cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fostering Engagement in Health Behavior Change: Iterative Development of an Interactive Narrative Environment to Enhance Adolescent Preventive Health Services

Abstract Purpose Accidents and unintentional injuries account for the greatest number of adolescent deaths, often involving use of alcohol and other substances. This article describes the iterative design and development of Interactive Narrative System for Patient-Individualized Reflective Exploration (INSPIRE), a narrative-centered behavior change environment for adolescents focused on reducing alcohol use. INSPIRE is designed to serve as an extension to clinical preventive care, engaging adolescents in a theoretically grounded intervention for health behavior change by leveraging 3D game engine and interactive narrative technologies. Methods Adolescents were engaged in all aspects of the iterative, multiyear development process of INSPIRE through over 20 focus groups and iterative pilot testing involving more than 145 adolescents. Qualitative findings from focus groups are reported, as well as quantitative findings from small-scale pilot sessions investigating adolescent engagement with a prototype version of INSPIRE using a combination of questionnaire and interaction trace log data. Results Adolescents reported that they found INSPIRE to be engaging, believable, and relevant to their lives. The majority of participants indicated that the narrative’s protagonist character was like them (84%) and that the narrative featured virtual characters that they could relate to (79%). In the interactive narrative, the goals most frequently chosen by adolescents were “stay in control” (60%) and “do not get in trouble” (55%). Conclusions With a strong theoretical framework (social-cognitive behavior change theory) and technology advances (narrative-centered learning environments), the field is well positioned to design health behavior change systems that can realize significant impacts on behavior change for adolescent preventive health.
Guidance on the usability-privacy tradeoff for utility customer data aggregation

Abstract Modern cities, along with their researchers and innovators can benefit from applying " big data" to their sustainability and infrastructure problems and policies, e.g., water and energy consumption. Unfortunately, current utility customer data (UCD) privacy rulemaking fails to ensure safe release of these data for the public benefit and does not currently strike a sound balance between the competing values of usability and privacy. This paper presents a statistical analysis of the tradeoff between usability and privacy for UCD in Los Angeles. The tradeoffs vary by economic sector (residential vs. commercial/industrial) and by utility type (water, electricity, natural gas). This paper provides guidance for safer and more ethically balanced aggregation and release of utility customer data.
Race talk, fandom, and the legacy of plantation culture in the NFL player protests

In August 2016, San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand during the United States’ national anthem. Throughout the National Football League’s 2016–2017 season, Kaepernick ...
Adaptive Synthesis of a Rough Lipopolysaccharide in Geobacter sulfurreducens for Metal Reduction and Detoxification.

The ability of some metal-reducing bacteria to produce a rough (no O-antigen) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) could facilitate surface interactions with minerals and metal reduction. Consistent with this, the laboratory model metal reducer Geobacter sulfurreducens PCA produced two rough LPS isoforms (with or without a terminal methyl-quinovosamine sugar) when growing with the soluble electron acceptor, fumarate, but only expressed the shorter and more hydrophilic variant when reducing iron oxides. We reconstructed from genomic data conserved pathways for the synthesis of the rough LPS and generated heptosyltransferase mutants with partial (ΔrfaQ) and complete (ΔrfaC) truncations in the core oligosaccharide. The stepwise removal of the LPS core sugars reduced the hydrophilicity of the cell and increased outer membrane vesiculation. These changes in outer membrane charge and remodeling did not substantially impact planktonic growth but disrupted the developmental stages and structure of electroactive biofilms. Furthermore, the mutants assembled conductive pili for the extracellular mineralization of the toxic uranyl cation, yet were unable to prevent the permeation and mineralization of the radionuclide in the cell envelope. Hence, not only does the rough LPS promote cell-cell and cell-mineral interactions critical to biofilm formation and metal respiration, but it also functions as a permeability barrier to toxic metal cations. In doing so, the rough LPS maximizes the extracellular reduction of soluble and insoluble metals and preserves cell envelope functions critical to the environmental survival of Geobacter bacteria in metal rich environments and their performance in bioremediation and bioenergy applications. Importance Some metal-reducing bacteria produce a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) without the repeating sugars (O-antigen) that decorate the surface of most Gram-negative bacteria, but the biological significance of this adaptive feature has never been investigated. Using the model representative Geobacter sulfurreducens strain PCA and mutants carrying stepwise truncations in the LPS core sugars, we demonstrate the importance of the rough LPS in the control of cell surface chemistry during the respiration of iron minerals and the formation of electroactive biofilms. Importantly, we describe hitherto overlooked roles for the rough LPS in metal sequestration and outer membrane vesiculation that are critical for the extracellular reduction and detoxification of toxic metals and radionuclides. These results are of interest for the optimization of bioremediation schemes and electricity-harvesting platforms using these bacteria.
Transition to Adulthood: Perspectives of Korean Immigrant Parents of Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities:

As the United States grows more racially and ethnically diverse, Koreans have become one of the largest ethnic minority populations. We conducted this qualitative study to explore the perspectives ...
Electronic Structure of Semiconductor Surfaces and Interfaces

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the electronic structure of semiconductor surfaces and interfaces. There are large dipole shifts at the metal-semiconductor interface from defects implies that they must be large in number. They must be negatively charged in the semiconductor (with the balancing positive charge an image charge in the metal) in order to raise the semiconductor bands from their natural line-up position. In silicon, the metallic Fermi energy comes always about a third of the way up in the gap, though the natural line-u places it much higher, and vary considerably from metal to metal. It is very difficult to know what defects are present and in what numbers, but these experimental facts limit the possibilities. So speculations are based in the chapter upon them. The simplest defect in the semiconductor might be a metallic atom impurity. Indeed an impurity of valenceone less than the atom replaced will have a negative charge and enough of them will have the desired effect. The difficulty is that the number required and their positions depends upon the metal at the interface and it is not easy to imagine this leading to a Fermi energy line-up in the gap independent of the metal.
Data Structures and Control Architectures for Implementation of Theorem-Proving Programs

This paper presents the major design features of a new theorem-proving system currently being implemented. In it the authors describe the data structures of an existing program with which much experience has been obtained and discuss their significance for major theorem-proving algorithms such as subsumption, demodulation, resolution, and paramodulation. A new architecture for the large-scale design of theorem proving programs, which provides flexible tools for experimentation, is also presented.
Dynamic logic families for complementary gallium arsenide (CGaAs) fabrication processes

Different Complementary Gallium Arsenide (CGaAs) dynamic logic circuits have been designed, simulated and implemented. The circuits include Domino, N-P Domino, and Two-Phase Dynamic FET Logic (TPDL). These circuits are investigated and compared against complementary static logic for speed, power consumption and layout area. TPDL circuits are the fastest (function properly up to 2.38 GHz) and have the lowest power consumption ever reported in this technology (0.01 /spl mu/W/MHz/gate). Moreover, TPDL circuits are self latching and well suited for pipelined architectures.
Uniform continuity of information combination: A corrigendum☆

Abstract A proof is provided for the uniform continuity of the ‘sup’ operation (on sub-σ-fields of a given σ-field) that defines information combination.
Creatio Ex Nihilo

If God exists in time, then God, since He can neither begin nor cease to exist, exists omnitemporally, that is to say, He exists at every time which ever exists. But is God’s duration infinite? Has He arrived at the present moment only after enduring through an infinite succession of prior moments? If the universe is sempiternal, that is, infinite in its past as well as future duration, then the answer must be in the affirmative. But suppose that the universe began to exist. Would time in that case also have a beginning? Or would there be an infinite duration prior to the inception of the world? To set the stage for a consideration of these questions, we turn to a discussion of the traditional doctrine of creatio ex nihilo.
The Law School Crisis: What Would Jimmy McMillan Do?

Several years ago, I co-wrote an article on applying the principles from Michael Lewis’s Moneyball book to legal education. What Law Schools Can Learn from Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics, 82 Tex. L. Rev. 1483 (2004). The article asked what Billy Beane would do as the dean of a law school to capitalize on the inefficiencies in legal education. Perhaps a better model for the crisis facing legal education today is Jimmy McMillan, who ran for New York Governor in 2010 with the slogan “the rent is too damn high.” Law school tuition is simply too damn high. Administrators and faculty need to ruthlessly examine law school budgets and cut areas that are not essential to the school’s mission. Law school is twice as expensive as it was twenty years ago (in inflation-adjusted dollars), yet no one would argue that legal education is twice as good today. Law schools need to take immediate action to confront today’s crisis. The current model – convincing 45,000 people each year to assume six-figure debt loads to chase 20,000 legal jobs (most of which do not pay enough to service the debt) – is simply unsustainable. Market and political forces are gathering steam. Law schools that embrace change will emerge stronger from the current storm.
Assessment of argument in science education: a critical review of the literature

Theoretical and empirical research on argumentation in science education has intensified over the last two decades. This article reviews and synthesizes analytical methods used to assess and characterize the nature of rhetorical arguments generated by students as part of this research. This synthesis of the current state of argumentation analysis in science education research provides a comprehensive framework for future research on rhetorical argumentation.
Meanings of Gender and Suicidal Behavior during Adolescence

In the United States, gender differences in suicidal behavior rates emerge during adolescence, when females are more likely to engage in suicidal behavior, but are less likely to die as a result of a suicidal act than males. These gender patterns of suicidal behavior are common but not universal, suggesting cultural influences. This article reviews the highlights of the research on cultural meanings of gender and suicidal behavior. Studies suggest that U.S. adolescents perceive nonfatal suicidal behavior as more "feminine" and less potent than killing oneself. Persons who are suicidal in response to a relationship problem are considered more "feminine" than persons who become suicidal in response to an achievement failure. Males are more critical and avoidant of suicidal persons than females, especially when the suicidal person is a male. These beliefs may play a role in decisions about suicidal behavior (what kinds of suicidal behavior are chosen, and under what conditions). Cultural narratives of gender and suicidal behavior may be particularly influential for adolescents because adolescents are in the process of defining their identity, and often take cultural messages about "appropriate" gender behavior more seriously and more literally than adults. The implications of the findings from the research on cultural meanings of gender and suicidal behavior for prevention programs are outlined.
Clinical and histopathological outcomes in patients with SCN1A mutations undergoing surgery for epilepsy

OBJECT Mutations in the sodium channel alpha 1 subunit gene (SCN1A) have been associated with a wide range of epilepsy phenotypes including Dravet syndrome. There currently exist few histopathological and surgical outcome reports in patients with this disease. In this case series, the authors describe the clinical features, surgical pathology, and outcomes in 6 patients with SCN1A mutations and refractory epilepsy who underwent focal cortical resection prior to uncovering the genetic basis of their epilepsy. METHODS Medical records of SCN1A mutation-positive children with treatment-resistant epilepsy who had undergone resective epilepsy surgery were reviewed retrospectively. Surgical pathology specimens were reviewed. RESULTS All 6 patients identified carried diagnoses of intractable epilepsy with mixed seizure types. Age at surgery ranged from 18 months to 20 years. Seizures were refractory to surgery in every case. Surgical histopathology showed evidence of subtle cortical dysplasia in 4 of 6 patients, ...
Growth of immortal simian virus 40 tsA-transformed human fibroblasts is temperature dependent

Simian virus 40 (SV40)-mediated transformation of human fibroblasts offers an experimental system for studying both carcinogenesis and cellular aging, since such transformants show the typical features of altered cellular growth but still have a limited life span in culture and undergo senescence. We have previously demonstrated (D. S. Neufeld, S. Ripley, A. Henderson, and H. L. Ozer, Mol. Cell. Biol. 7:2794-2802, 1987) that transformants generated with origin-defective mutants of SV40 show an increased frequency of overcoming senescence and becoming immortal. To clarify further the role of large T antigen, we have generated immortalized transformants by using origin-defective mutants of SV40 encoding a heat-labile large T antigen (tsA58 transformants). At a temperature permissive for large-T-antigen function (35 degrees C), the cell line AR5 had properties resembling those of cell lines transformed with wild-type SV40. However, the AR5 cells were unable to proliferate or form colonies at temperatures restrictive for large-T-antigen function (39 degrees C), demonstrating a continuous need for large T antigen even in immortalized human fibroblasts. Such immortal temperature-dependent transformants should be useful cell lines for the identification of other cellular or viral gene products that induce cell proliferation in human cells.
Morphomics predicts response to ipilimumab in patients with stage IV melanoma.

Introduction Factors predictive of response to immunotherapy are needed to select appropriate patients. As morphometric analysis can be an objective surrogate for underlying physiology, we explored the possibility that morphomics may predict response among stage IV melanoma patients treated with ipilimumab. Methods We identified stage IV melanoma patients treated with ipilimumab who had an appropriate CT scan within a 6 month window. Using semi-automated algorithms, we acquired several morphomic measurements. Toxicity and response rate compared by quartile using Fisher's exact test or chi-square, while survival after initiation of ipilimumab was compared by quartile using the log-rank test. Results While there was a significant correlation between toxicity and response (P < .003), morphomics failed to predict either severity of toxicity or specific side effects. Psoas density was significantly associated with response rate, both excluding stable disease (36.4% vs 9.1%, P = .054), and including stable disease (54.5% versus 18.2%, P = 0.045). Survival after initiation of ipilimumab was significantly associated with psoas density (P = 0.04) and visceral fat distance (P = 0.022). Discussion In an exploratory study of patients with metastatic melanoma being treated with ipilimumab, psoas density and spine-fascia distance correlated with response and survival. Pre-treatment morphomic analysis, as a correlate of underlying physiology, may help predict response to immunotherapy. J. Surg. Oncol. 2015; 112:333–337. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Molecular basis of ribosome recognition and mRNA hydrolysis by the E. coli YafQ toxin

Bacterial type II toxin-antitoxin modules are protein-protein complexes whose functions are finely tuned by rapidly changing environmental conditions. E. coli toxin YafQ is suppressed under steady state growth conditions by virtue of its interaction with its cognate antitoxin, DinJ. During stress, DinJ is proteolytically degraded and free YafQ halts translation by degrading ribosome-bound mRNA to slow growth until the stress has passed. Although structures of the ribosome with toxins RelE and YoeB have been solved, it is unclear what residues among ribosome-dependent toxins are essential for mediating both recognition of the ribosome and the mRNA substrate given their low sequence identities. Here we show that YafQ coordinates binding to the 70S ribosome via three surface-exposed patches of basic residues that we propose directly interact with 16S rRNA. We demonstrate that YafQ residues H50, H63, D67 and H87 participate in acid-base catalysis during mRNA hydrolysis and further show that H50 and H63 functionally complement as general bases to initiate the phosphodiester cleavage reaction. Moreover YafQ residue F91 likely plays an important role in mRNA positioning. In summary, our findings demonstrate the plasticity of ribosome-dependent toxin active site residues and further our understanding of which toxin residues are important for function.
Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy in Patients With BMI >50: Single Surgeon Outcomes and Feasibility

Objective To evaluate the use of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) and technical approach in the super obese population (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 50). Materials and Methods We performed a retrospective review of 31 consecutive PNL cases with a BMI > 50 from a single surgeon (SYN) from 1995 to 2013. Procedures were performed in the prone position, and upper pole access was used. Operative time, length of hospital stay, stone burden, complication rates, and stone-free rates were measured. Results Of the 31 patients who underwent PNL (age 51.2 ± 12; 71% female), the mean BMI was 59.1 ± 6 kg/m2 (range 50.4-71.7 kg/m2). Mean stone burden was 3.8 cm ± 2. The majority of patients (90.3%) had an upper pole puncture site for access with an operative time of 122.1 ± 75 minutes. The technique was similar to non-obese patients; however, there was a need for extra-long instrumentation. The overall stone-free rate was 71%, with utilization of a second-look PNL in 11 cases. The complication rate, Clavien grade 3 or higher, was 9.7% (3 of 31). Conclusion PNL is technically feasible, safe, and effective in patients with a BMI ≥ 50. The complication rate, length of hospital stay, and stone-free rate with use of second-look PNL in super obese patients are comparable to severely obese patients. Intervention should not be automatically ruled out or delayed based on the patient's BMI alone.
Cryptococcal meningitis: an analysis among 5521 consecutive organ transplant recipients

Cryptococcal meningitis has been reported to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality in renal transplant recipients. However, additional studies of recipients of other organ transplants suggested that these patients might be at low risk for cryptococcal meningitis. We examined the incidence and clinical features of cryptococcal meningitis among different groups of organ transplant patients at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. From January 1989 through July 1999, 28 patients were diagnosed with cryptococcal meningitis among 5,521 transplant recipients. These included liver (11/2,539), heart (8/372), kidney (7/2,122), lung (1/432), and small bowel (1/56) recipients. The incidence of cryptococcal meningitis was higher in heart and small bowel recipients compared to other transplant populations (P = 0.005). The cryptococcal meningitis-related mortality in transplant recipients was 50% and was associated with altered mental status (P = 0.001), absence of headache (P = 0.02), and liver failure (P = 0.002). Multivariable analysis indicated that liver failure was the only independent risk factor for poor prognosis (P = 0.043). All cases of liver failure occurred among liver transplant recipients. Cryptococcal meningitis is associated with significant mortality among organ transplant recipients. The presence of allograft failure in liver transplant recipients with cryptococcal meningitis may be an indicator of poor prognosis in this patient population.
The Selling of Primary Care 2015

The role of undergraduate medical education in creating, perpetuating, and potentially solving the physician shortage in adult primary care has been debated for years, but often the discussions revolve around overly simplistic notions of supply and demand. The supply is curtailed, it is said, because the work is hard and the pay is low relative to other career options. Missing is a recognition that medical schools make choices in developing primary care learning environments that profoundly affect student perceptions of this career. Emerging developments in healthcare, including the transformation of academic health centers into integrated health systems that enter into risk-based contracts, may provide an opportunity to re-direct discussions about primary care. More schools may begin to recognize that they can control the quality of primary care teaching environments, and that doing so will help them achieve excellence in education and compete in the new marketplace. The selling of primary care to medical schools may be the first step in primary care selling itself to medical students.
Sexual Orientation Identity Disparities in Awareness and Initiation of the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Among U.S. Women and Girls: A National Survey

Background Lesbians and bisexual women are at risk for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection from female and male sexual partners. Objective To examine the association between sexual orientation identity and HPV vaccination among U.S. women and girls. Design Cross-sectional, using 2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth data. Setting U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. Participants The 2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth used stratified cluster sampling to establish a national probability sample of 12,279 U.S. women and girls aged 15 to 44 years. Analyses were restricted to 3253 women and girls aged 15 to 25 years who were asked about HPV vaccination. Measurements Multivariable logistic regression was used to obtain prevalence estimates of HPV vaccine awareness and initiation adjusted for sociodemographic and health care factors for each sexual orientation identity group. Results Among U.S. women and girls aged 15 to 25 years, 84.4% reported having heard of the HPV vaccine; of these, 28.5% had initiated HPV vaccination. The adjusted prevalence of vaccine awareness was similar among heterosexual, bisexual, and lesbian respondents. After adjustment for covariates, 8.5% (P = 0.007) of lesbians and 33.2% (P = 0.33) of bisexual women and girls who had heard of the vaccine had initiated vaccination compared with 28.4% of their heterosexual counterparts. Limitation Self-reported, cross-sectional data, and findings may not be generalizable to periods after 2006 to 2010 or all U.S. lesbians aged 15 to 25 years (because of the small sample size for this group). Conclusion Adolescent and young adult lesbians may be less likely to initiate HPV vaccination than their heterosexual counterparts. Programs should facilitate access to HPV vaccination services among young lesbians. Primary funding source National Cancer Institute.
Intrinsic difference in erythrocyte membrane in spontaneously hypertensive rats characterized by Na+ and K+ fluxes.

The goad of this study was to determine whether the elevated flux of sodium and potassium through the erythrocyte membrane of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) is due to an intrinsic difference in the cell membrane or to a humoral factor present in the plasma. Isolated and washed erythrocytes from SHR and normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKy) and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, were incubated in 1) a physiological salt solution, 2) WKy or SD plasma and 3) SHR plasma. Incubations were performed at 4°C for 23 h. Erythrocytes from SHR incubated in physiological salt solution had significantly greater Na+ and K+ fluxes than those from normotensive WKy and SD rats (P WKy>SHR. Erythrocyte K+ efflux was not altered by plasma. We conclude that the elevated flux of Na+ and K+ in SHR erythrocytes is due to an intrinsic difference in the cell membrane. The greater Na+ influx in plasma from any strain of rats is not correlated with the blood pressure of the rat. The lesser increase in Na+ influx in crythrocytes incubated in plasma from SHR masks the greater intrinsic membrane permeability in the SHR erythrocyte when Na+ fluxes are studied in whole blood. The elevated flux of Na+ and K+ through the erythrocyte membrane of SHR may reflect a general membrane defect that underlies the pathogenesis of elevated arterial pressure.
Acute hemodynamic effects of adjustable atrial septal defect closure in the lateral tunnel Fontan procedure.

Abstract Objectives. This study evaluated the acute hemodynamic changes with atrial septal defect closure in thek postoperative period in patients undergoing the Fontan procedure. Background. The adjustable atrial septal defect is a modification of the Fontan procedure designed to improve cardiac output and reduce systemic venous hypertension during the postoperative period. Limited information is available on the effects of interatrial shunting on the physiology of direct cavopulmonary connection. Methods. In 11 patients (aged 9 months to 14.5 years), the atrial septal defect was closed 8 h to 4.6 days (mean 1.7 days) postoperatively. Indications for closure included mean right atrial pressure Results. Data presented are mean values ±1 SD. Mean right atrial pressure was 13.4 ± 3.0 mm Hg on admission to the intensive care unit, 10.0 ± 2.0 mm Hg (p = 0.02) immediately before closure and 11.4 ± 2.8 mm Hg (p = 0.02) after closure. There was a significant decrease in cardiac output, as calculated from arteriovenous oxygen saturation difference (26 ± 9%, p = 0.003), Doppler aortic flow (19 ± 9%, p = 0.0002) and ventricular volumes by two-dimensional echocardiography (20 ± 8%, p = 0.0001). Arterial oxygen saturation increased from 82 ± 5% to 94 ± 4% (p = 0.0001), and arteriovenous oxygen saturation difference increased from 25 ± 8% to 33 ± 9% (p = 0.0001). Systemic oxygen delivery decreased from 727 ± 354 to 655 ± 325 ml/min per m2(p = 0.02). One patient required reopening of the atrial septal defect. Conclusions. These data demonstrate that a controlled right to left atrial shunt improves cardiac output and systemic oxygen delivery and facilitates the postoperative management of patients after the Fontan procedure. Atrial septal defect closure increases systemic saturation to normal values and prevents potential systemic embolization but significantly decreases oxygen delivery and might limit exercise tolerance.
Gregarina niphandrodes (Eugregarinorida: Septatorina): oocyst surface architecture.

The surface architecture of oocysts produced by Gregarina niphandrodes (Eugregarinorida) from Tenebrio molitor adults (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) as revealed by scanning electron microscopy is reported. Gametocysts were allowed to dehisce on 15-mm, round cover glasses; the cover glasses with their oocysts chains were then mounted on stubs without further processing, and sputter-coated with 20-nm gold–palladium. Scanning electron microscopy was performed at 10– 15 kV with a Hitachi 3000N SEM. Oocysts retained their characteristic shapes as reported in the original species description but showed longitudinal ridges of relatively uniform height, width, and spacing, in separate fields on either side of a central equatorial bulge in the oocysts. There was no ultrastructural evidence of an enclosing external sheath holding the oocysts in a chain. Oocyst ends were flared slightly, and the chain itself was twisted, with adjacent oocysts offset slightly from one another. This article now provides an additional set...
Immunologic and thyroid function studies in euthyroid children with goiter.

Summary Thirty-one clinically euthyroid children with goiters were studied by immunologic and other laboratory procedures. The results of these studies indicate that most of the goiters were associated with an autoimmune process directed against the thyroid gland. The diagnosis of thyroiditis was confirmed by open biopsy in 3 patients. In 2 patients with thyroid antibodies in the serum, the biopsy revealed follicular hyperplasia without inflammatory changes, emphasizing the diagnostic limitations of the available immunologic tests. However, high titers of antibodies in euthyroid children with goiters, when associated with abnormalities of thyroid function tests, abnormal serumprotein patterns, and regression of the goiter in response to treatment with desiccated thyroid, are strongly suggestive of the presence of a form of chronic thyroiditis.
Familiarity with intruders modulates agonism towards outgroup conspecifics in Wied's black-tufted-ear marmoset (Callithrix kuhli: Primates, Callitrichidae)

Encounters between individuals in established groups have important implications for demographic processes. While most intergroup encounters in callitrichid primates (marmosets and tamarins) are characterized by intense agonistic exchanges, some interactions occur in the absence of aggression. This paper investigates the role of familiarity among partners in determining the quality and intensity of aggression during stranger encounters in Wied's black-tufted-ear marmoset (Callithrix kuhli). Resident male and female pairs were presented on several occasions with a single male or female intruder. Half of the intruders were housed in cages in colony rooms distant from the residents, and the other half of the intruders resided in cages in the same room as the residents. Aggression was higher in male residents than in females, and males showed significantly higher rates of agonistic interactions with unfamiliar intruders of both sexes. The behaviour of the intruder did not differ according to its degree of familiarity to the residents, although aggression by resident males and submission by intruders were highly correlated in encounters with unfamiliar, but not familiar, intruders. Resident pairs approached each other more often after intruder trials than before. The results of this experiment suggest that familiarity among individuals in neighbouring groups is sufficient to modulate aggression during encounters. Since home-range overlap among free-ranging black-tufted-ear marmosets is extensive, differential familiarity among groups may have important implications for dispersal-related processes
A survey of collaborative information seeking practices of academic researchers

Information seeking and management practices are an integral aspect of people's daily work. However, we still have little understanding of collaboration in the information seeking process. Through a survey of collaborative information seeking practices of academic researchers, we found that researchers reported that (1) the lack of expertise is the primary reason that they collaborate when seeking information; (2) traditional methods, including face-to-face, phone, and email are the preferred communication mediums for collaboration; and (3) collaborative information seeking activities are usually successful and more useful than individually seeking information. These results begin to highlight the important role that collaborative information seeking plays in daily work.
Alu-linked hairpins efficiently mediate RNA interference with less toxicity than do H1-expressed short hairpin RNAs

RNA interference has become a powerful tool for specific inhibition of gene expression in mammalian cells. Expression constructs allow for the long-term delivery of short interfering RNAs, usually through the expression of Pol III-transcribed hairpins. In some instances, these expression systems have been shown to have side effects, including induction of the interferon response and cytotoxicity. Here we demonstrate that H1-expressed hairpins, as well as the cloning vector, reduce the plating efficiency of HeLa cells. This toxicity is abrogated by coexpression of the hairpin in the same transcript as a human Alu repetitive element. These Alu-linked hairpins retain the ability to knock down expression of target mRNAs. This modification, which we term SINE (short interspersed repetitive element)-enhanced short hairpin RNA, provides an alternative expression system for hairpins with reduced side effects.
Impulse-approximation analysis of collisions between Rydberg and ground-state rubidium atoms at thermal energies.

The impulse approximation for the Rydberg atom-atom collisions is analyzed on the basis of the Faddeev equations. A modified expression is derived for the cross sections, including the interference between the Rydberg-electron--perturber scattering and the ion-core--perturber scattering. This expression is used for the calculations of the collisional quenching and elastic scattering in Rb(nS)-Rb and Rb(nP)-Rb collisions. We use the electron-Rb scattering phase shifts obtained from ab initio close-coupling calculations and their extrapolation, applying the modified effective-range theory. Our results show that the impulse approximation agrees with the experimental data for the quenching cross sections at ng20 but underestimates the quenching cross sections at lower n. The position of the maximum of the cross section is in good agreement with experimental data. We also obtain reasonable results for the elastic cross section at ng20, but for the lower n the results are too large. The interference effect plays a minor role in the process, which means that simultaneous electron-perturber and ion-perturber interaction is unlikely.
The microeconomics of distribution: A simulation of the farm economy

Abstract A simulation model that incorporates both production and consumption behavior of farm households in Taiwan is presented. The model is used to analyze the effects of policy instruments (price supports, minimum wages, taxes, subsidies, demographic policies, and land and capital redistribution) on the aggregate values of the endogenous variables of the system—the supplies of output and labor, the demands of factors and consumption, income and expenditure—and their distribution among households. The model differs from other simulation models in that it is based on microsimulation, in which the joint distribution of individual household characteristics such as farm-specific prices, initial endowments of land and capital, and numbers of workers and dependents, is explicitly taken into account. As a result, the model is capable of capturing the distributional as well as aggregate impacts of policy changes.
Label training and auditory generalization

Abstract To investigate the Miller-Dollard hypothesis ( Social learning and imitation , New Haven: Yale University Press, 1941 ) that verbal labels increase distinctiveness of cues, generalization gradients to pure tones were obtained before and after label training. One group was trained to label all seven tones in an array and another only the middle tone. Three additional groups controlled for nonverbal factors. Before training, gradients were characterized by progressive loss of stimulus control with exposure to the generalization test stimuli. The main effect of possession of labels was to retard this loss, but only in tests where S+ was a labeled stimulus. While the specificity of label effects was in line with the Miller-Dollard hypothesis, the finding that labels did not confer a clear advantage at the start of testing was not. It was suggested that the unlabeled stimuli may have been sufficiently distinct to mask label effects and that interference generated by the test stimuli reduced distinctiveness to levels needed for such effects to emerge.
Taurolidine: preclinical evaluation of a novel, highly selective, agent for bone marrow purging.

Taurolidine has been shown to have remarkable cytotoxic activity against selected human tumor cells at concentrations that spare normal cells. In this study we have extended this observation and assessed the ability of Taurolidine to purge tumor cells from chimeric mixtures of bone marrow (BM) and neoplastic cells. Normal murine BM and human leukemic (HL-60) or ovarian (PA-1) tumor cell lines were used as models. Exposure of tumor cells to 2.5 mM Taurolidine for 1 h resulted in the complete elimination of viable cells. In contrast, exposure of BM to 5 mMTaurolidine for 1 h reduced CFU-GM, BFU-E and CFU-GEEM colony formation by only 23.0%, 19.6% and 25.2%, respectively. Inhibition of long-term BM culture (LTBMC) growth following a 1 h exposure to 5 mM Taurolidine also was ∼20% compared to untreated LTBMC. Finally, chimeric cultures were generated from BM and HL-60GR or PA-1GR cells (tumor cells transfected with the geneticin resistance gene). Exposure of these chimeric cultures to 5 mM Taurolidine for 1 h totally eliminated viable cancer cells while minimally reducing viable BM cells. This finding was confirmed by subsequent positive selection for surviving tumor cells with geneticin. These findings reveal that Taurolidine holds promise for use in BM purging. Bone Marrow Transplantation (2002) 29, 313–319. doi:10.1038/sj.bmt.1703359
SYMPATHETIC COOLING OF AN ATOMIC BOSE-FERMI GAS MIXTURE

Sympathetic cooling of an atomic Fermi gas by a Bose gas is studied by solution of the coupled quantum Boltzmann equations for the confined gas mixture. Results for equilibrium temperatures and relaxation dynamics are presented, and some simple models are developed. Our study illustrates that a combination of sympathetic and forced evaporative cooling enables the Fermi gas to be cooled to the degenerate regime where quantum statistics and mean-field effects are important. The influence of mean-field effects on the equilibrium spatial distributions is discussed qualitatively.
The practical value of electrocardiography.

The electrocardiogram has a unique place and can supply data even when symptoms and signs of heart disease are minor or absent. On the other hand, the connection between electric and mechanical phenomena of the heart is only indirect. Therefore, the data supplied by the electrocardiograph in valvular lesion, malformations of the heart, hypertension, and aortic or pulmonic lesions, are of limited importance. Excessive stress on minor modifications of the electric tracing in cases where sound or pulse tracings. roentgenology, or catheterization, give essential data, would only result in incomplete or incorrect diagnosis. A French proverb says: “La plus belle femme du monde ne peu't donner que ce qu'elle a.” Which means: “do not ask for a ready made diagnosis, supplied by the electrocardiogram.”
Automated production of computer generated video image databases with applications in operator training

Abstract The use of video disk technology is becoming widespread in industrial training applications. This paper treats one such application, the use of synthetic displays in the training of vehicle operators. MOVIE.BYU, a CGI package for generating continuous tone images was used to prepare and present various views of an airport database. These views were recorded on a videodisk recorder for subsequent playback in a near real-time mode for training use. Once the scenario of views to be created and stored was determined, the process ran automatically without the need for operator intervention. It is suggested that this approach offers a cost-effective alternative to more traditional approaches to animated scene generation for a significant class of problems.
An autopsy study of the accuracy of the electrocardiogram in the diagnosis of recurrent myocardial infarction

Abstract Electrocardiograms and autopsies of 21 patients dying of acute myocardial infarction with evidence of prior infarcts were studied. The diagnosis of acute recurrent myocardial infarction was correctly made in 17 of 21 patients (81 per cent). The 4 new infarcts not diagnosed were all superimposed on areas of pre-existing fibrosis. In spite of pre-existing electrocardiographic abnormalities, careful study of repeated ECG's will generally result in the diagnosis of recurrent myocardial infarction.
Semai Senoi fertility and population dynamics: Two-census method.

The fertility and parameters of population growth of the Semai Senoi of Malaysia are studied by using a two-census method based on nonstable population theory. Semai fertility is shown to be moderately high; female completed fertility is 7.42 children and the crude birth rate is greater than 0.050. Previous estimates of Semai mortality rates are also moderately high but are insufficient to balance birth; thus, the overall rate of growth is presently nearly 2%. Compared with an earlier description of the pre-1969 Semai population, fertility has increased markedly leading to a nearly threefold increase in the annual growth rate.
Stress ethylene does not originate directly from lipid peroxidation during chilling-enhanced photooxidation

Summary Stress ethylene synthesis was monitored in detached cucumber ( Cucumis sativus ) leaves under conditions (5 °C and 1000μtEinstein m −2 s −1 ) that promote lipid peroxidation. Previous work has shown that such a chilling and light stress in detached cucumber leaves causes superoxide anion radical and singlet oxygen production and is accompanied by pigment bleaching, loss of endogenous antioxidants, ultrastructural damage and ethane generation due to lipid peroxidation [Wise, R. R. and A. W. Naylor: Plant Physiol. 83, 272–278 and 278–282 (1987a, b)]. In spite of the considerable light- and chilling-enhanced lipid peroxidation, as evidenced by ethane generation, all of our observations of ethylene production in the experiments described here indicate that the S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) → 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) → C 2 H 4 enzymatic pathway was the chief, if not the sole, source of ethylene. When ethane generation was inhibited in leaves by atrazine (which blocked superoxide radical-dependent lipid peroxidation), ethylene production was unaffected. The complete photobleaching at room temperature of isolated cucumber thylakoids resulted in substantial amounts of ethane, but no detectable ethylene. The Q 10 temperature coefficient for ethylene generation was 1.6, within the range which is typical for enzymatic reactions. Ethylene generation was significantly, but not completely, inhibited by CoCl 2 or aminoethoxyvinyl glycine, known inhibitors of enzymatic ethylene biosynthesis. The well-established SAM → ACC → C 2 H 4 biosynthetic pathway was apparently fully engaged in the detached cucumber leaves while lipid peroxidation contributed insignificantly to stress ethylene production.
Reinforcement and response factors in the extinction of conditioned suppression

Following CER training, 32 rats began initial CER extinction under: (1) normal (lever present), (2) yoked with normals (lever absent), (3) nonoperative lever, or (4) no-lever/no-water conditions. After 4 days, CER extinction continued with lever returned for all Ss. Analysis of suppression ratios indicated that water availability was the major factor differentiating groups.
Review: Early treatment of a cardiovascular event with nitrates or ACE inhibitors reduces short-term mortality

Source Citation Perez MI, Musini VM, Wright JM. Effect of early treatment with anti-hypertensive drugs on short and long-term mortality in patients with an acute cardiovascular event. Cochrane Data...
Experimental and modeling study of a two-stage pilot scale high solid anaerobic digester system.

Abstract This study established a comprehensive model to configure a new two-stage high solid anaerobic digester (HSAD) system designed for highly degradable organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (OFMSW). The HSAD reactor as the first stage was naturally separated into two zones due to biogas floatation and low specific gravity of solid waste. The solid waste was retained in the upper zone while only the liquid leachate resided in the lower zone of the HSAD reactor. Continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) and advective–diffusive reactor (ADR) models were constructed in series to describe the whole system. Anaerobic digestion model No. 1 (ADM1) was used as reaction kinetics and incorporated into each reactor module. Compared with the experimental data, the simulation results indicated that the model was able to well predict the pH, volatile fatty acid (VFA) and biogas production.
Statistical mechanics of noncovalent bonds in polyamino acids. VII. Fluorescence as an indication of conformation

It is shown how the technique of fluorescence may be used to assess conclusions about conformation which are based on a statistical mechanical treatment of simple protein models. Specifically, the state of bonding and distance between two chromophores in a molecule depend on the overall conformation, which can be computed for model systems. On the assumption that the intensity and polarization of fluorescence are affected by exciton transfer between the chromophores, it is possible to compute the effect of conformation on fluorescence. It is demonstrated that the conformational changes computed in the preceding paper will give rise to marked changes in the intensity and polarization of fluorescence.
Thermal formation of homochiral serine clusters and implications for the origin of homochirality.

Spontaneous assembly of amino acids into vapor-phase clusters occurs on heating the solid compounds in air. In comparison to the other amino acids, serine forms clusters to an unusual extent, showing a magic number octamer on sublimation; this octamer can be ionized and characterized by mass spectrometry. Two isomers of the vapor-phase serine octamer are generated, the minor one at 130 °C and the major at 220 °C. The higher temperature cluster shows a strong homochiral preference, as confirmed by isotopic labeling experiments. This serine cluster, like that generated earlier from solution in electrospray ionization experiments, undergoes gas-phase enantioselective substitution reactions with other amino acids. These reactions transfer the chirality of serine to the other amino acid through enantioselective incorporation into the octamer. Other serine pyrolysis products include alanine, glycine, ethanolamine, and small dipeptides, and many of these, too, are observed to be incorporated into the thermally f...