cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tissue-Specific Genetic Control of Splicing: Implications for the Study of Complex Traits

Numerous genome-wide screens for polymorphisms that influence gene expression have provided key insights into the genetic control of transcription. Despite this work, the relevance of specific polymorphisms to in vivo expression and splicing remains unclear. We carried out the first genome-wide screen, to our knowledge, for SNPs that associate with alternative splicing and gene expression in human primary cells, evaluating 93 autopsy-collected cortical brain tissue samples with no defined neuropsychiatric condition and 80 peripheral blood mononucleated cell samples collected from living healthy donors. We identified 23 high confidence associations with total expression and 80 with alternative splicing as reflected by expression levels of specific exons. Fewer than 50% of the implicated SNPs however show effects in both tissue types, reflecting strong evidence for distinct genetic control of splicing and expression in the two tissue types. The data generated here also suggest the possibility that splicing effects may be responsible for up to 13 out of 84 reported genome-wide significant associations with human traits. These results emphasize the importance of establishing a database of polymorphisms affecting splicing and expression in primary tissue types and suggest that splicing effects may be of more phenotypic significance than overall gene expression changes.
Electrochemical characterization of early corrosion in prestressed concrete exposed to salt water

Five large-scale concrete specimens reinforced with bonded seven-wire steel strands and representative of portions of bridge piles were exposed to salt water wet/dry cycles for 1 year, simulating tidal action. Corrosion of multi-wire steel strands was facilitated by minimizing the concrete cover. Half-cell potential and polarization resistance measurements were routinely performed to assess early corrosion. Supporting visual evidence of pitting and crevice corrosion was collected from strands removed from decommissioned specimens. It is shown that corrosion can be assessed based on polarization resistance thresholds. Tafel slopes were numerically estimated for passive and corroding strands from ±20 mV polarization curves, and used to gain a preliminary insight into the evolution of the Stern–Geary parameter and the associated corrosion intensity. These results suggest that the Stern–Geary parameter increases upon depassivation of the strands, different from deformed bars in reinforced concrete.
1393 Evaluation of the Prevalence and Risk Factors for Colonization by Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus Among Pediatric Icu Patients on Admission

Background: Our institution experienced an increase in the frequency of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) clinical isolates. Surveillance cultures upon hospital admission for patients at high risk is recommended. We sought to measure the prevalence and risk factors of VRE carriage among medical new patients in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in a university Children's Hospital. Method: We recorded the positive VRE samples from new patients entering the PICU from 10/10/2008 - 15/04/2010. Cases had positive VRE clinical cultures (perianal/stool samples) within 48 hours of hospital admission. Results: VRE carriage was 9,33% on admission(39 of 418 of new patients). 53,84% of the carriages had a recent previous hospitalization (33,33% of them being oncologic patients). 51,28 % of the cases had previous recorded antibiotic treatment. 46,16 % of the patients had no previous admission (33,33% of them being trauma patients). 3/39 patients developed sepsis with positive blood culture of E. faecalis(one), E. faecium (two). 3/39 of the carriages had abdominal infection with positive pus cultures of E. faecium. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that recent previous hospitalization is not a significant predictor for identifying carriers on admission but previous antibiotic treatment and neoplastic disease are. The wide use of antibiotics among paediatric patients may be the answer. Early identification and isolation of VRE carriers among critically ill patients should supplement application of infectious control measures in an attempt to reduce nosocomial spread and burden.
Spontaneous movement of bullets in the brain.

We report two patients in whom bullets in the brain migrated into the adjacent lateral ventricle and moved freely as a consequence of gravity. A review of the literature suggests that the spontaneous migration of intracerebral bullets is influenced by cerebral softening, the specific gravity of the bullet compared with brain tissue, and the sink function of the cerebral ventricles. In patients undergoing the surgical removal of intracerebral or intraventricular bullets, it is recommended that an x-ray be obtained after the final positioning of the head. Language: en
MEASUREMENT OF INFORMAL SELECTION PROCESSES

When statements of formal eligibility requirements fail to account for the characteristics of institutional populations, there is a tendency to resort to speculative explanations. This study examined some methods for empirical evaluations of these speculative notions. Univariate and step-down analyses did not aid in conceptualizing informal selection processes in this study; a discriminant function analysis seemed to provide an adequate approach to a synthesis. The method was illustrated by examining definable subsamples in a VA domiciliary which were compared with a non-institutional, community sample; means of the standardization samples for the tests used provided additional reference points for comparison. For these particular subsamples from this institution, alterations in self concept appeared to provide the single unifying theme which best integrated the diverse differences among the groups.
Apparent motion display

A control circuit is described which drives recurrently alternating projection tachistoscope shutters or lights for the study of apparent motion. The device, easily constructed, provides reliable variation in temporal duration of stimuli and the interval between their presentation.
Greed, Faith, and the Search for a Transformative Object

Abstract The developmental roots of greed are found in consistent parental misrecognitions of a child's desires and needs, which in turn represent and lead to a corruption of faith. These relational failures give rise to painful experiences of lonely emptiness and worthlessness and contribute to a concomitant perceptual distortion that the desired object represents vitality. Moreover, these relational failures contribute to distrust, feelings of betrayal, and a sense of hopelessness all of which are screened by desperate and tragic acts of possessing a trusted and desired object. In avaricious acts the person seeks to (a) maintain a subjective sense of worth and vitality by possessing an object; (b) transform unconscious feelings of worthlessness and loneliness; (c) restore trust, loyalty, and hope, and (d) defend against loss, distrust, betrayal, and hopelessness. Seemingly intractable and compulsive aspects of avarice are explained in three ways. First, greed portrays a person's tragic search for a tran...
Tetrathiomolybdate Inhibits Copper Trafficking Proteins Through Metal Cluster Formation

Tetrathiomolybdate (TM) is an orally active agent for treatment of disorders of copper metabolism. Here we describe how TM inhibits proteins that regulate copper physiology. Crystallographic results reveal that the surprising stability of the drug complex with the metallochaperone Atx1 arises from formation of a sulfur-bridged copper-molybdenum cluster reminiscent of those found in molybdenum and iron sulfur proteins. Spectroscopic studies indicate that this cluster is stable in solution and corresponds to physiological clusters isolated from TM-treated Wilson's disease animal models. Finally, mechanistic studies show that the drug-metallochaperone inhibits metal transfer functions between copper-trafficking proteins. The results are consistent with a model wherein TM can directly and reversibly down-regulate copper delivery to secreted metalloenzymes and suggest that proteins involved in metal regulation might be fruitful drug targets.
Negative Poisson ratio in poly(tetrafluoroethylene) monitored spectroscopically

Abstract Morphological changes resulting from the elongation of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) have been examined using rheo-photoacoustic Fourier transform infra-red (r.p.a. FT i.r.) methodology. Based on the quantitative analysis of the r.p.a. FT i.r. data, several transitions in the film permeability are identified over the range of examined elongations, and the mechanism responsible for these transitions is discussed. Electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements were utilized in an attempt to further support the proposed mechanism of elongation in the negative Poisson ratio region. In contrast to polyethylene and other polymers, this phenomenon is characteristic of PTFE. The strain dichroic ratios obtained using transmission FT i.r. spectroscopy are not sensitive to these transitions.
New Aspects of Myofascial Trigger Points: Etiological and Clinical

SUMMARYObjectives: To identify important new developments in our understanding of the nature and clinical characteristics of myofascial trigger points [TrPs].Findings: Recent research studies reinforce the credibility of three key features of an integrated hypothesis that is designed to explain the pathophysiology of TrPs: increased acetylcholine effect, increased muscle-fiber tension, and local release of sensitizing substances. Electromyographic studies of TrPs support an increased acetylcholine effect that produces endplate noise. Nine histological studies of animal and human subjects identify features that indicate abnormally increased muscle-fiber tension and help to account for the taut bands observed clinically. Microdialysis studies by Jay Shah, MD and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health compared, in nine subjects, the findings in active TrPs to findings in latent TrPs and in normal muscles [nine examinations]. They found a significantly reduced pressure pain threshold and pH at the th...
Light: From Schrödinger's cat to quantum computers

When light comes to a forked road, it takes it. Such inordinately powerful “superposition” will send today's supercomputers to the scrapheap
EPPOD: A Problem Solving Environment for Parallel Electronic Prototyping of Physical Object Design

Abstract One of the grand challenges for computer applications is the creation of a system that will provide accurate computer simulations of physical objects coupled with powerful design optimization tools to allow optimum prototyping and the final design of a broad range of physical objects. We refer to such a software environment as electronic prototyping for physical object design (EPPOD) . The research challenges in building such systems are in software integration , in utilizing massive parallelism to satisfy their large computational requirements, in incorporating knowledge into the entire electronic prototyping process, in creating intelligent user interfaces for such systems, and in advancing the algorithmic infrastructure needed to support the desired functionality. In this paper we address issues related to the parallel processing of the computationally intensive components of the EPPOD problem solving environment on message passing parallel machines and present its software architecture. The parallel methodology adopted to map the underlying computations to parallel machines is based on the optimal decomposition of continuous and discrete geometric data associated with the physical object. One of the main goals of this methodology is the reuse of existing software parts while implementing various components of the EPPOD system on parallel computational environments. Finally, some performance data of the parallel algorithmic infrastructured developed are listed and discussed.
Exchange-Rate Regimes and the Effectiveness of Fiscal Policy

How does the potency of fiscal policy depend on a country’s exchange-rate regime? The Mundell-Fleming theoretical model predicts that fiscal policy can affect output under both fixed and flexible exchange rates, but that the effect is larger when the exchange rate is fixed. Using a panel data set of 61 countries for the 1951-2007 period, the paper shows that fiscal policy is indeed more potent under fixed exchange rates than under flexible, and that the difference is substantial: the estimated models imply that maintaining a fixed exchange rate raises the long-run fiscal multiplier by roughly a third.
WE‐B‐201B‐04: Monitoring and Validating Metastatic Tumor Growth in Lung CT

Purpose: The advent of body SRT has lead to dramatically improved survival of patients with metastatic spread to the lung. In turn, there is a renewed interest in CT surveillance of at‐risk cancer survivors and for radiologist‐assist diagnosis tools for early‐stage metastatic disease. Accurate measurement of nodule growth is critical for diagnosis of active disease and quantification of treatment response, but validation of methods for measuring growth is impeded by the large variability in radiologists' estimates of nodule volume. Method and Materials: A simulated nodule growth CTdatabase is being created based on real nodule morphology and image features. The database's utility is demonstrated on an automated growth assessment approach and the same tool is then applied to a patient with multiple metastases to the lung followed over a two‐year duration. Results: An initial simulated nodule dataset was created incorporating juxta‐vascular, juxta‐pleural, and parenchymal nodules. The automated assessment tool identified correctly growth as small as 16%, with the largest errors in the juxta‐pleural dataset. In a patient with multiple (>15) bladder cancer metastases, nodule growth rates were found to vary among nodules, suggesting that regional heterogeneity in lung perfusion and/or oxygenation may affect growth rates of metastases. Conclusion: A realistic simulated 3‐D CTlung nodule dataset has been initiated with the capacity to accurately mimic small changes in volume. Simulated nodules reconstructed from real patient lung metastases were employed to evaluate the efficacy of a novel 3‐D growth assessment algorithm. The validation of volume change accuracy in this manner reduces a great deal of the ambiguity and subjectivity that is encountered when radiologist measurements are utilized as the gold standard for nodule size. Assessment of variable growth rates of multiple metastases in an example patient shows promise for improved selection of active disease and characterization of treatment response.
An empirical note on the impact of federal deposit insurance on bank failures in the U.S.

This study empirically examines the impact of federal deposit insurance coverage on the failure rate of commercial banks in the U.S. over the 1963–91 period. The analysis allows for the potential bank failure rate impact of the growth rate of real GDP, the real prime lending rate, the real cost of funds, and the commercial bank tangible capital-to-asset ratio, while measuring federal deposit insurance coverage as the percentage of deposits at federally insured banks that was covered by federal deposit insurance. The instrumental variables' estimates indicate that the greater the extent of federal deposit insurance coverage, the higher the bank failure rate.
Conflicts of Desire

Desire, as a philosophical topic, has received a great deal of attention from recent writers engaged in moral psychology, but their discussions have been narrow in focus. In the main they have limited themselves to trying to clarify the relation between the desires of an agent and the scope and nature of her reasons. The reasons are usually considered to be moral in nature. This focus is hardly surprising, given the interest in trying to ground the normativity of morality in the wants of an agent or in showing that the normativity of morality cannot be so grounded. But it does put philosophical interest in desire at some distance from what most often commands our interest in desires outside of philosophy: their satisfaction and frustration, and the conflicts that can arise between them. This is not to suggest that a philosopher takes a professional interest in the more practical aspects of desire, such as satisfying his own desires or frustrating the desires of his enemy. It does, however, suggest that such aspects of desire that naturally command our interest are in need of greater philosophical understanding. We will consider a certain type of conflict of desire in order to gain an understanding of the nature of desire more generally.
Psychologic characteristics of polio survivors: a preliminary report.

Abstract Ninety-three men and women with histories of polio were administered the Symptome Check List-90 Revised (SCL-90R), Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale-Self Report (PAIS-SR), and a questionnaire about their polio histories. The SCL-90R and PAIS-SR are measures of emotional and psychosocial functioning. Two samples were used: a clinic sample ( n = 71) and a postpolio support group sample ( n = 22). Initial results for both on the SCL-90R and PAIS-SR indicated elevated scores on a number of subscales. SCL-90R subscale elevated scores for men included those for somatization, depression, anxiety, hostility, and phobia, whereas for women there were elevations on measures of somatization, depression, anxiety, and psychoticism. Elevations were found in the following subscales on the PAIS-SR (pooling men and women): health care orientation, social environment, and extended family relationships. Men scored slightly, but not significantly, higher than women in the SCL-90R except for the hostility subscale, in which the difference was significant ( p
A Comment on Bernheim's Appraisal of Neuroeconomics

Abstract This paper comments on “On the Potential of Neuroeconomics: A Critical (but Hopeful) Appraisal” by B. Douglas Beinheim (JEL D01, D87)
Care of the Cancer Survivor: Metabolic Syndrome after Hormone-Modifying Therapy

Emerging evidence implicates metabolic syndrome as a long-term cancer risk factor but also suggests that certain cancer therapies might increase patients' risk of developing metabolic syndrome secondary to cancer therapy. In particular, breast cancer and prostate cancer are driven in part by sex hormones; thus, treatment for both diseases is often based on hormone-modifying therapy. Androgen suppression therapy in men with prostate cancer is associated with dyslipidemia, increasing risk of cardiovascular disease, and insulin resistance. Anti-estrogen therapy in women with breast cancer can affect lipid profiles, cardiovascular risk, and liver function. As the number of cancer survivors continues to grow, treating physicians must be aware of the potential risks facing patients who have been treated with either androgen suppression therapy or anti-estrogen therapy so that early diagnosis and intervention can be achieved.
A comprehensive literature review of comprehension strategies in core content areas for students with autism spectrum disorder.

Understanding text can increase access to educational, vocational, and recreational activities for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, limited research has been conducted investigating instructional practices to remediate or compensate for these comprehension challenges. The current comprehensive literature review expanded previous reviews and evaluated research quality using Reichow (Evidence-based practices and treatments for children with autism, pp 25–39. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4419-6975-0_2 , 2011) criteria for identifying evidence-based practices. Three questions guided the review: (a) Which approaches to comprehension instruction have been investigated for students with ASD?; (b) Have there been a sufficient number of acceptable studies using a particular strategy to qualify as an evidence-based practice for teaching comprehension across the content areas?; and (c) What can educators learn from the analysis of high quality studies? Of the 23 studies included in the review, only 13 achieved high or adequate ratings. Results of the review suggest that both response-prompting procedures (e.g., model-lead-test, time delay, system of least prompts,) and visual supports (e.g., procedural facilitators) can increase comprehension skills in content areas of ELA, math, and science. Authors conclude with a discussion of (a) research-based examples of how to use effective approaches, (b) implications for practitioners, and (c) limitations and future research.
Subfeature patterning of organic and inorganic materials using robotic assembly

The ability to create small-scale material patterns using lithography has been limited by the feature sizes and assembly of the master stamping system. Developing a simple and robust robotically automated patterning technique for both organic and inorganic materials, which is able to be actively controlled down to scales smaller than the operating features, would enable new capabilities and directions in research. Here, a novel method is presented to form patterns of defined shape and distribution via automated assembly along with force-controlled microstamping. Robotic assembly based particle templates and pyramid structures were used to create controlled distributions of materials. Systems including quantum dots and biomolecules were patterned, demonstrating our ability to create repeatable geometries with size scales smaller than the master stamping system. These patterns were also utilized for constraining cell adhesion and spreading. This work has potential applications in diverse areas from building molecular circuits to probing biological pattern formation.
Theory of fermion exchange in massive quantum electrodynamics at high energy. I

We consider the high-energy behavior of Compton scattering near the backward direction and of pair annihilation into two photons in massive quantum electrodynamics. We study the limit where $s$, the center-of-mass energy squared, becomes large and $t$, the square of the momentum transfer, is fixed and spacelike. In each order of perturbation theory we calculate the leading terms in the $s\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$ expansion, and then these leading terms are summed. In the positive-signature channel this leads to a Regge pole. In the negative-signature channel the amplitude is dominated by a pole when $\ensuremath{-}t$ is sufficiently small. However, as $\ensuremath{-}t$ increases the pole moves to the left and eventually the amplitude is dominated by the fixed Mandelstam cut. In this paper we present the results of our calculations, summarize the most important features of the calculations, and discuss the physics of the result. The details of the calculations are presented in the 5 succeeding papers.
Analog analysis of π-mode structures: Results and implications

The cavities of choice for high-energy synchrotrons and for medium-beta and high-beta accelerating superconducting structures around the world are $\ensuremath{\pi}$-mode structures. A coupled-circuit analysis, allowing for errors in cell frequencies and cell coupling constants, has been used to determine relative on-axis electric field amplitudes between cells, operating frequencies, end-cell tuning, relative on-axis field phase shifts, and field tilts when operated off resonance. Formulas are given for the above information as well as specific examples showing sensitivities and machining/assembly/control tolerances. A method to determine relative field amplitudes on the basis of the mode spectra was developed.
Hindlimb loading determines stepping quantity and quality following spinal cord transection.

We compared the bipedal hindlimb stepping ability of untrained and trained (step-trained 6 min/day) spinal rats (mid-thoracic spinal cord transection at post-natal day 5) at different levels of body weight support on a treadmill over a 40-day period, starting at 69 days of age. A robotic device provided precise levels of body weight support and recorded hindlimb movement. We assessed stepping ability using: (1) step quantity determined from the measured hindlimb movement, (2) ordinal scales of paw placement, weight-bearing, and limb flexion, and (3) the lowest level of body weight support at which stepping was maintained. Stepping quantity and quality depended strongly on the level of support provided. Stepping ability improved with time, but only at the higher levels of weight-bearing, and independently of training. Increasing limb loading by gradually decreasing body weight support altered the spatiotemporal properties of the steps, resulting in an increase in step length and stance duration and a decrease in swing and step cycle duration. The rats progressively improved their ability to support more load before collapsing from a maximum of about 42 g (∼25% of body weight) at Day 1 to 73 g (∼35% of body weight) at Day 40. We conclude that the level of hindlimb loading provided to a spinally transected rat strongly influences the quantity and quality of stepping. Furthermore, the relationship between stepping ability and loading conditions changes with time after spinal cord transection and is unaltered by small amounts of step training. Finally, load-bearing failure point can be a quantitative measure of locomotor recovery following spinal cord injury, especially for severely impaired animals that cannot step unassisted.
The Pongola structure of southeastern Africa: The world's oldest preserved rift?

Rocks of the Pongola Supergroup form an elongate belt in the Archean Kaapvaal Craton of southern Africa. Because these rocks exhibit many features that are characteristic of rocks deposited in continental rifts, including rapid lateral variations in thickness and character of sediments, volcanic rocks that are bimodal in silica content, coarse, basement derived conglomerates and thick sequences of shallow water sedimentary facies associations, it is suggested that the Pongola Supergroup was deposited in such a rift. The age of these rocks (approximately 3.0 Ga) makes the Pongola structure the world's oldest well-preserved rift so far recognized, and comparison of the Pongola Rift with other rifts formed more recently in earth history reveals striking similarities, suggesting that the processes that formed this rift were not significantly different from those that form continental rifts today.
An Analysis of Frictional Feedback on a Moist Equatorial Kelvin Mode.

Abstract A simple theoretical model of the tropical troposphere is used to study whether boundary layer friction is destabilizing to the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) and other convectively coupled moist equatorially trapped Kelvin-like modes. A linear stability analysis is performed on an equatorial beta plane with a continuously stratified atmosphere using a Betts–Miller-like convective parameterization. The troposphere is divided into a frictional boundary layer close to the surface and a frictionless free troposphere. The basic state is horizontally homogeneous and uniformly convecting. The full linear stability problem can be discretized into an eigenvalue problem that is barely computationally tractable. A scaling analysis appropriate for low-frequency, long wavelength modes, such as the MJO, leads to a much simpler eigenvalue problem. Friction is found to be modestly destabilizing for the moist Kelvin mode, increasing its growth rate by 0.03 day−1. It also has a smaller destabilizing effect on th...
Co- and cross-polarized fields scattered from irregular layered structures: full wave analysis

The full wave solution for scattering from 2D irregular layered structures is expressed a sum of the radiation fields, the lateral waves, and the surface waves. Only the radiation far fields are considered in this work, since excitations of plane waves are considered and the observation points are in the far field region. The like and cross polarized diffuse scattered fields are derived for three medium irregular structures with 2D rough interfaces. The thickness of the coating material or thin film between the two interfaces is assumed to be constant. Thus in this case both interfaces are rough and there are five different scattering processes identified in the full wave results. The full wave diffuse scatter solutions reduce to the perturbation solution when the surface rms heights and slopes are very small and of the same order of smallness. When the surface radii of curvature and rms heights ar very large the full wave scatter solutions reduce to the physical optics solutions. The polarimetric solutions can be applied to remote sensing of dielectric coating materials on rough surfaces.
Representation of the Elastic ‐ Gravitational Excitation of a Spherical Earth Model by Generalized Spherical Harmonics

Summary The generalized spherical harmonics, which arise as representations of the rotation group, provide a natural basis for the expansion of tensors of any order in spherical co-ordinates. By using the covariant differentiation rules of Burridge, it is possible to obtain economically the separated differential equations of elastic vibration in a radially symmetric sphere. Derivation of the excitation of an Earth model by a point force or point dislocation is also carried out with the aid of these functions. While all the results obtained are known, the methods used have a substantially greater simplicity than conventional methods.
Comparing incentives to increase response rates among African Americans in the Ohio pregnancy risk assessment monitoring system.

Since 2005, the Ohio Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) has used a prepaid phone card incentive in an effort to increase survey response. Although Ohio PRAMS has generally achieved an overall response rate of 70%, African American participation has been significantly lower, a persistent problem documented by other PRAMS states. We examined the effect of a gift card incentive compared to the standard phone card on African American response. Sampled women in the African American stratum of Ohio PRAMS were randomly assigned to either the experimental (n = 276) or control (n = 274) incentive ($10 CVS gift card or 30-min prepaid phone card, respectively). Response rates were calculated for the total number of sampled African American women during the study period. Partial or full completion of the survey instrument by mail or phone was considered a response. Logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of response. Variables examined included age, education, ethnicity, marital status, smoking status, birth weight, Women Infants and Children (WIC) enrollment, prenatal care, parity, and incentive assignment. The overall unweighted response rate was significantly higher in the experimental group (60.5 vs. 48.5%, P = .002). Maternal and infant characteristics were similar between groups. Logistic regression modeling revealed that having more than 12 years of education (OR = 2.46, 1.56–3.89), gift card incentive (OR = 1.46, 1.02–2.10), and enrollment in WIC (OR = 1.57, 1.05–2.35) were independent predictors of increased survey response. Use of a $10 CVS gift card incentive in place of a prepaid phone card can positively impact African American response in PRAMS.
Genes involved in Drosophila glutamate receptor expression and localization

Background A clear picture of the mechanisms controlling glutamate receptor expression, localization, and stability remains elusive, possibly due to an incomplete understanding of the proteins involved. We screened transposon mutants generated by the ongoing Drosophila Gene Disruption Project in an effort to identify the different types of genes required for glutamate receptor cluster development.
Effect of Ingestion of Endophyte-Infested Fescue on Post-exercise Recovery of Horses

The objective of this study was to determine whether consumption of endophyte-infested tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) hay would affect recovery of respiration and heart rate when horses were exercised during the summer months. Twelve horses averaging 533 kg were fed either a control orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata) or fescue hay, which averaged 1,995 ppm ergot alkaloids. During the last 4 days of each 14-day period, horses were individually housed in 13.3 m2 stalls so that individual intake and refusals could be recorded. On day 14 of each test period horses were subjected to an exercise tolerance test consisting of 4 minutes at a walk, 14 minutes at a trot, and 6 minutes at a lope/gallop with target heart rate ranges of 50 to 70, 71 to 110, and 111 to 150 beats per minute, respectively. Ergot alkaloids in urine samples from horses consuming fescue averaged 282.2 ng/mg creatine compared with 14.4 ng/mg creatine for those consuming orchard grass. Horses consumed more (P < .01) orchard grass than fescue (2.06% vs 1.69% body weight [BW]/day) and lost less (P < .01) weight (4.3 vs 29.3 kg) during the 14-day experimental periods. No increase was observed (P < .01) for pre-exercise or post-exercise rectal temperatures or pulse or respiration rates after 1, 5, and 10 minutes of recovery between treatment groups. Ingestion of fescue with high levels of ergot alkaloids did not affect post-exercise recovery when horses were subjected to a light workload.
Values of Large Market Games

Three aspects of the application of the game theoretic concept of “value” to non-atomic economies — such as markets or production — are studied: first, the relation between value and equilibria; second, the problems of existence and non-existence of value; and third, a new way of defining value for these games, in order to guarantee its existence, which leads to interesting economic interpretations.
Metabolic profiling of the human response to a glucose challenge reveals distinct axes of insulin sensitivity

Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics Award from National Human Genome Research Institute; National Institutes of Health (R01-HL-086875, R01-HL-083197); Heart Failure Society of America and the Harvard/MIT Clinical Investigator Training Program; National Institutes of Health (U01HL083141); Donald W Reynolds Foundation and Fondation Leducq; Burroughs Wellcome Career Award in the Biomedical Sciences; Howard Hughes Medical Institute Early Career Physician Scientist Award; Broad Institute Scientific Planning and Allocation of Resources Committee; National Institutes of Health (General Clinical Research Center grant); General Clinical Research Center (MO1-RR01066); National Institutes of Health/National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (N01-HC-25195).
Effects of process parameters on heterologous protein production in Aspergillus niger fermentation

Filamentous fungi such as Aspergillus niger are attractive hosts for recombinant DNA technology because of their ability to secrete bioactive proteins with post-translational processing such as glycosylation. Foreign genes can be incorporated into the chromosomes of the filamentous fungi, providing superior long-term genetic stability. However, heterologous protein production is often severely hampered by fungal proteases. In this work, a recombinant Aspergillusniger strain AB4.1(pgpdAGLAGFP)#11which carries a glucoamylase (GLA)-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion gene was selected as a model system to study the effects of bioprocess parameters—agitation intensity, initial glucose concentration, initial yeast extract concentration, and dissolved oxygen tension (DO)—on extracellular protease inhibition and heterologous protein production. Based on previous experimental experience and results, a 2 4-1 fractional factorial design was applied to the experiments. Each parameter was tested at two levels. It was found that agitation affected the GFP production most significantly. Higher agitation rate resulted in higher GFP production. Protease activity was most influenced by initial glucose concentration and DO. Fungal morphology was also affected by these parameters. The effects of these parameters on pellet size and pellet porosity are discussed.  2003 Society of Chemical Industry
Frequent pattern mining for kernel trace data

Operating systems engineers have developed tracing tools that log details about process execution at the kernel level. These tools make it easier to understand the actual execution that takes place on real systems. Unfortunately, uncovering certain types of useful information in kernel trace data is nearly impossible through manual inspection of a trace log. To detect interesting interprocess communication patterns and other recurring runtime execution patterns in operating system trace logs, we employ data mining techniques, in particular, frequent pattern mining. We present a framework for mining kernel trace data, making use of frequent pattern mining in conjunction with special considerations for the temporal characteristics of kernel trace data. We report our findings using our framework to isolate processes responsible for systemic problems on a LINUX system and demonstrate our framework is versatile and efficient.
Creating and Sustaining Trust in Virtual Teams

Abstract Conventional wisdom assumes that trust develops from a history of interpersonal interactions and communication, through which people come to ‘know and trust’ one another. In virtual teams, however, establishing trust can be complicated: members may have no past on which to build, no future to reference, and may never even actually meet face-to-face. Swift but fragile trust can develop early in a team's life cycle. Yet, if swift trust doesn't develop or even dissipates, members need to find ways of building trust in each other. To this end, an understanding of how trust impacts a virtual team's development will help managers and team leaders to facilitate and improve team success. Herein, we describe the three components of trust (ability, integrity, and benevolence) and identify which of these are critical to each life cycle stage (establishing the team, inception, organizing, transition, and accomplishing the task) of the virtual team. Proposed action steps for each stage show managers and team leaders how to help members develop trust and sustain it through the project's successful completion.
Interfacial Partitioning in Single Crystal Ru-bearing Superalloys

In this paper, local electrode atom probe is used to characterize the differences in interfacial partitioning that occurs between the TCP, gamma and gammasquare phases in single-crystal Ru-bearing Ni-based superalloys. Identification of the compositional variations in the topologically-close-packed (TCP) phases is also presented
Modeling and analysis of DNA hybridization dynamics at microarray surface in moving fluid

This paper proposes a dynamic model of DNA microarray hybridization properties in moving fluid. Prior experimental studies indicate hybridization efficiency is closely related to fluid dynamics, temperature, DNA probe density and microarray surface properties. Simulation results using the model proposed here agree well with practical observations. The model may be used to improve and manipulate performance of DNA microarray hybridization, and implement as a control model for hybridization automation to improve reliability and robustness of microarray hybridization process.
Postlicensure Safety Surveillance for High-Dose Trivalent Inactivated Influenza Vaccine in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, 1 July 2010–31 December 2010

licensed for adults aged $65 years. We characterized clinical patterns of reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) among older adults who received TIV-HD. Methods. We searched VAERS for reports involving persons aged $65 years who received TIV-HD or TIV (standard dose) from 1 July 2010 through 31 December 2010. Medical records were requested for serious reports (ie, those associated with death, hospitalization or prolonged hospitalization, life-threatening illness, or disability). Clinicians reviewed information and assigned a diagnostic category to each report. Empirical Bayesian data mining was used to identify disproportional reporting following TIV-HD in VAERS. Reporting rates were calculated for
Response of Dioryctria amatella Males to Crude Pheromone Extracts in Laboratory Bioassays

The presence of a female sex pheromone in Dioryctria amatella (Hulst) was demonstrated and a bioassay procedure was developed for use in further studies. Male response to 5 concentrations of crude pheromone extract was determined. Male behavioral responses included orientation to the pheromone source, rapid circling or searching at the source, and wing fluttering. Orientation was the most commonly observed response with 90% of the males responding to 0.5 female equivalents of extract (FE). The percentage of males responding decreased slowly with decreasing concentration to 0.01 FE then-rapidly decreased at 0.005 FE. Low intensity red light enhanced male response, while low intensity white light or the presence of more than one male per test chamber reduced response.
Yield-constrained digital circuit sizing via sequential geometric programming

Circuit design under process variation can be formulated mathematically as a robust optimization problem with a yield constraint. Existing methods force designers to either resort to overly simplified circuit performance model, or rely on simplistic variability assumptions. On the other hand, accurate yield estimation must incorporate a sophisticated variability model that recognizes both systematic and random components at various levels of hierarchy. Unfortunately, such models are not compatible with existing optimization solutions. To solve the problem, we propose the sequential geometric programming method, which consists of iterative usage of geometric programming and importance sampling, and is capable of handling an arbitrary variability model. The proposed method is shown to be able to achieve the desired yield without overdesign, and solve circuits with thousands of gates within reasonable amount of time.
Authentically Engaged Learning Through Live Supervision: A Phenomenological Study

This phenomenological study explored the experiential learning of 5 master's-level counseling students undergoing live supervision in a group techniques course. Multiple themes were identified to provide a textural-structural description of how students authentically engaged in the learning process. Implications for counselor education and directions for future research are presented.
PBTI under dynamic stress: From a single defect point of view

In this paper, fundamental aspects of the Bias Temperature Instability (BTI) in FETs with metal gate/high-k (HKMG) gate stacks are discussed from a single defect point of view. First, Random Telegraph Noise (RTN) measurements are used to show that the capture/emission processes of individual defects in highly scaled HKMG FETs exhibit very similar Poisson statistics and can be fully characterized by a characteristic electron/hole capture, τ c , and emission time, τ e , in NFET/PFET. In all cases, capture and emission are found to be thermally activated. These observations suggest that NBTI and PBTI share similar microscopic trapping/de-trapping mechanism, for holes and electrons, respectively. Based on these findings, a simple physical model is introduced which describes the behavior of a distribution of identical defects (characterized by τ c and τ e ) but provides deep insights into the BTI dynamics under AC stress in general. The occupancy level of identical defects at equilibrium is found to becomes frequency, ƒ, independent for ƒ ≫ [1/τ c , 1/τ e ], such that the BTI behavior at operation conditions (∼GHz) can be measured at relatively low frequencies (in the kHz range). The single defect model was then expanded to predict the macroscopic BTI behaviors in NMOS devices for arbitrary stress conditions. Excellent agreement between model prediction and experimental data is demonstrated, confirming that PBTI in HKMG gate stacks can be understood as a superposition of trapping/de-trapping events from individual defects in the gate stack. The overall dynamics of PBTI is thus largely governed by the distribution of electron capture and emission times of the defects in the gate stack. The challenges for using a capture and emission time based model for product lifetime predictions are addressed.
Limits of Performance of Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction Systems

Estimation of the DNA copy number in a given biological sample is an important problem in genomics. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) systems detect the target DNA molecules by amplifying their number through a series of thermal cycles and measuring the amount of created amplicons in each cycle. Ideally, the number of target molecules doubles at the end of each cycle. However, in practice, due to biochemical noise the efficiency of the qPCR reaction - defined as the fraction of the target molecules which are successfully copied during a cycle - is always less than 1 . In this paper, we formulate the problem of the joint maximum-likelihood estimation of the qPCR efficiency and the initial DNA copy number. Then, we analytically determine the limits of performance of qPCR by deriving the Cramer-Rao lower bound on the mean-square estimation error. As indicated by simulation studies, the performance of the proposed estimator is superior compared to competing statistical approaches. The proposed approach is validated using experimental data.
A Snapshot of Industry and Academic Professional Activities, Compensation, and Engagement in Educational Measurement

This paper provides a snapshot of educational measurement professionals—their educational, professional and demographic backgrounds, as well as their workplace settings, job tasks, professional involvement, and compensation practices. Two previous studies have surveyed employers, but this is the first attempt to conduct a comprehensive survey of measurement professionals. Five hundred and forty-two (31.5% response rate) measurement professionals, the vast majority who held a doctorate degree, responded to the survey from January to April 2007. Overall, these individuals were primarily employed in academic settings, research and testing organizations, and educational or governmental agencies. Results were reported across and within work setting, degree, and other demographic and background factors that may influence work, behavior, and compensation in educational measurement and assessment.
Expression and function of Tec, Itk, and Btk in lymphocytes: evidence for a unique role for Tec.

The Tec protein tyrosine kinase is the founding member of a family that includes Btk, Itk, Bmx, and Txk. Btk is essential for B-cell receptor signaling, because mutations in Btk are responsible for X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) in humans and X-linked immunodeficiency (xid) in mice, whereas Itk is involved in T-cell receptor signaling. Tec is expressed in both T and B cells, but its role in antigen receptor signaling is not clear. In this study, we show that Tec protein is expressed at substantially lower levels in primary T and B cells relative to Itk and Btk, respectively. However, Tec is up-regulated upon T-cell activation and in Th1 and Th2 cells. In functional experiments that mimic Tec up-regulation, we find that Tec overexpression in lymphocyte cell lines is sufficient to induce phospholipase Cγ (PLC-γ) phosphorylation and NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T cells) activation. In contrast, overexpression of Btk, Itk, or Bmx does not induce NFAT activation. Tec-induced NFAT activation requires PLC-γ, but not the adapters LAT, SLP-76, and BLNK, which are required for Btk and Itk to couple to PLC-γ. Finally, we show that the unique effector function for Tec correlates with a unique subcellular localization. We hypothesize that Tec functions in activated and effector T lymphocytes to induce the expression of genes regulated by NFAT transcription factors.