cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Meaning of Relationship and Taxonomic Procedure

The meaning of "relationship" in taxonomy is discussed. An exact meaning of evolutionary relationship is derived, and operational methods for placing organisms according to evolutionary relationship are considered. The use of numerical techniques has introduced into taxonomy the notion that the taxonomic "relationships" of organisms can be expressed as a function of the attributes of the organisms. This concept of "overall relationship" is potentially extremely valuable as a tool in the theory of evolutionary inference. But the way in which "relationship" is to be related to the features of the organisms has remained the subject of debate. Several attempts have been made to study empirically the properties of numerical methods in order to determine whether some relationship functions are demonstrably better than others (Olson, 1964; Rohlf and Sokal, 1965; Minkoff, 1965). Authors generally use a variety of techniques to classify a given set of organisms and then decide whether one method gives a "better" outcome than the others. These efforts have been inconclusive, and suffer from deficiencies in logic. The 'true" classification is not known for any group, and so one may not judge the efficacy of a procedure on the basis of its results in any given case. The criteria for a "better" relationship function have remained at best vague. This paper will attempt to find the optimal form of the function relating "overall taxonomic relationship" to the characters of organisms. Two distinct issues arise in considering the choice of a relationship function. The first is the question of the relation between "relationship" and the characters when the information about the organisms is complete. Then we are in a position to establish the parameter values of the "relationships." Choosing a relationship function uniquely fixes these values. In effect, specifying the form of the relationship function amounts to an exact definition of "relationship." It is in this sense that the form of the relationship function can be considered the "meaning of relationship." The second problem is the discovery of a means to estimate "relationship" from limited data. It is possible to do this in a rigorous way only after the form of the relationship function has been specified-that is, only after "relationship" has been assigned a pre-
Adjuvant stereotactic body radiotherapy for resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma with close or positive margins.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) as adjuvant therapy for resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma with close or positive margins. Between September 2006 and January 2010, 24 patients were treated with adjuvant SBRT following surgical resection. Eight (33.3%) patients had close margins of 1–2.5 mm to the retroperitoneal, vascular structures, and periduodenal adipose tissue. Sixteen (66.7%) patients had positive margins at retroperitoneal margin and vascular structures. Twenty-three patients received 24 Gy (20–24 Gy) in one fraction, and one had 30 Gy in three fractions. The median target volume was 11 cc (4.5–30 cc). Eighteen patients were treated with the Cyberknife® Robotic Radiosurgery System and six patients were treated with Trilogy™ intensity-modulated radiosurgery. Kaplan–Meier survival analyses were used to estimate freedom-from-local-progression (FFLP), and overall survival (OS) rates. PET/CT or CT was used to monitor disease recurrence following SBRT. The median follow-up for all patients was 12.5 months (1.4–39.5 months), and among surviving patients it was 16.3 months (2–39.5 months). The FFLP rates at 6 months, 1 and 2 years were 94.7%, 66%, and 44%, respectively. Overall, FFLP was achieved in seven (87.5%) patients with close margins, and 10 (62.5%) with positive margins. After SBRT, 19 patients resumed or started a 6-month course of gemcitabine-based chemotherapy at a median interval of 18 days (range, 9–31 days) post-SBRT. The median OS was 26.7 months and the 1- and 2-year OS rates were 80.4% and 57.2%, respectively. Of the 24 patients, 12 (50%) developed distant metastases of whom two (25%) had close margins and 10 (62.5%) had positive margins. Ten patients (41.7%) were free of progression at last follow-up (range, 3–39.5 months). Three patients (12.5%) had grade 1–2 acute GI toxicities, and two patients (8.3%) had grade 1 and 2 late toxicities. No patients experienced grade 3 or 4 toxicity, including bowel perforation, secondary to SBRT. Our data suggest that adjuvant SBRT for resected pancreatic cancer can be achieved with minimal toxicity. This shorter treatment course allowed initiation of systemic chemotherapy shortly after the completion of SBRT.
Substance P induces interleukin-8 secretion from human dental pulp cells.

Abstract Objective The role of neuropeptides in recruiting leukocytes in dental pulps is not known; therefore, we investigated whether interleukin-8 ( IL-8) secretion from human pulp cells is increased after stimulation with substance P (SP) or calcitonin gene–related peptide (CGRP). Methods Primary pulp cells exhibiting a fibroblast-like phenotype and an endothelial cell line were stimulated with various doses of SP or CGRP, and IL-8 secretion was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results IL-8 secretion from pulp cells increased significantly at 10 −8 to 10 −4 mol/L of SP stimulation (5- to 13.8-fold; P −4 mol/L) stimulation was observed, nor was there synergistic induction of IL-8 with SP plus CGRP. The IL-8 increase reached its maximum at 8 hours after SP stimulation of the pulp cells. SP at a concentration of 10 −4 mol/L created minimal IL-8 induction in the endothelial cells and no synergistic induction by SP and CGRP. Conclusions Pulp cells may up-regulate IL-8 secretion by SP stimulation, which suggests that SP released in dental pulp may play a role in the influx of leukocytes, attracted by IL-8, into the pulp tissue.
THE CONSERVATIVE NATURE OF THE EFFECT SPARSITY ASSUMPTION FOR SATURATED FRACTIONAL FACTORIAL EXPERIMENTS

Several methods for analyzing unreplicated two-level experiments have been proposed since 1959. Most are based on the assumption of effect sparsity: that a relatively small proportion of the calculated effects are real and not a result of experimental e..
Artifacts as Conventional Objects.

What underlies children's understanding of artifacts? Studies suggest that beginning around age 7, people reason about artifacts in terms of the inventor's purpose—termed the design stance. Our two studies emphasize another component of artifact understanding—the cultural nature of artifacts—by demonstrating people's sensitivity to an artifact's conventional use. In past studies participants were shown a novel artifact and told that someone invented it for a certain purpose and that later another person used it for a different purpose. Here we demonstrate that if participants are told that many people, as opposed to just one person, use an artifact differently, 5-year-olds, 7-year-olds, and adults do not strictly judge the artifact in terms of its invented purpose. We conclude that people's conceptions of artifacts are more complex and dynamic than has been suggested.
Effect of Piloting on Ignitability of Aircraft Interior Fabrics

Five samples of aircraft seat fabrics and one sample of aircraft curtain fabric were evaluated for ease of ignition under piloted conditions. Times to ignition appeared to be shorter and more reproducible than the ignition times obtained under non- piloted conditions.
Monolayer metallic nanotube interconnects: promising candidates for short local interconnects

Mono- or bi-layer metallic single-wall carbon nanotube interconnects have lateral capacitances more than four times smaller than those of copper interconnects. The resistance and time-of-flight of these monolayer nanotubes would be larger than that of copper interconnects. For short lengths, however, driver resistance is quite dominant, and latency is determined by interconnect capacitance. Monolayer nanotube interconnects are therefore promising candidates for local interconnects. The average capacitance per unit length of these nanotube interconnects can be 50% smaller than that of copper interconnects and that leads to significant saving in power dissipation.
Flux grown orthoenstatite by a multiple slow-cooling technique

Abstract Large gem-quality orthoenstatite MgSiO 3 has been grown up to 13×6×4 mm in a lithium vanado-molybdate flux. A growth rate of 0.55 mg/mm 2 , found to be constant over a wide range of conditions, associated with the low solubility of orthoenstatite, led to the requirement of a long duration growth process. A multiple slow cooling technique was developed in order to grow large crystals. The quality of the crystals seems unaffected by the use of this multi-stage process, although growth boundaries of each cycle are clearly visible under a high power microscope.
High durability in NAND flash memory through effective page reuse mechanisms

In this paper, we introduce a highly effective page reuse mechanism to reduce the amount of block erasures and page programming in NAND based primary memory architectures. The proposed techniques provide a very high rate of page reuse by effectively incorporating bit differences in page updates along with a reduction in bit unprogrammability by minimizing programming interference among adjacent pages. We also propose an effective block reclamation scheme to alleviate overall programming stress in a block so as to reduce the probability of run-time cell defects. The page reordering scheme can further increase page reusability by reducing run-time programming disturbance. The experimental results show that our proposed techniques significantly diminish the amount of block reclamation and consequently enhance the durability of the NAND flash based storage systems. Furthermore, by alleviating overall bit stress in NAND flash memory, the probability of bit failure of each cell is also significantly reduced, enabling the construction of more reliable and durable NAND flash based memory.
Failures to find suppression of episodic memories in the think/no-think paradigm.

Anderson and Green (2001) had subjects learn paired associates and then selectively suppress responses to some of them. They reported a decrease in final cued recall for responses that subjects had been instructed not to think of and explained their data as resulting from cognitive suppression, a laboratory analog of repression. We report three experiments designed to replicate the suppression/repression results. After subjects learned a series of A-B word pairs (e.g.,ordeal-roach), they were then asked to respond to some items and not to think of other items when shown their cues 1, 8, or 16 times. During a final recall test, they were cued with either a same (direct) probe (ordeal-_) or an independent (indirect) probe (insect-r_). None of our experiments showed reliable suppression effects with either the same or independent-probe tests. Suppression is apparently not a robust experimental phenomenon in the think/no-think paradigm.
The Relationship Between Yeast and Mold Populations in Litter of Broilers Fed Dietary Fungistatic Compounds

Abstract Two experiments were conducted at two institutions, to study the effect of fungistatic compounds in broiler diets. Dietary fungistatics were sorbic acid, 400 ppm;sorbic and adipic acids, combination at 200 ppm each; gentian violet, 8 ppm and calcium propionate, 1000 ppm. Two levels of feed-moisture (12 and 14%) were used at one institution while two litter types (new and old) were used at the other. Microbiological analysis for yeast and mold populations were made immediately before birds were placed in pens and every 2 weeks thereafter for a period of 8 weeks. The addition of fungistatic compounds to broiler diets altered the growth patterns of yeast and mold in both old and new litters. Data also indicated a definite interception between yeast and mold growth rates in litters. Fungistatic compounds used in this study showed a more pronounced effect on the mold population than on the yeast population. Regardless of the litter type or the moisture content, a sharp reduction in the mold population accompanied by a sharp increase in the yeast count was observed at different time intervals during the study.
Symbolic model checking of declarative relational models

This paper explores the idea of augmenting traditional model checkers with the expressiveness of a declarative, relational language. The goal is to enable programmers to write very intuitive and compact specifications, in order to allow the automatic verification of more complicated software systems. The key idea is that many structural operations (common in object-oriented programs) can be easily described using relations and relational operators, while other operations are best described using the primitive data types and their operations (such as simple arithmetic operations on numbers). By allowing a mixture of both, and by allowing parts of the model to be described declaratively rather than imperatively, the programmer has the freedom to model each part of the system differently, using the most intuitive and simple constructs. We built a BDD-based model checker for the language, and successfully verified a straightforward model of the dependency algorithm in Apache Ant for up to 5 nodes.
Ensemble weighted kernel estimators for multivariate entropy estimation

The problem of estimation of entropy functional of probability densities has received much attention in the information theory machine learning and statistics communities. Kernel density plug-in estimators are simple, easy to implement and widely used for estimation of entropy. However, for large feature dimension d, kernel plug-in estimators suffer from the curse of dimensionality: the MSE rate of convergence is glacially slow - of order O(T-γ/d), where T is the number of samples, and γ > 0 is a rate parameter. In this paper, it is shown that for sufficiently smooth densities, an ensemble of kernel plug-in estimators can be combined via a weighted convex combination, such that the resulting weighted estimator has a superior parametric MSE rate of convergence of order O(T-1). Furthermore, it is shown that these optimal weights can be determined by solving a convex optimization problem which does not require training data or knowledge of the underlying density, and therefore can be performed offline. This novel result is remarkable in that, while each of the individual kernel plug-in estimators belonging to the ensemble suffer from the curse of dimensionality, by appropriate ensemble averaging we can achieve parametric convergence rates.
Brain drug delivery and blood–Brain barrier transport

AbstractThis work was supported by NIH Grants A128760 and DA06748. Emily I. Yu and Sherri J. Chien skillfully prepared the manuscript.
Fabrication and characterization of high current gain (/spl beta/=430) and high power (23 A-500 V) 4H-SiC hybrid Darlington bipolar transistor

This paper reports the demonstration of a hybrid Darlington bipolar junction transistor (BJT) with a high current gain and a power handling capability substantially higher than the power level of previously reported SiC Darlington BJTs. The Darlington transistor has been tested up to a collector current of 23.5 A and BV/sub ceo/ of 500 V, showing a large-signal dc common emitter current gain (/spl beta/) of 430 and an ac common emitter current gain of 650. Also reported for the first time are the Darlington characteristics up to an ambient temperature of 150/spl deg/C as well as inductively loaded half-bridge inverter switching characteristics. Comparison between a single SiC BJT and a Darlington BJT is made based on the dc and switching results at both room temperature and 150/spl deg/C, and the results are reported.
Bioluminescence in the Sea

Bioluminescence spans all oceanic dimensions and has evolved many times— from bacteria to fish—to powerfully influence behavioral and ecosystem dynamics. New methods and technology have brought great advances in understanding of the molecular basis of bioluminescence, its physiological control, and its significance in marine communities. Novel tools derived from understanding the chemistry of natural light-producing molecules have led to countless valuable applications, culminating recently in a related Nobel Prize. Marine organisms utilize bioluminescence for vital functions ranging from defense to reproduction. To understand these interactions and the distributions of luminous organisms, new instruments and platforms allow observations on individual to oceanographic scales. This review explores recent advances, including the chemical and molecular, phylogenetic and functional, community and oceanographic aspects of bioluminescence.
Activation of Locus Coeruleus Enhances the Responses of Olfactory Bulb Mitral Cells to Weak Olfactory Nerve Input

The main olfactory bulb (MOB) receives a dense projection from the pontine nucleus locus coeruleus (LC), the largest collection of norepinephrine (NE)-containing cells in the brain. LC is the sole source of NE innervation of MOB. Previous studies of the actions of exogenously applied NE on mitral cells, the principal output neurons of MOB, are contradictory. The effect of synaptically released NE on mitral cell activity is not known, nor is the influence of NE on responses of mitral cells to olfactory nerve inputs. The goal of the present study was to assess the influence of LC activation on spontaneous and olfactory nerve-evoked activity of mitral cells. In methoxyflurane-anesthetized rats, intracoerulear microinfusions of acetylcholine (ACh) (200 mm; 90–120 nl) evoked a four- to fivefold increase in LC neuronal discharge, and a transient EEG desynchronization and decrease in mitral cell discharge. LC activation increased excitatory responses of mitral cells evoked by weak (i.e., perithreshold) nasal epithelium shocks (1.0 Hz) in 17/18 cells (mean increase = 67%). The discharge rate of mitral cells at the time that epithelium-evoked responses were increased did not differ significantly from pre-LC activation baseline values. Thus, changes in mitral baseline activity do not account for the increased response to epithelium stimulation. These findings suggest that increased activity in LC–NE projections to MOB may enhance detection of relatively weak odors.
Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty's Trek Across the Pacific Christine R. Yano. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2013.

Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty's Trek Across the Pacific Christine R. Yano. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2013.In 1960 Tsuji Shintaro founded a silk and gift company in Japan, later renamed Sanrio, that in 1974 unveiled what would become its most famous design, Hello Kitty. Forty years later, thousands of pink-infused Hello Kitty products remain ubiquitous across the world, leading to what Christine R. Yano calls "pink globalization." Hello Kitty-who has no mouth- never starred in a television series or movie, but as an international symbol, she speaks volumes. In Pink Globalization, anthropologist Christine R. Yano explores the diverse meanings inherent in Hello Kitty as she moves through time and place, both attracting and repulsing consumers. Some people associate Hello Kitty with sweet, childish, and cute products for little girls, but Yano argues that her image is much more complex, sophisticated, and transnational.Yano begins her book with a discussion of what she calls "Japanese Cute-Cool." The Japanese have a predilection for the cute, which they call kawaii, and it has been successfully marketed worldwide, especially in anime and manga. In the popular imagination, Hello Kitty merges cute with cool-sexy, subversive, rebellious-creating the "wink on pink" and making her an iconic figure. Yano writes that Hello Kitty's "recognizability in parts of the global, industrial world makes her a shorthand for irony, humor, girl power-and sometimes, though not always, Japan" (8). More than a plaything, Hello Kitty functions as an international ambassador that bridges cultures and generations, yet challenges traditional themes.Sanrio categorizes the development of Hello Kitty into three parts: (1) her birth and growth from 1974 to 1986, (2) her popularity in Japan, especially among women from 1987 to 1997, and (3) her global explosion from 1998 to the present. The last of these is Yano's focus, as she is most interested in the "path, meanings, critiques, and subversions of pink globalization by way of Hello Kitty, from Japan to different arenas of the industrial world" (40).Yano fashions her book with excerpts of interviews, many transcribed at great length, to showcase people's feelings about and interpretations of Sanrio's famous cat. As one interviewee, K.B., a nineteen-year old Long Island native and student, declares, "you can make Hello Kitty into whatever you want it to be, essentially" (206). This flexibility has served Hello Kitty well. She represents the important ritual of gift giving that is inherent in Japanese culture, leading to Sanrio's slogan "small gift, big smile." Yano sees Hello Kitty as an "enabler of intimacy," a way of bringing people together. The proliferation of Hello Kitty products takes buyers through the consumer life cycle, defined by Bill Hensley as "Introduction, the Change, Rediscover, and Nostalgia" (103-04). …
Possible Role of Ion Channels in the Action of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

In this section we feature some of the latest and most striking new findings in physiology, interpreting the term “physiology” in its broadest sense. In each instance, an effort will be made to place the new findings in perspective. Heinz Valtin Editor, trendsetters Certain ion channels,
Microbiology of infection in mechanical circulatory support

The results of MCSS therapy for patients with severe heart failure are improving, and there are increasing numbers of implants as device therapy enters the era of permanent use (i.e., destination therapy). Device-related infection of implanted pumps and sepsis remain important risk factors for death, and once infections are established on biomaterial surfaces they usually persist despite prolonged antimicrobial therapy. This paper covers the topic of infection in mechanical circulatory support. Methods to prevent and manage infection are described. Recent information from the field of microbiology that is relevant to understanding device-related infection is reviewed, including the mechanisms for microbial adhesion to prosthetic surfaces, quorum sensing, and biofilm formation. Characteristics that are important to antimicrobial resistance of microbes dwelling in biofilms are described (e.g. responses to microenvironmental conditions that result in resistance to antibiotics). This information may lead to new therapies that further diminish rates of device infection, and allow complete eradication of infections when they occur.
Induction of NO production by TNF-alpha and lipopolysaccharide in porcine coronary arteries without endothelium

The effects of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were studied in porcine coronary arteries without endothelium. Rings of the artery were incubated in minimum essential medium with TNF-alpha or LPS for 6 or 24 h. After 6 h incubation, the rings were suspended in organ chambers filled with physiological salt solution containing indomethacin for the measurement of isometric force. The rings were contracted with prostaglandin F2 alpha before the addition of L-arginine. In rings treated with TNF-alpha or LPS, L-arginine caused a concentration-dependent relaxation that was abolished by N omega-nitro-L-arginine [an inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthase]. However, contractions to 5-hydroxytryptamine were not affected by TNF-alpha and LPS. After 24 h of incubation, TNF and LPS impaired the contractions to 5-hydroxytryptamine and increased the accumulation of nitrite, a stable degradation product of NO. These effects of TNF-alpha and LPS were blocked by N omega-nitro-L-arginine. Cycloheximide (an inhibitor of protein synthesis) attenuated the inhibitory effect of TNF-alpha and LPS on contractions to 5-hydroxytryptamine. Thus, in the porcine coronary artery without endothelium, TNF-alpha and LPS can induce an L-arginine-NO pathway.
Body Reaction of Implant Packaging Materials

With implant stimulators, telemetry, and other electronic systems coming into popular use, the problem of packaging materials for these implanted electronic units becomes important. The packaging material not only has to be non-toxic and inert in the body environment, but it also has to protect the electronic circuit from the physical, chemical, and biological harassment of the body.
Dr. Warren, the Parsonage Exclusion, and the First Amendment

In this article, Professor Zelinsky discusses the recent order of a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Warren v. Commissioner. In that order, the appellate panel has sua sponte questioned the constitutionality of section 107(2), which excludes from gross income the cash rental allowance provided to a minister of the gospel. Of central concern to the Ninth Circuit panel is the decision of the United States Supreme Court in Texas Monthly, Inc. v. Bullock, which struck on Establishment Clause grounds a Texas sales tax exemption limited to religious literature. According to Professor Zelinsky, the Warren court's inquiry highlights the tensions and uncertainties of the First Amendment doctrine governing tax exemptions for religious persons and entities. Texas Monthly indicates that exclusions such as section 107 are appropriately viewed as tax subsidies and that when restricted to religious institutions and actors, these subsidizing exclusions run afoul of the Establishment Clause. On the other hand, an earlier case, Walz v. Commissioner, focuses more on Free Exercise concerns and suggests that for First Amendment purposes, tax provisions like section 107 properly accommodate the autonomy of sectarian entities and persons. A trial or appellate judge seeking to follow the Supreme Court's most recently expressed sentiments will, per Texas Monthly, strike section 107 on Establishment Clause grounds. If, on the other hand, the accommodationist jurisprudence of Walz controls, section 107 (like the property tax exemption challenged in Walz) survives First Amendment scrutiny as an expression of Free Exercise considerations. As a normative matter, Professor Zelinsky concludes that there are sound reasons for preferring the Walz approach to Texas Monthly. Consequently, the Ninth Circuit (or whoever confronts the issue) should resolve the tension between Texas Monthly and Walz by holding section 107 constitutional.
Key role of PKC and Ca2+ in EGF protection of microtubules and intestinal barrier against oxidants

Using monolayers of human intestinal (Caco-2) cells, we showed that growth factors (GFs) protect microtubules and barrier integrity against oxidative injury. Studies in nongastrointestinal cell mod...
Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis Compliance Before and After Electronic Health Record Implementation

BackgroundAdherence to American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis helps avoid thromboembol...
Characterization of Voids in Rutile Nanoparticles by Transmission Electron Microscopy

Rutile nanoparticles containing voids or cavities have been characterized using transmission electron microscopy. The general morphology of the voids has been determined from images of nanoparticles in different orientations. In general, the longest dimension is along the c axis of rutile. Many of the voids show a prismatic morphology with dipyramid terminations. The prism consists of primarily four {110} faces with rounded or faceted comers between the primary faces. The pyramidal terminations can appear ovoid or faceted. A major facet plane of the pyramids is (101). A model consistent with the morphology of many voids in rutile nanoparticles is proposed.
The Future of Public Health

Though there has sometimes been distrust between the health care and public health fields, they are inevitably and increasingly interdependent. And improvements in some types of public health interventions can increase the impact of clinical care on population health.
Novel Resilience Assessment Methodology for Water Distribution Systems

Availability of safe drinking water is at the core of economic welfare: Water Distribution Systems are ubiquitous yet silent, until they fail. These systems face diverse threats: natural disruptive events like hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes, and man-made disruptors such as deliberate attack, vandalism, or accidents. Even slow-developing processes like drought or ageing are a possible threat. For these reasons, infrastructure risk previously focused on critical infrastructure protection is shifting towards a dual approach including system resilience: The ability to recover efficiently after failure. This paper presents a novel methodology for estimating the probability of water infrastructure resilience. Existing approaches to measuring system “resilience” are frequently narrow and may ignore essential features of resilient systems. In this methodology, resilience is defined in terms of performance loss, recovery time, and recovery cost. A real-world resilient system should be able to withstand damage and recover within realistic time and cost constraints. A Stochastic Simulation approach is applied on a network model subject to a set of failure scenarios. Each scenario is developed randomly using asset failure patterns according to the type of disruption and specific probability distributions. Hydraulic analysis of the damaged network provides performance values that can be compared with baseline performance (undisturbed network). Finally, the damaged network is assumed to recover using available resources, which are also probabilistic. Applying this sampling process on many repetitions it is possible to estimate the posterior probability that the infrastructure system assessed will be resilient in case of disruption.
Exclusion of the Ellis-van Creveld region on chromosome 4p16 in some families with asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy and short-rib polydactyly syndromes.

Ellis–van Creveld syndrome (EVC) is a relatively rare, usually non-lethal, autosomal recessive skeletal dysplasia characterized by short stature, polydactyly, cardiac and renal anomalies. Linkage analysis has localized the disease gene to chromosome 4p16, with the markers at loci D4S827 and D4S3135 defining the centromeric and telomeric limits of the linked interval, respectively. There has been long-term speculation that asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy (ATD) and the short-rib polydactyly syndromes (SRP) represent the severe end of the EVC disease spectrum. We performed linkage analysis using markers from the EVC region in seven families manifesting either ATD or SRP type III. In two of the families, one segregating ATD and one SRP kindred, linkage of the phenotype to the EVC region was excluded. In the other five families linkage of the phenotype to the EVC region could not be excluded, but the families were too small for linkage to the region to be established. The exclusion of the EVC region in ATD and SRP III families suggests that locus heterogeneity exists within the short-rib dysplasia (with and without polydactyly) group of disorders.
Effect of Active Kinesin Motor Density on Microtubules During Self-Assembly of Spools

Active self-assembly systems are energy driven and can organize into various structures. Microtubules and their associated motor proteins, such as kinesin, are widely used to study active self-assembly of higher order structures, such as linear bundles and spools. Microtubules are polymers composed of tubulin that are found in the cytoskeleton. Kinesin motors convert ATP into energy through hydrolysis and walk along microtubules. Microtubules functionalized with biotin and streptavidin bind together and form bundles and spools when gliding. The spools are able to maintain their shape and continue to rotate in the presence of ATP. We use gliding assays to investigate the effect of the active motor density on microtubules during spool formation. By tuning the velocity of gliding microtubules, we can effectively tune the kinesin density on microtubules. There was no significant change in average spool circumference and no reduction in spool density over a 10-fold reduction in microtubule gliding velocity. We find spool characteristics are robust against active kinesin density on microtubules.
A Study of the Teratogenicity of Edible Bone Powder in Rats

Objective To explore the teratogenicity of edible bone powder in rats.Methods The samples were tested with teratogenicity test.Pregnant rats were divided into 5 groups including expose groups and control groups.Different doses of edible bone powder(0.25、2.5、5 g/kg) and deionized water were gavaged to expose groups and negative control group from 7th to 16th day of gestation respectively,and cyclophosphamide was intraperitoneal injected to positive control group at 12th day of gestation.Pregnant rats were killed and examined at 21th day of gestation.Results No significant differences were observed in the weight of pregnant rats,fetal and teratogenic toxicity between the expose and control groups.Conclusion Teratogenicity of edible bone powder at 0.25~5 g/kg was not found in rats.
General Medicine vs Subspecialty Career Plans Among Internal Medicine Residents

Context Current medical training models in the United States are unlikely to produce sufficient numbers of general internists and primary care physicians. Differences in general internal medicine (GIM) career plans between internal medicine residency program types and across resident demographics are not well understood. Objective To evaluate the general medicine career plans of internal medicine residents and how career plans evolve during training. Design, Setting, and Participants A study of US internal medicine residents using an annual survey linked to the Internal Medicine In-Training Examination taken in October of 2009-2011 to evaluate career plans by training program, sex, and medical school location. Of 67 207 US eligible categorical and primary care internal medicine residents, 57 087 (84.9%) completed and returned the survey. Demographic data provided by the National Board of Medical Examiners were available for 52 035 (77.4%) of these residents, of whom 51 390 (76.5%) responded to all survey items and an additional 645 (1.0%) responded to at least 1 survey item. Data were analyzed from the 16 781 third-year residents (32.2%) in this sample. Main Outcome Measures Self-reported ultimate career plans of internal medicine residents. Results A GIM career plan was reported by 3605 graduating residents (21.5%). A total of 562 primary care program (39.6%) and 3043 categorical (19.9%) residents reported GIM as their ultimate career plan (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 2.76; 99% CI, 2.35-3.23; P Conclusion Reported GIM career plans were markedly less common than subspecialty career plans among internal medicine residents, including those in primary care training programs, and differed according to resident sex, medical school location, and program type.
When a chronic illness becomes terminal

Patients with ESRD and their families experience a variety of transitions across the trajectory of this chronic illness. A major transition occurs when patients who have been perceived as chronically ill become terminally ill, as changes and complications limit options for treatment. These changes are very disruptive, characterized by uncertainty and disturbances in the patients' prior view of themselves. In order to restructure a new reality, patients must acknowledge the losses and changes that have occurred. Several kinds of trigger events may facilitate this process. Patient responses to the transition include a variety of strategies such as seeking information, normalizing, comparing themselves to others, and finding their identity in continuing activities or substitutes that make them feel competent. Nephrology nurses knowledgeable about this transition process, because of their longstanding relationships with ESRD patients and their families, are in an excellent position to take advantage of opportunities to provide presence, understanding, and guidance in negotiating this difficult transition.
Comparison of submandibular/sublingual salivary flow rates in children and adolescents.

Purpose: This study compared age related changes in submandibular/sublingual salivary flow rates in children and adolescents. Methods: Twenty-nine children between the ages of 5 and 14 years were evaluated. A group of adults ages 18 to 39 years were also evaluated. No subject was taking medication which could have affected salivary flow rate. Salivary flow was stimulated using a single application of 3% citric acid during a 5-minute test period. A group of 12 children ages 5 to 9 years was compared to a group of 16 adolescents ages 10 to 14 years. Results: Analysis using a Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test with a .05 level used for significance showed that the salivary flow rates of the 2 groups were not significantly different. Conclusions: No significant difference was found between the stimulated submandibular salivary flow rates of children ages 5 to 9 years and 10 to 14 years.
Radiation therapy for malignancies in the setting of HIV disease.

With the introduction of increasingly effective antiretroviral agents for the management of AIDS, the life expectancy of appropriately treated patients will continue to lengthen, as will the length of time during which infected patients may develop malignancies, both HIV-related and non-HIV-related. The management of such patients will require careful consideration of the impact of all oncologic therapy on the immune system's ability to hold the virus at bay. Radiation therapy, with its recognized immunosuppressive effects, plays an important role in the management of the major AIDS-defining neoplasms, Kaposi's sarcoma, primary central nervous system lymphoma, and cervical carcinoma, and is used in approximately 50% of patients with non-HIV-related malignancies at some point in the disease course. The judicious use of radiation therapy and proper integration of aggressive antiretroviral therapy can result in control of malignancies without contributing to the rapid progression of HIV disease. [ONCOLOGY 11(5):683-694, 1997]
Tipping the Scale: The Role of Discriminability in Conjoint Analysis:

AbstractConjoint analysis is a widely used method for determining how much certain attributes matter to consumers by observing a series of their choices. However, how those attributes are expressed has important consequences for their choices and thus for conclusions drawn by market researchers about attribute importance. Expanded attribute scales (e.g., expressing exercise time in minutes) leads consumers to perceive greater differences between scale levels than contracted scales (e.g., expressing exercise time in hours). The authors show in two domains that simply expanding an attribute’s scale can shift choice toward alternatives that perform well on a scale that is expanded and thus can impact conjoint results such as attribute importance and screening. Thus, practitioners should take care when they choose precisely how to elicit preferences or how to describe their products: the extent of the scale’s expansion will determine researchers’ inferences about the importance of the attribute it describes. ...
Mental health and behavioral outcomes of sexual and nonsexual child maltreatment among child welfare-involved youth

Our research team used the nationally representative National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being II to explore the differences in mental health and behavioral outcomes between children who enter the child welfare system with substantiated sexual abuse and those who enter with exclusively nonsexual maltreatment. The sample included 380 children between the ages of 8 to 17.5 who were substantiated for maltreatment (sexual and nonsexual) and had the same caregivers at both wave 1 and 2 (n = 380). Results show that the average age of children in the sample was 11 years old, and the results corroborate literature that has indicated children and youth with histories of childhood sexual abuse experience significantly more post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms than children with histories of nonsexual maltreatment. This finding held after controlling for baseline trauma symptoms and all covariates, including race, age, placement type, and caregiver characteristics. Childhood sexual abuse was not significantly related to an increase in behavioral symptoms after controlling for covariates. Implications for research and practice are offered.
Twins and research.

1. The uses of twins as a tool to estimate heritability are reviewed. 2. Comparisons of dizygotic twins with sibs provide a means of estimating how effective conditions in utero common to both types of twins may be in producing intra-pair differences. 3. Genetic variations in plasticity should be taken into consideration in the interpretation of data obtained from twins. 4. Methods for testing simple modes of inheritance by information obtained from dizygotic twins are reviewed.
TRANSIENT WAVES IN LAYERS AND RODS

Symmetry considerations are of no use for the reflection of more general types of wave motions, except if the physically less realistic mixed conditions are assumed to hold at the reflecting surface. Consequently, it is rather complicated to determine the transient wave motion in simple waveguides such as layers and rods where a myriad of reflections take place. This chapter explains the transient waves in a layer and a rod. It presents an analysis of two-dimensional antiplane shear motions in a layer. For shear waves, the expressions for the field variables, which are simple in form, provide some interesting insights in the forced motions of waveguides. The chapter further reviews the more complicated cases of wave motions in plane strain in a layer and axially symmetric wave motions in a rod. The dynamic response of the layer can be computed from the response of an unbounded medium by invoking symmetry considerations.
Robustness of communication links for teams of unmanned aircraft by sensitivity analysis of minimum spanning trees

This paper addresses the problem of sensitivity analysis of minimum spanning trees on a weighted graph and its application to optimal communication topologies for teams of unmanned aerial vehicles. In particular, we analyze the robustness of a minimum spanning tree with respect to changing edge weights due to movement of the aircraft. Stability analysis is used to determine whether a previously computed minimum spanning tree remains optimal after the edge weights change. Building upon necessary and sufficient conditions for optimality of a spanning tree, we derive a polyhedral description of the stability region, that is, the set of all perturbations to the edge weights for which a given minimum spanning tree remains optimal, and analyze its properties and relevant subsets. The application of sensitivity analysis to robustness assessment of an optimal communication topology for teams of unmanned aircraft is demonstrated through numerical simulations.
Effects of Handicapping on Female Condition and Reproduction in Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor)

ABSTmAC.-We reduced the foraging efficiency of female Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) during the prelaying period by removing one-third of their flight feathers by clipping them at their bases. Clipped females laid later and smaller clutches, and their clutch sizes were reduced more than what would be expected from the normal seasonal clutch-size decline. Feather clipping reduced subsequent female condition as measured by mass, breast-muscle thickness, and fat deposits, but these effects did not become significant until after the females laid their eggs. Females that were clipped fed their young at lower frequencies and were less likely to return the following breeding season. There were no effects of female condition near clutch completion on laying date, and there was a strong effect of laying date on clutch size, with only the most ambiguous of four condition measures (body mass) having a significant, albeit weaker, effect. Coupling these results with those of another study on unmanipulated swallows, it appears likely that female Tree Swallows base their early-season reproductive decisions largely on their income from foraging rather than the size of somatic stores of resources. Received 13 February 1995, accepted 25 April 1995.
Development and Language

The purpose of this article is to review what is known about the development of neurocognitive networks for language and reading. The article focuses on age-related changes in orthographic, phonological, semantic, and syntax processing. Particular attention is paid to how these different representational systems are integrated by inferior parietal cortex and how inferior frontal gyrus may modulate these processes.
Update in growth hormone therapy of children

Since recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) was licensed for growth hormone deficiency(GHD) in 1985,it has been available in short stature associated with Turner syndrome (TS),being born small for gestational age,idiopathic short stature,chronic renal insufficiency in the last 20 years.The overall safety profile of rhGH continues to be favorable,but careful monitoring for the presence of certain conditions is important both during and after therapy.Reasonable indication,time of therapy and dosage are important to obtain the ideal result and save the expense.Besides,the efforts to improve rhGH therapy and increase compliance have also led to the investigation of extended-release rhGH and less invasive administration routes.Recent advances in the treatment of rhGH are reviewed in details. Key words: Recombinant human growth hormone; Growth hormone deficiency; Turner syndrome; Idiopathic short stature
Characterization of indium and solder bump bonding for pixel detectors

A review of different bump-bonding processes used for pixel detectors is given. A large-scale test on daisy-chained components from two vendors has been carried out at Fermilab to characterize the yield of these processes. The vendors are Advanced Interconnect Technology Ltd. (AIT) of Hong Kong and MCNC in North Carolina, USA. The results from this test are presented and technical challenges encountered are discussed.
Gestural Interaction with Three-Dimensional Interfaces; Current Research and Recommendations:

New methods of interacting with latest three-dimensional (3D) display technologies are rapidly being tested, however, it is not yet certain, which kinds of interaction design would be most suitable...