cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
3-PGDH Deficiency, Seizures, and Microcephaly

The beneficial effects of oral L-serine (up to 500 mg/kg/day) and glycine (200 mg/kg/day) in 2 siblings, aged 7 and 5 years, with 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (3-PGDH) deficiency are reported from University Children’s Hospital, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Teaching Students as Shapers of the Traditions that Shape Them

An undergraduate liberal arts education can help students be not simply shaped by tradition but also shapers of tradition. Specifically, undergraduate theological education, aimed at ministry preparation in a liberal arts setting, can seek to graduate students who are responsible shapers of the traditions that shape them, that is, who are tradents. The work of a tradent involves active engagement that requires skills and capacities well beyond simply passing on the past formulations of a tradition. The pedagogical question, then, is how to engage in undergraduate theological education if this image of the tradent is what we have in mind for our students. Three aspects of this image can serve as pervasive or recurrent themes across the structure of a major or program. One aspect is the interpretive nature of the tradent's work, a second is facility with traditions, and a third is the creative, constructive work of thinking theologically. Whatever particular traditions characterize a department's context, the image of students as tradents can help focus pedagogical reflection on the department's work: teaching students as shapers of the traditions that shape them.
Site-directed RNA repair of endogenous Mecp2 RNA in neurons

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a debilitating neurological disorder caused by mutations in the gene encoding the transcription factor Methyl CpG Binding Protein 2 (MECP2). A distinct disorder results from MECP2 gene duplication, suggesting that therapeutic approaches must restore close to normal levels of MECP2. Here, we apply the approach of site-directed RNA editing to repair, at the mRNA level, a disease-causing guanosine to adenosine (G > A) mutation in the mouse MeCP2 DNA binding domain. To mediate repair, we exploit the catalytic domain of Adenosine Deaminase Acting on RNA (ADAR2) that deaminates A to inosine (I) residues that are subsequently translated as G. We fuse the ADAR2 domain, tagged with a nuclear localization signal, to an RNA binding peptide from bacteriophage lambda. In cultured neurons from mice that harbor an RTT patient G > A mutation and express engineered ADAR2, along with an appropriate RNA guide to target the enzyme, 72% of Mecp2 mRNA is repaired. Levels of MeCP2 protein are also increased significantly. Importantly, as in wild-type neurons, the repaired MeCP2 protein is enriched in heterochromatic foci, reflecting restoration of normal MeCP2 binding to methylated DNA. This successful use of site-directed RNA editing to repair an endogenous mRNA and restore protein function opens the door to future in vivo applications to treat RTT and other diseases.
Resolving the test–retest agreement or reliability dilemma:

Agreement refers to the degree to which an individual i’s test scores match in test–retest settings. Agreement has been thought to be unapproachable with correlational reliability indices. Stable u...
No Metathesis in Harmonic Serialism

This paper presents a Harmonic Serialism analysis of synchronic metathesis, proposing to eliminate metathesis as an atomic operation, instead analyzing apparent metathesis cases as a result of the sequential application of simpler operations such as copy + deletion or fusion + fission, and not as segment reordering. The analysis of Rotuman phase alternation in this paper offers a unified account of apparent metathesis, deletion, and umlaut as all going through the processes of copy + deletion and subsequent fusion. Balangao CC metathesis is analyzed as fusion + fission incorporating an idea that CC metathesis is phonetically motivated. Removing the atomic metathesis operation has several benefits: (a) it simplifies the inventory of operations in Harmonic Serialism, (b) it correctly predicts locality restrictions on metathesis patterns without the help of other constraints that are otherwise needed in HS analysis, (c) and it correctly predicts the typological restrictions on the types of segments that undergo CC metathesis.
Stereotactic Ablative Radiation Therapy Induces Systemic Differences in Peripheral Blood Immunophenotype Dependent on Irradiated Site.

Purpose Despite the strong interest in combining stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SAR) with immunotherapy, limited data characterizing the systemic immune response after SAR are available. We hypothesized that the systemic immune response to SAR would differ by irradiated site owing to inherent differences in the microenvironment of various organs. Methods and Materials Patients receiving SAR to any organ underwent prospective blood banking before and 1 to 2 weeks after SAR. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and serum were isolated. PBMCs were stained with fluorophore-conjugated antibodies against T and natural killer (NK) cell markers. Cells were interrogated by flow cytometry, and the results were analyzed using FlowJo software. Serum cytokine and chemokine levels were measured using Luminex. We analyzed the changes from before to after therapy using paired t tests or 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Bonferroni's post-test. Results A total of 31 patients had evaluable PBMCs for flow cytometry and 37 had evaluable serum samples for Luminex analysis. The total number of NK cells and cytotoxic (CD56dimCD16+) NK cells decreased (P = .02) and T-cell immunoglobulin- and mucin domain–containing molecule-3–positive (TIM3+) NK cells increased (P = .04) after SAR to parenchymal sites (lung and liver) but not to bone or brain. The total memory CD4+ T cells, activated inducible co-stimulator–positive and CD25+CD4+ memory T cells, and activated CD25+CD8+ memory T cells increased after SAR to parenchymal sites but not bone or brain. The circulating levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (P = .04) and multiple chemokines, including RANTES (P = .04), decreased after SAR to parenchymal sites but not bone or brain. Conclusions Our data suggest SAR to parenchymal sites induces systemic immune changes, including a decrease in total and cytotoxic NK cells, an increase in TIM3+ NK cells, and an increase in activated memory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. SAR to nonparenchymal sites did not induce these changes. By comparing the immune response after radiation to different organs, our data suggest SAR induces systemic immunologic changes that are dependent on the irradiated site.
Kernel methods for word sense disambiguation and acronym expansion

The scarcity of manually labeled data for supervised machine learning methods presents a significant limitation on their ability to acquire knowledge. The use of kernels in Support Vector Machines (SVMs) provides an excellent mechanism to introduce prior knowledge into the SVM learners, such as by using unlabeled text or existing ontologies as additional knowledge sources. Our aim is to develop three kernels - one that makes use of knowledge derived from unlabeled text, the second using semantic knowledge from ontologies, and finally a third, additive kernel consisting of the first two kernels - and study their effect on the tasks of word sense disambiguation and automatic expansion of ambiguous acronyms.
Characterization of three alleles causing aspartylglycosaminuria: two from a British family and one from an American patient.

Aspartylglycosaminuria (AGU) is a lysosomal storage disease principally occurring in Finland that results from mutations in the structural gene for glycosylasparaginase (AGU). This work characterizes the inheritance of two previously reported AGU mutations in a British patient [Ikonen, Aula, Gron, Tollersrud, Halila, Manninen, Syvanen and Peltonen (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 88, 11222-11226]. Use of the PCR determined the glycosylasparaginase cDNA sequence from both parents of the British patient and his AGU-affected brother. The father of the British AGU-affected siblings was found to be a heterozygote carrier for a C-->T point mutation which causes an Ala-->Val amino-acid substitution, while the mother was heterozygous for a 7 bp deletion that results in premature translational termination. The brother of the previously studied patient was similarly shown to be a compound heterozygote. Expression in COS-1 cells revealed the paternal Ala-->Val amino-acid substitution destroyed glycosylasparaginase catalytic activity, prevented transport of the mutant protein to the lysosome, and prevented maturation of the enzyme precursor to its native subunit structure. The Ala-->Val mutation therefore affects glycosylasparaginase in a manner similar to the Finnish AGU Cys-->Ser substitution, further supporting a linkage of glycosylasparaginase catalytic activity to its lysosomal transport and subunit processing [Fisher and Aronson (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 12105-12113]. In addition, a 5 bp deletion mutation from an American patient with AGU has been characterized. The deleted sequence occurs at the beginning of the glycosylasparaginase coding sequence, resulting in an extremely truncated polypeptide. The American 5 bp deletion and the British maternal 7 bp deletion possibly decrease mRNA stability.
Neuromodulation and Motor Pattern Generation in the Crustacean Stomatogastric Nervous System

Neuromodulation is critically important to the functioning of nervous systems, yet it is not included in most descriptions of neuronal circuits. Neuromodulation has been extensively studied in the stomatogastric nervous system of decapod Crustacea. Here it has been shown that neuromodulatory inputs to central pattern generator circuits play four key roles. 1) They can initiate and maintain rhythmic neuronal activity. 2) They allow a single, anatomically defined circuit to produce many different outputs. 3) They can cause cells to switch their activity from one neuronal circuit to another. 4) They can reconfigure entire networks so that previously independent circuits can function together in a coordinated fashion. Thus, the classical synaptic connections of a neuronal circuit are not enough to explain the behavioural output of that circuit; neuromodulation can alter the output by affecting cellular and synaptic properties. This imparts a greater flexibility upon nervous systems than can be attained through simple excitatory/inhibitory interactions.
Ion Beam Enhanced Electrical Conductivity in Polymers

We have used proton, alpha, nitrogen and oxygen particles at energies between 1 to 8.5 MeV to modify the conductance of various polymers with linear molecular chain structure and polymers with two dimensional networks of chemical bonds, specifically benzene ring. The beam energy and the beam current, 100 pA to 30 nA, for each species were selected to deliver maximum electronic stopping power in a predetermined depth and area. The electrical conductance of the bombarded volume in each polymer was measured in situ and changes were recorded to be between 10- 13 Siemens before bombardment to 0.1 Siemens after bombardment depending on the total energy deposited in a given volume of the polymers. The carbonized volumes were analyzed by Raman microprobe spectroscopy which showed that the strongest graphitic (G-line) and distorted (D-line) Raman signals observed were from the volume with the highest conductance.
Within- and Between-Team Coordination via Transactive Memory Systems and Boundary Spanning:

In this article, we suggest that the transactive memory system (TMS) and boundary-spanning literatures are useful for understanding how individuals in team-based collectives can be structured to im...
Hematologic Issues in Sepsis

Sepsis is a common clinical problem that accounts for a large percentage of intensive care unit admissions, and clinical outcome in these cases is often impacted by hematological complications including thrombocytopenia, alterations of coagulation cascade, leukocytosis/leukopenia, and anemia. The role of blood transfusion in patients with sepsis-induced tissue hypoperfusion has been hotly contested over the years. This chapter will discuss the (a) mechanisms that contribute to thrombocytopenia in patients with sepsis and shock as well as prognostic relevance and management recommendations, (b) diagnostic and prognostic implications of white blood cell changes, and (c) effect of sepsis on red blood cells and the role of blood transfusion in sepsis-induced tissue hypoperfusion.
Non-model organism research in the changing genomic landscape

It is estimated that the planet earth is host to approximately ten million species of plants and animals with only approximately 1.5 million documented in the Catalogue of Life. However, our knowledge of biochemical, molecular, genetics, and cellular processes comes from the studies of fewer than a dozen organisms. Although focusing our research on these "model" organisms has paid off, the downside is that we know very little about the biology of the vast majority of organisms, the non-model organisms. Non-model organisms are organisms that have not been selected by the research community for extensive study mostly because they lack the features that make model organisms easy to investigate e.g. they cannot grow in the laboratory, have a long life cycle, low fecundity or poor genetics.
Discretion and Foreign Policy

Internationally oriented security organizations operate with broad discretion under a web of relative secrecy. The nature of clandestine operations somewhat insulates these organizations from public oversight. At the same time, the need for vigilant supervision of the relatively hidden activities is ever greater. This chapter describes the creation and evolution of internationally oriented security organizations such as the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency. These organizations are responsible for numerous successes but also many embarrassments where false information was reported, human rights violations occurred, or the will of Congress subverted. These represent examples of bureaucratic overreach that weakened, rather than strengthened, the US reputation as a nation of laws, not men. The chapter describes how falsified body count reports in the Vietnam War, “harsh interrogations” at Abu Ghraib, and illegal supply of weapons to Nicaragua all were carried out in relative secrecy until the actions could no longer be concealed. The chapter concludes with a discussion of how whistleblowing and the ensuing media attention can reverse illegal or simply counterproductive behavior of government agents.
Nutrition indicators as potential predictors of AIDS-defining illnesses among ARV-naïve HIV-positive adults in Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia 2008-2009

Early changes in nutritional status may be predictive of subsequent HIV disease progression in people living with HIV (PLHIV). In addition to conventional anthropometric assessment using body mass index (BMI) and mid-upper arm circumferences (MUAC), measures of strength and fatigability may detect earlier changes in nutrition status which predict HIV disease progression. This study aims to examine the association between various nutritional metrics relevant in resource-scarce setting and HIV disease progression. The HIV disease progression outcome was defined as any occurrence of an incident AIDS-defining illnesses (ADI) among antiretroviral treatment (ART)-naive PLHIV. From 2008-2009, HIV+ Zambian adult men and non-pregnant women were followed for 9 months at a Doctors without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontiers, MSF) HIV clinic in Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia. Since the study was conducted in the time period when former WHO recommendations on ART (i.e., ≤200 CD4 cell count as opposed to treating all individuals regardless of CD4 cell count or disease stage) were followed, caution should be applied when considering the implications from this study's results to improve HIV case management under current clinical guidelines, or when comparing findings from this study with studies conducted in recent years. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the associations between baseline nutritional measurements and the outcome of incident ADI. Self-reported loss of appetite study (AOR 1.90, 95% CI 1.04, 3.45, P = 0.036) and moderate wasting based on MUAC classification (AOR 2.40, 95% CI 1.13, 5.10, P = 0.022) were independently associated with increased odds of developing incident ADI within 9 months, while continuous increments (in psi) of median handgrip strength (AOR 0.74, 95%CI 0.60, 0.91, P = 0.004) was independently associated with decreased odds of incident ADI only among women. The association between low BMI and the short-term outcome of ADI was attenuated after controlling for these nutritional indicators. These findings warrant further research to validate the consistency of these observed associations among larger ART-naive HIV-infected populations, as well as to develop nutritional assessment tools for identifying disease progression risk among ART-naive PLHIV.
Bayesian multivariate regime-switching models and the impact of correlation structure misspecification in variable annuity pricing

We develop Bayesian multivariate regime-switching models for correlated assets, comparing three different ways to flexibly structure the correlation matrix. After developing the models, we examine ...
RH-temperature stability diagram of α- and β-anhydrous and monohydrate lactose crystalline forms.

Abstract Lactose crystals exhibit polymorphic, deliquescent, and hydrate-forming traits and can exist in monohydrate, β-anhydrate, stable α-anhydrate, and hygroscopic α-anhydrate (isomorphic desolvate) forms. The objective of this study was to identify the relative humidity (RH) and temperature boundaries at which anhydrate-hydrate transitions and deliquescence occur for these lactose crystal forms. The deliquescence point (RH0) of lactose monohydrate was determined by measuring the water activity (aw) of a saturated solution, and the RH0s of the anhydrates were determined using dynamic vapor sorption measurement techniques. Increasing temperatures from 20 to 50 °C resulted in decreases in RH0 from 99 to 98% RH for the monohydrate, 89 to 82% RH for the β-anhydrate, and 87 to 82% RH for the stable α-anhydrate. The effects of temperature on the anhydrate-hydrate RH boundaries were determined using a combination of controlled aw equilibration, powder X-ray diffraction, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy techniques. Increasing temperature from 20 to 50 °C resulted in increasing RHs of the anhydrate-to-hydrate boundaries: the β-anhydrate-to-monohydrate boundary increased from 77 to 79% RH, the stable α-anhydrate-to-monohydrate from 63 to 79% RH, and the unstable α-anhydrate-to-monohydrate from 10 to 13% RH. This is the first report of an RH-temperature stability map for lactose crystalline forms.
Relations of positive parenting, effortful control, and resilience in rural Midwestern Latinx early adolescents

Abstract The present study examined individual and environmental factors that are linked to resilience in a sample of rural Midwestern Latinx early adolescents in the United States (N = 123, mean age = 11.53 years; 56.9% female). Using resilience theory and the Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework, we examined the associations of mothers’ and fathers’ positive parenting to early adolescents’ (EAs) effortful control and resilience across two time points, and examined bidirectional relations between effortful control and resilience. Using structural equation modeling, we found positive concurrent associations at Time 1 (T1) between mothers’ positive parenting and EAs’ effortful control and resilience. Fathers’ T1 positive parenting was positively associated with EAs’ T1 effortful control, but not their resilience. Although mothers’ positive parenting was not longitudinally associated with EA resilience, fathers’ T1 positive parenting was associated with EAs’ resilience at Time 2 (T2). Positive concurrent associations between effortful control and resilience were found at both time points; however, bidirectional effects were not significant. Our results suggest that resources such as positive parenting and effortful control have important implications for positive youth development in ethnic minority EAs.
Strategies for simultaneous strengthening and toughening via nanoscopic intracrystalline defects in a biogenic ceramic

While many organisms synthesize robust skeletal composites consisting of spatially discrete organic and mineral (ceramic) phases, the intrinsic mechanical properties of the mineral phases are poorly understood. Using the shell of the marine bivalve Atrina rigida as a model system, and through a combination of multiscale structural and mechanical characterization in conjunction with theoretical and computational modeling, we uncover the underlying mechanical roles of a ubiquitous structural motif in biogenic calcite, their nanoscopic intracrystalline defects. These nanoscopic defects not only suppress the soft yielding of pure calcite through the classical precipitation strengthening mechanism, but also enhance energy dissipation through controlled nano- and micro-fracture, where the defects’ size, geometry, orientation, and distribution facilitate and guide crack initialization and propagation. These nano- and micro-scale cracks are further confined by larger scale intercrystalline organic interfaces, enabling further improved damage tolerance. Biominerals are nanocomposites that often incorporate nanoscopic defects such as organic inclusions within the mineral matrix. Here, the authors report on an experimental and computational study into the effects of intracrystalline defects on the intrinsic mechanical behaviour of biominerals.
Tyrosinase Nanoparticles: Understanding the Melanogenesis Pathway by Isolating the Products of Tyrosinase Enzymatic Reaction.

Human Tyrosinase (Tyr) is the rate-limiting enzyme of the melanogenesis pathway. Tyr catalyzes the oxidation of the substrate L-DOPA into dopachrome and melanin. Currently, the characterization of dopachrome-related products is difficult due to the absence of a simple way to partition dopachrome from protein fraction. Here, we immobilize catalytically pure recombinant human Tyr domain (residues 19–469) containing 6xHis tag to Ni-loaded magnetic beads (MB). Transmission electron microscopy revealed Tyr-MB were within limits of 168.2 ± 24.4 nm while the dark-brown melanin images showed single and polymerized melanin with a diameter of 121.4 ± 18.1 nm. Using Hill kinetics, we show that Tyr-MB has a catalytic activity similar to that of intact Tyr. The diphenol oxidase reactions of L-DOPA show an increase of dopachrome formation with the number of MB and with temperature. At 50 °C, Tyr-MB shows some residual catalytic activity suggesting that the immobilized Tyr has increased protein stability. In contrast, under 37 °C, the dopachrome product, which is isolated from Tyr-MB particles, shows that dopachrome has an orange-brown color that is different from the color of the mixture of L-DOPA, Tyr, and dopachrome. In the future, Tyr-MB could be used for large-scale productions of dopachrome and melanin-related products and finding a treatment for oculocutaneous albinism-inherited diseases.
Clinician Attitudes and Beliefs About Deintensifying Head and Neck Cancer Surveillance.

Importance Surveillance imaging and visits are costly and have not been shown to improve oncologic outcomes for patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). However, the benefit of surveillance visits may extend beyond recurrence detection. To better understand surveillance and potentially develop protocols to tailor current surveillance paradigms, it is important to elicit the perspectives of the clinicians who care for patients with HNC. Objective To characterize current surveillance practices and explore clinician attitudes and beliefs on deintensifying surveillance for patients with HNC. Design, Setting, and Participants This qualitative study was performed from January to March 2021. Guided by an interpretive description approach, interviews were analyzed to produce a thematic description. Data analysis was performed from March to April 2021. Otolaryngologists and radiation oncologists were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling strategies. Main Outcomes and Measures The main outcomes were current practice, attitudes, and beliefs about deintensifying surveillance and survivorship as well as patients’ values and perspectives collected from interviews of participating physicians. Results Twenty-one physicians (17 [81%] men) were interviewed, including 13 otolaryngologists and 8 radiation oncologists with a median of 8 years (IQR, 5-20 years) in practice. Twelve participants (57%) stated their practice comprised more than 75% of patients with HNC. Participants expressed that there was substantial variation in the interpretation of the surveillance guidelines. Participants were open to the potential for deintensification of surveillance or incorporating symptom-based surveillance protocols but had concerns that deintensification may increase patient anxiety and shift some of the burden of recurrence monitoring to patients. Patient and physician peace of mind, the importance of maintaining the patient-physician relationship, and the need for adequate survivorship and management of treatment-associated toxic effects were reported to be important barriers to deintensifying surveillance. Conclusions and Relevance In this qualitative study, clinicians revealed a willingness to consider altering cancer surveillance but expressed a need to maintain patient and clinician peace of mind, maintain the patient-clinician relationship, and ensure adequate monitoring of treatment-associated toxic effects and other survivorship concerns. These findings may be useful in future research on the management of posttreatment surveillance.
Distribution of Benefits of Public Transit Projects

The paper examines the basic issues related to efficiency and equity and reviews the existing techniques of including income redistributive effects in the evaluation of public projects with the objective of determining their applicability to the case of urban mass transit projects. The current techniques of estimating the benefits of rapid transit as well as conventional bus systems and the quantification of their distribution among the various socioeconomic groups of beneficiaries are examined. It is pointed out that in the case of urban transportation projects, it is necessary for practical reasons to extend the concept of an equitable distribution of income to that of mobility or the opportunity to travel. Two alternative procedures based on the criteria of the dependency of individual groups on particular modes for different purposes are suggested for analyzing the distributive effects of urban transportation projects.
Does a Table Have Buddha-Nature?

Among the Buddhists whom Deguchi, Garfield, and Priest claim accept contradictions as true are members of the Indian Madhyamaka school beginning with Nāgārjuna. This claim is investigated here, and the conclusion is that while it may be possible to read Indian Madhyamaka in this way, the texts allow another interpretation that may have greater overall plausibility. A central issue warranting further investigation is the soteriological significance of the Madhyamaka understanding of emptiness.
Interdiffusion Studies in Some Oxide Systems

Interdiffusion coefficients were determined in the systems MgO-Cr2O3 and MgO-Al2O3. The interdiffusion coefficients increased with the increase in cation vacancies, but the enthalpy of activation was independent of the vacancy concentration. The self-diffusion coefficients of Cr3+and Al3+ in MgO were calculated. Trivalent aluminum ions diffuse faster than Cr3+ ions in MgO. Interdiffusion coefficients in Mg-Al spinels were given over the temperature range 1565–1900°C.
Amebas (Free‐Living) Causing Meningoencephalitis

Acanthamoeba spp. Acanthamoeba GAE Acanthamoeba Keratitis Antimicrobial Therapy Naegleria Fowleri PAM Caused by N. fowleri Balamuthia Mandrillaris GAE Caused by B. mandrillaris Keywords: amebas, free living; endosymbiosis; protozoan parasites
Temporal stability of the neodymium isotope signature of the Holocene to glacial North Atlantic

The neodymium isotopic composition of marine precipitates is increasingly recognized as a powerful tool for identifying changes in ocean circulation and mixing on million year to millennial timescales. Unlike nutrient proxies such as δ^(13)C or Cd/Ca, Nd isotopes are not thought to be altered in any significant way by biological processes, and thus they can serve as a quasi-conservative water mass tracer. However, the application of Nd isotopes in understanding the role of thermohaline circulation in rapid climate change is currently hindered by the lack of direct constraints on the signature of the North Atlantic end-member through time. Here we present the first results of Nd isotopes measured in U-Th-dated deep-sea corals from the New England seamounts in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. Our data are consistent with the conclusion that the Nd isotopic composition of North Atlantic deep and intermediate water has remained nearly constant through the last glacial cycle. The results address long-standing concerns that there may have been significant changes in the Nd isotopic composition of the North Atlantic end-member during this interval and substantiate the applicability of this novel tracer on millennial timescales for paleoceanography research.
DISCRIMINATION OF EARTHQUAKES AND EXPLOSIONS BY THE RAYLEIGH-WAVE SPECTRAL RATIO.

Abstract Limited data from a long-period vertical seismometer and the prototype of a new mercury tiltmeter at the station, Harvard, Massachusetts, tend to confirm that the Rayleigh-wave spectral ratio of short- to long-period energy provides a useful discriminant for underground explosions in the Western United States at distances of from 28° to 38° in the magnitude range of 3.5 M s m b M g — m b discriminant by providing a clear separation of earthquakes and explosions in some geographical regions where earthquakes are of low stress drop and generally strike-slip in mechanism.
Information mosaics: patterns of action that structure

There is a research tradition in the information field of focusing on information seeking— particularly people’s strategies and sources, information retrieval— particularly the abilities of information systems to retrieve ‘relevant’ documents, or other physically countable things such as a citations, co-citation, or acknowledgement. These research traditions seem to have been shaped both by the history of research funding and the objective nature of information sources, retrieved items, and citations. Yet, these research foci get at only a small portion of the role that information plays in people’s lives (cf., Chatman (1996) and Savolainen (1995).
Killing for Cause? Geographies of War and Peace

The Geography of War and Peace: From Death Camps to Diplomacy. Colin Flint, ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. xvi and 462 pp. $65.00 paper (ISBN 0-19-516209-9). Violent Geographies: Fear...
Constellation Map: Downstream visualization and interpretation of gene set enrichment results.

Summary: Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) approaches are widely used to identify coordinately regulated genes associated with phenotypes of interest. Here, we present Constellation Map, a tool to visualize and interpret the results when enrichment analyses yield a long list of significantly enriched gene sets. Constellation Map identifies commonalities that explain the enrichment of multiple top-scoring gene sets and maps the relationships between them. Constellation Map can help investigators take full advantage of GSEA and facilitates the biological interpretation of enrichment results. Availability: Constellation Map is freely available as a GenePattern module at http://www.genepattern.org .
The effect of the information environment on the relationship between financial disclosure and security price variability

Abstract This study provides a test of the relationship between changes in a firm's disclosure environment and its security price behavior. The initiation of interim reporting is examined. Theory suggests that the marginal information content of an annual report is greater when it has not been preceded by interim reports and that greater return variability will be observed at the annual report announcement date. The variance of returns upon release of the annual report is compared in the ‘annual-report-only’ and ‘annual-plus-quarterly-reports’ environments. As predicted by the theory, variability is significantly greater in the ‘annual-report-only’ environment.
Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire: A Reliability and Validity Study

To investigate the reliability and validity of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire, 144 factory workers completed this measure. Those scoring high were expected to display high absenteeism because...
Chi-square tests for multivariate normality with application to common stock prices

The theory of chi-square tests with data-dependent cells is applied to provide tests of fit to the family of p-variate normal distributions. The cells are bounded by hyperellipses (x-[Xbar])'S-1 (x-[Xbar]) = ci centered at the sample mean [Xbar] and having shape deter-mined by the sample covariance matrix S. The Pearson statistic with these cells is affine-invariant, has a null distribution not depending on the true mean and covariance, and has asymptotic critical points between those of x2 (M-1) and x2 (M-2) when M cells are employed. The test is insensitive to lack of symmetry, but peakedness, broad shoulders and heavy tails are easily discerned in the cell counts. Multivariate normality of logarithms of relative prices of common stocks, a common assumption in finan-cial markets theory, is studied using the statistic described here and a large data base.
Mesenchymal stem cells inhibit both endogenous and exogenous MMPs via secreted TIMPs

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to be perivascular, occupying a prime location for regulating vessel stability. Here, we focused on the MSC-contribution of key regulators of the perivascular niche, the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors, the TIMPs. Despite secretion of active forms of MMPs by MSCs, MMP enzyme activity was not detected in MSC-conditioned medium (MSC-CM) due to TIMP-mediated inhibition. By means of bifunctional-crosslinking to probe endogenous MMP:TIMP interactions, we showed MMP-2-inhibition by TIMP-2. MSCs also inhibited high levels of exogenous MMP-2 and MMP-9 through TIMP-2 and TIMP-1, respectively. Furthermore, MSC-CM protected vascular matrix molecules and endothelial cell structures from MMP-induced disruption. MSCs remained matrix-protective when exposed to pro-inflammatory cytokines and hypoxia, countering these stresses with increased TIMP-1 expression and augmented MMP-inhibition. Thus, MSCs are revealed as robust sources of TIMP-mediated MMP-inhibition, capable of protecting the perivascular niche from high levels of MMPs even under pathological conditions. J. Cell. Physiol. 226: 385–396, 2011. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Speciation of Selenium(IV) and Selenium(VI) using Coupled Ion Chromatography—Hydride Generation Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

A simple method was developed to speciate inorganic Se in the μg L - 1 range using coupled ion chromatography-hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry. Because of the differences in toxicity and adsorption behavior, determination of the redox states selenite, Se(IV), and selenate, Se(VI), is important. We used anion exchange chromatography to separate Se(IV) and Se(VI) based on differences in retention times. Samples were then mixed with concentrated HCl and passed through a 130°C sand bath to reduce Se(VI) to Se(IV) for Se determination as the hydride. Detection limits were 0.68 μg L - 1 for Se(IV) and 0.55 μg L - 1 for Se(VI). Spiking of actual sample solutions with Se(IV) and Se(VI) showed the procedure to be accurate for solutions with Se(IV)/Se(VI) ratios ranging from 1:4 to 4:1. Average recovery was 93.1% for Se(IV) and 108% for Se(VI). The technique was used to determine Se(IV) and Se(VI) in deionized water and actual and synthetic irrigation waters.
Formation time of hadronic resonances

In heavy-ion collisions, formation time of hadrons of high transverse momentum can play a pivotal role in determining the perturbative dynamics of the final-state parton and particle system. We present methods to evaluate the formation times of light hadrons, hadronic resonances, open heavy flavor and quarkonia. Experimental implications of the short formation times of heavy particles are discussed in light of recent RHIC and LHC data.
The effects of token reinforcement versus cognitive behavior modification on learning‐disabled students' math skills

The effects of token reinforcement, cognitive behavior modification, and direct instruction on learning-disabled students' math skills were compared. Math skills were measured by 2-minute classroom timings of basic addition and subtraction problems, and the Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics Test. Treatment was provided to 94 students for 4 weeks in daily 1-hour sessions. Significant differential gain between treatment and direct instruction groups in achievement test scores was found, F(4, 182) = 4.03, p<.01. Token reinforcement and cognitive behavior modification were found to be equally effective. All three groups improved with 2-minute classroom timings, F(2, 91) = 8.53,p<.001. Retention of skills for both treatments was maintained over a 2-week no-treatment period. Teachers' social validity ratings indicated differences between the two treatments relative to student behaviors and teacher roles. It is concluded that token reinforcement and cognitive behavior modification are equally effective techniques to remediate learning-disabled students' math achievement, and both are superior to direct instruction in some cases.
Fixed abrasive diamond wire machining—part II: experiment design and results

Abstract Experimental results from fixed abrasive diamond wire machining of wood and foam ceramics are presented. Three types of wood—pine, oak, and fir, and three types of foam ceramic—silicon carbide, zirconia, and zirconia toughened alumina, are tested. The research investigates the life of diamond wire and effects of process parameters on the cutting forces, force ratio, and surface roughness. A scanning electron microscope is used to study the worn diamond wire, machined surfaces, and debris. The diamond wire saw is demonstrated to be very effective in machining foam ceramics. The wire life for cutting wood at slow feed rates is low. The short tool life for dry cutting of wood indicates that more research in new fixed abrasive diamond wire and wire saw machining technologies is necessary.
Enhanced detection of arrhythmia vulnerability using T wave alternans, left ventricular ejection fraction, and programmed ventricular stimulation: a prospective study in subjects with chronic ischemic heart disease.

Introduction: In previous studies, the prognostic value of T wave alternans (TWA) was similar to that of programmed ventricular stimulation (PVS). However, presently it is unclear if TWA and PVS identify the same patients or provide complementary risk stratification information. In addition, the effects of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) on the prognostic value of TWA are unknown. The aim of this study was to determine if combined assessment of TWA, LVEF, and PVS improves arrhythmia risk stratification. Methods and Results: This was a prospective study of 144 patients with coronary artery disease and LVEF ≤40% who were referred for PVS for standard clinical indications. The endpoint was the combined incidence of death, sustained ventricular arrhythmias, and appropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy. TWA (hazard ratio 2.2, P = 0.03) and PVS (hazard ratio 1.9, P = 0.05) both were significant predictors of endpoint events, and TWA was the only independent predictor. LVEF markedly influenced the prognostic value of TWA, which was a potent predictor of events in subjects with LVEF between 30% and 40% (event rates: TWA+ 36%, TWA- 0%, P = 0.001) but did not predict events in subjects with LVEF 0.5). PVS successfully identified additional low-risk patients within the cohort with negative or indeterminate TWA results (hazard ratio 4.7, P = 0.015) but did not provide incremental prognostic information for TWA+ patients (hazard ratio 0.9, P > 0.5). Conclusion: The combined use of TWA, LVEF, and PVS is a promising new approach to arrhythmia risk stratification that permits identification of high-risk and very-low-risk patients. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 15, pp. 170-176, February 2004)
Do traditional symptoms of hypothyroidism correlate with biochemical disease

Objective Hypothyroidism often remains undetected because of the difficulty associating symptoms with disease. To determine the relation between symptoms and biochemical disease, we assessed symptoms and serum thyroid function tests, concurrently, for patients with and without hypothyroidism.
Behavioural dynamics of intraspecific brood parasitism in colonial cliff swallows

Abstract Colonial cliff swallows, Hirundo pyrrhonota , in siuthwestern Nebraska commonly broad-parasitize (lay eggs in) nests of neighbouring conspecific. At least 22%, and perhaps as many as 43%, of all nests were estimated to contain one or more parasitic eggs. Colour-marked parasites maintained nests of their own in addition to parasitizing the nests of others. Parasitism usually occurred among close neighbours when nests were left unattended momentarily. Parasites' and hosts' first laying dates tended to be synchronized. Parasitism often occurred early in a host's laying period of 1–3 days prior to the host's start of egg laying. Hosts rejected any eggs added more than 4 days before they began laying. Hosts laid smaller clutches than normal, either as a direct response to being parasitized or because parasites preferentially selected hosts that were to lay small clutches for other reasons. Parasitic egg laying appeared successful, with only about a quarter of parasitic eggs known not to survive. On an annual basis, colour-marked parasites laid more total eggs and fledged more total young than did colour-marked hosts. Parasites, however, were also parasitized themselves, and thus being a parasite was costly. There was little evidence that parasites routinely removed host eggs. Parasitism tended not to occur in extremely small colonies and among solitary nesters, but there was no relationship between incidence of parasitism and colony size for colonies with more than 10 nests. Intraspecific brood parasitism probably serves to minimize risk in uncertain environments by distributing eggs in several nests to ensure that at least one offspring will survive to independence. Incidence of blood parasitism in a colony increased with uncertainty of reproduction.
A 40-cm Welded-Segment Lightweight Aluminum Alloy Telescope Mirror

A 40-cm aluminum alloy, nickel plated, mirror has been made by welding together six individually cast segments. The mirror is shown to be stable to within one wave over a temperature of 58°C primarily due to the use of the aluminum alloy Tenzaloy. The weldment as well as the alloy itself are now known to be capable of essentially complete stress relief by annealing. The possibilities of extending the welding technique to considerably larger telescope systems is also discussed.
Curcumin-induced upregulation of the anti-tau cochaperone BAG2 in primary rat cortical neurons

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease characterized by extracellular deposits of amyloid beta (Aβ) protein and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated tau protein. Various studies suggest that the tau tangle pathology, which lies downstream to Aβ pathology, is essential to produce AD-associated clinical phenotype and thus treatments targeting tau pathology may prevent or delay disease progression effectively. In this context, our present study examined three polyphenol compounds (curcumin, EGCG and resveratrol) for their possible activity against two endogenous proteins (BAG2 and LAMP1) that are shown to play a vital role in clearing tau tangles from neurons. Human epidemiological and animal data suggest potential positive effects of these polyphenols against AD. Here, primary rat cortical neurons treated with these polyphenols significantly up-regulated BAG2 levels at different concentrations, while only EGCG upregulated LAMP1 levels, although at higher concentrations. Importantly, curcumin doubled BAG2 levels at low micromolar concentrations that are clinically relevant. In addition, curcumin also downregulated levels of phosphorylated tau, which may be potentially attributed to the curcumin-induced upregulation in BAG2 levels in the neurons. The present results demonstrate novel activity of polyphenol curcumin in up-regulating an anti-tau cochaperone BAG2 and thus, suggest probable benefit of curcumin against AD-associated tauopathy.
Project Towards No Drug Abuse: two-year outcomes of a trial that compares health educator delivery to self-instruction.

Abstract Objectives This paper describes the 2-year follow-up of a 12-session version of an indicated drug abuse prevention program, Project Towards No Drug Abuse (TND). Self-instruction programming often is used to help youth that are at high risk for dropout and drug abuse to complete their high school education. However, a health educator-led program is much more interactive. Methods The effects of self-instruction versus health educator-led versions of this curriculum were examined. Eighteen schools were randomly assigned by block to one of three conditions—standard care (control), health educator-led classroom program, and self-instruction classroom program. Subjects were followed up 1 and 2 years later. Two-year results are reported here. Results The self-instruction program produced no behavioral effects relative to the standard care control condition. The 2-year follow-up results indicated maintenance of program effects on cigarette smoking and hard drug use in the health educator-led version. Conclusions Project TND shows maintenance of effects on some drugs 2 years after program implementation, when most youth were young adults. More work is needed to learn how to maintain effects across substances. Continued exploration of modalities of implementation may be helpful.
TRANSPLACENTAL PASSAGE OF ANTI-CMV ANTIBODIES DURING IN UTERO INFECTION

Approximately 5-10% of infants infected in utero with cytomegalovirus (CMV) exhibit clinically apparent disease at birth with the remainder having subclinical infection. Although the maternal immune response has been implicated as a virulence factor in congenital infection, conventional serologic techniques have failed to clarify the role of transplacentally acquired maternal anti-CMV antibodies in the prevention of symptomatic congenital infection. To further elucidate the effect of maternal antibody on the development of symptomatic infection, we have utilized the Western immunoblot procedure to investigate both the quantity and the antigen-specificity of anti-CMV antibodies in the cord sera of 6 infants with symptomatic disease and 10 asymptomatic, congenitally infected infants. Both groups acquired CMV as a result of primary maternal infection. Antibodies directed against virion glycoproteins and capsid proteins were detected in both groups; however as a group, a stronger response was noted in sera from asymptomatic infants. Unexpectedly, maternal sera obtained at delivery from 12/16 of the infants contained a greater quantity of anti-CMV antibodies as well as reacting with additional virion proteins not detected by cord sera. These results indicated that transplacental passage of maternal anti-CMV antibodies was incomplete in the majority of infants studied. Furthermore, our findings suggested that maternal antibodies may play a role in the prevention of symptomatic congenital CMV infection which was not previously appreciated.