cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Arabidopsis Cell Cycle Checkpoint Regulators TANMEI/ALT2 and ATR Mediate the Active Process of Aluminum-Dependent Root Growth Inhibition

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is a global issue that severely limits root growth in acidic soils. Isolation of suppressors of the Arabidopsis thaliana Al-hypersensitive mutant, als3-1, resulted in identification of a cell cycle checkpoint factor, ALUMINUM TOLERANT2 (ALT2), which monitors and responds to DNA damage. ALT2 is required for active stoppage of root growth after Al exposure, because alt2 loss-of-function mutants fail to halt root growth after Al exposure, do not accumulate CyclinB1;1 in the root tip, and fail to force differentiation of the quiescent center. Thus, alt2-1 mutants are highly tolerant of Al levels that are severely inhibitory to the wild type. The alt2-1 allele is a loss-of-function mutation in a protein containing a putative DDB1-binding WD40 motif, previously identified as TANMEI, which is required for assessment of DNA integrity, including monitoring of DNA crosslinks. alt2-1 and atr loss-of-function mutants, the latter of which affects the cell cycle checkpoint ATAXIA TELANGIECTASIA-MUTATED AND RAD3-RELATED, are severely sensitive to DNA crosslinking agents and have increased Al tolerance. These results suggest that Al likely acts as a DNA-damaging agent in vivo and that Al-dependent root growth inhibition, in part, arises from detection of and response to this damage by TANMEI/ALT2 and ATR, both of which actively halt cell cycle progression and force differentiation of the quiescent center.
Computer-Controlled Teaching Instrumentation for Linguistic Studies with the Great Apes

A minicomputer has been interfaced with keyboards, visual display projectors, and vending devices, forming a 24 hour/day teaching instrumentation system for linguistic studies with a chimpanzee. Employing visual, geometric word-symbols with a 12-element construction (9 elements and 3 colors) a 4 year old female chimpanzee over a 2 year period has learned 70-80 words which she uses productively in numerous sentences to gain most of her sustenance, entertainment, and companionship (human). The computer evaluates her inputs for proper syntax and mediates in conversations between her and the experimenters. All interchanges are recorded.
Jus Post Bellum: Just War Theory and the Principles of Just Peace

What happens following a war is important to the moral judgments we make concerning warfare, just as the intentions going in and the means used are. There has, however, been inadequate attention paid to considerations of jus post bellum in the just war tradition. This essay seeks to contribute to recent efforts to develop jus post bellum principles by first noting some of the ways that jus ad bellum and jus in bello considerations serve to constrain what can legitimately be done after war. We argue, however, that the constraints grounded in traditional just war theory do not offer sufficient guidance for judging postwar behavior and that principles grounded in the concept of human rights are needed to complete our understanding of what constitutes a just war. A just peace exists when the human rights of those involved in the war, on both sides, are more secure than they were before the war.
Rhodopsin phosphorylation: 30 years later

Phototransduction in vertebrate photoreceptor cells mediated by rhodopsin is one of the most comprehensively examined G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling pathways. The signal transduction pathway can be mapped from the initial absorption of light to conformational changes within rhodopsin, through activation of the G protein transducin, and to the ultimate closure of the cation cGMP-gated channels in the plasma membrane. Furthermore, phototransduction has become an intensely studied model system for understanding the desensitizing processes that allow reduced non-linear responses of photoreceptor cells to increasing levels of illumination. Although some general themes appear to occur in GPCR systems, the details of these desensitizing processes are likely to be specific to each of the receptors. These differences are attributed to the fact that each receptor has unique kinetic constraints, amplification levels, tolerance to basal constitutive activity, intracellular internalization and recycling, redundancy of isoforms, and morphologies of the cell of their expression. One of the biochemical processes that are believed to be a common part of this desensitization of the GPCR-mediated cascade is receptor phosphorylation catalyzed by members of a small family of the GPCR kinases. The enzymatic, physiological and genetic aspects of rhodopsin phosphorylation and rhodopsin kinase have been characterized extensively over the last 30 yr. However, new structurally based approaches to examining rhodopsin kinase and rhodopsin phosphorylation are still awaiting further investigations. We present here a summary of the current understanding of rhodopsin phosphorylation and the properties of rhodopsin kinase, along with some expectations of future investigations into these topics.
Aspect mining using Self-Organizing Maps with method level dynamic software metrics as input vectors

A major impediment to program comprehension, maintenance and evolvability is the existence of crosscutting concerns scattered across different modules tangled with implementations of other concerns. Presence of crosscutting concerns in software systems can lead to bloated and inefficient software systems that are difficult to evolve, hard to analyze, difficult to reuse and costly to maintain. This paper shows that clustering based on easily extractable software features derived through method calls, parameter sharing and method interactions represented as dynamic metrics can be used to determine code scattering and or tangling, thereby providing a steppingstone towards identifying crosscutting concerns leading to mining of possible aspect candidates. A three-step approach is used in the Aspect Mining methodology introduced in this paper. In the first step, two legacy programs were dynamically traced, and data representing interaction between code fragments were collected. In the second step, metrics were formulated from the collected data and submitted as input to Self Organizing Maps for clustering. In the third step, the obtained clusters were mapped against the test programs in order to identify code scattering and tangling symptoms, leading to identification of aspect candidates. Finally viable validation methodologies were applied to assess performance, and establish the validity of the methodologies used. Results obtained in this paper are found to have matched or exceeded results obtained in other existing Aspect Mining methods
A heuristic method for the inversion of certain Laplace transforms to produce initially valid approximations

Based on a Lagrangian interpolation, a heuristic scheme is developed for the inversion of certain types of Laplace transforms and is applied to the solution of problems of interest to chemical engineers for which the exact solution is either very difficult or impossible to obtain. The solutions thus obtained are in good agreement with exact values, when available, for initial values of the transformed independent variable and may therefore be used as approximations. Three illustrative examples are presented.
Decreased heart rate variability is associated with higher levels of inflammation in middle-aged men.

Background Many traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) are associated with altered autonomic function. Inflammation may provide a link between risk factors, autonomic dysfunction, and CAD. We examined the association between heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of autonomic function, and inflammation, measured by C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Methods We examined 264 middle-aged male twins free of symptomatic CAD. All underwent ambulatory electrocardiogram monitoring and 24-hour ultra low, very low, low, and high-frequency power were calculated using power spectral analysis. C-reactive protein and IL-6 were measured, and risk factors including age, smoking, hypertension, lipids, diabetes, body mass index (BMI), depression, and physical activity were assessed. Results Physical activity, BMI, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, smoking, depression, and hypertension were directly associated with CRP and IL-6 and inversely associated with one or more HRV variables. There was a graded inverse relationship between all HRV parameters (except high frequency) and CRP and IL-6. After adjustment for age, BMI, activity, high-density lipoprotein, smoking, hypertension, depression, and diabetes, ultra low frequency and very low frequency remained significant predictors of CRP ( P Conclusions C-reactive protein is associated with decreased HRV, even after controlling for traditional CAD risk factors. Autonomic dysregulation leading to inflammation may represent one pathway through which traditional risk factors promote development of CAD.
Diagnosis and treatment of achalasia

Achalasia is an uncommon esophageal motility disorder characterized by absent or poor esophageal smooth muscle peristalsis and incomplete relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) with swallowing. Diagnosis involves esophageal manometry and endoscopy. The role of endoscopic ultrasound in the evaluation of achalasia is evolving. Treatment is directed at decreasing the functional obstruction at the LES. Treatment traditionally included open surgical myotomy and esophageal pneumatic dilation. Newer therapies have emerged over the past decade, with the addition of laparoscopic surgical methods and botulinum toxin injection. These techniques are reviewed and compared.
College and University Counseling Centers in the 1990s Challenges and Limits

Counseling centers, along with the American system of higher education, face serious challenges in the coming decade. This article explores the challenges facing counseling centers, particularly as centers encounter a changing and unstable social and financial environment and consider undertaking a greater or lesser degree and variety of tasks. A strategic agenda is suggested for consideration in the 1990s.
Progress on corrugated waveguide components suitable for ITER ECH&CD transmission lines

The 2 MW cw requirement for ITER EC transmission lines has led GA to design a number of new and modified components, namely power monitors and polarizers to meet this requirement. In addition, the ITER transmission lines may require sliding joints or bellows to accommodate the thermal expansion of the lines and/or vessel motion. The ex-vessel sections of the EC launchers require double seal waveguides, miter bends and possibly double seal sliding joints to assure tritium retention in this region. GA has developed designs for many of these components and some of them have already been tested at high power at the JAEA RF Test Stand. Thermal analyses of the standard GA power monitor miter bend show that our standard design is suitable for 1 MW cw operation when the H-field is in the plane of the miter bend. For 2 MW cw operation a modified design, which also requires H-plane orientation, has been developed and a prototype has been fabricated and is ready for testing. For long pulse/cw operation, a 2 MW calorimetric miter bend with thermally isolated mirror has been designed and a prototype has been fabricated. Since the mirror is thermally isolated, calorimetry on the mirror cooling water can provide a measure of absorbed power. Such a miter bend, when made in a double seal version, could be useful for monitoring total power at the end of an EC transmission line just before the in-vessel section of an EC launcher. A mode analyzer using an all metal water-cooled beam splitter is being developed for use in measuring in real time the HE11 and higher order mode content or total power in EC transmission lines. Such a high power diagnostic can be very useful in optimizing the alignment of the MOU output into a transmission line and in monitoring the HE11 mode purity at various locations in a transmission line. Prior to making a 63.5 mm 170 GHz version suitable for use on ITER, several prototype 31.75 mm 110 GHz versions have been fabricated and tested at DIII-D. A 170 GHz version is now being fabricated. This paper addresses the performance characteristics, design features and test results for the new and modified components being developed to assure low loss transmission and acceptable component stresses for 2 MW cw operation.
Lost in virtual space : Studies in human and ideal spatial navigation

The authors describe 3 human spatial navigation experiments that investigate how limitations of perception, memory, uncertainty, and decision strategy affect human spatial navigation performance. To better understand the effect of these variables on human navigation performance, the authors developed an ideal-navigator model for indoor navigation whose optimizing algorithm uses a partially observable Markov decision process. The model minimizes the number of actions (translations and rotations) required to move from an unknown starting state to a specific goal state in indoor environments that have perceptual ambiguity. The authors compared the model's performance with that of the human observer to measure human navigation efficiency. Experiment 1 investigated the effect of increasing the layout size on spatial way-finding efficiency and found that participants' efficiencies decreased as layout size increased. The authors investigated whether this reduction in navigation efficiency was due to visual perception (Experiment 2), memory, spatial updating strategy, or decision strategy (Experiment 3).
Estimates of the cost and length of stay changes that can be attributed to one-week increases in gestational age for premature infants

Objective To estimate the potential savings, both in terms of costs and lengths of stay, of one-week increases in gestational age for premature infants. The purpose is to provide population-based data that can be used to assess the potential savings of interventions that delay premature delivery.
Coronary Artery Bifurcation Lesions; A Review and a Guide for Specific Interventional Techniques

Percutaneous coronary intervention in the setting of coronary bifurcation lesions is associated with increased risk for complications. The goal of this manuscript is to review the currently available classifications for coronary artery bifurcation lesions with a guide to the use of specific coronary bifurcation techniques based on lesion characteristics. Iran J Med Sci 2008; 33(4): 187-194.
Optimal microwave source distributions for heating off-center tumors in spheres of high water content tissue

A surface distribution of electric dipoles can be used to represent a multielement microwave hyperthermia applicator for noninvasive heating of off-center targets within a spherical high-water-content tissue volume, such as the head. A method for finding the optimal surface distributions for delivering maximum power for arbitrarily located deep tumors in such a uniform spherical volume is presented. The resulting focused power dissipation pattern for any tumor location has a global maximum at the tumor, and also is the largest spherical volume for which no healthy tissue is overheated. The optimization uses spherical field harmonics, centered at the tumor target, summed with suitable complex weights to iteratively minimize surface power. Once the best field distributions are derived, the current sources which generate these distributions are determined. The resulting excitations represent the theoretically ideal spherical microwave hyperthermia configuration that no physical applicator system can surpass. >
African Shenzhen: China's special economic zones in Africa

This article examines recent Chinese efforts to construct a series of official economic cooperation zones in Africa. These zones are a central platform in China's announced strategy of engagement in Africa as ‘mutual benefit’. We analyse the background, motives and implementation of the zones, and argue that they form a unique, experimental model of development cooperation in Africa: market-based decisions and investment by Chinese companies are combined with support and subsidies from an Asian ‘developmental state’. Though this cooperation provides a promising new approach to sustainable industrialisation, we also identify serious political, economic and social challenges. Inadequate local learning and local participation could affect the ability of the zones to catalyse African industrialisation. The synergy between Chinese enterprises, the Chinese government and African governments has been evolving through practice. A case study of Egypt provides insight into this learning process.
The Measurement of Stresses in Composites

Although there is mounting interest in the measurement of stresses in composite materials after fabrication and/or use, few measurements to date have not taken into account the three dimensional nature of the stress system in such materials. Most data give only the net stress, that is, the difference between principal stresses. A procedure for a more complete measurement (in a reasonable time) is developed here, including the separation of macrostresses and microstresses. If time does not permit a full investigation, measurements of the lattice parameters of the component phases provide a simple way to sample the hydrostatic component due to differential thermal contraction. The Barrett-Predecki method of adding filler is particularly promising for stress measurements in those composites whose component phases do not give appropriate diffraction peaks. This procedure could also be used for monitoring stresses during the useful life of such materials.
Regulation of diversity: maintenance of species richness in changing environments.

In order to assess how diversity changes over time at sites undergoing environmental change, we ex- amined three data sets on long-term trends in taxonomic richness and composition: (1) 22 years of rodent census- es from a site in the Chihuahuan Desert of Arizona; (2) 50 years of bird surveys from a three-county region of northern Michigan; and (3) approximately 10,000 years of pollen records from two sites in Europe. In all three cases, richness has remained remarkably constant de- spite large changes in composition. The results suggest that while species composition may be highly variable and change substantially in response to environmental change, species diversity is an emergent property of ecosystems that is often maintained within narrow lim- its. Such regulation of diversity requires maintenance of relatively constant levels of productivity and resource availability and an open system with opportunity for compensatory colonizations and extinctions. In addition to studying the effects of diversity on biogeochemical processes, it will often be useful to think of species richness as an emergent consequence of ecosystem pro- cesses.
Plio-Pleistocene climatic oscilations, Holarctic biogeography and speciation in an avian subfamily

Aim In this paper, I discuss the temporal and spatial aspects of historical biogeography and speciation in a widely distributed Holarctic subfamily of birds (Tetraoninae). Location Northern Holarctic. Results Using dated fossils, I calibrated the molecular clock for the mitochondrial control region at 7.23 ± 1.58% nucleotide divergence (maximum likelihood corrected) per million years. The data suggest that grouse (Tetraoninae) originated in the Middle Pliocene, 6.3 Ma. Grouse apparently originated in the northern part of western Nearctic, and Palearctic was colonized independently three times, first by the ancestor of all grouse in the Middle Pliocene, then by the ancestor of forest (Falcipennis, Tetrao and Lyrurus) and prairie (Centrocercus, Dendragapus and Tympanuchus) grouse in the Late Pliocene, and finally by the ancestral Lagopus in the Early Pleistocene. Only once Nearctic was colonized from Palearctic by a common ancestor of forest grouse. Sympatry and range symmetry were positively correlated with molecular divergence. These correlations suggest that peripatric isolation was the predominant mode of speciation throughout grouse history. Main conclusions Speciation events in grouse were driven by climatic oscillations of the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Isolation of small peripheral populations from widely distributed ancestors was the dominant mode of speciation in grouse. Isolations during interglacials both across Beringia, and in southern mountain areas when boreal habitats were restricted to high elevations, suggest an important role for vicariance in grouse speciation.
Time-of-flight studies of hole mobilities in DNA-CTMA films fabricated and passivated in a dry environment

Salmon DNA-based films, including as-received DNA (molecular weight, MW > 2000 kDa) and sonicated DNA of MW ∼200 kDa, both complexed with hexacetyltrimethyl-ammonium chloride (CTMA) surfactant, were studied. The DNA solutions were spin-coated on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated quartz slides with vacuum deposited gold charge-collecting electrodes. The films were fabricated entirely at ∼0% humidity (0 to 86 ppmv of water) in a nitrogen-purged glove box and coated with 500 to 600 nm passivating layers of conformal urethane before exposure to room air. A quadrupled, 20 ns pulsed Nd:YAG laser with output at 266 nm was used for charge injection. The room temperature photoconductive transients were dispersive with hole mobilities in DNA films ranging between 7E-3 to 5E-5 cm2/Vs for fields ranging from 10 to 380 kV/cm. No electron response was observed in these films. The mobilities were determined from the transient curves at the intersections of initial and final tangent lines that defined the shoulders in the log-log plots. The results of these hole mobility studies, which appear to support predictions of high hole mobility in DNA, are the first on DNA-based films that were fabricated in a dry environment and passivated for measurements in room air.
Products of Proline Catabolism Can Induce Osmotically Regulated Genes in Rice

Many plants accumulate high levels of free proline (Pro) in response to osmotic stress. This imino acid is widely believed to function as a protector or stabilizer of enzymes or membrane structures that are sensitive to dehydration or ionically induced damage. The present study provides evidence that the synthesis of Pro may have an additional effect. We found that intermediates in Pro biosynthesis and catabolism such as glutamine and Δ 1 -pyrroline-5-carboxylic acid (P5C) can increase the expression of several osmotically regulated genes in rice ( Oryza sativa L.), including sal T and dhn 4. One millimolar P5C or its analog, 3,4-dehydroproline, produced a greater effect on gene expression than 1 mm l-Pro or 75 mm NaCl. These chemicals did not induce hsp 70, S -adenosylmethionine synthetase, or another osmotically induced gene, Em , to any significant extent. Unlike NaCl, gene induction by P5C did not depend on the normal levels of either de novo protein synthesis or respiration, and did not raise abscisic acid levels significantly. P5C- and 3,4-dehydroproline-treated plants consumed less O 2 , had reduced NADPH levels, had increased NADH levels, and accumulated many osmolytes associated with osmotically stressed rice. These experiments indicate that osmotically induced increases in the concentrations of one or more intermediates in Pro metabolism could be influencing some of the characteristic responses to osmotic stress.
Least-Desired Index for Assessing the Effectiveness of Grass Riparian Filter Strips in Improving Water Quality in an Agricultural Region

Unprotected streams within the agricultural Midwest region of the United States are subject to sedimentation, nutrification, and agricultural chemicals. Grass riparian filter strips (GRFSs) have been implemented as a best management practice to minimize sedimentation and associated materials that are harmful to aquatic ecosystems; however, few studies have examined the benthic community response to GRFS installation. This study introduces a least-desired index (LDI) multimetric approach of evaluating benthic communities in response to GRFS installation. LDI was determined in a reciprocal fashion to that of a benthic macroinvertebrate index of biotic integrity (B-IBI). When reference conditions are not available for the use of B-IBI, anti-reference sites, representing least-desired conditions, can be used in constructing an LDI. A B-IBI and LDI were constructed in the Claypan Till Plains Subsection of Missouri and comparatively used to evaluate two test sites where tall fescue GRFS were installed. Five metrics were used to develop the B-IBI and six for the LDI. The LDI tended to be more conservative at evaluation in comparison to the B-IBI. Paired t-tests showed that LDI and B-IBI were significantly different at scoring test sites. The LDI assessed both test sites as showing no response to GRFS installation, whereas the B-IBI suggested moderate improvement. The LDI was considered to be a better index for evaluation because the streams used to develop the B-IBI were not suitable reference sites. An argument for the use of chironomid based metrics in low gradient agricultural streams is presented.
The effect of mutual introductions and addressing customers by name on tipping behavior in restaurants.

This study tested the effect of mutual introductions and calling customers by name on tipping behavior in restaurants. We hypothesized that mutual introductions at the beginning of the service encounter would result in larger tips. We also asked whether customer age would moderate the effect of mutual introductions on tipping behavior. Two female food servers waited on 194 customers and either facilitated mutual introductions (i.e., food servers introduced themselves by name and then invited customers to do likewise) or did not. Then, servers either used the customers’ names throughout the service interaction or did not. Finally, servers estimated customers’ ages. Multiple regression analysis indicated that food servers received a 6% increase in tips when they invited introductions and addressed customers by name than when they did not. However, customers’ estimated age was not associated with tipping behavior.
Mild traumatic brain injury in U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq.

To the Editor: We wish to express a number of concerns about the methods used in the study of mild traumatic brain injury by Hoge et al. (Jan. 31 issue).1 We learned through firsthand experi­ ence in the combat zone that immediately after a concussion, the soldier’s reported account is most accurate during the initial 24 hours after the blast incident.2 We therefore would be con­ cerned about recall bias introduced 3 to 4 months after a return from deployment. In addition, unlike perforation of the tympan­ ic membrane, a transient neurologic event (e.g., a “split­second” loss of consciousness) after a blast incident is not a sentinel finding of direct­ blast overpressure.2 Rather, it is a combination of at least three biodynamic variables: bodily displacement, direct­blast overpressure (involving intrinsic neural­tissue strains), and cardiopulmo­ nary insufficiency.3-5 The adverse effects of cardiopulmonary­ induced transient neurologic events (e.g., vasode­ pressor presyncope) are neither necessarily per­ manent nor cumulative, as a result of biologic restorative processes. Thus, we are concerned that the assessment methods used do not properly reflect the dimen­ sions of mild traumatic brain injury. Further­ more, we believe that the diagnosis of mild trau­ matic brain injury can be made only over time.
Book Review of Christian Joppke, 'Selecting by Origin: Ethnic Migration in the Liberal State'

Christian Joppke's volume is a timely intervention into the highly-charged question of ethnicity and its proper role in the construction of citizenship and immigration regimes. If nations and societies are about a common past as well as a common future, how should they choose future members from the outside? Liberal democratic states are committed to laws and preferences that are universalist and meritocratic. Yet considerations of community and commonality, solidarity and identity, inevitably lead to legal preferences for one or another kind of kinsmen - by race, national origin, language, religion, etc. The solidarity of homogenous collective individuals in the nation, the nation as the totality of society, is gone. What James Scott famously and wrongly called the "high modernist state," namely "society as a military parade," is (and was) a phantasm. The real "high modernist state" is one that has stable democratic institutions and a functioning market economy. It is not much interested in uniformity or nationalism; it is at most an integument for the individual's exercise of liberty, equality, and property rights. Effective human rights are now the measure of, rather than a constraint on, sovereignty. Citizenship is increasingly territorial rather than descent-based, and naturalization increasingly requires only language acquisition and a professed commitment to constitutional democracy. Ethnicity and citizenship are decoupled as never before while dual citizenship is no longer either avoided or disparaged.
Muscle Synergies Heavily Influence the Neural Control of Arm Endpoint Stiffness and Energy Consumption

Much debate has arisen from research on muscle synergies with respect to both limb impedance control and energy consumption. Studies of limb impedance control in the context of reaching movements and postural tasks have produced divergent findings, and this study explores whether the use of synergies by the central nervous system (CNS) can resolve these findings and also provide insights on mechanisms of energy consumption. In this study, we phrase these debates at the conceptual level of interactions between neural degrees of freedom and tasks constraints. This allows us to examine the ability of experimentally-observed synergies--correlated muscle activations--to control both energy consumption and the stiffness component of limb endpoint impedance. In our nominal 6-muscle planar arm model, muscle synergies and the desired size, shape, and orientation of endpoint stiffness ellipses, are expressed as linear constraints that define the set of feasible muscle activation patterns. Quadratic programming allows us to predict whether and how energy consumption can be minimized throughout the workspace of the limb given those linear constraints. We show that the presence of synergies drastically decreases the ability of the CNS to vary the properties of the endpoint stiffness and can even preclude the ability to minimize energy. Furthermore, the capacity to minimize energy consumption--when available--can be greatly affected by arm posture. Our computational approach helps reconcile divergent findings and conclusions about task-specific regulation of endpoint stiffness and energy consumption in the context of synergies. But more generally, these results provide further evidence that the benefits and disadvantages of muscle synergies go hand-in-hand with the structure of feasible muscle activation patterns afforded by the mechanics of the limb and task constraints. These insights will help design experiments to elucidate the interplay between synergies and the mechanisms of learning, plasticity, versatility and pathology in neuromuscular systems.
Error Analysis of a NanoMechanical Drill

With the use of new materials and nanoprocessing techniques such as layered deposition and surface micromachining, a three dimensional nanodrill has been successfully manufactured (O' Neal et al., 2002). The nanodrill is intended for drilling holes on the order of a few hundred nanometers. Several applications can be envisioned for such a device, from uses in data storage technologies to the creation of microfluidic channels. Due to the high accuracies often required for technologies on this scale, the dimensional quality of the final hole is of interest. The error analysis performed in this paper is used to determine the final error in the size and position of the drilled hole due to static and kinematic effects. A linearized sensitivity approach is used to identify the most important factors influencing the hole's quality. The results indicate that the high tolerances in the existing drill's architecture make it impossible to obtain holes of the proposed dimensions.
The Impact of Quality Stabilization

The 88th Congress (1963-64) seriously considered legislative proposals for a national fair-trade law that would permit manufacturers of brand name products to set retail prices of their products. An examination of the voluminous testimony furnished by expert witnesses at Congressional hearings suggests that no one has assessed the impact of a national fair-trade law on the Consumer Price Index. The objective of this article is to make estimates, based on a variety of assumptions, of the effect that such a law might have on the CPI. In 1963 two bills were introduced concurrently in the House and Senate (H.R. 3669 and S. 779) under the euphemistic label of "quality stabilization." The same label had been attached to similar bills introduced
A New Brezhnev Doctrine: The Restructuring of International Relations

Contemporary Soviet doctrine on international relations emphasizes changes in the relationships of both domestic and world political structures; all the processes of restructuring are said to be “organically” interconnected. An extensive reconceptualization of domestic processes of social change has provided ideological legitimation for elites in the highly bureaucratized Soviet system. Meanwhile, according to Soviet spokesmen, the world correlation of forces has shifted decisively in favor of the U.S.S.R. Because of this change in the world balance, the Soviets claim the power to set the rules in international relations. The new Brezhnev Doctrine projects the U.S.S.R. as the center of the world, largely determining the direction and pace of political change. The Soviet leaders view detente in terms of rational acceptance by the “imperialist camp” of unavoidable processes of restructuring favorable to the “socialist camp.”
PLATINUM(II) COMPLEXES OF P(III) CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE DERIVATIVES

Abstract The syntheses of the P(III) analogues of cyclophosphamide, isophosphamide and triphosphamide are reported. These compounds (4–6, respectively) polymerize easily at room temperature but are sufficiently stable in solution to react with Cl2Pt(NCPh)2, forming cis-Cl2Pt(4)2, cis-Cl2Pt(5)2 and cis-Cl2Pt(6)2 (complexes 9–11, respectively). Complex 10 can also be made by condensing cis-Cl2Pt[ClPN(CH2CH2Cl)CH2CH2CHO]2 with ClCH2CH2NH2, while an alternate route to 9 and 11 is afforded by the condensation of cis-Cl2Pt[Cl2PN(CH2CH2Cl)2]2 with H2NCH2CH2CH2OH and ClCH2CH2NHCH2CH2CH2OH, respectively. Complexes 9–11 exist in two diastereomeric configurations and these can be separated in the cases of 9 and 11 by column chromatography. 31P NMR spectral data for the complexes are discussed and the results of NCl antitumor screening are presented.
A study on epidemic situation and control strategies of plague in the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture

Objectives To study prevalence rule and trend of mouse plague in Xishuangbanna,to provide basis for control and prevention.Methods Data of plague surveillance and processing in Xishuangbanna were collected and analyzed.Results 34 cases of plague occurred in Xishuangbanna from 1992 to 2007,21 cases in Menghai County(61.76%),9 cases in Jinghong city(26.47%),4 cases in Mengla County(11.77%).225 strains of bacterium were detected.Crest-time was between July and August,3 human plague cases occurred.15 cases were reported with no death,the main source of infection was Rattus flavipectus,Xenopsylla cheopis was spreading media.Conclusion The epidemic situation of plague in Xishuangbanna is very severe,surveillance and control measures in key areas should be strengthen,the measure of joint prevention and control should be carried out to prevent plague occurs in human and animal.
Qiyou 1025,an indica type early hybrid rice combination with mid-late mature and good grain quality

Qiyou 1025 is a thermosensitive indica type early hybrid rice combination matched by MS line Qi A and restorer line 1025. Its growth duration in early season and late season in Nanning are about 130d and 112~114d, respectively. The combination performed with characteristics of : 3 ~ 3.3 million/hm 2of the effective panicles, 150~170 of the grain number per panicle, 80% ~ 90 % of the rearing rate, 18.5~19.5g of 1000-grains weight and good grain quality. The grain quality indexes, except the rate of chalk rice and the chalk degree, all are matched the national standards of 3 rd class. The combination was approved by Guangxi Crop Evaluation Council in Dec. 2001.
Social analogical reasoning in school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing peers

Analogical reasoning is an important mechanism for social cognition in typically developing children, and recent evidence suggests that some forms of analogical reasoning may be preserved in autism spectrum disorder. An unanswered question is whether children with autism spectrum disorder can apply analogical reasoning to social information. In all, 92 children with autism spectrum disorder completed a social content analogical reasoning task presented via photographs of real-world social interactions. Autism spectrum disorder participants exhibited performance that was well above chance and was not significantly worse than age- and intelligence quotient-matched typically developing children. Investigating the relationship of social content analogical reasoning performance to age in this cross-sectional dataset indicated similar developmental trajectories in the autism spectrum disorder and typically developing children groups. These findings provide new support for intact analogical reasoning in autism spectrum disorder and have theoretical implications for analogy as a metacognitive skill that may be at least partially dissociable from general deficits in processing social content. As an initial study of social analogical reasoning in children with autism spectrum disorder, this study focused on a basic research question with limited ecological validity. Evidence that children with autism spectrum disorder can apply analogical reasoning ability to social content may have long-range applied implications for exploring how this capacity might be channeled to improve social cognition in daily life.
T2 Spinal Cord Injury Caused by Noncontiguous Traumatic C1-C2 Ligamentous Injury in a Young Child: A Case Report.

Spinal injuries in young children involving a mechanism of distraction are often the result of a motor vehicle accident with sudden deceleration while the child is restrained in a forward-facing car seat (Fig. 1). The biomechanics of the pediatric spine, particularly in children under eight years of age, predispose to upper cervical spine injury. The atlantooccipital junction and the odontoid growth plate appear especially susceptible to distraction or distraction-flexion injuries, and rear-facing car seat regulations have been instituted in many countries to reduce the incidence of these injuries. Fig. 1 Illustration depicting flexion-distraction injury of the spine. The spinal column was unhinged at the C1-C2 level, allowing the remaining inertial energy of the head to be dissipated by the spinal cord via distraction (without translation) at a caudal noncontiguous level. The mechanism is akin to pulling taffy from two ends, with the brain suspended by the skull base of the head at one end being carried away from the car-seat shoulder anchor at the other end. The intervening neurologic tissue may stretch anywhere along its length. (Reproduced with permission from James Prinzivalli). Spinal cord injury is typically assumed to correspond to the level of spinal column disruption. This seems true for spinal column injuries with translation of the local vertebral elements and direct compression of the adjacent spinal cord, but not necessarily for distraction injury. The association of distraction-flexion C2 Salter-Harris type-I odontoid fractures with spinal cord stretch injury at the cervicothoracic junction, well away from the osteoligamentous disruption, is well described in the literature1. We report a case of atlantoaxial C1-C2 distraction injury without odontoid fracture, initially misdiagnosed as cervicothoracic spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality (SCIWORA) causing a spinal cord injury at T2. A mechanism for the spinal cord injury occurring away from the osteoligamentous disruption and a …
Mechanistic empirical performance of warm-mix asphalt with select bio-derived additives in the Midwestern United States using AASHTOWare pavement ME design

An industry-wide emphasis on sustainable asphalt practices has given rise to increasing use of warm-mix asphalt (WMA) technologies. WMA reduces both binder viscosity and mixing and compaction temperatures by 20–55°C during the asphalt mix production and laydown process. This research investigates several bio-derived WMA additives that act as chemical modifiers with surfactant properties. Two established additives derived from the forest products industry are studied as well as a WMA additive in development that is derived from corn. The objective of this research is to use the new AASHTOWare Pavement ME Design to compare the established forest product WMA additives with the new WMA corn-derived additive that is in development. Using binder and mix test results as input values in AASHTOWare Pavement ME Design, predicted pavement performance was evaluated for sensitivity to different climatic conditions seen in the Midwestern United States. Results indicate that the climatic conditions have a larger impact ...
Abstract 1115: Targeted RNA sequencing improves transcript analysis in cancer samples

RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) is a transcriptome profiling technology that provides multiple levels of insight into the genome. In addition to expression levels (transcript abundance), it generates endpoints such as alternative splicing, somatic mutations and rearrangements, which may have functional consequences in cancer. Although somatic mutations are generally identified by DNA sequencing, RNA-seq has the advantage of detecting allele-specific expression affecting a variant allele, as well as functional chimeric transcripts that result from structural rearrangements. Compared to microarray technologies, RNA-seq can provide additional information about novel transcripts. Due to the complexity of the human transcriptome and the variability of gene abundance, the cost of whole transcriptome sequencing to achieve sufficient coverage to detect these types of alterations remains high. To explore the feasibility of a more cost-effective method, we compared the performance of three different RNA-seq methods: whole-transcriptome-, exome-, and targeted RNA-seq, using RNA derived from cancer cell lines and Formaldehyde Fixed-Paraffin Embedded (FFPE) samples. For whole-transcriptome preparation, we used the Illumina TruSeq Stranded mRNA and total RNA kits for cell line and FFPE samples, respectively. Exome-RNAseq was performed using the Illumina Access kit. The libraries from whole-transcriptome RNAseq were subjected to hybridization capture using OncoPanel-an Agilent SureSelect baitset of 500 cancer-related genes. Compared to whole-transcriptome, exome- and targeted-RNA-seq demonstrated (1) higher coding exon coverage and multiplexing capability; (2) reduced rRNA composition to 1%; (3) comparable gene abundance information and (4) over 90% of reads aligned to coding exon regions in FFPE samples, compare to ∼30% when using whole transcriptome method. In conclusion, we demonstrated that exome- and targeted RNA-seq provide a cost-effective way to analyze a subset of the transcriptome. Furthermore, targeted RNA-seq can be highly multiplexed and is therefore amenable for large-scale tumor profiling in clinical or research settings. Citation Format: Ling Lin, Ryan Abo, Deniz Dolcen, Rachel Paquette, Angelica Laing, Luc de Waal, Aaron Thorner, Matthew Ducar, Liuda Ziaugra, Bruce Wollison, Marc Breneiser, William Hahn, Matthew Meyerson, Paul Van Hummelen, Laura MacConaill. Targeted RNA sequencing improves transcript analysis in cancer samples. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 1115. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-1115
What should the blood pressure be in patients with chronic kidney disease

The Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study randomized 840 patients, with nondiabetic stage 3 to 4 chronic kidney disease to a blood pressure of less than 140/90 mmHg or to a blood pressure of 125/75 mmHg (1,2). The blood pressures achieved in this study were 133/80 mmHg versus 126/77 mmHg. The mean followup was 2.2 years. This study did not show a difference in death and in kidney failure between the 2 blood pressure groups. However, this study showed that in patients with proteinuria greater than 1,000 mg per day, the lower blood pressure group had a significant slower rate of decline in glomerular filtration rate (1,2).
Epidural for high-dose radiation brachytherapy in a noncompliant, super-obese patient with severe pulmonary hypertension

High-dose radiation brachytherapy is a treatment for inoperable cervical and endometrial carcinoma. A general anesthetic is often utilized for patient comfort, facilitating patient transport to imaging resources, and allowing rapid discharge home after the procedure. Patient comorbidities, however, must be considered for every anesthetic performed. We describe a successful surgical epidural anesthetic for a patient with challenging comorbidities, including cardiac, pulmonary, and hematologic body systems.
The Beginning of Investment Banking in the United States

The credit for the establishment of investment banking as a means f r the large scale marketing of securities s generally assigned to Jay Gooke of Philadelphia. Cooke's activities in marketing the Civil War issues of the Federal Government and his subsequent attempt to employ the same techniques in the sale of Northern Pacific Railroad securities are judged to mark a turning point in the history of financial intermediation.1 This judgment rests on several innovations which Gooke utilized in his role as financial intermediary. In short, it is asserted that "unlike his contemporaries, who dealt with persons of large fortune, Cooke placed loans with small banks and local capitalists."2 This democratization of the capital markets, scholars contend, opened an entirely new set of alternatives for the purveyors of private and public debt at the same time as it introduced small and medium sized savers to the opportunities of the securities market. This paper does not seek to denigrate the importance of Cooke's contributions to the development of investment banking but does seek to correct the impression that the Civil War was the stage for the first true investment banking operation of any consequence. Nearly a half century prior to the establishment of Jay Cooke's banking house a transaction took place which allowed the be leagured Treasury to tap the financial resources of a wide spectrum of both institutional and individual savers at a time when the nation's needs were critical.