cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cancer-Associated Point Mutations in the DLC1 Tumor Suppressor and Other Rho-GAPs Occur Frequently and Are Associated with Decreased Function

In advanced cancer, the RHOA GTPase is often active together with reduced expression of genes encoding Rho-specific GTPase-accelerating proteins (Rho-GAP), which negatively regulate RHOA and related GTPases. Here we used the The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset to examine 12 tumor types (including colon, breast, prostate, pancreas, lung adenocarcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma) for the frequency of codon mutations of 10 Rho-GAP and experimentally tested biochemical and biological consequences for cancer-associated mutants that arose in the DLC1 tumor suppressor gene. DLC1 was the Rho-GAP gene mutated most frequently, with 5%-8% of tumors in five of the tumor types evaluated having DLC1 missense mutations. Furthermore, 20%-26% of the tumors in four of these five tumor types harbored missense mutations in at least one of the 10 Rho-GAPs. Experimental analysis of the DLC1 mutants indicated 7 of 9 mutants whose lesions were located in the Rho-GAP domain were deficient for Rho-GAP activity and for suppressing cell migration and anchorage-independent growth. Analysis of a DLC1 linker region mutant and a START domain mutant showed each was deficient for suppressing migration and growth in agar, but their Rho-GAP activity was similar to that of wild-type DLC1. Compared with the wild-type, the linker region mutant bound 14-3-3 proteins less efficiently, while the START domain mutant displayed reduced binding to Caveolin-1. Thus, mutation of Rho-GAP genes occurs frequently in some cancer types and the majority of cancer-associated DLC1 mutants evaluated were deficient biologically, with various mechanisms contributing to their reduced activity. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings indicate that point mutation of Rho-GAP genes is unexpectedly frequent in several cancer types, with DLC1 mutants exhibiting reduced function by various mechanisms.
Implicit Racial Attitudes and Self-Defense

Imagine you are a state legislator. Before you comes the following proposal to amend the state’s penal code: When a defendant is charged with murder and pleads self-defense, any belief he formed (at the moment he chose to use deadly force) that the use of deadly force was necessary to protect himself against deadly force is unreasonable if he would not have formed that belief but for an implicit racial attitude. How should you vote? I believe you should vote to table the proposal. The article explains why I believe you should vote that way.
PearProgram: A More Fruitful Approach to Pair Programming

In this paper we present PearProgram, a hybrid learning and research tool that helps introductory Computer Science (CS) students learn how to pair program, including in remote learning environments. Grounded in theory from the Learning Sciences, the tool -- a collaborative, online IDE -- has two primary goals: 1) to help introductory CS students achieve pair programming success; and 2) to research what factors contribute to pairs that have beneficial outcomes. We present our learnings from the use of PearProgram in three remote introductory CS courses: a CS1 course, and two large international courses, including one for high school students. Teacher and student users responded positively to PearProgram, and use of the tool was associated with beneficial learning outcomes in these online learning environments. Our research opens many future research directions for (remote) pair programming, and indicates practices that may prove useful for CS educators at all levels.
Suicide After Stroke in the United States Veteran Health Administration Population.

Abstract Objective To evaluate risk for suicide among veterans with a history of stroke, seeking care within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), we analyzed existing clinical data. Design This retrospective cohort study was approved and performed in accordance with the local Institutional Review Board. Veterans were identified via the VHA's Corporate Data Warehouse. Initial eligibility criteria included confirmed veteran status and at least 90 days of VHA utilization between fiscal years 2001-2015. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the association between history of stroke and suicide. Among those veterans who died by suicide, the association between history of stroke and method of suicide was also investigated. Setting VHA. Participants Veterans with at least 90 days of VHA utilization between fiscal years 2001-2015 (N=1,647,671). Data from these 1,647,671 veterans were analyzed (1,405,762 without stroke and 241,909 with stroke). Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Suicide and method of suicide. Results The fully adjusted model, which controlled for age, sex, mental health diagnoses, mild traumatic brain injury, and modified Charlson/Deyo Index (stroke-related diagnoses excluded), demonstrated a hazard ratio of 1.13 (95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.25; P=.02). The majority of suicides in both cohorts was by firearm, and a significantly larger proportion of suicides occurred by firearm in the group with stroke than the cohort without (81.2% vs 76.6%). Conclusions Findings suggest that veterans with a history of stroke are at increased risk for suicide, specifically by firearm, compared with veterans without a history of stroke. Increased efforts are needed to address the mental health needs and lethal means safety of veterans with a history of stroke, with the goal of improving function and decreasing negative psychiatric outcomes, such as suicide.
Development and validation of PROTEUS-NODAL transient analyses capabilities for molten salt reactors

Abstract This paper presents the PROTEUS-NODAL capabilities developed for modeling and simulation of molten salt reactors (MSRs) with flowing fuel. Steady-state and transient solvers were developed to solve the coupled neutron flux and delayed neutron precursor concentration equations for a given velocity field. A variational nodal solver for cylindrical geometries was also developed. For thermal feedback calculations, a standalone thermal-hydraulics solver for flowing fuel was implemented. Verification and validation tests were performed using the Molten Salt Fast Reactor (MSFR) benchmark and the available experimental data of the Molten Salt Reactor Experiments (MSRE). The MSFR solution of PROTEUS-NODAL agreed well with the open literature solutions for all transients. The PROTEUS-NODAL results for static and transient experiments of the MSRE were in good agreement with measured values. These results indicate that the PROTEUS-NODAL code can be used reliably for steady-state and transient analyses of fast and thermal spectrum MSRs.
MAPPING BUILDING INTERIORS WITH LIDAR: CLASSIFYING THE POINT CLOUD WITH ARCGIS

Abstract. Accurate maps of building interiors are needed to support location-based services, plan for emergencies, and manage facilities. However, suitable maps to meet these needs are not available for many buildings. Handheld LiDAR scanners provide an effective tool to collect data for indoor mapping but there are no well-established methods for classifying features in indoor point clouds. The goal of this research was to develop an efficient manual procedure for classifying indoor point clouds to represent features-of-interest. We used Paracosm’s PX-80 handheld LiDAR scanner to collect point cloud and image data for 11 buildings, which encompassed a variety of architectures. ESRI’s ArcGIS Desktop was used to digitize features that were easily identified in the point cloud and Paracosm’s Retrace was used to digitize features for which imagery was needed for efficient identification. We developed several tools in Python to facilitate the process. We focused on classifying 29 features-of-interest to public safety personnel including walls, doors, windows, fire alarms, smoke detectors, and sprinklers. The method we developed was efficient, accurate, and allowed successful mapping of features as small as a sprinkler head. Point cloud classification for a 14,000 m2 building took 20–40 hours, depending on building characteristics. Although the method is based on manual digitization, it provides a practical solution for indoor mapping using LiDAR. The methods can be applied in mapping a wide variety of features in indoor or outdoor environments.
Training Medical Students in a Rural Dermatology Clinic

The dramatic, uneven distribution of health care resources between urban and rural areas has been well documented [1] .Notable disparities in rural access to care within the field of dermatology highlight this phenomenon and have a variety of implications involving patients, physicians, and medical students. Medical students, in particular, are faced with unique challenges, as well as opportunities, when considering training in rural clinics whether in the area of primary care or dermatology. Medical students receive just a modicum of dermatological training, and many barriers exist regarding the logistics of rural clinics’ engagement in this valuable work. The results are significant, however, since training in a rural setting provides benefits for the student, practitioner, and the community. To overcome these barriers, needs must be addressed, and plans developed to efficiently train students in rural areas. This may well be an important component of the solution to the rural dermatology access to care conundrum in the United States.
Pediatric Ventilator-Associated Events at a Quaternary Children’s Hospital

Background: In 2016, the CDC announced the pediatric ventilator-associated events (VAE) definition that would replace the ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) events beginning in 2017. The internal interdisciplinary VAP committee began work for surveillance and case reviews for this new metric alongside VAP surveillance and sought to estimate the burden of VAE compared to VAP. Methods: A surveillance report was developed through EPIC in accordance with the CDC definitions for qualifying changes in Paw or FIO2 for all invasively ventilated patient. This query runs at midnight each day and sends the report to the respiratory therapy department clinical specialists for review and final determination. When a VAE occurs, an interdisciplinary case review occurs. Exemption was provided from local IRB. Results: From January 2017–April 2021, 112 VAEs occurred compared to 17 VAPs over the same time period (X2, P = 0.22). Median age in months at the time of event as 8.85 (IQR 5.15-43.42). Forty-two percent occurred in the pediatric ICU, 31% neonatal ICU, 16% cardiac ICU, and 11% progressive care unit. Eighty-four percent were triggered for change in Paw. Events deemed associated with the VAE were categorized with the highest three associations as: 29% severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia, 12% infectious cause, 12% progressive lung disease. All categories shown in table. Of note, none of the VAEs had a concurrent VAP and only 6 (5%) of the events were thought to have been preventable by the clinical team. Conclusions: The occurrence of pediatric VAE in a quaternary children’s hospital is six-fold higher than the occurrence of VAP, with 100% discordance between the events. The pediatric VAE definition does not appear to trigger events of error or harm as the clinical teams perceived them to be non-preventable or predictable but were part of the anticipated clinical disease progression in our patient population.
Mixed Decision Trees: Minimizing Knowledge Representation Bias in LCS

Learning classifier systems tend to inherit—a priori—a given knowledge representation language for expressing the concepts to learn. Hence, even before getting started, this choice biases what can be learned, becoming critical for some real-world applications like data mining. However, such bias may be minimized by hybridizing different knowledge representations via evolutionary mixing. This paper presents a first attempt to produce an evolutionary framework that evolves mixed decision trees of heterogeneous knowledge representations.
The culture of politics in modern Kenya: Introduction: staging politics in Kenya

If this were played upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction. William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night A political spectacle Exuberant showmanship is one enduring face of Kenyan political life. A nineteenth-century European traveler records the scene his own party provoked at a Gikuyu assembly: “the speeches were rather screamed out than spoken, the meaning being emphasized with a club till it was reduced to splinters. The whole bearing of the speakers was aggressive and insolent.” A century later, on a more peaceful occasion, some two hundred people sit in a grassy clearing in Mt. Kenya's foothills. On this sunny day in March 1979, just months after the inauguration of President Moi, I heard a politician tell them: “Not long ago, before we had our new president, there were many things that were spoiling citizens here. There used to be a lot of drunkenness, bribery, corruption.” People have “spoiled the footsteps,” fallen away from the path they should have followed, he went on to say. Now, however, Kenya is a nation “on the move,” “on the run” toward rapid “development,” asserts a fellow politician. He warns the crowd that those who cannot keep up with the new president's rapid footsteps will be left behind in a ditch. The talk is emphatic, vigorous. Though clubs are absent, threats are not. A great change had occurred, implied orators of the time. Gone were the days when a citizen must “cook tea” (pay a bribe) in return for routine government services.
Assessing compositional variability and migration of natural gas in the Antrim Shale in the Michigan Basin using noble gas geochemistry

Abstract This study uses stable noble gases' (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe) volume fractions and isotopic ratios from Antrim Shale natural gas to assess compositional variability and vertical fluid migration within this reservoir, in addition to distinguishing between the presence of thermogenic versus biogenic methane. R/Ra values, where R is the measured 3He/4He ratio and Ra is the atmospheric value of 1.384 ± 0.013 × 10− 6, vary from 0.01 to 0.34 suggesting a largely dominant crustal 4He component with minor atmospheric and mantle contributions. Crustal 21Ne, 40Ar and 136Xe contributions are also present but the atmospheric component is largely dominant for these gases. Crustal contributions for 21Ne, 40Ar and 136Xe vary between 1.1% and 12.5%, between 0.7% and 19% and between 0.1% and 2.7%, respectively. A few samples present higher than atmospheric 20Ne/22Ne ratios pointing to the presence of a small mantle Ne component. High horizontal and vertical variability of noble gas signatures in the Antrim Shale are observed. These are mainly due to variable noble gas input from deep brines and, to a smaller extent, variable in-situ production within different layers of the Antrim Shale, in particular, the Lachine and Norwood members. Estimated 4He ages, considering external 4He input for Antrim Shale water, vary between 0.9 ka and 238.2 ka and match well for most samples with the timing of the major Wisconsin glaciation, suggesting that Antrim Shale water was influenced by glaciation-induced recharge. Consistency between measured and predicted 40Ar/36Ar ratios assuming Ar release temperatures ≥ 250 °C supports a thermogenic origin for most of the methane in these samples. This thermogenic methane is likely to originate at greater depths, either from the deeper portion of the Antrim Shale in the central portion of the Michigan Basin or from deeper formations given that the thermal maturity of the Antrim Shale in the study area is rather low.
Pythiosis with renal involvement- Rare but Fatal Disease: A Systematic Review

Pythiosis is a form of infectious disease caused by Pythium insidiosum. Infected patients can present with 1) cutaneous/ subcutaneous, 2) vascular, 3) ocular, and 4) disseminated diseases. Systemic disease occurs following vascular invasion and is considered fatal when large arteries are involved. Infection/sepsis, commonly from bacterial infection, is one of major causes of AKI in hospitalized patients. Invasive fungal infections can also cause septic shock and is associated with high mortality. However, the incidence of renal involvement in these patients with pythiosis and their outcomes are still unclear. Therefore, we performed a systematic literature search for reported cases of pythiosis with kidney involvement. We found two case reports of systemic pythiosis with renal involvement. The locations of acquired infection were reported in Mexico and Texas, United States. Although systemic pythiosis with renal failure is rarely reported, it is serious and fatal condition. Journal of Nature and Science, 1(5):e92, 2015
Oceanographic influences on patterns in North Pacific salmon abundance

We identified three dominant patterns of temporal variation (1951–2002) in the abundance of 34 stock groups of wild North American and Asian pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), chum salmon (Oncor...
Effects of Race and Ethnic Identity on Audience Evaluation of HIV Public Service Announcements

Consumer research from as early as the 1970s indicates that consumers who belong to a racial minority may prefer advertisements using models or spokespersons of their own race, whereas more recent research suggests that the pattern might hold true only for those with high levels of ethnic identity. The current study examined the effects of using HIV public service announcements (PSAs) from spokespersons that either matched or did not match participants' race and included a measure of ethnic identity to examine the extent to which identity influenced preferences for same-race spokespersons. Overall, African American participants responded more favorably to Black spokespersons and to PSAs using Black (as opposed to White) spokespersons, regardless of the strength of their ethnic identity. Spokespersons' race was a more powerful predictor of PSA evaluation among African American participants than was spokespersons' expertise. White participants rated Black and White spokespersons, as well as the PSAs includi...
Ambient air concentrations of particulate matter from passenger cars.

Summary Using our measurement results on particulate emissions from passenger cars we have calculated ambient air concentrations for various US and European scenarios. This was carried out with the help of mathematical dispersion models for different traffic situations including street canyons and motorways. We have been very conservative in our choice of the scenarios, i. e. we have always used situations in which there are very high stress levels (e. g. constantly high traffic flow instead of average traffic flow). Finally, the thus determined air concentrations are compared with the corresponding air quality standard available from the literature.
Collagen type I mRNA levels in cultured human lamina cribrosa cells: effects of elevated hydrostatic pressure.

In primary open-angle glaucoma, elevated intraocular pressure is associated with distortion and reorganization of the connective tissue plates of the lamina cribrosa. We have previously postulated that the resident cells of the lamina cribrosa may respond to elevated intraocular pressure by altering the biosynthesis or degradation of extracellular matrix. To determine the response of lamina cribrosa cells to increased pressure, we have compared cultures of human lamina cribrosa cells, from five individuals, maintained under control and pressurized conditions in vitro. Cells from third to fifth passage cultures of human lamina cribrosa subjected to elevated hydrostatic pressure (50 mm Hg) for 7 days changed shape from flat and polygonal to elongated, synthesized and secreted increased amounts of collagen type I as shown by immunofluorescent localization, and exhibited increased mRNA levels of collagen type I (199 +/- 36% of control) (mean +/- S.D.), as determined by slot-blot hybridization. In contrast, beta-actin mRNA levels were unchanged, indicating that the effects of elevated pressure are probably relatively selective. Our data indicate that elevated pressure increases the synthesis of collagen Type I by human lamina cribrosa cells in vitro. In vivo, lamina cribrosa cells may react to changes in their environment by modulating, specifically, changes in the mRNA levels, production, and secretion of extracellular matrix macromolecules. The relationship of these changes in extracellular matrix to those observed in glaucoma remains to be determined.
When T Cells Run Out of Breath: The HIF-1α Story

In this issue, Dang et al. (2011) report a role for the hypoxia-induced transcription factor HIF-1α in regulating the differentiation of T cell subsets that impact both inflammation and its resolution. Their findings illustrate how metabolic signals can alter the balance between inflammation and tolerance and present a potential therapeutic opportunity for the treatment of diseases associated with chronic inflammation.
I/O requirements of scientific applications: an evolutionary view

The modest I/O configurations and file system limitations of many current high-performance systems preclude solution of problems with large I/O needs. I/O hardware and file system parallelism is the key to achieving high performance. We analyze the I/O behavior of several versions of two scientific applications on the Intel Paragon XP/S. The versions involve incremental application code enhancements across multiple releases of the operating system. Studying the evolution of I/O access patterns underscores the interplay between application access patterns and file system features. Our results show that both small and large request sizes are common, that at present, application developers must manually aggregate small requests to obtain high disk transfer rates, that concurrent file accesses are frequent, and that appropriate matching of the application access pattern and the file system access mode can significantly increase application I/O performance. Based on these results, we describe a set of file system design principles.
Study Indicates Mixed Cost Containment-Efficiency Results from PPS Implementation

The prospective Payment System (PPS) has put the nation's hospital industry at extreme risk of financial failure and closure. With the PPS in effect, hospital incentives changed from Medicare reimbursement maximizers to the development of programs and the implementation of organization changes which would control cost and encourage efficiency. Specifically, the Federal Government wanted to reduce or at least maintain at a constant level their cost for the Medicare program.
Room-temperature phosphorescence of selecte aromatic carboxylic acids adsorbed on silica gel and polyacrylic acid—sodium chloride mixtures

Abstract Several aromatic carboxylic acids give room-temperature phosphorescence when adsorbed on silica gel chromatoplates that contain a polymeric binder. Terephthalic acid is used as a model compound to investigate the interactions with such chromatoplates and various polyacrylic acid sodium chloride mixtures. The results indicate that under some conditions, hydrogen bonding appears to be operative, whereas under other conditions room-temperature phosphorescence can be detected without hydrogen bonding interactions.
High-pressure liquid chromatographic separation of the naturally occurring folic acid monoglutamate derivatives.

Abstract A high-pressure liquid chromatographic procedure that allows separation and quantitation of the naturally occurring monoglutamate derivatives of folic acid, as well as several oxidation and decomposition products of reduced folates, has been developed. The procedure employs reverse-phase, ion-pair chromatography on a C 18 column eluted with a nonlinear gradient of ethanol. Folate derivatives are detected by their ultraviolet absorbance of 280 nm. The detector response (peak height) is a linear function of the amount of folate derivative injected over a 10-fold range of concentrations. The limiting sensitivity varies from 10 to 25 ng for various folate derivatives.
Authenticity and self-esteem across temporal horizons

Extending research on optimal self-esteem and authenticity, three studies tested the hypothesis that authenticity would be a stronger predictor of self-esteem levels when time was perceived as limited as opposed to open ended. Study 1 provided a cross-sectional examination of the relationship between authenticity, future time perspective, and self-esteem in an adult sample, and Studies 2 and 3 assessed this relationship using repeated measures methodologies across both the short term and long term in college student samples. Results supported the hypothesis that authenticity would be a stronger predictor of self-esteem levels when time was perceived as limited. Across studies, individuals who felt inauthentic reported lower levels of self-esteem when they perceived time as limited.
Quantifying the influence of topographic position on cougar (Puma concolor) movement in southern California, USA

Large carnivores are frequently used as focal species for landscape-level planning and conservation purposes. Information on cougars Puma concolor, for example, is being used to predict movement corridors and linkage areas in habitats influenced by rapid urbanization. However, animal movement through habitat terrain is a function of multiple factors, including complex topographic features. To assess the use of topographic position during movements by cougars in the Santa Ana Mountain Range of southern California, we analyzed the travel paths of 10–17 radio-tagged individuals monitored during 44 overnight sessions. We examined selection for canyon bottom, gentle slope, steep slope and ridgeline topography at the scale of the movement session and at the scale of the home range. At both scales of selection, our results suggest that traveling or hunting cougars discriminated in their use of topographic position, that canyon bottoms and gentle slopes (<6°) ranked highest in compositional analyses of selection, and that these patterns were not highly confounded by the presence of preferred vegetation types. Ridgelines were used significantly less often than other positions. Our novel method of quantifying availability and use of topographic positions permits the assessment of terrain features, such as canyon bottoms, in facilitating cougar movements. For complex landscapes, models of animal movement should consider the topographic context that motivates patterns of habitat use, and should be developed using data obtained and analyzed at the appropriate spatial and temporal scales.
Analysis of illumination coherence properties in small-source systems such as synchrotrons

Modern synchrotron beamlines often take the form of critical illumination systems, where an incoherent source of limited spatial extent is re-imaged to an experimental plane of interest. Unique constraints of synchrotron sources and beamlines, however, may preclude the use of the simple Zernike approximation for calculating the object-image coherence relationship. Here, we perform a rigorous analysis of the object-image coherence relationship valid for synchrotron beamlines. The analysis shows that beamline aberrations have an effect on the coherence properties. Effects of various low-order aberrations on the coherence properties are explicitly studied.
Temperature-programmed methanation on Pd/La2O3 and Pd/SiO2 catalysts

Abstract Temperature-programmed reaction and desorption (TPR, TPD) spectra are compared for Pd/La 2 O 3 and Pd/SiO 2 catalysts for CO methanation and CO and H 2 coadsorption. A methoxy (CH 3 O) species readily forms on the La 2 O 3 surface of Pd/La 2 O 3 by spillover, and this CH 3 O hydrogenates to CH 4 at a higher rate than CO adsorbed on Pd. Carbon also deposits on the catalyst surface during TPR, and then hydrogenates at a slower rate than CH 3 O. In contrast, CH 3 O does not form on Pd/SiO 2 from CO and H 2 , and correspondingly Pd/SiO 2 has a lower methanation activity than Pd/La 2 O 3 . Isotope labeling, interrupted reaction, activated adsorption, high-temperature TPD/TPR, and CH 3 OH adsorption are used to study the surface processes on Pd/La 2 O 3 . The high methanation activity of Pd/La 2 O 3 catalysts during steady-state methanation may be related to the formation and hydrogenation of CH 3 O.
Drosophila tissues with different metamorphic responses to ecdysone express different ecdysone receptor isoforms

In D. melanogaster a pulse of the steroid hormone ecdysone triggers the larval-to-adult metamorphosis, a complex process in which this hormone induces imaginal tissues to generate adult structures and larval tissues to degenerate. We show that the EcR gene encodes three ecdysone receptor isoforms (EcR-A, EcR-B1, and EcR-B2) that have common DNA- and hormone-binding domains but different N-terminal regions. We have used isoform-specific monoclonal antibodies to show that at the onset of metamorphosis different ecdysone target tissues express different isoform combinations in a manner consistent with the proposition that the different metamorphic responses of these tissues require different combinations of the EcR isoforms. We have also determined temporal developmental profiles of the EcR isoforms and their mRNAs in whole animals, showing that different isoforms predominate at different developmental stages that are marked by a pulse of ecdysone.
AN INTEGRATED INTERTEMPORAL LINEAR PROGRAMMING MODEL UNDER RISK FOR SHORT-TERM FINANCIAL PLANNING*

LINEAR PROGRAMMING MODELS are frequently used in financial literature as vehicles for determining the firm's theoretical optimal operating plan. Only one integrated linear programming model has been successfully applied to a non-financial business.t Since the value of theory is confirmed through repeated applications, the purpose of this research was to build, test, and evaluate another linear programming model for short-term financial planning. One multi-product firm, a food processor, served as the subject of this study since it complied with inherent assumptions of linear programming models. The objective function of this model was structured to maximize revenue over six monthly time periods. The rates of return for production of real goods were included in the objective function along with external financial rates of return. The integrated intertemporal linear programming model for this firm had 1745 variables and 503 constraints. Before this model was used to calculate an optimal operating plan, however, the model was tested against prior data to verify its duplication of the firm's actual resource consumption and allocation. The model's optimal operating plan had an objective function value which exceeded the firm's actual performance by 33 per cent. The model was structured to have the option of investing funds in operations, repaying debt or purchasing Treasury bills. Consequently, the model's operating plan produced the optimal multi-period schedule for the acquisition and commitment of funds. Dual values, or shadow prices, were analyzed to determine the marginal values of all constrained resources. In particular, the dual value of funds was used as the basis for calculating the marginal revenue product schedule of funds. Shadow prices also were used in conjunction with the range of the objective function to measure the interaction of commodity market returns and financial market returns on the firm. Two methods of quantifying product market price variability, or risk, were incorporated into the model. The first method was to substitute the reciprocal of the coeffi/X cient of variation a for the objective function's revenue coefficients. The second method was to substitute in the revenue coefficients of the model the upper and lower limits of revenue forecasts. Since both methods incorporating risk had a higher objective function value than the firm, if can be concluded that the firm overestimated the effects of risk on the operating plan. This study demonstrated the linear programming models can be used for short-term financial planning, and that the cost of building such models is minimal compared to the direct monetary benefits obtained from using the model. * A dissertation completed at Georgia State University in 1971. t C. W. Young, Linear Programming and Short-Term Financial Planning (Unpublished Ph.D.
Ore-type graph packing problems

We say that $n$-vertex graphs $G_1,G_2,\ldots,G_k$ pack if there exist injective mappings of their vertex sets onto $[n] = \{1, \ldots,n \}$ such that the images of the edge sets do not intersect. The notion of packing allows one to make some problems on graphs more natural or more general. Clearly, two $n$-vertex graphs $G_1$ and $G_2$ pack if and only if $G_1$ is a subgraph of the complement $\overline{G}_2$ of $G_2$.
Exact Solution of the Integral Equations for the Anomalous Skin Effect and Cyclotron Resonance in Metals

The exact solution of several boundary-value problems which arise in the theory of the surface impedance of metals at high frequencies is given. The problems are the anomalous skin effect for arbitrary boundary conditions, and Azbel-Kaner cyclotron resonance for diffuse surface scattering. In both cases, spherical Fermi surfaces are assumed.
Hypermethylation of Metallothionein-I Promoter and Suppression of Its Induction in Cell Lines Overexpressing the Large Subunit of Ku Protein

We have shown previously that the heavy metal-induced metallothionein-I (MT-I) gene expression is specifically repressed in a rat fibroblast cell line (Ku-80) overexpressing the 80-kDa subunit of Ku autoantigen but not in cell lines overexpressing the 70-kDa subunit or Ku heterodimer. Here, we explored the molecular mechanism of silencing of MT-I gene in Ku-80 cells. Genomic footprinting analysis revealed both basal and heavy metal-inducible binding at specific cis elements in the parental cell line (Rat-1). By contrast, MT-I promoter in Ku-80 cells was refractory to any transactivating factors, implying alteration of chromatin structure. Treatment of two clonal lines of Ku-80 cells with 5-azacytidine, a potent DNA demethylating agent, rendered MT-I gene inducible by heavy metals, suggesting that the gene is methylated in these cells. Bisulfite genomic sequencing revealed that all 21 CpG dinucleotides in MT-I immediate promoter were methylated in Ku-80 cells, whereas only four CpG dinucleotides were methylated in Rat-1 cells. Almost all methylated CpG dinucleotides were demethylated in Ku-80 cells after 5-azacytidine treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first report that describes hypermethylation of a specific gene promoter and its resultant silencing in response to overexpression of a cellular protein.
Computed tomography in splenic hemorrhage

Five cases of splenic hemorrhage are discussed. In the first two cases of acute splenic laceration, the perisplenic hematoma showed higher attenuation compared with splenic parenchyma, and after contrast injection attenuation of hematoma and splenic parenchyma were similar. The third case showed pericapsular and subcapsular hemorrhage at surgery. The pericapsular hematoma in the third case also showed higher attenuation. The fourth and fifth cases demonstrated subacute or chronic subcapsular hematoma of lower attenuation. The first two cases illustrate the need for noncontrast computed tomography scan in acute splenic hemorrhages, as contrast scans can obscure hematoma. Contrast study should also be done for optimal visualization, extent of hematoma, and for showing intrasplenic hematomas and contusions.
The validity of compliance monitors to assess wearing time of thoracic-lumbar-sacral orthoses in children with spinal cord injury.

STUDY DESIGN Prospective multicenter observation. OBJECTIVE To determine the validity of 3 commercially available at recording thoracic-lumbar-sacral orthosis (TLSO) wearing time of children with spinal cord injury (SCI) and to assess each monitor's function during daily activities. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA A major limitation to studies assessing the effectiveness of spinal prophylactic bracing is the patient's compliance with the prescribed wearing time. Although some studies have begun to use objective compliance monitors, there is little documentation of the validity of the monitors during activities of daily life and no comparisons of available monitors. METHODS Fifteen children with SCI who wore a TLSO for paralytic scoliosis were observed for 4 days during their rehabilitation stay. Three compliance monitors (2 temperature and 1 pressure sensitive) were mounted onto each TLSO. Time of brace wear from the monitors was compared with the wear time per day recorded in diaries. RESULTS Observed versus monitored duration of brace wear found the HOBO (temperature sensitive) to be the most valid compliance monitor. The HOBO had the lowest average of difference and variance of difference scores. The correlation between the recorded daily entries and monitored brace wear time was also highest for the HOBO in analysis of dependent and independent scores. Bland-Altman plots showed that the pressure sensitive monitor underestimated wear time whereas the temperature monitors overestimated wear time. CONCLUSION Compliance to prescribed wearing schedule has been a barrier to studying TLSO efficacy. All 3 monitors were found to measure TLSO compliance, but the 2 temperature monitors were more in agreement with the daily diaries. Based on its functional advantages compared with the HOBO, the StowAway TidbiT will be used to further investigate the long-term compliance of TLSO bracing in children with SCI.
Nonobservability of Retardation Effects in Very Low-Energy Helium Scattering

It has been recently suggested that a retardation effect could possibly be observed in very low-energy helium-atom scattering. In this paper calculational results are presented which show that the effect arises from small changes in the potential near the bowl rather than in the long-range potential. We indicate that the measurements provide a sensitive measure of the helium interatomic potential.
Effect of lipemia on implantation of a rabbit carcinoma.

Abstract Three groups of rabbits were given feedings of butter, corn oil, or isocaloric sugar solution, and 4 hours after the feeding cancer cells (VX2 carcinoma) were injected intravenously. Within 30 minutes thereafter, the tube-feedings were repeated. Lungs were harvested 4 weeks later and grossly visible tumor nodules were counted. Results revealed significantly larger numbers of tumor nodules in rabbits of the butter-group than in the sugar-group. The corn oil-group had numbers of tumor nodules intermediate in respect to the other two groups. This suggests that lipemia existing at the time of tumor dissemination favors metastasis formation, possibly through an enhancing effect on coagulation and/or inhibition of fibrinolysis.
Nonlinear Filtering with Fractional Brownian Motion

Our objective is to study a nonlinear filtering problem for the observa- tion process perturbed by a Fractional Brownian Motion (FBM) with Hurst index 1 2 < H < 1. A reproducing kernel Hilbert space for the FBM is considered and a "fractional" Zakai equation for the unnormalized optimal filter is derived.
Optimal Policies for Conservation of Large Mammals, with Special Reference to Marine Ecosystems*

Among the larger mammals, marine types offer some unique insights and problems for management. United States laws require that they be managed ‘to maintain the health and stability of the marine ecosystem.’ The relevant statute (Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972) requires maintenance of an ‘optimal sustainable population’, which is being interpreted as a range between the level giving a maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and asymptotic levels. Emerging evidence pertaining to marine mammals, and perhaps applicable to a larger class of vertebrates, indicates that the MSY point may be well above the logistic-curve 50% point.‘Reproduction curves’ of various sorts are used in management as operational representations of population self-regulation (density-dependence). A variety of theories and hypotheses concerning such regulation now exists, though none is adequately supported as yet. A general model for self-regulation in long-lived species is suggested as being comprised of stages of regulation. Immature mortality is postulated as the first stage, followed by age of first reproduction and then reproductive rates of adult females. The fourth and last stage, as populations reach maximum sustainable levels, is assumed to involve changes in adult survival.Although a model of the kind suggested here offers some useful insights as to harversting strategies, a more quantitative (functional) basis will be needed for actual management applications.
Latino children's integration into American society : The dynamics of bilingual education

The Latino population has grown in recent decades due to increased immigration. This group is largely urban, disproportionately young, and typically enters American society with a low socioeconomic status, which has implications for urban schools. Using data from a three-year investigation of the bilingual education program at MayaAngelou Elementary in Texas, this study examines the integration of Latino students into the educational system. More specifically, I utilize a sociological framework which incorporates structural and sociocultural factors of immigrant adaptation to investigate bilingual education at Angelou and the broader context of educating Latino English Language Learners (ELLs). At Angelou, I find evidence of commitment to bilingualism, yet structural constraints in the school undermine this commitment. However these challenges are minimal in comparison to the broader policy environment concerning the ELLs' education. On this front, Angelou must confront teacher shortages, scarcity of materials, and high-stakes standardized testing. Conclusions indicate the treatment of Spanish language and Latino culture as subordinate despite the school's efforts to serve their students.
Viscous Topical Is More Effective Than Nebulized Steroid Therapy for Patients With Eosinophilic Esophagitis

We performed a randomized trial to compare nebulized and viscous topical corticosteroid treatments for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Subjects with incident EoE (n = 25) received budesonide 1 mg twice daily, either nebulized and then swallowed (NEB) or as an oral viscous slurry (OVB), for 8 weeks. Baseline eosinophil counts for the NEB and OVB groups were 101 and 83 ( P = .62). Posttreatment counts were 89 and 11 ( P = .02). The mucosal medication contact time, measured by scintigraphy, was higher for the OVB group than the NEB group ( P R = −0.67; P = .001). OVB was more effective than NEB in reducing numbers of esophageal eosinophils in patients with EoE. OVB provided a significantly higher level of esophageal exposure to the therapeutic agent, which correlated with lower eosinophil counts.
The syndrome of 5-fluorouracil cardiotoxicity. An elusive cardiopathy

Background. A case of reversible cardiogenic shock linked to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) was observed. Recognizing the increasing use of 5-FU, the authors tried to map this syndrome. Methods. They reviewed 134 additional case reports, retrieved information from literature searches, focused on clinical features, and discussed possible pathophysiologic findings and prevention of this syndrome. Results. Although angina and electrocardiographic changes were common and reproducible (approximately 90% each), coronary artery disease was found in a few patients. A total of 33 patients had severe left ventricular dysfunction, 28 without evidence of myocardial infarction. The symptoms were responsive to conservative management (90%). Conclusions. Cardiac toxicity is a little known complication of 5-FU therapy, with an unknown but significant incidence. It is highly treatable.
Prepubertal testicular tumors

Testicular tumors in prepubertal boys differ in type and behavior from those seen in adults. Teratomas and yolk sac tumors are the commonest histologic types seen. Teratomas before puberty behave benignly but yolk sac tumors are malignant. The management of yolk sac tumors is in flux and there is little reliable data upon which to base management. A pre-pubertal testicular tumor registry established by the Section on Urology of the American Academy of Pediatrics has provided preliminary data on over 160 boys with testicular tumors, 2/3 of which are yolk sac tumors. Some of this data is included in this overview of prepubertal testicular tumors.
Off-beam cloud lidar systems, Comparison with ARM instruments at the Oklahoma CART site

The ability of off-beam lidars to probe optically thick clouds is demonstrated. Results from a validation campaign at ARM's Southern Great Plains site are discussed and compared with cloud data obtained from ARM instruments.
On the validity of a thermal spike mixing model for low-Z metals

Low temperature ion beam mixing rates for Cu‐Ti, Ni‐Ti, and Fe‐Ti layers have been found to be significantly lower than predicted by a popular semi‐empirical thermal spike model. It has been proposed that the unavoidable hydrogen contamination of the as‐deposited Ti films may have reduced the mixing rates, but the measurement of even lower mixing rates for Fe‐V and Fe‐Co bilayers shows the discrepancy to be more fundamental. Still, a systematic dependence on heat of mixing suggests that some sort of diffusional (thermal spike?) mechanism is involved.
Courses for students

Abstract Richard Howell of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at Clemson University, South Carolina, USA, provides us with a detailed description of the courses offered under their Travel and Tourism Management programme. The department aims to produce people capable of responding to the ever-changing demands of the tourism industry.
Eco-efficient Construction and Building Materials

While slightly dated, this is a very well-researched and well-written summary of hundreds of research reports, papers and books on current problems concerning the planet and the construction indust...
Jump-starting a senior-level capstone project through hands-on laboratory exercises

Many universities incorporate either a senior-level thesis research requirement or a senior-level capstone design experience for their engineering majors. One of the biggest challenges in advising such projects is providing a means for students to make meaningful progress early in the project timeline, very often due to the steep learning curve associated with the technical details of the projects. This paper reports on a technique that requires students to complete a series of laboratory exercises designed to give them an operational awareness of the technical issues associated with small wind turbines. The three main efforts required of students were characterizing the efficiency of small generators, characterizing the efficiency of different wind turbine designs, and determining the charging characteristics of lead-acid batteries. This technique has been found to be much more effective than classroom-style instruction or pure literature review, most likely because it appeals to active, visual, and sequential learning styles. This technique, which is based on earlier work in this area, is broadly applicable to many engineering capstone design efforts. Survey data and project performance data will be presented and the effectiveness of the method is evaluated.