cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ephedra and its application to sport performance: another concern for the athletic trainer?

Michael E. Powers, PhD, ATC, CSCS, provided conception and design; analysis and interpretation of the data; and drafting,critical revision, and ﬁnal approval of the article.Address correspondence to Michael E. Powers, PhD, ATC, CSCS, 144 FL Gym, PO Box 118205, Gainesville, FL 32611–8205.Address e-mail to mpowers@hhp.uﬂ.edu.Objective:The ma huang herb, otherwise known as ephe-dra, has gained widespread popularity as an ergogenic supple-ment. With the sympathomimetic alkaloid ephedrine as its pri-mary active ingredient, ma huang is marketed to reduce fatigue;increase strength, power, and speed; decrease reaction time;and improve body composition. Although numerous side effectshave been associated with the use of ma huang, its popularityin athletes continues to grow. This review provides rationale forthe ergogenic claims regarding ma huang and compares andcontrasts those claims with data from scientiﬁcally controlledinvestigations.Data Sources:MEDLINE and SPORT Discus were searchedfrom 1970 to 2000 using the key words ma huang, ephedra,and ephedrine in combination with humans, exercise, perfor-mance,and side effects.Data Synthesis:Ephedrine has been used alone or in com-bination with other drugs as an effective weight-loss agent. Theweight loss has been attributed to thermogenic and lipolytic ef-fects which, in combination with the central nervous systemstimulating effects, have also resulted in its use as an ergogenicaid. Most of the scientiﬁc data, however, do not support man-ufacturers’ ergogenic claims, and numerous side effects havebeen associated with ephedrine use. Thus, the safety and ef-ﬁcacy of ma huang as an ergogenic supplement must be ques-tioned.Conclusions/Recommendations: It appears that the risksassociated with the use of ma huang far outweigh any possibleergogenic beneﬁts. Thus, it is extremely important that athletictrainers educate athletes on these issues so they can continueto perform at an optimum level in a safe and healthy manner.Key Words: ma huang, ephedrine, ergogenic aid, perfor-mance enhancement
Recent progress and current puzzles in percolation

The basic physical phenomena of percolation are reviewed within the context of the modern theory of critical phenomena. The connection between percolation and the Potts model, a statistical mechanical model of ferromagnetism, is discussed. Recent advances in calculating critical exponents by position-space renormalization group methods are also described. Several open questions are also raised, including the nature of cluster structure and transport near the percolation threshold, and the anomalous geometrical properties of self-similar structures.
The Michigan Data Science Team: A Data Science Education Program with Significant Social Impact

One role of universities is to provide students with the practical knowledge necessary to address broad societal needs. The growing field of data science has the potential to address many of these needs, primarily due to recent efforts to collect large amounts of data related to social, environmental, and political issues. A challenge is that there exists a disconnect between these real-world issues and the course materials taught to university students. This gap is due in part to a lack of engagement between universities and their local communities, leaving students with few opportunities to work with datasets relevant to real-world problems. To address this disconnect, the authors have implemented a novel data science education and outreach program in which students acquire new knowledge and skills while creating positive social impact through community service. In this work, we outline this outreach program, the Michigan Data Science Team, and provide empirical evidence of positive educational and social impact.
Evaluating the MJO prediction skill from different configurations of NCEP GEFS extended forecast

NOAA is accelerating its efforts to improve the numerical guidance and prediction capability for extended range (weeks 3 and 4) prediction in its seamless forecast system. Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) is the dominant mode of sub-seasonal variability in tropics and prediction skill of MJO is investigated in this paper. We used different configurations of the NCEP Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS) to perform the experiments. The configurations include (1) the operational version of the stochastic perturbation forced with operational Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs); (2) an updated stochastic physics forced with operational SSTs; (3) an updated stochastic physics forced with bias-corrected SSTs that are from Climate Forecast System (Version 2); and (4) as in (3) but with the addition of a scale aware-convection scheme. We evaluated MJO prediction skill from the experiments using Wheeler–Hendon indices and also examined the performance of the forecast system on prediction of key MJO components. We found that using the updated stochastic scheme improved the MJO prediction lead-time by about 4 days. Further updating the underlying SSTs with the bias corrected CFSv2 forecast increased the MJO prediction lead time by another 1.7 days. The best configuration of the four experiments is the last configuration which extends forecast lead time by ~ 9 days. Further investigation shows that upper and lower level zonal wind over the tropics has larger improvement than the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR). The improvement of the MJO prediction skill appears to be related primarily to the improvement in the representation associated circulations and OLR over the tropical West Pacific.
DENSITY OF SURFACE IG ON B–CELLS: ONTOGENIC STUDIES OF A POPULATION OF SPLENIC B–CELLS IN NORMAL MICE AND MICE WITH AN X–LINKED B–LYMPHOCYTE IMMUNE DEFECT

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the ontogenic studies of a population of splenic B-cells in normal mice and mice with an X-linked B lymphocyte immune defect. These studies are significant because (1) they help to define properties that are maybe responsible for the different functional characteristics of B lymphocytes derived from bone marrow and spleen and (2) they provide data concerning the role of surface immunoglobulin (Ig) in cellular activation. B lymphocytes from bone marrow are very heterogenous in terms of the amount of surface Ig per cell when compared to B lymphocytes derived from spleen. Adult splenic B-lymphocytes contain a large subpopulation of cells with a low-to-intermediate density of surface Ig when these cells are stained with an Fl F(ab') 2 anti-Ig or anti-K. This subpopulation of cells is not present in the bone marrow of adult mice, the spleens of neonatal mice, or the spleens of mice with an X-linked immune defect.
P553 Initiating a sexual network study among men who have sex with men: a mixed-methods pilot study

Background In preparation for a prospective network study of men who have sex with men (MSM), we conducted a mixed-methods pilot study to examine feasibility and acceptability of several study components, including recruitment, data collection, and compensation. Methods We conducted in-depth interviews (IDIs) with eight providers serving MSM and five focus group discussions (FGDs) with 34 MSM from four target MSM populations: young Black men, HIV-positive men, HIV-negative men on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and men not engaged in medical care. We also conducted a 4-week pilot of a smartphone app for ecological momentary assessment (EMA) with 20 MSM (ongoing). EMA surveys were employed to capture daily data on anal and oral sex, consumption of alcohol and drugs, use of hook-up and social networking apps, and other behaviors. We used a brief exit survey to assess EMA app acceptability. Results A major theme identified during IDIs and FGDs was the importance of developing trust and maintaining confidentiality during proposed respondent driven sampling (RDS) recruitment activities. A second FGD theme emphasized the importance of compensating participants appropriately for RDS and other study activities. All EMA participants reported being “completely comfortable” reporting their sexual behavior through the app. Most (67%) preferred the app to in-person interviews. Several participants identified technical issues with the app, including not receiving push notifications and spontaneous app closure. Conclusion IDIs and FGDs confirmed that developing trust and protecting participant confidentiality are critical for successful RDS recruitment. FGDs showed that MSM value their contributions to research and desire commensurate compensation. The EMA app was acceptable, despite technological challenges. It is feasible to use EMA to capture sexual behavior in this population. This mixed-methods pilot allowed for adjustments to the planned network study, including changes in compensation type and amount, troubleshooting technical issues, and modifications to the EMA survey. Disclosure No significant relationships.
The Efficacy of Surgical Treatment for Headaches in Patients with Prior Head or Neck Trauma.

Background Patients undergoing trigger-site deactivation surgery for headaches report a high prevalence (approximately 37 percent) of prior head or neck injury. Traditional medical treatment often fails to treat these posttraumatic patients. It is unclear whether surgery mirrors these poor outcomes. This study aims to describe the characteristics of posttraumatic headache surgery patients and compare their postoperative results to those of patients without a history of head or neck injury. Methods One hundred forty-two patients undergoing trigger-site deactivation surgery were prospectively enrolled. Patients were requested to complete a preoperative questionnaire on headache history, including the Migraine Headache Index and information on prior head or neck injury. Follow-up surveys were requested at approximately 12 months postoperatively. Results Seventy patients (49 percent) reported a history of head or neck injury, and 41 (29 percent) classified the injury as the precipitating event leading to their headache onset. Patients with a precipitating event were significantly less likely to report a family history of migraine. There was no significant difference in mean preoperative Migraine Headache Index between cohorts. At 12 months postoperatively, there was no significant difference in Migraine Headache Index reduction between groups. The proportion of patients who experienced at least a 50 and 80 percent improvement in Migraine Headache Index per group, respectively, was 83 and 67 percent (atraumatic), 76 and 68 percent (posttraumatic), and 71 and 63 percent (precipitating event). Conclusions This study suggests that surgical outcomes in posttraumatic headache patients are comparable to those without injury. Trigger-site deactivation surgery candidates with a history of injury can therefore expect similar outcomes as reported for patients overall. Clinical question/level of evidence Risk, II.
Wyner wiretap‐like encoding scheme for cyber‐physical systems

In this study, the authors consider the problem of exchanging secrete messages in cyber-physical systems (CPSs) without resorting to cryptographic solutions. In particular, they consider a CPS where the networked controller wants to send a secrete message to the plant. They show that such a problem can be solved by exploiting a Wyner wiretap-like encoding scheme taking advantage of the closed-loop operations typical of feedback control systems. Specifically, by resorting to the control concept of one-step reachable sets, they first show that a wiretap-like encoding scheme exists whenever there is an asymmetry in the plant model knowledge available to control system (the defender) and to the eavesdropper. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is confirmed by means of a numerical example. Finally, they conclude the study by presenting open design challenges that can be addressed by the research community to improve, in different directions, the secrete message exchange problem in CPSs.
627 The DLL3-targeted half-life extended bispecific T cell engager (HLE BiTE®) immune-oncology therapy AMG 757 has potent antitumor activity in neuroendocrine cancer

Background Neuroendocrine tumors (NET), including small cell lung cancer (SCLC), have poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. AMG 757 is an HLE BiTE® immune therapy designed to redirect T cell cytotoxicity to NET cells by binding to Delta-like ligand 3 (DLL3) expressed on the tumor cell surface and CD3 on T cells. Methods We evaluated activity of AMG 757 in NET cells in vitro and in mouse models of neuroendocrine cancer in vivo. In vitro, co-cultures of NET cells and human T cells were treated with AMG 757 in a concentration range and T cell activation, cytokine production, and tumor cell killing were assessed. In vivo, AMG 757 antitumor efficacy was evaluated in xenograft NET and in orthotopic models designed to mimic primary and metastatic SCLC lesions. NSG mice bearing established NET were administered human T cells and then treated once weekly with AMG 757 or control HLE BiTE molecule; tumor growth inhibition was assessed. Pharmacodynamic effects of AMG 757 in tumors were also evaluated in SCLC models following a single administration of human T cells and AMG 757 or control HLE BiTE molecule. Results AMG 757 induced T cell activation, cytokine production, and potent T cell redirected killing of DLL3-expressing SCLC, neuroendocrine prostate cancer, and other DLL3-expressing NET cell lines in vitro. AMG 757-mediated redirected lysis was specific for DLL3-expressing cells. In patient-derived xenograft and orthotopic models of SCLC, single-dose AMG 757 effectively engaged human T cells administered systemically, leading to a significant increase in the number of human CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in primary and metastatic tumor lesions. Weekly administration of AMG 757 induced significant tumor growth inhibition of SCLC (figure 1) and other NET, including complete regression of established tumors and clearance of metastatic lesions. These findings warranted evaluation of AMG 757 (NCT03319940); the phase 1 study includes dose exploration (monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab) and dose expansion (monotherapy) in patients with SCLC (figure 2). A study of AMG 757 in patients with neuroendocrine prostate cancer is under development based on emerging data from the ongoing phase 1 study. Conclusions AMG 757 engages and activates T cells to kill DLL3-expressing SCLC and other NET cells in vitro and induces significant antitumor activity against established xenograft tumors in mouse models. These preclinical data support evaluation of AMG 757 in clinical studies of patients with NET. Ethics Approval All in vivo work was conducted under IACUC-approved protocol #2009-00046.
Does Shareholder Coordination Matter? Evidence from Private Placements

We propose a new role for private investments in public equity (PIPEs) as a mechanism to reduce coordination frictions among existing equity holders. We establish a causal link between the coordination ability of incumbent shareholders and PIPE issuance. This result obtains even after controlling for alternative explanations such as information asymmetry and access to public markets. Improved equity coordination following a private placement leads to favorable debt renegotiations within one year of issuance. Mitigating coordination frictions among shareholders ultimately decreases the odds of firm default in half.
Feeling Competitiveness or Empathy Towards Negotiation Counterparts Mitigates Sex Differences in Lying

Men typically express more willingness than women to perpetrate fraudulent acts like lying in negotiations. However, women express just as much willingness in some cases. We develop and test a theory to explain these mixed findings. Specifically, we hypothesize that situational cues that bring about competitive or empathic feelings mitigate sex differences in lying to negotiation counterparts. Results from four experiments confirm our hypotheses. Experiment 1 showed that men and women express equal willingness to lie when negotiating with counterparts toward whom they felt either great competitiveness or empathy. Experiment 2 extended these results by confirming that men only express more willingness to lie absent competitive or empathic feelings towards a counterpart. Experiments 3 and 4 demonstrated that inducing competitive or empathic feelings toward a counterpart eliminated sex differences in lying by leading women to lie more and men to lie less, respectively. Overall, our results suggest that the extent to which negotiators experience competitive or empathic feelings play important roles in whether sex differences in lying in negotiations emerge.
A Convolutional Neural Network for Automated Detection of Humpback Whale Song in a Diverse, Long-Term Passive Acoustic Dataset

Passive acoustic monitoring is a well-established tool for researching the occurrence, movements, and ecology of a wide variety of marine mammal species. Advances in hardware and data collection have exponentially increased the volume of passive acoustic data collected, such that discoveries are now limited by the time required to analyze rather than collect the data. In order to address this limitation, we trained a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) to identify humpback whale song in over 187,000 hours of acoustic data collected at 13 different monitoring sites in the North Pacific over a 14-year period. The model successfully detected 75-second audio segments containing humpback song with an average precision of 0.97 and average AUC-ROC of 0.992. The model output was used to analyze spatial and temporal patterns of humpback song, corroborating known seasonal patterns in the Hawaiian and Mariana Islands, including occurrence at remote monitoring sites beyond well-studied aggregations, as well as novel discovery of humpback whale song at Kingman Reef, at 5o North latitude. This study demonstrates the ability of a CNN trained on a small dataset to generalize well to a highly variable signal type across a diverse range of recording and noise conditions. We demonstrate the utility of active learning approaches for creating high-quality models in specialized domains where annotations are rare. These results validate the feasibility of applying deep learning models to identify highly variable signals across broad spatial and temporal scales enabling new discoveries through combining large datasets with cutting edge tools.
Novel Spaced Repetition Flashcard System for the In-training Examination for Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Electronic flashcards allow repeated information exposure over time along with active recall. It is increasingly used for self-study by medical students but remains poorly implemented for graduate medical education. The primary goal of this study was to determine whether a flashcard system enhances preparation for the in-training examination in obstetrics and gynecology (ob-gyn) conducted by the Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology (CREOG). Ob-gyn residents at Duke University were included in this study. A total of 883 electronic flashcards were created and distributed. CREOG scores and flashcard usage statistics, generated internally by interacting with the electronic flashcard system, were collected after the 2019 exam. The primary outcome was study aid usage and satisfaction. The secondary outcome was the impact of flashcard usage on CREOG exam scores. Of the 32 residents, 31 (97%) participated in this study. Eighteen (58%) residents used the study’s flashcards with a median of 276 flashcards studied over a median of 3.7 h. All of the flashcard users found the study aid helpful, and all would recommend them to another ob-gyn resident. Using the flashcards to study for the 2019 CREOG exam appeared to correlate with improvement in scores from 2018 to 2019, but did not achieve statistical significance after adjusting for post-graduate year (beta coefficient = 10.5; 95% confidence interval = − 0.60,21.7; p = 0.06). This flashcard resource was well received by ob-gyn residents for in-training examination preparation, though it was not significantly correlated with improvement in CREOG scores after adjusting for post-graduate year.
Reduced-order modeling of neutron transport separated in energy by Proper Generalized Decomposition with applications to nuclear reactor physics

Abstract In this article, we formulate and implement an a priori Reduced-Order Model (ROM) of neutron transport separated in energy by Proper Generalized Decomposition (PGD). Numerical experiments characterize efficacy compared to the full-order model in approximating the neutron flux, multigroup cross sections, and coarse-group flux. Problems consider representative light water reactor pins of UO2 or Mixed Oxide fuel with CASMO-70, XMAS-172, and SHEM-361 energy meshes. We demonstrate the ROM can estimate the angular flux within roughly 0.36% L 2 error—or 0.05% with update of the energy basis—given 50 modes, or enrichment iterations, even for the finest mesh, SHEM-361. The corresponding scalar flux errors round to 0.2% and 0.01%. Further, collapsing from SHEM-361 to (an aligned analogue of) CASMO-70, we find few (1–3) modes yield multigroup cross sections comparable to those of an infinite medium approximation, while 30 produces values practically indistinguishable from those of the full-order model, as assessed by the error of the coarse-group solution. This holds true with both Consistent-P and Inconsistent-P transport corrections. Comparing the coarse-group solutions, we observe the L 2 error of the ROM with 10 modes (0.5%) is comparable to that introduced by cross section condensation. Given additional (20, 30) modes, the ROM is able to converge below this threshold (to 0.11–0.16%, 0.06–0.09%, respectively). Ultimately, we expect this PGD ROM may achieve considerable savings in computing multigroup cross sections. Moreover, the ROM provides an alternative means of approximation to cross section condensation, preferable in that it introduces neither a loss of resolution nor irrecoverable error.
Optical and Biometric Bases of Anisomyopia

It is now generally accepted that both genetic and enviromental factors play important roles in myopigenesis. As these factors are expected to similarly influence the two eyes of an individual, that the two eyes develop quite different refractive errors in some individuals in the absence of ocular pathology seems paradoxical. The purpose of the current study was to investigatethe the optical and biometric interocular differences in anisomyopes, with the over-riding goal of obtaining new insight into myopigenesis.
Influence of optical molasses in loading a shallow optical trap

We have examined loading of $^{85}\mathrm{Rb}$ atoms into a shallow far-off-resonance trap (FORT) from an optical molasses stage following a magneto-optical trap (MOT) stage and compared it to loading from a MOT stage only. Substantially more atoms could be loaded into the FORT using an optical molasses. To determine why this was the case, we measured the rate of atoms loaded into the FORT and the losses from the FORT during both loading processes over a range of detunings and hyperfine pump powers. We found that the losses induced during MOT loading were essentially the same as the losses induced during molasses loading and decreased with increased red detuning; however, we found that the differences in load rate caused an optical molasses to optimize at a greater detuning, improving the number of atoms we could trap by a factor of 2 over that of optimal loading from a MOT.
Blood flow–metabolism imaging with positron emission tomography in patients with diabetes mellitus for the assessment of reversible left ventricular contractile dysfunction

Abstract OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive accuracy of positron emission tomography (PET) blood flow–F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) imaging in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). BACKGROUND Positron emission tomography accurately predicts the postrevascularization improvement in left ventricular dysfunction in unselected patients with CAD. In diabetic patients, however, poor myocardial glucose utilization may limit the accuracy of the approach. METHODS Forty patients (64 ± 10 years old; 19 with DM = group I; 21 without DM = group II) with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF = 29 ± 6%) were studied with N-13 ammonia and FDG PET before coronary revascularization. Studies were performed after intravenous injection of regular insulin (group I) or oral glucose administration (group II). Blood flow–FDG mismatches and matches were identified by polar map analysis in the three vascular territories of the left anterior descending, left circumflex and right coronary artery. Wall motion and LVEF were assessed by two-dimensional echocardiography before and 158 ± 123 days after revascularization. RESULTS Of 107 vascular territories analyzed, 46 were classified as mismatch, 29 as match and 32 as normal. The FDG image quality, assessed by F-18 myocardium to blood pool activity ratios, and the predictive accuracy were similar in both groups; presence of a blood flow/FDG mismatch had a sensitivity of 92% (group I) and 94% (group II) and a specificity of 85% (group I) and 79% (group II) for an improvement in regional left ventricular function. A postrevascularization improvement in global left ventricular function was related to the extent of blood flow/FDG mismatch; LVEF increased from 30 ± 7% to 35 ± 7% (p = 0.017) in patients with one mismatch and from 27 ± 4% to 41 ± 7% (p CONCLUSIONS The predictive accuracy of blood flow/FDG imaging is maintained in patients with DM when a clinically acceptable study protocol, which guarantees good FDG image quality, is used. The extent of a blood flow/metabolism mismatch is correlated with the magnitude of the postrevascularization improvement in global left ventricular function.
Factor structure of content preparation for e-business web sites: a survey results of industrial employees in P.R. China

To enhance the quality of e-business web sites, a study of factor structure in content preparation is needed. Based on background literature, a content preparation survey of 70 items was developed and completed by 428 white collar employees of XOCECO Company in mainland China. The survey aimed at examining the significant content factors of e-business web sites. Results of the study indicated a 0.75 internal consistency of the questionnaire. A factor analysis of the data indicated fifteen main content factors for e-business web sites, which accounts for 60.1% percent of total variance. The factors in order of importance are: security content, quality content, service content, appearance description, contact information, aid function, customized function, search function, product specification, purchasing aid, price content, detailed description, comment content, matching product, review content. This study concludes with guidelines for the design of content preparation of e-business we presented.
Electric field processing of ferroelectric particulate ceramics and composites

The ability to create electroceramic sub-micron particles has outpaced the ability to usefully assemble these particles and utilize the finer particle and grain size characteristics. By suspending these particles in a liquid medium, charges and/or dipoles interacting with an applied electric field can be used to fabricate novel structures. This paper discusses two electric field processes for the manipulation of electroceramic powders: a) electrophoretic deposition for the formation of thin/thick layers, and b) dielectrophoresis for the formation of composites with anisotropic dielectric properties.
Cycloserine Induction, Propagation, and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Wall-Defective Staphylococcus aureus.

Abstract A method of induction of L colonies of Staphylococcus aureus by cycloserine, the propagation of wall-defective staphylococci (WDS), and the development and antimicrobial susceptibility of stable WDS are presented. The growth and morphology of the cycloserine-induced L colonies and WDS were indistinguishable from those induced by methicillin or lysostaphin. The antimicrobial susceptibility of the stable cycloserine-induced WDS was similar to that of the stable methicillin-induced and lysostaphin-induced WDS by both broth dilution and agar diffusion techniques. A survey of the English literature reveals that wall-defective bacteria are always resistent to antimicrobial agents which inhibit cell wall synthesis (cycloserine, penicillins, and cephalosporins). They are virtually all susceptible to antimicrobial agents which have other modes of action. The susceptibility to vancomycin and bacitracin varied from study to study.
Pluto Express power system architecture

The Pluto Express power system must answer the challenge of the next generation spacecraft by reducing its power, mass and volume envelopes. Technology developed by the New Millennium Program will enable the power system to meet the stringent requirements for the Pluto Express mission without exceeding the spacecraft mass and volume budgets. Traditionally, there has been an increasing trend of the percentage of mass of the power system electronics with respect to the total spacecraft mass. With all of the previous technology focus on high density digital packaging, the power system electronics have not been keeping pace forcing the spacecraft to absorb a relative increase in the power system mass. The increasing trend can be reversed by using mixed signal ASICs and high density multi-chip-module (MCM) packaging techniques validated by the New Millennium Program. As the size of the spacecraft shrinks, the power system electronics must become tightly integrated with the spacecraft loads. The power system architecture needs the flexibility to accommodate the specific load requirements without sacrificing the capability for growth or reduction as the spacecraft requirements change throughout the development. Modularity is a key requirement that will reduce the overall power system cost. This paper describes how the combination of the New Millennium packaging technologies with the Pluto Express power system architecture will produce a product with the capability to meet a wide range of mission profiles while reducing system development costs.
Caenorhabditis elegans lin-45 raf Is Essential for Larval Viability, Fertility and the Induction of Vulval Cell Fates

The protein kinase Raf is an important signaling protein. Raf activation is initiated by an interaction with GTP-bound Ras, and Raf functions in signal transmission by phosphorylating and activating a mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase named MEK. We identified 13 mutations in the Caenorhabditis elegans lin-45 raf gene by screening for hermaphrodites with abnormal vulval formation or germline function. Weak, intermediate, and strong loss-of-function or null mutations were isolated. The phenotype caused by the most severe mutations demonstrates that lin-45 is essential for larval viability, fertility, and the induction of vulval cell fates. The lin-45(null) phenotype is similar to the mek-2(null) and mpk-1(null) phenotypes, indicating that LIN-45, MEK-2, and MPK-1 ERK MAP kinase function in a predominantly linear signaling pathway. The lin-45 alleles include three missense mutations that affect the Ras-binding domain, three missense mutations that affect the protein kinase domain, two missense mutations that affect the C-terminal 14-3-3 binding domain, three nonsense mutations, and one small deletion. The analysis of the missense mutations indicates that Ras binding, 14-3-3-binding, and protein kinase activity are necessary for full Raf function and suggests that a 14-3-3 protein positively regulates Raf-mediated signaling during C. elegans development.
Time-dependent aggrecan gene expression of articular chondrocytes in response to hyperosmotic loading.

Abstract Objective To investigate the effects of increasing extracellular osmolality on aggrecan gene expression and cell size in cultured chondrocytes. Design Aggrecan promoter activity and mRNA levels were measured in bovine monolayer chondrocytes subjected to hyperosmotic loading for different time periods, using transient transfection assays or RT-PCR. Cell size changes were also determined using an epifluorescence microscopy system. Results Hyperosmotic loading for 24h suppressed aggrecan promoter activity and mRNA levels approximately two-fold. However no suppression of promoter activity was observed when exon 1 was deleted from the human aggrecan promoter construct. Osmotic regulation of aggrecan gene expression was time-dependent and found to correlate with cell shrinking and swelling. No suppression in promoter activity was observed when the hyperosmotic stimulus was applied in a cyclic manner, or when serum was present in the culture medium. Conclusion Hyperosmotic loading regulates aggrecan gene expression and cell size in isolated chondrocytes. Osmotic regulation of gene expression is also affected by the time-varying nature of loading and the presence of serum.
Carbohydrate analyses of Manduca sexta aminopeptidase N, co-purifying neutral lipids and their functional interactions with Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac toxin.

Abstract Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac insecticidal toxin binds specifically to 120 kDa aminopeptidase N (APN) (EC 3.4.11.2) in the epithelial brush border membrane of Manduca sexta midguts. The isolated 120-kDa APN is a member of a functional Cry1 toxin receptor complex (FEBS Lett. 412 (1997) 270). The 120-kDa form is glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchored and converted to a 115-kDa form upon membrane solubilization. The 115-kDa APN also binds Cry1A toxins and Cry1Ac binding is inhibited by N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc). Here we determined the monosaccharide composition of APN. APN is 4.2 mol% carbohydrate and contains GalNAc, a residue involved in Cry1Ac interaction. APN remained associated with non-covalently bound lipids through anion-exchange column purification. Most associated lipids were separated from APN by hydrophobic interaction chromatography yielding a lipid aggregate. Chemical analyses of the lipid aggregate separated from APN revealed neutral lipids consisting mostly of diacylglycerol and free fatty acids. The fatty acids were long, unsaturated chains ranging from C:14 to C:22. To test the effect of APN-associated lipids on Cry1Ac function, the lipid aggregate and 115-kDa APN were reconstituted into phosphatidylcholine (PC) vesicles. The lipid aggregate increased the amount of Cry1Ac binding, but binding due to the lipid aggregate was not saturable. In contrast the lipid aggregate promoted Cry1Ac-induced release of 86 Rb + at the lowest Cry1Ac concentration (50 nM) tested. The predominant neutral lipid component extracted from the lipid aggregate promoted Cry1Ac-induced 86 Rb + release from membrane vesicles in the presence of APN.
Can we profile sex offenders? A review of sex offender typologies

Sex offenders constitute a heterogeneous population of individuals and can be classified into typologies based upon characteristics and motivations of offending. The most common classification systems are those differentiating between types of rapists, child molesters, female sex offenders, juvenile sex offenders and cyber sex offenders. Understanding the characteristics and motivations of sex offenders can lead to more effective treatment, supervision and management of offenders. This article outlines the development of sex offender typologies over the last quarter century.
Information feedback in first price auctions

I apply the notion of a self-confirming equilibrium (SCE) to study how feedback in first price auctions influences bidders' perceptions about their strategic environment, and consequently their bidding behavior. In a private values setting, revealing the two highest bids at the end of each auction is sufficient for bidders to have correct beliefs (justifying the assumption of Nash equilibrium). In contrast, in every symmetric SCE of a symmetric, affiliated, private values model, bidding strategies and revenue are (weakly) higher if only the highest bid is revealed. I also consider interdependent valuations and discuss implications for the empirical auction literature.
Bethanidine sulfate: efficacy in prevention of ventricular tachyarrhythmias during programmed stimulation. Report of a multicenter study of 56 patients.

Twelve cardiac electrophysiology centers conducted an open label prospective trial of bethanidine sulfate, an oral bretylium analog, for the prevention of ventricular tachyarrhythmias during programmed electrical stimulation. The study group included 56 patients (44 men, 12 women; mean age 60 years; 55 with structural heart disease). Sixteen patients had both ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation, 30 had ventricular tachycardia alone and 10 had ventricular fibrillation alone. Programmed stimulation on no antiarrhythmic drugs induced sustained ventricular tachycardia in 46 patients, nonsustained ventricular tachycardia in 4 patients and ventricular fibrillation in 6 patients. During programmed ventricular stimulation after 59 trials of 20 to 30 mg/kg body weight of oral bethanidine (acute dosing in 40 patients, and divided dosing over 24 hours in 19 patients), no ventricular tachyarrhythmias were inducible in 6 patients (11 %), sustained ventricular tachycardia was converted to nonsustained ventricular tachycardia in 3 patients (5%), ventricular tachyarrhythmias remained inducible in 39 patients (70%) and spontaneous ventricular tachyarrhythmias occurred more frequently in 4 patients (7%). Side effects prevented repeat testing in four patients. The 10 patients presenting with only ventricular fibrillation appeared to have a higher response rate: no ventricular tachyarrhythmias were inducible in 2 patients and sustained ventricular tachycardia was converted to nonsustained ventricular tachycardia in 2 patients. Despite protriptyline administration in 54 of 59 bethanidine trials, symptomatic hypotension occurred in 30 trials (51%). In conclusion, the efficacy of bethanidine for preventing ventricular tachyarrhythmias as assessed by programmed stimulation is low. Patients presenting with only ventricular fibrillation may have a more favorable response to bethanidine sulfate. Symptomatic hypotension occurs frequently despite concomitant use of protriptyline.
Effect of fiber inclination on crack bridging stress in brittle fiber reinforced brittle matrix composites

Abstract The mechanical behavior of brittle matrix composites is strongly affected by the bridging of cracks by fibers. In random fiber composites, fibers can lie at an angle to the crack plane. Under such conditions, the bridging stress for a certain crack opening is governed by various micromechanisms including fiber debonding, fiber bending and rupture as well as matrix spalling. While fiber debonding has been widely investigated, the coupled fiber bending/matrix spalling mechanism has received little attention. In this paper, the fiber bending/matrix spalling mechanism is analyzed by treating the fiber as a beam bent on an elastic foundation with variable stiffness and the possibility of spalling. The foundation stiffness and spalling criterion are derived from a finite element analysis. The bridging stress due to bending alone as well as the total bridging stress are then obtained for the case with brittle fibers. Through this analysis, the effect of various microstructural parameters (such as fiber and matrix moduli, matrix spalling strain and fiber/matrix interfacial friction) on the behavior of random fiber composites can be studied. Prediction of maximum bridging stress for inclined fibers based on the present model is shown to be in good agreement with experimental results.
Sterility in sub-Saharan Africa

Simulations and empirical findings justified the estimation of sterility by age in many African countries where the prevalence of sterility has not been measured previously. Simulations indicated that age-specific sterility rates between ages 20 and 44 may be obtained from populations that use contraception, as long as the rates of contraceptive use and contraceptive efficacy do not exceed specified limits, and the sample size is at least 1,500 cases. In Botswana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe contraceptive practice has become so prevalent, that measures of sterility were deemed to be biased when all women were included in the samples analyzed. The prevalence of sterility varied markedly across selected African countries, and was high relative to levels prevailing in populations with little disease. Prevalence of sterility was highest in Cameroon and lowest in Burundi. In Cameroon and Sudan sterility before age 35 appeared to have declined slightly from the World Fertility Surveys around 1980 to the Demographic and...
1650 THE EFFECT OF CHRONIC CAPD/CCPD TREATMENT AND PERITONITIS ON PERITONEAL CLEARANCES IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS

Sixteen CAPD/CCPD pts. aged 1 4/12 to 19 2/12 underwent serial peritoneal clearance studies. After drainage, a two hour dwell (1.5% Dianeal PD solution) was performed and a peritoneal fluid sample was obtained at the end of this period. A blood sample was taken at 60 minutes. The initial study was performed at 11.1 ± 10.5 mos., the second study at 19.6 ± 14.8 mos. and the third study at 31.9 ± 13.3 mos. The creatinine and BUN clearances per 70Kg BW at the initial, second, third study were 11 ± 3.6 and 14.2 ± 4.0, 10.5 ± 3.3 and 13.8 ± 3.5, 10.8 ± 4.1 and 13.4 ± 2.6 ml/min. Of the 16 pts., only 3 (18%) had more than 20% decline in the creatinine and BUN clearances over time. Two pts. (12.5%) had more than a 20% increase in the creatinine clearance and one pt. in the BUN clearance over time. The effect of peritonitis on peritoneal clearance was studied by comparing the results of 14 peritonitis free intervals in 10 pts. with 11 intervals complicated by peritonitis in 10 pts. The range in the change of the creatinine clearance in the group of pts. with peritonitis was -3.6 to +2.8 (mean -0.582) and without peritonitis -3.6 to +6.4 (mean -0.286) ml/mn/70kg (P=NS). These data indicate that there is no loss of peritoneal clearance in pediatric pts. undergoing CAPD/CCPD of periods up to 54 mos. and that episodes of peritonitis did not adversely affect peritoneal clearance in these pts.
Using chromatic information in edge-based stereo correspondence

Abstract One approach to developing a faster, more robust solution to the stereo correspondence problem is to seek a more complete and efficient use of available image information. Motivated by the observation that chromatic (color) information is a salient, regional property of surfaces in many natural scenes, the goal of this research has been to gain a fundamental understanding of the use of chromatic information in edge-based stereo correspondence. In particular, the use of chromatic information to characterize intensity edges is analyzed, and the chromatic gradient matching constraint, which specifies disambiguation criteria for edge-based stereo correspondence, is developed. The result is a theoretical construction for developing edge-based stereo correspondence algorithms which use chromatic information. The efficacy of using chromatic information via this construction is demonstrated by implementing a disparity-gradient-based algorithm and comparing algorithm performance with and without the chromatic gradient matching constraint. The results demonstrate that the use of chromatic information can significantly reduce the ambiguity between potential matches, resulting in increased algorithm accuracy as well as increased algorithm speed.
Modeling and Analysis of Hybrid Fuel Cell Systems for Vehicular Applications

Modelling and analysis of a hybrid system of fuel cell, battery, and ultra capacitor for vehicle propulsion is presented in this paper. All the components are modelled individually using practical results. A new control strategy is designed to obtain the high performance and better energy efficiency. A new model for PEM fuel cell is used to size the fuel cell, ultracapacitor and battery and study their performances. Simulation of the system is performed using MATLAB/SIMULINK and the results are presented.
Catalytic performance of iron (III) and chromium (III) exchanged pillared clays

Abstract Modified bentonite clays have been studied for hydrocracking reactions using decane as a model reactant. The conversion, yields and selectivities for major cracked projects were modified by incorporation of metal ions such as Fe 3+ , Cr 3+ as well as by pillaring the clay catalysts with aluminum hydroxy cations. Catalytic and spectroscopic evidence indicate that in some preparations, Fe 3+ and Cr 3+ seem to be associated with the pillar. The effect of incorporating the ion in the pillar is to increase the overall activity of the catalyst and shift the product distribution to lighter hydrocarbons and coke.
Decay of 104Cd and levels of 104Ag

Abstract The γ-ray spectrum following the decay of 104Cd has been investigated with Ge(Li) spectrometers. Two unreported γ-rays with energies of 625.2 and 709.2 keV were observed and placed in the proposed decay scheme.
Reverse Mortgage Fraud Against Seniors: Recognition and Education of a Burgeoning Problem

With the senescent population and the popularity of aging in place, many seniors are attracted to reverse mortgages to plan for retirement and to maintain their existing housing situation. Although theoretically reverse mortgages represent a viable investment product for those considering retirement, several pitfalls are possible for seniors, who can be unsuspecting victims of fraud. This article provides information detailing the etymology of fraud activities within this market through a storyboard that depicts the various stages of the fraud process. It is hoped that such a tool can enhance the education of consumers on this mortgage product.
Isolation of a Mutant MDBK Cell Line Resistant to Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus Infection Due to a Block in Viral Entry

A cell line, termed CRIB, resistant to infection with bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) has been derived from the MDBK bovine kidney cell line. CRIB cells were obtained by selection and cloning of cells surviving infection with a highly cytolytic BVDV strain. CRIB cells contain no detectable infectious or defective BVDV as ascertained by cocultivation, animal inoculation, indirect immunofluorescence, Western immunoblot, Northern hybridization, and RNA PCR. Inoculation of CRIB cells with 24 cytopathic and noncytopathic BVDV strains does not result in expression of viral genes or amplification of input virus. Karyotype and isoenzyme analyses demonstrated that CRIB are genuine bovine cells. CRIB cells are as susceptible as the parental MDBK cells to 10 other bovine viruses, indicating that these cells do not have a broad defect blocking viral replication. Transfection of CRIB cells with BVDV RNA or virus inoculation in the presence of polyethylene-glycol results in productive infection, indicating that the defect of CRIB cells is at the level of virus entry. CRIB cells are the first bovine cells reported to be resistant to BVDV infection in vitro and may be a useful tool for studying the early interactions of pestiviruses with host cells.
Genome intruder scanning and modulation systems and transgene silencing

The widespread occurrence of transgene inactivation in plants and classical cases of silencing of duplicated sequences in fungi suggest that all genomes contain defense systems that are capable of monitoring and manipulating intrusive DNA. Such DNA might be recognized by its structure, its sequence composition relative to that of its genomic environment and possibly by its disruption of normal biochemical functions. Although methylation, especially of repeated sequences, is widely associated with gene inactivation, other attributes, including chromatin modification, may be involved. Elimination of inactivated intrusive DNA (presently best documented for filamentous fungi) may also contribute to genomic defense mechanisms in plants. Stable integration and expression of introduced genes are essential for genetically engineered crops, and thus transformation constructs must be designed to avoid host surveillance processes.