cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Evolution of Jordanian Inclusive Education Policy and Practice

Research on the internationalization of inclusive policies for students with special needs is still developing alongside the shifting implementation of practice. This analysis seeks to understand the process of adopting inclusive policies in Jordan and the subsequent implementation through a modified comparative case study framework. Current research demonstrates how global forces have led to the adoption of a national inclusive education policy that local programs redefine and negotiate in implementation. The paper uses emerging frameworks from Schuelka (2018b) and existing comparative case study methodology from Bartlett and Vavrus (2006; 2009; 2014; 2017) to structure an in-depth analysis of the macro, mesa and micro levels of inclusive policy adoption and implementation across time. Jordan is a developing nation and in a strategic geographic location, two factors which bring multiple international organizations into its borders. This has had a significant effect on the development of education policy. At the same time, local construction of disability and inclusion continue to marginalize students with disabilities, especially in rural communities. This paper will outline the current state of inclusive education at the international, national and local levels in Jordan based on a review of policy and academic literature.
A geographic computational visual feature database for natural and anthropogenic phenomena analysis from multi-resolution remote sensing imagery

Remote sensing imagery and sensor data comes in a variety of spatial and spectral characteristics, including very high resolution images from spaceborne and airborne sensors, as well as high, medium, and low resolution sensors from space. In image information mining, the resolution of the imagery affects the characteristics of the features, information, and knowledge that can be extracted or harvested from the imagery pixels. For instance, low resolution imagery has salient visual features on the scale of urban areas, rivers, coastlines, and other geographical land forms. These large-scale features are great for environmental monitoring and understanding large-scale geomorphic processes. However, high resolution imagery allows application tasks such as the extraction of building footprints or counting vehicles in a parking lot. For this reason, different resolutions of imagery and different image processing techniques are often necessary. To develop a truly flexible and robust modeling capability, it is necessary to mine image features and information across a variety of scales and using a variety of image processing and computer vision techniques, each appropriately attuned to the type of information and the spatial-spectral characteristics of the imagery. In this research, we develop a multi-resolution, multi-sensor framework for processing a variety of remote sensing imagery, including MODIS, Landsat, and high-resolution satellite imagery. Deep neural networks are used to extract image features from high-resolution images; while classical image feature extraction techniques are applied to medium and low resolution sensor data. The various features are agglomerated into a geospatial data cube using PostGIS, with the aim of facilitating advanced geospatial modeling of natural and anthropogenic processes. We demonstrate how this multi-resolution data cube of remote sensing visual features facilitates analysis of natural and anthropogenic phenomena, as well as discuss some potential future applications.
The Geographic Concentration of Knowledge: Scale, Agglomeration and Congestion in Innovation Across US States

The endogenous innovation research program is one of the most important theoretical agendas in modern growth theory. Progress, however, has been slowed due to an apparent empirical anomaly. In their simplest and most appealing forms the models suggest a scale effect that seems inconsistent with the data. We argue that existing empirical tests of the theory do not account for the importance of space. More importantly, they do not use a measure of innovation as a dependent variable. Our formulation directly tests the prediction of scale effects and the relative importance of agglomeration effects versus congestion effects in influencing the rate of innovation. If scale effects are viewed through the agglomeration effects, as suggested by our model, then there is strong evidence that rates of innovation are significantly higher when resource constraints are relaxed through a greater population level.
Eluder Dimension and Generalized Rank.

We study the relationship between the eluder dimension for a function class and a generalized notion of rank, defined for any monotone "activation" $\sigma : \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}$, which corresponds to the minimal dimension required to represent the class as a generalized linear model. When $\sigma$ has derivatives bounded away from $0$, it is known that $\sigma$-rank gives rise to an upper bound on eluder dimension for any function class; we show however that eluder dimension can be exponentially smaller than $\sigma$-rank. We also show that the condition on the derivative is necessary; namely, when $\sigma$ is the $\mathrm{relu}$ activation, we show that eluder dimension can be exponentially larger than $\sigma$-rank.
86 A survey: Horse show judges’ perceptions on equine adiposity

Considering welfare-compromising impact of obesity, knowledge on levels of adiposity and their consequences on equine welfare is important. This study aimed to survey judges’ views on the level of adiposity in horses and ponies in conformation, model, or halter competition, and their ability to distinguish different levels of adiposity from pictures. The survey was created using Qualtrics and was deemed exempt by the University's Institutional Review Board. The survey was sent by email to more than 1000 hunter judges using the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA), American Quarter Horse Association, and Equine Canada's database. The survey included 31 questions about judges’ background experience, judging consequences of thin or obese animals, including 13 photographs of horses and ponies to be categorized as thin, average, overweight or obese. There were 211 completed surveys with the majority (77%) being USHJA judges and with 50% of all respondents indicating they had more than 20 years of judging experience. The majority considered themselves either very experienced or moderately experienced at judging both horses (73%) and ponies (67%) in such competitions. The vast majority (95%) stated that either too much or too little fat coverage would compromise the score of a horse or pony in a show competition. Based on a 2-proportion z-test using R software, at 5% significance level, the proportion of judges agreeing to penalize a horse or pony if they were too thin (p1 = 93.83%, n1 = 211) is significantly greater than the proportion of those who would give similar penalty due to a horse or pony being too fat (p2 = 87.98%, n2 = 208) (P = 0.028), CI95% = [0.008, 1]) though the majority agreed to penalize either. When asked if they accepted more fat coverage on a pony than a horse, 19.5% of respondents agreed, and 38% answered “maybe.” Of the 13 photographs presented in the survey, 5 animals were deemed obese, 3 overweight, 3 thin and 2 average by 2 experts. For 3 of the obese horses, the majority of the judges deemed them at least overweight, with a smaller portion correctly identifying them as obese. The majority (89%, 87%, and 77%) also chose “average” for 3 overweight horses. In contrast, 91% of respondents deemed a horse “thin” for one with only a faint outline of ribs visible that was considered average by the experts. These data suggest that judges may be more lenient on overweight horses than lean horses, and are less likely to identify some overweight and obese animals. Finally, 64% of judges indicated they would like educational material and concrete guidelines in the rules regarding appropriate levels of fat coverage.
Longitudinal Risk Management for Patients with Increased Risk for Breast Cancer.

Abstract Introduction This study aims to characterize longitudinal care management and evaluate the relationship between various patient factors and the likelihood of choosing risk-reducing behaviors in women with increased risk of developing breast cancer. Methods A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate all adult female patients who had at least one clinic visit with a surgical provider for discussion of breast cancer risk assessment between January, 2017 to July, 2020 at an academic center. Patients with prior history of breast cancer were excluded. Patient details and strategies pursued at clinic visits were recorded. A time-to-event analysis was performed, and hazard ratios were determined to characterize associations between patient characteristics and time to pursuing risk-reducing care management. Results There were 283 participants with at least one follow-up visit and 48 (17.0%) ultimately changed their initial strategy to either chemoprevention or prophylactic mastectomy. Patients with gene mutations were 6 times more likely to engage in risk-reducing management compared to those without (hazard ratio (HR) 5.99, P Conclusion Known gene mutations, history of high-risk proliferative changes, and prior hysterectomy were factors associated with women who were more likely to engage in risk-reducing strategies. These findings, when paired with patient reported outcome measures, may help guide shared decision-making.
LASSO with non-linear measurements is equivalent to one with linear measurements

Consider estimating an unknown, but structured (e.g. sparse, low-rank, etc.), signal x0 ∈ ℝn from a vector y ∈ ℝm of measurements of the form yi = gi(aiT x0), where the ai's are the rows of a known measurement matrix A, and, g(·) is a (potentially unknown) nonlinear and random link-function. Such measurement functions could arise in applications where the measurement device has nonlinearities and uncertainties. It could also arise by design, e.g., gi (x) = sign(x + zi), corresponds to noisy 1-bit quantized measurements. Motivated by the classical work of Brillinger, and more recent work of Plan and Vershynin, we estimate x0 via solving the Generalized-LASSO, i.e., x^ := arg minx ‖y - Ax0‖2 + λf(x) for some regularization parameter λ > 0 and some (typically non-smooth) convex regularizer f(·) that promotes the structure of x0, e.g. l1-norm, nuclear-norm, etc. While this approach seems to naively ignore the nonlinear function g(·), both Brillinger (in the non-constrained case) and Plan and Vershynin have shown that, when the entries of A are iid standard normal, this is a good estimator of x0 up to a constant of proportionality μ, which only depends on g(·). In this work, we considerably strengthen these results by obtaining explicit expressions for‖x^—μx0‖2, for the regularized Generalized-LASSO, that are asymptotically precise when m and n grow large. A main result is that the estimation performance of the Generalized LASSO with non-linear measurements is asymptotically the same as one whose measurements are linear yi = μaiTx0 + σzi, with μ = Eγg(γ) and σ2 = E(g(γ) - μγ)2, and, γ standard normal. To the best of our knowledge, the derived expressions on the estimation performance are the first-known precise results in this context. One interesting consequence of our result is that the optimal quantizer of the measurements that minimizes the estimation error of the Generalized LASSO is the celebrated Lloyd-Max quantizer.
Induction of Endogenous Murine Retrovirus by Chemical Carcinogens

A variety of assay systems exist to test chemical compounds for carcinogenic potential. Many of these assays use mutation as the observational endpoint. However, the patterns of many cancers, leukemias in particular, suggest that the disease may involve stem cell perturbations which reflect altered gene expression in the absence of point mutation. Few, if any, of the assay systems currently in use assay for alterations in the regulation of gene expression. One possibility for such an assay, however, is to measure the ability of chemical compounds to induce the expression of endogenous murine retrovirus in suitable target cells containing the integrated viral genome in an unexpressed but inducible form.
The Economy as a System of Power and Its Legal Bases: The Legal Economics of Robert Lee Hale

Law is an instrument for the attainment of economic objectives and the economy is an object of legal control. The substance of that proposition is widely acknowledged and even more widely, if tacitly, followed. Although economists are increasingly concerned with the legal framework of economic activity and lawyers have long been concerned with the structure of economic organization and relations, no general model of the interrelations between legal and economic (i.e., market) processes has been developed which has found wide acceptance and application. Actually, such a model would have to be developed in terms of an even more general model of the fundamental social relations and forces in terms of which and within which both legal and economic forces and their interaction take place and accordingly may be understood. The complexities of such an analysis, encompassing many if not all the problems of theories of social control and social change, and the difficulties of specifying the social forces in both relatively neutral, yet meaningful, and general yet precise terms, among other factors, have precluded the generation of a widely acceptable and useful model.
Weighted Approximation Techniques and Their Applications in Controller Reduction

This paper summarizes some model/controller reduction results obtained recently by the author. The results presented in this paper include (a) a new relative error model reduction algorithm together with some explicit error bounds; (b) a complete solution to the frequency weighted Hankel norm approximation with anti-stable weighting; and (c) the controller order reduction with stability and performance constraints.
An outburst of relativistic particles from the soft γ-ray repeater SGR1900+14

Soft γ-ray repeaters (SGRs) are transient sources of high-energy photons, whose brief emissions are thought to arise from young and highly magnetized neutron stars. The exact cause of these outbursts, and the nature of the energy-loss mechanism that powers them, remain unknown. Here we report the discovery of a fading radio source within the X-ray error box of SGR1900+14. We argue that the radio source is a short-lived cloud of ionized gas, powered by relativistic particles ejected at the time of the intense burst of high-energy photons in late August 1998 (this period of activity also included an extremely energetic burst of γ-rays on 27 August). As the radio photons are not beamed, our observations allow us to constrain the energy released in the form of particles ejected during the burst. Moreover, the astrometrical precision of radio observations enable us to determine the exact position of the source to very high accuracy.
Facility Siting and Permitting

The manner in which governments approve facility siting and permitting for renewable energy projects is a key consideration in both project design and the cost-benefit analysis of project feasibility. A variety of federal, state and local laws may be implicated depending upon the magnitude of the project and the geographic location of the project site. In addition to the application of a suite of environmental review related statutes for proposed clean energy projects, public participation issues as well as land acquisition issues may be present. At times, federal and state preemption may factor into the siting and permitting analysis, and local zoning and building code laws and regulations may also affect projects. This chapter is designed to provide an overview of whether and how these laws apply to siting and permitting applications.
In vitro model of Treponema pallidum invasiveness.

The purpose of this investigation was to develop an in vitro model with which invasion of tissues by pathogenic Treponema pallidum could be studied. Double-sided culture chambers were created by mounting abdominal walls excised from mice between two halves of small dialysis cells. The integrity of tissue barriers was confirmed by dye exclusion. T. pallidum subsp. pallidum, including intrinsically radiolabeled organisms, was introduced into one side of each chamber, and fractions from the other side were evaluated over time by dark-field microscopy and scintillation counting. Tissues were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and immunologic staining. Motile T. pallidum, but not nonpathogenic, host-indigenous Treponema phagedenis biotype Reiter, was able to pass from one side of the chamber to the other side within 10 h. Up to 12% of the inoculum crossed the chamber within 24 h. Spirochetes were found within tissue in the greatest numbers between 6 and 8 h postinoculation. The murine abdominal wall has epithelium only on the peritoneum side, and results showed that T. pallidum required an epithelial surface on the entry side of the double-chambered cell in order to traverse the tissue barrier. This new in vitro technique may be of value in studying spirochete virulence and host resistance. Images
Effects of synergists on bendiocarb and pyrethrins resistance in the German cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae).

Several field-collected strains of German cockroaches, Blattella germanica (L.), were tested for resistance to bendiocarb or pyrethrins or both in the presence or absence of synergists. Large nymphs were exposed to toxicants on glass surfaces. All strains tested had high-level resistance to bendiocarb: a few were highly resistant to pyrethrins. The synergists piperonyl butoxide and MGK 264, 2-(2-ethylhexyl)-3a,4,7,7a-tetrahydro-4,7-methano-1H-isoindole-1,3(2H)-dione, both successfully negated resistance to bendiocarb and pyrethrins. Combinations of these insecticides with either synergist also effectively eliminated resistance. A commercial product (Ficam Plus) containing bendiocarb, pyrethrins, and piperonyl butoxide rendered eight bendiocarb-resistant strains susceptible. These results indicate that the resistance mechanism to both bendiocarb and pyrethrins probably may be attributed to an enhanced microsomal mixed-function oxidase system which is effectively inhibited by either synergist.
Prediction of response to cardiac resynchronization therapy using left ventricular pacing lead position and cardiovascular magnetic resonance derived wall motion patterns: a prospective cohort study.

Despite marked benefits in many heart failure patients, a considerable proportion of patients treated with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) fail to respond appropriately. Recently, a “U-shaped” (type II) wall motion pattern identified by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has been associated with improved CRT response compared to a homogenous (type I) wall motion pattern. There is also evidence that a left ventricular (LV) lead localized to the latest contracting LV site predicts superior response, compared to an LV lead localized remotely from the latest contracting LV site. We prospectively evaluated patients undergoing CRT with pre-procedural CMR to determine the presence of type I and type II wall motion patterns and pre-procedural echocardiography to determine end systolic volume (ESV). We assessed the final LV lead position on post-procedural fluoroscopic images to determine whether the lead was positioned concordant to or remote from the latest contracting LV site. CRT response was defined as a ≥ 15 % reduction in ESV on a 6 month follow-up echocardiogram. The study included 33 patients meeting conventional indications for CRT with a mean New York Heart Association class of 2.8 ± 0.4 and mean LV ejection fraction of 28 ± 9 %. Overall, 55 % of patients were echocardiographic responders by ESV criteria. Patients with both a type II pattern and an LV lead concordant to the latest contracting site (T2CL) had a response rate of 92 %, compared to a response rate of 33 % for those without T2CL (p = 0.003). T2CL was the only independent predictor of response on multivariate analysis (odds ratio 18, 95 % confidence interval 1.6-206; p = 0.018). T2CL resulted in significant incremental improvement in prediction of echocardiographic response (increase in the area under the receiver operator curve from 0.69 to 0.84; p = 0.038). The presence of a type II wall motion pattern on CMR and a concordant LV lead predicts superior CRT response. Improving patient selection by evaluating wall motion pattern and targeting LV lead placement may ultimately improve the response rate to CRT.
Imaging CO2 High Energy Laser ,Usec Pulses With A Pyroelectric Vidicon Camera

This paper discusses the capabilities and limitations of a pyroelectric vidicon camera used to profile 10 ,usec CO2 laser pulses. Points examined include dynamic range, signal-to-noise ratio capabilities, spatial resolution capabilities, uniformity of sensitivity, maximum faceplate irradiance, and required electro-magnetic (EM) and radio frequency (RF) shielding. The relationship between camera performance and pulse length is also discussed. Samples of data acquired and requirements of an adequate data processing system are presented.
An Enzymological Approach to Mitochondrial Energy Transduction

An approach to the problem of mitochondrial energy transduction is outlined. The approach is based on the fundamental assumption that there is an intimate relation between the mechanisms of enzyme catalysis and energy transduction. The implications of this assumption for the coupling of two chemical reactions and the coupling of a chemical reaction to an ion flux are discussed.
Thyroid Hormone Increases Eaat1 Expression in Rat Heart.

Background: Hyperthyroid induced cardiac hypertrophy is related to increased cardiac workload. These changes are associated with an upregulation of metabolic pathways associated with energy production. The malate/aspartate shuttle, necessary to transfer the reducing equivalents produced by glycolysis into the mitochondria, is increased 33% in hyperthyroid rats. Of the shuttles two inner membrane protein carriers, the aspartate-glutamate carrier is rate-limiting. The Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter, Type 1 (EAAT1) has recently been shown to function as a glutamate carrier in the malate/aspartate shuttle. We hypothesize that EAAT1 is upregulated by thyroid hormone. Methods: Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were infused with, tri-iodothyroxine (T3), propylthiouracil (PTU), or saline over a period of 8 days. Serum free T3 levels were measured. Rats were euthanized, hearts weighed, and tissue frozen. Northern Blot analysis was performed on total RNA using a unique 350 bp 32-P labeled EAAT1 ribonucleotide probe and normalized to 18S rRNA. A spectrophotometric assay of the malate/aspartate with glutamate and lactate as substrates was performed on isolated mitochondria. Results are displayed as oxidation rate/min/mg mitochondrial protein. Protein lysates from mitochondria were used for immunoblot analysis with human anti-EAAT1 IgG. Results: EAAT1 steady-state mRNA levels were increased in the T3-treated rats compared to controls (0.031+/−0.005 vs. 0.011+/−0.002; P<0.05), and decreased in PTU-treated rats vs. controls (0.0011+/−0.0002 vs. 0.0015+/−0.0001; P<0.05). EAAT1 mitochondrial protein levels were increased in T3-treated rats vs. controls (8.9+/−0.4 vs. 5.9+/−0.6; P<0.005). EAAT1 protein levels were below detection in PTU-treated rats. Malate/aspartate shuttle activity was unchanged by PTU infusion. Conclusions: Hyperthyroidism in rats is related to an increase in expression of both EAAT1 mRNA and protein in cardiomyocytes. This 49% increase in the rate-limiting aspartate-glutamate carrier of the malate/aspartate shuttle correlates with the observed increase in shuttle activity. The upregulation of EAAT1 by thyroid hormone may facilitate the cardiomyocyte response to hyperthyroidism and the associated increased metabolic demand placed upon the cell.
Influence of gonadal hormones on social, sexual, emergence, and open field behaviour in the rat (Rattus norvegicus).

Abstract The influence of the postnatal and adult hormonal environment on lordosis, open field and emergence behaviour, and on social behaviour as measured by analysis of the response of a test rat when exposed to a control male or female in a test arena (pair encounters) was measured. Oil-injected and androgenized females, neonatally castrated males, males castrated on day 20, and sham castrates were studied as young adults, and again after gonadectomy of all groups. Neonatal androgen treatment ‘masculinizes’ sexual and some non-sexual behaviour of the female rat. Although only neonatal castration of the male results in the retention of the capacity to show normal female levels of lordosis behaviour, non-sexual behaviour of the male for the most part is not altered specifically by neonatal castration.
Orexins: a Newly Discovered Family of Hypothalamic Regulators of Food Intake

A family of neuropeptides from the hypothalamus, named orexins, was recently discovered and characterized. Orexins stimulate appetite and food consumption. Their genes are expressed bilaterally and symmetrically in the lateral hypothalamus, which was earlier determined to be the “feeding center” of the hypothalamus. In contrast, the socalled satiety center is expressed in the ventromedial hypothalamus and is dominated by the leptin-regulated neuropeptide network.
Recent advances in industrial control

The paper presents the state-of-the-art study on the recently published literatures subjected to industrial control in various industrial applications. Controllers are classified into several types according to different control technologies, including PID algorithm, Kalman filter, least squares regression, network-based automation, fuzzy inference systems, neural networks, radial basis function networks, sliding-mode based control and so on. For each paper, a brief summary is given to introduce the related control technologies and applications.
ANALYSIS OF THE SYMMETRY ENERGY IN A MICROSCOPIC APPROACH

A major goal of contemporary nuclear physics is to improve our knowledge of the nuclear matter equation of state (EoS). In particular, the EoS of isospin-asymmetric matter (that is, with unequal concentrations of protons and neutrons), is not well understood, mostly due to our limited knowledge of the symmetry energy. The latter reduces the binding energy in a nucleus with unequal number of protons and neutrons, and is crucial for understanding nuclear stability. We will review experimental, phenomenological and theoretical facts about the symmetry energy, with particular emphasis on analyzing how the various components of the nuclear force, in a microscopic model, contribute to this important quantity.
Examining the Efficacy of School-Based Consultation: Recommendations for Improving Outcomes

SUMMARY Schools are faced with the difficult task of educating students who present diverse learning and behavioral challenges. To meet student needs, schools tap the expertise of a variety of specialists who provide services through “pull-out” programs or consultation to general educators. Unfortunately, neither strategy has proved effective to date with respect to children and youth who present significant social behavior problems. A brief review of the literature points to the shortcomings as linked to multiple treatments with varying outcomes and inconsistent implementation of best practices. One option to address the challenges schools face in light of ineffective practices to date is the development of school-wide systems of positive behavior support (PBS). Effective implementation of school-wide systems of PBS will require moving the consultation process from individual cases to working with teams of educators. Key skills and possible measurement strategies to develop and sustain school-wide consul...
Atomic Masses from Ruthenium to Xenon

I wish to complete the report of progress in mass doublet measurements at the University of Minnesota. During the three years since the Hamilton Conference, we have rebuilt our spectrometer, and measured a number of doublets in the intermediate mass region. This paper will be divided into two parts, first a description of our new resistor circuitry and second, a report on results of some measurements in the region of ruthenium to xenon.
Aiding and opposing mixed-convection heat transfer in a vertical tube: loss of boundary condition at different Grashof numbers

Mixed-convection heat transfer in a vertical tube with aiding and opposing flows (upflow and downflow heating) was studied experimentally for Reynolds numbers ranging from about 1000 to 30,000 at constant Grashof number under constant wall temperature (CWT) conditions. The Grashof number was varied independently by adjusting steam pressure in the jacket of a vertical, double-pipe heat exchanger. The data corroborate earlier studies that found the way in which Nu is reduced is not identical for aiding and opposing flows. Loss of boundary condition significantly affects normal trends in the data at low Reynolds numbers and is caused by a temperature profile in the wall interacting with low driving force temperature difference.
Prospective evaluation of droperidol on sphincter of Oddi motility.

Abstract Background Droperidol increasingly is used as an effective adjunct for conscious sedation during endoscopic procedures. Given the concern for the effects of narcotics and benzodiazepines on sphincter of Oddi motility, and the potential difficulty in sedating patients undergoing sphincter of Oddi manometry, droperidol could be an ideal agent in this setting. Methods Over a 43-month period, consecutive patients undergoing sphincter of Oddi manometry were studied prospectively. Sphincter of Oddi manometry was performed under general anesthesia in all but 10 patients. Standard retrograde pull-through techniques were used to examine the biliary and/or pancreatic sphincter, depending on the indication for sphincter of Oddi manometry. After the initial two pull-throughs, 5 mg of droperidol were given intravenously and measurements were repeated 5 minutes later. Results A total of 55 patients were studied (42 women [76%], 13 men; mean age 43 years). The basal biliary sphincter pressures measured in 35 patients before and after droperidol were, respectively, 56 mm Hg and 48 mm Hg ( p = 0.02); the basal pancreatic sphincter pressures measured in 22 patients before and after droperidol were, respectively, 92 mm Hg and 67 mm Hg ( p = 0.29). By using a definition for sphincter of Oddi dysfunction of a basal pressure greater than 40 mm Hg, droperidol would have resulted in a change in diagnosis in 5 patients undergoing biliary manometry (one misclassified as sphincter of Oddi dysfunction, 4 misclassified as normal), and 6 patients undergoing pancreatic sphincter manometry (5 misclassified as sphincter of Oddi dysfunction, one misclassified as normal) (total 19% of procedures). No complication was associated with droperidol use. Conclusions Droperidol alters basal sphincter pressures, which in some patients was clinically significant and would have resulted in misclassification. Although safe and well tolerated, droperidol appears to have subtle but clinically significant effects on the sphincter of Oddi.
The kinds of association which prospective teachers need with youth

Educators have long been cognizant of the fact that actual experience promotes genuine learning. Peavey' noted that a fundamental point of view appearing in educational thought from Quintilian down to Dewey is that real learning cannot be effected remote from real living. The earliest one-year normal schools in this country recognized the importance of experience and required prospective teachers to devote a large part of that year to working with children in the model school.2 Porter's8 experiment in providing many types of meaningful direct experiences to prospective teachers gave evidence that these experiences contributed to growth in professional insight and judgment. Butler' analyzed criticisms and suggestions concerning teacher education and concluded that such education should include a rich background of field experience and a period of well-supervised, genuine experience in student teaching. A more recent, intensive study5 of the undergraduate programs in teacher education at five selected institutions in the Midwest indicated a definite trend towards providing increased, and also intensified, guided experiences with children and youth. What prospective teachers should have, then, are diversified pro-
The values of psychoanalytic psychotherapists at two points in time (1979 vs. 1993): A cross-over comparative study

Our purpose in this study is to view theories of psychotherapy from a general social-political context, especially insofar as they pertain to values. Beginning with Weisskopf-Joelson’s (1980) thesis that theories of psychotherapy may be “perceptual houses” with their own unique value structures, we studied the values of psychoanalytic psychotherapists within the framework of Rokeach’s ( 1968) system. Through the Rokeach Value Survey, we examined the values held by a group of psychoanalytic trainees in 1979 and those held by a group of practicing psychoanalysts in 1993. Because neither group of subjects can be regarded as randomly representative of the universe of psychoanalysts, we regard the resultant data as evocative and informative rather than definitive. Nonetheless, we examined the extent to which value profiles for the psychoanalytic trainees of 1979 were similar or dissimilar to those of practicing psychoanalysts in 1993. Such comparisons at the least provide some general indication as to whether values have shifted in the universe within this time period. Findings are presented about specific patterns of values, and implications are discussed. There appears to be more consistency than difference in values among the psychoanalytically-oriented psychotherapists we studied, lending support to this discipline’s designation of a “perceptual house” insofar as its values are concerned.
Assessment of epithelial sodium channel variants in nonwhite cystic fibrosis patients with non-diagnostic CFTR genotypes

Abstract Purpose Several lines of evidence suggest a role for the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) in cystic fibrosis (CF). The purpose of our study was to assess the contribution of genetic variants in the ENaC subunits (α, β, γ) in nonwhite CF patients in whom CFTR molecular testing has been non-diagnostic. Methods Samples were obtained from patients who were nonwhite and whose molecular CFTR testing did not identify two mutations. Sequencing of the SCNN1A , B , and G genes was performed and variants assessed for pathogenicity and association with CF using databases, protein and splice site mutation analysis software, and literature review. Results We identified four nonsynonymous amino acid variants in SCNN1A , three in SCNN1B and one in SCNN1G . There was no convincing evidence of pathogenicity. Whereas all have been reported in the dbSNP database, only p.Ala334Thr, p.Val573Ile, and p.Thr663Ala in SCNN1A , p.Gly442Val in SCNN1B and p.Gly183Ser in SCNN1G were previously reported in ENaC genetic studies of CF or CF-like patients. Synonymous substitutions were also observed but novel synonymous variants were not detected. Conclusion There is no conclusive association of ENaC genetic variants with CF in nonwhite CF patients.
Topical Cyclosporine in High-risk Corneal Transplants

Cyclosporine (cyclosporin A, CsA) is a selective T-cell immunosuppressant that works primarily through inhibition of both antigen presentation and lymphokine production. It has dramatically improved the prognosis for solid organ transplantation. Significant nephrotoxicity has been associated with its systemic use. Topical CsA 2% was used in 11 high-risk corneal transplant patients (8 men; 3 women; average age, 44 years). Ten (91%) of 11 corneas remained clear at an average follow-up of 16 months (range, 6-24 months). All patients had transient epithelial keratitis. Systemic whole blood levels of CsA measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) ranged from 14 to 64 ng/ml. All previous reports on the use of topical CsA in high-risk corneal transplant patients have not detected systemic CsA levels.
Review of brain functioning in depression for semantic processing and verbal fluency

Neurobiological models of depression point to brain regions that are proposed to be involved with both emotion regulation and language processing. This qualitative review focused on neurophysiological evidence for semantic processing and verbal fluency deficits associated with left frontal lobe and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex functioning in depression, respectively. Findings suggest that there are no behavioral or neurophysiological evidence of performance differences between depressed and healthy individuals for semantic processing of neutral information, arguing against generalized left frontal lobe deficits. However, the preponderance of evidence points to enhanced processing of negative information in both left and right frontal lobes and behavior. Studies of verbal fluency were limited to non-emotional information. The majority of studies evaluated phonemic verbal fluency in depression (e.g., producing words that begin with a particular letter) and results generally showed bilateral hypoactivation of the frontal lobe with no concomitant deficits in behavioral performance. Overall, semantic processing and verbal fluency studies did not provide substantive evidence of specific left frontal lobe deficits. Evidence that emotional information may differentially impact brain functioning relative to neutral information in depression suggests that examination of verbal fluency for emotional information may contribute to the elucidation of executive functioning processes associated with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in depression.
Doing Good Leads to More Good: The Reinforcing Power of a Moral Self-Concept

What is the role of self-concept in motivating moral behavior? On one account, when people are primed to perceive themselves as “do-gooders”, conscious access to this positive self-concept will reinforce good behavior. On an alternative account, when people are reminded that they have done their “good deed for the day”, they will feel licensed to behave worse. In the current study, when participants were asked to recall their own good deeds (positive self-concept), their subsequent charitable donations were nearly twice that of participants who recalled bad deeds, or recent conversation topics, consistent with an account of moral reinforcement. In addition, among participants reporting good deeds, those who did not note whether they were recognized or unrecognized by other people donated significantly more than participants who took note of others’ responses. In sum, when people are primed to see themselves as good people, who do good for goodness’ sake, not to obtain public credit, they may be motivated to do more good.
Acute bilateral simultaneous PION after ectopic pregnancy-related haemorrhage.

Acute bilateral simultaneous posterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (PION) is a rare visual complication of ectopic pregnancy-related haemorrhage. Only one other patient with acute visual loss related to haemorrhage from an ectopic pregnancy has been described.1
Accuracy Estimation and Parameter Advising for Protein Multiple Sequence Alignment

Abstract We develop a novel and general approach to estimating the accuracy of multiple sequence alignments without knowledge of a reference alignment, and use our approach to address a new task that we call parameter advising: the problem of choosing values for alignment scoring function parameters from a given set of choices to maximize the accuracy of a computed alignment. For protein alignments, we consider twelve independent features that contribute to a quality alignment. An accuracy estimator is learned that is a polynomial function of these features; its coefficients are determined by minimizing its error with respect to true accuracy using mathematical optimization. Compared to prior approaches for estimating accuracy, our new approach (a) introduces novel feature functions that measure nonlocal properties of an alignment yet are fast to evaluate, (b) considers more general classes of estimators beyond linear combinations of features, and (c) develops new regression formulations for learning an estimator from examples; in addition, for parameter advising, we (d) determine the optimal parameter set of a given cardinality, which specifies the best parameter values from which to choose. Our estimator, which we call Facet (for "feature-based accuracy estimator"), yields a parameter advisor that on the hardest benchmarks provides more than a 27% improvement in accuracy over the best default parameter choice, and for parameter advising significantly outperforms the best prior approaches to assessing alignment quality.
Common and cell type-specific responses of human cells to mitochondrial dysfunction

In yeast, mitochondrial dysfunction activates a specific pathway, termed retrograde regulation, which alters the expression of specific nuclear genes and results in increased replicative life span. In mammalian cells, the specific nuclear genes induced in response to loss of mitochondrial function are less well defined. This study characterizes responses in nuclear gene expression to loss of mitochondrial DNA sequences in three different human cell types: T143B, an osteosarcoma-derived cell line; ARPE19, a retinal pigment epithelium cell line; and GMO6225, a fibroblast cell population from an individual with Kearns-Sayre syndrome (KSS). Quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) was used to measure gene expression of a selection of glycolysis, TCA cycle, mitochondrial, peroxisomal, extracellular matrix, stress response, and regulatory genes. Gene expression changes that were common to all three cell types included up-regulation of GCK (glucokinase), CS (citrate synthase), HOX1 (heme oxygenase 1), CKMT2 (mitochondrial creatine kinase 2), MYC (v-myc myelocytomatosis viral oncogene homolog), and WRN (Werner syndrome helicase), and down-regulation of FBP1 (fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase 1) and COL4A1 (collagen, type IV, alpha 1). RNA interference experiments show that induction of MYC is important in ρ0 cells for the up-regulation of glycolysis. In addition, a variety of cell type-specific gene changes was detected and most likely depended upon the differentiated functions of the individual cell types. These expression changes may help explain the response of different tissues to the loss of mitochondrial function due to aging or disease.
Immune and virus-induced interferons may activate cells by different derepressional mechanisms.

Virus-induced interferon (VIF), and immune interferon (IIF) produced by lymphocytes following activation by various mitogens (phytohaemagglutinin, concanavalin A, staphylococcal enterotoxin A) or by specific antigenic stimulation (tuberculin, bacterial toxoids, and viral antigens) show important functional differences. These include different antitumour1 and immunoregulatory activities2 and differential inhibition of activity by mercaptoethanol3. Another important difference has recently been shown: cells treated with IIF acquire the antiviral state much more slowly than those treated with VIF4. This may be due to (1) difference in cellular receptors, (2) presence of an inhibitor of antiviral activity in the IIF preparations, or (3) a different mechanism of activation of the antiviral state by the two types of interferon. The first two hypotheses seem unlikely, since (1) no difference between cell association by the two types of interferon has been detected4, and (2) the presence of the slow acting IIF preparation did not inhibit the rapid activation by VIF4. The present study shows that the different kinetics of induction of the antiviral state result from a major difference in the mechanism by which IIF and VIF activate cells.
I-CELL DISEASE AND PSEUDO-HURLER POLYDYSTROPHY; RADIOMETRIC ASSAYS OF N-ACETYLGLUCOSAMINYLPHOSPHOTRANSFERASE AND -N-ACETYLGLUCOSAMINYL PHOSPHODIESTERASE WITH COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE SUBSTRATES

UDP-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) is the donor of N-acetylglucosaminyl-1-phosphate (GlcNAcP) in the reaction catalyzed by GlcNAcP transferase, the enzyme deficient in patients with I-cell disease (ICD) and pseudo-Hurler polydystrophy (PHPD). The use of commercially available UDP-[3H or 14C]GlcNAc rather than the synthetically made [β-32P]UDP-GlcNAc was inadequate because of high background. We have overcome this in the assay of GlcNAcP trasferase with α-methylmannoside acceptor by removal of free [3H or 14C]GlcNAc which appeared to be the major breakdown product. In addition, the α-methylmannose-6-phospho-1-[3H or 14C]GlcNAc product of the transfer reaction was then isolated and following desalting could be used as a substrate for the assay of αGlcNAc phosphodiesterase. Using these relatively simple methods, deficiency of GlcNAcP transferase activity could be demonstrated in fibroblasts from patients with the classical forms of ICD (n=4; less than 4% of control activity) and PHPD (n=4; 3-33% of control activity). αGlcNAc phosphodiesterase activity was within the normal range. In contrast, in three related adult patients with what appears to be a very mild form of PHPD, both activities were normal and utilization of natural lysosomal enzyme acceptor (β-glucuronidase) was required to reveal deficiency of GlcNAcP transferase activity.
Principal representations and canonical moment sequences for distributions on an interval

Abstract An initial expository introduction to moment space geometry and canonical moment sequences for distributions on the unit interval leads to the exposure of previously unknown but striking symmetries in Stieltjes transforms for these distributions when the transforms are viewed as moment functions. The n th and the ( n − 1)st canonical moments corresponding to a moment point interior to the space of the first n moments are shown to depend in a very simple way on the canonical intervals determined by the two principal representations of the moment point. For example, the n th canonical moment is just the sum of the lengths of the upper canonical intervals.
Properties of optimally robust controllers

Abstract The robustness properties of controllers, which are optimally robust with respect to normalized coprime factor uncertainty, are analysed. It is shown that such optimally robust controllers admit perturbations which are, in size, larger than the robustness measure. It is shown how such perturbations can be constructed by solving Hankel norm approximation problems.
Delay-dependent H∞ filtering for time-delayed LPV systems

Abstract The present paper addresses the parameter-dependent H ∞ filter design problem for output estimation in linear parameter varying (LPV) plants that include constant delays in the state. We develop LMI-based delay-dependent conditions to guarantee stability and an induced L 2 gain bound performance for the filtering error system. An explicit characterization of the filters’ state–space representation is given in terms of the solutions to a convex optimization problem associated with the synthesis conditions. By taking the output estimation error into account as the H ∞ criterion, the developed filters are shown to be capable of tracking the desired outputs of the time-delayed parameter varying system in the presence of external disturbances. Two families of filters are examined: memoryless and state-delayed filters. The latter one which involves a delay term in its dynamics has the benefit of reducing the conservatism in the design and improving performance. Illustrative examples are provided to demonstrate the feasibility and advantages of the proposed methodologies for memoryless and state-delayed filter design and to validate the superiority of using the state-delayed configuration compared to the conventional memoryless filters.