cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How to reduce biliary complication in living donor liver transplantation

Introduction Biliary complication is Achilles in LDLT. Many studies have studied risk factors associated with biliary tract complications. We review our two year LDLT data and find ways to reduce the biliary complications. Methods Institutional LT database was searched from 2015.01.01 to 2016.12.31. Their medical records and imaging studies were reviewed. Results Between 2015-2016 we did 126 Liver transplantation. (LDLT 106, DDLT 20) In LDLT, total 19 patient suffered from biliary complication. (17.9%) Two patients suffered from bile leak and 16 patients suffered form biliary stricture and 1 patient suffered from both leakage and stricture. Almost Among the patients who suffered from biliary stricture only one patient treat ERCP the others treated with PTBD insertion. In biliary complication group's 5-year graft survival was 78.9% which was lower than non biliary complication group (83.9%) but no significant difference. Compared to the biliary complication group and non biliary complication groups, only ABO incomplete factor was significant risk factor. Interestingly, duct anastomosis, stent types, duct size were not significant risk factors. Conclusions Still biliary complication incidence is common complication in LDLT. There was no significant differences between stent types, duct anastomosis method, duct size. We should try to reduce biliary complication. we could design a prospective study to reduce biliary complications.
It Depends on Where You Search: Institutional Investor Attention and Underreaction to News

We propose a direct measure of abnormal institutional investor attention (AIA) using news searching and news reading activity for specific stocks on Bloomberg terminals. AIA is highly correlated with institutional trading measures and related to, but different from, other investor attention proxies. Contrasting AIA with retail attention measured by Google search activity, we find that institutional attention responds more quickly to major news events, leads retail attention, and facilitates permanent price adjustment. The well-documented price drifts following both earnings announcements and analyst recommendation changes are driven by announcements to which institutional investors fail to pay sufficient attention.Received February 24, 2016; editorial decision December 29, 2016 by Editor Andrew Karolyi.
Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering from Characterized Metal Surfaces

Surface enhanced Raman scattering from molecular monolayers adsorbed in tunnel junctions and at single crystal surfaces in ultra high vacuum has been studied as a function of surface topography, the adsorbate and the energy of the vibrational mode. Surface enhanced Raman scattering is shown to involve both the enhancement of the local electric fields at the rough noble metal surface due to the optical excitation of surface plasmon polaritons and the modulation of the optically induced surface charge density by the molecular vibrations.
Ethane and propane dehydrogenation over PtIr/Mg(Al)O

Abstract Increased demand for light alkenes has motivated research on the catalytic dehydrogenation of the light alkanes and on understanding the role of catalyst composition on the activity, selectivity, and stability of Pt-based catalysts used for this purpose. The present study examines the structure and performance of Pt–Ir catalysts for ethane and propane dehydrogenation, and compares them with the performance of Pt and Pt–Sn catalysts. Nanoparticles of Pt, PtSn, and PtIr were prepared in a colloidal suspension and then dispersed onto calcined hydrotalcite (Mg(Al)O). After characterization to confirm formation of a bimetallic alloy, it was observed that at high conversions, Pt3Ir/Mg(Al)O exhibited lower initial activity than Pt3Sn/Mg(Al)O but greater stability to coke deposition. Intrinsic rate measurements at low feed residence time revealed the following trend in activity: Pt3Sn > Pt3Ir > Pt. DFT calculations carried out on tetrahedral clusters (Pt4, Pt3Ir, Pt3Sn) reveals that this trend in activity can be replicated and Ir is capable of alkane activation, a trait unique to this bimetallic system.
A Control-Configured End Effector for a Visual Servoing Algorithm

An algorithm is presented for using a robot system with a single camera to position in three-dimensional space a slender object for insertion into a hole; for example, an electrical pin-type termination into a connector hole. The algorithm relies on a control-configured end effector to achieve the required horizontal translations and rotational motion, and it does not require camera calibration. A force sensor in each fingertip is integrated with the vision system to allow the robot to teach itself new reference points when different connectors and pins are used. Variability in the grasped orientation and position of the pin can be accommodated with the sensor system. Performance tests show that the system is feasible. More work is needed to determine more precisely the effects of lighting levels and lighting direction.
Sleep and nasal obstruction.

To the Editor.— Many of the numerous theories that have recently been advanced to account for respiratory failure in infancy have failed to establish a single persuasive cause for this disaster and have ignored some of the early and perhaps significant proposals to account for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The recent article by van Someren and Stothers1 at least refers to one possible etiology that I have always believed. During the early months of life, most infants breathe via the nasal passage.
Identification of a quantitative trait locus for resistance to Sitodiplosis mosellana (Géhin), the orange wheat blossom midge, in spring wheat

With 3 figures and 3 tables Abstract Sitodiplosis mosellana (Gehin), the orange wheat blossom midge (OWBM), causes sporadic damage to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) throughout the northern hemisphere. Cultivars have been shown to differ in levels of OWBM infestation. In this experiment, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between cultivars representing extremes of OWBM infestation was tested for 2 years in Creston MT. Parental cultivar ‘Reeder’ showed average infestation levels approximately three times less than ‘Conan’ in both years. The RIL population showed significant variation, with heritability of 0.75 in 2008 and 0.26 in 2009. A genetic map of the population identified a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 1A (QSm.mst-1A), controlling 17% and 34% of the variation in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Near isogenic lines developed for this QTL in three backgrounds showed a significant effect of the QTL, with the ‘Reeder’ allele reducing infestation by approximately 42%. Differential infestation conferred by the QTL QSm.mst-1A may complement previously identified resistance due to antibiosis.
Effects of ileal transposition on food intake, dietary preference, and weight gain in Zucker obese rats

This study evaluated the effects of ileal transposition (IT) surgery on food intake, body weight, and dietary preferences in Zucker obese rats. Eight rats had a 10-cm segment of terminal ileum transposed to the upper jejunum. Eight rats underwent sham IT (SIT) and six rats had no surgery (CON). During weeks 1-10 and 21-24, rats were fed a selection diet of protein (casein), carbohydrate (corn starch), and fat (lard) in three separate dishes. Rat chow was fed from weeks 11 to 20. IT rats had a lower weight and a lower change in weight from base line throughout most of the study. Energy intake was less in IT vs. SIT rats during the selection periods (weeks 1-10 and 21-24), but did not differ on the chow diet (weeks 11-20). Digestible energy, measured at weeks 10, 20, and 24, was lower in IT rats only at week 10. IT rats had no malabsorption by fecal calorie measurements. IT rats ate fewer fat calories at both selection periods. We conclude that IT causes long-term reduction in body weight, no malabsorption or long-term changes in digestible energy, and a persistent decrease in preference for dietary fat. Further studies are needed to determine whether increased energy expenditure is a mechanism for the long-term difference in body weight after IT.
Raising healthy children: translating child development research into practice.

Child development research has a rich history of informing practices in families, schools, communities, and other contexts that shape children’s development and enhance their health and well being (Huston, 2008; Senn, 1975). Understanding developmental processes in typically and atypically developing children provides guidance on how to optimize positive development as well as how to prevent or minimize problematic outcomes. One of the most visible and well-known examples over the last few decades is the early childhood movement, including Head Start and related efforts to enhance early child development and school readiness (Shonkoff, 2010). Based on a convergence of solid evidence on diverse but related topics including normative cognitive, social, and emotional development, early brain plasticity, the short- and long-term impacts of early intervention, and cost–benefit analyses, early childhood programs have attained status as valued investments, both in the United States and internationally (Fox & Rutter, 2010; Heckman, 2006). The importance of grounding policy and practice in the scientific study of children’s development is consistent with the relatively new and rapidly evolving domain of translational research. Initially, this orientation emerged to increase the connection between the study of basic processes and their applications to health improvement and treatment in the field of medicine, characterized as connecting ‘‘bench to bedside’’ (Insel, 2005). This critical shift emphasizing the end usability of research on basic processes for health improvement became influential in other areas such as social psychology (Tashiro & Mortensen, 2006) and developmental psychopathology (Cicchetti & Toth, 2006). Within developmental studies, there has been increased focus on the connection between normative development, atypical development, and intervention, including the importance of understanding atypical development through a normative lens that can guide interventions (Cicchetti & Gunnar, 2009).
The Effect of Strategic Contracts (Breakup Fees) on Cooperative Investments

Earlier researches on strategic contracts such as breakup fees conclude that breakup fees would protect relationship-specific investments and lead to (weakly) over-investments. While some other researches show, in bilateral environments, that if the investments are cooperative, breakup fees may not be able to protect investments and under-investments occur. I consider the effect of breakup fees on cooperative investments, when there are strategic benefits against entrants. Then the cooperative nature of investments weakens the effect of breakup fees, but now breakup fees may result in more social efficiency than those under self-interested investments and other court-imposed damage rules. Specifically, optimal breakup fees are always like penalty clauses, and both over- and under-investments could be equilibria, depending on distributions of entrant values and effectiveness of investments. I also show that partial ownership compensation is enough to offset the cooperative problem, though in general it could have either complementary or substituting effects on the use of breakup fees.
The landscape of genetic variation in dilated cardiomyopathy as surveyed by clinical DNA sequencing

Dilated cardiomyopathy is characterized by substantial locus, allelic, and clinical heterogeneity that necessitates testing of many genes across clinically overlapping diseases. Few studies have sequenced sufficient individuals; thus, the contributions of individual genes and the pathogenic variant spectrum are still poorly defined. We analyzed 766 dilated cardiomyopathy patients tested over 5 years in our molecular diagnostics laboratory. Patients were tested using gene panels of increasing size from 5 to 46 genes, including 121 cases tested with a multiple-cardiomyopathy next-generation panel covering 46 genes. All variants were reassessed using our current clinical-grade scoring system to eliminate false-positive disease associations that afflict many older analyses. Up to 37% of dilated cardiomyopathy cases carry a clinically relevant variant in one of 20 genes, titin (TTN) being the largest contributor (up to 14%). Desmoplakin (DSP), an arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy gene, contributed 2.4%, illustrating the utility of multidisease testing. The clinical sensitivity increased from 10 to 37% as gene panel sizes increased. However, the number of inconclusive cases also increased from 4.6 to 51%. Our data illustrate the utility of broad gene panels for genetically and clinically heterogeneous diseases but also highlight challenges as molecular diagnostics moves toward genome-wide testing. Genet Med 16 8, 601–608.
Evaluation of stream surfaces using error quantification metrics

Visualizing stream surfaces in three-dimensional flow fields is a popular flow visualization method for its ability to depict flow structures with better depth cues compared to simply rendering a large number of streamlines. Computing stream surfaces accurately, however, is non-trivial since the result can be sensitive to multiple factors such as the accuracy of numerical integration, placement of sampling seeds, and tessellation of sample points to generate high quality polygonal meshes. To date, there exist multiple stream surface generation algorithms but verification and evaluation of the quality of the stream surfaces remain an open area of research. In this paper we address this issue, propose different stream surface evaluation metrics and study different aspects of stream surface generation process like choice of algorithms, seeding curve placement, initial seeding curve density, choice of algorithm parameters with four verification metrics to reach meaningful conclusions.
Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) inhibits fatty acid synthesis in bovine mammary epithelial cells.

Abstract Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a heterotrimeric energy-sensing protein, decreases lipid synthesis in liver tissue of various species; however, little is known about the role of AMPK in the regulation of fatty acid synthesis in bovine mammary epithelial cells. Here we report the presence of AMPK mRNA in MAC-T bovine mammary epithelial cells and mammary gland. Treatment of MAC-T with an AMPK activator dramatically decreased de novo fatty acid synthesis by inactivating acetyl-CoA carboxylase-α. Activation of AMPK also modified the mRNA expression of several lipogenic genes including fatty acid synthase, glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase, and fatty acid binding protein-3. Additionally, decreases in energy availability or rises in intracellular Ca2+ most likely activated AMPK in MAC-T. These data suggest the presence of LKB1 and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase kinase, two known AMPK kinases, in MAC-T. Identifying AMPK as a molecular target capable of modifying energy substrate utilization may result in the development of new technologies that increase milk production or modify milk composition during periods of increased energy demand.
Hematological effects of dennison tagging upon juvenile pink salmon (Oncorhynchusgorbuscha)

Wild, marine-dwelling, juvenile pink salmon were captured and tagged. Blood samples were taken during a 612-day period. 1. 1. There were no significant hematological differences between tagged and untagged fish. 2. 2. Temporal variations in PCV were not significant in either test group. 3. 3. Significant reductions in TDS and TPP occurred in tagged salmon. 4. 4. There were substantial changes in the electrophoretic composition of the plasma proteins of both groups, notably a reduction in albumin concentration and an increase in β-globulins.
Early development of near-infrared spectroscopy at Duke University.

Optical monitoring of living tissues in the near-infrared (NIR) region of the spectrum (700 to 1300 nm) was first demonstrated some 30 years ago by Professor Frans F. Jobsis of Duke University. Jobsis had intended to study the oxidation-reduction (redox) behavior of the copper band (CuA) of cytochrome c oxidase (cyt a,a3) to understand certain anomalies in the behavior of the mitochondrial respiratory chain in the ultraviolet and visible regions between living tissue and isolated preparations of mitochondria. Instead, he discovered a new window into the body—for NIR light penetrates deeply into living tissues. Jobsis's pioneering studies proved it was possible to interrogate hemoglobin absorption and saturation and to assess the redox state of vital organs such as the brain directly through skin and bone. He and his collaborators had also recognized that the tissue hemoglobin signals provided valuable information about the oxygen (O2) content of the tissue, and cyt a,a3 signaled the availability of cellular O2 for oxidative phosphorylation. The ability to noninvasively monitor the O2 delivery-uptake relationship has made NIR spectroscopy a unique tool for the assessment of tissue oxygen sufficiency in health and disease.
Using default tests in repeated measures: how bad can it get?

In the typical repeated measures analysis, the subject effect is assumed to be random and the error terms random and uncorrelated. (One could assume that the subject effect is fixed while the errors are correlated.) In many statistical packages, unless the user specifically requests that otherMean Squares be used for tests, the MSE is used by default. A simulation study investigates the magnitude of the errors that result if the inappropriate tests are performed. It is found that both the Type I and Type II errors can be greatly affected
ITEM RESPONSE PATTERNS: APPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATIONAL PRACTICE

In most uses of achievement tests, the primary focus is on a few summary scores that are based on the number of items answered correctly. The focus on the number of correct answers or some transformation of it (e.g., a grade-equivalent score) is natural. Certainly, the overall level of performance in a content area such as arithmetic is a major consideration. Furthermore, the interrelatedness of subsets of achievement test items (e.g., addition and subtraction items) makes it difficult to obtain reliable information about special strengths and weaknesses of individuals or groups of students in addition to a global summary score. In situations when the ranking of students on a global dimension is emphasized, the role of specific test content receives relatively little attention. While it may be useful to know that the average score of students in an instructional program is well below the national mean on a fourth-grade mathematics test, this information does not indicate the types of arithmetic skills the students have. As shown by Porter, Schmidt, Floden, and Freeman (1978; See also Schmidt's article in this issue), there is wide variation in content coverage of the fourth-grade mathematics tests from the four most widely used achievement test batteries. Furthermore, the level of performance can be expected to be influenced by the degree of overlap between the instructional content and the content of the test (e.g., Armbruster, Steven, & Rosenshine, 1977; Leinhardt & Seewald, 1981; Madaus, Kellaghan, Rakow, & King, 1979). Indeed, the specific match between the format of instructional exercises and the format of test questions can have a substantial impact on test scores (Alderman, Swinton, & Braswell, 1979; House, Glass, McLean, & Walker, 1978). The limitations of global summary scores can also be seen by considering their mathematical foundation. The same number-right score can be obtained in many different ways. Even on a short test of just five items, a score of three can be obtained by ten different combinations of correct and incorrect responses. The number of possible combinations of right and wrong answers expands rapidly with increases in test length. On a 10-item test, for example, there are 252 different response patterns that yield the same number-right score of five.
Some considerations on using implicit FDTD method

The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is a widely used technique in simulating time domain electromagnetic field problems. However it is well known that this method is not very efficient in dealing with low frequency EM problems. Some considerations on using implicit FDTD techniques are presented in this paper. It is shown that the CN FDTD is more suitable for low frequency problems even though it has a larger dispersion error than that of the conventional FDTD, and the ADI-FDTD methods. The numerical results confirm the analytical analysis.
Amplitude constraints in π0 photoproduction

Recent data on neutral-pion photoproduction in the dip region is near the limit of a constraint equation. We show that the limit implies a simplified view of the helicity amplitudes. Within the framework of the dual absorption model we estimate the qualitative shape of the amplitudes and find that the observed structure differs from that predicted in current models of π0 photoproduction.
An analytical approach to evaluation of the operational effectiveness of continuous mining systems

Abstract An analytic approach to assessing and predicting the operational effectiveness of continuous mining systems is presented. Availability models and productivity models have been developed through use of the techniques of direct reliability assessment and Markov modeling. The application of these models is illustrated by a field study.
Effect of combustor length on afterburner combustion

Abstract The effect of combustion-chamber length on afterburner combustion performance has been experimentally determined with two full-scale turbojet-engine afterburners. Combuster lengths from 2·5 to 6·5 ft have been investigated. The influence of combustor-inlet velocity, equivalence ratio, and pressure level is discussed, as well as a consideration of the structural-cooling requirements.
Analyzing power of Al 27 (n → ,n → 0 ) at 14 and 17 MeV and the isospin dependence of the optical model potential

The analyzing powers of 14 and 17 MeV neutrons elastically scattered from /sup 27/Al have been measured. Two spherical optical model analyses of these and previously published data have been performed. The first one, which concentrated only on neutron cross section data at 14 and 17 MeV and the new analyzing powers, led to a new set of spherical optical model parameters, including a spin-orbit strength and a diffuseness of about 5.6 MeV and 0.36 fm, respectively. The second incorporated cross section and analyzing power data for proton scattering at slightly higher energies, to compensate for Coulomb energy differences. The data were successfully described with a set of parameters which included isospin-dependent potentials with isospin parameters V-italic/sub 1//sub R-italic/ = 22.4 MeV and W-italic/sub 1//sub D-italic/ = 15.7 MeV.
Ventilatory, hemodynamic and sedative effects of the α2 adrenergic agonist, dexmedetomidine

Abstract Dexmedetomedine is a potent α2 adrenergic agonist which can reduce anesthetic requirements by over 90% in rats and dogs. This study examined the effects of various doses of dexmedetomidine on the following monitored variables in New Zealand white rabbits: arterial blood gases, mean arterial pressure, respiratory rate, heart rate, and level of sedation. Following the percutaneous insertion of arterial and venous catheters, 21 rabbits received an infusion of saline or dexmedetomidine (20, 80 or 320 μg/kg). Monitored variables were recorded at 5, 15, 30 and 60 min following the infusion. Dexmedetomidine produced significant dose-dependent increases in PaCO2 and level of sedation. There were significant decreases in heart rate, PaO2 and respiratory rate. There was no significant change in mean arterial pressure even at the highest (320 μg/kg) dose. To examine the ability of an α2 adrenergic antagonist to reverse the effects of dexmedetomidine, 5 rabbits initially received 320 μg/kg of dexmedetomidine as described above. Seven minutes after completion of the infusion, 900 μg/kg of the α2 adrenergic antagonist, idazoxan, was administered. This resulted in a prompt and sustained reversal of the hypercarbia and sedation produced by the dexmedetomidine.
Myelination by Schwann cells in the absence of extracellular matrix assembly

Assembly of extracellular collagen fibrils and Schwann cell basal lamina has previously been identified as a prerequisite for compact myelin formation in the peripheral nervous system. Synthesis of this extracellular matrix (ECM) in vitro required the presence of serum and ascorbic acid. Using rat embryonic dorsal root ganglion neurons and Schwann cells, we have developed a fully defined medium in which myelination occurs. In the absence of ascorbic acid, normal myelin was formed without ECM assembly. This demonstrates that although myelination and ECM assembly are usually closely linked, ECM formation is not a prerequisite for myelination in vitro.
Mathematical and Numerical Methods in Inverse Acoustic Scattering Theory

A survey is given of the inverse acoustic scattering problem of determining the support of an inhomogeneous obstacle from a knowledge of the incident and scattered time-harmonic fields where the obstacle is situated in a homogeneous or piecewise homogeneous medium. Numerical examples are given for the determination of the support of buried obstacles in the lower half-space from near field data on a bounded region in the upper half-space.
Electronic Speed Control of Motors

IN THE EARLY years of the electrical industry there was no acceptable a-c motor. After the development of the induction motor and the synchronous motor two machines were available which are unsurpassed in simplicity, reliability, and economy. These motors are, however, both inherently constant speed machines. In later years, a variety of a-c motors have been developed and a number of these have had adjustable or variable speed characteristics. There is, however, as yet, no adjustable-speed a-c motor so flexible as the Ward-Leonard combination, and there is still room for much improvement in adjustable speed a-c motors.
Needed foundations for assuring the desirable behavior of software-reliant systems

Future trends and current limitations presage a need for interdisciplinary foundations for designing, constructing, maintaining, adapting, and rapidly deploying software-reliant systems with assured system capabilities at all scales.
Body image in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a multisystemic disease of young women may be disfiguring and affect physical and emotional health. Body image literature in SLE is scant and controversial.
Understanding Plasmonic Properties in Metallic Nanostructures by Correlating Photonic and Electronic Excitations

A large number of optical phenomena rely on the excitation of localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPR) in metallic nanostructures. Electron-energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) has emerged as a technique capable of mapping plasmonic properties on length scales 100 times smaller than optical wavelengths. While this technique is promising, the connection between electron-driven plasmons, encountered in EELS, and photon-driven plasmons, encountered in plasmonic devices, is not well understood. This Perspective highlights some of the contributions that have been made in correlating optical scattering and STEM/EELS from the exact same nanostructures. The experimental observations are further elucidated by comparison with theoretical calculations obtained from the electron-driven discrete dipole approximation, which provides a method to calculate EEL spectra for nanoparticles of arbitrary shape. Applications of plasmon mapping to the electromagnetic hot-spots encountered in single-molecule surface-enhanced Raman scattering and electron beam induced damage in silver nanocubes are discussed. It is anticipated that the complementarity of both techniques will address issues in fundamental and applied plasmonics going forward.
The 2-His-1-Carboxylate Facial Triad — An Emerging Structural Motif in Mononuclear Non-Heme Iron(II) Enzymes

A 2-His-1-carboxylate facial triad is a common feature of the active sites in a number of mononuclear non-heme iron(II) enzymes. This structural motif was established crystallographically for five different classes of enzymes and inferred from sequence similarity for two other classes. The 2-His-1-carboxylate facial triad anchors the iron in the active site and at the same time maintains three additional cis-oriented sites. These sites can be used to bind other endogenous ligands or exogenous ligands such as substrate and/or O2, giving the metal center great flexibility to use different mechanistic strategies to perform a variety of chemical transformations.
Temperature and third‐body dependence of the rate constant for the reaction O + O2 + M → O3 + M

The flash photolysis resonance fluorescence technique was used to measure the rate constants of the reaction O + O2 + M → O3 + M (M = N2, O2, Ar, and He) as a function of temperature. The results for the rate constants are given by The activation energies with N2, O2, and Ar as third bodies are equal within the experimental error, (−1370 → 340 cal/mol), and the relative third-body efficiencies at 298 K for N2, O2, Ar, and He are 1.00, 0.99, 0.69, and 0.60, respectively.
Error Analysis For A Two-Camera Stereo Vision System

Stereo imaging is useful for many machine vision and robot guidance applications. Accuracy of the technique is an important research issue. In this paper, an analytical, mathematical approach to determining the measurement error in two-camera stereo systems is developed. For three dimensional measurements, two perspective images of the scene must be correlated. Using analysis, it is possible to determine the expected error of the measurements in the field of view. Error equations are presented for the two and three dimensional cases. One key result points to the fact that optimum measurements at a distance, can be made in the center of the field of view. Also, increasing the resolution at the center of the image plane can greatly enhance the accuracy of the measurements.
Identification of the molecular defect in a family with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia

Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasias (SED) are a heterogeneous group of inherited disorders characterized by disproportionate short stature and pleiotropic involvement of the skeletal and ocular systems. Evidence has suggested that SED may result from structural defects in type II collagen. To confirm the validity of this hypothesis, the structure of the "candidate" type II collagen gene (COL2A1) has been directly examined in a relatively large SED family. Coarse scanning of the gene by Southern blot hybridization identified an abnormal restriction pattern in one of the affected members of the kindred. Analysis of selected genomic fragments, amplified by the polymerase chain reaction, precisely localized the molecular defect and demonstrated that all affected family members carried the same heterozygous single-exon deletion. As a consequence of the mutation, nearly 90 percent of the assembled type II collagen homotrimers are expected to contain one or more procollagen subunits harboring an interstitial deletion of 36 amino acids in the triple helical domain.
Highlights of the Copy Cataloging Discussion Group

The Copy Cataloging Discussion Group met at ALA Midwinter January 16, 2000 to discuss the evaluation of copy cataloging. Arneice Bowen (Head of Cataloging, North Carolina A&T State University and c...
Comparisons of diverse plant species reveal that only grasses show drastically reduced levels of ubiquitin monomer in mature pollen

Ubiquitin is a ubiquitous protein involved in targeting proteins for degradation. Maize pollen was previously reported (Callis and Bedinger 1994) to show extremely low levels of ubiquitin monomer, and developmental significance was attributed to this surprising feature of maize pollen. However, we had previously shown (Muschietti et al. 1994) that tomato pollen had high levels of ubiquitin monomer. Here we show that pollen from most plant families has high levels of ubiquitin monomer. Most grasses tested show reduced levels of ubiquitin monomer, but some maize inbred lines have higher levels of ubiquitin monomer than other inbreds. There was no correlation between the level of ubiquitin monomer and either the monocotyledonous or tri-cellular condition of grass pollen or the dehydrated condition of mature pollen. Since many aspects of pollen development (i.e., wall formation, microspore mitosis, synthesis and storage of mRNAs and proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, dehydration at maturity) are stereotypical among all plant families, the reduced level of ubiquitin monomer in pollen of many grasses cannot be crucial for any feature of normal pollen development.
Modeling of cyclohexene hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions in a continuous-flow microreactor

Abstract Microreactors provide opportunities for improving process efficiency and control in chemical/biochemical kinetic studies. Advantages of microreactors, as compared to normal scale reactors, include high surface to volume ratio, improved heat and mass transfer properties, small size, negligible chemical waste, and increased safety. In this study, we use a stochastic compartmental modeling approach to model a continuous-flow microreactor with chemical reaction. The stochastic model developed is general, simple, and can be easily solved analytically. We apply the model to cyclohexene hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions. Model parameters were estimated by fitting the model to experimental data on cyclohexene conversion. From these estimates, it was possible to characterize the residence time distribution of the microreactor, to estimate the reaction kinetic parameters, and to predict cyclohexene conversion.
Prenatal and postnatal development of synapses and acetylcholinesterase staining in the dentate gyrus of the rhesus monkey.

Abstract Morphogenesis, distribution of cholinergic enzyme acetylcholinesterase and synaptogenesis in the dentate gyrus of the rhesus monkey during the pre- and postnatal periods of development were examined using histological, histochemical and ultrastructural methods. The pattern of neuronal differentiation in the dentate gyrus demonstrated distinct superficial-to-deep and lateral-to-medial gradients. The histochemical reaction for acetylcholinesterase was present on gestation day 120 as minimal staining in the supragranular band and in the inner one-third of the dentate molecular layer. At term, the laminar distribution of the enzyme assumed mature pattern although considerable enhancement in staining intensity was achieved postnatally. At term and at 9 months of postnatal age, the most pronounced enzyme activity was found in the supragranular band and in the inner one-third of the molecular layer. Synaptogenesis in the dentate molecular layer was characterized by the early formation of axo-dendritic contacts on dendritic trunks and branches followed by the appearance of synapses on simple and complex spines. Spines were detected infrequently on gestation day 132. On day 148, they ranged in morphology from short stubby protrusions to pedunculated, triangular processes. The majority of the spines exhibited flat postsynaptic surfaces. Complex, synapse-bearing U- and W-shaped spines were observed rarely at this age but appeared more frequently at term and at 15 months of postnatal age. However, at all ages, including 15 months postnatally, synapses on flat-surfaced simple spines predominated. Most synapses were of the asymmetric variety. With certain exceptions, these features of development of the rhesus dentate gyrus resemble the reported patterns of postnatal ontogenesis of this structure in the rat. However, the ingrowth of cholinergic afferents and the major modifications in synapse structure occur prenatally in the rhesus monkey during the second half of the gestation period. This temporal difference between the two species should receive consideration in the planning of neuroplasticity experiments designed to explore lesion-induced adaptations in afferent growth and synaptogenesis in the rhesus dentate gyrus.
Is export promotion effective in developing countries? Firm-level evidence on the intensive and the extensive margins of exports☆

Abstract How effective are export promotion activities in developing countries? What are the channels through which export promotion affects firms' exports, the intensive margin or the extensive margin? Empirical evidence in this respect is scarce. We aim at filling this gap in the literature by providing evidence on the impact of export promotion on export performance using a unique firm-level dataset for Peru over the period 2001–2005. We find that export promotion actions are associated with increased exports, primarily along the extensive margin, both in terms of markets and products. This result is robust across alternative specifications and estimation methods.
Reviving Lydia Huntley Sigourney

Lydia Sigourney’s (mis)identification as “The American Hemans” serves as a kind of parallel or allegory for the double-bind faced by nineteenth-century woman writers: to become famous, one must be like Hemans, but to be like Hemans is to lose sight of oneself; to signify oneself as a “proper” woman writer, one must utter the sobs of the sentimental woman, but such a voice has been valued by critics at about the level of “anonymous.” Sentimentalism, what is expected of the woman writer if she is to achieve fame, has been seen as manipulation, not an art. In a feminist prose essay on women’s education, Sigourney reveals her desire for fulfillment in roles other than the strictly domestic: she longs for the day when women can be “professors.” A canny poet-engineer taking up the tools of the new sensationist epistemology to become a professor of sentimental rhetoric, Sigourney deploys several poetic voices or personae to communicate her decidedly feminist ethos. The subject positions adopted in her poems are various, ranging from male seminary professor to an edgy, angry, male prophet, from woman rhetor to woman preacher. In Lucy Howard’s Journal, Sigourney prophesies and in some sense prepares her own reception history as a female writing subject whose textual voice can outlive the stultifying critique of feminine sentimentalism.
Natural history of chronic hepatitis C

Much controversy surrounds the issue of the natural history of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Many authorities view the disease as inexorably progressive with a high probability of advancing over time to cirrhosis and occasionally hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and, therefore, likely to be responsible for causing death. Others regard chronic hepatitis C as having a variable outcome, the majority of infected persons not dying from the disease, but more likely from the comorbid conditions that so often accompany infection by this agent, or from more common medical conditions. Disagreements probably derive from the manner of conduct of the study and the populations studied. Efforts to determine natural history are handicapped by the primary characteristics of the disease, namely that its onset rarely is recognized and its course is prolonged exceedingly. Thus, different outcomes have come from retrospective rather than from prospective studies, but both have concluded that at least 20% of chronically infected adults develop cirrhosis within 20 years. More recent studies that used a retrospective/prospective approach, focusing largely on young infected individuals, have produced different results. Among these young people, particularly young women, spontaneous resolution of the viral infection is more common than previously thought and cirrhosis has been identified in 5% or fewer of them. The major failing for all groups studied, young and old, is that natural history studies have rarely exceeded the first 2 decades, so that outcome beyond this time is not known, other than through modeling. Several host-related and extraneous factors probably affect the natural history.
Changes in Instructional Development: The Aftermath of an Information Processing Takeover in Psychology.

The characteristics of instructional development are determined in part by assumptions about learning drawn from psychology. If psychologists change those assumptions how will instructional development change? In particular, if instructional developers were to adopt the assumptions represented in information processing and schemata representation approaches to learning, how would testing, objectives, instructional strategies, instructional taxonomies, and analysis be affected? Each of these components would still be useful, it was concluded, but their nature would change substantially in almost every case.
Lek behaviour of a Hawaiian Drosophila: male spacing, aggression and female visitation

Abstract Male spacing, aggression and female visitation are described for a large lek of Drosophila confirmis within a mid-elevation rain forest on the island of Hawaii. The lek was located at a single tree of Pisonia umbellifera, and most of the males present defended individual leaves as mating territories. Regular censuses over a 3-week period in April 1985, revealed that the frequency with which males occupied a given leaf was unrelated to either the size or the orientation of the leaf but was related to its height above ground, lower leaves being occupied more frequently than higher leaves. During most censuses, 10–20% of the males were found perching on branches near lower leaves, which they invaded frequently. Males engaged in two types of aggressive interactions, chases and grapples, and both types occurred more frequently on lower leaves than on higher leaves. Both the spacing of males and the outcome of aggressive interactions were strongly size-dependent; larger males tended to occupy the lower leaves nd chase smaller males. Females were observed at the lek only infrequently and only during the middle of the day; between 1000 and 1500 hours, females were sighted approximately once an hour. Most of the leaves visited by females were among the lowest at the lek, and five of the six matings observed occurred on lower leaves. Data regarding male abundance and position and female visitation were also collected at the same lek site in October 1985, and are compared with the findings from April.
Learning of phase lags in coupled neural oscillators

If an oscillating neural circuit is forced by another such circuit via a composite signal, the phase lag induced by the forcing can be changed by changing the relative strengths of components of the coupling. We consider such circuits, with the forced and forcing oscillators receiving signals with some given phase lag. We show how such signals can be transformed into an algorithm that yields connection strengths needed to produce that lag. The algorithm reduces the problem of producing a given phase lag to one of producing a kind of synchrony with a "teaching" signal; the algorithm can be interpreted as maximizing the correlation between voltages of a cell and the teaching signal. We apply these ideas to regulation of phase lags in chains of oscillators associated with undulatory locomotion.
Research note: "Re-examining the tourism-led growth hypothesis for Turkey"

Since the 1980s, Turkey has given priority to the advancement and expansion of its tourism industry as part of achieving economic growth and development. This study empirically re-examines the possible causal relationships among tourism receipts, real exchange rate and economic growth by using annual data (1964–2006). Johansen multivariate cointegration analysis reveals the existence of a ‘stable’ and significant long-run equilibrium relationship among real GDP, tourism receipts and real exchange rate (RER). Granger causality tests based on the error correction model indicate a unidirectional causality from tourism receipts and RER to real GDP.
The endoscopic endonasal approach to repair of iatrogenic and noniatrogenic cerebrospinal fluid leaks and encephaloceles of the anterior cranial fossa.

Objective The current approach for the diagnosis and repair of spontaneous and traumatic anterior skull-base defects is oulined, highlighting the controversies that exist in the field and describing the strategies required to access different segments of the anterior cranial fossa. Methods We reviewed the literature concerning endoscopic management of anterior skull-base defects. These publications have been combined with our own experience repairing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks and encephaloceles that developed spontaneously, traumatically, or intentionally as a result of endoscopic skull-base surgery. Results We present a systematic methodology for the repair of these defects. We have divided our surgical approach into four separate corridors. These are the transnasal, transsphenoidal, transethmoidal, and transmaxillary corridors. Dissection strategies vary for each corridor, but with a combination of approaches, all areas of the anterior skull base can be accessed. Skull-base defects are successfully repaired with a multilayered closure that often involves use of a vascularized pedicled mucosal flap. Adoption of this technique has decreased our rate of postoperative CSF leak from 5.9%–3.1%. Conclusions Endoscopic endonasal repair of CSF leaks and encephaloceles has evolved significantly during the past decade. The versatility of different endoscopic approaches through the four endonasal corridors allows for the endoscopic repair of almost all skull-base defects. The use of vascularized pedicled mucosal flaps has evolved to cover these defects as part of multilayered closure strategies.
Quantification of the major urinary metabolite of the E prostaglandins by mass spectrometry: Evaluation of the method's application to clinical studies

Abstract Measurement of 7α-hydroxy-5,11-diketotetranorprostane-1,16-dioic acid, (PGE-M), the major urinary metabolite of prostaglandin E1 and E2 in man provides a useful indicator to monitor prostaglandin biosynthesis. For quantitative analysis of this prostaglandin metabolite the stable-isotope dilution technique of selected ion monitoring (SIM) is employed using gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The preparation of the bis (D3-methyloxime), bis -methyl ester of PGE-M containing a tritium tracer in position 2 which was used as internal standard for the SIM method is described. The synthesis of this internal standard includes the biosynthetic conversion of 11-hydroxy-9,15-diketoprostanoic acid to PGE-M by the rabbit. The intra-assay coefficient of variation of this SIM method ranged between 4.0 to 6.7 percent. The recovery of authentic, underivatized PGE-M added to urine was 93 ± 3% (mean ± SEM, n=17). The levels of PGE-M excreted in urine were higher (p