cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
TD-CI Simulation of the Electronic Optical Response of Molecules in Intense Fields II: Comparison of DFT Functionals and EOM-CCSD

Time-dependent configuration interaction (TD-CI) simulations can be used to simulate molecules in intense laser fields. TD-CI calculations use the excitation energies and transition dipoles calculated in the absence of a field. The EOM-CCSD method provides a good estimate of the field-free excited states but is rather expensive. Linear-response time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) is an inexpensive alternative for computing the field-free excitation energies and transition dipoles needed for TD-CI simulations. Linear-response TD-DFT calculations were carried out with standard functionals (B3LYP, BH&HLYP, HSE2PBE (HSE03), BLYP, PBE, PW91, and TPSS) and long-range corrected functionals (LC-ωPBE, ωB97XD, CAM-B3LYP, LC-BLYP, LC-PBE, LC-PW91, and LC-TPSS). These calculations used the 6-31G(d,p) basis set augmented with three sets of diffuse sp functions on each heavy atom. Butadiene was employed as a test case, and 500 excited states were calculated with each functional. Standard functionals yield average excitation energies that are significantly lower than the EOM-CC, while long-range corrected functionals tend to produce average excitation energies slightly higher. Long-range corrected functionals also yield transition dipoles that are somewhat larger than EOM-CC on average. The TD-CI simulations were carried out with a three-cycle Gaussian pulse (ω = 0.06 au, 760 nm) with intensities up to 1.26 × 10(14) W cm(-2) directed along the vector connecting the end carbons. The nonlinear response as indicated by the residual populations of the excited states after the pulse is far too large with standard functionals, primarily because the excitation energies are too low. The LC-ωPBE, LC-PBE, LC-PW91, and LC-TPSS long-range corrected functionals produce responses comparable to EOM-CC.
Designing Morocco's future: France and the Native Policy Council, 1921–25

The Native Policy Council, created by Marshal Lyautey, only lasted for three and a half years. It was seen at its inception as the vehicle for transplanting Lyautey's policies into action and had great influence on the development of Morocco until ended by the Rif War. However, despite hopes of it acting as a bridge between the two cultures, it remained, in essence, a colonial institution.
Hierarchy of molecular-pathway usage in bone marrow homing and its shift by cytokines.

Efficient bone marrow (BM) homing is a prerequisite for successful engraftment of transplanted hematopoietic cells (HPCs). Contradictory conclusions about the contribution of SDF-1/CXCR4 have clouded our understanding of its role within the molecular pathway cooperation needed for BM homing, particularly with the well-defined hierarchic network of adhesion molecules. In the present study we sought to unravel cooperative and compensatory molecular pathways guiding BM homing. Fresh BM-HPCs, rendered either SDF-1 unresponsive or Gi-signaling refractory, homed quite efficiently, because of compensation by α4-integrin interacting with VCAM-1. The contribution of SDF-1/CXCR4- or Gi-protein-mediated signals to BM homing became apparent after their blockade was combined with deletion of α4-integrin, leading to dramatic reduction in BM homing. Similar conclusions were revealed when VCAM-1-deficient hosts were used. Cytokine incubation changed the functional properties of BM-HPCs and hierarchy of molecular pathway usage in homing, by shifting the dominance among the homing mediators: loss of CXCR4 or Gi-signaling now significantly reduced BM homing, with only partial compensation through α4/VCAM-1 and endothelial selectins. These studies depict a flexible hierarchy of cooperating homing pathways, in which dominant players are repositioned with changing cytokine milieu, and possibly source of HPCs.
Benhaven's residential program

Benhaven, a residential program of group homes providing intensive programming for autistic and neurologicaly impaired children, is described. Its major program factors of administration and management, treatment, support services, and family and community involvement are presented in detail. Benhaven's mission as an educational placement for preparing residents to function in the least restrictive environment on their way to future living situations is stressed.
Substrate Specificity of Enzymes from Papaya Callus Cultures

Summary Optimal protease activity in extracts of callus cultures of papaya is obtained by triturating lyophilized callus powder with phosphate buffer at pH 6.0 in a glass mortar; addition of reducing agents to the extraction medium does not increase or stabilize enzyme activity. Casein, casein yellow, azocasein and azoalbumin are good substrates for the proteases; little or no acitivity could be measured with hemoglobin, azocoll, hide powder azure and benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide (BAPA) as substrate.
Absolutely parallel grammars and two-way finite-state transducers

Absolutely parallel grammars are defined, and it, is shown that the family of languages generated is equal to the family of languages generated by two-way deterministic finite-state transducers (abbreviated 2ft). Furthermore it is shown that this family forms a full AFL closed under substitution. It is shown that the family of languages generated by two-way nondeterministic finite-state transducers is equal to the family of checking automata languages and that it properly contains the family of languages generated by 2ft.
B cells from glatiramer acetate-treated mice suppress experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) thought to be primarily mediated by T cells. However, emerging evidence supports an important role for B cells in the pathogenesis and inhibition of MS. Glatiramer acetate (GA), a Food and Drug Administration-approved drug for the treatment of MS, has a good safety profile. But GA's mechanism of action in MS is still elusive. In this study, we showed that B cells from GA-treated mice increased production of IL-10 and reduced expression of co-stimulatory molecules viz.: CD80 and CD86. B cells from GA-treated mice also diminished proliferation of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG(35-55)) specific T cells. Purified B cells transferred from GA-treated mice suppressed experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in recipient mice compared with B cells transferred from mice treated with PBS or ovalbumin. The treatment effect of GA in EAE was abrogated in B cell-deficient mice. Transfer of B cells from GA-treated mice inhibited the proliferation of autoreactive T cells as well as the development of Th1 and Th17 cells but promoted IL-10 production in recipient mice. The number of peripheral CD11b(+) macrophages in recipient mice also decreased after transfer of B cells from GA-treated mice; however, the number of dendritic cells and regulatory T cells remained unaltered. These results suggest that B cells are important to the protective effects of GA in EAE.
Information management packages on minicomputers

Minicomputers are both technically suitable and cost effective for information storage and retrieval systems. Soft ware packages for structured database management and for free text systems are well established and can reduce both the costs and the technical difficulties of setting up an informa tion management system. The particular requirements of designing minicomputer systems are described, and some practical consequences indicated. A number of commercially available free text systems are listed with their salient fea tures. It is expected that free text systems rather than struc tured databases will prove to be of most use to the informa tion scientist or librarian.
The Place of Religious Studies in Warren Nord's Does God Make a Difference?

Warren Nord's new book, Does God Make a Difference?, sets forth the bold proposal that “if schools and universities are to take religion seriously they must require students to take at least one co...
Sexual Morph Production by Two Regional Biotypes of Myzus persicae (Homoptera: Aphididae) in Relation to Photoperiod

A biotype of the green peach aphid. Myzus persicae (Sulzer), from Yakima, Wash. (46°34'N) produced gynoparae and males in response to daily scotophases that were 1.0–1.5 h shorter than those needed to induce the production of these morphs by a biotype of M. persicae derived from a more southern latitude (40°N) in Spain. Predictions regarding the production of these morphs under fall conditions in their regions of origin are consistent with field observations in these regions.
Photolabeling of the human erythrocyte glucose carrier with androgenic steroids.

Abstract Androgenic steroids, which are potent inhibitors of facilitated hexose transport in human erythrocytes, were tested as possible natural photolabels of the hexose carrier protein. Androstenedione, which inhibited 3-O-methylglucose uptake half-maximally at 30–50 μM (EC50), was the most potent inhibitor of the photolabile steroids tested. It appeared to interact directly with the carrier, since it (1) inhibited equilibrium [3H]cytochalasin B binding to high affinity d -glucose-sensitive sites in both intact cells (EC50 = 63 μM) and protein-depleted ghosts (EC50 = 61 μM), (2) inhibited cytochalasin B photolabeling of the band 4.5 carrier region in electrophoretic gels of protein-depleted ghosts (EC50 = 50 μM), and (3) underwent photoincorporation into the same gel region in a d -glucose- and cytochalasin B-sensitive fashion. However, Dixon plots for inhibition of both cytochalasin B binding and transport were upward-curving, indicating the binding of more than one molecule of androstenedione to the carrier. The photoincorporation of androstenedione into band 4.5 protein was both time- and concentration-dependent, and not associated with damage to unlabeled carrier. It probably occured by activation of the α,β-unsaturated ketone on the steroid rather than indirectly by photoactivation of a group on the carrier protein, as occurs with cytochalasin B. Although androstenedione may bind to more than one region of the carrier, as well as to other non-carrier proteins, tryptic digestion of photolabeled ghosts produced a labeled Mr = 18000–20000 fragment, the labeling of which was inhibited by cytochalasin B, and which had an electrophoretic mobility similar to the major labeled tryptic fragment in cytochalasin B-labeled ghosts. These data suggest that androstenedione interacts directly with the hexose carrier and that it or other similar naturally photolabile steroids may serve as useful probes for structural dissection of the carrier protein.
Estimating risk of alcohol dependence using alcohol screening scores

Brief alcohol counseling interventions can reduce alcohol consumption and related morbidity among non-dependent risky drinkers, but more intensive alcohol treatment is recommended for persons with alcohol dependence. This study evaluated whether scores on common alcohol screening tests could identify patients likely to have current alcohol dependence so that more appropriate follow-up assessment and/or intervention could be offered. This cross-sectional study used secondary data from 392 male and 927 female adult family medicine outpatients (1993-1994). Likelihood ratios were used to empirically identify and evaluate ranges of scores of the AUDIT, the AUDIT-C, two single-item questions about frequency of binge drinking, and the CAGE questionnaire for detecting DSM-IV past-year alcohol dependence. Based on the prevalence of past-year alcohol dependence in this sample (men: 12.2%; women: 5.8%), zones of the AUDIT and AUDIT-C identified wide variability in the post-screening risk of alcohol dependence in men and women, even among those who screened positive for alcohol misuse. Among men, AUDIT zones 5-10, 11-14 and 15-40 were associated with post-screening probabilities of past-year alcohol dependence ranging from 18 to 87%, and AUDIT-C zones 5-6, 7-9 and 10-12 were associated with probabilities ranging from 22 to 75%. Among women, AUDIT zones 3-4, 5-8, 9-12 and 13-40 were associated with post-screening probabilities of past-year alcohol dependence ranging from 6 to 94%, and AUDIT-C zones 3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12 were associated with probabilities ranging from 9 to 88%. AUDIT or AUDIT-C scores could be used to estimate the probability of past-year alcohol dependence among patients who screen positive for alcohol misuse and inform clinical decision-making.
Control Theory for Agricultural Policy: Methods and Problems in Operational Models

IN VIEW of the large amount of research by agricultural economists that leans heavily for justification on its contribution to policy decisions, it is surprising that so little effort has been devoted to systematic utilization of such research. Or considered from the other side, we might have expected more research devoted explicitly to utilization of objective information for policy purposes, and that work could exert its influence on the research that purports to be policy oriented. We have apparently conceived policy decisions as being of such a subjective nature that researchers should stop short of anything like an optimization model for policy purposes. An exception to this point of view is that expressed in the recent book by Fox, Sengupta, and Thorbecke [5]. Recently, there has been an inclination to move further in the direction of trying to quantify social costs asssociated with various policy actions [11, 12, 16, 17], but we need to go another step by using these quantitative measures in the objective function of an intertemporal optimization model. Gustafson's pioneering work in models for optimal grain storage is an example of the direction that we should be moving [7], as is also the general theory of economic policy set out in [5]. Such models take us into the realm of modern control theory. Control theory encompasses not only recent extensions of the calculus of variations, including Pontryagin's work [13], but also discrete time optimization models such as Rosen's convex programming formulations [14] and Bellman's dynamic programming [3]. The latter encompasses the methodology used by Gustafson in his storage control models. Although the classical continuous time models are most applicable to physical phenomena, the discrete time models are usually better adapted to economics. Most decision problems in economics are periodic, and in agriculture, the period is often a year. Of course, economic problems can be approximated by continuous variational models, but numerical solution of these models usually requires discrete approximation methods. Therefore, it would seem advantageous to use a discrete model at the start since it is more realistic and can be solved directly. One advantage of a continuous model is the ability to treat end points of the time horizon analytically through the transversality conditions. For numerical analysis, the discrete model is satisfactory on this point, too, because the time horizon can be arbitrarily extended until the solution values
Why most sociologists don't (and won't) think evolutionarily

The general failure of sociologists to understand, much less accept, an evolutionary perspective on human behavior transcends mere ignorance and ideological bias, although it incorporates a good deal of both. It also includes a general anthropocentric discomfort with evolutionary thinking, a self-interested resistance to self-understanding, and a trained sociological incapacity to accept the fundamental canons of scientific theory construction: reductionism, individualism, materialism, and parsimony.
The Structure of the Asian Monsoon Surface Wind Field over the Ocean

Abstract This paper examines the structure of the summer monsoon over the Indian and western Pacific Oceans by analyzing the surface wind data from marine data sets for the period of 1860 to 1970. It is found that the southern edge of the huge monsoon low has three low-pressure troughs over the eastern edges of Africa, India, and the Indo-China peninsula. To the east of each trough is a broad region of intensified wind flow, with three branches in the western Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the South China Sea, respectively. We call this the “branching phenomenon of the SW-monsoon.” Each of these branches has its own characteristics, and these influence the rainfall pattern in South Asia. This is verified by the observed distribution of precipitation, which has maximum precipitation over the west coast of each peninsula. The cross-equatorial flow also shows the branching phenomenon, with three maxima at the same longitudes as the three branches of the SW-monsoon. A discussion of the relationships betw...
Loyalty card programs, customer relationship and information technology: an exploratory approach

Loyalty card-based initiatives are structured programs utilised in supermarkets and retailers, industry wide, with the purpose of providing value-added benefits, namely: savings, rewards and perks, directly to the customer. Through both theoretical and empirical methods, a market survey of the effectiveness of loyalty card programs in the Pittsburgh, PA metropolitan area that focused on supermarket and retailer-based loyalty card programs, resulting in 200 completed questionnaires among web-enabled professionals. Statistical analyses via multiple linear regression and principal-components analysis, via factor analysis, revealed many layers of complexity, especially concerning the comparative success of loyalty card programs between supermarket and more durable goods-based retailers. The factor-based constructs are, in order of the greatest explained variance, technology sophistication, purchase amount, number of loyalty programs, maturity and financial means, purchase selection and store selection, resulting in significant combined variance of 68.921%. Although all constructs were positively associated with using loyalty cards during their purchases, not all were found statistically significant, suggesting that such extensive use of loyalty cards cuts across age, income, financial income levels, technological savvy, purchase amounts and type of purchases. Recommendations for customer relationship management are made concerning loyalty card programs and their overall improvement.
Chemotherapy: what is its role in meningioma?

While strong evidence exists for the standard therapy for meningiomas, inclusive of surgery and/or radiation therapy, for those tumors which recur, progress or are inoperable, the optimal medical therapies are yet to be elucidated. This article reviews the current literature for chemotherapeutic options for this subset of tumors, including cytotoxic agents, biologic agents, targeted molecular agents and hormonal agents. At this point in time, the most data is with hydroxyurea and somatostatin, although further trials with combination and targeted molecular therapies are still underway.
The Association of CYP2D6 Genotype and Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting in Orthopedic Trauma Patients

The CYP2D6 gene encodes for an enzyme that is involved in the metabolism of more than 25% of all medications, including many opioids and antiemetics. It may contribute to the risk of postoperative ...
Optical phase conjugation for time-domain undoing of dispersive self-phase-modulation effects.

We show that the temporal distortion and spectral broadening of a pulse generated by the combined effects of group-velocity dispersion and self-phase modulation is removed by reflection of a cw-pumped, broadband, unity-reflecting Kerr-like optical phase conjugator followed by retraversal of the nonlinear medium. We also examine numerically the effects of finite linear loss in the material, of nonunity conjugate reflectivity, and of finite conjugator thickness.
Insulin signaling and the regulation of insect diapause

A rich chapter in the history of insect endocrinology has focused on hormonal control of diapause, especially the major roles played by juvenile hormones (JHs), ecdysteroids, and the neuropeptides that govern JH and ecdysteroid synthesis. More recently, experiments with adult diapause in Drosophila melanogaster and the mosquito Culex pipiens, and pupal diapause in the flesh fly Sarcophaga crassipalpis provide strong evidence that insulin signaling is also an important component of the regulatory pathway leading to the diapause phenotype. Insects produce many different insulin-like peptides (ILPs), and not all are involved in the diapause response; ILP-1 appears to be the one most closely linked to diapause in C. pipiens. Many steps in the pathway leading from perception of daylength (the primary environmental cue used to program diapause) to generation of the diapause phenotype remain unknown, but the role for insulin signaling in mosquito diapause appears to be upstream of JH, as evidenced by the fact that application of exogenous JH can rescue the effects of knocking down expression of ILP-1 or the Insulin Receptor. Fat accumulation, enhancement of stress tolerance, and other features of the diapause phenotype are likely linked to the insulin pathway through the action of a key transcription factor, FOXO. This review highlights many parallels for the role of insulin signaling as a regulator in insect diapause and dauer formation in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
Feature-based analysis of large-scale spatio-temporal sensor data on hybrid architectures

The analysis of large sensor datasets for structural and functional features has applications in many domains, including weather and climate modeling, characterization of subsurface reservoirs, and biomedicine. The vast amount of data obtained from state-of-the-art sensors and the computational cost of analysis operations create a barrier to such analyses. In this paper, we describe middleware system support to take advantage of large clusters of hybrid CPU-GPU nodes to address the data and compute-intensive requirements of feature-based analyses of large spatio-temporal datasets.
Psychophysics of psilocybin and 48-148-148-1

Visual, tactile and intermodal sensory magnitude estimations were performed by college students prior to and after the oral administration of either 160 μg/kg psilocybin or 30 mg Δ9-THC. Although the drugs induce inversely related changes in the exponent of the psychophysical power function (R=kSn), the straight line relationship between log S (Stimulus) and log R (Response) is altered by neither psilocybin nor Δ9-THC. The remarkable consistency of magnitude estimations in the face of a changing exponent and constant may be interpreted as a demonstration of ‘state boundness’ (i.e., performance that is consistently changed and characteristic of a particular state of consciousness).
Damping and Structural Control of the JPL Phase 0 Testbed Structure

This paper describes recent advances in structural quieting technology as applied to active truss structures intended for high precision space based optics applications. The active structure incorporates piezoelectric active members which exert control forces internal to the structure and thereby improve the structure's dimensional stability. The control architecture involves two layers of feedback control. The first utilizes collocated measurements of force and velocity at the active member to achieve active damping, the second utilizes noncollocated measurements of acceleration at the location of a simulated optical component to achieve structural stabilization. The local control loops are based on the concept of impedance matching, the global control loops are designed using robust control methods. These two levels of control are intended to operate simultaneously; however, in this paper each approach is applied individually. The combined implementation is left for future work.
A matrix of consonant-cluster-free monosyllabic words in English

In language-related psychological research, it is often necessary to search for sets of words with certain well-controlled phonological properties. To aid in searches of this kind, this paper presents a matrix of consonant-cluster-free, monosyllabic English words that are classified according to their phonemes. The matrix is of considerable use in the construction of experimental stimuli. Its applications are discussed.
Cleavage of the fourth component of human complement (C4) by activated activated Cls

Abstract Activated Cls, the enzymatically active subunit derived from the first component of human complement, has been shown to cleave the fourth component of human component (C4) into relatively heavy (C4b) and light (C4a) fragments as ascertained by sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation and gel filtration. These fragments remain associated at neutral pH but dissociate upon acidification to pH 3.5. The estimated molecular weight of C4a is 8600. Cleavage of C4 by Cls was not influenced by the further presence of C2 or C2 and C3 in reaction mixtures. Isolated C4a and C4b could not be reassociated at neutral pH. C4a failed to contract preparations of guinea pig ileum or rat uterus and did not mediate a wheal and flare response in human skin under the conditions tested.
Gravitational Faraday Effect Produced by a Ring Laser

Using the linearized Einstein gravitational field equations and the Maxwell field equations it is shown that the plane of polarization of an electromagnetic wave is rotated by the gravitational field created by the electromagnetic radiation of a ring laser. It is further shown that this gravitational Faraday effect shares many of the properties of the standard electromagnetic Faraday effect. An experimental arrangement is then suggested for the observation of this gravitational Faraday effect induced by the ring laser.
Infectious Disease and Bioterrorism

The dual issues of infectious disease and bioterrorism seemed far from our lives as many of us in practice today began our careers some years ago. Tuberculosis was bin a cageQ and smallpox and anthrax were of interest only in a historical context. Ever-improving antibiotics managed just about everything, it seemed, although the thoughtful among us were ever mindful of viral diseases and their potential for acute disease and long-term health consequences. Bioterrorism remained an obscure topic until even more recently and was thought of only in historical terms—if at all—by most physicians. Wasn’t chemical warfare something from World War I and certainly not our concern? However, as HIV crept quietly into our population in the early 1980s, the winds of change were beginning and a significant chain of events was set in motion. Serious and potentially lethal infectious diseases were back in the news and in our medical practice—as well as our operating rooms, whether or not we were aware of it. Since the first handful of cases of pneumocystis pneumonia—which were ultimately determined to be AIDS—were reported in 1981, there have been more than 900,000 reported cases in the United States and an estimated 40 million worldwide. This epidemic has profound implications, not unlike the bubonic plague or bBlack DeathQ that swept through Europe in 1348–1349, which entered the continent in Sicily from Asia in 1347 and reached epidemic proportions in Sweden by 1350. In some communities, 30% to 50% of the population died, changing the political map for generations. AIDS moves more Anesthesiology Clin N Am
A Population-Based Study of Functional Status and Social Support Networks of Elderly Patients Newly Diagnosed With Cancer

We assessed the functional status and social support networks of 799 men and women aged 65 years or older newly diagnosed with cancer and living in six New Mexico counties. Functional limitations included depending on others for transportation (33%) and mental incompetence or poor recent memory (42%). The percentage of patients with functional limitation increased sharply with increasing age. In a substantial number of patients there was also evidence for poor social support networks; 26.5% of subjects lived alone and 38.9% had no children living in the vicinity. In a multiple logistic regression analysis, the predictors of having a poor social support network included non-Hispanic white ethnicity, advanced age, low income, and being a recent migrant to the area. Subjects with functional limitations were more likely to have poor social support networks than subjects without such limitations. The deleterious combination of impaired functional status and a limited social support network may explain why elderly cancer patients are at increased risk for not receiving appropriate therapy. Given the potential complexities involving the evaluation and appropriate treatment of cancer, care must be taken to adequately assess functional status and support mechanisms of older patients, and to provide adequate support to ensure compliance with treatment. (Arch Intern Med. 1991;151:366-370)
Internal structural organization of chloroplast DNA from Euglena gracilis Z

Abstract The arrangement of base-sequences in the chloroplast deoxyribonucleic acid from Euglena gracilis Z was investigated by analyzing the bimodal profile of chloroplast deoxyribonucleic acid in an alkaline CsCl density gradient. The three main fractions in the alkaline gradient contain both single-stranded self-complementary base-sequences and base-sequences that are not self-complementary. Four single-stranded self-complementary deoxyribonucleic acid components were isolated from alkaline CsCl preparative density gradients. A fifth component was derived by annealing two fractions containing deoxyribonucleic acid that was not self-complementary. The five fractions corresponded to the five components of total chloroplast deoxyribonucleic acid that exhibited differential thermal denaturation. The results indicate that these five components are not interspersed throughout the genome in small segments but that they exist as relatively large segments. This implies that the chloroplast deoxyribonucleic acid contains tandemly arranged segments differing in base-composition.
On the influence of market structure in modelling the US copper industry

Abstract Many of the contemporary models used to describe the behavior of the mineral industries assume a competitive market i.e. one in which market price is equal to marginal production cost. One such recent model of the worldwide copper industry is the MIDAS-II model developed for the Bureau of Mines [3, 4]. This model is used to project production and prices up through the year 2000. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of the assumed market structure in the construction of these forecasts. If the market structure of the US copper industry is assumed to be comprised of a few large firms (an oligopoly), then forecasts based upon exactly the same data base differ significantly from the competitive market assumption.
Low brain ascorbic acid increases susceptibility to seizures in mouse models of decreased brain ascorbic acid transport and Alzheimer's disease

Seizures are a known co-occurring symptom of Alzheimer's disease, and they can accelerate cognitive and neuropathological dysfunction. Sub-optimal vitamin C (ascorbic acid) deficiency, that is low levels that do not lead the sufferer to present with clinical signs of scurvy (e.g. lethargy, hemorrhage, hyperkeratosis), are easily obtainable with insufficient dietary intake, and may contribute to the oxidative stress environment of both Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy. The purpose of this study was to test whether mice that have diminished brain ascorbic acid in addition to carrying human Alzheimer's disease mutations in the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and presenilin 1 (PSEN1) genes, had altered electrical activity in the brain (electroencephalography; EEG), and were more susceptible to pharmacologically induced seizures. Brain ascorbic acid was decreased in APP/PSEN1 mice by crossing them with sodium vitamin C transporter 2 (SVCT2) heterozygous knockout mice. These mice have an approximately 30% decrease in brain ascorbic acid due to lower levels of SVCT2 that supplies the brain with ASC. SVCT2+/-APP/PSEN1 mice had decreased ascorbic acid and increased oxidative stress in brain, increased mortality, faster seizure onset latency following treatment with kainic acid (10 mg/kg i.p.), and more ictal events following pentylenetetrazol (50 mg/kg i.p.) treatment. Furthermore, we report the entirely novel phenomenon that ascorbic acid deficiency alone increased the severity of kainic acid- and pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures. These data suggest that avoiding ascorbic acid deficiency may be particularly important in populations at increased risk for epilepsy and seizures, such as Alzheimer's disease.
Is Chronic Kidney Disease an Independent Risk Factor for Mortality in Breast Cancer

Abstract Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an independent risk factor for morbidity and mortality in multiple disease processes. However, not much is known about the relationship between breast cancer and CKD. CKD is associated with increased difficulty in breast cancer screening or surveillance due to increased calcifications on mammography. In addition, there is concern regarding the optimization of serum levels of chemotherapeutics in patients with CKD or on hemodialysis. We hypothesized that CKD is an independent risk factor for mortality in patients with breast cancer. Methods A case-matched, retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database was conducted on patients treated for breast cancer at an academic medical center between 1998 and 2011. Glomerular filtration rates (GFRs) were calculated for each patient at the time of diagnosis, and patients with CKD (GFR 60 mL/min, controlling for age, stage at diagnosis, and race. Primary end points measured were disease-free survival and overall survival. Statistical analysis was performed using Student t -test and Kaplan–Meier. Results Of the 1223 total patients, 54 (4%) had CKD. One hundred five patients without CKD were matched for age, stage at diagnosis, and race. Mean GFR among patients with and without CKD were 47.6 and 83.2 mL/min, respectively ( P P = 0.47). Disease-free survival was 64% and 81%, respectively ( P = 0.45). Conclusion Based on our data, CKD does not appear to have a significant impact on outcomes in patients with breast cancer.
Antileukemic effects of AMPK activators on BCR-ABL-expressing cells.

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway plays a critical role in growth and survival of BCR-ABL transformed cells. AMPK kinase is a metabolic sensor that exhibits suppressive effects on the mTOR pathway and negatively regulates mTOR activity. We report that AMPK activators, such as metformin and 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide, suppress activation of the mTOR pathway in BCR-ABL–expressing cells. Treatment with these inhibitors results in potent suppression of chronic myeloid leukemia leukemic precursors and Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells, including cells expressing the T315I-BCR-ABL mutation. Altogether, our data suggest that AMPK is an attractive target for the treatment of BCR-ABL–expressing malignancies and raise the potential for use of AMPK activators in the treatment of refractory chronic myeloid leukemia and Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Direct and correlated responses to selection on JHE activity in adult and juvenile Gryllus assimilis: implications for stage-specific evolution of insect endocrine traits

Two-way selection on the activity of the endocrine regulator, juvenile hormone esterase (JHE), in adults of the cricket, Gryllus assimilis, resulted in a realized JHE heritability of 0.059±0.001. This heritability was significantly lower than the realized JHE heritability measured previously during selection on the last juvenile stadium (0.26±0.04). We observed strong correlated responses to selection on JHE activity during different periods of adulthood but very weak correlated responses in the last juvenile stadium. The additive genetic correlation between JHE activities in adults and juveniles, measured from the two pairs of correlated and direct responses obtained from the present adult and the previous juvenile selection studies, did not differ significantly from zero. Lines from the earlier juvenile selection study, reassayed for correlated responses after an additional five generations of selection, exhibited only weak correlated responses for JHE activity in adult and penultimate stages. Results from the present adult and the previous juvenile selection studies provide a consistent picture of strong within-stage JHE correlated responses in either adult or juvenile stages. By contrast, only weak JHE correlated responses occur in contiguous developmental stages, irrespective of whether the stages are physiologically or morphologically similar or dissimilar, or whether JHE activity was selected before or after the stage in which the correlated responses were measured. The regulation of a particular life cycle stage by JHE (juvenile development) can be modified by selection without necessarily altering its regulatory role in other stages (adult reproduction).
Incremental dynamic analysis

Incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) is a parametric analysis method that has recently emerged in several different forms to estimate more thoroughly structural performance under seismic loads. It involves subjecting a structural model to one (or more) ground motion record(s), each scaled to multiple levels of intensity, thus producing one (or more) curve(s) of response parameterized versus intensity level. To establish a common frame of reference, the fundamental concepts are analysed, a unified terminology is proposed, suitable algorithms are presented, and properties of the IDA curve are looked into for both single-degree-of-freedom and multi-degree-of-freedom structures. In addition, summarization techniques for multi-record IDA studies and the association of the IDA study with the conventional static pushover analysis and the yield reduction R-factor are discussed. Finally, in the framework of performance-based earthquake engineering, the assessment of demand and capacity is viewed through the lens of an IDA study. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Segmented-Freewing Concept for Gust Alleviation

A promising technology for gust alleviation is the free wing. A free-wing design allows the wing to adjust itself in pitch about a spanwise axis in response to aerodynamic loads rather than being rigidly attached to the aircraft fuselage. The extension of the concept proposed here is called a segmented free wing and differs from a conventional free wing by sectioning the wing into multiple independent segments. This allows the wing to adjust to not only time-varying gust fields but also to gust fields that vary across the span. Initial wind-tunnel results showed an almost 40% reduction in rolling moment for a segmented free wing when subjected to an asymmetric velocity field, when compared with a traditional free-wing design. A 13.3-ft-span model was constructed, and experimental tests of this model showed a divergent oscillatory roll mode that appears with increasing velocity. An analytical model of the experimental test was developed that successfully predicts the instability. Comparison of the analytical model with the experimental results shows an overprediction of the stability of the system by the analytical model, and causes for the overestimation were investigated. Using the analytical model and experimental model, a successful solution to the roll instability was devised and tested.
Prospective, randomized comparison of self-reported postoperative dry eye and visual fluctuation in LASIK and photorefractive keratectomy.

Purpose We sought to prospectively compare postoperative symptoms of dry eye, visual fluctuations, and foreign body sensation in patients undergoing LASIK and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Design Randomized clinical trial. Participants Sixty-eight eyes of 34 patients were treated with wavefront-guided LASIK and PRK. Methods One eye was treated with LASIK and the fellow eye was treated with PRK. Eyes were randomized by ocular dominance. Patients completed a questionnaire preoperatively and at each postoperative visit evaluating symptoms of dry eye, dry eye severity, vision fluctuations, and foreign body sensation. Main Outcome Measures Change in self-reported dry eye with secondary outcome measure of visual fluctuations and foreign body sensation scores after LASIK and PRK. Results Both groups of eyes experienced significant increases in symptoms of dry eye, vision fluctuation, and foreign body sensation after LASIK and PRK at postoperative months 1, 3, and 6. However, by the 12-month postoperative visit, there was no increase in dry eye symptoms over the preoperative baseline levels in either group. Patients undergoing PRK experienced significantly higher levels of vision fluctuation at postoperative month 1 than those undergoing LASIK. Conclusions Both LASIK and PRK caused an increase in dry eye symptoms and severity, vision fluctuations, and foreign body sensation over baseline in the early postoperative period. At postoperative month 1, PRK caused greater vision fluctuations than LASIK. By 1 year postoperatively, all symptoms of dry eye, vision fluctuations, and foreign body sensation returned to their baseline, preoperative levels. Financial Disclosure(s) The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any of the materials discussed in this article.
Opioid receptor blockade improves hypoglycemia-associated autonomic failure in type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Context: Recurrent hypoglycemia induces hypoglycemia-associated autonomic failure (HAAF), characterized by deterioration in counterregulatory responses. Endogenous opioids may mediate the development of HAAF, and blockade of opioid receptors with naloxone prevented HAAF in nondiabetic subjects. Objective: We hypothesized that opioid receptor blockade with naloxone during antecedent hypoglycemia in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) would prevent the development of HAAF. Design, Setting, Participants, and Interventions: Eight subjects with T1DM (three women, aged 34 ± 7.4 yr, hemoglobin A1c 7.3 ± 1.1%) were studied on 2 consecutive days on three separate occasions. Day 1 consisted of: 1) two 90-min hypoglycemic clamps (60 mg/dl, N−); 2) two 90-min hypoglycemic clamps (60 mg/dl) with concomitant naloxone infusion (N+); or 3) two 90-min euglycemic clamps (90 mg/dl) with concomitant naloxone infusion (control). Day 2 consisted of hyperinsulinemic stepped hypoglycemic clamps (90, 80, 70, and 60 mg/d...
Generation, propagation, and annihilation of metastable patterns

Abstract We study the full-time dynamics of the initial value problem, for u e = u e ( x , t ) , u t e = e 2 u xx e - F ′ ( u e ) , x ∈ R , t > 0 , u e ( x , 0 ) = u 0 ( x ) , x ∈ R , where 0 e ⪡ 1 and F ( u ) has global minimum 0 at u = ± 1 . We assume that u 0 ( · ) is bounded, continuous and independent of e , changes sign finitely many times, and lim inf | x | → ∞ | u 0 ( x ) | > 0 . There are four stages in the dynamics. The first, phase separation of O ( | ln e | ) long, develops phase regions where u e ≈ ± 1 . The second, generation of metastable patterns of O ( e - 1 ) long, allows u e to enter an O ( e - l / e ) neighborhood of a standing wave profile near each interface x = z i where l = min i { F ″ ( ± 1 ) ( z i + 1 - z i ) } is the shortest weighted length of phase regions. The third, super-slow motion of interfaces of O ( e l / e ) long, displays the O ( e - l / e ) speed interface motion governed by an approximate ode system. The fourth stage, annihilation of interfaces of O ( 1 ) long, interlaces with the third stage. Interfaces annihilate when they are close enough, and after every annihilation, new metastable patterns are developed to restore the super-slow motions of remaining interfaces. Eventually u e approaches a stable equilibrium which has only one or none interface. The first and third stages have been studied. Here, we provide rigorous analysis for the second and fourth stages. To be self-contained, we also provide simplified analysis for the first and third stages, thereby completing the analytic treatment for the full-time behavior of the dynamics.
Use of the Spawning Potential Ratio for the Upper Mississippi River Channel Catfish Fishery

Abstract We used simulation modeling to identify the conditions of growth and recruitment overfishing that were associated with a decline in the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) commercial fishery for channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus prior to 1984, when the minimum length limit was increased from 330 to 381 mm total length. The spawning potential ratio (SPR)—an index developed by marine fisheries scientists to identify and prevent recruitment overfishing—is simply a ratio of the average lifetime production of mature eggs per recruit in a fished population to what it would have been if the population had never been fished. We identified a critical minimum SPR that could be used as a biological reference point in the management of a highly exploited channel catfish fishery. Simulation modeling predicted that the SPR, which ranged from 3% to 12% under the 330-mm minimum length limit, would increase to 10–20% with a 381-mm minimum length limit for exploitation rates of 45–80%. Our predicted increase in the SP...
Assistive Technology Specialists: Bringing Knowledge of Assistive Technology to School Districts

The 1997 Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandate that assistive technology be considered for each student receiving special education services. Without knowledge of assistive technology, service providers will have difficulty meeting that mandate. It may not be reasonable to expect all special educators to have enough expertise in this area to meet the mandate for all of their students. An assistive technology specialist can bring to a district the expertise needed to comply with this mandate. This article presents the knowledge and skills determined by the Council for Exceptional Children to be necessary for assistive technology specialists. These competencies provide guidelines for districts as they seek to employ a specialist and guide individuals interested in serving as specialists in their professional development.
Wounding prior to challenge substantially improves infectivity of cottontail rabbit papillomavirus and allows for standardization of infection

The cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRPV)/rabbit model has proved useful for the investigation of prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines and for the study of the pathogenesis of papillomavirus infection. It is currently the only animal model in which the entire viral program can be recapitulated, including progression to cancer. CRPV DNA is infectious in domestic rabbits and therefore mutants can be studied without the need to generate corresponding viruses. Although the CRPV animal model is used widely in various laboratories, no optimized or standardized method is used for creating CRPV viral and especially DNA infections. These different methods have made it difficult for investigators to compare results from laboratory to laboratory. A simple and highly efficient method is reported here; it has been refined based on previous methodology for the production of CRPV infections from both virus and plasmid DNA. This method can be adapted easily by other investigators in the field. The resulting standardization will aid in the evaluation of data from different laboratories.