cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Variability in structural carbohydrates, lipid composition, and cellulosic sugar production from industrial hemp varieties

Abstract The aim of this study was to determine carbohydrate recovery from hemp for ethanol production and quantify biodiesel from TAG (Triacylglycerol) present in hemp. The structural composition of five different hemp varieties (Seward County-SC, York County-YC, Loup County-LC, 19 m96136-19 m, and CBD Hemp-CBD) were analyzed. Concentration of glucan and xylan ranged between 32.63 to 44.52% and 10.62 to 15.48% respectively. The biomass was then pretreated with Liquid hot water followed by disk milling and then hydrolyzed enzymatically to yield monomeric sugars. High glucose (63-85%) and xylose (73-88%) recovery was achieved. Lipids were extracted from hemp using hexane and isopropanol and then transesterified to produce biodiesel. Approximately, 50% of total fatty acids in SC, LC, and CBD hemp were linoleic acid. Palmitic acid was present between 32 to 50% in varieties YC and 19 m. Highest TAG concentration at 25% of total lipids was observed in CBD hemp. The analysis on lipid composition and high sugar recovery demonstrates hemp as a potential bioenergy crop for ethanol and biodiesel coproduction.
Analytical Fit to the Luminosity Distance for Flat Cosmologies with a Cosmological Constant

We present a fitting formula for the luminosity and angular diameter distances in cosmological models with pressureless matter, a cosmological constant, and zero spatial curvature. The formula has a relative error of less than 0.4% for 0.2 < Ω0 < 1 for any redshift and a global relative error of less than 4% for any choice of parameters.
The Competing Effect of Initial Crack Depth Versus Chemical Strengthening Parameters on Apparent Fracture Toughness of Sodium Aluminosilicate Glass.

The widespread use of sodium aluminosilicate glass in many engineering applications due to its mechanical and optical properties (transparency, dielectric, etc.), has become common in recent years. However, glass, a brittle material, has its vulnerability to fracture. Processes such as heat treatment (heat tempering) or chemical strengthening through ion-exchange have been used to create residual stress profiles on the glass, in a bid to improve its fracture strength. However, failure still occurs, which is mostly catastrophic and expensive to repair. Therefore understanding, predicting, and eventually improving the resistance to damage or fracture of chemically strengthened glass is important to designing new glasses that would be tougher while retaining their transparency. The relationship between the glass residual stress parameters such as the compressive stress (CS), depth of compression layer (DOL), and central tension (CT) versus apparent (effective) fracture toughness for different crack depth was investigated in this study using a Silicon Carbide particle blast plus ring-on-ring (RoR) test method. The results also showed that improving the fracture resistance of glass via chemical strengthening requires a proper combination of CS, DOL, and CT, which is particularly dependent on the initial/existing crack (flaw) depth. It was determined that for a damage event involving the introduction of a shallow crack depth, the criterion for optimal resistance to fracture, in terms of apparent fracture toughness, is weighted more towards a high CS, than deep DOL while for a deep flaw damage event, it is more weighted towards deep DOL, than a high CS. These results provide a valuable piece of information in the design of a more robust glass in engineering applications.
Atypical presentation and management of an epithelioid hemangioma: a case report and review of the literature

Epithelioid hemangioma is a rare, benign vascular lesion classically presenting with painless nodules in the head and neck region. Hemangioma lesions are typically small, located within the dermis and subcutaneous tissue, and rarely exceed 10 cm in size. Complete surgical excision, with negative margins, is the recommended treatment as local recurrence is common. We describe an unusual presentation of epithelioid hemangioma that, to our knowledge, has not been previously described in the literature, epithelioid. We report an atypical case of a large epithelioid hemangioma lesion with deep intramuscular involvement in a 16-year-old male. Ultrasound and MRI showed a hypervascular mass on the patient’s left upper back, and biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. Treatment consisted of preoperative embolization followed by excision and local tissue rearrangement. Epithelioid hemangiomas are considered uncommon in the pediatric population. Moreover, it is challenging to diagnose these lesions due to their similarities to other vascular anomalies. We aim to increase awareness of this condition and obtain more precision in diagnosis, thus standardizing the approach for those treating individuals with vascular anomalies.
Non-Survival Distributions in Paediatric Burn Patients; A Comparative Study of Two National Databases.

A contemporary, age-specific model for the distribution of burn mortality in children has not been developed for over a decade. Using data from TriNetX, a global federated health research network, and the American Burn Association's Nation Burn Repository (NBR), we investigated nonsurvival distributions for pediatric burns in the United States. Pediatric burn patients aged 0 to 20 between 2010 and 2020 were identified in TriNetX from 41 Healthcare Organizations using ICD-10 codes (T.20-T.30) and identified as lived/died. These were compared to the nonsurvival data from 90 certified burn centers in the NBR database between 2016 and 2018. The patient population was stratified by age into subgroups of 0 to 4, 5 to 9, 10 to 14, and 15 to 20 years. Overall, mortality rates for pediatric burn patients were found to be 0.62% in NBR and 0.52% in TrinetX. Boys had a higher incidence of mortality than girls in both databases (0.34% vs 0.28% NBR, P = .13; 0.31% vs 0.21% TriNetX, P < .001). Comparison of ethnic cohorts between 2010 to 2015 and 2016 to 2020 subgroups showed that nonsurvival rates of African American children increased relative to white children (TriNetX, P < .001); however, evidence was insufficient to conclude that African American children die more frequently than other ethnicities (NBR, P = .054). When analyzing subgroups in TriNetX, burned children aged 5 to 9 had significantly increased frequency of nonsurvival (P < .001). However, NBR data suggested that children aged 0 to 4 experience the highest frequency of mortality (P < .001). The nonsurvival distributions between these two large databases accurately reflect nonsurvival rates in burned children.
A Preliminary Study on the Effects of Foam and Seat Pan Inclination on the Deformation of the Seated Buttocks Using MRI

The objective is to investigate the effects of foam and seat pan inclination on soft tissues deformation in the gluteal region using an open MRI. Four healthy male subjects, aged from 28 to 52 years old and BMI from 20 to 28 kg/m2 participated in the experiment. A positional MRI scanner (Paramed® 0.5 T) was used. Each participant tested three seating configurations defined by varying the seat pan angle (A_SP) and cushion material while the back was fixed at 22° from the vertical: 1) A_SP = 7° without foam (Reference), 2) A_SP = 0° without foam (Shear), 3) A_SP = 7° with a 50 mm thick foam on the seat pan (Foam). In addition, one configuration (Unloaded) with the trunk-thigh angle about 105° and the buttock unloaded, was also scanned for comparison. After segmentation and 3D reconstruction, volumes of bone, gluteal muscle, fat, and other tissues in three regions of interest (ROIs) under the ITs were calculated. The largest tissue deformation was observed for Shear, while the smallest was found for Foam. Though these findings were expected, to our knowledge, this is the first time that the effect of shear force on tissue deformation was quantified directly, providing quantitative data needed for validating buttock-thigh finite element models. The findings of the present study also confirm that the tissue beneath their ITs was predominantly composed of fat and connective tissue and the gluteal muscles slided away from the IT.
Gene drive that results in addiction to a temperature sensitive version of an essential gene triggers population collapse in Drosophila

One strategy for population suppression seeks to use gene drive to spread genes that confer conditional lethality or sterility, providing a way of combining population modification with suppression. Stimuli of potential interest could be introduced by humans, such as an otherwise benign virus or chemical, or occur naturally on a seasonal basis, such as a change in temperature. Cleave and Rescue (ClvR) selfish genetic elements use Cas9 and gRNAs to disrupt endogenous versions of an essential gene, while also including a Rescue version of the essential gene resistant to disruption. ClvR spreads by creating loss-of-function alleles of the essential gene that select against those lacking it, resulting in populations in which the Rescue provides the only source of essential gene function. In consequence, if function of the Rescue, a kind of Trojan horse now omnipresent in a population, is condition-dependent, so too will be the survival of that population. To test this idea we created a ClvR in Drosophila in which Rescue activity of an essential gene, dribble, requires splicing of a temperature-sensitive intein (TS-ClvRdbe). This element spreads to transgene fixation at 23{degrees}C, but when populations now dependent on Ts-ClvRdbe are shifted to 29{degrees}C death and sterility result in a rapid population crash. These results show that conditional population elimination can be achieved. A similar logic, in which Rescue activity is conditional, could also be used in HEG-based drive, and to bring about suppression and/or killing of specific individuals in response to other stimuli.. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTGene drive can be used to spread traits of interest through wild populations. In some contexts the goal is to suppress or eliminate the population. In principle, one way to achieve this goal is if the trait being spread confers on carriers conditional lethality in response to an environmental stimulus that is either introduced by humans into the target area at a specific time (a virus, otherwise benign chemical; a kind of species-specific insecticide), or that occurs naturally on a seasonal basis, such as a change in temperature. Here we show that ClvR selfish elements can be used to spread a gene that confers lethality and sterility in response to increased temperature, demonstrating that conditional population elimination can be achieved.
Resilient Collision-tolerant Navigation in Confined Environments

This work presents the design and autonomous navigation policy of the Resilient Micro Flyer, a new type of collision-tolerant robot tailored to fly through extremely confined environments and manhole-sized tubes. The robot maintains a low weight (<500g) and implements a combined rigid-compliant design through the integration of elastic flaps around its stiff collision-tolerant frame. These passive flaps ensure compliant collisions, contact sensing and smooth navigation in contact with the environment. Focusing on resilient autonomy, capable of running on resource-constrained hardware, we demonstrate the beneficial role of compliant collisions for the reliability of the onboard visual-inertial odometry and propose a safe navigation policy that exploits both collision-avoidance using lightweight time-of-flight sensing and adaptive control in response to collisions. The robot further realizes an explicit manhole navigation mode that exploits the direct mechanical feedback provided by the flaps and a special navigation strategy to self-align inside manholes with non-straight geometry. Comprehensive experimental studies are presented to evaluate, both individually and as a whole, how resilience is achieved based on the robot design and its navigation scheme.
Urologic Problems in Anorectal Malformations

This chapter is divided into two parts: (A) congenital problems and (B) acquired problems. A. Congenital Problems: Patients with anorectal malformations do not die from the anorectal malformation itself, but rather because of renal problems, which sometimes are congenital and sometimes are exacerbated or produced by mismanagement, particularly during the repair of the anorectal malformation. Statistics are presented of the association of different urologic problems. The chapter also has a series of recommendations to suspect, diagnose, and treat the most prominent and dangerous urologic conditions associated with anorectal malformations. B. Acquired Problems: In the acquired urologic problems, examples are presented of neurogenic bladder and different errors that occur mainly while trying to repair an anorectal malformation without a correct diagnosis.
A combinatorial approach using sorafenib and liposomal ceramide to inhibit malignant melanoma

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 14-18, 2007; Los Angeles, CA 4754 Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer killing one person in the US every hour. Current treatments for advanced disease are ineffective necessitating development of rationally based combinatorial approaches with a solid mechanistic underpinning. Thus, combinatorial therapeutics, targeting multiple processes regulating tumorigenesis are being explored. One protein under intense investigation as a therapeutic target in melanoma is B-Raf, which is mutated to a constitutively active form in ~60% of sporadic melanomas leading to MAP kinase activation. While targeting this protein using a nonspecific Raf kinase inhibitor called sorafenib (BAY 43-9006) is relatively ineffective in human patients, in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel it can be beneficial. However, there is no rational basis for this combination of agents. In order to develop rational based combinatorial agents, we have evaluated the preclinical effectiveness and mechanistic basis for combining sorafenib with ceramide encapsulated in a liposomal formulation. Sorafenib alone decreases cell proliferation and vascular development in xenografted melanoma tumors by reducing signaling through the MAP kinase-signaling cascade. In contrast, ceramide is a lipid-derived second messenger that preferentially induces tumor apoptosis by inhibiting Akt3, which is a second kinase activated in ~70% of melanomas through amplification and/or PTEN loss. We have developed a liposomal delivery system for ceramide that increases cellular permeability and prevents degradation by ceramidases in the circulatory system. Combining sorafenib and liposomal ceramide increased rates of apoptosis (by 9 fold) and decreased cellular proliferation (by 16 fold) compared to control cells. The combined treatment resulted in a significant reduction in tumor development compared to single agents alone. Specifically, the drug combination led to a 30% reduction in tumor development compared to sorafenib treatment alone and a 58% decrease in tumor size compared to liposomal ceramide treatment. This combination of agents is also effective at inhibiting breast cancer tumor development to a similar extent. Thus, targeted inhibition of the MAP kinase and Akt signaling cascades using sorafenib and liposomal ceramide has potential to more effectively inhibit melanoma and breast cancer development than either agent alone.
Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy and JC virus genotypes in West African patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome : A pathologic and DNA sequence analysis of 4 cases

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy is caused by polyomavirus JC in immunosuppressed patients. JC virus genotypes are identified by sequence analysis of the viral genome. Despite the prevalence of AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa few cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy have been reported from this region. Here the authors describe four African cases and provide an analysis of viral genotypes. Immunohistochemical staining by labeled streptovidin-biotin for capsid protein antigen was performed on all cases. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of viral genomic deoxyribonucleic acid was followed by direct cycle sequencing. JC virus type 3 was identified in 2 cases and type 6 was isolated in 1 case. The viral regulatory region from 1 case showed an uncommon rearrangement pattern. Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in West African patients with AIDS is caused by African genotypes of JC virus (types 3 and 6). The prevalence of disease in this autopsy series from sub-Saharan Africa (1.5%) was less than has been reported from Europe and the US (4% to 10%) and may be partly due to biological differences in JC virus genotypes. Further studies will be needed to confirm this observation. (authors)
Abuse, sexual, of children

Child sexual abuse refers to a diverse set of behaviors in which an individual engages a child in sexual activity. Though establishing exact estimates of the prevalence of child sexual abuse is difficult, incidents have been documented across diverse contexts. Individuals who experience sexual abuse in childhood are at an increased risk for a number of negative psychological and behavioral health outcomes. Given the widespread nature of this problem, further research is needed to clarify the prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes of child sexual abuse, particularly in countries outside of North America and Europe. Keywords: abuse; children; maltreatment
Consumer Brand Loyalty

The concept of brand loyalty is reviewed from a theory-based applied perspective based on a growing body of work in the academic community that has only recently found its way into nonacademic works. Although other conceptualizations have been suggested, a four-phased model is used here as a guiding framework whereby loyalty is viewed as consisting of intermediate steps with distinct markers. Each of the stages, namely, cognitive, affective, conative, and action inertia, is defined, explained from a conceptual perspective, and entertained as a potential vulnerability to switching incentives. This framework is augmented with the addition of social support referred to as community. Lastly, the role of satisfaction in loyalty formation is explored in addition to the relationship between loyalty and profit. Keywords: brand loyalty; loyalty phases; loyalty vulnerabilities; switching incentives; loyalty programs; brand community; profit relations
The Art of Measurement: Theory and Practice

1. A Philosophical Viewpoint. The "Ultimate" Measurement. The Mindset of Measuring. Measurement Quality. Attributes of the Measurement Model. Bibliography on Our World Geometry. 2. The Measurement Model. The Optimum Number of Parameters. Various Parameter Attributes. Example: DC Battery Resistance. Example: Control System Loop Gain. Example: Modes of Vibration. Example: GPS Navigation System. Summary. Bibliography on Modeling Examples. 3. Measurements as Random Variables. Prologue on Uncertainty. Introduction to Probability Theory. Probability Theory-Extended. Example: A Noisy Measurement. Example: A Noisy Measurement with Bias. Discrete or Quantized Random Variables. PDFs for Mixed Random Variables. Some Matrices in Probability Theory. Summary. Bibliography on Probability Theory. 4. Estimating Parameter Values. To Measure Is to Estimate. The Concept of Abstract Metric Spaces. Example: Single-Pole Transfer Function. The Least-Squares Estimate. Maximum Likelihood Estimation. Estimation Using Bayes Theorem. Sequential Estimation. The Kalman Filter. General Comments on Estimation Methods. Summary of Estimation Techniques. Bibliography on Estimation Theory. 5. A Few Examples in More Detail. Preview of Four Examples. Measuring the DC Resistance of a Battery. Closed-Loop Control System Measurements. Vibration Modes of Mechanical Structures. GPS Navigation System. Summary of Four Measurement Examples. Appendix A. Review of Basic Mathematical Tools. Preview. The Fourier Transform. The Laplace Transform. Matrix Algebra. Abstract Vector Spaces. Bibliography on Mathematical Tools. Appendix B. Derivation of GPS Navigation Equations. Glossary of Technical Words and Concepts. Index.
Functional polymers and sequential copolymers by phase transfer catalysis

Two new synthetic methods for the preparation of functional polymers containing 2-oxazoline pendant groups are presented. The first one consists on the phase transfer catalyzed etherification of 2-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-2-oxazoline with a mixture of m- and p-chloromethylstyrene to provide, after separation, m- and p-vinylbenzyl ethers of 2-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-2-oxazoline. Both monomers can be polymerized by a radical mechanism to provide polystyrene containing 2-oxazoline pendant groups. The second method represents a phase transfer catalyzed etherification of a poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) containing pendant bromomethyl groups with 2-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-2-oxazoline. Incomplete etherification of the bromobenzyl groups in this case, leads to the first example of a functional polymer containing not only cationically polymerizable heterocycles, but also their own cationic initiator as pendant groups.
Phenotypic Suppression by Aminoglycoside Antibiotics of Mutations Blocking Erythromycin Biosynthesis in Saccharopolyspora erythraea

Abstract The presence of a sublethal amount of apramycin, the aminoglycoside antibiotic used as a selectable marker in transformations of Saccharopolyspora erythraea with pKC505 and related plasmids, was found to suppress phenotypically the S. erythraea eryB25 and eryB26 mutations blocking erythromycin biosynthesis in this organism, probably by the effect of mistranslation.
Growth of fundamental groups and isoembolic volume and diameter

Some properties of fundamental groups of Riemannian manifolds M will be studied without a lower bound assumption on Ricci curvature. The main method is to relate the local packing to global packing instead of using the Bishop-Gromov relative volume comparison. This method allows us to control the volume growth of the universal cover M and yields bounds on the number of generators of π 1 (M) in terms of some isoembolic geometric invariants of M.
Biased Voting and the Democratic Primary Problem

Inspired by the recent Democratic National Primary, we consider settings in which the members of a distributed population must balance their individual preferences over candidates with a requirement to quickly achieve collective unity. We formalize such settings as the "Democratic Primary Problem" (DPP) over an undirected graph, whose local structure models the social influences acting on individual voters. After contrasting our model with the extensive literature on diffusion in social networks (in which a force towards collective unity is usually absent), we present the following series of technical results: An impossibility result establishing exponential convergence time for the DPP for a broad class of local stochastic updating rules, which includes natural generalizations of the well-studied "voter model" from the diffusion literature (and which is known to converge in polynomial time in the absence of differing individual preferences). A new simple and local stochastic updating protocol whose convergence time is provably polynomial on any instance of the DPP. This new protocol allows voters to declare themselves "undecided", and has a temporal structure reminiscent of periodic polling or primaries. An extension of the new protocol that we prove is an approximate Nash equilibrium for a game-theoretic version of the DPP.
Physiology of F-pilin synthesis and utilization.

Abstract Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to study the synthesis and turnover of F-pilin in membrane preparations of Escherichia coli K-12 under conditions which have been reported to affect the production of F-pili. Incorporation of [35S]methionine into membrane F-pilin by cells in log phase was barely detectable at 25°C, but increased with temperature. The labeled pilin band was prominent in membranes from 37°C cultures and even more prominent if the growth temperature was raised to 42°C. The appearance of other tra products in the membranes was similarly temperature dependent. In cultures grown in glucose minimal medium at 37°C, the relative amount of membrane pilin and traT product synthesis remained unchanged from early log phase through early stationary phase; provision of glycerol or arabinose as a substitute carbon source had no obvious effect. Turnover of traT product and membrane F-pilin, as assessed in an Flac tra mutant strain which is incapable of elaborating pili, was not rapid. Both traT product and pilin subunits labeled in mid-log phase cells were still apparent in the membranes after growth of the cells to stationary phase. The relative amount of labeled pilin decreased with prolonged incubation in stationary phase, but the relative amount of traT product did not decrease even after the culture was incubated for 24 h. When wild-type Flac piliated cells were used, a similar result was obtained, but in this case, loss of F-pilin from the preparations could be acclerated by blending the cells. Although intermittent blending during culture growth caused a slow depletion of the labeled pilin pool, continuous blending resulted in the rapid disappearance of this pool from our preparations. Loss of other membrane polypeptides was not accelerated by our blending procedure, and blending did not affect the turnover of the pilin pool of the Flac tra mutant. Our data are consistent with a model in which pilin subunits are assembled transiently into pili, conserved by retraction, and made available for subsequent reassembly. Growth in 0.01% sodium dodecyl sulfate did not accelerate loss of pilin from the Flac strain compared with the Flac tra strain, and we suggest that in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate at this concentration, F-pili are not elaborated from cell surfaces.
Bactericidal activity of metal-mediated peroxide-ascorbate systems.

Model systems containing ascorbate, hydrogen peroxide, and divalent copper or cobalt have been shown to possess marked bactericidal activity. At equivalent concentrations, copper-containing systems were more bactericidal than the corresponding mixtures containing cobalt. Cobalt at concentrations below 10−4 M did not appreciably augment microbicidal activity, whereas systems containing copper at concentrations as low as 5 × 10−6 M were still capable of causing some bacterial death. Manganese was inactive. None of these systems was as potent as the well known myeloperoxidase-peroxide-halide system. The mechanisms of action of these systems are not as yet clear. The possibility that they function through the generation of superoxide (O2−), hydroxyl radical (OH·), or other free radicals was explored through the use of superoxide dismutase and several free radical scavengers. It seems likely at present that the two active metal-mediated systems function via separate mechanisms. The copper system acts with dehydroascorbate, whereas the cobalt system does not. Activity in the cobalt system appears to depend upon the generation of free radicals.
Redox regulation in the extracellular environment

The oxidizing nature of the extracellular environment is vastly different from the highly reducing nature of the intracellular compartment. The redox potential of the cytosolic compartment of the intracellular environment limits disulfide bond formation, whereas the oxidizing extracellular environment contains proteins rich in disulfide bonds. If not for an extracellular antioxidant system to eliminate reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation would become excessive, resulting in cellular damage. Many reviews have focused on the role of intracellular antioxidants in the elimination of oxidative stress, but this one will focus on the coordinated action of both intracellular and extracellular antioxidants in limiting cellular oxidant stress.
Modeling architectural design objectives in physically based space planning

Physically based space planning is a means for automating the conceptual design process by applying the physics of motion to space plan elements. This methodology provides for a responsive design process, which allows a designer to easily make decisions whose consequences immediately propagate throughout the design. It combines the speed of automated design methods with the flexibility of manual design methods, while adding a highly interactive quality and a sense of collaboration with the design itself. In our approach, the designer creates a space plan by specifying and modifying graphic design objectives rather than by directly manipulating primitive geometry. The plan adapts to the changing state of objectives by applying the physics of motion to its elements. For design objectives to affect a physically based space plan, they need to apply appropriate forces to space plan elements. Space planning can be separated into two problems, determining topological properties and determining geometric properties. Design objectives can then be categorized as topological or geometric objectives. Topological objectives influence the location of individual spaces, affecting how one space relates to another. Geometric objectives influence the size and shape of space boundaries, affecting the dimensions of individual walls. This paper focuses on how to model a variety of design objectives for use in a physically based space planning system. We describe how topological objectives, such as adjacency and orientation can be modeled to apply forces to space locations, and how geometric objectives, such as area, proportion, and alignment, can be modeled to apply forces to boundary edges.
Industrial Recruitment and Economic Development: A Comparative Analysis of Competing Midwestern States Using Perceptual Mapping

ABSTRACT In this study, perceptual mapping was used to identify the collective and individual positions of 10 competing midwestern states. The perceived position of the “ideal” state also was captured by the study's findings. Industrial real estate executives who were surveyed indicated that some states have positioned themselves strategically in terms of quality of life, whereas others are recognized because of their resources or pro-business environment. Some states appear better able to take advantage of their position, whereas others face development obstacles.
Corn syrup oligosaccharide effects on sucrose crystallization

The components of corn syrup (oligosaccharides with different degrees of polymerization) have long been hypothesized to have different effects on sucrose crystallization. Corn syrups were fractionated to produce four fractions, each containing a different range of oligosaccharides. Each fraction decreased the solubility concentration of sucrose to the same extent as the original corn syrup, except for the lowest DP fraction which caused a lower sucrose solubility in water. Each fraction also reduced the growth rate of sucrose crystals compared to the pure system. How ever, at equivalent molar levels, all corn syrup fractions had the same effects on reducing crystal growth.
Changes in dietary or eating behavior in frontotemporal dementia versus Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Changes in dietary or eating behavior are common in dementia and may help distinguish between different dementing illnesses. Objective: To evaluate and characterize differences in dieta...
Instabilities of nanoscale patterned metal films

We consider the evolution and related instabilities of thin metal films liquefied by laser pulses. The films are patterned by large-scale perturbations and we discuss how these perturbations influence the dynamics. In the experiments, we find that the considered thin films dewet, leading to the formation of primary and secondary drops, with the locations of the primary ones coinciding with the original perturbations. Based on the results of the fully nonlinear time-dependent simulations, we discuss the details of the evolution leading to these patterns. Furthermore, in both experiments and simulations, we discuss the influence of the shape of the initial perturbations on the properties of the final patterns.
Brain events underlying detection and recognition of weak sensory signals

Through the use of a quantitative extension of signal detection theory, the brain events associated with the detection and recognition of weak acoustic signals were examined by recording brain event-related potentials. The early N100 componenet of the event-related potential varied only with detection, whereas the late P300 component varied with both detection and recognition. P300 amplitude accurately predicted recognition performance on a trial-by-trial basis. The results suggest that detection and recognition are partially concurrent processes in perception and demonstrate that the electrocortical events occurring during the perception of sensory stimuli are closely associated with both detection and recognition of these stimuli by the nervous system.
CORRELATIONS BETWEEN SCORES ON THE BRAZELTON NEONATAL ASSESSMENT SCALE, MEASURES OF NEWBORN SUCKING BEHAVIOR, AND BIRTH WEIGHT IN INFANTS BORN TO NARCOTIC ADDICTED MOTHERS

The Brazelton Neonatal Assessment Scale, consisting of 27 behavioral items and a short neurological examination, was administered to 22 infants born to mothers receiving methadone and to a control group of 11 infants without history of maternal narcotic addiction. Sucking performance was concurrently measured on 16 of the addict's babies. It was found that 10 of the behavioral items on the Brazelton Scale significantly discriminated between neonates born to narcotic addicted mothers and the controls. Correlations between the scores on these 10 Brazelton items and sucking measures(as for example rate of sucking) were computed. The correlations were highly significant (p<.001) and ranged from 0.53 to 0.66. Thus over a third of the variance in the Brazelton score could be explained in terms of variation in measures of sucking behavior. An unexpected finding was that both the sucking measures (r= 0.67, p<.001) and the Brazelton items (r=0.65, p<.001) were highly correlated with birthweight. We conclude that among infants born to mothers taking methadone, the severity of the neonatal withdrawal syndrome, as reflected in both these measures, is an inverse function of birthweight-with lower weight babies tending to be more behaviorally affected by maternal addiction.
An FPGA Design Space Exploration Tool for Matrix Inversion Architectures

Matrix inversion is a common function found in many algorithms used in wireless communication systems. As FPGAs become an increasingly attractive platform for wireless communication, it is important to understand the tradeoffs in designing a matrix inversion core on an FPGA. This paper describes a matrix inversion core generator tool, GUSTO, that we developed to ease the design space exploration across different matrix inversion architectures. GUSTO is the first tool of its kind to provide automatic generation of a variety of general purpose matrix inversion architectures with different parameterization options. GUSTO also provides an optimized application specific architecture with an average of 59% area decrease and 3X throughput increase over its general purpose architecture. The optimized architectures generated by GUSTO provide comparable results to published matrix inversion architecture implementations, but offer the advantage of providing the designer the ability to study the tradeoffs between architectures with different design parameters.
A Method for Standardizing Procedures in Rehabilitation: Use in the Extremity Constraint Induced Therapy Evaluation Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract Morris DM, Taub E, Macrina DM, Cook EW, Geiger BF. A method for standardizing procedures in rehabilitation: use in the Extremity Constraint Induced Therapy Evaluation multisite randomized controlled trial. Objective An enduring problem in the field of rehabilitation has been the lack of standardization in the protocols of treatments and tests. To develop a process evaluation method to standardize the administration of rehabilitation procedures used in the Extremity Constraint Induced Therapy Evaluation (EXCITE) Trial, a randomized controlled trial of upper-extremity constraint-induced therapy implemented across 7 sites. Design Process evaluation. Setting Research laboratory. Participants Convenience sample or research personnel. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Checklist scoring sheets were developed to rate videotapes using systematic application of prescribed steps for each of 5 procedures across 3 time periods. Time periods were immediately after training, and 1 and 2 years later. A performance score of at least 90% was required before individual research personnel were allowed to participate in the trial. Results Overall performance scores ranged from 85.8% to 95% of performance items correctly executed. There was a significant improvement in standard performance of procedures between the first time period (immediately after training) and each of the subsequent time periods for all but 1 procedure. The scoring of standardized performance when carried out with routine participant testing and training did not differ significantly from scoring from videotaped sessions submitted for standardization rating for 2 of the procedures, suggesting adequate validity of scoring from videotape. Conclusions The present method was successful in assessing protocol fidelity for the EXCITE research personnel and represents 1 means of addressing the longstanding problem in rehabilitation of the lack of standardization in administering different treatments and tests.
Lying on Job Applications: The Effects of Job Relevance, Commission, and Human Resource Management Experience

This research examined three factors related to misrepresentations on job applications: the job relevance of the information, the effects of overt misrepresentation compared to omission, and the impact of human resource (HR) management experience. Dependent measures included the extent to which misrepresentations were perceived as lies and influenced hiring intentions. In general, higher job relevance and overt misrepresentations increased the perception of misrepresentations as lies and decreased the hiring intentions. Further, persons with HR management experience were less likely to see misrepresentations as lies and more likely to hire applicants. Implications for future research and managerial practice are discussed.
Onset of cell-specific gene expression in the developing mouse pancreas.

Abstract A central question in developmental biology has been the initiation of cell-specific gene expression and its temporal relationship to morphogenesis. We have coupled embryo microdissection with the exquisite sensitivity of the polymerase chain reaction to define the onset of cell-specific gene expression during pancreatic organogenesis. Using the precise assignment of gestational age by the number of somites in each embryo, we determined the onset of transcription of major genes of the endocrine and exocrine pancreas during mouse development to within 2-3 hr. Somatostatin mRNA was detected at the 10-somite stage throughout the foregut, consistent with the presence of somatostatin-producing cells throughout the adult gut. Mature mRNA for insulin and glucagon first appears surprisingly early, at the 20-somite stage in the wall of the embryonic foregut and is restricted to only the area of the duodenum from which the pancreas will arise 10-12 hr later. In contrast, exocrine gene transcription begins 24 hr after formation of the pancreatic diverticulum. Thus cell-specific gene expression in the endocrine pancreas begins in a "pre-morphogenetic phase." This early expression of insulin and glucagon could reflect the initiation of an endocrine cell lineage.
Effects of human SAMHD1 polymorphisms on HIV-1 susceptibility

SAMHD1 is a human restriction factor that prevents efficient infection of macrophages, dendritic cells and resting CD4+ T cells by HIV-1. Here we explored the antiviral activity and biochemical properties of human SAMHD1 polymorphisms. Our studies focused on human SAMHD1 polymorphisms that were previously identified as evolving under positive selection for rapid amino acid replacement during primate speciation. The different human SAMHD1 polymorphisms were tested for their ability to block HIV-1, HIV-2 and equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). All studied SAMHD1 variants block HIV-1, HIV-2 and EIAV infection when compared to wild type. We found that these variants did not lose their ability to oligomerize or to bind RNA. Furthermore, all tested variants were susceptible to degradation by Vpx, and localized to the nuclear compartment. We tested the ability of human SAMHD1 polymorphisms to decrease the dNTP cellular levels. In agreement, none of the different SAMHD1 variants lost their ability to reduce cellular levels of dNTPs. Finally, we found that none of the tested human SAMHD1 polymorphisms affected the ability of the protein to block LINE-1 retrotransposition.
Network-based imaging system for the OMEGA laser system

The network-based imaging system, designed for platform independence, uses standard hardware and software to provide optimal flexibility, compatibility, longevity, and reliability. The alignment system described in this article was one of the first and most indispensable tools implemented in the development of the OMEGA upgrade project and has been in continuous daily operation for several years.
Discrepancies in dermatopathology diagnoses: The role of second review policies and dermatopathology fellowship training

Background Expert consultation and institutional policies mandating second review of pathologic diagnoses in the course of referral have been advocated to optimize patient care. Objective We sought to investigate the rate of diagnostic discrepancies between pathologists with and without dermatopathology fellowship training. Methods All available outside pathology reports were reviewed for material sent to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Dermatopathology Unit during 1 year. The outside diagnosis was compared with the diagnosis rendered by the referral dermatopathology service. Cases were assigned into 1 of 4 categories: melanocytic neoplasm, nonmelanocytic neoplasm, inflammatory, and other. For each case, the outside pathologist's level of dermatopathology training was noted. Any change in diagnosis resulting in significant alteration in therapy or prognosis, as dictated by the accepted standard of care, was considered a major discrepancy. Results A total of 405 cases were reviewed. In 51 cases (13%), no preliminary diagnosis was rendered at the outside facility. The referral diagnosis differed from the outside diagnosis in 226 cases (56%), and major discrepancies were identified in 91 cases (22%). Of these 91 cases, 84 were received from outside pathologists who were not dermatopathology trained and 7 were received from pathologists with dermatopathology training. The 91 cases with major discrepancies were categorized as: 36 nonmelanocytic neoplasms (40%), 30 inflammatory (33%), 23 melanocytic neoplasms (25%), and 2 other (2%). Limitations This was a retrospective study limited to 2 consultant dermatopathologists at an academic referral center, which typically receives and reviews select cases. Conclusion Dermatopathology fellowship training is associated with a substantial decrease in major diagnostic discrepancies. Pathologists without dermatopathology fellowship training tend to successfully identify those cases for which expert consultation is most useful.
Spleen transcriptome response to infection with avian pathogenic Escherichia coli in broiler chickens

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is detrimental to poultry health and its zoonotic potential is a food safety concern. Regulation of antimicrobials in food-production animals has put greater focus on enhancing host resistance to bacterial infections through genetics. To better define effective mechanism of host resistance, global gene expression in the spleen of chickens, harvested at two times post-infection (PI) with APEC, was measured using microarray technology, in a design that will enable investigation of effects of vaccination, challenge, and pathology level. There were 1,101 genes significantly differentially expressed between severely infected and non-infected groups on day 1 PI and 1,723 on day 5 PI. Very little difference was seen between mildly infected and non-infected groups on either time point. Between birds exhibiting mild and severe pathology, there were 2 significantly differentially expressed genes on day 1 PI and 799 on day 5 PI. Groups with greater pathology had more genes with increased expression than decreased expression levels. Several predominate immune pathways, Toll-like receptor, Jak-STAT, and cytokine signaling, were represented between challenged and non-challenged groups. Vaccination had, surprisingly, no detectible effect on gene expression, although it significantly protected the birds from observable gross lesions. Functional characterization of significantly expressed genes revealed unique gene ontology classifications during each time point, with many unique to a particular treatment or class contrast. More severe pathology caused by APEC infection was associated with a high level of gene expression differences and increase in gene expression levels. Many of the significantly differentially expressed genes were unique to a particular treatment, pathology level or time point. The present study not only investigates the transcriptomic regulations of APEC infection, but also the degree of pathology associated with that infection. This study will allow for greater discovery into host mechanisms for disease resistance, providing targets for marker assisted selection and advanced drug development.
Managing market relationships

The ability of a firm to create and maintain relationships with their most valuable customers is a durable basis for a competitive advantage. To keep this edge over rivals, who continually try to attract these customers away, a firm has to master the three elements of a market-relating capability. First, a relationship orientation must pervade the mind-set, values, and norms of the organization. Second, the firm must keep deepening its knowledge of these customers and putting it to work throughout the organization. Third, the key processes must be internally integrated and externally aligned with the corresponding processes of the firm's customers.
Identification of a region on the outer surface of the CBFβ-SMMHC myeloid oncoprotein assembly competence domain critical for multimerization

In the core binding factor (CBF)beta-smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (SMMHC) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) oncoprotein, CBFbeta lies N-terminal to the alpha-helical rod domain of SMMHC. Deletion of the SMMHC assembly competence domain (ACD), conserved among skeletal, smooth and nonmuscle myosins, prevents multimerization, inhibition of CBF and inhibition of cell proliferation. To define the amino acids critical for ACD function, three outer surface residues of ACD helices A-D, the subsequent helices E-H or the more N-terminal X or Z helices were now mutated. Variants were assessed for multimerization in low ionic strength in vitro and for nuclear localization as a measure of in vivo multimerization. Mutation of individual helices C-H reduced multimerization, with alteration of the outer surface of helices D or E having the greatest effect. The ability of these SMMHC variants to slow murine myeloid progenitor proliferation largely paralleled their effects on multimerization. Divergence at the boundaries of the ACD may reflect quantitative differences between in vitro and in vivo filament assembly. Each helix mutant retained the ability to bind the mSin3A corepressor. Agents interacting with the outer surface of the CBFbeta-SMMHC ACD that prevent multimerization may be effective as novel therapeutics in AML.