cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
8 – Model Two

Publisher Summary The chapter discusses Model Two that concerns all individual behavior, not just individual economic behavior. At its center is the state of mind, ξ(t). Much less important is the endowment, x(t); goods are no more than instruments allowing the agent to carry out his actions. Goods lost even that small role, when “endowment” became “surround” and “commodity stock” became “aspect.” The objective function is the stress, s(ξ), specified as ξξ. Since s is a minim and—strictly, a decrescend—the state of mind's preferred (but generally infeasible) direction is that of N-s = -2ξ. The motion law says that d∞ is a constant multiple of II(-2ξ), the feasible action closest to -2ξ.
Convulsive Movement Detection Using Low-Resolution Thermopile Sensor Array

Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) is a fatal threat to patients who suffer from convulsive seizures. The causes of the SUDEP are still ambiguous, and the patients who suffer from epileptic seizures may face death during sleep, likely after an unwitnessed convulsive seizure. An important step towards SUDEP prevention is reliable seizure detection during sleep that is inexpensive and unobtrusive. In this work, we developed a non-contact, nonintrusive, privacy-preserving system that can detect convulsive movements experienced by human subjects. Detection is accomplished by a combination of uncooled low-cost, low-power, low-resolution (8 × 8) IR array sensor, and a deep learning algorithm implemented with a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). The thermopile sensor array is placed 1m from subjects who are reclining in bed. The CNN training set consists of thermal video streams from 40 healthy subjects mimicking convulsive movements or lying in bed without making convulsive movements. After training, the CNN was tested on thermal video streams not included in the training set and had a 99.2% accuracy in classifying convulsive movements and non-convulsive episodes, with no false negatives to distinguish between the occurrence and non-occurrence of convulsive movements. The performance results show that the thermopile sensor array has the potential to detect convulsive seizures while maintaining patient privacy and not requiring direct patient contact.
Alternating Current Electrolysis for Organic Electrosynthesis: Trifluoromethylation of (Hetero)arenes

Paired electrolysis has a limited reaction scope for organic synthesis because it is often not compatible with reactions involving short-lived intermediates. We addressed this limitation using alternating current electrolysis (ACE). Using trifluoromethylation of (hetero)arenes as a model reaction, we showed that the yield was improved from 13% using paired electrolysis to 84% using ACE. We have also developed a theory for guiding the rational design of reaction parameters for future applications of ACE.
Adverse drug event presentation and tracking (ADEPT): semiautomated, high throughput pharmacovigilance using real-world data

Objective To advance use of real-world data (RWD) for pharmacovigilance, we sought to integrate a high-sensitivity natural language processing (NLP) pipeline for detecting potential adverse drug events (ADEs) with easily interpretable output for high-efficiency human review and adjudication of true ADEs. Materials and methods The adverse drug event presentation and tracking (ADEPT) system employs an open source NLP pipeline to identify in clinical notes mentions of medications and signs and symptoms potentially indicative of ADEs. ADEPT presents the output to human reviewers by highlighting these drug-event pairs within the context of the clinical note. To measure incidence of seizures associated with sildenafil, we applied ADEPT to 149 029 notes for 982 patients with pediatric pulmonary hypertension. Results Of 416 patients identified as taking sildenafil, NLP found 72 [17%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 14-21] with seizures as a potential ADE. Upon human review and adjudication, only 4 (0.96%, 95% CI 0.37-2.4) patients with seizures were determined to have true ADEs. Reviewers using ADEPT required a median of 89 s (interquartile range 57-142 s) per patient to review potential ADEs. Discussion ADEPT combines high throughput NLP to increase sensitivity of ADE detection and human review, to increase specificity by differentiating true ADEs from signs and symptoms related to comorbidities, effects of other medications, or other confounders. Conclusion ADEPT is a promising tool for creating gold standard, patient-level labels for advancing NLP-based pharmacovigilance. ADEPT is a potentially time savings platform for computer-assisted pharmacovigilance based on RWD.
Daily Stress Reactivity: The Unique Roles of Personality and Social Support

Background The processes through which social support exerts its influence in daily life are not well understood. Arguably, its salutary effects as an environmental variable might be construed as shared effects of personality. Method To test this possibility, we investigated the unique and shared effects of personality and social support on daily stressor exposure (social conflict, task strain) and on the within-person association of stressor exposure with perceived stress. A community-sample of N=391 adults completed an ambulatory assessment protocol for two 2-day periods with fixed hourly intervals spread across 16 hours. Results Consistent with our preregistered hypotheses, multilevel structural equation models returned that both, personality and perceived social support, predicted daily stressor exposure and moderated within-person effects of daily stressors on perceived stress. Contrary to our hypotheses, received social support had no effect on daily stress processes. When extraversion, neuroticism, and social support were added as joint predictors, neuroticism and extraversion were related to stressor exposure, and further moderated the within-person link between stressor exposure and stress experience, while perceived social support had an incremental beneficial effect on social conflict exposure and stress appraisal. Conclusion Social support does not increment the well-established relationships between neuroticism or extraversion and stress reactivity.
The Influence of Obesity and Meniscal Coverage on In Vivo Tibial Cartilage Thickness and Strain.

Background:Obesity, which potentially increases loading at the knee, is a common and modifiable risk factor for the development of knee osteoarthritis. The menisci play an important role in distrib...
Sociotechnical Cooperatives: The Impact of Technology on Cooperative Organizations

Cooperative arrangements structure many collaborative activities and address diverse collective action problems and social dilemmas, often around physical, natural, human, and data resources (e.g. Sykuta & Cook, 2001). Commons governance, as shared institutions around public resources or common property, represents one cooperative arrangement that often successfully addresses governance needs in context, particularly in distributed and rural contexts (Ostrom, 2015). Similarly, technology increasingly plays an important role in addressing these challenges (Bronson & Knezevic, 2016; Hollifield & Donnermeyer, 2003). This paper explores the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on cooperative organizations. In particular, we examine how technology addresses and creates challenges within cooperative organizations, examining: the impact of technology access and utilization on the economics of ownership; how technology impacts cooperatives’ structure and their transactional nature; and technological adoption and innovation amongst cooperatives. In the process, we explore relationships between cooperatives, as they formally associate with one another, employing network analysis to understand interactions across many economic sectors and geographic distribution. This study includes two distinct empirical stages. The first includes high-level network analysis of interrelationships between cooperatives and characterizes cooperative organizations within the United States. The second, draws on interviews with a small subset of cooperatives, selected through a cross-sectional design between economic sector and cooperative structure, differentiating between producer, worker, consumer, purchasing or shared-service, and digital cooperatives (Vitaliano, 1983). These interviews provide insights into how technology along with other variables like exogenous governance, and constraints from geographic and economic factors influence cooperative organizational structure, as well as how they learn from one another. Interview questions were informed by the Governing Knowledge Commons (GKC) framework (e.g. Sanfilippo, Frischmann, & Strandburg, 2018). Our results emphasize the importance of structure in shaping outcomes and interactions with ICTs. We provide an overview of cooperative organizations in the United States, illustrating patterns by sector, structure, region, and location, such as the importance of sector-based umbrella and infrastructural cooperatives in supporting coordination and communicating best technological practices to cooperatives, over regional partnerships, which exist to navigate local regulatory environments. The paper discusses unexpected opportunities and challenges with respect to technology adoption and use in organizations associated with competing interests, and how these challenges and emerging technologies shape incentives for sharing knowledge within these cooperative organizations.
Shaping Incentives through Measurement and Contracts

I develop an agency model in which performance measurement and compensation contracts are jointly used to shape incentives. When an agent has extensive control over firm value, there tend to be many optimal measures — each implying a unique optimal contract with a strikingly simple closed form — that efficiently motivate the same productive action. Because incentives can be embedded in the measure or the contract, any distortions in one are offset by adjusting the other, which can lead to highly nonlinear contracts. When the agent is risk neutral and has unlimited liability, there exist optimal measures that induce linear, convex, concave, bang-bang, piece-wise linear, S-shaped, or standard bonus contracts with floors, ceilings, and hurdles. When the agent has limited liability, standard bonus contracts written on understated measures tend to be jointly optimal. When the agent is risk averse, perfect measures are uniquely optimal whereas imperfect measures tend to distort firm value.
Sampling rates for the first-order sampling of two-band signals

Close-form representations for the permissible sampling rates on the first-order sampling of two-band bandpass signals are presented in this paper. It is shown that the new sampling rates are much lower than the Nyquist rate for signals with scattered passbands. A fast algorithm is developed for the symbolic operations on intervals, which makes the proposed sampling scheme more applicable.
A Coordinated Clinical Center for Young Onset Colorectal Cancer.

The increase in young onset colorectal cancer and the complex care needs of young cancer patients spurred the development of the Center for Young Onset Colorectal Cancer at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. This article describes the lessons of the first 2 years at the Center, including development of the program and specific services provided.
Correcting Empirical and Conceptual Errors in Eaton, Goldstein, Hamilton and Wherry (2021)

In a Roosevelt Institute issue brief, Eaton, Goldstein, Hamilton and Wherry (2021) make several claims regarding Catherine and Yannelis (2020) and argue that student loan forgiveness is progressive. In this short note we respond to each of their claims.
Coastal riverine wetland biogeochemistry follows soil organic matter distribution along a marsh-to-mangrove gradient (Florida, USA)

Many subtropical coastal wetland vegetation communities are transitioning from herbaceous marsh to woody mangrove, often facilitated by sea-level rise. This study investigated the relationships between vegetation community (upstream marsh, ecotone/transition, and downstream mangrove), salinity (S), and soil biogeochemistry in wetlands along three rivers on the Florida Gulf coast (the Little Manatee, Peace, and Fakahatchee Rivers). Vegetation was surveyed, and soil and water samples were collected during both the dry and the wet season and analyzed for biogeochemical properties (soil: bulk density, pH, organic matter, extractable inorganic and total nutrients, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and microbial biomass carbon; water: inorganic nutrients and DOC) and processes (greenhouse gas production) while salinity and water level were continuously monitored in the field. Results indicated landscape-scale patterns in soil biogeochemistry differed significantly by river and were most strongly correlated with soil organic matter content, regardless of vegetation community or salinity regime. Contrary to expectations, soil organic matter content gradients were not always inversely related to salinity gradients, and methane production was observed in moderate- (S = 12) and high- (S = 34) salinity mangrove communities. The vegetation ecotone experienced seasonally variable salinity and did not serve as a true biogeochemical intermediate between the marsh and mangrove communities. This study demonstrates the need for site-specific studies of biogeochemical gradients in coastal wetlands and indicates the marsh-to-mangrove ecotone is not a proxy for salinity or biogeochemical tipping points. Instead, soil organic matter content is suggested as the most relevant indicator of biogeochemical properties and processes in wetlands along coastal rivers, superseding vegetation community or salinity.
Understanding the impacts of emerging infectious disease (EID) media exposure: the case of U.S. Ebola virus disease (EVD)

Using the Extended Parallel Processing Model (EPPM) as a theoretical framework this study examines the impact of Ebola virus disease (EVD) media exposure on U.S. audience perceptions of the threat ...
Band importance for speech-in-speech recognition.

Predicting masked speech perception typically relies on estimates of the spectral distribution of cues supporting recognition. Current methods for estimating band importance for speech-in-noise use filtered stimuli. These methods are not appropriate for speech-in-speech because filtering can modify stimulus features affecting auditory stream segregation. Here, band importance is estimated by quantifying the relationship between speech recognition accuracy for full-spectrum speech and the target-to-masker ratio by channel at the output of an auditory filterbank. Preliminary results provide support for this approach and indicate that frequencies below 2 kHz may contribute more to speech recognition in two-talker speech than in speech-shaped noise.
Modeling the economic value of Ceribell Rapid Response EEG in the inpatient hospital setting.

Potentially life-threatening diagnosis of non-convulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) can only be confirmed with electroencephalography (EEG). When access to EEG is limited, physicians may empirically...
Small proline-rich protein 2A is a gut bactericidal protein deployed during helminth infection.

A diverse group of antimicrobial proteins (AMPs) helps protect the mammalian intestine from varied microbial challenges. We show that small proline-rich protein 2A (SPRR2A) is an intestinal antibac...
A cost effective degradation-based maintenance strategy under imperfect repair

Abstract An optimization model is developed to minimize the total cost of imperfect degradation-based maintenance by determining an optimal interval of condition monitoring and the degradation level after imperfect preventive repairs. The decision model is based on a novel cost model that considers functional relationship between the expected degradation reduction and the cost of preventive repairs. The decision model is applied to simulated vibration signals with a variety of specifications of cost values and degradation model parameters. This study has initiated a new area for the research of cost effective maintenance strategies. The results clearly indicate the significance of the proposed model and the decision variables under the objective of minimal cost. For instance, the results indicate direct relationship between the optimal length of monitoring interval and the monitoring cost. However, longer monitoring interval increases the risk of failure, and therefore, more degradation reduction is needed. By increasing the slope of cumulative degradation, the cost effective strategy advocates taking more frequent monitoring. The optimal degradation level after each preventive repair is not so sensitive to the change in the degradation slope due to the uncertainty associated with degradation patterns.
Trends in the prevalence of short sleepers in the USA: 1975-2006.

Study Objectives: To determine (1) whether short sleep has increased over 31 years; (2) whether trends in short sleep differed by employment status; (3) which sociodemographic factors predict short sleep; and (4) how short sleepers spend their time.
A comparison of multiple data sources to identify vaccinations for veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders

Monitoring vaccination activity requires regular access to information about patient vaccination status. This report describes our experience using multiple Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) data sources to determine availability and completeness of vaccination information for veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI&D). Administrative and clinical databases were limited to coding vaccine administration, undercounted vaccinations, and were unable to account for whether the vaccine was offered and the reasons for nonreceipt. Medical record review provided more detail but was labor intensive and costly. Patient surveys provided the richest information but were costly, time-consuming, and based on a sample of patients. Agreement was poor between data sources. This report suggests that while VA is well positioned to use national databases for clinical care decisions and to inform policy, vaccination data were incomplete. Electronic records must include data that are consistently entered and validated before they can be useful for care management and decision making.
Electrode modification by irreversible poly electrolyte adsorption: Static and dynamic coating of poly-(p-xylyl viologen) on solid electrodes

Abstract Static (dip coating) and dynamic (electrochemically assisted) adsorption techniques were used to prepare chemically modified electrodes from aqueous solutions of the viologen condensation polymer poly-(4,4'-dipyridy)- p -xylene) dichloride, or (PXV)Cl. Cyclic voltammetric scans of the adsorbed films in aqueous solution show substantial variation in peak potential and waveshape with electrode material (carbon, gold, tin oxide) and with adsorption conditions (static vs. dynamic coating, concentration of polymer, and added salt). The adsorbed layer is described in terms of two distinct surface viologen phases, one that involves a strong viologen-surface interaction (broad waves, low coverage) and another that involves strong viologen-viologen interactions (narrow waves, higher coverage). The two phases are distinguished by their sensitivities to electrode material and to variations in supporting electrolyte anion, as well as by their redox potentials and voltammetric waveshapes. Spectroelectrochemical experiments with films adsorbed on tin oxide electrodes confirm that all the immobilized viologen is electrochemically accessible. The narrow waves characteristic of the dynamically coated phase (on carbon in chloride solution) are very sensitive to the electrolyte anion and could not be reproduced from spin-coated films of (PXV)PF 6 that were subsequently transferred to chloride solution.
The Attorney-Client Privilege and Information Disclosed to an Attorney with the Intention That the Attorney Draft a Document To Be Released to Third Parties: Public Policy Calls for at Least the Strictest Application of the Attorney-Client Privilege

Daniel Northrop* The attorney-client privilege is the oldest evidentiary privilege known to the common law. It exists to encourage clients to openly communicate with their attorneys. Some commentators, however, have questioned the value of the privilege and called for its elimination. This policy debate, though unlikely to influence typical privilege disputes, is important when the application of the attorney-client privilege is unclear. One example is when a client conveys information to her attorney with the intent that the attorney draft a document to be released to a third party. This Note seeks to shed light on the arguments for and against the application of the attorney-client privilege to this scenario, and concludes that public policy calls for a strict application of the privilege.
Philosophy Upside Down

Philip Kitcher recently argued for a reconstruction in philosophy. According to him, the contemporary mainstream of philosophy (in the English-speaking world, at least) has deteriorated into something that is of relevance only to a few specialists who communicate with each other in a language nobody else understands. Kitcher proposes to reconstruct philosophy along two axes: a knowledge axis (with a focus on the sciences) and a value axis. The present article discusses Kitcher's diagnosis as well as his proposal of a therapy. It argues that there are problems with both, and it ends with an alternative view of what some core problems of the profession currently are.
The Effect of Pressure on the Positive Point-to-Plane Discharge in N 2 , O 2 , C O 2 , S O 2 , S F 6 , C Cl 2 F 2 , A, He, and H 2

The voltages at which corona first appears in a 3-mm point-to-plane gap and the breakdown voltage of the gap have been determined with ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$, ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$, C${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$, S${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$, S${\mathrm{F}}_{6}$, C${\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}$${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$, A, He, and ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$, and certain mixtures of these gases. This has been done with both positive and negative point polarity and over a pressure range of about 30 atmospheres. The types of corona which were observed are discussed and in particular the marked dependence of the positive point breakdown voltage on pressure in those gases which form negative ions.
Ensemble Stump Classifiers and Gene Expression Signatures in Lung Cancer

Microarray data sets for cancer tumor tissue generally have very few samples, each sample having thousands of probes (i.e., continuous variables). The sparsity of samples makes it difficult for machine learning techniques to discover probes relevant to the classification of tumor tissue. By combining data from different platforms (i.e., data sources), data sparsity is reduced, but this typically requires normalizing data from the different platforms, which can be non-trivial. This paper proposes a variant on the idea of ensemble learners to circumvent the need for normalization. To facilitate comprehension we build ensembles of very simple classifiers known as decision stumps - decision trees of one test each. The Ensemble Stump Classifier (ESC) identifies an mRNA signature having three probes and high accuracy for distinguishing between adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the lung across four data sets. In terms of accuracy, ESC outperforms a decision tree classifier on all four data sets, outperforms ensemble decision trees on three data sets, and simple stump classifiers on two data sets.
Phylogeography of the Trans-Volcanic bunchgrass lizard (Sceloporus bicanthalis) across the highlands of south-eastern Mexico

We quantify the population divergence processes that shaped population genetic structure in the Trans-Volcanic bunchgrass lizard (Sceloporus bicanthalis) across the highlands of south-eastern Mexico. Multilocus genetic data from nine nuclear loci and mitochondrial (mt)DNA were used to estimate the population divergence history for 47 samples of S. bicanthalis. Bayesian clustering methods partitioned S. bicanthalis into three populations: (1) a southern population in Oaxaca and southern Puebla; (2) a population in western Puebla; and (3) a northern population with a broad distribution across Hidalgo, Puebla, and Veracruz. The multilocus nuclear data and mtDNA both supported a Late Pleistocene increase in effective population size, and the nuclear data revealed low levels of unidirectional gene flow from the widespread northern population into the southern and western populations. Populations of S. bicanthalis experienced different demographic histories during the Pleistocene, and phylogeographical patterns were similar to those observed in many co-distributed highland taxa. Although we recommend continuing to recognize S. bicanthalis as a single species, future research on the evolution of viviparity could gain novel insights by contrasting physiological and genomic patterns among the different populations located across the highlands of south-eastern Mexico. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 110, 852–865.
Pathways to dewetting in hydrophobic confinement

Liquid water can become metastable with respect to its vapor in hydrophobic confinement. The resulting dewetting transitions are often impeded by large kinetic barriers. According to macroscopic theory, such barriers arise from the free energy required to nucleate a critical vapor tube that spans the region between two hydrophobic surfaces—tubes with smaller radii collapse, whereas larger ones grow to dry the entire confined region. Using extensive molecular simulations of water between two nanoscopic hydrophobic surfaces, in conjunction with advanced sampling techniques, here we show that for intersurface separations that thermodynamically favor dewetting, the barrier to dewetting does not correspond to the formation of a (classical) critical vapor tube. Instead, it corresponds to an abrupt transition from an isolated cavity adjacent to one of the confining surfaces to a gap-spanning vapor tube that is already larger than the critical vapor tube anticipated by macroscopic theory. Correspondingly, the barrier to dewetting is also smaller than the classical expectation. We show that the peculiar nature of water density fluctuations adjacent to extended hydrophobic surfaces—namely, the enhanced likelihood of observing low-density fluctuations relative to Gaussian statistics—facilitates this nonclassical behavior. By stabilizing isolated cavities relative to vapor tubes, enhanced water density fluctuations thus stabilize novel pathways, which circumvent the classical barriers and offer diminished resistance to dewetting. Our results thus suggest a key role for fluctuations in speeding up the kinetics of numerous phenomena ranging from Cassie–Wenzel transitions on superhydrophobic surfaces, to hydrophobically driven biomolecular folding and assembly.
Antenatal corticosteroids for periviable birth

Antenatal corticosteroids have been proven to accelerate fetal lung development and reduce neonatal morbidity and mortality when given between 28 and 34 weeks of gestation. However, there is only limited research to guide their use in the periviable period (22-26 weeks). Laboratory studies suggest that it is biologically plausible for antenatal steroids to be effective in this gestational period. In addition, cohort studies have demonstrated the efficacy of antenatal corticosteroids in reducing neonatal mortality and IVH. Follow-up studies performed between 18 and 22 months of age also suggest a long-term benefit to antenatal use in this period. Based on this information, antenatal corticosteroids should be used in appropriate patients at high risk for preterm birth at 23-26 weeks of gestation. An advantageous outcome to treatment at 22 weeks is less certain.
Peace Theology and Apocalyptic Metaphor: A “Queer” Perspective

This essay continues to examine certain connections between masculinity, economics and ecotheology, and global violence (cf., Clark, 2002b), by focusing primarily on a single, recently published te...
Mucin gene expression in human middle ear epithelium

Objectives: To investigate the expression of recently identified human mucin genes in human middle ear epithelial (MEE) specimens from in vivo middle ear (ME) tissue and to compare this mucin gene expression with mucin gene expression in an immortalized cell culture in vitro source of human MEE. Methods: Human MEE was harvested as in vivo specimens, and human MEE cell cultures were established for in vitro experimentation. RNA was extracted from MEE and primers designed for reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction to assess for mucin gene MUC1, MUC2, MUC3, MUC4, MUC5AC, MUC5B, MUC6, MUC7, MUC8, MUC9, MUC11, MUC12, MUC13, MUC15, MUC16, MUC18, MUC19, and MUC20 expression. Mucin gene expression in the in vivo and in vitro ME tissue was compared against tissues with known expression of the mucin genes in question. Results: Mucin genes MUC1, MUC2, MUC3, MUC4, MUC5AC, MUC5B, MUC7, MUC8, MUC9, MUC11, MUC13, MUC15, MUC16, MUC18, MUC19, and MUC20 were identified and expressed in both the in vivo and in vitro samples of MEE. Mucin genes MUC6, MUC12, and MUC17 were not identified in either tissue samples. Conclusion: Many of the mucin genes that have been recently identified are expressed in human MEE. These genes are expressed in a similar manner in both in vivo and in vitro models. Understanding the mechanisms in which these genes regulate the physiology and pathophysiology of MEE will provide a more thorough understanding of the molecular mechanics of the MEE and disease conditions such as otitis media.
Terrestrial variational tables for the periods and attenuation of the free oscillations

Abstract Perturbations of the Lagrangian integral for free oscillations of a radially heterogeneous self gravitating sphere are used to compute tables relating the variation of periods and attenuation to the physical parameters. These tables are given for the fundamental and first and second overtones of the torsional and spheroidal free oscillations. Such tables can be used to determine Earth models that are consistent with the observed periods of the free oscillations.
The Role of Di-Tyrosine Bonding in Amyloid Beta-Protein Assembly

Using a coarse-grained protein model combined with discrete molecular dynamics, the proteins involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD) may be studied in a variety of ways at atomic resolution. AD is caused by the misfolding of amyloid beta-protein (AB). We studied the effect of di-tyrosine bonding on folding and oligomer formation of two predominant AB alloforms, AB40 and AB42, which contain tyrosine (TYR) at position 10. To explore the possible effects of a TYR-TYR bond, Virtual Molecular Dynamics and TCL scripting were used to study the oligomer distribution, secondary and tertiary structure and the rate at which tyrosine bonds form as a function of time. It was found that TYR-TYR bonds increase the propensity to form pentamers and hexamers in AB40, which are possible starting points for the protofibrils that form the basis of amyloid plaque. This piece of information suggests that di-tyrosine bonding may play a role in AD, but does not significantly affect the structure of resulting AB oligomers.
SEX DIFFERENCES ON THE EDWARDS PERSONAL PREFERENCE SCHEDULE

W e examined the literature for reports of sex differences on the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS). From Table 1, it is apparent that across normal and psychiatric populations, males tend characteristically, i.e., in at least six of the nine reported samples, to score significantly higher than females on EPPS variables of Achievement, Dominance, and Aggression and consistently lower than females on Affiliation, Succorance, and Nurmrance. Such differences are consistent with theoretical expectations of male-female differences, and, as such lend support for the instrument's face-validity.
THE EFFECT OF PYRIDOXINE DEFICIENCY ON BLOOD UREA IN MICE

Blood urea levels were determined in weanling, young, and adult C57 and I strain mice fed vitamin B6-deficient or complete rations. Elevations in blood urea were found in some of the deprived groups, but they were transient, and the maxima occurred early in the deficiency, at 2 weeks. Although the I strain is more susceptible to a B6 deficiency, strain differences were found in only one age group. Increases in blood urea were also induced by simple environmental changes. It was concluded that elevations in blood urea are not directly related to a pyridoxine deficiency in these inbred strains of mice.
Cytoplasmic inclusions of neurons in the monkey visual cortex (area 19).

Several unusual neuronal inclusions were found in certain cells of the rhesus monkey visual cortex (Area 19):
A survey of design methods for manufacturing cells

Abstract In the recent years a new manufacturing system has emerged known as Cellular Manufacturing (CM) which utilizes the philosophy of group technology. Cellular manufacturing also known as group production can be described as a manufacturing process which produces families of parts within a single line or a group of machines operated manually or automatically. This paper discuses the available techniques used for cluster analysis and design of manufacturing cells and also illustrates a list of available methods and techniques used for clustering and their application in the manufacturing area.
Genetic Regulation of α-Synuclein mRNA Expression in Various Human Brain Tissues

Genetic variability across the SNCA locus has been repeatedly associated with susceptibility to sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD). Accumulated evidence emphasizes the importance of SNCA dosage and expression levels in PD pathogenesis. However whether genetic variability in the SNCA gene modulates the risk to develop sporadic PD via regulation of SNCA expression remained elusive. We studied the effect of PD risk-associated variants at SNCA 5′ and 3′regions on SNCA-mRNA levels in vivo in 228 human brain samples from three structures differentially vulnerable to PD pathology (substantia-nigra, temporal- and frontal-cortex) obtained from 144 neurologically normal cadavers. The extensively characterized PD-associated promoter polymorphism, Rep1, had an effect on SNCA-mRNA levels. Homozygous genotype of the ‘protective’, Rep1-259 bp allele, was associated with lower levels of SNCA-mRNA relative to individuals that carried at least one copy of the PD-risk associated alleles, amounting to an average decrease of ∼40% and >50% in temporal-cortex and substantia-nigra, respectively. Furthermore, SNPs tagging the SNCA 3′-untranslated-region also showed effects on SNCA-mRNA levels in both the temporal-cortex and the substantia-nigra, although, in contrast to Rep1, the ‘decreased-risk’ alleles were correlated with increased SNCA-mRNA levels. Similar to Rep1 findings, no difference in SNCA-mRNA level was seen with different SNCA 3′SNP alleles in the frontal-cortex, indicating there is brain-region specificity of the genetic regulation of SNCA expression. We provide evidence for functional consequences of PD-associated SNCA gene variants in disease relevant brain tissues, suggesting that genetic regulation of SNCA expression plays an important role in the development of the disease.
Significance, nonsignificance, and interpretation of an ESP experiment

The data of B. D. Layton and B. Turnbull's 1974 two extra sensory perception (ESP) experiments are used to illustrate Bayesian hypothesis tests that provided more useful information than is obtained from significance tests. In introducing these reanalyses, it is noted that the use of significance tests has tended unreasonably to foster negative evaluation of “nonsignificant” findings relative to “significant” findings. The present Bayesian hypothesis tests indicate that Layton and Turnbull's findings should mostly be taken as support for their null hypotheses (no ESP effects) rather than for the weakest alternatives that their experiments had reasonable power to detect.
Evaluation Methodologies for Estimating the Likelihood of Program Implementation Failure

Despite our best efforts as evaluators, program implementation failures abound. A wide variety of valuable methodologies have been adopted to explain and evaluate the why of these failures. Yet, ty...
Cells expressing FLT3/ITD mutations exhibit elevated repair errors generated through alternative NHEJ pathways: implications for genomic instability and therapy

The internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutations of the FMS-like tyrosine kinase-3 (FLT3) receptor found in acute myeloid leukemia patients are associated with poor prognosis. Although DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are mainly repaired by the DNA-PK–dependent nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathway in normal mammalian cells, an alternative and less well-defined NHEJ pathway, characterized by microhomology at the repair junctions, play a role in the generation of deletions and translocations leading to cancer progression. Here we report that in FLT3/ITD-expressing cell lines and bone marrow mononuclear cells from FLT3/ITD knock-in mice, end-joining of DSBs occurs at microhomologous sequences resulting in a high frequency of DNA deletions. Strikingly, levels of Ku proteins, key components of the main NHEJ pathway, are decreased in FLT3/ITD+ cell lines and murine FLT3/ITD bone marrow mononuclear cells. Concomitantly, levels of DNA ligase IIIα, a component of ALT NHEJ, are increased in FLT3/ITD-expressing cells. Cells treated with a FLT3 inhibitor demonstrate decreased DNA ligase IIIα and a reduction in DNA deletions, suggesting that FLT3 signaling regulates the pathways by which DSBs are repaired. Thus, therapy to inhibit FLT3/ITD signaling and/or DNA ligase IIIα may lead to repair that reduces repair errors and genomic instability.
Coteaching praxis and professional service: facilitating the transition of beliefs and practices

Coteaching is an effective structure for the pre-service practicum as it immerses student teachers in the culture of the school and helps them to learn by working closely at the elbows of their mentor teacher. The collaborative nature of the model fosters beliefs and practices based on shared perspectives and coresponsibility for the quality of the learning environment. Cogenerative dialogues with students insure the inclusion of their voice in the collaboration and foster increased emotional energy and classroom solidarity. The work by Wassell and LaVan (2009) fills an important void in our research on coteaching as it seeks to understand which practices and beliefs survive the transition to professional service. While both teachers included cogenerative dialogues in their interactions with students, we suggest that the reflective practices of a single teacher are qualitatively different from reflections based on the dynamic interactions of multiple adults’ coteaching together. We explore strategies that will help administrators and school staff find the human and material resources needed to staff the multiple teacher classroom. Our comments on this paper are informed by our experiences as the academic coordinator and mentor teacher of the learning community in which Jen and Ian completed their pre service practicum and are meant help disseminate this model to as many educational environments as possible.
The precincts of the prophet: a day with Johannes Galilee Shembe

The study of African religious movements and independent churches comes eventually, in almost every case, to the problem of charismatic leadership: what is the gift of grace embodied in the founder and does it pass to his successors? The man who found these movements and the churches they become, or who continue to lead them, must possess in the nature of their work remarkable qualities of mind and spirit. How else did they manage to impose themselves so successfully upon-and inspire-their fellows? In fact when we think of religious movements in Africa our minds are likely to run quickly to their respective founders and leaders: to Simon Kimbangu of the EJCSK, to Oshitelu of The Church of the Lord, to Charles Wovenu of the Apostles' Revelation Society, to Johanne Maranke of the Vapostori, to Alice Lenshina of the Lumpa, to Edward Lekganyane of Zion City Moria, to Isaiah Shembe of the Amanazaretha. But our approach to the lives of the founding prophets is often curtailed by the mysterious circumstances of their confirmation. They are likely to have had visions, been restored from the dead or otherwise raised to supernatural status from which it is difficult for them to descend for any purposes of inquiry. If the enthusiasm or ecstasis they have experienced removes them from ordinary scrutiny on the one hand, on the other they may be removed to a purely spiritual status by their fellows in the process or on the pretext of the organization of their vision into an established cult.
Inter-Alpha Inhibitor Protein Administration Improves Survival From Neonatal Sepsis in Mice

Inter-alpha Inhibitor proteins (IaIp) are serine proteases inhibitors which modulate endogenous protease activity and have been shown to improve survival in adult models of sepsis. We evaluated the effect of IaIp on survival and systemic responses to sepsis in neonatal mice. Sepsis was induced in 2-day-old mice with LPS, E. coli and Group B Streptococci. Sepsis was associated with 75% mortality. IaIp, given by intraperitoneal administration at doses between 15–45 mg/kg from 1–6 hours following the onset of sepsis improved survival to nearly 90% (p = 0.0159) in both LPS induced sepsis and with live bacterial infections. The greatest effect was on reversal of hemorrhagic pneumonitis. The effects were dose and time dependent. Systemic cytokine profile and tissue histology were examined. Survival was compared in interleukin 10 knock out animals. Systemic cytokine levels, including TNF-α and IL-10 were increased following induction of sepsis and modulated significantly following IaIp administration. Because the effect of IaIp was still demonstrable in IL-10 deficient mice, we conclude the beneficial effect(s) of IaIp is due to suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α rather than augmentation of IL-10. IaIp may offer significant benefits as a therapeutic adjunct to treatment of sepsis in neonates and adults.
Bending creep behavior of Acer Saccharum marsh veneered medium-density fiberboard composite

This study was to determine the effects of shelling ratio (SR) 0.200, 0.314, and 0.400, relative humidity (RH) 50, 64, 78, and 92 percent, and temperature (T) 10°C, 24°C, and 38°C, on the initial elastic (YE) deformation, irrecoverable creep (YIR) and creep deformations (YC) of sugar maple-veneered-medium-density fiberboard (MDF) composite panels 16 mm thick, 229 by 584 mm in size for the purpose of developing a hardwood composite. This composite would possess creep resistance comparable to conventional softwood plywood and lumber. The YE, YC, and YIR of all composite panels were significantly (at 0.05 level) affected by the SR, RH, and T in this study. However, no differences in creep deformations were found in all specimens between the SR of 0.314 and 0.400, between the RH of 50 and 64 percent, and between the T of 10°C and 24°C conditions. Composite panels with an SR value of 0.314 and 0.400 had YC values approaching that of maple lumber. Panels with SR value of 0.200 displayed lower average YE, YC, and YIR values than those of the Douglas-fir plywood. The effect of T on creep deformation was small when compared to the effects of SR and RH. The YIR accounted for almost 2/3 of the YC for all composite panels. Predicted YE, YC, and YIR values obtained from the multiple regression models predict very well the observed test values. The creep behavior of the composites was explained well by a power-law equation in log-log form for periods of 2 to 10 minutes and 10 to 100 minutes. Reasonable approximations of YC at 2-week intervals were made by extrapolating the short-term creep test results of 10 to 100 minutes log-log regression analysis oor the veneered-MDF composites.
A theory of transfer learning with applications to active learning

We explore a transfer learning setting, in which a finite sequence of target concepts are sampled independently with an unknown distribution from a known family. We study the total number of labeled examples required to learn all targets to an arbitrary specified expected accuracy, focusing on the asymptotics in the number of tasks and the desired accuracy. Our primary interest is formally understanding the fundamental benefits of transfer learning, compared to learning each target independently from the others. Our approach to the transfer problem is general, in the sense that it can be used with a variety of learning protocols. As a particularly interesting application, we study in detail the benefits of transfer for self-verifying active learning; in this setting, we find that the number of labeled examples required for learning with transfer is often significantly smaller than that required for learning each target independently.
Human placental alkaline phosphatase. II. Molecular and subunit properties of the enzyme.

Abstract The molecular and subunit properties of highly purified human placental alkaline phosphatase were investigated. The enzyme was studied at a range of pH values by sedimentation equilibrium, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and immunochemical techniques. Data from these studies indicated that the enzyme was irreversibly denatured at pH 2.3 but was stable as a dimer from pH 4.7 through pH 10.3. At pH 10.5 and above, the enzyme dissociates, principally forming monomer but also forming n mer aggregates. Two different N-terminal groups were demonstrated indicating that the enzyme subunits may not be identical. Optical rotatory dispersion studies showed little α-helix for either the dimer or monomer-dimer form of the enzyme.
A Three-Dimensional Numerical Model of an Isolated Deep Convective Cloud: Preliminary Results

Abstract The development of an isolated convective storm in a sheared environment is studied with an anelastic three-dimensional numerical model. Each grid cell has horizontal dimensions of Δx=Δy=3.2 km and a vertical dimension of Δs=0.7 km. Although it is ultimately planned to use at least a 31×31×20 grid with turbulence and liquid precipitation included, the present study uses an 11×11×8 trial grid with both of these processes suppressed, simulating only early cloud growth. Comparative experiments are run for three vertical profiles of ambient wind: no ambient wind, positive speed shear but no directional shear, and positive speed shear with veering. The cases are compared in regard to airflow, pressure and thermal patterns. It is found that: A vortex doublet develops at middle levels when ambient shear is present. A contributing factor may be tilting of horizontal vorticity into the vertical by differential vortex-tube lifting. Shear introduces asymmetry, with upshear dominance of perturbation outflow ...
Optimal filtering in fourier transform NMR

Abstract It has been suggested that convolution functions other than Ernst's optimal matched filter may be efficacious for resolution enhancement of NMR spectra. For the purposes of comparison, the possible line distortions and signal-to-noise and resolution enhancement ratios in the Ernst filter are explicitly derived. The general limitation inherent in the digital transformation on the minimum linewidth obtainable by any convolution filter is also derived.