cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Generalized data structures in Madcap VI

The data structures proposed for the Madcap VI programming language are described. The declaration, value specification, and referencing of these structures are defined formally and their implementation using "codewords" is discussed. A structure declaration has the form of a directed tree, and a structure itself, since it can contain references to other structures, including itself, has the form of a directed graph. Levels of the tree may be ordered or unordered. Variables of primitive data-type (real, complex, etc.) are naturally considered as empty structures. The possibility for both multi-and fractional-word representation of structures is evident, but, of course the language itself is implementation independent. Thus a field is equivalent to a sub-structure. The Madcap VI generalized data structures are compared to data structure concepts in PL/1.
Five Methods to Score the Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation Checklist and to Examine Group Differences

This study compared 5 scoring methods in terms of their statistical assumptions. They were then used to score the Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation Checklist, a measure consisting of 3 subscales and 21 Likert-type items. The 5 methods used were (a) sum/average scores of items, (b) latent factor scores with continuous indicators, (c) latent factor scores with ordered categorical indicators using the mean- and variance-adjusted weighted least squares estimation method, (d) latent factor scores with ordered categorical indicators using the full information maximum likelihood estimation method, and (e) multidimensional graded response model using the Bock-Aitkin expectation-maximization estimation procedure. Measurement invariance between gender groups and between free/reduced-price lunch status groups was evaluated with the second, third, fourth, and fifth methods. Group mean differences based on the 5 methods were calculated and compared.
Insulin Resistance, Hemostatic Factors, and Hormone Interactions in Pre- and Perimenopausal Women: SWAN

We evaluated the association of hemostatic factors with insulin resistance in relation to reproductive hormones including FSH, estradiol, testosterone, and SHBG. SHBG was used to calculate the free estradiol index and free androgen index. We studied 3,200 women, aged 42-52 yr, in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation, a prospective multiethnic study of the menopausal transition. We measured the hemostatic factors, fibrinogen, factor VIIc, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1), as well as glucose and insulin to calculate insulin resistance. After adjustment for body mass index, site, and ethnicity, SHBG was correlated with PAI-1 (partial r = -0.30) and t-PA (partial r = -0.12). Although testosterone was associated with t-PA (partial r = 0.13) and PAI-1 (partial r = 0.07), free androgen index was strongly correlated with t-PA (partial r = 0.18) and PAI-1 (partial r = 0.26). SHBG modified the association of hemostatic factors with insulin resistance. Women with greater insulin resistance had lower SHBG and higher PAI-1. Estrogen measures were not associated with insulin resistance. The influence of sex hormones on hemostatic factors and insulin resistance is poorly understood. SHBG, which influences the amount of bioavailable hormone, significantly modified the association of PAI-1 and t-PA with insulin resistance. The longitudinal Study of Women's Health Across the Nation will help us discern whether this interaction contributes to heart disease and diabetes among postmenopausal women.
The Effect of Acupuncture on Low Back Pain

Unknown etiology of low back pain by acupuncture in four groups: Group I (no surgery); Group II (one laminectomy); Group III (more than one laminectomy with or without spinal fusion) and Group IV (one or more than one laminectomy with severance of nerve between central nerve system and peripheral nerve). Twenty patients in each group, except ten in Group IV, were treated twice a week for six week. Functional improvement and decreased sensitivity to weather was significant. Results were evaluated into four classes: Class 3 (no pain, no drugs, no functional disability); Class 2 (pain, no drugs; no functional disability); Class 1 (pain with drug less one-half than it was before treatment; improvement of functional disability) and Class 0 (no effect on pain; durg and functional disability). Completely well (Class 3) patients in Groups I, II, III and IV were 50% 35%, 30% and 20%, respectively. Their prognosis was followed up to 2 months. Reduction of drugs (aspirin preparation, synthetic analgesics, narcotics,...
Underexploited Village Resources

Developing country villages contain plants, animals and technologies whose extraordinary potentials are poorly appreciated by scientists. Examples of nutritious village crops that are still largely undeveloped and unappreciated outside their traditional villages are the winged bean, amaranths and the tepary bean. Tropical tree legumes, such as leucaena, grow fast and fix nitrogen and -- although barely studied by foresters -- are promising sources for village firewood and lumber. There are several animals with great promise for use in villages. The water buffalo is a gentle, productive village resource, neglected by the Western world. The banteng is a heat-tolerant species (not breed) of small cow used by Indonesian villagers and unknown elsewhere in the tropics. And Papua New Guinea's new village farms for crocodiles and butterflies graphically demonstrate that wildlife husbandry can be valuable for remote rural areas, despite its neglect by animal science. Among exceptionally useful village technologies, an example is the amazingly efficient cooking system used on the small Indonesian islands of Roti and Sumba, which has so far been described only in Captain Cook's journals.
TAT-Bim induces extensive apoptosis in cancer cells.

Suppression of apoptosis is central to the development of cancer and is associated with resistance to modern adjuvant treatments. Therefore, molecules and pathways of apoptotic processes are critical targets for the development of anti-cancer therapeutics. Since apoptosis is executed by intracellular proteins, molecular approaches must incorporate a method to deliver the treatment into the tumor cells. We utilized a peptide that contains two domains, a peptide transduction domain derived from the HIV-1 TAT protein and a biological effector domain, the BH3 domain from the pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member Bim. We examined whether this construct (TAT-Bim) induced apoptosis in several cancer cell lines (T-cell lymphoma (EL4), pancreatic cancer (Panc-02), and melanoma (B16)) and whether TAT-Bim treatment synergized with radiation. A mutant TAT-Bim peptide with no biologic activity (TAT-Bim-inactive) was used as a control. C57/BL6 mice were challenged with syngeneic cancer cell lines and the effects of intratumoral TAT-Bim injection on tumor growth and host survival were determined. TAT-Bim was internalized by all cancer cells within two hours. TAT-Bim resulted in apoptosis in a dose dependent fashion in all cell lines and sublethal irradiation augmented the effects of TAT-Bim induced apoptosis. TAT-Bim significantly slowed tumor growth in murine models of pancreatic cancer and melanoma. TAT-Bim exemplifies a strategy for cancer therapy that involves inducing apoptosis by antagonizing the endogenous anti-apoptotic machinery. Small peptide therapeutics, in combination with traditional adjuvant therapies such as radiation, may provide a valuable ‘second hit’ and drive tumor cells into programmed cell death.
Determinants of Multiple Informant Agreement on Child and Adolescent Behavior

This study examined whether characteristics of behavioral items reported by parent and child are related to parent–child agreement. Data were collected from 20 judges rating 59 child behaviors on 11 dimensions hypothesized to affect parent–child agreement. Data from 675 parent–child dyads (85% female caregivers, 62% male children, aged 7–17) reporting on 59 child behaviors were used to examine agreement. Behavior characteristics accounted for 43% of variability in parent–child agreement. Three components, saliency to the parent, saliency to the child, and observability/willingness to report, contributed uniquely to prediction of agreement.
Determination of the hydrogen sensitivity and depth resolution of medium-energy, time-of-flight, forward-recoil spectrometry

Abstract Medium energy time-of-flight forward recoil spectrometry has been developed recently as a complement to conventional ion beam analysis methods such as nuclear reaction analysis and elastic recoil detection. Here we report measurements of the minimum detectable surface concentration and near surface depth resolution for hydrogen by forward recoil spectrometry using a number of beam species and energies. The primary physical limitations encountered in these measurements are identified and discussed. Using an 810 keV Ar3+ beam, H on a carbon substrate can, in principle, be detected at areal densities as low as 1 × 1013 H/cm2. A 540 keV O2+ beam has been found to be a suitable choice for depth profiling of H in Si achieving a resolution of approximately 6 nm near the surface. Examples are given which demonstrate the utility of the technique for hydrogen profiling.
Extremes of human heat tolerance: life at the precipice of thermoregulatory failure

Abstract 1. Human life is sustainable only below an internal temperature of roughly 42–44 °C. Yet our ability to survive at severe environmental extremes is testimony to the marvels of integrative human physiology. 2. One approach to understanding human thermoregulatory capacity is to examine the upper limits of thermal balance between man and the air environment, i.e. the maximal environmental conditions under which humans can maintain a steady-state core temperature. Heat acclimation expands the zone of thermal balance. 3. Human beings can and do, often willingly, tolerate extreme heat stresses well above these thermal balance limits. Survival in all such cases is limited to abbreviated exposure times, which in turn are limited by the robustness of the thermoregulatory response. 4. Figures are provided that relate tolerance time and the rate of change in core temperature to environmental characteristics based on data compiled from the literature.
The role of interferon in the new era of hepatitis C treatments.

Interferon has been the backbone of HCV treatment since this agent was first introduced nearly two decades ago. Interferon acts to eradicate HCV via two mechanisms: by directly inhibiting HCV replication via an indirect anti-viral mechanism and by modulating an immune response against hepatocytes infected with HCV. The current treatment of chronic HCV genotype 1 is the combination of peginterferon, ribavirin and a single direct acting anti-viral agent (DAA). Within the next 1–2 years multiple DAA combinations will eradicate and cure HCV at high rates without interferon. The role interferon will play in the next era of HCV treatment will depend upon balancing cost, efficacy and the development of an interferon with a more favorable adverse event profile.
SCF calculation of the structure, force field, and dipole function of cyanoacetylene

Abstract Ab initio electronic-structure calculations are reported for linear geometries of cyanoacetylene. Fully optimized structures are calculated by SCF methods using both a 3–21G basis and a 6–31G** basis and found to agree with the published microwave structure. Energies and dipoles are reported at a total of forty geometries near the equilibrium geometry. Both energy and dipole derivatives (first and higher order) are presented. These higher-order energy derivatives indicate that the observed spectra congestion in cyanoacetylene cannot be accounted for by classical Fermi resonance theory.
Characterization of phosphotyrosine containing proteins at the cholinergic synapse

Tyrosine phosphorylation has been associated with several aspects of the regulation of cholinergic synaptic function, including nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) desensitization as well as the synthesis and clustering of synaptic components. While some progress has been made in elucidating the molecular events initiating such signals, the downstream targets of these tyrosine kinase pathways have yet to be characterized. In this paper we have used molecular cloning techniques to identify proteins which are tyrosine phosphorylated at the cholinergic synapse. Phosphotyrosine containing proteins (PYCPs) were isolated from the electric organ of Torpedo californica by anti-phosphotyrosine immunoaffinity chromatography. Peptide sequencing and expression cloning then identified the isolated proteins. The proteins identified included heat shock protein 90, type III intermediate filament from Torpedo electric organ, alpha-fodrin, beta-tubulin, actin and rapsyn. These tyrosine phosphorylated proteins may play a role in the regulation of synaptic function by tyrosine kinases.
Ballistic resistance analysis of double-layered composite material structures

Abstract The spherical cavity expansion theory is applied. Considered are the effects of the resistance of the projectile nose and the friction of the projectile shank on the penetration depths and residual velocities of the projectiles. By progressively increasing the depth of penetration into double-layered composite targets, we adopted numerical calculation manner to develop the analytical model that determined the residual velocities, ballistic limit velocities, and penetration depths of the ogival nose projectiles during normal impact with double-layered composite targets of varying thicknesses. We also used NATO 0.30″ armor piercing (AP) bullets to strike double-layered composite targets made from 6061-T651 aluminum, 5083-H116 aluminum, polycarbonate (PC), and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) plates for the ballistic tests. The analytical model predictions show well agreement with experimental results from Dey et al. (Int. J. Solids Struct. 44 (2007) 6701–6723.), Borvik et al. (Proceedings of the SEM Annual Conference, 2009), and the present ballistic tests.
Combination of green tea, phytic acid, and inositol reduced the incidence of azoxymethane-induced colon tumors in Fisher 344 male rats

Abstract Epidemiological studies have shown an inverse relationship between consumption of nutritive/non-nutritive foods of plant origin and colon cancer incidence. This study was conducted to determine the effect of green tea, phytic acid, and inositol at 2 g/100 ml levels singly and in combination on azoxymethane (AOM) induced colon tumors in Fisher 344 male rats. After an acclimatization period of one week, 8 groups of rats (15 rats each) were initially assigned to consume AIN 93G and later AIN 93M diet. All treatments were given in drinking water. All the rats received 16 mg/kg body mass AOM, two s/c injections at seven and eight week of age. Rats were killed at 46 week of age by CO2 euthanasia. Tumor incidence (percent) and tumors per tumor-bearing rat (TBR) in the control were significantly higher ( P 0.05 ) than all treatment groups. Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity was significantly higher in treatment groups compared to control. These findings suggest that the additive effect of green tea, phytic acid and inositol may reduce the incidence of colon tumors, and can also be used as an adjuvant to chemomodulation.
Anaerobic oxidation of Hg(0) and methylmercury formation by Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ND132

Abstract The transformation of inorganic mercury (Hg) to methylmercury (MeHg) plays a key role in determining the amount of Hg that is bioaccumulated in aquatic food chains. An accurate knowledge of Hg methylation mechanisms is required to predict the conditions that promote MeHg production in aquatic environments. In this study, we conducted experiments to examine the oxidation and methylation of dissolved elemental mercury [Hg(0)] by the anaerobic bacterium Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ND132. Anoxic cultures of D. desulfuricans ND132 were exposed to Hg(0) in the dark, and samples were collected and analyzed for the loss of Hg(0), formation of non-purgeable Hg, and formation of MeHg over time. We found that D. desulfuricans ND132 rapidly transformed dissolved gaseous mercury into non-purgeable Hg, with bacterial cultures producing approximately 40 μg/L of non-purgeable Hg within 30 min, and as much as 800 μg/L of non-purgeable Hg after 36 h. Derivatization of the non-purgeable Hg in the cell suspensions to diethylmercury and analysis of Hg(0)-reacted D. desulfuricans ND132 cells using X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy demonstrated that cell-associated Hg was dominantly in the oxidized Hg(II) form. Spectral comparisons and linear combination fitting of the XANES spectra indicated that the oxidized Hg(II) was covalently bonded to cellular thiol functional groups. MeHg analyses revealed that D. desulfuricans ND132 produced up to 118 μg/L of methylmercury after 36 h of incubation. We found that a significant fraction of the methylated Hg was exported out of the cell and released into the culture medium. The results of this work demonstrate a previously unrecognized pathway in the mercury cycle, whereby anaerobic bacteria produce MeHg when provided with dissolved Hg(0) as their sole Hg source.
Response properties of spinal interneurons in awake, behaving primates

Abstract This paper reviews studies on spinal interneurons in awake, behaving monkeys inspired by the work of Prof Patrick D. Wall. Early studies documented the sensory responses of spinal interneurons in unanesthetized monkeys to natural cutaneous and proprioceptive stimulation. More recently, cervical interneurons were documented in monkeys performing an active step-tracking task. During alternating wrist movements, most task-related internervous showed bidirectional activity, firing during both flexion and extension (in surprising contrast to the unidirectional activity of muscles and corticomotoneuronal cells). Premotor interneurons were identified by post-spike effects in spike-triggered averages of forelimb muscle activity. The cells' post-spike effects were generally congruent with their activity in their preferred direction, although many fired during components of movement when their output effects would seem inappropriate. In an instructed delay period task many interneurons showed preparatory delay period activity, much like cortical neurons. Other studies tested the excitability of corticospinal axons to electrical stimulation and demonstrated both post-spike and task-related modulations in excitability. Together, these studies suggest that many behavioral functions of spinal interneurons remain to be revealed by recording their activity in awake, behaving animals.
Overdetermined photoelastic solutions using least squares

The least-squares method is presented for obtaining an overdetermined solution from the various relationships available in photoelastic stress analysis. Equations are presented for incorporating the various relations into a weighted least-squares solution and advantages of this method are illustrated in two example problems. In addition to the greater accuracy possible in the overdetermined solution, the method permits weighting of the varied information and eliminates the need to separately determine the stress-optical constant. Variations of the method are discussed.
Mill, paternalism, and slavery

Mill proceeds to defend the nonenforcement of slavery contracts on the ground that this interference with a person's liberty is for the sake of that same person's liberty; respect for liberty does not require that we allow a person to abdicate liberty. This position of Mill's has been taken to be an exception to his well-known opposition to strong paternalism.' Those unwilling to embrace strong paternalism have been forced to seek other justifications for the law's refusal to enforce slavery contracts.2 Without suggesting that these approaches are unsuccessful, I want to suggest that they are unnecessary. They are unnecessary because, as I shall argue, there is no need to justify the refusal to enforce slavery contracts. Under what circumstances is it necessary to justify an action or a governmental policy? Moral justification is necessary only when there is some prima fade objection to the action or policy. Unless there is some prima facie objection, the action or policy is either morally neutral or morally desirable; in those cases no justification is necessary. I shall argue that there is no prima fade objection to the nonenforcement of slavery contracts, and thus that we need neither seek paternalistic justifications nor alternative justifications for such nonenforcement. Mill and, I suspect, others who have sought to justify the refusal to enforce slavery contracts have found the prima fade objection in the assumption that nonenforcement constitutes an interference with the liberty of the would-be slave (henceforth: 'slave'). Accordingly, in the above quotation we find Mill speaking of the 'ground for thus limiting [the slave's] power of voluntarily disposing of his own lot in life.' This,
Fish Model for Toxicity Screening Studies for Qatar: Killifish Breeding & Developmental Stages

Abstract Background: The use of Arabian killifish embryos is proposed as an alternative to using juvenile or adult fish for environmental risk studies. Fish embryo toxicity (FET) methods can provide many benefits; they are considered animal alternatives, they require relatively small sample size and reduced time to determine toxicity endpoints. Objective: The establishment of a laboratory fish culture to provide embryos and identification of early developmental stages for the FET method. Arabian killifish are not a widely cultured organism for breeding purposes. Laboratory method development to produce quality embryos was initiated in early 2010. Methods: The standard FET approach that uses Zebrafish (Daniorerio) or Medaka was adapted to the Arabian Gulf killifish. The Arabian killifish (Aphaniusdispar) are small fish (5–6 cm) from the family of cyprinodontidae. Behavioral patterns, feeding optimization, diurnal cycle, male to female ratio as well as other factors were studied in the laboratory. Specially designed breeding chambers and egg collection traps were necessary to eliminate egg predation and facilitate collection. Once fertilized eggs were obtained, the developmental stages were documented in order to identify eco-toxicity study endpoints. Results: The Arabian killifish exhibits the traits needed for FET testing. They are able to be cultured in the laboratory and produce a sufficient number of eggs to perform eco-toxicity studies. The eggs are transparent with rapid developmental stages that are easily identified by light microscopy. Conclusion: We have been successful in the production of quality embryos for testing, both in terms of viability (fertilization) and quantity released. The developmental stages of the Arabian killifish have been identified to provide an array of potential endpoints for eco-toxicity studies.
Direct Anti-Inflammatory Mechanisms Contribute to Attenuation of Experimental Allograft Arteriosclerosis by Statins

Background— Despite the development of effective immunosuppressive therapy, transplant graft arterial disease (GAD) remains the major limitation to long-term graft survival. The interplay between host inflammatory cells and donor vascular wall cells results in an intimal hyperplastic lesion, which leads to ischemia and graft failure. HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) reduce GAD in human cardiac allografts, although it is unclear whether this is secondary to cholesterol lowering or other mechanisms. This study tested the hypothesis that statins can suppress GAD by cholesterol-independent pathways. Methods and Results— We performed heterotopic murine cardiac transplants in total allogeneic or major histocompatibility complex class II-mismatched combinations. Transplanted animals received either control chow, chow containing 25 ppm cerivastatin (low dose), or chow containing 125 ppm cerivastatin (high dose). Mean plasma cerivastatin concentrations were 0.0 (control), 10.1 (low dose), and 21.9 (high dose...
Searching for shapes in cryptographic protocols

We describe a method for enumerating all essentially different executions possible for a cryptographic protocol. We call them the shapes of the protocol. Naturally occurring protocols have only finitely many, indeed very few shapes. Authentication and secrecy properties are easy to determine from them, as are attacks. cpsa, our Cryptographic Protocol Shape Analyzer, implements the method. In searching for shapes, cpsa starts with some initial behavior, and discovers what shapes are compatible with it. Normally, the initial behavior is the point of view of one participant. The analysis reveals what the other principals must have done, given this participant's view.
Functional reach a new clinical measure of balance

A new clinically accessible measure of balance, functional reach (FR), is the difference between arm's length and maximal forward reach, using a fixed base of support. The purposes of this study were to (a) establish FR as a measure of the margin of stability versus the laboratory measure, center of pressure excursion (COPE); (b) test reliability and precision, and (c) determine factors that influence FR, including age and anthropometrics. We evaluated FR in 128 volunteers (age 21-87 years). FR was determined with a precise electronic device and a simple clinical apparatus (yardstick). FR correlates with COPE (Pearson r = .71) and is precise (coefficient of variation = 2.5%) and stable (intraclass correlation coefficient across days = .81). Age and height influence FR. FR is portable, inexpensive, reliable, precise, and a reasonable clinical approximator of the margin of stability. FR may be useful for detecting balance impairment, change in balance performance over time, and in the design of modified environments for impaired older persons.
Bestselling Musical Compositions (1913-32) and Their Use in Cinema (1968-2007)

Some economists assert that as valuable works transition from copyrighted status and fall into the public domain they will be underexploited and their value dissipated. Others insist instead that without an owner to control their use, valuable public domain works will be overexploited or otherwise debased. This study of the most valuable musical compositions from 1913-32 demonstrates that neither hypothesis is true as it applies to the exploitation of songs in movies from 1968-2007. When compositions fall into the public domain, they are just as likely to be exploited in movies, suggesting no under-exploitation. And the rate of exploitation of these public domain songs is no greater than that of copyrighted songs, indicating no congestion externality. The absence of market failure is likely due to producer and consumer self-regulation.
Heterogeneity in Sales Districts: Beyond Individual-Level Predictors of Satisfaction and Performance

This article examines the influence of heterogeneity within a sales unit on the unit’s satisfaction and performance.Sales unit refers to a set of salespersons working out of the same office and for the same supervisor, andheterogenity refers to salespersons’ dispersion or variance on key dimensions. Specifically, drawing on theories in social psychology, the authors study the influence of sales unit heterogeneity in terms of (1) demographic characteristics (e.g., gender dispersion), (2) skills and rewards (e.g., reward dispersion), and (3) goal orientations (e.g., learning orientation dispersion) on a sales unit’s performance and job satisfaction levels. The hypotheses developed are tested using data from a study involving 476 salespeople belonging to 105 sales units in a large organization. The authors find that the focal heterogeneity variables account for nearly 25 percent of the total variance explained by the full set of independent variables included in the model.
Multidimensional Assignment Problems Arising in Multitarget and Multisensor Tracking

The ever-increasing demand in surveillance is to produce highly accurate target and track identification and estimation in real-time, even for dense target scenarios and in regions of high track contention. The use of multiple sensors, through more varied information, has the potential to greatly enhance target identification and state estimation. For multitarget tracking, the processing of multiple scans all at once yields high track identification. However, to achieve this accurate state estimation and track identification, one must solve an NP-hard data association problem of partitioning observations into tracks and false alarms in real-time. Over the last ten years a new approach to the problem formulation based on multidimensional assignment problems and near optimal solution in real-time by Lagrangian relaxation has evolved and is proving to be superior to all other approaches. This work reviews the problem formulation and algorithms with some suggested future directions.
Focus on Early Detection to Reduce Melanoma Deaths

Thin fatal melanomas are a relatively new clinical and public health concern, representing an estimated 20% of melanoma deaths. Understanding this phenomenon will require a multi-pronged approach, including in-depth investigation of its behavioral and biological underpinnings. As we proceed with relevant studies, the benefits in lives saved will grow via early detection.
Luteinizing Hormone Releasing Hormone (LHRH) Neurons Maintained in Nasal Explants Decrease LHRH Messenger Ribonucleic Acid Levels after Activation of GABAA Receptors

Inhibition of the LHRH system appears to play an important role in preventing precocious activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Evidence points to γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as the major negative regulator of postnatal LHRH neuronal activity. Changes in LHRH messenger RNA (mRNA) levels after alterations of GABAergic activity have been reported in vivo. However, the extent to which GABA acts directly on LHRH neurons to effect LHRH mRNA levels has been difficult to ascertain. The present work evaluates the effect of GABAergic activity, via GABAA receptors, on LHRH neuropeptide gene expression in LHRH neurons maintained in olfactory explants generated from E11.5 mouse embryos. These explants maintain large numbers of primary LHRH neurons that migrate from bilateral olfactory pits in a directed manner. Using in situ hybridization histochemistry and single cell analysis, we report dramatic alterations in LHRH mRNA levels. Inhibition of spontaneous synaptic activity by GABAA antagonists, bicucul...
The implementation and evaluation of integrity maintenance rules in an object-oriented database

The authors describe an approach to the declarative representation of integrity constraints in an object-oriented database and the use of integrity maintenance rules for the active maintenance of constraints. A semantic data model is used to automatically generate class definitions and state-altering database operations with constraints represented as objects in the database. Integrity maintenance production rules are automatically generated from constraints and stored as extensions to class operations, hiding the details of constraint checking and rule triggering. High-level transactions call state-altering operations and invoke the integrity maintenance process at commit time. Integrity constraints are declaratively represented in the database system, with operations encapsulating rules about how to respond to constraint violations. An analysis of problems associated with cyclic and anomalous rule behavior. >
Investigating Putative Genetic and Environmental Forms of Schizophrenia: methods and findings

The existence of separate genetic and environmental forms of schizophrenia has been proposed as the basis for the probable heterogeneity in the etiology of schizophrenia. The rationale for a familial/sporadic strategy that compares positive versus negative family history cases and concordant versus discordant MZ twin pairs is discussed. A review of empirical findings from research utilizing the familial/sporadic strategy is presented. A number of methodological problems that have implications for the application of the strategy and the interpretation of results, such as misclassification, are discussed. It is concluded that the clustering of positive findings in certain domains suggests that this approach holds some promise for elucidating the role of genetic and environmental factors in schizophrenia.
Racial Socialization as a Mechanism for Positive Development Among African American Youth

This review considers the relation between racial socialization and positive youth development in African American families. A central premise is that posi- tive youth outcomes (competence, confidence, character, connection, and caring) are often directly supported through traditional racial socialization messages (such as cultural socialization, preparation for bias, self-worth, and egalitarianism). The review draws contrasts between the more prevalent risk and resilience models and positive youth development, and makes recommendations for future research directions.
Skeletal dysplasia in ancient Egypt

The ancient Egyptian civilization lasted for over 3000 years and ended in 30 BCE. Many aspects of ancient Egyptian culture, including the existence of skeletal dysplasias, and in particular achondroplasia, are well known through the monuments and records that survived until modern times. The hot and dry climate in Egypt allowed for the preservation of bodies and skeletal anomalies. The oldest dwarf skeleton, the Badarian skeleton (4500 BCE), possibly represents an epiphyseal disorder. Among the remains of dwarfs with achondroplasia from ancient Egypt (2686-2190 BCE), exists a skeleton of a pregnant female, believed to have died during delivery with a baby's remains in situ. British museums have partial skeletons of dwarfs with achondroplasia, humeri probably affected with mucopolysaccharidoses, and a skeleton of a child with osteogenesis imperfecta. Skeletal dysplasia is also found among royal remains. The mummy of the pharaoh Siptah (1342-1197 BCE) shows a deformity of the left leg and foot. A mummified fetus, believed to be the daughter of king Tutankhamun, has scoliosis, spina bifida, and Sprengel deformity. In 2006 I reviewed the previously existing knowledge of dwarfism in ancient Egypt. The purpose of this second historical review is to add to that knowledge with an expanded contribution. The artistic documentation of people with skeletal dysplasia from ancient Egypt is plentiful including hundreds of amulets, statues, and drawing on tomb and temple walls. Examination of artistic reliefs provides a glance of the role of people with skeletal dysplasia and the societal attitudes toward them. Both artistic evidence and moral teachings in ancient Egypt reveal wide integration of individuals with disabilities into the society.
Factors Affecting the Perception of Computing Literacy Among Business Majors

Abstract The self-perceived computer literacy of undergraduate students who are not majoring in management information systems (MIS) was examined. Participants included 123 undergraduate students enrolled in an upper-level computer literacy course, the last MIS course required for business students. Analysis of questionnaire responses indicated that gender, prior computer skills, and a high level of familiarity with spreadsheets were related to self-perceived computer literacy.
Quantitative lingual, pharyngeal and laryngeal ultrasonography in swallowing research: A technical review

Because of its distinct advantage in radiation-free soft tissue imaging, ultrasonography has been widely used to study lingual, pharyngeal, hyoid, laryngeal, and even esophageal action during swallowing in individuals of all ages. Qualitative ultrasonographic observations have made considerable contributions to our understanding of deglutition. Quantitative ultrasonographic swallowing research has also grown by leaps and bounds over the years with advances in imaging technologies and analytical methodologies. As a technical primer for new investigators, this paper reviews the modern methods for quantitative analysis in ultrasonographic swallowing research. The intended outcome is a basic understanding of the application of ultrasonography with various analysis options to the quantitative study of the deglutitive action of selected upper aerodigestive structures. Though proven useful for swallowing research, ultrasonography has inherent limitations and methodological issues. Future technological advancement and sophisticated image processing and analysis algorithms will resolve some of these issues.
Protein stickiness, rather than number of functional protein-protein interactions, predicts expression noise and plasticity in yeast

A hub protein is one that interacts with many functional partners. The annotation of hub proteins, or more generally the protein-protein interaction “degree” of each gene, requires quality genome-wide data. Data obtained using yeast two-hybrid methods contain many false positive interactions between proteins that rarely encounter each other in living cells, and such data have fallen out of favor. We find that protein “stickiness”, measured as network degree in ostensibly low quality yeast two-hybrid data, is a more predictive genomic metric than the number of functional protein-protein interactions, as assessed by supposedly higher quality high throughput affinity capture mass spectrometry data. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a protein’s high stickiness, but not its high number of functional interactions, predicts low stochastic noise in gene expression, low plasticity of gene expression across different environments, and high probability of forming a homo-oligomer. Our results are robust to a multiple regression analysis correcting for other known predictors including protein abundance, presence of a TATA box and whether a gene is essential. Once the higher stickiness of homo-oligomers is controlled for, we find that homo-oligomers have noisier and more plastic gene expression than other proteins, consistent with a role for homo-oligomerization in mediating robustness. Our work validates use of the number of yeast two-hybrid interactions as a metric for protein stickiness. Sticky proteins exhibit low stochastic noise in gene expression, and low plasticity in expression across different environments.
Head Circumference and Neurocognitive Outcomes

Investigators from Universities of Glasgow and Bristol, UK, determined the value of head circumference (HC) as a screening measure, the incidence of head centile shifting, and the relationship between extremes of head size and later neurodevelopmental problems.
Predictors of Antimicrobial Resistance among Pathogens Causing Urinary Tract Infection in Children

Objective To determine which children with urinary tract infection are likely to have pathogens resistant to narrow-spectrum antimicrobials. Study design Children, 2-71 months of age (n = 769) enrolled in the Randomized Intervention for Children with Vesicoureteral Reflux or Careful Urinary Tract Infection Evaluation studies were included. We used logistic regression models to test the associations between demographic and clinical characteristics and resistance to narrow-spectrum antimicrobials. Results Of the included patients, 91% were female and 76% had vesicoureteral reflux. The risk of resistance to narrow-spectrum antibiotics in uncircumcised males was approximately 3 times that of females (OR 3.1; 95% CI 1.4-6.7); in children with bladder bowel dysfunction, the risk was 2 times that of children with normal function (OR 2.2; 95% CI 1.2-4.1). Children who had received 1 course of antibiotics during the past 6 months also had higher odds of harboring resistant organisms (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.1-2.3). Hispanic children had higher odds of harboring pathogens resistant to some narrow-spectrum antimicrobials. Conclusions Uncircumcised males, Hispanic children, children with bladder bowel dysfunction, and children who received 1 course of antibiotics in the past 6 months were more likely to have a urinary tract infection caused by pathogens resistant to 1 or more narrow-spectrum antimicrobials.
Loss of Runx2 sensitises osteosarcoma to chemotherapy-induced apoptosis

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common bone malignancy in the paediatric population, principally affecting adolescents and young adults. Minimal advancements in patient prognosis have been made over the past two decades because of the poor understanding of disease biology. Runx2, a critical transcription factor in bone development, is frequently amplified and overexpressed in OS. However, the molecular and biological consequences of Runx2 overexpression remain unclear. si/shRNA and overexpression technology to alter Runx2 levels in OS cells. In vitro assessment of doxorubicin (doxo)-induced apoptosis and in vivo chemosensitivity studies. Small-molecule inhibitor of c-Myc transcriptional activity was used to assess its role. Loss of Runx2 sensitises cells to doxo-induced apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, in conjunction with chemotherapy, decreasing Runx2 protein levels activates both the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways. Transplanted tumour studies demonstrated that loss of endogenous Runx2 protein expression enhances caspase-3 cleavage and tumour necrosis in response to chemotherapy. Finally, upon doxo-treated Runx2 knockdown OS cells there was evidence of enhanced c-Myc expression and transcriptional activity. Inhibition of c-Myc under these conditions resulted in decreased activation of apoptosis, therefore insinuating a role for c-Myc in dox-induced activation of apoptotic pathways. Therefore, we have established a novel molecular mechanism by which Runx2 provides a chemoprotective role in OS, indicating that in conjunction to standard chemotherapy, targeting Runx2 may be a new therapeutic strategy for patients with OS.
Stiffness trimming of high Q MEMS resonators by excimer laser annealing of germanium thin film on silicon

This paper reports on a new method to optically trim the resonance frequency of a low-loss micromechanical silicon (Si) resonator coated with a thin-film germanium (Ge) layer. A focused ultra-violet (UV) laser beam (349nm wavelength) locally heats Ge to high temperatures, enabling selective micro-crystallization of SiGe. The stiffness of the optically crystallized SiGe regions decreases with increasing concentration of Ge. These stiffness variations lead to an overall downward shift of the resonance frequency. Large trimming range (∼5000ppm) is demonstrated for low-frequency out-of-plane resonant modes. In addition, fine frequency trimming of in-plane Lame mode resonators is repeatedly achieved (∼ 4 ppm per scan) without introducing any damping throughout the trimming process (Q∼300,000), enabling fine frequency control of high-Q microresonators. The resonance frequency of a trimmed germanium-coated silicon resonator remains stable after being heated to 450°C for 30 minutes in a Rapid Thermal Annealing (RTA) chamber.
Adversarial Legalism and the Emergence of a New European Legality: A Comparative Perspective

This essay explores two interrelated questions. First, what are the sources of the current legal culture in the United States and Europe, and second, what, anything, can be said about how European legal culture could change in the face of increasing conflict between citizens and the state over the definition and content of social rights? The essay begins by refining the concept of legal culture employed in the analysis. While accepting the conventional accounts offered by scholars like Lawrence M. Friedman, James L. Gibson and Gregory A. Caldeira, it adopts a more expansive definition which employs Erhard Blankenburg’s methodology, which gives equal weight to legal rules and institutions as to legal consciousness, that is, social attitudes towards the law. Next, the essay explores the ways in which the contrasting legal consciousnesses found in the United States and Europe have informed the public/private distinction in the two legal cultures. In particular, the chapter emphasizes the degree to which in the United States elite legal consciousness moved between the two opposing poles of instrumentalism and formalism, while in Europe legal culture has been dominated until quite recently by a dogmatic tradition that views law as independent of politics. The essay investigates the degree to which adversarial legalism is the legal culture of the United States and observes that adversarial legalism has produced more political gains in private rights such as tort and contract than in public rights, such as the right to welfare or healthcare. Conversely, as some such as Mark Osiel has observed, European legal culture has produced a sphere of private right in which law is seen as marginal to political contestation but where social rights have been successfully secured through politics, and not legal intervention. The essay concludes by considering whether, as conflict over social right become more intense in Europe (due to the contraction of the economic basis of the welfare state), European citizens will look to legal tools made available through the European Union to press their claims in law as opposed to politics. It further asks, whether, if this were to occur, that the turn to law would necessarily mean a change in legal culture and an increase in legal adversarialism in Europe.
A New Species of Guntheria (Guntheria) (Acari: Trombiculidae) from Papua New Guinea

Guntheria (Guntheria) scrobiculata , n. sp., is described and illustrated from Raffrayʼs Bandicoot, Peroryctes raffrayanus , taken in Papua New Guinea.
Complete Genome Sequence of Anaeromyxobacter sp. Fw109-5, an Anaerobic, Metal-Reducing Bacterium Isolated from a Contaminated Subsurface Environment

We report the genome sequence of Anaeromyxobacter sp. Fw109-5, isolated from nitrate- and uranium-contaminated subsurface sediment of the Oak Ridge Integrated Field-Scale Subsurface Research Challenge (IFC) site, Oak Ridge Reservation, TN. The bacterium’s genome sequence will elucidate its physiological potential in subsurface sediments undergoing in situ uranium bioremediation and natural attenuation.
Use and Abuse of the Power to Sever Family Bonds

Drawing on her experience as a Family Court Judge, Professor Davis considers how social difference and poorly examined theories of child development can lead to harmful disruptions of family.
Thermal Inactivation of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Cells within Cubed Beef Steaks following Cooking on a Griddle.

Thermal inactivation of Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) cells within knitted/cubed beef steaks following cooking on a nonstick griddle was quantified. Both faces of each beef cutlet (ca. 64 g; ca. 8.5 cm length by 10.5 cm width by 0.75 cm height) were surface inoculated (ca. 6.6 log CFU/g) with 250 μl of a rifampin-resistant cocktail composed of single strains from each of eight target serogroups of STEC: O26:H11, O45:H2, O103:H2, O104:H4, O111:H−, O121:H19, O145:NM, and O157:H7. Next, inoculated steaks were (i) passed once through a mechanical tenderizer and then passed one additional time through the tenderizer perpendicular to the orientation of the first pass (single cubed steak; SCS) or (ii) passed once through a mechanical tenderizer, and then two tenderized cutlets were knitted together by passage concomitantly through the tenderizer two additional times perpendicular to the orientation of the previous pass (double cubed steak; DCS). SCS and DCS were individually cooked for up to 3.5 ...
Utility and Usability of the Rapid Assessment of Hospital Procurement Barriers in Donation (RAPiD) as a Tool for OPO Hospital Development Staff

Context:Few systematic assessment tools are available to organ procurement organizations (OPOs) for evaluating donation climates of hospitals in their donation service areas (DSAs). The Rapid Asses...