cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Outcomes in Velopharyngeal Dysfunction Treatment: Comparing Two Approaches for Pharyngeal Flaps.

BACKGROUND The most common surgical intervention to treat velopharyngeal dysfunction in the US is the posterior pharyngeal flap (PPF). In this retrospective study, the authors compare surgical and speech outcomes across 2 PPF surgical approaches: the palatal split (PS) and fish mouth (FM) techniques. METHODS An Institutional Review Board approved retrospective chart review was performed for PPF cases performed by a single surgeon between 2008 and 2016. Overall, 40 patients received the PS technique and 47 received the FM technique. Age at surgery, operative length, length of stay (LOS), revisional surgery, and pain medication administration were measured. Speech outcomes were measured based on the Universal Parameters for Reporting Speech Outcomes and included Speech Language Pathologist ratings of hypo- and hypernasality, speech acceptability, and audible nasal emission. Two sample t-tests and multivariable-mixed effects logistic regression were used to analyze the data. RESULTS Comparing the 2 groups (PS versus FM), there were statistically significant differences among the operative approaches across multiple measures: LOS (32.86 hours versus 26.20 hours, P = 0.01), acetaminophen use (1523.54 mg versus 805.74 mg, P = 0.01), revisional surgery rate (17.5% versus 2.10%, P = 0.02), and degree of postoperative hypernasality (0.61 versus 0.29, P = 0.03). Syndromic patients were more likely to receive the FM technique (PS: 15% versus FM: 29.8%; P = 0.05). The odds ratio for revision surgery with the FM technique was -2.32 (CI: -4.32 to -0.35, P = .04). CONCLUSIONS In this study, the FM technique offered a shorter LOS, lower revision rate, less acetaminophen administration, and more favorable speech outcomes when compared to the PS technique.
Introduction: An overview of NIMH (Klecany, CZ) scientific activities.

Abstract An overview of research activities of National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Klecany, Czech republic. The institute was funded by EU operational project Research and Development for Innovation and started working in 2015. NIMH activities are organized in eight research programs including the neurobiology of the serious mental disorders, social psychiatry, brain imaging and use of information technologies in psychiatric research, epidemiology of addictions, sleep laboratory and chronobiology, electrophysiology, clinical research, and transfer of technologies. The equipment and expertise ranks NIMH Klecany among top neuroscience research institutions in central and eastern Europe.
Another Marx: Early Manuscripts to the International: Marcello Musto, trans. Patrick Camiller (London: Bloomsbury, 2018, 272 pp., $35.95)

Any author of a book on Marx at the time of the second centenary (1818–2018) should know to provide some justification for it. Perhaps anticipating a crowded field, Gareth Stedman Jones arrived ear...
The Return of the Legend: Anatoly Kashpirovsky’s Treatment of COVID-19

The tensions between western scientific and alternative medicine become more palpable during times of uncertainty. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a period of confusion, evoking mistrust of conventional medicine, which has been unable to fully protect people from this new disease. Gis situation has compelled some to seek help and comfort elsewhere. This article demonstrates how people in post-Soviet countries and post-Soviet diasporic communities resurrected their faith and trust in Anatoly Kashpirovsky, a legendary psychotherapist and charismatic leader who first rose to prominence in the USSR in the 1980-90s. On the basis of digital fieldwork conducted during the lockdown, I showcase how Kashpirovsky once again became popular in 2020 at a moment of global economic, social and political instability. While Kashpirovsky’s audience finds comfort in his professional training and medical experience, his YouTube “health sessions” offer treatments for COVID-19 that relegate him to the realm of folk healer, magician, or psychic.
Late-Stage Textualism

In its modern form, textualism promised careful attention to interpretive context. Such attention would allow textualism to be less ‘wooden’ than its earlier manifestations and so to avoid the embarrassing ‘contradictions’ of the sort highlighted by Karl Llewellyn’s table of ‘dueling’ interpretive canons. Avoiding that sort of embarrassment, though, required that textualists be more modest about the determinacy of statutory meaning. To make their method of interpretation less wooden, after all, was to make it more nuanced and, accordingly, to make it more vulnerable to reasonable disagreement about its application in individual cases. To back away from the ‘foolish pretense’ of statutory determinacy was awkward in a legal environment disfavoring the open exercise of judicial discretion, and all the more so for proponents of an interpretive methodology grounded so explicitly in a commitment to democratic self-rule. To the extent that it did, modern textualism was able to incorporate a more Realist understanding of legal determinacy because it also contained a (concededly modest) commitment to judicial non-intervention. That commitment is, however, now mostly gone. Seemingly motivated by a desire to accumulate power to a now firmly conservative judiciary, a combination of interpretive methodological conversions and new judicial appointments has yielded a federal judiciary committed not only to textualism but also to deciding the cases before them on the basis of 'independent' judicial judgment. And because the legal environment continues to disfavor the open exercise of judicial discretion -- and understandably so, given judges’ comparative lack of democratic legitimacy -- the result has been increasingly wooden analysis, giving new and unfortunate relevance to Llewellyn’s near-century old critique.
Treatment of “Not-Just-Right Experiences” in Childhood Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Historically, treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has focused on anxiety regarding the potential of something bad happening. Therefore, cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT) for OCD have emphasized altering the perceived connection between intrusions and performing a compulsion aimed at preventing the negative outcome and reducing anxiety. However, there is increasing recognition that some OCD symptoms are not related to anxiety regarding negative outcomes, but are motivated by a desire to reduce a sensation that things are incomplete or not just right. Thischapter presents the case of a 9-year-old girl with OCD related to both harm avoidance and not-just-right experiences (NJREs). Discussion of her NJRE-related symptoms is emphasized. Initial experiences suggest that patients with NJRE-related symptoms can benefit from CBT when the NJREs are recognized and incorporated into the case conceptualization and treatment.
Zechstein Anhydrites NW of the Holy Cross Mts. (Upper Permian, central Poland): facies and palaeogeography

The facies variety of the sulphate deposits in the Zechstein of the Holy Cross Mts. reflects distinct sedimentary conditions in the peripheral part of the evaporitic basin. where the cyclic sedimentation of PZl, PZ2, PZ3, and PZ4 was largely affected by input of terrigenous material. In this area two sectors, southern and northern, may be distinguished on the basis of facies zonation. During the evaporite sedimentation, a major area north-west of the Holy Cross Mts. was exposed and affected by intense denudation at low sea level stands. In the marginal zone, evaporites are lacking and their facies equivalents are siliciclastic deposits. Palaeogeographic and facies patterns were controlled mainly by climatic and tectonic factors.
Insuring Long-Term Care

Paying for long-term care has become a major problem for older people, their families, and society and will be an increasingly serious problem in the future. With increased longevity, many more people face a period of serious disability in old age. Most are cared for informally by relatives and friends, albeit often at great emotional and sometimes financial cost. When the disabled elderly and their families seek more formal home care or nursing home services, they find, often to their surprise and dismay, that long-term care is not covered to any significant extent by Medicare or private insurance. Frequently nursing home patients must use their entire life savings to pay for their care, and once totally impoverished, they must depend on Medicaid, a severely means-tested welfare program.
Explicit word error minimization in N-Best list rescoring

We show that the standard hypothesis scoring paradigm used in maximum-likelihood-based speech recognition systems is not optimal with regard to minimizing the word error rate, the commonly used performance metric in speech recognition. This can lead to sub-optimal performance, especially in high-error-rate environments where word error and sentence error are not necessarily monotonically related. To address this discrepancy, we developed a new algorithm that explicitly minimizes expected word error for recognition hypotheses. First, we approximate the posterior hypothesis probabilities using N-best lists. We then compute the expected word error for each hypothesis with respect to the posterior distribution, and choose the hypothesis with the lowest error. Experiments show improved recognition rates on two spontaneous speech corpora.
Tracing Lines of Meaning: A Course Redesign for Dance Pedagogy

ABSTRACT The 21st-century dance milieu demands that a dancer possess a highly diverse skill set, including effective teaching skills and a broader appreciation of a pedagogical orientation. It is vital that in preparing dance educators, we create opportunities for students to reflect on their dance learning histories and consequential beliefs about teaching, and that we use this and other strategies to open meaningful windows into self, others, and the course content. Focusing on practice, this article documents my efforts to redesign a more potent dance pedagogy course from a topic-centered design to one that is centered on meaningful experiences. In this explication, I outline Fink's Taxonomy of Significant Learning, an effective guide in this redesign process. Finally, I detail a sample assignment from this new course, a digital story project, which calls on prior beliefs about teaching and also evidences technology's potential role in facilitating meaningful learning.
Inherited Diseases of Intermediary Metabolism: Molecular Basis

Inherited abnormalities in the complex pathways of carbohydrate, amino and organic acids and lipids lead to the inborn errors of metabolism. A variety of genetic aberrations lead to single or multiple protein/enzyme defects at the translational, post-translational and organelle targeting levels that lead to the disease biochemistry and clinical manifestations. Keywords: intermediary metabolism; genetics; lysosome; gene therapy
Studies of mammalian glucoside conjugation.

The mammalian glucoside-conjugation pathway was studied by using p-nitrophenol as the model substrate and mouse liver microsomal preparations as the source of enzyme. The microsomal preparations supplemented with UDP-glucose glucosylated p-nitrophenol; p-nitrophenyl glucoside was identified by chromatography in six solvent systems. The unsolubilized glucosyltransferase of fresh microsomal preparations did not follow the usual Michaelis–Menten kinetics and was easily inhibited by many steroids. All the steroids tested inhibited glucosylation of p-nitrophenol to a greater degree than glucuronidation of p-nitrophenol when assayed in the same microsomal preparations. The steroids inhibited glucosylation with the following decreasing effectiveness: pregnan-3α-ol-20β-one (3α-hydroxypregnan-20-β-one)>oestradiol-17β 3-methyl ether>oestradiol-17β>oestriol>pregnane-3α,20β-diol>oestrone. Pregnan-3α-ol-20β-one, pregnane-3α,20β-diol and oestrone had negligible effect on glucuronidation.
Lignans from Larrea divaricata

Abstract A phytochemical reinvestigation of the phenolics of Larrea divaricata led to the isolation and characterization of dihydroguaiaretic acid, norisoguaiacin, and 3'-demethoxyisoguaiacin. Partially demethylated dihydroguaiaretic acid was detected via the use of partially demethylated dihydroguaiaretic acid synthesized from dihydroguaiaretic acid. Techniques are given for the preparation of norisoguaiacin, dihydroguaiaretic acid, and nordihydroguaiaretic acid. Sodium molybdate complexes were used to effect the isolation and preparation of norisoguaiacin. Some biological properties of the phenolic compounds studied are given.
Association of higher levels of serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein and N-telopeptide crosslinks with the development of radiographic hip osteoarthritis in elderly women

Objective To examine the association of baseline concentrations of serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) and serum N-telopeptide crosslinks (NTX) with the development and progression of radiographic hip osteoarthritis (RHOA) in elderly women. Methods Pelvic radiographs were obtained a mean of 8.3 years apart from white women ≥65 years of age enrolled in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. Random sampling from a cohort of 5,928 subjects was performed, with subjects (∼200 per group) assigned to nested case–control studies, one focusing on RHOA incidence and the other on RHOA progression. Baseline serum levels of COMP and NTX were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in duplicate. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), indicating the likelihood of baseline serum COMP and NTX levels to be predictive of the development or progression of RHOA, were calculated using logistic regression analysis, with adjustment for potential covariates. Results At baseline, incident cases of RHOA were associated with higher serum levels of COMP and NTX (P < 0.05 for each) compared with the no RHOA control group. Higher baseline serum COMP and NTX levels were associated with an increased risk of incident RHOA compared with the no RHOA group, with an adjusted OR of 1.31 per SD increase in COMP (95% CI 1.02–1.68) and adjusted OR of 1.38 per SD increase in NTX (95% CI 1.07–1.79). In this community-based cohort, progression of RHOA was modest. However, there was a trend toward increased risk of RHOA progression with higher baseline COMP and NTX levels. Conclusion These data suggest that serum levels of COMP and NTX are modest risk markers for the development of RHOA in a community-based cohort of elderly white women.
Inhibition of trypsin by deoxyribonucleic acid.

Abstract The inhibition of tryptic activity by purified calf-thymus DNA was studied. Hofstee's observation of an instantaneous salt-reversible inhibition of trypsin by DNA was confirmed, and the enhancement of irreversible autolysis of trypsin by DNA at alkaline pH was observed. Characteristics of these two reactions indicated that the instantaneous inhibitory reaction was stoichiometric and resulted from the formation of a trypsin-DNA complex having less tryptic activity than free trypsin. This complex appeared to be less inhibitory at alkaline pH or in the presence of higher concentrations of tosyl- l -arginine methyl ester-HCl substrate. At alkaline pH, however, the trypsin-DNA complex caused enhancement of irreversible autolysis of trypsin. Both effects of DNA upon trypsin were prevented by similar elevations of ionic strength.
Spectroscopic characterization of the 4-hydroxy catechol estrogen quinones-derived GSH and N-acetylated Cys conjugates.

Estrogens, including the natural hormones estrone (E1) and estradiol (E2), are thought to be involved in tumor induction. Specifically, catechol estrogen quinones (CEQs) derived from the catechol estrogens 4-hydroxyestrone (4-OHE1) and 4-hydroxyestradiol (4-OHE2) react with DNA and form DNA adducts (Cavalieri, E. L., et al. (1997) Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 94, 10037). CEQs are also conjugated with GSH, a reaction that prevents damage to DNA, providing biomarkers of exposure to CEQs. Current detection limits for these analytes by HPLC with multichannel electrochemical detection are in the picomole range (Devanesan, P., et al. (2001) Carcinogenesis 22, 489). To improve the detection limit of CEQ-derived conjugates, spectrophotometric monitoring was investigated. Fluorescence and/or phosphorescence spectra of the 4-OHE1, 4-OHE2, Cys, N-acetylcysteine (NAcCys), 4-OHE1-2-SG, and 4-OHE2-2-SG conjugates and their decomposition products 4-OHE1-2-NAcCys and 4-OHE2-2-NAcCys were obtained at 300 and 77 K. It is s...
Effects of various stress factors on heat tolerance by Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and Steinernema carpocapsae

Centrifugation, desiccation, agitation, and handling of entomopathogenic nematodes in the laboratory during isolation, culture, storage, formulation and experimentation, influences nematode ability to tolerate adverse environmental conditions. Stress imposed by centrifugation (5-60 min), desiccation (3-9 days), agitation (3-24 h), and handling (2-10 times) reduced stress and heat tolerance in Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and Steinernema carpocapsae. Short durations of stresses (e.g., 5 min of centrifugation, 3-5 days of desiccation, 3 h of agitation and 2-4 times of handling) did not affect nematodes, whereas prolonged durations (e. g., 10-60 min of centrifugation, 7-9 days of desiccation, 6-24 h of agitation and 6-10 times of handling) significantly decreased heat tolerance. Steinernema carpocapsae tolerated stress comparatively better than H. bacteriophora by showing a significantly greater degree of heat tolerance. This study provides a basis to investigate further the effects of physical and chemical stresses in order to minimise handling of laboratory nematodes and reduce disruptions of their normal function and behaviour.
IV. `Hellman presents no shortcut solutions to the DES¿

Prof. Martin Hellman presents no shortcut solutions to the Data Encryption Standard; the time-memory tradeoff is just one of many key-message exhaustion techniques. Therefore when he says, ?DES is only marginally secure today and will be totally insecure within ten years,? he is totally wrong.
Multiple bonding modes exhibited by heteroscorpionate N2S(alkylthiolate) ligands with Zn(II) and Fe(II)

Abstract Two related heteroscorpionate N2S(thiolate) ligands L1 and L2 have been employed in the synthesis of new zinc(II) and iron(II) complexes. These ligands contain two imidazolyl donors and one alkylthiolate donor connected by a central carbon atom. The ligand L1 was reacted with ZnBr2 to give the trinuclear zinc complex [(L1)3Zn3Br2]Br (1). The X-ray structure of 1 reveals one of the zinc ions to be coordinated by two L1 ligands in a tripodal arrangement resulting in a distorted octahedral geometry, while the other two zinc ions are both held in a distorted tetrahedral geometry and are coordinated to another molecule of L1 in an unusual tridentate, multibridging coordination mode. Modification of L1 to include phenyl substituents on the imidazole groups leads to L2, and these substituents cause quite a different result to be obtained in the reaction with ZnBr2. The combination of L2 and ZnBr2 leads to the dimeric zinc complex (L2)2Zn2Br2, (2). Characterization of 2 by X-ray diffraction shows this complex to be a dimer with a central Zn2(μ-SR)2 rhomb. Each zinc ion is found in a distorted tetrahedral geometry coordinated by L2 in a bidentate, N,S fashion. The 1H NMR spectrum of 2 provides strong evidence this structure is retained in solution. In comparison, reaction of L2 with FeCl2 leads to the monomeric complex (L2)2FeII (3), which has each ligand coordinated in the same bidentate, N,S bonding mode. Interestingly, the methoxy groups of the two ligands in 3 are close enough to the iron center for a possible bonding interaction, suggesting an unexpected N2O coordination mode.
Unrestricted Hartree—Fock Calculations on Linear‐Atomic‐Chain Models Yielding the ``Surface'' (End) States

Restricted and unrestricted Hartree—Fock methods have been applied to the study of the properties of the Tamm and Shockley surface states. Linear polyenic chains were chosen as models and the PPP‐type semi‐empirical method used. The SPO (spin‐polarized orbital) results on Tamm surface states and their physical interpretations are discussed. Further, the radical—or polyradical—character of atomic chains yielding the Shockley surface states was obtained and is discussed. Possible implications for the surfaces of real semiconductor crystals and their geometry are suggested.
The oral glucose tolerance test: a comparison of the time points on the basis of limit values, normal dispersion, and reproducibility.

Time points in the glucose tolerance test (GTT) are compared on the basis of limit values, dispersion within a reference population, and reproducibility. We suggest using the distance between a limit value and the median reference value as a measure of the magnitude of abnormality. The distance between 140 mg/100 ml and the median fasting plasma glucose value is chosen as a standard distance and limits for other points in the GTT are calculated to equal this standard distance of abnormality. We suggest that the probability of correctly interpreting an inividual result is directly related to the reproducibility of the test and inversely related to the percentage of the total range of values which is dispersed among the normal population. The ratio of reproducibility to percentage normal dispersion is proposed as an index of the probability of correctly interpreting an individual result. According to this index, the probability of correct interpretation varies in order: fasting plasma glucose concentration>3-h>2-h>0.5-h>1-h plasma glucose concentration.
Nonlinear Functionals of Multi-D Discrete Velocity Boltzmann Equations

In this paper, we study nonlinear functionals measuring potential interactions and L 1-distance between two mild solutions for the multi-dimensional discrete velocity Boltzmann equations when the initial data are a small perturbation of a vacuum. We employ Bony's dispersion estimates to show that these functionals satisfy Lyapunov type estimates which are useful for the study of time-asymptotics and L 1-stability of mild solutions.
The ordeal of democracy

Abstract The conundrum of democracy involves a complex reality of people's participation in self-government. This implies a sense of values, responsibility and commitment against the persistence of atavistic chimeras that thwart equality, justice and freedom -the three pillars of human dignity. Today democracy is challenged on its own turf; its strengths - self-determination, majority rule, and unrestrained liberty - seem to undermine its vitality. The paradox of democratic experience in a developing nation like India has far-reaching global ramifications. This article briefly critiques India's post-independence ordeal as a democratic nation.
Stigma, AIDS and quality of nursing care: state of the science.

Reports of fear and psychological distress on the part of nurses when caring for AIDS patients have drawn attention to the real possibility that care for this very sick group of patients may be less than adequate This paper reviews what is currently known about the attitudes of nurses and the care provided to HIV-infected individuals The authors reveal the paucity of empirical data concerning quality of care and how the concept of stima might serve to aid our understanding The need for more research documenting the quality of care provided to HIV-infected patients is discussed
A phase transformation in lead-bismuth alloys induced by high pressure

Abstract High-pressure experiments on BiPb alloys are reported. X-ray diffraction results show that the high-pressure modification (at 16 kbar) of a BiPb alloy formed at a composition of approximately 37 at.% lead has a double hexagonal close-packed (La-type) structure. Electrical resistivity and specific volume discontinuities were observed at the transformation pressure.
A measured look at ocean chlorophyll trends

Arising from D. G. Boyce, M. R. Lewis & B. Worm , 591–596 (2010)10.1038/nature09268 ; Boyce et al. reply Identifying major changes in global ecosystem properties is essential to improve our understanding of biological responses to climate forcing and exploitation. Recently, Boyce et al.1 reported an alarming, century-long decline in marine phytoplankton biomass of 1% per year, which would imply major changes in ocean circulation, ecosystem processes and biogeochemical cycling over the period and have significant implications for management of marine fisheries. Closer examination reveals that time-dependent changes in sampling methodology combined with a consistent bias in the relationship between in situ and transparency-derived chlorophyll (Chl) measurements generate a spurious trend in the synthesis of phytoplankton estimates used by Boyce et al.1. Our results indicate that much, if not all, of the century-long decline reported by Boyce et al.1 is attributable to this temporal sampling bias and not to a global decrease in phytoplankton biomass.
Investigations-of Ground Currents and Potentials Near EHV DC Installations

Two test circuits utilizing alternating current transmission lines for conduction of direct current between electrodes are described. The earth was used as the return path. Both circuits were from the Hoover Powerplant area, one southwest toward Baker and the other south toward Needles, Calif. Potential gradients near the proposed site of the Mead terminal of the Pacific Northwest-Pacific Southwest Intertie are discussed at length. Neutral currents in numerous transformer banks, both transient and steady state are reported. Oscillograms are included which show the effect of separation of dc electrode and ac ground mat. Some data are included from similar earlier tests and comparisons made as to ground resistivity, potential gradients, etc. Test currents were on the order of 400-500 amperes with occasional values in the 600 ampere range.
Propionibacterium acnes: interaction with complement and development of an enzyme-linked immunoassay for the detection of antibody.

Objective To characterize the immune response to Propionibacterium acnes in acne patients. Design Comparison of serologic responses in acne and normal patients using counterimmunoelectrophoresis for antibody and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody. Setting The serum of acne and nonacne patients from the Dermatology Clinic at the Medical College of Ohio was utilized for analysis. Results Using counterimmunoelectrophoresis, antibody was detected in 13 of 20 acne patients. The antigen was detectable as an anion in the barbital buffer at pH 8.2, strongly suggesting a carbohydrate component. By ELISA, the antibody proved to be IgG, and the bacteria and its water-soluble fractions were capable of fixing complement. Conclusions The primary instigator of inflammation in acne vulgaris is an immunologic reaction to extracellular products of P. acnes. The immunologic response involves both humoral and cell-mediated pathways. The antibodies to P. acnes have not been characterized fully, although they are largely of the IgG class. We have further characterized the dominant antigen to have a carbohydrate component.
Utilizing student affairs professionals to enhance student and faculty experiences and mitigate risk in short-term, faculty-led study abroad programs

Purpose – This paper aims to discuss the use of student affairs professionals in short-term, faculty-led study abroad programs to enhance student experiences, support faculty by taking over the “student support” role, and manage risk. Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual paper that introduces the value that student affairs professionals can bring to the study abroad context. A short case study is embedded. Findings – Although conceptual, this paper identifies the benefits of a partnership between student affairs and academic affairs in the study abroad context. Research limitations/implications – This paper is not empirical. Practical implications – The practical implications of using student affairs professionals in the study abroad context include enhanced student experiences through both pre-departure preparation and ongoing reflection, increased support for faculty which may result in less faculty burnout and stress, and additional staff to help mitigate and manage risk. Originality/valu...
Factors influencing Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression of gusA in rice

Transient expression of GUS in rice (Oryza sativa L.) mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens was characterized using binary vectors containing gusA genes that express minimal (pKIWI105 and pCNL1) or no (p35S-GUS-INT and pCNL56) GUS activity in bacteria. Four-day old seedlings obtained from seeds or immature embryos of rice were cut into shoot, root, and seed remnants and inoculated with various strains of A. tumefaciens. Transient GUS expression events were quantitated histochemically by determining the frequency of explants exhibiting blue spots indicative of GUS at four to six days after cocultivation with A. tumefaciens. A. tumefaciens strains that did not contain the gusA gene (At643) or a Ti-plasmid (At563 and At657) did not elicit any blue staining characteristic of GUS activity. Several parameters were important in obtaining efficient transient expression of GUS in rice mediated by A. tumefaciens. The growth regulator 2,4-D inhibited GUS expression if present during the seed germination period, but the presence of 6 mg/l 2,4-D during cocultivation of the explants with A. tumefaciens slightly enhanced GUS expression efficiency. All 21 rice cultivars tested expressed GUS after co-cultivation with A. tumefaciens. The GUS expression frequency was highest amongst the indica cultivars. The frequencies of GUS expression in japonica cultivars and in Oryza glaberrima cultivars (grown primarily in Africa) were generally one-half to one-third the level found for indica varieties. Leaf explants were more susceptible to A. tumefaciens-facilitated GUS expression than were roots or seed remnants. The vir genes of an agropine-type Ti-plasmid of A. tumefaciens were most effective in directing transient GUS expression in rice, whereas those of a nopaline-type and an octopine-type plasmid were less effective. We have also found that the frequency of transient expression of GUS was higher with pBIN19 as the precursor cloning vector than with pEND4K as the precursor cloning vector. Reasons for differences in effectiveness of these binary vectors are discussed. Using the conditions described here, A. tumefaciens-mediated frequencies of transient GUS expression in four-day old shoots of several rice cultivars were routinely in excess of 50%.
EFFECTS OF ION CHANNEL ACTIVITY ON DEVELOPMENT OF DORSAL ROOT GANGLION NEURONS

Studies of mouse dorsal root ganglion neurons in vitro demonstrate that ion channel function and regulation can influence a wide range of developmental processes. The work suggests that much as exposure to different trophic factors, the pattern of impulse activity a neuron experiences can have significant structural and functional effects during development. Studies concerning effects of ion channel activity on growth cone motility, axon fasciculation, synaptic plasticity, myelination, and intracellular signaling pathways regulating gene expression are presented in the context of changes in endogenous firing patterns during development.
Experimental priapism is associated with increased oxidative stress and activation of protein degradation pathways in corporal tissue.

Experimental priapism is associated with increased oxidative stress and activation of protein degradation pathways in corporal tissue
Starting from Scratch on Perpetual Access

When library staff resources are limited, administering post-cancellation access to electronic journal content can often be neglected when other demands of managing electronic resources take priority. Difficulties handling perpetual access include determining access rights from publishers’ license terms, verifying the paid content to which the library is entitled, and retaining access when a journal is transferred to a new publisher. Libraries can utilize their existing electronic resources management tools to develop staff workflows for perpetual access entitlements. This article is based on a presentation given at the Mississippi State University Libraries eResource & Emerging Technologies Summit on August 3, 2012.
Tissue-specific and time-dependent regulation of the endothelin axis by the circadian clock protein Per1.

Aims The present study is designed to consider a role for the circadian clock protein Per1 in the regulation of the endothelin axis in mouse kidney, lung, liver and heart. Renal endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a regulator of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) and blood pressure (BP), via activation of both endothelin receptors, ETA and ETB. However, ET-1 mediates many complex events in other tissues.
The Contributions of Systems Science to the Development of the Decision Support System Subspecialties: An Empirical Investigation.

This is a comprehensive study that, by means of an empirical assessment of the decision support systems (DSS) literature over the past 23 years (1971–1993), systematically identifies the DSS reference disciplines and traces how concepts and findings by systems researchers have been picked up by DSS researchers to be applied, extended and refined in the development of DSS research subspecialties. Cluster analysis was applied to an author cocitation frequency matrix derived from a comprehensive database of the DSS literature to uncover 12 clusters consisting of six major areas of DSS research (foundations, group DSS, model management, user interfaces, implementation and multicriteria DSS) and six contributing disciplines (multiple-criteria, decision-making, cognitive science organization science, artificial intelligence, group decision-making and systems science). This study concludes that systems scientists have made important contributions to the development of foundational concepts, implementation, user interface, model management and group decision support systems. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Doable General Equilibrium Models: Discussion

One of the primary deterrents to the use of CGE analysis is the necessity for a complete set of base period accounts for the economy. The quality of this data base is critical to the CGE exercise because the initial cost and expenditure shares derived from it are just as important as elasticities of substitution in determining simulated price, output, and income effects. As a major producer and user of CGE models, the World Bank (along with others in the development field) has done a lot to promote methods for implementing such national accounts. In particular, the social accounting matrix (SAM) format discussed by Adelman and Robinson is becoming quite standard in the development literature. This stands in sharp contrast to efforts in the United States, where CGE accounting frameworks vary from one researcher to another, making comparison, replication, and establishment of a common data base far more difficult.
Changes in ECS-induced retrograde amnesia with DBMC: Behavioral and biochemical correlates of brain serotonin antagonism

Abstract Mice treated with dimethoxy-aminoethyl-N-benzyl-M-methoxy-cinnamide hydrochloride (DBMC) 1 hr prior to being given a single conditioning trial showed a reduced incidence of retrograde amnesia induced by electroshock given following conditioning. Brain RNA and serotonin concentrations were negatively correlated in DBMC-treated mice and these animals showed a longer brain serotonin turnover time. With ECS brain serotonin concentration was slightly elevated and turnover rate was increased. The results support the hypothesis that the central changes in serotonin and RNA resulting from electroshock and the rate of memory consolidation are significantly affected by DBMC.
Generalized potlatch and smoothing processes

We consider simple generalizations of the potlatch and smoothing processes which were introduced in [8] and studied in [5]. These generalizations provide relatively simple examples of infinite interacting systems which exhibit phase transition. The original potlatch and smoothing processes do not exhibit phase transition. Our results show that for the generalized processes, phase transition does not usually occur in one or two dimensions, but usually does occur in higher dimensions. Upper and lower bounds for the relevant critical values are obtained. As one application of our results, we obtain the limiting behavior of the critical values for the linear contact process in d dimensions as d→∞, thus answering a question we raised in [3]. This is done by comparing the contact process with an appropriate generalized smoothing process.
Raphides with Barbs and Grooves in Xanthosoma sagittifolium (Araceae)

Raphides in petioles of Xanthosoma sagittifolium are needlelike crystals about 50 micrometers long. The rectangular cross sections have maximum dimensions of approximately 850 by 250 nanometers. The raphides have two distinct end structures. One end is narrow, acute, and tapered to a point; the other is broad, acute, and abruptly pointed. Barbs, about 750 angstroms long with tips oriented away from the narrow end, occur along the length of the raphide on ridges on either side of two longitudinal grooves. These grooves, located opposite each other, give the raphide cross section an H-shape.
Effect of aminoglutehimide and reserpine on the human pituitary-adrenal axis: Remission of a case of Cushing's disease

Abstract A patient is presented with a documented five-year history of untreated pituitary ACTH-dependent hypercortisolism (Cushing's disease) who had a sudden remission while receiving aminoglutethimide and reserpine. Although aminoglutethimide is known to block adrenocortical steroidogenesis, the remission was not the result of primary adrenocortical or pituitary failure. Following the remission, the urine 17-OHCS were suppressible with 2 mg./day of dexamethasone, were responsive to synthetic vasopressin and ACTH, but were unresponsive to metyrapone. These data suggest that the remission was the result of a change in the abnormal force controlling the release of ACTH from the pituitary. Apparently the force controlling the inhibition of ACTH release was left intact, but the force responsible for stimulating ACTH release was impaired. The responses to tests of pituitary-adrenal function of euadrenal subjects receiving these drugs are described. The histological changes in the adrenal cortex of these subjects demonstrated atrophy of the zona glomerulosa and hyperplasia of the zona fasciculata. These morphological changes in the adrenal cortex of individuals receiving aminoglutethimide are consistent with the chemical findings of a decreased aldosterone secretion rate and a compensated, unchanged cortisol secretion rate.
Investigation of the positive artifact formation during sampling semi-volatile aerosol using wet denuders

Abstract Wet denuders are used in several steam-based semi-continuous aerosol monitors to avoid gaseous absorption artifacts and pre-humidify the air stream, while simultaneously allowing measurements of water-soluble gaseous species. Unlike dry denuders, wet denuders saturate the sample air stream with water vapor, which can lead to re-partitioning of water-soluble volatile species to the aerosol phase, thereby causing a positive artifact in aerosol measurements. This paper investigates the magnitude of the positive artifact formation occurring in wet denuders using modeling techniques. Gaseous nitric acid was used as an example of volatile water-soluble gas in both flat and annular wet denuders. We have also verified the occurrence of the positive artifact in a flat wet denuder through a laboratory experiment. The model results indicate that the magnitude of the artifact is rather limited under typical conditions being less than 2.5% of ambient nitric acid concentration for the flat denuder and less than 0.6% for the annular denuder. The magnitude of the artifact increases with condensational sink of the aerosol (i.e. with the mean aerosol size and number concentration) and aerosol water solubility. While the artifact is relatively small in the absolute sense, it could be substantial for aerosol nitrate measurements, especially in ammonia limited conditions, when the concentration of the nitric acid is high and the concentration of nitrate is low. Therefore, we recommend that the artifact is assessed regularly by replacing the wet denuder with a dry denuder.
An Artificial Functional Family Filter in Homolog Searching in Next-generation Sequencing Metagenomics

In functional metagenomics, BLAST homology search is a common method to classify metagenomic reads into protein/domain sequence families such as Clusters of Orthologous Groups of proteins (COGs) in order to quantify the abundance of each COG in the community. The resulting functional profile of the community is then used in downstream analysis to correlate the change in abundance to environmental perturbation, clinical variation, and so on. However, the short read length coupled with next-generation sequencing technologies poses a barrier in this approach, essentially because similarity significance cannot be discerned by searching with short reads. Consequently, artificial functional families are produced, in which those with a large number of reads assigned decreases the accuracy of functional profile dramatically. There is no method available to address this problem. We intended to fill this gap in this paper. We revealed that BLAST similarity scores of homologues for short reads from COG protein members coding sequences are distributed differently from the scores of those derived elsewhere. We showed that, by choosing an appropriate score cut-off, we are able to filter out most artificial families and simultaneously to preserve sufficient information in order to build the functional profile. We also showed that, by incorporated application of BLAST and RPS-BLAST, some artificial families with large read counts can be further identified after the score cutoff filtration. Evaluated on three experimental metagenomic datasets with different coverages, we found that the proposed method is robust against read coverage and consistently outperforms the other E-value cutoff methods currently used in literatures.
An analysis of cobaloxime chemistry with the electrostatic-covalent model☆

The ECW model is used to interpret the chemistry of XCo(DH)2 · B complexes as B is varied. The ΔE-ΔC parameters provide a means of determining the influence of variation of X. Compared with the emphasis on steric effects in the literature explanation of this chemistry, these effects are seen to be minimal when a proper estimate of the covalency in the interaction is made. More electron-releasing substituents-X-are seen to decrease the tendency of cobalt to undergo electrostatic interaction with B, but to increase its tendency for covalent bonding. Electron-withdrawing substituents have the opposite effect. An entropic effect associated with rotational degrees of freedom of the X group is reported to cause deviations in free energy rate and equilibrium constant correlations. This effect is supported by its absence in bond distance and E12 correlations. The cobalt center has significant tendencies to bind covalently to ligands and to undergo π-backbonding into phosphites and nitriles.
Opiate and 5-HT2A receptors in alcohol drinking: Preference in had rats is inhibited by combination treatment with naltrexone and amperozide

Amperozide, a 5-HT2A receptor antagonist, and naltrexone, an opiate receptor antagonist, have been shown to suppress volitional drinking of alcohol in experimental animals. The present study examined the effects of the concurrent administration of both drugs on the volitional intake of alcohol in the selectively bred, high alcohol drinking (HAD) rat. Individual preferences for alcohol were determined by a standard 10-day test in which alcohol concentrations were increased from 3% to 30%. Following a 4-day predrug test during which water together with a maximally preferred concentration of 7% to 20% was offered to each HAD rat, amperozide and naltrexone were injected SC over a second 4-day period as follows: 1) amperozide at 1600 h and naltrexone at 2200 h; 2) the same drugs but in reversed temporal order; and 3) amperozide and naltrexone administered simultaneously at 1600 and 2200 h. Thereafter, alcohol preference testing continued for a third 4-day period. The alternate delivery of both drugs attenuated significantly the absolute g/kg and proportional intakes of alcohol in the HAD rats, whereas the saline vehicle was without effect. Although the simultaneous administration of naltrexone and amperozide produced an even greater decline in alcohol intake, without side effects on food and water intakes or on body weight, some residual drinking of alcohol persisted. Nevertheless, the results corroborate our previous findings on the suppression of alcohol drinking by antagonists of opiate and 5-HT2A receptors. Because amperozide and naltrexone together reduce the apparent reinforcing property of alcohol, the theory is supported that the addictive liability to alcohol is underpined by multiple receptor subtypes within the mesolimbic and other systems in the brain.
Optimal gestational age for twin delivery.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the timing of twin delivery associated with perinatal outcome in gestations of at least 36 completed weeks. STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective analysis of infant and maternal hospital records for a consecutive series of twin deliveries at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. The inclusion criteria were delivery after 36 weeks’ gestation during a 7-year period (1987 to 1993), without congenital anomalies or early fetal demise. Adverse perinatal outcomes were compared between deliveries before 38 weeks’ gestational age and those at or after 38 weeks’ gestation. RESULTS: Of 776 twin deliveries during the study period, 329 met the inclusion criteria. Adverse perinatal outcome was significantly higher among the twin pregnancies that delivered before 38 weeks’ gestation compared with those that delivered at or after 38 weeks’ gestation. Twin pregnancies that delivered between 36 and 37 weeks’ gestation were 13 times more likely to require neonatal intensive care compared with those who delivered at or after 38 weeks’ gestation (95% confidence interval 1.8 to 95.9; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In uncomplicated twin gestations, delivery at between 36 and 37 weeks’ gestation was not associated with a reduction in neonatal complications compared with deliveries at or after 38 weeks’ gestation.
In situ HREM: application to metal-mediated crystallization

Abstract In situ high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM) is applied to study the metal-mediated crystallization of amorphous semiconductors. The systems reported here are Ag-Ge and Ag-Si, prepared in trilayer form by sputtering. The observations show that the reaction occurs by nucleation within the metal, followed by diffusion through the solid metal layer with no formation of intermediate, metastable or liquid phases. The reaction temperatures in situ match well with those established by ex situ differential scanning calorimetry (i.e. 275°C and 415°C for the Ge and Si trilayers, respectively), and the measured growth rates provide an activation energy value (1.75 eV) which is consistent with a substitutional counter-diffusion mechanism. The significant benefits of the in situ HREM approach are illustrated by this work.