cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE SPECIFICITY OF THE “WATER TEST“ AS A DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURE IN ADDISON'S DISEASE

IN 1941 two procedures to assist in the recognition and exclusion of Addison's disease were described by Robinson and two of us [Power and Kepler (30)]. These procedures have since become known as the “water test.” It is the purpose of this review to consider the rationale of the test and to evaluate it specificity in the diagnosis of chronic adrenal cortical insufficiency. Data obtained at the Mayo Clinic during the period from January, 1941, to May, 1945, inclusive, have been utilized. The two procedures which comprise the “water test” were considered separately and in combination. I. DESCRIPTION OF TESTS AND INTERPRETATION The following description and interpretation of the water test are reproduced in part from the original article of Robinson, Power and Kepler (30). Procedure I (based on volume of urine).—On the day before the test the patient eats three ordinary meals but omits extra salt. He is requested not to eat or drink anything after 6 p.m. Until this time he may drink water as desired. At 10:...
Clear cell papillary renal cell carcinoma in patients with von Hippel-Lindau syndrome—clinicopathological features and comparative genomic analysis of 3 cases ☆ ☆☆ ★

Clear cell papillary renal cell carcinoma (CCPRCC) is a renal neoplasm that has recently received widespread recognition in the literature. There have been several reports of this tumor arising in a sporadic setting and in patients with end-stage renal disease; however, there is limited information available about the clinical, pathologic, and genetic characteristics of this tumor in the setting of von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease. We herein report a series of 3 patients who developed CCPRCC in this unique clinical setting. The histology and immunohistochemical profile for all 3 cases was similar to that which has been previously reported for CCPRCC. All tumors were diffusely and strongly positive for cytokeratin 7, negative for α-methyl-CoA-racemase, and showed at least focal staining for CD10. Comparative genomic analysis was performed on tumors from all 3 patients. One tumor demonstrated monosomy 3, and the other 2 tumors showed normal chromosomal content. All 3 patients were alive without evidence of disease progression 5, 3, and 3 years after surgery. CCPRCC represents a distinct tumor type that may occur in the setting of VHL disease and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of extensively cystic renal tumors arising in this clinical setting. Molecular analysis in our series of cases suggests that CCPRCC does indeed represent a unique histologic subtype and must be distinguished from clear cell renal cell carcinoma due to different biological potentials. Ancillary studies for accurate classification are recommended due to significant morphologic overlap with clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
Location of the Carbohydrate-Containing Fraction of κ-Casein After Gel Electrophoresis

Abstract κ -Casein and related compounds were subjected to electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels in the presence of urea and mercaptoethanol; the glycoprotein (carbohydrate moiety) was stained selectively with periodoc acid–Schiff's reagent, and the proteins were stained with Amido Black. Three prominent bands developed from κ -casein, but only the leading one contained glycoprotein. Enzymic removal of sialic acid from κ -casein progressively decreased the mobility of the glycoprotein. Glycomacropeptide obtained by rennin treatment of κ -casein moved as a single zone that stained with periodic acid-Schiff's reagent but not with Amido Black, and had about threefold the mobility of κ -casein.
A comparison of ion scattering spectra and molecular dynamics simulations at the surface of silicate glasses

Abstract Molecular dynamics simulations are correlated with experimental ion scattering spectra to elucidate the surface structure and composition of fused silica and potassium trisilicate glass. The ion scattering spectra and molecular dynamics simulations both show that the oxygen atoms dominate the surface monolayer of fused silica. The ion scattering spectra of fracture surfaces of potassium trisilicate glass show a large potassium signal with little scattering signal from the oxygen or silicon atoms indicating a predominance of potassium in the surface monolayer. This local enrichment of potassium in the surface monolayer is due to their shielding of the charged silicate tetrahedra at the surface. This is also consistent with the simulations.
Identification of the zinc ligands in cobalamin-independent methionine synthase (MetE) from Escherichia coli.

Cobalamin-independent methionine synthase (MetE) from Escherichia coli catalyzes the transfer of a methyl group from methyltetrahydrofolate to homocysteine to form tetrahydrofolate and methionine. It contains 1 equiv of zinc that is essential for its catalytic activity. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis of the zinc-binding site has suggested tetrahedral coordination with two sulfur (cysteine) and one nitrogen or oxygen ligands provided by the enzyme and an exchangeable oxygen or nitrogen ligand that is replaced by the homocysteine thiol group in the enzyme-substrate complex (Gonzalez, J. C., Peariso, K., Penner-Hahn, J. E., and Matthews, R. G. (1996) Biochemistry 35, 12228-34). Sequence alignment of MetE homologues shows that His641, Cys643, and Cys726 are the only conserved residues. We report here the construction, expression, and purification of the His641Gln, Cys643Ser, and Cys726Ser mutants of MetE. Each mutant displays significantly impaired activity and contains less than 1 equiv of zinc upon purification. Furthermore, each mutant binds zinc with lower binding affinity ( Ka 10 14 M -1 ) compared to the wild-type enzyme (Ka > 10 16 M -1 ). All the MetE mutants are able to bind homocysteine. X-ray absorption spectroscopy analysis of the zinc-binding sites in the mutants indicates that the four-coordinate zinc site is preserved but that the ligand sets are changed. Our results demonstrate that Cys643 and Cys726 are two of the zinc ligands in MetE from E. coli and suggest that His641 is a third endogenous ligand. The effects of the mutations on the specific activities of the mutant proteins suggest that zinc and homocysteine binding alone are not sufficient for activity; the chemical nature of the ligands is also a determining factor for catalytic activity in agreement with model studies of the alkylation of zinc-thiolate complexes.
Dynamic particle swarm optimization via ring topologies

Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) has been proven to be a fast and effective search algorithm capable of solving complex and varied problems. To date numerous swarm topologies have been proposed and investigated as a means of increasing the effectiveness of the generalized algorithm. Typical topologies employ static arrangements of particles defined at the beginning of execution and remaining constant throughout run-time. Topologies that do allow for restructuring, often do so according to predefined rules that limit the opportunity and manner in which the topology can change. Recent investigations have shown that dynamically redefining a topology by stochastically re-organizing the swarm at periodic intervals improves performance for certain types of problems. In this work the effectiveness of a novel topology "Dynamic Ring" and a derivative of the {}"Dynamic Multi Swarm PSO" topology dubbed "Dynamic Multi Swarm with Ring" are investigated. We show that these two new topologies show generally enhanced performance relative to previously proposed topologies on a suite of twelve test functions.
Purinergic-independent Calcium Signaling Mediates Recovery from Hepatocellular Swelling IMPLICATIONS FOR VOLUME REGULATION

Swelling of hepatocytes and other epithelia activates volume-sensitive ion channels that facilitate fluid and electrolyte efflux to restore cell volume, but the responsible signaling pathways are incompletely defined. Previous work in model HTC rat hepatoma cells has indicated that swelling elicits ATP release, which stimulates P2 receptors and activates Cl(-) channels, and that this mechanism is essential for hepatocellular volume recovery. Since P2 receptors are generally coupled to Ca(2+) signaling pathways, we determined whether hepatocellular swelling affected cytosolic [Ca(2+)], and if this involved a purinergic mechanism. Exposure of HTC cells to hypotonic media evoked an increase in cytosolic [Ca(2+)], which was followed by activation of K(+) and Cl(-) currents. Maneuvers that interfered with swelling-induced increases in cytosolic [Ca(2+)], including extracellular Ca(2+) removal and intracellular Ca(2+) store depletion with thapsigargin, inhibited activation of membrane currents and volume recovery. However, the swelling-induced increases in cytosolic [Ca(2+)] were unaffected by either extracellular ATP depletion with apyrase or blockade of P2 receptors with suramin. These findings indicate that swelling elicits an increase in hepatocellular Ca(2+), which is essential for ion channel activation and volume recovery, but that this increase does not stem from activation of volume-sensitive P2 receptors. Collectively, these observations imply that regulatory responses to hepatocellular swelling involve a dual requirement for a purinergic-independent Ca(2+) signaling cascade and a Ca(2+)-independent purinergic signaling pathway.
Performance evaluation through job scheduler modeling

The scheduler in the Cyber-176 computer does the major functions of routing the job through the system, controlling job's progress through aging and swapping of jobs between various queues and resource allocation among jobs. This paper reports some results of the performance evaluation study of the Cyber-176 by modeling the scheduler as the heart of the system. The study explores the effects of varying the scheduler parameters in the performance of the machine in a particular installation. The basic theme of the paper is that the selection of parameters in a laboratory or a system test environment may not always result in the best performance in an actual installation. The simulation provides vital information for installation management and tuning the operating system.
Professional responsibility: Confronting sexual abuse of people with disabilities

Confronting sexual abuse of people with disabilities has recently become a challenge for health professionals. This paper discusses issues of professional responsibility in three areas; clinical, management, and personal issues. Prevention of sexual assault is seen as a primary professional obligation. An outline is offered for development of a systematic approach to deal with the problems of sexual abuse within an institutional setting.
Routine newborn HIV testing: an idea whose time has come.

To the Editor.— In reading through the recent American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement on HIV testing and prophylaxis to prevent vertical transmission of the AIDS virus,1 we were disappointed to note that the committee has chosen to stray from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations and declined to recommend routine newborn testing in infants whose mothers are not tested.2 Although we concur that there is a paucity of randomized, controlled trials, we cannot agree with their conclusion. In …
Electrogenic and electroneutral ion transporters and their regulation in tracheal epithelium

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the electrogenic and electroneutral ion transporters and their regulation in tracheal epithelium. Recent advances in cell isolation and culture and in electrophysiology as applied to airway epithelial cell physiology have enabled us to ascertain, in more detail, how this epithelium transports electrolytes and, to some extent, how this epithelium controls electrolyte movements. This chapter also focuses on the electrogenic pathways for electrolyte transport, electroneutral transporters mediate the net translocation of an ionic species without a net charge transfer. This chapter uses two methods for assessing an NaCl(K) cotransporter in airway epithelium: radioisotopic Na+,K +, or C1- flux in isolated airway epithelial cells and bioelectric properties ofa monolayer of cells grown on a filter support. In the latter method, the role of a cotransporter in vectorial ion transport and consequences of cotransporter activation on net ion movements across the monolayer are assessed. Both methods allow kinetic analysis of electrolyte transport, an advantage useful in modeling cotransport mechanisms.
Alaska Native Suicide: Lessons for Elder Suicide

Suicide rates in Alaska Native elders are studied to further explore cultural factors in elderly suicide. Data for the 1960s and 1970s are reviewed, and new data on Alaska Native suicide rates are presented for the 10-year period of 1985 through 1994. In many areas throughout the world, suicide rates are the highest for the elderly. During the Alaska "oil boom," suicide rates more than tripled for the general population but decreased to zero for Alaska Native elders. Cultural teachings from the society's elders were more important during this time of culture upheaval. During the study period, the cultural changes dissipated, and suicide rates for Alaska Native elders, although lower than those of White Alaskans, increased. This provides further evidence that suicide rates for elders can be influenced by social factors--both to raise to lower rates.
Skeleton-and-bubble model of polyether-polyurethane elastic open-cell foams for finite element analysis at large deformations

Abstract We formulate a new micromechanical model of elastic open-cell (EOC) foams. In this model, the usual skeleton of open-cell foams is supplemented by fitting a thin-walled bubble within each cavity of the skeleton, as a substitute for the membranes that occlude the “windows” of the foam cells in polyether-polyurethane EOC foams. The model has nine parameters; each parameter has a clear geometrical or mechanical significance, and its value may be readily estimated for any given foam. To calibrate the model, we carry out fully nonlinear, three-dimensional finite-element simulations of the experiments of Dai et al. (2011a) , in which a set of five polyether-polyurethane EOC foams covering a range of commercially available relative densities was tested under compression along the rise direction, compression along a transverse direction, tension along the rise direction, simple shear combined with compression along the rise direction, and hydrostatic pressure combined with compression along the rise direction. We show that, with a suitable choice of the values of the parameters of the model, the model is capable of reproducing the most salient trends evinced in the experimental stress–stretch curves. Yet the model can no longer reproduce all of these trends if the bubbles be excluded from the model, and we conclude that the bubbles play a crucial role at large deformations. We also show that the stretch fields that obtain in our computational simulations are in good accord with the digital-image-correlation (DIC) measurements of Dai et al. For simple shear combined with compression along the rise direction, the DIC measurements of Dai et al. prove insufficient to our purposes, and we carry out DIC measurements of our own. To demonstrate the performance of the model in a typical application of polyether-polyurethane EOC foams, we carry out experiments and simulations of foam specimens loaded through a cylindrical punch and a spherical punch. We conclude the paper with a discussion of the contrasts and similarities between our model, in which the deformation is dominated by a phase transition, and the standard micromechanical model of EOC foams, in which the deformation is dominated by a bifurcation of equilibrium.
Parameters of a Natural Focus of Leptospira pomona in Skunks and Opossums

The dynamics of a natural focus of L. pomona in skunks and opossums were investigated by live trapping for a period of 18 months, followed by removal trapping for 2 months. Leptospira pomona was isolated from 8 (10.6%) of 75 skunks, 3 (3.1%) of 98 opossums and 1 of 21 feral cats. Serologic reactions to L. pomona were found in 9 (28.1%) of 32 skunks and 3 (3.01%) of 98 opossums tested. Leptospira pomona was isolated from 1 to 3 times from naturally infected free-living skunks during a maximum of 77 days. Among the interesting correlations of ecologic data with infectivity was a significant relationship between both isolations and serologic titers for the colder and wetter parts of the year in skunks; no such correlation was found for opossum infections and titers. The habits of animals shedding leptospires were found to be related to specific parts of the research area. The authors conclude from the data that skunks may be able to maintain a nidus of L. pomona.
Sea-Floor Spreading and Orogeny: Correlation or Anticorrelation?

A widely accepted hypothesis states that episodes of active sea-floor spreading, growth of oceanic rise systems, and eustatic rise of sea level are interrelated and occur simultaneously. Opinions vary as to the correspondence of episodes of active sea-floor spreading and associated epicontinental transgressions with orogeny. Review indicates that if. orogeny is not restrictively defined to particular short-lived events, it takes place during episodes of active sea-floor spreading when oceanic rise systems are large so that orogeny and eustatic rise of sea level correlate in time.
The Postmodern Ethical Condition A conversation with Agnes Heller

Many of Agnes HellerOs previous works explore the contingency of the modern condition and how social actors establish or choose themselves as ethical beings within this contingency. Both The Postmodern Political Condition and Can Modernity Survive? concentrate on images of contingency whilst General Ethics and A Philosophy of Morals explore the nature of an ethics framed around the question of what a decent person is. The contingency of modernity has entailed, for Heller, that it is increasingly difficult to continue to make ethical and moral judgements, which includes the ability to distinguish good from evil. The thematisation of good and evil was possible in an age of grand narratives; the loss of grand narratives has meant that the thematisation of good and evil becomes increasingly difficult, the result of which is ethical indifference.
Surface diffusion of hydrogen on Pt(111): laser-induced thermal desorption studies

Abstract Surface diffusion of deuterium and hydrogen on Pt(111) has been investigated by laser-induced thermal desorption. As the initial surface coverage of deuterium is varied from 0.001 to 0.33, the diffusional activation energy falls from 12 to 7 kcal mol , and the pre-exponential factor falls from 3 × 10 4 to 0.5 cm 2 /s. Concentration profiles measured directly by a variable aperture technique confirm that at 234 K deuterium diffusion slows at low coverage. Hydrogen diffuses about twice as fast as deuterium.
Determining optimal wavebands using genetic algorithm for detection of internal insect infestation in tart cherry

This paper reports the results of waveband selection for detecting internal insect infestation in tart cherries as a precursor to development of a dedicated multispectral vision system. A genetic algorithm (GA) approach was applied on hyperspectral transmittance images (580–980 nm) and reflectance spectral data (590–1,550 nm) acquired from both intact and infested tart cherries. The GA analysis indicates that the ability of using transmittance imaging approach for detecting internal insect infestation in tart cherries would be limited. According to the GA analysis on the reflectance spectra, visible wavelengths were of less importance than NIR wavelengths for the purpose of distinguishing intact cherries from infested ones. The PLSDA results indicate that models built with three or four GA selected wavelength regions gave similar classification accuracy to the model built with full wavelength region, which demonstrates the efficiency of the GA variable selection procedure. However, due to the stochastic nature of the GA, the efficiency of using these wavebands in a multispectral vision system needs to be verified in future work.
Microstructure and properties of modified PbTiO3 ceramics

Abstract The effects of calcining temperature, ranging from 750° to 1050°, on the microstructure and properties of calcium-modified lead titanate ceramics have been investigated. The sinterability and obtained microstructures were found to be dependent on the calcining temperature. The ceramics calcined at 850° showed the higher sinterability and piezoelectric activities. The electromechanical coupling factor in thickness vibration mode Kt and the piezoelectric constant d33 reached maximum value for the ceramics calcined at 850°, while the value in radial vibration mode Kp kept a negligibly small change. The calcining temperature also presented obvious influence on the poling condition. The specimen calcined at 850° also presented the lower poling field required to reach the maximum Kt value.
Abstract 3510: N-Myc positively influences mitochondrial biogenesis in neuroblastoma

Background: Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial tumor of childhood., accounting for approximately 7% of all cancer in children. The morbidity and mortality are affected by a number of factors - perhaps most significantly by amplification of the oncogene, N-MYC. Advanced stage disease with N-MYC overexpression confers the highest mortality. The N-MYC gene product (N-Myc) regulates the transcription of many genes, and when overexpressed is thought to enhance the cell cycle and dysregulate apoptosis. The function of N-Myc is virtually identical to another oncoprotein of the same family, c-Myc, yet is restricted by developmental stage and cell type. Overexpression of c-Myc has been shown to increase mitochondrial biogenesis by alterations in mitochondrial dynamics. It has been proposed that these changes may contribute to c-Myc induced tumorigenesis. We hypothesize that N-Myc amplification will have similar effects on mitochondrial biogenesis in neuroblastoma. Design/Methods: To perform these studies we utilized a cell line with endogenous levels of N-Myc (SK-N-SH). In these cells we have ectopically overexpressed N-Myc and examined the cells for changes in the mitochondria with various assays, including: Western blots, electron microscopy, flow cytometry, ATP assay and confocal microscopy. Results: We found a X-fold increase in mitochondrial mass in cells that overexpress N-Myc,, as well as a more tubular appearance with less organized cristae. Additionally, N-Myc changed the expression of various mitochondrial fusion and fission proteins. The most dramatic change was seen in the expression of the fusion protein Opa1, which changed by ten-fold. This, combined with a decrease in expression of fission proteins DRP1 and MFF, may account for the more tubular appearance of mitochondria in N-Myc overexpressing cells. Conclusions N-Myc amplification appeared to increase mitochondrial mass. This may occur as a result of increased expression of mitochondrial fusion proteins, as previously observed in c-Myc overexpressing cells. Additionally, mitochondrial function is influenced by N-Myc overexpression. Therefore, N-Myc amplification appears to positively influence mitochondrial biogenesis in neuroblastoma. Further studies are needed to determine if this increase in mitochondrial mass and function is necessary for the development and maintenance of neuroblastoma. Citation Format: Manika Sharma, James A. Graves. N-Myc positively influences mitochondrial biogenesis in neuroblastoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3510. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3510
A re-examination of the Fiorina-Plott and Eavey voting experiments: How much do cardinal payoffs influence outcomes?

Abstract In Fiorina and Plott's (1978) classic committee voting experiments, the players' failure to choose the core is puzzling. Eavey (1991) ran the same experiments with different payoffs to see if the outcomes would change. They did, contrary to a core equilibrium. This paper further examines the results using the individual and aggregate payoffs. We examine whether the players maximize aggregate dollar payoffs or coalition aggregate payoffs. They do not. However, the equilibrium moves in a direction consistent with the comparative statics of cardinal payoffs. Both core and cardinal payoffs seem to determine the results.
Frequent Sex Protects Intimates From the Negative Implications of Their Neuroticism

A robust literature indicates that neuroticism has numerous negative implications for romantic relationships. But are there factors that can protect intimates from such implications? Given that neg...
In situ measurement of low-Z material coating thickness on high Z substrate for tokamaksa)

Rutherford backscattering of energetic particles can be used to determine the thickness of a coating of a low-Z material over a heavier substrate. Simulations indicate that 5 MeV alpha particles from an 241Am source can be used to measure the thickness of a Li coating on Mo tiles between 0.5 and 15 μm thick. Using a 0.1 mCi source, a thickness measurement can be accomplished in 2 h of counting. This technique could be used to measure any thin, low-Z material coating (up to 1 mg/cm2 thick) on a high-Z substrate, such as Be on W, B on Mo, or Li on Mo. By inserting a source and detector on a moveable probe, this technique could be used to provide an in situ measurement of the thickness of Li coating on NSTX-U Mo tiles. A test stand with an alpha source and an annular solid-state detector was used to investigate the measurable range of low-Z material thicknesses on Mo tiles.
P504S immunostaining boosts diagnostic resolution of "suspicious" foci in prostatic needle biopsy specimens.

From 1.5% to 9.0% of prostatic needle biopsy specimens disclose atypical small acinar proliferations (ASAPs) suggestive of malignancy, carrying an approximate 45% predictive value for cancer. We applied keratin 34 beta E12 and P504S monoclonal immunostains to 93 cases that were judged as ASAP after HE 18 (44%) were resolved by 1 or 2 evaluators and 29 (71%) by at least 1. According to whether post-keratin 34 beta E12 ASAP designation was given by 3, 2, or 1 evaluator(s), P504S immunostaining unanimously resolved an additional 5 (12%), 10 (24%), or 23 (56%) of 41 ASAP foci and cumulatively, 31 foci (76%). Among 35 men (excluding 6 with cancer in other cores of the original biopsy), these immunostains could have permitted cancer diagnosis in 11 (31%), without repeated biopsy. Thus, the consensus diagnosis rate improved from poor to good after supplementing 34 beta E12 immunostaining with P504S.
Characterization of SiC Fiber (SCS-6) Reinforced-Reaction-Formed Silicon Carbide Matrix Composites

Silicon carbide fiber (SCS-6) reinforced-reaction-formed silicon carbide matrix composites were fabricated using a reaction-forming process. Silicon-2 at.% niobium alloy was used as an infiltrant instead of pure silicon to reduce the amount of free silicon in the matrix after reaction forming. The matrix primarily consists of silicon carbide with a bimodal grain size distribution. Minority phases dispersed within the matrix are niobium disilicide (NbSi2), carbon, and silicon. Fiber pushout tests on these composites determined a debond stress of approximately 67 MPa and a frictional stress of approximately 60 MPa. A typical four-point flexural strength of the composite is 297 MPa (43.1 KSi). This composite shows tough behavior through fiber pullout.
The potential of conductive waveguides for nulling interferometry

We report on a novel approach for implementing a dual Bracewell nulling interferometric beam combiner using miniature conductive waveguides contained in a single monolithic structure. We present modeling results for these devices at mid-infrared wavelengths. Potential applications for these devices in the Terrestrial Planet Finder mission are discussed.
Using Institutional Survey Data to Jump-Start Your Benchmarking Process.

This chapter discusses the use of survey data to determine institutions for competitive benchmarking purposes.
AAV-Mediated Gene Delivery in a Feline Model of Sandhoff Disease Corrects Lysosomal Storage in the Central Nervous System

Sandhoff disease (SD) is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease caused by a mutation in the gene for the β-subunit of β-N-acetylhexosaminidase (Hex), resulting in the inability to catabolize ganglioside GM2 within the lysosomes. SD presents with an accumulation of GM2 and its asialo derivative GA2, primarily in the central nervous system. Myelin-enriched glycolipids, cerebrosides and sulfatides, are also decreased in SD corresponding with dysmyelination. At present, no treatment exists for SD. Previous studies have shown the therapeutic benefit of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector-mediated gene therapy in the treatment of SD in murine and feline models. In this study, we treated presymptomatic SD cats with AAVrh8 vectors expressing feline Hex in the thalamus combined with intracerebroventricular (Thal/ICV) injections. Treated animals showed clearly improved neurologic function and quality of life, manifested in part by prevention or attenuation of whole-body tremors characteristic of untreated animals. Hex activity was significantly elevated, whereas storage of GM2 and GA2 was significantly decreased in tissue samples taken from the cortex, cerebellum, thalamus, and cervical spinal cord. Treatment also increased levels of myelin-enriched cerebrosides and sulfatides in the cortex and thalamus. This study demonstrates the therapeutic potential of AAV for feline SD and suggests a similar potential for human SD patients.
A New Hash Competition

Since the discovery of collision attacks against several well-known cryptographic hash functions in 2004, a rush of new cryptanalytic results cast doubt on the current hash function standards. The relatively new NIST SHA-2 standards aren't yet immediately threatened, but their long-term viability is now in question. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has therefore begun an international competition to select a new SHA-3 standard. This article outlines the competition, its rules, the requirements for the hash function candidates, and the process that NIST will use to select the final winning SHA-3 standard.
Selection of reference-anisotropy parameters for wavefield extrapolation by Lloyd's algorithm

We propose a method for selecting reference anisotropic parameters in laterally varying anisotropic media for mixed Fourier-space domain waveeld extrapolation. We treat the selection problem as a quantization procedure, and use a modied version of the 3D Lloyd’s algoritm for reference-parameter selections. We demonstrate that our method yields a more accurate discription of the anisotropy model with fewer reference parameters than the uniform sampling approach. Real data examples illustrate the performance of our method.
Southern California Elementary Physical Education Specialists and Non- Specialists: Beliefs and Behaviors of the Ideal Purpose and Actual Function of Elementary Physical Education

This study explored the beliefs and behaviors of elementary physical education providers in California relative to the purpose and function of elementary physical education. Research on these types of beliefs and behaviors is important because of the implications on physical education programs conducted in the elementary schools. Properly implemented physical education has been demonstrated to have a positive impact on the fitness levels and motor skill development of students, and such education may lead to the habituation of lifelong physical activity. Randomly selected teachers in southern California school districts completed a three-part questionnaire assessing their beliefs and behaviors regarding the ideal purpose and actual function of elementary physical education. Results of this study indicate that participants were aware of the importance of physical education, but overall, failed to exhibit behaviors that matched their beliefs. These results are pertinent because, in many school districts, primarily nonspecialists will be providing physical education instruction at the elementary level. Understanding the beliefs of non-specialists will help university teacher education programs identify programmatic changes to better prepare elementary school teachers.
Bridging Java and AspectJ through explicit join points

Through AspectJ, aspect-oriented programming (AOP) is becoming of increasing interest and availability to Java programmers as it matures as a methodology for improved software modularity via the separation of cross-cutting concerns. AOP proponents often advocate a development strategy where Java programmers write the main application, ignoring cross-cutting concerns, and then AspectJ programmers, domain experts in their specific concerns, weave in the logic for these more specialized cross-cutting concerns. However, several authors have recently debated the merits of this strategy by empirically showing certain drawbacks. The proposed solutions paint a different development strategy where base code and aspect programmers are aware of each other (to varying degrees) and interactions between cross-cutting concerns are planned for early on.Herein we explore new possibilities in the language design space that open up when the base code is aware of cross-cutting aspects. Using our insights from this exploration we concretize these new possibilities by extending AspectJ with concise yet powerful constructs, while maintaining full backwards compatibility. These new constructs allow base code and aspects to cooperate in ways that were previously not possible: arbitrary blocks of code can be advised, advice can be explicitly parameterized, base code can guide aspects in where to apply advice, and aspects can statically enforce new constraints upon the base code that they advise. These new techniques allow aspect modularity and program safety to increase. We illustrate the value of our extensions through an example based on transactions.
Fairy Tales Gone Mad: Symposium on Nathalie Djurberg's It's the Mother

This symposium engages with the work of claymation artist Nathalie Djurberg. Djurberg molds and animates plasticine figures with as much precision and skill as she masterfully puppeteers her viewer's affective responses through a blizzard of violence, cruelty, and self/other boundary intrusions. Briefly commenting on some of the questions she proposes we concern ourselves with in her piece It's the Mother, I introduce 4 short commentaries that examine it from the perspective of maternality and its discourses, womanhood and its institutional abuses, internal objects that constitute our worlds with and/or against our consent, and the implications for psychoanalytic practice when a treatment traffics in the relational currency of sadism and masochism.
Plant-hyphomycete interactions in lowland central Burma

Some 470 specimens of hyphomycetes reported earlier from about 85 plant families of lowland central Burma were reviewed for pattern and process of fungus–host associations in the field. Cercospora/Allies, Alternaria/Nimbya, Fusarium, Bipolaris and Curvularia associated more frequently as foliar pathogens with larger families like the Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Poaceae than with medium to smaller families notably the Cucurbitaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Lamiaceae, Malvaceae, Solanaceae, and Zingiberaceae. Plant–fungus interactions being inferred from these associations, it is hypothesized, using collection frequency analyses, that interactions (I) varied jointly with the fungus (F) and the host plant (P) family as per symbolic representation: I = F × P = FP.
Decentralized and Partially Decentralized Reinforcement Learning for Distributed Combinatorial Optimization Problems

In this paper, we describe a framework for solving computationally hard, distributed function optimization problems using reinforcement learning techniques. In particular, we model a function optimization problem as an identical payoff game played by a team of reinforcement learning agents. The team performs a stochastic search through the domain space of the parameters of the function. However, current game learning algorithms suffer from significant memory requirement, significant communication overhead and slow convergence. To alleviate these problems, we present novel decentralized and partially decentralized reinforcement learning algorithms for the team. Simulation results are presented for the NP-Hard sensor subset selection problem to show that the agents learn locally optimal parameter values and illustrate the advantages of the proposed algorithms.
Spectroscopic Analyses of the Biofuels-Critical Phytochemical Coniferyl Alcohol and Its Enzyme-Catalyzed Oxidation Products

Abstract: Lignin composition (monolignol types of coniferyl, sinapyl or p -coumaryl alcohol) is causally related to biomass recalcitrance. We describe multiwavelength (220, 228, 240, 250, 260, 290, 295, 300, 310 or 320 nm) absorption spectroscopy of coniferyl alcohol and its laccase- or peroxidase-catalyzed products during real time kinetic, pseudo -kinetic and endpoint analyses, in optical turn on or turn off modes, under acidic or basic conditions. Reactions in microwell plates and 100 μL volumes demonstrated assay miniaturization and high throughput screening capabilities. Bathochromic and hypsochromic shifts along with hyperchromicity or hypochromicity accompanied enzymatic oxidations by laccase or peroxidase. The limits of detection and quantitation of coniferyl alcohol averaged 2.4 and 7.1 μM respectively, with linear trend lines over 3 to 4 orders of magnitude. Coniferyl alcohol oxidation was evident within 10 minutes or with 0.01 μg/mL laccase and 2 minutes or 0.001 μg/mL peroxidase. Detection limit improved to 1.0 μM coniferyl alcohol with
Scriptotherapy: Therapeutic Writing as a Counseling Adjunct

Major perspectives concerning the use of writing in counseling are given, with the goal of clarifying the nature of what has proved to be a useful but vague and poorly defined technique. This article reviews the practice of what this author calls “scriptotherapy” and cites examples. Practitioners and researchers have tended to avoid the problem of defining scriptotherapy or establishing guidelines for its use, perhaps because systematic empirical research that supports the value of therapeutic writing has been lacking. Drawing, however, from the increasing flow of both anecdotal and controlled studies that point to the specific benefits of writing, the author proposes recommendations for the use of scriptotherapy.
Assessing sex assignment concordance with genotype and phenotype

To catalogue patients with DSD and to assess the concordance of genotype and phenotype with sex assignment at birth compared to sex assignment before and following assessment by a Gender Medicine Team (GMT) at one institution, as an initial step in formulating standardized guidelines for management of these conditions. After obtaining IRB approval, a retrospective chart review was conducted patients seen in the Gender Medicine Clinic (GMC) between 2006–2009 at Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH), Houston, Texas. McNemar’s test and Kappa agreement provided associations of various factors with sex assignment at birth prior to GMT assessment and after GMT assessment. Forty-seven patients seen in the GMC with confirmed DSD. Forty-seven patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean age of the patients at the time of GMT evaluation was 9.1+/−6.1 years; 61.7% had male karyotype, and 38.3% had female karyotype; 51.1% had a male external phenotype, 42.6% had a female external phenotype, and 6.4% had phenotypic ambiguity. Sex assignment was concordant with genotype and phenotype in 63.8% and 86.4%, respectively of cases at the time of birth and in 76.6% and 97.7%, respectively, of cases after assessment by GMT. Long-term outcomes are needed to establish standardized practice guidelines for decision-making.
Beta diversity along environmental gradients: implications of habitat specialization in tropical montane landscapes.

1. Understanding how species in a diverse regional pool are spatially distributed with respect to habitat types is a longstanding problem in ecology. Tropical species are expected to be specialists along environmental gradients, and this should result in rapid compositional change (high beta diversity) across landscapes, particularly when alpha diversity is a small fraction of regional diversity. Corollary challenges are then to identify controlling environmental variables and to ask whether species cluster into discrete community types along a gradient. 2. We investigated patterns of avian species' distributions in the Tilaran mountains of Costa Rica between 1000 m and 1700 m elevation where a strong moisture gradient exists. High beta diversity was found with both auditory counts adjusted for detectability and extensive capture data, revealing nearly complete change in community composition over a few kilometres on the Pacific slope. As predicted, this beta diversity was roughly twice as high as on temperate mountainsides. 3. Partial Mantel analyses and canonical correspondence analysis indicate that change in species composition is highly correlated with change in moisture (and correlated epiphyte cover) at different distances from the continental divide on the Pacific slope. Altitude was not a good predictor of change in species composition, as species composition varies substantially among sites at the same elevation. 4. Detrended correspondence analysis and cluster analysis revealed a zone of rapid transition separating a distinct cloud forest community from rainshadow forest. On the Caribbean slope, where a shallower moisture gradient was predicted to result in lower beta diversity, we found lower rates of compositional change and more continuous species turnover. 5. Results suggest that habitat specialization of birds is likely a strong ecological force generating high beta diversity in montane landscapes. Despite overall rapid rates of species turnover, zones of relatively coherent composition could be identified. 6. Landscapes with such high beta diversity are common in the tropics, although little studied. They offer high benefit/cost opportunities for conservation, particularly as climate change threatens to alter the species composition of communities of habitat specialists.
Polyamines and autocrine control of tumor growth by prolactin in experimental breast cancer in culture.

We have previously observed that both polya-mines and an autocrine mechanism are involved in the stimulation by ovine PRL (oPRL) of growth of the N-nitrosomethylurea-induced rat mammary tumor cultured in vitro in the soft agar clonogenic assay. These experiments were designed to test the interaction between these two pathways of oPRL action in this system. In agreement with previous findings in our laboratory, conditioned medium obtained from oPRL-treated (oPRL-CM), but not untreated, tumors consistently stimulated colony formation when added to N-nitrosomethylurea mammary tumors plated in soft agar under serum-free medium conditions. Administration of α-difluoromethyl-ornithine (DFMO), an irreversible inhibitor of polyamine biosynthesis, abolished the colony-stimulating effect of oPRL-CM. The inhibitory effect of DFMO was reversed in a dose-dependent fashion by the addition of spermidine, which entirely restored the growth-promoting action of bPRL-CM. In addition, the administration of increasing amounts...
The role of evidence analysts in creating nutrition management guidelines for inherited metabolic disorders

Rationale, aims and objectives Evidence and consensus-based guidelines for nutrition management of maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) were developed as part of a project to create nutrition guidelines for inherited metabolic disorders identified through newborn screening. The objective of this study was to describe and evaluate the role of evidence analysts in the systematic review phase of guideline development to improve quality of process and output and inform future guideline development projects. Methods Recruitment, training and output of evidence analysts were documented throughout the MSUD project. The role of analysts was to critically review and rate the scientific quality of published literature and abstract pertinent information using quality checklists and abstraction worksheets. A secure, web-based application was developed to standardize the process and establish permanent documentation. Analysts completed a post-project survey on perceptions of their role, training and the evidence analysis process. Results Of 23 recruits, 65% (15) completed evidence analyst training; 73% of those (11) participated in the analysis of 98 literature articles. Analysts reviewed a median of four articles (range 1–16) with median productivity of 1.1 articles per month. All analysts surveyed (n = 9) understood their role and agreed that training was adequate; 100% agreed that analyst involvement was critical in developing guidelines for MSUD. Conclusion Evidence analysts played a key role in appraising and abstracting evidence to develop nutrition guidelines for MSUD. With critical improvements to the process, particularly more stringent and systematic evaluation and documentation of analyst performance related to productivity and quality, we will continue to recruit, train and support evidence analysts in evidence-based guideline development projects.
The Impact of Publishing and Patenting Activities on New Product Development and Firm Performance: The Case of the US Pharmaceutical Industry

This paper studies the role of publishing and patenting activities as predictors of new product development for a sample of companies in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. The research also examines the relation between new product development and firm performance. Hypotheses are developed based on the well-established absorptive capacity literature. The results show that publishing scientific articles and stock of patents are both significant predictors of the number of new molecular entities (NMEs) for which a firm receives approval. In addition, the degree to which a firm builds on its own technology (measured as self-citations in its patents) also predicts NMEs, but the regression coefficient had an unexpected negative sign. Finally, the performance results confirm that the approval of NMEs is significantly associated with the market-to-book ratio of a firm. The managerial implications of these findings and study limitations are also discussed.
Temperature dependent emissivity metrology development at NIST in support of RTP needs

Measurement instrumentation and methodology for temperature dependent emissivity of solid materials are under development in NIST's Fourier Transform Spectrophotometry Laboratory. The effort is directed to support US industrial needs for emissivity data and standards for a broad range of applications including rapid thermal processing (RTP). The measurement approach and instrumentation design for several systems under construction are described. In particular, a vacuum goniometer for reflectance and transmittance measurement has been designed for the characterization of the emissivity of RTP samples.