cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
United States economic indicators: Definitions, sources, and resources☆

The economic indicators are a set of data used in analyzing current and future economic conditions. Indicators are classified according to their timing in relation to the business cycle; that is, whether they lead, lag, or coincide with movements of the economy. The indicators are classified by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Composite indexes are also produced by BEA. The primary published sources for the indicators and appropriate background information are Business Conditions Digest (BCD) and its supplement Handbook of Cyclical Indicators. The indicators, in particular the composite index of leading indicators, have serious conceptual limitations which must be understood in order to use these data wisely.
"Malignancy" in meningiomas: a clinicopathologic study of 116 patients, with grading implications.

BACKGROUND Due to the rarity of malignancy in meningiomas, prior studies have been limited to small series. Controversies regarding the definition of malignant meningioma have complicated matters further. Although histologic anaplasia and extracranial metastasis are established criteria, the former is difficult to define and the latter represents a clinical finding. Traditionally, brain invasion has also been accepted, although this has recently been debated. In a prior series, the authors were unable to prove that 23 meningiomas that had invaded the brain were more aggressive than atypical meningiomas. METHODS The authors expanded their analysis to include 116 patients diagnosed with “malignant meningioma” due to brain invasion, frank anaplasia (20 mitoses per 10 high-power fields or histology resembling carcinoma, sarcoma, or melanoma), and/or extracranial metastasis. Patients were followed until death or for a median of 3.7 years. RESULTS Survival time was highly variable, ranging from 10 days to 24 years. In multivariate analysis, histologic anaplasia (P = 0.0035), subtotal resection (P = 0.0038), 20 mitoses per 10 high-power fields (P = 0.0071), and nuclear atypia (P = 0.0068) were associated with poor survival. Of the 89 cases of meningioma that had invaded the brain, 23% were otherwise benign, 61% were otherwise atypical, and 17% were frankly anaplastic. Those without anaplasia behaved similarly to atypical meningiomas from the authors' prior study. In contrast, anaplastic meningiomas were usually fatal, associated with a median survival of 1.5 years. CONCLUSIONS Based on these findings, the authors suggest that brain invasion constitutes an additional criterion for the diagnosis of atypical meningioma (World Health Organization [WHO] Grade II), whereas frank anaplasia indicates high grade (WHO Grade III–IV) malignancy. Cancer 1999;85:2046–56. © 1999 American Cancer Society.
Rays of Light

Following the historical order of ideas is usually a good way of introducing people to physics, but the historical order is never the logical order. If it were, there would be no room for discovery, since each new development would merely follow deductively from the preceding ones. New discoveries usually involve radically new ideas not implicit in what went before, and deductive connections, when they can be made at all, must be made backwards. You cannot derive the formulas of relativistic mechanics from those of Newton. You can derive Newtonian formulas from relativistic ones by taking a low-velocity limit, but even this is not a derivation of Newtonian physics, since that physics takes place against a background of absolute space and time which Einstein abandoned. This example contains a lesson: We may be able to derive the equations of an earlier theory from those of a later one, but to recapture the theory itself requires imagination and scholarship.
Ring Around the Retroelement

Molecular biologists have long been intrigued by mobile DNA elements in the genome called retrotransposons and how they replicate and become inserted at new chromosomal sites. New insights into how branching and debranching of retrotransposon transcripts may contribute to this process (Cheng and Menees) are discussed by Perlman and Boeke in their Perspective.
Hospital volume and patient outcomes in hepato-pancreatico-biliary surgery: is assessing differences in mortality enough?

The impact of regionalization on morbidity, failure to rescue (FTR), length of stay (LOS), and readmission remains unclear. We sought to examine hospital-volume-related differences in outcomes following complex hepato-pancreatico-biliary (HPB) surgery and define potential benefits of regionalization across quality metrics. Patients undergoing HPB surgery in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked data from 1986 to 2002 were identified. Hospital volume was stratified into tertiles (low volume [LV] <4 cases/year; intermediate volume [IV] 4–10 cases/year; high volume [HV] ≥11 cases/year). The incidence of complications, FTR (mortality following a complication), and LOS was compared across hospital-volume strata. A counterfactual model examined hypothetical outcomes assuming all patients had been treated at HV centers. Ten thousand two hundred eight patients underwent pancreatic (46.1 %), hepatic (36.2 %), or biliary (17.8 %) procedures. Overall mean age ranged from 72.7 years at HV centers to 73.4 at LV centers (P < 0.001), and patients at HV centers (75.4 %) were more likely to have ≥3 comorbidities versus IV (70.0 %) or LV (64.7 %) centers (P < 0.001). The incidence of post-operative complications was lower at HV (39.1 %) compared with IV (41.9 %) or LV (44.8 %) centers. Major complications included hemorrhagic anemia (7.3 %), failure to thrive (5.1 %), and respiratory infection/failure (3.5 %); each was less common in HV hospitals (P < 0.05). FTR after major complication tended to be higher at LV (36.7 %) and IV (37.3 %) hospitals compared with HV hospitals (29.7 %) (P = 0.10). Mortality was higher at LV (10.5 %) and IV (8.1 %) hospitals versus HV centers (5.4 %) (P < 0.001). HV hospital patients had shorter median LOS (10 days) compared with IV (12 days) or LV (12 days) hospital patients (P < 0.001). Readmission varied across centers (HV 19.1 % vs. IV 19.2 % vs. 16.7 %; P = 0.02). In a counterfactual model with all patients treated at a HV center, 6.4 % fewer complications and a 26.0 % increase in post-complication rescue would be expected, along with a 32.0 % reduction in index mortality and an 8.1 % reduction in total patient-days. A minor increase in readmissions (7.1 %) would be anticipated with 13.3 % fewer deaths during readmission. Although patients treated at HV hospitals had more medical comorbidities, outcomes across a wide spectrum of quality metrics were better than at IV or LV hospital following complex HPB surgery. A 20–30 % reduction in morbidity and mortality and an 8 % reduction in hospital patient-days could be anticipated had all patients been treated at HV hospitals.
Improving organisational communication: the use of the MCR media model

Modern organisations have many communication channels: cell-phone, e-mail, video conferences, face-to-face meeting, etc. The following model was created to help managers to understand and manage many communication channels (media channels) in their organisations. This model fills a gap in the literature prior to 2007 by concentrating on monitoring, controlling and restricting communications. Many reasons for controlling communications in organisations are also outlined and presented. The MCR media model shows great promise as a tool to analyse, control and managing communications in virtual teams, and intercultural virtual teams. Other applications of the MCR media model are also suggested.
Tendinopathy alters mechanical and material properties of the Achilles tendon

The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vivo material and mechanical properties of the human Achilles tendon in the presence of tendinopathy. Real-time ultrasound imaging and dynamometry were used to assess Achilles tendon stiffness, Young's modulus, stress, strain, and cross-sectional area (CSA) in 12 individuals with Achilles tendinopathy and 12 age- and gender-matched controls. The results of this study suggest that tendinopathy weakens the mechanical and material properties of the tendon. Tendinopathic tendons had greater CSA, lower tendon stiffness, and lower Young's modulus. These alterations in mechanical characteristics may put the Achilles tendon at a higher risk to sustain further injury and prolong the time to recovery. Results from this study may be used to design treatment strategies that specifically target these deficits, leading to faster and permanent recovery from tendinopathy.
Have tRNA, will travel.

The processing of tRNA is deceptively complicated from the standpoint of both biochemistry and spatial organization. Every generation in yeast, ≈3–6 million tRNAs are processed (1), ≈10 times the number of rRNAs and ≈60–100 times the number of mRNAs (2). Processing of tRNAs requires ≈60 polypeptides to catalyze removal of the 5′ leader sequence, trimming of the 3′ trailer sequence, splicing of the introns that occur in ≈22% of tRNA genes, addition of nucleotides C, C, and A (CCA) to the 3′ end of tRNA, and formation of the 25 different chemical modifications that occur in different sets of tRNAs (3). The complexity of tRNA processing has been matched recently by an equally complicated set of results regarding the cellular location of tRNA processing events. It was once almost dogma that tRNA processing occurred in the nucleus, followed by export and tRNA utilization in the cytoplasm. However, essential steps of tRNA processing are now known to occur in the cytoplasm, and tRNA charging can occur in the nucleus. This issue of PNAS features the latest startling chapter in the storied travels of tRNA during the course of its life: evidence that tRNA can flow back to the nucleus from its site of action in the cytoplasm (4). This paradigm-breaking work from the laboratory of Anita Hopper explains several previously puzzling observations and raises a number of new questions. The tRNA processing pathway was once thought to be direct and rather simple. Based on a classic set of microinjection experiments in Xenopus oocytes, an elegant picture was painted in which transcription began in the nucleus, followed by 5′ and 3′ end processing, then by splicing of introns for those tRNA species that had them and subsequent export of the tRNA to the cytoplasm (5). This was accompanied by the addition of …
Design and synthesis of dual peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors γ and δ agonists as novel euglycemic agents with a reduced weight gain profile

The design and synthesis of the dual peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ/δ agonist (R)-3-{4-[3-(4-chloro-2-phenoxy-phenoxy)-butoxy]-2-ethyl-phenyl}-propionic acid (20) for the treat...
Perceived Control and the Clinton Presidency Political Discourse in an Alienated Age

Perceived control of important life outcomes has been shown to be a fundamental prerequisite of psychological well-being and social adjustment. Literally thousands of studies attest to the notion that a person with a sense of perceived control, efficacy, and optimism inhabits a different psychological world from a person who espouses a fatalistic, pessimistic, or powerless worldview. The person's control orientation also influences how he or she responds to information and persuasion. This article reviews the psychological evidence for a connection between perceived control and political behavior. From this review, implications for political discourse are drawn to the 1992 campaign, to the political behavior of Governor Clinton and President Bush in their effort to garner votes and to the early Clinton administration.
Highly cross-linked polyethylene may not have an advantage in total knee arthroplasty.

Background Long-term results after total knee replacement (TKR) with conventional and compression-molded polyethylene (PE) have been excellent. The introduction of highly cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE), which has demonstrated superior wear properties in total hip replacement (THR), has led to its recent use in TKR. However, the knee has a unique biomechanical environment characterized by large contact stresses and shear forces and differs from the highly conforming articulation (and primarily abrasive and adhesive wear) found in THR. For this reason, XLPE, with its decreased fatigue resistance and toughness compared to PE, may not be the best material to withstand these unique forces.
The late addition of core lipids to nascent apolipoprotein B100, resulting in the assembly and secretion of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, is independent of both microsomal triglyceride transfer protein activity and new triglyceride synthesis.

Although microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) and newly synthesized triglyceride (TG) are critical for co-translational targeting of apolipoprotein B (apoB100) to lipoprotein assembly in hepatoma cell lines, their roles in the later stages of lipoprotein assembly remain unclear. UsingN-acetyl-Leu-Leu-norleucinal to prevent proteasomal degradation, HepG2 cells were radiolabeled and chased for 0–90 min (chase I). The medium was changed and cells chased for another 150 min (chase II) in the absence (control) or presence of Pfizer MTP inhibitor CP-10447 (CP). As chase I was extended, inhibition of apoB100 secretion by CP during chase II decreased from 75.9% to only 15% of control (no CP during chase II). Additional studies were conducted in which chase I was either 0 or 90 min, and chase II was in the presence of [3H]glycerol and either BSA (control), CP (inhibits both MTP activity and TG synthesis),BMS-1976360-1) (BMS) (inhibits only MTP activity), or triacsin C (TC) (inhibits only TG synthesis). When chase I was 0 min, CP, BMS, and TC reduced apoB100 secretion during chase II by 75.3, 73.9, and 53.9%. However, when chase I was 90 min, those agents reduced apoB100 secretion during chase II by only 16.0, 19.2, and 13.9%. Of note, all three inhibited secretion of newly synthesized TG during chase II by 80, 80, and 40%, whether chase I was 0 or 90 min. In both HepG2 cells and McA-RH7777 cells, if chase I was at least 60 min, inhibition of TG synthesis and/or MTP activity did not affect the density of secreted apoB100-lipoproteins under basal conditions. Oleic acid increased secretion of TG-enriched apoB100-lipoproteins similarly in the absence or presence of either of CP, BMS, or TC. We conclude that neither MTP nor newly synthesized TG is necessary for the later stages of apoB100-lipoprotein assembly and secretion in either HepG2 or McA-RH7777 cells.
Augmentation with atypical antipsychotics for depression: a review of evidence-based support from the medical literature.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a chronic mental illness that affects an estimated 5–26% of adults at some time in their lives. Treatment is often started as pharmacotherapy using a single drug such as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. If a patient fails to respond adequately to the initial antidepressant, typically three pharmacotherapy options are available to the practitioner. The dose of the current therapy can be maximized, a change can be made to a different drug, or the current regimen can be augmented with another drug. Atypical antipsychotics have recently become a major focus for augmentation of traditional antidepressant therapy. This review summarizes the evidence for efficacy and safety of augmenting treatment-refractory or treatment-resistant depression with atypical antipsychotics. The National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE database was searched for all English-language articles published from January 1966–December 2011 describing the use of atypical antipsychotics in treatment-resistant depression. The literature retrieved was limited to case series, open-label trials, and randomized controlled trials (RCT). Studies of bipolar depression, psychotic depression, or studies conducted in children and adolescents were excluded. Thirty-five studies using atypical antipsychotics for augmentation treatment of depression were included in this analysis. Trials were identified for aripiprazole (six open-label; three RCT), clozapine (one case series), olanzapine (three open-label, including two case series; four RCT), quetiapine (four open-label; five RCT), risperidone (two open-label; five RCT), and ziprasidone (two open-label). The atypical antipsychotics may be effective as adjunctive therapy in MDD; however, their adverse effect profile may be unfavorable to some patients. Trying at least one alternative treatment strategy after an initial antidepressant is indicated before augmentation is implemented with these agents. If atypical antipsychotics are used, safety and efficacy should be frequently reassessed and dosage should be individualized.
High-energy gamma rays, cosmic-ray electrons, and the far-infrared background radiation.

It is shown that the observed flux of galactic gamma rays, which is one order of magnitude higher than the theoretical value, can be explained if one assumes the recently detected far-infrared radiation to be galactic or universal. Effects of the infrared radiation on cosmic rays are discussed.
In brief: fractures in brief: femoral neck fractures.

Femoral neck fractures are low-energy injuries in the aged, associated with frequent falls, ill health, and osteoporosis, and less commonly, high-energy injuries in the young. Femoral neck fractures are serious injuries. Although the surgical treatment for these fractures is refined, poor outcomes are not uncommon: many of the elderly patients die within a year of injury, and many of those who survive do not regain their preinjury level of function [5].
Mammals of the World: MaNIS as an example of data integration in a distributed network environment

Natural history collections are the authoritative source of knowledge about the identity, evolutionary relationships, and attributes of species with which we share this planet. As such, collections of research specimens play a central and critical role in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. The potential contribution of specimen data to systematic, genomic, and ecological analyses is enormous, and will be orders of magnitude greater when information is made easily accessible via distributed networks compared with stand-alone database systems in use up to the present. The Mammal Networked Information System (MaNIS) is a distributed database network that permits participating institutions to provide web-based global access to their collections data for research, education and informed decision-making. The simplicity of the network’s design ensures that any institution wishing to join MaNIS may do so at relatively little cost and with relatively little technical expertise. Although development of MaNIS and its underlying architecture relied on a number of key programming tasks and innovations, much of what the project can offer at this pivotal juncture is insight into its approach and a template by which other disciplines can engage in a similar process with equal success.
Lower Bounds for Equilibria of Covering Flows on Manifolds

Let X be a vector field on a compact manifold M, let ?: N ? M be a universal covering map, and let X(?) be the induced vector field on N. In this article, we obtain lower bounds on the number of bounding surfaces for the regions of stability in N with respect to X(?). The results are particularly useful because they apply to Euclidean spaces in which most practical applications occur. We develop homology and homotopy methods which allow us to obtain results for noncompact manifolds in cases where Morse---Smale approach does not give adequate lower bounds.
HIATAL HERNIA AND ESOPHAGITIS.

In summary, the surgical implications of hiatal hernia are represented by those instances in which the hernia, by reason of its mechanical effects, produces symptoms which may incapacitate the patient or in which ulceration occurs in the hernia and produces pain or bleeding. Patients with erosive esophagitis are also candidates for surgical treatment since this condition does not respond well to medical measures.
Electric Power System - The Computer Connection

Many people believe that the only connection between power systems and computers is that computers must be plugged into an electrical outlet to operate. True, electricity does indeed power computers, either directly for desktop units or indirectly through uninterruptible power supplies (batteries charged by the power system) for large computers. There is far more, however, to the connection between computers and power systems. The power industry is the third largest user of computers in the United States, after the federal government and financial institutions. Computers are used heavily by electric utilities for customer billing, employee payrolls, and record keeping. Computers are also used to plan, monitor, and in some cases control the power system and its components. In an effort to control costs, therefore, the electric utilities use computers at all levels of the system.from power plants to load distribution centers. The system is too complex and the stakes too high to plan and operate a utility system without computers.
Fat Talk Among College Women is Both Contagious and Harmful

Fat talk is a social phenomenon during which women speak negatively with each other about the size/shape of their bodies (Nichter and Vuckovich 1994). In this study, exposure to fat talk from peers was experimentally manipulated to determine the effect of hearing fat talk on a woman’s own likelihood of engaging in fat talk and on state body dissatisfaction, guilt, and sadness. Undergraduate women (n = 87; all of a healthy weight) from a Midwestern university in the United States participated in a study ostensibly about discussing magazine advertisements. Two female confederates were present for the discussion. While discussing an advertisement featuring an attractive and thin female model, participants either heard both confederates engage in fat talk, neither confederate engage in fat talk, or the first engage in fat talk and the second challenge the fat talk. Hearing a confederate fat talk made the participants more likely to fat talk themselves (especially if the fat talk went unchallenged) and increased participants’ self-reported state body dissatisfaction and guilt. Participants who engaged in fat talk reported higher levels of self-reported state body dissatisfaction and guilt, compared to participants who did not engage in fat talk (even when controlling for pre-existing trait body dissatisfaction). Participant fat talk mediated the effect of condition on both state body dissatisfaction and guilt. Additionally, correlational analyses revealed that participants with higher levels of trait body dissatisfaction (assessed at a pre-test) were more likely to engage in fat talk (regardless of condition).
Negative Regulation of 26S Proteasome Stability via Calpain-mediated Cleavage of Rpn10 Subunit upon Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Neurons

Proteasomal and mitochondrial dysfunctions are implicated in chronic neurodegenerative diseases. To investigate the impact of mitochondrial impairment on the proteasome, we treated rat cerebral cortical neurons with oligomycin, antimycin, or rotenone, which inhibit different elements of the electron transport chain. Firstly, we observed a reduction in ubiquitinated proteins and E1 activity. Secondly, we established that 26S proteasomes are disassembled with a decline in activity. Thirdly, we show, to our knowledge for the first time, that calpain activation triggers the selective processing of the 26S proteasome subunit Rpn10. Other proteasome subunits tested were not affected. Calpain also cleaved caspase 3 to an inactive fragment, thus preventing apoptosis that is an energy-dependent cell death pathway. In addition, calpain cleaved the microtubule-associated protein Tau, a major component of neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer disease and other tauopathies. Fourthly, we detected a rise in 20S proteasome levels and activity. Finally, we show that both acute (16 h) and long term (up to 7 days) mitochondrial impairment led to down-regulation of ubiquitinated-proteins, 26S proteasome disassembly, and a rise in 20S proteasomes. We postulate that upon mitochondrial dysfunction, ATP depletion and calpain activation contribute to the demise of protein turnover by the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway. The concomitant rise in 20S proteasomes, which seem to degrade proteins in an unregulated and energy-independent manner, in the short term may carry out the turnover of randomly unfolded oxidized proteins. However, if chronic, it could lead to neurodegeneration as regulated protein degradation by the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway is essential for neuronal survival.
Modes of a unidirectional ring laser.

The modes of a ring-laser cavity with an extra mirror for unidirectional operation are analyzed and shown to be the same as those of a conventional ring laser. The beam from the extra mirror does not give rise to additional interferometric effects when it is reflected back into the ring cavity. Experimental results with a He–Ne unidirectional ring laser confirm this finding; operation is demonstrated in both a symmetric and an asymmetric distribution of mode amplitudes about the Doppler line center.
Efficacy of Phenylbutazone Versus Firocoxib in Experimental Lameness in Horses

Introduction There are few refereed blinded controlled documentations of skeletal analgesic efficacy of firocoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor. The objective was to test the hypotheses that intravenous firocoxib and phenylbutazone are comparable in efficacy and that both are more efficacious in alleviating lameness than placebo in an adjustable heart bar shoe model of equine foot pain. Methods Eight healthy adult horses (5 Thoroughbreds, 3 Quarter horses, mean age 8.3 ± 0.9 years, age range 4–13 years) underwent weekly intravenous treatments 1 hour after lameness induction. Treatments were isotonic saline placebo (1 ml/45 kg body weight), phenylbutazone (4.4 mg/kg), and firocoxib (label dosage 0.09 mg/kg). Treatments were randomly assigned and administered by co-investigators who had no input on Heart Rate (HR) and Lameness Score (LS) measurements. Another investigator who was unaware of treatment assignments monitored HR and LS every 20 min for 5 hours after lameness induction and then hourly through 12 hours after treatment. One and two weeks later treatments were shuffled and the experiment was repeated. Repeated measures ANOVA and post hoc Tukey's test were used to identify analgesic effects at a significance level of P<0.05. Results HR and LS were not different between saline and firocoxib. Post-treatment phenylbutazone HR (2.3–3.3, 5, and 10 hours) and LS (2.3–8 hours) were lower than saline (P<0.05). Phenylbutazone HR (10 and 12 hours) and LS (1.67–11 hours) were lower than firocoxib (P<0.05). Conclusions It was concluded that firocoxib at this label dosage was not different than placebo and that phenylbutazone was more effective than firocoxib and saline. Ethical Animal Research Study approved by the University of Illinois Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Sources of funding: Federation Equestre Internationale. Competing interests: none.
An experimental approach to dynamic metamorphism

In the study of rock-deformation it is necessary that the physical properties of rocks be studied under all conditions of environment which are thought to exist in the Earth's crust. As the author has pursued this line of investigation, it has been possible to add successively to the factors of environment. At the present time apparatus is in operation in which all the variables may be handled simultaneously, within moderate ranges, as follows: (1) Confining pressure (liquid pressure) 0 to 1,000 atmospheres (2) Shear‐stress 0 to the strength of the material (3) Temperature 0° to 500° C (4) Chemical environment aqueous solutions possible (5) Time all factors may be held constant over any desired interval
Automatic testing of high resolution time digitizers

An automated system for the testing and performance evaluation of high-resolution, long-range time digitizers is described. The test system uses an IBM PC/XT or PC/AT personal computer together with appropriate hardware interfacing modules to control the digitizer under test. Precise timing intervals for testing are generated by a pulse-calibration module driven by a programmable low-phase-noise frequency synthesizer. The time intervals measured by the digitizer are compared under computer control with the actual intervals produced by the synthesizer for a sufficient number of cases to establish the digitizer performance. The hardware and software components used are discussed. >
Direct monitoring of the liquid and gas phases during a fermentation in a computer-mass-spectrometer-fermentor system

Measurement of chemical concentrations is a weak link in the monitoring of fermentations. The use of a computer-controlled mass spectrometer (MS) has made possible the measurement of one or more volatile compounds on an essentially continuous basis, both in the liquid (broth) and the gas (headspace) phases. For our purposes, the MS was used, not as a spectrometer for chemical identification, but as a programmable detector for measuring concentrations of different compounds. Specifically, a computer-controlled MS was employed during the fermentation of Saccharomyces italicus, to monitor N2, O2, and CO2 concentration in the gas phase, and N2, O2, CO2, and ethanol in the liquid phase. The performance of the MS was carefully analyzed.
Advances in identifying beryllium sensitization and disease.

Beryllium is a lightweight metal with unique qualities related to stiffness, corrosion resistance, and conductivity. While there are many useful applications, researchers in the 1930s and l940s linked beryllium exposure to a progressive occupational lung disease. Acute beryllium disease is a pulmonary irritant response to high exposure levels, whereas chronic beryllium disease (CBD) typically results from a hypersensitivity response to lower exposure levels. A blood test, the beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT), was an important advance in identifying individuals who are sensitized to beryllium (BeS) and thus at risk for developing CBD. While there is no true "gold standard" for BeS, basic epidemiologic concepts have been used to advance our understanding of the different screening algorithms.
The importance of internal loops within RNA substrates of ADAR1.

Adenosine deaminases that act on RNA (ADARs) are a family of RNA editing enzymes that convert adenosines to inosines within double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). Although ADARs deaminate perfectly base-paired dsRNA promiscuously, deamination is limited to a few, selected adenosines within dsRNA containing mismatches, bulges and internal loops. As a first step in understanding how RNA structural features promote selectivity, we investigated the role of internal loops within ADAR substrates. We observed that a dsRNA helix is deaminated at the same sites whether it exists as a free molecule or is flanked by internal loops. Thus, internal loops delineate helix ends for ADAR1. Since ADAR1 deaminates short RNAs at fewer adenosines than long RNAs, loops decrease the number of deaminations within an RNA by dividing a long RNA into shorter substrates. For a series of symmetric internal loops related in sequence, larger loops (>/=six nucleotides) acted as helix ends, whereas smaller loops (</=four nucleotides) did not. Our work provides the first information about how secondary structure within ADAR substrates dictates selectivity, and suggests a rational approach for delineating minimal substrates for RNAs deaminated by ADARs in vivo.
Localization of amyloid β protein messenger RNA in brains from patients with Alzheimer's disease

The distribution of cells containing messenger RNA that encodes amyloid beta protein was determined in hippocampi and in various cortical regions from cynomolgus monkeys, normal humans, and patients with Alzheimer's disease by in situ hybridization. Both 35S-labeled RNA antisense and sense probes to amyloid beta protein messenger RNA were used to ensure specific hybridization. Messenger RNA for amyloid beta protein was expressed in a subset of neurons in the prefrontal cortex from monkeys, normal humans, and patients with Alzheimer's disease. This messenger RNA was also present in the neurons of all the hippocampal fields from monkeys, normal humans and, although to a lesser extent in cornu ammonis 1, patients with Alzheimer's disease. The distribution of amyloid beta protein messenger RNA was similar to that of the neurofibrillary tangles of Alzheimer's disease in some regions, but the messenger RNA was also expressed in other neurons that are not usually involved in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease.
A Novel Generalized Normal Distribution for Human Longevity and other Negatively Skewed Data

Negatively skewed data arise occasionally in statistical practice; perhaps the most familiar example is the distribution of human longevity. Although other generalizations of the normal distribution exist, we demonstrate a new alternative that apparently fits human longevity data better. We propose an alternative approach of a normal distribution whose scale parameter is conditioned on attained age. This approach is consistent with previous findings that longevity conditioned on survival to the modal age behaves like a normal distribution. We derive such a distribution and demonstrate its accuracy in modeling human longevity data from life tables. The new distribution is characterized by 1. An intuitively straightforward genesis; 2. Closed forms for the pdf, cdf, mode, quantile, and hazard functions; and 3. Accessibility to non-statisticians, based on its close relationship to the normal distribution.
Analysis of a follow-up study of genetic counseling.

212 families counseled at the genetic clinics a between 1970 and 1975 were followed up to measure the success of nondirective genetic counseling service offered by the Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York and to identify areas of difficulty of the program. 83% of the families were white 15% were Hispanic and 2% were black. Most of the families desired to have additional children (most already had 1 child with a possibly inherited disorder). Written questionnaires were sent to the families 72% of whom responded. 74% of the respondents had adequate recall of genetic information and 80% stated that their counseling experience was favorable. A direct relationship was observed between degree of satisfaction and whether or not counselors received the mode of counseling they preferred (e.g. individual vs. team). 62% who decided to have another child reported that their decision was influenced by genetic counseling. Magnitude of occurrence/recurrence risk significantly correlated with procreative decision reached. Procreative decisions however were modified somewhat by the counselors subjective interpretation of burden associated with the disorder in question. Follow-up studies of genetic counseling programs are informative and should be made an integral part of genetic counseling.
Unsupervised Hyperspectral Image Classification

Two major issues encountered in unsupervised hyperspectral image classification are (1) how to determine the number of spectral classes in the image and (2) how to find training samples that well represent each of spectral classes without prior knowledge. A recently developed concept, Virtual dimensionality (VD) is used to estimate the number of spectral classes of interest in the image data. This paper proposes an effective algorithm to generate an appropriate training set via a recently developed Prioritized Independent Component Analysis (PICA). Two sets of hyperspectral data, Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) Cuprite data and HYperspectral Digital Image Collection Experiment (HYDICE) data are used for experiments and performance analysis for the proposed method.© (2007) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The effect of a methylcholanthrene-induced sarcoma on the protein status of fischer rats

Abstract The effect of a methylcholanthrene (MCA)-induced sarcoma on the protein status of male Fischer 344 rats was investigated. Ten, 10-week old male animals were implanted with the MCA sarcoma and, along with equal numbers of age-matched control and pair-fed male animals, were fed a purified (30% casein, 20% fat) diet after tumors became palpable at day 7 post-transplant. MCA sarcoma growth depressed food intake at day 14 post-transplant and animals were killed at day 22 post-transplant. Relative to controls, tumor growth was associated with decreased protein content of gastrocnemius muscle and increased protein content of spleen with liver, kidney and heart protein levels being unaffected by tumor growth. Serum albumin levels were lower, and serum globulin levels higher in tumor-bearers than controls. Data from pair-fed animals suggested that decreased gastrocnemius muscle protein was partly attributable to food intake depression, and partly to tumor growth. Increased spleen protein and hyperglobulinemia were due to tumor growth per se.
Trajectory-based controller design for hybrid systems with affine continuous dynamics

In this paper we propose a method for feedback controller synthesis using the concept of control autobisimulation function. Control autobisimulation function (CAF) is the analog of control Lyapunov function for approximate bisimulation. Approximate bisimulation has been used to establish robustness (in l ∞ sense) of execution trajectories of dynamical systems and hybrid systems, resulting in trajectory-based safety verification procedures. CAF is used to characterize the family of all feedback control laws that result in a close loop system with an autobisimulation function. Further, we use a heuristic potential function based idea to construct a safe feedback control law for a nominal initial state, and use the trajectory-robustness property to guarantee that the control law is also safe for other initial states in a neighborhood of the nominal initial state.
Amphi-panamic geminates of snook (Percoidei: Centropomidae) provide a calibration of the divergence rate in the mitochondrial DNA control region of fishes.

The mitochondrial DNA control region is one of the most frequently utilized sequences for both intra- and interspecific genetic studies of fishes, yet a tenable divergence rate specifically for fish control regions has not been established. We attempted to establish a rate through a comparative study of control region sequences and those of a protein-coding mitochondrial gene region from geminate species of snook (Centropomus) assumed to have been separated by the emergence of the Isthmus of Panama 3.5 million years ago. The divergence rate suggested from the control region alignments between the geminates was markedly higher than rates currently applied in many studies, as was the rate suggested from the ND 5/6 protein coding region alignments. However, the suggested ND 5/6 rate when applied to alignments with the outgroup species was not concordant with the scant centropomid fossil record and therefore the assumed separation time of 3.5 million years seemed implausible. An average control region divergence rate was then estimated based on separation times of snook species derived assuming a divergence rate of 1% per million years for transversion substitutions at third codon positions in the ND 5/6 region. Using these separation times, a tenable average divergence rate for fish control regions of approximately 3.6% per million years +/- 0.46% SE was calculated.
Time-Dependent Formation of 8-Oxo-deoxyguanosine in the Lungs of Mice Exposed to Cigarette Smoke

Active and passive smoking are major risk factors for lung cancer. Pro-oxidants in tobacco smoke have been implicated in smoking-associated disease development due to their potential role in inducing oxidative stress. Previous studies have failed to associate increased levels of oxidative damage to DNA with the formation of the potentially mutagenic lesion, 8-oxo-2-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG), probably due to repair of this lesion. However, no systematic studies have been performed to assess the dose- and time-dependent formation and removal of this lesion by cigarette smoke exposure. In the present study, female A/J mice were exposed to side-stream cigarette smoke in a whole body exposure chamber for 6 h a day, 5 days a week for up to 6 weeks. Age-matched controls were maintained in filtered ambient air. Lung tissues were harvested from 2, 4, and 6 weeks smoke-exposed mice after 1, 3, 6, and 20 h, following the cessation of smoking. A significant increase in the levels of 8-oxodG in lung DNA was observed in 10 day smoke-exposed mice at 1 (11.5+/-1.1/10(6) nucleotides), 3 (20.2+/-2.7/10(6) nucleotides; p=0.0008), and 6 h (17.2+/-1.0/10(6) nucleotides; p<0.005) postcessation, as compared with age-matched sham treatment (8.8+/-2.3/10(6) nucleotides) (mean+/-SD). The levels significantly declined 20 h after the cessation of smoke exposure (14.0+/-1.6/10(6) nucleotides), although they were still higher than the control. Our results strongly suggest that there is a significant increase in the 8-oxodG levels immediately after the cessation of smoking, which is repaired over time. This initial increase in 8-oxodG levels may lead to gene mutations, and accumulation of such mutations over time can eventually lead to malignant transformation of the cells.
PHASE-SPACE INTEGRALS FOR MULTIPARTICLE SYSTEMS

The total phase-space integrals, occurring in the Fermi statistical theory of meson production, for 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-body final states are reduced to forms suitable for numerical evaluation by hand computation. In addition, the momentum spectrum of any one particle, as derived from the statistical factor, is evaluated. For the 3- and 4-body systems, the $Q$ distribution for any two of the particles (effective mass minus the rest masses of the 2-particle subsystem) is derived. Numerical results are presented for nucleon-nucleon collisions at 0.8-, 1.5-, and 2.7-Bev bombarding kinetic energies.
Tipping behavior in Canadian restaurants

Abstract This study tested several common stereotypes held by restaurant servers about tipping behavior, using detailed, household-level Canadian recall data on over 73,000 restaurant meals during the 2000–2005 period. Most variation (84%) in tip amounts was explained by a meal's price. Regarding tipping rates, however, two-stage least squares and logistic regressions explained only a small portion of variation. Diners’ previous tipping history was the dominant predictor of tipping rates. Statistically significant results supported each tipping stereotype, but the average magnitude of impacts appeared too low to justify basing staffing or service quality decisions on diner-specific tipping expectations.
Variation in corn stover composition and energy content with crop maturity

Abstract How to harvest and process corn stover to maximize its quality as a fuel or industrial feedstock and minimize material losses are compelling issues in the industrial utilization of corn stover. The objectives of this investigation were to evaluate the variation in the chemical composition and energy content of aboveground components of the corn plant over time and to evaluate how composition changes after grain physiological maturity is reached and the plants are weathered while undergoing further field drying. Above ground biomass distribution and composition of two almost identical corn cultivars (Pioneer 32K61 and 32K64 Bt) were studied from an estimated 2 weeks before corn kernel physiological maturity until 4 weeks after the grain had already reached a moisture content suitable for combine harvesting. Compositional analysis of corn stover fractions gathered over the course of maturation, senescence, and weathering using NIR spectroscopy showed (1) a rapid drop in soluble glucan, (2) increase in lignin, and (3) increase in xylan. By day 151 after planting, about when grain from surrounding non-test plots was harvested at about 15.5% moisture, composition of the different fractions remained fairly constant. Since product yield in fermentation-based biomass conversion processes is proportional to the structural carbohydrate content of the feedstock, timing of stover collection and the proportion of anatomical fractions collected affect the quality of corn stover as fermentation feedstock. Since the energy content of corn stover anatomical fractions is shown to remain fairly constant over time and from one plant to another (16.7–20.9 kJ g−1), insofar as combustion processes are concerned, it apparently makes little difference which part of the plant is used, or at what time the material is harvested.
HEME: a self-improving computer program for diagnosis-oriented analysis of hematologic diseases

HEME, a computer program for diagnosis-oriented analysis of hematologic diseases, accepts as input information about a patient and provides as output an ordered list of suggested diagnoses, an analysis of the logic behind these diagnoses, and a list of tests relevant to these diagnoses and not yet performed. The decision algorithm is based on Bayes' Theorem. Each disease in the system is individually analyzed, and the probability that the patient has the disease vs the probability that he does not is calculated. Bayesian methods of statistical inference areu tilized in that thep rior probabilities of the diseases and thper obabilities of findings in given diseases were initially estimated from the judgment of experienced hematologists with the intention that they be modified automatically as data are accumulated. This program is intended for use in teaching hematology, as an aid to diagnosis, and as a means for studying the diagnostic process.
Establishing homology between monkey and human brains.

Neuroimaging methods are beginning to provide promising ways of understanding the functional organization of the brain across species.
Sesquiterpene lactones of Xanthium strumarium in a texas population and in experimental hybrids

Abstract Morphologically diverse plants in a wild population of Xanthium strumarium in eastern Texas produced widely variant combinations of sesquiterpene lactones. Some plants showed a preponderance of xanthinin and related compounds, xanthanol and xanthatin, while others a predominance of stereoisomers, xanthumin, xanthumanol and deacetoxylxanthumin. Some plants produced only one sesquiterpene lactone and other plants yielded various mixtures of xanthinin, xanthumin and related compounds, including xanthinosin and/or tomentosin. Experimental hybridization between plants containing primarily xanthinin and plants containing xanthumin, but originating in diverse parts of the world, yielded F 1 progenies with xanthanol and/or xanthumanol as the predominant sesquiterpenoid component. The F 2 generation showed segregation of the xanthinin, xanthumin and related compounds. The Texas population occurs in an area where the “italicum” (xanthinin-predominants) and “chinense” (xanthumin-predominant) morphological complexes are sympatric. The diverse patterns of sesquiterpene lactones in the Texas population probably resulted from the natural hybridization of morphological complexes that originally were spatially isolated.