cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Comparison of the Conformational Changes of Tau Isoforms in the Tau-Tubulin Complex

Tau is an intrinsically disordered protein found in the axons of neurons, where it functions to maintain microtubules and stabilize microtubule growth. It is present in the human nervous system as six differentially spliced isoforms, most noticeably half of which possess four imperfect repeats (4R) within the microtubule binding region (MTBR) and the others possess three of these repeats (3R). For poorly understood reasons, tau can form intracellular aggregates known as neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) which have been implicated in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. This aggregation of tau in disease is thought to be precipitated by altered interactions between tau and tubulin (or microtubules). Previous studies indicate that some tauopathies possess isoform-specific aggregates, leading us to hypothesize that differences in microtubule binding between isoforms may be important to understanding the isoform-specific transition to aggregation. To investigate this, we determined the average conformational changes of tau 3R and 4R isoforms upon binding to tubulin via single molecule Forster resonance energy transfer (smFRET). Our constructs were labeled at several sets of residues within the MTBR with donor and acceptor fluorophores to elucidate the changes in residue distance between tau's solution conformation and its tubulin-bound conformation. The results provide insight into differences in the topological features of the tubulin-bound isoforms. Moreover, they may also elucidate mechanisms of association and dissociation of tau to microtubules, relevant to the initiation of aggregation.
Proteome-driven elucidation of adaptive responses to combined vitamin E and C deficiency in zebrafish.

The purpose of this study was to determine the system-wide consequences of deficiencies in two essential micronutrients, vitamins E and C, on the proteome using zebrafish (Danio rerio) as one of the few vertebrate models that similar to humans cannot synthesize vitamin C. We describe a label-free proteomics workflow to detect changes in protein abundance estimates dependent on vitamin regimes. We used ion-mobility-enhanced data-independent tandem mass spectrometry to determine differential regulation of proteins in response to low dietary levels of vitamin C with or without vitamin E. The detection limit of the method was as low as 20 amol, and the dynamic range was five orders of magnitude for the protein-level estimates. On the basis of the quantitative changes obtained, we built a network of protein interactions that reflect the whole organism’s response to vitamin C deficiency. The proteomics-driven study revealed that in vitamin-E-deficient fish, vitamin C deficiency is associated with induction of s...
A PROSPECTIVE STUDY COMPARING FEEDING METHODS IN VLBW INFANTS. † 1126

To test the hypothesis that VLBW infants fed by continuous nasogastric gavage (CNG) would reach full enteral feeding (100 kcal/kg/day) earlier and have less feeding intolerance (FI) than those fed by intermittent bolus gavage(IBG), 80 infants with B.W. 700-1250g were stratified and randomized into CNG or IBG groups. Isocaloric premature formula was given to all infants based on a strict feeding protocol. An infant whose feedings were withheld for ≥12 hrs was considered to have an episode of FI. CNG and IBG groups were comparable in BW (Mean ± SD) 1006 ± 168 vs. 995 ± 143g; GA28.8 ± 1.9 vs. 28.9 ± 2.1 wks; sex and race. Feedings were started in CNG group at 5.7 ± 2.1 vs. 5.6 ± 2.2 days in IBG. Outcome is shown: Table
Analysis of Mutually Exclusive Alternatively Spliced Serpin-1 Isoforms and Identification of Serpin-1 Proteinase Complexes in Manduca sexta Hemolymph

Mutually exclusive alternative splicing produces transcripts for 12 serpin-1 isoforms in Manduca sexta that differ only in the region encoding the carboxyl-terminal 36–40-amino acid residues. This variable region includes the reactive center loop, which determines the inhibitory selectivity of the serpin. We investigated mRNA levels of individual serpin-1 isoforms by quantitative PCR. The 12 isoforms were expressed at similar levels in hemocytes, but in fat body isoform B mRNA was present at significantly higher levels than isoforms C, D, E, F, G, J, K, and Z. To investigate the presence of individual serpin-1 isoforms in plasma we used immunoaffinity purification of serpin-1 isoforms from M. sexta plasma, followed by two-dimensional PAGE and identification of protein spots by digestion with a series of proteinases and analysis of the resulting peptides by MALDI-TOF/TOF. We identified nine of the 12 serpin-1 isoforms and, through analysis of putative serpin-1-proteinase complexes, identified three endogenous M. sexta proteinase targets of serpin-1. Our results suggest that M. sexta serpin-1 isoforms A, E, and J can inhibit hemolymph proteinase 8, which activates the cytokine spatzle. At least one isoform of serpin-1 can inhibit hemocyte proteinase 1, another M. sexta blood proteinase. In addition, a complex of serpin-1K in a complex with M. sexta midgut chymotrypsin was identified, suggesting serpin-1 isoforms may also function to protect insect tissues from digestive proteinases that may leak into the hemocoel.
Locomotory transition from water to sand and its effects on undulatory kinematics in sand lances (Ammodytidae)

SUMMARY Sand lances, fishes in the genus Ammodytes , exhibit a peculiar burrowing behavior in which they appear to swim rapidly into the substrate. They use posteriorly propagated undulations of the body to move in both water, a Newtonian fluid, and in sand, a non-Newtonian, granular substrate. In typical aquatic limbless locomotion, undulations of the body push against water, which flows because it is incapable of supporting the static stresses exerted by the animal, thus the undulations move in world space (slipping wave locomotion). In typical terrestrial limbless locomotion, these undulations push against substrate irregularities and move relatively little in world space (non-slipping wave locomotion). We used standard and X-ray video to determine the roles of slipping wave and non-slipping wave locomotion during burrowing in sand lances. We find that sand lances in water use slipping wave locomotion, similar to most aquatic undulators, but switch to non-slipping waves once they burrow. We identify a progression of three stages in the burrowing process: first, aquatic undulations similar to typical anguilliform locomotion (but without head yaw) push the head into the sand; second, more pronounced undulations of the aquatic portion of the body push most of the animal below ground; third, the remaining above-ground portion of the body ceases undulation and the subterranean portion takes over, transitioning to non-slipping wave locomotion. We find no evidence that sand lances use their body motions to fluidize the sand. Instead, as soon as enough of the body is underground, they undergo a kinematic shift and locomote like terrestrial limbless vertebrates.
On exploring sparsity in widely separated MIMO radar

The scenario of widely separated multi-input multi-output (MIMO) radar is considered. For a small number of targets, the target returns are sparse in the target space. First, a decoupled Lasso approach is proposed, which by exploiting the structure of the basis matrix decomposes the large size problem into a number of smaller size problems, thus reducing computational complexity. Second, it is shown that by reordering the columns of the basis matrix, group sparsity can be introduced to the returns. This structure can be exploited by a group Lasso approach to achieve significant performance gains.
Understanding interest groups, lobbying and lobbyists in developing democracies

This introductory article sets the scene for understanding the seven articles that follow in this Special Issue of the Journal. It lays the groundwork in five areas. First, it explains key terms and concepts important for understanding interests, interest groups and lobbying in developing democracies and goes into some detail about the concept of democracy. Second, it offers insights into the characteristics of interest group systems in developing democracies. Third, it briefly reviews the form and extent of the existing work written on interest groups in these political systems. Fourth, it argues that viewing developing democracies through the role of interest groups is a valuable analytical tool but must be adapted from the study of interest groups in developed and well-established democracies to be of use in understanding these developing systems. And fifth, it points out how the seven articles that follow help illustrate the definitions and explanations presented in the previous four sections and the promise and challenges faced by interests and interest groups in these political systems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Deltaflow: submetering by synthesizing uncalibrated pulse sensor streams

Current submetering systems suffer from prohibitive device costs, invasive installations, and burdensome maintenance. In this paper we present Deltaflow, a submetering system that can estimate the power draw of individual loads by augmenting aggregate measurements with very simple sensors. The key insight is that we can drastically reduce sensor complexity by encoding information in the mere existence of a radio transmission, rather than the contents of that transmission. A sensor consisting simply of a radio and an energy-harvesting power supply tuned to harvest a side-channel emission of energy consumption (e.g. light, heat, magnetic field, vibration) will exhibit an activation frequency that is correlated with the power draw of the load to which it is affixed. These sensors report their activations to the data-processing backend, which can determine the actual power draw by incorporating ground truth aggregate measurements such as those provided by utility meters. The server maps sensor activations to energy consumption by observing when the aggregate measurement and the sensor activation frequency change simultaneously. The server iteratively partitions the system history into discrete states which are used to construct and solve instances of a linear optimization problem. Solutions to the problem reveal the mapping from pulse frequencies to individual load power draw. This systems approach to submetering results in deployments that are easy to install and maintain, while contributing zero additional load, enabling building owners and occupants to simply affix tags to energy consumers and automatically begin receiving real-time power draw readings.
A score for Bayesian genome screening.

Bayesian Monte Carlo Markov chain (MCMC) techniques have shown promise in dissecting complex genetic traits. The methods introduced by Heath ([1997], Am. J. Hum. Genet. 61:748-760), and implemented in the program Loki, have been able to localize genes for complex traits in both real and simulated data sets. Loki estimates the posterior probability of quantitative trait loci (QTL) at locations on a chromosome in an iterative MCMC process. Unfortunately, interpretation of the results and assessment of their significance have been difficult. Here, we introduce a score, the log of the posterior placement probability ratio (LOP), for assessing oligogenic QTL detection and localization. The LOP is the log of the posterior probability of linkage to the real chromosome divided by the posterior probability of linkage to an unlinked pseudochromosome, with marker informativeness similar to the marker data on the real chromosome. Since the LOP cannot be calculated exactly, we estimate it in simultaneous MCMC on both real and pseudochromosomes. We investigate empirically the distributional properties of the LOP in the presence and absence of trait genes. The LOP is not subject to trait model misspecification in the way a lod score may be, and we show that the LOP can detect linkage for loci of small effect when the lod score cannot. We show how, in the absence of linkage, an empirical distribution of the LOP may be estimated by simulation and used to provide an assessment of linkage detection significance.
Piperazine/N-methylpiperazine/ N,N'-dimethylpiperazine as an Aqueous Solvent for Carbon Dioxide Capture

A blend of piperazine (PZ), N-methylpiperazine (MPZ) and N,N’-dimethylpiperazine (DMPZ) is described as a novel CO2 capture solvent for aqueous absorption-stripping. This blend provides improved solid solubility and heat of absorption compared to concentrated PZ. No insolubility was observed for regions of high CO2 loading, unlike PZ solvents. The blend performed like concentrated PZ in terms of CO2 capacity and CO2 absorption rate, both of which were more than double that of a traditional 7 molal (30 wt%) MonoEthanolAmine (MEA). Thermal equilibrium was established between the three constituent amines that increases the thermal stability compared to traditional blended solvents. The primary drawback of this novel solvent system is enhanced amine volatility at absorber conditions compared with both concentrated PZ and MEA.
Social desirability bias: A neglected aspect of validity testing

A tremendous growth in the use of multi-item scales in marketing research has occurred over the past two decades. Concurrently, there is increasing concern about the quality of these measures. Although the majority of marketing-related articles now discuss the reliability of the scales administered, few address the issue of scale validity. One aspect of scale validity, which should be of particular concern to marketing researchers, is the potential threat of contamination due to social-desirability response bias. However, a careful review of nearly 20 years of published research suggests that social-desirability bias has been consistently neglected in scale construction, evaluation, and implementation. The purpose of this article is to discuss the nature of such a bias, methods for identifying, testing for and/or preventing it, and how these methods can and should be implemented in consumer-related research. ©: 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Tetrahedron mapping of points from n-space to three-space

We extend the triangulation method of Lee et al. (1977) and present a tetrahedron method for the sequential mapping of points in high-dimensional space into three-space. The three-space preserves distances among nodes of a tetrahedron. Whenever a new point is mapped, its distances to three points previously mapped are exactly preserved. Among these three points, one can be chosen as the point connected through a minimal spanning tree. Other two points can be chosen as the nearest neighbors among points previously mapped, or some fixed reference points. This method works well to display a moderate number of points where distances among points have to be maintained. It is also useful to display data clusters, and can be combined with linear mapping methods for visualizing large datasets. Various applications in pattern analysis are discussed.
The Trade-Off between Tax Savings and Financial Reporting Costs: An Analysis of the Effective Tax Rates of Glamour Companies

This study investigates whether glamour companies have higher effective tax rates than value companies. Glamour companies are defined using a Lakonishok et al. (1994) definition as companies that have a high price-to-earnings ratio and high sales growth. Conversely, value companies have a low price-to-earnings ratio and low sales growth. This study hypothesizes that glamour companies will have higher effective tax rates than value companies due to unique financial reporting pressures faced by glamour companies. To test the hypothesized relationship, companies are separated into glamour and value company portfolios and tested using an ordinary least squares regression model. A sample of 916 glamour and value companies indicates that, as hypothesized, glamour companies have higher effective tax rates than value companies after controlling for size, leverage, capital intensity, multinational operations, and industry. The results are robust to different glamour company and ETR constructs. This finding is consistent with glamour companies having greater financial reporting pressures that reduce the willingness of glamour company management to undertake aggressive tax reduction strategies that could have a negative impact on financial income.
Profiles of photosynthetic oxygen‐evolution within leaves of Spinacia oleracea

Oxygen evolution was measured from mesophyll tissues in spinach leaves using a photoacoustic technique. The photosynthetic capacity of individual cell layers was measured by directing microscopic beams of light, 40 μm wide, to cells exposed within a leaf cross section. The resulting profile for oxygen-evolution potential was relatively flat, indicating a uniform capacity for photosynthesis in leaf mesophyll tissues. Two experimental approaches were used to estimate the photosynthetic performance of individual mesophyll cell layers when white light was applied to the adaxial leaf surface. These experiments indicated that oxygen was produced relatively uniformly across the mesophyll and that oxygen evolution increased with irradiance of the white light applied to the leaf surface. The measured profiles for oxygen evolution and capacity are flatter than previous measurements of profiles of fixed carbon and estimates of profiles for absorbed light within spinach leaves.
Long-term effects of weed control and fertilization on the carbon and nitrogen pools of a slash and loblolly pine forest in north-central Florida

The effects of fertilization, weed control, and fertilization plus weed control on vegetation and soil C and N pools were examined for a loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii Engelm.) forest at ages 18 and 26 years (at the end of rotation). The total C accumulated in fertilized forests without weed control was 20% (slash pine) and 40% (loblolly pine) greater than in the control forests at the end of rotation. Weed control increased pine C pools at 18 years, but by the end of rotation, weed control effectively resulted in no gain in ecosystem C. When the two treatments were combined, weed control slightly subtracted from the net C benefit produced by fertilization. This result occurred because of decreased forest floor and soil C in the weed control plots. Fertilization significantly increased stem, foliage, forest floor, and soil N pools, and N retention was 63% and 103% of the applied N in the slash and loblolly pine forests, respectively. Weed control with fertilization reduced ecosystem N retention efficiency, but weed control alone did not negatively affect ecosystem N accumulation. These results suggest that the optimal treatment for increasing C accumu- lation and N retention in these ecosystems is fertilization without weed control.
Hyperspectral imaging system for quantitative identification and discrimination of fluorescent labels in the presence of autofluorescence

Multivariate data analysis applied to hyperspectral images offers the unique opportunity to dramatically increase the amount of information gained from a single biological sample. Numerous fluorescent tags can be used to perform multiple studies in parallel from a single hyperspectral image scan. Highly spatially and spectrally overlapping fluorophores can be separated even amidst a large autofluorescence background with the use of multivariate curve resolution methods. The results of two biological samples with multiple fluorescent labels are shown and compared to a traditional filter-based multispectral system. These examples illustrate the combined power of the hyperspectral microscope hardware and the multivariate image analysis software for biomedical imaging. This technique has the potential to be applied to a broad array of biological applications where fluorescent tags are a central and ubiquitous tool, and to biomedical areas that focus on the discovery and identification of weak, broad spectrum native fluorescence.
Frequency modulation locking in 980 nm strained quantum well lasers

The fundamental and second-harmonic spectral characteristics of frequency modulation locking have been observed in strained-layer InGaAs quantum well Fabry-Perot ridge-waveguide lasers emitting at 980 nm.
A Special-Purpose Architecture for Solving the Breakpoint Median Problem

In this paper, we describe the design for a co-processor for whole-genome phylogenetic reconstruction. Our current design performs a parallelized breakpoint median computation, which is an expensive component of the overall application. When implemented on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), our hardware breakpoint median achieves a maximum speedup of 1005times over software. When the coprocessor is used to accelerate the entire reconstruction procedure, we achieve a maximum application speedup of 417times. The results in this paper suggest that FPGA-based acceleration is a promising approach for computationally expensive phylogenetic problems, in spite of the fact that the involved algorithms are based on complex, control-dependent combinatorial optimization.
UNRWA AND THE PALESTINIAN REFUGEES AFTER SIXTY YEARS: SOME REFLECTIONS

This volume of Refugee Survey Quarterly marks the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Unlike its sister agency UNHCR, which is mandated to assist and protect refugees worldwide, UNRWA remains dedicated to supporting and protecting Palestinian refugees. The Agency has undergone extensive reformation since its inception in response to operational challenges and evolving refugee needs and has sought to remain abreast of emerging international practices. As such, it became a leader in responding to protracted refugee situations. The aim of this volume is to pay tribute to the important role UNRWA has played on behalf of Palestinian refugees and to engage in reflection and debate that might foster the Agency’s continued success in fulfilling its mandate and help the refugees live in dignity pending a just and comprehensive solution to their plight. When the United Nations General Assembly met in December 1949 to consider the establishment of a successor to the United Nations Relief for
Percent Emphysema and Right Ventricular Structure and Function: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis-Lung and Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis-Right Ventricle Studies

Background Severe COPD can lead to cor pulmonale and emphysema and is associated with impaired left ventricular (LV) filling. We evaluated whether emphysema and airflow obstruction would be associated with changes in right ventricular (RV) structure and function and whether these associations would differ by smoking status. Methods The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) performed cardiac MRI on 5,098 participants without clinical cardiovascular disease aged 45 to 84 years. RV and emphysema measures were available for 4,188 participants. Percent emphysema was defined as the percentage of voxels below −910 Hounsfield units in the lung windows on cardiac CT scans. Generalized additive models were used to control for confounders and adjust for respective LV parameters. Results Participants consisted of 13% current smokers, 36% former smokers, and 52% never smokers. Percent emphysema was inversely associated with RV end-diastolic volume, stroke volume, cardiac output, and mass prior to adjustment for LV measures. After adjustment for LV end-diastolic volume, greater percent emphysema was associated with greater RV end-diastolic volume (+1.5 mL, P = .03) among current smokers, smaller RV end-diastolic volume (−0.8 mL, P = .02) among former smokers, and similar changes among never smokers. Conclusions Percent emphysema was associated with smaller RV volumes and lower mass. The relationship of emphysema to cardiac function is complex but likely involves increased pulmonary vascular resistance, predominantly with reduced cardiac output, pulmonary hyperinflation, and accelerated cardiopulmonary aging.
New species of Parasigmoidella Hanitsch (Blattaria: Blattellidae: Blattellinae)

Abstract Twenty-four new species of Parasigmoidella from Papua New Guinea (14 species), Irian Jaya (six species), and the Philippine Islands (four species), are described. Lupparia inconspicua Shelford (Papua New Guinea) and Theganopteryx reticulata Bolivar (Seychelles) are transferred to Parasigmoidella, making a total of 35 species worldwide. A key to the known males of 34 species is presented.
National Board Teachers Are More Effective, But Are They in the Classrooms Where They're Needed the Most?

Abstract This brief summarizes findings from several research articles that focus on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). This work focuses on three key questions: Who applies for and becomes National Board certified? Where do National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) teach? Are they more effective than other teachers? The findings suggest that: (1) teachers are less likely to become certified if teaching disadvantaged students; (2) NBCTs are more effective than noncertified NBPTS-applicants and nonapplicants; and (3) the mobility patterns of NBCTs decrease the chances that low-performing students will be taught by a teacher with this credential.
Epidermal homeostasis and radiation responses in a multiscale tissue modeling framework

The surface of the skin is lined with several thin layers of epithelial cells that are maintained throughout a lifetime by a small population of stem cells. High dose radiation exposures could injure and deplete the underlying proliferative cells and induce cutaneous radiation syndrome. In this work we propose a multiscale computational model for skin epidermal dynamics that links phenomena occurring at the subcellular, cellular, and tissue levels of organization, to simulate the experimental data of the radiation response of swine epidermis, which is very similar to human epidermis. Incorporating experimentally measured histological and cell kinetic parameters, we obtain results of population kinetics and proliferation indices comparable to observations in unirradiated and acutely irradiated swine experiments. At the sub-cellular level, several recently published Wnt signaling controlled cell-cycle models are applied and the roles of key components and parameters are analyzed. This integrated model allows us to test the validity of several basic biological rules at the cellular level and sub-cellular mechanisms by qualitatively comparing simulation results with published research, and enhances our understanding of the pathophysiological effects of ionizing radiation on the skin.
Lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymphadenectomy prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with large breast cancers

Abstract Background Lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymphadenectomy (LM/SL) accurately evaluates the axilla in patients with small breast cancers. LM/SL in patients with large breast cancers is controversial. We examined the accuracy of LM/SL prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with large (>3.5 cm) breast cancers. Methods Patients with large breast cancers underwent LM/SL prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy using 99m-technetium radiocolloid and isosulfan-blue dye technique. Results Twenty-one patients with large (median 5.0 cm) breast cancers underwent LM/SL prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Twelve patients had a tumor-free sentinel node (SN) and received doxorubicin-based chemotherapy; 9 patients had disease in the SN and received doxorubicin followed by a taxane. No patient progressed while receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, nor has there been an axillary recurrence (median 36 months). Conclusions LM/SL performed prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with large breast cancers is an accurate method of axillary staging. Axillary staging prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy may have prognostic and therapeutic implications.
Capacity and power allocation for fading MIMO channels with channel estimation error

In this correspondence, we investigate the effect of channel estimation error on the capacity of multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) fading channels. We study lower and upper bounds of mutual information under channel estimation error, and show that the two bounds are tight for Gaussian inputs. Assuming Gaussian inputs we also derive tight lower bounds of ergodic and outage capacities and optimal transmitter power allocation strategies that achieve the bounds under perfect feedback. For the ergodic capacity, the optimal strategy is a modified waterfilling over the spatial (antenna) and temporal (fading) domains. This strategy is close to optimum under small feedback delays, but when the delay is large, equal powers should be allocated across spatial dimensions. For the outage capacity, the optimal scheme is a spatial waterfilling and temporal truncated channel inversion. Numerical results show that some capacity gain is obtained by spatial power allocation. Temporal power adaptation, on the other hand, gives negligible gain in terms of ergodic capacity, but greatly enhances outage performance.
Operational phase distributions via displaced squeezed states

Abstract We introduce an ‘effective’ phase state with which high-sensitivity phase-shift measurements can be performed. These states can be used for high-precision operational measurements of phase distributions of states which in phase space are localized in regions whose angular width is much larger than π. We propose a method by means of which the corresponding operational phase distribution can be measured.
Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia and Thrombosis

A 53-year-old man with cardiomyopathy was hospitalized with heart failure exacerbation. One week later he developed thrombophlebitis of his right arm, which required anticoagulation with heparin. Two days later platelet count dropped from 146,000 to 17,000/mm3 with new deep vein thrombosis in the right leg. Syndrome of early onset heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (HITT) secondary to prior exposure was suspected. Heparin was discontinued and the direct thrombin inhibitor lepirudin started. Platelet count recovered, but the patient’s condition deteriorated with development of gangrene of the right-sided toes and fingertips, which required amputation.
Cognitive Control Deficits in Shifting and Inhibition in Preschool Age Children are Associated with Increased Depression and Anxiety Over 7.5 Years of Development

Although depression and anxiety are common in youth (Costello et al. 2003), factors that put children at risk for such symptoms are not well understood. The current study examined associations between early childhood cognitive control deficits and depression and anxiety over the course of development through school age. Participants were 188 children (at baseline M = 5.42 years, SD = 0.79 years) and their primary caregiver. Caregivers completed ratings of children's executive functioning at preschool age and measures of depression and anxiety severity over seven assessment waves (a period of approximately 7.5 years). Longitudinal multilevel linear models were used to examine the effect of attention shifting and inhibition deficits on depression and anxiety. Inhibition deficits at preschool were associated with significantly greater depression severity scores at each subsequent assessment wave (up until 7.5 years later). Inhibition deficits were associated with greater anxiety severity from 3.5 to 7.5 years later. Greater shifting deficits at preschool age were associated with greater depression severity up to 5.5 years later. Shifting deficits were also associated with significantly greater anxiety severity up to 3.5 years later. Importantly, these effects were significant even after accounting for the influence of other key predictors including assessment wave/time, gender, parental education, IQ, and symptom severity at preschool age, suggesting that effects are robust. Overall, findings indicate that cognitive control deficits are an early vulnerability factor for developing affective symptoms. Timely assessment and intervention may be beneficial as an early prevention strategy.
Public funding and policies for provision of the contraceptive implant, fiscal year 1992.

Made available to the public for the first time in February 1991 Norplant is the first contraceptive implant approved for use in the US. The implant provides women with continuous contraceptive protection is fully reversible and is not coitus-dependent. Data from Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories the distributor for the US indicate that 750000 kits had been inserted as of July 1993. People however question the degree to which users may be dependent upon providers particularly for implant removal and about the potential for coercive public policies targeted to members of lower socioeconomic classes. By January 1993 all fifty states and the District of Columbia had approved the implant for reimbursement under their Medicaid programs. This paper reports findings of a survey conducted to assess levels of public funding for the provision of Norplant and the development of policies under which these funds are made available. The survey found that state Medicaid health and welfare agencies spent $61 million in federal and state funds providing Norplant to low-income women in fiscal year 1992. $57 million of the outlay was federal with Medicaid accounting for 84% of all public funds spent on the implant; only nine states committed state funds. Medicaid agencies of a woman could receive over her reproductive lifetime. Further no Medicaid agency has provisions to cover required or requested removals of the devices among users who become ineligible for Medicaid while the implant is still in place. Only eight health departments have policies ensuring subsidized removal for such women.
THE TRANSFORMATION OF WAVES IN SHALLOW WATER

The purpose of this paper is to summarize existing knowledge of the processes involved in the movement of progressive oscillatory waves through shallow water and the fundamental principles controlling these processes. Variations in wave characteristics and their physical significance will be discussed as well as agreement between theory and observation. The application of available knowledge to engineering problems is treated in the following chapters.
The Use of Low Permeation Thermoplastics in Food and Beverage Packaging

The use of synthetic polymers for food packaging is certainly not new. Many food and beverage items, over the years, have found their way into packages composed of polymeric materials, but no truly large scale inroads have been made by polymers into the majority of food packaging areas now using metal and glass. Perhaps the lack of barrier properties, or conversely the relatively high permeability of synthetic polymeric materials, as compared to glass and metal, is the most dominant reason for this lack of use. This study attempts to examine the applicability of various low permeation polymeric materials, taking only into consideration the permeability of the material, in the packaging of specific foods and beverages. It is not meant to be all encompassing nor absolute in its findings, since the ultimate acceptance of any polymer application for packaging foods will depend upon other parameters such as absorption and extraction in addition to permeation properties.
Acute Lung Injury: A Clinical and Molecular Review

Context.—Acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are a continuum of lung changes arising from a wide variety of lung injuries, frequently resulting in significant morbidity and frequently in death. Research regarding the molecular pathophysiology of ALI/ARDS is ongoing, with the aim toward developing prognostic molecular biomarkers and molecular-based therapy. Objective.—To review the clinical, radiologic, and pathologic features of ALI/ARDS; and the molecular pathophysiology of ALI/ARDS, with consideration of possible predictive/prognostic molecular biomarkers and possible molecular-based therapies. Data Sources.—Examination of the English-language medical literature regarding ALI and ARDS. Conclusions.—ARDS is primarily a clinicoradiologic diagnosis; however, lung biopsy plays an important diagnostic role in certain cases. A significant amount of progress has been made in the elucidation of ARDS pathophysiology and in predicting patient response, however, currently there i...
Sexuality in Physoderma Pulposum Wallroth

In mixtures of planospores derived from two or more epibiotic sporangia of Physoderma pulposum, several planospores function as gametes, pair, and fuse to form zygotes. Planospores from single epib...
Signature predictions of surface targets undergoing braking maneuvers in squinted spotlight synthetic aperture radar imagery

This paper investigates methodologies for predicting the smear signatures in squinted spotlight synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery collections due to surface targets that are undergoing braking maneuvers. Previous analysis considered the case of broadside collection geometries. Analytic computation of a power series expansion is used to compute a generic expression for the down-range and cross-range components of the predicted mover signature. In addition, recent analysis presents capabilities for predicting the full signature shape, including the smear width and interference effects. The current investigations focuses on the effects of squinted collection geometries upon braking targets signatures.
Genetic Considerations in Pediatric Chronic Kidney Disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children is an irreversible process that, in some cases, may lead to end-stage renal disease. The majority of children with CKD have a congenital disorder of the kidney or urological tract arising from birth. There is strong evidence for both a genetic and epigenetic component to progression of CKD. Utilization of gene-mapping strategies, ranging from genome-wide association studies to single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis, serves to identify potential genetic variants that may lend to disease variation. Genome-wide association studies evaluating population-based data have identified different loci associated with CKD progression. Analysis of single-nucleotide polymorphisms on an individual level suggests that secondary systemic sequelae of CKD are closely related to dysfunction of the cardiovascular-inflammatory axis and may lead to advanced cardiovascular disease through abnormal vascular calcification and activation of the renin–angiotensin system. Similarly, genetic variants affecting cytokine control, fibrosis, and parenchymal development may modulate CKD through development and acceleration of renal interstitial fibrosis. Epigenetic studies evaluate modification of the genome through DNA methylation, histone modification, or RNA interference, which may be directly influenced by external or environmental factors directing genomic expression. Lastly, improved understanding of the genetic and epigenetic contribution to CKD progression may allow providers to identify a population at accelerated risk for disease progression and apply novel therapies targeted at the genetic mechanism of disease.
Idelalisib for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma

Idelalisib is a first-in-class selective oral PI3Kδ inhibitor for the treatment of patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma, a predominantly elderly population with high comorbidity. The drug promotes apoptosis in primary CLL cells ex vivo, independent of common prognostic markers and inhibits CLL cell homing, migration and adhesion to cells in the microenvironment. Idelalisib has shown efficacy with acceptable safety as monotherapy and combination therapy in relapsed/refractory CLL. Idelalisib has clinical activity in patients with CLL with del(17p). The development of other novel B-cell-targeted agents provides the opportunity to evaluate additional idelalisib treatment combinations for their potential to further improve outcomes in CLL/small lymphocytic lymphoma.
High-Dimensional Geometry of Sliding Window Embeddings of Periodic Videos

We explore the high dimensional geometry of sliding windows of periodic videos. Under a reasonable model for periodic videos, we show that the sliding window is necessary to disambiguate all states within a period, and we show that a video embedding with a sliding window of an appropriate dimension lies on a topological loop along a hypertorus. This hypertorus has an independent ellipse for each harmonic of the motion. Natural motions with sharp transitions from foreground to background have many harmonics and are hence in higher dimensions, so linear subspace projections such as PCA do not accurately summarize the geometry of these videos. Noting this, we invoke tools from topological data analysis and cohomology to parameterize motions in high dimensions with circular coordinates after the embeddings. We show applications to videos in which there is obvious periodic motion and to videos in which the motion is hidden.
Adaptation-Guided Feature Deletion: Testing Recoverability to Guide Case Compression

Extensive case-based reasoning research has studied methods for generating compact, competent case bases. This work has focused primarily on compressing the case base by deleting entire cases, based solely on their competence contributions. Recent work proposed an alternative which compressed individual cases by selectively deleting their internal contents. Early studies of this approach, termed flexible feature deletion (FFD), demonstrated that for suitable domains, such as domains with cases of varying sizes for which case usefulness can be retained despite internal deletions, even very simple FFD approaches may outperform standard per-case methods. However, more sophisticated methods are needed. Because FFD’s internal changes to cases can be seen as a form of case adaptation, this paper investigates whether the adaptation knowledge of a system can be harnessed to improve FFD. This paper proposes tying FFD choices directly to adaptation knowledge and presents results on a competence-preserving FFD method which prioritizes feature deletions by the recoverability of deleted features through case adaptation. Evaluation of recoverability-based FFD in a path-finding domain supports that it provides superior competence retention compared to standard flexible feature deletion at the same level of compression.
12. Assembly-Activating Protein Is Not an Essential Requirement for Capsid Assembly of Adeno-Associated Virus Serotypes 4, 5, and 11

The mechanisms of capsid assembly for adeno-associated virus (AAV) is still incompletely understood, but delineating the role of the assembly-activating protein (AAP) in this process may lead to insight on this important step in vector production. AAP is a non-structural protein encoded within the cap gene in an overlapping open reading frame (ORF) that initiates near the N-terminus of the VP2 ORF and continues into the VP3 ORF. This protein has been shown to be essential for assembly of AAV2, 8, and 9 capsids; however, interestingly, we have recently found that AAV5 is capable of forming VP3-only capsids without AAP, raising a new question of what role AAP plays in the AAV5 virus life cycle. To further understand the functional role of AAP of AAV5 and other serotypes, it is important to investigate whether AAV5 would require AAP to form infectious capsids containing all three capsid proteins (VP1, VP2, and VP3) and whether other AAV serotypes exist that could form AAP-independent capsids. Here we show that AAV5 particles assembled in the absence of AAP are infectious and AAP-independent capsid assembly takes place for AAV4 and 11 as well but not for AAV12, a serotype that is phylogenetically closely related to AAV4 and 11. In the study, we created an AAV5 helper plasmid expressing AAV2 Rep and AAV5 Cap in which the AAP5 ORF was codon-modified extensively to prevent AAP expression while leaving the VP ORF intact. Using this AAP-KO helper plasmid and the standard AAV5 helper plasmid with an intact AAP ORF, we produced two types of AAV5 vectors expressing a marker gene, AAV5(AAP-) and AAV5(AAP+) vectors, respectively. These vectors were applied on CHO cells, and the marker gene expression was quantified 2 days post-infection. This assay revealed that the AAP-independent AAV5(AAP-) vector was able to efficiently transduce CHO cells although the transduction efficiency was about a half of that with the AAV5(AAP+) vector. The yield of AAV5(AAP-) vector production was lower than AAV5(AAP+) vector by ~10 fold but restored by co-expression of AAP in trans, indicating that AAP retains the assembly promoting role even though AAP is not an absolute requirement for AAV5 capsid assembly. We next sought to determine if AAV4 and 11 could also assemble capsids without AAP. To address this question, we transfected HEK293 cells with codon-modified AAV4 or AAV11 VP3-expressing plasmids and purified the potential viral particles by cesium-chloride ultracentrifugation. Electron microscopy revealed viral particles consistent with AAV capsids. Given the close evolutionary relationship between AAV4, 11 and 12, we hypothesized that AAV12 would also be capable of AAP-independent capsid formation, but preliminary evidence has shown this hypothesis to be incorrect. We anticipate that closer examination of the dependence or independence of viral capsid assembly on AAP among various serotypes will reveal differences in VP structure or the assembly process that will illuminate the mechanistic function of AAP.
Coccidiosis in Egg Laying Poultry

Abstract Coccidiosis is a parasitic disease of the intestinal tract of poultry that is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Eimeria. This disease is of worldwide occurrence and every year costs the poultry industry many millions of dollars to control. The parasites have an oral-fecal life cycle with no intermediate host and, depending upon the extent of exposure and environmental factors, can cause extensive morbidity and mortality. Coccidiosis is primarily a disease of young birds but can occur in older stock if they have not acquired immunity to infection. Unfortunately, there is little research on the effects of coccidiosis in birds reared for consumer egg production or broiler breeders. The emphasis of control strategies, especially in birds reared to produce eggs, has been to provide protection to young chicks while allowing them to acquire immunity that will protect them in later life. These strategies can be achieved by chemotherapy or vaccination.
Transcanal endoscopic tympanotomy

In this article, we describe surgical steps and approaches for transcanal endoscopic tympanotomy. Endoscopic ear surgery can be safely and effectively used for transcanal access to most routine and complex middle ear pathology in children and adults. The superior image detail and wide-angle view of the endoscope greatly enhances its diagnostic and therapeutic value. In the following report, we will review endoscopic middle ear anatomy, basic surgical techniques, and discuss pearls and pitfalls associated with transcanal endoscopic tympanotomy.