cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 and 2 in human temporal lobe epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is a chronic epilepsy syndrome defined by seizures and progressive neurological disabilities, including cognitive impairments, anxiety, and depression. Here, human TLE specimens were investigated focusing on the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) complex 1 (mTORC1) and complex 2 (mTORC2) activities in the brain, given that both pathways may represent unique targets for treatment. METHODS Surgically resected hippocampal and temporal lobe samples from therapy-resistant TLE patients were analyzed by western blotting to quantify the expression of established mTORC1 and mTORC2 activity markers and upstream or downstream signaling pathways involving the two complexes. Histological and immunohistochemical techniques were used to assess hippocampal and neocortical structural abnormalities and cell-specific expression of individual biomarkers. Samples from patients with focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) type II served as positive controls. RESULTS We found significantly increased expression of phospho-mTOR (Ser2448), phospho-S6 (Ser235/236), phospho-S6 (Ser240/244), and phospho-Akt (Ser473) in TLE samples compared to controls, consistent with activation of both mTORC1 and mTORC2. Our work identified the phosphoinositide 3-kinase and Ras/extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling pathways as potential mTORC1 and mTORC2 upstream activators. In addition, we found that overactive mTORC2 signaling was accompanied by induction of two protein kinase B-dependent prosurvival pathways, as evidenced by increased inhibitory phosphorylation of forkhead box class O3a (Ser253) and glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (Ser9). INTERPRETATION Our data demonstrate that mTOR signaling is significantly dysregulated in human TLE, offering new targets for pharmacological interventions. Specifically, clinically available drugs that suppress mTORC1 without compromising mTOR2 signaling, such as rapamycin and its analogs, may represent a new group of antiepileptogenic agents in TLE patients. Ann Neurol 2018;83:311-327.
Older adults’ perceptions and informational needs regarding frailty

Frailty has been recognized as an important medical syndrome in older adults. Growing literature supports the clinical application of frailty but US older adults’ perceptions of frailty have not been explored. We aim to examine perceptions and informational needs about frailty among older adults. This was a qualitative study involving focus groups of community-dwelling older adults with diverse age and frailty status. We explored participants’ beliefs and knowledge about frailty and informational needs about frailty as a medical syndrome. The participants’ mean age was 76.3. Of the 29 participants, 21 (72%) were female, and 21 (72%) were white. We identified three major themes: 1) Older adults’ perceptions of frailty differed from the definition used in medical literature; they often perceived a psychological component to being frailty and some were skeptical of the syndromic definition based on multiple symptoms. 2) Compared to participants who were non-frail or pre-frail, participants who were frail were more receptive to discussing their frailty status with clinicians; 3) Participants wanted know about how to treat or prevent frailty and the risks associated with being frail. Many participants felt that these information can be conveyed without necessarily using the specific term “frail”, which they perceived to have a negative connotation. Older adults, especially those who are frail, may be interested to discuss frailty as a medical syndrome. However, negative perceptions are associated with the term “frail” and may be a barrier to clinical application of frailty. Further research is needed to understand acceptable ways for communicating about frailty in clinical practice.
Hidden in plain sight: findings from a survey on the multi-major professional writing course

ABSTRACTIn this article, the authors report on findings from a survey of writing instructors who teach the multimajor professional writing course (MMPW) across diverse institutional contexts. The authors marshal these findings to advance a series of arguments about the situation of the MMPW course in U.S. higher education.
Carbon Storage in Some Urban Forest Soils of Columbus, Ohio, USA

Soils store more carbon (C) in soil organic matter (SOM) and in carbonates than the vegetation C and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2)-C combined. Specifically, forest soils are a major C store. For example, about 8% of the global soil C is stored in soils of temperate forests to 3-m depth. However, data on soil C storage in urban forests are scanty. In the U.S., about 10% of the terrestrial C storage is located in human settlements, of which 64% is stored in soils. Further, soils under urban forests in the U.S.store about three-times as much C to 1-m depth as is stored in the tree biomass. In Ohio, about 35 megagram (1 Mg = 106 g) C ha−1 are stored in urban trees but there are few if any available reports on urban forest soil C storage. Ohio is a rapidly urbanizing state and farmland is increasingly converted into urban land uses. However, urbanization is also accompanied by planting of trees and the establishment of urban forests. Thus, a study was conducted to assess soil C storage to 1-m depth in two urban forests in Columbus, Ohio: Clinton-Como Park (CP) and Driving Park (DP). Both forests were disturbed by recreational activities. In addition, CP sited at the east bank of the Olentangy river is also disturbed by flooding and prior levee construction activities. The DP is sited on a former race track, and is also disturbed by previous railway dam construction activities and municipal solid waste disposal. Ten soil samples were ­randomly obtained per site, and analyzed for bulk density, and total C and notrgen (N) concentrations for ­computation of the soil C pool. Differences in C concentrations to 1-m depth among site were small but higher to 30-cm depth than those reported under urban tree cover in Colorado, USA (>1.60% C). Further, N concentrations in sub-soil horizons were higher at CP than at DP (0.13% N vs. 0.7–0.9% N below 70-cm depth at CP and DP, respectively). Soil N concentrations in upper soil horizons at both urban forests were higher than those in Baltimore, MD, and Colorado. Similar amounts of C were stored in both soils in Columbus to 1-m depth (211 and 163 Mg C ha−1 at CP and DP, respectively). Thus, soil C pools in urban forests were higher than those to 1-m depth reported for wooded areas in New York City, NY (97–145 Mg C ha−1). However, the soils from Columbus must also to be analyzed for inorganic C and coal C to estimate the net soil organic carbon (SOC) pool. Estimates of the net SOC pool will allow the comparison with estimates for non-urban forests soils in Ohio and urban soils in the U.S., and of the assessment of the C sequestration potential in soils under urban ecosystems in Ohio.
Peer Service Providers as Colleagues

The dawn of the twenty-first century has brought a new professional workforce to mental health—individuals in recovery from mental health problems as service providers. Known by various titles (e.g., peer specialists, consumer providers, recovery coaches, etc.), these individuals use their lived experiences to assist others to cope with mental illnesses and to navigate our highly complex behavioral health, primary care, and associated social service systems.
Post-transcriptional regulation of the content of spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase by N1N12-bis(ethyl)spermine

Spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase (SSAT) is the rate-limiting enzyme for the degradation and excretion of polyamines in mammalian cells, and its activity is known to be increased enormously on exposure to polyamines and polyamine analogues. The mechanism by which such an analogue, BESM [N1N12-bis(ethyl)spermine], increases the content of SSAT was investigated by transfecting COS-7 cells with plasmids containing SSAT cDNA in the pEUK expression vector. Despite a large increase in mRNA production, there was only a very small increase in SSAT activity in the transfected cells. When BESM was added at 36 h after transfection, there was a large and very rapid increase in SSAT protein amounting to 380-fold in 12 h without any increase in the mRNA. SSAT protein turned over very rapidly, with a half-life of about 20 min. In the presence of BESM, this turnover was greatly reduced, and the half-life increased to more than 13 h. However, this increase was not sufficient to account for all of the increase in SSAT protein, suggesting that there is also regulation of the translation of the mRNA by BESM. Further evidence for such translation regulation was obtained by studying the polysomal distribution of the SSAT mRNA. In the absence of BESM, most of the mRNA was present in fractions which sedimented more slowly than the monoribosome peak. In BESM-treated cells, a significant proportion of the SSAT mRNA was moved into the small-polysome region of the gradient. The expression of SSAT and the effects of BESM on the polysomal distribution of SSAT mRNA were not affected by the 5'- or 3'-untranslated regions of the mRNA, since constructs which lacked all of these regions gave similar results to constructs containing the entire mRNA sequence. These results show that the increased transcription of the SSAT gene that occurs in the presence of polyamine analogues such as BESM is not sufficient for SSAT expression and that post-transcriptional regulation is critical for the control of SSAT content.
Symbiosis in cell evolution: Life and its environment on the early earth

The book treats cell evolution from the viewpoint of the serial endosymbiosis theory of the origin of organelles. Following a brief outline of the symbiotic theory, which holds that eukaryotes evolved by the association of free-living bacteria with a host prokaryote, the diversity of life is considered, and five kingdoms of organisms are distinguished: the prokaryotic Monera and the eukaryotic Protoctista, Animalia, Fungi and Plantae. Symbiotic and traditional direct filiation theories of cell evolution are compared. Recent observations of cell structure and biochemistry are reviewed in relation to early cell evolution, with attention given to the geological context for the origin of eukaryotic cells, the origin of major bacterial anaerobic pathways, the relationship between aerobic metabolism and atmospheric oxygen, criteria for distinguishing symbiotic organelles from those that originated by differentiation, and the major classes of eukaryotic organelles: mitochondria, cilia, microtubules, the mitotic and meiotic apparatuses, and pastids. Cell evolution during the Phanerozoic is also discussed with emphasis on the effects of life on the biosphere
Metallicity Structure across the Galactic Disk: Radio Observations of H ii Regions

Hii regions are the sites of massive star formation and are the archetypal tracers of spiral arms. Because of their short lifetimes (<10 Myr) their abundances provide a measure of the nuclear processing of many stellar generations. Here we review our ongoing efforts to explore the metallicity structure of the Galactic disk by observing radio recombination line (RRL) and thermal radio continuum emission toward Hii regions. The RRL-to-continuum ratio provides an accurate measure of the electron temperature which is used as a proxy for metallicity. Since collisionally excited lines from metals (e.g., O, C) are the main coolant in Hii regions, the thermal electron temperature is well correlated with metallicity (e.g., [O/H]). We determine Hii region distances from maser parallax measurements when possible; otherwise we use kinematic distances. Such radio diagnostics of Hii regions yield an extinction free tracer to map the metallicity distribution across the entire Galactic disk.
Pediatric lateral graft tympanoplasty A review of 78 cases.

Abstract Objectives The optimal timing and technique for repairing chronic tympanic membrane (TM) perforations in pediatric patients remains controversial. The objectives are to determine the surgical and hearing outcomes of pediatric lateral graft tympanoplasty at a tertiary teaching hospital. Methods A retrospective review was conducted for pediatric lateral graft tympanoplasties performed for chronic TM perforations by a single surgeon over a four-year period. Primary and secondary outcomes were graft failure rate and hearing outcomes, respectively. Results 78 cases were analyzed. The mean age at time of surgery was 10.3 years (range 5–18 years). Mean follow-up was 11.0 months; 27 patients had follow-up >1 yr. Most patients were non-syndromic (85.9%), had a history of bilateral Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) (59%) and presented with marked myringosclerosis (73.1%). Thirty-three percent of cases were revision tympanoplasties. A learner surgeon (resident or fellow) was present in 89.7% of cases. Successful closure of the TM was achieved in 97.4% (76/78) of cases and 92.6% (25/27) of cases with >1-year follow-up. No obvious difference in graft failure was noted with regards to age at time of surgery, perforation size, history of bilateral ETD, presence of a learner surgeon, myringosclerosis, presence of syndromic features, or history of prior tympanoplasty. Ninety-one percent of patients either improved hearing or preserved their conductive hearing deficit. Poorer hearing outcomes were only associated with post-operative blunting. Conclusions Pediatric lateral graft tympanoplasty is effective in repairing chronic perforations with excellent hearing outcomes. Common quoted predictors of surgical outcome such as age at the time of surgery, syndromic features, history of previous myringoplasty, perforation size, and ETD dysfunction were not associated with graft failure in our series.
Legislative and Regulatory Takings of Intellectual Property: Early Stage Intervention Against a New Jurisprudential Virus

During the past year various members of the United States Congress have introduced legislation intended to ameliorate the high cost of pharmaceuticals, as well as to stimulate innovation using alternative mechanisms to the traditional patent system model. Several of the legislative proposals would authorize third-party importation of prescription pharmaceutical products from one or more countries. One issue considered by drafters of these legislative proposals was whether to include amendment of the United States Patent Act to authorize importation of pharmaceutical products first put on the market under the authority of the patent owner outside the United States. In other words, whether to provide for international exhaustion of patent rights, at least as to pharmaceutical products. Consultations on these developments with Congressional staff revealed a novel concept of legislative takings pursued by the pharmaceutical industry. Takings doctrine was advanced as the basis for opposing modification of the US Patent Act to authorize international exhaustion. Because the Supreme Court ruled in favor of international exhaustion of patents and, in the course of doing so, it did not mention anything about takings, the question whether Congress might adopt international exhaustion of patents without triggering the takings issue is formally mooted. However, the question whether Congress is somehow constrained in modifying US patent law by the constitutional prohibition against takings of private property without just compensation remains important.
Sexual Stereotyping and Mathematics Learning.

A Mmlthough many questions are being asked about the teaching of "modern mathematics," two important ones are seldom asked: Is modern mathematics teaching providing equal opportunity for both boys and girls to learn mathematics, and if not, why not? This paper attempts to provide a partial answer to the first question and a viable hypothesis concerning the second. The exploration of sex-related differences in mathematics is not new, since sex has been used as a variable in many studies investigating mathematics learning. Reviews of such literature that appeared before 1974 concluded that while there might not be a sex-related difference in young children, male superiority was evident by the time learners reached upper elementary or junior high school. In addition, males were definitely superior in higher-level cognitive tasks, which assume increasing importance as one progresses to advanced mathematical study algebra, geometry, and beyond. The reviews of sex-related differences in
Virus and CTL dynamics in the extra-follicular and follicular tissue compartments in SIV-infected macaques

Data from SIV-infected macaques indicate that virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are mostly present in the extrafollicular (EF) compartment of the lymphoid tissue, with reduced homing to the follicular (F) site. This contributes to the majority of the virus being present in the follicle and represents a barrier to virus control. Using mathematical models, we investigate these dynamics. Two models are analyzed. The first assumes that CTL can only become stimulated and expand in the extra-follicular compartment, with migration accounting for the presence of CTL in the follicle. In the second model, follicular CTL can also undergo antigen-induced expansion. Consistent with experi-mental data, both models predict increased virus compartmentalization in the presence of stronger CTL responses and lower virus loads, and a more pronounced rise of extra-follicular compared to follicular virus during CD8 cell depletion experiments. The mod-els, however, differ in other aspects. The follicular expansion model results in dynamics that promote the clearance of productive infection in the extrafollicular site, with any productively infected cells found being the result of immigration from the follicle. This is not observed in the model without follicular CTL expansion. The models further predict different consequences of introducing engineered, follicular-homing CTL, which has been proposed as a therapeutic means to improve virus control. Without follicular CTL expansion, this is predicted to result in a reduction of virus load in both compartments. The follicular CTL expansion model, however, makes the counter-intuitive prediction that addition of F-homing CTL not only results in a reduction of follicular virus load, but also in an increase in extrafollicular virus replication. These predictions remain to be ex-perimentally tested, which will be relevant for distinguishing between models and for understanding how therapeutic introduction of F-homing CTL might impact the overall dynamics of the infection.
Do physical activity levels differ by number of children at home in women aged 25–44 in the general population?:

Objectives:While physical activity is important for health, many women do not meet recommended levels, particularly mothers. The purpose of this study was to assess whether physical activity levels...
Abnormal Lung Clearance Index in Cystic Fibrosis Screen Positive, Inconclusive Diagnosis (CFSPID) Children with Otherwise Normal FEV 1

In preschool children with cystic fibrosis (CF), lung clearance index (LCI) is a sensitive test to detect early lung disease. Some children with CF screen positive, inconclusive diagnosis (CFSPID) may in time develop clinical features of CF. LCI has not been studied in CFSPID children. LCI and spirometry were performed in preschool age children with CF, CFSPID, and non-CF healthy controls (HCs) during two visits. Fifty-four preschool age children (HC n = 18, CFSPID n = 17, and CF n = 19) were tested. Mean LCI from the CFSPID group was not statistically different from HC (p = 0.49), but significantly different when compared to CF (p = 0.04). LCI was abnormal in 2 CFSPID children who carried potentially deleterious CFTR variants. Mean forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) was not statistically different between CFSPID and CF (p = 0.26). LCI can potentially detect early lung disease in CFSPID individuals as part of assessing their risk for reclassification to CF diagnosis.
Pitch count adherence and injury assessment of youth baseball in South Carolina.

Abstract Introduction Overuse injury in youth overhead athletes remains a concern. The introduction of pitch count guidelines was designed to limit the number of pitches per game. South Carolina is considered a warm weather climate which has been proven to expose overhead athletes to higher risk for injury. The purpose of this study was to detect baseline rates of arm pain and sequelae (injury, surgery, impact on participation) among southern youth baseball/softball players to better counsel players, parents, coaches and league administration on the prevention of arm injury. Methods A survey was distributed to 14 pediatric practices within the South Carolina Pediatric Practice Research Network. The 2-page survey included 28 closed-ended and descriptive questions that investigated physical and psychosocial responses during and after play. Additional questions were conducted on adherence and understanding of USA Baseball guidelines and pitch counting behavior. Results Two hundred and seventy three surveys were completed by parents of baseball/softball players. The players’ average age was 11.6 years, who played on an average of 1.78 teams/leagues for 5.2 months each year. Only 26% of baseball players answered “Sometimes”, “Often” or “Always” to their arm hurting. Arm fatigue, older age, parent/coach frustration with play, and months played were statistically significantly associated with arm pain. The survey revealed 58.9% of families were familiar with pitch count guidelines. Discussion Arm pain is relatively prevalent among the South Carolina youth baseball community and worse in older players and experience fatigue. This survey found lower percentage of youth overhead athletes experiencing arm discomfort when compared to prior studies. It is important for warm weather climate athletes to abide by guidelines, as they are more susceptible to arm injury. Increased recognition, education and compliance with pitch count guidelines will help protect these youth athletes from overuse injury. Level of evidence IV, Descriptive Epidemiology Study;
HONORS SCHOLARS ALUMNI SESSION

Abstract Outstanding Honors Scholars from last year's meeting return to the Honors Scholars Alumni Session to make presentations on Scholarly Projects they completed as part of the AAGP Scholars Program. Scholarly Projects, completed by all Honors Scholars over the year following receipt of their Honors Scholarships, involve a clinical, educational, or research project related to geriatric psychiatry. Scholarly Projects are conducted under the supervision of a geriatric psychiatrist mentor who is also an AAGP member. Alumni speakers are selected by the Scholars Program Planning Committee each year.
Defects in epitaxial Ru(0001) on Al2O3(0001): Dislocations, stacking faults, and deformation twins

Defects in epitaxial Ru(0001) films on c-plane sapphire, with nominal thicknesses of 10–80 nm, deposited at 350 °C and step-annealed to 950 °C, were characterized using transmission electron microscopy. The variation of Ru and sapphire lattice parameters with temperature is such that the misfit strain for the observed 30° rotated-honeycomb epitaxial relationship is essentially constant with temperature at 1.5%, resulting in a biaxial stress of 10.0 GPa and an energy density of 150 MJ m−3 in unrelaxed films. Stress relaxation occurs by the formation of defects. For the 20–80 nm thick films, the defects are a- and c-type dislocations and stacking faults, argued to be of I 2 type. In addition, the films show the surprising presence of { 11 2 ¯ 1 } 1 / 3 ⟨ 11 2 ¯ 6 ¯ ⟩ deformation twins. The 10 nm-thick films were found to be defect free. The critical thickness for misfit strain relaxation via the formation of threading and misfit dislocations is computed as 7 ± 2 nm, depending on the choice of the dislocation core radius. Energetic analysis of twin formation, using both the infinite-matrix and the finite-matrix (Mori–Tanaka) approaches, provides values of the twin aspect ratios, assumed to be ellipsoidal, and shows that the latter but not the former approach can qualitatively explain the formation of the observed twins. In addition to providing the maximum strain relief compared to other potential twin types, { 11 2 ¯ 1 } 1 / 3 ⟨ 11 2 ¯ 6 ¯ ⟩ twins do not require lattice shuffles and have a boundary that is a special boundary, namely, a 35° tilt boundary with a-type dislocations every other {0002} plane, that may also favor their formation.
Neoadjuvant treatment strategies for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is the second most common primary liver malignancy and is increasing in incidence. Long-term outcomes are optimized when patients undergo margin-negative resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. Unfortunately, a significant proportion of patients present with locally advanced, unresectable disease. Furthermore, recurrence rates are high even among patients who undergo surgical resection. The delivery of systemic and/or liver-directed therapies prior to surgery may increase the proportion of patients who are eligible for surgery and reduce recurrence rates by prioritizing early systemic therapy for this aggressive cancer. Nevertheless, the available evidence for neoadjuvant therapy in ICC is currently limited yet recent advances in liver directed therapies, chemotherapy regimens, and targeted therapies have generated increasing interest its role. In this article, we review the rationale for, current evidence for, and ongoing research efforts in the use of neoadjuvant therapy for ICC.
Sour taste: receptors, cells and circuits

Sour taste, which is evoked by low pH, is one of the original four fundamental taste qualities, recognized as a distinct taste sensation for centuries, and universally aversive across diverse species. It is generally assumed to have evolved for detection of acids in unripe fruit and spoiled food. But despite decades of study, only recently have the receptor, the neurotransmitter, and the circuits for sour taste been identified. In this review, we describe studies leading up to the identification of the sour receptor as OTOP1, an ion channel that is selectively permeable to protons. We also describe advances in our understanding of how information is transmitted from the taste receptor cells to gustatory neurons, leading to behavioral aversion to acids.
Information Entropy as Quantifier of Potential Predictability in the Tropical Indo-Pacific Basin

Global warming is posed to modify the modes of variability that control much of the climate predictability at seasonal to interannual scales. The quantification of changes in climate predictability over any given amount of time, however, remains challenging. Here we build upon recent advances in nonlinear dynamical systems theory and introduce the climate community to an information entropy quantifier based on recurrence. The entropy, or complexity of a system is associated with microstates that recur over time in the time-series that define the system, and therefore to its predictability potential. A computationally fast method to evaluate the entropy is applied to the investigation of the information entropy of sea surface temperature in the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans, focusing on boreal fall. In this season the predictability of the basins is controlled by two regularly varying nonlinear oscillations, the El Nino‐Southern Oscillation and the Indian Ocean Dipole. We compute and compare the entropy in simulations from the CMIP5 catalog from the historical period and RCP8.5 scenario, and in reanalysis datasets. Discrepancies are found between the models and the reanalysis, and no robust changes in predictability can be identified in future projections. The Indian Ocean and the equatorial Pacific emerge as troublesome areas where the modeled entropy differs the most from that of the reanalysis in many models. A brief investigation of the source of the bias points to a poor representation of the ocean mean state and basins’ connectivity at the Indonesian Throughflow.
WiSER: Robust and scalable estimation and inference of within-subject variances from intensive longitudinal data

The availability of vast amounts of longitudinal data from electronic health records (EHRs) and personal wearable devices opens the door to numerous new research questions. In many studies, individual variability of a longitudinal outcome is as important as the mean. Blood pressure fluctuations, glycemic variations, and mood swings are prime examples where it is critical to identify factors that affect the within-individual variability. We propose a scalable method, within-subject variance estimator by robust regression (WiSER), for the estimation and inference of the effects of both time-varying and time-invariant predictors on within-subject variance. It is robust against the misspecification of the conditional distribution of responses or the distribution of random effects. It shows similar performance as the correctly specified likelihood methods but is 103 ∼ 105 times faster. The estimation algorithm scales linearly in the total number of observations, making it applicable to massive longitudinal data sets. The effectiveness of WiSER is evaluated in extensive simulation studies. Its broad applicability is illustrated using the accelerometry data from the Women's Health Study and a clinical trial for longitudinal diabetes care.
Trends in the Content and Forms of Vitamin K in Processed Foods

A B S T R A C T High intake of trans fatty acids has been linked to deleterious health effects including increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Since 2006, the Food and Drug Administration requires companies to label the trans fatty acid content of foods. This has resulted in an overall decrease of commercially-hydrogenated oils in the food supply. Hydrogenation of vitamin K (VK)-rich plant oils changes the form and content of VK. It is not known if changes in use of hydrogenated oil in the U.S. food supply resulted in a change in the forms and amount of VK in processed foods. To test this, we compared 253 foods for total and individual forms of VK in foods analyzed pre- and post-2006 as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Nutrient and Food Analysis Program. Overall, foods identified as rich sources of the hydrogenated form of VK pre-2006 (dihydrophylloquinone; dK) had lower amounts of dK post-2006 with a concomitant increase in the parent form of VK, phylloquinone. However, the range of dK was large within foods, suggestive of a wide range of current practices regarding use of hydrogenated oils in the U.S. food supply.
Assessing Traffic and User Impacts for the California Route 91 Variable-Toll Express Lane Facility

Abstract The fifteen kilometer long variable-toll express lanes on State Route 91 (SR 91) in Orange County, California, entered revenue service in late December 1995. The new toll lanes, located in the median of the existing freeway, are the first practical implementation of congestion-based pricing in the United States. Caltrans and the U.S. Department of Transportation are sponsoring research to understand travelers’ reactions to congestion-based tolls and to the other innovative features of the new toll lanes. This paper describes the SR 91 project presents some initial findings of the assessment research, and discusses implications for the future of congestion-based toll highways elsewhere in the United States.
Mass spectrometric investigation of the neuropeptide complement and release in the pericardial organs of the crab, Cancer borealis

The crustacean stomatogastric ganglion (STG) is modulated by both locally released neuroactive compounds and circulating hormones. This study presents mass spectrometric characterization of the complement of peptide hormones present in one of the major neurosecretory structures, the pericardial organs (POs), and the detection of neurohormones released from the POs. Direct peptide profiling of Cancer borealis PO tissues using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) revealed many previously identified peptides, including proctolin, red pigment concentrating hormone (RPCH), crustacean cardioactive peptide (CCAP), several orcokinins, and SDRNFLRFamide. This technique also detected corazonin, a well-known insect hormone, in the POs for the first time. However, most mass spectral peaks did not correspond to previously known peptides. To characterize and identify these novel peptides, we performed MALDI postsource decay (PSD) and electrospray ionization (ESI) MS/MS de novo sequencing of peptides fractionated from PO extracts. We characterized a truncated form of previously identified TNRNFLRFamide, NRNFLRFamide. In addition, we sequenced five other novel peptides sharing a common C-terminus of RYamide from the PO tissue extracts. High K+ depolarization of isolated POs released many peptides present in this tissue, including several of the novel peptides sequenced in the current study.
Computational Models of Skill Acquisition

Understanding the basis of the human abilities, to recognize, comprehend, and make inferences about objects and events in the world and to comprehend and produce statements about them, is the goal of research in semantic memory. Semantic memory is memory for meanings. In some disciplines (e.g., linguistics), the word semantics refers exclusively to the meanings of words and sentences. Collins and Quillian's model effectively uses the syllogism as a basis for organizing propositional knowledge in memory. The chapter offers a promising theoretical framework for semantic cognition. The chapter provides a simple framework for thinking about how coherent covariation between linguistic structure and other aspects of experience can promote the representation of meaning for full sentences and events. The chapter explores patterns of semantic impairment to reveal the neuroanatomical organization of the semantic system.
Identification and characterization of the major chicken bone phosphoprotein. Analysis of its synthesis by cultured embryonic chick osteoblasts.

The major phosphoprotein synthesized by cultured chicken embryo osteoblasts had a molecular mass of approximately 66 kDa. The 32P label on the protein was cleaved by acid phosphatase treatment and O-[32P]phosphoserine and O-[32P]phosphothreonine could be identified after partial acid hydrolysis. The phosphoprotein contributed approximately 2.0% of the total protein synthesized by osteoblasts and was shown to be secreted, as shown by its presence in the culture media. Glycosylation was demonstrated by the fact that it could be labelled with [3H]galactosamine. The major ∼ 66-kDa phosphoprotein was resolved by isoelectric focusing into three major variants with pI values ranging over 3.7–3.9; all three forms appear to be the result of variation in the extent of protein phosphorylation. An identical ∼ 66-kDa phosphoprotein could be extracted from chicken bones which had both the same range of pI values and an identical elution position following DEAE-Sephacel chromatography. Analysis of the protein isolated from bone demonstrated the presence of sialic acid and, while amino-terminal sequence analysis and internal tryptic fragment sequence analysis of about 25% of the protein revealed little similarity to the rat phosphoprotein osteopontin, a conserved nine-residue sequence spanning the Arg-Gly-Asp cell-binding site of the rat protein osteopontin, was identified in the ∼ 66-kDa chicken protein. Peptide mapping with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease of the in vivo protein compared to the in vitro synthesized protein demonstrated identical peptide fingerprints. The two proteins also had comparable amino acid compositions. Several smaller-molecular-mass phosphoproteins ranging in size over about 55–29 kDa were also observed in the HC1 extracts of bone. Peptide mapping of these species demonstrated that the ∼ 66-kDa, ∼ 55-kDa, and ∼ 45-kDa species had a common core of peptide fragments. Pulse/chase experiments in culture revealed no evidence for a defined pathway of intracellular proteolysis associated with the ∼ 66-kDa species since this phosphoprotein remained the prevalent species after a 24-h chase. Because of the predominant association of all the smaller-molecular-mass forms with the cell layer and an absence of a quantitative conversion to any of the smaller forms over a 24-h chase, these results suggested that the lower-molecular-mass species were not the result of proteolytic processing during synthesis or secretion, but rather represent proteolysis of the ∼ 66-kDa component in the extracellular matrix. In summary, these results demonstrate that cultured osteoblasts synthesize a major ∼ 66-kDa phosphoprotein that is identical to the major HCl-extractable phosphoprotein present in postnatal chick bone.
SCHEDULE-INDUCED AND OPERANT MECHANISMS THAT INFLUENCE RESPONSE VARIABILITY: A REVIEW AND IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE INVESTIGATIONS

Response variability, a fundamental characteristic of behavior, may be in some cases an induced effect of reinforcement schedules. Research on schedule-induced response variability has shown that continuous reinforcement results in less variability than intermittent reinforcement schedules. Studies on the effects of intermittency of reinforcement, periodicity of reinforcement, and type of schedule have resulted in mixed findings. Contingencies have also been arranged to directly influence operant response variability. These include lag reinforcement schedules, differential reinforcement of novel behavior, differential reinforcement of less frequent behavior, and percentile reinforcement schedules. These procedures are discussed in terms of practicality and implications for use in applied settings. Contingencies and treatment packages that indirectly influence response variability are addressed in terms of response allocation, response generalization, and response covariation. Studies on the effects of a variety of other variables on response variability are also reported, such as levels of food deprivation and drugs. Finally, directions for applied research in response variability are suggested.
Developing Roles and Skills in Community-Living Adults With Severe and Persistent Mental Illness

ABSTRACT People with severe and persistent mental illness often experience a disruption in the development of social roles, and the skills within these roles. Role Development, a set of guidelines for practice, is an intervention to develop roles and skills. The purpose of this study was to continue to examine the efficacy of this intervention. Ten people attending two community mental health programs participated in evaluation and treatment based on Role Development. Quantitative pretest and posttest measures were used. Qualitative components were incorporated to get a sense of the experience involved in developing roles and skills. Quantitative results indicated statistical significance (p < .05) in the development of roles and skills. Qualitative data revealed multiple trends experienced by the participants. This study contributes to the evidenced-based knowledge regarding development of roles and skills for persons living with severe and persistent mental illness.
Predicting medication adherence in multiple sclerosis using telephone-based home monitoring.

Abstract Background Poor medication adherence exerts a substantial negative impact on the health and well-being of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Improving adherence rates requires a proactive approach of frequent and ongoing monitoring; however, this can be difficult to achieve within traditional, reactive health care systems that generally emphasize acute care services. Telephone-based home monitoring may circumvent these barriers and facilitate optimal care coordination and management for individuals with MS and other chronic illnesses. Objective The current study evaluated the utility of a one-item, telephone-administered measure of adherence expectations as a prospective predictor of medication adherence across a six month period among individuals with MS. Methods As part of a longitudinal study, Veterans with MS ( N = 89) who were receiving medical services through the Veterans Health Administration completed monthly telephone-based interviews for six months. Results Using mixed model regression analyses, adherence expectations predicted adherence after adjusting for demographic, illness-related, and psychosocial factors ( B = −5.54, p Conclusions Brief, telephone-based assessments of adherence expectations may represent an easy and efficient method for monitoring medication use among individuals with MS. The results offer an efficient method to detect and provide support for individuals who may benefit from interventions to promote medication adherence.
Nineteen Baculovirus Open Reading Frames, Including LEF-12, Support Late Gene Expression

A set of 18 plasmid subclones of the Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus genome, each containing an identified late expression factor gene (lef), supports expression from a late viral promoter in transient expression assays in the SF-21 cell line derived from Spodoptera frugiperda. We have constructed a further set of plasmids in which each lef open reading frame (ORF) is controlled by the Drosophila melanogaster heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) promoter and epitope tagged. Failure of this set of plasmids to support transient late gene expression, and the inability of the p47 ORF to replace the p47-containing plasmid supplied in the lef plasmid library, led to the identification of a 19th late expression factor gene (lef-12) located adjacent to the p47 gene. The sequence of lef-12 is predicted to encode a protein of 21 kDa with no homology to any previously identified protein. The set of 19 hsp70-controlled lef ORFs (HSEpiHis lef library) supports transient expression from a late viral promoter. lef-12 did not affect expression from an early baculovirus promoter. In TN-368 cells, which are also permissive for virus replication, lef-12 provided a stimulatory effect but did not appear to be essential.
Arrays of red VCSELs with partial top dielectric stack DBRs

Summary form only given. We report arrays (1/spl times/64) of red vertical cavity GaInP strained quantum well surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) with partial top dielectric stack distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs). Output powers exceed 0.5 mW at /spl lambda//sub 0/-660 nm for 15 /spl mu/m diameter devices with threshold currents below 2 mA.
Differences in properties of salt marsh sediment between hayed and reference sites.

than to seasonal changes in light availability. The increase of chlorophyll a and carotenoid concentrations in C. vagabunda and G. tikvahiae in response to high irradiance is paralleled by biomass data taken from the estuaries (E. Stieve, unpub. data). The biomass of G. tikvahiae was greater than that of C. vagabunda in low-nitrogen estuaries that also furnished high irradiance to algae. The physiological changes in photosynthetic pigments and nitrogen concentrations created by increased loads suggest increased growth of at least the green alga C. vagabunda. Increased nitrogen load may also increase phytoplankton standing crop, increasing light attenuation in the water column and therefore decreasing the growth of light-limited benthic algae. On balance, the growthstimulating effect of increased nutrients seems to more than compensate for the detrimental effect of light attenuation from the influence of phytoplankton shading at the time of sampling; and C. vagabunda, in particular, proliferates and causes macroalgal blooms in nitrogen enriched estuaries. This research was supported by the Woods Hole Marine Science Consortium. Special thanks to Jennifer Hauxwell for help with algae and Jennifer Bowen for her endless patience. Literature Cited
Research directions in abstract data structures

A number of interesting research problems arise from current attempts to incorporate abstraction mechanisms in programming languages. Some of them are central issues in current research projects and others are direct extensions of current work. Several problems in each of these areas are outlined below. A third section presents a series of speculations about how this work might evolve in the future.Since this is supposed to be a session to spark research ideas, I have written brief descriptions of a number of topics and not delved very deeply into any one. Most of these problems can probably be solved in more than one way. Hence the fact that a problem is being worked on should not deter anyone from looking at it from another viewpoint.
Pigeon performance on a variable-interval omission schedule at different levels of food deprivation.

After modifying a variable-interval schedule to include an omission contingency, we investigated rates of responding and performance at different levels of food deprivation in pigeons. The variable-interval schedule had intervals which averaged 30 s in duration. Any response made during a particular interval cancelled the food delivery at the end of the interval. Following intervals in which no response occured, the first response produced a 6-s access to grain. Sessions lasted until 150 of these intervals had been presented. Food deprivation was manipulated in two ways. In the first, pigeons started at 90% of their free-feeding weights and were gradually reduced to their 70% levels. In the second, pigeons were maintained at three specific levels of their free-feeding weights: 70, 80, and 90%. During all sessions, rates of responding and the percentage of reinforcers omitted were recorded. The results from both methods of deprivation were similar: (1) rates of responding systematically increased as pigeon's body weights decreased; and (2) performance, as indicated by the percentage of reinforcer omissions, worsened as pigeon's body weights declined.
Optical conductivity of superconducting K 0.8 Fe 2-y Se 2 single crystals: Evidence for a Josephson-coupled phase

The optical properties of the iron-chalcogenide superconductor K${}_{0.8}$Fe${}_{2\ensuremath{-}y}$Se${}_{2}$ with a critical temperature ${T}_{c}=31$ K have been measured over a wide frequency range in the $\mathit{ab}$ planes above and below ${T}_{c}$. The conductivity is incoherent at room temperature but becomes coherent (Drude-like) at $T\ensuremath{\gtrsim}{T}_{c}$; however, ${R}_{\ensuremath{\square}}\ensuremath{\simeq}320$ k$\ensuremath{\Omega}$, well above the threshold for the superconductor-insulator transition at ${R}_{\ensuremath{\square}}=h/4{e}^{2}\ensuremath{\simeq}6.9$ k$\ensuremath{\Omega}$. Below ${T}_{c}$, the superfluid density ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{s0}\ensuremath{\simeq}48\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{3}$ cm${}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ places this material on the scaling line ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{s0}/8\ensuremath{\simeq}4.4\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{dc}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{T}_{c}$, but in a region associated with Josephson coupling, suggesting this material is inhomogeneous and constitutes a Josephson phase.
Nucleotide sequence of the ipaBCD structural genes of Shigella dysenteriae.

Summary A 9kb EcoRI and two PstI fragments from the virulence plasmid of Shigella dysenteriae CG097 were shown to contain all ipa genes by probing with Shigella flexneri ipaB, -C, -D and -A gene probes. The DNA sequences of S. dysenteriae ipaBC genes were very similar to those of S. flexneri M90T and S. flexneri YSH6000, but ipaD differed by 22 codons from that of S. flexneri. The differences in ipaD may account for the different in vitro host specificities shown by S. dysenteriae and S. flexneri. The nucleotide composition of ipa genes revealed an unusually large number of codons that are rarely used in Escherichia coli chromosomal genes, indicating a different origin.