cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The LiiNK Project Â® : Comparisons of Recess, Physical Activity, and Positive Emotional States in Grades K-2 Children

The purpose of this study was to explore the physical activity patterns and emotional states differences among elementary school students at two private schools with differently structured school days. Students at one school received the LiiNK Project Â® pilot intervention, which included an additional two 15-minute recess breaks (unstructured outdoor play) throughout the school day and a 15-minute character development lesson three to four times weekly. Students at the comparison school received only one 30-minute recess daily and no additional character development curriculum. Grades K-2 children from two schools (N=262) wore pedometers for one school week and were observed for emotional expressions during recess. A univariate ANOVA revealed that intervention school students took significantly more steps on average than comparison school students, F(1, 260)=0.784, p<0.0001. Significant interactions were found for average number of steps between school and grade, F(2, 250)=4.298, p<0.05, school and gender, F(1, 250)=4.660, p<0.05, and grade and gender, F(2, 250)=6.919, p<0.001. Another univariate ANOVA revealed that during recess, intervention school students displayed significantly higher percentages of positive emotions than comparison school children, F(1, 52)=15.332, p<0.0001 and significantly lower percentages of not-positive emotions than comparison school students, F(1, 52)=13.900, p<0.0001. Overall, K-2 students who received multiple recesses and a character curriculum called Positive Action were significantly more active during the school day and displayed higher percentages of positive emotions on the playground than comparison school students.
The Persistence of HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND) in the Era of Combined Antiretroviral Therapy (cART)

HIV invades the CNS compartment very early in infection and infects monocytes, microglia, macrophages, and astrocytes. These cells comprise the CNS viral reservoir. Neuroinvasion can continue throughout the infected individual’s lifetime due to the migration of HIV-infected monocytes across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Infection of the CNS stimulates the activation of both infected and uninfected cells, the production of neurotoxic viral proteins, the expression of chemokines which attract additional infected monocytes, and a persistent CNS inflammation that causes neuronal dysfunction and death. These events are responsible for the neurocognitive, motor, and behavioral deficits collectively known as HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND). Treatment with combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) reduces the pool of replicating virus and may also reduce inflammation; however, current cART cannot eradicate the CNS viral reservoir nor persistent CNS inflammation, as HIV has molecular mechanisms of evading the immune system and may also be protected from therapeutic levels of cART within the CNS. Thus, cART attenuates rather than cures the brain pathology underlying HAND. In addition, comorbid processes such as aging, cART neurotoxicity, drug use, HCV coinfection, and vascular risk factors may contribute to brain injury and exacerbate the manifestations of HAND.
Engaging Youth in Climate Resilience Planning with Social Media: Lessons from #OurChangingClimate

In light of the socio-ecological complexities associated with climate vulnerability, planning for community resilience will require participatory techniques to engage those most vulnerable. In particular, youth set to inherit the predicted impacts of climate change must be engaged with the processes that determine the future of their built environments. Drawing from existing literature on youth-based participatory planning and climate engagement, this paper presents an alternative process for engaging youth in climate resilience planning by employing digital technology as a tool for youth-based evaluations of existing built environments. Using the pilot project #OurChangingClimate as a case study, the authors propose a new model for engaging youth with an understanding of their communities and their resilience or vulnerability to climate change. The article details the use of social media and digital narratives as tools for participatory resilience planning and presents some of the preliminary content generated in four pilot youth workshops held from 2015–2017. Lastly, implications of youth-generated content on climate resilience planning are discussed.
Null-hypothesis testing using distance metrics for verification of arms-control treaties

We investigate the feasibility of constructing a data-driven distance metric for use in null-hypothesis testing in the context of arms-control treaty verification. The distance metric is used in testing the hypothesis that the available data are representative of a certain object or otherwise, as opposed to binary-classification tasks studied previously. The metric, being of strictly quadratic form, is essentially computed using projections of the data onto a set of optimal vectors. These projections can be accumulated in list mode. The relatively low number of projections hampers the possible reconstruction of the object and subsequently the access to sensitive information. The projection vectors that channelize the data are optimal in capturing the Mahalanobis squared distance of the data associated with a given object under varying nuisance parameters. The vectors are also chosen such that the resulting metric is insensitive to the difference between the trusted object and another object that is deemed to contain sensitive information. Data used in this study were generated using the GEANT4 toolkit to model gamma transport using a Monte Carlo method. For numerical illustration, the methodology is applied to synthetic data obtained using custom models for plutonium inspection objects. The resulting metric based on a relatively low number of channels shows moderate agreement with the Mahalanobis distance metric for the trusted object but enabling a capability to obscure sensitive information.
An assessment of emotional intelligence in emergency medicine resident physicians.

Objectives To define the emotional intelligence (EI) profile of emergency medicine (EM) residents, and identify resident EI strengths and weaknesses. Methods First-, second-, and third-year residents (post-graduate years [PGY] 1, 2, and 3, respectively) of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital's EM Program completed the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i 2.0), a validated instrument offered by Multi-Health Systems. Reported scores included total mean EI, 5 composite scores, and 15 subscales of EI. Scores are reported as means with 95% CIs. The unpaired, two-sample t-test was used to evaluate differences in means. Results Thirty-five residents completed the assessment (response rate 97.2%). Scores were normed to the general population (mean 100, SD 15). Total mean EI for the cohort was 103 (95%CI,100-108). EI was higher in female (107) than male (101) residents. PGY-2s demonstrated the lowest mean EI (95) versus PGY-1s (104) and PGY-3s (110). The difference in PGY-3 EI (110; 95%CI,103-116) and PGY-1 EI (95, 95%CI,87-104) was statistically significant (unpaired t-test, p<0.01). Highest composite scores were in interpersonal skills (107; 95%CI,100-108) and stress management (105; 95%CI,101-109). Subscale cohort strengths included self-actualization (107); empathy (107); interpersonal relationships (106); impulse control (106); and stress tolerance (106). Lowest subscale score was in assertiveness (98). Self-regard (89), assertiveness (88), and independence (90) were areas in which PGY-2s attained relatively lower scores (unpaired t-test, p<0.05) compared to their peers and the general population. PGY-3's scored highest in nearly all subscales. Conclusions The EQ-i offers insight into training that may assist in developing EM residents, specifically in self-regard, assertiveness, and self-expression. Further study is required to ascertain if patterns in level of training are idiosyncratic or relate to the natural maturation of residents.
Problem-solving strategies in a music transcription system

Music transcription is a significant problem in machine perception. The system discussed in this paper, MANA. takes as input either the sound of a recorded performance, or data captured using a musical keyboard. It produces conventional musical notation as output. It has successfully handled pieces ranging from 18th-century piano music to improvisations on conga drums, in the Afro-Cuban style. The paper describes the key ideas and techniques found in the temporal analysis component of MANA, the goal of which is to assign a rhythmic value to each note played. Perception seems to result from the interplay of sensory evidence and pre-existing mental structures, data-driven agents pitted against model-driven agents in the formation of hypotheses that seem tolerable to our prejudices and not too distant from the data. To this first order view one must add a second order one, which allows the system to notice patterns among partially elaborated hypotheses, and to use these patterns to alter confidence ratings, according to "peer pressure" rules. Concerning the use of multiple criteria for hypothesis evaluation and pruning, which necessary in the context of perception systems, it is argued that the use of partial orders over multi-dimensional spaces of natural criteria yield more robust methods that approaches based on combining criteria down to scalars.
Hilbert Spectral Description and Simulation of Nonstationary Random Processes

A new method is proposed for characterization and simulation of a nonstationary random process based on samples of the process. The theoretical background is that of the Hilbert Huang Transform (HHT). Samples of a random process X(t) can be decomposed into a summation of modal functions whose Hilbert transforms can be used to describe the amplitude and frequency changes with time. A Hilbert spectrum is then defined to describe the time-varying spectral content of the sample process. The method is also extended to characterization of vector processes. It can be conveniently applied to simulation of non-stationary random processes based on observed sample functions. The simulated processes approach Gaussian and will have the Hilbert spectra equal to the target spectra. Unlike current procedures such as those based on the evolutionary process, no assumptions of any functional forms for the spectra are necessary for parameter estimation, which are unknown a priori. Applications to spectral characterization and simulation of multivariate earthquake ground motions show that the Hilbert spectra give a clear description of the spectral content change with time. The simulated samples have the desired frequency and amplitude variation with time. The method has great potential for engineering applications when dealing with non-stationary, nonlinear random processes.
FORMATION OF SUPERHEAVY NUCLEI BY HEAVY-ION FUSION*

ABSTRACT In order to synthesize superheavy nuclei (if they can exist), the appropriate number of nucleons must be brought together into a nearly spherical shape with as little excitation energy as possible. There are three factors affecting the dynamic evolution of a system from two separated nuclei to a compact, fused mass: 1) the nuclear potential energy of deformation, describing the interaction between Coulomb repulsive and nuclear attractive forces, 2) the reversible coupling of energy between the various collective modes described by the nuclear inertia tensor, and 3) the irreversible dissipative effects which describe loss of energy from collective shape motion to heat. In addition to a slowing down of the motion, dissipation can significantly alter the dynamic evolution of the nuclear shape. Each of these effects is illustrated by heavy-ion collisions calculated in a modified-liquid-drop model. Estimates of the energy needed for fusion in the 48 Ca + 248 Cm system imply from 20 to 50 MeV higher beam energies are needed than are presently being used in experimental attempts to create superheavy elements.
Multiscale Soil Erosion Simulations For Land Use Management

Increasing pressures on the land and an improved understanding of human impacts on the environment are leading to profound changes in land management, with emphasis on integration of local actions with watershed-scale approaches. This trend has a significant impact on the development of supporting Geographic Information System (GIS) and modeling tools. Complex, distributed, physics-based models are needed to improve understanding and prediction of landscape processes at any point in space and time. At the same time, land owners and managers working in the watersheds and fields need fast and easy to use models for which the input data are readily available.
Is Emotional Labor Easier in Collectivist or Individualist Cultures? An East–West Comparison:

Emotional labor is the effort to express job-appropriate emotions and/or suppress inappropriate emotions. The effort manifests in interpersonal interactions, whether face to face or voice to voice,...
A Non-convex Approach to Non-negative Super-resolution: Theory and Algorithm

This paper considers the problem of super-resolution reconstruction by casting it as an optimization problem with positive constraints and non-convex objective function. Enforcing the solution to be simultaneously sparse and non-negative naturally leads to a non-convex l 1/2 quasinorm minimization problem. A reweighted l 1 norm minimization algorithm is proposed to solve this problem, which is tailored for l 1/2 quasinorm minimization using the idea of Majorization-Minimization. Although the problem is non-convex and non-smooth, and the measurement matrix does not satisfy restricted isometry conditions, we are able to obtain deterministic stable reconstruction guarantees in presence of bounded noise by using the structure of the measurement matrix and non-negativity of the signal. Numerical results demonstrate that l 1/2 minimization promotes sparser solution and outperforms l 1 minimization.
Optimization of polyhydroxybutyrate production by experimental design of combined ternary mixture (glucose, xylose and arabinose) and process variables (sugar concentration, molar C:N ratio)

Conversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks to polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) could make lignocellulosic biorefineries more profitable and sustainable. Glucose, xylose and arabinose are the main sugars derived from pretreatment and hydrolysis of herbaceous feedstocks. Burkholderia sacchari DSM 17165 is a bacterium that can convert these sugars into PHB. However, the effects of sugar ratio, sugar concentration, and molar C:N ratio on PHB production have not been studied. In this study, a seven-run mixture design for sugar ratio combined with a 32 full factorial design for process variables was performed to optimize PHB production. A polynomial model was built based on experimental data, and optimum conditions for different sugar streams were derived and validated. The highest PHB production (3.81 g/L) was achieved with arabinose at a concentration of 25.54 g/L and molar C:N ratio of 74.35. Results provide references for manipulation of sugar mixture and process control to maximize PHB production.
Technological Bridging: Exploring the Use of Communications Technologies Amid the Diasporic Experience:

Through an evocative autoethnography, I explore the practices of family reconnection through the use of communication technologies amid the experience of diaspora, both my daughter’s and my own. In...
An Automated Software Application Reduces Controlled Substance Discrepancies in Perioperative Areas.

Background:Perioperative controlled substance diversion and tracking have received increased regulatory focus throughout the United States. The authors’ institution developed and implemented an automated web-based software application for perioperative controlled substance management. The authors hy
How adults' actions, outcomes, and testimony affect preschoolers' persistence.

Across four experiments, we looked at how 4- and 5-year-olds' (n = 520) task persistence was affected by observations of adult actions (high or low effort), outcomes (success or failure), and testimony (setting expectations??This will be hard,? pep talks??You can do this,? value statements??Trying hard is important,? and baseline). Across experiments, outcomes had the biggest impact: preschoolers consistently tried harder after seeing the adult succeed than fail. Additionally, adult effort affected children?s persistence, but only when the adult succeeded. Finally, children?s persistence was highest when the adult both succeeded and practiced what she preached: exerting effort while testifying to its value.
How does US college students’ sense of life purpose relate to their emotional expectations of being a volunteer in the community as part of a service-learning course?

INTRODUCTION. Few studies consider how purpose in life predicts emotions related to community service in college courses even though a purpose in life, a “compass” for finding opportunities to make meaningful prosocial contributions, should motivate students to serve. METHOD. Multilevel structural equation modeling estimated direct and indirect effects of survey responses regarding students’ past service experience, sense of purpose, and searching for purpose on their emotional expectations for service-learning before starting. RESULTS. Controlling for age, gender, extrinsic motivation, and characteristics of universities and courses, students’ past service experience and two purpose variables positively related to expected positive emotions toward service work, mediated through both students’ helping identity and intrinsic motivation to serve. Only sense of purpose was associated with higher intrinsic motivation, which was associated with lower expected negative emotions. DISCUSSION. Considering students’ life purpose may stimulate intrinsic motivation and schemas of being a helping person, which could contribute to positive emotions toward community service even before the service work begins.
Remote Sensing: A New Revolution in Geotechnical Engineering

Remote sensing in the form of satellite imagery has become part of our everyday life—from displaying boring locations at a job site to the various mapping apps on our smart phones that help us get there. In the past, geotechnical engineers might have searched out air photos to help evaluate current and past conditions at a site (e.g., drainage features, faults, failure scarps), but now we can quickly open Google EarthTM to view a site and use the time slider to see how conditions have evolved over the last, 10, 20, or even 50 years. The ubiquitous availability of high-resolution imagery has made us all appreciate the value of the “bird’s eye view” to our work.
Observational learning of a shifting goal location in rats: Impact of distance, observed performance, familiarity, and delay.

Abstract Background Observational learning allows for learning without direct exposure to danger or energetic demands. This form of learning is seen in humans, other primates, and other species such as rodents. The neurobiology behind social learning has been studied mostly in rats, specifically focusing on social transmission of food preference and fear. However, less is known regarding the neural circuitry behind social learning of a foraging scenario. New Method The current study examined observational learning in a working memory Tmaze task. The food location changed daily such that the observing animal had to learn the correct location anew each day. This delineated the time frame when an animal learned by observation, making the phenomenon easier to study. Results Rats learned the location of a food reward by observing a conspecific. Furthermore, the distance of the rats from the maze affected performance. Additionally, performance was affected by whether the performer made mistakes. This memory could persist for at least five minutes. Lastly, performance was not affected by observer-demonstrator familiarity Comparison with Existing Methods Previous rodent foraging studies typically exposed observers to the same behavior over many observation sessions. In this scenario, it is difficult to determine when and how an animal learns through observation. The current task delineates the period of observation in each session, allowing manipulations during the observation period. Conclusions The current paradigm allows for repeated examinations of observational learning and provides an alternative method for neurobiological studies of social learning.
Whistleblowing, Human Rights, and Mental Health/Well-being: Implications for Advanced Generalist Practice

The Human Rights Triptych, consisting briefly of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, at its center; guiding principles, declarations, and conventions on the right panel; and implementation measures on the left, can serve as guidelines for whistleblowers to engage in defending human rights and for states to protect them. Whereas whistleblowing generally refers to those in organizations exposing abuses, this article expands that notion to include unethical practices in the helping and health professions broadly defined. By way of example, it pays attention to issues pertaining to the promotion of mental health/well-being. With the metaphor of saving victims downstream from a burning ship, this essay contends that whistleblowing often comes too late. While important to save drowning victims, one must also put out the fire upstream. The whistleblower, referred to interchangeably here as a human rights defender, ought to be concerned about ethics, which may be intuitive, but human rights documents elucidate. S/he must be on the lookout for proactive measures to promote mental health, rather than reactive measures alone. Defending human rights, thus directly consistent with advanced generalist practice, can take place at various levels of intervention: the meta-macro, macro, mezzo, micro, and meta-micro.
Trends in the quality of external beam radiotherapy for elderly men with localized prostate cancer

6507 Background: External beam radiotherapy (EBRT) is a commonly used for treatment of clinically localized prostate cancer. Yet, secular trends in the delivery of this highly technical therapy hav...
The effects of selective beta-adrenergic blockade on bone marrow dysfunction following severe trauma and chronic stress

Abstract Introduction Propranolol has been shown to improve erythroid progenitor cell growth and anemia following trauma and this study sought to investigate the mechanisms involved by evaluating the effects of selective beta blockade. Methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to lung contusion, hemorrhagic shock and chronic stress (LCHS/CS) ± daily selective beta-1, beta-2, or beta-3 blockade (B1B, B2B, B3B). Bone marrow cellularity and growth of erythroid progenitor colonies, hemoglobin, plasma granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), hematopoietic progenitor cell mobilization, and daily weight were assessed. Results Selective beta-2 and beta-3 blockade improved bone marrow cellularity, erythroid progenitor colony growth and hemoglobin levels, while decreasing plasma G-CSF, progenitor cell mobilization and weight loss following LCHS/CS. Conclusions Attenuating the neuroendocrine stress response with the use of selective beta-2 and 3 adrenergic blockade may be an alternative to improve bone marrow erythroid function following trauma.
The bipermutahedron

The harmonic polytope and the bipermutahedron are two related polytopes which arose in Ardila, Denham, and Huh's work on the Lagrangian geometry of matroids. We study the bipermutahedron. We show that its faces are in bijection with the vertex-labeled and edge-labeled multigraphs with no isolated vertices; the generating function for its f-vector is a simple evaluation of the three variable Rogers--Ramanujan function. We show that the h-polynomial of the bipermutahedral fan is the biEulerian polynomial, which counts bipermutations according to their number of descents. We construct a unimodular triangulation of the product of n triangles that is combinatorially equivalent to (the triple cone over) the nth bipermutahedral fan. Ehrhart theory then gives us a formula for the biEulerian polynomial, which we use to show that this polynomial is real-rooted and that the h-vector of the bipermutahedral fan is log-concave and unimodal. We describe all the deformations of the bipermutahedron; that is, the ample cone of the bipermutahedral toric variety. We prove that among all polytopes in this family, the bipermutahedron has the largest possible symmetry group. Finally, we show that the Minkowski quotient of the bipermutahedron and the harmonic polytope equals 2.
Adherence to cultural values and the internalization of sociocultural appearance ideals are associated with exercise dependence symptoms in Asian/Asian American men

Abstract This study examined sociocultural correlates of exercise dependence symptoms (EDSX) in young Asian/Asian American men. We hypothesized that greater adherence to Asian cultural values would be positively associated with EDSX and that the internalization of muscularity and thinness appearance ideals would exacerbate this link. Participants included 266 Asian/Asian American men (18–30y, Mage = 24.4 ± 3.6y; MBMI = 24.2 ± 5 kg/m2) enrolled in a larger study examining disordered eating and body image concerns in ethnically/racially diverse young men. Participants completed an online survey that assessed demographics, adherence to Asian values, internalization of muscularity and thinness appearance ideals, and EDSX. After adjusting for BMI, income, education, and presence of a psychiatric diagnosis, a linear regression model indicated that adherence to Asian values was significantly and positively associated with EDSX (B = 12.13, p = .036). Neither internalization of muscularity (p = .812) nor thinness (p = .967) appearance ideals moderated this association. However, independently, both internalization of muscularity (B = 10.93, p
Strategic Place-Making and Public Scientific Outreach in the American Chemical Society’s National Historic Chemical Landmarks Program:

This article investigates place-making—a process involving appeals to embodiment, materiality, and spatial arrangement—as a means for building communicative relationships between technical scientif...
A U.S.-Mexican Law School for Deportees: A Reply to Ami Kimpell

Responds to an article by Amy Kimpell urging a complex of social services for immigrants awaiting deportation or recently released from detention centers. Suggests a further measure--namely that U.S. educational authorities cooperate with Mexican counterparts in providing English-language classes in legal studies and law for deportees deposited in Mexico.
The Impact of Sovereign Debt Crisis on the Degree of Interdependence of CDS markets

In this paper, we analyze the correlation between the sovereign Credit Default Spreads (CDS) with Gaussian, Student's t, Gumbel and Clayton copula models. Data is divided into two sub-periods: pre-crisis period (Jan.1-Dec.8, 2009) and post-crisis period (Dec.9, 2009-Dec.31 2010). Method of Conditional Maximum Likelihood Estimation is used. We find out 1) all correlation estimates are higher during post-crisis period. 2) Gumbel copula model has better in-sample fit in both pre-crisis and post-crisis periods according to AIC and SED. 3) The right tail dependence is stronger than the left one.
Crashworthiness Optimization Design of Minibus Structure

This paper built the 100% frontal crash model of the minibus, 8 thickness of the components which have obvious effect on vehicle crash performance were selected as design variables, and choose the appropriate evaluation index as the responses. Use DOE experimental design method to get 70 set training data and built Kriging approximate model based on the training data. The approximate model is optimized by PSO algorithm, in the optimized scheme, the amax and m has decreased by 7.6% and 0.87%, D1, D2 and D3 has decreased by 7.7%, 3.1% and 5.3%.
Characterization of the regions of convergence of CMA adapted blind fractionally spaced equalizer

The constant modulus algorithm (CMA) is an effective and popular scheme for blind adaptive equalization. Delineation of the regions of convergence of this multimodal algorithm has remained as an unresolved problem in spite of its significance with regard to CMA initialization strategies. In this paper we present a qualitative analysis of convergence regions of the fractionally spaced CMA (FS-CMA) equalizer based on a new geometrical understanding of the constant modulus cost function. We characterize the location and volume of the convergence regions of local minima, and associate the volume of the convergence regions with their MSE performance. The convergence regions of the local minima with low noise gain expand near the origin, while those of the local minima with high noise gain shrink. This explains partly the robustness of FS-CMA and the MSE optimization achieved by the widely used center spike initialization with constrained magnitude.
Laser-Based Measurements in Cell Biology

In this chapter, we review the imaging techniques and methods of molecular interrogation made possible by integrating laser light sources with microscopy. We discuss the advantages of exciting fluorescence by laser illumination and review commonly used laser-based imaging techniques such as confocal, multiphoton, and total internal reflection microcopy. We also discuss emerging imaging modalities based on intrinsic properties of biological macromolecules such as second harmonic generation imaging and coherent anti-Raman resonance spectroscopy. Super resolution techniques are presented that exceed the theoretical diffraction-limited resolution of a microscope objective. This chapter also focuses on laser-based techniques that can report biophysical parameters of fluorescently labeled molecules within living cells. Photobleaching techniques, fluorescence lifetime imaging, and fluorescence correlation methods can measure kinetic rates, molecular diffusion, protein-protein interactions, and concentration of a fluorophore-bound molecule. This chapter provides an introduction to the field of laser-based microscopy enabling readers to determine how best to match their research questions to the current suite of techniques.
Expression of wild-type and mutated forms of the catalytic (alpha) subunit of Caenorhabditis elegans casein kinase II in Escherichia coli.

A full-length Caenorhabditis elegans cDNA that encodes the alpha subunit of casein kinase II was inserted into the inducible bacterial expression vector pET3a to generate the plasmid pCK alpha. Escherichia coli DE21 lysozyme S that was transformed with pCK alpha expressed soluble, catalytically active casein kinase II alpha upon induction with isopropyl beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside. The expressed alpha subunit was purified to homogeneity with a 60% yield by chromatography on CM-Sephadex, P-11 phosphocellulose, and heparin-agarose. The Mr values estimated from sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (Mr = 42,000) or calculated from hydrodynamic measurements (s20,w = 3.3 S, Stokes radius = 2.8 nm, Mr = 37,000) were similar, thereby indicating that the expressed enzyme is monomeric. The native holoenzyme and the expressed alpha subunit exhibited several similar properties including the utilization of both ATP and GTP as substrates and the susceptibility to inhibition of phosphotransferase activity by low concentrations of heparin. However, the kcat for E. coli-derived alpha was only 9% of the kcat for the native holoenzyme, and catalytic activity was not stimulated by polyamines. Recombinant casein kinase II alpha aggregates at low ionic strength, and the aggregation is partially reversible. A mutant alpha subunit in which Lys74 and Lys75 were substituted by glutamic acid residues was constructed by site-directed mutagenesis. The mutant enzyme was not inhibited by typically effective concentrations of heparin (e.g. IC50 = 0.3 micrograms/ml) because the affinity of modified recombinant casein kinase II Glu-74Glu-75 for heparin decreased approximately 70-fold. Thus, Lys74 and Lys75 are implicated in the heparin binding, inhibitory domain. The successful expression of casein kinase II alpha in E. coli will facilitate the analysis of the structural basis for functional domains in this enzyme.
Issues in the formulation of drugs for oral use in children: role of excipients.

An ideal oral drug for children should be effective, well tolerated, be of low cost and have good palatability, i.e. acceptable taste, after-taste and smell. Many of the drugs used for children are not available in suitable forms (such as chewable or liquid). Liquid forms may need to be prepared using appropriate excipients at the time of dispensing by the pharmacist. Modern medications are complex mixtures containing many other components besides the active ingredient. These are called ‘inert ingredients’, or excipients, and consist of bulk materials, flavorings, sweeteners and coloring agents. These excipients increase the bulk, add desirable color, mask the unpleasant taste and smell, and facilitate a uniform mixture of the active ingredient in the final marketed preparation. Unlike the active ingredients, excipients are not well regulated in most countries. Although mostly well tolerated, some adverse events and idiosyncratic reactions are well known for a variety of excipients. These components play a critical role, especially in liquid and chewable preparations that are mostly consumed by infants and children. This article reviews excipients commonly used in pediatric oral preparations.
Antichlamydial specificity of conjunctival lymphocytes during experimental ocular infection.

Abstract Antigen-specific responses to chlamydiae have been demonstrated with lymphocytes isolated from the conjunctiva after primary ocular infection and after topical challenge of chlamydia-immune cynomolgus monkeys with noninfectious, Triton X-100-extracted antigen. Proliferative to viable elementary bodies homologous to the original infecting serovar were demonstrated. In addition, in vitro production of antichlamydial antibody by conjunctival B cells was demonstrated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of culture supernatants collected after 7 to 21 days of culture. These findings demonstrate that antigen-specific lymphocytes appear in the conjunctiva as a result of ocular chlamydial infection and that a noninfectious chlamydial antigen stimulates their reappearance or expansion at the site of original infection.
A study of image quality for imagery generated by standard and hybrid intensity interferometers

Phase retrieval is explored for image reconstruction using outputs from both a simulated intensity interferometer (II) and a hybrid system that combines the II outputs with partially resolved imagery from a traditional imaging telescope. Partially resolved imagery provides an additional constraint for the phase retrieval process, as well as an improved starting point for the algorithm. The benefits of this additional a priori information are explored, and when combined with standard constraints such as positivity and compact support include faster convergence, increased sensitivity, and improved image quality.
Angioleiomyoma involving the sciatic nerve — CT demonstration case report

An angioleiomyoma adjacent to the sciatic nerve was responsible for an 11-year history of pain and dysfunction in the sciatic nerve distribution, which required numerous therapeutic procedures and intermittent use of narcotic analgesics. Diagnosis was finally made when results of a sciatic nerve block suggested possible mechanical compression of the nerve and computed tomography examination of the pelvis was extended further caudal than usual, demonstrating the tumor adjacent to the sciatic nerve near the ischial tuberosity. Only one previous case of nerve dysfunction due to impingement by an angioleiomyoma has been reported.
Are B.T.K. plants really safe to eat

The purpose of this paper is to briefly review what is currently known about the toxicity of B.t.k. delta endotoxins, evaluate the relevance of this information to human consumption of B.t.k. plants, and assess whether more data are needed in order to ascertain the safety of B.t.k. plants as foods
NEUROENDOCRINE IMMUNE MECHANISMS IN RHEUMATIC DISEASES: An Overview and Future Implications

A new physiopathogenetic paradigm may be proposed for RA and possibly its related systemic rheumatic diseases (i.e., mechanisms whereby multiple risk factors initially perturb the homeostasis of core physiologic components over an extended premorbid phase, which may progress to clinical disease in later decompensated stages). These complex interactive processes are likely to be individualized according to genetic, nongenomic somatic, developmental, behavioral, and environmental influences. Future research promises to further elucidate the roles of neuroendocrine mechanisms in the rheumatic diseases and offers promise for enhanced therapies and possible avenues for disease modification if not eventual prevention.
Influence of impurities in silicon carbide on the properties of heating elements

Impurities in silicon carbide have a considerable effect on the life of heating elements and their physicomechanical properties. It is necessary to use silicon carbide of at least 98% purity for the manufacture of high-grade heating elements. Impurities should be not more than 2%, and the content of ferric oxide and alumina should not exeed 0.5%.
Top-Down Proteomic Identification of Furin-Cleaved α-Subunit of Shiga Toxin 2 from Escherichia coli O157:H7 Using MALDI-TOF-TOF-MS/MS

A method has been developed to identify the α-subunit of Shiga toxin 2 ( α-Stx2) from Escherichia coli O157:H7 using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-TOF-MS/MS) and top-down proteomics using web-based software developed in-house. Expression of Stx2 was induced by culturing E. coli O157:H7 on solid agar supplemented with an antibiotic that elicits the bacterial SOS-response. Bacterial cell lysates were incubated in the presence of furin, a human enzyme, that cleaves α-Stx2 into A1 ( ~28 kDa) and A2 ( ~5 kDa) protein fragments. A subsequent disulfide reduction step unlinked A1 from A2. MALDI-TOF-MS of the furin-digested/disulfide-reduced sample showed a peak at mass-to-charge ( 𝑚 / 𝑧 ) 5286 that corresponded to the A2 fragment. No peak was observed that corresponded to the A1 fragment although its presence was confirmed by bottom-up proteomics. The peak at 𝑚 / 𝑧 5286 was definitively identified by MALDI-TOF-TOF-MS/MS and top-down proteomics as the A2 fragment of α-Stx2.
Effect of cancer plasma on skeletal muscle metabolism.

Circulating factors produced by the macrophages mediate skeletal muscle proteolysis in sepsis and trauma. This study was done to determine whether cytokines affect skeletal muscle metabolism in cancer. Using a method initially developed to measure proteolytic factors in sepsis and trauma, plasma from cachectic cancer patients, noncachectic cancer patients, and normal controls was tested for effects on normal rat skeletal muscle (soleus, extensor digitorum longus). The experimental design allows concomitant measurement of protein synthesis, by [14C]phenylalanine uptake, and protein degradation, by tyrosine release. Plasma from cancer patients caused no acceleration of protein degradation. Noncachectic cancer plasma acted synergistically with insulin to increase protein synthesis (P < 0.05). These results indicate that a growth factor is present in the plasma of cancer patients who have not become cachexic. To our knowledge, this is the first documentation of a cancer plasma growth factor acting at the organ level to induce synthesis. Our data refute the theory that cancer cachexia is mediated by circulating proteolytic factors. In a separate experiment, purified human recombinant tumor necrosis factor (rTNF) was incubated with normal rat skeletal muscle. No changes were seen in synthesis or degradation rates. Skeletal muscle proteolysis does not appear to be directly induced by rTNF.
Complete primary structure and genomic organization of the mouse Col14a1 gene.

Abstract The entire mouse cDNA sequence for type XIV collagen was determined using overlapping PCR products. The 6456 nucleotide (nt) cDNA sequence contains a 5391-nt open reading frame encoding 1797 amino acid residues. The amino terminus has a 28-residue signal peptide that is followed by the mature polypeptide of 1769 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 193.2 kDa. The mouse α1(XIV) collagen chain is predicted to contain all the structural domains described for the polypeptide in chicken and human. These include fibronectin type III repeats, von Willebrand factor A domains, thrombospondin-N-terminal-like domains and two triple-helical domains similar to those of other collagen family members. The amino acid residue sequence of human α1(XIV) collagen showed an overall identity of 74% to the chicken sequence and 88% to the human sequence. The entire mouse genomic structure has been determined and is made up of 48 exons. Alternatively spliced forms of mouse type XIV, collagen were not identified corresponding to the findings for the human form.
Neurodevelopmental outcome after neonatal cerebrovascular accident.

D'apres cette revue du suivi a long terme (2 a 5 ans) de 9 survivants d'un accident vasculo-cerebral neonatal isole, la plupart de ces enfants ont des fonctions et un developpement neurologique normaux, mais certains peuvent souffrir de discrets handicaps scolaires, de deficits d'attention ou d'autres difficultes cognitives ulterieures. Le pronostic a long terme doit etre apprecie avec prudence
Review of The Logic of Conventional Implicatures by Chris Potts

We review Potts’ influential book on the semantics of conventional implicature (CI), offering an explication of his technical apparatus and drawing out the proposal’s implications, focusing on the class of CIs he calls supplements. While we applaud many facets of this work, we argue that careful considerations of the pragmatics of CIs will be required in order to yield an empirically and explanatorily adequate account.
Radiotherapy vs. hormonal therapy for the management of locally recurrent prostate cancer following radical prostatectomy

Forty patients out of 273 who had undergone radical surgery for adenocarcinoma of the prostate at Duke University medical Center between 1970 and 1983 developed palpable, biopsy-proven local recurrence without evidence of distant metastases. Of these 40 patients, 16 were treated with irradiation alone (Group I) and 16 patients were treated with hormonal therapy only (Group II). The remaining eight patients received either no therapy (4 patients) or both radiotherapy and hormonal therapy (4 patients) and are not further analyzed. Local control, as determined by palpation, was achieved in 1416 patients in Group I versus only 716 patients in Group II (p < 0.05). Subsequently, six patients in each group have relapsed, all with distant metastases. Thus, 816 patients in Group I remain alive without disease versus only 116 patients in Group II (p < 0.05). There was no difference in survival between Groups I and II. No patient in either group has died free of disease. In Group I, 416 patients have died with cancer. Six of 16 in Group II have died with cancer. Severe complications occurred more frequently following irradiation compared to hormonal therapy. Irradiation appears to be superior to hormonal therapy in achieving local control and prolonging disease-free survival. Neither therapy conveys an advantage over the other in terms of survival. Thus, even if local control is achieved, distant failure may be an inevitable consequence of locally recurrent prostate cancer. Therefore, prevention of local recurrence after radical prostatectomy is of paramount importance. These findings support the use of adjuvant post-operative irradiation in patients at high risk for local recurrence.
Lean principles, practices, and impacts: a study on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

Lean as a business strategy is used to improve quality and service, eliminate waste, reduce time and costs, and enhance overall organizational effectiveness. Heightening challenges in competition in recent years have prompted many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to adopt lean to enhance firms’ competitiveness. This paper attempts to present an all-inclusive study and it examines various factors associated with the implementation of lean in SMEs in the U.S. The findings suggest that most of SMEs have a relatively accurate understanding of lean concept and philosophy. The primary reasons to implement lean are mainly internal, including reduce cost, improve profit margin, improve utilization of plant/facility, and maintain competitive position. A hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted to investigate lean status. It was discovered that both advanced adopters and beginners of lean are discovered. ANOVA test results show that there exist quite significant differences in terms of the degrees of lean implementation in SMEs. Varied lean tools and programs have been applied and they are positively related with firms’ performance. Lastly, the paper provides evidences that major lean barriers are encountered by SMEs regarding management or people related factors as well as key knowledge and know-how.
Enhancement of reporter gene detection sensitivity by insertion of specific mini-peptide-coding sequences

Two important aspects for gene therapy are to increase the level of gene expression and track the gene delivery site and expression, and a sensitive reporter gene may be one of the options for preclinical studies and possibly for human clinical trials. We report the novel concept of increasing the activity of the gene products. With the insertion of the mini-peptide-coding sequence CWDDWLC into the plasmid DNA of a SEAP reporter gene, we observed vast increases in the enzyme activity in vitro in all murine and human cell lines used. Also, in vivo injection of this CWDDWLC-SEAP encoding gene resulted in the same increases in reporter gene activity, but these increases did not correspond to alterations in the level of the gene products in the serum. Minor sequence changes in this mini-peptide negate the activity increase of the reporter gene. We report the novel concept of increasing the activity of gene products as another method to improve the reporting sensitivity of reporter genes. This improved reporter gene could complement any improved vector for maximizing the reporter sensitivity. Also, this strategy has the potential to be used to discover peptides that improve the activity of therapeutic genes.
Mössbauer study of Fe57 and Co57 in Co1 + xV2−xO4

Abstract Mossbauer sources and absorbers, prepared by doping Fe57 and radioactive Co57 into samples of Co1−xV2−xO4 (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 1), were studied in the temperature range of 80–500 K. The source and absorber spectra are very similar. The absence of any Fe2+ at the A site can be understood by partial covalent bond formation with an anion. However, the predominance of Fe3+ at the B site (with some Fe2+ for x = 1) cannot be explained by simple crystal-field or molecular-orbital theories. The x dependence of the isomer shift and of the Fe3+B-site quadrupole interaction can be related to changes in the lattice constant and the oxygen parameter. The temperature dependence of the Fe2+B-site quadrupole interaction can be fitted in the motional-averaging model. In the range of 0 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.5 the temperature dependence of the isomer shift shows effects of chemical bonding beyond the second-order Doppler shift.