cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Expert Systems—Their Use in Dairy Herd Management

Development of expert systems for dairy herd management is now feasible due to recent advances in computer technology. Expert systems are special computer software applications that utilize inference and symbolic representation to carry out reasoning and analysis functions in contrast to the numerical approach of traditional programming. Applications that appear to have specific use in dairy management include interpretation of data collected automatically from specialized animal sensors, diagnosis and prescription of remedies for equipment malfunctions, analysis of current herd programs and recommendations for improvement in feeding, culling, mastitis control, selection of sires, and designation of specific service sires for individual cows.
Further evaluation of a new standard of efficacy for stored platelets.

BACKGROUND: The proposal to assess the viability capabilities of platelets (PLTs) collected, treated, or stored in a developmental system against “fresh” PLTs from the same subject poses several important methodologic issues pertaining to the timing and manner of the collecting and separating the fresh PLTs. This study extended the previous validation of this method of comparing fresh and stored PLTs, applying it to an assessment of apheresis PLTs stored for 7 days with a newly standardized radiolabeling protocol. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Eighteen normal subjects donated 1 unit of leukoreduced PLTs, pheresed with a standard, approved system. They received an aliquot radiolabeled with 51Cr on Day 7 simultaneously with 111In-labeled fresh PLTs that had been separated by a manual method. Recovery and survival were compared to determine whether the stored PLTs were not inferior to the criterion of 67 percent of recovery and 50 percent of survival of fresh PLTs. Separate studies were undertaken to document the similarity of recovery and survival with 51Cr and 111In radiolabeling in PLTs stored to 8 days and to determine the importance of correcting the radioactivity in timed samples for the activity remaining in blood beyond the life span of the retransfused PLTs. RESULTS: PLTs stored for 7 days demonstrated 88.7 ± 35.2 percent of the recovery and 89.9 ± 21.2 percent of the survival of PLTs collected via a nonproprietary, manual system and thus met the comparative criterion. In a separate study (n = 12), labeling Day 8 PLTs with 51Cr or 111In resulted in recoveries and survivals that were not different. Radiolabel eluted from labeled PLTs in vitro was taken up by cellular blood elements in a reuptake incubation. CONCLUSION: Apheresis PLTs stored for 7 days met the criterion proposed for comparison with fresh PLTs. This analytic approach is feasible with PLTs collected and prepared via a manual method. A standardized protocol for radiolabeling PLTs with 51Cr and 111In and analyzing the results in a standardized fashion was employed successfully, with the two radioisotopes yielding similar results. The importance of correcting for residual activity after disappearance of injected cells was noted.
First Report of Puccinia jaceae var. solstitialis Pycnia on Yellow Starthistle in the United States

The rust fungus Puccinia jaceae (Otth) var. solstitialis field isolate FDWSRU 84-71 (formerly TR 84–96) was first released in California for the biological control of yellow starthistle (YST; Centaurea solstitialis) in July 2003. This isolate was collected by S. S. Rosenthal in 1984, east of Yarhisar and Hafik (SIVAS), Turkey. It is macrocyclic and autoecious (1), completing its entire life cycle on YST. Observations were made in field plots west of Woodland, CA that had been inoculated on a monthly regimen between January and June of 2005. On February 22 and March 2, 2006, pycnia were observed in and around one of the plots (38°42.767′N, 121°53.732′W at an altitude of 57 m). Pycnia were yellow, flask shaped, and small (less than 100 μm in diameter), occurring in clusters on abaxial leaf surfaces or on petioles. DNA was isolated from pycnial and uredinial samples collected from the site and used for polymerase chain reaction amplification of the ITS2 region with P. jaceae specific primers. Sequences of am...
Automated exploration of the radio plasma imager data

[1] As research instruments with large information capacities become a reality, automated systems for intelligent data analysis become a necessity. Scientific archives containing huge volumes of data preclude manual manipulation or intervention and require automated exploration and mining that can at least preclassify information in categories. The large data set from the radio plasma imager (RPI) instrument on board the IMAGE satellite shows a critical need for such exploration in order to identify and archive features of interest in the volumes of visual information. In this research we have developed such a preclassifier through a model of preattentive vision capable of detecting and extracting traces of echoes from the RPI plasmagrams. The overall design of our model complies with Marr's paradigm of vision, where elements of increasing perceptual strength are built bottom up under the Gestalt constraints of good continuation and smoothness. The specifics of the RPI data, however, demanded extension of this paradigm to achieve greater robustness for signature analysis. Our preattentive model now employs a feedback neural network that refines alignment of the oriented edge elements (edgels) detected in the plasmagram image by subjecting them to collective global-scale optimization. The level of interaction between the oriented edgels is determined by their distance and mutual orientation in accordance with the Yen and Finkel model of the striate cortex that encompasses findings in psychophysical studies of human vision. The developed models have been implemented in an operational system “CORPRAL” (Cognitive Online RPI Plasmagram Ranking Algorithm) that currently scans daily submissions of the RPI plasmagrams for the presence of echo traces. Qualifying plasmagrams are tagged in the mission database, making them available for a variety of queries. We discuss CORPRAL performance and its impact on scientific analysis of RPI data.
Steroid Modulation of Pulsatile LHRH Release in the Rhesus Monkey

Abstract Studies using push-pull perfusion of the stalk-median eminence (S-ME) in ovariectomized adult monkeys indicate that input of neuropeptide Y (NPY) neurons is an important modulator for tile pulsatility of LHRH release: (1) NPY release in the S-ME was pulsatile; (2) NPY pulses occurred coupled to LHRH pulses, with NPY pulses preceding LHRH pulses; and (3) infusion of NPY into the S-ME stimulated LHRH release in a dose-responsive manner; whereas (4) infusion of a specific antiserum to NPY into the S-ME suppressed LHRH pulses. Further studies suggest that NPY neurons may mediate the action of steroid hormones. While treatment with a small dose of estrogen did not affect the coupling of NPY and LHRH pulses, it enhanced the sensitivity of LHRH release in response to NPY by 10,000-fold. Progesterone treatment 24 hr after estrogen induced an increase in LHRH release followed by an LH surge: Progesterone increased tile pulse frequencies of berth NPY release and LHRH release, maintaining the tight coupling of the pulses, while increasing LHRH pulse amplitude, but not NPY pulse amplitude. A parallel role of norepinephrine (NE) neurons in the modulation of pulsatile LHRH release was also observed indicating that more than one neuronal system can be simultaneously involved in the regulation of LHRH release and the action of ovarian steroids. Moreover, in the modulation of LHRH pulses, NPY and NE neurons were independent of each other. Further studies indicate that the LHRH neurosecretory system in the sexually immature monkey was insensitive to estrogen. This insensitivity appeared to be due to the tonic inhibition of pulsatile LHRH release by γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons through GABA A receptors. These results suggest that in vivo LHRH release is modulated by NPY, NE, and GABA neuronal inputs which mediate the action of steroid hormones.
Somatostatin inhibits adrenergic and cholinergic neurotransmission in smooth muscle.

Abstract Somatostatin reduced the response to field stimulation in the guinea pig ileum and reduced the spontaneous contractions in the rabbit jejunum, an effect that was blocked by tetrodotoxin. Somatostatin also inhibited field stimulated alpha adrenergic contractions in the rat vas deferens and rabbit ear artery. However, the responses to direct application of either acetylcholine in the ileum or to norepinephrine in the ear artery or vas deferens were not affected by somatostatin. These results strongly suggest that somatostatin inhibits neuronal release of cholinergic and adrenergic transmitter substances in smooth muscle.
Overconfidence, Preview, and Probability in Strategic Planning

The performance of eight subjects in a 'rescue' video game requiring choices as to which node they should fly to in order to rescue the simulated casualties is presently studied with a view to biases and display support criteria in strategic planning. After each choice, the subjects needed to fly a challenging tracking dynamic along a path to reach the next node. The results obtained indicate that the choices of the subjects were less optimal when full preview was offered, perhaps due to subjects' reliance on the simple strategy of choosing routes with the greatest number of casualties.
High-throughput screening of monometallic catalysts for aqueous-phase hydrogenation of biomass-derived oxygenates

Abstract The initial reaction rates on a per site basis for aqueous-phase hydrogenation (APH) of different oxygenated compounds: including acetaldehyde, propanal, acetone, xylose, furfural, and furfuryl alcohol and aqueous-phase hydrogenolysis of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA) and xylitol were measured over various alumina-supported monometallic catalysts (Pd, Pt, Ru, Rh, Ni, and Co) in a high-throughput reactor. These oxygenated compounds have the same functionality that is found in aqueous solutions derived from biomass including pyrolysis oils and aqueous hydrolysis solutions. The initial rate of APH of the different carbonyls groups was dependent on the functionality of the feed molecule and catalyst used. Ru was the most active metal for APH of acetaldehyde, propanal, acetone, and xylose. Pd was the most active metal for APH of furfural and furfuryl alcohol. Only Pt and Ni catalysts were able to produce 1,2-pentanediol and 1,5-pentanediol from aqueous-phase hydrogenolysis of THFA. Ru was active for conversion of THFA but only made coke. The initial activity for aqueous-phase hydrogenolysis of xylitol decreased in the order of Ru > Co > Pt > Ni ≥ Pd. The initial rates of APH of carbonyl groups (C O bond) measured in this study decreased in the order: hydrogenation of acetone > hydrogenation of acetaldehyde and propanal > hydrogenation of xylose > hydrogenation of furfural. The initial rates of aqueous-phase hydrogenolysis of THFA and xylitol were much lower than the initial rate for APH of C O and C C bonds.
Preparation and surface modification of poly(vinylbenzyl chloride) latices

Monodisperse stable latices with reactive methyl chloride surface functionalities were prepared in the presence of mixed surfactants using vinylbenzyl chloride in various ways: as a homopolymer, crosslinked with divinylbenzene, copolymerized with styrene, and overpolymerized onto uniform polystyrene latices. In homopolymerization of vinylbenzyl chloride, the effect of monomer content and concntration and type of surfactant are reported. Nucleophilic displacement of the surface chloride by sulfite ions was accomplished by reaction with aqueous sodium sulfite, without change in latex particle size. Also discussed are ways to control the amount of water-soluble polyelectrolyte produced as a result of the sulfonation reaction.
Pharmacological Properties of Combination Therapies for Hypertension

Abstract Single drug therapy for the treatment of hypertension has traditionally been a standard of practice. More recently combination therapy as first-line treatment has gained acceptance both by the medical practice community and the US Food and Drug Administration. The advantages of combinations may be a synergistic or additive antihypertensive effect, metabolic improvement, or both. The combination of a thiazide-type diuretic and a potassium-sparing diuretic has been quite useful in the past to prevent the need for potassium supplementation. The combination of β -adrenoceptor blockade and a thiazide diuretic results in an additive antihypertensive effect that permits the effective use of very low thiazide doses. The mechanism of antihypertensive effects of each member of the combination are complimentary with increased sympathetic outflow and renin-angiotensin axis activation induced by the diuretic being blunted by β 1 -adrenergic blockade. Combinations not used as first-line therapy, such as angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockade and a thiazide diuretic, have complimentary antihypertensive mechanisms and have been useful in treating patient groups who do not respond well to converting enzyme inhibitor monotherapy. The combination of a calcium antagonist with diuretic therapy has an additive hypertensive effect as well; however, the complimentary mechanisms are less obvious. Finally, the combination of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition and calcium antagonist therapy has been useful in selected patients, but again the complimentary mechanisms are less obvious. As first-line therapy, combinations for diuretics and β 1 -receptor blockers have been useful for achieving increased antihypertensive effect with decreased adverse drug effect.
An Introduction to Bootstrap Methods Examples and Ideas

Bootstrap methods are a collection of sample re-use techniques designed to estimate standard errors and confidence intervals. Making use of numerous samples drawn from the initial observations, these techniques require fewer assumptions and offer greater accuracy and insight than do standard methods in many problems. After presenting the underlying concepts, this introduction focuses on applications in regression analysis. These applications contrast two forms of bootstrap resampling in regression, illustrating their differences in a series of examples that include outliers and heteroscedasticity. Other regression examples use the bootstrap to estimate standard errors of robust estimators in regression and indirect effects in path models. Numerous variations of bootstrap confidence intervals exist, and examples stress the concepts that are common to the various approaches. Suggestions for computing bootstrap estimates appear throughout the discussion, and a section on computing suggests several broad guid...
The isospin-dependent quadrupole-quadrupole interaction used in shell model calculations – the effects of including ΔN = 2 excitations and a two-body spin-orbit interaction term

The effect of the “B” term in the interaction −χQ(1) · Q(2)[1+Bτ(1) ·τ(2)] was previously considered in the 0p shell (small space). It is now studied in a larger space which additionally includes ΔN = 2 excitations. When B is made sufficiently negative we still obtain for 10Be, even in the larger space, an unphysical collapse of some of the low-lying states so that their energies are less than the energy of the conventional J = 0+ ground state. This effect, however, occurs for values of B considerably more negative than was the case in the smaller space. It is shown that the inclusion of an additional two-body spin-orbit interaction term prevents this unrealistic collapse in both the large and small spaces.
Predicting bankruptcy using recursive partitioning and a realistically proportioned data set

Auditors must assess their clients' ability to function as a going concern for at least the year following the financial statement date. The audit profession has been severely criticized for failure to ‘blow the whistle’ in numerous highly visible bankruptcies that occurred shortly after unmodified audit opinions were issued. Financial distress indicators examined in this study are one mechanism for making such assessments. This study measures and compares the predictive accuracy of an easily implemented two-variable bankruptcy model originally developed using recursive partitioning on an equally proportioned data set of 202 firms. In this study, we test the predictive accuracy of this model, as well as previously developed logit and neural network models, using a realistically proportioned set of 14,212 firms' financial data covering the period 1981–1990. The previously developed recursive partitioning model had an overall accuracy for all firms ranging from 95 to 97% which outperformed both the logit model at 93 to 94% and the neural network model at 86 to 91%. The recursive partitioning model predicted the bankrupt firms with 33–58% accuracy. A sensitivity analysis of recursive partitioning cutting points indicated that a newly specified model could achieve an all firm and a bankrupt firm predictive accuracy of approximately 85%. Auditors will be interested in the Type I and Type II error tradeoffs revealed in a detailed sensitivity table for this easily implemented model. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Disruption of the endometrial-myometrial border during pregnancy as a risk factor for adenomyosis

We assessed surgical disruption of the endometrial-myometrial border during pregnancy as a risk factor for adenomyosis in a cohort of 1850 women undergoing hysterectomy during 1978 to 1981. Women who had 3 or more abortions when sharp curettage was common were at increased risk for adenomyosis; women who had curettage procedures or cesarean deliveries were not.
Seeing Jurisdiction: Some Jurisprudential Issues Arising from Law Being “. . . All Over”

This article asks, “If law is all over, why don't we see it?” It takes seriously the fact that we see law in lawyers and buildings and police, but that there is more law out there. In this sense law is like religion, politics, and economics. It is an activity where various senses come into play. With law, we can learn to see more than we do. Jurisdiction is one of the easier areas of law to see. The article develops some of the distinctive ways we see jurisdiction and some of the ways seeing jurisdiction allows for more widespread participation in lawmaking. The article argues against our tendency to trivialize the law that we see.
Levels of processing in facial recognition memory

Subjects studied pictures of faces while making judgments of honesty (“deep” processing) or sexual identification (“shallow” processing). In each case, half of the subjects were informed that there would be a subsequent test, while half were not so informed. Deep processing led to superior recognition memory, independent of test expectancy.
Resolving "kinks" of chemotherapy in melanoma.

JNCI | Editorials 833 A recent review of our last 35 years of phase 2 clinical trials for metastatic melanoma demonstrates that there has been no statistically significant improvement in 1-year overall survival or 6-month progression-free survival with any intervention tested in multicenter trials to date ( 1 ). An understanding of the basis of failure for these tested agents has generally been lacking, and few of these trials involved laboratory corollary studies of mechanism. Many cell survival and death pathways that are dysregulated in melanoma [reviewed in ( 2 )] and other new pathways that might explain the refractoriness of melanoma to current treatments are under exploration ( 3 ). Melanoma repopulating (stem) cells that are resistant to chemotherapy may also be culpable ( 4 ). Targeting molecules critical for melanoma cell survival in rational combinations may improve the efficacy of chemotherapy, and this is currently being tested in relation to sorafenib. Nuclear factor kappa B (NF B) is the general designation for a family of dimeric complexes of members of the Rel protein family, which are important in melanoma [reviewed in ( 5 , 6 )]. This transcription factor is activated in response to diverse stimuli, including proinfl ammatory cytokines, “nonself” antigens, lymphocyte mitogens, and cellular stress (ultraviolet and ionizing radiation, as well as chemotherapeutic agents). In resting cells, NFB remains cytoplasmic through its association with one of three inhibitory I B proteins (I B , I B , or I B ). It can be activated through at least three different pathways. The canonical pathway exhibits rapid kinetics and is dependent on the stimulation of the inhibitor of I B kinase (IKK), a complex composed of the enzyResolving “Kinks” of Chemotherapy in Melanoma
Three steps to cancer: how phosphorylation of tubulin, tubulin tyrosine ligase and P-glycoprotein may generate and sustain cancer

Transformed cells progress to cancer because they are not eliminated by apoptosis. In this brief minireview I propose, based on published data, that the cell possesses a ‘last check point’ (LCP) apoptotic step in the form of assembly of nitrotyrosinated α-tubulin onto microtubules. This leads to microtubule dysfunction and ultimately apoptosis. I also propose that cells that escape this LCP apoptotic step develop into cancer. Phosphorylation of tubulin tyrosine ligase (TTL) is postulated to cause escape from LCP apoptosis. Phosphorylation also ensures that cancer cells survive a hostile milieu (e.g. chemotherapy).
Issues in Early Childhood Screening and Assessment.

Screening tests are frequently utilized today to identify possible learning and/or behavioral problems in young children. Central to such use is the issue of how best to interpret the results of these measures. This analysis raises serious questions as to the efficacy of these procedures and their continued use. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Agricultural Impacts on Bacterial Water Quality in Karst Groundwater

A 2-yr study (1991-1992) was conducted in a karst region in southeast West Virginia to determine the impact of agriculture on groundwater quality. The primary agriculture is characterized by seasonal cattle grazing. Fecal coliform densities were measured weekly in the resurgences of three karst basins possessing different degrees of agricultural intensity (79, 51, and 16% land use in agriculture). Fecal coliforms were also measured in a creek at sites upstream and downstream of the known resurgences from the most agriculturally intensive (79%) basin. The fecal coliform densities in the resurgences peaked in the summer and declined in the fall, with a recovery in late winter before the introduction of new cattle. The timing of the recovery indicated that significant storage of fecal material had taken place, which was transported to the groundwater when soil water conditions permitted. For most of each year, soil water effects appeared to have a greater bearing on the fecal coliform densities than did the presence or absence of cattle. The data did not generally support a strong relationship with percent land use in agriculture. This was attributed to the high variability in the data and to low soil moisture during periods of recession that inhibited the transport of fecal material to the groundwater. The karst resurgence springs of the most intensively agricultural basin were contaminated with fecal bacteria. Fecal bacteria concentrations were observed to significantly increase, in the receiving surface stream, from a point upstream of the resurgence springs to a point downstream of the resurgence springs.
A method of accelerating the convergence of series solutions

Abstract The series solutions obtained for transport problems by the separation of variables or the integral transform technique often converge very slowly and the differentiated series evaluated at the boundary may fail to converge. A general procedure is presented for developing alternative solutions which accelerate the convergence. The application is illustrated with an example.
Microwave sensitivity maximization of disbond characterization in conductor backed dielectric composites

A swept frequency microwave nondestructive technique for detection of disbond in a dielectric composite backed by a conducting plate is discussed. The theoretical development is based on an incident plane wave illuminating such a medium, and then formulating the characteristics of the reflected wave. This way the effective reflection coefficient of the medium is found. The phase of this reflection coefficient changes in the presence of a disbonded medium. With the determination of an optimally sensitive frequency range using the theoretical model and the known properties of the composite dielectric material, it is shown that disbonds on the order of a few microns can be accurately detected at relatively low microwave frequencies. Several experimental results are also presented.
Anastrozole as Adjuvant Therapy for Early-Stage Breast Cancer: Implications of the ATAC Trial

Tamoxifen has been the gold standard adjuvant therapeutic agent for postmenopausal women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer for > 25 years. Although it continues to play an important role in treating premenopausal women, tamoxifen's association with some serious safety and tolerability issues, including increased incidence of endometrial cancer and thromboembolic events, may be cause to limit its use in postmenopausal women. Anastrozole was the first drug to show improved efficacy and safety compared with standard therapies for first- and second-line therapy of hormone-sensitive advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women. This article provides a review of the results of the first major analysis of the Arimidex, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination (ATAC) early-stage breast cancer trial, initiated in 1996, and discusses the implications for the use of anastrozole in the adjuvant setting. This randomized, double-blind, multicenter trial compared tamoxifen (20 mg once daily) with anastrozole (1 mg) alone and in combination with tamoxifen, as adjuvant endocrine treatment for postmenopausal patients with operable, invasive, early-stage breast cancer. The results of the ATAC trial show anastrozole to be more effective and better tolerated than tamoxifen in this group of patients, and an updated follow-up suggests the therapeutic index for anastrozole will continue to remain superior to that of tamoxifen. Anastrozole is now emerging as a new standard for the adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone-sensitive early-stage breast cancer. New adjuvant trials are currently using anastrozole in the control arm.
Preinjury beta blocker usage does not affect the heart rate response to initial trauma resuscitation

Abstract Background The effect of preinjury beta blockade on heart rate during initial trauma resuscitation is unclear. We hypothesized that preinjury beta blockade does not affect the heart rate response to initial trauma resuscitation. Methods A case-control study of patients admitted to a level I trauma center was conducted. Medical records were reviewed for demographics, medications, injury information, and hemodynamic profiles. Logistic regression identified correlations between preinjury beta blockade and hemodynamics during initial trauma resuscitation and in-hospital mortality. Results There were 76 deaths (cases) and 304 survivors (controls). Mean pre-resuscitation heart rate was 83 in patients on beta blocker and 89 in patients not on beta blocker ( p = 0.007). Mean post-resuscitation heart rate was 80 in patients on beta blocker and 85 in patients not on beta blocker ( p = 0.02). Tachycardia was present in 14.3% with preinjury beta blocker and 29.7% without ( p = 0.009). Bradycardia was present in 7.1% with preinjury beta blocker and 2.3% without ( p = 0.035). Of all patients who presented with an abnormal heart rate, 46% of patients on beta blocker attained a normal heart rate after resuscitation vs. 53% of patients not on beta blocker ( p = not significant). Conclusion Preinjury beta blockade is associated with a slower presenting heart rate, more bradycardia, less tachycardia, but no difference in mortality or ability to achieve a normal heart rate with resuscitation.
Using Photovoice as a Tool to Engage Social Work Students in Social Justice

In order to ensure that social workers graduating from social work programs embrace social justice's central role in their professional careers, educators must find creative, theoretically grounded, practice-relevant ways of conveying this value and socializing social work students. This article describes the use of Photovoice as one tool for helping convey that value and describes its theoretical underpinning and use in a social work course. Originally developed as a participatory action research approach largely in public health, Photovoice can also serve as a powerful social work tool that facilitates the development of critical consciousness among community members who photograph and discuss elements of their lives and community. The author describes using this strategy with social work students, asking them as community members themselves to engage in the process of documenting, discussing, and transforming their analysis into an advocacy plan using the photographs. Through this process, the students...
Auditory-nerve single-neuron thresholds to electrical stimulation from scala tympani electrodes.

Abstract Single auditory-nerve neuron thresholds were studied in sensory-deafened squirrel monkeys to determine the effects of electrical stimulus shape and frequency on single-neuron thresholds. Frequency was separated into its components, pulse width and pulse rate, which were analyzed separately. Square and sinusoidal pulse shapes were compared. There were no or questionably significant threshold differences in charge per phase between sinusoidal and square pulses of the same pulse width. There was a small (
Training Room Management of Medical Conditions

A t no time in the history of medicine has the expansion of medical knowledge and its application to clinical practice been as great and as rapid as it is right now. Unprecedented gains in all fields of practice and research are being made on what seems like a daily basis. As such, practicing physicians face the challenge of keeping pace with an ever-growing knowledge base while seamlessly incorporating it into practical use. This is certainly the case in sports medicine, particularly as the field undergoes an ongoing transition toward greater primary care involvement in this unique population. It is with an appreciation of these influences that we have assembled this collective work. This Clinics in Sports Medicine issue is dedicated to the common medical concerns encountered in the practice of primary care sports medicine. More specifically, it has been created to give special attention to conditions that are most frequently addressed in the athletic training room or primary care sports medicine clinical setting. I am fortunate to have been assisted in this project by a distinguished group of authors who lend their expertise from the perspective of the primary care team physician and the subspecialist who is knowledgeable in the care of athletes. Together, we have created an evidence-based core of fundamental sports medicine topics in a wide array of subject areas. These include allergy and immunology, cardiology, gastroenterology, dermatology, neurology, sports psychology, hematology, pulmonology, female athlete triad, ophthalmology, environmental issues in athletes, infectious diseases, and medication and supplement use in athletes. Each article is designed to cover, with
UVC inhibits HIF-1alpha protein translation by a DNA damage- and topoisomerase I-independent pathway.

Hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is a key player in cancer progression and an attractive target for cancer therapy. Several small molecule inhibitors of HIF-1α also induce a DNA damage response. However, whether or not DNA damage is required for or associated with the inhibition of HIF-1α protein accumulation is poorly understood. In this report we investigated the effects of distinct DNA damaging conditions on the hypoxic induction of HIF-1α protein in cancer cell lines. We demonstrate that in addition to topotecan (TPT), a known inhibitor of HIF-1α, UVC, but not other DNA damaging agents (cisplatin, ionizing radiation and doxorubicin), inhibited HIF-1α protein accumulation in a dose-dependent, p53-independent fashion. Low doses UVC decreased HIF-1α translation without affecting global protein synthesis. Inhibition of HIF-1α by UVC required ongoing RNA transcription, but not DNA replication. Moreover, a functional ATR was required for the activation of DNA damage-dependent responses by both UVC and TPT, but was dispensable for the inhibition of HIF-1α protein. Notably, unlike TPT, inhibition of HIF-1α protein by UVC did not require topoisomerase I, suggesting a similar yet distinct mode of action. Our data reveal that UVC is a novel signal associated with inhibition of HIF-1α protein accumulation, and they uncouple the DNA damage-dependent signaling pathway exerted by UVC and TPT from HIF-1α inhibition.
Resonances in Proton-Hydrogen and Positron-Hydrogen Scattering

Resonances in proton hydrogen and positron hydrogen scattering predicted at energies just below excitation thresholds
Sequential truncation of the lactose permease over a three-amino acid sequence near the carboxyl terminus leads to progressive loss of activity and stability.

Previous experiments are consistent with the notion that residues 396-401 (... SVFTLS ...) at the carboxyl terminus of the last putative transmembrane helix of the lactose (lac) permease of Escherichia coli are important for protection against proteolytic degradation and suggest that this region of the permease may be necessary for proper folding. Stop codons (TAA) have now been substituted sequentially for amino acid codons 396-401 in the lacY gene, and the termination mutants were expressed from the plasmid pT7-5. With respect to transport, permease truncated at residue 396 or 397 is completely defective, while molecules truncated at residues 398, 399, 400, and 401, respectively, exhibit 15-25%, 30-40%, 40-45%, and 70-100% of wild-type activity. As judged by pulse-chase experiments with [35S]methionine, wild-type permease or permease truncated at residue 401 is stable, while permease molecules truncated at position 400, 399, 398, 397, or 396 are degraded at increasingly rapid rates. The findings indicate that either the last turn of putative helix XII or the region immediately distal to helix XII is important for proper folding and protection against proteolytic degradation.
God-Mediated Control, Religiousness, Attributes of God and of the Ideal Religious Life:

Among 79 students the ones who scored higher on Berrenberg's (1987) God-mediated Control Scale rated themselves as more religious (r = .85). They also endorsed “knowing my God” as more important for the ideal religious life than “believing the right things.” “Doing the right things” was even less important to them. God-mediated control and “knowing my God” correlated with rating God as understanding, forgiving, and helpful, whereas “believing the right things” was associated only with the attribute of helpful. “Doing the right things” correlated with none of these attributes of God. The roles of believing and doing require further exploration.
Factors related to correctional facility incarceration among active injection drug users in Baltimore, MD.

Aim We investigated the moderating effect of impulse control on the association between drug use and incarceration among active injection drug users (IDU).
A Versatile Platform for Single- and Multiple-Unnatural Amino Acid Mutagenesis in Escherichia coli

To site-specifically incorporate an unnatural amino acid (UAA) into target proteins in Escherichia coli, we use a suppressor plasmid that provides an engineered suppressor tRNA and an aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (aaRS) specific for the UAA of interest. The continuous drive to further improve UAA incorporation efficiency in E. coli has resulted in several generations of suppressor plasmids. Here we describe a new, highly efficient suppressor plasmid, pUltra, harboring a single copy each of the tRNA and aaRS expression cassettes that exhibits higher suppression activity than its predecessors. This system is able to efficiently incorporate up to three UAAs within the same protein at levels up to 30% of the level of wild-type protein expression. Its unique origin of replication (CloDF13) and antibiotic resistance marker (spectinomycin) allow pUltra to be used in conjunction with the previously reported pEVOL suppressor plasmid, each encoding a distinct tRNA/aaRS pair, to simultaneously insert two different UAAs...
Spiritist Mediumship as Historical Mediation: African-American Pasts, Black Ancestral Presence, and Afro-Cuban Religions

Abstract The scholarship on Afro-Atlantic religions has tended to downplay the importance of Kardecist Espiritismo. In this article I explore the performance of Spiritist rituals among Black North American practitioners of Afro-Cuban religions, and examine its vital role in the development of their religious subjectivity. Drawing on several years of ethnographic research in a Chicago-based Lucumi community, I argue that through Spiritist ceremonies, African-American participants engaged in memory work and other transformative modes of collective historiographical praxis. I contend that by inserting gospel songs, church hymns, and spirituals into the musical repertoire of misas espirituales, my interlocutors introduced a new group of beings into an existing category of ethnically differentiated ‘spirit guides’. Whether embodied in ritual contexts or cultivated privately through household altars, these spirits not only personify the ancestral dead; I demonstrate that they also mediate between African-American historical experience and the contemporary practice of Yoruba- and Kongo-inspired religions.
Persistent carbocations from bay region methoxy-substituted cyclopenta[a]phenanthrene and its derivatives. A structure/reactivity study.

Using 500 MHz NMR, we have carried out a stable ion protonation and model nitration study of the methoxy-substituted hydrocarbon 6, its 15-ol 7, and the dimer 10, in order to evaluate OMe substituent effects on directing electrophilic attack and on charge delocalization mode/conformational aspects in the resulting carbocations. It is found that the C-11 methoxy group directs the electrophilic attack to C-12 and C-14. Thus protonation of 6 with FSO3H/SO2ClF gives a 4:1 mixture of monoarenium ions 6H+/6aH+. Prolonged reaction times and increased temperature induced fluorosulfonylation at C-14 (6+-SO2F), whereas ambient nitration with NO2+BF4- occurred at C-12. The 15-ol derivative 7 is cleanly ionized to 11+, providing the first example of an α-phenanthrene-substituted carbocation from phenanthrene C-1 position. Contrasting behavior of the D-ring methyl-substituted 9 and the C-11 methoxy-substituted 10 dimers is remarkable in that unlike 9 which is readily cleaved to produce the monomeric arenium ion 3H+, 1...
Safety of Pacemaker Implantation in Nonagenarians An Analysis of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project–Nationwide Inpatient Sample

Background—Data are scarce on outcomes of pacemaker implantation in nonagenarians (age≥90 years). Methods and Results—We identified patients >70 years of age (n=115 683) who underwent initial pacemaker implantation in the 2004 to 2008 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project–Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Outcomes included in-hospital mortality, complications, length of stay, and charges. Unadjusted outcomes were compared using χ2 and Mantel-Haenszel tests. Multivariate hierarchical logistic models and stepwise linear regression models adjusted for case-mix variation and clustering. Eleven percent (12 917) were >90 years of age. Relative to patients aged 70 to 79 years, patients >90 years of age were more likely to have moderate/severe comorbidity (Charlson score >1; 43.2% versus 40.1%) and less likely to be admitted electively (17.5% versus 29.9%), all P<0.001. The unadjusted mortality and complication rates in patients aged 70 to 79 years were 0.60% (confidence interval [CI], 0.53–0.67%) and 5.61% (CI, 5.4...
Delimiting the role of ethical reasoning in epidemiology.

The commentary by de Melo-Martin and Intemann [1] argues for extending the role of ethical considerations to the conduct of research, moving inward from the well accepted application of ethics to the selection of topics to the methods used to study those problems, and from the well-accepted role of ethics in policy applications to the technical interpretation of epidemiologic studies. Aware ness of ethical concerns throughout the research process could only be beneficial in providing guidelines to con sider, but rigidly prescribed rules imposed in the name of ethics would have the danger of constraining the scope,
Epigenetic Reprogramming in Cancer

The demonstration of induced pluripotency and direct lineage conversion has led to remarkable insights regarding the roles of transcription factors and chromatin regulators in mediating cell state transitions. Beyond its considerable implications for regenerative medicine, this body of work is highly relevant to multiple stages of oncogenesis, from the initial cellular transformation to the hierarchical organization of established malignancies. Here, we review conceptual parallels between the respective biological phenomena, highlighting important interrelationships among transcription factors, chromatin regulators, and preexisting epigenetic states. The shared mechanisms provide insights into oncogenic transformation, tumor heterogeneity, and cancer stem cell models.
Design Propagation in Mechanical Systems: Kinematic Analysis

A broadly applicable formulation for investigating design propagations in mechanisms is developed and illustrated. Analytical criteria in terms of the variations of joint position vectors and orientation matrices for planar and spatial mechanisms are presented. Mechanisms are represented using graph theory and closed loops are converted to a tree-like structure by cutting joints and introducing new constraints. The Jacobian matrix in Cartesian space is then transformed to Joint coordinates space. Two cases are considered: a pair of bodies remain connected by one joint after cutting additional joints and a pair of bodies are disconnected after cutting joints. Using this method, a designer has the ability to study the propagated effect of changing a design variable on the design. The presented formulation is validated through a numerical example of a McPherson strut suspension system. The system is analyzed and an assembled configuration is computed after a change in design.
Molecular pharmacology: an immunocytochemical approach

Abstract These are just a few of the many examples of the use of immunocytochemistry to answer questions in molecular pharmacology. Any problem requiring information on the synthesis, activity, or target site of an antigenic molecule may be approached through labeled antibody techniques. Knowledge of the sites at which antigens are found in cells and tissues and of their movements in response to various stimuli can be combined with biochemical and morphological data to give a more complete view of the functional role of the molecules.
Long-Term Exposure to Air Pollution and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in a Multiethnic Cohort

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) affects 11% of US adults, and the prevalence is double in people 65 years of age or older (1). It has been suggested that more than 90% of adult-onset DM is attributable to modifiable factors, such as lifestyle behaviors and diet (2). Increasing evidence suggests that environmental exposures also contribute to the development of diabetes (3, 4). Recently, air pollution has been proposed as a risk factor for the development of type 2 DM (5). In a mouse model of diet-induced obesity, 6-month inhalation exposures to high concentrations of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5) induced insulin resistance and systemic inflammation and increased visceral adiposity (6). In the same mouse model, exposure to PM2.5 for 10 months induced insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, lower circulating levels of adipokines (adiponectin and leptin), and mitochondrial alteration (7). Numerous studies have also shown associations of PM2.5 with systemic inflammatory responses and cardiac autonomic dysfunction (8–10), which might lead to diminished insulin action (11, 12). However, human epidemiologic studies on the relationship between air pollution and DM have yielded inconsistent results (13), with some finding an association (14–16), others finding associations only in subpopulations (17–21), and still others finding no association (22). Such inconsistencies might be attributed to sociodemographic and geographic differences. More evidence in prospectively followed cohorts is required to determine whether air pollution exposures are causally related to the development of type 2 DM. We investigated the associations of prevalent and incident DM with individual-level estimates of exposure to PM2.5 and nitrogen oxides and residential proximity to major roadways, a proxy of exposure to traffic-related pollution, in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). We also examined effect modification by sex, given that some studies reported a significant association between air pollution and DM only among women (19, 21, 22).
The role of antisense RNA in gene regulation.

PERSPECTIVES AND SUMMARY ... ... 569 PROKARYOTIC ANTISENSE REGULATORY SYSTEMS 570 Plasmid Replication 570 TnlO Transposition ... ... ... ... 574 Bacterial and Phage Gene Expression 576 Artificial Antisense RNA (micRNA) 579 mic Immune System 582 ANTISENSE RNA IN EUKARYOTIC SySTEMS 584 Antisense Genes 584 Microinjection of Antisense RNA 588 Possible Existence of Antisense RNA in Eukaryotic Cells 590 PROSPECTS 592
CTCF-Independent, but Not CTCF-Dependent, Elements Significantly Contribute to TCR-α Locus Control Region Activity

The mouse TCRα/TCRδ/Dad1 gene locus bears a locus control region (LCR) that drives high-level, position-independent, thymic transgene expression in chromatin. It achieves this through DNA sequences that enhance transcription and protect transgene expression from integration site-dependent position effects. The former activity maps to a classical enhancer region (Eα). In contrast, the elements supporting the latter capacity that suppresses position effects are incompletely understood. Such elements likely play important roles in their native locus and may resemble insulator/boundary sequences. Insulators support enhancer blocking and/or chromatin barrier activity. Most vertebrate enhancer-blocking insulators are dependent on the CTCF transcription factor and its cognate DNA binding site. However, studies have also revealed CTCF-independent enhancer blocking and barrier insulator activity in the vertebrate genome. The TCRα LCR contains a CTCF-dependent and multiple CTCF-independent enhancer-blocking regions whose roles in LCR activity are unknown. Using randomly integrated reporter transgenes in mice, we find that the CTCF region plays a very minor role in LCR function. In contrast, we report the in vivo function of two additional downstream elements located in the region of the LCR that supports CTCF-independent enhancer-blocking activity in cell culture. Internal deletion of either of these elements significantly impairs LCR activity. These results reveal that the position-effect suppression region of the TCRα LCR harbors an array of CTCF-independent, positive-acting gene regulatory elements, some of which share characteristics with barrier-type insulators. These elements may help manage the separate regulatory programs of the TCR α and Dad1 genes.
Advanced Topics In End User Computing, Volume 4

Success Factors Risk Factors Management Satisfaction and Usage Hardware and Software End User Supports and Training End Users and Downsizing Information Centre Management Productivity Piracy and Copyright.