cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dropping Out: A Strategy for Coping with Cultural Pluralism

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a strategy for coping with cultural pluralism. Cultural units are defined in terms of the constellation of themes, behavior styles, and information components exhibited by the members of a group that differ from those shared by members of other groups. The resulting typology needs further empirical delineation and operationalization of specific behavior patterns constituting the various types before it can be useful in social policy formulation. The chapter presents an ideational definition of culture that is useful for the analysis of possible outcomes of interaction between the culturally different. At the individual level, culture can be identified as a person's propriospect, consisting of the various sets of standards for perceiving, evaluating, believing, and doing that the individual attributes to groups of other persons as a result of experiencing their actions and admonitions as well as those standards, beliefs, and values that the individual has developed from experience and attributes to no one else. Equivalent behavioral expectancies provide the mechanism whereby relationships are organized and maintained and imply the recognition—as the result of learning. Competency in a particular public culture can be defined in terms of the degree to which an individual can employ standards for behavior that enable individual to behave predictably to those others with whom he is engaged in mutual activity.
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Red Blood Cells, Megakaryocytes, and Platelets: Progress and Challenges

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) represent an attractive source to generate in vitro-derived red blood cells, megakaryocytes, and platelets for transfusion support. We review the progress made and challenges remaining for generating terminally differentiated red cells and platelets suitable for clinical application. Human iPSC hematopoietic differentiation protocols primarily recapitulate the primitive stage of hematopoiesis, but a different hematopoietic progenitor that mimics the second wave of hematopoiesis has been identified that generates definitive blood cells. Coupled with strategies to improve maturation and expansion, this provides new opportunities to generate red cells and platelets that can mature, enucleate, and proliferate to clinical scale. The major challenges of human iPSC-derived transfusion products are terminal differentiation and scalability. Despite these challenges, iPSCs offer a new source for unlimited generation of red cells and platelets with rare phenotypes for transfusion, blood bank reagents, and novel drug delivery systems.
Testing for Verification Bias in Reported Malignancy Risks for Side-Branch Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms: A Simulation Modeling Approach.

OBJECTIVE. The objective of our study was to test for the possibility that published malignancy risks for side-branch intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) are overestimates, likely due ...
Changes in Cellular Elasticities and Conformational Properties of Bacterial Surface Biopolymers of Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli (MDR-E. coli) Strains in Response to Ampicillin.

Abstract The roles of the thicknesses and grafting densities of the surface biopolymers of four multi-drug resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli bacterial strains that varied in their biofilm formation in controlling cellular elasticities after exposure to ampicillin were investigated using atomic force microscopy. Exposure to ampicillin was carried out at minimum inhibitory concentrations for different duration times. Our results indicated that the four strains resisted ampicillin through variable mechanisms. Strain A5 did not change its cellular properties upon exposure to ampicillin and as such resisted ampicillin through dormancy . Strain H5 increased its biopolymer brush thickness, adhesion and biofilm formation and kept its roughness, surface area and cell elasticity unchanged upon exposure to ampicillin. As such, this strain likely limits the diffusion of ampicillin by forming strong biofilms. At three hours’ exposure to ampicillin, strains D4 and A9 increased their roughness, surface areas, biofilm formation, and brush thicknesses and decreased their elasticities. Therefore, at short exposure times to ampicillin, these strains resisted ampicillin through forming strong biofilms that impede ampicillin diffusion. At eight hours’ exposure to ampicillin, strains D4 and A9 collapsed their biopolymers, increased their apparent grafting densities and increased their cellular elasticities. Therefore, at long exposure times to ampicillin, cells utilized their higher rigidity to reduce the diffusion of ampicillin into the cells. The findings of this study clearly point to the potential of using the nanoscale characterization of MDR bacterial properties as a means to monitor cell modifications that enhance “phenotypic antibiotic resistance”.
Intermediate fenestrations reduce flow reversal in a silicone model of Stanford Type B aortic dissection

Abstract Pulsatile, three-dimensional hemodynamic forces influence thrombosis, and may dictate progression of aortic dissection. Intimal flap fenestration and blood pressure are clinically relevant variables in this pathology, yet their effects on dissection hemodynamics are poorly understood. The goal of this study was to characterize these effects on flow in dissection models to better guide interventions to prevent aneurysm formation and false lumen flow. Silicone models of aortic dissection with mobile intimal flap were fabricated based on patient images and installed in a flow loop with pulsatile flow. Flow fields were acquired via 4-dimensional flow MRI, allowing for quantification and visualization of relevant fluid mechanics. Pulsatile vortices and jet-like structures were observed at fenestrations immediately past the proximal entry tear. False lumen flow reversal was significantly reduced with the addition of fenestrations, from 19.2 ± 3.3% in two-tear dissections to 4.67 ± 1.5% and 4.87 ± 1.7% with each subsequent fenestration. In contrast, increasing pressure did not cause appreciable differences in flow rates, flow reversal, and vortex formation. Increasing the number of intermediate tears decreased flow reversal as compared to two-tear dissection, which may prevent false lumen thrombosis, promoting persistent false lumen flow. Vortices were noted to result from transluminal fluid motion at distal tear sites, which may lead to degeneration of the opposing wall. Increasing pressure did not affect measured flow patterns, but may contribute to stress concentrations in the aortic wall. The functional and anatomic assessment of disease with 4D MRI may aid in stratifying patient risk in this population.
The linearly decreasing stress Weibull (LDSWeibull): a new Weibull-like distribution

Motivated by an engineering pullout test applied to a steel strip embedded in earth, we show how the resulting linearly decreasing force leads naturally to a new distribution, if the force under constant stress is modeled via a three-parameter Weibull. We term this the LDSWeibull distribution, and show that inference on the parameters of the underlying Weibull can be made upon collection of data from such pullout tests. Various classical finite-sample and asymptotic properties of the LDSWeibull are studied, including existence of moments, distribution of extremes, and maximum likelihood based inference under different regimes. The LDSWeibull is shown to have many similarities with the Weibull, but does not suffer from the problem of having an unbounded likelihood function under certain parameter configurations. We demonstrate that the quality of its fit can also be very competitive with that of the Weibull in certain applications.
Non-local U-Net for Biomedical Image Segmentation

Deep learning has shown its great promise in various biomedical image segmentation tasks. Existing models are typically based on U-Net and rely on an encoder-decoder architecture with stacked local operators to aggregate long-range information gradually. However, only using the local operators limits the efficiency and effectiveness. In this work, we propose the non-local U-Nets, which are equipped with flexible global aggregation blocks, for biomedical image segmentation. These blocks can be inserted into U-Net as size-preserving processes, as well as down-sampling and up-sampling layers. We perform thorough experiments on the 3D multimodality isointense infant brain MR image segmentation task to evaluate the non-local U-Nets. Results show that our proposed models achieve top performances with fewer parameters and faster computation.
“A Teenager in Love”: How Black Adolescents Became “Teenagers” in Rock and Roll Music, 1956-1960

The image of teenagers in the 1950s has permeated popular culture for decades. Within public historical memory, these kids seem perpetually carefree, dancing to jukebox tunes, sharing sodas with da...
Integrase-RNA interactions underscore the critical role of integrase in HIV-1 virion morphogenesis

A large number of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) integrase (IN) alterations, referred to as class II substitutions, exhibit pleiotropic effects during virus replication. However, the underlying mechanism for the class II phenotype is not known. Here we demonstrate that all tested class II IN substitutions compromised IN-RNA binding in virions by one of the three distinct mechanisms: (i) markedly reducing IN levels thus precluding the formation of IN complexes with viral RNA; (ii) adversely affecting functional IN multimerization and consequently impairing IN binding to viral RNA; and (iii) directly compromising IN-RNA interactions without substantially affecting IN levels or functional IN multimerization. Inhibition of IN-RNA interactions resulted in the mislocalization of viral ribonucleoprotein complexes outside the capsid lattice, which led to premature degradation of the viral genome and IN in target cells. Collectively, our studies uncover causal mechanisms for the class II phenotype and highlight an essential role of IN-RNA interactions for accurate virion maturation.
Parametric Analysis of High-Delta-V CubeSat Missions with a Miniature Ion Thruster

The increasing capabilities of the CubeSat platform have led to growing interest in performing more complex commercial and science missions with these miniature spacecraft. In particular, electric ...
NanoLambda: Implementing Functions as a Service at All Resource Scales for the Internet of Things.

Internet of Things (IoT) devices are becoming increasingly prevalent in our environment, yet the process of programming these devices and processing the data they produce remains difficult. Typically, data is processed on device, involving arduous work in low level languages, or data is moved to the cloud, where abundant resources are available for Functions as a Service (FaaS) or other handlers. FaaS is an emerging category of flexible computing services, where developers deploy self-contained functions to be run in portable and secure containerized environments; however, at the moment, these functions are limited to running in the cloud or in some cases at the “edge” of the network using resource rich, Linux-based systems.In this paper, we present NanoLambda, a portable platform that brings FaaS, high-level language programming, and familiar cloud service APIs to non-Linux and microcontroller-based IoT devices. To enable this, NanoLambda couples a new, minimal Python runtime system that we have designed for the least capable end of the IoT device spectrum, with API compatibility for AWS Lambda and S3. NanoLambda transfers functions between IoT devices (sensors, edge, cloud), providing power and latency savings while retaining the programmer productivity benefits of high-level languages and FaaS. A key feature of NanoLambda is a scheduler that intelligently places function executions across multi-scale IoT deployments according to resource availability and power constraints. We evaluate a range of applications that use NanoLambda to run on devices as small as the ESP8266 with 64KB of ram and 512KB flash storage.
Association of APOE Genotype With Heterogeneity of Cognitive Decline Rate in Alzheimer Disease

Objective To test the hypothesis that the APOE genotype is a significant driver of heterogeneity in Alzheimer disease (AD) clinical progression, which could have important implications for clinical trial design and interpretation. Methods We applied novel reverse-time longitudinal models to analyze the trajectories of Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDR-SOB) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores—2 common outcome measures in AD clinical trials—in 1,102 autopsy-proven AD cases (moderate/frequent neuritic plaques and Braak tangle stage III or greater) from the National Alzheimer9s Coordinating Center Neuropathology database resembling participants with mild to moderate AD in therapeutic clinical trials. Results APOE e4 carriers exhibited ≈1.5 times faster CDR-SOB increase than APOE e3/e3 carriers (2.12 points per year vs 1.44 points per year) and ≈1.3 times faster increase than APOE e2 carriers (1.65 points per year), whereas APOE e2 vs APOE e3/e3 difference was not statistically significant. APOE e4 carriers had ≈1.1 times faster MMSE decline than APOE e3/e3 carriers (−3.45 vs −3.03 points per year) and ≈1.4 times faster decline than APOE e2 carriers (−2.43 points per year), whereas APOE e2 carriers had ≈1.2 times slower decline than APOE e3/e3 carriers (−2.43 vs −3.03 points per year). These findings remained largely unchanged after controlling for the effect of AD neuropathologic changes on the rate of cognitive decline and for the presence and severity of comorbid pathologies. Conclusion Compared to the APOE e3/e3 reference genotype, the APOE e2 and e4 alleles have opposite (slowing and accelerating, respectively) effects on the rate of cognitive decline, which are clinically relevant and largely independent of the differential APOE allele effects on AD and comorbid pathologies. Thus, APOE genotype contributes to the heterogeneity in rate of clinical progression in AD.
An Experimental Study of Balance in Matrix Factorization

We experimentally examine how gradient descent navigates the landscape of matrix factorization to obtain a global minimum. First, we review the critical points of matrix factorization and introduce a balanced factorization. By focusing on the balanced critical point at the origin and a subspace of unbalanced critical points, we study the effect of balance on gradient descent, including an initially unbalanced factorization and adding a balance-regularizer to the objective in the MF problem. Simulations demonstrate that maintaining a balanced factorization enables faster escape from saddle points and overall faster convergence to a global minimum.
Treatment of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis: A Review

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is a metabolic dysfunction-related liver disease that has become one of the leading causes of cirrhosis and liver transplantation in the United States.Obesity and insulin resistance are the two most common risk factors for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, with patients frequently exhibiting metabolic syndrome symptoms. Patients who are able to modify these risk factors and are recognised early in the course of their disease can experience histological improvement, including fibrosis arrest or improvement. In addition to the development of cirrhosis and its life-threatening complications such as hepatocellular carcinoma, variceal bleeding, ascites, and hepatic encephalopathy, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is associated with coronary artery, carotid artery, and peripheral vascular disease, with coronary artery disease being the most common cause of death. Despite the completion of several clinical trials assessing a variety of drugs targeted at different parts of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis development and progression, there is presently no approved treatment for this condition other than risk factor management. However, several promising clinical trials are in progress and the future looks promising. The most recent and salient medical advances in the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis will be discussed in this article.
Visiting the complex bibliography of The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Erebus and Terror, 1839-1843

Deciphering the bibliographical details of The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Erebus and Terror, 1839-1843 has long been problematic owing to production of the Zoology in 24 parts over a 31-year time span (1844−1875), two publication periods (1844−1848, 1874−1875) each with a different publisher, non-consecutive issuance of text pages and plates, non-uniform plate numbering, ambiguities in publication dates and publisher imprints, conflicting bibliographical information in previous reports, and perhaps most of all the extreme rarity of parts still in their original state. The present report, based on what appears to be the most thorough examination of parts and reissues in original state to date, closes numerous knowledge gaps.
Femoral development in chronically centrifuged rats

Groups of 30-d-old male and female rats were centrifuged at 2.00 G (RE, Rotation Experimental), 1.05 G (RC, Rotation Control) or exposed to the noise and wind of the centrifuge at 1.00 G (EC, Earth Control) for periods of 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 weeks. Measurements of their femurs indicated that exposure to centrifugation a) decreased femoral length in RE animals, b) increased femoral length in RC animals, c) reduced femoral diameter in RE and RC animals, d) increased L/D ratios in RC animals, e) decreased L/D ratios in RE animals, f) increased femur length/body weight in RE animals, g) decreased cortical thickness (CT) in RE animals, h) increased relative CT in RE animals, and decreased it in RC animals, i) accelerated ossification in RC femoral heads, j) thinned and distorted RE epiphyseal plates, and k) thickened condylar cartilage in RE females. The effects tended to be strongly sexually dimorphic, with females more severely affected by the stress than males.
Failure to diagnose anemia in medical inpatients. Is the traditional diagnosis of anemia a dying art

The diagnosis and treatment of anemia in medical inpatients were studied. Anemia was detected from the admitting complete blood cell count, the medical charts were perused for management of anemia by the physicians, and the cases of anemia were classified by the investigators, using the complete blood cell count and peripheral blood smear. Anemia was seldom diagnosed in the traditional manner. In about 25 percent of cases, it was not even recognized. In about 20 percent, it was recognized but not evaluated or treated. In the 55 percent of cases adequately diagnosed and/or treated, the diagnosis was often more "situational" than analytic, the treatment more empiric than specific. Physicians ignored or misused information from the complete blood cell count and smear description and examined the smear themselves in fewer than one in 10 anemic patients. Not all of the missed cases of anemia were mild, expected from the patient's illness, or unimportant to the patient's care.
Use of fraction flow reserve to predict changes over time in management of superficial femoral artery.

Background:Peripheral arterial disease is a condition characterized by progressive arterial narrowing, which affects patients’ quality of life. The purposes of this study were to (1) establish the feasibility of obtaining peripheral fractional flow reserve (pFFR) in the peripheral vascular circulation, (2) demonstrate an association between baseline pFFR and peak systolic velocity (PSV) measured by duplex ultrasound, and (3) correlate postintervention pFFR with future restenosis using the change in PSV over time as a surrogate. Methods:Twenty patients underwent baseline ankle brachial index (ABI) and PSV testing. Pre- and postintervention pFFR was performed. Patients were followed with three ABI and PSV recordings during the 1 year follow-up period. The association between baseline PSV, ABI, and pFFR with changes in PSV over time were explored. Predictors of postprocedural PSV over time were determined. Results:The baseline translesional-resting ratio was significantly different from the pFFR using adenosine (0.79 ± 0.08 vs. 0.71 ± 0.09, P = 0.01). Baseline PSV was significantly associated with preintervention pFFR (–0.77, P 0.95, patients with a postprocedure pFFR < 0.95 had a significantly more rapid rise in PSV over time (P = 0.009). Conclusion:This is the first study to demonstrate that the peripheral vascular bed does respond to vasodilatation thereby supporting the use of pFFR for this procedure. In our study, postintervention pFFR < 0.95 predicted a more rapid increase in PSV over time, which is a reasonably accepted surrogate for restenosis. (J Interven Cardiol 2012;25:71–77)
El regreso de Jumandy: historicidad, parentesco y lenguaje en Napo

Este trabajo analiza los significados culturales del levantamiento indigena en el 2001 en el alto Napo como modo de investigar la historicidad indigena. Aunque hay varias publicaciones sobre el levantamiento 2001 en Napo, no se han considerado estos eventos desde una perspectiva de la historicidad kichwa. El argumento es que la historia que producen los hablantes de kichwa amazonico se estructura como un complejo de circulacion de sustancias (o samai) que vincula actores sociales con un tiempo-espacio primordial. A traves de un testimonio historico sobre Jumandy, se muestra como esta complejidad simbolica de lenguaje-cultura kichwa crea vinculos de sustancia y poder con seres mitico-historicos
Medical molecular pharming: expression of antibodies, biopharmaceuticals and edible vaccines via the chloroplast genome.

The daily income of nearly one billion people is less than one U.S. dollar. However, the annual cost of interferon therapy for leukemia, metastasizing carcinoma, Karposi sarcoma or viral hepatitis is $26,000. Among 180 million people infected with hepatitis C virus, a large majority of them have severe cirrhosis. Currently there is no vaccine available for hepatitis C. The annual requirement of Insulin like Growth Factor I, per cirrhotic patient is 600 mg and the current cost per mg is $30,000. In contrast, chloroplast-derived biopharmaceuticals should be inexpensive to produce and store, easy to scale up for mass production, and safer than those derived from animals or humans. Chloroplast genetic engineering is an environmentally friendly approach and offers biological containment of transgenes. Expression of thousands of copies of transgenes per cell via chloroplast genomes has yielded the highest level of foreign proteins ever reported in transgenic plants. Chloroplast transgene expression is also free of position effect and gene silencing, frequently encountered in nuclear transgenic plants. Oral delivery of medicine, via food, should eliminate the purification steps that usually account for most of production costs. Edible vaccines may be the only practical solution to combat bioterrorism. The successful engineering of tomato chromoplasts for high level transgene expression in fruits, coupled to hyper-expression of vaccine antigens and the use of plant-derived antibiotic free selectable markers augur well for oral delivery of edible vaccines or biopharmaceuticals that are currently beyond the reach of those who need them most. This article provides recent developments in the expression of antibodies, biopharmaceuticals edible vaccines via the chloroplast genome and also addresses possible environmental advantages.
A History of the American University Experiment Station (AUES) Site

Case studies are frequently used in environmental books and training courses. This chapter provides the various documents that have been written by a state regulator in the course of cleaning up a chemical weapons site. The case study shows, by example, how such historical information can be used to buttress specific requests for sampling or cleanup action. The accidental discovery of World War I unexploded poison gas shells at the AUES Spring Valley site on January 5, 1993, properly evoked an immediate emergency response. Although the Spring Valley site was identified by the U.S. Army in 1985, stakeholders were not informed until the buried munitions story emerged in the press in 1993. This cover-up served to make the stakeholders or regulators extremely distrustful of future decisions. Such failure to involve stakeholders from the inception is often cited for the failure of adequate remediation. One of the failures of the remedial action at the Spring Valley site was a breakdown between the historical study and the scientific and military assessment. The District of Columbia undertook this study because of three important observations: the contaminants potentially present were not industrial chemicals but were expressly designed to kill people; the containers unearthed to date are shell casings—which are thicker than the drums and cans usually associated with toxic waste dumps—or bottles, increasing the likelihood of lethal concentrations; and there was open air testing, which likely left behind metal contamination such as arsenic.
Meeting physical activity guidelines and the risk of incident knee osteoarthritis: a population-based prospective cohort study

Objective Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability and joint pain. Although other risk factors of knee OA have been identified, how physical activity affects incident knee OA remains unclear. Methods Using data from the first (1999–2004) and second (2005–2010) followup periods of the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project study, we tested the association between meeting physical activity guidelines and incident knee outcomes among 1,522 adults ages ≥45 years. The median followup time was 6.5 years (range 4.0–10.2 years). Physical activity at baseline (moderate-equivalent physical activity minutes/week) was calculated using the Minnesota Leisure Time Physical Activity questionnaire. Incident knee radiographic OA (ROA) was defined as the development of Kellgren/Lawrence grade ≥2 in a knee at followup. Incident knee symptomatic ROA (sROA) was defined as the development of ROA and symptoms in at least 1 knee at followup. Weibull regression modeling was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for interval-censored data. Results In multivariable models, meeting the 2008 Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) physical activity guidelines (≥150 minutes/week) was not significantly associated with ROA (HR 1.20 [95% CI 0.92–1.56]) or sROA (HR 1.24 [95% CI 0.87–1.76]). Adults in the highest level (≥300 minutes/week) of physical activity had a higher risk of knee ROA and sROA compared with inactive (0 to <10 minutes/week) participants; however, these associations were not statistically significant (HR 1.62 [95% CI 0.97–2.68] and HR 1.42 [95% CI 0.76–2.65], respectively). Conclusion Meeting the HHS physical activity guidelines was not associated with incident knee ROA or sROA in a cohort of middle-aged and older adults.
Diabetes, lower extremity amputation, loss of protective sensation, and neuronal nitric oxide synthase associated protein in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort study

Lower extremity amputation (LEA) is a life-altering complication of diabetes. The goal of our study was to investigate the possibility that genetic variation in neuronal nitric oxide synthase associated protein (NOS1AP) is associated with LEA and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Our work used data from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) study. CRIC is a multicenter investigation undertaken to pursue the relationship between chronic renal insufficiency and cardiovascular disease. We evaluated 3,040 CRIC study subjects; 1,490 individuals were African Americans and 1,550 were whites. LEA occurred in 162 (5.3%) subjects, 93 (6.2%) of African Americans and 69 (4.4%) of whites. In whites, NOS1AP single nucleotide polymorphism rs1963645 was most strongly associated with LEA (1.73 [1.23, 2.44]). In African Americans three NOS1AP single nucleotide polymorphisms were associated with LEA: rs6659759 (1.65 [1.21, 2.24]); rs16849113 (1.58 [1.16, 2.14]); rs880296 (1.54 [1.14, 2.10]). We tested a subset of 100 CRIC participants for DPN using Semmes-Weinstein filaments. DPN in those with diabetes was associated with rs1963645 (16.97 [2.38, 120.97]) in whites and rs16849113 and rs6659759 (3.62 [1.11, 11.83] and 3.02 [0.82, 11.12], respectively) in African Americans. In conclusion, this is one of the first studies to show that NOS1AP gene variants are associated with DPN and LEA.
Indentation Law for Composite Laminates.

Static indentation tests are described for glass/epoxy and graphite/epoxy composite laminates with steel balls as the indentor. Beam specimens clamped at various spans were used for the tests. Loading, unloading, and reloading data were obtained and fitted into power laws. Results show that: (1) contact behavior is not appreciably affected by the span; (2) loading and reloading curves seem to follow the 1.5 power law; and (3) unloading curves are described quite well by a 2.5 power law. In addition, values were determined for the critical indentation, alpha sub cr which can be used to predict permanent indentations in unloading. Since alpha sub cr only depends on composite material properties, only the loading and an unloading curve are needed to establish the complete loading-unloading-reloading behavior.
Characterizing the daily life, needs, and priorities of adults with autism spectrum disorder from Interactive Autism Network data:

Using online survey data from a large sample of adults with autism spectrum disorder and legal guardians, we first report outcomes across a variety of contexts for participants with a wide range of functioning, and second, summarize these stakeholders’ priorities for future research. The sample included n = 255 self-reporting adults with autism spectrum disorder aged 18–71 years (M = 38.5 years, standard deviation = 13.1 years) and n = 143 adults with autism spectrum disorder aged 18–58 years (M = 25.0 years, standard deviation = 8.2 years) whose information was provided by legal guardians. Although the self-reporting subsample had much higher rates of employment, marriage/partnership, and independent living than are typically seen in autism spectrum disorder outcome studies, they remained underemployed and had strikingly high rates of comorbid disorders. Data on both descriptive outcomes and rated priorities converged across subsamples to indicate the need for more adult research on life skills, treatmen...
Chemosensitization of fungal pathogens to antimicrobial agents using benzo analogs

Activities of conventional antifungal agents, fludioxonil, strobilurin and antimycin A, which target the oxidative and osmotic stress response systems, were elevated by coapplication of certain benzo analogs (aldehydes and acids). Fungal tolerance to 2,3-dihydroxybenzaldehyde or 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid was found to rely upon mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (SOD2) or glutathione reductase (GLR1), genes regulated by the HOG1 signaling pathway, respectively. Thus, certain benzo analogs can be effective at targeting cellular oxidative stress response systems. The ability of these compounds to chemosensitize fungi for improved control with conventional antifungal agents is discussed.
Magnetic susceptibility measurements of dilute MgEu alloys

Abstract Magnetic susceptibility measurements of strain-free dilute alloys of Eu in Mg indicate that the Eu is predominantly divalent with 8 S 7 2 ground state. The analysis indicates no solid solubility of Eu in Mg.
Binge eating, appetitive responsiveness, and disinhibition: Relation to asymmetrical activation in the human brain

Asymmetrical activation in the frontal cortex has been related to affect and volitional behavior. Literature has demonstrated a relationship between frontal asymmetry and restrained eating in normal weight individuals. Research has also shown that normal weight restrained eaters and overweight binge eaters experience similar frequencies of emotional distress and eating. This study tested whether binge eating in overweight individuals would be associated with frontal asymmetry. Thirty overweight participants were recruited from a weight maintenance study. Participants were assessed using the Binge-Eating Scale (BES), Power of Food Scale (PFS), Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ), and Mood and Anxiety Symptoms Questionnaire. Asymmetrical activation was assessed using electroencephalogram recordings. Pearson correlations were used to examine the relationships between the BES, PFS, TFEQ, and asymmetrical activation. Results revealed a relationship between binge eating and left-sided asymmetry in the frontocentral (p=0.030) and frontotemporal (p=0.040) regions, however, this relationship was not specific to frontal regions as prior literature suggests. Significant correlations between binge eating and left-sided asymmetry were also found in the centroparietal (p=0.036), parietal (p=0.008), and parieto-occiptal (p=0.027) regions. These results suggest activation of deep brain sources, such as in the medial temporal lobe. Appetitive responsivity and Disinhibition were correlated with left-sided asymmetry in frontal, central, and temporal regions. PFS and Disinhibition scores were also correlated with right-sided parietal asymmetry. Correlations remained significant when controlling for affect. Results encourage future research to unify models of asymmetrical activation and further explore its relationship with ingestive behavior.
Low doses of radiation can enhance insect lifespans.

This paper assesses the capacity of ionizing radiation to extend the lifespans of experimental insect models based on the peer-reviewed literature. Ionizing radiation biphasically affects the lifespans of adult males and females for a broad range of insect models with high doses reducing lifespan whereas lower doses can enhance lifespan, typically in the 20–60 % range. The average adult insect lifespan can be increased when ionizing radiation exposure is administered during early developmental stages or during the adult stage. The effective dose inducing the average adult insect lifespan enhancement may vary considerably depending upon which life stage is exposed. Recent findings have identified specific genes affecting anti-oxidant defenses, DNA repair, apoptosis and heat shock proteins as well as several cell signaling pathways that mediate the longevity enhancing hormetic response.
Plasma exudation in conscious dogs with experimental heart failure

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of bradykinin (BK), substance P (SP) and histamine on plasma exudation in the skin of conscious dogs with and without pacing-induced heart failure. We also determined the role tissue angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) and neutral endopeptidase (NEP) play in modulating these responses. We found that intradermal injection of BK, SP and histamine induced a significant, concentration-dependent Evans blue exudation in normal dogs (p<0.05). Bradykinin-induced responses were significantly potentiated by captopril (p<0.05). In contrast, phosphoramidon potentiated BK-induced responses only at low concentrations of BK. Both captopril and phosphoramidon had no significant effects on SP-and histamine-induced Evans blue exudation. BK- and SP-induced responses were significantly attenuated, whereas histamine-induced Evans blue exudation was significantly potentiated in dogs with heart failure. We conclude that heart failure is associated with attenuation of BK- and SP-, but not histamine-induced plasma exudation in the peripheral microcirculation and that these responses are not modulated by tissue ACE and NEP.
Targeted brain delivery of 17β-estradiol via nasally administered water soluble prodrugs

The utility of the nasal route for the systemic delivery of 17β-estradiol was studied using watersoluble prodrugs of 17β-estradiol. This delivery method was examined to determine if it will result in preferential delivery to the brain. Several alkyl prodrugs of 17β-estradiol were prepared and their physicochemical properties were determined. In vitro hydrolysis rate constants in buffer, rat plasma, and rat brain homogenate were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. In vivo nasal experiments were carried out on rats. Levels of 17β-estradiol in plasma and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) were determined with radioimunoassay using a gamma counter. The study revealed that the aqueous solubilities of the prodrugs were several orders of magnitude greater than 17β-estradiol with relatively fast in vitro conversion in rat plasma. Absorption was fast following nasal delivery of the prodrugs with high bioavailability. CSF 17β-estradiol concentration was higher following nasal delivery of the prodrugs compared to an equivalent intravenous dose. It was determined that water-soluble prodrugs of 17β-estradiol can be administered nasally. These prodrugs are capable of producing high levels of estradiol in the CSF and as a result may have a significant value in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Excessive fibrin after cataract surgery associated with aminocaproic acid use

A 78-year-old woman developed a severe fibrinous anterior chamber reaction 1 day after uneventful clear corneal incision cataract extraction with intraocular lens implantation. There was no history of uveitis or diabetes, and the fibrin responded immediately to topical steroids. The patient was followed closely to rule out endophthalmitis. The only risk factor identified was the use of systemic aminocaproic acid as prophylaxis for bleeding in chronic leukemia.
Modeling of environmental and genetic interactions with AMBROSIA, an information-theoretic model synthesis method

To develop a model synthesis method for parsimoniously modeling gene–environmental interactions (GEI) associated with clinical outcomes and phenotypes. The AMBROSIA model synthesis approach utilizes the k-way interaction information (KWII), an information-theoretic metric capable of identifying variable combinations associated with GEI. For model synthesis, AMBROSIA considers relevance of combinations to the phenotype, it precludes entry of combinations with redundant information, and penalizes for unjustifiable complexity; each step is KWII based. The performance and power of AMBROSIA were evaluated with simulations and Genetic Association Workshop 15 (GAW15) data sets of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). AMBROSIA identified parsimonious models in data sets containing multiple interactions with linkage disequilibrium present. For the GAW15 data set containing 9187 single-nucleotide polymorphisms, the parsimonious AMBROSIA model identified nine RA-associated combinations with power >90%. AMBROSIA was compared with multifactor dimensionality reduction across several diverse models and had satisfactory power. Software source code is available from http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/DBGROUP/bioinformatics/resources.html. AMBROSIA is a promising method for GEI model synthesis.
Development of general relativity

This article is based on an invited talk given at the 1974 annual meeting of the American Physical Society in Chicago on the occasion of the award of the Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics, February 5, 1974. (The substance of this lecture has been published for private circulation in the Summer 1974 issue of The University of Chicago Magazine.)
Fat/water separation in single acquisition steady-state free precession using multiple echo radial trajectories.

Phase detection in fully refocused SSFP imaging has recently allowed fat/water separation without preparing the magnetization or using multiple acquisitions. Instead, it exploits the phase difference between fat and water at an echo time at the midpoint of the TR. To minimize the TR for improved robustness to B0 inhomogeneity, a 3D projection acquisition collecting two half echoes at the beginning and end of each excitation was previously implemented. Since echoes are not formed at the midpoint of the TR, this method still requires two passes of k-space for fat/water separation. A new method is presented to linearly combine the half echoes to separate fat and water in a single acquisition. Separation using phase detection provides superior contrast between fat and water voxels. Results from high resolution angiography and musculoskeletal studies with improved robustness to inhomogeneity and a 50% scan time reduction compared to the two pass method are presented. Magn Reson Med, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
What Price Nondisclosure? The Effects of Nondisclosure of Real Estate Sales Prices*

Objective. Only a select set of states still do not require mandatory public disclosure of real estate sales prices. In this article we examine the possible public-sector consequences of failing to make real estate sales prices publicly accessible. Methods. We propose a set of possible public-sector consequences of sales price nondisclosure (property tax assessment inequities, tax revenue leakages, administrative inefficiencies, and related ancillary effects). We identify examples, provide limited empirical evidence (simple regressions and distributional analyses) on the restricted data available, and discuss the relevant legal considerations at a variety of administrative and geographic scales. Results. The limited statistical results and examples provide evidence of possible inequities in effective tax rates and tax revenue leakages that may be connected to sale price nondisclosure. Conclusions. We argue that there is a strong prima facie case for legitimate public concerns attached to real estate sales price nondisclosure.
Solute diffusion in swollen membranes. IV. Theories for moderately swollen networks

A theoretical model was developed to describe solute transport through moderately swollen networks. The model is an extension of the previous analysis of Peppas and Reinhart (1983), and it describes the normalized effective diffusion coefficient of the solute through the network as a function of the equilibrium degree of swelling, Q, the hydrodynamic radius of the solute, rs, the number average molecular weight between crosslinks, M¯c, and a function f(ξ) of the mesh size ξ, which takes into consideration barriers due to crosslinks, entanglements, etc. For the development of this model, the Cohen–Turnbull (1958) free volume theory was modified to incorporate topological and mobility characteristics from de Gennes' analysis (1979).
Concentration of key elements in North American meat & bone meal

Meat & bone meal (MBM) and related rendered protein commodities have potential for use in applications other than animal feed, including use as a fuel or a phosphorus fertilizer. In order to develop these applications, data on the elemental composition are required; the currently available elemental composition data have important limitations. To generate more appropriate and reliable data, MBM samples were collected from 17 North American rendering plants, carefully prepared and analyzed for 20 elements. Preliminary studies showed that the sample preparation process artificially increased levels of sulfur and nickel in a manner that was correctable. Concentrations of many elements were found to agree with previously published values, but concentrations of potassium, magnesium and copper were significantly different from the most authoritative reference. Concentrations of heavy metals tested for were low, and arsenic and cadmium were not detected in any sample. Among the elements tested, there were a number of pairs of elements whose concentration was correlated with high significance, which in some cases was due to the varying proportions of soft tissue and bone in the MBM. The data presented should allow the development of non-feed applications for MBM to proceed with increased confidence.
Developing And Enhancing Human Capital: The Impact Of Leader Charisma

Theories of charismatic leadership suggest that leader characteristics are important components of firm success and follower satisfaction. However, environment effects are largely ignored in examin...
Doctoral Research Training of Counselor Education Faculty

Counselor educators (N = 167) in programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs were surveyed regarding research training received during their doctoral studies. Respondents shared perspectives regarding the quality and quantity of their research course work as well as suggestions on how to enhance research training in counselor education programs. Differences in the amount, type, and attitudes toward research were found according to programs from which educators were graduated and year of graduation. The influences of mentoring as a critical practice in research training also emerged. Implications for research training in counselor education are discussed.
Inhibition of the binding of progesterone receptor to nuclei: effects of o-phenanthroline and rifamycin AF/013.

Abstract When preparations of chick oviduct progesterone receptor, labeled with [ 3 H]progesterone, are suitably incubated with o-phenanthroline or rifamycin AF/013, the ability of the [ 3 H]progesterone-receptor to bind to purified oviduct nuclei is almost completely abolished, although the steroid-receptor complex itself remains essentially intact. m-Phenanthroline and rifampicin do not cause significant inhibition of nuclear-binding ability. These findings are discussed in relation to known effects of the same compounds on nucleic acid polymerases. The effectiveness of o-phenanthroline suggests that the receptor may be a metalloprotein in which the metal ion participates in the attachment of receptor to nuclear binding sites.
Learning plans without a priori knowledge

This paper is concerned with the autonomous learning of plans in probabilistic domains with out a priori domain-specific knowledge. In contrast to existing reinforcement learning algorithms that generate only reactive plans, and existing probabilistic planning algorithms that require a sub stantial amount of a priori knowledge in order to plan, a two-stage bottom-up process is devised in which first reinforcement learning/dynamic programming is applied, without the use of a pri ori domain-specific knowledge, to acquire a reactive plan, and then explicit plans are extracted from the reactive plan. Several options for plan extraction are examined, each of which is based on a beam search that performs temporal projection in a restricted fashion, guided by the value functions resulting from reinforcement learning/dynamic programming. Some completeness and soundness results are given. Examples in several domains are discussed that together demonstrate the working of the proposed model.
Hypophosphatemia: an evidence-based approach to its clinical consequences and management

Optimal cellular function is dependent on maintenance of a normal serum phosphorus concentration. Serum phosphorus concentration is affected by several determinants, the most important of which is regulation of phosphorus reabsorption by the kidney. The majority of this reabsorption (80%) occurs in the proximal tubule and is mediated by an isoform of the sodium-phosphate cotransporter (NaPi-II). Parathyroid hormone, via a variety of intracellular signaling cascades leading to NaPi-IIa internalization and downregulation, is the main regulator of renal phosphate reabsorption. Shift of phosphorus from extracellular to intracellular compartments, decreased gastrointestinal absorption, and increased urinary losses, are the primary mechanisms of hypophosphatemia, which affects approximately 2% of hospitalized patients. Hypophosphatemia has been implicated as a cause of rhabdomyolysis, respiratory failure, hemolysis and left ventricular dysfunction. With the exception of ventilated patients, there is little evidence that moderate hypophosphatemia has significant clinical consequences in humans, and aggressive intravenous phosphate replacement is unnecessary. By contrast, patients with severe hypophosphatemia should be treated. Intravenous repletion may be considered, especially for patients who have clinical sequelae of hypophosphatemia.