cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Advanced Trading Rules

THE JOURNAL OF ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS 91 F or stock and bond investments, previous research has linked mutual fund performance with underlying market returns. However, when it comes to non-traditional investment vehicles such as hedge funds and managed futures, very little attention has been given to describing the fundamental factors determining hedge fund or managed futures returns. This is important for several reasons. First, hedge funds and, more specifically, commodity trading advisors, have different trading styles (e.g., long and short positions) or trading opportunities (e.g., commodity and financial markets) than traditional stock and bond mutual fund managers. As a result, compared to stock and bond funds, other factors such as trending market prices or market volatility may better capture their relative return movement. Advanced Trading Rules, edited by Emmanual Acar (a well-respected professional proprietary trader with Dresdner Kleinwort) and Stephen Satchell (a Cambridge University academic), puts together twelve leading investment professionals and academics who present a wide range of examples as current ideas on the application of trading rules and trading system designs. More precisely, the book contains five chapters on the underlying return process of various futures and options markets and how various trading rules or strategies may or may not capture the underlying return patterns. In the second section, three authors (in three chapters) test whether advances in trading systems such as artificial neural networks, traditional trading rules such as head and shoulders, and fundamental economic information can be beneficial in developing profitable trading rules in the foreign exchange market. In the final section, four chapters are presented in which the benefits of actual technical trading systems are reviewed and the performance of managed futures programs are analyzed in terms of their underlying trading style. This collection of articles is important. While previous research has indicated the potential benefits of including managed futures and hedge funds in stock and bond portfolios, the unique explanatory return factors, especially systematic trading rules, that led to the differential return comovement of managed futures and hedge funds with traditional stock and bond funds has not been fully explored. While none of the articles produce gold out of lead, they do show how modern alchemists treat their art. As important for asset managers as it is for academics, the book provides a look into how our competitors are moving forward. But, let the buyer beware, for some of these articles you may need to refresh your knowledge of college statistics or bribe your college-age son or daughter to explain some of the specifics of ∑, λ, and ∞.
Revisiting the gender gap in CEO compensation: Replication and extension of Hill, Upadhyay, and Beekun's (2015) work on CEO gender pay gap

Research Summary: The increasing number of women chief executives motivates considerable interest in examining possible gender differences in CEO compensation. Recently, Hill, Upadhyay and Beekun reported that female CEOs receive greater compensation than male CEOs, which runs counter to common wisdom that the gender pay gap in the labor market favors men over women. With the goal of contributing to cumulative knowledge development in this area, we seek to reexamine Hill et al.'s finding about gender differences in CEO compensation by extending the analyses further in time, using a larger sample of firms and more rigorous empirical analyses. Our findings, which are robust to different statistical procedures and econometric specifications, do not reveal reliable evidence for differences in compensation paid to male and female CEOs. Managerial Summary: For years, a lively debate has centered on the issue of gender pay gap. The ubiquity of the pay gap between men and women has recently been questioned by Hill et al. who identify the chief executive officer (CEO) role as a workplace position where women receive greater compensation than men. Our investigation examines whether women CEOs are indeed compensated substantively more than male CEOs. We seek to replicate earlier work by Hill and colleagues, using an expanded dataset over a longer period of time and with more rigorous analytical tools. We do not find reliable evidence for a difference in compensation paid to male and female CEOs, suggesting that claims about gender gap in CEO compensation favoring women over men may be premature.
Using the Spitzer IRAC science archive for instrument trending

We present a database of reduced data for all staring mode observations taken with the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) during the Spitzer warm mission to monitor instrument performance, predict future instrument performance, and facilitate exoplanet and brown dwarf science. Our motivation is to be informed so that we can mitigate the impact of changing thermal conditions on science. Monitoring current trends allows us to predict future instrument performance and to adjust our recommended suite of best practices and calibrations accordingly. From this database we show that instrumental effects detrimental to high precision photometry either remain stable or improve. A uniform reduction of all IRAC light curves has never before been published, and will enable powerful science including accurate comparative studies of exoplanets and brown dwarfs. IRAC has been performing well throughout the warm mission and we expect performance to remain excellent.
Multivariate D Studies

This chapter is split into two major parts followed by a few real-data examples. Section 10.1 covers fundamental issues about multivariate universes of generalization and D studies. Section 10.2 treats a selected set of other issues that, in most cases, are probably less central than the issues covered in Section 10.1. All of the issues, and most of the results and procedures, discussed in this chapter apply to both balanced and unbalanced multivariate D study designs. However, attention is focused primarily on balanced designs in the sense that, for each of the fixed levels in the D study, there is a balanced variance components design. Multivariate unbalanced designs are the subject of Chapter 11.1
MODELING OF LIGHT-INDUCED BIREFRINGENCE CHANGES IN PHOTORECEPTOR OUTER SEGMENTS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the modeling of light-induced birefringence changes in photoreceptor outer segments. The regular array of disk membranes in retinal rod outer segments (ROS) causes the ROS to be uniaxially birefringent with the optic axis along the cell axis. Viewed from the side, the refractive index for light linearly polarized parallel to the cell axis is slightly larger than for the transverse direction. It is shown that neither the shrinking cytoplasm nor the migrating solids hypothesis can adequately account for the experimental data when ROS are modeled as a two-dielectric lamellar system. The migrating solids hypothesis remains untenable when the ROS is modeled as a three-dielectric system. The shrinking disk hypothesis fits the data very well using the three dielectric models. Electrophysiological, biochemical, and biophysical results suggest a significant conformation change occurs in the protein moiety of rhodopsin when MII is formed so a change in the intrinsic birefringence component will be likely to occur.
Depth and deference: When and why we attribute understanding

Four experiments investigate the folk concept of “understanding,” in particular when and why it is deployed differently from the concept of knowledge. We argue for the positions that (1) people have higher demands with respect to explanatory depth when it comes to attributing understanding, and (2) that this is true, in part, because understanding attributions play a functional role in identifying experts who should be heeded with respect to the general field in question. These claims are supported by our findings that people differentially withhold attributions of understanding (rather than knowledge) when the object of attribution has minimal explanatory information. We also show that this tendency significantly correlates with people’s willingness to defer to others as potential experts. This work bears on a pressing issue in epistemology concerning the place and value of understanding. Our results also provide reason against positing a simple equation of knowledge(-why) and understanding(-why). We contend that, because deference plays a crucial role in many aspects of everyday reasoning, the fact that we use understanding attributions to demarcate experts reveals a potential mechanism for achieving our epistemic aims in many domains.
Take Home Points: How to Use Statistical Learning.

Purpose The purpose of this epilogue is to synthesize the main points of the articles in this issue on statistical learning for clinicians. These points can be used to guide practice.
A phase I trial of certolizumab plus chemotherapy in patients with stage IV lung adenocarcinomas.

9080Background: We previously identified a paracrine inflammatory loop (TNF-α, CXCL1/2, S100A8/9) involving both tumor and stroma that develops in response to chemotherapy, engendering chemoresista...
Pervasiveness of exoribonuclease-resistant RNAs in plant viruses suggests new roles for these conserved RNA structures

ABSTRACT Exoribonuclease-resistant RNAs (xrRNAs) are discrete folded RNA elements that block the processive degradation of RNA by exoribonucleases. xrRNAs found in the 3′ untranslated regions (UTRs) of animal-infecting flaviviruses and in all three members of the plant-infecting Dianthovirus adopt a complex ring-like fold that blocks the exoribonuclease; this ability gives rise to viral non-coding subgenomic RNAs. The degree to which these folded RNA elements exist in other viruses and in diverse contexts has been unclear. Using computational tools and biochemical assays, we discovered that xrRNA elements are widely found in viruses belonging to the Tombusviridae and Luteoviridae families of plant-infecting RNA viruses, demonstrating their importance and widespread utility. Unexpectedly, many xrRNAs are located in intergenic regions rather than in the 3’UTR and some are associated with the 5′ ends of subgenomic RNAs with protein-coding potential, suggesting that xrRNAs with similar scaffolds are involved in the maturation or maintenance of diverse subgenomic RNAs, not just the ones generated from the 3′UTR.
1013. If Blood Cultures Were Not Done Before Starting Antibiotics, Is It of Any Value to Obtain Them Later?

Background Obtaining blood cultures before starting antibiotics is one of the pillars of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC), and delay in obtaining blood cultures (BC) after starting antibiotics is associated with increased mortality (Levy M 2015, Pruinelli L 2018), but we were unable to find data on the relationship between such a delay and a reduction in percentage of positive cultures.
Economy in Society: Essays in Honor of Michael J. Piore, Osterman Paul. MIT Press (2012), 176 pp.

This slim volume is a compilation of five essays drawn from papers presented at a 2010 gathering in honor of renowned political economist Michael Piore. Editor, Paul Osterman has done a fine job of...
Machine Learning-Based Analysis of Program Binaries: A Comprehensive Study

Binary code analysis is crucial in various software engineering tasks, such as malware detection, code refactoring, and plagiarism detection. With the rapid growth of software complexity and the increasing number of heterogeneous computing platforms, binary analysis is particularly critical and more important than ever. Traditionally adopted techniques for binary code analysis are facing multiple challenges, such as the need for cross-platform analysis, high scalability and speed, and improved fidelity, to name a few. To meet these challenges, machine learning-based binary code analysis frameworks attract substantial attention due to their automated feature extraction and drastically reduced efforts needed on large-scale programs. In this paper, we provide the taxonomy of machine learning-based binary code analysis, describe the recent advances and key findings on the topic, and discuss the key challenges and opportunities. Finally, we present our thoughts for future directions on this topic.
Synergisms between siloxane-polyoxyethylene and alkyl polyglycoside surfactants in foam stability and pool fire extinction

Abstract Fluorocarbon surfactants in firefighting foams must be replaced with environmentally friendly surfactants without loss of fire suppression performance. Aqueous foams generated from commercial siloxane-polyoxyethylene and alkyl polyglycoside surfactants were characterized individually and as mixtures in a formulation by measuring the solution and foam properties, foam degradation and fuel transport rates through a foam layer on a hot heptane pool, and foam’s ability to suppress a heptane pool fire rapidly using minimum amount of foam. The results showed significantly smaller fire extinction times for the surfactant mixtures than for either of the individual components exhibiting a synergistic fire extinction rather than following the law of averages; 5 times enhancement in extinction performance. The measured foam degradation rate with the foam exposed to a hot heptane pool also showed a similar synergism. The reduced foam degradation rate resulted in a reduced fuel vapor transport for longer times and a more rapid fire extinction for the siloxane-glycoside mixture. By increasing the hydrophilicity with increased size of the polyglycoside head, the synergistic effect was enhanced. Both benchtop (19 cm diameter) and large scale (6 ft diameter) heptane pool fire extinction with the siloxane-glycoside surfactant mixture showed that the extinction time was 1.5 times (60% effectiveness of AFFF) that of an equivalent AFFF formulation containing a fluorosurfactant in place of the siloxane surfactant at a fixed foam application rate (22 L m−2 min−1). An understanding of the molecular interactions at the interface causing the synergistic effects may lead to improved siloxane-glycoside systems and other novel surfactant systems with performance matching that of fluorocarbon surfactants.
Diabetes Self-Management Interventions for Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Living in Rural Areas: A Systematic Literature Review

In rural communities, high rates of diabetes and its complications are compounded by limited access to health care and scarce community resources. We systematically reviewed the evidence for the impact of diabetes self-management education interventions designed for patients living in rural areas on glycemic control and other diabetes outcomes. Fifteen studies met inclusion criteria. Ten were randomized controlled trials. Intervention strategies included in-person diabetes (n = 9) and telehealth (n = 6) interventions. Four studies demonstrated between group differences for biologic outcomes, four studies demonstrated changes in behavior, and three studies demonstrated changes in knowledge. Intervention dose was associated with improved A1c or weight loss in two studies and session attendance in one study. Interventions that included collaborative goal-setting were associated with improved metabolic outcomes and self-efficacy. Telehealth and face-to-face diabetes interventions are both promising strategies for rural communities. Effective interventions included collaborative goal-setting. Intervention dose was linked to better outcomes and higher attendance.
Erratum: The Zeldovich approximation and wide-angle redshift-space distortions

Author(s): Castorina, E; White, M | Abstract: This is an erratum to the paper 'The Zeldovich approximation and wide-angle redshift-space distortions' by Castorina a White (2018). There is a mistake in equation (37) which should read (Equation Presented) where Σ2 and ξij are defined in the main text. The figures and the conclusions are all unchanged, however this mistake propagates to equation (46) which should read (Equation Presented) Equation (51) then becomes (Equation Presented) Equations (52)-(53) are no longer needed. The change affects equation (63) which should read (Equation Presented) Finally, in Appendix C, equations (C10-C13) should read (Equation Presented).
Synergy of Intensity, Phase, and Polarization Enables Versatile Optical Nanomanipulation.

Micromanipulation by optical tweezers mainly relies on the trapping force derived from the intensity gradient of light. Here we show that the synergy of intensity, phase, and polarization in struct...
United States Pedestrian Fatality Trends, 1977 to 2016

After decreasing for three decades, U.S. pedestrian fatalities increased by more than 40% between 2009 and 2016, hindering progress toward a future transportation system that produces zero deaths. ...
Work-in-Progress—Learners’ Interaction with Task Narratives for Math Problem-Solving in Game-Based Learning

The purpose of this work-in-progress paper is to explore the learners’ interactions with task narratives in a Game-Based Learning (GBL) environment for math problem-solving. We present a qualitative case study to demonstrate how the learners interact with task narratives in a GBL environment for math problem-solving. Three preliminary patterns were identified: (1) narrative immersion mediated math problem-solving; (2) task narratives and the game world afforded cognitive connection for math problem-solving; (3) narrative structure influenced math problem-solving. Implications and future directions are discussed.
Teaching Research Methods in Master’s-Level LIS Programs: The United States Perspective

Training in research methodology is an essential component of educating twenty-first century information professionals and library practitioners. Traditionally, competencies in library and informat...
Loss of gene coordination as a stochastic cause of ageing.

A new global measure of cell-to-cell transcriptional variability from single-cell RNA-sequencing data has been developed by Levy et al., on the basis of the transcriptional interrelations between genes. The new variable, termed global coordination level, decreases with age in different organisms and cell types and correlates with high mutational load in cells.
Timing and efficacy of mifepristone pretreatment for medical management of early pregnancy loss.

Abstract Objectives To determine the time interval between mifepristone and misoprostol administration associated with the most efficacious early pregnancy loss (EPL) management. Study Design We performed a secondary analysis of a randomized trial. Participants with EPL were instructed to take 200 mg oral mifepristone followed by 800 mcg vaginal misoprostol 24 hours later. The primary outcome was gestational sac expulsion at the first follow-up visit (1–4 days after misoprostol use) after a single dose of misoprostol and no additional intervention within 30 days after treatment. Despite specification of drug timing, participants used the medication over a range of time. We graphed sliding average estimates of success and assessed the proportion of treatment successes over time to define timing interval cohorts for analysis. We used multivariable generalized linear regression to assess the association between time interval and success. Results Of 139 eligible participants, 70 (50.4%) self-administered misoprostol before 24 hours, and 69 (49.6%) at or after 24 hours. We defined the following time intervals: 0 to 6 hours (n = 22); 7 to 20 hours (n = 29); and 21 to 48 hours (n = 88). Success occurred in 96.6% of the 7- to 20-hour cohort compared to 54.6% and 87.5% of the cohorts self-administering misoprostol earlier or later, respectively. When adjusting for race, gestational age, diagnosis, bleeding at presentation, insurance status, and enrollment site, participants administering misoprostol between 0 and 6 hours (adjusted risk ratio 0.58, 95% CI 0.40–0.85) and 21 to 48 hours (adjusted risk ratio 0.91, 95% CI 0.72–0.99) had a lower risk of success when compared to participants administering 7 to 20 hours after mifepristone. Conclusions These data suggest that medical management of EPL has the highest likelihood of success when misoprostol is self-administered 7 to 20 hours after mifepristone. Implications These preliminary data suggest that patients have the highest likelihood of success when misoprostol is taken between 7 and 20 hours after mifepristone. In contrast with medical abortion, simultaneous medication administration may not be as effective as delayed. Future research is needed to confirm the optimal medication time interval.
Investigation of Low Resistance Contacts to Pb-Sb-Ag-Te (LAST) Materials for Module Fabrication

Low electrical contact resistance is essential for the fabrication of high efficiency thermoelectric generators. These contacts must be stable to high temperatures and through thermal cycling. Here we present the fabrication procedure and characterization of several contacts to Pb-Sb-Ag-Te (LAST) compounds. Contact materials investigated include tungsten, antimony, tin, nickel, and a bismuth antimony based solder. The contacts were typically deposited by an electron beam evaporation method after careful preparation of the sample surface. The resistances were measured by using the transmission line model (TLM), and ohmic behavior was verified through current vs. voltage measurements. The best contact resistivities of less than 20 µΩ·cm 2 have been measured for annealed antimony to n-type LAST samples. We present these procedures for fabricating low resistance contacts and the use of these contact materials toward the fabrication of high efficiency thermoelectric generator modules.
Decoding Chemical and Physical Processes Driving Plasmonic Photocatalysis Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopies.

ConspectusIn order to mitigate the advancing effects of environmental pollution and climate change, immediate action is needed on social, political, and industrial fronts. One segment of industry that contributes significantly to this current crisis is bulk chemical production, where fossil fuels are primarily used to drive reactions at high temperatures and pressures. Toward mitigating the environmental impact of these processes, solar energy has shown promise as a clean and renewable alternative for the photocatalytic synthesis of chemicals. In recent decades, plasmonic materials have emerged as candidates for making this a reality. Because of their unique and tunable interactions with light, plasmonic materials can be used to create energy-rich nanoscale environments. In fact, there is a growing library of chemical reactions that can utilize this plasmonic energy to drive industrially relevant chemistries under standard ambient conditions. However, the efficiency of these reactions is typically low, and a lack of mechanistic understanding of how energy is transferred from plasmons to molecules hinders reaction optimization for use on large scales.To decode the complex chemical and physical processes involved in plasmon-driven photocatalytic reactions, we use surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). In this Account, we detail SERS techniques that we have used and are developing to study molecular transformations, charge transfer, and plasmonic heating in dynamic plasmon-molecule systems on time scales ranging from seconds to femtoseconds. SERS is an ideal analytical tool for understanding plasmon-molecule interactions, as it gives highly specific information about molecular vibrations with high sensitivity, down to the single-molecule level. Importantly, SERS allows for simultaneous pumping of a plasmonic resonance and probing of the enhanced Raman signal from nearby molecules. We have already used these techniques to study a plasmon-driven methyl migration with nanoscale spatial specificity and to understand the charge transfer mechanism and role of heating in the plasmon-mediated dimerization of 4-nitrobenzenethiol. Importantly, from this work we conclude that direct charge transfer, not heating, may play a significant role in driving many plasmon-driven reactions. Despite these recent insights, more work is needed in order to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the broad range of chemistries accessible in plasmon-molecule systems. In the future, our continued development of these SERS-based techniques shows promise in answering questions regarding direct charge transfer, resonance energy transfer, and excitation conditions in plasmon-mediated chemistries.
Strategies used by providers to support individuals with spinal cord injury in weight management: a qualitative study of provider perspectives.

STUDY DESIGN This is a descriptive qualitative study. OBJECTIVES To explore recommended strategies employed by healthcare providers to support individuals with SCI in weight management. SETTING Fourteen veteran administration hospitals in the United States and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (SRALab) SCI Model Systems in Illinois. METHODS Semi-structured interviews were conducted with interprofessional SCI providers involved in weight management with individuals living with SCI. Thematic analysis methods were used. RESULTS A total of 25 interprofessional providers were interviewed. Providing clinical expertise to assist in weight management included (1) checking progress or status of weight over time, (2) monitoring and tracking other health-related indicators, (3) stressing weight-related health risks, (4) providing education, (5) encouraging healthy behaviors, and (6) identifying and accessing resources. Fostering provider-patient relationships included (1) establishing and maintaining rapport and (2) tailoring/individualizing weight management treatment. Coordinating a team approach included (1) involving a dietitian or nutritionist, (2) communicating the same message, and (3) involving the informal caregiver/family. CONCLUSION Weight management strategies should incorporate patient preferences and goals, informed through provider expert and personalized clinical advice, and supported within the context of interprofessional team collaboration that includes caregivers and family.
Recent advances in the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Abstract Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an x-linked, progressive, incurable disease which affects approximately 1 in 3,500–5,000 live boy births. The condition is caused by a lack of a functional protein, dystrophin, in the muscle. Exciting new advances have been made in the treatment of this condition, including genetic treatments. Treatments for DMD have improved over the last 5–10 years, both a combination of improved standards of care and equity across treating centres as well as access to clinical trials and some treatments that have been approved as a result of clinical trials. This review will cover both the updated standards of care and recommended treatments as well as the newer drugs and trials including genetic modification therapies, gene therapy, small molecules to increase the levels of dystrophin related protein and mutation non-specific anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic approaches.
Comprehensive community initiatives in education reform: The case of Say Yes to Education

Abstract Say Yes to Education is a national non-profit committed to dramatically increasing high school and college graduation rates for inner-city youth. An educational foundation equipped with resources and a vision of change, Say Yes is defining a different approach to city-wide turnaround, and youth developmental and achievement outcomes are the measures of success. The foundation has developed an education improvement model that involves community wide collaboration, incorporates curriculum, instruction, social emotional, and health supports into a coherent approach, and uses data to inform intervention and planning. Say Yes has been engaged in scaling implementation at the community level in two cities. These initiatives are unique ventures in the degree to which community stakeholders have organized around a single initiative, refocusing their resources to support Say Yes change strategies. This study attempts to understand both the local conditions necessary and the strategies used by Say Yes to engage community in youth-focused change.
Pleasant Grove City v. Summum: The Supreme Court Finds a Public Display of Ten Commandments to Be Permissible Government Speech

In Pleasant Grove City v. Summum, the Supreme Court reversed a Tenth Circuit decision to grant an obscure religion’s request to display a permanent religious monument in a city park which contained other privately-donated monuments, including a Ten Commandments monument. In granting the request, the Tenth Circuit found that the city had engaged in viewpoint discrimination by refusing to include the proffered monument in its park. For the Supreme Court, this case presented several important issues and challenges. As Justice Alito wrote in his opinion for the Court, “no prior decision of this Court has addressed the application of the Free Speech Clause to a government entity’s acceptance of privately donated permanent monuments for installation in a public park.This case was also the first opportunity for the Supreme Court to address the relatively new government speech doctrine in a context that did not involve public funding. The Court’s previous government speech decisions had involved publicly-funded programs seeking to promote a specific governmental policy through private speakers, or programs involving discretionary decision-making in the areas of arts-funding or state-owned broadcasting. Finally, even though no Establishment Clause issue was involved in the litigation or ruled on by the Court, this case does present various Establishment Clause implications for future cases. Indeed, these implications may well turn out to have the most significant impact on the legacy of Pleasant Grove City v. Summum.
Input shaping controllers for slewing flexible structures

Several input shaping controllers are developed for slewing flexible structures. These controllers are verified experimentally on a flexible planar truss testbed. Two open-loop input shaping schemes are considered: the first with a pulse input, and the second with the reference input corresponding to the rigid body minimum time solution. Input shaping feedback schemes include the use of a shaper as a precompensator for a proportional-derivative controller with acceleration feedback and the development of a discrete-time dynamic system representation of input shaping which allows for design of feedback outside the shaper. >
Estimating Tumor Growth Rates In Vivo

In this paper, we develop methods for inferring tumor growth rates from the observation of tumor volumes at two time points. We fit power law, exponential, Gompertz, and Spratt’s generalized logistic model to five data sets. Though the data sets are small and there are biases due to the way the samples were ascertained, there is a clear sign of exponential growth for the breast and liver cancers, and a 2/3’s power law (surface growth) for the two neurological cancers.
Carbon-Carbon Alkylations with Amines and Ammonium Salts

This chapter is a review of those reactions of compounds containing labile amino groups in which a carbon-carbon bond is formed by amine replacement as, for example, in the alkylation of diethyl malonate by 1-dimethylamino-3-butanone. Attention has been given primarily to reactions of amines prepared by the Mannich reaction (Mannich bases), but for comparison, analogous reactions of simpler quaternary ammonium salts have been included. Keywords: carbon-carbon alkylations; amines; ammonium salts; cyanide; replacements; active methyl groups; active methylene groups; indole; quaternary salts; organometallic compounds; related reactions; experimental conditions
Declining Revenues and Increasing Enrollments: Strategies for Coping.

The results of a national survey found declining state support and increasing enrollment common in community colleges. The decline in state funding has prompted institutions to seek more funding fr...
Interferon-activated signal transduction to the nucleus

Recent studies on gene activation by interferons have uncovered a direct signaling pathway from the cell-surface receptor for interferons to the nucleus. Activation of JAK tyrosine kinases by interferons leads to activation, by direct tyrosine phosphorylation, of a family of latent cytoplasmic transcription factors named STATs (for signal transducers and activators of transcription), which then translocate to the nucleus to direct transcriptional activation.
Receptor upregulation enhances cell surface receptor targeted therapies.

A number of new therapeutic agents for hematologic malignancies have been approved in the last 5 years that target cell surface receptors on the malignant cell. These include a mouse–human chimeric monoclonal antibody to CD20 (rituximab), a 90Y-labeled mouse monoclonal antibody to CD20 (ibritumomab tiuxetan), a humanized antibody to CD52 (alemtuzumab), an immunoconjugate consisting of a humanized antibody to CD33 coupled to calicheamicin (gemtuzumab ozogamicin), and a diphtheria fusion protein (denileukin diftitox) directed at the high affinity interleukin-2 receptor (IL2R) complex [1–5]. In addition, there are a number of targeted protein molecules in various stages of clinical development reactive with various hematopoietic cell surface receptors including CD20, CD22, CD33, HLA-DR, the granulocyte–macrophage colonystimulating factor receptor, among others (see Table 1). Many of these biologics show impressive clinical activity, but most treated patients relapse. To improve the remission rate and duration, one approach has been to combine the biologic compound with cytotoxic drugs [6]. This has yielded outstanding results with rituximab. Another approach is to selectively enhance the potency of the biologic on the target malignant stem cell. Based on both preclinical and clinical data, tumor cell kill with toxin immunoconjugates is proportional to receptor density [7,8]. Foss and coworkers have studied methods to increase the expression of high affinity IL2R on malignant hematopoietic cells to enhance killing by denileukin diftitox [9–11]. In this issue, her group documents that arginine butyrate increases the expression of the subunit of the IL2R on leukemia cells and that this leads to increased sensitivity to denileukin diftitox [12]. Upregulation of receptors on malignant cells is an attractive strategy. This may involve enhanced gene transcription, improved protein stability, or increased protein trafficking to the cell surface. Compounds have been found which modify each of these pathways for a number of receptors (see Table 2). The molecular mechanisms for receptor upregulation by most of these compounds are poorly characterized.
Transfer of verbal conditioning to non-verbal behavior.

Szrnmary.-In this study neutral syllables pre-rated on Osgood's semantic differential scale were presented as names of blocks. After negative meaning was associated wirh the syllable XEH Ss re-rated the syllables on three descriptive scales. This conditioning of meaning was established by using unpleasant, weak, and mixed weak-unpleasant evaluative words. These affects were shown to be condicionable to the syllable XEH, to be transferrable to a wooden block named XEI-I, and to be able to modify S's non-verbal behavior toward the labeled object, block XEH. The application of such words as negative reinforcers in psychotheraay was endorsed. This st~tdy investigated the effect of verbal or semantic conditioning on the voluntary, non-verbal behavior of Ss with objects in the environment. Osgood ( 195 2 ) proposed a mediation hypothesis which postulated that verbal manipulation of the meaning of verbal labels could be employed to modify verbal behavior toward the object signified by the label. Osgood asserted that meaning may originate from the detachable component shared by the object and the label. The converse might also occur, detachment of components of meaning from labels and atrachment of these to the objects represented might take place. We should be able to predict, from the modified meaning of the labels, probable results of behavioral modifications toward the objects. Increasing pleasantness of the label's rffect should increase approach behavior toward the object. Conversely, increasing unpleasantness of the label should increase avoidance behavior for the object. Ziskin (1962) demonstrated that a label with a positive affect tended to increase S's approach but he was unable to show that a negative label would increase avoidance. Ziskin's findings and the work of Osgood and Suci (1955), indicated that, by introdilcing more detachable components of meaning in association with a label, the label having the negative affect would increase avoidance. We expect that instead of conditioning only negative meanings to a labe:, we condition some weak and passive factors in addition to the negative meaning; thus a stronger avoidance reaction to the object could be expected. We investigated those conditions which might facilitate transfer of a label's negative affect to a designxed object. Our hypotheses were: (1) A labeled objecc will acquire a negative affect when the label is negatively conditioned; (2) A labeled object will acquire weak associative meaning when weak associative meaning is conditioned to the label; (3) A labeled objecc will acquire a stronger negative affect when weak associative negative meaning is conditioned
Complex rotundities and midpoint local uniform rotundity in symmetric spaces of measurable operators

We investigate the relationships between strongly extreme, complex ex- treme, and complex locally uniformly rotund points of the unit ball of a symmetric func- tion space or a symmetric sequence space E, and of the unit ball of the space E(M; ) of -measurable operators associated to a seminite von Neumann algebra ( M; ) or of the unit ball in the unitary matrix space CE. We prove that strongly extreme, complex extreme, and complex locally uniformly rotund points x of the unit ball of the sym- metric space E(M; ) inherit these properties from their singular value function (x) in the unit ball of E with additional necessary requirements on x in the case of com- plex extreme points. We also obtain the full converse statements for the von Neumann algebra M with a faithful, normal, -nite trace as well as for the unitary matrix space CE. Consequently, corresponding results on the global properties such as mid- point local uniform rotundity, complex rotundity and complex local uniform rotundity follow.
Order parameter fluctuations at the critical point

Abstract Fluctuations in the extensive order parameter at the critical point are examined as a function of the size of the system. In this way it is shown that the rule σ= (d + 2 − η)/(d − 2 + η) follows from the definitions of the critical exponents.
Transcriptional analysis of a superoxide dismutase gene of Borrelia burgdorferi.

A single superoxide dismutase (Sod) gene was identified in Borrelia burgdorferi strains, Borrelia afzelii Ple and Borrelia garinii Pbi. Recombinant enzymatic activity was detected only when sod expression was controlled by the lacZ promoter in the cloning vector. Northern blot analysis with sod- or secA-specific probes identified a common 3.7-kb transcript. Reverse transcriptase-PCR analysis confirmed that secA and sod constitute a single transcriptional unit in B. burgdorferi. A transcriptional start site of this operon, containing −10 and −35 regions of a σ70-type promoter, was mapped to 100 bp upstream of the ATG start codon of secA.
Effect of Diet on Expression of Genes Involved in Lipid Metabolism, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation in Mouse Liver–Insights into Mechanisms of Hepatic Steatosis

Nutritional intake is a fundamental determinant of health. Many studies have correlated excess caloric intake, as well as a high ratio of n-6:n-3 fatty acids, with detrimental health outcomes, such as the metabolic syndrome. In contrast, low-calorie diets have beneficial health effects. Despite these associations, our understanding of the causal relationship between diet and health remains largely elusive. The present study examined the molecular changes elicited by nine diets with varying fat, sugar, cholesterol, omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, and calories in C57BL/6 male mice. Microarray analyses were conducted on liver samples from three mice per diet and detected 20,449 genes of which 3,734 were responsive to changes in dietary components. Principal component analysis showed that diet restriction correlated the least with the other diets and also affected more genes than any other diet. Interestingly, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) identified gene sets involved in glutathione metabolism, immune response, fatty acid metabolism, cholesterol metabolism, ABC transporters, and oxidative phosphorylation as being highly responsive to changes in diet composition. On the gene level, this study reveals novel findings such as the induction of the drug efflux pump Abcb1a (p-glycoprotein) by diet restriction and an atherogenic diet, as well as the suppression of the rate limiting step of bile acid synthesis, Cyp7a1, by a high fructose diet. This study provides considerable insight into the molecular changes incurred by a variety of diets and furthers our understanding of the causal relationships between diet and health.
Geochemical exploration for chromite deposits, piedmont upland province, maryland, U.S.A.

Abstract Chromium is a strategic and critical metal in industrial development. Commercial sources of Cr are limited to relatively few countries and the current and projected demand for the metal is growing. The industrial nations that lack identified economic resources of the metal, yet require it, and the developing nations that need nontraditional strong value exports with established future markets, should explore for chromite mineral deposits, determine their potential, and plan for their development. The metals heavily used in industry such as Cr, Ni, Co, and Mn should be high-priority commodities in the exploration for mineral deposits. The multielement-multisample type strategy in geochemical exploration for chromite, as used in this study, increases the probability of finding mineral deposit targets for detailed studies.
Alternative positioning of patients for hemorrhoidectomy

The left anterolateral position is an excellent alternative for hemorrhoidectomy under local anesthesia. The pain over the pubis and the low backache, frequently encountered in the prone position, are totally eliminated. Exposure of the operative fields is excellent. Occasional incomplete exposure at the right posterior quadrant with the Fansler speculum can be easily corrected by using a Pratt speculum instead.
Brightness contrast: a reinterpretation of compound cue and combined cue experiments with pigeons.

Abstract A group of three pigeons was trained on a 4-ply multiple schedule: a green color and a vertical line superimposed upon an achromatic background as positive stimuli, and a red color and a horizontal line on an achromatic background as negative stimuli. The pigeons were tested with the vertical line superimposed upon different achromatic background intensities, then with the vertical line superimposed upon different green background intensities, and finally with the vertical line and its training achromatic backgfound attenuated (and unattenuated) by a neutral density filter. The gradients peaked at the luminance of the achromatic background used during training and at the equivalent luminance for the green background when it was substituted for the achromatic background. The brightness contrast, not the background luminance, was the critical variable as the neutral density filter attenuated both the line and the background equally, leaving brightness contrast unchanged; there was no response decrement to this attenuated stimulus. Two other groups of three pigeons showed that they attended to line orientation as well as to brightness contrast. The brightness contrast hypothesis was extended to explain results of attention experiments and combined cue experiments which have used line stimuli in combinations with different backgrounds.
Role of midbrain central gray in pain-induced defensive boxing of rats.

Abstract Pain-induced defensive boxing behavior in the rat was impaired or abolished by lesions of the midbrain central gray at the level of the superior colliculus. Lesions which left part of this region intact along with its lateral and dorsal connections did not produce boxing deficits despite destruction of anterior, posterior, or ventral connections. On the basis of these data, consideration of the anatomy and physiology of the central gray, and comparison to data on affective defense in the cat, it was suggested that this region may function as a modal command system or a patterning mechanism independent of the forebrain for pain-induced defensive boxing in the rat and affective defense in the cat. The central gray was shown to be necessary for freezing and escape behaviors as well as pain-induced defensive boxing, which led to speculation about its role in committing the animal to one or another of these three alternative responses to pain or threat.
Drugs That Negatively Affect Sleep

Getting adequate sleep is a healthy lifestyle activity that is important for the body to function optimally both physically and mentally. Unfortunately, 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sle...
Analysis of the Disruption of Evaporating Charged Droplets

Charged droplets undergo periodic convulsive disruption during evaporation. This makes their behavior fundamentally different from that of uncharged droplets. During the disruption, a number of small "sibling" droplets (about 15?m diameter) are released and carry 5 percent of the mass and about 25 percent of the charge. An analytical model of this process which is based on a "macroscopic" approach is presented. The model predicts characteristics of the final, postdisruption state (e. g., charge and mass ratios, number of droplets produced) which are in good agreement with experimental data for droplets having initial sizes less than about 100-pm diameter. A most interesting result of this analysis is the prediction that a limited number of sibling droplets (about seven) can be produced.
Material and electrical characteristics of iron doped Pt-InAlAs Schottky diodes grown by LP-MOCVD

InAlAs lattice-matched to InP is of great importance as a large bandgap material for various InP-based heterostructures device applications. However, growth of good quality InAlAs using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) is relatively difficult due to the reactive nature of its aluminum sources. In this paper, we present the use of iron as a possible dopant to improve the electrical properties of MOCVD grown InAlAs. Time resolved photoreflectance was used to confirm the increase in trap levels with increased iron doping. The impact of iron doping on the electrical properties of devices was investigated using Pt-Schottky diodes fabricated on undoped and iron doped InAlAs materials. Low frequency noise measurements were also carried out to investigate the impact of iron incorporation on the noise characteristics of the devices. Although noise levels showed marginal difference between undoped and iron doped materials, iron doped InAlAs showed a Lorentzian component in the noise spectra which is not found in undoped materials. An activation energy of ∼0.77 eV was evaluated for traps introduced by iron incorporation using temperature dependent low frequency noise measurements.