cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Is there a downside to customizing care? Implications of general and patient-specific treatment strategies

The use of general clinical guidelines versus customization of patient care presents a dilemma for clinicians managing chronic illness. We propose that the performance of customized strategies for the management of chronic illness depends on accurate patient categorization, and inaccurate categorization can lead to worse performance than that achievable using a general clinical guideline. This paper is based on an analysis of a basic utility model differentiating outcomes between the use of general management strategies and customized strategies. Results of the analysis have four implications regarding the design and use of clinical guidelines and customization of care: (1) the balance between the applications of more general strategies versus customization depends on the specificity and accuracy of the strategies; (2) adoption of clinical guidelines may be stifled as the complexity of guidelines increases to account for growing evidence; (3) clinical inertia (i.e. the failure to intensify an indicated treatment) can be a rational response to strategy specificity and the probability of misapplication; and, (4) current clinical guidelines and other decision-support tools may be improved if they accommodate the need for customization of strategies for some patients while providing support for proper categorization of patients.
Timed Petri Nets in Hybrid Systems: Stability and SupervisoryControl

In this paper, timed Petri nets are used to model and control hybrid systems. Petri nets are used instead of finite automata primarily because of the advantages they offer in dealing with concurrency and complexity issues. A brief overview of existing results on hybrid systems that are based on Petri nets is first presented. A class of timed Petri nets named programmable timed Petri nets (PTPN) is then used to model hybrid systems. Using the PTPN, the stability and supervisory control of hybrid systems are addressed and efficient algorithms are introduced. In particular, we present sufficient conditions for the uniform ultimate boundness of hybrid systems composed of multiple linear time invariant plants which are switched between using a logical rule described by a Petri net. This paper also examines the supervisory control of a hybrid system in which the continuous state is transfered to a region of the state space in a way that respects safety specifications on the plant‘s discrete and continuous dynamics.
Learning to Trust Our Students.

Thayer-Bacon uses this opportunity to further explore Ranciere's ideas concerning equality as described in The Ignorant Schoolmaster and their connection to democracy, as he explains in Hatred of Democracy. For Ranciere, intelligence and equality are synonymous terms, just as reason and will are synonymous terms. Ranciere recommends the only way to really teach a student is by viewing the student as an equal. Thayer-Bacon learned to view students as equals through her experience as a Montessori teacher, and so she brings Montessori into conversation with Ranciere to further explore the idea of equality between teachers and students, as well as between citizens in a democracy. There are problems with both Ranciere's perspective and Montessori's that feminist theory, in the form of a relational ontology and epistemology, can help us solve by finding our way out of the paradoxes of democracy and on to trusting our students, our future democratic citizens.
Effects of litigation under the Endangered Species Act on forest firm values

Abstract The Endangered Species Act (ESA) has been a source of litigation and subject to court interpretation during the past several decades. In this study, event analysis was employed to examine the impact of six court decisions related to the ESA on the financial performance of U.S. forest products firms. The finding of abnormal returns revealed that all six events generated the expected positive or negative returns, and among them, four were statistically significant. Changes in systematic risk reflected the reaction of the stock market to the verdict announcements. Programs designed for habitat conservation can be implemented to compensate private landowners or firms for costs associated with protecting species on private forestlands.
Comic Strips as a Text Structure for Learning to Read

Teachers can use comics for reading instruction by capitalizing on their colorful graphic representation. Technology and reading are wed during the use of the Internet, and readers must rely on their visual literacy skills–a group of vision competencies people can hone for comprehension. This article reports on strategies for developing visual literacy skills by using comic strips. Comic strips provide a quick, concise way to teach and apply reading skills for practice or remediation. Suggestions for using a comic strip comprehension game on an educational website as well as strips from the daily paper are offered.
Compliant wall-turbulent skin-friction reduction research

Previous compliant-wall experiments successful in reducing skin-friction drag probably have had a (unplanned) membrane resonance at a favorable frequency, amplitude, wave shape, length, and speed. The most probable drag reduction mechanism involves a direct coupling between the fluid and the moving wall when the wall natural resonance frequencies are near the fundamental turbulent burst frequency. Local skin-friction reductions of 61% were measured with mylar/PVC plastisol compliant surfaces. These reductions were observed only at certain flow conditions, indicating that changing tunnel total temperature may have altered the substrate dynamic modulus, damping, and coupled mylar tension. Apparently, the coupled membrane/substrate must be excited in compatible narrow-band natural frequency modes. An accelerated effort is required to develop practical durable compliant surfaces optimized for maximum drag reduction. Application of compliant walls to other transportation modes appears feasible with liquid flows offering the greatest skin-friction drag reduction potential.
ORGANIZATIONAL AND SPATIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF URBAN LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

This study takes as its theoretical basis the models of Murray and Stern, Getzels and Thelen which hold that institutional characteristics interact in schools and determine student learning. Data obtained through observation, interview and completion of the Learning Climate Inventory (LCI) are provided by 867 teachers in 30 elementary and secondary schools. Analysis of the data revealed inter alia that (i) learning environments with 20–85 percent open instructional space contained 25–50 percent more instructional modes, student grouping patterns, team teaching and controlled student movement in the classrooms; (ii) teachers in learning environments with at least 20 percent open instructional space viewed the learning climate as significantly more open on four of five LCI factors; (iii) learning climate is generally more open in schools where student achievement is classed as high; (iv) the larger the school the more closed the learning climate tended to be; (v) teachers in schools with more frequent human relations programs perceived greater freedom to teach.
OPTIMIZED MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD ALGORITHMS FOR SUPERRESOLUTION OF PASSIVE MILLIMETER WAVE IMAGERY

Iterative image restoration algorithms developed using a maximum likelihood (ML) estimation framework are attaining considerable significance in recent times for super-resolution processing of passive millimeter wave (PMMW) images. In this paper we offer a processor requirements analysis for implementing these algorithms, which provides assurance on the feasibility of their implementation using commercially available microprocessors, even for applications where processing time may be of critical importance. Two optimized versions of these algorithms, one developed by augmenting each iterative estimation step with a post-filtering operation and the other developed by incorporating a background-detail separation approach in the estimation process, are developed which provide superior resolution enhancement performance while simultaneously suppressing noise-induced and ringing artifacts in the restored images. Results of processing data acquired from a 95 GHz 1 foot diameter aperture radiometer are included to demonstrate that these algorithms offer significant superresolution capabilities for processing PMMW imagery.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A recoil proton spectrometer for photoneutron knockout experiments

Abstract A recoil proton spectrometer has been built and used to measured 16 O(γ, n) 15 O cross sections at medium energies with sufficient energy resolution to identify the ground state of the residual nucleus. The neutron energy resolution is better than 2%, and the efficiency-solid angle product is typically 2 × 10 −3 msr. A detailed Monte Carlo program has been developed to understand the efficiency, resolution and useful energy range of the spectrometer.
The preparation of human cross sections.

Technical advances in the field of radiology, especially computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanning, have made gross anatomical crosss-sections increasingly important in understanding the relationships of internal structures. Since 1940, the Anatomy Program at the University of Vermont has developed and used cross-sections of the entire human body in teaching predoctoral, postdoctoral, and allied health professionals. This paper describes in detail the process through which specimens are selected, embalmed, frozen, sectioned, and displayed. Kaiserling's Method is used for fixation and preservation of the specimens, which are then housed in appropriate display containers. Specimens prepared over forty years ago in the manner described in this paper are still in use.
Effect of polarizing currents on potentials evoked in neurons of the ventral leaf of nucleus reticularis thalami by intralaminar stimulation.

Abstract Intracellular recordings from neurons in the ventral leaf of nucleus reticularis thalami revealed two modes of responsiveness to repetitive intralaminar stimulation in encephale isole cats. One group of cells showed no hyperpolarizing potentials, responding only with depolarizations of up to 18 mv and 90 msec which were enhanced 15–80% by the intracellular injection of hyperpolarizing currents. A second group responded with a few or no spikes to the initial stimulus, while later shocks triggered depolarizations with maximum amplitudes of 8–15 mv and durations between 40 and 60 msec which were followed by hyperpolarizations of longer duration and equal or greater amplitude. Artificial membrane polarization exerted a very limited or no effect on the depolarizations in these neurons, while the hyperpolarizations were reduced up to 30% in some units but remained unchanged in others. It is concluded that the depolarizations in both cell populations were EPSP which may have been generated at different synaptic locations and that the hyperpolarizations were IPSP which may have been enhanced by an additional disfacilatatory process.
A spectroscopic investigation of temperature effects on solution complexation in the Eu3+–acetate system

Abstract Europium–acetate complexation was studied using luminescence spectroscopy as a function of temperature between 8 and 59°C. The 5 D 0 → 7 F 0 luminescence transition of Eu 3+ was used to identify the presence of 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3 complexes with acetate in NaClO 4 media. The results indicate an increase in complexation for all three species with increasing temperature. An estimate of the stability quotient β 1 for Eu(Ac) 2+ at 25°C was obtained by observing changes in the intensity of its 5 D 0 → 7 F 0 transition as the acetate concentration was varied. A value of log β 1 =1.94±0.13 was obtained, consistent with reported stability quotients measured by other techniques. Although overall complexation increases with temperature, little change was observed in the distributions of the 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3 complexes at constant ligand-to-metal ratios.
Experimental Seismic Fragility of Pressurized Fire Suppression Sprinkler Piping Joints

Pressurized fire suppression sprinkler piping is a critical nonstructural system that must remain operational after an earthquake, particularly in critical facilities. Observations from past earthq...
BTN1, a yeast gene corresponding to the human gene responsible for Batten's disease, is not essential for viability, mitochondrial function, or degradation of mitochondrial ATP synthase.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene BTN1, encodes a 408 amino acid putative integral membrane protein, which is 39% identical and 59% similar to the human Cln3p, whose mutant forms are responsible for Batten's disease and for a diminished degradation of mitochondrial ATPase synthase subunit c. Disruption experiments established that Btn1p is not essential for viability, mitochondrial function, or degradation of mitochondrial ATP synthase in yeast. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
2-Iminothiolane: a reagent for the introduction of sulphydryl groups into oligosaccharides derived from asparagine-linked glycans

A facile method for introducing reactive sulphydryl groups into oligosaccharides was developed. 1-Amino-oligosaccharides generated from asparagine-linked glycans by peptide-N4(N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminyl) asparagine amidase (PNGase F) digestion were monitored by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection and derivatized under optimal conditions with 2-iminothiolane-HCl. The resulting mercapto-butyramido oligosaccharides, which were obtained in high yield, were alkylated with a fluorescent reagent and used to selectively assay for endoglycosidases that hydrolyse di-N-acetylchitobiose linkages.
An immersogeometric variational framework for fluid-structure interaction: Application to bioprosthetic heart valves

In this paper, we develop a geometrically flexible technique for computational fluid–structure interaction (FSI). The motivating application is the simulation of tri-leaflet bioprosthetic heart valve function over the complete cardiac cycle. Due to the complex motion of the heart valve leaflets, the fluid domain undergoes large deformations, including changes of topology. The proposed method directly analyzes a spline-based surface representation of the structure by immersing it into a non-boundary-fitted discretization of the surrounding fluid domain. This places our method within an emerging class of computational techniques that aim to capture geometry on non-boundary-fitted analysis meshes. We introduce the term “immersogeometric analysis” to identify this paradigm. The framework starts with an augmented Lagrangian formulation for FSI that enforces kinematic constraints with a combination of Lagrange multipliers and penalty forces. For immersed volumetric objects, we formally eliminate the multiplier field by substituting a fluid–structure interface traction, arriving at Nitsche’s method for enforcing Dirichlet boundary conditions on object surfaces. For immersed thin shell structures modeled geometrically as surfaces, the tractions from opposite sides cancel due to the continuity of the background fluid solution space, leaving a penalty method. Application to a bioprosthetic heart valve, where there is a large pressure jump across the leaflets, reveals shortcomings of the penalty approach. To counteract steep pressure gradients through the structure without the conditioning problems that accompany strong penalty forces, we resurrect the Lagrange multiplier field. Further, since the fluid discretization is not tailored to the structure geometry, there is a significant error in the approximation of pressure discontinuities across the shell. This error becomes especially troublesome in residual-based stabilized methods for incompressible flow, leading to problematic compressibility at practical levels of refinement. We modify existing stabilized methods to improve performance. To evaluate the accuracy of the proposed methods, we test them on benchmark problems and compare the results with those of established boundary-fitted techniques. Finally, we simulate the coupling of the bioprosthetic heart valve and the surrounding blood flow under physiological conditions, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed techniques in practical computations.
Endothelin-1 increases the levels of mRNA and protein of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors and c-fos mRNA in cerebellar granule cells

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) induced a time- and dose-dependent increase in the levels of mRNA of m2- and m3-muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) in cultured cerebellar granule cells. The levels of immunoprecipitable m3-mAChR protein and total mAChR binding sites were also increased by ET-1 treatment. The up-regulation of m2- and m3-mAChR mRNA was blocked by phorbol ester pretreatment to inhibit ET-1-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis and was preceded by an increase in c-fos mRNA levels. Treatments that prevented ET-1-induced c-fos mRNA increase also abolished the subsequent m2-and m3-mAChR mRNA up-regulation, suggesting that c-Fos protein is involved in the ET-1-induced mAChR expression.
Characterization and signaling in a primary human malignant fibrous histiocytoma cell line.

ABSTRACTSarcomas are rare tumors, and malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma found in adults. Increasing evidence suggests a possible role for AKT activation in soft tissue sarcoma. In the present study, we established a primary human MFH cell line (named MSUMFH cells) from a fresh surgically resected MFH tumor. These cells morphologically resembled human normal fibroblasts that are the presumptive cells of origin of MFH tumor cells. As there is, unfortunately, no standard marker other than morphology to identify MFH at the cellular level, we compared MSUMFH cells to primary nonmalignant fibroblasts and the primary tumor specimen to characterize its signaling. AKT was hyperactivated in both the MSUMFH cell line and original primary MFH tumor cells compared to normal fibroblasts. The AKT hyperactivity in the MSUMFH cell line was not accompanied by activation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) or downregulated expression of PTEN, each of which is a putative upstream regulato...
The Decreasing Population Bias in Tornado Reports across the Central Plains

AbstractTornado–hazard assessment is hampered by a population bias in the available data. Here, the authors demonstrate a way to statistically quantify this bias using the ratio of city to country report densities. The expected report densities come from a model of the number of reports as a function of distance from the nearest city center. On average since 1950, reports near cities with populations of at least 1000 in a 5.5° latitude × 5.5° longitude region centered on Russell, Kansas, exceed those in the country by 70% [54%, 84%; 95% confidence interval (CI)]. The model is applied to 10-yr moving windows to show that the percentage is decreasing with time. Over the most recent period (2002–11), the tornado report density in the city is slightly fewer than 3 reports (100 km2)−1 (100 yr)−1, and this value is statistically indistinguishable from the report density in the country. On average, the population bias is less pronounced for Fujita (F) scale F0 tornadoes, but the bias disappears more quickly over...
Antiarrhythmic Drugs: Rethinking Targets, Development Strategies, and Evaluation Tools

Although antiarrhythmic drugs have the potential to save lives, current approaches to drug selection and development preclude exploitation of the full potential of such agents. It is therefore important that we reconsider the identity and nature of the target sites of such drugs and the strategies used in their development. The concept of a vulnerable parameter as a factor contributing to arrhythmogenesis, amenable to modulation by drugs or other interventions, has helped conceptualize the targeted approach to both drug discovery and drug selection. Moreover, broadening our perspectives to include both the triggers of and substrates for arrhythmias widens the scope of promising targets for drug development programs.
Mutations in Zebrafish lrp2 Result in Adult-Onset Ocular Pathogenesis That Models Myopia and Other Risk Factors for Glaucoma

The glaucomas comprise a genetically complex group of retinal neuropathies that typically occur late in life and are characterized by progressive pathology of the optic nerve head and degeneration of retinal ganglion cells. In addition to age and family history, other significant risk factors for glaucoma include elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) and myopia. The complexity of glaucoma has made it difficult to model in animals, but also challenging to identify responsible genes. We have used zebrafish to identify a genetically complex, recessive mutant that shows risk factors for glaucoma including adult onset severe myopia, elevated IOP, and progressive retinal ganglion cell pathology. Positional cloning and analysis of a non-complementing allele indicated that non-sense mutations in low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 2 (lrp2) underlie the mutant phenotype. Lrp2, previously named Megalin, functions as an endocytic receptor for a wide-variety of bioactive molecules including Sonic hedgehog, Bone morphogenic protein 4, retinol-binding protein, vitamin D-binding protein, and apolipoprotein E, among others. Detailed phenotype analyses indicated that as lrp2 mutant fish age, many individuals—but not all—develop high IOP and severe myopia with obviously enlarged eye globes. This results in retinal stretch and prolonged stress to retinal ganglion cells, which ultimately show signs of pathogenesis. Our studies implicate altered Lrp2-mediated homeostasis as important for myopia and other risk factors for glaucoma in humans and establish a new genetic model for further study of phenotypes associated with this disease.
Redox Signaling in an In Vivo Murine Model of Tailored Wall Shear Stress

Wall Shear Stress (WSS) has been identified as an important factor in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. We developed a novel murine aortic coarctation model to alter the hemodynamic environment in vivo. The model utilizes the shape memory response of nitinol clips to provide a high degree of control over aortic diameter and subsequently WSS. We employed this model to test the hypothesis that acute changes in WSS in vivo induce upregulation of inflammatory proteins mediated by Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). WSS was mapped through a computational fluid dynamic model and correlated to inflammatory marker expression. C57B16 control mice were compared to tempol treated, apocynin treated, p47phox KO, and catalase overexpressor mice in this study. The results show that the coarctation produces low mean oscillatory WSS in the region downstream of the clip. The WSS in this region correlates to a large increase in VCAM-1 expression in wild-type mice. This WSS dependent increase in protein expression is unchanged in animal models of decreased ROS. This suggests that although the redox state is important to the overall pathogenesis of the disease, individual ROS or ROS sources may not be sufficient to inhibit a WSS dependent inflammatory response. Further analysis with this model utilizing other reagent treatments, transgenic mice, and markers will allow us to analyze the functional contribution of transcription factors, ROS, and ROS sources to WSS dependent inflammatory protein expression.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
A Cysteine-rich Adipose Tissue-specific Secretory Factor Inhibits Adipocyte Differentiation

A 12.5-kDa cysteine-rich adipose tissue-specific secretory factor (ADSF/resistin) is a novel secreted protein rich in serine and cysteine residues with a unique cysteine repeat motif of CX12CX8CXCX3CX10CXCXCX9CC. A single 0.8-kilobase mRNA coding for this protein was found in various murine white adipose tissues including inguinal and epididymal fats and also in brown adipose tissue but not in any other tissues examined. Two species of mRNAs with sizes of 1.4 and 0.8 kilobases were found in rat adipose tissue. Sequence analysis indicates that this is because of two polyadenylation signals, the proximal one with the sequence AATACA with a single base mismatch from murine AATAAA and the distal consensus sequence AATAAA. The mRNA level was markedly increased during 3T3-L1 and primary preadipocyte differentiation into adipocytes. Its expression in adipose tissue is under tight nutritional and hormonal regulation; the mRNA level was very low during fasting and increased 25-fold when fasted mice were refed a high carbohydrate diet. It was also very low in adipose tissue of streptozotocin-diabetes and increased 23-fold upon insulin administration. Upon treatment with the conditioned medium from COS cells transfected with the expression vector, conversion of 3T3-L1 cells to adipocytes was inhibited by 80%. The regulated expression pattern suggesting this factor as an adipose sensor for the nutritional state of the animals and the inhibitory effect on adipocyte differentiation implicate its function as a feedback regulator of adipogenesis.
Alignment and cryogenic testing of the Cassini Composite InfraRed Spectrometer (CIRS) far-infrared (FIR) focal plane

The CIRS instrument to be flown on the Cassini mission to Saturn is a cryogenic spectrometer with far-IR (FIR) and mid-IR (MIR) channels. The CIRS FIR focal plane consists of focussing optics, an output polarizer/analyzer which splits the output radiation according to polarization. The reflected and transmitted components are imaged by concentrating cones onto gold black foil thermopiles. The focal plane covers the spectral range of 10-600 cm(-1). The geometric field-of-view requirement is 4.3 mrad. This paper details the assembly, alignment, characterization, cryogenic testing, and flight qualification of the CIRS FIR focal plane.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Stressful Life Events Among Community‐living Older Persons

OBJECTIVES: To identify the life events that older persons experience as most stressful, to evaluate older persons’ perceptions of the consequences of these stressful events for their lives, and to evaluate the relationship of demographic factors and measures of health and functional status to these perceptions.
Dimer and rods in the conducting state of polyaniline

Abstract In this paper we present a quantitative theory of the insulator-metal transition in the conducting polymer polyaniline. We begin by focusing on a theory for conduction in single strands of the polymer. To this end, we introduce the random dimer model and show that this model is capable of explaining the origin of extended states in single strands of polyailine. We then formulate a more global theory for the conductivity within a granular-rod model. We show how quantitative results can be obtained for 1) the temperature dependence of the conductivity σ=σ 0 exp [-( T 0 T ) 1 2 ] , 2) the doping dependence of T0, 3) the anomalous 1/T dependence of the thermoelectric power, as well as 4) the linear increase of the Pauli susceptibity with dopant concentration.
Erythrocyte autoantibodies in paediatric patients with sickle cell disease receiving transfusion therapy: frequency, characteristics and significance

The formation of erythrocyte autoantibodies following transfusion therapy has been described in case reports and small series. To determine the frequency, serological characteristics, and clinical significance of this phenomenon in paediatric patients with sickle cell disease, we analysed the patient database at the Duke University Pediatric Hematology Clinic. We identified children who received multiple erythrocyte transfusions, then reviewed clinical records to identify children who developed erythrocyte autoantibodies in association with transfusions. Among 184 paediatric patients who received multiple erythrocyte transfusions, 14 children (7.6%) developed warm (IgG) erythrocyte autoantibodies. Median transfusion exposure at the time of autoantibody formation was 24 erythrocyte units, range 3-341 units. The autoantibody reacted as a panagglutinin in 11 cases but had anti-e specificity in three patients. Surface complement also was detected in five patients. Clinically significant haemolysis was documented in four patients, each of whom had both surface IgG and C3 detected. The development of erythrocyte autoantibodies was associated with the presence of erythrocyte alloantibodies. Formation of warm erythrocyte autoantibodies in association with transfusions is not rare in paediatric patients with sickle cell disease. Clinicians should be aware of this complication and recognize that the presence of surface C3 is often associated with significant haemolysis.
PMU placement for dynamic state tracking of power systems

The complexity of power systems continue to increase as load demands grow and new energy technologies emerge. Efficient methodologies and instrumentation are needed for real-time monitoring and control of power systems. Accurately tracking the state variables (rotor angle and speed) is necessary for monitoring system stability conditions and assessing the risks of large-scale system collapse. Previous work proposed an extended Kalman filter (EKF) method, which makes use of data from phasor measurement units (PMU) and corrects the estimation predicted by the system model, for real-time tracking of system dynamics. This paper will explore how the number and locations of PMUs installed in the system should be determined to ensure satisfactory performance of the EKF-based tracking. Finding the optimal PMU placement, i.e., attaining whole system observability with the fewest PMUs, is very difficult to solve. In this paper, a novel search algorithm is presented for determining PMU placement (location and quantity). The algorithm determines a placement that gives small tracking error in polynomial time, while the optimal placement would be determined in exponential time. A modified, scalable algorithm is also presented. Observability of grid dynamics is considered in the sense that all the state variables can be tracked dynamically. Furthermore, observability in the presence of faults is considered. Simulation results for a 16-machine system and a 50-machine system are provided.
Microarray analysis of Akt PH domain binding employing synthetic biotinylated analogs of all seven phosphoinositide headgroup isomers.

Abstract Signaling lipids control many of the most important biological pathways, typically by recruiting cognate protein binding targets to cell surfaces, thereby regulating both their function and subcellular localization. A critical family of signaling lipids is that of the phosphatidylinositol polyphosphates (PIPns), which is composed of seven isomers that vary based on phosphorylation pattern. A key protein that is activated upon PIPn binding is Akt, which then plays important roles in regulating the cell cycle, and is thus aberrant in disease. Characterization of protein–PIPn binding interactions is hindered by the complexity of the membrane environment and of the PIPn structures. Herein, we describe two rapid assays of use for characterizing protein–PIPn binding interactions. First, a microplate-based binding assay was devised to characterize the binding of effectors to immobilized synthetic PIPn headgroup-biotin conjugates corresponding to all seven isomers. The assay was implemented for simultaneous analysis of Akt-PH domain, indicating PI(3,4,5)P3 and PI(3,4)P2 as the primary ligands. In addition, density-dependant studies indicated that the amount of ligand immobilized on the surface affected the amplitude of protein binding, but not the affinity, for Akt-PH. Since the PIPn ligand motifs used in this analysis lack the membrane environment and glycerolipid backbone, yet still exhibit high-affinity protein binding, these results narrow down the structural requirements for Akt recognition. Additionally, binding detection was also achieved through microarray analysis via the robotic pin printing of ligands onto glass slides in a miniaturized format. Here, fluorescence-based detection provided sensitive detection of binding using minimal amounts of materials. Due to their high-throughput and versatile attributes, these assays provide invaluable tools for probing and perturbing protein–membrane binding interactions.
Plasmodium post-genomics: an update.

The concept behind the first Molecular Approaches to Malaria meeting, held 1–5 February 2000 in Lorne, Australia, was ahead of its time; to convene a meeting of malaria researchers, database developers and genomics scientists, and to discuss how genomic sciences and their relevant disciplines could be applied to solve important problems in malaria research. The success of the second Molecular Approaches to Malaria meeting, held 1–5 February 2004 in the same place, together with the influence of genomics on malaria research, is testament to the vision that the organizers had at the first meeting. This review attempts to capture some of the current efforts in the post-genomics era of malaria research and highlights the approaches discussed at the Molecular Approaches to Malaria 2004 meeting.
What is engineering studies for? Dominant practices and scalable scholarship

In this article for scholars in engineering studies, I draw on the work of Antonio Gramsci to highlight scaling up as a scholarly practice and make a case that engineering studies highlight attention to what I call scalable scholarship. Scale is the moving boundary between ideas and realities, meaning and reference, the ideal and the real. Highlighting scaling up involves inquiring into what is taking place when scholars not only conduct research on engineers and engineering but also design and teach courses for engineering students, serve on official panels and advisory committees, offer presentations to engineering audiences, and help build a new discipline focused on engineering education. An invitation to deliver a keynote address to the World Congress of Chemical Engineering became a challenge to venture beyond research for STS audiences and pedagogical supplements in the curricular margins to begin contesting the dominant epistemological contents of engineering practices by integrating practices of ...
A systems perspective on research and treatment with abused and neglected children.

Abstract Objective: To discuss two systems-level changes in the organization and financing of mental health and child welfare services that will increasingly affect abused and neglected children: the implementation of managed care processes and the incorporation of accountability mechanisms in the management of mental health and child welfare services, particularly the use of systematic outcomes assessments. A central goal of the paper is to identify critical research questions which will help us to understand the impact of these changes on maltreated children. Method: These two systems-level changes are described, and ways they may affect maltreated children are addressed. Results: Both managed care and the growing focus on managing services by monitoring outcomes may positively or negatively affect maltreated children. Both of these trends are affecting the mental health and child welfare systems. It is likely that they will affect maltreated children’s access to and the quality, cost, and outcomes of mental health and child welfare services. Conclusions: Systematic research on the impact of these large-scale changes can increase the likelihood that these changes will benefit maltreated children. A number of critical areas are identified for future research.
Polarization dependence and uniformity of FLC layers for phase modulation

The authors present a general methodology for achieving any amount of pure phase modulation between 0 and 180 degrees by controlling the polarization of light used to address a given ferro-electric liquid crystal (FLC) material. Using this technique, an eight-state phase modulator made by cascading three FLC layers is demonstrated. Motivated by the need for predictable behavior within spatial light modulators (SLMs), experimental data characterizing the point by point spatial uniformity of an FLC device used for 0/90 degree phase modulation also is presented.
OpC: a 2-D interactive image calculator

ABSTRACT An interpretive command line driven image calculator with complex number 2-D array arithmetic, including fast Fou-rier transform capabilities, has been developed for graphic work-station analysis of various intermediate processing steps inspeckle interferometric imaging. With imfort interfaces to .imh and .pix files, compatibility with the IRAF image processingand display environment is assured. Image manipulation is perfonned primarily in main memory (not disk) to improve through-put. Macro (script) file command line input capability allows the calculator to be run from scripts ofinstructions similar in formto C-shell script files used for batch mode processing. This allows easy modification of the scripts when program changes arerequired without the need for rewriting or recompiling a program. The interactive nature of the calculator allows scripts of se-quential instructions written as simple algebraic statements to be performed on images. User concern for image type and dimen-sion is reduced as all data and operators are run-time transparent for all appropriate image data types. The calculator is writtenin C with the aid of the UNIX lex and yacc compiler generation tools. Some of the operations included are complex numberarray arithmetic, the Fast Fourier Transform, statistics, apodization, inlay and extraction, and various non-FITS and non-IRAFinput/output formats. The adaptability of the calculator makes the OpC package easily extensible to preexisting data formats.
Summation of a random multiplicative function on numbers having few prime factors

Given a ±1 random completely multiplicative function f, we prove by estimating moments that the limiting distribution of the normalized sum converges to the standard Gaussian distribution as x → ∞ when r restricts summation to n having o(log log log x) prime factors. We also give an upper bound for the large deviations of with the sum restricted to numbers having a fixed number k of prime factors.
Statistical modeling of phonological rules through linguistic hierarchies

Abstract This paper describes our research aimed at acquiring a generalized probability model for alternative phonetic realizations in conversational speech. For all of our experiments, we utilize the summit landmark-based speech recognition framework. The approach begins with a set of formal context-dependent phonological rules, applied to the baseforms in the recognizer’s lexicon. A large speech corpus is phonetically aligned using a forced recognition procedure. The probability model is acquired by observing specific realizations expressed in these alignments. A set of context-free rules is used to parse words into substructure, in order to generalize context-dependent probabilities to other words that share the same sub-word context. The model maps phones to sub-word units probabilistically in a finite state transducer framework, capturing phonetic predictions based on local phonemic, morphologic, and syllabic contexts. We experimented within two domains: the mercury flight reservation domain and the jupiter weather domain. The baseline system used the same set of phonological rules for lexical expansion, but with no probabilities for the alternates. We achieved 14.4% relative reduction in concept error rate for jupiter and 16.5% for mercury .
Myocardial creatine kinase exchange rates and 31P NMR relaxation rates in intact pigs.

In this study, we used 31P NMR to investigate the relationship between cardiac work load and creatine kinase flux in intact pigs. NMR measurements were performed on anesthetized miniature swine in which a surface coil was surgically implanted on the surface of the left ventricle. Cardiac workload was varied by infusion of norepinephrine. Phosphate exchange between creatine phosphate and ATP was measured by a combined saturation transfer, saturation recovery pulse sequence. Exchange measurements showed that creatine kinase flux and concentrations of PCr and ATP were independent of workload for a 2.5-fold range of cardiac rate-pressure products. It appears that, if creatine kinase flux is coupled to work load, the pig heart operates in a regime where small changes in metabolite concentrations or creatine kinase flux are sufficient to maintain elevated workloads. Exchange and relaxation measurements, at 2.0 and 4.7 T, yielded T1 relaxation times for creatine phosphate and ATP which are longer than most reported values. Analysis of the T1 data indicates that chemical-shift anisotropy is a plausible mechanism for a portion of the spin-lattice relaxation rate at high field strengths. © 1989 Academic Press. Inc.
Dynamics of foams with and without wall rupture

A physically based model for the evolution of dry, two-dimensional foams based on a combination of mass transfer, vertex movement, and edge relaxation, enables efficient and accurate simulation with and without wall rupture. The stochastic nature of topological transitions due to numerical error has been carefully examined and may explain the discrepancies found among various simulations. The separation of vertex and edge movements permits a study of foam evolution that includes wall rupture. Comparison with recent experimental results is presented that demonstrates that certain, semiempirical {open_quotes}breaking rules{close_quotes} are capable of reproducing both the overall topological evolution and certain scaling behavior observed in the experiments. {copyright} {ital 1996} {ital The American Physical Society}
Treatment of older adults with co‐morbid personality disorder and depression: a dialectical behavior therapy approach

Background and Significance: The treatment of personality disorders in older adults, particularly those co-morbid with other Axis I disorders (e.g., Major Depressive Disorder), is an understudied clinical phenomenon. It has also been demonstrated that personality disorders in older adults complicate treatment of other psychopathology, as well as result in heightened interpersonal disturbance and emotional distress. Methods: Two studies utilizing standard Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to treat depression and personality disorders in older adults are reviewed. Study 1 examined 34 chronically depressed individuals aged 60 and older who were randomly assigned to receive 28 weeks of antidepressant medication plus clinical management, either alone (MED) or with the addition of DBT skills-training and scheduled telephone coaching sessions (MED?+?DBT). Study 2 had two phases of treatment: Phase I: 8-week open-trial of antidepressant medication (n?=?65); Phase II: 24-week randomized trial of DBT?+?MED versus MED alone for those who prospectively failed to respond to the Phase I medication trial (n?=?37). Results: Study 1 demonstrated that 71% of MED?+?DBT patients were in remission at post-treatment, in contrast to 47% of MED patients. This became a significant difference at the 6-month follow-up; where 75% of MED?+?DBT-D patients were in remission compared with only 31% of MED patients. Study 2 showed that after 8 weeks of treatment with antidepressant medication alone (Phase 1) only 14% of the sample had at least a 50% reduction in HAM-D scores. Phase II results showed on average, the DBT?+?MED group reached depression remission by the post-group assessment and maintained these gains while the MED group did not reach remission, until the follow-up assessment. Results demonstrated superiority of DBT?+?MED compared to MED alone on Interpersonal Sensitivity and Interpersonal Aggression at post-treatment and 6-month follow-up. Conclusion: Results from these two treatment development studies indicate that applying standard DBT for the treatment of co-morbid MDD or MDD?+?PD in older adults is feasible, acceptable, and has clinical promise. Modifications to standard DBT and an overview of a new treatment manual for this population are summarized.
Treatment of severe self-injurious behavior by the mentally retarded using the bubble helmet and differential reinforcement procedures

We examined the effectiveness of a bubble helmet and differential reinforcement procedures in the treatment of the self-injurious behavior (SIB) of three adult residents of a state hospital for the developmentally disabled. A multiple-baseline design across settings and an ABC design were used to assess the effectiveness of these procedures. Results indicated that the introduction of the bubble helmet in conjunction with differential reinforcement procedures produced notable reductions in SIB for all three participants. These reductions were significantly greater than those produced by using the differential reinforcement procedures alone. Social validity, generalization and follow-up data further documented the efficacy and acceptability of the bubble helmet plus differential reinforcement procedures. The advantages of the bubble helmet over other forms of restraint and the theoretical implications of these findings are also discussed.
Water enema: a new ultrasound technique in defining pelvic anatomy.

A new technique is described for delineating pelvic structures by using a distended bladder in combination with a water enema. The distended urinary bladder, which acts as a sonic window to the pelvis, fully defines only the portion of structures that abut against the surface. With fluid in both the bladder and rectosigmoid colon, and occasionally the cecum, a ‘sandwich effect’ can be obtained, resulting in a more complete definition of interposed structures. Questionable masses that might be feces in the bowel can be easily distinguished from significant pathology. This new technique has the potential for increasing accuracy of diagnosis of pelvic masses and delineating tumor extension of masses arising in such pelvic organs as the bladder, prostate, and uterus.
Mechanical properties of trabecular bone within and adjacent to osseous metastases

Despite radiographic and histologic evidence of trabecular bone density changes within and adjacent to osseous metastases, there currently exist no data to demonstrate whether these changes are important in predicting the risk of fracture. To determine if these density changes result in significant reductions in mechanical properties, trabecular bone specimens were prepared from lower thoracic and lumbar vertebrae from two cadavers with radiographic, gross, and histologic evidence of lytic and/or blastic osseous metastases. Each specimen was classified as normal, lytic, or blastic based on appearance in fine-grain radiographs of 8–9 mm thick coronal plane sections. Specimens were tested to failure in uniaxial compression, and tissue and apparent densities were measured. Mean tissue densities were within normal ranges. The mean apparent density for all specimens combined was within the normal range for human vertebrae, and the mean apparent density for radiographically normal (0.131 g/ml) and lytic (0.111 g/ml) specimens was less than the mean apparent density of blastic (0.182 g/ml) specimens (p 0.1). Apparent density explained significant fractions of the variations in both modulus (p < 0.001) and strength (p < 0.001). The data suggest that blastic changes associated with osseous metastases to trabecular bone disrupt the normal dependence of trabecular mechanical properties on apparent density, but lytic changes do not. These data also suggest that fracture risk predictors that utilize bone density to estimate stiffness or strength should adjust for the effects of metastases.