cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Far Upstream, Cell Type-specific Enhancer of the Mouse Thrombospondin 3 Gene Is Located within Intron 6 of the Adjacent Metaxin Gene

Abstract Thrombospondin 3 (TSP3) is a secreted, pentameric glycoprotein whose regulation of expression and function are not well understood. Mouse Thbs3 is located just downstream from the divergently transcribed metaxin gene (Mtx), which encodes an outer mitochondrial membrane import protein. AlthoughThbs3 and Mtx share a common promoter region, previous studies showed that Mtx is regulated by proximal elements that had little effect on Thbs3 expression. In this study, transient transfection of rat chondrosarcoma cells and NIH-3T3 fibroblasts demonstrated that Thbs3 is regulated in a cell type-specific manner by a position- and orientation-independent far upstream enhancer located within intron 6 of Mtx. Despite its greater proximity to the transcription start site ofMtx, the Thbs3 enhancer did not have a significant effect on Mtx expression. Two DNA-protein complexes, which were both required for activity, were identified when nuclear extracts were assayed with a probe containing the enhancer sequence. The protein in one of these complexes was identified as Sp1, while the other DNA-protein complex remains uncharacterized. A 6-kilobase pair promoter containing the enhancer was able to direct specific expression of the E. coli lacZ gene in transgenic mice, whereas a 2-kilobase pair promoter that lacked the enhancer was inactive. Thus, despite their close proximity, the genes of theMtx/Thbs3 gene cluster are regulated independently.
Fluctuations of vortices in layered high-Tc superconductors.

The temperature ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{s}}$ of spontaneous creation of vortex lines in Josephson coupled layered superconductors is obtained by taking into account the entropy contribution to the free energy due to thermal distortions. For Bi- and Ti-based high-${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ superconductors and superlattices, the superconducting critical temperature ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{s}}$ lies noticeably below the mean-field transition temperature ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}0}$(${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}0}$-${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{s}}$\ensuremath{\approxeq}4 K or more). The contribution of thermal distortions to the free enery causes significant changes in the temperature and field dependences of magnetization below ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{s}}$ seen in Bi compounds.
Whose forest? Whose land? Whose Ruins? Ethics and conservation

The stakes are very high in many struggles over cultural property, not only because the property is itself valuable, but also because property rights of many kinds hinge on cultural identity. However, the language of property rights and possession, and the standards for establishing cultural rights, is founded in antiquated and essentialized concepts of cultural continuity and cultural purity. As cultural property and culturally-defined rights become increasingly valuable in the global marketplace, disputes over ownership and management are becoming more and more intense. Using the example of a recent lawsuit over logging on Mayan Indian reservations in the Central American country of Belize, this paper argues that cultural essentialist positions are no longer tenable. Assigning exclusive ownership of globally important resources to any group or entity on purely cultural grounds is likely to prolong conflict instead of creating workable management structures. The author instead advocates a concept of “stakeholding” which acknowledges the legitimate interests of diverse individuals and groups.
Allylic amidation. An investigation of nitrosocarbonylmethane for direct allylic functionalization of olefins

Abstract Nitrosocarbonylmethane reacts with a variety of olefins via an ene pathway, yielding N-substituted hydroxamic acid products in a preparatively useful reaction. With unsymmetrical olefins, observed regiochemical preferences can be rationalized by a mechanism involving electrophilic addition of nitrogen to the olefin.
Soil Variability along a Nitrogen Mineralization and Nitrification Gradient in a Nitrogen-Saturated Hardwood Forest

Some N-saturated watersheds of the Fernow Experimental Forest (FEF), West Virginia, exhibit a high degree of spatial heterogeneity in soil N processing. We used soils from four sites at FEF representing a gradient in net N mineralization and nitrification to consider the causes and consequences of such spatial heterogeneity. We collected soils with extremely high vs. low rates of N processing within each of two watersheds: WS3, treated for 15 yr with (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 , and WS4, untreated reference (control). Mineral soil was analyzed for extractable NH 4 , NO 3 , Ca, and Al before and during 28-d incubations at 10, 20, and 30°C after 7, 14, 21, and 28 d. To address the fourth question, we decreased C:N ratios in the soil exhibiting lowest field rates of net N mineralization and no net nitrification (control-low N) by adding glycine and increased C:N ratios in the soil exhibiting highest field rates of net N mineralization and nitrification by adding sucrose. Incubations under controlled conditions supported the N-processing gradient found in the field under in situ conditions in the following order from highest to lowest rates of N mineralization and nitrification: control-high N > N-treated-high N > N-treated-low N > control-low N, the latter exhibiting no net nitrification in the field. Net Ca mineralization increased with net nitrification along the gradient from zero to highest rates. Soil Al appeared to inhibit net nitrification, being lowest in the soil with highest net nitrification and highest in the soil exhibiting no net nitrification. Glycine additions to this latter soil greatly stimulated net N mineralization but failed to initiate net nitrification. Sucrose additions resulted in net immobilization of NH 4 and NO 3 in soil with highest net N mineralization and nitrification. Results demonstrate that increased nitrification may enhance Ca mobility in N-saturated soils and further demonstrate that substrate quality alone is not necessarily a good predictor of soil N processing.
NGST phase retrieval camera design and calibration details

Experience and infrastructure from NGST's Wavefront Control Testbed (WCT) were utilized to develop a portable wavefront sensor, the Phase Retrieval Camera (PRC). The PRC is useful for the testing of optics in high-jitter environments. The principal uses of the PRC will be testing and experimenting with NGST technology demonstration mirrors as well as exploring other issues of wavefront sensing and control not easily studied using the WCT. This presentation will detail the packaging and hardware chosen for the PRC, the PRC software, and calibration of the instrument.
The use of the surgical epicondylaraxis in total knee arthroplasty

Abstract When performing total knee arthroplasty, there are many important technical factors to consider to maximize postoperative results. One important factor is the rotational orientation of the femoral component. Improper femoral component rotational positioning can lead to several potential complications, including poor patellofemoral tracking and varus-valgus instability of the knee in flexion. The use of an anatomic landmark, the surgical epicondylar axis, has been developed to aid the surgeon in determining proper rotational orientation of the femoral component in both primary and revision total knee arthroplasty.
Movements of blue sharks (Prionace glauca) in depth and course

Acoustic telemetry was used to follow 22 blue sharks,Prionace glauca (Linnaeus), over the continental shelf and slope in the region between George's Bank and Cape Hatteras between 1979 and 1986. The sharks frequently made vertical excursions between the surface and depths of several hundred meters. The oscillations, which were repeated every few hours, were largest in the daytime and were smaller in amplitude and confined to depths near the thermocline at night. This behavior was prominent in trials from August through March, but was not seen from June through July. Diving is discussed in terms of a hunting tactic and behavioral thermoregulation. Most of the sharks moved in a southeasterly direction from the release point and many maintained a constant course day and night for several days. The sharks may orient to the earth's magnetic field, or to the ocean's electric fields, allowing them to swim on a constant heading in the absence of celestial cues. These possibilities are discussed in the appendix.
Frontal plane margin of stability is increased during texting while walking.

Injurious falls associated with cell phone use during ambulation are increasingly common. Studies examining texting while walking suggest this task alters the attentional component of walking to the extent that safety may be compromised. Here, we quantified the extent to which frontal plane dynamic stability while walking was affected by the cognitive and physical demands of texting. Twenty experienced texters performed four, 10-min treadmill walking tasks at a self-selected velocity in random order: (1) normal walk (control), (2) walking while verbally performing mathematical calculations (cognitive demand), (3) walking while bimanually holding and looking directly at a phone (physical demand), and (4) walking while texting continuous mathematical calculations (cognitive and physical). We quantified the frontal plane minimum margin of stability (MOSmin), a measure that considers the position and normalized velocity of the center of mass with respect to the lateral border of the base of support was calculated over each 10-min walking period. Compared to the normal walking condition, the texting and phone holding conditions resulted in a small but significant (6%) increase in MOSmin (p = 0.005 and 0.026, respectively). Compared to normal walking, the effect of performing mathematical calculations on MOSmin was not significant (p = 0.80). These results suggest that frontal plane stability of experienced texters during controlled treadmill walking conditions can be affected by the physical, but not the cognitive demand of texting. This may represent a compensatory mechanism by the CNS to ensure stability in the event of an unexpected disturbance.
Evidence from Visuomotor Adaptation for Two Partially Independent Visuomotor Systems.

Visual information can specify spatial layout with respect to the observer (egocentric) or with respect to an external frame of reference (allocentric). People can use both of these types of visual spatial information to guide their hands. The question arises if movements based on egocentric and movements based on allocentric visual information comprise 2 independent visuomotor systems. In the experiments reported here, we used visuomotor adaptation to address this question. In an adaptation phase, subjects received distorted-visual feedback about their hand movements (17° rotation and 110% amplitude stretch). In a testing phase (no-visual feedback), we measured how behavior changes in response to the distorted-visual feedback. During adaptation and testing, we used 2 tasks that required processing of either egocentric or allocentric visual information. The results show that behavioral changes are significantly larger when the same task is used during testing and adaptation, compared to when the task is switched. The findings suggest that the human brain employs 2 partially independent visuomotor systems that rely on different types of visual spatial information.
Role of open complex instability in kinetic promoter selection by bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase.

Abstract By measuring steady-state rates of dinucleotide synthesis on double-stranded (d.s.) and partially single-stranded (p.s.s.) promoters, and topological unwinding due to open complex formation on plasmids, we have obtained evidence that open complex formation in bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase:promoter binary complexes is thermodynamically disfavored and that the rate of collapse of the open complex is competitive with the rate of transcription initiation. It is suggested that open complex instability is a kinetic mechanism that allows T7 RNA polymerase (RNAP) to achieve promoter specificity while still allowing for efficient promoter release. Open complex instability could also provide a mechanism for modulating the KMfor the initiating NTPs so as to allow different promoters to respond differently to physiological changes in NTP concentration.
Team-based approach to addressing simvastatin safety concerns

Abstract Objective To describe acceptance of systematic and organized pharmacist interventions to address simvastatin safety concerns. Setting University of Utah Redwood Health Center and Pharmacy, June 2011 to February 2012. Practice description Redwood Health Center is an outpatient multispecialty clinic associated with University of Utah Health Care with approximately 85,000 annual visits between primary care and specialty practices. In addition to filling approximately 175,000 prescriptions per year, pharmacists provide disease management and education under collaborative practice agreements. Practice innovation All patients identified as being treated outside the revised simvastatin labeling were included (n = 158). After pharmacist review, recommendations were made to providers via the electronic medical record to promote adherence with the June 2011 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety guidelines. In addition to recommendations regarding the FDA guidelines (n = 76), additional recommendations were made to optimize treatment based on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol goal or laboratory evaluation (n = 25). Main outcome measures Acceptance rate of recommendations and resources needed to provide pharmacist interventions. Results Recommendations were accepted 92% of the time without modification and 7% of the time with modification. Total pharmacist time to conduct the interventions was 21.5 hours, and 3.9 hours of technician time were spent contacting patients. Conclusion Targeted pharmacist interventions were effective in promoting adherence with this complex medication safety alert. A standardized, comprehensive approach to patient assessment, including use of evidence to support pharmacist recommendations, resulted in a high level of acceptance by prescribers.
Business impact of executive coaching: demonstrating monetary value

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of the business impact of executive coaching and enhance the utilization of coaching throughout the firm.Design/methodology/approach – The ROI study consisted of a three‐step process: understand the business value expected by the firm's senior leadership; document what staff have learned from coaching; explore how staff applied what they learned from coaching to create intangible and monetary value for the business.Findings – After the effects of coaching were isolated: monetary benefits were discounted by the isolation (interviewees were asked how much of the value did they attribute directly to their coaching experience) and error percentages; two extreme values were eliminated from the analysis, each totaling over half a million dollars; all monetary benefits were reduced by an additional 50 percent to ensure a conservative set of monetary benefits; Coaching produced intangible and monetary benefits for seven out of eight business impact ...
Sequence organization of the Acanthamoeba rRNA intergenic spacer: identification of transcriptional enhancers

Abstract The primary sequence of the entire 2330 bp intergenic spacer of the A.castellanii ribosomal RNA gene was determined. Repeated sequence elements averaging 140 bp were identified and found to bind a protein required for optimum initiation at the core promoter. These repeated elements were shown to stimulate rRNA transcription by RNA polymerase I in vitro. The repeats inhibited transcription when placed in trans, and stimulated transcription when in cis, in either orientation, but only when upstream of the core promoter. Thus, these repeated elements have characteristics similar to polymerase I enhancers found in higher eukaryotes. The number of rRNA repeats in Acanthamoeba cells was determined to be 24 per haploid genome, the lowest number so far identified in any eukaryote. However, because Acanthamoeba is polyploid, each cell contains approximately 600 rRNA genes.
Control of breathing during dynamic exercise by thin fiber muscle afferents

the ventilatory as well as the cardiovascular responses to exercise are widely believed to be evoked by two neural mechanisms. The first is a feedforward mechanism, called central command ([3][1]), which may originate in or involve the posterior hypothalamus and midbrain ([4][2]). The second is a
Photocatalytic oxidation in the presence of microwave irradiation: observations with ethylene and water

Abstract Microwave irradiation was employed in the heterogeneous photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of a test compound, ethylene, in the gas phase on TiO 2 /ZrO 2 mixed oxide thin films prepared via sol–gel processing. This approach was taken to study the rate of PCO of these compounds as a function of water concentration by perturbing the presence of water on the surface of the catalyst. PCO experiments were conducted with two types of reactor assemblies (Approaches 1 and 2). In Approach 1 when microwave plasma lighting was applied, microwave irradiation increased the rate constants by 15% ( α =1) and 26.9% ( α =0.5) corrected for light irradiance in studies conducted at 15% relative humidity (RH), but had a negligible effect at 0 and 5% RH. In Approach 2, with the light source external to the microwave chamber, the degradation of ethylene with 3 μl liquid water injection proceeded faster (83.9%) in the presence of the microwave irradiation than in the absence. Measurements of water adsorption indicated that microwave irradiation facilitated the removal of excess water from the catalyst surface treated with UV illumination in studies with the RH above 15%, but excess water removal was not observed in studies with the RH lower than 5%. Contact angle measurements helped to elucidate the effect of surface wettability of TiO 2 /ZrO 2 catalyst films on the observed results.
Elucidating differences between carbon paper and carbon cloth in polymer electrolyte fuel cells

This paper seeks to develop a structure–performance relationship for gas diffusion layers (GDLs) of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), and hence to explain the performance differences between carbon paper (CP) and carbon cloth (CC). Three-dimensional simulations, based on a two-phase model with GDL structural information taken into account, are carried out to explore the fundamentals behind experimentally observed performance differences of the two carbon substrates, i.e. CC and CP, under low- and high-humidity operations. Validation against polarization data is made under both operating conditions, and the results indicate that the CC is the better choice as a GDL material at high-humidity operations due to its low tortuosity of the pore structure and its rough textural surface facilitating droplet detachment. However, under dry conditions, the CP shows better performance due to its more tortuous structure, which prevents the loss of product water to dry gas streams, thus increasing the membrane hydration level and reducing the ohmic loss. The present work is one step toward developing a science-based framework for selection of materials for next-generation, high-performance gas diffusion media.
Channel adjustments following two dam removals in Wisconsin

[1] We examined channel response following the removal of low-head dams on two lowgradient, fine- to coarse-grained rivers in southern Wisconsin. Following removal, channels eroded large quantities of fine sediment, resulting in deposition 3–5 km downstream. At one site (Baraboo River), upstream changes were rapid and included bed degradation, minimal bank erosion, and sediment deposition on channel margins and new floodplain. Sand was transported through the former impoundment and temporarily deposited downstream. At the second site (Koshkonong River), head-cut migration governed channel adjustments. A deep, narrow channel formed downstream of the headcut, with negligible changes upstream of the head-cut. Fluvial changes were summarized in a conceptual channel evolution model that highlighted (1) similarities between adjustments associated with dam removal and other events that lower channel base-level, and (2) the role of reservoir sediment characteristics (particle size, cohesion) in controlling the rates and mechanisms of sediment movement and channel adjustment. INDEX TERMS: 1815 Hydrology: Erosion and sedimentation; 1824 Hydrology: Geomorphology (1625); 1857 Hydrology: Reservoirs (surface); KEYWORDS: dams, dam removal, channel evolution model
Detection and parameter estimation of multiple nonGaussian sources via higher order statistics

Simultaneous detection of signal arriving at a sensor array and estimation of their parameters is carried out using higher than second-order statistics. Information theoretic criteria which are (at least theoretically) insensitive to additive Gaussian noise are developed to estimate consistently the parameters as well as the number of non-Gaussian but unknown sources. The novel cumulant based algorithms can estimate parameters of more sources with fewer sensors. Simulations confirm superior resolution capability of the proposed methods for both narrow-band and wideband sources in the presence of low SNR additive correlated Gaussian noise. >
Glioblastomas in the Older Old

c Context.—Recent studies have identified fundamental biological differences in the effects of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) amplification on survival in older versus younger patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Cell cycle labeling indices have also been found to be inordinately high in older GBM patients and may contribute to the known adverse prognosis in this cohort. However, testing has not been conducted on significant numbers of patients of very advanced age, in whom these features might be expected to emerge as even more significant factors. Objective.—To assess EGFR amplification status and MIB-1 indices in patients with GBM who are older than 75 years. Design.—We identified 20 patients (female-male ratio, 11:9; 11 aged 75‐79 years and 9 aged 80‐87 years) and studied tumor tissue samples with immunohistochemistry for cell cycle labeling index and by fluorescence in situ hybridization for EGFR amplification. Survival data were obtained from the Colorado Tumor Registry. Results.—Mean MIB-1 index was high (24.8%), but individual indices did not correlate with survival. EGFR amplification was detected in 25% of cases, with gain of chromosome 7 in all but one of the remaining patients. Ninetyfive percent of patients manifested EGFR amplification and/or polysomy of chromosome 7. Heterogeneity was found within a given tumor, with 10% to 60% of cells showing gain of chromosome 7. Overall patient survival was poor (mean, 4.6 months), but was significantly longer in those with EGFR gene amplification (mean, 8.3 months; median, 10.5 months) versus those without (mean, 3.2 months; median, 2.0 months) (P 5 .04). Conclusion.—The presence of EGFR amplification is a significant predictor of survival time in older old patients. (Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2005;129:624‐631)
Localized Ferromagnetic Resonance Force Microscopy of a Continuous Permalloy-Cobalt Film

We report on the Magnetic Resonance Force Microscopy (MRFM) experiments performed on a 50 nm thick permalloy and a combined 20 nm thick permalloy – cobalt film. We studied the evolution of the MRFM spectra as a function of the vertical probe-sample distance and the lateral position as probe was scanned across the permalloy/cobalt interface. Our numerical simulations of the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) modes excited in the presence of a non-uniform tip field of the cantilever compare well with experimental findings. This work demonstrates the capability of MRFM to perform local FMR spectroscopy of different materials in continuous ferromagnetic films.
The DEAD-Box Protein DP103 (Ddx20 or Gemin-3) Represses Orphan Nuclear Receptor Activity via SUMO Modification

Structural analysis of nuclear receptor subfamily V orphan nuclear receptors suggests that ligand-independent mechanisms must regulate this subclass of receptors. Here, we report that steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1) and liver receptor homolog 1 are repressed via posttranslational SUMO modification at conserved lysines within the hinge domain. Indeed, mutating these lysines or adding the SUMO isopeptidase SENP1 dramatically increased both native and Gal4-chimera receptor activities. The mechanism by which SUMO conjugation attenuates SF-1 activity was found to be largely histone deacetylase independent and was unaffected by the AF2 corepressor Dax1. Instead, our data suggest that SUMO-mediated repression involves direct interaction of the DEAD-box protein DP103 with sumoylated SF-1. Of potential E3-SUMO ligase candidates, PIASy and PIASxalpha strongly promoted SF-1 sumoylation, and addition of DP103 enhanced both PIAS-dependent receptor sumoylation and SF-1 relocalization to discrete nuclear bodies. Taken together, we propose that DEAD-box RNA helicases are directly coupled to transcriptional repression by protein sumoylation.
Meet the 68HC12

Since its introduction in 1984, the 698HC11 family of microcontrollers has reached over 1/2 billion units sold. To provide this growing market with a source code compatible upgrade, Motorola has recently released its next generation, called the 68HC12 family. In this paper I'll describe some of the features of the 68HC12, such as increased performance, code size reduction, background debug support, expanded memory, high-level language support, fuzzy logic, and 68HC11 "look and feel".
Regulation of microtubule motors by tubulin isotypes and post-translational modifications

The 'tubulin-code' hypothesis proposes that different tubulin genes or post-translational modifications (PTMs), which mainly confer variation in the carboxy-terminal tail (CTT), result in unique interactions with microtubule-associated proteins for specific cellular functions. However, the inability to isolate distinct and homogeneous tubulin species has hindered biochemical testing of this hypothesis. Here, we have engineered 25 α/β-tubulin heterodimers with distinct CTTs and PTMs and tested their interactions with four different molecular motors using single-molecule assays. Our results show that tubulin isotypes and PTMs can govern motor velocity, processivity and microtubule depolymerization rates, with substantial changes conferred by even single amino acid variation. Revealing the importance and specificity of PTMs, we show that kinesin-1 motility on neuronal β-tubulin (TUBB3) is increased by polyglutamylation and that robust kinesin-2 motility requires detyrosination of α-tubulin. Our results also show that different molecular motors recognize distinctive tubulin 'signatures', which supports the premise of the tubulin-code hypothesis.
Incentives for controlling the performance of high technology and professional employees

Many problems arise from potential incompatabilities between characteristics of high technology and professional employees and traditional organizational authority and control systems. These incompatibilities may lead to dysfunctional conflict between the role expectations of the professional and organizational requirements. Some organizations are attempting to deal with this conflict by designing evaluation and control systems which better reflect the expectations of these highly skilled employees. Sources of tension for the high technology professional are identified with attempts to illustrate how this tension may be lessened by aligning the professional's expectations with organizational goals. Recommendations are offered for differential incentives and rewards.
Ceruloplasmin is found in milk and amniotic fluid and may have a nutritional role

Abstract Ceruloplasmin is a copper binding, α2-globulin of blood plasma, made by the liver, but also expressed by some other secretory tissues, including the choroid plexus of brain and the mammary gland. During studies of neonatal copper transport in the rat, it was determined that amniotic fluid contains ceruloplasmin, based on the presence of azide-inhibitable p-phenylene diamine (pPD) oxidase activity eluting like serum ceruloplasmin in ion exchange chromatography. When 67Cu-labeled (serum-derived) ceruloplasmin was injected into the amniotic sac of fetal rats near term, there was a rapid transfer of the 67Cu to the liver and carcass. Uptake of injected ionic 67Cu(II) was less rapid. Subsequently, the presence of ceruloplasmin in milk was sought and confirmed in several species, using enzymatic and immunologic methods. Based on pPD oxidase activity inhibitable with N3−, milks from humans, cows, and pigs all contained similar concentrations of ceruloplasmin and more than in mouse milk. There was no correlation between milk and serum ceruloplasmin oxidase activities among the species. As in amniotic fluid, ceruloplasmin was calculated to account for a substantial portion of the total copper present. A systematic study of non-colostrum human milk indicated by immunoassay that mean ceruloplasmin concentrations were 4.7 mg/L and copper concentrations 9.3 μmol/L during the first 5 days, post-partum. These values dropped about 50% (to 2.3 mg/L and 4.3 μmol/L, respectively) by the end of the first month of lactation. Ceruloplasmin concentrations of about 2 mg/L were maintained during long-term breast feeding, although total copper concentrations continued to decline. Newborn rats fed 67Cu in milk preferentially absorbed ceruloplasmin-derived copper over ionic copper mixed with milk, whereas 4-week-old weanling rats absorbed both forms equally well. It is concluded that ceruloplasmin is a significant copper binding component of milk and amniotic fluid and more nutritionally available than other ingested copper in the perinatal period.
Recovering the inflationary potential.

A procedure is developed for the recovery of the inflationary potential owl the interval that affects astrophysical scales. The amplitudes of the scalar and tensor metric perturbations and their power-spectrum indices, which can in principle be inferred from large-angle CBR anisotropy experiments and other cosmological data, determine the value of the inflationary potential and its first two derivatives. From these, the inflationary potential can be reconstructed in a Taylor series and the consistency of the inflationary hypothesis tested. A number of examples are presented, and the effect of observational uncertainties is discussed.
Quantitative Ultrasound of the Calcaneus As a Screening Tool to Detect Osteoporosis: Different Reference Ranges for Caucasian Women, African American Women, and Caucasian Men

Abstract The interpretation of results measured by quantitative ultrasound (QUS) of the heel depends on the population studied. We measured estimated bone mineral density (BMD) of the heel using the Hologic Sahara sonometer. People were studied at county fairs, health fairs, and churches. Subjects were not on treatments that would affect bone density, other than calcium supplementation. This included 823 Caucasian women, 131 African American women, and 301 Caucasian men. In contrast to women, for Caucasian men the squared term for age was not significant, and a straight line of decline was the best fit for estimated BMD. African American women had a standard deviation larger than that reported by Hologic for Caucasian women. We compared a history of self-reported fractures with a subject's estimated BMD. An estimated BMD of 0.57 gm/cm 2 included 75% of all fractures. This cutoff point was associated with increased fracture prevalence in subjects over age 50, relative risk of 1.4. This result corresponds to the Hologic data T-score of –0.2. When used as a screening tool for osteoporosis fracture risk, an estimated BMD of 0.57 gm/cm 2 seems reasonable in those subjects over age 50.
Applications of the pipeline environment for visual informatics and genomics computations

Contemporary informatics and genomics research require efficient, flexible and robust management of large heterogeneous data, advanced computational tools, powerful visualization, reliable hardware infrastructure, interoperability of computational resources, and detailed data and analysis-protocol provenance. The Pipeline is a client-server distributed computational environment that facilitates the visual graphical construction, execution, monitoring, validation and dissemination of advanced data analysis protocols. This paper reports on the applications of the LONI Pipeline environment to address two informatics challenges - graphical management of diverse genomics tools, and the interoperability of informatics software. Specifically, this manuscript presents the concrete details of deploying general informatics suites and individual software tools to new hardware infrastructures, the design, validation and execution of new visual analysis protocols via the Pipeline graphical interface, and integration of diverse informatics tools via the Pipeline eXtensible Markup Language syntax. We demonstrate each of these processes using several established informatics packages (e.g., miBLAST, EMBOSS, mrFAST, GWASS, MAQ, SAMtools, Bowtie) for basic local sequence alignment and search, molecular biology data analysis, and genome-wide association studies. These examples demonstrate the power of the Pipeline graphical workflow environment to enable integration of bioinformatics resources which provide a well-defined syntax for dynamic specification of the input/output parameters and the run-time execution controls. The LONI Pipeline environment http://pipeline.loni.ucla.edu provides a flexible graphical infrastructure for efficient biomedical computing and distributed informatics research. The interactive Pipeline resource manager enables the utilization and interoperability of diverse types of informatics resources. The Pipeline client-server model provides computational power to a broad spectrum of informatics investigators - experienced developers and novice users, user with or without access to advanced computational-resources (e.g., Grid, data), as well as basic and translational scientists. The open development, validation and dissemination of computational networks (pipeline workflows) facilitates the sharing of knowledge, tools, protocols and best practices, and enables the unbiased validation and replication of scientific findings by the entire community.
Ramularia beticola in sugar-beet seed crops in England

Ramularia beticola was prevalent in sugar-beet seed crops in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Lincolnshire in July each year from 1966 to 1971, and defoliated some crops prematurely. It was scarce in Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire and Essex, and this distribution could not be related to method of growing the crop or density of plant stand. A method is described for assessing leaf spot incidence in beet seed crops after bolting is complete. Fungicide sprays delayed disease development by ca. 2½ weeks.
Experiments on a parametric nonlinear spectral warping for an HMM-based speech recognizer

This paper is concerned with the search for an optimal feature-set for a speech recognition system. A better acoustic feature analysis that suitably enhances the semantic information in a consistent fashion can reduce raw-score (no grammar) error rate significantly. A simple two-dimensional parameterized feature-set is proposed. The feature-set is compared against a standard mel-cepstrum, LPC-based feature-set in talker-independent, connected-alphadigit HMM-based recognizer. The results show that a particular combination of parameters yields a significantly lower error rate than the baseline mel-cepstrum LPC-based feature-set.
Injury-induced BMP signaling negatively regulates Drosophila midgut homeostasis

Although much is known about injury-induced signals that increase rates of Drosophila melanogaster midgut intestinal stem cell (ISC) proliferation, it is largely unknown how ISC activity returns to quiescence after injury. In this paper, we show that the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathway has dual functions during midgut homeostasis. Constitutive BMP signaling pathway activation in the middle midgut mediated regional specification by promoting copper cell differentiation. In the anterior and posterior midgut, injury-induced BMP signaling acted autonomously in ISCs to limit proliferation and stem cell number after injury. Loss of BMP signaling pathway members in the midgut epithelium or loss of the BMP signaling ligand decapentaplegic from visceral muscle resulted in phenotypes similar to those described for juvenile polyposis syndrome, a human intestinal tumor caused by mutations in BMP signaling pathway components. Our data establish a new link between injury and hyperplasia and may provide insight into how BMP signaling mutations drive formation of human intestinal cancers.
A hydrous melting and fractionation model for mid-ocean ridge basalts: Application to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge near the Azores

The major element, trace element, and isotopic composition of mid-ocean ridge basalt glasses affected by the Azores hotspot are strongly correlated with H2O content of the glass. Distinguishing the relative importance of source chemistry and potential temperature in ridge-hotspot interaction therefore requires a comprehensive model that accounts for the effect of H2O in the source on melting behavior and for the effect of H2O in primitive liquids on the fractionation path. We develop such a model by coupling the latest version of the MELTS algorithm to a model for partitioning of water among silicate melts and nominally anhydrous minerals. We find that much of the variation in all major oxides except TiO2 and a significant fraction of the crustal thickness anomaly at the Azores platform are explained by the combined effects on melting and fractionation of up to ~700 ppm H2O in the source with only a small thermal anomaly, particularly if there is a small component of buoyantly driven active flow associated with the more H2O-rich melting regimes. An on-axis thermal anomaly of ~35°C in potential temperature explains the full crustal thickness increase of ~4 km approaching the Azores platform, whereas a ≥75°C thermal anomaly would be required in the absence of water or active flow. The polybaric hydrous melting and fractionation model allows us to solve for the TiO2, trace element and isotopic composition of the H2O-rich component in a way that self-consistently accounts for the changes in the melting and fractionation regimes resulting from enrichment, although the presence and concentration in the enriched component of elements more compatible than Dy cannot be resolved.
Achieving Programming Model Abstractions for Reconfigurable Computing

This paper introduces hthreads, a unifying programming model for specifying application threads running within a hybrid computer processing unit (CPU)/field-programmable gate-array (FPGA) system. Presently accepted hybrid CPU/FPGA computational models-and access to these computational models via high level languages-focus on programming language extensions to increase accessibility and portability. However, this paper argues that new high-level programming models built on common software abstractions better address these goals. The hthreads system, in general, is unique within the reconfigurable computing community as it includes operating system and middleware layer abstractions that extend across the CPU/FPGA boundary. This enables all platform components to be abstracted into a unified multiprocessor architecture platform. Application programmers can then express their computations using threads specified from a single POSIX threads (pthreads) multithreaded application program and can then compile the threads to either run on the CPU or synthesize them to run within an FPGA. To enable this seamless framework, we have created the hardware thread interface (HWTI) component to provide an abstract, platform-independent compilation target for hardware-resident computations. The HWTI enables the use of standard thread communication and synchronization operations across the software/hardware boundary. Key operating system primitives have been mapped into hardware to provide threads running in both hardware and software uniform access to a set of sub-microsecond, minimal-jitter services. Migrating the operating system into hardware removes the potential bottleneck of routing all system service requests through a central CPU.
Linkage analysis without defined pedigrees

The need to collect accurate and complete pedigree information has been a drawback of family-based linkage and association studies. Even in case-control studies, investigators should be aware of, and condition on, familial relationships. In SNP genome scans, relatedness can be directly inferred from the genetic data rather than determined through interviews. Various methods of estimating relatedness have previously been implemented, most notably in PLINK. We present new fast and accurate algorithms for estimating global and local kinship coefficients from dense SNP genotypes. These algorithms require only a single pass through the SNP genotype data. We also show that these estimates can be used to cluster individuals into pedigrees. With these estimates in hand, QTL linkage analysis proceeds via traditional variance components methods without any prior relationship information. We demonstrate the success of our algorithms on simulated and real data sets. Our procedures make linkage analysis as easy as a typical genomewide association study.
MCMs for portable applications

The authors point out that multichip modules (MCMs) provide many advantages in the implementation of portable systems. For digital circuitry, MCMs provide size reduction and reduced power dissipation, and they facilitate architectural voltage scaling. Future portable devices will make increased use of wireless communications. The size of the passive RF elements such as inductors, capacitors, and antennas will be much greater than that of the digital radio circuitry. These passive filter components can be integrated directly into the MCM layers, providing additional size and power reductions. >
Facilitating learning design with software-realized scaffolding for collaboration

A critical aspect of much of engineering is design. Design is most frequently a collaborative activity today, while collaboration is rarely taught in traditional engineering education. We are developing educational technologies to facilitate both doing and leaning about collaboration in engineering design activities. Our software environment, CaMILE (Collaborative and Multimedia Interactive Learning Environment), provides a structure for doing collaborative engineering design that facilitates integrating diverse media and other resources. In addition, CaMILE structures the way students collaborate. The importance of juxtaposing both learning and doing is one of the lessons leaned from our experience. By integrating collaboration with artifacts central to the design activity, we can motivate collaboration and facilitate learning.
Progressive Ambition in the House: A Probabilistic Approach

The effectiveness of elections as instruments of popular control is at a minimum predicated upon the desire of elected officeholders to retain at least their current position. Additionally, a substantial body of research has pointed to the role differential ambition plays in shaping the careers and behavior of officeholders. The following analysis evaluates decisions by members of the U.S. House of Representatives either to seek reelection or to pursue higher office. Probit analysis is employed to disentangle the relative influence of factors contributing to decisions to seek higher office. This method also allows for the estimation of the influence of each of these factors in terms of how they contribute to the probability a member would seek higher office. Among the influences evaluated, factors conditioning the nature of the opportunity for higher office emerge as the more salient determinants of decisions to pursue that office. It is believed that this technique holds promise for future inquiries into...
Axial allometry in a neutrally buoyant environment: Effects of the terrestrial‐aquatic transition on vertebral scaling

Ecological diversification into new environments presents new mechanical challenges for locomotion. An extreme example of this is the transition from a terrestrial to an aquatic lifestyle. Here, we examine the implications of life in a neutrally buoyant environment on adaptations of the axial skeleton to evolutionary increases in body size. On land, mammals must use their thoracolumbar vertebral column for body support against gravity and thus exhibit increasing stabilization of the trunk as body size increases. Conversely, in water, the role of the axial skeleton in body support is reduced, and, in aquatic mammals, the vertebral column functions primarily in locomotion. Therefore, we hypothesize that the allometric stabilization associated with increasing body size in terrestrial mammals will be minimized in secondarily aquatic mammals. We test this by comparing the scaling exponent (slope) of vertebral measures from 57 terrestrial species (23 felids, 34 bovids) to 23 semi-aquatic species (pinnipeds), using phylogenetically corrected regressions. Terrestrial taxa meet predictions of allometric stabilization, with posterior vertebral column (lumbar region) shortening, increased vertebral height compared to width, and shorter, more disc-shaped centra. In contrast, pinniped vertebral proportions (e.g. length, width, height) scale with isometry, and in some cases, centra even become more spool-shaped with increasing size, suggesting increased flexibility. Our results demonstrate that evolution of a secondarily aquatic lifestyle has modified the mechanical constraints associated with evolutionary increases in body size, relative to terrestrial taxa.
Desktop Mapping: A Tool for Improving Small Business Marketing Anaysis and Customer Prospective

Moderately priced personal computer based spatial analysis systems consisting of linked database, spreadsheet, and desktop mapping/GIS programs can now more effectively turn consumer and census data into useful information. This paper describes the operation of one such system - Microsoft Map - a feature embedded in Microsoft 's Excel spreadsheet. Excel 's data-mapping capabilities let you plot spreadsheets on thematic maps, making it easier to see relationships in your data. This paper implements a systematic approach for applying consumer data and spatial marketing techniques to a small business, a photo studio, for trade area growth and customer mining. Spotting points and densities of sales for the sampled customers provide a foundation for understanding the spatial extent of the customer base. For the small business. the mapping exercise identified purchasing patterns for their services, showing those areas were major customers reside. Using those areas identified for their services. the company can begin to plan their strategy to tap into those markets and hopefully increase their sales. It is important to note that Excel 's mapping abilities provide a powerful and fertile new ground for data analysis experimentation. S1nall business manager' use of spreadsheet analysis, combined with the enhanced presentation mapping feature, enable the small business person to conduct analyses with even greater detail.