cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Instructional Models for the Learning Disabled.

Patricia A. Morrissey Melvyn I. Semmel Center for Innovation in Teaching the Handicapped Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana The past ten years have witnessed the emergence of consumer-oriented education (Blatt, 1972; Institute for Responsive Education, 1974; Kirp, 1974; Mercer, 1974). Educational practices are now being documented and made available to the public; classroom methods are being assessed against criteria for desirable pupil behavior change (Abeson, 1974; Cohen and DeYoung, 1973; Gallagher, 1972; Hamilton, 1973; Popham, 1972a; Semmel, Morrissey, and Semmel, in preparation; Vergason, 1973). An important implication of this accountability trend is that underachievement is no longer viewed solely as the result of some inadequacy within the child, but more likely the reflection of an interaction between learner characteristics and variables within the instructional system-a failure to individualize instruction (Martin, 1972; Herrick, 1973). Bruner (1966) and others have optimistically suggested that with sufficient time and optimal circumstances, all children are capable of a specific behavior change as a function of instruction. Accordingly, much educational inquiry is now focused on the identification and matching of pupil attributes to relevant instructional variables. The empirical search for what has been referred to as aptitude-treatment interactions (ATI) (Cronbach and Snow, 1969) has potential significance for the development of effective programs of individualized instruction. The identification of empirically documented ATI effects and their translation into instructional decision
Kinetic evidence that the high-affinity glucose 6-phosphate site on hexokinase I Is the active site

Two mechanisms have been suggested to account for the regulation of brain hexokinase by glucose 6-phosphate. One mechanism places glucose-6-P at an allosteric site, remote from the active site, while the second describes glucose-6-P as a simple product inhibitor of the enzyme, binding at the γ phosphate subsite within the ATP locus of the active site. To distinguish between these possibilities, we have undertaken a study of the back reaction of hexokinase I. Our data indicate that glucose-6-P displays classical Michaelis-Menten kinetics with brain hexokinase. This finding is consistent only with the high-affinity glucose-6-P site on the enzyme being the catalytic site. The dissociation constant, estimated from the initial-rate experiments is approximately 25 μm, a value that agrees well with the inhibition constant for glucose-6-P in the forward direction. These findings are consistent with an earlier model (W. R. Ellison, J. D. Lueck and H. J. Fromm, (1975) J. Biol. Chem.250, 1864–1871), which maintains that glucose-6-P inhibition of brain hexokinase is a manifestation of product inhibition. In a recent paper, Lazo et al. (P. A. Lazo, A. Sols, and J. E. Wilson, (1980) J. Biol. Chem.255, 7548–7551) reported data obtained from binding studies with rat brain hexokinase at an elevated (250 μm) level of glucose-6-P. These authors believe that their results indicate multiple binding of glucose-6-P to the enzyme and interpret the data in terms of a high-affinity allosteric site and a low-affinity catalytic site. Our results are at variance with this interpretation and are consistent only with the high-affinity site for glucose-6-P on brain hexokinase being the active site.
Reputation-based framework for high integrity sensor networks

The traditional approach of providing network security has been to borrow tools from cryptography and authentication. However, we argue that the conventional view of security based on cryptography alone is not sufficient for the unique characteristics and novel misbehaviors encountered in sensor networks. Fundamental to this is the observation that cryptography cannot prevent malicious or non-malicious insertion of data from internal adversaries or faulty nodes. We believe that in general tools from different domains such as economics, statistics and data analysis will have to be combined with cryptography for the development of trustworthy sensor networks. Following this approach, we propose a reputation-based framework for sensor networks where nodes maintain reputation for other nodes and use it to evaluate their trustworthiness. We will show that this framework provides a scalable, diverse and a generalized approach for countering all types of misbehavior resulting from malicious and faulty nodes.We are currently developing a system within this framework where we employ a Bayesian formulation, specifically a beta reputation system, for reputation representation, updates and integration. We will explain the reasoning behind our design choices, analyzing their pros & cons. We conclude the paper by verifying the efficacy of this system through some preliminary simulation results.
Development of murine pre-T cells into γδ T-cell receptor bearing cells

Abstract Murine T cells bearing the γδ T-cell receptor (γδ TCR) are the major lymphocyte subset in the thymus early in fetal development, and postnatally they are the major population of T cells in the epithelia of non-lymphoid tissues including the intestine, skin, tongue, lung, and reproductive organs. The site of origin of γδ T-cell precursors (pre-T cells) changes during fetal development, reflecting the sites of active hematopoiesis. In addition, the pattern of expression of specific γδ TCR variable (V) region genes changes during fetal and neonatal development, and is unique in different epithelial tissues postnatally. We herein review the literature describing these developmental changes and provide a model for the developmental pathways of murine γδ T cells.
Simulation of Temperature and Stress Fields during RCC Dam Construction

The worldwide experience in the construction of roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dams together with the use of numerical solutions, allows the simulation of different scenarios in a computer. It is well documented that thermal control is one of the most important problems for RCC dam construction. The dam temperature changes due to the heat produced by the internal hydration of concrete and the environmental boundary conditions influencing the elastic modulus and creep properties of concrete. The construction process was simulated to study how the temperature and stress change during dam construction. The numerical methodology considers the effect of temperature on the elastic modulus and the creep behavior of concrete. A 3D finite-element program was developed to simulate the construction process. An engineering application of this methodology is presented by simulating the construction of an RCC gravity dam in southern China. The results show how the temperature and stress change with the construction process. The results also show that it is feasible to build RCC dams in low temperature seasons without additional temperature control measures.
The Transformation of Robert E. Sherwood from Pacifist to Interventionist

The playwright Robert E. Sherwood is most known for his powerful antiwar voice on Broadway during the late 1920s and 1930s. A veteran of World War I, Sherwood's ideas echoed those of many in the U.S. population during the interwar years—anger at corporate greed and power-hungry world leaders, and disillusionment with Woodrow Wilson's stated war goal of “making the world safe for democracy.” As fascism spread in Europe, Sherwood evolved from a pacifist into an interventionist. Largely relying on his diary entries and his three Pulitzer Prize–winning plays, Idiot's Delight (1936), Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1938), and There Shall Be No Night (1940), this article traces Sherwood's sea change from staunch pacifist to determined interventionist.
Remote two-time boundary conditions and special states in quantum mechanics

For an oscillating universe, the assumptions of wave-function localization and approximate symmetry for the initial and final states impose restrictions on the intermediate motion. We argue that one of these restrictions is the avoidance of superpositions of macroscopically distinct states.
Treating recurrent aphthous ulcers in patients with AIDS.

A patient with AIDS had two outbreaks of major aphthous ulcers the first ulceration responded to topical corticosteroid therapy, and the second ulceration required systemic corticosteroid treatment.
A Simple Corrected Score for Logistic Regression with Errors-in-Covariates

We develop a simple corrected score for logistic regression with errors-in-covariates. The new method is an extension of the consistent functional methods proposed by Huang and Wang (2001) and is closely related to the corrected score method by Nakamura (1990) and Stefanski (1989). The new method requires that the measurement error distribution is known, but does not require normality. The new method yields a consistent and asymptotically normal estimator under regularity conditions. We examine the finite-sample performance of the new estimator through simulation studies. Finally, we illustrate the new method by applying it to an AIDS study.
Stress/shear correlation: Internal wave/wave interaction and energy flux in the upper ocean

Profiles of three-dimensional velocity have been collected at the site of an intentional-tracer diapycnal diffusion study. The velocities can be broken into long-wavelength and short-wavelength (fluctuation) components. The Reynolds stresses of the fluctuations, computed in the direction of the long-wavelength shear, are significantly anticorrelated with the shear. This is consistent with positive eddy viscosity, and with energy transfer to the fluctuations. The transfer rate is near the dissipation rate required to explain the observed diapycnal diffusivity. The fluctuations and stresses are most likely internal wave signals, so this result is consistent with co-located growth and decay of small-scale internal waves. Implications are that the decay rate of small-scale waves may depend on the local energy flux to those waves in addition to their behavior.
NON-ABELIAN CHERN-SIMONS TERM AND STATISTICS OF G/H SOLITONS

The CP1 Hopf term responsible for exotic spin and statistics for the solitons in that model can be thought of as an abelian Chern Simons term due to the fact that CP1 is an example of G/H models (CP1=SU(2)/U(1)). This leads us to consider, for any G/H model, a non-abelian CS term (for the gauge group H). We analyze the consequences of such a term for the statistics of solitons in G/H models. With a suitable point particle limit of soliton configurations, we find that solitons obey anyon-like statistics.
Self-assembled photonic bandgap crystals

One approach to 3D photonic crystals is the self-assembly of colloidal microspheres. Using this method, we have recently demonstrated high-quality silicon photonic crystals (inverted opals) which exhibit optical properties consistent with a photonic band gap. We will discuss our measurements and outline future challenges for self-assembled photonic materials.
Novel designer receptors to probe GPCR signaling and physiology

Muscarinic receptor-based designer receptors have emerged as powerful novel tools to study G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling and physiology. These new designer GPCRs, which are most frequently referred to as DREADDs (designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drug), are unable to bind acetylcholine, the endogenous muscarinic receptor agonist, but can be activated by clozapine- N -oxide (CNO), an otherwise pharmacologically inert compound, with high potency and efficacy. The various DREADDs differ primarily in their G protein coupling preference. More recently, an arrestin-biased DREADD has also been developed. The expression of DREADDs in distinct tissues or cell types has enabled researchers to study the outcome of selective stimulation of distinct GPCR (or arrestin) signaling pathways in a temporally and spatially controlled fashion in vivo . In this review, we provide an up-to-date snapshot of where this field currently stands and which important novel insights have been gained using this new technology.
The road from next-generation sequencing to personalized medicine

Moving from a traditional medical model of treating pathologies to an individualized predictive and preventive model of personalized medicine promises to reduce the healthcare cost on an overburdened and overwhelmed system. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has the potential to accelerate the early detection of disorders and the identification of pharmacogenetics markers to customize treatments. This review explains the historical facts that led to the development of NGS along with the strengths and weakness of NGS, with a special emphasis on the analytical aspects used to process NGS data. There are solutions to all the steps necessary for performing NGS in the clinical context where the majority of them are very efficient, but there are some crucial steps in the process that need immediate attention.
FDI Agglomeration Change in China

Purpose – No previous research has considered the changing agglomeration effect of foreign direct investment (FDI). The purpose of this paper is to fill the gap in the literature.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses China as the object of study and examines the centripetal and centrifugal forces associated with FDI clustering over time.Findings – Through studying the FDI determinants for the 29 Chinese provinces from 1993 to 2008, the empirical analysis supports a weakening agglomeration effect of FDI over time in China and further suggests that the effect has nearly vanished in the past few years.Research limitations/implications – Data availability restricts the analysis to using provincial aggregate data and so further research is called for. It would provide more accurate and insightful information to study the FDI agglomeration effects at a finer level, using more disaggregated city‐level data by sector and by source country.Originality/value – As the Chinese government has been making effort...
Comparative Analysis of Microchannel Heat Sink Configurations Subject to a Pressure Constraint

Leakage losses and ever-increasing power dissipation in the microprocessor are causing significant thermal, mechanical, and reliability problems. Conventional cooling methods are reaching their practical limits, and new methods of lowering the operating temperature of microprocessors are being explored. Microfluidics-based cooling schemes are one approach being considered. The implementation of microchannels for forced convection at the chip level shows much promise, as the effective heat transfer surface area and attainable heat flux are very favorable. A major design limitation to such an implementation is the pressure developed within such micro-flows and the stresses that could result. In this study, multiple discrete microchannel heat sink configurations are analyzed computationally and compared in a cooling capability sense, while total pressure drop across the flows is carefully considered. A single cooling channel over an energy source is split into two smaller channels, and so on, while total pre...
A simple technique to remove thermal distortions in pulsed solid-state lasers

A simple technique to remove thermal distortions allowing for an increase in the average power of a pulsed laser is discussed. The technique is implemented in a rotating Nd:glass hollow cylinder laser pumped by an alexandrite laser.
Evidence from studies on segregated nucleoli that nucleolar silver staining proteins C23 and B23 are in the fibrillar component

Abstract Several procedures for the silver staining of nucleoli have been evaluated at the electron microscopic level to determine optimal conditions for ultrastructural preservation and staining specificity. The present study shows that a brief fixation with 1% buffered formaldehyde followed by methanol: acetic acid (3 : 1) fixation yielded optimal preservation and silver staining of nucleoli. Using this procedure for electron microscopic studies of interphase nucleoli, it was found that the punctate silver grains observed by light microscopy were composed of fine silver granules, of approx. 100 A diameter, organized in discrete clusters. In similar studies on adriamycin-induced segregated nucleoli, it was observed that the silver staining reaction was mainly limited to the fibrillar portion of the nucleolus. Accordingly, nucleolar proteins C23 and B23, found earlier to be the major silver binding proteins of the nucleolus, are mainly concentrated in the fibrillar nucleolar component.
Surfactant protein-A enhances ureaplasmacidal activity in vitro.

Background: Persistent respiratory tract colonization with Ureaplasma spp. in preterm infants is a significant risk factor for the development of the chronic lung disorder, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Surfactant protein-A (SP-A), a lung collectin critical for bacterial clearance and regulating inflammation, is deficient in the preterm lung. In an experimental Ureaplasma-pneumonia model, infected SP-A deficient mice exhibited delayed bacterial clearance and an exaggerated inflammatory response compared to infected wild-type mice. The objective was to analyze the role of SP-A in Ureaplasma clearance in vitro.Subjects and Methods: We analyzed SP-A binding to Ureaplasma isolates and SP-A-mediated ureaplasmal phagocytosis and killing by cultured RAW 264.7 macrophages.Results: Calcium-dependent SP-A binding was similar among Ureaplasma isolates tested. Pre-incubation of RAW 264.7 cells with SP-A (10-50 μg/ml) enhanced phagocytosis of fluorescein-isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled Ureaplasma. Surfactant protein...
A Comparison of Latino and Anglo Socially Desirable Responding

Previous research suggests that Latinos tend to score higher than Anglos on psychometric indicators of socially desirable responding. The purpose of the current study was to test several methodological and cultural explanations for these group differences. Hypothesized explanations included varying levels of problems in living, measurement bias, differential structure of socially desirable responding measures, reliabilities of response style indicators, or cultural factors. Results supported previous findings that self-identified Latino (N=143) respondents score significantly higher than Anglos (N=93) on some socially desirable responding indicators. Groups did not differ in levels of psychopathology and socially desirable responding indicators demonstrated structural similarity, equivalent relations to external criteria, and equivalent reliabilities across groups. Thus, data suggest normative differences between these groups in social presentation that should be considered in culturally sensitive clinical practice.
Tumor labeling in vivo using cyanine-conjugated monoclonal antibodies

Far-red-emitting cyanine fluorochromes have many properties desirable for in vivo imaging: absorption and emission at wavelengths where blood and tissue are relatively transparent, high quantum yields, and good solubility even at high molar ratios of fluorochrome to antibody. Potentially, conjugation by multiple linkages should minimize hydrolysis in vivo. We conjugated two tumor-targeting monoclonal antibodies: anti-SSEA-1 (IgM, kappa) at ratios of 1.2-35 mol dye/mol antibody and 9.2.27 (IgG2a, kappa) at 0.6-6 mol dye/mol antibody, using the cyanine fluorochromes Cy3.18, Cy5.18, and Cy5.5.18. Nude mice were inoculated using the SSEA-1-expressing MH-15 teratocarcinoma or the 9.2.27 antigen-expressing SK-MEL-2 melanoma to give tumors at several sites. Conjugated antibody was injected, and mice were imaged immediately after injection and at appropriate intervals thereafter using a standard camera lens, dissecting microscope, or endoscopes. Images were acquired using either an image-intensified video camera or cooled CCD cameras. Immediately after injection, major blood vessels and the heart, liver, and kidneys were readily visualized. After 1 day, tumor-targeting antibody conjugates were concentrated in tumors and there was little circulating conjugate; however, the bladder and kidneys were still visible. Tumors labeled by specific antibody were the most fluorescent tissues at 2 days after injection, but non-specific antibody conjugates did not concentrate in the tumors. The small intestine was weakly visualized by both specific and non-specific antibody conjugates. These data support the possibility of visualizing tumor metastasis by optical means, including currently available endoscopes.
Interleukin 1 induces prostacyclin-dependent increases in cyclic AMP production and does not affect cyclic GMP production in human vascular smooth muscle cells.

Abstract Interleukin 1 (IL-1) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine which has direct vasorelaxant effects on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). In the present study, IL-1 markedly increased intracellular levels of the vasodilatory mediator, cAMP, in human saphenous and human aortic VSMC. IL-1 induced cAMP was associated with a marked increase in prostacyclin (PGI2) production and was reversed by indomethacin and tranylcypromine, inhibitors of cyclooxygenase and PGI2 synthetase respectively. Furthermore, PGI2, but not PGE2, was a potent inducer of cAMP production in HSVSMC, implicating a role for PGI2 in mediating IL-1-induced cAMP production. In previous studies, IL-1 increased immunoreactive cGMP production in human saphenous VSMC through a pathway inhibitable by soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitors, methylene blue and LY83583, but not by nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitors, suggesting a role of NO-independent activation of soluble guanylate cyclase. However, in the present study, it was found that cAMP cross-reacted significantly in cGMP radioimmunoassays employing three out of four commercial antisera, that IL-1 did not affect cGMP production in human saphenous or human aortic VSMC as determined by an RIA having low cAMP cross-reactivity, and that both LY83583 and methylene blue inhibited IL-1 induced increases in cAMP. The results implicate prostacyclin-dependent cAMP production as a mediator of the vasodilatory effects of IL-1 in humans.
Is the increasing use of prophylactic percutaneous IVC filters justified

To determine whether the ease of percutaneous inferior vena cava (IVC) filter placement has led to an alteration of procedural indications, we reviewed the medical records of 150 patients who underwent 156 filter insertions from January 1986 through June 1993. Thirty-nine Greenfield filters were surgically inserted, while 117 percutaneous devices were placed in 111 patients. A comparison of these two groups showed that they had similar thromboembolic risks. Indications for surgical filter placement included pulmonary embolism (PE) prophylaxis (23%), PE with a contraindication to anticoagulation therapy (28%), and complication (26%) or failure (20%) of anticoagulation therapy. Indications for initial percutaneous placement included PE prophylaxis (56%), PE with a contraindication to anticoagulation therapy (27%), and complication (7%) or failure (9%) of anticoagulation therapy. Early mortality in the surgical and percutaneous groups was 26% and 27%, respectively. Ten percent of early deaths in the surgical group and 50% in the percutaneous group were associated with prophylactic insertions ( P = 0.032). Associated morbidity was 8% in the surgical versus 24% in the percutaneous group ( P = 0.036). The unrestricted use of prophylactic percutaneous IVC filters appears to have resulted in an increased procedure-related morbidity with no clear benefit in early patient survival. These findings suggest a need for improved patient selection.
Concentrations of antibodies in paired maternal and infant sera: Relationship to IgG subclass

Previous studies comparing IgG subclass concentrations in cord and maternal sera have indicated that IgG 1 is transported across the placenta to a greater extent than is IgG 2 . The purpose of our study was to examine the relationship between the transport of IgG 1 and IgG 2 and the transport of specific antibodies that are relatively restricted to a particular subclass, either IgG 1 or IgG 2 . The concentrations of total serum IgG 1 and IgG 2 and those of IgG-anti-tetanus toxoid (TT) and anti-group A streptococcal carbohydrate (GAC) were measured in 30 paired maternal and cord sera. Previous studies have shown that anti-TT in adults is predominantly IgG 1 , whereas anti-GAC is predominantly IgG 2 . The mean cord/maternal concentration ratios of IgG 1 and anti-TT were similar (1.77±0.56 and 1.93±0.67, respectively), but differed significantly (P=0.0001) from those of IgG 2 and anti-GAC (0.99±0.39 and 1.01±0.45, respectively). We confirmed the difference in cord/maternal concentration ratios of IgG 1 and IgG 2 antibodies by measuring, IgG 1 and IgG 2 antibodies specific for Haemophilus influenzae type b capsular polysaccharide; the mean cord/maternal concentration ratio of IgG 1 -anti-Hib PS was significantly higher than that of IgG 2 -anti-Hib PS (2.23±0.83 compared with 0.94±0.49, P=0.01). These results indicate that placental transport of IgG antibodies is related to their subclass composition.
A Mini-intronic Plasmid (MIP): A Novel Robust Transgene Expression Vector In Vivo and In Vitro

The bacterial backbone (BB) sequences contained within a canonical plasmid DNA dampen exogenous transgene expression by tenfold to 1,000-fold over a period of a few weeks following transfection into quiescent tissues such as the liver. Minicircle DNA vectors devoid of bacterial plasmid backbone sequences overcome transgene silencing providing persistent transgene expression. Because, we recently established that the length rather than sequence of the DNA flanking the transgene expression cassette is the major parameter affecting transgene silencing, we developed an alternative plasmid propagation process in which the essential bacterial elements for plasmid replication and selection are placed within an engineered intron contained within the eukaryotic expression cassette. As with the minicircle vector, the mini-intronic plasmid (MIP) vector system overcomes transgene silencing observed with plasmids but in addition provides between 2 and often 10 times or higher levels of transgene expression compared with minicircle vectors containing the same expression cassette in vivo and in vitro. These improved plasmids will benefit all studies involving gene transfer/therapy approaches.
A review of the molecular structure of tetanus toxin.

A discontinuous preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis system has been developed and used to purify both the nicked and unnicked forms of tetanus toxin. The system was also used to prepare purified H and L chain peptides from the nicked toxin. The results show that the endogenous protease(s), which convert unnicked toxin to the nicked form, produce multiple species of nicked toxin, and heterogeneity in the H and L chains. The major amino termini of the toxins and their peptide components are: extract toxin, proline; filtrate toxin, proline, serine and asparagine; L chain, proline; and H chain, serine and asparagine. The L chain is located in the amino terminal position of the toxin molecule and the H chain the carboxy terminal end. A model is proposed to explain these results. Using the analytical ultracentrifuge, we have determined the molecular weights of extract and filtrate toxins to be 140 000 ± 5 000 and 128 000 ± 3 000, respectively. Using S DS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis we estimate the molecular weights of the H and L chains to be 87 000 and 48 000 daltons, respectively. Circular dichroic spectra of the toxins and their peptide components indicate that: the major tryptophanyl band in the toxin is contributed almost entirely by the H chain, the microenvironments of all the aromatics and disulfides in the two toxins appear to have small if any differences, the two toxins show little difference in their ordered secondary structure, and the two peptides when separated from one another still retain 80% of the helical structure that is present in the intact toxin but show a considerable loss of β-structure. The crystalline form of the nicked toxin has a hexagonal symmetry with two dimensional reciprocal lattice constants of 1/150 A−1 and 1/150 A−1. The crystals appear to belong to the two dimensional plane group P6 suggesting that each unit cell contains 6 or a multiple of 6 toxin molecules.
Characterization of the primary thermal degradation processes of peptides using the mass spectrometric technique K(+)IDS, K (+) ionization of desorbed species.

The mass spectrometric technique of K+ ionization of desorbed species, K+IDS, is used here to characterize the primary thermal degradation chemistry of small peptides. In this technique, a small amount of a compound is rapidly heated in the condensed phase. Desorption of the intact molecule can occur. Also, thermal degradation products are formed which quickly desorb as well, rather than remain on the surface and undergo subsequent chemistry. The desorbed molecules form adducts with gas phase K+ ions, and a mass spectrum is obtained. Deuterium labeling experiments, and the use of derivatizing reagents, allows for the thermal degradation chemistry of small peptides to be elucidated. Apparently, skeletal bond cleavages are accompanied by H-shifts, although the hydrogen atoms shift from “remote” sites, brought into close proximity with the fragmenting skeletal bond via secondary interactions. Experimental results are presented that allow for correlations between thermal degradation chemistry and the resulting K+IDS mass spectra to be made.
Examples of bounded solutions with nonstationary limit profiles for semilinear heat equations on \({\mathbb{R}}\)

We consider bounded solutions of the semilinear heat equation \({u_t = u_{xx} + f(u) \,\,{\rm on}\,\, \mathbb{R}}\), where f is of a bistable type. We show that there always exist bounded solutions whose ω-limit set with respect to the locally uniform convergence contains functions which are not steady states. For balanced bistable nonlinearities, there are examples of such solutions with initial values u(x, 0) converging to 0 as \({|x| \to \infty}\). Our example with an unbalanced bistable nonlinearity shows that bounded solutions whose ω-limit set do not consist of steady states occur for a robust class of nonlinearities f.
Thrombopoietin: a tool for understanding thrombopoiesis

Although first proposed to be the primary regulator of platelet production 45 years ago, the gene for thrombopoietin was cloned only within the last decade. Since then, our understanding of megakaryocyte and platelet production has increased substantially, and it is now appreciated that in addition to its critical role in regulating thrombopoiesis, the hormone affects multiple aspects of hematopoiesis, including playing a non-redundant role in stem cell survival, self-renewal and expansion. In addition to this greater physiological understanding of thrombopoietin biology, the molecular mechanisms by which the hormone affects cell survival and proliferation are coming under increased scrutiny. At least four signaling pathways have been identified that play important and non-overlapping roles in stem cell and megakaryocyte growth and development, potentially providing new strategies to therapeutically intervene in hematopoiesis. This review will focus on our current understanding of these processes.
Reconstruction of Channelized Facies Using Sparsity Constraints

A new approach is presented for inverse modeling to reconstruct continuous features in space, such as channels, that exhibit sparseness in a complementary basis (e.g. a Fourier basis) using observations in spatial domain. Continuity in space is used to constrain the solution to be sparse in the discrete cosine transform (DCT) domain. The DCT is used to effectively reduce the dimension of the search space to a low frequency subspace to improve estimation efficiency. The methodology is related to compressive sensing, which is a recently introduced paradigm for perfect reconstruction of sparse signals from partial linear measurements in a complementary basis. The suitability of the inversion method is demonstrated through synthetic experiments in characterization of geological facies distribution using scattered point measurements and noise-corrupted areal observations resembling seismic data.
Conceptions Regarding Children’s Health: An Examination of Ethnotheories in a Sending and Receiving Community

Ethnotheories are beliefs that adults hold about children and the factors that impact upon their development. Scholars suggest that “ethnotheories” serve as cultural models that underlie motivations for parenting practices and the way adults organize children’s early experiences. This study examines Mexican adults’ ethnotheories about children’s health in two communities that are linked by transnational migrants and serve as sending and receiving communities for workers. Forty-four Mexican adults in six focus groups discussed well-being issues affecting children in their communities. Qualitative analyses using grounded theory revealed a complex conception of children’s health issues that included physical, psychological, and behavioral components and an interwoven system of causes with microlevel issues embedded in broader social, economic, and cultural contexts.
Opioid peptide regulation of neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis: a microiontophoretic study

Abstract Single unit activity was recorded from neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) in response to single or combined microiontophoretic ejection of d -Ala 2 -Met 5 -enkephalinamide (DAME) and naloxone. BNST neurons showed predominantly excitatory responses following small iontophoretic applications of DAME, and these responses were antagonized by naloxone. In contrast, inhibitory responses that were elicited by DAME required larger ejection currents and usually failed to show naloxone antagonism. The results indicate that activation of enkephalin-sensitive BNST neurons by DAME is primarily, but not exclusively, excitatory, which suggests that these responses may reflect differences in receptor sensitivity to the applied agonist.
Monoclonal antibodies to rabbit lymphoid cells: Preparation and characterization of a T-cell-specific antibody

Abstract Spleen cells of mice immunized with rabbit spleen and mesenteric lymph node (MLN) cells were fused with mutant mouse myeloma cells. Twenty-six clones which react with rabbit lymphoid cells were obtained. By membrane immunofluorescence, as analysed visually and by the fluorescence-activated cell sorter, one of these clones, 9AE10, produced an antibody that reacted with nearly all thymocytes (> 90%) and with from 46 to 78% of spleen, MLN and peripheral blood lymphocytes. Double-membrane immunofluorescence with the 9AE10 monoclonal antibody (MAb) and anti-Ig showed that 9AE10 + and Ig + cells of spleen, MLN and peripheral blood were distinct and non-overlapping populations. Thus, the 9AE10 MAb is a T-cell-specific antibody. The 9AE10 MAb also reacted with most brain cells and with approximately 30% of bone marrow cells. Biochemical analysis of the antigen recognized by the 9AE10 MAb indicated that the antigen is a glycoprotein with an apparent molecular weight of 25,000. These data indicate that the 9AE10 MAb may be directed against a Thy-1-like antigen.
Road and off-road vehicle system dynamics. Understanding the future from the past

A detailed analysis of scientific research directions and methods in ground vehicle dynamics and vehicle system dynamics during the past century is presented in this article. What started as peculiarities of vehicle motion, dynamics of vehicles went through extensive research and engineering work and was established as an applied science – vehicle dynamics. Steady motion and transient manoeuvres, multi-flexible-body dynamics, nonlinear and stochastic dynamics, terramechanics, vehicle operational properties and their multi-criterion optimisation, computer modelling and simulation, analysis and optimal synthesis, various controls, inverse vehicle dynamics, open architecture-type, and multi-domain vehicle systems – these are the milestones of developments over the past century. This article considers the subject-matter and the substance of vehicle dynamics in general, and new research directions of modern vehicle dynamics in particular. It is shown that modern vehicle dynamics is acquiring principally new fe...
Fall in hepatic cytosol glucocorticoid receptor induced by stress and partial hepatectomy: evidence for separate mechanisms.

An exchange assay has been used to investigate the influence of surgical stress and partial hepatectomy on total (occupied plus unoccupied) hepatic cytosol glucocorticoid receptor concentration in intact and adrenalectomized rats. In animals with intact adrenal glands, cytosol receptor concentration falls by 45% within 6 h of simple laparotomy (sham operation), and by 70% in regenerating hepatic remnants in the same 6-h period after partial hepatectomy. At 24 h, receptor concentration in both sham-operated and regenerating liver begins to rise and, at 72 h (by which time hepatic regeneration is complete), is again at the control, level. In marked contrast to these observations in animals with intact adrenals, sham hepatectomy produces no fall in glucocorticoid receptor concentration in adrenalectomized rats, while partial hepatectomy in these latter animals, deprived of circulating corticosterone, is still followed by a significant loss of receptor. It is concluded 1) that stress can induce a fall in gluc...
Influence of Red and Blue Pre-Adaptation on Hue Matching of Purple Samples

This experiment was designed to show the effect, if any, of chromatic adaptation on hue matching of purple painted samples of different saturations. Five experienced observers were adapted for 1 min to a red field, then asked to find the hue match for each of three test samples from among a set of samples representing the complete hue circuit in 100 steps at middle saturation. The three test samples were of slightly greater saturation and representative of a range of purple samples. The entire procedure was repeated with blue and neutral pre-adapting fields, all under source C illumination. Results indicated that pre-adaptation did influence the hue-match selections, the average red–blue adaptive shift being about one Munsell hue step. Observers made systematically different hue matches for the same test sample, in accordance with their ages. A method for determining graphically the state of adaptation at the time when the hue judgments were made showed that the chromaticity of the test samples was at least as influential as either the neutral surround used or the pre-adaptation stimuli.
Comparison of Time and Frequency Domain Methods for Luminescence Lifetime Measurements

Despite the widespread use of luminescence lifetimes in physical measurements, there seems to be no consensus on the best method for lifetime determination. Researchers in this field split into two camps: those who favor methods that proceed from time-domain data and those who favor methods that proceed from frequency-domain data. System theory provides unique insight into the strengths and limitations of these methods of lifetime determination. First, system theory shows that the impulse response experiment and the frequency sweep experiment can both uniquely specify a shift-invariant linear system. Further, the time and frequency data sets are related by the Fourier transform. A careful comparison of these two methods was carried out with both numerical simulations and experiments using the same sample, light source, and detector. These comparisons were not limited to impulse and sine wave excitation; chirp, square wave, and random excitation sequences were evaluated as well. The results indicate that f...
boc-Aspartyl(OMe)-Fluoromethylketone Attenuates Mitochondrial Release of Cytochrome c and Delays Brain Tissue Loss after Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats:

The pathobiology of traumatic brain injury (TBI) includes activation of multiple caspases followed by cell death with a spectrum of apoptotic phenotypes. There are initiator (e.g. caspase-2, -8, and -9) and effector (e.g. caspase-3 and -7) caspases. Recently, caspase-2 and -8 have been shown to regulate cell death via provoking cytochrome c release from the mitochondria upstream of caspase-9. Here, we show that an intracerebral injection of the pan-caspase inhibitor boc-Aspartyl(OMe)-fluoromethylketone (BAF; 1 micromol) 1 min after TBI in rats reduces caspase-3-like activity, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) and tissue damage, and cytochrome c release in ipsilateral cortex at 24 h versus vehicle. To investigate whether either caspase-2 and/or caspase-8 activation may contribute to cytochrome release, the effect of BAF treatment on caspase-2 and caspase-8 proteolysis was also examined. boc-aspartyl(OMe)-fluoromethylketone treatment inhibited proteolysis of caspase-2 but not caspase-8 24 h after TBI in rats versus vehicle. However, BAF with or without nerve growth factor (12.5 ng/h x 14 days intracerebrally via osmotic pump) did not result in differences in motor function, Morris water maze performance, hippocampal neuron survival, nor contusion volume at 14 days. These data suggest that BAF treatment reduces acute cell death after TBI by inhibiting mitochondrial release of cytochrome c, possibly via a mechanism involving initiator caspases; however, BAF appears to delay cell death, rather than result in permanent protection.
Parallel algorithms and architectures for rule-based systems

Rule-based systems, on the surface, appear to be capable of exploiting large amounts of parallelism—it is possible to match each rule to the data memory in parallel. In practice, however, we show that the speed-up from parallelism is quite limited, less than 10-fold. The reasons for the small speed-up are: (1) the small number of rules relevant to each change to data memory; (2) the large variation in the processing required by the relevant rules; and (3) the small number of changes made to data memory between synchronization steps. Furthermore, we observe that to obtain this limited factor of 10-fold speed-up, it is necessary to exploit parallelism at a very fine granularity. We propose that a suitable architecture to exploit such fine-grain parallelism is a bus-based shared-memory multiprocessor with 32-64 processors. Using such a multiprocessor (with individual processors working at 2 MIPS), it is possible to obtain execution speeds of about 3800 rule-firings/sec. This speed is significantly higher than that obtained by other proposed parallel implementations of rule-based systems.
Regional disparities and practice patterns in surgical approaches to pituitary tumors in the United States.

Background Traditional microscopic and endoscopic transsphenoidal approaches (TSAs) are the most common surgical techniques in pituitary surgery. Examining regional practice patterns in pituitary surgery can provide valuable insights into which surgical strategies are most accessible, effective, and cost-efficient. In this study we investigated regional variations in surgical approaches to pituitary tumors and evaluated evolving practice patterns in pituitary surgery. Methods The 2010 Medicare Part B Carrier Summary Database and Medicare Part B National Summary Database from 2003–2010 were examined using pituitary surgery Current Procedure Terminology (CPT) codes 61548 (microscopic transsphenoidal approach), 62165 (endoscopic transsphenoidal approach), and 61546 (transcranial approach). Results Endoscopic TSAs increased by over 10-fold in the past decade, while usage of microscopic TSAs decreased by 23.3%. Nevertheless, the microscopic approach was still the most common TSA (64.7%) in 2010 compared to the endoscopic approach (35.3%). The microscopic TSA was predominant in the Southern and Western United States (74% and 69%, respectively). In the Northeast and Midwest, the rates of microscopic and endoscopic TSAs were roughly equivalent. However, the rate of endoscopic TSAs was statistically significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the Northeast and Midwest (47% and 45%, respectively) than in the South and West (26% and 31%, respectively). Transcranial approaches continued to decline from 4% to 2% over the last decade. Conclusion Regional disparities in transsphenoidal practice patterns exist in the United States. Although the microscopic approach is still more common overall, there has been an evolving shift toward endoscopic TSAs in the last decade.
THE EFFECTS OF AUXINS ON THE GROWTH OF MARINE ALGAE

IT IS GENERALLY considered that the elongation of stems, buds, and roots, and the production of an increased number of roots are promoted by relatively low auxin concentrations and inhibited by relatively high auxin concentrations. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that an accelerating or an inhibiting growth effect in vascular plants is dependent upon both the auxin concentration and the specific tissue involved. The present study was made to determine whether exogenous auxin concentrations produce growth responses in non-vascular plants, such as the brown algae, comparable to those obtained in vascular plants. Intercalary and terminal elongation of mature vegetative thalli, elongation of thalli and holdfasts, and the production of an increased number of holdfasts in sporelings were considered as bases for comparison. Du Buy and Olson (1937) observed the presence of auxin in various parts of Fucus vesciculosus. The highest auxin concentration was found in the egg cells and sperms, and the lowest in the thallus and fruiting tips. Van Overbeek (1940a) found auxin in Macrocystis in a concentration of approximately 0.5 gamma equivalents of indoleacetic acid per kilogram fresh weight. Auxin was also found in other brown algae (van Overbeek, 1940b) in concentrations ranging from 0.05-0.5 gamma equivalents of indoleacetic acid per kilogram fresh weight. The highest concentration was found in the tips of the vegetative thalli of Fucus, while the lateral blades of Desmarestia contained the lowest. Williams (1949) demonstrated the presence of a growth substance, similar to or the same as indoleacetic acid, in excised tissue of Laminaria agardhii. He also demonstrated that high concentrations of applied indoleacetic acid produce injurious effects on meristematic tissue of this alga. For the purpose of obtaining further information regarding the effects of auxins on the growth of brown algae, three well-known auxins, indoleacetic acid (IAA), indolebutyric acid (IBA) and naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) were employed. Iodoacetic acid, a known inhibitor of growth and respiration in many plants, was also employed. The fact has been definitely established (White, 1946) that sea water in certain-regions does not provide optimal growth conditions for some algae; that these conditions can be improved by the addition of either nitrate or phosphate; and that unless the growth substances being applied to plants from these