cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Infectivity of Cryptosporidium parvum Oocysts after Storage of Experimentally Contaminated Apples

Irrigation water and washing water have been inferred to be associated with contamination of fresh fruits and vegetables with pathogenic microorganisms infectious for humans. The objective of the present study was to determine whether apples experimentally contaminated with Cryptosporidium oocysts represent a food safety concern. Laser scanning confocal microscopy revealed no morphological changes in Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts attached to apples after 6 weeks of cold storage, suggesting that oocysts might remain viable and possibly infectious during prolonged storage. Mice were fed apple peels from experimentally contaminated apples to determine whether oocysts had remained infectious on apples stored for 4 weeks. All mice developed cryptosporidiosis. To evaluate the strength of oocyst attachment to apples, washing methods that have been reported to be helpful for recovery of oocysts from various foodstuffs were evaluated, except that the intensity of washing was increased in the present study. None of the tested washing methods succeeded in completely removing oocysts from the apple peel. The most efficient removal (37.5%) was achieved by rigorous manual washing in water with a detergent and by agitation in an orbital shaker with Tris-sodium dodecyl sulfate buffer. Glycine and phosphate-buffered saline buffers had no effect on oocyst removal. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that some oocysts were attached in deep natural crevices in the apple exocarp and others were attached to the smooth surface of the peel. Some oocysts were closely associated with what appeared to be an amorphous substance with which they might have been attached to the apple surface.
Biochemical characterization of the muscarinic cholinergic receptor in human brain: alterations in Huntington's disease.

[ 3 H]3-Quinuclidinyl benzilate was used to characterize the muscarinic cholinergic receptor binding in three regions of the normal human brain and in rat brain. In each of these tissues, specific ligand binding was linear between 0.05 and 0.7 mg tissue protein/assay at [ 3 H]QNB concentrations between 20 and 200 pM. For the human brain regions, the bimolecular rate constant of association was 6.9 x 10 8 M -1 min -1 and the dissociation rate constant was 14.3 x 10 -3 min -1 . The K D calculated from the ratio of these two values was 20.1 pM. The kinetic K D determined for rat brain, under these same conditions, was 25 pM. The dissociation rate constant and the kinetic K D for both the human brain regions and the rat brain were similar whether dissociation was initiated before or after the ligand-receptor interaction had achieved equilibrium. Scatchard analysis of saturation isotherms, using similar receptor concentrations for each of the human brain regions, gave K D values of 60-70 pM with binding capacities between 600 and 900 fmol/mg protein. Analysis of saturation data from rat brain using similar receptor concentrations gave a K D of 70 pM and a binding capacity of 900 fmol/mg protein. [ 3 H]Quinuclidinyl benzilate binding was inhibited by muscarinic agonists and antagonists; the antagonists were 1000-fold more potent than were the agonists. Under the specified conditions the antagonists and agonists had IC 50 values between 0.1-2 nM and 0.8-10 µM, respectively. The muscarinic antagonists had Hill coefficients of 1.0 and the agonists had Hill coefficients between 0.70 and 0.85. Nicotinic and noncholinergic drugs were ineffective in inhibiting [ 3 H]quinuclidinyl benzilate binding at concentrations up to 10 µM. Huntington’s diseased brains had significant decreases in muscarinic receptor binding in the caudate nucleus and putamen. Choline acetyltransferase activity was decreased significantly in the caudate nucleus, putamen and globus pallidus of Huntington’s diseased brains. Saturation isotherms for [ 3 H]quinuclidinyl benzilate binding were determined in each of the three control brain regions and in Huntington’s diseased putamen at different receptor concentrations. Each of these brain regions had a "true" K D between 20 and 40 pM. These studies, plus inhibition studies using dexetimide, the biologically-active stereoisomer of benzetimide, revealed that the decreases in ligand binding were due to receptor loss rather than to changes in receptor affinity.
Why context and context-driven decision support matters

On October 5, 2015, El Faro, a cargo ship heading to San Juan, Puerto Rico, foundered in the Atlantic Ocean off the Bahamas due to Category 4 Hurricane Joaquin. Thirty-three crew members remain missing. The captain cut south of the storm, due to the rare occurrence of such storm systems traveling south, but ended up sailing straight into the high winds and seas in the area, a situation that had a high probability of occurrence given the forecast. This event and its outcome demonstrate the importance of using context in weather routing. Context is assumed to mean any information that can be used to characterize the situation of a person, place, physical or computational object considered relevant to providing a clear picture of the dynamics of the problem.
“Prattling about Greece and Rome”: Paganism, Presumption, and Gender

Barnett explores how the pagan adoptions of Mary Robinson, Mary Tighe, Mary Shelley, Emma Hamilton, John Keats, and Leigh Hunt were read by contemporary critics as both presumptuous and either troublingly sensual or suspiciously effeminate. By adopting classical tales by Ovid and Sappho, women writers could circumvent the taboo against women writing about sexuality and avoid (or forestall) critical censure. Keats’ and Hunt’s “pretty paganisms” and sensual excesses were regarded suspiciously by a hostile press that compared these “Cockney poetasters” to “Hottentot[s] in top-boots” for aping a cultural heritage supposedly above their stations. For both the “cockney poets” and women writers, paganism was an energy seemingly capable of revolutionizing society when all other methods (like economic and political) seemed inaccessible to them.
Beyond the Cardiomyocyte: Consideration of HIPPO Pathway Cell-Type Specificity.

Increasing interest in the HIPPO signaling pathway has stemmed largely from its ability to modulate cardioprotection and heart regeneration after injury, responses originating from manipulation within the cardiomyocyte. This viewpoint discusses the need for definitive understanding of HIPPO pathway function in cardiac nonmyocytes and highlights the necessity of considering cell-type specificity for effective therapeutic targeting of the HIPPO pathway in cardiovascular disease. The HIPPO pathway is a highly conserved kinase cascade that determines organ size by regulating cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation. On activation, the core components of the pathway, MST (mammalian sterile 20-like kinase) 1/2, SAV1 (salvador 1), LATS (large tumor suppressor kinase) 1/2, and MOB1 (Mps one binder kinase activator-like 1), serve to phosphorylate and repress activity of the transcriptional cofactors YAP (Yes-associated protein) and TAZ (transcriptional coactivator with a PDZ-binding domain). When HIPPO is inhibited, YAP/TAZ cytosolic retention is relinquished, allowing for nuclear localization and association with multiple transcription factors, the most established being the TEAD (TEA domain) family (Figure 1). Investigation of the HIPPO pathway in the heart has garnered increased attention during the past decade and justifiably so. HIPPO is fundamental in maintaining adult heart homeostasis and modulating responses to injury. To date, the majority of studies investigating HIPPO signaling in the heart have focused on the cardiomyocyte. In response to myocardial infarction or pressure overload stress, the core HIPPO kinase MST1 is activated in cardiomyocytes. MST1 signals through canonical (to restrain YAP) and noncanonical (to antagonize BCL-XL [B-cell lymphoma-extra large] and Beclin1) mechanisms resulting in the inhibition of cardiomyocyte proliferation and autophagy and the enhancement of cell death.1–3 Conversely, HIPPO pathway inhibition limits injury and promotes tissue regeneration through YAP-dependent increases in cardiomyocyte proliferation and survival.4 As a result, interventions that activate cardiomyocyte …
Gadolinium as an EPR and NMR Probe of Ca2+ Sites in Biological Systems

In spite of an increasing awareness of the importance of calcium in biological systems (1), Ca2+ has received little attention compared to most of the biologically relevant transition metals. Ca2+ is not easily studied by physical methods: the absence of unpaired electrons makes it unsuitable for electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies; its NMR signal is extremely weak, and its electronic transitions cannot be studied by conventional optical spectroscopic methods. Biochemists as well as inorganic chemists have used the trivalent lanthanides as analogues for Ca2+. The ability of the lanthanides to replace Ca2+ in, for example, Ca2+ binding proteins is well established (2). Several investigators, including Horrocks (3) and Martin and Richardson (4) have utilized lanthanide ions, including terbium (Tb3+) and europium (Eu3+), as luminescence probes of Ca2+ binding sites in biological systems. Gd3+, with seven unpaired electrons, has been used extensively as a paramagnetic probe in NMR studies (5,6) and in single crystal EPR (7,8). Until recently (9,10), however, its usefulness as a EPR probe in biological systems has been overlooked or discounted (11). We have conducted an extensive study of the EPR properties of Gd3+ and have found that EPR spectra of solutions and glasses can be obtained which are highly sensitive to the symmetry, ligands and coordination geometry of Gd3+.
The Politics of Representation: Reconstructing Power and Privilege Through Art

This chapter situates the artistic practices of two contemporary artists, Kehinde Wiley (African American) and Carmen Lomas Garza (Mexican American/Chicana), who (re)construct power and privilege by (re)presenting and honoring people of color in their art. Critical Race Theory is utilized to examine how their efforts to counter elitist and exclusionary practices of the past can serve as exemplars for K-16 educators seeking to create instructional spaces, where students “become subjects in the instructional process, not mere objects” (Ladson-Billings, 2014, p. 76).
Optimal baffle design for flat illumination with an integrating sphere

An integrating sphere is often used to approximate a flat illumination field at some distant surface, but in the design of a tunnel which bridges the integrating sphere and the surface it illuminates, many opportunities exist to contaminate the geometric purity that would exist in the tunnel’s absence. It is shown that when constraining the tunnel/baffle geometry to a cylindrical tube with flat baffles and circular apertures, a potentially optimized first-order design exists and provides a suitable basis for more nuanced elaborations, such as the addition of secondary baffles or non-flat surfaces. A parametric design formula is derived and provided for real-world use, non-sequential stray light analyses with comparisons to alternate baffle designs is provided, and two reference designs as used in the CCD test facilities for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope are shown.
Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials of Red Meat Consumption in Comparison With Various Comparison Diets on Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Background: Findings among randomized controlled trials evaluating the effect of red meat on cardiovascular disease risk factors are inconsistent. We provide an updated meta-analysis of randomized ...
Evaluation of predictive biomarkers for AR therapy and to identify the LAR subtype of TNBC.

595Background: Androgen-receptor-like (LAR) triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype identified using Vanderbilt’s molecular signature. LAR subtype has the lowest pCR rate for NACT among a...
Abstract 5284: Hypoxia promote self-renewal in pancreatic cancer by modulating L-2-Hydroxyglutarate level

Pancreatic cancer cells undergo extensive metabolic reprogramming to fulfil the demands of metabolic nutrients to fuel their rapid proliferation. This results in abnormal accumulation of various metabolites which causes both metabolic and nonmetabolic dysregulation and potential transformation to malignancy and therefore termed as “oncometabolites”. Hypoxia is a major hallmark of pancreatic tumors which associated with increase in self-renewal. The present study investigates the role of Hypoxia mediated altered oncometabolite in regulating self-renewal in pancreatic cancer. GC-mass spectrometric analysis of pancreatic cancer cells under hypoxia showed significant accumulation of 2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG) both in cells and culture supernatant. Further analysis of hypoxic cells showed selective accumulation L- enantiomer form. Self-renewal requires critical balance between stemness and differentiation. Present study showed for the first time that L-2-HG regulates self-renewal by increasing expression of genes associated with stemness (Sox-2, CD133) and by decreasing expression of differentiation genes (PdX-1, HB9, NKX6.1). Further analysis showed that L-2-HG mediated epigenetic changes regulates these self-renewal gens in pancreatic cancer. Our results indicated that hypoxia mediated metabolic changes results in accumulation of L-2-HG which upregulate self-renewal by shifting critical balance of gene expression towards stemness in pancreatic cancer which contribute to chemoresistance and metastasis in Pancreatic cancer. Citation Format: Vineet K. Gupta, Nikita Sharma, Kousik Kesh, Roey Hadad, Vikas Dudeja, Ashok Saluja, Sulagna Banerjee. Hypoxia promote self-renewal in pancreatic cancer by modulating L-2-Hydroxyglutarate level [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5284.
Feasibility and Acceptability of a Counseling- and mHealth-Based Physical Activity Intervention for Pregnant Women With Diabetes: The Fit for Two Pilot Study

Background: Diabetes during pregnancy poses serious health risks to both mother and child. Regular physical activity can reduce these risks, yet few clinic-based interventions of physical activity for pregnant women with diabetes have been attempted. Objective: The purpose of this single-arm pilot trial is to assess the feasibility and acceptability, and explore the potential efficacy of a counseling- and mobile health–based physical activity intervention for pregnant women with diabetes. Methods: Participants (N=17) who had type 2 or gestational diabetes, could read and speak in English or Spanish, and were between 10 and 27 weeks of gestation were recruited from the University of California San Diego Diabetes and Pregnancy Program. Participants engaged in a one-on-one counseling and goal-setting session immediately following a clinic visit with their physician. They were given a Fitbit and shown how to use the Fitbit app, including entering personalized step goals, and were encouraged to build up to 10,000 daily steps. Daily steps were recorded for 12 weeks, until they were 36 weeks’ gestation, or until 1 week before they gave birth, whichever came first. Feasibility was measured by recruitment, retention, and adherence, and acceptability was measured using consumer satisfaction questionnaires and follow-up interviews. Potential efficacy was explored by examining changes in daily steps over time. Results: The participants were primarily Hispanic (13/17, 76%), had public insurance (15/17, 88%), and had type 2 diabetes (12/17, 71%). Of the 17 patients who began the intervention, 76% (13/17) completed a follow-up visit, and 71% (12/17) continued wearing the Fitbit regularly after 8 weeks in the intervention. Adherence in wearing the Fitbit was relatively high, with a median wear adherence of 90% of days. The intervention was generally well accepted, with 85% (11/13) indicating that they were motivated to exercise more following the counseling session, 85% (11/13) indicating that the Fitbit helped increase their activity, and 92% (12/13) recommending the program overall. Mean daily steps increased from baseline (mean 6122, SD 2439) to week 3 (mean 6269, SD 2166) and then decreased through week 12 (mean 4191, SD 2228). Conclusions: High acceptability, retention, and adherence suggest that this may be a promising approach to delivering a simple, low-burden intervention in a clinical setting to a high-risk, underserved population. A randomized controlled trial is needed to determine whether this approach is effective in slowing the reduction in activity typically seen throughout pregnancy. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03302377; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03302377
A Novel Combination of Fruits and Vegetables Prevents Diet-Induced Hepatic Steatosis and Metabolic Dysfunction in Mice.

Background Epidemiological studies suggest that higher fruits and vegetables (F&V) consumption correlates with reduced risk of hepatic steatosis, yet evidence for causality and the underlying mechanisms is lacking. Objectives We aimed to determine the causal relation between F&V consumption and improved metabolic disorders in mice fed high-fat (HF) (Experiment-1) or normal-fat (Experiment-2) diets and its underlying mechanisms. Methods Six-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were randomly grouped and fed diets supplemented at 0%–15% (wt:wt) with a freeze-dried powder composed of 24 commonly consumed F&V (human equivalent of 0–9 servings/d) for 20 wk. In Experiment(-1), mice were fed an HF (45% kcal fat) diet with 0% (HF0), 5%, 10%, or 15% (HF15) F&V or a matched low-fat control diet (10% kcal fat). In Experiment(-2), mice were fed an AIN-93 diet (basal) (B, 16% kcal fat) with 0% (B0), 5%, 10%, or 15% (B15) F&V supplementation. Body weight and composition, food intake, hepatic steatosis, inflammation, ceramide levels, sphingomyelinase activity, and gut microbiota were assessed. Results In Experiment(-1), mice fed the HF15 diet had lower weight gain (17.9%), hepatic steatosis (48.4%), adipose tissue inflammation, blood (24.6%) and liver (33.9%) ceramide concentrations, and sphingomyelinase activity (38.8%) than HF0 mice (P < 0.05 for all). In Experiment(-2), mice fed the B15 diet had no significant changes in weight gain but showed less hepatic steatosis (28.5%), blood and adipose tissue inflammation, and lower blood (30.0%) ceramide concentrations than B0 mice (P < 0.05 for all). These F&V effects were associated with favorable microbiota changes. Conclusions These findings represent the first evidence for a causal role of high F&V intake in mitigating hepatic steatosis in mice. These beneficial effects may be mediated through changes in ceramide and/or gut microbiota, and suggest that higher than currently recommended servings of F&V may be needed to achieve maximum health benefits.
The role of resilience: Physical activity continuation after falling in adults with multiple sclerosis.

Abstract Background As activity curtailment is common after a fall, the ability to harness resiliency is particularly salient for those with multiple sclerosis (MS) who fall frequently and who significantly benefit from remaining physically active. Objective The purpose of the study was to identify resilience factors, coping processes, and benefit finding underscoring the continuation of physical activity after experiencing a fall in individuals with MS. Methods Twelve individuals with MS (seven females and five males) participated in this qualitative study. Participants were asked general questions regarding their physical activity engagement and experiences around falling. Specific questions focused on health perceptions, personal characteristics, strategies and behaviors employed after a fall that related to remaining physically active, and any positives they perceived from falling. Transcribed interviews were analyzed and semantic themes identified. Results From the data, specific protective factors, resilience processes, and benefit finding emerged to explain participant capability to bounce back and continue with physical activity after falling. These personal factors included Locus of Control, Perseverance, Positive Attitude and Optimism, and Flexibility. Resilience processes included Utilizing Support, Problem Based Coping, and Perspective Taking. Finally, the theme of Looking Beyond Oneself was identified as a benefit. Conclusions Understanding existing resilience factors that allow an individual to remain physically active after falling can potentially inform resilience-building interventions that broaden and build resilience resources and improve psychological and physical health in those with MS.
Child Custody Evaluation

Child custody evaluations may be the most complex, difficult, and challenging of all forensic evaluations, involving the assessment of numerous parties with respect to multiple issues or capacities. This chapter provides a broad overview of the various legal, practical, and empirical issues related to child custody evaluations. Beginning within the legal context, the family bar's perception of mental health professionals' involvement in cases of contested custody is discussed, followed by a brief overview of contemporary child custody law in the United States. After a review of existing custody guidelines and standards, the basic stages and components of custody evaluations are delineated. More specifically, the chapter summarizes information regarding appointment, notification, and consent issues, the clinical evaluation process (including evaluation of parents, evaluation of children, direct observation of parent-child interactions, psychological testing, and gathering of third-party information), and report writing and testimony. We conclude with a review of research that should inform custody evaluations, focusing specifically on empirical studies of parenting practices, and divorce and custody outcomes. Keywords: child custody; child custody evaluation; developmental psychology; divorce; forensic evaluation; parenting
Directed Evolution of Aptamer Discovery Technologies

ConspectusAlthough antibodies are a powerful tool for molecular biology and clinical diagnostics, there are many emerging applications for which nucleic acid-based aptamers can be advantageous. However, generating high-quality aptamers with sufficient affinity and specificity for biomedical applications is a challenging feat for most research laboratories. In this Account, we describe four techniques developed in our lab to accelerate the discovery of high quality aptamer reagents that can achieve robust binding even for challenging molecular targets. The first method is particle display, in which we convert solution-phase aptamers into aptamer particles that can be screened via fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to quantitatively isolate individual aptamer particles based on their affinity. This enables the efficient isolation of high-affinity aptamers in fewer selection rounds than conventional methods, thereby minimizing selection biases and reducing the emergence of artifacts in the final aptamer pool. We subsequently developed the multi-parametric particle display (MPPD) method, which employs two-color FACS to isolate aptamer particles based on both affinity and specificity, yielding aptamers that exhibit excellent target binding even in complex matrices like serum. The third method is a click chemistry-based particle display (click-PD) that enables the generation and high-throughput screening of "non-nattural" aptamers with a wide range of base modifications. We have shown that these base-modified aptamers can achieve robust affinity and specificity for targets that have proven challenging or inaccessible with natural nucleotide-based aptamer libraries. Lastly, we describe the non-natural aptamer array (N2A2) platform, in which a modified benchtop sequencing instrument is used to characterize base-modified aptamers in a massively parallel fashion, enabling the efficient identification of molecules with excellent affinity and specificity for their targets. This system first generates aptamer clusters on the flow-cell surface that incorporate alkyne-modified nucleobases, and then performs a click reaction to couple those nucleobases to an azide-modified chemical moiety. This yields a sequence-defined array of tens of millions of base-modified sequences, which can then be characterized in a high-throughput fashion. Collectively, we believe that these advancements are helping to make aptamer technology more accessible, efficient, and robust, thereby enabling the use of these affinity reagents for a wider range of molecular recognition and detection-based applications.
Bridging Multidimensional Models of Ethnic–Racial and Gender Identity Among Ethnically Diverse Emerging Adults

The purpose of this study was to integrate and validate a multidimensional model of ethnic–racial identity and gender identity borrowing constructs and measures based on social identity and gender identity theories. Participants included 662 emerging adults (M age = 19.86 years; 75 % female) who self-identified either as Asian American, Latino/a, or White European American. We assessed the following facets separately for ethnic–racial identity and gender identity: centrality, in-group affect, in-group ties, self-perceived typicality, and felt conformity pressure. Within each identity domain (gender or ethnicity/race), the five dimensions generally indicated small-to-moderate correlations with one another. Also, correlations between domains for each dimension (e.g., gender typicality and ethnic–racial typicality) were mostly moderate in magnitude. We also noted some group variations based on participants’ ethnicity/race and gender in how strongly particular dimensions were associated with self-esteem. Finally, participants who scored positively on identity dimensions for both gender and ethnic–racial domains indicated higher self-esteem than those who scored high in only one domain or low in both domains. We recommend the application of multidimensional models to study social identities in multiple domains as they may relate to various outcomes during development.
Data-driven methods to improve baseflow prediction of a regional groundwater model

Physically?based models of groundwater flow are powerful tools for water resources assessment under varying hydrologic, climate and human development conditions. One of the most important topics of investigation is how these conditions will affect the discharge of groundwater to rivers and streams (i.e. baseflow). Groundwater flow models are based upon discretized solution of mass balance equations, and contain important hydrogeological parameters that vary in space and cannot be measured. Common practice is to use least squares regression to estimate parameters and to infer prediction and associated uncertainty. Nevertheless, the unavoidable uncertainty associated with physically?based groundwater models often results in both aleatoric and epistemic model calibration errors, thus violating a key assumption for regression-based parameter estimation and uncertainty quantification. We present a complementary data-driven modeling and uncertainty quantification (DDM-UQ) framework to improve predictive accuracy of physically?based groundwater models and to provide more robust prediction intervals. First, we develop data-driven models (DDMs) based on statistical learning techniques to correct the bias of the calibrated groundwater model. Second, we characterize the aleatoric component of groundwater model residual using both parametric and non-parametric distribution estimation methods. We test the complementary data-driven framework on a real-world case study of the Republican River Basin, where a regional groundwater flow model was developed to assess the impact of groundwater pumping for irrigation. Compared to using only the flow model, DDM-UQ provides more accurate monthly baseflow predictions. In addition, DDM-UQ yields prediction intervals with coverage probability consistent with validation data. The DDM-UQ framework is computationally efficient and is expected to be applicable to many geoscience models for which model structural error is not negligible.
The Comparisons between Ethnicity and Poverty Level on Eight Graders'Science Performance

The purposed of this study was to examine the relationships between ethnicity and poverty level with eight graders’ science performance. This study utilized the 8 th grade data file (2006 - 2007) from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K) and had the sample size of 7,305 students. A full 2-way ANOVA model was applied to test the ethnicity and poverty level effects on the students’ science performance. Results indicated that ethnicity and poverty had significant effects on students’ science performance. White students have the highest mean score, followed by Asian, but African American students have the lowest mean scores. The gap on the mean scores between the highest and the lowest group was 20 points. White and Asian students do better on science performance, while Hispanic and African American students have lower scores. The impact among the interactions of ethnicity and poverty persisted within the breakdown of 10 subgroups’ outcomes. The subgroup of Asian “at/above poverty” had the highest mean scores, while the subgroup African American “below poverty” had the lowest scores. Future studies should continue to investigate African American students in conjunction with science performance.
Generating natural language summaries from multiple on-line sources

We present a methodology for summarization of news about current events in the form of briefings that include appropriate background (historical) information. The system that we developed, SUMMONS, uses the output of systems developed for the DARPA Message Understanding Conferences to generate summaries of multiple documents on the same or related events, presenting similarities and differences, contradictions, and generalizations among sources of information. We describe the various components of the system, showing how information from multiple articles is combined, organized into a paragraph, and finally, realized as English sentences. A feature of our work is the extraction of descriptions of entities such as people and places for reuse to enhance a briefing.
Women's Drug Injection Practices in East Harlem: An Event Analysis in a High-Risk Community

This study described the most recent injection events of injection-drug-using women, determined the prevalence of HIV, hepatitis B (HBV), and hepatitis C (HCV), and identified significant predictors of injection-related risk behaviors. After validation of drug use, 185 street-recruited women participated in structured interviews and were offered HIV, HBV, and HCV testing and counseling. Interview topics included (1) demographic characteristics, (2) characteristics of injection partners (IPs), and (3) relevant situation-specific factors. Prevalence was 28% for HIV infection, 80% for HBV, and 70% for HCV. Injection events were either solitary (n = 110) or social (n = 75). Most were safe, and 75% of syringes used were obtained from a syringe exchange. Inferential analyses identified two variables that independently predicted unsafe events: (1) respondent had injected previously with her IP, and (2) her IP was her spouse or primary heterosexual partner. Two trends were identified: Injection events in which women felt “very close” to their IP or reported lack of control over injection practices tended to be unsafe. Although most events were safe, safe practices were not adhered to with spouses or primary partners. Syringe exchanges should be supported and may be an ideal setting for interventions targeted to drug-injecting couples.
Dosage effects of y gene on grain yield and other agronomic traits in maize.

White-endosperm (y y y) maize (Zea mays L.) is vital to the maize dry-milling industry. However, a substantially greater acreage in the U.S.A. is planted to yellow (Y Y Y) than white maize. Data on comparative performance of yellow and white maize is scanty, and results are inconclusive. This field study was conducted to provide information on dosage effects of y gene on grain yield, 500-kernel (K) weight, shelling percentage, plant and ear height, and cob weight. Yellow x yellow, yellow x white, and white x white endosperm crosses were made among five yellow and five white endosperm lines of Mo14W × Oh7B parentage.
Low-Complexity Adaptive Lossless Compression of Hyperspectral Imagery

A low-complexity, adaptive predictive technique for lossless compression of hyperspectral imagery is described. This technique is designed to be suitable for implementation in hardware such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA); such an implementation could be used for high-speed compression of hyperspectral imagery onboard a spacecraft. The predictive step of the technique makes use of the sign algorithm, which is a relative of the least mean square (LMS) algorithm from the field of low-complexity adaptive filtering. The compressed data stream consists of prediction residuals encoded using a method similar to that of the JPEG-LS lossless image compression standard. Compression results are presented for several datasets including some raw Airborne Visible/ Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) datasets and raw Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) datasets. The compression effectiveness obtained with the technique is competitive with that of the best of previously described techniques with similar complexity.
Low plasma ascorbic acid independently predicts the presence of an unstable coronary syndrome.

Abstract Objectives. This study sought to investigate the relations between plasma antioxidant status, extent of atherosclerosis and activity of coronary artery disease. Background. Previous studies indicate that increased antioxidant intake is associated with decreased coronary disease risk, but the underlying mechanisms remain controversial. Methods. Plasma samples were obtained from 149 patients undergoing cardiac catheterization (65 with stable angina, 84 with unstable angina or a myocardial infarction within 2 weeks). Twelve plasma antioxidant/oxidant markers were measured and correlated with the extent of atherosclerosis and the presence of an unstable coronary syndrome. Results. By multiple linear regression analysis, age (p 50%), ascorbic acid concentration (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.85, p = 0.008) and total plasma thiols (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.80, p = 0.004) predicted the presence of an unstable coronary syndrome, whereas the extent of atherosclerosis did not. Conclusions. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that the beneficial effects of antioxidants in coronary artery disease may result, in part, by an influence on lesion activity rather than a reduction in the overall extent of fixed disease.
The Role of Empathy in Responding to Natural Disasters: Comment on “Who Helps Natural Disaster Victims?”

Comment on Marjanovic, Struthers, and Greenglass (2012). We build on the authors’ ideas, data, and interpretations to suggest future avenues for research, focusing on situations that hold potential for empathic concern to shape helping responses. Specifically, we suggest investigating the time course of reactions to natural disasters and the group membership of the victims as moderators. Additionally, we suggest that considering different forms of helping responses and their predictors can shed theoretical light on variables that promote helping following natural disasters.
Low Level of Evidence and Methodologic Quality of Clinical Outcome Studies on Cartilage Repair of the Ankle.

Purpose To examine the level of evidence and methodologic quality of studies reporting surgical treatments for osteochondral lesions of the ankle. Methods A search was performed using the PubMed/Medline, Embase, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), and Cochrane databases for all studies in which the primary objective was to report the outcome after surgical treatment of osteochondral lesions of the ankle. Studies reporting outcomes of microfracture, bone marrow stimulation, autologous osteochondral transplantation, osteochondral allograft transplantation, and autologous chondrocyte implantation were the focus of this analysis because they are most commonly reported in the literature. Two independent investigators scored each study from 0 to 100 based on 10 criteria from the modified Coleman Methodology Score (CMS) and assigned a level of evidence using the criteria established by the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery . Data were collected on the study type, year of publication, number of surgical procedures, mean follow-up, preoperative and postoperative American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society score, measures used to assess outcome, geography, institution type, and conflict of interest. Results Eighty-three studies reporting the results of 2,382 patients who underwent 2,425 surgical procedures for osteochondral lesions of the ankle met the inclusion criteria. Ninety percent of studies were of Level IV evidence. The mean CMS for all scored studies was 53.6 of 100, and 5 areas were identified as methodologically weak: study size, type of study, description of postoperative rehabilitation, procedure for assessing outcome, and description of the selection process. There was no significant difference between the CMS and the type of surgical technique ( P = .1411). A statistically significant patient-weighted correlation was found between the CMS and the level of evidence ( r = −0.28, P = .0072). There was no statistically significant patient-weighted correlation found between the CMS and the institution type ( r = 0.05, P = .6480) or financial conflict of interest ( r = −0.16, P = .1256). Conclusions Most studies assessing the clinical outcomes of cartilage repair of the ankle are of a low level of evidence and of poor methodologic quality. Level of Evidence Level IV, systematic review of Level I through IV studies.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Reflecting on Narcissism

This article introduces a special issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session focused on the conceptualization and treatment of narcissism. Obscured by an ongoing debate about how best to define pathological narcissism, clinicians have often lost sight of the fact that narcissistic investment in the self is a normal developmental trend that can be disturbed to varying degrees by environmental stresses and failures of nurturing. Using case presentations, contributing authors demonstrate the following: the importance of understanding the closely interrelated grandiosity and vulnerability associated with narcissistic difficulties; variation in the expression of narcissistic "types"; the role of perfectionism and sadomasochism; and the possibility that narcissistic issues are present across all types of personality psychopathology. Specific alliance-building recommendations are offered, and the greater utility of defining narcissism dimensionally rather than categorically is explored. A clinical case in the current article illustrates each of these central ideas. Together, the discussions presented in this issue invite greater insight into, and appreciation of, narcissistic phenomena, along with examples of effective and empathic treatment approaches.
PROCANS: a protein classification system using a neural network

An approach to the prediction of protein structure/function from primary sequence that is a direct protein/domain classification using a neural network is presented. The protein classification system, PROCANS, is able to classify unknown proteins to protein/domain classes by imbedding a domain database in a back-propagation network. The initial results of using PROCANS for 30 training records are discussed. The system converged in 89 Cray CPU seconds during training, and the classification was rapid and accurate for all unknown cases tested. The algorithm differs from many other methods in that it does not require an exhaustive database search or a primary sequence alignment for sequence comparisons. These features make it possible to scale-up the system to embed the entire domain database and classify at least 1000 protein/domain classes
Expression of antigen interaction structures on resting and activated cytotoxic lymphocytes

The expression of T-cell receptor protein and Lyt-2 was examined on resting and activated antigen-specific cytotoxic lymphocytes. Receptor expression was largely independent of the activation state of the cells. In contrast Lyt-2 expression was approximately threefold higher on activated than on resting cells. Since lytic activity varied by as much as 100-fold, it appears that lytic activity is primarily regulated by processes independent of quantitative changes in antigen interaction structures.
Glottal inverse filtering by joint estimation of an AR system with a linear input model

Glottal inverse filtering is a technique by which the flow past the time varying glottal constriction is estimated by a filtering operation on the acoustic signal in human speech. The filtering operation removes the effects of the vocal tract resonances to reveal the underlying voice source signal. A linear model of a glottal pulse waveform is described along with a procedure for jointly determining an AR model of the vocal tract response together with the parameters of the glottal pulse model. This technique is applied to inverse filtering in human speech and the results are compared to covariance method LPC analysis.
Cortical columns and the tendency of neighboring neurons to act similarly.

Abstract A tendency by neighboring cortical neurons to act similarly (spatial assimilation) is derived analytically from an assumed facilitatory interaction between the involved neurons at an early age, possibly before the critical period in the cat, an assumed plastic modifiability of the thalamo-cortical contacts at the same earlier time, and exposure of the network at the same time to a largely arbitrary sequence of inputs coming from outside the cortex. The calculational result is that during the assumed period of thalamo-cortical plasticity neuron responses tend toward greater similarity within the approximate range where cortico-cortical excitation dominates over inhibition and toward greater dissimilarity where inhibition dominates over excitation. Through the result, the calculation correctly predicts the horizontal extent of certain cortical columns. In the visual cortex of certain animals the horizontal distance of most dissimilar preferred orientation (90° difference) is about the same as the distance of most dissimilar eye preference (from center of left-eye to center of right-eye region), and both are roughly the same as the range of strongest intracortical inhibition. The sequence of inputs coming from outside the cortex is mathematically allowed to be random, which suggests that signals originating inside the nervous system, as exist in a sensorially deprived animal, without help from genetic specifications, are adequate to give rise to spatial assimilation.
Acoustic amplification during solid propellant combustion

Abstract The oscillatory combustion behavior of unmetallized solid propellants burning in a T-burner has been interpreted through phenomenological considerations of how solid propellant flames act as a source of amplification for acoustic pressure waves. The data show the expected variation of the specific amplification with the frequency of oscillation, but also show an additional important effect of mean chamber pressure. This latter observation is not predicted by any of the past transient burning analyses for combustion instability. The results of the T-burner tests have been incorporated into a realistic correlation for the rating of propellants to determine the range of frequency and pressures where amplification of acoustic waves is possible. It is observed that on a map of chamber pressure (burning rate) versus frequency, lines of constant specific amplification form loops, and that these contours show a locus of pressures as a function of frequency where amplification is maximum.
Does Relationship Lending Still Matter in the Consumer Banking Sector? Evidence from the Automobile Loan Market*

Objective. This article examines the role of relationship lending in the automobile loan market at a community development credit union (CDCU) and at a traditional community bank. Method. Data collected from actual car loan applications are used in a probit analysis to estimate the importance of selected demographic, financial, and loan-specific variables on the probability of loan approval at the two types of financial institutions. Results. We first show that the community bank relies on credit scoring, not relationship lending. Relationship lending is, however, a critical factor in the loan decision at the CDCU. Low-income households with strong ties to the CDCU are likely to receive loans, despite poor credit histories. Conclusions. If consolidation, deregulation, and technology move mainstream financial institutions away from relationship lending and toward credit scoring, CDCUs will occupy an increasingly critical niche for low-income households.
Group and Individual Cognitive-Behavioral Treatments for Youth With Anxiety Disorders: 1-Year Follow-Up

This study reports the 1-year follow-up of a cognitive-behavioral treatment for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. Thirty-seven anxiety-disordered youth (aged 8–14 years at the time of treatment) were randomly assigned to individual cognitive-behavioral treatment (ICBT), group cognitive-behavioral treatment (GCBT), or a waitlist control (WLC) condition. Previously reported posttreatment results demonstrated significant reductions in anxiety whereas children in the WLC failed to demonstrate changes in report of anxiety or in diagnostic status. At the present 1-year follow-up, 81% of ICBT and 77% of GCBT children no longer met criteria for their primary anxiety disorder. Multivariate analyses of variance demonstrated maintenance of treatment gains for both ICBT and CGBT but failed to reveal differences between the conditions. Results not only suggest the nondifferential efficacy of individual and group cognitive-behavioral treatments for anxiety-disordered children but also add to the evidence suggesting GCBT as a “probably efficacious treatment.”
What makes the competitive contribution of ERP strategic

In 1984, McFarlan suggested in his HBR article that a company might be able to use Information Technology (IT) to achieve strategic advantage in the marketplace. Although widely cited and recently elaborated on (Nolan & McFarlan, 2005), there is little empirical evidence to support it in the specific context of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems where IT is especially posed to have such a major impact. The objective of this study is to fill this gap, applying a contingency approach. The results, supporting Nolan and McFarlan (2005), show that while some ERP systems provide strategic advantage to some companies, ERP systems may not necessarily provide similar advantage to other companies due to the specific operational characteristics of each company and the way the ERP is used.The data collected from senior managers in different manufacturing companies who were closely involved in the implementation of ERP systems in their respective companies, show that McFarlan's (1984) and Nolan and McFarlan's (2005) propositions about IT in general apply also to ERP. Both competitive strategies enabled by the ERP and specific operational characteristics can place the organization in a strategic position, and when this happens, the IT unit is more likely to be under the authority of senior management. These findings seem to contradict Carr (2003) who clamed that IT cannot provide a company with competitive advantage.