cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Erratum: Clinical Usefulness of Uric Acid as a Biomarker for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Comparative Analysis With Plain Radiography and Musculoskeletal Ultrasound

Objective. The aim of this study was to determine the relationships of serum and urine uric acid with severity or activity in knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods. A total of 42 patients with knee OA was enrolled, together with 58 healthy controls. Serum uric acid and spot urine uric acid levels were assessed for all patients. The severity and activity of knee OA were assessed by musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) and plain radiography of the knee joint. Ultrasonographic abnormalities in knee OA includedsynovial hypertrophy, suprapatellar effusion, cartilage degradation, and osteophyte formation. Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L) grade was used to evaluate radiological progression of knee OA. Results. Patients with K-L grade III had a higher urine uric acid/creatinine ratio compared to those with K-L grade I (p=0.043). Patients with synovial hypertrophy had higher serum uric acid level compared to those without synovial hypertrophy (p=0.016). The urine uric acid/creatinine ratio was higher in patients with cartilage degradation compared to those without cartilage degradation (p=0.022). Serum uric acid was significantly associated with synovial hypertrophy thickness (r=0.375, p=0.018) but not with cartilage thickness after adjusting for age and body mass index. Lower urine uric acid was related with knee OA compared to healthy controls (odds ratio=0.974, 95% confidence interval 0.954∼0.994, p=0.013). Conclusion. The results of our study suggest that serum and urine uric acid reflects synovial inflammation based on MSUS and radiographic progression and then is associated with the pathogenesis of knee OA. (J Rheum Dis 2020;27:51-60)
Teaching for the Tithe: Donor Expectations and the Matrona's Tithe

This article examines a story in the Jerusalem Talmud depicting a wealthy woman who expects Torah instruction in exchange for her tithes. This textual example is used as a lens through which to view the changing social, religious, and economic relationships of Roman Syria Palaestina, whereby the biblically described institution of tithing to priests expanded to include priestly descendent rabbis. Giving the priestly tithe to a rabbi, while advantageous in a period of rabbinic fundraising, presented a distinct set of challenges as it came to resemble patronage practices associated with Roman elites. Through close textual analysis of the wealthy woman's tithe, the prominence and consequences of scholastic donations are examined, both in rabbinic literature and in the broader late ancient Mediterranean.1
Positional Signalling and Nerve Cell Specificity

The optic fibers differ from one another in quality according to the particular locus of the retina in which the ganglion cells are located. The retina apparently undergoes a polarized, field-like differentiation during development, which brings about local specification of the ganglion cells. … The functional relations established by the optic fibers in the brain centers are patterned in a systematic way on the basis of this refined specificity.
Objective and subjective vulvovaginal symptoms in breast cancer patients.

e24056Background: Breast cancer and its treatment adversely impact sexual function and QoL. As more women become survivors, information is needed about vulvovaginal symptoms, sexual concerns and tr...
“I Call Them My Little Chinese Kids”: Parents’ Identities and Language Ideologies in a Mandarin-English Dual Language Immersion School

Research on bilingual education presents clear advantages for children’s linguistic, cognitive, and social development. However, recent criticism of dual language education programs has led to claims of dual language education as a marker of elite bilingualism or that parents play their roles as socially accepted “good parents” by sending their child to a bilingual school. This paper presents the linguistic ideologies of parents of students enrolled in two Chinese-English dual language schools in the MidAtlantic U.S. Qualitative data were obtained from in-depth interviews with 21 parents (mothers = 15, fathers = 6), the majority of whom have no Chinese ethnic connection. In drawing from theories of Family Language Policy, parents addressed the connections between Mandarin and economic, political, sociolinguistic, or sociocultural factors. Discussions with parents reveal both their knowledge and misconceptions regarding language learning theories. Findings also indicated that parental language ideologies often intertwine Chinese language with culture and nationality. Further, this research explores the ways parents uniquely shaped their identities in how they both accept and reject aspects of Chinese culture and language. My study reveals a more nuanced portrait of the parents who choose Mandarin immersion for their children, and explores the critical role that caretakers can play in informing bilingual policies and practices.
Bandwidth extension and conversion efficiency improvements beyond phase matching limitations using cavity-enhanced OPCPA

The conversion efficiency and phase matching bandwidth of ultrafast optical parametric amplification (OPA) are constrained by the dispersion and nonlinear coefficient of the employed crystal as well as pulse shaping effects. In our work we show that an enhancement cavity resonant with the pump seeded at the full repetition rate of the pump laser can automatically reshape the small-signal gain in optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) to achieve close-to-optimal operation. This new method termed cavity-enhanced OPCPA or C-OPCPA significantly increases both the gain bandwidth and the conversion efficiency, in addition to boosting gain for high-repetition-rate amplification. The goal in C-OPCPA is to arrive at a condition of impedance matching at all temporal coordinates, such that, in the absence of linear losses, all the incident pump power is dissipated in the nonlinear loss element, i.e., converted to signal and idler. The use of a low finesse enhancement cavity resonant with a low average power (<1W) and a high repetition rate (78MHz) pump source is shown to achieve more than 50% conversion efficiency into signal and idler from the coupled pump in an optical parametric process, whereas an equivalent amount of pump power in a single-pass configuration leads to negligible conversion. Additionally, the gain bandwidth is extended by a factor of 3-4 beyond the phase-matching limit. Our empirical observations are corroborated by a numerical analysis of depletion optimizing the single-pass case, which assesses the underlying impedance matching that is responsible for the observed performance improvements.
Assessing the Value of New Big Data Sources for Transportation Planning: Benton Harbor, Michigan Case Study

Transportation professionals and researchers have traditionally relied on household travel surveys to understand transportation needs, especially for transit-dependent and other environmental justice communities. Recently, new big data sources have become available for transportation planning applications. The purpose of this article is to compare a traditional household travel survey with two such datasets used by practitioners: SafeGraph and StreetLight. The analysis compares the coverage and travel patterns they provide across a socioeconomically diverse small region centered on the twin cities of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, Michigan, USA. Although lacking demographic data, the big data sources provide greater coverage and detail for parts of the region home to the African American population important for environmental justice analysis. In addition, SafeGraph data derived from cell phones provides potentially useful point-of-interest and time-of-day travel information lacking from the conventional survey. The article describes the potential for data fusion for enhanced understanding of community needs.
Exploring women's oxytocin responses to interactions with their pet cats.

Background Extensive research has evaluated the involvement of the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) in human social behaviors, including parent-infant relationships. Studies have investigated OT's connection to human attachment to nonhuman animals, with the majority of the literature focusing on domestic dogs (Canis lupis familiaris). Utilizing what is known about OT and its role in maternal-infant and human-dog bonding, we apply these frameworks to the study of human-domestic cat (Felis catus) interactions. Methods We investigated changes in salivary OT levels in 30 U.S. women of reproductive age before and after two conditions: reading a book (control) and interacting with their pet cat. Participant and cat behavioral patterns during the cat interaction condition were also quantified to determine if differences in women's OT concentrations were associated with specific human and cat behaviors. Results Our results revealed no changes in women's OT levels during the cat interaction, relative to the control condition, and pre-cat interaction OT levels. However, differences in women's OT concentrations were correlated with some human-cat interactions (e.g., positively with petting cat and cat approach initiation, negatively with cat agonistic behavior) but not all observed behaviors (e.g., use of gentle or baby voice) coded during human-cat interactions. Discussion This study is the first to explore women's OT in response to interactions with their pet cat and has identified distinct human and cat behaviors that influence OT release in humans.
A high-order discontinuous Galerkin method with unstructured space–time meshes for two-dimensional compressible flows on domains with large deformations

© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. We present a high-order accurate space-time discontinuous Galerkin method for solving two-dimensional compressible flow problems on fully unstructured space-time meshes. The discretization is based on a nodal formulation, with appropriate numerical fluxes for the first and the second-order terms, respectively. The scheme is implicit, and we solve the resulting non-linear systems using a parallel Newton-Krylov solver. The meshes are produced by a mesh moving technique with element connectivity updates, and the corresponding space-time elements are produced directly based on these local operations. To obtain globally conforming tetrahedral meshes, we first derive the required conditions on a prism boundary mesh to allow for a valid local triangulation. Next, we present an efficient algorithm for finding a global mesh that satisfies these conditions. We also show how to add and remove mesh nodes, again using local constructs for the space-time mesh. Our method is demonstrated on a number of test problems, showing the high-order accuracy for model problems, and the ability to solve flow problems on domains with complex large deformations.
Malting Barley in the United States1

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an historical overview of malting barley in the United States and explains the malting process. Malting barley is a specialty crop grown for a raw material used for a specific purpose. The crop is produced for the grain that must meet a relatively narrow range of performance for several quality characteristics established by the industrial users of malt. The barley is converted to malt by the process known as “malting.” Malting is a controlled, limited germination process of the barley grain used to activate and synthesize enzyme systems. Various steps are discussed to illustrate the importance of some of the requirements of barley used in the production of malt, such as preparing the barley, steeping, germination, kilning, and handling of malt. The chapter classifies cultivated barleys of the United States into four groups: (1) Manchuria–O.A.C. 21–Oderbrucker group, (2) two-rowed group, (3) coast group, and (4) Tennessee winter group. It discusses the requirements of malting barley and describes various quality testing procedures used to develop acceptable malting barley varieties, including (1) prediction test, (2) macro and micro malting, (3) pilot malting and brewing, and (4) carlot quality evaluation.
Amphibian Red Blood Cell Ferritin

Erythroid ferritin was isolated from tadpole red blood cells, an unusually abundant source, with an iron content of 12%. The apoprotein was characterized by sedimentation equilibrium studies, sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis, and by determination of amino acid composition. Tadpole red cell apoferritin has a molecular weight of 478,000, a subunit size of 19,600, and an amino acid composition similar to that of horse spleen apoferritin, particularly in its proline content. However, there is little or no cysteine in the tadpole protein in contrast to that from horse spleen; two other tadpole red cell proteins also have little or no cysteine. The amount of ferritin in amphibian red blood cells decreased from 0.9% of the soluble protein in the tadpole to 0.08% in the frog as measured immunologically; ferritin could not be detected in lysates of frog cells using gel electrophoresis. A large non-hemoglobin iron pool in the tadpole red cell was indicated not only by the amount of ferritin but also by the observation that cell suspensions could incorporate 14C-amino acids into hemoglobin without incorporating 59Fe into hemoglobin. Red cell suspensions from adult frogs incorporated 14C-amino acids and 59Fe into hemoglobin.
Repetitive control-based current ripple reduction method with a multi-port power converter for SRM drive

This paper proposes a repetitive control-based method to further reduce the dc source current ripple for switched reluctance motor (SRM) drive. Conventional SRM drives usually utilize a large capacitor on the dc bus to absorb the fluctuating energy caused by current commutation. Integrated multi-port power converter (IMPC) is a new topology that can largely reduce capacitance requirement compared to conventional SRM drives. Despite that, harmonic currents still exist on the dc source because of the limitation of linear multi-loop control method. Based on the theoretical analysis of the harmonics, a repetitive control-based advanced power flow control method is proposed in this paper to improve the control performance of the IMPC. The necessity for repetitive control is stated and the controller based on repetitive control is designed. Simulation and experimental results verify its feasibility and superior performance.
PMv Neuronal Firing May Be Driven by a Movement Command Trajectory within Multidimensional Gaussian Fields

The premotor cortex (PM) is known to be a site of visuo-somatosensory integration for the production of movement. We sought to better understand the ventral PM (PMv) by modeling its signal encoding in greater detail. Neuronal firing data was obtained from 110 PMv neurons in two male rhesus macaques executing four reach-grasp-manipulate tasks. We found that in the large majority of neurons (∼90%) the firing patterns across the four tasks could be explained by assuming that a high-dimensional position/configuration trajectory-like signal evolving ∼250 ms before movement was encoded within a multidimensional Gaussian field (MGF). Our findings are consistent with the possibility that PMv neurons process a visually specified reference command for the intended arm/hand position trajectory with respect to a proprioceptively or visually sensed initial configuration. The estimated MGF were (hyper) disc-like, such that each neuron's firing modulated strongly only with commands that evolved along a single direction within position/configuration space. Thus, many neurons appeared to be tuned to slices of this input signal space that as a collection appeared to well cover the space. The MGF encoding models appear to be consistent with the arm-referent, bell-shaped, visual target tuning curves and target selectivity patterns observed in PMV visual-motor neurons. These findings suggest that PMv may implement a lookup table-like mechanism that helps translate intended movement trajectory into time-varying patterns of activation in motor cortex and spinal cord. MGFs provide an improved nonlinear framework for potentially decoding visually specified, intended multijoint arm/hand trajectories well in advance of movement.
Mode of action of lomofungin.

Lomofungin inhibited the growth of some yeasts and mycelial fungi at concentrations between 5 and 10 μg/ml. At such concentrations, there was no decrease in endogenous and exogenous oxygen consumption, and even 50 μg of antibiotic per ml caused only slight decreases. The permeation of the cell membrane was changed so that leakage of ninhydrin-positive substances was reduced, and the uptake of 14C-labeled glucose, amino acids, uracil, and thymidine was decreased at concentrations as low as 4 μg/ml. Protein synthesis in whole cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was reduced 35% at 10 μg/ml. However, the antibiotic did not reduce the incorporation of phenylalanine-U-14C into polypeptides with cell-free systems of Rhizoctonia solani and S. cerevisiae. The synthesis of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was inhibited even at concentrations of lomofungin of 4 μg/ml. Since RNA synthesis was inhibited at lower concentrations and earlier than DNA synthesis, the primary site of action of the antibiotic appears to be the synthesis of RNA.
The Human Development Index: A History

This article recounts the intellectual history of the UNDP’s Human Development Index. It begins with the early history of welfare economics and follows this field through three successive revolutions in thought, culminating in the theory of human development. The first section traces this history from the origins of economic “utility” theory to Amartya Sen’s human capabilities approach. The second section chronicles past and present measures of social welfare used in the fields of economics and development, including national income and a variety of composite measures, up to and including HDI.
Distributed Algorithms for Computing Alternate Paths Avoiding Failed Nodes and Links

A recent study characterizing failures in computer networks shows that transient single element (node/link) failures are the dominant failures in large communication networks like the Internet. Thus, having the routing paths globally recomputed on a failure does not pay off since the failed element recovers fairly quickly, and the recomputed routing paths need to be discarded. In this paper, we present the first distributed algorithm that computes the alternate paths required by some "proactive recovery schemes" for handling transient failures. Our algorithm computes paths that avoid a failed node, and provides an alternate path to a particular destination from an upstream neighbor of the failed node. With minor modifications, we can have the algorithm compute alternate paths that avoid a failed link as well. To the best of our knowledge all previous algorithms proposed for computing alternate paths are centralized, and need complete information of the network graph as input to the algorithm.
Rising trend of life expectancy in Shanghai, China: quantitative analysis of changes by mortalities in different age groups and specific diseases

Objective: Life expectancy had increased from 73.16 to 79.82 years in men and 77.74 to 84.44 years in women during 1990-2010 in Shanghai. The elevating rate was faster than that of most developed countries. This study is to access life expectancy increasedin Shanghai by different age groups and specific diseases. Methods: Arriaga’s decomposition methods were applied to life tables and mortality data (1990-2010) to estimate changes in life expectancy. Results: The largest contributions lied on elderly population (60 years old & above) (4.79-year in men and 4.90-year in women). During 1990-2000, reductions in mortality of respiratory system diseases, especially in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), contributed 1.36-year increase in men and 1.16-year increase in women. During 2000-2010, reductions in mortality of circulatory system diseases, especially in cerebrovascular disease (CVD), contributed 0.82-year increase in men and 1.08-year increase in women. Conclusions: Rapid increases in life expectancy were mostly achieved by declining mortality in aged population and chronic noncommunicable diseases (CND), nevertheless CND were still the main causes of death in Shanghai, which implicated that the prevention strategies for chronic diseases was effective and should be persevered for a long time in the future.
Application Of Image Correlation For Optical Character Recognition In Printed Circuit Board Inspection

Correlation techniques are used to identify characters on integrated circuit components for the purpose of verifying that the correct component has been located on the printed circuit board prior to wave soldering. The circuit components are inspected using a computer controlled vision system and the appropriate character string located. The individual characters are isolated within the string and identified. The resultant is an aggregate number that identifies the component and is compared against a location database to verify that the component is indeed correctly located. Initially, font samples of all expected characters are required and used for identification. Further studies suggest the use of character primitives to eliminate the need for a large font database. Heuristic and optimal primitives are considered and tested against a specific component class.
Multiphoton-excited fluorescence measurements of absolute concentration profiles of atomic hydrogen in low-pressure flames

We describe absolute concentration profiles of atomic hydrogen measured in low-pressure flames using multiphoton excitation techniques. Time-resolved fluorescence decay measurements using two-photon, 205-nm excitation with 50-psec laser pulses provide collisional quenching rates measured directly in the flames. These rates are used to convert relative fluorescence profiles measured using a two-step excitation scheme into relative concentration profiles. Absolute concentrations are obtained by comparing the two-step fluorescence signals in the flames to a standard =1.5, 20-Torr hydrogen-oxygen-nitrogen calibration flame in which we calculate the atomic hydrogen concentration. We compare in detail measured and calculated quenching and absolute concentration profiles in a =1, 25-Torr acetylene-oxygen-argon flame, and tabulate absolute concentrations measured in several other low-pressure flames.
Conservation of binding sites for regulatory factors in the coordinately expressed α1(I) and α2(I) collagen promoters

Abstract To examine possible mechanisms for the coordinate control of the α1(I) and α2(I) collagen genes, we have searched for DNA binding factors that are common to both genes. We have recently identified in the proximal part of the α1(I) promoter a functional binding site for CBF, a heteromeric transcriptional activator which binds to certain CCAAT sequences, and also functional binding sites for two different transcriptional repressors, designated IF1 and IF2. CBF was previously also shown to bind and activate the α2(I) collagen promoter. We now present evidence that a factor with similar binding characteristics as IF1 binds to the α2(I) promoter at approximately the same distances from the start site of transcription as in the α1(I) collagen promoter. A three bp substitution mutation in the IF1 binding site which abolishes IF1 binding increases the activity of the α2(I) promoter 4-fold as with the α1(I) promoter. We propose that the coordinate regulation of these two genes is at least in part mediated by these common elements.
Development and validation of a sensitive LC–MS/MS method for the determination of fenoterol in human plasma and urine samples

Abstract Due to the lack of sensitivity in current methods for the determination of fenoterol (Fen), a rapid LC–MS/MS method was developed for the determination of (R,R′)-Fen and (R,R′;S,S′)-Fen in plasma and urine. The method was fully validated and was linear from 50 pg/ml to 2000 pg/ml for plasma and from 2.500 ng/ml to 160 ng/ml for urine with a lower limit of quantitation of 52.8 pg/ml in plasma. The coefficient of variation was
Use of an adaptive grid procedure for parabolic flow problems

Abstract An adaptive grid procedure is devised for the calculation of two-dimensional parabolic flows. The procedure redistributes the nodal points at each streamwise location of the flow so as to provide a finer mesh spacing in regions of rapid profile variation. Guidance is taken from the behavior of each dependent variable in deciding the final distribution of nodal points. Thus, critical regions in the flow field are always accurately resolved. It is shown that conventional differencing schemes do not perform satisfactorily on skewed grids, which are inherently associated with the adaptation procedure. A more suitable differencing scheme, which gives stable and accurate results, is developed. By means of various test problems, the improvement in results obtained by the adaptive grid procedure is demonstrated.
A programme to prepare instructors for clinical teaching

Clinical staff perfusionists are responsible for training perfusion students to perform tasks and manage patients in the clinical setting. They are often the least prepared to assume this teaching role. To address this need, a modular programme has been developed to provide the teaching staff with instructional skills. Adult learning theory specifies that an effective learning environment addresses issues of saliency, motivation, retention and transfer. Adults have different expectations, so this programme is designed to maximize this process. The programme is comprehensive and may be used for didactic instruction as well. Derived from a model designed for physicians as teachers, five modules provide theoretical support for teaching techniques, learning tools and management techniques for giving feedback and evaluating performance. Specifically, the topics address the following subjects: managing and motivating learners; teaching medical problem solving; teaching clinical skills; giving feedback and evalu...
Gender differences in prevalence of upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders

A literature review was conducted on the current literature base to determine the strength of support for the hypothesis that women experience higher prevalences of upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders (UEMSDs) than men. Fifty-six articles were reviewed for data on gender differences in frequency, incidence or prevalence rates for musculoskeletal disorders specific to the upper extremities. These articles included both general and working populations. The majority of the studies showed that women had significantly higher incidences of various types of UEMSDs than men. This trend was consistently observed in studies based on self-report or plant/workers compensation records, with and without physical examination, and after adjusting for potential confounders such as age and physical work factors. With men as the referent, the odds ratio (OR) or prevalence ratio (PR) for UEMSDs ranged from 0.85 to 10.05 for self report. For self report combined with physical examination, the OR/PR ranged from 0.66 to 11.4. The OR/PR for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) ranged from 0.6 to 2.87 with confounder adjustment. These findings suggest that women do have significantly higher prevalences than men for many types of UEMSDs, even after controlling for the type of data source and confounders such as age or work factors.
Evidence for water channels in renal proximal tubule cell membranes.

Water transport mechanisms in rabbit proximal convoluted cell membranes were examined by measurement of: (1) osmotic (P f ) and diffusional (P d ) water permeabilities, (2) inhibition ofP f by mercurials, and (3) activation energies (E a ) forP f .P f was measured in PCT brush border (BBMV) and basolateral membrane (BLMV) vesicles, and in viable PCT cells by stopped-flow light scattering;P d was measured in PCT cells by proton NMR Ti relaxation times using Mn as a paramagnetic quencher. In BLMV,P f (0.019 cm/sec, 23°C) was inhibited 65% by 5mm pCMBS and 75% by 300 μm HgCl2 (K l =42 μm);E a increased from 3.6 to 7.6 kcal/mole (15–40°C) with 300 μm HgCl2. In BBMV,P f (0.073 cm/sec, 23°C,E a =2.8 kcal/mole, 33°C) was inhibited 65% with HgCl2 withE a =9.4 kcal/mole (15–45°C). Mercurial inhibition in BLMV and BBMV was reversed with 10 μm mercaptoethanol. Viable PCT cells were isolated from renal cortex by Dounce homogenization and differential seiving. Impedence sizing studies show that PCT cells are perfect osmometers (100–1000 mOsm). Assuming a cell surface-to-volume ratio of 25,000 cm−1,P f was 0.010±0.002 cm/sec (37°C) andP d was 0.0032 cm/sec.P f was independent of osmotic gradient size (25–1000 mOsm) withE a 2.5 kcal/mole ( 27°C). CellP f was inhibited 53% by 300 μm HgCl2 (23°C) withE a 6.2 kcal/mole. These findings indicate that cellP f is not restricted by extracellular or cytoplasmic unstirred layers and that cellP f is not flow-dependent. The high BLMV and BBMVP f , inhibition by HgCl2, lowE a which increases with inhibition, and the measuredP f /P d >1 in cells in the absence of unstirred layers provide strong evidence for the existence of water channels in proximal tubule brush border and basolateral membranes. These channels are similar to those found in erythrocytes and are likely required for rapid PCT transcellular water flow.
A plea for clarity.

I enjoy receiving the Red Journal, and now PRO, at our home. For years, a ritual in my family has been me thumbing through the journal to see whether there was something from our department or research group that I could show my family. I want my children to see the product of their father’s efforts and maybe get them to share some excitement in science and medicine. Typically, this would mean me pointing to one of the graphs or tables in an article. A well-made figure is often the best way to convey quantitative information in a clear manner, usually much more efficiently than text. Figures also provide a visual memory of an article and are often reproduced in review papers and PowerPoint presentations. Certainly, reading the text carefully is also often critical to understanding the nuance and details. Over the years, as my students and colleagues can attest, I have been a stickler for details in figures. I am troubled by the often-ambiguous nature of many figures in our professional journals. The goal is to convey information in a clear, efficient, and unambiguous manner. Anything less is wasteful (with regard to time and effort) at a minimum and may lead to misunderstandings. I’m often surprised that authors who worked so hard to generate their data do not spend more time polishing their display. To quantify the frequency and extent of the problem, I semiobjectively assessed the quality of 145 line graphs in 58 articles from two recent issues of the Red Journal. I wholly acknowledge the nonrigorous, biased, and unscientific nature of this review. Nevertheless, here we go. I found 70% (102/145) of the line graphs easy to read. I was able to understand (I think) the main message of 91% (132/145) of the graphs within approximately <15–30 seconds. However, 9% (13/145) lacked a title or a clearly defined endpoint on the y axis. Furthermore, 14% (20/145) lacked labels defining each line within the graph itself. For these, I needed to read the caption (text beneath the figure) to try to understand the endpoint being measured or the meaning of each line. Even
Calreticulin Interacts with Newly Synthesized Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Envelope Glycoprotein, Suggesting a Chaperone Function Similar to That of Calnexin

The ubiquitous eukaryotic protein calreticulin has been detected in a wide variety of different cell types. Recently, calreticulin was found to bind in vitro to a number of proteins isolated from the endoplasmic reticulum. In addition, calreticulin has sequence similarities with the molecular chaperone calnexin. These data suggest that calreticulin might also act as a chaperone. We found that calreticulin associated transiently with a large number of newly synthesized cellular proteins. In cells expressing recombinant human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) envelope glycoprotein, gp160 bound transiently to calreticulin with a peak at 10 min after its synthesis. Binding of gp120 to calreticulin was not detected because proteolytic cleavage of gp160 occurs in the trans-Golgi. Nonglycosylated HIV envelope protein was not associated with calreticulin, suggesting a requirement for N-linked oligosaccharides on newly synthesized proteins as has been reported for calnexin. The in vivo binding kinetics of calnexin and calreticulin to gp160 were very similar. Sequential immunoprecipitations provided evidence for the existence of ternary complexes of gp160, calreticulin, and calnexin. The data suggested that most of the gp160 associated with calreticulin was also bound to calnexin but that only a portion of the gp160 associated with calnexin was also bound to calreticulin.
The inflammatory effects of UDP-glucose in N9 microglia are not mediated by P2Y14 receptor activation

In this study we evaluated the functionality and inflammatory effects of P2Y14 receptors in murine N9 microglia. The selective P2Y14 receptor agonist UDP-glucose (UDPG) derived from microbial sources dose dependently stimulated expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase, and potentiated the effects of bacterial lipopolysaccharide on nitric oxide production. However, another selective P2Y14 receptor agonist, UDP-galactose, did not affect these endpoints either alone or in combination with lipopolysaccharide. Interestingly, synthetic UDPG also had no detectable pro-inflammatory effects, although P2Y14 receptors are both expressed and functional in N9 microglia. While synthetic UDPG decreased levels of phosphorylated cyclic AMP response element binding protein, an effect that was blocked by pertussis toxin, the pro-inflammatory effects of microbial-derived UDPG were insensitive to pertussis toxin. These data suggest that the pro-inflammatory effects of microbial-derived UDPG are independent of P2Y14 receptors and imply that microbial-derived contaminants in the UDPG preparation may be involved in the observed inflammatory effects.
Electronic Raman Scattering by Superconducting-Gap Excitations in Nb 3 Sn and V 3 Si

Raman-scattering measurements on ${\mathrm{Nb}}_{3}$Sn and ${\mathrm{V}}_{3}$Si show new peaks in the superconducting state close in energy to the superconducting gap $2\ensuremath{\Delta}$. These are attributed to direct electronic Raman scattering by pairs of superconducting quasiparticles. A theory is presented which fits the data well and provides evidence for anisotropy of the gap (\ensuremath{\sim}20% in ${\mathrm{Nb}}_{3}$Sn) and of the matrix element for electronic Raman scattering.
Voltage-Induced Vorticity and Optical Focusing in Liquid Crystals

We have observed that liquid crystals of the $p$-azoxyanisole type exhibit macroscopic rotational motion above a threshold voltage. The vortex motion of the birefringent liquid results in a lattice of cylindrical lenses whose focal lengths are voltage variable. These experiments are in excellent agreement with the dynamic predictions of the continuum theory.
Regeneration of the eighth cranial nerve in the bullforg, Rana catesbeiana

Abstract The present study was done in order to document the ability of the eighth cranial nerve of the bullforg (Rana catesbeiana) to regenerate, the anatomic characteristics of the regenerated fibers, and the specificity of projections from individual endorgan branches of the nerve. The eighth cranial nerve was sharply transected between the ganglion cells and the brain stem in 40 healthy bullfrogs and allowed to regenerate. Anatomic studies were performed in these animals a minimum of 3 months postoperatively. Horseradish peroxidase was used to label the whole vestibular nerve or its individual endorgan branches. Labeled regenerated fibers could be identified crossing the site of the nerve section and projecting centrally to the vestibular nuclei in a pattern similar to that of normal frogs. Labeling of individual branches showed that regenerated fibers innervated the same specific areas found in normal frogs. Unlike normal animals, both thick and thin fibers projected to the medial nucleus.
Normative explanations of helping behavior: A critique, proposal, and empirical test

Criticisms of normative explanations of helping behavior are examined, and an explanation responsive to these criticisms is proposed. This explanation specifies conditions which affect the activation of personal norms and hence their influence on behavior. One hypothesis based on the explanation was tested: the impact of norms on behavior is a function of the tendency to deny or to ascribe responsibility to the self (AR). AR and personal norms toward donating bone marrow to a stranger were measured in a mailed questionnaire. Three months later, 132 women received mailed appeals to join a pool of potential donors from an unrelated source. As predicted, volunteering was a function of the AR × personal norm interaction (p < .0001). Personal norms had no impact on volunteering among those low on AR (deniers), but a substantial impact among those high on AR. Neither intentions to donate, attitudes toward transplants, nor various sociodemographic variables added to the variance in volunteering accounted for by the AR × personal norm interaction.
Polaronic Effect and Its Impact on T c for Novel Layered Superconducting Systems

The crystal lattice of a complex compound may contain a subsystem of ions with each one possessing two close equilibrium positions (double-well structure). For example, the oxygen ions in the cuprates form such a subsystem. In such a situation it is impossible to separate electronic and local vibrational motions. This leads to a large increase in the effective strength of the electron–lattice interaction, which is beneficial for pairing.
Noble gas components in clasts and separates of the Abee meteorite

Abstract The noble gas components and their distributions were studied in a variety of clasts and in separated phases of clast 2,2 using a detailed stepwise release program. The results show the presence of two distinct trapped components: one appears to be similar to Kenna-type gas [28], the other is characterized by element ratios 36 Ar/ 84 Kr and 36 Ar/ 132 Xe ≥ 900 and is termed Ar-rich component. Silicate phases are identified as carriers of both components; but since they are differentially released, the results imply that multiple carrier phases are required. Unlike results from other meteorites, HF attack removes all but 15% of the xenon. Substantial amounts of trapped and, in many cases, unfractionated air were observed, apparently in reaction products of reduced and easily oxidized minerals. The 129 Xe r release systematics imply the presence of two distinct carriers of extinct 129 I and suggest lithophilic behavior of I in Abee. The U/Th- 4 He and K- 40 Ar data are consistent with a 4.5 Gy age. Amounts of spallogenic He, Ne and Ar yield a cosmic ray exposure age of 8 My. We compare the Ar-rich component to noble gas abundances in planetary atmospheres and we discuss a suggested model of origin.
Molecules, morphology, missing data and the phylogenetic position of a recently extinct madtom catfish (Actinopterygii: Ictaluridae)

Taxa missing large amounts of data pose challenges that may hinder the recovery of a well-resolved, accurate phylogeny and leave questions surrounding their phylogenetic position. Systematists commonly have to contend with one or two species in a group for which there is little or no material available suitable for recovering molecular data. It is unclear whether these taxa can be better placed using analyses based on morphological data only, or should be included in broader analyses based on both morphological and molecular data. The extinct madtom catfish Noturus trautmani is known from few specimens for which molecular data are unavailable. We included this taxon in parsimony and Bayesian analyses of relationships of madtom catfishes based on a combination of morphological and molecular data. Results indicate that using a combination of morphological and molecular data does a better job at providing a phylogenetic placement for N. trautmani than morphology alone, even though it is missing all of its molecular characters. We provide a novel hypothesis of relationships among Noturus species and recommendations for classification within the group. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 155, 60–75.
Best approximation by closed sets in Banach spaces

The set K is called proximinal (Chebyshev) if every point x E X has a (unique) best approximation from K. It is easy to see that every closed convex set K in a reflexive space X is proximinal. In addition, if the norm is strictly convex, then K is Chebyshev. However, if X is not assumed reflexive or K is not assumed convex, then the above result is false in general. In [7], SteCkin introduced the concept of almost Chebyshev. A set K is called almost Chebyshev if the set of x in X such that K fails to have unique best approximation to x is a first category subset of X. He proved that if X is a uniformly convex Banach space, then every closed subset is almost Chebyshev. By using this concept, Garkavi [4] showed that for any reflexive subspace F in a separable Banach space, there exists a (in fact, many) subspace G which is B-isomorphic to F and is almost Chebyshev. The author [6] showed that if X is a separable Banach space which is locally uniformly convex or possesses the Radon-Nikodym property, then “almost all” closed subspaces are almost Chebyshev. In [3], Edelstein proved that if X has the Radon-Nikodym property, then for any bounded closed convex subset K, the set of x in X which admit best approximations from K is a weakly dense subset in X. In this paper, we generalize SteEkin’s result to a wider class of Banach spaces. A Banach space is called a U-space if for any E > 0, there exists 6 > 0 such that for any x, y E X with /I x ij = 1~ y il = 1 and 11(x + y)/2 (1 > 1 6, 11(x* + y*)/2 11 > 1 E, where x* and y* are norm 1 support functionals of the closed unit ball of X at x, y, respectively. We show that this class of spaces is self-dual, it contains all uniformly convex spaces,
Functional effect of transient transurethral catheterization on micturition in women: reply.

Dear Editor, We greatly appreciate Drs. Valentini and Nelson’s comments [1] on our article, “Evidence of a Functional Effect of Transient Transurethral Catheterization on Micturition in Women” [2]. Their added insights pertaining to the complex effects of transient catheterizaiton on voiding parameters with regards to their Valentini‐Besson‐Nelson (VBN) model are much respected and appreciated. We agree that our finding that alterations in Qave and not in Qmax are somewhat unexpected. However, this finding reinforces previous observations in animals and humans and further emphasizes that urethral intubation has a more complex impact on micturition than previously shown in clinical models. We feel that this is an interesting finding, with real clinical implications, warranting further clinical investigation.
An FDL-Based Photonic Switching Node for a Data Vortex Optical Packet Switched Interconnection Network

Adding buffering capacity to the switching nodes in the data vortex topology is considered. Experimental feasibility is demonstrated on a prototype SOA-based switching node and the performance is studied using computer simulations.
A new book by N. A. Bernstein: "On dexterity and its development".

Abstract A book, ‘On Dexterity and its Development,’ written by N. A. Bernstein in the 1940s has recently been published in Moscow. We describe briefly the amazing fate of this miraculously saved book and of its famous author. The book is unique in its reader-friendly handling of the most complicated issues of motor control, motor development, motor skill acquisition, and more general aspects of brain activity. It presents the basis for what is now called motor control and for some of the more fundamental issues of theoretical neuroscience. Bernstein described his views on multilevel control of movements, the role of sensory feedback, preprogramming, feedback and feedforward components in motor control, the role of exercise, and other subjects. Despite the fact that the book was written nearly half a century ago, its deep philosophical content remains beyond any competition.
Duplicated Müllerian remnant in a 6-year-old boy.

We report a 6-year-old boy with large duplicated mullerian duct remnant who presented with recurrent urinary tract infections and dysuria. His prior urological problems included proximal hypospadias (repaired), urachal cyst, and a unilateral undescended testis. Imaging evaluation included US, MRI, and cystoscopy. Laparoscopic resection was performed via a retrovesical approach. The patient was free of symptoms after surgery.
Changes in individual plasma amino acids following experimentally induced sand fly fever virus infection

Abstract Fasting concentrations of 21 individual plasma amino acids were determined in daily (7:30 a.m.) serial samples from eight volunteers infected with sand fly fever virus and compared to values obtained in six separate daily preexposure baseline measurements in each volunteer, as well as to serial measurements in three unexposed control subjects. By 47 hr after inoculation and before the onset of fever or other clinical indications of infection, most individual plasma amino acids were significantly depressed below preexposure values. These changes began before the marked decrement in protein intake during the illness. Such changes in plasma amino acids did not occur in control subjects. Reduction in amino acid concentrations persisted until after the lysis of fever and did not coincide in timing with alterations in white blood counts or serum Zn and Fe values. Urinary total nitrogen, urea, and alpha amino nitrogen were not altered during the course of sand fly fever in these subjects. Although food intake was reduced during sand fly fever, the magnitude of the amino acid depression was far greater than that reported during starvation or protein deprivation in non-infected subjects, and the sequence of changes in plasma valine, alanine, and glycine followed patterns different from those reported during starvation. It may be postulated that unusually large quantities of certain plasma amino acids were taken up by the cells of the liver and other visceral tissues during this infection. Plasma phenylalanine responded in a manner different from that of the other amino acids. It was decreased on day 2 after exposure to the virus but by day 4 and 5 was significantly increased above preinfection values. This resulted in a significant increase in the phenylalaninetyrosine ratio during the febrile phase of sand fly fever.