cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lubricin distribution in the human intervertebral disc.

Background: Previous studies have identified lubricin (also known as superficial zone protein ) as a lubricating glycoprotein present in several musculoskeletal tissues including articular cartilage, meniscus, and tendon. In this immunohistochemical study, we determined the presence and distribution of lubricin in the cells, extracellular matrix, and tissue surfaces of human nucleus pulposus and anulus fibrosus tissues. Methods: Twenty-eight human intervertebral discs were resected at autopsy from fourteen cadavers. Disc specimens were fixed in formalin, processed, and paraffin-embedded prior to sectioning. Tissue sections were immunohistochemically stained for lubricin, the extent of extracellular matrix staining was evaluated semiquantitatively, and cellular staining was assessed quantitatively with use of a survey method. Results: Lubricin staining was evident in the extracellular matrix and at select surfaces of the nucleus pulposus and anulus fibrosus tissues. The extent of lubricin staining of the extracellular matrix was contingent on the disc region (nucleus pulposus, inner anulus fibrosus, or outer anulus fibrosus), with the greatest extent of matrix staining found in the nucleus pulposus, but it was not contingent on the Thompson grade. A subset of disc cells within the nucleus, inner anulus, and outer anulus also stained positively for lubricin, suggesting intrinsic cell synthesis of the glycoprotein. The disc region significantly affected the percentage of lubricin-staining cells, with the greatest percentage of cells staining for lubricin (nearly 10%) found in the nucleus pulposus. The percentage of cells staining for lubricin correlated with the extent of extracellular matrix staining for lubricin. Conclusions: The results of this study confirm the presence of lubricin in the human intervertebral disc and demonstrate a unique distribution compared with that in the goat. The presence of lubricin in asymptomatic discs provides a foundation for future research regarding the role of lubricin in pathological disc conditions. Clinical Relevance: The presence and distribution of lubricin in the human intervertebral disc, notably at the tissue surfaces, suggest that it may play a role in the tribology of the disc in health and/or disease.
Attenuating negative differential resistance in an electroactive self-assembled monolayer-based junction.

The negative differential resistance (NDR) peak current observed in redox active self-assembled monolayer-based molecular junctions has been attenuated by controlling the composition of the molecular junction. Two approaches studied here include capping the electroactive ferrocenyl groups with β-cyclodextrin and functionalizing the scanning tunneling microscope tip used to probe the self-assembled monolayer (SAM) with n-alkanethiols of different lengths. These are the first examples of systematic modification of the magnitude of the NDR response in a molecule-based system.
Geographic distribution, disease symptoms and pathogenicity of Phytophthora nemorosa and Phytophthora pseudosyringae in California, USA

Summary During the course of surveys for Phytophthora ramorum in coastal forests of California and Oregon, P. nemorosa and P. pseudosyringae were frequently isolated from foliage and stems of the same hosts as P. ramorum. Both species ranged from central California to Oregon within 50 km of the Pacific Ocean. Both were also found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Phytophthora nemorosa was primarily found infecting trees in coast redwood forests and was most often isolated from bay laurel leaves (Umbellularia californica), bleeding cankers on the main bole of tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus), and leaf and small stem tissue of redwood (Sequoia sempervirens). Phytophthora pseudosyringae was primarily isolated from hosts found in coast live oak woodlands. Bay laurel was the most common host while infection of coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) stems was less frequent. Inoculation studies confirmed the pathogenicity of P. nemorosa and P. pseudosyringae on their most common hosts.
Giant third-order nonlinear susceptibilities for in-plane far-infrared excitation of single InAs quantum wells

Abstract Third-order, free-carrier nonlinear susceptibilities, χ(3), have been measured between 19 and 23 cm−1 for three InAs/AlSb quantum wells with sheet densities between 2.5 × 1012 cm−2 and 8 × 1012 cm−2. We find that these wells are strongly nonlinear at far-infrared frequencies: odd harmonics ninth order have been observed at high incident intensities, and the peak value of χ(3) reaches ∼ 1 esu. This is several orders of magnitude larger than previously reported values for χ(3) in bulk n-GaAs (10−4 esu)[1] and in polyacetylen (10−7 esu)[2]. The large magnitude of χ(3) is attributed to the high carrier density in the InAs wells, and to the strong non-parabolicity of the conduction band in InAs. However, the free-carrier χ(3) for bulk InAs predicts a density-dependence different from that observed, and the measured decrease in χ(3) with increasing intensity indicates non-perturbative response. We find that the anisotropy of χ(3) displays the expected 4-fold symmetry.
OPPORTUNITIES AND DECISIONS: INTERACTIONAL DYNAMICS IN ROBBERY AND BURGLARY GROUPS*

Street offenders more often than not are co-offenders. The theoretical importance of understanding how co-offending shapes conduct has been recognized for decades but is often ignored by investigators. Drawing from interviews with 50 male robbers and burglars who committed their crimes with others, this paper examines how interactional dynamics modify both the perception of criminal opportunities and criminal decision making. Offenders construct opportunity by improvising situational interpretations, communicating expectations and negotiating shared meanings. As opposed to many prevailing notions of criminal decision making, decisions in groups are incremental, con-textually situated, and affected significantly by variation in members’influence. The findings, therefore, highlight shortcomings of decision-making investigations that obscure marked variation in choice by focusing narrowly on individual assessments of risks and utilities.
Conduction Band Polarization in Dilute Alloys

It is shown that any conduction band magnetization produced by electron interaction with dilute impurities in a metal is spatially localized to the immediate vicinity of the impurity atoms.
The tensile strength of a fiber-reinforced ceramic

Abstract A means of theoretically predicting the ultimate tensile strength of a unidirectional, fiber-reinforced ceramic which undergoes multiple matrix cracking is presented. The analysis, which represents an elaboration of a theory recently presented by the authors, accounts for the presence of the matrix cracks, as well as for the random failure of individual fibers that occur with increasing likelihood as the applied stress is increased. The key material parameters are the fiber strength and strength variability, and the interfacial shear strength. In addition, the prediction can account for stress concentrations at points along the fiber surface where the matrix cracks impinge. Comparisons with experimental data and sensitivity analyses show that it is important to account for stress concentrations and to have an accurate value for the in situ fiber strength.
Information control and the micropolitics of health care: summary of an ongoing research project.

Abstract Policy changes suggested by “macro” research on the medical care system will not in themselves correct critical gaps and misunderstandings that persist at the “micro” level of the doctor-patient relationship. This paper presents a summary of an ongoing research project concerning one element of this relationship—the doctor's communication of information about illness to the patient. Information transmittal is closely related to the clinical problems of history taking, medical records, compliance, satisfaction, physiologic response to therapy and patient delay in reporting symptoms. The sociological considerations guiding the research are summarized under four headings: (1) the problems of uncertainty and power; (2) the definition of information; (3) sociolinguistics and the diffidence of the sick poor; and (4) ethnomethodology and common-sense constructs. The doctor-patient relationship is viewed as a micropolitical situation, in which information control is used, at least in part, to maintain patterns of dominance and subordination. The over-all methodological objective of the research project is to develop a research design, linked to these sociological perspectives, which allows reproducible and generalizable conclusions about the informative process in a variety of clinical settings. Based on a pre-test,a multivariate model has been operationalized; an association is hypothesized between transmitted information—the dependent variable—and several independent variable, which are classified as physician characteristics, patient characteristics, and situational characteristics. The measures of the dependent and independent variables, sampling procedures, and approach to data analysis are described. Questionnaire materials are presented in appendices.
Causes of covariation of phenotypic traits among populations

Morphological and life-history traits often vary among populations of a species. Traits generally do not vary independently, but show patterns of covariation that can arise from genetic and environmental influences on phenotype. Covariance of traits may arise at an among-population level when genetically influenced traits diverge among populations in a correlated manner. Genetic correlations caused by pleiotropy and/or gene linkage can cause traits to evolve together, but among-population covariance can also arise among traits that are not genetically correlated. For example, “selective covariance” can arise when natural selection directly causes correlated change in a suite of traits. Similarly, mutation, migration, and drift may also sometimes cause correlated genetic changes among populations. Because covariation of traits among populations can arise by several different processes, the evolution of suites of traits must be interpreted with great caution. We discuss the sources of among-population covariance and illustrate one approach to identifying the sources using data on floral traits of Ddwhampiu scandens (Euphorbiaceae).
Robust Hydraulic Fracture Monitoring (HFM) of multiple time overlapping events using a generalized discrete radon transform

In this work we propose a novel algorithm for multiple-event localization for Hydraulic Fracture Monitoring (HFM) through the exploitation of the sparsity of the observed seismic signal when represented in a basis consisting of space time propagators. We provide explicit construction of these propagators using a forward model for wave propagation which depends non-linearly on the problem parameters - the unknown source location and mechanism of fracture, time and extent of event, and the locations of the receivers. Under fairly general assumptions and an appropriate discretization of these parameters we first build an over-complete dictionary of generalized Radon propagators and assume that the data is well represented as a linear superposition of these propagators. Exploiting this structure we propose sparsity penalized algorithms and workflow for super-resolution extraction of time overlapping multiple seismic events from single well data.
5- to 18-year follow-up study of cemented total knee arthroplasty for patients 55 years old or younger.

Abstract Seventy-two cemented total knee arthroplasties were performed on 52 patients who were 55 years old or younger. Results on 68 knees in 50 patients with an average follow-up period of 9.92 years are reported. The average age of the patients was 50.7 years (range, 30–55) at the time of surgery. The diagnosis was osteoarthritis in 37 knees, rheumatoid arthritis in 29 knees, and ankylosing spondylitis in 2 knees. The average preoperative Knee Society knee score was 23, and the average follow-up knee score was 97. All knees were rated as good or excellent for knee score. The average latest function score was 75 (preoperative, 36). Both knees in one patient required revision for loose components. This review demonstrates that cemented total knee arthroplasty in younger patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis can attain results comparable to the excellent results obtained in the older age groups.
Conformational states of chymotrypsin at high pH: substrate activation and sidechain interactions

A cross-over from specific to non-specific behavior occurs with amino acid substrate sidechain groups equal to or smaller than that of l-alanine, as revealed by the pH dependence of δ- and α-chymotrypsin-catalyzed hydrolysis of l-leucine and l-alanine derivatives. These data suggests that the −CH3 sidechain group, properly aligned, is large enough to sterically induce an active site conformation such that Kcat is pH independent above pH 7, in contrast to behavior observed with non-specific substrates, e.g. hippurates. Increased catalytic efficiency is apparently induced primarily by filling the remainder of the sidechain binding site with an appropriate aromatic moiety. The parameters kcat and Km were determined, plus the individual constants k2 and k3, separated by the technique of added nucleophiles. With the alanine derivative, substrate activation was observed, and is interpreted in terms of binding to a separate interacting non-catalytic site.
On experimental design and discourse in plasticity research.

Communication in the stem cell field requires a common understanding of terminology and that “plasticity” phenomena are model- and, perhaps, species-dependent. Plasticity has generally been applied to unexpected differentiative events; will the term cease being useful when these unexpected pathways become recognized as normative? Four pathways of cell plasticity have now been recognized: (1) facultative, intraorgan self-renewing stem cells; (2) reversion of differentiated cells to blastema-like appearances, common in amphibians, perhaps restricted to neoplasia in mammals; (3) cells of one lineage directly changing to differentiation of another lineage cued by microenvironemental signals; (4) cell-cell fusion leading to changes in differentiation of the “incoming” cell in response to cytoplasmic and perhaps nuclear cues. In all of these, “differentiation” must be understood as a reflection of gene expression that is a highly intricate system of parallel, i.e., nonlinear molecular interactions. Present controversies regarding the plasticity of adult stem cells may be explained both by differences in experimental variables and techniques as well as by differing nonscientific, political, and/or polemical needs of investigators and commentators. Some of the variables in transplantation experiments, which are likely to be important in experimental outcome, but rarely addressed in interpretation of data, are the age of the cell donor and of the strain of mice or species used, the isolation technique used to obtain the putative stem cells, and the inherent effects of transgenic markers used to identify the donor or host cells. Also of great importance, but rarely controlled for in experimental design and interpretation, are the reproducibility and sensitivity of methods used to detect the markers of donor origin, the capacity of differentiated tissue to silence transgenes or alter marker expression, and—finally and most importantly—the different signals that influence plasticity phenomena in very different types of injury and regeneration. In different models of injury there are likely to be significant differences in promoting cell localization, proliferation, and predominance of “plasticity pathway,” if any are involved, in determining outcome. Investigators and others who are interested in cell plasticity must always carefully weigh these (and other) different factors in evaluating published experiments, particularly when presented with overly broad and definitive, although they derive from experiments of very different design.
Multiple tyrosine residues at the GABA binding pocket influence surface expression and mediate kinetics of the GABAA receptor

The prevalence of aromatic residues in the ligand binding site of the GABAA receptor, as with other cys-loop ligand-gated ion channels, is undoubtedly important for the ability of neurotransmitters to bind and trigger channel opening. Here, we have examined three conserved tyrosine residues at the GABA binding pocket (β2Tyr97, β2Tyr157, and β2Tyr205), making mutations to alanine and phenylalanine. We fully characterized the effects each mutation had on receptor function using heterologous expression in HEK-293 cells, which included examining surface expression, kinetics of macroscopic currents, microscopic binding and unbinding rates for an antagonist, and microscopic binding rates for an agonist. The assembly or trafficking of GABAA receptors was disrupted when tyrosine mutants were expressed as αβ receptors, but interestingly not when expressed as αβγ receptors. Mutation of each tyrosine accelerated deactivation and slowed GABA binding. This provides strong evidence that these residues influence the binding of GABA. Qualitatively, mutation of each tyrosine has a very similar effect on receptor function; however, mutations at β2Tyr157 and β2Tyr205 are more detrimental than β2Tyr97 mutations, particularly to the GABA binding rate. Overall, the results suggest that interactions involving multiple tyrosine residues are likely during the binding process.
ERK Activity and G1 Phase Progression: Identifying Dispensable Versus Essential Activities and Primary Versus Secondary Targets

The ERK subfamily of MAP kinases is a critical regulator of S phase entry. ERK activity regulates the induction of cyclin D1, and a sustained ERK signal is thought to be required for this effect, at least in fibroblasts. We now show that early G1 phase ERK activity is dispensable for the induction of cyclin D1 and that the critical ERK signaling period is restricted to 3–6 h after mitogenic stimulation of quiescent fibroblasts. Similarly, early G1 phase ERK activity is dispensable for entry into S phase. Moreover, if cyclin D1 is expressed ectopically, ERK activity becomes dispensable throughout the G1 phase. In addition to its effect on cyclin D1, ERK activity is thought to contribute to the down-regulation of p27kip1. We found that this effect is restricted to late G1/S phase. Mechanistic analysis showed that the ERK effect on p27kip1 is mediated by Skp2 and is secondary to its effect on cyclin D1. Our results emphasize the importance of mid-G1 phase ERK activity and resolve primary versus secondary ERK targets within the G1 phase cyclin-dependent kinases.
Effect of noise in moment invariant neural network aircraft classification

An image may be reduced to a small number of moment invariants such that these are independent of the shift, scale, and rotation of an object in the image. However, noise interferes with the ability to provide invariance. The authors examine the effects of noise on the invariance provided by the moment invariants. They then show that rotation invariance is maintained in low levels of noise. They then show that a neural network may be used to provide robustness against noise. The moment invariants, computed for different levels of noise, are used to train a neural network to identify two aircraft. A split inversion algorithm is used because it is much faster than back propagation. The resulting network provides accurate classification in high levels of noise. >
Banded method of ordered multiple interaction for the scattering of electromagnetic waves from a rough surface

We present a banded method of ordered multiple interaction (MOMI) for the scattering of electromagnetic waves by a one-dimensional, perfectly conducting, randomly rough surface. The forward and backward substitution of the MOMI is carried out with a banded-matrix forward and backward substitution approach that scales as N log N for large N, where N is the number of unknowns.
Swept-Slot Film-Cooling Effectiveness in Hypersonic Turbulent Flow

Measurement results are presented for the surface equilibrium temperature downstream of swept slots, with sonic tangential air injection into a thick hypersonic turbulent boundary layer. These results are compared with unswept slot results for cooling effectiveness.
Characterization and Comparison of Arcelin Seed Protein Variants from Common Bean

Four variants of arcelin, an insecticidal seed storage protein of bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L., were investigated. Each variant (arcelin-1, -2, -3, and -4) was purified, and solubilities and M(r)s were determined. For arcelins-1, -2, and -4, the isoelectric points, hemagglutinating activities, immunological cross-reactivities, and N-terminal amino acid sequences were determined. On the basis of native and denatured M(r)s, the variants were classified as being composed of dimer protein (arcelin-2), tetramer protein (arcelins-3 and -4), or both dimer and tetramer proteins (arcelin-1). Although the dimer proteins (arcelins-1d and -2) could be distinguished by M(r)s and isoelectric points, they were identical for their first 37 N-terminal amino acids and had similar immunological cross-reactions, and bean lines containing these variants had a DNA restriction fragment in common. The tetramer proteins arcelin-1t and arcelin-4 also could be distinguished from each other based on M(r)s and isoelectric points; however, they had similar immunological cross-reactions and they were 77 to 93% identical for N-terminal amino acid composition. The similarities among arcelin variants, phytohemagglutinin, and a bean alpha-amylase inhibitor suggest that they are all encoded by related members of a lectin gene family.
Infectious diseases pharmacy residency programs.

Infectious diseases have been a constant threat to humankind with plagues, leprosy, the Black Death in the Middle Ages, the 1918 “Spanish Flu” pandemic, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic introduced in the 1980s.[1][1] Unfortunately, this trend has not decreased. New diseases continue to emerge, such as
Rate control with pairwise intersession network coding

In this paper, we develop a distributed rate-control algorithm for networks with multiple unicast sessions when network coding is allowed across different sessions. Building on recent flow-based characterization of pairwise intersession network coding, the corresponding optimal rate-control problem is formulated as a convex optimization problem. The formulation exploits pairwise coding possibilities between any pair of sessions, where any coded symbol is formed by coding over at most two original symbols. The objective function is the sum of the utilities based on the rates supported by each unicast session. Working on the Lagrangian of the formulated problem, a distributed algorithm is developed with little coordination among intermediate nodes. Each unicast session has the freedom to choose its own utility function. The only information exchange required by the source is the weighted sum of the queue length of each link, which can be piggybacked to the acknowledgment messages. In addition to the optimal rate-control algorithm, we propose a decentralized pairwise random coding scheme that decouples the decision of coding from that of rate control, which further enhances the distributiveness of the proposed scheme. The convergence of the rate-control algorithm is proven analytically and verified by extensive simulations. Simulation results also demonstrate the advantage of the proposed algorithm over the state-of-the-art in terms of both throughput and fairness.
STOCHASTIC MODELING AND IDENTIFICATION OF SEISMIC RECORDS BASED ON ESTABLISHED DETERMINISTIC FORMULATIONS

. Stochastic modeling on the basis of established deterministic formulations is stressed and some examples from seismology are presented. Using well-known deterministic models for a source time function, a single parameter stochastic difference equation (autoregressive model) is derived for seismic records of P-waves from nuclear explosions and natural earthquakes. A model-evaluation technique other than statistical goodness-of-fit is considered, and its application is illustrated using available data. The interdependency between the characteristic polynomial of the difference equation, its complementary solution (signal), its particular integral (noise) and some physical variables are explained. Variables included in the discussion are duration, intensity and the so-called corner frequency. Utilizing these dependencies, the signal-generated character of noise is also illustrated. To fit the model an estimation procedure is described, and its statistical properties are derived. It is shown that the proposed model fits the records of P-waves from underground nuclear explosions and natural earthquakes as well as the records of Rayleigh waves from atmospheric explosions. Applications of the model to depth- and reflection-parameter estimation and to event discrimination are discussed, and some representative numerical examples are presented.
Selective Activation Of Members Of The Signal Transducers And Activators Of Transcription Family In Prostate Carcinoma

Purpose: Cytokines, hormones and growth factors use signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) signaling pathways to control various biological responses, including development, differentiation, cell proliferation and survival. Constitutive activation of STATs has been found in a wide variety of human tumors. In this study we examined the activity of STATs in primary human prostate tissues.Materials and Methods: STAT activity was determined in 104 human primary prostate tissues, including 42 tumors, 42 matched normal prostates adjacent to tumors and 20 normal prostates from donors without cancer by electromobility shift assay.Results: Significant levels of activated Stat4 and Stat6 were detected in primary prostate tissues. However, little or no expression of active Stat1, Stat2 or Stat5 was detected in primary prostate tissues. Significantly higher levels of constitutive Stat6 activity were found in prostate carcinomas compared with levels in normal tissue adjacent to tumors and normal pro...
The Inverse Boomerang Pattern: the Global Kaletra Campaign and Access to Antiretroviral Drugs in Colombia and Ecuador

This paper examines a global campaign in which transnational advocacy networks challenged the monopoly rights of Abbott Laboratories over the antiretroviral drug Kaletra. It focuses on the cases of Colombia and Ecuador and analyzes the different trajectories of the campaign in the two countries and how each trajectory contributed differently to the global outcome. In both of these cases, I show that activism operated in an “inverse boomerang” pattern, by which an international NGO reached out to local allies to expand its global coalition, prioritizing its agenda over other domestic considerations. I argue that in cases where transnational campaigns are initiated globally, there is a potential mismatch between global and domestic goals and that the campaigns’ contribution to global norm-making depends on the type of relationship established between international advocates and domestic actors. Such relationships are in turn influenced by the political and economic context and the institutional arrangements of each country.
Multiple Conversations During Organizational Meetings: Development of the Multicommunicating Scale

People are increasingly using their mobile devices to multitask and carry on multiple conversations in organizations. This study contributes to the growing work in multicommunication—communication practices involving technology where people conduct multiple, nearly simultaneous conversations. Through quantification of the communicative behaviors involved in the practice of multicommunicating, this study helps to operationalize this construct and, by refining measurement, contributes directly to theory development. The resulting model suggests that multicommunication in meetings consists of five major factors. While the factors of Informing, Influencing, and Supporting Others might be the most obvious functions of multicommunicating, the other two factors, Participating In Parallel Meetings and Being Available, provide additional insight into the influential role that others have in the practice of multicommunicating. Future directions and implications for using this scale are also discussed.
Homography-Based Visual Servo Control With Imperfect Camera Calibration

In this technical note, a robust adaptive uncalibrated visual servo controller is proposed to asymptotically regulate a robot end-effector to a desired pose. A homography-based visual servo control approach is used to address the six degrees-of-freedom regulation problem. A high-gain robust controller is developed to asymptotically stabilize the rotation error, and an adaptive controller is developed to stabilize the translation error while compensating for the unknown depth information and intrinsic camera calibration parameters. A Lyapunov-based analysis is used to examine the stability of the developed controller.
Impact of tropospheric scintillation on direct-sequence spread-spectrum satellite communication networks

Tropospheric scintillation can seriously affect satellite links operating at the K/sub a/-band (20/30 GHz). The average bit error probability for a multiuser binary direct-sequence spread-spectrum satellite communication network operating under amplitude scintillation is evaluated. Numerical results are presented to illustrate performance comparisons of systems operating under typical scintillation statistics. As in the single user case, it is shown that the average system performance gradually degrades as the scintillation intensity increases and is worse for a high variability of these events. The results also indicate that the impact of amplitude tropospheric scintillations becomes less important as the number of asynchronous active users increases.
Socio-Technological Systems Integration to Support Tsunami Warning and Evacuation

On December 26, 2004, countries in the Indian Ocean basin were struck by a tsunami generated by a large magnitude earthquake just south of the western tip of Sumatra. Observations made during a post-tsunami visit to coastal Thailand suggest that the value of the proposed emergency warning system (EWS) for the Indian Ocean would be greatly enhanced if it was augmented by an on-shore cyber-based warning and evacuation system. Such a system would greatly increase safety with minimal disruption to the normal activities involved in tourism and other coastal industries. An integrated, cyber-based system to inform and assist the tsunami detection, warning, and evacuation process would, in essence, expand time and shorten distances. This paper describes the elements of such a cyber-infrastructure system, how system triggers could be calibrated using decision principles from judgment theory, and how the system could be tested through simulations employing agent-based models
Building a semantic representation for personal information

A typical collection of personal information contains many documents and mentions many concepts (e.g., person names, events, etc.). In this environment, associative browsing between these concepts and documents can be useful as a complement for search. Previous approaches in the area of semantic desktops aimed at addressing this task. However, they were not practical because they require tedious manual annotation by the user. In this work, we suggest a methodology and a prototype system for building a semantic representation of personal information based on click feedback from the user. We employed a feature-based model of associations between the concepts and documents. Our initial evaluation shows that the suggested semantic representation can play an important role in the known-item finding task and that the system can learn to predict such associations with a small amount of click data.
Epispadias surgery : Belgrade experience

Summary From 1987 to 1991,46 patients underwent surgical treatment for epispadias. Of these, 14 had isolated epispadias and 22 had epispadias within the exstrophy/epispadias complex. The patients ranged in age from 6 months to 20 years. To correct the genital aspect of the anomaly the basic principles of Ransley's technique were used. In addition, the island flap technique was used for the most severe, so-called “cripple” form. In patients with exstrophy/epispadias complex, only elongation of the penis was performed during primary reconstruction, while the correction of epispadias, using the above techniques, was performed in the second-stage operation. Complications occurred in 6 patients.
Modification of the marine environment—Know before you do

Doing things in the ocean that have economic value generally results in some modification of the natural environment. When we develop or manage marine resources, either within the ocean itself or on the ocean bottom, but especially along the coastal margins, then we are influencing the physical and biological state of the ocean in some manner that will have not only certain shortrange effects, but also good or bad long-range effects. As we look to the future, we can see that our scale of development of marine resources is going to increase tremendously and so, therefore, must our concern with the resulting modifications. The exploitation of offshore oil and offshore sulphur has increased by leaps and bounds; thanks to modern techniques of electronic location and catching, fishing activities are now able to wipe out a complete fishery in a short time unless controlled. The blue whale has essentially disappeared; although we are not aware yet of any ecological consequences following from this disappearance, we can observe the population dynamics and the substitution of fisheries when we overfish, for example, the California sardine or the Atlantic menhaden. The construction of shipping canals has led to biological and ecological modification, e.g., the invasion of the Great Lakes by the lamprey or the invasion of the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal by species from the Red Sea. Pollution of the marine environment, again in the coastal zone, has been increasing at a rapid rate through continuous discharge as well as through accidents.
Bi-Bi to MCE?

In the past few years, we have witnessed the introduction of a bilingual-bicultural approach and an increasing skepticism of the value of manually coded English in the education of deaf children. The thrust of bilingual-bicultural programs is emphasis on using American Sign Language as the primary language of instruction. However, merely advocating something (i.e., the use of American Sign Language) in no way guarantees its successful implementation. This paper reviews the research on past usage of manually coded English in the classroom for clues as to some of the concerns that American Sign Language might face in its implementation.
Seeing African Americans as Competent Parents: Implications for Family Counselors:

One of the primary roles of parents is to guide and socialize children to make meaningful life choices. African American parents, in particular, have the additional tasks of preparing their children to thrive in an environment that has historically been hostile toward African Americans. Yet, many African American parents are often depicted as incapable of rearing their own children. This article will examine issues pertaining to African American parents maintaining their humanity in the face of a society that has viewed them as incompetent. Implications for family counseling research and practice will be discussed.
Toxic Alkaloid Concentrations in Delphinium Nuttallianum, Delphinium Andersonii, and Delphinium Geyeri in the Intermountain Region

Low larkspurs (Delphinium nuttalliunum Pritz., Delphinium andersonii Gray) and plains larkspur (Delphinium geyeri Greene) often poison cattle grazing on western North American rangelands. The dominant toxic alkaloid in larkspur is methyllycaconitine (MLA); other very toxic alkaloids in low and plains larkspurs are nudicauline and geyerline. Toxic alkaloid concentrations in larkspur near or above 3 mg ? g 21 present significant risk to grazing cattle. D. nuttallianum from Utah and Colorado, D. andersonii from northern Arizona, and plains larkspur (D. geyeri) from Wyoming were collected for analysis. Concentrations of MLA in D. nuttallianum ranged from 0.8 to 4.5 mg ? g 21 in Utah and Colorado; total toxic alkaloid concentrations were often abov e3 mg? g 21 . D. nuttallianum differed (P 5 0.09) in MLA concentration between locations but not phenological stages (P 5 0.41). Concentrations of nudicauline ranged from 0.7 to 4 mg ? g 21 in D. nuttallianum and were different (P 5 0.01) between locations and phenological stages (P 5 0.004). D. andersonii was consistently toxic because the total toxic alkaloid concentration fluctuated from 3 to 6m g? g 21 over the growing season. The concentration of geyerline in D. andersonii was equal to or greater than MLA at each phenological stage, thus adding to the toxicity. The concentration of toxic alkaloids in D. geyeri was typically highest (2–4 mg ? g 21 ) in immature plants, although toxic alkaloid concentrations in plants during the pod stage of growth sometimes increased. Only trace amounts of nudicauline were found in D. geyeri, as most of the alkaloid fraction was other N-(methylsuccinimido) anthranoyllycoctonine (MSAL) alkaloids. Total alkaloid concentration (MSAL and non-MSAL alkaloids) in D. geyeri sometimes exceeded 15 mg ? g 21 . Concentrations of toxic alkaloids in D. nuttalliunum, D. andersonii, and D. geyeri often did not significantly decline during the growing season as typically found in tall larkspurs. Thus, risk to grazing cattle may remain high until these plants are dormant.
The Centrality of Language in Human Cognition

The emergence of language—a productive and combinatorial system of communication—has been hailed as one of the major transitions in evolution. By enabling symbolic culture, language allows humans to draw on and expand on the knowledge of their ancestors and peers. A common assumption among linguists and psychologists is that although language is critical to our ability to share our thoughts, it plays a minor, if any, role in generating, controlling, and structuring them. I examine some assumptions that led to this view of language and discuss an alternative according to which normal human cognition is language-augmented cognition. I focus on one of the fundamental design features of language—the use of words as symbolic cues—and argue that language acts as a high-level control system for the mind, allowing individuals to sculpt mental representations of others as well as their own.
Regulatory Focus and Information Cues in a Crowdfunding Context

It is well understood that information cues associated with an investment opportunity generally impact one's willingness to participate in that opportunity. What is less well understood, however, is how different types of information cues affect individuals differently, and whether this effect is contingent on the decision maker's individual attributes. Through a three-study experimental design involving a simulated crowdfunding portal, this research examined the effects of venture quality information and social information on participants’ willingness to invest in a new venture. We hypothesised that participants’ responsiveness to these information cues was contingent on their regulatory focus. Our results were generally supported, although some counterintuitive findings emerged regarding prevention-focused individuals. From a practical standpoint, our results suggest potential concerns regarding the general enthusiasm for crowdfunding, as well as some mitigating factors.
Modeling Periodic Layered Structures by Shell Elements Using the Finite-Element Method

A novel two-step method is presented to model thin- or thick-layered homogeneous or periodic structures by replacing them with 2-D sheets, which are solved using shell elements. A unit cell model of the thin/thick 2-D structure is used to extract the circuit $Y$ matrix, which characterizes the layer. The shell elements are modeled by doubling the essential variables on the surface. The link between the two sides of the surface is governed by the circuit $Y$ matrix obtained from the unit cell model. In this way, the shielding effects of complex homogeneous or periodic structures can be accurately and efficiently modeled by using the finite-element method without volumetric meshing of the layer(s).
Forensic Pathology—The Hidden Specialty: A Survey of Forensic Pathology Training Available to Medical Students and Residents

It is no wonder that some people refer to forensic pathology as the "hidden specialty." This paper shows evidence that the only exposure given to most medical students is a brief, all-too-explicit demonstration ("horror show") of interesting cases that can only attract the bizarre of mind into the field. It is further pointed out that even residents in pathology receive scanty, if any, formal training in most medical school residency programs, in spite of the fact that two thirds of the medical schools responding have one or more forensic pathologists on their faculty. The obvious answer is a change in the curriculum if this increasingly important subspecialty is to be saved.
Should patients with documented or probable coronary artery disease routinely be placed on beta-blockers before noncardiac surgery?

Evidence from randomized, controlled trials indicates that most patients should receive beta-blockers in this situation.
SEX DIFFERENCES IN REACTIONS TO DELAYED AUDITORY FEEDBACK.

Eight male and eight female Ss were required to read and speak extemporaneously under voice-masking (VM) and delayed auditory-feedback (DAF) conditions. All male Ss exhibited some degree of artificial stuttering under DAF. The speech behavior of the female Ss under DAF was much the same as under VM. Under considerable increase in side-tone intensity, the female Ss' speech behavior resembled that of the male Ss.
Effect of maturation on capillary density, fiber size and composition in rat skeletal muscle.

SummaryCapillary density, fiber size and composition, were quantitated by histo-chemical methods in the tibialis anterior, soleus and gastrocnemius (medial head) of rats of different body weights. The capillary density was different in these muscles and it decreased with increasing body weight in a linear fashion due to a concomitant increase in the average cross sectional area of the fibers. This observation suggests that part of the variability in capillary density found in the literature is due to differences in body size. A change in muscle fiber composition with maturation was also observed. These were more marked in the tibialis anterior and in the soleus than in the gastrocnemius.The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Ms. Sheila H. Eby.
Opponent and bidirectional control of movement velocity in the basal ganglia

For goal-directed behaviour it is critical that we can both select the appropriate action and learn to modify the underlying movements (for example, the pitch of a note or velocity of a reach) to improve outcomes. The basal ganglia are a critical nexus where circuits necessary for the production of behaviour, such as the neocortex and thalamus, are integrated with reward signalling to reinforce successful, purposive actions. The dorsal striatum, a major input structure of basal ganglia, is composed of two opponent pathways, direct and indirect, thought to select actions that elicit positive outcomes and suppress actions that do not, respectively. Activity-dependent plasticity modulated by reward is thought to be sufficient for selecting actions in the striatum. Although perturbations of basal ganglia function produce profound changes in movement, it remains unknown whether activity-dependent plasticity is sufficient to produce learned changes in movement kinematics, such as velocity. Here we use cell-type-specific stimulation in mice delivered in closed loop during movement to demonstrate that activity in either the direct or indirect pathway is sufficient to produce specific and sustained increases or decreases in velocity, without affecting action selection or motivation. These behavioural changes were a form of learning that accumulated over trials, persisted after the cessation of stimulation, and were abolished in the presence of dopamine antagonists. Our results reveal that the direct and indirect pathways can each bidirectionally control movement velocity, demonstrating unprecedented specificity and flexibility in the control of volition by the basal ganglia.
The shocking consequences of hybrid epigenomes

The formation of spontaneous epialleles is poorly understood. A new study describes how the formation of epihybrids can lead to the appearance of novel epialleles.
Use of human mesenchymal stem cell treatment to prevent anhedonia in a rat model of traumatic brain injury.

Purpose Major depression and related mood disorders are the most common long-term outcomes associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Given the potentially debilitating consequences of depression, and the fact that TBI patients are frequently refractory to antidepressant drugs, new therapies are clearly needed. We hypothesized that human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC), delivered intravenously, can effectively treat TBI-induced depression and other behavioral deficits associated with TBI. Methods Rats (n = 8 per group) were subjected to experimental TBI or control sham operation. Six hours post TBI, rats were treated with 1×106 hMSC or vehicle control. Immediately after TBI and prior to hMSC or control treatment, rats were subjected to either targeted precision x-ray irradiation to eliminate subventricular zone (SVZ) proliferation or sham irradiation. One week after TBI, SVZ irradiation, and hMSC treatment, rats were evaluated for the depression-like behavior, anhedonia, using the two-bottle saccharin preference paradigm; and for working memory using the novel object recognition test. Results TBI resulted in a 54% (p≤0.05) decrease in saccharin preference scores while treatment of TBI with hMSC fully prevented this anhedonic behavior. TBI was also found to produce a 73% (p≤0.05) decrease in novel object interaction time, indicating impaired working memory, and was similarly improved by treatment with hMSC. The ability of hMSC to prevent TBI-associated depression and working memory impairment was eliminated when SVZ proliferation was inhibited by irradiation. Conclusions This work has identified a possible role for hMSC in the treatment of TBI-induced depression and other behaviors and suggests a mechanistic role for proliferative cells of the SVZ proliferation in hMSC efficacy.
Understanding Homicide–Suicide

Homicide-suicide is the phenomenon in which an individual kills 1 or more people and commits suicide. Research on homicide-suicide has been hampered by a lack of an accepted classification scheme and reliance on media reports. Mass murder-suicide is gaining increasing attention particularly in the United States. This article reviews the research and literature on homicide-suicide, proposing a standard classification scheme. Preventive methods are discussed and sociocultural factors explored. For a more accurate and complete understanding of homicide-suicide, it is argued that future research should use the full psychological autopsy approach, to include collateral interviews.