cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Excellent Clinical Outcome for Relapsed and Refractory Lymphoma Patients with Haplo-Cord Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation

Abstract Background: Umbilical cord blood transplantation has been used for hematologic malignancy patients lacking matching donors but slow engraftment has hindered its wide usage. We have previously described combining CD34 selected -haploidentical grafts with umbilical cord cells to accelerate neutrophil and platelet engraftment Here, we examine the outcome of patients with lymphoid malignancies undergoing haplo-cord transplantation at the University of Chicago and Weill Cornell Medical College from May 2008 to February 2016. Results: Median age was 45 years (23-69). 9 (23%) pts had Hodgkin's lymphoma, 5 (13%) patients had CLL and 25 (64%) patients had non-Hodgkin lymphoma including 6 T-NHL. Five (13%) and 1(2%) patient had prior autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplant respectively. Three (7%), 18 (46%) and 18 (46%) patients has low, intermediate and high/very high CIBMTR disease risk index prior to transplant. All patients received fludarabine/melphalan/ATG conditioning regimen and post-transplant GVHD prophylaxis with tacrolimus and MMF. The median time to neutrophil engraftment is 11 days (9-60) and platelet engraftment is 19 days (11-88). Cumulative Incidence of NRM is 10% at 100 days and 16 % at one year. Cumulative incidence of relapse is 15% at 100days and 18% at one year. With a median follow up for survivors of 18 months, one year overall survival (OS) is 73% (95% CI 59-87). OS at one year is 58% for NHL patients, 80 % for HL patients and 100 % for patients with CLL. None of the survivors have chronic GVHD. Conclusion: HaploCord Transplantation offers an excellent treatment alternative for patients with recurrent and refractory lymphoid malignancies who lack matching donors. Count recovery is rapid, non relapse mortality is limited, excellent disease control can be achieved and the incidence of chronic GVHD is limited. Download : Download high-res image (50KB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures Smith: Celgene: Consultancy; Juno: Consultancy; TGTX: Consultancy; Portola: Consultancy; Amgen: Other: Educational lecture to sales force; AbbVie: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy; Pharmacyclics: Consultancy; Genentech: Consultancy, Other: on a DSMB for two trials . Kline: Merck: Honoraria, Research Funding; Vasculox: Research Funding.
Evaluating Vasopressor Discontinuation Strategies in Patients With Septic Shock on Concomitant Norepinephrine and Vasopressin Infusions.

Background: There is little data guiding clinicians on how to discontinue vasopressors among septic shock patients on concomitant norepinephrine (NE) and vasopressin (VP). Objective: To determine t...
Positive Induction Is Not a Function of "Timing"

Studies have shown that rats’ rates of lever pressing for low-concentration liquid-sucrose reinforcers in the first half of an experimental session are higher if food-pellet, rather than the same sucrose, reinforcement will be delivered in the second half. Experiment 1 investigated whether this induction effect would be altered if subjects were provided with an external “clock” (i.e., stimuli that changed as the period of food-pellet reinforcement approached). Induction was not altered by the clock. Experiment 2 investigated whether subjects’ might be internally timing the upcoming food pellets. Subjects responded in sessions in which pressing the left and right lever was reinforced in the first and second half, respectively, of the session and the switch in reinforcement between halves was unsignaled. Delivering foodpellet reinforcement in one half of the session altered the timing functions, but induction in responding for 1 % sucrose was still observed. Experiment 3 investigated whether induction might then be the result of a disruption in timing. It partially replicated the procedure of Experiment 2, but also had subjects respond in conditions in which timing the switch in reinforcement between halves was not necessary. Similar results were observed across conditions in which timing was and was not required. These results question the idea that timing is involved in the appearance of induction. They suggest that some other mechanism, such as a change in the value of the sucrose, is behind the effect.
An experience-driven pedagogy for the instruction of software testing in computer science

In the realm of computer programming, the experience of writing a program is used to reinforce concepts and evaluate ability. This research uses three case studies to evaluate the introduction of testing through Kolb's Experiential Learning Model (ELM). We then analyze the impact of those testing experiences to determine methods for improving future courses. The first testing experience that students encounter are unit test reports in their early courses. This course demonstrates that automating and improving feedback can provide more ELM iterations. The JUnit Generation (JUG) tool also provided a positive experience for the instructor by reducing the overall workload. Later, undergraduate and graduate students have the opportunity to work together in a multi-role Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) course. The interactions use usability analysis techniques with graduate students as usability experts and undergraduate students as design engineers. Students get experience testing the user experience of their product prototypes using methods varying from heuristic analysis to user testing. From this course, we learned the importance of the instructors role in the ELM. As more roles were added to the HCI course, a desire arose to provide more complete, quality assured software. This inspired the addition of unit testing experiences to the course. However, we learned that significant preparations must be made to apply the ELM when students are resistant. The research presented through these courses was driven by the recognition of a need for testing in a Computer Science curriculum. Our understanding of the ELM suggests the need for student experience when being introduced to testing concepts. We learned that experiential learning, when appropriately implemented, can provide benefits to the Computer Science classroom. When examined together, these course-based research projects provided insight into building strong testing practices into a curriculum.
A MECHANISM FOR CHAOS IN A NONLINEAR OPTICAL SYSTEM

We show, using a global phase space analysis, that the chaotic attractor appearing beyond the accumulation point of period doubling bifurcations in a ring bistable cavity is the accumulation of homoclinic orbits associated with unstable fixed points which remain on each successive bifurcation. In contrast to the one dimensional map, periodic cycles of any arbitrary period may, in principle, appear abruptly in the phase space and these in turn can undergo period doubling.
Isotope Page Information

The following information is presented on each Isotope Page: the (simplified) decay scheme (the Mossbauer transitions are shown with broader lines); the γ-ray energies [Eγ] and relative intensities [I parent] (where available); the half-life [t1/2] and the total internal conversion coefficient [αT] of the Mossbauer transition; the natural isotopic abundance [IA] of the isotope; the magnetic moments [MM, MG] and quadrupole moments [QM, QG] of the levels between which the transition occurs; and special references and notes, if any. If the “Mossbauer level” is depopulated by more than one transition, the fraction of decays branching through the Mossbauer transition is indicated [ρ] in percent (e. g., see 161Dy). When experimental values for the total internal conversion coefficient are not available, theoretical values are determined from a computer program of Hager and Seltzer.1
Dyadic Parent–Child Interaction Coding System (DPICS): An Adaptable Measure of Parent and Child Behavior During Dyadic Interactions

The Dyadic Parent–Child Interaction Coding System, fourth edition (DPICS-IV) is a flexible, but structured, behavioral observation measure used to quantify key parent and child behaviors in standardized situations. The DPICS-IV has been used extensively as an adjunct to parent–child interaction therapy (PCIT), but its utility extends to the evaluation of other parenting interventions and research objectives as well. The core features of the DPICS-IV include (1) focusing on direct observation of parent–child dyadic interactions; (2) using well-defined categories; and (3) maintaining adequate interrater reliability. These features allow for considerable flexibility with regard to the situations used, the categories used, and the way in which behavior frequencies are recorded. As a result, there have been many studies that have used the DPICS to address a wide range of clinical and research questions. This chapter reviews the development of the DPICS as well as current research incorporating the DPICS as a treatment process or outcome variable. In addition, the ways in which the DPICS has been adapted, and the process by which the DPICS is designed to be adapted is summarized. Lastly, a case example is presented to highlight how the DPICS can be adapted to suit unique clinical and research interests.
Preeclampsia: Cardiovascular and Renal Risks During and After Pregnancy

Abstract Preeclampsia is a syndrome unique to pregnancy, characterized by diffuse endothelial and multiorgan dysfunction. In this chapter, we will review the physiologic changes in cardiovascular and renal function in normal pregnancy and discuss how preeclampsia may affect these two organ systems in the short term. We will also review the growing body of literature demonstrating that women with preeclampsia are at an increased risk of cardiovascular and renal disease later in life.
Selective monoaminergic and histaminergic circuit dysregulation following long-term HIV-1 protein exposure

Between 30 and 60% of HIV-seropositive individuals develop symptoms of clinical depression and/or apathy. Dopamine and serotonin are associated with motivational alterations; however, histamine is less well studied. In the present study, we used fast-scan cyclic voltammetry in HIV-1 transgenic (Tg) rats to simultaneously analyze the kinetics of nucleus accumbens dopamine (DA), prefrontal cortical serotonin (5-HT), and hypothalamic histamine (HA). For voltammetry, subjects were 15 HIV-1 Tg (7 male, 8 female) and 20 F344/N (11 male, 9 female) adult rats. Both serotonergic and dopaminergic release and reuptake kinetics were decreased in HIV-1 Tg animals relative to controls. In contrast, rates of histamine release and reuptake increased in HIV-1 Tg rats. Additionally, we used immunohistochemical (IHC) methods to identify histaminergic neurons in the tuberomammillary nucleus (TMN) of the hypothalamus. For IHC, subjects were 9 HIV-1 Tg (5 male, 4 female) and 9 F344/N (5 male, 4 female) adult rats. Although the total number of TMN histaminergic cells did not differ between HIV-1 Tg rats and F344/N controls, a significant sex effect was found, with females having an increased number of histaminergic neurons, relative to males. Collectively, these findings illustrate neurochemical alterations that potentially underlie or exacerbate the pathogenesis of clinical depression and/or apathy in HIV-1.
Using focused recasting and auditory bombardment to teach child-specific morphosyntactical skills to preschoolers who are deaf or hard of hearing

Preschoolers who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) generally do not acquire grammatical forms at the same ages or rates of children who are not DHH. The purpose of this study was to investigate tre...
The Early Earth

The Earth is so far the only place in the Universe where life is known to exist. Is the Earth special, or are there other places both in our own solar system and beyond where life may have originated and either became extinct or still exists today? Hopefully, in the not to distant future we may find out. During the coming decades, spacecraft will search for evidence of life on Mars and Jupiter s moon Europa, which are considered to be the most promising places for the existence of extant or extinct extraterrestrial life within our solar sys-tem. Using remote sensing techniques, we will also begin to look for signs of life’s chemistry on the extrasolar planets, which seem to be omnipresent companions of many main sequence stars. If the conditions that resulted in the origin of life on Earth are common throughout the Universe, it seems almost certain that life must exist elsewhere. However, to evaluate whether the Earth is a unique place, or simply an average rocky planet around an average star, we must access what the Earth was like before life began and how these conditions contributed to the processes thought to be involved in the origin of life.
Born translated: the contemporary novel in an age of world literature

English-language novels undoubtedly dominate contemporary world literature, both as a market commodity and as an academic discipline, marginalizing the role of translation within the Anglophone con...
Sums of valences in bigraphs. II

Abstract In the first paper of this title it was shown that the sum of the valences at three distinct vertices of a bigraph on 2 n points obeyed v p + v q + v r ⩽ 3n − 1, if n = 2m, 3n, if n = 2m − 1 A class of bigraphs (modified central star and central star) was defined which demonstrated that these bounds were the best possible by achieving equality in each case. In this note, it is shown that for n odd the central star bigraph and for n even the modified central star and three simple variations on the central star are the only bigraphs having sums of valences which achieve the bound and that for all other bigraphs strict inequality prevails. It is also noted that this result implies that the sum of valences at m distinct vertices of a bigraph is strictly less than mn for all m ≤ 4.
Pediatric Aerodigestive Programs: Role of the Core Team Members, Speech Language Pathology, Pulmonology, Gastroenterology, Otolaryngology, and Parent/Caregiver

The multidisciplinary approach to children with aerodigestive disorders is rewarding. Through this approach, efficient, cost-effective, patient-centered, family-focused, and consistent care can be delivered. The number of new diagnoses and the speed to diagnosis increase. The overall cost to diagnosis decreases, and the efficiency in the OR increases, freeing up more OR time for other unique procedures. These complex and medically fragile patients deserve our best and concerted care to help them reach their maximal potential.
Baseline performance moderates stimulant effects on cognition in youth with ADHD.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is associated with impaired cognitive functioning and increased delay discounting (i.e., a stronger preference for immediate reward). At the group level, stimulant medication improves cognition and delay discounting, yet not all children exhibit problems in these domains, and previous work has not examined whether stimulant-induced improvements are moderated by baseline performance. To address this question in the current study, 82 children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (9-12 years old) attended a week-long research camp. On the baseline day (Monday), participants completed tasks of inhibitory control, visuospatial working memory, reaction time variability, and delay discounting. Children then completed a 3-day, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of ∼1 mg/kg and 2 mg/kg long-acting methylphenidate (mean doses = 39.1 and 74.3 mg, respectively), during which they were readministered the battery of tasks. Cognitive composites (mean of inhibitory control, working memory, and reaction time variability performance) were created for the baseline and medication evaluation phases. As predicted, the extent to which cognition was improved with medication compared with placebo and with 2 mg/kg compared with 1 mg/kg was greatest among children with poorer baseline cognitive function. Children with stronger baseline cognition exhibited less improvement with methylphenidate compared with placebo and did not benefit from the 2 compared with the 1 mg/kg dose. In contrast, medication-related improvement in delay discounting was unrelated to baseline discounting. Given that improving cognitive function is one potential mechanisms by which stimulants exert their therapeutic effects, this study has significant implications for understanding how and for whom stimulant medication works. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Legal Strategies to Address Child Support Obligations for Nonresident Fathers in the Child Welfare System

The legal and practical issues surrounding child support obligations have enormous impact on families in the child welfare system. Unfortunately, these issues are often ignored, overlooked, or misunderstood. A much-needed effort to engage nonresident fathers in the child welfare system is underway, but those efforts will often be derailed if child support is not properly addressed. This article sheds light on the legal and policy concerns regarding child support enforcement in child protection cases and provides legal strategies for advocates to address those concerns. While primarily aimed at advocates for nonresident fathers, this article should also benefit advocates for custodial parents and for children as child support issues affect all parties in the child welfare system.
Does sinonasal cancer survival differ based on human papillomavirus status

6565Background: The sinonasal tract is a lesser known “hot spot” for the human papillomavirus (HPV), compared with the oropharynx. Additionally, unlike the oropharynx, the role of HPV tumor status ...
User Experiences with Online Status Indicators

Online status indicators (OSIs) improve online communication by helping users convey and assess availability, but they also let users infer potentially sensitive information about one another. We surveyed 200 smartphone users to understand the extent to which users are aware of information shared via OSIs and the extent to which this shapes their behavior. Despite familiarity with OSIs, participants misunderstand many aspects of OSIs, and they describe carefully curating and seeking to control their self-presentation via OSIs. Some users further report leveraging OSI-conveyed information for problematic and malicious purposes. Drawing on existing constructs of app dependence (i.e., when users contort their behavior to meet an app's demands) and app enablement (i.e., when apps enable users to engage in behaviors they feel good about), we demonstrate that current OSI design patterns promote app dependence, and we call for a shift toward OSI designs that are more enabling for users.
Validation of diagnostic criteria and histopathological characterization of cardiac rupture in the mouse model of nonreperfused myocardial infarction

In patients with myocardial infarction (MI), cardiac rupture is an uncommon but catastrophic complication. In the mouse model of nonreperfused MI, reported rupture rates are highly variable and depend not only on the genetic background and sex of animals but also on the method used for documentation of rupture. In most studies, diagnosis of cardiac rupture is based on visual inspection during autopsy; however, criteria are poorly defined. We performed systematic histopathological analysis of whole hearts from C57BL/6J mice dying after nonreperfused MI and evaluated the reliability of autopsy-based criteria in identification of rupture. Moreover, we compared the cell biological environment of the infarct between rupture-related and rupture-independent deaths. Histopathological analysis documented rupture in 50% of mice dying during the first week post-MI. Identification of a gross rupture site was highly specific but had low sensitivity; in contrast, hemothorax had high sensitivity but low specificity. Mice with rupture had lower myofibroblast infiltration, accentuated macrophage influx, and a trend toward reduced collagen content in the infarct. Male mice had increased mortality and higher incidence of rupture. However, infarct myeloid cells harvested from male and female mice at the peak of the incidence of rupture had comparable inflammatory gene expression. In conclusion, the reliability of autopsy in documentation of rupture in infarcted mice is dependent on the specific criteria used. Macrophage-driven inflammation and reduced activation of collagen-secreting reparative myofibroblasts may be involved in the pathogenesis of post-MI cardiac rupture.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We show that cardiac rupture accounts for 50% of deaths in C57BL/6J mice undergoing nonreperfused myocardial infarction protocols. Overestimation of rupture events in published studies likely reflects the low specificity of hemothorax as a criterion for documentation of rupture. In contrast, identification of a gross rupture site has high specificity and low sensitivity. We also show that mice dying of rupture have increased macrophage influx and attenuated myofibroblast infiltration in the infarct. These findings are consistent with a role for perturbations in the balance between inflammatory and reparative responses in the pathogenesis of postinfarction cardiac rupture. We also report that the male predilection for rupture in infarcted mice is not associated with increased inflammatory activation of myeloid cells.
Developing a Configurable Air Traffic Controller Agent for Fast-Time Simulation

The Federal Aviation Administration continually pursues advances that improve operational efficiency while preserving passenger safety. Research of new concepts and technologies often requires the use of simulation to cost-effectively assess the impact of these envisioned improvements on an abstracted version of the real system. In an effort to improve our ability to conduct fast-time simulations on a wide range of concepts and scenarios, The MITRE Corporation has begun the development of a simulation platform that supports configurable air traffic control agents. The agents are designed to exercise a set of simple rules in a stimulus-response framework. Stimuli such as predicted conflicts and metering delays are sent to a controller agent, and the controller responds via flight commands such as speed, altitude, or heading changes. This controller agent is configurable such that analysts can define different response strategies and stimuli response prioritizations for different experiments and for different sectors within a given experiment. When integrated in a fast-time simulation environment, this agent enables users to run experiments with thousands of scenarios as no humans are needed to provide flight commands. This paper illustrates the design framework for the controller agent as well as the model validation and verification. MITRE validated and verified this model in two ways: first, by comparing the number of and type of commands that the controller agent issued with historical data. Second, by comparing the spacing conflicts in simulation runs with and without the controller agent.
Abstract 297: Identifying Optimization Targets in 911 Dispatch Workflows for Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest Management

Introduction: Dispatch processes for prehospital management of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) vary greatly by region, and so do the barriers and facilitators of rapid time-to-first-treatment...
Differences in physical activity and perceived benefits and barriers to physical activity between LGBTQ + and non-LGBTQ + college students.

To compare physical activity (PA) behaviors and perceived benefits and barriers among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) and non-LGBTQ + college students. Participants: Partici...
Effectiveness of Standard Combination Therapy in Pediatric Migraine

Abstract Background A combination of parenteral medications (often referred to as standard combination therapy) is frequently used in the treatment of acute migraine in the pediatric emergency department (PED). The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the two-hour, 24-hour, and seven-day impact of one such regimen on pain in children who present to the PED. Standard combination therapy for purposes of our study is defined as a bolus of intravenous saline, and a combination of intravenous ketorolac, prochlorperazine, and diphenhydramine. Methods This prospective observational study included 120 children between the ages seven and 18 years who presented to the PED with migraine, whose parents could read and understand the consent form in English, and who were treated with standard combination therapy. The primary outcome measure for this study was the change in severity of pain as noted by the child using the Faces Pain Scale-Revised. We analyzed normally distributed continuous variables by mean and standard deviation, whereas non-normally distributed continuous variables are reported by median and interquartile range. Results Nonparametric Friedman testing on the entire cohort (n = 120) noted that there was a statistically significant change in the Faces pain scale from before administration of standard combination therapy to the two-hour, 24-hour, and one-week time point with a reduction in pain score of 87.5%, 100%, and 50%, respectively, at the three time points. Conclusions This study noted moderate relief of pain after administration of standard combination therapy, which persisted at one-week after administration.
The impact of fleeting exposure to female exemplars of success in STEM

Two studies tested the impact of subtle cues that associate masculinity with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) success on women’s STEM experiences. Study 1 was a field study ...
Potentially Hurwitz Structures: A Characterization of Nests

We characterize the "structures" defining a class of real matrices—called nests—given by A in ℝn×n such that, up to relabeling, all of its leading principal submatrices indexed by {1, 2,⋯, k} satisfy sgn det A[{1, 2,⋯k}] = (−1)k k ≤ n By structure we elements mean of {−1, 0, 1}n×n, which circumscribe the signs of realizations within a class of real matrices. We frame the problem of characterizing structures in a form amenable to classic control theory, and that generalizes to any class of matrices defined by potentially Hurwitz structures, such as nests.
Imperfect competition and quality signalling

We examine the interplay of imperfect competition and incomplete information in the context of price competition among firms producing horizontally and vertically differentiated substitute products. Incomplete information about vertical quality (consumer satisfaction) signalled via price softens price competition. Low-quality firms always prefer the incomplete information game to the full-information analog. Moreover, for “high-value” markets with a sufficiently high proportion of high-quality firms, these firms also prefer incomplete information to full information. We find that an increase in the loss to consumers associated with the low-quality product may perversely benefit low-quality firms; we consider applications to tort reform and professional licensing.
Dismantling violence: Refocusing the Camera to BLM in South Asianist Humanities

This essay is a first-person account of the material reality of being a South Asian scholar-activist, a university faculty who has been teaching at a Texas men’s prison for thirteen years now. It s...
Unstandard Deviation: The Untapped Value of Positive Deviance for Reducing Inequalities.

Behavioral science is increasingly used in public policy to understand and address various manifestations of inequalities. Yet evidence from effective population-level interventions is limited. One...
Rotation of Polyatomic Molecules

The effective Hamiltonian, rotational energies, transition selection rules, and notation for the rotational energy levels of an asymmetric top are derived and discussed [1, 2]. The effective Hamiltonian is factored into four sub-blocks by the Wang transformation. Depending on whether the transition moment lies along the body-fixed a, b, or c axis, one obtains easily-remembered transition selection rules. A diatomic molecule has one rotational constant, B, whereas a nonlinear polyatomic molecule has three rotational constants, A, B, and C, each of which is proportional to the reciprocal of one of the three principal axis moments of inertia, IA, IB, and IC. Derivatives of each of these reciprocal moments of inertia with respect to each of the 3N-6 normal mode displacements, give vibration-rotation interaction and centrifugal distortion constants analogously to their perturbation theoretic derivation for a diatomic molecule.
Hormonal regulation of chimeric genes containing the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase promoter regulatory region in hepatoma cells infected by murine retroviruses.

Abstract Hepatoma cells were infected with replication-incompetent murine retroviruses containing the selectable gene for amino-3'-glycosyl phosphotransferase (neo) and/or the nonselectable gene for bovine growth hormone (bGH). Expression of these genes was controlled by the promoter regulatory region of the gene for the cytosolic form of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP) (EC 4.1.1.32) (PEPCK) from the rat, which contains hormone and tissue-specific regulatory elements. Expression of the transduced PEPCK-neo gene was stimulated by Bt2cAMP and glucocorticoids and inhibited by insulin. The amount of RNA which initiated within the retroviral 5' long terminal repeat (5' LTR) was inhibited when internal promoters were present in the retroviral vector. When no internal promoter was present, expression from the 5' LTR was higher and stimulated by glucocorticoids, due to the presence of a glucocorticoid regulatory element in the 5' LTR. Infection of cells with retroviruses altered the basal expression and hormonal regulation of the endogenous PEPCK gene, but had no effect on the expression of the tyrosine aminotransferase gene, which is regulated in a similar manner by cAMP and glucocorticoids. A segment of the PEPCK promoter acted as a hormonally regulated enhancer, bringing the SV40 early promoter under the control of Bt2cAMP. A second, nonselectable gene (PEPCK-bGH), contained in the retroviral vector together with PEPCK-neo, was expressed and regulated appropriately when introduced into hepatoma cells. The proviruses were initially integrated randomly into the host cell genome, but after prolonged selection for expression of the transduced PEPCK-neo gene, cells were selected which contain a predominant site(s) of integration. Among populations of cells, however, the predominant site(s) of proviral integration was different. The selection of cells with a specific site of integration from a population was accelerated by the presence of PEPCK promoter sequences in the provirus. Despite the need to better characterize their effects on the host cell, retroviruses appear to be versatile tools for the specific introduction of regulated genes into cells.
Illustrated Bood Study: Digital Conversion Requirements of Printed Illustrations

Cornell University Department of Preservation and Conservation and Picture Elements, Incorporated have undertaken a joint study for the Library of Congress to determine the best means for digitizing the vast array of illustrations used in 19th and early 20th century publications. This work builds on two previous studies. A Cornell study [1] characterized a given illustration type based upon its essence, detail, and structure. A Picture Elements study [2] created guidelines for deciding how a given physical content region type should be captured as an electronic content type. Using those procedures, appropriate mappings of different physical content regions (representing instances of different illustration processes) to electronic content types are being created. These mappings differ based on the illustration type and on the need to preserve information at the essence, detail, or structure level. Example pages that are typical of early commercial illustrations have been identified, characterized in terms of the processes used to create them (e.g., engraving, lithograph, halftone) and then scanned at high resolutions in 8-bit grayscale. Digital versions that retain evidence of information at the structure level have been derived from those scans and their fidelity studied alongside the paper originals. Project staff have investigated the available means for automatic detection of illustration content regions and methods for automatically discriminating different illustration process types and for encoding and processing them. A public domain example utility is being created which automatically detects the presence and location of a halftone region in a scan of an illustrated book page and applies special processing to it.
Freud's Notion of the Uncanny in ANIMAL FARM

George Orwell's Animal Farm is famously political. Viewed as fable or fairy story, Animal Farm lends itself to multiple critical interpretations. Richard I. Smyer's argument, in Animal Farm: Pastor...
Keeping It Real

Problem: It is easier than ever to reach out to the public, but as communication channels proliferate, it becomes difficult to compete for people's attention. Also, it seems as though fantasy and spectacle (even in news coverage) have the best chances of capturing an audience. Can planners create what Duncombe (2007) calls “ethical spectacles,” where planning projects get noticed, but still gain substantive public input? Purpose: Currently, reality television shows are the masters of “spectacle” and viewer participation. This article uses the reality TV formula to critique a televised planning event sponsored by the council of governments for the Greater Kansas City region. The model for successful reality TV offers strategies for improving televised planning processes by making these programs more dynamic and interactive. The reality TV formula includes the following: real people, uncontrolled situations, immediacy and intimacy, an emphasis on conflict in which participants balance individual and communi...
Seeing the forest but not the trees.

In peripheral vision, individual item information becomes inaccessible in the presence of distractors. Parkes et al. now show this information is not lost, but integrated into accurate ensemble statistics, suggesting that such 'crowding' may be related to texture perception.
The Significance of the Evaluation Function in Evolutionary Algorithms

The major component of any evolutionary algorithm is its evaluation function, which serves as a major link between the algorithm and the problem being solved. The evaluation function is used to distinguish between better and worse individuals in the population, hence it provides an important feedback for the search process. In this paper we survey a few typical methods for constructing an evaluation function for constrained optimization problems.
Pregnancy intentions may not be a useful measure for research on maternal and child health outcomes.

The findings of three researchers about pregnancy intendedness as a measure for understanding maternal and child health outcomes were evaluated. Studies have linked unintended pregnancy to some behaviors and to negative birth weight. Several issues undermine the validity of intendedness as it is presently measured such as recall bias implicit in retrospective queries about intention; and pregnancy intention as a complex concept. Moreover discrepancies between the stated and actual contraceptive practice of women also complicated the issue of intention status. Also the issue of mistimed versus unwanted pregnancy presented another problem. Thus intendedness may be too complex to quantify and measure accurately.
Designing e-commerce cross-border distribution networks for small and medium-size enterprises incorporating Canadian and U.S. trade incentive programs

E-commerce sales are growing more rapidly than non-e-commerce sales. This creates a great opportunity for small and medium sized companies to find and develop new customers in markets outside their domestic ones. However, there are substantial barriers to doing business across international borders — including differences in customs and duty regimes and tax laws. Some federal governments are trying to alleviate the impact of such barriers by providing government programs such as duty free zones for the import and export of products. However, there remain critical barriers that government programs cannot overcome — for example, exchange rate fluctuations. This paper explores the potential for e-commerce transactions across the borders of one of the most vibrant bilateral commercial markets in the world — the one between Canada and the United States of America. The federal governments of both countries have programs in place designed to facilitate cross-border business. This paper examines those programs to explore the question of whether or not participation in such programs can actually assist small and medium sized firms in overcoming the barriers to cross-border e-commerce transactions. Implications for company decision makers and government policy makers in Canada and the US, with application to other cross-border regions, are discussed.
Characterization of the immunodeficiency of RIIIS/J mice: immune response to polysaccharide antigens.

Abstract RIIIS/J mice lack an autosomal dominant gene(s) that influences the magnitude of the antibody response to several polysaccharide antigens of bacterial origin. Low responsiveness is demonstrable whether polysaccharide is administered as a T-helper-cell-independent or -dependent antigen conjugated to an immunogenic carrier; however, RIIIS/J mice make good anti-hapten antibody responses to haptenated polysaccharides. The low antibody responses of RIIIS/J mice to type III pneumococcal polysaccharide do not appear to be the results of an imbalance in the activity of regulatory T lymphocytes. Compared with other strains of mice, RIIIS/J mice elicit low antibody responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). They do not develop a cyclic primary or secondary antibody response to Escherichia coli O113 LPS; the latter is not due to a lack of mitogenic response to E. coli O113 LPS. They also produce auto-anti-idiotypic antibody after being immunized with trinitrophenyl-Ficoll.
American Indians in World War I: At Home and At War

Indian soldiers prior to World War I -- Indian soldiers and the issue of segregated troops -- The draft and enlistment of American Indians -- Indian soldiers in the American Expeditionary Force -- American Indians as "doughbo : the influence of stereotypes -- American Indians and other minorities in World War I -- The Indian homefront and the BIA -- Indian veterans in the postwar era.
Cardiopulmonary sympathetic afferent input to lower thoracic spinal neurons.

Abstract Spinal neuronal responses to stimulation of cardiopulmonary sympathetic afferent (CPS) fibers were studied in 25 α-chloralose-anesthetized cats. Eighty-two neurons located in the T7-T9 segments were tested was altered; 37 were excited, 10 were inhibited, and 8 were both excited and inhibited. All 55 cells with CPS input also responded to stimulation of somatic receptors and the left greater splanchnic nerve (SPL). Somatic receptive fields were primarily located on the upper portion of the abdomen and left lower rib cage. Short and long latency responses occurred following CPS and SPL stimulation. Latencies of responses to CPS stimulation were significantly longer than latencies of responses to SPL stimulation (P
Effects of acute alcohol intoxication on verbal memory in young men as a function of time of day.

This experiment examined whether the time of day of alcohol administration influences alcohol metabolism and the impact of alcohol on verbal memory. It was hypothesized that circadian fluctuations in endogenous levels of testosterone in young men would differentially affect blood alcohol levels, which would consequently impair their memory performance to a different degree. Participants were administered alcohol or placebo drinks either at 8 am or 6 pm and recall of 4 prose passages was examined. The results indicated that recall declined for subjects administered alcohol but time of day did not moderate these effects. Nevertheless, generally alcohol breath levels changed in the predicted direction as a function of the time of the day with higher levels recorded in the morning and lower levels in the afternoon. The results suggested that observed differences in breath alcohol levels may be influenced by differences in endogenous levels of testosterone, but the effect of this presumed interaction on verbal memory appears inconclusive.
Statistical Analysis of the Stress-Energy Methodology Applied to Cushion Curve Determination

The stress-energy method is a proposed alternative to ASTM D1596 that reduces all drop height, thickness, and static load combinations into a single equation that can be used to generate any reasonable cushion curve for a particular material. There remains a question as to how accurately the stress-energy method can predict deceleration values and whether it is statistically comparable to the method described in ASTM D1596. There are three phases to this research that attempt to determine the accuracy of the stress-energy method: gathering data using the stress-energy method and analyzing the goodness of fit of the stress-energy equation, predicting a cushion curve and observing the upper and lower bounds for a given drop height and thickness, and using ASTM D1596 to create a cushion curve with the same drop height and thickness and comparing it to the predicted cushion curve. Analyzing ten stress-energy data sets using the root mean square error in addition to the coefficient of determination provided a more thorough goodness of fit analysis. Utilizing the stress-energy method to predict cushion curves produced minimal errors and similar decelerations when compared to six actual cushion curve data sets.
Rod influence on thresholds using different detection criteria during dark adaptation

Abstract Following adaptation to intense long wavelength (LW) light, dark adaptation was measured with an extrafoveal 660 nm test flash using three different criteria: reporting the test flash as present (detection threshold), as colored (the chromatic threshold), and as red (the color-specific threshold). The detection threshold followed the typical dark adaptation course. The chromatic threshold first fell to a steady level but then rose to a higher level. The color-specific threshold first dropped, and then rose. These threshold rises are attributed to the action of rods since they do not occur in the fovea and are delayed following adaptation to short wavelength light of equal photopic, and stronger scotopic, intensity to the LW light adaptation.
Financial Globalization and Cross-Border Comovements of Money and Population: Foreign Bank Offices in Los Angeles

Studies of migration and financial globalization focus on either the movement of money, with people staying put, or on the movement of people, with little attention to the impact of the money that ...
Singlet quenching of chlorophyll a and pheophytin a by 2,4,7-trinitro-9-(fluoroenylidene)malononitrile : influence of ground-state complexation

Abstract The fluorescence quenching of chlorophyll a (Chl a) and pheophytin a (Pheo a) by 2,4,7-trinitro-9-(fluoroenylidene)-malononitrile (TNFM) has been studied in acetonitrile and dichloromethane. There is evidence of 1:1 ground-state complex formation between the donor (Chl a or Pheo a) and the acceptor (TNFM). Fluorescence lifetime measurements in acetonitrile indicate that the quenching is dynamic type by collisional interaction of TNFM with the uncomplexed fluorophore.
Islam's democracy paradox: Muslims claim to like democracy, so why do they have so little?

In this brush-clearing paper, we demonstrate that there is a deficit both of democracy and of freedom in Muslim-majority countries by comparison with the rest of the world. We further demonstrate that these deficits are not fully explained by poverty or by oil but seem to have something to do with Islam itself. We further demonstrate that the democracy and freedom deficits are larger in the Islamic heartland than elsewhere in Muslim-majority countries. We show that the democracy deficit is not driven by demands for autocracy in Muslim-majority countries, and indeed, that individual Muslims value democracy more than non-Muslims. We suggest that the lack of religious freedom in Muslim-majority countries (the supreme power concept) may be a significant variable in explaining the democracy deficit.
Heat capacities, third-law entropies and thermodynamic functions of SiO2molecular sieves fromT = 0 K to 400 K

Four zeolitic polymorphs of SiO2, * BEA, FAU, MFI, and MTT, have been studied by adiabatic heat capacity calorimetry in the temperature interval from appproximately 20 < (T / K) ⩽ 400 K. From numerical fits of the heat capacities, thermodynamic functions including the entropy, enthalpy increment, and Gibbs free energy function of all four phases have been obtained. AtT = 298.15 K, the standard molar heat capacities of the four phases are Cp,mo = (44.21 ± 0.08)J · K − 1· mol − 1, (45.34 ± 0.08)J · K − 1· mol − 1, (45.70 ± 0.08)J · K − 1· mol − 1, (45.97 ± 0.08)J · K − 1· mol − 1for * BEA, FAU, MFI, and MTT, respectively. A maximum at T = 365 K was observed in the heat capacity of MFI that has been attributed to the monoclinic–orthorhombic structural phase transition previously studied by x-ray and solid state nmr experiments. The enthalpy of transition ΔtrH was found to be (134.8 ± 0.5)J · mol − 1while the entropy of transitionΔtrS was (0.385 ± 0.001)J · K − 1· mol − 1. These small values are consistent with the subtle, displacive nature of the transition. The heat capacities of three of the polymorphs (FAU, MFI, and MTT) are greater than that of crystalline quartz over the entire temperature region of this study, while that of * BEA drops below that of crystalline quartz for T > 240 K. In addition, the excess heat capacity relative to crystalline quartz of all four polymorphs is greater than that exhibited by amorphous quartz forT < 200 K. Since amorphous forms of a substance have higher heat capacities at low temperatures than their crystalline counterparts, this result is unexpected.
Activity of Retinoic Acid Receptor-alpha Is Directly Regulated at Its Protein Kinase A Sites in Response to Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Signaling

Retinoic acid receptor-α (RARA) is crucial for germ cell development in the testis, as shown by the degenerated testis in Rara gene knockout mice, which are sterile. Similarly, FSH is known to regulate Sertoli cell proliferation and differentiation, indirectly controlling the quantity of the spermatogenic output. Interestingly, FSH inhibited, via activation of FSH receptor, cAMP, and protein kinase A (PKA), the nuclear localization and transcriptional activity of RARA. Given that retinoic acid, the ligand for RARA, is known to regulate cell proliferation and differentiation, we investigated whether FSH regulates RARA by a direct posttranslational phosphorylation mechanism. Mutagenesis of serine 219 (S219) and S369 at the PKA sites on RARA to either double alanines or double glutamic acids showed that both PKA sites are important for RARA activity. The negative charges at the PKA sites, whether they are from glutamic acids or phosphorylation of serines, decreased the nuclear localization of RARA, heterodimerization with retinoid X receptor-α, and the transcriptional activity of the receptor. On the other hand, the double-alanine mutant that cannot be phosphorylated at the 219 and 369 amino acid positions did not respond to cAMP and PKA activation. Wild-type and double-mutant RARA interacted with PKA, but only in the presence of cAMP or FSH. These results together suggest that FSH may regulate cell proliferation and differentiation of Sertoli cells, at least partially, by directly affecting the PKA sites of RARA and controlling the transcriptional function of the receptor.