cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Histamine levels in forages and dry matter intake of heifers.

Summary Silages and hay fed to dairy heifers and the fecal and urinary samples collected from these animals were analyzed for free histamine. In the silages analyzed, the correlation between the logarithm of the histamine concentrations and the dry matter intakes was low ( r = -.20), although the correlation between the logarithm of the histamine concentrations and the dry matters of the silages was high ( r = to -.98). Hay and urine of hay-fed heifers were relatively low in histamine. In haylage- or silage-fed heifers, high urinary and fecal histamine levels were not necessarily associated with high histamine intakes. The addition of 5g histamine-dihydrochloride to an animal consuming 2.1lb of chopped alfalfa hay per 100lb body weight did not decrease dry matter intake. The data suggest that there is no relation between silage dry matter intake and histamine concentration of the silage.
Fatigue of fillet welded A515 steel

Abstract A study has been made of the fatigue behavior of fillet welded ASTM A515 steel. As-welded and stress-relieved skip fillet weld specimens were tested under pulsed tension and altering cyclic load to determine stress-life and crack propagation behavior. Crack initiation and propagation features were determined from sectioned surfaces. All fatigue cracks were semi-elliptic and initiated from weld end toes. The length/depth ratio was approximately constant during propagation. There was no consistent effect of tensile residual stress on fatigue life under pulsed tension but there was a detrimental effect under alternating loads. An equivalent crack model has been proposed to quantify the stress concentration effect at the crack initiation site based on the application of the Paris equation. The test results show that the equivalent crack can give a reasonable prediction of the fatigue life of a welded structure and is a potentially convenient tool in fatigue design.
THE VITAMIN A OF A EUPHAUSIID CRUSTACEAN

The vitamin A of the euphausiid crustacean, Meganyctiphanes norvegica, consists almost wholly of the hindered cis isomer, neo-b (11-cis). In this animal vitamin A is concentrated almost entirely in the eyes; and its properties so closely resemble those of pure neo-b vitamin A as not in themselves to indicate that any other isomer is present. However, Fisher et al. (1955 b) have isolated a small fraction from this material which may be neo-c vitamin A (11, 13-dicis). The neo-b isomer was identified by its absolute absorption spectrum, the changes of absorption spectrum on isomerization, oxidation to neo-b retinene, and synthesis from the latter of rhodopsin. This identification is also in good accord with new, revised bioassays of Meganyctiphanes vitamin A by Plack et al. (1956).
FISCAL DECENTRALIZATION, GOVERNANCE, AND ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE: A RECONSIDERATION

In countries with tax-sharing systems, assigning local governments a large share of locally generated revenues is often thought to promote economic development. The more local officials benefit from local economic activity, the more supportive of business and less corrupt they should be, resulting in higher output. Some attribute China's rapid growth to its high local retention rates and Russia's 1990s stagnation to the central clawback of local revenues. I show that such arguments ignore an important actor in the game – the central government. If increasing the local tax share improves incentives for local authorities, it worsens them for central officials. The net effect on output is indeterminate.
Genotypic and developmental regulation of transient expression of a reporter gene in soybean zygotic cotyledons

Processes involved in transformation of regenerable soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) immature zygotic cotyledons were studied by assaying the transient expression of the β-glucuronidase gene driven by the 35S promoter and terminated at the 3′ end by the soybean 7S storage protein gene. The plasmid containing the chimeric gene was delivered to the cotyledons via particle bombardment 900 PSI. Zygotic cotyledons from six soybean varieties were tested for transient expression of the β-glucuronidase gene. The level of reporter gene expression differed between genotypes. The genotypes could be classified as high, fair or poor expressors. Cotyledons from different genotypes were then bombarded at 650, 900 or 1100 PSI. GUS expression varied among genotypes independently of the pressure of bombardment. Finally, the ability of cotyledons to express the reporter gene depended on the developmental stage of the seed from which it was excised with the younger stage being the least responsive. However, genotypic specific expression remained after controlling for developmental stage of the cotyledons.
The US, France and military roles in the African ‘gap’

Niagale Bagayoko-Penone (2003) Afrique: les strategies francaise et americaine, Paris: L'Harmattan, 619 pp. Thomas P. M. Barnett (2004) The Pentagon's New Map: War and Peace in the 21st Century, Ne...
Annotation-based transcoding for nonvisual web access

These days, Web authors try to describe as much information as possible in one page using various types of visual effects. This information is visually fragmented into groupings. Blind users read the Web contents in tag order, but visually fragmented groupings are not accessible using tag order reading. In addition, the Web contents are designed to be visually appealing using a lot of images. This style makes nonvisual Web access harder. Therefore we decided to develop an annotation-based transcoding system to convert already-existing Web pages to be accessible, which works between a Web server and a user. It consists of two components, one for structural annotations and one for commentary annotations. Structural annotations are used to recognize visually fragmented groupings as well as to show the importance and basic role of each group. Commentary annotations are used to give users a useful description of each grouping. In this paper, we will describe our transcoding method for nonvisual Web access based on the annotations.
Effect of artificial changes in egg composition on hatchability and chick growth.

Summary and ConclusionsArtificial decrease in albumen quality and quantity caused by local X-irradiation of the oviduct reduces the hatchability of eggs. The distribution of embryo mortality is different from that encountered in normal eggs: very early mortality is markedly increased. Chicks from such eggs have a lower hatch weight; however, no effect on subsequent chick growth was observed.
Georgia's Grow-Your-Own Teacher Programs Attract the Right Stuff

There is a shortage of educators and there are various factors that account for the lack of teachers. Millions of new teachers will be needed in the near future and the present study juxtaposes the vocational personality profiles of adolescents ( N = 262) participating in Future Educators of America programs in Georgia to in-service teachers' profiles as determined by Holland's Self-Directed Search inventory. Using Holland's theoretical framework for congruence between one's personality and the workplace as a lens, the results indicated that adolescents in the future educator programs shared the same Holland code as in-service teachers. Noting that teachers tend to return to the area in which they were raised, findings from this research have serious implications for the identification and recruitment of tomorrow's teaching force.
Phosphorus in sediments of the Amazon River and estuary: Implications for the global flux of phosphorus to the sea

Abstract The distribution of various forms of P in suspended and depositional bank sediments of the Amazon River and bottom sediments of the mixing and freshwater portions of the Amazon estuary and shelf have been determined using a modified sequential extraction method. Forms of P distinguished are: P associated with ferric oxides/hydroxides (Fe-P), organic P (org-P), P extracted with acetate buffer at pH 4 (acet-P), and detrital apatite (detr-P). Results indicate that there is a distinct drop in Fe-P, org-P, and total P after deposition of suspended sediment on the banks of the river. Similar results are found for sediment deposited on the freshwater portion (river channel bottom) of the continental shelf. Sediment deposited on estuarine portions of the shelf also shows a significant drop in total P, due mostly to a drop in org-P. No appreciable change in acet-P was found between river suspended sediments and those of either the river banks or of the estuarine shelf. An inverse correlation is found for all sediments between concentrations of Fe-P and detr-P because of the association of detrital apatite with the coarser fractions of the sediments and Fe-P with the finer fractions. These results suggest that considerable amounts of P are added to the oceans by the bacterial decomposition of river transported organic matter and by the desorption of P from iron oxides/hydroxides (some desorption from Al silicates may also occur.) The organic P is released to interstitial solution during early diagenesis and this P may be adsorbed by Fe oxides in the sediment. During frequent resuspension events, the Fe oxides are carried to the overlying water where the P is desorbed and thereby released to solution. Based on our Amazon results, the total global P flux to the oceans by rivers may be more than three times that carried only in solution by the rivers. Further work is needed on other river systems to check these preliminary results.
The properties of the preferential uptake of l-leucine by isolated intestinal epithelial cells

Abstract 1. 1. Epithelial cells isolated from rat intestine have shown the ability to preferentially take up 1 mM l -leucine as compared to the d -isomer. The uptake was found to be concentrative. l -Leucine uptake was inhibited by neutral l -amino acids and basic l -amino acids but was not inhibited by d -valine or d -isoleucine. Galactose and α-methyl- d -glucose were inhibitory; glucose was significantly less inhibitory; and fructose activated uptake. Inhibitors of energy metabolism, sulfhydryl inhibitors, ouabain, and procedures which damaged the morphology of the cell all decreased l -leucine uptake. l -Leucine uptake was decreased in the absence of either Na + , K + , Ca 2+ , or Mg 2+ and exhibited a broad ph optimum between 4 and 8. d -Leucine uptake was a linear function of time during the first 5 min of incubation. The apparent K m for l -leucine uptake was 3.2 mM, and l -valine was competitive inhibitor of l -leucine uptake. Inhibitors of protein biosynthesis did not reduce l -leucine uptake. The efflux of l -leucine from the cells was inhibited by the cold. 2. 2. Brush borders also preferentially bound l -leucine as compared to d -leucine. The binding was quite variable and was not inhibited by l -valine. 3. 3. Preincubation of the cells with Krebs Tris containing 50 mM l -leucine resulted in a significantly greater subsequent incorporation of iodoacetate into the cells than did preincubation with Krebs Tris or Krebs-Tris with 50 mM d -leucine. Following homogenization of the cells with 5 mM EDTA and centrifugation, a solubilized protein fraction was found to contain the increased iodoacetate from the l -leucine protected cells.
A Survey of Addiction Training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Residency Programs

Objective Childhood and adolescence represent a critical period for the potential initiation of substance use, and thus it is important that child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) residents learn to screen, assess, refer, and/or treat children and adolescents who have substance abuse diagnoses.
Musings on genome medicine: the Obama effect redux

From the point of view of genome medicine, Barack Obama has made two vital policy decisions: he has chosen a new director of the National Institutes of Health, and his proposed change in United States healthcare policy will have profound effects on genome medicine and, indeed, all of academic medicine.
Choked flow - A generalization of the concept and some experimental data.

The equation of choking for two or more unmixed streams flowing in the same channel is derived in a general form applicable to both self-entrainment and heterogeneous entrainment. The derivation is based on an extension of a method that is shown to give the correct answer when applied to a single stream. Experimental data are presented that show generalized choking to be a reasonable flow-limiting mechanism in situations where other mechanisms are somewhat implausible. Generalized choking is believed to be more likely when the ejector principle is used to modify the degree of expansion that takes place in the exhaust of a jet engine than when the principle is used in the more usual pump and compressor applications.
The Invisible Compiler

Early Desire (Direct Executing Simulation in Real Time) is a floating point equation-language system for interactive dynamic system simulation. It runs 1.3 to five times faster than threaded Fortran and executes immediately on a RUN command without any external compiler or linker. An experimenter thus obtains results of model changes at once. An interpreted job-control language serves for interactive program entry, editing, and file manipulation and for programming multirun simulation studies. The dynamic program segment containing differential equations in first-order form is entered just like the jobcontrol statements and accesses variables with the same name. An efficient, extra-fast minicompiler translates the dynamic segment practically instantaneously. Different precompiled integration routines can be overlaid from mass storage while the program runs. Early Desire runs on any 28K-word PDP-II or LSI-II processor with FIS or FPU instructions under the RT-II operating system and is configured for up to 40 state variables. The system provides a true CRT screen editor with cursor-control and number-pad keys and produces runtime graphics even on VT-52 alphanumeric terminals and on VT-II displays. Future Desire systems will run on 32-bit superminicomputers and, for extra speed, on minicomputers with attached array processors.
Observations on rheumatology in the U.S.S.R.

The author, who was a member of a scientific exchange team which visited the U.S.S.R. in September and October 1962, reports his observations made during visits to rheumatologic research institutes and laboratories in Moscow, Leningrad and Kiev. Le autor esseva membro de un gruppo scientific de excambio visitante le U.R.S.S. in septembre e octobre 1962. Ille reporta le observationes que ille faceva in le curso de visitas in institutos de recerca rheumatologic e lor laboratorios in Moscova, Leningrad, e Kiev.
Rates and Correlates of Career Development

Readiness for making educational and vocational choices plays a crucial role in career decision-making (Super, 1955). The present study examined (a) personality and role correlates of career choice readiness and (b) rates of change in career choice readiness measured twice over a 1-year period. A cohort of 64 high school students (28 girls, 36 boys) completed the Career Development Inventory (CDI; Super, Thompson, Lindeman, Jordaan, & Myers, 1979), the Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI; Holland, 1985a), and the Salience Inventory (SI; Super & Nevill, 1986) at the end of their freshman and sophomore years. Results supported hypothesized sex differences in CDI scores, with girls scoring higher than boys on three CDI scales. Hypothesized increases in CDI scores commensurate with grade level were not supported. Significant, albeit low to moderate, correlations between various CDI scale scores and scores on several VPI and SI scales partially supported hypothesized relationships between career development a...
Semiconductor surface studies with SAW-oscillator structures

A new method is described whereby the surface charge against surface potential of an oxidised semiconductor sample can be obtained by measuring the frequency shift of a SAW delay-line oscillator. In this method a direct voltage is applied across the semiconductor with different configurations. The SAW delay line is made on LiNbO3 and is designed to oscillate (at 100 MHz) with a wideband amplifier in a feedback configuration.
Risk of Cocaine-Induced Myocardial Infarction During Sport

To the Editor: In the Determinants of Myocardial Infarction Onset Study, Mittleman et al …
Cloaking and transparency for collections of particles with metamaterial and plasmonic covers

Following our recently developed idea of employing plasmonic covers to cloak an isolated conducting, plasmonic or insulating sphere through scattering cancellation, here we extend this concept by investigating the possibility of cloaking multiple objects placed in close proximity of each other, or even joined together to form a single object of large electrical size. We show how the coupling among the single particles, even when placed in the very near zone of each other, is drastically lowered by the presence of suitably designed covers, thus providing the possibility of making collections of objects transparent and “cloaked” to the impinging radiation even when the total physical size of the system is sensibly larger than the wavelength. Numerical simulations and animations validate these results and give further insights into the anomalous phenomenon of transparency and cloaking induced by plasmonic materials and metamaterials.
Effects of Wheat Pubescence on Infestations of Wheat Curl Mite and Incidence of Wheat Streak Mosaic

Pubescent wheats were more heavily infested by airborne Eriophyes tulipae Keifer and had a higher incidence of wheat streak mosaic than glabrous wheats. Both plant hair length and density were directly associated with mite infestation.
Elimination of public funding of prenatal care for undocumented immigrants in California: a cost/benefit analysis.

Abstract Objective: We compared the perinatal outcomes and costs of undocumented women with and without prenatal care and inferred the impact of denial of prenatal benefits to undocumented immigrants in California. Study Design: We retrospectively reviewed the delivery records of a cohort of 970 undocumented immigrants. The effects of prenatal care on low birth weight and prematurity were evaluated by means of logistic regression. The difference in the costs of postnatal care between neonates with and without prenatal care was compared with the cost of prenatal care. This ratio was extrapolated to calculate the net cost to the state. Long-term morbidity costs were also considered. Results: Nearly 10% of undocumented women had no prenatal care. These women were nearly 4 times as likely to be delivered of low birth weight infants (relative risk, 3.8; 95% confidence interval, 2.03-7.05) and >7 times as likely to be delivered of premature infants (relative risk, 7.4; 95% confidence interval, 4.35-12.59) as were undocumented women who had prenatal care. The cost of postnatal care for a neonate without prenatal care was $2341 more initially and $3247 more when incremental long-term morbidity cost was added than that for a neonate with prenatal care. For every dollar cut from prenatal care we expect an increase of $3.33 in the cost of postnatal care and $4.63 in incremental long-term cost. Elimination of publicly funded prenatal care for undocumented women could save the state $58 million in direct prenatal care costs but could cost taxpayers as much as $194 million more in postnatal care, resulting in a net cost of $136 million initially and $211 million in long-term costs. Conclusions: Elimination of public funding of prenatal care for undocumented immigrants in California could substantially increase low birth weight, prematurity, and postnatal costs. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2000;182:233-9.)
MicroRNA Modulation in Obesity and Periodontitis

The aim of this pilot investigation was to determine if microRNA expression differed in the presence or absence of obesity, comparing gingival biopsies obtained from patients with or without periodontal disease. Total RNA was extracted from gingival biopsy samples collected from 20 patients: 10 non-obese patients (BMI 30 kg/m2), each group with 5 periodontally healthy sites and 5 chronic periodontitis sites. MicroRNA expression patterns were assessed with a quantitative microRNA PCR array to survey 88 candidate microRNA species. Four microRNA databases were used to identify potential relevant mRNA target genes of differentially expressed microRNAs. Two microRNA species (miR-18a, miR-30e) were up-regulated among obese individuals with a healthy periodontium. Two microRNA species (miR-30e, miR-106b) were up-regulated in non-obese individuals with periodontal disease. In the presence of periodontal disease and obesity, 9 of 11 listed microRNAs were significantly up-regulated (miR-15a, miR-18a, miR-22, miR-30d, miR-30e, miR-103, miR-106b, miR-130a, miR-142-3p, miR-185, and miR-210). Predicted targets include 69 different mRNAs from genes that comprise cytokines, chemokines, specific collagens, and regulators of glucose and lipid metabolism. The expression of specific microRNA species in obesity, which could also target and post-transcriptionally modulate cytokine mRNA, provides new insight into possible mechanisms of how risk factors might modify periodontal inflammation and may represent novel therapeutic targets.
Hind limb movements of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) and postural grades

The hind limb kinematics of American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) executing the high walk were analysed using cineradiography. The stance phase is characterized by hip extension of 60–80d, knee extension of 30–40d and a flexion (30–40d)—extension (80–90d) sequence of the ankle. At initial foot contact with the substratum, the femur is positioned 20–25d from the sagittal plane of the sacrum. During retraction the femur is abducted to a maximum angle of 40–50d near foot lift-off. A slight medial rotation about the femoral axis takes place to maintain the orientation of the femoral condyles. The sacral region undergoes rotation about a vertical axis of 20–30d and transverse roll of 10–12d with each stride. One individual used an atypical limb posture in which the femur was adducted to 20d rather than abducted during the stance phase. Although the crocodilian high walk appears to be a good example of a ‘semi-erect’ posture that is intermediate between ‘sprawling’ and ‘fully erect’, the current system of postural grades hampers our understanding of locomotor variability and diversity. Grades must be considered categorical abstractions until enough data can be acquired to demonstrate that postural divisions are based on well-defined kinematic parameters and functional mechanisms. The indiscriminate use of postural grades, particularly in fossil taxa, blurs differences between members of each grade and artificially broadens distinctions between members of different grades.
Negative differential resistance of AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors: influence of emitter edge current

We report an electrical characterisation of AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors over a temperature range of 250 to 400 K in which the emitter edge current contribution to the negative differential output resistance (NDR) effect is determined. A quantitative analysis of the DC gain versus temperature and perimeter to area ratio indicates that emitter edge current has a major influence on the NDR magnitude. >
Evidence and implications of higher-order scaling in the environmental variation of animal population growth

Environmental stochasticity is an important concept in population dynamics, providing a quantitative model of the extrinsic fluctuations driving population abundances. It is typically formulated as a stochastic perturbation to the maximum reproductive rate, leading to a population variance that scales quadratically with abundance. However, environmental fluctuations may also drive changes in the strength of density dependence. Very few studies have examined the consequences of this alternative model formulation while even fewer have tested which model better describes fluctuations in animal populations. Here we use data from the Global Population Dynamics Database to determine the statistical support for this alternative environmental variance model in 165 animal populations and test whether these models can capture known population–environment interactions in two well-studied ungulates. Our results suggest that variation in the density dependence is common and leads to a higher-order scaling of the population variance. This scaling will often stabilize populations although dynamics may also be destabilized under certain conditions. We conclude that higher-order environmental variation is a potentially ubiquitous and consequential property of animal populations. Our results suggest that extinction risk estimates may often be overestimated when not properly taking into account how environmental fluctuations affect population parameters.
Examining the determinants of hotel chain expansion through international franchising

Abstract This study proposes and tests an agency-based organizational model of internationalization through franchising in the hotel sector. Using data obtained from a Franchisor Questionnaire 2001–2008, we analyzed a panel of 117 observations of 17 U.S.-based hotels. Our analysis reveals that a hotel franchisor's decision to internationalize through franchising is positively related to the percentage of franchises, the ratio of franchised units to the total number of units. The article contributes to the literature by empirically modeling international franchising of hotels, which present unique characteristics among franchising companies, with a high investment capital requirement, maturity in the product life cycle, and a high level of standardization and globalization of operations. The unique characteristics of individual chains and their segment in the industry are particularly important, as revealed by both data analysis and expert opinion.
Recovery from Chronic Spinal Cord Contusion after Nogo Receptor Intervention

Objective: Several interventions promote axonal growth and functional recovery when initiated shortly after central nervous system injury, including blockade of myelin-derived inhibitors with soluble Nogo receptor (NgR1, RTN4R) decoy protein. We examined the efficacy of this intervention in the much more prevalent and refractory condition of chronic spinal cord injury. Methods: We eliminated the NgR1 pathway genetically in mice by conditional gene targeting starting 8 weeks after spinal hemisection injury and monitored locomotion in the open field and by video kinematics over the ensuing 4 months. In a separate pharmacological experiment, intrathecal NgR1 decoy protein administration was initiated 3 months after spinal cord contusion injury. Locomotion and raphespinal axon growth were assessed during 3 months of treatment between 4 and 6 months after contusion injury. Results: Conditional deletion of NgR1 in the chronic state results in gradual improvement of motor function accompanied by increased density of raphespinal axons in the caudal spinal cord. In chronic rat spinal contusion, NgR1 decoy treatment from 4 to 6 months after injury results in 29% (10 of 35) of rats recovering weight-bearing status compared to 0% (0 of 29) of control rats (p < 0.05). Open field Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan locomotor scores showed a significant improvement in the NgR-treated group relative to the control group (p < 0.005, repeated measures analysis of variance). An increase in raphespinal axon density caudal to the injury is detected in NgR1 decoy-treated animals by immunohistology and by positron emission tomography using a serotonin reuptake ligand. Interpretation: Antagonizing myelin-derived inhibitors signaling with NgR1 decoy augments recovery from chronic spinal cord injury. ANN NEUROL 2011;70:805–821
Testing of highly accurate blackbodies

Many organizations, including Space Dynamics Laboratory, have built blackbodies with calculated emissivities of 0.995 to 0.9999 and estimated radiance temperature uncertainties of a few hundred mK or less. However, the calculated performance has generally not been demonstrated through testing or comparison with other highperformance blackbodies. Intercomparison is valuable; historically, when equipment or experimental results have been intercompared they are often found to disagree by more than the claimed uncertainties. Blackbody testing has been limited because testing at the required accuracy (0.1% or better in radiance) is a significant expense. Such testing becomes essential when proven, SI-traceble, absolute accuracy is required, such as for the CLARREO mission which has an absolute accuracy requirement of 0.1 K (3 sigma) at 220 K over most of the thermal infrared and needs high-performance blackbodies to support this requirement. Properly testing blackbodies requires direct measurement of emissivity and accurate measurement of radiance or comparison of radiance from two blackbodies. This presentation will discuss these testing needs, various types of testing, and test results for a CLARREO prototype blackbody.
Knowledge sharing honeynets

Due to the prevalence of distributed and coordinated Internet attacks, many researchers and network administrators study the nature and strategies of attackers. To analyze event logs, using intrusion detection systems and active network monitoring, honeynets are being deployed to attract potential attackers in order to investigate their modus operandi. The goal is to use honeynet clusters as real-time warning systems in production networks. Towards satisfying this objective, we have built a honeynet cluster and have run experiments to determine its effectiveness. Majority of the honeynets function in isolation, not sharing information in real time. In order to rectify this deficiency, the authors built a federation of cooperating honeynets (referred to as knowledge sharing honeynets) that shares knowledge of malicious traffic. This paper describes the methods in building a hardware assisted honeynet cluster and testing its effectiveness.
Surgical instrument guidance using synthesized anatomical structures

We present a new method of intraoperative, image-based surgical instrument guidance. The method has the potential to significantly improve visualization of intraoperative procedures that currently depend on fluoroscopic images for navigation. 3D information from preoperative computed tomography (CT) is fused with images of the instrument taken intraoperatively. Our approach employs synthesized anatomical structures, a novel approach using the effect of parallax to synthesize the apparent position of anatomical structures viewed under projection. The result is a reconstruction of the instrument in the context of the CT image which greatly facilitates the understanding of instrument position and trajectory within the patient. In this paper, we show how the method can potentially be applied to surgical procedures such as percutaneous rhizotomy. Phantom studies showing our preliminary results are included.
Brain anomalies, retardation of mentality and growth, ectodermal dysplasia, skeletal malformations, Hirschsprung disease, ear deformity and deafness, eye hypoplasia, cleft palate, cryptorchidism, and kidney dysplasia/hypoplasia BRESEK/BRESHECK: New X-linked syndrome?

Two half brothers (maternally related) had a similar syndrome of microhydrocephaly in both brothers and dilatation of the spinal canal with fusion of thalami in one brother. Primordial growth delay was noted in both brothers, with severe mental retardation in the surviving brother. Both had ectodermal dysplasia with scaling, hyperkeratosis, and generalized alopecia, but normal sweat and sebaceous glands. Skeletal anomalies included hemivertebrae with abnormal segmentation in one and scoliosis with polydactyly in the other. Ears were apparently low set, large, and protruding, with mixed hearing loss in the brother who survived. Eye anomalies included maldevelopment of one eye in Patient 1 and small optic nerves more noticeable on one side in Patient 2. Both had cryptorchidism and dysplastic/hypoplastic kidneys of varying severity that resulted in the early postnatal death of one sib. Manifestations present in only one or the other sib included submucous cleft palate, aganglionosis of the rectum and colon, agenesis of one testicle, and single umbilical artery. This syndrome has not been described previously and may be due to an X-linked mutation. The acronym BRESEK reflects the common findings, whereas BRESHECK denotes all manifestations of both patients: brain, retardation, ectodermal dysplasia, skeletal deformities, Hirschsprung disease, ear/eye anomalies, cleft palate/cryptorchidism, and kidney dysplasia/hypoplasia. In addition to an X-linked mutation, a contiguous gene deletion or maternal mosaicism of an autosomal dominant gene must be considered.
Moderate fetal bradycardia

Fetal heart rates in the range of 100 to 119 beats per minute have been defined as moderate bradycardia. Twenty-five of 1,386 patients monitored during a 1 year period have manifested persistent moderate bradycardia. Moderate bradycardia is apparently related to fetal head compression, often in situations of relative cephalopelvic disproportion. It is alleviated by rotation of the vertex and does not appear to adversely affect the newborn infant.
The Assessment of Insulin, Glucose and Lipids in Ischemic Thrombotic Cerebrovascular Disease

Sixty-one male patients with ischemic thrombotic cerebrovascular disease (ITCVD) and 61 age-matched controls were studied to determine the interrelationships between the primary risk factors of ITCVD. Impaired carbohydrate metabolism in ITCVD was reflected in the significantly greater number of abnormal oral glucose tolerance tests (GTT) and type IV lipoprotein abnormalities when compared to controls. Elevated uric acid and triglyceride levels also were observed in ITCVD. Glucose and immunoreactive insulin (IRI) response curves in ITCVD were elevated and exhibited delayed peaks despite the normal or abnormal classification of GTT, indicating that insulin is ineffective in restoring glucose to normal levels. In the ITCVD and control groups with abnormal GTT the free fatty acid (FFA) levels were elevated at fasting and lacked the characteristic rebound at two hours observed in subjects with normal GTT, supporting the theory of a glucose-FFA cycle and its role in carbohydrate disturbances.
Evaluation of ERP outsourcing

Outsourcing has evolved as a viable means to attain cost savings in organizational information technology. This option, however, involves significant risks. This paper discusses why formal cost evaluation models are difficult to apply in this decision, and demonstrates how multi-criteria methods can be used to support this critical decision.
Estradiol stimulation of glucose transport in rat uterus.

Glucose transport in rat uterus was investigated in order to determine whether the stimulation of transport by estradiol was the result of an increase in the amount of glucose transport protein in plasma membranes. In cycling rats, transport was highest during proestrus, the day on which serum estradiol concentrations are highest. In ovariectomized rats, the stimulation of transport was estrogen specific and was nearly complete within 2-3 h after injection of 0.1 μg estradiol per animal. Estradiol stimulation resulted in a 2- to 3-fold increase in Vmax of 2-deoxy-D-glucose transport with no significant change in Michaelis-Menten constant (Km). Inhibition of the stimulation by cycloheximide or actinomycin D could not be demonstrated, although cycloheximide treatment did cause an increase in the basal rate of transport up to that observed with estradiol treatment. Upon polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by Western blotting, a single protein in uterine plasma membranes reacted with a rabbit antiseru...
Turning of a Short-Length Cable Using Flapping Fin Propulsion

In this paper, the context of several self-propelled, short-length cables, embedded with passive sensors for environmental diagnostics and swimming efficiently in formation over long duration and in shallow water, is considered. The basic problem of this volumetric diagnostic-namely, the low-speed motion control of a short-length, neutrally buoyant cable-is examined. More specifically, the constant-rate, circular turning of a 7-m-long cable held taut in a shallow-water basin using a biorobotic propulsor that has multiple flapping fins at one end, the other end being tied to a mooring post, is examined via modeling and laboratory and basin experiments. A drag analysis is used to estimate the fastest steady turning rate achievable while holding the cable taut. An axial tension and position controller, as well as a depth controller, is developed and evaluated in a quiescent laboratory tank accounting for the cycle-averaged hydrodynamic characteristics of a rigid cylinder to which six flapping fins are attached, three at each end. A small test range of 100-m scale, containing seven floor-mounted hydrophones in a hexagonal layout, is built in a stillwater basin to track the motion of the propulsor, to which a pinger is attached. The estimated overall resolution of the acoustic tracking system is 5 cm; it is possible to detect the imprint of the environmental unsteadiness on the cable and propulsor assembly. In the basin experiment, a mean radius of turning of 8.91 m can be achieved within a standard of deviation of 0.27 m, and a uniform turn rate of 22 min for one full revolution can also be maintained, when the applied turning force is 10% of the cable tension. The basin experiment has verified the drag analysis. This paper explores the value of a flapping fin propulsor (which is inspired by large swimming animals) as an alternative to conventional rotational propulsors for the low-speed maneuvering of a short cable.
Complex working memory span tasks and higher-order cognition: A latent-variable analysis of the relationship between processing and storage

Complex span tasks, assumed by many to measure an individual’s working memory capacity, are predictive of several aspects of higher-order cognition. However, the underlying cause of the relationships between ‘‘processing-and-storage’’ tasks and cognitive abilities is still hotly debated nearly 30 years after the tasks were first introduced. The current study utilised latent constructs across verbal, numerical, and spatial content domains to examine a number of questions regarding the predictive power of complex span tasks. In particular, the relations among processing time, processing accuracy, and storage accuracy from the complex span tasks were examined, in combination with their respective relationships with fluid intelligence. The results point to a complicated pattern of unique and shared variance among the constructs. Implications for various theories of working memory are discussed.
Observation of Suspected Choroidal and Ciliary Body Melanomas for Evidence of Growth Prior to Enucleation

One hundred and sixteen patients with suspected malignant melanoma of the choroid and ciliary body were observed for evidence of tumor growth prior to enucleation. All patients were followed for a minimum of five years after tumor detection. The tumor failed to grow in 69 patients, and none developed evidence of metastatic melanoma. The tumor grew in 47 patients, and 35 patients had enucleation. Five patients (4 having enucleation) died of metastatic melanoma. Deaths caused by other primary malignancies (9 patients) and other causes (11 patients) outnumbered those caused by melanomas. The clinical accuracy of predicting growth of small and medium suspected melanomas was approximately 75%. Five patients died because of metastatic melanoma. This study demonstrated no evidence of increased mortality caused by observation of small tumors for evidence of growth prior to enucleation.
The Neo-Bioscore Update for Staging Breast Cancer Treated With Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: Incorporation of Prognostic Biologic Factors Into Staging After Treatment

Importance We previously described and validated a breast cancer staging system (CPS+EG, clinical-pathologic scoring system incorporating estrogen receptor–negative disease and nuclear grade 3 tumor pathology) for assessing prognosis after neoadjuvant chemotherapy using pretreatment clinical stage, posttreatment pathologic stage, estrogen receptor (ER) status, and grade. Development of the CPS+EG staging system predated routine administration of trastuzumab in patients with ERBB2 -positive disease (formerly HER2 or HER2/neu ). Objective To validate the CPS+EG staging system using the new definition of ER positivity (≥1%) and to develop an updated staging system (Neo-Bioscore) that incorporates ERBB2 status into the previously developed CPS+EG. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective review of data collected prospectively from January 2005 through December 2012 on patients with breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Main Outcomes and Measure Prognostic scores were computed using 2 versions of the CPS+EG staging system, one with ER considered positive if it measured 10% or higher, the other with ER considered positive if it measured 1% or higher. Fits of the Cox proportional hazards model for the 2 sets of prognostic scores were compared using the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). Status of ERBB2 was added to the model, and the likelihood ratio test was used to determine improvement in fit. Results A total of 2377 patients were included; all were women (median age, 50 years [range, 21-87 years]); ER status was less than 1% in 28.9%, 1% to 9% in 8.3%, and 10% or higher in 62.8%; 591 patients were ERBB2 positive. Median follow-up was 4.2 years (range, 0.5-11.7 years). Five-year disease-specific survival was 89% (95% CI, 87%-90%). Using 1% or higher as the cutoff for ER positivity, 5-year disease-specific survival estimates determined using the CPS+EG stage ranged from 52% to 98%, thereby validating our previous finding that the CPS+EG score facilitates more refined categorization into prognostic subgroups than clinical or final pathologic stage alone. The AIC value for this model was 3333.06, while for a model using 10% or higher as the cutoff for ER positivity, it was 3333.38, indicating that the model fits were nearly identical. The improvement in fit of the model when ERBB2 status was added was highly significant, with 5-year disease-specific survival estimates ranging from 48% to 99% ( P ERBB2 into the staging system defined the Neo-Bioscore, which provided improved stratification of patients with respect to prognosis. Conclusions and Relevance The Neo-Bioscore improves our previously validated staging system and allows its application in ERBB2 -positive patients. We recommend that treatment response and biologic markers be incorporated into the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system.
Solid-state NMR and DFT predictions of differences in COOH hydrogen bonding in odd and even numbered n-alkyl fatty acids

For nearly 140 years n-alkyl monocarboxylic acids have been known to exhibit unusual non-monotonic melting between odd and even numbered acids. This behavior has been rationalized in terms of packing density at the hydrocarbon tails, with COOH hydrogen bonding considered to be invariant among different acids. A recent ambiguity involving the COOH conformation between two crystal structures of lauric acid suggests that COOH structure and hydrogen bonding may play a role in these differences. Here, the two conflicting lauric acid crystal structures are further refined using lattice-including DFT refinement methods. Solid-state NMR (SSNMR) 13C chemical shift tensor data are employed to monitor refinement quality by comparing experimental and computed tensors. This comparison provides a more sensitive measure of structure than X-ray data due to SSNMR's ability to accurately locate hydrogens. Neither diffraction structure agrees with SSNMR data and an alternative is proposed involving a hydrogen disordered COOH moiety. The disordered hydrogen dynamically samples two most probable positions on the NMR timescale with O–H bond lengths of 1.16 and 1.46 A. This disordered structure is consistent with SSNMR, IR and X-ray C–O and CO bond lengths. The hydrogen disorder appears to be restricted to even numbered acids based on undecanoic acid's 13COOH tensor data and C–O and CO bond lengths for other n-alkyl acids. This disorder in even numbered acids results in stronger hydrogen bonds than are found in odd acids and invites a reevaluation of the melting behavior of n-alkyl acids that includes these differences in hydrogen bonding.
Red/green cyanobacteriochromes: sensors of color and power

Phytochromes are red/far-red photoreceptors using cysteine-linked linear tetrapyrrole (bilin) chromophores to regulate biological responses to light. Light absorption triggers photoisomerization of the bilin between the 15Z and 15E photostates. The related cyanobacteriochromes (CBCRs) extend the photosensory range of the phytochrome superfamily to shorter wavelengths of visible light. Several subfamilies of CBCRs have been described. Representatives of one such subfamily, including AnPixJ and NpR6012g4, exhibit red/green photocycles in which the 15Z photostate is red-absorbing like that of phytochrome but the 15E photoproduct is instead green-absorbing. Using recombinant expression of individual CBCR domains in Escherichia coli, we fully survey the red/green subfamily from the cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme. In addition to 14 new photoswitching CBCRs, one apparently photochemically inactive protein exhibiting intense red fluorescence was observed. We describe a novel orange/green photocycle in one of these CBCRs, NpF2164g7. Dark reversion varied in this panel of CBCRs; some examples were stable as the 15E photoproduct for days, while others reverted to the 15Z dark state in minutes or even seconds. In the case of NpF2164g7, dark reversion was so rapid that reverse photoconversion of the green-absorbing photoproduct was not significant in restoring the dark state, resulting in a broadband response to light. Our results demonstrate that red/green CBCRs can thus act as sensors for the color or intensity of the ambient light environment.
Recursive Satellite Attitude Estimation with the Two-Step Optimal Estimator

This paper presents a new approach to recursive satellite attitude determination from vector observations that utilizes the two-step optimal estimator. It will be shown that near optimal results are obtained with very realistic noise and sensor models. The twostep estimator was introduced in 1995 as an alternative to the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) for recursive estimation with nonlinear measurements. By breaking the measurement update process into two-steps, a linear first step using a nonlinear transformation of the desired states and a non-recursive second step minimization to recover the desired states, a near optimal estimation is possible. It has been shown that for certain systems this process recovers the global optimal solution. It will be demonstrated here that the problem of estimating the quaternion attitude representation of a satellite comes very close to this global optimum. Simulations will show dramatic improvements in performance over the traditional EKF and other attitude estimators.