cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Preventable causes of cancer in Texas by race/ethnicity: insufficient physical activity.

Background According to the 2018 Third Expert Report from the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research, there is strong evidence that physical activity of all types and intensities protects against colon, endometrial and breast cancers. We aimed to estimate the percentage and number of incident cancer cases diagnosed in Texas in 2015 that were attributable to insufficient physical activity, and we examined for differences across racial/ethnic subgroups to reveal important causes of and potential avenues for reductions to cancer health disparities. Methods We calculated population attributable fractions for cancers attributable to insufficient physical activity using prevalence data from the Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and relative risk estimates associated with insufficient physical activity from prior studies. Cancer incidence data were gathered from the Texas Cancer Registry. Results Overall, approximately 2.0% of all new cancers or 2094 excess cancer cases diagnosed in 2015 in Texans aged ≥25 years were attributable to insufficient physical activity, with more cancers in women (3.2%) than in men (0.8%). Of all cancer sites, the highest population attributable fraction for insufficient physical activity was observed for endometrial cancers (21.7% compared with 12.7% for colon cancers, 10.9% for premenopausal breast cancers and 2.0% for postmenopausal breast cancers). Hispanics (2.6%) and non-Hispanic blacks (2.5%) had higher proportions of cancers attributable to insufficient physical activity than non-Hispanic whites (1.8%). Conclusions Public health programmes should stress physical activity as a means of cancer prevention, especially among minority groups, who may have disproportionately higher percentages of cancers attributable to insufficient physical activity.
COVID-19-Induced Pancytopenia in a Major Molecular Response CML Patient on Dasatinib: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has caused a global health crisis COVID-19 can have a multifaceted presentation, and a wide range of complications and outcomes may emerge based on the severity and comorbidities of the infected patient We report the case of a 42-year-old man with a history of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) on dasatinib (in major molecular response) who was diagnosed with COVID-19 and developed pancytopenia Our case report and review of available publications add to the limited literature available regarding COVID-19 in CML LEARNING POINTS: Our case report and review of the literature highlight the multifaceted response in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) patients to COVID-19 (respiratory symptoms, pancytopenia, severe haemolytic anaemia and haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, disseminated erythematous papular skin rash) The rates of intensive care unit admission and mechanical ventilation support, and lengths of hospital stay were lower in COVID-19 patients with CML receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) compared with an age, gender and comorbidity-matched control group Our case report and review of the literature suggest a possible protective effect of TKI therapy against COVID-19 in patients with CML
The Grating Era, 1930–1960

The Grating Era is rather an ill-defined period, since Rubens used them almost from the time of his first measurements in the far infrared, and they are still being used today in many commercial instruments. Thus, I will discuss principally the post-Rubens time, up to the advent of the modern interferometer and the laser. In actual time, that is from 1920 to 1960.
Mastitis, the continuing efforts towards control

In this review, presented at the 10th Congress of the World Association for Buiatrics (Mexico City, August 1978), the author deals with production losses and the cost of mastitis, and goes on to discuss machine milking management and the effects of various machine milking systems on the disease. Causative organisms and their transmission are reviewed, and disease diagnosis mentioned. Finally control of the disease is reviewed; the author stresses the value of dry-period treatment, in particular for streptococcal infection, and the need for hygiene and the use of teat-dips in any control programme.
IκB Kinase-β Regulates Neutrophil Recruitment Through Activation of STAT3 Signaling in the Esophagus.

Background & Aims The epithelial barrier is the host’s first line of defense against damage to the underlying tissue. Upon injury, the epithelium plays a critical role in inflammation. The IκB kinase β (IKKβ)/nuclear factor-κB pathway was shown to be active in the esophageal epithelium of patients with esophageal disease. However, the complex mechanisms by which IKKβ signaling regulates esophageal disease pathogenesis remain unknown. Our prior work has shown that expression of a constitutively active form of IKKβ specifically in esophageal epithelia of mice (IkkβcaEsophageal Epithelial Cell-Knockin (EEC-KI)) is sufficient to cause esophagitis. Methods We generated ED-L2/Cre;Rosa26-Ikkβca+/L;Stat3L/L (IkkβcaEEC-KI;Stat3Esophageal Epithelial Cell Knockout (EEC-KO)) mice, in which the ED-L2 promoter activates Cre recombinase in the esophageal epithelium, leading to constitutive activation of IKKβ and loss of Stat3. Esophageal epithelial tissues were collected and analyzed by immunostaining, RNA sequencing, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assays, flow cytometry, and Western blot. IkkβcaEEC-KI mice were treated with neutralizing antibodies against interleukin (IL)23p19 and IL12p40. Results Here, we report that IkkβcaEEC-KI mice have increased activation of epithelial Janus kinase 2/STAT3 signaling. Stat3 deletion in IkkβcaEEC-KI mice attenuated the neutrophil infiltration observed in IkkβcaEEC-KI mice and resulted in decreased expression of genes related to immune cell recruitment and activity. Blocking experiments in IkkβcaEEC-KI mice showed that STAT3 activation and subsequent neutrophil recruitment are dependent on IL23 secretion. Conclusions Our study establishes a novel interplay between IKKβ and STAT3 signaling in epithelial cells of the esophagus, where IKKβ/IL23/STAT3 signaling controls neutrophil recruitment during the onset of inflammation. GEO accession number: GSE154129.
Osteosarcoma of the Pelvis

Osteosarcoma of the pelvis is a relatively rare entity with overall poor prognosis and survival. Patients often present with advance disease and metastasis due to delays in diagnosis secondary to pelvic anatomy and symptoms associated with common orthopedic conditions. Treatment consists of chemotherapy and surgical resection. It is important to achieve a negative margin but due to location, proximity to viscera and neurovascular structures, and large tumor size at presentation, this is often challenging.
Development of the Pulmonary Basement Membrane Zone

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the structure, composition, and the development of the pulmonary basement membrane zone (BMZ). The (BMZ) is a mat-like sheet of specialized extracellular matrix (ECM) that serves as a complex interface between epithelia, peripheral nerves or muscle cells, and their surrounding tissue microenvironments. The basement membrane appears as three-component layers: the lamina lucida, the lamina densa and the lamina reticularis and together they make up the basal lamina. The development of the BMZ involves continuous growth of the lamina densa as the tissue grows. The type IV collagen and laminin are believed to spontaneously polymerize into networks that are joined together by entactin/nidogen. Proteoglycans are then added to this structure. This is an ongoing process and the cells involved are the adjacent epithelial or smooth muscle cells and the fibroblast layer on the other side of the BMZ. The lamina reticularis is formed postnatally, probably by the same cell types as the lamina densa, however, in contrast to the lamina densa, it does not stay at the same width, but increases in width.
Modern Instrumentation for Enhanced Information from Cetane Rating

Modern instrumentation has been installed in an ASTM D-613 cetane rating engine to provide the tools needed to investigate characteristics of combustion during the rating process. Detailed descriptions are given for sensors and their installation in measuring main- and pre-chamber dynamic pressures, injector pintle lift, injector inlet pressure, and crank shaft timing information. Sensor outputs are monitored with a computer based data acquisition system that employs a high speed processing oscilloscope and a personal computer. Both high speed and multiple cycle data are obtained and stored on diskette for further off-line processing. A detailed description of use of the instrumentation to simulate the cetane rating process and determine cetane numbers is provided.
In vivo addition of poly(A) tail and AU-rich sequences to the 3' terminus of the Sindbis virus RNA genome: a novel 3'-end repair pathway.

Alphaviruses are mosquito-transmitted RNA viruses that cause important diseases in both humans and livestock. Sindbis virus (SIN), the type species of the alphavirus genus, carries a 11.7-kb positive-sense RNA genome which is capped at its 5′ end and polyadenylated at its 3′ end. The 3′ nontranslated region (3′NTR) of the SIN genome carries many AU-rich motifs, including a 19-nucleotide (nt) conserved element (3′CSE) and a poly(A) tail. This 3′CSE and the adjoining poly(A) tail are believed to regulate the synthesis of negative-sense RNA and genome replication in vivo. We have recently demonstrated that the SIN genome lacking the poly(A) tail was infectious and that de novo polyadenylation could occur in vivo (K. R. Hill, M. Hajjou, J. Hu, and R. Raju, J. Virol. 71:2693–2704, 1997). Here, we demonstrate that the 3′-terminal 29-nt region of the SIN genome carries a signal for possible cytoplasmic polyadenylation. To further investigate the polyadenylation signals within the 3′NTR, we generated a battery of mutant genomes with mutations in the 3′NTR and tested their ability to generate infectious virus and undergo 3′ polyadenylation in vivo. Engineered SIN genomes with terminal deletions within the 19-nt 3′CSE were infectious and regained their poly(A) tail. Also, a SIN genome carrying the poly(A) tail but lacking a part or the entire 19-nt 3′CSE was also infectious. Sequence analysis of viruses generated from these engineered SIN genomes demonstrated the addition of a variety of AU-rich sequence motifs just adjacent to the poly(A) tail. The addition of AU-rich motifs to the mutant SIN genomes appears to require the presence of a significant portion of the 3′NTR. These results indicate the ability of alphavirus RNAs to undergo 3′ repair and the existence of a pathway for the addition of AU-rich sequences and a poly(A) tail to their 3′ end in the infected host cell. Most importantly, these results indicate the ability of alphavirus replication machinery to use a multitude of AU-rich RNA sequences abutted by a poly(A) motif as promoters for negative-sense RNA synthesis and genome replication in vivo. The possible roles of cytoplasmic polyadenylation machinery, terminal transferase-like enzymes, and the viral polymerase in the terminal repair processes are discussed.
Explanation-based manipulator learning

This paper describes a robot manipulator system under development which learns from observation. The system observes manipulator command sequences that solve problems currently beyond its own planning abilities. General problem-solving schemata are automatically constructed via a knowledge-based analysis of how the observed command sequence achieved the goal. The acquired schemata serve two purposes: they allow the system to solve problems that were previously unsolvable, and they aid in the understanding of later observations.
Using Curriculum-Based Assessment Data to Make Instructional Decisions

This article describes the essential features of curriculum-based assessment (CBA) and provides suggestions for developing them. Special emphasis is placed on describing how teachers can use CBA results to place students into curriculum materials, adjust instruction based on their performance, and evaluate and communicate pupil progress.
Self-reported use of novel psychoactive substances in a US nationally representative survey: Prevalence, correlates, and a call for new survey methods to prevent underreporting

BACKGROUND: In recent years, there has been an increase in emergence and use of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) in the US and worldwide. However, there is little published epidemiological survey data estimating the prevalence of use in the US. METHOD: Data on self-reported NPS use came from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (2009-2013), a national representative sample of non-institutionalized individuals in the US. Subjects were asked to provide names of (non-traditional) drugs they used that they were not specifically asked about. We examined lifetime prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of self-reported use of new and uncommon synthetic drugs (NPS) among subjects ages 12-34-years-old. RESULTS: 1.2% of subjects self-reported any use of the 57 NPS we examined. Use of psychedelic tryptamines (primarily DMT) was most common, followed by psychedelic phenethylamines (e.g., 2C series) and synthetic cannabinoids. Prevalence of self-reported use of NPS increased from 2009 to 2013 and use was most common among males, whites, older subjects, those of lower income, and among those residing in cities. Lifetime use of various other illicit drugs (e.g., LSD, cocaine, ecstasy/MDMA) was highly prevalent among NPS users. CONCLUSION: This the first study reporting on use of a variety of NPS in a nationally representative US sample; however, use appears to be underreported as other national data suggest higher rates of NPS (e.g., synthetic cannabinoid) use. Developing more adaptable survey tools and systematically assessing NPS use would allow researchers to ask about hundreds of NPS and improve reporting as new drugs continue to rapidly emerge. Language: en
Male‐biased sex ratio of nonanadromous Oncorhynchus mykiss in a partially migratory population in California

– Differential rates of anadromy between males and females are common in partially migratory salmonid populations, but this pattern is not fully clear for Oncorhynchus mykiss (rainbow trout/steelhead) from the limited but mixed data available. In particular, there are very few data on sex ratios of juvenile and nonanadromous (resident) fish to help assess sex composition of various life stages and life-history types. We used a recently developed Y-chromosome genetic marker to assess sex ratio of stream-dwelling (i.e., juvenile and nonanadromous) O. mykiss in a small coastal basin in central California, USA. We analysed 384 samples collected from three contiguous study reaches over 3 years. Sex ratio was 1:1 among juvenile-sized O. mykiss (<150 mm) but highly male-skewed (83%) among nonanadromous-sized individuals (≥150 mm), and this sex ratio × size pattern did not differ among years or study reaches. Our results suggest that the rate of anadromy differs between males and females in this basin. Our study also demonstrates the application of new genetic markers to determine sex composition of immature and nonanadromous salmonids, which will help assess sex-specific life-history behaviour in partially migratory populations of O. mykiss and other species.
Gating Walls and Bridging Gaps: Validity in Language Teaching, Learning, and Assessment

Theoreticians and practitioners often speak as though classrooms and clinics were located outside the real world, but this is not so. The demand for the teaching, learning, and assessment of English language proficiency for international pilots and air traffic controllers is just one practical example touching almost everyone in the world that shows that contexts of actual language use are invariably in the real world just as learners and teachers are. From actual instances of discourse processing, in some cases with life or death consequences, it follows that judgments of validity, like those of ordinary truth, involve the dynamic interactions of persons, sign systems, and variable content in real contexts. Studies of so-called task-based performance assessment (in various forms and by other names) afford many ways to connect teaching, learning, and assessment. The authenticity, representativeness, and consequent generalizability of teaching, learning, and assessment tasks depends on their incorporation of the sign systems, social actions, and realia found in actual contexts of discourse. While codes, contexts, and interactions must be distinguished in theory, in practice they interact holistically. Our theories need to accommodate and account for the synergistic interactions.
Photoreceptor-Bipolar Cell Transmission in the Perfused Retina Eyecup of the Mudpuppy

The hypothesis that a synaptic transmitter is released by photoreceptors in the dark is supported by experiments in which cobalt was used as a synaptic blocking agent, while intracellular recordings of receptors and neurons that are directly postsynaptic to receptors were maintained. In the dark the depolarizing bipolars are hyperpolarized, whereas the hyperpolarizing bipolars are depolarized.
TLR2 and TLR4 agonists stimulate unique repertoires of host resistance genes in murine macrophages: interferon-β-dependent signaling in TLR4-mediated responses

That TLRs share a common MyD88-dependent signaling pathway which results in the generation of nuclear DNA-binding proteins, such as NF-κB, is a well-accepted paradigm. However, studies from our lab...
A cost-utility analysis of misoprostol prophylaxis for rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs.

Objective. To determine the cost-utility of low-dose misoprostol prophylaxis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Methods. Prospectively collected, population-ased data on 57 RA patients' preferences (obtained using the category scaling and time trade-off techniques), charge data from a consecutive, populationbased cohort of 36 RA patients with NSAID-related gastric ulcer, and literature-derived probability estimates were incorporated into a decision analysis model. Results. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis using 10,000 Monte Carlo simulations demonstrated that, on average, prophylaxis resulted in modest additional costs and no additional quality-of-life benefits. At best, the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year gained was $9,333. At worst, prophylaxis reduced quality of life. Prophylaxis was cost-saving if the ulcer complication rate was > 1.5%, or if the 3-month price of misoprostol was ≤$95. Conclusion. Whereas prophylaxis may be costsaving among high-risk NSAID users, from some patients' perspective, it reduces quality of life. Although these data may not be generalizable to other clinical populations, they illustrate the importance of incorporating patient preferences into economic evaluations.
Nonlinear regression-based method for pseudoenhancement correction in CT colonography

In CT colonography (CTC), orally administered positive-contrast tagging agents are often used for differentiating residual bowel contents from native colonic structures. However, tagged materials can sometimes hyperattenuate observed CT numbers of their adjacent untagged materials. Such pseudoenhancement complicates the differentiation of colonic soft-tissue structures from tagged materials, because pseudoenhanced colonic structures may have CT numbers that are similar to those of tagged materials. The authors developed a nonlinear regression-based (NLRB) method for performing a local image-based pseudoenhancement correction of CTC data. To calibrate the correction parameters, the CT data of an anthropomorphic reference phantom were correlated with those of partially tagged phantoms. The CTC data were registered spatially by use of an adaptive multiresolution method, and untagged and tagged partial-volume soft-tissue surfaces were correlated by use of a virtual tagging scheme. The NLRB method was then optimized to minimize the difference in the CT numbers of soft-tissue regions between the untagged and tagged phantom CTC data by use of the Nelder-Mead downhill simplex method. To validate the method, the CT numbers of untagged regions were compared with those of registered pseudoenhanced phantom regions before and after the correction. The CT numbers were significantly different before performing the correction (p<0.01), whereas, after the correction, the difference between the CT numbers was not significant. The effect of the correction was also tested on the size measurement of polyps that were covered by tagging in phantoms and in clinical cases. In phantom cases, before the correction, the diameters of 12 simulated polyps submerged in tagged fluids that were measured in a soft-tissue CT display were significantly different from those measured in an untagged phantom (p<0.01), whereas after the correction the difference was not significant. In clinical cases, before the correction, the diameters of 29 colonoscopy-confirmed 3–14 mm polyps affected by tagging that were measured in a soft-tissue CT display were significantly different from those measured in a lung CT display (p<0.0001) or in colonoscopy (p<0.05), whereas after the correction the difference was not significant. Finally, the effect of the correction was tested on automated detection of 25 polyps ≥6 mm affected by tagging in 56 clinical CTC cases. The application of the correction increased the detection accuracy from 60% with 5.0 FP detections per patient without correction to 96% with 2.9 FP detections with correction. This improvement in detection accuracy was statistically significant (p<0.05). The results indicate that the proposed NLRB method can yield an accurate pseudoenhancement correction with potentially significant benefits in clinical CTC examinations.
Translational and pretranslational regulation of protein synthesis by amino acid availability in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes

Abstract Protein synthesis is Inhibited in both rat liver and isolated rat bepatocytes following deprivation of single essential amino acids. The aim of the present study was to define the time course of changes in peptide-chain initiation, albumin synthesis, and albumin mRNA following histiaine deprivation and the reversal of these changes in response to readdition of the deprived amino acid. A further aim was to ascertain whether there was an accommodation of the inhibition of initiation following long-term amino acid deprivation. Primary cultures of rat bepatocytes were maintained in serum-free medium containing either all ammo acids (complete medium) or all except histidine. Synthesis of total protein was reduced to 34% of control values following 48 hr of histidine deprivation and was restored to control values within 1 hr of addition of complete medium to prised cells. These changes in protein synthesis were due to translational regulation involving initiation. No accommodation of the inhibition was observed following long-term deprivation of histidine as has been observed under other conditions of cellular stress. The synthesis of albs was reduced to a greater extent than that of total protein, and required 72 br to recover to control values following return to complete medium. These changes in albumin synthesis were due to a combination of altered initiation and a mechanism involves pretranslatioul regulation as evidenced by corresponding alterations in albinnin mRNA. The ruts show that amino acid availability controls protein synthesis in fiver cells through both translational and pretranslational mechanisms.
Regulation of gene expression in adult rat hepatocytes cultured on a basement membrane matrix

Freshly isolated adult rat hepatocytes, when cultured on type I collagen (commercially available as Vitrogen), assume a polygonal shape, form a stable monolayer within 24 hours, but lose the capacity to express some liver-specific functions over time in culture. We incubated hepatocytes in a serum-free medium on a reconstituted basement membrane gel, "matrigel" (prepared from an extract of extracellular matrix of the murine Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm sarcoma), and observed that the cells adhered firmly, remained rounded as single cells or clusters, and maintained liver-specific gene expression for more than 1 week in vitro. Hepatocytes on matrigel secreted substantially higher amounts of albumin, transferrin, haptoglobin, and hemopexin, Northern blot analyses of extracted cellular RNA, expressed increased amounts of mRNA for the liver-specific protein albumin (as compared with cells on vitrogen). In cultures treated with phenobarbital, cytochrome P-450b, and cytochrome P-450e, mRNAs and proteins were barely detectable in cells on Vitrogen but were induced to levels similar to those in the liver in vivo in matrigel cultures. Likewise, the use of matrigel greatly enhanced the induction of mRNA and protein for P-450c by 3-methylcholanthrene and for P-450p by steroidal and nonsteroidal inducers. However, neither substratum permitted induction of P-450d by 3-methylcholanthrene, suggesting that the effects of matrigel are selective even for expression in liver of members of the superfamily of cytochrome P-450 genes. Within 5 days in cultures on Vitrogen, hepatocytes expressed detectable amounts of fetal liver aldolase activity and also mRNA for vimentin and type I collagen, each considered a phenotypic change reflecting hepatocyte "dedifferentiation." None of these was present in cells on matrigel. Responsiveness to mitogenic stimuli, as judged by incorporation of 3H-thymidine into DNA, was also decreased in hepatocytes cultured on matrigel. Finally, there was a remarkable increase in the levels of both matrices during the first 2 days in culture. However, the continuously cytoskeleton mRNA over time in culture than did the rounded cells on matrigel. We conclude that hepatocytes cultured on matrigel, as opposed to the standard collagen, exhibit remarkably enhanced expression of many liver-specific functions.
PSEUDOFOLLICULITIS BARBAE. 2. TREATMENT

Pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) is a minor disease affecting essentially only and almost all Negroes who shave. It results from transepidermal or transfollicular penetration by sharp incurving beard hairs. Because of a continued requirement by the U.S. Army for clean-shaven faces, a significant racial furor and hostility has been aroused, and definitive medical care has been difficult to achieve. The disease can be cured only by complete cessation of shaving but it can be adequately controlled in most patients by carefully shaving the hairs neither too close nor too long and by meticulous lifting out of penetrating hairs.
State income tax reciprocity agreements and small businesses

Purpose – Small businesses play a vital role in job creation and economic growth, and previous studies have noted that higher state tax rates may reduce entrepreneurial activity, growth, and hiring. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, the authors use a 1989-2005 panel of state-level data to explore the effects of state income tax reciprocity agreements on several measures of small business activity. Since a reciprocity agreement exempts non-resident income from a state's personal income tax base, it has the potential to reduce barriers to entrepreneurial activity and lower tax compliance costs. Findings – The results indicate that reciprocity agreements appear to have reduced the tax-rate sensitivity of entrepreneurial activity, which may lead to more small business and entrepreneurial activity in states with more active agreements, other factors constant. This suggests that personal income tax reciprocity agreements may be a credible policy tool to expand sm...
Performance of Combination Drug and Hygroscopic Excipient Submicrometer Particles from a Softmist Inhaler in a Characteristic Model of the Airways

Excipient enhanced growth (EEG) of inhaled submicrometer pharmaceutical aerosols is a recently proposed method intended to significantly reduce extrathoracic deposition and improve lung delivery. The objective of this study was to evaluate the size increase of combination drug and hygroscopic excipient particles in a characteristic model of the airways during inhalation using both in vitro experiments and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations. The airway model included a characteristic mouth-throat (MT) and upper tracheobronchial (TB) region through the third bifurcation and was enclosed in a chamber geometry used to simulate the thermodynamic conditions of the lungs. Both in vitro results and CFD simulations were in close agreement and indicated that EEG delivery of combination submicrometer particles could nearly eliminate MT deposition for inhaled pharmaceutical aerosols. Compared with current inhalers, the proposed delivery approach represents a 1–2 order of magnitude reduction in MT deposition. Transient inhalation was found to influence the final size of the aerosol based on changes in residence times and relative humidity values. Aerosol sizes following EEG when exiting the chamber (2.75–4.61 μm) for all cases of initial submicrometer combination particles were equivalent to or larger than many conventional pharmaceutical aerosols that frequently have MMADs in the range of 2–3 μm.
Demise of the Diamantina Dent

Abstract A new satellite-navigated survey line has shown that the most pronounced indentation in the outline of the western Sunda Trench off Sumatra, frequently the subject of tectonic speculation, was only an artifact of a single pre-satellite navigation survey line. This note is intended as a reminder that tectonic patterns can be no better than the data on which they are based.
Single-cue delay eyeblink conditioning is unrelated to awareness

We examined the importance of awareness for eyeblink conditioning by directly comparing singlecue delay eyeblink conditioning and single-cue trace eyeblink conditioning. During single-cue delay conditioning, participants who became aware of the stimulus contingencies early in the conditioning session conditioned no better than those who became aware later in the session or did not become aware. Thus, the level of awareness was unrelated to the overall level of conditioning across the session. In contrast, awareness of the stimulus contingencies early in the session predicted the success of single-cue trace conditioning. These data, together with earlier findings, show that awareness is irrelevant to single-cue delay eyeblink conditioning but is critical for single-cue trace eyeblink conditioning. The findings from the present study are related to previous findings for differential (CS+ and CS−) eyeblink conditioning and awareness.
Summary of the neural centroid TSP

This paper summarizes a new interpretation of the Hopfield- Tank model as it applies to the Planar Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). We demonstrate that the network solves the TSP in a 'centroidal' manner, that is, it provides tours that are similar to those obtained by the traditional centroid algorithm. The traditional centroid algorithm computes the center of mass of the cities and then orders the cities by the corresponding central angles. This algorithm gives excellent results on near-circular city configurations, and abysmal results on near-linear city configurations. We demonstrate that for up to 30 randomly generated cities the centroid results are very competitive with well known heuristics, such as the nearest city and 2-opt, but after about 40 cities the centroid algorithm produces poor results in comparison. We claim that this effect is inherent to the Hopfield-Tank model and explains why such networks do not scale up.
Educational Psychology and Mathematics Education: Potential for a New Symbiosis?

The field of mathematics education today is experiencing a radically fertile period, as seen in the rapid increase and proliferation of journals, books, professional societies and conferences, mono...
Use of simple analytic performance models for streaming data applications deployed on diverse architectures

Modern hardware is often heterogeneous. With heterogeneity comes multiple abstraction layers that hide underlying complex systems. This complexity makes quantitative performance modeling a difficult task. Designers of high-performance streaming applications for heterogeneous systems must contend with unpredictable and often non-generalizable models to predict performance of a particular application and hardware mapping. This paper outlines a computationally simple approach that can be used to model the overall throughput and buffering needs of a streaming application on heterogeneous hardware. The model presented is based upon a hybrid maximum flow and decomposed discrete queueing model. The utility of the model is assessed using a set of real and synthetic benchmarks with model predictions compared to measured application performance.
Executive Legislation and the Expansion of Presidential Power

The increased use of executive legislation in the absence of challenges from Congress or the Supreme Court has expanded the power of the president beyond constitutional bounds and poses a serious threat to our democracy. The author concludes that fears of the president becoming some type of dictator are overblown, but the tendency by modern presidents to use executive legislation to expand the scope of their power is especially dangerous considering that neither the Supreme Court nor Congress is very likely to challenge an executive order, rendering the most important check on presidential legislation virtually nonexistent.
False-positive lesions mimicking breast cancer on FDG PET and PET/CT.

OBJECTIVE. Incidental 18F-FDG-avid breast lesions are commonly encountered in patients with cancer who undergo staging PET/CT. This pictorial essay discusses breast lesions that show increased FDG activity, mimicking breast cancer, with biopsy-confirmed benign diagnosis. CONCLUSION. Acute and chronic inflammation, physiologic lactation, and benign breast masses, including silicone granuloma, fat necrosis, fibroadenoma, and postsurgical changes, may show increased FDG uptake on PET/CT. These conditions can often be differentiated from malignancy by correlative imaging, including mammography, sonography, or MRI.
Decrease in precipitation acidity resulting from decreased SO 2- 4 concentration

The effect of decreases in SO2 emissions on precipitation acidity has received much attention1–10, but there has been no direct quantification of how recent decreases in SO2 emissions in the northeastern and midwestern United States have affected precipitation acidity at a local site. Yet such quantification is an Simportant step in assessing the effectiveness of control measures for SO2 emissions. It is thought that recent decreases in SO2−4 concentration in precipitation at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF), New Hampshire, USA, result from decreases in SO2 emissions. The effect of the SO2−4 decrease on precipitation acidity is obscured by long-term trends in other ions, which also influence acidity. Here we show that, given the observed trends in concentration of other ions, the H+ concentration in 1983 would have been nearly two-thirds higher than the measured values if the SO2−4 concentration had not decreased.
Liganded Thyroid Hormone Receptor Induces Nucleosome Removal and Histone Modifications to Activate Transcription during Larval Intestinal Cell Death and Adult Stem Cell Development

Thyroid hormone (T3) plays an important role in regulating multiple cellular and metabolic processes, including cell proliferation, cell death, and energy metabolism, in vertebrates. Dysregulation of T3 signaling results in developmental abnormalities, metabolic defects, and even cancer. We used T3-dependent Xenopus metamorphosis as a model to study how T3 regulates transcription during vertebrate development. T3 exerts its metamorphic effects through T3 receptors (TR). TR recruits, in a T3-dependent manner, cofactor complexes that can carry out chromatin remodeling/histone modifications. Whether and how histone modifications change upon gene regulation by TR during vertebrate development is largely unknown. Here we analyzed histone modifications at T3 target genes during intestinal metamorphosis, a process that involves essentially total apoptotic degeneration of the simple larval epithelium and de novo development of the adult epithelial stem cells, followed by their proliferation and differentiation in...
A Method to Determine and Factors that Influence In Vivo Solubilization of Phosphates in Commercial Leghorn Hens

Abstract Experiments 1 and 2 were conducted to establish a technique for the recovery of dietary phosphates from commercial layer manure. Solutions of ethanol, 60% ethanol:40% water (vol/vol), 50% ethanol:50% water, 40% ethanol:60% water, and 100% water were tested to determine the efficacy of dicalcium phosphate recovery. Solutions containing 50% or greater ethanol were found to be most effective. Experiments 3 and 4 were conducted to determine factors that influence in vivo phosphate solubilization in commercial Leghorn hens. In Experiment 3, mono-dicalcium phosphate (Biofos®), di-monocalcium phosphate (Dynafos®), and tricalcium phosphate (Multifos®) were fed to layers at 1.67 and 3.3 g hen/d levels. In vivo phosphate solubilization was higher (P ≤ .05) for Biofos® and Dynafos® than for Multifos®. Dietary phosphate level did not consistently influence in vivo phosphate solubilization in hens. In Experiment 4, a 3 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement consisting of three types of phosphates (Biofos®, Dynafos®, and Multifos®), two dietary levels of added P (.3 and .6%), and two levels of dietary Ca (.88 and 3.75%) were used. In vivo phosphate solubilization decreased as Ca level was increased. In vivo solubilization of Multifos® was lower than Biofos® or Dynafos® at both dietary Ca levels tested. These results indicate that phosphate source and calcium level, but not phosphorus level, consistently influence in vivo solubilization of phosphates.
Upper airway collapsibility and patterns of flow limitation at constant end-expiratory lung volume.

The passive pharyngeal critical closing pressure (Pcrit) is measured using a series of pressure drops. However, pressure drops also lower end-expiratory lung volume (EELV), which independently affe...
In vitro translation and processing of human hepatoma cell (Hep G2) γ-glutamyl transpeptidase

Abstract Human hepatoma cell (Hep G2) γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GT), a 120 ka single-chain glycoprotein, is much larger than the expected precursor of the dimeric enzyme in other human tissues. However, the Hep G2 γ-GT mRNA encodes a 63 kDa peptide, similar to that of rat γ-GT mRNA product and to the predicted, unglycosylated precursor of the enzyme in human tissues. Translation in presence of dog pancreas microsomes results in processing of the 63 kDa to an 80 kDa core-glycosylated species which is subsequently cleaved to 58 and 22 kDa subunits resembling those in other human tissues. The unusually large Mr of γ-GT in Hep G2 would thus seem to be due to further glycosylation and processing in the Golgi. A deficiency of the processing protease is the most likely reason for the persistence of the single-chain form of γ-GT in Hep G2 cells.
PHYSICAL EXERCISE IN BREATHLESS SUBJECTS WITH PULMONARY EMPHYSEMA, INCLUDING A DISCUSSION OF CIGARETTE SMOKING.

Breathlessness on exertion limits the physical activity of patients with severe pulmonary emphysema to such an extent as to result in physical unfitness and muscle atrophy. Oxygen inhalation during a graded exercise program overcomes this handicap in some cases. In many others, restoration of diaphragmatic function during walking is required even with the use of oxygen. The technique of breathing training required for effective use of oxygen supported exercise is described. Elimination of a disordered breathing pattern in patients with obstructive pulmonary emphysema is shown to result in a more efficient alveolar ventilation, and a consequent increase in the capacity for exertion. Case histories of two patients with pulmonary emphysema are presented: in one, the oxygen supported exercise program resulted in increased exercise capacity associated with the development of physical fitness; in the other, a marked enhancement of exercise capacity took place as a result of mechanisms apparently similar to an athletic training process. A technique of non-irritant cigarette smoking is described. If tobacco smoke does not enter the lungs, the question is propounded: is there justification for an adamant position in respect to rejection of cigarette smoking? The study of methods of smoking without inhaling deserves more consideration than it has received.
Memory and personality: external versus internal locus of control and superficial organization in free recall

This research examined the effects of having both a semantic and a superficial perceptual category for organizing lists of words in free recall, and also examined the effects of a personality variable, locus of control, on susceptibility to superficial featuers. When given an option to encode both semantic adn superficial features, subjects with an external locus of control encoded the superficial features more extensively than internals; in addition, with this option externals showed poorer free recall. When only semantic cues were present, no difference in recall or clustering occurred between internals and externals. The data are interpreted in terms of differences in ease of distraction, with externals being less able to distinguish relevant semantic from less pertinent perceptual features.
Decreasing Bladed Disk Response With Dampers on a Few Blades: Part I—Optimization Algorithms and Blade-Only Dampers Applications

This two part paper focuses on the optimum placement of a limited number of dampers, i.e. fewer than the number of blades, on a bladed disk to induce the smallest possible amplitude of blade response with or without involuntary, random mistuning. Intentional mistuning is also considered as an option to reduce the amplitude of blade response and the pattern of two blade types (referred to as A and B blades) is then part of the optimization effort in addition to the location of the dampers on the disk.This first part focuses on the formulation and validation of dedicated algorithms for the selection of the damper locations and, when appropriate, of the intentional mistuning pattern. Given the limited number of dampers, there is a concern that the failure of one or several of them could lead to a sharp rise in blade response and this issue is addressed by including the possibility of damper failure in the optimization process to yield a fail-safe optimized solution. The high efficiency and accuracy of the optimization algorithms is assessed in comparison with computationally very demanding exhaustive search results.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Naming Speed and Reading: The Contribution of the Cognitive Neurosciences.

THIS TWO-PART ESSAY discusses how research in the developmental cognitive neurosciences can contribute to an understanding of the complex relations between various aspects of naming and reading processes. The first section reviews findings from both neuropsychological and reading research on letter-naming and general naming speed, and analyzes the methodological differences between discrete-trial and continuous naming formats. The findings taken together suggest that the relations between subprocesses change both with development and as the cognitive requirements for naming and reading tasks become more differentiated. Findings from a number of studies also suggest the existence of a naming-rate deficit that differentiates dyslexic from average and garden-variety poor readers; this deficit appears to persist well into middle childhood. The second section speculates more broadly about whether the relations between naming and reading deficits are causal or associative, and also about associations between deficits in naming speed and deficits in motoric speed. These associations could be explained by the existence of a connector variable common to some processes in both language and motoric domains, such as a hypothesized precise timing mechanism that may inhibit the ability of some dyslexic readers to achieve rapid processing.
Who’s Your Daddy? Legitimacy, Parody, and Soap Operas in Contemporary Constitutional Discourse

In this article, I explore parody as an alternative way to read contemporary constitutional discourse, providing extended examples from the work of noted constitutional theorist Ronald Dworkin and noted jurist Justice Antonin Scalia. Both Dworkin and Scalia have been widely read as seeking to defend the current legal regime in the United States, with particular emphasis placed on maintaining judicial legitimacy. I argue that such a reading of Dworkin and Scalia assumes a stable and widely accepted definition of legitimacy, which Critical Race Theorists and others have long contested. Turning to a contemporary soap opera (One Life to Live) for an example of parody being used to contest legitimacy, I offer an alternative, parodic reading of Dworkin and Scalia which contests rather than defends judicial legitimacy, to the end of fostering a better balance between dissent and consent in contemporary constitutional discourse.
Unconventional Myosins in Inner-Ear Sensory Epithelia

To understand how cells differentially use the dozens of myosin isozymes present in each genome, we examined the distribution of four unconventional myosin isozymes in the inner ear, a tissue that is particularly reliant on actin-rich structures and unconventional myosin isozymes. Of the four isozymes, each from a different class, three are expressed in the hair cells of amphibia and mammals. In stereocilia, constructed of cross-linked F-actin filaments, myosin-Iβ is found mostly near stereociliary tips, myosin-VI is largely absent, and myosin-VIIa colocalizes with crosslinks that connect adjacent stereocilia. In the cuticular plate, a meshwork of actin filaments, myosin-Iβ is excluded, myosin-VI is concentrated, and modest amounts of myosin-VIIa are present. These three myosin isozymes are excluded from other actin-rich domains, including the circumferential actin belt and the cortical actin network. A member of a fourth class, myosin-V, is not expressed in hair cells but is present at high levels in afferent nerve cells that innervate hair cells. Substantial amounts of myosins-Iβ, -VI, and -VIIa are located in a pericuticular necklace that is largely free of F-actin, squeezed between (but not associated with) actin of the cuticular plate and the circumferential belt. Our localization results suggest specific functions for three hair-cell myosin isozymes. As suggested previously, myosin-Iβ probably plays a role in adaptation; concentration of myosin-VI in cuticular plates and association with stereociliary rootlets suggest that this isozyme participates in rigidly anchoring stereocilia; and finally, colocalization with cross-links between adjacent stereocilia indicates that myosin-VIIa is required for the structural integrity of hair bundles.
A note on cost arrangement and market performance in a multi-product Cournot oligopoly

Abstract Model invariances have been used extensively to understand welfare and conduct consequences of firm heterogeneity in a one-product Cournot oligopoly. Nothing is known about the richer and more realistic context of firm heterogeneity in multi-product Cournot oligopoly. In this note, welfare in a two-product Cournot oligopoly is shown to increase (decrease) with an increase in correlation between unit costs when the outputs complement (substitute) in demand. A more qualified correlation structure is required for the result to apply in a three-product Cournot oligopoly when products complement in demand.
Zinc-finger nucleases transition to the CoDA.

Potent and easily produced custom zinc-finger nucleases will be game-changers for the field, at a time when the field itself is changing.