cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The unusual nature of the components of a strain of pea enation mosaic virus.

Pea enation mosaic virus (PEMV) has spherical components sedimenting at 99S and 112S. The larger contains an RNA of molecular weight 1.6 × 10 6 and the smaller an RNA of molecular weight 1.3 × 10 6 . The viral components contain similar percentages of RNA and separate according to size by gel electrophoresis. The larger viral component contains about 180 coat protein subunits; the smaller one contains about 150 coat protein subunits and apparently has an unusual structure. Both viral components are required for infectivity and the larger determines the coat protein. The differences between the results obtained with this PEMV strain and those obtained by Gonsalves and Shepherd (1972, Virology 48 , 709) are discussed.
Rapid and Simple Platelet Function Assay to Assess Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Receptor Blockade

Background The platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa receptor antagonist c7E3 Fab (abciximab; ReoPro) has been approved as an antithrombotic agent, and other GP IIb/IIIa antagonists, including oral agents, are under development. At present, there are no rapid and simple assays to monitor GP IIb/IIIa receptor blockade. Methods and Results An assay was devised based on the ability of platelets in whole blood to rapidly agglutinate fibrinogen-coated beads when stimulated with a peptide, (iso-S)FLLRN, that activates a platelet thrombin receptor but resists inactivation by plasma aminopeptidase M. Preincubation of normal blood with increasing concentrations of c7E3 Fab led to increasing inhibition of the assay, correlating with increased GP IIb/IIIa receptor blockade. Assay conditions were chosen so that agglutination was inhibited at 2 minutes when >82% of the receptors were blocked. Similar results were obtained with the use of GP IIb/IIIa antagonists based on the arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) cell-reco...
Tumor suppressor expression and genetic characterization of benign and malignant chondroid syringoma

Chondroid syringoma is an uncommon epithelial and mesenchymal neoplasm of eccrine sweat glands. Most are benign, but some may exhibit aggressive behavior, including local recurrence and lymph node or distant metastases. Treatment is generally limited to radical surgical excision and possibly chemoradiation, although the latter is generally considered ineffective against these tumors. Histologic features of benign and malignant chondroid syringoma are similar, thus making morphology an unreliable marker for clinically aggressive behavior. Identification of biomarkers that predict clinical behavior would be potentially useful for selecting patients with malignant chondroid syringoma for targeted therapy. The purpose of this study was to investigate somatic mutations commonly involved in tumor pathways, and to determine if there is altered expression of tumor suppressors p16 and p53 in metastatic malignant versus benign chondroid syringoma. Five chondroid syringoma tissue samples were analyzed – 2 aggressive and 3 benign. Immunostaining for tumor suppressor genes p16 and p53 was performed. Genomic DNA was isolated and genetic analysis was performed using a custom Sequenom MassArray. Chondroid syringomas with clinically aggressive behavior showed strong nuclear p16 expression in contrast to those with benign behavior. Both the malignant and benign chondroid syringomas demonstrated positive p53 expression with varying intensity. No somatic mutations were identified in any of the chondroid syringomas.
Brain Abnormalities in Language Disorders and in Autism

It has been speculated that autism and specific language impairment share common underlying neural substrates because of the overlap in language impairment issues and evidence suggesting parallels in other domains and implying a possible shared genetic risk. Anatomically the two sets of disorders have generally been studied using different methodologies, but when identical methodologies have been used substantial similarities have been noted. Functionally there is a growing body of literature suggesting sensory perception abnormalities that have parallels in both conditions and that may be upstream of language abnormalities. Finding upstream mechanisms that impact language and non-language abnormalities in autism and specific language impairment would impact the orientation taken by translational attempts to use science to design treatments.
Algorithm comparison for autonomous distributed fusion

The concept of network centric operations is a process the military is just beginning to struggle with. Distributed information and data fusion provides the foundation to determine target track state estimation within a network centric structure. This paper addresses the overall effectiveness of two popular fusion approaches - the information filter and the channel filter for selected network architectures. Specifically, we compare algorithm performance for two special network cases - the cyclic network and the broadcast network. We will show the scalability of the channel filter when agents are added to the cyclic network and provide an assessment under conditions of random link failure between agents.
Cinefluorographic Studies of the Extracranial Cerebral Circulation

Selective retrograde femoral catheterization with cinefluorographic visualization of the major extracranial cerebral vessels has been carried out in 35 patients with cerebrovascular insufficiency. Examples of partial and complete arterial occlusion have been illustrated. Selective retrograde catheterization avoids the hazards associated with the percutaneous injection of the arteries supplying the brain. Cinefluorography has demonstrated alterations in flow associated with occlusive disease and physiologic maneuvers. Although the combination of selective catheterization and cinefluorographic visualization of the extracranial cerebral circulation has certain limitations, it has proved to be a valuable diagnostic tool.
Hierarchical interface-enriched finite element method: An automated technique for mesh-independent simulations

A hierarchical interface-enriched finite element method (HIFEM) is introduced for the mesh-independent treatment of problems with complex morphologies. The proposed method provides an automated framework to capture gradient discontinuities associated with multiple materials interfaces that are in a close proximity or contact, while using finite element meshes that do not conform to the problem geometry. While yielding an optimal precision and convergence rate, other principal advantages of HIFEM include the ease of implementation and the ability to compute enriched solutions for a variety of complex materials interface configurations. Moreover, the construction of enrichment functions in this method is independent of the number and sequence of materials interfaces introduced to the nonconforming mesh. An immediate benefit of this feature is the ability to add new materials phases to already enriched nonconforming elements, without the need to remove/modify existing enrichments or sub-elements. In addition to detailed convergence study, several example problems are presented to show the application of HIFEM for modeling various engineering problems, including woven composites, heterogeneous materials systems, and actively-cooled microvascular systems.
Corporate Governance and Pay-for-Performance: The Impact of Earnings Management

Abstract We ask whether the apparent impact of governance structure and incentive-based compensation on firm performance stands up when measured performance is adjusted for the effects of earnings management. Institutional ownership of shares, institutional investor representation on the board of directors, and the presence of independent outside directors on the board all reduce the use of discretionary accruals. These factors largely offset the impact of option compensation, which strongly encourages earnings management. Adjusting for the impact of earnings management substantially increases the measured importance of governance variables and dramatically decreases the impact of incentive-based compensation on corporate performance.
Midrange Temperature Rheological Properties of Warm Asphalt Binders

With increasing concerns of global warming and increasing emissions, the asphalt industry is making a constant effort to lower its emissions by reducing the mixing and compaction temperatures of the asphalt mixture without affecting the properties of the mix. Several proprietary chemicals are available in the industry that can help reduce the mixing and compaction temperatures. A significant reduction of required heat can be achieved in most cases. Several studies have been conducted evaluating the properties of the warm mix asphalt; however, properties of the binders containing these chemicals have not been studied in great detail. Warm asphalts were produced using two of the available processes utilizing five different asphalt binder sources, and some rheological tests were conducted (dynamic shear rheometer and viscosity). The results indicated that binders containing the inorganic additive Aspha-Min (Eurovia, France) underwent minor or no changes compared to the base binders in terms of flow properties, stiffness, and response to creep. However, the flow of binders with the additive Sasobit (Sasol Wax, Germany), which consists of aliphatic hydrocarbons, changed from Newtonian to shear thinning at 60°C, and the viscosity of the binder at 60°C increased. Sasobit also improved the stiffness and penetration resistance of the base binders, and binders with Sasobit had significantly lower permanent deformations after repeated creep-recovery tests compared to the base binders.
Overconfidence in Newsvendor Orders: An Experimental Study

Previous studies have shown that individuals make suboptimal decisions in a variety of supply chain and inventory settings. We hypothesize that one cause is that individuals are overconfident (in particular, overprecise) in their estimation of order variation. Previous work has shown theoretically that underestimating the variance of demand causes orders to deviate from optimal in predictable ways. We provide two experiments supporting this theoretical link. In the first, we elicit the precision of each individual's beliefs and demonstrate that overprecision significantly correlates with order bias. We find that overprecision explains almost one-third of the observed ordering mistakes and that the effect of overprecision is robust to learning and other dynamic considerations. In the second, we introduce a new technique to exogenously reduce overprecision. We find that participants randomly assigned to this treatment demonstrate less overprecision and less biased orders than do those in a control group. Th...
On a subclass of Welti codes and Hadamard matrices

A derivation is presented to show the relationship between a subclass of the Welti D codes and Hadamard matrices of order 2/sup n/. The Hadamard matrices are related to Welti D codes by means of a linear transformation. The relationship shown to exist between the Hadamard matrices and the Welti codes is only valid for those matrices of order 2/sup n/. >
Excess extrafetal fluid without demonstrable changes in placental concentration gradients after week-long infusions of angiotensin into fetal lambs

It is known that a week-long infusion of angiotensin into fetal sheep produces polyhydramnios. The purpose of the present experiments was to determine whether an increased osmotic force across the placental barrier could account for the excess transfer of water. Six fetuses with indwelling catheters were infused with angiotensin-I and one with angiotensin-II; all, except one fetus in the first group, developed gross polyhydramnios. None of the transplacental concentration differences of the small plasma solutes Na+, Cl-, HCO3-, K+, urea, or glucose showed a demonstrable change and the same was true of the transplacental difference in freezing point osmolality and for the transplacental difference in plasma protein concentration. It is concluded that the infusion of angiotensin at a low dose rate is a reliable protocol for producing polyhydramnios. However, the present findings lend no support to the hypothesis that a primary change in transplacental osmotic force is the cause of the increased transplacental water transfer in this form of polyhydramnios. Alternative hypotheses are discussed in the light of recent discoveries.
Prime models and almost decidability

This paper introduces and investigates a notion that approximates decidability with respect to countable structures. The paper demonstrates that there exists a decidable first order theory with a prime model that is not almost decidable. On the other hand it is proved that if a decidable complete first order theory has only countably many complete types, then it has a prime model that is almost decidable. It is not true that every decidable complete theory with only countably many complete types has a decidable prime model. It is not known whether a complete decidable theory with only countably many countable models up to isomorphism must have a decidable prime model. In [1] a weaker result was proven—if every complete extension, in finitely many additional constant symbols, of a theory T fails to have a decidable prime model, then T has 2ω nonisomorphic countable models. The corresponding statement for saturated models is false, even if all the complete types are recursive, as was shown in [2]. This paper investigates a variation of the open question via a different notion of effectiveness—almost decidable.A tree Tr will be a subset of ω<ω that is closed under predecessor. For elements f, g in ω<ω ∪ ωω, ƒ ⊲ g iffdf ∀i < lh(ƒ)[ƒ(i) = g(i)].
Assessing Hydration Status: The Elusive Gold Standard

Acknowledging that total body water (TBW) turnover is complex, and that no measurement is valid for all situations, this review evaluates 13 hydration assessment techniques. Although validated laboratory methods exist for TBW and extracellular volume, no evidence incontrovertibly demonstrates that any concentration measurement, including plasma osmolality (Posm), accurately represents TBW gain and loss during daily activities. Further, one blood or urine sample cannot validly represent fluctuating TBW and fluid compartments. Future research should (a) evaluate novel techniques that assess hydration in real time and are precise, accurate, reliable, non-invasive, portable, inexpensive, safe, and simple; and (b) clarify the relationship between Posm and TBW oscillations in various scenarios. Key teaching points:  All hydration assessment techniques provide singular measures of a complex and dynamic fluid matrix, containing interconnected compartments.  A single gold standard, including plasma osmolality, is not possible for all hydration assessment requirements.  In the laboratory, measurement resolution and accuracy are essential.  Field assessment of hydration requires techniques that are easy-to-use, safe, portable, and inexpensive.  Total body water approximates “euhydration” when morning body weight is near the normal baseline, fluid intake is adequate, urine color is pale yellow, and urine volume is normal.  Body weight change provides the simplest and most accurate index of hydration status in real time, when serial measurements are made in close proximity.
An improved experimental reactor for applied kinetic studies

A recirculation type of reactor has been designed and tested on a rapid reaction which characteristically causes difficult temperature-control problems and high diffusional resistances (hydrogenation of propylene on nickel catalyst). Descriptions of the reactor and its operation are given, together with an assessment of errors and the advantages and disadvantages of the recirculation technique. A rate equation and rate constants are determined so that the data will be more readily comparable with the work of other investigators.
A universal analytic model for photonic Banyan networks

One of the important considerations in designing waveguide-based photonic switching networks is to avoid crosstalk. Two approaches have been proposed which dilate a network in the space and time domains, respectively, to establish crosstalk-free connections. The space-domain dilation uses more hardware, representing cost in space, while the time-domain dilation uses more rounds (or time slots), representing cost in time. In order to evaluate the space-time tradeoffs involved in these two approaches, an analytical model is developed. We describe a recursive procedure which calculates the probability that a new connection can be established without crosstalk in a Banyan (or dilated Banyan) network by taking into consideration the dependency between traffic distributions at different stages. A Markov process based on such probabilities is then used to determine the average number of rounds needed for a set of one-to-one random connections. The model is applicable to both Banyan and dilated Banyan networks, with either stage or individual control. Simulation results are also obtained and compared to the analytic results. We show that the time-domain approach can achieve better space-time tradeoffs than the space-domain approach. One of the practical implications of this result is that a multiplane Banyan network may be more cost-effective than a dilated Banyan in avoiding crosstalk.
A ribozyme that lacks cytidine

The RNA-world hypothesis proposes that, before the advent of DNA and protein, life was based on RNA, with RNA serving as both the repository of genetic information and the chief agent of catalytic function1. An argument against an RNA world is that the components of RNA lack the chemical diversity necessary to sustain life. Unlike proteins, which contain 20 different amino-acid subunits, nucleic acids are composed of only four subunits which have very similar chemical properties. Yet RNA is capable of a broad range of catalytic functions2,3,4,5,6,7. Here we show that even three nucleic-acid subunits are sufficient to provide a substantial increase in the catalytic rate. Starting from a molecule that contained roughly equal proportions of all four nucleosides, we used in vitro evolution to obtain an RNA ligase ribozyme that lacks cytidine. This ribozyme folds into a defined structure and has a catalytic rate that is about 105-fold faster than the uncatalysed rate of template-directed RNA ligation.
Egg Shell Quality During Hot Weather with Calcium Gluconate in the Diet

Abstract HEYWANG (1946) reported that calcium gluconate was not superior to limestone as the main source of egg shell calcium during hot weather when the diets were formulated to contain about 2.0% Ca. During recent years, however, at least one commercial supplier of calcium gluconate has suggested that as little as one pound per ton of laying diet will improve “shell texture.” It thus seemed desirable to determine whether this calcium source improves egg shell quality during hot weather when it replaces some of the limestone in a laying diet with at least as much Ca as the requirement (2.25%) given by the National Research Council (1960). The dietary level of 2.5% Ca was chosen for the experiment discussed in this paper, mostly because that level has been fed at our station for several years. PROCEDURE Three groups of 15 laying White Leghorns hatched during June of the previous year were …
Anterior Cutaneous Nerve Entrapment Syndrome in Children

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this manuscript is to report on an entity known as Anterior Cutaneous Nerve Entrapment Syndrome (ACNES) and its relevance to chronic abdominal pain encountered in children. Methods Following institutional review board approval, we retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent operation for presumed ACNES from 2011-2014. Variables reviewed included age, gender, age at surgery, time from onset of pain to surgery, additional medical treatments, and surgery performed. The main outcome measure was amelioration of pain. Results Nine patients met the study criteria whereby 7 were female and 2 were male patients. Median age at time of surgery was 14 years (range: 10-19 years) and time from onset of symptoms to surgery was 10 months (range: 0.5-60 months). Eight reported complete resolution of the original symptoms in follow-up appointments. One patient reported new, yet similar symptoms on her opposite trunk. Conclusion ACNES is a reported cause of chronic abdominal pain that can be managed surgically in the pediatric patient once medical management has been optimized. Close collaboration between surgeons and pain specialists helps identify patients who will benefit from surgical interventions and consideration of this condition could result in more timely pain relief in children. Further studies on a larger scale are needed to determine the long-term outcomes of this procedure.
Symptomatic ganglioneuroma of bone. A case report.

Ganglioneuromas are uncommon benign tumors that are thought to be derived from the nonchromaffin cells of the sympathetic nervous system. Primary ganglioneuromas usually arise from sympathetic elements located between the craniovertebral junction and the pelvis. These lesions tend to grow slowly, typically are dumbbell-shaped, and may cause progressive compression of spinal nerve roots or erosion into adjacent osseous structures10,19,22,26. Primary soft-tissue ganglioneuroma with secondary erosion into bone should be differentiated from ganglioneuroma that has metastasized to bone. The latter phenomenon is the result of skeletal metastasis of neuroblastoma with subsequent spontaneous maturation of this highly malignant tumor to ganglioneuroma. To the best of our knowledge, only two cases of ganglioneuroma of bone developing from spontaneous differentiation of metastatic neuroblastoma have been reported in the literature9,32. We describe a case of disseminated ganglioneuroma of the skeleton that presented with an impending pathological fracture and that closely mimicked the clinical findings of polyostotic fibrous dysplasia. A seventeen-year-old girl was referred to the Orthopaedic Oncology Service at Massachusetts General Hospital because of progressively increasing pain of fourteen months' duration in the left thigh. The pain, which initially had been mild, was aggravated by weight-bearing and interfered with sleep. The patient had been diagnosed as having polyostotic fibrous dysplasia two years earlier, after she sustained a pathological fracture of the right tibia, which was treated nonoperatively. Radiographs made at that time had demonstrated well defined radiolucent lesions in the tibial shafts and the proximal aspects of the femora, and there had been slightly increased radionuclide uptake and low signal intensity on T1-weighted magnetic resonance images and high signal intensity on T2-weighted images. The medical history also included a traumatic fracture of the distal aspect of the right radius and a reconstruction of …
Food intake reductions and increases in energetic responses by hindbrain leptin and melanotan II are enhanced in mice with POMC-specific PTP1B deficiency

Leptin regulates energy balance through central circuits that control food intake and energy expenditure, including proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons. POMC neuron-specific deletion of protein tyro...
Many-to-One Mapping of Form to Function: A General Principle in Organismal Design?

SYNOPSIS. We introduce the concept of many-to-one mapping of form to function and suggest that this emergent property of complex systems promotes the evolution of physiological diversity. Our work has focused on a 4-bar linkage found in labrid fish jaws that transmits muscular force and motion from the lower jaw to skeletal elements in the upper jaws. Many different 4-bar shapes produce the same amount of output rotation in the upper jaw per degree of lower jaw rotation, a mechanical property termed Maxillary KT. We illustrate three consequences of many-to-one mapping of 4-bar shape to Maxillary KT. First, manyto-one mapping can partially decouple morphological and mechanical diversity within clades. We found with simulations of 4-bars evolving on phylogenies of 500 taxa that morphological and mechanical diversity were only loosely correlated (R 2 5 0.25). Second, redundant mapping permits the simultaneous optimization of more than one mechanical property of the 4-bar. Labrid fishes have capitalized on this flexibility, as illustrated by several species that have Maxillary KT 5 0.8 but have different values of a second property, Nasal KT. Finally, many-to-one mapping may increase the influence of historical factors in determining the evolution of morphology. Using a genetic model of 4-bar evolution we exerted convergent selection on three different starting 4-bar shapes and found that mechanical convergence only created morphological convergence in simulations where the starting forms were similar. Many-to-one mapping is widespread in physiological systems and operates at levels ranging from the redundant mapping of genotypes to phenotypes, up to the morphological basis of whole-organism performance. This phenomenon may be involved in the uneven distribution of functional diversity seen among animal lineages.
Utilization of Instructional Technology for Development of Web-Based Mechanical Engineering Courses

Though face to face class interaction is still a dominant-teaching approach in most higher education institutes, online teaching has become increasingly popular with the development of internet technology [1,3]. The authors have used instructional technology and computer software to develop web-based lectures in a mechanical engineering program for online delivery at their institution. This paper highlights how computer software Camtasia Studio and Windows Journal have been integrated with a Gateway tablet PC, a webcam and wireless speaking receiver device to produce web-based lectures for online delivery. The paper intends to share experiences, myths, and lessons that the authors have learned during production of audio and video online course materials. Integration of instructional technology with computer software has made online course preparation and production much more effective and efficient. The paper also summarizes the steps taken by the authors to accomplish this instructional project from start to finish. It includes integration of instructional technology, pedagogical concepts, development of audio and video materials, difficulties faced and how they were handled, software used, and existing issues for the future work.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Attonewton force detection using microspheres in a dual-beam optical trap in high vacuum

We describe the implementation of laser-cooled silica microspheres as force sensors in a dual-beam optical dipole trap in high vacuum. Using this system we have demonstrated trap lifetimes exceeding several days, attonewton force detection capability, and wide tunability in trapping and cooling parameters. Measurements have been performed with charged and neutral beads to calibrate the sensitivity of the detector. This work establishes the suitability of dual-beam optical dipole traps for precision force measurement in high vacuum with long averaging times, and enables future applications including the study of gravitational inverse square law violations at short range, Casimir forces, acceleration sensing, and quantum optomechanics.
The Thermoplasma acidophilum LplA-LplB complex defines a new class of bipartite lipoate-protein ligases.

Lipoic acid is a covalently bound cofactor found throughout the domains of life that is required for aerobic metabolism of 2-oxoacids and for C1 metabolism. Utilization of exogenous lipoate is catalyzed by a ligation reaction that proceeds via a lipoyl-adenylate intermediate to attach the cofactor to the ϵ-amino group of a conserved lysine residue of protein lipoyl domains. The lipoyl ligases of demonstrated function have a large N-terminal catalytic domain and a small C-terminal accessory domain. Half of the members of the LplA family detected in silico have only the large catalytic domain. Two x-ray structures of the Thermoplasma acidophilum LplA structure have been reported, although the protein was reported to lack ligase activity. McManus et al. (McManus, E., Luisi, B. F., and Perham, R. N. (2006) J. Mol. Biol. 356, 625–637) hypothesized that the product of an adjacent gene was also required for ligase activity. We have shown this to be the case and have named the second protein, LplB. We found that complementation of Escherichia coli strains lacking lipoate ligase with T. acidophilum LplA was possible only when LplB was also present. LplA had no detectable ligase activity in vitro in the absence of LplB. Moreover LplA and LplB were shown to interact and were purified as a heterodimer. LplB was required for lipoyl-adenylate formation but was not required for transfer of the lipoyl moiety of lipoyl-adenylate to acceptor proteins. Surveys of sequenced genomes show that most lipoyl ligases of the kingdom Archaea are heterodimeric. We propose that the presence of an accessory domain provides a diagnostic to distinguish lipoyl ligase homologues from other members of the lipoate/biotin attachment enzyme family.
Crowd-Sourced Assessment of Technical Skill: A Valid Method for Discriminating Basic Robotic Surgery Skills.

Abstract Background: A surgeon's skill in the operating room has been shown to correlate with a patient's clinical outcome. The prompt accurate assessment of surgical skill remains a challenge, in part, because expert faculty reviewers are often unavailable. By harnessing the power of large readily available crowds through the Internet, rapid, accurate, and low-cost assessments may be achieved. We hypothesized that assessments provided by crowd workers highly correlate with expert surgeons' assessments. Materials and Methods: A group of 49 surgeons from two hospitals performed two dry-laboratory robotic surgical skill assessment tasks. The performance of these tasks was video recorded and posted online for evaluation using Amazon Mechanical Turk. The surgical tasks in each video were graded by (n=30) varying crowd workers and (n=3) experts using a modified global evaluative assessment of Robotic Skills (GEARS) grading tool, and the mean scores were compared using Cronbach's alpha statistic. Results: GEARS...
Quantitative 3-dimensional computed tomography analysis of olecranon fractures

Hypothesis/Background Olecranon fractures have variable size of the proximal fragment, patterns of fragmentation, and subluxation of the ulnohumeral joint that might be better understood and categorized on the basis of quantitative 3-dimensional computed tomography analysis. Mayo type I fractures are undisplaced, Mayo type II are displaced and stable, and Mayo type III are displaced and unstable. The last is categorized into anterior and posterior dislocations. The purpose of this study was to further clarify fracture morphology between Mayo type I, II, and III fractures. Methods Three-dimensional models were created for a consecutive series of 78 patients with olecranon fractures that were evaluated with computed tomography. We determined the total number of fracture fragments, the volume and articular surface area of each fracture fragment, and the degree of displacement of the most proximal olecranon fracture fragment. Results Displaced olecranon fractures were more comminuted than nondisplaced fractures ( P = .02). Displaced fractures without ulnohumeral subluxation were smallest in terms of both volume ( P P P = .74). Anterior olecranon fracture-dislocations created more displaced ( P = .04) and smaller proximal fragments than posterior fracture-dislocations ( P = .005), with comparable fragmentation on average ( P = .60). Discussion/Conclusion The ability to quantify volume, articular surface area, displacement, and fragmentation using quantitative 3-dimensional computed tomography should be considered when increased knowledge of fracture morphology and fracture patterns might be useful.
The Seventeenth Chapter

Oft hath occasions been given me in this book to speak of great Babylon and of the execrable beast, but here is place offered to describe them more at large.
Fusing small-footprint waveform LiDAR and hyperspectral data for canopy-level species classification and herbaceous biomass modeling in savanna ecosystems

The mapping of tree species, in general and specifically in diverse savanna environments, is of great interest to ecologists and natural resource managers. This study focused on the fusion of imaging spectroscopy and small-footprint waveform light detection and ranging (wLiDAR) data to improve per species structural parameter estimation towards classification and herbaceous biomass modeling. The species classification approach was based on stepwise discriminant analysis (SDA) and used feature metrics from hyperspectral imagery (HSI) combined with wLiDAR data. It was found that fusing data with the SDA did not improve classification significantly, especially compared with the HSI classification results. As for herbaceous biomass modeling, the statistical approach used for the fusion of wLiDAR and HSI was forward selection regression modeling, which selects significant independent metrics and models those to measured biomass. The results indicated that fine scale wLiDAR may not be able to provide accurate m...
Training Protocol for Health Survey Fieldwork

Abstract Health interviews are being conducted in randomly selected households in an urban area of southeastern New England. To evaluate cardiovascular risk factors and behaviors of the population, the interviews involve not only health-related questions, but also physiological measurements of height, weight, blood pressure, and serum cholesterol. The field interviewers, often lay personnel, are trained to adhere to a strict protocol in respondent selection, interviewing, and measuring. This article describes the training procedures used to produce skilled health technicians working in a community environment, and the quality control measures which ensure the technicians' adherence to the field protocol.
Cambio tecnologico y uso de la energia en mexico

A raiz de los descubrimientos de petroleo ocurridos en Mexico durante la segunda mitad de la decada de los anos setenta las discusiones sobre "politica energetica" han cobrado mayor importancia.2 Este documento intenta hacer una contribucion a la bibliografia examinando el patron de uso de energeticos de la economia mexicana. Mas concretamente, nuestro objetivo es estudiar el uso de los energeticos como insumos productivos y analizar el efecto del cambio tecnologico sobre la demanda intermedia de estos productos. La motivacion para el trabajo parte del supuesto de que un conocimiento detallado de la magnitud y las tendencias observa das en el uso de energeticos es un prerrequisito necesario para la pla neacion y la elaboracion de politicas, independientemente de los objetivos ultimos que estas persiguen. El interes en analizar la demanda intermedia de energeticos tiene justificaciones importantes. Por un lado, una alta proporcion de la pro duccion total de energeticos es utilizada dentro del sistema economico precisamente como insumo intermedio.3 Por otro lado los cambios en la utilizacion de energeticos necesariamente tienen repercusiones sobre la demanda de otros factores productivos. En especial hay ciertas pruebas empiricas que senalan que los energeticos y el trabajo son factores sus titutos, lo cual implica que aumentos en los requerimientos de energeticos por unidad de produccion generan una reduccion en la demanda de mano de obra.4 Esto ultimo a su vez puede ser importante en el contexto
From Market Driven to Market Driving: An Alternate Paradigm for Marketing in High Technology Industries

Although useful, the currently dominant marketing philosophies reveal themselves to be inadequate for addressing issues and problems specific to high-tech industries and products. This study proposes “market driving” as a new paradigm for marketing high-technology products and innovations. Based on an extensive review of the extant literature (and input from leading marketing scholars), a broad-based definition of the market driving approach is developed, and compared to existing paradigms of market driven activity, customer leading and market pioneering. The suitability of the market driving paradigm in addressing the unique characteristics of high technology industries is discussed.
Sex Pheromone-Producing Cells and Their Associated Cuticle in Female Heliothis zea and H. virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

The epidermal, sex pheromone-producing cells in the eighth to ninth intersegmental region (ISR) are cuboidal to columnar, and larger than non-ISR epidermal cells. The ISR surface area is increased by microspines and cuticular convolutions. No obvious ducts or pores occur in the cuticle. ISR cuticle is thinner than that of the anterior and posterior regions. ISR epidermal cells are structurally differentiated at emergence in Heliothis virescens. The ninth abdominal segment of both species bears two heavily sclerotized valves. The valves of H. zea have more numerous and longer setae and microspines than do H. virescens.
Cephalotaxine esters: antileukemic advance or therapeutic failure?

Clinical trials conducted in the People's Republic of China and the United States of the antileukemic efficacy of the cephalotaxine esters are reviewed. Harrington has been incorporated into combination regimens for the treatment of newly diagnosed acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) in China, and activity with cephalotaxine esters has also been noted in chronic myelogenous leukemia. While the investigational agent homoharringtonine has shown some activity in the United States in ANLL, investigator interest in the United States has waned because of toxicity and inconvenient schedules. The Chinese trials have used different schedules than have U.S. studies and have been associated with less toxicity. These trials provide new information that may lead to further investigations of the cephalotaxine esters in the United States.
Of plants and pikas: evidence for a climate-mediated decline in forage and cache quality

Background: Animals that hoard food to mediate seasonal deficits in resource availability might be particularly vulnerable to climate-mediated reductions in the quality and accessibility of food during the caching season. Central-place foragers might be additionally impacted by climatic constraints on their already restricted foraging range. Aims: We sought evidence for these patterns in a study of the American pika (Ochotona princeps), a territorial, central-place forager sensitive to climate. Methods: Pika food caches and available forage were re-sampled using historical methods at two long-term study sites, to quantify changes over two decades. Taxa that changed in availability or use were analysed for primary and secondary metabolites. Results: Both sites trended towards warmer summers, and snowmelt trended earlier at the lower latitude site. Graminoid cover increased at each site, and caching trends appeared to reflect available forage rather than primary metabolites. Pikas at the lower latitude site preferred species higher in secondary metabolites, known to provide higher-nutrient winter forage. However, caching of lower-nutrient graminoids increased in proportion with graminoid availability at that site. Conclusions: If our results represent trends in climate, cache quality and available forage, we predict that pikas at the lower latitude site will soon face nutritional deficiencies.
HEPES-Buffered Media in Lymphocyte Cultures

SummaryHEPES [4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazinyl-ethane-2-sulfonic acid] was studied as a possible hydrogen ion buffer in cultures of human peripheral blood lymphocytes. It was found the HEPES fulfills the demands required, namely:1. It is not toxic to lymphocytes within the range of concentration (10-40 mM), which ensures excellent buffering capacity.2. It does not itself stimulate lymphocytes.3. It essentially does not affect the rate of lymphocyte stimulation induced by the nonspecific stimulant (phytohemagglutinin), antigen (tuberculin), or in mixed allogeneic cultures.In comparison with bicarbonate buffer, HEPES offers greater buffering capacity within the physiological range of pH. Due to this, HEPES-buffered media maintained constant pH even in very crowded cultures, ensuring better cell survival and stimulation. The maximal stimulation of lymphocytes induced by PHA was observed in HEPES-buffered cultures at a pH range of 7.4-7.6.
Abstract A82: Identifying differentially expressed microRNAs as investigational tools in postpartum breast cancer in Hispanic women

The risk of breast cancer transiently increases immediately following pregnancy; peaking between 3-7 years. The biology that underlies this risk window and the effect on the natural history of the disease is unknown. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that have been shown to be dysregulated in breast cancer. Utilizing a quantitative RT-PCR approach, we profiled the expression pattern of 355 miRNAs across 56 formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded breast tumor tissue samples from multiparous Hispanic women. Based on a data-driven splitting of the expression pattern of the 355 miRNAs, the case series was separated into two groups based on time since last full-term pregnancy (TSLFTP): a) an early group representing women diagnosed with breast cancer ≤ 5.2 years postpartum (n=12); and b) a late group representing women diagnosed with breast cancer ≥ 5.3 years postpartum (n=44). We identified 15 miRNAs with significant differential expression between the early and late postpartum groups. Ten miRNAs had a two-fold or higher difference in expression, with miR-138, miR-660, miR-31, miR-135b, miR-17, miR-454, and miR-934 overexpressed in the early versus the late group; while miR-892a, miR-199a-5p, and miR-542-5p were overexpressed in the late versus the early postpartum group. Further analysis of the miRNA expression data demonstrated that 60% of the identified differentially expressed miRNAs are encoded on the X chromosome, with several miRNAs found together in miRNA gene clusters. Additionally, DNA methylation, measured using a Sequenom MassARRAY, demonstrated that three out of five tested miRNA genes (mir-31, mir-135b, and mir-138-2) had a lower mean methylation in the early versus late postpartum group, and negatively correlated with miRNA expression. In summary, we have identified miRNAs that are differentially expressed and differentially methylated between tumors of the early versus late postpartum, suggesting that potential differences in epigenetic regulation may exist in the postpartum breast cancers. Citation Format: Jose L. Munoz-Rodriguez, Lukas Vrba, Chengcheng Hu, Patricia A. Thompson, Maria Elena Martinez, Bernard W. Futscher. Identifying differentially expressed microRNAs as investigational tools in postpartum breast cancer in Hispanic women. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Seventh AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 9-12, 2014; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2015;24(10 Suppl):Abstract nr A82.
Acute Retinal Necrosis Presenting in Developmentally-delayed Patients with Neonatal Encephalitis: A Case Series and Literature Review

We report three cases of patients with developmental-delay from neonatal herpetic encephalitis and/or meningitis who presented years later with acute retinal necrosis due to herpes simplex virus. The diagnosis was delayed in all cases due to the patients' inability to verbalize their ocular complaints and cooperate with eye examinations. This case series documents the clinical course, pathophysiologic mechanism, and treatment of acute retinal necrosis in this patient population. Clinicians should understand the importance of prudent consideration of acute retinal necrosis in patients with a history of neonatal herpetic encephalitis and/or meningitis presenting with a red eye.
Education and experience of pharmacy directors in large hospitals

The education and experience of pharmacy directors in large hospitals are described. Questionnaires were sent in September 1981 to pharmacy directors of all hospitals in the United States having at least 300 beds. The questionnaire elicited background characteristics, postgraduate degrees, and administrative experience of the pharmacy director and descriptive information about the hospital. Of the 1483 questionnaires distributed, 609 (41%) were returned. Sixty percent of the respondents had an entry-level degree as their highest degree; 26%, 6%, and 7% of the respondents had M.S., M.B.A., and postgraduate Pharm .D. degrees, respectively. M.B.A. and postgraduate Pharm .D. degrees were more common for younger respondents. Only 6% of directors with entry-level degrees and 10% with M.B.A. degrees had completed an ASHP-accredited hospital pharmacy residency compared with 53% and 46% of directors with postgraduate Pharm .D. and M.S. degrees, respectively. Of directors with M.B.A. or postgraduate Pharm .D. degrees, 73% and 77%, respectively, had less than 11 years of administrative experience; just over 50% of directors with M.S. and entry-level degrees had less than 11 years of administrative experience; just over 50% of directors with M.S. and entry-level degrees had less than 11 years of experience. The majority of directors with postgraduate degrees had been in their current position for five years or less. Additional research is needed to evaluate the relationship of these variables more fully.
Adjunct Management of Male Hypogonadism

While testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) has been the main strategy in the management of male hypogonadism, the significant risks associated with TRT have driven the search for alternative strategies to treat hypogonadism. With the high preponderance of secondary and mixed-dysfunction hypogonadism, medications such as clomiphene citrate, aromatase inhibitors, and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), which target the hypothalamus/pituitary portions of the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis, have increasingly been studied despite not being FDA-approved for treatment of male hypogonadism. While these agents have demonstrated some promise in managing male hypogonadism, the current evidence behind their use remains weak and there is a need for well-designed, prospective trials that can further elucidate the roles for these agents in the management of male hypogonadism.
The Physiology of Germination

From the standpoint of survival and subsequent growth of a plant, sprouting, or germination, of a seed is of the highest importance. Since germination is under the control of environment to a greater or lesser degree, plant distribution is strongly influenced by this process. Ecology studies the interactions of organisms with their environment and is thus concerned with plant distribution. Since study of the control mechanisms of germination provides a number of interesting possibilities for research in plant physiology, this is an excellent example of an area where ecology and physiology overlap in an interesting way.