cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Context and Strategies for Tissue Culture of Date, African Oil and Coconut Palms

The benefits that can accrue from the application of aseptic culture techniques to palms such as African oil palm, date palm, coconut palm, etc. are considerable. Here, the challenge is, as in other instances, in developing methods to such a degree that they reflect a high level of reliability. In addition to effective tissue and cell culture methods, this means that sooner or later, in vitro derived or manipulated materials must be grown to maturity under field conditions, evaluated agronomically or horticulturally and shown to be acceptable. From that point on, predominantly economic considerations will determine the implementation of production programs. Information from preliminary field trials is just beginning to emerge. It is unclear where the subject now stands and will remain so until more data accrue. An attempt is made to provide a brief overview of the range of available tissue culture techniques for palms and their potential for production. Special emphasis has been placed on culture strategies as they reflect cell biological principles. Suggestions are made for a rethinking of approaches towards achieving the required reliability.
Attenuation of glutamate-induced neuronal swelling and toxicity in transgenic mice overexpressing human CuZn-superoxide dismutase.

The role of oxygen-derived free radicals, superoxide in particular, in the pathogenesis of neuronal cell death induced by glutamate was studied using primary culture cortical neurons from transgenic mice overexpressing human CuZn-superoxide dismutase. Primary cortical neuron cultures were developed form 15-day-old fetuses of both transgenic mice and their normal littermates. Both human CuZn-superoxide dismutase and host mouse CuZn-superoxide dismutase activities in cultured neurons were identified by native gel electrophoresis followed by nitroblue tetrazolium staining. Cultured neurons grown for 10–12 days in vitro were exposed briefly to 0.5 mM glutamate for 5 minutes, followed by biochemical and morphological examinations at 2 and 4 hours. Our data have demonstrated that glutamate neurotoxicity is significantly reduced in transgenic neurons at 2 and 4 hours following exposure to glutamate, as measured by the intracellular 3-0-methyl glucose space, the efflux of lactate dehydrogenase, and by phase-contrast and bright-field trypan blue staining. These data indicate that transgenic neurons containing two-to threefold the normal amount of CnZn-superoxide dismutase activity are protected against glutamate neurotoxicity in vitro. Our results suggest that oxidative stress play an important role in glutamate-induced neuronal swelling and toxicity.
Childhood serotonergic function and early adult outcomes in youth with ADHD: A 15-year follow-up study.

Abstract Longitudinal studies have shown that clinical precursors of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) include attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and more notably comorbid ADHD and conduct disorder (CD). Despite existing evidence for the purported role of abnormal serotonergic function in aggressive youth and adults, little evidence exists on the role of serotonin in the progression from childhood disruptive behavior disorders to adult psychopathology, including ASPD. This study examined the relation between serotonergic function in children diagnosed with ADHD and the development of ASPD in early adulthood. We hypothesized that low serotonin response to a pharmacological probe in childhood would predict the development of adult ASPD. Towards this goal we divided 40 adults (M = 37, F = 3), ages 23–26 (m-24.57, sd-2.33) diagnosed with childhood ADHD into 2 groups: participants with (n = 21) and without (n = 19) ASPD. We used logistic regression to assess whether serotonergic measures in childhood assessed via prolactin and cortisol responses to a fenfluramine challenge, would selectively predict the development of ASPD in early adulthood. Logistic regression models showed that low central serotonergic response in childhood indexed by cortisol response significantly predicted adult ASPD (Wald = 4.427, p = .035) but not ADHD diagnosis in adulthood. Adults without ASPD had the highest serotonergic response whereas adults with adolescent ASPD (i.e. early onset ASPD) had the lowest response. Thus we provide new evidence of the link between low serotonergic function in childhood and the development of ASPD in adulthood, particularly for boys with adolescent onset of ASPD. These findings are relevant for understanding the contribution of childhood neurobiology to risk for later ASPD.
Alliance Network as a Signal for Foreign Partners

Partner selection is a critical issue in international joint ventures (IJVs). We argue that foreign firms are more likely to select local firms with unique network structural advantages within a lo...
Gaming the SySTEM: The Relationship Between Video Games and the Digital and STEM Divides

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers are increasingly vital for countries, such as the United States and United Kingdom, to remain innovative and productive in the 21st ...
Nanowired Bioelectric Interfaces

Biological systems have evolved biochemical, electrical, mechanical, and genetic networks to perform essential functions across various length and time scales. High-aspect-ratio biological nanowires, such as bacterial pili and neurites, mediate many of the interactions and homeostasis in and between these networks. Synthetic materials designed to mimic the structure of biological nanowires could also incorporate similar functional properties, and exploiting this structure-function relationship has already proved fruitful in designing biointerfaces. Semiconductor nanowires are a particularly promising class of synthetic nanowires for biointerfaces, given (1) their unique optical and electronic properties and (2) their high degree of synthetic control and versatility. These characteristics enable fabrication of a variety of electronic and photonic nanowire devices, allowing for the formation of well-defined, functional bioelectric interfaces at the biomolecular level to the whole-organ level. In this Focus Review, we first discuss the history of bioelectric interfaces with semiconductor nanowires. We next highlight several important, endogenous biological nanowires and use these as a framework to categorize semiconductor nanowire-based biointerfaces. Within this framework we then review the fundamentals of bioelectric interfaces with semiconductor nanowires and comment on both material choice and device design to form biointerfaces spanning multiple length scales. We conclude with a discussion of areas with the potential for greatest impact using semiconductor nanowire-enabled biointerfaces in the future.
Ultra-Low Timing Jitter of Quantum Dash Semiconductor Comb Lasers With Self-Injection Feedback Locking

We compare the timing jitter of a mode-locked InAs/InP quantum dash (QD) coherent comb laser (CCL) with and without an external cavity self-injection feedback locking (SIFL) system. The jitter is determined through a measurement of the first harmonic of the RF power spectrum of the laser output detected using a fast photodiode. A significant reduction in timing jitter is observed in the laser with the external cavity SIFL. A pulse to pulse root-mean-square time jitter of 1.56 fs is achieved for the laser with the external cavity SIFL. This low timing jitter is a promising light source for the next generation high-speed coherent networking systems and all-optical signal processing. We demonstrate results of a double polarization 16-QAM data format transmission system at a symbol rate of 25 GBd using more than 30 individual channels of the QD CCL. An error vector magnitude of 5.8% and bit error rate of 3.0 × 10–9 were obtained. And, 6.0 Tb/s (16QAM 30 × 25 Gbd PDM) coherent transmission is achieved.
Cognitively Intact and Happy Life Expectancy in the United States.

Objectives We examined the number of years to be lived with and without cognitive impairment and with high self-assessed quality of life (i.e., happiness) among a nationally representative sample of Americans aged 65 years and older. Two key questions are addressed: Can people have a high quality of life despite being cognitively impaired? Which is longer: happy life expectancy or cognitively intact life expectancy? Method Data from nine waves of the Health and Retirement Study (1998-2014) were used to estimate transition probabilities into and out of cognitively intact/impaired-un/happy states, as well as to death. Recently extended Bayesian multistate life table methods were used to estimate age-specific cognitively intact and happy life expectancy net of sex, race/ethnicity, education, and birth cohort. Results Happiness and cognitive impairment were shown to coexist in both the gross cross-tabulated data and in the life tables. Happy life expectancy is approximately 25% longer than cognitively intact life expectancy at age 65 years, and by age 85, happy life expectancy is roughly double cognitively intact life expectancy, on average. Discussion Lack of cognitive impairment is not a necessary condition for happiness. In other words, people can have a high quality of life despite being cognitively impaired.
Does seeing gesture lighten or increase the load?: Effects of processing gesture on verbal and visuospatial cognitive load

Abstract We examined the cognitive resources involved in processing speech with gesture compared to the same speech without gesture across four studies using a dual-task paradigm. Participants viewed videos of a woman describing spatial arrays either with gesture or without. They then attempted to choose the target array from among four choices. Participants’ cognitive load was measured as they completed this comprehension task by measuring how well they could remember the location and identity of digits in a secondary task. We found that addressees experience additional visuospatial load when processing gestures compared to speech alone, and that the load primarily comes when addressees attempt to use their memory of the descriptions with gesture to choose the target array. However, this cost only occurs when gestures about horizontal spatial relations (i.e., left and right) are produced from the speaker’s egocentric perspective.
Adverse Childhood Experiences, Ethnicity, and Substance Use among College Students: Findings from a Two-State Sample.

Objectives: Despite college students reporting high rates of substance use and adverse childhood experiences (ACE), few studies have examined ACE-related substance use patterns with diverse student...
Cutting through the Mindfulness Muddle: A Book Review of Three Popular Mindfulness Interventions

Research shows numerous positive psychological benefits from mindfulness-based interventions, including psychological flexibility, acute awareness, cognitive diffusion, and attentional control (Jek...
Chapter 13 – Cerebellar Learning

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the issue of cerebellar learning. It describes the evidence of cerebellar involvement in a number of forms of motor learning and adaptation and reviews evidence on the mechanisms underlying cerebellar learning, based on the unique advantages of eyelid conditioning, The evidence described in the chapter suggests that cerebellar learning is mediated by plasticity in the cerebellar cortex and in its downstream targets in the deep cerebellar nuclei. Bidirectional plasticity in the cerebellar cortex and deep cerebellar nucleus are controlled by climbing fibers and Purkinje Cells, respectively. The network dynamics of the cerebellar cortex creates a temporal code in the form of granule cells firing with different temporal delays during a CS, which can help shape the timing of cerebellar output vi2i gr-Pkj plasticity. The behavioral properties of eyelid conditioning to analyze the contribution of this learning in cerebellar information processing are also examined. The temporal properties of eyelid conditioning suggests that the cerebellar learning is involved in making temporally specific feed-forward predictions, a computation that is likely across the cerebellum, given its uniform circuitry. Also, the cerebellum learns temporally specific feed-forward predictions that are used to improve the operation of any neural process occurring on a relatively short time scale.
Expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway in cervical cancer (CC) patients (pts)

5519 Background: EGFR, a membrane tyrosine kinase receptor that regulates multiple functions such as cell growth, differentiation, gene expression and development through at least 3 pathways, is ov...
Utilizing Camera Traps, Closed Circuit Cameras and Behavior Observation Software to Monitor Activity Budgets, Habitat Use, and Social Interactions of Zoo-Housed Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus)

Accredited zoos and aquariums value superior animal husbandry and strive to ensure that the physical, psychological, and social needs of animals are met. In North America, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) relies on species-specific standards to ensure facilities provide the best care for collection animals. The AZA also makes explicit recommendations for long-term monitoring of welfare. Data collected through behavioral observations can be used to modify management as animals respond over time to social, environmental, or physical changes. In long-lived, social species like elephants, it is particularly important to document herd dynamics, calf development, geriatric health, and social bonds throughout their lifetimes. The Smithsonian's National Zoological Park housed one male and six female Asian elephants in dynamic social groupings. Behavioral observations were conducted on all elephants for two years using two methods involving ZooMonitor, closed circuit cameras, and camera traps. The goal was to compare how these two methods function to provide individual activity budgets, habitat use, and social interactions. Methodologies such as these, alone or in combination, have the potential to produce valuable data about potential changes in welfare over time in a zoological setting and can be performed either by staff or volunteers with high reliability.
Electronic Raman Scattering Calibration for Quantitative Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy and Improved Biostatistical Analysis

A new surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) calibration strategy towards quantitative analysis based on electronic Raman scattering (ERS) can improve label-free biostatistical analysis of living cancer cells and their drug efficacy study.
COVID-19 Genome Surveillance at International Airport Quarantine Stations in Japan.

A coronavirus disease (COVID-19) genome surveillance has been conducted at four international airports in Japan, revealing a potential imported COVID-19 risk from multiple countries. The quarantine surveillance based on genome sequencing can enhance sequencing efforts worldwide, as returning travelers may serve as excellent sentinels for the global pandemic.
Mayo Imaging Classification May Be Useful in Determining the Need for Nephrectomy in ADPKD

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common cause of inherited kidney disease, comprising about 7%–10% of the prevalent ESKD population. Kidney transplantation is the best choice of RRT in patients with ADPKD (1,2). Kidney cysts grow exponentially, increasing total kidney volume (TKV), which is predictive of disease progression and loss of renal function (3). In addition, patients with ADPKD may have hypertension, abdominal fullness, episodes of cyst rupture or hemorrhage, nephrolithiasis, cyst infection, and reduced quality of life (4). Recurrent infection, or hemorrhage, may lead to the decision to perform a nephrectomy, either pretransplant or concurrent with kidney transplant; but the decision is more often made on the basis of space concerns relating to the placement of the donor kidney in the pelvis. There is no formal consensus in identifying candidates for nephrectomy, and the matter of timing and indication remains debatable (5). We hypothesized that height-adjusted TKV (ht-TKV), assessed using the Mayo imaging classification tool, could be used as part of an objective measurement to evaluate pretransplant status and the clinical decision of nephrectomy in patients with ADPKD. The Mayo imaging classification tool is a prognostic model used to predict loss of renal function on the basis of TKV-based orthogonal dimensions of the kidneys, age, height, sex, race, and serum creatinine (6). Measurement of sagittal length, coronal length, width, and depth of the right and left kidneys allows for determination of TKV. TKV can be adjusted for height (ht-TKV). ht-TKV is stratified into classes (1A–1E, in increasing order) on the basis of kidney size and age. We evaluated whether the Mayo imaging classification and/or clinical indicators such as age, weight, body mass index, diabetes, and hypertension correlate with undergoing nephrectomy in ADPKD. The study was …
R&D as a Signal for IPO Firms

This paper examines the pre-IPO R&D investment as a costly signal for firm quality. We find that firms with high pre-IPO R&D investment experience superior post-issue operating performance compared to low or no pre-IPO R&D firms. There is a positive relation between the pre-IPO R&D investment and the probability and size of subsequent seasoned offerings. Firms with high pre-IPO R&D investment also issue seasoned equity at more favorable terms. Additionally, high pre-IPO R&D firms reduce their R&D investment after their IPOs, indicating an overinvestment of R&D before their IPOs, consistent with the notion that R&D is used as a costly signal by firms.
The Mouse in the Annotated Bibliography: An Insurance Law Primer

Using Arkansas insurance law with an outlined suggested by Spencer Kimball's classic insurance law text, this article provides a basic primer in insurance contract law. It summarizes high points in several law review articles published on a range of basic insurance law topics. The annotation includes state-specific updates to the articles, with a national application but with a focus on Arkansas state law. The article is marked by running commentary and organization by the editor that places primary insurance law principles in context. The article is a compilation effort by a teacher of insurance law and her students, with a table of contents and focused guidance for additional reading.
THE AFFECTIVE BODY: PLATFORMED PRESENCE AND VIRTUAL EMBODIMENT IN THE POPULIST POLITICS OF NARENDRA MODI

Political theory agrees that the charismatic leader’s cult of personality is a cornerstone of populist politics, with an increasingly distrustful, contentious, and internally divided society seeing the leader as the embodiment of the popular will more viscerally than the electoral process allows (Laclau 2005). The power of the hypermasculine leader persists in the digital age where populists exert authoritarian control over media narratives and infrastructures, as feminist critiques of the iconography of statesmen like Putin, Erdogan and Duterte demonstrate (Chavez and Pacheo 2020). Yet this brand of strongman politics is discursively co-produced by the leader’s physical presence; my presentation argues in contrast that Indian PM Narendra’s Modi’s affective body is animated by its persistent digitization, virtualization, and absence of liveness. Modi’s populism is driven by his appeal as a technocrat, a man accessible to the people via hologram, Twitter, exclusive apps, 3D modelled YouTube videos, and other digitally enabled forms of disembodied representation which create a “fantasy of unmediated access” (Govil and Baishya 2018). When Modi appears in public to perform yoga or lay a silver brick in the foundations of a temple, his corporeal form is one iteration of his virtualized, mediated persona. Modi’s independence from the demands of embodiment is made possible by his substantive digital presence. The experiential intensity and interactivity of social media creates what I term “platform affect”, which mobilizes affective discourses like nationalism to material effect, such as drawing large crowds galvanized by a sense of intimacy with Modi’s virtual and physical person.
Surface and Bulk Oxygen Kinetics of BaCo0.4Fe0.4Zr0.2-XYXO3-δ Triple Conducting Electrode Materials.

Triple ionic-electronic conductors have received much attention as electrode materials. In this work, the bulk characteristics of oxygen diffusion and surface exchange were determined for the triple-conducting BaCo0.4Fe0.4Zr0.2−XYXO3−δ suite of samples. Y substitution increased the overall size of the lattice due to dopant ionic radius and the concomitant formation of oxygen vacancies. Oxygen permeation measurements exhibited a three-fold decrease in oxygen permeation flux with increasing Y substitution. The DC total conductivity exhibited a similar decrease with increasing Y substitution. These relatively small changes are coupled with an order of magnitude increase in surface exchange rates from Zr-doped to Y-doped samples as observed by conductivity relaxation experiments. The results indicate that Y-doping inhibits bulk O2− conduction while improving the oxygen reduction surface reaction, suggesting better electrode performance for proton-conducting systems with greater Y substitution.
Translational Implications for Noncoding RNA in Cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in human carcinogenesis. Several studies have shown that restoring a normal miRNome (defined as the full spectrum of miRNA expression in a given genome) in cancer cells can exert an antitumoral effect. Therefore, miRNA-based anticancer treatments can be envisioned. This chapter discusses the translational aspects of miRNA research with particular focus on the different delivery methods to over-express/silence specific miRNAs as well as on the clinical trials currently ongoing and using miRNA-based treatments.
A Formally Verified Generic Branching Algorithm for Global Optimization

This paper presents a formalization in higher-order logic of a generic algorithm that is used in automated strategies for solving global optimization problems. It is a generalization of numerical branch and bound algorithms that compute the minimum of a function on a given domain by recursively dividing the domain and computing estimates for the range of the function on each sub-domain. The correctness statement of the algorithm has been proved in the Prototype Verification System PVS theorem prover. This algorithm can be instantiated with specific functions for performing particular global optimization methods. The correctness of the instantiated algorithms is guaranteed by simple properties that need to be verified on the specific input functions. The use of the generic algorithm is illustrated with an instantiation that yields an automated strategy in PVS for estimating the maximum and minimum values of real-valued functions.
Approximation Algorithms for Prize-Collecting Network Design Problems with General Connectivity Requirements

In this paper, we introduce the study of prize-collecting network design problems having general connectivity requirements. Prior work considered only 0-1 or very limited connectivity requirements. We introduce general connectivity requirements in the prize-collecting generalized Steiner tree framework of Hajiaghayi and Jain [9], and consider penalty functions linear in the violation of the connectivity requirements. Using Jain’s iterated rounding algorithm [11] as a black box, and ideas from Goemans [7] and Levi, Lodi, Sviridenko [14], we give a 2.54-factor approximation algorithm for the problem. We also generalize the 0-1 requirements of PCF problem introduced by Sharma, Swamy, and Williamson [15] to include general connectivity requirements. Here we assume that the monotone submodular penalty function of Sharma et al. is generalized to a multiset function that can be decomposed into functions in the same form as that of Sharma et al. Using ideas from Goemans and Berstimas [6], we give an (αlogK)-approximation algorithm for the resulting problem, where K is the maximum connectivity requirement, and α= 2.54.
Gentle Savages and Fierce Citizens against Civilization: Unraveling Rousseau's Paradoxes

Rousseau seems to argue, on one hand, that moderns are luxurious, lazy, weak, and soft, in opposition to primitive hardiness, vigor, ferocity, and rustic virtue. On the other hand, he depicts modern life as cruel, frenzied, competitive, and harsh, in opposition to primitive gentleness, idleness, abundance, and spontaneity. Is Rousseau, then, simply an imaginative ideologue, forwarding wildly opposed and oscillating characterizations of these eras, merely to be contrarian? This article attempts to demonstrate a degree of coherence in his analyses, by focusing on the various sociopolitical contexts he discusses, and the various moral characterizations and norms which apply to each of these contexts. Building upon a half-century of interpretations, it offers an innovative logical typology of Rousseau's social thought—in terms of social complexity, environmental resources, and normative foundation—which may explain many of his central paradoxes.
Etude de la reactivite de la n-ethoxycarbonyl-n-(2,2,2-trich-loroethylidene)amine avec quelques dipoles-1,3

La presence simultanee sur le substrat n-ethoxycarbonyl-n-(2,2,2-trichloroethylidene)amine des groupes carboxylate d'ethyle sur l'atome d'azote et trichloromethyle sur l'atome de carbone confere au motif iminique des proprietes particulieres qui ont ete mises en evidence au cours de ce travail. Les reactions de cycloaddition des diarylnitrilimines permettent d'acceder avec de bons rendements a des derives du 1,3-diphenyl-5-trichloromethyl-#2-1,2,4-triazoline-4-carboxylate d'ethyle. Ces composes peuvent etre aisement transformes en 1,3-diaryl-1,2,4-triazoles. Les reactions des precurseurs des arylnitriloxydes presentent une competition entre cycloaddition dipolaire-1,3 conduisant a des derives du 3-phenyl-5-trichloromethyl-#2-1,2,4-oxadiazoline-4-carboxylate d'ethyle et addition nucleophile permettant d'acceder a des derives du 1-o-(-chlorobenzaldoximino)-2,2,2-trichloroethylcarbamate d'ethyle. La reaction du diazoacetate d'ethyle conduit, via une reaction d'addition nucleophile, a un nouveau diazocompose qui a manifeste ensuite une reactivite dipolaire-1,3 vis-a-vis des esters acetyleniques et des maleimides. Dans le cas des esters acetyleniques, la reaction de cycloaddition s'accompagne d'une evolution conduisant a des pyrazoles tres substitues par suite d'une transposition sigmatropique 1,5. Avec les maleimides, on observe une reaction de cycloaddition diastereospecifique suivie d'une elimination d'azote conduisant a un maleimido-cyclopropane. La diastereospecificite observee a ete rationalisee en faisant appel a un mode d'approche des reactants du type endo-anti. La reaction du diphenyldiazomethane permet d'atteindre avec un bon rendement un nouvel 2-azabuta-1,3-diene. Un mecanisme a ete propose: il fait appel a une ouverture thermique d'une aziridine conduisant a un ylure d'azomethine qui se stabilise en donnant l'azadiene fortement conjugue par elimination de chloroformiate d'ethyle. La presence des groupes esters et des atomes de chlore sur l'imine semble donc jouer un role important pour autoriser cette evolution.
Chapter 3 Biochemical and energy requirements of gonad development

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the metabolic activities in the sea urchin gonad in relation to an individual's diet to identify the tissue constituents that have the highest anabolic costs and restrict or limit tissue production. The importance of understanding energy allocation to developing gonads in cultured sea urchins is summarized by the greatest yield of gonad tissue mass one can obtain with the lowest ration of food. The macro- and micronutrient composition of a diet has a pronounced effect on the growth and biochemical composition of the nutritive phagocytes during their seasonal growth. There is a direct relationship between the protein content of a diet and the protein content of the developing nutritive phagocytes. The protein metabolism dominates the utilization of cellular energy, suggesting that the ability of the nutritive phagocytes to synthesize the major yolk protein (MYP) could be a primary determinant of gonad size. Optimizing a feed for the maximal production of gonads in a sea urchin requires a consideration to balance the energy demands of increased protein metabolism with the energy availability in the diet.
D-serine dehydratase from Escherichia coli. DNA sequence and identification of catalytically inactive glycine to aspartic acid variants.

Abstract We have identified two glycyl residues whose integrity is essential for the catalytic competence of a model pyridoxal 5'-phosphate requiring enzyme, D-serine dehydratase from Escherichia coli. This was accomplished by isolating and sequencing the structural gene from wild type E. coli and from two mutant strains that produce inactive D-serine dehydratase. DNA sequencing indicated the presence of a single glycine to aspartic acid replacement in each variant. The amino acid replacements lie in a glycine-rich region of D-serine dehydratase well removed from pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-binding lysine 118 in the primary structure of the enzyme. The striking effect of these two glycine to aspartic acid replacements on catalytic activity, the conservation of the glycine-rich region in several pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent enzymes that catalyze alpha/beta-eliminations, and the placement of similar glycine-rich sequences in well-characterized active site structures suggest that the glycine-rich region interacts with the cofactor at the active site of the enzyme.
Gas-liquid chromatographic analysis of lenticular triglycerides. I. Total triglycerides.

Triglycerides from bovine, rabbit and chicken lenses were characterized according to molecular weight by gas-liquid chromatography. The total triglycerides were separated from the other lipid classes by preparative thin layer chromatography with subsequent elution to obtain purified triglycerides. The molecular weight distribution of the triglycerides and their fatty acid composition were then determined by gas-liquid chromatography. Triglycerides of similar molecular weight were observed in all the species investigated, with C48, C50, C52 and C54 triglycerides comprising greater than 85% of the total. These triglycerides consisted primarily of various combinations of C16 : 0, C16 : 1, C18 : 0, C18 : 1 and C18 : 2 fatty acids. Several unidentified peaks were eluted shortly after the solvent front was noted.
Wavelet based speech recognition

The problem of speech recognition is addressed using the wavelet transform as a means to help match phonemes from a speech signal. This work uses a template of pre-recorded, wavelet-transformed phonemes as its basis for comparison. This application illustrates how wavelets can be used for better accuracy in speech recognition
Newborn screening for sickle cell disease and other hemoglobinopathies. Northern California's experience.

Future plans involve continued expansion of cord blood screening in the Bay Area until no babies with hemoglobin diseases are missed. Modification of screening and trait follow-up procedures will continue as necessary to allow screening of increased numbers despite limitations in funding. To reduce the need for intensive trait follow-up by the center, we will continue to develop community resources. There must be more general public information about hemoglobin traits, more well-run prenatal testing and counseling programs, and continued education of health care professionals. It is also essential to assess the effect of hemoglobin trait notification on the involved families. A definitive trait follow-up study could help state public health departments design optimal screening programs that provide satisfactory trait follow-up without detrimental psychologic effects or prohibitive expense. Historical studies of the effects of trait screening at other times or in other ethnic groups for different diseases may not be applicable to our population. For example, in trait follow-up today, initial parental anxiety when notified of an abnormal blood test in the baby more often involves fear of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome than fear of sickle cell disease. Most people now can be reassured about the difference between trait and disease and about the fact that their baby with trait is healthy. Clearly, the level of public knowledge has increased since the early years of screening because of the sickle cell center9s educational outreach as well as general exposure to information on television and in public school curricula. These impressions should be documented by studies to assess the levels of understanding and anxiety in families before and after counseling. In addition, information concerning the 17% of individuals who make appointments but never appear for counseling and the 28% who are not contacted by either telephone or mail would be useful. There is no way of knowing how many of these people simply do not need or want counseling, how many never receive the information, and how many avoid further contact because of inappropriate anxiety. Tracking these individuals would be a major undertaking, beyond the scope of current staffing, but an important future study.
Large Intestinal pH and Ammonia in Rats: Dietary Fat and Protein Interactions

Mature male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to a 3 x 3 factorial experiment in which they were fed AIN-76A diets supplying 8, 16 and 32% of energy as protein and 12, 24 and 48% of energy as fat. During the 5 mo of feeding, 10 in vivo measurements of intracolonic pH were recorded on each rat with a flexible electrode. The pH ranged from 7.8 to 8.0 near the anus and declined to 7.4 to 7.5 at 12 cm from the anus. The mean percentages of dry matter in the contents of the colon, divided into three approximately equal segments, were as follows: proximal colon, 35; middle colon, 45; distal colon, 58. Ammonia concentrations in luminal fluid rose significantly with higher protein intake in the cecum, proximal colon and distal colon. The concentrations in the distal colon ranged from 39 to 74 mmol/L, depending upon protein intake. Thymidine incorporation by distal colon mucosal cells was higher in rats fed 32% of energy as protein and 48% of energy as fat compared with rats fed 8% of energy as protein and 12% as fat. The evidence suggests that increased intestinal cell proliferation in rats fed the high protein, high fat diet was due to greater concentrations of ammonia in the large intestine resulting from the high protein intake and greater concentrations of non-ionized ammonia resulting from the higher pH associated with increased fat intake. The actual determinations and calculations of ionized to non-ionized ammonia concentrations were compatible with the assumption that the large intestinal cells absorbed more ammonia at higher fat intakes.
Thrombocytosis, pregnancy, and regression toward mean

Both pregnancy and essential thrombocytosis (ET) are hypercoagulable states. When they coexist, the complication risk for both mother and fetus is magnified, but which complications, how magnified, and for whom are still unresolved questions. In this issue of Blood , Passamonti and colleagues
A NOTE ON PROCEDURES FOR TESTING THE QUALITY OF A CLUSTERING OF A SET OF OBJECTS

Despite the increased application of cluster analysis in decision sciences, few attempts have been made to derive hypothesis-testing procedures for the evaluation of clustering solutions. In fact, the present paper shows that at least one such attempt failed to specify a meaningful sampling distribution for the test procedure. An alternative index based on the concept of point-biserial correlation is proposed as a possible recovery measure. The index is subsequently used to form the basis of a valid statistical test for the existence of cluster structure.
Lung cancer latency and asbestos liability.

(1996). Lung cancer latency and asbestos liability. Journal of Legal Medicine: Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 277-300.
Food restriction in female Wistar rats, IV. Morphometric parameters of cerebellar synapses.

Abstract The effect of food restriction on morphometric parameters of cerebellar synapses has been evaluated. A decrease in the number and surface density of synapses has been observed comparing 6 and 27–28 month old rats. Food restriction prevented the loss of the number and attenuated the reduction of the surface density of synaptic contacts occurring during aging. Present data support the idea that food restriction delays the appearance of age-related modifications of synaptic structures and may explain the improvement of motoric coordination and performance found in dietary restricted old animals.
Where does smoothness count the most for Fredholm equations of the second kind with noisy information

We study the complexity of Fredholm problems (I - Tk)u = f of the second kind on Id = [0,1]d, where Tk is an integral operator with kernel k. Previous work on the complexity of this problem has assumed either that we had complete information about k or that k and f had the same smoothness. In addition, most of this work has assumed that the information about k and f was exact. In this paper, we assume that k and f have different smoothness; more precisely, we assume that f ∈ Wr,p(Id) with r > d/p and that k ∈ Ws, ∞(I2d) with s > 0. In addition, we assume that our information about k and f is contaminated by noise. We find that the nth minimal error is Θ(n-µ + δ), where µ = min{r/d, s/(2d)} and δ is a bound on the noise. We prove that a noisy modified finite element method has nearly minimal error. This algorithm can be efficiently implemented using multigrid techniques. We thus find tight bounds on the e-complexity for this problem. These bounds depend on the cost c(δ) of calculating a δ-noisy information value. As an example, if the cost of a δ-noisy evaluation is proportional to δ-t, then the e-complexity is roughly (1/e)t+1/µ.
Nonstandard Analysis and Jump Conditions for Converging Shock Waves

Nonstandard analysis is an area of modern mathematics that studies abstract number systems containing both infinitesimal and infinite numbers. This article applies nonstandard analysis to derive jump conditions for one-dimensional, converging shock waves in a compressible, inviscid, perfect gas. It is assumed that the shock thickness occurs on an infinitesimal interval and the jump functions in the thermodynamic and fluid dynamic parameters occur smoothly across this interval. Predistributions of the Heaviside function and the Dirac delta measure are introduced to model the flow parameters across a shock wave. The equations of motion expressed in nonconservative form are then applied to derive unambiguous relationships between the jump functions for the flow parameters.
Relationships Between Bacterial Populations and Oxygen Levels in the Central Basin of Lake Erie

Studies were made to ascertain the relationships between bacteria and particulate organic carbon, particulate nitrogen, and the depletion of oxygen from the hypolimnetic waters of the central basin of Lake Erie. Heterotrophic bacterial populations, dissolved oxygen, particulate organic carbon, and total particulate nitrogen were determined during May, August, and September. Data indicate 1) a relationship between heterotroph populations and dissolved oxygen; 2) epilimnion oxygen concentrations of 9 mg/L were associated with bacterial levels of ≅4 × 103 colonies per mL; 3) bacterial densities started to increase from the thermocline downward; 4) hypolimnion oxygen levels of ≅l mg/L were associated with bacterial densities of approximately three times the epilimnion values; 5) bacterial oxygen uptake rate in the hypolimnion varied from 1.5 to 7.4 × 10−10 mg/L/hr; 6) particulate organic carbon and bacteria showed similar distribution patterns in the water column; 7) particulate nitrogen remained unchanged at 0.1 mg/L in the water column showing no relationship to the other parameters measured.
Some latent structure models for the analysis of likert-type data

Qualitative variables with ordinal categories often arise in social research. In this paper we consider a special class of log-linear models for analysis of these variables (viz., latent structure of latent class models) which take account of (a) the actual distributional properties corresponding to the sampled cross-classification of the variables, (b) the ordinal character of the variables, and (c) the status of the observed variables as indicators of unobservable or latent variables. Parameters are estimated by the method of maximum likelihood, using an iterative proportional scaling algorithm appropriate for latent structure analysis. Asymptotic tests of various models, assignment of individuals into latent classes, and indexes appropriate for measuring model adequacy are discussed. An example with a 3 × 3 × 3 cross-classification illustrates the application of these models.
Monitoring toxics by group testing

Monitoring the environment for a large list of organic compounds present at low levels is costly. The primary purpose of such monitoring is to assure that hazardous levels of such compounds are not released into, or present in, the environment. Viewing this as a quality control problem, we suggest that samples from different sources can be composited using group testing procedures prior to analysis. Our purpose is to describe the basic concepts and suggest problems requiring study.
An Investigation of the Feasibility of a Video Game System for Developing Scanning and Selection Skills

This study examined the effectiveness of a microcomputer-operated video-game format in training nonvocal students with severe physical handicaps to make scan and selection responses similar to those needed for operating linear scanning augmentative communication aids. The video scanning and selection game systematically shaped scanning on more complex screens by slowly increasing the number of boxes presented simultaneously on the screen (i.e., from one to three boxes). Three children participated in a multiple probe across-subjects design to evaluate the effectiveness of the video game. Results indicated that all three children showed substantial increases in the number of correct scan and selection responses made at all three levels of difficulty. Generalization data indicated that all three children were able to transfer use of the skill to a Zygo 100 communication device. Maintenance of the effects also was demonstrated.
The need for contextual and technical knowledge in judgmental forecasting

The purpose of this research is to assess the extent to which judgmental forecasts are improved by having more contextual and technical knowledge. Contextual information is knowledge gained by practitioners through experience on the job, consisting of general forecasting experience in the industry as well as specific product knowledge. Technical knowledge is knowledge about data analysis and formal forecasting procedures, including information on how to analyze data judgmentally. We directly compared judgmental forecasts of business practitioners with those generated by students, using 22 real-world time series. The practitioners had considerable contextual but no technical knowledge. The students had no contextual but two different levels of technical knowledge. We also generated forecasts with statistical methods to benchmark performance. Results show that contextual knowledge is particularly important in making good judgmental forecasts, while technical knowledge has little value. Practitioner forecasts are better than student forecasts in almost all comparisons. A decisive factor affecting forecast performance appears to be data variability, measured by the coefficient of variation of the time-series data. As the variability of a time series increases, the performance of all forecasts deteriorates, but judgmental forecasts by practitioners become more preferable. Statistical methods have difficulty achieving reasonable forecasts when the data are more variable, whereas judgemental forecasts reinforced by contextual information do relatively well. Data variability is one explanation for the mixed findings of past studies, relative to how well statistical techniques compare with judgment as a forecasting method.
Northernmost Global Record for Multituberculata from the Eocene of Ellesmere Island, Arctic Canada

Multituberculates are non-therian mammals that are reasonably well documented in Middle Jurassic to late Eocene terrestrial ecosystems, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere (Kielan-Jaworowska an...
Friction of molybdenum disulfide–titanium films under cryogenic vacuum conditions

Abstract The tribological behavior of steel and sapphire sliding on a sputtered MoS2+Ti coating was studied in ultra-high vacuum as a function of temperature over the range of 4–300 K. The coefficient of kinetic friction for the steel/moly interface was determined to be approximately 0.05 from room temperature to 240 K, and increased monotonically to 0.125 at 4 K. The sapphire/moly friction coefficient was measured to be 0.15±0.05 at room temperature and increased monotonically to 0.25 at 4 K. We also analyze in detail the flash temperature due to frictional heating at the sliding contacts. Flash heating is a particularly strong effect at cryogenic temperatures.
Currents in contemporary ethics: HPV vaccines, privacy, and public health.

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine burst onto the market and the legislative scene nearly simultaneously. Marketed as an amazing medical breakthrough, the vaccine GARDASIL prevents infection with four strains of Human Papillomavirus in nave populations; these four strains are responsible for 70% of cervical cancers and 90% of genital warts. Although most agreed that the vaccine was a wonderful medical advancement with the potential to save women's lives, there was strong disagreement about and a vocal public response to legislative attempts to require girls to receive HPV vaccines for school attendance.The strong public response to HPV vaccine mandates partially stemmed from the sense that this vaccine is different from previously mandated vaccines because it attempts to prevent disease whose sole route of transmission is through sexual contact. Most other diseases covered by mandated vaccines are spread through the air, with little an individual can do in altering their behavior to prevent infection.
Superscalar RISC machines, straight-line programs, and graphics

Implementors of graphics application programming interfaces (APIs) and algorithms are often required to support a plethora of options for several stages at the back end of the geometry and rasterization pipeline. Implementing these options in high-level programming languages such as C leads to code with many branches and large object modules due to indiscriminate duplication of very similar code. This reduces the speed of execution of the program. This paper examines the problems of branches and code size in detail and presents techniques for transforming typical code sequences in graphics programs to reduce the number of branches and to reduce to the size of the program. A set of branch-free basis functions is defined first. The application of these functions to common geometric queries, geometry pipeline computations, rasterization, and pixel processing algorithms is then discussed.