cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application of Deep Neural Networks as a Prescreening Tool to Assign Individualized Absorption Models in Pharmacokinetic Analysis

A specific model for drug absorption is necessarily assumed in pharmacokinetic (PK) analyses following extravascular dosing. Unfortunately, an inappropriate absorption model may force other model parameters to be poorly estimated. An added complexity arises in population PK analyses when different individuals appear to have different absorption patterns. The aim of this study is to demonstrate that a deep neural network (DNN) can be used to prescreen data and assign an individualized absorption model consistent with either a first-order, Erlang, or split-peak process. Ten thousand profiles were simulated for each of the three aforementioned shapes and used for training the DNN algorithm with a 30% hold-out validation set. During the training phase, a 99.7% accuracy was attained, with 99.4% accuracy during in the validation process. In testing the algorithm classification performance with external patient data, a 93.7% accuracy was reached. This algorithm was developed to prescreen individual data and assign a particular absorption model prior to a population PK analysis. We envision it being used as an efficient prescreening tool in other situations that involve a model component that appears to be variable across subjects. It has the potential to reduce the time needed to perform a manual visual assignment and eliminate inter-assessor variability and bias in assigning a sub-model.
Cottonwood Progeny Tests at the Horticulture Station

An important element of a long-term project on the development of genetically improved cottonwood (Populus deltoides) clones for biomass production in the North Central Region of the U.S. is now in progress at the Horticulture Station in plots 11A and 11B. Most of the funding for this overall program came from the Biomass Feedstock Development Program of the USDOE until that program was canceled by the new administration in December 2001. With the loss of that funding, a summer field crew no longer was available to maintain studies for this project at the Moore, McNay, and Kanawha research farms as had been done in previous years. The convenience, availability of on-site help, and protection from deer browsing and rutting made the Horticulture Station a good place to consolidate the testing program beginning in the summer of 2002. Current, maintenance-level funding for the project comes from McIntyre/Stennis funds and the Agriculture Experiment Station Project 3905.
The Development of the American Public Accounting Profession: Scottish Chartered Accountants and the Early American Public Accountancy Profession

Preface. Acknowledgments. Abbreviations. The First Migrant. The Mobile Scots. The US Public Accountancy Profession. Overview of the Scottish Chartered Accountancy Migration. Population of Scots Accountants. Age of Immigrants. Backgrounds of Immigrants. Prior Migrations. Qualifications of Immigrants. Permanent Residency. Length of Residency. Death of Immigrants. Prior Experience. Arrival City. Initial Employment. American Careers. Involvement in American Bodies. Professional Success. The Immigrants. Bibliography
Genetic Algorithms and the Immune System

Using genetic algorithm techniques we introduce a model to examine the hypothesis that antibody and T cell receptor genes evolved so as to encode the information needed to recognize schemas that characterize common pathogens. We have implemented the algorithm on the Connection Machine for 16,384 64-bit antigens and 512 64-bit antibodies.
Contrast functions for independent subspace analysis

We consider the Independent Subspace Analysis problem from the point of view of contrast functions, showing that contrast functions are able to partially solve the ISA problem. That is, basic ICA can solve the ISA problem up to within-subspace separation/analysis. We define sub- and super-Gaussian subspaces and extend to ISA a previous result on freedom of ICA from local optima. We also consider new types of dependent densities that satisfy or violate the entropy power inequality (EPI) condition.
Strategic Flexibility and the Optimality of Pay for Luck

While standard contract theory suggests that a CEO should be paid relative to a benchmark that removes the effects of sector performance (otherwise referred to as luck), there is overwhelming evidence that CEO pay is strongly and positively related to such luck. In this paper we offer an explanation for the observed pay for luck. We model a CEO charged with selecting the firm's strategy which in turn affects the firm's exposure to sector performance. To incentivize the CEO to optimally choose her firm's sector exposure, pay contracts will be positively and sometimes asymmetrically related to sector performance. Using a multitude of proxies to capture the extent of strategic flexibility offered by firms to alter sector exposure we find strong empirical support for our model prediction of greater pay for luck. Our results indicate that the pay for luck is almost fully confined to firms in industries with high R&D expenditure and in multi-divisional firms. Our evidence is robust to alternate explanations such as CEO entrenchment.
Models for Robust Estimation and Identification

In this paper, we will investigate estimation and identification theories with the goal of determining some new methods of adding robustness. We consider uncertain estimation problems, namely ones in which the uncertainty multiplies the quantities to be estimated. Mathematically the problem can be stated as, for system matrices and data matrices that lie in the sets (A + δA) and (b + δb) respectively, find the value of x that minimizes the cost ‖(A + δA)x − (b + δb)‖. We will examine how the proposed techniques compare with currently used methods such as Least Squares (LS), Total Least Squares (TLS), and Tikhonov Regularization (TR). Several results are presented and some future directions are suggested.
Acute infective portal vein thrombosis secondary to acute sigmoid diverticulitis

Infective thrombosis of the portal vein may complicate any infectious process of the abdominal portion of the gastrointestinal tract. The diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion, and the most common findings include fever, abdominal pain and abnormal liver function tests. Abdominal CT scan is the preferred diagnostic modality. Treatment should be initiated immediately, including empiric use of antibiotics and concomitant anticoagulation in view of the high mortality rate.
An architecture of security control in sensor networks

Sensor networking has gained intensive attention recently. It has been a challenge to develop an effective security control strategy for sensor systems. In the present work, we propose an approach to promote security control under a middleware framework. The methodology is based on the third generation (3G) of security control strategies.
Numerical analysis of three-dimensional acoustic propagation in the Catoche Tongue

Analysis of modeled time series data is presented to provide insight into propagation physics of horizontally refracted sound in the Catoche Tongue region of the Gulf of Mexico. The analysis is motivated by the observation of out-of-plane arrivals in measured time series data. In particular, the extended duration of the refracted arrivals is shown to be caused by interaction with multiple locations along the steep sides of the Tongue. Comparison of the modeled time series is made to previous work by Sturm [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 117(3), 1058–1079 (2005)], who examined the frequency dependence of out-of-plane modal arrivals for the wedge-shaped ocean.
Animal Behavior: The Truman Show for Ants

Summary A new tracking setup allows researchers to monitor the behavior of individual ants inside a colony. The first results demonstrate a link between age, spatial organization and division of labor, and quantify the dynamics of the colony's social network.
Colored-noise-induced first-order phase transition in a single-mode dye laser

We report the observation of a colored-noise-induced first-order nonequilibrium phase transition in a single-mode dye laser. Although a second-order phase transition exists in the more usual single-mode laser models, the order of the phase transition can be altered by including colored-noise fluctuations in the pumping of the laser. The nonwhite character of the noise is shown to be crucial to the onset of the characteristics of a first-order phase transition.
Protein engineering of toluene-o-xylene monooxygenase from Pseudomonas stutzeri OX1 for enhanced chlorinated ethene degradation and o-xylene oxidation

Toluene-o-xylene monooxygenase (ToMO) from Pseudomonas stutzeri OX1 has been shown to degrade all chlorinated ethenes individually and as mixtures. Here, DNA shuffling of the alpha hydroxylase fragment of ToMO (TouA) and saturation mutagenesis of the TouA active site residues I100, Q141, T201, F205, and E214 were used to enhance the degradation of chlorinated aliphatics. The ToMO mutants were identified using a chloride ion screen and then were further examined by gas chromatography. Escherichia coli TG1/pBS(Kan)ToMO expressing TouA saturation mutagenesis variant I100Q was identified that has 2.8-fold better trichloroethylene (TCE) degradation activity (apparent Vmax of 1.77 nmol min−1 mg−1 protein−1 vs 0.63 nmol min−1 mg−1 protein−1). Another variant, E214G/D312N/M399V, has 2.5-fold better cis-1,2-dichloroethylene (cis-DCE) degradation activity (apparent Vmax of 8.4 nmol min−1 mg−1 protein−1 vs 3.3 nmol min−1 mg−1 protein−1). Additionally, the hydroxylation regiospecificity of o-xylene and naphthalene were altered significantly for ToMO variants A107T/E214A, T201G, and T201S. Variant T201S produced 2.0-fold more 2,3-dimethylphenol (2,3-DMP) from o-xylene than the wild-type ToMO, whereas variant A107T/E214A had 6.0-fold altered regiospecificity for 2,3-DMP formation. Variant A107T/E214A also produced 3.0-fold more 2-naphthol from naphthalene than the wild-type ToMO, whereas the regiospecificity of variant T201S was altered to synthesize 3.0-fold less 2-naphthol, so that it made almost exclusively 1-naphthol (96%). Variant T201G was more regiospecific than variants A107T/E214A and T201S and produced 100% 3,4-DMP from o-xylene and >99% 1-naphthol from naphthalene. Hence, ToMO activity was enhanced for the degradation of TCE and cis-DCE and for the regiospecific hydroxylation of o-xylene and naphthalene through DNA shuffling and saturation mutagenesis.
Comparing Physical and Cyber-Enhanced Dissection: An Analysis From Multiple Perspectives

Product dissection has evolved into a versatile pedagogical platform useful across the engineering curriculum. With the advent of digital, cyber, haptic, virtual, and immersive technologies, the opportunities to implement product dissection as an instructional tool increase dramatically. However, the effectiveness of cyber-enhanced dissection must be studied and the advantages and limitations of each type of platform must be understood in the context of achieving educational outcomes. In this paper, we first outline the history of dissection and carefully delineate the difference between physical, virtual, and cyber-enhanced dissection. We then study the impact of variations of cyber-enhanced (a blend of physical and virtual) dissection across two populations of sophomore engineering students at two universities using a number of exercises and data collection methods. We report on student perceptions regarding the affordances and disadvantages of physical vs. cyber-enhanced dissection. Students perceived the cyber-enhanced dissection exercises to be relevant to the students’ own professional preparation, to facilitate easier dissemination, to better align with emerging industrial practices, and to provide unique experiences not available in other courses the students had taken. Some potential drawbacks of cyber-enhanced dissection were also reported by students, including technology distracting them from the core educational objectives and overreliance on historical data of unknown origin. Although there are important tradeoffs between physical and cyber-enhanced dissection that need to be considered, using a blend of physical and virtual instructional tools may provide an effective platform to teach a wide range of engineering concepts across a curriculum.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Evidence for a sodium ion exchange carrier linked with glucose transport across the brush border of a flatworm (Hymenolepis diminuta, Cestoda).

Abstract The manner in which the flatworm, Hymenolepis diminuta (Cestoda), regulates the transport of glucose and Na + across the brush border was examined. While the presence of an unstirred region in the brush border may favor the reabsorption of leaked glucose, some leaked glucose was lost to the ambient medium. This loss was markedly enhanced by preloading the worms with glucose and by removing Na + from the incubation medium. Since glucose and Na + influxes are coupled, glucose leakage stimulated the influx of 22 Na + . However, this 22 Na + influx was balanced by a simultaneous increased 22 Na + efflux. The presence of phlorizin inhibited both unidirectional fluxes of 22 Na + indicating that efflux of 22 Na + occurred by counter-transport; countertransport of [ 14 C]glucose appeared to be negligible. A model has been proposed in which the transport of glucose and compensating transfers of Na + across the membrane occur via the same carrier.
Interim analyses : An update of an FDA reviewer's experience and perspective

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clinical and statistical guidelines request that sponsors document considerations which will govern the conduct of interim analyses in clinical trials. These considerations include clearly stating the reasons for such interim analyses, the planned number of or the (information/calendar) times when the interim analyses will be carried out, adequate stopping rules, and measures taken to minimize bias.
Short‐term electric power load forecasting using feedforward neural networks

: This paper presents the results of a study on short-term electric power load forecasting based on feedforward neural networks. The study investigates the design components that are critical in power load forecasting, which include the selection of the inputs and outputs from the data, the formation of the training and the testing sets, and the performance of the neural network models trained to forecast power load for the next hour and the next day. The experiments are used to identify the combination of the most significant parameters that can be used to form the inputs of the neural networks in order to reduce the prediction error. The prediction error is also reduced by predicting the difference between the power load of the next hour (day) and that of the present hour (day). This is a promising alternative to the commonly used approach of predicting the actual power load. The potential of the proposed method is revealed by its comparison with two existing approaches that utilize neural networks for electric power load forecasting.
Autonomous shipboard infrared radiometer system for in situ validation of satellite SST

Over the past 4 years, we have developed and extensively deployed the Calibrated, InfraRed, In situ Measurement System, or CIRIMS, for at-sea validation of satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST). The project is funded by the NASA EOS Validation Program for validation of SST from MODIS, the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, aboard the EOS Terra and Aqua satellites. The design goals include autonomous operation at sea for up to 6 months and an accuracy of ±0.1°C. One of the most challenging aspects of the design is protection against the marine environment. We use commercially available infrared pyrometers and a precision blackbody housed in a temperature-controlled enclosure. The sensors are calibrated at regular interval using a cylindro-cone target immersed in temperature-controlled water bath, which allows the calibration points to follow the ocean surface temperature. An upward-looking pyrometer measures sky radiance in order to correct for the non-unity emissivity of water, which can introduce an error of up to 0.5°C. As part of our design strategy, we have evaluated the use of an infrared transparent window to completely protect the sensor and calibration blackbody from the marine environment. A total of three units have been fabricated and deployed at sea for over 700 days since 1998. We give an overview of the design and report on the performance of the CIRIMS in comparison to the Marine-Atmosphere Emitted Radiance Interferometer (M-AERI) which is the primary in situ validation instrument for MODIS.
Reflection-Impulsivity in Predelinquent Preadolescents in a Residential Facility

Thirty institutionalized "predelinquent" preadolescents and 30 public school nondelinquent preadolescents were compared on Kagan's Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFF) of cognitive impulsivity. Contrary to predictions, the former group was more reflective than the nondelinquents on both the latency and error dimensions of the MFF. Possible interpretations of the results are offered, as are suggestions for research on the impact of environmental factors on cognitive style.
Scattering and the geometry of the solution manifold of □ƒ + λƒ3 = 0

Abstract The wave transforms for the equation □ƒ + λƒ 3 = 0 on R 4 can be represented as maps from the Hilbert space H ( S ) of finite-energy Cauchy data for the equation (□ + 1) ϑ + λϑ 3 = 0 on R 4 × S 3 to Hilbert spaces H ( C ± ) of finite-energy Goursat data. We show that the wave transforms and associated scattering transform are diffeomorphisms. The action of the group G = SO ( 2,4) on solutions of the latter equation gives rise to actions of G as diffeomorphisms of H( S ) and H( C ± ) which are intertwined by the wave and scattering transforms. Moreover, the spaces H( S ) and H( C ± ) have symplectic structures relative to which the group G and the wave and scattering transforms act as symplectomorphisms. These symplectic structures extend to flat Kahler structures that are invariant under the scaling-extended Poincare group P .
Dendritic cells transduced to express interleukin 4 reduce diabetes onset in both normoglycemic and prediabetic nonobese diabetic mice.

Background: We and others have previously demonstrated that treatment with bone marrow derived DC genetically modified to express IL-4 reduce disease pathology in mouse models of collagen-induced arthritis and delayed-type hypersensitivity. Moreover, treatment of normoglycemic NOD mice with bone marrow derived DC, genetically modified to express interleukin 4 (IL-4), reduces the onset of hyperglycemia in a significant number of animals. However, the mechanism(s) through which DC expressing IL-4 function to prevent autoimmune diabetes and whether this treatment can reverse disease in pre-diabetic NOD mice are unknown. Methodology/Principal Findings: DC were generated from the bone marrow of NOD mice and transduced with adenoviral vectors encoding soluble murine IL-4 (DC/sIL-4), a membrane-bound IL-4 construct, or empty vector control. Female NOD mice were segregated into normoglycemic (<150mg/dL) and prediabetic groups (between 150 and 250 mg/dL) on the basis of blood glucose measurements, and randomized for adoptive transfer of 106 DC via a single i.v. injection. A single injection of DC/sIL-4, when administered to normoglycemic 12-week old NOD mice, significantly reduced the number of mice that developed diabetes. Furthermore, DC/sIL-4, but not control DC, decreased the number of mice progressing to diabetes when given to prediabetic NOD mice 12-16 weeks of age. DC/sIL-4 treatment also significantly reduced islet mononuclear infiltration and increased the expression of FoxP3 in the pancreatic lymph nodes of a subset of treated animals. Furthermore, DC/sIL-4 treatment altered the antigen-specific Th2:Th1 cytokine profiles as determined by ELISPOT of splenocytes in treated animals. Conclusions: Adoptive transfer of DC transduced to express IL-4 into both normoglycemic and prediabetic NOD mice is an effective treatment for T1D. © 2010 Ruffner, Robbins.
Historically and currently used Dechloranes in the sediments of the Great Lakes.

Dechlorane (mirex), Dechlorane Plus (DP), Dechlorane 602 (Dec602), Dechlorane 603 (Dec603), Dechlorane 604 (Dec604), and Chlordecone (Kepone) were analyzed in 16 sediment cores collected in 2007 from the Great Lakes of North America. Results show that Lake Ontario sediments have accumulated mirex, DP, Dec602 and Dec604 in amounts 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher than other Great Lakes. The chemical inventory decreases log–linearly with increasing latitude (N) and longitude (W) of the sampling locations, but Lake Ontario sites are outliers in the regression against latitude. The regression analyses suggest differences among the analytes with regard to source impact and long-range transport behavior. Temporal trends of input differ among lakes. Most sites in Lake Superior are still receiving increasing fluxes of DP and Dec602, while these have been declining in Lake Ontario from the peak around 1990. The relative abundance of the two DP isomers, represented by fsyn, increases with increasing distance from ...
Determining Priorities for Future Mars Polar Research: Third International Workshop on Mars Polar Energy Balance and the CO2 Cycle; Seattle, Washington, 21–24 July 2009

Since 1997, five spacecraft have observed Mars's polar processes, resulting in an unprecedented amount of data with ranges of spatial and spectral resolutions not available from prior missions in the 1960s and 1970s. The vast amount of new data and the complex nature of Mars's polar processes led Mars polar scientists from around the world to gather in a small group environment to discuss the data, models, and emerging theories. The expertise of the 36 attendees of the Third International Workshop on Mars Polar Energy Balance and the CO2 Cycle included remote sensing, laboratory experimentation, and climate modeling. Nearly all spacecraft instruments that have been or are currently being used to monitor Mars's carbon dioxide (CO2) cycle were represented.
Laboratory culture of the lobate ctenophore Mnemiopsis mccradyi with notes on feeding and fecundity

Collection and culture of the large lobate ctenophore Mnemiopsis mccradyi Mayer is described, including the requirements for successful development of larvae. Particular attention must be given to the collection of these delicate animals, the handling and provision of live microzooplankton of suitable size for the larvae, and the provision of food densities for the adults which neither stimulate “wasteful” feeding nor limit their growth. Although these ctenophores will ingest detritus and algal cells in high concentration, they lost weight at the same rate as starved individuals unless provided with living zooplankton. Under optimum conditions, specimens would lay eggs within 13 days of their own birth. By the 17th day they laid eggs daily, and had produced an average of 8,000 eggs within 23 days after birth. The maximum number of eggs laid by a single wild individual within 24 h after being brought into the laboratory was 10,000. Their high fecundity, rapid generation time, and ability to self-fertilize help to explain their sudden appearance in bloom proportions at periods of high food concentration in the environment, often referred to in the literature.
Inhibition of N‐Acetylation of Procainamide and Renal Clearance of N‐Acetylprocainamide by Para‐Aminobenzoic Acid in Humans

Procainamide administration often results in excessively high serum N-acetylprocainamide (NAPA) concentrations and subtherapeutic serum procainamide concentrations. Inhibition of N-acetylation of procainamide may prevent accumulation of excessive NAPA while maintaining therapeutic serum procainamide concentrations. The purpose of this randomized, two-way crossover study was to determine if para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) inhibits N-acetylation of procainamide in healthy volunteers. Eleven (7 female, 4 male) fast acetylators of caffeine received, in random order, PABA 1.5 g orally every 6 hours for 5 days, with a single intravenous dose of procainamide 750 mg administered over 30 minutes on the third day, or intravenous procainamide alone. Blood samples were collected during a 48-hour period after initiation of the infusion. Urine was collected over a 72-hour period. Serum procainamide and NAPA concentrations were analyzed using fluorescence polarization immunoassay. Urine procainamide and NAPA concentrations were measured with high performance liquid chromatography. PABA did not significantly influence total or renal procainamide clearance, elimination rate constant, AUC0-00, amount of procainamide excreted unchanged in the urine, or volume of distribution. However, concomitant PABA administration with procainamide resulted in increases in NAPA AUC0-00 and t1/2 and reductions in NAPA Ke, procainamide acetylation (NAPA formation) clearance, and NAPA renal clearance. Although PABA inhibits metabolic conversion of procainamide to NAPA, it also impairs the renal clearance of NAPA (but not procainamide) in healthy subjects. Therefore, PABA may not be useful for optimizing the safety of efficacy of procainamide in patients.
Construction of representative immunoglobulin variable region cDNA libraries from human peripheral blood lymphocytes without in vitro stimulation.

Abstract We have developed a sensitive and specific method for preparation of representative IgM and IgG cDNA libraries of peripheral blood lymphocytes without in vitro stimulation of B cells and without primer-based bias. The procedure involves preparation of double-stranded cDNA from initial Cμ and Cγ constant region primers. Linkers are attached to the cDNA and nonselective polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification is performed with the linkers as primers. This product is ligated to M13 RF DNA, and selective PCR amplification is achieved with a nested constant region primer and a vector primer. The product is cloned into M13 phage. More than 85% of the white plaques are positive with a J H probe. Diversity of the library is confirmed by hybridization with V H gene probes and by DNA sequencing. A sample of 7–30 ml of blood from a normal human adult can yield both μ and γ cDNA libraries. Analysis of the libraries yields a picture of Ig variable gene usage at the time of sampling.
Radiation contamination and leakage assessment of intraoperative electron applicators

In intraoperative radiation therapy, it is critical to reduce the radiation contamination outside the useful field by as much as physically feasible. Additionally, a uniform dose is clinically desirable across the tumor volume. A study of the Medical College of Ohio applicators indicates that the radiation contamination outside the field can be as high as 18% of the central axis dose. The effects of the photon collimator setting on the magnitude and energy of the radiation contamination are discussed and means are presented for reducing this unwanted radiation. The dose nonuniformity across the field is found to be virtually independent of the photon collimator setting and is shown to be mostly due to the transparent applicator wall. The clinical significance of the findings is discussed.
Integration of terahertz quantum cascade lasers with lithographically micromachined waveguides

Gold rectangular waveguides suitable for single mode operation at frequencies near 3 THz have been micromachined using silicon microfabrication methods. The design, fabrication, and loss characteristics of these waveguides will be presented. On-chip integration of these waveguide structures with THz quantum cascade laser (QCL) sources has been achieved and the characteristics of QCL beams guided by waveguide will be discussed.
Neuronal Control of Myogenic Regulatory Factor Accumulation in Fetal Muscle

The lumbosacral spinal cords of 14.5-day gestation mice (E14.5) were ablated. The number of molecules of each of the four myogenic regulatory factor (MRF) mRNAs per nanogram of total RNA were evaluated in innervated and aneural fetal crural muscles. Accumulation of all four MRF mRNAs was affected in aneural muscle, but was never more than threefold different than in innervated muscles, considerably less than after adult denervation. The effect of the nerve varied with the MRF, the fetal age, and with the muscle (extensor digitorum longus muscle [EDL] vs. soleus muscle), with the nerve having multiple effects including down-regulation of certain MRF genes at specific periods (e.g., myoD and myogenin [E16.5-E18.5] and MRF4 in the EDL only [E18.5-E19.5]); limiting the up-regulation of certain genes, which occurred in the absence of innervation (e.g., myf-5 [E18.5-E19.5] and myogenin [E14.5-E16.5]); and even enhancing the accumulation of MRF4 mRNA (E14.5-E16.5). We hypothesize that factors other than nerve contribute to the down-regulation of myf-5 and myogenin mRNAs to adult levels. Innervation was required for the emergence of the slow, but not the fast, MRF mRNA profile at birth. MyoD, found in both the nuclear and cytoplasmic protein extracts of innervated fetal muscle, increased by approximately 5-fold in the nuclear extracts (approximately 2.5-fold in the cytoplasmic) of E19.5 aneural muscles, significantly less than the 12-fold increase found in the nuclear extract of 4-day denervated adult muscle. This increase in aneural fetal muscle was due primarily to an increased concentration of myoD in muscle lineage nuclei, rather than to the presence of additional myoD(+) muscle lineage nuclei.
Gut-specific and developmental expression of a Caenorhabditis elegans cysteine protease gene

Abstract A Caenorhabditis elegans cysteine protease gene fragment, amplified by PCR using conserved eukaryotic protease gene sequences as primers, was used as a probe to isolate cDNA and genomic clones. The genomic clone, which had a coding sequence of 987 bp interrupted by 2 small introns, was physically mapped to the middle of linkage group V. The predicted amino acid sequence of the mature C. elegans cysteine protease was homologous to those of other eukaryotic cysteine proteases, particularly to that of the nematode parasite Haemonchus contortus (50%) and to the cathepsin B-like hemoglobinase of the trematode parasite Schistosoma mansoni (54%). The pro region of the C. elegans protease was homologous only to that of the H. contortus enzyme, implying a similar mechanism of protease activation. The C. elegans cysteine protease gene was temporally regulated: abundant 1.1-kb transcripts were detected in larvae and adults, but not in embryos. Transcription also was spatially regulated, occurring only in the intestine. Like the vitellogenin genes, which also are transcribed exclusively in the intestine, the 5′ end of the C. elegans cysteine protease gene had at least one copy of each of 2 heptameric sequences which may be transcriptional regulatory elements governing gut-specific expression.
Effect of alosetron on bowel urgency and global symptoms in women with severe, diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome: analysis of two controlled trials.

Abstract Background & Aims : The aim of this study was to assess the effect of alosetron on bowel urgency and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) global improvement in diarrhea-predominant IBS (D-IBS). Methods : Women with a lack of satisfactory bowel urgency control at least 50% of the time during screening were randomized to receive alosetron 1 mg (n = 246) or placebo (n = 246) twice daily. The primary end point was the percentage of days with satisfactory control of bowel urgency. The response rate for the IBS global improvement scale (GIS) was a secondary end point. GIS responders were patients who recorded either moderate or substantial improvement in IBS symptoms relative to the way they felt before entering the study. Other end points included improvement in stool frequency, stool consistency, and percentage of days with incomplete evacuation. Further analyses were performed on a subset of patients who had at least 10 of 14 days during screening (≥71% of days) with a lack of satisfactory control of bowel urgency. Results : Patients had severe chronic IBS symptoms, and 89% of patients had D-IBS. Alosetron resulted in a greater percentage of days with satisfactory control of urgency compared with placebo (69% vs. 56%, respectively, P Conclusions : Alosetron effectively manages bowel urgency and improves global symptoms in women with severe chronic D-IBS.
Control of drinking-bout magnitude in schedule-induced polydipsia by interpellet-interval duration

Schedule-induced polydipsia (SIP) is a function of interpellet-interval (IPI) durations: intermediate (40-180-sec) IPIs are most effective in producing SIP, while longer and shorter IPIs are increasingly less effective. In order to determine whether each IPI exerts its influence on SIP by regulating drinking during that IPI itself or during the immediately succeeding IPI, rats were presented with systematic sequences of IPI durations during individual sessions of SIP testing. It was found that a very brief (20-sec) IPI tended to reduce the duration of drinking during the ongoing IPI, but that a very long (4-min) IPI reduced the probability that any drinking would occur during subsequent IPIs. It was suggested that the motivation to drink is reduced following long IPIs, while feeding, or behaviors anticipatory to feeding, compete with drinking when IPI lengths are very short.
Optimizing ML with run-time code generation

We describe the design and implementation of a compiler that automatically translates ordinary programs written in a subset of ML into code that generates native code at run time. Run-time code generation can make use of values and invariants that cannot be exploited at compile time, yielding code that is often superior to statically optimal code. But the cost of optimizing and generating code at run time can be prohibitive. We demonstrate how compile-time specialization can reduce the cost of run-time code generation by an order of magnitude without greatly affecting code quality. Several benchmark programs are examined, which exhibit an average cost of only six cycles per instruction generated at run time.
Prevention Guidance for Isocyanate-Induced Asthma Using Occupational Surveillance Data

Data from Washington State's work-related asthma surveillance system were used to characterize isocyanate-induced asthma cases occurring from 1999 through 2010. Injured worker interviews and medical records were used to describe the industry, job title, work process, workers’ compensation cost, and exposure trends associated with 27 cases of isocyanate-induced asthma. The majority (81%) of cases were classified within the surveillance system as new-onset asthma while 19% were classified as work-aggravated asthma. The workers’ compensation cost for isocyanate-induced asthma cases was $1.7 million; this was 14% of the total claims cost for all claims in the asthma surveillance system. The majority of cases (48%) occurred from paint processes, followed by foam application or foam manufacturing (22%). Nine of the asthma cases associated with spray application occurred during application to large or awkward-shaped objects. Six workers who did not directly handle isocyanates (indirect exposure) developed new-on...
Ultracold Collisions Observed in Real Time

In laser-induced collisions between ultracold atoms, the combination of low velocities and long-range interactions results in collision times which can exceed the excited-state lifetime. We use a cooperative effect between two lasers to explicitly observe this time dependence. The first laser, tuned near resonance, excites the atom pair at long range and enhances the collisional flux available for short-range excitation by a second, far-detuned laser. Using pulsed excitation, we find this collisional process to take place on a 10{sup {minus}6} s time scale, in reasonable agreement with trajectory simulations. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}
Effects of sodium fluoride on the clinical course and metabolic balance of an infant with osteogenesis imperfecta congenita

Abstract An infant with osteogenesis imperfecta congenita has been given 5 mg. NaF daily from 1 to 13 months of age (except for a 12 day period at 1 year when the dose was increased to 20 mg./day) in an attempt to modify the course of the disease. A total of seventeen 3 day balance periods were done at 1, 4, and 12 months of age, measuring F, N, K, P, Ca, Na and Cl. The infant retained an average of 75 per cent (60 to 91 percent) of administered fluoride when measured during the year of study. Metabolic balance was not significantly altered by NaF therapy, although P retention at 5 and 12 months was greater than theoretically expected from Ca and N balance. In addition, the patient appeared to retain an excessive amount of K Gm . N, which was unaffected by the introduction of fluoride. These findings have been discussed in light of the apparent improvement in the patient's disease state.
Distinguishing Mitigation and Adaptation

Baer et al. (Baer, Athanasiou, Kartha & Kemp-Benedict, 2008) seek to develop a single index for distributing the burdens associated with climate change mitigation and adaptation, and to do so in a ...
You are who you talk with--a commentary on Dugas-Ford et al. PNAS, 2012.

Over the last decade, the intellectual reputation of birds has been greatly rehabilitated, notably by the studies of Nicky Clayton and coworkers on New Caledonian crows [Clayton, 2007] and the work of Irene Pepperberg and coworkers on African grey parrots [Pepperberg, 2002]. This realization stands quite in contrast to the prior and long-standing view that avian behavior, even the seemingly impressive vocal abilities of parrots for example, was merely driven by rote learning and hardwired stereotypical behavioral routines [Reiner et al., 2004]. This older view was reinforced by the other old notion that the avian telencephalon is largely hypertrophied basal ganglia and is nearly devoid of a neural region that could perform the cognitive operations carried out by the mammalian cerebral cortex [Reiner et al., 2004]. However, the work of Karten and Hodos [1970] beginning nearly 50 years ago, on the organization and function of the avian forebrain, had long shown that the avian telencephalon is not an overgrown basal ganglia, and that it possesses a large region that is functionally akin to the mammalian neocortex [Karten and Hodos, 1970; Karten et al., 1973]. Karten [1991] noted in his theoretical writings that this territory within the avian telencephalon, which encompasses the Wulst, dorsal ventricular ridge (DVR) and arcopallium, possesses the neuron types and connectivity characteristic of the mammalian neocortex, and can thus perform as the neural substrate for cognition. The Wulst, DVR and arcopallium, however, are arrayed as nuclei rather than as layers, which is why earlier neuroanatomists had thought that the nuclear avian telencephalon is largely equivalent to the nuclear basal ganglia of mammals.
Attitudes to language

Attitudes to language, by Peter Garrett, Cambridge and New York, Cambridge University Press, 2010, x + 257 pp., £64.00/$99.00 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-521-76604-3; £23.99/$39.99 (paperback), ISBN 978...
Generating Ductile Iron Fatigue Date with a Calibrated Tuning Fork System

This paper presents S-N data generated on a newly designed tuning fork system. The materials tested were four different specimen groups of ductile iron. The tuning fork was designed to continuously monitor reversed bending loads applied to the specimen. The main objective of the project was to develop S-N curves for four particular groups of ductile iron materials. The basic material was an SAE-D5506 ductile iron, tested in both an as-cast condition and with a machined surface finish. This same material was tested in a quenched and tempered state, (SAE-DQ&T, MS-612 Grade, 1000S) with both as-cast and machined finishes. In order to carry out these experiments a test apparatus had to be designed, assembled, and calibrated. The end result of this procedure was a versatile tuning fork fixture for the application of the required pure bending loads and a permenent monitoring system calibrated to the loads applied to the specimen. This monitoring system, once calibrated, eliminated the need to strain gage each of the many specimens to be tested. The paper concludes with discussion of the results obtained. The material S-N data presented includes comparative points for the four log-log lines as computed by linear regression techniques.
But Good Intentions are Not Enough: Preparing Teachers to Center Race and Poverty

Drawing from principles of critical race theory, the authors consider the curriculum of teacher education as a potential policy and practice site for centering the interconnections of race and poverty in the preparation of teachers. Several macro-level recommendations are advanced that might influence practices in teacher education and ultimately in P-12 classrooms. These policies suggestions include (1) Reform the curriculum of teacher education to emphasize a deeper study of race; (2) Reform the curriculum of teacher education to emphasize a deeper study of poverty; and (3) Reform the curriculum of teacher education to emphasize a deep study of the nexus between race and poverty. The authors conclude with the observation that although teachers and teacher educators tend to have good intentions, those intentions too often fail to meet the needs of Black and Brown students or students living in poverty.
Payroll tax incidence when the tax varies by jurisdiction: The case of the U.S. unemployment insurance tax

Standard treatment of payroll tax incidence suggests that labor, both because of inelastic supply and because workers value the benefit financed by the tax, bears most of the tax. This note considers the special case of the U.S. unemployment insurance tax, which is a payroll tax that varies by jurisdiction (states). The model set forth in this paper allows for differing degrees of both labor mobility and substitutability between types of labor and capital. Contrary to the standard treatment, this paper predicts that some types of labor will avoid this particular type of payroll tax completely.
Bioimaging at the Nanoscale: Single-molecule and Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy

Spatial resolution of optical microscopy is substantially larger than molecular length scales in cells, leaving many biological structures unresolvable. We developed a new form of super-resolution light microscopy, (STORM), that surpasses the diffraction limit. Article not available.
Cooperative unit size in the gel-liquid crytalline phase transition of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine-water multilayers: An estimate from raman spectroscopy

The temperature dependence of the Raman spectral transitions assigned to the acyl chain C-C stretching modes of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine was determined for the gel, phase transition and liquid crystalline states of the lipid multilayers. The van't Hoff enthalpy differences delta HVH between trans and gauche rotational isomers were obtained from the Raman spectral data for the temperature region characteristic of each bilayer state. An average size for the cooperative unit undergoing the chain melting process during the phase transition was estimated from the ratio of the appropriate van't Hoff enthalpy to an adjusted calorimetric enthalpy.
Characterization of a glycerophosphodiesterase with an unusual tripartite distribution and an important role in the asexual blood stages of Plasmodium falciparum

Abstract Catabolism of glycerophospholipids during the rapid growth of the asexual intraerythrocytic malaria parasite may contribute to membrane recycling and the acquisition of lipid biosynthetic precursors from the host. To better understand the scope of lipid catabolism in Plasmodium falciparum , we have characterized a malarial homolog of bacterial glycerophosphodiesterases. These enzymes catalyze the hydrolysis of glycerophosphodiesterases that are generated by phospholipase-catalyzed removal of the two acyl groups from glycerophospholipids. The P. falciparum glycerophosphodiesterase (PfGDPD) exhibits an unusual tripartite distribution during the asexual blood stage with pools of enzyme in the parasitophorous vacuole, food vacuole and cytosol. Efforts to disrupt the chromosomal PfGDPD coding sequence were unsuccessful, which implies that the enzyme is important for efficient parasite growth. Tagging of the endogenous pool of PfGDPD with a conditional aggregation domain partially perturbed the distribution of the enzyme in the parasitophorous vacuole but had no discernable effect on growth in culture. Kinetic characterization of the hydrolysis of glycerophosphocholine by recombinant PfGDPD, an Mg 2+ -dependent enzyme, yielded steady-state parameters that were comparable to those of a homologous bacterial glycerophosphodiesterase. Together, these results suggest a physiological role for PfGDPD in glycerophospholipid catabolism in multiple subcellular compartments. Possibilities for what this role might be are discussed.
Data management for a large collaborative clinical trial (Cass: Coronary Artery Surgery Study)

Abstract The data collection and quality control system for the Collaborative Study of Coronary Artery Surgery (CASS) is described. A special feature of the CASS system is that data at the sixteen clinics are keyed directly into a programmable terminal and later transmitted over telephone lines to the data collection center. This system is compared with the traditional data collection system of mailed paper forms.
TRIP(8B)Ing up and Down HCN Channel Gating and Trafficking

The proper neuronal functioning of ion channels depends on their correct targeting to distinct polarized neuronal compartments, where the channels often mediate highly specific functions. HCN1 channels, which underlie the hyperpolarization-activated cation current (Ih) in many types of neurons, are targeted to the distal apical dendrites of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, where they regulate the integration of synaptic inputs and control excitability. Results from our laboratory and others indicate that the cytoplasmic protein TRIP8b is the major auxiliary subunit of HCN1 channels in the brain, where it plays an important role in regulating HCN1 function, expression and localization. TRIP8b undergoes extensive alternative splicing at its N-terminus, with at least 10 splice variants detected in brain. All splice variants interact strongly with the C-terminus of all four HCN channel isoforms (HCN1-4) at two different interaction surfaces. Whereas all TRIP8b isoforms inhibit channel gating by antagonizing the normal action of cAMP to facilitate opening, the various isoforms have distinct effects on channel trafficking. We identified two splice isoforms with opposing actions on HCN1 surface expression and distinct subcellular locales that are critical for HCN1 dendritic targeting. Our more recent results have identified the structural and functional bases for many of the regulatory actions of TRIP8b.