cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rhinovirus infection in young children is associated with elevated airway TSLP levels

To the Editor: Rhinovirus wheezing illnesses during early childhood are strongly linked with development of asthma later in life [1]. Indeed, rhinovirus infection in the first 3 years of life is associated with an almost 10-fold increase in risk for asthma at age 6 years [1]. The exact mechanism by which rhinovirus elicits a pro-asthmatic propensity in young children is largely unknown, but is purportedly related to a viral-induced T-helper cell (Th)2 airway inflammatory response [2]. Interestingly, the discovery of interactions between epithelial innate immunity and adaptive allergic responses has unveiled new potential links between rhinovirus and asthma. Of particular interest is the epithelial-derived cytokine thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), which is considered a “master Th2 cytokine” because it primes the differentiation of naive T0 cells into Th2 lymphocytes via activation of antigen presenting cells [3]. TSLP is induced by rhinovirus infection or by exposure to double stranded (ds)RNA (viral surrogate) in the lungs of allergic mice [4], and in human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEC) [5]. Together, these data suggest that TSLP may be the missing link between innate antiviral epithelial immunity and the Th2 immune response characteristic of asthma. This cross-sectional preliminary study aimed to investigate whether rhinovirus infections that occur naturally during the first 3 years of life are associated with elevated airway TSLP levels and enhanced Th2 responses, which may potentially facilitate the establishment of rhinovirus-induced pro-asthmatic changes during early childhood. We measured nasal airway TSLP, Th2 cytokines and antiviral responses in nasal washes obtained from newborns, infants and toddlers (≤3 years) with PCR-confirmed acute …
We Want Our 27 Million Dollars Back: Retention as a Revenue Resource

Community colleges lose millions of dollars in potential revenue due to lackluster retention and graduation rates. It is time for change! Bergen Community College (BCC) has made a unique commitment to concentrate solely on this issue. Learn how the establishment of the Department of Retention Services, with its cutting edge initiatives, is changing BCC.
Relating residential and commercial sector electricity loads to climate : evaluating state level sensitivities and vulnerabilities

Abstract A methodology for relating climate parameters to electricity consumption at regional scales has been applied to eight states resulting in predictive models of per capita residential and commercial electricity consumption. In isolating residential and commercial consumption these models allow for detailed analyses of urban electricity demand and its vulnerabilities to climate change at regional scales. Model sensitivities to climate perturbations and specific climate change scenarios have been investigated providing first-order estimates of how electricity demand may respond to climatic changes. The results indicate a wide range of electricity demand impacts, with one state experiencing decreased loads associated with climate warming, but the others experiencing a significant increase in annual per capita residential and commercial electricity consumption. The results indicate significantly different sensitivities for neighboring states, suggesting the inability to generalize results. In the long run the non-climatic factors responsible for these differences must be incorporated into the model structure, and assessments of changes in market saturation and related factors need to be included to make it amenable to long range forecasting.
Modulation of hypothalamic self-stimulation and escape behavior by chlordiazepoxide.

Abstract Rats with lateral hypothalamic electrodes self-stimulated at higher rates at threshold current intensities while under chlordiazepoxide (CDP) than under no-drug conditions. At current levels 10–15 μA above threshold, CDP (15 mg/kg) increased rate of self-stimulation at sites where escape behavior was also obtained, but decreased rate of self-stimulation at sites where continuous stimulation did not elicit consistent escape. Since CDP also increases the latency of escape behavior from hypothalamic sites where both self-stimulation and escape is obtained, it is suggested that CDP modulates the activity of a negative rather than a positive neural system.
Viscoelastic dissipation and the tear energy of urethane-cross-linked polybutadiene elastomers

A series of urethane-cross-linked polybutadiene elastomers of varying cross-linking levels have been investigated to determine the relationship between viscoelastic dissipation and tear (or fracture) resistance. Several points of correspondence were identified between these two properties. The first was an inverse proportionality in the terminal region between crosslink density and torsional creep behaviour as well as tear energy data, with the looser net-works being more dissipative and displaying the greatest resistance to tear. Secondly, master curves of both creep compliance and tear energy exhibited a unique intermediate plateau. This plateau measured approximately 13 decades in time in each case. The temperature dependences were determined to be the same for the tear energy and creep compliance. Finally, in the terminal or long time region, it was found that the dynamic loss modulusG″ could be linearly correlated with the tear energy.
Regarding the amazing choreography of clathrin coats.

The growth of contemporary cell biology is due in large part to technological advances. In the 1950s, electron micrographs of thin sections first provided unrivaled in situ views of the delicate intracellular architecture and fine structure of organelles, whereas new subcellular fractionation methods gave access to various biochemical components—especially proteins—enriched in different cellular fractions. A central tenet that emerged from these pioneering studies is that the intracellular biosynthetic and endocytic membrane systems of eukaryotic cells are functionally interconnected, and exchange of material between them often occurs in small (50–100 nm diameter), roughly spherical membranous transport vesicles. In electron micrographs, these vesicles are typically seen in close proximity to a membrane compartment and are frequently covered on their cytosolic face with a fuzzy proteinaceous coating. Subsequent technical advances facilitated further discovery and progress: genetic screens in model organisms and refinement of subcellular fractionation to facilitate cell-free reconstitution of transport reactions allowed the identification and purification of key regulatory and structural components. Persuasively, many of the genes discovered in genetic screens encoded the proteins purified biochemically. More recently, genome sequencing and proteomics efforts have bolstered the identification of sorting components, leading to long lists of evolutionarily conserved proteins that are involved in specific sorting operations at different membranes.
Simultaneous determination of propranolol and 4-hydroxypropranolol enantiomers after chiral derivatization using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method is described, which allows the simultaneous quantification of propranolol and 4-hydroxypropranolol enantiomers in human plasma. After extraction from plasma (pH 10.5 ) using ethyl acetate, the enantiomers are derivatized with R-(+)-phenylethylisocyanate as chiral derivatization reagent and triethylamine as basic catalyst in chloroform. Ascorbic acid is used to prevent 4-hydroxypropranolol from oxidation during the extraction. Chromatographic separation on ODS columns and fluorescence detection (228 nm/> 340 nm) allows sensitive quantitation of all derivatives. Incubation of the plasma samples with β-glucuronidase/arylsulfatase and the use of the specific β-glucuronidase inhibitor saccharo-1,4-lactone allows the quantitation of both the sulfate and glucuronide conjugates of the enantiomers. The method was applied to human plasma samples from a subject after administration of 60 mg racemic propranolol three times daily.
Preoperative evaluation, premedication, and induction of anesthesia in infants and children.

Purpose of reviewPreparation for and induction of anesthesia in children has evolved significantly over the last decade, with particular reference to the reduction of perioperative anxiety reduction by nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic means. Several new large population studies and meta-analyses f
Blended analysis for JavaScript: a practical framework to analyze dynamic features

The inherent dynamism of JavaScript (e.g., runtime code generation, prototyping, and function variadicity) renders static analyses inadequate. To address this shortcoming, we analyze JavaScript programs by means of blended analysis, a technique combining dynamic and static analyses. Our empirical findings indicate that blended analysis can effectively analyze realistic JavaScript applications.
Solid and grid sphere current collection in view of the tethered satellite system TSS 1 and TSS 1R mission results

[1] Passive end body plasma contactors have been operationally validated in space and have been shown to provide a simple, effective, and robust means of current collection at the positive terminal of an electrodynamic tether system. A grid sphere has been suggested as a possible end body since it potentially has distinct advantages compared to a solid sphere, including a lower neutral dynamic drag and a higher current-to-mass ratio. This paper estimates the maximum current collected by a grid sphere, taking into account its orbital motion and ion production inside the grid sphere. We first review the data from the tethered satellite system (TSS 1) and the TSS 1R flights, formulate a model for current collection by a solid sphere, and suggest how to incorporate it into the grid sphere current collection estimate. Then we calculate the potential distribution inside the grid sphere and the potential distribution outside the solid sphere for the same system parameters. Finally, we estimate the maximum current collected by a grid sphere depending on its transparency.
Distributed target localization using a progressive certainty map in visual sensor networks

Collaboration in visual sensor networks (VSNs) is essential not only to compensate for the processing, sensing, energy, and bandwidth limitations of each sensor node but also to improve the accuracy and robustness of the network. In this paper, we study target localization in VSNs, a challenging computer vision problem because of two unique features of cameras, including the extremely higher data rate and the directional sensing characteristics with limited field of view. Traditionally, the problem is solved by localizing the targets at the intersections of the back-projected 2D cones of each target. However, the existence of visual occlusion among targets would generate many false alarms. In this work, instead of resolving the uncertainty about target existence at the intersections, we identify and study the non-occupied areas in the cone and generate the so-called certainty map of non-existence of targets. As a result, after fusing inputs from a set of sensor nodes, the unresolved regions on the certainty map would be the location of targets. This paper focuses on the design of a light-weight, energy-efficient, and robust solution where not only each camera node transmits a very limited amount of data but that a limited number of camera nodes is involved. We propose a dynamic itinerary for certainty map integration where the entire map is progressively clarified from sensor to sensor. When the confidence of the certainty map is satisfied, targets are localized at the remaining unresolved regions in the certainty map. Based on results obtained from both simulation and real experiments, the proposed progressive method shows effectiveness in detection accuracy as well as energy and bandwidth efficiency.
Simulated effects on dairy cattle health of extending the voluntary waiting period with recombinant bovine somatotropin.

Abstract We simulated the effect of extending the voluntary wait period by 100 days on disorder-frequency measures that were based on cow-years (from lactations completed during the 4-year simulation horizon), metric tons of milk yield, and lactational incidence risks. A dynamic stochastic discrete-event simulation model that focuses on clinical and subclinical intramammary infections (IMI), plus clinical metabolic (left-displaced abomasum, ketosis, milk fever) and reproductive (cystic ovarian disease, dystocia, retained placenta, twinning, uterine infection) disorders in dairy herds was used. Although the voluntary wait period was increased by 100 days (50 vs. 150), the predicted difference in simulated days to conception was only 89 days for the extended voluntary wait-period group (which we attributed to higher fertility later in lactation). Herds that had a voluntary wait period of 150 days (compared to the control herds’ voluntary wait period of 50 days) were predicted to have significantly lower rates of metabolic and reproductive disorders and clinical mastitis on both cow-year and milk-yield bases. Simulated control herds, on average, produced 8539 kg of milk in an average lactation of 325 days and simulated herds with a 150-day voluntary wait period 10 893 kg of milk in an average lactation of 409 days. There was a significantly lower predicted rate and risk of culling for reproductive failure in the extended voluntary wait period group. The predicted lactational incidence risks for subclinical IMI were 18% higher for the extended voluntary wait period group — but extending the voluntary wait period by 100 days was predicted not to increase the risk of any of the other 10 disorders.
Ocean color spectral variability studies using solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence.

It is suggested that chlorophyll-induced ocean color spectral variability can be studied using only a passive airborne spectroradiometer instrument, with solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence used as the standard against which all correlations are performed. The intraspectral correlation (ISC) method is demonstrated with results obtained during an airborne mapping mission in the New York Bight. The curvature algorithm is applied to the solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence at about 690 nm, and good agreement is found with results obtained using active-passive correlation spectroscopy. The ISC method has application to spectral variability and resulting chlorophyll concentration measurement in different environmental conditions and in different water types.
Teachers’ Voice vs. Students’ Voice: A Needs Analysis Approach of English for Acadmic Purposes (EAP) in Iran

EAP plays a highly important role in countries where English is used mainly for academic purposes. However, EAP programs have been developed without conducting a systematic needs analysis from both the students’ and instructors’ perspective. The purpose of this study is to describe the perception that EAP students and instructors have of the problematic areas in EAP programs. A total of 693 EAP students majoring in different academic fields and 37 instructors participated in this study. Survey information included respondents’ perception the importance of problematic areas in EAP programs. The results show discrepancy between the perceptions of EAP learners in different academic fields and between learners and instructors. The study has implications for curriculum design and instructional delivery of EAP courses for college level students.Keywords: English as a foreign language, English for academic purposes, Teachers’ voice, Students’ voice, Needs analysis, EAP methodology
Lipoprotein secretion by human monocyte derived macrophages

Abstract Cholesterol-loaded human monocyte derived macrophages secrete distinct class of lipoprotein. Following macropahges incubation in serum-free medium containing [ 14 C]-oleic acid the cells secrete lipoprotein associated radioactivity that was found in triglycerides, phospholipids and cholesteryl ester. Macrophage lipoprotein secretion was analyzed by non-denatured gradient gel electrophoresis, agarose lipoprotein electrophoresis and discontinuous density gradient ultracentrifugation. The lipoprotein secreted by human macrophages was shown to be triglyceride-enriched and contain a protein resembling apolipoprotein E.
NPI any and connected exceptive phrases

This paper addresses two puzzles in the semantics of connected exceptive phrases (EP): (i) the compatibility of EPs modifying noun phrases headed by the negative polarity item (NPI) determiner any and (ii) the ability of a negative universal quantifier modified by an EP to license strong NPIs. Previous analyses of EPs are shown to fail to solve these puzzles. A new unified solution to the two puzzles is proposed. The crucial insight of the analysis is to allow von Fintel’s (Natural Language Semantics 1: 123–148, 1993; Restrictions on quantifier domains, PhD dissertation, 1994) leastness condition on EPs to be imposed at scopes non-local to the surface position of the EP. A general result is derived concerning the truth conditions of sentences in which an existential modified by an EP occurs in the scope of a downward entailing operator. The distribution of EPs is argued to depend on how the leastness condition interacts with other pragmatic strengthening conditions, such as the one imposed on any by Kadmon and Landman (Linguistics and Philosophy 16: 353–422, 1993).
Breathing and the cardiovascular system

Abstract The close coupling between the systems of breathing and circulation provide potential hazards to physiological function because breathing is subject to conscious control. Emotional input to the respiratory system is often at odds with degree of muscle activity, thereby disrupting the matching of breathing to actual metabolic needs. Hyperventilation is the most common example. Research on the consequences of this mismatch are described in connection with occurrence of coronary vasospasms and angina, effort syndrome, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, cardiac rehabilitation and functional cardiac symptoms. Principles and techniques for training relaxation through breathing awareness and self-regulation are described.
College Psychotherapy at a Qatari/American Counseling Center

Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Q) is a branch campus of Georgetown University in Washington, DC. It is one of six American universities comprising Education City, a h...
Enzymatic epoxidation reactions

Abstract The oxygenases - enzymes which incorporate molecular oxygen directly into organic molecules - are ubiquitous and of high metabolic significance. These enzymes play crucial roles in the degradation of drugs and foreign substances and in the biosynthesis, interconversion and degradation of amino acids, lipids, porphyrins, vitamins and hormones. Thus, they are centrally involved in the mechanisms of cytotoxicity, mutagenicity, carcinogenicity and tissue necrosis. From the standpoint of enzyme technology, the ability of these enzymes to incorporate molecular oxygen into organic substrates efficiently and selectively is highly enticing, since such reactions are poorly accomplished using conventional chemistry. This review focuses on enzymatic epoxidation reactions, one example of the many chemical transformations catalysed by oxygenases. By way of introduction, an overview of the role of enzymatic epoxidation reactions in the metabolism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, in steroid biosynthesis and interconversion, and in various other pathways is presented. Following this, enzymatic epoxidation of simple olefins is considered in detail, with emphasis on bacterial systems and discussion of both enzymology and reactivity characteristics. Finally, a number of major issues which must be confronted if complex oxygenase systems are to be utilized in enzyme technology application are briefly discussed. Among these are specialized immobilization techniques, cofactor recycling, problems of enzyme stability, and the intriguing possibility of utilizing mechanistic information in the design of non-enzymatic, chemical model systems which mimic oxygenase catalysis.
65Zinc uptake by epididymal spermatozoa of Rattus norvegicus.

Abstract 1. 1. The in vivo uptake and metabolism of 65Zn over, 1, 3, 6, 24 and 48 hr by rat spermatozoa from the caput, corpus and cauda epididymidis were determined. 2. 2. The differences in 65Zn content of spermatozoa from the caput epididymidis at 3 hr vs. the content at 24 and 48 hr approached significance (P 3. 3. The 65Zn level of spermatozoa from the corpus epididymidis at 1 and 3 hr differed significantly (P 4. 4. There were no significant (P
Optimal Contracts for Long‐Term Decisions and the Threat of Dismissal

This paper studies a simple agency model where an agent's decision can affect his or her own future payoffs as well as the principal's. The threat of dismissal becomes an important part of an incentive scheme even if the principal can use the performance-based wage contract. However, if the agent's future payoffs depend on the past realized performance, but not on the past decision directly, or if the agent is risk-neutral, it is not optimal to use the threat of dismissal. As the agent's discretion over his future payoffs increases, the principal relies more on the threat of dismissal but less on the wage contract.
Food Insecurity and Diabetes Risk Among the Northern Cheyenne

ABSTRACT Using data from a 2001 survey of a representative sample of Northern Cheyenne reservation residents, this paper examines use of a variety of food sources, nutritional health and risk factors, diabetes risk factors, and food insecurity. Results indicate that substantial proportions of the respondents had high levels of nutritional risk, food insecurity, and diabetes risk. Importantly, those using community emergency food sources and informal economic strategies to meet food shortages were more likely to be food insecure. Those with higher nutritional risk and lower nutritional health were also more likely to be food insecure. Finally, being younger, educated and using wages to obtain food increased the risk for diabetes.
Structural barriers: redesigning schools to create learning organizations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on schools and address the structural dimensions of the organization as well as the hierarchical design of information flows between stakeholders. The paper highlights current structural barriers to creating learning organizations.Design/methodology/approach – This paper utilizes a conceptual model.Findings – The analysis shows that the previous process and perception changes as they relate to learning are moderated by structure, and that success in building the learning organization is limited without redesign of the learning environment.Practical implications – While restructuring is not the solution by itself (although some administrators like to think so), the restructuring of the school is a moderator of all the changes occurring in the path to creating a learning organization.Originality/value – The paper provides a look at the barriers within schools and provides a practical agenda for action that enables the creation of learning organizations.
Antineoplastic Agents. 445. Synthesis and Evaluation of Structural Modifications of (Z)- and (E)-Combretastatin A-41

A series of cis- and trans-stilbenes related to combretastatin A-4 (1a), with a variety of substituents at the 3‘-position of the aryl B-ring, were synthesized and evaluated for inhibitory activity employing six human cancer cell lines (NCI-H460 lung carcinoma, BXPC-3 pancreas, SK-N-SH neuroblastoma, SW1736 thyroid, DU-145 prostate, and FADU pharynx-squamous sarcoma) as well as the P-388 murine lymphocyte leukemia cell line. Several of the cis-stilbene derivatives were significantly inhibitory against all cell lines used, with potencies comparable to that of the parent 1a. All were potent inhibitors of tubulin polymerization. The corresponding trans-stilbenes had little or no activity as tubulin polymerization inhibitors and were relatively inactive against the seven cancer cell lines. In terms of inhibition of both cancer cell growth and tubulin polymerization, the dimethylamino and bromo cis-stilbenes were the most potent of the new derivatives, the latter having biological activity approaching that of ...
Evaluation of Columbia, USMARC-Composite, Suffolk, and Texel rams as terminal sires in an extensive rangeland production system: VIII. Quality measures of lamb longissimus dorsi.

Quality measures of lamb longissimus dorsi were evaluated in 514 crossbred wether lambs to assess sire breed differences. Wethers were produced over 3 yr from single-sire matings of 22 Columbia, 22 U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC)-Composite (Composite), 21 Suffolk, and 17 Texel rams to adult Rambouillet ewes. Lambs were reared to weaning in an extensive western rangeland production system and fin- ished in a feedlot on a high-energy finishing diet. One of three harvest groups were randomly assigned to each lamb, and lambs were transported to The Ohio State University abattoir when the mean BW of wethers remaining in the feedlot reached 54.4, 61.2, or 68.0 kg. After harvest, subjective lean quality scores were assigned and LM pH (immediately after and 24 h after harvest), color (quanti- fied as Minolta L*, a*, and b*), intramuscular fat (IMF), cooking loss percentage, and Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) were determined. Statistical models included fixed effects of sire breed, year of birth, and harvest group and random effects of sire (nested within sire breed and year) and maternal grandsire. Year and harvest group were significant (P 0.28). At comparable numbers of days on feed, Texel-sired weth- ers had the greatest (more desirable; P 0.05) sire breed effects were detected for LM pH at or 24 h after harvest, Minolta a* and b*, IMF, percentage of cooking loss, and WBSF at comparable numbers of days on feed. At comparable chilled carcass weight, significant (P 0.15) for LM pH at or 24 h after harvest, Minolta L*, a*, and b*, cooking loss per- centage, IMF, and WBSF at comparable chilled carcass weight. Therefore, results of the present study indicated that the 4 sire breeds produced crossbred lamb carcasses that had similar and desirable LM quality measurements, meeting consumer expectations.
An Interesting Issue of Diels−Alder Selectivity Discovered En Route to 11-O-Debenzoyltashironin

The hypervalent iodine-mediated oxidative dearomatization/Diels−Alder cascade was examined in the context of the natural product 11-O-debenzoyltashironin. Interestingly, the regioselectivity of the Diels−Alder reaction can be completely switched by changing the dienophile. Trapping of allyl alcohols during the oxidative dearomatization gives rise to the five-membered acetal, while trapping of allenyl alcohols results in the six-membered acetal.
A Life-Course Perspective on Stress, Delinquency, and Young Adult Crime

This study uses General Strain Theory (GST) to describe and examine one potential pathway of delinquency/crime escalation and de-escalation across adolescence and young adulthood. In particular, the time-varying consequences for delinquent behavior and young adult crime of persistent or increasing levels of strain are addressed using data from the Family Health Study, an eight-year longitudinal data set (n = 840). The results indicate that there is a positive association between experiencing one type of strain—stressful life events—and involvement in delinquent or criminal behavior during this period of the life-course. However, the impact of stressful life events on these behaviors is diminished among young adults. Moreover, delinquent/criminal peer associations attenuate the age-specific effects of stressful life events, thus suggesting that peers play a central role in the association between strain and these behaviors. Implications of the results for theory and policy are discussed.
Broadband all-photonic transduction of nanocantilevers

A new chip-based optical method has been used to actuate and detect the motion of nanocantilevers. This non-interferometric approach does not require a coherent light source. Multiplexed read-out of up to ten nanocantilevers is demonstrated in a silicon photonic chip.
Low Serum Magnesium and the Development of Atrial Fibrillation in the Community The Framingham Heart Study

Background—Low serum magnesium has been linked to increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) after cardiac surgery. It is unknown whether hypomagnesemia predisposes to AF in the community. Methods and Results—We studied 3530 participants (mean age, 44 years; 52% women) from the Framingham Offspring Study who attended a routine examination and were free of AF and cardiovascular disease. We used Cox proportional hazard regression analysis to examine the association between serum magnesium at baseline and risk of incident AF. Analyses were adjusted for conventional AF risk factors, use of antihypertensive medications, and serum potassium. During up to 20 years of follow-up, 228 participants developed AF. Mean serum magnesium was 1.88 mg/dL. The age- and sex-adjusted incidence rate of AF was 9.4 per 1000 person-years (95% confidence interval, 6.7–11.9) in the lowest quartile of serum magnesium (≤1.77 mg/dL) compared with 6.3 per 1000 person-years (95% confidence interval, 4.1–8.4) in the highest quartile (≥1....
A transmission disequilibrium test for general pedigrees that is robust to the presence of random genotyping errors and any number of untyped parents

Two issues regarding the robustness of the original transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) developed by Spielman et al are: (i) missing parental genotype data and (ii) the presence of undetected genotype errors. While extensions of the TDT that are robust to items (i) and (ii) have been developed, there is to date no single TDT statistic that is robust to both for general pedigrees. We present here a likelihood method, the TDT(ae), which is robust to these issues in general pedigrees. The TDT(ae) assumes a more general disease model than the traditional TDT, which assumes a multiplicative inheritance model for genotypic relative risk. Our model is based on Weinberg's work. To assess robustness, we perform simulations. Also, we apply our method to two data sets from actual diseases: psoriasis and sitosterolemia. Maximization under alternative and null hypotheses is performed using Powell's method. Results of our simulations indicate that our method maintains correct type I error rates at the 1, 5, and 10% levels of significance. Furthermore, a Kolmorogov-Smirnoff Goodness of Fit test suggests that the data are drawn from a central chi2 with 2 df, the correct asymptotic null distribution. The psoriasis results suggest two loci as being significantly linked to the disease, even in the presence of genotyping errors and missing data, and the sitosterolemia results show a P-value of 1.5 x 10(-9) for the marker locus nearest to the sitosterolemia disease genes. We have developed software to perform TDT(ae) calculations, which may be accessed from our ftp site.
Toward Leaner Binary-Clause Reasoning in a Satisfiability Solver

Binary-clause reasoning has been shown to reduce the size of the search space on many satisfiability problems, but has often been so expensive that run-time was higher than that of a simpler procedure that explored a larger space. The method of Sharir for detecting strongly connected components in a directed graph can be adapted to performing “lean” resolution on a set of binary clauses. Beyond simply detecting unsatisfiability, the goal is to find implied equivalent literals, implied unit clauses, and implied binary clauses.
Effect of Chlorine Exposure on the Survival and Antibiotic Gene Expression of Multidrug Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in Water

Acinetobacter baumannii is a multidrug resistant pathogen capable of causing a wide spectrum of clinical conditions in humans. Acinetobacter spp. is ubiquitously found in different water sources. Chlorine being the most commonly used disinfectant in water, the study investigated the effect of chlorine on the survival of A. baumannii in water and transcription of genes conferring antibiotic resistance. Eight clinical isolates of A. baumannii, including a fatal meningitis isolate (ATCC 17978) (~108 CFU/mL) were separately exposed to free chlorine concentrations (0.2, 1, 2, 3 and 4 ppm) with a contact time of 30, 60, 90 and 120 second. The surviving pathogen counts at each specified contact time were determined using broth dilution assay. In addition, real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis of the antibiotic resistance genes (efflux pump genes and those encoding resistance to specific antibiotics) of three selected A. baumannii strains following exposure to chlorine was performed. Results revealed that all eight A. baumannii isolates survived the tested chlorine levels during all exposure times (p > 0.05). Additionally, there was an up-regulation of all or some of the antibiotic resistance genes in A. baumannii, indicating a chlorine-associated induction of antibiotic resistance in the pathogen.
Taxonomic and regional patterns in benthic macroinvertebrate elemental composition in streams

Summary 1. Ecological stoichiometry has been used to better understand dynamics in consumer growth and the role of consumer-recycled nutrients because it focuses on more than one element. Most research has focused on pelagic rather than benthic consumers. Variation in elemental composition among benthic consumer taxa would suggest that taxa differ in their susceptibility to nutrient limitation or in their role in recycling nutrients. 2. We collected benthic macroinvertebrates from streams in two regions (Indiana–Michigan and Wisconsin, U.S.A.) to examine taxonomic and regional variation in benthic macroinvertebrate body carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) concentrations and ratios. 3. Elemental composition varied little within taxa common to both regions. In contrast, elemental composition differed greatly among taxa and appeared to be related to phylogeny. The elemental composition of macroinvertebrates clustered into three distinct groups: insects, mollusks, and crustaceans. To a lesser extent, insects and mollusks also differed in elemental composition among genera. 4. Functional feeding groups (FFGs) differed in elemental composition, with predators having a higher N content than other groups. Substantial elemental imbalances between C and N were found between most primary consumers and their likely food sources, and the magnitude of the imbalance depended in part on the FFG. 5. Our results support an assumption of most ecological stoichiometry models that, within a species, the elemental composition of aquatic invertebrates is relatively constant. Variation in elemental composition among taxa at various higher taxonomic levels suggests that susceptibility of stream invertebrates to nutrient limitation and their role in nutrient cycling will strongly depend on phylogeny.
Collisional dissociation cross sections for O+O2, CO and N2, O2+O2, N+N2, and N2+N2

Abstract Using laboratory data for the scattering of O by O2, CO and N2 pair potentials are constructed for O, C and N atoms. These potentials are then used to calculate collisional dissociation and energy transfer cross sections for O on O2, CO and N 2 , O 2 on O2, N on N2, and N2 on N2. Since the energetic ions often neutralize in the atmosphere corona, such cross sections are relevant to plasma ion bombardment of the atmospheres of Mars, Titan, Triton and Europa.
Ex interim Voting: an experimental study of referendums for public-good provision

Fischer and Nicklisch [2007] present a fascinating experimental design aimed at evaluating the consequences of ex interim voting mechanisms on the efficient provision of public goods under conditions of unanimity rule, majority and no referendum (automatic provision). The authors find that (1) initial contributions are the same under both unanimity and majority rule; (2) over the course of the experiment, the average number of yes votes is essentially the same for both majority rule and unanimity, with the consequence that the public good is provided more often under majority rule; (3) over the period of the experiment, average contributions are higher under the unanimity provision, but the variance among contributions is also higher under unanimity; and (4) with respect to efficiency and group profits, the unanimity condition produces the least efficient outcome, with majority rule more efficient and automatic provision the most efficient. The authors find that players did not coordinate to produce efficient results but rather exhibited a form of path dependence in their behavior. In particular, players who voted against the good in the previous round tended to decrease their contributions, while rejection of the public good led to increased contributions. This path dependence was most pronounced under conditions of majority rule, suggesting that majority rule is the least stable voting mechanism over time. The authors express surprise that no meaningful coordination took place between the players and that unanimity voting mechanisms decreased efficiency the most. Their expectation was that majority rule would be least efficient because of unstable voting coalitions, making coordination more difficult. Yet the result may be a function of the experimental design. In the real world, majority voting mechanisms produce the problem of unstable coalitions because meaningful bargaining can take place between the players. Under the experiment's conditions, the players had full information but there is no indication that communication took place between them, limiting bargaining and negotiating opportunities that arguably create problems with systems operating under majority rule. Second, it would be interesting for the authors to explore in more detail the path dependent nature of the decision making process over repeated rounds. As noted
Light regulation of plant gene expression by an upstream enhancer-like element

Light regulates many varied physiological and developmental phenomena during plant growth and differentiation, including the formation of a photosynthetically competent chloroplast from a proplastid1. The expression of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase small subunit (rbcS) genes is regulated by light in a development- and tissue-specific manner2,3. In some plant species, phytochrome has been demonstrated to mediate this response4–7, and photoregulation of rbcS expression occurs at least in part at the level of transcription8,9. We have shown previously that a 5′-noncoding fragment (4–973 base pairs (bp) upstream of the messenger RNA cap site) of the pea rbcS ss3.6 gene contains all of the nucleotide sequence information necessary to direct the photoregulated expression of a bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (cat) gene in tobacco10. Consistent with these findings, Morelli et al.11 have shown by deletion analysis of a second rbcS gene promoter, that the sequences required for photo-regulated expression of rbcS E9 reside within the 5′-noncoding region. They identified an upstream region of ∼700 bp needed for maximum transcription but not light–dark regulation, and a region from −35 to −2 bp which included the TATA box and contained the necessary information for light responsiveness. We now demonstrate that regulatory sequences 5′ distal to the rbcS ss3.6 TATA box and transcriptional start site not only contain the information necessary for maximum expression, but also confer photoregulation. These upstream regulatory sequences function independently of orientation when fused to their homologous promoter or a heterologous promoter.
Short-term mortality and cost associated with cardiac device implantation in patients hospitalized with heart failure

Background The use of implantable cardiac devices in the management of heart failure has increased, but patient selection and inhospital outcomes in clinical practice have not been critically explored. Therefore, we evaluated the inhospital mortality and costs associated with patients with heart failure who received an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, cardiac resynchronization device, or device lead. Methods We analyzed admissions with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, procedure codes for implantation/revision of cardioverter defibrillator or cardiac resynchronization device and a primary or secondary diagnosis code for heart failure in a prospective hospital database from 2004 to 2005. Odds ratios were calculated to quantify risk for mortality. Average accumulated costs over time were calculated before and after day of first device implant procedure. Results Among 27,907 hospitalizations, inhospital mortality varied based on day of device implantation and use of intravenous inotropic therapy. Mortality was 0.3% for patients who did not require inotropic drugs versus 3.3%, 6.6%, and 15.2% for patients who required initiation of drug before, on the day of, or after device implantation, respectively. Logistic regression demonstrated that the most potent risk for inhospital mortality was the use of inotropic drugs. Similar trends were observed for any vasoactive therapy. There was a marked increase in costs associated with these admissions. Conclusions Implantation of cardiac devices during a hospitalization for heart failure may be associated with significant inhospital mortality if patients require intravenous vasoactive therapy. Risk stratification methodology that incorporates ongoing/anticipated need for these drugs will likely improve clinical decision making.
Electron-beam mapping of plasmon resonances in electromagnetically interacting gold nanorods

Electron energy-loss spectroscopy and energy-filtered transmission electron-microscope imaging are used to characterize the energy distribution of the surface plasmon of isolated and coupled gold nanorods. Local-field enhancement and spectral shift of the plasmon modes are observed for two interacting nanoparticles. The spatial modes measured by energy loss are shown to share qualitative similarities with the electromagnetic field distribution around gold nanorods induced by optical excitation as simulated using the discrete dipole-approximation method.
Generation of statin drug metabolites through electrochemical and enzymatic oxidations

The generation of key drug metabolites for the purpose of their complete structural characterization, toxicity testing, as well as to serve as standards for quantitative studies, is a critical step in the pharmaceutical discovery and development cycle. Here, we utilized electrochemistry/mass spectrometry for the detection and subsequent generation of six phase I metabolites of simvastatin and lovastatin. Both simvastatin and lovastatin are widely used for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. There are known drug–drug interaction issues of statin therapy, and it has been suggested that the oxidative metabolites may contribute to the cholesterol-lowering effect of both statins. Of the known phase I metabolites of simvastatin and lovastatin, none are commercially available, and chemical means for the synthesis of a very few of them have been previously reported. Here, we report that electrochemical oxidation of less than 1 mg each of simvastatin and lovastatin led to the generation of three oxidative metabolites of each parent to allow complete nuclear magnetic resonance characterization of all six metabolites. The yields obtained by the electrochemical approach were also compared with incubation of parent drug with commercially available bacterial mutant CYP102A1 enzymes, and it was found that the electrochemical approach gave higher yields than the enzymatic oxidations for the generation of most of the observed oxidative metabolites in this study.
The Transplanted Executive

The article reviews the book “The Transplanted Executive,” by P. Christopher Earley and Miriam Erez.
Requirements determination using the cube tool methodology and Petri nets

The geographical dispersion of distributed intelligent systems requires the consideration of communications as well as processes in the determination of requirements. The Cube Tool is a methodology for deriving the processing and communication needs for the individual functions that support a mission. An approach is introduced for deriving executable models from the Cube Tool results in the form of a Petri net representing each function. Then, for a given scenario, these nets are interconnected and the steps of the methodology are applied again to derive the Petri net that represents the mission-dependent requirements for the system. >
Salmonella type III secretion‐associated chaperones confer secretion‐pathway specificity

Type III protein secretion systems (TTSSs) are ancestrally related to the flagellar export system and are essential for the virulence of many bacteria pathogenic for humans, animals and plants. Most proteins destined to travel the TTSS pathway possess at least two domains that specifically target them to the secretion apparatus. One of the domains is located within the amino terminal first approximately 20 amino acids and the second domain, located within the first approximately 140 amino acids, serves as a binding site for specific chaperones. It has been previously proposed that these two secretion signals are capable of operating independently of one another to facilitate secretion into the extracellular environment. We have found that in the absence of their chaperone-binding domains, the Salmonella typhimurium TTSS-secreted proteins SptP and SopE are no longer targeted for secretion through their cognate TTSS and, instead, are secreted through the flagellar export pathway. These results indicate the existence of an 'ancestral' flagellar secretion signal within TTSS-exported proteins that is revealed in the absence of the chaperone-binding domain. Furthermore, we found that secretion into culture supernatants as well as translocation into host cells by the cognate TTSS require both, the amino terminal and chaperone-binding domains. We conclude from these studies that a critical function for the TTSS-associated chaperones is to confer secretion-pathway specificity to their cognate secreted proteins.
A NOTE ON THÜNEN'S CIRCLES

JOHANN HEINRICH VON THVNEN'S Der Isolierte Staat is the first German work in the history of central-place theory, the first model of rational spatial order for agricultural production.' The first edition of Part I (1826) contains two diagrams, one of which has become widely publicized as the illustration of the Kreislehre or Thuinen's so-called "intensity theory."2 There is no English translation of Part I, and the original text is not easy to read, even for German scholars.3 The large literature which Thiinen's theory inspired, particularly in economics and agronomy, is not under discussion here.4 This brief article is
Is elevated noradrenaline an aetiological factor in a number of diseases

1 Here I put forth the hypothesis that noradrenaline (NA), which is a signalling molecule in the brain and sympathetic nervous system (SNS), is an aetiological factor in a number of diseases. 2 In a previous paper (Fitzgerald, Int. J. Cancer, 124, 2009, 257), I examined evidence that elevated NA is a factor in various types of cancer. Here I extend the argument to several other diseases, including diabetes mellitus, open-angle glaucoma, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis and asthma. 3 The principal hypothesis is that, largely as a result of genetics, elevated noradrenergic tone in the SNS predisposes a large number of individuals to a broad range of diseases. 4 For each of the above five diseases, I briefly examine the following four lines of evidence to assess the hypothesis: i) whether pharmacological studies in rodents that manipulate NA levels or receptors affect these diseases; ii) whether pharmacological manipulation of NA in humans affects these diseases; iii) whether bipolar disorder, excessive body weight, and hypertension, which may all three involve elevated NA, tend to be comorbid with these diseases and iv) whether psychological stressors tend to cause or exacerbate these conditions, since psychological stress is associated with increased release of NA. 5 The four lines of evidence tend to support the hypothesis.