cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Takayasu arteritis: A study of 32 north American patients

Thirty-two patients (26 female, 6 male) with angiographically diagnosed Takayasu arteritis were seen at the Mayo Clinic between 1971 and 1982. Racial composition of this group was 23 North American Caucasians, 4 Mexicans, 3 Orientals, 1 Native American, and 1 patient of Middle Eastern origin. Incidence of the disease in Olmsted County, Minnesota, was 2.6/million/year. Diagnosis was often delayed for long periods of time, with a median delay of 18 months. Patients had both non-vascular symptoms (arthralgias in 56%, fever in 44%, weight loss in 38%) and symptoms of vascular stenosis such as arm claudication (47%) and hypertension due to renal artery stenosis (41%). All patients had either multiple vascular bruits (94%) or absent pulses (50%). Laboratory findings included anemia (44%) and elevations of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (78%). Almost all patients had multiple sites of arterial involvement documented by angiogram with various combinations of stenosis, luminal irregularity and aneurysm formation. Response to corticosteroid treatment was usually very good, with dramatic improvement in non-vascular symptoms and return of pulses in 8 of the 16 patients with absent pulses prior to treatment. Five-year survival rate from time of diagnosis was 94%. Twelve patients underwent surgical procedures involving the carotid arteries (5 cases), subclavian artery (4 cases) and renal arteries (3 cases). Three aneurysms were resected, one had aortic valve replacement for severe aortic regurgitation, and two patients underwent transluminal angioplasty. Pathologic changes were restricted to the media and adventitial layers of the vessel wall and were indistinguishable from those of giant-cell or temporal arteritis. Takayasu arteritis is more common than previously suspected in North America, is not restricted to any one racial group, and is readily treatable with corticosteroids and surgical vascular reconstruction.
Simultaneous inversion for 3-D variations in shear and bulk velocity in the mantle

Until recently, most of the seismic tomographic modeling has been addressing the question of lateral heterogeneity either in P- or S-wave velocities. The S-wave velocity variations are larger and hence provide stronger signal on long-period waveforms. The direct P travel times, being the first arrivals, on the other hand, are most frequently reported in the International Seismological Centre (ISC) Bulletins. In mineral physics experiments, the variation in bulk velocity is more often measured. To better understand the differences between δvP and δvP patterns and better link the results from mineral physics to those of seismic tomography, we formulate the inverse problem in terms of relative perturbations in the shear velocity vS = (μϱ)12 and bulk sound velocity vΦ = (Kϱ)12. We use a large data set which consists of waveforms, waveform-derived travel times and travel times from the ISC Bulletins. The earthquakes are relocated using corrections for lateral heterogeneity. The events which cannot be reliably determined are discarded. The model is defined as spherical harmonics to Degree 12 horizontally and as Chebyshev polynomials to order 13 radially, for both shear and bulk sound velocity. The inversion is performed under smoothness constraint. The resolution tests and bootstrapping analysis indicate that the model is well recovered, particularly at long wavelength. The results indicate a much larger variability of shear than bulk sound velocity. The model explains observations well. The most intriguing result obtained in this study is that the variations in shear velocity and bulk sound velocity are negatively correlated in the lowermost mantle. The explanation is not very clear. From the mineral physics point of view, it is not unlikely that this could be explained in terms of thermal variation, even though we are unwilling to rule out the possibility of large wavelength compositional variations.
Marketing as an engine of business growth: a cross-functional perspective ☆

Abstract While the development of rigorous business disciplines has created deep insights, frameworks and powerful tools, this disciplinary focus also creates blinders that limit creativity in developing holistic solutions to business problems. The author discusses neuroscience research that shows how mental models, such as those implicit in specific disciplines, shape and limit insight and action. He notes that in a rapidly changing world, these models are more likely to be out of synch with the environment. As an example of the potential for applying a cross-functional perspective, he examines opportunities to use marketing insights across the organization to drive growth, including creating a market-driven vision and value proposition, using market insights to drive innovation, leveraging technology and marketing to create convergence, and rethinking the customer experience and relationships. To support these shifts in perspective, he identifies several enablers of interdisciplinary approaches, such as models and dashboards, organizational architecture, and integrative processes. Finally, he examines implications for practice, research, and education.
Effect of vitamin D supplement use on serum concentrations of total 25OHD levels in elderly women

Vitamin D 2 and D 3 are generally considered equipotent in humans. As Vitamin D 2 supplements are commonly used by elderly in United States, we determined the contribution of 25OHD 2 to the total serum 250HD levels by HPLC in elderly women who reported taking Vitamin D 2 supplements (n = 56) and also in a group of randomly selected unsupplemented women (n = 60). In addition, we compared the total serum 250HD measured by HPLC with competitive protein-binding assay (CPBA), a method routinely employed to measure Vitamin D status. A correlation of 0.91 (P < 0.001) was observed between the two methods for the serum total 250HD measurement. The mean serum 250HD level in Vitamin D 2 supplemented group was significantly higher than in unsupplemented group measured by HPLC (32 versus 28 ng/ml) and marginally higher measured by CPBA (33 vs. 31 ng/ml). Seventy eight percent of women taking Vitamin D 2 supplements had appreciable amounts of circulating 250HD 2 , which constituted about 25 percent of their total serum 250HD. It is also interesting to note that Vitamin D deficiency was less prevalent in elderly women taking Vitamin D 2 supplements (1.8%) compared to women not taking any supplements (12%).
Mother and daughter with cystic fibrosis

27. dystrophy; J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 25:149, 1962. Richards BW, Sylvester PE, and Hodgson S J: Familial occurrence of juvenile amaurotic family idiocy and phenylketonuria in the same subjects, J Ment Def Res 9:210, 1965. 28. Smith AJ, and Strang LB: An inborn error of metabolism with the urinary excretion of alpha-hydroxybutyric acid and phenylpyruvie acid, Arch Dis Child 33:109, 1958. 29. Personal communication, K.A. Bartolom6 to C.E. Parker.
Axioms of uncertainty measures: dependence and independence

Abstract Axiom systems for uncertainty functions in possibility and evidence theories are studied from the point of view of the logical relationships. First, it is proven that monotonicity and subadditivity properties are equivalent in the theory of possibility, however the latter is a strictly stronger property in the theory of evidence. Then the role of linearity and branching property in possibility theory is analyzed. The paper extends the research initiated by Higashi and Klir [5], Higashi [4], Klir and Mariano [6], Ramer and Lander [10] and Ramer [8,9].
Bimetallic Samarium(III) Initiators for the Living Polymerization of Methacrylates and Lactones. A New Route into Telechelic, Triblock, and "Link-Functionalized" Polymers

The well-controlled polymerization of methyl methacryalte with a preformed bimetallic samarium (III) catalyst and a bisinitiator generated in situ from Cp * Sm.THF 2 is described. A third bimetallic complex polymerizes e-caprolactone. This system incorporates both the high activity and versatility of lanthanide catalysts and the unique advantages of bisinitiating polymerization systems and can be used to produce triblock and link-functionalized polymers
Absence of Mitochondrial Toxicity in Hearts of Transgenic Mice Treated with Abacavir

Abacavir (ABC) is a guanosine nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) with potent antiretroviral activity. Since NRTIs exhibit tissue-specific inhibition of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) synthesis, the ability of ABC to inhibit mtDNA synthesis in vivo was evaluated. Inbred wild-type (WT) and transgenic mice (TG) treated with ABC (3.125 mg/d p. o., 35 days) were used to define mitochondrial oxidative stress and cardiac function. Chosen TGs exhibited overexpression of HIV-1 viral proteins (NL4-3Δgag/pol, non-replication competent), hemizygous depletion or overexpression of mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (SOD2+/- knock-out (KO) or MnSOD OX, respectively), overexpression of mitochondrially targeted catalase (MCAT), or double “knockout” deletion of aldehyde dehydrogenase activity (ALDH2 KO). Impact on mtDNA synthesis was assessed by comparing changes in mtDNA abundance between ABC-treated and vehicle-treated WTs and TGs. No changes in mtDNA abundance occurred from ABC treatment in any mice, suggesting no inhibition of mtDNA synthesis. Left ventricle (LV) mass and LV end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD) were defined echocardiographically and remained unchanged as well. These results indicate that treatment with ABC has no visible cardiotoxicity in these adult mice exposed for 5 weeks compared to findings with other antiretroviral NRTI studies and support some claims for its relative safety.
A probabilistic earley parser as a psycholinguistic model

In human sentence processing, cognitive load can be defined many ways. This report considers a definition of cognitive load in terms of the total probability of structural options that have been disconfirmed at some point in a sentence: the surprisal of word wi given its prefix wo...i-1 on a phrase-structural language model. These loads can be efficiently calculated using a probabilistic Earley parser (Stolcke, 1995) which is interpreted as generating predictions about reading time on a word-by-word basis. Under grammatical assumptions supported by corpus-frequency data, the operation of Stolcke's probabilistic Earley parser correctly predicts processing phenomena associated with garden path structural ambiguity and with the subject/object relative asymmetry.
Submillimeter p-Ge laser using a permanent magnet in Voigt configuration

Laser emission near 100 micrometers from intervalence band transitions of p-type Ge in E (perpendicular) B fields is reported. Our idea is to substitute a Voigt configured permanent magnet for the traditional superconducting one. We compare the results using this new design with our results using a Faraday-configured superconducting magnet. Emission is observed at much lower electric-field pulse magnitude in Voigt configuration. The use of a variable temperature cryostat has allowed detailed temperature dependence of the emission to be studied down to 1.7 K. The emission-strength peaks around 2 K, and a rapid decrease below 2 K has been observed. Heating limits the rep rate, but we have observed emission up to 30 Hz with our permanent magnet. Observation of submm emission from a Voigt-configured p-Ge laser using a permanent magnet represents a breakthrough in practicality because it considerably simplifies the device and eliminates the necessity of liquid helium, in principle.
Carbon Dioxide and Water Level Effects on Yield and Water Use of Winter Wheat

(...) The objective was to determine the effect of elevated levels of CO 2 on grain yield and water use from planting to harvest under two water levels. «Newton» winter wheat was grown in the field under ambient (340 μL/L) and elevated levels (485, 660, and 825 μL/L) of CO 2 , during three growing seasons, in 16 underground boxes (77 cm long, 37 cm wide, and 180 cm deep) containing a Muir silt loam (finesilty, mixed, mesic Cumulic Haplustoll). (...)
Algorithms for optimizing CT fluence control

The ability to customize the incident x-ray fluence in CT via beam-shaping filters or mA modulation is known to improve image quality and/or reduce radiation dose. Previous work has shown that complete control of x-ray fluence (ray-by-ray fluence modulation) would further improve dose efficiency. While complete control of fluence is not currently possible, emerging concepts such as dynamic attenuators and inverse-geometry CT allow nearly complete control to be realized. Optimally using ray-by-ray fluence modulation requires solving a very high-dimensional optimization problem. Most optimization techniques fail or only provide approximate solutions. We present efficient algorithms for minimizing mean or peak variance given a fixed dose limit. The reductions in variance can easily be translated to reduction in dose, if the original variance met image quality requirements. For mean variance, a closed form solution is derived. The peak variance problem is recast as iterated, weighted mean variance minimization, and at each iteration it is possible to bound the distance to the optimal solution. We apply our algorithms in simulations of scans of the thorax and abdomen. Peak variance reductions of 45% and 65% are demonstrated in the abdomen and thorax, respectively, compared to a bowtie filter alone. Mean variance shows smaller gains (about 15%).
The influence of shelf processes in delivering dissolved iron to the HNLC waters of the Drake Passage, Antarctica

Abstract Dissolved trace element distributions near Elephant Island in the Drake Passage show extremely high levels of dissolved Fe and Mn in waters above the shelf. The entrainment of this enriched shelf water by the Fe-poor Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) as it passes through the Shackleton Gap delivers an estimated 2.8×106 mol yr−1 dissolved Fe to the offshore waters of the Drake Passage. The magnitude and spatial distribution of dissolved Fe, Mn and Al over the shelf are consistent with a diagenetically produced sedimentary source, but are inconsistent with eolian or upwelling sources. The systematics of the Mn and Fe concentrations suggest that there are two distinct sources of dissolved Fe to the surface waters of this region. The highest Fe concentrations are associated with Bransfield Strait water, which can be identified by its characteristic temperature and salinity (T/S) properties both inside the Bransfield Strait and in the Bransfield Current outflow between Elephant and Clarence Islands. Most of the shelf area is dominated by a second water type with T/S properties that are typical of modified Antarctic Surface Water, which while also enriched has a lower Fe:Mn ratio. The predominantly linear relationships between the Fe and Mn concentrations at the stations in each of these water mass types suggest that the distribution of these elements is largely controlled by physical mixing processes and that biological removal of Fe on the shelf, while certainly occurring, is limited, perhaps as a result of rapid physical flushing processes and relatively slow biological growth rates. The consequent export of large quantities of this shelf-derived Fe into the ACC is likely responsible for the extensive regions of enhanced primary production seen in satellite imagery downstream of the Drake Passage.
Persistent influences of birth date on dominance, growth and reproductive success in bison

Long-term influences of birth date were examined in bison (Bison bison) over a nine-year period. Variation in birth date was related to differences in individual quality in both juveniles and adults. Earlier-born animals of both sexes were socially dominant to their later-born peers. Earlier-born females showed greater long-term fecundity. Long-term growth patterns also varied with birth date, earlier-born animals being larger. In females the relationship between body weight and birth date was significant as late as the eighth year of life, whereas in males effects on growth were weaker. For mothers, late parturition imposed immediate costs, increasing the likelihood of subsequent reproductive failure. There was no evidence that calving date varied with maternal condition, except that old females bore their last calves unusually late. These findings suggest that, in seasonally breeding ungulates, the benefits of early birth persist well into adulthood and have fitness consequences.
Harnstoffe als Lösungsmittel in der chemischen Forschung

N-Alkylierte Harnstoffe, auch cyclische Derivate, sind gut in reiner Form zu erhalten. Diese stabilen Verbindungen werden aufgrund ihres hohen Losungsvermogens, ihres grosen Flussigkeitsbereichs sowie der gunstigen Dielektrizitatskonstanten und Dipolmomente bereits als Losungsmittel fur technische Zwecke genutzt. Eine breitere Anwendung als Reaktionsmedien fur elektrochemische und analytische Untersuchungen zeichnet sich ab.
MO-SAMS-AUD-02: Frequencies, Tolerance Limits, and Action Levels for IMRT QA

Each intensity‐modulated radiation therapy(IMRT) field includes many small, irregular, and asymmetric fields that completely obscure the relationship between monitor unit (MU) setting and radiationdose. Uncertainty and inaccuracy of dose delivery with IMRT is primarily attributed to the leaf positioning accuracy, modeling of radiation output for small field sizes, modeling of beam penumbra, and the dose outside the IMRT field. Dose‐difference distribution, distance‐to‐agreement (DTA), and a numerical gamma index are often used to evaluate the quality of agreement between measured and calculated dose distributions for the IMRT fields. The tolerance limits based on these indices for IMRT QA are often not adequate because all these methodologies do not account for space‐specific dose uncertainty information. In other words, single tolerance criterion is applied to all test points even when dose uncertainty is significantly different from point to point. At any given point, the dose uncertainty depends on different levels of dose and gradients from multiple small beams rather than that of the overall dose profile. Therefore, new methodologies are needed that determine dose uncertainties based on the dose level and gradient information of each small field. In IMRT, it is sometimes difficult to have agreement between calculation and measurement of dose at all points in a 3‐D dose distribution. A disagreement at a few points does not necessarily lead to negative overall result if other comparable points are well within the established tolerance limits. We will describe a new approach in establishing tolerance limits and action levels for IMRT QA that will ensure delivery of prescribed radiationdose within an acceptable limit of 5%. Educational Objectives: 1. To describe the uncertainties in IMRT planning and delivery. 2. To describe the impact of spatial and dosimetric uncertainties on the IMRTdose distribution. 3. To describe the limitations of current methodologies of establishing tolerance limits for IMRT QA. 4. To describe new methodologies for establishing tolerance limits for IMRT QA.
In‐Kind Food Assistance and Consumer Food Choice

In-kind food assistance was the mainstay of federal food programs until the food stamp program expanded. Analysis of aggregate data suggests that large donations of cheese and butter since 1982, through the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program, replaced recipients’ normal purchases of the donated products, reduced consumption of close substitutes, and increased consumption of certain other protein foods. Programs of this type appear to have limited ability to enhance total demand for products in surplus.
Predicting “charge outliers” after spinal cord injury: A multicenter analysis of demographics, injury characteristics, outcomes, and rehabilitation charges

Abstract Burnett DM, Cifu DX, Kolakowsky-Hayner S, Kreutzer JS. Predicting "charge outliers" after spinal cord injury: a multicenter analysis of demographics, injury characteristics, outcomes, and rehabilitation charges. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2001;82:114-9. Objective: To describe the distribution of charges, to distinguish between "charge outliers" and nonoutliers, and to identify a model that uses demographics and injury characteristics to predict charge outlier status in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Design: Retrospective data analysis of patients admitted to 24 acute inpatient rehabilitation national Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems centers. Statistical analysis, including proportions, means, and standard deviations (SDs), were compiled for the following variables: demographic and injury information, rehabilitation charges, medical complications, associated injuries, and surgical procedures. Setting: Tertiary, university medical centers participating in the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research's SCI Model Systems project. Participants: A total of 13,392 patients who were admitted to 24 acute, intensive, interdisciplinary rehabilitation settings after traumatic SCI between November 1972 and August 1996. Main Outcome Measures: Statistical data analysis was used to determine significance between charge outliers and nonoutliers on the basis of demographic, injury characteristics, and clinical factors. Outliers, under the current diagnostic-related group system, are defined as cases in which lengths of stay exceed the mean by the lesser of 20 days or 1.94 SDs. Results: Statistically significant differences were found between SCI charge outliers and nonoutliers based on ethnicity, education, employment, level of injury, American Spinal Injury Association impairment classification, and sponsor of hospitalization. On average, outliers were 4 years older than nonoutliers, and tended to have more associated injuries, pressure ulcers, surgical procedures, and medical complications. A forward-conditional stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis was used to confirm univariate analysis and to predict the presence or absence of outliers based on the predictor variables. A model for the prediction of SCI charge outlier status was defined. Conclusions: SCI charge outliers are most likely to be retired, insured, have high cervical level injuries, and be educated beyond high school. Improved treatment efficiency serves as a means of cost reduction and is a reason to identify outlier characteristics. © 2001 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
A murky business

Corruption in Iraq's Oil-for-Food Programme was exposed a decade ago. But key information remains unpublished – information that could shed further light on the impact of bribes paid to Saddam Hussein's regime. By Yujin Jeong and Joseph L. Gastwirth
Genetics of Pulmonary Fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis is a devastating disease that occurs in association with environmental exposures, several inherited diseases, collagen vascular disease, as well as in an idiopathic form. Epithelial cell damage, excessive fibroblast proliferation, upregulation of extracellular matrix production, and attenuated matrix degradation are shared pathophysiological features of these different forms of pulmonary fibrosis. Several observations suggest that genetic predisposition plays an important role in the pathophysiology of pulmonary fibrosis. There is significant inter-individual variation in the degree of pulmonary fibrosis resulting from exposure to similar levels of an inhaled fibrogenic agent. There are several inherited diseases with known genetic mutations that have high rates of pulmonary fibrosis. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis can occur in multiple first-degree relatives, including those separated at an early age. Finally, recent studies have identified polymorphisms within genes for cytokines, histocompatability antigens, and extracellular matrix components that are associated with the development of pulmonary fibrosis. Identification of putative pulmonary fibrosis gene/s (PF gene/s) may result in novel diagnostic and therapeutic interventions for those at risk for development of pulmonary fibrosis.
Learning and Aging Related Changes in Intrinsic Neuronal Excitability

A goal of many laboratories that study aging is to find a key cellular change(s) that can be manipulated and restored to a young-like state, and thus, reverse the age-related cognitive deficits. We have chosen to focus our efforts on the alteration of intrinsic excitability (as reflected by the postburst afterhyperpolarization, AHP) during the learning process in hippocampal pyramidal neurons. We have consistently found that the postburst AHP is significantly reduced in hippocampal pyramidal neurons from young adults that have successfully learned a hippocampus-dependent task. In the context of aging, the baseline intrinsic excitability of hippocampal neurons is decreased and therefore cognitive learning is impaired. In aging animals that are able to learn, neuron changes in excitability similar to those seen in young neurons during learning occur. Our challenge, then, is to understand how and why excitability changes occur in neurons from aging brains and cause age-associated learning impairments. After understanding the changes, we should be able to formulate strategies for reversing them, thus making old neurons function more as they did when they were young. Such a reversal should rescue the age-related cognitive deficits.
Modeling the Print-Scan Process for Resilient Data Hiding

Print-scan resilient data hiding finds important applications in document security, and image copyright protection. In this paper, we build upon our previous work on print-scan resilient data hiding with the goal of providing a simple mathematical characterization for guiding the design of more sophisticated methods allowing higher volume of embedded data, or achieving more robustness. A model for print-scan process is proposed, which has three main components: a) effects due to mild cropping, b) colored high-frequency noise, and c) non-linear effects. It can be shown that cropping introduces unknown phase shift in the image spectrum. A new hiding method called Differential Quantization Index Modulation (DQIM) is proposed in which, information is hidden in the phase spectrum of images by quantizing the difference in phase of adjacent frequency locations. The unknown phase shift would get cancelled when the difference is taken. Using the proposed DQIM hiding in phase, we are able to survive the print-scan process with several hundred information bits hidden into the images.
Scratching beneath iconographic and textual clues: A reconsideration of the social hierarchy in the Dian culture of Southwestern China

The use of historical texts to interpret archaeological data is a common practice in Chinese archaeology. The selective use of archaeological material as evidential support to textual accounts can however project a limited view of ancient societies, where social behavior from distinct contexts are conflated to produce a single coherent narrative. This paper addresses this prevalent interpretational approach to the Dian polity, a Bronze Age culture located in southwestern China, through a systematic analysis of the mortuary evidence from four cemeteries. Results from the multivariate analysis are contrasted against the textual and iconographic materials to provide a more comprehensive understanding of Dian social organization and to demonstrate social patterning that challenges conceptions about the nature of Dian social hierarchy.
Leisure Activities of Retired Persons in the United States: Comparisons with Retired Persons in the People's Republic of China:

This study was undertaken in view of the large and growing numbers of retired persons in the People's Republic of China; the dearth of information about how they spend their time; and the importance of such knowledge in guiding city reform and accomplishing the Four Modernizations and the future cause. The discretionary-activity patterns and rates, the importance of these activities, and their perceived impact upon the health of 551 retired persons and 100 employed workers in Shanghai were compared in order to investigate the role of retirement in China. To assess similarities and differences between retired persons in China and in the West, the activity patterns and rates of retired Chinese adults were compared with retired adults in two samples from the United States (352 from San Antonio and 899 from San Francisco).
A Preliminary Study of the Effect of Imaginary Sexual Stimulation on the Perceived Covariation Between Freedom and Responsibility

The authors evaluated subjective estimates of the relationship between freedom and responsibility under predictions made in accordance with cognitive-experiential self-theory (CEST; V. Denes-Raj & S. Epstein, 1994; S. Epstein, A. Lipson, C. Holstein, & E. Huh, 1992; S. Epstein, R. Pacini, V. Denes-Raj, & H. Meier, 1996; L. A. Kirkpatrick & S. Epstein, 1992). Half of the participants viewed sexually stimulating primes before making judgments. The other participants viewed neutral stimuli before making judgments. Two dependent measures were used: A set of alternate-forms propositions measured perceived relationships between the variables, and response latencies were used to evaluate the hypothesis that persons operating experientially would make judgments faster than persons operating rationally. Results indicated a significant effect for the priming condition with respect to the within-subject dependent variable. In accordance with predictions, further analysis indicated that positive contingency items were endorsed less often by primed participants, and negative contingency items were endorsed more often by primed participants. Results are in line with predictions afforded by the CEST model. Implications are discussed.
Myo-osseous intercostal pedicle flaps for tracheal reconstruction in puppies

We evaluated a myo-osseous intercostal pedicle flap for distal tracheal reconstruction. Mongrel puppies, 6 to 10 weeks old, underwent tracheal repair, 12 for primary defects and seven for stenotic lesions created in the distal trachea. A composite flap was constructed from the anterior portion of the fourth rib with the overlying pleura and periosteum and a posteriorly based intercostal muscle/neurovascular pedicle. The animals did well following tracheal reconstruction without evidence of airway obstruction. Bronchoscopy documented normal tracheal diameter and the repair site could not be discerned from the surrounding mucosa. Histologically, there was complete respiratory epithelial ingrowth with no inflammatory changes. The rib graft had active hematopoietic marrow. This work suggests that the myo-osseous intercostal pedicle flap provides a surface for normal epithelial ingrowth of tracheal mucosa without stimulating granulation tissue, interposes a stent capable of growth, therefore minimizing anastomotic stricture, and is an effective alternative in the management of distal tracheal stenosis.
Substrate preference is altered by mutations in the fifth transmembrane domain of Ptr2p, the di/tri-peptide transporter of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The integral membrane protein Ptr2p transports di/tri-peptides into the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The sequence FYXXINXG (FYING motif) in the 5th transmembrane domain (TM5) is invariably conserved among the members of the PTR (Peptide TRansport) family ranging from yeast to human. To test the role of TM5 in Ptr2p function, Ala-scanning mutagenesis of the 22 residues comprising TM5 was completed. All mutated transporters, with the exception of the Y248A mutant, were expressed as determined by immunoblots. In peptide-dependent growth assays, ten mutants of the non-FYING residues grew as well as wild-type Ptr2p on all twelve different peptides tested. All of the FYING motif mutants, except the non-expressed Y248A, plus seven other mutants in TM5 exhibited differential growth on peptides including Leu-Leu and Met-Met-Met indicating that these mutations conferred substrate preference. In assays measuring direct uptake of the radioactive peptides 3H-Leu-Leu or 14C-Met-Met-Met, the F, I and G mutants of the...
The effect of cortisone on the intermediary metabolism of epiphyseal cartilage from rats.

Abstract Total glucose stores per cell are reduced by half in tibial epiphyseal cartilage from rats after 3 days of cortisone treatment, and the ability to produce lactate in vitro without added substrate is abolished. Cortisone reduces lactate production from exogenous glucose to 30% of normal. The pentose shunt pathway and lactate formation from pyruvate also are decreased. In contrast, 14CO2 evolution from glucose-6-14C or labeled pyruvate is unaffected by cortisone treatment suggesting that the potential rate of pyruvate oxidation via the citric acid cycle is relatively insensitive to the hormone. High levels of pyruvate in vitro inhibit lactate formation from labeled glucose by over 90% in normal and cortisone-treated tissue while doubling 14CO2 evolution from glucose-1-14C. Total lactate production is depressed while glucose utilization is stimulated suggesting that pyruvate can inhibit glycolysis in cartilage tissue and divert glucose to alternate fates such as the pentose shunt and glycogen synthesis. The controlling influence of such hormonal and metabolic mechanisms on glycolysis may contribute significantly to the marked atrophic effect of glucocorticoids on growth cartilage as well as to the phenomenon of decreased peripheral glucose utilization induced by these hormones.
Microglial-neuronal interactions.

Abstract The question of whether activated microglial cells are potentially harmful or beneficial to injured central nervous system neurons is being addressed by examining in vivo and vitro findings. While observations made in vivo suggest that microglial activation is triggered by injured neurons and may aid in regeneration, in vitro data show production of neurotoxic agents by cultured microglia. An effort is made to find a common denominator in these apparently conflicting findings by discussing microglial activation during motor neuron regeneration and during delayed neuronal death occurring as a consequence of global forebrain ischemia.
The materiality of fieldwork: an ontology of feminist becoming

Through the materiality of fieldwork at a high-achieving high-poverty high school, I discuss how the collision between practices of feminist methodology and the materiality of fieldwork forced me to rethink the “feminist” in feminist research. Using the work of Karen Barad, this material–discursive account of methodology as ontology looks at feminist research as a constitutive intra-action between the materiality of the field and discursive representations of “what count” as feminist research. I discuss “the matter” of feminist research, or how representations of it in the literature rubbed up against its practice. I illustrate how “the matter” of inquiry – bodies, buildings, books, desks, policies, theories, and discourses – was agential and affective. “Doing” of feminist research is an ontological engagement where the force of the material was simultaneously (re)constitutive of feminist methodology, theory, and practice. By engaging with these entangled intra-actions, I hope to narrate an ontological event of feminist becoming.
DECREASES IN CORPOREAL VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR EXPRESSION PRECEDE VASOREACTIVITY CHANGES IN CHOLESTEROL FED RABBITS

ABSTRACTPurpose:: We determined temporal changes in vasoreactivity and angiogenic growth factor levels in corporeal tissue at varying time points after the induction of hypercholesterolemia in rabbits.Materials and Methods:: A total of 42 New Zealand White rabbits were fed a 1% cholesterol (8 per group) or normal (6 per group) diet for 2, 4.5 or 7.5 weeks. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA expression in corpus cavernosum was assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses for the 3 isoforms VEGF121, VEGF165 and VEGF189. Isometric tension studies were performed and dose response curves were generated to evaluate endothelial dependent and endothelial independent vasoreactivity.Results:: Real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis showed 2.2 to 2.5 and 1.5 to 2.7-fold decreases in VEGF121 and VEGF165, respectively, in the corporeal tissues of the high cholesterol group vs the normal diet group at the 2 week time point. At 2 weeks VEGF189 was unchanged but it was decreased 1.5 to 2-fold...
A longitudinal and multi-source test of the work–family conflict and job satisfaction relationship

Job satisfaction is one of the most frequently studied outcomes in the work–family conflict literature. This study extends the previous research by examining the unique effects of work interfering with family (WIF) and family interfering with work (FIW) on job satisfaction by (1) controlling for family, personal, and job characteristics of dual-earner couples, (2) employing cross-sectional and longitudinal methods, and (3) predicting job satisfaction with a spousal rating of the target’s WIF. Consistent with previous research, WIF was related to job satisfaction cross-sectionally for men and women, and this effect existed beyond negative mood, job autonomy and monotony, and FIW. When predicting a change in job satisfaction a year later, and when using spouse rating of the target’s WIF, WIF was predictive of women’s job satisfaction but not men’s, which is consistent with gender role theory. The fact that WIF predicted job satisfaction for women beyond affective and job characteristic variables, over time, and with non-self reported measures, provides more confidence in this directional relationship than could previously be assumed. Societal and managerial implications are discussed.
The non-abelian (or non-linear) method of Chabauty

This article is a brief introduction to the ideas surrounding the non-linear Albanese map that provides an approach to Diophantine finiteness theorems in the spirit of the method of Chabauty.
Mitigation for single event coupling delay

With advances in CMOS technology, circuits are increasingly more sensitive to transient pulses caused by single event particles. It has been predicted that the majority of the observed radiation induced soft failures in technologies below 65 nm will be because of transients that will occur in combinational logic (CL) circuits. Researchers mostly consider single event transients as the main source for CL related radiation-induced soft errors. However, for high reliability applications such as avionics additional sources need to be included in reliability analysis. In this work, we report a new error mechanism named ‘single event crosstalk delay’, investigate the vulnerability of recent technologies to these delay effects and then propose hardening techniques for single event crosstalk delay. Results are demonstrated using HSpice simulations with interconnect and device parameters derived in 130, 90 and 65 nm technology.
Looking for Intel? . . . or Looking for Answers? Reforming Military Intelligence for a Counterinsurgency Environment

Abstract We analyze the recent Flynn Report and assess its implications for the future of military intelligence in Afghanistan. In particular, we argue that the report seeks to expand the substantive tasks of the military intelligence practitioner, while collapsing non-trivial aspects of existing organizational hierarchies. We argue that implementation of the Flynn Report's proposals would match poorly with the traditional nature of military intelligence and the realities of human resources constraints in the military. Further, the resulting scale of unfiltered data such a system would produce might serve to overwhelm rather than assist decision-makers. Finally, we conclude that the problems expressed in the Flynn Report should not be traced to the military intelligence apparatus per se, but rather to the inability of US political leadership to map out a clear vision for current operations – both in Afghanistan, and in the counterinsurgency environment in general.
High-throughput genotyping with primer extension fluorescent polarization detection.

The primer extension assay with fluorescence polarization (FP) detection is a versatile assay for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping. With proper design, this homogeneous assay works under universal conditions. Fluorescence polarization occurs when a fluorescent dye is excited by plane-polarized light and is detected if the fluorescent dye is part of a large molecule. In assays where small fluorescent molecules are turned into large fluorescent products, FP provides a simple way to determine if the reaction has occurred without the need for separation or purification of the reaction mixture. In the primer extension assay, DNA polymerase incorporates the complementary, allelic nucleotide onto the SNP primer designed to anneal to the target DNA one base upstream of the polymorphic site. When a fluorescently labeled nucleotide is incorporated, high FP is observed for that dye and the genotype of the DNA sample is determined. Keywords: Single nucleotide polymorphisms; fluorescence polarization; DNA sequence variation; homogeneous assays; single base extension; primer extension
Ultra-high-stability, pH-resistant sol–gel titania poly(tetrahydrofuran) coating for capillary microextraction on-line coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography

Abstract A sol–gel titania poly(tetrahydrofuran) (poly-THF) coating was developed for capillary microextraction hyphenated on-line with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Poly-THF was covalently bonded to the sol–gel titania network which, in turn, became chemically anchored to the inner surface of a 0.25 mm I.D. fused silica capillary. For sample preconcentration, a 38-cm segment of the sol–gel titania poly-THF coated capillary was installed on an HPLC injection port as a sampling loop. Aqueous samples containing a variety of analytes were passed through the capillary and, during this process, the analytes were extracted by the sol–gel titania poly-THF coating on the inner surface of the capillary. Using isocratic and gradient elution with acetonitrile/water mobile phases, the extracted analytes were desorbed into the on-line coupled HPLC column for separation and UV detection. The sol–gel titania poly-THF coating was especially efficient in extracting polar analytes, such as underivatized phenols, alcohols, amines, and aromatic carboxylic acids. In addition, this coating was capable of extracting moderately polar and nonpolar analytes, such as ketones and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The sol–gel titania poly-THF coated capillary was also able to extract polypeptides at pH values near their respective isoelectric points. Extraction of these compounds can be important for environmental and biomedical applications. The observed extraction behavior can be attributed to the polar and nonpolar moieties in the poly-THF structure. This coating was found to be stable under extremely low and high pH conditions—even after 18 h of exposure to 1 M HCl (pH ≈0.0) and 1 M NaOH (pH ≈14.0).
A Hypomethylating Variant of MTHFR, 677C>T, Blunts the Neural Response to Errors in Patients with Schizophrenia and Healthy Individuals

Background: Responding to errors is a critical first step in learning from mistakes, a process that is abnormal in schizophrenia. To gain insight into the neural and molecular mechanisms of error processing, we used functional MRI to examine effects of a genetic variant in methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR 677C.T, rs1801133) that increases risk for schizophrenia and that has been specifically associated with increased perseverative errors among patients. MTHFR is a key regulator of the intracellular one-carbon milieu, including DNA methylation, and each copy of the 677T allele reduces MTHFR activity by 35%. Methodology/Principal Findings: Using an antisaccade paradigm, we found that the 677T allele induces a dose-dependent blunting of dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) activation in response to errors, a pattern that was identical in healthy individuals and patients with schizophrenia. Further, the normal relationship between dACC activation and error rate was disrupted among carriers of the 677T allele. Conclusions/Significance: These findings implicate an epigenetic mechanism in the neural response to errors, and provide insight into normal cognitive variation through a schizophrenia risk gene.
Optimization of an assay for baculovirus titer and design of regimens for the synchronous infection of insect cells

We have previously described a quantitative model of the trafficking of baculovirus in insect cells that considers the various infection steps such as attachment, internalization, endosomal fusion, and nuclear accumulation. Concepts from the model were used to design synchronous infection regimens for various cell lines, to analyze the inherent inefficiency of existing assays for virus titer, and to develop a modified end-point dilution assay optimized to measure more completely the concentration of intrinsically infectious particles in a virus inoculum. The titer obtained from existing assays incompletely counts infectious virus particles due primarily to the incomplete adsorption of the virus during the short, standard 1-h incubation period. For representative assays, the calculated bound virus is generally about 10% of the added virus, but could be as low as 1.4%, underestimating actual titers by 3-70-fold. A modified end-point dilution assay involving centrifugation has been developed from both quantitative and qualitative analyses. The ratio of particle to plaque-forming unit with the optimized assay was 4-6 compared to 100-300 for typical assays, representing a significant improvement in the measurement of total infectious virus concentration.
Timing, energy, and thermal performance of three-dimensional integrated circuits

We examine the performance of custom circuits in an emerging technology known as three-dimensional integration. By combining multiple device layers with a high-density inter-layer interconnect, 3D integration of a given circuit is expected to provide better timing and energy performance relative to a single-wafer implementation of the same circuit. In this paper, we show that by using our performance-driven design tool for 3D ICs, the interconnect energy dissipation of standard-cell circuits can be reduced by 24% to 42% using two to five device layers respectively. Similarly, the interconnect energy-delay product can be reduced by 30% to 50%.At the same time, thermal performance in 3D ICs is expected to be a critical issue. By incorporating thermal management and analysis into our placement tool, we may investigate the thermal scalability of 3D integration. We find that the thermal performance actually can be improved with the use of a modest number of additional device layers. Also, we show that the absolute die temperature can be controlled through the use of extra silicon.
Pacific plate deformation from horizontal thermal contraction

The central approximation of plate tectonics is that the plates are rigid, which gives the theory its rigor and predictive power. Space geodetic measurements are consistent with the rigidity of stable plate interiors, but some failures of plate-circuit closure, in particular of oceanic plates, indicate that plates may be measurably non-rigid. We explore the hypothesis that horizontal thermal contraction causes deformation of oceanic plates. Here we show significant expected displacement fields due to thermal contraction for the Pacific plate based on a previously proposed relationship between seafloor age and strain rate and on two end-member assumptions on how strain compatibility is enforced. The predicted maxi- mum 2.2 mm/yr southeastward motion of the northeastern part of the plate relative to the Pacific-Antarctic Rise may contribute to a large part of the non-closure of the Pacific-North America plate motion circuit. Our predicted displacement rates cannot (yet) be confirmed by current space geodetic data and will require seafloor geodesy with 1 mm/yr accuracy. The spatial distribution of predicted moment rate agrees reasonably well with that of intraplate earthquake epicenters, similar to what is observed for plate boundary zones. Our results suggest that plate-scale horizontal thermal contraction is significant, and that it may be partly released seismically.