cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Economic Development without Pre-Requisites: How Bolivian Producers Met Strict Food Safety Standards and Dominated the Global Brazil-Nut Market

Summary Brazilian firms used to dominate the brazil nut (BN) market to such an extent that the product still carries the country’s name. In a surprising twist, 77% of all BNs are now processed and exported by Bolivia, a country with far fewer resources than its neighbor. This paper analyzes the impact of EU regulations on the global BN market. It finds that Bolivian producers prevailed because they joined forces to revamp their manufacturing practices and meet EU sanitary standards despite continued mutual mistrust. In contrast, Brazilian producers have been unable to work cooperatively and lost access to the European market entirely.
COVID-19 convalescent plasma donor characteristics, product disposition, and comparison with standard apheresis donors.

Background With coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) convalescent plasma (CCP) offering an early treatment option for COVID-19, blood collectors needed to quickly overcome obstacles to recruiting and qualifying eligible donors. We provide attributes of CCP donors and products and compare to standard donors and products. Study design and methods Information on CCP donors was gathered from the American Red Cross qualification website through product collection. Data from 2019 for standard plasma/platelet apheresis (SA) and whole blood (WB) donor demographics and SA donations including product disposition and reactions were used for comparison. Results Of almost 59 000 donors registering on the website, 75% reported an existing COVID-19 diagnostic polymerase chain reaction or an antibody test. The majority (56.2%) of 10 231 CCP donors were first-time donors in contrast to SA or WB donor populations, which were only 3.0% and 30.6%, respectively, first-time donors. The number of female donors was 12% higher than SA donors. Older (≥ 65 years) and younger (16-19 years) were comparatively underrepresented in CCP donors. Deferral (10.2%) and Quantity Not Sufficient rates (6.4%) for presenting CCP donations were higher than SA (8.2% and 1.1%, respectively). Human leukocyte antigen antibody reactivity was the highest cause of product loss for CCP donations vs SA donations (9.6% vs 1.3%). Acute adverse events also occurred at a higher rate among both first-time and repeat CCP donations compared to SA. Conclusions CCP donors were more likely to be first-time and female donors than WB or SA donors. CCP donations had a higher rate of donor adverse reactions, deferrals, and product loss than SA donations.
Venous thromboembolism incidence and risk factors in adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated with and without pegylated E. coli asparaginase-containing regimens

Asparaginases, key agents in treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), are associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE). While risks of short-acting asparaginase-related VTE is well-known, we studied VTE incidence and risk factors in adult ALL patients treated with and without long-acting pegylated asparaginase (PegA). Single-center, retrospective analysis of 89 ALL patients treated with (n = 61) or without (n = 28) PegA at Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. Reviewed patient and disease characteristics, treatment, and VTE incidence. VTE during treatment occurred in 31 patients (35%), and was associated with PegA (p = 0.001) and Philadelphia chromosome negativity (p = 0.002). Among PegA recipients, VTE was associated with a significantly higher mean body mass index (BMI) of 31.3 kg/m2 (p = 0.037), and was more common with pre-T/T cell compared to pre-B/B cell ALL (68.2% vs. 33.3%, p = 0.009). Antithrombin-III (ATIII) levels were measured for 26 patients; 16 (61.5%) were < 50%. Of those, 8 (50%) experienced VTE, while 3 of 10 (30%) patients with ATIII levels ≥ 50% experienced VTE. VTE occurred in 7 of 13 (54%) of patients who received ATIII repletion. There was a trend toward a higher incidence of VTE in the PegA group among patients with non-O compared to O blood type (55.9% vs. 33.3%, p = 0.079) as well as those with a higher hemoglobin at diagnosis (9.3 vs 8.1 g/dL, p = 0.056). This study confirms PegA as a risk factor for VTE in patients with ALL. Risk factors among those receiving PegA include higher BMI and pre-T/T cell ALL. ATIII repletion was not shown to be protective against VTE. There was a higher incidence of VTE in patients who received PegA with non-O compared to O blood type, but the precise correlation is uncertain.
Black Youth: Self-making, Creativity and the Assertion of Hybrid Black Identities

Development during adolescence and early adulthood is profoundly exhilarating and transformative, especially given emerging physical, emotional and intellectually capabilities. Psychoanalytic theor...
Real-time optimization of an ellipsoidal trajectory orientation using muscle effort with Extremum Seeking Control.

Abstract We present an approach for real-time model-free optimization of the orientation of the elliptical trajectory. The performance is evaluated in simulation and experimental stages. Our model-free approach is based on the use of Extremum Seeking Control (ESC) as the real-time optimizer. The experimental stage is performed using a 4 degrees-of-freedom robot and its impedance control system to create advanced exercise protocols whereby the user is asked to follow a path against the machine’s neutral path and resistance. Another model-free approach based on the use of the global optimizer Biogeography-based optimization (BBO) was previously reported for simulation results. This last framework has a good performance as a result of exhaustive searches but with a high computational cost limiting its use on real-time experiments. The performance of the ESC approach was validated by comparing the results with those of BBO using five different arm models representing real human arms. In the real-time experiments, muscle activations representing the participation of each muscle in the training activity were measured with electromyography sensors (EMG) and real-time processed from raw signals. The muscle objective can be professionally selected by a therapist to emphasize or de-emphasize certain muscle groups. The robot establishes a zero-effort circular path, and the subject is asked to follow an elliptical trajectory. The control system produces a user-defined stiffness between the deviations from the neutral path and the force/torque applied by the subject. The results show that the framework was able to successfully find the optimal ellipsoidal orientation converging to similar solutions in short period trials of 50 s.
A Guide for Poets: Debating the First Poet of Classical Telugu Literature

Kavijanāśrayamu, or A Guide for Poets, is the oldest extant text on prosody written in Telugu. For centuries, poets and scholars have debated the authorship, date and geographical location of this ...
Velocity Distribution in Electron Streams

Publisher Summary his chapter examines the velocity distribution in electron streams. The method of approach adopted is based exclusively on the powerful concept of electron density in a six-dimensional space composed of configuration and momentum spaces joined together. It is found that when the collisions or in the case of electrons, the short-range interactions are neglected and the flow in the six dimensional phase space becomes continuous. The change in the shape of electron trajectories with time is now represented by the corresponding variations in the density function. The electrons with zero velocity can play a prominent role in the composition of the velocity distribution function, the function often having a maximum at the origin, however they contribute nothing to the current density function. It is found that in symmetrical distributions, due to the cancellation of contributions from equal but oppositely directed velocities, the total current density at a given point may be zero in spite of a very large local electron density. The electron density at the surface of a plane emitter is also elaborated.
Keats, Daphne M

Daphne M. Keats, born December 17, 1925, has been a long-time contributor to cross-cultural psychology. Her scholarly contributions as well as her organizational activities have been impressive. For instance, in the early days of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology (IACCP) she was a tireless worker in revising the first major IACCP constitution. For all that she has done, in 1996 the association bestowed upon her the title of Honorary Fellow. Daphne earned both her Ph.D. and M. Ed. from the University of Queensland and her B.A. from the University of Sydney. Since 1970 her career was centered in the School of Psychology at the University of Newcastle, where she currently holds the position of Conjoint Professor of Psychology. She is a life member and Fellow of the Australian Psychology Society, and was APS President in 1985–1986. Keywords: cross-cultural psychology; health management; mental health
NO-Donating NSAIDs, PPARδ, and Cancer: Does PPARδ Contribute to Colon Carcinogenesis?

The chemopreventive NO-donating NSAIDs (NO-NSAIDs; NSAIDs with an NO-releasing moiety) modulate PPARδ and offer the opportunity to revisit the controversial role of PPARδ in carcinogenesis (several papers report that PPARδ either promotes or inhibits cancer). This review summarizes the pharmacology of NO-NSAIDs, PPARδ cancer biology, and the relationship between the two. In particular, a study of the chemopreventive effect of two isomers of NO-aspirin on intestinal neoplasia in Min mice showed that, compared to wild-type controls, PPARδ is overexpressed in the intestinal mucosa of Min mice; PPARδ responds to m- and p-NO-ASA proportionally to their antitumor effect (p- > m-). This effect is accompanied by the induction of epithelial cell death, which correlates with the antineoplastic effect of NO-aspirin; and NO-aspirin's effect on PPARδ is specific (no changes in PPARα or PPARγ). Although these data support the notion that PPARδ promotes intestinal carcinogenesis and its inhibition could be therapeutically useful, more work is needed before a firm conclusion is reached.
Molecular Diagnosis of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked inherited neuromuscular disorder caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene (DMD; locus Xp21.2). The mutation spectrum of DMD is unique in that 65% of causative mutations are intragenic deletions, with intragenic duplications and point mutations (along with other sequence variants) accounting for 6% to 10% and 30% to 35%, respectively. The strategy for molecular diagnostic testing for DMD involves initial screening for deletions/duplications using microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) followed by full-sequence analysis of DMD for sequence variants. Recently, next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based targeted gene analysis has become clinically available for detection of point mutations and other sequence variants (small insertions, deletions, and indels). This unit initially discusses the strategic algorithm for establishing a molecular diagnosis of DMD and later provides detailed protocols of current molecular diagnostic methods for DMD, including array-CGH, PCR-based Sanger sequencing, and NGS-based sequencing assay.
The effect of type of aftercare follow-up on treatment outcome among alcoholics

Past research on methods for actively engaging alcoholics in aftercare has been mixed with respect to the effects of such efforts on treatment outcome. The present study examined whether active follow-up methods do aid in engaging the alcoholic in treatment, whether such procedures improve treatment outcome and how much responsibility the therapist must be willing to assume in order to maintain the patient in treatment. Appointment keeping was significantly improved by a home-visit follow-up method in the first 6 months postdischarge (p less than .01). However, there was no one-to-one correspondence between improved therapy attendance and improved treatment outcome. When subjects were classified into treatment dropout and treatment completion groups, however, a treatment effect was achieved. The most intensive follow-up condition increased the probability of treatment completion, supporting to some degree the utility of aggressive follow-up. However, it was concluded that the cost of such procedures proba...
Liver metastases: imaging considerations for protocol development with multislice CT (MSCT).

Conventional, single-slice helical computed tomography (SSCT) allowed for scanning the majority of the liver during the critical portal venous phase. This was often referred to as the ‘optimal temporal window’. The introduction of current day multislice CT (MSCT) now allows us to acquire images in a much shorter time and more precisely than ever before. This yields increased conspicuity between low attenuation lesions and the enhanced normal liver parenchyma and optimal imaging for the vast majority of hepatic hypovascular metastases. Most importantly, these scanners, when compared to conventional non-helical scanners, avoid impinging upon the ‘equilibrium’ phase when tumors can become isodense/invisible. MSCT also allows for true multiphase scanning during the arterial and late arterial phases for detection of hypervascular metastases. The MSCT imaging speed has increased significantly over the past years with the introduction of 32- and 64-detector systems and will continue to increase in the future volumetric CT. This provides a number of important gains that are discussed in detail.
The making of Haiti : the Saint Domingue revolution from below

In 1789 the French colony of Saint Domingue was the wealthiest and most flourishing of the Caribbean slave colonies, its economy based on the forced labor of more than half a million black slaves raided from their African homelands. The revolt of this underclass in 1791 the only successful slave rebellion in history gained the slaves their freedom and set in motion the colony's struggle for independence as the black republic of Haiti. In this pioneering study, Carolyn E. Fick argues that the repressed and uneducated slaves were the principal architects both of their own freedom and of the successful movement toward national independence. Fick identifies "marronage," the act of being a fugitive slave, as a basic unit of slave resistance from which the revolution grew and shows how autonomous forms of popular slave participation were as important to the success of the rebellion as the leadership of men like Toussaint Louverture, Henri Christophe, and Dessalines. Using contemporary manuscripts and previously untapped archival sources, the author depicts the slaves, their aspirations, and their popular leaders and explains how they organized their rebellion. Fick places the Saint Domingue rebellion in relation to the larger revolutionary movements of the era, provides background on class and caste prior to the revolution, the workings of the plantation system, the rigors of slave life, and the profound influence of voodoo. By examining the rebellion and the conditions that led to it from the perspective of the slaves it liberated, she revises the history of Haiti. Carolyn Fick is currently a Canada Research Fellow at Concordia University in Montreal."
Control Techniques and Programming Issues for Time Delayed Internet Based Teleoperation

This article focuses on Internet-based real time control, such as remote bilateral teleoperation. In such applications, it is required that the control loop be closed through a time delayed network. This paper focuses on two control strategies (based on wave variables and a time forward observer), bandwidth issues, and some related programming details. Experimental results of bilateral teleoperation via the Internet between Atlanta and Tokyo are given. The system used is a two-degree-of-freedom haptic interface, bilaterally coupled to a simulation (implemented on a windows NT based computer) of a similar system.
A hydroxyproline-rich bacterial agglutinin from potato: its localization by immunofluorescence

Abstract Potato tubers (cv. Katahdin) contain a hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein (HPRG) that agglutinates certain avirulent strains of the bacterial wilt pathogen, Pseudomonas solanacearum . This and similar agglutinins are thought to play an important role in the immobilization of incompatible bacteria in potato and tobacco tissues. The agglutinin from potato tubers was purified by ion exchange chromatography. Antisera to the intact or deglycosylated agglutinin were obtained from New Zealand white rabbits after multiple intradermal and intramuscular injections. Immunoglobulins were precipitated with (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 and antibodies specific for the agglutinin were purified by affinity chromatography. Frozen sections of petiole or leaf tissue from tobacco and potato were treated firstly with sheep normal immunoglobulin and then with either anti-agglutinin antibodies or normal rabbit immunoglobulin for 20 min. The sections were rinsed and then treated with fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated sheep anti-rabbit immunoglobulin. When the sections were examined by fluorescence microscopy, it was determined that anti-agglutinin antibodies bound only to the cell walls, particularly those of parenchyma. Fluorescence was also evident on the cell walls of tobacco and potato xylem vessels, epidermis, and collenchyma. Control sections treated with normal rabbit immunoglobulin did not bind the labelled anti-rabbit immunoglobulin. Cell walls in tissue sections from non-solanaceous plants such as soybean, corn, or begonia, treated in the same manner, were also stained by the labelled antibodies. Antibodies to both intact and deglycosylated potato agglutinin bound to these plant cell walls, indicating that the receptors are proteins with antigenic determinants which are similar to those of proteins from potato or tobacco cell walls. Such proteins (HPRGs) are common components of plant cell walls and may play a role in immobilizing bacteria that gain access to the intercellular spaces.
FERMION DETERMINANTS, CHIRAL SYMMETRY AND THE WESS-ZUMINO ANOMALY

Abstract A general method for constructing exactly solvable fermion determinants is discussed. A two-dimensional determinant is solved exactly. A new class of four-dimensional fermion models is presented. These theories are non-renormalizable yet the fermion determinant can be calculated and there is an analogue of the Adler-Bell-Jackiw anomaly.
Enzalutamide for the treatment of prostate cancer

Introduction: The FDA approval of docetaxel for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) in 2005 marked a major milestone, as it was the first approved agent for this disease that demonstrated a survival advantage in Phase III assessment of this disease. Since 2009, several other agents have been approved by FDA, including sipuleucel-T, abiraterone, cabazitaxel and enzalutamide. Enzalutamide, a potent antiandrogen that blocks nuclear translocation of the androgen receptor (AR), is the most recently approved of these agents. Areas covered: The clinical development of enzalutamide is discussed, with attention given as to how this agent will most appropriately be used among a growing list of agents for mCRPC. A MEDLINE search was conducted to identify all relevant published datasets pertaining to the drug. In addition, relevant ASCO and ESMO abstracts were searched. Expert opinion: The current role and sequencing of enzalutamide may change drastically based on studies such as PREVAIL (a Phase ...
Transvaginal removal of ovaries with endoloo sutures at the time of transvaginal hysterectomy

Twenty patients were evaluated for possible oophorectomy during transvaginal hysterectomy. Of 40 ovaries, nine were removed with a standard clamp technique. Twenty-two ovaries could not be removed by the clamp technique but were successfully removed with endoloop sutures. Safe transvaginal removal was not thought to be possible for the remaining nine ovaries.
Lyapunov-Based Control of a Bridge Using Magneto-Rheological Fluid Dampers:

This study focuses on the effect of semi-active magneto-rheological fluid (MRF) dampers in reducing the response of a scaled bridge structure subjected to a random loading. A fluid-mechanics based model that can characterize the nonlinear dynamic behavior of MRF dampers is employed. A state-variable model for an integrated system of a scaled, two-span bridge and two MRF dampers is established. A feedback on-off control law is employed based on Lyapunov approach that guarantees the system stability for uncertain bounded input disturbances. An output feedback Lyapunov controller is implemented in the experimental study to verify the presented method. Both the theoretical and experimental studies show that the Lyapunov based control systems can effectively reduce the relative displacement between the deck and the abutment of the bridge when subjected to various input motions. In addition, when comparing to the experiment results, it is demonstrated that the proposed analytical model can predict the response of the system, accurately.
Co-Teaching: An Illustration of the Complexity of Collaboration in Special Education.

Although collaboration among service providers has been a hallmark of special education almost since its inception, co-teaching, the sharing of instruction by a general education teacher and a special education teacher or another specialist in a general education class that includes students with disabilities, is a relatively recent application. As a result of recent federal legislation and related policy changes, co-teaching has evolved rapidly as a strategy for ensuring that these students have access to the same curriculum as other students while still receiving the specialized instruction to which they are entitled. Despite considerable enthusiasm expressed by those who write about co-teaching and those who implement it, co-teaching illustrates the complexity of conceptualizing and studying collaboration in special education. Most inquiry on co-teaching has emphasized co-teachers' roles and relationships or program logistics rather than demonstrating its impact on student achievement and other key out...
Activation of protein kinase C induces long-term changes of postsynaptic currents in neocortical neurons

Intracellularly injected phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PdiB), a phorbol ester that activates protein kinase C (PKC), altered the postsynaptic responses of neurons of the motor cortex of cats. PdiB increased the amplitudes and durations of EPSPs and decreased the amplitudes and durations of IPSPs elicited by stimulation of the ventrolateral (VL) thalamus or the pyramidal tract (PT). The changes lasted for 50 min or longer. Corresponding changes in peak excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs, IPSCs) were measured directly with the single electrode voltage clamp technique. Quantitative analysis of EPSCs in response to VL thalamic stimulation and IPSCs in response to PT stimulation made in a subgroup of fast PT cells suggested that PdiB acted within the injected neuron rather than presynaptically to alter the synaptic currents. No consistent changes in resting membrane parameters that would account for these modifications were found. Control injections of a phorbol ester that did not activate PKC failed to induce changes in synaptic responses or resting membrane properties. These observations suggest that activation of PKC, in vivo, can induce long-lasting changes in synaptic responses of neocortical neurons by direct modification of postsynaptic ion channel conductivities.
Inhibition of calcium phosphate precipitation under environmentally-relevant conditions

Abstract Precipitation of Ca phosphates plays an important role in controlling P activity and availability in environmental systems. The purpose of this study was to determine inhibitory effects on Ca phosphate precipitation by Mg 2+ , SO 4 2− , CO 3 2− , humic acid, oxalic acid, biogenic Si, and Si-rich soil clay commonly found in soils, sediments, and waste streams. Precipitation rates were determined by measuring decrease of P concentration in solutions during the first 60 min; and precipitated solid phases identified using X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. Poorly-crystalline hydroxyapatite (HAP: Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 OH) formed in control solutions over the experiment period of 24 h, following a second-order dependence on P concentration. Humic acid and Mg 2+ significantly inhibited formation of HAP, allowing formation of a more soluble amorphous Ca phosphate phase (ACP), and thus reducing the precipitation rate constants by 94–96%. Inhibition caused by Mg 2+ results from its incorporation into Ca phosphate precipitates, preventing formation of a well-crystalline phase. Humic acid likely suppressed Ca phosphate precipitation by adsorbing onto the newly-formed nuclei. Presence of oxalic acid resulted in almost complete inhibition of HAP precipitation due to preemptive Ca-oxalate formation. Carbonate substituted for phosphate, decreasing the crystallinity of HAP and thus reducing precipitation rate constant by 44%. Sulfate and Si-rich solids had less impact on formation of HAP; while they reduced precipitation in the early stage, they did not differ from the control after 24 h. Results indicate that components (e.g., Mg 2+ , humic acid) producing relatively soluble ACP are more likely to reduce P stability and precipitation rate of Ca phosphate in soils and sediments than are components (e.g., SO 4 2− , Si) that have less effect on the crystallinity.
Rapid high-fidelity visualisation of multispectral 3D mapping

Mobile LIDAR scanning typically provides captured 3D data in the form of 3D 'Point Clouds'. Combined with colour imagery these data produce coloured point clouds or, if further processed, polygon-based 3D models. The use of point clouds is simple and rapid, but visualisation can appear ghostly and diffuse. Textured 3D models provide high fidelity visualisation, but their creation is time consuming, difficult to automate and can modify key terrain details. This paper describes techniques for the visualisation of fused multispectral 3D data that approach the visual fidelity of polygon-based models with the rapid turnaround and detail of 3D point clouds. The general approaches to data capture and data fusion are identified as well as the central underlying mathematical transforms, data management and graphics processing techniques used to support rapid, interactive visualisation of very large multispectral 3D datasets. Performance data with respect to real-world 3D mapping as well as illustrations of visualisation outputs are included.
Particle analysis in the pulmonary tree by laser Doppler velocimetry

Applications of two laser-based quasi-elastic light scattering instruments to the characterization of aerodynamic diameter, diffusion diameter, and electrostatic charge of respirable particles for estimating lung retention of inhaled particles are discussed. The methods provide means of real time, noninvasive in-situ measurements of the size and charge distributions of both inspired and expired particles, permitting quantitative determination of the lung retention of inhaled particles. The two instruments used are: 1) electrical single particle aerodynamic relaxation time (E-SPART) analyzer; and 2) photon correlator employing a dual-beam laser Doppler velocimeter. Both have advantages over the conventional optical particle counter in that they measure equivalent diameter and electrostatic charge independent of the optical scattering properties of the particles, while providing data on a single particle basis. Applications of these instruments in estimating health hazards from atmospheric pollutants and in evaluating the efficacy of therapeutic aerosols in treating diseases are briefly discussed.
Quantum coherence in photosynthetic complexes

The initial steps of photosynthesis require the absorption and subsequent transfer of energy through an intricate network of pigment–protein complexes. Held within the protein scaffold of these complexes, chromophore molecules are densely packed and fixed in specific geometries relative to one another resulting in Coulombic coupling. Excitation energy transfer through these systems can be accomplished with near unity quantum efficiency [Wraight and Clayton, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 333, 246 (1974)]. While replication of this feat is desirable for artificial photosynthesis, the mechanism by which nature achieves this efficiency is unknown. Recent experiments have revealed the presence of long-lived quantum coherences in photosynthetic pigment–protein complexes spanning bacterial and plant species with a variety of functions and compositions. Its ubiquitous presence and wavelike energy transfer implicate quantum coherence as key to the high efficiency achieved by photosynthesis.
Airway Clearance in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

This is a summary of the presentation on airway clearance in neuromuscular disorders presented as part of the program on airway clearance in Duchenne muscular dystrophy at the 30th annual Carrell-Krusen Neuromuscular Symposium on February 20, 2008.
Preferential transposition of a Drosophila P element to the corresponding region of the homologous chromosome.

Genetic and physical analyses have demonstrated an intimate interaction or pairing of homologous chromosomes in the nuclei of manyDrosophila cell types. Experiments were performed to determine whether P elements transposing from a given chromosome to its homolog would preferentially insert in the region corresponding to the donor site, perhaps due to such a proximity. AP[lacZ;ry+] element at thecactus locus (35F) on the second chromosome was mobilized and 96 insertions on the homolog were recovered. The distribution of these new insertions was determined by recombination mapping and molecular analysis, and compared with a control set of 93 second-chromosome insertions originating from theX chromosome. A nearly threefold preference was observed for re-insertion in a region of two to three number divisions aroundcactus on the homolog. However, none of these “local” insertions was actually within ∼ 50 kb of the site atcactus corresponding to the starting site. This is in marked contrast to the previously described phenomenon of intrachromosomal local transposition, where the majority of local transpositions are within 10 kb. The data suggest that the mechanisms for intrachromosomal and interchromosomal local transposition are distinct, and are consistent with a model for interchromosomal local transposition involving proximity of homologous chromosomal regions in the nuclei of the germline cells.
Basel II: Correlation Related Issues

Basel II aims to aggressively improve on Basel I, and is projected to capitalize on the technological advancements that have permeated the financial industry since Basel I. This paper examines the correlation issues that arise, and provides recommendations on implementation as we move forward. We provide the following results: (1) We demonstrate that fixing asset value correlations by regulators without a specification of business unit granularity and aggregation impacts franchise risk. (2) Loss distributions for credit risk are more sensitive to correlation assumptions that those for market risk; arbitrary, inaccurate correlation specifications can cause large errors in capital requirements. (3) Current regulations do not recognize that credit losses depend on four distinct correlations, not just one. (4) Recovery rates may be determined uniformly across banks. (5) Tail risk comes from LGD correlations and non-Gaussian risks. (6) The 1-year VaR horizon causes distortions especially when regimes and pro-cyclicality are involved. (7) We recommend a quantitative measure for implementing market discipline, the third pillar of the Basel II accord. Therefore, this paper highlights many issues that may be addressed using the tools banks already employ for internal risk management.
Aluminum and lithium octa(pentoxy)phthalocyanine radicals

Abstract A lithium phthalocyanine radical and the analogous aluminum phthalocyanine radical were synthesized as part of an investigation of isostructural dopants. An improved synthesis of the free base of octa(pentoxy)phthalocyanine (H2Pc*) involves the reduction of 1,2-dicyano-4,5-dipentoxybenzene with hydroquinone. Deprotonation with lithium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide leads to the dilithium derivative Li2Pc* and subsequent oxidation with ferrocenium yields the radical LiPc*. Treatment of H2Pc* with Et2AlCl gives ClAlPc* and reduction with sodium amalgam yields AlPc*, the first reported aluminum phthalocyanine radical. In the solid state LiPc* and AlPc* are electrical conductors with pressed-pellet conductivities of 8 × 10−11 Ω−1 cm−1 and 5 × 10−7 Ω−1 cm−1, respectively.
A new thick-knee, Burhinus, from the Miocene of Nebraska, with comments on the habitat requirements of the Burhinidae (Aves: Charadriiformes)

ABSTRACT A new species of thick-knee, Burhinus lucorum, is described from the early Miocene (Sheep Creek Formation, late Hemingfordian) of Nebraska, providing the first Tertiary record of the family. Contrary to the widely held view that thick-knees are necessarily indicative of dry, sparsely vegetated country, the extant species of Burhinidae in fact live in a broad range of habitats. Thus, the use of extinct species of Burhinidae as paleoclimatological indicators is compromised. Evidence from other sources on early Miocene climates is summarized and suggests that Burhinus lucorum may have inhabited stream-side woodlands.
Can Judges Improve Academic Achievement

Over the last 3 decades student achievement has remained essentially unchanged in the United States, but not for a lack of spending. Over the same period a myriad of education reforms have been suggested and per-pupil spending has more than doubled. Since the 1990s the education reform attempts have frequently included judicial decisions to revise state school finance systems. Invoking general clauses about the need for an adequate education found in every state constitution, judges in more than half of the states waded into the development of finely tuned reform strategies. This article empirically estimates the effect of judicial intervention on student achievement using standardized test scores and graduation rates in 48 states from 1992 to 2005. We find no evidence that court-ordered school spending improves student achievement.
Stereotactic Drainage of Aspergillus Brain Abscess with Long-Term Survival: Case Report and Review

Aspergillus species are second only to Cryptococcus neoformans as the most common cause of fungal infections of the central nervous system in immunocompromised patients. Survival following treatment of Aspergillus brain abscess has been reported only 4 times. In each case, craniotomy was performed for abscess drainage. We present a case of long-term survival following stereotactic drainage of a bilateral Aspergillus brain abscess. In all reported cases, including the present one, histological examination of the abscess contents established the correct diagnosis. Amphotericin B was used in combination with operation in 4 of the 5 cases of long-term survival.
Cardio: CMP Adaptation for Reliability Through Dynamic Introspective Operation

A modern digital system includes in a single chip many components: processing cores, large caches, memory controllers, and hardware accelerators. Looking forward, future semiconductor technologies will enable even higher device integration, overall increasing system performance while reducing energy consumption. Unfortunately, prominent experts agree that such technologies will be prone to both permanent and transient faults within their lifetime. With the goal of addressing this issue, we propose Cardio: a low-cost architecture for reliable chip multiprocessors. Our solution is based on a novel hardware/software co-design where silicon failures are detected in hardware and system reconfiguration is managed in software. Comparing Cardio with a state-of-the-art hardware-based resiliency solution, Immunet, we found that our design can achieve a comparable fault response time while requiring a much lower area overhead. The proposed solution relies on a distributed resource manager to collect information about a CMP component's health, and leverages a synchronized distributed control mechanism to recover from permanent failures. Such architecture can operate as long as at least one general-purpose processor is still functional. Our experimental evaluation indicates that the overall performance impact of Cardio is as low as 4.5%, and its dynamic reconfiguration time upon fault detection is comprised between 20 and 50 thousand cycles.
Fluoroquinolone levels in healthy dog urine following a 20-mg/kg oral dose of enrofloxacin exceed mutant prevention concentration targets against Escherichia coli isolated from canine urinary tract infections.

A 3-day course of oral enrofloxacin is effective for treating uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) in dogs when administered 20 mg/kg Q24H. However, emergence of fluoroquinolone-resistant mutants of uropathogens is a concern. Urine concentrations of enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin were measured in six healthy dogs following dose of enrofloxacin 20 mg/kg. Mutant prevention concentrations of Escherichia coli isolated from canine UTI were also determined against ciprofloxacin. Urine AUC(24)/MPC ratios considering ciprofloxacin concentrations ranged 3819-7767, indicating that selection of resistant E. coli mutants in dogs with uncomplicated UTIs is unlikely in the bladder given that an AUC(24)/MPC = 39 is considered to be protective against mutant selection for ciprofloxacin. However, additional studies are required to evaluate the effects of this enrofloxacin treatment protocol on bacteria that colonize anatomic sites where fluoroquinolones achieve lower concentrations compared to the urinary bladder.
Synthesis, thermal and lyotropic liquid crystalline properties of protic ionic salts

A series of protic ionic salts were synthesised by a simple acid–base reaction from various pyridine derivatives and dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid in a common organic solvent and characterised in terms of their thermal and lyotropic liquid crystalline properties using various experimental techniques. All of them exhibited lyotropic liquid crystalline phases in toluene, methanol, acetonitrile, dimethyl sulfoxide and water. Their critical concentrations for the formation of biphasic solutions and concentrations for the formation of lyotropic solutions were quite broad depending on the dielectric constants of the solvents. Their lyotropic phases were identified as lamellar phases, since their textures exhibited bâtonnets, oily streaks and mosaic textures. They can potentially be used for many organic transformations, which may have implications in green chemistry.
Resting and exercise-induced IL-6 levels in children with Type 1 diabetes reflect hyperglycemic profiles during the previous 3 days

Poor glycemic control in Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) causes long-term cardiovascular complications, at least in part via chronic, low-grade inflammation associated with recurrent hyperglycemia. While ph...
New Developments in Lung Cancer Screening

Lung cancer is the most lethal cancer in our society. Late diagnosis of this disease is a major problem and so recent favorable reports with spiral computed tomography screening of high-risk populations have rekindled interest in improving early lung cancer detections. The process of lung cancer screening is a complicated process that involves many component activities. Interest to date has heavily focused on the initial case identification, but more recent reports have suggested that the issues with case work-up and surgical management also bear closer consideration. Given the dynamic nature of spiral computed tomography scan development and the remarkable improvements in imaging resolution over the last decade, there is an urgent need for research to establish optimal clinical management of early lung cancer detected in a screening setting.
Equilibrium and revenue in a family of common-value first-price auctions with differential information

We study a discrete common-value auction environment with two asymmetrically informed bidders. Equilibrium of the first-price auction is in mixed strategies, which we characterize using a doubly recursive solution method. The distribution of bids for the ex post strong player stochastically dominates that for the ex post weak player. This result complements Maskin and Riley’s (Rev Econ Stud 67:413–438, 2000) similar result for asymmetric private-value auctions. Finally, comparison with the dominance-solvable equilibrium in a second-price auction shows the Milgrom–Weber (Econometrica 50:1089–1122, 1982a) finding that the second-price auction yields at least as much revenue as the first-price auction fails with asymmetry: in some cases the first-price auction provides greater expected revenue, in some cases less.
Analysing the performance of personal computers based on Intel microprocessors for sequence aligning bioinformatics applications

Aligning specific sequences against a very large number of other sequences is a central aspect of bioinformatics. With the widespread availability of personal computers in biology laboratories, sequence alignment is now often performed locally. This makes it necessary to analyse the performance of personal computers for sequence aligning bioinformatics benchmarks. In this paper, we analyse the performance of a personal computer for the popular BLAST and FASTA sequence alignment suites. Results indicate that these benchmarks have a large number of recurring operations and use memory operations extensively. It seems that the performance can be improved with a bigger L1-cache.
Triaxial ellipsoid dimensions and rotational poles of seven asteroids from Lick Observatory adaptive optics images, and of Ceres

Seven main belt asteroids, 2 Pallas, 3 Juno, 4 Vesta, 16 Psyche, 87 Sylvia, 324 Bamberga, and 707 Interamnia, were imaged with the adaptive optics system on the 3 m Shane telescope at Lick Observatory in the near infrared, and their triaxial ellipsoid dimensions and rotational poles have been determined with parametric blind deconvolution. In addition, the dimensions and pole for 1 Ceres are derived from resolved images at multiple epochs, even though it is an oblate spheroid.
Orientations of the Cubic Unit Cell and Tetrahedron

Charts are presented showing the cubic unit cell and tetrahedron for various simple orientations relative to the rolling plane and direction.
Light source capabilities and applications research at the Duke FEL Laboratory

The Duke FEL Laboratory is a national and international users facility. We describe the current light source capabilities in the infrared, visible, ultraviolet, and Gamma rays. Plans are summarized for the development of two novel beamlines, one for UV-resonant Raman spectroscopy and the other an essentially jitter-free UV-pump, IR-probe `two- color' source with rapid-scan FTIR time-resolved detection of the broadband infrared. Current applications research is summarized, with a more detailed description of research in corneal wound healing.
Some Properties of the Oxides of Vanadium and Their Compounds

Vanadium tetroxide and vanadium pentoxide were prepared and some of their physical properties were measured. A brief survey was then made of some of their binary oxide compounds. Various mixtures of V2O4 or V2O6 and BeO, MgO, CaO, SrO, BaO, Al2O3, SiO2, TiO2, CeO2, ZrO2, Nb2O6, and U3O8 were heated. When compounds were formed, some of their properties were determined. Refractoriness, thermal expansion, and optical properties were considered of special interest. Vanadium pentoxide was found to have a linear thermal expansion of only 0.63 × 10−6 per °C. from 30° to 450°C.
The new faces of privacy

Abstract This paper summarizes the concept of privacy, reviews some of its underlying tenets and axioms, illustrates the drift toward a national counterprivacy posture in terms of events involving the Social Security number (SSN), and discusses new faces in terms of three case histories: the California action to require SSNs on driver's licenses, the effort by telephone companies to introduce calling number identification, and the aggregation of public records into dossier databases. Remedial actions by government and legislators are suggested.
FliG subunit arrangement in the flagellar rotor probed by targeted cross-linking.

FliG is a component of the switch complex on the rotor of the bacterial flagellum. Each flagellar motor contains about 25 FliG molecules. The protein of Escherichia coli has 331 amino acid residues and comprises at least two discrete domains. A C-terminal domain of about 100 residues functions in rotation and includes charged residues that interact with the stator protein MotA. Other parts of the FliG protein are essential for flagellar assembly and interact with the MS ring protein FliF and the switch complex protein FliM. The crystal structure of the middle and C-terminal parts of FliG shows two globular domains joined by an α-helix and a short extended segment that contains two well-conserved glycine residues. Here, we describe targeted cross-linking studies of FliG that reveal features of its organization in the flagellum. Cys residues were introduced at various positions, singly or in pairs, and cross-linking by a maleimide or disulfide-inducing oxidant was examined. FliG molecules with pairs of Cys residues at certain positions in the middle domain formed disulfide-linked dimers and larger multimers with a high yield, showing that the middle domains of adjacent subunits are in fairly close proximity and putting constraints on the relative orientation of the domains. Certain proteins with single Cys replacements in the C-terminal domain formed dimers with moderate yields but not larger multimers. On the basis of the cross-linking results and the data available from mutational and electron microscopic studies, we propose a model for the organization of FliG subunits in the flagellum.
Relationship between corn yield and chemical composition of the ear leaf measured with different regression models

Abstract Corn yields and leaf samples were obtained from experimental plots receiving varying rates of N, P and K. Yields were regressed on leaf levels of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, B, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn as independent variables. Various polynomial regressions were fitted to the yields and “goodness of fit”; of particular mathematical models was used as a basis for evaluating particular biological and statistical concepts. It was found that no regression, where chemical elements were used as ratios, fit the observations as well as a quadratic polynomial or its square root transformation. This suggests that within the set of data used, emphasis on particular cation or anion ratios does not necessarily result in the “best”; explanation of variation in yield. “Classical”; growth equations were fitted to corn yields, but were not as precise in predicting yields as the polynomials. A modified stagewise regression procedure was used for fitting one mathematical model, but results were less satisfactory than those obtained...
Preliminary Evaluation of Praziquantel Against Metacercariae of Nanophyetus salmincola in Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

Praziquantel at dosages of 10, 20 or 100 mg/kg of body weight was evaluated against metacercariae of Nanophyetus salmincola in chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Ten salmon were used in each of four treated groups and 10 salmon were nontreated controls. Three wk after treatment, viability of metacercariae was determined by histologic evaluation, and by feeding the salmon to coyotes and subsequently determining the numbers of trematode eggs/g of feces and numbers of N. salmincola recovered at necropsy. Results of the experiment indicated that praziquantel at the dosages and routes of administration used was not effective against metacercariae in chinook salmon.