cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reaction of ozone with sulfhydryls of human erythrocytes.

Abstract Oxidation of GSH by ozone yielded 60% GSSG. Exposure of human erythrocytes to ozone caused oxidation of intracellular GSH. Between 4 and 6% of the administered ozone caused GSH oxidation. No more than 30% of the GSH oxidized by ozone could be accounted for by GSSG in the erythrocyte. The GSSG formed in the erythrocyte was rapidly reduced and the pentose phosphate pathway was stimulated. When GSH and unsealed erythrocyte ghosts were simultaneously exposed to ozone, 6–11% of the oxidized GSH could be accounted for as mixed disulfide of protein and GSH. When GSH and cytoplasmic proteins from the erythrocyte were simultaneously exposed to ozone, 5–7% of the oxidized GSH could be accounted for as mixed disulfide. Ozone generated membrane protein disulfide crosslinks when erythrocyte ghosts, but not intact erythrocytes, were exposed. Ozone had no effect on glucose uptake and did not change oxyhemoglobin content of the erythrocytes.
WEAK-COUPLING LIMIT FOR SCATTERING BY STRONGLY SINGULAR POTENTIALS

The validity of certain cutoff procedures, which have lately been employed in the treatment of termwise divergent perturbative expansions in nonrenormalizable field theories, is investigated in the context of nonrelativistic scatterirg from strongly singular repulsive potentials. For the cases considered the heuristic cutoff prescription indeed yields the correct expression for the weak-coupling limit of the phase shift. (auth)
Signal enhancement by diffusion: experimental observation of the "DESIRE" effect.

Abstract Inadequate signal-to-noise ratio is a major factor limiting applications of magnetic resonance microscopy. The “Diffusion Enhancement of Signal and Resolution” (DESIRE) scheme promises potential sensitivity enhancements of between one and three orders of magnitude, but images using this mechanism have not been shown to date. Here, we report the first images obtained using the DESIRE method, and obtain excellent agreement between numerical simulations and experimental data with signal-to-noise enhancements of close to one order of magnitude.
Efficient Trajectory Planning and Compliant Control for Two Manipulators to Deform Flexible Materials

ABSTRACTCoordinating two robot manipulators to handle flexible materials has a wide range of applications in the manufacturing industry. However, this problem has not been seriously addressed until recently. The two robot manipulators have to follow complicated trajectories to maintain a minimum interaction force with the flexible beam. These trajectories are very complicated and not suitable for real time systems. In this article, three approximation methods of the optimal trajectories and a compliant control scheme are introduced. The first one uses a piece-wise linear approximation of the optimal trajectories, while the second one uses adaptive piece-wise linear approximation. The third method applies a continuous approximation of the optimal trajectories using an ellipsoid. Finally, a compliant motion scheme is proposed to reduce the interaction forces and moments in the first method. The stability of the proposed system is investigated. Experimental results encourage the proposed schemes.
Microcomputer pH control of multiple bioreactors.

pH control of 16 bioreactors used to study the nutritional requirements of a mixed culture of Methanothrix soehnginii and Methanosarcina mazeii is, briefly described. This control was carried out using an inexpensive microcomputer. In addition, to cost savings the computer method allows control flexibility and provides on-line computational capability which is advantageous in characterizing the fermentation process under investigation. (Ref. 1).
Historical perspective on risk assessment in the federal government

This article traces the evolution of risk assessment as an essential analytical tool in the federal government. In many programs and agencies, decisions cannot be made without the benefit of information from risk assessment. Although this analytical tool influences important public health and economic decisions, there is widespread dissatisfaction with the day-to-day practice of risk assessment. The article describes the sources of dissatisfaction that have been voiced by scientists, regulators, interest groups and ordinary citizens. Problems include the use of arbitrary exposure scenarios, the misuse of the 'carcinogen' label, the excessive reliance on animal cancer tests, the lack of formal uncertainty analysis the low priority assigned to noncancer endpoints, the poor communication of risk estimates and the neglect of inequities in the distribution of risk. Despite these limitations, the article argues that more danger rests in efforts to make decisions without any risk assessment. Recent Congressional and Administration interest in risk assessment is encouraging because it offers promise to learn from past mistakes and set in motion steps to enhance the risk assessment process.
Building and remodelling Cullin-RING E3 ubiquitin ligases.

Cullin–RING E3 ubiquitin ligases (CRLs) control a plethora of biological pathways through targeted ubiquitylation of signalling proteins. These modular assemblies use substrate receptor modules to recruit specific targets. Recent efforts have focused on understanding the mechanisms that control the activity state of CRLs through dynamic alterations in CRL architecture. Central to these processes are cycles of cullin neddylation and deneddylation, as well as exchange of substrate receptor modules to re-sculpt the CRL landscape, thereby responding to the cellular requirements to turn over distinct proteins in different contexts. This review is focused on how CRLs are dynamically controlled with an emphasis on how cullin neddylation cycles are integrated with receptor exchange.
Finding all isolated zeros of polynomial systems in C n via stable mixed volumes

To find all the isolated zeroes of a polynomial system P(x) inCn (as opposed to in (C*)n) via the polyhedral homotopy of Huber and Sturmfels (1997), one first finds all stable mixed cells in a special polyhedral subdivision called a stable mixed subdivision and creates a fine mixed subdivision for each stable mixed cell. The stable mixed subdivision depends solely on the monomial structure of P and a convex geometric lifting process. One then solves a collection of subsystems corresponding to the stable mixed cells, and uses these solutions as starting points for a finite set of nonlinear homotopies. This final set of homotopies give a dramatic computational improvement over earlier homotopy algorithms, but the initial steps of finding the stable mixed cells and their fine mixed subdivisions require many costly recursive liftings. The purpose of this paper is to present a new strategy using a single lifting which quickly (and simultaneously) builds the stable mixed subdivision, the fine mixed subdivisions of the stable mixed cells, and the necessary subsystems.
Complement and glomerulonephritis — an update

The complement (C) system in man and its relationship to disease has been the subject of intensive research. In this review, we update the information concerning the nature of the various C components, and present some of the similarities between structure and function of the C components and their respective genes. The clinical problems which are encountered in individuals with acquired C abnormalities and with a genetically determined deficiency of a single component provide helpful clues to understanding the affected patients and the possible functional importance of the particular deficient component. The steady progress in identifying both normal variants of C components and the gene defects which produce C deficiencies offers the prospect of correlating structure of the C components with possible pathogenic roles in disease. Genetically determined C abnormalities are more commonly recognized during childhood. An appreciation of the basic aspects of the C system is a helpful tool for the pediatric nephrologist.
Rabbit nictitating membrane conditioning: Lower limit of the effective interstimulus interval

In three experiments, the nictitating membrane response of rabbits was conditioned for 10 daily sessions at interstimulus intervals (ISIs) ranging from 48 to 125 msec, followed by a shift to 250 msec for 5 days. At tested ISIs shorter than 67 msec, there was no evidence of conditioning, and postshift performance revealed neither facilitation nor interference as a result of the first 10 conditioning sessions. Postshift performance of groups conditioned at preshift ISIs of 67 msec or longer revealed a gradient of increasing savings with increasing ISI. One of the groups in Experiment 1, initially conditioned at 250 msec ISI and then shifted to 48 msec, exhibited extinction of the previously well-conditioned response. Analysis of CR-onset latencies substantiated the absence of associative effects at very short ISIs. It was concluded that there is a temporal limit below which classical conditioning of the nictitating membrane response of rabbits employing forward CS-US pairing does not occur.
Laboratory determination of startle reaction time of the starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

Abstract Startle response times of starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) to auditory and visual stimuli were determined in the laboratory. Birds were placed in an anechoic chamber and exposed to either a 1 ms flash of unfiltered white light, or a 30 ms pure tone burst. An electronic detection system monitored and recorded the activity of the birds. The recording apparatus allowed for an accuracy to 10−4 s in measuring reaction times. The mean reaction time of birds to light stimuli was 76·38 ms. The mean reaction time to sound stimuli was 80·64 ms.
Subjective memorability and the mirror effect.

The mirror effect refers to the common finding that hit and false alarm rates on a recognition test are inversely related. The present research investigated the generality of the mirror effect (to rare words) and tested whether the effect might be grounded in accurate estimates of word memorability. The first 2 experiments showed that although high- and low-frequency words exhibit a mirror effect, rare words do not. Furthermore, contrary to expectations, Ss consistently (and mistakenly) predicted that memorability was directly correlated with frequency of usage. These findings weight against the idea that the mirror effect arises because of a S's ability to reject low-frequency lures on the grounds that such words would have been remembered had they appeared previously. Instead, the rejection of lures from different frequency categories may be determined by their semantic or phonemic overlap with list targets, and an analysis along these lines may help to explain why rare words constitute an exception to the otherwise ubiquitous mirror effect. Language: en
Phosphorylation of hepatic AMP-activated protein kinase and liver kinase B1 is increased after a single oral dose of green tea extract to mice

We have previously shown that green and black tea extracts increase the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and HMG-CoA reductase in rat hepatoma cells in culture, concomitant with a decrease in cholesterol synthesis. In the present study, we evaluated the ability of a single oral dose of green or black tea extract to promote the phosphorylation of AMPK, liver kinase B1 (LKB1, an AMPK-kinase), and HMG-CoA reductase in mouse liver. Green tea extract administered by gavage at 50 and 100 mg/kg caused a 2- to 3-fold increase in hepatic AMPK phosphorylation at 3 and 6 hours after dosing and a 1.5- to 2-fold increase in LKB1 phosphorylation at these same time points. The phosphorylation of HMG-CoA reductase at these and later time points was not significantly increased. Black tea administered by gavage at up to 250 mg/kg was ineffective in increasing hepatic AMPK phosphorylation. Both green and black tea extracts increased LKB1 phosphorylation in hepatoma cells in culture at 15 μg/mL, and black tea also increased the phosphorylation of protein kinase A in hepatoma cells. These results suggest that compounds in both tea extracts activate AMPK by activating its upstream kinase, LKB1, and that black tea may do so by first activating protein kinase A, a known kinase for LKB1. Only green tea, at 50 and 100 mg/kg, was able to activate AMPK and LKB1 in mouse liver after oral dosing, suggesting that the polymerized catechins present in black tea do not reach the liver in sufficient concentration to affect AMPK activity.
Compression Strength of Composites Containing Embedded Sensors or Actuators

A theoretical linear-elastic model is used to study the effect of embedded sensors and actuators on a composite's compression strength. An existing analytical model is employed to predict the local undulations in the plies which result from the presence of the embedded devices. Using these results in conjunction with a micromechanical model for compression strength, prediction, are made for the reduction in this property due to sensors or actuators. Comparisons are made with ex penmental data for graphite epoxy systems, and the model is shown to accurately predict the trends in such data. Parametric studies are performed to investigate the effect of embedded semor/actuator diameter, laminate thickness, laminate stiffness, and laminate shear strength on the compression strength of composites containing these embedded sensors/actuators. It is shown that degradations in a composite's compression strength is as Severe for sensors/actuators embedded at 30° as those embedded at 90° to the structural fiber,
Effect of long-term cocaine use on regional left ventricular function as determined by magnetic resonance imaging.

This study examined left ventricular (LV) regional midwall circumferential strain by cardiac tagged magnetic resonance imaging in 32 long-term cocaine users and 14 nonusers. Most of the LV segmentations in the cocaine users had less average circumferential strain in the systolic and diastolic phases. The average diastolic strain in 5 ventricular segmentations was significantly less in the cocaine users (p
In Vitro Monitoring of the Dynamic Elasticity Changes During Radiofrequency Ablation with Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse Imaging

Acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging is an ultrasound technique that generates relative tissue elasticity maps. Acoustic radiation force from the ultrasound transducer displaces the tissue and the resulting tissue response is monitored with conventional ultrasound methods. The tissue displacement magnitude is inversely proportional to tissue stiffness. The objective of this in vitro demonstration was to monitor dynamic elasticity changes during radiofrequency ablation (RFA). A section of porcine myocardium was ARFI imaged during RFA using a VF10-5 transducer and software modified ACUSON Antares ultrasound scanner (SiemensHealthcare; Issaquah, WA). RF delivery was temperature controlled at 65°C for 120 seconds. Figure 1 shows a pre-RFA ARFI image (A), three images taken during RFA (B-D), and two post-RFA images (E, F). In these images, the plane of the RFA catheter is into the page and the effective depth of field (15 mm ARFI energy focus) is between 10 and 22.5 mm. The color bar units are micrometers of displacement. The pre-RFA image shows high ARFI-induced displacement throughout the myocardium. During RFA a growing region of increased stiffness appeared. Figure 1(G) shows that the mean and standard deviation (n = 960 pixels) of the ARFI displacements measured outside the lesion (figure 1(A)-1) remained constant during RFA, while inside the lesion (figure 1(A)-2) they decreased. The tissue was sliced in the approximate imaging plane and stained with triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) to confirm that a lesion was created (figure 2(H)). Figure 1 This experiment demonstrated that ARFI imaging can visualize the dynamic myocardial stiffness increase caused by RFA. This experimental paradigm could be used to enhance our understanding of how RFA lesions form and to evaluate lesion growth dynamics for new thermal ablation catheter designs.
Structural plasticity of Barley yellow dwarf virus-like cap-independent translation elements in four genera of plant viral RNAs.

The 3′ untranslated regions (UTRs) of many plant viral RNAs contain cap-independent translation elements (3′ CITEs). Among the 3′ CITEs, the Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV)-like translation elements (BTEs) form a structurally variable and widely distributed group. Viruses in three genera were known to harbor 3′ BTEs, defined by the presence of a 17-nt consensus sequence. To understand BTE function, knowledge of phylogenetically conserved structure is essential, yet the secondary structure has been determined only for the BYDV BTE. Here we show that Rose spring dwarf-associated luteovirus, and two viruses in a fourth genus, Umbravirus, contain functional BTEs, despite deviating in the 17 nt consensus sequence. Structure probing by selective 2′-hydroxyl acylation and primer extension (SHAPE) revealed conserved and highly variable structures in BTEs in all four genera. We conclude that BTEs tolerate striking evolutionary plasticity in structure, while retaining the ability to stimulate cap-independent translation.
Development of Conductive Polymer Micro Cantilever for Conductivity Measurement

Conductive polymers are an unusual class of organic materials that exhibit high electrical conductivity at room temperature. Some reduction or oxidation (redox) state dependent properties (conductivity, color, volume, permeability) can be easily controlled by electrical stimuli, which makes it possible to construct transistors, OLEDs, actuators and membranes. In this work, we focus on the actuator aspect, where the volume change relies on the ions and solvent flux. We synthesize the polypyrrole by electrochemical deposition and derive the relationship between the film thickness and the growth rate. We further develop a novel process to fabricate single layer micro cantilever structures for conductivity measurements. The conductivity of the final structure could achieve around 5.40 S/cm.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Triboluminescent properties of zinc sulfide phosphors due to hypervelocity impact

Abstract The emission of light due to crystal fracture, or triboluminescence (TL), is a phenomenon that has been known for centuries. One of the most common examples of TL is the flash created from chewing Wint-O-Green Lifesavers ® . From 2004 to 2006, research was completed using the two-stage light gas gun located at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama to measure the TL properties for zinc sulfide doped with both manganese (ZnS:Mn) and copper (ZnS:Cu). Results clearly show that hypervelocity impact-induced TL has been observed for both ZnS:Mn and ZnS:Cu. For ZnS:Mn, TL produced during 4.7 and 5.7 km/s impacts was statistically more luminous than was observed from similar data collected at 3.3 km/s. The TL decay time for ZnS:Mn was found to be 292 ± 58 μs, which is totally consistent with earlier measurements that did not use impact as an excitation source. Further, the emission of TL from ZnS:Mn undergoing hypervelocity impact has been demonstrated to have a significant component at the known peak emission wavelength of ZnS:Mn of 585 nm. Small TL emission generated as a result of hypervelocity impact was also observed from ZnS:Cu. The most intriguing conclusion from this research is that it may be possible to discriminate impact velocity by measuring the time-integrated luminosity of TL phosphors. An ability to measure the velocity of a hypervelocity impact is a significant indicator of the potential usefulness for this concept for use as an impact sensor in future spacecraft.
Effects of structural similarity on neural substrates for object recognition.

Human occipitotemporal cortex (OTC) is critically involved in object recognition, but the functional organization of this brain region is controversial. In the present study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal changes were recorded in humans during an animal-matching task that parametrically varied degree of structural (i.e., shape) similarity among the items. fMRI signal in the midto anterior-fusiform gyrus increased as animals overlapped more in terms of structure and as reaction time increased. In contrast, relatively more posterior aspects of the fusiform gyrus and inferior occipital cortex showed greater fMRI signal when the animals overlapped less in terms of structure. A similar organization emerged when three-dimensional geometric shapes were matched, indicating that OTC is differentially tuned to varying degrees of overlap in object structure, regardless of taxonomic category. We discuss how the present findings fit in with current functional neuroanatomical approaches to object recognition.
Addressing Gender and Cultural Diversity in Body Image: Objectification Theory as a Framework for Integrating Theories and Grounding Research

This article discusses the promise of objectification theory as a framework for consolidating extant theories, integrating findings across the studies in the current issue, and grounding future research on body image and eating problems across diverse populations. Specifically, this article (a) provides an overview of objectification theory and describes its promise for addressing gender and cultural diversity, (b) articulates aspects of overlap and distinction between objectification theory and several other influential frameworks, (c) describes the advancements made by the research presented in this issue relative to the 15 recommendations offered in Moradi and Huang’s (2008) review of the past decade of objectification theory research, and (d) concludes with suggestions for further advancements in body image research grounded in objectification theory.
A scanning electron microscopic study of the cleansing effectiveness of three irrigating modalities on the tubular structure of dentin

This is a scanning electron microscope study of the cleaning effectiveness of three irrigating modalities on root dentin. When hydrogen peroxide was followed by sodium hypochlorite, it effectively cleaned the dentinal tubules of the root. When RC-Prep was reacted with sodium hypochlorite, it proved to be a more efficient irrigating method than the hydrogen peroxide and sodium hypochlorite solution. When a new improved RC-Prep with 15% carbanide peroxide was reacted with sodium hypochlorite, it proved to be a superior cleansing method for root dentin.
Portable power production from methanol in an integrated thermoeletric/microreactor system

Abstract Catalytic self-ignition of methanol over platinum supported on anodized alumina in a microburner is demonstrated. The effects of air flow rate and air/methanol ratio on the system start-up time and steady state temperature have been studied. The air flow rate strongly affects the system start-up time. However, at the same flow rate, the start-up time is not affected by the air/methanol ratio over the range studied. Computational fluid dynamics simulations confirm these experimental findings. It is proposed that high flow rates and relatively lower fuel content can lead to attaining steady state faster with minimal fuel utilization. Transient axial temperature profiles showed that the hot spot of the reaction started at the inlet of the burner and did not shift downstream with time under most reaction conditions. The burner effective thermal conductivity was increased using copper thermal spreaders on the burner outer walls, allowing for thermally uniform walls. The uniform temperature profile allowed for optimal integration of the microburner with a thermoelectric device. The integrated microburner/thermoelectric device was shown to self-start from room temperature. The maximum power generated with the thermoelectric was 0.65 W and the maximum thermal efficiency was 1.1%.
Interactive content-based image retrieval using relevance feedback

Database search engines are generally used in a one-shot fashion in which a user provides query information to the system and, in return, the system provides a number of database instances to the user. A relevance feedback system allows the user to indicate to the system which of these instances are desirable, or relevant, and which are not. Based on this feedback, the system modifies its retrieval mechanism in an attempt to return a more desirable instance set to the user. In this paper, we present a relevance feedback technique that uses decision trees to learn a common thread among instances marked relevant. We apply our technique in a preexisting content-based image retrieval (CBIR) system that is used to access high resolution computed tomographic images of the human lung. We compare our approach to a commonly used relevance feedback technique for CBIR, which modifies the weights of a K nearest neighbor retriever. The results show that our approach achieves better retrieval as measured in off-line experiments and as judged by a radiologist who is a lung specialist.
Regenerative cascade homotopies for solving polynomial systems

Abstract A key step in the numerical computation of the irreducible decomposition of a polynomial system is the computation of a witness superset of the solution set. In many problems involving a solution set of a polynomial system, the witness superset contains all the needed information. Sommese and Wampler gave the first numerical method to compute witness supersets, based on dimension-by-dimension slicing of the solution set by generic linear spaces, followed later by the cascade homotopy of Sommese and Verschelde. Recently, the authors of this article introduced a new method, regeneration, to compute solution sets of polynomial systems. Tests showed that combining regeneration with the dimension-by-dimension algorithm was significantly faster than naively combining it with the cascade homotopy. However, in this article, we combine an appropriate randomization of the polynomial system with the regeneration technique to construct a new cascade of homotopies for computing witness supersets. Computational tests give strong evidence that regenerative cascade is superior in practice to previous methods.
The Survival Advantage of Olfaction in a Competitive Environment

Summary Olfaction is generally assumed to be critical for survival because this sense allows animals to detect food and pheromonal cues. Although the ability to sense sex pheromones [1–3] is likely to be important for insects, the contribution of general odor detection to survival is unknown. We investigated the extent to which the olfactory system confers a survival advantage on Drosophila larvae foraging for food under conditions of limited resources and competition from other larvae.
Endothelin-3 Reduces Ca2+ Uptake and Ca2+ Content of Platelet Internal Stores

In stimulated platelets, endothelin-3 (ET-3) has been previously shown to attenuate Ca2+ mobilization. Using the calcium indicator chlortetracycline, the present study demonstrates that 0.5 μM ET-3 produced a 24% reduction in the Ca2+ pool mobilized by A23187. ET-3 up to 1 μM dose-dependently decreased the initial velocity and steady state value of 45Ca2+-uptake into platelet membrane vesicules (p<0.001). In addition, ET-3 partially reversed the inhibitory effects of half maximally effective concentrations of thapsigargin and 2,5-di-(t-butyl)-1,4-benzohydroquinone, two specific inhibitors of the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPases. These results suggest that ET-3 is functionally coupled to Ca2+-pumps of the dense tubular system. Based on these findings, we propose that ET-3 decreases the activity of Ca2+-pumps in the dense tubular system which accumulates less Ca2+, leading to lowered Ca2+ release in response to agonists.
Religion and Health: Public Health Research and Practice

▪ Abstract Research examining the relationships between religion and the health of individuals and populations has become increasingly visible in the social, behavioral, and health sciences. Systematic programs of research investigate religious phenomena within the context of coherent theoretical and conceptual frameworks that describe the causes and consequences of religious involvement for health outcomes. Recent research has validated the multidimensional aspects of religious involvement and investigated how religious factors operate through various biobehavioral and psychosocial constructs to affect health status through proposed mechanisms that link religion and health. Methodological and analytical advances in the field permit the development of more complex models of religion's effects, in keeping with proposed theoretical explanations. Investigations of religion and health have ethical and practical implications that should be addressed by the lay public, health professionals, the research communi...
Critical wave functions and a Cantor-set spectrum of a one-dimensional quasicrystal model

The electronic properties of a tight-binding model which possesses two types of hopping matrix element (or on-site energy) arranged in a Fibonacci sequence are studied. The wave functions are either self-similar (fractal) or chaotic and show ``critical'' (or ``exotic'') behavior. Scaling analysis for the self-similar wave functions at the center of the band and also at the edge of the band is performed. The energy spectrum is a Cantor set with zero Lebesque measure. The density of states is singularly concentrated with an index ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{E}$ which takes a value in the range [${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{E}^{\mathrm{min}}$,${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{E}^{\mathrm{max}}$]. The fractal dimensions f(${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{E}$) of these singularities in the Cantor set are calculated. This function f(${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{E}$) represents the global scaling properties of the Cantor-set spectrum.
Enforcing transition deadlines in time Petri nets

We automatically synthesize supervisory controllers that force a system to perform a certain operation by a given deadline. The operation must be executed by a pre-specified delay lambda with respect to the previous execution of the operation. We model both the controlled system and our control supervisors as time Petri nets. Given a target transition and a deadline, our supervisors disable net behaviors in which the firing of the target transition may miss the deadline. Our method is subject to a merge exclusion assumption on the structure of paths contained in a so-called net unfolding. If a control problem does not satisfy this assumption, we abandon supervisor generation. Preliminary empirical results show that our method is both relatively general and more tractable from a computational standpoint than most other real-time analysis methods.
Functional Analysis of Paired Box Missense Mutations in The PAX6 Gene

Mutations in the human PAX6 gene produce various phenotypes, including aniridia, Peters' anomaly, autosomal dominant keratitis and familial foveal dysplasia. The various phenotypes may arise from different mutations in the same gene. To test this theory, we performed a functional analysis of two missense mutations in the paired domain: the R26G mutation, previously reported in a case of Peters' anomaly, and an unreported 187R mutation, which we identified in a patient with aniridia. While both the R26 and the 187 positions are conserved in the paired boxes of all known PAX genes, X-ray crystallography has shown that only R26 makes contact with DNA. We showed that the R26G mutant failed to bind a subset of paired domain binding sites but, surprisingly, bound other sites and successfully transactivated promoters containing those sites. In contrast, the 187R mutant had lost the ability to bind DNA at all tested sites and failed to transactivate promoters. Our data support the haploid-insufficiency hypothesis of aniridia, and the hypothesis that R26G is a hypomorphic allele.
A multidisciplinary bioinformatics minor

Our multidisciplinary approach to a Bioinformatics Minor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) allows students from Information Science, Computer Science, and Biology programs to participate in the growing field of bioinformatics. Two separate tracks allow students to complent the skills that they learn in their majors with skills in either information science or the life sciences. This eighteen credit hour minor begins with all students enrolling in an Introduction to Bioinformatics course that is followed by eleven credit hours of complentary courses. Then, in a final, senior level, survey format Bioinformatics Theory and Applications course, they once again converge to apply their training to a sester-long, multidisciplinary team project. This minor allows students to choose a wide array of careers in the medical and health sciences fields and in the analysis of biological data. It is also an ideal program to prepare the students for graduate programs in bioinformatics.
Toward Emergency Department Preparedness: One Step at a Time

In 1993, the Institute of Medicine published a report on the state of emergency medical services across the nation and found that systems for the care of children were often fragmented and unable to meet the needs of children and thus recommended that all emergency departments (EDs) be prepared to provide pediatric emergency care [1]. These recommendations led to a critical appraisal of existing resources and ways to improve the quality of pediatric care in EDs. A subsequent study reported that the equipment necessary to provide optimal care was frequently unavailable in many EDs and that this problem was particularly more frequent in smaller lower pediatric volume EDs [2]. The results of a survey conducted around the same time by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine suggested that emergency medicine residents' exposure to newborn resuscitation and care was limited and therefore merited further attention during pediatric emergency medicine training [3]. In response to these concerns, the American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics published a policy statement in 2001 on the guidelines for preparedness of EDs that care for children [4]. The Society for Academic Emergency Medicine subsequently published a position statement in 2003 stating that physicians certified in emergency medicine possess the knowledge and skills required to provide quality emergency medical care to children [5]. However, in a more recent report released in 2006, the Institute of Medicine again identified pediatric emergency services as an area requiring special attention, noting that the level of emergency pediatric care throughout the nation was “uneven”, and recommended that every pediatric and emergency care–related health professional credentialing
Diagnosis and management of ventricular tachyarrhythmia in children

Abstract Ventricular tachyarrhythmia is less frequent than supraventricular tachycardia in pediatric patients. Symptoms of ventricular tachycardia in children range widely from feeding problems to syncope and sudden death. Electrocardiographic features include wide QRS complex tachycardia and, often, atrioventricular association. Direct current cardioversion is the first-line therapy for patients who are hemodynamically unstable. Intravenous amiodarone or lidocaine is used in patients who are stable or in patients after successful cardioversion. Long-term medical management is needed in many children and radiofrequency ablation should be considered in symptomatic or life-threatening cases.
Hume's Attack on Abstract Ideas: Real and Imagined

A very material question has been started concerning abstract or general ideas, whether they be general or particular in the mind's conception of them . A great philosopher [Dr. Berkeley] has disputed the receiv'd opinion in this particular, and has asserted, that all general ideas are nothing but particular ones, annexed to a certain term, which gives them a more extensive signification, and makes them recall upon occasion other individuals, which are similar to them. As I look upon this to be one of the greatest and most valuable discoveries that has been made of late years in the republic of letters, I shall here endeavour to confirm it by some arguments, which I hope will put it beyond all doubt and controversy.
A dynamic programming approach to adaptive tatum assignment for rhythm transcription

We present a method for segmenting music with different grid levels in order to properly quantize note values in the transcription of music. This method can be used in automatic music transcription systems and music information retrieval systems to reduce a performance of a music piece to the printed or digital score. The system takes only the onset data of performed music from either MIDI or audio, and determine the best maximal grid level onto which to fit the note onsets. This maximal grid level, or tatum, is allowed to vary from section to section in a piece. We obtain the optimal segmentation of the piece using dynamic programming. We present results from an audio based performance of Milhaud's Botafogo, as well as several MIDI performances of the Rondo-Allegro from Beethoven's Pathetique. The results show a reduction of error compared to quantization based only on one global metric level, and promises to create rhythm transcriptions that are parsimonious and readable.
Preparing clinical grade Ag-specific T cells for adoptive immunotherapy trials

The production of clinical-grade T cells for adoptive immunotherapy has evolved from the ex vivo numerical expansion of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes to sophisticated bioengineering processes often requiring cell selection, genetic modification and other extensive tissue culture manipulations, to produce desired cells with improved therapeutic potential. Advancements in understanding the biology of lymphocyte signaling, activation, homing and sustained in vivo proliferative potential have redefined the strategies used to produce T cells suitable for clinical investigation. When combined with new technical methods in cell processing and culturing, the therapeutic potential of T cells manufactured in academic centers has improved dramatically. Paralleling these technical achievements in cell manufacturing is the development of broadly applied regulatory standards that define the requirements for the clinical implementation of cell products with ever-increasing complexity. In concert with academic facilities operating in compliance with current good manufacturing practice, the prescribing physician can now infuse T cells with a highly selected or endowed phenotype that has been uniformly manufactured according to standard operating procedures and that meets federal guidelines for quality of investigational cell products. In this review we address salient issues related to the technical, immunologic, practical and regulatory aspects of manufacturing these advanced T-cell products for clinical use.
A Review of “America at Risk: Threats to Liberal Self-Government in an Age of Uncertainty”

Collections such as America at Risk: Threats to Liberal Self-Government in an Age of Uncertainty raise suspicions in anyone over the age of, say, twenty-five. When has the American regime not been ...
A Little Theorizing about the Big Law Firm: Galanter, Palay, and the Economics of Growth

The big law firm has been with us for a long time. What keeps changing is our conception of "big." A century ago, no law firm outside of New York City had as many as 7 attorneys.1 During the first half of this century, observers like Adolph Berle decried the emergence of "law factories," but the firms they were describing would be boutiques by modern standards.2 By 1960, the "big firm" had assumed a larger scale: the 50 largest firms ranged in size from 50 to 100 lawyers (at 22). Today, of course, the
The Emerging "Hallmarks" of Metabolic Reprogramming and Immune Evasion: Distinct or Linked?

The role of the immune system in tumor elimination has been shown to be increasingly ambiguous, as many tumors not only escape recognition by the adaptive immune response but also even prime the immune cells to promote tumor growth. This effect is achieved through a number of mechanisms, which include both direct interference with the cells of the adaptive immune response and indirect immunosuppression achieved through modification of the tumor microenvironment. We propose that through upregulation of glycolysis and the consequent lowering of pH in the tumor microenvironment, tumors can take advantage of a pH control system, already exploited by specific immune cell subpopulations, to gain control of the immune system and suppress both cytotoxic and antigen-presenting cells. This is accomplished through the direct competition of tumor cells with actively proliferating glycolytic immune cells for glucose and indirectly through the creation by the tumor of a microenvironment that interferes with maturation and activation of antigen-presenting cells and naive cytotoxic T cells. Immunosuppressive properties of an acidic microenvironment in the vicinity of the tumor can thus provide additional benefits for upregulation of glycolysis by tumor cells, suggesting that the two emerging "hallmarks of cancer," altered glucose metabolism and immune suppression, are in fact fundamentally linked.
The Multidimensional Wisdom of Crowds

Distributing labeling tasks among hundreds or thousands of annotators is an increasingly important method for annotating large datasets. We present a method for estimating the underlying value (e.g. the class) of each image from (noisy) annotations provided by multiple annotators. Our method is based on a model of the image formation and annotation process. Each image has different characteristics that are represented in an abstract Euclidean space. Each annotator is modeled as a multidimensional entity with variables representing competence, expertise and bias. This allows the model to discover and represent groups of annotators that have different sets of skills and knowledge, as well as groups of images that differ qualitatively. We find that our model predicts ground truth labels on both synthetic and real data more accurately than state of the art methods. Experiments also show that our model, starting from a set of binary labels, may discover rich information, such as different "schools of thought" amongst the annotators, and can group together images belonging to separate categories.
Use of Balloon Pull-Through Technique to Assist in CardioSEAL Device Closure of Patent Foramen Ovale

CardioSEAL device closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO) has been advocated for the treatment of patients with cryptogenic stroke. Using the standard delivery technique, partial deployment of the CardioSEAL device can occur, especially in patients with a thick septum secundum and/or long PFO tunnel. We hypothesized that using a left atrial-to-right atrial balloon pull-through to make the septum primum incompetent would result in improved final device position regardless of septal thickness or tunnel length. Catheterization reports, cineangiograms, and transesophageal echocardiograms of 51 patients who underwent CardioSEAL device closure of PFO between March 2000 and August 2002 were retrospectively reviewed. Group 1 (n = 21) included patients with CardioSEAL placement using the standard technique and group 2 (n = 30) included patients with CardioSEAL placement using the balloon pull-through technique. There were no differences between the groups in terms of age (43.6 vs. 45.3 years; P = NS), weight (83.3 vs. 89.9 kg; P = NS), septum secundum thickness (6.4 vs. 7.0 mm; P = NS), PFO tunnel length (15.5 vs. 13.1 mm; P = NS), or device size. In group 1, 4/21 (19%) had partial deployment of the CardioSEAL device, while in group 2, no partial CardioSEAL deployment (0/30) was observed. No complications were associated with the balloon pull-through technique. We conclude that the left atrial-to-right atrial balloon pull-through technique is safe and may allow for better final position of the CardioSEAL device during PFO closure.
Electronic interaction between the phenyl group and its unsaturated substituents

Abstract The high-resolution He I photoelectron spectra of some isoelectronic substituted benzenes with eleven valence electron substituents (styrene, benzaldeh
Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Health Voices and Images of Latina Immigrant Survivors in Southwestern United States

Intimate partner violence (IPV), which describes physical and/or sexual assault of a spouse or sexually intimate companion, is a common health care issue across the globe. However, existing health outcomes studies are limited. Additionally, no study to our knowledge has specifically focused on the relationship between IPV and sexual health among Latina immigrants in southwestern United States. Through the use of photovoice methodology and a community-based participatory research approach, we assessed these types of relationships drawing on data gathered from 22 Latina survivors of IPV and 20 community stakeholders in El Paso, Texas. Participants identified two major themes: the different expressions of domestic violence and the need for access to sexual and reproductive health services. Community stakeholders and participants identified practical and achievable recommendations and actions including the development of a promotora training program on IPV and sexual health. This assessment extends beyond HIV and STI risk behaviors and highlights disease prevention within a wellness and health promotion framework.
An implementation of interprocedural bounded regular section analysis

Regular section analysis, which summarizes interprocedural side effects on subarrays in a form useful to dependence analysis, while avoiding the complexity of prior solutions, is shown to be a practical addition to a production compiler. Optimizing compilers should produce efficient code even in the presence of high-level language constructs. However, current programming support systems are significantly lacking in their ability to analyze procedure calls. This deficiency complicates parallel programming, because loops with calls can be a significant source of parallelism. The performance of regular section analysis is compared to two benchmarks: the LINPACK library of linear algebra subroutines and the Rice Compiler Evaluation Program Suite (RiCEPS), a set of complete application codes from a variety of scientific disciplines. The experimental results demonstrate that regular section analysis is an effective means of discovering parallelism, given programs written in an appropriately modular programming style. >
The Global Gold Mining Industry, Junior Firms, and Civil Society Resistance in Guatemala

Over the past two decades, the gold mining industry has increased its activity in Latin America. Growing contestation and conflict around gold mining projects have accompanied this shift. This article draws from the case of Guatemala, where metal exploration has grown by 1,000 per cent since 1998, to illustrate how the proliferation of small ‘junior’ firms – together with neoliberal investment policies and suitability of mineralisation – set the stage for fly-by-night gold mining and, therefore, intense resistance from host communities to mineral development.
Autism and the Social World: An Anthropological Perspective:

This article offers an anthropological perspective on autism, a condition at once neurological and social, which complements existing psychological accounts of the disorder, expanding the scope of inquiry from the interpersonal domain, in which autism has been predominantly examined, to the socio-cultural one. Persons with autism need to be viewed not only as individuals in relation to other individuals, but as members of social groups and communities who act, displaying both social competencies and difficulties, in relation to socially and culturally ordered expectations of behavior. The article articulates a socio-cultural approach to perspective-taking in autism in three social domains: (1) participating in conversational turn-taking and sequences; (2) formulating situational scenarios; and (3) interpreting socio-cultural meanings of indexical forms and behavior. Providing ethnographic data on the everyday lives of high-functioning children with autism and Asperger syndrome, the article outlines a clin...