cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhancement of primate oocyte maturation and fertilization in vitro by inhibin A and activin A

Objective A role for inhibin and activin in primate oocyte maturation was investigated. Design The maturation and fertilization of rhesus monkey oocytes recovered from the excised ovaries of nine regularly cycling animals was compared for untreated germinal vesicle (GV)-intact controls versus oocytes cultured in the presence of inhibin, activin, inhibin+activin, or in a combination with follistatin. Setting Nonhuman primates in a research institute environment. Interventions Bilateral oophorectomy. Main Outcome Measure Oocyte maturation from germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) to metaphase II (MII) and fertilization. Results Germinal vesicle breakdown, progression to MII and fertilization was monitored in oocytes cultured for 48hours. Activin alone, at an optimum concentration of 100ng/mL, stimulated GVBD whereas both GVBD and MII development was enhanced in the presence of inhibin+activin. The latter also accelerated the rate of maturation to MII All treatment groups exhibited a higher incidence of GVBD compared with controls. When follistatin was added, the stimulatory effect of activin or activin+inhibin was abolished. Exposure to medium containing inhibin+activin significantly increased the percentage of MII oocytes that fertilized compared with controls (68% versus 25%, respectively). Conclusions Inhibin and activin are potent stimulators of primate oocyte maturation, producing mature oocytes in vitro that fertilize with high efficiency.
A Path Forward for Jobs Creation

This chapter proposes detailed policies to close the income gap in America and revitalize the middle class. It focuses on what is doable in American politics right now and offers real world solutions to this seemingly intractable problem. It includes innovative ideas that stress the roles of both the private and public sectors, without neglecting the social implications of American middle class decline and rebirth.
Top Advances in Functional Genomics and Translational Biology for 2012

The potential therapeutic and diagnostic insights that modern “omics” techniques can provide are well recognized. The amount of data that can be generated with these technologies is increasing, as is the number of manuscripts being produced. For example, in 2012, there were >2700 articles archived in PubMed that used the term genome-wide association study. In 2008, there were just 750 such papers published. The most recognizable advance of 2012, however, was not the growing volume of data but rather the increased ability to implement the data obtained from genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics into clinically applicable discoveries. Such applicability is at the core of the American Heart Association Functional Genomics and Translational Biology (FGTB) Council (http://www.my.americanheart.org/fgtbcouncil). The FGTB council provides a multidisciplinary forum that brings together clinicians and researchers with expertise in translational science focusing on genetics, genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and proteomics to target the worldwide burden of heart disease and stroke. With input from the Early Career Committee of the Council on FGTB, in choosing the research highlights of 2012, we considered many articles and selected 10 outstanding sets of articles that we felt exemplified the greatest advances of the past year and that we present below in no particular order. The catalog of genome-wide associations with human diseases includes many variants that are distant from known genes. May et al1 hypothesized that these associations could be explained by alterations of distal enhancer activity that lead to changes in gene expression. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by massively parallel sequencing (ChIP-seq), they identified thousands of cardiac enhancer elements in human fetal and adult heart tissues. They showed that these enhancers are enriched near genes that are known to be expressed in the heart and can drive reproducible expression of a …
Migration of mesenchymal stem cells tethered with carbon nanotubes under a chemotactic gradient

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been extensively studied for photothermal ablation of malignant cells due to their ability to absorb near-infrared (NIR) laser light and convert it to thermal energy for the lysis of tumor cells. Functionalizing CNTs with tumor-targeting moieties can facilitate the delivery to tumor sites. Instead of using targeting moieties, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been considered as vehicles to deliver therapeutic agents to cancer cells. In this study, the effects of attaching CNTs to MSCs on cell migration in response to a chemotactic gradient were investigated. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were functionalized with streptavidin–fluorescein isothiocyanate (SA–FITC). The surface of human MSCs was biotinylated by culturing MSCs with biotin–lipid containing medium. CNTs were then attached on the outer cell membrane of biotinylated MSCs through SA–biotin binding. Fluorescence microscopy confirmed CNTs were located on the surface of MSCs. Various amounts of CNTs anchored on the membrane of MSCs were used to examine the effects of CNTs on MSC proliferation and migration. Our transwell migration assay showed that 4.26 ng CNT per cell is the threshold value that would not affect the migration speed of CNT-tagged MSCs toward the established gradient of chemoattractant SDF-1α.
Breast cancer cells co-cultured with neutrophils express endogenous oncostatin M (OSM)

660 Oncostatin M (OSM) is a pleiotropic cytokine belonging to the interleukin-6 family and is expressed by several cell types, including activated human T-lymphocytes and macrophages. Recent evidence suggests that OSM may promote tumor progression by enhancing angiogenesis and metastasis. Tumor-associated and tumor-infiltrating neutrophils (TANs) and macrophages (TAMs) can account for as much as 50% of the total tumor mass in invasive breast carcinomas. It is thought that tumors secrete factors that elicit a wound-repair response from TAMs and TANs, and that this response inadvertently stimulates tumor progression. Our preliminary findings have shown that human neutrophils express OSM when co-cultured with human MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Neutrophils were isolated from whole blood and then plated with breast cancer cells at different ratios. Neutrophils and breast cancer cells alone did not express OSM by immunohistochemistry, but when co-cultured together at a ratio of 10:1 for 3 to 5 days, neutrophils expressed OSM. In fibroblasts, OSM has also been shown to induce the expression of proteases, whose activities are reported to correlate with metastatic potential in tumor models. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs) and other proteolytic enzymes have been demonstrated to play critical roles in the angiogenesis cascade and to be markers of metastatic potential. Presently, we are examining whether neutrophil-derived OSM will induce proteases, such as MMPs, in co-cultured breast cancer cells utilizing ELISAs and immunoblotting. Positive findings could provide a rationale for the development of therapies that inhibit OSM. The potential to develop anti-OSM therapeutics is currently limitless: to date, there has been no attempt to inhibit OSM for the purposes of cancer therapy.
The Dehumanization of Black Males by Police: Teaching Social Justice—Black Life Really Does Matter!

Despite the contemporary public’s discourse regarding the embrace of human diversity within the United States, Black males still are perennially brutalized, killed, and negatively stereotyped. Rece...
Laser Acupuncture: A Concise Review

Background: Laser acupuncture (LA)-the use of nonthermal, low-intensity laser irradiation to stimulate acupuncture points-has become more common among acupuncture practitioners in recent years. LA is promoted as a safer pain-free alternative to traditional acupuncture, with minimal adverse effects and greater versatility. However, little is known about the mechanism of action of LA, laser characteristics, and effectiveness of LA therapy. Objective: This concise review of LA describes basic parameters and procedures, potential mechanisms of action, and the current evidence for its clinical efficacy. The article also highlights the need for more robust research on LA that can be translated into evidence-based clinical practices. Conclusions: LA has many features that make it an attractive option as a treatment modality, including minimal sensation; short duration of treatment; and minimal risks of infection, trauma, and bleeding complications. Future studies with high-quality methodologies, ample sample sizes, and consistent and reproducible laser parameters are critically needed to increase understanding and establish potential future clinical applications.
Nontraditional Criminal Prosecutions in Federal Court

Who, besides the U.S. Department of Justice, can prosecute criminal actions in federal court? This Article considers this question, which has arisen recently in various contexts—DOJ’s attempt to abort the prosecution of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, the contempt prosecution of former Sheriff Joseph Arpaio (who received a presidential pardon), the confrontation over the court-appointed interim U.S. Attorney in New York, and a local District Attorney’s threats to prosecute lawbreaking federal law enforcement officials. Consider first nontraditional trial-level federal prosecutions. The Constitution’s Take Care and Appointments Clauses, as well as standing, preclude private prosecutions and prosecutions by states and Houses of Congress. Court-appointed interim U.S. Attorneys may oversee federal prosecutions, and court-appointed special prosecutors may prosecute criminal contempt cases. However, court-appointed attorneys likely cannot undertake broader responsibilities. Consider next criminal appeals. While the Supreme Court has acknowledged the possibility of a state’s appellate standing where DOJ declines to appeal a federal criminal decision holding a state statute unconstitutional, that precedent is dubious. Moreover, even if a state’s standing is sometimes proper, the case for appellate standing of a House of Congress is weaker. Finally, consider state prosecutions in federal court. A state should have standing to appeal criminal cases to the Supreme Court, and to pursue properly removed state criminal prosecutions in the lower federal courts, as should any properly designated state governmental entity. To the extent a state allows private prosecutions, aggrieved individuals ought to be able to pursue such prosecutions if they are properly removed.
Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: Historical Background and Terminologies

The spectrum of neuroendocrine neoplasms encompasses lesions of classical endocrine organs including the pituitary and parathyroid; tumors of the dispersed neuroendocrine cells, including the thyroid, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, thymus, breast, and prostate; as well as paraganglia throughout the body including the adrenal medulla. Many of these lesions are increasing in incidence. The history of neuroendocrine neoplasia is filled with fascinating anecdotes and curious discoveries that have shed light on the functions of neuroendocrine cells, the mechanisms of tumorigenesis, the complexity of their pathology, and the genetics underlying the development of these tumors that have a high incidence of familial disease. Here we summarize the important historical events, the controversies, and recent progress in achieving a holistic view of this field of science.
Regulating Cleanups of Homeless Encampments

As the visible presence of persons experiencing homelessness has grown in major cities across the country in recent years and moved to the forefront of national politics, the impulse to criminalize homelessness has persisted. In recent years, many local governments have turned to “cleanups” of homeless encampments or tent cities as a seemingly more benign response to homelessness than repeatedly arresting individuals for, in effect, living in public. This Article examines four sets of rules—adopted or significantly revised in 2019—that regulate cleanups in Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, and Washington, D.C. A close examination of these rules shows the serious limits of regularizing the practice of cleanups as a way of protecting the rights and dignity of persons experiencing homelessness.
The Impact of a Spill or Pollution Accident on Firm Environmental Activity: An Empirical Investigation

Spill and pollution (SP) accidents cause significant damage to the natural environment. They also result in financial costs and reputational losses for the offending firm. As such, understanding how firms respond to such crises is of significant interest to firm stakeholders, such as investors, customers, regulators, NGOs, employees, and local communities. In this study, we examine whether publicly disclosed SP accidents cause firms to alter their approach to environmental management, as expressed by the adoption of environmental management practices (EMPs). Using a unique panel data from 2002 to 2013, representing over 400 publicly traded US manufacturing firms, we find that in the absence of a SP accident, firms adopt more EMPs each year. However, when firms experience a SP accident they respond in surprising ways: while sustainability leading firms do not alter their existing approach to EMP adoption, regardless of the severity of the accident, all other firms do. Firms which are not sustainability leaders escalate the number of EMPs they adopt after low severity accidents and de‐escalate the number of EMPs they adopt after high severity accidents. We also find that de‐escalation can last for up to 3 years and firms do not seem to recover from de‐escalation in future years. Finally, incurring more accidents or more severe accidents leads to greater de‐escalation. Given that the number of EMPs firms adopt determines a firm's environmental performance, de‐escalation can have significant negative consequences for both the natural environment and firms themselves.
Isolated left bundle branch block in the young: case reports and review of literature

Isolated left bundle branch block (LBBB) aberrancy is exceedingly rare in the young and its clinical and genetic determinants remain poorly characterized. Furthermore, there is conflicting data on its natural history in the pediatric age group patients. We report the rare phenotype of isolated typical LBBB aberrancy in two healthy children, one of whom carried a likely pathogenic mutation in the coding exon 1 of NKX2-5 (p.Q22R, c.65A > G, rs201442000). Our findings suggest that isolated LBBB aberrancy could be non-progressive in some children, at least in the short term. However, given the paucity of data on this entity, we recommend continued long-term surveillance.
Outcomes of free vascularized fibular graft for post-traumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

Abstract Introduction Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) can occur after traumatic injuries of the hip. Surgical treatment with total hip arthroplasty (THA) may not produce lifelong viability in younger patients. Free vascularized fibular graft (FVFG) has become a reliable method to delay or even avoid THA in this patient population by aiming to correct loss of viable bone through vascularized autologous bone transfer. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the longevity and outcomes of FVFG for traumatic hip injuries resulting in ONFH. Methods We performed a retrospective review of our institutional database of patients who had undergone FVFG from 1980-2006 for post-traumatic ONFH and had a minimum follow-up of 5 years. Data collected included demographics, pre-operative Urbaniak ONFH staging, Harris Hip scores (HHS), SF-12 scores, and conversion to THA. Results Seventy-two hips in 68 patients met inclusion criteria. Mean follow-up was 11.6 years (range 5.1–33.2 years). Etiology included femoral neck fracture in 36 patients (61%), hip dislocation in 7 (12%), trauma without fracture or dislocation in 11 (19%), and femoral neck nonunion in 5 (8%). The most common stage at presentation was stage IV (48 patients). Graft survival at final follow-up (mean 10.9 years) was 64%, with mean time to conversion to THA of 8.4 years in those that did not survive (36%). There was no difference between THA conversion rates in hips with pre-collapse (Stage I and II) versus impending or post-collapse (Stage III or IV) lesions (p = 0.227). In hips with surviving grafts at final follow-up, mean HHS improved from 56.7 to 77.3 (SD 24.57, range 69–93), a mean improvement of 20.6 (p Conclusions Our study reveals improvement in HHS in surviving FVFG and an acceptable overall THA conversion rate at mid to long term follow-up in Urbaniak stage I through IV hips. FVFG remains a viable option for treatment in younger patients with pre- and post-collapse (stage IV) ONFH lesions secondary to hip trauma.
Stress-induced senescence as a forme fruste of chronic kidney disease—A case for failed regeneration

Abstract This chapter summarizes multiple points of convergence between chronic kidney disease and kidney senescence to highlight the proposition that both entities are deeply intertwined. Next, I describe geronic proteins using as an example the interactions between endostatin and tissue transglutaminase. I propose that the stress-induced premature senescence of kidney-resident cells constitutes a platform for progression of chronic kidney disease. The description of fate of senescent cells from enforced rejuvenation to a point of no-return or apoptosis follows. Local and systemic effects of senescent cells, including the release of senescence-associated secretory phenotype products, are delineated. The chapter concludes with the recounting of therapeutic strategies to limit the senescent cell burden and, by doing so, arresting the progression of chronic kidney disease.
Mechanisms of Anergy in Tuberculosis

Immunological hyporesponsiveness (anergy) is a concomitant of diseases due to intracellular pathogens and well-demonstrated in tuberculosis. The expression of anergy in tuberculosis encompasses depression of both delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH), manifest as depressed tuberculin skin test reaction, and in vitro lymphocyte responses to antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Evidence for immunosuppression, which appears to be mostly limited to mycobacterial antigens, has been documented in different populations with active tuberculosis worldwide, regardless of prior BCG vaccination status. Whether attenuation of the host responses to antigens of M. tuberculosis that stimulate or maintain protective immunity is a factor in the development of tuberculosis or contributes to the chronicity of the disease is not known. However, it appears that anergy in active tuberculosis is mediated largely through monocytes that display signs of activation, possibly by exposure to mycobacterial antigens or cytokines in situ. M. tuberculosis and its constituents are potent in stimulation of monocytes to produce an array of cytokines, notably transforming growth factor β (TGF-(β), which is suppressive to lymphocytes, deactivates macrophage effector functions, and promotes fibrosis (Wahl 1992). Immunosuppressive circuits are activated in situ as newly recruited monocytes encounter M. tuberculosis and its products; at the site of infection these circuits may contribute to immunopathogenesis, while at local sites of exposure to antigens (skin test) they may modulate the expression of DTH.
Robotic Hysterectomy for Endometrial Cancer in Obese Patients With Comorbidities: Evaluating Postoperative Complications.

Objectives The objective of this study is to determine (1) if there is a relationship between increasing body mass index (BMI) and postoperative complications in patients undergoing robotic hysterectomy for endometrial cancer and (2) if there are additional patient characteristics, specifically preoperative comorbidities, which increase the risk of postoperative complication Methods A retrospective chart review was conducted on women who underwent a robotic staging surgery for endometrial cancer from 2006 to 2012. Basic demographics and preoperative and postoperative complications were extracted from the medical records. Obesity was divided into 4 categories, and complication rates were compared across these subgroups. Patients were also divided by the number of comorbidities and compared. Results The cohort included 543 patients. The BMI ranged from 17.3 to 69.5 kg/m2. Three hundred eighty patients (70%) were obese (BMI >30 kg.m2). One hundred ninety patients (35%) had no comorbidities other than obesity, and 180 patients (33%) had only 1 comorbidity other than obesity (Table 1). Postoperative complications occurred in 102 (18.7%) of the patients. Severe postoperative complications, including intensive care unit admission, reintubation, reoperation, and perioperative death, occurred in 14 patients (2.6%). Of the nonobese patients, 27 (16.5%) had postoperative complications; of the obese patients, 75 (19.7%) had a complication (P = 0.38). In patients with no comorbidities, 16.3% had a complication; 18% of patients with 1 to 2 comorbidities had a complication, and 28% of patients with 3 or more comorbidities had a complication (P = 0.08). Conclusions The postoperative complication rate based on BMI or number of comorbidities was not statistically significant, but patients with greater number of comorbidities had an increased rate of postoperative complications. Patients with certain comorbidities, cardiac and renal specifically, had the highest rates of postoperative complications.
Essentials of Fuzzy Modeling and Control

From the Publisher: At last, here is a thorough introduction that offers complete coverage of all relevant theory and applications to the rapidly evolving field of fuzzy logic. While most other books on the subject tend to be loose collections of papers reporting on the state of this or that fuzzy area, Essentials of Fuzzy Modeling and Control follows a logical, pedagogically consistent format designed to fully acquaint readers with the entire range of fuzzy concepts, tools, and modeling techniques. While it is an excellent general introduction for students, the authors' ultimate goal is to give researchers an opportunity to acquire everything they need to build the kinds of fuzzy rule-based models used in the development of the controllers now being constructed for the next generation of intelligent systems.
Supportive versus palliative care: What's in a name?

BACKGROUND: Palliative care has been progressively adopted by American cancer centers; however, referrals to palliative care continue to occur late in the trajectory of illness. It was hypothesized that the perceived association between the name palliative care and hospice was a barrier to early patients' referral. The objectives of this study were to determine the perception of the impact of the name palliative care compared with supportive care on patient referral and to determine whether there was an association between demographic factors and the perceptions of the 2 names by medical oncologists and their midlevel providers (advance practice nurses and physician assistants) at a comprehensive cancer center. METHODS: A survey was conducted among a random sample of 100 medical oncologists and 100 midlevel providers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Information was collected on demographics, previous experience in palliative care, and attitudes and beliefs toward the impact of the name palliative care compared with supportive care on patient referral. RESULTS: A total of 140 of 200 (70%) participants responded (74 midlevel providers and 66 medical oncologists). Median age was 43 years (range, 34.5-50 years), and there were 83 (60%) women. Midlevel providers and medical oncologists generally agreed in their responses to most of the items. More participants preferred the name supportive care (80, 57%) compared with palliative care (27, 19% P .99). CONCLUSIONS: The name palliative care was perceived by medical oncologists and midlevel providers as more distressing and reducing hope to patients and families. Medical oncologists and midlevel providers significantly prefer the name supportive care and stated more likelihood to refer patients on active primary and advanced cancer treatments to a service named supportive care. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.
Studies of human amniotic fluid phospholipids in normal, diabetic, and drug-abuse pregnancy

Abstract The lecithin/sphingomyelin (L/S) ratios correlate well with gestational age only in normal human pregnancy. The level increases dramatically near term. Good correlation is noted between the higher L/S ratio and respiratory function. There is a higher level of palmitic acid (16:0) in phosphatidyl choline at term than in earlier gestation. The palmitic acid level in phosphatidyl choline is of diagnostic value for the maturity of the fetus in normal human pregnancy. Diabetes mellitus (Classes A, B, and C) and the drug methadone delay maturation of the fetal lung; therefore, the L/S ratios correlate poorly with gestational age as compared with normal pregnancies.
A Premodern Synthesis

The Romantic Conception of Life. Science and Philosophy in the Age of Goethe. Robert J. Richards. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2002. 607 pp. $35, £24.50. ISBN 0-226-71210-9. Richards explores the interdependency of the lives and ideas of the German Romantics and the development of their biology. He finds their work to lie at the roots of much of 19th-century biology, including Darwin9s conceptions of nature and evolution.
Effects of enzyme glycosylation on the chemical step of catalysis, as probed by hydrogen tunneling and enthalpy of activation

Publisher Summary There is a lot of interest in the effect of glycosylation on enzyme conformation. Recent studies suggest that glycosylation does not change enzyme conformation but reduces the protein dynamic fluctuations. This effect may inhibit catalytic activity although it is not clear which kinetic steps is likely to be predominantly affected. Most activity assays cannot distinguish between effects on the chemical step and effects on internal enzymesubstrate rearrangements or product release. The study described in this chapter, investigates the effect of glycosylation on the tunneling contribution to the hydrogen transfer step in the glucose oxidase (GO) catalyzed reaction. The results suggest that the degree of tunneling is affected by changes in the polysaccharide envelope on the surface of the protein. After establishing that the chemical step is largely rate limiting with [1- 2 H]-2-deoxyglucose as a substrate, enthalpies of activation have been measured with different glycoforms. A decrease in ΔH 2+ is found to correlate with an increase in tunneling. The most significant results of this study are summarized in the chapter. Two striking points arise from this table. First, the D/T KIE's on the Arrhenius pre-exponential factor (AD/AT) for the heavy GO glycoform is close to the lower limit of the semiclassical range. On the other hand, this factor is slightly above the upper semiclassical limit for the 155 kD glycoform and well above this limit for the light glycoform. Second, there is a correlation between a larger pre-exponential factor and a lower enthalpy of activation. Larger than unity KIE's on the Arrhenius, pre-exponential factors are an indication of extensive tunneling and are expected to be accompanied by a lowered enthalpy of activation.
The Changing of a Flag and the Changing of a Nation: Meaning-Making in Spain and How a Soccer Team Changed State Identity

The meaning of the Spanish flag held fascist connotations decades after the oppressive rule of Francisco Franco until its meaning changed in the wake of Spain’s FIFA World Cup victory the summer of 2010. This single event linked multiple communities and their discourses of identity in a competition that spilled onto the political realm. This paper uses an ethnographic comparative discourse analysis of semiotic practices across six autonomous Spanish communities to illustrate the considerable effects of identity politics and the need for a deeper conceptualization of the state. I present my empirical observations and interpretations of discourses through a “semiotic topography” to elucidate the social undercurrent behind contemporary political developments in Spain.
How Policy and Procedure Shape Citizens' Evaluations of Senators

I report findings from survey experiments that improve our understanding of how people want individual Senators to approach their role as representatives. The findings show that people are committed to the idea that Senators should prioritize their states' preferences over those of the national public. This preference persists in situations where a Senator's advocacy for her state plays a key role in defeating nationally supported legislation. This finding contradicts popular claims that voters are hungry for Senators who prioritize national preferences over those of their constituents. I also find that people who support a piece of legislation—but not those who oppose it—evaluate a Senator who helps to defeat the legislation by filibustering substantially less favorably than one who accomplishes the same ends through majoritarian means. This suggests that how people respond to some procedural characteristics of politicians' behavior depends on how they feel about the outcomes it yields.
The Forgotten Presidents: Their Untold Constitutional Legacy. By Michael J. Gerhardt. (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2013. Pp. xxi, 31. $34.95.)

True to its title, this volume recounts constitutional legacies of some relatively obscure American presidents. It uses case studies of constitutional developments during thirteen such administrati...
Autonomous Camera Control by Neural Models in Robotic Vision Systems.

Recently there has been growing interest in creating large-scale simulations of certain areas in the brain. The areas that are receiving the overwhelming focus are visual in nature, which may provide a means to compute some of the complex visual functions that have plagued AI researchers for many decades; robust object recognition, for example. Additionally, with the recent introduction of cheap computational hardware capable of computing at several teraflops, real-time robotic vision systems will likely be implemented using simplified neural models based on their slower, more realistic counterparts. This paper presents a series of small neural networks that can be integrated into a neural model of the human retina to automatically control the white-balance and exposure parameters of a standard video camera to optimize the computational processing performed by the neural model. Results of a sample implementation including a comparison with proprietary methods are presented. One strong advantage that these integrated subnetworks possess over proprietary mechanisms is that ‘attention’ signals could be used to selectively optimize areas of the image that are most relevant to the task at hand.
MORE ON BENCHMARKS OF FAIRNESS: RESPONSE TO BALLANTYNE

This paper challenges the fitness of Angela Ballantyne's proposed theory of exploitation by situating her ‘fair risk account’ in an ongoing dialogue about the adequacy conditions for benchmarks of fairness. It identifies four adequacy conditions: (1) the ability to focus on level rather than type of benefit; (2) the ability to focus on micro-level rather than macro-level fairness; (3) the ability to prevent discrimination based on need; and (4) the ability to prescribe a certain distribution as superior to all others. While the fair risk account satisfies the first condition, this paper argues that it has difficulty satisfying the last three conditions. Ballantyne's proposal includes several new and promising features, but in order for the fair risk account to be useful in identifying and preventing exploitation, Ballantyne must either clarify and augment her theory or challenge the relevance of the adequacy conditions it fails to meet.
Ab initio studies of push–pull systems

Twelve push–pull ethylene derivatives, NH2CH=CHX, NH2C≡CCH=CHX, and −OCHX=CHX (with X=BH2, C≡N, NO2, and CH2 +) have been studied by ab initio calculations. The rotational barrier around the central double bond was chosen as a probe for push–pull effects, as push–pull effects would remove electron density from the central double bond. The amount of reduction of double bond character will increase with the contribution of the zwitterionic resonance hybrid structure. Complete geometry optimizations and calculations of vibrational frequencies were performed for all minima and transition state structures of these 12 systems. The calculations were carried out with the B3LYP and MP2 methods using the 6-311+G(d,p) and the 6-311++G(d,p) basis sets. All the systems investigated exhibited properties consistent with push–pull effects such as elongated C=C double bonds, dipolar electronic structures, and reduced barriers to internal rotation.
Convergent Evolution of Novel Protein Function in Shrew and Lizard Venom

Summary How do proteins evolve novel functions? To address this question, we are studying the evolution of a mammalian toxin, the serine protease BLTX [1], from the salivary glands of the North American shrew Blarina brevicauda . Here, we examine the molecular changes responsible for promoting BLTX toxicity. First, we show that regulatory loops surrounding the BLTX active site have evolved adaptively via acquisition of small insertions and subsequent accelerated sequence evolution. Second, these mutations introduce a novel chemical environment into the catalytic cleft of BLTX. Third, molecular-dynamic simulations show that the observed changes create a novel chemical and physical topology consistent with increased enzyme catalysis. Finally, we show that a toxic serine protease from the Mexican beaded lizard (GTX) [2] has evolved convergently through almost identical functional changes. Together, these results suggest that the evolution of toxicity might be predictable—arising via adaptive structural modification of analogous labile regulatory loops of an ancestral serine protease—and thus might aid in the identification of other toxic proteins.
A 10 Point Checklist for Getting it Off the Shelf: An interview with Dick Urban

Far too many R&D programs in industry as well as government result in reports or prototypes that represent fundamentally good ideas but end up gathering dust on a shelf. Ellison "Dick" Urban, formerly of DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and now the Director of Washington Operations at Draper Laboratory, has had considerable experience with technology transition. We talked to him about his guidelines for success.
Intention to leave in social workers and educators employed in voluntary child welfare agencies

Abstract Introduction Individuals employed in child welfare settings can have a profound impact on children in care. Research shows that direct care staff can have an effect on emotional and physical outcomes for children with whom they work. This paper seeks to expand knowledge of the child welfare workforce by studying educators employed in child welfare settings and comparing their job satisfaction and intent to leave with that of prevention workers employed in similar settings. Materials and methods Data for prevention workers (n = 538) were obtained from workers employed at all preventive service programs under contract with a large municipality. Data for educators were obtained from voluntary agencies located elsewhere in the state (n = 139). The instrument was a modified version of a survey developed to examine job satisfaction and potential turnover among public child welfare workers. Domains measured included various aspects of job satisfaction, intention to leave, and whether workers regretted taking their jobs. Data were analyzed using bivariate analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results While both educators and prevention workers varied on different domains of job satisfaction, their overall satisfaction did not differ nor did their intention to leave their jobs. Satisfaction with contingent rewards, the nature of the work and opportunities for promotion along with not regretting taking one's job were predictive of thinking about leaving one's job. Thinking about leaving was predictive of taking concrete steps towards actual leaving. Discussion While people both prevention workers and educators report different levels of job satisfaction and work conditions in their agencies, job title itself has less to do with a worker's intention to leave, as measured by both thinking about leaving and taking steps towards actively looking for a new job, than other factors. Larger contextual factors may be at play in workers' decisions to stay employed. Suggestions are made for reducing turnover intentions along with suggestions for further study to clarify the role of organizational factors in workers' intention to leave.
Shoulder injections for osteoarthritis and other disorders

Shoulder region injection procedures can be beneficial in patients with osteoarthritis and other musculoskeletal disorders. These procedures can yield important diagnostic information, especially when identification of the pain generator via physical examination is limited due to pain-related guarding. Injections also can provide good therapeutic benefit directly and indirectly by allowing the patient to participate more meaningfully in physical therapy. As discussed in detail later in this article, some injection procedures can be performed in the examination room as part of a routine office visit, whereas others may require fluoroscopic guidance. From the perspective of injection procedures, the shoulder-girdle region can be conceptualized as being divided into anterior, lateral, and posterior regions (Table 1 and Fig. 1). The important structures that can be injected anteriorly are the acromioclavicular (AC) joint, the glenohumeral (GH) joint, the bicipital tendon sheaths, the subacromial bursa, the sternoclavicular (SC) joint, and the subcoracoid bursa. The subacromial space also can be injected using a lateral or posterior approach. Although some sources make the distinction between the subacromial and the subdeltoid bursae, others consider these two bursae to represent one distinct bursal complex, referred to as the subacromial-subdeltoid bursae complex or simply the subacromial bursa [1]. For simplification, this article collectively refers to these two structures as the subacromial bursa. The GH joint; the tendon insertions of the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and subscapularis muscles; and the suprascapular nerve region can be injected using a posterior approach.
Physical Properties of Aqueous Sodium Glycinate Solution as an Absorbent for Carbon Dioxide Removal

The physicochemical properties of aqueous sodium glycinate solution such as density, viscosity, surface tension, alkalinity, and pH were measured over a wide range of mass fraction (0.1 to 0.5) of sodium glycinate and at T = (303.15 to 353.15) K. The measured data were correlated with standard equations, and parameters were reported along with average absolute deviations.
Engineering the optical constants of sputtered amorphous silicon films by crystallization with rapid thermal annealing

We engineer the complex refractive index n+ik of sputtered amorphous silicon by rapid thermal annealing. An order-of-magnitude reduction of the extinction coefficient k is achieved.
Client factors related to outcome in a residential and day treatment program for children

Abstract Previous evaluations of residential and day programs for emotionally disturbed children have neglected the effects of pre‐admission client variables on treatment outcome. The present study examined the influence of nine such client factors on behavioral ratings improvement and academic improvement of 50 children discharged from Brewer‐Porch Children's Center, University of Alabama. Structural analyses revealed that the child's I.Q., age, parental involvement, and living situation were predictors of behavioral ratings improvement, while parental involvement, race, and I.Q. were predictors of academic gains. Results were related to existing knowledge of individual client variables’ effects on treatment outcome. In addition, the research model employed was discussed in terms of its utility for internal program analysis and its contribution to knowledge of intervention effects.
A nonlinear correlation of high-pressure vapor-liquid equilibrium data for ethylene +n-butane showing inconsistencies in experimental compositions

The modified Leung- Griffiths model is applied to the previously unpublished data, tabulated here, of Williams for high-pressure vapor-liquid equilibria of ethylene +n-butane. It is not possible to obtain a highly accurate correlation with the experimentally stated compositions, but evidence is given that those composition measurements may be Suspect, although pressure, temperature, and density data are accurate. A simplex optimization method was used for the parameters of the model. and the compositions were also treated as adjustable parameters. With this method a much more accurate correlation is obtained, but the optimized compositions differ in two of four cases by more than 3% from the stated compositions,
Capital mobility and exchange rate overshooting

Abstract This paper examines the relation between the degree of capital mobility and the exchange rate overshooting phenomenon in a framework that employs a stock formulation of the capital account. The results are compared with those emerging from the corresponding flow formulation and it is shown that the stock formulation modifies the quantitative but not qualitative implications of the model.
Engaging Aliterate Students: A Literacy/Theatre Project Helps Students Comprehend, Visualize, and Enjoy Literature

Two diverse groups of urban and suburban adolescent reluctant readers enthusiastically discussed a performance of A Wrinkle in Time. For many of these students, it was their first experience with the theatre. What was even more important than sharing their first theatrical experience, however, was that this was the first time they completed, comprehended, and enjoyed a book assigned in school. The program that created those results investigated how collaboration with a teacher and a theatre director can address the needs of reluctant readers to comprehend, visualize, discuss, and enjoy literature. A significant difference between this study and studies that use drama is how theatre creates multisensory, imaginative experiences that transport audiences into deeply personal interpretations of the printed word. By combining reading with theatre, students found ways to immerse themselves in the actions, thoughts, and dialogue of characters, as well as the settings, sounds, and symbols in the literature.
Facility characteristics do not explain higher false-positive rates in diagnostic mammography at facilities serving vulnerable women.

BACKGROUND Facilities serving vulnerable women have higher false-positive rates for diagnostic mammography than facilities serving nonvulnerable women. False positives lead to anxiety, unnecessary biopsies, and higher costs. OBJECTIVE Examine whether availability of on-site breast ultrasound or biopsy services, academic medical center affiliation, or profit status explains differences in false-positive rates. DESIGN We examined 78,733 diagnostic mammograms performed to evaluate breast problems at Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium facilities from 1999 to 2005. We used logistic-normal mixed effects regression to determine if adjusting for facility characteristics accounts for observed differences in false-positive rates. MEASURES Facilities were characterized as serving vulnerable women based on the proportion of mammograms performed on racial/ethnic minorities, women with lower educational attainment, limited household income, or rural residence. RESULTS Although the availability of on-site ultrasound and biopsy services was associated with greater odds of a false positive in most models [odds ratios (OR) ranging from 1.24 to 1.88; P<0.05], adjustment for these services did not attenuate the association between vulnerability and false-positive rates. Estimated ORs for the effect of vulnerability indexes on false-positive rates unadjusted for facility services were: lower educational attainment [OR 1.33; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.03-1.74]; racial/ethnic minority status (OR 1.33; 95% CI, 0.98-1.80); rural residence (OR 1.56; 95% CI, 1.26-1.92); limited household income (OR 1.38; 95% CI, 1.10-1.73). After adjustment, estimates remained relatively unchanged. CONCLUSIONS On-site diagnostic service availability may contribute to unnecessary biopsies, but does not explain the higher diagnostic mammography false-positive rates at facilities serving vulnerable women.
Cloning of open reading frames and promoters from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome: construction of genomic libraries of random small fragments.

Abstract We have developed a novel efficient method, carrier-facilitated insertion, to insert small (150–600 bp) DNA fragments into plasmid vectors. This method employs a carrier segment of vector DNA to circumvent the difficulties in ligating two fragments together to generate a recombinant circle efficiently. We have used carrier-facilitated insertion to construct three genomic libraries of random (DNase I-generated) fragments from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome. One of these was an expression library, and the other two were promoter-cloning libraries. 87–90% of the Escherichia coli colonies in each library contained recombinant plasmids, and less than 3 % of the recombinants contained more than one insert. Detection of open reading frames among the inserts in the expression library was accomplished by testing for β-galactosidase activity. This methodology, unencumbered by the intrinsic disproportionality of cDNA libraries, can be used to identify and clone DNA that codes for a specific antigenic determinant. When used in combination with a method to detect and isolate random constitutive, repressible and inducible yeast promoters, these libraries should permit a comprehensive analysis of the yeast genome and its expression.
Optically transparent Ku-band silver nanowire frequency selective surface on glass substrate

An optically transparent frequency selective surface (FSS) is designed and fabricated by patterning a network of silver nanowires film deposited on a glass substrate for Ku-band operation. Measured and simulated transmission coefficients of the fabricated FSS are presented and compared with that of a simple circuit model. The fabricated silver nanowire FSS has demonstrated -15 dB of a stop-band notch in the Ku-band.
The roots of gender inequity in technical areas

This article describes a study of the academic self-concepts, attributions and achievements of male and female Asian American and Caucasian students who won Westinghouse Awards in 1984 and 1985. The results of the study showed that fewer Caucasian female recipients anticipated college majors in the technical areas. Furthermore, this group of females scored lower on both parts of the SAT, scored lower on all of the self-concept scales, and also scored lower on both attribution scales. In contrast, the Asian females optimized courses for the gifted and specialized research courses to distance themselves from the American females in almost all areas. The author linked these ethnic, gender differences to underlying psychological and sociological forces that are responsible for the self-concept and attribution differences. It is these forces that must be altered for Caucasian females to rectify the gender inequalities that exist in the technical areas.