cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assisting Decision-Making on Age of Neutering for Mixed Breed Dogs of Five Weight Categories: Associated Joint Disorders and Cancers

The early neutering of male and female dogs and its relationship to an increased risk of joint disorders and some cancers has recently become a concern, raising questions about the standard practice in the U.S. and much of Europe of neutering by 6 months of age. A noteworthy recent finding from this center is that there are major breed differences with small-dog breeds generally showing little vulnerability to neutering compared with breeds of larger body size. These findings on purebreds raise questions for dog owners and veterinarians about mixed-breed dogs. The purpose of this study was to examine a sample of mixed breed dogs of five weight categories using the same veterinary hospital database and diagnostic criteria for joint disorders and cancers as used in the newly published paper on 35 breeds and previous papers on the Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, and German Shepherd Dog. The weight categories were <10 kg (739 cases), 10-19 kg (546 cases), 20-29 kg (992 cases), 30-39 kg (604 cases), and over 40 kg (258 cases). Males and females were analyzed separately, as were various ages at neutering. The joint disorders examined were hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tear or rupture, and elbow dysplasia. The cancers were lymphoma, mast cell tumor, hemangiosarcoma, and osteosarcoma. There was no significant increased occurrence of one or more cancers, compared with intact dogs, in any weight category. However, in the three categories of dogs weighing 20 kg or more, neutering before 1 year generally was significantly associated with risks of one or more joint disorders above that of dogs left intact, commonly to 3 times the level of intact dogs, with sex differences in the degrees of joint disorders associated with neutering. For the dogs in the two weight categories <20 kg, no increased risks were found for joint disorders. This information can be useful to dog caregivers in deciding on the age at which to neuter specific dogs, and for veterinarians offering guidance to pet owners.
EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION INTO CHARACTERISTICS OF MICRO-SMES’ MAGNET

Superconducting magnet is a key component of Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES),so it is necessary to investigation into characteristics of superconducting magnet before the SMES run in power system.In the paper,we design and produce a superconducting magnet based on YBCO tapes which come from American Superpower Company,then through the cooling test,critical current test,energy storage test and ground insulation test,we research the electrical specifications and low temperatures insulating performance of the superconducting magnet.The result proves:the performance of superconducting magnet reaches to the design requirements.
Nail care products

Grooming and adornment of the nails has become very popular among women in modern society. It has been estimated that Americans spend more than $1.5 billion a year on nail care and nail cosmetics.1 Nail care ranges from simple buffing of the nails to a basic manicure to sculptured artificial nails. The nail is important not only for its cosmetic attributes, but also serves structural and functional purposes for the fingertip, such as assisting fine motor tasks, sensation of touch, and protection of the distal phalanx.2 The dermatologist sees a myriad of patients with nail problems. Nail disease may be caused by systemic illness or external factors, such as trauma and infection. Cosmetics applied to the nail by either a professional or by the patient at home may also cause nail disease. It is important for the dermatologist to be familiar with the products that are used on the nails and their potential adverse effects.3
An Economic History of Nineteenth-Century Europe: Diversity and Industrialization

Introduction Part I. Gradual Revolution: 1. From merchant to industrial capitalism in Northwestern Europe Part II. Successful Industrial Transformation of the West: 2. Knowledge and the entrepreneurial state 3. Agriculture, transportation, and communication 4. The organisation of business and finance 5. Three versions of successful industrialization 6. The miracle of knowledge and the state: Scandinavia 7. Demographic revolution, transformation of life and standard of living 8. The Europeanization of Europe Part III. The Peripheries: Semi-Success or Failure of Modern Transformation: 9. The 'sleeping' peripheries, traditional institutions and values 10. The Western sparks that ignite modernization 11. Advantage from dependence: Central Europe, the Baltic Area, Finland and Ireland 12. Profiting from foreign interests: the Mediterranean and Russia 13. The predator Leviathan in peasant societies: the Balkans and the borderlands of Austria-Hungary Epilogue: economic disparity - and alternative postwar economic regimes References.
An Yeast-Based Screening for Signal Motifs That Regulate Membrane Protein Trafficking

Cell surface density of membrane proteins are regulated by the interactions that often occur between distinct signal motifs on the cargo proteins and cellular transport machineries. The majority of the trafficking signals have been discovered by studies on individual protein molecules. While effective, a more systematic approach to identify trafficking signals would further facilitate our understanding of membrane trafficking. Here we report development of a new yeast-based screening system that potentially enables identification of the sorting motifs that down-regulate surface expression of membrane proteins. B31, a S. cerevisiae strain that lacks potassium (K+) efflux transporters, is unable to grow in high K+ media when expressing the mammalian inward rectifying K+ channel Kir2.1 due to accumulation of excessive intracellular K+. However, B31 cells expressing the disease mutant Kir2.1 deficient in post-Golgi trafficking or the Kir2.1 that is C-terminally fused with ER retrieval motif survive in high K+...
Making “Right” Easier

The innovation is an overlay to the outpatient electronic health record (EHR), which allows for whomever is seeing the patient to easily identify and act upon relevant protocols that are due while still respecting visit workflows. In essence, it makes it easier for providers to always offer the right care to the right patient at the right time. The innovation is called “View all Protocols,” and it presents to all credentialed and appropriate users of the EHR, all relevant care opportunities that the patient is due for, including presenting sufficient information by which to understand the protocol and why it is due; appropriate orders that may be executed to fulfill the protocol; and the ability to document why a protocol may not be otherwise addressed (such as a patient declining a test or procedure, or documenting that something was done elsewhere by another provider).
SU-E-T-391: Evaluation of Image Parameters Impact On the CT Calibration Curve for Proton Therapy

Purpose: The calibration of the Hounsfield units (HU) to relative proton stopping powers (RSP) is a crucial component in assuring the accurate delivery of proton therapy dose distributions to patients. The purpose of this work is to assess the uncertainty of CT calibration considering the impact of CT slice thickness, position of the plug within the phantom and phantom sizes. Methods: Stoichiometric calibration method was employed to develop the CT calibration curve. Gammex 467 tissue characterization phantom was scanned in Tomotherapy Cheese phantom and Gammex 451 phantom by using a GE CT scanner. Each plug was individually inserted into the same position of inner and outer ring of phantoms at each time, respectively. 1.25 mm and 2.5 mm slice thickness were used. Other parameters were same. Results: HU of selected human tissues were calculated based on fitted coefficient (Kph, Kcoh and KKN), and RSP were calculated according to the Bethe-Bloch equation. The calibration curve was obtained by fitting cheese phantom data with 1.25 mm thickness. There is no significant difference if the slice thickness, phantom size, position of plug changed in soft tissue. For boney structure, RSP increases up to 1% if the phantom size and the position of plug changed but keep the slice thickness the same. However, if the slice thickness varied from the one in the calibration curve, 0.5%–3% deviation would be expected depending on the plug position. The Inner position shows the obvious deviation (averagely about 2.5%). Conclusion: RSP shows a clinical insignificant deviation in soft tissue region. Special attention may be required when using a different slice thickness from the calibration curve for boney structure. It is clinically practical to address 3% deviation due to different thickness in the definition of clinical margins.
9 – Do Sex Steroid Hormones Contribute to Sexual Differentiation of the Human Brain?

This chapter reviews sex steroid hormones and neural sex differences in humans, while focusing on the evidence, gaps in evidence, and methodologic challenges relevant to the question of whether sex steroids contribute to human neural sex differences. Sex differences are reported in a variety of neural regions, with many being homologous to sexually-differentiated and steroid-sensitive regions in experimental animals. Males tend to have larger brains and more white matter or cerebrospinal fluid, whereas females have proportionally more grey matter and, possibly, enhanced neuropil. High-resolution techniques suggest reliable sex differences for certain hypothalamic-related nuclei. Cortical volumes or the volumes adjusted for differences in brain size are reported to be greater for females in certain frontal and medial paralimbic areas and the superior temporal gyrus. In particular, females have increased dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, whereas males have greater age-related tissue loss there and potentially in other brain areas. Conversely, greater male volumes have been reported in frontomedial cortex and the inferior parietal lobule, although conflicting results have been reported for the parietal lobule. Evidence is accumulating that sex steroid hormones influence some of the gender differences in human behavior. Evidence from experimental animals suggests that sex steroid effects may depend upon the specific hormone of exposure, for example, natural estrogens vs. synthetic estrogens vs. testosterone vs. testosterone metabolites and the period of life, prenatal or early postnatal vs. adulthood.
Effects of antigen-feeding on intestinal and systemic immune responses. III. Antigen-specific serum-mediated suppression of humoral antibody responses after antigen feeding.

Abstract Feeding mice sheep erythrocytes (SRBC) caused a significant decrease in splenic IgM antibody responses to SRBC given ip. Reduced IgM responses were due to a suppressor factor in the serum of fed mice rather than due to a lack of IgM antibody-forming cell precursors or to the presence of suppressor T cells. Although feeding initially primed mice to produce greater IgA and IgG anti-SRBC responses after SRBC challenge, the initial primed state was transitory. Mice fed SRBC for longer than 8 weeks had significantly reduced splenic IgG and IgA responses after SRBC challenge. Suppression of IgM responses by serum from fed mice was antigen-specific and not H-2 restricted. Serum from fed mice inhibited the induction of IgM anti-SRBC responses but did not block the expression of already established responses. The size of the suppressor factor and the ability to remove suppressor activity from serum by anti-mouse immunoglobulin suggested that suppression was mediated by antibody. However, the determinants against which the antibody was directed appeared to differ among batches of suppressor sera. Suppressor activity did not appear to be mediated by immune complexes, or soluble antigen. Oral feeding of antigen can have a marked influence on host systemic immune responses when the antigen used for feeding is subsequently administered parenterally. Thus, oral antigen administration may provide a way for specifically manipulating systemic immune responses in vivo. In addition, antigen-feeding may provide a means for producing transferable factors that suppress humoral antibody responses.
On The Torsional Oscillations In Babcock-Leighton Solar Dynamo Models

The torsional oscillations at the solar surface have been interpreted by Schussler and Yoshimura as being generated by the Lorentz force associated with the solar dynamo. It has been shown recently that they are also present in the upper half of the solar convection zone (SCZ). With the help of a solar dynamo model of the Babcock–Leighton type studied earlier, the longitudinal component of the Lorentz force, L φ, is calculated, and its sign or isocontours, are plotted vs. time, t, and polar angle, θ (the horizontal and vertical axis respectively). Two cases are considered, (1) differential rotation differs from zero only in the tachocline, (2) differential rotation as in (1) in the tachocline, and purely latitudinal and independent of depth in the bulk of the SCZ. In the first case the sign of L φ is roughly independent of latitude (corresponding to vertical bands in the t,θ plot), whereas in the second case the bands show a pole–equator slope of the correct sign. The pattern of the bands still differs, however, considerably from that of the helioseismic observations, and the values of the Lorentz force are too small at low latitudes. It is all but certain that the toroidal field that lies at the origin of the large bipolar magnetic regions observed at the surface, must be generated in the tachocline by differential rotation; the regeneration of the corresponding poloidal field, B p has not yet been fully clarified. B p could be regenerated, for example, at the surface (as in Babcock–Leighton models), or slightly above the tachocline, (as in interface dynamos). In the framework of the Babcock-Leighton models, the following scenario is suggested: the dynamo processes that give rise to the large bipolar magnetic regions are only part of the cyclic solar dynamo (to distinguish it from the turbulent dynamo). The toroidal field generated locally by differential rotation must contribute significantly to the torsional oscillations patterns. As this field becomes buoyant, it should give rise, at the surface, to the smaller bipolar magnetic regions as, e.g., to the ephemeral bipolar magnetic regions. These have a weak non-random orientation of magnetic axis, and must therefore also contribute to the source term for the poloidal field. Not only the ephemeral bipolar regions could be generated in the bulk of the SCZ, but many of the smaller bipolar regions as well (at depths that increase with their flux), all contributing to the source term for the poloidal field. In contrast to the butterfly diagram that provides only a very weak test of dynamo theories, the pattern of torsional oscillations has the potential of critically discriminating between different dynamo models.
The association of insulin-elicited phosphotyrosine proteins with src homology 2 domains

The interactions of the phosphotyrosine (Tyr(P))-containing proteins in basal and insulin-stimulated 3T3-L1 adipocytes with src homology 2 (SH2) domains from phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), ras GTPase-activating protein (GAP), and phospholipase C gamma have been examined. The Tyr(P) forms of the insulin receptor and its 160-kDa substrate protein (pp160) associated with fusion proteins containing either or both the SH2 domains of PI3K, but not with fusion proteins containing the two SH2 domains of GAP or phospholipase C gamma. These results demonstrate a specificity for the association of the Tyr(P) form of the insulin receptor and pp160 with SH2 domains that parallels the reported effects of insulin on PI3K, GAP, and phospholipase C gamma in vivo. Immunoprecipitates of pp160 from the cytosol of insulin-treated, but not basal, 3T3-L1 adipocytes contained PI3K activity. Moreover, the Tyr(P) form of pp160 with associated PI3K activity migrated at 10 S on a sucrose velocity gradient, whereas the Tyr(P) form without associated activity migrated at 6 S. These findings indicate that the Tyr(P) form of pp160 associates directly with PI3K in vivo.
Electron Transfer Past and Future

Electron transfers in the post-World War II era began in the small arcane field of isotopic self-exchange reactions, such as Fe^(3+) * + Fe^(2+) → Fe^(2+) * + Fe^(3+), in solution. There was an abundance of radioactive isotopes (denoted here by an asterisk), and chemists were using isotopic tracers after the war to determine the mechanisms of various chemical reactions. Their use in electron transfer was very fortunate, since it removed from consideration one of the dominant factors controlling chemical reaction rates, ΔG^0, the standard free energy of reaction or, as it is commonly called, the driving force of the reaction. This ΔG^0 vanishes for self-exchange reactions.
Closed loop supply chains with variable remanufacturability and the impact of subsidy and penalty by government

In this thesis we model and analyze a series of closed loop supply chains to study the relationships among remanufacturability and profitability of each member of the supply chain. We also study the relationships among remanufacturability, government subsidy, and government penalty. In each model, we assume that the closed loop supply chain consists of a manufacturer who manufactures as well as collects used products and remanufactures and a retailer who in turn sells the products to her consumers. Also, we assume that the level of remanufacturability is a variable that is controllable via the level of investment of remanufacturing technology and equipment. Furthermore, in the case of government subsidy and penalty, we assume that the government provides a level of subsidy per remanufactured product and finances the subsidy by collecting an advance recovery fee per unit sold from the retailer. Throughout this thesis, we also assume that the manufacturer behaves as the leader and the retailer as the follower under a Stackelberg game framework and the model environment is captured in a static framework regarding manufacturing and remanufacturing. Numerous managerial insights and economic implications are obtained. For example, the manufacturer’s profit may actually decrease with respect to the collection rate if the collection rate is low in the case of no government intervention in the form of the subsidy and penalty. Also, the government may be able to increase the total surplus consisting of all the profits of the supply chains and the consumer surplus by determining the appropriate level of the fee unit remanufactured subsidy and the fee unit sold advance recovery fee.
Iwasawa theory for elliptic curves

We study this subject by first proving that the p-primary subgroup of the classical Selmer group for an elliptic curve with good, ordinary reduction at a prime p has a very simple and elegant description which involves just the Galois module of p-power torsion points. We then prove theorems of Mazur, Schneider, and Perrin-Riou on the basis of this description. The final section, which is half of this long paper, contains a number of results and examples including a thorough study of the mu-invariant.
Complex recognition site for the group I intron-encoded endonuclease I-SceII.

Abstract We have characterized features of the site recognized by a double-stranded DNA endonuclease, I-SceII, encoded by intron 4 alpha of the yeast mitochondrial COX1 gene. We determined the effects of 36 point mutations on the cleavage efficiency of natural and synthetic substrates containing the Saccharomyces capensis I-SceII site. Most mutations of the 18-bp I-SceII recognition site are tolerated by the enzyme, and those mutant sites are cleaved between 42 and 100% as well as the wild-type substrate is. Nine mutants blocked cleavage to less than or equal to 33% of the wild-type, whereas only three point mutations, G-4----C, G-12----T, and G-15----C, block cleavage completely. Competition experiments indicate that these three substrates are not cleaved, at least in part because of a marked reduction in the affinity of the enzyme for those mutant DNAs. About 90% of the DNAs derived from randomization of the nucleotide sequence of the 4-bp staggered I-SceII cleavage site are not cleaved by the enzyme. I-SceII cleaves cloned DNA derived from human chromosome 3 about once every 110 kbp. The I-SceII recognition sites in four randomly chosen human DNA clones have 56 to 78% identity with the 18-bp site in yeast mitochondrial DNA; they are cleaved at least 50% as well as the wild-type mitochondrial substrate despite the presence of some substitutions that individually compromise cleavage of the mitochondrial substrate. Analysis of these data suggests that the effect of a given base substitution in I-SceII cleavage may depend on the sequence at other positions.
Heterogeneous Beliefs, Short Sale Constraints, and the Economic Role of the Underwriter in IPOs

Several theoretical papers have argued that the valuation of equity will reflect the beliefs of the most optimistic investors and be at a premium over intrinsic value when rational investors subject to short sale constraints have heterogeneous priors. We test the above theories by analyzing the effect of IPO underwriter reputation on the heterogeneity in investor beliefs and the tightness of short sale constraints and consequently on equity valuation in IPOs. We propose a “market power” hypothesis, postulating that higher reputation underwriters are able to attract a greater number of higher quality market participants (such as institutional investors, analysts, and co-managing underwriters) to the IPOs backed by them, thereby yielding higher IPO valuations by increasing the heterogeneity in investor beliefs and the tightness of short sale constraints. We empirically distinguish between the above hypothesis and the “certification hypothesis,” which implies that higher reputation underwriters are associated with IPOs priced closer to intrinsic value. We find that equity in higher reputation underwriter backed IPOs are priced higher and further away from intrinsic value compared to lower reputation underwriter backed IPOs. We show that the above relationship between underwriter reputation and IPO valuation is driven by the greater heterogeneity in investor beliefs, tighter short sale constraints, and greater participation by institutional investors, analysts, and higher reputation co-managing underwriters that characterize higher reputation underwriter backed IPOs. Overall, our results support the market power hypothesis and reject the certification hypothesis.
In vitro uptake of iodine-131 by tissues of rainbow trout.

RECENTLY, it has been shown that in vitro uptake of iodine-131 by the lactating mammary tissue of rat was 10–15 times that of liver, muscle or boiled mammary tissue. Further, the data on the in vitro uptake of iodine-131 by different tissues of rat indicate that iodide concentration mechanism in the mammary, salivary and gastric glands but not in liver or placenta appears to be similar to that of thyroid gland in the rat2. In the case of fish, it has been shown that the thyroid hormone is not involved in the regulation of oxidative metabolism, and thus it was decided to study the in vitro uptake of iodine-131 by different tissues of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdnerii)3. Tissue slices from one-year-old rainbow trout were incubated for 2 hr. at 13° C. in flasks containing 2 ml. Nandi and Bern medium4. The T/M values (counts per min. per 100 ml. tissue divided by counts per min. per 0.1 ml. medium) for different tissues were calculated.
Examining study attrition: Implications for experimental research on professional development

Abstract As teacher professional development research includes more experimental designs, new challenges arise. We examine the threat of participant attrition as an example of the types of problems researchers face. Counter-intuitively, higher levels of recruitment effort were related to higher dropout rates among teachers. We also found that teachers left because of changes in teaching assignments, institutional challenges, and personal challenges. Finally, the majority of teachers in urban schools dropped out, while the majority of teachers in rural or suburban schools remained. We conclude with recommendations for future teacher learning experiments.
The Art of Rebellion: Brett Morgen's Chicago Ten

Rebel, Rebel, You've torn your dress. David Bowie When the legend becomes fact, print the legend. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence Some historical characters make the mythic cut while others don't....
Sampling Adult Beetles (Coleoptera) Associated with Stored Grain: Comparing Detection and Mean Trap Catch Efficiency of Two Types of Probe Traps

Insect detection and mean trap catch efficiency of two types of commercial probe traps, the Storgard WB Probe II (WB II) and Grain Guard (GG), were compared by sampling live beetles in the top ≤28cm of shelled corn stored in three round bins and two flat units. Unbaited WB II and GG traps were paired, and number of trap pairs among the five facilities ranged from 8 to 20. Insects were trapped between July and September 1990, and the trapping duration was 7 or 14 d (only in one flat unit). Adults of 13 species were detected by WB II traps, whereas 11 species were detected by GG traps. In general, insect species were more frequently detected and trap catches were higher in WB II traps than in GG traps. However, differences in insect detection and mean trap catch between the trap types were small. A double logarithmic model satisfactorily described ( R 2 = 83%) the nonlinear statistical relationship between proportion of traps with adults and mean trap catches for both trap types. The progressively slower increase in proportion of traps with insects with increasing mean trap catches for both trap types can be explained by a purely probabilistic increase in the chance of a trap having more than one insect. This doublelogarithmic model is valuable for predicting mean trap catches, solely based on proportion of traps with insects. When validated with two independent data sets, obtained by sampling insects in shelled corn with WB II traps and in stored barley with GG traps, the predicted mean trap catches explained ≥84% of the variation in observed mean trap catches.
Impact of ultrasonic guided wave transducer design on health monitoring of composite structures

Structural health monitoring of composite materials will lead to a significant safety and economic impact on the aircraft and aerospace industries. Ultrasonic guided wave based methods are becoming popular because of an excellent compromise between coverage area and sensitivity for localized damage detection. The transducers currently used in composite health monitoring are designed mostly in an empirical manner. The work presented in this paper provides an analytical procedure to study the wave excitation phenomenon in composite laminates. A hybrid semi-analytical finite element method and global matrix method is used to obtained the guided wave modal solutions. A normal mode expansion technique is then used to simulate the guided waves excited from a surface mounted piezoelectric transducer with transient loading. Parametric studies are performed to obtain the guided wave mode tuning characteristics and to study the influence of piezoelectric wafer geometry on wave excitation. In an inverse problem, an appropriate loading pattern can be designed to achieve selective guided wave mode excitation for improved sensitivity and/or penetration power in the health monitoring of composites. A wave field reconstruction algorithm based on normal mode expansion is also introduced in this paper. This method is also very computationally efficient compared with the commonly used finite element method in wave field excitation simulation.
Identification of a mitochondrial endonuclease involved in mt-DNA repair of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The activity of a yeast mitochondrial endonuclease extracted from mutants (sas1) with increased sensitivity to petite-inducing treatments was compared to that from wild-type cells. The specificity of the endonuclease was altered in haploids carrying a single mutant nuclear gene that conferred increased sensitivity to petite induction by ultraviolet light, by growth at an elevated temperature and by growth in the presence of aminopterin and sulfanilamide. At high ionic strengths the endonuclease from the mutants digested double stranded DNA much faster than did that from the wild-type strain. Also the mutant enzyme was less selective for poly(dA) poly(dU) in comparison to poly(dA) · poly(dT); it had less preference for reduced hydrogen bond strength between the strands of double stranded DNA. Results indicate that this endonuclease, as a degrading enzyme, is involved in the initial step in repair of damaged mitochondrial DNA.
Characterization of multiport solid state imagers at megahertz data rates

Test results obtained from two recently developed multiport Charge-Coupled Devices (CCDs) operated at pixel rates in the 10-to-100 MHz range will be presented. The CCDs were evaluated in Los Alamos National Laboratory's High Speed Solid State Imager Test Station (HSTS) which features PC-based programmable clock waveform generation (Tektronix DAS 9200) and synchronously clocked Digital Sampling Oscilloscopes (LeCroy 9424/9314 series) for CCD pixel data acquisition, analysis, and storage. The HSTS also provided special designed optical pinhole array test patterns in the 5-to-50 micron diameter range for use with Xenon Strobe and pulsed laser light sources to simultaneously provide multiple single-pixel illumination patterns to study CCD point-spread-function (PSF) and pixel smear characteristics. The two CCDs tested, EEV model CCD-13 and EG&G Reticon model HSO512J are both 512 X 512 pixel arrays with eight and sixteen video output ports respectively. Both devices are generically Frame Transfer CCDs designed for parallel bi- directional vertical readout to augment their multiport design for increased pixel rates over common single port serial readout architecture. Although both CCDs were tested similarly, differences in their designs precluded normalization or any direct comparisons of test results. Rate dependent parameters investigated include S/N, PSF, and MTF. The performance observed for the two imagers at various pixel rates from selected typical output ports is discussed.
Dynamic balance of segregation distortion and selection maintains normal allele sizes at the myotonic dystrophy locus.

Myotonic dystrophy (DM), an autosomal dominant neurological disorder, is caused by CTG-repeat expansions at the DMPK locus, with affected individuals having ≥ 50 repeats of this trinucleotide. Reduced reproductive fitness of affected individuals and decreased viability of congenital DM have been noted. Expanded CTG-repeat alleles are highly unstable, predominantly yielding even higher repeat sizes. Preferential transmission of longer alleles from heterozygous mothers within the normal size range of alleles also is observed. In view of these observations, it is worth examining how DM has been maintained in human populations for hundreds of generations. We present an analysis of the dynamic properties of a model of joint effects of segregation distortion and selection (intensity of which increases with allele sizes of an individual's genotype). Our mathematical formulation and numerical analyses demonstrate that a weak segregation distortion during female meiosis, together with selection of comparable intensity (within the normal allele size range), can maintain an equilibrium distribution of allele frequencies. Genetic drift, acting in conjunction with the occasional contraction of alleles by mutation, can contribute to the balance of segregation distortion and mutation, in the sense that even weaker selection can explain the observed allele frequencies. The model is applied to CTG-repeat size distributions at the DMPK locus, observed in normal individuals from world populations.
Liquid chromatography of aromatic amines with photochemical derivatization and tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(III) chemiluminescence detection

We have shown by flow injection that tris(bipyridyl)ruthenium(III) [Ru(bpy)33+] chemiluminescence (CL) detection of some aromatic amines can be enhanced by on-line photochemical derivatization. Two of the aromatic amino acids, tryptophan, and tyrosine as well as the peptide phenylalanine-alanine and other primary aromatic amines such as l-dopa, phentermine, and tryptamine upon irradiation with UV light are found to give an increased CL signal on the order of 4–9 times that for nonirradiated compounds. For benzylamine, phenethylamine, and phenylalanine, the improved CL detectability upon photolysis is about 15–16 times better. Chemiluminescence detection limits of the photolyzed compounds are generally 2–20 pmol, significantly better than those by UV–Vis detection at 254 nm. GC–MS work has been done to identify the products of some of the photolysis reactions and explain the enhanced CL detectability. The fact that other aromatic amines without a one or two carbon spacer from the aromatic ring to the amine group such as aniline, m- and p-phenylenediamine, and N,N′-dimethylaniline did not show any CL signal improvement upon irradiation with UV light suggests that there is some selectivity in the reaction. CL detection of aromatic amino acids after on-line photochemical derivatization and HPLC has been shown.
Early-onset sepsis in very low birth weight neonates : A report from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network

OBJECTIVE: Late-onset sepsis (occurring after 3 days of age) is an important problem in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. To determine the current incidence of late-onset sepsis, risk factors for disease, and the impact of late-onset sepsis on subsequent hospital course, we evaluated a cohort of 7861 VLBW (401 to 1500 gm) neonates admitted to the 12 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Neonatal Research Network centers during a 32-month period (1991 to 1993). METHODS: The NICHD Neonatal Research Network maintains a prospectively collected registry of all VLBW neonates cared for at participating centers. Data from this registry were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Of 6911 infants who survived beyond 3 days, 1696 (25%) had one or more episodes of blood culture-proven sepsis. The vast majority of infections (73%) were caused by gram-positive organisms, with coagulase-negative staphylococci accounting for 55% of all infections. Rate of infection was inversely related to birth weight and gestational age. Complications of prematurity associated with an increased rate of infection included intubation, respiratory distress syndrome, prolonged ventilation, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, patent ductus arteriosus, severe intraventricular hemorrhage, and necrotizing enterocolitis. Among infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, those with late-onset sepsis had a significantly longer duration of mechanical ventilation (45 vs 33 days; p <0.01). Late-onset sepsis prolonged hospital stay: the mean number of days in the hospital for VLBW neonates with and without late-onset sepsis was 86 and 61 days, respectively (p <0.001). Even after adjustment for other complications of prematurity, including intraventricular hemorrhage, necrotizing enterocolitis, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia, infants with late-onset sepsis had a significantly longer hospitalization (p <0.001). Moreover, neonates in whom late-onset sepsis developed were significantly more likely to die than those who were uninfected (17% vs 7%; p <0.0001), especially if they were infected with gram-negative organisms (40%) or fungi (28%). Deaths attributed to infection increased with increasing chronologic age. Whereas only 4% of deaths in the first 3 days of life were attributed to infection, 45% of deaths after 2 weeks were related to infection. CONCLUSIONS: Late-onset sepsis is a frequent and important problem among VLBW preterm infants. Successful strategies to decrease late-onset sepsis should decrease VLBW mortality rates, shorten hospital stay, and reduce costs. (J PEDIATR 1996;129:63-71)
Social media and disasters: a functional framework for social media use in disaster planning, response, and research

A comprehensive review of online, official, and scientific literature was carried out in 2012-13 to develop a framework of disaster social media. This framework can be used to facilitate the creation of disaster social media tools, the formulation of disaster social media implementation processes, and the scientific study of disaster social media effects. Disaster social media users in the framework include communities, government, individuals, organisations, and media outlets. Fifteen distinct disaster social media uses were identified, ranging from preparing and receiving disaster preparedness information and warnings and signalling and detecting disasters prior to an event to (re)connecting community members following a disaster. The framework illustrates that a variety of entities may utilise and produce disaster social media content. Consequently, disaster social media use can be conceptualised as occurring at a number of levels, even within the same disaster. Suggestions are provided on how the proposed framework can inform future disaster social media development and research.
Uteroplacental insufficiency increases visceral adiposity and visceral adipose PPARγ2 expression in male rat offspring prior to the onset of obesity

Uteroplacental insufficiency (UPI) induced intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) predisposes individuals to adult onset metabolic morbidities, including insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease. An underlying component of the development of these morbidities is adipose dysfunction; specifically a disproportionately abundant visceral adipose tissue. We hypothesize that IUGR will increase rats visceral adiposity and visceral expression of PPARγ, a key regulator of adipogenesis. To test this hypothesis we employed a well described UPI induced IUGR rat model. Subcutaneous and visceral adipose levels were measured in adolescent control and IUGR rats using MRI. Expression of PPARγ mRNA and protein, as well as PPARγ target genes, was measured in neonatal, adolescent and adult rats. UPI induced IUGR increases the relative amount of visceral adipose tissue in male, but not female, adolescent rats in conjunction with an increase in PPARγ2mRNA and protein in male visceral adipose. Importantly, these effects are seen prior to the onset of overt obesity. We conclude that increased PPARγ2 expression in VAT of IUGR males is associated with increased visceral adiposity. We speculate that the increase in visceral adiposity may contribute to the metabolic morbidities experienced by this population.
Engineering costs and customer costs in designing product support

Product support encompasses activities undertaken by durable goods producers to ensure their customers the continued use of the product. Examples of product support elements include after the sale activities such as providing repair services and warranty programs, as well as all the activities undertaken at the design and production stage to improve the reliability of products before they reach the market. The implications of incorporating customer costs while designing product support packages are the concern of this study. We study how the parameters of support package impact the costs incurred by customers and provide insights about selecting appropriate levels of product support. We show that the engineering orientation of maximizing the product's availability ignores market characteristics, and results in a mismatch between the corporation's support package and the customer's needs. The research is intended to be a step in understanding the interaction between design engineering parameters and customer's costs. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Choosing the Right Accelerating Voltage for SEM (An Introduction for Beginners)

Historically, most SEM operators used accelerating voltages that were fairly high, quite often in the range of 15–20 kV. Now progress in electron optics has made low-voltage observations a routine mode of SEM operation. The greatly improved range of utilized accelerating voltages provides the SEM operator with additional flexibility and with additional responsibilities for choosing the right SEM settings for image acquisition.
An extension of stabilizing compensators for boundary control systems of parabolic type

We study in this paper the stabilization for boundary control systems of parabolic type by means of feedback controls. Another differential equation in a separable Hibert space is inserted in the feedback loop as the so-called compensator. It contains a positive parameterγ as representing the growth rate of the spectrum of the coefficient operator in the compensator. We present here an extension of the allowable range ofγ for stabilization. The stabilizing compensator is finally reduced to a finite-dimensional equation. An algorithm for a concrete design of the compensator is proposed.
Recent developments in Alzheimer's disease therapeutics

Alzheimer's disease is a devastating neurological disorder that affects more than 37 million people worldwide. The economic burden of Alzheimer's disease is massive; in the United States alone, the estimated direct and indirect annual cost of patient care is at least $100 billion. Current FDA-approved drugs for Alzheimer's disease do not prevent or reverse the disease, and provide only modest symptomatic benefits. Driven by the clear unmet medical need and a growing understanding of the molecular pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease, the number of agents in development has increased dramatically in recent years. Truly *disease-modifying' therapies that target the underlying mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease have now reached late stages of human clinical trials. Primary targets include beta-amyloid, whose presence and accumulation in the brain is thought to contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease, and tau protein which, when hyperphosphorylated, results in the self-assembly of tangles of paired helical filaments also believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. In this review, we briefly discuss the current status of Alzheimer's disease therapies under study, as well the scientific context in which they have been developed.
The spermiogenesis of Succinea ovalis say, with special reference to the components of the sperm

An investigation of the spermiogenesis of Succinea ovalis Say, a small terrestrial pulmonate, has revealed: 1) The germ cells are differentiated from indifferent germinal epithelial cells. In this form the germinal epithelium is a true epithelium, and not a syncytium. 2) Forty chromosomes are found in the spermatogonial divisions and twenty in the maturation divisions. 3) Early in spermiogenesis the proximal centriole penetrates through the spermatid nucleus and, with the oxychromatin, forms an intranuclear rod similar to that reported for certain prosobranches. The homology and significance of the rod are discussed. 4) Of the cytoplasmic structures, the mitochondria and the Golgi apparatus were followed through all stages of spermatogenesis. 5) At the maturation divisions the mitochondria are grouped into peculiar. thread-like structures. Some of the mitochondria take part in the formation of the sheath around the axial filament of the spermatozoon, while the remainder are sloughed off with the cytoplasmic remnant. 6) The Golgi apparatus consists of a number of banana-shaped rods closely grouped around the idiosome. Three to five Golgi rods are found in the spermatid stages. A portion of the Golgi apparatus and idisome (acroblast) forms the acrosome, and the Golgi remnant is discarded at the end of spermatogenesis. 7) In mature sperm both head and tail have a spiral structure. The origin and nature of the spirals are pointed out.
Coping with a patient's suicide: a curriculum for psychiatry residency training programs.

Objective The suicide of a patient is often experienced as a traumatic event by the clinician involved. Many articles have identified the need for education to guide clinicians through the aftermath of patient suicide; however, little has been published on development of such a curriculum, particularly for residents. This article describes one residency training program’s development of an organized curriculum on coping with patient suicide and evaluates the impact of a core aspect of the training on clinicians’ knowledge about and confidence with coping with patient suicide.
A grouser spacing equation for determining appropriate geometry of planetary rover wheels

Grousers, sometimes called lugs, are recognized as a way to improve wheel performance and traction, but there have been, to date, no comprehensive guidelines for choosing grouser patterns. This work presents a quantitative expression for determining appropriate grouser spacing for rigid wheels. Past empirical studies have shown that increasing grouser height and number can improve performance, to a point. The newly proposed grouser spacing equation is based on observations that wheels with an inadequate number of grousers induce forward soil flow ahead of the wheel, and thus rolling resistance. The equation relates geometric wheel parameters (wheel radius, grouser height and spacing) and operating parameters (slip and sinkage), and predicts a maximum allowable grouser spacing (or, equivalently, a minimum number of grousers). Experiments with various grouser heights and numbers demonstrate good correspondence to the proposed equation, as increases in number of grousers beyond the predicted minimum number stop improving performance. A grouser spacing equation is particularly useful for designing efficient wheels. The proposed relation includes slip and sinkage, parameters that cannot be assumed constant or known a priori, but this work shows that wheels designed using the proposed equation are robust to changing operating scenarios even if they degrade beyond estimated nominal conditions.
Homeomorphs and amallamorphs of the Petersen graph

Let P be the Petersen graph. The main results of this paper are the discovery of infinite families of chromatically equivalent pairs of P homeomorphs and the discovery of infinite families of flow equivalent pairs of P amallamorphs. In particular, three families of P homeomorphs with 8 parameters, five families with 7 parameters and many families with fewer parameters are obtained. Also one family of P amallamorphs with 9 parameters, three families with 7 parameters, seven families with 6 parameters and many families with fewer parameters are obtained.