cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Arthroscopic versus open bankart procedures: A comparison of early morbidity and complications

Summary Morgan recently reported excellent results by arthroscopically suturing detached labra to the glenoid via drill holes in anterior shoulder dislocators. We attempted to quantitatively compare the operative time, and perioperative morbidity employing this technique to these same parameters using the open Bankart procedure. We retrospectively reviewed the records of consecutive patients undergoing either of these procedures at our institution over the past 2 years. Only those cases wherein the labra were reattached to the glenoid via drill holes were considered. There were 20 patients in the arthroscopic and 18 in the open Bankart groups. Using the arthroscopic method, there was a 1.8-fold decrease in operative time, a 10-fold decrease in blood loss, and a 2.5-fold decrease in postoperative narcotic use compared with the open procedure (p
Monoamine transporter and sodium channel mechanisms in the rapid pressor response to cocaine.

Intravenous (I.V.) cocaine (0.03-3 mg/kg) produced dose-dependent, rapid, and brief increases in blood pressure (BP) in conscious rats pretreated with the dopamine receptor antagonist, SCH 23390. Monoamine uptake inhibitors structurally analogous to cocaine (cocaethylene, CFT, betaCIT, CPT, (+)-cocaine, norcocaine, and benztropine) also produced this rapid pressor response, whereas structurally unrelated uptake inhibitors with diverse monoamine transporter selectivities (BTCP, indatraline, GBR 12935, mazindol, nomifensine, and zimeldine) either did not produce a rapid pressor response or produced only a small pressor response. At nonconvulsant doses, the sodium channel blockers acetylprocainamide, dibucaine, dyclonine, prilocaine, proparacaine, quinidine, and tetracaine produced a small pressor response or no increase in BP. In rats implanted with telemetric devices, cocaine and its analog, CFT, produced a biphasic pharmacological response that consisted of an initial brief and abrupt behavioral arousal associated with a rapid, large increase in BP followed by prolonged, parallel increases in BP and locomotor activity. Pretreatment with SCH 23390 prevented the prolonged but not the initial rapid and brief pressor and activity responses to both cocaine and CFT administration. The present data suggest that the inhibition of dopamine, norepinephrine, or serotonin transporter functions, either alone or in combination, does not mediate the rapid pressor response to cocaine. The sodium channel-blocking action of cocaine per se does not appear to be involved in the rapid pressor response to cocaine. Finally, the present results confirm previous findings that dopaminergic mechanisms mediate the prolonged increases in BP and locomotor activity produced by cocaine.
Winter Circulation in the Western Gulf of Maine: Part 1. Cooling and Water Mass Formation

Abstract The mean circulation on the northeast continental shelf in the region of the Gulf of Mexico is discussed in terms of a simple box model, based on volume transports and mean salinities estimated from existing data. The results of this calculation indicate that warm salty water from the continental slope must mix with colder, fresher water at intermediate depths within the Gulf. Field measurements obtained as part of a study of the winter circulation in an offshore region in the western Gulf of Maine suggest that winter storms may be responsible for most of this vertical mixing. Ten 1-day hydrographic cruises wore conducted between the passage of seasonal storms from November 1974 to January 1975. A description of the early winter evolution of the density field was thus obtained concurrently with moored measurements of current, temperature and bottom pressure, and coastal measurements of sea level and atmospheric variables. The principal vertical mixing process observed during this period was an in...
Global garden: a vision of the universal scoring device

Recent controversies surrounding the judging of Olympic events, has created the need for an audience participatory judging system. The stage for this participation will be the diving and gymnastics events at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens. We researched the Olympic audience and studied collaborative group interaction. This process made us realize that a traditional, quantitative scoring system would not adequately address the needs of an international Olympic audience. Our solution is the Global Garden, a wearable interface that defies the conventional process of entering a "score" and displaying it. It consists of a set of interactive devices worn on the hand that glow green when a user claps, and changes colors based on different hand gestures that follow. By using applause, the intuitive and international sign of appreciation, the audience itself becomes an interface. People provide the input and output of a universal "score," heightening everyone's desires to participate and eliminating the need for excessive infrastructure. We achieved our goals to design a novel, intuitive (instruction-less) interaction that connects members of the audience to the events they watch and to each other.
Discrete-Time Exact and Approximate Dynamic Inversion for Settle Performance

Abstract Single-track hard disk drive (HDD) seek performance is measured by settle time, t s , defined as the time from the arrival of a seek command until the measured position reaches and stays within an acceptable distance from the target track. In this paper, we show the effective use of feedforward dynamic inversion, coupled with an aggressive desired trajectory y d , to achieve high performance settle times. It is well known that the exact tracking solution for nonminimum phase (NMP) systems requires noncausal preactuation to maintain bounded internal signals. In the specific HDD operating modes of interest, anticipation of a seek command is unrealistic, and thus preactuation adds to the overall computation of settle time. Unlike many dynamic inversion tracking applications, this negative effect of preactuation leads to interesting trade-offs between preactuation delay, tracking accuracy, and achievable settle performance. We show that, surprisingly, very little preactuation is desirable when truncating the exact tracking solution and applying it to our NMP HDD model. For comparison, we also review the stable Taylor series approximate inverse, and show that a zero-order series’ settle performance is comparable to truncated exact inversion while being easier to compute and implement. We experimentally validate this conclusion on a Servo Track Writer (STW).
China's Urban Housing Reform: Price-Rent Ratio and Market Equilibrium:

China's urban housing marketisation hinges on a sensible ratio of housing price to rent. This research derives a rational level for such a ratio and examines its distortions under the Chinese system. It shows that the prevailing housing price to rent ratios are significantly higher than the rational level for both subsidised and free-market housing. Unique Chinese housing market equilibria are analysed and policy recommendations on commercialising Chinese urban housing are suggested.
Effects of Topography on Assessing Wind Farm Impacts Using MODIS Data

AbstractThis paper uses the empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis to decompose satellite-derived nighttime land surface temperature (LST) for the period of 2003–11 into spatial patterns of different scales and thus to identify whether (i) there is a pattern of LST change associated with the development of wind farms and (ii) the warming effect over wind farms reported previously is an artifact of varied surface topography. Spatial pattern and time series analysis methods are also used to supplement and compare with the EOF results. Two equal-sized regions with similar topography in west-central Texas are chosen to represent the wind farm region (WFR) and nonwind farm region (NWFR), respectively. Results indicate that the nighttime warming effect seen in the first mode (EOF1) in WFR very likely represents the wind farm impacts due to its spatial coupling with the wind turbines, which are generally built on topographic high ground. The time series associated with the EOF1 mode in WFR also shows a per...
Transcriptional profiling reveals strict boundaries between hippocampal subregions.

The hippocampus consists of distinct anatomic regions that have been demonstrated to have different biological functions. To explore the molecular differences between hippocampal subregions, we performed transcriptional profiling analysis by using DNA microarray technology. The cRNA derived from the CA1, CA3, and dentate gyrus regions of the hippocampus and from spinal cord was hybridized to Affymetrix high-density oligo arrays. This systematic approach revealed sets of genes that were expressed specifically in subregions of the hippocampus corresponding to predefined cytoarchitectural boundaries, which could be confirmed by in situ hybridization and Real Time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The relative enrichment and absence of genes in the hippocampal subregions support the conclusion that there is a molecular basis for the previously defined anatomic subregions of the hippocampus and also reveal genes that could be important in defining the unique functions of the hippocampal subfields. J. Comp. Neurol. 441:187–196, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Parental Obesity and Offspring Serum Alanine and Aspartate Aminotransferase Levels: The Framingham Heart Study

Background & Aims: Obesity is an important correlate of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels. We sought to examine the relations between parental obesity and the serum ALT and AST levels among offspring in a community-based sample. Methods: Participants (n = 1732) of the Framingham Offspring Study (50% women; mean age, 42 years) who had serum ALT and AST measurements and both parents in the original Framingham cohort were studied. Study participants were grouped into early-onset parental obesity (n = 193) (at least one parent obese), later-onset parental obesity (n = 460), and no parental obesity (n = 1079) subgroups. The association between elevated ALT or AST levels and parental obesity was tested using generalized estimating equations to account for familial correlations. Results: In multivariable analysis including adjustment for offspring obesity, significantly higher ALT levels were observed among individuals with paternal early-onset obesity as compared with those without paternal obesity (P = .02). Offspring with early-onset paternal obesity were more likely to have elevated ALT levels compared with those without paternal obesity (odds ratio, 1.75; 95% confidence interval, 1.06–2.89; P = .03). There was no association with elevated ALT levels among offspring with maternal early-onset obesity (odds ratio, 1.10; 95% confidence interval, 0.76–1.59; P = .61). There was no association between parental obesity and serum AST levels. Conclusions: Early-onset paternal obesity, but not maternal obesity, increases the odds of elevated serum ALT levels in offspring, suggesting a predisposition to developing elevated serum ALT levels that may be mediated through familial early-onset obesity.
Preliminary study of near-infrared tomographic imaging of heterogeneous media : Simulations and images of excised breast tissue

A preliminary study of the effect of a spatially heterogeneous background upon near-infrared tomographic imaging is presented using computer simulations and phantom experiments. In simulations, increasing heterogeneity is added to a sample region and the reconstructed images are analyzed. A finite-element reconstruction algorithm based on the frequency-domain diffusion equation is used. A phantom study for a heterogeneous object was performed by embedding an object in excised breast tissue. The ability to distinguish and quantify a heterogeneous inclusion in a heterogeneous background is discussed. In this case, a 20 mm diameter object in a 100 mm background is characterized with up to 75% added heterogeneity in simulation. A 30 mm cube of pork embedded in a 86 mm sample of excised breast tissue is localized and recovered to within 25% of its expected contrast.
Jari: A pulp plantation in the Brazilian Amazon

Jari plantation is the largest pulp growing operation in the humid tropics, and occupies about 1000 sqkm previously covered by tropical forest. A study of five sites at Jari in 1980 indicated declining soil fertility, and low productivity of pulpwood. Low pulp production at Jari was caused by several factors, one of which appeared to be low soil fertility. The sams sites were re-evaluated in 1987. There was no discernable trend in either nutrients or productivity since 1980.
Preparation and electrical properties of mercury telluride

Abstract Mercury telluride has been prepared by direct reaction of mercury vapor with liquid tellurium. The compound was zone melted and annealed in mercury vapor under various pressures of mercury. It was found that the composition near stoichiometry could be altered by the anneal. Hall coefficient and resistivity were measured as a function of temperature. Analysis of the results gave 0.02 eV for the energy gap at 0°K and a hole to electron mobility ratio of 0.01. The Hall mobility was 17,000 cm 2 /Vsec at 300°K and 25,000 cm 2 /Vsec at 143°K.
Minimax real-time heuristic search

Abstract Real-time heuristic search methods interleave planning and plan executions and plan only in the part of the domain around the current state of the agents. So far, real-time heuristic search methods have mostly been applied to deterministic planning tasks. In this article, we argue that real-time heuristic search methods can efficiently solve nondeterministic planning tasks. We introduce Min-Max Learning Real-Time A∗ (Min-Max LRTA∗), a real-time heuristic search method that generalizes Korf's LRTA∗ to nondeterministic domains, and apply it to robot-navigation tasks in mazes, where the robots know the maze but do not know their initial position and orientation (pose). These planning tasks can be modeled as planning tasks in nondeterministic domains whose states are sets of poses. We show that Min-Max LRTA∗ solves the robot-navigation tasks fast, converges quickly, and requires only a small amount of memory.
Low-income fathers and their infants: Interactions during teaching episodes

Cette etude s'est donne pour but d'explorer les interactions pere (de milieu pauvre et defavorise)-nourrisson dans des situations didactiques. Quarante-quatre peres et nourrissons biologiques, recrutes lors d'une etude en cours sur l'intervention precoce, ont ete observes en utilisant l'Echelle Didactique NCAST durant un exercice didactique a la maison. Les resultats ont indique que les peres qui vivaient avec leurs bebes etaient plus sensibles aux signaux de l'entant pendant les interactions. De plus, les peres identifies comme etant a bas risque,' hase sur un index de risque cree a partir de caracteristiques, etaient plus sensibles a leurs nourrissons durant les interactions, avaient des scores pere NCAST plus eleves et des scores NCAST plus eleves durant les interactions didactiques.
Industrialization bottlenecks and the development of industrial technology

Abstract Policies other than those designated as dealing primarily with technology have important consequences for the technological development of industry. This is especially true in a region such as Latin America, where most technological development accompanies ongoing investment activity, and is shaped to a considerable extent by market needs and evolving problems related to production and the supply of inputs. Problems become bottlenecks when they interfere with a smoothly functioning process of industrialization and are difficult and costly to overcome; it is essential to understand more about such bottlenecks, the way in which they are perceived and the manner in which they are most successfully dealt with. This paper lists the major categories of bottlenecks and discusses the special significance which four of them have for the technological development of industry. The four considered are constraints in importing production inputs, financing difficulties, human resources limitations, and unclear economic signals. It is suggested, moreover, that certain resolutions of these bottlenecks in the short run lead to serious problems in the long run, and may interfere with a desirable course of technological development.
The contribution of intermolecular hydrogen bonding to the kinetic specificity of papain

Abstract The binding of substrates to the active site of papain is thought to involve, among other things, intermolecular P 1 NHOC(Asp 158) and P 2 NHOC(Gly66) hydrogen bonding. In this study the contribution of these two putative hydrogen bonds to the interaction specificity of papain was measured for pairs of ligands in which the amide NH in question was either intact or replace by an ester O linkage. The probe ligands investigated comprised substrates (peptidyl p -nitroanilides), substrate-like transition state analog inhibitors (peptidyl nitriles) and substrate-like affinity labeling agents (peptidyl Michael acceptors). Observed differences in interaction energies ( ΔΔG obs or ΔΔG obs ≠ ) for amide/ester ligand pairs indicated an apparent specificity energy of 2.1–2.6 kcal/mol for the P 2 NHOC(Gly66) bond. For the P 1 NHOC(Asp158) bond ΔΔG obs was approx. 1.0 kcal/mol for dipeptidyl ligands but close to zero for ligands lacking a P 2 NH donor. These specificity energies are comparable to values reported for other enzyme-ligand systems. However, the dependence of ΔΔG obs for the P 1 NHOC(Asp158) bond on the presence of a P 2 NH donor suggests that these two hydrogen bonds may interact cooperatively in ligand binding. A thermodynamic cycle approach was used to relate ΔΔG obs to acutual hydrogen bond strengths and other aspects of enzyme-ligand and solvent-ligand interactions.
Local Polymer Dynamics and Diffusion in Cylindrical Nanoconfinement

The melt diffusion of polymers confined to nanoscale cylinders was investigated by molecular dynamics simulations and depth profiling experiments. In the simulations, entangled polymers are confined within long cylindrical pores having effective diameters (deff) from 0.4Ree to 1.7Ree, where Ree is the square root of the mean-squared end-to-end distance of the polymer in the absence of confinement. The local dynamics of polymers confined to cylinders exhibit anisotropic relaxations. Perpendicular to the cylindrical axis, monomer motion is suppressed by the adjacent wall, while motion along the cylindrical axis is faster relative to the bulk dynamics. These anisotropic relaxations are discussed in light of our prior studies showing that chain conformations parallel to the cylinder axis are elongated relative to the bulk conformation, whereas in the perpendicular direction the chain conformations are compressed. Furthermore, our previous simulations found that the number of entanglements per chain decreases ...
Comparison of multilevel inverters for static VAr compensation

Inverter-based static VAr compensators (SVCs) can benefit from the use of a multilevel invertor structure which allows the elimination of the step-up transformer. The inherent high quality of the multistep waveform allows operation without PWM, thus high switching losses are avoided. This paper discusses the issues affecting the application of multilevel invertor structures as reactive power compensators and compares the device MVA and reactive component MVA requirements of two topologies that have been presented in prior literature. The modulation strategy strongly affects the voltage balancing in the DC bus capacitors as well as their ripple current rating and capacitance value. >
COSPUP, Congress, and Scientific Advice

Ln this age of snappy and metaphorical acronyms, such as SEARCH, VISTA, WAVES, and FLIP, COSPUP sounds rather dull and unimpressive. Nevertheless, the organization it designates, the Committee on Science and Public Policy of the National Academy of Sciences, is one of the most significant developments in the area of science-government relations since Sputnik. Although less than four years old, COSPUP has already become a major mouthpiece of the scientific establishmenti on science policy. Moreover, it is fast evolving into the principal linkage between the Academy and Congress at a crucial stage in their relationships. To appreciate fully the emerging roles of COSPUP and their implications, we must first briefly examine the nature and functioning of its parent institution, the National Academy of Sciences. In this and the related endeavor of describing the organization and operation of COSPUP, consideration of some financial, structural, and procedural details is unavoidable because important issues inhere in these seeming trivia. NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES-NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL Nature and Duties.-The National Academy of Sciences, which is a quasi-governmental agency, is a rather unusual organizational hybrid. Incorporated by an act of Congress, the Academy is both a private, nonprofit institution and an official adviser to the federal government on any matter of science and technology. Comprised of distinguished scientists and engineers, it is both a prestigious honorary society and a service organization, which operates largely through a subsidiary, the National Research Council, most of whose members are not in the Academy. The activities and overhead expenses of the NAS-NRC are financed by a variety of public and private funds.
Characteristics of assaultive psychiatric patients: fifteen-year analysis of the Assaulted Staff Action Program (ASAP)

This study reports on a fifteen-year longitudinal analysis of the characteristics of assaultive patients in one public-sector mental health care system. The data were gathered within the context of the Assaulted Staff Action Program (ASAP), a crisis intervention service for staff victims. The fifteen-year findings were consistent with previous worldwide research on assaultive patients and included both older male patients with schizophrenia and younger personality-disordered patients as high-risk assailants. Both groups had appreciable histories of violence toward others, personal victimization, and substance use disorders. The role of these three clinical variables in association with subsequent assaults, the role of trauma in female assailants, and the consistency of the fundamental characteristics of assaultive patients during several service system initiatives were examined. Implications for research and intervention are discussed.
Assessment of Recent Short-Term Water-Level Fluctuations in Caspian Sea Using Topex/Poseidon

The Caspian Sea (CS) has long been the focus of an interest due to its large water-level fluctuations. The primary factors of the CS water-level variations have usually been deemed to changes in climatic parameters. The climate-induced changes particularly in precipitation over the Volga River catchment and evaporation over CS mainly affect the CS level (CSL). We constructed extended and refined TOPEX/Poseidon time series to compute temporal mean water-level fluctuations from December 1992 to August 2005 over CS using the new gravity recovery and climate experiment orbits data, new sea state bias model, and TOPEX microwave radiometer drift correction. Four distinct phases in water-level variations are observed: a significant water-level rise between 1993 and mid-1995 followed by an abrupt decline from mid-1995 to summer 1997, then relatively modest decrease until mid-2002 and rise from summer 2002 onward. The analysis of water budget parameters favors the recent understanding that Volga River discharge in conjunction with evaporation over CS are the two main components controlling water-level fluctuations of CS. Volga River discharge positively correlates with CS water-level rise and drop from 1993 to 1997 and in 1999, respectively. Evaporation should dominate over the Volga River runoff and primarily controls CSL fluctuations after 1997 through 2003. Additionally, we find that anthropogenic factors are insufficient to affect water-level oscillations except for reservoir development or demolition, and water-level changes during 13-year time series are temporary variations.
A simulation of a store-and-forward distributed network of transputers

With decreasing cost and size of processors and more sophisticated demands of computer users, it is becoming popular to execute programs in parallel on a distributed network. Subtasks of a program can then be run on separate processors, communicating through shared memory or hard wired links, depending on the hardware and topology of the system.With ring networks, a token passing or store-and-forward communication scheme is often used. The token passing scheme allows for only one processor to send a message at a time. The store-and-forward scheme allows many messages to travel around the network and must be deadlock free.This paper presents the simulation of a distributed network of INMOS Transputers. Also discussed are the store-and-forward message passing scheme that is modeled and results obtained thus far.
Guaranteed error correction capability of codes on graphs

The guaranteed error correction capability of left regular LDPC codes under different hard decision decision algorithms is investigated. A summary of recent results relating the column weight and girth of the Tanner graph to the guaranteed error correction capability is provided. The intuition behind expander based arguments and their potential to derive new results for column-weight-three codes is provided.
Polyimides for electronics applications

A variety of options exists for lithographically defining polyimides for microelectronics applications. The two investigated here, photosensitive polyimide and wet etching of low-stress polyimides, offer lower cost, higher throughput solutions compared with dry etch processes. Via sizes of less than 25 μm and film thicknesses of greater than 14 μm are difficult to process using these techniques: however, for applications such as interlayer dielectrics for high-density packaging or solder masks for flip chip die attachment, these limitations may not be insurmountable. Photosensitive polyimide can be patterned with fewer steps, but the overall quality of the film in terms of surface planarity and residual stress is not as good as wet etching of conventional polyimide.
Adaptive signal processing of physiological hand tremor

This paper presents the investigation in adaptive signal processing of physiological hand tremor. The adaptive signal processing includes adaptive modeling and prediction. The physiological hand tremor is modeled as an AR(3) process. The model coefficients are identified based on the linear prediction and the recursive least-squares (RLS) adaptive algorithm. The simulation and experimental results show that the algorithm can be used effectively to trace the statistical characteristics and predict the hand tremor in a real-time embedded system.
Malignant fibrous histiocytoma of bone: an ultrastructural study.

An ultrastructural study of a case of malignant fibrous histiocytoma of bone in a 16-year-old skeletally mature female is presented. There were multiple metastatic bone lesions and a marked hypercalcemia. The cell population was similar to that found in soft tissue malignant fibrous histiocytoma lesions and comprised undifferentiated cells, fibroblastlike cells, histiocytes, and multinucleated giant cells. Occasional myofibroblasts and transitional cells with histiocytic and fibroblastic components were seen. The histiocytes were characterized by prominent Golgi bodies. Although there were many fibroblastlike cells, the rough endoplasmic reticulum was rarely as extensive or as well organized as in normal fibroblasts. The giant cells did not have the ultrastructural characteristics of osteoclasts, i.e., the clear zones and ruffled borders. Zonula adherens (belt desmosome) junctions were seen, but in general, intercellular junctions were poorly developed as to length and extent.
Parallel structures for rank order and stack filters

Rank order filters are nonlinear filters which choose an output based on the rank within a window of sample inputs determined by sorting the inputs. Rank order filters are a subset of the class of stack filters which are also nonlinear. A systematic method for applying block processing, which transforms single-input single-output structures to parallel-input parallel-output structures for non-recursive rank order and stack filters is presented. This method takes advantage of shared substructures within the block structure to efficiently generate a block filter whose complexity can be up to one-half the size of the original filter structure times the block size. This method can also be applied to two-dimensional non-recursive rank order filters. >
Recruitment of antigen-specific Th1-like responses to the human lung following bronchoscopic segmental challenge with purified protein derivative of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Although the mechanisms of specific immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in humans are poorly understood, responses of Th1-like CD4+ T cells appear to be essential for protection. We hypothesized that healthy individuals displaying positive skin-test responses to purified protein derivative of M. tuberculosis (PPD) would have the capacity to mobilize M. tuberculosis–specific Th1 cells to the lung in response to bronchoscopic challenge with PPD. Local instillation of 0.5 tuberculin units of PPD was followed 48 h subsequently by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of PPD-challenged and control segments. In PPD-positive subjects, PPD challenge resulted in a 2.7-fold increase in total BAL cells and in an increase in the percentage of lymphocytes in BAL from 10 to 19%. The BAL lymphocytosis observed in PPD-challenged segments was characterized by an increased percentage of CD4+ T cells and by increased numbers of cells capable of antigen-specific interferon-γ production. In contrast, PPD-negative subjects did not d...
Maternal Employment and Infant Feeding Practices among the Navajo

Maternal employment has long been considered a barrier to successful breastfeeding. This article explores the relationship of work status to the infant feeding behaviors of Navajo women. “Work” was cited in ethnographic interviews as being incompatible with breastfeeding. Further questioning, however, revealed that there are other reasons for stopping breastfeeding and that supplementation leading to insufficient milk may be an important intervening factor. Women who worked outside the home or went to school were not less likely than unemployed women to initiate breastfeeding or to continue either exclusive or partial breastfeeding (N = 250 postpartum women). Further, those who started work after three months introduced formula later and breastfed longer than other women in the sample, including the unemployed. How soon after delivery the women returned to work or school and when infant formula or other foods were introduced were significant, independent predictors of duration of breastfeeding among employed women and students. Maternal employment does not have a simple relationship to rates and duration of breastfeeding, although specific circumstances of employment, including length of maternity leave, do impact breastfeeding patterns.
Domain E of Bacillus macerans cyclodextrin glucanotransferase: An independent starch‐binding domain

The starch-binding domains of glucoamylase I (SBD of GA-I) from Aspergillus awamori and of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (domain E of CGTase) from Bacillus macerans were fused to the C-terminus of beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) The majority of the fusion proteins produced in Escherichia coli were found as inclusion bodies. Active fusion proteins were purified by partial solubilization of the inclusion bodies with 2 M urea followed by affinity chromatography. Adsorption isotherms of purified fusion proteins on corn starch and cross-linked amylose were generated. The beta-gal fusion proteins had similar affinities for cross-linked amylose and corn starch but significantly different saturation capacities on corn starch. The adsorption and elution data from the potato starch column as well as the adsorption isotherms of p-gal-domain E fusion protein (BDE109) on corn starch and cross-linked amylose demonstrated that domain E of CGTase is an independent domain, which retained its starch-binding activity when separated from the other four (A-D) domains in CGTase. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Fast retrieval of electronic messages that contain mistyped words or spelling errors

This paper presents an index structure for retrieving electronic messages that contain mistyped words or spelling errors. Given a query string (e.g., a search key), we want to find those messages that approximately contain the query, i.e., certain inserts, deletes and mismatches are allowed when matching the query with a word (or phrase) in the messages. Our approach is to store the messages sequentially in a database and hash their "fingerprints" into a number of "fingerprint files." When the query is given, its fingerprints are also hashed into the files and a histogram of votes is constructed on the messages. We derive a lower bound, based on which one can prune a large number of nonqualifying messages (i.e., those whose votes are below the lower bound) during searching. The paper presents some experimental results, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the index structure and the lower bound.
Efficient Fabrication of Glued-Laminated Timbers

Fifty-four large glued-laminated timber beams were designed, fabricated, and tested to failure in static bending. Designs included several levels of moduli of elasticity (MOE) and rupture (MOR). Beams were made from lumber of Southern pine, Douglas fir, hem-fir, and Lodgepole pine; they were 40 ft (12 m) long, 5 in. (13 mm) wide, and 24 in. (610 mm) deep. Individual pieces were evaluated by nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques for MOE before laminating. Results indicated several advantages for NDT methods in construction of glued-laminated beams. The lumber available can be located in the beam to gain maximum stiffness (MOE) and good strength (MOE). MOE of the beams was highly predictable; MOR was less predictable, but met the desired stress level. Based on the research, specifications have been published, which provide for the use of several additional species of lumber, nondestructively tested in glued-laminated beams.
The role of phosphorylated dolichols in membrane glycoprotein biosynthesis: relation to cholesterol biosynthesis.

Publisher Summary The participation of certain phosphorylated long-chain polyisoprenols (dolichols) as saccharide carriers and donors in the biosynthesis of complex carbohydrates has been among the most actively pursued discoveries in the field of membrane biosynthesis and glycoprotein metabolism in the last decade. Dolichols are major long-chain polyisoprenols found in animal cells. They mediate the assembly of asparagine-linked oligosaccharide units of exported and intracellular glycoproteins. This chapter focuses on the animal cell, particularly the cultured vascular smooth muscle cell. The chapter reviews the aspects of glycoprotein structure, the participation of phosphorylated dolichols in glycoprotein biosynthesis, and the interdependent regulation of biosynthesis of phosphorylated dolichols and cholesterol. HMG-CoA reductase is an inducible enzyme that, under steady-state cultural conditions, is in the suppressed state and behaves as a classic nonequilibrium enzyme. It has a rapid turnover rate and its activity is barely detectable in vitro. In some tissues it undergoes covalent modification by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation as a means of modulating its activity. These characteristics of HMG-CoA contribute to its position as a rate-controlling enzyme in polyisoprenol biosynthesis. The increased flux of substrates through this enzyme is useful in discerning regulatory enzymatic steps secondary to the reductase and specific to the pathways of cholesterol or other polyisoprenols such as the dolichols.
The Palestine Declaration to the International Criminal Court: The Statehood Issue

In the wake of Israel’s military incursion into Gaza from December 2008 to January 2009, the Palestinian National Authority filed in the International Criminal Court (ICC) a declaration accepting the jurisdiction of the ICC in the territory of Palestine. The Declaration, submitted on the letterhead of the Palestinian National Authority, Ministry of Justice, Office of Minister, reads.
Utilizing SPECT/CT to improve small bowel transit studies

2506 Objectives The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a new more efficient and accurate small bowel transit imaging protocol utilizing SPECT/CT at 4 hours to replace the current standard of multiple serial static imaging. Methods Our clinic utilizes a small bowel transit imaging protocol that consists of keeping patients NPO for 4 hours prior to the exam, a 60 minute dynamic acquisition after injection of 5mCi Tc-99m Mebrofenin, and static images at 2, 3 and 4 hours. In order to develop and evaluate a new protocol, a SPECT/CT of the abdomen was also performed at 4 hours. 14 patients were evaluated. A physician reviewed the dynamic and planar images and recorded whether tracer was in the small bowel or large bowel (i.e. abnormal or normal) at 4 hours and the confidence level of that interpretation (scored from 0-3, with 0 being no confidence, 1 = low confidence, 2=confident, 3=certain). During a separate interpretation session, the same physician reviewed the 4 hour SPECT/CT imaging alone using the same scoring system. Results In 11 of the 14 studies, the standard dynamic/static images produced the same result as the SPECT/CT images. In the remaining 3 studies where the two interpretations did not correlate, the SPECT/CT interpretation was presumed to be correct based on direct visual evidence. Overall, the average confidence level for standard dynamic/static imaging was 1.5 while the SPECT/CT was 3. Notably, in 2 of the 3 patients in which standard dynamic/static imaging was incorrect, the confidence level was scored as a 2. Conclusions Standard static (planar) images are not as accurate in determining the actual location of radiotracer in the bowel. This study demonstrates that eliminating the serial planar images and replacing them with a single SPECT/CT at 4 hours would increase physician confidence in determining transit time, simplify the protocol, and improve accuracy of the small bowel transit study.
Hispanic Respondent Intelligence Level and Skin Tone Interviewer Perceptions From the American National Election Study

Using the 2012 American National Election Study, the present article explored the relationship between interviewers’ assessment of respondent skin tone and their perception of respondent intelligence (n = 459). Results from logistic regression analyses indicated that Hispanic respondents with the lightest skin were several times more likely to be seen as having high intelligence compared with those with the darkest skin. Importantly, this relationship was independent of respondent self-identified race, educational attainment, vocabulary test score, and several other respondent and interviewer characteristics. Implications for the growing body of research on colorism are discussed.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme in the rabbit stomach wall. Identification in the membrane fraction by affinity purification.

Abstract To examine the potential role of angiotensinconverting enzyme as a physiological regulator of neuropeptide activity in the alimentary tract, we purified and partially characterized this enzyme from the crude membrane fraction of rabbit gastric muscles. A single-step purification from detergent-solubilized gastric membranes by affinity chromatography, using lisinopril-Sepharose, yielded an electrophoretically homogeneous peptidase composed of 180-kilodalton polypeptide. The purified enzyme represented approximately 2% of [Leu5]enkephalin-degrading activity of the original membrane preparation, and 275-fold purification was achieved. The gastric angiotensin-converting enzyme hydrolyzed synthetic substrates specific to the lung enzyme. It hydrolyzed angiotensin I and several other bioactive peptides, by removing their carboxyl-terminal dipeptides. The activity was completely inhibited with 10−6 mol/L captopril. The hydrolysis of enkephalin was enhanced twofold by addition of 0.3 mol/L NaCl to the assay buffer. These properties were comparable with those reported for the rabbit lung enzyme. Therefore, it was concluded that rabbit gastric muscle tissue contains membrane-bound angiotensinconverting enzyme. The results suggest a role for this enzyme as a local inactivator of bioactive peptides in the stomach wall.
Activation of Neutrophils by Antigen‐Induced Lymphokine, With Emphasis on Antibody‐Independent Cytotoxicity

Incubation of bovine neutrophils with antigen-stimulated mononuclear cell supernatant (lymphokine) caused an inhibition of neutrophil migration and an enhancement of the neutrophils' ability to adhere to plastic, reduce nitroblue tetrazolium, ingest Staphylococcus aureus, and mediate antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) against chicken erythrocytes. Lymphokine-treated neutrophils also became cytotoxic for chicken, turkey and human erythrocytes in the absence of specific antibody but were not cytotoxic for bovine erythrocytes. The increase in antibody-independent neutrophil cytotoxicity (AINC) was not due to direct cytotoxic activity of the lymphokine or to a stable, soluble mediator released by the neutrophils. Enhancement of AINC, but not ADCC, required RNA and protein synthesis by the neutrophil. These results indicate that several aspects of neutrophil function can be altered by products secreted by antigen-stimulated mononuclear cells and that neutrophils can be induced to recognize and to have increased cytotoxic activity toward heterologous erythrocytes.
The Institutional Foundations of East Asian Development: A Summary Evaluation

There are some fundamental characteristics of successful economic development which are common not only to the East Asian case but to elsewhere as well; but there is no common denominator as to how to achieve the development. We do know quite a bit about the fundamentals of successful development, but we know very little about the process of economic change. In this summarizing essay I shall deal with these issues in turn and draw on a number of the papers to illustrate my assertions.
Development of a High-Resolution Penetration Depth Thermometer

We report on the development of a high resolution Penetration Depth Thermometer (PDT). The PDT is based on the fact that the magnetic field penetration is temperature dependent in a superconductor. The sensitivity and temperature range is broadened by the use of a thin film rather than a bulk superconductor. A dc current excitation is used with a dc SQUID for readout. Tests of a prototype PDT using an aluminum film demonstrated a maximum sensitivity of 0.8 nK/√Hz at 0.95TC using limited excitation current. A recent theory by Pippard provides a good fit to the magnetic field penetration versus temperature data. Temperature resolution of better than 100 pK/√Hz is predicted for a modest sized PDT. A new version of the PDT will be fabricated according to an optimized design which overcomes several limitations. Design parameters and test results of this device are presented.
Issues in the Evaluation of Chemical Dependency Treatment Programs for Adolescents

Problems and issues in conducting adequate evaluation of chemical dependency treatment for adolescents are discussed. Many variables must be considered in defining outcome and the base line against which the degree of service is assumed. The complexity of the evaluation task is compounded by the heterogeneity of both the treatments available and the patient population served.
Exercise Tolerance in Children With Early Onset Scoliosis: Growing Rod Treatment "Graduates".

Abstract Study Design Prospectively enrolled early-onset scoliosis (EOS) patients undergoing growing rod treatment, who have had no surgery for >1 year and/or have received definitive fusion (growing rod “graduates”). Objectives To assess oxygen consumption during exercise and determine if a diminished conventional pulmonary function test (PFT) correlates with metabolic, pulmonary, and cardiovascular measures during exercise. Summary of Background Data Based on clinical impression and sequential PFT values, EOS patients who have undergone extensive treatment are thought to have limited capacity during exercise. The use of PFTs in this population has been a primary outcome measure of respiratory capacity; however, PFTs are dependent on effort, and thus subjective. This led us to find a new assessment of outcome, to better understand their pulmonary capacity. Methods Patients underwent oxygen consumption (VO2) testing while walking at self-selected speed over-ground and during a graded exercise test. Maximal VO2 was predicted in those who completed the test to 85% of maximal heart rate (HR). Statistical analysis included Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman correlation coefficient (α = 0.05). Results 12 patients participated. Over-ground walking showed that EOS graduates chose to walk at the same speed, but at a higher VO2 Cost (0.28 mL/kg/m) than controls (0.22 mL/kg/m; p Conclusions Although PFT data suggest clinically relevant pulmonary compromise in EOS patients, the current study shows that these children are able to keep up with their peers in daily activities and also have the capacity to exercise. Level of Evidence Level II, therapeutic
Smoothing and Desmoothing in the Fourier Approach to Spherical Coefficient Determination

In order to analyze and evaluate errors in inertial surveys, it is helpful to have good regional and global gravity field models. Such models, given in terms of spherical harmonic coefficients, can also be expressed in terms of Fourier coefficients which can be related to the local field models. Conversely, spherical harmonic models can be constructed based upon a Fourier fit to the regional and global data. When the original data are mean values over grid squares, both the Fourier approach and the customary approach using discretized orthogonal projection integrals need to be modified to account for the smoothing of the higher frequency part of the signal. hi this paper, both approaches will be discussed, and it will be shown how each attacks the smoothing/desmoothing problem. For the Fourier case, the desmoothing factors (depending on order as well as degree) are derived. They are seen to have a simple form which can be rigorously incorporated into the coefficients which transform from the Fourier to the spherical domain. Other useful features of the Fourier approach are summarized and are shown to persist in the presence of the desmoothing factors.
Using Vector Analysis to Calculate Surgically Induced Astigmatism and Refractive Change

1. Calculation of surgically induced astigmatism (SIA) is based on the summation of two obliquely crossed spherocylindrical lenses. 2. Astigmatism is a vector quantity, and SIA can be calculated if the pre- and postoperative astigmatism values are known. 3. Fourier analysis can be applied to represent spherocylinders as power vectors for the analysis of surgically induced refractive change (SIRC). 4. The SIRC can be calculated if the pre- and postoperative keratometric K readings are known. 5. With-the-wound and against-the-wound astigmatic change can be calculated by using the meridian of the incision as the reference meridian.