cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Antibiotic Nail in the Treatment of Long Bone Infection: Technique and Results

Antibiotic cement nails provide a useful and relatively simple technique to treat intramedullary osteomyelitis of the long bones. These devices provide stability as well as local, targeted antibiotics, which are both critical aspects of osteomyelitis management. Additionally, the use of a threaded core is a critical component of successful cement nail assembly. With adherence to the simple principles outlined in this review, surgeons can expect reliably good results using these drug-delivery implants.
rac-2,3-Diphenyl-2,3-di­hydro-4H-pyrido[3,2-e][1,3]thia­zin-4-one 1-oxide

In the title compound, C19H14N2O2S, the thia­zine ring exhibits a screw-boat pucker. The oxygen atom on the sulfur atom of the ring is pseudo-axial on the thia­zine ring. In the crystal, 21 screw-related mol­ecules are linked by C—H⋯Ocarbon­yl hydrogen bonds, forming helices propagating along the b-axis direction.
‘It’s not that easy to solve’: edTPA and preservice teacher learning

AbstractThis three year qualitative study of a university pilot of the edTPA, a performance assessment for preservice teachers, questioned candidates’ learning at the nexus of claims that the edTPA serves a dual role as both a formative assessment for candidates’ ongoing learning as well as a summative assessment of their readiness to teach. The analysis highlighted affordances and constraints of the assessment in the areas of: (1) depth of professional learning, (2) differentiation for diverse learners, (3) focus on school, community and family context, (4) professional reflection within classroom realities, and (5) as an evaluation tool. The discussion positions the findings alongside other published implementation studies of the edTPA in terms of current reforms. It especially problematizes the positioning of preservice teachers as professional learners in light of pressures for compliance and standardization.
The Role of Individual Boundary Spanners in the Global Transfer of Practices

In this study, we have explored boundary spanning roles, and associated behaviors, in the transfer of practices. Using 20 months of ethnographic data, our study illustrates the importance of transformative and transactive boundary spanning behaviors in the transfer of practice. As highlighted by the cases of individuals who exhibited primarily transactive or nearly exclusively transformative boundary spanning, a single form of boundary spanning alone was not adequate. Theoretically, by comparing various individuals across sites, we are able to identify the roles and associated behaviors of individuals that effectively transfer practices. These findings speak to the fact that not only do practices need to transform as they are transferred, but also that practices must be enacted repeatedly and cannot simply be transferred as abstract knowledge.
Figuring Out the Tax: Congress, Treasury, and the Design of the Early Modern Income Tax

Figuring Out the Tax recounts the forgotten early development of the federal income tax in the US, resulting from the interplay between Congress and the Treasury Department in the decades following the enactment of the tax in 1913. It covers a wide range of topics including the income tax treatments of marriage, capital losses, charitable contributions and homeownership, as well as the rise, demise and resurrection of income tax withholding. Lawrence Zelenak deftly illustrates how the income tax achieved its current form through a range of stories which are new to tax history scholarship and involve some remarkable personalities and surprising plot twists. Although of particular interest to tax academics and professionals, this book will also serve as a useful introduction to the development of income tax for undergraduate students and law students.
Effect of metal line width on electromigration of BEOL Cu interconnects

Electromigration reliability of BEOL Cu interconnects with various metal line widths and via sizes has been studied. EM lifetime significantly improves from minimum width to three times the minimum width, and then saturates. In addition, the EM lifetime of the wide metal lines was not dependent on via size. The proposed mechanism for EM lifetime improvement is larger grains in wider lines leading to a suppression of grain boundary diffusion. Cu grain size and Cu drift velocity were correlated to the EM lifetime behavior, saturating at the same line width, and kinetic studies found activation energies consistent with grain boundary diffusion.
ShareBox: Designing A Physical System to Support Resource Exchange in Local Communities

Indirect resource exchange (IRE), where individuals share physical items with one another but do not receive direct benefits (e.g. payment), has the potential to increase communities' access to resources, reduce consumption and waste, and bootstrap social ties. Although social technologies could play a key role in realizing this potential, significant barriers have emerged to the adoption of IRE services, including concerns related to trust, reciprocity, and coordination. To explore these issues, we designed and iterated on a concept called ShareBox, a system that enables IRE through a smart lockbox. We developed ShareBox as a technology probe following a set of design guidelines including: creating a physical-virtual system, enabling asynchronous and anonymous exchange, allowing for low-entry-barrier interactions, and emphasizing affordability and flexibility. We explore the benefits and trade-offs of these design guidelines through short deployments and semi-structured interviews with community members, and present findings that highlight both the potential and the remaining challenges of our design.
Role of Cyclic-AMP-Dependent Protein Kinase in the Regulation of Cellular Processes

Approximately 15 years ago it was shown that the stimulatory effect of cAMP on the phosphorylase kinase activation reaction in vitro was mediated by a distinct cAMP-dependent protein kinase, which exhibited broader specificity than that of a phosphorylase kinase kinase in that it could also catalyze the phosphorylation of casein and protamine (Walsh et al., 1968). Huijing and Larner (1966) had also concluded that the target for cAMP-mediated regulation of glycogen synthase was probably the synthase kinase itself, and a few years later it was determined that an identical cAMP-dependent protein kinase is involved in the phosphorylase kinase and glycogen synthase phosphorylation reactions (Schlender et al., 1969; Soderling et al., 1970). Noting a widespread distribution of the newly discovered cAMP-dependent protein kinase in various cell types and tissues, Kuo and Greengard (1969) postulated that all of the actions of cAMP are mediated by this enzyme. This hypothesis is still considered valid for most, if not all, eucaryotic cell functions controlled by cAMP, but it does not hold for procaryotes, in which the cAMP receptor protein, CRP (CAP), binds to DNA and regulates the catabolite-repressible operons (Pastan and Adhya, 1976).
Openness to Emotion as Predictor of Perceived, Requested, and Observer Reports of Social Support

In this chapter, we propose to demonstrate that emotion-management strategies are fundamental for understanding individual differences in social support. Our basic assumption is that social interactions are, for the most part, transactions of affect; that is, social interchanges generate and are mediated by the affect of their participants. Manstead (1991b) has argued that there is a bidirectional relation between affect and social transactions. For example, affect has an impact on social perception and, in turn, the social context has an impact on the expression and experience of emotion.
Response of soybean cyst nematodes to herbicide application on soybeans

The effect of herbicide applications to V3 soybeans on the reproductive ability of race 3 soybean cyst nematode (SCN) was measured. The hatching response of SCN eggs to soybean root exudates collected after postemergence herbicide application, the viability of SCN eggs formed on treated plants and the levels of glyceollin in roots of treated soybeans was also measured. Soybeans were treated postemergence with IX and 2X label rates of herbicides plus a recommended adjuvant and the adjuvants alone. None of the treatments tested were found to stimulate SCN reproduction. Acifluorfen, bentazon, lactofen, crop oil concentrate (COC) and nonionic surfactant (NIS) treatments reduced SCN populations by 50 to 60% at four and eight weeks after application when compared with the untreated control. Fluazifop-P, sethoxydim and imazethapyr treatments had SCN reproduction that was similar to the untreated control. Adjuvant treatments were as effective as some herbicide treatments in reducing SCN reproduction. However, no additive effect for adjuvant-herbicide combinations was observed nor did herbicide rate affect SCN reproduction The treatments reduced SCN reproduction only when applied to soybean plants and exhibited no effect when applied to the soil. All root exudate solutions (RES) increased SCN hatching more than deionized water, but less than ZnS04 solutions. However, no statistical differences due to herbicide treatment were observed. Filter sterilization of RES increased SCN hatching when compared with the use of non-sterile exudates. Acifluorfen, bentazon and lactofen treatments negatively affected the viability of SCN eggs in adult females that developed on treated plants. The acifluorfen, bentazon, COC and NIS treatments also increased root glyceollin levels of
Calculation of radiological dose due to release of tritium oxides from controlled thermonuclear reactors

A method has been developed for determining doses to the public resulting from releases of tritium as tritiated water vapor or as tritiated lithium compounds. This method has been included in a computer model. This model uses the Gaussian dispersion method to predict distribution of tritium species in the downwind environment. Movement of tritium into biological systems is determined by treating these systems as a series of interacting water compartments. Dispersion and uptake calculations are applied to two sample sites to predict health effects. Consequences predicted by the model are linear and can be scaled to any release quantity. For a continuous release of tritium at a rate of 10 Ci/day, the calculated dose would be 8 mrem/yr at the site boundary, with a dose commitment of 10 to 100 man-rem/yr within an 80-km radius. For an instantaneous release of 10/sup 8/ Ci, the calculated dose would be as high as 2200 rem at the site boundary, contributing a population dose of 0.6 to 2.6 x 10/sup 6/ man-rem within 80 km.
Role of apurinic/apyrimidinic nucleases in the regulation of homologous recombination in myeloma: mechanisms and translational significance

We have previously reported that homologous recombination (HR) is dysregulated in multiple myeloma (MM) and contributes to genomic instability and development of drug resistance. We now demonstrate that base excision repair (BER) associated apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) nucleases (APEX1 and APEX2) contribute to regulation of HR in MM cells. Transgenic as well as chemical inhibition of APEX1 and/or APEX2 inhibits HR activity in MM cells, whereas the overexpression of either nuclease in normal human cells, increases HR activity. Regulation of HR by AP nucleases could be attributed, at least in part, to their ability to regulate recombinase (RAD51) expression. We also show that both nucleases interact with major HR regulators and that APEX1 is involved in P73-mediated regulation of RAD51 expression in MM cells. Consistent with the role in HR, we also show that AP-knockdown or treatment with inhibitor of AP nuclease activity increases sensitivity of MM cells to melphalan and PARP inhibitor. Importantly, although inhibition of AP nuclease activity increases cytotoxicity, it reduces genomic instability caused by melphalan. In summary, we show that APEX1 and APEX2, major BER proteins, also contribute to regulation of HR in MM. These data provide basis for potential use of AP nuclease inhibitors in combination with chemotherapeutics such as melphalan for synergistic cytotoxicity in MM.
Project Tycho 2.0: a repository to improve the integration and reuse of data for global population health.

Objective In 2013, we released Project Tycho, an open-access database comprising 3.6 million counts of infectious disease cases and deaths reported for over a century by public health surveillance in the United States. Our objective is to describe how Project Tycho version 1 (v1) data has been used to create new knowledge and technology and to present improvements made in the newly released version 2.0 (v2). Materials and Methods We analyzed our user database and conducted online searches to analyze the use of Project Tycho v1 data. For v2, we added new US data and dengue data for other countries, and grouped data into 360 datasets, each with a digital object identifier and rich metadata. In addition, we used standard vocabularies to encode data where possible, improving compliance with FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) guiding principles for data management. Results Since release, 3174 people have registered to use Project Tycho data, leading to 18 new peer-reviewed papers and 27 other creative works, such as conference papers, student theses, and software applications. Project Tycho v2 comprises 5.7 million counts of infectious diseases in the United States and of dengue-related conditions in 98 additional countries. Discussion Project Tycho v2 contributes to improving FAIR compliance of global health data, but more work is needed to develop community-accepted standard representations for global health data. Conclusion FAIR principles are a valuable guide for improving the integration and reuse of data in global health to improve disease control and save lives.
EFFICACY OF SOIL-APPLIED NEONICOTINOID INSECTICIDES FOR CONTROL OF CALIFORNIA RED SCALE, 2001

A field trial was conducted at the Lindcove Research and Extension Center, Exeter, California, to compare the efficacy of single applications of 16 and 32 oz of imidacloprid (Admire 2F) with two applications of 16 oz applied approximately 2 months apart against California red scale (CRS). Scale on five randomly collected 23 cm, 2-yr-old twigs, from each of five trees per row were evaluated 23 Apr 2001 to assign three rows to each treatment. Soil was irrigated in treated and check plots for approximately 1 h through the micro irrigation system (Fan-Jet wrap-around trajectory heads, 30 psi) prior to applying Admire 2F to the soil beneath 9-yr-old 'Washington' navel orange trees. Admire was injected into the irrigation system over a 2-h period and all treatments were followed by an additional 2 h of irrigation. First treatments were applied on 10 and 15 May 2001 and the additional 16 oz Admire treatment was applied on 25 Jul 2001. CRS densities were evaluated at monthly intervals on five randomly selected 2-yr-old, 23-cm-long twigs per tree and five fruit per tree (when available). All live 1st and 2nd instar scale and 3rd instar and mature female scale were counted. Fruit was harvested on 20 Feb 2002 and the crop was evaluated for the percentage of fruit that had >10 CRS per fruit.
A Variable Eddington Factor method for the 1-D grey radiative transfer equations with discontinuous Galerkin and mixed finite-element spatial differencing

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to present a Variable Eddington Factor (VEF) method for the 1-D grey radiative transfer equations that uses a lumped linear discontinuous Galerkin spatial discretization for the S n equations together with a constant-linear mixed finite-element discretization for the VEF moment and material temperature equations. The use of independent discretizations can be particularly useful for multiphysics applications such as radiation-hydrodynamics. The VEF method is quite old, but to our knowledge, this particular combination of differencing schemes has not been previously investigated for radiative transfer. We define the scheme and present computational results. As expected, the scheme exhibits second-order accuracy for the directionally-integrated intensity and material temperature, and behaves well in the thick diffusion limit. An important focus of this study is the treatment of the strong temperature dependence of the opacities and the spatial dependence of the opacities within each cell, which are not explicitly defined by the basic discretization schemes.
Results of the First Clinical Study in Humans That Combines Hyperbaric Oxygen Pretreatment with Autologous Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation.

ABSTRACT Patients undergoing high-dose chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (auto-HCT) are at risk for multiple morbidities, including mucosal inflammation and neutropenic fever, both related to neutropenia. Evidence from our preclinical work in an umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplantation murine model suggests that treatment with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) before UCB infusion improves UCB CD34+ cell engraftment by reducing erythropoietin levels. A pilot clinical trial using HBO in patients undergoing UCB transplantation showed improvement in kinetics of blood count recovery. In this study, we evaluated HBO in combination with auto-HCT. Our primary aim was to determine the safety of HBO in this setting and secondarily to determine its efficacy in reducing time to neutrophil and platelet engraftment compared with matched historic controls. Patients with multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and Hodgkin disease eligible for auto-HCT were included. On day 0, patients received HBO treatment consisting of exposure to 2.5 atmosphere absolutes for a total of 90 minutes, in a monoplace hyperbaric chamber, breathing 100% oxygen. Six hours after the start of HBO, peripherally mobilized stem/progenitor cells were infused and patients were followed daily for toxicity and blood count recovery. All patients received daily granulocyte colony-stimulating factor starting on day +5 and until absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of ≥1500 or ANC of 500 for 3 consecutive days. A matched historic cohort of 225 patients who received auto-HCT between January 2008 and December 2012 was chosen for comparison and matched on sex, age, conditioning regimen, and disease type. We screened 26 patients for this study; 20 were treated and included in the primary analysis, and 19 completed the HBO therapy and were included in the secondary analysis. Although the median time to neutrophil count recovery was 11 days in both the HBO and control cohorts, the Kaplan-Meier estimates of the full distributions indicate that the time to neutrophil recovery was generally about 1 day sooner for HBO versus historical controls (log-rank P = .005; range, 9 to 13 for HBO patients and 7 to 18 for controls). The median time to platelet count recovery was 16 days (range, 14 to 21) for HBO versus 18 days (range, 11 to 86) for controls (log-rank P © 2019 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.
The frequency of specific chromosomal abnormalities in primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) differs from systemic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBL), suggesting a distinct pathogenesis.

1936 Background: The molecular pathogenesis of PCNSL is largely unknown. Small preliminary studies have suggested immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) gene translocations may play a role, particularly those involving BCL6. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of IGH, BCL6, and MYC gene rearrangements in PCNSL.. Design: 1.) Forty-four cases of PCNSL affecting patients without clinical evidence of immunosuppression (including HIV infection), diagnosed and treated at Mayo Clinic between 1992 and 2006. 2.) All cases were DLBL according to the World Health Organization classification. 3.) All cases had appropriate staging to confirm disease was confined to the CNS. 4.) Interphase fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH)using a two-color IGH-BCL6 dual-fusion probe and a two-color MYC breakapart (BAP) probe on thin sections of paraffin-embedded tumor samples. 5.) Two-color BCL6 or IGH BAP FISH probes were also used in cases showing extra FISH signals without fusion using the IGH-BCL6 probe. Result: Sufficient tumor cells for FISH analysis using the IGH-BCL6 and MYC probes were available in 43 and 39 cases, respectively. IGH-BCL6 fusion was present in 6 (14%) cases, one of which also had a separated MYC signal. Three (7%) cases showed three intact BCL6 signals using both the IGH-BCL6 and BCL6 BAP probes, indicating trisomy 3. One (2%) showed three intact IGH signals using both the IGH-BCL6 and IGH BAP probes, indicating trisomy 14. The remaining 33 (77%) cases lacked abnormalities involving IGH, BCL6, or MYC. Conclusion: In this study, IGH-BCL6 fusion was present in 14% of cases, one of which also had a translocation involving MYC and an unknown partner gene. All other cases lacked translocations involving IGH, BCL6, and MYC. The frequency of IGH-BCL6 translocations in PCNSL is less than that seen in systemic DLBCL. However, other translocations involving IGH that are not uncommon in systemic DLBCL, such as IGH-BCL2 and IGH-MYC, are rare to absent in PCNSL. These data suggest that PCNSL has a distinct pathogenesis from systemic DLBCL.
Evaluating the Prevalence of Child Psychosocial Concerns in Rural Primary Care.

Objective Child psychosocial concerns in rural areas are assumed to be greater than national averages due to mental health provider shortages, however, there is minimal empirical support for this claim. The present study aimed to replicate findings showing a higher prevalence of child psychosocial concerns in rural areas. In addition, this study evaluated six distinct definitions of "rural" to determine whether the operational definition of rurality was associated with prevalence of psychosocial concerns. Methods Caregivers presenting with their child at 8 pediatric primary care sites (N = 2,672) completed a demographic questionnaire and the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC). Logistic regression models tested associations between operational definitions of rurality and prevalence of clinically significant child psychosocial concerns. Multiple logistic regression models were used to test additional independent effects of maternal education level while controlling for child age. Results The effects of rurality on prevalence of clinically significant psychosocial concerns were inconsistent across the six measures of rurality; when significant, however, effects were small and in the opposite direction than hypothesized. Conclusions These findings highlight discrepancies in results based on disparate operational definitions and measures of rurality. When rurality was associated with child psychosocial concerns, children in more highly populated areas reported more psychosocial concerns than children in smaller rural areas.
Example Myofascial Pain Case: Quadratus Lumborum Trigger Point and Chronic Low Back Pain

Chronic low back pain is very common in primary care. If a musculoskeletal etiology is likely, consider myofascial trigger points as an etiology for pain. The quadratus lumborum muscle often harbors trigger points for chronic low back pain. This trigger point can be more easily palpated when the patient is lying in lateral decubitus, with the affected side up. The examiner can then palpate for the trigger point in this muscle, which lies anterior to the paraspinal lumbar muscles, and between the last rib and iliac crest. Once a trigger point is detected, there are various manual maneuvers that can easily be accomplished in the office setting. This includes massage, ischemic compression, isometric contraction, and cold/spray and stretch. If needed, evaluation and control of metabolic/endocrine abnormalities may need to take place in order to eliminate perpetuating factors. Furthermore, home exercises and correction of body postures and ergonomics can also be advised as part of a complete treatment plan.
Epidemiological impact and cost-effectiveness of universal meningitis b vaccination among college students prior to college entry.

Objectives University students are at significantly higher risk of serogroup B meningococcal (MenB) infection, which can result in debilitating sequelae and excessive healthcare usage. This study aimed to elucidate the impact of universal pre-enrollment vaccination on MenB outbreak probability and the cost-effectiveness in outbreak-only scenarios. Methods We developed an infectious disease transmission model to determine the number of outbreaks averted under universal vaccination and a Markov model to simulate the costs accrued and QALYs lost associated with infection. The analysis was done on a hypothetical population of 40,000 college students over a four-year time frame. We used the outputs of these two models to calculate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of universal MenB vaccination from a societal perspective. Results We find that the vaccination strategy was estimated to reduce MenB incidence by 63% and outbreak frequency rate by 90%. Under base case assumptions, the ICER of universal vaccination was $748,129 per QALY and in outbreak-only scenarios, it was cost-saving. Conclusions Universal vaccination is not cost-effective at the current low MenB incidence levels and vaccine price in the U.S., but it is cost-saving if outbreak is imminent.
Use and Abuse of Bargaining Models in Antitrust

Bargaining is all around us. Bargaining is how prices are set across a range of economic activities such as between licensors and licensees of intellectual property, employees and employers, content providers and distributors, health insurers and hospitals, and in many intermediate product markets. Recently, bargaining has played a central role in a number of high-profile antitrust matters. In 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice challenged AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner — largely on the basis of a bargaining model. Also, in 2018, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission argued that Qualcomm’s market position in cellular chipsets allowed it to leverage higher royalty rates for its standard essential patents (“SEPs”), in violation of its commitment to license its SEPs on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (“FRAND”) terms. In this article, we assess the value of economic bargaining models to predict outcomes for both horizontal and vertical mergers and for unilateral conduct. To that end, we first provide an overview of the economics of bargaining models and their primary features, including the vertical GUPPI variant. We then discuss these models in the context of recent antitrust cases and detail the uneven judicial adoption of bargaining models. Next, we examine whether the current judicial reticence is justified. We review a body of emerging scholarship that suggest some caution on the use of methodologies to predict harm based on bargaining models. This suggests that a healthy degree of judicial skepticism is warranted — whether coherently articulated in opinions or not. In conclusion, we offer some policy recommendations for the use of bargaining models, which we believe will lead to a more balanced approach regarding their use in antitrust matters.
Senolytics: targeting senescent cells for age-associated diseases.

Evidence suggests that senescent cells drive aging and age-related diseases, with interventions that clear them improving various conditions in preclinical models. Efforts to discover senolytics, drugs that can specifically kill senescent cells, are ongoing, guided by studies into their biology and several in vivo models. This review describes recently discovered senolytics and the pathways they target. Drugs targeting the BCL-2 family proteins, p53 activators, HSP90 inhibitors, cardiac glycosides, and fibrates along with several flavonoids are senolytic in vitro and in vivo. Methods for specifically delivering death to senescent cells to decrease non-specific off-target effects take advantage of their characteristic elevated level of p16 and increased β-galactosidase activity. Effects of senolytics on age-related diseases in pre-clinical models have been so striking that several proof-of-concept and safety phase I human trials have begun. The search continues for additional senolytics that can target more types of senescent cells with the least side effects.
Delivery of a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant from biocompatible, polymeric nanofibrous scaffolds.

Cardiovascular disease has been associated with increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Recently, we have shown that a critical balance between cytosolic ROS and mitochondrial ROS is crucial in cardiovascular health and that modulation of mitochondrial ROS helps prevent detrimental effects of cytosolic ROS on endothelial cells (EC) in transgenic animals. Here, we report the development of a controlled delivery system for a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant, JP4-039, from an electrospun scaffold made of FDA-approved biocompatible polymeric nanofibers. We demonstrate that the active antioxidant moiety was preserved in released JP4-039 for over 72 h using electron paramagnetic resonance. We also show that both the initial burst release of the drug within the first 20 min and the ensuing slow and sustained release that occurred over the next 24 h improved tube formation in human coronary artery ECs (HCAEC) in vitro. Taken together, these findings suggest that electrospinning methods can be used to upload mitochondrial antioxidant (JP4-039) onto a biocompatible nanofibrous PLGA scaffold, and the uploaded drug (JP4-039) retains nitroxide antioxidant properties upon release from the scaffold, which in turn can reduce mitochondrial ROS and improve EC function in vitro.
Grasses of the Great Plains

James Stubbendieck, Stephan L. Hatch, & Cheryl D. Dunn. 2017. Grasses of the Great Plains. (ISBN-13: 978-1-62349-477-3, hbk). Texas A&M Univ. Press, 4354 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843-4354, U.S.A. (Orders: www.tamupress.com, 1-800-826-8911). $50.00 US, 736 pp., 6 color photos, 15 figs., 428 maps, 442 line drawings, 7" × 10".
Some rats take more time to make easier perceptual decisions

When subjects control the duration of sampling a sensory stimulus before making a decision, they generally take more time to make more difficult sensory discriminations. This has been found to be true of many rats performing visual tasks. But two rats performing visual motion discrimination were found to have inverted chronometric response functions: their average response time paradoxically increased with stimulus strength. We hypothesize that corrective decision reversals may underlie this unexpected observation.
Providing internship and laboratory experiences for students in computer network courses

Computing Services departments at Universities can be used for powerful student internship opportunities. These departments, however, are responsible for a stable and secure network. As part of a National Science Foundation grant, the presenters and their colleagues have developed a model for colleges and universities to utilize campus networks for internship opportunities where both Computing Services and the academic department benefit. Provided in this tutorial will be in depth coverage of the student activities in the on-campus internship and a description of the procedures used by Computing Services to provide and manage the networking activities for the student interns. Potential benefits will also be addressed.
Attractor dynamics in realistic hippocampal networks

Autoassociative attractor neural networks1,2 provide a powerful paradigm for the storage and recall of memories, however, their biological plausibility has always remained in question. Given the complexity and variability of biological networks, it seems likely that a “biological” attractor network must be regulated by some control structure. We describe a functional architecture for implementing the Hopfield attractor paradigm in a model of the CA3 region of the hippocampus. In this model the control structure is provided by the intrinsic and extrinsic rhythms (gamma and theta) of the hippocampus and neuromodulatory input. Cellular-level simulations are shown that serve as a “proof-of-concept.”
A New Tyrosine Phosphorylation Site in PLCγ1: The Role of Tyrosine 775 in Immune Receptor Signaling

Phospholipase Cgamma (PLCgamma) is a ubiquitous gatekeeper of calcium mobilization and diacylglycerol-mediated events induced by the activation of Ag and growth factor receptors. The activity of PLCgamma is regulated through its controlled membrane translocation and tyrosine (Y) phosphorylation. Four activation-induced tyrosine phosphorylation sites have been previously described (Y472, Y771, Y783, and Y1254), but their specific roles in Ag receptor-induced PLCgamma1 activation are not fully elucidated. Unexpectedly, we found that the phosphorylation of a PLCgamma1 construct with all four sites mutated to phenylalanine was comparable with that observed with wild-type PLCgamma1, suggesting the existence of an unidentified site(s). Sequence alignment with known phosphorylation sites in PLCgamma2 indicated homology of PLCgamma1 tyrosine residue 775 (Y775) with PLCgamma2 Y753, a characterized phosphorylation site. Tyrosine 775 was characterized as a phosphorylation site using phospho-specific anti-Y775 antiserum, and by mutational analysis. Phosphorylation of Y775 did not depend on the other tyrosines, and point mutation of PLCgamma1 Y775, or the previously described Y783, substantially reduced AgR-induced calcium, NF-AT, and AP-1 activation. Mutation of Y472, Y771, and Y1254 had no effect on overall PLCgamma1 phosphorylation or activation. Although the concomitant mutation of Y775 and Y783 abolished downstream PLCgamma1 signaling, these two tyrosines were sufficient to reconstitute the wild-type response in the absence of functional Y472, Y771, and Y1254. These data establish Y775 as a critical phosphorylation site for PLCgamma1 activation and confirm the functional importance of Y783.
Amino acid sequence and post-translational modification of stem cell factor isolated from buffalo rat liver cell-conditioned medium.

Stem cell factor (SCF) isolated from culture medium conditioned by Buffalo rat liver cells was subjected to detailed structural analysis. Attempts at direct N-terminal sequencing of the factor indicated that its N terminus is blocked as pyroglutamic acid (Zsebo, K. M., Wypych, J., McNiece, I. K., Lu, H. S., Smith, K. A., Karkare, S. B., Sachdev, R. K., Yuschenkoff, V. N., Birkett, N. C., Williams, L. R., Satyagal, V. N., Bosselman, R. A., Mendiaz, E. A., and Langley, K. E. (1990) Cell 63, 195-201). The removal of the blocking pyroglutamate by pyroglutamate aminopeptidase allowed sequencing of the polypeptide chain to position 47. Stem cell factor was also digested with CNBr, trypsin, Staphylococcus aureus protease (strain V8), and AspN peptidase to generate different sets of peptides that were then separated by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and sequenced. Sequence of an internal peptide fragment obtained by cleavage of stem cell factor at a single tryptophanyl peptide bond was also obtained. From these analyses, the complete amino acid sequence could be constructed. The factor as isolated is a single polypeptide of 164 or 165 amino acids. The sequence is confirmatory to a sequence deduced from a cDNA sequence and provides important evidence for C-terminal processing of the polypeptide encoded by cDNA. There are four potential N-linked glycosylation sites. Asn65, Asn72, Asn109, and Asn120. Sequence determination of isolated peptides suggested that Asn120 is glycosylated, Asn65 and Asn109 glycosylated in some molecules but not in others, and Asn72 not glycosylated. Amino acids at three positions, i.e. 142, 143, and 155, could not be detected during sequence analysis. Since the gene sequence codes for Ser, Thr, and Thr at these positions (Martin, F. H., Suggs, S. V., Langley, K. E., Lu, H. S., Ting, J., Okino, K. H., Morris, C. F., McNiece, I. K., Jacobsen, F. W., Mendiaz, E. A., Birkett, N. C., Smith, K. C., Johnson, M. J., Parker, V. P., Flores, J. C., Patel, A. C., Fisher, E. F., Erjavec, H. O., Herrera, C. J., Wypych, J., Sachdev, R. K., Pope, J. A., Leslie, I., Wen, D., Lin, C. W., Cupples, R. L., and Zsebo, K. M. (1990) Cell 63, 203-211), they could be sites of O-linked carbohydrate attachment. The four cysteines form two intramolecular disulfide bonds, Cys4-Cys89 and Cys43-Cys138.
Performance of a catalyzed- diesel particulate filter system during soot accumulation and regeneration

The trapping and regeneration behaviors of a diesel particulate filter (DPF), including particle size, are examined via engine dynamometer testing. The exhaust system consists of two active lean NO x (ALN) catalysts in series followed by a catalyzed DPF. Forced regenerations are accomplished by injecting diesel fuel into the exhaust in front of the ALN catalysts to generate an exotherm sufficient to induce soot oxidation. Results are reported for two diesel fuels, one with 340 ppm sulfur, and the other with 4 ppm sulfur, and as a function of DPF regeneration temperature. The results show the DPF to be very effective at removing particulate matter, >99% efficiency. The <1% of particles that escape trapping exhibit a size distribution very similar to engine out soot. During regeneration, particle emissions remain well below engine out levels for the low sulfur fuel, but exhibit a temporary nucleation mode of about ten times the engine out level for the high sulfur fuel. The regeneration rate increases exponentially with temperature, and the fastest regenerations suffer the lowest fuel economy penalty.
Quantitative analysis of retinal hemodynamics using targeted dye delivery.

A new method designed to allow repeated mapping of retinal hemodynamics on a macro- and microcirculatory level was evaluated in the primate eye. The method, called "targeted dye delivery," consists of encapsulating a fluorescent dye in temperature-sensitive liposomes, injecting the liposomes systemically, and using a light pulse from an argon laser to release a bolus of dye in a targeted retinal vessel. The follow-up of the well-defined dye front thus generated allows calculation of the blood flow and capillary transit time. Evaluation of targeted dye delivery in a monkey indicated that centerline blood velocity and the vessel diameter can be measured with a reproducibility of 10% and 4%, respectively, in vessels that are 40 ^tm and larger. These measurements yielded flow values that had a reproducibility of 10% on the same day and 13% on different days. The normalization of flow rate by the vessel diameter was consistent with theoretic estimates and promises to be a circulation indicator independent of variations between individual and species. The transit time across capillary beds at different locations was found to be similar, thus indicating that the method could be used to evaluate the local viability of the microcirculation. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 31:2300-2306, 1990 Since many diseases of the retina result in changes in retinal circulation, information on hemodynamics can be important in the diagnosis of these diseases and the evaluation of current and new therapies. We are developing a method to map repeatedly the retinal hemodynamics on a macro- and microcirculatory level. The method, called "targeted dye delivery," consists of encapsulating a fluorescent dye in temperature-sensitive liposomes, injecting the liposomes systemically, and releasing a bolus of dye in a targeted retinal vessel by a light pulse from an argon laser. 1 " 3 We report here on the use of the method to assess retinal hemodynamics of the primate eye.
Antigenic Properties of Bacteriophage φ29 Structural Proteins

Serological methods and electron microscopy were used to study the structural proteins of the small Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage phi29. This virus has a large number of fibers attached at both ends of its prolate head. A complex neck assembly is comprised of 12 symmetrically arranged appendages as the outer component. Head fibers, neck appendages, and the head surface bind anti-phi29 antibodies. Immune sera absorbed with defective lysates of suppressor-sensitive (sus) mutants have been used to determine the genetic control of neck appendages production. Studies on the serum-blocking power of lysates defective in different tail components showed that appendages contain the main serum-blocking protein. This finding suggests an essential role of the neck appendages in phage adsorption or DNA injection.
Dramatic performances in the play of politics: Egypt, Obama and the works of Jeffrey Alexander

This review article explores Jeffrey Alexander's cultural theory of political transformations. In his two recent works Performative Revolution in Egypt (2011) and The Performance of Politics: Obama's Victory and the Democratic Struggle for Power (2009), Alexander analyses the fall of President Hosni Mubarak and the rise of President Barack Obama, respectively. Alexander challenges the idea that revolutions depend primarily on the material conditions of a population, demographic changes, and the capacity of a group of contenders to gather material support for an overthrow. He also argues that the stagecraft of the political horserace matters for national elections. The strong versus weak dramaturgical performances of presidential candidates (rather than macroeconomic or geopolitical changes) proved consequential for changes in the poll numbers of Obama versus McCain, for example. Macroeconomic conditions had to be filtered, interpreted, and made meaningful; the candidate who could cast these material conditions onto the sacred side of civil discourse improved his likelihood of victory. Curiously, many social scientists and political pundits have largely taken performances for granted in the democratic struggle for power, and have therefore rendered the charismatic speeches and the grand narratives (culture) as epiphenomena, plays in the shadow of large structural shifts – a residual variable, or else as shifting, evanescent meanings produced in local, face-to-face settings. In the newer understanding, ‘culture’ is a level of analysis researchers use to investigate symbolic patterns and meaningful practices that structure how people act, how they define identities, even how they define what counts as ‘strategic’ or instrumental. Since the 1980s, sociologists working with this notion of culture have crafted different approaches to political culture, in national, organizational, and informal everyday arenas. Their different culture concepts carry different strengths and liabilities for research and they rely on different assumptions about action and meaning. This article reviews these arguments and asks what the limits to Alexander's performative theory are, how his theory can be reformulated to address settled versus unsettled political regimes, and how disaggregating Alexander's concept of audiences along with their roles in political change would provide the theory with greater predictive power.
Commercial Real Estate Derivatives

Despite the tremendous growth in the use of derivatives for commodities, stocks, interest rates, currency and other applications, the availability of derivatives for commercial real estate has been limited. When you consider that real estate assets comprise over one-third of the value of all of the underlying physical capital in the United States and the world, the potential for real estate derivatives is impressive. It is therefore not surprising that in recent years real estate derivatives have begun to develop, as market participants have realized the role that derivatives can play, investment banks have been willing to offer derivatives, and new indices have been developed that are designed to meet the needs of the evolving real estate derivatives market. Keywords: derivatives; forward; swaps; indices; hedge; alpha; short; structured notes; counterparty
Comparing the Effectiveness of Alerts and Dynamically Annotated Visualizations (DAVs) in Improving Clinical Decision Making

Objective:The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two types of real-time decision support, an interrupting pop-up alert and a noninterrupting dynamically annotated visualization (DAV), in reducing clinically inappropriate diagnostic imaging orders.Background:Alerts in electronic health record software are frequently disregarded due to high false-alarm rates, interruptions, and uncertainty about what triggered the alert. In other settings, providing visualizations and improving understandability of the guidance has been shown to improve overall decision making.Method:Using a between-subject design, we examined the effect of two forms of decision support, alerts and DAVs, on reducing the proportion of inappropriate diagnostic imaging orders for 11 patients in a simulated environment. Nine attending and 11 resident physicians with experience using an electronic health record were randomly assigned to the form of decision support. Secondary measures were self-reported understandability, algo...
Robust position, scale, and rotation invariant object recognition using higher-order neural networks

Abstract For object recognition invariant to changes in the object's position, size, and in-plane rotation, higher-order neural networks (HONNs) have numerous advantages over other neural network approaches. Because distortion invariance can be built into the architecture of the network, HONNs need to be trained on just one view of each object, not numerous distorted views, reducing the training time significantly. Further, 100% accuracy can be guaranteed for noise-free test images characterized by the built-in distortions. Specifically, a third-order neural network trained on just one view of an SR-71 aircraft and a U-2 aircraft in a 127 × 127 pixel input field successfully recognized all views of both aircraft larger than 70% of the original size, regardless of orientation or position of the test image. Training required just six passes. In contrast, other neural network approaches require thousands of passes through a training set consisting of a much larger number of training images and typically achieve only 80–90% accuracy on novel views of the objects. The above results assume a noise-free environment. The performance of HONNs is explored with non-ideal test images characterized by white Gaussian noise or partial occlusion. With white noise added to images with an ideal separation of background vs. foreground gray levels, it is shown that HONNs achieve 100% recognition accuracy for the test set for a standard deviation up to ∼10% of the maximum gray value and continue to show good performance (defined as better than 75% accuracy) up to a standard deviation of ∼14%. HONNs are also robust with respect to partial occlusion. For the test set of training images with very similar profiles, HONNs achieve 100% recognition accuracy for one occlusion of ∼13% of the input field size and four occlusions of ∼70% of the input field size. They show good performance for one occlusion of ∼23% of the input field size or four occlusions of ∼15% of the input field size each. For training images with very different profiles, HONNs achieve 100% recognition accuracy for the test set for up to four occlusions of ∼2% of the input field size and continue to show good performance for up to four occlusions of ∼23% of the input field size each.
1 On the Concept of Coordinative Structures as Dissipative Structures: I. Theoretical Lines of Convergence*

In this paper we pursue the argument that where a group of muscles functions as a single unit the resulting coordinative structure, to a first approximation, exhibits behavior qualitatively like that of a force-driven mass-spring system. Data are presented illustrating the generative and context-independent characteristics of this system in tasks that require animals and humans to produce accurate limb movements in spite of unpredictable changes in initial conditions, perturbations during the movement and functional deafferentation. Analogous findings come from studies of articulatory compensation in speech production. Finally we provide evidence suggesting that one classically-defined source of information for movement, namely proprioception, may not be dimension-specific in its contribution to coordination and control.