cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prostaglandin E2 enhances cortical bone mass and activates intracortical bone remodeling in intact and ovariectomized female rats

To assess the efficacy of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in augmenting cortical bone mass, graded doses of PGE2 were subcutaneously administered for 30 days to seven-month old sham-ovariectomized (SHAM) and ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Both groups were operated at three months of age. Histomorphometric analyses of double fluorescent labeled tibial shafts were performed on basal control, OVX, and SHAM rats treated with 0, 0.3, 1, 3, and 6 mg PGE2/kg/d for 30 days. Baseline aging data showed increased cortical tissue and cortical bone area and reduced bone formation parameters at the periosteal and endocortical bone envelopes between three and eight months of age. The tibial shafts of OVX rats compared to SHAM controls showed elevated periosteal mineral apposition rate and endocortical bone formation parameters. PGE2 administration to OVX and SHAM rats increased cortical bone by the addition of new circumferential bone on the endocortical and periosteal surfaces, as well as woven cancellous bone in the marrow region. Stimulated osteoblastic recruitment and activity enhanced bone formation at all bone surfaces. The new bone was both lamellar and woven in nature. PGE2 treatment also activated intracortical bone remodeling (not seen in untreated eight-month old rats), creating a porous cortex. Thus, PGE2 administration activated cortical bone modeling in the formation mode (A----F), as well as intracortical bone remodeling (A----R----F). PGE2 administration to OVX rats resulted in more intracortical bone remodeling, periosteal bone formation, and new cancellous bone production than observed in PGE2 treated controls. The findings that PGE2 administration to OVX and intact female rats increases cortical bone mass, coupled with observations that mouse, rat, dog, and man respond similarly to PGE2, suggest that PGE2 administration may be useful in the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.
Structure, biological activity of the upstream regulatory sequence, and conserved domains of a middle molecular mass neurofilament gene of Xenopus laevis.

During development, the molecular compositions of neurofilaments (NFs) undergo progressive modifications that correlate with successive stages of axonal outgrowth. Because NFs are the most abundant component of the axonal cytoskeleton, understanding how these modifications are regulated is essential for knowing how axons control their structural properties during growth. In vertebrates ranging from lamprey to mammal, orthologs of the middle molecular mass NF protein (NF-M) share similar patterns of expression during axonal outgrowth, which suggests that these NF-M genes may share conserved regulatory elements. These elements might be identified by comparing the sequences and activities of regulatory domains among the vertebrate NF-M genes. The frog, Xenopus laevis, is a good choice for such studies, because its early neural development can be observed readily and because transgenic embryos can be made easily. To begin such studies, we isolated genomic clones of Xenopus NF-M(2), tested the activity of its upstream regulatory sequence (URS) in transgenic embryos, and then compared sequences of regulatory regions among vertebrate NF-M genes to search for conserved elements. Studies with reporter genes in transgenic embryos found that the 1.5 kb URS lacked the elements sufficient for neuron-specific gene expression but identified conserved regions with basal regulatory activity. These studies further demonstrated that the NF-M 1.5 kb URS was highly susceptible to positional effects, a property that may be relevant to the highly variant, tissue-specific expression that is seen among members of the intermediate filament gene family. Non-coding regions of vertebrate NF-M genes contained several conserved elements. The region of highest conservation fell within the 3′ untranslated region, a region that has been shown to regulate expression of another NF gene, NF-L. Transgenic Xenopus may thus prove useful for testing further the activity of conserved elements during axonal development and regeneration.
The fels composite sheet

Summary We have presented here the growth curves of height and weight and rate of appearance of ossification centers of a number of children, as plotted in terms of standard scores on the Fels Composite Sheet. We have used these cases to illustrate: 1. The degree to which children's growth patterns tend to be constant in relation to group growth patterns 2. Examples of the way in which the genetically determined pattern of a child's growth sometimes tends to express itself despite environmental impacts 3. The effects of acute and chronic illness on growth patterns 4. The seasonal and cyclic variations in growth patterns which are often seen 5. The effects in growth pattern of subclinical hypothyroidism 6. The rapidity of recovery from one type of adverse prenatal environmental toxemia. It is our belief that plotting growth curves in terms of standard scores has major advantages over other methods. Such a procedure reveals more dramatically the growth progress of a child, his growth response to good or bad environment or nutrition, and his body type and its changes. It also makes possible the plotting of all sorts of developmental or biochemical nutritional data on the same chart. Such developmental charts are readily adaptable to the needs of many pediatricians for plotting the progress of patients.
Bureaucratic Red Tape and Formalization: Untangling Conceptual Knots:

Advancements in our knowledge of red tape have been handicapped by a serious neglect in the development of red tape as an organizational concept. Progress has also been hindered by the rather haphazard application of this concept in much of the empirical research. In this paper we examine some of the principal factors that have impeded conceptual development, paying particular attention to the relationship between red tape and bureaucratic formalization. We argue that progress in red-tape research and knowledge requires attention to several issues, including the measurement of red tape, origins and sources of red tape, and the need to consider red tape from the perspective of multiple stakeholders.
‘Living’ and controlled radical polymerization

Radical polymerizations cannot truly be ‘living’ because of the inevitable termination between growing radicals. However, relatively good control of molecular weights, polydispersities and terminal functionalities can be achieved by using either unimolecular or bimolecular exchange between growing radicals and dormant chains. The dormant chains can be in the form of either covalent species or organometallic compounds. Some systems based on alkoxyamines, organochromium compounds, organoaluminum compounds and alkyl iodides were studied and are discussed in detail.
On the order of determination of a finitely determined germ

A map germ f is said to be determined of order k if f is smoothly equivalent to its Taylor polynomial of order k, and any g with the same Taylor polynomial of order k is smoothly equivalent to f A map germ is finitely determined if it is determined of some order k. Given a finitely determined germ f a question immediately arises as to the order of the Taylor polynomial which determines f. The only previous estimate for finitely determined non stable germs is due to Mather and the estimate is astronomical [2]. This paper provides a low order estimate of the order of deter- mination in terms of the power of the maximal ideal contained by tf (O(n)) + o)f (O(p)) and p the dimension of the target space. (1.4) Theorem. Suppose f is in Eo(n,p) and tf(O(n))+mf(O(p)) contains mkO(f), k > O; then f is k(p + 1) determined. (Recall that iff is finitely determined tf(O(n)) + ~of (O(p)) must contain m k O(f) for some k.) Another variant of the generalized Malgrange preparation theorem is used as a tool in the proof. (2.3) Theorem. (Generalized Preparation Theorem). Let f: (IR", 0)-* (~P, 0), g: (~,, 0)--~ (~P', 0) be Coo map germs. Let A be a finitely generated (f, g)* Cp+p, module. If A/g* (rap,) A is finite dimensional as an lR vector space, then A is finitely generated as a g*(Cp,) module. The notation used in this paper is essentially the same as John Mather's papers on stability of C ~ mappings: d is the group of coordinate changes in source and target. Eo(n, p) stands for orign preserving map germs from either ~" to IR p or from I~" to IE p which are either Coo or analytic in the first case or analytic in the second case. C, stands for Coo germs f: (IR", 0)~ IR". Iff is in Eo(n, p), tf(O(n)) is the set of p tuples of germs obtained by applying the differential of f to the set of n tuples of germs in E, ; o)f(O(p)) is the set of p
Generating optimal design for ALT experiment with time censoring

The computer generated optimal experimental designs have become popular as the computational capabilities of computers grow. For example, the optimal test plans of accelerated life tests (ALT) have received a lot of attentions from academia and practitioners in recent years. In this paper, we discuss a computational method for finding the D-optimal ALT plans through the generalized linear model (GLM) of accelerated life testing problem. A modified version of the point exchange algorithm (PEA) is developed. By comparing this algorithm with the quasi Newton method on an ALT planning problem, we demonstrate the superiority of our method in terms of speed and accuracy.
Major Depressive Disorder Is Associated With Attenuated Cardiovascular Reactivity and Impaired Recovery Among Those Free of Cardiovascular Disease

Objective: To examine cardiovascular reactivity and recovery to laboratory stress among a naturalistic sample of individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy control participants. Prospective evidence suggests that MDD confers risk for cardiovascular disease equal to or greater than the risk associated with depressed mood. Enhanced cardiovascular reactivity has been proposed as a mechanism explaining increased risk, but data are inconsistent as to whether depressed individuals exhibit enhanced or attenuated reactivity. Further, few studies have examined appraisal and recovery differences. Design: Participants diagnosed with MDD (N 25) and healthy control participants (N 25) engaged in a cardiovascular reactivity protocol including 2 tasks, each followed by a brief recovery period. Main outcome measures: Blood pressure, heart rate, pre-ejection period, cardiac output and total peripheral resistance were assessed. Appraisals of tasks were assessed prior to each task. Results: Depressed participants exhibited significantly less systolic blood pressure, heart rate, and cardiac output reactivity during speech, less heart rate reactivity during mirror tracing, and less heart rate recovery after speech and mirror tracing than controls. Depressed participants appraised the tasks as more demanding, threatening, and stressful and reported being less able to cope than controls. Appraisals were related to heart rate reactivity, but appraisals did not mediate the relationship between depression group and reactivity. Conclusion: Impaired recovery rather than exaggerated cardiovascular reactivity may partially explain the increased prospective cardiovascular disease risk in depressed individuals.
CISC vs. RISC Hardware and Programming Complexity Measures of Addressing Modes

The article is on the problem of evaluation of specific substructures in computer-based systems. The evaluation scheme utilizes an existing evaluation procedure of already implemented measures. These measures have been applied to determine the complexity measures of algorithmic devices. Two major aspects of address and data have been involved in the evaluation procedure. These two aspects are compared in their specifications with respect to different architectures CISC and RISC.
R70-9 A Graph-Theoretic Model for Periodic Discrete Structures

Wiring schemes which exploit the potential of modern integrated circuit technology are likely to exhibit a high degree of " periodicity," as well as various other attributes. The first contribution of this paper is to formulate a precise definition of periodicity in terms of a graph-theoretic model originated by Yoeli. Roughly speaking, an infinite graph is said to be periodic if it can be generated from a finite template which is moved (periodically) from point to point in the plane. This definition is interesting and useful, and generalizes nicely to infinite graphs in n-space.
A powerful and flexible linear mixed model framework for the analysis of relative quantification RT-PCR data

Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is currently viewed as the most precise technique to quantify levels of messenger RNA. Relative quantification compares the expression of a target gene under two or more experimental conditions normalized to the measured expression of a control gene. The statistical methods and software currently available for the analysis of relative quantification of RT-PCR data lack the flexibility and statistical properties to produce valid inferences in a wide range of experimental situations. In this paper we present a novel method for the analysis of relative quantification of qRT-PCR data, which consists of the analysis of cycles to threshold values (C(T)) for a target and a control gene using a general linear mixed model methodology. Our method allows testing of a broader class of hypotheses than traditional analyses such as the classical comparative C(T). Moreover, a simulation study using plasmode datasets indicated that the estimated fold-change in pairwise comparisons was the same using either linear mixed models or a comparative C(T) method, but the linear mixed model approach was more powerful. In summary, the method presented in this paper is more accurate, powerful and flexible than the traditional methods for analysis of qRT-PCR data. This new method is especially useful for studies involving multiple experimental factors and complex designs.
Transplantation in AML CR1

In this issue of Blood , Gupta and colleagues report promising results using allo-SCT for patients with unfavorable cytogenetics in AML in CR1.[1][1] Their data show long-term outcomes for HLA well-matched URD are comparable with those from MSD transplantations. These findings suggest that the allo-
Complement-dependent activation of canine platelets by endotoxin and collagen: in vitro studies.

Abstract The response of canine platelets to endotoxin and collagen was studied in a system composed of gel-filtered platelets and recalcified plasma depleted of the vitamin K-dependent factors by barium sulfate adsorption. The platelet clumping which occurred in response to both agents required an intact complement system as demonstrated by studies using heat- or hydrazine-treated plasma in which the response was blocked by complement depletion but occurred when the complement system was reconstituted. Activation of the vitamin K-dependent factors with thrombin generation was not involved in this response. The platelet response to these agents differed in that collagen induced a morphological platelet “fusion” with degranulation, 5-[14C]HT release, and PF3 expression whereas endotoxin caused loose platelet adhesion without degranulation, 5-[14C]HT release, or expression of PF3. In addition, endotoxin-induced platelet adherence did not block subsequent “fusion” induced by collagen. The use of a PGE1-theophylline mixture or heparin defined further differences in these complement-dependent platelet responses. At levels of theophylline and PGE1 which blocked collagen induced “fusion,” 5-[14C]HT release, and PF3 expression, adherence of platelets still occurred in response to endotoxin and collagen. Heparin blocked collagen-induced 5-[14C]HT release in a dose-dependent manner at levels above those needed for anticoagulation without inhibiting endotoxin-induced platelet adhesion. These results suggested that complement is involved in the response of the canine platelets to both endotoxin and collagen, and given the differences in this response as defined above, different mechanisms are probably involved.
Susceptibility of Onion Relatives (Allium spp.) to Iris yellow spot virus

Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV; family Bunyaviridae, genus Tospovirus) is becoming an increasingly important constraint to the production of bulb and seed onions (Allium cepa L.) in many onion-growing regions of the continental United States and the world (4). During an evaluation of onion germplasm for susceptibility to IYSV, six other Allium species (A. altaicum, A. galanthum, A. roylei, A. schoenoprasum, A. tuberosum, and A. vavilovii) were also evaluated under natural field conditions. In July 2010, symptoms suggestive of IYSV infection (straw-colored necrotic lesions) were observed on leaves of these Allium spp. in experimental plots in Las Cruces, NM. IYSV was detected in symptomatic leaves of A. altaicum, A. vavilovii, A. tuberosum, A. schoenoprasum and A. roylei with a commercially available ELISA kit (Agdia Inc., Elkhart, IN). IYSV infection was confirmed by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR with forward and complementary primers 5'-CTCTTAAACACATTTAACAAGCAC-3' and 5'-TAAAACAAACATTCAAACAA-3' flanking the nucleocapsid (N) gene encoded by the small RNA of IYSV as previously described (1,3). Amplicons, approximately 1.1 kb long, were obtained from all symptomatic Allium spp. samples but not from healthy samples or water controls. Sequencing of selected amplicons confirmed IYSV infection. The highest nucleotide identity of 98% was shared with IYSV isolates from Japan (GenBank Accession No. AB180921). A. altaicum, A. vavilovii, and A. pskemense were previously reported from Washington to be susceptible to IYSV (2). Current findings expand the list of Allium spp. that are susceptible to IYSV and underscores the need for continued screening of other members of the genus to find sources of resistance to IYSV. References: (1) H. R. Pappu et al. Arch. Virol. 151:1015, 2006. (2) H. R. Pappu et al. Plant Dis. 90:378, 2006. (3) H. R. Pappu et al. Plant Dis. 92:588, 2008. (4) H. R. Pappu et al. Virus Res. 141:219, 2009.
Economic analysis of inflation

Abstract Inflation has been a threat to China's economic development with stability and efficiency. China's inability to control inflation could jeopardize China's reaching its economic targets. Indeed, an appreciation of economic dynamics of inflation is crucial. Once sources of inflation have been identified, effective policies to control inflation can then be adopted.
Academic library participation in recruitment and retention initiatives

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which academic libraries participate in and assess initiatives to increase or maintain student enrollment levels at colleges and universities in the US.Design/methodology/approach – An online survey of academic library directors in the US was conducted. The 31 question survey was distributed via email to 321 librarians in the sample population. The survey response rate was 42.7 percent. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS 19.0 and qualitative data were coded according to recruitment or retention strategy.Findings – Regardless of institution type or size, libraries in the sample population were just as likely to participate in recruitment and retention initiatives. However, some libraries stood out as particularly active in recruitment and retention initiatives. Indicators of active library participation were identified.Research limitations/implications – The response rate for the survey did not generate a statistically significant sa...
Three computational versions of proportion correct for use in forced-choice experiments

Three commonly used measures of performance in forced-choice experiments, all called proportion correct, are compared as response bias, bias in the stimulus outcomes, and level of performance are varied. No position is taken on the question of which is the computational version of choice, but some of the characteristics of the various versions are examined.
Mental disorders in primary care: epidemiologic, diagnostic, and treatment research directions.

Abstract An extensive series of investigations over the past 2 decades clearly demonstrate that mental disorders are present in approximatelty 25% of primary care patients and that physicians underdiagnose these illnesses. The factors producing this bias are poorly understood and should be focused upon in future research. Also requiring much more study is the efficacy of pharmacologic and psychosocial treatments initially valiadated with psychiatric populations. Clinical trials should determine whether standardized interventions can be utilized with medical patients whose symptom profiles and organic comorbidity may differ from those of psychiatric populations.
ADDRESSING BALANCED SCORECARD TRADE-OFF ISSUES BETWEEN PERFORMANCE METRICS USING MULTIATTRIBUTE UTILITY THEORY

Abstract:A performance measurement system serves as a useful tool for managers monitoring productivity and performance within an organization. However, in many circumstances conflict exists on how to give some performance metrics higher importance than others when analyzing a system's overall performance. This article describes a quantitative technique to evaluate trade-off issues between performance metrics on a balanced scorecard. Multi-attribute Utility Theory will be used to identify different utility functions for changing states of nature. A case study application demonstrates contributions on the effect of dynamic weighting factors for performance measures due to changing missions of an organization, and provides a means for situation-dependent utility functions to be incorporated into a performance measurement system.
Small-molecule control of insulin and PDGF receptor signaling and the role of membrane attachment

Abstract Background: Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) regulate the proliferation, differentiation and metabolism of cells, and play key roles in tissue repair, tumorigenesis and development. To facilitate the study of RTKs, we have made conditional alleles that encode monomeric forms of the normally heterotetrameric insulin receptor and monomeric platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) β receptors fused to the FK506-binding protein 12 (FKBP12). The chimeric receptors can be induced to undergo dimerization or oligomerization by a small synthetic molecule called FK1012, and the consequences were studied in cells and embryonic tissues. Results: When equipped with an amino-terminal plasma membrane localization sequence and expressed in HEK293 cells, these chimeric receptors could signal to downstream targets as indicated by the FK1012-dependent activation of p70 S6 kinase (p70 S6k ) and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. In Xenopus embryos, the engineered PDGF receptor protein induced the formation of mesoderm from animal-pole explants in an FK1012-dependent manner. A cytosolic variant of the protein underwent efficient transphosphorylation, yet failed to activate appreciably either p70 S6k or MAP kinase following treatment with FK1012. These results provide evidence of a requirement for membrane localization of RTKs, consistent with current models of RTK signaling. Conclusion: We have developed an approach using the small molecule FK1012 to conditionally activate chimeric proteins containing FKBP fused to the insulin receptor or to the PDGF β receptor. Using this system, we were able to induce mesoderm formation in Xenopus animal-cap tissue and to demonstrate that membrane localization is required for RTK signaling in transfected cells. This system should allow the further dissection of RTK-mediated pathways.
Chemotactic and Chemokinetic Responses of Channel Catfish Macrophages to Exoantigen from Edwardsiella ictaluri

Abstract The ability of Edwardsiella ictaluri to attract macrophages of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus was investigated. Exoantigen from E. ictaluri was tested for macrophage chemotactic activities both in vitro and in vivo. The exoantigen was chemotactic and chemokinetic for macrophages in vitro. Peritoneal injection of 750 μg of exoantigen protein into normal (E. ictaluri-free) channel catfish induced a marked increase in macrophage accumulations at 24 and 48 h. Neutrophil accumulation did not occur at the injection sites. Edwardsiella ictaluri exoantigen attracts macrophages, and this attraction may play an important role in macrophage responses during E. ictaluri infections.
Photochemistry in CH3I adlayers on TiO2(110) studied with postirradiation thermal desorption

The reaction dynamics of photofragments produced by UV photolysis of neat CH3I films, adsorbed on defect-free TiO2(110), have been investigated using postirradiation temperature programmed desorption (PITPD). At low fluences, the film structure remains frozen, retaining photofragments and reaction products in the film. CH4, C2H6, I2, CH2I2, and C2H5I are detected in PITPD. CH4 is a product of translationally hot methyl radicals reacting with CH3I. Desorption of the CH4 trapped in the CH3I films is limited by diffusion in the films. The I-containing products detected in PITPD come predominantly from reactions of trapped I, CH2I, and CH3 radicals, which occur during the TPD process. The desorption of I-containing products in PITPD follows desorption-limited kinetics on the TiO2(110) surface. For C2H6 detected in PITPD, it is not clear whether the dominant reaction pathway involves hot or cold radicals. Electrons produced in the TiO2 substrate upon UV irradiation do not induce significant dissociation of CH3...
SU-GG-T-402: Model to Account for Organ Deformation During Respiration Using the Power Law Dependence of Biological Outcome On Volume (mass)

Purpose: To investigate extending a model of biological outcome across the respiratory cycle to encompass the differences of dose distribution and tissue deformation at different respiratory phases during treatment delivery. Method and Materials: This problem is addressed using the equivalent uniform dose (EUD), calculated w.r.t. mass and volume in each voxel at different phases. An organ of interest is modeled as existing in two phases such that phase 1 has two and phase 2 has four voxels. The volume of each calculation voxel is taken to be a constant and total volume of the organ to change from one phase to the other due to deformation. Mass of each voxel changes within and in between the phases, whereas the total mass of the organ which is essentially the mass of cells within the organ, remains unchanged. The EUD and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) in Lyman‐Kutcher‐Burman (LKB) model is calculated based on power law w.r.t mass and volume of voxels. Results: As the mass and dose of the voxels differ over time, meff, the effective mass irradiated to a reference dose (dref) at each phase differs and hence Meff, the total effective mass also varies. Dose‐dependent differences were observed in EUD calculated w.r.t. mass and volume. For dose variations analogous to that of a target, EUD calculated with volume and mass shows differences throughout the range of the volume‐dependence parameter, a (=1/n). Conclusion: This work potentially takes dose distribution in all treated respiratory phases by considering fixed calculation voxels instead of a single phase or an ITV concept. EUD for a deforming organ is dependent on variations in the dose distribution across different respiratory phases. Dose distributions will be analyzed from treatment plans in phantom and patients using the proposed model in subsequent work.
Cognitive, affective and social mechanisms in depression risk: Cognition, hostility, and coping style

Although some research has assessed cognitive variables in individuals at risk for depression, few studies have specifically assessed the role of automatic thinking, and virtually no studies have assessed anger and coping in this group. The current study compared measures of these variables in a high-risk group that was defined on the basis of a previous episode of depression, and a control group comprised of low-risk/never depressed individuals. Even though neither group evidenced depressive symptoms at the time of assessment, group comparisons and regression analyses indicated that high-risk individuals reported more negative automatic thoughts than did low-risk participants and that social support seeking, self-blame, and avoidance emerged as coping predictors of risk as did higher levels of anger and hostility. These data thus suggest patterns of interpersonal, behavioural, and cognitive variables that may characterise depression risk.
Inhibitors of the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase

Insulin is a polypeptide hormone consisting of 51 amino acids. Insulin promotes a variety of anabolic enzymatic pathways and inhibits many catabolic enzymatic pathways involved in energy storage, as well as in synthesis of structural tissue proteins. In addition, insulin serves as a growth factor, modulating mitogenesis, growth and differentiation. Insulin mediates all of its effects by initially binding and activating its specific cell-surface receptor. Conformational changes induced by insulin binding lead to activation of intrinsic receptor tyrosine kinase. Thus, the study of tyrosine kinase inhibitors, whether synthetically produced or purified from microorganisms or humans, has led to elucidation of molecular details of physiological insulin signaling.
Surgery for slow transit constipation: are we helping patients?

Long-term outcome after surgery for slow transit constipation is conflicting. The aim of this study was to assess long-term quality of life after surgery. The medical records of all patients undergoing colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis between 1983 and 1998 were evaluated. Preoperative, operative, and postoperative details were recorded. A survey was conducted to evaluate current symptoms and health. Quality of life was assessed using the short-form (SF)-36 survey. Sixty-nine (2 male) patients were identified. Five were deceased. Mean age at surgery was 38.6 years (range, 19.7–78.8 years). Median follow-up after surgery was 10.8 years (range, 5.1–18.6 years). Forty-one percent had a family history of constipation. Eleven (16%) had an ileus postoperatively, which responded to medical therapy. One patient had a leak that required temporary diversion. Long-term complications occurred in 32 (46%) patients, which included hernias (3 patients; 4%), pelvic abscess (1 patient; 1.5%), rectal pain (1 patient; 1.5%), small-bowel obstruction (14 patients; 20%, with eight requiring surgery), diarrhea (5 patients; 7%), incontinence (1 patient, 1.5%), and persistent constipation (6 patients; 9%). Fifty-five percent (35/64) responded to a questionnaire. Overall, 25 of 35 (77% of the respondents) stated that surgery was beneficial. Sixty-four percent of patients have semisolid stools, 35% have liquid stools, and 4% reported hard stool. Results of the SF-36 showed the physical component score was comparable with healthy individuals. However, the mental component score was low especially in the areas of vitality (median, 45) and social functioning (median, 37). Surgery for constipation is not perfect, and preoperative symptoms may persist after surgery. When assessing long-term quality of life, the mental component of the SF-36 was low compared with the general population, and the physical component was similar. Moreover, because 77% report long-term improvement, surgery is beneficial for appropriate patients.
Replication in the harp file system

This paper describes the design and implementation of the Harp file system. Harp is a replicated Unix file system accessible via the VFS interface. It provides highly available and reliable storage for files and guarantees that file operations are executed atomically in spite of concurrency and failures. It uses a novel variation of the primary copy replication technique that provides good performance because it allows us to trade disk accesses for network communication. Harp is intended to be used within a file service in a distributed network; in our current implementation, it is accessed via NFS. Preliminary performance results indicate that Harp provides equal or better response time and system capacity than an unreplicated implementation of NFS that uses Unix files directly.
Biological Wastewater Treatment System Design Part II. Effect of Parameter Variations on Optimal Process System Structure and Design

This paper presents a study of the effects of parameter variations on optimal process system structures and designs for biological wastewater treatment systems. Results indicate that optimal system structure and design are sensitive to variations in the rate constants and feed concentration. Some of the process flowsheets deduced are innovative and have surprisingly low total costs. The process system structures and designs developed in this study merit consideration in future planning and design of wastewater treatment systems.
Editorial: A Tribute to Professor A.T. Florence for his Life-time Research Achievements

I am honored to edit this special issue as a tribute to my friend, Professor Alexander T. Florence, on the occasion of his selection as the recipient of the 2005 Journal of Drug Targeting Life-time...
Analysis of anti-protective antigen IgG subclass distribution in recipients of anthrax vaccine adsorbed (AVA) and patients with cutaneous and inhalation anthrax.

The anti-PA IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, and IgG4 subclass responses to clinical anthrax and to different numbers of anthrax vaccine adsorbed (AVA, BioThrax®) injections were determined in a cross-sectional study of sera from 63 vaccinees and 13 clinical anthrax patients. The data show that both vaccination with three AVA injections and clinical anthrax elicit anti-PA IgG1, IgG2, and IgG3 subclass responses. An anti-PA IgG4 response was detected in AVA recipients after the fourth injection. The anthrax lethal toxin (LTx) neutralization efficacy of sera from recipients who received 4 to ≥10 AVA injections did not vary significantly in relation to changes in distribution of anti-PA IgG1 and IgG4 subclasses.
Bariatric surgery: 1-year weight loss outcomes in patients with bipolar and other psychiatric disorders.

Background Bariatric surgery is the most effective obesity treatment in terms of weight loss and resolution of comorbidities. Roux-en-Y bypass surgery achieves weight loss of 60% to 70% excess body weight in most morbidly obese individuals. Patients with psychological disorders are reported to have less optimal results and those with bipolar, possibly worse.
Systems Analyses Reveal Two Chaperone Networks with Distinct Functions in Eukaryotic Cells

Molecular chaperones assist the folding of newly translated and stress-denatured proteins. In prokaryotes, overlapping sets of chaperones mediate both processes. In contrast, we find that eukaryotes evolved distinct chaperone networks to carry out these functions. Genomic and functional analyses indicate that in addition to stress-inducible chaperones that protect the cellular proteome from stress, eukaryotes contain a stress-repressed chaperone network that is dedicated to protein biogenesis. These stress-repressed chaperones are transcriptionally, functionally, and physically linked to the translational apparatus and associate with nascent polypeptides emerging from the ribosome. Consistent with a function in de novo protein folding, impairment of the translation-linked chaperone network renders cells sensitive to misfolding in the context of protein synthesis but not in the context of environmental stress. The emergence of a translation-linked chaperone network likely underlies the elaborate cotranslational folding process necessary for the evolution of larger multidomain proteins characteristic of eukaryotic cells.
Ectopic corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) syndrome from metastatic small cell carcinoma: a case report and review of the literature

Background Cushing's Syndrome (CS) which is caused by isolated Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) production, rather than adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) production, is extremely rare.
Supporting aggregation in fine grained software configuration management

Fine-grained software configuration management offers substantial benefits for large-scale collaborative software development, enabling a variety of interesting and useful features including complexity management, support for aspect-oriented software development, and support for communication and coordination within software engineering teams, as described in [4]. However, fine granularity by itself is not sufficient to achieve these benefits. Most of the benefits of fine granularity result from the ability to combine fine-grained artifacts in various ways: supporting multiple overlapping organizations of program source by combining fine-grained artifacts into virtual source files (VSFs); supporting coordination by allowing developers to precisely mark the set of artifacts affected by a change; associating products from different phases of the development process; etc.In this paper, we describe how a general aggregation mechanism can be used to support the various functionality enabled by fine grained SCM. We present a set of requirements that an aggregation facility must provide in order to yield these benefits, and we provide a description of the implementation of such an aggregation system in our experimental SCM system.
Comprehensive Phosphoprotein Analysis of Linker Histone H1 from Tetrahymena thermophila

Linker histone H1 is highly phosphorylated in normal growing Tetrahymena thermophila but becomes noticeably dephosphorylated in response to certain conditions such as prolonged starvation. Because phosphorylation of H1 has been associated with the regulation of gene expression, DNA repair, and other critical processes, we sought to use mass spectrometry-based approaches to obtain an in depth phosphorylation "signature" for this linker histone. Histone H1 from both growing and starved Tetrahymena was analyzed by nanoflow reversed-phase HPLC MS/MS following enzymatic digestions, propionic anhydride derivatization, and phosphopeptide enrichment via IMAC. We confirmed five phosphorylation sites identified previously and detected two novel sites of phosphorylation and two novel minor sites of acetylation. The sequential order of phosphorylation on H1 was deduced by using mass spectrometry to define the modified sites on phosphorylated H1 isoforms separated by cation-exchange chromatography. Relative levels of site-specific phosphorylation on H1 isolated from growing and starved Tetrahymena were obtained using a combination of stable isotopic labeling, IMAC, and tandem mass spectrometry.
Social learning in a policy-mandated collaboration: community wildfire protection planning in the eastern United States

Policies such as the US Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA) mandate collaboration in planning to create benefits such as social learning and shared understanding among partners. However, some question the ability of top-down policy to foster successful local collaboration. Through in-depth interviews and document analysis, this paper investigates social learning and transformative learning in three case studies of Community Wildfire Protection Planning (CWPP), a policy-mandated collaboration under HFRA. Not all CWPP groups engaged in social learning. Those that did learned most about organisational priorities and values through communicative learning. Few participants gained new skills or knowledge through instrumental learning. CWPP groups had to commit to learning, but the design of the collaborative-mandate influenced the type of learning that was most likely to occur. This research suggests a potential role for top-down policy in setting the structural context for learning at the local level, but a...
The effect of ethanol and heat on the functional hydrophobicity of casein micelles.

Abstract Milk proteins are very important ingredients to the food industry. As new uses and applications for these proteins are developed, it becomes more important to understand their physicochemical properties when they are subjected to different treatments. It has been reported that casein micelles dissociate when heated in the presence of ethanol. The changes to the hydrophobicity of milk proteins during that process were evaluated by using the fluorescent hydrophobic probe 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid (ANS). Raw skim milk, pasteurized skim milk, and whey protein isolate samples with ethanol concentrations of 0 to 60% (vol/vol) were heated from 20 to 60°C. The fluorescence of the samples with and without the addition of ANS was measured at an excitation wavelength of 390nm and an emission wavelength of 400 to 500nm. The results showed a decrease in the extrinsic fluorescence of the samples as the ethanol concentration and temperature increased, indicating competitive inhibition of the ANS-hydrophobic site interaction by ethanol. This inhibition was further enhanced by the addition of heat. This resulted in a reduction in the functional hydrophobicity of the milk proteins as ethanol rendered the hydrophobic sites unavailable for interaction.
Retrieval of similar objects in simulation data using machine learning techniques

Comparing the output of a physics simulation with an experiment is often done by visually comparing the two outputs. In order to determine which simulation is a closer match to the experiment, more quantitative measures are needed. This paper describes our early experiences with this problem by considering the slightly simpler problem of finding objects in a image that are similar to a given query object. Focusing on a dataset from a fluid mixing problem, we report on our experiments using classification techniques from machine learning to retrieve the objects of interest in the simulation data. The early results reported in this paper suggest that machine learning techniques can retrieve more objects that are similar to the query than distance-based similarity methods.
Blind MIMO System Estimation Based on PARAFAC Decomposition of Higher Order Output Tensors

We present a novel framework for the identification of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system driven by white, mutually independent unobservable inputs. Samples of the system frequency response are obtained based on parallel factorization (PARAFAC) of three- or four-way tensors constructed based on, respectively, third- or fourth-order cross spectra of the system outputs. The main difficulties in frequency-domain methods are frequency-dependent permutation and filtering ambiguities. We show that the information available in the higher order spectra allows for the ambiguities to be resolved up to a constant scaling and permutation ambiguities and a linear phase ambiguity. Important features of the proposed approach are that it does not require channel length information, needs no phase unwrapping, and unlike the majority of existing methods, needs no prewhitening of the system outputs
The Analysis of Corruption in Developing Nations

By way of introducing so charged a subject as corruption we do well to remind ourselves that if the traditional rulers of the colonized areas left much to be desired in terms of present standards of public office-holding, the colonizers themselves could scarcely be regarded as models of probity. Colonial office until the twentieth century was regarded more often than not as an investment in an exclusive franchise that was expected to yield a good return to the political entrepreneur who acquired it. In Spain this conception was reflected in the practice of selling certain colonial posts at public auction. Dutch practice in Batavia, although not identical, signified a similar notion of office. Here the colonial administrator owed his superiors a regular charge that could be described as a ‘license to hold office’ in return for which he could anticipate, in addition to his small salary and a share of the district crop yield, more or less open payments from the Dutch business interests he had assisted in the course of his duties.
Operational spectrum effectiveness: a performance metric for software defined radio

Advanced RF systems such as sofware-defined radio (SDR), given a high degree of agility, in spectrum access, modulation and routing discipline, offer new opportunities to achieve expanding mission requirements while optimizing spectrum utilization. Agile RF systems may be employed within a military environment to intelligently minimize the value-limiting effects of interference if we define "interference" to include all aspects of signal orthogonality. To fully exploit these opportunities, system acquisition principals need measures to evaluate alternative technical approaches and field users need a means to manage the employment of these systems. This paper suggests some directions for the development of measures of operational spectrum effectiveness (OSE) to aid the deployment of advanced wireless technology, including software-defined radio, by the DoD.
Impact of weight loss on the metabolic syndrome

Aim: Individuals with the metabolic syndrome (MS), a clustering of risk factors [triglycerides, glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure (BP), abdominal obesity] defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), are at high risk for coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus, and may benefit from aggressive lifestyle modification. Methods: We reviewed 1 year of consecutive patients' charts to determine the prevalence of the MS in obese individuals enrolled in a medically supervised rapid weight loss programme, the correlation of weight change with the components of the MS, and response to diet-induced weight loss. Results: Out of 185 individuals, 125 (68%) met the NCEP definition of the MS. A moderate decrease in weight (6.5%) induced by a very low calorie diet (VLCD) resulted in substantial reductions of systolic (11.1 mmHg) and diastolic (5.8 mmHg) blood pressure (BP), glucose (17 mg/dl), triglycerides (94 mg/dl) and total cholesterol (37 mg/dl) at 4 weeks (all p < 0.001). These improvements were sustained at the end of active weight loss (average 16.7 weeks; total weight loss 15.1%), with further significant reductions in BP and triglycerides. Weight loss was related to the changes in each criterion of the metabolic syndrome. Conclusions: The MS is prevalent in two-thirds of obese individuals enrolling in a structured weight loss programme. Moderate weight loss with a VLCD markedly improved all aspects of the MS.