cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Automatic activation of word phonology from print in deep dyslexia.

The performance of deep dyslexics in oral reading and other tasks suggests that they are poor at activating the phonology of words and non-words from printed stimuli. As the tasks ordinarily used to test deep dyslexics require controlled processing, it is possible that the phonology of printed words can be better activated on an automatic basis. This study investigated this possibility by testing a deep dyslexic patient on a lexical decision task with pairs of stimuli presented simultaneously. In Experiment 1, which used content words as stimuli, the deep dyslexic, like normal subjects, showed faster reaction times on trials with rhyming, similarly spelled stimuli (e.g. bribe-tribe) than on control trials (consisting of non-rhyming, dissimilarly spelled words), but slower reaction times on trials with non-rhyming, similarly spelled stimuli (e.g. couch-touch). When the experiment was repeated using function words as stimuli, the patient no longer showed a phonological effect. Therefore, the phonological ac...
Teaching Applied Experimental Psychology Using a Living Laboratory

Five principles of high-performance skill training were integrated into our undergraduate engineering psychology/human factors laboratory. This was accomplished by applying what we refer to as a living laboratory concept. The living laboratory is a focused field experience that practices the skills of a human factors professional. The skills exercised by this living laboratory included information gathering, analyzing practical problems, generating solutions and communicating with clients. The students learned to utilize tools such as task analyses, function analyses, function allocations, traffic flow analyses, and questionnaires. Their project was to design an educational and user-friendly instructional system for a popular exhibit at a local zoo. The zoo's education staff played the role of the “client” for the students and required the students to report on their solutions in relation to the zoo's goals and the exhibit's purpose. These same general skills can transfer to other living laboratories. The...
On the Möbius Number of the Subgroup Lattice of the Symmetric Group

In this paper, a formula is given for the Mobius number?(1, Sn) of the subgroup lattice of the symmetric groupSn. This formula involves the Mobius numbers of certain transitive subgroups ofSn. Whennhas at most two (not necessarily distinct) prime factors ornis a power of two, this formula is refined so that it involves only the Mobius numbers of certain primitive subgroups ofSn. Using the O'Nan-Scott Theorem, the classification of finite simple groups, and the refined formula, the exact value of?(1, Sn) is determined whennis prime, twice a prime, or a power of two. For certain primesp, |?(1, S2p)|?(2p)!/2. This result gives a negative answer to a question raised by Stanley.
The barley Lem 1 gene promoter drives expression specifically in outer floret organs at anthesis in transgenic wheat

Genetic engineering of cereal crops could be refined and made more publicly acceptable by the use of promoters that direct transgene expression to particular organs at defined stages of plant development. A fusion between the barley Lem1 promoter and green fluorescence protein was used to transform bread wheat. Expression analyses showed that the Lem1 promoter is active in the organs surrounding the wheat floret at anthesis. It is not active in other vegetative and seed tissues. The organ specificity and developmental regulation of the Lem1 promoter suggest that it would be useful for engineering Fusarium head blight resistance in wheat.
Hardness and shear band evolution in bulk metallic glasses after plastic deformation and annealing

Strain-induced hardening and annealing-induced softening are typical in crystalline metals. Bulk metallic glasses (BMG) exhibit the opposite behavior, namely, strain-induced softening and annealing-induced hardening. In addition, reversible softening-hardening-softening occurs in a BMG subjected to a three-step deformation-annealing-deformation process. The hardness changes after deformation and annealing can be correlated with the shear band patterns around/underneath Vickers indents. Shear bands produced during indentation of as-cast BMG are semicircular and radial, consistent with the stress distribution beneath the indenter. In contrast, the shear bands in the pre-strained BMG are irregular and convoluted, and appear to be a mixture of the shear bands produced during the prior compression and those in the as-cast BMG. After annealing, the shear bands tend to recover their semicircular and radial shapes consistent with the annealing-induced hardening.
Involvement of κ-opioid receptors in opioid dependence/withdrawal: studies using butorphanol

Abstract The dependence liability of a class of opioid agonist/antagonist analgesics, e.g. pentazocine, butorphanol, and buprenorphine, is widely recognized. However, the relative involvement of μ-, δ-, and κ-opioid receptors mediating physical dependence on these compounds is not completely known. In the present study, butorphanol dependence was produced by continuous intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusion of butorphanol (26 nmol/h) for 3 days in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Nor-binaltorphimine, a long-acting κ-opioid receptor antagonist, and naloxone, a nonspecific antagonist, were administered i.c.v. to precipitate withdrawal in butorphanol-dependent animals, so as to investigate the involvement of central κ-opioid receptors in opioid dependence. ED50 ratios (naloxone/nor-binaltorphimine) for eliciting withdrawal signs were: teeth-chattering (1.25), yawning (2.13), and ejaculation (0.72). Our data indicate that nor-binaltorphimine precipitated withdrawal behaviors similar to those precipitated by naloxone. It appears that central κ-opioid receptors may play a major role in the development of butorphanol dependence in rats.
Persistent infection II. Interferon-inducing temperature-sensitive mutants as mediators of cell sparing: Possible role in persistent infection by vesicular stomatitis virus☆

Abstract We demonstrate that like the interferon-inducing [±]RNA DI particles of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), ts mutants, also commonly implicated in the establishment and maintenance of persistent infection, can be excellent inducers of interferon—both at non-permissive (40°) and at semipermissive (37°) temperatures. Mutants capable of inducing interferon ( ifp + ) were characteristically negative or delayed in the expression of cellular protein synthesis inhibition— psi − and delayed psi + phenotypes, respectively. We contend that in cells competent for the interferon system, virus phenotypes selected during persistent infection are characterized by interferon-inducing particles ( ifp + ) activity. Interferon induction by ifp + mutants (or the [±]RNA class of DI particles) of VSV provides, through the subsequent action of that interferon, a common mechanism for the sparing of cells, i.e., the persistence of normally susceptible cells in the presence of lethal virus. The critical role we propose for interferon-mediated cell sparing in persistent infection by VSV in interferon-competent cells predicts that specific anti-interferon serum will shift the equilibrium between cell sparing ⇆ cell killing, and virus inhibition ⇆ virus replication, and precipitate a “crisis”, i.e., cell death and termination of persistent infection. Such results have been observed in the virus-cell systems thus far tested with anti-interferon serum.
ADDRESSING EDUCATIONAL NEEDS IN SPATIAL DATA, INFORMATION SCIENCE, AND GEOMATICS IN THE CIVIL ENGINEERING UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM

The technology-driven, rapidly advancing field of spatial data and information science (SDIS) is an integral part of numerous engineering professions. Many college civil engineering programs are struggling to find ways to accommodate this subject in an already crowded undergraduate curriculum. There are several reasons that taking a course in SDIS is desirable for civil engineers entering today's demanding job market. First, technologies related to surveying, spatial data, and information science are among the fastest developing in the industry, and there is significant demand for skills in the latest technology. Second, spatial data collection and analysis are essential to all civil engineering disciplines; thus, a fundamental understanding of data collection and analysis techniques is desirable. The transportation discipline of civil engineering may face the greatest need for professionals specializing in SDIS. Transportation planning, system design, facilities management, and transportation logistics rely heavily on SDIS technologies, including conventional surveying, geographic information systems, Global Positioning System, remote sensing, and digital terrain modeling. A description is given of a widely transferable and technically up-to-date course in geomatics that expands on traditional surveying by incorporating modern methods of spatial data collection, management, and analysis. Including a course on geomatics early in students' undergraduate civil engineering curriculum may plant the seed for the development of future SDIS and SDIS for transportation professionals. Lessons learned in developing geomatics courses at Clemson University, Georgia Tech, and The Citadel are presented. Findings and recommendations are summarized with respect to broader application issues affecting the civil engineering curriculum.
Laboratory-scale hybrid rocket motor uncertainty analysis

Laboratory-scale hybrid rocket motors often provide the means to evaluate the burning rates of new fuel formulations. While the issue of scaling to larger sizes can be significant, the uncertainty level of the laboratory-scale results also needs evaluation. This work quantitatively evaluates the uncertainty of key experimental results for a particular hybrid rocket motor. The scope includes calculation of the uncertainties in the fuel regression rate, oxidizer flux, motor characteristic velocity, and the oxidizer-to-fuel mass ratio for a laboratory-sca le motor. The motor burned gaseous oxygen and hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene at conditions characteristic of a preburner. The accepted uncertainty methodology of Coleman and Steele established the approach for the study. The results show that the typical uncertainty values are ±8.7% hi the determination of the fuel regression rate, ±10.8% in the oxidizer flux, ±10.5% for motor characteristic velocity, and ±9.2% for the oxidizer-to-fuel ratio. Measurement uncertainties hi the diameters of the initial fuel grain, initial port, and nozzle throat contributed significantly to these conclusions. Conceptual biases in determining the burn duration, the average chamber pressure, and the average burning rate have a significant influence. This evaluation revealed the important measurement limitations and potential improvements for the particular test conditions and data reduction equations used. However, the methodology presented is in generally applicable to hybrid rocket testing.
Table Mountain Serpentinite Extrusion in California Coast Ranges

Near Parkfield in the southern Diablo Range, the smooth summit of Table Mountain, a narrow ridge 12 miles long, is capped by a subhorizontal sheet of weakly foliate serpentinite breccia composed of massive serpentinized-peridotite blocks set in a slickensided matrix of crushed serpentine. The breccia was extruded by plastic flowage from longitudinal fault fissures now occupied by steeply dipping serpentinite breccia dikes that lie near the crest of a complex anticline whose core is Jurassic-Cretaceous(?) Franciscan tectonic breccia made of exotic blocks set in a cataclasite matrix. The fissure feeders probably tapped a long-dormant mass of Franciscan serpentinite that was mobilized by fault disruption and high lateral stresses during the Pliocene-Pleistocene orogenesis of the Diablo Range. Upon reaching the surface, the breccia buried an uneven ridge crest of hills and saddles beneath a gently arched summit carapace. The breccia then moved downslope in earthflow fashion to form narrow, sloping ramps that filled draws between resistant spurs on the flanks of the ridge. On the lower slopes, the extrusion again coalesced to form an evenly sloping piedmont plate through which rejuvenated streams have cut steep gorges. Extensive landslides with prominent headwall scarps have scarred eroded edges of the extrusive sheet, and a degradational sequence of Quaternary pediment gravel surfaces at the base of Table Mountain also postdates the extrusion. The piedmont plate rests discordantly across a steeply dipping anticline limb of marine Cretaceous Panoche Group and a largely marine Tertiary sequence that includes Pliocene-Pleistocene(?) continental gravels. The Tertiary beds rest unconformably on the Panoche Group, but the Panoche Group lies upon the underlying Franciscan tectonic breccia along a folded thrust. The thrust emplacement followed widespread tectonic brecciation of the Franciscan, but preceded deposition of Eocene sandstones containing Franciscan detritus. The folded thrust is cut locally by younger, steep reverse and strike-slip faults that offset Tertiary strata.
Photoaffinity Labeling of the Adenine Binding Site of the Lectins from Lima Bean, Phaseolus lunatus, and the Kidney Bean, Phaseolus vulgaris"

8-Azidoadenine was employed as a photoaffinity probe of the adenine binding site of the seed lectin from lima beans and from Phaseolus vulgaris erythroagglutinin. This compound was shown to (a) bind competitively to the adenine binding site of these lectins and (b) exhibit enhanced binding in the presence of 1,8-anilinonaphthalenesulfonic acid in the same manner as adenine. The presence or absence of 1,8-anilinonaphthalenesulfonic acid during labeling caused no change in the peptide maps of either lectin when digested with trypsin. The peptide maps of each lectin showed one major peak of radioactivity. Sequencing of the corresponding tryptic peptide from lima bean lectin indicated the primary structure to be Val-Leu-Ile-Thr-Tyr-Asp-Ser-Ser-Thr-Lys. The sequence of the labeled peptide isolated from P. vulgaris erythroagglutinin was Thr-Thr-Thr-Trp-Asp-Phe-Val-Gly-Glu-Asn-Glu-Val-Leu-Ile-Thr-Tyr, which corresponded to residues 173-190 of the cDNA-derived sequence (Hoffman, L. M., and Donaldson, D. D. (1985) EMBO J. 4, 883-889). Residues 186-190 (italicized) are identical to the first five amino acids in the lima bean lectin peptide. The peptides are located at the COOH-terminal half of the lectin and show extensive homology with other legume lectins.
Molecular mechanisms of midfacial developmental defects

The morphogenesis of midfacial processes requires the coordination of a variety of cellular functions of both mesenchymal and epithelial cells to develop complex structures. Any failure or delay in midfacial development as well as any abnormal fusion of the medial and lateral nasal and maxillary prominences will result in developmental defects in the midface with a varying degree of severity, including cleft, hypoplasia, and midline expansion. Despite the advances in human genome sequencing technology, the causes of nearly 70% of all birth defects, which include midfacial development defects, remain unknown. Recent studies in animal models have highlighted the importance of specific signaling cascades and genetic-environmental interactions in the development of the midfacial region. This review will summarize the current understanding of the morphogenetic processes and molecular mechanisms underlying midfacial birth defects based on mouse models with midfacial developmental abnormalities.
“My Life as it is Has Value” Narrating Schizophrenia in Later Years

I used thematic narrative analysis, informed by the developmental life course perspective, to formulate a line of semistructured questioning for interviews with 6 older adults who experienced ongoing symptoms of schizophrenia. From the 31 resulting interviews and 38 observation points, I developed life history narratives that yielded findings across four shared core themes. In this article I present my findings on the theme of narrative insight into schizophrenia in later years. Whereas only 2 of the participants had clinical insight into their mental illness, all had developed personal stories about their lives with schizophrenia. I discuss the significance of the shared narrative profile and the importance of using narrative insight to develop more effective clinical practices and to focus future research with older adults with schizophrenia.
The color of the undergraduate experience and the black self-concept: Evidence from longitudinal data

The present study assesses the impact of attending colleges with higher black enrollment on African Americans' self-esteem and self-efficacy. It tests Rosenberg's proposition that racially “consonant” environments enhance self-appraisals. The LISREL models control for various pre-college attributes and for institutional selectivity. Higher black enrollment enhances post-college self-esteem but does not significantly influence self-efficacy. Both dimensions of the self-concept are enhanced substantially by post-college socioeconomic status, an objective indicator of achievement. Longitudinal NLS-72 data are merged with institutional selectivity data and continuous data on black enrollment to facilitate these analyses, a process that previously would not have been possible.
Prediction of environmental stress cracking of polycarbonate from solubility considerations

Simple thermodynamic relationships as well as semiempirical solubility parameter plotting techniques were examined as methods for predicting critical crazing strains of polycarbonate exposed to linear and branched alkanes. In general, measured critical strains correlated with predicted solubilities based on the Flory–Huggins equation. Solubility parameters could also be used to predict critical strains if molecular size differences between specific alkanes were taken into account. These techniques were then extended to polar and hydrogen bonding liquids using two-dimensional solubility parameter plotting representations. A comprehensive listing of critical strains for polycarbonate exposed to over 80 liquids and liquid mixtures is included.
Knowledge Structures, Social Information Processing, and Children’s Aggressive Behavior

Although a multitude of factors may be involved in the development of children's violent behavior, the actual aggressive act is preceded by a decision-making process that serves as the proximal control mechanism. The primary goal of this longitudinal study was to understand the nature of this proximal control mechanism involved in children's aggressive acts by focusing on two aspects of social cognitions: social information processing and stored knowledge (i.e., internal knowledge structures that are the latent memories of past events). It was hypothesized that: (1) children with hostile knowledge structures will display more biased patterns of aggressive social information processing than children whose knowledge structures are less hostile and negative; (2) children who display hostile knowledge structures will behave in chronically aggressive ways; and (3) the development of hostile knowledge structures and hostile patterns of social information processing contribute to the stability of aggressive behavior and thus partially mediate the relation between early and later aggressive behavior. 585 boys and girls (19% African-American) were followed from kindergarten through eighth grade. Results from this investigation support the hypotheses and are discussed in terms of the significance of the inclusion of knowledge structures in our theories of the mental processes involved in children's violent behaviour.
Discrepancy Between Self‐Report and School‐Record Grade Point Average: Correlates With Psychosocial Outcomes Among African American Adolescents1

The purpose of this study is to better understand the implications for using self-reported grade point average (GPA) versus school-record GPA in academic achievement research. First, we found that nearly half the youths interviewed overreported their GPAs by at least 2 half grades. Second, youth who overreported their GPAs also reported less psychological distress, more successhl academic beliefs, and fewer problem behaviors. Third, we found that self-reported GPA was associated with all 3 sets of variables, but school-record GPA was associated with only problem behaviors. The findings suggest that it may be useful for researchers to consider how different measures of GPA may influence their results.
Aggregation Kinetics of Recombinant Human FVIII (rFVIII)

The physical phenomenon of aggregation can have profound impact on the stability of therapeutic proteins. This study focuses on the aggregation behavior of recombinant human FVIII (rFVIII), a multi-domain protein used as the first line of therapy for hemophilia A, a bleeding disorder caused by the deficiency or dysfunction of factor VIII (FVIII). Thermal denaturation of rFVIII was investigated using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and size exclusion chromatography (SEC). The dependence of unfolding on heating rate indicated that the thermal denaturation of the protein was at least partly under kinetic control. The data was interpreted in terms of a simple two-state kinetic model, N(Native) k --> A(Aggregated), where k is a first-order kinetic constant that changes with temperature, as given by the Arrhenius equation. Analysis of the data in terms of the above scheme suggested that under the experimental conditions used in this study, the rate-controlling step in the aggregation of rFVIII may be a unimolecular reaction involving conformational changes.
Distributed algorithm for lifetime maximization in delay-tolerant wireless sensor network with mobile sink

We propose an algorithm for maximizing the lifetime of a wireless sensor network when there is a mobile sink and the underlying application can tolerate some degree of delay in delivering the data to the sink. Our main contribution is that the algorithm is distributed, and in addition, mostly uses local information. Such an algorithm can be implemented by parallel and/or distributed execution and the overhead of message passing is low. It is also possible to embed the algorithm into a network protocol so that the senor nodes and the sink can run it directly as part of the network operation. Our second contribution is that we give a proof of the algorithm's optimality and the boundedness of the queue sizes, both in the long-run average sense. The proof is based on analyzing a Lyapunov drift.
An unknotting result for complete minimal surfaces R3

In this note we prove: Theorem. If S is a complete properly embedded minimal surface in R 3, with the Euclidean metric, and if A is a closed connected complementary domain of Z, then either A is metrically R 2  [0, hi or, up to diffeomorphism, A is made from a countable or finite collection of building blocks by attaching a proper collection of closed 1-handles. Each building blocks is a closed 3-ball or an open annulus x [0, 1). [] The first theorem of this kind was B. Lawson's I-L] unknottedness theorem for minimal surfaces in S 3. That result was obtained by considering the second variation of arc length. Because the flat Euclidean metric of R 3 does not contribute a favorable curvature term as found in S 3 a dual approach employing stable minimal surfaces (dual to Lawson's spanning arcs) is required. The key technical result, proved by an analysis of the second variation operator on surfaces, is that geometric planes are the only stable minimal surfaces in R 3 [C, P] and [F-C, S]. From this starting point a more topological theory has been developed by Frohman, Hoffman, Meeks, Yau, and others. Our argument is based, to a large degree, on the methods used by C. Frohman and W. Meeks [F, M] to classify 1-ended, proper, complete, minimal, imbeddings in R 3. We present four succinct topological assertions about any 3-manifold with boundary (A, S) which is a connected, closed complementary region of a complete proper minimal surface in R 3. These statements should be thought of as "axioms" for this emerging theory. Deduced from geometry, they help to mark the boundary with topology. The theorem follows quickly from the axioms. Axiom 1 occurs explicitly as corollary 3.2 I-F, M]. Axiom 2 is an immediate consequence of the methods of [F, M] and Axiom 3 is proved by an extension of these methods. Axiom 4 is related to an idea on the ordering of ends [M, Y] due to W. Meeks and S.-T. Yau. These are the axioms. Their verification actually only requires that the mean curvature vector of 2: be everywhere zero or pointing towards A.
Improvements in EMI performance of inverter-fed motor drives

Measurements of conducted radio-noise emissions from a commercial PWM inverter with an induction motor are presented. It is determined that the common mode emissions predominate the noise level and the spectrum components in this type of system, which result from the derivative of the line to ground voltages at the main circuit (dv/dt) and the circuit parameters, consisting of the physical stray inductance of the main circuit conductors and distributed capacitance formed between the circuit conductors and the grounded chassis/frame, most of which concentrate in motor windings and power-semiconductor devices in this system. Modeling and simulations of the system for purpose of evaluation of EMI are presented. Several strategies suppressing conducted radio-noise emissions are proposed, which are practically feasible for cost-effective EMC designs. Both the simulation and experimental results demonstrate that high level radio-noise were significantly suppressed and the EMI performance of the system are able to meet the CISPR and FCC limits on conducted emissions for digital devices. >
Isotopic tracking of foraging and long-distance migration in northeastern Pacific pinnipeds.

We investigated the impact of foraging location (nearshore vs offshore) and foraging latitude (high vs middle) on the carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope compositions of bone collagen of northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus), harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), and northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris). Nearshore-foraging harbor seals from California had δ13C values 2.0‰ higher than female northern elephant seals foraging offshore at similar latitudes. Likewise, nearshore-foraging harbor seals from Alaska had values 1.7‰ higher than male northern fur seals, which forage offshore at high latitudes. Middle-latitude pinnipeds foraging in either the nearshore or offshore were 13C enriched by ∼1.0‰ over similar populations from high latitudes. Male northern elephant seals migrate between middle and high latitudes, but they had δ13C values similar to high-latitude, nearshore foragers. Female northern fur seal δ13C values were intermediate between those of high- and middle-latitude offshore foragers, reflecting their migration between high- and middle-latitude waters. The δ13C values of California sea lions were intermediate between nearshore- and offshore-foraging pinnipeds at middle latitudes, yet there was no observational support for the suggestion that they use offshore food webs. We suggest that their “intermediate” values reflect migration between highly productive and less-productive, nearshore ecosystems on the Pacific coasts of California and Mexico. The relative uniformity among all of these pinnipeds in δ15N values, which are strongly sensitive to trophic level, reveals that the carbon isotope patterns result from differences in the δ13C of organic carbon at the base of the food web, rather than differences in trophic structure, among these regions. Finally, the magnitude and direction of the observed nearshore-offshore and high-to middle-latitude differences in δ13C values suggest that these gradients may chiefly reflect differences in rates and magnitudes of phytoplankton production as well as the δ13C value of inorganic carbon available for photosynthesis, rather than the input of 13C-enriched macroalgal carbon to nearshore food webs.
Kinetics of Cytochrome P450 2E1-Catalyzed Oxidation of Ethanol to Acetic Acid via Acetaldehyde

The P450 2E1-catalyzed oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde is characterized by a kinetic deuterium isotope effect that increases Km with no effect on kcat, and rate-limiting product release has been proposed to account for the lack of an isotope effect on kcat (Bell, L. C., and Guengerich, F. P. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 29643–29651). Acetaldehyde is also a substrate for P450 2E1 oxidation to acetic acid, and kcat/Km for this reaction is at least 1 order of magnitude greater than that for ethanol oxidation to acetaldehyde. Acetic acid accounts for 90% of the products generated from ethanol in a 10-min reaction, and the contribution of this second oxidation has been overlooked in many previous studies. The noncompetitive intermolecular kinetic hydrogen isotope effects on acetaldehyde oxidation to acetic acid (H(kcat/Km)/D(kcat/Km) = 4.5, and D kcat = 1.5) are comparable with the isotope effects typically observed for ethanol oxidation to acetaldehyde, and kcat is similar for both reactions, suggesting a possible common catalytic mechanism. Rapid quench kinetic experiments indicate that acetic acid is formed rapidly from added acetaldehyde (∼450 min−1) with burst kinetics. Pulse-chase experiments reveal that, at a subsaturating concentration of ethanol, ∼90% of the acetaldehyde intermediate is directly converted to acetic acid without dissociation from the enzyme active site. Competition experiments suggest that P450 2E1 binds acetic acid and acetaldehyde with relatively high Kdvalues, which preclude simple tight binding as an explanation for rate-limiting product release. The existence of a rate-determining step between product formation and release is postulated. Also proposed is a conformational change in P450 2E1 occurring during the course of oxidation and the discrimination of P450 2E1 between acetaldehyde and its hydrated form, the gem-diol. This multistep P450 reaction is characterized by kinetic control of individual reaction steps and by loose binding of all ligands.
Race differences in access to health care and disparities in incident chronic kidney disease in the US

Background. The contribution of race differences in access to health care to disparities in chronic kidney disease (CKD) incidence in the United States is unknown. Methods. We examined race differences in usual source of health care, health insurance and CKD incidence among 3883 Whites and 1607 Blacks with hypertension or diabetes enrolled in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. In multivariable analyses, we explored the incremental contribution of access to health care in explaining Blacks’ excess CKD incidence above and beyond other socioeconomic, lifestyle and clinical factors. Results. Compared with Whites, Blacks had poorer access to health care (3 vs 0.3% with no usual source of health care or health insurance, P < 0.001) and experienced greater CKD incidence (14.7 vs 12.0 cases per 1000 person-years, P < 0.001). Blacks’ excess risk of CKD persisted after adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle and clinical factors [hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval (95% CI)) = 1.21 (1.01–1.47)]. Adjustment for these factors explained 64% of the excess risk among Blacks. The increased risk for CKD among Blacks was attenuated after additional adjustment for race differences in access to health care [HR (95% CI) = 1.19 (0.99–1.45)], which explained an additional 10% of the disparity. Conclusions. In this population at risk for developing CKD, we found that poorer access to health care among Blacks explained some of Blacks’ excess risk of CKD, beyond the excess risk explained by demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle and clinical factors. Improved access to health care for high-risk individuals could narrow disparities in CKD incidence.
Parallel evolution between aromatase and androgen receptor in the animal kingdom

There are now many known cases of orthologous or unrelated proteins in different species that have undergone parallel evolution to satisfy a similar function. However, there are no reported cases of parallel evolution for proteins that bind a common ligand but have different functions. We focused on two proteins that have different functions in steroid hormone biosynthesis and action but bind a common ligand, androgen. The first protein, androgen receptor (AR), is a nuclear hormone receptor and the second one, aromatase (cytochrome P450 19 [CYP19]), converts androgen to estrogen. We hypothesized that binding of the androgen ligand has exerted common selective pressure on both AR and CYP19, resulting in a signature of parallel evolution between these two proteins, though they perform different functions. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found that rates of amino acid change in AR and CYP19 are strongly correlated across the metazoan phylogeny, whereas no significant correlation was found in the control set of proteins. Moreover, we inferred that genomic toolkits required for steroid biosynthesis and action were present in a basal metazoan, cnidarians. The close similarities between vertebrate and sea anemone AR and CYP19 suggest a very ancient origin of their endocrine functions at the base of metazoan evolution. Finally, we found evidence supporting the hypothesis that the androgen-to-estrogen ratio determines the gonadal sex in all metazoans.
On a novel matrix approach for linear space-invariant 2-D deconvolutions

The linear and space-invariant convolution Y = H \bigotimes X of a matrix X with the kernel (impulse response, point spread function) matrix H is modeled as a linear matrix equation of the form Y=\sum_{i}A_{i}XB_{i} . Under periodicity assumptions on matrix X analytical and numerical solution methods of the 2-D inverse filtering problem are presented jointly with an analysis of the computational complexity and convergence conditions. As a consequence of this new matrix approach, the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) method is derived as a particular case of more powerful algebraic operators to solve general matrix equations.
Characteristics of Executive Functioning in a Small Sample of Children With Tourette Syndrome

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a disorder that involves at least one vocal tic and two or more motor tics; however, associated symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention-deficit disorder or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are common. Many children with TS exhibit educational difficulties and one possible explanation may be deficits in executive functioning. The focus of this study was to look at the severity of symptoms often associated with TS (tics and OCD and ADHD symptoms) and its potential relationship with the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) Parent Form in 11 children diagnosed with TS aged 8 to 14 years old. The parent of the child completed the BRIEF along with symptom measures evaluating tics, OCD behaviors, and ADHD symptoms. Despite relatively low mean scores on the symptom measures and just a few children exhibiting clinically significant scores on the BRIEF indexes, at least half the children exhibited abnormal scores on the Working Memory...
A combined constraint-space, objective-space approach for determining high-dimensional maximal efficient faces of multiple objective linear programs

Abstract Characterizations for efficient faces and certain maximal efficient faces of the objective set Y of a linear k -objective minimization problem are presented. These characterizations are used to develop an algorithm for etermining high-dimensional maximal efficient faces of Y . The algorithm requires as input an irredundant system of linear inequalities representing the efficiency equivalent polyhedron Y :=Y + R + k . A procedure for obtaining such a representation for Y has previously appeared in the literature and is included herein in order to make the paper self-contained. This latter procedure requires, in part, the generation of the efficient extreme points and efficient extreme rays of the constraint polyhedron. Hence, the overall method proposed herein can be viewed as a combined constraint-space, objective-space algorithm. The algorithm is complete for problems with 2 and 3 objectives. An illustrative numerical example is included.
Jesus faz milagres? : Uma análise de Jo 2.1-22

O artigo de Donaido Schiiler, professor no Seminario Concordia da IELB, foi apresentado em encontro de professores dos centros de formacao pastoral da IECLB e da IELB.
Experience with rules-based programming for distributed, concurrent, fault-tolerant code

This paper describes how a rules-based approach allowed us to solve a broad class of challenging distributed system problems in the RAMCloud storage system. In the rules-based approach, behavior is described with small sections of code that trigger independently based on system state; this provides a clean separation between the deterministic and nondeterministic parts of an algorithm. To simplify the implementation of rules-based modules, we developed a task abstraction for information hiding and complexity management, pools for grouping tasks and minimizing the cost of rule evaluation, and a polling-based asynchronous RPC system. The rules-based approach is a special case of an event-based state machine, but it encourages a cleaner factoring of code.
NEUTROPHILS INJURE BRONCHIAL EPITHELIUM AFTER OZONE EXPOSURE

Neutrophil (PMN) influx is an early, prominent finding in the airways of humans after experimental inhalation of ozone (O3), however the potential for PMN to contribute to epithelial injury in this setting is unknown. Bronchial epithelial cells of the human BEAS 2B R1.4 cell line or primary human bronchial epithelial cells underwent DNA labeling by incubation with BrdU. Monolayers were exposed to O3 (0.05 to 1 ppm) or filtered air for 60 min., and subsequently incubated with PMN for 2 h. Epithelial cell cytolysis was significant only in BEAS exposed to O3 and co-cultured with PMN. Apoptosis was maximal in BEAS exposed to O3 + PMN. Primary bronchial epithelial cells were resistant to injury; no cytolysis was detected, and apoptosis was detected only after treatment with 10 mM H2O2. Neutrophils may increase damage to the respiratory epithelium after O3 exposure, but primary bronchial epithelial cells are resistant to PMN and ozone induced injury.
NF-κB dependent cytokine production in HNSCC cell lines increases with inflammatory state.

A56 Carcinogens found in tobacco products induce nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) activation. This leads to increased production of proinflammatory and proangiogenic cytokines (IL-6, IL-8 and VEGF) that have been implicated in the pathogenesis of head and neck cancers. Relative to controls, research has demonstrated elevated IL-6, IL-8 and VEGF levels in tissue culture of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines and in saliva (and serum) of patients with preneoplastic leukoplakia. A correlation between VEGF levels in serum and saliva has also been demonstrated. There is evidence that in the early stages of disease, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) can act as an endogenous tumor promoter in tumor microenvironment. However, the correlation of cytokine production to inflammatory state of cancer cells has not been definitively studied. The hypothesis of the present study is that cytokine levels in HNSCC cell lines also correlate with inflammatory state. This was studied in vitro using HNSCC cell lines UMSCC-9, -38 and human oral keratinocyte (Hok 16B) cell lines. We predicted Hok 16B cells will have the lowest cytokine production and would be least sensitive to changes in inflammation. To stimulate increasing inflammatory state, 24hour treatments of 0ng/ml, 0.2ng/ml, 2ng/ml and 20ng/ml TNF-α in serum free media were added to 60-80% confluent 25cm2 cell culture flasks. The cell number in each individual flask was obtained to determine quantity of cytokine secreted per 1 million cells. IL-6, IL-8 and VEGF concentrations in clarified supernatants were determined by quantitative sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All experiments were independently repeated 2-3 times. In all three cell lines, IL-6, IL-8 and VEGF levels were 1-5 fold higher with TNF-α treatment. UMSCC-9 exhibited the greatest induction of cytokine release in response to TNF-α. Hok 16B cells expressed the lowest IL-8 levels at each TNF-α concentration. For IL-6, Hok 16B cells released higher levels than UMSCC-9 at 0ng/ml and 0.2ng/ml TNF-α but levels lower than UMSCC-38 at all TNF-α concentrations. In the VEGF ELISAs, Hok 16B cells demonstrated higher or similar VEGF production in comparison to UMSCC-9 and UMSCC-38. However, Hok 16B did not show a higher response to TNF-α stimulation in the VEGF ELISAs. This could be attributable to the relative importance of VEGF as a HIF (hypoxia inducible factor) dependent gene rather than an NF-κB dependent gene. In this study, we show that production of IL-6, IL-8 and VEGF is increased by TNF-α stimulation in UMSCC-9, UMSCC-38 and HOK-16B cells. UMSCC-9 exhibited the greatest response to TNF-α treatment while Hok 16B produced less IL-6 and IL-8. These results suggest that tissue cancer cells may have a higher response to inflammation in tumor microenvironment. More importantly, these cancer cells tend to produce more proinflammatory cytokines with increased inflammation.
Feasibility of Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for Rapid Detection of Aflatoxins in Maize

Rapid and sensitive surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) for aflatoxin detection was employed for development of the models to classify and quantify aflatoxin levels in maize at concentrations of 0 to 1,206 μg/kg. Highly effective SERS substrate (Ag nanosphere) was prepared and mixed with a sample extract for SERS measurement. Strong Raman bands associated with aflatoxins and changes in maize kernels induced by aflatoxin contamination were observed in different SERS spectroscopic regions. The k-nearest neighbors (KNN) classification model yielded high classification accuracy and lower prediction error with no misclassification of contaminated samples as aflatoxin negative. The multiple linear regression (MLR) models showed a higher predictive accuracy with stronger correlation coefficients (r = 0.939–0.967) and a higher sensitivity with lower limits of detection (13–36 μg/kg) and quantitation (44–121 μg/kg) over other quantification models. Paired sample t test exhibited no statistically significant...
Dipole solitons in two-dimensional photonic lattices

Dipole solitons in a two-dimensional photorefractive optical lattice are theoretically predicted and experimentally demonstrated. These solitons can be in-phase or out-of-phase in their two lobe components, and they are stabilized by the lattice-induced waveguide.
Variations in Pathways by Which Equine Encephalomyelitic Viruses Invade the GNS of Mice and Guinea-pigs

Eastern equine encephalomyelitic (E.E.E.) virus, injected into the leg muscles of 15- to 21-day-old mice, invades the central nervous system (CNS) along the local peripheral nerves in only about 5%...
Predictors of college-student food security and fruit and vegetable intake differ by housing type

ABSTRACTObjective: We assessed whether college-student characteristics associate with food security and fruit and vegetable (FV) intake and whether these associations differ in students in housing with and without food provision. Participants: 514 randomly-sampled students from a large, Midwestern, public university in 2012 and 2013 Methods: Ordered logistic regression tested how student characteristics associate with food security. Linear regression tested how student characteristics associate with FV intake. Analyses were stratified by housing type – that is, housing with food provision (dormitory, fraternity/sorority house, cooperative) vs. housing without food provision.Results: Only among those living in housing without food provision, males (p = 0.04), students without car access (p = 0.005), and those with marginal (p = 0.001) or low (p = 0.001) food security demonstrated lower FV intake. Conclusions: Housing with food provision may buffer the effects of student characteristics on food.
The Yield of Staging Laparoscopy in Gastric Cancer is Affected by Racial and Ethnic Differences in Disease Presentation

Gastric cancer is a heterogeneous disease with variable presentation between racial and ethnic groups. Staging laparoscopy (SL) detects occult metastases not visible on cross-sectional imaging and therefore improves staging. It remains unclear how differences in race and ethnicity affect disease presentation and the yield of SL. We performed a retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database to identify patients with gastric cancer treated with curative intent at our institutions from 2008 to 2015. Hispanic patients presented at an earlier mean age (55.5 ± 11.9 years) compared with Asian (59.8 ± 13.9 years), African American (61.0 ± 10.0 years), and white patients (61.7 ± 12.5 years; p = 0.046) and with more locally advanced disease (clinical stage T3/T4 or node positive; Hispanic 87%; African American 79%; white 68%, Asian 55%; p = 0.03). SL identified 42 patients (34%) with occult metastatic disease. Hispanics were more likely to have a positive SL (44%) than white patients (21%; p = 0.04). On univariate analysis, Hispanic ethnicity, clinical T3/T4, positive nodal disease, signet ring cells, and poor differentiation were predictors of a positive SL. On multivariable analysis, clinical T3/T4, signet ring cells, and poor differentiation independently predicted radiographically occult disease. Hispanic patients presented with more locally advanced disease and were more likely to have occult disease found on SL compared with white patients. Laparoscopy should be used routinely as part of the pretreatment staging evaluation for patients with locally advanced disease as it alters the management in a significant proportion of patients.
A feasibility study of applying thermal imaging to assist quality assurance of high-dose rate brachytherapy

Aim: High-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy poses a special challenge to radiation safety and quality assurance (QA) due to its high radioactivity, and it is thus critical to verify the HDR source location and its radioactive strength. This study explores a new application for thermal imaging, to visualize/locate the HDR source and measure radioactivity using temperature information. A potential application would relate to HDR QA and safety improvement. Methods: Heating effects by an HDR source were studied using finite element analysis (FEA). Thermal cameras were used to visualize an HDR source inside a plastic catheter made of polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF). Using different source dwell times, relationships between the HDR source strength and heating effects were studied, thus establishing potential daily QA criteria using thermal imaging. Results: For an Ir-192 source with a source radioactivity of 10 Ci, the decay-induced heating power inside the source was about 13.3 mW. After the HDR source was extended into the PVDF applicator and reached thermal equilibrium, thermal imaging visualized the temperature gradient of 10 K/cm along the PVDF catheter surface, which agreed with FEA modeling. For the Ir-192 source strengths ranging from 16.9 to 41.1 kU, thermal imaging could verify source activity with a relative error of 6.3% with a dwell time of 10 s, and a relative error of 2.5% with 100 s. Conclusion: Thermal imaging could be a feasible tool to visualize HDR source dwell positions and verify source integrity. Potentially, patient safety and treatment quality may be improved by integrating thermal measurements into HDR QA procedures.
Abstract P246: Long-term Optimal Lifestyle and Clinical Factors and Progression in Arterial Stiffness in the Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Introduction: Optimal cardiovascular health (CVH), based on lifestyle and clinical factors, is associated with lower risk of CV events and this may occur partly by preventing progression of arteria...