cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Current Advances in Pediatric Onset Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease affecting the central nervous system leading to demyelination. MS in the pediatric population is rare, but has been shown to lead to significant disability over the duration of the disease. As we have learned more about pediatric MS, there has been a development of improved diagnostic criteria leading to earlier diagnosis, earlier initiation of disease-modifying therapies (DMT), and an increasing number of DMT used in the treatment of pediatric MS. Over time, treatment with DMT has trended towards the initiation of higher efficacy treatment at time of diagnosis to help prevent further disease progression and accrual of disability over time, and there is evidence in current literature that supports this change in treatment patterns. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge in diagnosis, treatment, and clinical outcomes in pediatric MS.
Chapter 2 – Sound Propagation

Publisher Summary Sound is a mechanical disturbance that travels through a fluid. Generally, the propagating disturbance is identified as an incremental acoustic pressure that has a magnitude that is very much smaller than the ambient pressure. However, sometimes the sound is described in terms of the incremental density, the incremental temperature, the material displacement from equilibrium, or the transient particle velocity imposed on the medium. In this chapter, it is assumed that the medium is homogeneous (same physical properties at all positions) and isotropic (same propagation properties in all directions). The chapter assumes that there is no sound absorption (no sound energy conversion to heat) and no dispersion (no dependence of sound speed on sound frequency) and that the acoustic pressure increment is very small compared with the ambient pressure (no finite amplitude, nonlinear effects). Under these assumptions, the chapter introduces several wave phenomena that commonly occur in the sea. When the sound encounters an obstacle, it bends around it, and diffraction takes place; when it is incident on a boundary surface, reflection occurs; when it enters a region of different speed, it changes direction, and refraction results; when it meets another sound wave, the two pressures can add constructively, destructively, or at any other phase, and interference ensues. The chapter also considers the plane-wave differential equation that controls such propagation, the effects of smooth boundary interfaces, and three-dimensional propagation.
High fat diet worsens Alzheimer's disease-related behavioral abnormalities and neuropathology in APP/PS1 mice, but not by synergistically decreasing cerebral blood flow.

Obesity is linked to increased risk for and severity of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Cerebral blood flow (CBF) reductions are an early feature of AD and are also linked to obesity. We recently showed that non-flowing capillaries, caused by adhered neutrophils, contribute to CBF reduction in mouse models of AD. Because obesity could exacerbate the vascular inflammation likely underlying this neutrophil adhesion, we tested links between obesity and AD by feeding APP/PS1 mice a high fat diet (Hfd) and evaluating behavioral, physiological, and pathological changes. We found trends toward poorer memory performance in APP/PS1 mice fed a Hfd, impaired social interactions with either APP/PS1 genotype or a Hfd, and synergistic impairment of sensory-motor function in APP/PS1 mice fed a Hfd. The Hfd led to increases in amyloid-beta monomers and plaques in APP/PS1 mice, as well as increased brain inflammation. These results agree with previous reports showing obesity exacerbates AD-related pathology and symptoms in mice. We used a crowd-sourced, citizen science approach to analyze imaging data to determine the impact of the APP/PS1 genotype and a Hfd on capillary stalling and CBF. Surprisingly, we did not see an increase in the number of non-flowing capillaries or a worsening of the CBF deficit in APP/PS1 mice fed a Hfd as compared to controls, suggesting that capillary stalling is not a mechanistic link between a Hfd and increased severity of AD in mice. Reducing capillary stalling by blocking neutrophil adhesion improved CBF and short-term memory function in APP/PS1 mice, even when fed a Hfd.
Barriers to No Hit Zone implementation

Abstract No Hit Zones (NHZs) are a policy to shift social norms away from physical punishment and to promote healthy relationships across the lifespan. This study is the first to examine barriers to NHZ implementation at a variety of institutions. Interviews were conducted with 44 individuals involved in NHZ implementation, including professionals at hospitals, District Attorney’s offices, health departments, and other organizations. Qualitative data from the interviews were coded for themes that emerged from the interviewees’ comments, and quotations from the interviews are used to illustrate these themes. The data revealed barriers that fall into four categories: (1) social norms surrounding physical punishment, (2) framing of the NHZ policy, (3) resource issues, and (4) problems related to training. Specific strategies to overcome each barrier are provided. The success of NHZ expansion depends on the ability of institutions to address barriers to implementation.
Sequential Decomposition of Mean-Field Games

We consider both finite and infinite horizon discounted mean-field games where there is a large population of homogeneous players sequentially making strategic decisions and each player is affected by other players through an aggregate population state. Each player has a private type that only she observes and all players commonly observe a mean-field population state which represents the empirical distribution of other players' types. Mean-field equilibrium (MFE) in such games is defined as solution of coupled Bellman dynamic programming backward equation and Mckean-Vlasov forward equation, where a player's strategy in an MFE depend on both, her private type and current population state. In this paper, we present a novel backward recursive algorithm to compute all MFEs of the game. Each step in this algorithm consists of solving a fixed-point equation. We provide sufficient conditions that guarantee existence of this fixed-point equation for each time t. Using this algorithm, we study versions of security problem in cyber-physical system where infected nodes put negative externality on the system, and each node makes a decision to get vaccinated. We numerically compute MFE of the game.
Phytochemicals: Current Understandings of the Modern Therapeutic Approaches for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The growing occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide poses major concerns because of high mortality rate and poor prognosis. A lack of explicit diagnostics makes early detection of HCC implausible accentuating the demand of novel therapeutic approaches. In this chapter we discuss briefly major risk factors that contribute to the development of HCC and progress made in the identification of new molecular biomarkers and their significance in the detection of HCC. Here, our main focus is on recent advances made in the development of phytochemicals as novel prophylactics and therapeutic agents. First, we discuss a number of phytochemicals that are used to prevent or treat a variety of cancers. Subsequently, our emphasis is shifted on phytochemicals that are specifically significant in the treatment or prevention of HCC. A number of phytochemicals are emerging as plausible therapeutic agents for the treatment of HCC and are discussed in this chapter.
Management, Analyses, and Distribution of the MaizeCODE Data on the Cloud

MaizeCODE is a project aimed at identifying and analyzing functional elements in the maize genome. In its initial phase, MaizeCODE assayed up to five tissues from four maize strains (B73, NC350, W22, TIL11) by RNA-Seq, Chip-Seq, RAMPAGE, and small RNA sequencing. To facilitate reproducible science and provide both human and machine access to the MaizeCODE data, we enhanced SciApps, a cloud-based portal, for analysis and distribution of both raw data and analysis results. Based on the SciApps workflow platform, we generated new components to support the complete cycle of MaizeCODE data management. These include publicly accessible scientific workflows for the reproducible and shareable analysis of various functional data, a RESTful API for batch processing and distribution of data and metadata, a searchable data page that lists each MaizeCODE experiment as a reproducible workflow, and integrated JBrowse genome browser tracks linked with workflows and metadata. The SciApps portal is a flexible platform that allows the integration of new analysis tools, workflows, and genomic data from multiple projects. Through metadata and a ready-to-compute cloud-based platform, the portal experience improves access to the MaizeCODE data and facilitates its analysis.
Gene-environment interactions characterized by single embryo transcriptomics

Abstract Gene-environment interactions are likely to underlie most human birth defects. The most common environmental contributor to birth defects is likely prenatal alcohol exposure. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) describes the full range of defects that result from prenatal alcohol exposure. Gene-ethanol interactions underlie susceptibility to FASD but we lack a mechanistic understanding of these interactions. Here, we leverage the genetic tractability of zebrafish to address this problem. We first show that vangl2, a member of the Wnt/planar cell polarity (Wnt/PCP) pathway that mediates convergent extension movements, strongly interacts with ethanol during late blastula and early gastrula stages. Embryos mutant or heterozygous for vangl2 are sensitized to ethanol- induced midfacial hypoplasia. We performed single-embryo RNA-Seq during early embryonic stages, to assess individual variation to the transcriptional response to ethanol and determine the mechanism of the vangl2-ethanol interaction. To identify the pathway(s) that are disrupted by ethanol we used these global changes in gene expression to identify small molecules that mimic the effects of ethanol via the Library of Integrated Network- based Cellular Signatures (LINCS L1000) dataset. Surprisingly, this dataset predicted that the Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) pathway inhibitor, cyclopamine, would mimic the effects of ethanol, despite the fact that ethanol did not alter the expression levels of direct targets of Shh signaling. Indeed, we found that ethanol and cyclopamine strongly interact to disrupt midfacial development. Collectively, these results suggest that the midfacial defects in ethanol-exposed vangl2 mutants are due to an indirect interaction between ethanol and the Shh pathway. Vangl2 functions as part of a signaling pathway that regulates coordinated cell movements during midfacial development. Consistent with an indirect model, a critical source of Shh signaling that separates the developing eye field into bilateral eyes, allowing the expansion of the midface, becomes mispositioned in ethanol-exposed vangl2 mutants. We demonstrate that ethanol also interacts with another Wnt/PCP pathway member, gpc4, and a chemical inhibitor, blebbistatin. By characterizing membrane protrusions, we demonstrate that ethanol synergistically interacts with the loss of vangl2 to disrupt cell polarity required for convergent extension movements. Collectively, our results shed light on the mechanism by which the most common teratogen can disrupt development.
Virus Isoelectric Point Estimation: Theories and Methods

Much of virus fate, both in the environment and in physical/chemical treatment, is dependent on electrostatic interactions. Developing an accurate means of predicting virion isoelectric point (pI) would help to understand and anticipate virus fate and transport, especially for viruses that are not readily propagated in the lab. One simple approach to predicting pI estimates the pH at which the sum of charges from ionizable amino acids in capsid proteins approaches zero. However, predicted pIs based on capsid charges frequently deviate by several pH units from empirically measured pIs. Recently, the discrepancy between empirical and predicted pI was attributed to the electrostatic neutralization of predictable polynucleotide-binding regions (PBRs) of the capsid interior. In this paper, we review models presupposing (i) the influence of the viral polynucleotide on surface charge or (ii) the contribution of only exterior residues to surface charge. We then compare these models to the approach of excluding only PBRs and hypothesize a conceptual electrostatic model that aligns with this approach. The PBR exclusion method outperformed methods based on three-dimensional (3D) structure and accounted for major discrepancies in predicted pIs without adversely affecting pI prediction for a diverse range of viruses. In addition, the PBR exclusion method was determined to be the best available method for predicting virus pI, since (i) PBRs are predicted independently of the impact on pI, (ii) PBR prediction relies on proteome sequences rather than detailed structural models, and (iii) PBR exclusion was successfully demonstrated on a diverse set of viruses. These models apply to nonenveloped viruses only. A similar model for enveloped viruses is complicated by a lack of data on enveloped virus pI, as well as uncertainties regarding the influence of the phospholipid envelope on charge and ion gradients.
Trends in Esophageal Cancer Mortality and Stage at Diagnosis by Race and Ethnicity in the United States

Esophageal cancer (EC) is an aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis. Mortality and disease stage at diagnosis are important indicators of improvements in cancer prevention and control. We examined United States trends in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) mortality and stage at diagnosis by race and ethnicity. We used Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data to identify individuals with histologically confirmed EAC and ESCC between 1 January 1992 and 31 December 2016. For both EAC and ESCC, we calculated age-adjusted mortality and the proportion presenting at each stage by race/ethnicity, sex, and year. We then calculated the annual percent change (APC) in each indicator by race/ethnicity and examined changes over time. The study included 19,257 EAC cases and 15,162 ESCC cases. EAC mortality increased significantly overall and in non-Hispanic Whites from 1993 to 2012 and from 1993 to 2010, respectively. EAC mortality continued to rise among non-Hispanic Blacks (NHB) (APC = 1.60, p = 0.01). NHB experienced the fastest decline in ESCC mortality (APC = − 4.53, p < 0.001) yet maintained the highest mortality at the end of the study period. Proportions of late stage disease increased overall by 18.5 and 24.5 percentage points for EAC and ESCC respectively; trends varied by race/ethnicity. We found notable differences in trends in EAC and ESCC mortality and stage at diagnosis by race/ethnicity. Stage migration resulting from improvements in diagnosis and treatment may partially explain recent trends in disease stage at diagnosis. Future efforts should identify factors driving current esophageal cancer disparities.
Structure of the pellet-cladding interaction layer of a high-burnup Zr-Nb-O nuclear fuel cladding

Abstract Structure of the pellet/cladding-interaction (PCI) layer of a high-burnup nuclear fuel with niobium-bearing cladding was investigated using modern transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. Morphology of the PCI consisted of uniform zirconia layer on the cladding side and finger-like features towards to the ceramic fuel. The PCI layer showed a complex microstructure that constitutes three distinct zirconia layers formed by two zirconia phases. From cladding to fuel, monoclinic, tetragonal, and another tetragonal phase were determined via TEM diffraction patterns and precession electron diffraction (PED) using ASTAR microscopy platform (AMP). Characterizations showed that monoclinic and tetragonal phases close to the cladding were crack-free, but the tetragonal layer adjacent to the fuel contained cracks and pores. Presence of the monoclinic layer suggested that its formation involved the gaseous diffusion of oxygen below threshold dose of fission product damage before the fuel/cladding contact occurred. Furthermore, high-resolution TEM revealed compound phase of (U,Zr)O2 at fringes of zirconia fingers on the fuel side.
The Value of Workmanship Standards: What we Want, What we Ask For, What we Get

The Workmanship Standards serve to force positive outcomes rather than to depend only on finding and repairing defects. The Workmanship requirements address all avenues that can introduce defects or allow them to exist at the next level of integration: design, materials, processes, process control, screening.
Visibility from Vehicle Headlamps and Roadway Lighting in Urban, Suburban and Rural Locations

Ambient lighting from various head light patterns influences the visibility of differing pedestrian targets. Halogen, high intensity discharge headlight patterns, and high beam headlight beam patterns are investigated; as well as how each of them interacts with road lighting to influence pedestrian visibility. Rural, urban and suburban areas are all considered.
History and the Possibility of Wisdom in Jean D'Ormesson's La Gloire de l'empire

Jean D'Ormesson uses this quotation from Borges as one of the four epigraphs to his most celebrated novel La Gloire de l'empire (The Glory of the Empire) published in 1971. It won the Grand Prix of the Academie Francaise and was the chief reason for D'Ormesson's election to the Academie in 1973 at the age of forty-seven as its youngest member. The novel was translated into English (minus some of the charts) by Barbara Bray in 1974. D'Ormesson's next two novels (his fifth and sixth)~.Âi< Plaisir de Dieu (1974) and Dieu, Sa Vie, Son Oeuvre (1980)-are also important meditations on history and experiments with the historical novel, but they have not attracted the attention of academic critics even in a time of renewed interest in history. Although Au Plaisir de Dieu was rendered into English in 1977 as At God's Pleasure, his other books were not translated. Thus the American public has not renewed acquaintance with his work over the last dozen years.
Towards efficient computation of error bounded solutions in POMDPs: expected value approximation and dynamic disjunctive beliefs

While POMDPs (partially observable markov decision problems) are a popular computational model with wide-ranging applications, the computational cost for optimal policy generation is prohibitive. Researchers are investigating ever-more efficient algorithms, yet many applications demand such algorithms bound any loss in policy quality when chasing efficiency. To address this challenge, we present two new techniques. The first approximates in the value space to obtain solutions efficiently for a pre-specified error bound. Unlike existing techniques, our technique guarantees the resulting policy will meet this bound. Furthermore, it does not require costly computations to determine the quality loss of the policy. Our second technique prunes large tracts of belief space that are unreachable, allowing faster policy computation without any sacrifice in optimality. The combination of the two techniques, which are complementary to existing optimal policy generation algorithms, provides solutions with tight error bounds efficiently in domains where competing algorithms fail to provide such tight bounds.
Supervisory Control for Semiconductor Processing

A control strategy employing Artificial Intelligence concepts has been developed for supervisory control of batch processing operations in the semiconductor industry. The control strategy integrates statistical quality control and conventional feedback control with a rule-based supervisory control system that can be customized to any desired degree of automation. A set of process-independent criteria has been incorporated into the rule base to determine the appropriate type of action required to return the process to the target value. Incorporation of process-specific data is accomplished through the framework of a simple rule structure. The new control strategy is implemented in a prototype controller usig object-oriented programming. The prototype controller features a graphical user interface and is designed to readily accept control laws derived from off-line empirical process characterization studies, a common form of analysis within the semiconductor industry. Results of a simulation study for a photolithography line are presented and discussed.
Simplified External Memory Algorithms for Planar DAGs

In recent years a large number I/O-efficient algorithms have been developed for fundamental planar graph problems. Most of these algorithms rely on the existence of small planar separators as well as an O(sort(N)) I/O algorithm for computing a partition of a planar graph based on such separators, where O(sort(N)) is the number of I/Os needed to sort N elements.
Specificity of fatty acid acylation of cellular proteins

Labeling of the BC3H1 muscle cell line with [3H] palmitate and [3H]myristate results in the incorporation of these fatty acids into a broad spectrum of different proteins. The patterns of proteins which are labeled with palmitate and myristate are distinct, indicating a high degree of specificity of fatty acylation with respect to acyl chain length. The protein-linked [3H]palmitate is released by treatment with neutral hydroxylamine or by alkaline methanolysis consistent with a thioester linkage or a very reactive ester linkage. In contrast, only a small fraction of the [3H]myristate which is attached to proteins is released by treatment with hydroxylamine or alkaline methanolysis, suggesting that myristate is linked to proteins primarily through amide bonds. The specificity of fatty acid acylation has also been examined in 3T3 mouse fibroblasts and in PC12 cells, a rat pheochromacytoma cell line. In both cells, palmitate is primarily linked to proteins by a hydroxylamine-labile linkage while the major fraction of the myristic acid (60-70%) is linked to protein via amide linkage and the remainder via an ester linkage. Major differences were noted in the rate of fatty acid metabolism in these cells; in particular in 3T3 cells only 33% of the radioactivity incorporated from myristic acid into proteins is in the form of fatty acids. The remainder is presumably the result of conversion of label to amino acids. In BC3H1 cells, palmitate- and myristate-containing proteins also exhibit differences in subcellular localization. [3H]Palmitate-labeled proteins are found almost exclusively in membranes, whereas [3H]myristate-labeled proteins are distributed in both the soluble and membrane fractions. These results demonstrate that fatty acid acylation is a covalent modification common to a wide range of cellular proteins and is not restricted solely to membrane-associated proteins. The major acylated proteins in the various cell lines examined appear to be different, suggesting that the acylated proteins are concerned with specialized cell functions. The linkages through which fatty acids are attached to proteins also appear to be highly specific with respect to the fatty acid chain length.
(2,2'-Bipyridine-κN,N')[2-tert-butyl-anilinato(2-)]dichloridooxido-molybdenum(VI) dichloro-methane hemisolvate.

The MoVI atom in the title structure, [Mo(C10H13N)Cl2O(C10H8N2)]·0.5CH2Cl2, has a distorted octa­hedral coord­ination sphere with cis-orientated oxide and imide ligands, trans-chloride ligands and the 2,2′-bipyridine (bipy) ligand N atoms lying trans to the oxide and imide ligands. An imide-ligand tert-butyl-methyl-group H atom makes a close approach with the oxide ligand (distance = 2.53 A) and the imide-ligand N atom (distance = 2.41 A). Another imide-ligand tert-butyl-methyl-group H atom makes a close approach to a chloride ligand (distance = 2.82 A). One bipy-ligand α-H atom makes a close approach to the oxide ligand (distance = 2.4 A) and the other α-H atom makes a close approach to the imide-ligand phenyl-ring ortho-H atom (distance = 2.52 A). These close approaches suggest the presence of weak intra­molecular hydrogen bonds. The solvent molecule has been modelled under consideration of half-occupancy.
Protocol Verification by Aggregation of Distributed Transactions

We present a new approach for using a theorem-prover to verify the correctness of protocols and distributed algorithms. The method compares a state graph of the implementation with a specification which is a state graph representing the desired abstract behavior. The steps in the specification correspond to atomic transactions, which are not atomic in the implementation.
An Arresting Story about Basement Membrane Invasion

In this issue of Developmental Cell, Matus et al. (2015) reveal that to invade past basement membrane, the C. elegans anchor cell must cease dividing before differentiating and expressing pro-invasion genes. This demonstration of invasion and proliferation as mutually incompatible cell states has implications for our understanding of cancer metastasis.
Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema)

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common, itchy, inflammatory condition that affects some 20 % children in developed countries. The current understanding of the pathogenesis of AD is incomplete and conventional therapies are mostly effective, but are not curative and carry significant risks. Alternative and complementary treatments offer different approaches, and many have reasonably solid evidence and reassuring safety data.
NUSAP1 expression is upregulated by loss of RB1 in prostate cancer cells.

BACKGROUND Overexpression of NUSAP1 is associated with poor prognosis in prostate cancer, but little is known about what leads to its overexpression. Based on previous observations that NUSAP1 expression is enhanced by E2F1, we hypothesized that NUSAP1 expression is regulated, at least in part, by loss of RB1 via the RB1/E2F1 axis. METHODS Using Significance Analysis of Microarrays, we examined RB1, E2F1, and NUSAP1 transcript levels in prostate cancer gene expression datasets. We compared NUSAP1 expression levels in DU145, LNCaP, and PC-3 prostate cancer cell lines via use of cDNA microarray data, RT-qPCR, and Western blots. In addition, we used lentiviral expression constructs to knockdown RB1 in prostate cancer cell lines and transient transfections to knockdown E2F1, and investigated RB1, E2F1, and NUSAP1 expression levels with RT-qPCR and Western blots. Finally, in DU145 cells or PC-3 cells that stably underexpress RB1, we used proliferation and invasion assays to assess whether NUSAP1 knockdown affects proliferation or invasion. RESULTS NUSAP1 transcript levels are positively correlated with E2F1 and negatively correlated with RB1 transcript levels in prostate cancer microarray datasets. NUSAP1 expression is elevated in the RB1-null DU145 prostate cancer cell line, as opposed to LNCaP and PC-3 cell lines. Furthermore, NUSAP1 expression increases upon knockdown of RB1 in prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP and PC-3) and decreases after knockdown of E2F1. Lastly, knockdown of NUSAP1 in DU145 cells or PC-3 cells with stable knockdown of RB1 decreases proliferation and invasion of these cells. CONCLUSION Our studies support the notion that NUSAP1 expression is upregulated by loss of RB1 via the RB1/E2F1 axis in prostate cancer cells. Such upregulation may promote prostate cancer progression by increasing proliferation and invasion of prostate cancer cells. NUSAP1 may thus represent a novel therapeutic target. Prostate 75: 517–526, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Intrinsic connectivity network disruption in progressive supranuclear palsy.

Objective Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) has been conceptualized as a large-scale network disruption, but the specific network targeted has not been fully characterized. We sought to delineate the affected network in patients with clinical PSP. Methods Using task-free functional magnetic resonance imaging, we mapped intrinsic connectivity to the dorsal midbrain tegmentum (dMT), a region that shows focal atrophy in PSP. Two healthy control groups (1 young, 1 older) were used to define and replicate the normal connectivity pattern, and patients with PSP were compared to an independent matched healthy control group on measures of network connectivity. Results Healthy young and older subjects showed a convergent pattern of connectivity to the dMT, including brainstem, cerebellar, diencephalic, basal ganglia, and cortical regions involved in skeletomotor, oculomotor, and executive control. Patients with PSP showed significant connectivity disruptions within this network, particularly within corticosubcortical and cortico-brainstem interactions. Patients with more severe functional impairment showed lower mean dMT network connectivity scores. Interpretation This study defines a PSP-related intrinsic connectivity network in the healthy brain and demonstrates the sensitivity of network-based imaging methods to PSP-related physiological and clinical changes. Ann Neurol 2013;73:603-616
Is interstitial cystitis an underdiagnosed problem in children? A diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma.

During the recent International Interstitial Cystitis and Bladder Research Symposium sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the issue of intersitial cystitis (IC) in children was raised again. In general pediatric practice, as well as in urologic practice, children with various types of voiding dysfunction are rather common, and one can only wonder whether some of these children’s problems may be an early manifestation of IC. In the light of the recent suggestion that IC may be hereditary, there is no theoretical reason why IC cannot occur in children. However, IC is diagnosed primarily as a symptom complex with little or no reliable diagnostic markers, and there are still no established guidelines for diagnosing IC in children. Furthermore, even if IC diagnosis is entertained after identifying typical endoscopic appearance following hydrodistention, many of the currently available therapies for IC have not been tested in children for safety and efficacy. The relevance of IC in children must be placed in the context of overall voiding dysfunction problems in children. Although pediatric voiding dysfunction is 1 of the most common problems faced by primary care givers as well as urologists, the pathophysiologic classifications, diagnostic approaches, and treatments vary tremendously among practitioners. Because of the lack of reliable model and outcome data, art and empiricism govern the management of these children as much as science. At 1 extreme is a rigid holistic approach that excludes recognition of functional, inflammatory, and neuroanatomic disorders. At the other end of the spectrum is a rigid procedure-driven approach that views the patient in terms of tests and interventions. The proposal that these children should undergo invasive evaluations to diagnose IC (urodynamic study and endoscopic hydrodistention under general anesthesia) brings to the fore yet another perspective on pediatric voiding dysfunction. Biologically speaking, there is no evidence to suggest that IC cannot exist in children. Although diagnostic criteria for IC have been fairly well established in adults, the exact pathophysiologic mechanism for this crippling condition still eludes us. The presentations and discussions at the recent bladder research symposium suggest that IC may be a condition of multifactorial etiology, with a similar final common pathway in terms of disease
Quantitative error estimate in modeling the laminar stationary flow of a Bingham fluid

We present a quantitative a posteriori error estimate when the linear laminar stationary flow of a Bingham fluid in a cylindrical pipe is modeled as a Newtonian fluid. The estimate is proved by using a complementary variational principle for the Bingham fluid flow. Examples show that the estimate is effective.
Mass transport in a coastal channel, Marco River, Florida

Abstract It follows from measurements that advection is the dominant mode of transport in the Marco River. Typical values for the tidally averaged salt and water flux are respectively 400 kg s −1 and 20 m 3 s −1 . An analysis of the dynamics of the flow shows that the longitudinal flux of water is associated with the tidal stress, the tidally averaged bottom stress, the spatial variation of the mean water level and the cross-sectionally averaged salinity. An approximate analytic expression is derived to illustrate the independent effects of the differences in tidal amplitude, phase, mean water level and density at the open boundaries on the net flux of water. Using a finite difference technique, the magnitude of the tidally averaged water flux and its components associated with the Eulerian mean velocity and Stokes Drift velocity are computed for two schematizations of the Marco River. Computed and measured quantities are in fair agreement.
Exploring the Literacy Practices of Refugee Families Enrolled in a Book Distribution Program and an Intergenerational Family Literacy Program

This ethnographic study presents findings of the literacy practices of Burmese refugee families and their interaction with a book distribution program paired with an intergenerational family literacy program. The project was organized at the level of Bronfenbrenner’s exosystem (in Ecology of human development. Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1979) to effect a change at the immediate level of the microsytem (i.e., the child’s home life). These two programs–Imagination Library and Storycircles–were organized by the local Literacy Coalition in a Central New York community in the United States in order to assist the refugee families to transition into their new sociocultural context and increase their involvement in the school-based education of their children. Participant observations and interviews with parents and program providers indicated that, while the family literacy practices mostly centered on oral traditions, participation in the two programs led to the familiarity and use of print-based forms of literacy. Additionally, parents reported an interaction with books that were reaching their homes and consciously modeling the shared reading practices demonstrated by the program providers. The linguistic and cultural barriers are discussed in light with the pedagogical implications of the study in finding ways to provide culturally responsive instruction.
1337 EFFECTS OF CHANGES IN CIRCULATION ON TRANSCUTANEOUS PCO 2 (TcPCO 2 )

We compared TcPCO2 with arterial CO2 (PaCO2) & continuous measures of heart rate (HR) & blood pressure (BP) (T°) in 14 infants (mean GA=32.7 weeks, mean wt.=2011 gms & mean postnatal age=1.76 days). The Novametrix heated electrode was mounted on the chest after calibration (mean calibration time=16.5 min.). The equilibration time (mean=12.15 min.) was directly correlated with GA (r= .74 p <.005). The correlation coefficient for TcPCO2 vs PaCO2 (n=29) was 0.76. The slope of the regression line was 1.15±0.18 with an intercept of 19.18±8.56. HR & BP, indirect measures of tissue perfusion, were related to TcPCO2 using time series & cross correlation analysis. Mean BP, accumulated HR & TcPCO2 were calculated for 3 min. intervals in 4 infants. The relationship between changes in variables was examined following correction for biologic & methodologic lags. The change in TcPCO2 between successive 3 min. intervals was strongly correlated with the changes in HR (Δ TcPCO2 vs Δ HR), range r= -.58 to -.76 & occasionally with the change in BP range r= -.09 to -.46. These results indicate that much of the variability in TcPCO2 can be accounted for by changes in circulation. Variation in tissue perfusion occurring independently of changes in PaCO2 could make estimates of PaCO2 from TcPCO2 highly misleading.
Ranking retrieval systems without relevance judgments

The most prevalent experimental methodology for comparing the effectiveness of information retrieval systems requires a test collection, composed of a set of documents, a set of query topics, and a set of relevance judgments indicating which documents are relevant to which topics. It is well known that relevance judgments are not infallible, but recent retrospective investigation into results from the Text REtrieval Conference (TREC) has shown that differences in human judgments of relevance do not affect the relative measured performance of retrieval systems. Based on this result, we propose and describe the initial results of a new evaluation methodology which replaces human relevance judgments with a randomly selected mapping of documents to topics which we refer to aspseudo-relevance judgments.Rankings of systems with our methodology correlate positively with official TREC rankings, although the performance of the top systems is not predicted well. The correlations are stable over a variety of pool depths and sampling techniques. With improvements, such a methodology could be useful in evaluating systems such as World-Wide Web search engines, where the set of documents changes too often to make traditional collection construction techniques practical.
Genetic Analysis of cis Regulatory Elements within the 5′ Region of the Human Papillomavirus Type 31 Upstream Regulatory Region during Different Stages of the Viral Life Cycle

The function of the 5' region of the upstream regulatory region (URR) in regulating E6/E7 expression in cancer-associated papillomaviruses has been largely uncharacterized. In this study we used linker-scanning mutational analysis to identify potential cis regulatory elements contained within a portion of the 5' region of the URR that are involved in regulating transcription of the E6/E7 promoter at different stages of the viral life cycle. The mutational analysis illustrated differences in the transcriptional utilization of specific regions of the URR depending on the stage of the viral life cycle. This study identified (i) viral cis elements that regulate transcription in the presence and absence of any viral gene products or viral DNA replication, (ii) the role of host tissue differentiation in viral transcriptional regulation, and (iii) cis regulatory regions that are effected by induction of the protein kinase C pathway. Our studies have provided an extensive map of functional elements in the 5' region (nuncleotides 7259 to 7510) of the human papillomavirus type 31 URR that are involved in the regulation of p99 promoter activity at different stages of the viral life cycle.
Gravity Waves in a Magnetized Shear Layer

We use the equations governing the propagation of a gravity wave in the presence of a background flow and magnetic field to derive, in the Boussinesq approximation, dispersion relations for plane wave solutions in certain special cases. We show how, under conditions typical of the interior of the Sun, the addition of a magnetic field may prevent certain wavevectors from propagating and alter the existence and position of any critical layer that might absorb the gravity wave.
An analysis of CTLA-4 and proinflammatory cytokine genes in Wegener's granulomatosis.

Objective The precipitating event(s) that triggers Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) is unknown. Cytokines, costimulatory molecules, and counterregulatory molecules control the quality and intensity of immune responses. Thus, they are relevant candidates for genetic studies of immune dysregulation in WG, the pathogenesis of which may be facilitated by multiple acquired and/or inherited factors. This study was undertaken to investigate possible genetic associations of various proinflammatory cytokines and CTLA-4, a receptor for T cell inhibition, with WG. Methods Using polymerase chain reaction–based DNA genotyping, we investigated the polymorphisms located in the genes encoding a variety of proinflammatory cytokines and CTLA-4 in 117 American patients with WG and 123 ethnically matched healthy controls. Results Compared with controls, patients with WG had a significantly lower frequency of homozygosity for the shortest allele (designated allele 86) of the Ctla4 microsatellite polymorphism (AT)n located in the 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) of exon 3 (47.0% versus 69.9%; P = 0.0005). Significant differences between patients and controls in the allelic and genotypic frequencies of polymorphisms in the other cytokine and cytokine receptor genes studied (tumor necrosis factor α [TNFα], TNF receptor I [TNFRI], TNFRII, interleukin-1β [IL-1β], IL-6) were not found. Conclusion The Ctla4 (AT)n 86 allele has been previously demonstrated to be crucial for maintenance of normal levels of CTLA-4 expression and balance between T cell activation and inhibition. Our results in American patients confirm findings from a Scandinavian cohort in which a positive association between WG and longer alleles of (AT)n in the Ctla4 3′-UTR was demonstrated. Diminished frequencies of the most effective allele for CTLA-4 expression may represent a WG-related susceptibility mutation that accounts, in part, for increased T cell activation and clonal expansion in WG. Blockade of T cell costimulation using CTLA-4Ig might be a useful therapeutic intervention, providing an alternative or complementary approach to conventional treatment with immunosuppressive agents.
Synthesis and axial chirality of an enantiopure aminodibenzazepinone

Abstract A route for the synthesis of ( S , S )-7-amino-5-methyl-5 H -dibenzo[ b , d ]azepin-6(7 H )-one hydrochloride is disclosed. The synthesis includes a Friedel–Crafts alkylation to form the seven-membered ring and a highly efficient classical resolution. Additional studies on the enantiopure material showed the amine to be highly resistant to racemization, which led us to investigate the unexpected stability. We propose that the inherent axial chirality contained in the dibenzazepinone works to produce an interesting chirality transfer mechanism, which accounts for the observed robustness of the stereocenter. This previously unrecognized stereochemical element exists within this specific class of molecules, and they should be drawn in a manner which displays the axial chirality.
Enhancing Crystal-Structure Prediction with NMR Tensor Data

A method for selecting high-probability structures from numerous computer-generated crystal structures is described. This procedure evaluates structures by comparing computed NMR shifts for each predicted structure to experimental solid-state NMR data. Four carbohydrates are evaluated: methyl β-d-galactopyranoside, methyl α-d-glucopyranoside, methyl α-d-mannopyranoside, and methyl β-d-xylopyranoside. In these cases, 81.8% of the structures retained as probable fits by lattice energy comparisons are eliminated by the NMR criterion using tensor principal values. This analysis also ranks the correct structure as the best-fit for methyl α-d-glucopyranoside and usually places the correct structure among the top five in other cases. Isotropic shift comparisons are less successful in selecting structure. The NMR analysis is sufficiently sensitive to identify a 30° error in one torsion angle of the purported correct structure of methyl β-d-galactopyranoside. In this case, it is found that none of the 164 compute...
Derivatives of 4,9-Dihydro-s-indaceno[1,2-b:5,6-b‘]dithiophene-4,9-dione: Synthesis and Properties

A new family of organic semiconducting materials (1−4) integrating the structural components of thiophene and fluorene into a single molecular entity was synthesized and characterized. Optical and electrochemical properties of these previously unknown 4,9-dihydro-s-indaceno[1,2-b:5,6-b‘]dithiophene-4,9-dione derivatives were studied in detail. These materials possess unique optical properties with the longest wavelength absorption maxima around 500−800 nm, which gradually reached a saturation limit with the total number of thiophene units approaching eight. They also display dramatic change in the redox properties with increasing conjugation chain lengths. A thin film of oligomer 3 prepared by a solution-casting method showed a well-ordered solid-state structure according to X-ray diffraction analysis.
Microwave moisture sensor for rapid and nondestructive grading of peanuts

A low-cost microwave moisture sensor operating at a single frequency for instantaneous and nondestructive determination of moisture content in peanut kernels from microwave dielectric measurements on peanut pods was developed and tested. The sensor operates at a frequency of 5.8 GHz and uses the principle of free-space transmission measurement of the dielectric properties. Moisture content is determined independent of bulk density with a permittivity-based algorithm.
Solid-phase synthesis and kinetic characterization of fluorogenic enzyme-degradable hydrogel cross-linkers.

Of critical importance in drug delivery and tissue engineering applications is the degradabilty of implanted polymeric materials. The use of peptide-derived crosslinkers in hydrogel design is a valuable approach by which polymeric carriers can be endowed with enzymatic degradability in a predictable, ‘programmable’ fashion. The solid-phase synthesis strategy described herein allows for an expeditious, flexible synthesis of bis-acrylamide-derivatized peptides with complex modifications, as exemplified by the incorporation of fluorophore and quencher moieties into a matrix metalloprotease (MMP)-degradable crosslinker. The crude synthetic product was obtained in high yield and purity, and purified by standard methods; it was then used directly for polymerization without the need for tedious and often non-chemoselective solution-phase modifications. Functional appendages incorporated for detection provided a direct, quantitative link between enzymatic activity and hydrogel degradation using routine methods for identification of optimal enzyme-specific degradability.
How Does the Team Approach to Outpatient Geriatric Evaluation Compare with Traditional Care: A Report of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Although team-oriented geriatric assessment clinics are growing throughout the country, little documentation exists regarding their clinical efficacy, cost-effectiveness, or impact on patient functioning and well-being. This report describes a randomized controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a team-oriented geriatric assessment approach compared to traditional care. One hundred-seventeen subjects 65 years of age and over, meeting eligibility criteria to target frail older persons with changing medical and social needs, were randomly assigned to receive a comprehensive geriatric assessment by a multidisciplinary team (treatment) or by one of a panel of community internists who were reimbursed according to their usual and customary fee (controls). Extensive analysis of baseline information failed to identify any significant differences between groups. Over the 1-year follow-up period, treatment participants experienced 26 hospital admissions and used 670 hospital days compared with 23 admissions and 1113 days for controls (a 39.8% difference). Annual hospital costs averaged $4297 for treatment subjects and $7018 for controls. Overall institutional costs including hospital and nursing home care revealed an average saving of $2189 per person for treatment subjects compared with controls, a 25% reduction. A small proportion of subjects accounted for this difference. No significant differences were noted in patient or caregiver satisfaction with the evaluation process, functional ability, or health status. These findings suggest that team-oriented outpatient geriatric assessment provides a promising way to deliver high-quality, satisfying care to older persons without increasing (and possibly decreasing) health care costs.