cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of error patterns produced by scopolamine and MK-801 on repeated acquisition and transition baselines.

An understanding of the differential role of cholinergic and glutaminergic systems may be limited by the failure to move the analysis of learning impairments beyond an assessment of changes in overall accuracy. This paper reports the results of two studies in which the effects in rats of scopolamine (0.5–3.0 mg/kg IP), a cholinergic antagonist, and MK-801 (0.05–0.3 mg/kg IP), an NMDA-receptor antagonist, were compared in two different repeated learning procedures and the nature of the underlying error patterns produced by each was evaluated. The first study examined drug effects upon a repeated sequence acquisition procedure and found that while both drugs decreased overall accuracy in a dose-dependent manner, the predominant error pattern varied significantly with drug; scopolamine primarily produced skipping errors within the sequence, whereas MK-801 more prominently increased perseveration on the first and second members of the sequence. In the second study, which used a repeated transition procedure, both drugs again significantly decreased overall accuracy in a dose-dependent manner, but no consistent differences in error patterning produced by the drugs were observed. Thus, while both cholinergic and NMDA systems play a role in learning, the behavioral processes underlying the changes in overall accuracy may differ, as indicated by the differential patterns of errors produced by scopolamine and MK-801 in the repeated acquisition baseline. Furthermore, the observed differences in the underlying behavioral processes of scopolamine and MK-801 in the repeated acquisition but not on the repeated transition procedure suggest that each of the two drugs may affect more than one of the variables controlling behavior, with the relative impact of drug-related changes in controlling variables depending upon the operative contingencies of the learning task.
Controllable molecular modulation of conductivity in silicon-based devices.

The electronic properties of silicon, such as the conductivity, are largely dependent on the density of the mobile charge carriers, which can be tuned by gating and impurity doping. When the device size scales down to the nanoscale, routine doping becomes problematic due to inhomogeneities. Here we report that a molecular monolayer, covalently grafted atop a silicon channel, can play a role similar to gating and impurity doping. Charge transfer occurs between the silicon and the molecules upon grafting, which can influence the surface band bending, and makes the molecules act as donors or acceptors. The partly charged end-groups of the grafted molecular layer may act as a top gate. The doping- and gating-like effects together lead to the observed controllable modulation of conductivity in pseudometal−oxide−semiconductor field-effect transistors (pseudo-MOSFETs). The molecular effects can even penetrate through a 4.92-μm thick silicon layer. Our results offer a paradigm for controlling electronic character...
The Vax CAMAC Channel

A new generation CAMAC System has been developed for the Mark II Detector at SLAC's PEP storage ring. This flexible system can efficiently transfer data between a host computer and a very large set of CAMAC data acquisition and control modules. A bipolar microprocessor operates as a "Channel" interface by supervising the CAMAC system and minimizing the host computer's work. This programmable channel couples the host to a set of "System Crates"; each System Crate houses "Branch Drivers" that can directly control a set of crates or communicate over differential parallel highways to "Branch Receivers" for control of distant crates. A coherent software package integrates the high level programs, system driver level programs, and microcode control of the system.
Revising the Leadership Paradigm in Sub‐Saharan Africa: A Study of Community‐Based Leadership

Much of the discourse on leadership in sub-Saharan Africa emphasizes leader characteristics, skills, styles, and behaviors, while ignoring the relationships, interactions, practical judgments, and unique contexts that make up leadership in everyday cultural community life. This essay argues that the focus on individual leaders hardly reflects leadership as practice in African communities. An alternative, pragmatic view based on unique historicity and cultural community norms is proposed, one that has a chance of fostering social change and institutional transformation.
Matching estimation, casino gambling and the quality of life

Little consensus exists in the literature as to the impact of casino gambling on regional economic development. This paper uses a propensity score matching estimator to assess the bottom line impact of casino gambling on the welfare of local residents. It extends the literature in two important ways. First, the traditional matching estimation model is extended to consider a kernel weighting formula that corrects for correlation between the outcome error term and characteristics of the regressors used in generating the propensity scores. Second, by using the matching procedure to control for selection bias in the casino location decision, this paper generates improved estimates for the impact of casino gambling on key economic variables and on local quality of life. Casinos are found to have no statistically significant net impact on the quality of life in their host counties, though Native American casinos do generate some additional economic activity in the form of increased population, employment, and housing starts.
Scale type, meaningfulness, and the possible psychophysical laws

Abstract In an influential paper, Luce (1959) observed that the scale type of the dependent and independent variables in a scientific law determines under some reasonable restrictions the general form of the law. We show that knowledge of the scale type of the dependent variable can be replaced in Luce's theory by the assumption that a certain statement involving the dependent variable is meaningful. This leads to a general theory of the relation between the scale type of a scale and the meaningfulness of statements involving the scale.
Civic Art in an Age of Cultural Relativism: The Aesthetic Origins of Kevin Lynch's Image of the City

Kevin Lynch's seminal work of 1960, The Image of the City, continues to be a standard reference book for urban designers and social scientists alike. Nevertheless, the historical context through which this text emerged has remained relatively unexplored. The obscurity of the book's intellectual genesis has been compounded by Lynch's own bibliographic omissions. By revealing Lynch's full range of sources in the often contradictory theories and debates of the early 1950s, this paper illuminates an overlooked moment in the intellectual genealogy of 20th century urban design. The paper argues that Lynch effectively combined but also transformed contradictory strands of early 20th century urban aesthetic theory into a contemporary model of ‘urban design’. Rather than presenting some unified, ‘organic’ order, integrating both social and urban forms within some universal idea of ‘modern man’, Lynch's work suggested a way in which a pluralistic urban society, characterized by multiplicity and difference, might ne...
Mate retention behavior modulates men's preferences for self-resemblance in infant faces

Visual assessments of relatedness may affect paternal investment decisions and altruistic behaviors. Work examining preferences for cues to self-resemblance in child faces has been equivocal, with findings showing that men have a higher preference than women, that preference for self-resemblance was statistically significant in women but not men, and that both men and women have a significant preference for self-resemblance when making parental investment decisions. Using data from 67 heterosexual romantic couples, we present evidence that both men and women prefer self-resembling infants, but show no significant preference for partner-resembling infants. Moreover, men's intersexual negative inducement tactics were correlated with, and significantly predicted, their preferences for selfresembling infants. These findings provide evidence that, although both men and women show a general preference for self-resemblance in infant faces, men's preferences for self-resemblance may be further modulated by perceived threat of cuckoldry. Published by Elsevier Inc.
HOW TO SEARCH FOR ISLANDS OF NEUTRAL HYDROGEN IN THE z ∼ 5.5 IGM

Observations of the Lyman-alpha (Lyα) forest may allow reionization to complete as late as z ~ 5.5, provided the ionization state of the intergalactic medium (IGM) is sufficiently inhomogeneous at these redshifts. In this case, significantly neutral islands may remain among highly ionized gas with the ionized regions allowing some transmission through the Lyα forest. This possibility has the important virtue that it is eminently testable with existing Lyα forest data. In particular, we describe three observable signatures of significantly neutral gas in the z ~ 5.5 IGM. We use mock quasar spectra produced from numerical simulations of reionization to develop these tests. First, we quantify how the abundance and length of absorbed regions in the forest increase with the volume-averaged neutral fraction in our reionization model. Second, we consider stacking the transmission profile around highly absorbed regions in the forest. If and only if there is significantly neutral gas in the IGM, absorption in the damping wing of the Lyα line will cause the transmission to recover slowly as one moves from absorbed to transmitted portions of the spectrum. Third, the deuterium Lyβ line should imprint a small but distinctive absorption feature slightly blueward of absorbed neutral regions in the Lyβ forest. We show that these tests can be carried out with existing Keck HIRES spectra at z ~ 5.5, with the damping wing being observable for and the deuterium feature observable with additional high-resolution spectra for .
Pronounceability and the visual recognition of nonsense words

Additional evidence is presented for the hypothesis that visual word recognition may involve recording into phonemic form. Specifically, the hypothesis that less pronounceable nonsense words are recognized as nonsense faster than more pronounceable nonsense words was confirmed. It is proposed that differences in pronounceability produce their effects during the sequencing of the neural instructions associated with each phoneme.
Early Components of the Averaged Electroencephalic Response to Constant Level Clicks During All-Night Sleep

Electrical activity was recorded from adult subjects during four consecutive nights of natural sleep. Ongoing EEG activity was recorded from an electrode on the vertex referred to electrodes on the...
REG^2: a regional regression framework for geo-referenced datasets

Traditional regression analysis derives global relationships between variables and neglects spatial variations in variables. Hence they lack the ability to systematically discover regional relationships and to build better models that use this regional knowledge to obtain higher prediction accuracies. Since most relationships in spatial datasets are regional, there is a great need for regional regression methods that derive regional regression functions that reflect different spatial characteristics of different regions. This paper proposes a novel regional regression framework that first discovers interesting regions showing strong regional relationships between the dependent and the independent variables, and then builds a prediction model with a regional regression function associated with each region. Interesting regions are identified by running a representative-based clustering algorithm that maximizes an externally plugged in fitness function. In this work, we propose two fitness functions: an R-squared based fitness function and an AIC-based fitness function to handle overfitting better. We evaluate our framework in two case studies; (1) identifying causes of arsenic contamination in Texas water wells and (2) Boston Housing dataset determining spatially varying effects of house properties on house prices. We demonstrated that our framework effectively identifies interesting regions and builds better prediction systems that rely on regional models.
Continuous attrition bioreactor with enzyme recycling for the bioconversion of cellulose

A new type of reactor, the attrition bioreactor, has been developed to increase the rate of the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose and also to cut pretreatment costs. It was found that the attrition bioreactor could be operated continuously or semicontinuously in conjunction with a membrane filter to produce a high cellulose conversion rate and low enzyme consumption. The membrane filter served to contain the enzyme and cellulose within the reactor while allowing sugar to permeate as a product.
Bayes-optimality motivated linear and multilayered perceptron-based dimensionality reduction

Dimensionality reduction is the process of mapping high-dimension patterns to a lower dimension subspace. When done prior to classification, estimates obtained in the lower dimension subspace are more reliable. For some classifiers, there is also an improvement in performance due to the removal of the diluting effect of redundant information. A majority of the present approaches to dimensionality reduction are based on scatter matrices or other statistics of the data which do not directly correlate to classification accuracy. The optimality criteria of choice for the purposes of classification is the Bayes error. Usually however, Bayes error is difficult to express analytically. We propose an optimality criteria based on an approximation of the Bayes error and use it to formulate a linear and a nonlinear method of dimensionality reduction. The nonlinear method we propose, relies on using a multilayered perceptron which produces as output the lower dimensional representation. It thus differs from autoassociative like multilayered perceptrons which have been proposed and used for dimensionality reduction. Our results show that the nonlinear method is, as anticipated, superior to the linear method in that it can perform unfolding of a nonlinear manifold. In addition, the nonlinear method we propose provides substantially better lower dimension representation (for classification purposes) than Fisher's linear discriminant (FLD) and two other nonlinear methods of dimensionality reduction that are often used.
A Different View of Solar Spectral Irradiance Variations: Modeling Total Energy over Six-Month Intervals.

A different approach to studying solar spectral irradiance (SSI) variations, without the need for long-term (multi-year) instrument degradation corrections, is examining the total energy of the irradiance variation during 6-month periods. This duration is selected because a solar active region typically appears suddenly and then takes 5 to 7 months to decay and disperse back into the quiet-Sun network. The solar outburst energy, which is defined as the irradiance integrated over the 6-month period and thus includes the energy from all phases of active region evolution, could be considered the primary cause for the irradiance variations. Because solar cycle variation is the consequence of multiple active region outbursts, understanding the energy spectral variation may provide a reasonable estimate of the variations for the 11-year solar activity cycle. The moderate-term (6-month) variations from the Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) instruments can be decomposed into positive (in-phase with solar cycle) and negative (out-of-phase) contributions by modeling the variations using the San Fernando Observatory (SFO) facular excess and sunspot deficit proxies, respectively. These excess and deficit variations are fit over 6-month intervals every 2 months over the mission, and these fitted variations are then integrated over time for the 6-month energy. The dominant component indicates which wavelengths are in-phase and which are out-of-phase with solar activity. The results from this study indicate out-of-phase variations for the 1400 – 1600 nm range, with all other wavelengths having in-phase variations.
The effects of semantic predictability in non-pathological older adults' production of a phonemic contrast.

The present study examined the effects of semantic predictability in non-pathological older adults' production of the /t/-/d/ phonemic voice contrast. Experiment 1 examined young and older adults' production of /t/ and /d/ words embedded in semantically biasing and neutral passages and when produced in the clear or in noise. Experiment 2 assessed the perceptual intelligibility of subjects' production by examining listeners' identification of the /t/-/d/ words produced in Experiment 1. The results replicate previous findings demonstrating that duration lengthens in neutral vs. biasing contexts. However, the results also show agerelated differences. Older adults preserved the /t/-/d/ contrast in all the experimental manipulations; young adults were more variable. In addition, listeners were better able to identify the words produced by the older adults. We suggest that older adults compensate pragmatically for their cognitive inability to integrate and process the semantic information in the neutral context...
Plasmonic amplifiers: engineering giant light enhancements by tuning resonances in multiscale plasmonic nanostructures.

T he unique ability of plasmonic nanostructures to guide, enhance, and manipulate subwavelength light offers multiple novel applications in chemical and biological sensing, imaging, and photonic microcircuitry. Here the reproducible, giant light amplifi cation in multiscale plasmonic structures is demonstrated. These structures combine strongly coupled components of different dimensions and topologies that resonate at the same optical frequency. A light amplifi er is constructed using a silver mirror carrying light-enhancing surface plasmons, dielectric gratings forming distributed Bragg cavities on top of the mirror, and gold nanoparticle arrays selfassembled into the grating grooves. By tuning the resonances of the individual components to the same frequency, multiple enhancement of the light intensity in the nanometer gaps between the particles is achieved. Using a monolayer of benzenethiol molecules on this structure, an average SERS enhancement factor ∼ 10 8 is obtained, and the maximum enhancement in the interparticle hot-spots is ∼ 3 × 10 10 , in good agreement with FDTD calculations. The high enhancement factor, large density of well-ordered hot-spots, and good fi delity of the SERS signal make this design a promising platform for quantitative SERS sensing, optical detection, effi cient solid state lighting, advanced photovoltaics, and other emerging photonic applications.
On Extending Bounded Proofs to Inductive Proofs

We propose a method for extending a bounded resolution proof to an unbounded inductive proof. More specifically, given a resolution proof that a state machine beginning at an initial state satisfies some property at cycle k , we show that the existence of a Δ -invariant cut implies that the property holds for cycles k + Δ , k + 2Δ , etc. We suggest a linear algorithm for identifying such Δ -extendible proofs and develop the required theory for covering all cycles by Δ -extendible proofs. To expose Δ -invariant cuts, we develop an efficient proof manipulation algorithm that rearranges the proof by the natural temporal order. We demonstrate the applicability of our techniques on a few real-life examples.
Ideational change and the emergence of the international norm of truth and reconciliation commissions

What role does ideational change play in norm emergence? While there has been some attention to changes in the application of norms, most scholars refer to the ideas that are associated with a norm�s practice as being fixed. I argue that ideational change is a causal mechanism that facilitates norm emergence. In particular, I propose three types of content change that capture changes in the ideas associated with the goals expected to be attained by the application of the norm (�logic of consequences�), with its morality (�logic of appropriateness�), and with its relations with similar or alternative practices (�specification�). These changes in the rational and moral reasoning and argumentation that frame the practice that is associated with an emerging norm are likely to make this practice congruent with more contexts and appealing for more states. To illustrate the content change proposition, this article traces the emergence of the international norm of truth and reconciliation commissions. In the debates that followed the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, truth and reconciliation commissions shifted from being seen as a political compromise to being regarded as a �holistic� tool for social and political reconstruction and came to be associated with multiple democratizing effects. Truth and reconciliation commissions also shifted from being the �weaker alternative� to trials to a practice that is morally equal and complementary to the judicial option. Taken as a whole, these changes in the expected utility, morality, and specification of truth and reconciliation commissions facilitated their emergence and consequent institutionalization as an international norm.
Structural features of transmembrane helices

A total of 160 transmembrane helices of 15 non-homologous high-resolution X-ray protein structures have been analyzed in respect of their structural features. The dihedral angles and hydrogen bonds of the helical sections that span the hydrophobic interior of the lipid bilayer have been investigated. The Ramachandran plot of protein channels and solute transporters exhibit a significant shift Δ (φ- and ψ-angles) of Δ mean (+4.5° and −5.4°), compared to a reference group of 151 α-helices of the same average length derived from water-soluble globular proteins. At the C-termini of transmembrane helices structural motifs equivalent to the Gly-caps of helices in globular proteins have been found, with two third of the transmembrane Gly-caps taking up a primary structure that is typically not found at helix termini exposed to a polar solvent. The structural particularities reported here are relevant for the three-dimensional modelling of membrane protein structures.
5‐Hydroxytryptamine Measurements in Molluscan Ganglia and Neurons Using a Modified Radioenzymatic Assay

A radioenzymatic procedure for the determination of sub-picomole amounts of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is described. It is a modification of the method originally described by Saavedra et al. (1973), in which 5-HT was measured as the radiolabelled product [3H]5-methoxy-N- acetyltryptamine , after incubation with [3H]S-adenosylmethionine, acetyl-CoA, and the enzymes hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase (EC 2.1.1.4) and N-acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.5). Ganglia from various gastropod molluscs (Aplysia californica, Tritonia diomedia , Lymnaea stagnalis, and Helisoma trivolvis ), as well as individual neuronal somata isolated from these ganglia, were assayed for 5-HT. Among the homologous giant cerebral cells in these animals, the 5-HT concentrations were similar. Statistical analysis of the 5-HT values in paired 5-HT-containing neurons demonstrated that the variability was considerably greater in samples obtained from different animals than in those obtained from the same animal. This suggests that experiments aimed at manipulating amine levels in individual neurons may benefit by using a paired-cell paradigm. The effects of incubating Aplysia ganglia with 5-HT or with the 5-HT precursors tryptophan and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) were studied. High concentrations of 5-HTP and 5-HT (100 microM) increased the levels of 5-HT in ganglia, but only incubation in high concentrations of 5-HTP resulted in an increase of 5-HT in the isolated somata of 5-HT-containing neurons C1 and P5.
A Multicomponent Motivational Intervention to Improve Adherence Among Adolescents With Poorly Controlled Type 1 Diabetes: A Pilot Study

Objective To adapt and pilot test a multicomponent motivational intervention that includes family-based contingency management (CM) for adolescents with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes. Methods A total of 17 adolescents, age 12–17 years (M = 14.8, SD = 1.5), with type 1 diabetes (duration M = 6.2 years, SD = 4.5) and mean HbA1c of 11.6% (SD = 2.5%) were enrolled. Adolescents and their parents received 14 weeks of motivational interviewing, clinic-based CM, and parent-directed CM that targeted increased blood glucose monitoring (BGM). Results Adolescents significantly increased their BGM (p < .001) and showed significantly improved HbA1c levels (glycemic control) from pre-to posttreatment (p < .0001). Conclusions The magnitude of improvements in the frequency of BGM and glycemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes is encouraging and will be tested in a randomized controlled trial.
The Three Phases of Developmental Dyslexia

Developmental dyslexia, or specific reading disability, is not an isolated unitary symptom but is one aspect of a much larger syndrome that can manifest itself in different forms. In addition to the poor oral reading and comprehension skills, the dyslexia syndrome includes diminished ability to process certain linguistic inputs (Byrne & Shea, 1979; Liberman, Shankweiler, Liberman, Fowler, & Fischer, 1977) syntactic deficits in language output (Fry, Johnson, & Muehl, 1970; Loban, 1963; Semel & Wigg, 1975), and poor spelling ability (Boder & Jerrico, 1982; Nelson, 1980). Our own research carried out with young adults (mostly college students) over the past 5 years confirms the co-occurrence of these symptoms (Aaron & Baker, 1982). Two previous studies that involved more than 20 dyslexic subjects (Aaron, Hickox, & Baker, 1982; Aaron, Lucenti, & Baxter, 1980) found all the subjects to be poor in spelling. The misspelled words ranged from 14 to 35 when they were required to reproduce by writing a list of 36 orally presented words. The list included camion words such as “sit” and relatively uncommon words such as “pessimistic”. In addition, at least one subgroup of dyslexic subjects was found to be poor in syntactic aspects of expressive and receptive language as measured by NSST (Lee, 1969). Similar errors were found in their written sentences as well.
Some morphological, growth, and genomic properties of human cells chronically infected with porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV).

A major concern in using porcine organs for transplantation is the potential of transmission of porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV). To investigate the long-term effects of PERV infection on human...
Phosphorus dynamics of the procaryotic nannoplankton in a Michigan lake1

The small-celled cyanobacteria that dominate Third Sister Lake, Michigan, during summer have extraordinary uptake capabilities for phosphate. Under enriched conditions, the cells can double their phosphorus content in 2 min or less but can sustain the high rates for only a few minutes. ,With equal initial access to the nutrient, the small procaryotes are ultimately more successful than are coexisting eucaryotes in converting the nutrient into new cell biomass.
Compact Electro-Optic Modulators on a Silicon Chip

Electro-optic modulators are one of the most critical components in optoelectronic integration, and decreasing their size may enable novel chip architectures not previously possible. Here, we discuss high-confinement resonators as modulators for achieving high performance in micrometer-size structures
Ischaemia-sensitive sympathetic afferents innervating the gastrointestinal tract function as nociceptors in cats.

1. Activation of sympathetic visceral afferents during mesenteric ischaemia induces visceral pain and reflexly excites the cardiovascular system. The present study investigated the differential responses of ischaemically sensitive and insensitive sympathetic C fibre afferents to graded distension of the gastrointestinal tract. 2. Single-unit activity of C fibre afferents innervating the stomach, duodenum and jejunum was recorded from the right thoracic sympathetic chain of anaesthetized cats. Ischaemically sensitive and insensitive C fibre afferents were identified according to their response to 5-20 min of ischaemia. The functional characteristics of the stimulus-response relationships of afferents were determined by distension of a balloon placed in the corresponding segment of gastrointestinal tract. 3. The results show that ischaemically insensitive C fibre afferents had a lower threshold in response to distension (13 +/- 5 mmHg, n = 10). The discharge frequency of these afferents was saturated within a low pressure range of distension. However, ischaemically sensitive C fibre afferents had a high threshold (86 +/- 12 mmHg, n = 10) and a larger peak response to mechanical distension in the noxious range (60-180 mmHg). There were no differences between ischaemically sensitive and insensitive C fibre afferents with regard to their testing activity or responses to bradykinin (10 micrograms I.A.). 4. This study demonstrates that the gastrointestinal system is innervated by low and high threshold sympathetic C fibre afferents, the latter having the distinct ability to encode nociceptive information such as excessive distension and ischaemia.
Accounting for engineering trade‐offs in corporate and public decision‐making

From experience in developing and testing pollution prevention tools ranging from the opportunity assessment methodology to life cycle assessment and impact assessment, the Systems Analysis Branch (SAB) of the EPA's National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) has acquired a long record of lessons learned in applying these approaches for real world applications. Many of these lessons illustrate several limitations exhibited by each of these P2 approaches. For example, the pollution prevention opportunity assessment (PPOA), perhaps the most intuitive and simplest P2 tool available, is very good at identifying ways to improve operating practices, but the SAB has found several deficiencies in the PPOA's ability to support the procurement of new equipment, products and substitute materials. Life cycle assessment, by contrast, resolves most of those deficiencies by providing a far more comprehensive picture than PPOA, but it is very complex and more expensive by at least an order of magnitude than the PPOA. Further, while each methodological approach provides information on environmental burdens, neither provides any insights on the inevitable trade-offs that occur in performance and cost resulting from a decision. The failure to account for these trade-offs early in the assessment may result in a decision that inadvertently creates negative impacts in performance, cost and environment. The purpose of this article is to propose a new perspective to account for the trade-offs inherent from making a change: engineering trade-offs (ETO).
Basal transcriptional regulation of human damage‐specific DNA‐binding protein genes DDB1 and DDB2 by Sp1, E2F, N‐myc and NF1 elements

The human DDB1 and DDB2 genes encode the 127 and 48 kDa subunits, respectively, of the damage-specific DNA-binding protein (DDB). Mutations in the DDB2 gene have been correlated with the hereditary disease xeroderma pigmentosum group E. We have investigated the proximal promoters of the DDB genes, both of which are G/C-rich and do not contain a TATA box. Transient expression analysis in HeLa cells using a luciferase reporter system indicated the presence of core promoters located within 292 bp (DDB1) and 220 bp (DDB2) upstream of the putative transcription initiation sites. Both core promoters contain multiple active Sp1 sites, with those of DDB1 at -123 to -115 and of DDB2 at -29 to -22 being critical determinants of promoter activity. In addition, an N-myc site at -56 to -51 for DDB1 is an essential transcription element, and mutations in a DDB1 NF-1 site at -104 to -92, a DDB2 NF-1 site at -68 to -56 and a DDB2 E2F site at +36 to +43 also reduce promoter activity. Taken together, these results suggest a regulation of basal transcription typical of cell cycle-regulated genes, and therefore support conjectures that the DDB heterodimer and/or its subunits have functions other than direct involvement in DNA repair.
Treatment-related Optimistic Beliefs and Risk of HIV Transmission: A Review of Recent Findings (2009–2012) in an Era of Treatment as Prevention

The promising outlook for HIV treatment as prevention (TasP) offered by the recent success in clinical trials has highlighted the need for effort against over-optimism toward anti-retroviral therapy (ART). It has been of a central concern that such optimistic beliefs may fuel an increase in risk behaviors to counter the protective effect of ART on reducing overall transmissibility of HIV. The current review was conducted to provide an updated look at the potential impact of treatment-related optimistic beliefs on the risk of HIV transmission. The review yielded a total of 14 studies published during the past 4 years that have examined the role of treatment-related optimistic beliefs in changing people’s adoption of sexual risk behaviors. Findings from quantitative studies were largely in support of an association between optimistic beliefs and risk of HIV transmission. Results from qualitative studies discovered additional information concealed under the numerical associations, and pointed to the need of more rigorous and comprehensive examination of the relationship between optimistic beliefs and HIV transmission risk. Gaps in the current literature were identified and suggestions for future research were provided.
Calcium induces a conformational change in the ligand binding domain of the low density lipoprotein receptor

We previously have shown that LDL-R 354 , a trun- cated low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor, is a calcium binding protein. LDL-R 354 is composed of the ligand binding domain and repeat A of the EGF precursor homology domain of the full-length human LDL receptor. We also found that Ca 2 1 was required for the interaction between LDL-R 354 and its ligand, LDL (Dirlam et al. 1996. Protein Expr. Purif. 8: 489- 500). In the current study, calcium-induced changes in the structure and function of LDL-R 354 were examined. When cal- cium bound to LDL-R 354 , its apparent size increased, as deter- mined by native and SDS-gel electrophoresis. The calcium- saturated form of LDL-R 354 was more resistant to trypsin proteolysis than the calcium-depleted form. In the presence of calcium, the disulfide bonds in the truncated receptor were stabilized, rendering them more resistant to reduction by dithiothreitol. Calcium binding affinities were measured by monitoring increased tryptophan fluorescence intensities. LDL-R 354 bound Ca 2 1 with high affinity ( EC 50 5 60 n m at pH 7.4) and specificity, as 400 m m Mg 2 1 did not compete for cal- cium binding. The affinity of LDL-R 354 for calcium decreased when the pH was lowered. These results suggest that cal- cium induces a conformational change in the ligand binding domain of the LDL receptor and that a receptor conformer capable of binding ligand should be stabilized at physiologi- cal extracellular Ca 2 1 concentration and pH. Drops in pH may regulate LDL receptor function by altering the amount of calcium bound to the receptor.— Dirlam-Schatz, K. A., and A. D. Attie. Calcium induces a confirmation change in the ligand binding domain of the low density lipoprotein recep- tor. J. Lipid Res. 1998. 39: 402-411.
Young People and HIV: A Call to Action

HIV is having a significant impact on young people, among whom the rate of new diagnoses is high and health disparities are more pronounced. Incidence is increasing among young gay and bisexual men, and, among Black males, the largest percentage of new infections occur among those aged between 13 and 24 years. Youths are least likely to experience the health and prevention benefits of treatment. Nearly half of young people with HIV are not diagnosed; among those diagnosed, nearly a quarter are not linked to care, and three quarters are not virally suppressed. Addressing this burden will require renewed efforts to implement effective prevention strategies across multiple sectors, including educational, social, policy, and health care systems that influence prevention knowledge, service use, and treatment options for youths.
A 15-Year Followup of a Nonmicrosurgical Technique for Vasovasostomy

AbstractA 15-year followup was summarized for patients who had a nonmicrosurgical vasectomy reversal. Over-all pregnancy rates were 45 per cent (43 per cent for the first 8years and 49 per cent for the next 7years) and 73 per cent of the pregnancies occurred within 1 year after vasectomy reversal. Patients who achieved pregnancy compared to those who did not had significantly better sperm motility and a lower incidence of antisperm antibodies. The data indicate that nonmicrosurgical techniques can be used successfully to reverse vasectomy more economically and more rapidly than the microsurgical approach, while contributing to a reasonable pregnancy rate.
Variation in human cancer cell external phosphatidylserine is regulated by flippase activity and intracellular calcium

Viable cancer cells expose elevated levels of phosphatidylserine (PS) on the exoplasmic face of the plasma membrane. However, the mechanisms leading to elevated PS exposure in viable cancer cells have not been defined. We previously showed that externalized PS may be used to monitor, target and kill tumor cells. In addition, PS on tumor cells is recognized by macrophages and has implications in antitumor immunity. Therefore, it is important to understand the molecular details of PS exposure on cancer cells in order to improve therapeutic targeting. Here we explored the mechanisms regulating the surface PS exposure in human cancer cells and found that differential flippase activity and intracellular calcium are the major regulators of surface PS exposure in viable human cancer cells. In general, cancer cell lines with high surface PS exhibited low flippase activity and high intracellular calcium, whereas cancer cells with low surface PS exhibited high flippase activity and low intracellular calcium. High surface PS cancer cells also had higher total cellular PS than low surface PS cells. Together, our results indicate that the amount of external PS in cancer cells is regulated by calcium dependent flippase activity and may also be influenced by total cellular PS.
A sequence of coin toss variables for which the strong law fails

(1988). A Sequence of Coin Toss Variables for which the Strong Law Fails. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 95, No. 10, pp. 939-941.
Recent QCD Results from OPAL

Here we present OPAL measurements which extend the LEPI program: a measurement of the inclusive quark-to-photon fragmentation function and an analysis of the multiplicity distributions of qluon and quark jets; as well as first preliminary results from analysis of LEPII data taken at a center-of-mass energy of \(\sqrt s = 183Gev\).
The Effects of Sensorineural Hearing Impairment on Asynchronous Glimpsing of Speech.

In a previous study with normal-hearing listeners, we evaluated consonant identification masked by two or more spectrally contiguous bands of noise, with asynchronous square-wave modulation applied to neighboring bands. Speech recognition thresholds were 5.1–8.5 dB better when neighboring bands were presented to different ears (dichotic) than when all bands were presented to one ear (monaural), depending on the spectral width of the frequency bands. This dichotic advantage was interpreted as reflecting masking release from peripheral spread of masking from neighboring frequency bands. The present study evaluated this effect in listeners with sensorineural hearing loss, a population more susceptible to spread of masking. Speech perception (vowel-consonant-vowel stimuli, as in /aBa/) was measured in the presence of fluctuating noise that was either modulated synchronously across frequency or asynchronously. Hearing-impaired listeners (n = 9) and normal-hearing controls were tested at either the same intensity (n = 7) or same sensation level (n = 8). Hearing-impaired listeners had mild-to-moderate hearing loss and symmetrical, flat audiometric thresholds. While all groups of listeners performed better in the dichotic than monaural condition, this effect was smaller for the hearing-impaired (3.5 dB) and equivalent-sensation-level controls (3.3 dB) than controls tested at the same intensity (11.0 dB). The present study is consistent with the idea that dichotic presentation can improve speech-in-noise listening for hearing-impaired listeners, and may be enhanced when combined with amplification.
Assessment of Pentachlorophenol Toxicity in Newborn Calves: Clinicopathology and Tissue Residues

Newborn Holstein bull calves were fed either analytical pentachlorophenol (aPCP) or technical pentachlorophenol (tPCP) for 6 wk to establish and compare the clinical and pathologic manifestations of toxicity. Four groups of three calves/group were each fed either 1 or 10 mg X (kg body weight)-1 X d-1 of either aPCP or tPCP. A fifth group served as control. Dosages of both PCP preparations were normalized to contain equal concentrations of PCP. Toxic effects were observed only at the 10 mg/kg dose in the tPCP-treated calves. These effects included decreased body weight gain, anorexia, decreased serum protein concentration, elevated serum gamma glutamyl transferase, and decreased triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) concentrations. Histologic lesions included cortical atrophy in the thymus and squamous metaplasia and hyperkeratous changes in the Meibomian gland of the eyelid. Thyroid function, which was assessed in vivo by measuring the rate of T3 and T4 production over 4 h after thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)-challenge, was not impaired suggesting an extrathyroidal site of toxic action. Although serum chemistry indicators were suggestive of hepatic injury there were no discernable lesions. Organ weight analyses were inconclusive but there was a tendency toward enlargement of liver, kidneys and thyroid and decreased weight of lungs, spleen and thymus. A toxic effect clearly related to PCP and not its contaminants was depressed active transport of p-aminohippurate measured in kidney slices in vitro. Steady state concentrations of PCP in serum were about 40 and 90 ppm for the 1 and 10 mg/kg groups, respectively. Concentrations of PCP among the major organs were comparable.
Artificial hormonal replacement cycles have no advantage over hyperstimulated cycles in a gamete intrafallopian transfer oocyte donation program.

Objective To evaluate if the previously reported increased implantation rates in hormonally replaced egg donation cycles relative to hyperstimulated IVF-ET cycles apply when GIFT is used. The increased implantation rates in the recipients have been attributed to the absence of the negative effects of hyperstimulation on endometrial receptivity. Design A prospective comparison of implantation rates in hyperstimulated and hormonally replaced cycles when GIFT was used in both the egg donors and their corresponding recipients. Patients Excess mature oocytes from 35 women undergoing GIFT after controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) were transferred into the fallopian tubes of 35 hormonally replaced women. Results The male partners of all donors and recipients had normal semen parameters. The two groups did not differ significantly in the mean age, duration of infertility, and quality of eggs transferred. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean number of oocytes transferred per cycle between the donors and the recipients. The mean implantation rate per mature oocyte transferred was significantly higher in the donors (19.3%) than in the recipients (6.6%). Conclusion Our results with GIFT show higher implantation rates in hyperstimulated cycles than in hormonally replaced cycles. These results differ from those reported in IVF-ET that suggest an adverse effect of COH on implantation rates.
A Study of the Monohydrate and Dihydrate Complexes of Perfluoropropionic Acid Using Chirped-Pulse Fourier Transform Microwave (CP-FTMW) Spectroscopy.

This work reports the first known spectroscopic observation of the monohydrate and dihydrate complexes of perfluoropropionic acid (PFPA). The spectra have been observed using a chirped-pulse Fourier transform microwave (CP-FTMW) spectrometer in the 7750 to 14250 MHz region. The structures of the species have been confirmed with the aid of ab initio quantum chemical calculations. Rotational constants A, B, and C have been determined and reported for both species along with centrifugal distortion constants ΔJ, ΔJK, ΔK, δJ, δK for H2O-PFPA and ΔJ, ΔJK, and δJ for (H2O)2-PFPA. Effects due to large amplitude motions were not observable in these experiments. Structures of the complexes have been determined using a combination of experimental second moment values and ab initio results. The complexation of the −OH of one or two water molecules has been found to occur in the plane of the carboxylic acid group forming a six- or eight-member ring.
Examining Micro-Level (SQL) Curriculum-Oriented and Promotional IS Enrollment Strategies

ABSTRACTMaintaining enrollments in information systems programs capable of meeting industry demands is an ongoing challenge. While significant research has been conducted examining macro-level strategies (e.g., promoting MIS activities), very few studies have examined micro- level strategies (e.g., promoting Structured Query Language). The purpose of this study is to empirically examine both curriculum-oriented and promotional interventions by introducing SQL into foundation information systems curricula. Based on the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), 180 students completed a survey to measure attitude, behavior norms, and plans to enroll in a database class in the future. Additionally, both the hands-on SQL instruction and the promotional SQL intervention played a moderating role on the impact attitude had on plans to take a database course. These results add to our pedagogical understanding of enrollment decisions as well as provide practical solutions educators may use to keep pace with enrollment demands.
Warm-Sensitive Neurons that Control Body Temperature

Thermoregulation is one of the most vital functions of the brain, but how temperature information is converted into homeostatic responses remains unknown. Here, we use an unbiased approach for activity-dependent RNA sequencing to identify warm-sensitive neurons (WSNs) within the preoptic hypothalamus that orchestrate the homeostatic response to heat. We show that these WSNs are molecularly defined by co-expression of the neuropeptides BDNF and PACAP. Optical recordings in awake, behaving mice reveal that these neurons are selectively activated by environmental warmth. Optogenetic excitation of WSNs triggers rapid hypothermia, mediated by reciprocal changes in heat production and loss, as well as dramatic cold-seeking behavior. Projection-specific manipulations demonstrate that these distinct effectors are controlled by anatomically segregated pathways. These findings reveal a molecularly defined cell type that coordinates the diverse behavioral and autonomic responses to heat. Identification of these warm-sensitive cells provides genetic access to the core neural circuit regulating the body temperature of mammals. PAPERCLIP.