cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Frontline treatment patterns and outcomes among older adults with acute myeloid leukemia: A population-based analysis in the modern era

BACKGROUND Traditionally, conventional induction chemotherapy has been the primary frontline treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML); however, older adults are often poor chemotherapy candidates. Recently, several nonconventional frontline AML regimens, including hypomethylating agents, the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax, and targeted therapies, have emerged, and they may offer new options for older adults. This study was aimed at describing treatment patterns and outcomes of older adult AML in a modern population-based cohort. METHODS This study evaluated patients aged ≥60 years with a first primary diagnosis of AML (2014-2017) in the California Cancer Registry linked to inpatient hospitalizations. Multivariable regression examined factors associated with the frontline treatment regimen and survival. RESULTS In all, 3068 patients were included; 36% received frontline therapy with a conventional chemotherapy backbone, 42% received nonconventional therapy, and 22% received no treatment. The use of nonconventional therapy increased over time from 38% of patients in 2014 to 47% in 2017 (P < .001). In multivariable analyses, receipt of treatment was associated with an age younger than 80 years, fewer than 2 comorbidities, and care at a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center (NCI-CC). Compared with conventional chemotherapy, nonconventional therapy was associated with Black race/ethnicity, public health insurance, fewer hospital admissions, and fewer inpatient days. Receiving frontline therapy at an NCI-CC was independently associated with superior overall survival. CONCLUSIONS Using a population-based approach, this study has demonstrated that patterns of care for frontline AML treatment in older adults are changing, with increasing use of nonconventional therapies. A significant proportion of older adults remain untreated. At the population level, there remain opportunities to increase therapy access for older adults with AML.
On polynomial chaos expansion via gradient-enhanced ℓ 1 -minimization

Gradient-enhanced Uncertainty Quantification (UQ) has received recent attention, in which the derivatives of a Quantity of Interest (QoI) with respect to the uncertain parameters are utilized to improve the surrogate approximation. Polynomial chaos expansions (PCEs) are often employed in UQ, and when the QoI can be represented by a sparse PCE, ? 1 -minimization can identify the PCE coefficients with a relatively small number of samples. In this work, we investigate a gradient-enhanced ? 1 -minimization, where derivative information is computed to accelerate the identification of the PCE coefficients. For this approach, stability and convergence analysis are lacking, and thus we address these here with a probabilistic result. In particular, with an appropriate normalization, we show the inclusion of derivative information will almost-surely lead to improved conditions, e.g. related to the null-space and coherence of the measurement matrix, for a successful solution recovery. Further, we demonstrate our analysis empirically via three numerical examples: a manufactured PCE, an elliptic partial differential equation with random inputs, and a plane Poiseuille flow with random boundaries. These examples all suggest that including derivative information admits solution recovery at reduced computational cost. An approach for sparse polynomial chaos (PC) expansions including derivative information is presented.Method relies on ? 1 -minimization to solve for the PC coefficients.Formal analysis is presented to guarantee the stability and convergence of gradient-enhanced ? 1 -minimization.Three examples presented to illustrate (cost/accuracy) improvements achieved by gradient-enhanced ? 1 -minimization.
Trademarks, Consumer Psychology, and the Sophisticated Consumer

The degree of consumer "sophistication" is an important factor in the judicial evaluation of the legal standard of trademark infringement: the likelihood of consumer confusion. Yet although the law in this field is premised on assumptions about consumer psychology, the case law has developed in ignorance of an important body of scholarship devoted to that very subject. This article seeks to remedy this disconnect by drawing on scholarship in the field of consumer psychology to develop a model of consumer cognition. The consumer psychology literature suggests a much richer conception of sophistication than is currently acknowledged by the courts. The case law is dominated by an ad hoc treatment of sophistication that has generated numerous conflicts and inconsistencies in the judicial evaluation of trademark infringement. Our model provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the proper role of consumer sophistication in trademark infringement litigation and for resolving many of the conflicts in the case law.
Autoubiquitination of the BRCA1*BARD1 RING ubiquitin ligase.

The RING finger of BRCA1 confers ubiquitin ligase activity that is markedly enhanced when complexed with another RING-containing protein, BARD1, and is required for the function of this tumor suppressor protein in protecting genomic integrity. Here, we report that co-expression of BRCA1-(1–639) and BARD1 in bacteria can assemble a potent ubiquitin ligase activity. Purified BRCA1-(1–639)·BARD1 stimulated the Ubc5c-mediated monoubiquitination of histone H2A/H2AX in vitro, suggesting a possible role for BRCA1·BARD1 in modifying chromatin structure. Moreover, the truncated BRCA1·BARD1 complex exhibited efficient autoubiquitination activity in vitro capable of assembling non-lysine 48-linked polyubiquitin chains on both BRCA1-(1–639) and BARD1. When co-expressed in cells by transient transfection, the recombinant BRCA1-(1–300)·BARD1 complex was found to be associated with polyubiquitin chains, suggesting that BRCA1-(1–300)·BARD1 was ubiquitinated in vivo as well. These results raise the possibility that BRCA1·BARD1 acts to assemble non-lysine 48-linked polyubiquitin chains that may serve as part of a signaling platform required for coordinating DNA repair-related events.
Language modeling for limited-data domains

With the increasing focus of speech recognition and natural language processing applications on domains with limited amount of in-domain training data, enhanced system performance often relies on approaches involving model adaptation and combination. In such domains, language models are often constructed by interpolating component models trained from partially matched corpora. Instead of simple linear interpolation, we introduce a generalized linear interpolation technique that computes context-dependent mixture weights from features that correlate with the component confidence and relevance for each n-gram context. Since the n-grams from partially matched corpora may not be of equal relevance to the target domain, we propose an n-gram weighting scheme to adjust the component n-gram probabilities based on features derived from readily- available corpus segmentation and metadata to de-emphasize out-of-domain n grams. In scenarios without any matched data for a development set, we examine unsupervised and active learning techniques for tuning the interpolation and weighting parameters. Results on a lecture transcription task using the proposed generalized linear interpolation and n-gram weighting techniques yield up to a 1.4% absolute word error rate reduction over a linearly-interpolated baseline language model. As more sophisticated models are only as useful as they are practical, we developed the MIT Language Modeling (MITLM) toolkit, designed for efficient iterative parameter optimization, and released it to the research community. With a compact vector-based n-gram data structure and optimized algorithm implementations, the toolkit not only improves the running time of common tasks by up to 40x, but also enables the efficient parameter tuning for language modeling techniques that were previously deemed impractical. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
Parental Loss and Family Violence as Correlates of Suicide and Violence Risk.

Seventy-nine psychiatric inpatients were administered a battery of psychometric instruments that obtained information about early parental loss, exposure to family violence, and behavioral problems in themselves and in their first-degree relatives. These variables were correlated with suicide and violence risk measures. Suicide risk significantly correlated with all family variables whereas violence risk correlated with behavioral problems both in oneself and in one's first-degree relatives. Moreover, suicidal and/or violent patients had experienced maternal loss significantly more frequently than the nonsuicidal/nonviolent patients. In the suicidal/violent group, age of patient at death of parents was significantly lower than in the nonsuicidal/nonviolent group. Finally, family violence was significantly correlated with behavioral problems in self and in first-degree relatives. Findings are interpreted according to the authors' theoretical model of aggression regulation.
Generation of 4d access corridors from real-time multislice MRI for guiding transapical aortic valvuloplasties

Real-time image-guided cardiac procedures (manual or robotassisted) are emerging due to potential improvement in patient management and reduction in the overall cost. These minimally invasive procedures require both real-time visualization and guidance for maneuvering an interventional tool safely inside the dynamic environment of a heart. In this work, we propose an approach to generate dynamic 4D access corridors from the apex to the aortic annulus for performing real-time MRI guided transapical valvuloplasties. Ultrafast MR images (collected every 49.3 ms) are processed on-the-fly using projections to extract a conservative dynamic trace in form of a three-dimensional access corridor. Our experimental results show that the reconstructed corridors can be refreshed with a delay of less than 0.5ms to reflect the changes inside the left ventricle caused by breathing motion and the heartbeat.
Professional Skills, Concerns, and Perceived Importance of Work with Families in Early Intervention

Innovations brought about by Public Law 99-457 require early intervention personnel to expand their work practices to involve and support families in the provision of early intervention services. To support training needs in this area, and to understand possible barriers to change, this study examined the extent to which 142 early interventionists from two states felt competent in working with families, valued family roles, and were concerned about changing to family-centered practices. Relationships among these characteristics and experience, discipline, and job category were explored. In general, nurses and social workers scored higher than did educators and other health-care professionals on several dimensions of family-centered care. Many professionals expressed concerns about collaboration.
Inhibition of Glycosaminoglycans Production in Retrohulbar Fibroblast Cultures by Ethacrynic Acid and Hydrocortisone

ABSTRACT Lymphocytes stimulated the production of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) by cultures of human retrobulbar fibroblasts, and this interaction is proposed as an in vitro analogy to Graves' ophthalmopathy. Ethacrynic acid (EA), 10–25 μg/ml, caused a significant reduction in the basal synthesis of GAG by the fibroblasts. The effects of EA on lymphocyte stimulated fibroblasts were primarily related to lowering the basal rate of GAG production and little, if any, to the stimulation process. Neither chlorothiazide, 50–500 μg/ml, nor furosemide, 5–25 μg/ml, had appreciable activity in the cultures. Hydrocortisone, 1 μg/ml, inhibited the lymphocyte lymphocyte stimulated GAG but only slightly lowered the basal GAG levels. The effects of EA and hydrocortisone were additive, but the combination did not completely abolish the enhancement of GAG concentrations induced by lymphocytes. Glucose utilization by unstimulated fibroblasts was increased by EA, but this change could not be detected in the stimulated cultures wh...
Vapor-liquid equilibria of some pollutants in aqueous and saline solutions part II: correlation for dilute weak electrolytes in aqueous buffered solutions

Abstract A thermodynamic procedure is described for predicting vapor-liquid equilibria in buffered, dilute aqueous solutions containing one weak electrolyte: ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, formic acid, acetic acid, pyridine or aniline. The procedure requires the dissociation constant of the weak electrolyte and either the Henry's constant or a vapor-liquid equilibrium ratio (K') determined for a dilute weak electrolyte solution in a pH region where most of the electrolyte is not ionized. Predicted results agree well with experiment. The thermodynamic procedure described here is effective for estimating phase equilibria for weak electrolyte pollutants in sea water or waste water as encountered in desalting plants or pollution abatement processes. The correlation is also useful in the design of secondary refrigerant freezing processes which utilize a direct contact melting-condensing system. In this scheme the volatiles present in the feed would be stripped out of solution by the evaporating refrigerant and then reintroduced to the product water.
Thermodynamics and hydration of the europium complexes of a nitrogen heterocycle methane-1,1-diphosphonic acid

The enthalpies for formation of five Eu3+ complexes with N-piperidinomethane-1,1-diphosphonic acid (H4pmdp) have been determined by titration calorimetry in 2 M (Na,H)ClO4 media at 25 °C. Both protonation enthalpies and entropies, and the structure of H4pmdp in the solid state indicate protonation of the piperidine nitrogen to give a zwitterion in the free ligand. Luminescent lifetime measurements show that the formation of the 1∶1 and 1∶2 Eu∶L complexes of a variety of methane-1,1-diphosphonic acids liberates an average of 3.3 ± 0.1 water molecules per ligand from the Eu inner hydration sphere. The number of water molecules in the inner coordination sphere and the thermodynamic parameters of the complexes suggest that the structure of the Eu3+–pmdp complexes and the strength of the Eu3+–pmdp bonds are similar to those of other methane-1,1-diphosphonic acids despite the presence of the piperidine ring. However, the complexation entropies argue for weaker solvation of the Eu–pmdp complexes probably due to the hydrophobic character of the piperidine ring.
A blast-tolerant sandwich plate design with a polyurea interlayer

This paper presents a study of both conventional and modified sandwich plate designs subjected to blast loads. The conventional sandwich Design (1) consists of thin outer (loaded side) and inner facesheets made of fibrous laminates, separated by a layer of structural foam core. In the modified Design (2), a thin polyurea interlayer is inserted between the outer facesheet and the foam core. Comparisons of the two designs are made during a long time period of 5.0 ms, initiated by a pressure impulse lasting 0.05 ms applied to a single span of a continuous plate. In the initial response period the overall deflections are limited and significant foam core crushing is caused in the conventional design by the incident compression wave. This type of damage is much reduced in the modified design, by stiffening of the polyurea interlayer under shock compression, which provides support to the outer facesheet and alters propagation of stress waves into the foam core. This benefits the long term, bending response and leads to significant reductions in facesheet strains and overall deflection. The total kinetic energy of the modified sandwich plate is much lower than that of a conventionally designed plate, and so is the stored and dissipated strain energy. Similar reductions are found when the conventional and the enhanced sandwich plates have equal overall thickness or equal total mass.
Lateral phase separations in membranes.

Lateral phase separations of phospholipids in both bacterial membranes and model membrane systems (phospholipid bilayers) can be studied using spin labels. Temperature–composition phase diagrams have been determined for binary mixtures of lipids dispersed in excess water by measurements of changes in the fluidity of the membranes as a function of temperature. These results have been used to interpret similar fluidity changes in bacterial membranes. There is evidence that the coexistence of fluid and solid lipid domains facilitates transport through membranes.
Planning for Bus-on-Shoulders Operations in Northeastern Illinois: A Survey of Stakeholders

Operating public buses on urban highway shoulders is a strategy being explored as a means to fight congestion and attract more riders to public transit. However, little information is available about the institutional and legal issues, project development process, costs, and performance of such operations. Results are presented of a study undertaken in northeastern Illinois to examine these preliminary but important issues, which must be addressed to the satisfaction of a diverse group of stakeholders. Findings from a survey of core stakeholders are reported. Concerns and possible resolutions that can be used to engage a larger group of stakeholders at a later time in the planning phase are documented.
Effects of cerebellar and brain stem stimulation on hippocampal formation neurons in the monkey.

Abstract Micro- and macroelectrode recording techniques were used to detect the presence of cerebellar influences on electrical activity in the hippocampal formation of the rhesus monkey. Only 2% of the cells studied responded to cerebellar stimulation. These responsive cells showed a decreased firing rate. No evoked potentials were detected after cerebellar stimulation in any of the monkeys. The effects of brain stem stimulation were tested in two monkeys. One electrode placement lateral to the central gray did not evoke any neuronal responses. The other, situated in the raphe nucleus near the border of the dorsal raphe and nucleus centralis superior, evoked inhibitory responses in 17% of the cells tested. These results (i) fail to provide support for the existence of an important pathway from the cerebellum to the hippocampal formation in monkeys, and (ii) preliminarily extend to a primate species previous results in rat and cat showing an inhibitory effect of raphe stimulation on hippocampal neurons.
Hamiltonian formalism for non-invariant dynamics

In a completely Hamiltonian dynamical system, there will be a generating functionHY for each infinitesimal space-time transformationY. In the non-autonomous case, theHY depend on the observer. This dependence is here described by a system of commutation relations. It is also shown that these relations can be made to mirror exactly the commutation relations of theY's in the Lorentz-invariant case.
Fiction as Thought Experiment

Although fictions and thought experiments are not physical realizations of the phenomena they pertain to, like real experiments, they exemplify properties or patterns that they share with those phenomena. They thereby afford epistemic access to properties and patterns that are realized in fact.
Spin-orbit interactions in bilayer exciton-condensate ferromagnets

Bilayer electron-hole systems with unequal electron and hole densities are expected to have exciton-condensate ground states with spontaneous spin polarization in both conduction and valence bands. In the absence of spin-orbit and electron-hole exchange interactions there is no coupling between the spin orientations in the two quantum wells. In this paper we show that Rashba spin-orbit interactions lead to unconventional magnetic anisotropies, whose strength we estimate, and to ordered states with unusual quasiparticle spectra.
Changes in herbage chemical composition due to proportion of species in alfalfa‐orchardgrass mixtures

Abstract Legumes and grasses are widely grown in mixtures throughout the United States and Canada. This study was conducted to determine the changes in chemical composition of herbage that occur as proportion of legume and grass change in the mixture. Composition of mixtures of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) were studied after their herbage had been mixed by weight into seven different proportions: 100% alfalfa ‐ 0% orchardgrass, 80% ‐ 20%, 65% ‐ 35%, 50% ‐ 50%, 35% ‐ 65%, 20% ‐ 80%, and 0% ‐ 100%, respectively. The forages were grown in rows of pure alfalfa or pure orchardgrass spaced 45 cm apart on fertilized Dodge silt loam (Typic Hapludalf). Alfalfa was at late bud and orchardgrass was a few days from the appearance of the first anthers when harvested on May 29, 1975. Four replications of each of the mixtures were prepared, and the mixtures were made after tissues had been ground to 40‐mesh size. No significant differences among mixtures were found for S, Cu, tot...
A new association test based on disease allele selection for case–control genome-wide association studies

Current robust association tests for case–control genome-wide association study (GWAS) data are mainly based on the assumption of some specific genetic models. Due to the richness of the genetic models, this assumption may not be appropriate. Therefore, robust but powerful association approaches are desirable. In this paper, we propose a new approach to testing for the association between the genotype and phenotype for case–control GWAS. This method assumes a generalized genetic model and is based on the selected disease allele to obtain a p-value from the more powerful one-sided test. Through a comprehensive simulation study we assess the performance of the new test by comparing it with existing methods. Some real data applications are also used to illustrate the use of the proposed test. Based on the simulation results and real data application, the proposed test is powerful and robust.
Disorder effects on deep trapping in amorphous semiconductors

Abstract Disorder and band-tail localization are shown to influence the deep trapping processes in an amorphous semiconductor. The capture cross-section includes a term involving tunnelling from a cluster of tail states near a deep centre. Data for trapping in hydrogenated amorphous silicon is analysed to obtain the capture cross-sections and to identify the tail-state contribution.
Six Degree-of-Freedom Entry Dispersion Analysis for the METEOR Recovery Module

The present study performs a six degree-of-freedom entry dispersion analysis for the Multiple Experiment Transporter to Earth Orbit and Return (METEOR) mission. METEOR offered the capability of flying a recoverable science package in a microgravity environment. However, since the Recovery Module has no active control system, an accurate determination of the splashdown position is difficult because no opportunity exists to remove any errors. Hence, uncertainties in the initial conditions prior to deorbit burn initiation, during deorbit burn and exo-atmosphperic coast phases, and during atmospheric flight impact the splashdown location. This investigation was undertaken to quantify the impact of the various exo-atmospheric and atmospheric uncertainties. Additionally, a Monte-Carlo analysis was performed to statistically assess the splashdown dispersion footprint caused by the multiple mission uncertainties. The Monte-Carlo analysis showed that a 3-sigma splashdown dispersion footprint with axes of 43.3 nm (long), -33.5 nm (short), and 10.0 nm (crossrange) can be constructed. A 58 percent probability exists that the Recovery Module will overshoot the nominal splashdown site.
On Information and Innovation Diffusion: A Bayesian Approach

Learning and information accumulation are hypothesized to play a major role in innovation diffusion. For instance, Hiebert argues that the probability distributions of new (and unfamiliar) technological parameters, as perceived by farmers, will shift over time due to learning and experience. Probabilities will be redistributed from lower to higher payoffs. This induces farmers to increase their use of the innovation, which was new seed varieties in the Hiebert model. The model presented by Kislev and ShchoriBachrach introduces in the new technology production function an efficiency factor which is positively related to learning. It is approximated by the cumulative (over time) output produced with the innovative technology. As learning increases, the innovation becomes advantageous for more and more producers who then adopt it. In a similar vein, Feder and O'Mara construct a diffusion process where uncertainty about an innovation (high-yielding varieties [HYV]) depends on cumulative area allocated to HYV. This represents experience. With the accumulation of experience, uncertainty declines, and the innovation is adopted by an increasing proportion of producers. These models produce sensible (and empirically valid) hypotheses about the dynamics of innovation diffusion. However, the accumulation of information, which is the basic driving element in these models, is not treated explicitly. Thus, the use of cumulative output, or a cumulative input as an index of learning, while plausible, still requires formal justification. One possibility is a Bayesian learning process. Indeed, the work by O'Mara (1971, 1981) and more recently by Lindner, Fischer, and Pardey have utilized Bayes theorem to characterize an individual farmer's adoption behavior.
Electrical resistivity of amorphous Pd-Cu-P alloys

Abstract The behavior of ϱ(T) for Pd-Cu-P amorphous alloys is similar to that observed for amorphous Pd-Ni-P and Pt-Ni-P alloys. This behavior is attributed to the effect of phonons modifying the density of states.
The Kinect Digital Out-of-Box Experience

A great OOBE is vital to the success of a consumer electronic device, both for experience and business reasons.
The Micro-Dynamics of Coalition Formation

We present an experimental approach to study the micro-dynamics of coalition formation in an unrestricted bargaining environment. Specifically, we investigate a fundamental feature of sequential coalition bargaining models: expectations about future bargaining behavior will influence current bargaining outcomes. To do so, we test the hypothesis that coalition bargaining may lead to inefficient outcomes as agents are unable to effectively commit to preliminary agreements during the bargaining process. We conjecture that communication plays an important role in establishing such commitments. We then experimentally manipulate the communication channels and show that restrictions undermine trust and lead to decreased efficiency.
Cancer metabolism and oxidative stress: Insights into carcinogenesis and chemotherapy via the non-dihydrofolate reductase effects of methotrexate

Methotrexate has been in use as an anti-cancer agent for over 60 years. Though inhibition of dihydrofolate reductase is its best known mechanisms of action, its non-dihydrofolate reductase dependent mechanisms disrupt metabolic pathways resulting in a depletion of NAD(P)H and increasing oxidative stress. These mechanisms highlight a novel dependence of cancer cells on their metabolic abnormalities to buffer oxidative stress and chemotherapeutic agents interfere with these cellular abilities. Mitochondria appear to play a significant role in maintaining cancer cell viability and alterations in metabolism seen in cancer cells aid this mitochondrial ability. Further research is needed to understand the effects of other chemotherapeutic agents on these pathways.
Prevention of Autoimmune Myocarditis Through the Induction of Antigen-Specific Peripheral Immune Tolerance

Background—Autoimmunity to cardiac antigens, in particular cardiac myosin, has been observed in humans with myocarditis and in animals with experimental inflammatory heart disease. Current treatments for myocarditis are in many cases immunosuppressive and might lead to increased cardiac damage by reducing host defenses against infectious agents. Therefore, we sought to develop an antigen-specific approach to inhibit autoimmunity in mice with myosin-induced experimental autoimmune myocarditis. Methods and Results—Syngeneic splenocytes, coupled with cardiac myosin by use of ethylene carbodiimide, were administered intravenously before disease induction, and the effects of this peripheral tolerization on myosin-induced myocarditis were assessed. This antigen-specific immunotherapy significantly reduced both the incidence and severity of myocarditis, with the prevention of myocyte necrosis, mononuclear cell infiltration, and fibrosis. Myosin-specific delayed-type hypersensitivity and antibody production were ...
Visual observations of supersonic transverse jets

We present experimental results on penetration of round sonic and supersonic jets normal to a supersonic cross flow. It is found that penetration is strongly dependent on momentum ratio, weakly dependent on free-stream Mach number, and practically independent of jet Mach number, pressure ratio, and density ratio. The overall scaling of penetration is not very different from that established for subsonic jets. The flow is very unsteady, with propagating pressure waves seen emanating from the orifice of helium jets.
Dynamic stability of two rigid rotors connected by a flexible coupling with angular misalignment

Abstract The effect of misalignment on the stability of two rotors connected by a flexible mechanical coupling subjected to angular misalignment is examined. The study performed is to understand the effect of angular misalignment on the stability of rotating machinery. The dimensionless stability criteria of the non-linear system of differential equations of two misaligned rigid rotors are derived using Liapunov's direct method. A rigid disk is attached at the middle of each rotor, where the rotor–disk assembly is mounted on two hydrodynamic bearings with four stiffness and four damping coefficients. Sets of dimensionless conditions for sufficient whirl stability of the two misaligned rotors are derived. The stability conditions are presented in graphical form for deeper understanding of the effect of the flexible mechanical coupling stiffness and angular misalignment on rotating machinery stability. The results show that an increase in angular misalignment or mechanical coupling stiffness terms leads to an increase of the model stability region.
Editorial: Let's talk about Level IV: The bones of a good retrospective case series.

“A good retrospective case series.” An oxymoron? Not necessarily. The retrospective case series, or Level IV study, has always been, and remains today, the most common research design in our literature. When I first looked at this topic more than 10 years ago, nearly four in five orthopaedic studies were retrospective [3]. Although it is trendy in evidence-based medicine circles to turn one’s nose up at the humble case series, there is no avoiding them, and, in fact, a majority of the 100 most-commonly cited orthopaedic articles are Level IV studies [2]. As the Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research®, I would love to see the journal populated with randomized trials and meta-analyses. But I also know that —at least for the foreseeable future—I will see many Level IV studies for every randomized trial that crosses my desk. The retrospective reports that rise to the top likely will share several common elements.
Licensing a geologic repository: Types of uncertainties

This paper provides a summary of the regulatory background for the U.S. geologic repository program, describing the history of the congressional actions that established the program and the allocation of responsibilities within the program. The current status of actions by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to investigate a potential repository site, located at Yucca Mountain in Nye County, Nevada, is then reviewed. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has provided guidance to the DOE for characterizing potential repository sites, and the DOE's approach to implementing that guidance is described. One of the purposes of intensive characterization of a potential repository site is to reduce uncertainties about key aspects of the site that are relevant to protection of public health and safety. However, the link between measurable site characteristics and demonstrations of compliance with regulatory criteria promulgated by the responsible federal agencies are often complex. A discussion of types of uncertainties points out that the potential licensee (DOE) and the regulator (NRC) may have differing views of the nature and importance of uncertainties.
CHARACTERIZATION OF NEW SIMIAN FOAMY VIRUSES FROM AFRICAN NONHUMAN PRIMATES

Simian foamy viruses (SFV) are exogenous retroviruses present in most if not all nonhuman primate species. Baboons and other African monkey species are known to harbor SFVs, yet there is presently no data in regard to their genetic relationship. Here we studied SFVs from baboons as compared to other SFVs isolated from a Hamlyn's guenon, a patas monkey, and a vervet. By Western blot analysis, the gag precursor proteins (p74/p70) were detected from all SFVs. In addition, the envelope glycoproteins from a vervet isolate (SFV-Agm2) were comparable in size to the env precursor gp130, the exterior glycoprotein (gp70), and the transmembrane protein (gp48) as detected by lentil lectin binding and radioimmunoprecipitation (RIPA). Molecular comparison of PCR amplified products from pol and LTR regions of each SFV demonstrated a close relationship among baboon SFVs while SFVs from patas, Hamlyn's guenon, and vervet clustered together. The baboon viruses only varied by 4% among each other in the LTR region; however, as much as 26% variation was noted when compared to the other African monkey SFVs. To determine the prevalence rate of SFV-Bab in our baboon colony, we employed both Western blotting and PCR analysis. Antibodies to SFV gag precursor proteins were seen in 7 of 10 infants; however, none were positive by PCR, suggesting that these infants were virus negative and that their antibodies were maternal in origin. Only one juvenile (1/10) and all adults (38/38) were infected with SFV. Taken together these results suggest that SFVs have arisen and diverged along with the evolution of their natural hosts. Furthermore, the high prevalence rates to SFV seen in adult baboons strongly suggest a sexual or oral routes of transmission.
Bayesian inference for the correlation coefficient in two seemingly unrelated regressions

We study the problems of hypothesis testing and point estimation for the correlation coefficient between the disturbances in the system of two seemingly unrelated regression equations. An objective Bayesian solution to each problem is proposed based on combined use of the invariant loss function and the objective prior distribution for the unknown model parameters. It is shown that this new solution possesses an invariance property under monotonic reparameterization of the quantity of interest. The performance of the proposed solution is examined through a simulation study. Furthermore, the solution is illustrated by an application to the real annual data for analyzing the investment model.
Free Vibration and Tension Buckling of Circular Plates With Diametral Point Forces

The closed-form exact solution of the plane elasticity problem is used to provide the in-plane stress distribution for the vibration problem. A proper procedure using the Ritz method is developed for solving the latter problem for clamped, simply supported, or free boundary conditions. Compressive buckling loads for each symmetry class are determined as a special case as the frequencies decrease to zero with increasing compressive force
Discovery of the Asiatic Clam, Corbicula Fluminea, in Lake Michigan

Ten live specimens of the Asiatic clam, Corbicula fluminea (Muller) were collected 22 November 1983 in southeastern Lake Michigan offshore from the J. H. Campbell Power Plant. The site is 7.6 m deep with a substrate of coarse sand and gravel. This represents the second record of Corbicula from the Laurentian Great Lakes and the first from Lake Michigan.
Crop Rotation and Nitrogen Effects on Normalized Grain Yields in a Long-Term Study

Effects of year-to-year variability in agricultural production systems have always been a concern, but few studies are conducted for a long enough period of time where management system evaluations and assessments can be made. Given this limitation, questions about whether management systems are effective at reducing temporal variability remain in production agriculture. These questions prompted investigation of a long-term crop rotation study to determine effects of crop rotation and N fertilization practices in a rainfed environment on normalized grain yields. Sixteen years of grain yield data from an experiment with seven cropping systems (three monoculture, two 2-yr rotations, and two 4-yr rotations) and three N fertilizer rates are included in the study. Grain yields from 1983 through 1998 for each crop and N fertilizer treatment were normalized and then relative grain yield within a cropping system and N fertilizer treatment were combined, which resulted in relative yields for each cropping system and N fertilizer treatment combination in each year. Using the normalized yields, overall analyses of the 16 yr of data were conducted to assess what effects cropping systems and N fertilizer have on yield variability. These analyses demonstrated that crop rotation systems are more effective at reducing long-term yield variability than monoculture systems, even with N fertilizer. As expected, N fertility, obtained from either fertilizer or legumes in monoculture or rotation systems, is probably one of the most, if not the most important aspect in reducing yield variability. Analyses of normalized yields also demonstrated that reductions in yield variability could be obtained in many of our cropping systems with proper management.
Charter for families of young children with vision impairments

Abstract A study was undertaken with the purpose of exploring the day-to-day experiences of families bringing up young children with vision impairments and their experience of services intended to support them. Methods consisted of a self-completed questionnaire and in-depth interview. The research was undertaken in four areas of England: two cities with large ethnic populations and two largely rural areas, one in southeast England and one in the north. 102 parents of children aged 3 to 7 years with vision impairments participated in the study. From the questionnaires and interviews a charter for families of young children with vision impairments was developed. This was based on six underlying principles and consisted of 10 rights of parents and families.
Individuals with non-specific low back pain use a trunk stiffening strategy to maintain upright posture

Abstract There is increasing evidence that individuals with non-specific low back pain (LBP) have altered movement coordination. However, the relationship of this neuromotor impairment to recurrent pain episodes is unknown. To assess coordination while minimizing the confounding influences of pain we characterized automatic postural responses to multi-directional support surface translations in individuals with a history of LBP who were not in an active episode of their pain. Twenty subjects with and 21 subjects without non-specific LBP stood on a platform that was translated unexpectedly in 12 directions. Net joint torques of the ankles, knees, hips, and trunk in the frontal and sagittal planes as well as surface electromyographs of 12 lower leg and trunk muscles were compared across perturbation directions to determine if individuals with LBP responded using a trunk stiffening strategy. Individuals with LBP demonstrated reduced peak trunk torques, and enhanced activation of the trunk and ankle muscle responses following perturbations. These results suggest that individuals with LBP use a strategy of trunk stiffening achieved through co-activation of trunk musculature, aided by enhanced distal responses, to respond to unexpected support surface perturbations. Notably, these neuromotor alterations persisted between active pain periods and could represent either movement patterns that have developed in response to pain or could reflect underlying impairments that may contribute to recurrent episodes of LBP.
HLA-DQ6 transgenic mice resistance to experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis is linked to reduced acetylcholine receptor-specific IFN-γ, IL-2 and IL-10 production

To comprehend the reduced susceptibility of HLA-DQ6 transgenic mice in comparison with HLA-DQ8 mice, to experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG), we immunized them with acetylcholine receptor (AChR) and examined in vitro, the proliferative and cytokine responses to AChR. When immunized with AChR and examined for AChR-specific lymphocyte responses to AChR, EAMG-resistant DQ6 mice exhibited significantly reduced in vitro lymphoproliferative and cytokine responses to AChR, compared to DQ8 mice. The differences in susceptibility were not linked to a difference in peptide recognition by AChR-specific lymphocytes. AChR T cell epitope mapping showed that both DQ6 and DQ8 responded to the same epitopes, although to varying degrees. Resistance of DQ6 transgenic mice to EAMG was linked to a dramatic suppression of AChR-specific IFN-gamma, IL-2 and IL-10 productions by AChR-primed lymph node cells.
Overseeding Common Bermudagrass with Cool-Season Annuals to Increase Yield and Nitrogen and Phosphorus Uptake in a Hay Field Fertilized with Swine Effluent

Haying common bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] is commonly used to manage field-applied manure P in the southeastern USA but is limited to summer. This 3-yr study was done to examine effects of extending the haying season by spring haying of fall-over-seeded annuals. Berseem dover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.), crimson clover (T. incarnatum L.), annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.), and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were compared with a nonoverseeded control. Dry matter (DM) yield and N and P uptake were measured in spring and summer hay on a Prentiss sandy loam (coarseloamy, siliceous, thermic Glossic Fragiudults, Ultisols) with high soil P following 6 yr of swine (Sus scrofa domesticus) effluent fertilization. Fall-seeded plots were cut twice for spring hay and three times for summer hay. Spring hay of annual ryegrass (3.8-5.3 Mg ha - 1 yr - 1 ) yielded more DM than crimson clover (2.6-3.4 Mg ha - 1 yr - 1 ), wheat (2.5-3.3 Mg ha - 1 yr - 1 ), and the control (2.8-3.4 Mg ha - 1 yr - 1 ) every year but did not differ from berseem clover (3.1-4.6 Mg ha - 1 yr - 1 ) in 2 of 3 yr. Phosphorus uptake in spring hay of annual ryegrass and berseem clover (10-16 kg ha - 1 ) was higher than crimson clover (8-12 kg ha - 1 ), wheat (7-12 kg ha - 1 ), and the control (6-11 kg ha - 1 ). Nitrogen uptake in spring hay was higher in berseem dover (71-128 kg ha - 1 ) than other treatments (43-80 kg ha - 1 ), which did not differ. No differences occurred in summer hay (DM = 3.9-7.6 Mg ha - 1 , N = 72-191 kg ha - 1 , P = 13-21 kg ha - 1 ). Overseeding common bermudagrass with berseem clover or annual ryegrass can improve hay yield and P removal.
ENERGY EXPENDITURE, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND OBESITY IN CHILDREN

The average 5-year-old child consumes close to a half-million calories per year. Despite this huge energy intake, most healthy children are able to strike a remarkable balance between energy intake, energy expenditure, and energy storage for growth through precise homeostatic regulation. This regulation of energy metabolism is achieved over the long term despite large fluctuations in energy intake and energy expenditure within and between days. The accuracy and precision by which the body regulates energy metabolism is highlighted by the fact that even a small error in the system can have detrimental consequences over time. If energy intake exceeds energy needs by as little as 105 kJ per day, then over time, a person will become obese. The achievement of overall energy balance is driven by the first law of thermodynamics, which states that energy can neither be destroyed nor created. This principle necessitates that, when energy intake equals energy expenditure, body energy stores must remain constant. In children, this process is complicated by additional energy needs for growth. Obesity is the result of a mismatch between energy intake and energy needs, resulting in net accumulation of energy stores in the body and development of obesity. Whether obesity is caused by excess energy intake or a reduction in energy expenditure or physical activity is unclear, however. In this article, the influence of energy expenditure on the cause of obesity is reviewed.
Pulpal effects of water and air coolants used in high-speed cavity preparations

Results of a study to compare pulpal reactions from cavity preparations done with an air coolant and a water coolant support the contention that cavity preparation with an air coolant does not produce significant pulpal damage.
Granulosa Cell Tumor in a Farm-Reared Channel Catfish

Abstract Multiple white-to-tan, solid, nodular masses were present in the abdominal cavity of a subadult female farm-reared channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. The masses ranged in size from pinpoint to approximately 1 cm in diameter and were present on the ovaries, liver, spleen, posterior kidney, serosal surface of the intestine, and peritoneal adipose tissue. Histologically, the masses consisted of sheets and packets of large (approximately 12.5–10 × 10–7.5 μm) polyhedral cells with abundant foamy cytoplasm arranged in cords and short interweaving bundles and separated by fine fibrovascular tissue. The nuclei were small to medium in size, round, and pale, often having a distinct nucleolus and rare mitotic figures. The widespread ovarian involvement together with cytological and pattern features is most consistent but not definitive for a gonadal stromal cell tumor (granulosa cell tumor).
Electronic excited state transport and trapping in one-and two-demensional disordered systems

Abstract A theoretical study of incoherent transport and trapping of electronic excitations in disordered one-and two-dimensional systems is carried out. These systems contain randomly distributed donor and trap species. Transport is described by a master equation. The diagrammatic expansion of the Green function developed by Gochanour, Andersen and Fayer is applied to this problem, and experimentally observable transport properties are calculated. The calculation of the relative integrated trap emission is described, and the effect on this observable of changing the distance dependence of the intermolecular transfer rate is discussed. The model is shown to accurately describe the results of experiments by Kopelman and co-workers on singlet energy transport in mixed naphthalene crystals.