cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Human growth hormone and the temptations of biomedical enhancement

It is likely that humans have sought enhancements for themselves or their children for as long as they have recognised that improvements in individuals are a possibility. One genre of self-improvement in modern society can be called 'biomedical enhancements'. These include drugs, surgery and other medical interventions aimed at improving the mind, body or performance. This paper uses the case of human growth hormone (hGH) to examine the social nature of enhancements. Synthetic hGH was developed in 1985 by the pharmaceutical industry and was approved by the FDA for very specific uses, particularly treatment of growth hormone deficiency. However, it has also been promoted for a number of 'off label' uses, most of which can be deemed enhancements. Drugs approved for one treatment pave the way for use as enhancements for other problems. Claims have been made for hGH as a treatment for idiopathic shortness, as an anti-ageing agent and to improve athletic performance. Using the hGH case, we are able to distinguish three faces of biomedical enhancement: normalisation, repair and performance edge. Given deeply ingrained social and individual goals in American society, the temptations of biomedical enhancements provide inducement for individuals and groups to modify their situation. We examine the temptations of enhancement in terms of issues such as unnaturalness, fairness, risk and permanence, and shifting social meanings. In our conclusions, we outline the potentials and pitfalls of biomedical enhancement.
Sister chromatid exchange in murine alveolar macrophages, bone marrow, and regenerating liver cells induced by styrene inhalation

Abstract Exposure concentration-dependent increases in sister chromatid exchange frequencies were exhibited in simultaneously harvested alveolar macrophages, bone marrow, and regenerating liver cells of mice exposed to styrene concentrations of 104, 387, 591, and 922 ppm. Exposures were 6 hr/day for 4 days. The highest concentration was also employed for 1- and 2-day exposures. At the concentrations employed there were no significant differences in sister chromatid exchange frequencies among the different cell types studied or between hepatectomized mice and nonhepatectomized mice. However, hepatectomized mice were more sensitive than nonhepatectomized mice to the cellular toxicity of styrene.
High-Resolution Imagery: The Matching Of Optical And Resist Systems In The Mid-UV

The demands of the semiconductor industry for super high-pattern density with ever-reducing feature sizes, places requirements on semiconductor equipment manufacturers to produce lithographic tools of increasingly challenging specifications. Currently, the tool of choice for submicron production lithography is the 5X stepper system. The pressure to increase the performance of this type of system is causing lens manufacturers to evaluate optical systems that have higher Na values operating at shorter wavelengths than ever before. Different equipment manufacturers offer many combinations of x , Na, and image field size. They are all balancing these variables to produce a specification that their own lens fabricators have the manufacturing skills to build. This paper briefly discusses the design and testing of a lens, and the matching of the photoresist and its processing to the lens operating at I-line, in order to maintain and replicate the high-quality submicron image.
An advanced control method for saving energy in the tandem rolling of hot metal strip

The tandem rolling of hot metal strip is a complex industrial process that is quite energy intensive. In our recent work at the Universities of Pittsburgh and Central Florida we have investigated the application of a modern advanced control method to improve the quality of the process output, with the additional feature of a significant savings in energy. This paper describes our new control method based on the use of the state-dependent Riccati equation technique and how it has resulted in both an improvement in quality and a significant savings in energy. The advanced control method as discovered in our work and as described in this paper can also be applied to similar large industrial processes with similar energy savings.
Digital subtraction intravenous left ventricular angiography: comparison with conventional intraventricular angiography.

Standard contrast left ventriculography with catheter placement into the left ventricle entails risks and inconvenience. Computer-based digital subtraction techniques now permit high contrast left ventriculography after intravenous administration of contrast medium. To compare the accuracy of intravenous digital subtraction left ventriculography with film-based, standard contrast ventriculography, we assessed left ventricular function by both methods in 32 patients (8 with valvular disease, 22 with coronary disease and 2 with atypical pain). Studies in 31 of 32 patients were considered. Left ventricular ejection fraction by standard contrast ventriculography ranged from 24 to 88%. Digital subtraction angiography was performed with bolus injection of radiopaque contrast material (30 cc at 20 cc/s) into the inferior vena cava. The two methods correlated closely in end-diastolic volume (correlation coefficient [r] = 0.96, probability [p]
Sensory segments in preference for plain chocolate across Belgium and Poland

The aim of this study is to compare consumers' preference for plain chocolate in Belgium and Poland. The proposed model of affection-related chocolate choice (MARCC) takes into account three factors: affective dimension, culture and demographics. The affective dimension is a core of the current research and demographics are restricted to the target group. The influence of culture was investigated (Januszewska, Viaene & Verbeke, 2000. Market segmentation for chocolate in Belgium and Poland. Journal of Euromarketing, in press) and five personality segments were found. The relationship to these segments is shown throughout this paper. The research is based on an experimental design according to which a set of 13 plain chocolates was manufactured. The market survey was conducted in the north, the south and in the capitals of both countries. Respondents evaluated their preference towards plain chocolate, the perception of an ideal level of sensory attributes, the expected and the actual liking of the chocolate. The current, self-declared hunger and mood states were recorded. Behavioural measures included the frequency, the consumption amount, and the preferred chocolate varieties. Each respondent judged four chocolates among which there was a central point sample (CP). This sample represented the medium level of sugar and cocoa components among all experimental samples in four contexts. The chocolates were presented within four completely balanced blocks that were designed to keep the order of presentation under strict control. Data evaluation by descriptive (means, standard deviations, cross-tabulation), factor, cluster and discriminant analysis was implemented. Results are presented in five steps. First, the CP sample is most liked in all contexts independent of consumers' country of origin, gender or personal characteristics. Second, a clear separation of the overall liking from the sensory directionals is observed. Third, consumers are classified in four sensory segments. Fourth and fifth, these segments are analysed to reveal groups of respondents who emphasise different sensory attributes of plain chocolate. It may be concluded that the MARCC model helps to gain information about the sensory segments in relation to the personality of respondents.
Synthesis and characterization of lithium-ion conductive membranes with low water permeation

Three polymer systems were investigated in an attempt to produce lithium-ion conductive polymers that resist the absorption of water. All were synthesized via ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) to give a polynorbornene backbone, with each repeat unit bearing a pendent cyclotriphosphazene ring. Each pendent inorganic ring carried hydrophilic, ion conductive 2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy, and/or hydrophobic 2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy side groups. The three systems were (a) composite blends of two polymers with all hydrophobic and all lithium ion conductive side groups, (b) homopolymers in which each polymer repeating unit bore both hydrophobic and ion conductive side groups, or (c) copolymers derived from two monomers, one of which bore only hydrophobic side groups and the other with all ion conductive groups. Room-temperature (25 °C) ionic conductivities were measured by incorporating 7 mol % LiBF4 in each system. Hydrophobicity was estimated from water-contact angles of the polymeric materials with and ...
Thermal conductivity and spectral phonon properties of freestanding and supported silicene

We conduct molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the thermal conductivity of freestanding silicene and silicene supported on an amorphous silicon dioxide (SiO2) substrate in the temperature range from 300 to 900 K. The results show that the thermal conductivity decreases with increasing temperature and that the presence of the SiO2 substrate results in a great reduction, up to 78% at 300 K, to the thermal conductivity of silicene. With atomic trajectories from equilibrium MD simulations, we perform spectral energy density analysis to compute the thermal conductivities, spectral phonon relaxation times, and spectral phonon mean free paths (MFPs) of freestanding and supported silicene at 300 K. When silicene is put on a SiO2 substrate, the phonon relaxation times are decreased from 1–13 ps to less than 1 ps, and the phonon MFPs are reduced from 10–120 nm to 0–20 nm. We also calculate the thermal conductivity contributions from all phonon branches and find that the thermal conductivities of freestanding and supported silicene are mainly (>85%) contributed by the longitudinal and transverse acoustic phonons, while the out-of-plane acoustic phonons have a contribution less than 3%. Our study predicts the reduction of the thermal conductivity of silicene due to substrate effects and provides a fundamental understanding of the reduction in terms of the spectral phonon relaxation times and MFPs.
A Research and Development Decision Model Incorporating Utility Theory and Measurement of Social Values

In the research and development environment, the classical decision model, even though modified to include multiple objectives or attributes, fails in the following ways. 1) It uses linear attribute weighting functions. 2) It does not incorporate uncertainty distributions in estimates of total value and attribute attainment. 3) It does not facilitate group decision making. A computer-assisted decision model has been developed to utilize decision analysis information more effectively. A hypothetical analysis of advanced nuclear waste management alternatives illustrates its application. A simulation technique predicts the preferred decision based on estimates of attribute levels, utility functions, and an evaluation of the relative importance of the attributes.
The Northernmost Population of Podarcis muralis (Lacertilia, Lacertidae)

In a one year study we collected ecological data of the northernmost population of P. muralis in Maastricht (50° 51' N. Lat. in the Netherlands). This population consisted of about 100 adult lizards. It was probably definitely divided in two subpopulations situated close to each other which were subdivided into 5 and 2 colonies respectively, between which there was no or hardly any exchange. Sex ratio did not significantly differ from 1.0. Compared with the wall lizards of more southern populations they were found to be rather small and to grow more slowly. The age structure of the population was out of balance on account of the small numbers of some younger year classes. Only good, i.e. warmer years are likely to enable a reasonable reproduction success. The total period of activity does not differ from that in more southern regions but the reproduction period is clearly retarded and the incubation period of eggs is distinctly longer. The frequent partial reproduction failure is probably compensated by a rather high longevity, which, however, renders the population very sensitive to each factor that increases mortality. The animals have home ranges of 15-25 m 2 (no significant differences between sexes) and they have a considerable home range overlap. These home range sizes do not differ from those in more southern regions but the overlaps are much more frequent and therefore it can be concluded that there is a strong concentration on ecologically suitable and spatially very restricted spots. From a list of prey species based on faeces analysis P. muralis appears to be a non-selective feeder. On two adult specimens we found the acarine ectoparasite Ophionyssus lacertinus.
Stable therapeutic serum levels of human alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) after portal vein injection of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors.

Previous work from our group showed that recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors mediated long-term secretion of therapeutic serum levels of human alpha-1 antitrypsin (hAAT) after a single injection in murine muscle. We hypothesized that hepatocyte transduction could be even more efficient, since these cells represent the natural site of AAT production and secretion. To test this hypothesis, rAAV vectors containing the hAAT cDNA driven by either the human elongation factor 1 alpha promoter, the human cytomegalovirus immediate-early promoter (CMV), or the CMV-chicken beta actin hybrid (CB) promoter were injected into the portal or tail veins of adult C57Bl/6 mice. Potentially therapeutic serum levels of hAAT (600 microg/ml) were achieved after portal vein injection of doses of 4 x 10(9) infectious units (IU), a 10-fold lower dose than that required for similar levels of expression via the i.m. route. Serum levels greater than 1 mg/ml were achieved at doses of 3 x 10(10) IU. Southern blotting of liver DNA revealed the presence of circular episomal vector genomes. Immunostaining showed that transgene expression was scattered throughout the liver parenchyma. Similar results were obtained with a rAAV-CB-green fluorescent protein (GFP) vector. There was no evidence of hepatic toxicity. These data indicate that liver-directed rAAV-based gene therapy is effective in the murine model, and hence might be feasible for treatment of human AAT deficiency.
Consistency Conditions for Kaluza-Klein Anomalies

General consistency requirements on anomalies in $D=2n$ dimensions are derived with topological techniques. It is shown that for a non-Abelian gauge theory the group-theoretic piece of the anomaly is an overall multiplicative factor for any even $Dg~4$.
Erratum to: What is the Significance of the In Transit or Interval Sentinel Node in Melanoma?

Jonathan S. Zager, MD, Christopher A. Puleo, PA-C, and Vernon K. Sondak, MDDepartment of Cutaneous Oncology, Mofﬁtt Cancer Center, Tampa, FLERRATUM TO: ANN SURG ONCOL(2011) 18:3232–3234DOI 10.1245/S10434-011-1996-5In the original publication of this editorial, Fig. 1 wasnot correctly displayed. It is reprinted here correctly.
Adaptive constructive processes and the future of memory

Memory serves critical functions in everyday life but is also prone to error. This article examines adaptive constructive processes, which play a functional role in memory and cognition but can also produce distortions, errors, and illusions. The article describes several types of memory errors that are produced by adaptive constructive processes and focuses in particular on the process of imagining or simulating events that might occur in one's personal future. Simulating future events relies on many of the same cognitive and neural processes as remembering past events, which may help to explain why imagination and memory can be easily confused. The article considers both pitfalls and adaptive aspects of future event simulation in the context of research on planning, prediction, problem solving, mind-wandering, prospective and retrospective memory, coping and positivity bias, and the interconnected set of brain regions known as the default network.
Investigation into Methods to Improve Ion Source Life for Germanium Implantation

Germanium tetrafluoride has long been the standard dopant gas of choice for germanium implantation processes. While this material maintains several positive attributes (e.g., it is a nonflammable gas that is easily delivered to an ion source), its use can result in extremely short ion source lifetimes. This is especially the case for the situation when an ion implanter runs solely or predominantly GeF4. Presented here is an examination of various potential solutions to the short source life problem, some of which enable significant improvement.
Structure of gap junction intercellular channels

Abstract Gap junctions are formed by a multigene family of polytopic membrane channel proteins, connexins, that have four hydrophobic transmembrane domains and their N and C termini located on the cytoplasmic membrane face. The C-terminal tail plays important roles in channel regulation by pH and phosphorylation. Conserved cysteine residues stabilize the conformation of the extracellular loops that mediate the ‘docking’ between connexons in the intercellular channel. Over the past year, electron cryocrystallography of two-dimensional crystals of a truncated recombinant α 1 (C×43) has revealed that the transmembrane boundary of the intercellular channel is lined with α helices. Furthermore, a ring of α helices resides at the interface with the membrane lipids. A three-dimensional analysis based on images recorded from tilted crystals should reveal the location and secondary structure of additional transmembrane domains, as well as provide important structural details about the interactions between connexins within a hemi-channel and connexon—connexon interactions in the extracellular gap.
Calorie and Protein Intake in Acute Rehabilitation Inpatients with Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Versus Other Diagnoses

It is estimated that more than two-thirds of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) are obese.1 Persons with SCI have been shown to be at increased risk of prematurely developing coronary heart disease and possess a higher prevalence of altered glucose metabolism compared to age-matched controls.2–9 Additionally, obesity in this population is associated with increased likelihood of deep tissue injury10 and fatal pulmonary embolism,11 higher rehospitalization rates and pain scores,12 decreased lung volumes,13 and worse functional outcomes after rehabilitation.14 Given reports that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in long-term SCI when excluding deaths during the first year after injury,15 obesity in this population demands attention. Total daily energy expenditure is the sum of basal metabolic rate, thermic effect of food digestion, and thermic effect of physical activity. Due to muscle atrophy and the subsequent reduction in fat-free lean body mass, SCI leads to drastic reductions in basal metabolic rate and thermic effect of physical activity.1,2 This profoundly impacts energy balance and necessitates equivalent reductions in energy intake to prevent the accumulation of adipose tissue.1 Given that total daily energy expenditure after SCI is reduced by 12% to 54% depending on level of injury, fat-free lean mass, and activity level,1 coupled with the difficulties the SCI population faces with regard to physical activity participation,2 an appropriate diet is of paramount importance in these individuals. The acute phase after SCI is unlike most trauma in that it is associated with a reduction in metabolic activity and an uncorrectable negative nitrogen balance.16Additionally, it has been reported that predicted energy expenditure is greater than actual energy expenditure in the first weeks after SCI and, as a result of this discrepancy, acute SCI patients have historically been overfed.17 As a result, there has been a call to develop specific nutritional treatment protocols for persons with acute SCI.16 Given that the initial decrease in metabolic rate continues into the chronic spine injury phase, there has also been a call to develop nutritional guidelines specific to subacute and chronic SCI.18 There is a paucity of data with regard to dietary intake among individuals with SCI in the rehabilitation setting. This study attempts to characterize calorie and protein intake in patients with SCI in the acute inpatient rehabilitation setting and compare the intake of patients with SCI to other diagnoses commonly found in this setting. Understanding the dietary behavior of persons with SCI in the context of their immediate and chronic energy balance abnormalities and their long-term risk of obesity may lead to alterations in nutritional education provided to patients with new SCI undergoing rehabilitation. Additionally, comparing SCI intake to other diagnoses may serve to identify excessive dietary intake as a modifiable, SCI-specific medical problem.
Size and structure of the Mycoplasma hominis H39 chromosome.

A modification of the protein-film technique ( Kleinschmidt & Zahn, 1959 ) has been developed which permits a clear and unambiguous display of the entire chromosome of Mycoplasma hominis H39. Using the original technique and this modification, we have demonstrated that: (1) the cell contains one chromosome; (2) the chromosome is an unbranched, circular, double-stranded DNA molecule; and (3) the structure of the replicating chromosome is the same as that of Escherichia coli .
Interpretation of the optical properties of Nb

The interband optical conductivity of Nb was calculated from aself-consistent relativistic band structure. For the optical conductivity, themajor relativistic effect is the lowering of the /ital s/-like bands relative tothe /ital d/-like bands, not spin-orbit splitting. /ital k/-space searchesidentified the regions of the Brillouin zone contributing to the principalstructures of the optical conductivity. The regions were found to be largevolumes of the zone that did not include symmetry points or lines. Along withprevious results for Mo, the good agreement between theory and experimentsuggests that the effects of the omitted self-energy are small for these twobcc metals.
Measured lifetimes of the 8.4, 118 and 139 keV nuclear levels in 169Tm and of the 396 keV level in 175Lu

Abstract The half-lives of the 8.4, 118 and 139 keV levels in 169Tm were measured using fast coincidence techniques in conjunction with two magnetic intermediate-image beta-ray spectrometers placed back-to-back. Major emphasis was placed upon determining the lifetime of the 8.4 keV level. Both 169Er and 169Yb decays were used in measuring the half-life of this level, and acceleration voltages up to −27 kV were applied to the radioactive sources. The half-life of the 8.4 keV level was found to be 4.13±0.12 nsec. The half-lives of the 118 and 139 keV levels in 169Tm were measured using the 169Yb decay and were found to be 63±7 psec and 289±24 psec, respectively, in agreement with previous measurements. From the experimental lifetimes of the first three excited levels in the 169Tm ground-state rotational band, the parameters ∣G0∣ and b0, as defined by Nilsson, were evaluated to be ∣G0∣ = 1.90 ± 0.16 and b0 = −(0.17 ± 0.04). These results are in good agreement with the values given for these parameters from other experiments. The half-life of the 396 keV level in 175Lu was also measured as a check on the experimental equipment and method and was found to be 3.31 ± 0.10 nsec, which is in good agreement with other reported values.
Endogenous categorization in insurance

This paper analyzes the welfare properties of equilibrium when insurers use observable actions to classify consumers into different risk categories, and consumers' choice is influenced by the insurance market consequences of their actions. Specifically, we analyze this problem at the example of a car insurance market, in which individual preferences over car types are correlated with risk type and used by insurance firms for ratemaking. Equilibrium premiums for each car are determined by the losses that it generates. Consumers take insurance premiums into account when deciding which car to buy. This creates an incentive to buy the car that is preferred by more low risk individuals. From a utilitarian point of view, this incentive is excessive. Depending on parameters, it may even be possible to construct a tax-subsidy scheme with balanced budget that Pareto improves on the market equilibrium.
A bivariate C2 Clough-Tocher scheme

A Clough-Tocher like interpolation scheme is described for values of position, gradient and hessian at scattered points in two variables. The domain is assumed to have been triangulated. The interpolant has local support, is globally twice differentiable, piecewise polynomial, and reproduces polynomials of degree up to three exactly.
New Ideas Emerge When Collaboration Occurs

This paper provides some examples demonstrating the value for industry of funding and working with artists on research projects. It discusses how art research and industry can mutually benefit from working together at the research and development level. While artistic practice has long been recognized for its innovation and creativity, the potential of artistic research and the collaborative nature of artistic practice are currently underutilized by hightech industry.
Communication: Helium nanodroplet isolation and rovibrational spectroscopy of hydroxymethylene

Hydroxymethylene (HCOH) and its d1-isotopologue (HCOD) are isolated in low temperature helium nanodroplets following pyrolysis of glyoxylic acid. Transitions identified in the infrared spectrum are assigned exclusively to the trans-conformation based on previously reported anharmonic frequency computations [P. R. Schreiner, H. P. Reisenauer, F. C. Pickard, A. C. Simmonett, W. D. Allen, E. Matyus, and A. G. Csaszar, Nature 453, 906 (2008); L. Koziol, Y. M. Wang, B. J. Braams, J. M. Bowman, and A. I. Krylov, J. Chem. Phys. 128, 204310 (2008)]. For the OH(D) and CH stretches, a- and b-type transitions are observed, and when taken in conjunction with CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ computations, lower limits to the vibrational band origins are determined. The relative intensities of the a- and b-type transitions provide the orientation of the transition dipole moment in the inertial frame. The He nanodroplet data are in excellent agreement with anharmonic frequency computations reported here and elsewhere, confirming an appreciable Ar-matrix shift of the OH and OD stretches and strong anharmonic resonance interactions in the high-frequency stretch regions of the mid-infrared.
Cognitive and Perceptual Functions of the Visual Thalamus

The thalamus is classically viewed as passively relaying information to the cortex. However, there is growing evidence that the thalamus actively regulates information transmission to the cortex and between cortical areas using a variety of mechanisms, including the modulation of response magnitude, firing mode, and synchrony of neurons according to behavioral demands. We discuss how the visual thalamus contributes to attention, awareness, and visually guided actions, to present a general role for the thalamus in perception and cognition.
A palladium-catalyzed route to mono- and diprotected cis-2-cyclopentene-1,4-diols

The π-allylpalladium complex arising from cyclopentadiene monoepoxide has been shown to react with carboxylic acids and derivatives both as a nucleophile and an electrophile. This reaction represents an attractive synthetic route to protected versions of cis-2-cyclopentene-1,4-diol.
Maintenance of the hydrophobic face of the diphtheria toxin amphipathic transmembrane helix 1 is essential for the efficient delivery of the catalytic domain to the cytosol of target cells

The transmembrane (T) domain of diphtheria toxin (DT) comprises nine alpha-helices and has been shown to play an essential role in the efficient delivery of the catalytic (C) domain of DT across the eukaryotic cell membrane and into the cytosol. We have demonstrated recently that the first three amphipathic helixes of the T domain, although not necessary for either channel formation or receptor binding, are required for the efficient transmembrane delivery of the C domain. In the present study, we have performed a detailed structure-function analysis of T domain helix 1 (TH1) of the DT-related fusion protein DAB389IL-2. We performed exchange and site-directed mutagenesis of TH1 and the resulting mutant fusion toxins were analyzed by gel electrophoresis and tested for their efficiencies in the delivery of the C domain to the cell cytosol. We demonstrate that the overall charge distribution and hydrophobicity of amino acids in the amphipathic helix TH1, rather than a specific amino acid sequence, are critical for the function of this helix. The insertion of a charged residue in the hydrophobic face of TH1 abolishes cytotoxic activity, whereas replacement of a hydrophobic residue by a charged amino acid in the hydrophilic face of the helix has little, if any, effect on cytotoxic activity. In addition, we have identified Ser220 by site-directed mutagenesis as a residue that appears to be critical for correct folding of the fusion toxin. Mutations in this position result in fusion proteins that are extremely sensitive to proteolytic attack.
Prior agreement: arbitration or arbitrary?

Contemporary systematists are deeply divided on the issue of combining or par? titioning data sets in phylogenetic analyses (Mickevich and Farris, 1981; Miyamoto, 1985; Bull et al., 1993; Chippindale and Wiens, 1994; Huelsenbeck et al., 1994; de Queiroz et al., 1995; Allard and Carpenter, 1996; Ballard, 1996; Huelsenbeck et al., 1996a, 1996b). Intermediate between these positions is the prior agreement (Chippin? dale and Wiens, 1994) approach, in which one examines properties of the data a priori with the aim of making some deter? mination of data combinability (Bull et al., 1993; Huelsenbeck et al., 1994; Huelsen? beck et al., 1996a, 1996b), i.e., sometimes combine, sometimes do not combine. Mo? tivations for adopting one framework or the other stem from philosophical posi? tions that are as deeply held as are the points of view on combining or compart? mentalizing (Kluge, 1989; Kluge and Wolf, 1993; Miyamoto and Fitch, 1995). For ex? ample, if one is to accept maximum likeli? hood as an appropriate methodology for estimating phylogenetic trees it is not clear to me what form of reasoning could justify the combined analysis of morphological and molecular data together under an HKY85 model. Thus, if the "HKY85+r5 model [is] the best fitting model" (Huel? senbeck, 1997:72) for nucleotide changes, it cannot also be a realistic probabilistic model for the evolution of a femur. Nor, however, should one cast all morphological data to oblivion (although some do take this extreme position; Hedges and Maxson, 1996). Similarly, if one is to take par? simony as the appropriate methodology for inferring phylogenetic trees and accept falsification and explanatory power (Farris, 1983, 1986; Mickevich and Platnick, 1989; Frost and Kluge, 1994) as its logical un? derpinnings, keeping data sets separate is anathema to explaining all of the data. Al? though Huelsenbeck et al. (1994:288) sug? gested that prior agreement represents a "philosophical framework for the treat? ment of potentially diverse data/' they did not indicate what their philosophical un? derpinnings were. To the contrary, prior agreement is merely a methodological framework and is arbitrary in its applica? tion.
Two Mutations in a Maize Bronze-1 Allele Caused by Transposable Elements of the Ac-Ds Family Alter the Quantity and Quality of the Gene Product

The Dissociation (Ds) mutant, Bz-wm, of the maize bronze-1 (bz) locus conditions a leaky phenotype. Plants carrying this mutant allele synthesize a low amount of an altered Bz gene product, which leads to reduced anthocyanin pigmentation in the seed. The molecular analysis reported here shows that the Bz-wm mutant has a 406-bp Ds1 insertion located 63 bp 5' to the start of Bz transcription. Furthermore, the Bz-wm allele contains three additional base pairs within the second exon, relative to the wild-type Bz allele. These additional nucleotides are believed to be derived from the 8-bp target site duplication created by an Activator (Ac) element in a previous allele in the series. The biochemical and molecular analyses of Bz-wm and revertants of Bz-wm indicate that the three additional nucleotides are responsible for the altered enzyme stability, while the Ds1 element affects the steady-state level of Bz-specific protein and RNA. Since the two mutations present in the Bz-wm mutant were each caused by the action of the Ac-Ds transposable element system, these results provide new insights into the ways that transposable elements can modify maize gene expression.
On the resolution of shallow mantle viscosity structure using postearthquake relaxation data: Application to the 1999 Hector Mine, California, earthquake

[1] Most models of lower crust/mantle viscosity inferred from postearthquake relaxation assume one or two uniform‐viscosity layers. A few existing models possess apparently significant radially variable viscosity structure in the shallow mantle (e.g., the upper 200 km), but the resolution of such variations is not clear. We use a geophysical inverse procedure to address the resolving power of inferred shallow mantle viscosity structure using postearthquake relaxation data. We apply this methodology to 9 years of GPS‐constrained crustal motions after the 16 October 1999 M = 7.1 Hector Mine earthquake. After application of a differencing method to isolate the postearthquake signal from the “background” crustal velocity field, we find that surface velocities diminish from ∼20 mm/yr in the first few months to ⪅2 mm/yr after 2 years. Viscoelastic relaxation of the mantle, with a time‐dependent effective viscosity prescribed by a Burgers body, provides a good explanation for the postseismic crustal deformation, capturing both the spatial and temporal pattern. In the context of the Burgers body model (which involves a transient viscosity and steady state viscosity), a resolution analysis based on the singular value decomposition reveals that at most, two constraints on depth‐dependent steady state mantle viscosity are provided by the present data set. Uppermost mantle viscosity (depth ⪅ 60 km) is moderately resolved, but deeper viscosity structure is poorly resolved. The simplest model that explains the data better than that of uniform steady state mantle viscosity involves a linear gradient in logarithmic viscosity with depth, with a small increase from the Moho to 220 km depth. However, the viscosity increase is not statistically significant. This suggests that the depth‐dependent steady state viscosity is not resolvably different from uniformity in the uppermost mantle.
Vouchers, magnet schools, charter schools, and options: analyzing the effects of school and housing choices on mode choice to school

The topic of safe routes to school has been researched since the 1970s, and safe routes to school have been a goal of government programs since 1997. Despite the improvements made because of these efforts, the share of students walking and biking continues to decline. Identified barriers include parents' concerns about safety, the environment, time, and external factors such as traffic, weather, and distance. This research suggests that planners have overlooked two important factors influencing distance: education movements since the 1950s for greater school choice and affordable housing policies. Beyond desegregation, the creation of magnet schools, vouchers, academies, charter schools, and other school options has resulted in growing shares of urban students traveling long distances to school. In Oakland, California, only 49% of students attend school in the neighborhood where they live, and another 10,228 attend 34 charter schools with countywide enrollment. U. S. housing policies have also changed. Construction of public housing has ceased, save for the construction of replacement units. Housing voucher programs are oversubscribed, and individuals with vouchers often change neighborhoods or cities to find a unit. Foreclosures, high prices, and low vacancy rates in cities have also limited housing availability. School and housing policies combined have eroded the economic location theory, in which families balance housing and transportation costs to be near work and good schools. The study uses surveys, time use diaries, and interviews with 70 Oakland parents or caregivers. Results identify the complex choices that affect school travel and offer potential ways for transport, land use, and education planners to coordinate active travel to school.
LinBox and future high performance computer algebra

Computer chip design is entering an era in which further increases in computational power will come by increased on-chip parallelism through multi-core architectures rather than by increasing clock speed. If high performance computer algebra tools are to be offered, they must keep pace with this reality. LinBox is a library for exact linear algebra computation with integer matrices and matrices over finite fields. We discuss how LinBox design can be adapted for distributed and multi-core computation.
Recent progress of submicron CMOS using 6H-SiC for smart power applications

Silicon carbide (SiC) CMOS circuits have been developed recently to provide monolithic control for SiC MOS power switching devices. Although SiC CMOS is not well suited for high-end microprocessor applications, it must provide the necessary response time performance required for safe operation in high-voltage power switching applications. Despite previous developments in SiC CMOS process technology; which have enabled digital circuit operation using a 5 V power supply, circuit switching speeds were in the microsecond range. An obvious way to improve circuit performance is to scale device lateral and vertical dimensions. This paper describes recent progress in the development of a submicron, single metal, p-well CMBS process technology using 6H-SiC. Conventional NMOS transistors are fabricated with 0.5-mm (drawn) channel lengths and exhibit acceptable short-channel effects. Conventional PMOS transistors exhibit punchthrough at 0.8-mm channel lengths and require considerable channel engineering efforts which are also presented. Several digital logic gates and a ring oscillator have been fabricated with nanosecond gate switching performance. Performance limiting factors like parasitic series resistance is also investigated.
Associations of Housing Mobility Interventions for Children in High-Poverty Neighborhoods With Subsequent Mental Disorders During Adolescence

Importance Youth in high-poverty neighborhoods have high rates of emotional problems. Understanding neighborhood influences on mental health is crucial for designing neighborhood-level interventions. Objective To perform an exploratory analysis of associations between housing mobility interventions for children in high-poverty neighborhoods and subsequent mental disorders during adolescence. Design, Setting, and Participants The Moving to Opportunity Demonstration from 1994 to 1998 randomized 4604 volunteer public housing families with 3689 children in high-poverty neighborhoods into 1 of 2 housing mobility intervention groups (a low-poverty voucher group vs a traditional voucher group) or a control group. The low-poverty voucher group (n=1430) received vouchers to move to low-poverty neighborhoods with enhanced mobility counseling. The traditional voucher group (n=1081) received geographically unrestricted vouchers. Controls (n=1178) received no intervention. Follow-up evaluation was performed 10 to 15 years later (June 2008-April 2010) with participants aged 13 to 19 years (0-8 years at randomization). Response rates were 86.9% to 92.9%. Main Outcomes and Measures Presence of mental disorders from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition) within the past 12 months, including major depressive disorder, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), oppositional-defiant disorder, intermittent explosive disorder, and conduct disorder, as assessed post hoc with a validated diagnostic interview. Results Of the 3689 adolescents randomized, 2872 were interviewed (1407 boys and 1465 girls). Compared with the control group, boys in the low-poverty voucher group had significantly increased rates of major depression (7.1% vs 3.5%; odds ratio (OR), 2.2 [95% CI, 1.2-3.9]), PTSD (6.2% vs 1.9%; OR, 3.4 [95% CI, 1.6-7.4]), and conduct disorder (6.4% vs 2.1%; OR, 3.1 [95% CI, 1.7-5.8]). Boys in the traditional voucher group had increased rates of PTSD compared with the control group (4.9% vs 1.9%, OR, 2.7 [95% CI, 1.2-5.8]). However, compared with the control group, girls in the traditional voucher group had a decreased rate of conduct disorder (0.3% vs 2.9%; OR, 0.1 [95% CI, 0.0-0.4]). Conclusions and Relevance Interventions to encourage moving out of high-poverty neighborhoods were associated with increased rates of depression, PTSD, and conduct disorder among boys and a reduced rate of conduct disorder among girls. Better understanding of interactions among individual, family, and neighborhood risk factors is needed to guide future public housing policy changes.
Political Processes and Public Expenditures: A Re-examination Based on Theories of Representative Government.

Beginning with Dawson and Robinson, several investigators have attempted to predict local government expenditures from political process variables such as party in power, level of citizen participation, party structure (reformed/unreformed), governor's power, and level of interparty competition. In a large majority of these studies, these variables have not consistently predicted expenditure levels after socioeconomic attributes have been controlled.2 Our purposes in this article are
Resident-Centered Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intent Among Direct Care Workers in Assisted Living: A Mixed-Methods Study

Long-term care in the United States has been plagued with high turnover among direct care workers (DCWs). Previous qualitative and descriptive studies have suggested that resident-centered job sati...
Characterization of a Myxococcus xanthus mutant that is defective for adventurous motility and social motility

Myxococcus xanthus is a gliding bacterium that possesses two motility systems, the adventurous (A-motility) and social (S-motility) systems. A-motility is used for individual cell gliding, while S-motility is used for gliding in multicellular groups. Video microscopy studies showed that nla24 cells are non-motile on agar surfaces, suggesting that the nla24 gene product is absolutely required for both A-motility and S-motility under these assay conditions. S-motility requires functional type IV pili, wild-type LPS O-antigen, and an extracellular matrix of exopolysaccharide (EPS) and protein called fibrils. The results of expression studies and tethering assays indicate that the nla24 mutant has functional type IV pili. The nla24 mutant also produces wild-type LPS. However, several lines of evidence suggest that the nla24 mutant is defective for production of the EPS portion of the fibril matrix. The nla24 mutant is also defective for transcription of two genes (aglU and cglB) known to be required for A-motility, which is consistent with the idea that nla24 cells are defective for A-motility. Based on these findings, it is proposed that the putative transcriptional activator Nla24 regulates a subset of genes that are important for A-motility and S-motility in M. xanthus.
Reorganization in Three Cities Explaining the Disparity between Intended Actions and Unanticipated Consequences

The author compares urban reorganization over a period of three decades in New York, Paris, and London, asking why reorganization produces unanticipated consequences, how the process of reorganization can be understood, and, using cities as a type of organization, what can be learned about their behavior in comparative context. A model is presented that identifies the process and values of reorganization. This model illustrates that conflicting values often account for unanticipated consequences, that efforts to reconcile these values sometimes yield worsening (undermining) effects, and that changes in organizational structure can be a powerful tool in shaping priorities.
How to apply the anthropological technique of participant observation to knowledge acquisition for expert systems

The author describes and illustrates how the anthropological method of participant observation can be used in manual knowledge acquisition to: (1) familiarize the knowledge engineer with the domain prior to interviews of the experts and users; (2) obtain information about the experts' or users' unconscious behavior; (3) learn the experts' or users' views of themselves and their actions; (4) investigate the social processes by which expertise is developed and supported; and (5) aid the knowledge engineer's construction of personal models of the events and objects in the domain. Participant observation is compared to similar, more commonly used knowledge acquisition techniques, such as apprenticeship learning. Suggestions are given on how to use participant observation within knowledge engineering projects. >
Successful unintentional ABO-incompatible renal transplantation: Blood group A1B donor into an A2B recipient.

Objectives To report a successful unintentional transplantation of a deceased donor kidney from an “incompatible” A1B donor into a recipient who was blood group A2B with unsuspected preformed anti-A1 antibodies. Methods The donor and recipient were both typed for ABO antigens. The recipient was tested for ABO and non-ABO antibodies. The recipient was typed for HLA class I and class II antigens, including HLA antibody screen. The T-and B-flow cytometry crossmatch test was performed using standard protocol. Results The donor-recipient pair was a complete six-antigen human leukocyte antigen mismatch, but final T- and B-flow cytometry cross-match tests were compatible. The recipient was a 65-year-old woman with a medical history of end-stage renal disease secondary to diabetic nephropathy who underwent kidney transplantation from a 46-year-old brain-dead standard criteria donor. The recipient’s RBCs were negative with A1 lectin, and the recipient was thus typed as an A2 subgroup. Anti-A1 could be demonstrated in the recipient’s plasma. The donor’s RBCs were positive with A1 lectin, thereby conferring an A1 blood type. Conclusions It is safe to transplant across the A1/A2 blood group barrier provided that the preformed antibodies are not reactive at 37°C and with anti–human globulin.
Phase-Transition Based Transduction in a Biosensor

Shifts in the main phase transition temperatures caused by a highly specific, protein-receptor interaction in a hybrid bilayer architecture are probed utilizing temperature programmed infrared vibrational spectroscopy. The specific case of cholera toxin attachment to glycolipid receptors embedded in a phospholipid outer layer at a hydrophobized silicon surface is investigated. Potential applications of the approach as a signal amplification method in biosensors will be discussed.
Prior Knowledge and Its Relevance to Student Achievement in Introduction to Psychology

Educational psychologists find that prior knowledge influences new learning. We examined whether course achievement for introductory psychology students is facilitated or impaired by their prior knowledge of psychology. We administered a pretest exam to 422 students early in the semester and gathered subsequent exam scores and other measures of student achievement. Students generally performed poorly on the pretest, as expected, but regressions revealed that pretest scores were uniquely positive, significant predictors of student achievement with other influences on achievement (e.g., homework, attendance) controlled. Further analyses suggested that prior knowledge is a significant resource that faculty can enlist in their instruction.