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Community colleges are essential for United States higher education, but their students have low retention and graduation rates. Community college students assigned to mathematics remediation are particularly unlikely to graduate. Corequisite remediation (college-level coursework with additional support) has shown short-term increased student success. The current study examined the 7-year results of a randomized controlled trial of corequisite remediation with college-level statistics. Students assigned to the corequisite group were 50 percent more likely to complete associate’s degrees within 3 years, and 100 percent more likely to complete bachelor’s degrees within 5 years. Corequisite students also earned, on average, $3,000–$4,500 more in years 5 to 7. Mediation analysis further suggests that the wage treatment effect was due to shortened time to degree.

We analyzed the perioperative parameters, postoperative urinary status, and complications of 200 patients who underwent photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) with the 180W-X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for benign prostatic hyperplasia at our hospital. In addition, we compared perioperative parameters and complications, as well as the rate of decrease in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostate volume at 3 and 12 months after surgery, with those of the last 200 patients who underwent PVP with the 120W-high-performance system (HPS). The results showed significant differences between methods in operative time (XPS: 67.9±29.0 minutes, HPS: 95.2±32.1 minutes, p＜0.05), laser exposure time (XPS: 41.4±17.8 minutes, HPS: 60.1±19.7 minutes, p＜0.05), and laser dose (XPS: 385,937±180,872, HPS: 300,316±105,528, p＜0.05). In addition, there were significant differences in the rates of decrease in PSA and prostate volume in the 180W-XPS group compared with the 120W-HPS group. The transpiration efficiency of the 180W-XPS was higher than that of the 120W-HPS.

Summary The suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins are negative regulators of cytokine signaling required to prevent excessive cellular responses. In particular, SOCS3 is involved in the regulation of metabolic syndromes, such as obesity and diabetes, by suppressing leptin and insulin signals. SOCS3 also suppresses the inflammatory response associated with metabolic stress, but this specific role remains undefined. Wild-type mice on a high-fat diet (HFD) exhibited only fatty liver, whereas systemic deletion of SOCS3 resulted in excessive myeloid hematopoiesis and hepatic inflammation. In addition, depletion of the gut microbiota resulted in considerable improvement in excess granulopoiesis and splenomegaly, halting the progression of systemic inflammation in SOCS3KO mice on the HFD. This result suggests that intestinal dysbiosis is involved in inflammation associated with SOCS3KO. Although contributing to diet-induced obesity and fatty liver, SOCS3 is nevertheless critical to suppress excess myeloid hematopoiesis and severe systemic inflammation associated with intestinal dysbiosis on HFD., Graphical abstract, Highlights • SOCS3 suppresses severe systemic inflammation associated with high-fat diet • SOCS3 deficiency on high-fat diet accelerates excess myeloid hematopoiesis • SOCS3 controls gut dysbiosis on high-fat diet, Immunology; Microbiome

The green revolution’s breeding of semi-dwarf rice cultivars in the 1960s improved crop yields, with large increases in the use of nitrogen (N) fertilizer. However, excess N application has caused serious environmental problems, including acid rain and the eutrophication of rivers and oceans. To use N to improve crop yields, while minimizing the associated environmental costs, there is a need to produce crops with higher N-use efficiency and higher yield components. Here we show that transgenic rice overproducing ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase–oxygenase (Rubisco)—the key enzyme of photosynthesis—exhibits increased yields with improved N-use efficiency for increasing biomass production when receiving sufficient N fertilization in an experimental paddy field. This field experiment demonstrates an improvement in photosynthesis linked to yield increase due to a higher N-use efficiency in a major crop. Transgenic rice engineered to increase photosynthetic activity through overproduction of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase–oxygenase (Rubisco) shows increased rice yields, with improved nitrogen-use efficiency, in an experimental paddy field.

Photoexcitation is a very powerful way to instantaneously drive a material into a novel quantum state without any fabrication, and variable ultrafast techniques have been developed to observe how electron, lattice, and spin degrees of freedom change. One of the most spectacular phenomena is photoinduced superconductivity, and it has been suggested in cuprates that the transition temperature Tc can be enhanced from the original Tc with significant lattice modulations. Here, we show a possibility for another photoinduced high-Tc superconducting state in the iron-based superconductor FeSe. The transient electronic state over the entire Brillouin zone is directly observed by time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy using extreme ultraviolet pulses obtained from high harmonic generation. Our results of dynamical behaviors from 50 fs to 800 ps consistently support the favourable superconducting state after photoexcitation well above Tc. This finding demonstrates that multiband iron-based superconductors emerge as an alternative candidate for photoinduced superconductors. Light-matter interactions can be used to induce a superconducting-like state in some cuprate superconductors at temperatures above the expected transition temperature. Here, the authors provide time and angle resolved spectroscopic evidence to suggest that photo induced superconductivity can also be achieved in Fe-based superconductors

Traditional mathematics remediation is based on the theory that traditional mathematics remedial courses increase students’ subsequent academic performance. However, most students assigned to these courses do not pass them and thus cannot graduate. An alternative approach, corequisite remediation, assigns students instead to college-level quantitative courses with additional academic support, often aligned to a student’s major. Here, we report the longer-term results of a randomized controlled trial comparing corequisite remediation (with statistics) and traditional algebra remediation (297 students per group). The corequisite group not only demonstrated significantly higher quantitative course pass rates but also success in many other disciplines, as well as significantly higher graduation rates. We also report the results of two quasi-experimental analyses (propensity score matching) demonstrating higher pass rates for corequisite mathematics remediation with 347 additional students in different settings. Policies requiring corequisite mathematics remediation can result in greater student success than is obtained with traditional remediation.

We investigated the nonequilibrium electronic structure of 2H-NbSe$_2$ by time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We find that the band structure is distinctively modulated by strong photo-excitation, as indicated by the unusual increase in the photoelectron intensities around E$_F$. In order to gain insight into the observed photo-induced electronic state, we performed DFT calculations with modulated lattice structures, and found that the variation of the Se height from the Nb layer results in a significant change in the effective mass and band gap energy. We further study the momentum-dependent carrier dynamics. The results suggest that the relaxation is faster at the K-centered Fermi surface than at the $\Gamma$-centered Fermi surface, which can be attributed to the stronger electron-lattice coupling at the K-centered Fermi surface. Our demonstration of band structure engineering suggests a new role for light as a tool for controlling the functionalities of solid-state materials., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures

Photo-induced phase transitions have been intensively studied owing to the ability to control a material of interest in the ultrafast manner, which can induce exotic phases unable to be attained at equilibrium. However, the key mechanisms are still under debate, and it has currently been a central issue how the couplings between the electron, lattice, and spin degrees of freedom are evolving during photo-induced phase transitions. Here, we develop a new analysis method, frequency-domain angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, to gain precise insight into electron-phonon couplings during photo-induced insulator-to-metal transitions for Ta$_2$NiSe$_5$. We demonstrate that multiple coherent phonons generated by displacive excitations show band-selective coupling to the electrons. Furthermore, we find that the lattice modulation corresponding to the 2 THz phonon mode, where Ta lattice is sheared along the a-axis, is the most relevant for the photo-induced semimetallic state.

Cell culture media influence the characteristics of human osteogenic periosteal sheets. We have previously found that a stem cell medium facilitates growth and collagen matrix formation in vitro and osteogenesis in vivo. However, it has not yet been demonstrated which culture medium is superior for osteoclastogenesis, a prerequisite for reconstruction of normal bone metabolic basis. To address this question, we compared chemotaxis and osteoclastogenesis in tissue-engineered periosteal sheets (TPSs) prepared with two types of culture media. Periosteal tissues obtained from adult volunteers were expanded with the conventional Medium 199 or with the stem cell medium, MesenPRO. Hematopoietic enhanced-green-fluorescent-protein (EGFP)-nude mice were prepared by γ-irradiation of Balb/c nu/nu mice and subsequent transplantation of bone marrow cells from CAG-EGFP C57BL/6 mice. TPSs were implanted subcutaneously into the chimeric mice and retrieved after intervals for immunohistopathological examination. EGFP+ cells were similarly recruited to the implantation site in both the TPSs prepared, whereas the distribution of CD11b+ cells was significantly lower in the TPS prepared with the stem cell medium. Instead, osteoclastogenesis was higher in the TPS prepared with the stem cell medium than in the one prepared with the conventional medium. These findings suggest that the stem cell medium is preferable for the preparation of more functional TPSs.

We report time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on SnSe which currently attracts great interest due to its extremely high thermoelectric performance. Laser-assisted photoemission signals are observed within $\pm$20 fs of the pump pulse arrival. Around 30-50 fs after the photoexcitation, the conduction band minima are not populated by the photoexcited electrons while the valence bands are considerably broadened. In going from 90 fs to 550 fs after the photoexcitation, the photoexcited carriers are decayed into the multiple conduction band minima. The observed conduction bands are consistent with the band structure calculations. The multiple conduction minima suggest possibility of high and anisotropic thermoelectric performance of n-type SnSe single crystal if it is realized., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

Context: Although the incidence of invasive pneumococcal infections in children has decreased since the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs), the appearance of serotype replacements has continued to increase. Aims: We examined the frequency of serotype replacements in adult cases of pneumococcal pneumonia. Furthermore, the transition in the coverage of vaccine serotypes (VTs) to non-VTs (NVTs) was also examined. Settings and Design: We investigated all confirmed cases of pneumococcal pneumonia in 303 adult patients admitted to Yamagata Saisei Hospital between April 2006 and March 2015. Materials and Methods: Pneumococcal serotypes were determined by testing for a specific type of antiserum using the capsular swelling method. Statistical Analysis Used: Chi-square tests were used to compare patient characteristics. Results: Annually, the number of admitted patients ranged from 24 to 43, with most of them being men (64.7% of the total patient cohort). Although many cases involved some underlying conditions, the rate of pneumococcal vaccination remained low. The average rate of multigeneration housing was high (37.6%). The rates of pneumococcal vaccine coverage declined since 2013 (7-valent PCV (PCV7), 18.5%; PCV13, 59.3%; and 23-pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23), 66.7%) and were

Layers of twisted bilayer graphene exhibit varieties of exotic quantum phenomena1-5. Today, the twist angle {\Theta} has become an important degree of freedom for exploring novel states of matters, i.e. two-dimensional superconductivity ( {\Theta} = 1.1{\deg})6, 7 and a two-dimensional quasicrystal ({\Theta} = 30{\deg})8, 9. We report herein experimental observation on the photo-induced ultrafast dynamics of Dirac fermions in the quasicrystalline 30{\deg} twisted bilayer graphene (QCTBG). We discover that hot carriers are asymmetrically distributed between the two graphene layers, followed by the opposing femtosecond relaxations, by using time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The key mechanism involves the differing carrier transport between layers and the transient doping from the substrate interface. The ultrafast dynamics scheme continues after the Umklapp scattering, which is induced by the incommensurate interlayer stacking of the quasi-crystallinity. The dynamics in the atomic layer opens the possibility of new applications and creates interdisciplinary links in the optoelectronics of van der Waals crystals.

Much research has demonstrated an inverse relationship between appointment delay and one-shot appointment-keeping behavior. In the present study, we investigated whether such relationship is observed with recurrent behavior, such as class attendance and retention within a college course. When a 4-week remedial arithmetic course at an urban community college started at three different times in a semester, the within-course retention rate of the group that started the latest, hence had the longest delay, was the lowest. The aforementioned inverse relationship was observed, while there was no significant difference among the groups in terms of students’ final exam scores. A few suggestions for possible future studies, along with implications for practice, are made. We recommend the use of various forms of reminders to offset the negative impact of delayed start of a course.

Many college students never take, or do not pass, required remedial mathematics courses theorized to increase college-level performance. Some colleges and states are therefore instituting policies allowing students to take college-level courses without first taking remedial courses. However, no experiments have compared the effectiveness of these approaches, and other data are mixed. We randomly assigned 907 students to (a) remedial elementary algebra, (b) that course with workshops, or (c) college-level statistics with workshops (corequisite remediation). Students assigned to statistics passed at a rate 16 percentage points higher than those assigned to algebra (p < .001), and subsequently accumulated more credits. A majority of enrolled statistics students passed. Policies allowing students to take college-level instead of remedial quantitative courses can increase student success.

We report time-resolved angle-resolved photoemission study on Ta2Ni1−xCoxSe5 (x = 0.10) in which the excitonic insulator (EI) transition temperature is reduced by Co substitution for Ni. In the pho...

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with hypercoagulability. Tissue factor/factor VIIa complex and factor Xa in the coagulation cascade activate protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2). Previously, we have shown that PAR2-mediated inflammation aggravates kidney injury in models of diabetic kidney disease and adenine-induced renal fibrosis. However, the role of PAR2 in AKI remains unclear. To clarify the role of PAR2, we administered cisplatin, one of the most common causal factors of AKI, to wild-type and PAR2-deficient mice. The expression levels of tissue factor and PAR2 were significantly increased in the kidneys of mice that were administered cisplatin. A lack of PAR2 corrected the levels of plasma blood urea nitrogen and creatinine as well as ameliorated the acute tubular injury score in the kidney. A lack of PAR2 corrected the infiltration of neutrophils and the gene expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines/chemokines in these mouse kidneys. Similarly, apoptotic markers, such as cleaved caspase-3-positive area and Bax/Bcl2 ratio, were attenuated via PAR2 deletion. Thus, elevated PAR2 exacerbates cisplatin nephrotoxicity, and targeting PAR2 is a novel therapeutic option that aids in the treatment of patients with cisplatin-induced AKI.

Asymmetric 2,5-dibromo-3,4-phenylenedioxythiophenes having a branched alkyl side chain at the phenylene part are polymerized by Yamamoto (Y) and Grignard metathesis (GRIM) methods to give several soluble poly(3,4-phenylenedioxythiophene)s. Poly{1,4-[4-(2-hexylundecyl) phenylene]dioxythiophene-2,5-diyl} synthesized by GRIM ( PPTa - G ) exhibits a narrower band gap about 1.85 eV, higher absorption coefficient, and shorter π -stacking distance about 3.9 A than those of the polymer synthesized by Y method ( PPTa - Y ). Introducing a fluorine substituent at the phenylene part of PPTa - Y deepens the energy level of a highest occupied molecular orbital of the polymer 0.17 eV. Thin film of PPTa - G shows hole mobility of 2.52 × 10 −3 cm 2 V −1 s −1 determined by performance of the organic field-effect transistor in a preliminary experiment.

The patient was an 83-year-old man hospitalized for Haemophilus influenzae pneumonia, who developed recurrent pneumonia after improvement of the initial episode. Legionella pneumophila serogroup 12 was isolated from the sputum, accompanied by increased serum antibody titers to L. pneumophila serogroup 12. Therefore, the patient was diagnosed as having Legionella pneumonia caused by L. pneumophila serogroup 12. Case reports of pneumonia caused by L. pneumophila serogroup 12 are rare, and the case described herein is the first report of clinical isolation of this organism in Japan. When the genotype was determined by the protocol of The European Working Group for Legionella Infections (Sequence-Based Typing [SBT] for epidemiological typing of L. pneumophila , Version 3.1), the sequence type was ST68. Imipenem/cilastatin therapy was found to be effective for the treatment of Legionella pneumonia in this patient.

Polythiophenes bearing mesogenic phenylnaphthalene side chains at 3-position, poly(3-{10-[6-(4-octylphenyl)naphthalene-2-yloxy]decyl}thiophene-2,5-diyl) and poly(3-{10-[4-(6-octyl-2-naphthyl)phenyloxy]decyl}thiophene-2,5-diyl), in which each mesogenic core linked reversely, and their model liquid crystals corresponding to each phenylnaphthalene side chains were synthesised and compared each other to investigate liquid crystalline property and molecular arrangement. Yamamoto polymerisation of corresponding 2,5-dibromothiophene monomers afforded soluble polythiophenes. They had similar number average molecular weights about 10 kDa and exhibited similar photophysical properties, i.e, UV–vis absorption λmax due to polythiophene backbones around 390 nm and fluorescence λmax around 540 nm in solution (560 nm in film state) with energy transfer from an excited phenylnaphthalene side group to the backbone. The respective model liquid crystals showed different behaviours of phase transition temperatures, enthalpie...

Heart Rate Variability: A Historical Perspective Markad V. Kamath, Mari A. Watanabe, and Adrian R.M. Upton Section I Heart Rate Variability Techniques Methodological Aspects of Heart Rate Variability Analysis Tom Kuusela Methodological Aspects of Baroreflex Sensitivity Analysis Tom Kuusela Arterial Blood Pressure Waveform Analysis and Its Applications in the Assessment of Vasovagal Syncope Juan Carlos Perfetto, Ricardo O. Sirne, Aurora Ruiz, and Carlos E. D'Attellis Heart Rate Turbulence Mari A. Watanabe and Georg Schmidt Phase-Rectified Signal Averaging: Methods and Clinical Applications Raphael Schneider, Alexander Muller, and Georg Schmidt Section II Clinical Applications of Heart Rate Variability-Monitoring Heart Rate Variability Analysis for the Monitoring of Fetal Distress and Neonatal Critical Care Manuela Ferrario, Federico Aletti, Giuseppe Baselli, Maria Gabriella Signorini, and Sergio Cerutti Heart Rate Variability and Blood Pressure Variability in Obstetrics and Gynecology Dietmar Schlembach and Manfred G. Moertl Effects of Exercise Training on Heart Rate Variability in Patients with Hypertension Philip J. Millar, Cheri L. McGowan, and Neil McCartney Heart Rate Variability and Sleep Eleonora Tobaldini, Krzystof Narkiewicz, Virend K. Somers, and Nicola Montano Section III Clinical Applications of Heart Rate Variability-Acute Care Heart Rate Variability in the Intensive Care Unit Mohammad Badrul Alam, Graham Jones, Andrew J.E. Seely, W.F.S. Poehlman, and Markad V. Kamath Heart Rate Variability and Cardiovascular Dynamic Changes during Local Anesthesia Panayiotis A. Kyriacou and Kamran Shafqat Effect of General Anesthesia on Heart Rate Variability Mathieu Jeanne, Regis Logier, and Benoit Tavernier Heart Rate Variability in Functional Neurosurgery Jonathan A. Hyam, Erlick A.C. Pereira, and Alexander L. Green Bariatric Surgery and Its Effects on Heart Rate Variability Anton F. Lodder, Markad V. Kamath, David Armstrong, and Adrian R.M. Upton Section IV Clinical Applications of Heart Rate Variability-Chronic Disorders Heart Rate Variability in Congestive Heart Failure Phyllis K. Stein and Yachuan Pu Heart Rate Variability Analysis in Ischemic Cardiomyopathy and Aortic Stenosis Patients Jose F. Valencia, Montserrat Vallverdu, Alberto Porta, Andreas Voss, Rafael Vazquez, and Pere Caminal Heart Rate Variability and Blood Pressure Variability in Respiratory Disease: Effects of Pharmaceutical Compounds, Non-Invasive Ventilation and Physical Exercise Audrey Borghi Silva and Aparecida Maria Catai Effects of Spinal Cord Injury on Heart Rate Variability and Blood Pressure Variability David S. Ditor, David Allison, and Markad V. Kamath Autonomic Dysfunction in Stroke Melanie I. Stuckey, Mikko Tulppo, and Robert J. Petrella The Significance of Heart Rate Variability in Patients with Epilepsy Manjari Tripathi and Navita Choudhary Classification of Parkinson's Disease Severity Using Heart Rate Variability Analysis Che-Wei Lin, Jeen-Shing Wang, Pau-Choo Chung, Chung-Yao Hsu, Li-Ming Liou, Yen-Kuang Yang, and Ya-Ting Yang Heart Rate Variability in Neuropsychiatric Disorders Brook L. Henry Heart Rate Variability and Depression Gautam R. Ullal Heart Rate Variability as a Measure of Depression and Anxiety during Pregnancy Alison K. Shea, Meir Steiner, and Markad V. Kamath Index

Polythiophene bearing a 2-phenylnaphthalene side group at 3-position was synthesized from a 2,5-dibromothiophene monomer by two polymerization methods, i.e., Yamamoto dehalogenative polycondensation using Ni(cod)2 and Ni-catalyzed chain-growth polymerization. Polymers prepared by the former method had good solubility for organic solvents, 6300–8400 g mol–1 of number-average molecular weights, absorption bands at around 300 and 385 nm due to π–π* transitions at the phenylnaphthalene moiety and polythiophene backbone, a main fluorescence emission band at around 540 nm from the polythiophene backbone in solution and film state, and presence of enantiotropic liquid crystalline phases which enabled to construct an arrayed state. On the other hand, the latter polymer showed considerably red-shifted absorption and emission bands at around 444 and 585 nm in solution and 509 and 720 nm in film state respectively, but had poor solubility and unresolved mesophases.

Collagen, a major extracellular matrix macromolecule, is widely used for biomedical purposes. We investigated the absorption mechanism of low molecular weight collagen hydrolysate (LMW-CH) and its effects on osteoporosis in rats. When administered to Wistar rats with either [(14)C]proline (Pro group) or glycyl-[(14)C]prolyl-hydroxyproline (CTp group), LMW-CH rapidly increased plasma radioactivity. LMW-CH was absorbed into the blood of Wistar rats in the peptide form. Glycyl-prolyl-hydroxyproline tripeptide remained in the plasma and accumulated in the kidney. In both groups, radioactivity was retained at a high level in the skin until 14 days after administration. Additionally, the administration of LMW-CH to ovariectomized stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats increased the organic substance content and decreased the water content of the left femur. Our findings show that LMW-CH exerts a beneficial effect on osteoporosis by increasing the organic substance content of bone.

Conditional discrimination or matching-to-sample procedures have been used to study a wide range of complex psychological phenomena with infrahuman and human subjects. In most studies, the percentage of trials in which a subject selects the comparison stimulus that is related to the sample stimulus is used to index the control exerted by the relation between the stimuli. Performances indexed by percentage correct based on an aggregation across single trials, however, cannot identify the stimulus control topographies that exert momentary control of responding in a matching-to-sample milieu. The behavioral kernel is a unit of analysis that can provide such a measure. When a two-choice matching-to-sample procedure is used, analysis in terms of behavioral kernels permits the measurement of 16 potential stimulus control topographies. The kernel analysis provides the potential of assessing the many stimulus control topographies that control performances on a transient basis prior to the emergence of experimenter-specified conditional discriminative control. This sort of analysis could clarify the behavioral processes involved in the formation of learning set and problem-solving strategies when subjects are faced with complex discriminations, as well as the variables that influence these phenomena. As such, it is also related to accounts of discrimination learning as addressed by error-factor theory, hypothesis-based learning, and stimulus control topography coherence theory. Finally, a kernel analysis could also be used to

Two experiments investigated the effects of appointment delay and phone reminders on college students’ appointment-keeping behavior. A significantly higher percentage of students kept their appointments in the 1-day appointment delay condition than in the 15-day delay condition with no reminders in both experiments. Phone reminders provided 1 day prior to the appointment dates increased the percentage of appointments kept in the 15-day delay condition in Experiment 2. In order to assess the shape of the effect of appointment delay, future research should increase the number of values in appointment delay.

A number of primary-intervention studies with typical adults and children in open-community settings have been conducted in the area of applied behavior analysis. For example, communities and researchers have attempted to reach out to certain populations by designing and offering community-based prevention programs. In such attempts, the target individuals have not yet experienced the contingency between the participation and its consequence; that is, it is likely that the recruitment depends on antecedent control of participation. The present paper reviewed studies with group designs in which the individuals were recruited to community-based prevention programs. The selected studies were classified into the following four antecedent control procedures used in the studies: stating contingencies in the invitation; altering the value of consequence through the invitation; manipulating response effort; and others. After specific recruiting strategies used in the studies were examined, the authors concluded that many of the studies consisted of multiple and confounding variables. It is recommended future studies isolate the effects of different independent variables, rather than evaluate treatment packages.

Aim To evaluate the clinical effects of switching from premixed human insulin to a premixed rapid-acting insulin analogue in type 2 diabetic patients. Research Design and Methods Thirty patients, who were treated with a twice-daily injection of premixed human insulin, were enrolled and randomized to (i) 50/50 premixed insulin lispro twice-daily at the same daily dose as premixed human insulin (analogue mix group), or (ii) continued premixed human insulin (control group). The doses of insulin were adjusted every month by registered diabetologists to achieve adequate blood glucose levels. At the beginning of the study, and again 4 months later, HbA1c and blood glucose levels were measured, and the amount of insulin required and BMI were recorded in both groups. Insulin therapy-related quality of life (ITR-QOL) and the diabetes treatment satisfaction questionnaire (DTSQ) were also assessed in the analogue mix group at the beginning of the study and again 4 months later. Results Although HbA1c levels did not change significantly over the duration of the study in the control group (7.33 ± 0.58 vs 7.29 ± 0.65%), HbA1c did improve significantly in the analogue mix group (7.59 ± 0.44 vs 7.24 ± 0.49%; p

Aim The effect of rapid-acting insulin secretagogues (glinides) on glycemic control when included with insulin therapy for type 2 diabetes remains uncertain. To examine this, we added glinide once a day to twice daily injections of premixed insulin. Research Design and Methods Seventy-four type 2 diabetic patients, taking twice daily injections of premixed insulin and whose diabetic control was stable, were registered at 6 independent institutions. After a 3-month observation period, 60 patients were administered 10 mg mitiglinide or 90 mg nateglinide at lunchtime without changing their insulin regimen. After 12 weeks, administration of glinide was discontinued and observation was continued. HbA1c levels were measured at the start of glinide administration, after 12 weeks of glinide , and at 12 weeks after discontinuation. Results HbA1c improved from 7.72±0.66% to 7.55±0.71% (p

When the stimuli in one perceptual class (A') become related to the stimuli in another perceptual class (B'), the two are functioning as a single linked perceptual class. A common linked perceptual class would be the sounds of a person's voice (class A') and the pictures of that person (class B'). Such classes are ubiquitous in real world settings. We describe the effects of a variety of training procedures on the formation of these classes. The results could account for the development of naturally occurring linked perceptual classes. Two perceptual classes (A' and B') were formed in Experiment 1. The endpoints of the A' class were called anchor (Aa) and boundary (Ab) stimuli. Likewise, the anchor and boundary stimuli in the B' class were represented as Ba and Bb. In Experiment 2, the A' and B' classes were linked by the establishment of one of four cross-class conditional discriminations: Aa--Ba, Aa--Bb, Ab--Ba, or Ab--Bb. Results were greatest after Aa--Bb training, intermediate after Aa--Ba and Ab--Ba training, and lowest after Ab--Bb training. Class formation was influenced by the interaction of the anchor/boundary values and the sample/comparison functions of the stimuli used in training. Experiment 3 determined whether class formation was influenced by different sets of two cross-class conditional discriminations: Aa--Ba and Ab--Bb, or Aa--Bb and Ab--Ba. Both conditions produced equivalent results. Similarities were attributable to the use of anchor stimuli as samples and boundary stimuli as comparisons in each training condition. Finally, the results afterjoint Aa--Ba and Ab--Bb training were much greater than those produced by summing the results of Aa--Ba training alone and Ab--Bb training alone. This same synergy was not observed after joint Aa--Bb and Ab--Ba training or either alone.

After training conditional discriminations among selected stimuli from two perceptual classes, the emergence of novel relations involving other members of both classes was assessed using cross-class probes. The cross-class probes were presented using one of four different testing schedules. In the 2/9 test, nine different probes were presented in each of two test blocks. In the 6/3 test, three different probes were presented in each of six test blocks. In the 18/1-RND test, each of the 18 cross-class probes was presented in separate test blocks. In the 2/9 and 6/3 tests, the cross-class probes were presented in a randomized order within test block. In the 18/1-RND test, the cross-class probes were presented in a randomized sequence. In the 18/1-PRGM test, however, the cross-class probes were presented in a programmed order (i.e., the values of the stimuli in each cross-class probe were changed systematically in the succession of probe presentations). About 55% of the linked perceptual classes emerged during the 2/9, 6/3, and 18/1-RND tests. Thus the number of different probes in a test block did not influence the emergence of classes as long as the probes were presented in a random order. Virtually all classes emerged during the 18/1-PRGM test. Thus at least one ordered introduction of different cross probes resulted in the reliable emergence of linked perceptual classes. Mechanisms responsible for linked perceptual class formation are discussed along with the relation of these classes to other complex categories.

Increasing choice and participation by adults with autism spectrum disorders is an important, but neglected, aspect of research and services. This study evaluated the effects of choice-making opportunities, embedded within activity schedules, and contingent praise on the engagement of three adults with autism in a community vocational setting. In the baseline condition, staff assigned the order of the tasks. In the Choice condition and Maintenance phases, the participants chose the order of tasks that supervisors assigned to them. They made their own activity schedules by writing down the order of their tasks for that morning. Social praise was provided contingent on the participant's task completion. The same tasks were used in baseline, intervention, and maintenance phases. During the Choice and Maintenance conditions, client engagement was substantially higher than baseline for all three participants. Increasing choice-making opportunities within activity schedules was an effective and socially acceptable way to increase choice and engagement in adults with autism.

Background. Fas (APO-1/CD95), a member of the tumor necrosis factor/nerve growth factor receptor superfamily, mediates apoptosis in response to agonistic antibodies or Fas ligand (FasL) binding. Previous reports indicated an upregulation of FasL in gastric carcinomas to evade host immune attack. Fas/FasL expression, however, has not been analyzed in terms of apoptosis and proliferation in gastric adenoma and carcinoma. Methods. This study was conducted on seven human gastric carcinoma cell lines, 47 gastric adenomas, and 75 intestinal-type adenocarcinomas (48 early and 27 advanced carcinomas). Fas/FasL expression was examined by immunohistochemistry, apoptosis by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-digoxigenin nick-end labeling (TUNEL) method, and Fas gene mutation by a reverse transcriptase (RT) polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and sequencing method. Results. Fas and FasL expressions were noted in 18 (38.3%) and 17 (36.2%) adenomas, in 21 (43.8%) and 33 (68.8%) early carcinomas, and in 10 (37.0%) and 19 (70.4%) advanced carcinomas, respectively. The frequency of FasL expression was significantly higher in advanced carcinomas than in the early carcinomas and adenomas; in contrast, there was no significant difference in Fas expression among the three groups. The mean apoptotic index (AI) was 4.96 ± 0.51 in the adenomas, 2.96 ± 0.23 in the early carcinomas, and 1.67 ± 0.17 in the advanced carcinomas. A significantly higher AI was noted in the lesions with Fas expression than in those without Fas expression in all three groups. No missense mutations of the Fas gene were detected in any of the gastric carcinoma cell lines, or in the gastric adenomas or carcinomas. Conclusions. Upregulation of FasL may correlate with the progression of gastric carcinoma. Apoptosis in gastric adenoma and carcinoma cells may occur via Fas-dependent and -independent pathways, but further clarification is needed.

We have measured the fluorescence excitation spectra (FES) of neutral dissociation fragments for ethylene (C 2 H 4 ) in the excitation wavelength range between 30 and 100 nm. It has been concluded that the total UV–Visible FES is mainly dominated by CH(A,B–X) and C 2 H* emissions produced through neutral dissociation from superexcited states. In contrast to the UV–Visible FES, Lyman-α FES of ethylene shows strong emissions in the inner-valence region rather than in the outer-valence region.

An efficient method for synthesis of 7-oxygenated indoles was established by Fischer indolization of the phenylhydrazones (10) with a sulfonyloxy group at the ortho-position. This method was applied to the first synthesis of the calmodulin antagonist eudistomidin-A (2).