His6, L/D-Phe7, and Trp9 residues form a continuous hydrophobic “surface,” presumably interacting with a complementary receptor site. This feature is characteristic for low-energy conformers of active cyclic analogues, but it is absent in the case of inactive analogues. This particular spatial arrangement of functional groups involved in the message sequence is very close for α-MSH and [D-Phe7]α-MSH, as well as for biologically active cyclic analogues despite differences of dihedral angle values for corresponding low-energy conformations. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biopoly 46: 155–167, 1998
Static analysis tools for security checking in code at Motorola

As part of an overall initiative to improve the security aspects in the software used in Motorola's products, training and secure coding standards were developed. The goal is to decrease the number of security vulnerabilities introduced during the coding phase of the software development process. This paper describes the creation of the secure coding standards and the efforts to automate as many of the standards as possible.Originally, the efforts focused on the Inforce tool from Klocwork, as many Motorola business units already used the tool for quality but without the security flags activated. This paper describes the efforts to evaluate, extend, and create the coverage for the secure coding standards with Klocwork. More recently, an opportunity arose which allowed a team to evaluate other static analysis tools as well. This paper also describes the findings from that evaluation.
Coactivator function of positive cofactor 4 (PC4) in Sp1-directed luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) gene transcription.

The LHR has an essential role in sexual development and reproductive function, and its transcription is subjected to several modes of regulation. In this study, we investigated PC4 coactivator function in the control of LHR transcription. Knockdown of PC4 by siRNA inhibited the LHR basal promoter activity and trichostatin A (TSA)-induced gene transcriptional activation and expression in MCF-7 cells. While overexpression of PC4 alone had no effect on the LHR gene, it significantly enhanced Sp1- but not Sp3-mediated LHR transcriptional activity. PC4 directly interacts with Sp1 at the LHR promoter, and this interaction is negatively regulated by PC4 phosphorylation. The coactivator domain (22–91 aa) of PC4 and DNA binding domain of Sp1 are essential for PC4/Sp1 interaction. ChIP assay revealed significant occupancy of PC4 at the LHR promoter that increased upon TSA treatment. Disruption of PC4 expression significantly reduced TSA-induced recruitment of TFIIB and RNAP II, at the promoter. PC4 functions are beyond TSA-induced phosphatase release, PI3K-mediated Sp1 phosphorylation, and HDAC1/2/mSin3A co-repressor release indicating its role as linker coactivator of Sp1 and the transcriptional machinery. These findings demonstrated a critical aspect of LHR modulation whereby PC4 acts as a coactivator of Sp1 to contribute to the human of LHR transcription.
Molecular volumes of selected boron‐containing compounds

By the use of a table of self-consistent atomic parachor constants, which includes the value of 51.9 for boron, the calculated molar parachors for a variety of compounds of this element are found to be in close agreement with observed results. Equations relating the parachor to boiling point, critical temperature, critical volume, and critical pressure are derived for the n-alkyl borates. Isothermal compressibilities are calculated for all of the compounds included in the present study.
Evaluating Estimates of Net Migration and Net Migration Rates Based on Survival Ratios Corrected in Varying Degrees

Abstract The effects of using survival ratios of different degrees of accuracy to estimate the net migration of the male Negro populations of 25 southern counties and six southern states during the three intercensal periods from 1930–1960 are examined. First, the differences within units (states and counties) produced by the four different sets of survival ratios are examined; and second, the differences between units are considered. In both cases differences are largest during the 1930–1940 decade and decrease at each successive intercensal period.
A Complex of RAG-1 and RAG-2 Proteins Persists on DNA After Single-Strand Cleavage at V(D)J Recombination Signal Sequences

The recombination activating gene (RAG) 1 and 2 proteins are required for initiation of V(D)J recombination in vivo and have been shown to be sufficient to introduce DNA double-strand breaks at recombination signal sequences (RSSs) in a cell-free assay in vitro. RSSs consist of a highly conserved palindromic heptamer that is separated from a slightly less conserved A/T-rich nonamer by either a 12 or 23 bp spacer of random sequence. Despite the high sequence specificity of RAG-mediated cleavage at RSSs, direct binding of the RAG proteins to these sequences has been difficult to demonstrate by standard methods. Even when this can be demonstrated, questions about the order of events for an individual RAG-RSS complex will require methods that monitor aspects of the complex during transitions from one step of the reaction to the next. Here we have used template-independent DNA polymerase terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) in order to assess occupancy of the reaction intermediates by the RAG complex during the reaction. In addition, this approach allows analysis of the accessibility of end products of a RAG-catalyzed cleavage reaction for N nucleotide addition. The results indicate that RAG proteins form a long-lived complex with the RSS once the initial nick is generated, because the 3'-OH group at the nick remains obstructed for TdT-catalyzed N nucleotide addition. In contrast, the 3'-OH group generated at the signal end after completion of the cleavage reaction can be efficiently tailed by TdT, suggesting that the RAG proteins disassemble from the signal end after DNA double-strand cleavage has been completed. Therefore, a single RAG complex maintains occupancy from the first step (nick formation) to the second step (cleavage). In addition, the results suggest that N region diversity at V(D)J junctions within rearranged immunoglobulin and T cell receptor gene loci can only be introduced after the generation of RAG-catalyzed DNA double-strand breaks, i.e. during the DNA end joining phase of the V(D)J recombination reaction.
Bootstrapping the correlation coefficient: An SAS procedure

Data in applied settings frequently do not meet the assumptions of traditional parametric statistical methods. Previously, when faced with this situation, researchers resorted to ranking procedures that madeno assumptions about distributions. Rather than lose information about the distribution by using nonparametric techniques, an alternative method thatfitsbetween classical procedures and distribution-free approaches is desirable (Lunneborg, 1985). Such an alternative exists in the general methodology called bootstrapping (Efron & Tibshirani, 1986). Thecore ideaof bootstrapping is the repetitive simulation of anoutcome from a sample. The reuse of a sample's data focusesattention on thedata itself. The interpretation of the results from a bootstrap procedure does not require an appeal to classical tests of significance. A direct method of interpretation is made possible throughconstruction of a confidence interval, using values fromthestandard normal distribution and the SD of the bootstrapdistribution as the estimate of the standard error. Although sophisticatedmathematical transformations improve the estimate of the confidence interval (Diciccio & Tibshirani, 1987; Efron, 1987), the direct method is attractive for its simplicity and ease of use, since it involves the use of the standard normal distribution to find (sample statistic) ±za/2 . SD, which is a procedure familiar to most researchers. The stepsthat needto be followed in applying thebootstrapping methodology for any outcome measure can be summarized as follows: 1. Compute the statistic on theoriginal sample of sizen. 2. Select a sample of size n with replacement. 3. Compute the statistic on the bootstrap sample. 4. Redo the previous two steps a large number, N, of times. 5. Construct the confidence interval for the statistic on the basis of the original sample, using values from the standard normalcurve and the standard deviation of the N bootstrap samples. The utility of the bootstrap technique for correlations has been evaluated analytically (Efron, 1982) and in simulation studies (Efron, 1988; Lunneborg, 1985; Rasmussen, 1987; Strube, 1988). Additional research is neededin the implementation of the bootstrapmethodology in situations involving smallns withnon-normal distributions (Rasmussen, 1988).
Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intakes in Midwestern Women of Child-Bearing Age from Different Income and Education Levels

Abstract Omega-3 fatty acids are required for normal fetal development. Low intakes have been documented among low income pregnant women in certain areas of the United States. The purpose of this project was to assess the omega-3 fatty acid intake in women of child-bearing age from the Midwestern United States. Three-day food records were obtained from women (n=67) of different income and education levels. Food intake records were analyzed using the Food Processor Plus Computer Program. Mean daily intakes of omega-3 fatty acids were determined. Analysis of variance and LS Means were used to test for differences in omega-3 fatty acid consumption among two income and three education levels. Mean daily consumption of omega-3 fatty acids for the entire population was 0.59±0.38g/day. The Canadian Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNI, 1990) recommend an omega-3 fatty acid intake of 1.1-1.2g/day for women between the ages of 19 and 49 years. Women in the low and mid/high income groups consumed 0.74 ± 0.07g/day and 0.51±0.06 g/day, respectively (p
Construction and Performance of a Large Area Liquid Scintillator Cosmic Ray Anticoincidence Detector

Abstract We describe details of the construction and performance of a large area cylindrical cosmic ray anticoincidence detector suitable for a medium energy neutrino experiment. The device provides 4π coverage with approximately 400 m2 of liquid scintillator. Cosmic ray muons are rejected on-line with an inefficiency of ⋍ 10−4 which is improved to a level of ⋍ 3 × 10−6 or less with the application of off-line cuts. We also discuss the custom electronics used to operate and read out the device. Results from studies of the attenuation of neutral cosmic ray backgrounds by passive shielding are included.
Indole-albumin association: a comparative study.

Abstract 1. 1. The binding of indole compounds ( d - and l -tryptophan, acetyl- d and l -tryptophan, skatole and indole-3-propionate) with albumin from eight mammals, three aves, one reptile and one amphibian has been studied. 2. 2. In every instance, except for the amphibian, the albumins are found to contain a unique site which binds the indole compounds with high affinity in a 1 : 1 complex. With mammals the l -indole analogues bind more strongly; with aves the d -indole analogues bind more strongly. Some differences in affinities of the various indole analogues also exist among animals of the same class. 3. 3. The specific binding trait is either lost during amphibian development or evolved shortly after amphibian development.
Lactose digestion from yogurt: mechanism and relevance

Yogurt is traditionally consumed throughout the world among populations who are seemingly unable to digest lactose. This review provides a historical overview of the studies that show lactose digestion and tolerance from yogurt by lactose-intolerant people. The lactose in yogurt is digested more efficiently than other dairy sources of lactose because the bacteria inherent in yogurt assist with its digestion. The bacterial lactase survives the acidic conditions of the stomach, apparently being physically protected within the bacterial cells and facilitated by the buffering capacity of yogurt. The increasing pH as the yogurt enters the small intestine and a slower gastrointestinal transit time allow the bacterial lactase to be active, digesting lactose from yogurt sufficiently to prevent symptoms in lactose-intolerant people. There is little difference in the lactase capability of different commercial yogurts, because they apparently contain Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus in sufficient quantities (10(8) bacteria/mL). However, Lactobacillus acidophilus appears to require cell membrane disruption to physically release the lactase. Compared with unflavored yogurts, flavored yogurts appear to exhibit somewhat reduced lactase activity but are still well tolerated.
A Novel Low-Power and High-Speed SOI SRAM With Actively Body-Bias Controlled (ABC) Technology for Emerging Generations

An actively body-bias controlled (ABC) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) static random access memory (SRAM) connecting the bodies of the access and the driver transistors with the word line is proposed to realize high-speed and low-voltage operation. We developed the direct body contact to apply forward biases to the bodies without increases in the area penalty and the parasitic gate capacitance. An increase of the standby current does not occur because the body biases are not applied when the word-line voltage is low level. It is demonstrated that a significant speed improvement and a reduction of performance variations for the SRAM are achieved by applying the body bias. Neutron-accelerated soft-error tests reveal that the ABC structure suppresses soft-error events due to the body-tied SOI structure. In summary, the ABC SOI technology is one of the countermeasures for emerging generations.
Study of Luminal Coronary Collateral Circulation in the Beating Canine Heart

Coronary collateral circulation from the cardiac lumen was studied in 36 anesthetized, open-chest dogs with hearts beating in situ. The coronary arteries were cannulated and perfused from an isolated, nonradioactive blood source while 131 I-labeled blood circulated through the cardiac lumen for 2 minutes. Ventricular fibrillation was then produced, and luminal blood samples and myocardial tissue samples were obtained for radioactive assay and calculation of the amount of luminal blood appearing as a part of the myocardial blood volume. These volumes were obtained from both ventricles and the atria under (1) normal antegrade coronary flow conditions, (2) myocardial ischemia, (3) left and right ventricular hypertension, and (4) coronary occlusion. Small quantities of luminal blood appeared in the left ventricular myocardium under normal coronary flow conditions while considerably larger amounts were found in the right ventricle and atria. There was no significant increase of the luminal contribution to the myocardial blood volume in response to the various experimental conditions except that of coronary occlusion. Although in the latter, the amount of left ventricular luminal blood was greater than with normal coronary flow conditions, right ventricular and atrial myocardial blood volumes remained greater than the left.
Distinct short-term and long-term adaptation to reduce saccade size in monkey.

In monkeys, saccades that repeatedly overshoot their targets adapt to become smaller by the time the monkey has made 1,000–2,000 saccades. In life, adaptation must keep movements accurate for long ...
Diabetes and Bone: Still a Lot to Learn

Both type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and osteoporosis are increasing worldwide. There is a large body of knowledge pointing to the association of these two diseases with a potential increased risk of falls and fractures in patients with diabetes. Whereas patients with type 1 diabetes have a low bone mineral density (BMD), those with T2DM tend to have a high BMD rendering the task difficult for clinicians to diagnose bone “weakness” and identify patients at higher risk of fractures. The duration and type of diabetes and glycemic control seem to affect fracture risk. Several underlying pathophysiologic pathways and factors are increasingly linking glucose and bone homeostasis. Factors secreted by bone such as osteocalcin and osteoprotegerin seem to affect glucose metabolism, while hyperglycemia, insulin and advanced glycation end products appear to disrupt bone quality. Adipocytokines, mainly leptin and adiponectin, are major players in the pathophysiology of those two diseases. Vitamin D and parathyroid hormone, the main two regulators of calcium and bone metabolism, have an important role in diabetes too. Yet, there is still some controversy surrounding few of those mechanisms and interactions. In this review, we will summarize available evidence illustrating the intimate interaction between glucose and bone homeostasis and highlight studies examining fracture and fall risk in patients with diabetes.
Health system reform and political participation on the Chinese Internet

Authoritarian regimes, such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), seek to bolster legitimacy by facilitating communications between citizens and government officials. This article investigates the ...
Input model uncertainty: Why do we care and what should we do about it?

An input model is a collection of distributions together with any associated parameters that are used as primitive inputs in a simulation model. Input model uncertainty arises when one is not completely certain what distributions and/or parameters to use. This tutorial attempts to provide a sense of why one should consider input uncertainty and what methods can be used to deal with it.
Requirement of transcription factor PU.1 in the development of multiple hematopoietic lineages

The transcription factor PU.1 is a hematopoietic-specific member of the ets family. Mice carrying a mutation in the PU.1 locus were generated by gene targeting. Homozygous mutant embryos died at a late gestational stage. Mutant embryos produced normal numbers of megakaryocytes and erythroid progenitors, but some showed an impairment of erythroblast maturation. An invariant consequence of the mutation was a multilineage defect in the generation of progenitors for B and T lymphocytes, monocytes, and granulocytes. Thus, the developmental programs of lymphoid and myeloid lineages require a common genetic function likely acting at the level of a multipotential progenitor.
Detection of Avian Pneumovirus in Wild Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) and Blue-Winged Teal (Anas discors)

SUMMARY. Choanal cleft swab samples from 770 wild Canada geese (Branta canadensis) and 358 blue-winged teal (Anas discors), captured for relocation or banding, were examined for the presence of avian pneumovirus (APV) RNA by reverse transcription (RT)–polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and for virus isolation. The swab samples were pooled into groups of 5 or 10. Sixty eight of 102 (66.7%) pooled goose samples were RT-PCR positive for APV RNA. Thirteen of 52 (25.0%) pooled blue-winged teal samples were RT-PCR positive for APV RNA. APV RNA-positive samples were inoculated onto chick embryo fibroblasts (CEF) and QT-35 cells. Infectious APV was isolated from five Canada goose pooled samples in CEF and from one Canada goose pool in QT-35 cells but not from blue-winged teal.
Refractory primary medication nonadherence: Prevalence and predictors after pharmacist counseling at hospital discharge

Successful secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease relies on medication therapy; thus, minimizing nonadherence is a focus for improving patient outcomes. Receipt of discharge medication counseling has been associated with improved drug knowledge and adherence. We evaluated the prevalence and predictors of postdischarge primary nonadherence (not filling new prescriptions) in patients who received discharge medication counseling by a pharmacist (ie, refractory to intervention) as part of a randomized controlled trial. Of 341 patients, 9.4% of patients did not fill all prescriptions after discharge. Patients who were living alone were more likely to not fill their medications compared to those who were married or cohabitating (odds ratio [OR]: 2.2, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-4.8, P = 0.047). Patients who were discharged with greater than 10 medications were also more likely to demonstrate primary nonadherence (OR: 2.3, 95% CI: 1.05-4.98, P = 0.036). Patients with lower income were less likely to fill prescriptions in univariate analysis (P = 0.04) but not multivariable analysis. Our study demonstrates that among patients hospitalized for acute cardiovascular events, primary medication nonadherence persisted despite discharge medication counseling. Targeted or multimodal approaches that address patient-specific barriers, such as cost, social isolation, and polypharmacy, in addition to discharge counseling, may further facilitate adherence.
Reminiscences of Anthropological Currents in America Half a Century Ago

THE Editor of the AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST has asked me to offer “some discussion and analysis of the intellectual ferment, the various ideas and interests, and the important factual discoveries in their relationship to these ideas, that were current during the period of your early years as an anthropologist.” In responding I shall have to go far afield. The task suggested implies nevertheless two noteworthy restrictions. Factual discoveries are irrelevant (except as they influenced ideas), as is administrative promotion of scientific interests. Accordingly, though sharing Sapir’s judgment that as a field worker J. O. Dorsey was “ahead of his age,” I must ignore him for present purposes. Again, there will be only brief references to Frederic Ward Putnam (1839-1915) and to Frederic Webb Hodge (18641956); as to Powell and McGee, only their thinking demands extended notice. It is well to recall that in 1904, when I began graduate work, only Columbia, Harvard, and California had full-fledged academic departments of anthropology, but the Field Museum, a descendant of the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893, had been fostering research, as had
Gender differences in repetitive language in fragile X syndrome.

Background Verbal perseveration (i.e. excessive selfrepetition) is a characteristic of male individuals with fragile X syndrome; however, little is known about its occurrence among females or its underlying causes. This project examined the relationship between perseveration and (  ) gender, (  ) cognitive and linguistic ability, and (  ) language sampling context, among youth with fragile X syndrome. Method Language transcripts were obtained from adolescent male ( n =  ) and female participants ( n =  ) with fragile X syndrome in two language contexts (i.e. narration and conversation) designed to elicit spontaneous language samples. Transcripts were coded for utterance-level repetition (i.e. repetition of words, phrases, dependent clauses or whole utterances), topic repetition and conversational device repetition (i.e. repetition of rote phrases or expressions). Results Male participants produced more conversational device repetition than did female participants. Gender differences in conversational device repetition were not explained by differences in non-verbal cognitive or expressive language ability. Context influenced the type of repetition observed; for example, more topic repetition occurred in conversation than in narration regardless of gender. Conclusions The observed gender differences in conversational device repetition among adolescents with fragile X syndrome suggest that, relative to females, male participants may rely more heavily on rote phrases or expressions in their expressive language. Further, results suggest that this gender difference is not simply the result of the correlation between gender and cognitive or linguistic ability in fragile X syndrome; rather, gender may make an independent contribution to conversational device repetition. Repetition type also varied as a function of expressive language context, suggesting the importance of assessing language characteristics in multiple contexts.
Smoking Guns or Smoke & Mirrors?: Schools and the Policing of Latino Boys

One October morning in 2009, as one of the authors of this article, Mario Galicia, was driving to a local high school where we were collecting field notes, surveys and interviews for a larger research project following gang-associated youths across institutional settings, he received a phone call from Richard, the gang- intervention program coordinator for the youths whom we were studying. Richard asked Mario to meet him across the street in a supermarket parking lot, instead of the usual meeting place on campus. He exclaimed, “The campus has been placed on lockdown!” Upon arriving, Mario noticed that the shopping center parking lot was filled with a dozens of middle-aged white adults, mostly females in mini-vans and a handful in luxury sedans. Two local television news vehicles were also at the scene. Most of the people in the parking lot looked distraught as they stared towards the school. One of the white women was crying hysterically as she talked on the phone. “I think there is a shooter in the school...I don’t know what to do!” She was the mother of one of the students at the school.
Time to Coordinate: Toward an Understanding of Work-Time Standards and Norms in a Multicountry Study of Software Engineers

Engineers in the United States are expected to work 70- and 80-hour weeks routinely. Research on groups of software engineers working in India, China, and Hungary indicates that such work hours are not inherent in the work. Rather, work-time standards and norms are found to vary across the three sites studied. Moreover, the way work is coordinated among engineers and between engineers and their managers appears to perpetuate these work-time standards and norms. Both the theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Note on Thucydides VII. 28. 3.

ὃσον κατ’ ⋯ρχ⋯ς το⋯ πολ⋯μου οἱ μ⋯ν ⋯νιαυτ⋯ν, οἱ δ⋯ δ⋯ο,οἱ δ⋯ τρι⋯ν γe ⋯τ⋯ν οὐδe⋯ς πλe⋯ω χρ⋯μιζον πeρο⋯σeιν αὐτοὺς, eἰ οἱ Πeλοπονν⋯σιοι ⋯σβ⋯λοιeν ⋯ς τ⋯ν χώραν.
Deliberative democratic evaluation

Sooner or later most evaluators encounter sharp differences of perspectives, values, and interests among the stakeholders of the programs and policies being evaluating. Often, clients often do not have the same interests as the beneficiaries of the services being delivered. Faced with pronounced differences and even conflicts among stakeholders, what does the evaluator do?
Supply chain management using electronic reverse auctions: a multi-firm case study

Online reverse auctions provide several benefits, not only for the buying company, but also to the supplier as well. Opposite of auctions where buyers raise their purchasing prices to outbid another buyer, reverse auctions allow buyers to purchase goods or services from the supplier that will sell for the lowest price. With the many advantages, cost savings seem to be the major attraction to the electronic reverse auctions. On the basis of a number of case studies performed by the authors (General Electric, Giant Eagle and the selected branches of the US federal government), it is important to consider the hidden costs associated with electronic reverse auctions. Savings measured at the time the auction closes are often times higher than those measured at the end of the transaction.
Assessing the Stressful Effects of Racism: A Review of Instrumentation

This article reviewed six instruments developed to assess the psychological processes associated with the experience of racism among African Americans. Although the instruments reviewed in this article are relatively new and have not undergone any extensive psychometric scrutiny, all of them contribute to providing the psychological technology necessary to assess the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral consequences of racial discrimination amongAfricanAmericans. The Racism Reaction Scale (RRS), Perceived Racism Scale (PRS), Index of Race-Related Stress (IRRS), Racism and Life Experience Scale-Brief Version (RaLES-B), Schedule of Racist Events (SRE), and the Perceptions of Racism Scale (PoRS) were all reviewed with regard to their initial development, psychometric properties, and practical use. Recommendations for modifications, revisions, and additional reliability and validity evidence are presentedfor each measure.
Changes in Implementation of Two Evidence-Based Psychotherapies for PTSD in VA Residential Treatment Programs: A National Investigation

There has been little investigation of the natural course of evidence-based treatments (EBTs) over time following the draw-down of initial implementation efforts. Thus, we undertook qualitative interviews with the providers at 38 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' residential treatment programs for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to understand implementation and adaptation of 2 EBTs, prolonged exposure (PE), and cognitive processing therapy (CPT), at 2 time points over a 4-year period. The number of providers trained in the therapies and level of training improved over time. At baseline, of the 179 providers eligible per VA training requirements, 65 (36.4%) had received VA training in PE and 111 (62.0%) in CPT with 17 (9.5%) completing case consultation or becoming national trainers in both PE and CPT. By follow-up, of the increased number of 190 eligible providers, 87 (45.8%) had received VA training in PE and 135 (71.1%) in CPT, with 69 (36.3%) and 81 (42.6%) achieving certification, respectively. Twenty-two programs (57.9%) reported no change in PE use between baseline and follow-up, whereas 16 (42.1%) reported an increase. Twenty-four (63.2%) programs reported no change in their use of CPT between baseline and follow-up, 12 (31.6%) programs experienced an increase, and 2 (5.2%) programs experienced a decrease in use. A significant number of providers indicated that they made modifications to the manuals (e.g., tailoring, lengthening). Reasons for adaptations are discussed. The need to dedicate time and resources toward the implementation of EBTs is noted.
Effects of Using Nintendo Wii™ Exergames in Older Adults: A Review of the Literature

Objective: The purpose of this review is to summarize and synthesize the impact of using the Nintendo Wii™ exergames in older adults. Method: A database search was conducted to identify relevant studies. The search was limited to empirical studies, with particular attention paid to the effects of Wii exergames intervention on cognition, physical function, and psychosocial outcomes in older adults. Results: A total of 22 empirical studies met inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Positive effects included improving physical function, decreasing depression, and increasing cognition and quality of life in older adults. Improved socialization and motivation to exercise were also reported. Discussion: Using Wii exergames does show promise as an intervention to improve physical function, cognition, and psychosocial outcomes in older adults. Evidence supports that Wii exergames is a safe and feasible tool to encourage older adults to engage in exercise.
Diagnosing reading strategies: paraphrase recognition

Paraphrase recognition is a form of natural language processing used in tutoring, question answering, and information retrieval systems. The context of the present work is an automated reading strategy trainer called iSTART (Interactive Strategy Trainer for Active Reading and Thinking). The ability to recognize the use of paraphrase—a complete, partial, or inaccurate paraphrase; with or without extra information—in the student's input is essential if the trainer is to give appropriate feedback. I analyzed the most common patterns of paraphrase and developed a means of representing the semantic structure of sentences. Paraphrases are recognized by transforming sentences into this representation and comparing them. To construct a precise semantic representation, it is important to understand the meaning of prepositions. Adding preposition disambiguation to the original system improved its accuracy by 20%. The preposition sense disambiguation module itself achieves about 80% accuracy for the top 10 most frequently used prepositions. The main contributions of this work to the research community are the preposition classification and generalized preposition disambiguation processes, which are integrated into the paraphrase recognition system and are shown to be quite effective. The recognition model also forms a significant part of this contribution. The present effort includes the modeling of the paraphrase recognition process, featuring the Syntactic-Semantic Graph as a sentence representation, the implementation of a significant portion of this design demonstrating its effectiveness, the modeling of an effective preposition classification based on prepositional usage, the design of the generalized preposition disambiguation module, and the integration of the preposition disambiguation module into the paraphrase recognition system so as to gain significant improvement.
Strain Hardening During Uniaxial Compression of Polymer Glasses

The origin of high mechanical stresses in large deformation of polymer glasses has been elusive because both plasticity and elasticity take place. In this work on the nature of the mechanical responses, we carry out uniaxial compression experiments to make simultaneous mechanical and thermal measurements of polycarbonate. Our results confirm that two factors contribute to the growing mechanical stress in the post-yield regime, which is known as “strain hardening”. Besides plastic deformation that is intersegmental in origin, chain tension as an intrasegmental component contributes considerably to the measured stress in post-yield. Such a conclusion modifies the previous consensus regarding the nature of strain hardening in mechanical deformation of polymer glasses.
A Slurry Consolidation Approach to Reconstitute Low-Plasticity Silt Specimens for Laboratory Triaxial Testing

Silt specimen reconstitution using a slurry consolidation approach is commonly used for laboratory testing. This paper presents a new slurry consolidation approach to reconstitute silt specimens for use in triaxial testing. Silt specimens were reconstituted in a split vacuum mold mounted on a special experimental setup. The uniformity of the reconstituted specimens was verified by measuring the water content and grain size distribution throughout the specimens. The testing program was expedited using a special sample handling technique to move the specimen from the special experimental setup to the triaxial chamber base platen. The handling process did not disturb the specimens to a measurable degree. Further, the replicas of the reconstituted specimens were verified by submitting them to basic volumetric measurements followed by static and cyclic triaxial tests. The triaxial test results reported very small differences.
CEO age and gender: Subsequent market performance

AbstractThe issue of CEO age and gender vs. concurrent performance is extensively examined, but the association with subsequent performance has limited treatment in the financial literature, and with conflicting findings. In the current study, we examine the association between CEO age and gender, and subsequent company market performance using a more recent set of observations and the standard four-factor model to estimate future cumulative abnormal shareholder returns. We find that subsequent abnormal shareholder returns are marginally significantly higher for female CEOs than for their male counterparts, but no material pattern is observed between CEO age and subsequent abnormal shareholder return performance.
Investigation on Hydrophobia Clinics in Metropolitan ChengDu

Objective To understand the function settings,hard facilities,medical staffing and system administration of the hydrophobia clinics in Chengdu,so as to provide evidence for the service capability building of the dog-bite injury clinics in Chengdu.Methods Questionnaire survey and on-site observation were conducted.A database was established by using Epidata3.0 and data was analyzed with SPSS15.0.Results Among the investigated 21 clinics,4 served as independent out-patient institutes,and 15 had fully functional partitions,while 5 out-patient and 1 out-patient settings had no observing area and waiting area.In Municipal,district and community clinics,there were statistically differences(P0.001) on the specialized configurations of the medical staff,and the highest score was in district clinics,followed by community clinics and municipal clinics.The municipal clinics held the highest scores of hard facilities,got the average score above 4.5.And there were statistically differences on the cold chain facilities and emergency treatment facilities(P0.05) among the three kinds clinics,and the municipal clinics held the highest scores.However,community clinics got the lowest scores on cold chain facilities and district clinics got the lowest scores on emergency facilities.There were no statistically differences on the management score of the clinics(P0.05).The scores of management nearly to full score except the informed consent and propaganda aspects.Conclusion The settings and administration of the dog bite clinics in Chengdu are not advanced and standardized enough,therefore,appropriate standards of settings and management for dog-bite injury out-patient services should be established.
Cell Elongation in the Red Alga Griffithsia: Control by Light, Ions, and an Endogenous Glycoprotein Hormone

In cells which elongate by tip growth, wall loosening and wall synthesis are localized at the apex of the growing cell. This localization of biochemical and developmental activities is reflected in an accumulation of specific organelles and of sites of exocytosis at the growing point (Sievers and Schnepf, 1981; Gooday, 1983). We are studying the control of cytoplasmic localization and localized growth in the red alga Griffithsia pacifica Kylin (Rhodophyta, Ceramiales). In this alga, there are two types of cells that elongate by tip growth: ordinary rhizoid apical cells and specialized repair shoot cells. The growing apex of both types of cells has a characteristic organization. The apical dome contains a highly refractile zone; behind the refractile zone is a deeply pigmented chloroplast band; basal to this band, the cytoplasm is nearly colorless. U1trastructural examination of growing tips of rhizoids and repair shoot cells reveals that the refractile zone contains nuclei, endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes and numerous active dictyosomes. Each dictyosome has a mitochondrion on its forming face. The cisternae of the dictyosomes are inflated. Large, dictyosome-derived vesicles can be seen to fuse with the plasmalemma in the apical elongation zone. This type of organization is similar to that found in tip-growing cells in other organisms (Sievers and Schnepf, 1981).
From the program co-chairs of Hot Chips XVII (2005)

The Program Committee for Hot Chips XVII is pleased to present the latest and greatest in chips and related products, systems and research. We received more submissions this year than for any previous Hot Chips conference, and we believe that the quality of the program reflects this. Like any conference, Hot Chips tracks the trends in its field, in this case the semiconductor, electronics and computer industries. This year, as usual, we feature some high-end CPUs, including those destined for PCs and for game machines. A prime current concern of the industry is power minimization and management, and several of the presentations will focus on this issue. As always, there are specialized processors for application domains that are believed to be large enough to support specialization and to demand the level of performance that is only available from specialized designs, such as audio, video and communications. We made a special effort this year to attract presentations from the FPGA world, which has been underrepresented at Hot Chips in the past. We've also salted the program with presentations on cutting edge and speculative technologies. Hot Chips is run differently than other conferences: The program is not assembled, as is usual for most technical conferences, by seeing what comes in over the transom (or past our spam filter); in addition to considering unsolicited submissions, we also actively solicit presentations meeting our criteria. Presentations at Hot Chips are accepted on the basis of an abstract, and only copies of the speakers' slides are printed, so presenters can show their latest work with the lowest possible effort and shortest lead time. This bleeding edge focus can also result in papers that must be withdrawn when marketing and product schedule realities interfere. (This year was unusual- no one dropped out of the conference.) Finally, while presentations are provisionally accepted on the basis of an abstract, they aren't fully accepted until the slides are reviewed and approved by a program committee member (usually their session chair) for their technical content. Session chairs at Hot Chips are not merely decorative.
Paired Studies Comparing Clinical Profiles of Lewy Body Dementia with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases

Limited data compares clinical profiles of Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Twenty-one mildly demented ambulatory LBD subjects were individually matched by MMSE score with 21 AD subjects and by UPDRS motor score with 21 PD subjects. Matched by age, gender, education, and race, pairs were compared using cognitive, functional, behavioral, and motor measures. LBD group performed worse than PD on axial motor, gait, and balance measures. AD had more amnesia and orientation impairments, but less executive and visuospatial deficits than LBD subjects. LBD group had more sleepiness, cognitive/behavioral fluctuations, hallucinations, and sleep apnea than AD or PD. Axial motor, gait, and balance disturbances correlated with executive, visuospatial, and global cognition deficits. LBD is differentiated from AD and PD by retrieval memory, visuospatial, and executive deficits; axial motor, gait and balance impairments; sleepiness, cognitive/behavioral fluctuations, hallucinations, and sleep apnea.
Nonparametric distribution regression applied to sensor modeling

Sensor models, which specify the distribution of sensor observations, are a widely used and integral part of robotics algorithms. Observation distributions are commonly approximated by parametric models, which are limited in their expressiveness, and may require careful design to suit an application. In this paper, we propose nonparametric distribution regression as a procedure to model sensors. It is a data-driven procedure to predict distributions that makes few assumptions. We apply the procedure to model raw distributions from real sensors, and also demonstrate its utility to a mobile robot state estimation task. We show that nonparametric distribution regression adapts to characteristics in the training data, leading to realistic predictions. The same procedure competes favorably with baseline parametric models across applications. The results also help develop intuition for different sensor modeling situations. Our procedure is useful when distributions are inherently noisy, and sufficient data is available.
Abstract 53: Immunoreceptor Tyrosine Activation Motif Signaling in Platelets Is Critical for the Maintenance of Vascular Integrity During Inflammation

Introduction: Blood platelets, long recognized for their importance in primary hemostasis, have recently been identified as critical regulators of vascular integrity during inflammation and cancer. Interestingly, the contribution of platelets to the maintenance of vascular integrity in inflammation seems to be independent of their ability to form a clot. Goal: To identify signaling molecules critical for the contribution of platelets to vascular integrity in inflammation. Methods: Transgenic mice with platelet-specific expression of the interleukin (IL)4 receptor were rendered thrombocytopenic by infusion of antibodies to IL4R. Platelets from various knockout mice or inhibitor-treated wild-type (WT) platelets were transfused into thrombocytopenic (TP) mice and tested for their ability to support vascular integrity in a reverse passive Arthus reaction (rpA) model. Tissue hemoglobin (Hb) was used to quantify red blood cells in the inflamed tissue, a marker of disrupted vascular integrity. Results: Impaired vascular integrity at the site of inflammation was markedly higher in TP mice compared to controls (Hb: 1448±176 vs. 100±8 μg/cm2). Transfusion of WT platelets into TP mice strongly reduced tissue Hb (150±46 μg/ cm2). Transfused platelets from mice lacking the thrombin receptor PAR4 and/or functional P2Y12 (ADP receptor) also prevented disruption of vascular integrity (Hb: 210±66, 136±16 μg and 360±120 μg/cm2), suggesting that signaling by G protein-coupled receptors is not important for this response. Furthermore, infusion of heparin into WT mice did not lead to increased tissue Hb. Immunoreceptor tyrosine activation motif (ITAM) signaling, however, was critical for platelet-dependent maintenance of vascular integrity, as tissue Hb was markedly increased in TP mice transfused with platelets lacking the signal trandsucing adapter protein SLP-76 (1212±160 μg/cm2) or platelets lacking functional ITAM signaling receptors GPVI (852±196 μg/cm2), CLEC-2 (1062±188 μg/cm2), or both (1498±128 μg/cm2). Data are mean±SEM, n=4-5 mice per group. Conclusions: We have established a novel mouse model for the adoptive transfer of platelets into TP mice. Using this model we can show that the ITAM but not GPCR signaling in platelets is critical for the maintenance of vascular integrity during inflammation. Our studies highlight a potential clinical complication of future anti-platelet agents targeted towards ITAM signaling receptors such as GPVI.
Expanded phenotype in a patient with spastic paraplegia 7

Hereditary spastic paraplegia is a group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorders, often characterized by weakness and spasticity in the lower limbs. In our study, we describe a spastic paraplegia type 7 patient with an expanded phenotype who was diagnosed after the discovery of pathogenic variants in SPG7.