cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What are parents willing to accept? A prospective study of risk tolerance in AIS surgery.

Surgical treatment of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) involves healthy individuals with spinal deformity. Parents are responsible for surgical consent on behalf of their children, a burden which causes trepidation and concern. Therefore, explanation of operative risk is a critical component of informed consent and parent decision-making. We set out to quantify parental risk aversion (RA). RA questionnaires were administered preoperatively to parents of 58 AIS patients undergoing spinal fusion (SF). RA is the likelihood of a parent to consent to their child’s SF (1- least likely, 10- most) with increasing allotments of data about potential complications at each stage (S1-complication named, S2-explained, S3-incidence given, S4-all information). A statistically significant mean difference in answers for each stage was assessed using paired sample t test or Wilcoxon rank t test. Normality was assessed by performing Shapiro–Wilk test. AIS patients (age 14.2 years, 85% female, major curve 61°) were included. Mean scores for each of the stages were 4.4 ± 3.1, 4.9 ± 3.1, 6.5 ± 3.0, 6.6 ± 3.0, respectively. Highest and lowest RA were reported for death and infection, respectively. The greatest increase in likelihood to proceed with surgery was seen after education on malposition of implants and on death, 2.6 and 2.5, respectively (p < 0.001). The lowest increase in likelihood to proceed with surgery was seen after education on infection, 1.5 (p < 0.001). For all complications, there was an increase in parent willingness to proceed after providing descriptions and occurrence rate with a mean increase from S1 to S4 of 2.1 (95% CI 1.4–2.4), p < 0.001. As more detailed information was made available regarding potential complications with SF for AIS, parental RA toward surgery decreased and their willingness to proceed with surgery for their child improved.
Crossing low/moderate-level donor-specific antibodies during heart transplantation.

Donor-specific antibodies (DSAs) in patients prior to heart transplantation are associated with increased risk of rejection and can lead to longer waitlist times, but it is not known whether patients with low/moderate-level DSA at transplant have acceptable post-transplant outcomes. We performed a single-center, retrospective review to examine outcomes associated with crossing pre-existing low/moderate-level DSA. We assessed 864 patients awaiting heart transplantation between 2010 and 2018, identified 67 patients with low/moderate-level DSA and compared them to patients who were sensitized without DSA at the time of heart transplantation, as well as a control group of non-sensitized patients. Outcomes included 3-year survival, freedom from cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), freedom from non-fatal major adverse cardiac events (NF-MACE), and 1-year freedom from rejection. In the first-year post-transplant, there was decreased freedom from antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) in the patients with pre-existing DSA compared with patients sensitized without DSA and non-sensitized patients. However, the DSA group experienced similar 3-year post-transplant survival, freedom from CAV, and freedom from NF-MACE compared with the other study groups. Our findings suggest that crossing low/moderate-level DSA does not lead to worse outcomes in heart transplantation and may offer a viable way to increase a sensitized patient's chance to obtain a suitable donor.
Sorting biologic subtypes of primary CNS lymphoma.

In this issue of Blood, Gandhi et al studied 91 cases of primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) of the central nervous system (CNS) (PCNSL) and compared the biologic features of tumors associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) to tumors that are EBV− using digital gene expression signatures and customized hybrid-capture targeted sequencing panels.
Decellularized liver extracellular matrix for iPSC-based liver engineering

Abstract Liver diseases cause millions of deaths worldwide annually and the only available treatment is liver transplantation. However, transplantable donor liver scarcity leads to thousands of patients dying waiting for a new liver. An alternative bioengineering approach to understand and treat liver diseases is through the use of native liver extracellular matrix which can be isolated by partial or whole liver decellularization of otherwise discarded donor livers. This technique has been used for development of small-scale in vitro models to clinically relevant whole organ scale liver scaffolds aimed for repairing or replacing damaged livers. Toward achieving this goal, a common choice of cells has been primary hepatocytes or hepatic cell lines; however, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide the unique advantage of constructing patient-specific scaffolds. Currently the bioengineering field is addressing the roadblocks for achieving optimal liver scaffolds with maximum cellular material removal, minimal matrix loss, and the incorporation of different hepatic cell types to one scaffold. Although future improvements are required in ensuring proper vascularization of the large-scale scaffolds as well as advances in induction of iPSC-derived hepatic cells presenting a mature phenotype, the combination of decellularized liver matrices and iPSC-derived hepatic cells holds great promise in engineering transplantable liver tissues and organs.
Hybrid surgery: a comparison of early postoperative outcomes between anterior cervical discectomy and fusion and cervical disc arthroplasty.

OBJECTIVE Hybrid surgery (HS) is the combination of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) and cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) at different levels in the same operation. The aim of this study was to investigate perioperative variables, 30-day postoperative outcomes, and complications of HS in comparison with those of CDA and ACDF. METHODS The authors queried the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) registry for patients who underwent multilevel primary HS, CDA, and ACDF for degenerative disc disease from 2015 to 2019. The authors compared these three operations in terms of 30-day postoperative outcomes, specifically readmission and reoperation rates, discharge destination, and complications. RESULTS This analysis included 439 patients who underwent HS, 976 patients who underwent CDA, and 27,460 patients who underwent ACDF. Patients in the HS and CDA groups were younger, had fewer comorbidities, and myelopathy was less often the indication for surgery compared with patients who underwent ACDF. For the HS group, the unplanned readmission rate was 0.7%, index surgery-related reoperation rate was 0.3%, and nonroutine discharge rate was 2.1%. Major and minor complications were also rare, with rates of 0.2% for each. The mean length of stay in the HS group was 1.5 days. The association of HS with better outcomes in univariate analysis was not evident after adjustment for confounding factors. CONCLUSIONS The authors found that HS was noninferior to ACDF and CDA in terms of early postoperative outcomes among patients treated for degenerative disc disease.
Red lines: Enforcement, declaration, and ambiguity in the Cuban Missile Crisis

Using declassified materials to examine the eleven red lines of the Cuban Missile Crisis, this study qualifies and amends two popular beliefs about them: failing to punish violations damages credib...
A Test of the Descriptive Value of Family Life Cycle

The limited degree of mutual association found between family life cycle and other segmentation bases has been frustrating to marketing analysts. Numerous segmentation studies have been conducted, especially during the I9601s, which attempted to profile consumers in different stages of the family life cycle. Family life cycle was intuitively appealing because at each stage of the life cycle family members are expected to have different needs, social economic status levels, and buying roles, which, in turn, should affect their buying behaviors (Frank, Massy, and Wind 1972). however, family life cycle has not consistently predicted buying behaviors, nor at times, even its base component, age. For example, published research findings of the predictive relationships of store patronage with family life cycle and age are examined in Table 1. In general, the studies showed strong patronage relationships with age, but not with family life cycle.
The Continued Dependence Upon Kinship Ties Among National-Level Female Candidates 1978-2006

The entrance of women into national office competition was initially dominated by widow-effects, where women were either appointed or electorally succeeded their deceased spouse in office. While widow succession has decreased over time, other kinship relationships have proved important to candidacy but are overlooked in political science literature. Kinship association continues to boost women into national electoral politics. As of January 2008, 94 women served in Congress and gubernatorial office. Twenty-three (24.5%) of the office holders had an immediate family relation who ran for state or national level office. The importance of kinship is particularly salient in the Senate where prior to the 2008 elections 56% of women Senators had political family ties. Through data analysis of elections this paper examines the connection between kinship and women in select national Senate, House, and gubernatorial races from 1978 through 2006. I argue that kinship remains an important factor for women running for and serving in national office because women who historically have possessed less opportunity to run for office benefit from the unique aspects of familial political capital. Such capital provides advantages not possessed by non-familial members. I also contend that women with political relations are more likely to be recruited to run than non-members because of the benefits familial capital brings to a ticket. Family ties therefore serve as an alternative for progressive ambition by enabling women to overcome gendered barriers, specifically those associated with temporal factors and building political capital, to achieve national political office more readily than what might be accessible without such relationships.
A software method for color compensation.

When two or more fluorochromes are measured simultaneously, every detector sees some fluorescence from every fluorochrome. Spectral compensation is the process of removing the undesired overlap of signal. Although very successful for two and three fluorochromes, the general practice of adjusting instrument compensation becomes increasingly inadequate and unforgiving as the number of fluorochromes increases. When data are collected uncompensated, software compensation provides the flexibility of setting correct compensation every time for every sample. Software methods do have problems. The linearization assumptions made by the software algorithms may be more or less in error. Binning effects become more of a problem with increasing numbers of compensated parameters. This explanatory unit also contains protocols that illustrate the process of software compensation utilizing matrix algebra that provides for elements of all possible PMT detection combinations. Although details are limited to four colors, the principles described can be applied to any desired number. When two or more fluorochromes are measured simultaneously, every detector sees some fluorescence from every fluorochrome. Keywords: flow cytometry; spectral compensation; software compensation; tandem dyes
Judgmental aspects of forecasting

Abstract Judgment permeates any forecasting process. It is also subject to systematic study. Considering judgment as an understandable phenomenon allows access to the research literature examining judgments in other contexts and to the research methodologies needed to study the judgments needed for specific forecasting tasks. Such research can clarify how much forecasts are to be trusted and how forecasts might be improved (by evaluating and improving their judgmental component). Indeed, just identifying where judgment enters a forecast can make it more useful. The approach outlined here offers a complement both to seeing ‘judgmental forecasting’ as an irreducible whole and to focusing primarily on a few judgmental subtasks (e.g., assessing confidence intervals). It argues that such focused empirical study can be profitably performed on other subtasks, creating a more comprehensive picture of judgment.
Artificial Marsh Treatment Of Non-Process Water For Reuse In Site Steam Boilers

An artificial marsh has been constructed to treat surface water at a Magnolia, Arkansas production facility. The artificial marsh water treatment system utilizes aquatic plants and bacteria to treat up to 1 million gallons (4,000 m 3 ) per day of noncontact water and storm water runoff from within the main plant and adjacent areas. To protect the ecological balance of the marsh, the cooling tower biocide was switched from an organic biocide to a program that uses sodium bromide (NaBr). Sample analyses have demonstrated that the water quality exiting the marsh meets or exceeds permit requirements, including bioassay. The water, after removal of suspended solids by sand filtration, is suitable for reuse as feed to the water softeners that supply water to the site steam boilers. By diverting this water into the plant, the amount of flesh well water required at the site and the amount of noncontact water exiting the facility has been reduced.
Comparison of the Two Isofunctional Enol-Lactone Hydrolases from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus

The rates of thermal denaturation and the molecular weights of the two isofunctional enol-lactone hydrolases (ELH I and ELH II) of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus were determined. The molecular weights of ELH I and ELH II were found by gel filtration to be approximately 24,000 and 21,000, respectively. In crude extract at 45 C the two enzymes showed a marked difference in rate of thermal denaturation. After chromatography on Sephadex G-100, however, the rates were nearly identical. The thermolability of ELH II in crude extract was shown to be due to its sensitivity to an unidentified component of the crude extract which modified its rate of thermal denaturation. In the light of the physical similarities of the two enzymes, it is concluded that the different regulatory patterns imposed upon the two enzymes do not provide sufficient evidence that they are the product of two different structural genes.
Turbulent heat transfer for pipe flow with uniform heat generation

An Analytic solution is presented of the problem of turbulent heat transfer in pipes with internal heat generation and insulated wall by applying a recently-developed eddy conductivity model. The results agree closely with available experimental data for a wide range of Prandtl number (0.02–10.5).
Zero modes and self-isospectral potentials in periodic supersymmetric quantum mechanics

In standard discussions of nonperiodic supersymmetric quantum mechanics either one or neither (but not both) of the isospectral pair of potentials has a zero mode. In contrast, in supersymmetric quantum mechanical models with periodic potentials it is possible for both isospectral potentials to support zero modes. Thus it is possible to have supersymmetry unbroken and yet also have a vanishing Witten index. We present some explicit exactly soluble examples for which the isospectral potentials have identical band spectra, and which are “self-isospectral” in the sense that the potentials have identical shape, but are translated by one half period relative to one another.
Real-time determination of free energy and losses in optical absorbing media

In a previous publication we showed that in many instances fast and slow light [4, 5, 6] is a manifestation of a dielectric interacting differently with the early parts of an electromagnetic pulse than with its later parts [7]. For example, slow light in a passive linear dielectric typically corresponds to energy in the leading part of the pulse being preferentially stored by the medium and then being largely returned to the pulse’s (backward) tail. Quantifying the extent to which this process is possible was a primary motivation for this work. Application of the principles presented in this letter will in no-wise supersede the group velocity description of such phenomena. The present development compliments other such analysis by attaching precise notions of reversibility and irreversibility to the medium’s storage of the pulse energy. As such it also solves a long outstanding problem regarding the real-time meaning of ”energy” and ”loss” in linear dissipative systems. From Poynting’s energy conservation theorem (Eq. 1) the total energy density in a dielectric at time t, u(t), is the sum (Eq. 2) of the field energy ufield(t) (Eq. 3) and the medium-field interaction energy uint.(t) (Eq. 4):
Two Processor Scheduling is in NC

We present a parallel algorithm for the two processor scheduling problem. This algorithm constructs an optimal schedule for unit execution time task systems with arbitrary precedence constraints using a polynomial number of processors and running in time polylog in the size of the input. Whereas previous parallel solutions for the problem made extensive use of randomization, our algorithm is completely deterministic and based on an interesting iteration technique. It is of independent relevance for two more reasons. It provides another example for the apparent difference in complexity between decision and search problems in the context of fast parallel computation, and it gives an NC-algorithm for the matching problem in certain restricted cases.
Evaluation of sorghum accessions from Ethiopia and Mali against Fusarium thapsinum

Thirty-eight sorghum accessions from Ethiopia and Mali along with resistant (Sureno and SC719) and susceptible (RTx430 and RTx2536) checks were evaluated in replicated plots for resistance against Fusarium thapsinum at Isabela, Puerto Rico. Environmental conditions such as temperature, relative humidity, and rainfall during this study, especially at and after physiological grain maturity were optimal for grain mold development. Highly significant negative correlations were observed between grain mold severity ratings in the field and on threshed grains with germination rate, indicating that germination rate was adversely affected when challenged with F. thapsinum . Of the 38 accessions tested, 18 accessions were either highly susceptible or susceptible to the pathogen. Accessions PI525954, PI276841, and PI276840 exhibited lower mean grain mold severities and higher germination rates when compared with the resistant checks Sureno and SC719. The aforementioned accessions may possess grain mold resistant genes and further studies are underway to determine the resistance mechanisms.
The temporomandibular joint of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus): Part 2-osteoarthritic changes

Abstract Objectives Following comprehensive characterization of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) of the California sea lion, as well demonstrating that TMJ-osteoarthritis (OA) occurs in this species, the objective of this part of the investigation was to describe the macroscopic osteologic findings associated with TMJ-OA in a large museum collection of skull specimens. Design Museum skull specimens ( n = 497) of California sea lions were examined macroscopically according to defined criteria for the presence, severity, location and characteristics of TMJ-OA. The specimens, acquired from strandings, varied in age from young adults to mature adults. Results Overall 63.5% of the specimens had findings consistent with TMJ-OA. Of these, 56.2% were from females 43.8% were from males. Moreover, 71.2% specimens were from mature adults and 28.8% from young adults. However, there was no significant association between age and sex with the presence or severity of TMJ-OA. The most prominent TMJ-OA changes were the presence of subchondral bone defects and abnormal porosity. The majority of the OA present at the mandibular head affected the entire articular surface. In contrast, the OA present on the mandibular fossa of the temporal bone was located primarily on the medial aspect ( P Conclusion The incidence of TMJ-OA in California sea lions is high and varies in severity. Although the significance of the high incidence of this disease in the California sea lion remains elusive, the occurrence and severity of TMJ-OA detected in this study may play an important role in the species’ morbidity and mortality.
Amino Acid Complexes of Metal Carbonyls: Mechanistic Aspects of the CO-Labilizing Ability of Glycinate Ligands in Zero-Valent Chromium and Tungsten Derivatives.

The amino and phosphino acid derivatives of chromium(0) and tungsten(0), [Et(4)N][Cr(CO)(4)(O(2)CCH(2)NH(2))] (1), [Et(4)N][Cr(CO)(4)(O(2)CCH(2)NHMe)] (2), [Et(4)N][Cr(CO)(4)(O(2)CCH(2)NMe(2))] (3), [Et(4)N][W(CO)(4)(O(2)CCH(C(CH(3))(3))NH(2))] (4), [Et(4)N][W(CO)(4)(O(2)CCH(C(6)H(5))NH(2))], [Et(4)N][W(CO)(4)(O(2)CCH(2)PPh(2))] (5), and [Et(4)N][Cr(CO)(4)(O(2)CCH(2)PPh(2))] have been synthesized from the reaction of the M(CO)(5)THF adduct with the tetraethylammonium salt of the corresponding amino or phosphino acid in THF solution. The complexes have been characterized in solution by (13)C NMR and infrared spectroscopies and in the solid state by X-ray crystallography. The geometry of the metal anion is, in each case, that of a distorted octahedron consisting of four carbonyl ligands and a puckered five-membered glycinate chelate ring, bound through the nitrogen atom and one of its oxygen atoms. Notable about complex 1 is that the crystal obtained exhibited both a different morphology and a different space group than its tungsten analogue. Examination of the packing diagram reveals that this change is due to the different orientation of the chelate ring in 1 relative to the corresponding orientation in the W(CO)(4)(O(2)CCH(2)NH(2))(-) anion. Complexes 1 and 2 exhibit intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions between the amine N-H group and the distal oxygen on an adjacent molecule, with N.O distances of 2.828 and 2.821 A, respectively. Investigations of the lability of the carbonyl ligands have been carried out. The lability is proposed to be due to base-assisted removal of a proton from the amine ligand leading to a substitutionally labile amide transient species. The tungsten analogue of complex 1 was used to obtain evidence in support of this mechanism. The isotope effect (k(H)/k(D)) was measured for W(CO)(4)(O(2)CCH(2)NH(2))(-) using d(5)-glycine and was found to be 2.34. The activation parameters for the intermolecular exchange of CO in the [Et(4)N][W(CO)(4)(O(2)CCH(2)NH(2))] salt were determined and found to be DeltaH() = 15.4 +/- 1.0 kcal/mol and DeltaS() = -23.2 +/- 3.2 eu, values consistent with the proposed mechanism. In addition, the effect of substitution of electron-donating (C(CH(3))(3)) and electron-withdrawing (C(6)H(5)) substituents on the methylene carbon was evaluated. There was little change in the rate of CO exchange observed for W(CO)(4)(O(2)CCH(C(CH(3))(3))NH(2))(-) (5) and W(CO)(4)(O(2)CCH(C(6)H(5))NH(2))(-) vs W(CO)(4)(O(2)CCH(2)NH(2))(-), showing that steric or electronic effects away from the N center are not responsible for the observed CO lability. As anticipated on the basis of the proposed substitutional pathway, the phosphino acid metal carbonyl derivatives did not exhibit facile intermolecular CO exchange.
Distribution and effect of the weak acids 5,5-dimethyl-2,4-oxazolidinedione (DMO) and 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) in membrane vesicles of Micrococcus denitrificans.

Abstract The effects of 5,5-dimethyl-2,4-oxazolidinedione (DMO) and 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) on membrane vesicles of Micrococcus denitrificans were compared. DMO did not affect the ability of these vesicles to accumulate glycine in the presence of the substrate l -lactate. Both glycine transport and l -lactate oxidation were inhibited by DNP; the concentration of DNP required for inhibition of respiration was fortyfold higher than that required for inhibition of transport. Using the technique of equilibrium dialysis with membrane residues from which the lipid had been extracted, no binding of [ 14 C]DMO to membrane protein was detected. However, [ 14 C]DNP did bind to membrane protein. At 100 μ m DNP, 12% of the [ 14 C]DNP was bound, equivalent to 1.56 nmol/mg protein. The pH inside vesicles respiring on l -lactate was calculated from the distribution of [ 14 C]DMO and was found not to differ from the pH of the suspending buffer. The mechanism of action of DNP on active transport in M. denitrificans vesicles appears not to involve proton conduction.
Genes and the parsing of cognitive processes

Now that the human genome has been sequenced there exists the possibility of identifying specific genes that affect human cognition. In this article, recent studies that have found associations between common gene variants and specific cognitive processes are reviewed. Several principles for evaluating this new field are also discussed. The interpretation of results is far from simple because a single gene can affect multiple processes, multiple genes can impact on a single process, and multiple cognitive processes are intercorrelated. In general, functional neuroimaging has been a more sensitive assay of cognitive processing than behavioral measures used alone, although there are important caveats regarding its use. Replicated findings so far involve associations between a COMT polymorphism and prefrontally-based executive functions and neurophysiology, and a BDNF polymorphism and medial-temporal-cortex based declarative memory processes. Implicit in this review is a concern that many of the cognitive paradigms used evolved for purposes well outside those described here. As such it may be necessary to view cognition in novel ways, based on constraints imposed by genomics and neurobiology, in order to increase the effect size of genotypic influences on cognition.
Viewing the Rich, Diverse Landscape of Qualitative Research

The power of qualitative research is gripping. It provides nurses with a privileged glimpse in the world of their patients, frightening and horrifying as it is at times. Qualitative research allows nurses and other health care providers an opportunity to walk a mile in the shoes of their patients so they can better design interventions to help improve the quality of their patients’ lives. Qualitative research helps make the invisible visible. For example, in the author’s qualitative study of mothers’ anniversaries of their traumatic childbirth experiences an invisible phenomenon was discovered. The celebration each year of the child’s birthday was in fact, for these women who suffered birth trauma, a tormented day where family, friends, and clinicians failed to rescue them. As one mother painfully shared, ‘‘Every birthday is no longer the celebration of the child, but is really an anniversary for the rape.’’ In Beck’s qualitative studies on birth trauma and its resulting posttraumatic stress disorder because of childbirth, the most frequent image women used to describe their traumatic births was that it was like being raped on the delivery table, with everyone watching and no one offering to help. In this article, six of the most common qualitative research designs are discussed: phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, historical research, narrative analysis, and meta-synthesis. Some of these research designs are illustrated by concrete examples from the author’s research program on postpartum mood and anxiety disorders, and others are examples from published studies in perioperative nursing. The article ends with a discussion of criteria to assess the rigor of qualitative research. Qualitative research stems from the naturalistic paradigm. This paradigm provides the blueprint for different methods for conducting nursing research that are dramatically in contrast to those of the positivistic paradigm, which guides quantitative research. For the discipline of nursing, which deals with human complexity, both traditional quantitative research methods and the exciting qualitative research methods are needed for the discovery of knowledge to improve nursing care and the quality of life of our patients.
Ethics of Care and Health Policy Change: Indian women's movement mobilizes against quinacrine sterilization

Nalini Visvanathan looks at how the campaign around banning quinacrine in India shows the importance of ethics of care over utilitarian approaches to women's reproductive health.
Running in reverse: rhodopsins sense voltage

Microbial rhodopsins convert light into ion flux; in neurons, this can be used to control activity. New work shows that the opposite is also true: rhodopsins can be used to visualize neural activity.
The Regulation of Autophagosome Dynamics by Huntingtin and HAP1 Is Disrupted by Expression of Mutant Huntingtin, Leading to Defective Cargo Degradation

Autophagy is an essential cellular pathway for degrading defective organelles and aggregated proteins. Defects in autophagy have been implicated in the neurodegenerative disorder Huntington's disease (HD), in which polyglutamine-expanded huntingtin (polyQ-htt) is predominantly cleared by autophagy. In neurons, autophagosomes form constitutively at the axon tip and undergo robust retrograde axonal transport toward the cell body, but the factors regulating autophagosome dynamics and autophagosome maturation are not well understood. Here, we show that both huntingtin (htt) and its adaptor protein huntingtin-associated protein-1 (HAP1) copurify and colocalize with autophagosomes in neurons. We use live-cell imaging and RNAi in primary neurons from GFP-LC3 transgenic mice to show that htt and HAP1 control autophagosome dynamics, regulating dynein and kinesin motors to promote processive transport. Expression of polyQ-htt in either primary neurons or striatal cells from HD knock-in mice is sufficient to disrupt the axonal transport of autophagosomes. Htt is not required for autophagosome formation or cargo loading. However, the defective autophagosome transport observed in both htt-depleted neurons and polyQ-htt-expressing neurons is correlated with inefficient degradation of engulfed mitochondrial fragments. Together, these studies identify htt and HAP1 as regulators of autophagosome transport in neurons and suggest that misregulation of autophagosome transport in HD leads to inefficient autophagosome maturation, potentially due to inhibition of autophagosome/lysosome fusion along the axon. The resulting defective clearance of both polyQ-htt aggregates and dysfunctional mitochondria by neuronal autophagosomes may contribute to neurodegeneration and cell death in HD.
Copepod communities in Monterey Bay during the 1997–1999 El Niño and La Niña

Abstract The abundance and biomass of the copepod assemblage in the upper 200 m of Monterey Bay was assessed on 43 occasions between March 1997 and December 1999 using 200 and 500 μm meshed nets. Based on the 500 μm net collections, the copepod assemblage averaged 36.3 copepods m −3 with biomass of 2.5 mg AFDW m −3 , and was dominated by Calanus, Metridia, Eucalanus, Pleuromamma, Nannocalanus, and Rhincalanus . Composite data from the combined 200 and 500 μm nets indicated a mean abundance of 1267 copepods m −3 , ranking the Clausocalanids, Oithona, Acartia, Paracalanus, Metridia, and then Calanus as the numerically dominant taxa. The mean biomass was 8.6 mg AFDWm −3 , and in terms of biomass, the top ranking taxa were Calanus, the Clausocalanids, Metridia, Acartia, Oithona, and Paracalanus . There was a brief, but strong depression of zooplankton following the thermal peak of the El Nino, most notable in the large-bodied copepods including Calanus, Eucalanus, Metridia, and Rhincalanus . The typical springtime dominance of large-bodied copepods was not observed during the 1999 La Nina. Smaller-bodied copepod taxa appeared less influenced by either the El Nino or La Nina in terms of both their abundance and biomass, although responses at the species level did occur within some of these taxa. We propose that the strongest copepod depression during the El Nino was largely as a result of the displacement of the copepods by inflows of more southern, offshore waters. In contrast, the depression of large-bodied forms during the La Nina was the result of washout from anomalously strong upwelling, while smaller-bodied forms were being more readily reseeded from nearshore populations. Overall, the total abundance and biomass of copepods within Monterey Bay were surprisingly stable over the study period. We caution that regional expectations of climate related perturbation may not translate to all local scales.
Knowledge and Equilibrium in Games

This paper describes an approach to noncooperative game theory that aims to capture considerations that exercise the minds of real-world strategists. The most commonly used tool of noncooperative game theory is the Nash equilibrium. This raises the question: Are there assumptions on what the players in a game think—including what they think other players think, and so on—that lead to consideration of Nash equilibrium? The paper provides answers to this, and related, questions. The approach of this paper involves analyzing the decision problem facing each player in a strategic ("interactive") situation. In addition to grounding game theory in considerations that are of the essence in actual strategic situations, the approach has a number of other objectives: 1) to make game theory more immediately accessible to people who are trained in decision theory but who are not "game theorists" and 2) to make game theory easier to teach to students. Finally, the approach suggests new directions for research into the nature of strategic situations.
A Simple Method Using CuScore to Monitor Changes in ARMA Coefficients

CuScore was proposed by Box and Ramirez (1992) as a statistical process control scheme. Applying CuScore to ARMA coefficients has not been reported. This article proposes a simple yet effective method using CuScore to monitor coefficient shifts in ARMA process. The use is illustrated with examples of simulated and real production data. It can be seen that CuScore is effective in sequentially detecting ARMR coefficient shifts, hence in this term superior to the usual cumulative scheme such as CUSUM. A plan to distinguish coefficient shift and mean or variance shift in ARMA process is also recommended.
Evidence of double-vacancy excitations in the x-ray absorption spectrum of zinc

Discontinuities resulting from the simultaneous creation of two electronic vacancies in the inner atomic shells of zinc were observed in the x-ray absorption spectra of the element. Their observed energies and the results obtained from relativistic Hartree-Fock-Slater calculation are in good agreement. Based on the magnitude of the observed discontinuities, the cross section for the one-photon \char22{} two-electron transition in zinc was calculated and found to be (126.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}20.7) barn/atom. This represents a change of about 0.5% in the mass absorption cross section.
239,240Pu and excess210Pb inventories along the shelf and slope of the northeast U.S.A.

Abstract Sedimentary Pu and excess 210 Pb inventory data are examined from a large number of sites along the U.S. North Atlantic shelf and slope. From these data, an estimate can be made of the magnitude and location of Pu and 210 Pb accumulation in this region. A major feature of the data is a decrease in the Pu and 210 Pb inventories with water depth, which appears to reflect a decrease in the net scavenging of these elements off-shore. When Pu and 210 Pb inventories are summed over water depths less than 4000 m in the North Atlantic shelf and slope region, the sediments can account for 24 ± 8% of the expected Pu and 83 ± 15% of the expected 210 Pb inputs. At water depths greater than 4000 m in this region, we find a greater deficiency in the measured inventories of both 210 Pb and Pu, which cannot be accounted for in the shallower sediments. This suggests that the northwest Atlantic continental margin is not a major site of Pu or 210 Pb removal and storage, when compared to atmospheric, in situ, and lateral inputs of these radionuclides.
Human perturbations on the global biogeochemical cycles of coupled Si–C and responses of terrestrial processes and the coastal ocean

Abstract We present a model of the global biogeochemical cycle of silicon (Si) that emphasizes its linkages to the carbon cycle and temperature. The Si cycle is a crucial part of global nutrient biogeochemistry regulating long-term atmospheric CO2 concentrations due to silicate mineral weathering reactions involving the uptake of atmospheric CO2 and production of riverine dissolved silica, cations and bicarbonate. In addition and importantly, the Si cycle is strongly coupled to the other nutrient cycles of N, P, and Fe; hence siliceous organisms represent a significant fraction of global primary productivity and biomass. Human perturbations involving land-use changes, burning of fossil fuel, and inorganic N and P fertilization have greatly altered the terrestrial Si cycle, changing the river discharge of Si and consequently impacting marine primary productivity primarily in coastal ocean waters.
Bioaccumulation and quantitation of metals at peat moss‐modified electrodes

Plant materials of the genus Sphagnum have long been known to absorb cations preferentially from dilute solutions. Preconcentrating modified electrodes based on the incorporation of peat moss within carbon paste matrices, have been designed for bioaccumulating copper ions prior to their voltammetric quantitation. Operational conditions, such as paste composition, solution pH or ionic strength, accumulation time, and voltammetric waveform are characterized and optimized to allow quantitation of submicromolar concentrations. The surface is regenerated by placing the electrode in a hydrochloric acid solution, allowing the use of a single electrode in multiple determinations (RSD of 6% for 15 repetitions). The plant modifiers also strongly bind and retain multiple charged counterions. These surface-bound ionic metal complexes are able to mediate electron transfer with solution species (such as hydrogen peroxide). The approach could be extended to other plant-material modifier/analyte systems, as well as for preconcentration for other trace techniques. Preliminary data are given for the Spanish moss/silver system.
Ring expansion of ketones to 1,2-keto-thioketals

Abstract Treatment of cyclic ketones with (MeS) 3 C-Li, then CuClO 4 ·4CH 3 CN, gives the corresponding ring expanded 1,2-keto-thioketals.
Sensitization of cervical cancer cell lines to low-dose radiation by retinoic acid does not require functional p53.

Abstract Objective. Current therapy for cervical cancer includes radiation therapy. Retinoic acid (RA) can increase the sensitivity of cervical cancer cell lines to radiation. The mechanism of this sensitization may not involve the p53 protein because the human papillomavirus (HPV) E6 protein, which is present in the majority of cervical cancers, promotes p53 degradation. The objective of this study was to determine if p53 is involved in the mechanism of RA radiosensitization. Methods. The effects of radiation on cervical (SiHa, CC-1, and C33a) and vulvar (SW962) cancer cell lines under various experimental conditions were evaluated using clonogenic, Coulter Counter, electrophoretic mobility shift (EMSA) and a multi-probe RNase protection assay of p53-inducible genes. Results. RA (5 μM 9- cis -RA) radiosensitized the SiHa and CC-1 cell lines that contain HPV-degraded p53, but did not radiosensitize the SW962 cell line, which is HPV negative and contains wild-type p53, nor the C33a cell line, which contains mutant p53 (R273C). Expression of mutant p53 (R273H) in SiHa cells increased the growth rate, but did not prevent RA-induced differentiation or radiosensitization at clinically relevant doses. Inhibition of p53 transactivation with pifithirin α did not prevent RA radiosensitization of SiHa at 5 Gy. RA repressed c- fos mRNA expression in control and irradiated SiHa cultures, but did not repress bcl-x L , p53, GADD45, p21, bax, bcl-2, or mcl-1 mRNA expression. Conclusions. The mechanism of RA radiosensitization does not require functional p53 and may involve c- fos in cervical cancer cell lines.
Feasibility of fetal cardiac magnetic resonance imaging: preliminary experience.

Coronal RARE sequence showing the fetal visceroatrialsitus, assessed in relation to the bronchial tree: the embryologicallynormal left main bronchus (with the stomach on the same side) israther long with no early division (large arrow), whereas the rightone is short, more vertical, and has an early division (small arrow).
The Influence of Phenosybenzamine (Dibenzyline) on the Pulmonary Veins of Intact Anesthetized Dogs

SummaryThe effect of phenoxybenzamine on the pulmonary veins of intact dogs was studied. The drug decreased tone in the small pulmonary veins, thus supporting the presence of alpha receptor sites in these vessels.
Oilseed cuphea tolerates bromoxynil

Abstract Weed management is a critical feature of all crop production, but especially for new and alternative crops with which most growers have little experience. Oilseed cuphea is a new annual crop for temperate regions and, at present, it is known to tolerate only a narrow spectrum of herbicides. Additional herbicides would be useful to encourage growers to examine this crop on their farms. Of particular importance are herbicides with broad activity against dicotyledonous weeds. Accordingly, cuphea tolerance to bromoxynil was tested in both greenhouse and field settings. Oilseed cuphea tolerated postemergence applications of bromoxynil up to 210 g ae ha −1 , which is a common label rate for this herbicide for traditional crops, but only if the plants had reached the 4- to 5-leaf stage of development at the time of application. Earlier applications, or applications at higher rates, could damage plants or reduce stands. Thus, postemergence applications of bromoxynil at or beyond the 5-leaf stage appear safe for cuphea. This result broadens the spectrum of potentially competing weed species that can be managed effectively if they co-occur with oilseed cuphea.
Pseudoirroratin A, a new cytotoxic ent-kaurene diterpene from Isodon pseudo-irrorata.

A new ent-kaurene diterpene, pseudoirroratin A (1), and a known diterpene, pseurata A, were isolated from Isodon pseudo-irrorata. Compound 1 showed significant cytotoxicity against the Lu1, SW626, LNCaP, KB, and HOS cancer cell, lines with IC50 values of 0.26 (0.75), 0.20 (0.57), 0.90 (2.59), 0.90 (2.59), and 0.50 (1.44) mug/mL (muM), respectively. The structure of 1 was elucidated by spectroscopic means including 1D and 2D NMR techniques.
Assessment of age-related isoniazid hepatotoxicity during treatment of latent tuberculosis infection.

ABSTRACTBackground: Since the introduction of new recommendations for the treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTB1) disregarding age as a limitation, increasing numbers of older individuals are expected to undergo treatment with isoniazid for the prevention of tuberculosis, raising the potential for an increase in isoniazid hepatotoxicity.Objective: To compare the frequency of hepatotoxicity requiring withdrawal of isoniazid therapy for LTB1 in patients under and over 35 years of age, managed according to current practice guidelines.Design: A retrospective analysis of 300 patients who underwent isoniazid therapy for LTB1 according to a protocol based on the current practice guidelines.Setting: Public health clinic of Passaic County, NJ.Main outcome measures: The frequency of symptomatic isoniazid hepatitis in various age groups.Results: Of 165 patients 3 times the upper limit of normal). Of 135 patients ≥ 35 years of age, 4(3%) patients ...
Interrelationships among meteoric metals, meteors, interplanetary dust, micrometeorites, and meteorites

— Meteor science, aeronomy, and meteoritics are different disciplines with natural interfaces. This paper is an effort to integrate the chemistry and mineralogy of collected interplanetary dust particles (IDPs), micrometeorites, and meteorites with meteoric data and with atmospheric metal abundances. Evaporation, ablation, and melting of decelerating materials in the Earth's atmosphere are the sources of the observed metal abundances in the upper atmosphere. Many variables ultimately produce the materials and phenomena we can analyze, such as different accretion and parent-body histories of incoming extraterrestrial materials, different interactions of meteors with the Earth's middle atmosphere, meteor data reduction, and complex chemical interactions of the metals and ions with the ambient atmosphere. The IDP-like and unequilibrated ordinary chondrite matrix materials are reasonable sources for observed meteoric and atmospheric metals. The hypothesis of hierarchical dust accretion predicts that low, correlated refractory element abundances in cometary meteors may be real. It implies that the CI or cosmic standard is not useful to appreciate the chemistry of incoming petrologically heterogeneous cometary matter. The quasi steady-state metal abundances in the lower thermosphere and upper mesosphere are derived predominantly from materials with cometary orbital characteristics and velocities such as comets proper and near-Earth asteroids. The exact influence of atmospheric chemistry on these abundances still needs further evaluation. Metal abundances in the lower mesosphere and upper stratosphere region are mostly from materials from the asteroidal belt and the Kuiper belt.
A Reduced-Order Model for Dynamic Vacuum Arc Remelting Pool Depth Estimation and Control

Vacuum arc remelting (VAR) is an industrial metallurgical process widely used throughout the specialty metals industry to cast large alloy ingots. A reduced-order model of the growing and solidifying ingot was developed specifically for dynamic control and estimation of the depth of molten liquid pool atop the ingot in a VAR process. This model accounts only for the thermal aspects of the system ignoring high-fidelity physics such as fluid flow and electromagnetic effects. Spectral methods were used to obtain a set of nonlinear dynamic equations which capture the transient characteristics of liquid pool shape variations around a quasi-steady operating condition. These nonlinear equations are then linearized about this operating condition and further simplified by suppressing fast modes. The resulting system can be described by only six state variables. The reduced order model compares favorably to pool depth changes predicted by an accurate finite-volume model. A first approach to use this model in the design of a dynamic VAR pool depth estimator and controller is also proposed.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Theory and Implementation of a Repetitive Robot Controller With Cartesian Trajectory Description

This paper presents a new repetitive learning controller for motion control of mechanical manipulators undergoing periodic tasks defined in Cartesian space. The controller does not require knowledge of the manipulator dynamic parameters beyond a simple geometric description. The desired task will be defined in Cartesian coordinates, and no inverse kinematics or inverse Jacobian will be calculated. The asymptotic stability of this algorithm is proven using the Lyapunov approach, and the nonlinear characteristics of the manipulator are explicitly taken into account. The results of implementation of this new repetitive learning controller on an IBM 7545 robotic manipulator are presented. Cartesian feedback was obtained from optical joint position encoders using forward kinematics, and velocity was estimated by simple numerical differentiation of the Cartesian position signal in software. The performance of the algorithm was compared to that of a simple PD feedback system, and a modified “Computed Torque” controller using inverse kinematics on the Cartesian path. The learning algorithm outperformed both of these controllers by a significant margin, exhibited convergence within approximately three cycles, and did not require inverse kinematics to execute the Cartesian path.