cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ankle fusion following failed initial treatment of complex ankle fractures in neuropathic diabetics

Abstract Background Unstable ankle fractures in diabetics with peripheral neuropathy have an increased risk of postoperative complications, often leading to amputation. Primary ankle arthrodesis has been suggested as an alternative when acceptable reduction and mechanical stabilization cannot be obtained. Methods Over a fourteen year period, thirteen diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy underwent an attempt at primary ankle arthrodesis following the early post-fracture development of acute neuropathic (Charcot) deformity of the ankle after sustaining a low energy unstable ankle fracture. Eight patients with open wounds and osteomyelitis underwent single stage debridement of the osteomyelitis and primary ankle fusion with an ankle fusion construct circular external fixator. Five patients without evidence of infection underwent primary arthrodesis with a retrograde locked intramedullary nail used for fixation. A successful clinical outcome was achieved with either successful radiographic arthrodesis or stable pseudarthrosis, when community ambulation was achieved with commercially-available therapeutic footwear and a short ankle orthosis. Results Eight of the thirteen patients achieved a successful clinical outcome at a mean follow-up of 48 (range 12–136) months following the initial surgery. Three achieved clinical stability following a second surgery and one following a third. One patient with radiographic nonunion expired due to unrelated causes. One patient underwent transtibial amputation due to persistent infection. Of the five patients with failure of radiographic union, three successfully ambulated in the community with a short ankle orthosis. Postoperative complications included wound and pin-site infection, infected nonunion, chronic wounds, and tibial stress fracture. Conclusion In spite of the high risk for complications and initial failure, primary ankle fusion is a reasonable option for diabetic neuropathic patients who develop acute neuropathic arthropathy following ankle fracture. Level of evidence: Level IV retrospective case series.
Heat transfer regimes in fully developed circular tube flows, a map of flow regimes

Abstract Heat transfer in fully developed pipe flows is investigated and combinations of laminar, turbulent, and transitional flow and heat transfer are identified. The analysis is based on governing equations conserving mass, momentum and energy and are also informed by Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS). Six regimes are identified: 1. Laminar flow and laminar heat transfer (LamF-LamH); 2. Transitional flow and laminar heat transfer (TraF-LamH); 3. Transitional flow and transitional heat transfer (TraF-TraH); 4. Turbulent flow with laminar heat transfer (TurF-LamH); 5. Turbulent flow with transitional heat transfer (TurF-TraH); and 6. Turbulent flow with turbulent heat transfer (TurF-TurH). The subdivisions of flow is based on the Reynolds number and the fluid Prandtl number. One finding is that the TurF-LamH regime only exists for very low Prandtl number flows (Pr ≪ 1). Another critical demarcation for this type of flow exists for ReτPr1/2 ≲ 50. The friction-Reynolds number Reτ is based on the pipe radius and the friction velocity. The model used here was based on the approach, already used with success, for flow in parallel-plate channels. The simplified model predicts a Nusselt number of 8 in the TurF-LamH regime; recommended Nusselt correlations are provided for other regimes. A discussion of the demarcation for the transitional regimes is also included along with guidance for Nusselt numbers within those ranges.
Frontiers in Research on Cystic Fibrosis: Understanding Its Molecular and Chemical Basis and Relationship to the Pathogenesis of the Disease

In recent years a new family of transport proteins called ABC transporters has emerged. One member of this novel family, called CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator), has received special attention because of its association with the disease cystic fibrosis (CF). This is an inherited disorder affecting about 1 in 2000 Caucasians by impairing epithelial ion transport, particularly that of chloride. Death may occur in severe cases because of chronic lung infections, especially by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which cause a slow decline in pulmonary function. The prospects of ameliorating the symptoms of CF and even curing the disease were greatly heightened in 1989 following the cloning of the CFTR gene and the discovery that the mutation (ΔF508), which causes most cases of CF, is localized within a putative ATP binding/ATP hydrolysis domain. The purpose of this introductory review in this minireview series is to summarize what we and others have learned during the past eight years about the structure and function of the first nucleotide binding domain (NBF1 or NBD1) of the CFTR protein and the effect thereon of disease-causing mutations. The relationship of these new findings to the pathogenesis of CF is also discussed.
Learning Stable Deep Dynamics Models

Deep networks are commonly used to model dynamical systems, predicting how the state of a system will evolve over time (either autonomously or in response to control inputs). Despite the predictive power of these systems, it has been difficult to make formal claims about the basic properties of the learned systems. In this paper, we propose an approach for learning dynamical systems that are guaranteed to be stable over the entire state space. The approach works by jointly learning a dynamics model and Lyapunov function that guarantees non-expansiveness of the dynamics under the learned Lyapunov function. We show that such learning systems are able to model simple dynamical systems and can be combined with additional deep generative models to learn complex dynamics, such as video textures, in a fully end-to-end fashion.
Impacts of average illuminance, spectral distribution, and uniformity on brightness and safety perceptions under parking lot lighting:

In addition to supporting visibility, parking lot lighting should enable people to feel safe and secure while they are walking through a parking lot at night. Previously published research has indi...
Estimating Currents and Electric Fields at Low Latitudes from Satellite Magnetic Measurements

Low-latitude ionospheric electric currents produce prominent signatures in the magnetic field measurements made by low Earth-orbiting satellites. Analyzing these magnetic signatures not only provides insight into the currents themselves, but also many other important and interesting phenomena in the low-latitude ionosphere and thermosphere. The low-latitude currents are modulated by thermospheric winds, so attaining a global knowledge of the spatial structure of the currents can give insight into the neutral tidal harmonics present at ionospheric altitudes. Furthermore, the equatorial electrojet (EEJ) current is driven by an equatorial electric field which in turn is generated by a dynamo process. This electric field is additionally responsible for the vertical plasma fountain and equatorial ionization anomaly at low-latitudes. Magnetic measurements of the EEJ, therefore, allows the study of low-latitude plasma motion in the E and F regions of the ionosphere. This chapter will present techniques developed for processing magnetic measurements of the EEJ to extract information about the low-latitude currents and their driving electric fields. This chapter will present a line current approach to recover the EEJ current strengths, with an emphasis on cleaning the satellite data and minimizing magnetic fields from other internal and external sources. The electric fields will be determined using a combination of physical modeling and fitting the EEJ current strengths from the satellite measurements.
TWO- AND THREE-YEAR OUTCOMES OF ENDOVASCULAR INTERVENTIONS FOR PERIPHERAL ARTERIAL DISEASE STRATIFIED BY RUTHERFORD CLASSIFICATION

To report the 3-year results of the LIBERTY study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier [NCT01855412][1]), a multi-center observational study that investigated the outcomes of endovascular procedures for the treatment of symptomatic peripheral arterial disease (PAD). We report on patients with PAD treated
A Study of Major Impact: Assortative Mating and Earnings Inequality Among U.S. College Graduates

This research has two goals: to measure the extent of assortative (non-random) mating by college major in the United States, and to assess the extent to which assortative mating by college major increases earnings inequality among college-educated couples. Assortative mating of college graduates with other college graduates has been extensively studied, but research on assortative mating by field of study is rare. The analysis uses a large sample (659,732 couples) from five years of the American Community Survey public use files to group college degrees into nine categories, compute the frequency of all marital pairings, and compare these frequencies to a random assignment of pairings. The results show that assortative mating by college major is common for all majors and both genders, and that these results are robust to division of the sample by age group. Because high-earning majors tend to be married to spouses from the same high-earning major group, and likewise for low-earning majors, assortative mating increases earnings inequality among two-earner college-educated couples. The extent of this increased earnings inequality is calculated with both dollar measures and standard aggregate measures of inequality. Thus college-educated Americans tend to marry persons with similar college majors and this tendency measurably increases earnings inequality among college-educated couples.
Compilation and Analysis of Web-Based Orthopedic Personalized Predictive Tools: A Scoping Review.

Web-based personalized predictive tools in orthopedic surgery are becoming more widely available. Despite rising numbers of these tools, many orthopedic surgeons may not know what tools are available, how these tools were developed, and how they can be utilized. The aim of this scoping review is to compile and synthesize the profile of existing web-based orthopedic tools. We conducted two separate PubMed searches—one a broad search and the second a more targeted one involving high impact journals—with the aim of comprehensively identifying all existing tools. These articles were then screened for functional tool URLs, methods regarding the tool’s creation, and general inputs and outputs required for the tool to function. We identified 57 articles, which yielded 31 unique web-based tools. These tools involved various orthopedic conditions (e.g., fractures, osteoarthritis, musculoskeletal neoplasias); interventions (e.g., fracture fixation, total joint arthroplasty); outcomes (e.g., mortality, clinical outcomes). This scoping review highlights the availability and utility of a vast array of web-based personalized predictive tools for orthopedic surgeons. Increased awareness and access to these tools may allow for better decision support, surgical planning, post-operative expectation management, and improved shared decision-making.
Self-Supervised Point Cloud Completion via Inpainting

When navigating in urban environments, many of the objects that need to be tracked and avoided are heavily occluded. Planning and tracking using these partial scans can be challenging. The aim of this work is to learn to complete these partial point clouds, giving us a full understanding of the object's geometry using only partial observations. Previous methods achieve this with the help of complete, ground-truth annotations of the target objects, which are available only for simulated datasets. However, such ground truth is unavailable for real-world LiDAR data. In this work, we present a self-supervised point cloud completion algorithm, PointPnCNet, which is trained only on partial scans without assuming access to complete, ground-truth annotations. Our method achieves this via inpainting. We remove a portion of the input data and train the network to complete the missing region. As it is difficult to determine which regions were occluded in the initial cloud and which were synthetically removed, our network learns to complete the full cloud, including the missing regions in the initial partial cloud. We show that our method outperforms previous unsupervised and weakly-supervised methods on both the synthetic dataset, ShapeNet, and real-world LiDAR dataset, Semantic KITTI.
The Effects of Mercury Exposure on the Performance of a Binary Classification Task

This study evaluated the utility of a binary classification task in assessing the neurotoxic effects of elemental mercury. Twenty-six mercury cell chlor-alkali workers were tested in order to study the dose-response relationship between mercury exposure and the stage-specific measures provided by this reaction-time paradigm. Two of the stages studied, short-term memory scanning and binary decision, were found to be adversely affected by chronic exposure to mercury. Language: en
Development of neuromotor prostheses for humans.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the development of neuromotor prostheses (NMP) for humans. NMPs are devices for the central nervous system (CNS) that can couple motor areas to effectors and ultimately return feedback as a closed loop system. NMPs are now being developed to provide a replacement output for lost functions, such as hand or leg movement or speech. In essence, they represent a physical repair where biological ones are inadequate or unavailable. NMPs have the potential to restore movement when central motor control structures remain intact, but their access to the periphery is blocked. Any traumatic injury or disease that disrupts the corticospinal pathway, their connections or their axons, or the muscles themselves can disrupt voluntary movement. The recent accomplishments in recording and decoding and the base of animal data from multiple laboratories suggest that NMPs are feasible in humans.
A Pragmatic View of Formal Methods: the Hi-Lite Project

Formal methods can be applied in a variety of different modes. Even if the notion of proving an entire program correct is of limited applicability, we can still achieve more modest goals, such as proving specific properties of programs, and in fact there are existing examples where such approaches have been successful. The inability of formal methods to carry 100% of the burden means that the overall development process must rely on a combination of tools and techniques spanning the range from formal proof to testing. We thus need tools, languages, and development environments that allow easy integration of these various approaches. The Hi-Lite project aims to meet this need.
Civility and Workplace Bullying: Resonance of Nightingale's Persona and Current Best Practices

Conflict or aggression occurring between and among healthcare workers is undermining attempts to create a culture of safety in the workplace. Healthcare occupations have higher rates of workplace bullying (WPB), and intimidating behavior across healthcare settings has been shown to foster medical errors, increase the cost of care, and contribute to poor patient satisfaction and preventable adverse outcomes. WBP is also partially responsible for the high attrition among nurses, a particular concern in the current nursing shortage. Through a narrative that explores Florence Nightingale's professional persona and experience, this article outlines various factors that contribute to incivility and WPB, and provides suggestions for curriculum design that may help preempt incivility in tomorrow's nurses.
The Impact of Short -Sale Restrictions on Volatility, Liquidity, and Market Efficiency: The Evidence from the Short-Sale Ban in the U.S.

On September 19, 2008 the Securities and Exchange Commission put a temporary ban on the short sales of 797 financial stocks. This unprecedented measure allows us to explore the impact of short-sale restrictions on the U.S. stocks. In this study we investigate the effect of short-sale constraints on volatility, liquidity and market efficiency. The results suggest there were statistically significant changes in liquidity, volume, and return volatility while the ban was in effect. We find that market liquidity deteriorated substantially, t quoted spread and percent quoted spread increased significantly, while turnover ratio, trading volume, and dollar volume declined during the ban. Furthermore, returns decreased and volatility of returns measured by squared returns increased during the restriction on shorting activity. Therefore, a significant drop in market efficiency is documented.
Manipulation Under Anesthesia After Total Knee Arthroplasty is Associated with An Increased Incidence of Subsequent Revision Surgery

Abstract A national database was used to evaluate the risk for manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), the association of demographics and comorbidities with needing MUA, and the risk of revision TKA after MUA. Of the 141,016 patients who underwent TKA, 4.3% required MUA within 6 months. Age under 50 years (OR: 2.79, P P P P P
Presidents, Governors, and Electoral Accountability

This paper is designed to demonstrate that citizen evaluations of presidential performance operate as an influence on voting in gubernatorial elections. The discussion first highlights the debate over the impact of presidential support in national elections and presents aggregate-level evidence suggesting that this impact extends to gubernatorial contests. Next, an individual-level model of the gubernatorial vote is estimated using a pooled data set from the election year surveys conducted by the Center for Political Studies from 1972 through 1986. The estimated model reveals that evaluations of the president operate as an influence on the voting preferences of citizens. A series of diagnostic exercises shows that this influence is not an artifact of a particular survey, type of election, or presidential administration. A series of simulations reveals that the impact of these evaluations is sizable enough to alter both the voting of individuals and the outcomes of gubernatorial contests. The discussion co...
Dynamic superlubricity and the elimination of wear on the nanoscale

One approach to ultrahigh-density data storage involves the use of arrays of atomic force microscope probes to read and write data on a thin polymer film, but damage to the ultrasharp silicon probe tips caused by mechanical wear has proved problematic. Here, we demonstrate the effective elimination of wear on a tip sliding on a polymer surface over a distance of 750 m by modulating the force acting on the tip-sample contact. Friction measurements as a function of modulation frequency and amplitude indicate that a reduction of friction is responsible for the reduction in wear to below our detection limit. In addition to its relevance to data storage, this approach could also reduce wear in micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems and other applications of scanning probe microscopes.
Time-series analysis of suicidal and undetermined deaths

The suicide rate and the death rate for undetermined causes were negatively associated over time from 1968 to 1990 in the USA, suggesting that these undetermined deaths may include a fair proportion of suicides. In contrast, there was no association between suicide and undetermined death rates over the states in 1980.
Longitudinal Associations between Physical and Cognitive Performance among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

To assess the directionality of the association between physical and cognitive decline in later life, we compared patterns of decline in performance across groups defined by baseline presence of cognitive and/or physical impairment [none (n = 217); physical only (n = 169); cognitive only (n = 158), or both (n = 220)] in a large sample of participants in a cognitive aging study at the Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis who were followed for up to 8 years (3,079 observations). Rates of decline reached 20% for physical performance and varied across cognitive tests (global, memory, speed, executive function, and visuospatial skills). We found that physical decline was better predicted by baseline cognitive impairment (slope = -1.22, p<0.001), with baseline physical impairment not contributing to further decline in physical performance (slope = -0.25, p = 0.294). In turn, baseline physical impairment was only marginally associated with rate of cognitive decline across various cognitive domains. The cognitive-functional association is likely to operate in the direction of cognitive impairment to physical decline although physical impairment may also play a role in cognitive decline/dementia. Interventions to prevent further functional decline and development of disability and complete dependence may benefit if targeted to individuals with cognitive impairment who are at increased risk.
Bridge to services: drug injectors' awareness and utilization of drug user treatment and social service referrals, medical care, and HIV testing provided by needle exchange programs.

Using qualitative interviews conducted in 1999, we examine awareness and use of drug user treatment and social service referrals, medical care, and HIV testing provided by needle exchange programs (NEPs) among injectors who use NEPs (N = 26) and injectors who get their syringes from other sources (N = 20). A four-category typology of NEP service knowledge and use emerges from these interviews: “Active involvement”—use of services; “Steppingstone”—no use of services but knowledge that specific services are available; “Vague awareness”—nonspecific knowledge of service availability; and “Unaware:—no awareness of the service provision function of NEPs. We describe patterns of distribution of respondents among these categories and suggest policy implications.
Multiplexed Affinity-Based Protein Complex Purification

Here we proved the principle of a multiplexed affinity-based protein complex purification (MAPcP) technique that targets simultaneous extraction of multiple protein complexes with superior purity. Microspheres of various sizes and coupled with different affinity probes extract several protein complexes concurrently and specifically. After the coextraction, flow-field flow fractionation (Fl-FFF) rapidly washes the microspheres as well as separates them based on their sizes to recover the clean individual complex for downstream analysis. Demonstration of the parallel extraction of two immuno-complexes from the yeast whole cell lysate showed that MAPcP can enhance the sample purity significantly compared to the traditional centrifugation and magnetic pull-down methods used for small scale protein purification. Simultaneous isolation of multiple protein complexes can facilitate the elucidation of the functional relationship among protein complexes and improve our understanding of the biological network.
Defending ““Our Beautiful Freedom””: State Formation and Local Autonomy in Oaxaca, 1930––1940

This article looks at the process of state formation in Oaxaca during the 1930s. By comparing the political processes at the state level and in the Sierra Juarez, it is argued that both revisionist and Gramscian visions of the post-revolutionary Mexican state minimize the potential for local autonomy and political democracy. In the Sierra Juarez President Cardenas allowed young, progressive village democrats to form their own autonomous regional confederation and halt the political branch of the cargo system.
Effect of deuterium oxide incorporation of P32 into rat liver deoxyribonucleic acid.

Experiments were carried out in an attempt to determine the effects of D/ sub 2/O administration on incorporation of P/sup 32/ into rat liver DNA. With increasing concentrations of D/sup 2/O, there was a progressive decrease in DNA synthesis; in rats in which 30% of the body water was replaced by D/sub 2/O the incorporation of P/sup 32/ into DNA was reduced to about one-fifth of normal. (auth)
National and Community Service Challenges and Opportunities for People With Disabilities to Volunteer in America

The recently implemented National and Community Service Act of 1990 calls for Americans of all race, age, ability, and economic status to return to service in their community. To help facilitate this call to service, the National Commission on Community Service has allocated approximately 70 million dollars in grants. The Act focuses on the involvement of youth, including those who are economically disadvantaged and with disabilities. This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities faced by community service program planners and disability organizations, in their efforts to integrate volunteers with disabilities in service to the community. The paper concludes with a discussion of informal and formal approaches to involving participants of varying abilities.
Determining Matrilines by Antibody Response to Exotic Antigens

The antibody responses of female Microtus pennsylvanicus inoculated with a series of antigens not normally encountered under field conditions were examined, and the kinetics of maternally acquired antibody loss in their offspring were determined. The initial antibody response in adults was rapid, peaking in 4–9 weeks, and long-lasting, with a half life of 4–5 months. Antibody levels in females were unaffected by parity, and more than one antigen could be given without affecting circulating-antibody titers. Antibody titers could be enhanced with additional inoculations. Maternal antibody in offspring increased until weaning at 3 weeks then declined exponentially. Minimal detectable titers were reached at 7–11 weeks. In many instances, maternal antibody remained detectable even after offspring reached adult (35 g) size. Examination of uninoculated wild-caught voles showed only one of 130 tests produced a “false” positive response. The exotic-antigen technique may be generally applicable for determining maternity in small, secretive mammals.
Prebiotic Synthesis: Phosphorylation in Aqueous Solution

Formation of uridine-5'-phosphate from uridine and inorganic phosphate in aqueous solution is effected by the following condensing agents: cyanogen, cyanoformamide, cyanate, cyanamide, thioformate, ethylisocyanide, and a watersoluble carbodiimide. The yields are always small, even when a large excess of condensing agent is used. The cyclization of uridine-3'-(2')-phosphate occurs under the same conditions but in much greater yield.
The Role of the Subconscious in Executive Decision-Making

Management science is concerning itself a great deal with decision theory at present. The latter provides a framework for the idealized, rational decision-maker. In actual fact, however, an executive's performance lies on a continuum between that of two people, one of whom makes rational and the other rationalized decisions. This article examines the role of the subconscious in executive decision-making and gives and discusses some extreme examples. Some controls are discussed on the vagaries of the decisions actually reached. The conclusion is that management science, and particularly decision theory, should concern itself far more with the effect of the subconscious on decisions. Some criteria for possible measurement are suggested.
Axial temperature gradients in dielectric samples in the laser-heated diamond cell

Temperature gradients inside the laser-heated diamond cell are not measured in the axial direction, along the optic axis, yet can bias estimates of the peak temperatures achieved in optically thin (dielectric) samples such as Mg-silicate perovskite. Thermal diffusion calculations show that the observed thermal-radiation spectrum is not significantly affected by axial temperature gradients. The apparent (measured) temperature underestimates the actual peak sample temperature by 350-850 K for 4000 < T < 6000 K.
Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method for the analysis of nitro-arginine in rat plasma and urine.

Abstract Nitro- l -arginine ( l -NNA) is an inhibitor of the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS). We developed a simple, sensitive and reproducible reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method for detection of nitro-arginine ( l - and d -enantiomer) in rat plasma and urine. Samples were treated with perchloric acid, neutralized and eluted through a C8 reversed-phase column with a mobile phase of 18.5 mM heptanesulfonic acid-10% methanok in water using theophylline as an internal standard. Plasma recovery for both isomers was complete, and the sensitivity limit was 0.5 μg/ml. This method may be used for disposition studies of l -NNA in small animals.
China's National Champions: The Evolution of a National Industrial Policy — Or a New Era of Economic Protectionism?

In this article we ask a series of related research questions concerning China's recent industrial policies, particularly the 10th and 11th five-year economic policy plans. Our questions go to the nature of China's long-term competitiveness of its national champions, and to what extent Chinese government policies are evolving to domestic protectionism that adversely affects foreign invested enterprises' (FIEs) competitive position in the Chinese economy. We thus evaluate the nature of the five-year economic policy plans, their adverse impact on FIEs operating in China, and the rise of designated Chinese national champions (in the 11th five-year economic policy plan) to compete with major FIEs on a global scale. However, we suggest that the role of the Chinese government's recent industrial policy, when compared to Michael Porter's “Diamond of National Competitive Advantage” recommended government policy approaches, may not augur well in the long-term for China's national champions. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Muonium-antimuonium transitions

A quantum number m is proposed for leptons, such that m( mu /sup = - m(e approximately = plus or minus 1. In this system, mu decay may have>s DELTA m =0, 2, or 4, depending on the m assignments to the neutrinos. Processes such as mu yields e + gamma violate DELTA m = 2; and if no processes can be found with DELTA m = 4, m may be assumed to be a good quantum number. The muoniumantimuonium transition, if it exists, has DELTA m = 4; the problems associated with detecting these transitions are described. (T.F.H.)
Catecholamine alterations in pediatric obstructive sleep apnea: effect of obesity.

Study Objectives Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) elicits increased sympathetic activity in adults and increased urinary catecholamines. Moreover, urinary catecholamine excretion is altered in obese patients. We hypothesized that morning urine catecholamine levels would be correlated with the severity of obstructive sleep apnea and degree of obesity in children. Methods Children referred to the pediatric sleep center for habitual snoring underwent overnight polysomnography, and the first morning voided urine sample was collected. Urinary concentrations of norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine were measured and corrected for creatinine levels. In a subset of children, blood samples were drawn and gene expression of catecholamine-relevant genes analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. Results One hundred fifty-nine children were recruited and completed the protocol. Children with OSA had significantly higher urinary norepinephrine and epinephrine levels, but not dopamine, compared to habitual snorers (norepinephrine: 40.1 ± 24.7 ng/mg creatinine vs. 31.6 ± 16.2 ng/mg creatinine, P < 0.01; epinephrine: 6.4 ± 10.5 ng/mg vs. 4.5 ± 0.5 ng/mg, P < 0.01). There was a positive correlation between norepinephrine and epinephrine values and polysomnographic indices, but no effect of obesity on catecholamine levels. In addition, expression of several of the major genes involved in synthesis and transport of catecholamines, as well as in selected receptors were compatible with increased bioavailability of catecholamines. Conclusions In children with OSA, morning urinary norepinephrine and epinephrine levels are significantly higher than those without OSA, and correlate with the severity of the disease. Gene expression patterns are in agreement with such findings. Urine catecholamine levels do not appear to be influenced by the presence of obesity. Thus, altered sympathetic activity in OSA patients appears to occur independently of the presence of obesity. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2009; 44:559–567. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Tight Control of Platelet-derived Growth Factor B/c-sis Expression by Interplay between the 5′-Untranslated Region Sequence and the Major Upstream Promoter

The long and GC-rich 5′-untranslated region (5′-UTR) of the known 3.8-kb platelet-derived growth factor B (PDGF-B)/c-sis mRNA is highly conserved and inhibits its own translation. It has been thought that this 5′-UTR functions by regulating translation possibly using an internal ribosome entry site (IRES)-mediated mechanism. However, in the present study we found no evidence that the 5′-UTR sequence of PDGF-B mRNA contains any IRES activity. Instead, we found that the 5′-UTR sequence of PDGF-B functions as a promoter both constitutively and upon induction in a variety of cell lines. The 5′-UTR sequence contains two promoters (termed P1 and P2) when only the 5′-UTR sequence is analyzed. In the presence of the upstream TATA-box-containing promoter (P0), P1 and P0 promoters are integrated into one promoter, whereas the P2 promoter still functions. The full promoter with combined P0, P1, and P2 produced two transcripts, with the major one having the full-length 5′-UTR and the minor one the short 5′-UTR. The integrated P0/P1 promoter and P2 promoter are likely responsible for producing the endogenous 3.8- and 2.8-kb PDGF-B mRNAs that are detected in cultured human renal microvascular endothelial cells, a few tumor cells, and rat brain tissues. Furthermore, we detected the 2.8-kb PDGF-B mRNA in erythroleukemia K562 cells upon 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced differentiation. Considering that the 5′-UTR in the 3.8-kb mRNA contains no IRES activity and inhibits cap-dependent translation, we believe that the endogenous 2.8-kb mRNA produced from the 5′-UTR promoter is likely the major template responsible for protein production both constitutively and upon induction. We also found that the transcription from the 5′-UTR P2 promoter might be coordinated by the major upstream P0 promoter upon stimulation. Based on these observations, we propose that the TATA-containing P0 promoter and the 5′-UTR promoter work together to tightly control the expression of PDGF-B.
Lidar in-space technology experiment measurements of sea surface directional reflectance and the link to surface wind speed

The dependence of sea surface directional reflectance on surface wind stress suggests a method for deriving surface wind speed from space-based lidar measurements of sea surface backscatter. In particular, lidar measurements in the nadir angle range from 10 degrees to 30 degrees appear to be most sensitive to surface wind-speed variability in the regime below 10 m/s. The Lidar In-space Technology Experiment (LITE) shuttle lidar mission of September 1994 provided a unique opportunity to measure directional backscatter at selected locations by use of the landmark track maneuver and to measure fixed-angle backscatter from the ocean surfaces on a global scale. During the landmark track maneuver the shuttle orbiter orientation and roll axis are adjusted continuously to maintain the lidar footprint at a fixed location for a duration of ~1 min. Several data sets were converted to calibrated reflectance units and compared with a surface reflectance model to deduce surface wind speeds. Comparisons were made with ERS-1 scatterometer data and surface measurements.
Abstract 511: Integrin-mediated inhibition of adhesion, migration and invasion in glioma xenografts by MMP-9, uPAR and cathepsin B gene silencing

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Involvement of MMP-9, cathepsin B and uPAR in glioma adhesion, migration, invasion, proliferation, metastasis and tumor growth has been well studied and reported. In the present study, we have downregulated MMP-9, uPAR and cathepsin B genes by using siRNA plasmid constructs in glioma xenografts (4910 and 5310) to study their effects on adhesion, migration and invasion. We hypothesized that downregulation of these genes in combination will have additive/synergistic effect in inhibiting adhesion, migration and invasion of glioma xenografts and hence, treated these xenografts with MMP-9-uPAR and MMP-9-cathepsin B bicistronic plasmid constructs. MMP-9 (pM), uPAR (pU) and cathepsin B (pC) downregulation in glioma xenografts significantly inhibited their adhesion to several extracellular matrix proteins, such as collagen I (pM-39%, pU-51%, pC-57% inhibition in 4910 cells and pM-40%, pU-44%, pC-59% inhibition in 5310 cells), vitronectin (pM-51%, pU-45%, pC-57% inhibition in 4910 cells and pM-56%, pU-58%, pC-58% inhibition in 5310 cells), fibronectin (pM-36%, pU-48%, pC-48% inhibition in 4910 cells and pM-30%, pU-37%, pC-41% inhibition in 5310 cells), and laminin (pM-50%, pU-34%, pC-45% inhibition in 4910 cells and pM-48%, pU-52%, pC-65% inhibition in 5310 cells). Migration and invasion were also inhibited by MMP-9, uPAR and cathepsin B siRNA treatments as assessed by spheroid migration, migration through 8 μm transwell inserts, wound healing and matrigel invasion assays. As expected, downregulation of MMP-9 in combination either with uPAR (pMU) and cathepsin B (pMC) further inhibited the adhesion, migration and invasion of 4910 and 5310 glioma xenografts as compared to individual treatments. Furthermore, MMP-9, uPAR and cathepsin B siRNA treatments of these xenografts led to the downregulation of several alpha and beta integrins (such as α6, α9, αV, β1 and β3) as evidenced by reverse transcriptase PCR analysis. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed the reduced expression of these integrins in the glioma xenografts when treated with MMP-9, uPAR and cathepsin B siRNA either alone or in combination. Based on these findings, we conclude that downregulation of MMP-9, uPAR and cathespin B using siRNA plasmid constructs inhibits adhesion, migration and invasion of human glioma xenografts via the downregulation of integrins. Considering the recent clinical failures with integrin inhibitors and the existence of integrin inhibitor resistant cancer cells, the present study provides a novel and effective approach for cancer treatment by inhibiting the integrins while downregulating MMP-9, cathepsin B and uPAR. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 511.
A weight statistic and partial order on products of m-cycles

R. S. Deodhar and M. K. Srinivasan defined a weight statistic on the set of involutions in the symmetric group and proved several results about the properties of this weight. These results include a recursion for a weight generating function, that the weight provides a grading for the set of fixed-point free involutions under a partial order related to the Bruhat partial order, and that this graded poset is EL-shellable and its order complex triangulates a ball. We extend the definition of weight to products of disjoint m-cycles in the symmetric group, and we generalize all of the results of Deodhar and Srinivasan just mentioned to the case of any m>=2.
Helium Emission from Classical T Tauri Stars: Dual Origin in Magnetospheric Infall and Hot Wind

High-resolution emission-line profiles of He I and He II in 31 classical T Tauri stars are analyzed with the aim of probing the environs of the star-disk interface in accreting low-mass young stars. The diagnostic power of the helium lines lies in their high-excitation potentials, which restrict their formation to a region either of high temperature or close proximity to a source of ionizing radiation. The He I profiles are decomposed into kinematic components that support the paradigm of magnetically controlled accretion from the disk onto the stellar surface but also require a significant contribution from a hot wind. A narrow component, seen in 28/31 stars, is characterized by relatively uniform line widths and centroid velocities among all the helium lines. Our analysis supports previous conclusions that this feature is consistent with formation in the decelerating postshock gas at the magnetosphere footpoint. A broad component, seen in 22/31 stars, displays a diversity of kinematic properties. Our analysis suggests that in many stars the He I broad component is itself composite. At one extreme are stars where the broad component is redshifted in excess of 8 km s-1, as would occur if helium emission arises primarily from polar angles less than 547 in the funnel flow. At the other extreme are stars where the broad component is blueshifted in excess of -30 km s-1, requiring an origin in outflowing gas. The additional occurrence of maximum blue wing velocities exceeding -200 km s-1 in 14 stars leads us to argue that hot winds are present in about half of our sample. The relation between the narrow component and the optical veiling differs between the stars with or without a hot helium wind, suggesting that when the hot wind is present the luminosity and temperature of the accretion shock are reduced. A comparison of broad component helium emission with standard outflow indicators leads us to suggest that there are two sources of inner wind in T Tauri accretion disk systems: one a hot polar/coronal wind that prevails in stars with high veiling, and the other a more widespread cool disk wind that is likely launched at the magnetosphere/disk boundary.
Habits, Routines, and Roles of Graduate Students: Effects of Hurricane Ike

ABSTRACTDisasters such as a major hurricane are likely to disrupt individuals’ habits, routines, and roles. The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to explore the extent to which master's students’ habits, routines, and role participation were affected by Hurricane Ike during the transition from academic work to Level II Fieldwork placement. Three master's level occupational therapy students who experienced the hurricane while attending school were recruited for the study and were administered a qualitative interview and the Role Checklist. On the basis of the interview, emerging themes with subthemes were Temporal Aspects—preparation, storm, immediate poststorm, and recovery/rebuilding; Effects of Storm on Occupational Performance—loss of personal space, lack of leisure participation, changes in habits, and loss of routines; and Personal Outcomes—areas of transformation and changes in roles. As noted by the Role Checklist, some new roles were assumed by the participants following the st...
Error vs. Rejection Curve for the Perceptron

We calculate the generalization error e for a "student" perceptron J, trained by a teacher perception T, on input patterns S that form a fixed angle arccos (J S) with the student. We show that the error is reduced from a power law to an exponentially fast decay by rejecting input patterns that lie within a given neighbourhood of the decision boundary J S = 0. On the other hand, the error vs. rejection curve eρ, where ρ is the fraction of rejected patterns, is shown to be independent of the training scheme that is employed to construct the student perceptron. We give a simple argument indicating that the small-ρ behavior observed for the perceptron eρ = e0 + ρ(e0 − 1/2) has a much wider range of validity.
An adaptive landscape for training in the essentials of next gen sequencing data acquisition and bioinformatic analysis

Background Recent technological advances in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) have reduced both the cost and time required to produce Large Data Sets (LDS) of nucleotide sequences. These advances have led to an exponential proliferation of nucleotide sequence data coupled with an exacerbation of a persistent conundrum: the level of difficulty in generating LDS is rapidly decreasing, but the exposure, development and training of students and investigators in the bioinformatic approaches requisite to the proper and correct analysis of such data sets is experiencing a parallel increase in difficulty.
Cholestan-3β,5α,6β-triol, but not 7-ketocholesterol, suppresses taurocholate-induced mucin secretion by cultured dog gallbladder epithelial cells

In order to investigate oxysterol-mediated effects on the biliary system, we studied the effects of cholestan-3β,5α,6β-triol (TriolC) and 7-ketocholesterol (7KC) on gallbladder epithelial cells. We compared their cell proliferation effects in cultured dog gallbladder epithelial cells (DGBE) to their effects in cultured human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (HPAE). Oxysterols inhibited cell proliferation in a dose-dependent fashion. Oxysterols inhibited cell growth to 50% of control at a higher dose for DGBE cells than for HPAE cells. TriolC was more cytotoxic than 7KC. We also investigated the effect of oxysterols on bile salt-induced mucin secretion by DGBE cells. TriolC suppressed mucin secretion by DGBE cells, whereas 7KC did not. These findings support the hypothesis that biliary oxysterols affect gallbladder mucosal function.
Correction to 'A practical view of software measurement and implementation experiences within Motorola'

A corrected reference list for the above-titled paper (see ibid., vol.18, no.11, p.998-1010, (1992)) is presented. >
Geochemistry and origin of massif-type anorthosites

Samples of Proterozoic anorthosite complexes from the Adirondack Mountains of New York, Burwash Area of Ontario, and the Nain Complex of Labrador, ranging in composition from anorthosite to anorthositic gabbro, have been analyzed for major elements, Rb, Sr, Ba and nine rare-earth elements (REE), in order to set limits on the compositions and origins of their parent magmas. Similar rock types from the different areas have similar major and trace element compositions. The anorthosites have high Sr/Ba ratios, low REE abundances (Ce about 10, Yb about 0.5–1.5 times chondrites) and large positive Eu anomalies. The associated anorthositic gabbros have lower Sr/Ba ratios, REE abundances nearly an order of magnitude higher than the anorthosites, and small to negligible positive Eu anomalies.