cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparing independent microarray studies: the case of human embryonic stem cells

Background Microarray studies of the same phenomenon in different labs often appear at variance because the published lists of regulated transcripts have disproportionately small intersections. We demonstrate that comparing studies by intersecting lists in this manner is methodologically flawed by reanalyzing three studies of the molecular signature of "stemness" in human embryonic stem cells. There are only 7 genes common to all three published lists, suggesting disagreement.
Restorative Justice and its Effects on (Racially Disparate) Punitive School Discipline

This paper investigates whether the introduction of Restorative Justice programs reduces the incidence of punitive student discipline (out-of-school suspension) in two selected secondary school districts. It also investigates whether currently existing racial disparities in student discipline are alleviated by the introduction of Restorative Justice. Using publicly available suspension data, the paper employs coarsened exact matching to create comparable groups of schools that did and did not implement Restorative Justice practices and compares their suspension results before and after Restorative Justice implementation using t-tests.Data Collection for this project is ongoing and will expand from the current study of two selected school districts to hopefully a nationwide collection of schools.Update 09/24/2012: A more specific citation for Prof. Carbado's schematic on the social construction of race on p. 12 of this draft has been provided.
R2: A Damped Adaptive Router Design

R2 is an attempt to create an interconnection component that provides reliable packet delivery services at low latency under bursty traffic situations and in the presence of certain faults in either the network or processing elements. The R2 design is based on a damped adaptive routing scheme that avoids livelock, exhibits improved latency under bursty congestion, while performing similar to deterministic strategies in the lightly loaded case. This paper describes the R2 architecture and presents the results of a simulation study which motivates the damped adaptive routing strategy employed by the R2 switch.
Isoleucine and Valine Metabolism of Escherichia coli XIV. Effect of Thiaisoleucine

Thiaisoleucine (2-amino-3-methylthiobutyrate) completely inhibited the growth of strain K-12 of Escherichia coli at a concentration of 5 × 10−3m. The inhibition was antagonized by growth-factor amounts of l-isoleucine. Thiaisoleucine inhibited the deamination of threonine and the transfer of 14C-isoleucine to soluble ribonucleic acid and underwent transamination with α-ketoglutarate as the amino acceptor. In each case, the analogue appeared to be less effective than isoleucine as either an inhibitor or substrate.
Innate Signatures of Immune Mediated Resolution and Persistence of Hepatitis C Virus Infections

Hepatitis C Virus infections have a high propensity to induce lifelong persistent infections. A number of host and environmental variables have been shown to impact the rate of persistent infection and the outcome of interferon (IFN)-based therapies. This review briefly highlights a few of the relevant observations that have been made with regard to viral clearance. HCV infection induces a highly elevated interferon stimulated gene (ISG) response in the liver during both acute and chronic infections. The role of this response in containing the spread of the virus in the liver and in mounting an effective adaptive immune response is poorly understood. The fact that an elevated hepatic ISG response during chronic infection negatively correlates with the outcome of IFN therapy is counter-intuitive and remains to be explained satisfactorily. The failure of the T cell response to clear virus appears to reside in a deficiency in the CD4 T cell help leading to anergic CD8 T cells, which may also be related to whether the innate response properly orchestrates the adaptive T cell response early in infection. The importance of the innate response in the outcome of infection is illustrated by recent genome wide association studies revealing a remarkable correlation between genetic polymorphisms in IL28B (IFNλ3) and clearance of infected cells whether during acute infection or IFN therapy, yet the mechanisms by which IFNλ3 and other innate effectors influence HCV infection are currently poorly understood.
Patterns of Prescription of Antidepressants and Antipsychotics Across and Within Pregnancies in a Population-Based UK Cohort

Although antidepressant and antipsychotic utilization by gestational trimester has been described, longitudinal prescription patterns within pregnancies have received less attention. All mothers in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink’s Mother Baby Link enrolled from 6 months before pregnancy to 3 months after delivery, with delivery date between 01/1989 and 12/2010 were included (n = 421,645). Drug use prevalence was calculated as the number of women with prescriptions for antidepressants or antipsychotics in capsules/tablets in the 3 months before pregnancy (T0), the first (T1), second (T2), or third (T3) pregnancy trimesters, or the 3 months after delivery (T4). In each pregnancy, prescriptions in T0 and T3 were compared to identify treatment discontinuation, simplification (some drugs discontinued or dose lowered), no treatment change, intensification (drugs added to prior treatment or dose increased), and start. Antidepressant use in T0 through T4 was 4.69, 2.81, 1.31, 1.34, and 5.46 %, respectively. Of 19,774 T0 antidepressant users, 79.57 % discontinued, 5.13 % simplified, 9.06 % did not change, and 2.19 % intensified treatment. 0.40 % of non-users in T0 started antidepressants by T3. Antipsychotic use in T0 through T4 was 0.57, 1.34, 0.54, 0.28 and 0.38 %. Excluding prochlorperazine, it was 0.15, 0.13, 0.08, 0.07 and 0.15 %, respectively; of 639 T0 users, 72.30 % discontinued, 7.51 % simplified, 11.11 % did not change, and 4.07 % intensified treatment. 0.03 % of non-users in T0 started antipsychotics by T3. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses identified a post-conception decrease in antidepressant and antipsychotic prescribing. Longitudinal treatment assessment additionally captured several treatment patterns among those who do not discontinue treatment that usually stay unrecognized.
Job Shop Scheduling with Due Dates and Overtime Capability

A scheduling procedure is proposed for the static job shop problem with job due dates and overtime capability. An example is used to demonstrate the procedure and the generation of trade-off curves relating overtime and total tardiness for use in managerial evaluation of alternative schedules. Results are reported for a set of trial problems having 30 to 98 processing operations. An extension of the procedure is described for dynamic job shop scheduling.
Forecasting disease with 10-year optimized models: Moving toward new digital datasets

As the pace of data availability and access to cyberinfrastructure increases, weather data inputs to practical application models have gone from point data to raster grids of varying spatial and temporal resolution. Certainly there is a benefit to widespread access of data, but transforming models developed at point locations to raster datasets is not trivial. In addition, dramatic improvements can be made to models when an extended dataset is available for testing and validation, although this is not always possible in an era of quickly changing datasets and modeling techniques. This paper examines opportunities to decrease crop disease forecasting error with longer data archives. Potato late blight in the Great Lakes region of the US is used as a test case. Model accuracy increased dramatically, especially on days conducive to disease, as more data became available and a greater familiarity with the dataset was achieved. Training and validation error fluctuated as a greater data archive became available, reinforcing the need for forecasters to better understand intraseasonal and interannual cycles that impact the success of long term agroecosystem model implementations.
Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries: the systemic right ventricle

Abstract L-Transposition of the great arteries (L-TGA) is characterized by atrioventricular and ventriculoarterial discordance such that the morphologic right ventricle and tricuspid valve directly provide systemic cardiac output. The ability of the right ventricle to support the systemic circulation is often complicated by associated cardiac defects which provide numerous potential mechanisms for the development of ventricular dysfunction. Theoretical risk factors for right ventricular failure include volume overload, systemic afterload, conduction and rhythm disturbances, associated left ventricular pressure and geometry, coronary artery anomalies, surgical injury, pregnancy, hypoxemia, and advancing patient age. The high prevalence of associated lesions including anomalies of the conduction system and tricuspid valve predispose these patients to systemic right ventricular failure which is likely to alter survival in this uncommon form of congenital heart disease.
On the Equivalence of the Second-Order Doppler Shift and the Mass-Change Shift in the Mössbauer Effect

In 1960 it was realized that a small temperature-dependent shift in the energy of a Mossbauer gamma ray must exist. Pound and Rebka proposed that such a shift must exist because of the second-order Doppler effect while Josephson suggested that it would be due to mass change in the emitting nucleus. More recently it has been assumed that the two effects are the same, and a single shift has been subtracted from Mossbauer total-shift data in order to isolate the chemical shift. The present note derives this equivalence.
An analysis of the impact of timberland, farmland and commercial real estate in the asset allocation decisions of institutional investors

Abstract We examine the effects of including timberland, farmland and commercial real estate in a mixed asset portfolio with stocks, government bonds and T-Bills. Using both smoothed and unsmoothed returns (as per Geltner [Geltner, D. (1993). Estimating market values from appraised values without assuming an efficient market. Journal of Real Estate Research, 8, 25–345.]) and both constrained and unconstrained allocation assumptions (as per Eichhorn, Gupta and Stubbs [Eichhorn, D., Gupta, F., & Stubbs, E. (1998). Using constraints to improve the robustness of asset allocation. Journal of Portfolio Management, Spring, 41–48.]), we employ Markowitz portfolio optimization and find widely varying allocation outcomes. However, timberland entered nearly all portfolios, accounting for large percentages in several scenarios, while farmland entered only low-risk portfolios. At lower risk levels, commercial real estate dominates the real estate allocation but as acceptable risk levels rise, timberland supplants commercial real estate as the primary component of the portfolio's real estate allocation.
Evaporation and condensation rates of liquid droplets deduced from structure resonances in the fluorescence spectra

A new optical technique, based on morphology-dependent peaks in the fluorescence spectra, is used to determine the evaporation and condensation rates of a linear stream of ethanol droplets. The droplets are monodispersed, in close proximity to one another, and impregnated with fluorescent dye molecules. On irradiation of the droplets with a single N2 laser pulse, the evaporation or condensation rates can be deduced from the wavelength shift (to the blue or to the red, respectively) of the spectrally narrow (<0.1-nm) structure-resonance peaks in the fluorescence spectra.
Side attack mine detection using near infra-red imagery

Near Infra-Red (NIR) offers enhanced contrast of man-made objects against vegetation. Shape detection algorithms for identifying side-attack mines in sequences of NIR imagery are described. These algorithms use morphological representations of features of the object in a network that learns features and classification simultaneously. A training set was constructed using NIR images of side attack mines. Testing sets were constructed using pairs of sequences of NIR images. Each pair of sequences contains a sequence containing a side attack mine and another sequence of the same scene with no side attack mine. Testing results from these sequences are presented.
The Conglomeration of Public Radio: A Tale of Three Cities

A relatively unstudied development in the recent history of U.S. community and public radio is the emergence of metropolitan-based public radio networks. These are being constructed by buying out college and community facilities and frequencies by larger stations, resulting in student and community radio outlets being shifted to online streams and giving universities a one-time cash infusion, though this seems to vitiate the purpose of their educational licenses.
Anti-bacterial glycosyl triazoles - Identification of an N-acetylglucosamine derivative with bacteriostatic activity against Bacillus.

N-Acetylglucosaminidases (GlcNAcases) play an important role in the remodeling and recycling of bacterial peptidoglycan. Inhibitors of bacterial GlcNAcases can serve as antibacterial agents and provide an opportunity for the development of new antibiotics. We report the synthesis of triazole derivatives of N-acetylglucosamine using a copper promoted azide–alkyne coupling reaction between 1-azido-N-acetylglucosamine and a small library of terminal alkynes prepared via the Ugi reaction. These compounds were evaluated for their ability to inhibit the growth of bacteria. Two compounds that show bacteriostatic activity against Bacillus were identified, with MIC values of approximately 60 μM in both cases. Bacillus subtilis cultured in the presence of sub-MIC amounts of the glycosyl triazole inhibitors exhibit an elongated phenotype characteristic of impaired cell division. This represents the first report of inhibitors of bacterial cell wall GlcNAcases that demonstrate inhibition of cell growth in whole cell assays.
Optical parametric processes and broadly tunable femtosecond sources

The basic concepts of optical parametric processes and recent results on broadly tunable high-repetition rate femtosecond Optical Parametric Oscillators (fs OPO) are reviewed. Ti:Sapphire-Laser pumped KTP, KTA, and CTA fs OPOs and intracavity-doubled fs KTP OPO in particular are discussed.
STUDIES OF YOUNG'S MODULUS OF CARBONS AT HIGH TEMPERATURE

Abstract Preliminary results of measurements of the static Young's modulus for carbons at high temperature were reported previously. Since that time the apparatus was improved in reliability and in reproducibility. As previously the deflection of a specimen heated in a graphite tube furnace is obtained from deflections measured at three points using Linear Variable Differential Transformers; however in the new equipment the corresponding electronic circuits are greatly modified. The forcedeflection curves are directly obtained on an X–Y recorder. With this improved apparatus the following studies were carried out as follows; 1. (1) dependence of Young's modulus on temperature for four basic types of carbons heat treated to 3000°C (soft filler-soft binder, soft filler-hard binder, hard filler-soft binder and hard filler-hard binder); 2. (2) complete systems of temperature dependence curves for these four types of carbons and for glassy carbon (Tokai Electrode Co.) were obtained as these carbons are progressively heat treated to higher temperatures and then cooled back to room temperature; 3. (3) dependence of Young's modulus on temperature was measured for pyrolytic graphite (General Electric Co.) and ZTA graphite (National Carbon Co.). It has been found that for soft filler materials all curves of Young's modulus vs. temperature show a maximum below the heat-treatment temperature. Hard filler bodies show a continuous decrease in modulus with increase of temperature. ZTA and pyrolytic graphite behavior is similar to that of soft filler bodies, whereas glassy carbon is similar to hard filler materials.
Alterations in macrophage collagenase secretion induced by gold sodium thiomalate

The effects of gold sodium thiomalate (GST) on the production of specific collagenase by thioglycolate-elicited macrophages was investigated. Our studies demonstrated that GST administration can significantly decrease collagenase production in a dose-dependent manner. These effects were observed with levels of GST attainable in serum or synovial tissue during routine chrysotherapy. In addition, GST altered lysozyme secretion by activated macrophages in a pattern distinct from that of collagenase alteration. These effects of enzyme secretion were not secondary effects of GST on viability, general protein secretion, or the specific assay procedures utilized, and were not attributable to the thiomalate moiety. Thus, GST may exert its therapeutic effect in rheumatoid arthritis through interference with the production of degradative proteolytic enzymes, which are important effector molecules mediating tissue destruction.
Data mining for visual exploration and detection of ecosystem disturbances

This paper presents a case study on the application of data mining to the problem of detecting ecosystem disturbances from vegetation cover data obtained from satellite observations. We describe two anomaly detection approaches-moving average and random walk-for detecting such events. We also illustrate how clustering can be used to locate similar incidents of disturbance events. Finally, we present a clustering-based framework to aid the visual exploration of ecosystem disturbances from high resolution data.
Conceptual Problems as Obstacles to Progress in Political Science: Four Decades of Political Culture Research

When they assess competing theories political scientists typically rely exclusively and naively on criteria of empirical performance. They have correspondingly little to say about conceptual proble...
Comparison of a novel liquid (Adcon-P) and a sodium hyaluronate and carboxymethylcellulose membrane (Seprafilm) in postsurgical adhesion formation in a murine model.

PURPOSE: Intra-abdominal administration of antiadhesive barriers may reduce the extent and severity of postoperative adhesions. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of a novel liquid antiadhesive barrier with a conventional sheet (Seprafilm™) antiadhesive barrier in a murine cecal abrasion model. METHODS: One hundred fifty Swiss-Wister mice underwent laparotomy and cecal abrasion and were randomly assigned to receive Adcon-P® (n = 30) or Seprafilm™ (n = 30) or to a control group (n = 90). At postoperative Day 21, the mice underwent relaparotomy and complete adhesiolysis. An investigator who was blinded to the group assignment scored the extent of adhesion formation and the difficulty of adhesiolysis using a 6-point scale that ranged from 0 (no adhesions) to 5 (full-thickness intestinal injury with adhesiolysis). Results are reported as median (range). RESULTS: Median adhesion scores in mice receiving Adcon-P® (0 (range, 0–1)) and Seprafilm™ (1 (range, 0–3)) were lower than in mice in the control group (2 (range, 0–5); P < 0.0001 for both comparisons). In addition, the median adhesion score for the Adcon-P® group was significantly lower than that of the Seprafilm™ group (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that both Adcon-P® and Seprafilm™ decrease the incidence of postoperative adhesions and the difficulty of adhesiolysis in the murine cecal abrasion model. However, Adcon-P® appeared to be superior to Seprafilm™. This agent is an attractive device that requires additional studies.
The influence of instructions and terminology on the accuracy of remember–know judgments

The remember-know paradigm is one of the most widely used procedures to examine the subjective experience associated with memory retrieval. We examined how the terminology and instructions used to describe the experiences of remembering and knowing affected remember-know judgments. In Experiment 1 we found that using neutral terms, i.e., Type A memory and Type B memory, to describe the experiences of remembering and knowing reduced remember false alarms for younger and older adults as compared to using the terms Remember and Know, thereby increasing overall memory accuracy in the neutral terminology condition. In Experiment 2 we found that using what we call source-specific remember-know instructions, which were intended to constrain remember judgments to recollective experiences arising only from the study context, reduced remember hits and false alarms, and increased know hits and false alarms. Based on these data and other considerations, we conclude that researchers should use neutral terminology and source-specific instructions to collect the most accurate reports of the experiences of remembering and knowing arising from the study context.
Depomedroxyprogesterone acetate use and weight gain among adolescents.

We wish to report the results of a chart review of adolescents using depomedroxyprogesterone (DMPA) for contraception. The specific aims of this study were to examine weight-gain patterns and time to amenorrhea between two groups of adolescent girls receiving differing dosing regimes of DMPA. (excerpt)
Kinetics of ceramic particulate penetration into spray atomized metallic droplet at variable penetration depth

The present study provides insight into the physical interactions that take place when an injected ceramic particulate collides with an atomized metallic droplet during spray atomization and deposition processing of particulate reinforced metal matrix composites. A model is developed to predict the extent of penetration for a given particulate velocity, and the critical velocity for complete penetration. In the model, the initial kinetic energy of the injected particulates or the atomized droplets is considered as the driving force for penetration; the change in surface energies and the work done by viscous drag in the droplet melt are considered as the forces resisting penetration. As examples, Al/graphite and Al/SiC systems are analyzed to demonstrate the applicability of the model. The influence of the particulate size and the fraction of solid phase in the atomized droplet on the critical velocity and the penetration depth is also examined.
Iterative approach to gravitational lensing theory

We develop an iterative approach to gravitational lensing theory based on approximate solutions of the null geodesic equations. The approach can be employed in any space-time which is ``close'' to a space-time in which the null geodesic equations can be completely integrated, such as Minkowski space-time, Robertson-Walker cosmologies, or Schwarzschild-Kerr geometries. To illustrate the method, we construct the iterative gravitational lens equations and time of arrival equation for a single Schwarzschild lens. This example motivates a discussion of the relationship between the iterative approach, the standard thin lens formulation, and an exact formulation of gravitational lensing.
Role of prostaglandins and histamine in reactive hyperemia: in-vivo studies on single mesenteric arterioles.

Direct, in vivo microcirculatory experiments were undertaken with anesthetized rats to determine whether prostaglandin (PG)-like compounds and histamine may mediate post-occlusion hyperemia in single mesenteric arterioles. Superfusion of the mesenteric vasculature with two structurally different PG synthetase inhibitors, indomethacin and 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid (ETA), was found to markedly inhibit postocclusion vasodilator responses in arterioles 20-22 micrometer i.d. Superfusion of mesentery with an H2-histamine receptor antagonist, metiamide, resulted in a 40% inhibition of the postocclusion vasodilator responses in arterioles. Superfusion of the mesenteric vasculature with a combination of indomethacin and metiamide resulted in a 95% suppression of the postocclusion dilator responses. Administration of either the PG synthetase inhibitors, metiamide, or a combination of both types of drugs did not, however, influence resting arteriolar tone or responsiveness to PGE1 or epinephrine. Although the results of these experiments implicate a role for PG-like substances and histamine in reactive or postocclusion hypermia, they do not provide evidence for a role of these humoral substances in the normal moment-to-moment regulation of arteriolar tone.
Ethical guidelines for group leaders

Abstract This article includes the text of Ethical Guidelines for Group Leaders as well as a commentary on the use and abuse of ethical standards.
Differential predictors of persistence between community college adult and traditional-aged students

This study examined the differential predictors of institutional persistence between adult and traditional-aged degree-seeking, first-time enrollees at a public, multicampus 2-year community college in southeast Virginia. Differential predictors of institutional persistence were found between the traditional-aged and adult students. For traditional-aged students, encouragement and support, academic integration, fall grade-point average, and an expressed intent to leave were most predictive of institutional persistence. Chief among the predictors of persistence for adult students were social integration, institutional commitment, degree utility, encouragement and support, finances, an expressed intent to leave, and academic integration.
Relative volume changes of the rib cage and abdomen during prephonatory chest wall posturing

Summary This study attempted to shed further light on the nature of prephonatory chest wall posturing by means of an investigation of the relative volume changes of the rib cage and abdomen during such posturing in normal young adult men and women. A new form of relative-volume chart was devised that enabled graphic display of the data in terms of selected ranges of relative volume contributions of the rib cage and abdomen. Choice of these ranges, reflected as contiguous segments on the devised chart, was based on differences in functional significance among them. On the basis of the results obtained, it was concluded that prephonatory chest wall posturing is a behavior that varies within and among subjects and is characterized by a wide range of relative volume contributions of the rib cage and abdomen
Parallel syntenic alignment on GPUs

We develop novel single-GPU parallel algorithms for syntenic alignment using CUDA. Our algorithms can be used to determine the optimal alignment score as well as the actual optimal alignment for a single pair of sequences. Experimental results show that our best GPU alignment algorithm achieves a speedup of approximately 28 over the sequential algorithm.
Preparation of a nanostructured organoceramic and its reversible interlayer expansion

We described previously the liquid phase synthesis and characterization of a nanostructured composite from an aqueous solution containing organic polymer and inorganic ions [J. Mater. Res. 7, 2599 (1992)]. The nanocomposite, termed an organoceramic, consisted of poly(vinyl alcohol) chains intercalated between the principal layers of a hydrated calcium aluminate ceramic. A key structural feature of the organoceramic is the polymer-induced expansion of the interlayer spacing by approximately 10 A compared to the unmodified ceramic. In this paper, we describe the synthetic scheme that favors organoceramic formation and prove the existence of intercalated polymer by observation of reversible interlayer expansion and contraction in response to changes in ambient humidity. This property is unique to the organoceramic and is not observed in the unmodified calcium aluminate ceramic.
Historical characterization of trigeminal neuralgia.

TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA IS a well known clinical entity characterized by agonizing, paroxysmal, and lancinating facial pain, often triggered by movements of the mouth or eating. Historical reviews of facial pain have attempted to describe this severe pain over the past 2.5 millennia. The ancient Greek physicians Hippocrates, Aretaeus, and Galen, described kephalalgias, but their accounts were vague and did not clearly correspond with what we now term trigeminal neuralgia. The first adequate description of trigeminal neuralgia was given in 1671, followed by a fuller description by physician John Locke in 1677. Andre described the convulsive-like condition in 1756, and named it tic douloureux; in 1773, Fothergill described it as "a painful affection of the face;" and in 1779, John Hunter more clearly characterized the entity as a form of "nervous disorder" with reference to pain of the teeth, gums, or tongue where the disease "does not reside." One hundred fifty years later, the neurological surgeon Walter Dandy equated neurovascular compression of the trigeminal nerve with trigeminal neuralgia.
Studies on the nucleic acids of Oenothera organensis and Zea mays

Abstract Methods are described for the isolation and characterization of the nucleic acids of Oenothera organensis pollen. Alkaline hydrolysis, followed by paper chromatography served to characterize the ribonucleic acid. However, the low concentration of deoxyribonucleic acid and the large amounts of interfering polysaccharide material required application of special techniques and column chromatographic methods. In addition, a method is described for the isolation of “native” deoxyribonucleic acid from root tips of Zea mays and Oenothera .
Specificity for aminoacylation of an RNA helix: an unpaired, exocyclic amino group in the minor groove.

An acceptor stem G3.U70 base pair is a major determinant of the identity of an alanine transfer RNA. Hairpin helices and RNA duplexes consisting of complementary single strands are aminoacylated with alanine if they contain G3.U70. Chemical synthesis of RNA duplexes enabled the introduction of base analogs that tested the role of specific functional groups in the major and minor grooves of the RNA helix. The results of these experiments indicate that an unpaired guanine 2-amino group at a specific position in the minor groove of an RNA helix marks a molecule for aminoacylation with alanine.
Stent graft modification with mini-cuff reinforced fenestrations for urgent repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms

Fenestrated endografts require 6 to 8 weeks for device customization, and off-the-shelf devices are not yet available and may not be of easy access for urgent repair of complex aneurysms. We describe a technique of stent graft modification in a high-risk male patient with two prior open aortic repairs, end ileostomy, and a rapidly enlarging 10-cm supra-graft type IV thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm. A Z-stent thoracic stent graft was modified on-site using mini-cuff reinforced fenestrations to incorporate the visceral arteries and improve overlap at the side branch attachment sites. After successful repair, the patient was discharged at 4 days without complications and with patent branched stent grafts without endoleak. On-site modifications of endografts may allow urgent endovascular treatment of complex aortic aneurysms in high-risk patients who are not good candidates for open repair or who do not have access to manufactured fenestrated devices.
Conformational behavior of 1-pentyne and 1-hexyne

Abstract Infrared and Raman spectra have been obtained for 1-hexyne and are interpreted with the aid of normal-coordinate calculations. It is concluded that all four possible conformers exist. This conclusion is supported by molecular mechanics calculations. Solid-state spectra have been obtained for 1-pentyne, and only the C s conformer is present in the solid. Molecular mechanics calculations have also been made for this compound.
Evaluation of the Role of Acetaldehyde in the Actions of Ethanol on Gluconeogenesis by Comparison with the Effects of Crotonol and Crotonaldehyde

Liver cells from fasted rats oxidized ethanol and crotonol at identical rates. Ethanol and crotonol increased the cytosolic lactate/pyruvate ratio to the same extent, however only ethanol increased the mitochondrial B-hydroxybutyrate/acetoacetate ratio. The rate of oxidation of crotonaldehyde by liver cells was 30% to 50% of the rate of oxidation of acetaldehyde. Cyanam-ide, which is especially inhibitory towards the low Km mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase, inhibited the oxidation of acetaldehyde to a greater extent than it inhibited the oxidation of crotonaldehyde. Acetaldehyde, but not crotonaldehyde, increased the B-hydrox-ybutyrate/acetoacetate ratio; both aldehydes produced some increase in the lactate/pyruvate ratio. Consequently, differences between the effects of ethanol and crotonol on the mitochondrial redox state may relate to differences between the metabolism of their respective aldehydes. Intact mitochondria oxidized crotonaldehyde at about 10% the rate found with acetaldehyde. In deox-ychoiate-disrupted mitochondria, in the presence of external NAD+, crotonaldehyde was oxidized at rates less than one-fourth the rate found with acetaldehyde. Cyanamide inhibited the oxidation of acetaldehyde to a greater extent than the oxidation of crotonaldehyde. These results suggest that crotonaldehyde is a poor substrate for the low Km mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase. In isolated hepatocytes, acetaldehyde stimulated glucose production from pyruvate, but inhibited gluconeogenesis from glycerol, xylitol, and sorbitol. Crotonaldehyde had no effect on glucose production from these substrates, indicating that the effects of acetaldehyde were due to the metabolism of acetaldehyde in the mitochondria. Ethanol stimulated glucose production from pyruvate, whereas crotonol was without effect. The stimulation by ethanol, and the lack of effect by crotonol, appears to be due to changes in the mitochondrial redox state produced as a consequence of the further oxidation of acetaldehyde, but not crotonaldehyde. Crotonol and ethanol inhibited glucose production from glycerol, xylitol, and sorbitol, suggesting that changes in the cytosolic redox state play the major role in the effect of the alcohols on glucose production from these substrates. However, the inhibition by ethanol was consistently 10% to 15% greater than the inhibition by crotonol, suggesting that acetaldehyde contributes to the effects of ethanol. These differences between ethanol and crotonol are consistent with a role for acetaldehyde metabolism in the actions of ethanol. Crotonol may be a useful aid in determining the mechanism whereby ethanol alters henatic functions.
A study of wave effects on wind stress over the ocean in a fetch‐limited case

[1] A field experiment was conducted for collecting three-dimensional wind, wave, and air-sea environmental data off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico in the mixed sea state of a wind sea limited by fetch and with swell propagating against the wind direction. Two methods, the inertial dissipation (ID) and eddy correlation (EC), are used to calculate wind stress. The results show that under the fetch-limited condition, the EC wind stress is greater than the ID stress. This difference is found to be correlated with the counter-wind swell. The swell-related drag coefficient is computed from the wind stress difference between the ID and EC methods. An empirical formula is constructed for the swell-related drag coefficient with a regression coefficient of 0.71. The swell-related drag coefficient is proportional to the swell steepness (kpHs) and inversely proportional to the ratio of the wind speed and the swell peak phase speed (U10/Cp).
Suppression of polyglutamine toxicity by the yeast Sup35 prion domain in Drosophila.

The propensity of proteins to form β-sheet-rich amyloid fibrils is related to a variety of biological phenomena, including a number of human neurodegenerative diseases and prions. A subset of amyloidogenic proteins forms amyloid fibrils through glutamine/asparagine (Q/N)-rich domains, such as pathogenic polyglutamine (poly(Q)) proteins involved in neurodegenerative disease, as well as yeast prions. In the former, the propensity of an expanded poly(Q) tract to abnormally fold confers toxicity on the respective protein, leading to neuronal dysfunction. In the latter, Q/N-rich prion domains mediate protein aggregation important for epigenetic regulation. Here, we investigated the relationship between the pathogenic ataxin-3 protein of the human disease spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) and the yeast prion Sup35, using Drosophila as a model system. We found that the capacity of the Sup35 prion domain to mediate protein aggregation is conserved in Drosophila. Although select yeast prions enhance poly(Q) toxicity in yeast, the Sup35N prion domain suppressed poly(Q) toxicity in the fly. Suppression required the oligopeptide repeat of the Sup35N prion domain, which is critical for prion properties in yeast. These results suggest a trans effect of prion domains on pathogenic poly(Q) disease proteins in a multicellular environment and raise the possibility that Drosophila may allow studies of prion mechanisms.
Brugia pahangi: comparative susceptibility of the Mongolian jird, Meriones unguiculatus, and the PD4 inbred hamster, Mesocricetus auratus.

Abstract The susceptibility of Mongolian jirds, Meriones unguiculatus , and PD4 hamsters, Mesocricetus auratus , to Brugia pahangi was compared based on the percentage adult worm recoveries, mean microfilaremia levels, and adult worm lengths. Fourteen male jirds and seventeen male PD4 hamsters were each inoculated subcutaneously in the left inguinal region with 90–100 L 3 of B. pahangi and necropsied 130–150 days after inoculation. There were no significant differences between jirds and hamsters in mean adult worm recoveries (24.7 vs 25.4%) and prepatent periods (69.9 vs 77 days after inoculation). In hamsters, 85% of recovered worms were found in the heart and lungs and 15% were found in genital lymphatic vessels. In jirds, distribution of recovered worms was 66% in genital lymphatics, 23% in the heart and lungs, 8% in the peritoneal cavity, and 3% in lymphatic vessels in other sites. The mean microfilaremia level in jirds ( 16.5 20 μl ) was significantly higher than in hamsters ( 8.7 20 μl ). Female worms in the genital lymphatics of jirds were significantly longer than female worms in the genital lymphatics of PD4 hamsters (33.5 vs 27.3 mm). Lengths of worms in other locations were similar between the two species.
On the Existence of Stable Roommate Matchings

Abstract This paper identifies a condition called “no odd rings” that is sufficient for the existence of stable roommate matchings in the weak preferences case. It shows that the process of allowing randomly chosen blocking pairs to match converges to a stable roommate matching with probability one as long as there are no odd rings. This random-paths-to-stability result generalizes that of Roth and Vande Vate (1990, Econometrica58, 1475–1480) and may not hold if there are odd rings. The “no odd rings” condition can also be used to prove a number of other sufficient conditions that are more economically interpretable. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: C78, D71.
Effect of fiber damage on the overall electrical conductivity of bare carbon fiber strand

The paper focuses on the effect of fiber breakage on the overall electrical conductivity of IM7 carbon fiber strands used to manufacture composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPV). The goal is to demonstrate the feasibility of performing resistance measurements in bare carbon fiber strands and identify a correlation between the percentage of surviving filaments, local changes in resistance measurements, and strength reduction. A simple model relating fracture load of a single strand to change in the electrical resistance is proposed and experimentally verified. The methodology can be used as a tool for rapid evaluation of composite overwrapped pressure vessels to predict stress rupture.
Synthesis of mixtures of [2H6]myo‐inositol monophosphates suitable as internal standards for quantitative GC/MS and a simple synthesis of DL‐myo‐inositol‐1‐phosphate

A mixture of DL-[2H6]myo-inositol-1- and -4-phosphate and (meso) myo-inositol-2- and -5-phosphate is readily prepared on a 100 milligram scale from the mixed isomers of di-O-cyclohexylidene-[2H6]myo-inositol by phosphorylation with tetrabenzylpyrophosphate. The deblocked [2H6]myo-inositol monophosphate isomers are obtained where the relative amounts of racemic myo-inositol-1-phosphate ≥ -4-phosphate ≥ -2-phosphate ≥ -5-phosphate. In addition a simple synthesis of DL-myo-inositol-1-phosphate was developed which was found to be unsatisfactory for the preparation of deuterium-labeled product.
Constructing fair curves and surfaces with a Sobolev gradient method

We have devised a new method for constructing discrete approximations to fair curves and surfaces by directly minimizing an arbitrarily selected fairness functional subject to geometric constraints. The nonlinear optimization problem is solved efficiently by a Sobolev gradient method. We first describe the method in general terms and then present results which demonstrate its effectiveness for constructing minimum variation curves which interpolate specified control points, tangent vectors, and/or curvature vectors.
Learning More about the Vocational “Barriers” of Black Youths

This study examined how young black high school students (26 girls and 39 boys) responded to the Barriers subscale of the My Vocational Situation. If replicated, the findings have implications for counselors.
Thermophysical properties data: Government-university-industry cooperation in multidisciplinary research

Historical developments regarding the realization of the importance of reliable thermophysical properties data in engineering applications are presented. The events leading to the establishment of the Symposium on Thermophysical Properties in 1959 and the accomplishments of the symposia series since then are discussed. Contributions of the National Bureau of Standards to the thermophysical properties field are described.
Effects of sympathetic denervation of rat internal genitalia on daily sperm output

Using the technique of vasocystostomy, daily sperm output was determined in rats undergoing surgical removal of the sympathetic nerves to the internal genitalia. Between ten and fourteen days after denervation, the daily sperm output significantly (p less than 0.001) decreased below presurgical rates and those of sham-operated control animals (p less than 0.01). This change occurred without changes in plasma testosterone concentration or testicular histology. These data suggest neural control of sperm transport in the rat.
Oliver stone's defense of JFK

Oliver Stone and his film JFK were subjected to a scathing attack in the mainstream press. Stone, his direction of the film, his sources, and the conspiracy theory advanced by JFK were all subjected to harsh criticism. Nevertheless, his movie provoked renewed discussion and provoked calls for declassification of secret documents on the assassination. This essay addresses the question of how Oliver Stone surmounted this criticism, allowing his film to influence public opinion and public policy. Stone developed an effective image restoration effort that attacked his accusers (including their motivation), bolstered his major sources (particularly Garrison), denied the lone gunman theory, and denied charges of inaccuracy.
ALEXIA WITHOUT AGRAPHIA IN A COMPOSER

A 77-year-old composer had a left occipital lobe haemorrhagic infarct giving a severe reading disturbance with well-preserved writing and without appreciable aphasia. He continued to read music and to compose. His text- and music-reading performance under different conditions suggests that this unusual dissociation was primarily due to four factors. (1) He was unusually talented musically and inferred a great deal about the music he was reading. (2) The symbols of staff music notation are more visually distinctive than the symbols of phonetic language writing systems. (3) In staff music notation, pitch is represented ordinally, and other symbols are also distinguishable by their relative positions and sizes. (4) Music notation can be usefully read by interpreting it acoustically, kinaesthetically or in terms of formal musical concepts; in contrast to written language, it need not be interpreted referentially or in terms of auditory-verbal images. His disorder fits the classic visual-verbal disconnection account of alexia without agraphia and the contemporary view that music involves a family of related but distinct skills probably involving many brain areas in both hemispheres, although different cortical areas make characteristic contributions to different musical behaviours.
CHA(2)DS(2)-VASc versus CHADS(2) for stroke risk assessment in low-risk patients with atrial fibrillation: a pilot study from a single center of the NCDR-PINNACLE registry.

The CHADS2 score is widely used to assess the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Patients with score of 0 and 1 are considered ‘low risk’ and are often treated with aspirin. In a Danish Study, the CHA2DS2-VASc score was shown to identify low and high-risk subgroups among patients with CHADS2 score of 0 and 1, with annual risk ranging from 0.84 to 8.18 %. This study seeks to assess whether using CHA2DS2-VASc score will identify high-risk subset of patients with low CHADS2 scores in an American population. This pilot study examined data from our cardiology fellowship ambulatory clinics from January 2009 to May 2012 using the NCDR-PINNACLE registry. Each cardiology fellow entered patients’ data using on-line software developed by the American College of Cardiology. Among 2,048 patients followed at our clinics, 478 had AF. Of those, 161 patients had CHADS2 score of 0 (44 patients) or 1 (117 patients). Calculating the CHA2DS2-VASc score in these patients, 12 (7.4 %) had score of 0, 50 (31.1 %) had score of 1, 66(41 %) had score of 2, 31 (19.3 %) had score of 3 and 2 (1.2 %) had score of 4. Using original CHADS2 recommendation, warfarin would not be strongly recommended in any of these patients. Utilizing the CHA2DS2-VASc score, 61.5 % of the 161 patients would have a score of 2 or more signifying increased risk where anticoagulation may be indicated. Compared to CHADS2, CHA2DS2-VASc may more precisely predict the risk of stroke and anticoagulation strategy in low-risk patients with non-valvular AF.
Structural studies of (π-C5H5)2MX2 complexes and their derivatives

Abstract 1,1′Trimethylene-π-dicyclopentadienedichlorozirconium, (CH2)3(C5H4)2- ZrCl2, is orthorthombic, space group Pbca. The unit cell dimensions found were a = 8.277(2), b = 13.922(4), c = 22.568(5), Z = 8. The strucutre was determined from three-dimensional X-ray data (1049 independent reflection) refined to an R facotr of 2.64%. The coordination about the zirconium atom is that of the a distorted tetrahedron comprised of the chlorine atoms and the centroids of the π-cyclopentadienyl rings. The ClsZrCl bond angle is 96.92(7)° and the centroid Zrcentroid angle 129.5°. The ZrCl bond distances found are 2.451(2) and 2.431(2) A which are very close to the sum of the Paulling radii. Zirconiumring centroid distances are 2.192 and 2.193 A and the range of ZrC distances is 2.4772.516 A. The carboncarbon distances within the π-cyclopentadiene rings verage 1.395(10) A and range from 1.363(9) to 1.413(9) A. These values establish the Pentahapto nature of the metalring bonding.
The extraction and partial purification of a rhamnosidase from Colorado potato beetle larvae (Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say))

An enzyme which hydrolyzed a terminal rhamnose moiety from α-chaconine was extracted and partially purified from Colorado potato beetle (CPB) (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) larvae. This ammonium sulfate precipitated enzyme fraction resulted in nearly 97% metabolism of α-chaconine after a 144 hour incubation period at 42 C as determined by high performance liquid Chromatographic (HPLC) analysis. Approximately 81% of the metabolized α-chaconine was detected asβ2-chaconine. The isolated enzyme fraction from CPB larvae exhibited no metabolism of α-solanine. Metabolism was also followed over time by thin layer chromatography (tlc).