cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multiple Breast Cancer Risk Factors Do Not Improve Patient Acceptance of Chemoprevention.

Background: Patients may be at increased risk of developing breast cancer due to hereditary or familial risk or a pathological diagnosis of breast atypia or lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS). Although tamoxifen and raloxifene are effective and approved chemopreventive agents to reduce risk of developing breast cancer in high risk individuals, acceptance of chemoprevention as a risk reduction strategy is low. Our objective was to assess whether chemoprevention is more readily accepted by those at genetic or familial risk versus pathologic risk, and if the presence of multiple breast cancer risk factors improves chemoprevention acceptance.Methods: All patients seen at the Loyola University Cancer Risk Assessment and Prevention clinic completed information including demographics, health, family and social history. Patients with a family history of either a first or second degree family member with breast cancer (FH) were compared to those who presented due to atypia or LCIS on breast biopsy as well as those with an elevated Gail score. Acceptance of risk reducing strategies between these groups was compared.Results: The initial 115 patients presenting to the clinic were analyzed. Thirty-six (31%) women had FH only, 26 (23%) had a biopsy with atypia or LCIS only, 10 (9%) had an elevated Gail score, 17 (15%) had a biopsy indicating atypia or LCIS plus FH, and 26 (23%) had an elevated Gail plus FH. Seventy-three patients were candidates for chemoprevention; 16 (22%) accepted chemoprevention. Patients with a FH plus atypia/LCIS did not accept chemoprevention more than patients with FH alone (p=1.00). Patients with a FH plus atypia/LCIS did not accept chemoprevention more than than patients with atypia/LCIS alone (p=0.451). Pts with elevated Gail plus FH did not accept chemoprevention more than patients with elevated Gail alone (p=0.144). Four women in the FH group were known BRCA mutation carriers; all elected to proceed with risk reducing surgery, none accepted chemoprevention.Conclusions: Acceptance of chemoprevention is low in women at genetic or familial risk, those at risk due to atypia/LCIS, and those with an elevated Gail score. Having both familial and pathologic risk factors for breast cancer development did not increase acceptance of chemoprevention. Better understanding of women9s comprehension of breast cancer risk, and barriers to patient acceptance of chemoprevention are needed. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 1039.
Modern Italy in Historical Perspective

Nick Carter, (2010) (London: Bloomsbury Academic), 342 pp, ISBN 9781571815408, $29.95, soft cover The austere title of this book does not do justice to the scope and range of the subjects and issue...
Continuous Pythagoras numbers for rational quadratic forms

Abstract We introduce the concept of the continuous Pythagoras number P c ( S ) of a subset S of a commutative topological ring to be, roughly, the least number m ≤ ∞ such that the set of sums of squares of elements of S can be represented as sums of m squares of elements of S , by means of m continuous functions. Heilbronn had already shown that P c ( Q ) = 4. Letting L n ( F ) be the set of linear n -ary forms over the field F , we show that P c (L n ( R )) = n . We then allow continuously varying nonnegative rational “weights” on the m square summands. If these continuous weight functions and the continuous functions giving the coefficients of the m linear forms, are required to be Q -rational functions of the coefficients of the given positive semidefinite quadratic forms, then we show that P c (L 1 ( R )) = 1 and P c (L n ( R )) = ∞ for n > 1. However, if only the product of the weight functions and the coefficient functions is required to be continuous, then n ≤ P c ( L n ( R )) n ! e ] (where e is the base of the natural logarithms) and 2 P c ( L 2 ( R )); we conjecture that n P c ( L n ( R )) also for n > 2. On the other hand, if these weight functions and coefficient functions are required only to be rational in the weaker sense of taking rational values at rational arguments, then P c ( L 2 ( Q )) = 2, and we conjecture that P c ( L n ( Q )) = n also for n > 2.
Aging and Depression: Some Unanswered Questions.

The subject of aging and depression leaves many unanswered questions, and the lack of precise and universally accepted definitions (not to mention an inadequate nosology) further complicates the issue. Little is known regarding the differentiation of depressive illness from a melancholic response to the stressful aging process, and equally little regarding the natural history of depressions with onset in the teens, 20s, or 30s. Studies are focusing on biochemical and physiological aspects of depression, but at present biochemists suffer from the uncertainties of the clinicians, and the clinicians and geneticists from the limitations of the biochemists. However, despite our uncertainties about the condition, several effective forms of therapy have been developed, ranging from a focus on the therapeutic milieu to the use of pharmacologic antidepressants (particularly lithium). Ultimately, the question remains: Why are not all elderly persons suffering from depression? The answer may lie in the interaction of environment, life stresses, and the internal adaptive capacities of the individual.
Learning in tasks that incorporate natural versus unnatural mappings: An example using aircraft instrument comprehension

Mappings between the structure and function of a system or device affect the formation of accurate mental models. This study investigated the performance effect of a more natural cognitive mapping between instruments and aircraft on an aircraft instrument comprehension (AIC) task. Treatments for the experimental groups were identical except that aircraft instrument displays were modified slightly to incorporate natural and unnatural mappings between structure and function. Students who received natural mappings during instruction performed significantly better than those who received the standard treatment containing an unnatural mapping. Questionnaire responses confirmed the difficulty of interpreting the standard treatment. The results suggest that instruction for the AIC and similar tasks should be expanded to take into account learners' mental models and perhaps to encourage mapping strategies.
The Relationship Between Online Sexual Compulsivity, Dissociation, and Past Child Abuse Among Men Who Have Sex with Men

The objective of this study was to measure the relationships between online sexual compulsivity, three dimensions of dissociation (absorption, depersonalization, and amnesia), and past child abuse among men who have sex with men (MSM). A total of 517 MSM, recruited from Internet chat rooms, completed the survey. Results indicated that past child abuse was significantly related to dissociation but not online sexual compulsivity. It was also found that the amount of time MSM spent online in a one-week period, in general and specifically engaged in sexual activity, was significantly related to online sexual compulsivity and three dimensions of dissociation. Online sexual compulsivity was a significant predictor of absorption, depersonalization, and amnesia. Implications for clinicians and future research are presented.
Evidence for impaired mitoxantrone and vinblastine binding in P388 murine leukemia cells with multidrug resistance.

Multidrug resistance is associated with a P170 glycoprotein efflux pump that limits net drug accumulation in resistant cell lines. Other evidence has suggested that diminished net drug uptake in multidrug resistant (MDR) cells is due to decreased drug binding as well. To assess the contribution of binding differences to net drug accumulation and retention in MDR cells, mitoxantrone and vinblastine, two agents commonly associated with the MDR phenotype but with different mechanisms of action and intracellular binding sites, were studied in P388 murine leukemia cells. For both drugs, resistance was associated with a marked reduction in tightly bound drug which can account for the diminished net drug accumulation in this cell line; even at 1 μM vinblastine when the exchangeable component was one-half that of the sensitive cells, the nonexchangeable component was only one-seventh. For mitoxantrone, the exchangeable drug component was greater in resistant cells at low drug levels (1 μM) and similar at high drug levels (10 μM). For vinblastine, the exchangeable drug component was decreased in the resistant cells at 1 μM, but the difference compared to sensitive cells became neglible at 10 μM. The data indicate that diminished net drug uptake in the P388 MDR cell line was associated with a marked decrease in tightly bound, i.e. nonexchangeable, drug fractions for both mitoxantrone and vinblastine. Therefore, alterations in intracellular binding are an important factor in the decreased cellular uptake and retention of drugs in the multidrug resistance phenomenon. The relationship between these changes and the P170 efflux pump requires further clarification.
Selective Breeding for Increased Home Cage Physical Activity in Collaborative Cross and Hsd:ICR Mice

Selective breeding experiments for increased wheel running and open field behavior have identified genetic and neurobiological factors associated with increased voluntary physical activity in mice, but no previous study has directly selected for increased distance traveled in the home cage. Therefore, within-family selection was applied to increase home cage activity as measured by continuous video tracking using two different starting populations, G2:F1 Collaborative Cross (CC) and Hsd:ICR mice. Genetic correlations with distance traveled on running wheels and in the open field were evaluated by mid-parent offspring regression. A significant response to selection was observed in CC but not Hsd:ICR. Wheel running was heritable in both populations but not significantly genetically correlated with home cage activity. Open field was not heritable in either population. We conclude that different genes and neural circuits influence physical activity in the home cage as compared to wheel running or open field. Selective breeding for home cage activity in CC mice warrants further exploration.
Quantification of myocardial perfusion with self-gated cardiovascular magnetic resonance

Current myocardial perfusion measurements make use of an ECG-gated pulse sequence to track the uptake and washout of a gadolinium-based contrast agent. The use of a gated acquisition is a problem in situations with a poor ECG signal. Recently, an ungated perfusion acquisition was proposed but it is not known how accurately quantitative perfusion estimates can be made from such datasets that are acquired without any triggering signal. An undersampled saturation recovery radial turboFLASH pulse sequence was used in 7 subjects to acquire dynamic contrast-enhanced images during free-breathing. A single saturation pulse was followed by acquisition of 4–5 slices after a delay of ~40 msec. This was repeated without pause and without any type of gating. The same pulse sequence, with ECG-gating, was used to acquire gated data as a ground truth. An iterative spatio-temporal constrained reconstruction was used to reconstruct the undersampled images. After reconstruction, the ungated images were retrospectively binned (“self-gated”) into two cardiac phases using a region of interest based technique and deformably registered into near-systole and near-diastole. The gated and the self-gated datasets were then quantified with standard methods. Regional myocardial blood flow estimates (MBFs) obtained using self-gated systole (0.64 ± 0.26 ml/min/g), self-gated diastole (0.64 ± 0.26 ml/min/g), and ECG-gated scans (0.65 ± 0.28 ml/min/g) were similar. Based on the criteria for interchangeable methods listed in the statistical analysis section, the MBF values estimated from self-gated and gated methods were not significantly different. The self-gated technique for quantification of regional myocardial perfusion matched ECG-gated perfusion measurements well in normal subjects at rest. Self-gated systolic perfusion values matched ECG-gated perfusion values better than did diastolic values.
Impact of menopause on collagen subtypes in the arcus tendineous fasciae pelvis.

Abstract Objective The arcus tendineous fasciae pelvis (ATFP) provides support to the anterior vagina. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of menopause on the structural components of the ATFP. Study design Biopsy specimens of the ATFP were obtained from 10 premenopausal, 5 postmenopausal, and 12 postmenopausal women on hormone therapy. Scanning confocal microscopy of fluorescent micrographs was used to define the amount of collagen subtypes, smooth muscle, and elastin. Collagen fiber orientation was determined by scanning electron microscopy. Results The ATFP is comprised primarily of parallel bundles of type III collagen fibers (84%), an intermediate amount of elastin (13%), and very little smooth muscle. The ratio of collagen I/(III+V) was decreased in postmenopausal not on hormones relative to premenopausal women ( P =.04) due to a 75% decrease in collagen I ( P =.046). The decrease in collagen I and change in collagen ratios was not present in women on hormone therapy. Comparison of the amounts of elastin and smooth muscle showed no difference in the ATFP of premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Conclusion Menopause in the absence of hormone therapy is associated with a decrease in quantity of collagen I in the ATFP resulting in a decrease in the ratio of collagen I/(III+V). This may compromise the tensile strength and an increase susceptibility to anterior vaginal wall prolapse.
Characterization and genetic distance analysis of isolates of Peronosclerospora sorghi using AFLP fingerprinting

Sorghum downy mildew, caused by the obligate oomycete Peronosclerospora sorghi, has been controlled through the use of resistant cultivars and seed treatment with metalaxyl. A recent outbreak in fields planted with treated seed revealed the presence of a metalaxyl-resistant variant. Here, PCR-based methods including amplification from RAPD primers and two systems of automated AFLP analysis have been used to detect DNA-level genetic variation among 14 isolates including metalaxyl-resistant and susceptible isolates, as well as representatives of common pathotypes 1 and 3 and a new pathotype. In total, 1708 bands were detected after amplification of EcoRI/MseI fragments with 16 primer combinations. Nearly as many amplified products were observed using eight primer pairs with three-base extensions (LI-COR) as with two-base extensions (ABI-Prism genetic capillary system). Approximately 25 % of the bands were polymorphic across the 14 isolates, with the majority of differences specific to the pathotype P1 isolate. The AFLP banding patterns are consistent with metalaxyl resistance and the new pathotype having evolved from pathotype 3.
Methemoglobin reductase in three species of Bovidae

Isoelectric focusing of red cell hemolysates revealed several isozymes that stain for NADH-methemoglobin reductase. Evidence for two different genetic loci controlling the banding patterns was obtained. One locus controlled a single band present in all animals tested. The second locus controlled ten different banding patterns that could be accounted for by four codominant alleles. Band B occurred in Bison bison. Bands A and C occurred in Bos indicus and band D occurred in both Bos indicus and Bos taurus. Bands A, C, and D were not observed in Bison bison and bands A, B, and C were not observed in Bos taurus.
Kinetic components of the gating currents of human cardiac L-type Ca2+ channels.

It has been reported previously that the β subunit increases both the ionic current and the gating charge movement of the human cardiac L-type Ca2+ channel α1 subunit, and that steady-state measurements reveal the presence of two distinct components of the charge movement [Josephson IR, Varadi G (1996) Biophys J 70:1285–1293]. The present work identifies and characterizes the kinetic properties of the components of the human cardiac L-type Ca channel gating currents (I g), and determines the relationship of these components to the activation of the Ca channel ionic current (I Ca). Cloned human cardiac L-type α1+α2+β3 subunits were transiently expressed in HEK293 cells and calcium channel gating currents were recorded following the addition of 5 mM Co2+. The steady-state charge integrals of the gating currents (Q ON-V m) were fit by a sum of two Boltzmann components: Q ON1, which ranged over more negative potentials, and Q ON2, which ranged over more positive potentials. The kinetic components of the ON and OFF gating currents were identified using bi-exponential curve fitting. Reconstruction of the two kinetic components of charge (Q ONfast and Q ONslow) yielded distributions that were similar in their voltage dependence and relative proportion to those measured directly by steady-state integration of Q ON1 and Q ON2. Changes in the initial conditions were found to affect Q ON1 and Q ON2 differently. The time constants of the ON gating current decays were similar to those of the activation of I Ca. The results suggest that: (1) the activation of the human cardiac L-type Ca channel involves the movements of at least two, functionally distinct gating structures; (2) a fast charge movement (≈1/4 of the total charge; Q ON1 or Q ONfast) precedes a slower charge movement (≈3/4 of the total charge; Q ON2 or Q ONslow); and (3) channel opening is associated with the conformational change(s) producing Q ONslow.
THE MURINE ERYTHROCYTE PROTEIN-4.2-ENCODING GENE : SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN STRUCTURE AND EXPRESSION FROM ITS HUMAN COUNTERPART

Abstract We have isolated a complete cDNA encoding for the mouse erythrocyte protein 4.2 (P4.2). The entire P4.2 cDNA consists of 3465 nt with an open reading frame (ORF) of 691 amino acids. Northern blot analysis of mouse reticulocyte or spleen RNA using the P4.2 cDNA as a probe, detected a 3.5-kb message. The size of the mouse P4.2 cDNA or message that we obtained, appears to be different from those reported recently. Despite the similarity to the human P4.2 cDNAs, the mouse cDNA has a longer 3′ untranslated region. A genomic clone covering the first exon and flanking sequences of the mouse. P4.2 gene was isolated. Sequencing results from the first exon-intron junction region and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) experiments revealed that the mouse reticulocyte P4.2 RNA does not exhibit alternative splicing in the region identified in the human P4.2 RNA.
Undergraduate student research programs: Are they as viable for accounting as they are in science and humanities?

Abstract This paper reviews a recent thrust in academia to stimulate more undergraduate research in the USA, including a rapidly growing annual conference. The paper also describes programs in which significant foundation grants have been received to fund undergraduate research projects in the sciences and humanities. In particular, selected humanities students working in teams in a new “Philosophy Lab” are allowed to embark on long-term research projects of their own choosing. Several completed projects are briefly reviewed in this paper. In April 1989, Trinity University hosted the Third National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) and purposely expanded the scope of the conference to include a broad range of disciplines. At this conference, 632 papers and posters were presented representing the research activities of 873 undergraduate students from 163 institutions. About 40% of the papers were outside the natural sciences and included research in music and literature. Only 13 of those papers were in the area of business administration; none were even submitted by accounting students . In 1990 at Union College, 791 papers were presented; none were submitted by accountants. In 1991 at Cal Tech, the first accounting paper appeared as one of 853 papers presented. This paper suggests a number of obstacles to stimulating and encouraging accounting undergraduates to embark on research endeavours. These impediments are somewhat unique to accounting, and it appears that accounting education programs are lagging in what is being done to break down obstacles in science, pre-med, engineering, humanities, etc. This paper proposes how to overcome these obstacles in accounting. One of the anticipated benefits of accounting student research, apart from the educational and creative value, is the attraction of more and better students seeking creativity opportunities in addition to rote learning of CPA exam requirements. This, in part, might help to counter industry complaints that top students are being turned away from accounting careers nationwide.
Psychoneuroimmunology and HIV/AIDS.

The causative agent of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is the human immunodeficiency virus, type 1 (HIV-1). This is a retrovirus of the human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma line. An important feature of HIV spectrum disease, whose terminal stage is AIDS, is that it can have a long asymptomatic phase that may last as long as 10 to 15 years (Munoz, Wang Good, Detels, Ginsberg, Kingsley, Phair, & Polk, 1988). This is followed by the appearance of constitutional signs and symptoms (Kaplan, Wofsky, & Volberding, 1987). Death usually ensures within 2 years (Lemp, Payne, Neal, Temelso, & Rutherford, 1990).
Relative humidity and pH dependence of the vapor pressure of ammonium nitrate-nitric acid solutions at 25° C

Abstract Quantitative expressions for the ammonia-nitric acid equilibrium product and the partial pressures of ammonia and nitric acid over non-ideal nitric acid-ammonium nitrate solutions are developed. The relative humidity and pH dependence of the equilibrium product and the partial pressures are obtained from free energy thermodynamic data. The thermodynamic predictions show the ammonia-nitric acid equilibrium product is inversely related to relative humidity. The importance of correcting for non-ideality is demonstrated. The assumption of ideality for ammonium nitrate in solution incurs an error of an order of magnitude in the ammonia-nitric acid equilibrium product prediction at the point of deliquescence and of 20% in the relative humidity of deliquescence. The trends indicated by the analysis are consistent with the filter study results of Forrest, Tanner, Spandau. D'Ottavio and Newman ( 1980, A tmospheric Environment 14 , 137–144) and Appel, Wall, Tokiwa and Haik (1980, Atmospheric Environment 14 , 549–554).
Coronary blood flow during the development and regression of left ventricular hypertrophy in renovascular hypertensive rats.

Left ventricular (LV) coronary flow (CF) was determined by left atrial injection of microspheres in conscious rats during the development and after the reversal of LV hypertrophy in 2-kidney, 1-clip Goldblatt hypertension. Two groups of untreated renal hypertensive rats (RHR) were studied, the first (RHR1, n = 17) at 10 weeks and the second (RHR2, n = 9) at 24 weeks after clipping. Beginning 9 weeks after clipping, 2 other groups were treated either with captopril (40 to 60 mg/kg/day) in drinking water (RHR-C, n = 8) or left nephrectomy (RHR-N, n = 9) and followed for 15 weeks. Sham-operated animals followed for similar periods of time served as controls (Sham-1, n = 12, as a control for RHR1, and Sham-2, n = 11, as a control for RHR2). In all groups, LV mass increased or decreased in close correlation with changes in arterial blood pressure, and minimal total LV coronary resistance remained unchanged. The development of hypertrophy was associated with a tendency toward reduction in CF reserve (defined as maximal CF/unit mass); this flow reserve was restored with reversal of hypertrophy. The importance of the relation between pressure and LV mass as a determinant of CF reserve was investigated in a second study in which this relation was changed by altering the periods of captopril therapy; in these cases, CF reserve correlated significantly with the ratio of arterial pressure to LV mass (r = 0.76, n = 12, p < 0.01). The results suggest that maintenance of CF reserve in LV hypertrophy depends on an appropriate balance between arterial pressure and LV mass, and might be disturbed by antihypertensive therapy that leaves LV hypertrophy unchanged.
From Ga(NO3)3 to nanocrystalline GaN: confined nanocrystal synthesis in silica xerogels

A simple chemical reaction of gallium nitrate, incorporated into a silica gel precursor, to form gallium oxide and then the nitride, leads to a composite material with nanocrystals of hexagonal phase GaN (approximately 5 nm average diameter) embedded in a silica matrix.
Detecting the blind spot: Complications in the trauma registry and trauma quality improvement

Background. The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) has reduced complications for surgery patients in the Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma maintains the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) to track injured patient comorbidities, complications, and mortality. We sought to apply the NSQIP methodology to collect comorbidity and outcome data for trauma patients. Data were compared to the NTDB to determine the benefit and validity of using the NSQIP methodology for trauma. Study Design. Utilizing the NSQIP methodology, data were collected from August 1, 2004 to July 31, 2005 on all adult patients admitted to the trauma service at a level 1 trauma center. NSQIP data were collected for general surgery patients during the same time period from the same institution. Data were also extracted from v5.0 of the NTDB for patients ≥18 years old admitted to level 1 trauma centers. Comparisons between University of Michigan (UM) NSQIP Trauma and UM NSQIP General Surgery patients and between UM NSQIP Trauma and NTDB (2004) patients were performed using univariate and multivariate analysis. Results. Before risk adjustment, there was a difference in mortality between the UM NSQIP Trauma and NTDB (2004) groups with univariate analysis (8.4% vs 5.7%; odds ratio [OR], 0.7; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.5-0.9; P =.01). This survival advantage reversed to favor the UM NSQIP Trauma patient group when risk adjustment was performed (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.6-3.4; P <.001). The UM NSQIP Trauma group had more complications than the UM NSQIP general surgery patients. Despite having a lower risk-adjusted rate of mortality, the UM NSQIP Trauma patients had significantly higher rates of complications (wound infection, wound disruption, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, deep vein thrombosis, and sepsis) than the NTDB (2004) patients in both univariate and multivariate analyses. Conclusion. Complications occurred more frequently in trauma patients than general surgery patients. The UM NSQIP Trauma patients had higher rates of complications than reported in the NTDB. The NTDB data potentially underreport important comorbidity and outcome data. Application of the NSQIP methodology to trauma may present an improved means of effectively tracking and reducing adverse outcomes in a risk-adjusted manner.
Differential vertical visual latency as determined with a simultaneity paradigm.

Abstract Behavioral studies, as well as anatomical and physiological data, suggest differences in functionality for inferior and superior visual fields. Previous investigations comparing latencies of the two fields have employed motor reaction times. This approach is of limited usefulness in elderly clinical populations where various degrees of motor impairment may be present. In this report, we describe a simultaneity paradigm that allows the determination of relative latencies without dependence on motor reaction times. A slightly, but statistically significant, shorter latency (3.9 ± 5.9 ms) was found for the superior visual field. The results are not affected by age, and both within- and between-session variability are low.
Comparison between Zeolite β and γ-Al2O3 Supported Pt for Reforming Reactions

The performance of zeolite β supported platinum as a bifunctional catalyst for the reforming of n-hexane, methylcyclopentane, and cyclohexane, typical representatives of reforming feeds, has been examined under low severity conditions. A comparison under the same conditions with γ-Al2O3 supported Pt was carried Out. Both catalysts were impregnated with 0.5 wt% Pt. It is found that β-zeolite exhibits skeletal isomerization reactions to a higher extent than alumina, producing molecules with much higher octane number than the feed molecules. Bimolecular alkylation reactions that take place in the zeolite pores have as a result the formation of products with a carbon number larger than that of the feed molecule. The enlargement of the cyclic ring of methylcyclopentane leads at suitable temperatures to aromatics, a reaction of great importance for reforming. This behavior is a result of the relatively large acidity of the zeolite and of its pore structure that favors the proximity among different molecules increasing the probability for reaction. In contrast, Pt/Al2O3 stimulates dehydrogenation-hydrogenation and to a smaller extent skeletal isomerization. The β-zeolite is deactivated more easily than alumina due to the coke build up on the acidic sites. The characterization of the catalysts has been carried out using XRD, NH3-TPD, SEM, FTIR, BET, TEM, and H2-Chemisorption.
Assimilation of GPS Radio Occultation Refractivity Data from CHAMP and SAC-C Missions over High Southern Latitudes with MM5 4DVAR

In this study, the GPS radio occultation (RO) data from the Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) and Satellite de Aplicaciones Cientificas-C (SAC-C) missions are assimilated. An updated version of the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model (MM5) four-dimensional variational data assimilation system (4DVAR) is used to assess the impact of the GPS RO data on analyses and short-range forecasts over the Antarctic. The study was performed during the period of intense cyclonic activity in the Ross Sea, 9–19 December 2001. On average 66 GPS RO soundings were assimilated daily. For the assimilation over a single 12-h period, the impact of GPS RO data was only marginally positive or near neutral, and it varied markedly from one 12-h period to another. The large case-to-case variation was attributed to the low number of GPS RO soundings and a strong dependency of forecast impact on the location of the soundings relative to the rapidly developing cyclone. Despite the moderate general impact, noticeable reduction of temperature error in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere was found, which demonstrates the value of GPS RO data in better characterizing the tropopause. Significant error reduction was also noted in geopotential height and wind fields in the stratosphere. Those improvements indicate that early detection of the upper-level precursors for storm development is a potential benefit of GPS RO data. When the assimilation period was extended to 48 h, a considerable positive impact of GPS RO data was found. All parameters that were investigated (i.e., temperature, pressure, and specific humidity) showed the positive impact throughout the entire model atmosphere for forecasts extending up to 5 days. The impact increased in proportion to the length of the assimilation period. Although the differences in the analyses as a result of GPS RO assimilation were relatively small initially, the subtle change and subsequent nonlinear growth led to noticeable forecast improvements at longer ranges. Consequently, the positive impact of GPS RO data was more evident in longer-range (e.g., greater than 2 days) forecasts. A correlation coefficient is introduced to quantify the linear relationship between the analysis errors without GPS RO assimilation and the analysis increments induced by GPS RO assimilation. This measure shows that the growth of GPS RO–induced modifications over time is related to the prominent error reduction observed in GPS RO experiments. The measure may also be useful for understanding how cycling analysis accumulates the positive impact of GPS RO data for an extended period of assimilation.
Through A Japanese Prism: Foreign influence and Chinese telecommunications in the early Republican era

This paper examines the key modern infrastructure of telecommunications in early Republican China, through the eyes of a Japanese, Nakayama Ryuji, who served as a telecommunications adviser to the Chinese government from 1913 to 1928. Nakayama's numerous reports and recommendations to his Chinese employer and frequent confidential dispatches to the Japanese government, when read together, constitute a fascinating prism. They not only reveal problems as well as the potential in China's telecommunications sector, they also highlight Japan's efforts to compete with other foreign actors in China through the provision of Japanese equipment, expertise, and loans. While Nakayama strove to shape China's telecommunications development in ways that would, in his view, benefit both China and Japan, his efforts were often undercut by the aggressive actions of the Japanese government in China, such as the infamous Twenty-One Demands. Though promising at first, Japan's influence on China's modernization in the early Republican era came to be more limited, especially when compared with the final decade of the Qing Dynasty. Ultimately, what can be seen through this Japanese prism confirms that the development of an information infrastructure in modern China, as elsewhere, was as much shaped by technological and economic forces as it was influenced by political and diplomatic factors.
Interaction of choleragen and thyrotropin with bovine thyroid adenylate cyclase.

Activation of adenylate cyclase in a participate fraction of bovine thyroid by choleragen and TSH was studied. Washing the choleragen- or TSH-activated enzyme, followed by incubation at 4 or 37 C for 2–24 h, did not reverse activation. Elution of the TSH-activated enzyme with acidic buffer (pH 2) yielded a substance, presumably TSH, that activated fresh adenylate cyclase. Elution of the choleragen-activated enzyme with acidic buffer yielded a very small amount of material, presumably choleragen, that activated fresh cyclase. Only 3% of choleragen was recoverable, however, from the acid eluate; over 96% of the toxin was inactivated by the thyroid membranes. Incubation of choleragen with the thyroid particulate fraction abolished its ADP-ribosyltransferase activity and considerably reduced its capacity to activate adenylate cyclase. Incubation of TSH with thyroid particulate fraction had no detectable effect, under the conditions used, on its capacity to activate adenylate cyclase. It is concluded that pers...
Increased false positive Down syndrome screening in women with sickle cell anemia.

Objectives This study seeks to determine whether there is a higher rate of false positive serum screening for Down syndrome in women with sickle cell anemia and, if so, which markers contribute to the false positive screen. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of women who had serum screening between 1998 and 2011. Subjects were women with sickle cell anemia (n = 13), and controls were African American women who did not have that disease (n = 91). The populations were compared using basic inferential statistics. Results The positive screen rate was 38.5% (5/13) in women with sickle cell anemia and 7.7% (7/91) in the control population (odds ratio 7.5, 95% confidence interval 1.6–35.8, P = 0.001). At the average age of the cases (25 years), the expected false positive rate is only 2%. The human chorionic gonadotrophin values were significantly higher in cases than controls (2.00 and 1.30 MoM, P = 0.017), whereas levels of other serum analytes were similar. None of the screen positive results were associated with a fetus or neonate affected by Down syndrome. Conclusions The false positive Down syndrome serum screen rate is significantly higher in patients with sickle cell anemia than in African American women without that disease. The human chorionic gonadotrophin values were significantly higher in cases than controls, suggesting that placental factors may contribute to the elevated false positive rate. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Real-time fault detection of the Space Shuttle Main Engine

The authors present a real-time failure-detection algorithm that will soon be implemented on the Space Shuttle Main Engine, (SSME) on an online basis. It is referred to as the real-time failure control (RTFC) algorithm, and it entails signal-based limit and trend checking based on information from complex model-based estimates. Thus, the SSME digital transient model and the power balance model are used to provide the algorithm with precomputed initial values, expected values, and standard deviations that serve as baselines for nominal operation. >
Spatio-temporal patterns of fish assemblage structure in a coastal plain stream: appropriate scales reveal historic tales

Quantifying assemblage structure across spatio-temporal scales is ecologically important and further aids in the understanding of community organisation processes. Currently, few studies have assessed assemblage structure across generous magnitudes of scale, and influences of processes (biotic and abiotic) responsible for structuring assemblages are still questioned. Using community and hydrologic data collected over a 22-year period from a stretch of river nearing 150 km, we examined spatio-temporal fish assemblage structural patterns in a temperate coastal plain stream. Results indicated that significant changes in assemblage structure across time were influenced by environmental disturbances, including drought and hurricane events. Assemblages were restructured in a punctuated manner directly following these events, and complete recovery of initial assemblage structure did not occur across the study period. Additionally, we found spatial differentiations between upstream and downstream assemblages, which were driven by greater abundances of several species in downstream sites. Our results suggest that assemblage structure is influenced by environmental variation, specifically, extreme disturbance events and spatial habitat heterogeneity.
Chunking, priming and active learning: Toward an innovative and blended approach to teaching communication-related skills

Possessing communication-related skills is vital to student success within and beyond college. The utilization of these skills, or being considered socially competent, has been linked to personal, relational, and occupational success. But how do we teach the necessary social skills to today's students? Building on research from education and cognitive psychology on chunking, priming, and active learning, we propose an innovative, blended teaching method (Concept Keys), the utility of which is in its capability to present complex skill sets in manageable units of information, thus allowing students time to reflect on and incorporate such information into their schema of what it means to be socially competent. A case study is presented to establish the potential for this approach and to propose a call for further research.
Robust computer vision-based detection of pinching for one and two-handed gesture input

We present a computer vision technique to detect when the user brings their thumb and forefinger together (a pinch gesture) for close-range and relatively controlled viewing circumstances. The technique avoids complex and fragile hand tracking algorithms by detecting the hole formed when the thumb and forefinger are touching; this hole is found by simple analysis of the connected components of the background segmented against the hand. Our Thumb and Fore-Finger Interface (TAFFI) demonstrates the technique for cursor control as well as map navigation using one and two-handed interactions.
Protein mistranslation protects bacteria against oxidative stress

Accurate flow of genetic information from DNA to protein requires faithful translation. An increased level of translational errors (mistranslation) has therefore been widely considered harmful to cells. Here we demonstrate that surprisingly, moderate levels of mistranslation indeed increase tolerance to oxidative stress in Escherichia coli. Our RNA sequencing analyses revealed that two antioxidant genes katE and osmC, both controlled by the general stress response activator RpoS, were upregulated by a ribosomal error-prone mutation. Mistranslation-induced tolerance to hydrogen peroxide required rpoS, katE and osmC. We further show that both translational and post-translational regulation of RpoS contribute to peroxide tolerance in the error-prone strain, and a small RNA DsrA, which controls translation of RpoS, is critical for the improved tolerance to oxidative stress through mistranslation. Our work thus challenges the prevailing view that mistranslation is always detrimental, and provides a mechanism by which mistranslation benefits bacteria under stress conditions.
Sparse Reduced-Rank Regression for Simultaneous Dimension Reduction and Variable Selection

The reduced-rank regression is an effective method in predicting multiple response variables from the same set of predictor variables. It reduces the number of model parameters and takes advantage of interrelations between the response variables and hence improves predictive accuracy. We propose to select relevant variables for reduced-rank regression by using a sparsity-inducing penalty. We apply a group-lasso type penalty that treats each row of the matrix of the regression coefficients as a group and show that this penalty satisfies certain desirable invariance properties. We develop two numerical algorithms to solve the penalized regression problem and establish the asymptotic consistency of the proposed method. In particular, the manifold structure of the reduced-rank regression coefficient matrix is considered and studied in our theoretical analysis. In our simulation study and real data analysis, the new method is compared with several existing variable selection methods for multivariate regression...
The role of polysemy in masked semantic and translation priming

Abstract A well-known asymmetry exists in the bilingual masked priming literature in which lexical decision is used: namely, masked primes in the dominant language (L1) facilitate decision times on targets in the less dominant language (L2), but not vice versa. In semantic categorization, on the other hand, priming is symmetrical. In Experiments 1–3 we confirm this task difference, finding robust masked L2–L1 translation priming in semantic categorization but not lexical decision. In formulating an account for these findings, we begin with the assumption of a representational asymmetry between L1 and L2 lexical semantic representations, such that L1 representations are richly populated and L2 representations are not. According to this representational account, L2–L1 priming does not occur in lexical decision because an insufficient proportion of the L1 lexical semantic representation is activated by the L2 prime. In semantic categorization, we argue that the semantic information recruited to generate a decision is restricted by the task category, and that this restriction enhances the effectiveness of the L2 prime. In Experiments 4–6, these assumptions were tested in a within-language setting by pairing many-sense words (e.g., “head”) with few-sense words (e.g., “skull”). In lexical decision, robust priming was obtained in the many-to-few direction (analogous to L1–L2), but, no priming was obtained in the few-to-many direction (analogous to L2–L1) using the same word pairs. Priming in semantic categorization, on the other hand, was obtained in both directions. We propose the Sense Model as a possible account of these findings.
The Physical Environment and Oxidative and Phosphorylative Capacities of Higher Plant Mitochondria.

The extensive and prolonged cytological interest in the mitochondria has been complemented in recent years by an interest in the biochemical and enzymological properties of these intracellular bodies. With the recognition that the greater part of the enzymes concerned with the aerobic respiratory metabolism were intimately associated with the cell particles (5, 11, 14), a good deal of attention was devoted to the relation of the structure of the mitochondria to their function.
Higher education sub-cultures and open source adoption

Successful adoption of new teaching and learning technologies in higher education requires the consensus of two sub-cultures, namely the technologist sub-culture and the academic sub-culture. This paper examines trends in adoption of open source software (OSS) for teaching and learning by comparing the results of a 2009 survey of 285 Chief Academic Officers and Chief Information Officers with the 2006 administration of the same survey. Results indicate that while the key drivers of OSS adoption continue to differ for the academic and technologist sub-cultures, both sub-cultures converge in deeming total cost of ownership as the most important metric for making a go/no go adoption decision.
Testing for dependence in multivariate probit models

SUMMARY A multivariate probit model is considered and the Lagrange multiplier or score statistic for testing independence is derived. The limiting distribution of the statistic takes a simple form under the null hypothesis and for local alternatives. The statistic is a natural generalization of Pearson's chi-squared for a 2 x 2 table. An example is given. Some key word8: Asymptotic test; Lagrange multiplier test; Score test. Binary observations are frequently modelled as occurring according to the sign of an underlying continuous variable, for example the observations di might depend on unobserved yi according to di = 1 if yi > 0 and di = 0 if yi < 0 for i = 1, ...,N observations. With yi normally distributed with mean xi /3 and variance one the model is a probit model. Here xi is a 1 x k vector of observations on values of exogenous variables and /3 is a k x 1 parameter vector. If sequences of observations are available for each i, so that the observations are di, the natural extension of the univariate probit model is multivariate probit. The unobservable T x 1 random vector yi is assumed normally distributed with tth element having mean xit ft. The correlation matrix for yi is given by R, say. Unless R = I, so that the elements of yi are uncorrelated, this model is substantially more difficult to estimate efficiently than the univariate model, as multinormal probabilities enter the likelihood function. Throughout the paper asymptotics let N increase but keep T fixed. This model is discussed by Ashford & Sowden (1970). This paper proposes a test of the hypothesis that R = I. The test proposed is the 'score' or Lagrange multiplier test which is asymptotically equivalent to the Wald and likelihood ratio tests but which does not require calculation of unrestricted estimates. This test is discussed by Silvey (1959), Rao (1973, p. 417) and Cox & Hinkley (1974, p. 315). Tests of the hypothesis that R = I are useful for several reasons: (i) calculated probabilities of sequences under the assumption that R = I will be wrong if R *I; (ii) the univariate probit estimates of the fit will be asymptotically efficient if R = I, and furthermore the estimates of the different fit will be asymptotically uncorrelated; however, if R 4= I then the estimates and their standard errors will be consistent, but the estimates will be correlated between time periods so difficulties