cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Extracellular mRNA detected by molecular beacons in tethered lipoplex nanoparticles for diagnosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the major causes of cancer related deaths. Although ultrasonography (US), computed tomography (CT) and/or high-cost magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been shown to improve early detection of liver cancer and mortality rates in high-risk individuals, such imaging based methods are limited by high rates of false positivity leading to unnecessary patient anxiety and invasive procedures. Complementary blood biomarkers could increase the accuracy of early detection. Although Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in blood is widely used in HCC screening and diagnosis, the false-negative rate as high as 30% and 40% is found in advanced HCC and early stage HCC respectively. We detected AFP messenger RNA (mRNA) in extracellular vesicles (EVs) in patient plasma using designed molecular beacons and a novel tethered lipoplex nanoparticle (TLN) biochip. Together with glypican-3 (GPC-3) mRNA, another well-known HCC marker, we observed much improved performance of AFP protein-based HCC detection. Comparing normal donors (N = 38) and HCC patients (N = 40), our TLN biochip using EV AFP and GPC-3 mRNAs provided an AUC (area under the ROC curve) of 0.995, better than that of a single marker. This 2-mRNA combination also provided a perfect positive predictive value (PPV = 1) at a negative predictive value (NPV) of 0.95 and 20% prevalence, while the blood AFP protein or plasma EV GPC3 mRNA alone could only provide a PPV of 0.61 and 0.79 respectively at the same conditions. Thus, this facile new method may complement current models for risk stratification in liver cancer screening, therapeutic monitoring, and after-treatment surveillance. However, large scale validation will need to be conducted to confirm its clinical potential.
Nuclear receptor corepressors and PPARγ

The nuclear receptor corepressors NCoR and SMRT repress gene transcription by recruiting a histone deacetylase complex. Their roles in PPARγ action have been controversial. Recent evidence, however, suggests that NCoR and SMRT repress PPARγ-mediated transcriptional activity on specific promoters in the adipocyte. In addition, by repressing PPARγ action, these corepressors inhibit the ability of adipocyte differentiation to proceed. A further understanding of corepressor action in the adipocyte will provide insight into the balance of forces regulating adipogenesis, insulin sensitivity, and Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Non-Regulatory Responses

There are a variety of policy responses that might be deployed to ameliorate the five market failures. One of these responses, legal liability, has already been introduced. There are other responses that have yet to be described: anti-trust powers, information provision, insurance requirements and safety regulation. These responses are shown on the vertical axis of the matrix in Table 17.1. Along the horizontal axis are the five market failures. A “X” in a cell of the matrix indicates which market failures can be ameliorated with each policy response.
Applications of deductive and object-oriented databases

Database technology provides various data models to the user community. Each data model has its advantages and disadvantages. The network and hierarchical data models, introduced in the 1960's, provide a very performant data organization for well-defined, update-intensive transaction processing of large volumes of data at the cost of conceptual complexity and inflexibility. The relational data model, introduced in the early 1970's, has now been accepted as a commercial alternative for application domains where the conceptual simplicity of tables and the flexibility of issuing ad hoc queries (via the industrystandard query language SQL) outweighs the cost of performance. The 1980's has introduced the emerging technologies of deductive databases and object-oriented databases. Deductive databases extend relational databases with inherent support for powerful rules that provide for the declarative specification of deductive rules and integrity constraints. Object-oriented databases provide complex data structuring including class hierarchies and inheritance. This conference focuses on the integration of the deductive and objectoriented technologies, providing an alternative data model with the power and flexibility of declarative rules and the structural richness of objects. The DOOD technology is approaching a maturity level in which we can expect initial commercial products for developing applications. The use of DOODs as a viable alternative data model depends on the ability of the database application to take advantage of the additional capabilities that they provide. The acceptance of DOODs by a wider audience ultimately relies on realizing the applications that can take advantage of the technology and marketing the advantages realized by these nontrivial applications. This panel focuses on applications of DOOD technology. Specifically,
The Fed, IMF and Disregarded Warnings

The Fed, the IMF and Treasury lacked adequate tools, which might have indicated that asset values were vastly out of line with fundamentals. The Fed and the Fund were not searching for such tools because they did not believe that they could or should look for misaligned asset values or excess debt, The Fed was blind-sided by the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH), that current prices reveal all publicly available information. One cannot second- guess the market. There cannot be an ex-ante misalignment. Bubbles exist only in retrospect. The Jackson Hole Consensus gave them great comfort in adopting a hands off position by claiming that “As long as money and credit remain broadly controlled, the scope for financing unsustainable runs in asset prices should also remain limited….numerous empirical studies have shown that almost all asset price bubbles have been accompanied, if not preceded by strong growth of credit and or money”. Since the period preceding the crisis was the Great Moderation, there was no need to worry.
The Supreme Court’s Surprising and Strategic Response to the Civil Rights Act of 1991

This essay, which was prepared for a symposium issue in recognition of the twentieth anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1991, explores the Supreme Court’s response to the Congressional repudiation of its cases reflected in the 1991 Act. Relying on a positive political theory framework, I demonstrate that the Court appears to have responded in a strategically sophisticated manner designed to insulate their decisions from Congressional reversal. The 1991 Act reversed or modified eight Supreme Court decisions, and reflected concern regarding the conservative turn the Court had taken in discrimination cases. After the passage of the Act, plaintiffs have fared substantially better in the Supreme Court - prevailing on nearly seventy (70%) of the non-disability employment discrimination cases, with nearly two thirds of the victories rendered by unanimous decisions. Yet, in the most significant cases - the cases the conservative members of the Supreme Court likely have the strongest preference - defendants continue to prevail, often by a 5-4 margin.
Vascular malformations and tumors. Part 2: Low-flow lesions

Abstract Vascular malformations and tumors, also known as “vascular anomalies”, comprise an extensive variety of lesions involving all parts of the body. Due to a lack of a complete understanding of the origin and histopathology of such lesions, this field has been traditionally obscured by the use of an unclear nomenclature. Knowledge of the classification and clinical and imaging characteristics of this group of lesions is paramount when managing these patients. The objective of this series of two articles is to review the current classification of vascular anomalies, to describe the role of imaging in their diagnosis, to summarize their distinctive histopathologic, clinical and imaging features, and to discuss the treatment options. High-flow lesions were discussed in the first article of this series. In this second article, we will focus on low-flow lesions, including complex syndromes with associated low-flow malformations.
Survey-guided change in ship design and production: prospects and limitations at U.S. ship

Description et analyse d'un essai d'amelioration de l'organisation de la conception des navires et de la construction navale dans les chantiers navals des Etats-Unis
Weed control with herbicide incorporation in sunflower

During the last decade certificate registration of 13 active ingedients were removed by European Union from sunflower herbicide market, including the basis for the incorporating technology, the trifluralin active ingredient as well. Its relative, the benfluralin active ingredient, which include the Balan 600 WDG herbicide product in sunflower, will be sold again from 2015 spring in Hungarian pesticide market. It has a broad-spectrum and lond residue besides it has very high level selectivity on sunflower. It has very good effect against annual monocotweeds such as common barnyadgrass, foxtail species, large crabgrass and wild proso millet, dicotyledonous weeds such as common lambsquarters,and redroot pigweed. It has significant side-effect against common ragweed, black nightshade, wild buckweed and prostrate knotweed. The long effect residue provide the weed-free til harvest. Benfluralin is totally selective on sunflower, as no colouring, any deformation or growth inhibition was not observed during the entire growing season. It should be sprayed 3-4 days before sowing within 1 hour and to be incorporated into the soil in 4-6 cm depth with tillage equipment. It can be used in tank mix with fluorochloridon in incorporated technology against annual dicotyledonous weeds. After the Balan incorporation can be used postemergence timing imazamox and tribenuron-metil active substances against hard kill and deeply germinating weeds. The products can not be used in tank mix with bacterial products.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTING: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE JOURNAL OF ACCOUNTANCY, 1905 TO 1989

This content analysis of Journal of Accountancy items relating to governmental accounting spans a period of nine decades which included two world wars, a severe economic depression, and conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, These decades marked the departure from simpler local government accounting concerns alone to national governmental issues and the call for consistent accountability among the myriad federal agencies and programs. Considering the growth of the public sector, its importance to all other spheres of American life, the complexity of governmental financial administration, and the events of the times, governmental accounting received only a modest amount of attention in the AICPA's journal — probably less than five percent of published content over the period. This limited coverage suggests a minimal amount of attention to governmental accounting matters within the profession which may be due in part to the fact that governmental accounting, until recently, was not a principal component of the pro...
Unraveling common threads in obesity risk among racial/ethnic minority and migrant populations

Abstract Background Epidemic obesity poses a major threat to global health. This phenomenon reflects the inability of the average person to cope, biologically and behaviorally, with environmental contexts that promote caloric overconsumption and inadequate caloric expenditure. There is still much to be learned about how to improve these contexts nationally and within-countries for sociodemographic groups with above-average obesity risks. Methods Higher obesity risks relative to respective white majority populations were identified among diverse indigenous, other native-born, or migrant ‘racial’ or ethnic minority (hereafter, ethnic minority) populations in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands, using publicly available national survey data or other sources. Cross-national comparisons were of interest for identifying common risk pathways associated with social and economic inequities. Potential explanations were explored through a narrative review of peer-reviewed literature, informed by the World Health Organization's Conceptual Framework for Action on The Social Determinants of Health. Main findings Identifying viable solutions to the high risk of obesity in ethnic minority populations in these high-income countries requires examination of national-level social, economic, and health system contexts, food systems, and built environments for physical activity, as well as patterns of social stratification and cultural biases related to ethnicity, migration, and other determinants of social disadvantage. These factors can be linked to mediators of exposure or vulnerability to obesity-related risks, such as poverty, being an ‘outsider’, stress and trauma resulting from historical and current oppression, exposure to bias and discrimination, related biological or behavioral consequences, and inadequate health and social care. Conclusions Focusing on ethnic minority populations in high-income countries is critical for public health efforts to address epidemic obesity. Mitigating intersecting risk pathways arising from stratification and bias based on ethnicity and migrant status should be prominent in these efforts.
The effects of U-232 on enrichment and material attractiveness over time

Abstract The effect of 232U on enrichment and material attractiveness provides a significant firewall against proliferation. Mixing 232U with natural uranium creates major obstacles to the weaponization process. The decay heat of 232U is significant and increases over time by a factor greater than 5 through the decay of 232U daughter products. The dose rate also becomes significant as 208Tl builds up and emits an energetic gamma ray of 2.615 MeV. These factors, along with the bare critical mass and spontaneous fission neutron rate are used to determine the material’s attractiveness through a Figure of Merit analysis. Considering 232U is lighter than 235U, attempting to enrich a mixture of natural uranium and 232U to weapons grade will also increase the concentration of 232U and thus increase the material’s unattractiveness. This study simulates natural uranium with a 232U concentration of 0.03 at.% being enriched to weapons grade and determines the attractiveness of the resulting uranium vector. The results show that the material becomes unattractive within a year of initial separation. In addition, the alpha decay of 232U in gaseous UF6 will result in the decomposition of UF6 molecules. The rate of this decomposition in the initial natural uranium mixture, the mixture enriched to 3 at.% 235U, and this mixture enriched to 90 at.% 235U is calculated. These rates are notable and may pose a significant firewall to obtaining weapons grade uranium.
Talking Story: Understanding Culture-based Curricula

The phenomenological study investigated the perceptions of teachers who implemented a culture-based curriculum at an elementary school on Oahu. Aloha ‘Āina is a culture-based curriculum with instruction and student learning grounded in the values, norms, knowledge, beliefs, practices, experiences, and language that are the foundation of the Hawaiian culture. Eight teachers were interviewed after they used the culture-based curriculum in their classrooms during one semester. Data analysis revealed four categories: teachers’ initial experiences, student engagement, challenges and opportunities, and meaningful experiences. Teachers were challenged by the culture-based education program and teachers’ perceptions of the Aloha ‘Āina curriculum were positive, most agreeing that it helped students to learn and improve student engagement through hands-on learning in and outside of the classroom. Keywords: Aloha ‘Aina, culture-based curricula, place-based education,
Characterizing Thalamo-Cortical Structural Connectivity in Essential Tremor with Diffusional Kurtosis Imaging Tractography.

Background Neuromodulation of the cerebello-thalamo-cortical (CTC) circuit via thalamic stimulation is an effective therapy for essential tremor (ET). In order to develop non-invasive neuromodulation approaches, clinically relevant thalamo-cortical connections must be elucidated. Methods Twenty-eight subjects (18 ET patients and 10 controls) underwent MRI diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI). A deterministic fiber-tracking algorithm based on DKI was used, with a seeding region placed at the ventral intermediate nucleus (Vim-located based on intraoperative physiology) to the ending regions at the supplementary motor area (SMA), pre-SMA, or primary motor cortex. One-tailed t-tests were performed to compare groups, and associations with tremor severity were determined by Pearson correlations. All p-values were adjusted for multiple comparisons using Bonferroni correction. Results There was a decrease in the mean diffusivity (MD) in patients compared to controls in all three tracts: Vim-M1 (ET 0.87, control 0.96, p < 0.01), Vim-SMA (ET 0.86, control 0.96, p < 0.05), and Vim-pre-SMA (ET 0.87, control 0.95, p < 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between Tremor Rating Scale score and MK (r = 0.471, p = 0.033) and mean FA (r = 0.438, p = 0.045) for the Vim-SMA tract, and no significant correlation for the Vim-pre-SMA or Vim-M1 tracts was found. Discussion Patients with ET demonstrated a reinforcement of Vim-cortical connectivity, with higher Vim-SMA connectivity being associated with greater tremor severity. This finding suggests that the Vim-SMA connection is relevant to the underlying pathophysiology of ET, and inhibition of the SMA may be an effective therapeutic approach.
HEARTCARE: ADVANCING PRECISION MEDICINE THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE CARDIOVASCULAR GENETIC TESTING

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in the United States, leading to 1 in every 4 deaths. The role of inherited susceptibility to CVD is well established, from rare monogenic disorders to pharmacogenetics and more recently studied polygenic traits. To advance precision
What This Book Is About

The book’s coverage is outlined. The reasons for focusing on the visual arts, popular arts, and paintings not in the collections of art museums are explained. Mass-produced original paintings are described along with their importance to art criticism, the psychology of art, and aesthetics; why they serve as a bridge between the popular and traditional arts; and how their study interrelates science and the humanities. Noted, too, is the place of mass-produced paintings in the fine arts, the popular arts, evolutionary theory, history, cultural studies, aesthetics, and the social sciences, especially psychology. The advantages of studying mass-produced originals and their neglect by the artworld are introduced. The author’s empirical and multidisciplinary approach is emphasized. Mass-produced paintings are illustrated.
The Impact of Social Networks on EITC Claiming Behavior

Using the Social Connectedness Index (Bailey et al., 2018b) to capture county-to-county Facebook linkages, I explore how county-level Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) claiming behavior changes when ...
Red blood cell transfusion requirements for patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Background:Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a rescue procedure used for cardiac and pulmonary dysfunction. Patients on ECMO often require blood transfusions to maintain oxygen delivery...
Diet, Mobility, Technology, and Lithics: Neolithization on the Andean Altiplano, 7.0–3.5 ka

Neolithization was a complex, protracted process of domestication, sedentarization, and technology change that occurred in various combinations in various times and places around the world. Understanding the causal relationships among those and other important human behaviors remains an analytical challenge. This study examines Neolithization through the lens of lithic artifact variation in the Lake Titicaca Basin, Peru. Drawing on previous lithics research, we outline a synthetic model linking changing diet, mobility, and projectile technology to predicted trends in lithic assemblages. The expectations are then compared to two large, well-dated lithic assemblages from the Titicaca Basin—one from the Middle/Late Archaic forager site of Soro Mik’aya Patjxa (8.0–6.5 cal. ka) and the other from the Terminal Archaic horticultural site of Jiskairumoko (5.2–3.4 cal. ka). We find that the strongest signal in lithic technology change is related to the introduction of archery technology. Signals for subsistence change and declining mobility are relatively weak. The results suggest an early but unconfirmed adoption of archery technology in the Terminal Archaic Period with major transitions in mobility and diet likely to have occurred subsequently in the Terminal Archaic or Formative periods. The findings are consistent with a behavioral model in which changes in projectile technology played a prominent role in the evolution of resource intensification and residential sedentism as well as resource privatization and sexual division of labor in the high Andes.
Longitudinal Observation of Outcomes and Patient Access to Integrated Care Following Point-of-Care Glycemic Screening in Community Health Center Dental Safety Net Clinics

Introduction: Rates of diabetes/prediabetes continue to increase, with disparity populations disproportionately affected. Previous field trials promoted point-of-care (POC) glycemic screening in dental settings as an additional primary care setting to identify potentially at-risk individuals requiring integrated care intervention. The present study observed outcomes of POC Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) screening at community health center (CHC) dental clinics (DC) and compliance with longitudinal integrated care management among at-risk patients attending dental appointments. Materials and Methods: POC HbA1c screening utilizing FDA-approved instrumentation in dental clinic settings and periodontal evaluation of at-risk dental patients with no prior diagnosis of diabetes/prediabetes and no glycemic testing in the preceding 6 months was undertaken. Screening of patients attending dental appointments from 10/24/2017 through 9/24/2018 was implemented at four Wisconsin- CHC-DC serving populations with high representation of disparity populations. Subjects meeting at-risk profiles underwent POC HbA1c screening. Individuals with measures in the diabetic/prediabetic range were advised to seek further medical evaluation and re-contacted after three months to document compliance. Longitudinal capture of glycemic measures in electronic health records for up to two years was undertaken for a subset (n=44) of subjects with available clinical medical and dental data. Longitudinal glycemic status and frequency of medical and dental access for follow-up care was monitored. Results: Risk assessment identified 224/915 (24.5%) patients who met inclusion criteria following two levels of risk screening, with 127/224 (57%) qualifying for POC HbA1C screening. Among those tested, 62/127 (49%) exhibited hyperglycemic measures, 55 in the prediabetic range and 7 in the diabetic range. Moderate-to-severe periodontitis was more prevalent in patients with prediabetes/diabetes compared to individuals with measures in the normal range. Participant follow-up compliance at 3 months was 90%. Longitudinal follow-up documented high rates of consistent access (100% and 80%, respectively), to the integrated medical-and-dental clinic environment over 24 months for individuals with hyperglycemic screening measures. Conclusion: POC glycemic screening revealed elevated HbA1C measures in nearly half of at-risk CHC-DC patients. Strong compliance with integrated medical/dental management over a 24-month interval was observed, documenting good patient receptivity to POC screening in the dental setting and compliance with integrated care follow up by at-risk patients.
Content Analysis: Slave Narratives and Research for Qualitative Understanding

Narrative research captures life situational in formats that reflect aspects of interpretation. Hollis (2017) defines this interpretation as an initial reflection of the frailties in American culture. However, these frailties are easily exposed in the retelling of slave narratives as they challenge societal concepts of African and European relationships while expanding practical strategies in research to inspire perspectives. Scott (2017) notes the invaluable nature of these narratives and loss accounts following the African American/Black Reconstruction. The reporting of these accounts varied from judicial proceeding, journaling, and newsletters and compiled into pre-and-post Civil War accounts, offering a different perspective of European-American History. In this paper, an examination of slave narratives will review interviewing imprinting, gender, physical, emotional, and societal investigative to determine how these narratives impact a present-day audience.
Self-contact Introduced Passive Intermodulation Characterizations for Captured Springs

Passive intermodulation (PIM) is one of the most common nonlinear behavior that exists in a variety of applications. Nowadays, consumer electronics designs use a variety of mechanical features for radio-frequency (RF) antenna feeds and grounding, such as springs, gaskets, screws, etc. When these components are placed in the path or nearby the RF antennas, the unsatisfying connection such as loose contact will generate PIM and create noise in the receiving frequency range. This can potentially cause RF desense issues. In product design, the most intrinsic method to improve the electrical connection is applying more compression between the spring tip and the landing substrate, but seldom will the engineers notice the spring structure itself can also introduce a lot of PIM. This paper concentrates on characterizing and validating the captured RF springs that can introduce noticeable PIM due to its structural self-contact phenomenon. An integrated camera recorded the spring side-view under compression. The measured information indicates that high PIM tends to occur when the spring contacts itself unintentionally.
Integrating multiple solid oxide fuel cell modules

According to SECA program guidelines, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) are produced in the form of 3-10 kW modules for residential use. In addition to residential use, these modules can also be used in apartment buildings, hospitals, etc., where a higher power rating would be required. For example, a hospital might require a 250 kW power supply. To provide this power using the SOFC modules, 25 of the 10 kW modules would be required. These modules can be integrated in different configurations to yield the necessary power. This paper shows five different approaches for integrating numerous SOFC modules and will evaluate and compare each one with respect to cost, control complexity, ease of modularity, and fault tolerance.
Portraits of science. Kurt Gödel--separating truth from proof in mathematics.

Kurt GA¶del9s Incompleteness Theorem, proved in 1931, showed that it was not possible to formulate a set of axioms that would allow you to prove all of the true facts of mathematics. GA¶del9s result showed that the axiomatic method, while extremely powerful-it continues to play a central role in mathematics-has inherent limitations. As described in an Essay by Keith Devlin, the Incompleteness Theorem did not lead to any major changes within mathematics, but it changed forever the way mathematicians view the subject.
Abstract T MP50: Novel TIA Serum Biomarkers Identified by Mass-Spectroscopy Proteomics

Background: One of the “holy grails” in vascular neurology is a TIA serum marker. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics, a unique, unbiased method to identify candidate proteins, was used to test the serum of patients with transient neurologic symptoms for biomarkers of cerebral ischemia. Methods: Patients with transient neurologic symptoms were prospectively enrolled. Mass spectrometry was performed on the serum samples, and results were searched against the Human Uniport database. Three candidate proteins were found, and serum concentrations of these proteins were measured by ELISA in a second cohort of prospectively enrolled patients. The student’s t-test was used for comparison. The Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate controlling procedure for multiple comparison adjustments determined significance for the proteomic screen. Results: Patients with TIA (n=20), minor stroke (n=15), and controls (i.e. migraine, seizure, n=12) were enrolled in the first cohort. Ceruloplasmin, complement component C8 gamma (C8γ) and platelet basic protein (PBP) were significantly different between the ischemic samples (TIA and minor stroke) and the controls (p = 0.0001, p=0.00027, p=0.00105 respectively). A second cohort of patients with TIA (n=16), minor stroke (n=20), and controls’ (n=12) serum was tested. PBP serum concentrations were increased in the ischemic samples compared to control (for TIA and stroke, p= 0.04, for TIA alone, p=0.027). Ceruloplasmin trended towards increased concentrations in the ischemic groups (p=0.10), and an insignificant increase in C8γ (p=0.23) was found. Conclusions: PBP has been identified as potential serum biomarker for TIA. Larger sample size may find that ceruloplasmin is an additional candidate. Ultimately, a panel of proteins may be required. Larger studies are needed to determine the validity of these proteins in clinical use.
Personalized and Collaborative Digital Library Capabilities: Responding to the Changing Nature of Scientific Research

SUMMARY Changes in the nature of scientific research have created new expectations for libraries supporting research. Several digital library initiatives offer customized digital library environments; however, these services typically do not provide users with personalized and shared collaborative environments. MyLibrary at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) provides scientists (as individuals or groups) with a personalized Web environment enhancing scientific collaboration independent of time and location. One of the unique characteristics of this capability is the ability to push recommendations to users and adapt the system further based on user interactions.
Thyroid hormone relationships between maternal and fetal circulations in human pregnancy at term: a study in patients with normal and abnormal thyroid function.

Abstract Determinations of the protein-bound iodine (PBI), resin-T3 uptake (R-T3), free thyroxine (FT4), and free thyroxine index (FT4-Ix) were made in paired sera from 97 mothers and the umbilical cords of their respective infants. These parameters were categorized into six groups according to the clinical thyroid status of the mother. While maternal and cord PBI values in the normal group were not significantly different, serum levels of FT4 and FT4-Ix in the same cord sera were each significantly higher than their respective maternal values. Results of similar determinations in other groups were variable, but statistical analyses of these data were interpreted to indicate that wide maternal variations in these parameters could occur at term in the absence of corresponding fetal alterations. Activation of the fetal pituitary-thyroid axis may be initiated by a decrease in placental permeability for thyroxine near term. Diminished transfer of maternal thyroid hormones to the fetus would thus result in a transient fall in fetal serum and tissue levels with resultant secretion of fetal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). A relative placental impermeability at term would also limit potential reflux of fetal thyroid hormones to the mother. From a conceptual viewpoint, this series of events occurs in anticipation of fetal pituitary-thyroid autonomy at birth.
Two Cases of Robot-Assisted Ureteral Reimplant in a Duplicated System

Abstract Introduction: We intend to explore operative techniques for repair of a missed ureteral injury in a duplicated system. Materials and Methods: The first patient underwent a laparoscopic hys...
The Current Role of Ultrasound Use in Teaching Regional Anesthesia: A Survey of Residency Programs in the United States

Background and Objectives. The purpose of this survey was to determine the current teaching practices of regional anesthesia and the prevalence of ultrasound use in guiding peripheral nerve blocks in the academic institutions across the United States. Methods. A survey was distributed to all American Board of Anesthesiology-accredited residency programs via email and/or the U.S. postal service. The survey was designed to determine the number of peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) performed, the role of the ultrasound guidance, the barriers to its use, and the methods by which teaching physicians acquired their ultrasound skills. Results. We received 82 responses (62%) of the 132 programs surveyed. Eighty-eight percent of the responding programs performed more than 20 PNBs/week and 46% performed more than 40 PNBs/week. Three-fourths of the respondents relied on ultrasound to guide the majority of single injection and continuous PNBs. When using ultrasound, most programs (79%) used real-time ultrasound without nerve stimulator. Most teaching physicians supervising ultrasound-guided PNBs received their training via workshops and/or from other colleagues. The three main reasons for using ultrasound were to 1) achieve a higher success rate; 2) improve safety; and 3) teach anesthesia trainees. However, the three main barriers to using ultrasound were 1) lack of training; 2) perceived decreased efficiency; and 3) the lack of immediate availability of equipment. Overall, ultrasound was less utilized to guide lower extremity vs upper extremity PNBs. Conclusions. Ultrasound-guided PNBs are universally taught across residency programs in the United States. Most teaching physicians believe that ultrasound increases PNB's success and improves safety of regional anesthesia. Barriers to ultrasound use are lack of faculty training and unavailability of ultrasound equipment.
Mediation of calcium adaptation by 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol.

Vitamin D-depleted chicks which were repleted with 25-hydroxycholecalciferol adapted to the feeding of a low or high calcium diet by respectively increasing or decreasing their rate of intestinal calcium absorption. The synthesis of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol in chicks fed differing calcium diets correlated directly with intestinal calcium absorption activity, suggesting that the intestinal calcium adaptation response is medicated by the modulation of kidney 25-hydroxycholecalciferol-1-hydroxylase activity. This view was strongly supported by the demonstration that repletion of the chicks with 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol eliminated the ability of the chicks to adjust their rates of intestinal calcium absorption to dietary levels of calcium.
Common test architecture development for munitions level best platforms

A need for a common munitions test architecture emerged with the development of sophisticated weapon systems and the need to support those weapon systems from the production floor in the factory through night test. With the cost of test soaring, more and more money was being spent on special test equipment and less and less on the procurement of weapon systems. A common architecture for hardware and software reduces the high cost of Automated Test Equipment (ATE). Raytheon Company first developed this architecture as part of the development of the Guided Weapons Test Station (GWTS). The GWTS is a standard family of ATE which meets the defense industry's need for a common munitions tester at the ail-up-round (AUR) and guidance section levels. The GWTS is comprised primarily of Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) instrumentation and software. The need for a more robust architecture on munitions level platforms arises with the continued development of test instrumentation and software, and the understanding of the automated test environment, Raytheon has continued to evolve this architecture for use on their component and intermediate level Standard Test Equipment Platforms (STEPs) and in the future hopes to incorporate these changes into their next generation of munitions level test platforms. A candidate for this next generation platform would be the development of a Common Munition STEP (CMSTEP) that could be utilized in conjunction with future developed Operational Test Program Sets (OTPSs) to provide munitions level test capability.
Utilization of algal materials for nutraceutical and cosmeceutical applications—what do manufacturers need to know?

Many algal extracts/preparations have been used in nutritional supplements and cosmetics for many decades, notably Dunaliella, Spirulina, Chlorella, Haematococcus, and numerous kelp species. However, the road to acceptance and use of preparations from new species is long, and there are many barriers to overcome. This article outlines what is needed to achieve acceptance from the perspective of a large marketer and manufacturer of a wide variety of consumer products. Real-life applications are used to show the required and desired information that must flow between the raw material supplier and the manufacturer to effectively bring a new material to the marketplace. The viewpoints of many different levels of the organization are considered including: product formulators with their focus on efficacy (of special interest are results from human clinical trials), mechanisms of action and performance of the ingredient in their formulations; quality assurance that looks for consistency and reliability of the ingredient; regulatory personnel that require assurance and documentation that an ingredient is acceptable in markets around the world; and procurement that requires adequacy of supply to fulfill market demand along with competitive pricing and reliable customer service.
A simple wave function interference model for the electron-density superstructures observed during scanning tunneling microscopy of perturbed graphite surfaces

Abstract Scanning tunneling microscope images of graphite surfaces sometimes reveal patterns of increased and decreased electron density superimposed on the normal graphite image. Mizes and Foster [Science 244 (1989) 559] first suggested that these superstructures are due to interference between normal and scattered electron wave functions. However, the calculated STM images they presented concentrated on interference patterns that should accompany scattering from adsorbates of 1–3 atoms in size, patterns that, as the authors stated, did not closely resemble their experimental data. Subsequent work of electron-density superstructures [J. Xhie, K. Sattler, U. Muller, N. Venkateswaran and G. Raina, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B9 (1991) 883] indicates that Mizes and Foster's explanation has not been accepted as conclusive. When the scattered wave concept is applied within a more simplified model (in which the orientation of the scattering site is ignored, and only the effects of interference between allowed wave functions is considered), the connection between theory and experiment is made clearer. STM images of electron-density superstructures are compared to interference patterns calculated using this model, and it is found that the simplest possible perturbations of the normal graphite wave functions (i.e constructive and destructive interference with a single wave function component) reproduce the most commonly observed superstructures including such details as the apparent lateral displacement of lattice positions.
Interaction between the Grb10 SH2 domain and the insulin receptor carboxyl terminus

Grb10 is a member of a recently identified family of adapter proteins that are thought to play a role in receptor tyrosine kinase-mediated signal transduction. We identified and isolated the Grb10 SH2 domain based on its interaction with the intracellular domain of the insulin receptor beta-subunit using the yeast two-hybrid system. The interaction was specific for the insulin receptor and the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor, and it required a catalytically active receptor kinase domain and an intact Grb10 SH2 domain. Glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins containing the Grb10 SH2 domain associated in an insulin-dependent manner with insulin receptors from cell lysates and with purified insulin receptors. Co-precipitation experiments revealed the association of cellular Grb10 with hormone-stimulated insulin receptors in cell extracts. The Grb10 SH2 domain did not bind to an insulin receptor lacking 43 amino acids at the carboxyl terminus, and it exhibited highest affinity for a phosphopeptide containing Tyr(P)-1322. Unlike p85 and Syp, which also bind to Tyr(P)-1322, Grb10 was not found to associate with insulin receptor substrate-1. These results suggest that Grb10 is a novel insulin receptor interactive protein and provide direct evidence for an insulin receptor substrate-1-independent function of the insulin receptor carboxyl terminus in protein binding.
Arabic Word Recognizer for Mobile Applications

When traveling in a region where the local language is not written using a "Roman alphabet," translating written text (e.g., documents, road signs, or placards) is a particularly difficult problem since the text cannot be easily entered into a translation device or searched using a dictionary. To address this problem, we are developing the "Rosetta Phone," a handheld device (e.g., PDA or mobile telephone) capable of acquiring an image of the text, locating the region (word) of interest within the image, and producing both an audio and a visual English interpretation of the text. This paper presents a system targeted for interpreting words written in Arabic script. The goal of this work is to develop an autonomous, segmentation-free Arabic phrase recognizer, with computational complexity low enough to deploy on a mobile device. A prototype of the proposed system has been deployed on an iPhone with a suitable user interface. The system was tested on a number of noisy images, in addition to the images acquired from the iPhone's camera. It identifies Arabic words or phrases by extracting appropriate features and assigning "codewords" to each word or phrase. On a dictionary of 5,000 words, the system uniquely mapped (word-image to codeword) 99.9% of the words. The system has a 82% recognition accuracy on images of words captured using the iPhone's built-in camera.
Maternal infection: window on neuroimmune interactions in fetal brain development and mental illness

Direct viral infection of the developing brain can have disastrous consequences for the fetus. More subtle and perhaps more insidious are viral infections of the pregnant mother, which can have long-lasting effects such as an increased risk of schizophrenia in the offspring. A recent mouse model has shown that respiratory infection in the pregnant mother leads to marked behavioral and pharmacological abnormalities in the offspring, some of which are relevant for schizophrenia and autism. This effect on fetal brain development might be caused by the maternal antiviral immune response, possibly mediated by cytokines.
Foreign direct investment, development, and overshoot.

Overshoot of the earth's carrying capacity is an acute concern for sustainability initiatives that seek to equalize access to the natural resources that are requisite to meet the basic needs of humanity. Demands on nature that exceed ecological capacities compromise crit- ical ecosystem functions that provision the inputs necessary for life. This paper draws on concepts and analytical frameworks from the natural, physical, and social sciences to assess the drivers of sustainability at the global and national level. Integrative theoretical predictions are tested in a structural equation model that advances empirical research on overshoot and outflows of foreign investments that is relatively lacking in the literature. Findings highlight the differential impacts of key aspects of economic globalization on both development and overshoot across nations. Current ecological crises, bouts of economic instability, and seemingly insurmountable social problems such as hunger and disease permeate virtually all nations in the world and underscore the importance of sustainability initiatives that seek international solutions that comprehensively address all three dimensions. As articulated by the United Nations (1987) report, ''Our Common Future,'' the concept of sustainability comprises three pillars of consideration (i.e., environmental, eco- nomic, social) for meeting current and future needs, but emphasis on the environment is significant for at least two reasons. First, the sustainability approach to development pioneers the view in the international policy arena that environmental concerns deserve equal weight to social and economic ones. Second, ecological inputs are necessary for social well-being and economic advance. Resources garnered from the environment provision the imperatives for human life such as food, clothing, and shelter; harnessing energy and harvesting resources are essential components of production processes that contribute to economic advance. Thus, the foundational importance of the environmental dimension should not be overlooked. This paper advances a conceptual framework for understanding of sustainability by introducing the laws of thermody- namics—with particular emphasis on the role of ''entropy'' and its relation to overshoot of resource capacities. While a num- ber of empirical examinations in the social sciences interrogate the effects of various global and national phenomena to explain components of environmental degradation, this paper makes a unique contribution to the literature in assuming an explicit interdisciplinary approach to analyze the drivers of overshoot, which is an essential aspect of sustainability. Another novel feature of this paper is the consideration of outward and inward foreign direct investments (FDI), which have not yet been treated in tandem. The inclusion of these terms in the models advances the empirical evidence on global invest- ment dynamics that are crucial to a number of theoretical perspectives in the social sciences. Further, the application of
Sociomoral atmosphere in direct-instruction, eclectic, and constructivist kindergartens: A study of teachers' enacted interpersonal understanding

The sociomoral atmospheres of three kindergarten classrooms were studied through analysis of the teachers' enacted interpersonal understanding. Three public school teachers were videotaped for 2 days each as they implemented a direct-instruction program (DI) called DISTAR, representing the cultural-transmission educational paradigm, a constructivist program (CON) representing the cognitive-developmental paradigm, and an eclectic program (ECL), the latter reflecting elements of both the other paradigms. Teacher-child interactions were coded microanalytically from transcripts and video on 88 categories of Negotiation Strategies (NS) and Shared Experiences (SE) at four levels of interpersonal understanding as conceptualized by Selman. Analysis of 20,914 NS and SE showed that the CON teacher had the most SE with children and DI the least. The CON teacher had much higher percentages of Levels 2 and 3 and much lower percentages of Level 0 NS and SE than both DI and ECL. A strong authoritarian orientation and academic emphasis were found for the DI teacher. A cooperative orientation and emphasis on stimulation of reasoning were found for the CON teacher. The ECL teacher was less authoritarian and academic in orientation than the DI teacher but was more similar to her than to the CON teacher.
Evaluating extensions to APL

This paper presents some guidelines which may be used to evaluate extensions to APL. These guidelines are then applied to some proposed APL extensions including complex arithmetic, functions on non-simple arrays and operators.