cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An adaptable task-oriented dialog system for stand-alone embedded devices

This paper describes a spoken-language end-to-end task-oriented dialogue system for small embedded devices such as home appliances. While the current system implements a smart alarm clock with advanced calendar scheduling functionality, the system is designed to make it easy to port to other application domains (e.g., the dialogue component factors out domain-specific execution from domain-general actions such as requesting and updating slot values). The system does not require internet connectivity because all components, including speech recognition, natural language understanding, dialogue management, execution and text-to-speech, run locally on the embedded device (our demo uses a Raspberry Pi). This simplifies deployment, minimizes server costs and most importantly, eliminates user privacy risks. The demo video in alarm domain is here youtu.be/N3IBMGocvHU
The conversion of dihydroneopterin triphosphate to sepiapterin by an enzyme system from Drosophila melanogaster.

Abstract The enzyme system for the synthesis of the pteridine pigment, sepiapterin, from 2-amino-4-hydroxy-6-(D- erythro -1',2',3'-trihydroxyprophyl) triphosphate (dihydroneopterin triphosphate) has been found in extracts of Drosophila melanogaster . NADP + or NADPH and Mg 2+ are required for this enzymatic transformation. No sepiapterin is produced when dihydroneopterin is supplied as substrate in place of dihydroneopterin triphosphate.
A Systems Approach to Project Stakeholder Management: Fuzzy Cognitive Map Modeling:

Projects that make effective use of project stakeholder management (PSM) tend to run smoothly and be successful because stakeholders understand and agree with the project approaches and outcomes. P...
Hybridization between Asclepias purpurascens and Asclepias syriaca (Apocynaceae): A cause for concern?

Rare plant species can be at risk of hybridization, reduced genetic variation, and genetic assimilation when a numerically abundant congener co-occurs in or invades their habitat. We investigated hybridization between a species in decline, Asclepias purpurascens L., and its common and widespread congener, Asclepias syriaca L. A total of 40 morphological traits were measured on 60 flowering plants from a mixed population in Connecticut. Cluster and principal component analyses identified two distinct clusters of parental species taxa and a third cluster representing putative hybrids. Although leaf traits of putative hybrids were more similar to A. syriaca, floral traits and the morphological space on the principal component analysis were more similar to A. purpurascens. This suggests that the population contains a mix of F1 and advanced generation hybrids with the possibility of introgression into A. purpurascens. Although putative hybrids are intermediate for most traits, pollen counts reveal reduced fertility of presumed hybrid that might influence mating behaviors and increase the likelihood of backcrossing with A. purpurascens. We suggest a combination of morphological traits that better identify the two parental species as well as hybrids in the field. Conservationists should consider options of managing A. syriaca where A. purpurascens needs protection from competition to prevent genetic assimilation of the latter.
Organoid and Assembloid Technologies for Investigating Cellular Crosstalk in Human Brain Development and Disease

The biology of the human brain, and in particular the dynamic interactions between the numerous cell types and regions of the central nervous system, has been difficult to study due to limited access to functional brain tissue. Technologies to derive brain organoids and assembloids from human pluripotent stem cells are increasingly utilized to model, in progressively complex preparations, the crosstalk between cell types in development and disease. Here, we review the use of these human cellular models to study cell–cell interactions among progenitors, neurons, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, cancer cells, and non-central nervous system cell types, as well as efforts to study connectivity between brain regions following controlled assembly of organoids. Ultimately, the promise of these patient-derived preparations is to uncover previously inaccessible features of brain function that emerge from complex cell–cell interactions and to improve our mechanistic understanding of neuropsychiatric disorders.
A transient heritable memory regulates HIV reactivation from latency

Reactivation of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) from latently infected T cells is a critical barrier to successfully eradicate HIV-1 from patients. Latency models in Jurkat T-cells reveal that individual cells reactivate in an all-or-none fashion when exposed to latency reversal agents (LRAs). Remarkably, this heterogeneity arises within a clonal cell population of genetically identical cells containing a single copy of the provirus integrated at the same genomic site. To characterize these single-cell responses, we leverage the classical Luria-Delbruck fluctuation test where single cells are isolated from a clonal population, and exposed to LRAs after a period of colony expansion. If cellular responses are purely random, then the fraction of reactivating cells should have minimal colony-to-colony fluctuations given the large number of cells present after weeks of colony growth. In contrast, data shows considerable colony-to-colony fluctuations with the fraction of reactivating cells following a skewed distribution. Systematic measurements of fluctuations over time in combination with mathematical modeling uncovers the existence of a heritable memory that regulates HIV-1 reactivation, where single cells are in a LRA-responsive state for a few weeks before switching back to an irresponsive state. These results have enormous implications for designing therapies to purge the latent reservoir and illustrate the utility of fluctuation-based assays to uncover hidden transient cellular states underlying phenotypic heterogeneity.
Optimizing current standard of care therapy for stage III non-small cell lung cancer

The management of stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains complex and controversial, with a myriad of potentially feasible options. Given the diversity of non-surgical as well as surgical options, along with recent randomized data regarding adjuvant immunotherapy that has re-defined the standard of care for unresected stage III NSCLC cases, the goal of this narrative review was to provide a contemporary view at how management of these patients can be further optimized. Topics discussed include the following items: optimizing toxicity mitigation strategies (in order to avoid impaired receipt of subsequent therapies), the importance of multidisciplinary tumor boards (MTBs) and multidisciplinary clinics (MDCs), adhering to treatment approaches endorsed by national guidelines, prudently selecting patients for surgical intervention (as compared to non-operative approaches), coordination of multidisciplinary care so as to best preserve all potential therapeutic options, and addressing challenges regarding disparities in access to oncologic care. This review places particular emphasis for community and/or rural centers, which may not have the same level of resources and/or personnel as larger academic institutions. Taken together, these strategies are aimed towards the overarching goal of streamlining oncologic care for stage III NSCLC cases in light of the numerous approaches that currently exist for these patients.
Open Educational Resources (OERs) in Health Informatics

Open educational resources (OERs) are online resources that are freely available for use by students and educators. This chapter describes two major OER efforts in health informatics, discussing both their contributions and limitations. These resources can provide value to educators but also likely require maintenance to be most useful.
Concurrent and Longitudinal Associations of Sex and Race with Inflammatory Biomarkers during Adolescence.

Chronic, systemic inflammation is implicated in physical and mental health; little is known about whether sex and racial differences detected in adulthood are observed during adolescence or about normative changes occurring during adolescence. This longitudinal, United States-based study examined four biomarkers of systemic inflammation [C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and IL-8) in 315 adolescents (51% female; 58% black; baseline age = 16.49 years (SD = 1.56; range: 12.14–21.28)] at three timepoints. Notable results included: general decline in inflammatory biomarkers in older adolescents, lower levels of TNF-α/IL-8 in black adolescents, elevated CRP/IL-6 in females, and especially higher levels of IL-6 in black, female adolescents. Implications are discussed, particularly the potential health implications of elevated IL-6 in black females.
Changes to Tropical Eastern North Pacific Intraseasonal Variability under Global Warming – Implications for Tropical Cyclogenesis

Changes to the eastern North Pacific tropical intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) at the end of the 21st Century and implications for tropical cyclone (TC) genesis are examined in the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP585) scenario of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6) data set. Multimodel mean composite low-level wind and precipitation anomalies associated with the leading intraseasonal mode indicate that precipitation amplitude increases while wind amplitude weakens under global warming, consistent with previous studies for the Indo-Pacific warm pool. The eastern North Pacific intraseasonal precipitation/wind pattern also tends to shift southwestward in a warmer climate, associated with weaker positive precipitation anomalies near the coast of Mexico and Central America during the enhanced convection/westerly wind phase. Implications for the modulation of TC genesis by the leading intraseasonal mode are then explored using an empirical genesis potential index (GPI). In the historical simulation, GPI shows positive anomalies in the eastern North Pacific in the convectively enhanced phase of the ISO. The ISO’s modulation of GPI weakens near the coast of Mexico and Central America with warming, associated with a southward shift of GPI anomalies. Further examination of the contribution from individual environmental variables that enter the GPI shows that relative humidity and vorticity changes during ISO events weaken positive GPI anomalies near the Mexican coast with warming and make genesis more favorable to the southwest. The impact of vertical shear anomaly changes is also to favor genesis away from the coast. These results suggest a weaker modulation of TCs near the Mexican Coast by the ISO in a warmer climate.
General Self-aware Information Extraction from Labels of Biological Collections

The information stored in biological collections can help us model biodiversity, develop new medicines, control agricultural pests, and understand or avoid epidemics, among many other benefits. The digitization of this information, including the transcription of the Darwin Core (DC) terms from the text in photographs, is currently performed through human-oriented processes that rely on input from experts or consensus from crowdsourced work. Previous studies utilized heuristics, only applicable to a couple of DC terms, for their semi-automated extraction. In this paper, we propose a human-in-the-loop workflow for the general extraction of DC terms. The workflow utilizes crowdsourced data to iteratively train a named-entity recognition model for the extraction of the DC terms. Because the source text can contain errors from the optical character recognition process, the extracted values are validated by a confidence estimation structure of frequency lists. These lists are created from millions of previously digitized records, of other collections, and data already extracted from the collection being processed. The proposed human-in-the-loop approach accelerates the transcription of DC terms by partially automating the extraction of values with a near-human quality. The named-entity recognition model was tested in the extraction of a heterogeneous group of 10 terms, obtaining a recall of 0.859, precision of 0.931, and similarity to the ground-truth data of 0.941, on average. The number of required crowdsourcing sessions was reduced by 84%.
After the vote: climate policy decision-making in the administrative state

While the science-policy interface has been a major focus of recent climate policy research, the role of agency practices and bureaucratic behavior has been largely overlooked. With a focus on U.S. federal agencies and similar bureaucratic contexts, we review the literature on how administrative decision-making influences the acquisition and application of climate evidence, including information provided by both scientists and stakeholders. We show that administrative procedures (requirements for gathering and analyzing information), agency characteristics (such as mission and institutional design), and bureaucrat attributes (an individual’s expertise and values) shape agencies’ use of climate evidence. Given the key role of the administrative state in policymaking, our review calls for greater attention to public administration and its consequences for climate responsiveness.
Combined Genetic and Physical Map of the Complex Genome of Agrobacterium tumefaciens

A combined genetic and physical map of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens A348 (derivative of C58) genome was constructed to address the discrepancy between initial single-chromosome genetic maps and more recent physical mapping data supporting the presence of two nonhomologous chromosomes. The combined map confirms the two-chromosome genomic structure and the correspondence of the initial genetic maps to the circular chromosome. The linear chromosome is almost devoid of auxotrophic markers, which probably explains why it was missed by genetic mapping studies.
Cerebral Venous Thrombosis: A Guide to Diagnosis and Drug Treatment

Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a relatively rare pathological condition. The clinical presentations can be nonspecific and quite variable, frequently resulting in delayed or missed diagnosis. The symptoms include headache, nausea, vomiting, visual disturbance, altered consciousness and seizures. These symptoms are believed to be caused by increased intracranial pressure secondary to impeded venous drainage. The diagnosis can be made with computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonant imaging (MRI) and cerebral angiography. CT is usually the initial diagnostic test that may show dense clot in the cerebral veins along with hemorrhagic venous infarctions. Empty delta sign can be seen on contrast-enhanced CT. MRI has become the preferred modality for detecting CVT; magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and venography (MRV) are the best methods for detecting the condition. Angiography, once the standard, is now only indicated when MRI has resulted in an uncertain diagnosis or when endovascular intervention is desired. Therapy should be directed at treating the underlying causative process and symptoms secondary to elevated intracranial pressure. Although there is no consensus regarding antithrombotic treatment, the current trend is to use intravenous heparin initially, followed by warfarin. A newer approach has been developed using interventional endovascular modalities. Local infusion of thrombolytics can be achieved by transvenous catheterisation and catheter navigation. This may offer potential advantages over the established systemic antithrombotic therapy.
Peripheral Mechanisms of Hearing

The sections in this article are: 1 Overview and Gross Anatomy 2 Evolution of Ears and Their Variety 2.1 Evolution of the Inner Ear 2.2 Evolution of the middle ear 3 Sensory Receptors 3.1 Cochlear Hair Cells in the Mammal 3.2 Hair Cells as Transducers 4 Function of Cochlear Hair Cells 4.1 Events at Receptive Region of Cells 4.2 Anatomy of Mammalian Cochlear Duct 4.3 Generation of Receptor Current 4.4 Micromechanics of Organ of Corti 5 Input to Organ of Corti: Basilar Membrane Mechanics 5.1 Structure and Properties of Cochlear Canal and Basilar Membrane 5.2 The Traveling Wave 5.3 Nonlinearities 5.4 The Second Filter 6 The Middle and Outer Ear 6.1 Evolutionary Necessity 6.2 The Middle Ear 6.3 The Outer Ear 7 Electrical Signs of Transduction: Cochlear Potentials 7.1 Recording Methods 7.2 Intracellular Recording 7.3 Gross Recording 8 Output of Receptor Cells 8.1 Transmitter Substances 8.2 Site of Impulse Initiation 8.3 Action of Efferent Nerve Fibers 9 Summary 10 Note Added in Proof
Medial Temporal Lobe Amnesia: Gradual Acquisition of Factual Information by Nondeclarative Memory

Most amnesic patients with damage to the medial temporal lobe retain some capacity to learn new information about facts and events. In many cases, the learning appears to depend on a residual ability to acquire conscious (declarative) knowledge. We have studied the capacity for semantic (fact) learning in the profoundly amnesic patient E.P., who has extensive damage limited primarily to the medial temporal lobe. E.P. was presented with factual information (novel three-word sentences) during 24 study sessions across 12 weeks. E.P. performed much more poorly than controls but demonstrated unmistakable improvement across the sessions, achieving after 12 weeks a score of 18.8% correct on a cued-recall test and 64.6% correct on a two-alternative, forced-choice test. Unlike controls, E.P.'s learning was not accompanied by conscious knowledge about which answers were correct. He assigned the same confidence ratings to his correct answers as his incorrect answers. Moreover, on the forced-choice test his response times were identical for correct and incorrect responses. Furthermore, unlike controls, he could not respond correctly when the second word in each sentence was replaced by a synonym. Thus, what E.P. learned was rigidly organized, unavailable as conscious knowledge, and in all respects exhibited the characteristics of nondeclarative memory. Thus, factual information, which is ordinarily learned as declarative (conscious) knowledge and with the participation of the medial temporal lobe, can be acquired as nondeclarative memory, albeit very gradually and in a form that is outside of awareness and that is not represented as factual knowledge. We suggest that E.P.'s learning depended on a process akin to perceptual learning and occurred directly within neocortex.
Plasticity and nativism: towards a resolution of an apparent paradox

Recent research in brain development and cognitive development leads to an apparent paradox. One set of recent experiments suggests that infants are well-endowed with sophisticated mechanisms for analyzing the world; another set of recent experiments suggests that brain development is extremely flexible. In this paper, I review various ways of resolving the implicit tension between the two, and close with a proposal for a novel computational approach to reconciling nativism with developmental flexibility.
Motor facilitation while observing hand actions: specificity of the effect and role of observer's orientation.

Action observation enhances cortico-spinal excitability. Here we tested the specificity of this effect and the role played by the orientation of the observer. Ten normal subjects observed video clips of right hand performing three different finger movements (thumb ab-/adduction, index ab-/adduction, index extens-/flexion) in two different orientations (Away, i.e., natural hand-orientation facing out from the observer; or Toward, i.e., unnatural hand-orientation facing toward the observer). Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) were recorded from the abductor pollicis brevis (APB) and the first dorsal interosseus (FDI) muscles. Movement direction of the index finger was recorded using force transducers. Facilitation of MEP size was significantly greater for APB during observation of thumb movements and for FDI during observation of index finger movements. Facilitation of MEP size was significantly greater when the hand presented on screen was facing out from and corresponding to that of the observer (Away orientation). The direction of the index finger movement evoked by TMS shifted toward extension/flexion versus ab-/adduction matching the observed movement. Our results give further evidence that observation of a movement enhances motor output to the muscles involved in the movement and facilitates the observed action. In addition, we provide novel evidence about the high degree of specificity of this observation-induced motor cortical modulation. The degree of modulation depends on hand orientation. The modulation is maximal when the observed action corresponds to the orientation of the observer.
Molecular targets in pituitary tumours.

Pituitary tumours are associated with unrestrained secretion and subsequent action of trophic hormones. One approach to therapy involves suppressing pituitary-hormone hypersecretion without compromising endogenous pituitary function. Identification of novel neuroendocrine-receptor targets has enabled the development of safe and effective receptor ligands that can be used to treat pituitary tumours and associated hormonal excess. Some of these agents, such as somatostatin analogues and a growth-hormone-receptor antagonist, will also have broader applications in treating other cancers and metabolic disorders.
DMA-Assisted, Intranode Communication in GPU Accelerated Systems

Accelerator awareness has become a pressing issue in data movement models, such as MPI, because of the rapid deployment of systems that utilize accelerators. In our previous work, we developed techniques to enhance MPI with accelerator awareness, thus allowing applications to easily and efficiently communicate data between accelerator memories. In this paper, we extend this work with techniques to perform efficient data movement between accelerators within the same node using a DMA-assisted, peer-to-peer intranode communication technique that was recently introduced for NVIDIA GPUs. We present a detailed design of our new approach to intranode communication and evaluate its improvement to communication and application performance using micro-kernel benchmarks and a 2D stencil application kernel.
Resistive breathing training in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

In order to investigate the effect of resistive breathing training on ventilatory muscular endurance, we examined the maximal sustained ventilatory capacity in ten patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) before and after a six-week program of resistive breathing training. In addition, we investigated the effect of altered breathing strategy on resistive breathing performance. The patients performed two 15-minute sessions of resistive breathing daily for six weeks using an inspiratory resistive device (Pflex). Before and after the training, we found no significant change in spirometric data, pulmonary volumes, maximal inspiratory pressure, and maximal expiratory pressure. Of the ten patients, seven failed to show an improvement in their performance of resistive breathing. Furthermore, the maximal sustained ventilatory capacity was unchanged after the resistive breathing training. After the completion of the training program, seven of the patients participated in an additional experiment in which they were instructed to take long slow inspirations while breathing through the resistive device. With this change in breathing pattern, five of the seven were able to improve their performance of resistive breathing. Analysis of the breathing strategy showed that a reduction in the peak mouth pressure, breathing frequency, and external resistive work with a longer inspiratory time was beneficial. We conclude that (1) neither resistive breathing performance nor ventilatory muscular endurance, as measured by sustained hyperpnea, is improved by resistive breathing training performed according to the current instructions with the resistive device, and (2) alterations in breathing strategy have a profound effect on the performance of resistive breathing. The lack of details of breathing strategy in previous studies of resistive breathing makes it difficult to determine if previously demonstrated improvements were due to a real enhancement of ventilatory muscular performance or merely secondary to a different strategy.
Electron-electron double-resonance investigations of irradiated organic crystals: The influence of deuterium substitution

Electron-electron double resonance (ELDOR) investigations of irradiated organic crystals have shown promising uses of deuterium substitution in the ELD0R identification of magnetically different radicals associated with a poorly resolved ESR spectrum Replacement of the water of crystallization in potassium acetate crystals with deuterium oxide has removed the proton spin-fiip lines in the ELD0R spectrum of the methyl radical and has permitted fewer ELDOR combination lines from magnetically different radicals to be observed at 77 deg K. A study of the hydrogendeuterium exchange reactions in irradiated glycine-d/ sub 3/ and l-alanine crystals has shown the absence of ELD0R lines at the deuteron hyperfine frequency a/sub D/ and the absence of hydrogen-deuterium combination lines, but the presence of an intense line at the proton hyperfine splitting frequency. In addition a significant decrease in the intermolecular cross exchange near room temperature permitted a separation of the proton ELDOR spectra for each hydrogen-deuterium Exchange reaction making it possible to identify the different simultaneously occurring reactions. (auth)
The Senior Art Purchase Prize

Each spring, the Lilly Library at Earlham College sponsors a senior art contest. The Library Director and Art Department faculty judge entries. The library purchases and permanently displays the winning work. Problems are minimal and there are several benefits: not only does the library enhance its public relations and appearance, but it also demonstrates its concern for students as people.
Selecting a comparison group for 5-year oral and pharyngeal cancer survivors: Two methods

To assess potential long-term consequences of cancer treatment, studies that include comparison groups are needed. These comparison groups should be selected in a way that allows the subtle long-range effects of cancer therapy to be detected and distinguishes them from the effects of aging and other risk factors. The purpose of this investigation was to test two methods of recruiting a comparison group for 5-year oral and pharyngeal cancer survivors (peer-nominated and listed sample) with emphasis on feasibility and the quality of the match. Participants were drawn from a pool of 5-year survivors treated at a large Southeastern hospital. A peer-nominated sample was solicited from the survivors. A listed sample matched on sex, age, and zip code was purchased. Telephone interviews were conducted by a professional call center. The following represent our key findings: The quality of matching between survivors and listed sample was better than that between survivors and peer-nominated group in age and sex. The quality of matching between the two methods on other key variables did not differ except for education, with the peer method providing a better match for the survivors than the listed sample. The yield for the listed sample method was greater than for the peer-nominated method. The cost per completed interview was greater for the peer-nominated method than the listed sample. This study not only documents the methodological challenges in selecting a comparison group for studies examining the late effects of cancer treatment among older individuals but also documents challenges in matching groups that potentially have disproportionate levels of comorbidities and at-risk health behaviors.
Effects of live Brucella abortus strain 19 vaccine on reindeer

Twenty female and seven male reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) were vaccinated subcutaneously in the right shoulder with a 1-ml dose of approximately 1.2 x 108 colony forming units of Brucella abortus strain 19, the standard reduced dose for cattle. An additional three females and one male served as non-vaccinated sentinels. Brucella abortus strain 19 was isolated from two of three fetuses aborted by vaccinated females during the first of two fawning seasons. Serologic titers to brucellosis in the vaccinates peaked by 46 days post-vaccination. Shedding of B. abortus strain 19 by vaccinated animals was indicated by seroconversion of all four sentinels. Titers in the sentinels were low and sporadic. Brucella abortus strain 19 was isolated from the tissues and fetus of a pregnant female 51 days post-vaccination and from the carpal joint of another female 7 months post-vaccination. Based on these results and a previous challenge experiment, it was concluded that Brucella abortus strain 19 is not a suitable vaccine to use in a brucellosis control program in reindeer.
The Chrysalis Opens? Photometry from the η Carinae Hubble Space Telescope Treasury Project, 2002-2006* **

During the past decade η Car has brightened markedly, possibly indicating a change of state. Here we summarize photometry gathered by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) as part of the HST Treasury Project on this object. Our data include Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) CCD acquisition images, Advanced Camera for Surveys HRC images in four filters, and synthetic photometry in flux-calibrated STIS spectra. The HST's spatial resolution allows us to examine the central star separate from the bright circumstellar ejecta. Its apparent brightness continued to increase briskly during 2002-2006, especially after the mid-2003 spectroscopic event. If this trend continues, the central star will soon become brighter than its ejecta, quite different from the state that existed only a few years ago. One precedent may be the rapid change observed in 1938-1953. We conjecture that the star's mass-loss rate has been decreasing throughout the past century.
A lineage-specific transcriptional silencer regulates CD4 gene expression during T lymphocyte development

During development of T lymphocytes, differential regulation of expression of the CD4 and CD8 glycoproteins is coupled to the choice of one of two pathways of differentiation. Thymocytes that express both of these coreceptors commit to either the helper lineage, shutting off CD8, or the cytotoxic lineage, shutting off CD4. We have used transgenic mice to identify an intronic regulatory region that controls CD4 gene expression during development. This region selectively extinguishes transgene expression in CD4-CD8+, but not CD4+CD8- nor CD4+CD8+ T cells. It also represses gene expression in CD4-CD8- immature thymocytes, indicating that the CD4 gene is derepressed during differentiation from the CD4-CD8- to the CD4+CD8+ stage. The negative element(s) is both orientation and position independent and acts also on heterologous regulatory sequences. Its properties are functionally similar to those of silencers described in yeast and in Drosophila, suggesting that we have identified a developmentally regulated vertebrate transcriptional silencer.
Reactivity and Selectivity in the Au/Pd(111) Alloy-Catalyzed Vinyl Acetate Synthesis

The rates of reaction of acetate species adsorbed on a range of Au/Pd(111) alloys with gas-phase ethylene to form vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) were explored by monitoring the time dependence of the adsorbate coverages using infrared spectroscopy. It was found that the acetate species react directly to form VAM since the decrease in the coverage of acetate species correlates directly with the rate of VAM formation. The VAM was retained on the surface, in accord with the stronger binding of VAM on Au/Pd(111) alloys than on the metal as found in previous surface science studies. In addition, the formation of ethylidyne species from ethylene, previously found on Pd(111), was suppressed on alloys for gold coverages ≥0.37 monolayers. A substantial increase in the rate of VAM formation was found with increasing gold coverage in the alloy. In addition to the strengthening of the binding of VAM on the alloy, the binding of the reactants decreased with increasing gold content in the alloy, leading to an overall increase in the exothermicity of the reaction. This is expected to lead to a decrease in reaction activation energies, rationalizing the observed increase in reactions rate. However, it has also been found previously that the reactant coverages influence the elementary step activation energies on Pd(111). Increasing the gold coverage in the alloy also decreases the coverages of the reactants and may therefore also influence the VAM formation activity.
Effects of Sodium Hypochlorite (Dakin's Solution) on Cells of the Wound Module

• This study investigates the effects of sodium hypochlorite, or Dakin's solution (DS), on the function and viability of cells of the wound module (neutrophils, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells). For functional studies, the influence of DS on the in vitro migration of neutrophils was evaluated. Our data indicate that DS (2.5×102% to 2.5×104%) results in greater than 90% inhibition of the migration of both stimulated and nonstimulated neutrophils. Electron microscopy and trypan blue evaluation of neutrophils exposed to DS at these concentrations revealed normal structural features, which indicates that the observed reduction in neutrophil migration is not a result of cell death. In contrast to neutrophils, cultured fibroblasts and endothelial cells exposed to DS (2.5×102% or 2.5×103%) for 30 minutes show marked cell injury characterized by convoluted nuclei, cytoplasmic vacuolization, dilated endoplasmic reticulum, and swollen mitochondria on electron microscopy. These data suggest that DS, even at very dilute concentrations, is toxic to cells of the wound module. We therefore recommend abandonment of the use of DS in open wounds. (Arch Surg1988;123:420-423)
Paroxysmal Pain and Autonomic Disturbances of Cerebral Origin: A Specific Electro-Clinical Syndrome

SUMMARY A group of 459 children having episodic attacks of headache or abdominal pain, or both, associated with autonomic disturbances such as pallor, sweating, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, dizziness, light-headedness, lethargy and temperature alterations are reported. These symptoms are grouped together into a specific syndrome because of the consistent pattern of the symptoms and clinical findings and because of the consistent presence of particular electroencephalographic abnormality (the 14 and 6/sec positive spike pattern). The majority of these cases occur in children between the ages of 5 and 16 years, occasional cases being seen in younger or older children and adults. In most of the patients no etiology can be demonstrated, although a history of head injury or encephalitis is present in a significant number (37%). These symptoms respond to treatment with anticonvulsant medication, the drugs of choice being dilantin and diamox. RESUME Rapport sur l'examen d'un groupe de 459 enfants souffrant d'acces periodiques de maux de tete ou de douleur abdominale, ou des deux a la fois, associes a des troubles autonomes tels que pâleur, transpiration, nausees, vomissements, anorexie, vertiges, sensation de legerete dans la tete, lethargie et alterations de la temperature. Ces symptomes sont groupes en un syndrome specifique a cause du type constant des symptomes et des constatations cliniques, et aussi a cause de la presence constante d'une anomalie electroencephalographique particuliere (le type positif de pointes de 14 et 6/sec). La majorite de ces cas concerne des enfants âges de 5 a 16 ans; des cas fortuits se sont presentes chez des enfants plus jeunes ou plus âges et chez des adultes. L'etiologie n'a pu etre determinee chez la plupart des malades, bien qu'une lesion a la tete ou une encephalite soient mentionnees en un nombre assez important (37%). Ces symptomes reagissent au traitement par des anticonvulsivants; les medicaments a choisir sont le diphenylhydantoinate de soude et le diamox.
Operant analysis of hallucination frequency in a hospitalized schizophrenic

Abstract This paper describes an operant program used to treat a hospitalized schizophrenic patient with frequent visual hallucinations and severe obsessive compulsive behaviors. Both reinforcement and punishment paradigms were utilized in an attempt to eliminate the unusual overt behaviors which defined hallucinatory periods. The data support the hypothesis that hallucinations are subject to operant control. A generalized strategy for extending this procedure to other hallucinating schizophrenics is discussed.
Fate of 15N labeled legume and ammonium nitrogen sources in a soil-plant system

Abstract Minimal data exist concerning the fate of legume‐derived N (LN) and inorganic fertilizer N (FN) within soil‐plant systems when both N sources are present together. This study was a factorial combination of LN and FN rates applied to the soil surface of pots in which grass (Lolium perenne L.) was previously established. Treatments were imposed twice; first with LN enriched and FN unenriched with 15N, then again with FN enriched and LN unenriched with 15N. LN and FN sources were hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) and (NH4)2SO4, respectively. Plants were clipped periodically for 10 weeks. Aboveground tissue was analyzed for dry weight, N concentration, and 15N. The 15N enrichment of the soil total N was determined at the end of the experiment. More LN than FN remained in soil at the end of the experiment. LN was about half as efficient as FN in producing plant dry matter. Recovery of LN in plants averaged 44% less than FN when each source was present alone. When LN and FN were present together at equa...
Smoking cessation counseling by primary care women physicians: Women Physicians' Health Study.

Objectives The Women Physicians' Health Study (WPHS) offers a unique opportunity to examine the counseling and screening practices of women physicians. The objectives of this study were to: describe the prevalence of self-reported smoking cessation counseling among primary care women physicians and determine the association between physician demographic, professional, and personal characteristics and smoking cessation counseling. Methods Conducted in 1993-1994, WPHS is a nationally representative cross-sectional mailed survey of U.S. women physicians and included 4,501 respondents representing all major specialties. Primary care physicians included 5 specialty areas and were grouped into 3 categories: (1) general primary care; (2) obstetrics/gynecology (ob/gyn); and (3) pediatrics. Frequent counseling was defined as having counseled patients who were known smokers at every visit or at least once a year. Results Women physicians in general primary care (84%) and ob/gyn (83%) were more likely to frequently counsel their patients about cessation than were pediatricians (41%). Perceived relevance of counseling to a physician's practice was significantly associated with frequent counseling. Personal characteristics (current smoking status, personal or family history of a smoking-related disease, or living with a smoker as an adult or child) were not significantly correlated with counseling. Conclusion The majority (71%) of physicians reported frequently counseling their patients. However, there was significant variation by physician specialty. In addition, perceived relevance of counseling was strongly associated with counseling behavior. Physician counseling on cessation can reduce tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. Increasing perceived relevance, implementing system changes, and creating accountability can facilitate cessation counseling by physicians.
Dipole Probe: Design and Field Applications of a Single‐Borehole Device for Measurements of Vertical Variations of Hydraulic Conductivity

A dipole probe (DP) for measuring vertical variations of hydraulic conductivity has been designed, constructed, and tested in field conditions. The variable-length device designed for the dipole flow test (DFT) consists of three packers separated by changeable spacer rods. The assembled DP is lowered into a well with a long screened interval. The packers are inflated, isolating two screened sections (chambers) between them. A small submersible pump, mounted on the central packer, transfers water from the upper (extraction) chamber into the lower (injection) chamber. This simultaneous injection and extraction creates a recirculatory flow within the aquifer. The chamber head responses are measured by two pressure transducers in the DP chambers. The DP can be used at discrete intervals along the entire well screen length. The DP has been successfully tested in a specially constructed well with a continuous screen in a highly conductive sand and gravel aquifer. During drilling, disturbed samples were collected using the split spoon method and the vertical profile of K was estimated from grain-size analysis. A total of 153 DFTs were performed with various DP geometries. Results indicate that the chamber head changes are sensitive to aquifer properties, reach steady state rapidly, vary linearly with redrculation pumping rate, and can be controlled by changes in DP dimensions. Vertical profiles of K compare well with grain-size analysis estimates.
Is obesity an independent barrier to obtaining prenatal care

Objective—Obesity is a demonstrated barrier to obtaining healthcare. Its impact on obtaining prenatal care (PNC) is unknown. Our objective was to determine if obesity is an independent barrier to accessing early and adequate PNC. Study Design—We performed a retrospective cohort study of women who initiated PNC and delivered at our institution in 2005. BMI was categorized by World Health Organization guidelines: underweight (<18.5kg/m 2 ), normal weight (18.5–24.9kg/m 2 ), overweight (25.0– 29.9kg/m 2 ), and obese (≥30 kg/m 2 ). Maternal history and delivery information were obtained through chart abstraction. Differences in gestational age at first visit (GA-1) and adequate PNC were evaluated by BMI category. Data were compared using χ 2 and non-parametric analyses. Results—410 women were evaluated. Overall, the median GA-1 was 11.1 weeks and 69% had adequate PNC. There was no difference in GA-1 or adequate PNC by BMI category (p=0.17 and p=0.66, respectively). When BMI groups were dichotomized into obese and non-obese women, there was no difference in GA-1 or adequate PNC, p=0.41.
Long-term care in dementia: Patients and caregivers

General principles of managing chronic, age-associated diseases apply as much to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other late-life dementing disorders as they do to congestive heart failure or osteoarthritis. Beyond efforts to maintain residual tissue or organ function, important physician roles include promoting general well-being and helping patients and their caregivers adjust to disease-related limitations. Physicians provide essential information to patients and their families about the disease, its social and legal ramifications, and community resources to facilitate care. Therefore, physicians must be knowledgeable about broadly intersecting medical, legal, financial, and ethical issues surrounding the long-term management of AD and other dementias. The many challenges faced by patients with dementia and their caregivers over time underscore the need for an ongoing diagnostic and therapeutic alliance with primary care physicians. This article reviews salient aspects of long-term care for patients with AD and other dementias, highlighting the vital and varied roles of physicians in managing these chronic brain disorders.
Payment of egg donors in stem cell research in the USA

Arguments have been put forth as to whether women who donate oocytes for human embryonic stem cell (HESC) research should be compensated, but data regarding this issue have been scant. Recently in the United States, several States have begun funding HESC research, and patient recruitment efforts have begun. This paper lays out relevant arguments and presents data concerning this issue. Researchers are finding that women are unwilling to donate eggs altruistically, which is hampering the progress of research. These efforts are examined, and data on potential donors' views are presented. The absence of payment, rather than ethical concerns, appears to explain opposition to donation. Women also appear generally ignorant of policies in this area. It is suggested that policy discussions shift focus from whether to pay, to how much would be appropriate, and how to decide; and that research and public and professional education be increased to heighten understanding and awareness of these issues.
Optimal road capacity in the presence of unpriced congestion

Abstract This paper studies how the optimal capacity of a road is affected by a pricing constraint which keeps the toll fixed below its optimal value. The answer is found to depend on the value of the price elasticity of travel demand at the second-best optimum. The pricing constraint lowers the optimal capacity, if the price elasticity is sufficiently high. But under reasonable assumptions, the pricing constraint raises the optimal capacity, if the price elasticity is less than the ratio of the consumer price of travel to the private congestion cost at the second-best optimum. This ratio cannot be less than one.
Impact of channel and source variations on the energy efficiency under QoS constraints

Energy efficiency in wireless fading channels is studied in the presence of statistical quality of service (QoS) constraints. Energy per bit is employed as the performance metric. Minimum energy per bit and wideband slope expressions are determined to quantify the energy efficiency in the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime. In particular, the impact of channel and source variations is investigated. A block-fading model in which fading coefficients are arbitrarily correlated in one block before assuming independent realizations in the next one, is considered. Initially, the effect of fading correlation on energy efficiency is analyzed. It is shown that while minimum energy per bit does not depend on the fading correlation, wideband slope decreases as positive correlation increases, resulting in increased energy requirements at low but nonzero SNR levels. Subsequently, an ON-OFF source arrival model is considered. It is shown that while the minimum energy per bit does not get affected by source variations, wideband slope diminishes with increasing source burstiness. (”THIS PAPER IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE STUDENT PAPER AWARD”)
Why five-year-olds cannot understand before and after

Young children often have difficulty understanding commands such as “Before you move a red plane, move a blue plane.” Kindergarten children's ability to carry out such ordered commands was studied under a variety of training conditions. Results on a posttest showed that intonational emphasis on before or after did not facilitate the task, but feedback as to the correctness of a response greatly reduced errors. The errors of Ss who did not receive feedback were most often omissions of the command in the subordinate clause. These errors cannot be attributed to the difficulty of ordered tasks per se, since control Ss made very few errors with commands of the form “Move a blue plane first; move a red plane last.”
Processing of simple and choice reaction time tasks by Chicano adolescents

Evidence that Hick's paradigm is appropriate for studying cognitive information processing in Chicano adolescents is presented. The subjects exhibited no differences in reaction time (RT) due to age or sex on the simple reaction time (SRT) or the choice reaction time (CRT) portions of the Hick paradigm. A difference in RTwasfound on the SRTtask infavor of subjectsfromfamilies with annual income above the national median relative to those from families below the national median. However, this difference was not observed on the more complex CRTtask, suggesting that the observed difference was likely coincidental. Evidence is also providedfor combining the SRTand CRTtasks when utilizing the Hick paradigm. Overall, the result are very encouraging, indicating that chronometric methodology can be a useful tool for conducting basic and applied research to investigate cognitive information processing in Chicanos.