cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Elevated immune monitoring early after cardiac transplantation is associated with increased plaque progression by intravascular ultrasound.

Background Immune monitoring (IM) has not been shown to be associated with cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV). Methods Maximal intimal area, average percent stenosis, plaque volume, and maximal intimal thickness (MIT) were measured for matched baseline and one-yr IVUS segments in a blinded fashion. Patients were divided into quartiles by IM scores and outcomes compared. Optimal IM cutoff was determined. Results IM assays were measured at 63.7 ± 16.4 d after transplantation in fifty patients. Progression of maximal intimal area (p = 0.005), average percent stenosis (p < 0.001), plaque volume (p = 0.005), and MIT (p = 0.001) were increased across the quartiles. An optimal IM assay cutoff of 406.0 ng ATP/mL demonstrated a sensitivity of 66.7% and specificity of 94.3% for predicting rapid progression of MIT ≥ 0.5 mm. Mean IM scores for Group 1 vs. Group 2 were 176.4 ± 102.2 and 616.3 ± 239.5 ngATP/mL, respectively. Rapid progression of MIT ≥ 0.5 mm occurred in 5/38 patients (13.2%) in Group 1 vs. 10/12 patients (83.3%) in Group 2 (p < 0.001). The risk ratio for rapid progression with elevated IM was 11.7 (p < 0.001). Conclusion Elevated early IM scores are associated with progression of CAV by IVUS. These findings suggest the potential of IM for tailoring of immunosuppressive regimens to minimize the progression of CAV in high-risk patients.
Structural differentiation of diastereomeric benzo[ghi]fluoranthene adducts of deoxyadenosine by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and postsource decay.

The product ion formation characteristics of four diastereomeric deoxyadenosine adducts formed by the reaction of the syn and anti diastereomers of trans-3,4-dihydroxy-5,5a-epoxy-3,4,5,5a-tetrahydrobenzo[ghi]fluoranthene are studied by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization and postsource decay (PSD) to determine fragmentation pathways that may permit differentiation of their structures. The two adducts derived from each diol-epoxide with DNA differ in structure based on the cis/trans arrangement of the 3'-hydroxyl group on the benzo-[ghi]fluoranthene (B[ghi]F) and the adenine base bound to the B[ghi]F 5a carbon. The two adduct diastereomers with the cis adenine-3'-hydroxyl configuration produce product ions at m/z 394 and m/z 510 formed by the loss of water that are not observed in the PSD spectra of the two trans isomers. The data suggest a mechanism of water loss that is initiated by a hydrogen-bonding interaction between the charge-bearing proton on the N1 atom and the 3'-hydroxyl oxygen on the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). Fragmentation is initiated by the transfer of the adenine N1 proton from the nitrogen to the PAH 3'-hydroxyl oxygen and inductive cleavage of the C3-O 3 bond to form a benzylic carbocation on B[ghi]F. The proposed mechanism is supported by semiempirical molecular modeling calculations.
The Industrial Hygienist as a Social Scientist

(1972). The Industrial Hygienist as a Social Scientist. American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal: Vol. 33, No. 6, pp. 360-366.
Math Instructional Practices within Preschool/Kindergarten Gifted Programs.

Math instructional practices/materials utilized by teachers in early childhood programs for gifted three-, four-, and five-years have been discussed in this article. Information was collected for a...
Virtual laboratory vs. traditional laboratory: which is more effective for teaching electrochemistry?

The use of virtual laboratories has become an increasing issue regarding science laboratories due to the increasing cost of hands-on laboratories, and the increase in distance education. Recent studies have looked at the use of virtual tools for laboratory to be used as supplements to the regular hands-on laboratories but many virtual tools have not been used as replacements. In order to understand the effects of virtual laboratory methods as well as ascertain the effectiveness of our normal lab procedures, we used a virtual versus hands-on scenario for an electrochemistry laboratory. We separated our General Chemistry II Lab students into two groups. Each group completed an electrochemistry lab either through our normal hands-on format or with the use of a virtual lab animation created by the Iowa State Education Group. Pre- and post-test data for conceptual and factual understanding were collected as well as a post-test hands-on setup of an electrochemical cell. There were no significant differences in scores on either the pre-test, post-test, or the hands-on setup test. However, individual item analysis on the tests revealed a significant difference in the use of the salt bridge during the post-test and the hands-on setup activity.
The patterns and mechanics of delayed declamping hypotension in abdominal aneurysm surgery

Abstract Some degree of hypotension commonly occurs following release of aortic cross-clamping in surgery of abdominal aneurysm, but is usually not prolonged in patients with adequate volume replacement. However, we have observed that in some patients delayed declamping hypotension occurred in spite of volume replacement. In this report, we examined the physiological patterns of such hypotension and considered possible mechanisms.
Accurate positioning using a planar pseudolite array

When pseudolites are used, as in the wide area augmentation system (WAAS), or, when a Locata type array is used for accurately positioning of ground vehicles, a high vertical GDOP is invariably encountered. The latter translates into poor altitude estimates and potentially also poor position estimates, even in the case of a good planar geometry and where the user is near the center of the pseudolite array. Hence, the use of altitude measurements or terrain elevation information supplied by a GIS data base is investigated. In this paper concepts of operation are developed and algorithms are designed such that the best possible altitude and horizontal position estimates are obtained from the available measurements.
Augmenting deformable part models with irregular-shaped object patches

The performance of part-based object detectors generally degrades for highly flexible objects. The limited topological structure of models and pre-specified part shapes are two main factors preventing these detectors from fully capturing large deformations. To better capture the deformations, we propose a novel approach to integrate the detections from a family of part-based detectors with patches of objects that have irregular shape. This integration is formulated as MAP inference in a Conditional Random Field (CRF). The energy function defined over the CRF takes into account the information provided by an object patch classifier and the object detector, and the goal is to augment the partial detections with missing patches, and also to refine the detections that include background clutter. The proposed method is evaluated on the object detection task of PASCAL VOC. Our experimental results show significant improvement over a base part-based detector (which is among the current state-of-the-art methods) especially for the deformable object classes.
Bullying Among Adolescent Football Players: Role of Masculinity and Moral Atmosphere

Identifying practices of masculinity socialization that contribute to the establishment of gender privilege can help address violence and bullying in schools (Connell, 1996). Because the sport of football is considered an important contributor to masculinity construction, establishing peer networks, and creating hierarchies of student status, this study examined the influence of social norms (i.e., moral atmosphere, meanings of adolescent masculinity) on bullying beliefs and behaviors of 206 high school football players. Results demonstrated that moral atmosphere (Peer Influence, Influential Male Figure) and adherence to male role norms significantly predicted bullying, but the strongest predictor was the perception of whether the most influential male in a player’s life would approve of the bullying behavior. In addition to prevention interventions highlighting the role of influential men and masculinity norms in this process, implications for practice suggest that football players can use their peer influence and status as center sport participants to create a school culture that does not tolerate bullying.
Cell lineage analysis demonstrates an endodermal origin of the distal urethra and perineum

Congenital malformations of anorectal and genitourinary (collectively, anogenital) organs occur at a high frequency in humans, however the lineage of cells that gives rise to anogenital organs remains poorly understood. The penile urethra has been reported to develop from two cell populations, with the proximal urethra developing from endoderm and the distal urethra forming from an apical ectodermal invagination, however this has never been tested by direct analysis of cell lineage. During gut development, endodermal cells express Sonic hedgehog (Shh), which is required for normal patterning of digestive and genitourinary organs. We have taken advantage of the properties of Shh expression to genetically label and follow the fate of posterior gut endoderm during anogenital development. We report that the entire urethra, including the distal (glandar) region, is derived from endoderm. Cloacal endoderm also gives rise to the epithelial linings of the bladder, rectum and anterior region of the anus. Surprisingly, the lineage map also revealed an endodermal origin of the perineum, which is the first demonstration that endoderm differentiates into skin. In addition, we fate mapped genital tubercle ectoderm and show that it makes no detectable contribution to the urethra. In males, formation of the urethral tube involves septation of the urethral plate by continued growth of the urorectal septum. Analysis of cell lineage following disruption of androgen signaling revealed that the urethral plate of flutamide-treated males does not undergo this septation event. Instead, urethral plate cells persist to the ventral margin of the tubercle, mimicking the pattern seen in females. Based on these spatial and temporal fate maps, we present a new model for anogenital development and suggest that disruptions at specific developmental time points can account for the association between anorectal and genitourinary defects.
The Characterization of Alloyed NiGeAuAgAu Ohmic Contacts to AlInAs/GaInAs Heterostructure by Auger Electron Spectroscopy and Wavelength Dispersive X-Ray Analysis

In a lattice-matched InP/Ga0.47In0.53As/Al0.48In0.52As system used for modulation-doped field effect transistors (MODFETs), low resistance ohmic contacts to the two-dimensional electron gas have been fabricated using alloyed NiGeAuAgAu metallization. In this work we examine the use of Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and wavelength dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (WDX) analyses for studying the metal-semiconductor interactions and their correlation with measured ohmic contact resistance.
Some aroma compounds produced by vinous fermentation

Various biochemical transformations involved in vinous fermentations are reviewed from the point of view of their formal ion of volatile aroma or flavor compounds in fermented beverages. In addition to the recently elucidated processes for the formation of aliphatic primary alcohols of molecular weight greater than that of ethanol, Nordstrom's mechanism for the formation of esters during fermentation is discussed. Experimental evidence supporting this mechanism in vinous fermentation is presented; the White Riesling grape is found to contain insignificant, quantities of esters while the wine prepared from these grapes, analyzed immediately after fermentation, shows relatively large amounts of several volatile esters. In addition, in an investigation of an older California sherry, ethyl acid malate is found to be nearly all the single isomer with the hydroxyl group on the carbon adjacent, to the free carboxyl group. This finding suggests an enzymatic (presumably vinous fermentative) production rather than simple chemical esterification in the wine after fermentation. An extension of Nordstrom's mechanism for ester production is proposed to explain the formation of certain secondary amides found in wines.
Stimulated radiative dissociation and gain measurements of Xe2Cl in solid xenon

The molecular charge transfer states of Cl-doped solid xenon form an ideal four-level laser system. UV excitation on the molecular XeCl (B+X) pair potentials leads to the formation of the diatomic exciplex which relaxes with a nearly unity quantum yield to the triatomic Xe,’ Cl- (4 ‘F ) state. The radiative dissociation of the triatomic exciplex can be stimulated to provide monoenergetic atoms % 1 eV above ground. While these systems are characterized by large gain coeffkients, scattering losses predominate in samples prepared by standard matrix isolation techniques. Scattering losses are due to the inability of the lattice to accommodate the excess kinetic energy released in the bound to repulsive transition of the triatomic exciplex.
Efficient exact k-NN and nonparametric classification in high dimensions

This paper is about non-approximate acceleration of high dimensional nonparametric operations such as k nearest neighbor classifiers and the prediction phase of Support Vector Machine classifiers. We attempt to exploit the fact that even if we want exact answers to nonparametric queries, we usually do not need to explicitly find the datapoints close to the query, but merely need to ask questions about the properties about that set of datapoints. This offers a small amount of computational leeway, and we investigate how much that leeway can be exploited. For clarity, this paper concentrates on pure k-NN classification and the prediction phase of SVMs. We introduce new ball tree algorithms that on real-world datasets give accelerations of 2-fold up to 100-fold compared against highly optimized traditional ball-tree-based k-NN. These results include datasets with up to 106 dimensions and 105 records, and show non-trivial speedups while giving exact answers.
Rates and Genomic Consequences of Spontaneous Mutational Events in Drosophila melanogaster

Because spontaneous mutation is the source of all genetic diversity, measuring mutation rates can reveal how natural selection drives patterns of variation within and between species. We sequenced eight genomes produced by a mutation-accumulation experiment in Drosophila melanogaster. Our analysis reveals that point mutation and small indel rates vary significantly between the two different genetic backgrounds examined. We also find evidence that ∼2% of mutational events affect multiple closely spaced nucleotides. Unlike previous similar experiments, we were able to estimate genome-wide rates of large deletions and tandem duplications. These results suggest that, at least in inbred lines like those examined here, mutational pressures may result in net growth rather than contraction of the Drosophila genome. By comparing our mutation rate estimates to polymorphism data, we are able to estimate the fraction of new mutations that are eliminated by purifying selection. These results suggest that ∼99% of duplications and deletions are deleterious--making them 10 times more likely to be removed by selection than nonsynonymous mutations. Our results illuminate not only the rates of new small- and large-scale mutations, but also the selective forces that they encounter once they arise.
Reasoning about sets using redescription mining

Redescription mining is a newly introduced data mining problem that seeks to find subsets of data that afford multiple definitions. It can be viewed as a generalization of association rule mining, from finding implications to equivalences; as a form of conceptual clustering, where the goal is to identify clusters that afford dual characterizations; and as a form of constructive induction, to build features based on given descriptors that mutually reinforce each other. In this paper, we present the use of redescription mining as an important tool to reason about a collection of sets, especially their overlaps, similarities, and differences. We outline algorithms to mine all minimal (non-redundant) redescriptions underlying a dataset using notions of minimal generators of closed itemsets. We also show the use of these algorithms in an interactive context, supporting constraint-based exploration and querying. Specifically, we showcase a bioinformatics application that empowers the biologist to define a vocabulary of sets underlying a domain of genes and to reason about these sets, yielding significant biological insight.
Small tube method for the evaluation of antifungal and antibacterial activity.

Small tubes containing a thin layer of agar medium have been used in a met hod for screening pure chemicals for antifungal and antibacterial activity. Employing known agents, this met hod provided results comparable to those obtained by other met hods. In addition, the met hod affords the following advantages which make it suitable as a screening procedure: a no-growth end point which may be readily det ermined, it is effective for nonaqueous as well as aqueous solutions, it utilizes inexpensive apparatus, a minimum quantity of media and test agents are required, and a relatively small amount of working area is needed for conducting the tests.
Evaluation of a wave propagation simulator using a 95 GHz transceiver system

A three-dimensional wave propagation simulator based on ray-tracing algorithm has been developed to calculate wave propagation in the scaled model of urban areas. The simulated results will be verified and improved by comparing them to those from the scaled model measurement system. The electrical parameters of building material like permittivity and conductivity are considered as well as physical parameters. The ray-tracing simulation considers transmitted rays through the buildings and also diffracted rays as well as reflected rays from objects and ground.
procreation stories: reproduction, nurturance, and procreation in life narratives of abortion activists

Since the late 1960s, abortion has become a contested domain in American culture, one in which control over the relationships between reproduction, nurturance, sex, and gender is the object of struggle. Life stories of grassroots pro-choice and pro-life women reveal their activism, in part, as a process of creating new collective narrative forms for interpreting female life-cycle transitions. This activity is marked by distinctive generational experiences of different cohorts of women, revealing how different historical conditions make certain reproductive decisions dissonant with the available cultural models for marking them both cognitively and socially. Activism gives shape and meaning to “life scripts” through which women both manage and attempt to change structural contradictions between motherhood and work, which shape the lives of most American women. [American culture, gender, reproduction, life histories, symbolic anthropology]
The Accounting Entity, Relevance, and Faithful Representation: Linking Financial Statement Notes to the FASB and IASB Conceptual Frameworks

ABSTRACT: Although notes are an integral part of the financial statements, users lacking a technical accounting background often overlook them or consider them to be too difficult (Kieso et al. 201...
SMALL AMPLITUDE OSCILLATORY SHEAR STUDIES ON MOZZARELLA CHEESE PART II. RELAXATION SPECTRUM

The frequency dispersion of dynamic mechanical spectru of a low-moisture, part-skim and a low-fat, part-skim Mozzarella cheese are presented. Small amplitude oscillatory shear measurements within the linear viscoelustic range (0.05% strain) were made over 12 weeks of storage. Proteolysis during storage led to softening of the cheeses and thus decreases in storage (G') and loss (G") moduli. Master curves (at a reference temperature of 4OC) were obtained by shif- ting the temperature-dependent frequency dispersion of storage modulus. mere was no significant change in G' afer 4 weeks of aging. The variation of relaxa- tion time and viscosity spectrum of both cheeses with age were obtained from the muster curves using the generalized Maxwell model and nonlinear regression analysis. With maturation the viscosity distribution of corresponding Maxwell elements shifed towards smaller values, indicating that cheeses become softer and melt more easily.
Technology and Social Agency: Outlining a Practice Theory for Archaeology

Technology and Social Agency: Outlining. Practice Theory for Archaeology. Marcia-Anne Dobres. Maiden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2000.300 pp.
Brief Report: Parent's Health Literacy among High-Risk Adolescents with Insulin Dependent Diabetes

Objective To describe the health literacy of parents of high-risk adolescents with insulin dependent diabetes and to examine the relation of parent’s health literacy with treatment adherence. Methods Participants were 93 adolescents in poor metabolic control diagnosed with insulin dependent diabetes and their primary caregivers. Results All parents had adequate health literacy as defined by the S-TOFHLA. Better parent reading comprehension scores were significantly related to family structure, race, and treatment regimen. Reading comprehension in turn significantly predicted adherence for adolescents on an intensive insulin regimen but not for those on conventional regimens. Conclusions Parents with low health literacy may struggle to help their children adhere to the increasingly complex diabetes regimens being used at present. Such families may benefit from more intensive diabetes education or different approaches to teaching diabetes management skills.
Prices of Unpackaged and Packaged Foods

Prices of packaged and unpackaged items sold in the same retail out-let were compared in 19 northern California supermarkets. The magnitude of potential price savings depended upon the size and type of product purchased. Savings would most likely accrue to the purchaser of small rather than large quantities of unpackaged products. The future of unpackaged foods is linked to technical developments in sealed dispensers that limit customer access to the product.
Quantitative real-time blood flow estimation with intravascular ultrasound in the presence of in-plane flow

Previously, we showed a source of error in blood flow estimation introduced by in-plane flow using a slow-time finite-impulse response (FIR) filter-bank method measuring blood flow through the image plane of an intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) catheter array. There is a monotonic relationship between flow velocity and the normalized second moment of the slow-time spectrum when flow is orthogonal to the image plane of a side-looking catheter array. However, this relationship changes in the presence of in-plane flow, as slow-time spectra shift and spread with varying in-plane and out-of-plane components. These two effects increase the normalized spectral second moment, resulting in flow overestimates. However, by resampling the received signal with variable time delay from pulse to pulse (i.e., tilting the slow-time signals), the slow-time spectrum shifts back to direct current (DC), and the orthogonal estimation method can be used. We present a method to correct this overestimation and accurately estimate blood flow through the image plane in real time. Initially, the tilt delay needed to shift the slow-time spectrum back to DC at each point within the flow field is calculated. Knowing this tilt delay, a tilted slow-time signal is obtained for the velocity component normal to the image plane, and its spectrum is estimated using a filter-bank. That spectrum then is used to estimate the flow speed using a mapping function closely related to the monotonic relationship between the slow-time spectrum and flow speed observed for orthogonal flow. To accurately estimate flow angles, we modified the filter-bank algorithm, applying slow-time filter coefficients in a tilted arrangement and studying the slow-time spectral energy as a function of tilt. The slow-time spectral estimate is constructed with the tilted output of eight narrow, band-pass filters from a filter-bank. Independent simulations show that, for blood slowing at angles between /spl plusmn/6/spl deg/ and /spl plusmn/15/spl deg/ at a speed of 300 mm/s, flow velocity would be overestimated by as much as 38.79% and 249%, respectively, using the direct filter-bank approach. However, this error can be corrected using the modified method presented here, reducing the maximum overestimation error by a factor of 2.69 and 10.88 for those angles, respectively. Although the remaining error is riot negligible, the volume flow rate, calculated by integrating the flow velocity over the entire vessel lumen, differs by only 3% or less from the true value over the angular range considered here. This represents an improvement of a factor of 40 over uncompensated estimates at maximum flow angles. Consequently, the modified real-time method can quantitatively measure flow in most IVUS applications in which the catheter's image plane is not precisely orthogonal to the flow direction.
Nanomanipulation and Nanotribology of Nanoparticles and Nanotubes Using Atomic Force Microscopy

Nanoparticles and nanotubes are used in applications that require controlled manipulation and targeting in biomedicine and the oil industry and tribology on the macro- to nanoscale. Knowledge of interfacial friction and wear is important for determining their suitability for various applications. An overview of friction and wear of Au and carbon nanohorn (CNH) nanoparticles and MoS2 and WS2 nanotubes under dry and low viscosity liquid environments is presented in this chapter. Experiments on the nanoscale were performed using an atomic force microscope (AFM) in single- and multiple-nano-object contact with an AFM tip. In single-nano-object contact, nano-objects were laterally manipulated, and in multiple-nano-object contact, a tip attached to a glass sphere was slid over several nano-objects.
The Death of Copyright: Digital Technology, Private Copying, and the DMCA

The advent of digital technology has increasingly stressed copyright's ability to protect adequately creative works. By widely dispersing the ability to make near-perfect copies, digital technology renders copyright's traditional approach of controlling unauthorized copying by direct legal action against the individual copier increasingly anachronistic. Fearing copyright's inability to cope with the resulting risk of widespread private copying, copyright producers requested and Congress enacted the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA"). The DMCA prohibits almost entirely the use and distribution of decryption technology that would defeat encryption-based controls placed on digital works, and thereby enables copyright producers to rely on encryption to protect their digital works. In doing so, Congress has re-created a protection scheme nearly identical to the one that the Stationers' Company of London used to maintain its printing monopoly in England more than three hundred years ago. Both protection schemes rely on legal prohibitions that limit access to the technology necessary to reproduce protected works. Yet, given the threat digital technology poses, Congress may have had no choice. With anything less than almost complete prohibition, decryption technology would have inevitably slipped into the marketplace more generally and restored the potential for widespread private copying. Nevertheless, this article identifies two considerations that suggest that Congress has gone too far in enacting the DMCA. First, private copying is unlikely to reduce the revenue and incentives for creative works at the margins and is therefore not a threat to "the progress of Science" Congress is constitutionally constrained to serve. Second, private copying represents a critical form of democratic self-governance - civil disobedience - that allows consumers to determine the proper level of protection directly and thereby avoids the agency-cost flaws of determining copyright's proper scope through our elected representatives. Given these two considerations, the DMCA's prohibitions on the use and distribution of decryption technology may prove not merely unwise, but constitutionally infirm.
The Effectiveness of Screening Techniques for Revealing Cracks in High Volumetric Efficiency MLCCs

Multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) constitute the majority of components used in electronic assemblies and most of their failures are related to cracks. It is often assumed that dissipation factor (DF), insulation resistance (IR), and breakdown voltage (VBR) are characteristics that are sensitive to the presence of mechanical defects, and screening of capacitors by measurements of these characteristics, and by dielectric withstanding voltage (DWV) testing assures high quality products. This work analyzes the effectiveness of these screening techniques for revealing cracks in high-volumetric efficiency, low-voltage ceramic capacitors. Various types of class II dielectric capacitors with rated voltages from 6.3 V to 100 V, and capacitances from 0.1 μF to 100 μF from different manufactures were used in this study. Fractures in the parts were introduced mechanically and by thermal shock stress. It has been shown that cracking results in relatively minor variations of capacitance and DF. Absorption currents...
Mitigating 0-Days through Heap Techniques -- An Empirical Study

Securing public-facing services is a challenging task for all types of users and even best practices might not be sufficient at stopping attackers with an 0-day. It is often the case that when a new vulnerability is discovered, there is a race between attackers to exploit the vulnerability, and system administrators to patch the system in a manner that does not break existing functionality nor induce an unnecessary amount of downtime. For individuals hosting publicly accessible services such as a website or data storage, this race greatly favors the attacker as the average system administrator may not be aware of the need to update a system until days or even weeks after proof-of-concept exploits are made publicly available. In this paper we conduct exploratory research into techniques that can hinder the successful exploitation of a service with minimal impact on the system. While these techniques do not prevent a 0-day from exploiting the service in all cases, it can be used to defend a system against some types of bugs and against some types of techniques used by exploit developers. The ultimate goal of this research is to present methods that may prove to be successful at buying an individual time before it is necessary to patch the system by bypassing the initial round of exploits. We conclude this paper by demonstrating the potential of these methods on several modern systems including some with publicly available exploits.
Beyond the NIC Quadrennial Reports: Enhancing the Role of Foresight in Policy-Making

This report certainly has its limitations—some of which are discretionary, and others attributable to the unique fact that it is a product of the U.S. intelligence community. I will give particular...
A Commentary on the Use of Ribosomal DNA in Systematic Studies

Over the past several years restriction enzyme mapping has become an important tool in phylogenetic studies. Recently, several authors have pointed out that ribosomal DNA (rDNA) has several features that make it an attractive source of phylogenetic characters (Sytsma and Schaal, 1985; Hillis and Davis, 1986; Verma and Dutta, 1987). Because rDNA is a member of the middle repetitive class of nuclear DNA, the relatively high copy number makes both cloning the rDNA and detecting it using autoradiography relatively easy. Unlike other types of repetitive DNA, rDNA is divided into two domains that evolve at quite different rates. The transcribed regions are highly conserved, presumably due to selective constraints. This sequence conservation makes rDNA clones easy to isolate, as even distantly related rDNA clones may be used to screen a library. The nontranscribed spacer (NTS) regions, on the other hand, are apparently free to evolve, with some restrictions on length variation (Williams et al., 1987), but very little, if any, selection on nucleotide sequence. This allows investigation of both closely and distantly related taxa. The NTS, however, evolves in concert within a species, so that the many copies of the NTS within an individual and within a species are similar to one another although being generally distinct from those of other species (Coen et al., 1982a, b; Treco et al., 1982; Arnheim 1983). Therefore, for most systematic studies almost all of the phylogenetically informative restriction site variation will be in the NTS. The purpose of this note is to point out that the same characteristics which make rDNA attractive may also introduce difficulties. First, even though it is widely accepted that rDNA genes are completely homogeneous within species, intra-species variation may still overlap inter-species variation. Second, even though some information about variation within the NTS may be found using a heterologous probe, a homologous probe must be used to visualize the rDNA during Southern blot hybridization. Otherwise, some information from the NTS may be lost and, much worse, some misleading information may be produced. In their recent study of the genus Rana, Hillis and Davis (1986) justify sampling only a single individual from most of their study taxa by stating that "the rDNA of single individuals is usually characteristic of the entire species" (p. 1276). We agree that some gene families, such as rDNA, tend to evolve in concert and therefore are more homogeneous within species than among species (Dover, 1982). However, it strikes us as improbable that closely related species can become differentially fixed for NTS restriction site patterns without exhibiting both within and between individual polymorphism during at least some stage of the divergence process. We believe that the dogma of rDNA gene family homogenization is overstated, as supported by several recent studies showing intraspecific variation. These data cover a diversity of taxa, including mice (Suzuki et al., 1986), higher primates (Wilson
Analytical relationships between elliptic accelerating cavity shape and fields

Here we describe some relationships between cavity shape and fields on and near its surface that can be used for better understanding of the surface field properties. The problem of accelerating cavity optimization lies in the search of the shape with minimal peak magnetic or electric field for a given acceleration rate. This problem became especially important due to widespread use of superconducting cavities where the maximal magnetic field appeared to have a hard limit. The peak magnetic field can be lowered if one can increase the peak electric field but the electric field is also limited because of field emission. The problem of minimal losses in a cavity is very close to the problem of minimal peak magnetic field, though it is not the same, it relates to the lowest average field for a given acceleration rate. The field configuration on the cavity surface is also responsible for the phenomenon of multipactor. Cavities with these properties---minimal peak fields, minimal losses, and absence of multipactor---are found within the set of elliptic cavities. Further improvement of these properties is possible if we step out of the limits of elliptic shapes.
Filial Expectations, Association, and Helping as a Function of Number of Children Among Older Rural-Transitional Parents

Older adults with an only child (n = 57) were compared with parents with two or three children (n = 139) and parents with four or more children (n = 83) with regard to filial expectations and frequency of parent-child association and assistance. The results showed no differences between groups with regard to filial expectations. Parents of only children, however, were less likely to receive assistance and to have seen a child in the last day or two. Only a minimal amount of variance could be explained in parent-child association and helping except for parents of only children. Factors influencing association and helping patterns were observed to vary according to number of children. Whereas income, geographical proximity, and health of older parents were central to the assistance received by parents of only children, sex-linked factors, health of parents, and geographical proximity were found to contribute to the amount of help received by parents with more than one child. The research suggests the importance of controlling for number of children in future studies of intergenerational relationships and raises important questions regarding the adequacy of limited family networks as certain subgroups of the current "young-old" cohort move further into the dependencies of old age.
Germylenes: Structures, Electron Affinities, and Singlet-Triplet Gaps of the Conventional XGeCY3(X = H, F, Cl, Br, and I; Y = F and Cl) Species and the Unexpected Cyclic XGeCY3(Y = Br and I) Systems

A systematic investigation of the X−Ge−CY3 (X = H, F, Cl, Br, and I; Y = F, Cl, Br, and I) species is carried out using density functional theory. The basis sets used for all atoms (except iodine) in this work are of double-ζ plus polarization quality with additional s- and p-type diffuse functions, and denoted DZP++. Vibrational frequency analyses are performed to evaluate zero-point energy corrections and to determine the nature of the stationary points located. Predicted are four different forms of neutral−anion separations: adiabatic electron affinity (EAad), zero-point vibrational energy corrected EAad(ZPVE), vertical electron affinity (EAvert), and vertical detachment energy (VDE). The electronegativity (χ) reactivity descriptor for the halogens (X = F, Cl, Br, and I) is used as a tool to assess the interrelated properties of these germylenes. The topological position of the halogen atom bound to the divalent germanium center is well correlated with the trend in the electron affinities and singlet−t...
Cardiac Structure and Function in Hyperaldosteronism.

Chronic activation of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system is known to be associated with cardiovascular injury. Primary aldosteronism (PA), either from bilateral adrenal hyperplasia or an aldosterone-secreting tumor, is one of the principal causes of secondary hypertension. The combined vascular resistance and sodium retention lead to increased afterload and result in increased left ventricular (LV) wall thickness, most often with minimal change in LV diameter.1 However, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is more common and more pronounced in PA than in either essential hypertension2 or in other secondary forms of hypertension, such as pheochromocytoma or Cushing disease.3 Tissue Doppler studies have also demonstrated a higher prevalence of subclinical abnormalities of systolic and diastolic dysfunction in patients with this condition compared with age-matched patients with essential hypertension.4 See Article by Cesari et al The hormonal effects of aldosterone seem to amplify the hemodynamic effects of aldosterone-related hypertension by changing the composition of the cardiac extracellular matrix,5 a pathophysiology that has proven to be an important therapeutic target.6 Secondary aldosteronism (SA), commonly associated with cirrhosis of the liver but also present in renal vascular disease, often results in higher circulating levels of aldosterone than is seen in PA but is not necessarily associated with hypertension. Specifically in cirrhosis, blood pressure and systemic vascular resistance are low because of obligatory splanchnic dilatation. The cardiac effects of SA in cirrhosis including LV remodeling, proarrhythmia, and reduced contractile reserve, are collectively referred to as cirrhotic cardiomyopathy.7 The principal hemodynamic finding is that of a high-output state, with higher systolic performance and …
Additive particles with a built-in Gricean pragmatics

NOCH-type additive particles (e.g., German noch , Chinese hai , Hungarian meg ) have a widespread distribution that roughly covers the uses of English still , also , and even . We propose that with a built-in Gricean Maxim of Quantity Be Informative in its lexical semantics, a NOCH-type particle explicitly requires that the discourse be incremental, and the NOCH-marked sentence add new information and further narrow down the context set, making the whole discourse even more informative. We also show that the cross-linguistic widespread distribution of NOCH-type particles is not arbitrary: there are three ways to build an incremental discourse structure, and these three implementations give rise to the three major uses of NOCH-type particles.
Sensitivity Analysis of Permittivity and Conductivity on Tumor Treating Fields Therapy for Recurrent Glioblastoma (P6.302)

BACKGROUND: The NovoTTF Therapy device uses two pairs of arrays to deliver frequency-tuned tumor treating electric fields at 200 kHz to treat recurrent glioblastoma. Although its efficacy is equivalent to chemotherapies, the precise distribution of the electric fields within the brain remains poorly understood. METHODS: We performed computerized simulation to determine the electric field distribution inside a patient’s brain with a right parietal recurrent glioblastoma, using co-registered post-gadolinium T1-weighted, T2 and MP RAGE MRI images together with pre-specified relative permittivity and conductivity values for each of the cerebral structures. RESULTS: We found higher field strength at the scalp surface, ventricular horns and the medial surface of the tumor. Because the mass density and charges may vary among tumors, particularly when there is variation on the cystic make-up of the necrotic tumor, we performed a sensitivity analysis to investigate the relative contribution of permittivity and conductivity parameters to changes in the electric field distribution. Within the solid portion of the gross tumor volume (GTV), we found no variation in electric field strength from changes in permittivity from 0.001-10,000, mean electric field strength from 81.156 to 78.854 V/m, but marked variation from changes in conductivity from 0.001-100 S/m, mean electric field strength from 131.22 to 1.1463 V/cm. Within the necrotic core of the GTV, we also found no variation in electric field strength from changes in permittivity from 0.001-10,000, mean electric field strength from 39.456 to 40.180 V/m, but again marked variation from changes in conductivity from 0.001-100 S/m, mean electric field strength from 43.074 to 7.2933 V/cm. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that conductivity of the tumor plays a greater role than permittivity in the electric field distribution from NovoTTF Therapy. Disclosure: Dr. Lok has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hua has nothing to disclose. Dr. Wong has nothing to disclose.
Ultra-low NMOS contact resistivity using a novel plasma-based DSS implant and laser anneal for post 7 nm nodes

We report a record-setting low NMOS contact resistivity of 1.2×10−9 Ωcm2 compatible with Ti/Si system and dopant segregation Schottky (DSS) based solution. The ultra-low contact resistivity of Ti/Si system is demonstrated with Highly Doped Si:P Epi layer and P implantation using conformal plasma implant followed by millisecond laser anneal. Additionally, we show that short-pulse nanosecond laser as post implant anneal provides a promising pathway to further improve NMOS ρ C to below 1×10−9 Ωcm2 for the post 7 nm nodes.
An Examination of the Quality of Discipline Policies in NAEYC-Accredited Early Care and Education Programs:

The purpose of this study was to expand the knowledge base regarding discipline policies in early care and education (ECE) programs by examining the extent to which programs utilize policies that r...
Limited resection versus lobectomy in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer

The optimal surgical treatment of early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a subject of ongoing research and debate. A recent retrospective analysis of the results of limited resections compared to formal lobectomy in T1a NSCLC was performed by Dai et al . (1). Based on their data, the authors concluded that lobectomy was superior to more limited resection for all tumors ≤2 cm. For tumors >1 to 2 cm, segmentectomy appeared superior to wedge resection when a limited resection was performed.
Neuromuscular complications of radiation therapy

Neuromuscular late effects of radiation therapy (RT) result from radiation fibrosis (RF) of the treated tissues. The clinical manifestations of this dysfunction have been termed radiation fibrosis syndrome (RFS). Any segment of the central and/or peripheral nervous system can be involved, including the brain, spinal cord, nerve roots, plexus, peripheral nerves, and muscles. Often, multiple levels are damaged, resulting in a constellation of findings named for the affected structures (i.e., radiculo-plexo-neuro-myopathy). Accurately diagnosing RFS requires the clinician to understand the basics of how radiation is and has been delivered. Key parameters of RT delivery include total dose, dose per fraction, and the radiation field treated. This article describes the basic principles of RT delivery, the pathophysiology of radiation injury, and how to identify and evaluate neuromuscular late effects of radiation in cancer survivors. Muscle Nerve 56: 1031-1040, 2017.
Percutaneous Image-Guided Lumbar Decompression (PILD): Follow-Up and Risk Management

PILD is a neurosurgical procedure with the potential for all the sequelae of open surgical laminar resection and careful follow-up is required. This chapter explores attention to risk reduction steps before and during the procedure that translate into safe recovery. Additionally discussed is a plan for developing a protocol, for follow-up will streamline the process of discharge and surveillance in the perioperative period for all patients and ensure highest level of safety. Despite the majority of risk being associated with, and temporally related to, the time of the procedure, several late-occurring complications need to be watched for.
Canonical Equation K51 for Normalized Spectral Functions of a Product of Random Independent Matrices

Beginning with this chapter, we start to analyze the spectral properties of a product of independent random matrices in the case where the number of matrices increases and every matrix, in a certain probability sense, converges to the identity matrix. Our theory is completely different as compared with the corresponding spectral theory for Hermitian or unitary random matrices. We develop it on the basis of the so-called V-transform. Such matrices resemble the matrizant, which converges to a matrix of infinite dimension. They are used in many applied sciences, especially in mechanics, control theory and physics. For example, the system of differential linear equations $$ \frac{{d{{\vec x}_n}(t)}}{{dt}}\; = \;{\Xi _{n\;{\rm{x }}n}}\;{\rm{(}}t{\rm{) }}{\vec x_n}\;{\rm{(}}t{\rm{)}},\;{\rm{0 }} \le {\rm{ }}t \le {\rm{ }}T,{\rm{ }}{\vec x_n}\;{\rm{(}}0{\rm{) = }}\vec c $$ is very often considered; here, Ξ n x n (t) is a random matrix process such that the following matrices \( {\Xi _{n\;{\rm{x }}n}}\;(t)\;{\rm{ = }}H_{n\;{\rm{x }}n}^{(i)},\;{t_{i - 1}}\; \le \;t\; < {t_i},\;i\;{\rm{ = 1, }} \ldots {\rm{, }}m{\rm{ }} \) are independent, where 0 = t 0 < t 1 < ··· < t m = T. Then the solution of this system is equal to $$ {\vec x_n}\;(T)\;{\rm{ = }}\mathop \Pi \limits_{i = 1}^m \;{\rm{exp }}\left\{ {\left. {{\rm{(}}{t_i}{\rm{ - }}{t_{i - 1}}{\rm{) }}H_{n\;{\rm{x }}n}^{(i)}} \right\}} \right.\vec c, $$ and we obtain the product of independent non-Hermitian matrices. In this chapter we consider some simple examples of such products.