cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genetic evaluation of US dairy cattle in the presence of preferential treatment

Data were simulated according to the USD A animal model to detennine potential biases in female PTA caused by preferential treatment Ten scenarios for preferential treatment were investigatedScenarios were defined according to three Actors; number of records for the cows receiving preferential treatment, whether all or rally secaid and later records received preferential treatment, and whether preferential treatment was added only to records of cows selected for preferential treatment or to selected cows and their relatives (dam or Ham and maternal sibs). Three levels of preferential treatment were studied. Each level was studied separately to allow straightforward determination of whether bias inaeased linearly as level of preferential treatment increased. Within each scenario, bias increased linearly as level of preferential treatment increased, but magnitude of bias varied across scenarios. As a prqxitiCHi of preferential treatment effect, bias m PTA ranged from .06 to .39. Affording preferential treatment to relatives increased bias more than inaeasing the number of lactations with preferential treatment INTRODUCnON Preferential treatment (FT) can be described as any management practice that increases production and is applied to one or several cows, but not to their contemporaries. Some of these practices might be separate housing, better or more feed, greater number of days open relieve to ccmtempararies, or longer milking intervals on test day for the cow receiving preferential treatment Of course, some PT may occur madvertently. A standard management practice, for example, is to teed cows according to their level of producdon. Presumably, the primary modvadon for intentional PT, however, would be to enhance the likelihocd that a cow will be chosen as a bull-dam or sold at an increased price. Pqjular (pinion is that intendonal PT occurs among U.S. dairy catde. Histoically, a primary argument tor the existence of PT has been that the cow index of bull-dams Mled to predia SOTS' PD as accurately as theory dictated (12). Several studies (6,10,13) found that the cow mdex of bull-dams predicted soi PD better when the cow index was based on first records only than when it was based on second and later records or when it was computed from all records. The typical conclusion from this result was that PT was practiced in second and later parities and was prompted by an outstanding first record. Journal Paper Number J-15545 of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames. Prqjea Number 3141.
Open questions: How many genes do we have?

Seventeen years after the initial publication of the human genome, we still haven’t found all of our genes. The answer turns out to be more complex than anyone had imagined when the Human Genome Project began.
Public Policy and the Administrative Evil of Special Education

This chapter examines public policy as it applies to public education for students with disabilities in the United States. Public policy with respect to ‘special education’ has made important strides in the past half century and is not unjust in the explicit ways that it used to be. However, current US public special education policy is still unjust insofar as it is an instance of what Guy Adams and Danny Balfour call ‘administrative evil.’ Addressing this administrative evil will require both procedural changes in special education and addressing the ‘micropolitics’ of individualized educational plan (IEP) meetings.
Ancient Maya wetland management in two watersheds in Belize: Soils, water, and paleoenvironmental change

Abstract We compare the geomorphology and soil of two ancient Maya wetland agricultural complexes in modern day Belize. This paper focuses on 3000 years of soil geomorphology and paleoecological change to determine the chronology of wetland formation and human use in this region. We also characterize Maya manipulation of the environment over time, especially considering times of ecological or climactic change in the late Holocene. This paper adds to our ongoing research in northwestern Belize, specifically within two recently explored wetland agricultural systems, Neuendorf and Sierra de Agua. Although they are 40 km from one another and in different watersheds, they have similar water chemistry and comparable soil, as well as comparable ancient Maya agricultural field and canal stratigraphy. The Neuendorf wetland fields and associated Maya house mounds and platforms are 1.5 km northeast of the well-studied Chan Cahal residential group/wetland agricultural fields. This ancient Maya settlement zone sits on a small limestone escarpment, about 7–24 m above sea level on the Belizean coastal plain. New trenches and vibracores from this wetland complex support our previous models of wetland formation and human use from the Late Preclassic to the end of the Classic. The Sierra de Agua wetland fields, 40 km to the southwest, are associated with a Maya urban center of the same name. This complex is part of the Irish Creek Wetlands within the New River watershed. In this system, the water table rose around 3000 years before present, which resulted in a different type of field building and agricultural modification, similar to the chinampas models of central Mexico. This new and ongoing research contributes new pollen records, soils and geoarchaeology to the growing regional picture of wetland use and change throughout Maya history.
Genomic Risk Stratification Predicts All-Cause Mortality After Cardiac Catheterization.

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is influenced by genetic variation and traditional risk factors. Polygenic risk scores (PRS), which can be ascertained before the development of traditiona...
LED-Based Visible Light Communication and Positioning Technology and SoCs (Invited)

Rapid deployment of high-energy-efficiency, solid-state light emission diode (LED) lighting devices, replacing conventional luminaires devices, brings unprecedented opportunities for alternative optical wireless communication and navigation applications. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art of LED-based visible light communications (VLC) and positioning (VLP) technologies with a focus on system-on-a-chip (SoC) integrated circuit (IC) designs.
IHI ID 10 Improved compliance with early sepsis management is associated with shorter hospital stay

Background In 2018, Medicare began public reporting of hospital compliance with Sepsis and Septic Shock Early Management (SEP-1) bundle. We queried whether a relationship between SEP-1 bundle compliance, hospital size, and global measures of quality exists. Objectives To determine the relationship between SEP-1 bundle compliance and hospital size, composite complication rate (PSI-90), average length of stay (ALOS) and hospital readmission rate. Methods Data was obtained from Medicares Hospital Compare online database and The American Hospital Directory. Records missing SEP-1, complications, and discharge data were excluded. Pearson correlation, controlling for staffed beds, and an independent t-test were used for analysis. Results A total of 2796 hospitals met inclusion criteria. An increased SEP-1 score was negatively associated with PSI-90 (r=−0.103, p Conclusions Higher performance on SEP-1 compliance is associated with lower composite complication rate and shorter length of stay. The inverse relationship between SEP-1 compliance and hospital size may reflect the challenges associated with implementation of new protocols in large, complex hospitals. While this study does not establish a causal relationship, the ability of hospitals to successfully implement SEP-1 may suggest a higher level of overall operational excellence.
Incremental risk of cardiovascular disease and/or chronic kidney disease for future ASCVD and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: ACCORD trial.

Abstract Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Current cholesterol guidelines recommend the same prevention strategy for patients with DM alone as patients with DM + CKD. However, the incremental risk of these common complications for incident cardiovascular disease and mortality has not been well studied. Methods We compared the incremental risk of having DM + CKD, DM + CVD and DM + CVD + CKD in the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial participants for incident CVD as the primary outcome and all-cause mortality. Results After a mean (SD) follow up of 4.7(1.4) years, 1,046(10%) participants developed CVD. DM +vCKD, DM + CVD, and DM + CKD + CVD had a significantly increased risk of the primary outcome compared to DM alone [adjusted hazard ratio(95%CI): 1.41 (1.06-1.89), p = 0.02; 2.20 (1.92-2.53), p Conclusion Our post hoc analysis shows an incremental graded risk for CVD outcomes and all-cause mortality with the development of CKD and/or CVD in individuals with DM.
Structures and Materials for Solid Propellant Rocket Motor Cases

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the structures and materials for solid propellant rocket motor cases. The motor case is only one of the major components making up a solid-propellant rocket. Other major parts include the nozzle assembly, the igniter, and the insulation. The propellant grain, which provides the stored chemical energy, is also of central importance. In addition to the many complex and challenging problems involving the other components of a solid-propellant rocket system, a number of major problems have been encountered in the motor case. Some of these problems include of: (1) brittle fracture during hydrostatic-pressure testing, (2) stiffness to resist buckling or to prevent undesirable interactions with the guidance and control system, and (3) end-closure design. The motor case of a solid-propellant rocket is more critical from a structural standpoint than is the tankage of a liquid-rocket vehicle for two reasons: (1) the internal pressures encountered in a solid-propellant rocket case are on the order of 10 to 20 times than those in liquid-propellant tankage, and (2) it is customary to require the solid-propellant rocket motor case to carry all of the vehicle flight loadings.
Development and Validation of Hormonal Impact of a Mouse Xenograft Model for Human Uterine Leiomyoma

Multiple in vivo animal models for uterine leiomyoma do not adequately represent human disease based on etiology, molecular phenotype, or limited fixed life span. Our objective was to develop a xenograft model with sustained growth, by transplanting a well-established actively growing three-dimensional (3D) cell culture of human leiomyoma and myometrium in NOD/SCID ovariectomized female mice. We demonstrated continued growth to at least 12 weeks and the overexpression of extracellular matrix (ECM). Further, we confirmed maintenance of hormonal response that is comparable to human disease in situ. Leiomyoma xenografts under hormonal treatment demonstrated 8 to12-fold increase of volume over the xenografts not treated with hormones. Estradiol-treated xenografts were more cellular as compared to progesterone or combination milieu, at the end of 8-week time frame. There was also a non-statistically significant 2–4 mm3 increase in volume between 8-week and 12-week xenografts with higher matrix to cell ratio in 12-week xenografts compared to the 8-week and placebo xenografts. Increased expression of ECM proteins, fibronectin, versican, and collagens, indicated an actively growing cell matrix formation in the xenografts. In conclusion, we have developed and validated a xenograft in vivo model for uterine leiomyoma that shares the genomic and proteomic characteristics with the human surgical specimens of origin and recapitulates the most important features of the human tumors, the aberrant ECM expression that defines the leiomyoma phenotype and gonadal hormone regulation. Using this model, we demonstrated that combination of estradiol and progesterone resulted in increased cellularity and ECM production leading to growth of the xenograft tumors.
Septic Systems and Rainfall Influence Human Fecal Marker and Indicator Organism Occurrence in Private Wells in Southeastern Pennsylvania

In the United States, approximately 48 million people are served by private wells. Unlike public water systems, private well water quality is not monitored, and there are few studies on the extent and sources of contamination of private wells. We extensively investigated five private wells to understand the variability in microbial contamination, the role of septic systems as sources of contamination, and the effect of rainfall on well water quality. From 2016 to 2017, weekly or biweekly samples (n = 105) were collected from five private wells in rural Pennsylvania. Samples were tested for general water quality parameters, conventional and sewage-associated microbial indicators, and human pathogens. Total coliforms, human Bacteroides (HF183), and pepper mild mottle virus were detected at least once in all wells. Regression revealed significant relationships between HF183 and rainfall 8-14 days prior to sampling and between total coliforms and rainfall 8-14 or 0-14 days prior to sampling. Dye tracer studies at three wells confirmed the impact of household septic systems on well contamination. Microbiological measurements, chemical water quality data, and dye tracer tests provide evidence of human fecal contamination in the private wells studied, suggesting that household septic systems are the source of this contamination.
Saving Energy and Increasing Density in Information Processing using Photonics

We argue energy and interconnect density in information processing can be improved by orders of magnitude using parallel free-space optical channels inside and between racks, enabled by integrated waveguide photonics, and run synchronously without time-multiplexing.
Capacitive sensing for the detection of tile misalignment in ceramic armor arrays

Abstract The capacitive nondestructive technique uses a planar, two- or multi-terminal device to detect dielectric changes in its proximity. The technique has the advantages of being non-contact and requiring single-side access to the inspected test-piece. In this work, it is employed to determine the misalignment of ceramic tiles in two-dimensional array arrangements, as used for armored vehicles. Ceramic materials provide protection against projectile penetration in military and security applications. Tile assemblies are manufactured as protective add-on layers to armored vehicles. To provide effective protection, arrangements of rectangular or hexagonal tiles have to minimize potential misalignment, such as inter-tile gaps and out-of-plane mismatch. In this study, three planar capacitive probes with triangle-shaped terminals are used for the investigation of linear arrays of rectangular alumina tiles. Numerical simulations were employed to understand the probe's design parameters, as well as coupling aspects. It was found that the size of the capacitive probe and the separation between terminals provide a balance between spatial resolution, penetrability, and sensitivity to dielectric changes. Inter-tile gaps down to at least 0.5 mm, as well as out-of-plane tile misalignment as small as 0.25 mm were successfully discriminated.
Female Performers in the Greco-Roman World: An Introduction

This chapter provides an overview of the performance culture of ancient Greece and the roles played by women around the edges of that culture, before turning to the history of theatre in Rome where women, performing as mimae, captured the popular imagination. Due to social taboos against women appearing in public, Classical Athenian drama (tragedy, comedy, and satyr play) was entirely written and performed by men, for a notionally male audience. The only socially acceptable public roles that women played in Classical Athens were religious ones. Drama was performed as part of annual religious festivals in honour of Dionysus. As the Romans adapted and adopted Greek drama, the genres changed, but the festival context did not. Due to social taboos against elites performing in public, Roman actors were mostly slaves. Women performed, unmasked, in the Roman genre known as mime, which was often improvised and was seen as more ‘lowbrow’ than traditional comedy. These mimae, introduced here, are the central subject of the following chapter.
Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Storage in Aggregates from Different Tillage and Crop Regimes

No-tillage (NT) has the potential to enhance C and N sequestration in agricultural soils of the southern USA, but results may vary with crop species. The objectives of this study were to investigate the impacts of NT, conventional tillage (CT), and crop species on soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (SON) sequestration and distribution within aggregate-size fractions in a central Texas soil after 20 yr of management. No-tillage increased SOC over CT at the 0- to 5-cm depth by 97, 47, and 72%, and SON by 117, 56, and 44% for continuous grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.J, respectively. Crop species had significant impacts on SOC and SON sequestration. On average, the wheat monoculture had greater SOC (9.23 Mg C ha -1 ) at the 0- to 5-cm depth than sorghum (6.75 Mg C ha -1 ) and soybean (7.05 Mg C ha -1 ). No-tillage increased the proportion of >2-mm and 250-μm to 2-mm macroaggregate fractions in soil compared with CT. At the 0- to 5-cm depth, NT increased SOC compared with CT by 158% in macroaggregate fractions, but only 40% in 2-mm, 250-μm to 2-mm, 53- to 250-μm, and <53-μm fractions, respectively. Long-term impacts of NT included a greater proportion of macroaggregates and increased C and N sequestration, but impacts were dependent on crop species and varied with soil depth.
Seeing Animal Suffering

The suffering of non-human animals is great and omnipresent. This is because animals are vulnerable to disease, disfigurement, injury, predation, age-related physical decline and death, and—today—it is also because human beings are subjecting animals to unprecedented violence in two different domains. Human activities and their byproducts are devastating wild animal habitats at such a fantastic rate that we are obliged to speak of a “sixth mass extinction” (e.g., Kolbert 2014), and, while the crisis is typically measured in terms of the loss of entire species, it plays itself out concretely on the bodies ofindividuals. At the same time, industrialized societies now objectify and “process” animals on a massive scale in a variety of settings, for instance—to mention but the numerically most significant—in CAFOs, industrial slaughterhouses and aquafarms, where each year the whole lifecycles of hundreds of billions of land and sea creatures are controlled without any consideration for their pain or terror except insofar as it threatens the economically efficient growth and harvesting of their edible tissues. How should we best respond to the awfulness, and the enormity, of animal suffering?
Rhetoric Matters: Inviting Military Overreach with the Sheepdog Analogy

Military personnel encounter analogies meant to help them understand their role and tasks. One such depicts military “sheepdogs” protecting ordinary-citizen “sheep” from predator “wolves.” But simp...
Greed and Addiction

Ordinarily, we praise those that show temperance, and we admonish those that stray from it. When I wander too far in the direction of excess, you may be inclined to call me “greedy” or, depending on the circumstances, “an addict.” It is surprising that very little research has been conducted in an effort to understand any possible connection between these two ways of departing from temperance. In this essay, I analyze both our common usage of terms like “greed” and “addiction” and what I take to be paradigmatic cases of greed and addiction. To do so, I rely heavily upon philosophical and scientific analyses of greed and addiction. I conclude that there does appear to be a genuine connection between greed and addiction, though more empirical research is needed. If I am right about this connection, then research on addiction may naturally lend itself to greed researchers, and treatment designed to treat addiction may be available to those wishing to treat their greed.
The Role of Situation Awareness in Detecting Criminal Intrusions: A Different Perspective on Information Security Awareness

Competent security administrators are needed for effective detection of incessant criminal intrusion attempts we witness nowadays. The required competence includes the ability to analyze a suspicious attempt with a high degree of awareness of the situation surrounding the attempt. However, the extant literature on information security awareness focuses on end-user education and overlooks the type that is critical for security administrators to perform their tasks. This paper presents a model about factors influencing detection of criminal intrusions, based on the military concept of situation awareness (SA). We argue that in using intrusion detection systems (IDSs) to deflect criminal intrusions, SA is critical because of the highly dynamic nature of the task at hand and the information processing capability it requires. We support our argument by explicating the roles of two foundational antecedents to SA – experience (as evidenced in the administrator’s usage pattern of memory) and interface design (graphical versus command-line).
Translational Suppression: When Two Wrongs DO Make a Right

This chapter talks about the genetic translational suppression, that is, suppression caused by a mutation in the gene for one of the translational macromolecules, particularly tRNAs. Such suppressor mutants usually generate a much stronger suppression signal, more easily allowing the analysis of the alteration in translational fidelity. Furthermore, they allow the study of structural determinants of that macromolecule's functions and of its functional interactions with other translational macromolecules. Translational suppression is a most effective way to examine the structure, function, and interactions of any translational macromolecule, as long as and to the extent that that molecule is involved in the specificity or accuracy of translation. The chapter is divided into four parts: (a) review of the requirements of any system to be used for the in vivo selection and study of suppressors, (b) examples of interesting suppressors of missense, nonsense, and frameshift mutations, (c) conclusions from and ramifications of some suppressor tRNA studies, and (d) discussion of some suppressors that are not altered tRNAs but that nevertheless lead, directly or indirectly, to altered functioning of some tRNA.
Finite-element analysis of eddy-current flaw detection

The eddy-current nondestructive evaluation (NDE) inversion problem is to determine flaw parameters from eddy-current sensor impedance changes. Two approaches to solving this problem are discussed for geometries with two components of eddy current. The first is to use the finite-element method of numerical analysis to compute the sensor impedance change for each flaw parameter value. The second approach is to combine the finite-element method with an analytical scattering technique. These two approaches are applied to the problem of an infinitely long coil surrounding an infinitely long conducting bar with an infinitely long surface crack. The calculated impedance changes show good agreement with known analytical and experimental results.
Activity Theory for Designing Ubiquitous Learning Scenarios

This paper introduces ubiquitous learning and a methodological model called Learning Activity Model and associated procedures, which will help instructional designers to produce innovative ubiquitous learning scenarios.
Chronic Kidney Disease in an Adult with Propionic Acidemia

We report an adult male with classic propionic acidemia (PA) who developed chronic kidney disease in the third decade of his life. This diagnosis was recognized by an increasing serum creatinine and confirmed by reduced glomerular filtration on a 99mTc-diethylenetriamine pentaacetate (DTPA) scan. Histopathology of the kidney showed moderate glomerulo- and tubulointerstitial fibrosis with very segmental mesangial IgA deposits. This is the second reported case of kidney disease in an individual with propionic acidemia possibly indicating that chronic kidney disease may be a late-stage complication of propionic acidemia. Additionally, this is the first description of the histopathology of kidney disease in an individual with propionic acidemia. As more cases emerge, the clinical course and spectrum of renal pathology in this disorder will be better defined.
Inferring Dataflow Properties of User Defined Table Processors

In SCOPE, a SQL style cloud-level data-mining scripting language, table processing capabilities are often provided by user defined .NET methods. The SCOPE compiler can optimize a query plan if it knows certain dataflow relations between the input and output tables, such as column independence, column equality, or that a column's values are non-null. This paper presents an automated analysis for inferring such relations from implementations of SCOPE table processing methods. Since most table processing methods are written as .NET iterators, our analysis must accurately deal with the resulting state-machine implementing such iterators. Other complications addressed are naming and estimating column numbers, aliasing and escaping, and the inference of universally quantified loop invariants. We prototyped the analysis as Scooby, a static analyzer for .NET iterators. Scooby is able to discover useful properties for typical SCOPE programs automatically and efficiently.
HPLC DETERMINATION OF VALPROIC ACID IN PLASMA BY CONJUGATION TO A HYDRAZIDE

We developed a method to measure plasma levels of valproic acid (VA) using pre-column conjugation of VA to the fluorescent probe, 7-diethylaminocoumarin-3-carboxylic acid, hydrazide (DCCH). Swine plasma was spiked with varying concentration of VA. 2-phenylbutyric acid (2PB) was used as an internal standard. VA and 2PB were extracted from plasma (10 µL) using NaCl, MeCN, and ethyl acetate. Extraction efficiency ranged from 85–92%. After conjugation to DCCH, the VA and 2BP, conjugates were easily separated on reverse phase HPLC using a 55–70% MeCN/H2O gradient. Standard curves were generated from the absorbance (λ = 430 nm) and fluorescence (λex = 415 nm, λem = 465 nm) that described an exponential curve y-a(1-bx) with correlation coefficients >0.97. The inter-assay variation measured over 12 days was <3% for the high pool (5 mg/mL) and ≤10% for the low pool (0.5 mg/mL). The intra-assay variation measured over 5 replicates/day was <3.5% for both the high and low pools. The calculated standard curves predict...
Identification of a locus that regulates multiple functions in Pseudomonas solanacearum.

When Pseudomonas solanacearum K60 carries a multicopy plasmid containing cosmid clone pE6C (from the wild-type strain K60) or pBE6 (from the nonpathogenic strain B1), several phenotypic changes are observed, including the following: loss of virulence, reduced extracellular polysaccharide production, and increased polygalacturonase activity. Both cosmids contain a common 8-kilobase DNA region that is required for the phenotype shift. Saturation mutagenesis of pBE6 with Tn3-gus suggested that a single transcriptional unit of at least 1 kilobase is responsible for the phenotype shift. In maxicell assays, subclones containing this transcriptional unit expressed a single protein of about 25 kilodaltons. Images
The Abundance of Helium in Stellar Interiors

From the titles of the other contributions to this morning’s session, one deduces that the hard facts of theory are to be sandwiched between the loose speculations of direct observation. I shall therefore feel free to discuss theoretical implications from stellar structure unencumbered by what are, after all, but peripheral considerations.
Morphological and Molecular Analysis of Putative Hybrid Speciation in Ceanothus (Rhamnaceae)

Abstract Several species in the North American shrub genus Ceanothus L. are purported to be diploid hybrid-derived species, isolated and stabilized from congeners by geographic barriers. Ceanothus masonii and C. sonomensis are putatively of hybrid origin each derived independently from C. cuneatus var. cuneatus and C. gloriosus var. exaltatus. We tested this hypothesis using allozyme, morphometric data, and sequences from the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) and 5.8S coding region of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) and the chloroplast-encoded matK gene. We found all four entities to be closely related genetically. Lack of genetic differentiation made it difficult to evaluate the hybrid origin hypothesis. The alternative hypothesis of primary allopatric divergence is just as reasonable an explanation for our data. Communicating Editor: Paul Wilson
Ileal atresia, malrotation and Hirschsprung's disease: A case report

Ileal atresia associated with malrotation is rare, but the additional diagnosis of Hirschsprung's disease (HD) in the same patient has not been described in the literature. This case report presents a newborn with a bowel obstruction requiring surgery for ileal atresia and malrotation. The post-operative course was complicated by a distal bowel obstruction. Evaluation of the resected bowel from the original surgery was consistent with total colonic aganglionosis, and a diverting ileostomy was performed. Delay in diagnosis of HD is not uncommon when an initial gastrointestinal anomaly is diagnosed and should be suspected when bowel function fails to return after corrective surgery.
Phase Separation Conditions for Sugaring-Out in Acetonitrile−Water Systems

This paper reports the phase separation conditions for “sugaring out”, a new phase partition method. It was observed in our laboratory that the addition of a monomeric sugar or a disaccharide in an acetonitrile (ACN)-water mixture created two phases with the upper phase rich in acetonitrile and a lower aqueous phase. Potential applications of this method have been explored for the extraction of high value products such as biomolecules (proteins and antibiotics), hydroxymethyl furfural, furfural, syringic acid, ferulic acid, and p-coumaric acid from the aqueous phase. However, the detailed phase separation conditions are unknown for this method. Hence, this work was undertaken to study the phase separation conditions for sugaring-out. The effect of temperature and glucose concentration on sugaring-out was investigated. Tie line data of ACN-water-glucose system were measured and satisfactorily correlated with the Othmer-Tobias and Bancroft equations. It was observed that high glucose concentration and low temperatures favor sugaringout. The advantages of sugaring-out make this method suitable for a large number of applications in the chemical and biotechnology industry.
RNA polymerase II-dependent positional effects on mRNA 3' end processing in the adenovirus major late transcription unit.

During the early phase of adenovirus infection, the promoter-proximal L1 poly(A) site in the major late transcription unit is used preferentially despite the fact that the distal L3 poly(A) site is stronger (i.e. it competes better for processing factors and is cleaved at a faster rate, in vitro). Previous work had established that this was due at least in part to the stable binding of the processing factor, cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor, to the L1 poly(A) site as mediated by specific regulatory sequences. It is now demonstrated that in addition, the L1 poly(A) site has a positional advantage because of its 5' location in the transcription unit. We also show that preferential processing of a particular poly(A) site in a complex transcription unit is dependent on RNA polymerase II. Our results are consistent with recent reports demonstrating that the processing factors cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor and cleavage stimulatory factor are associated with the RNA polymerase II holoenzyme; thus, processing at a weak poly(A) site like L1 can be enhanced by virtue of its being the first site to be transcribed.
Development of pulmonary reflexes and pattern of breathing in the Virginia opossum

Abstract Lung volume reflexes and ventilatory patterns were studied in pouch young of the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) using pressure plethysmography and electromyography. The results showed a ventilatory response to both lung inflation and deflation in animals as young as 7 days (the smallest tested). While the inflation response was fairly typical for a pulmonary stretch reflex, the deflation response did not become typical until the 40–50th day. Before this time, lung deflation reinforced or elicited breaths with held inspirations. These held inspirations were never associated with inspiratory muscular activity. The ventilatory pattern in the youngest animals while breathing air was arrhythmic, with prominent held inspirations. Pulmonary deflation receptors may strongly influence the early pattern of breathing. By the 20th day, the ventilatory pattern breathing room air usually became rhythmic and lacked held inspirations. Pouch young 20–60 days old increased ventilation when breathing hypercapnic or asphyxiant gas mixtures primarily by increasing tidal volume, whereas adults showed a more substantial frequency component.
Nonuniform quantizer design for image data hiding

Most quantizer based data hiding schemes use uniform quantizer, which is not optimal if the host signal is not uniformly distributed. In this paper, we design a quantizer that is not only pdf-matched but also more suited to embedding than the Linde-Buzo-Gray (Lloyd-Max) algorithm for vector (scalar) quantizer design. Experimental results shows that the proposed scheme provides better trade-offs between robustness to attacks, embedding induced distortion and embedding capacity than a simple pdf-matched scheme. The proposed algorithm also shows about 3 dB improvements in embedding distortion over other popular quantizer based embedding algorithms.
A suitable boundary condition for bounded plasma simulation without sheath resolution

We have developed a technique that allows for a sheath boundary layer without having to resolve the inherently small space and time scales of the sheath region. We refer to this technique as the logical sheath boundary condition. This boundary condition, when incorporated into a direct-implicit particle code, permits large space- and time-scale simulations of bounded systems, which would otherwise be impractical on current supercomputers. The lack of resolution of the collector sheath potential drop obtained from conventional implicit simulations at moderate values of ωpe Δt and Δ z/ λDe provides the motivation for the development of the logical sheath boundary condition. The algorithm for use of the logical sheath boundary condition in a particle simulation is presented. Results from simulations which use the logical sheath boundary condition are shown to compare reasonably well with those from an analytic theory and simulations in which the sheath is resolved.
Dielectrophoretic Concentration and Separation of Live and Dead Bacteria in an Array of Insulators

Insulator-based (electrodeless) dielectrophoresis (iDEP) is an innovative approach in which the nonuniform electric field needed to drive DEP is produced by insulators, avoiding problems associated with the use of electrodes. Live and dead Escherichia coli were concentrated and selectively released by applying stepped DC voltages across a microchannel containing an array of insulating posts etched in glass. The only electrodes present were two platinum wires placed in the inlet and outlet reservoirs, producing mean electric fields of up to 200 V/mm across the insulators. The cells were labeled with Syto 9 and propidium iodide and imaged through a fluorescent microscope. Cell trapping and release were controlled by modifying the relative responses of electrokinesis and DEP by adjusting the magnitude of the applied voltage. Dead cells were observed to have significantly lower dielectrophoretic mobility than live cells, whereas the electrokinetic mobilities of live and dead cells were indistinguishable. The ...
LOCAL POLYPLOID VARIATION IN THE NATIVE PRAIRIE GRASS ANDROPOGON GERARDII

The microscale distribution of polyploid variants of the dominant grass big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) in virgin tallgrass prairie was mapped using flow cytometry. The correlation between DNA content and polyploidy allows the use of flow cytometry for nondestructive determination of polyploidy in intact plants. At Konza Prairie, local plots contained from 0 to 100% hexaploid cytotypes but most showed fine-scale mixing of the polyploid variants. The relationship of cytotype frequency to moisture availability or burning history was nonsignificant.
The orphan nuclear receptor steroidogenic factor-1 regulates the cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate-mediated transcriptional activation of rat cytochrome P450c17 (17 alpha-hydroxylase/c17-20 lyase).

The rat steroid cytochrome P450 17 alpha-hydroxylase/c17-20 lyase (rP450c17) gene is transcriptionally regulated in steroidogenic tissues. Previous studies showed that one DNA element located between -75 and -50 base pairs (bp) upstream from the transcriptional initiation site mediated both the basal and cAMP-regulated transcription of rP450c17. Using a series of mutant oligonucleotides in gel mobility shift assays and in functional assays, it is now shown that a core sequence of 12 bp, located at -58/-69 bp, is essential for nuclear protein binding and transcriptional activation. Mutant oligonucleotides cloned into a luciferase reporter gene construct containing a heterologous thymidine kinase promoter, transfected into mouse Leydig MA-10 and adrenocortical Y-1 cells, gave results consistent with those of gel shift assays. Mutants that abolished binding of the nuclear protein to DNA abolished the basal transcription of the gene as well as the responsiveness to cAMP, whereas those mutants that did not abo...
Impact of endovascular simulator training on vascular surgery as a career choice in medical students.

Objective The primary goal of this study was to determine whether exposure to endovascular simulator training increases interest in vascular surgery among medical students. Secondary goals were to determine whether interest in vascular surgery is inversely related to the time after exposure, to identify factors associated with interest, and to identify students' characteristics that positively influence performance metrics. Methods This was a prospective, randomized, crossover study comprising 80 medical students who were randomized into group A (n = 40) and group B (n = 40). Participants completed a survey of their interest in vascular surgery and attitudinal factors using Vascular Surgery Interest Form (VSIF) before exposure to the simulator (pretest). At 1 month after exposure of group A to the simulator, both groups were tested using VSIF (test). Upon completion of testing, group B was exposed to simulator training, whereas group A received no further training. At 2 months after exposure of group B to the simulator, both groups were posttested using VSIF, which asked the students' level of interest in vascular surgery using a 1 to 10 scale. Performance metrics were recorded during each exposure. Differences among cohort demographics were determined using Pearson χ 2 analysis. Differences in interest were determined with paired sample correlations. Linear regression and analysis of variance were used to correlate VSIF responses with interest and the performance metrics. Results Both student cohorts had significant increases in interest after exposure to simulation. In group A, test interest (mean ± standard deviation) was significantly higher than pretest and posttest interests (5.51 ± 1.73 vs 4.00 ± 1.88 vs 4.18 ± 1.82; P P Conclusions One exposure of students to endovascular simulator training is associated with an increase in vascular surgery interest. Acquired interest is reciprocally related to the time demonstrating the temporal importance of the exposure.
Intraparenchymal grafting of cerebellar cell suspensions to the deep cerebellar nuclei of pcd mutant mice, with particular emphasis on re-establishment of a Purkinje cell cortico-nuclear projection.

In transplanting embryonic cerebellar grafts to the cerebellar cortex of “Purkinje cell degeneration” (pcd) mutant mice to replace missing Purkinje cells (PC), donor PC leave the graft and migrate to the molecular layer of the host. However, PC axons do not always reach the deep cerebellar nuclei of the host, which would be a key element in restoring much of the necessary inhibitory cortico-nuclear projection associated with normal cerebellar function. Rather, grafted PC axons often innervate a region containing deep cerebellar nuclei neurons inside the transplant, while the perikaryon migrates to the host molecular layer. In the present study, aimed at re-establishing a PC innervation of the deep nuclei, we implanted E12 cerebellar cell suspensions intraparenchymally to the deep cerebellar mass of the hosts. The development of grafted PC was monitored with 28-kDa calcium-binding protein (CaBP) immunocytochemistry at various times after transplantation. At short survival times (5 days after grafting), grafts were confined to the site of the original injection. At longer survival times (7–32 days after grafting), grafted PC formed a migratory stream that reached the cerebellar cortex of the host. The most robust graft development was seen 1 month after grafting, the longest survival time allowed in this series of experiments. At that time, clusters of donor PC were found both in the deep nuclei parenchyma and aligned along cortical folia. The orientation of the dendritic trees of PC that had migrated to the cortex was toward the pia. A CaBP-immunoreactive fibre plexus innervated the host deep cerebellar nuclei. The stream of grafted PC extended from the deep cerebellar nuclei to the cerebellar cortex of the host, indicating that donor PC could establish their axonal contacts in the deep nuclei and then move to their final cortical locality, thus recapitulating a migratory path normally taken during cerebellar ontogeny. It appears therefore that both from the pathophysiological and ontogenetic standpoints, the deep cerebellar nuclei represent the appropriate site for PC implantation in cerebellocortical atrophy.
Intrinsic ductility criterion for materials

Abstract This paper explores the intrinsic ductility criterion for materials on the basis of two simple models of dislocation emission from a crack in the blunting configuration. Recently, Zhou, Carlsson and Thomson (ZCT) reported a new criterion, based on lattice calculations, which, unlike previous descriptions of the criterion, was independent of the intrinsic surface energy. Because both cleavage and emission events produce surface energy, the surface energy cancels out in the ductility criterion, which involves a ratio of the two separate criteria for emission and cleavage. In order to gain confidence in this prediction, we explore here continuum elastic descriptions of the emission process, which are not expected to be sufficiently precise to yield quantitative information, but which one hopes can give insight into the physical basis for, and limits to, the new criterion. The models confirm the predictions of ZCT, but suggest that at lower values of the intrinsic surface energy than explored by ZCT,...
Multimodal sparse representation classification with Fisher discriminative sample reduction

This paper presents a method to perform sparse representation based classification (SRC) in a more accurate and efficient way. In this method, training data is first mapped into different feature spaces and multiple dictionaries are built by utilizing a Fisher discriminative based method. These dictionaries can be considered as efficient representations of the data which are then used in a multimodal SRC framework to classify test samples. In comparison to the original SRC method where only one modality of training space is utilized, the proposed method classifies test samples in a more accurate and efficient way. Experimental results from two different face datasets show that the proposed multimodal method has higher recognition rate compared to single-modality SRC based methods. The accuracy of the proposed method is also compared to other multi-modality classifiers and the results confirm that higher recognition rates are achieved in comparison with other common classification algorithms.
A Comparison of K-, L-, and M-X-Rays Produced by Proton and Electron Excitation

Characteristic x-rays excited by protons and electrons having energies of 150 keV and less, were compared. Thick targets of Ti, Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, and Zn were used to obtain K x-ray data; Zr, Mo, Ag, Cd, and In were used for L x-ray data; and Au, Pb, and U for M x-ray data. The number of K x-rays produced by electrons exceeds that of x-rays produced by protons from elements with Z>22 by more than 105 for particle energies up to 150 keV. For elements Z = 40 to 49 and Z = 79 to 92 the L and M (x-rays/electron) to (x-ray/ proton) ratio respectively is in excess of 103 for particle energies up to 150 keV.
Neonatal sternal cleft associated with an extrathoracic cystic mass

This report describes an unusual case of cystic exophytic tumor associated with a complete sternal cleft. The tumor masked the presence of sternal cleft on prenatal ultrasound scan.
A fossilized human mandibular fragment from Kangatotha, Kenya, East Africa.

Working west of Lake Rudolf in 1965 Professor Bryan Patterson found at Kangatotha, among other human specimens yet to be described, a fragment of the corpus of a human mandible bearing three molar teeth. Its C-14 date is 2835 B.C. The mandible is stout, heavily mineralized, and closely similar to others from Ishango on the west shore of Lake Edward found by de Heinzelin earlier. The three teeth are large and also similar to those from Ishango. Cranial and postcranial bones of the Ishango people show them to have been Negroes, and the jaws and teeth fit the same classification. The individual from Kangatotha was also indubitably a Negro.
The development of photoreceptors in the zebrafish, Brachydanio rerio. I. Structure

Morphological development of photoreceptors in the central retina of the zebrafish, Brachydanio rerio, was studied by using light and electron microscopic techniques. Outer segments (OS) first appeared at 2.5 days postfertilization (d2.5). On d3, synaptic elaborations were seen. By d8, two OS types were present and were identified as cones. The first indication of rod formation was also evidenced at this time, when vitreally positioned nuclei were observed and rodlike cells were infrequently detected in electron micrographs. At d12, the full complement of zebrafish photoreceptors, rods and four cone types, was identified. From this time on cells grew until adult dimensions were reached at d24. These structural observations are consistent with results of functional studies which utilized physiological and behavioral techniques.
Introgression facilitated by apomixis in polyploid Poas

The Poas have adjusted themselves to contrasting climates from warm temperate to high arctic regions of both the Northern and the Southern Hemispheres. Their bipolar distribution would suggest great geologic age, but they nevertheless have preserved evolutionary youthfulness through polyploidy and apomixis. Transfer of large blocks of heredities between long separated groups of species is accordingly possible without causing disaster to their reproductive mechanism by seed. The Poas have not yet reached the limits of their potential to exchange heredities between species that belong to taxonomically distinct sections, between species of separate continents, and between species of the Northern and the Southern Hemispheres which have remained apart since early geologic periods.