cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Analysis of Ratings and Interrater Reliability at the American String Teachers Association’s National Orchestra Festival:

The purpose of this study was to examine the assigned ratings, interrater reliability, and possible influences of school level and instrumentation on adjudicators’ evaluations of orchestra performa...
Decreasing Incidence of Estrogen Receptor-Negative Breast Cancer in the United States: Trends by Race and Region.

Background Incidence of estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer, an aggressive subtype, is highest in United States (US) African American women and in southern residents but has decreased overall since 1992. We assessed whether ER-negative breast cancer is decreasing in all age groups and cancer registries among non-Hispanic White (NHW), non-Hispanic Black (NHB), and Hispanic White (HW) women. Methods We analyzed 17 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End-Results Program registries (twelve for 1992-2016; five for 2000-2016) to assess NHW, NHB, and HW trends by ER status and age group (30-39, 40-49, 50-69, 70-84 years). We used hierarchical age-period-cohort models that account for sparse data, which improve estimates to quantify between-registry heterogeneity in mean incidence rates and age-adjusted trends versus SEER overall. Results Overall, ER-negative incidence was highest in NHB, then NHW and HW women, and decreased from 1992-2016 in each age group and racial/ethnic group. The greatest decrease was for HW women ages 40-49 years with an annual percent change of -3.5%/year (95% credible interval = -4.4%, -2.7%), averaged over registries. The trend heterogeneity was statistically significant in every race/ethnic and age group. Furthermore, the incidence relative risks by race/ethnicity compared to the race-specific SEER average were also statistically significantly heterogeneous across the majority of registries and age groups (62 of 68 strata). The greatest heterogeneity was seen in HW women, followed by NHB women, and the least in NHW women. Conclusion Decreasing ER-negative breast cancer incidence differs meaningfully by US region and age among NHB and HW women. Analytical studies including minority women from higher and lower incidence areas may provide insights into breast cancer racial disparities.
Impacts of Soil Moisture on Crop Health: A Remote Sensing Perspective

Monitoring the effects of soil moisture on crop health is important for applications such as irrigation decision support, food security, precision agriculture as well as for more broadly understanding relationships between water and carbon cycles. In this study, we examine the relationships between soil moisture and crop health indicators, how they respond to each other on timescales from days to weeks. The satellite-derived indicators considered are the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from reflectance obtained with moderately wide (20-40 nm) spectral bands in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) and soil moisture products that extends to about 1 m depth from Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission. We find that NDVI have significant correlations with soil moisture in crop fields of Nebraska. Crop types and soil types also greatly influence the correlation between crop health and soil moisture changes at various rates and strength.
Evaluation of Salesforce Contest Performance

AbstractThis study reports the types of salesforce characteristics and sales contest planning policies associated with success of salesforce contests. Three measures of contest success are used: attainment of contest objectives, contest's contribution to profit, and the number of negative side effects generated by the contest.
Efficient and Faithful Performance Modeling for Network-Processor-Based System Designs

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the design, implementation, and initial performance evaluation of a hybrid performance modeling framework called Countach, which faithfully and efficiently captures application behavior while predicting system performance. After a small manual step of replacing hardware interactions in the system software with simulated events, a set of automated postprocessing steps converts an application to a processor model that captures memory performance and enforces tight time synchronization with the simulator. Multiple processors or hardware execution contexts can be modeled in this framework. Actual workload generators can be used unmodified to drive the performance analysis. Countach models various kinds of network servers that utilize network-processor-based network interfaces. It is a very useful tool, because it allows users to experiment with the entire spectrum of design choices, including hardware design, a rich variety of operating system optimizations, and choices of function split between the host and the network processors.
Making Copyright Work for Authors Who Write to Be Read

As I prepared to speak on the topic of “academic perspectives” at the 2014 Kernochan Center Symposium Creation Is Not Its Own Reward: Making Copyright Work for Authors and Performers, I realized that the panel’s billing had multiple meanings for me. As a legal academic, I study the impact of copyright law on individual authors and the way that individual authors deploy copyright to manage their works. So that is one aspect of my academic perspective—that of an outsider observing authors’ relationships with copyright. But I also consider myself an author, as do other academics for whom writing scholarly books and articles is a job requirement. Most of us do not make money from selling copies of our works of authorship. But control over our works is nonetheless key to our professional endeavors, and copyright can be an important source of that control. Thus my second “academic perspective” is that of an academic author who wants copyright to work for her. In my capacity as an academic author, I have joined with several of my Berkeley colleagues to establish an organization called Authors Alliance.1 We aim to represent fellow academics and other authors concerned with managing their rights in ways that ensure that their works are accessible to today’s readers and preserved for generations to come. Hence our motto: promoting authorship for the public good by supporting authors who write to be read. This is not a mission that is at odds with authors making money from their works. But it recognizes that whether a book or article makes money or not, we want it to be accessible now and in the future and thereby to contribute to our intellectual legacies. So what could stand in the way of achieving that authorial aspiration? Surely those authors who want to ensure that people can read their works can just voluntarily make those works accessible—posting them on the Internet, distributing them using print-on-demand platforms and perhaps inviting further distribution by applying open access Creative Commons licenses to them. In theory this is possible. In practice it is often not, and copyright (and the contractual practices with which it intersects) is part of the problem. Academic authors—eager to secure publication in prestigious venues—often sign away their copyrights without thinking (or without even carefully reading their publication agreements). They later find themselves wanting to reuse those works, to bring them back into print, to anthologize them or simply to post them on the Internet.
The Role of Anaerobic Bacteria in Perinephric and Renal Abscesses in Children

Objective. To investigate the aerobic and anaerobic microbiology of renal abscesses in children. Patients and methods. Aspirates from six children with perinephric and four with renal abscess were cultured for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Results. A total of 20 organisms were recovered, 8 aerobic or facultative bacteria and 12 anaerobic bacteria. Aerobic or facultative bacteria only were recovered in one patient, anaerobic bacteria only in two, and mixed aerobic and anaerobic bacteria in seven. Anaerobic bacteria were isolated in perinephric abscesses that were associated with previous abdominal surgery and renal transplant and in renal abscesses that were related to malignancy, pyelonephritis, and orodental infection. Conclusion. This study highlights the importance of anaerobic bacteria in perinephric and renal abscesses in children.
Source-optimized irregular repeat accumulate codes with inherent unequal error protection capabilities and their application to image transmission

In this paper, we considers designing source-optimized irregular repeat accumulate (IRA) codes. The idea is to take advantage of the capability of unequal error protection (UEP) of IRA codes against errors because of their irregularities. Most existing UEP codes only provide different error rates for information bits of different importance but fail to achieve best performance for a given criterion (e.g. averaged distortion). However, in this paper, we propose an approach to design IRA codes optimized for such a criterion. We assume a cost function for the outcomes of the decoder and the error events, among the outcomes, which are determined by the location of the first error bit. We incorporate this cost function into channel code design and obtain IRA codes that are optimized over a new cost function instead of probabilities of error. We design source-optimized IRA codes with inherent UEP capabilities for the SPIHT-coded bitstream as an example of this general idea and use them for scalable image transmission. Conventional ways to achieve UEP are to design rate compatible punctured channel codes and UEP schemes separately. Using the distortion-rate function of the source coder as the cost function and the density evolution in an IRA code design, the optimization of channel codes and the choice of UEP schemes are embedded in the design process of IRA codes. Our design thus achieves source-optimized channel coding or true joint source-channel coding. In simulations, it shows that our scheme outperforms all previous UEP schemes and our results are only 0.40/spl sim/0.73 dB away from the theoretical limit.
Courts, Clergy, and Congregations: Disputes between Religious Institutions and Their Leaders

For nearly forty years, the courts have barred a variety of lawsuits by clergy against their religious entity-employers. These suits frequently involve matters of civil rights, such as sex-based discrimination in employment, but they also involve claims of defamation, violation of fair labor standards, and breach of employment contracts, among others. To justify the barriers to these suits, courts typically rely on concepts drawn from the First Amendment's Religion Clauses. In particular, courts frequently invoke theories of free exercise of religion by religious institutions, or notions of "excessive entanglement" between church and state, to justify this line of case law. Although cases of this character are frequent and geographically widespread, the Supreme Court has not taken up these issues for many years. As a result, large questions loom with respect to whether the Court's more recent decisions - for example, Employment Division v. Smith - support the existing barriers to these lawsuits. The existing theories offered to explain this line of cases are inadequate. This paper critiques those theories, and advances a new and comprehensive concept of "adjudicative disability" to explain precisely when courts should refrain from deciding certain questions. This approach, which centers on the appropriateness of judicial resolution of questions rather than on the character of the parties or the label associated with the cause of action, is both normatively superior to and capable of more principled application than its rivals. The paper demonstrates the advantages of the theory of "adjudicative disability" by applying it to a series of hypothetical cases across a range of difficulty.
Increased Bacterial Uptake of Macromolecular Substrates with Fluid Shear

To investigate the effect of fluid shear on uptake rates of low-diffusivity macromolecular substrates by suspended cultures, we measured the uptake of two compounds as models of macromolecules, a protein (bovine serum albumin [BSA]) and a polysaccharide (dextran), using pure cultures of Zoogloea ramigera and Escherichia coli, respectively. Oxygen utilization rates of stirred samples grown on BSA and dextran were 2.3 and 2.9 times higher, respectively, than those of undisturbed (still) samples. Uptake rates of 3H-BSA and [3H]dextran by stirred samples were 12.6 and 6.2 times higher, respectively, than those by still samples. These experimentally obtained increases are larger than those predicted with a mass transfer model. Model results indicated that stirring would increase uptake by factors of 1.6 and 1.8 for BSA and dextran. As predicted by the model, we also found that uptake rates of low-molecular-weight substrates with high diffusivities, such as leucine and glucose, were only slightly affected by fluid shear. Since macromolecules can make up a major portion of bacterial substrate in natural, laboratory, and engineered systems, the demonstrated effect of fluid shear has wide implications for kinetic studies performed in basic metabolic research as well as in the evaluation of engineered bioreactors used for wastewater treatment.
Efficient Block-Based Medial Axis Transforms Based on L/spl infin/ Metric

Almost all of the existing two-dimensional block-based medial axis transform (2D_BB_MAT) parallel algorithm are devised for solving the 2D_BB_MAT problem only and are very difficult to extend to a solution of the 3D_BB_MAT problem in parallel. In this paper, we propose efficient O(1) time algorithms for solving the hD_BB_MAT problems, where h is 2 or 3, on the linear array with a reconfigurable pipelined bus system (LARPBS) model. The proposed 2D_BB_MAT algorithm can easily extend to a solution of the 3D_BB_MAT problem in parallel by reducing the hD_BB_MAT problems to the forward chessboard distance transform problems. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed algorithms are the most efficient O(1) time algorithms compared with all the previously published algorithms known.
Conversion of the reactive sulfhydryl groups of proteins to the S-trifluoroethyl derivatives. Application to human hemoglobin.

Abstract The S -2,2,2-trifluoroethyl residue (-SCH 2 CF 3 ) has been incorporated into human hemoglobin, Hb 4 (SH) 2 , as an extrinsic probe at Cys-β93 through formation of a disulfide bond. The thiol group was activated by reaction with 5,5′-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid), Hb 4 (SSCH 2 CF 3 ) 2 then being obtained by reaction with 2,2,2-trifluoroethanethiol. Both disulfide interchange reactions proceed to completion with a modest excess of reagents using dilute solutions of hemoglobin (0.005 m heme). The stoichiometry of each disulfide interchange reaction is readily determined by measurement of 5-thio-2-nitrobenzoic acid, a product of each reaction. The functional properties of Hb 4 (SSCH 2 CF 3 ) 2 were found to be similar to those of Hb 4 (SH) 2 . At pH 7.0 and 20°C the partial pressure of oxygen required for half saturation was 0.45 mm Hg in 0.050 m 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)-2,2′,2″-nitrilo-triethanol, 4.1 mm Hg in 0.050 m potassium phosphate, and 16.5 mm Hg in 0.010 m inositol hexaphosphate. The n values of the Hill plots were 1.45, 1.80, and 2.3, respectively. The equilibrium constant for the tetramer-dimer dissociation reaction, K 4,2 , of the carbon monoxide derivative was 2.1 × 10 −7 m . The time course for combination with carbon monoxide was homogeneous at 432 nm. In the presence of inositol hexaphosphate the time course of combination with carbon monoxide was wavelength dependent.
The materiality of gender.

SUMMARY Lesbian and transgender histories often recuperate the same historical figures; however, many lesbian spaces (like the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival) have excluded lesbian-identified male-to-female transsexuals. Through an analysis of historical inclusion and socio-political exclusion, this essay examines the relationship between “birth bodies,” gender and sexuality. It argues that the lesbian body appears in history through the naturalization of “birth-bodies” and the recuperation of cross-gender behavior. In this way, the body becomes a template for lesbian historical recuperation and an organizing principle for contemporary lesbian communities.
Seeking Safety in Bad Times: Dividends and Risk Perception

In this paper, we test whether varying investor desire for safety affects valuations and dividend payout policies in the time series. Specifically, we find that the market reactions to dividend initiations and dividend increases are higher, ceteris paribus, in times when investors are more likely to seek safety. In addition, dividend initiations and increases are higher and dividend-paying stocks have higher valuations relative to non-paying stocks during such times. Collectively, these findings suggest that investor desire for safety has an incremental and meaningful impact on valuations and payout policies.
Toughened blends of poly(butylene terephthalate) and BPA polycarbonate

The toughening mechanisms of blends of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and bisphenol-A polycarbonate (PC) toughened with core/shell impact modifier have been studied by transmission electron microscopy, notched impact testing and uniaxial tensile dilatometry. It was found that in both toughened PBT and toughened PBT/PC blends, shear deformation is the major toughening mechanism. Brittleness at low temperatures is caused by a reduction in the ability of the matrix to undergo shear deformation. In tensile dilatometry this effect is indicated by an increase in the extent of internal cavitation of the impact modifier particles. The low-temperature impact toughness of toughened PBT/PC blends is significantly greater than that of toughened PBT. Modification of PBT with partially miscible PC appears to have a beneficial effect on the ability of PBT to undergo shear deformation. This effect has been attributed to the PC residing in the amorphous interlamellar regions of the PBT spherulites, thus facilitating interlamellar slip.
FlgD is a scaffolding protein needed for flagellar hook assembly in Salmonella typhimurium.

Abstract FlgD is known to be absolutely required for hook assembly, yet it has not been detected in the mature flagellum. We have overproduced and purified FlgD and raised an antibody against it. By using this antibody, we have detected FlgD in substantial amounts in isolated basal bodies from flgA, flgE, flgH, flgI, flgK, and fliK mutants, in much smaller amounts in those from the wild type and flgL, fliA, fliC, fliD, and fliE mutants, and not at all in those from flgB, flgD, flgG, and flgJ mutants. In terms of the morphological assembly pathway, these results indicate that FlgD is first added to the structure when the rod is completed and is discarded when the hook, having reached its mature length, has the first of the hook-filament junction proteins, FlgK, added to its tip. Immunoelectron microscopy established that FlgD initially is located at the distal end of the rod and eventually is located at the distal end of the hook. Thus, it appears to act as a hook-capping protein to enable assembly of hook protein subunits, much as another flagellar protein, FliD, does for the flagellin subunits of the filament. However, whereas FliD is associated with the filament tip indefinitely, FlgD is only transiently associated with the hook tip; i.e., it acts as a scaffolding protein. When FlgD was added to the culture medium of a flgD mutant, cells gained motility; thus, although the hook cap is normally added endogenously, it can be added exogenously. When culture media were analyzed for the presence of hook protein, it was found only with the flgD mutant and, in smaller amounts, the fliK (polyhook) mutant. Thus, although FlgD is needed for assembly of hook protein, it is not needed for its export.
The Role of Religiousness and Gender in Sexuality Among Mexican Adolescents

This study examined the role of religiousness and gender in age at first intercourse, and sexual expectations and values in Mexico, a macrocontext where the majority is Mexican and Catholic (83%). Participants were Catholic and nonreligious adolescents (54% girls) attending middle (71%) or high school. Findings indicated that Catholic adolescents engaged in sexual intercourse at later ages than nonreligious adolescents. Both religious attendance and importance of religion and values in sexual decision making were associated with more conservative sexual values. Boys who were raised Catholic were more likely to endorse female virginity values and were less likely to expect to wait to have sex until married than nonreligious boys. These associations were not significant among girls. Catholic boys may be more likely to internalize sexual double standard beliefs regarding premarital sex than nonreligious boys. This study expands our understanding of the role of religiousness in Mexican adolescents' sexuality.
Accelerated failure time models provide a useful statistical framework for aging research.

Survivorship experiments play a central role in aging research and are performed to evaluate whether interventions alter the rate of aging and increase lifespan. The accelerated failure time (AFT) model is seldom used to analyze survivorship data, but offers a potentially useful statistical approach that is based upon the survival curve rather than the hazard function. In this study, AFT models were used to analyze data from 16 survivorship experiments that evaluated the effects of one or more genetic manipulations on mouse lifespan. Most genetic manipulations were found to have a multiplicative effect on survivorship that is independent of age and well-characterized by the AFT model “deceleration factor”. AFT model deceleration factors also provided a more intuitive measure of treatment effect than the hazard ratio, and were robust to departures from modeling assumptions. Age-dependent treatment effects, when present, were investigated using quantile regression modeling. These results provide an informative and quantitative summary of survivorship data associated with currently known long-lived mouse models. In addition, from the standpoint of aging research, these statistical approaches have appealing properties and provide valuable tools for the analysis of survivorship data.
Transfer after pattern discrimination in primates

Two squirrel monkeys and one infant orangutan were trained on a simultaneous discrimination between two stimuli that were identical except for a 90-deg difference in orientation. Subsequent transfer tests failed to reveal reliably the positive and negative anomalous transfer effects, i.e., preference for a solid-line stimulus over the original positive stimulus in the same orientation and preference for the original negative stimulus over a solid-line stimulus in the same orientation, respectively. Different transfer test procedures were implicated as being responsible for this failure, and it was suggested that additional exploration of the various transfer test procedures should be pursued before the generality of the anomalous effects could be established.
Ethanol and simulated high altitude. A study of three mouse strains.

The effect of short-term exposure of three mouse-strains to simulated high altitude (SHA) of approximately 6,000m was studied. Subjecting C57BL/6J, DBA/2J or albino mouse strains to SHA for 39 days, occurring on alternating days, increased liver weight in the albino mouse compared to controls. The C57BL strain showed increased growth during SHA compared to other mouse strains. Morbidity score was greater in the albino mouse than in DBA mouse with no death occurring in C57BL mice exposed to SHA. Hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase was induced and mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase was inhibited from corresponding controls subsequent SHA exposure by the C57BL and by the DBA mouse strain, respectively. The onset of ethanol-mediated narcosis was decreased from controls subsequent 21 days of SHA exposure by the DBA and by the albino mouse strain. The central depressant action of ethanol, as measured by the duration of ethanol-narcosis, was decreased in the C57BL mice exposed to SHA for 8, 21, or 35 days compared to controls. No apparent changes occurred in duration of ethanol-narcosis in the other mouse strains. The results suggest strain-difference in response to hypobaric conditions.
Engineering in Europe today

The observations of the author, recently returned from a trip abroad to attend the 1947 International Electrotechnical Meeting at Lucerne, Switzerland, indicate that engineering development is making fairly good progress both in England and on the continent of Europe. However, material shortages and the disturbed economic situation in general still present serious obstacles.
FIELD AND LABORATORY EVALUATIONS OF BIOASSAYS FOR NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS WITH ALGAE AND AQUATIC WEEDS1

ABSTBACIY The rate of absorption of ammonia in the dark and the amount of orthophosphate extracted by boiling water can be used to follow changes in the nutritional status of nitrogen and phosphorus in algae and aquatic weeds with relation to changes in supply of these elements. Measurements of alkaline phosphatase activity carried out in phosphorusfree media can also be used to follow changes in the phosphorus nutrition of aquatic plants; growth under conditions of surplus available phosphorus reduces (by dilution) their alkaline phosphatase activity. Only terminal portions of aquatic weeds should be used for nutritional bioassays because of nutritional differences between young and old portions of the same plant. The importance of testing each species of plants separately is shown by contrasting results obtained with nitrogen-fixing (phosphorus-limited) and nonfixing ( nitrogen-limited ) bl ue-green algae from the same environment. These methods provide simple but useful bioassays for studies of eutrophication.
Vortex generation in water waves propagating over a submerged obstacle

Abstract Laboratory experiments have been conducted to investigate flow separation effects induced by time-periodic water waves travelling over a submerged rectangular obstacle. Water surface elevations and fluid velocities were obtained for a range of non-breaking wave conditions. From these measurements, the kinematics and dynamics of eddy motions were studied. The measured velocities were compared to the theoretical predictions of a linear inviscid model. It was found that the formation and growth of separation region respond directly to the wave transformation above the submerged obstacle, leading to a variety of different eddy geometries. The interaction of the separated flow with the wave field significantly modifies the transmission process but has little effect on the reflection process. The most important consequence of flow separation is energy dissipation at the expense of the transmitted waves. The observed data indicate that separation loss is the results of viscous shear in the formation of eddies and the subsequent dissipation of energy as the eddies decay. When the obstacle is slightly submerged the presence of separation modifies the effective boundary of the flow above the obstacle. The complex nature of this problem suggests that it would be very difficult to determine flow separation effects unambiguously without solving the viscous flow equations in the near field.
Phytase and 1alpha-hydroxycholecalciferol supplementation of broiler chickens during the starting and growing/finishing phases.

Abstract Supplemental 1alpha-hydroxycholecalciferol (1alpha-OHD3) has been shown to have qualitatively similar and quantitatively additive effects to exogenous phytase. Two experiments were conducted from 0 to 35 d in floor pens to determine the additive effect of phytase and 1alpha-OHD3 when supplemented to Ca- and P-deficient diets. In both experiments, at least 4 replicates per treatment (50 chicks per replicate) were used. Corn-soybean-meal-and soybean-oil-based diets were fed and birds were raised in a house impervious to ultraviolet light. During the starter phase (ST), from 0 to 18 d, chicks were fed a 23% CP diet containing 0.60% Ca and 0.47% total P (tP). During the grower/finisher phase (GF), from 19 to 35 d, birds were fed a 19% CP diet containing 0.30% Ca and 0.37% tP. A combination of 1,000 phytase units/kg of Natuphos phytase and 5 microg/kg of 1alpha-OHD3 (P+1A) was supplemented to some of the feed during the ST and GF. Diets containing adequate Ca and P were also fed during the ST (0.90% Ca, 0.68% tP) and GF (0.80% Ca, 0.67% tP). Performance characteristics and the incidence of rickets and tibial dyschondroplasia were measured at 18 and 35 d. In experiment 1, unsupplemented chicks performed well but had considerable leg problems. Chicks fed P+1A during the ST or GF did not perform as well as birds fed P+1A throughout. Birds fed P+1A throughout performed as well birds fed the adequate diets without any indication of leg problems. In experiment 2, unsupplemented birds performed similarly to unsupplemented birds in experiment 1. However, chicks fed the supplements or the control diets did not perform as well or accumulate as much bone ash as birds in experiment 1, although the diets were formulated identically in both experiments. Diets with as little as 0.30% Ca and 0.37% tP appear to be adequate for broilers older than 18 d if supplemented with the correct amounts of phytase and 1alpha-OHD3. However, there are unknown variables that may limit the potential of broilers in terms of bone mineralization and bone pathology, even when adequate diets are fed.
Should Lawyers Read Economic History? The Patent System in the Industrial Revolution

You will not find H. I. Dutton's book on the New York Times best seller list. Even among academic books I would guess that a book about the patent system of Great Britain and inventive activity there during a century of industrial revolution will yield few sales and even fewer readers. But if a book can be counted a success for being thoroughly researched and clearly written, and for provoking the reader to think about the questions it poses, then this book is a success.
4488 Retroflexion in lower gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Although recommended, RF to evaluate the rectal vault is not always practiced in endoscopy. A previous study of 75 LGI endoscopies found that RF increased the diagnostic yield in distal rectum but a larger study of 453 subjects concluded that retroflex view (RV) did not produce additional information compared with straight view (SV) examination. Both studies did not detect any adenomatous polyps using this maneuver. This study was done to evaluate if RF increased the diagnostic yield compared with SV examination of the rectal vault. Methods: This prospective study included 600 consecutive patients undergoing diagnostic colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy. The rectal vault was first inspected carefully upon withdrawal of the endoscope. The scope was then readvanced into the rectum and retroflexed to view the vault. The scope was then straightened and a second look on SV at withdrawal was done. Endoscopic findings of the different views were noted. All polyps ≥ 5mm in size were biopsied. Results: The procedure was performed successfully in 592 patients (8 had contracted vault). Excluding internal hemorrhoids and polyps
Experimental observations on the accomodation dislocation pattern for a low symmetry gradient orientation

Abstract The accommodation dislocation pattern for a concentration gradient oriented along a low symmetry direction (approximately [013]) has been characterized by standard transmission electron microscopy techniques. A number of interesting features were found, including extensive node reactions, a large screw component, dislocation lines lying out of the isoconcentration planes, and broken mirror plane symmetry. In situ hot-stage electron microscopy has been used to study the evolution of the dislocation pattern. The observed migration directions of the dislocations are not parallel to the gradient direction. A cooperative mechanism was observed by which the dislocation network could be translated by a double node reaction.
Assessment of Relevant Parenting Factors in Families of Clinically Anxious Children: The Family Assessment Clinician-Rated Interview (FACI).

Objective Research on child and adolescent anxiety disorders has seen a surge in investigations of parenting factors potentially associated with their etiology. However, many of the well-established parenting measures are limited by over-reliance on self-report or lengthy behavioral observation procedures. Such measures may not assess factors most salient to anxiety etiology, since most family functioning measures were not originally developed for this purpose. The Family Assessment Clinician Interview (FACI) was developed as a clinician-administered interview of parent and family factors associated with child and adolescent anxiety. The present study is the first to investigate the psychometric properties of the FACI. Method Using a clinical sample of 65 children with various anxiety disorders, and their parents, inter-rater reliability, convergent validity and associations with child-reported and clinician-evaluated anxiety severity were examined. Results suggest that the FACI has good to excellent inter-rater reliability with kappas ranging from 0.79 to 1.0 across FACI scales and subscales. Some evidence of convergent validity with relevant portions of the Family Environment Scale was observed, although the latter findings varied by respondent (mother versus father). The Family Warmth/Closeness subscale of the FACI was consistently associated with increased child anxiety symptoms. Contrary to expectations, higher levels of parental expectations were associated with lower levels of child anxiety. Conclusion Results suggest that the FACI is a promising measure of family anxiety constructs that may be useful in both research and clinical settings.
Multi-Scale Modeling of Interstitial Dislocation Loop Growth in Irradiated Materials

In order to reduce the inherent uncertainty in kinetic theory models and promote their transition to become predictive methodologies, a multi-scale modeling approach is proposed and demonstrated in this work. KiValues of key materials properties such as point defect (vacancy and interstitial) migration enthalpies, as well as kinetic factors, such as dimer formation and defect recombination coefficients and self-interstitial atom–interstitial loop reaction rates, were obtained by ab initio/molecular dynamics calculations. A rate theory model was used to interpret the evolution of dislocation loops in irradiated molybdenum. Calculations of the dose dependence of average loop diameter were performed and compared to experimental measurements obtained from irradiations with high-energy electrons. The comparison demonstrates reasonable agreement between model-predicted and experiment-measured data.
Claspin and the Activated Form of ATR-ATRIP Collaborate in the Activation of Chk1

Claspin is necessary for the ATR-dependent activation of Chk1 in Xenopus egg extracts containing incompletely replicated DNA. ATR possesses a regulatory partner called ATRIP. We have studied the respective roles of ATR-ATRIP and Claspin in the activation of Chk1. ATR-ATRIP bound well to various DNA templates in Xenopus egg extracts. ATR-ATRIP bound to a single-stranded DNA template was weakly active. By contrast, the ATR-ATRIP complex on a DNA template containing both single- and double-stranded regions displayed a large increase in kinase activity. This observation suggests that ATR-ATRIP normally undergoes activation upon association with specific nucleic acid structures at DNA replication forks. Without Claspin, activated ATR-ATRIP phosphorylated Chk1 weakly in a cell-free reaction. The addition of Claspin to this reaction strongly stimulated the phosphorylation of Chk1 by ATR-ATRIP. Claspin also induced significant autophosphorylation of Chk1 in the absence of ATR-ATRIP. Taken together, these results indicate that the checkpoint-dependent phosphorylation of Chk1 is a multistep process involving activation of the ATR-ATRIP complex at replication forks and presentation of Chk1 to this complex by Claspin.
Radioactive iodine offers survival improvement in patients with follicular carcinoma of the thyroid.

Background The use of radioactive iodine (RAI) in patients with follicular thyroid carcinoma is well established. How its use affects patient outcome and which patients benefit is understood poorly. This study seeks to determine how RAI influences survival and to delineate the populations that are impacted most. Methods The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database is a sample of approximately 14% of the US population. It was used to identify patients with follicular thyroid carcinomas and the treatment that they received. Factors such as the presence of lymph node and distant metastases, age, and tumor size were included for analysis. Results A total of 4317 patients were identified with follicular thyroid carcinoma. Of these, the records of 2112 patients who were entered in the study after 1988 contained the required data and were included for analysis. Median follow-up time was 95 months. Factors that were associated with increased risk of death included distant metastatic disease, cervical lymph node disease, and the lack of RAI use. Protective factors were tumor size of Conclusion RAI provides survival benefit to some patients with follicular carcinoma of the thyroid. The greatest improvements were seen in those patients with locoregional or distant disease spread.
Influence of projection in cluster cosmology studies

Projection tends to skew the mass-observable relation of galaxy clusters by creating a small fraction of severely blended systems, those for which the measured observable property of a cluster is strongly boosted relative to the value of its primary host halo. We examine the bias in cosmological parameter estimates caused by incorrectly assuming a Gaussian (projection-free) mass-observable relation when the true relation is non-Gaussian due to projection. We introduce a mixture model for projection and explore Fisher forecasts for a survey of 5000 sq. deg. to z=1.1 and an equivalent mass threshold of 10^13.7 h^-1 solar masses. Using a blended fraction motivated by optical cluster finding applied to the Millennium Simulation and applying Planck and otherwise weak priors, we find that the biases in Omega_DE and w are significant, being factors of 2.8 and 2.4, respectively, times previous forecast uncertainties. Incorporating eight new degrees of freedom to describe cluster selection with projection increases the forecast uncertainty in Omega_DE and w by similar factors. Knowledge of these additional parameters at the 5% level limits degradation in dark energy constraints to <10% relative to projection-free forecasts. We discuss strategies for using simulations and complementary observations to characterize the fraction of blended clusters and their mass selection properties.
Diabatic Divergence Profiles in Western Pacific Mesoscale Convective Systems

Abstract Heating in the atmosphere can be expressed as diabatic divergence δd, which is nearly equal to the actual horizontal divergence δ in tropical convection. High-quality δ profile measurements from airborne Doppler radar “purls” in ten mesoscale convective systems (MCS) observed during TOGA-COARE are examined, and the mean profile is compared with rawinsonde array measurements. Young convective features have strong near-surface convergence, while older cells with better-developed downdrafts and stratiform precipitation areas have their peak convergence aloft. In the mean, then, surface flow is only weakly convergent or oven divergent, so that the main convergence into MCSs is deep and peaked aloft, with a sharp “melting convergence” at 0°C. Divergence prevails above ∼10 km altitude but was undersampled by the radar. Unusual but well-sampled observations in the purl dataset include: a persistent, widespread δ profile feature in one well-sampled MCS (a cyclone rainband); oscillatory “reverberations” c...
Formulary management of antiulcer drugs: economic considerations.

Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is a common medical problem costing billions of dollars annually around the world. Since the availability of the first histamine H2-receptor antagonist, cimetidine, many economic analyses have been conducted to compare the impact of this drug class on resource consumption.
THE EFFECT OF RELATIVE SIZE ON THE DYNAMICS OF FLUIDIZED BED DRYERS

The dynamic characteristics of a two stage fluidized bed dryer are studied when the drying gas flows in a crosscurrent or countercurrent arrangement. The slow dynamic modes are related to such extensive thermodynamic process variables as the total mass and energy content of both dryers. The fast dynamic modes are shown to represent steady state mass and energy balances of one of the dryers.
Visualizing mechanical tension across membrane receptors with a fluorescent sensor

We report a fluorescence-based turn-on sensor for mapping the mechanical strain exerted by specific cell-surface proteins in living cells. The sensor generates force maps with high spatial and temporal resolution using conventional fluorescence microscopy. We demonstrate the approach by mapping mechanical forces during the early stages of regulatory endocytosis of the ligand-activated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).
Neuroprotective effects of the complement terminal pathway during demyelination: implications for oligodendrocyte survival.

Abstract Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that is mediated by activated lymphocytes, macrophages/microglia, and complement. In MS, the myelin-forming oligodendrocytes (OLGs) are the targets of the immune attack. Experimental evidence indicates that C5b-9 plays a role in demyelination during the acute phase of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). Terminal complement C5b-9 complexes are capable of protecting OLGs from apoptosis. During chronic EAE complement C5 promotes axonal preservation, remyelination and provides protection from gliosis. These findings indicate that the activation of complement and C5b-9 assembly can also have protective roles during demyelination.
A deletion mutation in bovine SLC4A2 is associated with osteopetrosis in Red Angus cattle

Osteopetrosis is a skeletal disorder of humans and animals characterized by the formation of overly dense bones, resulting from a deficiency in the number and/or function of bone-resorbing osteoclast cells. In cattle, osteopetrosis can either be induced during gestation by viral infection of the dam, or inherited as a recessive defect. Genetically affected calves are typically aborted late in gestation, display skull deformities and exhibit a marked reduction of osteoclasts. Although mutations in several genes are associated with osteopetrosis in humans and mice, the genetic basis of the cattle disorder was previously unknown. We have conducted a whole-genome association analysis to identify the mutation responsible for inherited osteopetrosis in Red Angus cattle. Analysis of >54,000 SNP genotypes for each of seven affected calves and nine control animals localized the defective gene to the telomeric end of bovine chromosome 4 (BTA4). Homozygosity analysis refined the interval to a 3.4-Mb region containing the SLC4A2 gene, encoding an anion exchanger protein necessary for proper osteoclast function. Examination of SLC4A2 from normal and affected animals revealed a ~2.8-kb deletion mutation in affected calves that encompasses exon 2 and nearly half of exon 3, predicted to prevent normal protein function. Analysis of RNA from a proven heterozygous individual confirmed the presence of transcripts lacking exons 2 and 3, in addition to normal transcripts. Genotyping of additional animals demonstrated complete concordance of the homozygous deletion genotype with the osteopetrosis phenotype. Histological examination of affected tissues revealed scarce, morphologically abnormal osteoclasts displaying evidence of apoptosis. These results indicate that a deletion mutation within bovine SLC4A2 is associated with osteopetrosis in Red Angus cattle. Loss of SLC4A2 function appears to induce premature cell death, and likely results in cytoplasmic alkalinization of osteoclasts which, in turn, may disrupt acidification of resorption lacunae.
OSCILLATOR STRENGTH DETERMINATIONS FOR Δn=0 TRANSITIONS IN Be-LIKE IONS OF THE THIRD PERIOD ELEMENTS.

Measured oscillator strengths for ..delta..n=0 E1 transitions of the type 2s/sup 2/-2s2p-2p/sup 2/ in highly ionized members of the Be isoelectronic sequence are valuable in the interpretation of diagnostic measurements from high-temperature laboratory and astrophysical sources. Lifetimes of low-lying levels in some 4-electron ions (13 < or = to Z < or = to 17) were measured with the beam-foil technique. 2 figures, 1 table.
An improved potential energy surface for the F+H2 reaction

A new ground state potential energy surface has been developed for the F+H2 reaction. Using the UCCSD(T) method, ab initio calculations were performed for 786 geometries located mainly in the exit channel of the reaction. The new data was used to correct exit channel errors that have become apparent in the potential energy surface of Stark and Werner [J. Chem. Phys. 104 (1996) 6515]. While the entrance channel and saddlepoint properties of the Stark–Werner surface are unchanged on the new potential, the exit channel behavior is more satisfactory. The exothermicity on the new surface is much closer to the experimental value. The new surface also greatly diminishes the exit channel van der Waals well that was too pronounced on the Stark–Werner surface. Several preliminary dynamical scattering calculations were carried out using the new surface for total angular momentum equal to zero for F+H2 and F+HD. It is found that gross features of the reaction dynamics are quite similar to those predicted by the Stark–Werner surface, in particular the reactive resonance for F+HD and F+H2 survive. However, the most of the exit channel van der Waals resonances disappear on the new surface. It is predicted that the differential cross-sections at low collision energy for the F+H2 reaction may be drastically modified from the predictions based on the Stark–Werner surface.
FOXO proteins regulate tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand expression. Implications for PTEN mutation in prostate cancer.

Mutations in PTEN occur in 60–80% of prostate cancers and lead to a constitutive activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway and a resultant loss of activity of the FOXO family of forkhead transcription factors FKHRL1 and FKHR. To provide insight into the role of PTENmutations in prostate cancer, we used microarrays to identify genes regulated by FKHRL1 and FKHR in LAPC4 prostate carcinoma cells. These studies revealed that adenoviral overexpression of FKHRL1 and FKHR in the LAPC4 prostate cancer cell line resulted in apoptosis and induced the expression of many genes that affect cellular proliferation or survival. The expression of one of these FOXO-regulated genes,TRAIL, a pro-apoptotic member of the tumor necrosis factor family, was decreased in human metastatic prostate tumors. The altered expression of TRAIL in these tumors correlated directly with decreasedPTEN expression and the resultant loss of FKHRL1 and FKHR activity. Analysis of the effects of FOXO proteins on theTRAIL promoter localized the FKHRL1 responsive element of the TRAIL promoter to nucleotides −138 to −121 and demonstrated that TRAIL is a direct target of FKHRL1. These findings suggest that the decreased activity of FKHRL1 and FKHR in prostate cancers resulting from loss of PTEN leads to a decrease in TRAIL expression that may contribute to increased survival of the tumor cells.
Formation of rhenium subcarbonyls on magnesium oxide from adsorbed K2ReCl6

Abstract Supported rhenium tricarbonyls were prepared by reductive carbonylation of K2ReCl6 adsorbed on MgO powder. K2ReCl6 on MgO was treated at 350°C in CH3OH-saturated CO, leading to the formation Of [Re(CO)3{HOMg}x{OMg}3-x], where the braces denote groups terminating the bulk MgO, as evidenced by infrared spectra. The synthesis is the simplest known for preparation of supported rhenium subcarbonyls.