cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Lupinus albus L. Germplasm for the Southeastern USA

While white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) has potential as a new minor winter crop, adapted germplasm have to be discovered and considerations for cold tolerance, pest resistance, and other traits determined. We evaluated 100 accessions in 1990-1991 and 616 in 1991-1992 at two locations in central Alabama, USA. Twenty-four seeds per accession were hand sown in an upland area on a Marvyn sandy loam (fine-loamy, kaolinitic, thermic, Typic Kahapludults) and in a river bottom area on a Wickham fine sandy loam (clayey, kaolinitic, thermic, Typic Rhododults). Backward stepwise and canonical discriminate analysis (CDA) was used to determine which agronomic traits and groups of accessions were most important for adaptation. Accessions were selected for further evaluation and breeding on the basis of survival through physiological maturity in 1990-1991 and on grain yields greater than or equal to 27.6 g plot(-1) (2128 kg ha(-1) equivalent) in 1991-1992. The first two canonical discriminate variates (CAN) had Eigenvalues greater than or equal to 1 and accounted for greater than or equal to 51% of the total variance for both years. Vernalization type ratings (winter, semiwinter, spring) were most highly correlated (greater than or equal to 0.87) with CAN 1 for both years, so CAN 1 was labeled vernalization type. The continuum for vernalization requirements was represented by CAN 1 in the 1990-1991 data. On the basis of correlations with CAN 2 for both years, earlier flowering of spring types was detrimental to survival. Selection of accessions with cold tolerance proved to be more important than extremely high vernalization requirements in severe winter types. Brown spot leafspot and root rot [caused by Pleiochaeta setosa (Kirchn.) Hughes] were the most prevalent diseases. East and West Mediterranean germplasm comprised >55% of the selections for further testing; these lines were better adapted to the Southeast, while Southwest Asian and North African severe spring types with little or no vernalization requirement were better suited for use in short season areas of the northern USA.
What the structure of angiostatin may tell us about its mechanism of action

Originally discovered in 1994 by Folkman and coworkers, angiostatin was identified through its antitumor effects in mice and later shown to be a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis. An internal fragment of plasminogen, angiostatin consists of kringle domains that are known to be lysine-binding. The crystal structure of angiostatin was the first multikringle domain-containing structure to be published. This review will focus on what is known about the structure of angiostatin and its implications in function from the current literature.
Aqueous sulfur species determination using differential pulse polarography

Sulfur species play pivotal roles in biogeochemistry; however, quantification remains difficult because such species are transitory. Our objective was to determine the utility of using differential pulse polarography (DPP) to characterize soluble sulfur species of potential interest in agriculture and environmental quality. Polarographic responses for sulfide, disulfide, pentasulfide, sulfite, thiosulfate, tetrathionate, pentathionate, cysteine, and glutathione were determined. Sulfur in the compounds was categorized as cysteine-S, thiosulfate-S, nonpurgeable or purgeable sulfide-S, or sulfite based on characteristic polarographic responses for each respective category. Nonpurgeable sulfide-S, cysteine-S, and thiosulfate-S were polarographically separated using a pH 8.0 phosphate buffer. Nitrate/bicarbonate (pH 10.0) and acetate (pH 5.0) buffers were used to determine purgeable sulfide-S and sulfite, respectively. Sulfur in water extracts from cysteine-amended soils was quantified using the developed DPP method. Cysteine-, thiosulfate-, and sulfide-S were measured from these extracts without interferences during a 16-d incubation period. The developed DPP method provides qualitative and quantitative information concerning sulfur species in aqueous solutions and is potentially applicable to soil and sediment extracts.
The relation of plants to public health

In addition to furnishing clothing, food and shelter—the basic necessities of life—plants, in their utilization by man, have also furnished problems of public health in their production of alcohol, narcotics, allergies, poisons and specific human diseases.
Accountability—try fishing!

I have always considered analogies untenable as illustrations of the reality intended. They are used as the means of proving that chalk equals cheese whereas all they prove, in fact, is that chalk equals chalk and cheese equals cheese. I may be two faced, but I here intend analogy, not to prove my case but simply to make it. You may accuse me of casuistry, and I'll bow guiltily to the charge, but I hope that will not prevent me from presenting an idea that has been haunting me for some time. I'm a fisherman. I love to fish. I fish a lot and I'm skilled at it. I read avidly about fishing; I have the best and latest equipment; I talk to fellow fishermen, and I have accumulated a formidable amount of fish-lore. I know what bait to use when and where; I know the best hooks to fasten it on. I am, in short, a compleat angler. And yet, I don't always land a fish. Occasionally, I barely get a nibble. Some days my catch is good, particularly at certain times of the day in certain seasons of the year. On such a day I feel great; on a bad day I am always a little disappointed, but, nevertheless, ready and happy to try again next time. Substitute "teach" for"fish," "teaching" for"fishing," and "teacher" for"fisherman," and you know, if you haven't guessed, what I am talking about. If I fail to land a fish, I am not thereby a bad fisherman, and you wouldn't hold that I was, especially in view of what you know about my knowledge, skills, prowess. If I fail to get a student to lear, am I a bad teacher? Of course, if the answer is no, you are running counter to current opinion. But the truth, surely, is that the fisherman is largely at the mercy of the fish; if the fish don't bite, are not in the mood, or whatever, provided the fisherman has used his considerable ingenuity, he can do no more. The fisherman hasn't failed as a fisherman; he simply has not succeeded in catching a fish-so with the hunter, the soldier, and-dare I say it-the teacher. For the past several years I've heard that there are no failing students, just failing teachers-as if teachers were solely responsible for pupils' learning. I will happily, of
What are we missing by focusing on algae biodiesel

Algae-derived energy sources have been a topic of recurring interest since the 1950s, with significant growth occurring in the mid-1970s, when the US Department of Energy funded the ‘Aquatic Specie...
Changing Lives: The Baltimore City Community College Life Sciences Partnership with the University of Maryland, Baltimore

Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) leveraged heightened student interest and enrollment in the sciences and allied health with Maryland's world-leading biotechnology industry to build a community college life sciences learning and research center right on the University of Maryland, Baltimore's downtown BioPark campus. The BCCC Life Sciences Institute transforms the community college learning experience for students and the surrounding community by expanding learning exponentially in partnership with the many bioscience firms located at the BioPark. For these students—many heretofore overlooked—a bioscience career is an elevator ride away.
Cyclic Guanidine Organic Catalysts: What Is Magic About Triazabicyclodecene?

The bicyclic guanidine 1,5,7- triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene (TBD) is an effective organocatalyst for the formation of amides from esters and primary amines. Mechanistic and kinetic investigations support a nucleophilic mechanism where TBD reacts reversibly with esters to generate an acyl-TBD intermediate that acylates amines to generate the amides. Comparative investigations of the analogous bicyclic guanidine 1,4,6-triazabicyclo[3.3.0]oct-4-ene (TBO) reveal it to be a much less active acylation catalyst than TBD. Theoretical and mechanistic studies imply that the higher reactivity of TBD is a consequence of both its higher basicity and nucleophilicity than TBO as well as the high reactivity of the acyl-TBD intermediate, which is sterically prevented from adopting a planar amide structure.
Community health workers in global health: scale and scalability.

Community health worker programs have emerged as one of the most effective strategies to address human resources for health shortages while improving access to and quality of primary healthcare. Many developing countries have succeeded in deploying community health worker programs in recognition of the potential of community health workers to identify, refer, and in many cases treat illnesses at the household level. However, challenges in program design and sustainability are expanded when such programs are expanded at scale, particularly with regard to systems management and integration with primary health facilities. Several nongovernmental organizations provide cases of innovation on management of community health worker programs that could support a sustainable system that is capable of being expanded without being stressed in its functionality nor effectiveness—therefore, providing for stronger scalability. This paper explores community health worker programs that have been deployed at national scale, as well as scalable innovations found in successful nongovernmental organization–run community health worker programs. In exploration of strategies to ensure sustainable community health worker programs at scale, we reconcile scaling constraints and scalable innovations by mapping strengths of nongovernmental organizations' community health worker programs to the challenges faced by programs currently deployed at national scale. Mt Sinai J Med 78:419–435, 2011 © 2011 Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Mechanical probing of icelike water monolayers.

Direct measurements of the normal force interactions between a mica−tungsten contact pair at various humidity levels reveal the presence of repulsive forces at about 0.5 nm before intimate contact. Such repulsive interactions begin to appear above 20% RH and are fully developed in the range of 38−45% RH. Using the DMT model of contact, a reduced elastic modulus of approximately 6.7 GPa is extracted from these repulsive interactions and attributed to the presence of icelike water on mica at room temperature. The collapse of such structures was also inferred from the measurements.
Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Noncoding Polyadenylated Nuclear RNA Interacts with Virus- and Host Cell-Encoded Proteins and Suppresses Expression of Genes Involved in Immune Modulation

During lytic infection, Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) expresses a polyadenylated nuclear RNA (PAN RNA). This noncoding RNA (ncRNA) is localized to the nucleus and is the most abundant viral RNA during lytic infection; however, to date, the role of PAN RNA in the virus life cycle is unknown. Many examples exist where ncRNAs have a defined key regulatory function controlling gene expression by various mechanisms. Our goal for this study was to identify putative binding partners for PAN RNA in an effort to elucidate a possible function for the transcript in KSHV infection. We employed an in vitro affinity protocol where PAN RNA was used as bait for factors present in BCBL-1 cell nuclear extract to show that PAN RNA interacts with several virus- and host cell-encoded factors, including histones H1 and H2A, mitochondrial and cellular single-stranded binding proteins (SSBPs), and interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4). RNA chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays confirmed that PAN RNA interacted with these factors in the infected cell environment. A luciferase reporter assay showed that PAN RNA expression interfered with the ability of IRF4/PU.1 to activate the interleukin-4 (IL-4) promoter, strongly suggesting a role for PAN RNA in immune modulation. Since the proteomic screen and functional data suggested a role in immune responses, we investigated if constitutive PAN RNA expression could affect other genes involved in immune responses. PAN RNA expression decreased expression of gamma interferon, interleukin-18, alpha interferon 16, and RNase L. These data strongly suggest that PAN RNA interacts with viral and cellular proteins and can function as an immune modulator.
A regional scale modeling study of the sulfur oxides with a comparison to ambient and wet deposition monitoring data

Abstract Monthly average SO2 and SO42− concentrations and wet deposition of total sulfur have been calculated from the AIRSOX (Atmospheric Impact of Residual Sulfur Oxides) long-range transport model and compared with monitoring data from the SURE (Sulfate Regional Experiment) air quality and MAP3S (Multistate Atmospheric Power Production Pollution Study) precipitation chemistry networks. Model output has also been used to determine the rate constants, distance scales and budgets describing the behavior of the sulfur oxides in the eastern U.S. during a summer month. Although the accuracy of these later quantities cannot be directly determined via a comparison with monitoring data, the comparison of monthly average model predictions with observations provides a check on the consistency of the SOx time and distance scales. In a spatial area roughly coincident with the SURE monitoring network, it is found that the average distance from source to receptor is 357 km for SO2 and 583 km for SO42−. In the same area, 1 e lifetimes for SO2, SO42− and S are calculated to be 30, 105 and 66 h, respectively.
Monash Museum of Computing History

Smaller, localized computing museums like the one hosted at Australia's Monash University offer an important complement to larger sites. The featured video Web extra is an interview with Monash Museum of Computer History Director Judy Sheard and Chris Avram of Monash University discussing the history and future of computing in Australia. In the second Web extra, author Charles Severance provides an audio recording of his column, discussing his visit to the Monash Museum of Computer History in Melbourne, Australia.
Selecting a commercial diagnostic laboratory

When a commercial diagnostic laboratory is used, many steps occur from the time a sample leaves the practice to the time when results are reported. Sample handling and testing methods vary tremendously between laboratories, and each step in the process has the potential to significantly affect results. Key points to consider when selecting a commercial laboratory will be discussed. Familiarity with the laboratory's methods and possible sources for error will help ensure that results are interpreted appropriately.
Multi-Century Tree-Ring Reconstructions of Colorado Streamflow for Water Resource Planning

Water resource management requires knowledge of the natural variability in streamflow over multiple time scales. Reconstructions of streamflow derived from moisture-sensitive trees extend, in both time and magnitude, the variability provided by relatively short gage records. In this study, we present a network of 14 annual streamflow reconstructions, 300–600 years long, for gages in the Upper Colorado and South Platte River basins in Colorado generated from new and existing tree-ring chronologies. Gages for the reconstruction were selected on the basis of their importance to two of the largest Colorado Front Range water providers, who provided the natural flow data for the calibration with tree-ring data. The reconstruction models explain 63–76% of the variance in the gage records and capture low flows particularly well. Analyses of the reconstructions indicate that the 20th century gage record does not fully represent the range of streamflow characteristics seen in the prior two to five centuries. Multi-year drought events more severe than the 1950s drought have occurred, notably in the 19th century, and the distribution of extreme low flow years is markedly uneven over the past three centuries. When the 14 reconstructions are grouped into Upper Colorado, northern South Platte, and southern South Platte regional flow reconstructions, the three time series show a high degree of coherence, but also time-varying divergences that may reflect the differential influence of climatic features operating in the western U.S. These reconstructions are currently being used by water managers to assess the reliability of water supply systems under a broader range of conditions than indicated by the gage records alone.
Studies on the effects of protease substrate analogues on some of the actions of insulin

Abstract Added TAME (N α -p-tosyl-l-anginine methyl ester) or BAME (benzoylanginine methyl ester) inhibited insulin induced activation of glucose oxidation and fat cell PDH activation without affecting spermine action on PDH activation and glucose oxidation in fat cells. BAME inhibited insulin-induced generation of both PDH stimulator and PDH inhibitor from liver particulate fraction. In contrast, insulin-induced internalization of insulin receptors and negative cooperativity of insulin receptors were not affected by protease substrate inhibitors. These results suggest that certain actions of insulin (glucose oxidation, generation of PDH regulators) are mediated by proteolytic events, while insulin-induced down regulation and negative cooperativity of insulin receptors are not mediated by activation of endogenous proteases.
Glyoxylate Metabolism in Normal and Stone-Forming Humans and the Effect of Allopurinol Therapy:

SummaryAfter injection of glyoxylate-14C, detectable amounts of glyoxylate appeared in the urine for less than 1 hour. The radioactivity primarily appeared as longer persisting oxalate with a minor proportion of very transient glycolate. The rate of conversion and the proportion of the administered radioactivity recovered in 2 hours was closely similar for both normal controls and severely recurrent oxalate stone formers and was unaffected in the latter by allopurinol therapy.
Phosphorylation of nuclear matrix proteins in isolated regenerating rat liver nuclei.

Abstract The phosphorylation of nuclear matrix proteins from normal and regenerating rat liver nuclei was examined using an in vitro system of isolated nuclei and γ- 32 P-ATP. Phosphorylation of the nuclear matrix proteins was 2–3 fold higher than that of the total nuclear proteins in normal nuclei. The level of phosphorylation of the matrix proteins was enhanced an additional three fold at a period in liver regeneration (12 hours) just preceding the onset of DNA synthesis.
Development of In Vitro Matured/In Vitro Fertilized Bovine Oocytes In A Simple Defined (KSOM) Medium

The experiments reported here take advantage of the large number of in vitro matured and in vitro fertilized (IVM/IVF) bovine oocytes which can be produced, permitting the design of controlled experiments to establish a simple defined medium for the study of early embryo requirements and to further test this medium as a component of co-culture. A total of 1386 IVM/IVF oocytes were used to compare a simple medium (KSOM) with complex culture conditions used successfully for culture of bovine embryos. All experiments were extensively replicated factorials. In Experiment 1, KSOM was equivalent to the complex Menezo B2 medium in producing blastocysts from IVM/IVF produced embryos and was superior to Menezo B2 medium when both were used with buffalo rat liver cells (BRLC), yielding 25% vs 8% blastocysts, respectively (P<0.05). In Experiment 2 a, KSOM was tested with 0 or 1 ng/ml of platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) and in Experiment 2 b, 0, 1 and 5 ng/ml of PDGF were tested. In Experiment 2 a blastocyst formation was higher (P<0.05) when PDGF was added to the co-culture and also was higher (P<0.05) for morulae plus blastocysts in Experiment 2 b when PDGF treatments were combined and compared to no PDGF. The results with the simple KSOM medium are sufficiently promising to indicate that growth factors, amino acids and other specific requirements of the embryo may be examined in future studies with KSOM as a base. Additionally, KSOM appears to be superior to Menezo B2 medium often used commercially for co-culturing bovine embryos with BRLC.
Nurses' knowledge and comfort levels using the Physician Orders for Life-sustaining Treatment (POLST) form in the progressive care unit

Many patients are admitted to the hospital with an active Physician Orders for Life-sustaining Treatment (POLST) Form; however, not all registered nurses (RNs) are familiar with the form or comfortable with initiating a discussion about end-of-life care. Evidence indicates that an education program increases RNs' knowledge and utilization of the POLST form. The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to answer the question: among the RNs in a progressive care unit (PCU), does implementing a formal evidence-based practice POLST program compared to current practice increase RNs' knowledge and comfort level using the POLST form? A pre-post education survey was used. Results indicated a POLST education program increased PCU RNs' knowledge and comfort level in using the POLST form. It is recommended to include POLST form education for PCU RNs in workplace education programs.
Perception of self and of peers by economically deprived black and advantaged white fifth graders.

Neither the concept of self nor the feelings about peers appeared to be different between 98 economically deprived black and 111 advantaged white fifth graders. Although the sample is small and the reading ability of some of the children is poor, both groups perceived the connotative meaning of “activity” as the primary characteristic of importance.
Geomorphic response-type model for barrier coastlines: a regional perspective

Based on quantitative documentation of historical changes in shoreline position between 1847 and 1991, eight geomorphic response-types were established for classifying megascale changes along barrier coastlines: (1) lateral movement, (2) advance, (3) dynamic equilibrium, (4) retreat, (5) in-place narrowing, (6) landward rollover, (7) breakup, and (8) rotational instability. Long-term (decades to centuries) monitoring of shoreline position over a spatial scale of 10 to 100 km provides a scientific basis for documenting process-response relationships that shape regional coastal morphodynamics. Although megascale shoreline change studies often are lacking, this type of information is critical for developing realistic research and management strategies regarding form/process relationships in coastal depositional systems. The spatial distribution of geomorphic response-types is delineated along the barrier coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi, and southern Georgia/northern Florida. At megascale, the rate of relative sea level rise along these barrier coastlines appears to be one of the major factors controlling the occurrence of geomorphic response-types; however, sediment supply exerts significant influence on shoreline response as well.
Endovascular stent implantation in patients with stenotic aortoarteriopathies: Early and medium–term results

Data regarding stent implantation for stenotic aortoarteriopathy (SAA) are incomplete. We report on nine patients with this rare syndrome who underwent arterial stent implantation. Indications, results, and complications for patients with SAA were reviewed. Nine patients underwent 11 procedures. Twenty-two stents were implanted in the aorta or brachiocephalic vessels. Five patients had diffuse stenoses, three patients had middle aortic syndrome, and one patient had thoracic and abdominal coarctation. Associated diagnoses included Williams syndrome (2), neurofibromatosis (2), Takayasu's (1), and congenital rubella (1). Median gradient was 60 mm Hg (20-140 mm Hg). Poststent gradient was 15 mm Hg (0-60 mm Hg; P < 0.001). Additional stents were implanted in two patients and five underwent stent redilation. Two patients (22%) were found to have aneurysm formation. Stent implantation effectively provides gradient relief in SAA. Gradient reduction persists or is amenable to redilation. Importantly, however, uncomplicated stent implantation does not preclude aneurysm formation and may be more common than in traditional patient groups.
Glomerular cell number in normal subjects and in type 1 diabetic patients

Glomerular cell number in normal subjects and in type 1 diabetic patients. Background The number of cells in glomeruli has been a challenging measure, especially in human kidneys, with only a small amount of tissue obtained by biopsy. However, the number of cells and their function are important determinants of renal function in health and disease. Methods Modern morphometric techniques have now provided the means to determine the numerical density (N v ) and number (with a measure of glomerular volume) of endothelial cells, mesangial cells, and podocytes in plastic-embedded renal tissue biopsied from nondiabetic subjects ( N = 36) and type 1 diabetic patients ( N = 46) over an extended age range from childhood through late adult. Results N v values for all glomerular cells varied only slightly with age and did not change within the range of glomerular lesions of diabetes studied. Thus, the increase in glomerular volume during childhood to a steady level thereafter was the primary determinant of total glomerular cell number. The number of mesangial cells and endothelial cells increased with age, reflecting the increase in all cells, while the podocytes remained unchanged in number over all ages studied (10 to 69 years). Numbers of total glomerular cells, mesangial cells, and endothelial cells were not changed with diabetes, while podocytes were fewer in number in diabetic patients of all ages, with reduced podocyte numbers even in diabetes of short duration. Conclusions The essentially constant glomerular cell density in nondiabetic and diabetic subjects under different circumstances possibly indicates an underlying propensity for the glomerulus to regulate its architecture to maintain a constant number of cells per volume, no matter the size of the glomerulus or the severity of diabetic nephropathy studied in this set of patients. The reductions in podocyte numbers in both younger and older diabetic patients indicate a significant risk for functional abnormalities as diabetic nephropathy progresses. Moreover, these observations do not support the suggestion of marked increases in glomerular cell number (and especially mesangial cells) with the development and progression of diabetic nephropathy.
Vinyl-vinyl coupling on late transition metals through C-C reductive elimination mechanism. A computational study.

A detailed density functional study was performed for the vinyl−vinyl reductive elimination reaction from bis-σ-vinyl complexes [M(CHCH2)2Xn]. It was shown that the activity of these complexes decreases in the following order: PdIV, PdII > PtIV, PtII, RhIII > IrIII, RuII, OsII. The effects of different ligands X were studied for both platinum and palladium complexes, which showed that activation barriers for C−C bond formation reaction decrease in the following order: X = Cl > Br, NH3 > I > PH3. Steric effects induced either by the ligands X or by substituents on the vinyl group were also examined. In addition, the major factors responsible for stereoselectivity control on the final product formation stage and possible involvement of asymmetric coupling pathways are reported. In all cases ΔE, ΔH, ΔG, and ΔGaq energy surfaces were calculated and analyzed. The solvent effect calculation shows that in a polar medium halogen complexes may undergo a reductive elimination reaction almost as easily as compound...
LEADERS AND FOLLOWERS IN INDUSTRY MERGER WAVES.

We investigate the firm characteristics that influence whether firms will lead or follow within industry merger waves. We draw on behavioral theory to develop hypotheses on firm characteristics of ...
Development and Control of an Automated Robotic Weld Bead Grinding System

In a robotic weld bead grinding system there are large interaction forces between the robot and the workpiece. Jigging errors and robot compliance make position control unreliable. Instead, metal removal can be controlled by controlling the power applied to the workpiece. The approach used in this work has been to develop a nonlinear force control law for the PUMA 560 robot and implement a structured light vision system that measures material volume in real time. A power trajectory planner has also been incorporated into the system permitting the delivery of a power (the product of force and wheel speed) trajectory to the weld bead. The resulting system is able to plan and execute a multi-pass grinding sequence for removing a weld bead.
Professionalization: Is It the Cure-All for What “Ails” the Correction Officer?

Abstract Correctional officers must face certain realities of the prison environment. Research has intimated that these realities affect officers in a variety of ways making correctional work extremely stressful. This article will provide an overview of the realities of prison and the purported effects of these realities. Professionalization and its limitations will be examined as the “cure-all” for the stresses involved in correctional work.
Targeting CD47 NO Limit on Therapeutic Potential

See related article, pages 712–720 Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) is a homotrimeric glycoprotein with multiple functional domains that serves as a key mediator of a number of diverse cellular and physiologic processes.1 TSP-1 is the major component of the α granule of platelets. On stimulation by thrombin, TSP-1 is released and binds to the platelet surface. It then mediates platelet aggregation by crosslinking fibrinogen-GPIIb/IIIa complexes, which further secures platelets and tethers the thrombus.2,3 Given its prominent role in thrombosis, it is not surprising that TSP-1 is also a key mediator of neointimal hyperplasia and vascular disease. TSP-1 is found in the lumen and media of diseased and injured vessels and anti-TSP-1 antibodies decrease neointimal hyperplasia in a carotid artery injury model.4,5 Interestingly, a single nucleotide polymorphism in the TSP-1 gene may be associated with familial early myocardial infarctions.6 TSP-1 appears to play contradictory roles in angiogenesis, both stimulating neovascularization in conjunction with other factors, but also inhibiting the process via apoptosis of endothelial cells.7,8 Acute regulation of tissue perfusion, ischemia/reperfusion, wound healing, and tumor growth and progression are other processes where …
Parent-teen worry about the teen contracting AIDS.

A secondary data analysis of the National Commission on Children: 1990 Survey of Parents and Children was conducted with a subsample of 457 parent-teen pairs who responded to the “worry about AIDS” question. The teen’s worry about contracting AIDS was associated with race, parent’s education, the amount of discipline from the parent for engaging in sex, the teen’s desire to talk to the parent about the problem of sex, the teen’s rating of the neighborhood as a safe place to grow up, whether the parent listened to the teen’s telephone interview, and the parent’s response to whether his or her teen had a history of sexually transmitted disease. Of the parent-teen pairs in the subsample, 46% (N = 210) agreed in their responses about worry. Agreement was more frequent among the parent-teen pairs when compared to randomly constructed surrogate pairs. Dyadic analysis supported a family system view of perceived susceptibility.
Development of Measures of Abuse Among Women With Disabilities and the Characteristics of Their Perpetrators

Three hundred and five women with diverse disabilities completed an anonymous audio computer—assisted self-interview designed to increase women’s awareness of abuse. Data were also collected regarding abuse experienced in the past year and the risk characteristics of their perpetrators. Overall, 68% reported some type of abuse. Preliminary evidence for the validity and reliability of questions to assess abuse and perpetrator risk characteristics was found. Latent class analysis revealed four distinct classes of abuse experiences: sexual abuse, physical abuse, multiple forms of abuse, and minimal abuse and three classes of perpetrator risk characteristics: controlling characteristics, noncontrolling characteristics, and minimal risk characteristics.
Architectural mismatch or why it's hard to build systems out of existing parts

Many would argue that future breakthroughs in software productivity will depend on our ability to combine existing pieces of software to produce new applications. An important step towards this goal is the development of new techniques to detect and cope with mismatches in the assembled parts. Some problems of composition are due to low-level issues of interoperability, such as mismatches in programming languages or database schemas. However, in this paper we highlight a different, and in many ways more pervasive, class of problem: architectural mismatch. Specifically, we use our experience in building a family of software design environments from existing parts to illustrate a variety of types of mismatch that center around the assumptions a reusable part makes about the structure of the application in which is to appear. Based on this experience we show how an architectural view of the mismatch problem exposes some fundamental, thorny problems for software composition and suggests possible research avenues needed to solve them.
Time, chance, and organizations: Natural selection in a perilous environment

"In this important and readable book, Kaufman develops a theory of organizational survival and demise that could fundamentally alter traditional explanations of organizational persistence and systems maintenance. Kaufman views randomness rather than rationality as the key factor in organizational survival. Kaufman has lifted the discourse on organizational behavior to a new level". (David H. Rosenbloom, American University).
Changes in gene expression during the development of mammary tumors in MMTV-Wnt-1 transgenic mice.

Background In human breast cancer normal mammary cells typically develop into hyperplasia, ductal carcinoma in situ, invasive cancer, and metastasis. The changes in gene expression associated with this stepwise progression are unclear. Mice transgenic for mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-Wnt-1 exhibit discrete steps of mammary tumorigenesis, including hyperplasia, invasive ductal carcinoma, and distant metastasis. These mice might therefore be useful models for discovering changes in gene expression during cancer development.
Conserved responses to oxygen deprivation

Genetically tractable model organisms such as the fruit fly offer powerful experimental systems that have illuminated conserved biological phenomena and so guided research in human biology. Still, researchers concerned with the pathologies of stroke and myocardial infarct might consider their fields beyond the reach of even the most fundamental discoveries that could be made in an insect. Recent work, including a paper appearing in this issue of the JCI (1), suggests otherwise. Given the obvious anatomical differences between the nutrient and oxygen delivery systems of mammals and arthropods, the etiologies of stroke and myocardial infarct are unlikely to be mimicked in the fruit fly Drosophila. Still, the pathologies caused by an interruption in blood supply are fundamentally the result of a shortage of oxygen, and the cellular responses to hypoxia in an insect may well be relevant to normal and pathological responses to oxygen deprivation. Interestingly, many organisms tolerate hypoxia without the devastating damage incurred by human heart and brain tissue (2, 3). Turtles, for example, hibernate buried in mud, with little access to oxygen. We understand little of the differences among species regarding tolerance to hypoxia, but identification of the relevant parameters could aid clinical management of acute interruptions in blood flow. However great the relevance of cellular adaptations to hypoxia to stroke or heart attack, Drosophila might not appear an obvious choice of system for studying these pathologies. However, those of us who witnessed how the powerful genetic strategies available in Drosophila pried open the profoundly difficult problem of embryonic patterning have become champions of this organism. Its attributes can be used to probe a wide range of problems. Still, a fly is a long way from a human. Or is it?
Real-Time Humanoid Avatar for Multimodal Human-Machine Interaction

A novel framework of multimodal human-machine or human-human interaction via real-time humanoid avatar communication is proposed for real-world mobile application. It integrates audio-visual analysis and synthesis modules to realize real-time head tracking, multichannel and runtime animations, visual TTS and real-time viseme detection and rendering. The 3D avatar provides customized modeling for low-bit rate virtual communication by adopting M3G standard and supports MPEG-4 FAPs. A robust user head tracker and the associated head pose and motion estimation scheme are developed for real-time avatar animation control at remote locations. The framework is recognized as an effective design for realistic industrial products of human-to-human mobile communication.
The Economics Of The Duration Of The Baseball World Series

This note examines some statistical features of the major league baseball World Series. We show that, based upon actual historical data, we cannot reject the hypothesis that the two World Series teams are evenly matched. Yet, we can also calculate the relative strengths of the teams that would best match the actual outcomes, and we find that those relative strengths are not equal. Including the home field advantage in the calculations indicates that the differential in relative strength between the competing teams can be explained by this advantage. We present the relative team strengths that would maximize the probability of four, five, six and seven game series. We find that a six or seven game series is most likely when the two teams are evenly matched, a four game series is most likely when the probability of the stronger team winning is one, while the probability of a five game series is maximized if one team has a relative strength of 0 .789. We also show that, on average, the expected number of World Series games will be between 4 and 5.81, depending upon the relative strengths of the teams and the home field advantage. Contracts that do not consider the likelihood of less than seven game Series will create windfall gains to MLB and marginal economic losses to broadcasters.
Identifying Potential Health Care Innovations For The Future Elderly

We used a method that combined literature review and expertjudgment to assess potential medical innovations for older adults. We evaluated innovations in four domains: cardiovascular disease, cancer, the biology of aging, and neurologic disease. The innovations can be categorized by common themes: improved disease prevention, better detection of subclinical or early clinical disease, and treatments for established disease. We report the likelihood, potential impact, and potential cost implications for thirty-four innovations, and we revisit this forecast five years later. Many of the innovations have the potential to greatly affect the costs and outcomes of health care.
Local intimal-medial uptakes of 125I-albumin, 125I-LDL, and parenteral Evans blue dye protein complex along the aortas of normocholesterolemic minipigs as predictors of subsequent hypercholesterolemic atherogenesis.

This report describes the normalized intimal-medial uptakes [uptake (M, mg.cm-2) divided serum concentration (c0, mg.cm-3)] of 125I-albumin, 125I-low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and in vivo Evans blue dye (EBD)-albumin complex as functions of pressure (P), time (t), molecular species (i), and location (z) along a ventral longitudinal z axis of the normal, intact, aortic endothelial surface in adult normocholesterolemic Sinclair Research Farm (SRF) minipigs and compares these uptake (M/c0) measurements with atherogenesis in hypercholesterolemic cohorts. Uptakes of porcine serum 125I-albumin (n = 21) and 125I-LDL (n = 10) were measured in freshly excised, metabolically supported aortas using a recently developed organ-support system. In vivo intimal-medial EBD uptake vs z data were measured photometrically on opened descending aortas from another group (n = 6) of normocholesterolemic, adult, SRF minipigs 18 hours after the intravenous administration of EBD. For comparison purposes, the corresponding incidence of atherosclerotic lesions along the aortic z axis was calculated using topographic data from hypercholesterolemic minipig cohorts (n = 39). The results showed that uptakes varied greatly with t, z, and macromolecule (i) but not with P. More specifically, the value of M/c0 at any location (z) rose with t, was insensitive to P, decreased with macromolecular (i) size, and varied with z in a pattern that "peaked" in the upstream region, decreased to a nadir in the downstream region, and then rose again as it approached the abdominal celiac orifice. The spatially z-averaged uptake rates for the three different labeled serum proteins were 0.31 x 10(-3) cm.h-1 for 125I-albumin, 0.42 x 10(-3) cm.h-1 for EBD-albumin, and 0.04 x 10(-3) cm.h-1 for 125I-LDL. Nondimensionalized analysis of the individual sets of uptake data indicated that the overall uptake relationship [M(t,P,z,i)/c(io), cm] could be characterized empirically by the simple product of two separate functions: one, a "scaling function" [m(z,i)], that described the uptake magnitude for a given i and z and appeared to be independent of t or P; the other, a "shape function" [s(t,P)], that described the shapes of the uptake vs t and P relationships and appeared to be independent of z or i. The "scaling function" [m(z,i)] vs z contour appeared to correlate well with the corresponding atherosclerotic lesion incidence vs z contour from the group of hypercholesterolemic minipig cohorts. Assuming passive transport, it was shown ("Appendix") that m(z,i) can be interpreted physically in terms of an endothelial diffusive permeability coefficient (P,cm.s-1).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Early Adopters of Computerized Physician Order Entry in Hospitals That Care for Children: A Picture of US Health Care Shortly After the Institute of Medicine Reports on Quality

Objective. To determine national estimates of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) use for 2003 in hospitals that care for children. Design. Retrospective cohort analysis. Results. Six percent of the hospitals used CPOE (119 out of 2145). Children's hospitals are more likely to use CPOE than a children's unit (odds ratio [OR] = 6; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.5-23.9). Private for-profit hospitals are more likely to use CPOE than public hospitals (OR = 26.5; 95% CI = 3.1-224.8). Urban teaching hospitals are more likely to use CPOE than rural hospitals (OR = 3.9; 95% CI = 1.7-8.8). Hospitals in the Northeast, Midwest, and South are more likely to use CPOE than hospitals in the West (OR = 11.2, 95% CI = 4.8-26.5; OR = 4.2, 95% CI = 1.7-10.5; OR = 3.1, 95% CI = 1.5-6.3, respectively). Conclusions. In 2003, 6% of the hospitals that care for children reported using CPOE. Early adoption of CPOE was associated with children's hospitals, private hospitals, urban-teaching hospitals, and hospitals outside o...
A SEQUENTIAL BOUNDING APPROACH FOR OPTIMAL APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING

This study is concerned with the determination of optimal appointment times for a sequence of jobs with uncertain durations. Such appointment systems are used in many customer service applications to increase the utilization of resources, match workload to available capacity, and smooth the flow of customers. We show that the problem can be expressed as a two-stage stochastic linear program that includes the expected cost of customer waiting, server idling, and a cost of tardiness with respect to a chosen session length. We exploit the problem structure to derive upper bounds that are independent of job duration distribution type. These upper bounds are used in a variation of the standard L-shaped algorithm to obtain optimal solutions via successively finer partitions of the support of job durations. We present new analytical insights into the problem as well as a series of numerical experiments that illustrate properties of the optimal solution with respect to distribution type, cost structure, and numbe...
Behavior-Based Model of Clavicle Motion for Simulating Seated Reaches

A major limitation of ergonomic analyses with current digital human models (DHM) is the speed and accuracy with which they can simulate worker postures and motions. Ergonomic analysis capabilities of DHM would be significantly improved with the addition of a fast, deterministic, accurate movement simulation model for the upper extremities. This paper describes the development of an important component of such a model. Motion data from twelve men and women performing one-handed, push-button reaches in a heavy truck seat were analyzed to determine patterns of motion of the clavicle relative to the thorax. Target direction and reach distance were good predictors clavicle segment motion, particularly for fore-aft clavlcle motion.
Nonbullying victims of bullies: Aggression, social skills, and friendship characteristics

Fifty-four early adolescents were selected and classified as nonbullying Victims (frequently bullied by peers but did not bully others) or Nonvictims (neither bullied others nor were targets of bullies) based on the distribution of victimization scores on a self-report questionnaire. These male and female students and a parent from each family completed questionnaires that assessed the students' victimization of self and others and social skills of cooperation, self-control, and assertion. Adolescents also reported their likely responses to potential interpersonal conflicts and characteristics of their friendships. Results suggest nonbullying victimized adolescents have subtle difficulties managing confrontation adaptively in a variety of contexts for peer interaction. Further research on interpersonal skills related to conflict management may help explain why some nonbullying adolescents are frequent targets of bullying while others are relatively free from victimization by peers.
Large-Scale Environmental Parameters Associated with Tropical Cyclone Formations in the Western North Pacific

Abstract The local environmental conditions associated with 405 tropical cyclone (TC) formations in the western North Pacific during 1990–2001 are examined in this study. Six large-scale parameters are obtained and computed from the NCEP reanalyses with 2.5° latitude resolution. These include the sea surface temperature, 200–850-hPa vertical and meridional zonal shear, 500–700-hPa average relative humidity, convective available potential energy, and 200-hPa divergence. It is found that these parameters show quite consistent values in almost all the cases examined, and near-Gaussian distributions are found for them. The mean values of these distributions are 28.9°C, −3.2 m s−1, −2.3 m s−1, 61.8%, 1184.1 J kg−1, and 5.2 × 10−6 s−1 for the above six domain-averaged parameters, respectively. Based on these distributions of values, a formation potential area is defined as a location that possesses these environmental parameters, all within the thresholds (one standard deviation from the mean value found above)...