cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of auto-germ to model germination timing in the sagebrush-steppe.

Germination timing has a strong influence on direct seeding efforts, and therefore is a closely tracked demographic stage in a wide variety of wildland and agricultural settings. Predictive seed germination models, based on soil moisture and temperature data in the seed zone are an efficient method of estimating germination timing. We utilized Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to create Auto-Germ, which is an Excel workbook that allows a user to estimate field germination timing based on wet-thermal accumulation models and field temperature and soil moisture data. To demonstrate the capabilities of Auto-Germ, we calculated various germination indices and modeled germination timing for 11 different species, across 6 years, and 10 Artemisia-steppe sites in the Great Basin of North America to identify the planting date required for 50% or more of the simulated population to germinate in spring (1 March or later), which is when conditions are predicted to be more conducive for plant establishment. Both between and within the species, germination models indicated that there was high temporal and spatial variability in the planting date required for spring germination to occur. However, some general trends were identified, with species falling roughly into three categories, where seeds could be planted on average in either fall (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis and Leymus cinereus), early winter (Festuca idahoensis, Poa secunda, Elymus lanceolatus, Elymus elymoides, and Linum lewisii), or mid-winter (Achillea millefolium, Elymus wawawaiensis, and Pseudoroegneria spicata) and still not run the risk of germination during winter. These predictions made through Auto-Germ demonstrate that fall may not be an optimal time period for sowing seeds for most non-dormant species if the desired goal is to have seeds germinate in spring.
Mapping travel writing: a digital humanities project to visualise change in nineteenth-century published travel texts

This essay introduces a project that uses data mapping and digital visualisation to gain new insights into nineteenth-century travel writing. It focuses on the case study of a bibliography of 3000 ...
Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that presents as a spectrum with various co-morbid symptoms as well as cognitive traits. This chapter reviews diagnosis, putative etiologies, neurocognitive models, and anatomical and functional brain differences with summaries of commonly observed neuropsychological, sensory, motor, language, and social profiles.
Relationship of School-Based Physical Therapy Services to Student Goal Achievement.

PURPOSE To explore the relationships of school-based physical therapy services to student goal achievement. METHODS One hundred nine physical therapists and 296 students participated in a practice-based study. Therapists formatted goals using goal attainment scaling and evaluated goal achievement. Using the School-Physical Therapy Interventions for Pediatrics system, therapists documented services weekly for 20 weeks. Group comparisons and logistic regressions were conducted. RESULTS For primary goals, no documented physical therapy services were associated with exceeding goal expectation. For posture/mobility goals, more minutes in self-care activities and services on behalf of the students were associated with exceeding goal expectation; use of cognitive and behavioral training interventions was associated with not exceeding goal expectation (P < .05). For recreation/fitness goals, greater use of functional strength and mobility for playground access and cognitive/behavioral interventions were associated with exceeding goal expectation (P < .05). CONCLUSION A limited number of physical therapy services was associated with exceeding goal expectation.
Rates of hospitalization for urinary tract infections among medicaid-insured individuals by spina bifida status, Tennessee 2005-2013.

Abstract Background Individuals with spina bifida are at increased risk for urinary tract infection (UTI), however there are few population-based investigations of the burden of UTI hospitalizations. Objective We assessed rates and risk factors for UTI hospitalization in individuals with and without spina bifida. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study to estimate rates of UTI hospitalization by spina bifida status. We included individuals enrolled in Tennessee Medicaid who lived in one of the Emerging Infections Program’s Active Bacterial Surveillance counties between 2005 and 2013. Spina bifida was primarily defined and UTI hospitalizations were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision diagnoses. We also studied a subset without specific health conditions potentially associated with UTI. We used Poisson regression to calculate rate ratios (RR) of UTIs for individuals with versus without spina bifida, adjusting for race, sex and age group. Results Over the 9-years, 1,239,362 individuals were included and 2,493 met criteria for spina bifida. Individuals with spina bifida had over a four-fold increased rate of UTI hospitalization than those without spina bifida-in the overall study population and in the subset without specific, high-risk conditions (adjusted rate ratios: 4.41, 95% confidence intervals: 3.03, 6.43) and (4.87, 95% CI: 2.99, 7.92), respectively. We detected differences in rates of UTI hospitalization by race and sex in individuals without spina bifida that were not seen among individuals with spina bifida. Conclusions Individuals with spina bifida had increased rates of UTI hospitalizations, and associated demographic patterns differed from those without spina bifida.
Chapter 37 – Cytoskeletal Autoantibodies/Antiactin Antibodies

Anticytoskeleton antibodies were one of the first autoantibodies discovered, have been found in healthy individuals, and have also been associated with a number of infectious and inflammatory diseases. These autoantibodies are characterized by their binding to the principal components of microtubules, microfilaments, and intermediate filaments including actin, tubulin, keratin, vimentin, desmin, glial fibrillary acidic protein, peripherin, neurofilaments, alpha-internexin, and nuclear lamins. Given their ubiquitous presence, cytoskeletal proteins can be isolated from a number of different tissues and cells and antibodies to these antigens can be detected by a variety of methods. The mechanisms leading to the production of these autoantibodies is unclear but may be related to tissue damage and nonspecific B-cell stimulation. Thus far, anticytoskeletal antibodies have not been shown to be pathogenic and, with the exception of autoimmune hepatitis, are of limited clinical utility.
COVID-19 for the Cardiologist: Basic Virology, Epidemiology, Cardiac Manifestations, and Potential Therapeutic Strategies

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), a contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has reached pandemic status. As it spreads across the world, it has overwhelmed health care systems, strangled the global economy, and led to a devastating loss of life. Widespread efforts from regulators, clinicians, and scientists are driving a rapid expansion of knowledge of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19. The authors review the most current data, with a focus on the basic understanding of the mechanism(s) of disease and translation to the clinical syndrome and potential therapeutics. The authors discuss the basic virology, epidemiology, clinical manifestation, multiorgan consequences, and outcomes. With a focus on cardiovascular complications, they propose several mechanisms of injury. The virology and potential mechanism of injury form the basis for a discussion of potential disease-modifying therapies.
Wi-Fi Based Indoor Positioning and Navigation System (IPS/INS)

Over the last several years there has been fast growing research activities in the areas of indoor positioning, tracking, navigation, and their applications. Commercial, industrial, and retail businesses are highly motivated in developing solutions for accurate localization of assets and people. This paper first presents a brief review of the various technologies for indoor positioning applications, and then chooses one of them, the Wi-Fi RSSI based technique, for further development of a prototype application at a university campus. The algorithms that are commonly used for calculating the user’s position are also presented, including Trilateration, Fingerprinting, and the K-Nearest-Neighbor (KNN). For the prototype implementation, an indoor positioning and navigation system is developed with an Android app that any user can utilize to navigate through the target indoor environment. At the end, the paper presents evaluation results of the prototype implementation, which demonstrates the effectiveness of this developed low-cost solution for indoor positioning and navigation applications.
A meta-analysis of functional outcomes in rat sciatic nerve injury models.

INTRODUCTION Rat sciatic nerve injury (PNR) is the most utilized model in studies on peripheral nerve regeneration. However, large animal models are increasingly favored based on the assumption that nerve regeneration in rodents achieves more favorable outcomes than in humans. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to investigate which rat PNR models are more stringent and should be used before utilizing large animal experimentation. METHODS A PRISMA-guided meta-analysis of the English literature regarding functional outcomes in rat peripheral nerve injury models was conducted. Outcomes of five basic scenarios: (1) transected nerve/negative control, (2) transection with primary microsurgical repair, (3) isogenic/autologous grafts, (4) acellular-allogenic grafts, and (5) limb transplantation were compared to sciatic nerves without any intervention/positive control. Outcomes were compared using Sciatic Functional Index (SFI). Log-based projections were generated and evaluated using mean squared error (MSE), one-way-ANOVA, and Tukey-HSD post-hoc analysis. RESULTS In total, 167 articles met the inclusion criteria. The earliest manifestations of motor recovery were encountered in the transection and primary repair group (p <.0005). There was a significant difference in recovery time and degree of recovery between all surgical models (p <.0005). At 24 weeks, the SFI in hindlimb transplantation group was significantly worse than all other groups (-74.07 ± 2.74, p <.0005). Autografts smaller than 10 mm recovered sooner than autografts longer than 10 mm (p = .021) and autografts recovered faster than allografts. CONCLUSION This meta-analysis does not support the belief that neuro-regeneration is exceptional in transection models. These models remain adequate to provide translatable information and should initially be used in investigational studies.
A Prolonged Response and Characteristics of Trabectedin Treatment of Metastatic Soft Tissue Sarcoma.

Unique features and treatment effects of trabectedin are presented in consideration of soft tissue sarcoma management. A prolonged time on trabectedin through 59 cycles is shown. This is one of the longer reported uses of trabectedin successfully to control disease. Adjunctive cytoreduction options with surgery, radiation or ablation are presented. Future studies would be helpful to investigate treatment holidays, the impact of multi-modality care and assessment of genetics of clonal metastases. This may assist in guiding and selecting patients for priority treatment with trabectedin. J Med Cases. 2021;12(4):160-163 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jmc3655
NICU VOLUME AND VLBW-INFANTS MORTALITY: EFFECT OF VOLUME VERSUS QUALITY CUT OFFS

Introduction Recent studies used present cut-off levels (n>50 VLBW-infants/year, e.g.) for NICU intergroup comparisons and identified a soft volume-outcome relationship, explaining ∼10% variation of VLBW-mortality. Statistics couldn’t identify an appropriate volume-based cut-off for unit shut-downs in order to optimize overall outcome. This failure is due to the fact that – even between units of comparable size – mortality rates vary by a factor of 3, raising the hypothesis that volume-driven NICU shut-downs have minor beneficial effects on overall outcome. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in mortality rates when NICU closings are based on either volume size (VLBW/year) or outcome quality (mortality). Methods NICU-volumes and mortality rates given in recent publications (Vermont-Oxford-Network, n = 22446 VLBW-infants, and NRW-neonatal-register, Germany) were used. Centers were stepwise excluded using either volume load or outcome quality. Apparent overall mortality rate was calculated after randomly allocating infants from closed down units to one of the remaining centers. For each exclusion step, this procedure was repeated 1000 times. A 10% effect on mortality with volume size was assumed. Result Quality-based strategies are considerably more effective in improving VLBW-outcome. Volume based strategy needs to close down more than 50% of the units (representing 25% of VLBW-infants) to achieve more than 5%; its maximum effect is only 20%. Discussion This study clearly shows that volume-based cut-offs alone are not appropriate to decrease VLBW mortality, but should be combined with cut-offs using quality indicators.
Impact of surgical margins on local control in patients undergoing single‐modality transoral robotic surgery for HPV‐related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND The impact of close surgical margins on oncologic outcomes in HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV + OPSCC) is unclear. METHODS Retrospective case series including patients undergoing single modality transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for HPV + OPSCC at three academic medical centers from 2010 to 2019. Outcomes were compared between patients with close surgical margins (<1 mm or requiring re-resection) and clear margins using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS Ninety-nine patients were included (median follow-up 21 months, range 6-121). Final margins were close in 22 (22.2%) patients, clear in 75 (75.8%), and positive in two (2.0%). Eight patients (8.1%) recurred, including two local recurrences (2.0%). Four patients died during the study period (4.0%). Local control (p = 0.470), disease-free survival (p = 0.513), and overall survival (p = 0.064) did not differ between patients with close and clear margins. CONCLUSIONS Patients with close surgical margins after TORS for HPV + OPSCC without concurrent indications for adjuvant therapy may be considered for observation alone.
Digitalization of the Agro-Industrial Complex as the Main Factor of Regional Economic Development

Digitalization is becoming increasingly relevant as Russia enters the path of innovative development of complex socio-economic systems. Digital innovations in the agro-industrail complex [AIC] increase labor productivity, reduce production costs, and, as a result, ensure the sustainable development of the regional economy. The study monitors the development of the digital agriculture project within the regions to identify problems and prospects for improving the efficiency of the AIC in the Kursk Region. In this study, we used various theoretical and empirical methods, including logical and system analysis, data collection methods, and ranking. The analysis has shown that the AIC of the Kursk Region is rapidly improving. Kursk Region also increases its resource potential and successfully implements the “Digital Agriculture” pilot project of the Ministry of Agriculture. We note that to implement digital technologies in the agriculture of the Kursk Region, the quality and professional skills of IT specialists must be improved first. The scientific novelty of the research lies in developing directions for improving the efficiency of the AIC via digitalization. The results of this study may serve as a methodological basis for further research in the field of innovative development of complex socio-economic systems.
Corrosion of a dense, co-continuous SiC/Si composite in CO2 and synthetic air at 750 °C

Abstract The heat-to-electricity conversion efficiency of concentrated solar power plants may be enhanced, for lower cost electricity generation, by using high-temperature (750 °C) supercritical CO2 as a working fluid to drive the turbines in these plants. Unfortunately, such operation has been inhibited by the reduction in thermomechanical performance at ≥550 °C of metal alloys used, or considered for use, in compact heat exchangers for heat transfer to supercritical CO2. Co-continuous, melt-infiltration-processed SiC/Si composites possess an attractive combination of high-temperature mechanical and thermal properties for use in such compact heat exchangers. However, the corrosion behavior of melt-infiltration-processed, equivolume SiC/Si composites in CO2 at 750 °C has not been reported. In this work, the oxidation kinetics of SiC/Si composites, fabricated by Si liquid infiltration into porous SiC preforms, have been examined in CO2 and in air at 750 °C for up to 700 h. Continuous, thin, slow-growing external amorphous SiO2 scales formed on the SiC/Si composites during oxidation in both gases, without detectable oxide formation at internal (subsurface) SiC/Si interfaces. Corrosion-induced SiC formation in CO2, and Si3N4 formation in air, were also not detected below the SiO2 scales. The weight gains were small, with a significantly lower rate of weight gain detected in CO2 than in air. SiO2 scales formed on SiC in both gases were thinner than the scales formed on Si. The SiO2 scales formed on Si in air were notably thicker than the scales formed on Si in CO2, whereas SiO2 scales formed on SiC in air and CO2 were of similar thickness.
Injury to the Meniscofemoral Portion of the Deep MCL Is Associated with Medial Femoral Condyle Bone Marrow Edema in ACL Ruptures.

Background The primary goal of the present study was to investigate injury to the deep medial collateral ligament (MCL), specifically the meniscofemoral ligament (MFL) portion, and its association with medial femoral condyle (MFC) bone marrow edema in acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures. The secondary goal was to examine the association between MFL injury and medial meniscal tears (MMTs) in these same patients. Methods Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of 55 patients who underwent ACL reconstruction surgery were retrospectively reviewed by 2 board-certified musculoskeletal radiologists. MRI scans were examined for MFC edema at the insertion site of the MFL. This site on the MFC was referred to as the central-femoral-medial-medial (C-FMM) zone based on the coronal and sagittal locations on MRI. The presence or absence of bone marrow edema within this zone was noted. The prevalence, grade, and location of superficial MCL and MFL injuries were also recorded on MRI. The correlations between MFL injuries and the presence of MFC bone marrow edema were examined. Lastly, the presence and location of MMTs were also recorded on MRI and were confirmed on arthroscopy, according to the operative notes. Results On MRI, 40 (73%) of the 55 patients had MFL injuries. MFL injuries were significantly more common than superficial MCL injuries (p = 0.0001). Of the 27 patients with C-FMM bruising, 93% (25 patients) had MFL tears (p < 0.00001). In addition, of the 40 patients with an MFL injury, 63% (25 patients) had C-FMM bruising (p = 0.0251). Chi-square testing showed that MMTs and MFL injuries were significantly associated, with 12 (100%) of 12 patients with MMTs also having a concomitant MFL injury (p = 0.0164). Conclusions The prevalence of MFL injury in ACL ruptures is high and MFC bone marrow edema at the MFL insertion site should raise suspicion of injury. MFL injuries can present with clinically normal medial ligamentous laxity in ACL ruptures. Additionally, MFL injuries were significantly associated with posterior horn MMTs, which have been shown in the literature to be a potential risk factor for ACL graft failure. Clinical Relevance As deep MCL injuries are difficult to detect on physical examination, our findings suggest that the reported MFC edema in ACL ruptures can act as an indirect sign of MFL injury and may aid in the clinical detection. Additionally, due to the anatomical connection of the deep MCL and the meniscocapsular junction of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus, if an MFL injury is suspected through indirect MFC edema at the insertion site, the posterior horn of the medial meniscus should also be assessed for injury, as there is an association between the 2 injuries in ACL ruptures.
Collaborative software design in an SOA environment

Based on the current Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), this paper proposes a new collaborative software design methodology in an SOA Environment: the Global Software Enterprise (GSE). The current SOA is producer-centric, in which the service providers publish services that they produce and let the consumers to search available services to compose their applications. GSE is build on top of Consumer-Centric SOA (CCSOA), in which the application builders publish their application requirements for the service providers to follow when producing or customizing services to support the application. This new methodology reduces the workload and improves the application description capability of the service consumers. It also extends the capacity of design and code sharing, and thus further improves the software productivity. This paper presents the concepts, architecture, enabling techniques, and illustrative examples of collaborative software design in GSE.
BiCMOS Standard Memories

Over the past few years, memory performance has been the primary demonstration vehicle for BiCMOS technologies. Intrinsic gate delay, power dissipation and area have been regarded as the theoretical indications for technology performance and density. In a similar manner memory access time, memory power dissipation and memory size have been regarded as the practical indications of technology performance and density. Against this empirical yard stick BiCMOS technology has been found to produce memories with MOS-like power and density but with speeds and I/O interfaces which one normally attributes to bipolar memories.
Retention and Distribution of Iron Added to Cow's Milk and Human Milk as Various Salts and Chelates

Iron supplementation of infant formulas is recommended by most national and international organizations, but the optimal form of supplementation has not been determined. We have compared the bioavailability and tissue distribution of iron from four iron chelates and two commonly used iron salts. Weanling C57BL/6J mice were fed for 1 week an evaporated cow's milk diet supplemented with vitamins and minerals (except for iron). Following the adjustment period, mice were divided into 12 groups of 20 each. Six groups continued to receive the cow's milk diet for 18 hours, while the other six groups were fed a similar diet based on human milk. Individual groups received a single dose of milk radioactively labeled with Fe(II)Cl2, Fe(II)SO4, Fe(III)NTA, Fe(III)EDTA, Fe(III)citrate or Fe(III)lactobionate. Wholebody retention was measured after 4 days; animals were then killed and individual tissues were counted for radioactivity. Iron from FeCl2, FeSO4 and FeNTA were the best retained from both milk diets. Fe citrate had a significantly lower iron retention than all other groups in either diet and is probably not an effective chelate for delivering iron to milk diets. Iron bioavailability was higher from the human milk diets than from the cow's milk diets from all vehicles used except citrate and lactobionate. Absorption of Fe citrate was similar from the two milk diets, while percent retention from Fe lactobionate was higher from cow's milk than from human milk. Tissue distribution of retained iron was similar for the milk diets and among the groups, indicating that, once absorbed, iron from the different vehicles is metabolized in a similar manner.
Group genius : the creative power of collaboration

Creativity has long been thought of as an individual gift, best pursued alone; schools, organizations, and whole industries are built on this idea. But what if this most common belief about how creativity works is wrong? In this revised and expanded edition, psychologist Keith Sawyer tears down some of the most popular myths about creativity and erects new principles in their place. He reveals that creativity is always collaborative-even when you're alone. Sawyer draws on compelling stories of inventions and innovations: the inventors of the ATM, the mountain bike, and open source operating systems, among others, to demonstrate the freewheeling ways of true innovation. He shares the results of his own acclaimed research on jazz ensembles, improv groups, and conversation analysis, to show us how to be more creative in collaborative group settings, how to change organizational dynamics for the better, and how to tap into our own reserves of creativity. Now with a new chapter on web-based developments that have made collaboration central to everyone's lives, this revised and updated edition is a must read for anyone seeking to thrive and succeed by tapping into collaborative creativity
Fat Supplements Affect Fractional Rates of Ruminal Fatty Acid Biohydrogenation and Passage in Dairy Cows

Rates of fatty acid biohydrogenation and passage were determined for fat supplements varying in saturation using lactating dairy cows. First-order fractional passage rates were determined by dividing the duodenal flux of fatty acids by their respective ruminal pool sizes. The determination of rates of biohydrogenation required the development of a model to account for the transfer of fatty acids among pools. Ruminally and duodenally cannulated multiparous Holstein cows (n = 8) were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design with 21-d periods. Treatments were control and a linear substitution of 25 g/kg supplemented fatty acids varying in saturation as follows: saturated (prilled hydrogenated free fatty acids), intermediate mix of saturated and unsaturated (calcium soaps of long-chain fatty acids), and partially unsaturated fatty acids. Passage rates of 16:0, 18:0, and total 18-carbon fatty acids were linearly decreased with increasing unsaturated fatty acids and the trans-18:1 fractional passage rate was quadratically affected with a maximum for the intermediate treatment. Increasing unsaturated fatty acids increased the extent of 18:2 and 18:3 biohydrogenation and decreased the extent of 18:1 and trans-18:1 biohydrogenation. Calcium salts did not protect PUFA from ruminal biohydrogenation despite a mean ruminal pH of 6.0, and unsaturated fatty acids decreased ruminal biohydrogenation of trans-18:1, resulting in increased duodenal flow of these fatty acids. The model allows a mechanistic description of ruminal biohydrogenation and determination of the extent of 18:1 biohydrogenation.
Inhibition of spontaneously developing arteriosclerosis in female breeder rats by adrenalectomy.

Abstract In order to determine whether the adrenal glands play a primary or secondary role in the pathogenesis of the spontaneous arteriosclerosis which occurs in repeatedly bred rats, sexually mature female, Sprague-Dawley rats were adrenalectomized and maintained during four successive pregnancies. Some of the breeders were treated with deoxycorticosterone (DOCA) and 0.5% saline. The adrenalectomized breeders did not develop arteriosclerosis, beta cell degranulation, or fatty infiltration of the liver as did the breeder rats with intact adrenal glands or those which has accesory or regenerated adrenal glandular tissue. Surprisingly, intact DOCA-treated breeders also showed inhibition of arterial disease but they did have fatty livers and beta cell degranulation. Body and organ weights, serum enzymes, lipids, glucose, BUN, and corticosterone were elevated in breeder rats but not to such high levels as is usual in repeatedly bred rats. These findings demonstrate that the presence of the adrenal glands is essential for the pathogenesis of the spontaneous arteriosclerosis, fatty liver, and beta cell degranulation which occurs in repeatedly bred, female rats.
Antagonism of estrogenic effects on feeding behavior by central implants of anisomycin.

Abstract The following experiment determined whether the estrogenic suppression of food intake is dependent upon changes in protein synthesis within neurons of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). Ovariectomized rats were treated centrally with anisomycin-filled or empty (control) cannulae in the PVN. Females were injected with either 2.0 μg of estradiol benzoate (EB) or the oil vehicle and the inner cannulae were removed 2 h later. EB injections significantly lowered food and water intake in the central control group but not in animals given PVN implants of anisomycin. Body weight gain decreased for all females. EB induced comparable levels of female sexual behavior in both groups, demonstrating that anisomycin implants did not affect the ability of estradiol to stimulate lordosis. These findings indicate that the effects of estradiol on food intake require the activation of protein synthesis in estrogen-sensitive PVN neurons.
High-resolution human genome structure by single-molecule analysis

Variation in genome structure is an important source of human genetic polymorphism: It affects a large proportion of the genome and has a variety of phenotypic consequences relevant to health and disease. In spite of this, human genome structure variation is incompletely characterized due to a lack of approaches for discovering a broad range of structural variants in a global, comprehensive fashion. We addressed this gap with Optical Mapping, a high-throughput, high-resolution single-molecule system for studying genome structure. We used Optical Mapping to create genome-wide restriction maps of a complete hydatidiform mole and three lymphoblast-derived cell lines, and we validated the approach by demonstrating a strong concordance with existing methods. We also describe thousands of new variants with sizes ranging from kb to Mb.
A study of end-to-end web access failures

We present a study of end-to-end web access failures in the Internet. Part of our characterization of failures is based on directly observable end-to-end information. We also present novel analyses that reveal aspects of end-to-end failures that would be hard to discern otherwise. First, we combine end-to-end failure observations across a large number of clients to classify failures as server-related or client-related. Second, we correlate failures attributed to a client or server with BGP churn for the corresponding IP address prefix(es), to shed light on the end-to-end impact of BGP instability.Our study is based on failure observations during a month-long experiment involving 134 client hosts (across Planet-Lab, commercial dialup and broadband ISPs, and a corporate network) repeatedly accessing 80 websites. We find that the median failure rate of web accesses is about 1.5%, which is non-negligible. About 34--42% of the web access failures are due to DNS problems, primarily due to the inability of the client to connect to its local DNS server. The majority of the remaining failures are due to TCP connection establishment failures. Also, by correlating failure observations across clients and servers, we find that server-side problems are the dominant cause of TCP connection failures.
Improvements to Incompressible Flow Calculation on a Nonstaggered Curvilinear Grid

The semi-implicit method for pressure-linked equations (SIMPLE) algorithm of Rhie and Chow [6] for flow problems on nonstaggered curvilinear grids is extended, and a SIMPLE-revised (SIMPLER) algorithm is formulated on nonstaggered curvilinear grids. In addition, a new algorithm, SIMPLE-modified (SIMPLEM), is formulated. The performance of these three algorithms is examined through two test problems (driven flow in a cavity and flow in a sudden expansion). The integral form of the continuity equation is shown to be not satisfied in the SIMPLE formulation. In the SIMPLER formulation, the residuals of the momentum equation do not decrease to acceptably low values. The SIMPLEM algorithm shows reasonably good convergence behavior and is superior to both the SIMPLE and SIMPLER algorithms. On the basis of these comparisons, the SIMPLEM algorithm is recommended for use in nonstaggered curvilinear meshes.
Further experiments in the heterogeneous hybridization of echinoderms

1) InLoeb's method of heterogeneous hybridization in echinoderms, theAsterias ochracea sperm alone is affected by the hyperalkaline sea water. 2) The fertilization ofS. purpuratus eggs byAsterias ochracea sperm may be brought about in normal sea water, provided the eggs are first sensitized by a 4–5 minute treatment with 3/8 M SrCl2 solution. 3) If immediately after fertilization, the eggs are treated for a short time with hypertonic sea water, the vigor of the blastulae is much enhanced, and in case the treatment has lasted 15–40 minutes, they develop into plutei.
Fast analysis with Zeeman graphite furnace AAS

Abstract Stabilized Temperature Platform Furnace (STPF) methods have been adapted and altered to reduce the analytical time to less than 1 min per sample with no loss of analytical precision or accuracy. It is shown that this could be further reduced to about 30 s per sample if certain changes in instrumentation are implemented, especially in the software and firmware that control the autosampler. The sample uptake rate for the autosampler should overlap the cooldown of the tube from the prior determination. Also, the sample should be deposited onto a heated platform. In this work the pyrolysis step and, in most cases, the use of a matrix modifier has been omitted. Since backgrounds were therefore larger, the use of Zeeman correction was usually required, but continuum background correction was not tried. To confirm that these fast analytical methods might be practical, more than 10 standard reference materials were analyzed for several elements including Pb, Cd, Cu, Ni, As and Cr. The paper is not primarily intended to provide routine and reliable methods; it is intended to test the feasibility of these fast methods.
P300 differences between non-alcoholic young men at average and above-average risk for alcoholism: Effects of distraction and task modality

Abstract 1. P300 event-related electroencephalographic potentials were recorded from 79 young adult males, cross-classified with respect to the presence/absence of a family history of alcoholism (FHA) and the presence/absence of a personal history of antisocial personality (ASP) disorder. P300s were elicited using visual and auditory oddball tasks. Each oddball task was repeated with a tracking task added as a distractor. 2. In general, distraction increased the latencies and reduced the amplitudes of P300s elicited by the oddball stimuli. The P300 latency increase occurred only in low risk ASP- and FHA- groups. There was no adaptive increase in P300 latency in the higher risk ASP+ and FHA+ groups. 3. Group differences in P300 were restricted to visual tasks. No interpretable group differences in P300 latency or amplitude were found during the auditory tasks.
CEO Dismissal: The role of investment analysts

While poor firm performance has been shown to be a predictor of CEO dismissal, little is known about the role of external constituents on the board's decision to dismiss the firm's CEO. In this study, we propose that investment analysts, as legitimate third-party evaluators of the firm and its leadership, provide certification as to the CEO's ability, or lack thereof, and thus help reduce the ambiguity associated with the board's evaluation of the CEO's efficacy. In addition, the board tends to respond to investment analysts because their stock recommendations influence investors, whom the board wants to appease. Using panel data on the S&P 500 companies for the 2000–2005 period, we find that negative analyst recommendations result in a higher probability of CEO dismissal. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Identification and Characterization of a Yeast Iso-1-Cytochrome C C-Terminal Domain Swapped Dimer

Domain swapped protein dimers consist of a swapped domain linked by a hinge loop. They have been proposed as a means of achieving larger assemblies potentially contributing to biological cellular activity or conferring disease. Here we present a crystal structure of a C-terminal domain swapped dimer in yeast iso-1-cytochrome c. In this structure the C-terminal alpha helix from one monomer positions itself in the native position of the opposite monomer and vice versa. The highly dynamic heme crevice loop, the most highly conserved portion of the cytochrome c sequence, spans the gap acting as the hinge loop. Interestingly, conversion of the heme crevice loop to the hinge loop results in a loss of the native Met80-heme ligation. This produces an open heme coordination site on each subunit of the dimer. As cytochrome c requires an open heme coordination site to act as a peroxidase, to oxidize cardiolipin and initiate the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, this dimer structure could potentially be a structure particularly suited to function in oxidizing cardiolipin. In fact, a recently reported C-terminal domain swapped dimer of horse cytochrome c demonstrates increased peroxidase activity relative to the monomer. Although the yeast and horse dimer are similar, the hinge loop orientations differ. The hinge loop is two residues longer in the yeast dimer resulting in an increased distance between the heme groups and an altered angle of the hinge loops relative to the horse cytochrome c dimer. Even though they contain similar structure and sequence, the domain swapped yeast iso-1-cytochrome c dimer demonstrates decreased stability compared to the horse cytochrome c dimer.
Thermally stimulated polarization and depolarization current (TSPC/TSDC) techniques for studying ion motion in glass

The feasibility of studying ionic motion in glass using thermally stimulated polarization (TSPC)/depolarization current (TSDC) techniques was investigated with 4Na2O-96SiO2 and 30PbO-70SiO2 (mol %) glasses. The TSPC peaks in these glasses were dependent on glass composition and attributed to bulk polarization. The high temperature background TSPC is shown to be due to the d.c. conductivity, whereas the TSPC/TSDC peaks in the 4Na2O glass are attributed to shorter range Na+ motion.
Effect of kaolin particle film on Thrips tabaci (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), oviposition, feeding and development on onions: A lab and field case study

Abstract Laboratory studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of a kaolin-based particle film on biological characteristics of the onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), on onions. Oviposition rate was significantly reduced on kaolin-treated vs. water-treated onion leaves and plants, in choice and no-choice assays. Hatch rate was reduced when kaolin particle film was applied over eggs on onion leaves. The time required for development of larval stages was significantly increased and mortality was significantly higher on kaolin than on water-treated onion leaves. Feeding choice was influenced by the presence of the kaolin treatment and in choice assays both larvae and adults fed significantly less on kaolin-treated than on water-treated leaves. In a field study, significantly more adults were captured in the beginning of the season on control than on kaolin-treated plots, and at population peaks significantly more larvae and adults were harbored in control plots. The results indicate the potential of kaolin particle film against onion thrips in an integrated pest management program. However, because of the importance of a continuous coverage of plant material with kaolin particle film, better application methods and perhaps frequent applications will be required to cover newly expanding foliage.
Evaluating the Detectability of Gaussian Stochastic Signals by Steepest Descent Integration

It is shown how to compute the detection probability of certain signals by numerical integration of the Laplace inversion integral involving the characteristic function or the moment-generating function of the detection statistic. The contour of integration is taken as the path of steepest descent of the integrand and is determined numerically as the integration proceeds. The method is applied to calculating the performance of the optimum detector of a Gaussian stochastic signal in white noise when the signals actually present have a different average s.n.r. from that assumed in the design. Results are presented for narrowband signals with Lorentz and rectangular spectral densities. The detectability of the former is shown to be more sensitive than that of the latter to the value of the design s.n.r. The relative disadvantage of the threshold detector, also assessed by this method, is smaller for signals with a rectangular than for those with a Lorentz spectral density.
Reference memory and allocentric spatial localization deficits after unilateral cortical brain injury in the rat.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) produces learning and memory impairments in humans. This study investigated the effects of TBI on memory and spatial localization strategies in rats. Prior to TBI, separate groups of rats were trained in an 8-arm radial maze with either all 8 arms baited (Expt. 1) or only 4 of the 8 arms baited (Expt. 2). TBI was produced by a controlled pneumatic impactor striking the entire right sensorimotor cortex of the anesthetized rat. Rats used in Expt. 1 were selected because they did not use a stereotypic response strategy (going to adjacent arms) in performing the maze before injury. After TBI the rats were not different from control rats in the number of working memory (WM) errors made. They did, however, display a distinct propensity to go to adjacent arms, i.e., exhibit stereotypic behavior, with a right-handed (ipsiversive) bias (P<0.005). After TBI, rats which were trained with only 4 of 8 arms baited committed more reference memory (RM) errors than control rats (P<0.05). They did not differ from controls on WM errors. Injured rats took longer to re-attain criteria than controls (P<0.0001). Injured rats also initially displayed a propensity to enter the adjacent arm sequentially before re-attaining criteria. Further analysis indicated that injured rats re-learned the maze with a right-hand bias (P<0.0001). The results of both experiments suggest that after TBI, rats shifted from an allocentric to an egocentric strategy to re-learn the maze. It was suggested that damage to the parietal cortex may have been responsible for both RM errors and the shift away from an allocentric strategy to an egocentric strategy. Possibly, the ipsiversive (right-hand) bias may be the result of a behaviorally or injury-induced neurochemical asymmetry within the motor system.
The Welfare and Resouce Allocation Implications of the U.S.Dairy Quotas

This paper examine the welfare and resource allocation implications of the U.S. dairy quotas. A computable general equilibrium model detailing five dairy sectors and nine aggregate sectors is calibrated to a 1989 benchmark of the U.S economy. The model is used to simulate the removal of the U.S.dairy quotas both the with and without a first-best subsidy to maintain a dairy farm output objective. Welfare, production, trade, and employment results are provided. The welfare cost of the U.S dairy quotas ranges from $0.7 to $1.0 billion. The first-best subsidy ranges from $2.0 to $2.3 billion or approximately $1.4 million per full-time equivalent job maintained in the dairy farm sector [F13, Q17]
Mechanisms of proteinuria in nephrotic humans

The glomerular capillary wall imposes a remarkably efficient barrier to the passage of proteins the size of albumin and larger. The development of heavy proteinuria signifies impairment of the function of this barrier. Because endogenous proteins of graded size are heterogeneous with respect to their molecular charge and undergo extensive tubular reabsorption, they are not useful for quantifying the extent of barrier dysfunction. An alternative approach is to determine the fractional clearance of uncharged and non-reabsorbable polymers of graded size. When combined with a hydrodynamic theory of solute transport through a heteroporous membrane, the intrinsic properties of healthy and diseased glomerular capillary walls can be inferred. This approach reveals the nephrotic range proteinuria that attends minimal change nephropathy to be associated with impairment of both the size- and charge-selective properties of glomerular capillary walls.
Extracellular Glutamate Levels Are Chronically Elevated in the Brains of LP‐BM5‐Infected Mice: A Mechanism of Retrovirus‐Induced Encephalopathy

Mice infected with the LP-BM5 leukemia retrovirus mixture develop a progressive immunodeficiency with associated behavioral, histological, and neurochemical alterations consistent with glutamatergic hyperactivation. To gain insight into the contribution of excitatory amino acids to the neurodegeneration observed in these mice, their concentrations were measured in the CSF and striatal microdialysates. Glutamate concentrations were significantly elevated in CSF but not plasma as early as 4 weeks postinoculation. Steady-state glutamate levels in striatal microdialysates were increased threefold and could be reduced 40% by application of L-alpha-aminoadipate, an inhibitor of microglial glutamate transport. Stimulation of infected mice with KCl/L-trans-2,4-pyrrolidine dicarboxylate further increased glutamate levels 170-270% above those evoked in control mice. Tetrodotoxin suppressed the depolarization-evoked increase in glutamate by 88% in control mice, but it had only negligible effects in 40% of infected mice. Analysis of glutamate transport and catabolism suggests that abnormal astrocytic function does not contribute to the increase in basal extracellular glutamate levels. These findings are the first direct evidence that infection with an immunodeficiency-inducing retrovirus leads to a chronic elevation of extracellular free glutamate levels in the brain, which contributes to the neurodegenerative and cognitive deficits observed in these mice.
Loss of p53, rather than beta-catenin overexpression, induces survivin-mediated resistance to apoptosis in an esophageal cancer cell line

Objective Survivin, an important inhibitor of apoptosis, is overexpressed in esophageal cancer and negatively affects survival. The complex regulation of survivin transcription involves enhancement by beta-catenin and repression by p53. The purpose of this study is to test whether inhibition of beta-catenin or overexpression of p53 can decrease survivin expression and render esophageal cancer cells more susceptible to apoptosis. Methods Studies were performed in normal human esophageal epithelial cells and the human esophageal cancer cell line TE7. Levels of beta-catenin, survivin, and p53 were measured by Western blot. Apoptosis was induced after treatment with camptothecin and measured by release of caspase 3 and morphologic criteria. The roles of survivin and beta-catenin in preventing apoptosis were tested by their silencing with specific small interfering RNA molecules. The effect of p53 overexpression on survivin promoter activity was measured using a survivin promoter-luciferase reporter construct and by real-time polymerase chain reaction measurement of survivin mRNA levels. Results Both beta-catenin and survivin are overexpressed in TE7 cells, whereas p53 expression is negligible. TE7 cells demonstrate resistance to camptothecin-induced apoptosis ( P P P Conclusion Survivin plays a critical role in TE7 cell resistance to camptothecin-induced apoptosis. This effect is not dependent on beta-catenin expression. Overexpression of p53 decreases survivin transcription but does not decrease levels of survivin protein, suggesting posttranscriptional control of survivin expression.