cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Germania Bank (A): The September Analysis and associated Note on Net Worth Standards in the Savings and Loan Industry

SUBJECT AREAS: Banking, Financial Institutions & Markets, Financial Management and Strategy, Business Policy, Business Ethics. CASE SETTING: Although written in 1997, the case demonstrates, often in very personal terms, many of the basic questions facing the savings and loan industry in the mid to late 1980's. Political, regulatory, and macro-economic forces are complicating strategic and day-to-day operational considerations for this small and embattled savings and loan association. This case and the associated "Note on Net Worth Standards in the Savings and Loan Industry", concern the attempt on the part of the regulatory agencies and firms in the industry to respond to massive macro-economic pressures that were brought to bear on the thrift industry, particularly savings and loan associations and savings banks, during the 1980's. The case "Germania Bank (A): The September Analysis", describes efforts by the management of Germania Bank, a small midwest savings association, to respond to many of the basic questions facing the industry at the time. The reader/student is presented with a series of considerations, actions, and consequences, each of which must be dealt with and each of which present crucial decision-making issues. Time and again Germania and its principal players are faced with "fight or flight" situations which must be addressed. A major issue in the case concerns the issue of loan loss reserves and the associated disagreement as to the level of losses that should be taken at, what ultimately turns out to be, a crucial point in the life of the institution and in the lives of the decision makers; this in the backdrop of a time period when the taking of loan loss reserves had suddenly become "fashionable" for financial institutions. The case and accompanying teaching note for the case reveal the fact that powerful macro-economic forces together with shifting federal policies play a major role in plunging a once proud neighborhood savings institution into economic distress and failure. REQUESTS FOR COPIES: To receive a copy of this case, please contact James E. Fisher.
Germination and viability of wild sunflower species achenes stored at room temperature for 20 years

Storage times and conditions affect the longevity of stored seeds. Achenes of two wild annual sunflower species, Helianthus annuus (common wild sunflower) and H. petiolaris (prairie sunflower), stored at room temperature (20 to 22°C) at a relative humidity of approximately 22% in a bell jar in the laboratory for 20 years were evaluated for germination and viability. The efficacy of using gibberellic acid (GA3) as a germination medium to overcome dormancy was also tested. Germination of wild H. annuus achenes stored for 20 years was 13%, while H. petiolaris had only 1.5% germination. Germination of fresh achenes at harvest was 34.7% for H. annuus, and 18.5% for H. petiolaris. Stored wild H. annuus achenes had 90% positive staining using the tetrazolium viability test, while H. petiolaris had 80.2% indicating that the achenes were alive, but dormant. Treating scarified wild achenes with 1 mM GA3 for one hour increased germination of the stored wild H. annuus achenes from 13% to 88%, and H. petiolaris from 1.5% to 85%. This indicates that the wild sunflower achenes stored at less than optimal conditions for long periods are dormant and should not be discarded as dead. This information will be useful for curation of wild sunflower germplasm.
Insights into Hydrogen Bonding and Stacking Interactions in Cellulose

In this quantum chemical study, we explore hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) and stacking interactions in different crystalline cellulose allomorphs; namely, cellulose Iβ and cellulose IIII. We consider a model system representing a cellulose crystalline core made from six cellobiose units arranged in three layers with two chains per layer. We calculate the contributions of intrasheet and intersheet interactions to the structure and stability in both cellulose Iβ and cellulose IIII crystalline cores. Reference structures for this study were generated from molecular dynamics simulations of water-solvated cellulose Iβ and IIII fibrils. A systematic analysis of various conformations describing different mutual orientations of cellobiose units is performed using the hybrid density functional theory with the M06-2X with 6-31+G(d,p) basis sets. We dissect the nature of the forces that stabilize the cellulose Iβ and cellulose IIII crystalline cores and quantify the relative strength of H-bonding and stacking interact...
Electron-paramagnetic-resonance lineshapes of biological molecules: some effects of distributed parameters.

Great improvements in computer simulation of e.p.r. lines in several quite different cases has been achieved by replacing simple lineshape functions with distributions of more fundamental parameters. Analysis of the functional relationships between such parameters and field position has allowed explanation of unusual lineshapes in some cases and successfully predicted anomalous lineshapes in others. The descriptive parameters employed here may in turn be displaced by more fundamental parameters; in the future, more sophisticated lineshape analysis may lead to meaningful quantification of molecular conformational flexibility.
Effect of growth conditions on the Streptococcus bovis phosphoenolpyruvate glucose phosphotransferase system

Four strains of the ruminal bacterium Streptococcus bovis were surveyed for phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) and ATP-dependent phosphorylation of glucose and the nonmetabolizable glucose analog 2-deoxyglucose. All four strains had high rates of glucose phosphorylation with either phosphoryl donor, but 2-deoxyglucose activity was much higher in the presence of PEP. These results provide evidence for a PEP-dependent glucose phosphotransferase system in these bacteria. Mannose and 2-deoxyglucose inhibited PEP-dependent phosphorylation of glucose by S. bovis JB1 by 50 and 38%, respectively, whereas alpha-methylglucoside had little effect. Mannose was a competitive inhibitor of PEP-dependent phosphorylation of glucose with an inhibition constant of 2.8 mM, and PEP-dependent activity in cells grown in batch culture was optimal at pH 7.2. When S. bovis JB1 was grown in continuous culture, PEP-dependent phosphorylation of glucose and 2-deoxyglucose was highest in cells grown at a dilution rate of .10/h and at low glucose concentrations. Phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent activity was optimum at a growth pH of 5.0 for cells grown in medium that contained less than 6.0 g/liter of glucose. These data indicate that PEP-dependent glucose phosphotransferase system activity can be influenced depending on the growth conditions used to culture S. bovis. Furthermore, these results suggest that environmental conditions within the rumen will affect how glucose is transported by S. bovis.
Central Asian Islamic States: The Challenges of Independence

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 allowed the Central Asian peoples to regain their sovereignty and revive the Muslim religious life. But the partition of Central Asia into five separate republics – the boundaries of which were drawn by Moscow during Soviet rule – destroyed the Islamic, cultural and economic unity of local peoples. The artificial borders also divided the Central Asian peoples and caused serious interethnic conflicts. Moreover, the presence of an influential Russian minority in Kazakhstan (25 %) and Kyrgyzstan (14 %) continues to significantly limit the independence of these countries from Russia. This reality is clearly seen in recent conflicts occurring in the Ukraine as Russian Federation forces seek to carve out parts of the country as their own. In order to strengthen their power and make the transition from feudal socialism to capitalist market and controlled democracy, Central Asian leaders adopted the secular, Kemalist model of Turkey and emulated the Turkish way of economic development. Today, however, the main threat to the political regimes in all five Central Asian states is posed not by ethnic and economic tensions, but by Islamic fundamentalists.
Clinical, biopsy, and mass spectrometry findings of renal gelsolin amyloidosis

Gelsolin amyloidosis is a rare type of amyloidosis typically involving the cranial and peripheral nerves, but rarely the kidney. Here we report the clinical, kidney biopsy, and mass spectrometry findings in 12 cases of renal gelsolin amyloidosis. Of the 12 patients, five were men and seven were women with mean age at diagnosis of 63.8 years. Gelsolin amyloidosis was most common in Caucasians (six patients) and Asians (four patients), and included one each African-American and Hispanic patients. Nephrotic syndrome was the most common cause of biopsy, although most patients also had progressive loss of kidney function. Hematological and serological evaluation was negative in 11 patients, while one patient had a monoclonal gammopathy. The renal biopsy showed large amounts of pale eosinophilic Congo red–positive amyloid deposits typically restricted to the glomeruli. Immunofluorescence studies were negative for immunoglobulins in nine cases with three cases of smudgy glomerular staining for IgG. Electron microscopy showed mostly random arrangement of amyloid fibrils with focally parallel bundles/sheets of amyloid fibrils present. Laser microdissection of the amyloid deposits followed by mass spectrometry showed large spectra numbers for gelsolin, serum amyloid P component, and apolipoproteins E and AIV. Furthermore, the p. Asn211Lys gelsolin mutation on mass spectrometry studies was detected in three patients by mass spectrometry, which appears to represent a renal-limited form of gelsolin amyloidosis. Thus, renal gelsolin amyloidosis is seen in older patients, presents with nephrotic syndrome and progressive chronic kidney disease, and histologically exhibits glomerular involvement. The diagnosis can be confirmed by mass spectrometry studies.
CRT-300.23 The Effect Of Laser Energy On The Arterial Wall During The Treatment Of Femoro-popliteal Lesions: A Clirpath Excimer Laser System To Enlarge Lumen Openings (CELLO) Sub-study

The efficacy of the Excimer Laser System in the treatment of peripheral arterial diseases has been previously demonstrated in the Clirpath Excimer Laser System to Enlarge Lumen Openings (CELLO) study. The aim of this sub-study was to assess disruptions to the vessel wall following the treatment with
Death-Associated Protein Kinase-2 (DAPK2) Potentiates Erythroid Progenitor Cell Apoptosis in Response to Cisplatin, and Cytokine Withdrawal.

Abstract DAPK2 is a Ca++/CAM-regulated S/T kinase which when ectopically over-expressed in 293 cells, can induce membrane blebbing and apoptosis. In contrast to DAPK1 (its tumor-suppressor orthologue), DAPK2's expression is tissue- restricted, and presently is shown to be markedly up-regulated in developing primary erythroblasts. To assess DAPK2 function in erythroid progenitor cells, wild-type and kinase-inactive K52A forms were expressed in UT7epo cells, and an siRNA lentivirus also was developed. In this Epo-dependent human erythroid progenitor cell model, wt-DAPK2 did not significantly induce apoptosis. Sensitivity to cell death due to exposure to cisplatin, however, was markedly potentiated, and altered cell morphologies were observed. These effects depended upon DAPK2's kinase activity, and were not mediated by DAPK2-K52A. Furthermore, siRNA-mediated knock-down of DAPK2 proved to protect UT7epo erythroid progenitor cells from apoptosis due to cytokine-withdrawal. Knock-downs were confirmed at the protein level, and no such effects were exerted by negative control siRNA constructs. Within erythroid progenitor cells, DAPK2's pro-apoptotic effects appear to be regulated by two clinically relevant cues - cisplatin exposure, and Epo deprivation. Mechanisms that regulate DAPK2, and its proposed caspase-independent apoptotic actions, presently are under investigation in primary erythroblast systems.
Identification of Histological Correlates of Overall Survival in Lower Grade Gliomas Using a Bag-of-words Paradigm: A Preliminary Analysis Based on Hematoxylin & Eosin Stained Slides from the Lower Grade Glioma Cohort of The Cancer Genome Atlas.

Background: Glioma, the most common primary brain neoplasm, describes a heterogeneous tumor of multiple histologic subtypes and cellular origins. At clinical presentation, gliomas are graded according to the World Health Organization guidelines (WHO), which reflect the malignant characteristics of the tumor based on histopathological and molecular features. Lower grade diffuse gliomas (LGGs) (WHO Grade II–III) have fewer malignant characteristics than high-grade gliomas (WHO Grade IV), and a better clinical prognosis, however, accurate discrimination of overall survival (OS) remains a challenge. In this study, we aimed to identify tissue-derived image features using a machine learning approach to predict OS in a mixed histology and grade cohort of lower grade glioma patients. To achieve this aim, we used H and E stained slides from the public LGG cohort of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to create a machine learned dictionary of “image-derived visual words” associated with OS. We then evaluated the combined efficacy of using these visual words in predicting short versus long OS by training a generalized machine learning model. Finally, we mapped these predictive visual words back to molecular signaling cascades to infer potential drivers of the machine learned survival-associated phenotypes. Methods: We analyzed digitized histological sections downloaded from the LGG cohort of TCGA using a bag-of-words approach. This method identified a diverse set of histological patterns that were further correlated with OS, histology, and molecular signaling activity using Cox regression, analysis of variance, and Spearman correlation, respectively. A support vector machine (SVM) model was constructed to discriminate patients into short and long OS groups dichotomized at 24-month. Results: This method identified disease-relevant phenotypes associated with OS, some of which are correlated with disease-associated molecular pathways. From these image-derived phenotypes, a generalized SVM model which could discriminate 24-month OS (area under the curve, 0.76) was obtained. Conclusion: Here, we demonstrated one potential strategy to incorporate image features derived from H and E stained slides into predictive models of OS. In addition, we showed how these image-derived phenotypic characteristics correlate with molecular signaling activity underlying the etiology or behavior of LGG.
Interoperable SQLite for a Bare PC

SQLite, a widely used database engine, has been previously transformed to run on a bare PC without the support of any OS or kernel. However, the transformed SQLite database was stored in main memory i.e., it had no file system. This paper extends the transformation process to enable bare PC SQLite to work with standard file system interfaces based on the FAT32 file specification. It further presents mechanisms and programming interfaces for a bare machine file system integrated with SQLite that uses a removable USB flash drive. The bare SQLite database and file system can interoperate with conventional OS-based database systems. It can be adapted in the future to work with bare Web browsers, large bare databases, other bare applications, and bare mobile devices.
The Cortical Bone Trajectory for Pedicle Screw Insertion

>> The cortical bone trajectory takes advantage of a cortically based track through the pedicle, which may result in improved fixation strength compared with a traditionally placed pedicle screw.>> The cortical track is a medially to laterally, caudally to cranially directed path that allows for les
Potential benefits of using ecological momentary assessment to study high-risk polydrug use.

Background: While studies have documented both the feasibility and acceptability of using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to study drug use, there is little empirical research assessing participants’ perceptions of utilizing this technology-driven approach. Methods: Participants were English-speaking persons ≥18 years old who reported injection drug use and sequential (e.g., alcohol followed by opioid use) or simultaneous (i.e., injecting heroin and cocaine in one shot) polydrug use within 30 days recruited in San Diego, CA and Philadelphia, PA. Participants (N=36) completed two cell phone-based EMA simulations assessing mood, drug use, HIV risk behaviors, and daily activities, followed by semi-structured interviews that probed for potential benefits of participation over time. Qualitative analysis involved an iterative process of reviewing texts from the interviews to create a coding framework, which was then applied to all transcripts to identify themes. Results: Findings suggest participants may derive indirect benefits from participation in EMA studies including: improved self-worth from helping others; experiencing increased social support through utilization of the study-provided mobile device for non-research purposes; and most importantly, increased self-reflection, which could lead to therapeutic and intervention-like effects such as decreased substance use or reduced HIV risk. Conclusions: Participants identified a variety of potential benefits from participating in a study that utilizes EMA. This research suggests that benefits are highly salient for individuals involved in studies of polydrug use.
American Values, Social Policy, Health and Well-Being.

Edited byJacquelyn H. Flaskerud, RN, PhD, FAANUniversity of California, School of Nursing, Los Angeles, California, USAJanna Lesser, RN, PhDUniversity of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio,...
Interactions between estrogen receptors and metabotropic glutamate receptors and their impact on drug addiction in females.

Abstract Contribution to Special Issue on Fast effects of steroids. Estrogen receptors α and β (ERα and ERβ) have a unique relationship with metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) in the female rodent brain such that estradiol is able to recruit intracellular G-protein signaling cascades to influence neuronal physiology, structure, and ultimately behavior. While this association between ERs and mGluRs exists in many cell types and brain regions, its effects are perhaps most striking in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). This review will discuss the original characterization of ER/mGluR signaling and how estradiol activity in the NAc confers increased sensitivity to drugs of abuse in females through this mechanism.
Point mutations in the tri-helix bundle of the M-domain of cardiac myosin binding protein-C influence systolic duration and delay cardiac relaxation.

Abstract Cardiac myosin binding protein-C (cMyBP-C) is an essential regulatory protein required for proper systolic contraction and diastolic relaxation. We previously showed that N′-terminal domains of cMyBP-C stimulate contraction by binding to actin and activating the thin filament in vitro. In principle, thin filament activating effects of cMyBP-C could influence contraction and relaxation rates, or augment force amplitude in vivo. cMyBP-C binding to actin could also contribute to an internal load that slows muscle shortening velocity as previously hypothesized. However, the functional significance of cMyBP-C binding to actin has not yet been established in vivo. We previously identified an actin binding site in the regulatory M-domain of cMyBP-C and described two missense mutations that either increased (L348P) or decreased (E330K) binding affinity of recombinant cMyBP-C N′-terminal domains for actin in vitro. Here we created transgenic mice with either the L348P or E330K mutations to determine the functional significance of cMyBP-C binding to actin in vivo. Results showed that enhanced binding of cMyBP-C to actin in L348P-Tg mice prolonged the time to end-systole and slowed relaxation rates. Reduced interactions between cMyBP-C and actin in E330K-Tg mice had the opposite effect and significantly shortened the duration of ejection. Neither mouse model displayed overt systolic dysfunction, but L348P-Tg mice showed diastolic dysfunction presumably resulting from delayed relaxation. We conclude that cMyBP-C binding to actin contributes to sustained thin filament activation at the end of systole and during isovolumetric relaxation. These results provide the first functional evidence that cMyBP-C interactions with actin influence cardiac function in vivo.
Avian Retrovirus-Mediated Tumor-Specific Gene Knockout

The RCAS (replication-competent avian sarcoma leukosis virus long-terminal repeat with splice acceptor)-TVA (tumor virus A) gene delivery system has been successfully used in modeling human cancers. Based on this, we have recently developed a novel RCI-Oncogene (RCAS-Cre-IRES-Oncogene) gene delivery system that can be used to efficiently manipulate gene expression in spontaneous tumors in vivo. We used this system for tumor gene knockout (TuKO) and demonstrated a crucial role of FGFR1 in driving mammary tumor metastasis. This versatile tumor gene modification system can also be adapted into different configurations to address different questions in appropriate mutant mouse hosts. Here we describe a protocol using the TuKO approach to knock out a gene of interest in tumors in appropriate hosts. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Effects of cytoplasm, male and female parents on biomass productivity in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench)

Production of renewable fuel requires biomass sources. To meet this need, energy sorghum was identified as a potential biomass source. Hybrid sorghum development involves the use of cytoplasmic mal...
5.5 – The Cardiac Action Potential

This chapter examines the action potential as originating from sinoatrial (SA) nodal cells, atrial cells, or ventricular cells. The cardiac action potential takes a different form in different cardiac cells, including SA nodal cells, atrial muscle cells, atrioventricular nodal cells, Purkinje fibers, and ventricular muscle cells. The SA nodal cells have an unstable resting membrane potential that spontaneously depolarizes due to a pacemaker potential. This is caused by the funny Na+ current and a decrease in the conductance of the inward rectifier K+ channel. On reaching a threshold of about 255 mV, an action potential begins by the progressive opening of T-type and L-type Ca2+ channels. The spike returns to baseline because of an increase in the delayed rectifier K+ current. The slope of the pacemaker potential and the resting membrane potential determine the time necessary to reach the threshold. Sympathetic stimulation increases the slope of the pacemaker potential and depolarizes the resting membrane potential. Both of these help increase the heart rate. Sympathetic stimulation releases norepinephrine that acts on the SA node through β1 receptors that are coupled to a Gs protein. Parasympathetic stimulation releases acetylcholine at terminals of the vagus nerve in the heart, which lowers the pacemaker potential and hyperpolarizes the cell. It is found that this reduces the frequency of action potentials originating at the SA node.
The Na + -Dependent Glutamate and Aspartate Transporter Supports Glutathione Maintenance and Survival of CHO-K1 Cells

Glutathione synthesis, a vital cellular process, depends on L-cystine uptake by the amino acid transporter, System x-C. Here we show that a second transporter, System X-AG, is required for normal System x-C activity and glutathione maintenance by employing somatic cell mutants of CHO-K1. Uptake by System x-C in two X-AG-null mutants is significantly lower than that of CHO-K1, either under control conditions or after prolonged treatment with an electrophile. In addition, levels of glutathione in control and treated mutant cells are less than half those of wild-type CHO-K1 or of a pseudorevertant. The significance of this reduction was tested by chemical challenge: mutants are twofold more sensitive than wild type to reactive oxygen species generated by phenylbenzoquinone and to damage produced by the anticancer drug, cisplatin. These results suggest that System X-AG provides a significant portion of the glutamate used to energize the uptake of cystine required for the synthesis of glutathione.
Utilization of biopharmaceutical and pharmacokinetic principles in the development of veterinary controlled release drug delivery systems

Publisher Summary In veterinary medicine, the patient populations encapsulate a wide range of species, body sizes, and drug absorption barriers, and therapies generally require long-acting agents that are administered infrequently. The utilization of biopharmaceutical and pharmacokinetic principles in the development of veterinary controlled release drug delivery systems is essential for a rationally designed product. The development of veterinary controlled release drug delivery systems requires the collaboration of several departments of an innovative pharmaceutical company. The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of biopharmaceutical and pharmacokinetic principles that are essential in meeting the challenges facing innovative producers of veterinary controlled release products. It focuses on two major veterinary markets: livestock, including cattle, swine, sheep, and poultry; and companion animals, including cats, dogs, and horses. The general principles that are applied to pharmaceuticals for these major markets can be applied to pharmaceuticals for other markets.
Content Representation in Mathematics Instruction: Characteristics, Determinants and Effectiveness

Publisher Summary This chapter describes characteristics, determinants, and effectiveness of content representation in mathematics instruction. A characteristic feature of mathematics instruction is that its mathematical content can be represented in a variety of forms. The forms often differ widely in their complexity. Two key aspects of content representation, each captured in one variable, were selected as the foci for studying decisions about content representation. The first variable, VARIETY, was simply a count of the number of different content representations emphasized, or at least used for instruction on a given subtopic. The other aspect of content representation considered here was the relative balance in instruction on a subtopic between perceptual form representations, and symbolic form representations. Perceptual forms were those which depended on a central perceptual or iconic element. Symbolic forms were those which depended primarily on abstract and symbolic elements without the presentation of a figural element.
An IS research relevancy manifesto

Many practitioners believe academic IS research is not relevant. I argue that our research, and the underlying rewards system that drives it, needs to respond to these concerns. We need to be more relevant to meet the increasing needs of our students, the organizations that hire them, and the larger society. To analyze the issues, I develop three different scenarios of where the IS field could be 10 years from now. The following visions of the future identify the implications of different levels of adaptation to relevance-related environmental pressures. Scenario 1: Minimal Adaptation. The IS field is shrinking, largely due to competition from newly established schools of information technology. The traditional paper-based journals continue to dominate. Their slow publication cycles, in contrast to the rapid rate of change in the IT industries, mean that most technical topics and many current managerial issues are excluded from the research that generates the greatest institutional rewards. However a market analysis indicates that we can still do relevant research in categories such as: 1) issues contrary to commercial interests; 2) unsolved problems; 3) issues economically unattractive to commercial researchers; 4) issues where 1 With apologies to James Martin for the similarity to the title of one [Martin, 1984] of his many books.
Electrostatic fields control grain boundary structure in SrTiO3

Functional properties of oxide ceramics are often controlled by the addition of dopant elements and the resulting alteration of oxygen vacancy concentrations within grain boundary core structures. A challenge in designing nanoscale ceramic microstructures is forming stable grain boundary networks, while minimizing unwanted impurity concentrations. In this study, it was discovered that the application of electrostatic fields during diffusion bonding of undoped SrTiO3 bicrystals leads to modifications of grain boundary core structures while misorientation angles remained unchanged. The applied electric field not only changes atomic and electronic interface structures, but also causes modifications of ensuing dielectric properties by altering local oxygen vacancy concentrations. The observations for this model system demonstrate the potential to control and modify the microscopic degrees of freedom of grain boundaries in the absence of dopant elements. Field-assisted modifications of grain boundary networks may become a disruptive technology in designing oxide microstructures for a wide range of applications.Functional properties of oxide ceramics are often controlled by the addition of dopant elements and the resulting alteration of oxygen vacancy concentrations within grain boundary core structures. A challenge in designing nanoscale ceramic microstructures is forming stable grain boundary networks, while minimizing unwanted impurity concentrations. In this study, it was discovered that the application of electrostatic fields during diffusion bonding of undoped SrTiO3 bicrystals leads to modifications of grain boundary core structures while misorientation angles remained unchanged. The applied electric field not only changes atomic and electronic interface structures, but also causes modifications of ensuing dielectric properties by altering local oxygen vacancy concentrations. The observations for this model system demonstrate the potential to control and modify the microscopic degrees of freedom of grain boundaries in the absence of dopant elements. Field-assisted modifications of grain boundary networks ...
The Representation of Meaning in Memory (PLE: Memory)

Originally published in 1974, this volume presents empirical and theoretical investigations of the role of meaning in psychological processes. A theory is proposed for the representation of the meaning of texts, employing ordered lists of propositions. The author explores the adequacy of this representation, with respect to the demands made upon such formulations by logicians and linguists. A sufficiently large number of problems are encompassed by the propositional theory to justify its use in psychological research into memory and language comprehension. A number of different experiments are reported on a wide variety of topics, and these test central portions of this theory, and any that purports to deal with how humans represent meaning. Among the topics discussed are the role of lexical decomposition in comprehension and memory, propositions as the units of recall, and the effects of the number of propositions in a text base upon reading rate and recall. New problems are explored, such as inferential processes during reading, differences in levels of memory for text, and retrieval speed for textual information. On the other hand, a study of retrieval from semantic memory focusses on a problem of much current research. The final review chapter relates the present work to other current research in the area at the time.
“I just might kill myself”: Suicide expressions on Twitter

In order to examine how Twitter can be a significant indicator of how suicidal thoughts occur and spread, we used content analysis to analyze 4524 Twitter messages. Although expressions of "wanting to die" occurred frequently, most of the tweets appeared to be non-threatening. In addition, discussions about suicide on Twitter mostly involved sharing suicide prevention resources with fellow users. This finding suggests that Twitter could offer an efficient way to circulate suicide awareness materials across geographical bounds.
Photonic implementation of a highly reconfigurable wideband RF spectral shaper

Abstract In emerging Radio Frequency (RF) systems, the capability to dynamically process a wide range of frequency bands is highly desired due to the multi-frequency operation in multi-function RF systems and the large signal bandwidth usage associated with data-intensive applications. As the operation bandwidth increases, the frequency response uniformity of both RF components and microwave transmission medium degrades, that leads to the need of broadband RF spectrum equalization to support wideband high-quality services. Therefore, a wideband and reconfigurable RF spectral shaper is highly desired for dynamically manipulating the RF spectrum from low- to high-frequency band. Unfortunately, it is very challenging for conventional RF electronics to achieve dynamic spectral control over a wide operation bandwidth. In this paper, we take advantages of photonics and demonstrate a highly-reconfigurable RF spectral shaper that can manipulate an RF spectrum of tens of GHz wide. The proposed scheme is based on a microwave photonic filter architecture with multiple tunable, reconfigurable and switchable passbands. By manipulating the shape, bandwidth, and frequency of the passbands, highly reconfigurable wideband frequency responses for spectral equalization are experimentally achieved, covering the entire 0 to 10 GHz frequency range with adjustable attenuation up to 40 dB. Various RF equalization functions including tunable positive/negative slope, non/inverted parabolic, and multi-point spectral control with tunable floor are experimentally demonstrated using the proposed system. Several of the demonstrated RF functions have also been applied to arbitrary pulse shaping. The RF spectral shaper can be tuned to adapt to different scenarios dynamically, which could benefit a variety of applications including RF signal processing systems and communication networks.
Mittag-Leffler functions in superstatistics

Abstract Nowadays, there is a series of complexities in biophysics that require a suitable approach to determine the measurable quantity. In this way, the superstatistics has been an important tool to investigate dynamic aspects of particles, organisms and substances immersed in systems with non-homogeneous temperatures (or diffusivity). The superstatistic admits a general Boltzmann factor that depends on the distribution of intensive parameters β = 1 D (inverse-diffusivity). Each value of β is associated with a local equilibrium in the system. In this work, we investigate the consequences of Mittag-Leffler function on the definition of f(β)-distribution of a complex system. Thus, using the techniques belonging to the fractional calculus with non-singular kernels, we constructed a distribution to β using the Mittag-Leffler function. This function implies distributions with power-law behaviour to high energy values in the context of Cohen-Beck superstatistic. This work aims to present the generalised probabilities distribution in statistical mechanics under a new perspective of the Mittag-Leffler function inspired in Atangana-Baleanu and Prabhakar forms.
Variational Bayesian inference for the multiple-choice DINA model

In this study, a fully Bayesian formulation has been proposed for the multiple-choice item version of the deterministic input noisy “AND” gate (MC-DINA) model, which represents a cognitive diagnostic model for extracting information from multiple-choice response data. In addition, a variational inference algorithm containing an empirical Bayesian estimation procedure was developed to solve heavy computational burden problems in Bayesian statistics procedure. The proposed method is as fast as the expectation–maximization algorithm because it does not require generation of random numbers (unlike the Markov chain Monte Carlo technique). Moreover, this algorithm can automatically extract optimal hyperparameters from analyzed data by maximizing the lower bound of the logarithm of the marginal likelihood function. The results of simulations showed that the proposed technique could successfully recover the true item and student parameters.
Isolation and Whole-Genome Sequencing of 12 Mushroom-Associated Bacterial Strains: an Inquiry-Based Laboratory Exercise in a Genomics Course at the Rochester Institute of Technology

Here, we report the isolation, identification, and whole-genome sequences of 12 bacterial strains associated with four mushroom species. The study was done as an inquiry-based exercise in an undergraduate genomics course (BIOL 340) in the Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
DECONGESTION STRATEGIES AND RENIN-ANGIOTENSIN-ALDOSTERONE SYSTEM ACTIVATION IN ACUTE HEART FAILURE

Decongestion strategies in acute heart failure (AHF) have been posited to result in varying degrees of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) activation. The association between the degree of RAAS activation and outcomes after AHF is unknown. We analyzed 427 AHF patients enrolled in DOSE and
Cosmological Interpretation from High Redshift Clusters Observed Within the XMM-Newton $\Omega$-Project

During the last ten years astrophysical cosmology has brought three remarkable results of deep impact for fundamental physics: the existence of non-baryonic dark matter, the (nearly) flatness of space, the domination of the density of the universe by some gravitationally repulsive fluid. This last result is probably the most revolutionizing one: the scientific review Sciences has considered twice results on this question as Breakthrough of the Year (for 1998 and 2003). However, direct evidence of dark energy are still rather weak, and the strength of the standard scenario relies more on the "concordance" argument rather than on the robustness of direct evidences. Furthermore, a scenario can be build in an Einstein-de Sitter universe, which reproduces as well as the concordance model the following various data relevant to cosmology: WMAP results, large scale structure of the universe, local abundance of massive clusters, weak lensing measurements, most Hubble constant measurements not based on stellar indicators. Furthermore, recent data on distant x-ray clusters obtained from XMM and Chandra indicates that the observed abundances of clusters at high redshift taken at face value favors an Einstein de Sitter model and are hard to reconcile with the concordance model. It seems wise therefore to consider that the actual existence of the dark energy is still an open question.
In vitro tests that predict tumor-associated idiotype levels in the serum of patients with B cell lymphomas and leukemias

The presence of circulating tumor idiotype interferes with the in vivo effectiveness of anti-idiotype antibodies. We developed two assays that permit identification of patients with high levels of serum idiotype without the need for first producing an anti-idiotype antibody. A cell suspension made from the tumor was cultured for seven days with or without phytohemagglutin (PHA) and/or phorbol myristic acetate (PMA). Ig secretion in vitro by patients' tumor cells varied. In 4 patients, no secretion in vitro occurred, 5 patients had low levels, and 5 patients had high levels of Ig secretion. In three patients, Ig secretion occurred only after stimulation with PHA, PMA, or both. Spontaneous or induced immunoglobulin secretion in vitro is related to the levels of tumor idiotype secretion that exist in vivo. Eight patients with serum idiotype levels greater than 100 micrograms/mL (mean 265 micrograms/mL), had a minimum of 1.0 microgram/10(6) cells of idiotype secretion in vitro. Nine patients with serum idiotype levels less than 30 micrograms/mL (mean 3.7 micrograms/mL), had less than or equal to 0.5 microgram/10(6) cells of idiotype secretion in vitro. In another assay, the levels of IgM kappa and IgM lambda in patients' sera were compared with those in normal serum. An imbalance in the relative amounts of IgM kappa and IgM lambda indicated high levels of circulating idiotype in the serum, but this assay was less sensitive than the in vitro secretion assay and limited to IgM-secreting tumors. These assays will be useful for future clinical studies using anti- idiotype antibodies.
Nonsevere hemophilia A: often overlooked, but not forgotten.

Purpose of review Nonsevere hemophilia A (NSHA) patients have received relatively little clinical and research attention as compared with their severe counterparts. There is increasing recognition that despite their milder bleeding phenotype, the management of NSHA can be a challenge, with most management decisions largely inferred from severe hemophilia A data. This review focuses on some of the more recent developments in the field of NSHA. Recent findings Epidemiologic studies suggest that NSHA remain under-recognized and under-diagnosed globally. As the NSHA population ages, they are susceptible to age-related comorbidities. Large cohort studies of NSHA report that the most common primary cause of death is malignancy. NSHA patients have a lifetime risk of inhibitor development with increasing exposure to factor VIII concentrate. Even so, not all patients with inhibitors will require eradication treatment, irrespective of bleeding phenotype at time of inhibitor development. Summary As there are currently no evidence-based strategies for inhibitor eradication in NSHA patients, preventive strategies are critical to mitigate inhibitor risk in NSHA. There is a need for active surveillance of NSHA patients by hemophilia treatment centers to address hemophilia-related issues and other age-related comorbidities, in collaboration with primary care physicians and other subspecialists.
Comparisons of physical exposure between workers harvesting apples on mobile orchard platforms and ladders, part 1: Back and upper arm postures.

Abstract This study compared farmworkers’ exposure to non-neutral postures using a new mobile platform apple harvesting method and the traditional method using ladders. Twenty-four workers were recruited and assigned into three groups: ladder workers (n = 8) picking apples from full trees using a ladder, mobile platform workers (n = 8) picking apples from upper part of the trees while standing on a moving platform, and ground-based mobile platform workers (n = 8) picking apples from lower part of the trees which the mobile platform workers left out. Upper arm and back inclinations were continuously monitored during harvesting using tri-axial accelerometers over full work shifts (~8 h). Upper arm posture was characterized as the percentage of time that upper arm flexion and abduction exceeded 30°, 60°, and 90°. Back posture was characterized as the percentage of time that torso angles (sagittal flexion or lateral bending) exceeded 10°, 20°, and 30°. The 10th, 50th, and 90th postural percentiles were also calculated. The platform workers had lower exposures to upper arm flexion and abduction than the ground and ladder workers. There were no differences in torso angles between the ladder and mobile platform workers; however, the ground workers were exposed to more and greater percentages of time in torso flexions.
Drs. Wiggins and Wakschlag Reply.

We thank Benarous et al. for their recognition of the necessity of a developmental view on disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) and for their thoughtful comments.1 Indeed, a growing science base challenges the "old thinking" that developmental instability precludes earlier identification of DMDD syndromes. Notably, our paper was designed to promote a move toward a dimensional approach, which ultimately would obviate the need to make "you have it or you don't" decisions. In the short term, because real-world clinical decision making still rests on the presence or absence of DSM syndromes, our goal was to generate a developmentally informed evidence base for earlier identification and prevention of early-onset clinically significant irritability.
Life cycle analysis of renewable natural gas and lactic acid production from waste feedstocks

Abstract Producing fuels and chemicals from waste is considered economically favorable, due to low feedstock cost, and environmentally favorable, due to avoided emissions from conventional waste management practices. In this study, we evaluate the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction benefits of renewable natural gas (RNG) and lactic acid (LA) production from four types of wet waste feedstocks (wastewater sludge, food waste, swine manure, and fats, oil, and grease [FOG]) via anaerobic digestion (AD) and LA fermentation, respectively. RNG can be used as an alternative to fossil natural gas, while LA from waste feedstocks can displace conventional LA production pathways (mainly from corn via fermentation). Providing comprehensive life cycle GHG emissions of the combinations of waste feedstocks and products through different routes helps identify the GHG hotspots and show where emissions savings come from. The results show that the carbon intensities (CIs) of waste-derived RNG and LA are much lower than those of their counterparts. We estimated the life cycle GHG emissions for RNG to be between −146 and 27 g carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)/MJ, much lower than the CI of fossil fuels. Waste-derived LA pathways also show substantially lower CIs, ranging from −4.2 to −1.4 kgCO2e/kg LA, compared to the CIs of LA from corn and corn stover (1.2 and 0.3 kgCO2e/kg LA, respectively). We will also discuss that the low CIs of waste-derived products can come from low yields leading to high emission credits. Thus, life cycle analysis results presented per weight of treated waste can be used to support decisions about which waste feedstocks and products are to be used for sustainable waste valorization. In addition, we found that monetary emission reduction credits can play an important role in driving waste valorization.