cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dual-time-point Patlak estimation from list mode PET data

550 Objectives To develop method that can compute voxel-wise estimates of Patlak parameters using two frames of data for each bed position, which in turn can be used to obtain whole-body dynamic PET using dual-time-point PET data. Methods We previously developed method to directly compute the Patlak parametric image using list-mode arrival time of each event [1] in a single frame. Here we extend this approach to use the list mode data from two frames at separate time points. We evaluate performance of this method in comparison to fractional changes in SUV values computed from the same two frames of data. The area under ROC curves is used as a figure of merit to assess the relative performance of these two approaches in differentiating tumor from background. We calculate ROC curves using 4D Monte Carlo simulations of tumors with a range of sizes in a uniform background. Results The simulation shows our dual-time-point Patlak estimation method is more accurate than the fractional changes in SUV (table 1). More importantly, it indicates that for the small tumors, the areas under the ROC curve are lower for percentage SUV than for Patlak estimation (Fig. 1). Conclusions Our dual-time-point Patlak estimation method could achieve superior differentiation of tumor from background in small tumors compared to using fractional changes in SUV computed from the same dual-time-point data
A hierarchical time-domain modulation scheme for wideband communications in a dispersive multipath channel

In this paper a time-domain modulation scheme for ultra-wideband communications is proposed and the performance of such modulation scheme in a highly dispersive channel is evaluated using a coherent and physics-based propagation model. In this scheme a relatively large number of orthogonal waveforms, that are scalable in time and frequency domains (like wavelets), are modulated (pulse position or amplitude modulation) with a piece of information data individually and transmitted through the channel. This scheme offers two major advantages: (1) noting that pathloss and channel characteristics are very much frequency dependent, at least a portion of information reaches distant observation points, (2) each waveform can easily be radiated from a small and relatively narrowband antenna and hence issues related to the design of efficient, dispersionless ultra-wideband antennas is circumvented. This approach also allows for data categorization according to a specific hierarchy. To demonstrate the advantages mentioned and assess the performance of such system, an ultra-wideband wave propagation in a forested environment over a frequency range of 10-210 MHz, is presented.
Getting to the Root of dental implant tissue engineering

Giannobile WV. Getting to the Root of dental implant tissue engineering. J Clin Peridontol 2010; 37: 747-749 doi: 10.1111/j.1600-051X.2010.01589.x.
Effect of coenzyme Q10 and α-tocopherol content of mitochondria on the production of superoxide anion radicals

The effects of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and α-tocopherol on the rate of mitochondrial superoxide anion radical () generation were examined in skeletal muscle, liver, and kidney of 24-month-old mice. Mice were orally administered α-tocopherol (200 mg·kg−1·day−1) alone, CoQ10 (123 mg·kg−1·day−1) alone, or the two together for 13 wk. Administration of α-tocopherol resulted in an ∼sevenfold elevation of mitochondrial α-tocopherol content. Intake of CoQ10 alone caused an ∼fivefold increase in CoQ content (CoQ9 and/or CoQ10) and α-tocopherol of mitochondria. The rate of generation by submitochondrial particles (SMPs) was inversely related to their α-tocopherol content but unrelated to CoQ content. Experimental in vitro augmentation of SMPs with varying amounts of α-tocopherol caused an up to ∼50% decrease in the rate of generation. Similar in vitro augmentations of SMPs with CoQ10 had previously been found to have no effect on the rate of generation The CoQ10-induced elevation of α-tocopherol in the present study w...
Soil nitrate-nitrogen under tomato following tillage, cover cropping, and nitrogen fertilization

Management practices can influence NO 3 -N content and movement in the soil. We examined the influence of 3 yr of tillage [no-till (NT), chisel (CH), and moldboard (MB)], cover crop [hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) (HV), and no hairy vetch (NHV)], and N fertilization (0, 90, and 180 kg N ha -1 ) on residual NO 3 -N content and movement on a Norfolk sandy loam (fine-loamy, siliceous, thermic, Typic Kandiudults) under tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) in central Georgia. Because of low N recovery by tomato, NO 3 -N content in the soil increased with depth, regardless of treatments, and ranged from 127 to 316 kg ha -1 at 0- to 120-cm depth in the fall (September 1997). The content increased with increasing rate of N addition from cover crop residue and N fertilizer. From fall to spring (March 1998), 22 to 58% (37 to 129 kg NO 3 -N ha -1 ) of this content was lost, mostly due to leaching. Greater loss occurred in NT than in CH or MB, with HV than with NHV, and with 180 or 90 than with 0 kg N ha -1 . Similarly, greater loss at 0- to 60-cm than at 60- to 120-cm depth and significant correlation between soil NO 3 -N and clay concentration with depth indicates that NO 3 -N moved from the surface layer to the underlying day layer, where it moved slowly. Nitrate-N content and movement in the soil from cover crop residue and N fertilizer were similar. Minimum tillage reduced NO 3 -N movement compared with NT, yet avoided the negative effects on soil and water quality associated with MB. Although HV increased tomato N uptake and recovery, it was not effective in reducing NO 3 -N content and movement compared with N fertilizer.
Growth hormone receptor messenger ribonucleic acid expression in leiomyoma and surrounding myometrium.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: Uterine leiomyomas are the most common pelvic tumors, occurring in one of four women, and they represent the single most common indication for hysterectomy. The genesis and growth-promoting factors responsible for their development are poorly understood. We speculate that growth hormone may play a role in the initiation of these tumors; women with acromegaly have a higher incidence of leiomyomas and growth hormone promotes uterine growth in rats, with or without the addition of estradiol. We evaluated the presence of growth hormone receptor messenger ribonucleic acid in the human uterus and leiomyomas to investigate whether growth hormone might act directly rather than by hepatic generation of insulin-like growth factor-I. STUDY DESIGN: Paired samples of leiomyomas and adjacent normal myometrium from nine premenopausal women (32 to 52 years old) were collected at surgery. Three patients received a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist for 3 months before the surgical procedure; six did not receive any adjuvant therapy. We used a digoxigenin-labeled oligoprobe sharing no homology to the growth hormone-binding protein or to the prolactin receptor, to investigate whether growth hormone receptor messenger ribonucleic acid was present in tissue sections or amplified complementary deoxyribonucleic acid from leiomyoma and the surrounding myometrium. RESULTS: The ratios of growth hormone receptor/reduced glyceraldehyde-phosphate dehydrogenase in leiomyomas and the surrounding myometrium as assessed by densitometry analysis of polymerase chain reaction products were similar and were not altered by gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist treatment. In situ hybridization localized the growth hormone receptor messenger ribonucleic acid to the nuclei and cytoplasm of leiomyoma and myometrium. CONCLUSION: The presence of growth hormone receptor messenger ribonucleic acid suggests that the human uterus is a target tissue for growth hormone action. Future investigations are needed to investigate further the role of growth hormone in the development of leiomyomas.
The Familial Dementia BRI2 Gene Binds the Alzheimer Gene Amyloid-β Precursor Protein and Inhibits Amyloid-β Production

Alzheimer disease (AD), the most common senile dementia, is characterized by amyloid plaques, vascular amyloid, neurofibrillary tangles, and progressive neurodegeneration. Amyloid is mainly composed by amyloid-beta (A(beta)) peptides, which are derive from processing of the beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP), better named amyloid-beta precursor protein (A(beta)PP), by secretases. The A(beta)PP intracellular domain (AID), which is released together with A(beta), has signaling function, since it modulates apoptosis and transcription. Despite its biological and pathological importance, the mechanisms regulating A(beta)PP processing are poorly understood. As cleavage of other gamma-secretase substrates is regulated by membrane bound proteins, we have postulated the existence of integral membrane proteins that bind A(beta)PP and regulate its processing. Here, we show that BRI2, a type II membrane protein, interacts with A(beta)PP. Interestingly, 17 amino acids corresponding to the NH2-terminal portion of A(beta) are necessary for this interaction. Moreover, BRI2 expression regulates A(beta)PP processing resulting in reduced A(beta) and AID levels. Altogether, these findings characterize the BRI2-A(beta)PP interaction as a regulatory mechanism of A(beta)PP processing that inhibits A(beta) production. Notably, BRI2 mutations cause familial British (FBD) and Danish dementias (FDD) that are clinically and pathologically similar to AD. Finding that BRI2 pathogenic mutations alter the regulatory function of BRI2 on A(beta)PP processing would define dysregulation of A(beta)PP cleavage as a pathogenic mechanism common to AD, FDD, and FBD.
Effects of combining tactile with visual and spatial cues in conditioned place preference.

Abstract Previous research provides little information about variables that determine which elements of contextual cues gain associative control over behavior in the conditioned place preference (CPP) procedure. These studies examined the effect of external visual–spatial cues on CPP when tactile cues served as the conditioned stimuli. DBA/2J mice were trained in the dark (Experiment 1) or light (Experiment 2) using unbiased procedures in which the spatial location of an ethanol-paired tactile cue during training was relevant (two-compartment procedure) or irrelevant (one-compartment procedure). All groups developed CPP, but it was weakest after one-compartment training in the light. In Experiment 3, tactile cues were tested either in the same locations used during training or reversed after two-compartment training in either the dark or light. CPP was unaffected by cue location reversal in the dark, but it was reduced when cue locations changed in the light. Mice in Experiment 4 also received two-compartment training in either the light or dark, but the spatial locations of the drug- and vehicle-paired cues alternated over trials, making external visual–spatial cues irrelevant. In this case, lighting had no effect on CPP. These studies show that cue location does not affect CPP when tactile cue training occurs in the dark. Moreover, they suggest that external visual–spatial cues might enhance CPP when those cues are relevant, but not when an alternating two-compartment procedure is used. The cue reversal effect suggests that relevant external visual–spatial cues acquire associative strength when combined with tactile cues in a two-compartment procedure in the light. Overall, these studies improve our understanding of how external visual–spatial cues interact with tactile cues during drug-induced conditioning, which could have important implications for studies that use CPP to study the neurobiological bases of drug seeking and drug reward.
Numerical simulation of transient temperature and residual stresses in friction stir welding of 304L stainless steel

Abstract Three-dimensional nonlinear thermal and thermo-mechanical numerical simulations are conducted for the friction stir welding (FSW) of 304L stainless steel. The finite element analysis code—WELDSIM, developed by the authors specifically for welding simulation, was used. Two welding cases with tool rotational speeds of 300 and 500 rpm are analyzed. The objective is to study the variation of transient temperature and residual stress in a friction stir welded plate of 304L stainless steel. Based on the experimental records of transient temperature at several specific locations during the friction stir welding process for the 304L stainless steel, an inverse analysis method for thermal numerical simulation is developed. After the transient temperature field is determined, the residual stresses in the welded plate are then calculated using a three-dimensional elastic–plastic thermo-mechanical simulation. The effect of fixture release after the welding on the residual stresses is also studied. Comparison with the residual stress fields measured by the neutron diffraction technique shows that the results from the present numerical simulation have good agreement with the test data.
Clinical pregnancy rate after the double method wash and intrauterine insemination.

The protocol for intrauterine insemination (IUI) involves sperm processing using different methods that have produced varying results. These sperm wash methods do not take into consideration the problems of the exact timing of ovulation and the requirements of sperm cells at different stages of capacitation. The objectives of this study were 1) to use the double method wash previously reported to produce a mixture of different populations of sperm cells and determine the pregnancy outcome after IUI and 2) to compare the sperm kinematic parameters after the double method wash with those after the centrifuge (or whole-population) wash method. Patients were divided into either the double method group (n = 119) or the centrifuge method group (n = 76). The Hamilton-Thorn HTM-C automated sperm motility analyzer (Hamilton-Thorn Research, Danvers, MA) was used to analyze sperm motility parameters. Pregnancy outcomes were evaluated after controlled ovarian stimulation and IUI. An almost 2-fold increase was seen in...
Development and testing of a pedigree‐marking system using visible implant elastomer tags for selective improvement in Morone breeding programmes

The development and testing of a visible implant elastomer pedigree-marking system was evaluated in sunshine bass, Morone chrysops Morone saxatilis ,a nd white bass, M. chrysops (Ra¢nesque). These tags were tested in sunshine bass ¢ngerlings at one of four subdermal body locations (posterior to the eye, dorsal ¢n musculature, caudal ¢n musculature or anal ¢n musculature). Tag visibility decreased with increased sunshine bass growth (63% after 56 days).Visibility diiered among body locations, with the caudal and anal tagging locations having lower visibility. White bass ¢ngerlings representing eight genetic groups were then tagged at one of two body locations (left or right subdermal along the dorsal musculature) using one of four £uorescent colours and reared for 42 days in a common garden growth trial. Tag visibility in white bass was 99.5% at 14 days, 98.2% at 28 days and 94.9% at 42 days after tagging. There was a signi¢cant change in weight among the eight genetic groups of white bass ¢ngerlings after 42 days (P 5 0.03). Testing of this pedigree tagging system successfully identi¢ed phenotypically diierent groups of white bass ¢ngerlings.
Nutrient-dependent low-light adaptation in the dinoflagellate Gonyaulax polyedra

Gonyaulax polyedra Stein was grown under bright light (330 μE m2 s-1) and then transferred to low light (80 μE m2 s-1), where the rates of photoadaptation were measured as a function of increasing cell density in increasingly nutrient-limited batch cultures. Photoadaptation required the synthesis of new pigment molecules for the photosynthetic units of the thylakoid membrane. However, as older bright-light cultures were shifted to low-light conditions, the onset of pigment synthesis was delayed, the rates of new chlorophyll synthesis slowed, and final yields of cell chlorophyll were sharply reduced. Moreover, photoadaptive capabilities of photosynthesis observed in log-phase cultures were lost in nutrient-limited stationary cultures. Addition of inorganic nutrients to stationary cultures at the time of transfer to low-light levels induced pigments synthesis at a rate and magnitude comparable to log-phase cultures and led to short-term increases in the rates of cell-and carbon-based photosynthesis. The nutrient status of the population also increased, as witnessed by increased carbon and nitrogen content and a large, but transient, increase in nitrate reductase activity. Improved photosynthetic status did not increase cell division rates over control populations. The study was made from December 1980 through March 1981.
Implementation of a student pharmacist-directed cardiovascular risk-reduction screening event

Abstract Background Standards from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education require student pharmacists on advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) rotations to be involved with direct patient care activities. The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Center for the Advancement of Pharmaceutical Education mandates public health as a curriculum target. Involving APPE student pharmacists in disease-prevention programs fulfills both requirements. Objectives Study objectives were to provide student pharmacists with experiences for direct patient interaction, engagement in a public cardiovascular disease health screening, and to evaluate the impact of student pharmacist screening and consultation on patient behaviors to reduce cardiovascular risk. Methods Three free health screenings providing blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, and body mass index (BMI) screenings were held at underserved community pharmacy locations. APPE students provided the screenings, conducted cardiovascular risk assessments, and counseled patients on their results. Students administered a follow-up questionnaire to determine the impact these interventions had on patient behaviors. Results A total of 51 patients participated. Only 24% of the participants knew their cholesterol levels prior to the event, and 12% knew their BMI. Education delivered by the students influenced patient-reported lifestyle behavior change, specifically initiation of an exercise program, healthier eating habits, and tobacco cessation. Conclusions Student pharmacists were successful in developing and implementing a cardiovascular risk-screening program. This program provided the students with a significant educational experience that included direct patient contact and a positive impact on patient behaviors.
Calculated and observed ionization potentials of unsaturated polycyclic hydrocarbons; calculated heats of formation by several semiempirical s. c. f. m.o. methods

The ionization potentials derived from breaks in the low-resolution photoelectron spectra of several polycyclic unsaturated hydrocarbons are reported. The observed ionization potentials are compared with values calculated for semiempirical s. c .f. m. o. procedures. Calculated heats of formation for the molecules are also reported.
From art to applied science.

ABSTRACTBefore “applied science” and “technology” became keywords, the concept of art was central to discourse about material culture and its connections to natural knowledge. By the late nineteenth century, a new discourse of applied science had replaced the older discourse of art. This older discourse of art, especially as presented in Enlightenment encyclopedias, addressed the relationship between art and science in depth. But during the nineteenth century the concept of fine art gradually displaced the broader meanings of “art,” thus undermining the utility of the term for discourse on the relationship between knowledge and practice. This narrowed meaning of “art” obscured key aspects of the industrial world. In effect, middle-class agents of industrialism, including “men of science,” used the rhetoric of “applied science” and, later, “technology” to cement the exclusion of artisanal knowledge from the discourse of industrial modernity.
Paleobiology of complex trace fossils

Abstract Complex trace fossils include structurally elaborate biogenic structures such as the large, spiral forms of Zoophycos and the intricately organized graphoglyptids; compound structures consisting of connected parts that would receive different ichnotaxonomic labels if preserved in isolation; and recurrent spatial associations of different trace fossils that probably represent strong ecologic interaction. These complicated animal artefacts should not be viewed so much as preservational rarities or taxonomic puzzles, but rather as neglected sources of information on the ethologic, ecologic and evolutionary characteristics of trace producers. Trying to fit these structures into the traditional behavioral classification scheme of Seilacher is bound to fail. Many complex trace fossils appear to have been occupied for long intervals and to record re-engineering or active control of proximal habitats by the trace-producing organisms. Attempting to understand their actual biologic significance will require new descriptive and interpretive approaches. One possible descriptive approach involves making comprehensive inventories of structural elements that record particular kinds of adaptive behavior or interaction (behavioral tokens). Portraying the spatial and temporal order of tokens could be done using a kind of systems diagram (paleoethologic ‘blueprint’) that summarizes construction, operation and maintenance of complex biogenic structures. New approaches to interpretation involve viewing the structures as evidence of physiologic projection of the trace producers, or as the extended phenotypes of these organisms. A reorganized approach to the study of complex biogenic structures emphasizing biologic properties would not only lead to some very old puzzles finally being solved, but also would revitalize ichnology and forge new and productive connections to ecology and evolutionary biology.
Cuticle formation in the embryo of Drosophila melanogaster

In Drosophila melanogaster embryos cuticle formation occurs between 12 and 16 hours of development at 25°C. The formation of the cuticulin and the protein epicuticular layers is simultaneous in the hypoderm, the tracheoblasts, and the fore- and hindgut cells. The cuticulin forms as a dual lamina, aggregating from granules secreted by the hypodermal cells. This is followed by the formation of a granular protein epicuticle and finally by the secretion of a mixed fibrous and granular endocuticle. All secretory cells are relatively simple in their ultrastructure. The secretory process is a membrane phenomenon, occurring at the tips of hypodermal microvillae on cells at the surface of the embryo and on those hypodermal cells lining the lumen of the fore- and hindgut. It also occurs along the entire surface of the tracheoblast lumen as well as on the outer surface of those cells which form exoskeletal chitinous setae. The process involves a specialization of the plasma membrane with the formation of secretory granules intracellularly beneath the membrane and the extrusion of these granules through the membrane to the outside where final cuticle formation occurs.
DIFFERENTIAL HOST RELATIONS OF THE SEXES IN PARASITIC HYMENOPTERA1

The divergent ontogeny of the male, a unique phenomenon characterizing certain genera of the Aphelinidae, has its physiological bases in the environmental control of sex permitted by the haploid origin of the male and the diploid origin of the female and in the efficiency of the chalcidoid type of spermatheca which, during the process of oviposition, brings the environmentally activated sperm into contact with the egg. This divergence is correlated with the sexual dimorphism and the sexual ditrophism of the early developmental stages. It is psychologically manifested in a number of species by a marked difference in the host relations of the aphelinid female before and after mating. The climax of differential host relations within a species is the production of the female in a coccid host and the production of the male in a lepidopterous host. The aberrant development of the male tends to increase the capacity of the species to survive at low host densities. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG UNTERSCHIEDLICHE WIRTSVERHALTNISSE DER GESCHLECHTER BEI PARASITISCHEN HYMENOPTEREN Nachdem 1935 die obligatorisch wirtsverschiedene Geschlechterentwicklung bei den parasitischen Hymenopteren entdeckt wurde, ist dieses Phanomen bei ca 80% der bekannten Apheliniden, die in Schildlausen und Mottenschildlausen schmarotzen, gefunden worden. Die Kenntnis dieses Phanomens ermoglichte die Zuchtung und Ansiedlung von 2 Arten solcher Parasiten in Californien. Die wirtsverschiedene Geschlechterentwicklung besteht in der aberranten Entwicklungsgeschichte des Mannchens sowie der geschlechtsgebundenen Ditrophie mit Dimorphismus der Larvenstadien. Bei einigen Arten ist sie gekoppelt mit psychologischen Unterschieden zwischen begatteten und unbegatteten Weibchen, die dann verschiedene Wirtspraferenzen zeigen. Diese bemerkenswerte Spaltung der Wirtspraferenzen steht wohl teilweise in Zusammenhang mit der Funktion der Spermatheca des Chalcidoiden-Typs, die auserst empfindlich auf wirtseigene Stimuli anzusprechen pflegt. Es handelt sich um ein Wirts-Beziehungs-Phanomen, welches die Wirtsfindungsrate der Art zu erhohen pflegt. Die ontogenetischen Abweichungen in der Entwicklung der Mannchen durften zur Phylogenie der Apheliniden in keiner Beziehung stehen.
The Bishop–Phelps–Bollobás property for numerical radius on L1

Abstract Guirao and Kozhushkina recently introduced the Bishop–Phelps–Bollobas property for numerical radius. Geometrically speaking, the Bishop–Phelps–Bollobas property says that if we have a state and an operator that almost attains its numerical radius at this state, then there exist another state close to the original state and another operator close to the original operator, such that the new operator attains its numerical radius at this new state. In this paper we study the Bishop–Phelps–Bollobas property for numerical radius in the context of the Banach space of Lebesgue integrable functions over the real line.
Regulation of guinea pig hepatic acyl-coa:cholesterol acyltransferase activity by dietary fat saturation and cholesterol

We measured the interactive effects of dietary cholesterol and fat on the regulation of hepatic acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) activity and its relationship to hepatic microsomal lipid composition in guinea pigs fed 15 g/100 g (w/w) fat diets (corn oil, olive oil, or lard) with 0.01, 0.08, 0.17, or 0.33 g/100 g (w/w) added cholesterol. Guinea pigs exhibited a dose dependent increase in hepatic microsomal ACAT activity, with increasing levels of cholesterol intake (P < 0.001) in all dietary fat groups. Animals fed monounsaturated olive oil had the highest hepatic ACAT activity with the exception of the 0.33 g/100 g cholesterol diet (P < 0.001). There were no differences in ACAT activity with intake of polyunsaturated corn oil or saturated lard. Dietary cholesterol resulted in increased microsomal free cholesterol (FC) concentrations in a dose dependent manner but had no effects on microsomal phosphatidylcholine (PC) concentrations. Guinea pigs fed olive oil generally had the highest microsomal FC/PC molar ratios, and hepatic ACAT activities correlated significantly with this parameter. After modification of the lipid compositions of the microsomes from guinea pigs fed the 12 test diets with FC/PC liposome treatment, microsomal ACAT activities remained significantly related to the microsomal FC/PC molar ratios, and dietary fat type did not affect this correlation. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that the stimulation of hepatic ACAT activity with cholesterol intake is enhanced by polyunsaturated fat intake. The data demonstrate that although dietary fat type and cholesterol amount have differential effects on hepatic ACAT activity, substrate availability, expressed as microsomal FC/PC molar ratio, is a major regulator of hepatic microsomal ACAT activity.
Materialism and its relationship to individual values

The nature of materialism has been of interest to scholars for many years. Of particular recent interest have been the correlates of materialism and their relationship to each other. This study examined the relationship between individual values, demographics, and materialism. Both self-enhancement and self-transcendence values were examined using data from a telephone survey with a random sample of 303 U.S. respondents. It was hypothesized that self-enhancement is positively related to materialism and self-transcendence is negatively related. The results suggest that the relationship between values and materialism is more complex than believed previously. Analysis of variance revealed several interactions that were of potential importance for both public policy and marketing strategy. Of particular interest was the interaction between self-enhancement and self-transcendence. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Robotic-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy for endometrial cancer: Analysis of surgical performance.

Abstract Objectives To provide an objective analysis of surgical performance of robotic-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy (RALH) with lymphadenectomy for endometrial cancer during the learning phase of the procedure and to assess opportunities for improvement. Methods From July 2006 to March 2008, 100 patients with endometrial cancer underwent RALH with lymphadenectomy using the da Vinci® Robotic Surgical System. Data were analyzed for operative time (OT), estimated blood loss (EBL), length of stay (LOS), intra-operative complications, surgical-pathologic factors, and post-operative complications using an intent-to-treat analysis. A comparison of the data on a quartile (Q) basis was performed for the 100 RALH cases and separately for the 65 cases that had a complete pelvic-and-aortic lymphadenectomy (PAL). Results Age and body mass index (BMI) did not change significantly during the study. More grade 3 tumors were treated in the last 50 cases (22% vs. 10%, p p Conclusions Operative times decreased and aortic dissections improved with increasing LN counts during the first 100 cases of RALH. Furthermore, patient safety and improvement in surgical performance was demonstrated.
Gold production history of the United States

Abstract Gold has played an important role in the settlement and economics of the United States. Commercial production from 24 states totaled more than 420 million troy ounces (13,000 metric tons) from 1804 through 1995. There were, no doubt, early undocumented discoveries by Native Americans, but the first records are those from the mid-1600's in the east and from the 1770's in the west. Commercial production began in 1804 in North Carolina and spread among several Appalachian states in the 1820's and 1830's as placer deposits were discovered and exploited. After peaking in the 1830's and 1840's, Appalachian production began to decline as deposits were worked out and as miners moved westward in response to the news of the discoveries in California in 1848. Appalachian production virtually ceased with the Civil War while production from California and adjacent states remained at several millions of ounces per year. As the California Gold Rush waned, new discoveries brought the Rocky Mountain states, South Dakota, and Alaska into prominence. Local, state and total production responded to time of discovery, extent of placers, labor availability, technology, government mandates and, of course, the price of gold. By 1900, the major gold rushes had occurred and most of the major producing districts were defined; however, the fixed price of gold (since 1837) provided a decreasingly attractive incentive for more exploration and exploitation. The rise in the price of gold, during the Depression provided a powerful incentive to increase gold production, but one that was cut short by War Production Board Order L-208 which closed the gold mines in 1942. In the post-war period, the fixed price, combined with the prohibition of American gold ownership, again proved to be a disincentive and gold production dropped. The era of free gold price that began in 1968, followed by the permission for Americans to again own gold, brought new interest in gold with prices rising briefly in 1980 to US$850 per ounce and remaining above US$350 per ounce through 1995. This higher price, combined with the technology for bulk mining and processing of low grade ores, provided incentive for new exploration and exploitation. Consequently, gold production soared above 10 million ounces per year in the early 1990's with 65% coming from Nevada. There has been a general decrease in the grade of gold ores since the early 1900's and significant changes in the methods of recovery. Despite the decreasing grade, the reserves of recoverable gold have more than doubled since the early 1970's.
Native Society and Disease in Colonial Ecuador

Native Society and Disease in Colonial Ecuador. SUZANNE AUSTIN ALCHON. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. 176 pp. $44.95 (cloth). ISBN 0–521–40186–0.
Adjustment to retirement : continuity vs. discontinuity

This research examines gender differences in adjustment to retirement during the first year of retirement. It identifies differences in patterns of adjustment and differences in the discriminating variables that predict these patterns. The study was longitudinal in design and included a pretest interview of 250 people at the time of retirement, a posttest interview of 242 retirees six months after retirement, and a one-year follow-up of 222 completed by mail. A significant main effect for time was found for all three adjustment variables, with well-being declining at the six-month interval. A discriminant analysis of three types of adjustment groups revealed that responses to retirement varies depending on several factors. The findings suggest the need for a dynamic view of continuity theory.
Load path uncertainty in a wood structure and the effect on structural reliability

Abstract The roof truss bearing points of a light-framed wood house were instrumented with load cells. It was found that under dead load alone, symmetric and theoretically identical truss reactions have significant variation. A similar degree of reaction discrepancy was found under the application of uplift pressures caused by hurricane winds. Analysis revealed that the majority of this discrepancy is caused by inherent uncertainties in load path. Although uncertainties in load magnitude and material resistance are accounted for in design by use of appropriate load and resistance factors, load path is generally taken to be deterministic. In this study, load path uncertainty in a test structure is statistically quantified and the effect on the reliability of wood structural members is investigated. Although large uncertainties in reactions were present, it was found that the resulting influence on reliability was modest, with decreases in component reliability index ranging from 5% to 15%.
Blood Serotonin in Malabsorption States

Increased blood serotonin levels occur in nontropical sprue and in other malabsorption states. This finding and the previous observations of alterations in levels of other indoles in malabsorption diseases indicate extensive disturbance in tryptophane metabolism involving many of the metabolic pathways of this amino acid. It is probable that this metabolic disturbance contributes in a number of ways to the disease process, but precise understanding is lacking.
Importance of monotherapy in women across the reproductive cycle

Special treatment considerations are warranted in women with epilepsy, particularly those of childbearing age. Treatment guidelines generally recommend the use of antiepileptic drug (AED) monotherapy at the lowest dose possible during pregnancy. The UK Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register reported that the risk for major congenital malformations is higher with AED polytherapy than with monotherapy (6.0% vs 3.7%, respectively) and that valproate carries the highest individual risk. The AEDs that induce hepatic cytochrome CYP450 enzymes carry particular concern both before and after pregnancy. Hepatic enzyme inducers alter steroid metabolism in women receiving oral contraceptives, increase the risk for contraceptive failure, and interfere with calcium absorption and vitamin D metabolism, thus increasing the risk for osteoporosis and fractures. Vitamin K deficiency is another potential consequence of treatment with a hepatic enzyme-inducing AED, increasing the risk for coagulopathy and neonatal intraparenchymal and intracerebral hemorrhage during the first 24 hours of life. Supplemental vitamin K therapy during the last month of pregnancy is warranted. Preconceptional and gestational folate supplementation may also be warranted to prevent neural tube malformation related to AED treatment. Because AED pharmacokinetics may be altered during pregnancy, plasma AED concentrations should be measured before conception and monthly during pregnancy to prevent seizure breakthrough.
Bifurcation Dynamics from Interacting Transcription Factors of Stem Cells

Multipotent progenitor cells have appealing characteristics such that they can self divide or develop into virtually any given cell type depending on environmental factors. Lineage-affiliated transcription factors govern the specification of a given cell lineage. A concern is how lineage -determining transcription factors lead to the stability of progenitor cells, committing to a specific cell line. Binary cell fate decisions can be governed mathematically by circuits that generate attractors corresponding to specified lineages. Bifurcations represent cell divisions and stage differentiation from lineage specific attractors. The findings of the constructed model represent that stages of stem cell differentiation through auto-regulation, inhibition and degradation factors can be analyzed mathematically by the stability of the stochastic and deterministic features within the system.
Oncogenic drivers, targeted therapies, and acquired resistance in non-small-cell lung cancer

In the past decade, a shift toward targeted therapies in non-small-cell lung cancer following molecular profiling has dramatically changed the way advanced adenocarcinoma is treated. However, tumor cells inevitably acquire resistance to such therapies, circumventing any sustained clinical benefit. As the genomic classification of lung cancer continues to evolve and as the mechanisms of acquired resistance to targeted therapies become elucidated and more improved target-specific drugs come into sight, the future will see more promising results from the clinic through the development of new therapeutic strategies to overcome, or prevent the development of, resistance for lung cancer patients.
Interocular correlation, luminance contrast and cyclopean processing

We have investigated the nature and viability of interocular correlation as a measure of signal strength in the cyclopean domain. Thresholds for the detection of interocular correlation in dynamic random element stereograms were measured as a function of luminance contrast, a more traditional measure of stimulus strength. At high contrasts, correlation thresholds were independent of contrast. At low contrasts, correlation thresholds were inversely proportional to the square of contrast. Stereothresholds were also measured as a function of both contrast and interocular correlation. At low contrasts, stereoacuity was inversely proportional to both interocular correlation and the square of contrast. These results are consistent with an inherently multiplicative mechanism of binocular combination, such as a cross-correlation of the two eye's inputs.
The influence of oscillating dietary protein concentrations on finishing cattle. I. Feedlot performance and odorous compound production

We hypothesized that oscillation of the dietary CP concentration, which may improve N retention of finishing beef steers, would reduce production of manure odor compounds and total N inputs while yielding comparable performance. Charolais-sired steers (n = 144; 303 +/- 5 kg of initial BW) were used in a completely randomized block design (6 pens/treatment). The steers were fed to 567 kg of BW on the following finishing diets, which were based on dry-rolled corn: 1) low (9.1% CP), 2) medium (11.8% CP), 3) high (14.9% CP), or 4) low and high oscillated on a 48-h interval for each feed (oscillating). Steers fed low tended (P = 0.08) to have less DMI (7.80 kg/d) than steers fed medium (8.60 kg/d) or oscillating (8.67 kg/d), but not less than steers fed high (8.12 kg/d). Daily N intake was greatest (P < 0.01) for steers fed high (189 g), intermediate for medium (160 g) and oscillating (164 g), and least for low (113 g). The ADG was lower (P < 0.01) for steers fed low (1.03 kg) than for those fed medium (1.45 kg), high (1.45 kg), or oscillating (1.43 kg). Similarly, steers fed low had a lower adjusted fat thickness (P < 0.01) and yield grade (P = 0.05) and tended (P = 0.10) to have less marbling than steers fed the other 3 diets. In slurries with feces, urine, soil, and water, incubated for 35 d, nonsoluble CP was similar among slurries from steers fed medium, high, or oscillating, but was less (P < 0.01) in slurries from steers fed low. However, throughout the incubation period, slurries from steers fed high or oscillating had greater (P < 0.01) concentrations of total aromatics and ammonia than those from steers fed low or medium. Also, the slurries from steers fed oscillating had greater (P < 0.01) concentrations of branched-chain VFA than manure slurries from steers fed any of the other diets. These data indicate that although there is no apparent alteration in the performance of finishing steers fed diets with oscillation of the dietary protein, there may be undesirable increases in the production of compounds associated with malodor.
Optimal Detection of Sparse Mixtures Against a Given Null Distribution

Detection of sparse signals arises in a wide range of modern scientific studies. The focus so far has been mainly on Gaussian mixture models. In this paper, we consider the detection problem under a general sparse mixture model and obtain explicit expressions for the detection boundary under mild regularity conditions. In addition, for Gaussian null hypothesis, we establish the adaptive optimality of the higher criticism procedure for all sparse mixtures satisfying the same conditions. In particular, the general results obtained in this paper recover and extend in a unified manner the previously known results on sparse detection far beyond the conventional Gaussian model and other exponential families.
COMPARISON OF QUASI‐LIKELIHOOD MODELS FOR OVERDISPERSION

Summary Methods for modelling overdispersed data are compared. These methods are considered to be of two kinds: a likelihood based approach and a method-of-moments based approach. The likelihood method facilitates computation of maximum likelihood estimates which can be obtained through the same algorithm as that of weighted least squares. The quasi-likelihood or moment approaches seem to be appropriate when severe overdispersion may be present. The comparisons are made via analyses of the Ames Salmonella Reverse Mutagenicity Assay (Margolin et a/., 1981) and a seed dataset (Crow-der, 1978).
Evaluation of Open Geospatial Consortium Standards for Use in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory GIS

ABSTRACT Over the summer of 2005, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Computer Applications and Research Department conducted a small project that examined whether Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards might be useful in meeting program mission requirements more effectively. OGC standards are intended to facilitate interoperability between geospatial processing systems to lower development costs and to avoid duplication of effort and vendor lock-in. Some OGC standards appear to be gaining traction in the geospatial data community, the Federal government, Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and so an evaluation was deemed appropriate.
Estimate of the Contribution of Biologically Produced Dimethyl Sulfide to the Global Sulfur Cycle

Atmospheric dimethyl sulfide (DMS) measurements were made on the Atlantic Coast of the United States at Wallops Island and Cape Henry, Virginia, during June 1975. The very low concentrations, typically less than 30 parts per trillion observed at the Cape Henry site, were thought to result from the smog chemistry associated with the Norfolk metropolitan area. Atmospheric DMS concentrations at the Wallops Island site were much higher, having a geometric mean of 58 parts per trillion and a geometric standard deviation of 2.1. At this site the DMS source strength was estimated to be 6 milligrams of sulfur per square meter per year. Because of wind conditions during this experiment, the DMS source strength is thought to be representative of the DMS source strength of the ocean in the Wallops Island area and is much less than the 130 milligrams of sulfur per square meter per year needed to balance the ocean-atmosphere portion of the global sulfur budget.
Effects of maternal mood on mother-son interaction patterns

This study evaluated the impact of maternal mood on mother-son interaction patterns. Forty boys between the ages of 46 and 72 months and their mothers participated. A within-subject experimental design was employed so that all mothers participated in both a positive and a negative mood induction. Observations of mother-son interactions were conducted immediately following the mood inductions. During the negative mood condition, mothers issued fewer positive statements toward their children and engaged in less general verbal interaction. In addition, children were less compliant with maternal commands during the negative mood condition. Implications of the effects of mood on mother-child interaction patterns are discussed.
Modeling of Jupiter's auroral curtain and upper atmospheric thermal structure

[1] A three-dimensional simulation that takes into account the altitude extent of auroral emission along the line of sight has been applied to the analysis of auroral images of Jupiter taken by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The simulation's input auroral emission profile with altitude was expanded by an emission scale height factor ranging from n = 1 to n = 4 representing different vertical extents of the auroral emission (i.e., one to four times greater than the theoretical emission profile from Grodent et al. (2001)). A radial cut of the auroral brightness averaged over an angle of 5° was compared between the original HST images and each of the series' simulation outputs. We found that four of the five northern series showed the original image's emission profile well bounded by the n = 1 and n = 2 simulation outputs, while four of the five southern series showed the original image's auroral emission profile better correlated with the n = 3 simulation. This hemispheric difference could be the result of increased heating or a different distribution of influx electron energies at the southern hemisphere. The discovery of this hemispheric temperature difference supports predictions made by a three-dimensional thermospheric wind model and makes a strong case for further study of the effects of Joule heating on the auroral regions.