cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Low income women and physician breastfeeding advice: A regional assessment

Objectives The aims of the pilot study presented here were to determine whether low income women were receiving compendious breastfeeding advice from their attending physicians.Design This study assessed low income women’s reports of physician breastfeeding advice using a newly designed Likert scaled survey based on the American Surgeon General’s ‘Blueprint for Action on Breastfeeding’1.Setting Data was collected at a WIC Center in a midwestern American city. WIC is an acronym for Women, Infants, and Children and is a federally regulated programme that provides free formula and free food for low income women who are pregnant, or who are the mothers of children 5 years and under.Methods Cumulative frequency distributions were used to assess physician breastfeeding advice. Likert scaled questions were used to allow for vacillating degrees of agreement or disagreement. Female participants, 19 years or older, were mothers of infant children and were defined as low income using federal guidelines.Results Resul...
A SPATIAL STATISTICS APPROACH TO THE QUANTIFICATION OF FINITE STRAIN VARIATION IN PENETRATIVELY DEFORMED THRUST SHEETS : AN EXAMPLE FROM THE SHEEPROCK THRUST SHEET, SEVIER FOLD-AND-THRUST BELT, UTAH

Abstract Strain is an important component of the total displacement field in the emplacement of a thrust sheet. The finite strain tensor in a penetratively deformed thrust sheet is a spatial variable. I describe a method for quantitative estimation of the finite strain variation in thrust sheets by applying spatial statistics analysis on strain data collected from a part of the Sheeprock thrust sheet, in the southern Sheeprock Mountains and the West Tintic Mountains, north-central Utah. Strain was measured in the quartzites of the Sheeprock thrust sheet and the spatial statistics method is illustrated using the X Z strain axial ratios. The Sheeprock thrust sheet was penetratively deformed during Sevier-age fault propagation folding. I quantified finite strain from quartzites using the modified normalized Fry method and calculated the three-dimensional strain ellipsoid from the quartzites using three orthogonal thin-sections from each oriented field sample. The variation of finite strain in the Sheeprock thrust sheet was best represented by an exponential semivariogram model, which I used to predict values of strain from unsampled locations by ordinary kriging. Cross-validation showed that, in general, the predicted and measured values show good agreement (within 1% of each other). The sampled space was contoured using the measured and predicted strain values to obtain a detailed finite strain variation pattern in a part of the Sheeprock thrust sheet.
Millimeter Wave Frequency Extension of the Hewlett-Packard Network Analyzer

In this last decade requirements for the systems and components in the millimeter wave region have grown, have necessitating a means of measuring the scattering parameters at these frequencies. A simple yet effective way to down-convert these signals to a frequency compatible with Hewlett-Packard Model 8410 Network Analyzer will be discussed.
Whither determinism? On humean beings, human beings, and originators

Much of this paper is concerned with several issues of considerable importance in assessing the adequacy of Honderich's account of our nature and the persuasiveness of his case for his theory of determinism. First, there are a number of respects in which his treatment of the mental does not do justice to it, chiefly owing to the mental's being abstracted from its larger context in human life, and to neglect of its intimate relation to socially engendered and maintained systems of significant forms. Second, and relatedly, there is his contention that the untenability of the notion of an Originator is fatal to any attempt to offer a philosophically respectable alternative to the sort of deterministic theory he espouses. An attempt is made to show how one might mount a response that would counter this argument by making sense of the idea of a humanly attainable substitute for the kind of Originator he with good reason rejects. The conclusion is not that indeterminism may thereby be saved, but rather that we ...
Structual and optical studies of distyrylbenzene single crystals

High quality single crystals of distyrylbenzene (DSB) have been grown from the vapor phase, and their structural and optical properties studied. The crystal structure has been determined to be orthorhombic. A rich vibronic structure is observed in the photoluminescence (PL) emission at low temperature. At room temperature, we found a high PL quantum yield and self-waveguiding that leads to laser action.
A classification of temporomandibular joint disk morphology

Abstract Disk morphology has been recognized as an important feature of internal derangements of the temporomandibular joint and as a suspect in functional impediments. A classification of disk shapes was devised by means of corrected lateral cephalometric arthrotomograms and histopathologic sagittal sections. Five basic shapes were identified:bow tie (normal),straight, funnel, bulge, andY. Statistical analyses were performed. The normal condyle-disk-fossa relationship and slight-to-moderate disk displacement occurred with disk shape 1 (bow tie). Severe disk displacement without reduction occurred predominantly with disk shape 4 (bulge). Beaking of dye in the anterior recess of the inferior joint space was an indicator of abnormal disk morphology and displacement.
Fick's insights on liquid diffusion

In 1855, Adolph Fick published ''On Liquid Diffusion'', mathematically treating salt movements in liquids as a diffusion process, analogous to heat diffusion. Less recognized is the fact that Fick also provided a detailed account of the implications of salt diffusion to transport through membranes. A careful look at Fick (1855) shows that his conceptualization of molecular diffusion was more comprehensive than could be captured with the mathematical methods available to him, and therefore his expression, referred to as Fick's Law, dealt only with salt flux. He viewed salt diffusion in liquids as a binary process, with salt moving in one way and water moving in the other. Fick's analysis of the consequences of such a binary process operating in a hydrophilic pore in a membrane offers insights that are relevant to earth systems. This paper draws attention to Fick's rationale, and its implications to hydrogeological systems. Fick (1829-1901; Figure 1), a gifted scientist, published the first book on medical physics (Fick, 1858), discussing the application of optics, solid mechanics, gas diffusion, and heat budget to biological systems. Fick's paper is divisible into two parts. The first describes his experimental verification of the applicability of Fourier's equation to liquid diffusion. The second is a detailed discussion of diffusion through a membrane. Although Fick's Law specifically quantifies solute flux, Fick visualized a simultaneous movement of water and stated, ''It is evident that a volume of water equal to that of the salt passes simultaneously out of the upper stratum into the lower.'' (Fick, 1855, p.30). Fick drew upon Fourier's model purely by analogy. He assumed that concentration gradient impelled salt movement, without inquiring why concentration gradient should constitute a driving force. As for water movement, he stated intuitively, ''a force of suction comes into play on each side of the membrane, proportional to the difference of concentration, consequently a stronger force at the upper side corresponding to the saturated solution'' (Fick, 1855, p.38).
The thought of Deng Xiaoping

Abstract One of the abiding curiosities in the 20th century has been the success of Marxist revolutions in underdeveloped societies. In the case of China, not only did Marxism—Leninism provide little assistance to the communist party on economic development, the problem was compounded by the disastrous ideas of Mao Zedong which, by the time of his death, brought the economy to the brink of ruin. It was Deng Xiaoping who provided the ideological roadmap and legitimation for the reform and modernization of the Chinese economy. By returning to classical Marxism's emphasis on productive forces, Deng managed to transform Marxism into a developmental nationalist ideology. In so doing, Deng paved the way for the current resurgence of nationalism in the People's Republic.
The effect of suprathermal protons on the physical conditions in Seyfert galaxy nuclei. II

The physical conditions in a high density hydrogen gas heated and ionized by suprathermal protons were investigated, with application to the gas in the nuclear region of Seyfert galaxies. The gas is assumed optically thick to Lyman and Balmer line radiation. Mechanisms by which the radiation from the gas can balance the heating by the fast protons were investigated, and minimum values for the mass of gas were estimated. Under certain conditions, the suprathermal atoms themselves can cool the ambient gas by rescattering the line radiation into the optically thin region in the wings of the line. This mechanism, called optical reverberation, can enhance the broad component of the hydrogen lines produced by inelastic atomic collisions and yield line widths consistent with those observed in Seyfert and quasar spectra. Also discussed is the possibility of achieving dynamic equilibrium of the ambient gas by balancing the momentum transfer from the suprathermals with gravitational attraction of a massive central source.
Parameter Estimation for the Constrained Gravity Model: A Comparison of Six Methods:

Six methods of parameter estimation for the production-constrained gravity model are compared in the context of interurban consumer travel. Monte-Carlo experiments reveal that the nonlinear methods (Batty and Mackie, 1972) are inferior to the linear methods (Nakanishi and Cooper, 1974) when there is specification error present, but that the latter rapidly lose their advantage as sample sizes decrease. Bias in the parameter estimates is a more serious source of error than sampling variation.
Research for School Improvement: An Appraisal of Some Recent Trends

umentation of a school improvement program. Paper presented at the Joint Meeting of Evaluation Network and Evaluation Research Society, Baltimore, Md., October 1982. Brookover, W. B., & Lezotte, L. W. Changes in school characteristics coincident with changes in student achievement. East Lansing, Mich.: Institute for Research on Teaching, Michigan University, 1979. Clark, D. L., Lotto, L. S., & McCarthy, M. M. Secondary source study of exceptionality in urban elementary schools. In Phi Delta Kappa, Why do some urban schools succeed? The Phi Delta Kappa study of exceptional urban elementary schools. Bloomington, Ind.: Phi Delta Kappa and Indiana University, 1980. Cohen, M. Effective schools, accumulating research findings. American Education, January-February 1982, pp. 13-16. Coleman, J. S., Campbell, E. Q., Hobson, C. J., McPartland, J., Mood, A. M., Weinfield, F D., & York, R. L. Equality of educational opportunity. Washington, D.C.: Office of Education, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, 1966. Edmonds, R. R. Some schools work and more can. Social Policy, 1979, 9, 28-32. Edmonds, R. R. Programs of school improvement: An overview. Educational Leadership, 1982, 40(3), 4-11. Frederickson, J. R. School effectiveness and equality of educational opportunity. N.Y.: Carnegie Corporation, 1975. MacKenzie, D. E. Resources for leadership: A structured bibliography of school effectiveness literature. Unpublished manuscript, Marquette University, June 1982.
A novel far-field nanoscopic velocimetry for nanofluidics

For the first time we have been able to measure the flow velocity profile for nanofluidics with a spatial resolution better than 70 nm. Due to the diffraction resolution barrier, traditional optical methods have so far failed in measuring the velocity profile in a nanocapillary or a closed nanochannel without an opened sidewall. A novel optical point measurement method is presented which applies stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy to laser induced fluorescence photobleaching anemometer (LIFPA) techniques to measure flow velocity. Herein we demonstrate this far-field nanoscopic velocimetry method by measuring the velocity profile in a nanocapillary with an inner diameter of 360 nm. The closest measuring point to the wall is about 35 nm. This method opens up a new class of functional measuring techniques for nanofluidics and for nanoscale flows from the wall.
Evaluation and management of priapism: 2009 update

Priapism is defined as a persistent penile erection (typically 4 h or longer) that is unrelated to sexual stimulation. Priapism can be classified as either ischemic or nonischemic. Ischemic priapism, the most common subtype, is typically accompanied by pain and is associated with a substantial risk of subsequent erectile dysfunction. Prompt medical attention is indicated in cases of ischemic priapism. The initial management of choice is corporal aspiration with injection of sympathomimetic agents. If medical management fails, a cavernosal shunt procedure is indicated. Stuttering (recurrent) ischemic priapism is a challenging and poorly understood condition; new management strategies currently under investigation may improve our ability to care for men with this condition. Nonischemic priapism occurs more rarely than ischemic priapism, and is most often the result of trauma. This subtype of priapism, which is generally not painful, is usually initially managed with conservative treatment.
Five new species of Rhodamnia (Myrtaceae, Myrteae) from New Guinea

Five new species of Rhodamnia are proposed for New Guinea, including Rhodamnia asekiensis, Rhodamnia daymanensis, Rhodamnia makumak, Rhodamnia taratot, and Rhodamnia waigeoensis. Rhodamnia sharpeana, known previously only in Australia, is reported for the first time for Papua New Guinea. Detailed species descriptions and associated taxonomic data are provided for all species. A key is provided for species of Rhodamnia with stellate trichomes. Given the overall paucity of collections, all species are tentatively assigned as Data Deficient following IUCN conservation recommendations.
Interchange fees: A cost‐cutter's update

Are your treasury management operations paying less to process checks and cash than debit transactions? You're not alone. Distressed about the slim profit margins generated by credit-card sales? Join the club. The author gives an update on the latest news about interchange fees—and then shows how you can reduce them. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Managing Corporate Information Systems Evolution and Maintenance

In 2005 Idea Group Publishing released another volume on issues in software maintenance. This follows their 2003 volume entitled Advances in Software Maintenance Management: Technologies and Solutions, which I also reviewed here (Journal of Software Maintenance and Evolution: Research and Practice 2003; 15(5): 375–377). A variety of readers, with a variety of goals, will find this 2005 book useful. While it is clearly not a textbook, particular chapters could be used in a classroom setting to expose students to current streams of research in software maintenance, as well as to different perspectives on basic maintenance issues. Practitioners will find practical information on particular maintenance problems they might be facing, including the migration of a large legacy system in general (Chapters 5, 13 and 8–11), or to the Web in particular (Chapters 6, 7 and 11), assessment of maintenance and organizational structure (Chapters 3, 4 and 14), and approaches for changing how an organization carries out software development and maintenance (Chapters 2, 12, 13 and 15), as well as on maintenance management (Chapter 1). While some of these chapters provide a level of detail sufficient to allow the reader to apply the techniques and methods described, most are not meant as recipes, or detailed how-tos of techniques. Instead, the chapters provide the necessary overview, augmented by extensive lists of references. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluating human papillomavirus vaccination programs.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been implicated as the primary etiologic agent of cervical cancer. Potential vaccines against high-risk HPV types are in clinical trials. We evaluated vaccination programs with a vaccine against HPV-16 and HPV-18. We developed disease transmission models that estimated HPV prevalence and infection rates for the population overall, by age group, by level of sexual activity within each age group, and by sex. Data were based on clinical trials and published and unpublished sources. An HPV-16/18 vaccine for 12-year-old girls would reduce cohort cervical cancer cases by 61.8%, with a cost-effectiveness ratio of $14,583 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY). Including male participants in a vaccine rollout would further reduce cervical cancer cases by 2.2% at an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $442,039/QALY compared to female-only vaccination. Vaccination against HPV-16 and HPV-18 can be cost-effective, although including male participants in a vaccination program is generally not cost-effective, compared to female-only vaccination.
Elderly housing needs: an examination of the American Housing Survey.

The graying of the population will have a profound impact on the nation's ability to provide safe, quality, affordable housing to its elderly citizens. Meeting the housing challenge in the twenty-first century requires determining the nature and condition of the housing stock as well as the needs and concerns of the elderly. For example, one economic challenge is based on tenure. There is a tremendous disparity in housing costs between renters and homeowners. Almost 70 percent of renters pay 25 percent or more of their income for shelter while only 30 percent of homeowners are in the same category. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's American Housing Survey is a valuable tool which can help gerontologists and planners address a broad range of housing and related issues.
Suppression of rat hepatic vitamin D-25-hydroxylase by cholecalciferol, but not by 25-hydroxy- or 1,25-dihydroxymetabolites.

Hepatic vitamin D-25-hydroxylase activity is greater in vitamin D-depleted than replete animals. We investigated whether vitamin D itself or a metabolite of vitamin D was responsible for modulating the activity of vitamin D-25-hydroxylase. Accordingly, we repleted vitamin D-depleted rats with subcutaneous injections of 2600, 520, and 130 pmoles of cholecalciferol (D3), 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)2D3), and 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25(OH)2D3), respectively, for up to 3 weeks. Repletion resulted in accelerated weight gain and in increased activity of gut mucosal alkaline phosphatase. Using an improved assay to measure vitamin D-25-hydroxylase activity in liver homogenates, we found 78% reduction (P<0.001) in the D3-repleted group, maximal by 1 week, in contrast to no change in those groups treated with D3 metabolites. D3, 25(OH)D3, and D3-esters remaining in livers at the time of assay were estimated in a parallel experiment using [3H]D3-repleted rats. Residual D3 accounted for only a 9% dilution of substrate in the assay. 25(OH)D3 was present in the liver at concentrations two orders of magnitude lower than the amount required to inhibit vitamin D-25-hydroxylase activityin vitro. D3 esters had no inhibitory effectin vitro at 250-fold excess of that found in the repleted rat liver. Vitamin D appears to modulate its D-25-hydroxylase activity in biological systems by a mechanism other than feedback inhibition by 25(OH)D3, 1,25(OH)2D3, or D3-esters.
CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE OF REDUCED-FAT GROUND BEEF PRODUCTS1

The purpose of this study was to determine if products prepared with reducedfat ground beef were acceptable to college students. Three ground beef products (taco meat, spaghetti meat sauce, and meatballs) were prepared using standardized recipes and procedures. Three treatments per product were formulated with raw beef having different fat content; 20% fat, 10% fat, and 10% fat plus 10% fat replacer, respectively. The samples were rated on a 7-point hedonic scale. Students (N=160) were asked to taste and rate a set of samples without the knowledge of the fat content. They were then asked to fill out a survey which included questions about their attitudes and preferences toward reduced fat products. After completing the questionnaire, subjects were asked to taste a second set of samples with the different fat contents identified. For taco meat, statistical analysis showed that both of the reduced-fat formulations scored higher overall than the 20% fat formulation (P<.05). The spaghetti meat sauce scores for pre-knowledge samples were not significantly different, whereas samples with reduced-fat formulations scored higher than the 20% fat formulation (P<.05) in the post-knowledge samples. For meatballs, the 10% fat formulation generally had higher scores than the other two formulations. These results demonstrated that fat reduction in frequently consumed ground beef products can be accomplished while maintaining acceptability by consumers.
Induction of reverse flow of Na+ through the active transport pathway in toad urinary bladder

Abstract When active Na + transport across the toad urinary bladder was abolished by ouabain, a ’reversed‘ short circuit current could be induced by an Na + concentration gradient. This reversed current was increased by vasopressin and inhibited by amiloride and appears to represent net Na + movement ‘backwards’ through epithelial cells which normally participate in active Na + transport across the bladder.
Evaluation of on-line pyrolysis two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Py–GC × GC–ToFMS) on whole sediments from a Mediterranean sapropel sequence

Analysis of the molecular composition of the organic matter (OM) from whole sediment samples can avoid analytical bias that might result from isolation of components from the sediment matrix, but has its own analytical challenges. We evaluated the use of GC × GC–ToFMS to analyze the pyrolysis products of six whole sediment samples obtained from above, within and below a 1 million year old OM-rich Mediterranean sapropel layer. We found differences in pyrolysis products n -C 22 between the OM-rich sapropel samples and the OM-poor background marls. The presence of alkyl pyrroles, probably derived from chlorophyll, in pyrolysates of the sapropels but not in those of the marls suggests that higher marine productivity and greater OM preservation accompanied deposition of the sapropels. Detection of tetramethyl benzenes considered to be pyrolysis products of isorenieratene in the sapropel samples is evidence that nitrogen-fixing green sulfur bacteria contributed to the high productivity. Greater abundances of shorter chain aliphatic hydrocarbons, pyrroles, furans and alkyl aromatics in the pyrolysates of sapropel samples relative to the marls confirm better preservation of marine OM in the sapropels. In addition, the presence of greater amounts of thiophenes in the sapropels than in the marls is consistent with the existence of euxinic conditions during sapropel deposition. The combination of whole sediment pyrolysis and GC × GC–ToFMS is promising, but the procedure requires careful selection of its multiple analytical variables, particularly the pyrolysis temperature and the operational features of the GC columns.
Characterization of surface species on iron synthesis catalysts by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Abstract X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) have been used to characterize the surfaces of clean and oxidized iron foils, bulk iron oxide powders, and reduced and carbided iron foils and powders. Metallic, divalent, trivalent, and carbidic iron species were identified by their characteristic Fe(2p) XPS spectra, and spectra for mixed-valence surfaces were approximated by linear combinations of the spectra of the individual iron species. Results for iron carbides prepared from metallic iron indicated that surface carbides can also be identified by their characteristic iron Auger line shape. The results of this investigation show that the combination of XPS and AES can be used effectively for identification of the chemical states of iron on synthesis catalyst surfaces.
Tetra(7-azaindolato)ditungsten: effect of ligand shape and rigidity on the length of a tungsten–tungsten quadruple bond

Abstract Ditungsten(II) tetrabenzoate reacts with the lithium salt of 7-azaindole to form tetrakis(7-azaindolato)ditungsten in 75% yield. The compound crystallizes as the tetrahydrofuran solvate, W2(C7H5N2)4·2THF and its structure has been determined by X-ray crystallography. It forms crystals in space group P21/c, with the following unit cell dimensions: a=9.185(2), b=13.263(3), c=14.168(8) A, β=104.46(3)°, V=1671(4) A3, Z=2. The molecules reside on crystallographic centers of inversion and the ligands are disordered, necessitating refinement by a method employing rigid-body treatment of oppositely oriented half-molecules of the ligand at each position. The W–W distance, 2.227(2) A, is the longest one so far observed for a ligand of this type and it is argued that this is due to the geometry and rigidity of the bidentate bridging 7-azaindolate ligand. The greater W–W bond length, in turn, causes the δ→δ* electronic transition to fall at a relatively low frequency, 16 000 cm−1, where it is very clearly resolved from strong absorption at higher energies.
The technical characteristics of matched filtering in digital subtraction angiography

The technical characteristics of a new digital fluorographic image processing method called matched filtering are presented. This technique, a type of extensive temporal integration, takes a weighted sum of images acquired during passage of a contrast bolus through some area of interest. The weight of each image is governed by the magnitude of the contrast bolus in that image. An essential requirement of the matched filter is that its integral be zero. It is shown for equal exposure rates and typical bolus characteristics that matched filtering provides a factor of two higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) than conventional methods for bolus transit times of 10 s or higher. Equilvalently, matched filtering can yield images with quality comparable to conventional digital subtraction angiography (DSA) at a factor of four less patient exposure. The SNR obtained with matched filtering is shown to be within 30% of an ideal bound. Comparisons of matched filtering to standard recursive methods and simple integration are made. Experimental canine studies are presented which compare matched filtering with conventional DSA.
White-Light Optical Processing Of Misfocused Speckle Interferograms

A technique of white-light color encoding of misfocused speckle interferometric fringe patterns is presented. The encoding is performed in the spatial frequency plane with color filters. This technique allows the viewing of a multiset of encoded speckle interferograms simultaneously. Thus, it may provide new informational interferometric aspects of the object under stress or vibration. The effect on the speckle fringe pattern due to the spatial filtering is briefly discussed, and experimental demonstrations of color encoded fringe patterns are presented. Due to the simplicity and versatility of the processing technique, we feel that the technique may develop into a practical tool for strain, stress, and vibrational measurement.
Speaker-oriented adverbs

This paper presents an analysis of the ordering of speaker-oriented adverbs (SpOAs) with respect to each other and negation, arguing that SpOAs are positive polarity items, and therefore normally cannot follow negation. The adverbs represent a speaker’s subjective commitment to the truth of the proposition represented by the adverb, which is incompatible with the falsity of the same proposition required by negation. This also accounts for the usual unacceptability of SpOAs in other contexts, such as questions and conditionals. The analysis extends to other contexts where SpOAs are acceptable, such as negative questions and negative counterfactual conditionals, in such a way as to contribute support for Giannakidou’s (non)veridical theory of polarity over “strengthening” theories based on scalar implicatures. It is also shown that SpOAs’ underlying semantic property of being subjective also helps predict their linear order with respect to each other.
Structural mechanism of transcription regulation of the Staphylococcus aureus multidrug efflux operon mepRA by the MarR family repressor MepR

The multidrug efflux pump MepA is a major contributor to multidrug resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. MepR, a member of the multiple antibiotic resistance regulator (MarR) family, represses mepA and its own gene. Here, we report the structure of a MepR-mepR operator complex. Structural comparison of DNA-bound MepR with 'induced' apoMepR reveals the large conformational changes needed to allow the DNA-binding winged helix-turn-helix motifs to interact with the consecutive major and minor grooves of the GTTAG signature sequence. Intriguingly, MepR makes no hydrogen bonds to major groove nucleobases. Rather, recognition-helix residues Thr60, Gly61, Pro62 and Thr63 make sequence-specifying van der Waals contacts with the TTAG bases. Removing these contacts dramatically affects MepR-DNA binding activity. The wings insert into the flanking minor grooves, whereby residue Arg87, buttressed by Asp85, interacts with the O2 of T4 and O4' ribosyl oxygens of A23 and T4. Mutating Asp85 and Arg87, both conserved throughout the MarR family, markedly affects MepR repressor activity. The His14':Arg59 and Arg10':His35:Phe108 interaction networks stabilize the DNA-binding conformation of MepR thereby contributing significantly to its high affinity binding. A structure-guided model of the MepR-mepA operator complex suggests that MepR dimers do not interact directly and cooperative binding is likely achieved by DNA-mediated allosteric effects.
Two Persistent Line-1 Lineages in Peromyscus Have Unequal Rates of Evolution

LINE-1, the major family of long, interspersed repeats in the mammalian genome, moves via an RNA intermediate and encodes its own reverse transcriptase. Comparative sequence analysis was used to reconstruct the phylogenetic history of LINE-1 dynamics in the deer mouse, Peromyscus. As is the case in Mus and Rattus, a very small number of active templates produce the majority of LINE-1 copies in Peromyscus. However, in contrast to the single LINE-1 lineage seen in the muroid rodents, Peromyscus has at least two LINE-1 lineages whose most recent common ancestor probably existed before the peromyscine radiation. Species-specific variants of Lineage 1, and intact open reading frames in the youngest elements of both Lineages 1 and 2, suggest that both lineages have remained active within the same genome. The higher number of shared-sequence variants in Lineage 1 relative to Lineage 2 suggests that Lineage 1 has replaced its master template much more frequently than Lineage 2 or that the reverse transcriptase Lineage 1 is more error prone. The implications of the method used to acquire LINE-1 sequences for analysis are discussed.
Towards automated design of MAC protocols for underwater wireless networks

We present a framework for the automated design of MAC protocols for underwater acoustic wireless networks. We formulate a protocol optimization problem in which the exchange of control packets is explicitly modeled. A protocol optimization program generates the optimal response functions to the reception of control packets. In a single MAC neighborhood, each node is modeled as having a behavioral model of the rest of the nodes in the network, where the node behavior is to be optimized. In this framework, we solve the problem of minimizing the average energy consumption of a network subject to a per-node minimum throughput constraint. Our results display the optimal responses for the scheduling of control and data packets for all of the nodes. This work serves as a starting point for the design of automation tools for MAC protocols in the future.
CURRENTS IN THE LOWEST LANDAU LEVEL FIELD THEORY WITH e–e INTERACTIONS

We obtain expressions for the electric current in the Lowest Landau Level field theory in the presence of a general (external as well as inter-particle) interaction. This is done in the constrained Lagrangian formulation and is an extension of results obtained by Martinez and Stone for the external force case. However, we work directly with nonlocal field equations rather than convert the Lagrangian into a local one and use Noether's theorem.
Prevalence of a hemoglobin A1c less than 7.0%, of a blood pressure less than 130/80 mm Hg, and of a serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol less than 100 mg/dL in older patients with diabetes mellitus in an academic nursing home.

Objective To determine the prevalence of a hemoglobin A1c less than 7.0%, of a blood pressure less than 130/80 mm Hg, and of a serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol less than 100 mg/dL in older persons with diabetes mellitus who were not terminally ill in an academic nursing home. Design We investigated in all older diabetic individuals who were not terminally ill in an academic nursing home the prevalence of a hemoglobin A1c less than 7.0%, of a blood pressure less than 130/80 mm Hg, and of a serum LDL cholesterol less than 100 mg/dL. Setting An academic nursing home. Participants Of 202 persons, 62 (31%) had diabetes mellitus. The 62 diabetic individuals included 33 women and 29 men, mean age 73 ± 9 years. Measurements Prevalence of hemoglobin A1c less than 7.0%, of blood pressure less than 130/80 mm Hg, and of serum LDL cholesterol less than 100 mg/dL. Results The hemoglobin A1c was less than 7.0% in 55 (89%) of 62 diabetic individuals. The blood pressure was less than 130/80 mm Hg in 52 (84%) of 62 diabetic individuals. The serum LDL cholesterol was less than 100 mg/dL in 55 (89%) of 62 diabetic individuals. Conclusion As recommended by the American Diabetes Association, the hemoglobin A1c was less than 7.0% in 55 (89%) of 62 diabetic individuals, the blood pressure was less than 130/80 mm Hg in 52 (84%) of 62 diabetic individuals, and the serum LDL cholesterol was less than 100 mg/dL in 55 (89%) of 62 diabetic individuals in an academic nursing home.
Paediatric trauma epidemiology in an urban scenario in India.

Purposes.To identify the epidemiology of paediatric trauma in an urban scenario of India and compare results with studies from developed countries, and to formulate preventive measures to decrease ...
Obama’s Iranian Gamble

US-Iranian relations have been stalled for over three decades due to missteps in timing, distrust, hostility and ideological differences between Tehran and Washington. Six American presidents have experimented with different political and economic tools in an effort to reverse Iranian support for terrorist groups, its opposition to Israel and its pursuit of a nuclear programme. President Barack Obama’s direct engagement with Tehran to end the nuclear standoff is a first step towards improved relations between two estranged countries that share a number of mutual interests.
Designing a Better Shopbot

A primary tool that consumers have for comparative shopping is the shopbot, which is short for shopping robot. These shopbots automatically search a large number of vendors for price and availability. Typically a shopbot searches a predefined set of vendors and reports all results, which can result in time-consuming searches that provide redundant or dominated alternatives. Our research demonstrates analytically how shopbot designs can be improved by developing a utility model of consumer purchasing behavior. This utility model considers the intrinsic value of the product and its attributes, the disutility from waiting, and the cognitive costs associated with evaluating the offers retrieved. We focus on the operational decisions made by the shopbot: which stores to search, how long to wait, and which offers to present to the user. To illustrate our model we calibrate the model to price and response time data collected at online bookstores over a six-month period. Using prior expectations about price and response time, we show how shopbots can substantially increase consumer utility by searching more intelligently and then selectively presenting offers.
Iterative Coding for Patterned Media Recording

In this work, we focus on the read channel for patterned media. By building up appropriate read channel models, we illustrate how the various coding techniques affect the read channel performance for patterned media storage. Patterned media emerges as a new research thrust to achieve the ultra high magnetic recording density.
Double-Stranded RNA-Specific Adenosine Deaminase: Nucleic Acid Binding Properties

The RNA-specific adenosine deaminase (ADAR1, herein referred to as ADAR) is an interferon-inducible RNA-editing enzyme. ADAR catalyzes the C-6 deamination of adenosine in double-stranded (ds) structures present in viral RNAs and cellular pre-mRNAs as well as synthetic dsRNA substrates. ADAR possesses three functionally distinct copies of the highly conserved double-stranded RNA binding R motif (RI, RII, RIII) implicated in the recognition of dsRNA structures within the substrate RNAs. ADAR is also a Z-DNA-binding protein. Two Z-DNA binding motifs (Zα and Zβ) present in ADAR correspond to repeated regions homologous to the N-terminal region of the vaccinia virus E3L protein. Here we describe assay methods for measurement of ADAR enzymatic activity, dsRNA binding activity, and Z-DNA binding activity.
Experimental study of four-wave mixing on dispersion-shifted fiber and low dispersion fibers with a dense multiwavelength source

In wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) systems four-wave mixing (FWM) can strongly affect the transmission performance on an optical link. The effect of FWM depends on the dispersion of the fiber and the characteristics of the WDM signals. The theory of the FWM effect has been much studied but experimental results do not always match very well with calculations. For this reason, experimental results on FWM are critical for multiwavelength system design. We report here the results of measurements of FWM in fibers having different zero-dispersion wavelength (/spl lambda//sub 0/), and for different WDM signal configurations, in order to quantify the effect of the different parameters (position of the zero-dispersion wavelength of the fiber, number, spacing, and power of the WDM channels). We also observed an unexpected and unexplained asymmetry of the FWM spectrum.
Informed consent for endoscopic surgery—myth or reality?

Patients, we are told, expect evidence-based information on which to base their consent if they are to undergo an operative procedure. Much evidence is, however, lacking, and few have any concept of the meaning of ‘risk’. This editorial examines this and the risks of diagnostic laparoscopy with a plea for more multi-centre international audits of risk.
Rapid Identification of Bacterial Pathogens in Positive Blood Culture Bottles by Use of a Broad-Based PCR Assay Coupled with High-Resolution Melt Analysis

We evaluated a broad-based PCR assay coupled with high-resolution melt analysis for rapid bacterial identification in patients with bacterial sepsis. With a reference library of 60 clinically relevant bacterial species, 52 positive blood culture samples were tested. Our assay identified 46/52 samples at the species level, with 100% concordance to culture findings.
Syndecan-4 and integrins: combinatorial signaling in cell adhesion.

It is now becoming clear that additional transmembrane components can modify integrin-mediated adhesion. Syndecan-4 is a transmembrane heparan sulfate proteoglycan whose external glycosaminoglycan chains can bind extracellular matrix ligands and whose core protein cytoplasmic domain can signal during adhesion. Two papers in this issue of JCS demonstrate, through transfection studies, that syndecan-4 plays roles in the formation of focal adhesions and stress fibers. Overexpression of syndecan-4 increases focal adhesion formation, whereas a partially truncated core protein that lacks the binding site for protein kinase C(a) and phosphatidylinositol 4, 5-bisphosphate acts as a dominant negative inhibitor of focal adhesion formation. Focal adhesion induction does not require interaction between heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan and ligand but can occur when non-glycanated core protein is overexpressed; this suggests that oligomerization of syndecan-4 plays a major role in signaling from the extracellular matrix in adhesion.
The Minnesota Imaging Project research application for understanding an emerging technology

The Minnesota Imaging Project (MIP) is a joint academic-practitioner research program at the Carlson School of Management. The MIP research team consists of individuals with diverse and significant experience with imaging, supported by group decision support systems (GDSS) technology. The MIP team is implementing a research application as the means to investigate several research issues. The project is evaluating a new phased, joint development methodology designed for new technologies. The research application has several characteristics that will permit it to be developed and studied on a small scale, and yet generalized to a broad set of applications: groups of knowledge workers that work together, frequently dispersed in time and place, focusing on the paper-based information they use, with modest amounts of file folder and workflow, and with important indexing and retrieval requirements. The research subjects are: the GDSS and the Rhetoric faculty teams, and the MIP research team. >
Removing Rule-Lines from Binary Handwritten Arabic Document Images Using Directional Local Profile

In this paper, we present a novel approach for detecting and removing pre-printed rule-lines from binary handwritten Arabic document images. The proposed technique is based on a directional local profiling approach for the detection of the rule-line locations. Then a refined adaptive vertical run-length search is designed for removing the rule-line pixels without much damaging to the text. They are also tolerate to the variations in the rule-lines such as broken lines, orientation changes and variation in the thickness of the rule-lines. Analysis of experimental results on the DARPA MADCAT Arabic handwritten document data indicates that the method is robust and is capable of correctly removing rule-lines.
Comparative gene marker selection suite

Motivation: An important step in analyzing expression profiles from microarray data is to identify genes that can discriminate between distinct classes of samples. Many statistical approaches for assigning significance values to genes have been developed. The Comparative Marker Selection suite consists of three modules that allow users to apply and compare different methods of computing significance for each marker gene, a viewer to assess the results, and a tool to create derivative datasets and marker lists based on user-defined significance criteria. Availability: The Comparative Marker Selection application suite is freely available as a GenePattern module. The GenePattern analysis environment is freely available at http://www.broad.mit.edu/genepattern Contact: jgould@broad.mit.edu
Case-control study of corticosteroids and other drugs that either precipitate or protect from the development of scleroderma renal crisis

Objective To determine whether the initiation of corticosteroids or other types of therapy affects the development of scleroderma renal crisis (SRC). Methods Using a case-control study, 110 patients with systemic sclerosis who developed SRC between 1981 and 1993 were closely matched with controls on sex, race, age, disease duration, skin score, levels of creatine phosphokinase, and presence of tendon friction rubs. Corticosteroid use was determined prior to the onset of SRC in cases or prior to the first visit in controls. Cases were compared with matched controls using McNemar's matched-pair analysis and conditional logistic regression analysis. The effects of other drugs, including D-penicillamine, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), calcium channel blockers, and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, were also evaluated. Results In the 6 months prior to SRC onset or to the first visit, high-dose corticosteroids (≥15 mg/day prednisone or equivalent) were administered significantly more frequently in SRC patients (36%) than in the controls (12%) (McNemar's odds ratio 4.37, 95% confidence interval 2.03-9.43, P < 0.0001). New use of low-dose steroids, continuous use of any steroid dose, NSAIDs, calcium channel blockers, and ACE inhibitors were not associated with an increased risk of SRC. Antecedent D-penicillamine therapy may have been protective against the development of SRC in controls. Conclusion This retrospective case-control study has shown a significant association between antecedent high-dose corticosteroid therapy and the development of SRC. These results should discourage the use of high-dose corticosteroids in patients with early diffuse scleroderma who are at increased risk of developing SRC.
Testing the efficacy of team teaching

This study examines differences between team-taught and solo-taught sections of a graduate introductory course on research and statistics in terms of student perceptions and achievement. Factor analysis of survey data confirmed three factors: comfort with research and statistics; the relationship of research and statistics to work; and interest in research and statistics. Pre- and post-survey and achievement data were gathered, as were demographic data. T-test and MANCOVA results indicated: no significant achievement differences based on teaching format; a significant pre-post difference for all students on one factor (comfort with research and statistics); and only one significant difference (relationship between work and research and statistics) based on learning environment.
Risk and Protective Factors Predictive of Sense of Coherence during Adolescence

This brief report presents a study undertaken to better understand the factors that are related to sense of coherence (SOC) levels among youth. Middle school students (N = 1619) reported on risk and protective factors across ecological domains. Analyses revealed that social support, anger expression, family conflict and neighborhood cohesion were predictors of SOC for both males and females. Community views regarding gang membership was a predictor of SOC only for males, while age was a predictor of SOC only for females. The findings suggest a resiliency and ecological framework may be helpful in understanding SOC in youth.
Uncertainty manipulation and propagation and verification of applicability of actions in assembly tasks

Uncertainties are represented in the form of homogeneous transforms, and the manipulation of uncertainties is focused on the spatial uncertainty propagation and the uncertainty fusion. In order to integrate the uncertainty information into a task plan which consists of a sequence of primitive actions, the propagation of uncertainty before and after a primitive action, such as moving, perception, or contact action, has been developed. A simple and optimal solution for the consistency problem is proposed for perception actions. Using conditional probability and the evidence collecting technique, the correlation between motion parameters, when a contact occurs, can also be taken into account. To determine the applicability of an action, forward propagation and backward propagation are proposed to verify the success of the action in the presence of uncertainties. This backward uncertainty propagation method can be used to determine the admissible set of an action according to an acceptable success confidence. >