cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interindividual Variation in the DNA Binding of Chemical Genotoxins Following Metabolism by Human Bladder and Bronchus Explants

The DNA-binding of three chemical carcinogens, benzo(a)pyrene (BP), aflatoxin B1 (AFB) and 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF) subsequent to their metabolic activation by explant cultures of human bladder and bronchus, tissues has been studied. The tissue specimens, obtained at autopsy, were cultured in serum free medium in a rocking culture system under an atmosphere of 50% 02 — 47% N2 — 3% C02. The epithelial cell DNA binding levels were determined 24 hours following the addition of 1 μM of the tritium labeled hydrocarbon and isolation of the DNA by hydroxylapatite chromatography. Following hydrolysis of the purified DNA, the carcinogen-DNA adducts were analyzed via high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The BP-DNA adducts obtained from both tissues co-chromatographed with adduct standards formed by the reactions of 7,8-dihydroxy-7,8,9,10-tetra- hydrobenzo(a)pyrene at the exocyclic amino nitrogen (N2) of guanine. The AFB-DNA adducts co-chromatographed with adducts found in rat liver in vivo and formed by the attack of 8,9-dihydro-8,9-oxyaflatoxin Bi at the N7 position of guanine. The range of DNA binding inter- individual variation was higher in the bladder than in the bronchus for all three chemicals. Further, weak but significant, correlations between the carcinogen-DNA binding level in explants of the two tissues from the same individual was observed for all three carcinogens. For both human bladder and bronchus there was a significant correlation between BP and AAF DNA binding levels in tissues from the same individual whereas no such significant correlation existed between BP and AFB DNA binding levels. The utility of the explant culture method for measuring interindividual variation with respect to genotoxin metabolism is discussed.
PULTRUDED PROFILES - Where can I use them?

ABSTRACT Pultruded profiles are finding increasing applications in many new and varied environments. This discussion will describe two pultrusion applications by following each from design and production through to end use. The products to be discussed in detail are snap-on coverboards for the power rails on a light rail transit system and a moveable pool floor system used in areas where a variable depth of water would be advantageous. Discussion will cover structural requirements and raw material selection, which were common to both products, along with comments on specific areas concerning each individual profile Relating to coverboards, other topics covered were electrical testing, shape design, processing considerations, aging tests and field assembly. For the pool floor system additional areas evaluated were corrosion properties, structural testing, and long term under water acceptability. A number of additional applications will be mentioned to demonstrate a variety of areas where pultruded products have succeeded. With close co-operation, the user's requirements and the pultruders capabilities can be united to yield excellent products of consistently high quality
IFT and total mutational load.

Defects of the primary cilium and its anchoring structure, the basal body, cause a number of human genetic disorders, collectively termed ciliopathies, since they are characterized by an overlapping range of phenotypes that include retinal degeneration, polydactyly, renal and hepatic fibrosis, obesity and a complex range of cognitive and neurodevelopmental defects. Recent data have also shown that some ciliopathies overlap not only phenotypically, but also genetically by contributing epistatic alleles that can modulate the phenotypic expressivity and penetrance. As such, the primary cilium and its associated signaling represent a useful model to understand the mechanism of total mutational load in a biological system. Towards that end, we have initiated systematic sequencing, copy number variation analysis and functional evaluation of genetic lesions of ciliary genes in a range of ciliopathy phenotypes and, using a large allelic series, have constructed models of epistasis in oligogenic disorders that suggest an intricate interaction between rare and common alleles to modulate penetrance and expressivity. Such studies will ultimately empower the predictive nature of the genotype and inform clinical management and treatment. Importantly, coupling deep medical resequencing with systematic in vivo and in vitro functional testing offers significantly improved resolution and increased appreciation of the complexity and architecture of genetic disease.
Pregnant women's attitudes toward Zika virus vaccine trial participation.

INTRODUCTION As Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause a range of congenital anomalies, pregnant women may be a target population for vaccination in future outbreaks. Their inclusion in vaccine trials is critical to ensure safe and effective vaccines in pregnancy. Though many vaccine candidates are in development, pregnant women's willingness to participate in Zika virus vaccine research is unknown. This study aims to describe pregnant women's attitudes toward Zika virus vaccine research participation, as well as perceived barriers to and facilitators of enrollment. METHODS Pregnant and recently postpartum women (n = 128) attending prenatal care at Massachusetts General Hospital completed surveys querying their willingness to participate in four hypothetical Zika virus vaccine trials and their motivations for participation. Demographics, information on prior Zika virus exposure, and vaccine acceptance were collected. RESULTS Most women (77%) accepted participation in at least one hypothetical Zika virus vaccine trial, and women were significantly more likely to accept prospective enrollment in an inactivated vaccine trial compared to a live-attenuated vaccine trial (p-value <0.0001) or a nucleic acid-based vaccine trial (p-value <0.0444). Important motivators for participation included evidence from research with pregnant and non-pregnant people, a desire to protect the baby from Zika, perceptions of vaccine safety, and provider recommendation. CONCLUSIONS A majority of women in this cohort were willing to participate in a Zika virus vaccine trial while pregnant, however, differences in acceptance exist between vaccine platforms. The high value placed on evidence by participants highlights the importance of gathering and communicating pregnancy-specific data to potential research participants and their providers. Women's motivations for accepting research participation during pregnancy are important to inform the Zika virus vaccine research agenda, candidate prioritization, and trial design.
An Analysis of the Error Associated to Single and Double Exponential Approximations of Theoretical Poroelastic Models

The temporal evolutions of displacements, strains, stresses, and fluid pressure in a poroelastic material under sustained compression are theoretically expressed as sums of an infinite number of ex...
Pattern-based Extraction of Disease Drug Combination Knowledge from Biomedical Literature

Drug combinational therapy has been found a promising approach to increase the success rate of drug repositioning comparing to the “single drug, single disease” paradigm. Meanwhile much information of drug-disease relationship is buried in biomedical literature. Thus, mining and extraction of disease and drug combinations from biomedical literature has a potential to assist the process of drug repositioning. However, information extraction from biomedical literature is a challenging task especially for multiple drugs. In this paper, we extend the pattern-based method for single drug and single disease to drug combinations. We analyze the patterns with regards to the association between drug combinations and diseases. We develop a word sense disambiguation method utilizing POS Tagging and leverage a pattern-based approach to extract disease and drug combination pairs from MEDLINE abstracts. Evaluation of disease-drug combination pairs shows that our approach achieves an accuracy of 0.85, precision of 0.85, recall of 0.84, and F1 measure of 0.84 for “2 drugs - 1 disease” pairs, and an accuracy of 0.87, precision of 0.80, recall of 0.92, and F1 measure of 0.86 for “3 drugs - 1 disease” pairs. An average accuracy of 0.86, precision of 0.83, recall of 0.88 and F1 score of 0.85 was achieved.
CHAPTER 17 – The Thymus

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of the thymus. The name “thymus” is attributed to the early anatomists who, after dissecting and viewing the shape, assigned its name; the thymus resembles the leaves of the thyme plant. The thymus is located in the thorax just beneath the upper part of the sternum. It is a flat, pinkish-gray mass, approximately triangular in shape. The base of the thymus lies below, and it is not as wide as its sides are long. When the first thymectomy experiments were performed in vertebrates during the early 1960s, immunology underwent a major change. Although the thymus may play a major role in cell-mediated immunity, thymectomy can also severely cripple an animal's humoral immune response, rendering it incapable of synthesizing antibodies to certain antigens. Involvement of the thymus in humoral immunity is now known to be to the result of an activity of T-helper cells that must interact with macrophages and B cells to affect antibody synthesis. Because of its powerful and diverse roles in the body's function, there is strong support for the view that the thymus is crucial to the well-being of an animal, including its capacity to react against cancer and the inevitable senescence.
Progressive Disclosure: When, Why, and How Do Users Want Algorithmic Transparency Information?

It is essential that users understand how algorithmic decisions are made, as we increasingly delegate important decisions to intelligent systems. Prior work has often taken a techno-centric approach, focusing on new computational techniques to support transparency. In contrast, this article employs empirical methods to better understand user reactions to transparent systems to motivate user-centric designs for transparent systems. We assess user reactions to transparency feedback in four studies of an emotional analytics system. In Study 1, users anticipated that a transparent system would perform better but unexpectedly retracted this evaluation after experience with the system. Study 2 offers an explanation for this paradox by showing that the benefits of transparency are context dependent. On the one hand, transparency can help users form a model of the underlying algorithm's operation. On the other hand, positive accuracy perceptions may be undermined when transparency reveals algorithmic errors. Study 3 explored real-time reactions to transparency. Results confirmed Study 2, in showing that users are both more likely to consult transparency information and to experience greater system insights when formulating a model of system operation. Study 4 used qualitative methods to explore real-time user reactions to motivate transparency design principles. Results again suggest that users may benefit from initially simplified feedback that hides potential system errors and assists users in building working heuristics about system operation. We use these findings to motivate new progressive disclosure principles for transparency in intelligent systems and discuss theoretical implications.
The Ellipticity and Orientation of Clusters of Galaxies in N-Body Experiments

In this study we use simulations of 1283 particles to study the ellipticity and orientation of clusters of galaxies in N-body simulations in a controlled way based on nearly 3000 clusters. We use power-law initial spectra [P(k) kn, n = +1, 0, -1, -2] and density parameters (Ω0 = 0.2-1.0). Unlike most theoretical studies we mimic observational studies by removing all particles that lie at distances greater than 2 h-1 Mpc from the cluster center of mass. We computed the axial ratio and the principal axes using the inertia tensor of each cluster. The mean ellipticity of clusters increases strongly with increasing n. We also find that clusters tend to become more spherical at smaller radii. We compared the orientation of a cluster to the orientation of neighboring clusters as a function of distance (correlation). In addition, we considered whether a cluster's major axis tends to lie along the line connecting it to a neighboring cluster, as a function of distance (alignment). Both alignments and correlations were computed in three dimensions and in projection to mimic observational surveys. Our results show that alignments exist for all spectra at small separations (D < 15 h-1 Mpc) but drop off at larger distances in an n-dependent way. Therefore, the most useful study for observers is the variation of alignment with distance. Correlations exist, but at a weaker level. We found that differences in Ω had no measurable effect on mean ellipticity and a weak effect on cluster alignments and correlations. Biasing was able to totally hide the effect of greater nonlinearity. Therefore, we suggest that any effort to probe Ω in this manner be abandoned unless it can be unambiguously proven to exist on smaller scales. However, there are systematic effects due to the primordial spectral index, n. Our results suggest that cluster ellipticity and the scale dependence of cluster alignments probe the primordial power spectrum independently of the parameters of the background cosmology. Future work should concentrate on these parameters.
‘I’m good’: Examining the internalization of the strong Black woman archetype

The Strong Black Woman (SBW) archetype incorporates the fusion of strength, independence, resilience, caretaking, and invulnerability which informs behavior and self-perception. Rooted in the ensla...
Mass Attitudes and Discrimination Against Hypothetical Job Candidates in Japan: A Resumé-Based Survey Experiment

A substantial literature addresses the various forms of discrimination in the Japanese labor market, but little experimental work investigates these prejudices. Here, I present experimental evidence from a national survey of Japanese adults in order to assess both professional and social discrimination against hypothetical job applicants. Leveraging the prevalence of standardized rirekisho resume forms, I present respondents with a hypothetical applicant’s rirekisho, with key attributes such as gender, nationality, and schooling location randomized. Because adolescents living in regions affected by the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster are now entering the labor market as recent college graduates, the experiment also afforded the opportunity to assess labor-market discrimination against individuals perceived to have been exposed to radioactive fallout (proxied by primary-school location). Three key findings emerged from the experimental trial: 1.) female applicants were universally preferred over male applicants, suggesting positive public attitudes toward increased labor-market engagement by female college graduates; 2.) there is no evidence of discrimination against individuals who were living in Fukushima at the time of the 2011 accident in this context; and, 3.) there is significant discrimination against non-Japanese applicants in both professional and social contexts, and the effect of Korean nationality is consistently negative and significant. Together, these results suggest some cause for optimism regarding the treatment of some potentially marginalized groups, while nonetheless provoking substantial concern for others.
"Thinking Beyond My Own Interpretation:" Reflections on Collaborative and Cooperative Learning Theory in the Law School Curriculum

The multi-faceted teaching approach of collaborative learning includes a wide range of pedagogies from cooperative learning to collaborative writing. Cooperative learning and collaborative writing occupy opposite ends of a spectrum of teaching approaches that all share several premises: respect for students, the belief in the students' potential for academic success, the idea that learning is inherently social, and the understanding that learning is an active process. Both pedagogies share the goals of alleviating education related stress through small work-group settings, teaching group dynamics, and giving students the feedback they seek and desire. Further, both provide additional motivation to students who respond more positively to these assignments because they are predictable, manageable, and provide desirable evaluative feedback. Finally, studies demonstrate that these pedagogies, when compared with a competitive learning environment, produce higher levels of student achievement, increased development of student judgment, and more positive student attitudes toward learning. This article will explore why these pedagogies are not more readily adopted in legal education and propose guidelines for their use in law school writing assignments generally, and for first year legal analysis assignments in particular.
Strategies for implementing the Appointment-Based Model at a rural independent chain of community pharmacies.

Abstract Background The Appointment-Based Model (ABM) is a care model that helps community pharmacists streamline their medication dispensing workflow while simultaneously integrating patient care into the medication preparation process through medication synchronization. Implementation of the ABM has varied across community pharmacies. Further studies that identify tailored implementation approaches are needed to support broad adoption of the ABM in practice. Objectives (1) To determine facilitators and barriers to ongoing adoption and implementation of the ABM at a small chain of rural independent pharmacies where adoption has stalled and (2) to identify implementation strategies to support further adoption of the ABM at these pharmacies Methods This project was an exploratory, mid-implementation study. Semistructured interviews were conducted with pharmacy staff who participated in the ongoing implementation and use of the ABM at the pharmacies. Interviews elicited stakeholder-centered perspectives on (1) experiences with the ABM to date, (2) processes and roles for the ABM, and (3) opinions on how implementation of the ABM could be improved at the pharmacies. Rapid qualitative assessment methodology was used for analysis to identify facilitators and barriers and to select implementation strategies. Results Thirty-one pharmacy personnel were interviewed: pharmacists (n = 10), pharmacy technicians (n = 7), and fill clerks (n = 14). The research team identified 6 facilitators and 4 barriers to the implementation of the ABM at the pharmacies. Five implementation strategies were selected based on the facilitators and barriers: (1) capture and share local knowledge across pharmacy sites, (2) conduct educational outreach visits, (3) conduct ongoing training, (4) prepare patients to be active participants in the ABM, and (5) organize clinician implementation team meetings. Conclusions Development of a stakeholder-driven implementation approach may support further implementation and adoption of the ABM in practice.
Does embedding learning supports enhance transfer during game-based learning?

Abstract Educational video games are hypothesized to be good environments for promoting learning; however, research on conceptual learning from games is mixed. We tested whether embedding a learning support in the form of short animations illustrating physics concepts that can be used to aid gameplay improved learning. Ninety-six 7th to 11th grade students were randomly assigned to play Physics Playground with or without the learning supports over a 4-day period. Results indicate that students who played a version of the game with embedded learning supports showed more improvement on a far- (d = 0.36), but not on a near-transfer physics assessment (d = 0.17) compared to those who played without the supports. The learning supports did not affect students’ enjoyment with the game. We conclude that the game-embedded animations were effective at promoting conceptual learning without sacrificing the fun of game-based learning.
Exposure to the Mycotoxin Zearalenone Impairs Embryonic Development in Zebrafish

Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station (ORE00871), USDA-NIFA (ORE00213), Oregon State University DeLoach Work Scholarship
Terrain Model Acquisition By Mobile Robot Teams and n-Connectivity

The connectivity of the configuration space has been a valuable concept in the motion planning for single robots in both known and unknown terrains. We show here that n-connectivity plays a similar role for mobile robot teams in providing algorithms for terrain model acquisition in unknown terrains. A bound on the connectivity degree of the free-space, reflected in that of a navigation course, provides us an estimate of the size of a robot team that is effective for the terrain. We consider an unknown planar polygonal terrain. The robots are point-sized and equipped with visual sensors which acquire all visible parts of the terrain by scan operations executed from their locations. The performance is measured by the number of sensor (scan) operations which are assumed to be the most time-consuming of all the robot operations. We show that the Voronoi diagrams and trapezoidal decomposition methods yield solutions for efficient terrain model acquisition by a 2- and 3-robot team using visual sensors.
Chapter 13 Cell Synchronization

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the methods of analyzing cell-cycle kinetics, methods for synchronizing mammalian cells, and caveats in interpreting cell synchrony experiments. Many cell-synchronization protocols involve placing cells under growth inhibitory conditions for periods of time related to the duration of specific cell-cycle phases. The synchronization methods include release from GO arrest, release from M- and S-phase blocking agents, mitotic detachment, and centrifugal elutriation. To distinguish between growth-dependent and cell cycle-dependent regulation, cells are generally synchronized using more than one method. In some cases, the use of two synchronization methods reveals that all or part of an observed biochemical change is not cell-cycle dependent. The chapter also describes methods for analyzing the cell-cycle kinetics of asynchronous mammalian cells. The asynchronous cell methods include the determination of mean generation time and proliferative fraction, the determination of mitotic and [ 3 H]thymidine-labeling indices, and the estimation of cell-cycle phase durations by the labeled mitoses procedure and by flow cytometry.
Assisting users with clustering tasks by combining metric learning and classification

Interactive clustering refers to situations in which a human labeler is willing to assist a learning algorithm in automatically clustering items. We present a related but somewhat different task, assisted clustering, in which a user creates explicit groups of items from a large set and wants suggestions on what items to add to each group. While the traditional approach to interactive clustering has been to use metric learning to induce a distance metric, our situation seems equally amenable to classification. Using clusterings of documents from human subjects, we found that one or the other method proved to be superior for a given cluster, but not uniformly so. We thus developed a hybrid mechanism for combining the metric learner and the classifier. We present results from a large number of trials based on human clusterings, in which we show that our combination scheme matches and often exceeds the performance of a method which exclusively uses either type of learner.
The Process of Personal Transformation for Adolescents Practicing Mindfulness Skills in an Alternative School Setting

This qualitative study examined the experiences of alternative school students as they participated in a mindfulness skills program. A 7-month school-based mindfulness skills program was integrated into the Grade 10 curriculum for high school students (N = 19; 10 boys and 9 girls, ages 15–17). Students engaged in mindfulness practices twice weekly during class time. Students practiced breath awareness, and seated, walking, and lying mindfulness meditation during the course of the program. Students completed initial and final questionnaires about their experiences as well as written journal entries based on their experiences in the program. At the completion of the program, 14 of the 19 program completers were interviewed (6 boys and 8 girls). Data analysis yielded two broad areas of perceived benefits of participation in the mindfulness skills program: intrapersonal benefits and interpersonal benefits. Intrapersonal benefits included themes of self-awareness and self-regulation (including cognition, emotions, and behavior). Interpersonal benefits included themes of building relationships (with peers, family members, and teachers) and learning to trust. These findings may be useful when planning school-based mindfulness programs and may serve as a guide for researchers studying mindfulness practices for youth.
Load balancing of DNS-based distributed Web server systems with page caching

The explosion of WWW traffic has triggered great interest in distributed Web server systems. Among various distributed Web server architectures, the DNS-based distributed system is a promising solution in terms of performance, scalability and availability. DNS (domain name server) name caching has significant effects on the load balance of distributed Web server systems, due to the traffic skewness it causes. Also, there is page caching along whole paths between clients and Web servers, and page caching schemes could affect the system load balancing a lot. In this paper, we examine various caching issues, including the load balancing algorithms of the DNS, the locations of caches, and the page caching policies, for the DNS-based Web server system. We use stochastic processes to model the Web traffic, and compare the load balance performance of these algorithms and policies based on simulation results. We found that, the DNS load balancing algorithm, which takes into account both client domain information and server load information, could yield best load balance performance among various algorithms, and a server-side cache with the policy which only caches popular Web pages could significantly improve both the cache hit ratio and the load balance.
Oxygen free radicals in rat limbic structures after kainate-induced seizures

Several indices of free radical generation were determined in limbic structures after kainate (KA)-induced seizure activity in adult and postnatal day (PND) 12 and 17 rats. Superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activities were measured in piriform cortex and hippocampal subfields at 8, 16, 48 h, and 5 days after KA injection in adults and pups, and also at 3 weeks postinjection in adults. KA-induced seizure activity had no significant effect on enzyme activities in PND 12 and 17 rats. In adults, superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were significantly increased at 5 days after KA administration, and returned to preinjection levels by 3 weeks. Glutathione peroxidase activity was also increased significantly at 5 days postinjection, but remained elevated at 3 weeks. Lipid peroxidation, as indicated by malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, exhibited an early significant increase at 8 and 16 h, followed at 48 h and 5 days by a significant decrease. At 3 weeks postinjection, MDA levels were still significantly decreased in CA3 and dentate gyrus. KA administration in PND 12 and 17 rats had no significant effect on MDA content. KA-induced seizure activity in adults also resulted in a large and sustained increase in protein oxidation in piriform cortex and hippocampus. The early increase in MDA and protein oxidation in adult rats strongly suggests the involvement of oxygen free radicals in the initial phases of KA-induced pathology, whereas the changes in scavenging enzyme activities and MDA content at 5 days and 3 weeks post KA injection possibly reflect glial proliferation subsequent to neuronal death.
Air travel, spatial structure, and gravity models

This paper is a continuation of some previous investigations 2 into the influence of spatial structure on spatial interaction. R takes as its point of departure two of the implicit assumptions of the gravity model: i) uniformity among cities of the effects that their populations have on intercity travel and 2) the lack of effect of spatial structure on such travel. Despite shortcomings the gravity model 3 has been a useful integrative approach in the search for regularity in spatial phenomena: linking in a common mold movements through s~ace of travelers, shoppers, and migrants, 4; commodities within countries, o; and international trade between countries. 6 In most investigations utilizing this model masses of all terminals of movements under study are implicitly taken to have effects of the same magnitudel a single coefficient, b, is taken to measure the effect of terminal masses on interspatial flows as in (MiMj) b
Initial misdiagnosis of acute flail mitral valve is not infrequent: The role of echocardiography.

Background: Acute flail mitral valve frequently results in severe mitral regurgitation. However, its clinical presentation can be similar to other disease processes, potentially leading to initial misdiagnosis and a morbid outcome. We sought to analyze baseline characteristics, clinical presentations, time to diagnosis, and in-hospital mortalities of patients with the acute flail mitral valve. Methods: Two hundred and sixty two consecutive echocardiograms with severe mitral regurgitation performed between February 2005 and October 2010 at the Jack D. Weiler Hospital (Bronx, New York, USA) were reviewed. Adult patients who had presented with new onset flail mitral valves were selected for this retrospective study. Results: Fifteen patients were found to have acute flail mitral valve. The majority was elderly male. Over half presented to the emergency room with a sudden onset of dyspnea. A mitral regurgitant murmur was appreciated in only a third of the patients. The chest X-ray of five patients had no acute pulmonary findings, whereas, two were found to have gross unilateral pulmonary edema. Clinically, 60% were misdiagnosed on admission. Using echocardiogram, the correct diagnosis of flail mitral valve was made in all cases, however, only 40% on the day of presentation. The maximum time to echocardiographic diagnosis was 4 days. The main cause of acute flail mitral valve was degenerative disease. Seven patients were managed surgically. Overall, there was only one mortality (7%) during incident hospitalization. Conclusions: Initial misdiagnosis of acute flail mitral valve happens frequently. Early echocardiographic exam is essential in the timely diagnosis and management of acute flail mitral valve. Key words: Acute flail mitral valve, Echocardiography, Misdiagnosis, Severe mitral valve regurgitation.
Extensive right ventricular hemangioma.

![Figure][1] [![Graphic][3] ][3][![Graphic][4] ][4] A 26-year-old woman with no prior medical history underwent an abdominal ultrasound for the evaluation of cholestasis. No abdominal abnormalities were noted, but subcostal images of the heart appeared “unusual.” A
DYNAMIC ANALYSES AND ROBUST STEERING CONTROLLER DESIGN FOR AUTOMATED LANE GUIDANCE OF HEAVY-DUTY VEHICLES

In this paper, we present various linear analyses of the linearized lateral dynamics of heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) (tractor-semitrailer type), which include time domain, frequency domain and pole/zero analyses. These analyses are conducted to examine the vehicle response to the steering input subjected to variations of speed, road adhesion coefficient, cargo load in the trailer, and look-ahead distance for the lateral deviation sensor. These parameters (uncertainties) have significant influence on vehicle dynamics. It has been shown that redefining the look-ahead lateral error as the controlled output has a favorable impact on the lateral control problem. Based on these analyses, a robust steering controller using H∞ loop-shaping procedure is designed for a tractor semitrailer combination to follow the road center line on both curved and straight highway sections. The proposed controller ensures the robust performance under model uncertainties which include varying vehicle longitudinal speed, road adhesion coefficient, and cargo load in the trailer. The performance of the designed controller is evaluated by simulations and validated by experiments.
The PPAR-γ agonist pioglitazone modulates inflammation and induces neuroprotection in parkinsonian monkeys

Activation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) has been proposed as a possible neuroprotective strategy to slow down the progression of early Parkinson's disease (PD). Here we report preclinical data on the use of the PPAR-γ agonist pioglitazone (Actos®; Takeda Pharmaceuticals Ltd.) in a paradigm resembling early PD in nonhuman primates. Rhesus monkeys that were trained to perform a battery of behavioral tests received a single intracarotid arterial injection of 20 ml of saline containing 3 mg of the dopaminergic neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). Twenty-four hours later the monkeys were assessed using a clinical rating scale, matched accordingly to disability, randomly assigned to one of three groups [placebo (n = 5), 2.5 (n = 6) or 5 (n = 5) mg/kg of pioglitazone] and their treatments started. Three months after daily oral dosing, the animals were necropsied. We observed significant improvements in clinical rating score (P = 0.02) in the animals treated with 5 mg/kg compared to placebo. Behavioral recovery was associated with preservation of nigrostriatal dopaminergic markers, observed as higher tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) putaminal optical density (P = 0.011), higher stereological cell counts of TH-ir (P = 0.02) and vesicular monoamine transporter-2 (VMAT-2)-ir nigral neurons (P = 0.006). Stereological cell counts of Nissl stained nigral neurons confirmed neuroprotection (P = 0.017). Pioglitazone-treated monkeys also showed a dose-dependent modulation of CD68-ir inflammatory cells, that was significantly decreased for 5 mg/kg treated animals compared to placebo (P = 0.018). A separate experiment to assess CSF penetration of pioglitazone revealed that 5 mg/kg p.o. induced consistently higher levels than 2.5 mg/kg and 7.5 mg/kg. p.o. Our results indicate that oral administration of pioglitazone is neuroprotective when administered early after inducing a parkinsonian syndrome in rhesus monkeys and supports the concept that PPAR-γ is a viable target against neurodegeneration.
Reduced effectiveness of Aβ1-42 immunization in APP transgenic mice with significant amyloid deposition

Vaccinations with Abeta1-42 have been shown to reduce amyloid burden in transgenic models of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We have further tested the efficacy of Abeta1-42 immunization in the Tg2576 mouse model of AD by immunizing one group of mice with minimal Abeta deposition, one group of mice with modest Abeta deposition, and one group with significant Abeta deposition. The effects of immunization on Abeta deposition were examined using biochemical and immunohistochemical methods. In Tg2576 mice immunized prior to significant amyloid deposition, Abeta1-42 immunization was highly effective. Biochemically extracted Abeta40 and Abeta42 levels were significantly reduced and immunohistochemical plaque load was also reduced. Immunization of mice with modest amounts of pre-existing Abeta deposits selectively reduced Abeta42 without altering Abeta40, although plaque load was reduced. In contrast, in Tg2576 mice with significant pre-existing Abeta loads, Abeta1-42 immunization only minimally decreased Abeta42 levels, whereas no alteration in Abeta40 levels or in plaque load was observed. These results indicate that in Tg2576 mice, Abeta1-42 immunization is more effective at preventing additional Abeta accumulation and does not result in significant clearance of pre-existing Abeta deposits.
In vitro demonstration of an echogenic emulsion: Relationship of lipid particle size to echo detection

To prove that protein-lipid emulsions can be echogenic, we made two lipid-in-water emulsions. The first emulsion was composed of lipid micelles approximately 10 microns in diameter. The second emulsion was composed of micelles approximately 100 microns in diameter. The first emulsion was anechoic; the second emulsion was echogenic. These results are consistent with the physical laws governing the scatter of ultrasound and demonstrate that collagen containing connective tissue is not necessary for echoes. In addition, these data support the hypothesis that the wide differences in echogenicity of fatty tissues is due to the differences in the thickness of their connective tissue stromata.
Elastic-wave velocities in quartz monzonite at different levels of water saturation

Laboratory ultrasonic velocity measurements were made on quartz monzonite drill core specimens taken from an abandoned iron ore mine in Sweden. Measurements were taken on oven-dried samples and at various moisture levels up to full saturation. The results show that small increases in moisture content can substantially increase V/sub p/ and V/sub S/.
Temperature dependence of europium carbonate complexation

The temperature dependencies of europium carbonate stability constants were examined at 15, 25, and 35°C in 0.68 molal Na+(ClO 4 − , HCO 3 − ) using a tributyl phosphate solvent extration technique. Our distribution data can be explained by the equilibria $$\begin{gathered} Eu^{3 + } + H_2 O + CO_2 (g)_ \leftarrow ^ \to EuCO_3^ + + 2H^ + \hfill \\ - log\beta _{12} = 9.607 + 496(t + 273.16)^{ - 1} \hfill \\ Eu^{3 + } + 2H_2 O + 2CO_2 (g)_ \leftarrow ^ \to Eu(CO_3 )_2^ - + 4H^ + \hfill \\ - log\beta _{24} = 21.951 + 670(t + 273.16)^{ - 1} \hfill \\ Eu^{3 + } + H_2 O + CO_2 (g)_ \leftarrow ^ \to EuHCO_3^{2 + } + H^ + \hfill \\ - log\beta _{11} = 1.688 + 1397(t + 273.16)^{ - 1} \hfill \\ \end{gathered}$$
Duality and Potts critical amplitudes on a class of hierarchical lattices

By using the duality transformation on a class of hierarchical lattices, I show that the Potts critical amplitudes above and below the critical temperature are equal. Logarithmic modifications of the power-law singularity occur when the exponent $2\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\alpha}$ is an even integer, but do not occur when $2\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\alpha}$ equals an odd integer.
An analysis of neutral-alleles and variable-environment diffusion models

Three diffusion models are formulated for the evolution of a diploid population with K alleles at one locus with completely symmetric mutation and random genetic drift, a variable-environment, and all the above mechanisms. For the diallelic case, the transient behavior is studied by solving the corresponding diffusion equations by an asymptotic method valid for short time intervals. The transient behavior of the three models is compared for the case when their stationary distributions are identical. The expected amount of heterozygosity is computed using the asymptotic solution and is compared to an exact result. The asymptotic results are extended to the general case with K alleles at the locus for the symmetric mutation and variable-environment models.
Advances in methods for assessing tumor hypoxia in vivo : Implications for treatment planning

Tumor hypoxia and its downstream effects have remained of considerable interest for decades due to its negative impact on response to various cancer therapies and promotion of metastasis. Diagnosing hypoxia non-invasively can provide a significant advancement in cancer treatment and is the dire necessity for implementing specific targeted therapies now emerging to treat different aspects of cancer. A variety of techniques are being proposed to do so. However, none of them has yet been established in the clinical arena. This review summarizes the methods currently available to assess tumor hypoxia in vivo and their respective advantages and shortcomings. It also points out the impedances that need to be overcome to establish any particular method in the clinic, along with a broad overview of requirements for further advancement in this sphere of cancer research.
Marine biological controls on atmospheric CO2 and climate

It is argued that the ocean is losing N gas faster than N is being returned to the ocean, and that replenishment of the N supply in the ocean usually occurs during ice ages. Available N from river and estruarine transport and from rainfall after formation by lightning are shown to be at a rate too low to compensate for the 10,000 yr oceanic lifetime of N. Ice sheets advance and transfer moraine N to the ocean, lower the sea levels, erode the ocean beds, promote greater biological productivity, and reduce CO2. Ice core samples have indicated a variability in the atmospheric N content that could be attributed to the ice age scenario.
Strain Differences in Serum Corticosterone, Growth Hormone, and Thyroxine of Young Chicks Reared in Two Different Brooding Temperature Environments

Abstract Chicks from a nongrowth-selected randombred population (AC) and from various growth-selected broiler strain crosses (SC) were reared in two brooding temperature environments (26.7 and 32.2 C) for a period of 2 weeks. Strain and temperature effects on weight gain and serum corticosterone (B), growth hormone (GH), and thyroxine (T4) were measured at 1, 7, and 14 days of age. Brooding at 26.7 C increased mortality and reduced weight gain. Serum corticosterone levels were significantly higher in chicks brooded at 26.7 C on Days 7 and 14, whereas statistically higher levels of GH were observed only at 1 day of age for chicks brooded at 26.7 C. The T4 levels were also significantly higher in 1-day-old chicks brooded at 26.7 C, but at 7 and 14 days of age T4 levels were significantly higher in the chicks brooded at 32.2 C. The magnitude of the effect of brooding temperatures on responses was related to the strain of chick. Weight gain of all chicks brooded at 32.2 C was significantly correlated with serum levels of B, GH, and T4, but only the correlation between gain and B level of 26.7 C brooded chicks was significant. Serum corticosterone and GH were negatively associated with gain, whereas a positive relationship existed between gain and T4 levels. Among AC chicks, gain was negatively correlated with B levels and positively correlated with GH levels. There was a positive correlation between gain and T4 levels of the strain cross with the smallest body weight whereas the gain of the high weight strain crosses was correlated to both T4 (positive) and B (negative) levels.
Nerds, Normal People, and Homeboys: Accommodation and Resistance among Chinese American Students

This article examines how peer interaction may influence Chinese American high-school students to adopt strategies of accommodation or resistance. The choice of strategy arises not only from the group's voluntary minority status, as Ogbu (1978,1983) contends, but also from more local factors. This analysis of the immediate social setting adds detail to cultural ecological theory, allowing the observer to explain changing and contradictory behavior in a given minority group.
Different iron‐manganese relationships in two flax cultivars

Abstract Manganese content of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is greatly affected by Fe supply. Two flax cultivars, Clark and Culbert, were grown on a Calciaquoll under greenhouse conditions to compare their responses to FeEDDHA. Although the Mn concentrations of both Clark and Culbert were greatly reduced by FeEDDHA, the performance of the two cultivars varied as follows: (i) Culbert accumulated less Mn in tops, especially leaves, than did Clark, but the relative differences between cultivars were larger in the presence of the chelate; (ii) Culbert accumulated more Fe than Clark, particularly in young plants at low soil temperatures; (iii) necrotic spots were present on lower leaves of Culbert, but not of Clark, containing high levels of Mn in the absence of the chelate; (iv) a decrease in soil temperature appreciably lowered Mn concentrations in Clark but not in Culbert; and (v) FeEDDHA reduced Mn concentration of Culbert, but not of Clark, to such an extent that an apparent Mn deficiency was induced in C...
La Vida Local: Planting the Seeds for Growing an Organic Food Delivery Business

La Vida Local is a small organic food delivery business which was started with an investment of under $1,000. In 2008, less than 2 years after its inception, the company is grossing over $80,000. Profits, however, are minimal. Although Julie LaPorte, the owner/operator, is more interested in facilitating the consumption of organic foods than making money, she is exhausted. She wants to hire an employee to help out, but to do so she needs to find a way to generate more profits and to overcome her own desire to keep tight control over operations.
Using provisional diagnoses in monitoring a clinical trial.

In clinical trials there is delay between the occurrence of an event and the recording of that event as an end point in the trial data base. Delays are especially likely if events are reviewed carefully to determine whether diagnostic criteria for end points are satisfied. As a result, the value of a a statistic used to evaluate efficacy during a trial may differ from the value of that statistic based on the true end point status of all events which have already occurred. Simulating the process causing delays can be useful in evaluating interim efficacy data by providing a quantitative estimate of the uncertainty in a monitoring statistic. These ideas are illustrated using data from the Lipid Research Clinics Coronary Primary Prevention Trial.
The Status Of The Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory And The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Free Electron Laser (FEL)

J. Orzechowski, M. C. Moebus, F. A. Penko, D. Prosnitz and D. RogersLawrence Livermore National LaboratoryPost Office Box 808/L -436Livermore, California 94550C. S. Chavis, K. Halbach, D. B. Hopkins, R. W. Kuenning, A. C. Paul,A. M. Sessler, G. D. Stover, J. T. Tanabe, R. M. Yamamato and J. S. WurteleLawrence Berkeley Laboratory
Numerical problems in the advection of pollutants

Prediction of pollutant transport involves solution of the advection equation numerically. Truncation errors arising from integrating the advection equation by using finite difference schemes are discussed. Numerical errors manifest themselves in artificial dissipation and dispersion of pollutants. Criteria for measuring the dissipation and dispersion are presented, and minimization of those errors is discussed. An alternative procedure by integration in the wavenumber space is examined. Examples illustrating quantitative discrepancy in actual forecasting are also shown.
Should Varicella-Zoster Virus Culture Be Eliminated? A Comparison of Direct Immunofluorescence Antigen Detection, Culture, and PCR, with a Historical Review

A comparison of direct fluorescent-antibody assay (DFA), culture, and two PCR assays disclosed sensitivities of 87.8%, 46.3%, and 97.6% and 100%, respectively. We reviewed 1,150 results for clinical specimens submitted for DFA and culture and found that only 17 were culture positive/DFA negative. The incremental cost to detect these 17 positives was $3,078/specimen.
Adherence and colonization by bacterial pathogens in explant cultures of bovine mammary tissue.

Explant cultures of bovine mammary tissue taken from virgin heifers were used to examine adherence, colonization and cytopathogenesis ofStreptococcus uberis, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Staphylococcus aureus andEscherichia coli in the putative target tissue. None of the five bacteria was able to adhere to healthy ductular epithelium but all showed a marked tropism for exposed connective tissue.S. aureus andE. coli induced a marked cytopathic effect in ductular epithelium after 6 hours in culture but the bacteria were not in close association with the affected tissue. No evidence could be found to support the hypothesis that adherence to epithelium might be the first stage in the pathogenesis of mastitis caused by these organisms.