cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Informing Community Engagement in Sea Turtle Conservation by Examining Non-Conservation-Related Participation in Northeast Brazil

ABSTRACTParticipation in conservation programs is often viewed as a necessity, but understanding of this participation is limited. This research takes a different approach by also examining participation in non-conservation-related activities. Questionnaires (N = 339) were administered in four Brazilian coastal communities where the national sea turtle conservation project conducts monitoring and outreach. Employing social capital as a conceptual framework, measurements included participation in civic, community, and social activities along with group participation and collective action. Confirmatory factor analysis was used for validating measures of social capital and conservation perceptions. Structural equation modeling indicated that social capital has a positive relationship with participation in sea turtle conservation, suggesting that general levels of participation and community norms of participation could be just as influential as conservation perceptions to engage communities in conservation. ...
Proximal Renal Tubule Preparations Isolated from Rat or Rabbit Kidneys without the use of Collagenase

Kidney tubules have previously been isolated from a number of different animal species using techniques involving perfusion and digestion of the organ with collagenase, followed by centrifugation of the resulting suspension. These techniques suffer from the disadvantages of requiring prolonged incubation with a potentially damaging enzyme and contamination of the preparations with glo-meruli. We have developed a procedure for the isolation of a purified preparation of rabbit kidney tubules without collagenase digestion. Rabbit or rat kidneys are perfused with buffer, followed by a suspension of magnetic iron oxide. The cortex is then homogenized by hand and put through nylon sieves of varying mesh sizes that separate large pieces of tissue from the glomeruli and tubules, which are caught on the smaller mesh sieves. The glomeruli containing entrapped iron oxide are then separated from the tubules with the aid of a magnet. Tubules isolated in this way are morphologically intact as shown by electron microsco...
Applications of Aerogels in Space Exploration

NASA has used aerogel in several space exploration missions over the last two decades. Aerogel has been used as a hypervelocity particle capture medium (Stardust) and as thermal insulation for the Mars Pathfinder, Mars Exploration Rovers, and Mars Science Lander. Future applications of aerogel are also discussed and include the proposed use of aerogel as a sample collection medium to return upper atmosphere particles from Mars to earth and as thermal insulation in thermal-to-electric generators for future space missions and terrestrial waste-heat recovery technology.
Serum Biomarkers Indicate Long-term Reduction in Liver Fibrosis in Patients With Sustained Virological Response to Treatment for HCV Infection.

Background & Aims Sustained virological response (SVR) to antiviral therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) correlates with changes in biochemical measures of liver function. However, little is known about the long-term effects of SVR on liver fibrosis. We investigated the effects of HCV therapy on fibrosis, based on the Fibrosis-4 (FIB4) score, over a 10-year period. Methods We collected data from participants in the Chronic Hepatitis Cohort Study—a large observational multicenter study of patients with hepatitis at 4 US health systems—from January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2013. We calculated patients' FIB4 score and the aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) score over a 10-year period. Of 4731 patients with HCV infection, 1657 (35%) were treated and 755 (46%) of these patients achieved SVR. Results In propensity score–adjusted analyses, we observed significant longitudinal changes in FIB4 score that varied with treatment and response to treatment. In patients achieving SVR, FIB4 scores decreased sharply, remaining significantly lower over the 10-year period than in untreated patients or patients with treatment failure ( P P Conclusions SVR to HCV treatment appears to induce long-term regression of fibrosis based on FIB4 scores collected over 10 years from a large observational study of US hepatitis patients. Patients receiving no treatment or with treatment failure had progressive increases in FIB4 scores.
Abstract 4850: Sensitization to chemotherapy through interference with FOXO4 - a pivotal node between senescence and apoptosis

Malignant transformation of damaged cells is restricted through activation of potent tumor suppressive mechanisms as apoptosis and cellular senescence. While apoptotic cells are cleared from the organism, senescent cells are withdrawn from the cell cycle, remain present in the organism and accumulate with age. Senescent cells retain the capacity to become tumorigenic upon acquisition of additional mutations. Forcing a shift from the senescence program towards apoptosis may therefore prove clinically useful as treatment for senescence-escaped tumors. Unfortunately, it is still unclear why certain cells undergo apoptosis whereas others enter senescence in response to identical stimuli. We establish the transcription factor FOXO4 as a pivot in this decision process. FOXO4 expression is elevated in DNA-damaged cells, associated with its recruitment to focal sites of DNA damage. Treatment of primary cultures that would otherwise senesce in response to DNA-damaging insults could be pushed towards apoptosis by interference with FOXO4 expression. This formed the basis for a series of experiments addressing the potential role of FOXO4 in tumor survival. Recently, the BRAF V600E -specific drug Vemurafenib has been shown to significantly enhance tumor-free survival rates of malignant melanoma patients carrying this mutation, but in time recurrence tends to occur. Excitingly, we observed that interference with FOXO4 expression in BRAF V600E -driven malignant melanomas sensitized them to Vemurafenib as well as their “classical” chemotherapeutic agent Dacarbazine. Several NRAS-mutated melanoma lines could furthermore be spontaneously induced to apoptose by FOXO4 interference. Finally, these observations are not limited to melanoma and interference with FOXO4 also sensitized mammary carcinoma cells toward 5-fluorouracyl and prostate carcinoma cells towards Mitoxantrone. We are currently exploring the potential of targeted anti-FOXO4 therapy in vivo to see whether FOXO4 could provide a general Achilles’ heel in the survival of malignant carcinomas. This work is supported by post-doctoral fellowship Buit-4649 of the Dutch Cancer Society awarded to PLJDK and NIH grant AG017242 awarded to JC. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4850. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4850
Soil Oribatei. II. Belba kingi, new species (Acarina: Belbidae), and a Study of Its Life History

This beneficial mite lives in the litter of forest soils and feeds upon fungi, thus breaking down organic matter and making nutrients available to plants. In the laboratory, at 20° C. and in a moisture-saturated atmosphere, its developmental stages required 9 to 11 weeks. A soil-water extract and the fungus Trichoderma koningi Oudem. furnished sufficient nutritional requirements to allow complete development from egg to adult. Probably there is one generation a year in the field.
Aortic Stiffness in Youth with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Genotype

Clinical events in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients are related to the degree of hypertrophy. Aortic stiffness in adult HCM patients has been reported to be higher than control patients. Increased stiffness may cause more LV hypertrophy and thus lead to more clinical events. We sought to (a) noninvasively compare aortic structure and function between youth with sarcomeric HCM genotype versus control youth and (b) explore the relation between aortic function and degree of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy. In a prospective study from a single referral center, clinical, anthropometric, and hemodynamic data were acquired on 28 consecutive pathogenic HCM gene mutation carriers and 26 unrelated controls (mean age 16.3, 50 % girls). Hemodynamic data included applanation tonometry measured central pulse pressure, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (CFPWV), reflected wave augmentation index (AIx). In the HCM gene carriers, LV mass-to-volume ratio was extracted from clinically indicated echocardiograms as an index of hypertrophy. Associations were assessed using multivariable adjusted linear regression. The HCM group was comprised of 14 myosin binding protein C3 carriers, 13 myosin heavy chain 7 carriers, and 1 child with both. HCM and control groups did not differ by age, sex, height, body mass index, heart rate, or blood pressure. HCM carriers had significantly lower CFPWV than controls (4.46 ± 0.88 vs. 4.97 ± 0.44 m/s, p = 0.01) and higher AIx magnitude (27 ± 19 vs. 18 ± 7 %, p = 0.04). These associations persisted after adjustment for age, sex, height, heart rate, mean pressure, and medication use. Within the HCM group, LV hypertrophy was related to AIx but not CFPWV. CFPWV nor AIx differed by genotype. Aortic stiffness appears lower, but wave reflection appears higher in youth carrying HCM gene mutations. The degree of wave reflection appears correlated with LV hypertrophy in this high-risk cohort, suggesting that mitigation of wave reflection may possibly attenuate LV hypertrophy.
Integrating Identities: Facilitating a Support Group for LGBTQ Students on a Christian College Campus

ABSTRACTCollege can be a challenging time for young adults, as many are experiencing life on their own for the first time, adjusting to new lifestyles, new social groups, and new ways to express themselves. For lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) college students, the challenges are increased as they face harassment, discrimination, and struggles with identity. For LGBTQ students on a Christian campus, the integration of spiritual and sexual/gender identities can pose even more challenges. Research has shown that LGBTQ individuals are at a higher risk for mental health issues, as are those who fail to integrate spiritual and sexual/gender identities. This article will use a review of the current literature to address the need for LGBTQ support groups on Christian college campuses as a means to help these students resolve internal identity conflicts. This article also will demonstrate a rationale for why these groups are needed, identify specific interventions that can be effective, prov...
Vegetable Love: Virgil, Columella, and Garden Poetry

In 65 CE, a Spanish writer appointed himself Virgil's heir and stepped into a breach that did not really exist. L. Iunius Moderatus Columella chose to attach to his self-styled prose ‘monument’ of agricultural instruction an ornamental didactic poem on gardening, to fill the gap apparently left by Virgil at the start of Georgic 4. The result has been regarded for the most part as a misguided experiment, an uninspired pastiche of clippings and half-lines from a greater poet. Yet in recent years, as part of the wholescale rehabilitation of ‘second-rate’ Latin literature, it has begun to be considered in its own right. Why is this forgettable poem worth another look? Partly because it exists and is average: it tells us how Virgil himself was read in antiquity, and how one middling writer responded to a particular task with its own set of rules. But it is also a surprisingly ambitious poem, a showpiece in which Columella concentrates all his resources, to give his immediate readers Silvinus and Gallio a ‘taste’, in his own words, of his poetic gifts. He takes an unpromising subject and overcompensates by making something new and monstrous out of it. It is not often that artichokes and cucumbers are forced into such lurid focus.
Sarcopenic Obesity Definitions by Body Composition and Mortality in the Hemodialysis Patients.

Objective Sarcopenic obesity (SO), a combination of low muscle mass and high fat mass, is considered as risk factor for mortality in general population. It is unclear if SO affects mortality in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. In this study, we aimed to determine whether body composition as assessed by currently available SO definitions is related to all-cause mortality in MHD subjects. We also examined the impact of applying different definitions on the prevalence of SO in our MHD database. Design Retrospective analysis. Subjects Adult patients on MHD for at least 3 months with no acute illness studied in the clinical research center between 2003 and 2011. Intervention Assessment of body composition was performed using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. SO (appendicular skeletal mass: arm lean mass + leg lean mass and fat mass) was defined according to Baumgartner definition, Janssen criteria 1, and Janssen criteria 2. Main Outcome Measure All-cause mortality and prevalence of SO. Patient deaths were ascertained from medical records and United States social security death index. Results Of 122 participants, 62% were male; mean age was 46 years (interquartile range: 40, 54) in men and 50 years (44, 61) in women. Prevalence of SO ranged from 12% to 62% in men and 2% to 74% in female according to different definitions. SO prevalence was lowest using the Baumgartner criteria (all: 8%, men 12%, women: 2%) and highest according to the Janssen criteria 2 (all: 57%, men 46%, women 74%). There were 45 deaths during a median follow-up period of 44 (20, 76) months. SO by any definition was not statistically significantly associated with mortality during follow-up. Conclusions The current SO definitions are not applicable to predict increased risk of death in MHD patients. We found high degree of variation in the rates of SO when using different definitions. Future studies should focus on establishing MHD population-specific thresholds of muscle mass and adiposity for accurate prognostication.
Intestinal Intussusception: Etiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Intussusception is defined as the invagination of one segment of the bowel into an immediately adjacent segment of the bowel. Idiopathic ileocolic intussusception is the most common form in children and is typically managed with nonoperative reduction via pneumatic and/or hydrostatic enemas. In the adult population, intussusception is uncommon and occurs more often in the small intestine than in the colon. It is associated with lead point pathology in most symptomatic cases presenting as bowel obstruction. When lead point pathology is present in adult small bowel intussusception, it is usually benign, though when malignant it is most frequently due to diffuse metastatic disease, for example, melanoma. In contrast, adult ileocolic and colonic intussusception lead point pathology is most frequently primary adenocarcinoma when malignant. The diagnosis is typically made intraoperatively or by cross-sectional imaging. With increasingly frequent CT/MRI of the adult abdomen in the current era, transient and/or asymptomatic intussusceptions are increasingly found and may often be appropriately observed without intervention. When intervention in the adult population is warranted, usually oncologic bowel resection is performed due to the association with lead point pathology.
Tracing deaf youth geographies and mobilities in Turkey: insights from a vocational high school

ABSTRACTThis article provides a description of the social geographies articulated by a group of deaf students who are enrolled at a semi-residential vocational high school for the deaf in Turkey. Using the mobilities paradigm as a theoretical and analytical framework, the study focuses on the social and spatial practices of nine deaf young women who are residential students at a vocational high school in Istanbul. The article elaborates on their modes, tools, aptitudes and ideas of social movement, often in comparison with their non-residential and male deaf peers. It also presents a reading of this vocational high school as a system of mobilities that regulates the social navigation practices of its students, as well as a field of possibilities where competing cultural and political ideologies on the mobilities of deaf, young and female actors in Turkey are materialized. Data for this study come from in-depth interviews with students, participant observations and informational interviews that the author ...
Qigong Sensory Training pilot study: A tactile home program for children with or at-risk for autism

This pilot study investigated the efficacy of Qigong Sensory Training, a parent-implemented tactile intervention, in improving sensory processing and self-regulation in children with or at-risk for...
Development of a Mode Choice Model for General Purpose Flexible-Route Transit Systems

This study developed a mode choice model that can be used to describe how transit users select emerging competitive transit options. Specifically, the mode choice model considers the selection of traditional fixed-route transit systems, flexible-route systems in which vehicles are shared but routes are flexible to prevailing demands, and individual transit systems that provide door-to-door and demand-responsive service (e.g., taxis, Uber, or Lyft). A stated preference survey was performed: survey participants were provided a specific scenario and were asked to select the most attractive transit option. Each scenario was presented with the following attributes: walking time required, waiting time (including variability), in-vehicle travel time (including variability), monetary cost, and availability of GPS tracking services. Various statistical modeling frameworks were considered and applied to these survey data to describe the mode choice decision-making process. The results revealed that some individuals...
Christmas Toy Manufacturer's Problem: An Application of the Stochastic Maximum Principle

Production scheduling problem of style good manufacturer involves seasonal stochastic demands for their goods and limited production capacities. As a result, some production must take place before the selling season starts. The problem can be cast as a stochastic optimal control problem over stochastic networks. A suitable stochastic maximum principle to deal with such problems is developed and proved in a simple manner. Intuitive physical interpretation is given to the transversality conditions on the adjoint variable at the nodes of the network. An application of the maximum principle is made to solve a simplified version of the Christmas toy manufacturer's problem. Statements of two important exceptions conclude the paper.
DATING THE METHUSELAH WALK BRISTLECONE PINE FLOATING CHRONOLOGIES

Two floating, ring-width chronologies predate the long bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) absolutely-dated, ring-width chronology from the Methuselah Walk (MWK) site in the White Mountains of California. The two non-overlapping floating chronologies were derived from samples that crossdate internally but are temporally unconnected to each other and to the nearly 9000-year, ring-width sequence that is crossdated to the calendar year. We used radiocarbon wiggle-matching and crossdating to place the two floating sequences more accurately in time and to better understand the temporal relationships between the three time series. The trees from the oldest floating sequence were alive near the beginning of the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary and they do not overlap with the other chronologies because of a gap of two-to-three centuries between the two floating series. However, the trees from the younger floating sequence likely do overlap with the long, calendar-dated MWK chronology. We find a possible 57-year overlap that connects these two. If confirmed with additional work, the resulting tree-ring dated annual record from this single location will span 10,359 years, a unique accomplishment in dendrochronology.
YSUY: Your Smartphone Understands You—Using Machine Learning to Address Fundamental Human Needs

Most machine learning (ML) models are geared toward improving some desired metric like classification accuracy or inference latency. Given the significant successes of such models, especially supervised ones, in addressing such metrics, the time has come to ask if they can also be put to direct use in understanding the users and addressing basic human needs, e.g., subsistence, protection, affection, understanding, participation, leisure, creation, identity, and freedom. A prerequisite to addressing such human needs is that the ML models exhibit a basic grasp of human psychology. In this article, we present ML models that can be embedded in our smartphone and enable it to understand us. We call this system your smartphone understands you (YSUY). YSUY uses wearable medical sensors to understand our physical, mental, and four-class (two-class) emotional states with 90.0%, 90.3%, and 98.4% (99.5%) accuracy, respectively. After verifying YSUY’s ability to understand the human condition from various perspectives, we evaluate the relationship between the different states and discuss how YSUY can be taken one step further to start playing a helpful role in addressing human needs of the types mentioned above from four different perspectives: “being,” “doing,” “having,” and “interacting.” We show that YSUY is a a promising candidate for adapting ML models to human-centric needs. We view this only as an initial step, hopefully, spurring other researchers to investigate the relationship between ML models and fulfilling human needs in much greater depth.
A Simple Strategy to Communicate about Climate Attribution

AbstractHurricane Harvey and other recent weather extremes stimulated extensive public discourse about the role of anthropogenic climate change in amplifying, or otherwise modifying, such events. I...
Yellowstone Lake: An Evaluation of Patterns in Productivity

This study was initiated in 1982 to critically evaluate the evidence (Varley 1974, Shero and Parker 1977) that primary productivity in Yellowstone Lake has decreased during the last 1500 years with an accelerated decline in the last century. Our specific objectives were the following: 1. Assemble, summarize, and evaluate existing data and observations related to the past and present trophic status of Yellowstone Lake; 2. Identify all possible explanations for the observed pattern in lake productivity, both long-term (last 1500 years) and recent (last 100 years), and summarize and evaluate existing evidence to support or refute each proposed explanation; and 3. Collect new data to test one attractive hypothesis that has been mentioned frequently but never examined closely, namely that changes in the nutrient status and productivity of the lake are related, at least in part, to the effects of large fires in the watershed (Varley 1974, Romme and Knight 1982).
Musculoskeletal microbiology: The utility of the microbiome in orthopedics.

The past 15 years has witnessed a renaissance in the study of the microbes that colonize the human body. The vast majority of the human microbiome resides within the gut. Alterations to the gut microbiome have been associated with the pathogenesis and progression of wide-ranging diseases throughout the body - including atherosclerosis, depression, and obesity. Our understanding of the effects of the gut microbiome on the musculoskeletal system remains in its infancy, but preclinical work has demonstrated an effect of the gut microbiome on the success of orthopaedic surgical procedures, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and muscle mass. In this perspective I review preclinical findings demonstrating that an impaired presurgical gut microbiome can increase the likelihood of developing periprosthetic joint infection and how alterations in the gut microbiome can reduce bone strength by impairing bone tissue material properties. In addition to discussing these examples I review the hypothesis that many chronic non-communicable diseases have become more prevalent in modern industrialized societies as a result of changes in the composition of the gut microbiome resulting from changes in environment/lifestyle (diet, sanitation, antibiotic use). The most burdensome musculoskeletal disorders are chronic and non-communicable and may therefore be related to generational shifts in the composition of the gut microbiome, a possibility I illustrate by reviewing changes in the prevalence of osteoarthritis over the last century. Microbiome based therapeutics are potentially innocuous, inexpensive and have the potential to be effective with only occasional use, making them attractive for addressing the needs of chronic and/or slowly progressing musculoskeletal disorders. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Antisense oligonucleotide and adjuvant exercise therapy reverse fatigue in old mice with myotonic dystrophy

Patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) identify chronic fatigue as the most debilitating symptom, which manifests in part as prolonged recovery after exercise. Clinical features of DM1 result from pathogenic gain-of-function activity of transcripts containing an expanded microsatellite CUG repeat (CUGexp). In DM1 mice, therapies targeting the CUGexp transcripts correct the molecular phenotype, reverse myotonia, and improve muscle pathology. However, the effect of targeted molecular therapies on fatigue in DM1 is unknown. Here, we use two mouse models of DM1, age-matched wild-type controls, an exercise-activity assay, electrical impedance myography, and therapeutic antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to show that exaggerated exercise-induced fatigue progresses with age, is unrelated to muscle fiber size, and persists despite correction of the molecular phenotype for 3 months. In old DM1 mice, ASO treatment combined with an exercise training regimen consisting of treadmill walking 30 min per day 6 days per week for 3 months reverse all measures of fatigue. Exercise training without ASO therapy improves some measures of fatigue without correction of the molecular pathology. Our results highlight a key limitation of ASO monotherapy for this clinically important feature and support the development of moderate-intensity exercise as an adjuvant for targeted molecular therapies of DM1.
Review of Aerosolized Hydrogen Peroxide, Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide, and Hydrogen Peroxide Gas Plasma in the Decontamination of Filtering Facepiece Respirators.

Abstract Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has led to over 170?million cases worldwide with over 33.2?million cases and 594,000 deaths in the US alone as of May 31st, 2021. The pandemic has also created severe shortages of personal protective equipment, particularly of filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued recommendations to help conserve FFRs, as well as crisis standards, including four criteria required for decontamination of the traditionally single use respirators. This review is designed to provide an overview of the current literature on vaporized hydrogen peroxide (vHP), hydrogen peroxide gas plasma (HPGP), and aerosolized hydrogen peroxide (aHP) with respect to each of the four CDC decontamination criteria. Methods PubMed and Medrxiv were queried for relevant articles. All articles underwent a title and abstract screen as well as subsequent full text screen by two blinded reviewers if indicated. Results Searches yielded 195 papers, of which, 79 were found to be relevant. Of those, 23 papers presented unique findings and 8 additional articles and technical papers were added to provide a comprehensive review. Overall, while there are potential concerns for all 3 decontamination methods, we found that vHP has the most evidence supporting its use in FFR decontamination consistent with CDC recommendation. Conclusions Future research is recommended to evaluate biological inactivation and real world fit failures after FFR reuse.
Framing Vaccine Mandates: Messenger and Message Effects

In September 2021, President Biden announced that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) would require all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure that their workers are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or show a negative test for the virus at least once a week. The policy has been widely characterized in the media as “President Biden’s vaccine mandate,” though it could be described with equal accuracy as “OSHA’s testing mandate” (since OSHA, rather than Biden, officially promulgated the policy, and once-a-week testing and vaccination are both valid compliance options). Some commentators have speculated that reframing the policy as a testing mandate (with a vaccination option) rather than a vaccine mandate (with a testing option) would boost public support. This study seeks to gain empirical insight into how framing effects shape attitudes toward vaccination and testing policies. In October 2021, we presented a nationally representative sample of 1500 U.S. adults with different descriptions of the same vaccinate-or-test requirement. We find that recharacterizing “President Biden’s vaccine mandate” as “OSHA’s testing mandate” yields a substantively and statistically significant positive effect on support, boosting the policy’s net approval margin by approximately 13 percentage points. The effect of reframing is particularly strong among self-identified Republicans, who overwhelmingly oppose the policy when it is framed as President Biden’s vaccine mandate but are more evenly split when the policy is framed as OSHA’s testing mandate. Further analysis reveals that the positive effect is driven by the change in the messenger frame (i.e., switching the promulgator of the policy from President Biden to OSHA). By contrast, changing the message frame from a vaccination requirement (with a testing exception) to a testing requirement (with a vaccination exception) has little independent effect on respondents’ attitudes. Our results suggest that messenger framing can have meaningful effects on public opinion toward a policy even after the policy is widely known. Beyond the Covid-19 context, our study points to a potential cost of presidential administration when partisan divisions are deep. Our results suggest that framing a regulatory policy as an extension of the president can elicit strong—and in this case, negative—reactions that may be avoidable if the same policy is framed as the work of a bureaucratic agency.
Critical Early Thrombolytic and Endovascular Reperfusion Therapy for Acute Ischemic Stroke Victims: a Call for Adjunct Neuroprotection

Today, there is an enormous amount of excitement in the field of stroke victim care due to the recent success of MR. CLEAN, SWIFT PRIME, ESCAPE, EXTEND-IA, and REVASCAT endovascular trials. Successful intravenous (IV) recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) clinical trials [i.e., National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) rt-PA trial, Third European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study (ECASSIII), and Third International Stroke study (IST-3)] also need to be emphasized. In the recent endovascular and thrombolytic trials, there is statistically significant improvement using both the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and the modified Rankin Score (mRS) scale, but neither approach promotes complete recovery in patients enrolled within any particular NIHSS or mRS score tier. Absolute improvement (mRS 0–2 at 90 days) with endovascular therapy is 13.5–31 %, whereas thrombolytics alone also significantly improve patient functional independence, but to a lesser degree (NINDS rt-PA trial 13 %). This article has 3 main goals: (1) first to emphasize the utility and cost-effectiveness of rt-PA to treat stroke; (2) second to review the recent endovascular trials with respect to efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness as a stroke treatment; and (3) to further consider and evaluate strategies to develop novel neuroprotective drugs. A thesis will be put forth so that future stroke trials and therapy development can optimally promote recovery so that stroke victims can return to “normal” life.
Inductive Reasoning, Psychology of

Inductive reasoning is the capacity to draw uncertain conclusions from known facts. Despite lacking a sound justification, people make inductions in systematic ways. Keywords: induction; reasoning; category; predicate; premise; conclusion; similarity; probability theory
Deconstructing a Disease: RAR, Its Fusion Partners, and Their Roles in the Pathogenesis of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia

I N THE LATE 1980s and early 1990s, the elucidation of the molecular basis of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) emerged as a paradigm for the connection between the bench and bedside. At that time, it became apparent that APL was, among the forms of acute myeloid leukemia, uniquely sensitive to all
Acute myelogenous leukemia

TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Overview of AML: Francis Giles, MD Anderson II. Molecular Foundations of AML Pathogenesis and Pathophysiology A. Transcriptional Control of Myeloid Differentiation and Transformation: Alan Friedman, Johns Hopkins B. Myelodysplasia-Related AML: Ghulam Mufti, King's College, London, England C. Treatment-Related AML: Michelle LeBeau, University of Chicago D. DNA Damage and Repair: David Steensma and Scott Kaufmann Mayo Clinic E. Apoptosis: Ruben Mesa and Scott Kaufmann, Mayo Clinic F. Drug Resistance Transporters: Douglas Ross, University of Maryland III. Translating Biology into Clinical Application A. Impact of Cytogenetics on Clinical Outcome: David Grimwade, Guy's Hospital, London, England B. APL: A Classic Tale of Bench to Bedside: Martin Tallman, Northwestern C. Molecular Therapeutics of AML: Selected Targeted Approaches Overview: Edward Sausville, University of Maryland FLT3: Mark Levis, Johns Hopkins Farnesyltransferase: Jeffrey Lancet, Moffitt (University of South Florida) Modulating Gene Expression as a Therapeutic Approach: Tamer Fandy, Hetty Carraway, Steven Gore, Johns Hopkins Growth Factor-Based Differentiation: William Matsui, Johns Hopkins D. Stem Cell Transplantation: Richard Jones, Johns Hopkins E. Vaccine Development: Ivan Borrello, Johns Hopkins IV. Special Challenges A. Pediatric AML: Robert Arceci, Johns Hopkins -- pending B. AML in the Elderly: Richard Stone, Dana Farber C. Myeloproliferative Disorders: Jason Gottlib, Stanford D. New Clinical Trials Designs: Elihu Estey, MD Anderson
Responsibility and management strategies in child sexual abuse: a comparison of child protective workers, nurses, and police officers.

This study identifies the attitudes of professionals toward the attribution of responsibility for sexual abuse and strategies for case management. Several variables, including the victim's gender, social status of the perpetrator, use of physical force, one's professional discipline, and past history of childhood victimization, were found to influence professionals' attitudes. Language: en
para‐Aminobenzoate N‐Oxygenase

The monooxygenase AurF catalyzes the oxidation of a primary amine during the biosynthesis of the antibiotic aureothin. Biochemical reconstitution of in vitro activity demonstrates that AurF is a nonheme iron-dependent enzyme. Crystallographic elucidation of the 3D structure reveals homology to the ribonucleotide reductase family of monooxygenases, despite a lack of appreciable similarity in the primary sequence. 3D Structure Keywords: nitro group; oxidoreductase; nonheme iron; aureothin
Executive Compensation: Much Ado about Nothing?

Recent concerns about the level of executive compensation led to revisiting the question of whether highly compensated corporate employees earn their pay. Several measures of company performance indicate that companies with the most highly compensated employees perform only in a manner consistent with other companies. Our results provide support for those who have recently expressed dismay over compensation levels.
Mutational analysis of the TnrA-binding sites in the Bacillus subtilis nrgAB and gabP promoter regions.

Transcription of the Bacillus subtilis nrgAB promoter is activated during nitrogen-limited growth by the TnrA protein. A common inverted repeat, TGTNAN7TNACA (TnrA site), is centered 49 to 51 bp upstream of the transcriptional start sites for the TnrA-regulated nrgAB, gabP P2, and nas promoters. Oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis of the nrgAB promoter region showed that conserved nucleotides within the TnrA site, the A+T-rich region between the two TnrA half-sites, and an upstream A tract are all required for high-level activation of nrgAB expression. Mutations that alter the relative distance between the two half-sites of the nrgAB TnrA site abolish nitrogen regulation of nrgAB expression. Spacer mutations that change the relative distance between the TnrA site and −35 region of the nrgAB promoter reveal that activation of nrgAB expression occurs only when the TnrA site is located 49 to 51 bp upstream of the transcriptional start site. Mutational analysis of the conserved nucleotides in the gabP P2 TnrA site showed that this sequence is also required for nitrogen-regulated gabP P2 expression. The TnrA protein, expressed in an overproducing Escherichia coli strain, had a 625-fold-higher affinity for the wild-type nrgAB promoter DNA than for a mutated nrgAB promoter DNA fragment that is unable to activate nrgAB expression in vivo. These results indicate that the proposed TnrA site functions as the binding site for the TnrA protein. TnrA was found to activate nrgAB expression during late exponential growth in nutrient sporulation medium containing glucose, suggesting that cells become nitrogen limited during growth in this medium.
Stress relaxation in an electrical connector

It is noted that the relaxation stress greatly affects the reliability of electrical connectors. For proper functioning, adequate normal force must be maintained. Insulation displacement connectors (IDCs) promise increased economy over conventional electrical connectors; therefore, a high-reliability IDC has great potential in sophisticated office and business products. The authors describe an investigation of the stress relaxation of a few commercially available IDCs. Solid and stranded flat cables were studied experimentally and analytically. Dependences on temperature were also checked in 1000 h tests. Solid wires were found to yield less relaxation than stranded wires. While differences in performance due to size were slight, elevated temperature led to accelerated stress relaxation. When the connectors and wire combinations were used as tested, sufficient stress remained at end of life to maintain a gas-tight seal. >
Demographic trends and saving propensities: "a revisit with life cycle theory"..

This paper uses the life cycle hypothesis to explain why personal savings in the U.S. have fallen to a low of 1.9% of disposable income in 1985 despite tax cuts. Life cycle theory envisions an individuals lifetime as a series of choices of current consumption and allocation of net worth between alternative assets and liabilities so as to maximize the expected utility of consumption over life. The mathematical expression for the utility function implies the stochastic nature of future return on aessts and independence at any given age of the ratio of consumption to resources to total resources. Population growth leads to positive saving overall by increasing the ratio of younger households. The proportion of younger households (ages 25-44) in the U.S. population increased by 10.3 million from 1980-1985 and this growth is expected to continue. Older households increased their savings but younger families are borrowing more and spending the money their elders saved.
Microstructural stability of directionally solidified eutectic NiAl-Mo under static and thermal cycling conditions

The quasi-binary eutectic NiAl-9% Mo with faceted molybdenum fibers was subjected to both thermal annealing conditions and to annealing under thermal cycling conditions to determine the microstructural stability of this alloy. The static temperature tests were run at 0.85T{sub M}--0.97T{sub M} in an argon gas atmosphere. The thermal cycling tests were performed between temperatures of 700 C and 1,200 C by induction heating disk-shaped specimens in an argon gas atmosphere using time-temperature heating and cooling profiles to approximate potential engine applications. To quantify microstructural changes, the fiber size and size distribution and number of fibers per unit area were measured as a function of time at temperature. The overall results demonstrate that the directionally solidified eutectic NiAl-9Mo subjected to thermal fatigue conditions exhibits cell boundary coarsening and large shape changes, whereas the microstructure under static stress-free annealing is stable.
Conceptual design of the pointing and control subsystem of the space infrared telescope facility

ABSTRACT The Space Infrared Telescope Facility mission provides exciting pointing and control challenges. This paper describes the pointing and control subsystem (PCS) designed to meet these challenges. Cost, mass, performance and life-time drove the choice of the new solar orbit and the re-design of the telescope, spacecraft and the pointing and control subsystem. The PCS performs a number of key functions for the Observatory, including pointing to and holding inertial targets, tracking moving targets, performingprescribed motion patterns, maintaining pointing constraints and providing safe hold during failure. To attain the high precision demanded by the observatory, the PCS relies on a sub-arcsecond star tracker and a 0.001 arcsecond resolution inertial reference unit. An affordable PCS is realized by locating the fine guidance sensor externally, utilizing a simple fault protection strategy, and maximizing the commonality inthe use of hardware and in the development of flight software.
Solar Production of Fuels

Research aims to engineer the optical properties of sunlight absorption and utilization to improve solar energy conversion efficiency in microalgal photosynthesis. Further, application of metabolic transformation technologies in microalgae confers specific light-driven biofuels production.
Ca45 uptake by dog erythrocytes suspended in sodium and potassium chloride solutions.

The disappearance of Ca/sup 4//sup 5/ from the medium was greater when washed dog erythrocytes were suspended in isotonic KCl rather than in isotonic NaCl. Cells stored in a refrigerator for 24 hr or more took up even greater quantities of Ca/sup 4//sup 5/ when incubated in KCl but cells suspended in NaCl did not show any difference from fresh cells. This result is consistent with the view that competition takes place between Ca and Na ions for binding sites as a consequence of the similarity in ionic radii. Acid-citrate-dextrose and, to a certain extent, heparin appeared to delay the increased uptake by stored cells. Addition of glucose, adenosine, or Nembutal to stored blood had no effect. Fresh cells hemolyzed by saponin or by hypotonic media took up no more Ca than unhemolyzed fresh cells. Calcium uptake in KCl was -dependent upon pH, greater amounts being taken up at alkaline pH. In contrast to dog red cells, human and cat erythrocytes did not show differences in uptake in NaCl and in KCl, before or after storage. (auth)
Synthesis, Structure, and Reactivity of the Ruthenium(VI)−Nickel(II) Complex (dppe)Ni(μ3-S)2{Ru(N)Me2}2

The reaction between Ni(dppe)(SSiMe3)2 and 2 equiv of [N(n-Bu)4][Ru(N)Cl2Me2] produces ClSiMe3 and the heterometallic complex (dppe)Ni(μ3-S)2{Ru(N)Me2}2. The molecular structure of this complex shows the three metals and the two nitrido ligands in a plane with the bridging sulfur atoms above and below that plane. There is an interaction between one of the ruthenium centers and the nickel. The structure differs from that of the closely related complex (dppe)Pt(μ3-S)2{Ru(N)Me2}2, which has equivalent Pt−Ru distances and no strong metal−metal interactions. The complexes (dppe)M(μ3-S)2{Ru(N)Me2}2 (M = Pt, Pd, Ni) catalyze the oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde in toluene and in supercritical carbon dioxide.
Metrology for information technology

Abstract : In May 1996, NIST management requested a white paper on metrology for information technology (IT). A task group was formed to develop this white paper with representatives from the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory (MEL), the Information Technology Laboratory (ITL), and Technology Services (TS). The task group members had a wide spectrum of experiences and perspectives on testing and measuring physical and IT quantities. The task group believed that its collective experience and knowledge were probably sufficient to investigate the underlying question of the nature of IT metrology. During the course of its work, the task group did not find any previous work addressing the overall subject of metrology for IT. The task group found it to be both exciting and challenging to possibly be first in what should be a continuing area of study. After some spirited deliberations, the task group was able to reach consensus on its white paper. Also, as a result of its deliberations, the task group decided that this white paper should suggest possible answers rather than assert definitive conclusions. In this spirit, the white paper suggests: a scope and a conceptual basis for IT metrology; a taxonomy for IT methods of testing; status of IT testing and measurement; opportunities to advance IT metrology; overall roles for NIST; and recapitulates the importance of IT metrology to the U.S. The task group is very appreciative of having had the opportunity to produce this white paper. The task group hopes that this white paper will provide food for thought for our intended audience: NIST management and technical staff and our colleagues elsewhere who are involved in various aspects of testing and measuring IT.
Metallosupramolecular Tetragonal Prisms via Multicomponent Coordination-Driven Template-Free Self-Assembly

We present a general strategy for the synthesis of stable 3-D metallosupramolecular tetragonal prisms in which multicomponent coordination-driven self-assembly allows for single supramolecular species to be formed. The appropriate stoichiometric combination of a tetraphenylethylene-based tetratopic donor (1), a linear dipyridine donor (2), and a 90° platinum metal complex (3) affords tetragonal prisms (4) as single products. The compounds have been characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The size of the supramolecules was determined by pulsed-gradient spin−echo NMR and modeled with molecular force field simulation methods.
Orthonet: Orthogonal latent variable neural network

Abstract A methodology has been developed for performing stepwise orthogonal decomposition of a data set using a derivative of the backpropagation neural network algorithm. The network is divided into two parts: a linear orthogonal feature extraction portion, and a nonlinear mapping portion consisting of one or more layers. Error feedback from the nonlinear mapping portion is used to direct the feature extraction process. In addition, the use of multivariate Gaussian kernel function nodes has been generalized to allow inclusion as any backpropagation network node. The derivation of these algorithms is described, and some of their properties are illustrated with controlled artificial data distributions.