cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Deciphering the combinatorial histone code.

A new mass spectrometry (MS) approach has been developed, allowing combinatorial analysis of histone H3.2 post-translational modifications that may provide the key to unlocking the histone code.
Widespread and Efficient Transduction of Spinal Cord and Brain Following Neonatal AAV Injection and Potential Disease Modifying Effect in ALS Mice

The architecture of the spinal cord makes efficient delivery of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors throughout the neuraxis challenging. We describe a paradigm in which small amounts of virus delivered intraspinally to newborn mice result in robust rAAV-mediated transgene expression in the spinal cord. We compared the efficacy of rAAV2/1, 2/5, 2/8, and 2/9 encoding EGFP delivered to the hindlimb muscle (IM), cisterna magna (ICM), or lumbar spinal cord (IS) of neonatal pups. IS injection of all four capsids resulted in robust transduction of the spinal cord with rAAV2/5, 2/8, and 2/9 vectors appearing to be transported to brain. ICM injection resulted in widespread expression of EGFP in the brain, and upper spinal cord. IM injection resulted in robust muscle expression, with only rAAV2/8 and 2/9 transducing spinal motor and sensory neurons. As proof of concept, we use the IS paradigm to express murine Interleukin (IL)-10 in the spinal cord of the SOD1-G93A transgenic mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We show that expression of IL-10 in the spinal axis of SOD1-G93A mice altered the immune milieu and significantly prolonged survival. These data establish an efficient paradigm for somatic transgene delivery of therapeutic biologics to the spinal cord of mice.
Towards Automated Conceptual Design of Physical Dynamic Systems

SUMMARY Dynamic system design/configuration concepts and alternatives are systematically generated by two different approaches. The first is based on frequency response or immittance synthesis. The second is founded on ‘domain transformation’ and ‘alternative realization’. For system synthesis, the input-output relationships can be for systems that do not yet exist or partial systems that require extension. The synthesis technique indicates (1) how to configure a dynamic system such that its performance meets specifications or (2) if the specifications cannot be met under the initial constraints. Further, the synthesis indicates whether the design can be realized passively or must be designed actively. For the design of alternative systems, an existing system is transformed to an equivalent system from the point of view of output variables. Physical configurations and energetic domains are altered to give a designer insight into design solutions. Bond graphs serve as generalized representations of the dyn...
The ring of all complex polynomials versus the ring of all entire functions. A study in comparison and contrast

In this semi‐expository article both complex polynomials and entire functions are presented from the pointview of an algebraist. As algebraic structures their similarities and disagreements are brought out in this article.
Simultaneous determination of source terms in a linear parabolic problem from the final overdetermination: Weak solution approach

The problem of determining the pair w:={F(x,t);T0(t)} of source terms in the parabolic equation ut=(k(x)ux)x+F(x,t) and Robin boundary condition −k(l)ux(l,t)=v[u(l,t)−T0(t)] from the measured final data μT(x)=u(x,T) is formulated. It is proved that both components of the Frechet gradient of the cost functional J(w)=‖μT(x)−u(x,T:w)‖02 can be found via the same solution of the adjoint parabolic problem. Lipschitz continuity of the gradient is derived. The obtained results permit one to prove existence of a quasi-solution of the considered inverse problem, as well as to construct a monotone iteration scheme based on a gradient method.
The effects of psychological androgyny on attributions of causality for success and failure

Sixty female subjects and sixty male subjects, either sex-typed or androgynous, based on scores on the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI), made causal attributions for their own success or failure. Subjects also predicted future performance on a similar task. Sex differences were revealed which are only partially consistent with a cognitive-based expectancy model. It is suggested that outcome and ego involvement in the task are crucial factors in whether cognitive-based or more self-serving attributions are used in accounting for performance. Androgynous subjects predicted higher future performance. However, contrary to prediction, attributional behavior of androgynous and sex-typed subjects did not differ. Results are discussed in terms of rapidly changing views, in both the conceptualization and the measurement of psychological androgyny, since Bem's original report of behavioral correlates to scores on the BSRI.
Why might they be giants? Towards an understanding of polar gigantism

Beginning with the earliest expeditions to the poles, over 100 years ago, scientists have compiled an impressive list of polar taxa whose body sizes are unusually large. This phenomenon has become known as ‘polar gigantism’. In the intervening years, biologists have proposed a multitude of hypotheses to explain polar gigantism. These hypotheses run the gamut from invoking release from physical and physiological constraints, to systematic changes in developmental trajectories, to community-level outcomes of broader ecological and evolutionary processes. Here we review polar gigantism and emphasize two main problems. The first is to determine the true strength and generality of this pattern: how prevalent is polar gigantism across taxonomic units? Despite many published descriptions of polar giants, we still have a poor grasp of whether these species are unusual outliers or represent more systematic shifts in distributions of body size. Indeed, current data indicate that some groups show gigantism at the poles whereas others show nanism. The second problem is to identify underlying mechanisms or processes that could drive taxa, or even just allow them, to evolve especially large body size. The contenders are diverse and no clear winner has yet emerged. Distinguishing among the contenders will require better sampling of taxa in both temperate and polar waters and sustained efforts by comparative physiologists and evolutionary ecologists in a strongly comparative framework.
Proximal interphalangeal joint stiffness: measurement and analysis.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to quantify the stiffness of the human finger proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint and to study its relationship to different common clinical parameters. Methods Eighty-nine normal adult subjects had their PIP joints of the index, middle, and ring fingers evaluated using a computer-controlled moment-angle plotter. This device was used to measure stiffness and energy absorbed at the PIP joint during passive flexion and extension. Results The average overall stiffness was 0.05 N-cm/degree. There was a weak correlation between stiffness and energy absorbed and the size of the finger: they both increased with the size of the finger. The men's fingers were stiffer and absorbed more energy than the corresponding women's fingers. No significant associations were found between the time of day when the test took place, occupation, hobbies, or age with stiffness or absorbed energy. No significant differences were associated with hand dominance. The finger on the dominant hand had a larger circumference for both genders. Heavier individuals had more stiffness and absorbed more energy than lighter individuals. Conclusions The PIP joint stiffness was defined quantitatively and measured over a wide cross-section of a normal population. This may allow future studies to record the outcome of different treatments for finger joint stiffness objectively. The stiffness was greater in men and in larger fingers.
Optimization of parameters for specified path generation using an atlas of coupler curves of geared five-bar linkages

Abstract An atlas containing 732 coupler curves traced by the symmetric geared five-bar linkage has been drawn by the authors. Gear ratios of +1, −1, +2, −2, have been used. The data are presented either six or twelve curves to a page, arranged in axonometric projection to illustrate the envelope of a family of curves of that particular linkage geometry as the gearset phase angle isvaried. Dots on the curve represent uniform intervals of input crank angular displacement in order to provide coupler point velocity information. Other curves for parameters lying between those illustrated can be visually interpolated. Optimization techniques can be applied to modify the geometrics of a linkage parameters selected from the atlas as an approximate solution to the path motion desired. The origincurves are drawn on 11 × 17 sheets in four colors with a Benson-Varian xy plotter. Optimization algorithms are then used in conjunction with the atlas of linkage coupler curves to refine an initial selection of a desired motion path to achieve a particular motion with minimum deviation. The geared five-bar linkage is used as an example and a straight line generator is designed with less than 1% position error.
A ray-tracing analysis of fast-wave heating of tokamaks

The complete linear hot-plasma dispersion relation, derived from kinetic theory, is numerically solved for the ion cyclotron range of frequencies. A compact dispersion relation is obtained which is an accurate approximation for both fast and ion Bernstein waves. With the help of this dispersion relation, the three-dimensional ray equations for a tokamak geometry are solved, parabolic density and temperature profiles, the 1/R variation in the toroidal magnetic field, and the resulting poloidal magnetic field due to a rotational transform being incorporated. The ray-tracing analysis is applied to a conceptual design tokamak reactor. The results indicate the nature of the scaling of fast-wave heating to large tokamaks.
Learning kernels for variants of normalized cuts: Convex relaxations and applications

We propose a new algorithm for learning kernels for variants of the Normalized Cuts (NCuts) objective – i.e., given a set of training examples with known partitions, how should a basis set of similarity functions be combined to induce NCuts favorable distributions. Such a procedure facilitates design of good affinity matrices. It also helps assess the importance of different feature types for discrimination. Rather than formulating the learning problem in terms of the spectral relaxation, the alternative we pursue here is to work in the original discrete setting (i.e., the relaxation occurs much later). We show that this strategy is useful – while the initial specification seems rather difficult to optimize efficiently, a set of manipulations reveal a related model which permits a nice SDP relaxation. A salient feature of our model is that the eventual problem size is only a function of the number of input kernels and not the training set size. This relaxation also allows strong optimality guarantees, if certain conditions are satisfied. We show that the sub-kernel weights obtained provide a complementary approach for MKL based methods. Our experiments on Cal-tech101 and ADNI (a brain imaging dataset) show that the quality of solutions is competitive with the state-of-the-art.
Congenital circumscribed hypomelanosis: a characterization based on electron microscopic study of tuberous sclerosis, nevus depigmentosus, and piebaldism.

Subcellular defects of hypomelanosis in tuberous sclerosis (TS) (28 subjects) were compared by light and electron microscopy with other forms of congenital circumscribed hypomelanosis that occur in nevus depigmentosus (ND) (8 subjects) and in piebaldism (PB) (4 subjects), respectively. On the light microscopic level in both TS and ND, the population density of functioning melanocytes was normal but each perikaryon was small, and dopa activity was decreased. On the ultrastructural level, the hypomelanotic skin and hair of TS were associated with a decrease in the synthesis, melanization, and size of melanosomes; the decrease in the size of melanosomes resulted in the aggregation of melanosomes (i.e., a melanosome complex) in the keratinocytes in all the specimens examined. In ND, there were no obvious changes in the size and melanization of melanosomes. There was, however, an aggregation of melanosomes within the melanocytes. The hypomelanosis of ND is related to the decreased synthesis and also, perhaps, abnormal transfer of melanosomes. In PB, the hypomelanosis of the skin and hair results from the absence of functional melanocytes. The hypermelanotic areas of PB, however, characteristically contain melanocytes that synthesize abnormal (spherical and granular) as well as normal (ellipsoidal and lamellar) melanosomes.
Carbon transfer in a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) ecosystem

In a field experiment with 14C-labeled winter wheat conducted in the north-central region of the United States, crop-accumulated carbon (grain excluded) returned to the soil was found to be 542 g m−2 year−1. Almost half of the carbon from the underground compartment was released in the form of CO2 during the first 3 months after harvest due to very favorable conditions for biological activity. After 18 months, no less than 80% of the carbon from the plant residues was mineralized. About 16% of straw carbon and 24% of root carbon was transferred into soil organic matter. The annual rate of soil organic matter decomposition was approximated as 1.7%.
Con a voluntary workfare program change the behavior of welfare recipients? new evidence from washington state's family independence program (FIP)

This article examines a voluntary workfare demonstration program in Washington state—the Family Independence Program (FIP)—designed to encourage longer-term investments in employment and training (E&T) activities, with the ultimate objective of achieving economic self-sufficiency for welfare recipients. A unique longitudinal data set is used to compare E&T enrollment and the labor market and welfare outcomes for a sample of FIP clients and a comparison group of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) recipients subject to the state's mandatory workfare requirements. Correcting for self-selection, the estimates obtained indicate that FIP's combination of financial incentives, enhanced support services, and a more client-centered environment results in an E&T enrollment rate that is from 9 to 12 percentage points higher during the post-FIP June 1989 to May 1990 period than the rate for respondents subject to the state's workfare program. Relative to the enrollment rate calculated for nonparticipants, FIP net impact estimates in this range represent a 33 to 44 percent increase in E&T enrollment. These results offer a more positive assessment of the potential of a voluntary workfare program to affect the behavior of welfare recipients than does the large-scale FIP evaluation carried out by the Urban Institute. However, both the evidence presented here and the Urban Institute's evaluation suggest that FIP had little impact on employment and earnings but significantly increased welfare receipt and the level of welfare benefits.
The assessment of bulimic symptoms and personality correlates in female college students

A screening questionnaire for bulimic symptoms was completed by 244 college women. Approximately 79% reported binge eating (uncontrolled, excessive eating) occurrences. Twenty women (8.2% of the sample) reported self-induced vomiting after binge eating or "normal" meals. A subsample of 31 students were interviewed and administered the Restraint Scale, Compulsive Eating Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire, and The Tennessee Self Concept Scale. Results showed a number of significant differences among students who binged only (" bingers "), self-induced vomiting (" purgers "), or did not binge or purge ("controls"). Bingers and purgers showed greater restrained eating tendencies and compulsive eating behaviors. On the 16PF, purgers scored lower on Factor Q3, which suggests lowered will control and less regard for social demands. Purgers also showed lower self-esteem, particularly in the areas of identity and family self-concept.
Availability of metabolic fuels controls estrous cyclicity of Syrian hamsters

Food deprivation and weight loss inhibit ovulation and estrous behavior in Syrian hamsters. In the present experiments, lean hamsters were more susceptible to starvation-induced anestrus than fat hamsters. However, anestrus was not caused by changes in any dimension of body size per se, but instead by the availability of metabolic fuels. Simultaneous pharmacological blockade of both fatty acid oxidation and glycolysis inhibited reproduction, but, as long as one of these metabolic pathways could be used, estrous cycles continued. Thus, reproduction in female Syrian hamsters is sensitive to the general availability of oxidizable metabolic fuels.
The Appropriateness of Using the S-R Inventory of Anxiousness to Measure Sources of Behavioral Variability

The S-R Inventory of Anxiousness is critically ex amined for its appropriateness as a research strate gy to demonstrate sources of behavioral variance. The purpose, development, use of the inventory, and ensuing analysis are reviewed. Three major problems are discussed in light of the research questions. These problems include (1) the apparent lack of distinction between person and mode of response, (2) influence of the nonrandom selection of situation and mode of response on the results of the analysis, and (3) problems in specifying and as sessing the nature of person-situation interactions. Although initial efforts to statistically demonstrate variance contribution of interactions deserve recog nition, it is maintained that the variance compon ents approach and previous application of the S-R Inventory of Anxiousness do not lead to clarifying the specific nature of person-situation interactions in influencing anxiousness. Rather, it is suggested that future research on person-situation interactions wou...
Inhibition of airway hyperreactivity by oxybutynin chloride in subjects with cervical spinal cord injury.

Inhibition of airway hyperreactivity by oxybutynin chloride in subjects with cervical spinal cord injury
Quantum entanglement capacity with classical feedback

For any quantum discrete memoryless channel, we define a quantity called quantum entanglement capacity with classical feedback $({E}_{B})$, and we show that this quantity lies between two other well-studied quantities. These two quantities\char22{}namely the quantum capacity assisted by two-way classical communication $({Q}_{2})$ and the quantum capacity with classical feedback $({Q}_{B})$\char22{}are widely conjectured to be different: There exists a quantum discrete memoryless channel for which ${Q}_{2}g{Q}_{B}$. We then present a general scheme to convert any quantum error-correcting codes into adaptive protocols for this newly defined quantity of the quantum depolarizing channel, and illustrate with the repetition code and Shor code. We contrast the present notion with entanglement purification protocols by showing that, whilst the Leung-Shor protocol can be applied directly, recurrence methods need to be supplemented with other techniques but at the same time offer a way to improve the aforementioned repetition code. For the quantum depolarizing channel, we prove a formula that gives lower bounds on the quantum capacity with classical feedback from any ${E}_{B}$ protocols. We then apply this formula to the ${E}_{B}$ protocols that we discuss to obtain lower bounds on the quantum capacity with classical feedback of the quantum depolarizing channel.
REFLUX NEPHROPATHY IN INFANCY: A COMPARISON OF INFANTS PRESENTING WITH AND WITHOUT URINARY TRACT INFECTION

Purpose: We compared the incidence of renal scarring in infants with high grade vesicoureteral reflux in those presenting with and without urinary tract infection.Methods and Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 81 male and 46 female infants (194 renal refluxing units) with a mean age of 4 months who had grade IV or V primary vesicoureteral reflux and underwent an anti-reflux procedure between 1984 and 1997. Dimercapto-succinic acid (DMSA) scans and voiding cystourethrography were performed in all cases. Patients were followed for 2 to 16 years, including 90% for greater than 3 years. Renal ultrasound and DMSA scan were done at followup.Results: A total of 97 patients (76%) (148 refluxing renal units) presented clinically with urinary tract infection. The initial DMSA scan demonstrated renal scarring in 40 of the 106 grade IV (38%) and 28 of the 42 grade V (67%) refluxing renal units. There was no scarring on followup in previously normal refluxing renal units. Of the patients 30 (24%) (46 refluxin...
A Continuous Long Running Batch Orchestration Model for Workflow Instance Migration

Workflow engines which require process instances to run to completion against their creation model are limited in their ability to adapt to model changes. The technique of process instance migration can be used to migrate instances to a new process model, but at any given time only a fraction of instances may be in a state which is compatible with the new model. We propose a continuous batch approach for migration which treats migration itself as a long running problem. The continuous migration approach schedules and orchestrates the evaluation and migration of long running processes over time, controlled by configurable policies while maintaining continuous process availability. We have built a long running process migration simulation to test our approach, looking at both migration success and cost. The simulation confirms the need for a long running migration approach and yields some interesting suggestions for tuning the configuration of the migration system.
Formation of compressed flat electron beams with high transverse-emittance ratios

Flat beams---beams with asymmetric transverse emittances---have important applications in novel light-source concepts and advanced-acceleration schemes and could possibly alleviate the need for damping rings in lepton colliders. Over the last decade, a flat beam generation technique based on the conversion of an angular-momentum-dominated beam was proposed and experimentally tested. In this paper we explore the production of compressed flat beams. We especially investigate and optimize the flat beam transformation for beams with substantial fractional energy spread. We use as a simulation example the photoinjector of Fermilab's Advanced Superconducting Test Accelerator. The optimizations of the flat beam generation and compression at Advanced Superconducting Test Accelerator were done via start-to-end numerical simulations for bunch charges of 3.2 nC, 1.0 nC, and 20 pC at $\ensuremath{\sim}37\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}$. The optimized emittances of flat beams with different bunch charges were found to be $0.25\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ (emittance ratio is $\ensuremath{\sim}400$), $0.13\text{ }\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$, 15 nm before compression, and $0.41\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$, $0.20\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$, 16 nm after full compression, respectively, with peak currents as high as 5.5 kA for a $3.2\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{nC}$ flat beam. These parameters are consistent with requirements needed to excite wakefields in asymmetric dielectric-lined waveguides or produce significant photon flux using small-gap micro-undulators.
A panoramic walkthrough system with occlusion culling

The interactive and high quality rendering of very complex scenes in a virtual environment is very difficult if not impossible to achieve. This research extends our previous EGVE paper that presents a panoramic walkthrough system, allowing the user to move inside the datasets on a pre-defined track and look around interactively in both the horizontal and vertical directions. The interactivity is achieved by using Image-Based Rendering ideas to pre-compute the partial renderings for the reference viewpoints chosen on the track and store them on the server so that the client can retrieve and reconstruct novel views using the appropriate information. In this paper, we present simple and efficient methods to partition the scene into depth layers to avoid occlusion and dis-occlusion problems. We also present a novel track-dependent occlusion cullion algorithm to efficiently cull away unnecessary information. The system is tested using several scenes and provides realtime walkthroughs on even the most challenging scenes.
Differential effects of chronic ethanol feeding on cytochrome P-448- and P-450-mediated drug metabolism in the rat☆☆☆

Abstract The effects of chronic ethanol feeding on cytochrome P-448- and P-450-mediated drug metabolism have been studied both in vivo and in vitro in the rat, using caffeine, phenacetin, antipyrine and aminopyrine as test substrates. N -Demethylation of aminopyrine (P-450 mediated) was increased both in vivo and in vitro in rats after chronic ethanol feeding (P in vivo N -demethylation of caffeine and O -dealkylation of phenacetin (P-448 mediated) were unchanged in the same animals. N - rmDemethylation of antipyrine was increased by both phenobarbital and 3-methylcholanthrene pretreatment and by chronic ethanol feeding (P K m , for hepatic microsomal aminopyrine N -demethylase and antipyrine N -demethylase were lower in chronic ethanol-fed animals (P
Simultaneous collision induced dissociation of the charge reduced parent ion during electron capture dissociation.

A method of performing collision induced dissociation (CID) on the charge-reduced parent ion as it is formed during electron capture dissociation (ECD), called ECD+CID, is described. In ECD+CID, the charge-reduced parent ion is selectively activated using resonant excitation and collisions with the helium bath gas inside a linear quadrupole ion trap ECD device (ECDLIT). It has been observed that ECD+CID can improve the sequence coverage for β-endorphin over performing ECD alone (i.e., from 72 to 97%). Perhaps just as important, ECD+CID can be used to reduce the extent of multiple electron capture events observed when performing ECD in the ECDLIT. Consequently, the abundance of mass-to-charge ratios corresponding to ECD product ions that contain neutralized protons is decreased, simplifying the interpretation of the product ion spectrum.
Personal and ecological assets and academic competence in early adolescence: The mediating role of school engagement.

Although the role of school engagement in influencing children’s academic competence has been recognized in past theory and research, how school engagement may mediate the relationships between ecological and personal resources and academic competence remains largely unknown. Using structural equation modeling procedures, the present study was aimed at examining the role of school engagement in mediating the associations between ecological and personal assets and academic competence. Data from 960 participants (45.6% boys) who took part in the Grades 5 and 6 assessments of the longitudinal, 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development were used. Evidence was found for a model positing two distinct school engagement components, Behavioral and Emotional, and for the role of these facets of school engagement in the relationships between developmental assets and later academic competence. Personal and ecological assets had indirect effects on later academic competence, via behavioral and emotional school engagement. Behavioral and emotional school engagement predicted academic competence differently. Emotional engagement was indirectly linked to academic competence, via behavioral engagement. Behavioral and emotional engagement also had different individual and contextual antecedents. Implications of the findings for evaluating the role of behavioral and/or emotional school engagement in academic competence and positive youth development are discussed.
Comparison of relative efficiencies of sampling plans excluding certain neighboring units: a simulation study

Ecological and environmental studies frequently involve work in settings where some physical conditions influence the effectiveness of standard sampling plans. These studies may require expensive and time-consuming sampling processes. These conditions motivate researchers to find sampling plans that provide the highest precision at the lowest cost. Several sampling plans that exclude some types of ‘neighboring’ units are discussed in this article. Sampling of this type is called sampling excluding neighboring units and is a two-dimensional adaptation of balanced sampling excluding contiguous units [Hedayat, A.S., Rao, C.R. and Stufken, J., 1988, Sampling designs excluding contiguous units. Journal of Statistical Planning and Inference, 19, 159–170]. Key features of this article are: (i) the construction of sampling plans designed to yield representative samples by avoiding the simultaneous selection of units that are, in some sense, neighbors; (ii) a simulation study which compares the relative efficienci...
Acyclovir prophylaxis to prevent herpes simplex virus recurrence at delivery: a systematic review.

Abstract Objective Genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is one of the most common viral sexually transmitted diseases in the United States. Perinatal transmission of the virus to the fetus or neonate is a major concern in affected pregnancies. Our objective was to systematically review published data to estimate the effect of prophylactic acyclovir provided to pregnant women near term on the rate of recurrent genital herpes at delivery; the number of cesarean deliveries performed for clinical HSV recurrences or prodromal symptoms; and the prevalence of HSV virologic detection at delivery. Data sources Our search included MEDLINE (1966–March 2003), LILACS, EMBASE, conference proceedings, abstracts from scientific forums and bibliographies of published articles with the following medical headings: acyclovir, pregnancy, Herpes viridae, and Herpesviridae. Methods of study selection Prospectively designed criteria included randomized, clinical trials detailing the use of acyclovir in pregnancy for women with HSV published in either abstract or article form. Five trials with a total enrollment of 799 patients were included in the analysis. Tabulation, integration, and results The studies were reviewed independently by three of the authors. With RevMan software, a fixed-effects model was used to calculate a summary odds ratio (OR) comparing the effect of treatment with placebo. Acyclovir prophylaxis beginning at 36 weeks' gestation was effective in reducing clinical HSV recurrences at the time of delivery (OR 0.25; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.15, 0.40), cesarean deliveries for clinical recurrence genital herpes (OR 0.30; 95% CI 0.13, 0.67), total HSV detection at delivery (OR 0.11; 95% CI 0.04, 0.31), and asymptomatic HSV shedding at delivery (OR 0.09; 95% CI 0.02, 0.39). Conclusion The results of this meta-analysis indicate that prophylactic acyclovir beginning at 36 weeks' gestation reduces the risk of clinical HSV recurrence at delivery, cesarean delivery for recurrent genital herpes, and the risk of HSV viral shedding at delivery.
Interpreting four-quark interactions in finite-temperature, SU(2), lattice gauge theory.

Associated with the finite-temperature lattice gauge theory is an effective theory of Wilson lines. The strength of the four-line interaction has been measured by Monte Carlo simulation in earlier work. This paper adds perspective to the numerical work in two ways. First, the physical interpretation of the four-line coupling is given. Second, the relationship with critical behavior in three-dimensional scalar theories is established. On this basis, a complete postdiction of the numerical results can be given.
Development of a Rat Model to Test the Nutritional Equivalency of Traditional vs Fabricated Foods: Cheddar Cheese vs Fabricated Cheddar Cheese

Based on the Food & Drug Administration's proposed 1978 standards for “nutritional equivalency,” we have developed a biological assay designed to test the “nutritional equivalency” of traditional vs fabricated foods using cheddar cheese and fabricated cheddar cheese as examples. Diets were formulated that lacked the FDA proposed vitamin and mineral requirements (riboflavin, vitamins B-12 and A, calcium, phosphorus, zinc) for cheese substitutes. By adding traditional or fabricated cheddar cheese to such diets, we were able to compare the overall presence and bioavailability of the vitamins/minerals required for nutritional equivalency. Throughout the 28 day test, the fabricated cheddar cheese did not support the growth of male Sprague-Dawley rats as well as cheddar cheese did.
Government policy and economic growth: a comparative analysis of the Maghrib experience

Subsequent to a post‐independence era beginning in the late 1950s ‐ a period characterised by government dirigisme, debt crisis and economic stagnation ‐decision‐makers in the Maghrib region reluctantly reexamined their policies and agreed to implement economic reforms and International Monetary Fund (IMF) debt stabilisation programmes in the mid‐1980s. Yet, despite significant progress toward market liberalisation and stabilisation since that time, growth in the region remains below expectations. Using a time‐series regression growth model, this study offers a comparative analysis of the effects of government policy on economic growth from 1970 to 1999 in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. While there is strong statistical evidence of a downward convergence towards a steady‐state level of output in all three countries, government spending in particular has been detrimental to economic growth in these North African developing economies. However, the findings regarding monetary policy, trade openness and export...
Mechanisms of prostate cancer progression to androgen independence.

Prostate cancer is a major health problem in the United States and worldwide. In 2007, more than 27,000 men were estimated to have died from prostate cancer in the United States alone. Although important advances have been made in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer, therapies focused on the removal or inhibition of androgen action remain the most important components of therapy for individuals with metastatic disease. Despite the application of such modalities, the vast majority of patients with metastatic disease progress with a median survival of less than 2 years. A number of different mechanisms have been identified that may potentially contribute to the progression of prostate cancer. These insights suggest that signaling via the androgen receptor (AR) – either via alternate signaling pathways impinging on the AR or through the in situ formation of androgens within progressive tumors – is an important contributor to such progressive disease. It is anticipated that such mechanistic insights will lead to the development of useful new therapies in the future.
Significance of Measurement of Plasma Volume and of Indirect Estimation of Red Cell Volume

Total blood volume (TBV) and red cell volume (RCV) determinations have become an established diagnostic procedure in a variety of conditions; they are being used increasingly to estimate the requirement of blood transfusion. A common laboratory practice is to determine indirectly the RCV and/or the TBV by measuring the plasma volume (PV) and the venous hematocrit (VH). This procedure is technically simple and has been made popular by a number of semiautomatic electronic devices. In the healthy population we find results of the direct and the indirect measure of the RCV to be not statistically different, although they may differ by as much as ± 10% in individual cases. Larger discrepancies between the results of the two methods have been reported in patients by numerous investigators. In the present study the RCV based on the PV was found to be significantly larger in many patients than the RCV measured directly by tagging of red cells. Emphasis is here placed on the severity of this discrepancy in the general bed-patient population. The differences in the RCV cannot be explained alone by the variability of the hematocrit in the large and small vessels, but must involve an early loss of the albumin and/or the tag from the vascular bed. These findings cast doubt on the validity of the measure of the PV, and consequently of the estimated RCV, in a considerable number of patients. It will be shown that the discrepancies noted can be reduced significantly by basing the measure of the plasma volume on the highest T-1824 density or on the highest 131I (RISA) activity obtained three to ten minutes postinfusion of the tag.
Provision and Exclusion The Dual Face of Services to Battered Women in Three Deep South States

This article examines service provision to battered women in three Deep South states by presenting findings from qualitative interviews with executive directors of 44 agencies for battered women. Drawing on social conflict and social constructionist theories, the authors explored ways in which administrators make use of scarce resources, defining women as either appropriate or inappropriate for services. Women of color, lesbians, middle-class women, rural women, the homeless, the mentally ill, and elderly women were often viewed in stereotypical ways. Thus, agencies were not always responsive to their needs and, in some cases, excluded them entirely from shelter or other services.
The Intersection of Emotional Intelligence and Corporate Financial Decision Making

Financial decisions are now so complicated that financial managers need strong “people” skills to ac-company their technical and financial strengths. Choosing the right mix of raw intellect and emotional balance can often determine not only how complete your financial proposals are but also how well re-ceived they will be by the management team that has to implement the concepts. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Activation of TLR4 Is Required for the Synergistic Induction of Dual Oxidase 2 and Dual Oxidase A2 by IFN-γ and Lipopolysaccharide in Human Pancreatic Cancer Cell Lines

Pancreatitis is associated with release of proinflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species and plays an important role in the development of pancreatic cancer. We recently demonstrated that dual oxidase (Duox)2, an NADPH oxidase essential for reactive oxygen species-related, gastrointestinal host defense, is regulated by IFN-γ-mediated Stat1 binding to the Duox2 promoter in pancreatic tumor lines. Because LPS enhances the development and invasiveness of pancreatic cancer in vivo following TLR4-related activation of NF-κB, we examined whether LPS, alone or combined with IFN-γ, regulated Duox2. We found that upregulation of TLR4 by IFN-γ in BxPC-3 and CFPAC-1 pancreatic cancer cells was augmented by LPS, resulting in activation of NF-κB, accumulation of NF-κB (p65) in the nucleus, and increased binding of p65 to the Duox2 promoter. TLR4 silencing with small interfering RNAs, as well as two independent NF-κB inhibitors, attenuated LPS- and IFN-γ-mediated Duox2 upregulation in BxPC-3 cells. Induction of Duox2 expression by IFN-γ and LPS may result from IFN-γ-related activation of Stat1 acting in concert with NF-κB-related upregulation of Duox2. Sustained extracellular accumulation of H(2)O(2) generated by exposure to both LPS and IFN-γ was responsible for an ∼50% decrease in BxPC-3 cell proliferation associated with a G(1) cell cycle block, apoptosis, and DNA damage. We also demonstrated upregulation of Duox expression in vivo in pancreatic cancer xenografts and in patients with chronic pancreatitis. These results suggest that inflammatory cytokines can interact to produce a Duox-dependent pro-oxidant milieu that could increase the pathologic potential of pancreatic inflammation and pancreatic cancer cells.
Integrating Varieties of Life Course Concepts

A body of work referred to as the “life course” framework (also known as “life course theory,” the “life course paradigm,” and the “life course perspective”) has been increasingly used to motivate and justify the examination of the relationships among variables in social and behavioral science, particularly in the study of population health and aging. Yet, there is very little agreement on what some of these concepts mean, and there is hardly any agreement on what the “life course” is. This article focuses on the different ways in which the concept of “life course” is used in the contemporary study of aging and human development, particularly with regard to health and well-being. Clarification is given for how “life course” is distinguished from “life span” and “life cycle,” among other “life” words. This work reviews the conceptual literature on the life course, beginning with its formative years in the 1960s and 1970s, through to the present time. Detailed research of several literatures across disciplines revealed five different uses of the term “life course”: (a) life course as time or age, (b) life course as life stages, (c) life course as events, transitions, and trajectories, (d) life course as life-span human development, and (e) life course as early life influences (and their cumulation) on later adult outcomes. To the extent the concept of life course has a multiplicity of meanings that are at variance with one another, this is problematic, as communication is thereby hindered. On the other hand, to the extent the concept of life course involves a rich tapestry of different emphases, this is a good thing, and the diversity of meanings should be retained. This paper proposes a conceptual integration based in part on Riley’s age stratification model that resolves the various meanings of life course into one general framework. Coupled with a demographic conceptualization of the life course, this framework embeds the concept of “life course” within a broader perspective of life-span development. This framework is proposed as an integrated perspective for studying the causes and consequences of “life course events and transitions” and understanding the manner by which “life events” and the role transitions they signify influence the life-span development of outcomes of interest across stages of the life cycle.
Cycling in ecosystems: An individual based approach

Abstract Cycling index is an important ecological indicator used in ecosystem analysis. The higher the cycling in an ecosystem, the higher the utilization of mass and energy within the system before it is lost due to respiration and other factors. For a stock-flow type ecosystem model at steady state, Finn’s cycling index (FCI) can be computed using simple matrix algebra. However, it is difficult to measure how well this index represents the actual cycling occurring in the system. In this paper, we study cycling in ecological networks using an individual based approach (particle tracking algorithm). This new simulation method provides access to the pathway data of individual particles that flow in the system, therefore one can quantify cycling using this pathway data quite literally. We used particle tracking simulations (PTS) to compute a cycling index using Finn’s idea of flux based cycling. Our simulation based results (using no matrix algebra) agree with Finn’s cycling index, verifying the accuracy of both the PTS, and the original linear algebraic formulation of FCI.
Active learning with Web technology - just in time

This paper reports on the implementation of a just in time teaching (JiTT) approach at Humboldt State University (HSU) to teach introduction to environmental resources engineering and science. Just-in-time teaching (JiTT) is a Web-based classroom strategy that combines active learning classroom activities and World Wide Web resources that are used to enhance the classroom component. At HSU, students complete Blackboard/spl reg/ quizzes that are due by electronic transmission a short time before class begins. Instructors review the responses "just in time" and adjust and organize lessons based on those student responses. Feedback from the students after one semester indicated that 93% thought the JiTT approach improved their learning. The students come to class prepared and already engaged with the material. The instructor has already assessed the students' acquired knowledge, as well as misconceptions, and, can better judge how classroom time should be spent. This effort is funded by an NSF CCLI grant.
Borrelia burgdorferi Harbors a Transport System Essential for Purine Salvage and Mammalian Infection

Borrelia burgdorferi is the tick-borne bacterium that causes the multistage inflammatory disease Lyme disease. B. burgdorferi has a reduced genome and lacks the enzymes required for de novo synthesis of purines for synthesis of RNA and DNA. Therefore, this obligate pathogen is dependent upon the tick vector and mammalian host environments for salvage of purine bases for nucleic acid biosynthesis. This pathway is vital for B. burgdorferi survival throughout its infectious cycle, as key enzymes in the purine salvage pathway are essential for the ability of the spirochete to infect mice and critical for spirochete replication in the tick. The transport of preformed purines into the spirochete is the first step in the purine salvage pathway and may represent a novel therapeutic target and/or means to deliver antispirochete molecules to the pathogen. However, the transport systems critical for purine salvage by B. burgdorferi have yet to be identified. Herein, we demonstrate that the genes bbb22 and bbb23, present on B. burgdorferi's essential plasmid circular plasmid 26 (cp26), encode key purine transport proteins. BBB22 and/or BBB23 is essential for hypoxanthine transport and contributes to the transport of adenine and guanine. Furthermore, B. burgdorferi lacking bbb22-23 was noninfectious in mice up to a dose of 1 × 10(7) spirochetes. Together, our data establish that bbb22-23 encode purine permeases critical for B. burgdorferi mammalian infectivity, suggesting that this transport system may serve as a novel antimicrobial target for the treatment of Lyme disease.
The vesicular ATPase: A missing link between acidification and exocytosis

The vesicular adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) acidifies intracellular compartments, including synaptic vesicles and secretory granules. A controversy about a second function of this ATPase in exocytosis has been fuelled by questions about multiple putative roles of acidification in the exocytic process. Now, Poea-Guyon et al. (2013. J. Cell Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201303104) present new evidence that the vesicular ATPase performs separate acidification and exocytosis roles and propose a mechanism for how these two functions are causally linked.