cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Combination of bevacizumab, irinotecan, and temozolomide for refractory or relapsed neuroblastoma: Results of a phase II study.

Background The rationale for studying the combination of bevacizumab, irinotecan, and temozolomide (BIT) in neuroblastoma (NB) is based on the following: (i) vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression is associated with an aggressive phenotype, (ii) anti-VEGF antibody bevacizumab enhances irinotecan-mediated suppression of NB xenografts, (iii) bevacizumab safety has been established in pediatric phase I studies, and (iv) irinotecan + temozolomide (IT) is a standard salvage chemotherapy. Procedure We conducted a phase II study of BIT in patients with measurable/evaluable refractory or relapsed high-risk NB (www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01114555). Each cycle consisted of bevacizumab (15 mg/kg intravenously [IV]) on days 1 and 15 plus irinotecan (50 mg/m2/day IV) and temozolomide (150 mg/m2/day orally) on days 4–8. Patients could have previously received, but not relapsed on, IT. An early stopping rule mandated continuing therapy only if more than five patients of 27 evaluable patients achieved partial response (PR) or complete response (CR) after four cycles. Results Thirty-three heavily pretreated patients (nine primary refractory; 24 relapsed) received one to eight cycles of BIT. Toxicities were expected and transient. Grade 4 toxicities were neutropenia (30%) and thrombocytopenia (24%). Grade 3 toxicities included hepatic transaminitis (15%), proteinuria (9%), and diarrhea (3%). Overall responses were as follows: three CR (all in prior IT-treated patients), 18 no response, and 12 progressive disease. Only one of 23 patients assessable for the early stopping rule regarding efficacy achieved PR/CR, so patient accrual was discontinued. Median progression-free survival and overall survival was 7.7 ± 1.7 and 31.5 ± 5.6 months, respectively; all patients continued anti-NB therapy post-BIT. Conclusions BIT was well tolerated, but the addition of bevacizumab did not improve response rates in resistant NB compared to historical data for IT.
Geriatric patients are predisposed to strabismus following thyroid-related orbital decompression surgery: A multivariate analysis.

ABSTRACTGeriatric patients (age ≥ 65) are prone to complications after surgery and are at risk for severe thyroid eye disease (TED). In this study, we aim to identify preoperative demographic and TED patterns associated with geriatric patients who underwent decompression surgery, to examine the effect of age on postoperative strabismus rates, and to identify factors that may contribute to postoperative strabismus in the geriatric subgroup. We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent thyroid-related orbital decompression surgery at the Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, between 1999 and 2014. Primary outcome was postoperative strabismus requiring palliation with prisms and/or strabismus surgery. Descriptive, univariate, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to define association of geriatric age with postoperative strabismus and determine predictors of postoperative strabismus. Of 241 patients, 41 (17.0%) were geriatric. They were less likely to undergo bilateral decompre...
A connectome of a learning and memory center in the adult Drosophila brain

Understanding memory formation, storage and retrieval requires knowledge of the underlying neuronal circuits. In Drosophila, the mushroom body (MB) is the major site of associative learning. We reconstructed the morphologies and synaptic connections of all 983 neurons within the three functional units, or compartments, that compose the adult MB’s α lobe, using a dataset of isotropic 8 nm voxels collected by focused ion-beam milling scanning electron microscopy. We found that Kenyon cells (KCs), whose sparse activity encodes sensory information, each make multiple en passant synapses to MB output neurons (MBONs) in each compartment. Some MBONs have inputs from all KCs, while others differentially sample sensory modalities. Only 6% of KC>MBON synapses receive a direct synapse from a dopaminergic neuron (DAN). We identified two unanticipated classes of synapses, KC>DAN and DAN>MBON. DAN activation produces a slow depolarization of the MBON in these DAN>MBON synapses and can weaken memory recall. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.26975.001
A Role for Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase II in Cardiac Disease and Arrhythmia

More than 20 years have passed since the discovery that a collection of specific calcium/calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation events is the result of a single multifunctional kinase. Since that time, we have learned a great deal about this multifunctional and ubiquitous kinase, known today as calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). CaMKII is interesting not only for its widespread distribution and broad specificity but also for its biophysical properties, most notably its activation by the critical second messenger complex calcium/calmodulin and its autophosphorylating capability. A central role for CaMKII has been identified in regulating a diverse array of fundamental cellular activities. Furthermore, altered CaMKII activity profoundly impacts function in the brain and heart. Recent findings that CaMKII expression in the heart changes during hypertrophy, heart failure,myocardial ischemia, and infarction suggest that CaMKII may be a viable therapeutic target for patients suffering from common forms of heart disease.
Machine learning in malware traffic classifications

Previous work on machine learning for intrusion detection in mobile tactical networks using the extremely lightweight intrusion detection (ELIDe) system has shown that ELIDe can approximate signature-based intrusion detection using significantly less resources and power than the traditional intrusion detection system without significantly degrading accuracy. ELIDe also performs binary classification and multiclass classification on various malware that Snort cannot detect. In this paper, we demonstrate how ELIDe identifies malware within network traffic based on partially trained malware signature patterns that have significant weighted values within the classifier's weight vector. Our experiments trained ELIDe with malware signatures and network traffic without the presence of malicious traffic, and we were able to obtain the common partial patterns between the two different data sets. Based on knowledge of the common partial patterns that exist between true-negative and true-positive results from our experiments, we show that ELIDe can improve its false-positive rate without significantly affecting its false-negative rates.
Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century salt production in Saltville, Virginia

The geology of the Saltville Valley in southwest Virginia creates a brine with an exceptionally high concentration of sodium chloride (98.7%). Because of this resource, the town of Saltville, Virgi...
Triiodothyronine (T3) and metabolic rate in adolescents with eating disorders: Is there a correlation?

AIM: To examine the correlation between T3 and resting energy expenditure (REE) in adolescent patients with eating disorders (ED) to assess whether T3 can be used to predict metabolic rate suppression and recovery. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on patients with ED (Anorexia Nervosa [AN], Bulimia Nervosa [BN], and Eating Disorder NOS [EDNOS]), aged 11–22 years, who had T3 and REE measured within 1 month (N=38 AN, 32 BN/EDNOS). REE was measured by indirect calorimetry (IC) and represented as the percentage of expected REE (%EREE) predicted by the Harris-Benedict equation. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to examine the relationship between T3 and %EREE and how each correlates with anthropometric data, laboratory values, and diagnosis. RESULTS: T3 was significantly correlated with %EREE in the AN group but not in the total population or BN/EDNOS group. In the total study population, T3 alone correlated significantly with weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), BMI percentile, %Ideal Body Weight (%IBW), %Maximum Weight Lost (%MWL), LH, and estradiol. In the AN group, T3 and %EREE both correlated with BMI, BMI percentile, LH, and estradiol; however, only T3 correlated with %IBW and %MWL. In the BN/EDNOS group, T3 correlated with BMI, BMI percentile, %IBW, and estradiol while %EREE correlated with none. CONCLUSION: In patients with AN, T3 correlated significantly with markers of malnutrition and %EREE and may serve as a surrogate measure when IC is unavailable. Following T3 during treatment of AN may assist clinicians in assessing metabolic suppression and recovery and help guide caloric prescriptions and goal weights.
RERE deficiency leads to decreased expression of GATA4 and the development of ventricular septal defects

Deletions of chromosome 1p36 are associated with a high incidence of congenital heart defects (CHDs). The arginine-glutamic acid dipeptide repeats gene (RERE) is located in a critical region for CHD on chromosome 1p36 and encodes a cardiac-expressed nuclear receptor co-regulator. Mutations affecting RERE cause atrial and ventricular septal defects (VSDs) in humans, and RERE-deficient mice also develop VSDs. During cardiac development, mesenchymal cells destined to form part of the atrioventricular (AV) septum are generated when endocardial cells in the AV canal undergo epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and migrate into the space between the endocardium and the myocardium. These newly generated mesenchymal cells then proliferate to fill the developing AV endocardial cushions. Here, we demonstrate that RERE-deficient mouse embryos have reduced numbers of mesenchymal cells in their AV endocardial cushions owing to decreased levels of EMT and mesenchymal cell proliferation. In the endocardium, RERE colocalizes with GATA4, a transcription factor required for normal levels of EMT and mesenchymal cell proliferation. Using a combination of in vivo and in vitro studies, we show that Rere and Gata4 interact genetically in the development of CHDs, RERE positively regulates transcription from the Gata4 promoter and GATA4 levels are reduced in the AV canals of RERE-deficient embryos. Tissue-specific ablation of Rere in the endocardium leads to hypocellularity of the AV endocardial cushions, defective EMT and VSDs, but does not result in decreased GATA4 expression. We conclude that RERE functions in the AV canal to positively regulate the expression of GATA4, and that deficiency of RERE leads to the development of VSDs through its effects on EMT and mesenchymal cell proliferation. However, the cell-autonomous role of RERE in promoting EMT in the endocardium must be mediated by its effects on the expression of proteins other than GATA4.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Next generation sequencing (NGS) in lung adenocarcinoma (LA) as a guide to treatment selection.

9084Background: Tumor genomic profiling is standard for LA patients (pts). The identification of actionable drug targets has prompted efforts to develop multiplexed assays that identify both clinic...
Number Theoretic Considerations Related to the Scaling of Spectra of Cantor-Type Measures

We investigate some relations between number theory and spectral measures related to the harmonic analysis of a Cantor set. Specifically, we explore ways to determine when an odd natural number m generates a complete or incomplete Fourier basis for a Cantor-type measure with scale g.
Social Movements and New Technology: The Dynamics of Cyber Activism in the Digital Age

Every social movement is in part shaped by the technology available. Activists have always utilized the latest communication devices to recruit, share and distribute information, and mobilize support—whether it be the pen, printing press, telegraph, radio, television, the Internet, or high-speed digital technologies. Though communication and information have historically been fundamental sources of power and counter-power of domination and social change, this has been exasperated by the recent digital revolution which has advanced a new repertoire now at the disposal of activists.
TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS: WHAT DO STUDENTS AND INSTRUCTORS SAY?

Educators often discuss teaching strategies as the means to enhance students’ education; however, many effective educators share characteristics that also strongly influence students’ learning. Few studies have made progress in identifying the characteristics of effective teachers. This study used data from an online survey completed by 733 graduate or undergraduate university students and 92 full time university instructors to explore their perceptions about the characteristics of effective university instructors. Instructors, undergraduate and graduate students from a Catholic, Liberal Arts University participate in an online survey. The survey was used to explore the characteristics of effective instructors who taught online and on-ground college courses. Using a Likert scale rating and a rank ordering of importance of 19 characteristics which were combined to inform 10 categories, participants rated how important the viewed behaviors/characteristics in an effective instructor for online and on-ground coursework. Results indicated important similarities and differences in perceptions between instructors and students. Both students and instructors rated knowledgeable as the most important characteristic in online and on-ground instruction. The only characteristic that differed depending on the age of the participant was humor. The younger the participant, the more important humor in instruction was.
Time to Prostate-specific Antigen Nadir and the Risk of Death From Prostate Cancer Following Radiation and Androgen Deprivation Therapy

Abstract Objective To assess whether the time to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) nadir (TTN) has differential prognostic value in men who reach an undetectable vs detectable PSA nadir. Methods Two hundred and four men from a prospective randomized controlled trial involving radiation therapy with or without 6 months of androgen deprivation therapy in unfavorable risk Prostate cancer (CaP) at academic or community based centers in Massachusetts, enrolled between 1995 and 2001. Adjusted hazard ratios (AHR) of the risk of CaP-specific mortality calculated using Fine and Gray competing risk regression. Results After a median follow-up of 18.17years, 160 men died; 30 (18.75%) of CaP. Among men with a PSA nadir ≥ 0.2ng/ml, a TTN Conclusion Men with both a short TTN and detectable PSA nadir could be considered for entry on randomized controlled trials at a novel entry point prior to PSA failure at the time of PSA nadir to completeplanned conventional androgen deprivation therapy vs that plus agent(s) shown to improve outcomes in men with or at high risk of having castrate-resistant CaP.
Assessing Proofs Via Oral Interviews

AbstractIn this qualitative study, we explored how oral interviews can inform instructors about students’ understanding of abstract algebra and their ability to construct a proof in this setting. Our findings indicate that some students had a good understanding of the ideas needed for a subgroup proof, but could not write a coherent proof. One the other hand, these same students provided fairly sound verbal proofs. We discuss the implications of these results for teaching and future research.
Displacement Through Discourse: Implementing and Contesting Public Housing Redevelopment in Cabrini Green

Although social scientists have documented urban redevelopment and gentrification extensively, few have addressed their discursive causes and effects. In this paper, I use a critical discourse approach to investigate the success of discourse manipulation, the primary mode through which urban elites displace public housing residents and carry out redevelopment in Cabrini Green, an AfricanAmerican public housing community on Chicago's Lower North Side. Using qualitative methodologies, I show that public housing residents recognize the discursive constructions that enable the implementation of redevelopment and contest it in rhetorical ways. To expose their forceful displacement from their homes and community, resident activists reframe public housing redevelopment as a "human rights crisis." As evidenced by these tactics, redeveloping Cabrini Green is inherently a discursive site, a space marked by "cultural production and political struggle" (Conquergood 1992: 97).
Language-measure-theoretic optimal control of probabilistic finite-state systems

Supervisory control theory for discrete event systems, introduced by Ramadge and Wonham, is based on a non-probabilistic formal language framework. Building on the concept of signed real measure of regular languages, this paper formulates a comprehensive theory for optimal control of finite-state probabilistic processes. It is shown that the resulting discrete-event supervisor is optimal in the sense of elementwise maximizing the renormalized language measure vector for the controlled plant behavior and is efficiently computable.
An Exploratory Neuroimaging Study of Argumentative and Summary Writing

Science teachers often work with students in an effort to develop cognitive strategies toward understanding science through various modes of writing. The two modes of writing that have been extensively explored through traditional science education research are argumentative writing, in which the objective is to convince someone of a viewpoint using evidence, and summary writing, which is explanatory writing pulling across multiple domains of knowledge. The increased focus on cognitive strategies coupled with the concept of cognitive demand called for in the Next Generation Science Standards creates a need to examine and triangulate claims regarding identified cognitive attributes such as critical thinking, using neuroimaging techniques. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of writing type and audience on localized hemodynamic response in college-aged students. Cognitive dynamics are assessed using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, a novel neuroimaging technology. The standardized hemodynamic responses were tested for differences using repeated measures ANOVA (rANOVA). rANOVA reveals a main effect of writing type (summary or argumentative) across the grouping of audience (F(1,2) = 32.00 p = 0.030), with argumentative writing (mean = 3.89 ± 0.015) activations significantly lower in optodes locations 15 and 16. Group differences highlight changes in processing areas dependent on the type of writing and audience and suggest independence of activations.
Ultrasonic Characterization of Spatially Varying Material Properties in Metal Components Fabricated by Additive Manufacturing

We investigated the sensitivity of ultrasonic measurements to changes in the operating conditions during additive fabrication for 316L stainless steel samples by selective laser melting. We found that the velocity of the ultrasound propagation positively correlates with the energy density used to melt layers of metal powder during the fabrication. In the range of the investigated conditions, the faster ultrasonic propagation, observed with the increase in the energy density, was shown to correspond to the improved hardness and the modulus of 316L stainless steel. Overall, our results indicate the feasibility of ultrasonic characterization of heterogeneities in material properties of metal components produced by additive manufacturing.
2DKD: a toolkit for content-based local image search.

Direct comparison of 2D images is computationally inefficient due to the need for translation, rotation, and scaling of the images to evaluate their similarity. In many biological applications, such as digital pathology and cryo-EM, often identifying specific local regions of images is of particular interest. Therefore, finding invariant descriptors that can efficiently retrieve local image patches or subimages becomes necessary. We present a software package called Two-Dimensional Krawtchouk Descriptors that allows to perform local subimage search in 2D images. The new toolkit uses only a small number of invariant descriptors per image for efficient local image retrieval. This enables querying an image and comparing similar patterns locally across a potentially large database. We show that these descriptors appear to be useful for searching local patterns or small particles in images and demonstrate some test cases that can be helpful for both assembly software developers and their users. Local image comparison and subimage search can prove cumbersome in both computational complexity and runtime, due to factors such as the rotation, scaling, and translation of the object in question. By using the 2DKD toolkit, relatively few descriptors are developed to describe a given image, and this can be achieved with minimal memory usage.
Causal Effects of Genetically Determined Metabolites on Risk of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous endocrine disorder that is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. However, the etiology of PCOS remains unclear. Methods: We conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to assess the causal effects of genetically determined metabolites (GDMs) on the risk of PCOS. We used summary level data of a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 486 metabolites (n = 7,824) as exposure and a PCOS GWAS consisting of 4,138 cases and 20,129 controls as the outcome. Both datasets were obtained from publicly published databases. For each metabolite, a genetic instrumental variable was generated to assess the relationship between the metabolite and PCOS. For MR analysis, we primarily used the standard inverse variance weighted (IVW) method, while three additional methods-the MR-Egger, weighted median, and MR-PRESSO (pleiotropy residual sum and outlier) methods-were performed as sensitivity analyses. Results: Using genetic variants as predictors, we observed a robust relationship between epiandrosterone sulfate (EPIA-S) and PCOS (P IVW = 0.0186, P MR-Egger = 0.0111; P Weighted-median = 0.0154, and P MR-PRESSO = 0.0290). Similarly, 3-dehydrocarnitine, 4-hydroxyhippurate, hexadecanedioate, and β-hydroxyisovalerate may also have causal effects on PCOS development. Conclusions: We identified metabolites that might have causal effects on PCOS development. Our study emphasizes the role of genetic factors underlying the causal relationships between metabolites and PCOS and provides novel insights through the integration of metabolomics and genomics to better understand the mechanisms involved in human disease pathogenesis.
The Causal Properties of the Compressional Wave in an Unconsolidated Marine Sediment

The Viscous Grain Shearing (VGS) theory predicts the existence of a compressional wave and a shear wave in an unconsolidated marine sediment. Although it is known that, subject to certain constrain...
Social Media Affordances to Engage Clients During the Sales Process: Sequential versus Multiplex Media Use

Social media have changed the way salespeople communicate with and build relationships with clients. This study explores how social media are integrated into the communication strategies of sellers...
Congenital Heart Disease

The era of surgical correction of congenital heart defects began in 1938 when Robert E. Gross successfully ligated a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in a 7-year-old child at Boston Children’s Hospital.1 This historical milestone was followed by several different “closed-heart” operations for children with congenital heart defects, including the Blalock-Taussig shunt,2 coarctation repair,3 and pulmonary artery banding.4 In 1952, the first “open-heart” operation, closure of an atrial septal defect (ASD), was performed by F. John Lewis at the University of Minnesota using hypothermia and inflow occlusion.5 One year later, John Gibbon performed the first open-heart surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass, also closing an ASD.6 At the University of Minnesota, C. Walton Lillehei performed the first repair of ventricular septal defect (VSD), tetralogy of Fallot, and atrioventricular canal (AVC) using cross circulation: the parent was the “heart-lung” machine.7 At the same time, at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. John Kirklin was also pioneering open-heart surgery using a heart-lung machine.8 The significant historical milestones in congenital heart surgery are summarized in Table 76.1.
"Violence and love and drugs…it all goes hand in hand": A mixed methods analysis of the substance abuse, violence, and HIV/AIDS syndemic among women who use methamphetamine.

Background: The synergistic epidemics of substance use, violence, and HIV/AIDS, also known as the SAVA syndemic, disproportionately affects vulnerable women in the United States. Methamphetamine us...
The role of status and power inequalities in leader-member exchange:

Demographically diverse leader-member relationships are predominantly studied based on similarity-attraction theory. However, empirical research examining the effect of similarity and dissimilarity...
Facial Nerve Palsy

Facial nerve paralysis is the single most common cranial neuropathy. The course of the nerve is long with the nerve traversing potential sites of injury, and the slightest change in facial symmetry is often promptly noted. Most of the time, an exact etiology of the facial nerve paralysis is never found, which is the phenomenon called Bell’s palsy. The next most common cause is herpes zoster oticus, also known as Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Facial paralysis can be due to central causes, which causes an upper motor neuron pattern of weakness that spares the forehead muscles. A lower motor neuron pattern of weakness, as in the case of facial nerve paralysis, involves the forehead muscles. Facial nerve paralysis presents with weakness of the muscles of facial expression on the ipsilateral side, with inability to close the eye, inability to wrinkle the forehead, and a drooping mouth. The facial nerve has numerous functions in addition to moving the muscles of facial expression, and patients may also complain of altered lacrimation, taste, salivation, and hearing. Despite the fact that the etiology is often unknown, or so-called idiopathic, there is proven benefit for a short course of steroids when started within 3 days of onset. There is also additional benefit of treatment with antiviral agents in individuals with Ramsay Hunt syndrome in addition to steroids.
Hadronic structure on the light-front I.\ Instanton effects and quark-antiquark effective potentials

This is the first of a sequence of papers that address the non-perturbative origin of the central, and spin-dependent forces between quarks. Its main thrust is a focus on meson spectroscopy in the center of mass frame. We suggest a "dense instanton ensemble" model for the QCD vacuum, to explain the interquark forces in mesons, from quarkonia to heavy-light and light-light ones, to the extent it is possible. The sequels will show how to export these interactions to the light front, and derive the corresponding Hamiltonians and mesonic wavefunctions.
Comparison of the transcriptional activity of the long terminal repeats of simian immunodeficiency viruses SIVmac251 and SIVmac239 in T-cell lines and macrophage cell lines.

Abstract The U3 regions of the long terminal repeats (LTRs) of simian immunodeficiency viruses SIVmac251 and SIVmac239 were analyzed for basal transcriptional activity and for interaction with cellular factors in the T-cell line HUT-78 and the monocyte/macrophage cell line U937. A number of 5' deletions and mutations were made in the U3 regions of the two LTRs, and these constructs were placed upstream of a plasmid containing the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene. The nucleotide sequences between -225 and +18 were sufficient to maintain full transcriptional activity of both LTRs in HUT-78 and U937 cells. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed several differences between SIVmac251 and SIVmac239 within this region. Analysis of deletion mutants revealed that an additional removal of bases, from -124 to -225, had little effect on the transcriptional activity of the clone 239 LTR, whereas this deletion resulted in a significant reduction of activity in the clone 251 LTR. DNase protection assays using nuclear extracts from HUT-78 and U937 cells showed that bases within this region bound cellular factors. In addition, the NF-kappa B site was protected in DNase assays with HUT-78 cells and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-treated U937 cells. An additional DNase footprint was detected in SIVmac239, at -52 to -38, just upstream of the TATA box. This site overlaps the 3' half of the 3'-most Sp-1 site and is downstream of 11 bases that are found in SIVmac239 but not SIVmac251. Thus, differences in the sequences in the U3 region of the LTRs of SIVmac251 and SIVmac239 have been identified which appear to alter the transcriptional activity of these promoters as well as changing the interaction of cellular proteins with sequences in the LTRs.
Propagation of Relativistic Electromagnetic Waves in a Plasma

Two new results concerning the propagation of electromagnetic waves with a strength parameter v = eE/mωc sufficiently large (v ≫ 1) to cause relativistic electron velocities are reported. The first is an analytic solution of the nonlinear equations for linearly polarized waves in a uniform medium. Secondly, propagation in a nonuniform medium increases the nonlinear penetration effect; the nonrelativistic plasma frequency ω p required to reflect a strong wave is \( \omega _{p}^{2} \approx {(\omega L/c)^{{1/2}}}(e{E_{i}}\omega /mc) \) where L is the density gradient scale length and Ei the electric field in the absence of a plasma.
Trust in Electronic Networks of Practice: An Integrative Model

Trust plays an important role in facilitating information and knowledge sharing (e.g. Levin and Cross 2004; Szulanski et al. 2004). It helps create a knowledge-sharing culture by encouraging knowledge seeking and motivating knowledge contribution (Kankanhalli et al. 2005). It increases the effectiveness of knowledge sharing: A trusting knowledge contributor gives out more information and information of higher quality (Tsai and Ghoshal 1998), and a trusting recipient perceives the received information more favorably and is more likely to act on it (Sussman and Siegal 2003). The importance and the effects of trust for knowledge sharing are well documented; however, much less research has explored the development of such trust.
Evidence for Scavenging Behavior in the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox)

The use of dead and decaying animals for food appears often as an adaptive strategy in birds and mammals but is apparently rare within the reptiles. Scanty evidence exists for the utilization of such a scavenging strategy by rattlesnakes but convincing data gathered under properly controlled circumstances in this regard have not been forthcoming. Western diamondback rattlesnakes (Crotalus atrox) were cage and arena tested for putrescent mouse preference and putrescent mouse location ability. Adults and neonates readily accepted mice that had been aged up to 48 h while black rat snakes (Elaphe obsoleta) failed to accept putrescent mice and would accept fresh-killed rodents only if the latter were moving. Adult rattlesnakes could locate putrescent mice buried in gravel but failed to find fresh-killed animals. The results were used to document strong evidence for a scavenging feeding strategy for this species and perhaps for the viperids as a whole.
Phosphorylation of elongation factor 1 (EF-1) and valyl-tRNA synthetase by protein kinase C and stimulation of EF-1 activity.

A high Mr complex isolated from rabbit reticulocytes contains valyl-tRNA synthetase and the four subunits of elongation factor 1 (EF-1). Previously, valyl-tRNA synthetase and the alpha, beta, and delta subunits of EF-1 were shown to be phosphorylated in reticulocytes in response to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Phosphorylation of the complex was accompanied by an increase in both valyl-tRNA synthetase and EF-1 activity (Venema, R. C., Peters, H. I., and Traugh, J. A. (1991) J. Biol. Chem., 266, 11993-11998). To investigate phosphorylation of the valyl-tRNA synthetase EF-1 complex in vitro by protein kinase C, the complex has been purified to apparent homogeneity from rabbit reticulocytes by gel filtration on Bio-Gel A-5m, affinity chromatography on tRNA-Sepharose, and fast protein liquid chromatography on Mono Q. Valyl-tRNA synthetase and the beta and delta subunits of EF-1 in the complex are highly phosphorylated by protein kinase C (0.5-0.9 mol of phosphate/mol of subunit), while EF-1 alpha is phosphorylated to a lesser extent (0.2 mol/mol). However, the isolated EF-1 alpha subunit is highly phosphorylated (2.0 mol/mol). Phosphopeptide mapping of EF-1 alpha shows that the same sites are modified by protein kinase C in vitro and in PMA-treated cells. Phosphorylation of the valyl-tRNA synthetase.EF-1 complex results in a 3-fold increase in activity of EF-1 as measured by poly(U)-directed polyphenylalanine synthesis; no effect of phosphorylation is detected with valyl-tRNA synthetase and isolated EF-1 alpha. Thus, phosphorylation and activation of EF-1 by protein kinase C, which has been shown to occur in vitro as well as in reticulocytes, may have a role in PMA stimulation of translational rates.
Interactive video: Innovative episodes for enhancing education

This article provides information about the actual and potential uses of interactive video in instruction in an effort to motivate educators to consider using this technology to improve teaching. The authors 1 describe the continuing evolution of computer-based educational tools; 2 examine instances when an interactive videodisc provides viable instructional solutions to otherwise very difficult or impossible tasks; 3 discuss several models for delivering instruction to accommodate different learning styles and teaching methods; and 4 provide a framework for designing lessons systematically based on proven methods.
Gigaxonin regulates vimentin structure by modulating the Ras pathway through the degradation of galectin-1 (796.11)

Giant axonal neuropathy (GAN) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by intermediate filament abnormalities. GAN is caused by a loss of gigaxonin (Giga), which functions as an E3 ligase adaptor in the ubiquitin proteasome system. A previous bioinformatics study showed that levels of galectin-1 (Gal-1), which stabilizes activated Ras, were significantly increased in GAN cells. We tested the hypothesis that Giga regulates intermediate filament structure via Gal-1 using GAN fibroblasts. We showed that Giga controls the degradation of Gal-1, as restoring Giga decreased Gal-1 protein levels and rescued the vimentin structure in GAN fibroblasts. In addition, directly decreasing the levels of Gal-1 using siRNA rescued the vimentin structure, which was quantified using the absence of vimentin in the GAN cell periphery, termed vimentin free zones (VFZs). VFZs were observed in 82.5% of control GAN cells, and after siRNA inhibition of Gal-1, only 20.5% of cells displayed the same phenotype. Furthe...
Mixed Blessings: Gender and Religious Fundamentalism Cross Culturally

Mixed Blessings: Gender and Religious Fundamentalism Cross Culturally. Judy Brink and Joan Mencher. eds. New York: Routledge, 1997. 275 pp.
Specific Binding of [3H] phencyclidine in rat central nervous tissue: further characterization and technical considerations

Abstract The interaction of phencyclidine (PCP) with its specific receptor sites in the central nervous system has been further characterized. Kinetic association and dissociation rate constants of 2.9 × 106 M−1 and 4.8 × 10−1 were determined, yielding a kinetic KD of 1.6 × 10−7 M, in agreement with the KD previously determined at equilibrium. Permissible separation time of 13 s was calculated from the kinetic data, well above the actual separation time of less than 10 s in the rapid filtration assay. Presoaking of filters in 0.01% poly- l -lysine eliminated displacable [3H]PCP adsorption to filter material. Binding data obtained via centrifigation assays was identical to that obtained with the rapid filtration method. Stereospecificity of the PCP receptor was demonstrated by the finding that (+)-ketamine is four-fold more potent than (−)-ketamine in displacing specifically bound [3H]PCP. Several proteolytic enzymes including trypsin, papain and thermolysin potently inactivated PCP receptors. Detailed regional distribution studies showed highest density of PCP receptors in subicular cortex and hippocampus, intermediate levels in hypothalamus, striatum, frontal cortex and cerebellum, lower levels in brainstem and spinal cord, and negligible levels in corpus callosum, a white- matter control area. Benzomorphan opiates with PCP-like behavioral effects interact with the PCP receptor. These data support the pharmacological relevance of the PCP receptor site as demonstrated by the rapid filtration method.
Determinants of private forest management decisions: A study on West Virginia NIPF landowners

Abstract The availability of timber in the United States depends largely on forest management and investment decisions of nonindustrial private forest landowners since they hold the largest share of forest land in the nation. Since NIPF landowners are so diverse, there is a need to better understand the determinants of their decisions so that policies could be in place to motivate them. A survey was carried out in 2005 to the nonindustrial private forest landowners of West Virginia to examine the factors affecting their forest management decisions. The study looked at four categories of decisions related to forest management: timber harvest, silvicultural activities (i.e., tree planting, herbicide application, fertilization, thinning, grapevine control, and timber stand improvement), property management activities (i.e., road construction, road maintenance, surveying/boundary maintenance, and access control), and wildlife habitat management and recreation improvement activities. Four models were developed to examine factors affecting each category of forest management activity. The results showed that landowner, ownership, and management characteristics of NIPF landowners are associated with their forest management decisions. Specifically, age, education, profession, income, ownership size, period of forestland acquisition, distance of the forestland to the place of residence, whether the forestland was purchased or acquired through inheritance or as a gift, primary objective of forestland ownership, and presence of a written forest management plan were found to be significant determinants for at least one of the categories of forest management activities. The models explained 25%, 27%, 31%, and 24% of the variation in timber harvesting, silvicultural activities, property management activities, and wildlife habitat management and recreation improvement activities, respectively. Understanding the underlying factors influencing forest management decisions of this diverse group of forest landowners could form the basis for developing, modifying and targeting policy instruments to motivate NIPF landowners in forest management.
Simplification of Articulated Meshes

We present a method for simplifying a polygonal character with an associated skeletal deformation such that the simplified character approximates the original shape well when deformed. As input, we require a set of example poses that are representative of the types of deformations the character undergoes and we produce a multi-resolution hierarchy for the simplified character where all simplified vertices also have associated skin weights. We create this hierarchy by minimizing an error metric for a simplified set of vertices and their skin weights, and we show that this quartic error metric can be effectively minimized using alternating quadratic minimization for the vertices and weights separately. To enable efficient GPU accelerated deformations of the simplified character, we also provide a method that guarantees the maximum number of bone weights per simplified vertex is less than a user specified threshold at all levels of the hierarchy.
On a standing wave Central Pattern Generator and the coherence problem

Abstract An electrophysiological phenomenon running up and down the spine, elicited by light pressure contact at very precise points and thereafter taking the external appearance of an undulatory motion of the spine, is analyzed from its standing wave, coherence, and synchronization-at-a-distance properties. This standing spinal wave can be elicited in both normal and quadriplegic subjects, which demonstrates that the neuronal circuitry is embedded in the spine. The latter, along with the inherent rhythmicity of the motion, its wave properties, and the absence of external sensory input once the phenomenon is elicited reveal a Central Pattern Generator (CPG). The major investigative tool is surface electromyographic (sEMG) wavelet signal analysis at various points along the paraspinal muscles. Statistical correlation among the various points is used to establish the standing wave phenomenon on a specific subband of the Daubechies wavelet decomposition of the sEMG signals. More precisely, ∼ 10 Hz coherent bursts reveal synchronization between sensory-motor loops at a distance larger, and a frequency slower, than those already reported. As a potential therapeutic application, it is shown that partial recovery from spinal cord injury can be assessed by the correlation between the sEMG signals on both sides of the injury.
Semi‐analytical techniques for the determination of the dynamic response of equipment in structures supported on coulomb friction elements

Techniques for the analysis of equipment in structures supported on a Coulomb friction type support that is subjected to harmonic and earthquake ground motion are presented. The behaviour is governed by two phases -a sliding phase and a non-sliding phase. Since the behaviour in each of the phases is linear, an analytical expression for equipment response can be obtained in terms of the roots of an appropriate characteristic polynomial. The times of phase transition are determined by an iterative scheme. The methodology is accurate, less computationally intensive, and avoids the difficulties that can be encountered with standard numerical integration techniques for highly non-linear systems
Transnational Adoption Challenges: Through the Eyes of Eastern European Youth

Between 1990 and the early 2000s, thousands of children were adopted into families in the United States from Eastern Europe. While most adoptions are successful, some children have difficulties. This qualitative study of 26 youth between the ages of 12 and 21 who were sent by their parents to an educational alternative setting or left their adoptive home prior to completing high school were interviewed regarding their experiences of adoption. The study found that the youth were appreciative of their adoptive parents, but saw the world through a different lens due to their lived experiences. Conclusions may assist prospective adoptive parents and professionals.
Apparent diffusion coefficient in glioblastoma with PNET-like components, a GBM variant

Glioblastoma (GBM) with primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET)-like (GBM-PNET) components is a rare variant of GBM. Recent studies describe PNET-like clinical behavior in these patients—with significantly increased propensity for CSF dissemination and a benefit of “PNET-like” chemotherapy. The imaging appearance of GBM-PNET is not well-described and given areas of marked cellularity in the PNET components one might expect significantly reduced diffusion on MRI. The purpose of this study is to quantitatively evaluate the diffusion characteristics in GBM-PNET and compare them with conventional GBMs. Nine patients with surgical specimens yielding GBM-PNET were identified from the UCSF Pathology files. MR images of these patients were reviewed retrospectively. DWI (diffusion-weighted imaging) sequences were analyzed with multiple regions of interests placed within the tumor, and ADC (apparent diffusion coefficient) values were measured. Results were compared to previously published ADC values in pathology-proven conventional GBM cases from our institution. Reduced ADC was seen in GBM-PNET (mean 581 × 10−6 mm2/s, range 338–817) compared to previously published mean of 1,030 × 10−6 mm2/s in the enhancing components of conventional GBMs. We report substantially reduced ADC values in GBM-PNETs compared to conventional GBMs. If demonstrated in a larger sample, when areas of marked reduced diffusion are seen in a suspected GBM, MRI may appropriately direct tissue sampling and can advocate a thorough search for PNET-like components on histopathology. These patients may have a higher chance of developing CSF dissemination and may benefit from “PNET-like” platinum-based chemotherapy.
Phase-Tolerant Latency Control for a Combination 512Mb 2.0Gb/s/pin GDDR3 and 2.5Gb/s/pin GDDR4 SDRAM

A 512Mb graphics DRAM device uses phase-tolerant read and write latency control to achieve 2Gb/s/pin GDDR3 and 2.5G/ps/pin GDDR4 operation. The IC is implemented in a 95nm 1.5V triple metal CMOS process.
Police Departments’ Use of Facebook: Patterns and Policy Issues

Police departments (PDs) are increasingly using social networking sites (SNS) as a method of public communication. Over 75% of the largest U.S. departments currently have a presence on at least one of the three major SNS (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace). However, little is known about how departments are actually using these sites. To explore this issue, we conducted a content analysis of messages posted by the 23 largest U.S. PDs using Facebook over a 3-month period. Our results indicate that the content pattern was, to some extent, dependent upon the frequency that departments posted messages. Departments posting more frequently typically used Facebook for crime-related messages, whereas those posting less often were more likely to convey public relations messages. We also identified several message characteristics associated with greater responsiveness on the part of individuals following departments on Facebook. Policy implications of these trends are discussed.
A new volumetric evaluation of partial splenic embolization for hypersplenism in biliary atresia

Abstract Background/Purpose: Partial splenic embolization (PSE) has become an important therapeutic modality in the management of hypersplenism in biliary atresia (BA). Fifty percent to 80% of spleen is usually devascularized by embolization. The functional outcome, however, has not been correlated with embolized volume of the spleen. The authors propose a new, reliable method of predicting functional outcome using nonembolized volume of the spleen (NEVS) as an index. Methods: Between January 1993 and July 2000, 11 children with BA (2 boys and 9 girls, aged 5 to 10 years) underwent 12 PSE procedures. The follow-up period ranged from 6 to 77 months. The NEVS was calculated by enhanced computed tomography (CT) images, and an index was calculated by dividing NEVS with the predicted splenic volume for body weight (standardized NEVS ratio) 2 weeks after PSE. Results: Splenic volumes before PSE ranged from 312 to 1,201 cm 3 (mean, 875.8 cm 3 ). NEVS ranged from 140 to 485 cm 3 (mean, 340 cm 3 ). Standardized NEVS ratio ranged from 2.21 to 7.22 (mean, 4.25). The platelet counts with standardized NEVS ratio below 5.0 (group I) and above 5.0 (group II) were 15.1 × 10 4 /mm 3 and 7.2 × 10 4 /mm 3 at 6-month follow-up, respectively. Conclusions: (1) Nonembolized volumetric evaluation is useful in predicting the functional outcome of PSE. (2) Reembolization is indicated for the patients with standardized NEVS above 5.0. J Pediatr Surg 36:1615-1616. Copyright © 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.