cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Leigh Syndrome in a Girl With a Novel DLD Mutation Causing E3 Deficiency

We present the biochemical and molecular diagnosis of dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase deficiency (also known as E3 deficiency) and Leigh syndrome in a 14-year-old girl with learning disability and episodic encephalopathy and ketoacidosis. The diagnosis was based on values of plasma amino acids and urine organic acids, obtained during acute encephalopathy, lactic ketoacidosis, and liver failure, precipitated by infectious mononucleosis. Enzymatic and molecular analyses confirmed dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase deficiency. E3 activity from cultured skin fibroblasts ranged from 9-29% of the mean. Molecular analysis revealed compound heterozygosity for novel and known pathogenic mutations (p.I353T and p.G136del, respectively). The patient received dietary augmentation and continuous renal replacement therapy, given her severe, persistent lactic acidosis. Acute decompensation resulted in magnetic resonance imaging changes involving the posterior aspect of the putamen, lateral, and medial thalami, substantia nigra, lateral geniculate bodies, and splenium of the corpus callosum. The cortex and subcortical white matter of the right and left occipital lobes and perirolandic region were also affected. In our review of molecularly confirmed patients with dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase deficiency, Leigh syndrome was common. Our patient, whose most severe decompensation occurred at a more advanced age than previously reported, provides further evidence of the heterogeneous presentations of dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase deficiency.
Usability Evaluation of Digital Libraries

Summary This paper distinguishes evaluation procedures in a physical library from those in a digital library, reviewing usability evaluation work within a taxonomy of system design, development and deployment. Usability evaluation of digital libraries should follow two evaluation strategies. The first a convergent methods paradigm. Evaluation data are collected throughout the system life cycle using several different methods. Where comparable interpretations result, evaluators can make confident recommendations for system revision. A second strategy assesses not only the digital library, but the evaluation methods themselves. This self-referring analysis is termed a “double-loop paradigm” and allows evaluators to identify relative efficacy of particular assessment methods for specific library situations. The paper will present evidence for adopting these two strategies, drawing upon the user evaluation effort for the Alexandria Digital Library Project.
Hemolymph osmoregulation and urea retention in the woodland snail, Anguispira alternata (say) (endodontidae)

Abstract 1. 1. Mantle water storage in Anguispira alternata snails depressed elevations in hemolymph osmolality during dehydration. 2. 2. Osmolality of non-urea solutes was not regulated during dehydration. 3. 3. During rehydration, urea that accumulated during dormancy was rapidly excreted, while that retained helped minimize changes in total hemolymph osmolality. 4. 4. Seasonal variations in water content, osmolality and hemolymph urea concentration were detected in field animals.
Predictors of Parental Locus of Control in Mothers of Pre- and Early Adolescents.

Parental locus of control refers to parents' perceived power and efficacy in child-rearing situations. This study explored parental locus of control and its correlates in 160 mothers of children ages 8 to 14 cross-sectionally and 1 year later. Maternal depression, maternal expressed emotion, and child internalizing and externalizing behavior were examined, along with a number of sociodemographic factors. Cross-sectional analyses indicated that external parental locus of control was associated with child externalizing behavior, maternal depression, less maternal education, lower income, and older maternal age. Longitudinal analyses showed that child age and externalizing behavior also predicted increases in external parental locus of control 1 year later. Finally, lower income and less parental perceived control predicted increases in child externalizing behavior over time.
Sensation seeking as a moderator of the processing of anti‐heroin PSAs

Anti‐drug media campaigns have changed the drug‐consumption behaviors of high sensation seekers in part through a campaign strategy called SENTAR. This strategy relies largely on high sensation value messages, which contain structural and content features that elicit sensory, affective, and arousal responses. To learn more about the persuasiveness of high sensation value ads, this investigation focused on the processing of anti‐heroin PSAs by 200 young adults. Of specific interest was the influence of perceived message sensation value on three types of processing (argument‐based, narrative, and sensory), two affect variables (sympathetic distress and stimulated excitation), and anti‐heroin attitudes. Sensation seeking was examined as a moderator of these effects. In general, sensation seeking moderated the effects of perceived message sensation value and sensory processing on sympathetic distress and anti‐heroin attitudes. Additionally, high sensation seekers’ anti‐heroin attitudes were largely influenced...
An electromagnetic approach for modeling high performance computer packages

Described here is an electromagnetic approach for the analysis of high-performance computer packages such as the thermal conduction module (TCM) used in the IBM 3080 and 3090 processor units. Modeling of signal paths and limitations of previous methods are discussed. Numerical results are presented for propagation characteristics associated with signal lines and vias, and for coupled noise between signal lines. The results are compared with those obtained by means of test vehicles, scale models, and capacitance calculations.
Acquired epidermodysplasia verruciformis

Epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV) is a rare autosomal recessive genodermatosis with an increased susceptibility to specific human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes. Classically, this viral infection leads to the development of tinea versicolor-like macules on the trunk, neck, arms, and face during childhood, and over time, these lesions can progress to squamous cell carcinoma. More recently, an EV-like syndrome has been described in patients with impaired cell-mediated immunity. We describe two cases of EV-like syndrome in HIV-positive patients, review all previously reported cases of EV in patients with impaired cell-mediated immunity, introduce the term "acquired epidermodysplasia verruciformis" to describe EV developing in the immunocompromised host and examine the limited treatment options for these patients.
Self-assembled random arrays: high-performance imaging and genomics applications on a high-density microarray platform

Illumina is developing a BeadArray TM technology that supports SNP genotyping, mRNA expression analysis and protein expression analysis on the same platform. We use fiber-optic bundles with a density of approximately 40,000 fibers/mm 2 . At hte end of each fiber, a derivatized silica bead forms an array element for reading out a genotyping or expression assay data point. Each bead contains oligonucleotide probes that hybridize with high specificity to complementary sequences in a complex nucleic acid mixture. We derivatize the beads in bulk, pool them to form a quality-controlled source of microarray elements, and allow them to assemble spontaneously into pits etched into the end of each optical fiber bundle. We load our fiber bundles, containing 49,777 fibers, with up to 1520 different bead types. The presence of many beads of each type greatly improves the accuracy of each assay. As the final step in our manufacturing process, we decode the identity of each bead by a series of rapid hybridizations with fluroescent oligos. Decoding accuracy and the number of beads of each type is recorded for each array. Decoding also serves as a quality control procedure for the performance of each element in the array. To facilitate high-throughput analysis of many samples, the fiber bundles are arranged in an array matrix (Sentrix TM arrays). Using a 96-bundle array matrix, up to 1520 assays can be performed on each of 96 samples simultaneously for a total of 145,920 assays. Using a 384-bundle array matrix, up to 583,680 assays can be performed simultaneously. The BeadArray platform is the highest density microarray in commercial use, requiring development of a high-performance array scanner. To meet this need, we developed the Sherlock TM system, a laser-scanning confocal imaging system that automatically scans all 96 bundles of an array matrix at variable resolution down to 0.8 micron. The system scans with both 532 and 635 nm lasers simultaneously, collecting two fluorescence images. The optical train is designed around a telecentric, flat field, macro scan lens with a field of view of 2 mm. Our BeadArray platform is adaptable to many different assays. In our genotyping services lab, we automated the development and production of highly multiplexed SNP genotyping assays. Each SNP call is made automatically and assigned a quality score based on objective measures of allele clustering across multiple samples. The quality score correlates directly with genotyping accuracy. With a small number of robots and thermal cyclers, and a team of 5 people, we have the capacity to perform over 1 million genotypes per day. The system is modular so that scale-up is limited only by demand. The system has the capacity, versatility, and cost structure to meet the needs of large-scale genomic analysis.
Looking back to see forward in services marketing: some ideas to consider

The article considers the applicability of traditional attitude and other constructs in service quality research. It is suggested that the effects of perceived service quality may be masked by non‐linear relationships and under‐identified explanatory models. Constructs that might assist researchers and practitioners improve their service quality research and strategies are identified.
A data envelopment analysis for spatial efficiency

Abstract This paper proposes a new technique for measuring relative spatial efficiency. A data envelopment analysis (DEA) model for evaluating the efficiency of incremental siting decisions is formulated. The model provides an intuitively attractive approach to measuring accessibility on the basis of multiple spatial criteria, and articulates a ratio-scale based understanding of the “noninferiority” of locational decisions. As such, it puts the more useful aspects of the multiobjective siting process within the grasp of the decision maker. This work rests squarely on the conceptual foundation laid down by Fisher and Rushton (1979). Consequently, our model might best be viewed as a first attempt to operationalize their constructs.
Electron flow generated by gas phase exothermic catalytic reactions using a platinum-gallium nitride nanodiode.

We report steady-state conversion of chemical reaction energy into hot electrons by ballistic injection into a platinum−gallium nitride (Pt/GaN) nanodiode during the platinum-catalyzed oxidation of carbon monoxide. Surface catalytic reactions of molecules from the gas phase generated continuous steady-state hot electron currents with energies at least that of Schottky barrier energy (∼1 eV). These hot electron currents were observed on two different nanodiodes (Pt/TiO2 and Pt/GaN) and represent a new method of chemical energy conversion.
Parametric blind deconvolution of fluorescence microscopy images: preliminary results

Three-dimensional microscopy by computational deconvolution methods requires accurate knowledge of the point spread function (PSF) that characterizes the microscope. Experimental PSF's can only be measured over small regions about focus because the small objects necessary for PSF measurement are dim. Theoretical computation of the PSF requires accurate knowledge of all the experimental setup parameters. Some parameters may be difficult or impossible to measure. In blind deconvolution, the PSF and the specimen are estimated simultaneously, an under-determined problem with non-unique solutions. Most existing approaches to blind deconvolution rely on enforcing constraints on the specimen function and PSF, sometimes in ad-hoc ways. We derived a parametric blind deconvolution method by assuming that the PSF follows a mathematical expression with unknown parameters. The parameters are then estimated together with the specimen function. Preliminary results presented here show that this algorithm rapidly estimates the correct PSF.
Taft algebras acting on associative algebras

We examine actions of the n2-dimensional Taft algebra H on associative algebras R. We first determine when various H-stable subrings of R contain nonzero invariants. Then we look at sufficient and necessary conditions for smash product R#H to be either semiprime or prime. This enables us to prove that if H acts on a field K such that the skew derivation is nonzero, then K#H must be a direct sum of n copies of the n×n matrices over the invariant subfield KH.
Dependence of Photonic Crystal Nanocomposite Elasticity on Crystalline Colloidal Array Particle Size

The first quantitative study of how the mechanical properties of a swollen hydrogel depend upon the diameter of nonbonded embedded nanoparticles was studied. Monodisperse, highly charged polystyrene colloidal particles with diameters between 114 and 186 nm were used in the preparation of the PCCA studied. The PCCA studied were synthesized by UV initiated free radical polymerization of a hydrogel around the CCA. The CCA solutions used for the PCCA preparations were composed of identical weight percent particle dispersions in water to ensure constant overall polymer content within the corresponding pre-polymerization solutions. This linear dependence derives primarily from the contribution of slip within the system, which varies based on the surface area of the embedded particles. We also found that the increase in storage modulus upon exclusion of oxygen during polymerization is more pronounced for hydrogels without nanoparticle inclusions and that the modulus is dominated by particle inclusions as opposed to the cross-linker.
Supersymmetric Inflation, Baryon Asymmetry and the Gravitino Problem

Abstract A special class of locally supersymmetric models has been found which can produce a phase transition that meets all the conditions necessary for the inflationary universe scenario and which sets, via spontaneous supersymmetry breaking, a mass hierarchy consistent with the electroweak unification scale. In this paper we show that the same models can produce a baryon asymmetry after inflation that is consistent with astrophysical observations and can avoid the cosmological problems caused by gravitinos that appear in almost in all other locally supersymmetric models.
Asthma, Suicidal Ideation, and Suicide Attempts: Findings From the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area Follow-Up

Objectives. We examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between asthma, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempt among adults in the community.Methods. Data were drawn from 3 waves (1981,1982,1993–1996) of the Baltimore follow-up of the Epidemiologic Catchment Area study. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to examine associations between asthma, asthma treatment, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and suicide completion.Results. Asthma at wave 1 was associated with a significantly increased odds of suicidal ideation (odds ratio [OR] = 2.33; confidence interval [CI] = 1.03, 5.25) and suicide attempt (OR=3.54; CI=1.4, 8.99), which persisted independent of lifetime National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule/Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition major depression and treatment for asthma at wave 2.Conclusions. These findings provide preliminary evidence suggestive of an association between asthma and an increased likelihood of suic...
Assessing Magnesium Status: A Persisting Problem

Magnesium plays an essential role in a wide range of fundamental biological reactions. Although diets consumed by healthy Americans usually do not lead to clinically significant magnesium depletion, epidemiological and clinical studies have suggested an association between low magnesium status and increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, osteoporosis, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. In acutely or chronically ill hospitalized patients, the prevalence of hypomagnesemia has been reported to be as high as 11%. Hypomagnesemia resulting from underlying disease can be due to decreased gastrointestinal absorption or increased renal magnesium losses. Magnesium is principally an intracellular cation. Tissue magnesium status is difficult to accurately estimate with non-invasive measures due to poor correlations between serum or RBC or WBC magnesium levels and magnesium concentration in major tissue stores in muscle and the skeleton. At present, a comprehensive evaluation of a patient's risk of magnesium deficiency should include consideration of known risk factors and disease conditions possibly contributing to magnesium depletion, estimates of dietary magnesium intake, and clinical observations. The evaluation also should include laboratory measures of magnesium status, including analysis of both extracellular (serum magnesium) and intracellular (RBC, WBC or muscle magnesium) magnesium concentration, if available. Researchers should continue efforts to find a simple, reliable, and useful technique to accurately estimate magnesium status.
With Numeracy for All: Urban Schools and the Reform of Mathematics Education.

The reform of mathematics education in urban schools cannot and will not succeed without a social transformation that liberates young people from the hunger, poverty, and violence that trap so many in the ghetto of despair. This liberation is both an economic necessity and an ethical imperative. It requires developing new strategies for the delivery of services that heal and protect America's youth. The most successful reform initiatives will focus on the whole chil" the whole family, the whole community-the whole socioeconomic matrix. For this reason, we face a compelling need to accelerate the still-nascent movement toward comprehensive, coordinated, school-based services. This need is closely linked to a second: We must no longer tolerate the covert racism and ethnocentrism that subject traditionally underserved students to material that-because it fails to challenge them-clears a pathway to boredom and disillusionment. The tyranny of low expectations must end.
Magnetic Properties Of (Fe 2 O 3 -TiO 2 In BaO-B 2 O 3 -SiO 2 Oxide Glasses

Glasses containing dilute amounts of transition metal ions may be studied using structure sensitive magnetic measurements. In many glass systems, transition metal additives can promote and control the devitrification of the glass (1). In some cases the use of two different transition metals is more effective in producing crystallization than is the use of either of the individual transition metals (2). The present study is one in which a BaO-B2O3-SiO2 base glass doped with Fe3O4; or Fe3O4 plus Ti2O3 oxides is studied using static magnetization and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Past studies (3,4,8) of single transition metal in glasses enable meaningful comparison with this mixed transition metal glass.
Evaluating layout area tradeoffs for high level applications

The authors address the problem of evaluating area tradeoffs for VLSI layouts from high-level specifications (typically register-transfer level). An area prediction approach based on two models, analytical and constructive, are presented. A circuit design is partitioned recursively down to a level specified by the user, thus generating a slicing tree. An analytical model is then used to predict the shape function of each of the leaf subcircuits. By traversing the tree in post-order, the shape function of the entire layout design can be predicted constructively. This approach also permits the user to trade off the accuracy of the prediction versus the runtime of the predictor. Such a scheme is quite useful for high level design tasks. The authors show experimentally that the estimates obtained using this model are within 5% of the actual layout area for designs ranging from 125 to 12000 cells. >
Mechanisms of Phenotypic Heterogeneity in Human Prion Diseases

At variance with other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Huntinghton’s chorea, in which the disease phenotype is fairly homogeneous, human prion diseases occur in a variety of forms and display a large spectrum of disease phenotypes.
Reform as hybrid model of teaching and teacher development in China

Efforts beginning in the 1990s to raise the qualifications and quality of China’s teachers have brought about new regulations, standards and systems of accountability. Reflecing broader economic, social and political changes, new policies have moved to create more standard definitions of teacher quality and common forms of accountability. Yet what seems like a process of global convergence occurs in interaction with the persistence of more organic structures that have long been part of China’s teaching cultures. Chinese educators appear to be constructing hybrid models that rely on insider and outsider expertise. r 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Redefining sewardship: Examining how Fortune 100 organizations use stewardship with virtual stakeholders

Abstract Although Kelly's (2001) stewardship strategies have been discussed conceptually in public relations literature, they have not been examined through scholarly inquiry outside the fundraising realm despite repeated suggestions in relationship management literature. Through content analysis of the Fortune 100 organizations’ websites, this study examines how the four stewardship strategies are used by for-profit corporations. Results indicate that the current conceptualization of stewardship strategies for virtual behavior may be a better representation of relationship cultivation strategies than relying on the adaptation of interpersonal communication strategies to organizations.
A newborn with three cochlear turns: Case report and literature review

Objectives/Hypothesis: The human cochlea is most commonly considered to have two and a half turns. Although the causes of cochlear hypoplasia are well described, cochlear hyperplasia is a rarer entity that is poorly understood. We describe rare anatomic cochlear malformations identified in a 4-month-old male originally referred for evaluation after a failed newborn hearing screening. The full diagnostic evaluation, imaging findings, treatment, and follow-up are described in detail. Cochleae with three turns are an uncommon malformation that is not included in current classifications schemes and may represent a distinct type of anomaly not caused by developmental arrest.
Husband and Adult-Daughter Caregivers' Bereavement:

Compared the post-patient death bereavement adjustment of 126 husband and 87 adult-daughter hospice caregivers of women terminally ill with breast cancer. Data used is from the National Hospice Study, collected in 1980–1983 (Greer&Mor, 1987). These husband and daughter caregivers did not differ on general grief experience or despair 90 days following the patient's death. Both husbands and daughters had more grief 90 days after the death if the patient died in a hospital setting as compared to at home. Daughter caregivers who lived with their mother had greater despair than daughter caregivers who did not live in the same household as their mother. For this sample of husband and adult-daughter caregivers, the difference in family role, husband versus daughter, did not relate to differences in grief and despair following the patient's death. This study suggests that grief experience varies with specifics of the caregiving relationship.
Fine Mapping and Characterization of Linked Quantitative Trait Loci Involved in the Transition of the Maize Apical Meristem From Vegetative to Generative Structures

Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping has detected two linked QTL in the 8L chromosome arm segment introgressed from Gaspe Flint (a Northern Flint open-pollinated population) into the background of N28 (a Corn Belt Dent inbred line). Homozygous recombinant lines, with a variable length of the introgressed segment, confirmed the presence of the two previously identified, linked QTL. In the N28 background, Gaspe Flint QTL alleles at both loci induce a reduction in node number, height, and days to anthesis (pollen shed). Given the determinate growth pattern of maize, the phenotypic effects indicate that the two QTL are involved in the transition of the apical meristem from vegetative to generative structures. Relative to the effects of the two QTL in the background of N28, we distinguish two general developmental factors affecting the timing of pollen shed. The primary factor is the timing of the transition of the apical meristem. The second, derivative factor is the global extent of internode elongation. Having separated the two linked QTL, we have laid the foundation for the positional cloning of the QTL with a larger effect.
CYCLIN-DEPENDENT KINASES IN BRAIN DEVELOPMENT AND DISEASE

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is a multifaceted serine/threonine kinase protein with important roles in the nervous system. Two related proteins, p35 and p39, activate Cdk5 upon direct binding. Over the past decade, Cdk5 activity has been demonstrated to regulate many events during brain development, including neuronal migration as well as axon and dendrite development. Recent evidence also suggests a pivotal role for Cdk5 in synaptic plasticity, behavior, and cognition. Dysfunction of Cdk5 has been implicated in a number of neurological disorders and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Niemann-Pick type C disease, and ischemia. Hyperactivation of Cdk5 due to the conversion of p35 to p25 by the calcium-dependent protease calpain during neurotoxicity also contributes to the pathological state. This review surveys recent literature surrounding Cdk5 in synaptic plasticity and homeostasis, with particular emphasis on Cdk5 kinase activity under neurodegen...
The epoch state navigation filter

The formulation of a recursive maximum likelihood navigation system employing reference position and velocity vectors as state variables is presented. Convenient forms of the required variational equations of motion are developed together with an explicit form of the associated state transition matrix needed to refer measurement data from the measurement time to the epoch time. Computational advantages accrue from this design in that the usual forward extrapolation of the covariance matrix of estimation errors can be avoided without incurring unacceptable system errors. Simulation data for earth orbiting satellites are provided to substantiate this assertion.
URINARY TRACT INFECTION PROPHYLAXIS USING ESCHERICHIA COLI 83972 IN SPINAL CORD INJURED PATIENTS

Purpose: Escherichia coli 83972 was previously shown to establish bladder colonization in select patient groups. We evaluate the safety and feasibility of using bacterial interference with E. coli 83972 to prevent urinary tract infection in spinal cord injured patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 21 men and women with neurogenic bladder secondary to spinal cord injury underwent intravesical inoculation with E. coli 83972. Frequency of symptomatic urinary tract infection before and after colonization was compared. Results: Successful long-term bladder colonization was achieved in 13 study participants. Mean duration of colonization was 12.3 months (range 2 to 40). Subjects had no symptoms of urinary tract infection while colonized with E. coli 83972 (0 infection per 18.4 patient-years). Successfully colonized subjects had experienced a mean of 3.1 symptomatic urinary tract infections per year (range 2 to 7) before colonization. Symptomatic infection also occurred in 4 subjects who were not successfully colonized with E. coli 83972 and in 7 others after spontaneous loss of colonization. Colonized subjects reported subjective improvement in quality of life with respect to urinary tract infection while colonized. Conclusions: E. coli 83972 may be safely used to establish long-term asymptomatic bladder colonization in spinal cord injured subjects. Preliminary findings suggest that colonization with E. coli 83972 may reduce the frequency of urinary tract infection in patients with neurogenic bladder secondary to spinal cord injury. Urinary tract infection is particularly problematic in patients with spinal cord injury. Mortality rates associated with urinary tract infection and spinal cord injury as high as 80% during World War I and 43% during the Korean War are no longer seen in the United States because of better antibiotics and improved methods of managing spinal cord injury associated voiding dysfunction and stone disease. 1, 2 However, the modern day incidence of urinary tract infection is still substantial. A recent study noted clinical urinary tract infection in 22% of patients with acute spinal cord injury during a 50-day period. 3 In subjects with chronic spinal cord injury a 20% annual incidence of urinary tract infection has been reported. 4
Isolation of dinucleotide microsatellite loci from red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus)

We isolated 13 variable dinucleotide microsatellites from red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus). After generating fragments using degenerate oligonucleotide primer-polymerase chain reaction (DOP-PCR), AC repeats were captured using biotinylated probes and streptavidin-coated magnetic particles. Captured fragments were cloned into plasmids, screened for microsatellites with a simple PCR reaction, and select plasmids then sequenced. PCR primers were designed and optimized for robust amplification, and nine primers have been further optimized for multiplex reactions with fluorescent primers. These nine loci are variable with an average of 6.11 alleles per locus and an average heterozygosity of 0.61.
Symmetry tuning with megajoule laser pulses at the National Ignition Facility

Experiments conducted at the National Ignition Facility using shaped laser pulses with more than 1 MJ of energy have demonstrated the ability to control the implosion symmetry under ignition conditions. To achieve thermonuclear ignition, the low mode asymmetries must be small to minimize the size of the hotspot. The symmetry tuning experiments use symmetry capsules, “symcaps”, which replace the DT fuel with an equivalent mass of CH to emulate the hydrodynamic behavior of an ignition capsule. The x-ray self-emission signature from gas inside the capsule during the peak compression correlates with the surrounding hotspot shape. By tuning the shape of the self-emission, the capsule implosion symmetry can be made to be “round.” In the experimental results presented here, we utilized crossbeam energy transfer [S. H. Glenzer, et al., Science 327, 1228 (2010)] to change the ratio of the inner to outer cone power inside the hohlraum targets on the NIF. Variations in the ratio of the inner cone to outer cone power affect the radiation pattern incident on the capsule modifying the implosion symmetry.
Assessing the prediction of employee productivity: a comparison of OLS vs. CART

This research compares the results of utilising an ordinary least squares (OLS) approach vs. a classification and regression tree (CART) approach for identifying employees with a high likelihood of being productive. Relevant performance data were collected from 378 employees of a large garment manufacturer. Past research (Markham et al., 2006) has shown that a combined genetic algorithm with an artificial neural network substantially outperformed (R² = 0.30) an equivalent OLS solution (R² = 0.14) when predicting individual level productivity. The current research compares the use of CART to OLS using the same data set. With an R² of 0.43, the CART results were even more powerful in identifying and classifying high performance employees. The implications of this finding for the field of productivity research and employee selection are discussed.
ARE TEACHERS' UNIONS REALLY TO BLAME? COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH DISTRICT RESOURCE ALLOCATION AND STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN CALIFORNIA

Abstract Increased spending and decreased student performance have been attributed in part to teachers' unions and to the collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) they negotiate with school boards. However, only recently have researchers begun to examine impacts of specific aspects of CBAs on student and district outcomes. This article uses a unique measure of contract restrictiveness generated through the use of a partial independence item response model to examine the relationships between CBA strength and district spending on multiple areas and district-level student performance in California. I find that districts with more restrictive contracts have higher spending overall, but that this spending appears not to be driven by greater compensation for teachers but by greater expenditures on administrators' compensation and instruction-related spending. Although districts with stronger CBAs spend more overall and on these categories, they spend less on books and supplies and on school board–related expend...
Reproductive tradeoff limits the predatory efficiency of female Arizona Bark Scorpions (Centruroides sculpturatus)

Background Life history tradeoffs may result from temporal and physiological constraints intrinsic to an organism. When faced with limited time and energy, compromises occur and these resources are allocated among essential activities, such as body growth, maintenance, foraging, mating, and offspring care. We investigated potential tradeoffs that may occur between reproductive activities and feeding performance in female Arizona Bark Scorpions (Centruroides sculpturatus) by comparing the time taken to capture prey between non-reproductive and reproductive females (gravid females and females exhibiting maternal care, i.e. carrying offspring on their backs).
Alcohol, One-Carbon Metabolism, and Colorectal Cancer: Recent Insights from Molecular Studies

A growing body of evidence implicates alcohol intake as a risk factor for colorectal cancer. Until recently, most of the data were based on epidemiologic data that examined alcohol intake in relation to risk of colorectal neoplasia, but the evidence has now been broadened by recent molecular studies on mechanisms. In particular, a number of observations strongly support a role for alcohol acting through disruptions in one-carbon metabolism. Excessive alcohol intake is a fairly consistent risk factor for colorectal neoplasia in most studies, and studies show much higher risks of colorectal neoplasia in those with high alcohol and low folate than with high alcohol or low folate individually. Interactions between high alcohol-low folate and the MTHFR677TT genotype with risk of colorectal neoplasia suggest that alcohol is acting through its effects on one-carbon metabolism because the combination of high alcohol-low folate and the MTHFR677TT genotype are related to markedly elevated serum levels of homocysteine and to DNA hypomethylation. In addition, in Japanese studies, consumers of alcohol possessing the ALDH2*2 allele, who have very elevated levels of acetaldehyde, are at high risk for colorectal cancer. The relatively high prevalence of the ALDH2*2 allele may thus account for the stronger association between alcohol and colorectal neoplasia that is frequently observed in studies in Japanese populations. Further research integrating studies with more detailed data on alcohol intake levels and patterns, folate and other related nutrient status, and relevant genotypes may help clarify unresolved questions regarding the health consequences of moderate to high alcohol drinking.
Direct detection of Salmonella on fresh vegetables using multiple magnetoelastic biosensors

This paper demonstrates the direct detection of Salmonella typhimurium on fresh tomatoes using multiple phage-based magnetoelastic (ME) biosensors. In this investigation, the sample collection/preparation step that is necessary for current pathogen detection methods was eliminated. ME biosensors are wireless sensors and are composed of a ME resonator platform immobilized with E2 phage. The E2 phage is genetically engineered to bind with Salmonella typhimurium. Upon contact with the specific target bacteria, Salmonella typhimurium, the resonance frequency of the ME biosensor decreases due to the binding of bacterial cells on the sensor surface. Multiple ME biosensors were directly placed on tomato surfaces spiked with different concentrations of Salmonella typhimurium and binding with the bacteria allowed to occur. The resonance frequencies of the ME biosensors and control sensors (without phage coating) were measured before and after the placement of the biosensors on tomato surfaces. Results showed that shifts in the resonance frequency of the phage coated ME biosensors were observed, while the changes of control sensors were negligible.
Biomarkers for incident CKD: a new framework for interpreting the literature

Biomarkers are a useful tool for the investigation of chronic kidney disease (CKD), although the design, analytical tools and outcomes used in many biomarker studies are suboptimal. In part, this situation might reflect a lack of appreciation of the nature of different biomarkers. A particular biomarker could, for example, be implicated in the pathogenesis of CKD because it is a physiological risk factor for declining kidney function, an indicator of impaired kidney function, or a marker of ongoing injury within the kidney. Such risk factors enable us to understand the process of disease and to identify treatment targets. By contrast, risk markers enable us to distinguish persons who will or will not develop CKD, even though the markers themselves are not required to be modifiable by (or directly involved in) the disease process. Accurate prediction of CKD risk will probably require a combination of biomarkers of several types, however. This Review offers a conceptual framework for interpreting the results of studies evaluating biomarkers of declining kidney function and incident CKD.
Fair Trade Legislation Restricting Price Cutting

UPON THE collapse of the N.R.A. there was a significant shift of interest and influence in the field of legislative control of price cutting from attempts to secure Federal legislation to efforts to obtain state enactments. The unanimous favorable decision of the United States Supreme Court on December 7 of 1936 with respect to the Illinois and California Fair Trade Laws portends further significant development along these lines, with the strong possibility also of the passage of Federal enabling legislation. At the end of 1936 there were fifteen states in this country with fair trade laws identical with, or closely patterned upon, the original statute passed by California in 1931 and amended in 1933. These states, in addition to 'California, included New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Virginia, Rhode Island, Louisiana, and Arizona. In addition to the state fair trade laws mentioned above, which legalize resale price controls under contract, there are allied enactments which are often confused with the resale price control laws, partly because of considerable similarity in intent but primarily because these other statutes are commonly also called "fair trade legislation." In this paper, space does not permit a detailed presentation of the laws of the various states. Fortunately, the general character of these "fair trade" acts, other than the resale price control laws can be shown by a brief statement of the California chronology, since California has been a pioneer in this field. THE CALIFORNIA 'CHRONOLOGY
Update on Propranolol for Infantile Hemangioma: Where Are We Now?

The discovery of propranolol for the treatment of infantile hemangioma in 2008 has revolutionized management of this condition. Hundreds of reports have corroborated the initial published findings that propranolol is a safe and efficacious therapeutic agent. Furthermore, it is well tolerated in infants and can markedly alter the natural history and potential disfigurement of these lesions. The goal of this review is to outline the salient features of infantile hemangioma and the optimal use of propranolol as a first-line treatment modality.
Threats And Coercion

There is nearly universal agreement that coercion is an evil. Even when it is necessary to avoid a greater evil or to attain some good, it is still a necessary evil. There is also nearly universal agreement that, other things being equal, one ought not to exercise coercion. Here the agreement ends. There is little agreement about just when coercion is justified. More surprisingly, there is little agreement about what coercion is. This latter controversy is more fundamental, and this paper is an attempt to shed some light on it.
Optimization of Induction Factors for Polyploidy Amorpha fruticosa L.

Using colchicine for the induction of polyploidy plants is one of the ways of artificial induction. Colchicine,root length and light were selected as the influencing factors to induce polyploidy Amorpha optimal with the root tip smeared,to explore the optimal induction conditions for polyploidy Amorpha optimal. The morphology and cytology were observed and analyzed. The results of orthogonal test showed that the induction rate was the highest in the conditions of colchicine concentration 0.1 %,root length 0.8～1.5 cm and half light.
Investiagtion and analysis on missing report status of sexually transmitted disease in Urumchi City in 2011

[Objective]To know the missing report status of sexually transmitted disease(STD) and existing problems in medical institutions in Urumchi City,further find out the keys of STD report,standardize the management of STD epidemic situation,so as to improve the accuracy of STD epidemic situation report.[Methods]The management status of STD epidemic situation was studied by field survey and data check in medical institutions in Urumchi City,and the rate of missing report was calculated.[Results]A total of 60 medical institutions were investigated,and 5 kinds of 702 STD cases were checked.There were 26 cases of missing report,and the total rate of missing report was 3.70%,which decreased by 1.14% compared with that in 2010(4.84%).[Conclusion]The rates of missing report in some medical institutions in Urumchi City are high,and there exist many management problems.Therefore,it is necessary to strengthen the training among medical staff,make clear the diagnostic criteria of STD and the reporting process of epidemic situation,improve the coordination between different departments in hospital,pay attention to the management of every step of epidemic situation report,carry out the self-check and supervision,and implement the reward system,so as to effectively control the missing report of STD epidemic situation.
CORRELATION OF FETAL HEART RATE PATTERNS AND BLOOD GAS VALUES. II. BRADYCARDIA.

Abstract 1. 1. A group of infants demonstrating fetal bradycardia with contractions and between contractions has been studied by determing umbilical arterial and venous oxygen tension, carbon dioxide tension, pH, and lactate at birth. 2. 2. There is a slight increase in umbilical arterial acidosis in those infants with bradycardia with contractions. 3. 3. There is a marked umbilical arterial acidosis and mild umbilical venous acidosis in those infants showing bradycardia between contractions.
Division of Labor

Division of labor is one of the key attributes of social organization and is considered an underlying reason for the ecological success of the eusocial insects. Defined as occurring when different individuals within a social group specialize in different tasks, division of labor is often divided into two general categories: reproductive division of labor or the partitioning of a social group into reproductives and sterile workers, and division of labor for all other tasks involved in colony growth and maintenance. In eusocial colonies, tasks associated with colony function are generally divided among workers so that individuals specialize, but a division of labor for nonreproductive tasks also occurs in a broad range of social groups, including communal systems of unrelated individuals, and can even be produced as a self-organizing phenomenon in artificial groups of normally solitary insects. The mechanisms generating division of labor range from social interactions that generate variation in task performance via self-organization to developmental differences among workers in morphology and physiology, including genetically based differences in task preference. Although the mechanisms vary, a global pattern of task differentiation emerges in all highly social insect groups.
New delivery systems for brain tumor therapy

Therapy of brain tumors has been limited by lack of effective methods of drug delivery. Systemic administration often fails to achieve therapeutic concentrations of drugs within intracranial tumors despite toxic systemic levels. This article discusses new methods for delivering therapeutic agents to brain tumors, including intra-arterial, intrathecal, intraventricular, and interstitial administration techniques.
Statistical limits of contact resistivity due to atomistic variation in nanoscale contacts

Using large-scale quantum transport simulations, we calculate the intrinsic variability of contact resistivity in scaled Si devices due to atomistic variation. We further demonstrate that tunneling resistance and metal band structure mismatch each account for approximately half of the increase in contact resistivity above fundamental lower bounds. The results suggest that worsening variability must be counteracted by barrier height modulation to meet targets in future technology nodes.
Can residents detect errors in technique while observing central line insertions

Abstract Background Procedural teaching and the ability to detect and correct errors are important components of surgical education. This study evaluates whether review of an instructional video will improve residents' ability to detect errors. We hypothesized that clinical experience and confidence do not correlate with ability to detect errors. Methods Participants were randomized to 2 groups: the study group viewed an instructional video demonstrating correct technique, whereas the control group did not view the instructional video. Forty general surgery residents described errors in technique during an ultrasound-guided right internal jugular vein catheterization pre and post randomization. Results Participants who viewed the video improved their error identification rate by 72.6% ( P r = .17 and r = .14 respectively). Conclusions Experience and seniority may not be sufficient to detect procedural errors during central line insertion. Instructional videos improve error recognition.