cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Coding RNA Sequencing of Equine Endometrium during Maternal Recognition of Pregnancy.

Maternal recognition of pregnancy (MRP) in the mare is not well defined. In a non-pregnant mare, prostaglandin F2α (PGF) is released on day 14 post-ovulation (PO) to cause luteal regression, resulting in loss of progesterone production. Equine MRP occurs prior to day 14 to halt PGF production. Studies have failed to identify a gene candidate for MRP, so attention has turned to small, non-coding RNAs. The objective of this study was to evaluate small RNA (<200 nucleotides) content in endometrium during MRP. Mares were used in a cross-over design with each having a pregnant and non-mated cycle. Each mare was randomly assigned to collection day 11 or 13 PO (n = 3/day) and endometrial biopsies were obtained. Total RNA was isolated and sequencing libraries were prepared using a small RNA library preparation kit and sequenced on a HiSeq 2000. EquCab3 was used as the reference genome and DESeq2 was used for statistical analysis. On day 11, 419 ncRNAs, representing miRNA, snRNA, snoRNA, scaRNA, and vaultRNA, were different between pregnancy statuses, but none on day 13. Equine endometrial ncRNAs with unknown structure and function were also identified. This study is the first to describe ncRNA transcriptome in equine endometrium. Identifying targets of these ncRNAs could lead to determining MRP.
Perturbation of Alpha Particle-Gamma Ray Angular Correlations in Am-241, Am-243, and Cm-243

By utilization of the recoil properties associated with the alpha decay process, perturbations of alpha-gamma angular correlations in Am/sup 241/, Am/sup 243/, and Cm/sup 243/ were observed in a variety of media including vacuum, metals, Mylar, oxides, and liquids. In the vacuum and Mylar environments the Am/ sup 243/ correlation is not only considerably more perturbed than in metallic environments but it exhibits an attenuation coefficient below the hard-core value ior a static interaction. The perturbation in vacuum is attributed to a hyperfine structure interaction involving an electron shell excited in the a1pha decay process. Several experiments designed to further explore the effect of alpha decay on the electron shell are suggested. It is pointed out that application of a strong magnetic field along the direction of one of the radiations may completely restore the correlation in vacuum, Improvement of the correlation in metals as compared to insulators may be related to the rapid recovery time of the electron shell in metallic media. (auth)
Bone xenotransplantation: A review of the history, orthopedic clinical literature, and a single-center case series.

Background One-half of all orthopedic surgeries require bone grafting for successful outcomes in fusions, reconstructive procedures, and the treatment of osseous defects resulting from trauma, tumor, infection, or congenital deformity. Autologous bone grafts are taken from the patient's own body and remain the "gold standard" graft choice but are limited in supply and impart significant patient morbidity. Xenograft bone is an attractive alternative from donors with controlled biology, in large supply and at a theoretically lower cost. Clinical results with xenograft bone for orthopedic applications have been mixed in the limited clinical trials published. Methods In the current review, we introduce fundamental principles of bone grafting, systematically review all orthopedic clinical studies reporting outcomes on patients transplanted with xenograft bone, and we present our own clinical results from patients grafted with bovine bone in foot and ankle reconstructive procedures. Results Thirty-one clinical studies were identified for review and the majority (47%) were from spine surgery literature. Favorable results were reported in 44% of studies while 47% of studies reported poor outcomes and discouraged use of xenograft bone products. In our own clinical series, xenograft failed to integrate with host bone in 58% of cases and persistent pain was reported in 83% of cases. Conclusions This is the first systematic review of clinical results reported after bone xenotransplantation for orthopaedic surgery applications. Current literature does not support the use of xenograft bone products and our institution's results are consistent with this conclusion. Our laboratory has reported promising pre-clinical results with a xenograft product derived from porcine cancellous bone, but additional testing is required before considering clinical translation.
Attention and consciousness

The slipperiness of experience Consciousness and attention are two of the most vexing, hard-to-define aspects of mentality. No wonder, then, that even the most brilliant and articulate theorists, such as William James, are reduced to merely gesturing at them, or to seeming platitudes (“Every one knows what attention is”). Our everyday language for describing experience seems impoverished compared to the richness and dynamic pulse of the thing itself. Thoughts and intentions, daydreams and vivid bursts of emotion, coils and snippets of language, sights, aches, and the whole of the sensory world: these conscious experiences are always simply there, like a constant buzz. Take them away and, as Descartes astutely observed, it is hard to see what would be left of our minds as we know them. Attention, by contrast, is not merely there, but also there for us. It can be commanded, albeit sometimes unwillingly. Notice the shape of someone's hand. Now, without shifting your gaze, notice its color and the texture of their skin. Notice the web of tiny lines, the fine hairs, any nicks or scars. Focus on just one of them. We have no trouble focusing our attention in these ways. In doing so, the character of our conscious experience shifts also. Of course, attention can also be dragged away against our will, by the intrusive ping of a text message or a nagging itch. When this happens, our train of conscious thought is disrupted and the source of our distraction takes center stage. Here we chronicle some contemporary ways of modeling attention and explore the possibility that these links between attention and consciousness are no coincidence but rather evidence for a deep theoretical connection between the two. In this way, perhaps two elusive mental phenomena can be grasped at once.
Nature of acid-base sites on molybdenum nitride catalysts: Effect of nitrogen and oxygen content

Abstract The presence of nitrogen and oxygen sites was shown to have a direct impact on the acid-base properties of Mo2N. The gas phase reaction of 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol (MBOH), temperature programmed desorption (TPD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the Mo2N catalyst. The acid-base character of Mo2N was impacted by synthesis and surface pretreatment methods prior to analysis. The basic character of passivated Mo2N increased after the following pretreatment: degassing in helium
Approach to Abnormal Liver Blood Tests

This script teaches the interpretation of liver tests, including a structure to help learners understand which tests reflect liver injury versus liver dysfunction. The teaching script includes a discussion of the differential diagnosis for the two primary patterns of abnormal liver tests, hepatocellular injury and cholestatic injury, as well as principles to guide the further evaluation of liver blood test abnormalities.
Somatosensory Thalamic Activity Modulation by Posterior Insular Stimulation: Cues to Clinical Application Based on Comparison of Frequencies in a Cat Model.

Background The posterior insula (PI) has been proposed as a potential neurostimulation target for neuropathic pain relief as it represents a key-structure in pain processing. However, currently available data remain inconclusive as to efficient stimulation parameters. Objective As frequency was shown to be the most correlated parameter to pain relief, this study aims to evaluate the potential modulatory effects of low frequency (LF-IS, 50 Hz) and high-frequency (HF-IS, 150 Hz) posterior insular stimulation on the activity of somatosensory thalamic nuclei. Materials and methods Epidural bipolar electrodes were placed over the PI of healthy adult cats, and extracellular single-unit activities of nociceptive (NS), nonnociceptive (NN), and wide dynamic range (WDR) thalamic cells were recorded within the ventral posterolateral nucleus and the medial division of the thalamic posterior complex. Mean discharge frequency and burst firing mode were analyzed before and after either LF-IS or HF-IS. Results LF-IS showed a significant thalamic modulatory effects increasing the firing rate of NN cells (p ≤ 0.03) and decreasing the burst firing of NS cells (p ≤ 0.03), independently of the thalamic nucleus. Conversely, HF-IS did not induce any change in firing properties of the three recorded cell types. Conclusion These data indicate that 50 Hz IS could be a better candidate to control neuropathic pain.
“The Trinity Is Not Our Social Program” and the Social Arian Temptation: Recovering from Mortifying Spin – Contextualization Gone Awry 4 (Christology) (Part II)

The Trinity is our social program, if our understanding of the Triune God is checked by biblical theology and biblical ethics developed within an international hermeneutical community. My thesis is this: “Everlasting Relationships of Following-and-Leading” (ERFL) within the immanent Trinity are founded squarely upon Scripture as read without Neoplatonic, Social Arian lenses. I establish this thesis through a survey of the interactions between the Father and Son in the economic interactions before creation in the covenant of redemption, then in the Son’s work in creation and in redemptive history until and during the incarnation, next after the resurrection and enthronement, and last after the Judgment. I then trace the pattern of Filial-following and Patri-leadership in the dyadic titles ascribed to the Father and Son. Finally, I discuss implications for social theology of a Complementarian Trinity perspective.
Researching Digital Interfaces to Raise Awareness about the Impacts of Gun Violence:: A Landscape Analysis Experience Report

In this experience report, we document a landscape analysis conducted as part of a larger project to develop and test digital tools for gun violence survivors and raising awareness about the impacts of gun violence on communities. A landscape analysis, also known as a competitive or comparative analysis, is a method for researching user experience architecture in a consistent and comprehensive way. Initially, our research team was partnering with photographer Ian Witlen to design a digital archive of digital photographs, sound testimonials, and written stories collected in the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in 2018. As a response to this tragic event, Ian created a physical art installation, Anguish in the Aftermath, that has served as a processing and healing space for survivors of this tragedy, while also making broader arguments about the vast impact of gun violence on the world as a whole. Stemming from this initial exhibit honoring the 17 people whose lives were lost, our research team is working to develop an online archive of survivor testimonials.
Surgical management and outcomes of adhesive small bowel obstruction: teaching versus non-teaching hospitals.

The relationship between surgical management of adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO) and hospital teaching status is not well known. We sought to elucidate the association between hospital teaching status and clinical metrics for ASBO. Using the 2007–2017 California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development database, we identified adult ASBO patients hospitalized for surgical intervention. Hospital teaching status was categorized as major teaching (MajT), minor teaching (MinT), and non-teaching (NT). Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to evaluate risk of death and other adverse outcomes. Of 25,047 admissions, 15.4% were at MajT, 32.0% at MinT, and 52.6% at NT; 2.9% died. Patients at MajT had longer overall hospital stays (HLOS) than those at MinT or NT (median days 9 vs. 8 vs. 8; p = 0.005), longer post-ASBO procedure HLOS (median days 7 vs. 6 vs. 6; p = 0.0001) and higher rates of small bowel resection (27.1% vs. 21.7% vs. 21.7%; p < 0.0001). Mean time to first surgery at MajT was 3.3 days compared with 2.6 days (p = 0.004) at MinT and NT. Compared with patients at NT, those at MajT were significantly less likely to die (HR 0.62, p < 0.0001), develop pneumonia (HR 0.57, p = 0.001), or experience adverse discharge disposition (HR 0.79, p < 0.0001). Mortality and morbidity of ASBO surgery were reduced at MajT; however, time to surgery, HLOS, and rate of small bowel resection were greater. These findings may guide improvements in the management of ASBO patients.
Constitutive equations for polymer solutions derived from the bead/spring model of Rouse and Zimm

The theory of dilute polymer solutions based on the bead/spring model in the form given by Zimm is reformulated for arbitrary homogeneous flow histories. It is shown that the center of resistance of a polymer molecule moves with the solvent. By a preliminary transformation [3.4], the equations for the center-of- resistance motion are separated from those for the motion of the N spring vectors. The spring-vector equations involve a symmetric non-singular matrix B [3.14] whose characteristic values equal the non-zero characteristic values of Zimms singular matrix HA. A further transformation [4.2] which diagonalizes B yields separate differential eq. [5.4] for pq*, the polymer contribution to the stress tensor associated with the q normal mode. Transformation to an embedded basis enables one to integrate these equations so as to obtain pq* in terms of the flow history ([5.6], [5.9]), and summation over q then gives the required constitutive eq. [5.17] for the polymer solution. These are of the same form as the “rubber-like liquid” constitutive equations (with addition of a solvent-contribution term) derived from the network theory of Lodge, but the memory function is determined to within three constants (e. g. N, h*, τ1). Peterlina solution for the normal-coordinate distribution function in steady shear flow is generalized for an arbitrary homogeneous (time-dependent or steady) flow and expressed in terms of pq* which can be evaluated when the flow history is given.
Travel Bulletin--Traffic Jams Cause Tumors

All animal cells have a polarity, that is, different proteins are clustered in distinct domains of the plasma membrane and these regions carry out different jobs. As Peifer discusses in a lively Perspective, new work ( Bilder et al.) identifies some of the molecular characters that direct proteins to their different cellular destinations.
Reply To: “the New Classical Counter-Revolution: False Path or Illuminating Complement?”

The picture of economic well-being depends crucially on how it is measured. We introduce a new measure of economic well-being that includes public consumption, income from wealth, and household production. The differences in scope and method between our measure and standard income lead to substantially different findings regarding economic well-being. The average U.S. household appears to be much better off in 2001 relative to 1989 according to our measure in comparison to money income. In contrast to official measures, our measure shows that racial disparity increased. The increase in measured inequality was higher than indicated by the official measures.
Degradation of insulin by trypsin and alpha-chymotrypsin.

The rate and extent of insulin degradation by trypsin and α-chymotrypsin were examined in vitro, and the initial sites of cleavage by α-chymotrypsin were identified. The apparent K m for both enzymes was approximately the same but the apparent V max for α-chymotrypsin was 8.6 times greater. At a molar ratio of 172:1 (insulhr.enzyme), chymotrypsin caused near-total loss of insulin within 40 min, while very little insulin was degraded by trypsin. Chymotrypsin appeared to cleave initially at the carboxyl side of the B26-Tyr and A19-Tyr residues, and additional cleavage at the B16-Tyr, B25-Phe, and A14-Tyr residue sites also occurred rapidly. Only two to three other susceptible bonds, which are not exposed at the surface of the insulin molecule, remained intact after the quenching of initial cleavage. Four of the amino acids involved in initial cleavage are essential for receptor binding ability, making it difficult to modify insulin chemically to achieve greater stability without losing activity.
Remote Eye Gaze Tracking System as a Computer Interface for Persons with Severe Motor Disability

State of the Art human computer interfaces (HCI) for assisting individuals with severe motor disabilities employ remote eye-gaze tracking (EGT) systems which obtain eye coordinates and convert them into mouse-pointer coordinates. The performance of those systems is traditionally affected by mouse-pointer jitter and miscalibration due to head movement. This study addresses this problem and proposes an interface to minimize those errors. The interface allows inspecting and quantifying those errors and collecting the necessary information which is used in real time for training an artificial neural network which improves the coordinate conversion mechanism. The novelty of this study resides in the integration of several procedures, such as: (a) error inspection at system startup, (b) real time improvement of the eye-to-mouse-pointer coordinate conversion mechanism, (c) determination of a practical solution to the mouse click operations, and (d) development of effective means to monitor and evaluate the system performance.
Hearing Gesture: How Our Hands Help Us Think

Many nonverbal behaviours - smiling, blushing, shrugging - reveal our emotions. Once nonverbal behaviour, gesturing, exposes our thoughts. This book explores how we move our hands when we talk, and what it means when we do so. Susan Goldin-Meadow begins with an intriguing discovery: when explaining their answer to a task, children sometimes communicate different ideas with their hand gestures than with their spoken words. Moreover, children whose gestures do not match their speech are particularly likely to benefit from instruction in that task. Not only do gestures provide insight into the unspoken thoughts of children (one of Goldin-Meadow's central claims), but gestures reveal a child's readiness to learn and even suggest which teaching strategies might be most beneficial. In addition, Goldin-Meadow characterizes gesture when it fulfills the entire function of language (as in the case of Sign Languages of the Deaf), when it is reshaped to suit different cultures (American and Chinese), and even when it occurs in children who are blind from birth. Focusing on what we can discover about speakers - adults and children alike - by watching their hands, this book discloses the active role that gesture plays in conversation and, more fundamentally, in thinking. In general, we are unaware of gesture, which occurs as an undercurrent alongside an acknowledged verbal exchange. In this book, Susan Goldin-Meadow makes clear why we must not ignore the background conversation.
Structure of a gene for a lysosomal membrane glycoprotein (LEP100). Housekeeping gene with unexpected exon organization.

Abstract Members of a recently described family of glycoproteins constitute the major protein components of the lysosomal membrane. Changes in glycosylation patterns, redistribution to the cell surface, and increased levels of expression of these proteins are associated, in at least some cases, with cell differentiation, transformation, and metastasis. To understand further the regulation of expression of these proteins and their relationships to each other, we have isolated and characterized the gene for one of these proteins, LEP100, from chicken. Two overlapping clones were isolated which contain the nine exons and eight introns of the 17-kilobase gene for LEP 100. The 5'-flanking region of the gene contains CAAT and TATAAA sequences, but these do not appear to be used as promoter elements. Further downstream are three CCAAT boxes, with no corresponding TATA boxes, which represent putative promoter elements. Multiple CCAAT boxes, the apparent lack of a TATA box, and the GC-rich composition of the 5' region support the classification of the LEP100 gene as a TATA box-lacking housekeeping gene. As further evidence of the housekeeping nature of the LEP100 gene, Northern blots of RNA from several adult and embryonic tissues (skeletal muscle, kidney, liver, heart, gizzard, and brain) revealed a single message for LEP100 of the same size (about 3 kilobases) in each tissue. The gene's introns range in size from 104 to 7200 base pairs. Exons do not represent the four disulfide-bonded loops of the protein, but instead each cysteine of each disulfide-linked pair is encoded by a separate exon. The existence of the same sized mRNA in all tissues indicates that no alternate splicing occurs. The exon organization of the LEP100 gene suggests that it may have evolved from a primordial cysteine-containing exon by gene duplication events. It is likely that the genes of the other members of this family diverged from the same ancestral gene and have a gene organization similar to that of LEP100.
Random Matrix Theory

In this chapter, we will work not with \(\mathrm{GL}(n, \mathbb{C})\) but with its compact subgroup U(n). As in the previous chapters, we will consider elements of \(\mathcal{R}_{k}\) as generalized characters on S k . If \(\mathbf{f} \in \mathcal{R}_{k}\), then \(f ={ \mathrm{ch}}^{(n)}(\mathbf{f}) \in \varLambda _{k}^{(n)}\) is a symmetric polynomial in n variables, homogeneous of weight k. Then \(\psi _{f}: \mathrm{U}(n)\longrightarrow \mathbb{C}\), defined by ( 33.6), is the function on U(n) obtained by applying f to the eigenvalues of g ∈U(n). We will denote \(\psi _{f} ={ \mathrm{Ch}}^{(n)}(\mathbf{f})\). Thus, Ch(n) maps the additive group of generalized characters on S k to the additive group of generalized characters on U(n). It extends by linearity to a map from the Hilbert space of class functions on S k to the Hilbert space of class functions on U(n).
Die and MCM test strategy: the key to MCM manufacturability

Harris Corporation has undertaken a multi-chip module (MCM) project that will develop a four-channel digital RF receiver for use in very dense, lightweight systems. This MCM is designated the Digital Drop Receiver (DDR). Each channel is comprised of three chips: two digital decimating filters, and a numerically controlled oscillator/modulator. The ICs are interconnected to the MCM substrate by both TAB (tape automated bonding) and gold wire bonding. TAB assembly is used for the VLSI chips in order to be able to pretest these circuits at their maximum operating speed (up to 33 MHz) prior to assembly, substantially reducing die rework. Hypothetical yield models were developed comparing wirebonded, untested die, and TAB'ed, pretested die. The results of these models indicated that a wirebond version could require numerous rework iterations to produce a functional module and be well beyond current MIL STD H-38534 and 1772 rework allowances, not to mention the rework survivability of the MCM substrate. The TAB'ed, pretested model predicted 100% functional modules in two rework cycles. >
The cultivation and physiological ecology of members of salt marsh epiphytic communities

1. Members of the epiphytic communities ofZostera, Enteromorpha, Ulva and other marine macrophytes occurring in North Sea Harbor, Southampton, New York are being isolated in gnotobiotic culture as part of a broader program of studies on the trophic dynamics and mineral cycling of the community. 2. Aseptic samples are taken in the field, by means of sterile forceps, and inoculated into 30 ml of sterile sea water from the same station. The samples are refrigerated and brought as soon as possible to a nearby field laboratory where they are inoculated into a series of (26) differential media. These media (Lee et al. 1966), originally based on the formulation ofPintner & Provasoli (1957), have been modified each year as more experience with the nutrition of the isolates from the community is gained. Incubation is usually 1–3 weeks at 15–25° C. Many diatoms, chlorophytes, bacteria, and yeasts can be isolated axenically from clones grown on solidified initial isolation media. 3. Other organisms are isolated from agnotobiotic media by: (a) streaking onto solidified media; (b) aseptic washing of individual organisms in 9-hole spot plates; (c) inoculation into antibiotic-containing media; and (d) combination of several or all of the above techniques. Much of the isolation and transfer is performed under a stereoscopic microscope enclosed in a Germ Free microscope glove-box. Tracer feeding techniques are used to identify food for gnotobiotic culture of herbivores (Lee et al. 1966). 4. Among the goals of our studies are: (a) the characterization of the microbial community structure of epiphytic communities in comparable unpolluted and polluted areas and study changes in time and space; (b) isolation of the key members of the microbial community in axenic culture and study of their physiological ecology as well as responses to stress conditions; (c) using the above cultures, to construct meaningful small defined microcosms and through experimental manipulations to define the subtle variables which regulate community structure. 5. To this end we now have in continuous gnotobiotic cultureEnteromorpha intestinalis, Ulva lactuca, approximately 70 species of salt marsh diatoms, chrysophytes, dinoflagellates and chlorophytes, six species of foraminifera, and three species of nematodes. In agnotobiotic culture are additional species of harpactacoid copepods, ostracods, amphipods, flagellates, and ciliates associated with epiphytic communities.
Speaking Ourselves: The Intersections of Women Educators' Personal and Professional Lives

This paper presents findings from interviews conducted with 33 women educators working at varying levels of education and in diverse fields, and who varied in terms of age, ethnicity, race, family structure, geographic location, and sexual orientation.i Semi-structured interviews, building on variants of this question, Does who you are as person influence what you do as an educator and are there ways being an educator influences your life outside of work?, were conducted, tape recorded, and inductively analyzed. The themes uncovered suggest that women educators function as whole persons, aware of multiple intersections between their personal and professional lives. In a time of â€œteacher-proof,â€ scripted curricula, standardization, and other so-called reforms in the field of education, these findings remind us that teaching cannot be reduced to curricular guidelines and generic texts mandated from above. Rather, the diversity that teachers bring to the profession argues against a one-size fits-all model and for a contextualized pedagogy that cannot be limited to mere content dissemination.
Factors affecting rates of infection and nonunion in intramedullary nailing

Sir, I read with interest the paper in the May 2004 issue by Malik et al[1][1] entitled ‘Factors affecting rates of infection and nonunion in intramedullary nailing’. All efforts to identify and reduce risk factors for infection and nonunion in intramedullary nailing should be applauded, but
Estrogen does not increase bone formation in growing rats.

The purpose of these experiments was to test the hypothesis that estrogen has an anabolic effect on cancellous bone formation in long bones of growing rats. In the present studies, estrogen decreased measurements related to cancellous bone formation, including osteoblast number, fluorochrome-labeled bone perimeter, and incorporation of [3H]proline into osteoid. Steady state mRNA levels for bone matrix proteins and mineral apposition rate were unchanged or reduced. The [3H]thymidine labeling index for osteoblasts was very low and was reduced by estrogen treatment. Finally, estrogen decreased the rate of removal of tetracycline previously incorporated into cancellous bone as well as the growth-dependent decrease in cancellous bone area, indicating that hormone treatment reduced net bone resorption. In summary, no evidence was secured to support the hypothesis that estrogen has an anabolic action on bone formation; the results obtained in these studies consistently demonstrated a pronounced inhibitory action...
Activities of phosphomonoesterase and phosphodiesterase from Lumbricus terrestris

Abstract The relationship between enzymes that can hydroryze p-nitrophenylphosphate and bis[p-nitrophenyl]phosphate from the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris was investigated. In contrast to what occurs with most alkaline phosphatases from other species, the hydrolysis of both substrates was significantly inhibited by dithiothreitol, but not by the thiol-directed inhibitors iodoacetamide and p-chloromercuribenzcnesulfonic acid, suggesting that a sulfhydryl group is not directly involved in catalysis. The enzymes were inhibited by Zn, but not significantly affected by Mg. The enzymes were activated by Ca and addition of EDTA to incubations in the absence of exogenously added Ca slightly decreased activity. The presence of the organophosphate trichlorfon did not result in reduced activity with either substrate, suggesting that the active sites for the phosphoesterases may not be involved in the hydrolysis of aliphatic organophosphates and that cholinesterase is not involved in the hydrolysis of these substrates. Gel filtration revealed two peaks of alkaline phosphatase activity at 230 and 40 kDa. The major fraction of phosphodiesterase activity was associated with the peak at 230 kDa. The peak at 40 kDa was incapable of hydrolyzing bis[p-nitrophenyl]phosphate, suggesting the presence of at least two alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes in Lumbricus terrestris.
Expectations, Bond Prices, and the Term Structure of Interest Rates

Introduction, 197. — The mathematics of bond prices, 199. — Expectations and the term structure of rates, 206. — Altering some of the assumptions, 214. Concluding remarks, 218.
Family Life Cycle Segmentation for Foodservice Marketing: An Exploratory Case Study

As U.S. families continue to allocate more of their food dollar to the foodservice industry, it becomes increasingly important to explore market segmentation strategies. Family life cycle (FLC) mod...
Minimally invasive thoracoscopic approach for anterior decompression and stabilization of metastatic spine disease.

Object The choices available in the management of metastatic spine disease are complex, and the role of surgical therapy is increasing. Recent studies have indicated that patients treated with direct surgical decompression and stabilization before radiation have better functional outcomes than those treated with radiation alone. The most common anterior surgical approach for direct spinal cord decompression and stabilization in the thoracic spine is open thoracotomy; however, thoracotomy for spinal access is associated with morbidity that can be avoided with minimally invasive techniques like thoracoscopy. Methods A minimally invasive thoracoscopic approach was used for the surgical treatment of thoracic and thoracolumbar metastatic spinal cord compression. This technique allows ventral decompression via corpectomy, inter-body reconstruction with expandable cages, and stabilization with an anterolateral plating system designed specifically for minimally invasive implantation. This technique was performed ...
Effect of diet on colonic-programmed cell death: molecular mechanism of action

Colon cancer evolves from a progressive inhibition of apoptosis and is influenced strongly by diet. Among dietary factors, butyrate (derived from fermentable fibers) may have utility as a chemopreventive agent because of its ability to promote apoptosis. Because CD95 (APO-1/Fas) transduces signals resulting in apoptosis, we tested the hypothesis that butyrate-dependent colonocyte apoptosis is mediated by this death receptor. Treatment of immortalized mouse colon cells with Fas agonistic antibody induced cell death, indicating that Fas in colonocytes is functional. Antagonism of Fas signaling using a soluble Fas:Fc chimera blocked butyrate induction of apoptosis. Therefore, Fas receptor dependent signal transduction is required for butyrate induction of apoptosis in colonic cells.
The use of T2*-weighted multi-echo GRE imaging as a novel method to diagnose hepatocellular carcinoma compared with gadolinium-enhanced MRI: a feasibility study.

Abstract Background The goal of the study was to assess a T2*-weighted MRI sequence for the ability to identify hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods Hepatic iron deposition, which is common in chronic liver disease (CLD), may increase the conspicuity of HCC on GRE imaging due to increased T2* signal decay in liver parenchyma. In this study, a breath-hold T2*-weighted MRI sequence was evaluated by a blinded observer for HCC and the results compared to a reference standard of gadolinium-enhanced MRI in these same patients. Forty-one patients (mean age 56.2 years; 17 females) were included in this approved, retrospective study. Results By the reference standard, 14 of 41 patients had a total of 25 HCCs. The sensitivity of the T2*-weighted MR sequence for identifying HCC, per lesion, was 60%, while the specificity was 100%. There was a significantly lower T2* value of liver parenchyma in patients with HCC identified by the T2*-weighted sequence than in those with HCCs which were not identified by the T2*-weighted sequence (27.8±2.2 vs. 21.9±2.1 ms; P =.02). Conclusions A T2*-weighted MRI sequence can identify HCC in patients with CLD. This technique may be beneficial for imaging of patients contraindicated for gadolinium.
Strategies for the automatic interpretation of handwritten addresses

This paper describes the technologies and strategies underlying a state-of-the-art system for automatic handwritten address interpretation. The system is capable of interpreting both street addresses and post office box addresses. The input to the system is a grayscale image of a handwritten address and the goal is to determine the ZIP+4 code corresponding to the destination address on the mail piece. Processing is accomplished through an integrated series of steps involving preprocessing, numeral field recognition (ZIP codes, street numbers, post office box numbers), national postal database retrieval, word and phrase recognition, database record matching, and a decision strategy. In a formal test, this system encoded 38.7 percent of the mail pieces, with an encode error rate of 8.4 percent. Adjusting system parameters designed to tradeoff encode rate for error rate produces an encode rate of 33.8 percent with a 3.9 percent encode error rate.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
European Experience with Artex: The Tertatolol International Multicentre Study (TIMS)

The Tertatolol International Multicentre Study (TIMS) was aimed at assessing the efficacy and acceptability of 5 mg tertatolol (T) once daily over a 1-year period. The study was carried out in 230 patients (96 men, 134 women, mean age 51.5 +/- 0.7 years) with uncomplicated mild-to-moderate hypertension. After a 1-month placebo run-in period followed by a 1-month double blind placebo-controlled period, 213 patients entered and 166 completed the 1-year open period. A diuretic (D) was added if blood pressure (BP) was inadequately controlled with tertatolol alone. After 1 year, 88.5% of patients were controlled (sitting diastolic BP < or = 90 mmHg): 56.3% on single therapy (T) and 32.2% on dual therapy (T+D), respectively. After a 1-month double-blind period, the incidence of emergent symptoms was not significantly different between the placebo group and the tertatolol group. This low incidence was also observed over the 1-year period, side effects leading to the discontinuation of the treatment in 9.1% of the cases. In patients whose creatinine level was initially higher than 100 mumol/l, tertatolol significantly decreased creatinine level in the single but not in the dual therapy group. This study confirms that tertatolol is an efficient and well-tolerated antihypertensive drug, which improves renal function.
Distress and quality of life in primary high-grade brain tumor patients

Goals of work We report on the routine use of the NCCN Distress Thermometer and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy—Brain (FACT-Br) to assess patient distress and quality of life in GBM patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between patient quality of life and distress.
Patterns in Referral and Admission to Vocational Rehabilitation Associated with Coexisting Psychiatric and Substance-Use Disorders.

Archival data from 17,929 homeless adults entering the Veterans Health Administration's Healthcare for Homeless Veterans program were analyzed to identify whether the rate of referral and admission to vocational rehabilitation differed between adults with psychiatric disorders alone and those with psychiatric disorders with a coexisting substance-use disorder (SUD). Participants with an SUD had an 11% greater chance of being referred to vocational rehabilitation than did those with a psychiatric disorder alone. Of the participants referred to vocational rehabilitation, those with an SUD were almost twice as likely to participate. Those with an SUD also had a higher rate of employment prior to evaluation than did those with a psychiatric disorder alone. These advantages were significant after covarying for demographic variables, specific psychiatric diagnosis, and Addiction Severity Index (McLellan, Luborsky, & Woody, 1980) psychiatric composite score. These findings fail to support the hypothesis that the...
New process to fabricate DXRL x-ray mask by direct pattern writing

The normal process to fabricate an x-ray mask involves two steps: make an optical mask by using an optical pattern generator (OPG), and form the pattern on the x-ray mask membrane with the optical mask by UV lithography. The sole function of the optical mask is the pattern transfer from source to target. It is always possible that pattern distortion would happen during its transference. In this paper we present a new process to fabricate deep x-ray lithography (DXRL) mask by direct pattern writing on the first layer of resist of an x-ray mask membrane. A thin layer of gold (1 ~ 2 μm) is deposited on the revealed plating base of the membrane and serves as the absorber for a following x- ray exposure of the second (thicker) layer of resist. Finally a thick (5-10 μm) gold layer is plated in the stencil formed by developed second layer of resist. This process has been demonstrated with Kapton membranes (Polyimide foil). The principle of the process can be applied to other x-ray mask membrane materials and to make ultra deep x-ray lithography (UDXRL) mask as well. In this paper the initial results of the new process are presented. The performance of the fabricated mask is evaluated and the alternative approaches will be discussed.
Salvaging an evaluation from the swampy lowland

Abstract This article discusses methodological issues that emerged in evaluating a three-year paternal involvement demonstration project for poor, inner-city non-custodial fathers. The Paternal Involvement Demonstration Project is a public-private partnership developed to strengthen the financial and emotional relationship of program participants and their children. While the evaluation was considered formative in many respects, methodological constraints were placed upon the project in order to meet federal and state waiver requirements. This article presents the methodological dilemmas that resulted from these contradictory goals. The tradeoffs that were made to enable a meaningful evaluation are discussed. The findings of this evaluation project resulted in the creation of a permanent program and are presented in this article.
Albinism in the California Hagfish Eptatretus stoutii

The discovery of an albino specimen of the hagfish, Eptatretus stoutii (Lockington), is reported, together with general notes regarding collection of this species for research purposes. The extreme abundance of hagfish in the area described refutes the generally accepted notion that they are of infrequent occurrence in southern California waters.
Policy Planning and the Design and Use of Forums, Arenas, and Courts:

In complex, shared-power settings, planners are unlikely to have much direct impact on action or underlying ‘bedrock’ social structures. What they can influence is the ideas, rules, modes, media, a...
Computing transition state structure and estimating reaction barriers with complete basis set ab initio method

Abstract Activation barriers for various chemical reactions were evaluated with the complete basis set ab initio method, with the target being to determine their accuracy. Radical, neutral, cationic and anionic molecular systems were studied and the computed data were compared to experimental values. It was demonstrated that this computational approach is highly reliable for computing activation barriers, regardless of their spin and charge.
Enabling autologous human liver regeneration with differentiated adipocyte stem cells.

We developed a novel method for differentiating adipocyte-derived stem cells (ASCs) into hepatocyte-like cells (iHeps). ASCs are cultured as spherical cellular aggregates and are then induced by cu...
Leveraging Refinery Dominance in Transportation Fuel Supply to Encourage Adoption of Climate Change-Mitigating Transportation Technologies in California

California’s main source of greenhouse gas emissions is transportation, a relatively uncontrolled sector. Of the major energy commodities used by individuals, transport fuels are alone in lack of utility regulation: the dominance of refineries as transportation fuel suppliers suggests there may be an opportunity for California to engage its refining industry about transitioning into a transportation fuel utility role. While this concept could be extended beyond California, it is uniquely suited to California because of the State’s fuel isolation from the rest of the country: with its demand for a boutique low-pollution fuel, California is served almost exclusively by Californian refineries that face a different set of regulations than most other American refineries do. Due to infrastructural barriers and long vehicle lifetime, most forecasts predict slow penetration of alternative transportation technologies, even as policymakers suggest an urgent need for rethinking the transportation system. These infrastructural barriers, including the chicken-and-egg problem of building fuel supply stations and vehicles that use alternative fuels, may be more easily overcome by a single planning body than by a market that only uncertainly rewards first movers. By ensuring supply of fuels the state wishes to promote, California can more easily launch alternative vehicle policies and incentives.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Handbook of Cultural Geography

Kay Anderson, Mona Domosh, Steve Pile, and Nigel Thrift, eds. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2003. xix and 580 pp., maps, diags., photos., notes, and index. $ 125.00 cloth (ISBN 0-7619-6925-...
Stringy wave function for an S 3 cosmology

Using the recent observations of the relation between the Hartle-Hawking wave function and the topological string partition function, we propose a wave function for scalar metric fluctuations on S^3 embedded in a Calabi-Yau manifold. This problem maps to a study of noncritical bosonic string propagating on a circle at the self-dual radius. This can be viewed as a stringy toy model for a quantum cosmology.
Lipoplasty: from body contouring to tissue engineering.

Abstract Learning Objectives: The reader is presumed to have a broad understanding of plastic surgical procedures and concepts. After studying this article, the participant should be able to: Physicians may earn 1 hour of Category 1 CME credit by successfully completing the examination based on material covered in this article. The examination begins on page •••. Background: The rapid development of disciplines such as cell therapy and tissue engineering has focused attention on stem cells as the ideal cellular substrate for new tissues. Human adipose tissue is a potential source of such stem cells. Objective: We review the role of human adipose tissue in stem cell research and describe the procurement of stem cells from the stromal vascular fraction of human adipose tissue obtained through suction-assisted lipoplasty. Methods: Raw lipoaspirate obtained through suction-assisted lipoplasty was washed in phosphate-buffered saline and digested with collagenase. The collagenase was then inactivated by fetal bovine serum and the cells were centrifuged for 10 minutes at 1200 × g. The resulting cell pellet was resuspended, plated, and maintained in nondifferentiating control media. Results: Processing of 250 to 500 mL of suctioned tissue routinely yielded 2 to 6 × 10 8 processed lipoaspirate cells. Cell viability was typically >95%. These cells have been shown to differentiate in vitro into at least the adipogenic, chondrogenic, myogenic, neurogenic, and osteogenic lineages in the presence of specific induction factors. Conclusions: Adipose tissue may be an ideal source of stem cells, because it is abundant, easy to obtain in large quantities, and safe to procure. Such a development could place the plastic surgeon at the epicenter of medical research. Issues that require further research include elucidation of site-specific differences in fat cells, the use of vacuum-assisted lipoplasty and ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty in procuring stem cells, and the development of more efficient and convenient tissue processing techniques. (Aesthetic Surg J 2002;22:121-127.)
The costs of immigration to taxpayers: Toward a uniform accounting framework

Large scale immigration to the United States and a sluggish national economy have brought to the forefront of the current immigration policy debate, the question of whether immigrants fully pay—in the form of taxes—for the public services they use. Recent estimates of the costs of immigration differ so widely that they have confused rather than enlightened that debate. This paper argues that a uniform accounting framework must be agreed to if future studies are to provide credible and reliable estimates of costs and benefits upon which immigration policy can be formulated. The key conceptual, factual, and accounting issues that are to be addressed for the development of such a framework are outlined.
Percutaneous left atrial to femoral arterial bypass pumping for circulatory support in high‐risk coronary angioplasty

Left atrial to femoral arterial bypass was evaluated as a means of supporting patients who were considered to be at high risk for the performance of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. A 20 French drainage catheter was inserted percutaneously into the left atrium via a modified transseptal technique. Blood was withdrawn from the left atrium and returned through a femoral arterial cannula using a roller pump. Thirteen patients were treated in this fashion with excellent circulatory support. Pump flows varied from 1.5 to 3 liters per minute and bypass time ranged from 27 to 106 min (mean 43±17). Aortic mean pressure was well supported during balloon inflation. No significant complications were encountered. Neither an oxygenator nor a perfusionist is required. The ability to obtain direct left ventricular decompression offers a major potential advantage. Further evaluation of this technique for the support of such patients is indicated. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.