cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PATHOGENESIS OF INFECTION WITH VARICELLA VACCINE

Because of its exanthem, the disease varicella has been known since antiquity. Even late in the 19th century, however, there remained considerable confusion between mild smallpox and chickenpox. The name varicella itself is an irregular diminutive form of variola. Yet, early in the 20th century, detailed histologic studies began to differentiate the exanthems. The investigation of the varicella vesicle by Tyzzer 90 years ago remains a classic example (see Fig. 2). Although the pathogenesis of varicella vaccine virus infection appears to mimic that of wt VZV infection, a vaccine virus-related exanthem is more common in immunized children with an underlying immunosuppressive condition, such as leukemia, than in normal children. Those immunized children who never develop a rash presumably have an abrogated infection in which the host immune response has eliminated the virus prior to a major viremic spread. There may be a correlation between the presence of an exanthem and the ability of an immunized child to spread the varicella vaccine virus. The differences in capsid structure and assembly may explain in part the attenuation of the vaccine strain. Because the majority of varicella vaccine virus particles in the nucleus have aberrant cores lacking an electron-dense center, they are never enveloped. Therefore, they do not become infectious virions. In a recent article, Grose et al applied the technique of three-dimensional (3-D) computer modeling in an attempt to reconstruct an aberrant VZV capsid with the hubcap or pinwheel core. Each 3-D model was then sliced by computer to obtain a series of two-dimensional models that represented the images commonly seen by traditional electron microscopy. The 3-D model that best represented the capsid with a pinwheel core contained particulate matter in each of the 12 vertices of the icosahedral capsid (Fig. 14). This model strongly suggested that VZV may form in the nucleus an intermediary or end-stage capsid with an aberrant distribution of assembly protein or viral DNA within its core. Herpes simplex viral particles with pinwheel cores are rarely seen in cell culture, so this type of aberrant capsid appears to be associated mainly with VZV replication. Thus, the strategy of Takahashi and colleagues to serially passage the varicella vaccine virus in human embryonic lung cells, guinea pig embryo cells, and Wistar Institute strain 38 (WI-38) cells may have exploited in as yet unknown ways the profound cell-associated nature of VZV to achieve an end product with attenuated pathogenic potential.
Temperature-aware floorplanning of microarchitecture blocks with IPC-power dependence modeling and transient analysis

Operating temperatures have become an important concern in high performance microprocessors. Floorplanning or block-level placement offers excellent potential for thermal optimization through better heat spreading between the blocks, but these optimizations can also impact the throughput of a microarchitecture, measured in terms of the number of instructions per cycle (IPC). In nanometer technologies, global buses can have multicycle delays that depend on the positions of the blocks, and it is important for a floorplanner to be microarchitecturally-aware to be sure that thermal and IPC considerations are appropriately balanced. This paper proposes a methodology for thermally-aware microarchitecture floorplanning. The approach models the interactions between the IPC and the temperature distribution, and incorporates both factors in the floorplanning cost function. Our approach uses transient modeling and optimizes both the peak and the average temperatures, and employs a design of experiments (DOE) based strategy, which effectively captures the huge exponential search space with a small number of cycle-accurate simulations. A comparison with a technique based on previous work indicates that the proposed approach results in good reductions both in the average and the peak temperatures for a range of SPEC benchmarks.
Louis Leakey, John Napier and the history of Proconsul

Abstract The first Proconsul fossil was found in 1927, but it was not until 1942 that Louis Leakey was able to devote much time to studying the Miocene. An enormous wealth of plant and animal fossils was found by the British Kenya Miocene Expeditions between 1947–1950. Accounts of the fauna were published by the British Museum in a new series of monographs. The first, by Sir Wilfrid LeGros Clark and Louis Leakey (1951) , was devoted to the hominoids and included an account of the famous 1948 skull. Not much effort was devoted at first to the few post-cranial remains that were thought to belong to Proconsul . This situation changed when Le Gros Clark invited John Napier to study the 1950 partial skeleton (KNM-RU 2036). Napier's monograph, with its contribution by P.R. Davis on four foot bones (Napier & Davis, 1959) was in the forefront of the paleobiological approach to primate paleontology, by beginning the study of the fossil with what was then known about modern primate locomotion and morphology. Several expeditions since then have added to the wealth of Proconsul specimens from Rusinga. Many isolated specimens show us that the size variation we see is sufficiently great that two species have to be present. It remains to be demonstrated, however, what these two species should be called. The larger is P. nyanzae , of which the 1948 skull may possibl be a female, and the smaller is almost certainly not P. africanus . More parts of the KNM-RU 2036 skeleton have been discovered, both in the old Kenya Museum collections and at the site on Rusinga. Parts of at least nine individuals were found in 1984 at Kaswanga. Practically every body part is represented, including a natural cast of some Proconsul soft tissue. Our ideas about Proconsul have changed considerably since the 1950s, but not all of this is due to the dramatic increase in the number of fossils. In large part it is due to the development of primate paleobiology, a field which John Napier helped start.
Experimental and computational study of diethyl sulfide pyrolysis and mechanism

Abstract The pyrolysis of diethyl sulfide (C2H5SC2H5), a simulant for mustard chemical warfare agents, was studied in a turbulent flow reactor with extractive gas composition analysis by GC/MS and FTIR. Experiments were performed at approximately atmospheric pressure for four different temperatures between 630 and 740 °C with maximum residence times between 0.06 and 0.08 s. Temperature and species profiles were obtained on the centerline of the reactor. The mixing characteristics in the reactor were determined by using carbon monoxide as a tracer. 80% destruction of diethyl sulfide was observed for the experiment at the temperature of 740 °C and the residence time of 0.06 s. The following species were quantified: diethyl sulfide, ethylene, methane, ethane, acetylene, carbon disulfide, and thiophene. In addition, ethanethiol, methyl thiirane CH3-(Cy-CH-CH2-S), ethyl methyl disulfide, and diethyl disulfide were identified but not quantified. A light yellow solid containing sulfur condensed in sampling probes. Thermochemical properties for all species and a detailed mechanism were developed for modeling the reaction system. Thermodynamic and kinetic parameters were based on density functional theory and ab initio calculations using isodesmic work reactions for enthalpies. Kinetic parameters for chemical activation and unimolecular dissociation reactions were determined with multi frequency quantum RRK analysis for k(E) and master equation for fall-off. Important reactions were identified by sensitivity analysis and reaction pathway analysis of the mechanism. Model predictions show overall good agreement with experiment.
Tissue-specific hypomethylation of the human c-K-ras gene

Abstract Methylation of the c-K-ras gene was examined in a wide variety of human tissues using the methylation sensitive restriction endonuclease HpaII. All tissues showed hypomethylation in the region of exon zero. Specific hypomethylation of a particular HpaII site in the second intron was observed in gastrointestinal and tracheobronchial epithelial cell DNAs. Specific hypomethylation was also observed in a cluster of HpaII sites within the first intron in sperm, endometrium and placenta DNAs. These regions were predominantly methylated in a wide variety of other tissues, including fetal gut. The possible implications are discussed.
Probing the quenching of CdSe/ZnS qdots by Au, Au/Ag, and Au/Pd nanoparticles

The resonance energy transfer between CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (qdots) and three metallic nanoparticles (NPs) with different surface plasmon resonance (SPR) characteristics were studied. Gold, gold/silver and gold/palladium NPs were used as energy acceptors for qdots with donor emission at 570 nm. Due to the different spectral overlaps between the SPR signatures and qdot emission, varied energy transfer characteristics were observed. The energy transfer was quantified via the Stern–Volmer relationship, since in this study the energy transfer was collision based. The Au/Ag and Au/Pd NPs in particular showed high KSV values, while the Au NPs showed much lower energy transfer efficiency. Since the NPs used in this study were relatively large (d ∼ 15–20 nm), the experimental system was also influenced by the NP extinction coefficients of ≈108 M−1 cm−1. To address this potential inner filter effect, the quenching profiles were normalized by SPR transmittance. The results are important to the field, as many of these classes of nanomaterials are being employed in energy transfer based studies, as well as in colorimetric sensing.
Monitoring Lipophilic Contaminants in the Aquatic Environment using the SPMD-TOX Paradigm

The SPMD-TOX paradigm was designed to monitor our nation's water resources by identifying the presence of lipophilic contaminants that are bioavailable and potentially harmful to the ecosystem. This microscale technique provides a first look at areas of concern and is an alternate to traditional, complex, and more costly whole animal testing with invertebrates and fish. Case studies illustrate the use of a semipermeable membrane device (SPMD) to collect bioavailable lipophilic samples from rivers and streams and microscale tests to assess their toxicity. Keywords: risk assessment; bioavailability; lipophilic contaminant; semipermeable membrane device; acute toxicity; genotoxicity; microscale testing
Sex-Role Attitudes:1972-1980

Sex-role attitudes as measured by the Attitudes Toward Women Scale (Spence & Helmreich, 1972) were assessed in samples of students tested in 1972, 1976, and 1980 and in samples of their parents tested in 1972 and 1976. In both student and adult samples there were large and significant shifts toward egalitarianism between 1972 and 1976. Male students showed no overall change in attitudes between 1976 and 1980, while female students showed a small but significant shift in the conservative direction. Examination of individual items revealed highest endorsement by both sexes of vocational and educational equality.
Lycopene increases urokinase receptor and fails to inhibit growth or connexin expression in a metastatically passaged prostate cancer cell line: a brief communication.

The carotenoid lycopene, found in tomatoes, has been associated with decreasing prostate cancer risk. Potential mechanisms for this risk reduction include lycopene’s status as a potent antioxidant, its inhibitory effect on cell proliferation, and its ability to increase intercellular gap junctional communication. Presently, in the United States, almost 200,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and approximately 30,000 succumb to its metastatic effects. Therefore, novel treatment strategies are needed for patients who currently have the disease, especially those in advanced, i.e., metastatic status. In this study, we sought to determine if lycopene’s inhibitory properties on premalignancy could be extended to advanced prostate cancer by assessing effects on a cell line derived through metastatic passage, the PC-3MM2. We report that in this cell line, lycopene has a potentially unwanted effect of upregulating expression of the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor and facilitating invasion while failing to significantly inhibit proliferation or to induce detectable levels of the gap junctional protein connexin 43 expression. Our results indicate that some caution should be taken with regard to use of lycopene to treat potentially advanced and metastatic prostate cancers. Exp Biol Med 228:967–971, 2003
Delay-Line-Based Analog-to-Digital Converters

We will introduce a design of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) based on digital delay lines. Instead of voltage comparators, they convert the input voltage into a digital code by delay lines and are mainly built on digital blocks. This makes it compatible with process scaling. Two structures are proposed, and tradeoffs in the design are discussed. The effects of jitter and mismatch are also studied. We will present two 4 bit, 1 GS/s prototypes in 0.13 mum and 65 nm CMOS processes, which show a small area (0.015 mm2) and small power consumption (<2.4 mW).
Comment on "Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services"

Worm et al . (Research Articles, 3 November 2006, p. 787) reported an increasing proportion of fisheries in a “collapsed” state. We show that this may be an artifact of their definition of collapse as a fixed percentage of the maximum and that an increase in the number of managed fisheries could produce similar patterns as an increase in fisheries with catches below 10% of the maximum.
Adaptive control using combined online and background learning neural network

A new adaptive neural network (NN) control concept is proposed with proof of stability properties. The NN learns the plant dynamics with online training, and then combines this with background learning from previously recorded data, which can be advantageous to the NN adaptation convergence characteristics. The network adaptation characteristics of the new combined online and background learning adaptive NN is demonstrated through simulations.
Singers' and non‐singers' vocal health, vocal behaviours, and attitudes towards voice and singing: indirect findings from a questionnaire

A vocal health questionnaire was administered in three locations in the USA to female university singers and non-singers. The responses of 70 singers and 89 non-singers were analysed. The questionnaire solicited background information as well as information about vocal health and symptoms, vocally abusive speech habits, attitudes toward singing and vocal health, feelings about the voice, and general affective/dysphoric tendencies. There were marked, sometimes diametric, differences between singers' and non-singers' responses, attesting to the unique attitude and heightened sensitivity and concern of singers regarding voice, singing and vocal health.
Improved Survival and Short-term Outcome of Inborn "Micropremies"

Survival and significant chronic morbidity were determined by retrospective chart review for 107 inborn "micropremies." "Micropremies" are defined as appropriate-for-gestational age neonates of <1,001 grams and ≤28 weeks gestation. The overall survival rate for "micropremies" was 64 percent, ranging from 20 percent at 24 weeks to 83 percent at 27 weeks gestation. Race and sex are important determinants of survival in these infants. The incidence of severe, chronic morbidity in "micropremies" is relatively low. The acceptable outcome for "micropremies" supports aggressive perinatal management for fetuses as low as 24 to 25 weeks gestation. However, it is important for physicians to use current statistics from their own institutions when counseling parents and making management decisions.
The Social Sciences and the Second Testament: Problems and Challenges

Social-science study of the Bible is one of the most popular new methods of interpretation. Its rapid development poses certain problems regarding the proper and valid use of social-science models on material quite different from that for which the models were originally intended, representing silent majorities, and making the results available in a helpful format to researchers using other methods and to general inquirers.
Alternative careers in the geosciences

The Earth sciences continue to produce substantial numbers of Ph.D.s. However, many subdisciplines of solid-Earth geophysics are experiencing a lack of growth, or an actual contraction, in the number of permanent positions available in traditional academia, government, and industry settings. The alternative of indefinite-term soft money positions is growing increasingly scarce as research funds continue to get tighter. Furthermore, even those in permanent research positions are finding it harder and harder to obtain funding for their projects. The relative scarcity of traditional permanent employment and the continuing changes in the research funding environment cause an increasing number of Ph.D.-trained geoscientists to explore the possibility of employment outside the traditional geophysical research areas. Unfortunately, information about “nontraditional” career paths is hard to come by. For the most part, Ph.D. programs are designed to prepare students for the research job market only. Those who have chosen other options usually no longer attend scientific meetings and thus are not able to communicate their experience to others contemplating a similar departure.
Pseudo-direct bandgap transitions in silicon nanocrystals: effects on optoelectronics and thermoelectrics

While silicon nanostructures are extensively used in electronics, the indirect bandgap of silicon poses challenges for optoelectronic applications like photovoltaics and light emitting diodes (LEDs). Here, we show that size-dependent pseudo-direct bandgap transitions in silicon nanocrystals dominate the interactions between (photoexcited) charge carriers and phonons, and hence the optoelectronic properties of silicon nanocrystals. Direct measurements of the electronic density of states (DOS) for different sized silicon nanocrystals reveal that these pseudo-direct transitions, likely arising from the nanocrystal surface, can couple with the quantum-confined silicon states. Moreover, we demonstrate that since these transitions determine the interactions of charge carriers with phonons, they change the light emission, absorption, charge carrier diffusion and phonon drag (Seebeck coefficient) in nanoscaled silicon semiconductors. Therefore, these results can have important implications for the design of optoelectronics and thermoelectric devices based on nanostructured silicon.
Explaining Criminalization: From Demography and Status Politics to Globalization and Modernization

Organizing scholarship both chronologically and thematically, this article provides a review and critical evaluation of the literature that examines factors influencing criminalization. The first part of the paper examines three streams of inquiry and theorizing: (a) classic work that has shaped decades of scholarship on criminalization by focusing on the relationship between demographic changes, material and symbolic politics, and the emergence of criminal law; (b) contemporary work that unpacks the nature of the relationship between organizational, social movement, and state-related factors that structure and mediate the outcome of definitional and political processes involved in efforts to criminalize elements of social life; and (c) more recent work that envisions criminalization as a social process intimately connected to, and indeed arguably derivative of, larger processes of institutionalization, globalization, and modernization. The discussion and conclusion section summarizes the consequences of ...
Organic mulch biowall for PAH contaminated groundwater remediation

Abstract Organic mulch was used as an alternative supporting material in permeable, biological, barrier walls to prevent migration of PAHs. Three types of organic mulch, cypress bark (C), hardwood bark (H) and pine bark nuggets (P) were selected as potential media to capture pollutants or to support PAH-degrading microorganisms. Among the media, the hardwood mulch was selected for biowall testing. To simulate the fate and transport of PAHs in the subsurface biowall under aerobic conditions, two lab scale mulch-biofilm column reactors were operated. Naphthalene was chosen as the model PAH in these studies and was supplied at a loading rate of 50.9 g m −2 day −1 . During the initial operation period of up to 372 pore volumes, the PAH removal efficiency remained stable at over 99%, due to sorption and biodegradation. After that, the mulch-biowall system showed variable removal efficiencies, in the range of 77–99.99%.
Torsion of Bars and Bending of Beams

Governing equations including derivations for structural members under torsion and bending are presented. The emphasis is placed on thin-walled structures. The formulation for torsion problems is based on the Saint-Venant torsion displacement assumption and solutions are obtained using the Prandtl stress function. Bi-directional bending of beams is considered. Methods for calculating shear flows produced by combined bending and torsion loads are presented. The concept of shear center is discussed. Keywords: torsion; bar; shear flow; angle of twist; torsion constant; bending; beams; moment; neutral plane; shear center
In vivo treatment with cycloheximide or actinomycin D inhibits early embryonic development in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Early embryonic development is dependent on proteins translated from messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) molecules of maternal origin and the embryonic genome. The present study examined the importance of maternal mRNA during early embryogenesis in the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), and developmentally, when the embryonic genome becomes transcriptionally active. To address the significance of maternal mRNA, eggs were exposed to the translational inhibitor cycloheximide (CHX) for 12 h post-fertilization. Concentrations of CHX beginning at 1 μM significantly delayed the initial stages of cleavage. Exposed embryos had only reached the 4-cell stage, while a significant proportion of the eggs treated with 0.1 μM CHX or no CHX (i.e., control) had attained the 8-cell stage. Treatment of fertilized eggs with the transcriptional inhibitor actinomycin D (AMD) was utilized to demonstrate when synthesis of embryonic mRNA begins. Rainbow trout eggs exposed to 16 μM AMD were unaffected after 12 h, but by 9 days post-fertilization had not developed the embryonic keel characteristic of the controls. To determine when transcriptional inhibition could first be demonstrated AMD exposed embryos were dissected free of the egg, between days 2 and 6 of incubation, and individual blastomeres prepared for diameter measurements. After 3 days of exposure to 16 μM AMD embryonic blastomeres were significantly larger than the control group (P<0.05), which normally decrease significantly in size due to repeated cellular division. This showed that AMD interfered with nuclear transcription preventing the progression of cellular events necessary for normal cleavage, and indicates that transcriptional activation of the embryonic genome in rainbow trout occurs about 3 days post-fertilization.
Sentential semantics for propositional attitudes

The sentential theory of propositional attitudes is very attractive to AI workers, but it is difficult to use such a theory to assign semantics to English sentences about attitudes. The problem is that a compositional semantics cannot easily build the logical forms that the theory requires. We present a new notation for a sentential theory, and a unification grammar that builds logical forms in our notation. The grammar is implemented using the standard implementation of definite clause grammars in Prolog.
SNIF: social networking in fur

We present SNIF: Social Networking in Fur, a system that allows pet owners to interact through their pets' social networks. SNIF comprises inexpensive hardware that can be unobtrusively and transparently affixed to pet collars and paraphernalia in order to augment pet-to-pet, pet-to-owner, and owner-to-owner interactions. SNIF devices aggregate pertinent environmental, social, and individual information that can be broadcast or addressed to other participating community members.
Optimal relayed power allocation in interference-free nonregenerative cooperative systems

Consider a fixed wireless TDMA system with nonregenerative relaying capabilities. Since TDMA users are active only during their allocated time slot, we can utilize all the idled users as relays provided that they transmit on different frequency bands. For this TDMA-type cooperative system we show that maximizing mutual information for each user under total power constraint is a strictly quasiconcave maximization problem whose global optimal solution can be found efficiently- In fact, we provide a simple analytic formula for the optimum power allocation strategy, which is reminiscent of the water-filling principle. We also illustrate how the fixed TDMA setup can be extended in order to allow for user mobility.
Correlation of vancomycin and daptomycin susceptibility in Staphylococcus aureus in reference to accessory gene regulator (agr) polymorphism and function

Objectives: Recently, an association between the accessory gene regulator (agr )i nStaphylococcus aureus and the development of vancomycin resistance secondary to suboptimal exposure has been demonstrated. We investigated the relationship of vancomycin with and without gentamicin or rifampicin, and daptomycin in the development of resistance in agr groups I and II. Methods: S. aureus belonging to agr groups I and II was exposed to varying concentrations of vancomycin and daptomycin simulating an fAUC/MIC of 14–460 and 30–239, respectively, in an in vitro pharmacodynamic model. Results: Vancomycin regimens resulting in fAUC/MIC of 16.1–107.0 resulted in resistance in agr I and agr II knockout strains, whereas regimens resulting in fAUC/MIC of 16.1 resulted in emergence of resistance in agr I- and agr II-positive strains. Overall, agr-null strains demonstrated a higher likelihood of resistance and a greater change in vancomycin susceptibility. The addition of gentamicin and rifampicin to vancomycin at these same exposures prevented the emergence of resistance. At extremely low daptomycin exposures of fAUC/MIC of 22–66, an increase in MIC of 2–3-fold up to a maximum of 0.75 mg/L was observed. However, this was independent of agr group and/or function and still within the susceptible range of daptomycin. Conclusions: The combination of vancomycin with either rifampicin or gentamicin prevented the emergence of vancomycin resistance in agr I and II S. aureus isolates. Changes in daptomycin susceptibility were independent of agr group and function. The association between agr and vancomycin resistance in S. aureus requires further investigation.
Grassroots Groups Confront the Corporation: Contemporary Strategies in Historical Perspective

The last two decades have witnessed dramatic changes, both quantitatively and qualitatively, in the grassroots initiatives taken by Americans in response to the offensive behaviors of corporations. Not only have there been marked increases in consumer boycotts, the most common organized grassroots action against corporations, but boycott targets have become more diverse and boycott strategies have largely shifted from a marketplace orientation to a media orientation. This article reviews these contemporary developments from a historical perspective with special attention to the boycott tactics employed, including their psychological foundations and ethical implications.
Audio driven facial animation for audio-visual reality

In this paper, we demonstrate a morphing based automated audio driven facial animation system. Based on an incoming audio stream, a face image is animated with full lip synchronization and expression. An animation sequence using optical flow between visemes is constructed, given an incoming audio stream and still pictures of a face speaking different visemes. Rules are formulated based on coarticulation and the duration of a viseme to control the continuity in terms of shape and extent of lip opening. In addition to this new viseme-expression combinations are synthesized to be able to generate animations with new facial expressions. Finally various applications of this system are discussed in the context of creating audio-visual reality.
Practical techniques for searches on encrypted data

It is desirable to store data on data storage servers such as mail servers and file servers in encrypted form to reduce security and privacy risks. But this usually implies that one has to sacrifice functionality for security. For example, if a client wishes to retrieve only documents containing certain words, it was not previously known how to let the data storage server perform the search and answer the query, without loss of data confidentiality. We describe our cryptographic schemes for the problem of searching on encrypted data and provide proofs of security for the resulting crypto systems. Our techniques have a number of crucial advantages. They are provably secure: they provide provable secrecy for encryption, in the sense that the untrusted server cannot learn anything about the plaintext when only given the ciphertext; they provide query isolation for searches, meaning that the untrusted server cannot learn anything more about the plaintext than the search result; they provide controlled searching, so that the untrusted server cannot search for an arbitrary word without the user's authorization; they also support hidden queries, so that the user may ask the untrusted server to search for a secret word without revealing the word to the server. The algorithms presented are simple, fast (for a document of length n, the encryption and search algorithms only need O(n) stream cipher and block cipher operations), and introduce almost no space and communication overhead, and hence are practical to use today.
Delay-bounded MAC with minimal idle listening for sensor networks

This paper presents a new receiver-initiated sensor network MAC protocol, called CyMAC, which has the following unique features. It reduces the idle listening time of sensor nodes via establishing rendezvous times between neighbors, provides the desired relative delay bound guarantee for data delivery services via planning the rendezvous schedules carefully, and adjusts the sensor nodes' duty cycles dynamically to the varying traffic condition. More importantly, CyMAC achieves the above goals without requiring time synchrony between sensor nodes. We have implemented and evaluated CyMAC in both TinyOS and the ns-2 simulator. Experimental and simulation results show that, comparing with RI-MAC - a state-of-the-art sensor network MAC protocol, CyMAC can always guarantee the desired delay bound for data delivery services and yields a lower duty cycle under reasonable delay requirements.
Development of transportable wheelchair design criteria using computer crash simulation

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has led to an increase in disabled travelers, many of whom are unable to transfer to a vehicle seat and are required to use their wheelchair to fulfill this function. ANSI/RESNA is currently developing a transportable wheelchair standard which will identify design requirements and testing methods for wheelchairs suitable for transport. Wheelchair manufacturers should begin to modify their existing design criteria established for a normal mobility function to design criteria appropriate for a transportation function which may subject the wheelchair to large dynamic crash forces. A thorough understanding of the crash environment and its effect on the wheelchair is necessary to insure the safety of the wheelchair user. To assist manufacturers in the design effort, this study uses mathematical crash simulations to evaluate loads imposed upon a wheelchair when subjected to a 48 kph/20 g frontal crash. Using a four-point belt tiedown system to secure the wheelchair, securement point, seat, lap belt anchor, and wheel loads are evaluated under three different securement configurations. Results show that positioning of rear securement points near the wheelchair center of gravity can serve as an effective strategy for managing crash response and loadings on the wheelchair. Force ranges for each of the evaluated parameters, derived for a 50th percentile male using a simulated power wheelchair, are provided for use as a preliminary guide when designing transportable wheelchairs.
Age and Growth of Spawning Longnose Gar (Lepisosteus osseus) in A North Central Texas Reservoir

ABSTRACT. The longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus) is a primitive predaceous fish common throughout much of the east central United States, but research on its age and growth in lacustrine systems is rare. To characterize gar age and growth, I used bowfishing to collect spawning longnose gar in spring 2010 from littoral zones at Lake Arrowhead, Clay County, Texas. Females were older than males but significantly exceeded males in total length and mass when age was controlled. Von Bertalanffy growth curves suggested that males had faster growth rates, smaller maximum lengths, and shorter life spans than did females. However, females were always longer than males at any given age. Bowfishing capture beyond distances of 9 m was biased toward larger fish, but the method was viable for collecting spawning longnose gar at close range. This study will assist fisheries managers and aquaculturists by providing growth—age relationships for longnose gar in a southern lacustrine system.
Expression of FoxA and GATA transcription factors correlates with regionalized gut development in two lophotrochozoan marine worms: Chaetopterus (Annelida) and Themiste lageniformis (Sipuncula)

A through gut is present in almost all metazoans, and most likely represents an ancient innovation that enabled bilaterian animals to exploit a wide range of habitats. Molecular developmental studies indicate that Fox and GATA regulatory genes specify tissue regions along the gut tube in a broad diversity of taxa, although little is known about gut regionalization within the Lophotrochozoa. In this study, we isolated FoxA and GATA456 orthologs and used whole mount in situ hybridization during larval gut formation in two marine worms: the segmented, polychaete annelid Chaetopterus, which develops a planktotrophic larva with a tripartite gut, and the non-segmented sipunculan Themiste lageniformis, which develops a lecithotrophic larva with a U-shaped gut. FoxA and GATA456 transcripts are predominantly restricted to gut tissue, and together show regional expression spanning most of the alimentary canal in each of these lophotrochozoans, although neither FoxA nor GATA456 is expressed in the posterior intestine of Chaetopterus. In both species, FoxA is expressed at the blastula stage, transiently in presumptive endoderm before formation of a definitive gut tube, and throughout early larval development in discrete foregut and hindgut domains. GATA456 genes are expressed during endoderm formation, and in endoderm and mesoderm associated with the midgut in each species. Several species-specific differences were detected, including an overlap of FoxA and GATA456 expression in the intestinal system of Themiste, which is instead complimentary in Chaetopterus. Other differences include additional discrete expression domains of FoxA in ectodermal trunk cells in Themiste but not Chaetopterus, and expression of GATA456 in anterior ectoderm and midgut cells unique to Chaetopterus. This study of gene expression in a sipunculan contributes new comparative developmental insights from lophotrochozoans, and shows that FoxA and GATA456 transcription factors are part of an ancient patterning mechanism that was deployed during early evolution of the metazoan through gut. The common utilization of FoxA and GATA456 throughout gut formation by species with contrasting life history modes indicates that both genes are core components of a gut-specific gene regulatory network in spiralians. Despite a highly conserved pattern of early development, and probably similar ontogenic origins of gut tissue, there are molecular differences in gut regionalization between lophotrochozoan species.
Substrate Binding and Reaction Intermediates of Glutamine Synthetase (Escherichia coli W) as Studied by Isotope Exchanges

Abstract Substrate concentration effects on isotopic exchange rates at equilibrium have been measured with Escherichia coli glutamate synthetase (adenylated form) with 32P, 14C, 18O, and 15N. A new test for possible compulsory substrate-binding orders is presented, involving measurement of equilibrium exchange rates while increasing concentration of all substrates. This test shows random substrate-binding patterns for the enzyme. Inhibition of some equilibrium exchange rates while various pairs of substrates were increased in concentration appears to result from competitive rather than compulsory binding order effects. The relative rates of equilibrium exchanges were (glutamate ⇄ glutamine) g (NH3 ⇄ glutamine) g (Pi ⇄ ATP) = (ADP ⇄ ATP). The inequalities show that interconversion of bound substrates is not the only rate-limiting step, and allow deductions about relative association-dissociation rates of various substrates. Glutamine synthetase from E. coli does not catalyze any detectable ADP ⇄ ATP, Pi ⇄ ATP, glutamate ⇄ glutamine, or NH3 ⇄ glutamine exchanges unless all substrates are present. The absence of ADP ⇄ ATP exchange in presence of glutamate or of NH3 ⇄ glutamine exchange in presence of Pi, together with lack of compulsory substrate-binding orders, does not give support to formation of γ-glutamyl phosphate as an enzyme-bound intermediate. No phosphoryl enzyme, glutamyl enzyme, or amido enzyme could be detected by isotopic labeling and isolation procedures. The results suggest further consideration of a concerted reaction mechanism requiring all substrates present in the active site.
The MITRE Identification Scrubber Toolkit: Design, training, and assessment

Abstract Purpose Medical records must often be stripped of patient identifiers, or de-identified, before being shared. De-identification by humans is time-consuming, and existing software is limited in its generality. The open source MITRE Identification Scrubber Toolkit (MIST) provides an environment to support rapid tailoring of automated de-identification to different document types, using automatically learned classifiers to de-identify and protect sensitive information. Methods MIST was evaluated with four classes of patient records from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center: discharge summaries, laboratory reports, letters, and order summaries. We trained and tested MIST on each class of record separately, as well as on pooled sets of records. We measured precision, recall, F -measure and accuracy at the word level for the detection of patient identifiers as designated by the HIPAA Safe Harbor Rule. Results MIST was applied to medical records that differed in the amounts and types of protected health information (PHI): lab reports contained only two types of PHI (dates, names) compared to discharge summaries, which were much richer. Performance of the de-identification tool depended on record class; F -measure results were 0.996 for order summaries, 0.996 for discharge summaries, 0.943 for letters and 0.934 for laboratory reports. Experiments suggest the tool requires several hundred training exemplars to reach an F -measure of at least 0.9. Conclusions The MIST toolkit makes possible the rapid tailoring of automated de-identification to particular document types and supports the transition of the de-identification software to medical end users, avoiding the need for developers to have access to original medical records. We are making the MIST toolkit available under an open source license to encourage its application to diverse data sets at multiple institutions.
Power parity and peace? The role of relative power in civil war settlement

Theories of civil war highlight how relative power affects conflict onset, dynamics, strategy, outcome, and duration. Yet most studies of civil war have not been able to capture rebel power adequat...
Maternal Intuition of Fetal Gender.

Purpose Fetal gender speculation is a preoccupation of many expecting parents, and pregnant women commonly profess to intuitively know the gender of their unborn babies. This study objectively compared pregnant mothers' perceptions of fetal gender to sonographically proven gender determinations. Also, success rates from previously published studies, noninvasive prenatal testing and a myriad of gender determination methods were observed and reported for context. Methods All pregnant women presenting for second-trimester screening ultrasound (at 17-23 weeks gestation) in the obstetrics department of a single health center were asked to participate. A medical sonographer described the ultrasound examination, obtained appropriate consent and medical history. Each mother was asked if she had any perception as to the fetal gender and her answer documented. Mothers who had foreknowledge of fetal gender were excluded. Frequencies of actual gender were compared with observed frequencies of the maternal prediction using chi-squared test. Results Approximately 40% (n=411) of our study population (N=1,026) indicated having an intuition or perception of fetal gender. These women correctly predicted the gender of their babies 51% of the time (P=0.6571). Women who expressed a "strong" degree of intuition (n=53) fared better, accurately predicting fetal gender at a rate of 62%, though the difference in this smaller subcohort also failed to demonstrate statistical significance (P=0.0741). Conclusions Intuition of fetal gender is professed by almost half of mothers though, when present, is no better at accurately predicting fetal gender than flipping a coin.
Water Quality, Household Perceptions and Averting Behavior: Evidence from Nicaragua

We investigate household perceptions of water quality and associated averting behaviors using household survey data from Leon, Nicaragua. Seemingly unrelated instrumental variable probit models are estimated to take the potential endogeneity of water quality perceptions and the relationship between different averting behaviors into account. Survey results indicate that a large majority of households use tap water for drinking purposes. Less than 26% of sampled households implement in-home water treatments and about 33% of households consume bottled water. Results indicate that observed averting behaviors (i.e., consumption of bottled water and in-home water treatments), or lack thereof, are primarily driven by the perceived quality of tap water. Findings also indicate that perceptions of water quality are associated with service performance and assessment of water quality relative to peers. Policy implications are discussed.
Abstract 4180: The L360R point mutation in the DNA repair gene XRCC1 suppresses tumor progression

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Variations in the DNA repair gene X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) have been increasingly reported in cancer epidemiology investigations, but have yielded conflicting results and are lacking biological data. XRCC1 is an essential scaffolding protein that interacts with many proteins associated with base excision repair and single-strand break repair. Several polymorphisms and point mutations have been shown to be in the BRCT1 binding domain, where critical binding with the DNA damage sensor gene Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) occurs. The point mutation L360R interferes with PARP binding in cell culture systems. In order to further investigate the biological effects of L360R, we constructed a gene-targeted mouse line and showed the homozygous genotype to be embryonic lethal. We therefore used the heterozygous genotype to determine tumor susceptibility and showed that subcutaneously implanted B16 melanoma tumors developed more slowly in L360R mutant mice compared to wild type littermates (tumor volume 116±11 mm3 vs 263±21 mm3, respectively, p≤0.05) suggesting host mediated affects. We conducted a second experiment using azoxymethane (10mg/kg once a week for 6 weeks) to induce colon tumors and showed that after six months the tumor burden was 14.2±3 mm3 in mutants compared to 22.5±5 mm3 in wild type littermates (p≤ 0.05). These findings suggest that the XRCC1 L360R point mutation acts as a tumor suppressor, possibly through host mediated events. The molecular mechanism for the suppression is not yet known, but the XRCC1 L360R mouse line is a promising animal model to further investigate and determine the clinical relevance of this novel observation. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4180.
The Summary of Flue Gas Denitration by Dry Process

The pollution of nitric oxide and the method of denitration were introduced.The denitration by dry process were investigated from the view of governing technology.Including catalytic reduction,absorption and plasma.The characteristics,fundamental and development of the ways were summarized.
The role of splanchnic glucose appearance in determining carbohydrate tolerance

Postprandial hyperglycaemia in patients with Type 1 and Type 2 is now well-established. Studies of glucose turnover in these patients have shown that this results from a combination of excessive endogenous glucose production and a lack of appropriate stimulation of glucose uptake. In the case of patients with Type 2 diabetes, this may in part be due to a delay in the increase of plasma insulin concentrations. It may be concluded then that agents which delay the absorption of glucose in the postprandial period may help to improve glycaemic control in patients with diabetes by improving the match between meal-derived glucose appearance and the period of insulin availability.
Early Operative Versus Delayed or Nonoperative Treatment of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Pediatric Patients

Reference: Ramski DE, Kanj WW, Franklin CC, Baldwin KD, Ganley TJ. Anterior cruciate ligament tears in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis of nonoperative versus operative treatment. Am J Spo...
Entering into Otherness: The Postmodern Critique of the Subject and Karl Rahner's Theological Anthropology

The critique of the subject and subjectivity in postmodern theory serves also as as critique of the modern turn to the subject in theology. After reviewing that critique in contemporary literary and rhetorical theory, this article examines the concept of the subject in Karl Rahner's theological anthropology. This article argues that both postmodern theory and Rahner's anthropology suggest alternatives to the autonomous subject, and that Rahner's view can provide a description of an authentic, semi-permeable, and historically mediated subject.
The Advancing Death Penalty and the Re-imagining of Magical Crimes

The practice of criminal justice as it developed over the fifteenth century on the long threshold between the medieval and the early modern was increasingly severe. Legal and social historians have recognized that both levels of prosecution and degrees of punishment were generally on the rise during the period. A close examination of this increasing judicial severity for Basel, Lucerne, and Nuremberg reveals for each cityjudicial severity for Basel, Lucerne, and Nuremberg reveals for each city a unique periodic pattern within the overall escalation of prosecution and punishment. These periodic waves of persecution were common in late medieval cities and seem to be the means by which city governments sought to master criminal behavior.1 By analyzing the details of this pattern of criminal justice decade by decade we can identify the relationship between ordinary criminal prosecution and the origins and development of witchcraft prosecution. As the death penalty advanced in the late medieval urban communes, the re-imagining of magical crimes proceeded apace.