cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Further Studies on the Relationship between Cyclic AMP Levels and Adrenocortical Activity

In light of previous studies which demonstrated that an increase in adrenal cyclic AMP levels produced by cation-deprivation will not trigger steroid release unless ACTH is also present, experiments were carried out to study the effects of augmented cyclic AMP levels on steroid synthesis and turnover in cat adrenal glands. Glands perfused in situ with Locke's solution plus ACTH or potassium (K+)-free Locke's solution, showed an increase in steroid synthesis and incorporation of 3H-acetate into steroid. By contrast, perfusion of glands with calcium (Ca++)-free Locke's solution resulted in a diminution of steroid synthesis and turnover. Free cholesterol concentrations were not markedly changed under various experimental conditions, although cholesterol ester levels were significantly decreased and specific activity increased in the presence of ACTH or after K+-deprivation. These results support the hypothesis that although cyclic AMP may play a role in steroid production, it is not able to mimic all of the ...
Cefprozil versus Cefaclor in the Treatment of Bronchitis in the Elderly

In a prospective, randomised, nonblinded, multi-investigator trial, cefprozil 500mg twice daily was compared with cefaclor 500mg 3 times daily, both administered orally for 10 days for episodes of bronchitis. A total of 247 patients aged 65 years or older with mild to moderate acute bronchitis or exacerbations of chronic bronchitis were treated in 30 in- and outpatient clinical sites in Europe and North America. Of these, 104 patients did not have a defined bacterial pathogen in pretreatment sputum cultures. Among the 143 other patients, Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis were the most frequently isolated bacteria. There was a satisfactory clinical response to treatment in 119 of 156 cefprozil-treated patients (84%) and in 63 of 91 (82%) of those treated with cefaclor. Eradication of the presumed bacterial pathogen occurred in 74 of 89 (83%) cefprozil-treated patients and 35 of 42 (83%) cefaclor-treated patients. Both cefprozil and cefaclor were well tolerated, with possible drug-related adverse reactions in only 16 of 156 (10%) cefprozil-treated patients and 10 of 91 (11%) cefaclor-treated patients. Thus, in these clinical trials cefprozil was shown to be a safe, well-tolerated and effective treatment for episodes of bronchitis in elderly patients.
Invariants of links and critical points of the Chern-Simon path integrals

A method is given for evaluating the functional integrals of Chern-Simon field theories to first nontrivial order. The basis of this method is a background independent regularization which allows the factors associated with twists of the framing of loops to be computed. To first order, Witten’s result connecting the Jones polynomial to expectation values of the Chern-Simon theory is reproduced. Additionally, a method for constructing solutions to the classical field equations of the theory is described, and it is shown that a static solution to Einstein’s equations (in Ashtekar’s form) may be associated with every such solution.
History Beneath the Surface: Natural Gas Pipelines and the National Historic Preservation Act

This article is a case study of how natural gas pipelines have been treated under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). It examines three recent pipeline projects that involved determinations of eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places. In one case, a pipeline firm sought an exemption from Section 106 review, and this led to a proposed congressional amendment to the NHPA. In order to forestall a legislative amendment, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation issued an administrative exemption from Section 106 review for natural gas pipelines. This essay traces the process and events that led to this exemption.
Explosively driven two-shockwave tools with applications

We present the development of an explosively driven physics tool to generate two mostly uniaxial shockwaves. The tool is being used to extend single shockwave ejecta models to account for a second shockwave a few microseconds later. We explore techniques to vary the amplitude of both the first and second shockwaves, and we apply the tool experimentally at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Proton Radiography (pRad)facility. The tools have been applied to Sn with perturbations of wavelength λ = 550 μm, and various amplitudes that give wavenumber amplitude products of kh {3/4,1/2,1/4,1/8}, where h is the perturbation amplitude, and k = 2π/λ is the wavenumber. The pRad data suggest the development of a second shock ejecta model based on unstable Richtmyer-Meshkov physics.
Calibrating the photo-thermal response of magneto-fluorescent gold nanoshells

We report the photothermal response and Near Infrared (NIR) imaging sensitivities of magneto-fluorescent silica core gold nanocomplexes designed for molecular image guided thermal therapy of cancer. Approximately 160 nm Silica core gold nanoshells were designed to provide NIR fluorescent and Magnetic Resonance (MR) contrast by incorporating FDA approved dye indocyanine green (ICG) and iron-oxide within an outer silica epilayer. The imaging and therapeutic sensitivity, and the stability of fluorescence contrast for 12 microliters of suspension (containing approximately 7.9 × 108 or 1.3 femtoMole nanoshells) buried at depths of 2–8 mm in tissue mimicking scattering media is reported.
How to do comparative dynamics on the back of an envelope in optimal control theory

Abstract The dynamic primal-dual methodology of Caputo (1988) is extended and applied to a general nonautonomous optimal control problem with a fixed and finite time horizon, a fixed vector of initial states, a free vector of terminal states, a time-independent vector of parameters, and a vector of nondifferential constraints on the state and control variables. A symmetric negative semidefinite matrix subject to constraint is shown to characterize the qualitative properties of the model as implied by the dynamic maximization assertion.
PUTTING PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY TO WORK FOR FOOD, NUTRITION AND DEVELOPMENT

Plant biotechnology is safely bringing valuable new benefits to farmers around the world, including those in developing countries where the needs for food, nutrition and overall development may be greatest. >From the current base of experience, it is reasonable to expect even greater benefits in the future, provided that progress continues on three fronts: a pipeline of products with human and environmental benefits, implementation of science-based local and global regulations and regulatory capacity, and partnerships to ensure development and attention to the needs of resource-poor farmers. This paper reviews the current impacts of products developed with biotechnology, the regulatory systems that ensure safe use of these products, and gives examples of the technologies that will yield second and third generation products. Of particular importance, partnerships between the private sector and universities, government agencies and non-governmental organizations are tackling some of the most difficult problems in agriculture and nutrition in the developing world. Key words: plant biotechnology, regulation, development, impact, benefits, agriculture Resume METTRE LA BIOTECHNOLOGIE VEGETALE AU SERVICE DE L'ALIMENTATION, DE LA NUTRITION ET DU DEVELOPPEMENT ARTICLE A REVISER La biotechnologie vegetale presente en toute securite de nouveaux avantages inegalables aux agriculteurs du monde entier, y compris ceux des pays en developpement ou les besoins en matiere de nourriture, de nutrition et de developpement general pourraient etre les plus importants. A partir de l'experience actuelle, il est raisonnable de s'attendre meme a de plus grands avantages a l'avenir, pourvu que le progres continue sur trois fronts: une pipeline de produits qui presentent des avantages pour les hommes et pour l'environnement, la mise en oeuvre de reglements et capacites reglementaires aux niveaux local et mondial en se basant sur les sciences, ainsi que des partenariats en vue d'assurer le developpement et l'attention par rapport aux besoins des agriculteurs munis de peu de ressources. Cet expose evalue les impacts actuels des produits mis au point au moyen de la biotechnologie, des systemes reglementaires qui garantissent l'utilisation sure de ces produits ; il donne egalement des exemples des technologies dont les resultats seront des produits de deuxieme et troisieme generations. Etant d'une importance particuliere, les partenariats entre le secteur prive et les universites, entre les agences gouvernementales et les organisations non-gouvernementales, s'embarquent actuellement sur certains problemes des plus difficiles qui se posent en agriculture et en nutrition dans le monde en developpement. Les mots cles : Biotechnologie vegetale, Reglement, Developpement, Impact, Avantages, Agriculture (Af. J. of Food and Nutritional Sciences: 2002 2(2): 47-58)
Waves trapped along a breakwater

Abstract The excitation of trapped waves by the diffracted wavefield around a breakwater in varying water depth is studied. Using the parabolic approximation, the governing equation for trapped waves is first obtained. The trapped waves can be excited, when the effective concavity of the breakwater with respect to the index of refraction (local wave number) is positive. An analytical solution is then presented for the case where the breakwater is a semi-infinite straightline and is parallel to the shoreline on a uniform beach.
Classifying load and store instructions for memory renaming

Memory operations remain a significant bottleneck in dynamically scheduled pipelined processors, due in part to the inability to statically determine the existence of memory address dependencies. Hardware memory renaming techniques have been proposed to predict which stores a load might be dependent upon. These prediction techniques can be used to speculatively forward a value from a predicted store dependency to a load through a value prediction table. However, these techniques require large, timeconsuming hardware tables. In this paper we propose a software-guided approach for identifying dependencies between store and load instructions and the Load Marking (LM) architecture to communicate these dependencies to the hardware. Compiler analysis and profiles are used to find important store/load relationships, and these relationships are identified during execution via hints or an n-bit tag. For those loads that are not marked for renaming, we then use additional profiling information to further classify the loads into those that have accurate value prediction and those that do not. These classifications allow the processor to individually apply the most appropriate aggressive form of execution for each load.
Granulomatous compressive thoracic myelopathy as the initial manifestation of Wegener's granulomatosis

Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) is a multisystem disorder characterized by glomerulonephritis and necrotizing granuloma formation and vasculitis in the upper airways and lungs.1,2 Neurologic complications occur in 22% to 54% of patients, including mononeuritis multiplex, symmetric distal sensorimotor neuropathy, cranial neuropathies, external ophthalmoplegia, cerebral infarction, or seizures.2-4 Spinal cord involvement is rare but at least five cases have been reported.5,6 Pathologic examination in one patient revealed dural vasculitis.6 We describe a patient with WG who presented with a gradually progressive spastic paraparesis secondary to thoracic cord compression by meningeal granuloma. Case report. A 58-year-old Brazilian woman presented with a 4-week history of gradually progressive gait difficulty, a sensation of tightness in the midthoracic region, and a 12-hour history of urinary retention and lower extremity paresthesia. She also complained of a dry cough, nasal stuffiness, and epistaxis, which occurred shortly after presentation. Neurologic examination revealed a spastic gait, with weakness (Medical Research Council [MRC] grade 4/5) in both lower extremities; bilateral lower extremity hypertonia; hyperreflexia and extensor plantar responses; reduced rectal tone; and a midthoracic sensory level to pinprick testing. General examination revealed a left knee effusion but no fever, rash, or oropharyngeal or pulmonary abnormalities. Gadolinium-enhanced thoracic MRI revealed a circumferential enhancing soft-tissue mass extending from T2 to T8, with compression of the thecal sac and cord (figure, A). Figure. (A) Sagittal T1-weighted MRI of thoracic cord with gadolinium shows cord compression with circumferential meningeal thickening and enhancement from T2 to T8 vertebral levels. (B) Transverse section of resected dura shows marked thickening by …
Estimates of continental ancestry vary widely among individuals with the same mtDNA haplogroup.

The association between a geographical region and an mtDNA haplogroup(s) has provided the basis for using mtDNA haplogroups to infer an individual's place of origin and genetic ancestry. Although it is well known that ancestry inferences using mtDNA haplogroups and those using genome-wide markers are frequently discrepant, little empirical information exists on the magnitude and scope of such discrepancies between multiple mtDNA haplogroups and worldwide populations. We compared genetic-ancestry inferences made by mtDNA-haplogroup membership to those made by autosomal SNPs in ∼940 samples of the Human Genome Diversity Panel and recently admixed populations from the 1000 Genomes Project. Continental-ancestry proportions often varied widely among individuals sharing the same mtDNA haplogroup. For only half of mtDNA haplogroups did the highest average continental-ancestry proportion match the highest continental-ancestry proportion of a majority of individuals with that haplogroup. Prediction of an individual's mtDNA haplogroup from his or her continental-ancestry proportions was often incorrect. Collectively, these results indicate that for most individuals in the worldwide populations sampled, mtDNA-haplogroup membership provides limited information about either continental ancestry or continental region of origin.
How to study a matrix

This study investigated how best to study a matrix. Fifty-three participants studied a matrix topically (1 column at a time), categorically (1 row at a time), or in a unified way (all at once). Results revealed that categorical and unified study produced higher: (a) performance on relationship and fact tests, (b) study material satisfaction, and (c) associative strategy use than topical study. A supplemental study examined the benefits of adding signals to the unified matrix. Results showed that signaling produced greater use of global associative strategies and greater learning of global relationships. Findings were explained with respect to cognitive load theory. Implications for studying matrices were as follows: (1) do not just study a matrix topically, (2) study a matrix categorically, and (3) study a matrix in a unified way, but do so in a way that fosters comparative associations across multiple topics and categories.
Neuroleptic treatment and other factors modifying cancer risk in schizophrenic patients.

— In a Danish cohort of schizophrenics consisting of 6,168 patients followed during 1957–1980, the incidence of certain types of cancer has been shown to be significantly decreased (5). From this cohort 30 males with lung cancer, 21 males with bladder cancer, 17 females with cancer of the uterine cervix and 40 females with breast cancer, were each matched to two “healthy” schizophrenic controls from the same cohort. A range of social, demographic and nosocomial factors were registered from the individual case files, and statistical analysis was carried out, using Cox's regression model. Neuroleptic treatment with various drugs other than reserpine reduced the risk of developing all four cancer types studied. In contrast reserpine treatment increased the risk of developing cancer of the breast and uterine cervix. Furthermore, cancer risk was found to be modified by other well-known risk factors.
Inverse Problem in Ground Water: Model Application

The inverse model developed in the companion paper entitled, “Inverse Problem in Ground Water: Model Development,” has been applied to the Fairfax-New Baltimore aquifer in the lower Great Miami River Valley, Ohio. The information obtained from U.S. Geological Survey maps showed four distinct zones of differing hydraulic conductivities in the aquifer. The initial guesses for the hydraulic conductivities were made subjectively. The values of storativity were also assigned subjectively. The inverse model converged within five iterations, and an excellent match with the historical data was obtained. A sensitivity analysis was made to determine the response of the model to various initial guesses for the hydraulic conductivity, various assigned values of storativity, and the number of zones. The sensitivity analysis showed that the calculated hydraulic conductivities were insensitive to initial guesses but sensitive to the assigned values of storativity and the number of zones. However, reasonable deviations in the assigned values were absorbed by the surrogate hydraulic conductivity and the model remained a good input-output model.
Behavioral and Psychiatric Genetics: Learning from History

Behavioral and Psychiatric Genetics (BPG) offers great promise for clarifying the causes of both normal behaviors as well as psychiatric disorders, and in the latter case serving as a more rational basis for treatments. But the field has also generated serious social concerns about individual and ethnic stereotyping of intelligence and violent behaviors. This short talk identifies some of these themes from the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, and reviews recent shifts about the directions BPG is taking in the first decade of the twenty-first century. I cover the collapse of simple molecular gene-behavior models in the 1990s, and the rise of gene-environment interaction paradigms, as well as the increasing role of neuroscience in BPG in the present decade. I close by citing molecular-studies that may require we revisit previous historical lessons, now in a molecular genetics-neuroscience context.To watch Dr. Schaffner’s presentation, please see the "Google Video posting.":http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2384504189343195854&hl=en
Proprioceptive neuropathy affects normalization of the H-reflex by exercise after spinal cord injury

The H-reflex habituates at relatively low frequency (10 Hz) stimulation in the intact spinal cord, but loss of descending inhibition resulting from spinal cord transection reduces this habituation. There is a return towards a normal pattern of low-frequency habituation in the reflex activity with cycling exercise of the affected hind limbs. This implies that repetitive passive stretching of the muscles in spinalized animals and the accompanying stimulation of large (Group I and II) proprioceptive fibers has modulatory effects on spinal cord reflexes after injury. To test this hypothesis, we induced pyridoxine neurotoxicity that preferentially affects large dorsal root ganglia neurons in intact and spinalized rats. Pyridoxine or saline injections were given twice daily (IP) for 6 weeks and half of the spinalized animals were subjected to cycling exercise during that period. After 6 weeks, the tibial nerve was stimulated electrically and recordings of M and H waves were made from interosseous muscles of the hind paw. Results show that pyridoxine treatment completely eliminated the H-reflex in spinal intact animals. In contrast, transection paired with pyridoxine treatment resulted in a reduction of the frequency-dependent habituation of the H-reflex that was not affected by exercise. These results indicate that normal Group I and II afferent input is critical to achieve exercise-based reversal of hyper-reflexia of the H-reflex after spinal cord injury.
Fast detection of noisy GPS and magnetometer tags in wide-baseline multi-views

We propose an algorithm for detection of noisy GPS and magnetometer tags in wide-baseline camera views. Our algorithm neither needs densely sampled views nor does it need a single visually connected path through all the views in the dataset. We use vision-based estimates of mutual rotation and translation between cameras to compute a measure of confidence on the correctness of the associated GPS and magnetometer tags. The vision algorithm can find the epipolar geometry between two wide-baseline images without needing pre-specified correspondences. We have two versions of our approach; one that requires geometric pose estimation between all pairs of images and a faster version that uses a pre-filter based on photometric comparison of images to quickly reject non-overlapping views from further geometric consideration. We show qualitative and quantitative results on the Nokia Grand Challenge 2010 Dataset. We find that magnetometer readings are more accurate than GPS readings.
Photoaffinity labeling of ATP and NAD+ binding sites on recombinant human interleukin 2.

Abstract Interleukin 2 (IL-2) is a T-cell-derived lymphokine critical in the activation and proliferation of T cells, B cells, and lymphokine-activated killer cells. It is a glycoprotein of approximately 15,500 daltons that is synthesized and secreted after activation by antigen or mitogen. By using the analogs 8-azidoadenosine 5'-[gamma-32P]triphosphate [( gamma-32P]8N3ATP) and nicotinamide 2-azidoadenine [adenylate-32P]dinucleotide [( alpha-32P]2N3NAD+) as photoaffinity probes, we have detected specific, metal ion-requiring nucleotide binding sites on recombinant human IL-2 (rhIL-2). The specificity of these nucleotide interactions with rhIL-2 was demonstrated by saturation effects and by competition by the parent nucleotides at physiologically relevant concentrations. Saturation of photoinsertion into rhIL-2 occurred at 50 microM [gamma-32P]8N3ATP; a half-maximal decrease of its photoinsertion at 10 microM was obtained with 22 microM ATP. Saturation of photoinsertion with [alpha-32P]2N3NAD+ was observed at 180 microM; a half-maximal decrease of its photoinsertion at 10 microM was effected by 10 microM NAD+ and by 5 microM 3-aminobenzamide. The extent of photoinsertion of both photoprobes into rhIL-2 varied with the presence of different divalent metal ions. rhIL-2 photolabeling with [gamma-32P]8N3ATP appeared to be dependent on the presence of metal ion. It was effectively labeled in the presence of Mg2+ and photoinsertion was increased with the addition of Zn2+ at micromolar concentrations. Also, rhIL-2 underwent slow autophosphorylation by an intramolecular mechanism using [gamma-32P]8N3ATP as well as nonphotoactive nuceotide. The biological significance of these interactions is unknown, but their specificity suggests that nucleotide binding may be involved in the bioactivity of IL-2.
PoC auction simulations with integrated large-scale agent-based simulation framework

In this paper, we introduce PoC (Proof of Concept) simulations with the recently developed agent-based simulation framework ZASE-U that has been constructed based on the large-scale agent-based simulation framework ZASE (Zonal Agent-based Simulation Environment). For the PoC of this framework, we use parallel auction simulations that synchronize execution time with auction cycles and shared prices information among simulators.
Measures of occupational status in a special population

Abstract Previous research has shown that indirect measures of occupational status such as the Duncan Socioeconomic Index (SEI) are more valid than direct measures of occupational prestige, such as those developed by the National Opinion Research Center and by Treiman, for analyses of social mobility. The Professional, Technical, and Kindred (PTK) occupations available for the SEI are a biased sample of all PTK occupations. Do findings on the validity of the SEI pertaining to the general population hold for special populations, such as college graduates? Confirmatory factor analysis comparing the validities of four measures of occupational SES—the SEI, a 1960 counterpart of the SEI developed by Siegel and based on all Census occupations, the NORC prestige scale, and the Treiman international prestige scale—showed that the indirect measure developed by Siegel was clearly more valid than the other three measures. Since these findings indicate that the predictors in a regression equation are more valid than the criterion, there is some question as to what the criterion should really be.
An asymptotic theory for weighted least-squares with weights estimated by replication

SUMMARY We consider a heteroscedastic linear regression model with replication. To estimate the variances, one can use the sample variances or the sample average squared errors from a regression fit. We study the large-sample properties of these weighted least-squares estimates with estimated weights when the number of replicates is small. The estimates are generally inconsistent for asymmetrically distributed data. If sample variances are used based on m replicates, the weighted least-squares estimates are inconsistent for m =2 replicates even when the data are normally distributed. With between 3 and 5 replicates, the rates of convergence are slower than the usual square root of N. With m - 6 replicates, the effect of estimating the weights is to increase variances by (m - 5)/(m -3), relative to weighted least-squares estimates with known weights.
Partially independent component analysis of tumor heterogeneities by DCE-MRI

Dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) has emerged as an effective tool to access tumor vascular characteristics. DCE-MRI can be used to characterize noninvasively, microvasculature providing information about tumor microvessel structure and function (e.g., tumor blood volume, vascular permeability, tumor perfusion). However, pixels of DCE-MRI represent a composite of more than one distinct functional biomarker (e.g., microvessels with fast or slow perfusion) whose spatial distributions are often heterogeneous. Complementary to various existing methods (e.g., compartment modeling, factor analysis), this paper proposes a blind source separation method which allows for a computed simultaneous imaging of multiple biomarkers from composite DCE-MRI sequences. The algorithm is based on a partially-independent component analysis, whose parameters are estimated using a subset of informative pixels defining the independent portion of the observations. We demonstrate the principle of the approach on simulated image data set, and we then apply the method to the tissue heterogeneity characterization of breast tumors where spatial distribution of tumor blood volume, vascular permeability, and tumor perfusion, as well as their time activity curves (TACs) are simultaneously estimated.
Generalized and specific neurocognitive deficits in prodromal schizophrenia.

Background Neurocognitive deficits are considered to be central to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, and the neurodevelopmental model suggests that such deficits precede full-blown psychosis. The present study examined performance on a broad neuropsychological battery of young subjects considered to be at clinical high risk for schizophrenia, who were subsequently followed to determine clinical outcome. Methods Subjects were 38 clinical high-risk patients (58% male patients; mean age=16.5) and 39 sex- and age-matched healthy control subjects. At baseline, all high-risk patients had attenuated (subpsychotic) schizophrenialike positive symptoms. Clinical follow-up data of at least 6 months duration was available on 33 patients, of whom 12 developed nonaffective psychotic disorders. Results At baseline, clinical high-risk patients had significantly impaired global cognitive performance relative to control subjects and to estimates of their own prior intellectual functioning. Measures of verbal memory and executive functioning/working memory showed significantly greater impairments; visuospatial functioning was relatively spared. Prodromal patients who later developed psychosis had significantly lower verbal memory scores at baseline compared with patients who remained nonpsychotic. Conclusions Verbal memory deficits may be an important risk marker for the development of schizophrenia-spectrum psychotic disorders, possibly indicating the presence of a prefrontal-hippocampal neurodevelopmental abnormality. Generalized neurocognitive impairment may be a nonspecific vulnerability marker.
Automatic surface correspondence methods for a deformed breast

A significant amount of breast cancer research in recent years has been devoted to novel means of tumor detection such as MR contrast enhancement, electrical impedance tomography, microwave imaging, and elastography. Many of these detection methods involve deforming the breast. Often, these deformed images need to be correlated to anatomical images of the breast in a different configuration. In the case of our elastography framework, a series of comparisons between the pre- and post-deformed images needs to be performed. This paper presents an automatic method for determining correspondence between images of a pendant breast and a partially-constrained, compressed breast. The algorithm is an extension to the symmetric closest point approach of Papademetris et al. However, because of the unique deformation and shape change of a partially-constrained, compressed breast, the algorithm was modified through the use of iterative closest point (ICP) registration on easily identifiable sections of the breast images and through weighting the symmetric nearest neighbor correspondence. The algorithm presented in this paper significantly improves correspondence determination between the pre- and post-deformed images for a simulation when compared to the original Papademetris et al.'s symmetric closest point criteria.
IQGAPs in cancer: A family of scaffold proteins underlying tumorigenesis

The IQGAP family comprises three proteins in humans. The best characterized is IQGAP1, which participates in protein-protein interactions and integrates diverse signaling pathways. IQGAP2 and IQGAP3 harbor all the domains identified in IQGAP1, but their biological roles are poorly defined. Proteins that bind IQGAP1 include Cdc42 and Rac1, E-cadherin, β-catenin, calmodulin and components of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, all of which are involved in cancer. Here, we summarize the biological functions of IQGAPs that may contribute to neoplasia. Additionally, we review published data which implicate IQGAPs in cancer and tumorigenesis. The cumulative evidence suggests IQGAP1 is an oncogene while IQGAP2 may be a tumor suppressor.
Approaches to Enhancing the Early Detection of Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Background A reliable diagnosis of autism can be made as early as 24 months, yet in many children diagnoses are made much later. A delay in diagnosis translates into a missed opportunity to provide early intervention services and to improve outcomes. The aim of the current study was to review the literature on early detection approaches in primary care and other community settings in the United States. Methods A search was conducted of the peer-reviewed and gray literature to identify studies published from January 1990 through January 2013 testing approaches to enhance the early detection of autism in community settings in the United States. Results The search identified 40 studies describing 35 approaches, which were grouped into the following categories: awareness (n = 4), routine screening (n = 21), and practice improvement to enhance screening (n = 10). Awareness approaches were associated with positive changes in knowledge of autism-related topics. Routine screening yielded high or increased rates of screening and referrals; however, few studies assessed the effect of screening on age at diagnosis or services enrollment. Practice improvement approaches resulted in increased screening and referral rates and highlighted the importance of adopting a multipronged approach to enhance early detection. Conclusions Although studies that tested screening approaches in community settings found positive results, the effectiveness of such efforts on reducing time to diagnosis and services enrollment remains largely untested. The fact that few studies reported outcomes beyond rates of referral indicates the need for enhanced methodological rigor, particularly with respect to length of follow-up and quality of measures used.
Courts and sentencing research on contemporary China

As a leading player in the international community and the projected economic powerhouse in the twenty-first century, China's significance in the international community has been recognized around the world. The construction of its legal system, particularly the criminal justice system, has also received increasing global attention. As the cornerstone of the criminal justice system, the courts and sentencing laws and practices underlie many of the fundamental ideas of a fair and just legal system. This article reviews research on courts and sentencing in contemporary China published after 1990, focusing on the following three areas: (1) research on law and legal reforms with regard to courts and sentencing; (2) research on the determinants of criminal sentencing; and (3) research on capital punishment.
Ultrafast dynamics of neutral, ultracold plasmas

The ultrafast dynamics of a neutral, ultracold plasma following an energy landscape shift is studied theoretically and with simulation. To lowest order in time, the inertial dynamics on the new landscape can be characterized by the initial-state plasma microfield, which, for the randomly ordered case of an ultracold neutral plasma, is dominated by nearest-neighbor interactions. Formation of the pair correlation function arises after ballistic overshoot, which leads to oscillations in the effective temperature. Connections are made to similar properties of clusters, photoisomerization of molecules, and nonthermal melting in solids.
Extensor Digitorum Brevis Manus: A Case Report and Review:

A detailed description of bilateral extensor digitorum brevis manus (EDBM) present in a female cadaver is presented. The need for clinical recognition is emphasized. Prevalence, morphological variability and theories of ontogeny are reviewed. Clinical significance and possible function are discussed. Since misdiagnosis may result from the anatomical variability and lack of clinical awareness, the need for further study is emphasized.
Stability of a Coral Reef Fish Community Following a Catastrophic Storm

In January 1980, a severe 3 day storm struck the normally protected leeward coral reefs of Kona, Hawaii. Waves generated by the storm, which was estimated to be a once in 20–40 year occurrence, were in excess of 6 m and caused extensive reef destruction and shoreline alteration. Shallow nearshore areas were denuded of most bottom cover and marine life. Damage to corals was extensive with broken colonies of the coral Porites compressa occurring down to depths of 27 m. Pronounced algal blooms occurred in a clearly defined sequence subsequent to the storm. The patterns of both coral destruction and algal succession were similar to those described on other storm damaged reefs. Fish mortality directly attributable to the storm was slight and the few dead fishes noted were either surge zone or tide pool species. After the storm the shallow reef flat was devoid of resident fishes while deeper areas contained many fishes which had moved from shallower water. This habitat shift substantially reduced the immediate impact of the storm on the fish community. Despite considerable habitat destruction that resulted from the storm, there were no decreases in species or population abundances on five 25 m2 quadrats monitored for 23 months before and 16 months after the storm. Similarly, the numbers of triggerfish sheltering within an area increased even though the storm reduced the number of available shelter holes. The shelter and space-related carrying capacity of these areas prior to the storm may therefore not have been reached. Recolonization of evacuated areas by fishes began shortly after the storm and within 16 months many areas had regained their prestorm appearances. Large numbers of individuals remained however, in their shifted locations.
ATTENUATION AND PENETRATION OF VISIBLE 632.8nm AND INVISIBLE INFRA-RED 904nm LIGHT IN SOFT TISSUES

We studied the depth of penetration and the magnitude of attenuation of 632.8nm and 904nm light in skin, muscle, tendon, and cartilagenous tissues of live anaesthetized rabbits. Tissue specimens were dissected, prepared, and their thicknesses measured. Then, each wavelength of light was applied. Simultaneously, a power meter was used to detect and measure the amount of light transmitted through each tissue. All measurements were made in the dark to minimize interference from extraneous light sources. To determine the influence of pulse rate on beam attenuation, the 632.8nm light was used at two predetermined settings of the machine; continuous mode and 100 pulses per second (pps), at an on:off ratio of 1:1. Similarly, the 904nm infra-red light was applied using two predetermined machine settings: 292 pps and 2,336 pps. Multiple regression analysis of the data obtained showed significant positive correlations between tissue thickness and light attenuation (p < .001). Student's t-tests revealed that beam attenuation was significantly affected by wavelength. Collectively, our findings warrant the conclusions that (1) The calf muscles of the New Zealand white rabbit attenuates light in direct proportion to its thickness. In this tissue, light attenuation is not significantly affected by the overlying skin, a finding which may be applicable to other muscles. (2) The depth of penetration of a 632.8nm and 904nm light is not related to the average power of the light source. The depth of penetration is the same notwithstanding the average power of the light source. (3) Compared to the 904nm wavelength, 632.8nm light is attenuated more by muscle tissue, suggesting that is is absorbed more readily than the 904nm wavelength or conversely that the 904nm wavelength penetrates more. Thus, wavelength plays a critical role in the depth of penetration of light.
A magnetic attitude control system for precision pointing of the rolling GP-B spacecraft

Abstract A new algorithm for magnetic attitude control of spinning spacecraft is presented. This algorithm requires real time measurments of the local magnetic field. A Kalman filter type estimator is derived that can obtain the local field by applying dither current to the magnetic rods. This eliminates the need for magnetometers, guaranteeing colocation of sensor and actuator and removing a number of failure modes. An example controller design is presented for the Gravity Probe B spacecraft pointing control. This controller achieves better than 20 milliarcsec pointing accuracy using the magnetic control algorithm without magnetometer measurements.
The Six Cultures Study: Prologue to a History of a Landmark Project

The Six Cultures Study of Socialization (SCSS), launched in the middle of the 20th century, was an unprecedented cross-cultural project of field research on child rearing and development in diverse settings. Nothing quite so ambitious has been attempted since then-more than 50 years on-so the SCSS deserves scholars’ attention as an historical landmark that inspired future work and exemplifies the possibilities and problems of comparative research on child development. This article is not a full intellectual history of the project, which would be based on primary documents and a cross-validated oral history, but the reflections of one participant who has remained in this field. The author’s focus is on the roots of the SCSS, the project as it was actually carried out and as it changed after the field work was completed, and its implications for future research.
Changing Technologies Offer New Opportunities in the Plant Sciences

The plant sciences are now facing an unprecedented time in our history in which technology is advancing at a rapid pace, creating a wide variety of novel opportunities for our field. Applications in Plant Sciences is a new source for sharing exciting and innovative applications of new technologies that have the potential to propel plant research forward into the future.
Mannheim, Cooley, and Mead: Toward a Social Theory of Mentality*

(1970). Mannheim, Cooley, and Mead: Toward a Social Theory of Mentality. The Sociological Quarterly: Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 3-13.
The ability of an attaching and effacing pathogen to trigger localized actin assembly contributes to virulence by promoting mucosal attachment.

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) adheres to intestinal epithelial cells, then stimulates the actin nucleation promoting factor N-WASP to induce localized actin assembly resulting in an actin “pedestal”, the function of which is poorly understood. EHEC also produces Shiga toxin (Stx), which penetrates the intestinal epithelium to cause a life-threatening renal and systemic disease. To assess the role of pedestal formation in colonization and disease, we utilized the murine pathogen Citrobacter rodentium, which also forms actin pedestals, and the genetically engineered C. rodentium (Φstx2dact), which additionally triggers Stx-mediated systemic disease. We found that an intestine-specific N-WASP-deficient (iNWKO) mouse suffered dramatically less colonization and disease than N-WASP-proficient littermate controls when infected with either strain. In addition, upon infection of wild type mice, mutants of C. rodentium or C. rodentium (Φstx2dact) that are specifically defective in pedestal formation demonstrated a relatively modest defect in cecal colonization and fecal shedding, but a more severe defect in colonization of the colonic mucosa. The C. rodentium (Φstx2dact) pedestal-defective mutant did not cause renal disease and, after normalizing for fecal bacterial load, was associated with a 16-fold lower risk of lethality. These findings suggest that the ability of an attaching and effacing pathogen to promote localized actin assembly contributes to virulence by promoting mucosal attachment.
Energy management for battery-powered reconfigurable computing platforms

We define portable reconfigurable computing platforms as those which have some form of configurable logic coupled with other on-chip or off-chip processing units such as soft processors, embedded processors, and voltage-scalable processors. In the first part of this paper, we present and test a unique methodology where we dynamically change the active area of a field programmable gate array (FPGA) to vary the battery usage and lifetime of the system, by running it on several different taskgraph structures and report an average of 14% and as high as 21%, less battery capacity used, as compared to nonoptimal execution. In the second part of this paper, we integrate the above methodology with more traditional voltage and frequency scaling techniques for portable systems and present a heuristic iterative algorithm for single and multiple processing units. The iterative heuristic algorithm finds a sequence of tasks along with an appropriate design point (implementation option) for each task, such that a deadline is met and the amount of battery energy used is as small as possible. We have used several real-world benchmarks to test the effectiveness of this methodology and we will present the results.
Medical professionals and parents: A linguistic analysis of communication across contexts

The study is based on analysis of videotaped conversation that occurred in five different settings involving various family members and medical professionals in a single pediatric case. We examine (1) the elaboration and condensation of information through spoken and written channels; (2) the negotiation of information exchanged in interactions characterized by different participant structures; and (3) the methodological benefit of examining interaction across contexts. We find that (a) information is negotiated, as well as discovered, during the medical interviews; and (b) information exchanged is often less resilient than participants' cognitive schemas which precede and apparently outlive the exchange of information in the interaction. These findings contribute to an understanding of the negotiation of meaning as well as the creation of context in interaction. (Discourse, interactional sociolinguistics, context, doctor–patient communication, spoken and written language, schema theory)
SAMNetWeb: identifying condition-specific networks linking signaling and transcription

Motivation: High-throughput datasets such as genetic screens, mRNA expression assays and global phospho-proteomic experiments are often difficult to interpret due to inherent noise in each experimental system. Computational tools have improved interpretation of these datasets by enabling the identification of biological processes and pathways that are most likely to explain the measured results. These tools are primarily designed to analyse data from a single experiment (e.g. drug treatment versus control), creating a need for computational algorithms that can handle heterogeneous datasets across multiple experimental conditions at once. Summary: We introduce SAMNetWeb, a web-based tool that enables functional enrichment analysis and visualization of high-throughput datasets. SAMNetWeb can analyse two distinct data types (e.g. mRNA expression and global proteomics) simultaneously across multiple experimental systems to identify pathways activated in these experiments and then visualize the pathways in a single interaction network. Through the use of a multi-commodity flow based algorithm that requires each experiment ‘share’ underlying protein interactions, SAMNetWeb can identify distinct and common pathways across experiments. Availability and implementation: SAMNetWeb is freely available at http://fraenkel.mit.edu/samnetweb. Contact: ude.tim@nimda-leknearf
Gluconate Metabolism in Escherichia coli

On the basis of information available in the literature, gluconate dissimilation in Escherichia coli is thought to occur via the hexose monophosphate pathway. Evidence is presented in this study that gluconate is catabolized in this organism via an inducible Entner-Doudoroff pathway. This evidence is based on chromatographic examination of end products produced from 14C-labeled gluconate or glucose, distribution of 14C in the carbon atoms of pyruvate formed from specifically labeled 14C-glucose and 14C-gluconate, and the ability of cell-free extracts to produce pyruvate from 6-phosphogluconate. Degradation of gluconate by an Entner-Doudoroff pathway occurred simultaneously with a glycolytic cleavage of glucose. A relationship between gluconate-induced, Entner-Doudoroff pathway activity and catabolism of glucose in Escherichia coli and other bacterial species is discussed.