cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Theories of Intelligence

An extensive literature has developed over the nature of human intellectual functioning, with more than a century of research to date. This chapter surveys this field, starting with its historical roots and following the trajectory of these ideas to contemporary views on the nature and structure of intelligence. Dating back to Spearman’s and Thurstone’s original factor-analytic studies, there has been an ongoing debate as to whether intelligence is best captured by one unitary factor (psychometric g), a group of independent broad abilities, or another alternative. Whereas structural models emphasize the interrelationships among different abilities (e.g., verbal and visuospatial skills, speed of processing, etc.), conceptual theories have been more concerned with the fundamental nature of intelligence. Current issues in the field concern the origins and significance of g, the centrality of particular cognitive processes to overall intelligence, and the debate between reductive and more holistic views. The chapter concludes with an overview of the best-supported principles regarding theories of intelligence, along with their implications for intellectual disabilities.
The Association of Emotional and Physical Reactions to Perceived Discrimination with Depressive Symptoms Among African American Men in the Southeast.

This study examines the association of emotional and physical reactions to perceived discrimination with depressive symptoms among a sample of African American (AA) men in the southeastern United States. Analysis of the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data set provides an examination of demographic, perceived discrimination context, and health status differences in depressive symptoms measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire—2 (PHQ-2). The analysis also assesses individual differences among AA men related to experiencing physical symptoms and feeling emotionally upset due to perceived discrimination. A focused examination investigates the role of adverse reactions to perceived discrimination in association with depressive symptomology. Findings illuminate the significance of experiences of and reactions to perceived discrimination in relationship with depressive symptomology among AA men living in the southeastern United States. Findings also demonstrate the need for additional research focusing on perceived discrimination experiences in relation to depressive symptoms experienced among the AA male subgroup. Continued investigation of within-group differences among AA men, with health promotional strategies to foster social-emotional support, will further the improvement in health and wellness for AA men.
Microbial Life Deep Underfoot

Soil is one of the most diverse microbial habitats on Earth. While the distribution and abundance of microbial taxa in surface soils have been well described, the phylogenetic and functional diversity of bacteria and archaea in deep-soil strata remains unexplored. Brewer et al. (mBio 10:e01318-19, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01318-19) documented consistent shifts in the composition and genomic attributes of microbial communities as a function of depth in 20 soil pits that spanned a range of ecosystems across North America. The unique microorganisms found in deep soils appear to be adapted to conditions of low energy based on the recovery of genes that code for traits such as internal resource storage, mixotrophy, and dormancy.
Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head: A Biological Approach for Precollapse Disease

Multiple surgical and nonsurgical modalities and therapies exists to treat early stages of osteonecrosis of the femoral head. Recently, core decompression-type procedures combining biologic cellular therapies have gained interest and recognition with recent literature suggesting potentially enhanced clinical outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of this article was to discuss the indications and outline a specific technique of core decompression combined with cellular augmentation for treatment of early stages of osteonecrosis of the femoral head.
Oracle AutoML: a fast and predictive AutoML pipeline

Machine learning (ML) is at the forefront of the rising popularity of data-driven software applications. The resulting rapid proliferation of ML technology, explosive data growth, and shortage of data science expertise have caused the industry to face increasingly challenging demands to keep up with fast-paced develop-and-deploy model lifecycles. Recent academic and industrial research efforts have started to address this problem through automated machine learning (AutoML) pipelines and have focused on model performance as the first-order design objective. We present Oracle AutoML, a novel iteration-free AutoML pipeline designed to not only provide accurate models, but also in a shorter runtime. We are able to achieve these objectives by eliminating the need to continuously iterate over various pipeline configurations. In our feed-forward approach, each pipeline stage makes decisions based on metalearned proxy models that can predict candidate pipeline configuration performances before building the full final model. Our approach, which builds and tunes only the best candidate pipeline, achieves better scores at a fraction of the time compared to state-of-the-art open source AutoML tools, such as H2O and Auto-sklearn. This makes Oracle AutoML a prime candidate for addressing current industry challenges.
A Consolidated Framework of the Color Variability in Blazars: Long-term Optical/Near-infrared Observations of 3C 279

We evaluate the optical/near-infrared (OIR) color variability of 3C 279 in both γ-ray flaring and non-flaring states over 7-year timescales using the Small and Medium Aperture Research Telescope System in Cerro Tololo, Chile and γ-ray fluxes obtained from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. This observing strategy differs from previous blazar color variability studies in two key ways: (1) the reported color variability is assessed across optical through near-infrared wavelengths, and (2) the color variability is assessed over timescales significantly longer than an individual flare or ground-based observing season. We highlight 3C 279 because of its complex color variability, which is difficult to reconcile with the simple "redder-when-brighter" behavior often associated with Flat Spectrum Radio Quasar color variability. We suggest that the observed OIR color changes depend on a combination of the jet and disk emission. We parameterize this behavior in terms of a single variable, , representing a smooth transition from a disk-dominated system, to a mixed contribution, to a jet-dominated system, which provides an explanation of the long-term OIR color variability in the same blazar over time. This suggests a general scheme that could apply to OIR color variability in other blazars.
Alimentos Ciencia e Ingeniería 22-2

La Facultad de Ciencia e Ingenieria en Alimentos de la Universidad Tecnica de Ambato se complace en presentar la Revista indexada ALIMENTOS CIENCIA E INGENIERIA, Volumen 22(2)-2014 con articulos tecnicos de tesis de grado e investigaciones en los campos de los alimentos y la biotecnologia ejecutados por docentes, investigadores y graduandos. En la presente edicion se incluyen articulos relacionados con la fisiologia poscosecha de la mandarina; la caracterizacion de almendras de cacao nacional fino de aroma en zonas del Litoral y de frutas tropicales (araza y naranjilla) y andinas (mora, mortino, tomate de arbol y uvilla) ; la elaboracion de geles alimenticios con maracuya; el contenido de compuestos cianogenicos en hojas y capuchones de uvilla y sus implicaciones en la elaboracion de te ; los efectos de la borraja y la ortiga como acelerantes y enriquecedores nutritivos en el proceso de compostaje; la actividad antimicrobiana y fitoquimica de extractos de plantas medicinales frente a microorganismos patogenos; la estandarizacion de un metodo quimico para cuantificar el contenido de suero de queseria en leche pasteurizada; la validacion de metodos analiticos para el analisis de arsenico en agua potable y la caracterizacion de matrices de agua clara y residual ; entre otros. Es pertinente senalar que ALIMENTOS CIENCIA E INGENIERIA cumple 22 anos de publicacion impresa y consta en el Directorio de LATINDEX ; no obstante, quienes estamos a cargo de la presente edicion nos hemos comprometido en mejorar la calidad de la Revista con el proposito de ser parte del Catalogo de LATINDEX, esto mediante el cumplimiento de todas las caracteristicas editoriales requeridas para revistas impresas y un trabajo mas riguroso del Comite Editorial. En adicion, la incorporacion de profesores que hacen investigacion articulada a la docencia, el mejoramiento de la infraestructura tecnologica y el fortalecimiento de la vinculacion de la Facultad con los sectores publico y empresarial permitiran generar conocimiento e innovaciones que sean utiles al pais y publicarlos en nuestra Revista. Este es nuestro compromiso con nuestros estimados lectores
Negative DNA supercoiling tunes protein-mediated looping

Protein-mediated DNA looping is a fundamental mechanism of gene regulation. Such loops occur stochastically, and a calibrated response to environmental stimuli would seem to require more deterministic behavior, so experiments were preformed to determine whether additional proteins and/or DNA supercoiling might be definitive. In experiments on DNA looping mediated by the Escherichia coli lac repressor protein, increasing compaction by the nucleoid-associated protein, HU, progressively increased the average looping probability for an ensemble of single molecules. Despite this trend, the looping probabilities associated with individual molecules ranged from 0 to 100 throughout the titration, and observations of a single molecule for an hour or longer were required to observe the statistical looping behavior of the ensemble, ergodicity. Increased negative supercoiling also increased the looping probability for an ensemble of molecules, but the looping probabilities of individual molecules more closely resembled the ensemble average. Furthermore, supercoiling accelerated the loop dynamics such that in as little as twelve minutes of observation most molecules exhibited the looping probability of the ensemble. Notably, this is within the timescale of the doubling time of the bacterium. DNA supercoiling, an inherent feature of genomes across kingdoms, appears to be a fundamental determinant of time-constrained, emergent behavior in otherwise random molecular activity.
Deep kernel recursive least-squares algorithm

We present a new kernel-based algorithm for modeling evenly distributed multidimensional datasets that does not rely on input space sparsification. The presented method reorganizes the typical single-layer kernel-based model into a deep hierarchical structure, such that the weights of a kernel model over each dimension are modeled over its adjacent dimension. We show that modeling weights in the suggested structure leads to significant computational speedup and improved modeling accuracy.
MATAR: A performance portability and productivity implementation of data-oriented design with Kokkos

Abstract There is a need for simple, fast, and memory-efficient multidimensional data structures for dense and sparse storage that arise with numerical methods and in software applications. The data structures must perform equally well across multiple computer architectures, including CPUs and GPUs. For this purpose, we developed MATAR, a C++ software library that allows for simple creation and use of intricate data structures that is also portable across disparate architectures using Kokkos. The performance aspect is achieved by forcing contiguous memory layout (or as close to contiguous as possible) for multidimensional and multi-size dense or sparse MATrix and ARray (hence, MATAR) types. Our results show that MATAR has the capability to improve memory utilization, performance, and programmer productivity in scientific computing. This is achieved by fitting more work into the available memory, minimizing memory loads required, and by loading memory in the most efficient order. This document describes the purpose of the work, the implementation of each of the data types, and the resulting performance both in some simple baseline test cases and in an application code.
Asset Forfeiture: New Data

Research to date on asset forfeiture has found authorities collect revenue by circumventing civil liberties safeguards. This activity seems to target minorities in fiscally constrained communities. Using new data on asset forfeiture, I present evidence the literature relied on variables subject to substantial missing records. Prior research relied on confiscated property values that require police to accurately appraise items like cars and weapons. This finding calls into question related policy and scholarly work. To better frame research, I provide summary statistics and seizure patterns capturing the number of forfeiture cases. Given the influence of related research in recent policy changes, I also revisit parameter estimates with the new data and measure of seizures prone to less error. I find prior research potentially overstated the degree to which law enforcement exploit loopholes in laws intended to protect property owners. Likewise, I fail to observe evidence law enforcement disproportionately seize property in debt-ridden communities.
Gun Violence as an Infectious Disease

Guns have been described as a “social toxin.” Like other infectious diseases, incidents of gun violence tend to cluster and can spread throughout populations by means of social contagion. While this is most often thought of in the context of homicide, adolescent gun-related suicide can also cluster. Gun violence is a major public health issue affecting adolescents in the United States. As such, evidence-based, multidisciplinary public heath solutions are needed for the prevention of firearm-related homicides and suicides. The public health approach has been employed in the creation of violence interruption programs using community health workers to address gun violence, modeled after other community programs to interrupt the spread of infectious diseases. Further research is needed to identify and target additional elements of the pathogenicity and spread of adolescent gun violence.
Free and bound hepatic polyribosomes after partial hepatectomy: pool sizes and sedimentation patterns.

Abstract To examine the response of hepatocytes to the sudden and severe demands of regeneration, we have studied free and bound ribosomal pool sizes and polyribosomal sedimentation patterns from 0 to 120 h after partial hepatectomy. Total ribosomal RNA increases rapidly after partial hepatectomy, reaching a peak at 24 h. Pools of both free and bound ribosomes enlarge similarly, their relative sizes remaining unchanged. Except for an early and apparently nonspecific increase of free polyribosomes of smaller size, sedimentation patterns of both free and bound polyribosomes exhibited concurrent shifts to predominance of heavier aggregates.
Nutritional quality of sweetpotato greens from greenhouse plants.

Abstract Sweetpotato ( Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) is a candidate root crop for production in the Advanced Life Support System (ALSS) program of the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA). To increase the edible plant portion, the use of young leaves and petioles from sweetpotato grown by the nutrient film technique (NFT) as a green or leafy vegetable for ALSS is promoted. This study was conducted to determine the nutritional quality of sweetpotato greens from plants grown by NFT. Nutrient concentrations in greens from the same cultivars (Georgia Jet, Jewel, and TU-82-155) grown in greenhouse beds were also obtained for comparison. Raw greens from hydroponic and bed plants were analyzed for dry matter, protein, ash, total dietary fiber, fat, minerals (Ca, Fe, K, Na, Mg, Zn), vitamins (carotene, ascorbic acid, thiamine), oxalic and tannic acids, and chymotrypsin and trypsin inhibitors. Differences in the nutrient and antinutrient concentrations were observed in the three cultivars due to variety and production method.
Raman-active modes of a − GeSe 2 and a − GeS 2 : A first-principles study

We have used a recently developed computational technique based on density-functional theory to study the Raman-active modes of amorphous ${\mathrm{GeSe}}_{2}$ and ${\mathrm{GeS}}_{2}.$ Vibrational modes and the associated Raman activities for three cluster building blocks of the glasses are calculated directly from first principles. The positions of the calculated symmetric-stretch modes in the cluster models are in excellent agreement with sharp features in the observed spectra. Moreover, simulated spectra based on the cluster results are in good agreement with experiment, accounting for all the observed features in the bond-stretch region of the spectra. The cluster results suggest a new interpretation for the 250 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ mode appearing in the spectra of Ge-rich samples in the ${\mathrm{Ge}}_{x}{\mathrm{S}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}$ family.
Malic Acid Degradation and Brined Cucumber Bloating

Bloater formation of brined cucumbers increased as more malic acid was degraded to CO2 and lactic acid. CO2 production by the brined cucumber, unrelated to malic acid degradation, was 12.5 mM. This was just sufficient to bring cucumbers to the point of bloating. CO2 from malic acid provided the marginal increase required to cause significant bloating. Fermentation with a strain of Lactobacillus plantarum, which did not degrade malic acid, prevented cucumber bloating. Oxygen exchange of cucumbers before brining increased the amount of CO2 required to initiate bloating damage by 8 mM. Nonmalic acid-degrading starter cultures and/or oxygen exchange may be useful alternatives to CO2 purging from brines to prevent bloater damage.
Simple offset assignment in presence of subword data

Many embedded architectures support indirect addressing mode with autoincrement/autodecrement. By maximizing the use of this mode, generation of explicit instructions for performing address arithmetic can be avoided and thus reductions in code size and improvements in performance are achieved. Bartley [2] and Liao et al. [16] developed a method for finding a storage layout for program variables so that the use of autoincrement/autodecrement could be maximized. They introduced the Simple Offset Assignment (SOA) problem and solved it using a Path Cover (PC) formulation.We observe that many media and network processing applications make extensive use of subword data. Therefore, for such applications, by packing multiple subword variables into a single word, we can generate storage layouts that further reduce the cost of address arithmetic in two ways. First the need for address arithmetic is reduced as variables that are packed together share the same address. Second opportunities for using autoincrement andautodecrement instructions are increased as layouts are now possible which place a variable adjacent to more than two variables. This approach has become feasible because of the recent trend in embedded processor design which allows subword variables that are packed together to be accessed and manipulated without incurring performance penalty. We introduce the SubWord Offset Assignment (SWOA) problem and solve it using a Path Cover with Node Coalescing (PCwNC) formulation. Node coalescing corresponds to packing of multiple subword variables into a single word while path covering corresponds to placement of variables in adjacent memory locations to enable the use of autoincrement/autodecrement. We present three heuristics to solve the PCwNC problem. Experiments show that when the program is optimized for code size, the three proposed algorithms achieve 26%, 26.9% and 32% reduction in the number of static explicit address arithmetic instructions over Liao et al.'s algorithm. The algorithms also achieve 14.5%, 22.1%and 22.7% reduction in stack frame size. If the program is optimized for performance, the algorithms achieve 24.3%, 24.7% and 30.2% reduction in the dynamic instruction count of explicit address arithmetic instructions.
Instabilities Produced in a Plasma by a Helical Proton Beam

Instabilities which result from an interaction between a cold plasma immersed in a magnetic field ${\mathbf{B}}_{0}$ and an assembly of protons gyrating around the magnetic lines of force (helical proton beam) are analyzed. The special case of transverse electromagnetic waves propagating in the direction parallel to that of ${\mathbf{B}}_{0}$ is considered and the instability produced by gyrating protons is compared with the instability produced by protons streaming in the direction of ${\mathbf{B}}_{0}$ (linear proton beam). Both a helical and a linear proton beam produce a multiple $P$ instability. There is, however, a difference in the relative rate of growth of the multiply excited $P$ waves. In a linear stream the dominant $P$ instability occurs at the lowest excited frequency, whereas in a helical beam it can occur at the highest excited frequency. Physical conditions under which different types of instability occur are discussed, with particular reference to the frequency ranges and growth rates of the excited waves.
Querying knowledge base systems with linguistic information via knowledge trees

We are interested in finding automated procedures for extracting information from knowledge bases which contain linguistic information. We use the concept of a possibility distribution to represent the information in a linguistic value. The theory of approximate reasoning is used to provide both a means for translating propositions into a machine-understandable form and a methodology for making inferences from this information. An algorithmic procedure consisting of the development of a knowledge tree and an evaluation procedure resulting in the desired information are presented. In this paper we restrict ourselves to answering questions about the value of a variable from a knowledge base consisting of simple data statements and implication statements.
Gender, Ethnicity, and Cumulative Disadvantage in Education Outcomes

Summary This paper studies the impact of gender and ethnicity on educational outcomes in Bolivia, Mexico, Peru, Senegal, and Sierra Leone, using the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series-International (IPUMS-I) database. Using an estimation method analogous to difference-in-differences, the paper finds that gender-based differences in literacy, primary school completion, and secondary school completion are larger for minority ethnic groups compared to others, or ethnicity-based differences are larger for women compared to men. The findings suggest that the intersection of gender and ethnicity confers cumulative disadvantage for minority groups, especially in Latin American countries, with implications on the design of development programs.
TOWARD A THEORY OF FORCING ON MAPS OF TREES

The "forcing" relation on patterns of invariant subsets of maps on the interval has proved to be a useful tool for studying the dynamics of interval maps. However, attempts to generalize this relation to more general spaces (such as trees) have met with difficulties. A new relation is introduced, which is well-defined for all continuous maps on any dendrite, is closely related to the forcing relation on the unit interval, and has at least some of the nice properties on trees which one would expect from a generalized forcing relation.
Reorganization and stabilization of acetylcholine receptor aggregates on rat myotubes.

Aggregation of acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) is an important early feature of the postsynaptic development of the vertebrate neuromuscular junction. At later stages of differentiation, aggregates are remodeled and stabilized. Aggregation of AChRs can be induced on rat myotubes in culture within 4 hr by treatment with embryonic pig brain extract (EBX). In this study, further sequential changes in the distribution of AChRs were followed by video-intensified fluorescence microscopy. These studies have revealed that groups of AChR aggregates that have formed after 4 hr in EBX are reorganized during the exposure to EBX for 20 additional hr to form a smaller number of larger, oval-shaped aggregates. We have named these two types of aggregates “4-hr aggregates” and “24-hr aggregates”. This reorganization occurs by the expansion and merging of individual aggregates within a group, and by the incorporation of newly inserted AChRs. The 24-hr aggregates are an average of 15 times greater in area than 4-hr aggregates, and contain regions with an apparent AChR site density (fluorescence intensity) that is more than twice that of 4-hr aggregates. Electron microscopy of mapped 24-hr aggregates revealed that folded plasma membrane is associated with these regions, probably accounting for the elevated fluorescence. The 24-hr aggregates are more stable than 4-hr aggregates, as determined by their significantly slower disassembly after removal of EBX, elevation of temperature (38°C), reduction of extracellular calcium levels (0.1 m M ), or the addition of sodium azide (7 m M ). This was determined by following disassembly both statistically (using fixed cultures) and by direct observations of living myotubes. These findings were confirmed by measuring the sequential changes in relative AChR site density over time in individual living myotubes. Thus, 24-hr aggregates form by the reorganization of 4-hr aggregates; exhibit a more regular, compact shape; and are more stable than 4-hr aggregates. These changes in AChR organization and aggregate stability resemble the changes occurring after the initial formation of junctional AChR aggregates during embryonic development, demonstrating additional similarities between this model system and the developing neuromuscular junction.
Hub Discovery in Partial Correlation Graphs

One of the most important problems in large-scale inference problems is the identification of variables that are highly dependent on several other variables. When dependence is measured by partial correlations, these variables identify those rows of the partial correlation matrix that have several entries with large magnitudes, i.e., hubs in the associated partial correlation graph. This paper develops theory and algorithms for discovering such hubs from a few observations of these variables. We introduce a hub screening framework in which the user specifies both a minimum (partial) correlation $\rho $ and a minimum degree $\delta $ to screen the vertices. The choice of $\rho $ and $\delta $ can be guided by our mathematical expressions for the phase transition correlation threshold $\rho _{c}$ governing the average number of discoveries. They can also be guided by our asymptotic expressions for familywise discovery rates under the assumption of large number $p$ of variables, fixed number $n$ of multivariate samples, and weak dependence. Under the null hypothesis that the dispersion (covariance) matrix is sparse, these limiting expressions can be used to enforce familywise error constraints and to rank the discoveries in order of increasing statistical significance. For $n\ll p$ , the computational complexity of the proposed partial correlation screening method is low and is therefore highly scalable. Thus, it can be applied to significantly larger problems than previous approaches. The theory is applied to discovering hubs in a high-dimensional gene microarray dataset.
Berries and human health: research highlights from the Fifth Biennial Berry Health Benefits Symposium

The fifth biennial Berry Health Benefits Symposium showcased recent research supporting the positive effects of berry consumption on human health and disease. Remarkably, the vast majority of oral papers covered data accumulated from in vivo studies, which underscores how berry health research has advanced since the inception of this symposium in 2005. Similar to the past, research presented at this meeting was primarily focused on the major commercially cultivated berries in North America, namely, blackberry, blueberry, black raspberry, cranberry, red raspberry, and strawberry. Despite this, on the basis of similar compositional chemistry, it is possible that similar biological effects may also be extended to other small soft-fleshed “berry-type” fruits popular in other parts of the world including Europe, Asia, and South America. Overall, this symposium continues to add to the growing body of data supporting the positive impact of berry fruit consumption on human health promotion and disease risk reduction.
Structural transformations of oligomeric intermediates in the fibrillation of the immunoglobulin light chain LEN.

LEN is a κIV immunoglobulin light chain variable domain from a patient suffering from multiple myeloma but with no evidence of amyloid fibrils. However, fibrils are formed when LEN solutions are agitated under mildly destabilizing conditions. Surprisingly, an inverse concentration dependence was observed on the kinetics of fibril formation because of the formation of off-pathway soluble oligomers at high protein concentration. Despite the fact that most of the protein is present in the off-pathway intermediates at relatively early times of aggregation, eventually all the protein forms fibrils. Thus, a structural rearrangement from the non fibril-prone off-pathway oligomers to a more fibril-prone species must occur. A variety of techniques were used to monitor changes in the size, secondary structure, solvent accessibility, and intrinsic stability of the oligomers, as a function of incubation time. The structural rearrangement was accompanied by a significant increase of disordered secondary structure, an ...
Acetate concentrations and oxidation in salt-marsh sediments

Acetate concentrations and rates of acetate oxidation and sulfate reduction were measured in Spartina alterniflora sediments in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Pore water extracted from cores by squeezing or centrifugation contained >0.1 mM acetate and in some instances >1.0 mM. Pore water sampled nondestructively contained much less acetate, often <0.01 mM. Acetate was associated with roots, and concentrations varied with changes in plant physiology. Acetate turnover was very low whether whole-core or slurry incubations were used. Radiotracers injected directly into soils yielded rates of sulfate reduction and acetate oxidation not significantly different from core incubation techniques. Regardless of incubation method, acetate oxidation did not account for a substantial percentage of sulfate reduction. These results differ markedly from data for unvegetated coastal sediments where acetate levels are low, oxidation rate constants are high, and acetate oxidation rates greatly exceed rates of sulfate reduction. The discrepancy between rates of acetate oxidation and sulfate reduction in these marsh soils may be due to the use of substrates other than acetate by sulfate reducers or to artifacts associated with measurements of organic use by rhizosphere bacteria.
Quantitative measurement of equine cytokine mRNA expression by polymerase chain reaction using target-specific standard curves

Quantification of cytokine mRNA using reverse transcription coupled with the polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has become a corner stone of the study of cytokine regulation. Quantitative competitive RT-PCR (QCRT-PCR) is commonly accepted as a reliable method for quantifying differences in mRNA levels but is both labor- and reagent-intensive. A noncompetitive polymerase chain reaction method that utilizes cytokine-specific, plasmid-derived, standard curves was developed for the quantification of equine cytokine mRNA. The assay can be performed on minute samples of cellular material, utilizes sequences identical to wild-type for the generation of standard curves, is technically facile, less reagent-and labor-intensive than competitive methods, easily accommodates high sample throughput without the use of radioactive labels, and generates replicate samples to allow statistical analysis of the data. We demonstrate the utility of the assay, which is easily adapted to any cloned mRNA sequence, using equine interleukin-10 (IL-10). Both IL-10 and beta-actin cDNA were amplified in triplicate PCR reactions from oligo-dT primed RT reactions. Dilutions of plasmid DNA encoding the respective sequence, equine IL-10 or beta-actin, were also amplified in triplicate reactions in the same run. Beta-actin cycling parameters were modified to maintain the amplification in its exponential phase by decreasing both cycle number and cDNA volume relative to the parameters used for cytokine amplification. Following amplification, aliquots of the PCR reactions were hybridized with sequence-specific tris (2,2'-bipyridine) ruthenium II chelate labeled oligonucleotide probes and quantified using the QPCR System 5000. Plasmid derived values were used to generate a standard curve for the interpolation of mRNA content in unknown cDNA samples. Beta-actin values were used to derive a factor for the relative normalization of differences among cDNA samples that are inherent in the RNA extraction and RT steps. This assay resolves at least 2-fold differences in message, is reproducible, and has a dynamic range on the order of 3 logs.
Dexmedetomidine and regulation of splenic sympathetic nerve discharge in aged F344 rats

Sedatives influence the immune system and centrally-acting alpha2-adrenergic receptor agonists, including Dexmedetomidine (Dex), modulate sympathetic nerve discharge (SND). Because sedatives are used under medical conditions that include elderly patients, and because advancing age attenuates SND responsivity to various interventions, we tested the hypothesis that splenic sympathoinhibitory responses to Dex would be attenuated in aged compared with young Fischer 344 rats. Dex-mediated reductions in splenic SND were similar in aged and young baroreceptor-intact and -denervated rats, indicating that SND changes to Dex administration occur in an age-independent manner. These findings provide new information regarding interactions between alpha2-adrenergic agonists, advanced age, and SND regulation.
Buzonamine, a new alkaloid from the defensive secretion of the millipede, Buzonium crassipes.

Abstract GC-MS analysis of the defensive secretion from the millipede Buzonium crassipes showed three volatile components, β -pinene (35%), limonene (6%) and a new alkaloid, buzonamine (59%). Buzonamine had an HRMS molecular ion at m/z =221.1785 (calculated for C 14 H 23 NO, 221.1781), 14 carbons in the 13 C -NMR and 23 hydrogens by SFORD, DEPT and APT experiments. All distinct 1 H nuclei were assigned to 13 C resonances with 2D 1 H – 13 C COSY data, and the final structure was determined by 1 H – 1 H COSY, 1 H – 13 C HMBC and nOe experiments. Buzonamine contains four rings including an epoxy group and a tertiary nitrogen. β -Pinene, limonene or buzonamine, kept the mound nesting ant, Formica obscuripes , from eating mealworms ( Tenebrio molitor ) treated with 1 mg of the chemical. A 150 mg millipede expels 4 mg of secretion.
Lyapunov Stability of pseudo Euler-Lagrange systems

This paper presents a systematic approach to find a Lyapunov function for stability analysis of pseudo Euler-Lagrange systems. There are two main contributions of this paper. First, a systematic procedure is proposed to obtain a Lyapunov function for the system directly from the mathematical structure of the differential equations, without the need to determine any kinetic or potential energy of the system first. Second, energy-based ideas used in Euler-Lagrange systems are extended to the case where generalized velocity variables are not necessarily the derivative of generalized position variables. The method proposed here works for any mathematical model in the class of pseudo Euler-Lagrange systems and is therefore not restricted to models of physical systems, having thus the potential to address economic, biologic and other systems. Several examples illustrate the application of the new approach.
Phosphorus sorption curves for evaluating phosphorus requirements of loblolly pine (pinus taeda)

Abstract Bray P2, Mehlich 1, and Mehlich 2 methods identified soils on which loblolly pine would respond to P fertilizer in a greenhouse study using six soils from the West Gulf Coastal Plain. The P extracted by any of the three methods did not correlate with growth on unfertilized soils or to the maximum amount of response when P was applied. Phosphorus sorption curves were used to estimate the amount of P in soil solution. The concentration of P in roots and tops was proportional to the log of the amount of P in solution. For 90% of maximum dry weight of loblolly seedlings, about 0.22 mg/liter of P in soil solution was necessary. The phosphorus sorption method has the potential of predicting the P requirements of loblolly pine, but field testing is necessary.
A Look into the World of Autism in Australia: Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect)

Receiving the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder can be frightening and overwhelming for a parent or caregiver. Finding a reliable source of information is a great relief. Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) provides readily available and detailed information and support for those seeking guidance. The web site offers educational materials, support group details, and information about local schools designed to meet the needs of persons with autism.
Interpersonal Needs of Japanese-American and Caucasian-American College Students in Hawaii

Summary Despite the rapid rate of acculturation of Hawaii's ethnic groups, personality differences still persist at the third-generation level. The present study focused on the interpersonal needs of Japanese-American and Caucasian-American college students in Hawaii. Schutz' FIRO-B was administered to 238 Ss, and the findings analyzed for both ethnic and sex differences. Ethnic differences were observed on the wanted control and expressed inclusion scales; sex differences were found on the expressed inclusion and expressed affection scales. Conceptualizations were presented to understand these differences.
Clinical Outcomes in Elderly Lung Transplant Recipients 70 Years and Older

Purpose Recipients in the lung transplant (LTx) population have been shifting towards a more “elderly group.” According to ISHLT database, LTx recipient age peaked at 50-59 years old and elderly population has been increasing over the past few decades whereas the younger population is declining. Currently over 25% of LTx recipients are over 60 years old. Methods and Materials We retrospectively reviewed our patients who underwent isolated lung transplantation from 2000 to 2011. A total of 492-patient’s data were examined by Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression model analysis, including sub-group analysis (≥70 vs the younger group). Results Of 492 patients, 51 were older than 70-yo (10.4%). In comparison with the younger group ( Conclusions LTx appears to be feasible in the elderly patient population >70 yo if careful selection (medical) criteria are used including preop functional scores. Once the patient is selected according to these criteria, age alone should not be a significant predictor of short and long term mortality.
On the Consequences of Muddling Through the Debt Crisis

‘The history of investment in South America throughout the last century has been one of confidence followed by disillusionment, of borrowing cycles followed by widespread defaults and of a series of alternating repudiations and recognitions of external debts…The ability of the most creditworthy governments to avoid default must necessarily be impaired if any considerable part of the nominal value of loans has not, in fact, been put to the use for which it was intended’—The Problem of International Investment, Report by a Study Group of Members of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, London (1937)
African American Stereotypes in Reality Television

In the early 1990s, reality television was a fledging type of voyeuristic television programming that was catching the attention of American viewers. Twenty years later, reality television is the format of choice for many traditional and cable networks. This study analyzes ten reality television shows airing in 2005 and 2008 to investigate whether producers cast participants who fit into traditional and new African American stereotypes. The analysis determined all ten shows had at least one participant who fit into stereotypical characters, including the angry black woman, hoochie, hood rat, homo thug, sambo, and coon.
The incidence of emboli during cardiac surgery: A histopathologic analysis of 2297 patients

Objective: Manipulation of the atherosclerotic aorta during cardiac surgery is assumed to cause embolization, which can contribute to adverse outcomes. Recently, as a result of worldwide trials deploying the Embol-X intraaortic filter during cardiac surgery, such emboli were captured and processed for histopathologic analysis. Methods: Filters with a pore size of 120 microns were placed in 2297 patients who underwent the following operations: coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) (70%), valve (17%), combination CABG/valve (11%), and other (2%). Results: The filters captured at least one embolus in 98% of the patients. An average of 8.3 particles was captured per filter (range of 0-74). The surface area of the emboli was on an average 5.8 mm 2 (range of 0-188 mm 2 ). Histologic analysis of the captured particles indicated that in 79% of the filters fibrous atheromata were noted, in 44% there were platelets and fibrin, 8% had red blood cell thrombus, 3% had fibro-fatty/adventitial tissue, 2% had other material including cartilage, myocardium, lung, suture, and a teflon pledget. Of the patients enrolled, 1569 were high-risk. The average number of particles captured in the high-risk patients was 8.5 versus 5.8 for the low- to moderate-risk patients (P 2 , P Conclusion: These data show the ubiquitous incidence of emboli during cardiac procedures. Intraaortic filtration should reduce adverse outcomes as was demonstrated for the high-risk patients in this study. Aortic manipulation during cardiac surgery can cause embolization and increase morbidity. The use of an intraaortic filter can decrease the embolic burden. We now report the histopathologic analysis of these emboli.
Human blood-group MN and precursor specificities: structural and biological aspects.

Abstract The human blood-group MM and NN antigens carry 2 to 4 immunodominant groupings per repeating subunit and differ only by one sialic acid residue per immunodominant group. This residue covers in the MM antigen the β- D -galactopyranosyl group that is terminal in the N immunodominant structure and that, together with a terminal α-linked N -acetylneuraminic acid residue, is responsible for N specificity. M specificity was readily converted into N specificity by mild acid treatment. N structure is the immediate biochemical precursor of M structure, and M and N antigenic specificities are not determined by two allelic genes as believed hitherto. The NN antigen was inactivated by β- D -galactosidase as well as by removal of N -acetylneuraminic acid. Some of the reactivities of the NN antigen, lost upon β- D -galactosidase treatment, reappeared on subsequent partial N -acetylneuraminic acid removal. The structure uncovered by complete sialic acid depletion of MN antigens is the Thomsen—Friedenreich T antigen, the specificity of which is determined by β- D -galactopyranosyl groups. β- D -Galactosidase treatment transformed the T antigen into one possessing Tn activity. The significance of blood-group MN active substances extends to human breast cancer, where MN antigens were found in benign and malignant glands, but some of their precursors in cancerous tissue only.
A multidimensional conceptualization of party identification

The standard treatment of party identification makes several untested assumptions, especially that citizens can identify with only a single party and that political independence is just the opposite of partisanship. A more general possibility is that several attitudes must be taken into account: attitudes toward the Republican party, the Democratic party, political independence, and political parties generally. A literal reading of the usual party identification is consistent with this multidimensional interpretation. Citizen ratings of the two parties turn out to be virtually uncorrelated, as are ratings of independence and political parties, confirming this multidimensional view. Strength of identification and strength of independence are separate in this model, which explains some of the anomalies in the current literature, including intransitivities in relationships with other variables and weak correlations involving independence. New questions included in the 1980 CPS National Election Study support this interpretation and provide a new understanding of political independence.
What is going on with Wilson quarks at high temperature

We present results of a series of simulations of high temperature QCD with two flovors of Wilson quarks, using four and six time slices. With four time sslices the thermal crossover or transition gets steeper with increasing κ until about κ≈0.19, and then becomes less steep as κ increases further. Several observables are studied in detail to explore the nature of the high temperature phase. With six time slices we find strong metastability with hot and cold starts at κ=0.17, 0.18 and 0.19. At κ=0.17 and 0.18 the plaquette, ψψ and the Polyakov loop all have very different values with the hot and cold starts, while at κ=0.19 the plaquette and ψψ have different values but the Polyakov loop is small for both hot and cold starts.
Effect of Varying Alfalfa Hay–Concentrate Ratios in a Pelleted Ration for Dairy Cows

Summary Pellets containing finely ground alfalfa hay and a grain-type concentrate in various ratios depressed butterfat production below normal. The effect was more marked when the rations contained 30 and 45% of concentrates than when no concentrate or when only 15% was used. The increased energy intakes associated with the higher levels of concentrate feeding were not reflected in increases of energy output as measured by 4% fat-corrected milk, apparently due to lower fat production. Live weight gains were not influenced by differences in energy intake. The health and condition of the cows appeared to be satisfactory during the relatively long period (175 days) of feeding only pellets.
1.9 Mb microdeletion of 21q22.11 within Braddock–Carey contiguous gene deletion syndrome region: Dissecting the phenotype

Braddock-Carey syndrome is characterized by Pierre Robin sequence, agenesis of the corpus callosum, facial dysmorphisms, developmental delay, and congenital thrombocytopenia. Recently, Braddock-Carey syndrome was demonstrated to be caused by chromosomal microdeletion in 21q22 including the RUNX1 gene, whose haploinsufficiency is responsible for thrombocytopenia phenotype. Therefore, the syndrome has emerged as a contiguous gene deletion syndrome. Here, we describe an infant with Pierre Robin sequence, facial anomalies, congenital heart defects, hypotonia, and the absence of thrombocytopenia, who was found to have a 1.9 Mb microdeletion within the Braddock-Carey contiguous deletion syndrome region. This deletion spares the RUNX1 gene, narrowing the genomic region responsible for a part of the Braddock-Carey syndrome phenotype. Further studies are awaited to understand the role of the genes located within 21q22 in the pathogenesis of Braddock-Carey syndrome.