cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitative analysis of the effects of iododeoxyuridine and ionising radiation treatment on the cell cycle dynamics of DNA mismatch repair deficient human colorectal cancer cells

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) is involved in processing DNA damage following treatment with ionising radiation (IR) and various classes of chemotherapy drugs including iododeoxyuridine (IUdR), a known radiosensitiser. In this study, the authors have developed asynchronous probabilistic cell cycle models to assess the isolated effects of IUdR and IR and the combined effects of IUdR + IR treatments on MMR damage processing. The authors used both synchronous and asynchronous MMR-proficient/MMR-deficient cell populations and followed treated cells for up to two cell cycle times. They have observed and quantified differential cell cycle responses to MMR damage processing following IR and IUdR + IR treatments, principally in the duration of both G1 and G2/M cell cycle phases. The models presented in this work form the foundation for the development of an approach to maximise the therapeutic index for IR and IUdR + IR treatments in MMR-deficient (damage tolerant) cancers.
Happy to have the megakaryocyte blues

[Comment on Tiedt et al, page 1503][1]While brief in length, the report of a Pf4-Cre transgenic mouse by Tiedt and colleagues describes a long-sought-after tool that should advance the study of megakaryocyte biology and platelet function. Genetically modified mouse models have been a rich resource
Upregulation of PKCη by PKCε and PDK1 involves two distinct mechanisms and promotes breast cancer cell survival

Abstract Background Protein kinase C (PKC) serves as the receptor for tumor-promoting phorbol esters, which are potent activators of conventional (c) and novel (n) PKCs. We recently showed that these activators induced selective upregulation of PKCη in breast cancer cells. The objective of this study is to understand unique regulation of PKCη and its importance in breast cancer. Methods The levels of PKC isozymes were monitored in breast cancer cells following treatment with inhibitors of kinases, proteasome and proteases by Western blotting. PKCe was introduced by adenoviral delivery. PKCη and PDK1 were depleted by siRNA silencing. Cell growth was determined by the MTT or clonal assay. Results The general PKC inhibitors Go 6983 and bisindolylmaleimide but not cPKC inhibitor Go 6976 led to substantial PKCη downregulation, which was partly rescued by the introduction of nPKCe. Inhibition of phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 (PDK1) by Ly294002 or knockdown of PDK1 also led to downregulation of basal PKCη but had no effect on PKC activator-induced upregulation of PKCη. Proteasome inhibitors blocked PKCη downregulation triggered by PDK1 inhibition/depletion but not by Go 6983. PKCη level increased in malignant but not in non-tumorigenic or pre-malignant cells in the progressive MCF-10A series associated with activated PDK1, and knockdown of PKCη inhibited breast cancer cell growth and clonogenic survival. Conclusion Upregulation of PKCη contributes to breast cancer cell growth and targeting either PKCe or PDK1 triggers PKCη downregulation but involves two distinct mechanisms. General significance The status of PKCη may serve as a potential biomarker for breast cancer malignancy.
A Case Study Transforming Suspected Academic Misconduct among Undergraduate Health Professions Majors into Ethical Program Policy and Practice.

Academic misconduct and technology have coupled to create a significant threat to the development and maintenance of professional responsibility and academic integrity among today’s university students. This case study illustrates the gap between faculty and student acceptance and understanding of the use of technology as a study aid and the ways this gap translates differently for each group as applied to professional responsibility and academic integrity. An actual academic misconduct case is presented that became a university model for dispute resolution, utilizing service learning as an alternative to strict sanctions.
Civil service policies in Indonesia: An obstacle to decentralization?

Decentralization of a substantial portion of development activity under Indonesia's New Order has been attempted in the context of centralizing civil service reforms. This analysis, based on field observation in two areas distant from the ‘bureaucratic centre’ of Java, South Sulawesi and East Nusa Tenggara in early 1986, shows some ways in which the structure of the civil service and recent policies governing it have handicapped regional governments in their attempts to develop an apparatus capable of managing decentralization. For example, the structure often leads local officials to prefer rank over technical qualifications in appointments to managerial positions. The analysis also shows how they cope and attempt to maintain their legal prerogatives vis-a-vis the central government. In conclusion policy recommendations are offered that would help to achieve a better balance between the New Order's concerns for centralization and decentralization.
Evaluation of a microfluorometer in immunofluorescence assays of individual spores of Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus cereus

A microfluorometer was constructed by modifying a standard fluorescent microscope with a fibre optic eyepiece and a simple photometric system. It was evaluated in direct immunofluorescence assays of Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus cereus spores immobilised on multispot microscope slides. From measurements of stable fluorescent crystals comparable in size to the spores, it was inferred that the fluorescence intensity of a stained bacterium could be measured with good precision. Fluctuation of a exciting light from a mercury vapour lamp did not contribute significantly to the distribution of fluorescence measurements obtained when samples of 20 spores were assessed. Attempts to correlate spore size with fluorescence intensity suggest that spore fluorescence does not increase in a 1 : 1 ratio with surface area; it is therefore possible that the density of antigenic sites on the surface decreases with increasing spore size. It is concluded that differences in the observed fluorescence of individual spores truly reflect differences in fluorescent antibody binding, but the relative contribution of antigenic variability and of artefacts of the staining procedure remain unknown.
Biomaterial developments for bone tissue engineering

The development of bone tissue engineering is directly related to changes in materials technology. While the inclusion of materials requirements is standard in the design process of engineered bone substitutes, it is also critical to incorporate clinical requirements in order to engineer a clinically relevant device. This review presents the clinical need for bone tissue-engineered alternatives to the present materials used in bone grafting techniques, a status report on clinically available bone tissue-engineering devices, and recent advances in biomaterials research. The discussion of ongoing research includes the current state of osseoactive factors and the delivery of these factors using bioceramics and absorbable biopolymers. Suggestions are also presented as to the desirable design features that would make an engineered device clinically effective.
Synchrotron-Magnet Cost Studies

Cost studies of magnet designs for a 200-BeV synchrotron led to a novel coil design using cross sections of the conductor that differed for the inner and outer coil sides. The primary basis for estimating costs of magnet construction was the record of the actual costs of the Brookhaven AGS magnet. Determinations of optimum magnetic-flux densities and optimum current densities were made by minimizing the total costs of magnet cores, magnet coils, power supply, operating costs, magnet-support structure, correcting magnets, and tunnel enclosure. The studies depended significantly on the use of computer programs for predicting magnetic fields in air and in iron. Operating costs were capitalized by multiplying the cost per year by 10.
Binding of bovine thyrotropin to specific sites in thyroid tissue from control and hemithyroidectomized rats.

Abstract The binding of 125 I-bovine thyrotropin to thyroid particulate fractions from sham-operated (control) and hemithyroidectomized rats was compared to determine if a change in either the number of bovine thyroid-stimulating hormone (bTSH) binding sites or their affinity for bTSH occurs in physiological situations that evoke changes in the intensity of thyroid stimulation. Following hemithyroidectomy serum TSH levels increase and the remnant thyroid lobe enlarges. Because of compensatory thyroid hypertrophy the concentration of TSH binding sites in the thyroid glands from hemithyroidectomized and control rats was related to particulate protein concentration, to the degree of thyroid cellularity as indicated by DNA concentration, and to the concentration of the plasma membrane markers, 5′-nucleotidase and magnesium-dependent ATPase. In each of four experiments, saturation studies revealed that the maximum specific binding of TSH per unit particulate protein and per thyroid lobe was greater in particulates from remnant than from control thyroid lobes. When related to DNA concentration, the concentration of TSH binding sites in remnant lobes was approximately twice that in control lobes. Because of an increase in plasma membrane markers per lobe after hemithyroidectomy, however, there was no difference in the number of TSH binding sites when related to the concentrations of the membrane marker enzymes in the particulate fractions. As judged from Scatchard analysis, the affinity of TSH binding was lower in remnant than in control lobes. This was partially but not completely due to the increased concentration of particulate protein in the remnant thyroid. These experiments demonstrate that the increase in serum TSH levels after hemithyroidectomy in the rat is associated with alterations in TSH receptor capacity and affinity.
Potential benefit of Sunitinib in recurrent and refractory ovarian clear cell adenocarcinoma

Ovarian clear cell adenocarcinoma (OCCA) is a unique biological subtype of epithelial ovarian cancer, with a similar gene profile to renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Sunitinib is a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor with proven antitumor activity in RCC and a rational biological option for treatment of OCCA. A 60-year-old woman presented with recurrent and refractory stage IA OCCA, after 9 years of remission. Sunitinib was initiated as fifth-line chemotherapy, associated with cystic degeneration of liver metastasis and a short downward trend in her CA125 level. Recurrent and refractory OCCA may respond to Sunitinib. Clinical trials are needed to objectively confirm these findings, as benefit may be limited in patients with extensively pretreated tumors.
The MPEG systems coding specification

Abstract The MPEG Systems Committee has produced a specification for the syntax and semantics of system layer coding of combined MPEG compressed digital video and audio. The systems layer provides a framework and information required for these functions: a multiplex of various numbers of audio, video and private streams; synchronization of audio and video; management of buffers for coded information; random access and start-up conditions; and absolute time identification. In addition the specification allows for the later inclusion by ISO of other data streams.
An algebraic approach to time scale analysis of singularly perturbed linear systems

In this paper we develop an algebraic approach to the multiple time scale analysis of perturbed linear systems based on the examination of the Smith form of the system matrix viewed as a matrix over a ring of functions in the perturbation parameter. This perspective allows us to obtain a strengthened version of the results of Coderch et al. (1983) and to provide a bridge between these complex but general results and previous explicit, conceptually simple, but somewhat restrictive results such as those described by Kokotovic (1981) and Chow (1982). In addition, our algebraic framework allows us to investigate a variety of other problems. In this paper we study the problem of developing valid time scale decompositions in cases in which weak damping terms discarded in the approaches of Kokotovic (1981), Chow (1982) and Coderch et al. (1983) must be retained. Also, our approach exposes the role of the invariant factors of the system matrix in determining its time scales. This leads naturally to the problem of...
Hexadecafluoro- and octacyano phthalocyanines as electrocatalysts for the reduction of dioxygen

Abstract Cobalt hexadecafluoro and octacyano phthalocyanines (CoPcF 16 and CoPc(CN) 8 ), coated on graphite electrodes yield very stable electrochemical responses and serve as electrocatalysts for the reduction of dioxygen. The effects of pH and coating thickness on the electrochemistry of the CoPcF 16 and CoPc(CN) 8 coatings and on the catalyzed electroreduction of O 2 are described.
Improving instruction level parallelism through reconfigurable units in superscalar processors

With reducing feature sizes, more transistors can be integrated on the chip. The increased transistor budget can be utilized to improve the instruction level parallelism (ILP) exploited from the processor. However, the transistors cannot be used to arbitrarily increase the processor width and size in the hope of exploiting better ILP. In this paper, we propose an architecture where the superscalar datapath is tightly coupled with a reconfigurable unit (RFU). The reconfiguration unit is configured to execute the traces of dynamic instructions that are frequently executed. To address the data dependency issues between the instructions in the superscalar and the RFU, we propose to execute the trace on the RFU with predicted values. When the trace instructions reach the issue queue in the superscalar, the predictions are validated. In this technique, performance improvement is obtained for correct prediction, whereas no performance degradation is incurred for mispredictions. With this architecture, we observe an average instructions per cycle (IPC) improvement of about 11% over the simulated SPEC 2000 benchmarks, using a very small last value data value predictor.
Ultrafast Dynamics and Anionic Active States of the Flavin Cofactor in Cryptochrome and Photolyase

We report here our systematic studies of the dynamics of four redox states of the flavin cofactor in both photolyases and insect type 1 cryptochromes. With femtosecond resolution, we observed ultrafast photoreduction of oxidized state flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) in subpicosecond and of neutral radical semiquinone (FADH(*)) in tens of picoseconds through intraprotein electron transfer mainly with a neighboring conserved tryptophan triad. Such ultrafast dynamics make these forms of flavin unlikely to be the functional states of the photolyase/cryptochrome family. In contrast, we find that upon excitation the anionic semiquinone (FAD(*-)) and hydroquinone (FADH(-)) have longer lifetimes that are compatible with high-efficiency intermolecular electron transfer reactions. In photolyases, the excited active state (FADH(-)*) has a long (nanosecond) lifetime optimal for DNA-repair function. In insect type 1 cryptochromes known to be blue-light photoreceptors the excited active form (FAD(*-)*) has complex deactivation dynamics on the time scale from a few to hundreds of picoseconds, which is believed to occur through conical intersection(s) with a flexible bending motion to modulate the functional channel. These unique properties of anionic flavins suggest a universal mechanism of electron transfer for the initial functional steps of the photolyase/cryptochrome blue-light photoreceptor family.
Emergence of Language-Specific Phoneme Classifiers in Self-Organized Maps

The difference between self-organizing maps based phoneme classifiers that emerge for different input languages is studied. For each such language a self-organizing map is trained on mel-frequency cepstral coefficient (MFCC) converted auditory input to form a phoneme classifier. Unsupervised learning is used as the training method. The emerging classes are then compared to the classes found in the International Phonetic Alphabet. Particular class differences across languages and speakers are discussed. We show that SOMs adapt to speakers and languages, even when only given a small training data-set. Additionally, we show that some neurons in SOMs react only to input in one of the two trained languages and that some neurons can be used as word boundary classifiers.
Association Between Follow-Up Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Clinical Status Among Patients With Spinal Infections.

Although spinal infections including discitis, osteomyelitis, and paraspinal or epidural abscesses are relatively uncommon, these infections can be associated with potentially devastating neurological sequelae including cord compression, residual neurologic deficits, and severe chronic pain.1,2 The incidence of spinal infections is rising and may be related in part to an aging population, increasing use of immunosuppressive agents, a larger number of spinal surgeries, and intravenous drug use. Additionally, part of this epidemiological shift is related to improved modalities for diagnosis, namely, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).2,3 Magnetic resonance imaging is the diagnostic modality of choice for evaluating the spine and surrounding tissues in patients with suspected spinal infection. Although in the evaluation of epidural abscess, vertebral osteomyelitis, and discitis, MRI has a reported sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 93%,2,4-6 the role of follow-up imaging in the clinical management of spinal infections is less well established. The impact of MRI results on clinical decision making deserves careful attention, particularly in the context of rising health care costs and the increasing availability of MRI units, which have resulted in proportional increases in the number of MRIs performed.7 When follow-up MRI suggests worsening spinal infection, patients may undergo additional interventions including biopsies, operations, and extended courses of parenteral or oral therapy regardless of clinically observed improvement. This approach can result in increased morbidity and adverse events in addition to direct costs. Some previous studies have suggested that follow-up imaging may not in fact correlate with clinical outcome in patients with spinal infections. However, these investigations have been limited by relatively small sample sizes.8-10 We sought to better understand the relationship between follow-up MRI and clinical outcomes among patients with spinal infection by reviewing the experience of a large academic medical center.
A Simplified Method for Auxin Extraction.

When the auxin content of a plant or part of it has to be determnined two ways are open for analysis. (1) The oldest one is the diffusion method. The auxin of the plant material is allowed to diffuse into agar blocks. This method is more suited for determining the free moving auxin and the auxin production of tips and buds than for determining the actual auxin content of the plant. (2) The extraction method was first used by Thimann (1934). He extracted Avena seedlings by crushing them in chloroform and HCl. This procedure was repeated twice. Laibach and Meyer (1935) extracted maize and Helianthus with alcohol. The extract was concentrated and taken up in lanolin. This auxin paste was smeared on one side of intact Avena test plants. In corn plants up to 30 cm. in height no auxin could be found with exception of the coleoptile tips. Boysen Jensen (1937) reported good results with Thimann's method on Phaseolus. He also used ether and acetic acid and dropped the ether extract on agar blocks (micromethod). Van Raalte (1937) extracted auxin from Vicia roots with ether and HCl.
ANALYSIS OF HORIZONTALLY CURVED BRIDGES USING SIMPLE FINITE-ELEMENT MODELS

A series of horizontally curved bridges were analyzed using simple finite-element models. The analyses included using a typical truckload and also the dead load as the primary forces on bridges. In each analysis, the behavior of bridges was investigated, and the major internal forces developed in members were determined. Specifically, an increase in bending moment and the existence of a torsional moment in cases where the horizontal angle of curvature is large (about 20–30°) was observed. The significance of these moments, compared with the maximum bending moment of a comparable straight bridge, was noted. Bridges used in the analysis were assumed to be composed of single spans with about 30.5-m (100-ft) span lengths (the chord length was set at 30.5-m for all bridges), steel girders, and an 203-mm (8-in.) reinforced concrete slab. The finite-element analyses consisted of a three-dimensional idealization using simple beam elements to model top and bottom flanges of the girders and plate bending elements m...
Integration of Possibility-Based Optimization and Robust Design for Epistemic Uncertainty

In practical engineering applications, there exist two different types of uncertainties: aleatory and epistemic uncertainties. This study attempts to develop a robust design optimization with epistemic uncertainty. For epistemic uncertainties, a possibility-based design optimization improves the failure rate, while a robust design optimization minimizes the product quality loss. In general, product quality loss is described using the first two statistical moments for aleatory uncertainty: mean and standard deviation. However, there is no metric for product quality loss defined when having epistemic uncertainty. This paper first proposes a new metric for product quality loss with epistemic uncertainty, and then a possibility-based robust design optimization. For numerical efficiency and stability, an enriched performance measure approach is employed for possibility-based robust design optimization, and the maximal possibility search is used for a possibility analysis. Three different types of robust objectives are considered for possibility-based robust design optimization: smaller-the-better type (S-Type), larger-the-better type (L-Type), and nominal-the-better type (N-Type). Examples are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of possibility-based robust design optimization using the proposed metric for product quality loss with epistemic uncertainty.
Hooded sensilla homologues: structural variations of a widely distributed bimodal chemomechanosensillum.

A diversity of sensilla has been described in crustaceans, both across species and within a given species. However, few homologous setal types have been identified in crustaceans. In this study we examined setae with features of the hooded sensillum, which is a class of bimodal chemomechanosensilla first identified on antennules of the Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus. We examined the antennules of 13 species representing seven families of malacostracan crustaceans, and most body surfaces of P. argus, and compared the sensillar morphology from different species and from different body regions to identify interspecific and intraspecific homologues of hooded sensilla. Our results show that sensilla with morphological characteristics of antennular hooded sensilla are present and have a similar pattern of distribution on the antennules of reptantian species representing three families (Palinuridae and Scyllaridae of the Achelata and Nephropidae of the Homarida). Furthermore, hooded sensillar homologues are present on most body surfaces of P. argus. However, there are intraspecific and interspecific variations in the morphology of these sensilla. We present evidence that supports the idea that postembryonic changes in individual sensilla may be responsible for some of these morphological variations. Despite these variations, we conclude that the sensilla are homologues, because they have several common characteristics, similar positions on the body surface, similar substructures, a continuum to their morphological variations, and morphological variation that is correlated with phylogenetic similarity. Taken together these results support the idea that the hooded sensillum is a singular and biologically important sensillar type that has a broad distribution.
The Membrane-Proximal Domain of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus G Protein Functions as a Membrane Fusion Potentiator and Can Induce Hemifusion

Recently we showed that the membrane-proximal stem region of the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) G protein ectodomain (G stem [GS]), together with the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains, was sufficient to mediate efficient VSV budding (C. S. Robison and M. A. Whitt, J. Virol. 74:2239-2246, 2000). Here, we show that GS can also potentiate the membrane fusion activity of heterologous viral fusion proteins when GS is coexpressed with those proteins. For some fusion proteins, there was as much as a 40-fold increase in syncytium formation when GS was coexpressed compared to that seen when the fusion protein was expressed alone. Fusion potentiation by GS was not protein specific, since it occurred with both pH-dependent as well as pH-independent fusion proteins. Using a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus encoding GS that contained an N-terminal hemagglutinin (HA) tag (GS(HA) virus), we found that the GS(HA) virus bound to cells as well as the wild-type virus did at pH 7.0; however, the GS(HA) virus was noninfectious. Analysis of cells expressing GS(HA) in a three-color membrane fusion assay revealed that GS(HA) could induce lipid mixing but not cytoplasmic mixing, indicating that GS can induce hemifusion. Treatment of GS(HA) virus-bound cells with the membrane-destabilizing drug chlorpromazine rescued the hemifusion block and allowed entry and subsequent replication of GS(HA) virus, demonstrating that GS-mediated hemifusion was a functional intermediate in the membrane fusion pathway. Using a series of truncation mutants, we also determined that only 14 residues of GS, together with the VSV G transmembrane and cytoplasmic tail, were sufficient for fusion potentiation. To our knowledge, this is the first report which shows that a small domain of one viral glycoprotein can promote the fusion activity of other, unrelated viral glycoproteins.
Preventing Dehydration-Related Hospitalizations: A Mixed-Methods Study of Parents, Inpatient Attendings, and Primary Care Physicians

Objective: The goal of this study was to identify the proportion of dehydration-related ambulatory care–sensitive condition hospitalizations, the reasons why these hospitalizations were preventable, and factors associated with preventability. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of primary care providers (PCPs), inpatient attending physicians, and parents was conducted in a consecutive series of children with ambulatory care–sensitive conditions admitted to an urban hospital over 14 months. Results: Eighty-five children were diagnosed with dehydration. Their mean age was 1.6 years; most had public (74%) or no (17%) insurance, and were nonwhite (91%). The proportion of hospitalizations assessed as preventable varied from 12% for agreement among all 3 sources to 45% for any source. Parents identified inadequate prevention (50%), poor self-education (34%), and poor quality of care (38%) as key factors. PCPs identified parents providing insufficient home rehydration (33%), not visiting the clinic (25%), and not calling earlier (16%) as reasons. Inpatient attending physicians cited home rehydration (40%), delays in seeking care (40%), and lacking a PCP (20%) as contributors. Physicians (PCPs and inpatient attending physicians) were more likely than parents to describe the admission as inappropriate (75% vs 67% vs 0%; P Conclusions: Up to 45% of dehydration-related hospitalizations may be preventable. Inadequate parental education by physicians, insufficient home rehydration, deferring clinic visits, insurance and cost barriers, inappropriate admissions, poor quality of care, and parental dissatisfaction with PCPs are the reasons that these hospitalizations might have been prevented.
Tracer measurements of non-equilibrium volumes of distribution.

According to conventional theory the product of the transport flowrate and the mean transit time of a tracer through a system yields the equilibrium volume of distribution for the tracer, regardless of tracer kinetics or space geometry. Experimental results do not support this notion. The influence of measurement time on the volume measured with a bolus technique is addressed using systems theory to analyze a tissue-impedance form of the Sangren-Sheppard model. Assymptotic solutions show that the volume estimates are governed by a time constant, τ, related to diffusion in the tissue, to tissue capacity, and to wall permeability, and by a dimensionless ratio, f , describing a relation of τ to vascular transport time. A third parameter, g , describing the relative contributions to overall resistance to diffusion of effective permeability and of limited diffusivity in the tissue, is shown to be of less importance. The derived τ is similar to but not equivalent to the often cited “characteristic time”. The “equilibrium” volume of distribution is defined as that which would be measured if equilibrium were allowed to establish. The “non-equilibrium” volume of distribution is defined as that which would be measured given finite times and is shown to approach the “equilibrium” volume as such times increase. Tracer equilibration is not required to accurately measure the “equilibrium” volume. When there is no flow limitation ( f « 1) a measurement time of τ (plus vascular transit time) would yield a “non-equilibrium” volume only 33% of the “equilibrium” voluem; a time of 2τ would yield 55%; a time of 10τ would yield effectively the total equilibrium volume. Finite diffusivity in tissue and permeability restrictions can have significant effects on the proportion of the volume measured.
Severity of 12-Month DSM-IV Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication Adolescent Supplement

CONTEXT: Estimates of DSM-IV disorder prevalence are high; stringent criteria to define need for services are desired. OBJECTIVE: To present US national data on the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of 12-month serious emotional disturbance (SED), defined by the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication Adolescent Supplement. DESIGN: The National Comorbidity Survey Replication Adolescent Supplement is a national survey of DSM-IV anxiety, mood, behavior, and substance disorders among US adolescents. SETTING: Dual-frame household and school samples of US adolescents. PARTICIPANTS: Total of 6483 pairs of adolescents aged 13 to 17 (interviews) and parents (questionnaires). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The DSM-IV disorders were assessed with the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview and validated with blinded clinical interviews based on the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children. Serious emotional disturbance was operationalized as a DSM-IV/Composite International Diagnostic Interview disorder with a score of 50 or less on the Children's Global Assessment Scale (ie, moderate impairment in most areas of functioning or severe impairment in at least 1 area). Concordance of Composite International Diagnostic Interview SED diagnoses with blinded Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children diagnoses was good. RESULTS: The estimated prevalence of SED was 8.0%. Most SEDs were due to behavior (54.5%) or mood (31.4%) disorders. Although respondents with 3 or more disorders made up only 29.0% of those with 12-month DSM-IV/Composite International Diagnostic Interview disorders, they constituted 63.5% of SEDs. Predictive effects of high comorbidity were significantly greater than the product of their disorder-specific odds ratios and consistent across disorder types. Associations of sociodemographic variables with SED were generally nonsignificant after controlling for disorder type and number. CONCLUSIONS: The high estimated 12-month prevalence of DSM-IV disorders among US adolescents is largely due to mild cases. The significant between-disorder differences in risk of SED and the significant effect of high comorbidity have important public health implications for targeting interventions. Language: en
Case Study: Folate Bioavailability

Folate nutritional status depends on intake from food and supplements as well as on the bioavailability of the various ingested forms of this vitamin. Although many advances in the understanding of folate bioavailability have occurred in recent years, many areas of uncertainty remain, especially with respect to naturally occurring dietary folate. This review includes a summary of factors that affect folate absorption and utilization, currently used and promising methods suitable for the assessment of bioavailability, significant findings on which current understanding is based and research needs.
A pilot study of the impact of surgical repair on disease-specific quality of life among patients with pectus excavatum.

Abstract Background This study was conducted to determine the ability of 2 questionnaires (ie, child and parent versions) to measure physical and psychosocial quality-of-life changes after surgical repair of pectus excavatum. Methods The authors administered these questionnaires by telephone interviews with 22 parents and 19 children (ages 8 to 18) before surgery and 6 to 12 months after repair by the Nuss procedure. Results The instruments had high test-retest reliability (Rho > 0.6 for all retained questions). Children reported significant improvements in exercise intolerance, shortness of breath, and tiredness. Of 9 questions asking the children how they feel or act about their bodies, all but one question showed significant improvement after surgery. Parents also reported significant improvements in their child's exercise tolerance, chest pain, shortness of breath, and tiredness and decreases in the frequency of the child being frustrated, sad, self-conscious, and isolated. Conclusions These questionnaires appear to be more than adequate to measure disease-specific quality-of-life changes after surgery. These data confirm for the first time that surgical repair of pectus excavatum has a positive impact on both the physical and psychosocial well-being of the child.
Anthropology and the Coming Crisis: An Autoethnographic Appraisal

WITHIN THE TEMPLE WALLS at Edfu there is a well; steps go down and disappear below the dark waters. Careful calibrations told the priests the precise level of the Nile and enabled them to predict the year's harvest: it is an example of the first economic indicator. The information was a closely guarded secret, the basis for establishing the tax rate, and useful for deciding military operations.' The nilometer is the oldest scientific instrument I know of designed to serve the institutions of power. Knowledge is a commodity of both economic and political value. Whether written in religious or in secular terms, it can be made to serve the social order. Modem society has been built on the public use of scientific knowledge. Yet anthropologists are peculiarly loath to use the knowledge they have. This Association was wracked by the sudden awareness that anthropology had become an instrument of power when it learned of Project Camelot. Internal strife ensued and, for the first time in Association history, a contest for the presidency involved political commitment. The anthropologists' more general response was institutionalized denial and the condemnation of all involvement in government affairs.2 To be sure, the heinous war in Southeast Asia had by then created a sense of revulsion and general alienation, and in this the anthropologists were reflecting the mood of the time. Irving Rouse (1969), the first president to feel the full brunt of this disaffection, described those days in his The Education of a President, and all but despaired of retaining the unity of the anthropological disciplines.
Plasma Cryoactivated Renin and Active Renin in Diabetes Mellitus

PRA and the inactive renin which is activated by cold (IR-C) were studied in a group of normal subjects and in patients with diabetes mellitus with and without the presence of nephropathy. The amount of renin activity, as measured after incubation of plasma at -5 C for 4 days, was called cold renin activity (CR. PRA was measured by a standard method. The difference between CR and PRA was used as a measure of IR-C. CR and PRA measurements were made on a normal salt diet, on a low salt diet, and after the administration of furosemide. In all three groups, CR and PRA were higher after salt depletion and following the administration of furosemide. A moderate but significant increase in IR-C was observed with these maneuvers in both groups of diabetes but not in normals. PRA and IR-C varied under different experimental conditions independent of each other. Although both PRA and IR-C were correlated with CR, no correlation was observed between PRA and IR-C. These findings suggest, although they do not prove, that the inactive renin is not a precursor of active renin. CR and IR-C were not significantly different between groups. PRA in patients with uncomplicated diabetes mellitus was normal or slightly high, whereas it was suppressed in patients with diabetes mellitus and nephropathy. The mechanism of suppressed PRA in patients with diabetes mellitus is not clear and may be related to the onset of renal disease itself.
Agent-based distributed simulation

Simulating a large-scale power system with detailed modeling of the components creates a heavy computational burden. One possible way to relieve the computational burden is to decouple the network into subsystems and solve the subsystem independently, and then combine the results of the subsystems to get the solution. The way to decouple network and represent the missing parts will affect the result greatly. The equivalent for other networks needs to be constructed to allow power system analysis. In addition with more intelligent devices being introduced, simulation of a power system with intelligent control is even more difficult. In this paper, an agent based distributed simulation is proposed to handle the issues above. An agent based distributed simulation achieves an overall system solution through separately and concurrently computing subsystems with the agents' communications over the network. A history of distributed simulation and agent techniques is briefly introduced. A generalized three-phase coupling method dealing with natural coupling is proposed. Both natural coupling and signal level coupling agent-based models are developed and demonstrated in virtual test bed (VTB). The models are tested with a simple case and the test results are presented and analyzed.
Beliefs in Free Will and Determinism and Lack of Relation to Punishment Rationale and Magnitude

Abstract College juniors and seniors were asked to read brief accounts of four different types of felonies (premeditated murder, robbery, arson, and manslaughter). Following each account, the students were asked to specify the punishment they would recommend for the individual found guilty of such a felony. Students were then asked to specify whether the goals of their recommended punishments were retributive (e.g., to inflict pain) or utilitarian (e.g., to reform the defendent). Students also responded to a test designed to assess their beliefs in free will or determinism. Results indicated that libertarians were no more retributive than were determinists. Retributive and utilitarian goals were, however, strongly related to the nature of the felony (e.g., retribution was the preferred goal for premeditated murder, whereas utilitarian goals were chosen for the other three felonies). Reliable relationships were not found between magnitude of recommended punishments and beliefs in free will or determinism.
Induction and stability of human Th17 cells require endogenous NOS2 and cGMP-dependent NO signaling

Nitric oxide (NO) is a ubiquitous mediator of inflammation and immunity, involved in the pathogenesis and control of infectious diseases, autoimmunity, and cancer. We observed that the expression of nitric oxide synthase-2 (NOS2/iNOS) positively correlates with Th17 responses in patients with ovarian cancer (OvCa). Although high concentrations of exogenous NO indiscriminately suppress the proliferation and differentiation of Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells, the physiological NO concentrations produced by patients’ myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) support the development of RORγt(Rorc)+IL-23R+IL-17+ Th17 cells. Moreover, the development of Th17 cells from naive-, memory-, or tumor-infiltrating CD4+ T cells, driven by IL-1β/IL-6/IL-23/NO-producing MDSCs or by recombinant cytokines (IL-1β/IL-6/IL-23), is associated with the induction of endogenous NOS2 and NO production, and critically depends on NOS2 activity and the canonical cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)–cGMP-dependent protein kinase (cGK) pathway of NO signaling within CD4+ T cells. Inhibition of NOS2 or cGMP–cGK signaling abolishes the de novo induction of Th17 cells and selectively suppresses IL-17 production by established Th17 cells isolated from OvCa patients. Our data indicate that, apart from its previously recognized role as an effector mediator of Th17-associated inflammation, NO is also critically required for the induction and stability of human Th17 responses, providing new targets to manipulate Th17 responses in cancer, autoimmunity, and inflammatory diseases.
Yield-based system partitioning strategies for MCM and ASEM design

We propose a new quantitative approach to MCM and ASEM system partitioning under yield, I/O, and area constraints. The objective is to minimize the off-chip communication/wiring cost while improving the yield of an MCM or ASEM (using smaller partitions without violating I/O and area constraints). We formulate this as a 0/spl minus/1 quadratic programming problem with linear constraints. This paper describes the quantitative model and results from detailed partitioning of large benchmark VLSI circuits. >
Glutamate, excitatory amino acid transporters, Xc- antiporter, glutamine synthetase, and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase in human corneal epithelium.

Purpose: The viability and functions of the corneal epithelium are dependent in large measure on the active uptake of nutrients, growth factors, and amino acids from stroma and tear. The present study presents the cellular distribution(s) of glutamate, the Na+-dependent glutamate/aspartate transporters (excitatory amino acid transporters; EAAT1-5), Na+-independent glutamate/cystine exchanger (Xc− antiporter) subunits (xCT light chain and 4F2hc heavy chain), glutamine synthetase (GS), and γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) in human corneal epithelium.Methods: Glutamate, EAAT1-5, xCT/4F2hc, GS, and GGT immunoreactive proteins were detected by immunofluorescence microscopy. Human corneal GGT activity was quantified using a standard colorimetric assay.Results: Glutamate, EAAT3>2>1, xCT/4F2hc, and GGT proteins were detected in the columnar and wing cells. Glutamate was reduced or absent in the EAAT negative, Xc− antiporter, and GS positive outer wing cell and flat superficial epithelial cell layers. All EAATs (EAA...
Multilevel approach to intimate partner violence research and prevention.

DEAR EDITOR, Based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems model, individuals are embedded in the society and human behavior is influenced by the physical and social environment. Empirical data has documented an association between witnessed and perceived violence at the community level and aggression and violence at individual level, after controlling for individual level predictors and confounders. Distribution of intimate partner violence (IPV) is not at random, but clustered. In other words, place of residence may explain a part of variation of IPV risk. Rate of exposure to IPV is higher among communities that endorse more tolerant attitudes toward domestic violence.[5] The effect of neighborhood on IPV and its related attitudes seems to be independent of individual level risk factors. Place of residence may influence or modify the effect of individual level risk and protective factors associated with IPV. Strength of the association between women’s education and IPV for instance has been shown to vary from one community to the next. Evidence suggests that acceptance of mistreatment at the community level may even mute the protective effect of education of women. By this view, in addition to enhancing education of women, interventions should also target community level attitudes towards the acceptability of mistreatment.[7] The picture may be even more complex than this. One study suggested that gender may moderate the associations of individual and neighborhood level factors and IPV or related attitudes. For instance, women with low education may be more likely to justify IPV than men with low education. The association between neighborhood socio-economic disadvantage and IPV may also be more pronounced among women than men. Recently, Shrivastava and Shrivastava reported a 37% rate for 12-month prevalence of victimization of domestic violence among a community sample of married women in an urban slum of Mumbai. Mumbai is the capital city of the Indian state Maharashtra, located in the Western India. This is the most populous city in India, with a population of more than 20 million. Although Shrivastava and Shrivastava have reported individual level risk and protective factors of IPV, their study is limited due to lack of a multilevel conceptual model. Thus, we do not know if the effect of individual level factors on IPV is independent of community level factors, and if the associations between individual level risk and protective factors depend on community characteristics. Such questions could be answered by introducing cross level interactions into multilevel models. National Research Council’s Panel on Research on Violence 1Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture and Health, 2Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
Facilitating Functional Social-Communication Skills in Adolescents With Asperger’s Syndrome

Abstract The demands of initiating and maintaining social relationships and securing and holding employment commensurate with their level of education can be a life-long struggle for many adolescen...
Modeling and short-term prediction of HVAC system with a clustering algorithm

Abstract Energy consumption and air quality index (AQI) prediction is important for efficient heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system operation and management. A data-mining approach is presented in this paper for modeling and short-term prediction of the complicated non-linear system. The multilayer perceptron (MLP) ensemble performs best among the data mining algorithms discussed in this paper. A clustering-based method from preprocessing input data to construct the prediction models is proposed to decreases the prediction errors and the computational cost. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated through a practical case study with both modeling and short-term prediction. The analytical results showed that the method was capable of reducing the prediction errors for modeling and short-term prediction by 11.05% and 12.21%, respectively, comparing with the models built without clustering method.
AGE ESTIMATION AND DISPERSAL IN THE SPOTTED HYENA (CROCUTA CROCUTA)

Abstract We used observations of known-age, free-ranging spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) from a large social group to develop age-estimation models. A model based on tooth-eruption data estimates the ages of animals 10.0–15.5 (±1.1 SD) months old. We used tooth-wear data to estimate the ages of adult males ±4.9 months and ages of females ±22.6 months. Analysis of known and estimated ages shows that males usually disperse from their natal group when 24–60 months of age. Eight of 20 males whose fates were known lived in 3 groups over time, and at least 7 of 41 resident immigrant males appeared to arrive in the study group years after leaving their birthplaces. Thus, males of this species often engage in multiple dispersal events.