cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular genetic analysis of chalcone synthase in Lycopersicon esculentum and an anthocyanin-deficient mutant

Twelve loci have previously been identified in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) that control the intensity and distribution of anthocyanin pigmentation; these are useful genetic markers because they encode phenotypes that are readily visualized in the hypocotyls of emerging seedlings. In order to obtain molecular probes for tomato anthocyanin biosynthesis genes, we isolated two cDNAs which encode chalcone synthase (CHS), one of the key enzymes in anthocyanin biosynthesis, from a tomato hypocotyl cDNA library. By comparing their nucleic acid sequences, we determined that the two CHS cDNAs have an overall similarity of 76% at the nucleotide level and 88% at the amino acid level. We identified hybridization conditions that would distinguish the two clones and by Northern analysis showed that 1.5 kb mRNA species corresponding to each cDNA were expressed in cotyledons, hypocotyls and leaves of wild-type seedlings. Hybridization of the cDNAs at low stringency to genomic blots indicated that in tomato, CHS genes comprise a family of at least three individual members. The two genes that encode the CHS cDNAs were then placed onto the tomato genetic map at unique loci by restriction fragment length polymorphism mapping. We also assayed the activity of CHS and another enzyme in the anthocyanin pathway, flavone 3-hydroxylase, in hypocotyl extracts of wild-type tomato and a number of anthocyanin-deficient mutants. Five mutants had reduced CHS activity when compared to the wildtype controls. Of these, three were also reduce in flavone 3-hydroxylase activity, suggesting a regulatory role for these loci. The other two mutants were preferentially reduced in CHS activity, suggesting a more specific role for these loci in CHS expression.
Microalbuminuria in insulin-dependent diabetes: prevalence and practical consequences.

Urinary albumin excretion in a representative sample of 679 patients with Type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes, 18 to 50 years of age, was investigated. Patients on antihypertensive therapy were excluded. Urinary albumin excretion was examined in one 24 hour urine sample using an ELISA technique. Twenty-three per cent of the patients had microalbuminuria, i.e., 30-300 mg albumin/24 h. The prevalence of microalbuminuria was independent of sex, age, insulin dose and diabetes duration. In the majority of those cases in which microalbuminuria was found during the first 10 years of diabetes, the concentrations were in the lower range, i.e., 30-50 mg/24 h. The prevalence of incipient nephropathy (urinary albumin excretion in a single urine sample of 51-300 mg/24 h) increased with diabetes duration. In patients with incipient nephropathy hemoglobin A1c tended to be, and blood pressure was, elevated compared with age, sex, and duration matched patients with normal urinary albumin excretion rates (p = 0.08 and p less than 0.001, respectively). Urinary albumin excretion and blood pressure were significantly correlated in the total group (n = 401, r = 0.2, p less than 0.001). On the basis of these findings practical guidelines for the handling of patients with microalbuminuria are proposed.
Nursing Home Control of Physician Resources

Abstract Objective Physician services are increasingly recognized as important contributors to quality care provision in nursing homes (NH)s, but knowledge of ways in which NHs manage/control physician resources is lacking. Data Primary data from surveys of NH administrators and directors of nursing from a nationally representative sample of 1938 freestanding United States NHs in 2009–2010 matched to Online Survey Certification and Reporting, aggregated NH Minimum Data Set assessments, Medicare claims, and county information from the Area Resource File. Methods The concept of NH Control of Physician Resources (NHCOPR) was measured using NH administrators' reports of management implementation of rules, policies, and procedures aimed at coordinating work activities. The NHCOPR scale was based on measures of formal relationships, physician oversight and credentialing. Scale values ranged from weakest (0) to tightest (3) control. Several hypotheses of expected associations between NHCOPR and other measures of NH and market characteristics were tested. Results The full NHCOPR score averaged 1.58 (standard deviation = 0.77) on the 0–3 scale. Nearly 30% of NHs had weak control (NHCOPR ≤1), 47.5% had average control (NHCOPR between 1 and 2), and the remaining 24.8% had tight control (NHCOPR >2). NHCOPR exhibited good face- and predictive-validity as exhibited by positive associations with more beds, more Medicare services, cross coverage, and number of physicians in the market. Conclusions The NHCOPR scale capturing NH's formal structure of control of physician resources can be useful in studying the impact of NH's physician resources on residents' outcomes with potential for targeted interventions by education and promotion of NH administration regarding physician staff.
Explicit modelling of antennas with sparse-ground screens

Recently we reported a numerical technique that uses interpolation to provide the Sommerfeld-integral values needed for a moment-method model of objects located near an interface. Here we use that technique to evaluate the characteristics of a vertical monopole connected to one to three ground-screen wires elevated 0.01λ above a lossy ground.
Children's Drawings: Science Inquiry and beyond

Drawing is a tool for young children to reflect what they have observed, experienced, inquired about or are thinking about (Chang, 1996; Katz, 1998). For example, in Longyearbyen, 600 miles south of the North Pole, what children disclose through their paintings are animals’ winter coats in the polar night. The main colors presented in the paintings are black and white. Black is the background color, representing night, while white reveals silhouettes of animals in the dark (Bombro & Weis-Fogh, 2004). These children drew what they knew (Chang, 1996). It is commonly known that young children are fond of scribbling and drawing. Scribbling and drawing express children’s perceptions (Chang, 1996). For example, Woyke (2004) encouraged the practice of having young children draw what they saw and heard during or after taking a leisurely amble in 49 acres of woodland, consisting of ponds, streams, forests, and fields. This teacher recommended that after a field trip, children be allowed to reflect their experiences through drawing, painting, building with blocks, or writing. According to Woyke (2004), drawing promotes children’s sense of wonder.
SSeCKS gene expression in vascular smooth muscle cells: regulation by angiotensin II and a potential role in the regulation of PAI-1 gene expression

Rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASM) express the src suppressed C-kinase substrate (SSeCKS), which is thought to be an integral regulatory component of cytoskeletal dynamics and G-protein coupled-receptor signaling modules. The specific sub-classes of growth factor receptors that regulate the genomic changes in SSeCKS expression in smooth muscle cells have not been characterized. In this study we identify SSeCKS as an angiotensin type 1 (AT(1)) receptor-dependent target gene in RASM cells treated with angiotensin II (Ang II). SSeCKS mRNA levels increase up to three-fold relative to the control within 3.5 h of Ang II treatment and are followed by a slight decrease of mRNA relative to the control levels after 24 h of stimulation. SSeCKS gene expression and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) gene expression correlate in RASM cells treated with Ang II. By co-transfecting plasmids bearing recombinant-SSeCKS and a PAI-1-promoter/luciferase reporter into Cos-1 cells, we show that alternative forms of recombinant-SSeCKS protein differentially influence PAI-1 promoter activity. These data indicate a biochemical linkage between SSeCKS activity and one or more of the cytoplasmic signaling pathways that are involved in the control of PAI-1 promoter activity. Finally, we show that the alternative forms of recombinant-SSeCKS protein differentially influence cell-spreading when ectopically expressed in ras -transformed rat kidney (KNRK) fibroblasts. Taken together, our data suggest that SSeCKS interacts with intracellular signaling pathways that control cytoskeletal remodeling and extracellular matrix remodeling following Ang II stimulation of the RASM cell.
Robert Grosseteste's Place in Medieval Discussions of the Eternity of the World

Depuis Boece et a travers les traductions latines d'Aristote, tout theologien, depuis la fin du 12 siecle, pour qui le monde a eu un commencement : la creation, se heurte a ce probleme. L'A. rassemble ici les sources (antiques, anterieures au 13 s. et arabes), le milieu, qui permettent au franciscain Robert Grosseteste ( 1253) de donner une reponse a la question posee par Aristote. L'infinite du temps ne releve, dit Grosseteste, que du regard (aspectus) et du sentiment (affectus) de l'esprit, et n'est rien d'autre que la perpetuitas de Boece, alors que l'eternite, elle, reste inconcevable du fait de sa simplicite absolue. Leur " mesure " est differente. Le traitement de cette question par Grosseteste, sa large documentation, ont fourni aux theologiens de la 2 moitie du 13 siecle (Bonaventure, Jean Pecham, Eustache d'Arras) et jusqu'a ceux du 14 siecle (Henry de Harclay, Guillaume d'Alnwick...) des arguments, des sources, des questions et une issue a ce probleme central
ON THE INTERPLAY OF PREDATOR SWITCHING AND PREY EVASION IN DETERMINING THE STABILITY OF PREDATOR-PREY DYNAMICS

Traditionally, predator switching has been assumed to be a stabilizing force in ecological systems. Recent work, however, has shown that predator switching can be either stabilizing or destabilizing. Most models of predator switching, to date, assume that prey are behaviorally passive and do not respond to predators. We allowed prey to respond behaviorally to predators, so as to avoid capture, in order to explore how this ecologically realistic addition modified the impact of predator switching upon population stability and persistence. We used an individual-based, spatially explicit model that described local interactions between predators and prey, with a probability that prey would "sense" predators in adjacent cells and move away from the predators. We compared the individual-based model to a simple difference equation model. We found that intermediate prey sensitivity in the individual-based model allowed the highest probability of persistence of the predator- prey system. By allowing prey sensitivit...
Black Sexual Politics: African-Americans, Gender and the New Racism

Black Sexual Politics: African-Americans, Gender and the New Racism. By Patricia Hill Collins. New York: Routledge. 2004. 374 pp. $26.00.To a large extent, scholarship on black politics often focuses primarily on institutions, rule of law, processes, political actors, and citizens but with very little attention to issues of gender and sexuality. In contrast, the principal aim of this book is to explore what the author sees as the inextricable links between racism and gender. The basic thesis of this well-written, important, and provocative book is that the fight against racism, especially the “new racism,” can never be won without first challenging sexism, which simultaneously oppresses African-American men and women.
Relationship between the growth of the ring current and the interplanetary quantity

Akasofu (1979) has reported that the interplanetary parameter epsilon correlates reasonably well with the magnetospheric substorm index AE; in the first approximation, epsilon represents the solar wind coupled to the magnetosphere. The correlation between the interplanetary parameter, the auroral electrojet index and the ring current index is examined for three magnetic storms. It is shown that when the interplanetary parameter exceeds the amount that can be dissipated by the ionosphere in terms of the Joule heat production, the excess energy is absorbed by the ring current belt, producing an abnormal growth of the ring current index.
Inhibition of Neisseria gonorrhoeae by a Bacteriocin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Supernatants from broth-grown cultures of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA 103 exhibited bactericidal activity against Neisseria gonorrhoeae . The concentration of the bactericidal substance increased significantly after induction by mitomycin C. Purification was effected by salt fractionation, chromatography on diethylaminoethyl-cellulose, and sedimentation by centrifugation at 100,000 × g for 90 min. Electron microscopy of this purified preparation revealed structures resembling R-type pyocins in both the contracted and uncontracted state. Pyocins in the contracted state were observed in association with the gonococcal cell surface. No loss of bactericidal activity was observed after treatment with proteolytic enzymes. Standard pyocin typing procedures identified the pyocin pattern as 611 131. The bactericidal activity of this pyocin was examined on various species of Neisseria . Out of 56 strains of N. gonorrhoeae from disseminated and nondisseminated infections, all were susceptible to pyocin 611 131. However, only 3 of 20 strains of N. meningitidis and 5 of 16 strains of N. lactamica were susceptible. The bactericidal activity that pyocin 611 131 has for N. gonorrhoeae and other species of Neisseria is significant because it departs from the expected specificity that heretofore has distinguished bacteriocins from most “classical” antibiotics. Images
IMAGING STUDIES IN THE FOLLOW-UP OF CHILDREN WITH FIRST DIAGNOSED URINARY TRACT INFECTION: WHAT'S NEEDED? † 786

Imaging studies are part of standard care following a first diagnosed urinary tract infection (UTI) in young children. Renal ultrasound (US), voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG), and dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) or glucoheptonate renal scans aim to identify: unsuspected urinary tract anomalies or obstruction, vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), renal parenchymal involvement, and renal scarring. As part of an ongoing clinical trial evaluating oral vs. intravenous therapy for first time UTI, 179 children aged 1-24 mos. with fever (≥38.3° C) had a renal US and a DMSA or glucoheptonate scan within 48 hours of diagnosis, a VCUG one month following diagnosis, and a repeat scan six months later. A normal renal US was found in 157 (88%) patients, pelvocaliectasis and dilated renal pelvis in 14 (7.8%), megaureter in 5 (2.8%), duplicated collecting systems in 2 (1.1%), and a calculus in 1 (0.5%). VUR was as common in children with normal US as in those with an US showing dilatation of the upper urinary tract (50/154 vs. 7/17, NS). Renal scans performed at the time of infection showed parenchymal inflammation in 137 (77%) of 179 patients. A VCUG identified VUR in 75 (44%) of 172 patients -- grade I (18), grade II (27), grade III (25), and grade IV(5). To date, of the 134 patients who completed the 6-month follow-up, 90(67%) outcome scans were normal and 44 (33%) showed renal scarring. Scarring occurred in 44 (41%) of 108 patients who had evidence of acute pyelonephritis in the initial scan, and in none of 25 patients with normal scan at study entry. Results of US and DMSA scan at the time of presentation with UTI did not modify management. Current widespread use of prenatal US leads to identification of obstructions of the urinary tract in utero. Accordingly, selective (in patients with persistent fever or abdominal findings) rather than routine performance of US is recommended. A VCUG at one month and a DMSA scan six months later, were useful for identifying (1) patients with VUR who required prophylactic antimicrobial therapy, and (2) patients with renal scarring. The latter group may benefit from the early performance of urine culture in subsequent febrile episodes.
Sustainability of healthcare environments.

If advances in health care during the past century were viewed through the eyes of citizens living in the year 1900, eradication of diseases such as polio and smallpox, and the use of antibiotics and a host of other pharmacologics to cure the seemingly incurable would have seemed miraculous. Now in 1999, we look forward to the beginning of a new millennium and a new century. What will health care providers be pondering and celebrating at the beginning of the 22nd century? What miraculous strides in health care will occur? Will professional nursing as we know it exist?
Surface exponents of trails in two dimensions at tricriticality: Computer simulation study

Using the scanning simulation method, we study self-attracting trails (with energy \ensuremath{\varepsilon} per intersection) terminally attached to an im- penetrable linear boundary on a square lattice at their tricrital collapse transition. Our results for the exponents of the partition functions are ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{1}$=0.634\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.025 (one end attached to the surface) and ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{11}$=-0.44\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.02 (both ends attached). These values (with 95% significance limits) are within the error bars of the numerical estimates of Seno and Stella [Europhys. Lett. 7, 605 (1989)] for self-avoiding walks (SAW's) at the FTHETA-point on the same lattice. Our results, however, differ significantly from the exact values derived by Duplantier and Saleur for SAW's on a dilute hexagonal lattice at the FTHETA' point. The collapse temperature ${T}_{t}$ and the tricritical growth parameter \ensuremath{\mu} are very close to their analytic bounds -\ensuremath{\varepsilon}/${k}_{B}$${T}_{t}$=ln3 and \ensuremath{\mu}=3.
Diminished stopping power for fast nitrogen and oxygen diclusters in carbon

Abstract Stopping powers have been measured for N2+ and N+ ions of 0.5 to 1.8 MeV/atom, for O2+ and O+ ions of 1.0 and 1.6 MeV/atom, 3He2+ and 3He+ of 1.0 MeV/atom and H2+ and H+ of 0.4 MeV/atom in 2–9 μg/cm2 carbon targets. The ratio of the stopping power for the molecular ion to the sum of the stopping powers for the separated atomic components (stopping power ratio) was consistently less than one for the nitrogen and oxygen ions and greater than one for the faster helium and hydrogen ions. The results for hydrogen ions are consistent with those reported earlier from other laboratories. The results for nitrogen, oxygen and helium are new.
Preschool children's computer interest and competence: Effects of sex and gender role☆

Abstract Sex differences in computer interest and competence in preschool children and the relationship of these variables to gender role concepts were investigated. Eighty-two children from a university-affiliated day care center and a nearby Head Start program were individually administered the Sex Role Learning Index (SERLI) as well as a brief computer background questionaire. Computer-related behaviors were assessed in the preschool setting via three matching games (dinosaurs, shapes, and numbers). Computer competence was assessed by number of completed trials for each game. Computer interest was measured through children's level of participation in three categories of computer-related behavior—“proximity,” “observation,” and “working”—as indicated through analyses of selected videotaped computer sessions. For the combined computer competence score, older children completed more trials than younger children. Age and sex main effects were found on the child-figures section of the sex role preference (SRP) scale of the SERLI, with boys and older children indicating a stronger preference for their own sex role. For boys, the computer competence score was related to own sex role discrimination (SRD), and older children scored higher on the SRD scale than younger children. University children were more likely to indicate prior exposure to a computer. Male children viewed the computer as male oriented while female children viewed it as female oriented.
Langerhans cell hyperplasia in scabies: a mimic of Langerhans cell histiocytosis.

Aim: In the absence of mites, the histologic diagnosis of human scabies can be difficult. Scabies can mimic a variety of inflammatory and lymphoproliferative disorders. It is under-recognized that scabies can also mimic Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Methods: Sixteen examples of scabies were reviewed histologically and immunohistochemically (CD1a, CD3, CD20, CD30 and S100). Results: Immunohistochemical labeling showed florid CD1a and S100 positivity in most cases, indicative of Langerhans cell hyperplasia. Scattered CD30+ lymphocytes were also typically present, within a dense infiltrate, primarily composed of T lymphocytes and eosinophils. Conclusion: Because of the prominent CD1a+/S100+ component, scabies can mimic Langerhans cell histiocytosis. This finding should be considered in conjunction with scattered CD30+ cells and clinical features to avoid misdiagnosis.
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: NOTHING SUCCEEDS LIKE EXCESS

To the members of the American Society of Parasitologists, I offer my appreciation for the opportunity to serve as your president. When I was notified of my successful election as an officer, it brought to mind that famous remark by Adlai Stevenson who said, "In America, anybody can be president. That's one of the risks you take." So, what I initially perceived as somewhat of a risky venture, proved to be a more valuable and interesting experience than I anticipated. Let's hope that my presidential address has a similar outcome. Before preparing my presentation, I spent time reading many ASP presidential addresses, and I'll be borrowing ideas of past presidents for my talk. Although I could try to pass off my review of these addresses under the guise of "research," I must make a couple of confessions, which just reflects my Catholic upbringing. First, I haven't always attended presidential addresses. For example, when John Oaks was delivering his presidential address at the Hawaii meeting in Kona, I was immersed in the warm waters of Kealakekua Bay, snorkeling on the coral reef. In any case, having recently read John's address made me appreciate the wisdom of publishing them in the Journal. And, second, I confess that I was uncertain about what direction I should take with this talk. And my library research did very little to clarify matters. Presidential addresses in our Society have run the gamut of topics. Some have been detailed scientific presentations akin to a rather long symposium talk (e.g., Norman Stoll's 1946 address entitled "This Wormy World"). Ruminations on the current status of our society have been the primary focus of others, and these often include a kind of "call to arms," challenging the membership to meet our anticipated needs (e.g., John Oaks' aforementioned 1998 address entitled "What Does the Millennium Have in Store for the American
Polypharmacy trends in office visits by the elderly in the United States, 1990 and 2000.

Abstract Background Polypharmacy has been extensively studied internationally and reported to be increasing among the elderly. Within the United States, few studies have examined polypharmacy trends in the elderly population and even fewer studies addressed those at-risk for polypharmacy. Objectives To examine the trends in office-based visits in the United States by the elderly involving polypharmacy and identify elderly at-risk for polypharmacy. Methods Data from the 1990 and 2000 National Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys were used to examine polypharmacy visit trends in the elderly. The Bonferroni inequality method was used to analyze the visit estimates and visit rates. Logistic regression analysis was used to model predisposing, enabling, and need factors associated with polypharmacy visits in the elderly using the 2000 survey data. Results Office visits involving polypharmacy for elderly patients were estimated to have nearly quadrupled from 10.1 million in 1990 to 37.5 million in 2000. The proportion of visits by elderly patients involving polypharmacy was 7% in 1990 and 19% in 2000. The increase was consistent among all demographic groups and remained significant even after controlling for elderly population increase. Medication classes involved in polypharmacy remained consistent during the study period and included cardiovascular, hormonal, pain, and gastrointestinal medications. Analysis of the 2000 survey data revealed that several need (multiple diagnoses, chronic problems, and specific disease states), predisposing (female gender), and enabling factors (primary care provider visit and health insurance coverage) were associated with polypharmacy visits in the elderly. Conclusions The study found a significant increase in elderly patients' office visits involving polypharmacy in the United States. The study also found that several need, predisposing, and enabling factors were associated with polypharmacy visits in the elderly. These findings suggest opportunities to review and manage elderly patients' medications as recommended by Healthy People 2010, a national agenda to improve the health of Americans.
Symbolic analysis for GSMP models with one stateful clock

We consider the problem of verifying reachability properties of stochastic real-time systems modeled as generalized semi-Markov processes (GSMPs). The standard simulation-based techniques for GSMPs are not adequate for solving verification problems, and existing symbolic techniques either require memoryless distributions for firing times, or approximate the problem using discrete time or bounded horizon. In this paper, we present a symbolic solution for the case where firing times are random variables over a rich class of distributions, but only one event is allowed to retain its firing time when a discrete change occurs. The solution allows us to compute the probability that such a GSMP satisfies a property of the form "can the system reach a target, while staying within a set of safe states". We report on illustrative examples and their analysis using our procedure.
Limiting behavior of the perturbed empirical distribution functions evaluated at U-statistics for strongly mixing sequences of random variables

We prove the almost sure representation, a law of the iterated logarithm and an invariance principle for the statistic F&#710;n(Un) for a class of strongly mixing sequences of random variables {Xi,i&#8805;1}. Stationarity is not assumed. Here F&#710;n is the perturbed empirical distribution function and Un is a U-statistic based on X1,&#8230;,Xn.
Why Don't They Just Get Married? Barriers to Marriage among the Disadvantaged

Summary Kathryn Edin and Joanna Reed review recent research on social and economic barriers to marriage among the poor and discuss the efficacy of efforts by federal and state policymakers to promote marriage among poor unmarried couples, especially those with children, in light of these findings. Social barriers include marital aspirations and expectations, norms about childbearing, financial standards for marriage, the quality of relationships, an aversion to divorce, and children by other partners. Edin and Reed note that disadvantaged men and women highly value marriage but believe they are currently unable to meet the high standards of relationship quality and financial stability they believe are necessary to sustain a marriage and avoid divorce. Despite their regard for marriage, however, poor Americans do not view it as a prerequisite for childbearing, and it is typical for either or both parents in an unmarried-couple family to have a child by another partner. Economic barriers include men’s low earnings, women’s earnings, and the marriage tax. In view of these findings, Edin and Reed argue that public campaigns to convince poor Americans of the value of marriage are preaching to the choir. Instead, campaigns should emphasize the benefits for children of living with both biological parents and stress the harmful effects for children of high-conflict parental relationships. Programs to improve relationship quality must address head-on the significant problems many couple face. Because disadvantaged men and women view some degree of financial stability as a prerequisite for marriage, policymakers must address the instability and low pay of the jobs they typically hold as well as devise ways to promote homeownership and other asset development to encourage marriage. Moreover, programs need to help couples meet the challenges of parenting families where children are some combination of his, hers, and theirs. Encouraging more low-income couples to marry without giving them tools to help their marriages thrive may simply increase the divorce rate.
NMDA Receptor Hypofunction, Parvalbumin-Positive Neurons, and Cortical Gamma Oscillations in Schizophrenia

Gamma oscillations appear to be dependent on inhibitory neurotransmission from parvalbumin (PV)-containing gamma-amino butyric acid neurons. Thus, the abnormalities in PV neurons found in schizophrenia may underlie the deficits of gamma-band synchrony in the illness. Because gamma-band synchrony is thought to be crucial for cognition, cognitive deficits in schizophrenia may reflect PV neuron dysfunction in cortical neural circuits. Interestingly, it has been suggested that PV alterations in schizophrenia are the consequence of a hypofunction of signaling through N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors (NMDARs). Here, we review recent findings that address the question of how NMDAR hypofunction might produce deficits of PV neuron–mediated inhibition in schizophrenia. We conclude that while dysregulation of NMDARs may play an important role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, additional research is required to determine the particular cell type(s) that mediate dysfunctional NMDAR signaling in the illness.
Evaluating the use of pre-simulation in VLSI circuit partitioning

One of the significant difficulties in partitioning logic circuits for distributed simulation is the lack of a priori knowledge concerning the evaluation frequency of individual circuit elements. A number of researchers have resorted to pre-simulation to estimate these evaluation frequencies. In this paper we empirically investigate the wisdom of relying on pre-simulation results, and evaluate the degree to which early evaluation frequencies predict later evaluation frequencies. The results show that, for simulations that use random input vectors, pre-simulation has clear merit in predicting circuit element evaluation frequency. This supports the use of pre-simulation as an input to circuit partitioning algorithms.
Prenatal diagnosis and carrier detection of classic phenylketonuria by gene analysis.

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a human genetic disorder caused by an inborn error in aromatic amino acid metabolism. It was first observed approximately 50 years ago that patients with this condition had excess phenylpyruvate in the urine.1 Subsequently, it was discovered that in such patients the liver was unable to convert phenylalanine to tyrosine which is the major pathway of phenylalanine catabolism2-5 (Fig 1). Classic PKU is thus characterized by a lack of phenylalanine hydroxylase activity in the liver.6 The lack of this enzymatic activity causes persistent hyperphenylalaninemia, and the clinical symptom is an irreversible impairment of brain development resulting in severe mental retardation in untreated children.1,7 Phenylalanine hydroxylase deficiency, regardless of phenotypic variations, is transmitted as an autosomal recessive trait. A simple method for mass screening involving the determination of phenylalamine in small samples of blood from newborn infants was developed by Guthrie and Susi.8 Neonates whose PKU was detected by this test can be treated with a (corrective) diet low in phenylalanine content.9-11 At the present time, there is no diagnostic method available for the detection of affected homozygotes in utero. The development of methodologies for prenatal diagnosis and definitive carrier detection of this genetic disorder are subjects of the present discussion. It should be emphasized that our work involves only the gene for phenylalanine hydroxylase and deals strictly with classic PKU. It has nothing to do with various forms of atypical phenylketonuria that can be due to the deficiency of dihydropteridine reductase or biopterin synthetase or other enzyme systems.11
Topographical organization of the efferent projections of the medial prefrontal cortex in the rat: An anterograde tract-tracing study with Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the topographical organization of efferent projections from the cytoarchitectonic divisions of the mPFC (the medial precentral, dorsal anterior cingulate and prelimbic cortices). We also sought to determine whether the efferents from different regions within the prelimbic division were organized topographically. Anterograde transport of Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin was used to examine the efferent projections from restricted injection sites within the mPFC. Major targets of the prelimbic area were found to include prefrontal, cingulate, and perirhinal cortical structures, the dorsomedial and ventral striatum, basal forebrain nuclei, basolateral amygdala, lateral hypothalamus, mediodorsal, midline and intralaminar thalamic nuclei, periaqueductal gray region, ventral midbrain tegmentum, laterodorsal tegmental nucleus, and raphe nuclei. Previously unreported projections of the prelimbic region were also observed, including efferents to the anterior olfactory nucleus, the piriform cortex, and the pedunculopontine tegmental-cuneiform region. A topographical organization governed the efferent projections from the prelimbic area, such that the position of terminal fields within target structures was determined by the rostrocaudal, dorsoventral, and mediolateral placement of the injection sites. Efferent projections from the medial precentral and dorsal anterior cingulate divisions (dorsomedial PFC) were organized in a similar topographical fashion and produced a pattern of anterograde labeling different from that seen with prelimbic injection sites. Target structures innervated primarily by the dorsomedial PFC included certain neocortical fields (the motor, somatosensory, and visual cortices), the dorsolateral striatum, superior colliculus, deep mesencephalic nucleus, and the pontine and medullary reticular formation. Previously unreported projections to the paraoculomotor central gray area and the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus were observed following dorsomedial PFC injections. These results indicate that the efferent projections of the mPFC are topographically organized within and across the cytoarchitectonic divisions of the medial wall cortex. The significance of topographically organized and restricted projections of the rat mPFC is discussed in light of behavioral and physiological studies indicating functional heterogeneity of this region.
Here Today Gone Tomorrow: Conceptualizing Instructional Leadership Through Case Studies of Unsustained Initiatives

This study examines two case studies of failed leadership in school-based professional development. We describe the two initiatives and look to current leadership theories to help account for the events that occurred. The sociologist Bourdieu’s concept of habitus offers an approach to understanding the relationship between individual agency and structural determinism. Chaos and complexity theory conceptualize organizations from a systems level where relationships and connections among all constituents—both inside and outside—are the focus. In addition, transformational and charismatic leadership theories allow for a consideration of leadership characteristics. While much can be learned from failed attempts, a comparative analysis of failed and successful strategies may assist leaders in avoiding the pitfalls of these challenging times while simultaneously providing strategies for success.
Not So Different After All: A Cross-Discipline View Of Trust

Our task is to adopt a multidisciplinary view of trust within and between firms, in an effort to synthesize and give insight into a fundamental construct of organizational science. We seek to identify the shared understandings of trust across disciplines, while recognizing that the divergent meanings scholars bring to the study of trust also can add value.
Preoperative evaluation of the entire hepatic vasculature in living liver donors with use of contrast-enhanced MR angiography and true fast imaging with steady-state precession.

PURPOSE To preoperatively assess the entire hepatic vasculature in living related liver donors with use of a combination of contrast material–enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) angiography and true fast imaging with steady-state precession (FISP). MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-five living potential liver donors were examined preoperatively on a 1.5T Siemens Sonata system. Twenty-four underwent surgery and two had catheter angiography performed to delineate complex anatomy. Contiguous 5-mm-thick, sub-second true FISP images of the liver were initially obtained during breath-holding in axial and coronal planes (repetition time [TR]/echo time [TE], 3.2/1.6; flip angle, 70°). MR angiography was performed with use of a three-dimensional (3D) gradient-echo fast low-angle shot (FLASH) pulse sequence (TR/TE, 3.0/1.2; flip angle, 25°), with 40 mL of Gadolinium DTPA injected at a rate of 2 mL/sec. One precontrast and two postcontrast coronal 3D volumes were acquired, each in a 20-second breath-hold, and two subtracted 3D sets were calculated. Arterial anatomy was assessed with use of maximum-intensity projection, volume rendering, and multiplanar reformatting algorithms. Hepatic and portal venous anatomy was evaluated with use of the true FISP images and the venous phase of the MR angiogram. Visualization of hepatic arterial branches was noted. Visualization of portal vein branches was scored on a scale of 0–5. The presence of anatomic variants was noted. Vascular anatomy was confirmed at the time of surgery and at catheter angiography. RESULTS Segmental branch vessels were visualized on MR angiography in the majority of cases. The segment four branch was identified in 96% patients. Variant arterial anatomy was seen in 50% of patients. MR angiography detected 10 of 11 arterial variants found at surgery and angiography. Visualization of portal vein branches was generally higher with true FISP compared to MR angiography. Twenty-four percent of patients had variant portal venous anatomy. Caudal hepatic veins were identified in 60% of patients, of which eight were significant (>5 mm). Hepatic and portal venous anatomy was accurately predicted by true FISP and MR angiography in all patients who went on to undergo surgery. CONCLUSION Preoperative imaging with use of a combination of contrast-enhanced MR angiography and true FISP provides a comprehensive assessment of the entire hepatic vasculature in living liver donors.
U.S. agricultural biotechnology: Status and prospects

Abstract Agricultural applications are extending the already impressive record of biotechnology's contributions to medicine. In many ways, agriculture offers a more ready fit for modern genetic techniques, as single gene methods extend directly from traditional breeding techniques. This article describes how the new genetic tools are being applied to enhance many aspects of the food production system. Crop protection through genetic resistance to insects and disease is among the earliest, significant agronomic contributions. Food characteristics, including nutrient composition, fat content, allergenicity, texture, and flavor, are being modified through selectively targeted metabolic changes. Raw materials for food processing and fermentation are similarly modified and improved. New genetic techniques also present opportunities for introducing products of commodity crops into entirely new markets, including industrial oils, plastics, and pharmaceuticals. Taken together, biotechnology's value-added products, improved food and feed, and enhanced agronomic crop performance bolster the economic competitiveness of American farmers. There are also environmental advances, including biological control strategies and the use of microorganisms and plants to remove heavy metals and other contaminants from soil and agricultural run-off and ground waters. The ultimate impact of agricultural biotechnology, however, is far from certain. Several factors, some well defined and others less transparent, affect the directions and pace of development. These include public funding for basic research and for R&D, governmental regulation of research and products, and enhancement of linkages between the research and agriculture sectors. Compared to public investment in human and microbial genetics, federal support for the plant sciences has been dismal. USDA and EPA have proposed and implemented new regulatory requirements that are remarkable both for their lack of focus on genuine biosafety risks and for their unequivocal anti-innovation and anti-competitiveness effects. The relatively short history of U.S. policy on agricultural biotechnology may provide a microcosm view both of the introduction of technological innovations, more generally, and of emerging patterns of dominance of major agricultural firms in the worldwide economic arena. The analysis of that history suggests that a new paradigm for technological advancement is needed.
Dynamic Verification of MPI Programs with Reductions in Presence of Split Operations and Relaxed Orderings

Dynamic verification methods are the natural choice for debugging real world programs when model extraction and maintenance are expensive. Message passing programs written using the MPI library fall under this category. Partial order reduction can be very effective for MPI programs because for each process, all its local computational steps, as well as many of its MPI calls, commute with the corresponding steps of all other processes. However, when dependencies arise among MPI calls, they are often a function of the runtime state. While this suggests the use of dynamic partial order reduction (DPOR), three aspects of MPI make previous DPOR algorithms inapplicable: (i) many MPI calls are allowed to complete out of program order; (ii) MPI has global synchronization operations (e.g., barrier) that have a special weak semantics; and (iii) the runtime of MPI cannot, without intrusive modifications, be forced to pursue a specific interleaving because of MPI's liberal message matching rules, especially pertaining to `wildcard receives'. We describe our new dynamic verification algorithm `POE' that exploits the out of order completion semantics of MPI by delaying the issuance of MPI calls, issuing them only according to the formation of match-sets, which are ample `big-step' moves. POE guarantees to manifest any feasible interleaving by dynamically rewriting wildcard receives by specific-source receives. This is the first dynamic model-checking algorithm with reductions for (a large subset of) MPI that guarantees to catch all deadlocks and local assertion violations, and is found to work well in practice.
Conceptualizing Oppression in Educational Theory: Toward a Compound Standpoint:

This article analyzes three paradigms of oppression that are influential in progressive approaches in educational research: oppression as cultural hegemony, oppression as capitalist accumulation, and oppression as discursive effect. It argues that these different models, and their strengths and weaknesses, are connected to different philosophical standpoints (ways of understanding reality and criteria of truth that are historically and socially situated). Faced with the intractability of educational injustices, it is necessary to bring the power of diverse critical positions together. The author proposes the construction of a "compound standpoint," grounded in a materialist framework, and describes how oppression can be understood more richly and accurately from this position.
Flat panel detector CT, CT angiography, and CT perfusion in stroke

The inherent separation of imaging and treatment modalities has contributed to time delays that are problematic in the management of stroke. Indeed, delays in treatment may be caused by multiple factors, some of which can be reduced.[1][1] One of these factors is the time between imaging and
Treatment of Plantar Verrucae Using 2% Sodium Salicylate Iontophoresis

Background and Purpose. Iontophoretic sodium salicylate treatment of plantar warts was studied. Subjects. Twenty patients with 104 plantar verrucae were studied. Methods. Two percent sodium salicylate solution was administered iontophoretically (22.5 mA-minute/electrode, 3 treatments at 6- to 9-day intervals). Results. Nineteen subjects were followed. Verrucae area declined in 15 subjects (78.9%) and increased in 2 subjects (10.5%). One subject (5.3%) no longer had verrucae, and 1 subject (5.3%) exhibited no change. Overall, the number of verrucae and total area decreased. Four of 6 subjects (66.6%) with initial complaints of load-bearing pain reported diminished pain following treatment. Two subjects whose verrucae's size increased reported an increase in pain at the end of the study. Discussion and Conclusion. Sodium salicylate iontophoresis appeared to compare favorably with other office-based interventions in diminishing the size of plantar warts and their associated pain. Application of iontophoresis to weight-bearing surfaces in some subjects appeared to decrease the pain and scarring associated with freezing and electrocautery and the fixation problems associated with medicated patches.
Collision-induced O1D21S0 emission near 5577 Å in argon

Abstract The collision-induced emission near the 5577 A oxygen 1 D 2  1 S 0 transition in argon is investigated theoretically. Approximate ArO model potentials were constructed for the upper and lower states by adding the attractive long-range dispersion energy to the short-range repulsion calculated ab initio. The thermally averaged free-free, free-bound, and bound-bound contributions to the emission profile were calculated using the long-range quadrupole-induced dipole transition moment. The calculated bound-bound spectrum and the total emission coefficient agree well with experiment.
Akt phosphorylates acinus and inhibits its proteolytic cleavage, preventing chromatin condensation

Akt promotes cell survival by phosphorylating and inhibiting components of the intrinsic cell death machinery. Akt translocates into the nucleus upon exposure of cells to survival factors, but little is known about its functions in the nucleus. Here, we show that acinus, a nuclear factor required for apoptotic chromatin condensation, is a direct target of Akt. We demonstrate that Akt phosphorylation of acinus on serine 422 and 573 results in its resistance to caspase cleavage in the nucleus and the inhibition of acinus-dependent chromatin condensation. Abolishing acinus phosphorylation by Akt through mutagenesis accelerates its proteolytic degradation and chromatin condensation. Acinus S422, 573D, a mutant mimicking phosphorylation, resists against apoptotic cleavage and prevents chromatin condensation. Knocking down of acinus substantially decreases chromatin condensation, and depletion of Akt provokes the apoptotic cleavage of acinus. Thus, Akt inhibits chromatin condensation during apoptosis by phosphorylating acinus in the nucleus, revealing a specific mechanism by which nuclear Akt promotes cell survival.
Health Diaries in Nursing Research and Practice

Health diaries have been used in research and clinical practice to examine the daily symptoms of healthy and ill people, responses to symptoms, and efficacy of symptom response. This article describes current uses of health diaries in nursing research and practice, the types of typical health diaries, factors affecting the quality of diary data, and the costs and analytic issues related to health diaries. The implications of health diaries for nursing education, practice, and research are considered.