cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Solubilization and structural integrity of the human red cell membrane.

Solubilization of structural protein components of red-cell ghosts and alterations of their biological activities by treatment with various solvents was attempted. Ghosts were suspended in the solvents and then separated into supernates and residues by high-speed ultracentrifugation. Treatment with 8 M urea yielded the highest degree of solubilization (60 per cent) and approximately 80 per cent of the protein-bound sialic acid was found in the supernate. Non-urea solvents yielded supernates rich in proteins but low in phosphorus and carbohydrates. Urea starch gel electrophoresis demonstrated the heterogeneity of the solubilized material. Serological studies showed high sensitivity of the Rh0(D)-antigen to treatment with urea, mercaptoethanol and iodoacetamide. The M-antigen was present in all residues and some M activity was found in the urea supernate. No acetylcholin-esterase (AChE) activity was detected in the residue and supernate of stroma treated with 8 M urea. To ascertain the critical molarity, red blood cells and ghosts were incubated at increasing urea concentrations (0.5–6.0 M) and complete loss of AChE activity was observed with 4 M urea. Considerable reduction of AChE (70 per cent) was found after mild reduction and alkylation of stroma. When mercaptans and iodoacetamide were tested separately, no significant effect on AChE activity was observed except with high concentrations of cysteine.
Reduction of Cognitive Workload through Information Chunking

Two experiments were conducted to determine whether grouping of icons on complex graphic displays reduces information processing loads, as measured by the Subjective Workload Assessment Technique and errror rates. In Experiment 1, between 2 and 25 symbols were presented on a computer display. Participants were asked to chunk symbols under class labels and store these labels in short-term memory. Two different display formatting variables were tested: spatial proximity grouping of icons was manipulated across three levels, while temporal grouping was manipulated across two levels. Results suggest that display grouping helps operators organize, encode, and store information into task relevant chunks and, in turn, reduces subjective workload and error rates. Experiment 2 was similar to Experiment 1, except that participants were required to remember individual icon names (i.e., participants were asked to remember as many as 25 item names). Results suggest that for chunk formation, storage, and parsing tasks,...
Helminths of the Brown-eared anole, Norops fuscoauratus (Squamata, Polychrotidae), from Brazil and Ecuador, South America

83 Norops fuscoauratus (D’Orbigny in Dumeril and Bibron 1837) occurs in northern South America east of the Andes, specifically in Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia (Avila-Pires 1995). We know of no reports of helminths from N. fuscoauratus. The purpose of this note is to present the first records of helminths from N. fuscoauratus. Sixty-nine N. fuscoauratus collected by LJV and T. C. S. Avila Pires (MPEG) were borrowed from the Department of Herpetology, Sam Noble Museum of Natural History (OMNH), University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA. Fifty-six were from Brazil (Para State, OMNH 36640-36659, CEMEX, Agropecuaria Treviso Ltda, 101 km S, 18 km E. Santarem, 03°08’S, 54°50’W, collected February-April, 1995; Acre State, 36982-36999, 5.0 km N Porto Walter, inland from the Rio Jurua, 08°15S, 72°46’W, collected February-March, 1996; Amazonas State, 37157-37162, Rio Ituxi, Madeireira Scheffer, 08°20’S, 65°42’W, collected Helminths of the Brown-eared anole, Norops fuscoauratus (Squamata, Polychrotidae), from Brazil and Ecuador, South America
A comparison of lifestyle change and programmed aerobic exercise on weight and fitness changes in obese children.

The effects of lifestyle or programmed aerobic exercise, with or without, a diet, on weight, fitness, and exercise adherence were assessed with 37 obese 8− to 12− year-old children over a 17-month period. The lifestyle program allowed the child to increase energy expenditure by engaging in a wide variety of daily games and activities, while the programmed aerobic alternative required the child to perform an aerobic exercise daily. The exercise programs differed in the flexibility of scheduling exercise, type of exercise, and intensity of exercise. Results showed equivalent weight and relative weight changes across all groups during the 8-week intensive treatment, with lifestyle subjects losing more additional weight and maintaining their wight loss better than the programmed exercise subjects during maintenance and follow-up. Fitness changes, as measured by heart rate during maintenance and follow-up. Fitness changes, as measured by heart rate during exercise and recovey, improved more during intensive treatment for the programmed than the lifestyle exercise groups. During maintenance, however, fitness of the programmed exercise group deteriorated, while fitness of the lifestyle group was maintained. The results suggest the utility of lifestyle exercise as a way to increase energy expenditure and long-term weight maintenance independent of diet.
Everyday problems and life change events: ongoing versus acute sources of stress

Research on the relationship between life stress and illness has focused largely on stress caused by change. The present study examines a relatively neglected source of stress: everyday problems, defined as ongoing, often chronic situations, which are stressful for a substantial period of time. An inventory of everyday problems was developed, designed to minimize as much as possible potential confounds present in earlier work. It was administered to 281 undergraduate women along with a life events inventory, the Hopkins Symptom Checklist, and a social support scale, which measured family and nonfamily sources of support. Stepwise regression analyses indicated that everyday problems were more effective than life events in predicting psychological symptoms. Everyday problems were significant predictors of symptoms even after statistically controlling for life events, whereas life events had no predictive ability beyond that attributed to everyday problems. In addition, a significant interaction between everyday problems and life events was found. Multiple regression analyses also showed an interaction between everyday problems and nonfamily social support, as predicted by the buffering hypothesis. Within the methodological limitations of this study, these findings are interpreted as supporting the importance of everyday problems as a significant source of stress.
Some properties of diploid cell strains developed from the tissues of patients with inherited biochemical disorders

genetically marked cell strains. Although a great many such disorders are known (1), only a few have been shown to impart a distinctive phenotype to the serially cultured human cell. Human diploid cells which are capable of extended growth in vitro rarely, if ever, resemble the char acteristic cell of their tissue of origin (2, 3, 4). Hence one can study only those genetic loci which affect proteins normally present in the cultured cell. Other loci, such as those concerned with hemoglobin biosynthesis, are inaccessible to the in vestigator, because the relevant protein is not made in detectable quantities by cells of any genotype. Table 1 lists a number of genetic dis eases and variants in which an abnormal Mendelian gene has been shown to affect a specific molecule present in serially cul tured human diploid cells. Evidence that a characteristic phenotype can be demon strated in cultured cells has been reported for galactosemia (5, 6, 7, 8), acatalasia I (9), acatalasia II (10), the Mediterranean variety of glucose-6-phosphate dehydro genase deficiency (11, 12, 13), the Negro variety of glucose-6-phosphate dehydro genase deficiency (14), familial non-sphe rocytic hemolytic anemia (12), electro
On the Hecke Equivariance of the Borcherds Isomorphism

The Borcherds isomorphism is proved to be Hecke equivariant if one considers multiplicative Hecke operators acting on the integral weight meromorphic modular forms. This answers a part of a question of Borcherds (see ‘Automorphic forms on ${\rm O}_{s+2,2}(R)$ and infinite products’, Invent. Math. 120 (1995) 161–213, 17.10), using his suggestion to define the multiplicative Hecke operators.
Nonpathogenic Escherichia coli Can Contribute to the Production of Shiga Toxin

The food-borne pathogen, Escherichia coli O157:H7, has been associated with gastrointestinal disease and the life-threatening sequela hemolytic uremic syndrome. The genes for the virulence factor, Shiga toxin 2 (Stx2), in E. coli O157:H7 are encoded on a temperate bacteriophage under the regulation of the late gene promoter. Induction of the phage lytic cycle is required for toxin synthesis and release. We investigated the hypothesis that nonpathogenic E. coli could amplify Stx2 production if infected with the toxin-encoding phage. Toxin-encoding phage were incubated with E. coli that were either susceptible or resistant to the phage. The addition of phage to phage-susceptible bacteria resulted in up to 40-fold more toxin than a pure culture of lysogens, whereas the addition of phage to phage-resistant bacteria resulted in significantly reduced levels of toxin. Intestinal E. coli isolates incubated with Shiga toxin-encoding phage produced variable amounts of toxin. Of 37 isolates, 3 produced significantly more toxin than was present in the inoculum, and 1 fecal isolate appeared to inactivate the toxin. Toxin production in the intestine was assessed in a murine model. Fecal toxin recovery was significantly reduced when phage-resistant E. coli was present. These results suggest that the susceptibility of the intestinal flora to the Shiga toxin phage could exert either a protective or an antagonistic influence on the severity of disease by pathogens with phage-encoded Shiga toxin. Toxin production by intestinal flora may represent a novel strategy of pathogenesis.
178. Interferon-alpha-induced fatigue is associated with alterations in CNS glutamate metabolism as measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Peripheral inflammatory states and their behavioral consequences including fatigue have been well-documented. One mechanism that may contribute to inflammation-induced behavioral changes is alterations in central nervous system (CNS) glutamate metabolism. To examine the role of CNS glutamate in inflammation-induced fatigue, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( MRS ) was conducted in 12 patients with hepatitis C (HCV) before and after 4 weeks of treatment with interferon ( IFN )- alpha compared to 12 HCV patients awaiting IFN-alpha therapy. IFN-alpha is an inflammatory cytokine well-known to induce symptoms of fatigue in a high percentage of patients. Compared to controls, the glutamate /creatine ratio in the left basal ganglia significantly increased following 4 weeks of IFN-alpha administration ( p glutamate /creatine ratio was in turn significantly correlated with increases in fatigue severity ( r = 0.435, p = 0.034). Increased glutamate concentrations in the left basal ganglia are consistent with previously reported alterations in basal ganglia function following IFN-alpha treatment in cancer patients and patients with HCV. The data are also consistent with changes in basal ganglia function in healthy volunteers administered immune stimuli including endotoxin or typhoid vaccination. These data suggest that altered glutamate metabolism possibly as a result of altered glial function may contribute to basal ganglia changes following acute and chronic immune activation.
Community reinforcement training for family and significant others of drug abusers: A unilateral intervention to increase treatment entry of drug users

We randomly assigned 32 concerned family members and significant others (FSOs) of drug users (DUs) to a community reinforcement training intervention or a popular 12-step self-help group. We measured problems arising from the DU's behavior, social functioning of the DU and FSO, and mood of the FSO at baseline and 10 weeks later. We also monitored the FSOs' treatment attendance and treatment entry of the DUs. The treatment groups showed equal reductions from baseline to follow-up in problems and improvements in social functioning and mood of the FSO. However the community reinforcement intervention was significantly better at retaining FSOs in treatment and inducing treatment entry of the DUs.
Heritage strain and diet of wild young of year and yearling lake trout in the main basin of Lake Huron

Abstract Restoration of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush stocks in Lake Huron is a fish community objective developed to promote sustainable fish communities in the lake. Between 1985 and 2004, 12.65 million lake trout were stocked into Lake Huron representing eight different genetic strains. Collections of bona fide wild fish in USGS surveys have increased in recent years and this study examined the ancestry and diet of fish collected between 2004 and 2006 to explore the ecological role they occupy in Lake Huron. Analysis of microsatellite DNA revealed that both pure strain and inter-strain hybrids were observed, and the majority of fish were classified as Seneca Lake strain or Seneca Lake hybrids. Diets of 50 wild age-0 lake trout were examined. Mysis, chironomids, and zooplankton were common prey items of wild age-0 lake trout. These results indicate that stocked fish are successfully reproducing in Lake Huron indicating a level of restoration success. However, continued changes to the benthic macroinvertebrate community, particularly declines of Mysis, may limit growth and survival of wild fish and hinder restoration efforts.
Treason and the Charge of Sodomy in the Lai de Lanval

Scholarship on Marie de France's Lai de Lanval has long held Guinevere's accusation of homosexuality against Lanval to have been motivated by hurt feelings: it is made, in the words of one commentator, "in the fury of a woman scorned." This article suggests that subtler motives may have been apparent to the text's earliest audiences. By the twelfth century, sodomy was increasingly categorized by ecclesiastical legislation as a kind of treason. Accordingly, it is likely that Guinevere's charge is meant to counter Lanval's insinuation that, in attempting to seduce him, she has tried to lure him into an act of treason as well.
HATCHERY-ACQUIRED SALMONELLAE IN BROILER CHICKS

Hatchery contamination can result in exposure of newly hatched chicks to salmonellae at a time when they are most susceptible to colonization of their intestinal tract. Eggshell fragments, external rinses, and intestinal tracts from day-of-hatch chicks were sampled for salmonellae contamination. Chicks from the same hatching trays were then put in isolators or floor pens and fed a pelleted corn-soybean ration for 1 wk before external rinses and ceca from each chick were sampled for salmonellae. About 17% of eggshell, 21% of chick rinses, and 5% of intestines sampled at Day 0 were positive for salmonellae. No differences were observed between broiler hatcheries, but significant differences were seen between replications within hatching cabinets. Results from this study suggest a correlation between hatchery-acquired salmonellae and the production of potential seeder birds. No differences between eggshell and chick rinse samples were found (correlation = .81); therefore, eggshells are recommended as the best sample to determine hatchery salmonellae contamination.
A derivation of the equation of Brownian motion from the kinetic equation for weakly interacting gases.

Abstract The kinetic equation for a spatially uniform gas of weakly interacting point particles is used to derive the more conventional linear Fokker-Planck equation used in the description of Brownian motion. Two assumptions are required: (1) the number density of the “test” particles undergoing Brownian motion is much less than the number density of background, or “field”, particles; and (2) the mass of the Brownian test particle is much greater than the mass of the field particles.
High Glucose via Peroxynitrite Causes Tyrosine Nitration and Inactivation of Prostacyclin Synthase That Is Associated With Thromboxane/Prostaglandin H2 Receptor–Mediated Apoptosis and Adhesion Molecule Expression in Cultured Human Aortic Endothelial Cells

Loss of the modulatory role of the endothelium may be a critical initial factor in the development of diabetic vascular diseases. Exposure of human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) to high glucose (30 or 44 mmol/l) for 7-10 days significantly increased the release of superoxide anion in response to the calcium ionophore A23187. Nitrate, a breakdown product of peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)), was substantially increased in parallel with a decline in cyclic guanosine monophosphate (GMP). Using immunochemical techniques and high-performance liquid chromatography, an increase in tyrosine nitration of prostacyclin (PGI(2)) synthase (PGIS) associated with a decrease in its activity was found in cells exposed to high glucose. Both the increase in tyrosine nitration and the decrease in PGIS activity were lessened by decreasing either nitric oxide or superoxide anion, suggesting that ONOO(-) was responsible. Furthermore, SQ29548, a thromboxane/prostaglandin (PG) H(2) (TP) receptor antagonist, significantly reduced the increased endothelial cell apoptosis and the expression of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 that occurred in cells exposed to high glucose, without affecting the decrease in PGIS activity. Thus, exposure of HAECs to high glucose increases formation of ONOO(-), which causes tyrosine nitration and inhibition of PGIS. The shunting of arachidonic acid to the PGI(2) precursor PGH(2) or other eicosanoids likely results in TP receptor stimulation. These observations can explain several abnormalities in diabetes, including 1) increased free radicals, 2) decreased bioactivity of NO, 3) PGI(2) deficiency, and 4) increased vasoconstriction, endothelial apoptosis, and inflammation via TP receptor stimulation.
Diagnosis of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and processes

This paper describes part of the research performed during the Microelectronic Manufacturing Science and Technology (MMST) program on techniques for the diagnosis of equipment malfunctions and misprocessing during semiconductor manufacturing. The main motivation of this work was to investigate techniques for rapid diagnosis. Towards this goal, a number of equipment-level diagnosis techniques are described. These techniques use equipment models to diagnose equipment malfunctions at a given process step. The results obtained by applying these diagnosis approaches are very encouraging. The various approaches were able to diagnose a number of faults that were deliberately introduced to test the algorithms and the equipment faults that developed during the final demonstration of the MMST program. These techniques were applied to a TI-built Advanced Vacuum Processor (AVP) and an Applied Materials Precision reactor AMT 5000. >
Cloud shadow speed sensor

Abstract. Changing cloud cover is a major source of solar radiation variability and poses challenges for the integration of solar energy. A compact and economical system is presented that measures cloud shadow motion vectors to estimate power plant ramp rates and provide short-term solar irradiance forecasts. The cloud shadow speed sensor (CSS) is constructed using an array of luminance sensors and a high-speed data acquisition system to resolve the progression of cloud passages across the sensor footprint. An embedded microcontroller acquires the sensor data and uses a cross-correlation algorithm to determine cloud shadow motion vectors. The CSS was validated against an artificial shading test apparatus, an alternative method of cloud motion detection from ground-measured irradiance (linear cloud edge, LCE), and a UC San Diego sky imager (USI). The CSS detected artificial shadow directions and speeds to within 15° and 6% accuracy, respectively. The CSS detected (real) cloud shadow directions and speeds with average weighted root-mean-square difference of 22° and 1.9 m s−1 when compared to USI and 33° and 1.5 m s−1 when compared to LCE results.
Meredithblackwellia eburnea gen. et sp. nov., Kriegeriaceae fam. nov. and Kriegeriales ord. nov.—toward resolving higher-level classification in Microbotryomycetes

A field survey of ballistosporic yeasts in a Neotropical forest yielded a new species isolated from a fern leaf. The isolate is a cream-colored butyrous yeast that reproduces by budding. Budding occurs at both the apical and basal cell poles; occasionally multiple budding events co-occur, giving rise to rosette-like clusters of cells at both poles of the yeast mother cell. DNA sequences of large and small subunit and the internal transcribed spacer regions of the nuclear ribosomal DNA cistron indicated an affinity to Microbotryomycetes, Pucciniomycotina. A new genus, Meredithblackwellia, is proposed to accommodate the new species, M. eburnea (type strain MCA4105). Based on phylogenetic analyses, Meredithblackwellia is related to Kriegeria eriophori, a sedge parasite, to an aquatic fungus Camptobasidium hydrophilum and to several recently described anamorphic yeasts that have been isolated from plant material or psychrophilic environments. Morphological and ultrastructural studies confirm the relatedness of M. eburnea to these taxa and prompted the re-evaluation of higher-level classification within Microbotryomycetes. We propose here a new order, Kriegeriales, and place two families, Kriegeriaceae fam. nov. and Camptobasidiaceae R.T. Moore, within it. Our study re-emphasizes the need for systematic revision of species described in Rhodotorula.
Perchlorates in the environment - the key current issues

The perchlorate anion has a unique and profound ability to inhibit iodine uptake by the human thyroid, with potential adverse effects on the growth and development of fetuses, infants, and children. Its occurrence, fate, metabolism, transport and toxicity have been subjects of intensive study for slightly more than a decade, but almost exclusively in the United States (see e.g. refs [1–3] for some reviews). Given its ubiquitous, modern use in ‘energetic applications’, however, it is almost certain that perchlorate contamination is much more widespread, especially in industrial nations, and a more internationally flavoured literature has just recently begun to emerge (e.g. refs [4–6]). At this juncture, an appropriate question might be: should perchlorate still qualify as an emerging contaminant of concern? In this Research Front, we present a series of papers from widely different perspectives in order to provide a starting point from which this question can be answered. The last five years or so have produced a renaissance of interest in the natural occurrence of perchlorate.A topic that for many years seemed no more than yet another curiosity (among many) associated with the unique soils and salt deposits of the Atacama Desert, Chile. [7] In 2005, the journal Environmental Science and Technology recognised Dasgupta et al.’s very important paper on atmospheric formation of perchlorate [8] as its ‘research article of the year’, greatly widening awareness of this reemerging field. But a key question remains: How is perchlorate formed in the atmosphere? In the first of two opinion essays, Roberts [9] offers an atmospheric chemist’s perspective on the more likely scenarios for natural perchlorate formation in the troposphere or stratosphere or both. This paper should help sharpen the focus of the research agenda on the atmospheric chemistry of perchlorate. In the second essay, Dasgupta [10] makes a case that the recent focus on perchlorate may have actually served to divert attention away from a broader and more significant public-health problem – iodine deficiency. In my review, [11] I have attempted to first present a broad overview of the topic, largely for the benefit of readers new to the field. The final, somewhat more detailed section on natural occurrence and microbial attenuation aims to highlight the many
Estimates of uncertainty in multi-zone air leakage measurements

AbstractAlthough standards for single-zone air leakage tests are widely used, there are no existing standards for several multi-zone cases including: 1) testing air leakage between adjacent zones or 2) testing leakage to the outside from a single unit in a multi-zone building. While a range of test procedures have been used to determine inter-zone leakage using fan-pressurization, the accuracy of the methods can vary significantly. Using field measurements and simulations, we compared the uncertainty in the leakage between two adjacent zones for different measurement and calculation methods. The most accurate method for determining leakage between two adjacent zones using a single blower door has 25% uncertainty and the most accurate two-door test has 16%. In multi-family housing buildings, air leakage from a single zone to the outside is often measured by pressurizing adjacent units to the same test pressure, i.e., a guarded test approach. We investigated how two common sources of uncertainty affect zone...
Protecting polymers in space with atomic layer deposition coatings.

Polymers in space may be subjected to a barrage of incident atoms, photons, and/or ions. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques can produce films that mitigate many of the current challenges for space polymers. We have studied the efficacy of various ALD coatings to protect Kapton polyimide, FEP Teflon, and poly(methyl methacrylate) films from atomic-oxygen and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) attack. Atomic-oxygen and VUV studies were conducted with the use of a laser-detonation source for hyperthermal O atoms and a D2 lamp as a source of VUV light. These studies used a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) to monitor mass loss in situ, as well as surface profilometry and scanning electron microscopy to study the surface recession and morphology changes ex situ. Al2O3 ALD coatings protected the underlying substrates from atomic-oxygen attack, and the addition of TiO2 coatings protected the substrates from VUV-induced damage. The results indicate that ALD coatings can simultaneously protect polymers from oxygen-ato...
A framework for unsupervised transfer learning and application to dialog decision classification

We propose a framework for transfer learning in the unsupervised condition, and show its usefulness in addressing the problem of mismatch in test time dialog state decision classifier, which is presented here as a binary hypothesis problem. We are asked to either accept or reject the ASR output. The framework encompasses a two step process, the first step culminates in the discriminative retraining of the test time classifier using the results of an EM solution to the joint optimization between the original labelled training data and observed unlabelled test data for enhanced test time discrimination of the binary classes. The second step is optimization of the performance of this classifier in a specific operating range. This extends previous results in Bayes error reshaping to the unsupervised condition which favor a particular false alarm operating range. We show a total relative reduction in error rate of up to 15%, 12.5% from the first step, with an additional 2.5% from step 2 along with the added knowledge of the threshold needed to operate at a specific false alarm operating range.
Measuring the complexity of atrial fibrillation electrograms.

AF Electrogram Complexity. Introduction: Complex fractionated atrial electrograms (CFAE) have been identified as targets for atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. Robust automatic algorithms to objectively classify these signals would be useful. The aim of this study was to evaluate Shannon's entropy (ShEn) and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) test as a measure of signal complexity and to compare these measures with fractional intervals (FI) in distinguishing CFAE from non-CFAE signals. Methods and Results: Electrogram recordings of 5 seconds obtained from multiple atrial sites in 13 patients (11 M, 58 ± 10 years old) undergoing AF ablation were visually examined by 4 independent reviewers. Electrograms were classified as CFAE if they met Nademanee criteria. Agreement of 3 or more reviewers was considered consensus and the resulting classification was used as the gold standard. A total of 297 recordings were examined. Of these, 107 were consensus CFAE, 111 were non-CFAE, and 79 were equivocal or noninterpretable. FIs less than 120 ms identified CFAEs with sensitivity of 87% and specificity of 79%. ShEn, with optimal parameters using receiver-operator characteristic curves, resulted in a sensitivity of 87% and specificity of 81% in identifying CFAE. The K-S test resulted in an optimal sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 95% in classifying uninterpretable electrogram from all other electrograms. Conclusions: ShEn showed comparable results to FI in distinguishing CFAE from non-CFAE without requiring user input for threshold levels. Thus, measuring electrogram complexity using ShEn may have utility in objectively and automatically identifying CFAE sites for AF ablation. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 21, pp. 649-655, June 2010)
Toxicogenomics and toxic torts

One of the first practical applications of toxicogenomics will probably be in the context of toxic tort personal injury litigation. Gene expression changes that'fingerprint' exposure to particular classes of toxic substances can potentially be used to demonstrate exposure, prove causation and support novel damage claims in lawsuits brought by citizens injured by toxic exposures. Although the potential use of toxicogenomic data in toxic tort litigation is immense, there is a danger of premature use of such data before they have been adequately validated and characterized.
Scalar reference, contrast and discourse: Separating effects of linguistic discourse from availability of the referent

Abstract Listeners expect that a definite noun phrase with a pre-nominal scalar adjective (e.g., the big …) will refer to an entity that is part of a set of objects contrasting on the scalar dimension, e.g., size ( Sedivy, Tanenhaus, Chambers, & Carlson, 1999 ). Two visual world experiments demonstrate that uttering a referring expression with a scalar adjective makes all members of the relevant contrast set more salient in the discourse model, facilitating subsequent reference to other members of that contrast set. Moreover, this discourse effect is caused primarily by linguistic mention of a scalar adjective and not by the listener’s prior visual or perceptual experience. These experiments demonstrate that language processing is sensitive to which information was introduced by linguistic mention, and that the visual world paradigm can be use to tease apart the separate contributions of visual and linguistic information to reference resolution.
Mutational Analysis of the HLA Class II Interaction with Epstein-Barr Virus Glycoprotein 42

Entry of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) into B lymphocytes requires the binding of viral glycoprotein 42 (gp42), a C-type lectin family member, to HLA class II. Recently, the structure of the gp42:HLA-DR1 complex was determined. In order to confirm the interaction as determined in the structural study and to identify other potential interactive residues, a mutational analysis of HLA class II was performed. A secreted form of gp42 (sgp42) reacted with a conformation-specific monoclonal antibody and blocked EBV infection. The binding of sgp42 and EBV entry to two sets of HLA class II mutants were tested. The first set of mutants were based on the known interaction of the C-type lectin Ly49A with HLA class I, and the second set of mutants were based on the identified interface in the gp42:HLA-DR1 complex. As expected, none of the mutants that would be predicted to interfere with the interaction of Ly49A with class I affected the interaction of gp42 with HLA class II, whereas mutants in amino acids identified in the gp42:HLA-DR1 structure inhibited sg42 binding to class II. In general, sgp42 binding correlated with efficient entry of EBV, as demonstrated by the necessity of glutamic acid 46 or arginine 72 in class II molecules. Furthermore, other HLA class II residues buried within the interface of gp42 and HLA class II when mutated had either no effect or a decrease in both binding and entry and implicate a region of class II important in stabilizing the interaction with gp42. These studies provide insight into the entry and fusion processes of the critical interaction between gp42 and HLA class II.
Development and usability testing of a web-based cancer symptom and quality-of-life support intervention:

The feasibility and acceptability of computerized screening and patient-reported outcome measures have been demonstrated in the literature. However, patient-centered management of health information entails two challenges: gathering and presenting data using “patient-tailored” methods and supporting “patient-control” of health information. The design and development of many symptom and quality-of-life information systems have not included opportunities for systematically collecting and analyzing user input. As part of a larger clinical trial, the Electronic Self-Report Assessment for Cancer–II project, participatory design approaches were used to build and test new features and interfaces for patient/caregiver users. The research questions centered on patient/caregiver preferences with regard to the following: (a) content, (b) user interface needs, (c) patient-oriented summary, and (d) patient-controlled sharing of information with family, caregivers, and clinicians. Mixed methods were used with an emphas...
Health literacy and anesthesia: patients' knowledge of anesthesiologist roles and information desired in the preoperative visit.

Abstract Study Objective To assess patients' knowledge of the role of the anesthesiologist and to identify information patients desire during the preoperative visit. Design Self-administered structured survey evaluation. Setting Preoperative Evaluation Clinic at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Patients 502 adult surgical patients scheduled for elective surgery. Measurements A survey was designed and administered to patients in the preoperative clinic to assess their knowledge of the job descriptions and roles of anesthesiologists. The survey also included questions about information that patients desire before anesthesia and surgery. Main Results The survey was distributed to 502 patients, 500 of whom (99%) completed the survey. Seventy-four percent (346/466) of respondents were educated at or above the college level. The majority (377/460; 82%) of patients in this study had adequate or high health literacy levels. Four hundred sixteen of 486 (86%) respondents knew that an anesthesiologist was a doctor specializing in anesthesia. However, the roles of anesthesiologists throughout the hospital system were not well known. Ninety-six of 475 (20%) patients knew that anesthesiologists may work in pain management clinics, 80 of 470 (17%) patients knew that anesthesiologists may work in intensive care units, but only 59 of 472 (13%) patients knew that anesthesiologists may transfuse blood during surgery if needed. Conclusion Despite the high level of education and health literacy in this group of patients, many were uninformed about the roles of anesthesiologists. Patients expressed interest in receiving a broad range of information during the preoperative visit. An educational booklet was the preferred method to provide this information.
Confidence Regions and Pooling—Some Statistics for Weather Experimentation

The use of confidence intervals for assessing the results of weather modification experiments is demonstrated and is shown to be more informative than tests of significance. Multivariate tests, confidence regions, and simultaneous confidence intervals for multiple effects are discussed. Pooling of the results of several experiments is also described, both for single and for multiple effects. The methods are illustrated on ratio statistics applied to the first two Israeli experiments.
Improving space domain awareness through unequal-cost multiple hypothesis testing in the space surveillance telescope.

This paper investigates algorithms to improve the detection of space objects with the space surveillance telescope (SST) system. These space objects include natural objects such as asteroids and artificial satellites in Earth orbit. Using a proposed multiple hypothesis test (MHT), the detection performance is compared to the currently used algorithm as well as a matched filter and an equal-cost MHT algorithm. To compare these algorithms, a data set collected by the SST of a geosynchronous Earth orbit satellite, ANIK-F1 entering the Earth’s eclipse, is utilized. It is found that an unequal-cost MHT gives increased performance over a point detector, a matched filter, and equal-cost MHT over a large range of potential intensities. Results are presented as probability of detection and receiver operating characteristic curves. In addition, the performance of the algorithm as a function of number of hypotheses used is investigated.
Modulation of oncogenic transformation by the human adenovirus E1A C-terminal region.

The E1A oncogene of human adenoviruses cooperates with other viral and cellular oncogenes in oncogenic transformation of primary and established cells. The N-terminal half of E1A proteins that form specific protein complexes with pRb family and p300/CBP transcriptional regulators is essential for the transforming activities of E1A. Although the C-terminal half of E1A is dispensable for the transforming activities, it negatively modulates the oncogenic activities of the N-terminal region. Mutants of EIA lacking the C-terminal half or a short C-terminal region exhibit a hyper-transforming phenotype in cooperative transformation assays with the activated ras oncogene. The E1A C-terminal region implicated in the oncogenesis-restraining activity interacts with a 48-kDa cellular phosphoprotein, CtBP, that functions as a transcriptional corepressor. It appears that the C-terminal region of E1A may suppress E1A-mediated oncogenic transformation by a dual mechanism of relieving repression cellular genes by CtBP, and also by antagonizing the oncogenic activities of the N-terminal half of E1A.
Thermal Variation, Thermal Extremes and the Physiological Performance of Individuals

In this review we consider how small-scale temporal and spatial variation in body temperature, and biochemical/physiological variation among individuals, affect the prediction of organisms' performance in nature. For 'normal' body temperatures - benign temperatures near the species' mean - thermal biology traditionally uses performance curves to describe how physiological capabilities vary with temperature. However, these curves, which are typically measured under static laboratory conditions, can yield incomplete or inaccurate predictions of how organisms respond to natural patterns of temperature variation. For example, scale transition theory predicts that, in a variable environment, peak average performance is lower and occurs at a lower mean temperature than the peak of statically measured performance. We also demonstrate that temporal variation in performance is minimized near this new 'optimal' temperature. These factors add complexity to predictions of the consequences of climate change. We then move beyond the performance curve approach to consider the effects of rare, extreme temperatures. A statistical procedure (the environmental bootstrap) allows for long-term simulations that capture the temporal pattern of extremes (a Poisson interval distribution), which is characterized by clusters of events interspersed with long intervals of benign conditions. The bootstrap can be combined with biophysical models to incorporate temporal, spatial and physiological variation into evolutionary models of thermal tolerance. We conclude with several challenges that must be overcome to more fully develop our understanding of thermal performance in the context of a changing climate by explicitly considering different forms of small-scale variation. These challenges highlight the need to empirically and rigorously test existing theories.
Reflective leadership review: a framework for improving organisational performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe, examine and discuss scholarly literature on reflective leadership, a topic gaining momentum as a result of globalization. Despite the growing popularity of reflective leadership techniques, current and aspiring leaders are struggling to find ways in which to effectively practice reflection as a consequence of a lack of tangible available guidance. Design/methodology/approach – Scholarly literature on reflective leadership was examined and presented in this paper. Discussion on the potential efficacy of reflective leadership is also included as the available literature on the topic is scarce in comparison to other more established leadership techniques. Findings – Reflective leadership has been shown to improve organizational performance. The advent of globalization further intensifies the need for an effective approach leaders may deploy when assessing the long-term consequences of their actions and decisions. Therefore, methods to extend the theory and ...
Threshold-Based Monitoring of Multiple Outages With PMU Measurements of Area Angle

When power grids are heavily stressed with a bulk power transfer, it is useful to have a fast indication of the increased stress when multiple line outages occur. Reducing the bulk power transfer when the outages are severe could forestall further cascading of the outages. We show that synchrophasor measurements of voltage angles at all the area tie lines can be used to indicate the severity of multiple outages. These synchrophasor measurements are readily combined into an “area angle” that can quickly track the severity of multiple outages after they occur. We present a procedure to define thresholds for the area angle that relate to the maximum power that can be transferred through the area until a line limit is reached. Then in real time we would monitor the area angle and compare it to the thresholds when line outages occur to determine the urgency (or not) of actions to reduce the bulk transfer of power through the area. The procedure also identifies exceptional cases in which separate actions to resolve local power distribution problems are needed. We illustrate the thresholds and monitoring with the area angle across several states of Northwestern USA.
Examining the Efficacy of Parent–Child Interaction Therapy with Children on the Autism Spectrum

Externalizing behaviors are a common component of the clinical presentation of autism spectrum disorders. Although traditionally used with typically-developing children, parent–child interaction therapy (PCIT) is one behaviorally-based parent training program that has demonstrated success in increasing child compliance, reducing problem behavior, and improving parent–child communication. The study examined the efficacy of PCIT as a treatment for children with autism spectrum disorders by employing a single subject, non-concurrent multiple baseline design across three subjects. Primary findings revealed increases in child compliance, reductions in child disruptive behavior, and improved parenting skills across participants. In addition, each caregiver reported high levels of satisfaction with the intervention. Results suggested that PCIT may be a treatment option for children on the autism spectrum with co-occurring behavioral difficulties. Although the non-concurrent nature of the multiple baseline design is a limitation, this study replicates and extends previous research investigating the efficacy of PCIT with children with autism and their parents.
Steam temperature control system based on fuzzy-adaptation PID and compensation of dynamic character

The steam temperature controlled object of large size boiler features strong dynamic character delay and inertia and time-varying nonlinear property. In light of these features, on the basis of the conventional control scheme, the problem of steam temperature control has been solved with the compensation of inertia character on-line by Smith prediction method and with the on-line adjustment of PID controller parameter by the fuzzy logic arithmetic and the boiler load and steam temperature deviation. The application results in the 300 MW and above capacity units show that the control system has better performance and stronger adaptive capability. What's more, the realization of the control system becomes easy by the DCS.
Running-speed Prediction Model of Mountainous Two-lane Highway Based on Measured Running-speed 8

Based on the study of forecasting methods of speed at home and abroad,taking Huangguan Road as the study object,speed prediction model is regressed by the main parameters of plane and vertical surface of lines according to the measured speed and the characteristics of mountainous two-lane highway.The validity of predictive models is verified by measured running-speed.This model is reasonable and practical,which can provide basis for the safety evaluation of mountainous two-lane highways.
Effects of Diet on Lipogenic Enzyme Activities in Channel Catfish Hepatic and Adipose TissueAdipose Tissue

Three isonitrogenous, isoenergetic diets were formulated with varying levels of carbohydrate (CHO) and lipid to determine the effect of energy source on lipogenic enzyme activities in fingerling channel catfish. Diets A, B, and C contained, expressed as a percentage of total energy, 0% CHO and 49% lipid, 16% CHO and 33% lipid, and 46% CHO and 3% lipid, respectively. Duplicate groups of 60 fish weighing 435 +/- 5 g/group were fed 3% of their wet weight per day. Fish fed the high lipid (A) diet grew as well as fish fed the high-CHO (C) diet. Fish fed diet B, however, had a significantly greater growth rate. Fish were sampled and composite samples of liver and mesenteric adipose tissue were assayed for the following enzymes: fatty acid synthetase, malic enzyme, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, and NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase. In both hepatic and adipose tissue, all lipogenic enzymes assayed were stimulated by the high-CHO diet. All lipogenic enzymes were depressed by the high lipid diet only in hepatic tissue. Enzyme activities were much lower in adipose tissue relative to hepatic tissue. The marked stimulation of the hepatic lipogenic enzyme activities by dietary CHO may explain why catfish can utilize higher levels of dietary CHO than certain solmonid fishes.
Painting against the grid: Eugenio Montale's confrontation with the visual arts

This article proposes a new interpretation of the vast and understudied corpus of paintings and drawings produced by the poet Eugenio Montale between the mid-1940s and the 1970s. While critics have mostly discussed these artworks in connection with Montale's poetry from the interwar years, I argue, rather, that they constitute a direct intervention in the postwar cultural debate over the role of the author and the validity of traditional literary and visual languages. The article is subdivided in three parts: the first section surveys the style and prevalent motifs of Montale's art; the second section analyses its flawed critical reception through the close reading of relevant documents; and the third part illustrates the details of my argument on the basis of three major case studies, with references to contemporary artists such as Lucio Fontana, Alberto Burri and Piero Manzoni.
Infant Capitalists, Infant Industries and Infant Economies: Trade and Industrial Policies at Early Stages of Industrialization in Africa and Elsewhere

Adam Smith explicitly assumed the existence of a class of capitalists. He spoke of a “previous accumulation” of wealth in the economy into the nature and causes of whose wealth he was inquiring. This “previous accumulation” predated and preconditioned his analysis: “the accumulation of [capital] stock must, in the nature of things, be previous to the division of labour, so labour can be more and more subdivided in proportion only as stock is previously more and more accumulated.”1