cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Kinematics of the Posterior Cruciate Ligament/Posterolateral Corner-Injured Knee after Reconstruction by Single- and Double-Bundle Intra-articular Grafts:

BackgroundSingle- and double-bundle reconstructions have been proposed for the knee after combined posterior cruciate ligament/posterolateral corner injuries.HypothesisThe double-bundle posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is superior to the single-bundle posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with regard to restoration of normal knee kinematics to the posterior cruciate ligament/posterolateral corner-sectioned knee.Study DesignControlled laboratory study.MethodsKinematics of 8 fresh-frozen, cadaveric human knees were determined in the following conditions: intact, sectioned posterior cruciate ligament/posterolateral corner, single anterolateral bundle posterior cruciate reconstruction, and double-bundle posterior cruciate reconstruction.ResultsThe sectioned knee demonstrated a posterior shift of the tibial neutral position and the abnormal posterior, varus, and external rotation laxities used clinically to define a combined posterior cruciate ligament/posterolateral corner injury. Both reconstr...
Facilitating Life Participation in Severe Aphasia with Limited Treatment Time

Although the recovery course of severe aphasia is typically much lengthier and more protracted than other forms of aphasia, availability of treatment time is often quite limited. Focusing on one or...
HIF-1 mediates adaptation to hypoxia by actively downregulating mitochondrial oxygen consumption

The HIF-1 transcription factor drives hypoxic gene expression changes that are thought to be adaptive for cells exposed to a reduced-oxygen environment. For example, HIF-1 induces the expression of glycolytic genes. It is presumed that increased glycolysis is necessary to produce energy when low oxygen will not support oxidative phosphorylation at the mitochondria. However, we find that while HIF-1 stimulates glycolysis, it also actively represses mitochondrial function and oxygen consumption by inducing pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1). PDK1 phosphorylates and inhibits pyruvate dehydrogenase from using pyruvate to fuel the mitochondrial TCA cycle. This causes a drop in mitochondrial oxygen consumption and results in a relative increase in intracellular oxygen tension. We show by genetic means that HIF-1-dependent block to oxygen utilization results in increased oxygen availability, decreased cell death when total oxygen is limiting, and reduced cell death in response to the hypoxic cytotoxin tirapazamine.
Period-m Motions to Chaos in a Periodically Forced, Duffing Oscillator with a Time-Delayed Displacement

In this paper, periodic motions in a periodically excited, Duffing oscillator with a time-delayed displacement are investigated through the Fourier series, and the stability and bifurcation of such periodic motions are discussed through eigenvalue analysis. The time-delayed displacement is from the feedback control of displacement. The analytical bifurcation trees of period-1 motions to chaos in the time-delayed Duffing oscillator are presented through asymmetric period-1 to period-4 motions. Stable and unstable periodic motions are illustrated through numerical and analytical solutions. From numerical illustrations, the analytical solutions of stable and unstable period-m motions are relatively accurate with AN/m < 10-6 compared to numerical solutions. From such analytical solutions, any complicated solutions of period-m motions can be obtained for any prescribed accuracy. Because time-delay may cause discontinuity, the appropriate time-delay inputs (or initial conditions) in the initial time-delay interval should satisfy the analytical solution of periodic motions in the time-delayed dynamical systems. Otherwise, periodic motions in such a time-delayed system cannot be obtained directly.
Networked systems for schools that learn

There are many goals for the use of technology in schools, including preparing students for tomorrow’s workplace and contributing to economic competitiveness. However, foremost among the goals for using technology in schools is the improvement of schooling itself. Advances in digital media and network technologies provide opportunities and expectations for school improvement. To that end, the U.S. Department of Education states as a primary goal that: “Digital content and networked applications will transform teaching and learning” [4]. Expectations for improvement in teaching and learning are fueled by dramatic increases in the levels of technology in our nation’s schools [8]. The percent of schools with Internet access increased from 35% in 1994 to 95% in 1999. Hope for improvement, however, is tempered by the recognition that even with these substantial increases in access to technology the impact on public education has been limited. After a year-long process of review and hearings, the Web-based Education Commission summarized the impact of Internet-based technology on education as: “Across America, people told us that the Internet offers one of the most promising opportunities in education ever. And yet they were troubled by their inability to harness its potential advantages” [7]. Referring to an earlier wave of technology and its expectations for school reform, Larry Cuban provided a one-line synopsis: “Computers meet classroom; classroom wins.” This epithet of computer-assisted instruction indicates that even with substantial investment and great efforts, the role of computer-assisted instruction was at best marginal. Current investments in wiring schools and bringing Internet access to teachers and students face the same challenge of actually making a difference in the ways schools work, teachers teach, and students learn.
Phase II evaluation of carboplatin and VP-16 for patients with metastatic breast cancer and only one prior chemotherapy regimen.

UNLABELLED BACKGROUND. New salvage chemotherapy is needed for metastatic breast cancer. Cisplatin and VP-16 have activity but considerable toxicity. METHODS This study determines the response rate, response duration, and toxicity of a combination chemotherapy regimen of the better-tolerated carboplatin plus VP-16 in a group of patients with metastatic breast cancer and only one prior exposure to cytotoxic chemotherapy. RESULTS Twenty-three patients received an average of 2.8 courses of treatment before a lack of response or progression of disease was noticed. Four patients had evidence of rapidly progressive disease or early death and received only one course. No complete responses occurred, but three patients (13%) experienced partial responses. Mean response duration was 5 months. Metastatic disease which responded included lung, lymph node, and chest wall sites. Toxicity was mainly myelosuppression with 57% of patients having grade 3-4 neutropenia or thrombocytopenia. Two patients (8%) had significant infection with neutropenia requiring hospitalization but no toxic deaths occurred. CONCLUSIONS Carboplatin and VP-16 at this dose and schedule was a reasonably well-tolerated regimen with only modest activity in metastatic breast cancer as second-line cytotoxic chemotherapy.
Toward identifying the effects of the specific components of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on biologic and emotional outcomes among older adults.

Abstract Objectives: The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of specific Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) activities (yoga, sitting and informal meditation, body scan) on immune function, circulating insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 concentrations, and positive affect among older adults. Design: The study design comprised longitudinal analyses of data from subjects in an 8-week MBSR program. Setting: The study was conducted at a University-affiliated health center. Subjects: This study involved 100 community-dwelling older adults. Inclusion criteria were as follows: ≥65 years of age and English-speaking. Intervention: This was an 8-week MBSR program. Outcome measures: Interleukin (IL)-6 and IGF-1 levels were assayed from blood collected at postintervention assessments. Participants were immunized postintervention with keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), and immunoglobulin (Ig)M and IgG KLH-specific antibody responses were measured prior to immunization as well as 3 weeks and 24 we...
Managing Headache in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Abstract Headache is a common complaint in children and adolescents. While the majority of headaches are self-limited and benign, headaches occasionally herald a life-threatening illness such as a brain tumor, intracranial hemorrhage, or meningitis. The emergency department physician has to distinguish between “benign” and “serious” headaches and therefore must have a rational, organized approach to the evaluation of these patients. This article will focus on a clinical classification system for childhood and adolescent headaches and discuss their emergency department evaluation and current recommended therapy.
A Universal Model for Nanoporous Carbon Supercapacitors Applicable to Diverse Pore Regimes, Carbon Materials, and Electrolytes

Supercapacitors, commonly called electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs), are emerging as a novel type of energy-storage device with the potential to substitute batteries in applications that require high power densities. In response to the latest experimental breakthrough in nanoporous carbon supercapacitors, we propose a heuristic theoretical model that takes pore curvature into account as a replacement for the EDLC model, which is based on a traditional parallel-plate capacitor. When the pore size is in the mesopore regime (2-50 nm), counterions enter mesoporous carbon materials and approach the pore wall to form an electric double-cylinder capacitor (EDCC); in the micropore regime ( 50 nm) at which pores are large enough so that pore curvature is no longer significant, the EDCC model can be reduced naturally to the EDLC model. We present density functional theory calculations and detailed analyses of available experimental data in various pore regimes, which show the significant effects of pore curvature on the supercapacitor properties of nanoporous carbon materials. It is shown that the EDCC/EWCC model is universal for carbon supercapacitors with diverse carbon materials, including activated carbon materials, template carbon materials, and novel carbide-derived carbon materials, and with diverse electrolytes, including organic electrolytes, such as tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TEABF(4)) and tetraethylammonium methylsulfonate (TEAMS) in acetonitrile, aqueous H(2)SO(4) and KOH electrolytes, and even an ionic liquid electrolyte, such as 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (EMI-TFSI). The EDCC/EWCC model allows the supercapacitor properties to be correlated with pore size, specific surface area, Debye length, electrolyte concentration and dielectric constant, and solute ion size It may lend support for the systematic optimization of the properties of carbon supercapacitors through experiments. On the basis of the insight obtained from the new model, we also discuss the effects of the kinetic solvation/desolvation process, multimodal (versus unimodal) pore size distribution, and exohedral (versus endohedral) capacitors on the electrochemical properties of supercapacitors.
Replisome structure and conformational dynamics underlie fork progression past obstacles

Replisomes are multiprotein complexes that unzip the parental helix and duplicate the separated strands during genome replication. The antiparallel structure of DNA poses unique geometric constraints to the process, and the replisome has evolved unique dynamic features that solve this problem. Interestingly, the solution to duplex DNA replication has been co-opted to solve many other important problems that replisomes must contend with during the duplication of long chromosomes. For example, along its path the replisome will encounter lesions and DNA-bound proteins. Recent studies show that the replisome can circumvent lesions on either strand, using the strategy normally applied to the lagging strand synthesis. Circumventing lesions can also be assisted by other proteins that transiently become a part of the replisome. The replisome must also contend with DNA-binding proteins and recent studies reveal a fascinating process that enables it to bypass RNA polymerase without stopping.
Gonadotropin regulation of testosterone production by primary cultured theca and granulosa cells of Atlantic croaker: I. Novel role of CaMKs and interactions between calcium- and adenylyl cyclase-dependent pathways.

Abstract Theca and granulosa cells for in vitro primary culture were obtained by enzymatic digestion of mature ovarian tissue from Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) and separation from the other cell types by Percoll density-gradient centrifugation. Histochemical staining and treatment with pregnenolone confirmed the presence in the cultured cells of enzymes involved in synthesizing the major sex steroids in croaker ovaries: testosterone, estradiol, and 17α,20β,21-trihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (20β-S). Croaker theca and granulosa cells maintained their steroidogenic response to gonadotropin when cultured with serum-supplemented media and produced high levels of testosterone for up to 5 days, although estradiol production was low. Multiple signal transduction pathways mediating gonadotropin stimulation of androgen production were identified in Atlantic croaker ovarian theca and granulosa cells in primary co-culture. Inhibitors of voltage-sensitive calcium channels (VSCCs) and calmodulin decreased the steroidogenic response to gonadotropin, whereas activators of adenylyl cyclase and protein kinase A (PKA) increased testosterone production, indicating that both calcium and PKA-dependent signaling pathways are involved in the regulation of follicular steroid production. In addition, the first evidence in vertebrates for an involvement of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases (CaMKs) in gonadal steroidogenesis was obtained, since the stimulatory effects of gonadotropin on testosterone media accumulation were attenuated by specific inhibitors of CaMKs. Some interactions among the signaling pathways were observed as demonstrated by the positive effect of elevated intracellular calcium on adenylyl cyclase activity and the reduction of forskolin- and dbcAMP-induced testosterone production by inhibitors of VSCCs, calmodulin, and CaMKs.
Optimization of Soy-Biodiesel Combustion in a Modern Diesel Engine

Abstract As global petroleum demand continues to increase, alternative fuel vehicles are becoming the focus of increasing attention. Biodiesel has emerged as an attractive alternative fuel option due to its domestic availability from renewable sources, its relative physical and chemical similarities to conventional diesel fuel, and its miscibility with conventional diesel. Biodiesel combustion in modern diesel engines does, however, generally result in higher fuel consumption and nitrogen oxide (NO x ) emissions compared to diesel combustion due to fuel property differences including calorific value and oxygen content. The purpose of this study is to determine the optimal engine decision-making for 100% soy-based biodiesel to accommodate fuel property differences via modulation of air–fuel ratio (AFR), exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) fraction, fuel rail pressure, and start of main fuel injection pulse at over 150 different random combinations, each at four very different operating locations. Applying the nominal diesel settings to biodiesel combustion resulted in increases in NO x at three of the four locations (up to 44%) and fuel consumption (11–20%) over the nominal diesel levels accompanied by substantial reductions in particulate matter (over 80%). The biodiesel optimal settings were defined as the parameter settings that produced comparable or lower NO x , particulate matter (PM), and peak rate of change of in-cylinder pressure (peak d P /d t , a metric for noise) with respect to nominal diesel levels, while minimizing brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC). At most of the operating locations, the optimal engine decision-making was clearly shifted to lower AFRs and higher EGR fractions in order to reduce the observed increases in NO x at the nominal settings, and to more advanced timings in order to mitigate the observed increases in fuel consumption at the nominal settings. These optimal parameter combinations for biodiesel were able to reduce NO x and noise levels below nominal diesel levels while largely maintaining the substantial PM reductions. These parameter combinations, however, had little (maximum 4% reduction) or no net impact on reducing the biodiesel fuel consumption penalty.
Metagenomic Analyses of Drinking Water Receiving Different Disinfection Treatments

A metagenome-based approach was used to assess the taxonomic affiliation and function potential of microbial populations in free-chlorine-treated (CHL) and monochloramine-treated (CHM) drinking water (DW). In all, 362,640 (averaging 544 bp) and 155,593 (averaging 554 bp) pyrosequencing reads were analyzed for the CHL and CHM samples, respectively. Most annotated proteins were found to be of bacterial origin, although eukaryotic, archaeal, and viral proteins were also identified. Differences in community structure and function were noted. Most notably, Legionella-like genes were more abundant in the CHL samples while mycobacterial genes were more abundant in CHM samples. Genes associated with multiple disinfectant mechanisms were identified in both communities. Moreover, sequences linked to virulence factors, such as antibiotic resistance mechanisms, were observed in both microbial communities. This study provides new insights into the genetic network and potential biological processes associated with the molecular microbial ecology of DW microbial communities.
Subgroups of Graph Groups

Given a graph X, we define a group GX as follows: GX is generated by the vertices of X, with a defining relation xy = JT for each pair -Y, 2’ of ver- tices joined by an edge of X. A group is called a graph group if it is isomorphic to GX for some graph X. We will not distinguish by notation in what follows between a vertex of X and the corresponding element of GX. We remark that the “extreme” cases of graphs, namely the complete and the completely disconnected graphs, correspond, respectively, to free abelian and free groups. It is well known that any subgroup of a group of either of these types is again of the same type, and it is thus natural, to ask to what extent and in what form this is true of the graph groups that lie “in-between” these extreme cases. In this article we will prove the following:
Polyamine synthesis blockade in monocrotaline-induced pneumotoxicity.

Abstract Based on the documented regulatory role of polyamines in cell growth and differentiation, we have proposed that these organic cations are involved with the development of monocrotaline (MCT)-induced hypertensive pulmonary vascular disease. Two lines of evidence support this hypothesis: (1) MCT causes progressive increases in lung polyamine contents which are temporarily related to the development of cardiopulmonary abnormalities, and (2) blockade of polyamine synthesis with the siteselective enzyme-activated inhibitor, α-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), attenuates development of medial arterial thickening, increased pulmonary arterial pressure, and right ventricular hypertrophy. To evaluate the mechanism of DFMO protection, the present study assessed when, during the course of MCT-induced pneumotoxicity, DFMO exerts its salutary effects, and determined if the protection afforded by DFMO could be reversed through supplementation with exogenous polyamines. To address the first issue, rats were treated with 30 mg/kg MCT and, 10 days after administration when lung polyamine contents were augmented and when pulmonary edema was evident, DFMO treatment was initiated as a 2% solution in the drinking water. In animals receiving MCT only, lung polyamine contents were elevated and right ventricular hypertrophy was evident at both 20 and 35 days after treatment. DFMO treatment initiated at day 10 attenuated the increases in putrescine and spermidine but not spermine and reduced the degree of right ventricular hypertrophy at both the 20- and 35-day time points. To determine if the blockade by DFMO could be reversed by supplementation with exogenous polyamines, animals were treated simultaneously with MCT and DFMO as described above and the immediate precursor to the polyamines, ornithine, was added to the drinking water as a 2% solution. Relative to animals receiving MCT and DFMO, ornithine supplementation increased lung polyamine contents to levels normally associated with MCT treatment only. Ornithine also reversed the protection against right ventricular hypertrophy normally afforded by DFMO. These observations indicate that the salutary effects of DFMO in MCT-induced pulmonary hypertension cannot be ascribed solely to interference in the early events after MCT treatment and that restoration of lung polyamine contents to high levels by supplementation with exogenous ornithine reverses DFMO protection against sustained pulmonary hypertension. It is concluded, therefore, that polyamines play a central role in delayed responses of lung cells underlying the development of MCT-induced sustained pulmonary hypertension.
A comparison of shock-elicited fighting and shock-elicited biting in rats ☆

Abstract An experiment was conducted to compare the influence of sex and rearing conditions on two measures of shock-elicited aggression rats. The results indicated that shock-elicited fighting and shock-elicited biting were differentially affected by both raising rats in isolation and the sex of the animals.
Commentary on: The current state of health care reform: the physicians' burden.

The title of the Special Topic paper from Dr. Horton and his coauthors is somewhat deceiving in that, by the time it and my comments reach you, the topic will be “old news.” Talk of health care legislation dominates the media and changes with each passing day. Between Congress, the courts, political agendas, web logs, traditional and social media, and pundit discussions about exactly what is contained in the 2000-plus-page legislation of President Barack Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act (also known as “Obamacare”), it is difficult to gain a full understanding of what will happen to health care in the future. Regardless of the details, though, we can be certain that changes in health care legislation will affect all of us, both professionally and personally, for the remainder of our lives. Decisions made within the next 18 months are as important as any legislation initiated by Congress in our lifetime. It is for this reason that a “noncosmetic” topic such as this is appearing in the pages of Aesthetic Surgery Journal . The tenets of the Horton et al paper are threefold: (1) The health care system is not “broken” and therefore does not have to be “fixed”; (2) the legal system, as it relates to physicians and malpractice, is “broken”; and (3) the new …
Catalytic turnover of benzylamine by a model for the lysine tyrosylquinone (LTQ) cofactor of lysyl oxidase.

Lysyl oxidase differs from other copper amine oxidases in that its active quinone cofactor reflects cross-linking of a lysyl residue into the tyrosine-derived quinone nucleus found in the plasma an...
The obstacles to the peaceful resolution of the Liberian civil conflict

Over the last two years, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has attempted to resolve the Liberian civil conflict peacefully.’ This effort has drawn valuable lessons from previous civil conflicts in the other African states. Importantly, the ECOWAS‐sponsored cease‐fire was observed by the various warring factions for two years; however, the ceasefire was shattered on October 15, 1992, when the National Patriotic Front of Liberia, the principal rebel organization, launched an armed attack on Monrovia, the capital city. In turn, this has recommenced the civil war and has drawn ECOMOG, the ECOWAS peacekeeping force, into the conflict. Against this background, the purpose of the paper is to examine both the domestic and external factors that have impeded the peaceful resolution of the Liberian civil conflict.
Study on the Method of Crack Detection of Steel Rods Based on Modal Analysis

Steel rods are widely used in the areas of petroleum, chemical, architecture and transportation, steel rods with cracks will cause terrible accident and great losses when working in production practice. In view of traditional Non-destructive Testing (NDT) method can only realize static detection, this paper provide the method based on modal calculate analysis, including the choice of damage index and the judgment of damage degree and damage location for cracks of steel rods. The damage location is judged by the strain mode shape difference curve and the function expression of damage degrees and mutation degrees of curvature mode shapes is acquired by the method of least square fitting, which can achieve quantitative analysis of single crack of steel rods, this provide theoretical support and technical reference for experimental modal analysis and dynamic NDT.
Seasonal variation in beach erosion and sedimentation on the Oregon coast

A study of the relationship between climate and beach erosion was conducted on the Oregon coast from June 1973 through May 1974. The climatic year on the Oregon coast can be divided into two major seasons, the summer upwelling season, extending from early April through late September, and the winter storm season, from October through March. The summer upwelling season, dominated by the North Pacific high, is characterized by north winds, coastal upwelling, frequent fog, and low waves. The winter storm season is marked by strong southwest winds, heavy rain, and high waves. During the upwelling season, north winds were 0 to 15 m/s, and waves were 1 to 3 m high. Two sets of sand bars formed in the intertidal zone and advanced up the beach at 1 to 5 m/day and expanded to the south at 5 to 15 m/day. Topographic maps of the beach and intertidal zone were surveyed at low spring tides at South Beach, Oregon. There was a net deposition of 15,100 m 3 of sand on the beach from July 4 through August 12, 1973. In the winter storm season, the wind shifted to the southwest and increased to 22 m/s, and waves reached more than 5 m in height. Sand was stripped from the beach by longshore currents and backwash from waves during storms and returned to the beach in large bars between storms. The total volume of sand involved in the exchange was about 54,000 m 3 or 110 m 3 per linear metre of beach.
Association between tuberculin skin test result and clinical presentation of tuberculosis disease

Background: The tuberculin skin test (TST) is used to test for latent tuberculosis (TB) infection and support the diagnosis of active TB. However, little is known about the relationship between the TST result and the clinical presentation of TB disease. Methods: We analyzed US TB surveillance data, 1993–2010, and used multinomial logistic regression to calculate the association between TST result (0–4 mm [negative], 5–9 mm, 10–14 mm, and ≥ 15 mm) and clinical presentation of disease (miliary, combined pulmonary and extrapulmonary, extrapulmonary only, non-cavitary pulmonary, and cavitary pulmonary). For persons with pulmonary disease, multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate the odds of having acid-fast bacilli (AFB) positive sputum. Results: There were 64,238 persons with culture-confirmed TB included in the analysis, which was stratified by HIV status and birthplace (US- vs. foreign-born). Persons with a TST ≥ 15 mm were less likely to have miliary or combined pulmonary and extrapulmonary disease, but more likely to have cavitary pulmonary disease than noncavitary pulmonary disease. Persons with non-cavitary pulmonary disease with a negative TST were significantly more likely to have AFB positive sputum. Conclusions: Clinical presentation of TB disease differed according to TST result and persons with a negative TST were more likely to have disseminated disease (i.e., miliary or combined pulmonary and extrapulmonary). Further study of the TST result may improve our understanding of the host-pathogen relationship in TB disease.
Organelle Size Regulation: Length Matters

The control of flagellar length can be easily studied in the model genetic cell Chlamydomonas. Recent work has revealed that the mutant gene in a long-flagella mutant encodes a protein kinase.
The belief system and national images: a case study:

Even a cursory survey of the relevant literature reveals that in recent years-particularly in the decade and a half since the end of World War II-students of international politics have taken a growing interest in psycho-attitudinal approaches to the study of the international system. It has been proposed, in fact, that psychology belongs at the "core" of the discipline (Wright, 1955, p. 506). Two related problems within this area have become particular foci of attention. 1. A number of studies have shown that the relationship between "belief system," perceptions, and decision-making is a vital one (Rokeach, 1960; Smith et al., 1956; Snyder et al., 1954).2 A decision-maker acts upon his "image" of the situation rather than . The Belief System and National Images
Treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 with peginterferon, ribavirin, and epoetin alpha†

Successful treatment of chronic HCV with peginterferon (PEGIFN) and ribavirin (RVN) is often limited by anemia. We performed the present study to determine if utilizing epoetin alpha (EPO) with or without a higher dose of RVN could enhance sustained virologic response (SVR). We randomized 150 treatment-naive patients with chronic HCV genotype 1 into 3 treatment groups: (1) PEGIFN alpha-2b (1.5 μg/kg/week) + weight-based RVN (WBR) 13.3 mg/kg/day (800 to 1400 mg/day); (2) PEGIFN alpha-2b + WBRVN + EPO (40,000 U/week); or (3) PEGIFN alpha-2b + higher dose WBR 15.2 mg/kg/day (1000 to 1600 mg/day) + EPO. We initiated EPO at the onset of therapy to maintain the hemoglobin between 12 and 15 g/dL. When required, we reduced RVN by 200-mg steps. African Americans compose 36% of the population. A significantly smaller percentage of group 2 patients had a decline in hemoglobin to less than 10 g/dL (9% versus 34%; P < 0.05) and required that the RVN dose be reduced (10% versus 40%; P < 0.05) compared to group 1 patients. Despite this, SVR was similar in these groups (19% to 29%). SVR was significantly greater (P < 0.05) in group 3 patients (49%). This resulted from a significant decline (P < 0.05) in relapse rate; only 8% versus 38% for groups 1 and 2. Conclusion: We conclude that using EPO in all subjects at the initiation of PEGIFN and RVN treatment will not enhance SVR given the same starting dose of RVN. In contrast, a higher starting dose of RVN was associated with a lower relapse rate and higher rate of SVR. (HEPATOLOGY 2007.)
High-temperature oxidation of rhodium

The oxidation kinetics of Rh were measured in air at 1 atm. in the temperature range 600–1000°C. The oxidation weight gain proceeds logarithmically at the lower temperatures (600°C, 650°C) followed by a transition to power law behavior at the higher temperatures (≥800°C). The logarithmic growth kinetics result from thickening of a hexagonal Rh2O3 scale. The transition from logarithmic to power law growth kinetics occurs in the range 700–800°C, and reflects thickening of hexagonal and orthorhombic Rh2O3 scales. Above 800°C, the growth kinetics result from thickening of a predominately orthorhombic Rh2O3 scale. At 1000°C the oxide becomes volatile, leaving the metal surface exposed.
The emergence of race in national welfare politics: the 1962 and 1967 amendments to AFDC

This article traces the influence of post-war shifts in gender and race relations on the politics of federal welfare in the 1960s. It describes a conservative turn in the politics of welfare during this decade, driven in large part by the rising importance of race within the context of federal welfare policymaking. Contrasting President Kennedy’s Public Welfare amendments in 1962 with amendments to welfare added to President Johnson’s 1967 Social Security increases, the article identifies the declining influence of gender-based concerns and an increase in the importance of race in national welfare policymaking by the latter half of the decade. This shift occurred simultaneously with a move away from a rehabilitation framework designed to encourage work and self-sufficiency through expanded social services for welfare families, toward an employment-focused framework that required work from adult welfare recipients, enforced through punitive sanctions. In explaining the changes in national welfare politics ...
ACE2 and ANG-(1-7) in the gravid uterus: the new players on the block

there has been long-standing interest in the widely recognized role of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in electrolyte homeostasis and regulation of hemodynamics in both diseased and nondiseased states ([5][1]). While the role of the RAS in the long-term regulation of renal function and arterial
The relationship between sources and functions of social support and dimensions of child- and parent-related stress

Background In this longitudinal study, we examined the relationship between the sources and functions of social support and dimensions of child- and parent-related stress for mothers of young children with mild developmental delays. Methods Sixty-three mothers completed assessments of stress and support at two time points. Results Multiple regression analyses revealed that parenting support during the early childhood period (i.e. advice on problems specific to their child and assistance with child care responsibilities), irrespective of source, consistently predicted most dimensions of parent stress assessed during the early elementary years and contributed unique variance. General support (i.e. primarily emotional support and validation) from various sources had other, less widespread effects on parental stress. Conclusions The multidimensional perspective of the construct of social support that emerged suggested mechanisms mediating the relationship between support and stress and provided a framework for intervention.
Two aortic valves.

A lateral projection chest roentgenogram (Fig 1) demonstrates two bioprosthetic aortic valves and shows how a modern problem was solved using an historical, and otherwise outdated, surgical procedure. A 65-year-old man presented in 2006 with severe symptoms of prosthetic aortic valve insufficiency after undergoing previous aortic valve replacement combined with coronary artery bypass grafting in 1999. Severe, circumferential calcification of his entire ascending and arch aorta, a true “porcelain aorta” (Fig 1, arrow), made the risk extremely high for any standard reoperation (to replace the bioprosthetic valve in the anatomic position). The extent of calcification is demonstrated well by computed tomography (Fig 2).
Preparation and optical properties of spherical colloidal aluminum hydroxide particles containing a dye

Abstract Colored colloidal spherical particles of aluminum hydroxide were prepared by aging aluminum sulfate solutions containing a chelating dye (3 Mordent Blue). The dye was incorporated in the particles and could not be removed by washing. The surface charge and the optical properties of this system were investigated.
Use of a minimally invasive method of measuring leaf stomatal conductance to examine stomatal responses to water vapor pressure difference under field conditions

Most methods of measuring the diffusive conductance to water vapor of individual plant leaves potentially change the leaf environment by enclosing part of the leaf in order to measure the rate of water vapor exchange and the driving force for that exchange. There have been questions about whether leaf to air water vapor pressure difference varies sufficiently in extensive crop canopies to be a significant source of variation in stomatal conductance. Here I combined measurements of temperatures of leaves and metal replicas of leaves with the same size and orientation in an energy balance approach to estimate stomatal and boundary layer conductances under field conditions. The method provides a new way to simultaneously determine the in situ environmental conditions and conductances of leaves. Stomatal conductances of upper canopy leaves of three crop species, Glycine max, Phaseolus vulgaris and Zea mays measured with this method were highly correlated with measurements obtained with a steady-state portable photosynthesis system. However, the photosynthesis system often reduced the leaf to air water vapor pressure difference during the measurements sufficiently to increase stomatal conductance. Measurements made with the minimally invasive method indicated that even in extensive maize and soybean canopies, day-to-day variation in the leaf to air water vapor pressure difference at the surface of upper canopy leaves was sufficiently large to cause about a two-fold variation in mean stomatal conductance on different mid-summer afternoons in both species.
Boundary conditions of the RGE flow in the noncommutative geometry approach to particle physics and cosmology

We investigate the effect of varying boundary conditions on the renormalization group flow in a recently developed noncommutative geometry model of particle physics and cosmology. We first show that there is a sensitive dependence on the initial conditions at unification, so that, varying a parameter even slightly can be shown to have drastic effects on the running of the model parameters. We compare the running in the case of the default and the maximal mixing conditions at unification. We then exhibit explicitly a particular choice of initial conditions at the unification scale, in the form of modified maximal mixing conditions, which have the property that they satisfy all the geometric constraints imposed by the noncommutative geometry of the model at unification, and at the same time, after running them down to lower energies with the renormalization group flow, they still agree in order of magnitude with the predictions at the electroweak scale.
Drug abuse and HIV/AIDS: international research lessons and imperatives.

Drug use and abuse have been, and continue to be, intrinsically linked to the transmission of HIV/AIDS in the USA and around the world. There is no greater public health goal for addiction researchers than to help stem the continued spread of these intertwined epidemics. Illicit drug use-related transmission of HIV accounts for at least onethird of HIV/AIDS cases in the USA. Drug use behaviors that contribute to HIV transmission include not only sharing contaminated injection equipment but also risky sexual behaviors among injection drug users (IDUs) or their noninjecting sex partners and perinatal transmission to their offspring. In addition, research shows that use of drugs, injected or not, can affect decisionmaking particularly about negotiating condom use that can endanger one's health and the health of others. Although similar statistics are generally not available in most other countries around
Prospective Study of Human Metapneumovirus Detection in Clinical Samples by Use of Light Diagnostics Direct Immunofluorescence Reagent and Real-Time PCR

A Light Diagnostics human metapneumovirus (HMPV) monoclonal antibody reagent was evaluated using cytospin-enhanced direct immunofluorescence (DFA), and the results were compared to those for TaqMan reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR). Of the 202 samples tested, 48 were positive by RT-PCR, and 41 (85.4%) of these were positive by DFA (P = 0.0771). The commercial availability of an HMPV DFA reagent will be of significant benefit to clinical laboratories.
Reproduction and productivity of white-lipped and collared peccaries in the Peruvian Amazon

White-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari) and collared peccaries (Tayassu tajacu) are common ungulates of Amazonia that are integral to the ecosystem and are important sources of meat for local people. Information on the reproduction and productivity of peccaries is essential for implementing management practices that conserve peccary populations over short and long time-scales. This paper examines the reproductive biology of white-lipped and collared peccaries in the northeastern Peruvian Amazon in and around the Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo Community Reserve. Skulls and reproductive tracts of white-lipped and collared peccary were examined from hunted samples collected by local people, as part of a participatory wildlife management programme. In this Amazonian site both white-lipped and collared peccaries were in follicular and luteal stages year round. Similarly, conceptions, births and pregnancies were aseasonal for both species. Of white-lipped peccary females, 32.4% were pregnant (n = 219 adult females examined) compared with 46% of collared peccary females (n = 89 adult females examined). Overall, gross productivity was 0.53 foetuses/adult female for white-lipped peccaries and 0.89 foetuses/adult female for collared peccaries. Gross fecundity (number of female young produced/number of adult females) was 0.26 for white-lipped peccaries and 0.37 for collared peccaries. The estimated parturition–conception interval was 250 days (192–331 at the 90% confidence interval) for white-lipped peccaries and 129 days (80–205 at the 90% confidence interval) for collared peccaries. This study shows that reproductive productivity of white-lipped peccary is lower than collared peccary in the northeastern Peruvian Amazon. This difference in reproductive productivity has implications for management strategies, and suggests that white-lipped peccaries are more susceptible to the effects of hunting than collared peccaries.
Optimal channel estimation and training design for MIMO relays

This paper considers a channel estimation scheme for a two-hop non-regenerative MIMO relay system. The scheme has two phases. In the first phase, the source node transmits no signal, the relay transmits a training matrix and the destination estimates the relay-to-destination channel matrix. In the second phase, the source transmits a training matrix, the relay amplifies and forwards with a relay transformation matrix, and the destination estimates the source-to-relay channel matrix. The estimation in each phase is done by the linear minimum mean squared error (LMMSE) method. The correlation in each channel matrix is modeled as a Kronecker product of transmit and receive correlations. Fast algorithms for computing the optimal training matrices at the source and the relay in both phases are developed by using the convex optimization and majorization theory.
Biological heterogeneity in ADNI amnestic MCI

Background Previous work examining normal controls from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) identified substantial biological heterogeneity. We hypothesized that ADNI mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects would also exhibit heterogeneity with possible clinical implications.
MEMS varactor enabled frequency-reconfigurable LNA and PA in the upper UHF band

A low-power frequency-reconfigurable narrowband LNA and PA have been designed using tunable RF-MEMS passives in a 0.35 µm BiCMOS process. The LNA's operating frequency varies from 2.7 GHz to 3.1 GHz and the PA's operating frequency varies from 2.7 GHz to 3.2 GHz (using the current 2.5:1 varactor tuning range; next generation varactors have 6.9:1 tuning range). With only 2.5 mW of power the LNA attains (S 21 , NF) of (7.7 dB, 4.2 dB) at 2.7 GHz and (10.2 dB, 4.8 dB) at 3.1 GHz. The PA delivers 10.1–13.7 dBm of power and has a PAE of 7.5–17% depending on the frequency.
MIMO Transceiver Design Based on a Modified Geometric Mean Decomposition

We present a MIMO joint transceiver design that can run at 350 MHz on a Xilinx Virtex-4 xc4vlx200ffl513-12 FPGA. The implementation is an 8 times 8 MIMO transceiver with a 16-QAM symbol constellation. This system can provide data throughput of 11.2 Gbps. The design is based on a modified geometric mean decomposition (GMD) for a flat fading MIMO channel using VBLAST MIMO detection. The design flow uses Matlab Simulink as the model builder followed by the Xilinx System Generator to transform the Simulink model into a VHDL description which can be synthesized and mapped onto the FPGA device. Speed and area results are given for the synthesized designs.
A new modeling technique and computer simulation of bacterial growth

A mathematical model that describes substrate utilization and cell growth in terms of two potentially rate-limiting enzyme systems has been developed. Consideration of substrate inhibition and enzyme repression have been incorporated. The model provides a rational approach for characterizing non-steady-state phenomena. The model has been used to analyze batch test data to illustrate the effects of inhibition, repression, and concurrent substrate utilization. Its utility lies in the fact that it provides a quantitative framework for describing changes in the activity levels of cells that result from changes in substrate concentration and/or substrate type. The lag phase resulting from exposure to a new substrate can be modeled.
Some factors affecting the potency of Yersinia ruckeri bacterins

. Several factors affecting the potency of Yersinia ruckeri bacterins were evaluated by vaccinating rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri Richardson, with various bacterins using the immersion method and determining the level of protective immunity after a virulent challenge. The potency of bacterins prepared with tryptic soya broth at room temperature was not affected by growth at pH from 6.5 to 7.7 or by a culture age from 9 to 96 h. Chloroform and formalin inactivated (0.3%) bacterins gave comparable results and no enhancement of potency occurred by prior extraction of bacterial cells with either butanol or phenol. Cell lysis, as measured by reduced optical density, occurred when cells were held at pH 9–8 for 60 to 120 min. Bacterins prepared from pH-lysed cells resulted in a significant increase in protective immunity. Bacterins prepared at pH 7.2 for 48 h, pH-lysed and inactivated with 0.3 % formalin could be diluted up to 1:100 without loss of efficacy when applied to rainbow trout by a single 20 s immersion. However, with bacterin diluted 1:10 loss of potency occurred after 20 consecutive immersions (100 kg of fish) in the same bacterin at a rate of 0.5 kg/1 of diluted bacterin for each immersion. Factors affecting optimum duration of immunity are discussed.
A System for Behavior Extraction from FPGA Implementations of Synchronous Designs

The paper presents a system for extracting behavioral representations from FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) implementations of synchronous sequential designs. Behavior extraction offers advantages in the areas of simulation, verification, optimization and technology migration. A generic FPGA architecture has been defined. Necessary parameters can be specified to derive the desired architecture. The architecture details and the fuse-map describing the design implementation, form the inputs to the system. The behavior is extracted at two levels of abstractions , 1. boolean equations for the combinational logic and 2. finite-state-machine. The overall extraction flow with details of the different steps in the flow are presented. The results for six designs are presented. They clearly demonstrate the importance and usefulness of behavior extraction, especially for technology migration from FPGAs to the mask programmable gate arrays.