cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Algorithms for phylogenetic footprinting

Phylogenetic footprinting is a technique that identifies regulatory elements by finding unusually well conserved regions in a set of orthologous non-coding DNA sequences from multiple species. In an earlier paper, we presented an exact algorithm that identifies the most conserved region of a set of sequences. Here, we present a number of algorithmic improvements that produce a 1000 fold speedup over the original algorithm. We also show how prior knowledge can be used to identify weaker motifs, and how to handle data sets in which only an unknown subset of the sequences contain the regulatory element. Each technique is implemented and successfully identifies a large number of known binding sites, as well as several highly conserved but uncharacterized regions.
Radiometric Ages and Stratigraphic Sequence of Volcanic and Plutonic Rocks, Southern Nye and Western Lincoln Counties, Nevada

The geochronology of Tertiary igneous events at the Nevada Test Site and adjacent area is outlined by 36 recently determined K-Ar ages, together with other published K-Ar ages. The first evidence of Tertiary igneous activity is the ash-fall bedded tuffs in the Horse Spring Formation. One such tuff has been dated as 29 m.y. old (late Oligocene). Other ash-flow tuffs and lavas formed during the Miocene and Pliocene, according to radiometric age determinations. The youngest ash-flow tuff in this area is about 6 m.y. old. Great volumes of ash and lava were spewed forth 13 to 11 m.y. ago to form the Paintbrush and Timber Mountain Tuffs. Sixteen replicate age determinations on minerals from four densely welded ash-flow tuffs from these formations gave a pooled standard deviation of about ± 2 percent error, provided anomalous ages were rejected on the basis of rock alteration or analytical difficulties. In the Air Force Gunnery Range, just north of the test site, K-Ar ages suggest that the oldest ash flows, the Monotony Tuff, were emplaced 27.6 m.y. ago (late Oligocene) and were followed by outpourings of lava and ash throughout most of the Miocene. Youngest dated lava is about 13 m.y. old. In the southern Egan and northern Seaman Ranges of central Nevada, the Needles Range (?) Formation has an averaged K-Ar age of about 30 m.y., which compares closely with 29.2 m.y., the average of four earlier K-Ar ages determined by other investigators on known Needles Range Formation in eastern Nevada and western Utah. K-Ar ages given by micas from two exposed plutons in the Nevada Test Site suggest emplacement of these plutons at about 93 m.y. ago (early Late Cretaceous), although earlier emplacement in the Mesozoic would be more consistent with Pb-α ages.
Neonatal methylmercury poisoning in the rat: Effects on development of central catecholamine neurotransmitter systems

Abstract The effects of neonatal methylmercury (CH 3 -Hg) exposure on the biochemical development of central nervous system catecholamine synapses were examined by assessing synaptosomal and synaptic vesicular uptakes of [ 3 H]catecholamines, activity of tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in catecholamine biosynthesis, and levels and turnover rates of norepinephrine and dopamine. Methylmercury was given daily for up to 21 days beginning at birth, using three dose levels (1, 2.5, or 5 mg/kg, sc). Only the highest dose retarded body and brain weight gains. Exposure of neonates to CH 3 -Hg produced initial inhibition of [ 3 H]dopamine synaptosomal uptake, followed by marked elevations of uptake from 20 days onward. The alterations in synaptosomal uptake were preceded by increases in the turnover rate of dopamine; however, normal developmental patterns were seen for other presynaptic terminal parameters (vesicular uptake, tyrosine hydroxylase activity, and dopamine content). Synaptosomal uptake of [ 3 H]norepinephrine also displayed an eventual elevation in CH 3 -Hg-treated animals again preceded by increased transmitter turnover. The alterations in uptake and turnover for both neurotransmitters indicate that the synaptic dynamics of developing central catecholaminergic neurons are indeed affected by CH 3 -Hg treatment. In keeping with the behavioral teratology of this substance, abnormalities of neurotransmitter biochemistry can be detected at doses well below those which influence growth of the organism.
A new inverse kinematics algorithm for binary manipulators with many actuators

In this paper we present a new, and extremely fast, algorithm for the inverse kinematics of discretely actuated manipulator arms with many degrees of freedom. Our only assumption is that the arm is macroscopically serial in structure, meaning that the overall structure is a serial cascade of units with each unit having either a serial or parallel kinematic structure. Our algorithm builds on previous works in which the authors and coworkers have used the workspace density function in a breadth- e rst search for solving the inverse kinematics problem. The novelty of the method presented here is that only the ' mean' of this workspace density function is used. Hence the requirement of storing a sampled version of the workspace density function (which is a function on a six-dimensional space in the case of a spatial manipulator) is circumvented. We illustrate the technique with both planar revolute and variable-geometry-truss manipulators, and briee y describe a new manipulator design for which this algorithm is applicable.
On the possibility of using suspension-log data to estimate historic overburden in shallow unconsolidated sediments

Suspension-log data are typically used for engineering and seismic studies in shallow unconsolidated sediments. At the USDOE Savannah River Site, suspension data were acquired in a series of deep boreholes (up to ∼400 m) to support high-resolution geological and geophysical investigations in the Upper Atlantic Coastal Plain. Although regional coastal plain stratigraphy is historically inferred from core, seismic, and log data, it became apparent that both major and minor unconformities and possibly formation contacts in the unconsolidated sediments of the Upper Atlantic Coastal Plain were strongly correlated to distinct variations in suspension data that translated from the deep to very shallow horizons. Overall, the suspension data contained more information (character) than typical wireline sonic logs, most likely because wireline logs are optimized for consolidated sediments (shales, sandstones, carbonates) while the suspension log is more optimized for unconsolidated sediments. Most coastal plain wire...
Thief ants have reduced quantities of cuticular compounds in a ponerine ant, Ectatomma ruidum

. Workers of a tropical ponerine ant, Ectatomma ruidum (Roger), exhibit a system of intercolonial thievery for food; thief ants enter conspecific colonies, intercept food, and carry it to their own colony. We analysed thief ants, ants from the thief's colony, and ants from the colony being robbed to determine if changes in cuticular profiles could facilitate entry by thieves into a target colony. Thief ants have significantly lower total quantities of dichloromethane-soluble cuticular compounds than non-thieves. The reduction in cuticular compounds on thieves suggests that thievery is facilitated by inhibition of either synthesis or acquisition of its home colony's recognition cues. Five of the fifteen compounds differed significantly in their relative proportion among colonies. Principal components analysis lends support to the hypothesis that both inhibition of a thief's home colony cues and acquisition of its target colony's cues play a role in successful thievery.
Comparison of the efficacy of surgery and acyclovir therapy in oral hairy leukoplakia

To compare the therapeutic effects of surgical excision and orally administered acyclovir therapy on symptomatic oral hairy leukoplakia, 45 homosexual men who were seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus participated in a 3-month open-label study. In the 14 patients who had surgical excision, pain resolved in four symptomatic patients and the leukoplakia did not recur in the areas of excision. New foci of leukoplakia, however, appeared in 10 patients after 3 months. Of the 16 patients who received acyclovir therapy, 12 had a clinical regression, although recurrences were noted in all patients after 3 months. Three patients had resolution of pain while taking acyclovir; in two the pain recurred after acyclovir was discontinued. No spontaneous remissions of the leukoplakia occurred in the 15 patients who refused therapy. We conclude that surgical excision is effective in patients with symptomatic oral hairy leukoplakia.
Visualizing logical dependencies in SWRL rule bases

Rule bases are common in many business rule applications, clinical decision support programs, and other types of intelligent systems. As the size of the rule bases grows and the interrelationships between rules become more complex, understanding dependencies among rules can be quite difficult. To address this challenge, we propose a novel approach for modeling logical dependencies among rules and for discovering patterns based on these dependencies. Our method uses rules bases written in the Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL); we exploit SWRL's logical relationship with OWL to incorporate these semantics in our analysis. We couple this analysis with visualization techniques that create a rule dependency graph. We group nodes into layers based on their dependencies and cluster nodes within a layer if they have similar dependencies. We have evaluated our approach by applying it to two independently developed, publicly available ontologies containing SWRL rules. We show how our analysis and visualization approach can allow users to quickly examine patterns of logical relationships in such rule bases.
The oxidative dechlorination reaction of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol in dilute aqueous suspensions of manganese oxides

Oxidation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) by layered manganese oxides (Na and Co-buserite) in dilute acidified aqueous suspension gives 2,6-dichloro-p-benzoquinone as a major product. This compound is likely to further polymerize and become incorporated into humus like materials. The oxidation rate was higher at lower pH and higher on Na-buserite compared to Co-buserite. TCP reacted at a faster rate than unsubstituted phenol at pH3 and 5.5, which is explained by (a) the lower half-wave potential of TCP compared to phenol; (b) a stronger bond dipole associated with the electronegative halogen, favoring an addition step in nucleophilic substitution; and (c) easier depronation of TCP at the manganese oxide-water interface due to its lower pK[sub a]. IR spectroscopy shows that TCP adsorbs in deprotonated form on the surface of manganese oxide, and it cannot be washed from the surface by water. Nucleophilic attack by addition-elimination is suggested as a mechanism of TCP dechlorination and oxidation.
Towards improving searches for optimal phylogenies.

Finding the optimal evolutionary history for a set of taxa is a challenging computational problem, even when restricting possible solutions to be "tree-like" and focusing on the maximum-parsimony optimality criterion. This has led to much work on using heuristic tree searches to find approximate solutions. We present an approach for finding exact optimal solutions that employs and complements the current heuristic methods for finding optimal trees. Given a set of taxa and a set of aligned sequences of characters, there may be subsets of characters that are compatible, and for each such subset there is an associated (possibly partially resolved) phylogeny with edges corresponding to each character state change. These perfect phylogenies serve as anchor trees for our constrained search space. We show that, for sequences with compatible sites, the parsimony score of any tree T is at least the parsimony score of the anchor trees plus the number of inferred changes between T and the anchor trees. As the maximum-parsimony optimality score is additive, the sum of the lower bounds on compatible character partitions provides a lower bound on the complete alignment of characters. This yields a region in the space of trees within which the best tree is guaranteed to be found; limiting the search for the optimal tree to this region can significantly reduce the number of trees that must be examined in a search of the space of trees. We analyze this method empirically using four different biological data sets as well as surveying 400 data sets from the TreeBASE repository, demonstrating the effectiveness of our technique in reducing the number of steps in exact heuristic searches for trees under the maximum-parsimony optimality criterion. (Character compatibility, exact search, maximum-parsimony optimality criterion, phylogenetic islands, tree search)
The design and development of fluorescent nano-optodes for in vivo glucose monitoring.

Background:The advent of fluorescent nanosensors has enabled intracellular monitoring of several physiological analytes, which was previously not possible with molecular dyes or other invasive tech...
The Epidemiology of Ankle Sprains in the United States

Background: Ankle sprain has been studied in athletic cohorts, but little is known of its epidemiology in the general population. A longitudinal, prospective epidemiological database was used to determine the incidence and demographic risk factors for ankle sprains presenting to emergency departments in the United States. It was our hypothesis that ankle sprain is influenced by sex, race, age, and involvement in athletics. Methods: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) was queried for all ankle sprain injuries presenting to emergency departments between 2002 and 2006. Incidence rate ratios were then calculated with respect to age, sex, and race. Results: During the study period, an estimated 3,140,132 ankle sprains occurred among an at-risk population of 1,461,379,599 person-years for an incidence rate of 2.15 per 1000 person-years in the United States. The peak incidence of ankle sprain occurred between fifteen and nineteen years of age (7.2 per 1000 person-years). Males, compared with females, did not demonstrate an overall increased incidence rate ratio for ankle sprain (incidence rate ratio, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.00 to 1.09). However, males between fifteen and twenty-four years old had a substantially higher incidence of ankle sprain than their female counterparts (incidence rate ratio, 1.53; 95% confidence interval, 1.41 to 1.66), whereas females over thirty years old had a higher incidence compared with their male counterparts (incidence rate ratio, 2.03; 95% confidence interval, 1.65 to 2.65). Compared with the Hispanic race, the black and white races were associated with substantially higher rates of ankle sprain (incidence rate ratio, 3.55 [95% confidence interval, 1.01 to 6.09] and 2.49 [95% confidence interval, 1.01 to 3.97], respectively). Nearly half of all ankle sprains (49.3%) occurred during athletic activity, with basketball (41.1%), football (9.3%), and soccer (7.9%) being associated with the highest percentage of ankle sprains during athletics. Conclusions: An age of ten to nineteen years old is associated with higher rates of ankle sprain. Males between fifteen and twenty-four years old have higher rates of ankle sprain than their female counterparts, whereas females over thirty years old have higher rates than their male counterparts. Half of all ankle sprains occur during athletic activity. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level II. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
On the Stability of Hybrid ALOHA

In this paper, we investigate the stability of a general N-user hybrid ALOHA system. Based on the multipacket reception model, the hybrid ALOHA protocol was proposed and the stability region in the case of N = 2 was presented. Utilizing the result for N = 2, in this paper, by means of stochastic dominance and mathematical induction, we find out the sufficient condition for the stability of the more general N > 2 system. In particular, the N = 3 case is closely studied. It is shown that the stability inner bound of the N = 3 system can be obtained by solving a general Riemann-Hilbert problem.
Guanidine Hydrochloride-Induced Denaturation and Refolding of Transthyretin Exhibits a Marked Hysteresis: Equilibria with High Kinetic Barriers †

Fluorescence and circular dichroism spectroscopy as well as analytical ultracentrifugation and glutaraldehyde cross-linking were utilized to evaluate the tertiary and quaternary structural changes occurring on the denaturation and reconstitution pathways of transthyretin (TTR) as a function of guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl) concentration. These results demonstrate that the GdnHCl-mediated denaturation and reconstitution of TTR is reversible. However, the lowest GdnHCl concentration that dissociates and unfolds transthyretin does not allow the unfolded monomer to refold to tetramer at a rate that is measurable. As a result, there is a striking hysteresis observed upon comparison of the GdnHCl-mediated denaturation and reconstitution transitions. The TTR tetramer does not dissociate into unfolded monomer until the denaturant concentration exceeds 4 M GdnHCl, whereas unfolded monomeric TTR (denatured in 7 M GdnHCl) does not refold and assemble into a native tetrameric structure until the GdnHCl concentration is reduced to less than 2 M. These results imply that a significant kinetic barrier intervenes between the folded tetramer and unfolded monomer in both the denaturation and reconstitution directions at pH 7. A kinetics study of the denaturation of TTR as a function of GdnHCl concentration yields a first-order rate constant for unfolding of (9.0 +/- 7.5) x 10(-11) s-1, estimated by extrapolation of the rate constants for the tetramer to unfolded monomer transition as a function of GdnHCl to 0 M GdnHCl. This rate is very slow; as a result, wild-type TTR is predicted to be kinetically stable as a tetrameric quaternary structure once formed. These results imply that the rate of TTR dissociation and partial unfolding to the monomeric amyloidogenic intermediate under denaturing conditions may play a role in transthyretin-based amyloid diseases.
Ionospheric dispersion of electromagnetic pulses

When an electromagnetic pulse having a Gaussian envelope is passed through the ionosphere it remains a Gaussian pulse; however, its amplitude is reduced and its pulsewidth is increased with respect to what these parameters would be for free space propagation. It is pointed out that if this Gaussian pulse is chirped (i.e., if it is given a linear FM), then after passing through the ionosphere and following the pulse compression in the receiver, the signals envelope is still Gaussian. Furthermore, when the bandwidths for both signals are the same (or equivalently, when the pulsewidth of the compressed transmitted chirped pulse is the same as that of the transmitted unchirped Gaussian pulse) the amplitude degradation and pulsewidth spreading are identical for both signals. This not too surprising result applies as long as the time-bandwidth product is large enough for the chirped signal. The results obtained for chirped Gaussian pulse are compared, as to the pulse distortion introduced by the ionosphere and available bandwidth of the ionosphere, with the results obtained in the literature for other waveforms. It is pointed out that the amplitude degradation and pulsewidth spreading for a chirped signal having a 40 dB Taylor or Hamming weighting is about the same as obtained with the chirped pulse having a Gaussian envelope as long as the compressed pulsewidths of the transmitted signals are identical. Finally, the numerical results obtained previously in the literature are presented in a more convenient form.
Recurrent restriction of sleep and inadequate recuperation induce both adaptive changes and pathological outcomes

Chronic restriction of a basic biological need induces adaptations to help meet requisites for survival. The adaptations to chronic restriction of sleep are unknown. A single episode of 10 days of partial sleep loss in rats previously was shown to be tolerated and to result in increased food intake and loss of body weight as principal signs. The purpose of the present experiment was to investigate the extent to which adaptation to chronic sleep restriction would ameliorate short-term effects and result in a changed internal phenotype. Rats were studied during 10 wk of multiple periods of restricted and unrestricted sleep to allow adaptive changes to develop. Control rats received the same ambulatory requirements only consolidated into periods that lessened interruptions of their sleep. The results indicate a latent period of relatively stable food and water intake without weight gain, followed by a dynamic phase marked by enormous increases in food and water intake and progressive loss of body weight, without malabsorption of calories. Severe consequences ensued, marked especially by changes to the connective tissues, and became fatal for two individuals. The most striking changes to internal organs in sleep-restricted rats included lengthening of the small intestine, decreased size of adipocytes, and increased incidence of multilocular adipocytes. Major organs accounted for an increased proportion of total body mass. These changes to internal tissues appear adaptive in response to high energy production, decomposition of lipids, and increased need to absorb nutrients, but ultimately insufficient to compensate for inadequate sleep.
Targeting Determinants and Proposed Evolutionary Basis for the Sec and the Delta pH Protein Transport Systems in Chloroplast Thylakoid Membranes

Transport of proteins to the thylakoid lumen is accomplished by two precursor-specific pathways, the Sec and the unique Delta pH transport systems. Pathway selection is specified by transient lumen-targeting domains (LTDs) on precursor proteins. Here, chimeric and mutant LTDs were used to identify elements responsible for targeting specificity. The results showed that: (a) minimal signal peptide motifs consisting of charged N, hydrophobic H, and cleavage C domains were both necessary and sufficient for pathway-specific targeting; (b) exclusive targeting to the Delta pH pathway requires a twin arginine in the N domain and an H domain that is incompatible with the Sec pathway; (c) exclusive targeting to the Sec pathway is achieved by an N domain that lacks the twin arginine, although the twin arginine was completely compatible with the Sec system. A dual-targeting signal peptide, constructed by combining Delta pH and Sec domains, was used to simultaneously compare the transport capability of both pathways when confronted with different passenger proteins. Whereas Sec passengers were efficiently transported by both pathways, Delta pH passengers were arrested in translocation on the Sec pathway. This finding suggests that the Delta pH mechanism evolved to accommodate transport of proteins incompatible with the thylakoid Sec machinery.
Efficacy of atropine methylnitrate alone and in combination with albuterol in children with asthma.

The bronchodilator effect of nebulized AMN, albuterol and their combination was evaluated in 16 steroid-dependent asthmatic children. In phase 1, maximal bronchodilation was determined by dose-response studies on separate days. Maximal bronchodilator dose of each drug was administered either alone or in combination during phase 2. In phase 1, 0.11 ± 0.01 mg/kg of albuterol and 0.03 mg/kg of AMN produced maximum bronchodilation. In phase 2, the peak response to albuterol occurred within 30 min and to AMN, at 60 min. Maximal FEV 1 achieved after AMN was 90 percent of the maximal achieved after albuterol. AMN FEV 1 response was better than for placebo for 3 h; that for albuterol was better for 4 h. Combination therapy produced a peak response similar to that of albuterol but was better than albuterol by 6 h. Thus, the maximum bronchodilator effect of AMN is less than that of albuterol in asthmatic children, but the combination may extend the period of bronchodilatation.
Isorenieratene Biosynthesis in Green Sulfur Bacteria Requires the Cooperative Actions of Two Carotenoid Cyclases

The cyclization of lycopene to -o r-carotene is a major branch point in the biosynthesis of carotenoids in photosynthetic bacteria. Four families of carotenoid cyclases are known, and each family includes both monoand dicyclases, which catalyze the formation of - and -carotene, respectively. Green sulfur bacteria (GSB) synthesize aromatic carotenoids, of which the most commonly occurring types are the monocyclic chlorobactene and the dicyclic isorenieratene. Recently, the cruA gene, encoding a conserved hypothetical protein found in the genomes of all GSB and some cyanobacteria, was identified as a lycopene cyclase. Further genomic analyses have found that all available fully sequenced genomes of GSB encode an ortholog of cruA. Additionally, the genomes of all isorenieratene-producing species of GSB encode a cruA paralog, now named cruB. The cruA gene from the chlorobactene-producing GSB species Chlorobaculum tepidum and both cruA and cruB from the brown-colored, isorenieratene-producing GSB species Chlorobium phaeobacteroides strain DSM 266 T were heterologously expressed in lycopene- and neurosporene-producing strains of Escherichia coli, and the cruB gene of Chlorobium clathratiforme strain DSM 5477 T was also heterologously expressed in C. tepidum by inserting the gene at the bchU locus. The results show that CruA is probably a lycopene monocyclase in all GSB and that CruB is a -carotene cyclase in isorenieratene-producing species. Consequently, the branch point for the synthesis of mono- and dicyclic carotenoids in GSB seems to be the modification of -carotene, rather than the cyclization of lycopene as occurs in cyanobacteria.
Randomized field experiments in education: Implementation lessons

The problems of implementing randomized tests in educational settings are not trivial. This paper covers the intents and the compromises, the successes and the failures, and the lessons of three major projects.
Let Your Computer do the Talking and the Listening

Today, your personal computer and your telephone make a mighty pair. You can use the two to search the scientific literature as it is stored on the giant bibliographic systems (see M.D. COMPUTING issue 0), review national financial data, or capture the stock market ticker tape (and automatically save selected data for charting stocks). You can also exchange programs with amateur computerists on a national network or connect your computer to a neighbor’s to transfer files or programs or simply dial up your office computer from your home.
Compendium of Single-Event Latchup and Total Ionizing Dose Test Results of Commercial Digital to Analog Converters

This paper reports single-event latchup and total ionizing dose results for a variety of digital to analog converters targeted for possible use in NASA spacecraft. It covers devices tested over the last 15 years.
Adsorption of Amino Acids and Dipeptides to the Hydrophobic Polystyrene Interface Studied by SFG and QCM: The Special Case of Phenylalanine

Aqueous solutions of the amino acids l-phenylalanine, l-lysine, and l-glycine and the homo- and heterodipeptides comprising these amino acids were studied by vibrational sum frequency generation (SFG) and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) at the hydrophobic polystyrene interface. The phenyl ring of the phenylalanine side chain was determined to adsorb preferentially in a nearly flat geometry relative to the hydrophobic surface based on the concentration dependence of the SFG spectra and symmetry arguments. The amount of adsorbed dipeptide follows a hydrophobic series at concentrations well below monolayer formation, as determined by QCM. However, at higher concentrations, adsorbate–adsorbate interactions play a significant role in the adsorption, and adsorption no longer follows a hydrophobic series. These changes in the quantitative adsorption from QCM correlate with changes in the SFG spectra for phenylalanine, lysyl-phenylalanine, and glycyl-phenylalanine, but not for lysyl-lysine, which shows the most...
Thinking on Information Services of Special Libraries Under a Network Environment

The paper introduces the necessity of a special library to get adapted to network environment,and points out the demands for information services under the network environment,and proposes measures and countermeasures of how to undertake information services.
The Disquisition on Influence of Hemolysis to Coagulation Testing Results

Objective:To investigate the influence of hemolysis on coagulation tests. Methods:100 hemolytic samples are collected,to measure plasma coagulation time and contents. Results:There are statistic significances(P0.05) for PT,APTT,TT testing results between hemolytic group and no hemolysis group(retesting group of drawing blood once more)There is no statistic significance(P 0.05)for Fbg testing results between hemolytic group and no hemolysis group.Conlusion:There are influences about coagulation testing results to hemolytic samples.Drawing blood once more and retesting are suggested.
Para além do empirismo: policy inquiry na perspectiva pós-positivista

Este ensaio contribui para a crescente critica as metodologias neopositivistas dominantes na ciencia das politicas publicas. Nao somente a ciencia neopositivista falhou em seus esforcos para desenvolver um corpo utilizavel de generalizacoes preditivas, como tem sido incapaz de fornecer solucoes eficazes para os problemas sociais. Uma parte importante desta falha e atribuida a pressupostos epistemologicos ultrapassados. Com base na evolucao da ciencia e da sociologia da ciencia, em particular, e no reconhecimento de que as ciencias "duras" em si nao descansam sobre os conceitos tradicionais de objetividade e de prova, a discussao esboca uma concepcao pos-positivista da ciencia politica destinada a abordar a complexidade multidimensional da realidade social. Como uma orientacao discursiva aterrada em particular razao, a abordagem pos-positivista situa a pesquisa empirica em um quadro interpretativo mais amplo. Mais do que apenas uma alternativa epistemologica, esta abordagem e oferecida como uma melhor descricao do que os cientistas sociais realmente fazem na pratica. O ensaio termina com uma breve discussao sobre as implicacoes de uma abordagem pos-positivista tanto para um curriculo em politicas publicas socialmente relevante, quanto para uma pratica democratica de investigacao em politicas publicas.
Hormones and Behavior of Reptiles

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the modulation of reproductive behavior of reptiles by endocrine systems as shaped by the ultimate level of natural and sexual selection. Studies of natural and sexual selection provide the structure for understanding the functional role of the various components of the endocrine system at the proximate level. Specifically models for the evolution of male–male interactions, ideas underlying the evolution of density regulation (r-K selection) and viviparity, new emerging models for the evolution of sociality, and network models of such social interactions are reviewed. The chapter highlights empirical results that indicate that reptiles, and in particular lizards, display considerable variation in social systems. Patterns of sociality that include both nuclear family structure in large groups and cooperation (e.g., greenbeard selection), which until recently were thought to be restricted to mammals, birds, and social insects, are also described. While details of the endocrine control of endocrine systems related to male behaviors have been quite well studied in reptiles (testosterone (T), arginine vasotocin (AVT), neuroendocrine), this chapter points out other systems that have received little attention (e.g., prolactin (PRL)) and suggests likely control points for the endocrine regulation of alternative reproductive strategies.
The Order of the Poems

The most controversial aspect of the revised edition of The Poems has been, and perhaps always will be, the matter of the order of the poems. That is, should the poems be presented in the quasi-chronological scheme of the 1932 proofs for the Edition de Luxe, or in the two-part division of “Lyrical” and “Narrative and Dramatic” of the 1933 Collected Poems? Essentially, those who favour the quasi-chronological arrangement argue that since the Collected Poems was intended for the “ordinary reader”, Yeats did not hesitate to publish it in an inferior format, monetary reward being his primary concern.1 The Edition de Luxe, on the other hand, was designed as a “canonical edition”, and thus Yeats reserved the proper order for its exclusive use. As for the Scribner Edition, well, that was only for “American collectors”, and who cared about those types anyway? In short, to use the elegant phrasing of the co-champion of the Edition de Luxeites, the Collected Poems was a “pot-boiler”,2 the true Sacred Book being the collaborative edition prepared by Mrs. Yeats and Thomas Mark, Poems (1949).
Psychological issues in counselling the genetically handicapped

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of the psychological issues in counseling the genetically handicapped patients. The psychological issues are concerned with the quality of life, which implies an emphasis upon the enhancement of potential rather than simply the correction of problems. There is a general principle in modern psychology that reality reinforcement of the irrational sequel of psychological development works against adaptation and serves as an organizer of distress and symptomatology, which take on a life of their own. Just as Mendelian principles underly the inheritance of both normal adaptive phenotypes and maladaptive or abnormal ones, modern psychological principles apply to normal adaptive behavior as well as to neurotic symptoms. Counseling the genetically handicapped begins with the family—if possible during the pregnancy but always as soon after birth as the defect is recognized. The patient's siblings and other relatives may be involved and in some cases, the broader community must be included in ameliorative efforts. The process may be deflected by guilt or hostility and show up as over-solicitousness or rejection of the child. Deep understanding must always be accompanied by a clear definition of goals and by restraint based upon respect for natural psychological processes as these are powerful forces whose direction is toward the mastery of psychological stress.
A pilot study of the effects of androgen deprivation therapy on physical function and comprehensive geriatric health in older men with prostate cancer.

e16510Background: Alteration of the androgen axis through androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the mainstay of prostate cancer (PCa) treatment. Unfortunately, the resultant hypogonadal state has d...
Pencil-Thin Stools and Intermittent Constipation

A 57-year-old obese man is seen by his primary care physician for his yearly physical. He endorses a 20 lb weight loss in the past few months without changing his diet or exercise. He also reports pencil-thin stools and intermittent constipation. He feels that he cannot adequately evacuate his stool. There is no blood or mucus in his stool. He has smoked one pack per day for the past 20 years. He has a history of type 2 diabetes. He has never had a colonoscopy. Family history is negative for any cancer. On exam, he is afebrile with HR of 78/min and blood pressure of 132/74 mmHg. His abdomen is soft and non-tender. No abdominal masses are palpated and he is non-distended. On rectal exam, he has no masses and no gross blood. Laboratory examination reveals a hematocrit of 38 %.
What You Feel Must Be What You See: Adding Tactile Feedback to the Trackpoint.

The present study makes two contributions to the literature on tactile feedback. First, it investigates the effect of tactile feedback in isometric rate control devices. The use of tactile feedback in this type of device has not been systematically investigated. An isometric joystick, such as the IBM TrackpointTM in-keyboard pointing device does not perceptibly move and is operated by force. Can tactile information delivered to the user’s fingertip through such a device provide a feeling of texture? Second, it investigates the interplay of tactile and visual information. We hypothesized that tactile displays are often ineffective because they are not synchronized with visual information. We developed a simple isometric tactile device, Tractile, based on the TrackpointTM pointing device, which can vibrate its tip under program control. We conducted an experimental study using this device. Under various visual and tactile feedback conditions, experimental participants performed a tunnel steering task that resembles menu navigation and other real tasks. We found that tactile feedback did in fact give users a feeling of texture, and can speed up steering performance when the texture presented visually matches the texture presented tactilely.
Clinical Management of Episodic Memory Changes in Dementia

The purpose of this review was to discuss therapeutic options available for the treatment of memory difficulties in dementia. Because of the lack of progress in the availability of new medications, there has been an increased interest in focusing on non-pharmacological means to management cognitive symptoms related to dementia. The clinical management of memory loss should focus both on pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches. Treatment with medications should usually begin with a cholinesterase inhibitor and then followed by addition of memantine if there is a decline. In addition to medication management, emphasis should be placed on the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle that encompasses physical activities, cognitive stimulation, and a healthy diet.
Survivability: a hierarchical fuzzy logic layered model for threat management of unmanned ground vehicles

Survivability has always been of interest in the defense of any armored vehicles. There has been many reports and papers on the survivability of U.S. Army ground vehicles. A Survivability severity model can be best described as the analogy to the layers of an onion, in which each layer of onion describes a different severity level and the phase of threat detected and severity to apply countermeasures. The objective of this paper is to suggest an evaluation tool that contains an algorithm and procedure for the reliability of manned and unmanned ground vehicles. A decision-making system is proposing for the theoretical survivability and is calculated from a threat level in the form of severity. A generic framework algorithm, consists of both linear and non-linear vehicle dynamics systems, and is included in this paper, which consists of the Fuzzy approach and various scenarios, based on straight path projection. Further, to increase the level of rigor, a layered fuzzy control system using various vehicle dynamics parameters [1] and a methodology for designing an adaptive hierarchical fuzzy model [2] and to accommodate various system parameters dependencies, are describing in this paper as a part of the survivability model. It is hoped that different users will tailor this evaluation tool and used extensively by various research workers working in different area. Several probabilistic cases were included in this paper and implemented by converting to linguistic fuzzy parameters to evaluate the algorithm. A simulation model is designed using supervisory fuzzy rule set and several simulation studies have been done which illustrate the effectiveness of the given approach. The result is a robust d flexible control system.
Treatment of pediatric closed femoral shaft fractures: A decline in use of external fixators over the last decade

Background: Femoral fractures represent 2% of all fractures in children. While external fixation was popular for managing pediatric closed femoral shaft fractures, other methods have recently increased in popularity. The purpose of this study was to analyze trends in the treatment of closed femoral shaft fractures over the past decade and quantify the change in usage of external fixators compared to other treatment methods in the pediatric population. Methods: The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Database (KID) was utilized to generate the prevalence of closed femoral shaft fractures and treatment (open reduction internal fixation, closed reduction, closed reduction internal fixation, open reduction, and external fixation) from 2000 to 2012. Results: The total number of reported pediatric femoral fractures declined from 10,504 in 2000 to 7,798 in 2012. Male-to-female ratios and mean ages were comparable between years. Overall, treatment with external fixation for closed femoral shaft fractures decreased from 2000 to 2012. There was a decrease in external fixation in each year recorded compared to previously reported years. There were no significant differences in treatment by region or hospital size. However, over the 12-year period, the rate of external fixation declined more rapidly in pediatric hospitals compared to nonpediatric hospitals. Conclusions: Treatment of pediatric closed femoral fractures with external fixation has declined in favor of internal fixation over the past decade across all geographic regions and in both teaching and nonteaching hospitals in the United States. This decline in external fixation occurred more rapidly in pediatric hospitals compared to nonpediatric hospitals. The clinical and financial impact of this change in practice needs further investigation. Level of Evidence: Level III.
Synovial Sarcoma: Role of Immunohistochemistry and Molecular Genetics in Diagnosis and Prognosis

Synovial sarcoma (SS) was described some 80 years ago by Smith (1927) as synovioma, receiving this designation because of histologic similarities to immature synovium, and perhaps because the soft tissue around the knee joint, albeit extra-articular, is a common location. However, modern techniques have demonstrated that this sarcoma lacks true synovial differentiation. Furthermore, SS presents in sites such as the upper aerodigestive tract, pleura, and heart which are devoid of native synovium. Practically speaking, SS can be thought of as a malignant mesenchymal tumor with at least focal epithelial differentiation and very frequently possessing a translocation involving chromosomes X and 18 (described in detail below). Synovial sarcoma is rare, representing ∼8% of soft tissue sarcomas (Weiss and Goldblum 2008).
SYNTHETIC ANALOGUES OF STAPHYLOCOCCAL NUCLEASE; STUDIES OF ACTIVITY AND CONFORMATION

The 149 residue polypeptide chain of staphylococcal nuclease, whose three-dimensional structure has recently been elucidated at high resolution, may be subjected to limited proteolytic and chemical cleavage to yield a variety of fragments which, when mixed in solution, regenerate activity and three-dimensional structure characteristic of the native protein. Thus, combinations of residues 6–48 and 50–149 and of residues 1–126 and 99–149, each pair consisting of fragments without activity and possessing essentially random structures when alone in solution, regenerate approximately 10% and 15% of native activity, respectively, as well as helical and other physical properties of nuclease. The peptide, 6–48, contains most of the residues involved in the structure of the binding site of the enzyme and results obtained with a number of synthetic analogues of this peptide, when mixed with 50–149, have helped to clarify the structural requirements for function. Similarly, peptide 99–149, which contains two of the helical regions in nuclease, has been synthesized in a variety of analogue forms to yield information on the minimum length (approx. 115–145) necessary for productive complementation with 1–126, and on requirements for formation of the helical section near the carboxyl terminus of the protein.
Background-protein effects on fluorophotometric data.

Fluorescent tracers are commonly used in fluorophotometric studies of ocular fluids and tissues that contain background protein. Background-protein concentrations were found to decrease or increase significantly the measure of fluorescence emitted from solutions containing sodium fluorescein, fluorescein-labeled dextran, or fluorescein-labeled horseradish peroxidase. The effect of background protein on fluorescence was expressed as a function of the specific fluorescent tracer, tracer concentration, and background-protein concentration; it can be corrected in the analysis of fluorophotometric data. Fluorophotometric studies—particularly those in which the background-protein level is expected to be abnormally high, such as postoperative and pathologic studies—may need to include either a data correction based on measured effects of background protein on tracer fluorescence or, in the case of clinical investigations, recognize at least the potential for a range of possible interpretations. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 31:2046-2050, 1990 Fluorophotometry is often used in animal and clinical studies to measure the amount of a fluorescent molecule in ocular tissues and fluids. Anterior segment fluorophotometry is used widely to study tear flow, corneal endothelial permeability, bloodaqueous barrier permeability, and aqueous humor dynamics. Blood-retinal barrier permeability is studied with vitreous fluorophotometry. The accuracy of fluorophotometric results and several potential sources of artifacts have been examined by several investigators. 1 " 6 McLaren and Brubaker, 6 for example, discussed the possibility that protein binding might have affected their spectrofluorophotometric measurements of fluorescein and fluorescein monoglucuronide concentrations in the anterior segment and plasma after a systemic fluorescein dose. None of these previous studies, however, has assessed the effect of background protein on fluorophotometric measurements. This report examines the effects of normal and pathologic albumin concentrations on the fluorescence (F) of solutions containing known amounts of a fluorescent tracer-sodium fluorescein (NaF), fluorescein-labeled dextran (F-D), or fluores
Instability of resonant invariant tori in Hamiltonian systems

In this article, we consider the dynamics in a neighborhood of a quasi-periodic torus which is invariant by a Hamiltonian flow, we discuss several notions of stability and we prove several results of instability when the frequency of the invariant torus is resonant.
Fixating the eyes of a speaker provides sufficient visual information to modulate early auditory processing.

Abstract In face-to-face conversations, when listeners process and combine information obtained from hearing and seeing a speaker, they mostly look at the eyes rather than at the more informative mouth region. Measuring event-related potentials, we tested whether fixating the speaker’s eyes is sufficient for gathering enough visual speech information to modulate early auditory processing, or whether covert attention to the speaker’s mouth is needed. Results showed that when listeners fixated the eye region of the speaker, the amplitudes of the auditory evoked N1 and P2 were reduced when listeners heard and saw the speaker than when they only heard her. These cross-modal interactions also occurred when, in addition, attention was restricted to the speaker’s eye region. Fixating the speaker’s eyes thus provides listeners with sufficient visual information to facilitate early auditory processing. The spread of covert attention to the mouth area is not needed to observe audiovisual interactions.