cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
the generalized randomized iterate and its application to new efficient constructions of UOWHFs from regular one-way functions

This paper presents the Generalized Randomized Iterate of a (regular) one-way function f and show that it can be used to build Universal One-Way Hash Function (UOWHF) families with O(n2) key length. We then show that Shoup's technique for UOWHF domain extension can be used to improve the efficiency of the previous construction. We present the Reusable Generalized Randomized Iterate which consists of k≥n+1 iterations of a regular one-way function composed at each iteration with a pairwise independent hash function, where we only use logk such hash functions, and we "schedule" them according to the same scheduling of Shoup's domain extension technique. The end result is a UOWHF construction from regular one-way functions with an O(n logn) key. These are the first such efficient constructions of UOWHF from regular one-way functions of unknown regularity. Finally we show that the Shoup's domain extension technique can also be used in lieu of derandomization techniques to improve the efficiency of PRGs and of hardness amplification constructions for regular one-way functions.
Syncretic Literacy in a Samoan American Family

After examining three misconceptions of the concept of multiculturalisM., we introduce the concept of syncretic literacy to deal with how diverse cultural frameworks inform the organization of literacy activities by members of the Samoan American community in urban Los Angeles. On the basis of our earlier work in a rural Western Samoan community, we discuss the ways in which the strategies used by caregivers in traditional learning environments are also found in a Samoan American household in urban Southern California. By analyzing a sequence in which a young child asks for help with his homework assignment, we show that (a) the code used (e.g., English) is not always a good predictor of the participants’ cultural orientation and (b) members of multicultural communities can be in more than one culture at a time.
Developmentally Changing Attractor Dynamics of Manual Actions with Objects in Late Infancy

Human infants interact with the environment through a growing and changing body and their manual actions provide new opportunities for exploration and learning. In the current study, a dynamical systems approach was used to quantify and characterize the early motor development of limb effectors during bouts of manual activity. Many contemporary theories of motor development emphasize sources of order in movement over developmental time. However, little is known about the dynamics of manual actions during the first two years of life, a period of development with dramatic anatomical changes resulting in new opportunities for action. Here, we introduce a novel analytical protocol for estimating properties of attractor regions using motion capture. We apply this new analysis to a longitudinal corpus of manual actions during sessions of toy play across the first two years of life. Our results suggest that the size of attractor regions for manual actions increases across development and that infants spend more time inside the attractor region of their movements during bouts of manual actions with objects. The sources of order in manual actions are discussed in terms of changing attractor dynamics across development.
Why Do Humans Help Their Friends? Proximal and Ultimate Hypotheses from Evolutionary Theory

Humans frequently cultivate friendships, or enduring and selective social bonds in which partners help each other in times of need, often at great cost to themselves. In recent years, researchers have proposed several evolutionary explanations for the increased helping and sharing among close friends. In this chapter, we review how these evolutionary explanations answer two questions: (1) what proximate psychological mechanisms or cognitive algorithms do people use in choosing to bestow exceptional aid to friends? (2) What evolutionary challenges are likely selected for this tendency to help friends? We then assess how these hypotheses fare in the light of existing evidence from psychology, anthropology, and biology on how close friends help each other and how people cultivate friendships.
Salivary Gland Carcinomas

The majority of low- and intermediate-grade salivary gland carcinomas (SGC) are driven by recurrent genetic alterations, most commonly gene fusions. Among those that are present in the majority of cases and are the hallmark of disease are MECT1-MAML2 and CRTC3-MAML2 fusions in mucoepidermoid carcinoma and MYB and MYBL1 rearrangements in adenoid cystic carcinoma. Similarly, TGFBR3-PLAG1 rearrangement is specific for myoepithelial carcinoma but is present only in the minority of cases. Molecular markers that are of diagnostic value and present in the vast majority of cases include PRKD1 E710D mutation and PRKD1/3 rearragements in polymorphous adenocarcinoma/cribriform adenocarcinoma of salivary gland, EWSR1-ATF1 in clear cell carcinoma, and ETV6-NTRK3 in secretory carcinoma, which also provides a molecular target for Trk-inhibitors. In contrast, salivary duct carcinoma, a prototype of a high-grade salivary gland cancer, is characterized by a heterogeneous molecular background but a relatively high proportion of potentially targetable mutations. These include frequent ERBB2, PIK3CA, and HRAS alterations and less commonly gene fusions such as EML4-ALK, NCOA4-RET, and ETV6-NTRK3.
Storm resilience and sustainability at the Port of Providence, USA

Abstract Sustainability trajectories provide a means to consider social capacity to guide interactions between nature, in this case hurricanes, and society. In Providence, RI, USA port stakeholders viewed a visualization of the impacts of a historical hurricane intensity on a slightly shifted path that resulted in an estimated water level of 6.4 m above NAVD 88. Port businesses representatives observed projected water elevation with respect to specific business facilities. Results from surveys and interviews of 15 businesses show that meeting, training, planning, and data back-up were common proactive measures; many had back-up generators; but few had flood and wind proofed buildings, elevated properties, or electrical systems. In Providence, port businesses have taken initial actions along the trajectory but lack the port-wide coordination of effective stakeholder actions that marks a robust sustainability trajectory.
Use of Doxorubicin for Radioiodine Targeted Therapy of Treatment Resistant Metastatic Breast Cancer, Hepatocellular Cancer, and Colon Cancer

3025 Introduction: Sodium iodide symporter (NIS) is expressed in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCA) and certain breast carcinomas (BCA), however, the effective treatment of these cancers using radioactive iodine (RAI) is contingent upon constitutive and stronger expression of NIS. It has been shown that doxorubicin induces selective expression of NIS in HCA by activation of p63 and p73 binding to NIS promoter, leading to an increased expression of NIS mRNA and protein in HCA cells but not in primary human hepatocytes. We tested the hypothesis that doxorubicin can be used effectively to upregulate NIS-expression in HCA, BCA and Colon Carcinoma (CCA). This proposal was tested in the following three specific aims: Aim 1) To demonstrate that doxorubicin can be used viably on cultured HCA, BCA, and CCA cells. Aim 2) To demonstrate that doxorubicin can selectively induce NIS expression in BCA cells. Aim 3) To demonstrate that doxorubicin can selectively induce NIS expression in CCA cells. We were able to successfully culture HCA, BCA, and CCA cells in vitro and treat these cells with varying concentrations of doxorubicin without loss of cell viability. We were then able to extract the total proteins from BCA and CCA cells respectively and perform NIS protein expression studies using western blot. Our results demonstrate that HCA, BCA, and CCA cells can be treated with doxorubicin without loss of cell viability and doxorubicin upregulates the expression of NIS protein strongly in BCA cells (Fig. 1) and at low levels in CCA cells (Fig. 2). The findings of these studies will enable us to investigate further the use of radioiodine to treat these deadly cancers which can significantly contribute to our efforts in improving patient prognosis. Figure 1.Western blot results demonstrates that doxorubicin upregulates sodium iodide symporter (NIS) in MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells. MDA-MB231 cells were not treated (0) or treated with 0.2µM, 2µM, or 20µM doxorubicin hydrochloride for 48 hours. After equal loading, total cell proteins were separated on SDS-polyacrylamide gel and subsequently transferred to nitrocellulose membrane. The NIS protein levels were determined by western blot using goat anti-NIS primary antibody and rabbit antigoat secondary antibody. Figure 2. Visualization of sodium iodide symporter at low levels in the 2 uM doxorubicin-treated colon cancer sample. NaI symporter expression in SW620 cells was assessed by treating SW620 cells with doxorubicin at 2μM for 48 hrs, followed by washing with PBS. Cells were lysed in lysis buffer and 1μg of protein was resolved by Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis. Proteins were transferred to a Polyvinylidene difluoride membrane, probed with a rabbit anti-NIS polyclonal IgG antibody and mmunodetected using a secondary rabbit antibody and detected chromogenically using TMB substrate.
“The Only Way We’ll Be Successful”: Organizational Factors That Influence Psychosocial Well-Being and Self-Care Among Advocates Working to Address Gender-Based Violence:

Advocates who work for nonprofit organizations (NPOs) that address gender-based violence (GBV) experience a wide range of psychosocial health and well-being risks due to the emotionally demanding nature of the work they engage in. Most recommendations for advocates' self-care focus on individual-level activities, failing to hold the NPOs accountable for creating workplace cultures and practices that foster psychosocial well-being, self-care, and resilience among the advocates. The aim of this qualitative research was to further our understanding of organizational-level factors that influence psychosocial well-being and self-care practices among advocates who work for GBV-specific NPOs in a metropolitan area in the southeastern United States. We conducted in-depth interviews with 25 GBV-specific advocates. Constructivist grounded theory methods were used in coding and analyzing the data. Sixteen advocates identified as White, followed by five Black, two Hispanic, and two mixed-race/ethnicity. Mean age was 36 years. Most participants had a master's degree (n = 16). Analysis of the data resulted in three major themes: (a) Management and Leadership Style, (b) Interpersonal Relationship Dynamics, and (c) Culture of Self-Care. The ways in which leaders established relationships with other advocates to accomplish organizational goals, how advocates developed a sense of camaraderie with their coworkers, and shared norms around self-care shaped advocates' willingness and ability to engage in individual and collective self-care. Findings of this study highlight the role of GBV-specific NPOs in creating workplace cultures and practices that are conducive to engaging in self-care and developing resilience among the advocates. By fulfilling this responsibility, organizations would enable the advocates to not only survive, but thrive in their work and make even greater strides in the overall mission of GBV prevention.
Peripheral glutamate receptor and transient receptor potential channel mechanisms of craniofacial muscle pain.

Temporomandibular joint disorder is a common chronic craniofacial pain condition, often involving persistent, widespread craniofacial muscle pain. Although the etiology of chronic muscle pain is no...
In Vitro Effects of Bupivacaine on the Viability and Mechanics of Native and Engineered Cartilage Grafts

Background:Although the toxic effects of bupivacaine on chondrocyte monolayer culture have been well described, its cellular and mechanical effects on native and engineered articular cartilage rema...
RELATEDNESS AND GENETIC STRUCTURE OF BIG BROWN BAT (EPTESICUS FUSCUS) MATERNITY COLONIES IN AN URBAN-WILDLAND INTERFACE WITH PERIODIC RABIES VIRUS OUTBREAKS

Big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) are the bat species in North America most frequently found to be rabid because of their high rate of human contact and thus submissions for rabies testing, of which, 4-5% are positive. The social behavior of big brown bats during the summer months may drive space use and potential viral exposure to conspecifics and mesocarnivores. We collected 88 unique genetic samples via buccal swabs from big brown bats captured at four maternity roosts surrounding a golf course during the summer of 2013. We used seven microsatellite loci to estimate genetic relatedness among individuals and genetic structure within and among colonies to infer whether females selected roosts based on kinship and used genetics and radio telemetry to determine the frequency of roost switching. We found roost switching through genetics and telemetry, and no evidence of elevated genetic relatedness within colonies or genetic structure among colonies. Social cohesion based on relatedness may not act to constrain the pathogen to a particular roost area, and thus, geographic mobility may increase viral exposure of bats in neighboring areas.
Linking insulin with Alzheimer’s disease: emergence as type III diabetes

Alzheimer's disease (AD) has characteristic neuropathological abnormalities including regionalized neurodegeneration, neurofibrillary tangles, amyloid beta (Aβ) deposition, activation of pro-apoptotic genes, and oxidative stress. As the brain functions continue to disintegrate, there is a decline in person's cognitive abilities, memory, mood, spontaneity, and socializing behavior. A framework that sequentially interlinks all these phenomenons under one event is lacking. Accumulating evidence has indicated the role of insulin deficiency and insulin resistance as mediators of AD neurodegeneration. Herein, we reviewed the evidence stemming from the development of diabetes agent-induced AD animal model. Striking evidence has attributed loss of insulin receptor-bearing neurons to precede or accompany initial stage of AD. This state seems to progress with AD such that, in the terminal stages, it worsens and becomes global. Oxidative stress, tau hyperphosphorylation, APP-Aβ deposition, and impaired glucose and energy metabolism have all been linked to perturbation in insulin/IGF signaling. We conclude that AD could be referred to as "type 3 diabetes". Moreover, owing to common pathophysiology with diabetes common therapeutic regime could be effective for AD patients.
A Developmental Model of Human Learning

Publisher Summary This chapter proposes the conception of developmental learning that involves a processor that operates on information that is processed, transformed, and integrated into ongoing behavior by activated schemes, and an organized set of cognitive subprocesses that regulate a continuous flow of information to (and from) the processor. The processor encompasses the underlying cognitive schemes available to the child at each level of development. These capabilities determine the kinds of solution plans the child may generate and execute and, consequently, they are reflected in the efficiency with which information is processed. As a first approximation, the processor schemes are identified with Piaget's description of the cognitive operations available to preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational thought. The cognitive subprocesses probably involve differentiating environmental cues, attentional mechanisms, coding processes, memory storage, and retrieval from memory. The efficiency with which various subprocesses function changes quantitatively with development, and in some cases they are readily manipulable in the laboratory.
PRIOR WORK EXPERIENCE AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG FIRST-YEAR MBA STUDENTS

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between students' prior work experience and subsequent success during the first year in an MBA program. We present a rationale for the use of work experience as a selection criterion (based on the training-readiness literature) but also present another argument (based on the career-stage literature) that counters the prevailing view about the appropriateness of this selection standard. Using data from a unique sample of 230 MBA students and controlling for such factors as the type of undergraduate program attended, undergraduate GPA, and total score on the Graduate Management Admission Test, prior work experience was found to account for only a small proportion of the variance in first-semester grades and was found to be unrelated to academic performance in the second semester. Taking these results and other existing empirical studies into account, there is little support for the view that previous work experience (as assessed by typical admission procedures) leads to higher levels of academic achievement. Implications for admissions policy, hiring companies, and those considering graduate study in business are discussed.
Bill Longmire and the Blue Baby Operation.

a m b a a t f t G r i illiam P Longmire, Jr, MD, the former Chairman of he Department of Surgery at University of California, os Angeles (UCLA), died on May 9, 2003, at his home n Los Angeles. He was 89 years old. The cause of death as gastrointestinal carcinoid that was first discovered everal years earlier at the time of an appendectomy. Dr Longmire received his medical education and surical training at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and as Alfred Blalock’s chief resident and first assistant durng the first Blue Baby Operation in the fall of 1944. fter he completed his training, he became a member of he surgical faculty at Johns Hopkins until 1948 when, t the age of 35 years, he was asked to become the chief f surgery at the new medical school being formed at CLA in Los Angeles. Dr Longmire was one of a remarkable and productive roup of surgical leaders educated during that era by ohns Hopkins and Alfred Blalock that included Denton ooley, Hank Bahnson, Mark Ravitch, David Sabiston, ill Scott, Dwight McGoon, Rollins Hanlon, Glenn orrow, Frank Spencer, Jim Maloney, and Alex Haller. any became department chairmen and were responsile in part for the evolution of the specialty of cardiac urgery. Dr Longmire became a close friend and confiant of Alfred Blalock during the 1940s and 1950s and n 1991 published the only biography of Dr Blalock’s ife, which is as much about the surgical service at Johns opkins as it is about Alfred Blalock (Figs. 1 and 2). Bill Longmire was born in 1913 in Sapulpa, Oklaoma, where his father was a family practitioner and urgeon and his mother was a schoolteacher. He entered he University of Oklahoma in 1930, just as the Great epression descended on Oklahoma. His father wrote o him that he would try to continue sending him $60 a onth for his living expenses but he was not sure that he ould. “I can send you watermelons and tomatoes but I
The effect of the hypocholesterolemic drug clofibrate on liver mitochondrial biogenesis. A role for neutral mitochondrial proteases.

The hypocholesterolemic drug clofibrate raises hepatic levels of mitochondria by over 100 %, with maximum increase at 2 to 4 days after drug administration, and a slow rise continuing at 10 days. This time response was similar to that seen after partial hepatectomy. However, several clear differences exist. During the doubling in mitochondrial content, no change in particle size or specific content of DNA or RNA was observed, whereas during liver regeneration the former decreases by 50 % and the latter increases by 300 %. The half-life of 5.8 days for normal mitochondria was not altered significantly by clofibrate, using [guanidinio-14C]arginine. However, the initial rate of short term incorporation of [35S]methionine into control mitochondria in vivo was 60 % of that for drug-tested animals, while the in vitro efficiency of [14C]leucine incorporation was reversed; mitochondria from drug-treated animals were about 61 % as active as those from controls. Enzyme activity of drug-treated animals was not significantly altered for inner membrane or matrix enzymes. However, a 30 to 40 % fall in specific activity of three outer membrane enzymes was noted from 2 to 15 days. This resembles changes seen during early liver regeneration. One striking action of clofibrate was to inhibit the neutral protease activity of mitochondria. Even at 2 days on clofibrate, neutral protease activity was inhibited to 62 % of the control value of 0.334 µmole of amino acid per hour per mg of protein. Inhibition was a maximum of 50 % at 6 days, and was still at 63 % at 20 days. Clofibrate added in vitro had negligible influence on neutral protease activity. The inhibition was independent of lysosomes since the protease activity of purified lysosomes was neither inhibited, nor was acid phosphatase activity in whole homogenates or the purified mitochondrial fractions changed during drug treatment. The endogenous amino acid content of 0.032 µmole per mg protein remained constant during the stimulation in bio-genesis. The results of this study on clofibrate support a hypothesis that net levels of hepatic mitochondria may be controlled by the activity of their own neutral proteases. A possible action is to degrade newly synthesized mitochondrial proteins, which may be structural or binding, such that a lowered protease activity would raise their levels and thereby increase mitochondrial content.
Justice for Here and Now: From Anthropocentrism to Nonanthropocentrism

A central debate, if not the most central debate, in contemporary environmental ethics is between those who defend an anthropocentric ethics and those who defend a nonanthropocentric ethics. This debate pits deep ecologists like George Sessions against reform or shallow ecologists like John Passmore. It divides biocentric egalitarians like Paul Taylor from social ecologists like Murray Bookchin. In this chapter I propose to go some way toward resolving this debate in accord with a peacemaking model of doing philosophy by showing that, when the most morally defensible versions of each of these perspectives are laid out, they do not lead to different practical requirements. In this way I hope to show how it is possible for defenders of anthropocentric and nonanthropocentric environmental ethics, despite their theoretical disagreement concerning whether humans are superior to members of other species, to agree on a common set of principles for achieving environmental justice. I also propose to show how this approach to environmental justice can be extended to deal with environmental racism. NONANTHROPOCENTRISM Consider first the nonanthropocentric perspective. In support of this perspective, it can be argued that we have no non-question-begging grounds for regarding the members of any living species as superior to the members of any other. It allows that the members of species differ in a myriad of ways, but argues that these differences do not provide grounds for thinking that the members of any one species are superior to the members of any other.
Light-Responsive Gene Expression and the Biochemistry of the Photosystem II Reaction Center

Characterization of Photosystem II genes from strains of cyanobacteria that can be genetically manipulated provides a new avenue for studying PS II structure, function, and regulation. Much has been learned about the functions of specific PS II components by examining the phenotypes of strains that carry null, defective, or otherwise altered alleles of PS II genes. Molecular approaches have expanded the analysis of PS II regulation to probe the mechanisms that control synthesis of components of the complex. The best-studied examples are the psbA andpsbD gene families, which encode the D1 and D2 proteins of the PS II reaction center, respectively. The presence of multiple genes for these proteins is a novel property of cyanobacteria which suggests a mechanism to regulate PS II synthesis through the differential regulation of the members of the gene families. In Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942 the three psbA genes encode two different forms of the D1 protein, and two psbD genes encode identical D2 proteins. Each gene family has members that exhibit light-responsive regulation, in which transcription is induced by exposure of cells to a higher light intensity and the abundance of both psbA and psbD messages is thereby increased. Light-responsive expression of the psbAII and psbAIII genes is driven by specific cis elements which lie downstream of the promoters in the regions that correspond to the untranslated leaders of their mRNAs. A post-transcriptional mechanism also functions in which a light-induced factor accelerates the degradation of the psbAI and psbAIII messages during growth at high light intensity. The result is a shift in the psbA mRNA population from the low-light situation, in which psbAI messages predominate, to a high-light population favoring psbAII and psbAIII messages. The difference in D1 proteins encoded by psbAI versus psbAII and psbAIII suggests a qualitative alteration of PS II during transition to a new light environment.
Comparative analysis of the attitude and behavior of young drivers’ use of two-way two-lane highways

Vehicle accidents have been one of the main causes of mortality worldwide for a number of years, with young drivers being over-represented in all types of accidents, in particular fatal accidents. About 90% of all accidents are the result of driver error. This is particularly prominent in young drivers because they have less experience compared to older drivers in recognizing risky situations and acting accordingly. In Texas, there are 3465 miles of two-way two-lane (TWTL) highways which comprise 62.4% of the total rural highways. Most of the young drivers in this study need to commute to school by these TWTL highways. These highways have lower geometric design standards as compared to the freeways and hence, the crash risks are more. The most prevalent forms of behavior reported by young drivers and studied in this paper include excessive speeding, cell phone use while driving, driving under the influence of alcohol, tailgating (close following), failing to use seat belts, failure to yield the right-of-way for other road users and running stop signs. The study is based on the results of a survey of a random group of young drivers from South Texas. This study evaluated the dependence of gender on the behavior of young drivers on TWTL rural highways. Keywords – young driver, driving behavior, tailgate, yield, stop sign
Searching NCBI's dbSNP Database

The Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism database (dbSNP) is a variation database at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). It is a public repository of submitted nucleotide variations and is part of NCBI's search and retrieval system Entrez. This unit describes two basic protocols to search dbSNP effectively, one to perform a text-based search and another to perform a sequence-based search. The unit also describes one of the result display formats called GeneView to obtain information about all submitted SNPs in a particular gene.
The DCL gene of tomato is required for chloroplast development and palisade cell morphogenesis in leaves.

The defective chloroplasts and leaves-mutable (dcl-m) mutation of tomato was identified in a Ds mutagenesis screen. This unstable mutation affects both chloroplast development and palisade cell morphogenesis in leaves. Mutant plants are clonally variegated as a result of somatic excision of Ds and have albino leaves with green sectors. Leaf midribs and stems are light green with sectors of dark green tissue but fruit and petals are wild-type in appearance. Within dark green sectors of dcl-m leaves, palisade cells are normal, whereas in albino areas of dcl-m leaves, palisade cells do not expand to become their characteristic columnar shape. The development of chloroplasts from proplastids in albino areas is apparently blocked at an early stage. DCL was cloned using Ds as a tag and encodes a novel protein of -25 kDa, containing a chloroplast transit peptide and an acidic a-helical region. DCL protein was imported into chloroplasts in vitro and processed to a mature form. Because of the ubiquitous expression of DCL and the proplastid-like appearance of dclaffected plastids, the DCL protein may regulate a basic and universal function of the plastid. The novel dcl-m phenotype suggests that chloroplast development is required for correct palisade cell morphogenesis during leaf development.
Computational studies of the shear flow behaviour of a model for nematic liquid crystalline polymers

We present an accurate and efficient numerical method to the solve the microstructure-flow problem that constitutes the coupling of the molecular-based Doi-Marrucci-Greco model to the Cauchy equation of motion and continuity equation. We also provide a general introduction to the problem of the flow of complex fluids. Preliminary investigations of the predictive capabilities of the Doi-Marrucci-Greco model show that with increasing shear rate, in accordance with both experimental observations and other theoretical predictions, the model exhibits three flow regimes: steady linear shear flow at low shear rate; steady roll cells at intermediate shear rates; and irregular flow and orientation patterns at high shear rates. Given sufficiently high shear rates, the irregular flow structure is accompanied by the formation of ?1 and ?1/2 strength disclinations. Furthermore, at shear rates large enough to inhibit the tumbling of the average molecular orientation, the solution no longer contains disclinations or roll cells, but retains some structure in the flow direction that has the visual appearance of stripes.
Exploring the Digital Divide: The Use of Digital Technologies in Ontario Public Schools

Combining data from a school principal survey with student demographics and achievement data, the present study aimed to develop a much needed understanding of ICT usage in Ontario’s K-12 public schools. Results indicated equitable first-order access to technology for schools, early integration of ICT from the earliest grades, frequent application of ICT in teaching, and an enabling effect of ICT on additional access to learning resources and distance learning. However, challenges were also uncovered in building technology infrastructure for a small fraction of schools; ensuring home access for schools with lower family incomes, smaller size or from remote regions; and providing teachers with professional development for choosing online materials and adopting emerging ICT-enabled teaching practice. Furthermore, this study highlighted the importance of parent involvement in ICT usage and the potential beneficial linkage between ICT usage and student learning achievement.
Decision making and learning: A simulated marketing manager

This paper presents the results of a computerized adaptive learning model. The learner in this case is a hypothetical marketing manager competing with two competitors in a common market. The model is free of heuristic rules-of-thumb and relies instead on a search procedure which updates current decisions based on decisions made and experiences realized in the past. It is adaptable to other learning environments in addition to that given in this paper.
Brief communication: Transportation and trauma: Dog‐sledding and vertebral compression in Alaskan Eskimos

Vertebral compression, as evidenced by compression of the centrum, was observed within two Native Alaskan skeletal samples. Information was collected from 1,071 and 656 vertebrae from Golovin Bay and Nunivak Island, Alaska, respectively. In addition, patterns of compression related vertebral change in each collection were characterized by sex and location within the vertebral column. The overall frequencies of vertebral compression were 3.6% (n = 721) at Golovin Bay and 1.7% (n = 403) at Nunivak Island for all observable thoracic and lumbar vertebrae (T1-L5). There was no statistically significant difference in the occurrence of compression among adults between these two collections. When examining the thoracic and lumbar vertebral segments by sex, females at Golovin Bay (4.5%; n = 442) exhibited a significantly higher frequency of vertebral compression than females at Nunivak (1.0%; n = 203). However, this difference in occurrence of compression could be accounted for by the age distributions of the two samples. No difference was noted between the males of the two collections. Compression frequencies in both samples are discussed in relation to the modes of transportation historically utilized by each community.
Potential relation between equatorial sea surface temperatures and historic water level variability for Lake Turkana, Kenya

Summary Water level in Lake Turkana, Kenya in the past ca. 150 years is controlled primarily from the biannual passage of the East and West African Monsoon, with rainfall volume related partially to sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the Western Indian and East Atlantic oceans. Empirical orthogonal function analyses show significant correlation between Eastern Atlantic or Western Indian SSTs and lake level anomalies, with the first mode accounting for 66% and 55% of the variability. The primary geographic loadings are consistent with a Gulf of Guinea moisture source and positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) state. The second mode explains 10% of variability, and reflects the westward extension of an Indian Ocean cool pool, potentially indicative of a normal to a negative IOD state. There is significant spatial correlation between basin rainfall anomalies associated with Eastern Atlantic SSTs and a low in the continental divide between the Kenyan and the Ethiopian Highlands, which is a passage for moisture from the Congo Basin. Linear regression analysis with Bootstrap sampling and Monte Carlo simulations define numeric relations between Western Indian and Eastern Atlantic SSTs and lake level change for AD 1992–2013. The monthly and yearly lake level reconstructions based on this numeric analysis capture the decadal-scale variability and the 15 m drop in water level in the early 20th century. Meter-scale variability in lake level since ca. AD 1930 is associated with precipitation sourced from the Western Indian Ocean with IOD variability, whereas the 15 m drop in water level in the early 20th century may reflect a profound decrease in moisture from Atlantic/Congo Basin source. These numerical solutions are poised to reconstruct water level variations in the past ca. 300 years for Lake Turkana with new proxy records of SSTs from the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea.
Use of gel electrophoresis and Raman spectroscopy to characterize the effect of the electronic structure of single-walled carbon nanotubes on cellular uptake.

It is well-known that the uptake of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) by living cells depends on factors such as SWNT length and surface chemistry. Surprisingly, little is known about whether the electronic structure of a SWNT influences uptake. One reason for this has been the lack of methods to measure the uptake of SWNTs by cell populations. Previously, we developed a rapid, sensitive, and label-free sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) method for measuring the amount of SWNTs in lysates prepared from cultured cells (Wang et al. Anal. Chem. 2009, 81, 2944). Herein, we describe the use of SDS-PAGE and microprobe Raman spectroscopy to detect and distinguish the electronic structure of SWNTs internalized by mammalian cells. Using normal rat kidney (NRK) cells and SWNTs dispersed with bovine serum albumin (BSA), we demonstrate that the method can detect both metallic and semiconducting SWNTs in lysates of cells that had internalized BSA-SWNTs and that the uptake of BS...
A critical review of the "enculturation hypothesis": the effects of human rearing on great ape social cognition.

Numerous investigators have argued that early ontogenetic immersion in sociocultural environments facilitates cognitive developmental change in human-reared great apes more characteristic of Homo sapiens than of their own species. Such revamping of core, species-typical psychological systems might be manifest, according to this argument, in the emergence of mental representational competencies, a set of social cognitive skills theoretically consigned to humans alone. Human-reared great apes’ capacity to engage in “true imitation,” in which both the means and ends of demonstrated actions are reproduced with fairly high rates of fidelity, and laboratory great apes’ failure to do so, has frequently been interpreted as reflecting an emergent understanding of intentionality in the former. Although this epigenetic model of the effects of enculturation on social cognitive systems may be well-founded and theoretically justified in the biological literature, alternative models stressing behavioral as opposed to representational change have been largely overlooked. Here I review some of the controversy surrounding enculturation in great apes, and present an alternative nonmentalistic version of the enculturation hypothesis that can also account for enhanced imitative performance on object-oriented problem-solving tasks in human-reared animals.
Robert D. Putnam: For a Meaningful Political Science

In an era in which some political scientists are concerned that an emphasis on formalism has weakened the realworld commitment and impact of the discipline, APSA President Robert D. Putnam has led the way in melding research and action. Putnam's research has been driven by attention to the big, basic questions of governance: How do national traditions of ideological style affect political decision making? What determines the success or failure of political institutions? What domestic political factors help or hinder efforts by political leaders to reach cooperative international agreements?
The consequences of inappropriate treatment because of failure to recognize the syndrome of pituitary and peripheral tissue resistance to thyroid hormone

Abstract Since the description of the syndrome of global (peripheral tissues and pituitary) resistance to thyroid hormone, new cases are being recognized with increasing frequency. The patient described herein had a markedly elevated serum TSH concentration of 260 μU/mL at the time of diagnosis. Studies suggest that elevations of serum TSH levels in this and other patients with the syndrome are most likely iatrogenic in origin. The patient was 312 years old when a goiter and a high serum T 4 concentration were detected. Despite subtotal thyroidectomy, antithyroid drugs were required to maintain her T 4 level in the normal range. She was referred at age 1112 years because of recurrent goiter. Her parents and five older siblings had normal thyroid function. Off therapy, her serum T 4 level was 14.9 μg/dL, FT 4 I was 17.0, T 3 was 362 ng/dL, TSH was 260 μU/mL, and antibodies were negative. There were no signs of thyrotoxicosis, her bone age was 7 years, her growth was stunted (third percentile), her intellectual quotient (IQ) was 67, and there was a 30–50 dB sensorineural hearing loss. The presence of a pituitary adenoma was ruled out. Her TSH had normal bioreactivity and rose to 540 μU/mL in response to TRH. Triiodothyronine was given in incremental doses of 50, 100, 200, and 400 μg/d over 28 days. The log concentrations of serum TSH showed an inverse linear correlation with serum T 3 . While receiving the highest dose of T 3 , on which the level of serum T 3 ranged from 1400 to 2500 ng/dL, the TSH response to TRH normalized (basal 4.2 and peak 20 μU/mL), as did the high levels of serum cholesterol, carotene, and T 4 . Her BMR rose from +5 to +22%, her IQ rose to 77, and she gained weight without an increase in caloric intake. Only minimal changes were observed in levels of urinary cAMP, hydroxyproline, magnesium, and nitrogen. All values, with the exception of the weight gain, returned to baseline 2 months after T 3 treatment was discontinued. The TSH level was suppressed by l-dopa and by prednisone. Long-term therapy with equivalent doses of T 4 (from 300 to 1000 μg/d) produced a growth of 3 cm during the initial 6 weeks, 10.5 cm over the ensuring year (above the 10th percentile), and regression of goiter without thyrotoxicosis. The patient exhibited resistance to thyroid hormone in pituitary and peripheral tissues. The optimal dose of T 4 replacement could be predicted by studying tissue responses to incremental doses of T 3 . The marked elevation in serum TSH concentration, stunted growth, and laboratory evidence of hypothyroidism were due to the limited thyroidal reserve caused by thyroidectomy. All patients with an impaired ability to compensate for the defect as a result of inappropriate treatment should be given thyroid hormone in amounts short of producing catabolic effects. Such a dose is expected to normalize the basal serum TSH concentration and its response to TRH.
Development of a 30-week-pregnant female tomographic model from computed tomography (CT) images for Monte Carlo organ dose calculations

Assessment of radiation dose and risk to a pregnant woman and her fetus is an important task in radiation protection. Although tomographic models for male and female patients of different ages have been developed using medical images, such models for pregnant women had not been developed to date. This paper reports the construction of a partial-body model of a pregnant woman from a set of computed tomography (CT) images. The patient was 30 weeks into pregnancy, and the CT scan covered the portion of the body from above liver to below pubic symphysis in 70 slices. The thickness for each slice is 7 mm, and the image resolution is 512x512 pixels in a 48 cm x 48 cm field; thus, the voxel size is 6.15 mm3. The images were segmented to identify 34 major internal organs and tissues considered sensitive to radiation. Even though the masses are noticeably different from other models, the three-dimensional visualization verified the segmentation and its suitability for Monte Carlo calculations. The model has been implemented into a Monte Carlo code, EGS4-VLSI (very large segmented images), for the calculations of radiation dose to a pregnant woman. The specific absorbed fraction (SAF) results for internal photons were compared with those from a stylized model. Small and large differences were found, and the differences can be explained by mass differences and by the relative geometry differences between the source and the target organs. The research provides the radiation dosimetry community with the first voxelized tomographic model of a pregnant woman, opening the door to future dosimetry studies.
Requirement for Ras and Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Signaling Uncouples the Glucocorticoid-induced Junctional Organization and Transepithelial Electrical Resistance in Mammary Tumor Cells

In Con8 rat mammary epithelial tumor cells, the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone stimulates the remodeling of the apical junction (tight and adherens junctions) and the transepithelial electrical resistance (TER), which reflects tight junction sealing. Indirect immunofluorescence revealed that dexamethasone induced the recruitment of endogenous Ras and the p85 regulatory subunit of phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase to regions of cell-cell contact, concurrently with the stimulation of TER. Expression of dominant-negative RasN17 abolished the dexamethasone stimulation in TER, whereas, dexamethasone induced the reorganization of tight junction and adherens junction proteins, ZO-1 and beta-catenin, as well as F-actin, to precise regions of cell-cell contact in a Ras-independent manner. Confocal microscopy revealed that RasN17 and the p85 regulatory subunit of PI 3-kinase co-localized with ZO-1 and F-actin at the tight junction and adherens junction, respectively. Treatment with either of the PI 3-kinase inhibitors, wortmannin or LY294002, or the MEK inhibitor PD 098059, which prevents MAPK signaling, attenuated the dexamethasone stimulation of TER without affecting apical junction remodeling. Similar to dominant-negative RasN17, disruption of both Ras effector pathways using a combination of inhibitors abolished the glucocorticoid stimulation of TER. Thus, the glucocorticoiddependent remodeling of the apical junction and tight junction sealing can be uncoupled by their dependence on Ras and/or PI 3-kinase-dependent pathways, implicating a new role for Ras and PI 3-kinase cell signaling events in the steroid control of cell-cell interactions.
Total quality management in hematology

Healthcare is changing and clinical laboratory testing must change with it. In no discipline is this change more profound than in hematology. The principles of total quality management (TQM) including continuous quality improvement, reengineering and strategic planning can facilitate these changes. In the past, hematology has often been exlcuded from these processes due to its many manual procedures and the degree of expertise and skill needed to perform the testing. As automated technology continues to evolve, hematology testing, like other testing, will become integrated into the core, clinical laboratory. We suggest TQM can, and should, guide the way.
Placental Hofbauer cells assemble and sequester HIV-1 in tetraspanin and DC SIGN positive compartments that are accessible to neutralizing antibodies

Background Within monocyte derived macrophages, HIV-1 accumulates in virus containing compartments (VCCs) that are largely inaccessible to the external environment, which implicate these cells as HIV-1 reservoirs. During mother to child transmission, placental macrophages (Hofbauer Cells [HCs]) are viral targets, and have shown to be infected in vivo and sustain low levels of viral replication in vitro, however, the risk of in utero transmission is less than 7%. The role of these primary macrophages as viral reservoirs is largely undefined.
Applications of hybrid-optical spectrographic processor

Optical spectrographic processing systems have been shown to be the most widely used techniques for time-varying signals that usually contain very distinct characteristics in spectral distributions and are difficult to categorize in time (spatial) domain. In this paper, an optical architecture for spectrograph generation, by which time-varying signal processing can be performed, is proposed and its implementation is described in detail. Some potential applications using optical spectrographic processing system in phonetics, linguistics, speech identification are investigated. Simulation results are also presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the optical spectrographic processing system in those application areas. Other applications of the optical spectrographic analysis system in identifying individuals through "voice prints" or in detecting mechanical fatigue through abnormal noise are also indicated.