cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What Are the Main Features of a TEM

Transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) was introduced in Germany in the mid-1980s as a new type of transanal local excision technique with the aim of overcoming the difficulties of endoscopic approaches and conventional transanal excision (TAE) in the treatment of large adenomas, specifically those located in the mid- and upper rectum. The main advantages of TEM are the safety of the technique in terms of postoperative morbidity and long-term functional outcomes, especially compared with major abdominal surgery such as anterior resection. Compared with other local approaches (endoscopic and TAE), TEM allows a higher rate of en bloc removal and a tumor-free resection margin, thereby reducing the risk of neoplasm recurrence. However, TEM is not a simple technique to acquire and requires a long learning curve. TEM represents the gold standard for large rectal adenomas, but its role in the management of rectal cancer remains a matter of debate. In this context, TEM is considered oncologically safe, as a primary treatment with a curative intent, only in highly select types of early rectal cancer. Another accepted TEM indication is for more advanced lesions in unfit patients with a palliative intent. Over the last several decades, due to the increasing rate of complete pathological responses to neoadjuvant treatment for rectal cancer, a novel indication is under investigation. TEM has been proposed for patients with a major or complete clinical response to confirm their pathological status while avoiding a total mesorectal excision (TME) and sparing the rectum. The aim of this chapter is to analyze the main technical and oncological features of the TEM technique.
Specialty Choices of Women in Medicine

Why certain physicians choose particular specialties and others choose different specialties is somewhat of a mystery. “Even the most sophisticated work has failed to account for the specialty of a majority of the sample.”1 When senior medical students were asked why they chose the specialty of their upcoming first year of residency, both men and women gave similar reasons.2 Opportunities for self-fulfillment topped the list, positive clinical experiences was next followed by the intellectual challenge of the subject matter of the specialty and the type of patient. The two factors with the greatest difference between men and women were financial advantage, which was slightly more important to men, and type of patient, which was slightly more important to women. Thus, men and women give similar reasons for choosing specialties, yet they choose different ones.
Characterizing Two Decades of Rare Plant Reintroductions

There is enormous potential conservation value in the ability to establish new populations of rare plants. When combined with ex situ source material, reintroduction offers valuable and otherwise unavailable conservation options. Indeed, reintroduction of material stored ex situ has made the difference between extinction in the wild and continued survival.
A collicular visual cortex: Neocortical space for an ancient midbrain visual structure

Visual responses in the cerebral cortex are believed to rely on the geniculate input to the primary visual cortex (V1). Indeed, V1 lesions substantially reduce visual responses throughout the cortex. Visual information enters the cortex also through the superior colliculus (SC), but the function of this input on visual responses in the cortex is less clear. SC lesions affect cortical visual responses less than V1 lesions, and no visual cortical area appears to entirely rely on SC inputs. We show that visual responses in a mouse lateral visual cortical area called the postrhinal cortex are independent of V1 and are abolished upon silencing of the SC. This area outperforms V1 in discriminating moving objects. We thus identify a collicular primary visual cortex that is independent of the geniculo-cortical pathway and is capable of motion discrimination.
Evaluation and reporting of biopsies from the columnar-lined esophagus and gastro-esophageal junction (GEJ)

This review is part of a collaboration between the American Registry of Pathology (the publisher of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology Fascicles) and Annals of Diagnostic Pathology. It is in a series of expert recommendations on topics encountered in daily practice. The authors, two pathologists and a gastroenterologist, met on 19 January 2019 tasked with developing expert recommendations on reporting biopsies from the columnar lined esophagus and gastroesophageal junction. Our opinions for reporting revolve around noting the presence and absence of goblet cells and clues for confirming whether a sample is from the tubular esophagus. We also illustrate congeners of goblet cell. We present the information in the form of questions and answers.
Ratification and Undisclosed Principals

In the law of agency, ratification by undisclosed principals is treated differently from ratification by disclosed or partially disclosed principals. The generally accepted rule is that undisclosed principals cannot ratify contracts that their agents have entered into on their behalf. After analyzing the rights and liabilities of undisclosed principals on authorized transactions, the rights of disclosed and partially disclosed principals to ratify unauthorized transactions, as well as analyzing various policy considerations, the author concludes that the traditional arguments derived from these areas are not sufficient to ground a rule precluding ratification by undisclosed principals. The author concludes that ratification by undisclosed principals should be allowed.
First effective settlement: Histories of an idea

Abstract The thesis of first effective settlement, stated by Wilbur Zelinsky in 1973 and by several of his contemporaries under other labels, has been an important one in academic research examining the role of early occupance in shaping the later characteristics of places and communities. Essentially the same idea was a commonplace in American discussions during the late eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries regarding such topics as missionary work on the western frontier, the uses and value of local history, and the status of slavery in the national territories. It represents a case of an idea that arose and flourished independently in two different periods in lay and academic settings. In both settings, it reflected the outlook of its authors in depicting social change as largely exogenous rather than endogenous.
High-Signal Bladder Urine at T1-Weighted MR Imaging Performed 1-7 Days After a Prior Gadolinium-Enhanced MRI: Prevalence and Correlation with Renal Function.

Objective:To determine the prevalence of high-signal bladder urine at T1 weighted MRI performed 1–7 days after injection of gadolinium-based contrast material and to assess for correlation with alt...
Response of a SDOF System with an Inerter-Based Tuned Mass Damper Subjected to Non-stationary Random Excitation

Inerter-based tuned mass dampers (TMDs) have been developed recently with the goal of improving upon the performance of traditional TMDs. However, studies investigating the response of single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems with inerter-based TMDs have been primarily limited to ones considering harmonic loads and stationary random excitation. Various relevant random loads have non-stationary characteristics (their frequency contents and/or amplitude change with time); therefore, these load types should be considered in the design of inerter-based TMDs. This paper presents an investigation to evaluate the mean squared response of SDOF systems with inerter-based TMDs that are subjected to a random non-stationary excitation. The non-stationary excitation considered is an evolutionary spectrum of the ground acceleration. The results of this study are used to determine the influence of the non-stationary excitation on the optimal damper properties in comparison to designs considering a stationary process.
DNA-PKcs promotes chromatin decondensation to facilitate initiation of the DNA damage response

The DNA damage response (DDR) encompasses the cellular response to DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs), and includes recognition of the DSB, recruitment of numerous factors to the DNA damage site, initiation of signaling cascades, chromatin remodeling, cell-cycle checkpoint activation, and repair of the DSB. Key drivers of the DDR are multiple members of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-related kinase family, including ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM), ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR), and the DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs). ATM and ATR modulate multiple portions of the DDR, but DNA-PKcs is believed to primarily function in the DSB repair pathway, non-homologous end joining. Utilizing a human cell line in which the kinase domain of DNA-PKcs is inactivated, we show here that DNA-PKcs kinase activity is required for the cellular response to DSBs immediately after their induction. Specifically, DNA-PKcs kinase activity initiates phosphorylation of the chromatin factors H2AX and KAP1 following ionizing radiation exposure and drives local chromatin decondensation near the DSB site. Furthermore, loss of DNA-PKcs kinase activity results in a marked decrease in the recruitment of numerous members of the DDR machinery to DSBs. Collectively, these results provide clear evidence that DNA-PKcs activity is pivotal for the initiation of the DDR.
Factors influencing growth and toxin production by cultures of the freshwater cyanobacterium Lyngbya wollei Farlow ex Gomont

Collections of Lyngbya wollei were taken from Guntersville Reservoir, Alabama, over a period of three years. Healthy filaments were isolated and transferred to agar plates of Z-8 and LM6E media. Unialgal isolates were cultured for the study of growth and paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) production. Filaments were extracted and the toxins were detected using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with post column oxidation followed by fluorescence detection. HPLC profiles show that laboratory cultures of L. wollei produced decarbamoyl gonyautoxin 2 and 3, plus several other PSP like toxins whose structures are under investigation. At 26 °C and a light intensity of 11 or 22 µmol m-2 s-1 optimum production of both biomass and toxins occurred. A decrease or increase in temperature or light flux caused a reduction in dry weight or toxicity. Compared to control levels, lower PO4-P and NO3-N and higher calcium levels gave rise to higher biomass and toxicity. Lower calcium, calcium- or PO4-P deficient medium and high NO3-N or PO4-P caused a large decrease in dry weight and toxicity.
Matters of life and death: How estrogen and estrogen receptor binding to the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus may influence outcomes of infection, allergy, and autoimmune disease.

Sex hormones are best known for their influences on reproduction, but they also have profound influences on the immune response. Examples of sex-specific differences include: (i) the relatively poor control of influenza virus infections in males compared to females, (ii) allergic asthma, an IgE-associated hypersensitivity reaction that is exacerbated in adolescent females compared to males, and (iii) systemic lupus erythematosus, a life-threatening autoimmune disease with a 9:1 female:male bias. Here we consider how estrogen and estrogen receptor α (ERα) may influence the immune response by modifying class switch recombination (CSR) and immunoglobulin expression patterns. We focus on ERα binding to enhancers (Eμ and the 3' regulatory region) and switch sites (Sµ and Se) in the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus. Our preliminary data from ChIP-seq analyses of purified, activated B cells show estrogen-mediated changes in the positioning of ERα binding within and near Sµ and Se. In the presence of estrogen, ERα is bound not only to estrogen response elements (ERE), but also to adenosine-cytidine (AC)-repeats and poly adenosine (poly A) sequences, in some cases within constant region gene introns. We propose that by binding these sites, estrogen and ERα directly participate in the DNA loop formation required for CSR. We further suggest that estrogen regulates immunoglobulin expression patterns and can thereby influence life-and-death outcomes of infection, hypersensitivity, and autoimmune disease.
A benzothiazolinic spiropyran for highly selective, sensitive and visible light controlled detection of copper ions in aqueous solution

Abstract A benzothiazolinic-spiropyran based optical receptor was synthesized with suitable donor group ortho to the phenolic oxygen atom. The structure was established through 1H, 13C-NMR, HR MS techniques. Owing to the presence of donor group at a suitable position, it was screened for affinity toward metal ions. The receptor detected the presence of copper ions in aqueous buffered acetonitrile solution by producing a reddish-orange color. The receptor displayed 0.75 μM as the limit of the detection value towards copper ions. The receptor successfully released the copper ions upon irradiation with a light of 532 nm. Test strips coated with spiropyran derivative were developed, which were used for the detection of copper ions in aqueous solution. The DFT calculations indicated that the CTT stereoisomer of the merocyanine form is more stable, while TTT stereoisomer forms the most stable complex with Cu2+ ions. The DFT calculations were further used to calculate the preorganization energies required for the complex formation between the receptor and the copper ions. DFT studies indicated higher than usual stability of the CCC stereoisomer of the merocyanine form, which promoted the reversibility. In addition, the calculations indicated that the copper ion reduced the activation energy barrier for the ring-opening process. TD-DFT calculations were used to investigate the observed absorption band for the receptor and the complex.
Assessing racial inequality in COVID-19 testing with Bayesian threshold tests.

There are racial disparities in the COVID-19 test positivity rate, suggesting that minorities may be under-tested. Here, drawing on the literature on statistically assessing racial disparities in policing, we 1) illuminate a statistical flaw, known as infra-marginality, in using the positivity rate as a metric for assessing racial disparities in under-testing; 2) develop a new type of Bayesian threshold test to measure disparities in COVID-19 testing and 3) apply the test to measure racial disparities in testing thresholds in a real-world COVID-19 dataset.
To Be Rather than to Seem: Fiscal Responsibility and the Political Economy of North Carolina

Real state spending per capita has increased fourfold in North Carolina since 1970. Three sources of revenue allowed for this increase: (1) tax increases, (2) increased debt, and (3) increased federal transfers. The latter two revenue sources have served to mask the true cost of increased spendingthat is, they have created a fiscal illusion by transferring costs to future generations of workers and by dispersing costs across all federal taxpayers and debt holders. We argue that despite recent reforms, North Carolinas long-run spending trend is unsustainable. To return the state to long-term fiscal solvency, reforms must likewise be focused on long-term institutional incentives. To be competitive with other states, North Carolinas taxes, regulations, and property rights protections must all be competitive.
Estimating the Dynamics of Consumption Growth

We estimate models of consumption growth that allow for long-run risks and disasters using data for a series of countries over a time span of 200 years. Our estimates indicate that a model with small and frequent disasters that arrive at a mean-reverting rate best fits international consumption data. The implied posterior disaster intensity in such a model predicts equity returns without compromising the unpredictability of consumption growth. It also generates time-varying excess stock volatility, empirically validating key economic mechanisms often assumed in consumption-based asset pricing models.
Effects of systematic asymmetric discounting on physician-patient interactions: a theoretical framework to explain poor compliance with lifestyle counseling

This study advances the use of a utility model to model physician-patient interactions from the perspectives of physicians and patients. In cases involving acute care, patient counseling involves a relatively straightforward transfer of information from the physician to a patient. The patient has less information than the physician on the impact the condition and its treatment have on utility. In decisions involving lifestyle changes, the patient may have more information than the physician on his/her utility of consumption; moreover, differences in discounting future health may contribute significantly to differences between patients' preferences and physicians' recommendations. The expectation of differences in internal discount rate between patients and their physicians is discussed. This utility model provides a conceptual basis for the finding that educational approaches alone may not effect changes in patient behavior and suggests other economic variables that could be targeted in the attempt to produce healthier behavior.
Architecture of the Vessel Wall

The sections in this article are: 1 Classification and Definition of Blood Vessels 2 Components of the Vascular Wall 2.1 Intima 2.2 Media 2.3 Adventitia
Who Is a Good Organizational Citizen? Social Perception of Male and Female Employees Who Use Family Leave

In this study, we examined perceptions of the citizenship behaviors of male and female employees who took leave to care for a newborn, a sick child, a sick parent, or who did not take leave. In a 2 (employee gender) × 4 (reason for leave) × 2 (participant gender) experimental design, 242 undergraduate students read a mock personnel file and rated the employee on altruism and generalized compliance. Female employees were not rated differently whether they took leave or not. Male employees who took leave for birth or eldercare were rated less likely to be altruistic at work than their male counterparts who did not take leave and their female counterparts who took leave. There was also a bias against male leave takers for generalized compliance ratings, especially by male evaluators. Future research ideas and implications for organizational practice are discussed.
Climate Change: On Scientists and Advocacy

Last year, I asked a crowd of a few hundred geoscientists from around the world what positions related to climate science and policy they would be comfortable publicly advocating. I presented a list of recommendations that included increased research funding, greater resources for education, and specific emission reduction technologies. In almost every case, a majority of the audience felt comfortable arguing for them. The only clear exceptions were related to geo-engineering research and nuclear power. I had queried the researchers because the relationship between science and advocacy is marked by many assumptions and little clarity. This despite the fact that the basic question of how scientists can be responsible advocates on issues related to their expertise has been discussed for decades most notably in the case of climate change by the late Stephen Schneider.
Towards Applying the Composition Principle to Verify a Microkernel Operating System

A compositional proof method allows the components of a system to be specified and verified independently, instead of having to verify the entire system as a monolithic unit. This paper describes how the composition principle of Abadi and Lamport can be applied to specify and compose systems that consist of both safety and progress properties, using the HOL theorem proving system. We discuss the translation of the composition principle into HOL and the resulting proof obligations, and introduce an example system, modeled after a microkernel operating system, that we composed using the method.
Colored overhead transparencies: Contrast gain or seeing loss?

The overhead transparency is probably the projection material most frequently used directly by most teachers and yet we really don't know very much about the characteristics of this form of display. This study and the one by Chen '(page 417) are significant contributions to an area of research that is as pertinent to this field as typeface and paper (in relation to readability) are to the study of reading.-Editor
Information Theory of Spread-Spectrum Communication

The sections in this article are 1 Spread Spectrum Systems 2 Spreading the Spectrum 3 Applications
Poesía que no duerme

Amantes / Si manana despierto. Jorge Gaitan Duran. Universidad Externado de Colombia, Coleccion Un libro por centavos, num. 4, Bogota, 2004, 69 pags.
On Rule of Law Rhetoric, Economic Development, and Northeast Asia

The 1990s saw a remarkable revival of the term "Rule of Law" on the international stage, lead by the international financial institutions - the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank. etc. - by the aid and development arms of the American government and the European Union, and to a lesser extent by non-governmental organizations. This paper begins with a short discussion of Rule of Law rhetoric in American law and politics, then discusses the international Rule of Law renaissance, focusing on the particular roles that Rule of Law rhetoric plays in the literature on law and economic development. This is followed by an exploration of to what extent economic development in Northeast Asia conformed to the claims of this new "Law and Development" literature. Finally, the paper examines how the Rule of Law rhetoric has evolved in the last few years.
A new incremental placement algorithm and its application to congestion-aware divisor extraction

This work presents two contributions. The first is an incremental placement algorithm for placement-aware logic synthesis along with a proof of optimality. The algorithm can efficiently compute the optimum location for a newly introduced node in a network that minimizes the incremental increase in the total half-perimeter wire-length of the network. The algorithm can be applied in a variety of placement-aware optimization contexts. The second contribution is a specific application of this algorithm to placement-aware common divisor extraction. We evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed extraction procedure by using it in an otherwise non-placement-aware flow with two different final placers. The first flow uses an industrial congestion-driven placer and results in an average reduction of 21% in congestion as measured by the global router. The second flow uses an academic wire-length-driven placer and results in an average reduction of 11% for a tool-specific measure of congestion estimated from the placement. Our experiments also reveal a rather surprising phenomenon: in many cases the attempt to minimize the wire-length results in fewer literals after extraction than with a conventional literal-driven approach.
Optimization of ELFSE DNA Sequencing with EOF Counterflow and Microfluidics

We present a nonlinear optimization study of different implementations of the DNA electrophoretic method "End-labeled Free-solution Electrophoresis" in commercial capillary electrophoresis systems and microfluidics to improve the time required for readout. Here, the effect of electro-osmotic counterflows and snap-shot detection are considered to allow for detection of peaks soon after they are electorphoretically resolved. Using drag tags available in micelle form, we identify a design capable of sequencing 600 bases in 2.8 min.
Extinctions and the loss of ecological function in island bird communities

Aim Because of the negative impact that ongoing biodiversity loss may have on ecosystem properties that are critical for humans, understanding the relationship between extinction and functional diversity over time is of critical importance for conservation. However, empirical evidence concerning the sensitivity of vertebrate community function to species loss is very limited. Here we assess documented prehistoric and historic extinctions of birds on Pacific islands in an effort to quantify the consequences of extinctions for functional structure and diversity in natural communities over broad spatial scales. Location Forty-four islands from across the Pacific. Methods We estimated functional aspects of island bird communities before and after Holocene extinctions based on body size, foraging niche, diet and activity period. We used four separate metrics to measure ecological function: functional diversity (FD), functional richness (FRic), functional evenness and functional divergence. We employed null models to separate the effects of observed extinctions from changes expected due to declining species richness. Results We find that Holocene bird extinctions led to substantial changes in community-level functional diversity. Observed declines in FD and FRic were predictable from the pre-extinction composition of communities, and did not differ from null model expectations. Across all islands, we observed non-random changes in functional trait composition, with shifts away from ground-level foraging, granivory and herbivory after extinctions. Extinctions have resulted in the loss of up to 80% of original functional diversity on some islands and caused a sharp decrease in the variety of ecological functions provided by birds. Main conclusions Our findings illustrate the significant losses of functional diversity that are already taking place on many islands and demonstrate its close connection with the loss of species. Accounting for the functional roles of species allows a more integrative understanding of ecological function and helps to bridge species and ecosystem perspectives in conservation science.
Ordinal Logistic Regression

Many medical and epidemiologic studies incorporate an ordinal response variable. In some cases an ordinal response Y represents levels of a standard measurement scale such as severity of pain (none, mild, moderate, severe). In other cases, ordinal responses are constructed by specifying a hierarchy of separate endpoints. For example, clinicians may specify an ordering of the severity of several component events and assign patients to the worst event present from among none, heart attack, disabling stroke, and death. Still another use of ordinal response methods is the application of rank-based methods to continuous responses so as to obtain robust inferences. For example, the proportional odds model described later allows for a continuous Y and is really a generalization of the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney rank test. Thus the semiparametric proportional odds model is a direct competitor of ordinary linear models.
Observation of a (√3 × √3)R30° reconstruction on O-polar ZnO surfaces

Abstract Low energy electron diffraction shows a (√3 × √3) R 30° reconstruction on O-polar ZnO surfaces after a tube furnace annealing process commonly used to create atomic-height steps. This reconstruction is also produced in situ under conditions having an extremely low hydrogen background. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggests H stabilizes the (1 × 1) termination that has been extensively reported. The (√3 × √3) R 30° reconstruction is stable against H 2 , N 2 , and air, although its formation is suppressed when preparation occurs under a H 2 background. Therefore, caution must be taken when using annealed O-polar ZnO substrates, as reconstruction will affect the nature of the surface and, thus, the growth interface.
Laser doping of germanium

A direct-write pulsed Nd:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser treatment in an aluminum-containing gas was applied to the polished surface of an undoped Ge wafer. After KOH etching to remove metallic aluminum deposited on the surface, secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) revealed ~60-200 nm penetration for Al at a concentration of ~10 17 cm -3 . Atomic force microscopy showed that surface roughness is much less than the measured penetration depth. Laser doping of Ge is a potential low cost, selective-area, and compact method, compared with ion-implantation, for production of high current ohmic contacts in Ge and SiGe opto-electronic devices.
The gouging phenomenon between metal surfaces at very high sliding speeds

Abstract High-speed rocket sleds, traveling at velocities approaching or exceeding 6000 ft./sec have been observed to cause a gouging type of damage to the steel guiding rail of the rocket track. The gouging is a damage phenomenon occurring between the metal surfaces of the rocket sled slipper and the rail under conditions of high-velocity sliding contact. The gouges have a teardrop-shaped pattern, and are typically 2–4 in. long, 1 in. wide, and 1 16 in. deep. The gouge surface has a rippled texture and a bluish coloration. An investigation of the gouging was based on simulating the physical conditions of sliding between a rocket sled slipper and the sled rail by a projectile sliding at high velocity on a surface. Using a gun to attain the necessary projectile velocities and targets with a pronounced curvature, it was found possible to reproduce the gouging phenomenon in the laboratory. Although many fundamental aspects of gouging remain to be investigated, the laboratory technique developed for this study opens a number of possible avenues for further study.
A method for flow cytometric analysis of Candida albicans DNA

Abstract A method was developed by which to simply and easily study the DNA synthetic cycle of Candida albicans . This method employs a standard flow cytometer and the fluorescent DNA binding stain, 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). Flow-cytometric analysis by this method resulted in sharp peaks of intense DNA staining. This method is a modification of a widely used protocol for cell cycle analysis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that was found unsuitable for use with C. albicans . The S. cerevisiae procedure employed propidium iodide which stains C. albicans in a non-specific manner. The use of DAPI resulted in precise C. albicans nuclear staining and eliminated non-specific cellular staining.
Pb, Nd and Sr isotopes in oceanic ferromanganese deposits and ocean floor basalts

The Pb-, Nd-, and Sr-isotope compositions of oceanic ferromanganese deposits, together with the Nd-, and Sr-isotope compositions of altered ocean-floor basalts are reported. These data are used to evaluate the sources of these metals in both the oceans and ferromanganese deposits and the extent to which ocean-floor basalts are a source of, or a sink for these metals.
Decomposition vs. decentralization in large-scale system theory

This paper compares decomposition and decentralization methods in quadratic optimal control. Two new decomposition algorithms are presented.
An antisense promoter in mouse L1 retrotransposon open reading frame-1 initiates expression of diverse fusion transcripts and limits retrotransposition

Between 6 and 30% of human and mouse transcripts are initiated from transposable elements. However, the promoters driving such transcriptional activity are mostly unknown. We experimentally characterized an antisense (AS) promoter in mouse L1 retrotransposons for the first time, oriented antiparallel to the coding strand of L1 open reading frame-1. We found that AS transcription is mediated by RNA polymerase II. Rapid amplification of cDNA ends cloning mapped transcription start sites adjacent to the AS promoter. We identified >100 novel fusion transcripts, of which many were conserved across divergent mouse lineages, suggesting conservation of potential functions. To evaluate whether AS L1 transcription could regulate L1 retrotransposition, we replaced portions of native open reading frame-1 in donor elements by synonymously recoded sequences. The resulting L1 elements lacked AS promoter activity and retrotransposed more frequently than endogenous L1s. Overexpression of AS L1 transcripts also reduced L1 retrotransposition. This suppression of retrotransposition was largely independent of Dicer. Our experiments shed new light on how AS fusion transcripts are initiated from endogenous L1 elements across the mouse genome. Such AS transcription can contribute substantially both to natural transcriptional variation and to endogenous regulation of L1 retrotransposition.
Self-Instruction Using Mobile Technology to Learn Functional Skills

Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of a mobile device for video self-instruction of a functional skill. In pre-training, researchers taught participants to access video models on a mobile device in order to independently complete three tasks. Then, in baseline, researchers asked participants to complete a novel skill and collected data on their performance. Intervention involved allowing access to the mobile device. Data were collected on participants’ ability to pick up and navigate the device as well as their ability to complete the novel skill following self-instruction (i.e., replacing computer memory). Two participants independently initiated the use of the mobile device to self-instruct, and one participant required verbal prompting to initiate using the device. All participants acquired the novel skill replacing computer memory by self-instruction.
The benchmarking, tuning and analytic modeling of VAX/VMS

This paper describes a recent experience in benchmarking, tuning and modelling Digital Equipment Corporation's VMS executive running on their VAX-11/780 computer. Although we emphasize modelling here, the three aspects are closely interrelated.
Effect of Sodium Chloride Levels in Frankfurters on the Growth of Clostridium sporogenes and Staphylococcus aureus

Frankfurters were made with 100%, 80%, and 60% of the normal 2.5% added NaCl, plus 150 ppm NaNO2 and 430 ppm ascorbate. They were either untreated or inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus or Clostridium sporogenes and incubated at a moderate abuse temperature of 11°C for up to 11 days. A slightly more rapid growth of the natural flora was noted in the frankfurters containing 60% of the normal salt compared to those containing higher levels of salt. No outgrowth of clostridial spores occurred in any inoculated sample. Staphylococcal growth was slow and inconsistent, with no effect related to salt levels. Incubating frankfurters at higher tern. peratures showed that abuse temperature had a greater effect on total aerobic and staphylococcal growth than did the salt levels tested.
An estimation problem in compact Lie groups

Abstract In this paper an estimation problem is formulated and solved where the process evolves in a compact, semisimple Lie group. The problem is to find explicitly the conditional probability density of a random initial condition of a Brownian motion in the Lie group given a vector-valued function of the group-valued Brownian motion at some fixed positive time. This function is constant on orbits of the Lie group formed by conjugation. The conditional probability density function has a simple, explicit form using some orbit properties of the Lie group. Many physical problems can be modelled as evolving on compact, semisimple Lie groups, e.g. the motion of a rigid body with a fixed point.
Effects of chronic alcohol administration on synaptic membrane Na+-Ca2+ exchange activity.

Abstract We have recently reported that ethanol and othern-alkanols added to in vitro assays inhibit the activity of the Na+ Ca2+ exchange system in brain synaptic plasma membrane vesicles. The present studies were undertaken to determine whether in vivo chronic ethanol administration leads to alterations in this Na+ Ca2+ antiporter that might be indicative of an adaptive response to alcohol. The Na+-dependent Ca2+ transport activity in the plasma-membrane fractions obtained was measuredd at various Ca2+ concentrations. Results of these experiments revealed that a 3-week ethanol regimen brought about a significant increase in the Na+-dependent Ca2+ transport activity only in the membrane fraction enriched in synaptic junctional complexes. These membranes showed a near doubling in the maximal transport activity of the antiporter in alcohol-treated compared with the control animals. Changes in the kinetic parameters were reversible as the Na+ Ca2+ exchange activity in these membranes from animals maintained on alcohol for 3 weeks and then withdrawn for 1 week was indistringuishable from that of membranes from control animals. Thus it appears that ethanol-treated animals make a reversible adaptation in their neuronal cell membranes to compensate for the acute effects of ethanol on the Na+ Ca2+ antiporter.
Attenuated respiratory syncytial virus vaccines in asthmatic children.

Extract: Two live “attenuated” respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines were administered intranasally and by aerosol in placebo-controlled trials among asthmatic children hospitalized at National Jewish Hospital and Research Center (NJH). The first vaccine, a 26° -adapted RSV vaccine, was given to 28 children, and a placebo control was given to 25. Twenty-one of 28 vaccinees (75%) had “takes,” as judged by virus shedding and/or rises in serum antibody and/or rises in nasal secretion neutralizing activity. No excess in wheezing was attributable to the vaccine administration, although there was a high background level of acute respiratory symptoms in both vaccinees and control subjects. In an outbreak of natural RSV infection which occurred some months after the vaccine was given, there was some evidence that those who received the vaccine less than 4 months before exposure to wild virus were protected against reinfection. Protection was not evident when this interval was greater than 4 months. The second vaccine, a temperature-sensitive mutant strain (ts-1), was administered to 22 children, and placebo to 21. Thirteen children (59%) had “takes.” In vaccinees under 6 years of age, 7 of 7 had “takes.” Again, no excess wheezing was seen in vaccinees as compared with control subjects, although there was some evidence that upper respiratory symptoms were more frequent in younger vaccinees. Four of 10 vaccinees shed virus with temperature-sensitive characteristics somewhat different from those of the vaccine strain. Vaccine virus was demonstrated to spread to uninoculated or placebo control children. Natural RSV challenge did not occur during the period of study. Speculation: One of two live “attenuated” RSV vaccines may have produced a brief period of protection against natural infection. This finding offers hope that such live vaccines might prevent disease in selected children over a critical time period, such as infants for the 1st year of life, or allergic or asthmatic children during periods of epidemic prevalence. Asthmatic children did not appear to develop symptoms of wheezing after attenuated RSV infection. This finding suggests that the mechanism of wheezing in asthmatic children with RSV infection may be dependent on, among other factors, the virulence of the virus strain (perhaps its capacity to replicate in and, possibly, invade the lower respiratory tract), rather than on an allergic response to antigens introduced into, and limited to, the upper airway. In view of the spread of the ts-1 vaccine and its apparent loss of temperature sensitivity in some vaccinees, the vaccine may have had the potential for reversion to virulence and hence initiation of epidemic disease. These characteristics are undesirable in live respiratory virus vaccines and should, if possible, be avoided in the development of future such vaccines.
Carrier sense access in an enviornment of two interfering channels

Abstract Interference problems in radio networks are investigated. A general model is developed for the case of two interfering channels. The model is used to analyzed the performance of a two-station packet radio network and a CSMA network with hidden terminals. Performance evaluations for both slotted and unslotted systems are presented.
Quantifying Borrowing Constraints and Precautionary Savings

Abstract This paper quantifies the effects of precautionary savings. It demonstrates that Zeldes' estimate of excess consumption growth for low asset holders is consistent with a dynamic general equilibrium model with uninsurable endowment shocks when borrowing is constrained at three months' worth of average wage income. I propose a Monte Carlo simulation of the stationary equilibrium as a method of indirectly testing the hypotheses of a no-borrowing specification and a natural debt limit specification. At the estimated borrowing constraint, an increase in endowment shocks within the range of empirical findings can cause a 1.6% increase in the savings rate and a 6.9% increase in capital.
A modified diacetyl monoxime method for colorimetric determination of urea in soil extracts1

Abstract Some batches of phosphoric acid contain impurities that affect colorimetric determination of urea in soil extracts by the method of Douglas and Bremner, which involves measurement of the red color formed when an aliquot of extract is heated with diacetyl monoxime and thiosemicarbazide in the presence of phosphoric and sulfuric acid. A modification of this colorimetric procedure is described that permits use of phosphoric acid containing these impurities and allows accurate and precise determination of urea in soil extracts.
Effect of activity and inactivity on reinnervating rat skeletal muscle contractility.

Abstract Adult female rats underwent bilateral sciatic nerve crush for the purpose of evaluating the effect of activity and inactivity on the recovery of the contractile properties of the soleus and plantaris muscles. Treadmill training at 35% grade and bilateral cast immobilization of the hind limbs were started 2 or 3 weeks after sciatic nerve crush, when reinnervation is known to commence. The isometric twitch ( P t ) and tetanic ( P o ) tensions and time to peak tension ( C t ) were performed at an optimal length ( L o ) to give the maximum in vitro P t in a physiologic cell filled with aerated Ringer's lactate solution ( p H 7.2) at 34 to 35°C. The plantaris P t , P o , and C t and soleus P o and C t were unaffected by the exercise, but recovery of the soleus P t was significantly impaired by the treadmill training. Cast immobilization delayed the recovery of the P t and C t more in the soleus than the plantaris. In conclusion, extremes of activity or inactivity retarded, but did not prevent, the recovery of the slow more than the fast muscle during reinnervation.
Simple iterative method for finding the foe using depth-is-positive constraint

Abstract This short paper reexamines a direct-methods algorithm suggested by Negahdahripour and Horn[5]{3])that finds the focus of expansion (FOE) from translational motion imagery. We propose an practical extension of the algorithm, characterize it specifically for a VLSI implementation, discuss when it will converge to the correct solution, and demonstrate it on realimages (both synthetic and natural).The method does not require a solution to the correspondence problem or involve estimationof optical flow. 1 Introduction Negadahripour and Horn [5] proposed an algorithm that uses depth is positive as a constraint tofind the focus of expansion (FOE). They found that "negative" depth values obtained by solvingthe brightness change constraint equation in the case of incorrect FOE estimates imply constraintlines along which a true FOE must lie. They then estimated the position of the FOE from a leastsquares intersection of these constraint lines, each from a different incorrect FOE estimate.They tried the algorithm on synthetic derivative data (spatial derivatives are generated ran-donily; time derivatives are computed from the brightness change constraint equation; randomnoise is added) and to a limited extent on real data.In addition, Negadahripour and Horn [3][6]
Mastectomy and concomitant sentinel lymph node biopsy for invasive breast cancer

Abstract Background Although sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNLB) has become a standard ancillary to breast conservation, there remains a hesitancy to perform SLNB concomitant with mastectomy primarily because of concerns regarding reoperation for a positive SLN. Methods A retrospective review of 51 patients who underwent SLN biopsy concomitantly with mastectomy for invasive breast cancer was performed. In addition, a survey was sent to surgical oncologists who routinely perform SLNB in conjunction with mastectomy. Results The SLN was identified in 98% of patients, and an average of 2.4 SLNs/patient were removed. The SLN was positive in 14 patients (27%). Ten patients underwent axillary lymph node dissection as a second procedure; an average of 15.4 ± 6 nodes were cleared, and there were no complications. Although techniques vary greatly among surgeons, the majority believe that a subsequent ALND procedure does not carry additional risk of morbidity. Conclusions Mastectomy and concomitant SLNB is a safe option for well-selected breast cancer patients. Results appear acceptable using a variety of techniques. Patients with a positive SLN can safely undergo completion axillary lymph node dissections. This includes patients who have undergone immediate reconstruction, but proper planning is needed to minimize potential risks.
Breast and uterine effects of soy isoflavones and conjugated equine estrogens in postmenopausal female monkeys.

In this study we evaluated the long-term effects of soy isoflavones on intermediate markers of cancer risk in the normal postmenopausal monkey breast and uterus. Ovariectomized female cynomolgus monkeys were randomized to receive one of three diets for 36 months: 1) isoflavone-depleted soy protein isolate (SPI−) (n = 57); 2) soy protein isolate with the equivalent of 129 mg/d isoflavones (SPI+) (n = 60); or 3) isoflavone-depleted soy protein isolate with conjugated equine estrogens at a dose scaled to approximate 0.625 mg/d in women (n = 62). End points included breast and uterine proliferation markers, sex steroid receptor expression, and serum estrogens. Epithelial proliferation and progesterone receptor expression in the breast and uterus were significantly higher in the conjugated equine estrogen group, compared with SPI+ and SPI− groups, whereas no significant differences were detected between the SPI+ and SPI− groups. SPI+ treatment resulted in significantly lower serum concentrations of estrone (P ...
Detection of tool wear using multisensor readings defused by artificial neural network

Real-time tool wear sensing is essential for machining process optimization and implementation of untended manufacturing systems. This paper proposes a tool wear model based on an artificial neural network (ANN), used as a pattern associator, that is trained using experimental data which consists of tool wear measurement and corresponding readings of a variety of sensors. During operation, the network is fed only with the sensors'' readings; it fuses this data and, according to the `model'' established during the training, provides an estimation for the tool wear. Discussion and experimental results are provided.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.