cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessment of the in vitro function of human stem cell-derived β cells

Abstract Insulin-producing human embryonic stem cell-derived β (SC-β) cells are a promising cell source for diabetes cell replacement therapy. We have recently reported a differentiation strategy that produces SC-β cells in islet organoids that not only undergo glucose-stimulated insulin secretion but also have an islet-like dynamic insulin release profile, displaying both first and second phase insulin secretion. The goal of this study was to further characterize the functional profile of these SC-β cells in vitro. We utilized a Seahorse extracellular flux analyzer to measure mitochondrial respiration of SC-β cells at low and high glucose. We also used photolithography to fabricate a microfluidic device containing microwells to immobilize SC-β cells for perfusional analysis, monitoring cytoplasmic calcium using Fluo-4 AM at low and high glucose. Here we find that in addition to increased insulin secretion, SC-β cells have increased cellular respiration and cytoplasmic calcium ion concentration in response to a high glucose stimulation. Our results indicate that SC-β cells have similar function to that reported for islets, providing further performance characterization that could help with eventual development for diabetes cell therapy and drug screening.
Pick, Her Father's Daughter: Gender, Power, and Religion in the Early Spanish Kingdoms (Cornell University Press, 2017)

Review of Lucy K. Pick, Her Father's Daughter: Gender, Power, and Religion in the Early Spanish Kingdoms (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2017).
Small-period titanium-diffused periodically poled lithium niobate waveguides for strongly nondegenerate quantum frequency conversion

A titanium-diffused periodically poled lithium niobite (Ti:PPLN) waveguide device with ultra-short poling periods is developed for strongly nondegenerate quantum frequency conversion (QFC) from 369.5nm to 1550nm with a 485nm pump. A practical quantum information network requires a quantum state transfer link between disparate frequencies corresponding to atomic quantum memories and the telecommunication fiber network spectral window. QFC occurs in a nonlinear parametric amplifier. A Ti:PPLN diffused waveguide implementation allows for concentration of mode fields along the full interaction length of the nonlinear crystal. It also allows for engineering of an arbitrary desired nonlinear interaction based on poling parameters through quasi phase matching (QPM). Despite the relative maturity of PPLN technology, the target interaction is quasi phase matched at a period of 2.053μm which represents a significant technical challenge. The periodic poling process requires localization of strong electric fields on the order of 20kV/mm onto stripes which are on the order of 1μm. Thus, nickel- chromium (NiCr) electrodes are used to localize domain nucleation and enhance domain inversion quality by a factor of 200 compared to traditional periodic poling techniques. Devices are fabricated by diffusing Ti stripes into the crystal substrate, then sputtering and wet etching a NiCr layer to form the electrodes. High voltage is applied in an electrolyte bath using a Trek 20/20C high voltage amplifier with a custom high-speed controller utilizing an ARM processor core, FPGA, and A/D converter. Poled devices are then stripped of electrodes and their end faces are polished for optical measurement.
Constrained Joint PD+ Controller for Flexible Link Robots

A class of globally asymptotically stable regulators for a finite-dimensional model of robot arm with flexible links under gravity is presented. The control law is formed as the sum of static compe ...
Adverse Childhood Experiences, Other Psychosocial Sources of Adversity, and Quality of Life in Vulnerable Primary Care Patients.

INTRODUCTION Adults who had adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have increased risk of negative health outcomes. Despite the prevalence of ACEs, literature is scarce on quality of life (QOL) and ACEs in disadvantaged primary care populations. OBJECTIVE To examine the prevalence of ACEs and association with chronic health problems and QOL in disadvantaged primary care patients in Oklahoma. METHODS During a primary care visit, adults completed a questionnaire measuring demographics, ACEs, current health status and well-being, sources of support and adversity, and QOL. A physician investigator reviewed participants' health records, recording the incidence of 32 diagnoses commonly associated with chronic health problems. RESULTS The survey was completed by 354 patients. Forty-three percent received disability benefits and 71% were unemployed. More than 37% reported 4 or more ACEs, and 35.5% had 0 or 1 ACE.The amount of health problems ranged from 0 to 11 and increased with the number of reported ACEs. The mean number of health problems for each ACE level was as follows: ACEs 0 to 1 had 3.01 problems (95% confidence interval = 2.96-3.88), ACEs 2 to 3 had 3.42 problems (95% confidence interval = 2.96-3.88), and ACEs 4 and above had 4.18 problems (95% confidence interval = 3.72-4.64). ACEs were significantly related to QOL. CONCLUSION This disadvantaged primary care population had high numbers of ACEs. ACEs correlated with increasing numbers of health problems and worse QOL. Enhanced awareness and action are needed to reduce health disparities and improve outcomes in similar populations.
p53: 800 million years of evolution and 40 years of discovery

The evolutionarily conserved p53 protein and its cellular pathways mediate tumour suppression through an informed, regulated and integrated set of responses to environmental perturbations resulting in either cellular death or the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. The p53 and MDM2 proteins form a central hub in this pathway that receives stressful inputs via MDM2 and respond via p53 by informing and altering a great many other pathways and functions in the cell. The MDM2-p53 hub is one of the hubs most highly connected to other signalling pathways in the cell, and this may be why TP53 is the most commonly mutated gene in human cancers. Initial or truncal TP53 gene mutations (the first mutations in a stem cell) are selected for early in cancer development inectodermal and mesodermal-derived tissue-specific stem and progenitor cells and then, following additional mutations, produce tumours from those tissue types. In endodermal-derived tissue-specific stem or progenitor cells, TP53 mutations are functionally selected as late mutations transitioning the mutated cell into a malignant tumour. The order in which oncogenes or tumour suppressor genes are functionally selected for in a stem cell impacts the timing and development of a tumour.
Sex and circadian pattern of autonomic status

Abstract The use of heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) to characterize the status and functioning of the human autonomic nervous system has been well established, but the application of 24-h HR and HRV data to characterize circadian rhythms and to the question of differences by biological sex in circadian autonomic patterns has been extremely limited. A recent PubMed search on the term “heart rate variability” in human adults yielded 13,912 citations. Refining the search to “HRV” and “circadian” reduced this number to 820 citations. In these papers, sex is often part of the adjustment in a multivariate analysis, but the possibility of actual sex differences in the circadian rhythm of cardiac electrophysiology is rarely considered. To further complicate matters, age must be considered in any analysis of circadian HRV patterns. The addition of the term “sex” or “gender” to the PubMed search reduced the number of results to 70 citations, of which 11, reviewed here, were directly relevant to the question of differences by biological sex in the circadian rhythm of HR and HRV. Indeed, the perspective that markedly decreased values for 24-h HRV measures like SDNN (the standard deviation of all normal-to-normal interbeat intervals) are a signal for abnormalities in the circadian rhythm, or at least the diurnal rhythm, of autonomic functioning is generally lacking. The first paper that showed that decreased 24-hour HRV was a predictor of mortality in post-MI patients was published in 1987 [ 1 ]. It showed, in the Multi-Center Post-Infarction Project (MPIPI) that SDNN 100 when measured 113 days post-MI. Mean follow up was 31 months and this relationship of SDNN
Comparing Schedules of Progress Monitoring Using Curriculum-Based Measurement in Reading: A Replication Study

Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) is a systematic, ongoing assessment framework that allows special educators to monitor students’ progress and determine the need for instructional adaptations. Je...
Electron Transport in Open Quantum Systems

Electron-transporting devices or experimental structures are necessarily open systems in the sense that they can exchange electrons with their environment (the external circuit). Opening a system necessarily makes it time-irreversible, and this is reflected in the mathematics of open-system boundary condition. The modeling of open systems at three different levels of approximation is described. These include a quantum kinetic theory, and the steady-state and time-dependent Schrodinger equation.
Hitting the Wall: Strategies of Shoulder Pain Management in Adolescent Swimmers

Introduction: “Swimmer’s shoulder” is the colloquial phrase describing pain and injury in the anterolateral region of the shoulder (1). Population studies indicate that 40-91% of adolescent competitive swimmers report shoulder pain. Management of swimmer’s shoulder traditionally relies upon “in-pool” reduction of stroke volume and reallocation of stroke effort to the lower extremity, coupled with “dry-land” muscle strengthening (often via physical therapy [PT]) (2, 3). However, the efficacy of these approaches is unclear (4). Anti-inflammatory therapy including NSAIDs have typically supplemented these approaches as a result (5). In turn, research demonstrates …
A Nonlinear Tire Blowout Stabilizer Based on a Novel Integral Terminal Sliding Mode Controller

This paper proposes an automatic corrective safety controller design and evaluation based on braking/traction actuation to enhance the stability of a ground vehicle subjected to a tire blowout. Along with the nonlinear Dugoff’s tire model, a nonlinear planar seven degrees of freedom control-oriented vehicle model is developed and validated using MSC Adams/car package. The proposed novel control-oriented model accounts for the longitudinal dynamics, large steering and slip angles, and the nonlinearities associated with the vehicle/tire coupled system. In consequence, a distributive torque control technique in the framework of the integral terminal sliding mode controller is established. The integral action is employed in the sliding surfaces to enhance the steady-state tracking performance of the closed-loop system. The controller distributes the control torque demand among the three inflated tires excluding the blown tire to counteract the blowout-induced yawing disturbance. Two control strategies are introduced to facilitate controller practical implementation in both electric and conventional vehicles. The results indicate that the proposed controller is perfectly competent to stabilize the vehicle and robustly track the desired trajectory in a straight line and curvilinear motions as well as under nonlinear operating conditions.
Schoenig, Steven A., SJ, Bonds of Wool: The Pallium and Papal Power in the Middle Ages

When I teach the era of the Carolingian Empire in my survey course on medieval European history, I present my students with the mosaic of Saint Peter, Pope Leo III, and Charlemagne that was install...
Anticonvulsants, SNRIs, and Rubefacients Are Best Initial Choices for Chronic Pain Caused by Diabetic Neuropathy or Postherpetic Neuralgia.

Given the balance of benefits and harms, there is moderately good evidence for anticonvulsants (pregabalin [Lyrica] and gabapentin [Neurontin] were similarly effective and well tolerated) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs; with duloxetine [Cymbalta] and venlafaxine being similarly effective and well tolerated) for treating diabetic neuropathy and postherpetic neuralgia. Rubefacients (usually salicylates) appear to be effective but are less well studied with low-quality evidence. Acupuncture, opioids, and tricyclic antidepressants cannot be recommended based on current evidence.
Epidemic Leptospirosis Associated with Pulmonary Hemorrhage in Nicaragua, Other Recent Outbreaks, and Diagnostic Testing: Issues and Opportunities

This chapter reviews the investigation of a large epidemic of leptospirosis in Nicaragua, two other recent smaller outbreaks, and the current status of diagnostic testing. It may be tempting to speculate that cases of pulmonary hemorrhage resulted from particular virulence factors associated with an as-yet-unidentified new leptospiral serovar. The human serology and culture results suggest that there were multiple serovars involved. This is consistent with the importance of flooding in causing this epidemic as well as identifying walking through creeks as an independent risk factor. The epidemic in Nicaragua and the smaller outbreaks in Puerto Rico and Costa Rica demonstrate the difficulties associated with recognition of leptospirosis, both because of its similarity to other febrile diseases and the lack of simple, widely applicable diagnostic tests. Development of new diagnostic tests including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and dipstick format tests to detect IgM antibodies on acute serum specimens, immunohistochemistry, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based detection of leptospiral DNA, provide opportunities for developed and developing countries to improve or implement diagnostic testing for leptospirosis.
Regulation of differentiation of the BC3H1 muscle cell line through cAMP-dependent and -independent pathways

Serum mitogens, fibroblast growth factor (FGF), and type beta transforming growth factor (TGF-beta) suppress differentiation of the mouse muscle cell line BC3H1; however, the signal transduction pathways whereby these growth factors exert their effects on this system are unknown. The goal of this study was to determine whether the program for differentiation of BC3H1 cells was susceptible to negative regulation by signaling pathways involving cAMP or protein kinase C and whether these intracellular effectors participate in the mechanism by which growth factors prevent establishment of the myogenic phenotype. Exposure of BC3H1 cells to dibutyryl cAMP, 8-bromo-cAMP, or compounds that stimulate adenylate cyclase, i.e. forskolin, prostaglandin E1, and cholera toxin, prevented up-regulation of muscle-specific gene products following growth arrest in mitogen-deficient medium. Conversely, addition of cAMP to differentiated BC3H1 myocytes caused down-regulation of muscle-specific mRNAs. In contrast to the ability of cAMP to block differentiation, chronic exposure to O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, the potent activator of protein kinase C, exhibited no apparent effects on expression of muscle-specific gene products. The proto-oncogenes c-myc and c-fos were up-regulated rapidly by cAMP in a manner similar to that observed previously by serum, FGF, and TGF-beta. However, these growth factors failed to increase intracellular cAMP levels, and they did not induce ornithine decarboxylase, which was subject to positive regulation by cAMP and O-tetradecanoyl-13-acetate. Together, these data indicate that differentiation of BC3H1 cells is subject to negative regulation through a cAMP-dependent pathway and that serum mitogens, FGF, and TGF-beta inhibit differentiation through a mechanism independent of cAMP or protein kinase C.
Power Grid and Natural Disasters: A Framework for Vulnerability Assessment

As unexpected, large-scale and uncontrollable events, natural disasters can cause devastating damages to a society's infrastructure. The possible interruption in electric service is not simply a matter of inconvenience, since in our modern societies this could disrupt many services our everyday lives depend on. Any disturbance in critical municipal infrastructure such as water sanitation and sewage plants, hospitals and emergency services, telecommunication networks, and police stations will add to the devastation and distress during the event, and may severely hinder any post-disaster recovery efforts. The first step to reinforce the power grid against such hazards is to assess the vulnerability of different system components against disaster events scenarios. By identifying the weak links in the system, remedial actions can be undertaken in an attempt to strengthen the energy delivery network. The purpose of this paper is to provide a mathematical framework for analysis of the interaction between natural hazards and the power grid. The outcome of this study can be used in any mitigation technique during the design or operation stages.
The aging musician.

OBJECTIVE: Older musicians may develop occupational performance problems resulting from age-related changes and features unique to their occupation. The purpose of this study was to describe the impact of the aging process on an older professional musician. METHOD: A phenomenological approach was used to study the effects of the aging process on a 71 year old, semi-retired, part-time paid jazz musician. Data were gathered through interviews and observations of performance environments, and analyzed using a grounded hermeneutic approach. An expert panel facilitated theme development. RESULTS: The musician's experiences related to changes in an ability to perform his daily occupations, including music; his response to the external changes in the playing environment and in his relationships with others; and the way in which he has coped with these changes. CONCLUSION: Occupational therapists who provide intervention for older musicians must implement a client centered approach to care, which provides strategies the musician can use to overcome the challenges related to aging in order to continue professional performance.
CDC updates guidelines for treating sexually transmitted diseases.

n June 5, 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and PreO vention (CDC) published revised guidelines for the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The document also discusses diagnostic recommendations and prevention strategies. This publication updates the guidelines published in 2010. A full report was published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (cdc.gov/std/tg2015/default.htm).
Framing Childhood Obesity: How Individualizing the Problem Affects Public Support for Prevention

Political actors recognize the power of framing problems using personalized examples and causal stories to shape public opinion. Yet little is known about how these frames interact. This research presents the results of three studies designed to investigate the effect of “individualizing” the problem of childhood obesity, in combination with information about causes of obesity, on public support for obesity prevention policies (Studies 1 and 2) and to examine how frequently the news media rely on individual depictions of obese children to portray the problem in actual news coverage (Study 3). Results from two experiments consistently demonstrated that, regardless of how the cause of childhood obesity was framed, when a news report identified an individual obese child, participants were less likely to support prevention policies than when the report described the problem in more general terms. A content analysis indicated that news articles relatively infrequently frame the problem using individualized depictions of a specific child. When specific overweight or obese children were mentioned, news coverage emphasized internal (behavioral and genetic) causes rather than factors external to the child such as neighborhood, economic, or food-industry factors. Findings underscore the importance of considering attitudes toward a policy's target population when assessing how individual depictions of a policy problem influence public sentiment.
Influence of Maternal Phenotype on Metabolic Differentiation of Agouti Locus Mutants in the Mouse

The results of extensive breeding experiments indicate that the phenotypic differentiation of embryos carrying the viable yellow, A vy, or mottled, am, mutations is influenced to a major extent by the agouti locus genotype and the strain genome of the dam. The Avy/a and am/a genotypes are each expressed in a spectrum of coat color phenotypes. These can be grouped into two classes, mottled and pseudoagouti.—In a reciprocal cross of C57BL/6JNIcrWf and AM/Wf-am/am mice, 29.5% of the offspring of C57BL/6 dams were of the pseudoagouti phenotype, whereas no pseudoagouti offspring were produced by AM strain dams.—Mottled yellow Avy/a mice become obese and tumor formation is enhanced in these mice in comparison with the lean pseudoagouti Avy/a siblings.—In two different reciprocal crosses using four different inbred strains, the proportion of pseudoagouti Avy/a offspring differed according to the strain of the dam. Regardless of strain, mottled yellow A vy/a dams produced significantly fewer pseudoagouti A vy/a offspring than did black a/a dams.—The data suggest that metabolic differentiation of Avy/a zygotes into phenotypic classes with different susceptibilities to obesity and tumor formation is influenced to a considerable degree by the metabolic characteristics of the oviductal and uterine environment of the dam.
Neonatal regulatory T cells have reduced capacity to suppress dendritic cell function

Regulatory T cells (Treg cells) limit contact between dendritic cells (DCs) and conventional T cells (Tcons), decreasing the formation of aggregates as well as down-modulating the expression of co-stimulatory molecules by DCs, thus decreasing DC immunogenicity and abrogating T-cell activation. Despite the importance of this Treg-cell function, the capacity of Treg cells from term and preterm neonates to suppress DCs, and the suppressive mechanisms they use, are still undefined. We found that, relative to adult Treg cells, activated Treg cells from human neonates expressed lower FOXP3 and CTLA-4, but contained higher levels of cAMP. We developed an in vitro model in which Treg function was measured at a physiological ratio of 1 Treg for 10 Tcon and 1 monocyte-derived DC, as Treg target. Term and preterm Treg cells failed to suppress the formation of DC-Tcon aggregates, in contrast to naive and memory Treg cells from adults. However, neonatal Treg cells diminished DC and Tcon activation as well as actin polymerization at the immunological synapses. In addition, CTLA-4 and cAMP were the main suppressive molecules used by neonatal Treg. Altogether, both preterm and term neonatal Treg cells appear less functional than adult Treg cells, and this defect is consistent with the general impairment of CD4 cell function in newborns.
Enhancing profiles for anomaly detection using time granularities

Recently, association rules have been used to generate profiles of "normal" behavior for anomaly detection. However, the time factor (especially in terms of multiple time granularities) has not been utilized extensively in generation of these profiles. In reality, user behavior during different time intervals may be very different. For example, the "normal" number and duration of FTP connections may vary from working hours to midnight, from business day to weekend or holiday. Furthermore, these variations may depend on the day of the month or the week. This paper proposes to build profiles using temporal association rules in terms of multiple time granularities, and describes algorithms to discover these profiles. Because multiple time granularities are used for the profile generation, the proposed method is more flexible and precise than previous methods that use fixed partition of time intervals. Finally, the paper describes an experiment and its preliminary result on TCP-dump data.
Core design studies for a 1000 MWth Advanced Burner Reactor

Abstract This paper describes the core design and performance characteristics of 1000 MW th Advanced Burner Reactor (ABR) core concepts with a wide range of TRU conversion ratio. Using ternary metal alloy and mixed oxide fuels, reference core designs of a medium TRU conversion ratio of ∼0.7 were developed by trade-off between burnup reactivity loss and TRU conversion ratio. Based on these reference core concepts, TRU burner cores with low and high TRU conversion ratios were developed by changing the intra-assembly design parameters and core configurations. Reactor performance characteristics were evaluated in detail, including equilibrium cycle core performances, reactivity feedback coefficients, and shutdown margins. The results showed that by employing different assembly designs, a wide range of TRU conversion ratios from ∼0.2 to break-even can be achieved within the same core without introducing significant performance and safety penalties.
Obtaining patient test results from clinical laboratories: a survey of state law for pharmacists.

Objectives To identify states with laws that restrict to whom clinical laboratories may release copies of laboratory test results and to describe how these laws may affect pharmacists' ability to obtain patient laboratory test results. Methods Researchers examined state statutes and administrative codes for all 50 states and the District of Columbia at the University of Iowa Law Library between June and July 2007. Researchers also consulted with lawyers, state Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments officers, and law librarians. Laws relating to the study objective were analyzed. Results 34 jurisdictions do not restrict the release of laboratory test results, while 17 states have laws that restrict to whom clinical laboratories can send copies of test results. In these states, pharmacists will have to use alternative sources, such as physician offices, to obtain test results. Conclusion Pharmacists must consider state law before requesting copies of laboratory test results from clinical laboratories. This may be an issue that state pharmacy associations can address to increase pharmacist access to important patient information.
MEDIATION OF ABUSIVE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES: Depression, Dissociation, and Negative Life Outcomes

A study of 301 college undergraduates is employed to test a causal model which proposes that dissociation and depression act as mediator variables that develop from child abuse and lead to various negative outcomes. As predicted, child maltreatment was found to be related to negative life experiences, with depression and dissociation differentially mediating the various outcomes.
Prediction of motivation and behavior change following health promotion: role of health beliefs, social support, and self-efficacy.

Abstract Dimensions of health beliefs (perceived risk of behavior and benefit of behavior change), social support (family and others' support for change), and self-efficacy (magnitude and strength) were examined in 215 patients undergoing a prospective trial of health promotion in a primary care medical practice. Discriminant analyses were performed to evaluate how well these dimensions predicted motivation for change and lifestyle behavior change. These relationships were examined for six lifestyle areas: cigarette smoking, dealing with stress, amount and type of food eaten, use of seat belts, and exercise habits. The analyses demonstrated a statistically and clinically significant prediction of motivation by one or more health belief and self-efficacy dimensions for most lifestyle areas. The strongest single predictors were perceived benefits and self-efficacy strength, which were each significant predictors of motivation in four lifestyle areas (P Behavior change was poorly predicted by beliefs, support, and self-efficacy for most lifestyle areas. However, adding motivation to the discriminant function equation resulted in significant predictions in all six lifestyle areas (P
Changes in weather and the effects on pediatric asthma exacerbations

Background Pediatric asthma exacerbations may correlate with changes in weather, yet this relationship is not well defined. Objective To determine the effects of fluctuations in climatic factors (temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure) on pediatric asthma exacerbations. Methods A retrospective study was performed at 1 large urban hospital during a 2-year period (January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2005). Children presenting to the emergency department (ED) for an asthma exacerbation were included. Data on climactic factors, pollutants, and aeroallergens were collected daily. The relationship of daily (intraday) or between-day (interday) changes in climactic factors and asthma ED visits was evaluated using time series analysis, controlling for seasonality, air pollution, and aeroallergen exposure. The effects of climactic factors were evaluated on the day of admission (T = 0) and up to 5 days before admission (T − 5 through T − 1). Results There were 25,401 asthma ED visits. A 10% intraday increase in humidity on day T − 1 or day T − 2 was associated with approximately 1 additional ED visit for asthma ( P P = .01, respectively). Interday changes in humidity from day T − 3 to T − 2 were also associated with more ED visits ( P P = .006). No association was found with changes in barometric pressure. Conclusion Fluctuations in humidity and temperature, but not barometric pressure, appear to influence ED visits for pediatric asthma. The additional ED visits occur 1 to 2 days after the fluctuation.
Bringing toxicology into the 21st century: A global call to action

Conventional toxicological testing methods are often decades old, costly and low-throughput, with questionable relevance to the human condition. Several of these factors have contributed to a backlog of chemicals that have been inadequately assessed for toxicity. Some authorities have responded to this challenge by implementing large-scale testing programmes. Others have concluded that a paradigm shift in toxicology is warranted. One such call came in 2007 from the United States National Research Council (NRC), which articulated a vision of "21st century toxicology" based predominantly on non-animal techniques. Potential advantages of such an approach include the capacity to examine a far greater number of chemicals and biological outcomes at more relevant exposure levels; a substantial reduction in testing costs, time and animal use; and the grounding of regulatory decisions on human rather than rodent biology. In order for the NRC's and similar proposals to make a significant impact on regulatory toxicology in the foreseeable future, they must be translated into sustained multidisciplinary research programmes that are well co-ordinated and funded on a multinational level. The Humane Society is calling for a "big biology" project to meet this challenge. We are in the process of forging an international, multi-stakeholder consortium dedicated to implementing the NRC vision.
Testing Statistical Hypotheses on Stochastic Ordering of Discrete Distributions

Abstract Let F 0 and F be distribution functions over a finite sample space. We propose methods to test whether F is stochastically smaller than F 0 based on a random sample from the distribution F. We propose one- and two-stage tests, investigate the properties of the power function, and provide methods for sample size determination and critical value computation. Our methods can be applied to phase II clinical trials with multinomial ordinal responses as endpoints.
Affine maps of density matrices

For quantum systems described by finite matrices, linear and affine maps of matrices are shown to provide equivalent descriptions of evolution of density matrices for a subsystem caused by unitary Hamiltonian evolution in a larger system; an affine map can be replaced by a linear map, and a linear map can be replaced by an affine map. There may be significant advantage in using an affine map. The linear map is generally not completely positive, but the linear part of an equivalent affine map can be chosen to be completely positive and related in the simplest possible way to the unitary Hamiltonian evolution in the larger system.
Dimensions of lexical coding in Chinese and English

Phonology and orthography are closely related in some languages, such as English, and they are nearly unrelated in others, such as Chinese. The effects of these differences were assessed in a study of the roles of phonemic, graphemic, and semantic information on lexical coding and memory for Chinese logographs and English words. Some of the stimuli in the two languages were selected such that the natural confounding between phonemic and graphemic information in English was matched in the set of Chinese words used. An initial scaling study indicated that this attempt to equate degree of phonemic-graphemic confounding was successful. A second experiment used a recognition memory task for English and Chinese words with separate subject groups of native speakers of the two languages. Subjects were to select one of a pair of test words that was phonemically, graphemically, or semantically similar to a word on a previously studied list. Differences in the dimensions of lexical coding in memory were demonstrated in significant Stimulus Type by Decision Type interactions in the recognition data. Chinese-speaking subjects responded most rapidly and accurately in the graphemic recognition task, whereas performance was generally equivalent in all three tasks for the English-speaking subjects. Alphabetic and logographic writing systems apparently activate different coding and memory mechanisms such that logographic characters produce significantly more visual information in memory, whereas alphabetic words result in a more integrated code involving visual, phonological, and semantic information.
PTSD in Children Younger Than the Age of 13: Toward Developmentally Sensitive Assessment and Management

Posttraumatic stress disorder can be more difficult to assess compared to other disorders. The complicated nature of the symptoms contributes to underdetection of the diagnosis in children. The most substantial proposal for the diagnostic criteria is to lower the Criterion C requirement from three to one symptom. Comorbid disorders tend to complicate the clinical picture, but research is reviewed showing that posttraumatic stress disorder is the core, well-defined posttrauma syndrome. Early longitudinal studies have suggested that the course may be more chronic in children than in adults. Caution is urged about how to view the effects of parent–child relationships on children's symptomatology following trauma. The author organizes advice for interviewing respondents into seven practical suggestions and discusses treatment implications.
Anterior cruciate ligament injuries in children and adolescents: A review of the recent literature

In contrast to the treatment of avulsion lesions of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) the management of intrasubstance ACL tears in the skeletally immature patient remains controversial. Prospective studies could show that conservative treatment results in severe instability with concomitant intraarticular damage and poor function of the knee. Reconstruction of a torn ACL always carries the risk of damaging the open growth plates; with consecutively affecting the longitudinal or axial growth of the lower extremity either on the femoral or the tibial side. Thus, several surgical procedures are available to prevent adverse events mentioned above. The purpose of this study is to review the recent literature regarding the treatment algorithm for ACL injuries in skeletally immature patients. This review will (1) investigate the indications for ACL surgery in children; (2) determine if a surgical procedure is clinically superior in skeletally immature patients; and (3) correlate the adverse events with the surgical technique.
Urn model simulations of a sexually transmitted disease epidemic

Two models are presented which were developed for studying the transmission of Chlamydia trachomatis (a sexually transmitted disease) in a closed university population. These models, which are based on the idea of urn models, are ideally suited for stochastic simulation. In this paper, we develop the models and give a brief mathematical analysis. Stochastic simulation results are then presented and their epidemiological significance is discussed.
Measuring consortium impact on user perceptions: OhioLINK and LibQUAL+™

Abstract What is the impact of an academic library consortium on the perceptions of library services experienced by users of the member institutions' libraries? What is the impact of an academic library consortium on the perceptions of library services experienced by users of the member institutions libraries? In 2002 and 2003, OhioLINK (Ohio's consortium of eighty-four Ohio universities, colleges, community colleges, and the State Library of Ohio) provided financial support for participation of member institutions in the LibQUAL+™ survey on library user perceptions. Academic libraries seem to be more alike than different when measured by service quality perceptions using the LibQUAL+™ instrument. One of the most beneficial uses of LibQUAL+™ at the consortium level may be one of continuous improvement, benchmarking against previous years' performances.
Absence of Circadian Phase Resetting in Response to Bright Light Behind the Knees

Light is the dominant environmental time cue for circadian clocks. In 1998, bright, narrow-spectrum blue light exposure to the back of the knees was reported to reset the human circadian pacemaker (HCP) ([1][1]). Science recognized the widely cited report as among the top discoveries that year to
Unfolding of the C-terminal domain of the j-protein zuo1 releases autoinhibition and activates pdr1-dependent transcription.

The C-terminal 69 residues of the J-protein Zuo1 are sufficient to activate Pdr1, a transcription factor involved in both pleiotropic drug resistance and growth control. Little is understood about the pathway of activation by this primarily ribosome associated Hsp40 co-chaperone. Here, we report that only the C-terminal 13 residues of Zuo1 are required for activation of Pdr1, with hydrophobic residues being critical for activity. Two-hybrid interaction experiments suggest that the interaction between this 13-residue Zuo1 peptide and Pdr1 is direct, analogous to the activation of Pdr1 by xenobiotics. However, simply dissociation of Zuo1 from the ribosome is not sufficient for induction of Pdr1 transcriptional activity, as the C-terminal 86 residues of Zuo1 fold into an autoinhibitory left-handed four-helix bundle. Hydrophobic residues critical for interaction with Pdr1 are sequestered within the structure of this C-terminal domain (CTD), necessitating unfolding for activation. Thus, although expression of the CTD does not result in activation, alterations that destabilize the structure cause induction of pleiotropic drug resistance. These destabilizing alterations also result in dissociation of the full-length protein from the ribosome. Thus, our results are consistent with an activation pathway in which unfolding of Zuo1's C-terminal helical bundle domain results in ribosome dissociation followed by activation of Pdr1 via a direct interaction.
Structural aspects of heterotrimeric G-protein signaling

Recently, structures of heterotrimeric G-protein subunits have been determined in isolation, in conjunction with each other, and in complex with their regulators. Along with biochemical information, these structures suggest how G-protein subunits are oriented relative to the membrane surface and relative to seven-transmembrane helix receptors. They also suggest mechanisms for receptor-catalyzed nucleotide exchange.
Improved CLA scheme with optimized delay

The delay characteristics of carry-lookahead (CLA) adders are examined with respect to a delay model that accounts for fan-in and fan-out dependencies. Though CLA structures are considered among the fastest topologies for performing addition, they have also been characterized as providing marginal speed improvement for the amount of hardware invested. This analysis shows that this inefficiency can be explained by the suboptimal nature of common CLA implementations. Simulation results show that the CLA structures in wide use can be improved by varying the block sizes and the number of levels within each adder. Examples of optimal CLA structures are given and heuristic methods for finding these structures are presented.
The Bloody Pancreas: MDCT and MRI Features of Hypervascular and Hemorrhagic Pancreatic Conditions

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to illustrate the varied MDCT and MRI appearances of hypervascular and hemorrhagic pancreatic conditions and their mimics.CONCLUSION. Pancreatic hypervascular conditions are easily detected at multiphasic contrast-enhanced MDCT and MRI. Hemorrhagic pancreatic abnormalities are best depicted with unenhanced CT and, especially, fat-suppressed T1-weighted MRI. Familiarity with the spectrum of possible underlying causes and the imaging features and conditions that can act as mimics assists radiologists in making an accurate presumptive diagnosis.
The Index of Learning Styles as Predictors of Cave Hill Undergraduate Chemistry Students' Achievement in Inorganic Chemistry

This study was conducted to determine the learning styles of the undergraduate chemistry students at the University of the West Indies (the UWI) Cave Hill Campus and to see if they made any contribution to the academic achievement scores of the chemistry students in two aspects of inorganic chemistry: group theory and non-group theory chemistry. An adapted index of learning styles questionnaire was used to determine the learning styles of the undergraduate chemistry students. The reliability of the questionnaire was determined using the Cronbach’s alpha. A total of 58 students participated in the study and the data collected was analyzed by t-test, ANOVA and linear regression via the Predictive Analysis Software (PASW) at a confidence level of 0.05. The study showed that the majority of the chemistry students were active, sensate, visual and sequential learners. The contribution of the learning styles as predictors of a chemistry student’s academic achievement was negligible and not statistically significant in either group theory or non-group theory chemistry. However, the active/reflective learning style category was the highest contributor towards non-group theory chemistry whereas the sequential/global learning style category was the highest contributor towards academic achievement in group theory chemistry. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2013.v2n2p299
Optimizing the Power and Magic of Teaching

Abstract Teachers are placed in one of three categories: those who perform at an unacceptable level, those who function at an acceptable level, and those who go beyond the basic job description to teach “charismatically.” The advantages of being a teaching generalist also are described, along with the energy that flows from presenting ideas from various fields and seeking linkages between domains of diverse knowledge. I will describe my four basic premises for teaching, which involve making it (1) memorable, (2) right, (3) relevant, and (4) better next time.
Consumers’ Response When Regulators Are Uncertain About the Source of Foodborne Illness

Health and safety officials are sometimes placed in an awkward position: knowing that a foodborne disease outbreak is occurring but not knowing which food is responsible. They have to advise consumers, but relying on ambiguous and evolving information raises the question, how do consumers respond to changing advice? Here, we estimate a model of the retail demand for tomatoes in the USA, accounting for the 2008 events in the USA in which consumers were advised that some types of tomatoes were contaminated with Salmonella bacteria, and later were advised that tomatoes were safe and peppers were not. Using the quantity of news media attention given to the Salmonella issue, we show that consumers generally responded to the advice that tomatoes were contaminated, but did not respond to the declaration that tomatoes were safe. The magnitude of response to contemporaneous news depended on the extent of coverage in previous weeks.
ADAPTATIONS IN GROWTH AND DIVISION IN EUGLENA EFFECTED BY ENERGY SUPPLY.

SYNOPSIS. Euglena gracilis (strain Z) was grown auto-trophically at different light intensities, saturating or limiting for cell division. Adaptation to culture at each light intensity was gauged from division rate, mass, protein, photosynthetic pigments, nucleic acids, volume, paramylum, lipids, respiration, and photosynthesis. Illumination above 1200 foot-, candles was saturating for all aspects of cell growth; the highest intensity examined (3,000 ft-c) slightly inhibited cell division. Intensities between 400 and 1200 ft-c were saturating for all except photosynthesis and paramylum accumulation. Intensities less than about 200 ft-c became limiting for all fractions except protein, which remained constant over the range 120–3000 ft-c, dropping, however, at 65 ft-c. Concentration of photosynthetic pigments increased as light intensity decreased. Absolute synthetic rates were estimated for the individual Euglena cell for the measured cell constituents. While most followed a predictable pattern, increasing with light intensity to saturating levels, the synthetic rates for the pigments went through maxima at 190 ft-c. Since fixed carbon in limiting light is so apportioned that protein is synthesized to the exclusion of paramylum, one concludes that the energy requirements for cell growth (measured as protein synthesis), and to a lesser extent cell division, have a higher priority than do those activities concerned more directly with maintenance.