cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative interaction of thyroxine and analogues with Cu(II).

Abstract Thyroxine and analogues form complexes with Cu(II) with extremely high stability constants. The Cu(II)-catalyzed oxidation of ascorbic acid was used to study the interaction of these ligands with Cu(II). Additional spectral evidence for these interactions was also presented. In the thyronine series, thyroxine is the most effective Cu(II) complexer except for O -methyl thyroxine. The lack of requirement of the free phenol is also shown by the high activity of the benzyl ether of 3,5-diiodotyrosine. Modification of the alanine side chain, either blocking or removing the amino groups, results in a marked decrease of Cu(II) complexing ability. No amino acid, except where a third group capable of interaction with Cu(II) is present, is effective in the same concentration range as the diiodothyronines or diphenyl ethers. Other metal ions were tested and none appear to be able to compete with Cu(II) for thyroxine. It is concluded that the carboxyl and the amino group of thyroxine are definitely involved in the Cu(II)-thyroxine type of chelate. The prime ring and the diphenyl ether structures also contribute stability to these complexes with Cu(II), but a free phenol group is not required. Possible specific structures of the Cu(II)-thyroxine and related chelates are discussed.
Hemodilution during Venous Gas Embolization Improves Gas Exchange, without Altering V̇A/Q̇ or Pulmonary Blood Flow Distributions

Background: Isovolemic anemia results in improved gas exchange in rabbits with normal lungs but in relatively poorer gas exchange in rabbits with whole-lung atelectasis. In the current study, the authors characterized the effects of hemodilution on gas exchange in a distinct model of diffuse lung injury: venous gas embolization. Methods: Twelve anesthetized rabbits were mechanically ventilated at a fixed rate and volume. Gas embolization was induced by continuous infusion of nitrogen via an internal jugular venous catheter. Serial hemodilution was performed in six rabbits by simultaneous withdrawal of blood and infusion of an equal volume of 6% hetastarch; six rabbits were followed as controls over time. Measurements included hemodynamic parameters and blood gases, ventilation-perfusion (V A /Q) distribution (multiple inert gas elimination technique), pulmonary blood flow distribution (fluorescent microspheres), and expired nitric oxide (NO; chemoluminescence). Results: Venous gas embolization resulted in a decrease in partial pressure of arterial oxygen (Pa o2 ) and an increase in partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide (Pa co2 ), with markedly abnormal overall V A /Q distribution and a predominance of high V A /Q areas. Pulmonary blood flow distribution was markedly left-skewed, with low-flow areas predominating. Hematocrit decreased from 30 ± 1% to 11 ± 1% (mean ± SE) with hemodilution. The alveolar-arterial P o2 (A-aP o2 ) difference decreased from 375 ± 61 mmHg at 30% hematocrit to 218 ± 12.8 mmHg at 15% hematocrit, but increased again (301 ± 33 mmHg) at 11% hematocrit. In contrast, the A-aP o2 difference increased over time in the control group (P < 0.05 between groups over time). Changes in Pa o2 in both groups could be explained in large part by variations in intrapulmonary shunt and mixed venous oxygen saturation (Sv o2 ); however, the improvement in gas exchange with hemodilution was not fully explained by significant changes in V A /Q or pulmonary blood flow distributions, as quantitated by the coefficient of variation (CV), fractal dimension, and spatial correlation of blood flow. Expired NO increased with with gas embolization but did not change significantly with time or hemodilution. Conclusions: Isovolemic hemodilution results in improved oxygen exchange in rabbits with lung injury induced by gas embolization. The mechanism for this improvement is not clear.
The bird's eye view on finite element method for structures with large stochastic variations

Abstract Extensive motivation to do an additional work in the finite element method in stochastic problems (FEMSP) is discussed. The qualitative comparison of FEMSP with the state of the art of the deterministic FEM is given. These observations and thoughts are then realized in several manners. We first present the exact inverse FEMSP, which however cannot serve as a general tool for stochastic analysis of complex structures. The new variational principles for stochastic beams, for the mean response function, as well as response's auto-correlation function are formulated and the FEM based on the variational principles is presented. Finally, a general non-perturbative FEM for stochastic problems with large variations is developed, based on the element-level flexibility. It is concluded that much work needs to be done in order FEMSP to be at the level compared to that of the deterministic FEM. The advantage of the main methods presented here over the conventional ones lies in their non-perturbational nature. Numerical examples are presented.
Fostering house mice onto rats and deer mice : effects on response to species odors

Newborn wild house mice (Mus musculus) were fostered upon maternal conspecifics, prairie deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus bairdi) or laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus). Male subjects were weaned into individual cages, in which they remained until testing commenced. At 35 days of age, subjects were given a four-choice test in which they had the opportunity to investigate tunnels scented with clean wood chips or with chips soiled by an adult male conspecific, deer mouse or rat. Compared to theMus-nursed andPeromyscus-nursed mice,Rattus-nursed mice were more active during the test and less reluctant to investigate theRattus-scented tunnel. These results were replicated in a two-choice test (Mus- vs.Rattus-scented tunnels) that included a group of mice fostered onto conspecifics, but withRattus scents present in the maternity cage throughout the nursing period. Early exposure to the scent ofRattus had no significant effects on the responses ofMus-nursed mice to the scent ofRattus.
Draw-a-Person techniques: Tests in search of a construct

Abstract Drawing techniques involving human figures have been a part of psychologists' test batteries for most of this century. One of the earliest and most popular of these techniques is the Draw A Person test (DAP). Recently, Draw A Person: A Quantitative Scoring System , a new drawing technique, was published. This article reviews the concurrent validity data for this new measure and many of its predecessors, and concludes that the latest DAP is strikingly similar to its forebears. While the DAP is the best drawing technique available, its concurrent validity evidence does not support the use of such instruments as measures of intelligence.
Empirical evaluation of conservative and optimistic discrete event execution on cloud and VM platforms

Virtual machine (VM) technologies, especially those offered via Cloud platforms, present new dimensions with respect to performance and cost in executing parallel discrete event simulation (PDES) applications. Due to the introduction of overall cost as a metric, the choice of the highest-end computing configuration is no longer the most economical one. Moreover, runtime dynamics unique to VM platforms introduce new performance characteristics, and the variety of possible VM configurations give rise to a range of choices for hosting a PDES run. Here, an empirical study of these issues is undertaken to guide an understanding of the dynamics, trends and trade-offs in executing PDES on VM/Cloud platforms. Performance results and cost measures are obtained from actual execution of a range of scenarios in two PDES benchmark applications on the Amazon Cloud offerings and on a high-end VM host machine. The data reveals interesting insights into the new VM-PDES dynamics that come into play and also leads to counter-intuitive guidelines with respect to choosing the best and second-best configurations when overall cost of execution is considered. In particular, it is found that choosing the highest-end VM configuration guarantees neither the best runtime nor the least cost. Interestingly, choosing a (suitably scaled) low-end VM configuration provides the least overall cost without adversely affecting the total runtime.
Wood Modification Effects on Weathering of HDPE-Based Wood Plastic Composites

The effects of weathering on the constituents of wood and polymer matrix behavior in wood plastic composites (WPCs) were investigated. WPCs were produced from pine, extractives-free pine, and pine holocellulose fibers (60%) together with HDPE (40%). These composites were subjected to xenon-arc accelerated and outside weathering for a total of 1200 h and 120 days, respectively. The color and chemical changes that occurred on the surface of the WPCs were analyzed using a set of analytical techniques. For pine and extractive-free pine filled composites, the results showed that the total color change, lightness, and oxidation increased, while the lignin content decreased. In addition, the weight average molecular weight (Mw) and number average molecular weight (Mn) of extracted HDPE decreased with an increase in exposure time of the composites. However, HDPE crystallinity increased with longer exposure time. Lightness of holocellulose-based WPC changed the least while the change in its HDPE crystallinity was not significant compared to the other composite types. Therefore, holocellulose-based WPC may be preferred for applications where color stability is of high priority.
Induction of structural changes in the bovine papillomavirus type 1 origin of replication by the viral E1 and E2 proteins.

Abstract Chemical and enzymatic probing techniques were used to examine the interaction of the bovine papillomavirus type 1 E1 and E2 proteins with the viral origin of replication (ori). E1 was found to generate significant distortions to the structure of ori, as assayed by KMnO4 oxidation of DNA. The primary site of ori distortion was located within and adjacent to the AT-element of the core replicator sequence, although a number of minor structural transitions were also detected. The induction of these structural changes required ATP and appeared to require ATP hydrolysis. E2 was found to decrease the amount of E1 required for ori distortion but did not significantly alter the pattern of structural distortion. In contrast, the presence of E2 resulted in a biphasic mechanism for E1 binding to ori, as assayed by nuclease protection. Under these conditions, E1 bound preferentially to the dyad symmetry region containing the conserved Hpa I site. Higher levels of E1 were required for binding to the adjacent ori AT-rich region. Thus, these data suggest that E2 can order the stepwise binding of E1 to ori.
Understanding, valuing, and teaching reflection in counselor education: a phenomenological inquiry

Considering the complexities inherent in mental health practice, developing student reflective capacities may be the most important part of preparing future counselors for success in the field (Griffith & Frieden, 2000). While the critical nature of this educational objective has been recognized in the literature, a deeper understanding of how reflection is defined, the intricacies of the reflective process, and the means by which reflection is promoted within counselor education is absent. Through the personal voices of counselors in training and counselor education professors, this phenomenological inquiry explicates the nature and the value of reflection in addition to how reflective practice is best taught and learned. Findings link to the literature and suggest the explicit inclusion of deliberate types of reflective pedagogy within counselor education.
Factors that affect infertility patients' decisions about disposition of frozen embryos.

Objective To describe factors that affect infertility patients' decision making regarding their cryopreserved embryos. Design Forty-six semistructured in-depth interviews of individuals and couples participating in IVF programs. Setting Two major southeastern academic medical centers. Patient(s) Fifty-three individuals, including 31 women, 8 men, and 7 couples. Main Outcome Measure(s) Qualitative analysis of interview transcripts. Intervention (s) None. Result(s) Seven broad themes informed participants' decisions about embryo disposition: family and personal issues, trust, definition of the embryo, prospective responsibility to the embryo, responsibility to society, adequacy of information, and lack of acceptable disposition options. Many wished for alternative options, such as a ceremony at the time of disposal or placement of embryos in the woman's body when pregnancy was unlikely. Conclusion(s) Recent debates regarding embryo disposition do not reflect the range of values that infertility patients consider when deciding about frozen embryos. In addition to questions about the embryo's moral status, decision making about embryos is informed by a range of factors in the lives of individuals who created them. These perspectives may have important implications for the content and timing of informed consent, facilitating embryo disposition, and advancing policy debates about the ethics of frozen embryo use.
Costly signaling, ritual and cooperation: evidence from Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion

The apparent wastefulness of religious ritual represents a puzzle for rational choice theorists and evolutionary scholars. In recent years, it has been proposed that such rituals represent costly signals that promote intragroup cooperation precisely because of the effort and resources they require. This hypothesis was tested over the course of a 14-month long ethnographic study in the northeast of Brazil. The research focused on adherents of Candomble, an African diasporic religion organized in autonomous congregations primarily located in low-income urban areas. Individuals who reported higher levels of religious commitment behaved more generously in a public goods economic game and revealed more instances of provided and received cooperation within their religious community. This suggests that ritual as a costly signaling may effectively predict willingness to cooperate with other group members and that the signaler may accrue benefits in the form of received cooperation. Socioeconomic variables are also shown to mediate religious signaling. This raises the possibility that signalers strategically alter their expressions of commitment as their needs and circumstances change.
1,2-Bis(methylsulfonyl)-1-(2-chloroethyl)-2-[(methylamino)carbonyl]hydrazine (VNP40101M): II. Role of O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase in cytotoxicity

Purpose VNP40101M (1,2-bis(methylsulfonyl)-1-(2-chloroethyl)-2-[(methylamino)carbonyl]hydrazine) is a sulfonylhydrazine prodrug that possesses broad spectrum antitumor efficacy in murine models. VNP40101M activation generates chloroethylating species that alkylate DNA at the O6-position of guanine, and a carbamoylating agent, methyl isocyanate, which inhibits O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) in model systems. We determined whether expression of AGT in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells decreased sensitivity to VNP40101M and explored the mechanism of VNP40101M cytotoxicity by employing analogs of VNP40101M that generate reactive intermediates with either carbamoylating or chloroethylating activity.
Detection of Tet M and Tet O tetracycline resistance genes by polymerase chain reaction

Abstract Degenerate oligonucleotide primers were used in polymerase chain reaction assays to detect tetracycline resistance genes, Tet M and Tet O. Each of 44 clinical isolates and eight laboratory strains, representing 20 different species carrying either Tet M or Tet O determinants, gave appropriate PCR products with the two primer sets. The PCR products hybridized with radiolabelled Tet M or Tet O probes. The PCR assay was then used to evaluate vaginal swab specimens from women with vaginitis and semen specimens from men with prostatitis. Seven of eight vaginal samples and five of eight semen samples exhibited PCR products that hybridized with the radiolabelled probes, suggesting the presence of Tet M and/or Tet O genes. PCR-based detection of Tet M and/or Tet O genes holds promises for evaluation of urogenital specimens.
Interface charges beneath laser-annealed insulators on silicon

Abstract Laser annealing of a thermally grown, silicon-dioxide layer reduces an initially high fixed-charge density. Similar annealing of a silicon-nitride-covered silicon water does not markedly improve the interface characteristics. Laser melting and recrystallization of polycrystalline silicon above a thermally grown oxide does not appreciably increase the interface charges at the underlying silicon-dioxide/single-crystal-silicon interface.
Experimentally Investigating the Thermal Effects of Cross Flow Corn Drying

This study measured the thermal effects of corn drying within a continuous cross-flow grain dryer based on a variety of operating conditions. The dryer contains a column of grain that acts as a packed bed in which the air flows through the voids between the kernels. The study analyzed the following parameters and their effects on corn drying: dryer column thickness, air flow rate per volume of corn, air drying temperature, and incoming and outgoing corn moisture. A pilot-scale cross flow corn dryer with variable column thickness, variable drying air temperature, and variable fan speed was used to experimentally dry corn. The pilot scale dryer has a drying column height of 3.35 m (132 in.), column width of 0.61 m (24 in.) and a variable thickness of 0.203 m to 0.305 m (8 to 12 in.). An array of thermocouples was arranged through the packed bed of corn to measure the thermal profile as the air propagated through the corn. The thermal profiles from the experiments were compared and evaluated among the experiments. In the United States, corn is a primary grain commodity. Improved farming practices, in conjunction with improved grain genetics, have resulted in increased grain yields and the ability to grow crops in locations not possible two decades prior. After harvesting, most grains require supplemental drying to prevent spoilage. Continuous flow grain dryers have become a common method of drying and conditioning large amounts of grain. Grain dryers are required to dry grain faster and more efficiently without sacrificing grain quality. However, higher energy costs and increased crop yields have made grain drying the second largest expense for grain producers due to their high energy consumption of propane or natural gas. The overarching goal of this study is to determine the primary factors that influence heat propagation within the packed bed of grain with the intention of incorporating these effects into numerical grain drying models.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Situational shifts in sex role orientation : correlates of work satisfaction and burnout among women in special education

A battery of instruments dealing with job stress and satisfaction and social role traits was administered to 78 female special educators. Social role orientation (instrumental, expressive, balanced, undifferentiated), as measured by a modified version of the Bem Sex Role Inventory, was determined for each teacher. The relationship between social role orientation and job stress and satisfaction was examined. Shifts in teachers' social role composition from off the job to on the job were examined regarding four indices of stress and satisfaction. A balanced social role orientation on the job was associated with higher levels of job satisfaction and lower levels of job stress. Higher levels of instrumentality on the job and off the job and higher levels of expressivity on the job and off the job were associated with higher levels of personal accomplishment and lower levels of depersonalization.
Sentence dispositions accorded assault and burglary offenders: An exploratory study in twelve California counties

Abstract This study using offender-based transaction statistics (OBTS) examined sentence dispositions accorded assault and burglary offenders in selected California counties. The data cover a three-year period (1969 to 1971), and include a number of social and legal factors frequently thought likely to influence sentence disposition. The age, race, sex, and criminal histories of these offender groups are considered in light of incarceration dispositions occurring at both municipal and superior court levels. Using the method of predictive attribute analysis, this study assesses the importance of social and legal factors in the probability of receiving an incarceration disposition.
Neurovisceral Porphyrias: What a Hematologist Needs to Know

The acute or inducible hepatic porphyrias comprise four inherited disorders of heme biosynthesis. They usually remain asymptomatic for most of the lifespan of individuals who inherit the specific enzyme deficiencies but may cause life-threatening attacks of neurovisceral symptoms. Failure to consider the diagnosis frequently delays effective treatment, and inappropriate diagnostic tests and/or mistaken interpretation of results may lead to misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment. The four disorders are ALA dehydratase deficiency porphyria, acute intermittent porphyria, hereditary coproporphyria, and variegate porphyria. Other conditions that clinically and biochemically may mimic acute porphyria include lead poisoning and hereditary tyrosinemia type I. The diagnosis of one of these acute porphyric syndromes should be considered in many patients with otherwise unexplained abdominal pain, severe constipation, systemic arterial hypertension, or other characteristic symptoms. Critical to the rapid diagnosis of the three most common of these disorders is demonstration of markedly increased urinary porphobilinogen (PBG) in a single-void urine specimen. The treatment of choice for all but mild attacks of the acute porphyrias is intravenous hemin therapy, which should be started as soon as possible. Intravenous glucose alone is recommended only for mild attacks (no weakness or hyponatremia) or until hemin is available.
Trophic Resource Partitioning, Diets, and Growth of Sympatric Estuarine Predators

Abstract Striped bass Morone saxatilis, bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix, and weakfish Cynoscion regalis are the dominant piscivores in the Chesapeake Bay. As such, they may influence energy flow in the Chesapeake Bay system according to the prey they eat and the trophic levels at which they feed. We defined and compared the diets of striped bass, bluefish, and weakfish from the Chesapeake Bay, across seasons and early ages. Seasonal weight changes of the predators were used to evaluate how different prey species contribute to the production of average individual piscivores. Dietary overlap among species and across cohorts within a species was low (24–51% bimonthly average range, Schoener's index). Bluefish often had higher dietary overlap values with striped bass and weakfish than with other bluefish cohorts. Dietary overlap between striped bass and weakfish cohorts was usually low because of disparity in the use of bay anchovies Anchoa mitchilli by striped bass ( 50% for mo...
Review of antiplatelet therapy in secondary prevention of cerebrovascular events: a need for direct comparisons between antiplatelet agents

Patients experiencing stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) are at high risk for recurrent (secondary) strokes, which comprise 29% of all strokes in the United States. Current recommendations for prevention of secondary stroke from the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) call for the broad use of platelet antiaggregation (antiplatelet) agents for patients with a history of noncardioembolic stroke or TIA. Five agents--aspirin, ticlopidine, clopidogrel, extended-release dipyridamole (ER-DP), and triflusal--have demonstrated efficacy in large-scale clinical studies in the prevention of recurrent vascular events and/or stroke in patients with a history of stroke. The results of the following studies are reviewed and compared: the Swedish Aspirin Low-Dose Trial (SALT), the United Kingdom Transient Ischaemic Attack (UK-TIA) Aspirin Trial, Dutch Transient Ischemic Attack (Dutch TIA) study (aspirin), the Canadian American Ticlopidine Study (CATS), the Ticlopidine Aspirin Stroke Study (TASS), the African American Antiplatelet Stroke Prevention Study (AAASPS) (ticlopidine), the Clopidogrel versus Aspirin in Patients at Risk of Recurrent Ischemic Events (CAPRIE) trial, the Management of Atherothrombosis With Clopidogrel in High-Risk Patients study (MATCH) (clopidogrel), the second European Stroke Prevention Study (ESPS2) (aspirin plus ER-DP), and the Triflusal versus Aspirin in Cerebral Infarction Prevention (TACIP) study. In comparative monotherapy studies of patients with previous stroke, ticlopidine demonstrates statistically significant improved efficacy over aspirin, and clopidogrel demonstrates nonsignificant slight improvement over aspirin for the prevention of ischemic cardiac and cerebrovascular events; however, the adverse event profile of ticlopidine (including rash, diarrhea, and neutropenia) will probably limit its long-term use. Among combination approaches, only aspirin plus ER-DP has demonstrated statistically significant, clinically meaningful additive benefit over monotherapy with each agent. Clopidogrel plus aspirin did not significantly improve preventive efficacy and increased the risk of serious side effects, including life-threatening bleeding episodes. The 15,500-patient PRoFESS (the Prevention Regimen for Effectively Avoiding Second Strokes) study, with results expected in 2008, will directly compare aspirin plus ER-DP with clopidogrel monotherapy for the prevention of recurrent stroke and should provide statistically robust estimates of comparative efficacy for the development of improved recommendations.
Computer analysis of the Na+ shunt pathways in frog skin epidermis.

Abstract By computer analysis of the flow of Na+ within and across a model membrane designed after the fine structure of frog skin epidermis, information was obtained on the role of the extracellular Na+ shunt pathway. The results obtained simulated known laboratory data on the changes that occur when the tight cell junctions in epidermis are made leaky. This is seen in: slight increase in rate of Na+ influx; slight decrease in Na+ net flux; considerable increase in Na+ backflux; increase in the amount of recirculating Na+ in the membranes; decrease in membrane potential and resistance, based on calculations, making certain assumptions. A detailed picture is given on compartmental characteristics that are very difficult to obtain experimentally, including flows of Na+ between compartments, and the kinetics of all washout process of Na∗ from the model membranes with closed and open extracellular shunt pathway.
Cerebrospinal fluid levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone in women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea.

Abstract Objective: Women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea are anovulatory because of reduced gonadotropin-releasing hormone drive. Several studies have documented hypercortisolemia, which suggests that functional hypothalamic amenorrhea is stress-induced. Further, with recovery (resumption of ovulation), cortisol decreased and gonadotropin-releasing hormone drive increased. Corticotropin-releasing hormone can increase cortisol and decrease gonadotropin-releasing hormone. To determine its role in functional hypothalamic amenorrhea, we measured corticotropin-releasing hormone in cerebrospinal fluid along with arginine vasopressin, another potent adrenocorticotropic hormone secretagog, and β-endorphin, which is released by corticotropin-releasing hormone and can inhibit gonadotropin-releasing hormone. Study Design: Corticotropin-releasing hormone, vasopressin, and β-endorphin levels were measured in cerebrospinal fluid from 14 women with eumenorrhea and 15 women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea. Results: Levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone in cerebrospinal fluid and of vasopressin were comparable and β-endorphin levels were lower in women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea. Conclusions: In women with established functional hypothalamic amenorrhea, increased cortisol and reduced gonadotropin-releasing hormone are not sustained by elevated cerebrospinal-fluid corticotropin-releasing hormone, vasopressin, or β-endorphin. These data do not exclude a role for these factors in the initiation of functional hypothalamic amenorrhea. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2000;182:776-84.)
Corepressor-directed preacetylation of histone H3 in promoter chromatin primes rapid transcriptional switching of cell-type-specific genes in yeast

Switching between alternate states of gene transcription is fundamental to a multitude of cellular regulatory pathways, including those that govern differentiation. In spite of the progress in our understanding of such transitions in gene activity, a major unanswered question is how cells regulate the timing of these switches. Here, we have examined the kinetics of a transcriptional switch that accompanies the differentiation of yeast cells of one mating type into a distinct new cell type. We found that cell-type-specific genes silenced by the alpha2 repressor in the starting state are derepressed to establish the new mating-type-specific gene expression program coincident with the loss of alpha2 from promoters. This rapid derepression does not require the preloading of RNA polymerase II or a preinitiation complex but instead depends upon the Gcn5 histone acetyltransferase. Surprisingly, Gcn5-dependent acetylation of nucleosomes in the promoters of mating-type-specific genes requires the corepressor Ssn6-Tup1 even in the repressed state. Gcn5 partially acetylates the amino-terminal tails of histone H3 in repressed promoters, thereby priming them for rapid derepression upon loss of alpha2. Thus, Ssn6-Tup1 not only efficiently represses these target promoters but also functions to initiate derepression by creating a chromatin state poised for rapid activation.
The anticipatory struggle hypothesis: implications of research on the variability of stuttering.

Answers consistent with the anticipatory struggle hypothesis are suggested for several questions which have received a large share of experimenters' attention in recent years. The metronome effect may be due in part to the simplification of motor planning which results from reduction of speech to small units, and in part to distraction. The adaptation effect appears to be due largely to repeated rehearsal of the motor plan. An important factor in the white noise and DAF effects seems to be simply the rule that almost any novel form of auditory feedback may serve to reduce stuttering. Finally, the inconsistent effects of punishment on stuttering appear reasonable on the basis of the anticipatory struggle hypothesis when this concept is precisely formulated in behavioral terms.
Bootstrap-based differential gene expression analysis for RNA-Seq data with and without replicates

A major application of RNA-Seq is to perform differential gene expression analysis. Many tools exist to analyze differentially expressed genes in the presence of biological replicates. Frequently, however, RNA-Seq experiments have no or very few biological replicates and development of methods for detecting differentially expressed genes in these scenarios is still an active research area. In this paper we introduce a novel method, called IsoDE, for differential gene expression analysis based on bootstrapping. We compared IsoDE against four existing methods (Fisher’s exact test, GFOLD, edgeR and Cuffdiff) on RNA-Seq datasets generated using three different sequencing technologies, both with and without replicates. Experiments on MAQC RNA-Seq datasets without replicates show that IsoDE has consistently high accuracy as defined by the qPCR ground truth, frequently higher than that of the compared methods, particularly for low coverage data and at lower fold change thresholds. In experiments on RNA-Seq datasets with up to 7 replicates, IsoDE has also achieved high accuracy. Furthermore, unlike GFOLD and edgeR, IsoDE accuracy varies smoothly with the number of replicates, and is relatively uniform across the entire range of gene expression levels. The proposed non-parametric method based on bootstrapping has practical running time, and achieves robust performance over a broad range of technologies, number of replicates, sequencing depths, and minimum fold change thresholds.
Spinal neuroimmune activation is independent of T-cell infiltration and attenuated by A3 adenosine receptor agonists in a model of oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy

Many commonly used chemotherapeutics including oxaliplatin are associated with the development of a painful chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). This dose-limiting complication can appear long after the completion of therapy causing a significant reduction in quality-of-life and impeding cancer treatment. We recently reported that activation of the Gi/Gq-coupled A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) with selective A3AR agonists (i.e., IB-MECA) blocked the development of chemotherapy induced-neuropathic pain in models evoked by distinct agents including oxaliplatin without interfering with their anticancer activities. The mechanism(s) of action underlying these beneficial effects has yet to be explored. Our results herein demonstrate that the development of oxaliplatin-induced mechano-hypersensitivity (allodynia and hyperalgesia) in rats is associated with the hyperactivation of astrocytes, but not microglial cells, increased production of pro-inflammatory and neuroexcitatory cytokines (TNF, IL-1β), and reductions in the levels of anti-inflammatory/neuroprotective cytokines (IL-10, IL-4) in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. These events did not require lymphocytic mobilization since oxaliplatin did not induce CD45(+)/CD3(+) T-cell infiltration into the spinal cord. A3AR agonists blocked the development of neuropathic pain with beneficial effects strongly associated with the modulation of spinal neuroinflammatory processes: attenuation of astrocytic hyperactivation, inhibition of TNF and IL-1β production, and an increase in IL-10 and IL-4. These results suggest that inhibition of an astrocyte-associated neuroinflammatory response contributes to the protective actions of A3AR signaling and continues to support the pharmacological basis for selective A3AR agonists as adjuncts to chemotherapeutic agents for the management of chronic pain.
Computation of relaminarization in scramjet nozzles

The sudden expansion of a turbulent, Mach 1.76 flow through a 12 degree turning angle is computed with two low-Reynolds number, compressible turbulence models - a Reynolds stress model and a two-equation model. The two models give significantly different predictions of the wall shear stress downstream of the expansion. The Reynolds stress model predicts a 35 percent decrease in the wall shear stress whereas the two-equation model predicts only a 13 percent decrease. Furthermore, the two-equation model gives less decrease in the wall shear stress for the 12 degree expansion than for a 6 degree expansion, unlike the Reynolds stress model. Although a detailed explanation of these results is not attempted in this paper, possible causes have to be found in one or more of the many differences between the two models, including the treatment of the production and diffusion terms, and the absence of the redistribution term in the two-equation model.
Changes in Stress, Substance Use and Medication Beliefs are Associated with Changes in Adherence to HIV Antiretroviral Therapy

Stress, substance use and medication beliefs are among the most frequently cited barriers to HIV treatment adherence. This study used longitudinal techniques to examine the temporal relationship between these barriers and adherence among clients attending treatment adherence support programs in New York State. A total of 4,155 interview pairs were analyzed across three interview transitions. Multinomial models were constructed with four-category change-based independent variables (e.g., low stress at both interviews, low stress at interview 1 and high stress at interview 2, high stress at interview 1 and low stress at interview 2, high stress at both interviews) that predicted a similarly constructed four-category adherence change variable. Clients who reported positive changes in stress, substance use, or medication beliefs were more likely to change from being nonadherent to being adherent, while clients who reported negative changes were more likely to change from being adherent to being nonadherent. To improve or maintain adherence over time, strategies should be used that facilitate positive changes—and prevent negative changes—in stress, substance use, and medication beliefs.
African American Students and College Choice A Consideration of the Role of School Counselors

Misinformation in the African American community regarding college costs, access, and the benefits of a college education abound. Counseling from a trustworthy, supportive school counselor can make a difference in stemming African American talent loss, especially among young Black men. Using the 1988 National Educational Longitudinal Survey, the author finds that African American students' understanding of their counselors' expectations for their future education positively influences college predisposition at a magnitude comparable to fatherly support. Implications for principals and school counselor assignments are addressed.
A Structure Theorem for Homogeneous Spaces

A partial generalization of Sophus Lie’s triangular form for solvable Lie algebras is presented. As application one is led to an iterated fibration for arbitrary homogeneous spaces. In the case of compact homogeneous spaces, one concludes easily that the Euler number is ≥0.
Iterative learning control design inspired by repetitive control

Discrete-time domain iterative learning control (TLC) design schemes inspired by repetitive control algorithms are proposed and analyzed. The well known relation between a filter and its Markov Toeplitz matrix representation has been exploited in previous ILC literature. However, this connection breaks down when the filters have anticausal components. In this paper, we provide a formal representation and analysis that recover the connections between anti-causal filters and Toeplitz matrices. This tool is then applied to translate the anti-causal zero-phase-error compensation used in designing the so called prototype repetitive control scheme to the design of stable and fast converging ILC. The learning filters are chosen such that the resulting system matrix has a band limited Toeplitz (BLT) structure. Several conditions for iteration convergence are derived. Particularly, it is shown that the well known sufficient condition for repetitive control based on filter's frequency domain H/sub /spl infin// norm is also sufficient for ILC convergence and that the condition becomes necessary as the data length approaches infinity. Thus the resulting ILC matrix design can be translated to repetitive control loop shaping filter design in the frequency domain.
Nitrogen content in the brown alga Fucus gardneri and its relation to light, herbivory and wave exposure

Nitrogen is a necessary element for much of seaweed physiology, and is the most common limiting nutrient for marine macroalgae. Therefore, the content of nitrogen in algal tissue is often considered a useful indicator of algal productivity. However, the significance of algal nitrogen content in the field is understudied. We used a factorial manipulation of light and herbivory at three sites in order to evaluate how three factors (light, herbivory, wave exposure) affect the nitrogen content of the brown alga Fucus gardneri. We found that nitrogen content was a function of (1) nitrogen supply via amount of water flow and (2) irradiance, possibly via photoinhibitory effects. This research shows that local effects, by shifting nutrient allocation, can change nitrogen content over spatial scales of centimeters.
Science, Politics, and Persistent Organic Pollutants: The Role of Scientific Assessments in International Environmental Co-operation

International measures to address environmental problems increasingly rely on scientific information, and a growing number of international agreements require periodic scientific re-assess- ments. However, the arena of scientific assessment, governed by a combination of scientific criteria and political interests, is not well-understood, and few case studies have mapped the influence of scientific assessment on the birth and development of environmental policy issues. This article examines the role of scientific assessments and the science-politics interplay in international attempts to regulate persistent organic pollutants (POPs), focusing on the processes within the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The study shows that scientific and political activities are intrinsically linked in international POPs work. Scientific and political agendas are co-constructed with no clear boundary between the science and politics spheres. Scientific assessments played a prominent role in constructing POPs as an issue of international concern, setting agendas and shaping policies.
Water uptake by particles containing humic materials and mixtures of humic materials with ammonium sulfate

Recent field studies show that a large fraction of the previously uncategorized organic compounds in atmospheric aerosols are polycarboxylic acids resembling the humic materials (HMs) in soil. The presence of these compounds may alter the water uptake and deliquescence characteristics of particles. We have measured the water uptake by pure HM and by mixed HM/ammonium sulfate particles as a function of relative humidity (RH). We find that the water uptake behavior varies with the type, source, and isolation method of the HM. Two of the three pure humic acids (HAs) and the fulvic acid (FA) studied here exhibited very little water uptake up to ∼90% RH, while the fourth material, HA from the Fluka chemical company, deliquesced at 70% RH and showed continuous water uptake to ∼90% RH. For comparison, water uptake by polyacrylic acids of two chain lengths and by phthalic acid were also measured. These species also took up small amounts of water over the range of RHs studied. Particle size and chain length had very little effect on water uptake. The mixed organic/ammonium sulfate particles took up a reduced amount of water relative to pure ammonium sulfate, with the exception of the Fluka HA. We modeled the water uptake of mixed particles assuming that ammonium sulfate and HM took up water independently, and results are consistent with the measured water uptake by mixed particles.
1.5.4 Systems Engineering Process Metrics: The easy way?

This paper discusses various types of metrics for evaluation of the Systems Engineering Process in an enterprise. It discusses Continuous Measurement Improvement (cmi) and how these metrics fit. It presents in detail one metric that should be applied at the start of cmi and a unique way of gathering information across a diverse enterprise. Finally, the paper will discuss the purpose for which this information is being used. Readers should take note that the principles discussed in this material are applicable to any engineering discipline. These methods are of ever increasing importance in today's environments of mergers and acquisitions. Enterprises want a metric that is useful and applicable to a wide variety of business components and yet not painful to gather the information.
Origin and Production Rates of Deoxycorticosterone and Deoxycorticosterone Sulfate in Men and Nonpregnant Women

In the present investigation, we evaluated the origin of deoxycorticosterone sulfate (DOC-SCM and the production rates of DOC and DOC-SO4 in men and women. Previously, we found that there was little or no interconversion of plasma DOC and DOC-SO4; this finding was reconfirmed in the present investigation. After the iv infusion of [3H]DOC-SO4 and [l4C]DOC, urine was collected for 5 days. DOC-SO4 was isolated and purified as unconjugated DOC, and tetrahydro-DOC glucuronoside was isolated and purified as the unconjugated metabolite. The production rate of DOC in these subjects (mean ± SEM, 66 ± 9.8 μg/24 h) was computed from the specific activity of urinary [14C]tetrahydro-DOC (glucuronoside); the production rate of DOC-So4 in these subjects (92 ± 15.9 μg/2424 h) was computed from the specific activity of urinary [3H]DOC-So4. The production rates are expressed on the basis of the molecular weight of DOC. Since plasma DOC and DOC-So4 are not interconverted, we conclude that both steroids are secretory product...
Increased cystatin C concentration in urine of nephrotic children.

The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in urine and plasma concentrations of cystatin C in children with a relapse of the idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS). The study group comprised 12 children with INS with proteinuria and 12 children in an 8-week remission, both treated with steroids. Twelve healthy children served as controls. Cystatin C was detectable in the urine of children with proteinuria. The study suggests that massive proteinuria may influence renal cystatin C handling.
Summarizing non-textual events with a 'briefing' focus

We describe a learning-based system for generating reports based on a mix of text and event data. The system incorporates several stages of processing, including aggregation, template-filling and importance ranking. Aggregators and templates were based on a corpus of reports evaluated by human judges. Importance and granularity were learned from this corpus as well. We find that high-scoring reports (with a recall of 0.89) can be reliably produced using this procedure given a set of oracle features. The report drafting system is part of a learning cognitive assistant RADAR, and is used to describe its performance.
Towards Domain Adaptation for Parsing Web Data

We improve upon a previous line of work for parsing web data, by exploring the impact of different decisions regarding the training data. First, we compare training on automatically POS-tagged data vs. gold POS data. Secondly, we compare the effect of training and testing within sub-genres, i.e., whether a close match of the genre is more important than training set size. Finally, we examine different ways to select out-of-domain parsed data to add to training, attempting to match the in-domain data in different shallow ways (sentence length, perplexity). In general, we find that approximating the in-domain data has a positive impact on parsing.
Drug-Eluting Stents in the Superficial Femoral Artery: Real-World Versus Randomized Clinical Trials; You Choose, But Caveat Emptor!

Randomized clinical trials (RCT) are considered the pinnacle of the research pyramid, but they often include patients and/or lesion subsets that are not found as commonly in the “real world.” In this issue of JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions , Yokoi et al. [(1)][1] report the “real-world
Flow tiles

We present flow tiles, a novel technique for representing and designing velocity fields. Unlike existing procedural flow generators, tiling offers a natural user interface for field design. Tilings can be constructed to meet a wide variety of external and internal boundary conditions, making them suitable for inclusion in larger environments. Tiles offer memory savings through the re-use of prototypical elements. Each flow tile contains a small field and many tiles can be combined to produce large flows. The corners and edges of tiles are constructed to ensure continuity across boundaries between tiles. In addition, all our tiles and the resulting titing are divergence-free and hence suitable for representing a range of effects. We discuss issues that arise in designing flow tiles, algorithms for creating tilings, and three applications: a crowd on city streets, a river flowing between banks, and swirling fog. The first two applications use stationary fields, while the latter demonstrates a dynamic field.