cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Brief Report: Service Use and Associated Expenditures Among Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder Transitioning to Adulthood

This study compared Medicaid service utilization and expenditures among adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to adolescents with intellectual disability (ID) as they aged into adulthood. Medicaid Analytic eXtract (MAX) data was used to identify a national cohort. Winsorization was utilized to control for expenditure outliers. A greater proportion of adolescents with ASD utilized most services. Decreases in the use of key services, including psychiatric outpatient services, were observed for both groups. Changes in medical services, such as increases in inpatient and long term care services, among the ASD cohort suggest medical needs of adolescents with ASD change as they age. Information remains lacking on changing ASD symptom presentation during the transition to adolescence.
Exploitation de l’hétérogénéité des réseaux de capteurs et d’actionneurs dans la conception des protocoles d’auto-organisation et de routage

Dans cette these, nous nous sommes interesses aux reseaux urbains consideres par le projet ANR ARESA2 qui sont principalement des reseaux de capteurs et actionneurs heterogenes : l’heterogeneite est causee par la coexistence des noeuds capteurs a faibles ressources et des noeuds actionneurs riches en ressources. Ces derniers devraient etre utilises de maniere differenciee par le reseau. C’est dans ce contexte que se deroule cette these dans laquelle nous avons etudie des algorithmes d’auto-organisations et de routage s’appuyant sur l’heterogeneite. Au debut, nous nous sommes interesses a l’auto-organisation dans un contexte heterogene. Se basant sur l’idee que les ressources au niveau des noeuds actionneurs doivent etre exploitees afin de reduire la charge de communication au niveau des noeuds capteurs, nous avons propose un protocole d’auto-organisation appelee Far-Legos. Far-Legos permet de profiter de la puissance d’emission des actionneurs pour apporter une information de gradient au niveau des capteurs. Les actionneurs initient et construisent une topologie logique. Cette derniere sera utilisee pour faciliter la phase de collecte de donnees a partir des noeuds capteurs vers les noeuds actionneurs. Ensuite, nous nous sommes interesses aux liens asymetriques causes par la presence de differents types de noeuds avec differentes portees de transmission. Ces liens asymetriques, causes par l’heterogeneite au niveau des noeuds constituant le reseau, peuvent deteriorer les performances des protocoles de routage qui ne tiennent pas compte de ce type de liens. Pour eviter la degradation de ces protocoles de routage, nous introduisons une nouvelle metrique de calcul de gradient ou de rang. Celle-ci sera utile pour detecter et eviter les liens asymetriques au niveau de la couche reseau pour le protocole de routage RPL. Nous presentons aussi une adaptation du protocole de collecte de donnees base sur Legos pour detecter et eviter ces liens asymetriques. Enfin, nous nous sommes interesses a l’exploitation de ces liens asymetriques. Nous proposons ainsi un protocole de collecte de donnees dedies aux reseaux heterogenes contenant des liens asymetriques appele AsymRP. AsymRP est un protocole de routage dedie au trafic de collecte de donnees base sur une connaissance de voisinage a 2-sauts combinee avec l’utilisation des messages d’acquittements (ACKs) implicites et une technique de routage de messages ACKs explicites. Cette proposition tire profit des liens asymetriques afin d’assurer une collecte de donnees fiable.
Effects of 5-aza-deoxycytidine (5-AZA-dC) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors on proliferation and gene expression in small cell lung cancer cells

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 12-16, 2008; San Diego, CA 2620 Introduction: Histone deacethylation and DNA methylation have a central role in the control of gene transcription resulting in repression of anti-tumor genes. Inhibition of HDACs and DNMTs could reverse expression of silenced genes. This study was undertaken to evaluate the antiviability effects of 5-AZA-dC in combination with a pan- HDAC inhibitor (LBH589) or an isotype selective HDAC inhibitor (MGCD0103) in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines. Methods: To evaluate the interaction between methylation and HDAC inhibitors, human small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines H146 and H82 (ATCC) were assessed for sensitivity to 5-AZA-dC and HDAC inhibitors alone and in combination and compared to non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines A549 and H226 (ATCC). Viability of cells was assessed with Alamar blue assay for SCLC cells and SRB (Sulforhodamine B) assay for NSCLC cells after 72 hours of treatment. Real-time RT-PCR was used to determine the relative change in expression of antiproliferation genes p16, PTEN, RASSF1A, RAR-β, TRAILR1 and XAF1 known to be silenced by epigenetic modifications in cells exposed for 72 hours to 0.2 μM of 5-AZA-dC. Cell cycle profile and apoptotic index of cells left untreated and treated for 48 and 72 hrs were assessed by propidium iodide and TUNEL staining respectively. Results: Compared to HDAC inhibitors both SCLC and NSCLC cell lines were resistant to 5-AZA-dC, IC50 could not be reached at concentrations up to 1 μM. IC50 values for LBH589 in H146 and H82 cells were 6 nM and 1 nM respectively. Relative to SCLC cells IC50 for A549 and H226 cells were 30 nM and 20 nM. Similar differential effects were observed with the isotype selective HDAC inhibitor (MGCD0103) Simultaneous treatment with 5-AZA-dC and HDAC inhibitors synergistically reduced viability of small cell lung cancer cell lines (H146, H82) with combination index value of < 1 in Chou and Talalay analysis. Treatment with 5-AZA-dC alone resulted in the accumulation of H82 and H146 cells in G2/M after 48 hrs. Addition of either LBH589 or MGCD0103 led to an increase in percentage of cells in sub-G0 with a concurrent decrease of cells in G2/M. Among the tested genes, RASSF1A a methylation silenced gene with known cell cycle influence, was induced in H146 and H82 cells by 92 and 31 fold respectively. Conclusion: 5-AZA-dC in combination with HDAC inhibitors resulted in synergistic inhibition of viability of SCLC cell lines. Upregulation of RASSF1A by 5-AZA-dC may play a role in the synergistic interaction between DNA methyltransferase and histone deacetylase inhibitors.
Random scheduling with deadlines under dichotomous preferences

Abstract A group of individuals share a deterministic server which is capable of serving one job per unit of time. Every individual has a job and a cut off time slot (deadline) where service beyond this slot is as worthless as not getting any service at all. Individuals are indifferent between slots which are not beyond their deadlines (compatible slots). A schedule (possibly random) assigns the set of slots to individuals by respecting their deadlines. We only consider the class of problems where for every set of relevant slots (compatible with at least one individual) there are at least as many individuals who have a compatible slot in that set: we ignore the case of underdemand. For this class, we characterize the random scheduling rule which attaches uniform probability to every efficient deterministic schedule (efficient uniform rule) by Pareto efficiency, equal treatment of equals, and probabilistic consistency (Chambers, 2004). We also show that a weaker version of the probabilistic consistency axiom is enough to achieve our result. Finally we show that efficient uniform rule is strategyproof.
Marketing Orientation of Hong Kong Service Organizations

Abstract While investigations into the degree of marketing orientation of U.S. companies are increasing in the literature, few such studies exist for foreign firms. This study reports the results of a survey of executives in Hong Kong to determine the marketing orientation of service organizations in that country. There were significant differences between those who were more marketing oriented and those who were less marketing oriented.
Conversational Design of Stochastic Service Systems from a Graphical Terminal

It is frequently desirable to design stochastic service systems which cannot be adequately analyzed by normal queueing theoretic models. Such systems consist, in the most usual instances, of numerous waiting lines (or “queues”), servers, and controlling or directing stations which determine the discipline of task flow through the system. These systems are often realistic representations, for high-traffic design purposes, of behavior in diverse fields such as plant management, telephone switching, air traffic control, electronic warfare, logistics, and computer system specification and control.
Blending of Diblock and Triblock Copolypeptide Amphiphiles Yields Cell Penetrating Vesicles with Low Toxicity

We prepared dual hydrophilic triblock copolypeptide vesicles that form both micron and nanometer scale vesicles in aqueous media. The incorporation of terminal homoarginine segments into methionine sulfoxide-based vesicles was found to significantly enhance their cellular uptake compared to a non-ionic control. We also demonstrated that diblock and triblock copolypeptides with similar hydrophobic domains were found to mix well and form vesicle populations with uniform compositions. Blending of amphiphiles in vesicle nanocarriers was found to impart these materials with many advantageous properties, including good cellular uptake while maintaining minimal toxicity, as well as biological responsiveness to promote vesicle disruption and release of encapsulated cargos.
The Malformative Central Nervous System Lesions in the Central and Peripheral Forms of Neurofibromatosis.

The neuropathological features of 22 autopsied cases of NF have been reviewed, with special reference to the malformative and proliferative lesions implicating the intracranial and intraspinal neural structures. Eleven cases represented examples of the central form of the disease, and 11 examples of the peripheral form. The central form is defined by the association and multiplicity of cranial and spinal meningeal, nerve-sheath, and glial neoplasms (astrocytomas and ependymomas). Bilateral acoustic schwannomas are a frequent, but not invariable, component of the disease. Central NF is also characterized by the very frequent incidence (9 out of 11 cases) of distinctive malformative CNS lesions, which included intramedullary and perivascular schwannosis, meningioangiomatosis, discrete ependymal ectopias, atypical glial cell nests in the grey matter, and, less frequently, syringomyelia. Many of these hamartomatous changes were closely associated topographically with florid neoplastic lesions. Five of the 11 cases of peripheral NF showed involvement of the CNS by cellular proliferative changes that included subependymal gliofibrillary nodules in 3 cases (causing aqueduct stenosis in 2, with resulting hydrocephalus in 1); hyperplastic meningioencephalic gliosis involving the pons and the cerebellum in 1 case; and micronodular capillary and arteriolar proliferations typical of the vascular form of NF in 1 case. Whereas some of the glial proliferations are probably hamartomatous in nature, others may represent an abnormal productive neuroglial response to adjacent pathological conditions, such as antecedent cerebral hemorrhage or infarct, known to stimulate a proliferative gliosis. Such a response may exhibit morphological features that are indistinguishable from those of an astrocytoma, including leptomeningeal and perivascular invasion. The incidence of proliferative CNS lesions in both the central and the peripheral form of NF indicates that the spectrum of tissues implicated extends beyond those derived solely from the neural crest.
In Vitro Studies with 5-Fluorocytosine

5-Fluorocytosine, an antifungal agent with potential value as a chemotherapeutic agent, is being evaluated in the treatment of human cryptococcosis. In vitro studies with this agent have been hindered by the fact that it is inhibited significantly in the presence of partially degraded biological substances. This loss of activity is presumed to result from a competitive inhibition between the agent and its natural analogues. Procedures are described for in vitro studies with 5-fluorocytosine. These include methods for susceptibility testing and a bioassay for 5-fluorocytosine in biological fluids. Minimal inhibitory and minimal fungicidal concentrations of 5-fluorocytosine for Cryptococcus neoformans were usually in the range of 0.46 to 3.9 μg/ml and 3.9 to 15.6 μg/ml, respectively. Corresponding values for Candida albicans were 0.46 to 3.9 μg/ml and 15.6 μg/ml or greater, respectively. Strains of C. neoformans and C. albicans resistant to greater than 1,000 μg/ml were encountered both after exposure to the drug and in the absence of any known exposure. Bioassays of specimens from patients treated with 5-fluorocytosine indicated that serum and cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of 10 to 30 μg/ml and 8 to 20 μg/ml, respectively were readily achieved with a dosage of 100 mg per kg per day.
Sonodynamic therapy for treatment of C6 glioma in a rat model step 1: feasibility of tumor model

Gliomas represent the most common and devastating primary CNS tumor. While surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment, treating physicians are seeking a safer and more effective treatment modality that is non-invasive, deep-penetrating, and less prone to infection and damage to surrounding tissues. Photodynamic therapy, utilizing a photosensitizing agent with laser light, while effective in a variety of solid tissue tumors, has not proven to be especially advantageous in the treatment of gliomas, due to the poor penetration of the light. Sonodynamic therapy has been explored as an alternative to PDT. Sensitizers such as 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) and indocyanine green (IcG) have been shown to be preferentially taken up by glioma cells. Low-intensity ultrasound waves can provide enough energy to activate sensitizing agents and induce apoptosis, without the collateral damage to surrounding tissues seen with laser light in PDT. The aim of this initial study is to determine whether the sonosensitizers 5-ALA and IcG can be effectively delivered to, and detected in, the subcutaneous C6 glioma rat model.
Experiences in teaching an object-oriented design and data structure course

Object-oriented design and data structures is one of the most important courses in computer science, computer system engineering or computer information systems. Usually this class is taught in the second year of a four-year curriculum. This class should be taught in such a way that students get interested in learning real programming with the object-oriented approach. Students also know the basics of data structures and applications of data structures. If this class is not taught properly, students will drop out. This course is the main foundation for a programmer or computer scientist. This paper describes the experience of the author in designing and teaching an object-oriented design and data structures course at Arizona State University, USA for the last eight semesters. This paper also describes the goal of the course, which is to provide an in-depth understanding of the object oriented design and fundamental data structures and motivate students to become a programmer.
Patient Safety in External Beam Radiation Therapy

OBJECTIVE. External beam radiation therapy is a highly effective treatment for many types of cancer and other diseases, but incorrect delivery of the high doses necessary for tumor control can cause serious normal tissue complications, and geographic misses of the tumor can cause tumor recurrence.CONCLUSION. Benefits and risks of the explosive technologic growth of the last three decades will be described, as will efforts to reduce treatment errors and ensure safe effective treatment.
Predicting survival within the lung cancer histopathological hierarchy using a multi-scale genomic model of development.

Background The histopathologic heterogeneity of lung cancer remains a significant confounding factor in its diagnosis and prognosis—spurring numerous recent efforts to find a molecular classification of the disease that has clinical relevance. Methods and Findings Molecular profiles of tumors from 186 patients representing four different lung cancer subtypes (and 17 normal lung tissue samples) were compared with a mouse lung development model using principal component analysis in both temporal and genomic domains. An algorithm for the classification of lung cancers using a multi-scale developmental framework was developed. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was conducted for lung adenocarcinoma patient subgroups identified via their developmental association. We found multi-scale genomic similarities between four human lung cancer subtypes and the developing mouse lung that are prognostically meaningful. Significant association was observed between the localization of human lung cancer cases along the principal mouse lung development trajectory and the corresponding patient survival rate at three distinct levels of classical histopathologic resolution: among different lung cancer subtypes, among patients within the adenocarcinoma subtype, and within the stage I adenocarcinoma subclass. The earlier the genomic association between a human tumor profile and the mouse lung development sequence, the poorer the patient’s prognosis. Furthermore, decomposing this principal lung development trajectory identified a gene set that was significantly enriched for pyrimidine metabolism and celladhesion functions specific to lung development and oncogenesis.
An analysis of displacement from wind turbines in a wintering grassland bird community

Wind energy development is rapidly increasing within breeding and wintering ranges of many grassland birds in North America. Despite recognized environmental benefits of such development, wind farms have the potential to negatively impact bird communities. Using an area-search method, we surveyed grassland birds within a matrix of pastures, hay fields, and agricultural lands at a wind facility in north-central Texas during the winters of 2009/10 and 2010/11. We used binary logistic regression to examine the effect of distance from wind turbines on plot occupancy for species that did not show significant habitat associations. In contrast, for species with significant habitat associations, we used a two-step process to test for displacement. First, we identified suitable plots using a niche modeling approach in Maxent. Second, we used binary logistic regression to examine whether distance to turbine influenced the occupancy of those plots. Sprague’s Pipit Anthus spragueii, Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis, and meadowlarks Sturnella sp. showed no evidence for displacement. In contrast, the Le Conte’s Sparrow Ammodramus leconteii, was significantly more likely to occupy suitable plots as distance from the nearest turbine increased. Mean plot occupancy for the Le Conte’s Sparrow was more than four times lower in plots 400 m away. Our study highlights the need to investigate displacement at the level of individual species. Our data also suggest that species dependent on cryptic predator evasion strategies may be displaced from wind turbines and this idea warrants further investigation.
Adding high availability and autonomic behavior to Web services

Rapid acceptance of the Web Services architecture promises to make it the most widely supported and popular object-oriented architecture to date. One consequence is that a wave of mission-critical Web Services applications will certainly be deployed in coming years. Yet the reliability options available within Web Services are limited in important ways. To use a term proposed by IBM, Web Services systems need to become far more autonomic, configuring themselves, diagnosing faults, and managing themselves. High availability applications need more attention. Moreover, the scenarios in which such issues arise often entail very large deployments, raising questions of scalability. In this paper we propose a path by which the architecture could be extended in these respects.
Use-dependent exacerbation of brain damage occurs during an early post-lesion vulnerable period

For a period of time after unilateral brain injury, surviving neural tissue surrounding the lesion may be vulnerable to extremely high behavioral demand. Previously, we found that lesions of the forelimb representation area of the sensorimotor cortex (FL-SMC) in rats increase in size substantially when the intact forelimb is immobilized with a plaster of paris cast during the first 15 days after surgery, which forces overuse of the impaired forelimb. The present study was designed to determine whether the adult brain is more vulnerable to forced overuse of the impaired forelimb during the first 7 days post-lesion than during the second 7 days post-lesion. Using behavioral tests of forelimb use and stereological analysis of remaining tissue volume 40 days after FL-SMC lesions, we found that forced overuse of the impaired forelimb during the first 7 days after the initial damage caused expansion of neural injury and greatly interfered with restoration of function. In contrast, forced overuse of the impaired forelimb during the second 7 days had no significant effect on lesion size but nevertheless interfered with restoration of function. Thus, surviving neural tissue in the damaged hemisphere and recovery of function appear to be vulnerable to prolonged forced overuse of the impaired forelimb throughout the first 15 days, but tissue loss was detectable only when the animal was forced to use the impaired forelimb during the first 7 days after injury.
Two new polymethoxylated flavones, a class of compounds with potential anticancer activity, isolated from cold pressed Dancy tangerine peel oil solids.

Ten polymethoxylated flavonoids were isolated and characterized from cold pressed tangerine oil solids; they are 5,6,7,3‘,4‘-pentamethoxyflavone (sinensetin) (I); 7-hydroxy-3,5,6,3‘,4‘-pentamethoxyflavone (II); 5-hydroxy-6,7,8,3‘,4‘-pentamethoxyflavone (III); 5,6,7,8,3‘,4‘-hexamethoxyflavone (nobiletin) (IV); 5,6,7,8,4‘-pentamethoxyflavone (tangeretin) (V); 5,7,8,4‘-tetramethoxyflavone (tetra-O-methylisoscutellarein) (VI); 7-hydroxy-3,5,6,8,3‘,4‘-hexamethoxyflavone (VII); 5,6,7,4‘-tetramethoxyflavone (tetra-O-methylisoscutellarein) (VIII); 3,5,6,7,8,3‘,4‘-heptamethoxyflavone (IX); and 5,7,8,3‘,4‘-pentamethoxyflavone (X). Structures of the compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods and chemical data. Compounds II and VII are novel natural products; compounds IV, V, and VIII have been reported with significant activity against various strains of carcinoma cells; and compounds I and IV decrease erythrocyte aggregation and sedimentation in vitro. A biological activity screen of other comp...
Forensic prescreening system using coded aperture snapshot spectral imager

We present a camera system for instantaneous, non-destructive capture of spectral signatures for forensic analysis. Our system detects highly probative samples in the forensic scene mixed by the multiple target objects by combining a coded aperture snapshot spectral imager with a multi-spectral detection algorithm. An Adaptive Cosine Estimator (ACE) is used to quantitatively detect and classify the probative samples from the decoded spectral datacube. In this paper, we demonstrate selected results using our system for luminescence characteristics and spectral classification of a number of samples.
Broad range DNA probes for detecting and amplifying eubacterial nucleic acids

In this report we describe and characterize two oligomer probes that are broadly homologous to conserved eubacterial 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences not present in human 18 rRNA or human mitochondrial 12S rRNA. One or both of the probes can detect all of 23 phylogenetically diverse eubacterial nucleic acids against which they were tested by dot blot hybridization. A sensitivity of about 1 bacterium per 10 eukaryotic cells was achieved. By using these oligomer sequences or their complements as primers in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the equivalent of 1 pg of E. coli DNA was detected in the presence of a large excess of eukaryotic DNA. Information useful for partial phylogenetic classification of detected organisms may be obtained by direct sequence analysis of the amplified DNA and comparison with known sequences or catalogs. Such broadly homologous probes offer advantages over more narrowly specific probes for detecting organisms whose identity is unknown. They could thus be employed for recognizing infection by organisms that cannot be cultured as may occur, for example, in tissue culture or in plant or animal diseases of unknown cause, provided the probes fail to hybridize with host nucleic acids.
METABOTROPIC GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR 5 IN CONDITIONED TASTE AVERSION LEARNING

Abstract In conditioned taste aversion (CTA), animals learn to avoid a flavored solution (conditioned stimulus, CS) previously paired with internal malaise (unconditioned stimulus, US). Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGlu5) has been implicated in learning and memory processes and is necessary for CTA. In the present study, local microinjections of a mGlu5-selective antagonist, 3-[2-methyl-1,3-thiazol-4yl)ethynyl]pyridine (MTEP, 0, 1 or 5 μg) into the insular cortex and basolateral amygdala were used in male, Sprague-Dawley rats to examine the role of mGlu5 receptors in the encoding of taste memory. MTEP was infused 20 min before saccharin intake during CTA conditioning. MTEP injection into the basolateral amygdala resulted in robust CTA, similar to the vehicle-treated animals but slowed extinction; that is, MTEP enhanced CTA. MTEP injection into the insular cortex resulted in an increased saccharin intake on the conditioning trial, which potentially influenced the performance on the test trials; MTEP had no effect on CTA learning when controlled access to saccharin was used on the conditioning trial. These results indicate that mGlu5 receptors are involved in taste memories in a region-specific manner.
Diagnosis and management of complement mediated thrombotic microangiopathies

Historically, attempts were made to differentiate acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) from atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) based upon the age at presentation and the presence of neurologic or renal injury. Although these means of differentiating acquired TTP from aHUS have now been demonstrated to be inaccurate, there were no clinical consequences as the treatment for both disorders remained plasma exchange therapy (PEX). With the regulatory approval and remarkable efficacy of eculizumab (Soliris) for the treatment of aHUS, the accurate and timely differentiation of acquired TTP from aHUS now has real clinical consequences. In the following review we will address the emerging methods of clinically differentiating acquired TTP from aHUS using collectively their clinical presentation, laboratory data, and initial response to PEX therapy to differentiate patients more consistent with a diagnosis of aHUS, and therefore more likely to benefit from complement inhibition therapy.
Involvement of Shc in the signaling response of human prostate tumor cell lines to epidermal growth factor

Autocrine growth factors for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) have been identified in prostate tumors, implicating a role for EGFR in the progression of prostate cancer. To investigate early signaling mechanisms used by the EGFR in prostate tumor cells, we have characterized the involvement of the Shc (src homology 2/x-collagen related) adapter protein in EGFR signaling in several human prostate tumor cell lines. In androgen-responsive lymph node-prostate cancer (LNCaP) cells and androgen-insensitive PC3, DU145 and PPC-I cells, Shc was identified as one of the most prominent phosphotyrosine proteins to be elevated in response to EGF. Equivalent levels of the 46- and 52-kDa Shc isoforms were detected in all of the tumor cell lines tested. However, levels of the 66-kDa isoform were variable among the cell lines. In all of the tumor cell lines, EGF caused an association between Shc and Grb2, another adapter protein linked to cellular ras activation. Additionally, several phosphotyrosine proteins, including a 115-120-kDa protein in EGF-treated LNCaP cells, co-associated with Shc. The profile of these Shc-associating proteins, however, differed among the tumor cell lines. Our results indicate that Shc is a common downstream element of EGFR signaling in prostate tumor cells and suggest multiple functions for Shc in prostate tumorigenesis.
Characterization and evaluation of cyanopropyl polysiloxane stationary phases for gas chromatography

Abstract The compositions of commercial cyano-containing polysiloxane stationary phases were determined using infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance, and proton-induced X-ray emission spectroscopies. Varying amounts of the polar carboxamide group were found in most polymers. This group, which is inadvertently formed during the hydrolysis step in the synthesis of the polymers, affects the polarity and selectivity of the phase. The chloride ion (believed to be present as HCl as a result of the synthesis from dichlorosilane monomers) was also detected. A specially synthesized 88% cyanopropyl polysiloxane from dimethoxysilane monomers, containing no detectable carboxamide groups or adsorbed HCl, possessed different properties than the comparable commercially available phases.
Active Site Titration of the Tyrosine Phosphatases SHP-1 and PTP1B Using Aromatic Disulfides REACTION WITH THE ESSENTIAL CYSTEINE RESIDUE IN THE ACTIVE SITE

Aromatic disulfides were found to inactivate truncated forms of the SHP-1 and PTP1B phosphatases by reaction with the essential active site cysteine residue. For truncated SHP-1 at pH 5.0, the reaction proceeded through an initial burst phase followed by a slower secondary phase. Our experiments demonstrated that the burst phase corresponded to the reaction of the aromatic disulfide with the active site cysteine. The magnitude of the burst phase was found to measure the active enzyme concentration, and the rate of the burst reflected the reactivity of the active site cysteine. The data were consistent with a mechanism in which an intramolecular disulfide is formed between the active site cysteine and a proximal cysteine during the burst reaction. Aromatic disulfides were found to react with the active site cysteines of full-length SHP-1 and truncated PTP1B also. Using vanadate to mask the active site cysteine, the active enzyme concentration could be assayed by comparing product yields for the reaction with aromatic disulfides in the presence and absence of vanadate at pH 8.0. These findings demonstrate the utility of aromatic disulfides as active site titrants and reactivity probes for tyrosine phosphatases.
Worry and sleep length revisited: worry, sleep length, and sleep disturbance ascribed to worry.

The author administered university students (N = 222; 152 women, 70 men) the Worry Domains Questionnaire (F. Tallis, G. C. L. Davey, & A. Bond, 1994) and a newly constructed scale (the Sleep Disturbance Ascribed to Worry Scale) to measure sleep disturbance attributed to worry. To revisit previous studies (i.e., E. Hartmann, F. Baekeland, & G. R. Zwilling, 1972; S. J. H. McCann & L. L. Stewin, 1988) that suggested that sleep length was positively related to worry, the author also asked the students a question about habitual sleep length. The results indicated that worry and sleep disturbance attributed to worry were negatively related to sleep length. A regression analysis revealed that worry was significantly negatively related to habitual sleep length irrespective of sleep disturbance ascribed to worry.
The sleeping giant hypocrisy

In a sharply worded commentary, our SEC columnist declares that it's time to stop pretending that what now passes as “business ethics” will save us from ourselves. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Principles of computer system organization

This paper describes the content of a one-term advanced undergraduate course being developed in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Princeton University.As the title suggests, the course is approached through theory and models, not through case studies. My experience is not only that students find the more traditional case-study approach intellectually unsatisfying and often confused or confusing, but they find that a little formalism helps them to see precisely what is the intellectual content of a discussion. My goal is not to teach them systems programming; it is instead to help them develop mathematical modeling techniques which prove useful in understanding and evaluating systems and their problems. Using this approach, I have successfully taught to juniors material. I have often seen reserved for graduate students.
Prevalence of urinary tract infection in febrile infants

Urinary tract infection (UTI), a relatively common cause of fever in infancy, usually consists of pyelonephritis and may cause permanent renal damage. This study assessed (1) the prevalence of UTI in febrile infants (temperature≥38.3°C) with differing demographic and clinical characteristics and (2) the usefulness of urinalysis in diagnosing UTI. We diagnosed UTI in 50 (5.3%) of 945 febrile infants if we found ≥10,000 colony-forming units of a single pathogen per milliliter in a urine specimen obtained by catheterization. Prevalences were similar in (1) infants aged ≤2 months undergoing examination for sepsis (4.6%), (2) infants aged >2 months in whom UTI was suspected, usually because no source of fever was apparent (5.9%), and (3) infants with no suspected UTI, most of whom had other illnesses (5.1%). Female and white infants had significantly more UTIs, respectively, than male and black infants. In all, 17% of white female infants with temperature ≥39°C had UTI, significantly more ( p p =0.02). Only 1 (1.6%) of 62 subjects with an unequivocal source of fever, such as meningitis, had UTI. As indicators of UTI, pyuria and bacteriuria had sensitivities of 54% and 86% and specificities of 96% and 63%, respectively. In infants with fever, clinicians should consider UTI a potential source and consider a urine culture as part of the diagnostic evaluation.
Factor structure of the Neurological Evaluation Scale in a predominantly African American sample of patients with schizophrenia, unaffected relatives, and non-psychiatric controls

Abstract Objective This study aimed to identify latent factors of the most widely used scale to measure neurological soft signs, the Neurological Evaluation Scale (NES), in a sample of schizophrenia patients, their relatives, and non-psychiatric controls. Method The NES was administered following the format and instructions of the original scale [Buchanan, R.W., Heinrichs, D.W., 1989. The Neurological Evaluation Scale (NES): a structured instrument for the assessment of neurological signs in schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res. 27, 335–350]. Three factor analyses were conducted using: (1) 23 items of the scale, (2) these 23 items in a sample restricted to African American participants, and (3) 12 items previously recommended based on adequate inter-rater reliability [Sanders, R.D., Forman, S.D., Pierri, J.N., Baker, R.W., Kelley, M.E., van Kammen, D.P., Keshavan, M.S., 1998. Inter-rater reliability of the neurological examination in schizophrenia. Schizophr. Res. 29, 287–292]. Results Exploratory factor analysis in the overall sample (n = 110) revealed three factors of interest: a “coordination/Romberg” factor (which included the fist-edge-palm test, finger-thumb opposition, rapid alternating movements, and the Romberg test), a “sensory integration” factor (which included synkinesis, extinction, stereognosis, and audio-visual integration), and an “eye movements/tandem walk/overflow movements” factor (which included convergence, gaze impersistence, tandem walk, and adventitious overflow). Minimal differences were apparent when comparing these results with those obtained from an analysis including only African American participants (n = 99). Restricting the analysis to only 12 items resulted in two factors (with poor discriminant validity and internal consistency), which showed few similarities with previously reported exploratory factor analysis results. Conclusions This study shows that results of empirically-derived factors of the NES vary substantially across study samples and research groups, though there appear to be at least two consistent latent variables, one related to the repetition of motor tasks and another tapping the processing of sensory stimuli. The factors demonstrated in the present study are more consistent with the original conceptually-derived subscales than prior factor analyses. Thus, until further research replicates consistent subscales of subtle neurological impairment in a variety of settings and samples, the total NES score may be more useful when comparing results across studies. Further research on latent neurological factors is needed.
Energy source-aware manycast overlay in WDM networks

Manycasting is an emerging communication paradigm which allows a single source to reach multiple destinations while providing flexibility in the selection of which destinations to connect with. Traditional wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) networks do not support the all-optical splitting of signals to multiple output ports as required by point-to-multipoint communication schemes. Previous work has proposed an overlay approach known as Manycasting with Drop at Member Node (MA-DMN) to provide manycast support as a logical overlay to basic point-to-point lightpath connections. This approach has been studied extensively and compared to alternative overlay models, and has emerged the obvious candidate for supporting manycast overlays. Throughout its evaluation though, MA-DMN has never been scrutinized in terms of its costs for energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this work, we subject MA-DMN to these evaluations, while also proposing a new more energy-conservative emission-aware variant known as MA-DMN using Least Impact Trees (MA-DMN-LIT). We compare these two approaches by simulating realistic quantities of dynamic traffic, and uniformly distributing renewable energy sources to power nodes throughout the network. We find that MA-DMN-LIT reduces energy consumption over MA-DMN by 6–10% across the network, while also reducing CO 2 emissions by as much as 27%. We further conclude that MA-DMN-LIT also provides lower connection blocking by not over-subscribing shorter paths in the network as its emission-blind counterpart does.1
Replication and persistence of HPV DNA in cultured cells derived from laryngeal papillomas

We have investigated the replication and persistence of human papillomavirus (HPV) type 6 and 11 DNA in cultured cells derived from laryngeal papillomas, with paradoxical findings. Measured by bromodeoxyuridine incorporation into heavy/light DNA separated on a cesium chloride gradient, viral DNA replicates in both primary and secondary cells. The ratio of the fraction of replicated viral to replicated cellular DNA was equal to or greater than 1 in all but one case and was closer to 2 in primary cells. Despite this efficient replication, HPV DNA is rapidly lost from the cells with passage. We propose that infected cells, or those with a high HPV copy number, show a selective decrease in plating efficiency compared to uninfected cells or those with a low copy number, which explains the loss of HPV DNA with repeated passage.
London Inter–Bank Offer Rate (LIBOR) versus Treasury Rate: Evidence from the Parsimonious Term Structure Model

The Treasury curve and the London Inter–Bank Offer Rate (LIBOR) curve are the two most widely used proxies for the risk-free rate or the basis of a discount rate. We find there are significant structural differences between these two curves. On average, the LIBOR curve has a higher level and is steeper, while the Treasury curve has more curvature. In some extreme cases, the two curves could be completely different and move in opposite directions. We also find that, in short term, the difference in the slope dominates the difference in the curvature. The findings of this study are important to asset valuation and interest rate risk management.
VECTORIAL ELECTRON TRANSPORT ACROSS LIPID VESICLE MEMBRANES DRIVEN BY TWO PHOTOREACTIONS. I. ETHYLENEDIAMINETETRAACETIC ACID AS AN ELECTRON DONOR via FLAVIN TRIPLET STATE IN THE INNER COMPARTMENT AND CYTOCHROME c AS AN ELECTRON ACCEPTOR FROM CHLOROPHYLL TRIPLET STATE IN THE OUTER COMPARTMENT

Negatively charged vesicle suspensions containing chlorophyll a (chl) dissolved in the lipid bilayer, flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and/or ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) enclosed in the inner compartment as electron sources and oxidized cytochrome c (cyt c[ox]) in the outer compartment as an electron acceptor have been studied using laser flash photolysis and steady-state irradiation methods. Cytochrome c initially quenches the chl triplet state (3chl) generating the chlorophyll cation radical (chi+′) in the membrane. Reverse electron transfer from cyt c(red) to chl+. subsequently occurs in a kinetically biphasic reaction, with rate constants of 430 pT 30 and 21.9 pT 1.7 s−1 for the fast and slow phases, respectively. In the absence of FMN, reduction of chl+′ by EDTA in the inner compartment can be observed during steady-state irradiation but not in a laser flash photolysis experiment. This is due to a low reaction yield, which is probably limited by the repulsive electrostatic interaction between EDTA and the negatively charged membrane. When FMN was enclosed together with EDTA in the inner Compartment, the reaction yield of vectorial electron transfer across the bilayer from EDTA to cyt c(oX) was increased by a factor of six during steadystate white light irradiation. Laser flash photolysis and steady-state irradiation experiments using red and blue light excitation have demonstrated that the enhancement mechanism involves the formation of fully reduced FMN by blue light-sensitized photooxidation of EDTA via the flavin triplet state, occumng simultaneously with red lightsensitized electron transfer to cyt c via the chlorophyll triplet state.
Biologically Relevant Phosphoranes: Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Glucofuranose-Derived Phosphoranes with Penta- and Hexacoordination at Phosphorus

Carbohydrate-based phosphoranes were synthesized by reacting the appropriate diphenol with phosphorus trichloride followed by the addition of chloralose to form 1 and by the addition of isopropylidene-d-glucofuranose to form 2 and 3. Phosphorane 4 was obtained by reacting 1,2-O-isopropylidene-α-d-glucofuranosyl-3,5,6-phosphite (13) with a diphenol. For the synthesis of 5−9, the appropriate phosphite was reacted with isopropylidene−glucofuranose. X-ray analyses of 1−9 were carried out successfully. Hexacoordinated structures resulted via oxygen donor action at phosphorus in the cases of phosphoranes 1−3 and via sulfur donor action for phosphoranes 4−6. Trigonal bipyramidal structures formed for 7−9 with the carbohydrate components occupying axial−equatorial sites. The eight-membered ring of the diphenol moiety with weak or no donor groups in 7−9 occupied diequatorial sites of the trigonal bipyramid. Solution NMR data are in agreement with the assigned solid-state structures. Isomerism between penta- and he...
Tutorial: Multi-stage Programming for Circuit Generation

Multi-stage programming is a paradigm for writing generic programs that do not pay a runtime overhead. The key underlying technology is program generation. In addition, languages designed to support this paradigm (such as MetaOCaml) help the programmer avoid many of the difficulties that are traditionally encountered in developing program generators. This tutorial will introduce you to the basics of this paradigm as well as of programming in MetaOCaml. The focus of this particular tutorial will be on using MetaOCaml to generate hardware circuits.
Agmatine reduces extracellular glutamate during pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures in rat brain: a potential mechanism for the anticonvulsive effects.

Glutamate has been implicated in the initiation and spread of seizure activity. Agmatine, an endogenous neuromodulator, is an antagonist of NMDA receptors and has anticonvulsive effects. Whether agmatine regulate glutamate release, as measured by in vivo microdialysis, is not known. In this study, we used pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizure model to determine the effect of agmatine on extracellular glutamate in rat brain. We also determined the time course and the amount of agmatine that reached brain after peripheral injection. After i.p. injection of agmatine (50 mg/kg), increase of agmatine in rat cortex and hippocampus was observed in 15 min with levels returning to baseline in one hour. Rats, naive and implanted with microdialysis cannula into the cortex, were administered PTZ (60 mg/kg, i.p.) with prior injection of agmatine (100 mg/kg, i.p.) or saline. Seizure grades were recorded and microdialysis samples were collected every 15 min for 75 min. Agmatine pre-treatment significantly reduced the seizure grade and increased the onset time. The levels of extracellular glutamate in frontal cortex rose two- to three-fold after PTZ injection and agmatine significantly inhibited this increase. In conclusion, the present data suggest that the anticonvulsant activity of agmatine, in part, could be related to the inhibition glutamate release.
Mechanisms of early brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage

Apoptosis is the term given to programmed cell death, which has been widely connected to a number of intracranial pathologies including stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and more recently subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Subarachnoid hemorrhage is a disease, without any form of effective treatment, that affects mainly the young and middle aged and as a result is responsible for severe disability in otherwise healthy and productive individuals. Despite intense research efforts in the field, we currently possess a very limited understanding of the underlying mechanisms that result in injury after SAH. However, a number of studies have recently indicated that apoptosis may be a major player in the pathogenesis of secondary brain injury after SAH. As a result, the apoptotic cascades present a number of potential therapeutic opportunities that may ameliorate secondary brain injury after SAH. Experimental data suggest that these cascades occur very early after the initial insult and may be related directly to physiologic sequela commonly associated with SAH. It is imperative, therefore, to obtain a thorough understanding of the early events that occur after SAH, which will enable future therapies to be developed.
Decreased Cl permeability as the basis for increased bioelectrical potentials in Cystic Fibrosis.

Short Communications: Decreased C1 Permeability as the Basis for Increased Bioelectrical Potentials in Cvstic Fibrosis
Affinity of the antiviral enantiomers of oxathiolane cytosine nucleosides for human 2′-deoxycytidine kinase

Abstract The two enantiomers of 2′,3′-dideoxy-3′-thiacytidine (BCH-189) and their 5-fluoro analogs (FTC) were found to be good substrates for human 2′-deoxycytidine kinase with K m values in the 5.7 to 42.1 μM range. The affinity of the (−)-enantiomers was greater than that of the (+)-compounds. These results may explain the greater in vitro antiviral potency against human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis B virus of the (−)-enantiomers when compared to their (+)-counterparts. The (+)- and (−)-enantiomers of FTC and BCH-189 are the first nucleoside analogs for which we have observed lower apparent kinetic constants for this enzyme in the presence of ATP compared to UTP.