cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Foundations of Decision Analysis

Decision analysis has emerged from theory to practice to form a discipline for balancing the many factors that bear upon a decision. Unusual features of the discipline are the treatment of uncertainty through subjective probability and of attitude toward risk through utility theory. Capturing the structure of problem relationships occupies a central position; the process can be visualized in a graphical problem space. These features are combined with other preference measures to produce a useful conceptual model for analyzing decisions, the decision analysis cycle. In its three phases?deterministic, probabilistic, and informational?the cycle progressively determines the importance of variables in deterministic, probabilistic, and economic environments. The ability to assign an economic value to the complete or partial elimination of uncertainty through experimentation is a particularly important characteristic. Recent applications in business and government indicate that the increased logical scope afforded by decision analysis offers new opportunities for rationality to those who wish it.
A Markov Model for the Human Cardiac Sodium Channel

Voltage-gated sodium channels play an important role in the function of the human heart. Different voltage-clamp protocols were employed to determine kinetic and steady state voltage dependences that characterize channel gating. They include activation, deactivation, inactivation, and recovery from inactivation kinetics, current-voltage relationships, steady-state inactivation, and voltage dependence of normalized channel conductance (G/Gmax). Several attempts were made to develop comprehensive mathematical model for sodium channel, however, most of them have noticeable limitations. We developed a new Markov model for the human sodium channel that includes three closed states (C1, C2, and C3), three closed-inactivated states (IC1, IC2, and IC3), one open state (O), one fast open-inactivated state (IF), and one slow open-inactivated state (IS). This final model was chosen from the several Markov models that had been analyzed. The aim was to develop a Markov model with minimum number of states which gives the best description of the several sets of experimental data. We started from the model with three closed states, one open state, and one open-inactivated state (connected only to open state). This minimal model reproduced the current-voltage relationship, the voltage dependence of normalized channel conductance, the time constant of deactivation, and gave reasonable approximation to the time-to-peak current. However, the model did not simulate well the steady-state inactivation relationship, voltage dependence of the inactivation kinetics and recovery from inactivation. We have modified this model by adding three closed-inactivated states parallel to the existing activation pathway. This model gave good description for the kinetics and steady-state properties of the fast inactivation of the channel. As the experimental data shows bi-exponential inactivation and recovery, we included additional slow inactivated state connected to the open state. The resulting model reproduced well both the inactivation-recovery and the activation-deactivation data.
Projection of doses for QT‐prolongation studies based on modeling of the worst‐case inhibition of CYP3A

Aims To project the probability of “worst-case scenario” for CYP3A-mediated ketoconazole (K) inhibition of CYP3A drugs based on modeling of pharmacokinetic inhibition effect to select doses for high-dose QT prolongation studies for a low extraction ratio (ER) Drug A (range: 0.01–0.03) and high ER Drug B (range: 0.5–1). Both of these drugs are orally absorbed and cleared by CYP3A by unknown fractions (fm). Methods The predicted K portal vein and systemic concentration were used to drive its inhibitory effect on intrinsic clearance and bioavailability of Drugs A and B. Simulations were performed to test worst-case scenarios, including the duration of K dosing and the range of drug's fm and ER. Results Performance of the model was assessed by comparing simulated trials to actual clinical trial results for A and B given with 200 mg K. The model well predicted the 2-fold (A) and 6-fold (B) AUC increases observed in the trials. Assuming worst-case fm and bioavailability, 400 mg K produced less than doubling of AUC compared to results at 200 mg K for both drugs; maximum inhibition was obtained following 3 daily K doses. Doses for QT studies were then selected to achieve the 90th or the 50th quantile of the distribution of AUC ratios, or a 4- and 8-fold exposure-multiple from the target clinical doses, for Drugs A and B, respectively. Conclusions Model-based projection of the probable worst-case CYP3A inhibition can be used for high-dose QT prolongation study design. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2005) 77, P31–P31; doi: 10.1016/j.clpt.2004.12.012
Plant Genetic Resources Conservation and Utilization: The Accomplishments and Future of a Societal Insurance Policy

Concerns about the genetic erosion of crop genetic resources (CGR) were first articulated by scientists in the mid-20th century and have since become an important part of national policies and international treaties. The C-8 (Plant Genetic Resources) section of the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) was created in 1990 in response to these concerns. Over the last 50 yr, both ex situ and in situ conservation have been set up to maintain threatened CGR. During this period, a set of tools (core collections, molecular markers, and geographic information systems) has been adopted to facilitate conservation and utilization by breeders. Current and future trends include characterization of the genotypic basis of phenotypic variation and the evolutionary, ecological, and human factors that have shaped CGR. The intellectual property regime to which CGR are subjected since 1980 has limited the exchange of germplasm. It remains to be seen if these regimes will evolve so as to achieve basic goals of conservation of genetic diversity and traditional knowledge associated with diversity, while at the same time reward breeders and farmers. Funding of biodiversity conservation remains a critical point. Finally, broadening the conservation circle to establish closer collaborations with grassroots conservation movements and community seed banks is necessary to better conserve the broad range of CGR and as an essential starting point for participatory breeding efforts.
Cooperation of the transcriptional coactivators CBP and p300 with Stat6

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) functions as a critical regulatory cytokine of the immune response. A major effect of IL-4 is the induction of specific gene expression mediated by activation of a latent transcription factor, Stat6. To understand the mechanism by which Stat6 induces gene transcription, the effects of two histone acetylase coactivators, CREB binding protein (CBP) and p300, were evaluated. Both CBP and p300 were found to cooperate with Stat6 for induction of Stat6-dependent transcription. This cooperation does not appear to be due to acetylation of Stat6. The adenoviral E1A oncoprotein, known to bind CBP and p300, can inhibit the ability of CBP and p300 to function as coactivators of Stat6. The cooperative effect of CBP and p300 depends on the presence of a carboxyl-terminal region of Stat6. Stat6 molecules lacking this region behave as negative interfering molecules for Stat6-dependent transcription. Point mutations within this region also affect transcription by Stat6 in response to IL-4, identifying...
ULTRASTRUCTURAL CHANGES DURING CARBON STARVATION IN EUGLENA GRACILIS.

Abstract Carbon deprivation in a strain of Euglena gracilis results in marked ultrastructural changes. Paramylum granules disappear, massive vacuolization of the endoplasmic reticulum occurs, and whole areas of cytoplasm are segregated and sacrificed with the production of lysosomes. Nuclear changes are minimal and mitochondria appear normal unless starvation is prolonged. In spite of the severity of the changes, replenishment of the carbon source after 8 days of starvation results in complete reversal to a normal morphology, except perhaps for the persistence of lysosomal-like particles. Bizarre mitochondria are associated with the early stages of refeeding, but soon revert to normal. Paramylum granules are secreted directly by the membranes of the cisternae of the ER as a final stage of the recovery process.
Evaluation of a pulmonary clearance and accumulation model for gases

Abstract Various factors affecting the transpulmonary transport model for gases are discussed, including the role of lung surfactants. Predicted values of pulmonary clearance were found to be in reasonable agreement with experimental values. An equation is proposed for the volumes of distribution and accumulation of gases as a function of time.
Reforming Counterterrorism: Institutions and Organizational Routines in Britain and France

This article seeks to explain why two states faced with a similar terrorist threat, perceiving it in a similar way, and drawing the same broad implications for their counterterrorist investigations, have nevertheless put in place significantly different types of organizational reforms in response to that threat. The study shows that although France and Britain have embraced a common preventive logic in the face of Islamist terrorism, the changes that they have made to the coordination of intelligence, law enforcement, and prosecution in that context have differed because of contrasting organizational routines and interinstitutional conventions in the two states. An analysis of the British and French cases shows that law enforcement can be preventive but that western states are likely to pursue different ways of bringing security agencies and the law together to prevent and prosecute terrorism. The organizational and institutional factors that give rise to such divergent practices have important consequenc...
The role of the right hemisphere in contextual inference.

Abstract The present report describes two experiments involving dichotic presentation of sentences which have been electronically altered to render all verbal content indecipherable while leaving the melodic structure of the sentences intact. In both experiments, right-handed subjects produced a significant left ear advantage in identifying the situational context portrayed by the sentences. Left-handers produced no significant ear differences. The left ear advantage on this task was unrelated to the direction or magnitude of subject's ear advantage on a standard CV dichotic task.
Googling the Archive: Digital Tools and the Practice of History

This article argues the digital tools and search environments that increasingly support historical scholarship in rhetoric and composition have material and epistemological implications for how we discover, access, and make sense of the past. In light of these changes, I suggest that more explicit reflection and discipline-specific conversation around the uses and shaping effects of these technologies is needed. Tracing my own digitally enabled search for information about an early-twentieth-century advice writer named Frances Maule, I describe how mass digitization has shifted conditions of findability. I conclude by outlining a heuristic for critical reflection—a “principle of proximity”—and urging rhetoric and composition historians to take a more active role in shaping the emerging landscape of digital research.
5-Hydroxytryptamine1A receptor-mediated effects of buspirone, gepirone and ipsapirone.

Abstract The effects of the non-benzodiazepine an anxiolytic agents, buspirone, gepirone and ipsapirone on body temperature and corticosterone secretion were studied in the rat. The administration of buspirone, gepirone and ipsapirone resulted in dose-related decreases in body temperature and increases in the plasma concentration of corticosterone. Spiperone produced a dose-related inhibition of the hypothermic and corticosterone responses to gepirone. Spiperone also inhibited ipsapirone-induced changes in body temperature and hormone secretion. Although spiperone also blocked the buspirone-induced stimulation of corticosterone, it did not attenuate the hypothermic response to buspirone at the dose tested. (−)-Pindolol, a potent 5-HT 1A antagonist, prevented gepirone- and ipsapirone-induced hypothermia and corticosterone secretion. (−)-Pindolol also blocked the hypothermic but not the corticosterone response to buspirone. Ketanserin, a 5-HT 2 antagonist, did not inhibit the hypothermic or corticosterone responses produced by these novel anxiolytic agents. It is concluded that buspirone, gepirone and ipsapirone produce hypothermia and increase plasma concentratiions of corticosterone by activating 5-HT 1A receptor mechanisms.
Processing of ZrC–Mo Cermets for High‐Temperature Applications, Part I: Chemical Interactions in the ZrC–Mo System

The chemical compatibility of ZrC and Mo was investigated in carburizing and carbon-free environments at temperatures from 1700° to 2200°C. Heating in the carburizing atmosphere resulted in the complete reaction of Mo with C, while the carbon-free atmosphere resulted in retained metallic phase with a maximum of 13.8 mol% Mo2C formed. The presence of Mo2C was not detected at 2100°C in the carbon-free atmosphere, confirming the existing phase equilibria in the Zr–Mo–C system. Heat treatments in the carbon-free atmosphere also showed liquid formation at 2200°C, as evident from microstructure analysis. Liquid formation was consistent with the interaction between Mo and Mo2C. The liquid was found to comprise at least 7 vol% of the total component, based on a phase diagram for the Mo–C system. The formation of a liquid should allow for the processing of ZrC–Mo cermets by liquid-phase pressureless sintering.
Surgical management of Crohn’s disease

Introduction Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that can affect the entire gastrointestinal tract. It is chronic and incurable, and the mainstay of therapy is medical management with surgical intervention as complications arise. Surgery is required in approximately 70% of patients with Crohn’s disease. Because repeat interventions are often needed, these patients may benefit from bowel-sparing techniques and minimally invasive approaches. Various bowel-sparing techniques, including strictureplasty, can be applied to reduce the risk of short-bowel syndrome.
Tuning of copper-loop flexibility in Bacillus subtilis CopZ copper chaperone: role of conserved residues.

Bacillus subtilis CopZ is a copper (Cu) chaperone that binds and delivers Cu to intracellular targets to maintain cellular Cu homeostasis. Like Cu chaperones from other organisms, including the hum ...
Chips, candidate genes, and CLL

Comment on Rudd et al, page [638][1] Rudd and colleagues have conducted a large-scale association study using nonsynonymous SNPs on a population sample of patients with CLL and healthy controls and identified a group of plausible candidate SNPs, including ATM, CHEK2 , and BRCA2 . The search for
Abstract 5262: The role of Bcl-2 in colon cancer metastatic progression

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL Colon cancer is the second most lethal malignancy in the United States. The majority of deaths are related to metastasis, for which no effective therapies are currently available. While much is known about oncogenic initiation of colon cancer, the mechanisms by which cancer cells survive and metastasize in spite of the cellular stresses associated with this process require further investigation. Recent studies indicated that deregulation of apoptosis contributes to metastasis, and deregulation of Bcl-2 family members, which control the mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis pathway, is correlated with cancer progression. We have initiated these studies using a unique othotopic implant model based on closely related colon cancer cell lines. HCT116 and HCT116b cells were isolated from the same primary colon tumor and both bear the H1047R PIK3CA mutation and form progressively growing invasive orthotopic primary tumors. However, only HCT116 cells exhibit metastatic potential. Interestingly, we found that Bcl-2 is highly expressed in HCT116 cells, but not in HCT116b cells. Overexpression of exogenous Bcl-2 in HCT116b cells, and complementary studies by shRNA mediated stable knockdown and overexpression of dominant negative forms of Bcl-2 molecule in metastatic HCT116 cells indicated that Bcl-2 is essential for their ability to withstand external stress. Current studies in our orthotopic model demonstrated that HCT116b tumors bearing exogenous Bcl-2 associated with increased cell survival and reduced center necrosis. Future study will determine whether this significant alteration in the expression of Bcl-2 associates with the distal metastatic capability of colon cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5262. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-5262
Seeding Practices, Cultivar Maturity, and Irrigation Effects on Simulated Grain Sorghum Yield

Grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is adapted for use in dryland and irrigated cropping systems on the southern High Plains. Irrigation in this region relies on the declining Ogallala aquifer, and applications are transitioning from full to deficit evapotranspiration replacement. Our objective was to identify optimum planting date, population, row spacing, and cultivar maturity combinations to maximize grain sorghum yield using the SORKAM model and long-term (1958–1999) weather records at Bushland, TX, for a Pullman soil (fine, mixed, superactive, thermic Torrertic Paleustoll) with reduced irrigation. Grain sorghum growth and yield was simulated under dryland and deficit- or full-irrigation conditions (rain 1 irrigation 5 2.5 or 5.0 mm d 21 ) for all combinations of planting date (15 May, 5 June, 25 June), cultivar maturity (early, 95 d; medium, 105 d; late, 120 d), population (12 and 16 plants m 22 ), and row spacing (0.38 and 0.76 m). Simulated grain yield was unaffected by planting population but increased 7% for narrow compared with wide row spacing independent of other treatment effects. Results suggest two alternative management practices to optimize yield for the southern High Plains depending on potential irrigation capacity: (i) where rain plus supplemental irrigation was ,0.2.5 mm d 21 , plant early-maturing cultivars during June and (ii) where rain plus supplemental irrigation approaches 5.0 mm d 21 , plant late-maturing cultivars on 15 May. Earlymaturity cultivars planted on 5 June were better adapted to dryland and deficit irrigation for optimum grain yield on a southern High Plains Pullman soil.
Headache Spectrum in Arnold‐Chiari Malformation

Exertional headaches in patients with Arnold-Chiari malformation (ACM) are well described. We report four patients with Type I ACM and recurrent headaches. These patients presented, respectively, with low spinal fluid pressure headache, migraine without aura, migraine with aura, and migraine with prolonged aura. This report suggests the need for observing patients with recurrent headaches for any physical stigmata of craniovertebral junction anomalies, and the need to exclude ACM in such patients. Possible implications of the association between ACM and different types of headaches are discussed.
Descriptive and predictive validity of somatic attributions in patients with somatoform disorders: a systematic review of quantitative research.

Abstract Objective Research on hypochondriasis and other somatoform disorders (SFD) has provided evidence that patients with SFD tend to attribute their symptoms to organic dysfunctions or disease. However, recent studies appear to discredit this. There is no systematic evidence on whether patients with SFD predominantly rely on somatic attributions, despite calls to include somatic attributions as a positive criterion of somatic symptom disorder (SSD) in the upcoming Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Methods This study is a systematic review of quantitative studies which assess the descriptive and predictive validity of somatic attribution in SFD. The literature search was restricted to studies with patients who met the DSM-IV criteria for SFD. Results Somatic attribution style in SFD has acceptable descriptive but insufficient predictive validity. This confirms that the overlap between somatic and psychological attributions is often substantial. Attribution style can discriminate between SFD patients with and without comorbidity. Conclusion A somatic attribution style does not qualify as a positive criterion in SSD. However, there is an urgent need for further research on causal illness perceptions in the full spectrum of medically unexplained symptoms in order to confirm this result. Given its high prevalence, research on psychological attribution style is warranted. Re-attribution does not provide a framework sophisticated enough to address the needs of patients in primary care.
Multiscale convection in a geodynamo simulation with uniform heat flux along the outer boundary

It is generally expected that Earth's magnetic field, which is generated by convecting liquid metal within its core, will substantially alter that convection through the action of Lorentz forces. In most dynamo simulations, however, Lorentz forces do very little to change convective flow, which is predominantly fine-scaled. An important exception to this observation is in dynamo models that employ uniform heat flux boundary conditions, rather than the usual uniform temperature conditions, in which multiscale convection is observed. We investigate the combined influence of thermal boundary conditions and magnetic fields using four simulations: two dynamos and two nonmagnetic models, with either uniform temperature or heat flux fixed at the outer boundary. Of the four, only the fixed-heat-flux dynamo simulation produces multiscale convective flow patterns. Comparison between the models suggests that the fixed-flux dynamo generates large patches of strong azimuthal magnetic field that suppress small-scale convective motions. By allowing temperature to vary along the outer boundary, the fixed-flux dynamo generates stronger azimuthal flow and, in turn, stronger magnetic field, and the resulting Lorentz forces alter the nature of convective flow. Extrapolation of the analyses presented here suggests that magnetic fields may also suppress small-scale convection in the Earth's core.
Enzymatic deconstruction of backbone structures of the ramified regions in pectins.

The pectic enzymes are a diverse group of enzymes that collectively degrade pectin, a mixture of highly heterogeneous and branched polysaccharides rich in d-galacturonic acids forming a major component of the primary cell wall of plants. This review covers key enzymes that function to deconstruct the “ramified region” of pectin. The enzymes include glycoside hydrolases and polysaccharide lyases that degrade complex pectic domains consisting of rhamnogalacturonans, xylogalacturonans, and other heterogeneous polymers. The chemical nature of the pectic substrates for the enzymes is presented. The biochemical properties of the enzymes, the mechanisms of enzyme actions, and related structures and functions, are described. Applications of these enzymes in fruit juice processing and in the production of bioactive compounds, as well as their technological relevance to the deconstruction of cell wall structures for biomass conversion are discussed.
S- and P-wave interactions of $k^{-}$ Mesons in Hydrogen

The experimental study of low-energy ${K}^{\ensuremath{-}}$-meson interactions in a hydrogen bubble chamber is continued and the energy range extended to a region that involves $P$ waves. Scattering and hyperon-production cross sections are measured at mean ${K}^{\ensuremath{-}}$-meson laboratory momenta of 300 Mev/c and 400 Mev/c. Elasticscattering angular distributions are obtained and, along with the values of the cross sections, indicate the presence of $P$ waves.
NICBES-2, a nickel-cadmium battery expert system

This paper describes the Nickel-Cadmium Battery Expert System-2, developed under MSFC/ NASA grant NAG8-I05. NICBES is intended to help in evaluation of the performance of the Hubble Telescope spacecraft battery power system. It provides a reasoning system supported by appropriate battery domain knowledge. NICBES-2 is an online, integrated, multitasking diagnostic expert system for nickel-cadmium battery management integrated with a Hubble Space Telescope telemetry data acquisition system. It is currently employed at the Marshall Space Flight Center on a Hubble Space Telescope battery test bed. NICBES diagnoses the performance of the Hubble Space Telescope spacecraft battery power system and alerts personnel to Us possible malfunctions. To achieve this, NICBES provides a reasoning system supported by appropriate battery domain knowledge. The reasoning system is integrated with a telemetry gathering system. The two subsystems cooperate in execution of their tasks and run within a Unix multitasking environment.
Increased access to soil testing databases through the world wide web: Opportunities and issues

Soil testing laboratories throughout the United States have assisted agricultural producers to more efficiently manage soil nutrient amendments since the 1940s. Information generated during soil testing, such as client and sample information, and results of soil analyses and nutrient recommendations, are maintained in records referred to collectively as the soil testing database. The purpose of this paper is to discuss current and potential uses of soil testing databases and issues associated with increased access to this environmental information through electronic media such as the World Wide Web. Current uses of soil testing databases include determining general trends in nutrient levels on county, state or regional scales, evaluating the performance of the soil testing laboratory and testing for relationships among soil properties. Typically, public access to soil testing databases is restricted to annual summaries which protect the confidentiality of individual soil test clients. However, in an effor...
The Quenching Set of a MEMS Capacitor in Two-Dimensional Geometries

The formation of finite time singularities in a nonlinear parabolic fourth order partial differential equation (PDE) is investigated for a variety of two-dimensional geometries. The PDE is a variant of a canonical model for Micro–Electro Mechanical systems (MEMS). The singularities are observed to form at specific points in the domain and correspond to solutions whose values remain finite but whose derivatives diverge as the finite time singularity is approached. This phenomenon is known as quenching. An asymptotic analysis reveals that the quenching set can be predicted by simple geometric considerations suggesting that the phenomenon described is generic to higher order parabolic equations which exhibit finite time singularity.
Multi-rover collaboration

This paper discusses the ongoing research being conducted on the use of multi-rover teams for planetary exploration. The value of a multi-rover system is presented, along with the challenges faced with trying to coordinate multiple rovers in a consolidated effort to complete a given mission.
An assessment of caloric intake as an indicator of physical activity.

Caloric intake has been suggested as a surrogate measure of physical activity, provided that energy balance is maintained. In this study we assessed caloric intake in relation to other measures of physical activity in a free-living population by a single 24-hr recall in white adult males, ages 22-79 years, examined in 1957-1960 as part of the U.S. Railroad Study. Intake was positively related to leisure time and occupational activity. Men with higher levels of caloric intake had lower exercise test heart rates indicating that they were probably more fit. Caloric intake was also significantly and inversely related to body mass index, the sum of the triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness measurements, blood pressure, and total serum cholesterol. These results suggest that caloric intake, even as measured in a 24-hr dietary recall, is an indicator of physical activity level. Therefore, caloric intake may be a useful indicator of physical activity in some population-based epidemiologic studies.
A novel VCP mutation underlies scapuloperoneal muscular dystrophy and dropped head syndrome featuring lobulated fibers.

Introduction: Valosin-containing protein (VCP) is a ubiquitously expressed, multifunctional AAA-ATPase protein. Its dominant mutations cause hereditary inclusion body myopathy associated with Paget disease of bone and frontotemporal dementia (IBMPFD) or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The pattern of muscle weakness in IBMPFD patients is variable and includes limb-girdle, scapuloperoneal, distal, or axial distributions. Case Report: We report a 63-year-old man with progressive scapuloperoneal weakness, head drop, and hyperCKemia since age 40 years. Electromyography showed myopathic changes and rare myotonic discharges. Muscle biopsy revealed numerous lobulated fibers, few fibers with glycogen accumulation, and rare fibers with polyglucosan bodies. Rimmed vacuoles and congophilic inclusions, often seen in IBMPFD, were absent. VCP sequencing identified a novel heterozygous c. 1160G>A mutation resulting in p.Asn387Ser substitution. Conclusions: Our patient broadens the pathological spectrum of VCP-myopathy and emphasizes the importance of VCP analysis in patients with scapuloperoneal muscular dystrophy despite the absence of Paget disease, dementia, rimmed vacuoles, or intracellular amyloid deposition. Muscle Nerve 50:295–299, 2014
Connectedness as a Predictor of Sexual and Reproductive Health Outcomes for Youth

To review research examining the influence of "connectedness" on adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH). Connectedness, or bonding, refers to the emotional attachment and commitment a child makes to social relationships in the family, peer group, school, community, or culture. A systematic review of behavioral research (1985-2007) was conducted. Inclusion criteria included examination of the association between a connectedness sub-construct and an ASRH outcome, use of multivariate analyses, sample size of >or=100, and publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Results were coded as protective, risk, or no association, and as longitudinal, or cross sectional. Findings from at least two longitudinal studies for a given outcome with consistent associations were considered sufficient evidence for a protective or risk association. Eight connectedness sub-constructs were reviewed: family connectedness (90 studies), parent-adolescent general communication (16 studies), parent-adolescent sexuality communication (58 studies), parental monitoring (61 studies), peer connectedness (nine studies), partner connectedness (12 studies), school connectedness (18 studies), and community connectedness (four studies). There was sufficient evidence to support a protective association with ASRH outcomes for family connectedness, general and sexuality-specific parent-adolescent communication, parental monitoring, partner connectedness, and school connectedness. Sufficient evidence of a risk association was identified for the parent overcontrol sub-construct of parental monitoring. Connectedness can be a protective factor for ASRH outcomes, and efforts to strengthen young people's pro-social relationships are a promising target for approaches to promote ASRH. Further study regarding specific sub-constructs as well as their combined influence is needed.
Lessons in Community Building From Including the “Other”: Caring for One An-Other

Healthy communities draw their strength from multiple kinds of initiatives by public and private networks and organizations. Usually, they involve people working with one another to address communi...
Progress in ascending and aortic arch surgery: minimally invasive surgery, blood conservation, and neurological deficit prevention

Abstract Background Herein are described recent developments in aortic surgery techniques and the improved results. Methods Of 403 ascending and aortic arch operations, 68 patients underwent minimally invasive aortic surgery including 23 for aortic dissection, 5 for Marfan syndrome, 29 reoperations, and 39 with hypothermic arrest. Blood conservation methods were used in 187 of the 403 patients (46.5%). Aortic valve procedures were used in 267 (66.2%), including 51 (12.7%) valve-preserving operations. A protocol for stroke and neurocognitive deficit prevention was used in an attempt to prevent neurologic deficits. Data were prospectively collected and included new neurocognitive events either by formal testing (n = 35) or by informal questioning. Results Stroke occurred in 2.0% (8 of 403); clinical gross neurocognitive deficits in 2.5% (10 of 403) with a 98% 30-day survival. For those patients undergoing the minimally invasive operation 1 hospital death occurred (98.5% survival). Homologous operative transfusions were required in only 12% of blood conservation patients (23 of 187) and their postoperative intubation time, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and hospital stay were significantly shorter ( p Conclusions Minimally invasive surgery is particularly useful for reoperations. The blood conservation methods appear to be beneficial and the number of neurologic deficits is low with the current protocol.
Cancer Risk in ATM Heterozygotes: A Model of Phenotypic and Mechanistic Differences between Missense and Truncating Mutations

The failure to find an increased frequency of ATM mutations in large cancer cohorts, especially breast cancer, is contrary to what was anticipated based on the increased cancer susceptibility of obligate ATM heterozygotes from families with ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T). We hypothesize that this paradox might be resolved if two types of ATM heterozygotes exist and the phenotypes differ, i.e., those with truncating types of mutations (ATM(trunc)), that make no protein, and those with missense types of mutations (ATM(mis)), that make reduced amounts of defective protein. The phenotype of ATM(trunc/trunc) mutations is the A-T syndrome; the phenotype of ATM(mis/mis) mutations, judging from the few homozygous patients that have been documented, appears to include some neurological features and cancer susceptibility but not the A-T syndrome. Evidence is reviewed which suggests that ATM(mis/wt) mutations are technically more difficult to detect than ATM(trunc/wt) mutations. Despite this, most large cancer cohort studies have identified mainly missense mutations and few truncating mutations. This model would require a paradigm shift for cancer risk analyses, to recognize the existence of different allele frequencies for the two types of A-T heterozygotes.
A novel class of Bessel function integrals

A number of definite integrals over the unit interval involving Bessel functions with argument [α2x−1+β2(1−x)−1]1/2 are evaluated in closed form.
ROAR: A Reference Ontology for Anatomical Relations

The ontology has become a useful model for organizing knowledge. This is particularly true in the field of biomedicine, where individual ontologies have been created for specific data domains ranging from genomics through species morphologies to human anatomical reference ontologies. Although specific sets of relationships have been proposed to improve the accuracy and consistency of such ontologies, there has been little to nothing proposed concerning the organization of those relationships. To help address this deficiency, herein we present a Reference Ontology of Anatomical Relations (ROAR). ROAR extends the concepts used in existing biomedical ontologies by defining and hierarchically organizing temporal, spatial, functional, and taxonomic relations based on generalization/specialization and semantic relatedness. Also provided in this paper are examples of how the use of such a reference ontology would significantly increase the ease with which data from multiple ontologies could be developed and integrated and would improve the information base for other computational intelligence activities.
Dimensions of general market demand associated with professional team sports: Development of a scale

Abstract The purpose of this study was to develop the Scale of Market Demand to assess general market demand factors affecting the consumption of professional team sports, which was completed through the following five steps: (a) formulation of a theoretical framework, (b) development of a preliminary scale, (c) exploratory factor analysis (EFA), (d) confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and (e) examination of predictive validity through conducting a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis. Following a community intercept method, professional sport consumers ( N = 453) in four southeastern metropolitan areas responded to the scale. Data were randomly split into two halves: one for EFA and the other for CFA. In the EFA with alpha extraction and promax rotation, six factors with 31 items emerged: opposing team, home team, game promotion, economic consideration, sport epitome, and schedule convenience. In the CFA with maximum likelihood estimation, five factors with 17 most pertinent items were retained, without the sport epitome factor. This five-factor model displayed good fit to the data, discriminant validity, and high reliability. The SEM revealed that home team, opposing team, and game promotion were predictive of game re-attendance behaviour.
Gene Therapy for Pediatric AIDS

: Gene therapy is an experimental treatment modality under investigation for applications to HIV-1 infection. We have developed retroviral vectors carrying anti-HIV-1 genes, demonstrated that these genes cause significant suppression of HIV-1 replication in cultures of primary hematopoietic cells, and performed a clinical trial in pediatric AIDS patients. Four HIV-1-infected children and adolescents underwent bone marrow harvest from which CD34+ cells were isolated and transduced by a retroviral vector carrying an RRE decoy gene. The cells were reinfused into the subjects, without complications, showing that gene transfer in pediatric AIDS patients is safe and feasible. However, gene-containing leukocytes in the peripheral blood were seen only at a low level and only in the first months following cell infusion. To attain some degree of efficacy, it will be necessary to achieve a higher level of gene transfer and to obtain sustained gene expression. We are currently developing new gene transfer methods and vectors designed to improve the results in future trials. If it becomes possible to reach the ideal goal of producing high percentages of T lymphocytes and monocytic cells that are resistant to HIV-1 infection, gene therapy could serve as a complement to antiretroviral drug therapy and help to sustain immunologic function.
Computing Frequency Dominators and Related Problems

We consider the problem of finding frequency dominators in a directed graph with a single source vertex and a single terminal vertex. A vertex x is a frequency dominator of a vertex y if and only if in each source to terminal path, the number of occurrences of x is at least equal to the number of occurrences of y. This problem was introduced in a paper by Lee et al. [11] in the context of dynamic program optimization, where an efficient algorithm to compute the frequency dominance relation in reducible graphs was given. In this paper we show that frequency dominators can be efficiently computed in general directed graphs. Specifically, we present an algorithm that computes a sparse (O(n)-space), implicit representation of the frequency dominance relation in O(m + n) time, where n is the number of vertices and m is the number of arcs of the input graph. Given this representation we can report all the frequency dominators of a vertex in time proportional to the output size, and answer queries of whether a vertex x is a frequency dominator of a vertex y in constant time. Therefore, we get the same asymptotic complexity as for the regular dominators problem. We also show that, given our representation of frequency dominance, we can partition the vertex set into regions in O(n) time, such that all vertices in the same region have equal number of appearances in any source to terminal path. The computation of regions has applications in program optimization and parallelization.
Visual signal detection in structured backgrounds I. Effect of number of possible spatial locations and signal contrast

Several studies have investigated the effect of signal location uncertainty on the detectability of simple visual signals in uncorrelated Gaussian noise with a deterministic background. For this case, human performance in locating a signal in a forced-choice experiment has been successfully predicted for 2–1800 alternative locations with the use of signal detection theory and the usual assumption that the observer’s internal response is Gaussian distributed. Gaussian uncorrelated noise is far from realistic medical image noise, which includes not only fluctuations in intensity of quantum origin but also other anatomical objects lying in the x-ray path (structured backgrounds). Our goal is to determine whether signal detection theory with the Gaussian assumption is adequate for the case of structured backgrounds, or whether other more complex models need to be developed to predict human performance as a function of the number of possible signal locations in structured backgrounds. We present experimental data suggesting that an assumed Gaussian internal response accurately predicts the decrease in observer performance as the number of alternative locations is increased. The one exception is a lower-than-predicted performance for the detection of low-contrast signals for two alternative locations. Performance as measured by the index of detectability d′ is also found to be linear with signal contrast. Together these findings extend the applicability of signal detection theory with Gaussian internal response functions to the case of complex structured backgrounds.
Use of dimensional analysis to reduce the parametric space for gain-scheduling

A simple method is presented to reduce the number of scheduling parameters for gain-scheduled controller implementation. The method is based on careful reformulation of the dynamic representation using dimensionless parameters. Parameter re-scaling is necessary to transform from one unit system to another, and this work utilizes unit transformations carefully to act as an implicit method of gain scheduling. The choice of a dimensionless formulation of the parameters simplifies the system representation because the number of dimensionless parameters will always be less than or equal to that in the classical representation. The resulting dimensionless gain-scheduling problem can greatly reduce the complexity of the classical gain-scheduling formulation, potentially even reducing an LPV problem in the classic domain to a zero-parameter or LTI controller design problem in the dimensionless domain. The dimensionless gain-scheduling method is demonstrated using a gantry system with the objective of minimizing the swing of the load.
Respiratory effects of hexachlorocyclopentadiene on intact rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) and on oxidative phosphorylation of isolated trout heart mitochondria

Acclimated normal rainbow trout were exposed to 130 ppb hexachlorocyclopentadiene (HEX) in a flow-through well water circuit which was designed to permit measurements of oxygen consumption by the fish. Compared to preHEX values, HEX increased oxygen consumption rates by 186 +/- 24% (means +/- SEM), with maximum oxygen consumption rates being reached in approximately 84 min after HEX exposure. Oxygen consumption subsequently decreased, and all HEX-exposed fish died within 6.5 hr of exposure. Fish exposed to HEX-free vehicle (acetone) showed no changes of oxygen consumption. When added to normal isolated trout heart mitochondria, HEX appeared to uncouple oxidative phosphorylation, with calculated respiratory control ratios being decreased 50% from control values at a HEX concentration of 0.41 microM. We postulate that one important mechanism of HEX intoxication in the intact animal may be due to increased oxygen consumption and impaired oxidative ATP synthesis due to the mitochondrial uncoupling action of the toxicant.
Short-term synaptic depression in the neonatal mouse spinal cord: effects of calcium and temperature.

We have studied short-term synaptic depression of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) in lumbosacral motoneurons in the isolated, in vitro spinal cord of neonatal mice at 2–4 days postnatal ...
Moving Toward Evidence-Based Preventive Interventions for Children and Families

Dr. Henry Kempe was an early advocate of paraprofessional home visiting as an approach to preventing child abuse and neglect. Over the nearly 40-year period since Dr. Kempe promoted home visiting, a number of home-visiting programs have been tested in randomized controlled trials in which the visitors were either nurses and other professionals or paraprofessionals. In a well-respected review of this evidence, the two programs with the strongest evidence of effectiveness, reflected in impacts on injuries revealed in medical records and child abuse records, were delivered by either nurses or by a mixture of nurses and other professionals. Program models make a difference in producing impacts, and the background of visitors is likely to be an important component of those models, especially when they focus on families enrolled during pregnancy or soon after the delivery of the child.
The Beach House (Y)

Used in conjunction with UVA-QA-0614 and UVA-QA-0616. Three couples, all good friends, rent a beach house for the week. They all have different financial circumstances and different beliefs about what's fair. They need to find a way to decide who sleeps where, and how to divide the costs of the beach house.
Implicit learning on a probabilistic classification task in adults and adolescents with Bulimia Nervosa.

Abstract Background Dysfunction in frontostriatal circuits likely contributes to impaired regulatory control in Bulimia Nervosa (BN), resulting in binge-eating and purging behaviors that resemble maladaptive habits. Less is known about the implicit learning processes of these circuits, which may contribute to habit formation. Methods We compared 52 adolescent and adult females with BN to 55 healthy matched-controls during performance of a probabilistic classification learning task, one form of implicit learning. Groups were compared in accuracy and response times, using mixed-models with block, age, and diagnosis as predictors, corrected for multiple comparisons with confounds covaried. Results BN participants showed differences in performance on a probabilistic classification learning task that varied by age. Adolescents with BN initially performed as accurately as healthy adolescents, but showed poorer perseverance over time. Adults with BN initially performed less accurately than healthy adults, but improved to perform equivalently. Symptom severity was associated with poorer accuracy in both adults and adolescents with BN. Conclusions Frontostriatal dysfunction may underlie abnormalities in regulatory control and probabilistic classification learning in BN, likely contributing to the dysregulation of implicitly learned, maladaptive binge-eating and purging behaviors. Such dysfunction in BN may progress with increasing age, first manifesting in poor regulatory control over behaviors and then expanding to implicit learning processes that may underlie habitual behaviors.
Hosteling—Inexpensive Travel for Fun

(1955). Hosteling—Inexpensive Travel for Fun. Journal of Health, Physical Education, Recreation: Vol. 26, No. 5, pp. 10-11.