cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of glyceraldehyde on glucose metabolism in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells

Abstract The addition of d, l -glyceraldehyde to Ehrlich ascites tumor cells resulted in a stimulation of glucose-1- 14 C conversion to 14 CO 2 , a decrease in glucose-6- 14 C conversion to 14 CO 2 , a decrease in total glucose consumption, and a depression of lactate production. These changes were associated with decreased steady-state levels of ATP and increased levels of glucose 6-phosphate. Aldose reductase activity was demonstrated in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells and a mechanism proposed for the stimulation of 14 CO 2 production from glucose-1- 14 C by glyceraldehyde, based on glyceraldehyde acting as a substrate for aldose reductase.
Major differences observed in transcript profiles of blueberry during cold acclimation under field and cold room conditions

Our laboratory has been working toward increasing our understanding of the genetic control of cold hardiness in blueberry (Vaccinium section Cyanococcus) to ultimately use this information to develop more cold hardy cultivars for the industry. Here, we report using cDNA microarrays to monitor changes in gene expression at multiple times during cold acclimation under field and cold room conditions. Microarrays contained over 2,500 cDNA inserts, approximately half of which had been picked and single-pass sequenced from each of two cDNA libraries that were constructed from cold acclimated floral buds and non-acclimated floral buds of the fairly cold hardy cv. Bluecrop (Vaccinium corymbosum L.). Two biological samples were examined at each time point. Microarray data were analyzed statistically using t tests, ANOVA, clustering algorithms, and online analytical processing (OLAP). Interestingly, more transcripts were found to be upregulated under cold room conditions than under field conditions. Many of the genes induced only under cold room conditions could be divided into three major types: (1) genes associated with stress tolerance; (2) those that encode glycolytic and TCA cycle enzymes, and (3) those associated with protein synthesis machinery. A few of the genes induced only under field conditions appear to be related to light stress. Possible explanations for these differences are discussed in physiological context. Although many similarities exist in how plants respond during cold acclimation in the cold room and in the field environment, there are major differences suggesting caution should be taken in interpreting results based only on artificial, cold room conditions.
Environmental justice and deliberative democracy: How social change organizations respond to power in the deliberative system

Abstract This article examines how civil society organizations transmit policy ideas to decision makers in deliberative politics. Drawing on a case of the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice, it focuses on how they respond to hegemonic power and considers action within “the deliberative system,” including deliberative forums and broader public discourse. I find that civil society actors use both discursive and coercive forms of power to mobilize meaning and interrupt prevailing assumptions about race in environmental decision making. Contrary to theory, the civil society organization used coercive power mostly in and relating to face-to-face deliberation (to secure a fairer process and get their policy problems on the agenda). When their ideas about racial discrimination were weakened in deliberations, however, they used non-confrontational forms of discursive power to develop critical discourse on race and disseminate it in the public sphere where it could inform future political action.
Preliminary thermal analysis for Saturn entry

A preliminary thermal analysis based on recently defined Saturn entry conditions has been conducted. The study, using viscous-shock-layer and engineering codes employed for Project Galileo, investigated nonequilibrium chemistry effects on the Saturn thermal environment, defined the primary heat-transfer mode for heatshield design, delineated some problem areas for future thermal studies, and validated BIRCHES (Blunt Body Inviscid Radiative and Convective Heating Engineering Solutions) for parametric or design studies. The effect of nonequilibrium chemistry appears to significantly influence only the radiative fluxes with effects localized to the stagnation region. However, the heat-transfer mode pertinent to the overall heat-shield design is convection. The convective results of BIRCHES and a detailed code are in good agreement. The resulting mass-loss rates for the currently prescribed nominal Saturn entry conditions are small when compared with the values for nominal Jupiter entry conditions. With coupled carbon-phenolic ablation injection, the convective heating rates are reduced substantially while the radiative heating rates are increased when compared with the corresponding no-injection results.
Conserved genes in enteric bacteria are not identical

In addition to ribosomal RNA genes, a relatively small number of genes are highly conserved between Escherichia coli andSalmonella typhimurium on the one hand, and either Serratia marcescens or Proteus morganii on the other hand. The conserved non-rRNA genes are not the same in S. marcescens and P. morganii. Different genetic segments have maintained nucleotide sequence similarity to parts of the E. coli and S. typhimurium genomes in the course of the evolution of S. marcescens and P. morganii.
Ethanolminduced intracellular calcium mobilization rapidly alters gene expression in the mouse blastocyst

Abstract The induction of intracellular Ca 2+ release in pre-implantation mouse embryos accelerates their subsequent rate of development in vitro through a calmodulin-dependent mechanism [Stachecki J.J., Armant D.R. Transient release of calcium from inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-specific stores regulates mouse pre-implantation development. Development 1996; 122 : 2485–2496]. To examine the hypothesis that intracellular Ca 2+ signaling alters embryonic gene expression, individual transcript levels were compared by mRNA differential display before and 1 h after intracellular Ca 2+ mobilization with ethanol in mouse blastocysts. Ten up-regulated and four down-regulated genes were observed, representing 3.5% of approximately 400 transcripts that were resolved. After sequencing, most of the DNA fragments appeared to be novel; however, two amplicons that increased after Ca 2+ mobilization were identified as arginase and ubiquitin conjugating enzyme (E2). The up-regulation of arginase mRNA (3.5-fold after 2 h) was confirmed by reverse transcription and the polymerase chain reaction using specific oligonucleotide primers derived from the deduced mouse embryo sequence. A corresponding 2.5-fold increase in arginase enzymatic activity peaked 9 h after ethanol exposure. Increased expression of arginase and other genes may mediate the onset of rapid cell proliferation and differentiation that is induced by Ca 2+ signaling during pre-implantation development.
Sequencing of antiangiogenic agents in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer.

Abstract Significant advances have been made with respect to our understanding of the critical role of agents targeting angiogenic pathways in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). The approval of 3 agents that target angiogenic signaling, bevacizumab, ziv-aflibercept, and regorafenib, provides strong evidence that angiogenesis is an important process in mCRC. The addition of bevacizumab to combination chemotherapy in the first- and second-line treatment of mCRC has resulted in meaningful improvement in overall and progression-free survival. The standard of care for mCRC has evolved to incorporate cytotoxic chemotherapy as the backbone regimens (eg, FOLFOX [folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin], FOLFIRI [folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil, and irinotecan]) with or without bevacizumab, and epidermal growth factor receptor–targeted therapies (eg, cetuximab, panitumumab) in the setting of wild-type KRAS . The development of ziv-aflibercept in combination with FOLFIRI has improved clinical efficacy in the second-line treatment of mCRC. Regorafenib, a small-molecule multikinase inhibitor, has recently been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as single-agent therapy in the treatment of refractory and progressive mCRC. Each of these agents has been integrated into an evidence-based—albeit, still evolving—treatment continuum for initial treatment, treatment after first progression, and treatment after second progression. However, the most effective strategy for the use of these agents, and others in development remains unclear. This review provides an overview of the current clinical evidence for the use of antiangiogenic agents targeting in the treatment of mCRC.
Salivary secretion of ABH blood groupsubstances in cystic fibrosis of the pancreas

Summary The salivary secretion of ABH blood groupsubstances was studied in 65 patients with cystic fibrosis and 40 normal control subjects. No association was demonstrated between ABH secretory status and cystic fibrosis.
A theoretical study of solvent effects on Kolbe–Schmitt reaction kinetics

Abstract A theoretical DFT study was employed to confirm the Kolbe–Schmitt reaction mechanism and investigate solvent effects on this reaction. The use of a solvent in the Kolbe–Schmitt reaction is desirable to facilitate a homogeneous reaction mixture and potentially improve the reaction rate. The candidate solvents were designed using computer aided molecular design (CAMD) and tested using DFT solvation calculations. The results from the quantum mechanical calculations were then used to determine the rate constants for each elementary step, the overall reaction yields and the corresponding residence time. The methodology was tested on the reaction without solvent, with solvents reported in the literature, and with the designed solvents. The study revealed that in the presence of solvents with high dielectric constant the reaction becomes reversible, leading to low product yields.
Distribution of fractal clusters and scaling in the Ising model

The distribution of clusters of aligned spins in the Ising model in two and three dimensions is evaluated by Monte Carlo simulations below the critical temperature. These clusters are found to be fractals and the distribution for large-size clusters satisfies scaling properties. The scaling exponents for the distribution function, the surface exponent, and the fractal dimension of the clusters are evaluated and related to the critical exponents of the Ising model.
Ingredient Branding: A Strategy Option with Multiple Beneficiaries

Analyses the strategy of ingredient branding and its implications on the distribution channel members, in addition to its potential for aiding product introduction and adoption. Considers the benefits and the drawbacks for the supplier, manufacturer, retailer and consumer. Concludes that the appropriateness of ingredient branding depends on manufacturer‐supplier relationship, the need to differentiate the brand, and the ability to implement the new branding strategy.
The miR-183/Taok1 Target Pair Is Implicated in Cochlear Responses to Acoustic Trauma

Acoustic trauma, one of the leading causes of sensorineural hearing loss, induces sensory hair cell damage in the cochlea. Identifying the molecular mechanisms involved in regulating sensory hair cell death is critical towards developing effective treatments for preventing hair cell damage. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to participate in the regulatory mechanisms of inner ear development and homeostasis. However, their involvement in cochlear sensory cell degeneration following acoustic trauma is unknown. Here, we profiled the expression pattern of miRNAs in the cochlear sensory epithelium, defined miRNA responses to acoustic overstimulation, and explored potential mRNA targets of miRNAs that may be responsible for the stress responses of the cochlea. Expression analysis of miRNAs in the cochlear sensory epithelium revealed constitutive expression of 176 miRNAs, many of which have not been previously reported in cochlear tissue. Exposure to intense noise caused significant threshold shift and apoptotic activity in the cochleae. Gene expression analysis of noise-traumatized cochleae revealed time-dependent transcriptional changes in the expression of miRNAs. Target prediction analysis revealed potential target genes of the significantly downregulated miRNAs, many of which had cell death- and apoptosis-related functions. Verification of the predicted targets revealed a significant upregulation of Taok1, a target of miRNA-183. Moreover, inhibition of miR-183 with morpholino antisense oligos in cochlear organotypic cultures revealed a negative correlation between the expression levels of miR-183 and Taok1, suggesting the presence of a miR-183/Taok1 target pair. Together, miRNA profiling as well as the target analysis and validation suggest the involvement of miRNAs in the regulation of the degenerative process of the cochlea following acoustic overstimulation. The miR-183/Taok1 target pair is likely to play a role in this regulatory process.
The Nuclear Spin and Quadrupole Moment of I 131

Measurements on the $J=2\ensuremath{\rightarrow}3$ rotational transition of C${\mathrm{H}}_{3}$${\mathrm{I}}^{131}$ have been made in the 6.75-mm wavelength region. The nuclear spin of ${\mathrm{I}}^{131}$ was found to be $\frac{7}{2}$ and the quadrupole coupling, -973\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}9 Mc/sec. This coupling gives -0.412\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}24}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ for the quadrupole moment of ${\mathrm{I}}^{131}$.
The Impact of Natural Disasters on Stock Markets: Evidence from Japan and the US

This paper investigates the impact of natural disasters on the insurance sector as well as on the composite stock market in Japan and the US. GARCH models are employed to capture both wealth and risk effects of natural disasters. There are no wealth effects in the US and Japan composite stock markets, indicating that these markets can well diversify away the impact of natural disasters on stock return, but there are significant wealth effects in the US and Japan insurance sectors. While US investors in the insurance sector lose, those in Japan gain. All markets except the composite stock market in Japan face risk effects of natural disasters.
Investigating the Li-O2 Battery in an Ether-Based Electrolyte Using Differential Electrochemical Mass Spectrometry

We use differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS) to characterize the Li-O2 battery in an electrolyte containing tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether (TEGDME) and lithium triflate (LiOTf) and examine the effect of several cathode catalysts. Au nanoparticles increase the amount of O2 evolved during charge and improve the cycleability of the cell. In contrast, Pt, Pd, and Cu(II) oxide catalysts are detrimental to battery performance because they catalyze solvent or carbon cathode decomposition as evidenced by CO2 evolution. Regardless of the catalyst employed, the amount of O2 measured upon charge is significantly less than that expected for complete Li2O2 formation and decomposition, in agreement with the rapidly fading capacity observed during battery cycling. These findings suggest that TEGDME is not a suitable solvent for a reversible Li-O2 battery.
Teleology then and now: The question of Kant’s relevance for contemporary controversies over function in biology

Abstract ‘Naturalism’ is the aspiration of contemporary philosophy of biology, and Kant simply cannot be refashioned into a naturalist. Instead, epistemological ‘deflation’ was the decisive feature of Kant’s treatment of the ‘biomedical’ science in his day, so it is not surprising that this might attract some philosophers of science to him today. A certain sense of impasse in the contemporary ‘function talk’ seems to motivate renewed interest in Kant. Kant—drawing on his eighteenth-century predecessors—provided a discerning and powerful characterization of what biologists had to explain in organic form. His difference from the rest is that he opined that it was impossible to explain it. Its ‘inscrutability’ was intrinsic. The third Critique essentially proposed the reduction of biology to a kind of pre-scientific descriptivism, doomed never to attain authentic scientificity, to have its ‘Newton of the blade of grass’. By contrast, for Locke, and a fortiori for Buffon and his followers, ‘intrinsic purposiveness’ was a fact of the matter about concrete biological phenomena; the features of internal self-regulation were hypotheses arising out of actual research practice. The difference comes most vividly to light once we recognize Kant’s distinction of the concept of organism from the concept of life . If biology must conceptualize self-organization as actual in the world, Kant’s regulative/constitutive distinction is pointless in practice and the (naturalist) philosophy of biology has urgent work to undertake for which Kant turns out not to be very helpful.
High Performance Liquid Chromatography of 2,5-Dimethyl-4-Hydroxy-3 (2H)-Furanone in Pineapple and Grapefruit Juices

A reversed-phase HPLC method was developed for rapid analysis of 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone (DMHF), the compound responsible for the “burnt-pineapple” flavor in pineapple juices. A Zorbax ODS column was used with a mobile phase of 0.05M sodium acetate (pH 4.0)/methanol (70:30); detection was by UV at 290 nm. Sample clean up was accomplished by solid-phase extraction with C-18 Sep-Pak cartridges. DMHF contents ranged from 1.6 to 27.3 ppm from 10 fresh pineapple juices. Using this system, the production of DMHF was monitored in canned grapefruit juices during storage at varying temperatures.
I GIOCHI DELLA MEMORIA SECONDO SANDRA PETRIGNANI

I giocattoli hanno un posto importante nell'opera di Sandra Petrignani: sempre associati ai meccanismi e ai contenuti della memoria, sono protagonisti di un originale e piacevolissimo libretto, Il catalogo dei giocattoli (1988), ma sono anche presenze ricorrenti e complesse nei racconti e romanzi successivi. Sono si oggetti che mani bambine hanno toccato, usato e trasformato per il proprio piacere ma sono anche veicoli o catalizzatori di esperienze appartenenti a diversi livelli temporali. Per questa ragione Il catalogo dei giocattoli non e un semplice esercizio della memoria che recupera e fissa per sempre l'infanzia felice, ne un antidoto alla malinconia del tempo che passa; in esso infatti la scrittrice rivela il potenziale di dolore e di condizionamenti psicologici, comportamentali, sociali e culturali che l'infanzia racchiude. L'analisi di questo testo in relazione ad altre storie e romanzi dell'autrice offre lo spunto per alcune considerazioni sui modi in cui Petrignani svolge la sua scrittura, espe...
Drug-induced linear IgA bullous dermatosis: Report of six cases and review of the literature

Background: Linear IgA bullous dermatosis (LABD) is an autoimmune subepidermal blistering disease that may be associated with drug exposure. Objective: Our purpose was to compare the clinical, pathologic, and immunofluorescence findings in drug-induced LABD with those in the idiopathic type. Methods: Six patients with an acute drug eruption were identified who had linear IgA deposition at the basement membrane zone (BMZ). Lesional tissue was examined by brightfield microscopy, and perilesional tissue was examined by direct immunofluorescence (DIF). The presence of circulating BMZ antibody was assayed by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) on monkey esophagus (ME) and salt-split human skin (SS). Results: Histopathologic examination showed subepidermal bullae with varying numbers of inflammatory cells. DIF showed linear IgA at the BMZ; three of the patients also had weak deposition of C3 at the BMZ. Serum from five patients was studied by IIF. One patient had circulating IgA BMZ antibodies in a titer of 1:80 on ME, localized to the dermal side on SS. All patients were free of lesions within 5 weeks after discontinuation of the drug. Conclusion: Drug-induced LABD is a self-limited eruption characterized by linear deposition of IgA without IgG at the BMZ. Most patients lack circulating antibodies. The distribution of lesions and the course of the disease differ from those of idiopathic LABD.
Annotating historical archives of images

Recent initiatives like the Million Book Project and Google Print Library Project have already archived several million books in digital format, and within a few years a significant fraction of world's books will be online. While the majority of the data will naturally be text, there will also be tens of millions of pages of images. Many of these images will defy automation annotation for the foreseeable future, but a considerable fraction of the images may be amiable to automatic annotation by algorithms that can link the historical image with a modern contemporary, with its attendant metatags. In order to perform this linking we must have a suitable distance measure which appropriately combines the relevant features of shape, color, texture and text. However the best combination of these features will vary from application to application and even from one manuscript to another. In this work we propose a simple technique to learn the distance measure by perturbing the training set in a principled way. We show the utility of our ideas on archives of manuscripts containing images from natural history and cultural artifacts.
Weyl group multiple Dirichlet series II: The stable case

To each reduced root system Φ of rank r, and each sufficiently large integer n, we define a family of multiple Dirichlet series in r complex variables, whose group of functional equations is isomorphic to the Weyl group of Φ. The coefficients in these Dirichlet series exhibit a multiplicativity that reduces the specification of the coefficients to those that are powers of a single prime p. For each p, the number of nonzero such coefficients is equal to the order of the Weyl group, and each nonzero coefficient is a product of n-th order Gauss sums. The root system plays a basic role in the combinatorics underlying the proof of the functional equations.
Utility of bronchoscopic sampling techniques for cryptococcal disease in AIDS.

Although cryptococcal pneumonia is a well recognized complication of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, optimal diagnostic approaches remain to be defined. During a 32-month period (October 1984 to June 1987), 11 patients were diagnosed with CP at our institution. The diagnosis was established in all 11 patients from specimens obtained via fiberoptic bronchoscopy (ten) and/or double-lumen catheter lavage (one). Direct stains of sedimented bronchoalveolar lavage were positive for organisms characteristic ofCryptococcus neoformans in nine of 11 patients. Transbronchial biopsies were positive (special histologic stains) in six of eight patients; bronchial washings were positive (direct smear) in seven of ten patients, the bronchial brushings were positive on stain in six of nine patients, and in one patient, a Wang transbronchial needle aspirate was positive on stain. Fungal cultures were positive on the BAL in seven of 11 patients, and on the bronchial washings in four of ten patients; the TBBx culture samples were all negative (zero of three). The serum cryptococcal antigen titer was elevated (median = 1:1024) in all eight patients in which it was assayed. Our data suggest that BAL and bronchial washings have a combined sensitivity on smear equal to that of TBBx and superior to that of TBBx fungal culture. The TBBx does not appear to be necessary in this setting. In addition, an elevated serum cryptococcal antigen titer appears to be an important adjunct in the evaluation of pulmonary infiltrates in AIDS.
Configuration-based IDS for advanced metering infrastructure

Smart grid deployment initiatives have been witnessed in the past recent years. Smart grids provide bi-directional communication between meters and headend system through Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). Recent studies highlight the threats targeting AMI. Despite the need of tailored Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) for the smart grid, very limited progress has been made in this area. Unlike traditional networks, smart grid has its own unique challenges, such as limited computational power devices and potentially high deployment cost, that restrict the deployment options of intrusion detectors. We show that smart grid exhibits deterministic and predictable behavior that can be accurately modeled to develop intrusion detection system. In this paper, we show that AMI behavior can be modeled using event logs collected at smart collectors, which in turn can be verified using the specifications invariant generated from the configurations of the AMI devices. Event logs are modeled using fourth order Markov Chain and specifications are written in Linear Temporal Logic (LTL). The approach provides robustness against evasion and mimicry attacks, however, we discuss that it still can be evaded to a certain extent. We validate our approach on a real-world dataset of thousands of meters collected at the AMI of a leading utility provider.
On the use of double entanglement in four-photon experiments

Abstract Although the vast majority of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen experiments have utilized states that are entangled with respect to only one type of observable, it is possible to have two-particle states that are simultaneously entangled in both spin and space-time variables. By performing certain measurements which exploit the double entanglement of two of these special states, a four-photon entangled state can be constructed for verifying the recent demonstration of nonlocality by Greenberger, Horne, and Zeilinger.
Effect of omeprazole and ranitidine on total carbon dioxide concentration in horses subjected to a simulated race test

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the gastric ulcer medications, ranitidine and omeprazole, would alter plasma concentrations of total carbon dioxide (tCO2), lactate (LA), Na+, K+, Cl− and total protein (TP), as well as calculated plasma strong ion difference (SID) and packed cell volume (PCV) in horses subjected to a simulated race test (SRT). Twelve unfit Standardbred mares (~520 kg, 9–18 years) were used in a randomized crossover design with the investigators blind to the treatment given. Each mare received a treatment three times daily (TID) at 06.30, 12.30 and 18.30 hours. The treatments administered orally were omeprazole (4 mg kg− 1 was given in the morning with apple sauce given at the later, two dosing times to encourage good behaviour), ranitidine (6 mg kg− 1 crushed and mixed in 20 ml apple sauce) and control (20 ml apple sauce TID). Each horse completed a series of SRTs with blood samples taken via jugular venipuncture at five intervals (prior to receiving treatment, prior to SRT, immediately following exercise and at 60 and 90 min post-SRT). During the SRTs, each horse ran on a treadmill fixed on a 6% grade for 2 min at a warm-up speed (4 m s− 1) and then for 2 min at a velocity predetermined to produce VO2max. Each horse then walked at 4 m s− 1 for 2 min to complete the SRT. Plasma tCO2, electrolytes, LA and TP concentrations and PCV–TP were measured in duplicate at all intervals. No differences (P>0.05) were detected between control, ranitidine or omeprazole for any of the measured variables. There were differences (P < 0.05) in tCO2, SID, PCV, TP, LA and electrolyte concentrations relative to sampling time. However, these differences were attributable to the physiological pressures associated with acute exercise and not an effect of the medication. It was concluded that ranitidine or omeprazole did not alter plasma tCO2 concentration.
The use of antipsychotics in maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder

Antipsychotics are often used in the treatment of the acute phase of bipolar disorder; however, once the acute phase has resolved and patients enter the maintenance phase, there is some debate as to whether or not to continue the antipsychotic. This article reviews studies examining the use of antipsychotics in the maintenance phase of bipolar disorder.
Counterpoint: Invasive Aspergillosis and the Environment—Rethinking Our Approach to Prevention

Preventive measures are important in the control of invasive aspergillosis (IA) because diagnosis is difficult and the outcome of treatment is poor. If effective strategies are to be devised, it will be essential to have a clearer understanding of the sources and routes of transmission of Aspergillus species. Nosocomial outbreaks of IA highlight the fact that Aspergillus spores are common in the hospital environment. However, in general, such outbreaks are uncommon. Most cases of IA are sporadic in nature, and many of them are now being acquired outside of the hospital setting. Housing patients in high-energy particulate air-filtered hospital rooms helps prevent IA, but it is feasible and cost-effective only for the highest-risk groups and for limited periods. Control measures, which are designed to protect patients from exposure to spores outside the hospital, are even more difficult. Nevertheless, now that high-risk patients are spending more time outside of the hospital, the cost benefits of antifungal prophylaxis and other preventive measures require careful evaluation.
Implications of Financial Aid: What College Counselors Should Know

Counselors who work in a college environment are aware that financial aid is available to help students with college costs, but they may not be aware of all the financial pressures on students that may influence a student's psychological well-being. This article gives an overview of financial aid programs and financial factors affecting students, and explores practical ways that counseling centers and financial aid offices may interact.
The effects of practice and task structure on components of the event-related brain potential.

The present study focused on the effects of, and the interactions between, practice and task structure on human performance. The development of automatic processing through consistent stimulus-response mapping (CM) was assessed by means of measures of reaction time and event-related brain potentials. The subjects performed a visual search task in which they responded by pressing a button whenever a probe matched a memory set item. The variables manipulated in the study included the number of memory set items (1 or 4), the task structure (CM or VM), and the probability of occurrence of a memory set item (.2 or .8). Set size had a significant effect on RT in both CM and VM conditions prior to practice and in the VM condition following extensive practice. P300 latency mirrored RT, suggesting that the development of automatic processing substantially reduced stimulus evaluation time. The commonly observed relationship between probability and P300 amplitude, with larger P300s elicited by infrequent events, was found in the VM conditions but not in the CM condition after practice. Two different negative components were affected by stimulus mismatch. The N200 component behaved in a similar manner during automatic and controlled processing. However, a late frontally negative component was sensitive to the degree of mismatch only during controlled processing.
Ultrastructural observations on the branched rods associated with some insect granuloses

Abstract The long branched rods associated with granulosis-virus infections have been studied in several insect genera. When present, the rods are smaller in diameter than the virus rods, and possess in common with the capsules an epicapsular layer. The branched rods were found attached to capsulelike bodies also possessing an epicapsular layer; at points of junction this layer was continuous from the rods to the capsulelike bodies. It is suggested that the rods may represent an alternate arrangement of the protein forming the capsules.
Increased Susceptibility of Juvenile Chinook Salmon from a Contaminated Estuary to Vibrio anguillarum

Abstract Previous studies have shown that juvenile chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha from a contaminated estuary of Puget Sound, Washington, are immunosuppressed. Immunosuppressed fish may be more susceptible to disease and ultimately experience an increase in mortality. To evaluate this possibility, differences in susceptibility to a marine pathogen in outmigrating juvenile chinook salmon from an urban estuary and a nonurban estuary in Puget Sound were assessed. Juvenile chinook salmon were sampled from hatcheries before their release and subsequently from their respective estuaries as the population outmigrated from freshwater to the saltwater environment during the springs of 1993 and 1994. The study was repeated during a 3-month period to assess the duration of the effect after the fish were removed from the source of contaminants and was replicated during a 2-year period to examine interannual variation. Bile, liver, and stomach contents were collected from fish after capture to determine expos...
Difference sets in Abelian 2-groups

Examples of difference sets are given for large classes of abelian groups of order 22d + 2. This fills in the gap of knowledge between Turyn's exponent condition and Dillon's rank condition. Specifically, it is shown thatℤ/(2d)×ℤ/(2d + 2) andℤ/(2d + 1)×Z/(2d + 1) both admit difference sets, and these have many implications.
Stable and reproducible porcine model of acute lung injury induced by oleic acid.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS Previous studies on acute lung injury induced with oleic acid did not attempt to limit the influence of secondary changes on pulmonary circulation, and cardiopulmonary variable data were only collected and processed intermittently. Our study was designed to continuously monitor the following variables in five swine: systemic and pulmonary pressure; mixed venous oxygen saturation (SVO2) and arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2); minute oxygen consumption and CO2 production before, during, and for 4 hr after the infusion of oleic acid. A personal computer was programmed to produce 20-sec updates of deadspace ratio (VD/VT), venous admixture (Qsp/Qt), pulmonary (PVR) and systemic vascular resistance (SVR), and cardiac output (Qt) from these data. RESULTS During the oleic acid infusion, there were increases in PVR, SVR, heart rate (HR), mean pulmonary arterial pressure (MPAP), Qsp/Qt, and VD/VT, and a decrease in Qt, SaO2, and SVO2. Thirty minutes after the oleic acid infusion, there was a further increase in HR, Qsp/Qt, and VD/VT, while MPAP, PVR, and SVR gradually decreased to pre-oleic acid infusion levels. No further decrease in SaO2, SVO2, and Qt was observed during that time. After the 30-min period, there was no further change in the cardiopulmonary variables. CONCLUSION Our method of continuous monitoring was able to demonstrate in swine both the dynamic changes during, and stability after, the oleic acid infusion.
Properties of calcium binding by Myxicola axoplasmic protein.

The 45Ca2+ binding properties of axoplasmic protein from the Myxicola giant axon have been investigated using a centrifugal/concentration-dialysis technique. Scatchard plot analysis of these binding data suggest that Ca2+ is attached to a site with an equilibrium dissociation constant of 7.7 ± 0.5 μM and a capacity of 4.4 ± 0.2 μmol/g axoplasmic protein (n = 11). Addition of other cations — Cd2+, Mn2+, Al3+, Cu2+, Ba2+, and Zn2+ — at concentrations up to 10 μM did not displace 0.2 μM 45Ca2+ from its binding site, probably because of buffering of these cations by amino acid residues within the protein solutions. The protein could be stored at 4°C for up to 16 days with no appreciable change in the number of calcium sites. Ca2+ binding equilibrium took place in less than 30 min of incubation. Increasing the incubation temperature from 4°C to 37°C reduced the number of Ca2+ sites. The binding capacity was reduced by one-half when the protein was dialyzed with 4 M urea or high ionic strength KCl (2 M). Calcium binding was examined as a function of pH. When the protein was dialyzed overnight at different pH values and all the binding was done at pH 7.0, the apparent number of Ca2+ sites decreased as the pH of the dialysis medium was increased. When the protein was dialyzed overnight at pH 7.0 and the binding was done at different pH values, the apparent binding capacity increased as pH increased. When the protein was dialyzed overnight at the same pH at which the binding was done, the apparent binding capacity reached a maximum at pH 7.0. The histidine-specific reagent diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEP) reduced the apparent binding capacity.
Repairable single server systems with multiple breakdown modes

Abstract Typically the availability, steady-state queue length distribution, and mean queue length of Markov queueing systems subject to random breakdowns are computed by generating function or matrix geometric numerical methods. In this paper we point out that, for single server systems, a simple partition balance approach is easier. We illustrate this observation by deriving expressions for the availability, steady-state queue length distribution, mean queue length, and server utilization of a single server system subject to multi-mode, bi-level, Poisson distributed breakdowns of exponentially distributed duration. A numerical example illustrating some of the relations between these measures is also given. Our setup provides a simple, computationally tractable, Markov model for systems in which breakdowns of different types occur and are repaired at rates dependent on the type and severity of the breakdown.
Functional gradient descent method for Metric Temporal Logic specifications

Metric Temporal Logic (MTL) specifications can capture complex state and timing requirements. Given a nonlin- ear dynamical system and an MTL specification for that system, our goal is to find a trajectory that violates or satisfies the specification. This trajectory can be used as a concrete feedback to the system designer in the case of violation or as a trajectory to be tracked in the case of satisfaction. The search for such a trajectory is conducted over the space of initial conditions, system parameters and input signals. We convert the trajectory search problem into an optimization problem through MTL robust semantics. Robustness quantifies how close the trajectory is to violating or satisfying a specification. Starting from some arbitrary initial condition and parameter and given an input signal, we compute a descent direction in the search space, which leads to a trajectory that optimizes the MTL robustness. This process can be iterated to reach local optima (min or max). We demonstrate the method on examples from the literature. I. INTRODUCTION
Improving Underrepresented Minority Medical Student Recruitment with Health Disparities Curriculum

BACKGROUND Diversity improves all students’ academic experiences and their abilities to work with patients from differing backgrounds. Little is known about what makes minority students select one medical school over another.
Studies of Chloroplast Development in Euglena. V. Pigment Biosynthesis, Photosynthetic Oxygen Evolution and Carbon Dioxide Fixation during Chloroplast Development

Our studies with Euglena (2, 6, 14, 19, 20) have suggested that dark-grown cells contain approximately 30 proplastids which develop into about 10 chloroplasts when the cells are exposed to light. The existence of these proplastids, originally inferred from studies on ultraviolet inactivation and photoreactivation of chloroplast formation (14,19), was confirmed by fluorescence and electron microscopy (2, 6). Other workers have studied some of the initial steps involved when dark-grown cells are exposed to light, such as the conversion of protochlorophyll to chlorophyll (17). Other studies also exist of the related problem of the physiology of chloroplast development in higher plants (3, 7, 23, 27). Our earlier work (20) also showed that chloroplast development in Euglena could be separated experimentally into 2 phases: replication of the system which manufactures the chloroplast and development of the proplastid into the mature chlor6plast. In this study we correlate the onset and kinetics of pigment formation, 02 evolution and CO2 fixation with the development of the proplastid into the mature chloroplast. Materials and Methods
Competition between the 735 nm fluorescence and the photochemistry of Photosystem I in chloroplasts at low temperature.

Abstract Fluorescence emission spectra of chloroplasts, initially frozen to −196°C, were measured at various temperatures as the sample was allowed to warm. The 735 nm emission band attributed to fluorescence from Photosystem I was approx. 10-fold greater at −196°C than at −78°C. The initial rate of photooxidation of P -700 was also measured at −196°C and −78°C and was found to be approximately twice as large at the higher temperature. It is proposed that the 735 nm emission band is fluorescence from a long wavelength form of chlorophyll, C-705, which acts as a trap for excitation energy in the antenna chlorophyl system of Photosystem I. Furthermore, it is proposed that C-705 only forms on cooling to low temperatures and that the temperature dependence of the 735 nm emission is the temperature dependence for the formation of C-705. C-705 and P -700 compete to trap the excitation energy in Photosystem I. It is estimated from the data that at −78°C P -700 traps approx. 20 times more energy than C-705 while, at −196°C, the two traps are approximately equally effective. By analogy, the 695 nm fluorescence which also appears on cooling to −196°C is attributed to traps in Photosystem II which form only on cooling to temperatures near −196°C.
Inclusion in a Childcare Context Experiences and Attitudes of Family Childcare Providers

This study examines the experience and attitudes of 189 family childcare providers regarding their willingness to care for children with disabilities. Providers who had experience caring for childr...
The systemic venous system in cardiac failure

Abstract The venous system functions in cardiac failure both actively and passively. In acute failure, circulatory reflexes elicit widespread increase in venomotor tone within a matter of seconds. This in turn elevates the venous pressure gradient which helps to maintain adequate cardiac output despite the weakened heart, for even a weakened heart can pump considerably increased quantities of blood when it is primed with sufficient blood. Without this increase in venomotor tone, the heart could incur far less acute damage than it actually does and result in death. Immediately after acute weakening of the heart the rise in venous pressure probably is not sufficient to cause a rise in capillary pressure. The reason for this is that acute failure is usually accompanied also by diminished cardiac output and reflex arteriolar constriction, both of which decrease the capillary pressure, opposing the effect of elevated venous pressure. However, the kidney immediately begins to retain fluid, causing among other things considerable additional elevation of venous pressure, increased cardiac output, and diminished reflex constriction of the arterioles. As these effects occur, the capillary pressure rises to very high values, resulting in edema. If the different compensating factors that help to compensate for the failing heart do not return the cardiac output almost to normal, then renal retention of fluid is likely to continue indefinitely, causing progressively more and more edema until the heart itself finally deteriorates either as a result of too much input pressure from the veins or possibly as a result of diminished nutrition caused by edema within the cardiac musculature itself. Unfortunately, the precise nature of this final deterioration is yet very unclear, but treatment aimed at preventing continued fluid retention is often effective also in preventing the cardiac deterioration.
Topical papaverine in arteriotomies in infants and children: effect on incidence of thrombosis.

Summary Although tissue loss is a rare event following arteriotomy for cardiac catheterization in infants and children, the incidence of arterial thrombosis in our series is relatively high. The recent use of topical application of 3 per cent papaverine appears to be useful in reducing the incidence of arterial thrombosis in children undergoing cardiac catheterization.
Conventional predictors of survival poorly predict and significantly underpredict survival after H-graft portacaval shunts.

Objective This study was undertaken to evaluate the ability to predict survival after 8 mm prosthetic H-graft portacaval shunts (HGPCS).
Brief Intelligent optimal control of robotic manipulators using neural networks

The paper is concerned with the application of quadratic optimization for motion control to feedback control of robotic systems using neural networks. Explicit solutions to the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (H-J-B) equation for optimal control of robotic systems are found by solving an algebraic Riccati equation. It is shown how neural networks can cope with nonlinearities through optimization with no preliminary off-line learning phase required. The adaptive learning algorithm is derived from Lyapunov stability analysis, so that both system tracking stability and error convergence can be guaranteed in the closed-loop system. The filtered tracking error or critic gain and the Lyapunov function for the nonlinear analysis are derived from the user input in terms of a specified quadratic performance index. Simulation results on a two-link robot manipulator show the satisfactory performance of the proposed control schemes even in the presence of large modeling uncertainties and external disturbances.
Genomic Variation: Lessons Learned from Whole-Genome CNV Analysis

One of the most fundamental goals of the study of human genetics was to determine the relationship between genomic variation and human disease. The effects of large-scale structural variation, such as aneuploidy and other cytogenetically visible imbalances, as well as sequence-level variation, have been studied for several decades. However, compared to these, the impact of submicroscopic copy number variants (CNV) has only recently been appreciated. Despite this, lessons learned from the study of CNVs have already proven significant and broadly applicable. From expanding the concept of normal human variation to providing concrete examples of the utility of genomics in clinical care and challenging notions of the genetic architecture of complex disease, CNVs have provided valuable insights into the genomics of human health and development.
Are Chemotherapy Response Rates Related to Treatment-Induced Survival Prolongations in Patients With Advanced Cancer?

Purpose Patients with incurable cancer are faced with difficult decisions regarding whether to take chemotherapy in an attempt to preserve the quality and/or prolong the quantity of their lives. The average prolongation in survival with chemotherapy compared with best supportive care has not been well described. Methods We performed a literature search using PUBMED combined with expert inquiry to identify trials comparing cytotoxic chemotherapy with best supportive care. Twenty-five randomized, controlled clinical trials comparing cytotoxic chemotherapy with best supportive care were identified. Sixteen trials (64%) were in patients with non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Data were extracted and analyzed. Results Sufficient data for statistical modeling were available for NSCLC trials. The mean sample size of the NSCLC trials was 175 patients. Response rates in the treatment arms for NSCLC ranged from 7% to 42%. A relationship between response rate and survival was observed for NSCLC. The estimated relat...