cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On the erasure recoverability of MDS codes under concurrent updates

We consider a fault-tolerant distributed storage system that protects data on k disks using a systematic linear (n, k) MDS code. In such a system, updates to data blocks require corresponding updates to check blocks. Concurrent fault-prone access by multiple writers can drive the system into an inconsistent state with reduced tolerance for disk failures. We show tight bounds on the erasure recoverability of an (n, k) MDS code in this scenario. The bounds depend not just on the minimum distance of the code, but also on the maximum number of concurrent faulty writers and the manner in which they attempt to update the check blocks (one at a time/all at once)
Histochemical identification of plasminogen activator in rat salivary glands.

Abstract Plasminogen activator was demonstrated in sublingual, submaxillary and parotid glands. The lytic areas in the fibrin clot, induced by activation of plasminogen into the specific fibrinolytic enzyme plasmin, were evident microscopically as well defined areas of liquefaction. The fibrinolytic activity was directly related to time of incubation of the tissue with the plasminogen-rich fibrin clot. No activity was found in the plasminogen-free fibrin clot. This indicated that the lysis was due to specific activation of plasminogen by the tissue's activator, and not due to non-specific proteolysis. The gland activator was always related to blood vessels, and found to be effective in activating human and bovine plasminogen.
Dispatching rule selection using artificial neural networks for dynamic planning and scheduling

To schedule a job shop, the first task is to select an appropriate scheduling algorithm or rule. Because of the complexity of scheduling problems, no general algorithm sufficient for solving all scheduling problems has yet been developed. Most job-shop scheduling systems offer alternative algorithms for different situations, and experienced human schedulers are needed to select the best dispatching rule in these systems. This paper proposes a new algorithm for job-shop scheduling problems. This algorithm consists of three stages. First, computer simulation techniques are used to evaluate the efficiency of heuristic rules in different scheduling situations. Second, the simulation results are used to train a neural network in order to capture the knowledge which can be used to select the most efficient heuristic rule for each scheduling situation. Finally, the trained neural network is used as a dispatching rule selector in the real-time scheduling process. Research results have shown great potential in using a neural network to replace human schedulers in selecting an appropriate approach for real-time scheduling. This research is part of an ongoing project of developing a real-time planning and scheduling system.
Efficacy of a percutaneous A1 pulley release technique with identification of anatomic differences between genders.

Background: This cadaver study investigates the efficacy and safety of the Biomet knife and technique for percutaneous Al pulley release. We also evaluate the anatomic relationship between specific palmar surface landmarks and relevant underlying structures and identify differences between genders. Methods: Eighty percutaneous Al pulley releases, excluding the thumb, were performed on 20 fresh human cadaver hands (10 male, 10 female). Results: Complete release was obtained in 60 of 80 fingers. Success rates for each surgeon improved markedly as the study progressed. There were no significant differences between males and females regarding the distance between a standardized incision site and the proximal edge of the Al pulley. Conclusions: A learning curve exists for percutaneous Al pulley release using the Biomet knife and technique. The extended distal palmar crease is a reasonable incision site for percutaneous release of the index, middle, and ring Al pulleys in both men and women as the Al pulley begins just distal to this surface landmark.
The accumulation of five fluorescent compounds in the cotton leaf induced by cell-free extracts of Aspergillus flavus

Abstract (−)-Cryptocaryalactone (6-[2-acetoxy-4-phenyl-3-butenyl]-5,6-dihydro-2-pyranone) and (−)-deacetylcryptocaryalactone (6-[2-hydroxy-4-phenyl-3-butenyl]-5,6-dihydro-2-pyranone) isolated from Cryptocarya moschata seeds are natural germination inhibitors. Applied at 0.004 M, the second compound completely arrested germination of velvetleaf ( Abutilon theophrasti ) and decreased the germination rate of soybeans, but did not appear to affect corn. The first compound was not as effective; 0.004 M reduced velvetleaf germination 50%.
Comparison of 2.6- and 1.4-mm Imaging Probes for Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy of the Urinary Tract

Abstract Introduction: Probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE) is an emerging technology for dynamic, in vivo imaging of the urinary tract with micron-scale resolution. We conducted a comparative analysis of pCLE with a 2.6-mm probe and a 1.4-mm probe that is compatible with flexible endoscopes. Materials and Methods: Sixty-seven patients scheduled for bladder tumor resection were recruited. pCLE imaging was performed using 2.6- and 1.4-mm probes. Image quality with the different probes was examined and further compared with standard histopathology. Results: Images with the 2.6-mm probe have better resolution of cell morphology. The 1.4-mm probe has a wider field of view and better view of microarchitecture. While image quality with the 2.6-mm probe is superior, the 1.4-mm probe is compatible with flexible cystoscopy and maneuverability is maintained, enabling imaging of areas of the bladder that were previously challenging to access with the larger probe. Conclusions: The optical specifications ...
Strategy-based interactive cluster visualization for information retrieval

In this paper we investigate a general purpose interactive information organization system. The system organizes documents by placing them into 1-, 2-, or 3-dimensional space based on their similarity and a spring-embedding algorithm. We begin by developing a method for estimating the quality of the organization when it is applied to a set of documents returned in response to a query. We show how the relevant documents tend to clump together in space. We proceed by presenting a method for measuring the amount of structure in the organization and explain how this knowledge can be used to refine the system. We also show that increasing the dimensionality of the organization generally improves its quality, albeit only a small amount. We introduce two methods for modifying the organization based on information obtained from the user and show how such feedback improves the organization. All the analysis is done offline without direct user intervention.
D1 dopamine receptor regulates alcohol‐motivated behaviors in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in alcohol‐preferring (P) rats

Recent studies have implicated the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) as a potential brain substrate for mediating drug-related behaviors. Neuroanatomical studies have demonstrated that reciprocal projections exist from the BST to the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a dopamine reward substrate proposed to play a role in alcohol abuse. In the present study, we evaluated the role of the D(1) and D(2) dopamine receptors of the BST in regulating alcohol and sucrose-motivated behaviors. Alcohol-preferring (P) rats were trained under an FR4 operant schedule to self-administer either EtOH (10% v/v) or sucrose (2% w/v). Following training, we evaluated the capacity of a competitive D(1) (SCH 23390; 0.5-20.0 microg) and a D(2) (eticlopride; 0.5-20.0 microg) dopamine antagonist to selectively reduce EtOH-maintained responding. Naltrexone, (5-30.0 microg), the nonselective opioid antagonist, was used as a reference agent. The results showed that SCH 23390 dose-dependently reduced alcohol-motivated responding. Responding was reduced with the 20.0 microg dose to about 97% of control levels. SCH 23390 also reduced sucrose responding; however, the magnitude of effects was substantially lower with the highest doses (2.5, 20.0 microg) (68-79% of control levels). In contrast, eticlopride failed to significantly alter alcohol responding and reduced sucrose responding only with the 10.0 microg dose. Unlike the dopamine antagonists, all naltrexone doses failed to alter EtOH or sucrose-maintained responding. The results suggest a salient role for the D(1), but not the D(2) and opioid receptors in selectively modulating EtOH-motivated behaviors in the BST.
Explicit solutions to a class of nonlinear filtering problems

In this paper we obtain the solution of a class of nonlinear filtering problems in the form of a series expansion in terms of multiple Wiener integrals. The solution is explicit in the sense that the kernels of the integrals in the expansion are explicitly determine.
Institutional Patient-specific IMRT QA Does Not Predict Unacceptable Plan Delivery

Purpose To determine whether in-house patient-specific intensity modulated radiation therapy quality assurance (IMRT QA) results predict Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core (IROC)-Houston phantom results. Methods and Materials IROC Houston's IMRT head and neck phantoms have been irradiated by numerous institutions as part of clinical trial credentialing. We retrospectively compared these phantom results with those of in-house IMRT QA (following the institution's clinical process) for 855 irradiations performed between 2003 and 2013. The sensitivity and specificity of IMRT QA to detect unacceptable or acceptable plans were determined relative to the IROC Houston phantom results. Additional analyses evaluated specific IMRT QA dosimeters and analysis methods. Results IMRT QA universally showed poor sensitivity relative to the head and neck phantom, that is, poor ability to predict a failing IROC Houston phantom result. Depending on how the IMRT QA results were interpreted, overall sensitivity ranged from 2% to 18%. For different IMRT QA methods, sensitivity ranged from 3% to 54%. Although the observed sensitivity was particularly poor at clinical thresholds (eg 3% dose difference or 90% of pixels passing gamma), receiver operator characteristic analysis indicated that no threshold showed good sensitivity and specificity for the devices evaluated. Conclusions IMRT QA is not a reasonable replacement for a credentialing phantom. Moreover, the particularly poor agreement between IMRT QA and the IROC Houston phantoms highlights surprising inconsistency in the QA process.
Integrated biological hydrogen production

Biological systems offer a variety of ways by which to generate renewable energy. Among them, unicellular green algae have the ability to capture the visible portion of sunlight and store the energy as hydrogen (H2). They hold promise in generating a renewable fuel from nature's most plentiful resources, sunlight and water. Anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria have the ability of capturing the near infrared emission of sunlight to produce hydrogen while consuming small organic acids. Dark anaerobic fermentative bacteria consume carbohydrates, thus generating H2 and small organic acids. Whereas efforts are under way to develop each of these individual systems, little effort has been undertaken to combine and integrate these various processes for increased efficiency and greater yields. This work addresses the development of an integrated biological hydrogen production process based on unicellular green algae, which are driven by the visible portion of the solar spectrum, coupled with purple photosynthetic bacteria, which are driven by the near infrared portion of the spectrum. Specific methods have been tested for the cocultivation and production of H2 by the two different biological systems. Thus, a two-dimensional integration of photobiological H2 production has been achieved, resulting in better solar irradiance utilization (visible and infrared) and integration of nutrient utilization for the cost-effective production of substantial amounts of hydrogen gas. Approaches are discussed for the cocultivation and coproduction of hydrogen in green algae and purple photosynthetic bacteria entailing broad utilization of the solar spectrum. The possibility to improve efficiency even further is discussed, with dark anaerobic fermentations of the photosynthetic biomass, enhancing the H2 production process and providing a recursive link in the system to regenerate some of the original nutrients.
Epigenetic Transgenerational Actions of Endocrine Disruptors

Endocrine disruptors have recently been shown to promote an epigenetic transgenerational phenotype involving a number of disease states (e.g. male infertility). The anti-androgenic fungicide vinclozolin was found to act transiently at the time of embryonic sex determination to promote in the F1 generation a spermatogenic cell defect and subfertility in the male. When the animals were allowed to age up to 1 yr, a number of other disease states developed. This phenotype was transferred through the male germ line to all subsequent generations analyzed (F1-F4). The ability of an environmental factor (i.e. endocrine disruptor) to promote an epigenetic transgenerational phenotype impacts the potential hazards of environmental toxins, mechanisms of disease etiology, and evolutionary biology. The biological importance of the epigenetic actions of environmental agents is reviewed in the context of the primordial germ cell and development of epigenetic transgenerational phenotypes.
Trypanosoma cruzi: Effects of Infection on Receptor-Mediated Chronotropy and Ca2+ Mobilization in Rat Cardiac Myocytes

Abstract Acute Trypanosoma cruzi infection is commonly associated with disorders of impulse conduction and muscle contraction in heart. In order to determine the extent to which receptor function changed in response to infection, infected neonatal rat cardiac myocytes in culture were compared with matched controls with regard to chronotropic response and Ca2+ mobilization following the application of adrenergic agonists. At 7-9 days in culture (5-7 days postinfection), spontaneous beat rates of control myocytes were four times as rapid as those in infected cells. Control cells responded to 10−5M isoproterenol (ISO) and 10−6M norepinephrine (NE) with increases in beat rate of 34 and 40%, respectively. Effects of ISO on infected cells were similar, and adenylate cyclase activity was similar in control and infected cells when measured in the presence of ISO alone or in combination with Gpp(NH)p. NE produced a more marked chronotropic response in infected cultures and altered Ca2+ mobilization. NE treatment increased Ca2+ levels in control cardiac myocytes from 51.8 ± 4.4 to 113 ± 16 nM (in 0 Ca2+ medium) and from 85.2 ± 6.8 to 131.3 ± 24.5 nM (1 mM external Ca2+). In infected cardiac myocytes, NE increased Ca2+ from 116.8 ± 17 to 164.7 ± 9.6 nM (in 0 Ca2+ medium) and from 132.2 ± 13.2 to 162.5 ± 0.3 nM (1 mM Ca2+ medium). Thus, basal and α-adrenergic-stimulated Ca2+ levels were higher in infected than uninfected myocytes regardless of the extracellular Ca2+ levels, although the fractional increase in infected myocytes was significantly lower than that in controls (1.4- and 1.2-fold vs 2.2- and 1.5-fold). Therefore, both chronotropic and Ca2+-mobilization responses to the α-adrenergic agonist NE are altered in T. cruzi-infected cardiac myocytes; the chronotropic response of similarly infected cells to the β-adrenergic agonist ISO was not affected. These data indicating that T. cruzi infection may be associated with a dissociation in responses to these agonists suggest a possible mechanism to explain, in part, the cardiac dysfunction characteristic of Chagas′ disease.
Characterization of male killer whale (Orcinus orca) sexual maturation and reproductive seasonality

Longitudinal serum testosterone concentrations (n = 10 males) and semen production (n = 2 males) in killer whales were evaluated to: (1) characterize fluctuations in serum testosterone concentrations with respect to reproductive maturity and season; (2) compare morphologic changes to estimated age of sexual maturity, based on changes in serum testosterone concentrations; and (3) evaluate seasonal changes in sperm production. Classification of reproductive status and age class was based on differences (P 0.05) sperm concentrations across all months. These data represent the first comprehensive study on male testosterone concentrations during and after sexual maturation, and on reproductive seasonality in the killer whale.
Drugs and homicide by women

In this paper we use data derived from interviews with 215 female homicide offenders incarcerated or on parole in New York to examine their drug use prior to and at the time of the homicide, their victims’ drug use, and their perceptions as to the drug-relatedness of the homicides. We found that about 7 out of 10 respondents had been regular users of some drug at some point in their lives prior to their incarceration, while over half had been addicted to a substance. Over one-third of the respondents who were present at the scene were “high” on a drug at the time, while about half of the victims of these homicides used drugs before the homicide. Almost two-thirds of the homicides committed by respondents who were present at the scene were perceived to be drug-related. Alcohol, crack, and powdered cocaine were the drugs most likely to be related to these homicides. The implications of our findings are discussed.En este articulo los datos utilizados provienen de 215 entrevistas a mujeres convictas por homic...
Density and hazard rate estimation for censored data via strong representation of the Kaplan-Meier estimator

We study the estimation of a density and a hazard rate function based on censored data by the kernel smoothing method. Our technique is facilitated by a recent result of Lo and Singh (1986) which establishes a strong uniform approximation of the Kaplan-Meier estimator by an average of independent random variables. (Note that the approximation is carried out on the original probability space, which should be distinguished from the Hungarian embedding approach.) Pointwise strong consistency and a law of iterated logarithm are derived, as well as the mean squared error expression and asymptotic normality, which is obtain using a more traditional method, as compared with the Hajek projection employed by Tanner and Wong (1983).
Some effects of 4-aminopyrazolo(3:4-d)pyrimidine on purine metabolism☆

Abstract In tumor-bearing mice, 4-aminopyrazolo(3:4- d )pyrimidine (APP) produced moderate inhibition of incorporation of formate- 14 C into soluble purines and a more marked inhibition of incorporation into polynucleotide purines (particularly those of DNA), with a concomitant accumulation of 14 C in serine. This compound was without marked effect on the conversion of adenine- 14 C to nucleotides, but did inhibit incorporation of adenine into nucleic acids. Although growth of Adenocarcinoma 755 is markedly sensitive, and growth of Sarcoma 180 relatively resistant, to inhibition by APP, nucleic acid synthesis was inhibited to about the same extent in both tumors for short periods after administration of the inhibitor; however, nucleic acid synthesis in Sarcoma 180 recovered from this inhibition much more rapidly than it did in Adenocarcinoma 755. After the in vivo administration of APP-6- 14 C, Adenocarcinoma 755 and host liver contained a derivative with the properties of the nucleotide of APP. Cell-free extracts of Adenocarcinoma 755 and Sarcoma 180, when incubated with APP-6- 14 C and 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate, converted the labeled substrate to nucleotides, but the conversion was poor relative to that of adenine. The results point to sites of action of APP on the pathway leading to nucleic acid purines.
Pierre Robin sequence and Treacher Collins hypoplastic mandible comparison using three-dimensional morphometric analysis.

Pierre Robin sequence and Treacher Collins syndrome are both associated with mandibular hypoplasia. It has been hypothesized, however, that the mandible may be differentially affected. The purpose of this study was to therefore compare mandibular morphology in children with Pierre Robin sequence to children with Treacher Collins syndrome using three-dimensional analysis of computed tomography (CT) scans. A retrospective analysis was performed identifying children with Pierre Robin sequence and Treacher Collins syndrome receiving CT scans. Three-dimensional reconstruction was performed and ramus height, mandibular body length, and gonial angle were measured. These were then compared to control children with normal mandibles and to clinical norms corrected for age and sex based on previously published measurements. Mandibular body length was found to be significantly shorter for children with Pierre Robin sequence while ramus height was significantly shorter for children with Treacher Collins syndrome. This resulted in distinctly different ramus height/mandibular body length ratios. In addition, the gonial angle was more obtuse in both the Pierre Robin sequence and Treacher Collins syndrome groups compared with the controls. Three-dimensional mandibular morphometric analysis in patients with Pierre Robin sequence and Treacher Collins syndrome thus revealed distinctly different patterns of mandibular hypoplasia relative to normal controls. These findings underscore distinct considerations which must be made in surgical planning for reconstruction.
Electronic properties of sulfur-treated GaAs(001) surfaces.

We have studied the atomic geometries of the GaAs(001) As-terminated surfaces covered with sulfur overlayers by performing total-energy calculations within an empirical tight-binding model. A number of possible geometries are examined, and several geometries with low total energy are found to be free of surface states in the midgap. The surface band structures and local density of states for some of these geometries are calculated and the surface states are identified. Our results show that by forming a 2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1 reconstruction of sulfur overlayers in several different ways, good electronic properties of the GaAs surfaces can be obtained. This lends theoretical support to recent experimental studies in which the GaAs surface was treated with sulfur-related solutions.
Serum antibodies to the HPV16 proteome as biomarkers for head and neck cancer

Human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 is associated with oropharyngeal carcinomas (OPC). Antibodies (Abs) to HPV16 E6 and E7 oncoproteins have been detected in patient sera; however, Abs to other early HPV-derived proteins have not been well explored. Antibodies to the HPV16 proteome were quantified using a novel multiplexed bead assay, using C-terminal GST-fusion proteins captured onto Luminex beads. Sera were obtained from untreated patients with OPC (N=40), partners of patients with HPV16+ OPC (N=11), and healthy controls (N=50). Oropharyngeal carcinomas patients with known virus-like capsid particle+ Abs had elevated serum Abs to HPV16 E1, E2, E4, E6, and E7, and L1 antibody levels, but not E5. The ratios of specific median fluorescence intensity to p21-GST compared with controls were E1: 50.7 vs 2.1; E4: 14.6 vs 1.3; E6: 11.3 vs 2.4; E7: 43.1 vs 2.6; and L1: 10.3 vs 2.6 (each P⩽0.01). In a validation cohort, HPV16 E1, E2, and E7 antibody levels were significantly elevated compared with healthy control samples (P⩽0.02) and partners of OPC patients (P⩽0.01). Patients with HPV16+ OPC have detectable Abs to E1, E2, and E7 proteins, which are potential biomarkers for HPV-associated OPC.
The social meanings of nervios: A case study of a central American woman

Abstract This paper analyzes nervious among Central American refugees living in the United States. Nervious is analyzed as personal descriptions of distress, statements about family relations, and commentaries on the broader social forces affecting people's lives. A description of theclinical presentations of 28 Salvadorans who suffer from nervious and an indepth analysis of an extended interview with a nervous suffer are presented to examine the multiple meanings of nervious . Nervious is identified as a powerful idiom of distress used by Latinos to express concerns about physical symptoms, emotional states, and changes both in the family and in the broader society.
The sulfhydryl groups of tryptophan-transfer ribonucleic acid synthetase

Abstract Tryptophan-transfer ribonucleic acid synthetase from beef pancreas contains 8 cysteine residues per mole. Four of these are protected from reaction with 5, 5′-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) by the presence of substrates. These protected sulfhydryls are essential for enzymic activity. The molecular weight of the enzyme was found to be 96,000. The significance of the results for activating enzymes in general is discussed.
Differential regulation of peptide and catecholamine characters in cultured sympathetic neurons.

Abstract Mechanisms regulating peptidergic, noradrenergic and cholinergic development were compared in dissociated cell cultures of neonatal rat sympathetic ganglia. The majority of cultured neurons contained at least two neurotransmitters and many neurons contained three or more. These studies were undertaken to determine whether co-existing transmitters were co-ordinately regulated by the environment. Co-culture of sympathetic neurons with ganglion non-neuronal cells increased substance P and choline acetyl- transferase activity but decreased somatostatin and tyrosine hydroxylase activity. Conversely, elimination of non-neuronal cells virtually abolished neuronal expression of substance P and choline acetyltransferase and increased somatostatin and tyrosine hydroxylase. Consequently, under these conditions, somatostatin and tyrosine hydroxylase were similarly regulated, whereas substance P was associated with choline acetyltransferase. By contrast, stimulation of adenylate cyclase or treatment with membrane-permeable adenosine 3′,5′-phosphate analogs increased tyrosine hydroxylase and decreased choline acetyltransferase, but had no effect on substance P or somatostatin levels. Moreover, potassium- or veratridine-induced membrane depolarization increased tyrosine hydroxylase but decreased substance P, somatostatin and norepinephrine levels. However, inhibition of neurotransmitter release with magnesium or calcium-free medium prevented the decrease in norepinephrine levels but not the decrease in substance P and somatostatin. Consequently, the effects of membrane depolorization on peptide levels cannot be ascribed to release and subsequent depletion of substance P and somatostatin and must result from decreased net synthesis (synthesis minus catabolism) of the transmitters. Nerve growth-factor treatment also differentially regulated transmitter metabolism; nerve growth factor increased protein-specific activities of tyrosine hydroxylase and choline acetyltransferase but did not increase the protein-specific content of substance P and somatostatin. Quantitative transmitter expression was also influenced by neuron density; increasing density elevated substance P and choline acetyltransferase activity but decreased somatostatin and tyrosine hydroxylase activity per neuron. Finally, culture of sympathetic neurons in a defined (serum-free) medium also altered some but not all traits, decreasing substance P. somatostatin and choline acetyltransferase without any change in tyrosine hydroxylase. Our observations suggest that there is no fixed relationship between any pair of the four phenotypes examined and that each phenotype appears to be independently regulated in cultured sympathetic neurons. Nevertheless, under many circumstances noradrenergic and somatostatin development were co-ordinately regulated, while substance P and choline acetyltransferase development were similar, possibly indicating some functional relationship between these pairs of transmitters.
Effects of Circumnutation and Passive Bending on the Initial Stages of Gravitropism in Pea Stems

Summary The influence of circumnutation and passive stem bending on gravitropism of 9- to 10-d-old lightgrown pea seedlings ( Pisum sativum L.) was studied using time-lapse photography. Plants placed horizontally without regard to circumnutation exhibit erratic movements, but if they are stimulated when in the same phase of the circumnutational cycle these irregularities disappear. In plants turned vertically after a short period of horizontal stimulation, the initial bending is due more to circumnutation than to gravitropism. The initial response to gravity in horizontally placed plants is a downward movement of the stem. The kinematics of this movement suggests it is due both to elastic and plastic passive stem deformation and is not a positive gravireaction. When stems are turned upright after short horizontal stimulation, it takes some time for them to recover and adds an erroneous negative movement to the initial graviresponse curve.
Public Libraries Development Reconsidered: The Case of Egypt.

Abstract This paper advances a new interpretation of the development and current decline of public libraries in Egypt based on the study of international influences which helped to shape national discourses about development and provided the context for policy making and resource allocation in Egypt. After 1945 UNESCO encouraged fundamental education and the development of public libraries as operational tools of "education for development". Public libraries witnessed remarkable growth, but then, in the late 1960s, the dominant international discourse about development shifted under the influence of dependency theory to emphasize the need for developing countries to develop from within. Information for development became a self-evident requirement, but the new priority displaced public libraries in favor of specialized information systems for decision-makers. Traditionally, public library decline is attributed to local factors and issues of scarcity. In the case of Egypt, however, factors of scarcity are better interpreted as symptoms than as underlying causes of decline. This paper maintains that the current state of decline of public libraries in Egypt is primarily a consequence of public policy choices precipitated by a shift in international as well as national development priorities, not of factors inherent in the country's political, social and cultural fabric.
The Major Cellular Sterol Regulatory Pathway Is Required for Andes Virus Infection

The Bunyaviridae comprise a large family of RNA viruses with worldwide distribution and includes the pathogenic New World hantavirus, Andes virus (ANDV). Host factors needed for hantavirus entry remain largely enigmatic and therapeutics are unavailable. To identify cellular requirements for ANDV infection, we performed two parallel genetic screens. Analysis of a large library of insertionally mutagenized human haploid cells and a siRNA genomic screen converged on components (SREBP-2, SCAP, S1P and S2P) of the sterol regulatory pathway as critically important for infection by ANDV. The significance of this pathway was confirmed using functionally deficient cells, TALEN-mediated gene disruption, RNA interference and pharmacologic inhibition. Disruption of sterol regulatory complex function impaired ANDV internalization without affecting virus binding. Pharmacologic manipulation of cholesterol levels demonstrated that ANDV entry is sensitive to changes in cellular cholesterol and raises the possibility that clinically approved regulators of sterol synthesis may prove useful for combating ANDV infection.
Chemical and biological detectors using ultra-high-Q microresonators

Recently, a method for fabricating planar arrays of optical microtoroid resonators with quality factors greater than 500 million was developed. These devices have previously demonstrated Raman and OPO lasing and radiation pressure induced oscillations. When immersed in an aqueous environment, these devices are able to maintain their ultra-high Q factors by operating in the visible wavelength band, enabling very sensitive chemical and biological detection. The fabrication and optical properties of these devices will be described. These devices have performed both chemical and biological detection. Systems which have been detected include D 2 O in water and a variety of biological molecules. Sensitivity limits will also be discussed.
Uniform Equations in the Inlet and Exit Zones of Heavily Loaded Point EHL Contacts Involved in Various Steady Motions

Heavily loaded point EHL contacts involved in steady purely transitional, skewed transitional, and transitional with spinning motions are considered. It is shown that in the central parts of the inlet and exit zones of such heavily loaded point EHL contacts the asymptotic equations governing the EHL problem along the lubricant flow streamlines for the above types of contact motions can be reduced to two sets of asymptotic equations: one in the inlet and one the exit zones. The latter sets of equations are identical to the asymptotic equations describing lubrication process in the inlet and exit zones of the corresponding heavily loaded line EHL contact [1]. For each specific motion of a point contact a separate set of formulas for the lubrication film thickness is obtained. For different types of contact motions these film thickness formulas differ significantly [1]. For heavily loaded contacts the discovered relationship between point and line EHL problems allow to apply to point contacts most of the results obtained for line contacts [1,2].Copyright © 2014 by ASME
A simplified assay of nux vomica tincture

The time of the N. F. assay has been materially shortened by employing a preliminary isolation procedure involving adsorption on aluminum oxide followed by elution of the alkaloids with 70 per cent alcohol. The eluate is then subjected to ion exchange on Amberlite® IRC 50 and subsequent elution with 0.1 N HC1 in 70 per cent alcohol. Final determination of strychnine and brucine, is made spectrophotometrically at 25 5 and 264 mµ. A batchwise ion exchange technique has been developed which has been found to be simpler and more rapid than the conventional columnar technique.
Canine zinc-responsive dermatosis.

Zinc is important in a multitude of biologic functions, including regulation of the immune response, modulation of keratogenesis and wound healing, maintenance of normal reproductive function, and acuity of taste and smell. Zinc-responsive dermatosis is an uncommon disease of dogs which results from either an absolute or relative deficiency in zinc. Dermatologic lesions are characterized by erythema, alopecia, scales and crusts, primarily affecting the head. Two forms of the disease exist, a familial form affecting Alaskan Malamutes and Siberian Huskies, and a form that affects growing puppies fed zinc-deficient or oversupplemented diets. History, clinical signs, and skin biopsy are typically diagnostic. Life-long zinc supplementation is usually necessary in the familial form, while dietary correction alone may be curative in the second form. Lethal acrodermatitiis is a rare, inherited disorder of Bull Terriers that does not respond to zinc supplementation and is invariably fatal.
Ethical business and the ethical person

B ecause our nation is made up of people with different educational, social, and economic backgrounds, there are multiple sets of ideas and principles as to what is good or bad behavior. Ethics is behavior that promotes human welfare as defined in both individual and societal terms. Economists, financial managers, accountants, and executive decision makers are a small (but critically important) part of the varied types of educated people in America. Clearly, despite what economic thought says concerning the individual in his or her motivations, many other disciplines and people say that the person is much more than the "economic man." Namely, people find the economic definition unthinkable as a principle of human decency for a functionally progressive and civilized society. Does the human being pursue his own interest? The answer is yes, but that same human being also pursues multiple interests. Some of these are contradictory to the person's own interests, some are above individual interest, and some relate to the good of the society, the environment, and fellow humans. Namely, the individual will pay costs in going beyond self-interest out of duty, respect, membership, responsibility, kindness, "benevolence," or noblesse oblige. Human welfare as a concept stands for realities above and beyond the individual as the center and exclusive focus of existence. The world contains more than 5 billion humans, each pursuing individual interests. Well-being is complex, interdependent, social, and individual. To reduce the agape of the Greeks to the eros of the Epicures, or the civilized John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham to the barbaric economists Mill and Bentham, or the moral theorist Smith to Friedman, the University of Chicago Smith, is to distort the tapestry of complexity in favor of the inhuman and inherent naked barbarism of self-interest exclusively. Civilization is more than its barbaric roots. Beauty, art, architecture, music, literature, and even wars are tributes to people acting beyond themselves as individuals. Barbarism is part of l i fe--but not its entirety. Selfish greed is also a part of l i fe-but not its goal. Neither contains an inteThe individual may not be the problem; it may be the system that makes "good" people "bad. "
Business Statistics and Management Science Online: Teaching Strategies and Assessment of Student Learning

Given the expected rise in the number of online business degrees, issues regarding quality and assessment in online courses will become increasingly important. The authors focus on the suitability of online delivery for quantitative business courses, specifically business statistics and management science. They use multiple approaches to assess student learning. Their findings suggest that features involving professor–student interaction are the most useful, features promoting student–student interaction are the least useful, and discussion forums are of limited value in learning quantitative content. The authors also illustrate how questions embedded in an online final exam can be used to measure desired student learning outcomes.
Moraxella catarrhalis, a Human Respiratory Tract Pathogen

Moraxella catarrhalis is an exclusively human pathogen and is a common cause of otitis media in infants and children, causing 15%-20% of acute otitis media episodes. M. catarrhalis causes an estimated 2-4 million exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults annually in the United States. M. catarrhalis resembles commensal Neisseria species in culture and, thus, may be overlooked in samples from the human respiratory tract. The prevalence of colonization of the upper respiratory tract is high in infants and children but decreases substantially in adulthood. Most strains produce beta-lactamase and are thus resistant to ampicillin but susceptible to several classes of oral antimicrobial agents. Recent work has elucidated mechanisms of pathogenesis and focused on vaccine development to prevent otitis media in children and respiratory tract infections caused by M. catarrhalis in adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Endogenous excitatory amino acid neurotransmission regulates the estradiol-induced LH surge in ovariectomized rats.

The present study was designed to evaluate the relative contribution of endogenous excitatory amino acids to the control of the estradiol-induced LH surge using specific blockers for N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) and non-NMDA receptor types. Adult female rats ovariectomized for 2–3 weeks were implanted with third ventricular cannulae one week before the experiments. Silastic capsules (3 cm active surface) containing estradiol benzoate (250 μg/ml dissolved in sesame oil) were implanted subcutaneously two days prior to bleeding. Blood samples were collected at hourly intervals (from 1300 to 2100 h) through indwelling atrial cannulae implanted the day before the bleeding. (+) 2-amino-7-phosphoheptanoic acid (AP-7), a NMDA receptor antagonist, and 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX), a non-NMDA receptor antagonist, were administered (10 and 20 nmole dissolved in 10 μl 0.9% sodium chloride, respectively) at 1300 and 1400 h into the third ventricle. LH, FSH and PRL levels were assayed by RIA in plasma sam...
Phylogenetic corrections for morphological disparity analysis: new methodology and case studies

Taxonomic diversity and morphological disparity are different measures of biodiversity that together can describe large-scale evolutionary patterns. Diversity measures are often corrected by extending lineages back in time or adding additional taxa necessitated by a phylogeny, but disparity analyses focus on observed taxa only. This is problematic because some morphologies required by phylogeny are not included, some of which may help fill poorly sampled time bins. Moreover the taxic nature of disparity analyses makes it difficult to compare disparity measures with phylogenetically corrected diversity or morphological evolutionary rate curves. We present a general method for using phylogeny to correct measures of disparity, by including reconstructed ancestors in the disparity analysis. We apply this method to discrete character data sets focusing on Triassic archosaurs, Cenozoic carnivoramorph mammals, and Cretaceous–Cenozoic euarchontogliran mammals. Phylogenetic corrections do not simply mirror the taxic disparity patterns, but affect the three analyses in heterogeneous ways. Adding reconstructed ancestors can inflate morphospace, and the amount and direction of expansion differs depending on the taxonomic group in question. In some cases phylogenetic corrections give a temporal disparity curve indistinguishable from the taxic trend, but in other cases disparity is elevated in earlier time intervals relative to later bins, due to the extension of unsampled morphologies further back in time. The phylogenetic disparity curve for archosaurs differs little from the taxic curve, supporting a previously documented pattern of decoupled disparity and rates of morphological change in dinosaurs and their early contemporaries. Although phylogenetic corrections should not be used blindly, they are helpful when studying clades with major unsampled gaps in their fossil records.
Glutamate Blocks Serotonergic Phase Advances of the Mammalian Circadian Pacemaker through AMPA and NMDA Receptors

The phase of the mammalian circadian pacemaker, located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), is modulated by a variety of stimuli, most notably the environmental light cycle. Light information is perceived by the circadian pacemaker through glutamate that is released from retinal ganglion cell terminals in the SCN. Other prominent modulatory inputs to the SCN include a serotonergic projection from the raphe nuclei and a neuropeptide Y (NPY) input from the intergeniculate leaflet. Light and glutamate phase-shift the SCN pacemaker at night, whereas serotonin (5-HT) and NPY primarily phase-shift the pacemaker during the day. In addition to directly phase-shifting the circadian pacemaker, SCN inputs have been shown to modulate the actions of one another. For example, 5-HT can inhibit the phase-shifting effects of light or glutamate applied to the SCN at night, and NPY and glutamate inhibit phase shifts of one another. In this study, we explored the possibility that glutamate can modulate serotonergic phase shifts during the day. For these experiments, we applied various combinations of 5-HT agonists, glutamate agonists, and electrical stimulation of the optic chiasm to SCN brain slices to determine the effect of these treatments on the rhythm of spontaneous neuronal activity generated by the SCN circadian pacemaker. We found that glutamate agonists and optic chiasm stimulation inhibit serotonergic phase advances and that this inhibition involves both AMPA and NMDA receptors. This inhibition by glutamate may be indirect, because it is blocked by both tetrodotoxin and the GABAA antagonist, bicuculline.
Dental care needs, use and expenditures among U.S. children with and without special health care needs

ABSTRACT Background Controversy exists in the literature about whether dental care needs, use and expenditures differ between children with and without special health care needs (SHCN). Methods The authors used data from the 2005 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) for children younger than 18 years. The MEPS questionnaire included the Children with Special Health Care Needs Screener, which defines a child as having SHCN if he or she meets at least one of five specific criteria. Using bivariate and multivariable regression analyses, the authors evaluated the effect of SHCN on unmet dental care needs, type of dental care received and average dental care expenditures. Results Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) had an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of 1.49 (95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 1.09–2.05) of having unmet dental care needs compared with children without SHCN, and CSHCN who met four or five screener criteria had an AOR of 2.2 (95 percent CI = 1.16–4.20). CSHCN used more dental care services and were more likely to receive only nonpreventive care. Average dental care expenditures were not statistically different between CSHCN and children without SHCN, and there was variability among CSHCN in unmet dental care needs and use. Conclusions Unmet dental care needs are associated independently with SHCN status and complexity (based on the number of screener criteria the child met). The CSHCN populations in MEPS varied in their ability to obtain and use needed dental care services. Practice Implications It is important to consider the diversity of CSHCN when developing systems of dental care for this population.
Global disruption of the cerebellar transcriptome in a Down syndrome mouse model

Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) results in cerebellar dysmorphology with direct parallels in the Ts65Dn mouse. Despite pronounced changes in morphology, cerebellar function is not markedly different. As a first test of whether those cerebellar cells that have survived to adulthood in trisomic mice are equivalent to euploid cells, we used microarrays to assess the trisomic and euploid cerebella. Trisomic and euploid transcriptomes were robustly distinguished. Changes in expression of individual genes were very subtle, but the differences in respective transcriptome phenotypes extended deeply into the set of nearly 7000 probes (genes) located throughout the genome. In contrast to deterministic models of gene action in trisomy, examination of the discriminating genes in two independent experiments suggests that the global perturbation includes a significant stochastic component. Thus, dosage imbalance of 124 genes in Ts65Dn mice alters the expression of thousands of genes to create a variable trisomic transcriptome. This global destabilization has important implications for approaches to ameliorative therapies in Down syndrome.
Graft versus host disease: New insights into A2A receptor agonist therapy

Allogeneic transplantation can cure many disorders, including sickle cell disease, chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) and many types of cancers. However, there are several associated risks that can result in severe immunological reactions and, in some cases, death. Much of this morbidity is related to graft versus host disease (GVHD) [1]. GVHD is an immune mediated reaction in which donor T cells recognize the host as antigenically foreign, causing donor T cells to expand and attack host tissues. The current method of treating recent transplant patients with immunosuppressants to prevent this reaction has met with only partial success, emphasizing a need for new methods of GVHD treatment and prevention. Recently, a novel strategy has emerged targeting adenosine A2A receptors (A2AR) through the use of adenosine agonists. These agonists have been shown in vitro to increase the TGFβ-induced generation of FoxP3(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) and in vivo to improve weight gain and mortality as well as inhibit the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines in GVHD murine models [2,3]. Positive results involving A2AR agonists in vitro and in vivo are promising, suggesting that A2AR agonists should be a part of the management of clinical GvHD.