cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Human Integrin β3 Gene Is 63 kb and Contains a 5′-UTR Sequence Regulating Expression

The human blood platelet fibrinogen receptor, integrin alphaIIbbeta3 (glycoprotein IIb-IIIa) is an archetypal member of the integrin family of adhesive molecules and is the only integrin encoded by genes physically linked in the genome. Because studies on the normal and abnormal expression of any gene require a thorough understanding of its organization, the initial goals of the current study were to determine the size and complete the genomic organization for the beta3 gene. We now report the isolation of the entire beta3 gene in a single P1 plasmid and for the first time have linked the first and second exons on a contiguous fragment of DNA. Using pulsed-field gel analysis, we determined the full size of the beta3 gene to be 63 kb and show a large (16.7 kb) first intron; based on this information, we propose a uniform numbering system for the beta3 exons. We have completed the 5' genomic structure and generated a long-range restriction map. The promoter and the 5' end of the first intron were found to have approximately 50% sequence identity with a region of the avian beta3 gene known to possess functional transcriptional activity. Analysis of three different homologous regions led to the identification of a sequence in the 5'-UTR of the human gene, CCGCGGGAGG, which shares 90% identity with the avian gene and which bound nuclear proteins in DNaseI and electrophoretic mobility shift assay studies. Mutating this sequence caused a 2.6-fold reduction in reporter gene activity. In these studies we have (1) determined the full length and 5' organization of the beta3 gene, (2) identified a large region of homology between the 5' regions of the avian and human genes, and (3) identified a sequence in the 5'-UTR that augments gene expression. Knowing the genomic structure of beta3 has permitted the uncovering of new mechanisms of mutagenesis causing Glanzmann thrombasthenia (Jin et al, J Clin Invest 98:1745, 1996), and our findings will be valuable for such genetic analyses as well as for studies on the transcriptional regulation of beta3 and other integrin genes.
The function, development, and evolutionary stability of conventional signals of fighting ability

Abstract Many animals minimize the costs of aggressive conflict by using conventional signals of agonistic ability to assess rivals prior to interacting. Conventional signals are a subset of signals of agonistic ability that appear “arbitrary”, as there is no logical, a priori , link between the signal phenotype and the information the signal conveys. Examples include the black chest patches called “badges of status” in many sparrows and the facial spots in Polistes dominulus wasps. Although there has been consistent interest in conventional signaling over the last 30 years, the area remains surprisingly underexplored. This review addresses previous theoretical and empirical works on agonistic conventional signals and considers three key areas for future research. First, future work that considers a greater diversity of traits will be useful, as many different types of visual, acoustic, and chemical ornaments likely function as conventional agonistic signals. Second, testing the signal value of conventional signals has been a challenge, as responses to conventional signals vary based on factors such as rival-advertised quality, the cost of the contested resource, and the timing or extent of interactions with rivals. As a result, studies assessing the context-dependence of receiver responses will be important, as well as experiments that account for variation in receiver responses across contexts. Finally, the costs that maintain the evolutionary stability of conventional signals have been a persistent source of controversy. Considering multiple costs, especially the interplay between social and physiological costs, may provide new insight into the evolutionary stability of conventional signals.
Una complessa chiarezza: gli ipertesti di Primo Levi

Scrittore poliedrico e versatile, Primo Levi e stato anche un costruttore di estesi e articolati ipertesti: strutture macrotestuali fondate su legami e interrelazioni tese fra opere cronologicamente e tipologicamente differenziate. Un esempio straordinario, ma non certo isolato, di questa scrittura di secondo grado, organizzata in complessi palinsesti testuali, e quello che gia Marco Belpoliti ha definito nei termini di «macrotesto del Lager»: un reticolo intra- e intertestuale che, a partire da Se questo e un uomo, si e sviluppato con un andamento rizomatico attraverso diverse stratificazioni scrittorie e genealogiche, sino a I sommersi e i salvati. Il «rizoma» tuttavia e semplicemente una delle varie macrostrutture individuabili nell’opera di Levi. Attraverso un confronto contrastivo con l’opera di Calvino, il saggio si propone di indagare alcune delle caratteristiche salienti di questa scrittura ipertestuale, mostrando come l’intensa sperimentazione scrittoria perseguita da Levi sia da ricollegarsi a una parallela svolta epistemologica, data dall’insorgere di quella che Edgar Morin ha definito come «sfida della complessita».Primo Levi can be considered a versatile and polyhedral writer, capable of building long and articulated hypertexts, i.e., macrotextual structures based on the links and interrelations among works which differ both from a chronological and typological point of view. An extraordinary, but certainly not isolated, example of this writing, organized according to complex textual palimpsests, is the one that Marco Belpoliti defined as the «macrotext of the Lager»: it is an intra- and intertextual network that, starting from If This is a Man, developed according to a rhizomatic structure through his different works and genealogical stratifications, ending with The Drowned and the Saved. The «rhizome», however, is only one of the different macrostructures which may be singled out in Levi’s work. By developing a contrastive comparison with the work of Calvino, this essay aims to investigate some of the salient features of such hypertextual writing, thus showing how the marked textual experimentation pursued by Levi has to be linked to a parallel epistemological turn, given by the emergence of what Edgar Morin defined as the «challenge of complexity». PAROLE CHIAVEPrimo Levi; Italo Calvino; ipertesto; rizoma; complessita.
Oregon’s Medicaid Reform And Transition To Global Budgets Were Associated With Reductions In Expenditures

In 2012 Oregon initiated an ambitious delivery system reform, moving the majority of its Medicaid enrollees into sixteen coordinated care organizations, a type of Medicaid accountable care organiza...
Geodetic measurements of postseismic crustal deformation following the 1979 Imperial Valley earthquake, California

abstract A geodetic trilateration network comprising 54 baselines was established around the northern part of the Imperial fault beginning 12 days after the Imperial Valley earthquake of 15 October 1979, and the line lengths were repeatedly observed during the following 110 days. During the observational period, there was an average of about 10 cm of dextral postseismic fault slip. Geodetic data in conjunction with alignment-array measurements indicate that the postseismic slip U at time t following the main shock is well described by U ( t ) = (10.96 ± 0.12) cm log( t /1.75 day + 1), a result that implies that it will be approximately 9 to 10 yr before the rate of postseismic displacement diminishes to the ambient rate of creep of 0.5 cm/a. The postseismic strain changes are localized to the east side of the Imperial fault in the southern part of the Mesquite Lake basin, where significant north-south extension occurred at an average rate of 2.7 ± 0.3 × 10 −5 /a during the observational period. These changes are compatible with dextral fault slip within the top 5 km of the fault.
Are Anti-Bullying Laws Effective?

Since 2010, when several high profile bullying-related suicides brought bullying and cyberharassment into the national consciousness, all 50 states have passed laws that address bullying among the nation’s youth. This essay is the first in a series of three projects on federal, state, municipal, and individual school approaches to bullying. There are only 4 published studies on the relationships between law and bullying rates. This Essay adds several features to the discourse. It offers a comprehensive analysis of the contents of state anti-bullying laws, using a 16-item list of guidelines from the United States Department of Education as a frame. It then considers how effective these laws are at reducing the rates of bullying and cyberbullying among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth. Using various statistical models, this essay shows that having an anti-bullying law alone—even a comprehensive one—is not sufficient to have a significant effect on rates of bullying, cyberbullying, and suicidal thoughts among LGB teenagers. Rather, states with more pro-equality laws, in general, reflecting a long-standing commitment to LGBTQ inclusion, are more likely to have lower rates of LGB bullying in schools. Anti-bullying laws have only a minor, enhancing effect on that relationship. This analysis has implications not just for state and local efforts to combat bullying and harassment, but also highlights the profound public safety benefits associated with social and legal commitments to equality.
Beyond the uterine environment: a nonhuman primate model to investigate maternal-fetal and neonatal outcomes following chronic intrauterine infection

Intrauterine infection is a significant cause of early preterm birth. We have developed a fetal–neonatal model in the rhesus macaque to determine the impact of chronic intrauterine infection with Ureaplasma parvum on early neonatal reflexes and brain development. Time-mated, pregnant rhesus macaques were randomized to be inoculated with U. parvum (serovar 1; 105c.f.u.) or control media at ~120 days’ gestational age (dGA). Neonates were delivered by elective hysterotomy at 135–147 dGA (term=167d), stabilized, and cared for in our nonhuman primate neonatal intensive care unit. Neonatal reflex behaviors were assessed from birth, and fetal and postnatal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed. A total of 13 preterm and 5 term macaque infants were included in the study. Ten preterm infants survived to 6 months of age. U. parvum-infected preterm neonates required more intensive respiratory support than did control infants. MRI studies suggested a potential perturbation of brain growth and white matter maturation with exposure to intra-amniotic infection. We have demonstrated the feasibility of longitudinal fetal–neonatal studies in the preterm rhesus macaque after chronic intrauterine infection. Future studies will examine long-term neurobehavioral outcomes, cognitive development, neuropathology, and in vivo brain imaging to determine the safety of antenatal antibiotic treatment for intrauterine infection.
A new approach to the synthesis of alpha-methylene-beta-hydroxy-gamma-butyrolactones

Abstract Ylides generated from the sulfonium salts of methacrylic acid derivatives reacted with aldehydes and ketones in a “one-pot” synthesis of α-methylene-β-hydroxy-γ-butyrolactones.
Authors’ reply to Rishniw

Rishniw raises a potential concern about “perception v production” of asparagus odorant in urine—that is, whether there is variation in the ability to produce the odorant after consumption of asparagus or in the ability to smell it.12 We focused on the ability to produce it, and a limitation of our study was that we were unable to objectively evaluate the urine samples in our population based cohort study for the remnants of asparagus consumption. Previous studies have shown differences in both production …
Abstract 697: Stage 1in vivoevaluation of multi-receptor tyrosine-kinase inhibitor lenvatinib in osteosarcoma patient derived mouse xenograft models

Background: Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary bone tumor in children and young adults. Over the past three decades improvement in outcomes for children with OS have remained stagnant. Novel therapies are needed to improve outcomes for these patients. Lenvatinib is an oral small-molecule tyrosine-kinase inhibitor (TKI), targeting multiple receptors including VEGFR1-3, FGFR 1-4, PDGFRα, RET, and c-kit. Prior studies have shown that PDGFR-VEGF/VEGFR and FGFR3 are overexpressed in human OS cell lines. Lenvatinib is FDA-approved for the treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer, and, in combination with mTOR inhibitor everolimus, for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma. The current study assessed the in vivo efficacy of lenvatinib in osteosarcoma xenograft models. Materials and Methods: Single agent lenvatinib was tested against 5 well-established osteosarcoma patient derived mouse xenograft models. Lenvatinib was administered using a dose of 7.5mg/kg given by oral route daily (5/7 days) for 6 weeks or until study endpoints were met. Tumor volume and mouse body weight were measured bi-weekly. Tumor volume was compared to baseline tumor volume to calculate the relative tumor volume (RTV). The RTV was compared between the control and experimental groups utilizing the student t-test. P-values Results: Lenvatinib was generally well tolerated in vivo, without noted toxicity in any of the treated animals. Lenvatinib treatment led to delayed tumor progression in 4/5 models tested. Relative tumor volumes in the treatment group compared to the control group at week 3 in xenografts OS1, OS2, OS17, OS31, and OS33 were 0.77 (p=0.013), 0.88 (p=0.147), 0.49 (p Conclusions: Single agent lenvatinib demonstrates consistent anti-tumor activity in osteosarcoma patient derived mouse xenograft models. Preclinical studies, as well as clinical trials, have demonstrated the efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibition in combination with inhibition of mTOR in a variety of malignancies. The current study, along with prior data, suggests that targeting receptor tyrosine kinases, in addition to mTOR, may lead to more effective inhibition of osteosarcoma cell growth. Ongoing studies are assessing the efficacy of lenvatinib, administered in combination with mTOR inhibitor, everolimus, in osteosarcoma patient derived mouse xenografts. Citation Format: Wendong Zhang, Michael E. Roth, Jonathan Gill, Sajida Piperdi, E. Anders Kolb, David S. Geller, Bang Hoang, Rui Yang, Richard Gorlick. Stage 1 in vivo evaluation of multi-receptor tyrosine-kinase inhibitor lenvatinib in osteosarcoma patient derived mouse xenograft models [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 697. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-697
Abstract 17194: Intrastate Variation in Treatment and Outcome Measures for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Background: Variations in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) system performance and outcomes have been previously described across North America. We hypothesized that the same level of variation...
Frequency Dependent Interaction of Ultrasonic Waves with Surface-Breaking Cracks

The scattering of Rayleigh waves from a surface-breaking crack is frequency dependent. An ultrasonic spectroscopy is used to investigate the backscattered as well as the forward scattered and transmitted fields. Crack parameters such as depth and surface conditions are correlated with features in the scattered spectrum. Experimental results are compared to existing theories. An inversion procedure is discussed for determining crack depth from information contained in the backscattered spectrum.
Starting Antiepileptic Drugs

A 44-year-old male experienced a single, unprovoked, generalized tonic–clonic seizure at 5:30 a.m. The seizure duration was approximately 2 min with gradual recovery following a postictal state. There was no prior history of seizures or predisposing neurological conditions or comorbidity. The only risk factor for epilepsy included a concussion as a child while playing sports. Additionally, the patient did have a sibling with childhood absence epilepsy. The patient was not on prescription medication at the time of the seizure. There was no history of alcohol abuse or illicit drug use. At the time, he was employed, operated a motor vehicle, and was married with two children. Upon evaluation in the emergency department, a CT of the head was normal. An EEG performed several hours after the seizure showed bitemporal independent sharp waves (Fig. 15.1). Other than complaining of a mild headache, myalgias, and a “sore tongue” the patient appeared to be doing well at the time of dismissal from the emergency department. An MRI head was subsequently performed and was unremarkable.
Fatigue: Clinical and Laboratory Assessment

To understand fatigue, its causes, and its severity, the clinician needs to integrate information obtained by interview, questionnaires, and assessments. A combination of factors often synergizes producting fatigue. Each stressor, be it related to sleep inadequacy, sleep disruption, health problems, ongoing psychological issues, and/or work environment, adds to the problem. Specific problems related to sleep duration, sleep disruption, sleep quality, sleep timing, occult sleep disorders, and adequate time off frequently play a major role. Sometimes the clinician may need to proceed with further testing to explore such factors as indicated by results of initial evaluations. The work environment, work shift scheduling, health-related factors, and lifestyle all must be considered when formulating interventions to manage fatigue. No matter how a clinician proceeds, proper follow-up of the assessment data is needed to outline proper effective interventions.
Feeding Practices and Lifestyle Changes after Migration: Perceptions of First Generation Latinas Living in an Emerging Community

Latinos are the fastest growing minority in the United States (US). Currently, Latinos make up 17.3% of the total US population and 49% are foreign born. After migration to the US, Latinos face a myriad of changes to which they need to adapt quickly. Some of the changes have health consequences, such as changes in feeding practices that have contributed to the high rates of childhood and adult obesity in this population. Although there is substantial research on lifestyle changes among Latinos, little research has been conducted in the Midwest, particularly in new growth communities that have experienced a significant influx of Latino immigrants in recent decades. The purpose of this study was to better understand Latina mothers’ perceptions of how their family feeding practices changed after they migrated to the U.S and how living in a new growth community played a role. A total of 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of immigrant mothers from Latin American countries who ...
Randomized Controlled Trial of an Intervention to Improve Nurses' Hazardous Drug Handling

Objectives To evaluate whether a web-based educational intervention improved personal protective equipment (PPE) use among oncology nurses who handle hazardous drugs. Sample & setting From 2015 to 2017, the authors partnered with 12 ambulatory oncology settings in the United States to enroll 396 nurses, 257 of whom completed baseline and primary endpoint surveys. Methods & variables In a cluster randomized controlled trial, 136 nurses in control settings received a one-hour educational module on PPE use with quarterly reminders, and 121 nurses in treatment settings received the control intervention plus tailored messages to address perceived barriers and quarterly data gathered on hazardous drug spills across all study settings. The primary outcome was nurse-reported PPE use. Results Control and intervention sites had suboptimal PPE use before and after the intervention. No significant differences were observed in PPE use knowledge or perceived barriers. Participants reported high satisfaction with the study experience. Implications for nursing Hazardous drug exposure confers notable health risks to healthcare workers. To improve hazardous drug handling, occupational healthcare workers, health systems, and professional organizations should consider coordinated efforts to implement policy and practice changes.
Risk Markers for Physical Teen Dating Violence Perpetration: A Meta-Analysis.

Teen dating violence (TDV) is a common problem among adolescents and has been linked to various negative outcomes. This study used Dutton’s nested ecological theory to examine risk markers for phys...
Maternal occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the risk of isolated congenital heart defects among offspring.

Abstract Background Although there is evidence in experimental model systems that exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is linked with congenital heart defects (CHDs), few studies have examined the association in humans. We conducted a case-control study to examine the association between maternal exposure to PAHs and CHDs in offspring using data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS) (1997–2011). Methods We obtained detailed information on maternal occupation during the month before to three months after conception. Expert raters, masked to case-control status, assessed job descriptions to assign categorical levels of exposure. Categories were quantitatively mapped to estimate cumulative exposure to PAHs, incorporating exposure intensity, frequency, work duration, and work hours. Quartiles were generated for cumulative maternal exposure to PAHs. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using unconditional logistic regression for quartiles of PAH exposure and six CHD groupings (e.g. conotruncal) and specific subtypes (e.g. tetralogy of Fallot [ToF]). Final models were adjusted for maternal age, race/ethnicity, education, smoking, anticonvulsant use, folic acid supplementation, and study center. Results There were 4,775 case and 7,734 control infants eligible for the study. The prevalence of occupational exposure to PAHs was 10.2% among both case and control mothers. In adjusted analysis, compared to mothers with no occupational PAH exposure, those in the highest quartile of exposure were more likely to have offspring in the conotruncal heart defects group (OR 1.41; 95% CI 1.00–2.00), and with ToF (OR 1.83; 95% CI 1.21–2.78). Conclusions Women in the highest quartile of estimated cumulative occupational PAH exposure during early pregnancy were more likely to have offspring with conotruncal heart defects, specifically ToF, compared to women with no occupational PAH exposure. Other comparisons between PAHs and other CHDs subgroups did not show any statistically precise associations.
The Evolution of Internet Congestion

This paper discusses the evolution of the congestion controls that govern all Internet traffic. In particular we chronicle and discuss the implications of the fact that the most significant "congestion signals" are increasingly coming from network operators, not the TCP stack. Providers now nudge users into different traffic patterns using a variety of new technical and non-technical means. These 'network based congestion management' techniques include volume-based limits and active traffic management of best effort traffic. The goal and effect of these techniques differs from the historically coveted flow-rate fairness of TCP, provoking some in the technical and policy community to question the appropriateness of such deviations, and feeding debates over network management and network neutrality. To appropriately evaluate emerging trends in congestion control, it is useful to understand how congestion control has evolved in the Internet, both with respect to its intellectual history within the technical community and with respect to the changing traffic/industry environment in which the Internet operates. This is important because a sophisticated and nuanced view of congestion and its management is necessary for good public policy in this space. We conclude the paper with a discussion of the policy implications and questions raised by the continual evolution of congestion.
Breast Cancer Screening Among Medically Underserved Women in New Mexico: Potential for Lower Recall Rates with Digital Breast Tomosynthesis.

Introduction: Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) may decrease recall rates (RRs) and improve positive predictive values (PPVs) and cancer detection rates (CDRs) versus full-field digital mammography (FFDM). The value of DBT has not been assessed in New Mexico's rural and minority population. Objectives of this study were to compare RRs, CDRs, and PPVs using FFDM+DBT versus FFDM in screening mammograms at the University of New Mexico between 2013 and 2016 and to qualitatively evaluate patient decision-making regarding DBT. Materials and Methods: RRs, CDRs, and PPVs with 95% confidence intervals and relative risk were calculated from 35,147 mammograms. The association between relative risk and mammography approach was tested using Pearson's chi-square test. Twenty women undergoing screening were interviewed for qualitative evaluation of decision-making. Results: From 2013 to 2016, RRs were 8.4% and 11.1% for FFDM+DBT and FFDM, respectively. The difference in RRs became more pronounced with time. No significant difference was observed in PPVs or CDRs. Qualitative interviews revealed that the majority had limited prior knowledge of DBT and relied on provider recommendations. Conclusion: In New Mexico women undergoing screening mammography, a 30% relative risk reduction in RRs was observed with FFDM+DBT. Qualitative interviews suggest that women are aware of and receptive to DBT, assuming adequate educational support. Clinical Trials.gov ID: NCT03979729.
Characteristics of Reported Industry Payments to Neurosurgeons: A 5-Year Open Payments Database Study.

Objective The aim of this study was to characterize the payments made by medical industry to neurosurgeons from 2014 to 2018. Methods A retrospective study was performed from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2018 of the Open Payments Database. Collected data included the total number of industry payments, the aggregate value of industry payments, and the mean value of each industry payment made to neurosurgeons per year over the 5-year period. Results A total of 105,150 unique surgeons, with 13,668 (12.99%) unique neurosurgeons, were identified to have received an industry payment during 2014–2018. Neurosurgeons were the second highest industry-paid surgical specialty, with a total 421,151 industry payments made to neurosurgeons, totaling $477,451,070. The mean average paid amount per surgeon was $34,932 (±$936,942). The largest proportion of payments were related to food and beverage (75.5%), followed by travel and lodging (14.9%), consulting fees (3.5%), nonconsulting service fees (2.1%), and royalties or licensing (1.9%), totaling 90.4% of all industry payments to neurologic surgeons. Summed across the 5-year period, the largest paid source types were royalties and licensing (64.0%; $305,517,489), consulting fees (11.8%; $56,445,950), nonconsulting service fees (7.3%; $34,629,109), current or prospective investments (6.8%, $32,307,959), and travel and lodging (4.8%, $22,982,165). Conclusions Our study shows that over the most recent 5-year period (2014–2018) of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments Database, there was a decreasing trend of the total number of payments, but an increasing trend of the total amount paid to neurosurgeons.
Gestational age at term delivery and children's neurocognitive development.

Background Preterm birth is associated with lower neurocognitive performance. However, whether children's neurodevelopment improves with longer gestations within the full-term range (37-41 weeks) is unclear. Given the high rate of obstetric intervention in the USA, it is critical to determine whether long-term outcomes differ for children delivered at each week of term. Methods This secondary analysis included 39 199 live-born singleton children of women who were admitted to the hospital in spontaneous labour from the US Collaborative Perinatal Project (1959-76). At each week of term gestation, we evaluated development at 8 months using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, 4 years using the Stanford-Binet IQ (SBIQ) domains and 7 years using the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC) and Wide-Range Achievement Tests (WRAT). Results Children's neurocognitive performance improved with each week of gestation from 37 weeks, peaking at 40 or 41 weeks. Relative to those delivered at 40 weeks, children had lower neurocognitive scores at 37 and 38 weeks for all assessments except SBIQ and WISC Performance IQ. Children delivered at 39 weeks had lower Bayley Mental (β = -1.18; confidence interval -1.77, -0.58) and Psychomotor (β = -1.18; confidence interval -1.90, -0.46) scores. Results were similar for within-family analyses comparing siblings, with the addition of lower WRAT scores at 39 weeks. Conclusions The improvement in development scores across assessment periods indicates that each week up to 40 or 41 weeks of gestation is important for short- and long-term cognitive development, suggesting 40-41 weeks may be the ideal delivery window for optimal neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Linear discrepancy is Π2-hard to approximate

Abstract In this note, we prove that the problem of computing the linear discrepancy of a given matrix is Π 2 -hard, even to approximate within 9 / 8 − ϵ factor for any ϵ > 0 . This strengthens the NP-hardness result of Li and Nikolov [9] for the exact version of the problem, and answers a question posed by them. Furthermore, since Li and Nikolov showed that the problem is contained in Π 2 , our result makes linear discrepancy another natural problem that is Π 2 -complete (to approximate).
Giant Paraesophageal Hernia With Obstructing Splenic Flexure Mass in the Left Hemithorax.

Giant paraesophageal hernias contain greater than fifty percent of the stomach above the diaphragm. Over fifty percent of large bowel obstructions are due to colorectal adenocarcinoma. Here, we pre...
Improving Strategic Planning and Implementation in Universities through Competitive Intelligence Tools: A Means to Gaining Relevance

Institutions of higher education can use competitive intelligence(CI) techniques to become more relevant to their communities. In Stepping Forward as Stewards of Place the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) provides a model for public engagement that emphasizes internal strategic planning, implementation, and assessment processes that involve regional communities and are aligned with state and policy environments. Universities can more fully utilize competitive intelligence to improve information collection and strategic planning, which can ultimately yield better decision making by university administrators. This article provides an overview of the steps involved in the competitive intelligence model and demonstrates how state universities can integrate this model with the existing Stewards of Place model to enhance their efforts and gain strategic advantage in public engagement.
Magnetic resonance imaging related to neurologic outcome in cervical spinal cord injury

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the initial intramedullary hemorrhage, as seen by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the neurologic deficit and eventual neurologic outcome of acute cervical spinal cord injured subjects. MRI and motor assessments were performed on 24 subjects with motor complete (Frankel A & B) and incomplete (Frankel C & D) injuries. Recovery was determined by evaluating an initial and a final motor power following spinal cord injury (SCI), as defined by the manual muscle test (grade 1-5) and motor index score (MIS). Results showed that all 15 subjects having hemorrhage had motor complete injuries (Frankel A & B). Sixteen percent of the muscles in the upper extremities and 3% of the muscles in the lower extremities in these 15 subjects improved to a grade of > or = 3/5 at the final evaluation post-SCI. In comparison, of the nine subjects not having hemorrhage, eight had motor incomplete injuries (Frankel C & D) and had 73% and 74% of muscles improving in the upper and lower extremities, respectively. In addition, a change in MIS from initial to final evaluations showed a significant difference between subjects with hemorrhage and subjects without hemorrhage (upper extremities: p = .002 and lower extremities: p = .0001). In conclusion, the initial MR image and neurologic assessment correlated with motor power recovery.
Durbin–Watson Statistic

This statistic tests for first-order autocorrelation using the estimated residuals from a linear regression. Keywords: autocorrelation; linear regression; covariance
Assessment of Children: WISC-IV and WPPSI-III Supplement

Chapter 1: Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV (WISC-IV): Description A Note about Terminology Standardization Standard Scores, Scaled Scores, and Test-Age Equivalents Reliability Validity Intercorrelations for Subtests and Composites Demographic Variables Factor Analysis Range of Subtest and Process Score Scaled Scores Range of Full Scale IQs Comparison of the WISC-IV and WISC-III Administering the WISC-IV Short Forms Choosing Between the WISC-IV and the WPPSI-III and Between the WISC-IV and the WAIS-III Administering the WISC-IV to Children with Disabilities Assets Limitations Concluding Comment Thinking Through the Issues Summary Key Terms, Concepts, and Names Study Questions
Structure and Function of the Cardiovascular System

Growing interest in behavioral medicine has focused attention on the function and control of the cardiovascular system, partly because of its involuntary responsiveness to emotional and stressful situations. The external manifestations of cardiovascular responses provide objective indications of the changing psychological status of normal subjects and patients. An expanding array of noninvasive techniques open opportunities for new and exciting research regarding the potential roles of psychological and behavioral factors in the development of dysfunction and disease. Current concepts of cardiovascular psychophysiology have been presented in a comprehensive overview edited by Obrist (1981).
Labour accumulation in rural China and its role since the cultural revolution

(see, e.g., Dandekar, 1962). The collective system of the People's Republic of China has been linked in a mutually reinforcing manner to such utilisation of wintertime labour in the creation of land-augmenting fixed capital ('farmland and water con servancy capital construction'-—hereinafter, FWCf). The Chinese call this process of capital formation 'labour accumulation'. Section 1 of this paper briefly reviews Chinese FWC activity before the Great Prole tarian Cultural Revolution (GPCR). Section 2 summarises the 1965-66 theoretical discussions of labour accumulation. Section 3 investigates labour accumulation in practice, with a rough estimate of the amount of mobilisable labour and of that actually mobilised, and with an analysis of recent FWC activity.
Resonant tunneling via microcrystalline-silicon quantum confinement.

Observation experimentale de l'effet tunnel resonnant impliquant les etats-quantiques discrets dans Si microcristallin (μc-Si) avec des barrieres de SiO 2 amorphe (a-SiO 2 ). Les faibles densites de pieges interfaciales, et la hauteur de barriere elevee entre Si et a-SiO 2 , permettent l'observation de plusieurs aspects dans la physique du confinement quantique. Meme pour le confinement quantique extreme a la faible polarisation, appliquee a la structure Al/a-SiO 2 /μc-Si/a-SiO 2 /c-Si, les effets de l'accumulation de la charge quantifiee dominent l'espacement plus large des niveaux d'energie de la boite quantique. Aux fortes polarisations, on observe une transition d'un systeme confine tridimensionnellement vers un systeme confine bidimensionnellement
Enhancement of T-lymphocyte differentiation in vitro by thymic extracts after bone marrow transplantation in severe combined immunodeficiencies.

Abstract Recently it has been found that children with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), who are thought to lack lymphoid stem cells capable of developing into either the B- or T-lymphocyte populations, do not possess cells in their marrow which can be induced by partially purified thymic extracts to differentiate into T-lymphocytes in vitro . The initial observations were made with marrow cells from three untreated infants with SCID under the same conditions which revealed clear evidence of induced differentiation in normal individuals. Marrow cells and peripheral blood lymphocytes from two of these children were studied again after bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Clear indication of precursor cells was obtained in marrow and blood after successful transplantation. The newly acquired precursors could be differentiated in vitro into T-lymphocytes under the influence of thymic extracts. T-cell characteristics were established both with a specific anti-human T-cell serum (ATCS) and by the E-rosette technique using sheep red blood cells (SRBC). This approach reveals a new means of dissecting the immunodeficiency diseases before BMT and a method for assessing cellular reconstitution after marrow transplantation.
Differential effects of detergents upon the soluble and particulate guanylate cyclases from rat lung.

Abstract The enzyme guanylate cyclase is present in both particulate and soluble form in rat lung homogenates. As previously reported, the soluble enzyme can be activated by preincubation in the presence of O 2 . The inactive (nonactivated) soluble enzyme is also stimulated by nonionic detergents, in the order Tween 20 > Lubrol PX > Triton X-67 > Triton X-100. The activated enzyme, however, was inhibited by these detergents in the reverse order. Sodium deoxycholate and lysolecithin were potent inhibitors of both inactive and activated enzyme. The activity of the particulate enzyme was stimulated by Lubrol PX > Triton X-100 > Triton X-67 > Tween 20. At a low concentration of lysolecithin or deoxycholate the particulate activity was increased; however, when detergent/protein > 1, inhibition was seen. In the case of deoxycholate, the inhibition could be reversed if excess deoxycholate was removed either by chromatography or by forming mixed micelles with Lubrol PX; however, deoxycholate inhibition of the soluble enzyme was irreversible. The stimulation by detergents of the particulate enzyme was apparently the result of solubilization. The effects upon the activity of the soluble enzyme were interpreted in terms of a model which assumes two hydrophobic regions on the enzyme surface. The two regions differ in hydrophobicity with the more hydrophobic region only being exposed as a result of activation. Interaction of a nonionic detergent with the less hydrophobic region stimulates activity, while interaction with the more hydrophobic region results in inhibition.
Sulfhydryl Oxidase from Egg White: A FACILE CATALYST FOR DISULFIDE BOND FORMATION IN PROTEINS AND PEPTIDES *

Both metalloprotein and flavin-linked sulfhydryl oxidases catalyze the oxidation of thiols to disulfides with the reduction of oxygen to hydrogen peroxide. Despite earlier suggestions for a role in protein disulfide bond formation, these enzymes have received comparatively little general attention. Chicken egg white sulfhydryl oxidase utilizes an internal redox-active cystine bridge and a FAD moiety in the oxidation of a range of small molecular weight thiols such as glutathione, cysteine, and dithiothreitol. The oxidase is shown here to exhibit a high catalytic activity toward a range of reduced peptides and proteins including insulin A and B chains, lysozyme, ovalbumin, riboflavin-binding protein, and RNase. Catalytic efficiencies are up to 100-fold higher than for reduced glutathione, with typical K(m) values of about 110-330 microM/protein thiol, compared with 20 mM for glutathione. RNase activity is not significantly recovered when the cysteine residues are rapidly oxidized by sulfhydryl oxidase, but activity is efficiently restored when protein disulfide isomerase is also present. Sulfhydryl oxidase can also oxidize reduced protein disulfide isomerase directly. These data show that sulfhydryl oxidase and protein disulfide isomerase can cooperate in vitro in the generation and rearrangement of native disulfide pairings. A possible role for the oxidase in the protein secretory pathway in vivo is discussed.
Testing primates with joystick-based automated apparatus: Lessons from the Language Research Center’s Computerized Test System

Nonhuman primates provide useful models for studying a variety of medical, biological, and behavioral topics. Four years of joystick-based automated testing of monkeys using the Language Research Center's Computerized Test System (LRC-CTS) are examined to derive hints and principles for comparable testing with other species - including humans. The results of multiple parametric studies are reviewed, and reliability data are presented to reveal the surprises and pitfalls associated with video-task testing of performance.
Rearrangement of epoxides in non-aldol aldol process: Allylic vs. Tertiary and secondary carbocationic centers

Abstract It has been shown that allylic carbocations are formed in preference to tertiary or secondary carbocations in the rearrangement of substituted epoxides. However protection of the alkene as a bromo ether allows for the desired rearrangement and production of intermediates for the synthesis of the cytotoxic tedanolides.
Divorce for childlessness and the regulation of adultery

Children are obviously important to people all over the world, especially in societies lacking in such inventions as life insurance and socialized medicine. Children may serve as insurance against personal disaster in old-age or infirmity; they may be the means to build useful alliances or to acquire greater wealth; they can be entertaining; they may be a source of status or a sign of virility or fertility; children often strengthen the bond of marriage, and for many people, children may be a source of meaning in life and a palliative for distressing cognitions about death. When a married couple proves to be childless, it is usllally a great blow to them and often to many people around them. Many societies have one or more practical means of coping with childlessness. These means include divorce for childlessness, adoption, fosterage, the taking of an additional spouse, the provision of an inseminator or childbearer who substitutes for the apparently infertile spouse, and various forms of trial marriage. Goody (1969) has discussed these in the context of his analysis of adoption. The present paper attempts to extend the list of common customs that cope with childlessness by examining the hypothesis that adultery regulations may provide an alternative for coping with childlessness. Where other means of coping with childlessness are undeveloped or difficult to employ, it is hypothesized, adultery of women will be dealt with mildly; whereas where other means of coping with childlessness are well-developed and easy to employ, adultery by women is more likely to be dealt with severely. Although adultery regulations may not be consciously related by the people in a society to the problems of childlessness, childlessness is so likely to be a disaster for the couple concerned and their kin, and the presence of
The design of sampled-data feedback systems

SAMPLED-DATA feedback control systems, or pulsed servomechanisms, are characterized by the distinguishing feature that at one or more points in the system signal information is in the form of a pulse train which can be represented as a sequence of numbers. One example in which the signal information inherently is represented by a sequence of numbers is provided by a closed-loop system containing a digital computer as one element. Sampled-data systems are also useful when the energy available from a sensitive element is so small that it is imperative to avoid loading the output more than necessary.
Admittance and Transfer Function for an n-Mesh RC Filter Network

The exact evaluation of the coefficients in the admittance and transfer functions of an n-mesh low-pass filter are given as functions of n. It is shown by induction that if these coefficients are true for n, then they also are true for n+1. In particular, they are shown to be true for n=1.
Ligand-induced structural changes in the Escherichia coli ferric citrate transporter reveal modes for regulating protein-protein interactions.

Outer-membrane TonB-dependent transporters, such as the Escherichia coli ferric citrate transporter FecA, interact with the inner-membrane protein TonB through an energy-coupling segment termed the Ton box. In FecA, which regulates its own transcription, the Ton box is preceded by an N-terminal extension that interacts with the inner‐membrane protein FecR. Here, site-directed spin labeling was used to examine the structural basis for transcriptional signaling and Ton box regulation in FecA. EPR spectroscopy indicates that regions of the N-terminal domain are in conformational exchange, consistent with its role as a protein binding element; however, the local fold and dynamics of the domain are not altered by substrate or TonB. Distance restraints derived from pulse EPR were used to generate models for the position of the extension in the apo, substrate-, and TonB-bound states. In the apo state, this domain is positioned at the periplasmic surface of FecA, where it interacts with the Ton box and blocks access of the Ton box to the periplasm. Substrate addition rotates the transcriptional domain and exposes the Ton box, leading to a disorder transition in the Ton box that may facilitate interactions with TonB. When a soluble fragment of TonB is bound to FecA, the transcriptional domain is displaced to one edge of the barrel, consistent with a proposed β-strand exchange mechanism. However, neither substrate nor TonB displaces the N-terminus further into the periplasm. This result suggests that the intact TonB system mediates both signaling and transport by unfolding portions of the transporter.
Instantaneous velocity of mid-ocean ridges

Abstract Intuition suggests that all points on the same mid-ocean ridge should rotate around the relative pole of the two-plate system at the same instantaneous angular velocity. Contrary to intuition, the instantaneous angular velocity of a ridge varies from one point to another along the ridge, given the general case in which two plates move around different plate-specific poles of rotation. The variation in the instantaneous angular velocity of a ridge is a function of the motion characteristics of the plates and the position of the ridge relative to the poles of plate motion. The length or orientation of individual ridge segments is predicted to vary over time, leading to local changes in the shape of the ridge. The gradient in instantaneous angular velocity for the fast-spreading East Pacific Ridge, between the Cocos and Pacific plates, is an order of magnitude greater than the gradient along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, between the North American and African plates. This great contrast in ridge instantaneous velocity gradients may be reflected in the contrasting ridge geometries of the East Pacific and Mid-Atlantic Ridges.