cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Natural compounds may open new routes to treatment of amyloid diseases

Protein misfolding disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, have in common that a protein accumulates in an insoluble form in the affected tissue. The process of aggregation follows a mechanism of seeded polymerization. Although the toxic species is still not well defined, the process, rather than the end product, of fibril formation is likely the main culprit in amyloid toxicity. These findings suggest that therapeutic strategies directed against the protein misfolding cascade should focus on depleting aggregation intermediates rather than on large fibrillar aggregates. Recent studies involving natural compounds have suggested new intervention strategies. The polyphenol epi-gallocatechine-3-gallate (EGCG), the main polyphenol in Camilla sinensis, binds directly to a large number of proteins that are involved in protein misfolding diseases and inhibits their fibrillization. Instead, it promotes the formation of stable, spherical aggregates. These spherical aggregates are not cytotoxic, have a lower β-sheet content than fibrils, and do not catalyze fibril formation. Correspondingly, epi-gallocatechine-3-gallate remodels amyloid fibrils into aggregates with the same properties. Derivatives of Orcein, which is a phenoxazine dye that can be isolated from the lichen Roccella tinctoria, form a second promising class of natural compounds. They accelerate fibril formation of the Alzheimer's disease-related amyloid-beta peptide. At the same time these compounds deplete oligomeric and protofibrillar forms of the peptide. These compounds may serve as proof-of-principle for the strategies of promoting and redirecting fibril formation. Both may emerge as two promising new therapeutic approaches to intervening into protein misfolding processes.
Macrophage Replication Screen Identifies a Novel Francisella Hydroperoxide Resistance Protein Involved in Virulence

Francisella tularensis is a Gram-negative facultative intracellular pathogen and the causative agent of tularemia. Recently, genome-wide screens have identified Francisella genes required for virulence in mice. However, the mechanisms by which most of the corresponding proteins contribute to pathogenesis are still largely unknown. To further elucidate the roles of these virulence determinants in Francisella pathogenesis, we tested whether each gene was required for replication of the model pathogen F. novicida within macrophages, an important virulence trait. Fifty-three of the 224 genes tested were involved in intracellular replication, including many of those within the Francisella pathogenicity island (FPI), validating our results. Interestingly, over one third of the genes identified are annotated as hypothetical, indicating that F. novicida likely utilizes novel virulence factors for intracellular replication. To further characterize these virulence determinants, we selected two hypothetical genes to study in more detail. As predicted by our screen, deletion mutants of FTN_0096 and FTN_1133 were attenuated for replication in macrophages. The mutants displayed differing levels of attenuation in vivo, with the FTN_1133 mutant being the most attenuated. FTN_1133 has sequence similarity to the organic hydroperoxide resistance protein Ohr, an enzyme involved in the bacterial response to oxidative stress. We show that FTN_1133 is required for F. novicida resistance to, and degradation of, organic hydroperoxides as well as resistance to the action of the NADPH oxidase both in macrophages and mice. Furthermore, we demonstrate that F. holarctica LVS, a strain derived from a highly virulent human pathogenic species of Francisella, also requires this protein for organic hydroperoxide resistance as well as replication in macrophages and mice. This study expands our knowledge of Francisella's largely uncharacterized intracellular lifecycle and demonstrates that FTN_1133 is an important novel mediator of oxidative stress resistance.
The neuropathology of selected neurocutaneous diseases

The neurocutaneous diseases are a collection of more than 40 hereditary and spontaneously occurring disorders, many of which have prominent lesions involving the nervous system and skin. In this article, the classification of the neurocutaneous diseases is briefly reviewed, and the neuropathologic characteristics of four of these diseases (neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis, von Hippel-Lindau disease, and Sturge-Weber disease) are summarized.
Mixed mode oscillations in a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neuron model

Mixed mode oscillations (MMOs) are complex patterns resulting from an inter-mixing of large- and smallamplitude oscillations. Such patterns have been widely observed in experiments as well as mathematical models [1] and are currently an active area of mathematical research. In neurons MMOs often consist of a mixture of spikes and subthreshold oscillations. Our GnRH work leads to a seven-dimensional soma model aimed at investigating the firing properties of GnRH neurons across puberty. The results of our model are supported by published electrophysiological data of Liu and Herbison [2]. The model exhibits robust subthreshold oscillations in addition to action potentials, an observation validated by experimental evidence. Previously identified mechanisms giving rise to MMOs in mathematical models include canard-based mechanisms such as folded node singularities and singular Hopf bifurcations [3,4]. MMOs arising out of these mechanisms have characteristic patterns of variation in oscillation amplitudes; in the case of folded nodes there are also bounds for the maximum number of subthreshold oscillations per cycle. The MMOs in our system do not follow these patterns but are instead “exotic” MMOs. In this work we use geometric singular perturbation theory to analyze the source of these MMOs in the model and compare to known mechanisms; we also explore the possible physiological function of MMOs in GnRH cells. Bifurcation analysis of our system was performed with the help of the simulation and continuation tool XPPAUT. Our analysis suggests that MMOs in our model persist near a saddle-node of periodic orbits and the geometry further points to a tangency between an unstable manifold and a family of periodic orbits. In order to facilitate a more detailed analysis of this phenomenon we reduced to a three dimensional fastslow system with two slow variables that exhibits qualitatively similar MMOs. We note here that MMOs in three or higher dimensional systems have been observed to occur robustly when two of the variables evolve on a much slower time-scale than the rest [3-5] unlike in two dimensional systems where they occur over an exponentially small parameter interval. The bifurcation analysis of our reduced model provides insights into the geometry of stable and unstable invariant manifolds of our system and their role in the generation of the exotic MMOs.
Prospective Adaptation in the Use of External Representations

An important element of adaptive expertise involves stepping away from a routine to retool one's knowledge or environment. The current study investigated two forms of this adaptive pattern: fault-driven adaptations, which are reactions to a difficulty, and prospective adaptations, which are proactive reformulations. Graduate and undergraduate students with no medical training engaged in a medical diagnosis task that involved complex information management. The graduate students, who were relative experts in information management and data analysis, uniformly made prospective adaptations by taking the time to create external representations of the available information before they diagnosed a single patient. In contrast, the undergraduate students only made representations reactively, when experimental manipulations made their default behaviors impractical. Graduate students tolerated the time lost creating representations in favor of future benefits—well-structured representations led to more optimal diag...
UVB maintenance phototherapy in psoriasis.

: Twenty-six patients with generalized stable plaque-type psoriasis were treated three to five times weekly with midwave fluorescent ultraviolet radiation (UVB) combined with either tar or lubricants. After clearing, patients received maintenance treatment with lubricant and UVB for a minimum of four weekly exposures, which were subsequently decreased in frequency. A shielded control site was observed. During maintenance treatments no prolongation in remissions with UVB maintenance could be demonstrated.
Designing allosteric peptide ligands targeting a globular protein.

Patented signal analytic algorithms applied to hydrophobically transformed, numerical amino acid sequences have previously been used to design short, protein-targeted, L or D retro-inverso peptides. These peptides have demonstrated allosteric and/or indirect agonist effects on a variety of G-protein and tyrosine kinase coupled membrane receptors with 30% to over 80% hit rates. Here we extend these approaches to a globular protein target. We designed eight peptide ligands targeting an ELISA antibody responsive protein, β-galactosidase, βGAL. Three of the eight 14mer peptides allosterically activated βGAL with ELISA methodology. Using Bayesian statistics, this 38% hit rate would have occurred 2 × 10−9 by chance. These peptides demonstrated binding site competitive or noncompetitive interactions, suggesting allosteric site multiplicity with respect to their βGAL binding-mediated ELISA signal. Kinetic studies demonstrated the temperature dependence of the βGAL peptide binding functions. Using the van't Hoff relation, we found evidence for enthalpy–entropy compensation. This relation is often found for hydrophobic interactions in aqueous media, and is consistent with the postulated hydrophobic series encoding underlying our protein-targeted, peptide design methods. It appears that our algorithmic, hydrophobic autocovariance eigenvector template approach to the design of allosteric peptides targeting membrane receptors may also be applicable to the design of peptide ligands targeting nonmembrane involved globular proteins. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 85: 38–59, 2007. This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The “Published Online” date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at biopolymers@wiley.com
Important revelations about school reform: looking at and beyond Reading First

This article reports on Nevada's Reading First program and positions it as a source of reflection for future worldwide literacy reform efforts. Qualitative methodology was used for this analysis. Students' literacy achievement improved throughout the program until the last year of implementation. Students who remained at a Reading First school throughout their primary grades showed higher achievement than transient students. Revelations discovered through the analysis focus on: Positive but uneven student achievement; Variability in achievement across schools; Challenges of integrating coaches; Challenges of sustaining changes in teachers’ practices; Failure to involve educators in policy design; and Policy changes through implementation; and, finally, Unintended consequences and questions.
Development and verification of saphenous, tibial and common peroneal nerve block techniques for analgesia below the thigh in the nonchondrodystrophoid dog.

Abstract Objective To document simple and reliable local, infiltrating nerve blocks for the saphenous, tibial and common peroneal nerves in the dog. Study design Laboratory technique development; in vivo blind, controlled, prospective study. Animals Twenty canine cadavers and 18 clinically normal, client-owned dogs. Methods A peripheral nerve blockade technique of the tibial, common peroneal, and saphenous nerves was perfected through anatomic dissection. Injections were planned in the caudal thigh for the tibial and common peroneal nerves, and in the medial thigh for the saphenous nerve. Cadaver limbs were injected with methylene blue dye and subsequently dissected to confirm successful dye placement. Clinically normal dogs undergoing general anesthesia for unrelated, elective procedures were randomly assigned to treatment (bupivacaine; n = 8) or control (saline; n = 8) nerve blocks of the nerves under study. Upon recovery from general anesthesia, skin sensation in selected dermatomes was evaluated for 24 hours. Results Cadaver tibial, common peroneal, and saphenous perineural infiltrations were successful in nonchondrodystrophoid dogs (100, 100, and 97%, respectively.) Intraneural injection was rare (1%; 1/105; tibial nerve) in cadaver dogs. In the treatment group of normal dogs, duration of loss of cutaneous sensation in some dermatomes (saphenous, superficial and deep peroneal nerve) was significantly different than control dogs; the range of desensitization occurred for 1–20 hours. No clinical morbidity was detected. Conclusions This technique for local blockade of the tibial, common peroneal, and saphenous nerves just proximal to the stifle is easy to perform, requires minimal supplies and results in significant desensitization of the associated dermatomes in clinically normal, nonchondrodystrophoid dogs. Clinical relevance This technique may be an effective tool for post-operative analgesia to the femoro-tibial joint and distal pelvic limb. Other applications, using sustained-release drugs or methods, may include anesthesia/analgesia in high-risk patients or as a treatment for chronic pelvic limb pain or self-mutilation.
Precision grip responses to unexpected rotational perturbations scale with axis of rotation

Abstract It has been established that rapid, pulse-like increases in precision grip forces (“catch-up responses”) are elicited by unexpected translational perturbations and that response latency and strength scale according to the direction of linear slip relative to the hand as well as gravity. To determine if catch-up responses are elicited by unexpected rotational perturbations and are strength-, axis-, and/or direction-dependent, we imposed step torque loads about each of two axes which were defined relative to the subject's hand: the distal–proximal axis away from and towards the subject's palm, and the grip axis which connects the two fingertips. Precision grip responses were dominated initially by passive mechanics and then by active, unimodal catch-up responses. First dorsal interosseous activity, marking the start of the catch-up response, began 71–89 ms after the onset of perturbation. The onset latency, shape, and duration (217–231 ms) of the catch-up response were not affected by the axis, direction, or magnitude of the rotational perturbation, while strength was scaled by axis of rotation and slip conditions. Rotations about the grip axis that tilted the object away from the palm and induced rotational slip elicited stronger catch-up responses than rotations about the distal–proximal axis that twisted the object between the digits. To our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate grip responses to unexpected torque loads and to show characteristic, yet axis-dependent, catch-up responses for conditions other than pure linear slip.
Energetic molecular oxygen in the atmosphere.

Industrialized nations now devote a substantial amount of atmospheric research to studies of ozone photochemistry. However relatively little attention has been paid to the details of how atmospheric ozone is created. Miller proposes a mechanism for atmospheric ozone production - reaction between highly vibrationally excited O2 and groundstate O2 - that may have relevance to the overall ozone balance. This article describes the interaction and discusses its implications. 14 refs., 1 fig.
Ribosomal ambiguity made less ambiguous.

In PNAS, Fagan et al. (1) report a significant step forward in the quest to understand how the fidelity with which ribosomes translate the sequences of mRNAs into protein sequences is determined. The crystal structures discussed in this paper show that the B8 bridge between the two ribosomal subunits is critical in this regard. This work also brings into high relief a more general problem that remains poorly understood, namely the mechanism(s) responsible for the interactions observed between distant sites on the ribosome.
Gradient drift instability in midlatitude sporadic E layers: Localization of physical and wavenumber space

Ionospheric plasmas containing density gradients are subject to a gradient drift instability under the influence of an externally applied electric field or neutral wind. In this paper we present electric field wave data from the Sudden Atom Layers sounding rocket showing a pure gradient drift instability on the topside of a 1 km thick sporadic E layer. An outer scale of 50 m was determined. Considering the local linear growth rate and the mapping of the electric field structures along magnetic field lines, we conclude that structures with scales larger than 50 m perpendicular to the magnetic field map into regions of linear stability where they are damped. The free energy is localized in wavenumber space, yielding peak fluctuating fields of 6 mV/m, corresponding to electron drifts over 190 m/s and a cascade of energy to meter scales.
Impartial review is key.

The News Feature, 'Misconduct in physics: Time to wise up? [Nature 418, 120-121; 2002], raises important issues that the physical-science community must face. Argonne National Laboratory's code of ethics calls for a response very similar to that of Bell Labs, namely: 'The Laboratory director may appoint an ad-hoc scientific review committee to investigate internal or external charges of scientific misconduct, fraud, falsification of data, misinterpretation of data, or other activities involving scientific or technical matters.'
Genetic transformation of a mycorrhizal fungus.

Protoplasts of the ectomycorrhizal fungus, Laccaria laccata, were transformed at frequencies of 5–50 transformants/μg DNA. Transformation was based on positive selection for resistance to hygromycin B (HmB) using the Escherichia coli aminocyclitol phosphotransferase (aph) gene bracketed by an Aspergillus nidulans glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gpd) promoter and the transcription terminator region of the A. nidulans tryptophan synthetase (trpC) gene. Southern blot hybridization revealed that HmB-resistant transformants of L. laccata have integrated vector sequences involving one or more recombination events. These results provide the first evidence for genetic transformation of a mycorrhizal fungus and further indicate the ability of promoter and termination signals of ascomycetous origin to function in a taxonomically unrelated basidiomycete. The potential to improve ectomycorrhizal symbiosis through transgenic manipulation of the fungal component can now be realized, provided specific genes beneficial to this symbiosis can be identified.
Neurite extension factor induces rapid morphological differentiation of mouse neuroblastoma cells in defined medium.

Abstract The present study describes an in vitro bioassay for neurite-promoting factors using a mouse neuroblastoma cell line (Neuro-2A) in defined medium at low cell density. Neurite extension factor (NEF) is a disulfide-bonded dimer of a protein closely related to S100s, a calcium-binding protein made by glial cells. NEF induces process outgrowth from chick embryo cerebral cortical neurons. We now report that NEF induces rapid morphological differentiation of Neuro-2A cells. Within 4–6 h of addition of NEF, the cells elaborate multipolar neurites and the cell body becomes rounded. In the absence of NEF, the cells do not extend neurites and the cell body appears flattened. This response is dose-dependent, with half-maximal stimulation at a concentration of about 300 ng/ml (15 nM) of NEF. This completely defined system should be useful for characterizing NEF receptors and studying the mechanism of action of NEF.
The structure of childhood obsessions and compulsions: Dimensions in an outpatient sample

While obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is defined as a unitary condition, prior research has identified meaningful and distinct symptom dimensions in adult samples. In contrast, there have been no investigations of symptom dimensions in samples of children diagnosed with OCD. The present study sought to address this gap. Children diagnosed with OCD (n = 137) were administered the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale symptom checklist and severity index. Symptoms were analyzed using principal components analysis. As with adult samples, four factors were identified from the checklist. However, these four factors (compulsions, sexual/aggressive obsessions, superstitions, and hoarding/ordering/somatic concerns) were different in content from adult studies. Further, several symptoms significantly contributed to more than one dimension. Each dimension was significantly correlated with scores from the severity index, with the exception of the obsession score with the hoarding/ordering/somatic concerns factor. Results suggest that there are distinct dimensions of symptoms in childhood OCD, but that these dimensions do not correspond to those identified in adults. Instead, it appears that some factors share variance, and the dimensions themselves are separated based upon developmental trajectories. The dimensions examined may be useful in future treatment studies using pharmacological and/or behavioral interventions.
Age-related β-adrenergic receptor-mediated vasorelaxation is changed by altering G protein receptor kinase 2 expression

Abstract Beta-adrenergic receptor- (β-AR) mediated vasorelaxation declines with age. This change is likely related to receptor desensitization, rather than down regulation. One kinase responsible for desensitization is G protein receptor kinase 2 (GRK2). We have shown that GRK expression and activity increases with age in Fischer 344 rat aorta. In this study we validated that carotid arteries have similar age-related changes in the β-AR signaling axis as aorta. This finding allowed use of in vivo infection and delivery of two adenovirus vectors to carotid arteries of 2-month-old (2 M) and 12-month-old (12 M) male Fischer 344 rats. Adeno-GRK2 was used to overexpress GRK2, and adeno-β-ARK-ct was used to inhibit GRK2 function. Following a five-day infection, vessels were collected and ex vivo tissue bath was used to evaluate vasoreactivity. We used KCl contracted segments, and determined that overexpression of GRK2 significantly impaired isoproterenol (ISO)-mediated vasorelaxation in both age groups. Maximum relaxation (MAX) to ISO in vessels from 2 M decreased from 44% to 21%. MAX to ISO in vessels from 12 M decreased from 12% to 6%. Sensitivity (ED50) in vessels from 2 M and 12 M was also impaired 57%, and 30% respectively. We also determined that expression of adeno-β-ARK-ct significantly improved ISO-mediated vasorelaxation in both age groups. MAX in vessels from 2 M increased from 44% to 58%. MAX in vessels from 12 M increased from 15% to 69%. ED50 in vessels from 2 M and 12 M was also improved 46%, and 50% respectively. These findings further implicate age-related increases in GRK2 expression as an important regulator of the age-related decline in β-AR-mediated vasorelaxation.
Protein synthesis by neuroblastoma cells is enhanced by exposure to burst-mode ultrasound cavitation.

Abstract We observed enhancement of protein synthesis, compared to control cells, 24 h after exposing C1300 neuroblastoma cells (N2A) in rotating tubes at 37°C to 1-MHz ultrasound tone bursts [1:1; durations from 6 to 600 ms; 3.4 W/cm 2 spatial-peak burst-average intensity; 5 min total treatment duration (on + off periods)]. Protein synthesis was measured by uptake of 3 H-leucine and normalized for cell proliferation by measured uptake of 14 C thymidine. The similarity between results for enhanced cavitation-stimulated iodine-release reported by Ciaravino and our results for cellular protein synthesis suggests that cavitation causes this biological effect.
Obscenities and Fishermen:The (Re)production of Gender in the Process of Production

I n this paper I am concerned with the role of obscene language in the (re)production of gender ideology in the process of production on commercial halibut fishing boats in British Columbia. In particular, I focus on banter between male fishers at specific points during the fishing process that make reference to women and their sexuality. In this analysis I hope to go beyond the beliefs, values, customs—the content of culture—and look to the linkage between culture and social relations, specifically the social relations of production. In this respect it is important to realize that production "refers to an entire system, including both work processes and the formation, transfer and transformation of surpluses. It is the social 'reproduction' of both relations of work and of surplus formation and, most importantly, the struggles and contradictions characteristic of each and both that give systems of production their shape and their dynamic" (Sider, 1989:17).
NEUROECONOMICS: A REJOINDER

Nobody in this debate questions the point that neuroeconomics remains full of potential, and little else as yet. If so, that really is progress of sorts. I was getting afraid that we would have to open nominations for the Captain Ahab Award for obsessive work on the promotion of neuroeconomics.
Culture and Character Education in a Jewish Day School: A Case Study of Life and Experience

This article addresses how to teach character comprehensively by studying ways a school's concurrent curricula (the official curriculum, the operational curriculum, the extra curriculum, and the hidden curriculum) can be used to teach character to students. A single case study analyzes the curriculum at a Jewish day school by examining school documents and records, observing classroom instruction and school culture, and interviewing school administrators and teachers. This research concludes that the Jewish day school teaches character comprehensively through a religious foundation—from which the entire curriculum evolves. The study indicates that addressing character education through religious studies, school traditions, and school culture will enable both public and private schools to fully integrate character education into the school program.
Latin American Thought: A Historical Introduction

Studies the character and nature of Latin American thought, focusing on the evolution of political and social ideas.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHILDREN'S AND PARENTS' STEREOTYPING OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES '

The purpose of this study was to examine age and gender differences in perceptions of gender-typed physical activities and to investigate the relationship between children's and parents' perceptions. Participants included 357 students in Grades K, 2, 4, and 6 and their parents (n = 455) from two elementary schools in Utah. The Physical Activity Stereotyping Index was used to assess both children's and parents' perceptions. Boys scored higher (more stereotypical in perceptions) on the Index than girls. Students in Kindergarten and Grade 2 scored significantly higher than those in Grades 4 and 6, while all adult (parents) groups were less stereotypical in their beliefs than all student groups. Significant correlations were obtained for spouses' scores (r = .44, p < .001) and for parents' and their children's scores (r = .24, p < .02).
Effects of Hot, Humid Weather on Milk Temperature, Dry Matter Intake, and Milk Yield of Lactating Dairy Cows

Lactating cows were exposed to moderate and hot, humid weather to determine the effect of increasing ambient temperature, relative humidity, or temperature-humidity index (THI) on intake, milk yield, and milk temperature. Minimum and maximum temperatures averaged 17.9 and 29.5 degrees C (cool period) and 22.5 and 34.4 degrees C (hot period), and minimum and maximum THI averaged 63.8 and 76.6 (cool period) and 72.1 and 83.6 (hot period). Environmental conditions had minor effects on intake and milk yield during the cool period. During the hot period, the THI 2 d earlier and mean air temperature 2 d earlier had the greatest impact on milk yield and DMI, respectively. Both breeds maintained milk temperature within normal ranges during the cool period, but Holstein and Jersey p.m. milk temperatures averaged 39.6 and 39.2 degrees C during the hot period. Current day mean air temperature during the hot period had the greatest impact on cow p.m. milk temperature, and minimum air temperature had the greatest influence on a.m. milk temperature. Dry matter intake and milk yield declined linearly with respective increases in air temperature or THI during the hot period and milk temperature increased linearly with increasing air temperature. Dry matter intake and milk yield both exhibited a curvilinear relationship with milk temperature. Environmental modifications should target the effects of high temperatures on cow body temperature and should modify the environment at critical times during the day when cows are stressed, including morning hours when ambient temperatures are typically cooler and cows are not assumed to be stressed.
Optimum Information Transfer Rates for Communication through Haptic and Other Sensory Modalities

This paper is concerned with investigating the factors that contribute to optimizing information transfer (IT) rate in humans. With an increasing interest in designing complex haptic signals for a wide variety of applications, there is a need for a better understanding of how information can be displayed in an optimal way. Based on the results of several early studies from the 1950s, a general “rule of thumb” has arisen in the literature which suggests that IT rate is dependent primarily on the stimulus delivery rate and is optimized for presentation rates of 2-3 items/s. Thus, the key to maximizing IT rate is to maximize the information in the stimulus set. Recent data obtained with multidimensional tactual signals, however, appear to contradict these conclusions. In particular, these current results suggest that optimal delivery rate varies with stimulus information to yield a constant peak IT rate that depends on the degree of familiarity and training with a particular stimulus set. We discuss factors that may be responsible for the discrepancies in results across studies including procedural differences, training issues, and stimulus-response compatibility. These factors should be taken into account when designing haptic signals to yield optimal IT rates for communication devices.
A Biopsychosocial Model of the Development of Chronic Conduct Problems in Adolescence

A biopsychosocial model of the development of adolescent chronic conduct problems is presented and supported through a review of empirical findings. This model posits that biological dispositions and sociocultural contexts place certain children at risk in early life but that life experiences with parents, peers, and social institutions increment and mediate this risk. A transactional developmental model is best equipped to describe the emergence of chronic antisocial behavior across time. Reciprocal influences among dispositions, contexts, and life experiences lead to recursive iterations across time that exacerbate or diminish antisocial development. Cognitive and emotional processes within the child, including the acquisition of knowledge and social-information-processing patterns, mediate the relation between life experiences and conduct problem outcomes. Implications for prevention research and public policy are noted.
Subthreshold electron mobility in SOI MOSFETs and MESFETs

We present a transport model, based on the solution of the Boltzmann Transport Equation, for modeling n-channel silicon-on-insulator MOSFETs and MESFETs. All relevant scattering mechanisms for the silicon material system are included in the transport portion of the device simulator. We are able to extract from our simulation data set the low-field electron mobility in both the subthreshold and above-threshold regime. The low-field mobility data for the electrons in a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MOSFET are in agreement with available experimental values. The mobility of the equivalent SOI MESFET device is a factor of three to five times higher than that of the SOI MOSFET in the subthreshold regime.
FUNDAMENTAL STUDY OF CLAY: VI, FLOW PROPERTIES OF KAOLINITE-WATER SUSPÉNSIONS*

The flow properties of six monodisperse kaolinite fractions were studied over a large range of concentration. From these results, it has been possible to set up an equation relating viscosity to concentration which holds over a very wide range. Equations relating concentration to thixotropy and to the yield point which have general application could also be established. The viscosity of a suspension is obtained from the sum of three quantities, namely, those contributed by (1) the liquid, (2) the individual particle, and (3) the collisions of the particles. Thixotropy is found to be due to the sum of two quantities, namely, the contribution of (1) the individual particle and (2) the interference of the particles. The yield point in these fractions was found to be proportional to the cube of the concentration. With these relations, it is possible to calculate the viscosity of a casting slip for any change in specific gravity.
Assessing Vulnerability to Schizophrenia or Manic-depression in Borderline States*

In a discussion of the article on genetic determinants of borderline conditions by Siever and Gunderson, a phenotypic continuum between pure schizotypal and pure affective conditions is postulated. Many "borderline" cases are seen as attenuated forms of schizophrenia, schizoaffective psychosis, or manic-depression. A Venn diagram illustrates differences among syndromes described by Gunderson, Kernberg, Spitzer, and Klein ("hysteroid dysphoria"). Evidence is presented suggesting that Gunderson's borderline syndrome contains more schizotypal individuals than Kernberg's, whereas hysteroid dysphoria is nearer the affective pole of the continuum. A second diagram illustrates how the strength and nature of the genetic factors vary according to the syndrome.
Variation in Utilization of Health Care Services for Rural VA Enrollees With Mental Health-Related Diagnoses.

Purpose Rural-dwelling Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) enrollees are at high risk for a wide variety of mental health-related disorders. The objective of this study is to examine the variation in the types of mental and nonmental health services received by rural VA enrollees who have a mental health-related diagnosis. Methods The Andersen and Aday behavioral model of health services use and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data were used to examine how VA enrollees with mental health-related diagnoses accessed places of care from 1999 to 2009. Population survey weights were applied to the MEPS data, and logit regression was conducted to model how predisposing, enabling, and need factors influence rural veteran health services use (measured by visits to different places of care). Analyses were performed on the subpopulations: rural VA, rural non-VA, urban VA, and urban non-VA enrollees. Findings For all types of care, both rural and urban VA enrollees received care from inpatient, outpatient, office-based, and emergency room settings at higher odds than urban non-VA enrollees. Rural VA enrollees also received all types of care from inpatient, office-based, and emergency room settings at higher odds than urban VA enrollees. Rural VA enrollees had higher odds of a mental health visit of any kind compared to urban VA and non-VA enrollees. Conclusions Based on these variations, the VA may want to develop strategies to increase screening efforts in inpatient settings and emergency rooms to further capture rural VA enrollees who have undiagnosed mental health conditions.
Measurement Error, Legalized Abortion, and the Decline in Crime: A Response to Foote and Goetz

We are grateful to Foote and Goetz for noting that the final table of Donohue and Levitt (Quarterly Journal of Economics, 116 (2001), 379–420) inadvertently omitted state-year interactions. Correcting our mistake does not alter the sign or statistical significance of our estimates, although it does reduce their magnitude. Using a more carefully constructed measure of abortion that better links birth cohorts to abortion exposure (by using abortion data by state of residence rather than of occurrence, by adjusting for cross-state mobility, and by more precisely estimating birth years from age of arrest data), we present new evidence that abortion legalization reduces crime through both a cohort-size and a selection effect.
A Decision Support System For Audit Staff Scheduling Of Multiple And Large-Scaled Engagements

As raising cost of audit and shrinking audit market, the management of accounting firms have put into more efforts on increasing productivity by improving audit planning, upgrade audit technology and cost control. One avenue to accomplish cost savings while maintaining high audit quality is to refine staff scheduling. This study proposes a different approach to resolving audit staff scheduling for multiple and large engagements. The major advantage of the proposed method is to solve staff resource allocation problems by alleviating the limitations of both linear and integer programming. In addition, the objectives and constraints of models proposed in this study can be modified easily to adjust for firm-specific situations.
Radiation Patterns of Dipoles, Loops, and Helices

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction The Center-Fed Dipole Images in a Ground Plane A Monopole Above a Ground Plane A Dipole in Front of a Ground Plane The Small Current Loop Traveling Wave Current on a Loop The End-Fire Helix This chapter contains sections titled: References Problems ]]>
A Social Learning Approach to Prescription Drug Misuse Among College Students

ABSTRACTWithin the current body of literature on prescription drug misuse (PDM), there is a notable disparity between the number of descriptive and theoretically based studies looking at this phenomenon. This study seeks to add, specifically, to the latter category by examining PDM among a sample of undergraduate college students at a large, southern university using the tenets of social learning theory to identify potential risk factors for misuse. Findings indicate partial support for the ability of social learning theory to explain prescription drug misuse, particularly through the scopes of differential association and differential reinforcement. Implications and future directions are discussed.
Abstract TP287: Prolongation of Hospital Stay Following Acute Ischemic Stroke

Introduction: Prolonged length of stay (pLOS) is associated with increased costs and risk for hospital-acquired conditions as well as worse prognosis. Awareness of risk factors for pLOS may help ne...
Multi-morbidity, disability and adaptation strategies among community-dwelling adults aged 75 years and older

Abstract Background The impact of multi-morbidity and disability on the use of adaptation strategies in older adults has not been well researched. Objective This study investigated categories of adaptation strategies that community-dwelling older adults use to complete their daily activities, identified factors that are associated with the use of behavioral adaptations, and examined the relationship among multi-morbidity, disability and adaptation strategies in this population. Methods A mixed methods research design was used. 105 community-dwelling older adults with ages ranging from 75 to 94 years completed a questionnaire and semi-structured interview on types of chronic illnesses (multi-morbidity), amount of difficulty in completing daily activities (degree of disability), and types of behavioral efforts made to complete daily activities that are challenging (adaptation strategies). The model of selective optimization with compensation (SOC) was used to categorize these strategies. Results The findings revealed that older adults use a wide range of adaptations with compensation and selection the most (40.4%) and least (16.5%) frequently reported respectively. Degree of disability was uniquely associated with the frequency of using SOC strategies while controlling for other factors. Furthermore, degree of disability was a mediator for multi-morbidity in predicting frequency of using SOC strategies. Conclusions The findings support that older adults using behavioral adaptations to cope with functional decline is prevalent. Knowing the types of adaptation that older adults employed and the indirect relationship between multi-morbidity and frequency of using SOC strategies, with degree of disability as the mediator will be helpful in planning interventions and prevention programs for educating older adults.
The Control of Cherry Case Bearer (Coleophora Pruniella) by Dormant and Other Sprays

Cherry case-bearer, Coleophora pruniella , is susceptible to control by dormant applications of rather high concentrations of oil emulsions, miscible oils, and tar washes. Nicotine and derrisol combined with lime-sulphur 1–40 can be used effectively if properly timed.
Studies in Agaricus I. Agaricus Pattersonae

Agaricus pattersonae Peck is one of several poorly known species of Agaricus described from California. It has a history of confusion that predates its publication in 1907. This paper is intended to resolve the conflicts surrounding that species. For several years I collected a robust, red-staining mushroom in old groves of Cupressus macrocarpa Hartw. ex Gord. (Monterey cypress), a California endemic. Although this fungus bore a striking resemblance to the photograph of the type of A. pattersonae published by Smith in 1940 (7), discrepancies in the type description precluded such a determination. An examination of the type material was therefore imperative. In addition to the holotype at Albany (NYS), portions of the original collection (A. M. Patterson 18) were located in Bronx (NY) and in Beltsville (BPI). Also located at Beltsville were Patterson's field notes, along with notes and watercolors by S. Nohara, and correspondence from Peck. Patterson and Nohara, botany students at the Leland Stanford Junior University, began to make numbered collections of fleshy fungi during the winter of 1906-1907. On 31 January 1907 Patterson described, sketched and photographed two separate collections of Agaricus. Patterson 17 had a whitish pileus streaked with light brownish fibrils, an entire annulus, and was found under pines. Patterson 18 was characterized by a pileus covered with large, appressed brown scales, a strikingly two-layered annulus, and a habitat under cypress. The following day Nohara described and painted an Agaricus collection (Nohara 25) corresponding to Patterson 18, taken under cypress from the same area: the Stanford racetrack/stock farm.
Research and implementation of sensitive data identification method based on text content

To prevent the leakage of sensitive data and provide the basis for data access control,a design method of identifying sensitive data based on chinese text content is presented.Through the study of sensitive text library and the text library which included the same number of sensitive text and security text,it can determine the threshold of the sensitive data and judge the unknown classification text whether sensitive data or not.The design and implementation process of pre-processing,text recognition and determination of the threshold is described.Finally,by identifying the education-related text in Sogou corpus,experiments prove that the method is simple and practical and has a high accuracy rate.
The design of automatic control of seepage drainage system for hydropower station of Chaozhou water supply project

Chaozhou water supply project and seepage drainage system for hydropower station are introduced in this paper.The design on local control unit,soft starter,measure units,control mode,scheme of control flow is discussed.Then,the operation situation of seepage drainage system is introduced in brief.
Data products of the ALMA and NRAO archives

Radio astronomy archives present particular challenges due to the complexity of the data processing. New radio telescopes such as the Jansky-VLA and ALMA also have much larger data volumes than the previous generation of instruments, requiring large amounts of storage and processing. Here we describe the approach taken by NRAO towards making the data products of the VLA and ALMA available to our users. This includes traditional approaches of pipelining and imaging, and also on-demand server side processing, visualization and analysis. We discuss how the size of the image products is related to that of the visibility data, and how this places variable demands on the data flow from the telescope and its data center as configurations are changed throughout the year. Finally, we look ahead to the next generation of radio telescopes such as the SKA and ngVLA.
BEYOND UTM: The organism that therefore the academy is

Inspired by theory-fiction and weird philosophical readings of contemporary culture such as Rem Koolhaas’s lyrical ‘Junkspace,’ we consider the central metaphor by which contemporary administrators, educators and students understand higher education – school as business – and offer an alternative model from biology: school as slime mold, a blind, decentralized network organism. In constructing our new metaphorical regime, we look into the roots of the word ‘education,’ the changing interactions among universities (qua brands) and students (qua consumers) such as the rise of massive open online courses (MOOCs) and university franchises, and the potentially beneficial role of the para-academic (the ‘unofficial excess or extension of the academic’). We ultimately note that the situation is not hopeless because the same tools that allow capitalists to turn ‘an education’ into a commodity are, for learners and teachers, new means of generating meaningful connections, serious play and lively communities.
Human Translesion Polymerase κ Exhibits Enhanced Activity and Reduced Fidelity Two Nucleotides from G-Quadruplex DNA

We have investigated the in vitro properties of human Y-family polymerase κ (hpol κ) on G-quadruplex DNA (G4 DNA). Similar to hpol η, another Y-family member implicated in replication of G4 motifs, hpol κ bound G4 DNA with a 5.7-fold preference over control, non-G4 DNA. Results from pol extension assays are consistent with the notion that G-quadruplexes present a stronger barrier to DNA synthesis by hpol κ than they do to that by hpol η. However, kinetic analysis revealed that hpol κ activity increases considerably when the enzyme is 2–3 nucleotides from the G4 motif, a trend that was reported previously for hpol η, though the increase was less pronounced. The increase in hpol κ activity on G4 DNA was readily observed in the presence of either potassium or sodium but much less so when lithium was used in the buffer. The increased activity 2–3 nucleotides from the G4 motif was accompanied by a decrease in the fidelity of hpol κ when the counterion was either potassium or sodium but not in the presence of l...