cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Is chromosome testing of the second miscarriage cost saving? A decision analysis of selective versus universal recurrent pregnancy loss evaluation

Objective To compare the cost of selective recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) evaluation, which is defined as RPL evaluation if the second miscarriage is euploid, versus universal RPL evaluation, which is defined as RPL evaluation after the second miscarriage. Traditionally, an RPL evaluation is instituted after the third miscarriage. However, recent studies suggest evaluation after the second miscarriage, which dramatically increases health care costs. Alternatively, chromosome testing of the second miscarriage, to determine whether an RPL evaluation is required, has been proposed. Design Decision-analytic model. Setting Academic medical center. Patient(s) Couples experiencing a second miscarriage of less than 10 weeks size. Intervention(s) Selective versus universal RPL evaluation after the second miscarriage. Main Outcome Measure(s) Estimated cost for selective versus universal RPL evaluation. Result(s) The estimated cost of selective RPL evaluation after the second miscarriage was $3,352, versus $4,507 for universal RPL evaluation, resulting in a cost savings of $1,155. With stratification by maternal age groups, selective RPL evaluation resulted in increased cost savings with advancing maternal age groups. Conclusion(s) Selective RPL evaluation, which is based upon chromosome testing of the second miscarriage, is a cost-saving strategy for couples with RPL when compared with universal RPL evaluation. With advancing maternal age groups, the cost savings increased.
Reno-portal anastomosis as an approach to pediatric kidney transplantation in the setting of inferior vena cava thrombosis.

In pediatric renal transplantation in the setting of IVC thrombosis, the retrohepatic IVC or gonadal veins are often used for outflow. However, if use of systemic venous outflow is unsuccessful, options become limited. We report the use of the portal vein for venous outflow in kidney retransplantation in the setting of IVC thrombosis. The patient is a 19-month-old male who developed end-stage renal failure at seven months of age secondary to hypotension after spontaneous rupture of an accessory renal vein. The IVC was occluded during emergent laparotomy, and the patient developed extensive IVC thrombosis. The first two transplant attempts used the retrohepatic IVC for venous outflow. Despite good initial flow, in both instances the renal vein thrombosed on post-operative day 1. In an unsuccessful salvage attempt of the second transplant, a reno-portal anastomosis was performed. With few options for vascular access, a third transplant was attempted. The reno-portal stump from the second transplant was used for outflow. The patient recovered well from his third transplant (creatinine 0.6 mg/dL 35 months post-surgery), demonstrating that the portal vein can be used for outflow in cases of extensive IVC thrombosis.
The Teaching of Hebrew in the Reform Religious School

(1943). The Teaching of Hebrew in the Reform Religious School. Jewish Education: Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 28-33.
Hormone concentrating cells in vocal control and other areas of the brain of the zebra finch ( Poephila guttata).

Using the autoradiographic method in the zebra finch (Poephila guttata), areas of the brain were identified which contain cells which accumulate testosterone or its metabolites after intramuscular injection of tritiated testosterone. Among these areas are the caudal nucleus of the hyperstriatum ventrale, nucleus intercollicularis of the midbrain, and the tracheosyringeal portion of the hypoglossal nucleus of the medulla (nXIIts). These three are known to control or influence androgen dependent song and other vocalizations of passeriform birds, and nXIIts is composed of the motoneurons innervating the vocal (syringeal) muscles. Other areas containing hormone-concentrating cells are the medial preoptic area, nucleus periventricularis magnocellularis of the hypothalamus, dorsal infundibular layers, dorsomedial thalamus, lateral septum, magnocellular nucleus of the anterior neostriatum, periventricular medial neostriatum, nucleus taeniae of the archistriatum, and ventral paleostriatum augmentatum. Accumulation by cells in the preoptic area, hypothalamus, and limbic forebrain is consistent with a general vertebrate pattern of distribution of brain cells which accumulate sex steroids. Some of these same areas may be involved in the control of androgen dependent events such as courtship, copulation, aggression, and feedback regulation of the hypophysis.
Uranium-series comminution ages of continental sediments: Case study of a Pleistocene alluvial fan

Obtaining quantitative information about the timescales associated with sediment transport, storage, and deposition in continental settings is important but challenging. The uranium-series comminution age method potentially provides a universal approach for direct dating of Quaternary detrital sediments, and can also provide estimates of the sediment transport and storage timescales. (The word"comminution" means"to reduce to powder," reflecting the start of the comminution age clock as reduction of lithic parent material below a critical grain size threshold of ~;;50 mu m.) To test the comminution age method as a means to date continental sediments, we applied the method to drill-core samples of the glacially-derived Kings River Fan alluvial deposits in central California. Sediments from the 45 m core have independently-estimated depositional ages of up to ~;;800 ka, based on paleomagnetism and correlations to nearby dated sediments. We characterized sequentially-leached core samples (both bulk sediment and grain size separates) for U, Nd, and Sr isotopes, grain size, surface texture, and mineralogy. In accordance with the comminution age model, where 234U is partially lost from small sediment grains due to alpha recoil, we found that (234U/238U) activity ratios generally decrease with age, depth, and specific surface area, with depletions of up to 9percent relativemore » to radioactive equilibrium. The resulting calculated comminution ages are reasonable, although they do not exactly match age estimates from previous studies and also depend on assumptions about 234U loss rates. The results indicate that the method may be a significant addition to the sparse set of available tools for dating detrital continental sediments, following further refinement. Improving the accuracy of the method requires more advanced models or measurements for both the recoil loss factor fa and weathering effects. We discuss several independent methods for obtaining fa on individual samples that may be useful for future studies.« less
Cascade impactor aerosol samples for PIXE and PESA analyses

Abstract Single orifice impactors have been modified to fractionate a full range of aerosol aerodynamic diameters into eight closed and two open ended intervals (>16, 16-8, 8-4, 4-2, 2-1, 1.0-0.5, 0.50-0.25, 0.12-0.06 and
Quantitation of Laminin Adsorbed Onto Polydimethylsiloxane Surfaces Using Various Treatment Protocols

There is considerable interest in how cells respond to mechanical stimuli, from the ligands used to transmit the stimulus to the signaling pathways initiated and the proteins expressed upon phenotype change [1]. Previous work focused on the evaluation of the quality of the extracellular matrix (ECM) coating and cell proliferation [2]. Our focus is the characterization of a flexible polymeric substrate, treated with ECM, used to induce tensile strain on cells. In this work, we expand our physical characterization of the protein modified polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface by quantifying the coverage of laminin on PDMS, plasma-treated PDMS, and PDMS treated with plasma and aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) (Silane_70 protocol) using X-ray reflectivity.
Rapid prototyping of a liquid-core waveguide in a microfluidic polydimethylsiloxane channel for optical sensing

This paper presents a simple fabrication method for a liquid-core optofluidic waveguide and demonstrates efficient light delivery and collection using optical fibers pressure-sealed into a polydimethylsiloxane matrix. Total optical loss as small as 3 dB from an input optical fiber with a core diameter of 9 μm to an output optical fiber with a core diameter of 62.5 μm connected one to another via a 2 cm long liquid-core optofluidic channel is achieved. This strategy allows rapid prototyping of optofluidic waveguides without requiring expensive microfabrication facilities and is suitable for applications that require an efficient optical sensing in a small liquid sample. As a demonstration, we examine the optical Faraday rotation of a fluid sample and identify advantages and limitations by comparison to a macroscopic system of similar length.
Corneal thickness measurements with the Orbscan Topography System and ultrasonic pachymetry.

Abstract Purpose: To compare corneal thickness measurements obtained with a new instrument, the Orbscan Topography System, with those obtained with the DGH ultrasonic pachymeter and to assess the agreement and repeatability of the two devices. Setting: LSU Eye Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Methods: Measurement agreement was assessed in 51 eyes of 26 normal volunteers using both Orbscan and ultrasonic pachymetry. Repeatability for the instruments was measured in 10 eyes of 5 additional volunteers. Corneal thicknesses were compared using the analysis of variance (ANOVA). The relationship between the devices was assessed by analysis of regression (ANOR). Results: In the measurement agreement experiment, the mean corneal thickness was 571.3 μm ± 6.21 SEM with the Orbscan system and 543.3 ± 7.49 μm with ultrasonic pachymetry; these values were significantly different (F test, ANOVA, P = .0048). In the repeatability experiment, the mean thickness was 561.1 ± 8.42 μm with the Orbscan system and 537.4 ± 5.84 μm with ultrasound pachymetry; these values were also significantly different (F test, ANOVA, P = .0003). Analysis of regression showed a significant linear regression between the values obtained with the devices ( P = .0001, F test, ANOR). Conclusions: In both studies, the Orbscan system obtained statistically significantly different and higher values for corneal thickness. Regression analysis suggests that over the range of values in this study, the two devices differ by a constant amount (intercept and slope). The nonzero intercept of this regression shows that the values from the devices differ and cannot be directly substituted for each other. We therefore conclude that in this study, Orbscan system measurements of corneal thickness were 23 to 28 μm greater than ultrasonic pachymeter measurements. Linear regression equations may be developed for the results of measurements from the two devices and used as a precise transformation factor for the values obtained with the two devices.
Computers in Libraries 2000

Abstract This article describes the proceedings of the Computers in Libraries 2000 Conference held in Washington, DC, March 15-17, 2000 at the Washington Hilton Towers. Both the content and value of the conference presentations to librarians in general and to librarians who specialize in service to undergraduate libraries are discussed. The highlights of the conference presentations and exhibits, conference costs, conference organization, and pre- and post-conference activities are presented, as well as a view of emerging trends evident at presentations.
Dressing and Cooking Losses, Juiciness and Fat Content of Poultry Fed Cereal Grains. Part 2. Broilers

Abstract THE use of single cereal grains as turkey rations has been reported by Goertz et al. (1961). Maw (1939) fed broilers cereal grains and noted that those fed corn, wheat, or barley were superior to those fed oats; also that more fat was deposited in poultry fed corn than in those fed other cereal grains. In earlier work with roasters, Maw et al. (1936) noted that higher moisture losses were associated with smaller quantities of fat in the carcass. Arscott and Sather (1958) studied broilers fed corn or corn and barley with or without animal fat. However, work has not been reported on dressing, thawing, and cooking losses of broilers fed mainly the single cereal grains. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cornish × Arbor Acres White Rock broilers were reared in chick batteries and fed barley, corn, sorghum grain, oats, or wheat to constitute 60% of the ration at the Kansas State …
History of Research on Process Relevant to Clinical Social Work

Case study research methods and holistic approaches have not appeared in the social work literature for at least two decades due to debate over what constitutes legitimate science. This debate has contributed to alienation of the work of the researcher and the day-to-day practice of the practitioner. Existing intellectual frameworks and measuring tools for understanding clients’ reactions and behaviors through case study research methods can help close the gap between researcher and practitioner. The purpose of this article is to provide a historical review highlighting certain tensions in the field of social work and to provide the foundation for a discussion of the contemporary state of process research—whereby new theory and methods from the natural sciences tender means for the field to pick up where previous process researchers have left off. The article concludes with recommendations for future work and anticipates novel and useful methods for process research.
Deterministic balancing and stochastic model reduction

A recent approach to the deterministic model reduction problem is based on the notion of balancing. However, the original development of deterministic balancing did not contain any statistical considerations with which to develop a stochastic model reduction algorithm. Nevertheless, it is shown in this note that there are two stochastic model reduction algorithms in the literature which result in a deterministically balanced model. Their equivalence with deterministic balancing provides a stochastic interpretation to the deterministic algorithm.
Characterisation of post exercise pressure response curves in the pedal arteries of patients with peripheral vascular disease.

Abstract The response of the systolic pressure in the pedal arteries to the stress of exercise is one of several ways of assessing the severity of peripheral vascular disease. We have examined 2607 such pressure response curves in an attempt to produce a simple method of response classification. Regression analysis of the curves has shown that errors are least when the regression used is the same order as the number of data points. We conclude that post exercise response curves can be adequately classified from three data points, one obtained within two minutes of the cessation of exercise, a second obtained between 4 and 6 minutes from the end of exercise and a third taken 10 minutes after exercise. The use of a response curve indexed to systemic systolic pressure was not found to produce a better correlation between full and three point curves, though the absolute classification differed slightly from that obtained from the non-indexed curve. Neither classification system proved significantly superior in relating to the degree of arterial disease.
An Abrasion Resistance Study of Some Dental Resins

The wear resistance of six filled and three unfilled resins was evaluated with the use of a commercial abrasion tester. The results showed significantly greater wear (P < 0.05) of the filled resins compared with the unfilled resins. Based on these observations, a mechanism for explaining the wear behavior of the filled resins has been proposed.
The Other of Contemporary Discourse about the Other: Plato's (not the Platonic) Idea of the Good

The absolutely other is the Other. He and I do not form a number.... Neither possession nor the unity of concepts links me to the Stranger.... But I, who have no concept in common with the Stranger, am, like him, without genus. We are the same and the other. The conjunction and here designates neither addition nor the power of one term over the other. We shall try to show that the relation between the same and the other ... is language.1
Paleogene rim gravel of Arizona: Age and significance of the Music Mountain Formation

The early Tertiary exotic rim gravel scattered across the Colorado Plateau in Arizona (USA) provides the only widespread evidence concerning the nature of the regional Paleogene drainage system that preceded the emergence of the modern Colorado River. The term “rim gravel” includes a wide range of Laramide (herein ca. 85–40 Ma) and younger reworked quartzite-dominated, arkosic sediments with diverse origins and ages that have been clarified only recently. The parent arkoses, with subordinate gravel lenses, contain volcanic clasts with ages ranging from Late Jurassic to early Eocene. The Laramide-age arkoses were shed off uplifted Precambrian terranes to the south and west; they are separated from their reworked derivatives and younger sediments by a disconformity that is best preserved in the structurally isolated paleocanyons of the Hualapai Plateau. Younger generations of reworked gravels continued to evolve during and following the widespread eruption of basalts of late Oligocene to Pleistocene age. Basaltic clasts in the reworked gravels attest to their much younger ages. Combined paleontologic, stratigraphic, paleomagnetic, K-Ar, U-Th/He, and zircon studies of the parent arkoses indicate that the tectonic framework corresponds to the Laramide orogeny, the concurrent regional erosion of the Colorado Plateau margin, and ensuing widespread deposition. The overall time frame coincides with the similar tectonic history recorded in the early Tertiary strata of southern Utah. Comparable but unrelated quartzite-dominated gravels, reworked southward from the Utah source rocks, are widespread on strath terraces north of the Colorado River. The Utah-derived gravels are products of the much younger Neogene incision of the modern Grand Canyon drainage system. The name Music Mountain Formation redefines the Laramide-age suite of the Arizona rim gravel parent sediments, best preserved on the Hualapai and Coconino Plateaus of northern Arizona, and distinguishes them from younger reworked gravels occurring both north and south of the Colorado River. A lacustrine mollusk assemblage collected from thin limestones intertonguing with Music Mountain arkose constrains the age of one Coconino Plateau exposure to early Eocene, whereas the association with the Laramide orogeny indicates that a Late Cretaceous to middle Eocene time frame comprises the broader geologic setting.
Skel: Generative Software for Producing Skeletal I/O Applications

Massively parallel computations consist of a mixture of computation, communication, and I/O. Of these three components, implementing an effective parallel I/O solution has often been overlooked by application scientists and has typically been added to large scale simulations only when existing serial techniques have failed. As scientists' teams scaled their codes to run on hundreds of processors, it was common to call on an I/O expert to implement a set of more scalable I/O routines. These routines were easily separated from the calculations and communication, and in many cases, an I/O kernel was derived from the application which could be used for testing I/O performance independent of the application. These I/O kernels developed a life of their own used as a broad measure for comparing different I/O techniques. Unfortunately, as years passed and computation and communication changes required changes to the I/O, the separate I/O kernel used for benchmarking remained static, no longer providing an accurate indicator of the I/O performance of the simulation, and making I/O research less relevant for the application scientists. In this paper we describe a new approach to this problem where I/O kernels are replaced with skeletal I/O applications that are automatically generated from an abstract set of simulation I/O parameters. We realize this abstraction by leveraging the ADIOS [1] middleware's XML I/O specification with additional runtime parameters. Skeletal applications offer all of the benefits of I/O kernels including allowing I/O optimizations to focus on useful I/O patterns. Moreover, since they are automatically generated, it is easy to produce an updated I/O skeleton whenever the simulation's I/O changes. In this paper we analyze the performance of automatically generated I/O skeletal applications for the S3D and GTS codes. We show that these skeletal applications achieve performance comparable to that of the production applications. We wrap up the paper with a discussion of future changes to make the skeletal application better approximate the actual I/O performed in the simulation.
Gut estimates: Pregnant women adapt to changing possibilities for squeezing through doorways

Possibilities for action depend on the fit between the body and the environment. Perceiving what actions are possible is challenging, because the body and the environment are always changing. How do people adapt to changes in body size and compression? In Experiment 1, we tested pregnant women monthly over the course of pregnancy to determine whether they adapted to changing possibilities for squeezing through doorways. As women gained belly girth and weight, previously passable doorways were no longer passable, but women's decisions to attempt passage tracked their changing abilities. Moreover, their accuracy was equivalent to that of nonpregnant adults. In Experiment 2, nonpregnant adults wore a "pregnancy pack" that instantly increased the size of their bellies, and they judged whether doorways were passable. Accuracy in the "pregnant" participants was only marginally worse than that of actual pregnant women, suggesting that participants adapted to the prosthesis during the test session. In Experiment 3, participants wore the pregnancy pack and gauged passability before and after attempting passage. The judgments were grossly inaccurate prior to receiving feedback. These findings indicate that experience facilitates perceptual-motor recalibration for certain types of actions.
A practical timing attack on RSA over a LAN

Today, the specific implementation of a cryptosystem is of possibly greater importance than the underlying cryptographic algorithm itself. Through side-channel cryptanalysis, an adversary may deduce a secret key just by monitoring implementation-specific side channels, such as execution time or power consumption during a cryptographic operation. In this paper, we describe a successful remote timing attack against a server running a protocol similar to SSL. Using a fully-automated attack on Chinese Remaindering Theorem (CRT) implementations of RSA, we show it is practical to recover a 1024-bit key in under an hour over a local area network.
Prediction of the Three-Dimensional Turbulent Boundary Layer over a Swept Bump

Large eddy simulation (LES) and Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) computations have been used for prediction of a spatially developing three-dimensional turbulent boundary layer over a bump swept at 45 deg with respect to the upstream flow. Subgrid-scale stresses in the LES were parameterized using the dynamic eddy viscosity model. Reynolds stresses in the RANS calculations were closed using the v 2 -f model and Spalart-Allmaras one-equation model. In the calculations, a zero-pressure gradient, statistically two-dimensional boundary layer at momentum thickness Reynolds number 3.8X10 3 is introduced one-half chord length upstream of the onset of curvature. The flow is statistically homogeneous along the coordinate parallel to the bump axis and is subject to combined perturbations in streamwise pressure gradient, spanwise pressure gradient, and surface curvature. The turning angle of the wall shear stress measured with respect to the upstream flow changes sign twice due to the alternating spanwise pressure gradient, with a maximum of more than 45 deg near the trailing edge. No-slip conditions were imposed on solid boundaries in RANS, whereas algebraic approximate boundary conditions were applied in the LES to model the near-wall flow
A regional Bayesian hierarchical model for flood frequency analysis

In this study, we propose a regional Bayesian hierarchical model for flood frequency analysis. The Bayesian method is an alternative to the traditional regional flood frequency analysis. Instead of relying on the delineation of implicit homogeneous regions, the Bayesian hierarchical method describes the spatial dependence in its inner structure. Similar to the classical Bayesian hierarchical model, the process layer of our model presents the spatial variability of the parameters by considering different covariates (e.g., drainage area, elevation, precipitation). Beyond the three classical layers (data, process, and prior) of the Bayesian hierarchical model, we add a new layer referred to as the “L-moments layer”. The L-moments layer uses L-moments theory to select the best-fit probability distribution based on the available data. This new layer can overcome the subjective selection of the distribution based on extreme value theory and determine the distribution from the data instead. By adding this layer, we can combine the merits of regional flood frequency and Bayesian methods. A standard process of covariates selection is also proposed in the Bayesian hierarchical model. The performance of the Bayesian model is assessed by a case study over the Willamette River Basin in the Pacific Northwest, U.S. The uncertainty of different flood percentiles can be quantified from the posterior distributions using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method. Temporal changes for the 100-year flood percentiles are also examined using a 20- and 30-year moving window method. The calculated shifts in flood risk can aid future water resources planning and management.
Management of an African floodplain: a contribution to the anthropology of public policy

Abstract Several hundred thousand smallholder households in Senegal and Mauritania are at risk from a large dam built at Mantali on the Bafing, the major tributary of the Senegal River. These households practise a complex set of production strategies sustaining a dense population in a Sahelian region. Despite low rainfall, in average years the area allows for two harvests, one dependent on summer rains on sandy upland soils and the other on post-summer floods on the alluvial plain. If the dam is managed as planned, it will adversely affect downstream production, income, and employment. Designed for hydropower, large-scale irrigation, and barge transportation, the dam would restrict the natural flood, causing: • -drastic reduction of recession cultivation; • -heavy reliance on costly irrigated production; • -decline in the quality of riverine pasture and in the numbers of stock that can graze during the long dry season; • -reduction in fish capture; • -transformation of the natural floodplain, reducing its capacity to support migratory birds and other wildlife; A delayed installation of turbines and an agreed controlled release from Manantali for at least 10 years provide an opportunity to examine the impacts of that release and to measure them against a potential reduction in hydropower and irrigation water.
Synthesis of optimal process flowsheets by an infeasible decomposition technique in the presence of functional non-convexities

An infeasible decomposition method based on the two-level optimization procedure is proposed for the structural parameter method for synthesis of optimal process flowsheets. A penalty term is used to guarantee the success of the method in the presence of functional non-convexities very often encountered in chemical process design. The convergence characteristics of the primal and dual problems have been considered and a computational procedure which will enhance the convergence rates for both problems is proposed. The use of the suggested strategy is illustrated in the synthesis of a simple reactor-separator system. On propose une methode de decomposition impraticable et basee sur le procede d'optimisation a deux niveaux comme methode des parametres structuraux pour produire des schemas de la marche des processus optimaux; on y inclut une disposition de penalisation pour garantir le succes de ladite methode en presence des non-convexites fonctionnelles qu'on rencontre souvent lors de la conception des processus chimiques. On a considere les caracteristiques de convergence des problemes aux deux niveaux et l'on propose une methode a base de calculs qui promeut les taux de convergence dans le cas desdits problemes. On illustre l'emploi de la methode proposee dans la synthese d'un systeme simple impliquant un reacteur et un separateur.
What would it take to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy if θ 13 were too small

We discuss the experimental requirements for a mass hierarchy measurement for ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{13}=0$ using muon-neutrino disappearance. We find that a specially optimized neutrino factory at $L\ensuremath{\simeq}6000\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{km}$ could do this measurement using extreme luminosities. In particular, we do not require charge identification for this purpose. In order to measure the mass hierarchy for more adequate luminosities, we explore the capabilities of low-energy narrow band off-axis beams, which have relatively more events at low energies. We find that, in this case, the energy resolution of the detector quickly becomes the limiting factor of the measurement and significantly affects the baseline optimization for determining the mass hierarchy.
Mariner, Mos and associated aberrant traits in Drosophila mauritiana.

A suite of aberrant genetic traits, including increased mutation rate, sex-limited mutation and distorted transmission ratios, was produced among progeny of genetic crosses between two strains of Drosophila mauritiana when a paternally contributed Mos excision factor is placed into a non- Mos genetic background. In the reciprocal cross, involving maternally contributed Mos and Mos associated cytoplasm, the same genetic abnormalities are not observed. Differential effects on mariner excision in germ-line versus somatic tissue are apparent. Because Mos is known to influence the mobility of the mariner transposable element, these traits may be associated with mariner excision and/or transposition.
The Political Economy of Social Science: Where the Trail Leads

This paper is intended as a search to identify the conclusions about the social sciences which result from applying insights from political economy. Two major findings were their ties to governments and their membership in the knowledge industry, a group of multinationals whose existence gives a competitive edge to paradigms espoused by the rich and the developed. The postwar domiance of U.S. paradigms is thus traced to overall U.S. dominance and not to their intrinsic merits. Nor are these paradigms seen as international reference models which followed Kuhnian-type revolutions.
Multiple exposures to unloading decrease bone's responsivity but compound skeletal losses in C57BL/6 mice

A single exposure to mechanical unloading can result in significant bone loss, but the consequences of multiple exposures are largely unknown. Within a 18-wk period, adult C57BL/6 male mice were ex...
Listening to YOUR HEALTH: Librarians and Physicians Collaborating on the Radio and Online

The Chapel Hill campus of the University of North Carolina (UNC) is home to the University of North Carolina's (UNC) NC Memorial Hospital, NC Children's Hospital, NC Women's Hospital, NC Neuroscien...
Modeling and design of tubular linear electric drives

In this research, tools for the design of air-core tubular linear electric drives are established. The tools include numerical techniques to efficiently calculate coil inductance and magnet/coil coupling for arbitrary turn placement. In addition, the structure of the state model of the system is tailored to facilitate rapid computation enabling comprehensive design optimization. The tools are highlighted in the design of an energy harvest system that consists of a machine, a diode rectifier, and a capacitive energy storage device. Comparison with hardware measurements are used for validation.
Predicting protein--protein interactions from primary structure.

Motivation: An ambitious goal of proteomics is to elucidate the structure, interactions and functions of all proteins within cells and organisms. The expectation is that this will provide a fuller appreciation of cellular processes and networks at the protein level, ultimately leading to a better understanding of disease mechanisms and suggesting new means for intervention. This paper addresses the question: can protein–protein interactions be predicted directly from primary structure and associated data? Using a diverse database of known protein interactions, a Support Vector Machine (SVM) learning system was trained to recognize and predict interactions based solely on primary structure and associated physicochemical properties. Results: Inductive accuracy of the trained system, defined here as the percentage of correct protein interaction predictions for previously unseen test sets, averaged 80% for the ensemble of statistical experiments. Future proteomics studies may benefit from this research by proceeding directly from the automated identification of a cell’s gene products to prediction of protein interaction pairs.
Errors Induced by Off-Axis Measurement of the Elastic Properties of Bone

Misalignment between the axes of measurement and the material symmetry axes of bone causes error in anisotropic elastic property measurements. Measurements of Poisson's ratio were strongly affected by misalignment errors. The mean errors in the measured Young's moduli were 9.5 and 1.3 percent for cancellous and cortical bone, respectively, at a misalignment angle of 10 degrees. Mean errors of 1.1 and 5.0 percent in the measured shear moduli for cancellous and cortical bone, respectively, were found at a misalignment angle of 10 degrees. Although, cancellous bone tissue was assumed to have orthotropic elastic symmetry, the possibility of the greater symmetry of transverse isotropy was investigated. When the nine orthotropic elastic constants were forced to approximate the five transverse isotropic elastic constants, errors of over 60 percent were introduced. Therefore, it was concluded that cancellous bone is truly orthotropic and not transversely isotropic. A similar but less strong result for cortical bone tissue was obtained.
Time dependent photon mapping

The photon map technique for global illumination does not specifically address animated scenes. In particular, prior work has not considered the problem of temporal sampling (motion blur) while using the photon map. In this paper we examine several approaches for simulating motion blur with the photon map. In particular we show that a distribution of photons in time combined with the standard photon map radiance estimate is incorrect, and we introduce a simple generalization that correctly handles photons distributed in both time and space. Our results demonstrate that this time dependent photon map extension allows fast and correct estimates of motion-blurred illumination including motion-blurred caustics.
Treatment of massive acute pulmonary embolism. The use of low doses of intrapulmonary arterial streptokinase combined with full doses of systemic heparin.

The efficacy of low-dose, locally administered streptokinase (SK) combined with full therapeutic systemic doses of heparin was investigated. Seven patients with angiographically proven massive acute pulmonary embolism were treated. Streptokinase, 10,000-20,000 units/hour, was administered directly into the left or right pulmonary artery for 9 to 24 hours. Heparin was administered concurrently. The number of unperfused segments of the infused lung shown on the lung scan decreased from 5 ± 2 to 2 ± 1 after 12-24 hours (p
Characterization of Monocarboxylate Transporter 1 (MCT1) Binding Affinity for Basigin Gene Products and L1cam

The purpose of this study was to determine the binding affinities of Basigin gene products and neural cell adhesion molecule L1cam for monocarboxylate transporter-1 (MCT1). ELISA binding assays were performed in which recombinant proteins of the transmembrane domains of Basigin gene products and L1cam were incubated with MCT1 captured from mouse brain. It was determined that Basigin gene products bind MCT1 with moderate affinity, but L1cam does not bind MCT1. Despite a high degree of sequence conservation between Basigin gene products and L1cam, the sequences are different enough to prevent L1cam from interacting with MCT1.
Pressure Dependence of the Reaction Propagation Rate of TATB at High Pressure

The reaction propagation rate (RPR) of the sensitive high explosive pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) was measured in a diamond anvil cell (DAC) over the pressure range of 2--20 GPa. The experimental technique used is the same as that previously reported. The RPR data shows that it burns one to two orders of magnitude faster in the DAC than 1,3,5,-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB) and nitromethane (CH{sub 3}NO{sub 2}) respectively. The PETN RPR curve did not show sample pressure-dependent behavior like that of nitromethane, but instead varied abruptly like the RPR curve of TATB. In order to interpret these changes, static-pressure DAC mid-IR FTIR spectra were taken of micro-pellets of PETN embedded in KBr. The relationship between changes in the spectra, the RPR curve, and published single crystal PETN wedge test data are discussed.
Isolation of Listeria monocytogenes mutants with high‐level in vitro expression of host cytosol‐induced gene products

The facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes dramatically increases the expression of several key virulence factors upon entry into the host cell cytosol. actA, the protein product of which is required for cell-to-cell spread of the bacterium, is expressed at low to undetectable levels in vitro and increases in expression more than 200-fold after L. monocytogenes escape from the phagosome. To identify bacterial factors that participate in the intracellular induction of actA expression, L. monocytogenes mutants expressing high levels of actA during in vitro growth were selected after chemical mutagenesis. The resulting mutant isolates displayed a wide range of actA expression levels, and many were less sensitive to environmental signals that normally mediate repression of virulence gene expression. Several isolates contained mutations affecting actA gene expression that mapped at least 40 kb outside the PrfA regulon, supporting the existence of additional regulatory factors that contribute to virulence gene expression. Two actA in vitro expression mutants contained novel mutations within PrfA, a key regulator of L. monocytogenes virulence gene expression. PrfA E77K and PrfA G155S mutations resulted in high-level expression of PrfA-dependent genes, increased bacterial invasion of epithelial cells and increased virulence in mice. Both prfA mutant strains were significantly less motile than wild-type L. monocytogenes. These results suggest that, although constitutive activation of PrfA and PrfA-dependent gene expression may enhance L. monocytogenes virulence, it may conversely hamper the bacterium's ability to compete in environments outside host cells.
Adoptees’ curiosity and information-seeking about birth parents in emerging adulthood: Context, motivation, and behavior

The Adoption Curiosity Pathway (ACP) model was used to test the potential mediating effect of curiosity on adoption information-seeking in a sample of 143 emerging adult adoptees (mean age = 25.0 years) who were adopted as infants within the United States by parents of the same race. Adoptees were interviewed about their intentions and actions taken to gather new information about their birth mothers and fathers. As expected, level of curiosity was positively associated with information-seeking behavior. Moreover, level of curiosity was influenced by adoptees’ perceptions of barriers and facilitators toward information-seeking. In fact, curiosity partially mediated the impact of internal and external barriers on information-seeking about birth mothers. Curiosity fully mediated the impact of external barriers and partially mediated external facilitators on birth father information-seeking. This study provides important support for the ACP, which describes context, motivation, and behavior relating to seeki...
Rb-Sr dating of diagenesis and source age of clays in Upper Devonian black shales of Texas

The Rb-Sr method can be used to date diagenetic events that have affected the illitic clays commonly found in sedimentary rocks. Diagenetic 1Md illite forms in equilibrium with pore-water Sr and appears to be a stable phase that is able to maintain a closed chemical system even under deep burial conditions. Meaningful analytical data can be obtained after careful size fractionation to separate coarse-grained, detrital 2M illite from finer-grained, diagenetic 1Md illite, followed by removal of exchangeable Rb and Sr with ammonium acetate. Rb-Sr data from the µ fraction of widely separated samples of Upper Devonian black shales in Texas fall on a single isochron having an age of 302 ± 4 m.y. Diagenetic illite must have formed rapidly in response to activity in the nearby Ouachita orogenic belt. In the middle Pennsylvanian, none of the shales was buried more than a few hundred metres, and so clay diagenesis may have been initiated by updip migration of hot brines out of the Ouachita tectonic zone. Later burial to as much as 7 km did not result in further diagenetic changes affecting the Rb-Sr system. Coarse-grained illite (2–1 µ ) from the west Texas Woodford Shale records an isochron age of the source region of 539 ± 18 m.y. This is an age not commonly encountered in rocks of North America, suggesting a derivation of Woodford clays from the southern continental landmass.
Special issue on the content and context of early media exposure

Exposing infants to screen media is a hotly debated topic. Part of the debate stems from perceived inconsistencies in the accumulated evidence. Correlational research has provided a number of associations between exposure and outcomes (both positive and negative; for review see Courage & Howe, 2010). Experimental evidence shows that when learning conditions are equated infants learn less from video than from live face-to-face interactions (i.e. video deficit, Anderson & Pempek, 2005). As the research literature has accumulated, however, it has shifted from simple main effects models to more complex interaction models of analysis. This complexity is captured through the analysis of three distinct but inter-connected classes of variables that mediate and moderate the relationship between exposure and child outcomes: child attributes, stimulus features, and the contexts in which exposure occur (see Linebarger & Vaala, 2010). There are two main purposes of this special issue: (1) empirically demonstrate the shift away from research that examines simplistic cause and effect models to research that examines the causal mechanisms underlying how effects are produced (Clark, 1983; Dupre & Cartwright, 1988; Hedstrom & Ylikoski, 2010; Kozma, 1994) and (2) focus on an ecological perspective and, as such, simultaneously consider the effects of content and context of early media exposure. Cause and effect models presume that learning is a receptive response to content delivery whereas models that incorporate causal mechanism-based explanations view learning as an active cognitive process influenced by the social, affective, and contextual variables present during a specific learning event (Clark, 1983). Defining causal mechanisms involves articulating the intersection among the child, the environmental context, and the ways in which both influence how a child ultimately interprets and learns from program content. An ecological perspective provides a way to conceptualize these processes as ‘substantive and theoretical[ly] significant’ (p. 626, Bronfenbrenner, 1995). It is these transactions that drive development and these transactions that are both affected by characteristics of the child and of the context in which these transactions occur.
A germ-cell odyssey: fate, survival, migration, stem cells and differentiation: Meeting on Germ Cells

The biennial meeting on Germ Cells at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories took place during 9–13 October 2002. It was organized by Ruth Lehmann and David Page. The photograph is taken from the cover of the abstracts book and shows a bag of marbles mutant ovary that has germ cells labelled in green (anti‐Vasa antibody) and somatic‐cell membranes in orange (anti‐spectrin antibody). Spectrin labelling also indicates the circular spectrosome in each undifferentiated germ cell. Photograph by Lilach Gilboa, from the laboratory of Ruth Lehmann. ![][1] The function of the germ line in all sexually reproducing organisms is to produce gametes that are able to contribute to the next generation (Fig. 1). Thus, like many a great epic film, the germ‐cell saga spans generations and addresses such weighty themes as fate, immortality, death and transformation. During the recent meeting (9–13 October 2002) at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories, germ cells did not disappoint. Well‐known molecular ‘stars’ took their roles to new heights, and new ‘actors’ were introduced. Meeting participants gained an unprecedented overview of comparative germline development. Here, we focus on the comparison of some of the mechanistic and molecular characteristics of phylogenetic groups that were presented at this meeting, in the context of key steps in germline development. Figure 1. Summary of the main events in germline development in animals. The approximate temporal relationships between these events and the approximate stage of their occurrence within the context of overall development are shown. Details of germline development differ among species and between sexes within species and may not be consistent with this generalized diagram. The germ‐cell story begins and ends with ‘maternal pronucleus meets paternal pronucleus’. Soon after this encounter, the decision is made as to which cells assume a somatic fate and which potentially contribute to the next generation. So critical is this decision that, … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
The “Problem Crossmatch”*

A scheme of action is presented which is useful when an unexpected incompatibility between the serum of the prospective recipient and the red cells of the donor is encountered. This includes elimination of sources of error which simulate incompatibility; interpretation of the past history of the patient; detection of nonspecific cold agglutinins and warm autoantibodies; and identification of irregular isoagglutinins. ProceDures are recommended that may assist the blood bank worker in his efforts to find compatible blood in these situations.
Doxycycline for nursing home acquired pneumonia (NHAP).

Dear Sir I read with interest your article by Pettersson, Vernby, Molstad, et al. questioning the use of doxycycline for nursing home acquired pneumonia (NHAP). I believe the authors were needlessl...
HETEROGENEOUS EXPRESSION OF POLIOVIRUS RECEPTOR-RELATED PROTEINS IN HUMAN CELLS AND TISSUES

Abstract Portions of the cellular receptor for poliovirus were expressed in Escherichia coli as fusion proteins with the product of the trpE gene. One of two antireceptor antisera obtained by immunizing rabbits with the fusion proteins blocked poliovirus infection. Western immunoblot analyses demonstrated that poliovirus receptor-related proteins were expressed in HeLa cells and a variety of human tissues, including those that are not sites of poliovirus replication. Tissue-specific variation in electrophoretic mobility, immunoreactivity, and subunit arrangement of poliovirus receptor-related proteins was observed. These results demonstrate that poliovirus tissue tropism cannot be explained by a limited distribution of receptor polypeptide, but may be the result of alternative splicing, posttranslational modifications, or both. In addition, the widespread but heterogeneous expression of the receptor suggests that the protein may have an important endogenous function.