cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Network meta-analysis of infliximab biosimilars for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

PURPOSE: This article assesses the relative efficacy and safety of infliximab biosimilars in treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: A frequentist, random-effects network meta-analysis was performed to evaluate evidence from randomized controlled trials that examined the use of infliximab biosimilars for treatment of patients with RA. PubMed/MEDLINE and other sources were searched for reports evaluating rates of response to treatment with the reference product (infliximab) vs an infliximab biosimilar. The primary efficacy outcome of interest was the rate of attainment of ACR20 (ie, 20% improvement in American College of Rheumatology core measures). The primary safety outcome was the rate of treatment-related serious adverse events (SAEs). Data were extracted by the primary author, and an assessment for risks of methodological bias was performed for each evaluated study. RESULTS: Five studies that enrolled a total of 2,499 patients were included. Overall comparisons using odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) did not indicate statistically significant differences in response to treatment with biosimilar agents relative to each other or the infliximab reference product. ORs for ACR20 response for biosimilars vs infliximab were as follows: 1.475 (95% CI, 0.940-2.315) for infliximab-axxq, 1.259 (95% CI, 0.854-1.855) for infliximab-dyyb, 0.865 (95% CI, 0.5511.358) for infliximab-qbtx, and 0.832 (95% CI, 0.506-1.367) for infliximab-abda. Similar findings were observed in reported SAE rates among patients treated with the various biosimilars. CONCLUSION: ACR20 response appears to be comparable and nonsignificantly different between infliximab biosimilars. In the absence of any meaningful differences in safety or efficacy, biosimilar cost may be the deciding factor in choosing a treatment or agent for formulary inclusion.
Extreme Temperatures and Time-Use in China

How do people in developing countries respond to extreme temperatures? Using individual-level panel data over two decades and relying on plausibly exogenous variation in weather, we estimate how extreme temperatures affect time use in China. Extreme temperatures reduce time spent working, and this effect is largest for female farmers. Hot days reduce time spent by women on outdoor chores, but we find no such effects for men. Finally, hot days dramatically reduce time spent on childcare, reflecting large effects on home production. Taken together, our results suggest time use is an important margin of response to extreme temperatures.
Compressive Optic Neuropathy

Compressive optic neuropathy occurs when an extrinsic force acts upon the optic nerve. Compression may be secondary to inflammatory, infectious, vascular, traumatic, or neoplastic lesions. Mass effect on the optic nerve compromises optic nerve axoplasmic and blood flow, leading to decreased color vision and visual acuity, visual field defects, and optic nerve edema or atrophy. A strong clinical suspicion of compression is necessary. Workup revolves around appropriate imaging of the optic nerves. Management is geared toward treating the underlying compressive etiology.
Flexible, charged biopolymers in monovalent and mixed-valence salt: Regimes of anomalous electrostatic stiffening and of salt insensitivity

The conformations of biological polyelectrolytes (PEs), such as polysaccharides, proteins, and nucleic acids, affect how they behave and interact with other biomolecules. Relative to neutral polymers, PEs in solution are more locally rigid due to intrachain electrostatic repulsion, the magnitude of which depends on the concentration of added salt. This is typically quantified using the Odijk-Skolnick-Fixman (OSF) electrostatic-stiffening model, in which salt-dependent Debye-Huckel (DH) screening modulates intrachain repulsion. However, the applicability of this approach to flexible PEs has long been questioned. To investigate this, we use high-precision single-molecule elasticity measurements to infer the scaling with salt of the local stiffness of three flexible biopolymers (hyaluronic acid, single-stranded RNA, and single-stranded DNA) in both monovalent and mixed-valence salt solutions. In monovalent salt, we collapse the data across all three polymers by accounting for charge spacing, and find a common power-law scaling of the electrostatic persistence length with ionic strength with an exponent of 0.66±0.02. This result rules out simple OSF pictures of electrostatic stiffening. It is roughly compatible with a modified OSF picture developed by Netz and Orland; alternatively, we posit the exponent can be explained if the relevant electrostatic screening length is the interion spacing rather than the DH length. In mixed salt solutions, we find a regime where adding monovalent salt, in the presence of multivalent salt, does not affect PE stiffness. Using coarse-grained simulations, and a three-state model of condensed, chain-proximate, and bulk ions, we attribute this regime to a "jacket" of ions surrounding the PE that regulates the chain's effective charge density as ionic strength varies. The size of this jacket in simulations is again consistent with a screening length controlled by interion spacing rather than the DH length. Taken together, our results describe a unified picture of the electrostatic stiffness of polyelectrolytes in the mixed-valence salt conditions of direct relevance to cellular and intercellular biological systems.
The Accidental Methodologist

In the social sciences, teaching methodology—particularly quantitative methods—at the graduate level often falls to individuals who don’t self-identify as “methodologists.” Rather than being a source of concern, such “accidental methodologists” often possess a number of distinct advantages that enhance their effectiveness as teachers and mentors. My own experiences illustrate some of the challenges and potential benefits of teaching graduate methods after coming to the field somewhat unintentionally. Drawing on some of those experiences, I outline three broad ways in which teaching quantitative methods at the graduate level can benefit from that “accidental” status.
Should Research Methods Teach Information Literacy or Statistics? Why not Both?

My current teaching philosophy as a research methods instructor is that the course should prepare students to be both consumers and producers of research. When I began teaching the course, however, my focus was on helping students intimidated by statistics. Through additional teaching experiences as well as personal reflection, I realized I was neglecting crucial topics in this course. These included how statistics and research should be communicated to the public and how students could critically evaluate the information they encountered in the news or elsewhere in the future. In this chapter, I detail the evolution of my teaching philosophy and then provide examples of assignments that help students to achieve these goals while also learning to carry out and interpret statistical tests.
Aerobic dry direct-seeded rice A sustainable approach in rice cultivation

Sustainable development amidst global climate change has been the topic of discussion on all scientific fronts. Agriculture practice and goals for research should also focus on sustainable goals like preserving soil health, increasing water productivity, minimizing environmental pollution, etc. This article highlights the advantages and the need to adopt the aerobic system of rice cultivation over the ongoing transplanted system of cultivation. This would not only save a huge amount of water but also help reduce the emission of greenhouse gas like methane and at the same time reduce nutrient losses. Suitable aerobic varieties such as CR Dhan 200, CR Dhan 201, CR Dhan 202, CR Dhan 203, CR Dhan 204, CR Dhan 205, CR Dhan 206, CR Dhan 207, CR Dhan 209 and CR Dhan 210 developed at this Institute need to be popularized and should be adopted by the farmers for sustainability in rice cultivation.
A Larmor Precession/Dynamical System Model Allows μt-Range Magnetic Field Effects on Ion Binding in the Presence of Thermal Noise

Thermal noise forces and resonance-like responses have presented consistent difficulties in the formulation of mechanistic explanations for weak electromagnetic field (EMF) bioeffects. In many cases, biologically active field strengths appear to lie substantially below the threshold required for electric and magnetic fields to compete directly with thermal forces. It has been suggested1 the thermal threshold for bioeffective electric fields could be as low as 10 μV/cm when tissues (cells with gap junctions) as well as axonal structures are taken into account. Static magnetic field sensitivities in the microTesla (μT) range have been reported for calcium-calmodulin dependent myosin phosphorylation, calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase activity in cell-free preparations2,3, as well as at the cellular level4. Many biochemical cascades are regulated by signaling molecules such as calmodulin (CaM) or troponin C, which are in turn regulated by ion binding processes. It has been proposed by one of us that weak EMF bioeffects can occur via modulation of ion dynamics or binding kinetics5. Following this, the magnetic Lorentz force or the Zeeman-Stark effect have been considered6,7, but limitations due to thermal noise and in relating resonance to the charge-to-mass ratio of an unhydrated ion persist.
La Familia: The Important Ingredient for Latina/o College Student Engagement and Persistence

This article utilizes Yosso's (2005) community cultural framework and the six forms of cultural capital (aspirational, familial, linguistic, navigational, resistant, social) as corrective reframes of the cultural deficit model. Although the prevailing literature on Latina/o parents and families portray this population as being unmotivated and uninterested in education, this article highlights findings from my study on the impact of Latina/o parental involvement on college students that contradicts sentiments held by the cultural deficit model. Participants in the study identified how they use the cultural capital transmitted to them by their families and communities, and how they create “finishing,” a new form of capital. The article also contains strategies for how students and practitioners in K-12 and higher education settings can use the findings within the study to improve the educational climate and conditions for Latina/o students in U.S. schools.
Circuit level modeling of inductive elements

A few of the nonlinear inductor models that have been suggested for use in the SPICE code are reviewed. Each model has its own limitations, but they are all shown to provide a good representation of the device in the applications for which they were tested. An improved saturation-dependent model that incorporates additional features for enhanced accuracy is described. The model has been implemented in SPICE and in a commercial circuit program and has been demonstrated to be satisfactory in both cases. >
Fundamental frequency characteristics of adolescent females.

The purpose of the present study was to obtain data descriptive of the vocal pitch characteristics of adolescent females. The speaking voices of females at ages 11, 13 and 15 years were recorded an...
Mycobacteria: Leprosy, a Battle Turned; Tuberculosis, a Battle Raging; Paratuberculosis, a Battle Ignored

This chapter addresses three mycobacterial organisms that have entirely different profiles: Mycobacterium leprae, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Mycobacterium avium subsp. Several trends continue to gravely threaten progress toward further global reductions in tuberculosis (TB). Of the 85 species within the genus Mycobacterium, members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex have evolved as one of the preeminent pathogens of man. The clinical course of TB can be roughly divided into three phases: primary infection, latent TB, and chronic active TB. Additionally, for both M. leprae and M. tuberculosis, multiple-drug therapy (MDT) is usually considered obligatory, to prevent the emergence of resistant mycobacterial strains. The other two components of this chapter enunciate in detail that even with the most intensive MDT regimes, neither M. leprae nor M. tuberculosis is eradicated. A provocative study has reported that mycobacterial antigen activation of toll-like receptors 2 (TLR2) on monocytes from tuberculoid leprosy patients induced differentiation into cells bearing the dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule grabbing nonintegrin MPH and CD1b+ DC. Biopsies of lepromatous lesions reveal acute inflammation, with focal infiltrates of polymorphs, superimposed upon the chronic inflammation and high mycobacterial load of lepromatous (LL-BL) leprosy. Initial comparisons of M. leprae’s genome with that of M. tuberculosis and more recently with those of other mycobacterial species have made it possible to assign potential gene function to many of M. leprae’s genes. Additionally, an appropriately designed potent vaccine should protect against many, if not all, drug-resistant mutants of the infectious agent, an inevitability in leprosy that cannot be minimized.
A context-specific network of protein-DNA and protein-protein interactions reveals new regulatory motifs in human B cells

Recent genome wide studies in yeast have started to unravel the complex, combinatorial nature of transcriptional regulation in eukaryotic cells, including the concerted regulation of proteins involved in complex formation. In this work, we use a Bayesian evidence integration framework to assemble an integrated network, including both protein-DNA and protein-protein interactions, in a specific cellular context (human B cells). We then use it to study common interaction motifs between protein complexes and regulatory programs, using an enrichment analysis approach. Specifically, we compare the frequency of mixed interaction motifs in the real network against random networks of equivalent connectivity. These motifs include sets of target genes regulated by multiple interacting transcription factors, and gene sets encoding same complex proteins regulated by different transcription factors.
Late Miocene hominids from the Middle Awash, Ethiopia

Molecular studies suggest that the lineages leading to humans and chimpanzees diverged approximately 6.5–5.5 million years (Myr) ago, in the Late Miocene1,2,3. Hominid fossils from this interval, however, are fragmentary and of uncertain phylogenetic status, age, or both4,5,6. Here I report new hominid specimens from the Middle Awash area of Ethiopia that date to 5.2–5.8 Myr and are associated with a wooded palaeoenvironment7. These Late Miocene fossils are assigned to the hominid genus Ardipithecus and represent the earliest definitive evidence of the hominid clade. Derived dental characters are shared exclusively with all younger hominids. This indicates that the fossils probably represent a hominid taxon that postdated the divergence of lineages leading to modern chimpanzees and humans. However, the persistence of primitive dental and postcranial characters in these new fossils indicates that Ardipithecus was phylogenetically close to the common ancestor of chimpanzees and humans. These new findings raise additional questions about the claimed hominid status of Orrorin tugenensis8, recently described from Kenya and dated to ∼6 Myr9.
Determining Optimal Nutrient Management Strategies for Dairy Farms

Abstract A model for dairy nutrient management was constructed to evaluate strategies for nutrient recycling using farm-specific information. The model used linear programming to determine optimal cropping systems that used nutrients from dairy manure applied to cropland. The optimal system minimized total feed costs, including purchased commodities, based on the ability of crops to take up manure nutrients and supply forages for cow rations. Nutrient uptake requirements to meet mandated regulations were incorporated as constraints to the linear programming model and were for either N or P. Results from sensitivity analyses showed that rations balanced for maximum DMI versus solutions with less than maximum DMI affected the crops used in the optimal cropping system and increased feed costs. The effect was greater on feed costs at low production than at high production. The value of additional acreage was lower with no minimum requirement on DMI. Winter was the limiting season for N and P recycling because of less uptake by crops. Feed costs were almost always lowered by increasing crop acreage beyond the minimum required for N recycling.
Gigaseal patch clamp recordings from outer segments of intact retinal rods

The hyperpolarizing light response of vertebrate photoreceptors depends on cation-selective ionic channels in the cell membrane, which open in darkness and close in light. Little is known about these channels even though they are crucial elements in the transduction of light into a change in receptor potential. Here we report our attempts to study the light-sensitive channel using a patch pipette technique for recording ionic currents from a small area of outer segment membrane. The electrode was sealed against the membrane with a sealing resistance higher than a gigaohm, permitting good resolution of membrane currents1,2. Working at low external calcium concentrations this allowed us to observe in response to light small outward currents (the difference currents observed when the light-sensitive channel closes, thus switching-off an inward dark current), which reversed polarity with membrane depolarization. We were unable to recognize discrete current steps that might represent single channel openings and closings modulated by light. However, the light-induced outward current was accompanied by a decrease in membrane current noise. Analysis showed that the elementary event in 0.1 mM external calcium is ∼12 fA. If it is assumed that the elementary event is due to the closure of a single light-sensitive channel and that the potentiating effect of low external calcium on the photocurrent is due solely to an increase in single-channel current, one can calculate that in normal calcium the value of the elementary event is 2 fA, corresponding to a single channel conductance of 50 fS. A conductance of this size is consistent with ion permeation via either a mobile carrier or a pore.
Incorporating biological information into association studies of sequencing data

We summarize the methodological contributions from Group 3 of Genetic Analysis Workshop 17 (GAW17). The overarching goal of these methods was the evaluation and enhancement of state-of-the-art approaches in integration of biological knowledge into association studies of rare variants. We found that methods loosely fell into three major categories: (1) hypothesis testing of index scores based on aggregating rare variants at the gene level, (2) variable selection techniques that incorporate biological prior information, and (3) novel approaches that integrate external (i.e., not provided by GAW17) prior information, such as pathway and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) annotations. Commonalities among the findings from these contributions are that gene-based analysis of rare variants is advantageous to single-SNP analysis and that the minor allele frequency threshold to identify rare variants may influence power and thus needs to be carefully considered. A consistent increase in power was also identified by considering only nonsynonymous SNPs in the analyses. Overall, we found that no single method had an appreciable advantage over the other methods. However, methods that carried out sensitivity analyses by comparing biologically informative to noninformative prior probabilities demonstrated that integrating biological knowledge into statistical analyses always, at the least, enabled subtle improvements in the performance of any statistical method applied to these simulated data. Although these statistical improvements reflect the simulation model assumed for GAW17, our hope is that the simulation models provide a reasonable representation of the underlying biology and that these methods can thus be of utility in real data.
Primary Lymphoma of the Esophagus in a Chronically Immunosuppressed Patient with Hepatitis C Infection: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma account for the vast majority of esophageal malignancies. Other malignancies that can involve the esophagus include melanoma, sarcoma, and lymphoma. Gastrointestinal involvement with lymphoma has a variable incidence, as reported in the literature. However, primary involvement, as defined by Dawson, is extremely rare. Lymphoma has been linked to immunosuppressive conditions (such as AIDS), medications, and transplantation. We present what we believe to be the first case of primary esophageal lymphoma in a patient on long-term immunosuppression with azathioprine who was also infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). HCV has been postulated to have a relationship with B cell lymphomas.
Energy absorbed in calcium tungstate x‐ray screens

The energy which must be absorbed in a CaWO4 x‐ray intensifying screen to produce unit net optical density on a film has been evaluated by measurement and calculation for a screen–film system over a range of beam qualities (1.4–7.4 mm Al HVL) spanning the diagnostic x‐ray region. It was found to be constant within experimental error. The absorbed‐energy constant for three additional CaWO4 screens is presented for a single beam quality. To correct the estimation of absorbed energy, the fractional escape of tungstenKx rays has been evaluated and the results are presented as a function of phosphor loading. The absorbed‐energy constant is useful for predicting optical density for variable beam conditions; a family of characteristic curves based on exposure is reduced to one curve for a particular film–screen system, expressed as optical density as a function of absorbed energy.
Primary meningioma of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses

A case of primary meningioma of the nasal cavity and ethmoidal sinus of a 65-year-old man is described. The clinical and pathologic characteristics of the 18 cases previously reported in the literature are reviewed. Although the histological features and biological behavior of the tumors were found to be similar to that of intracranial meningioma, primary meningiomas of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses were found more often to involve male patients and young individuals. Meningiomas should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any lesion in a young patient with progressive exophthalmos, nasal obstruction, or episodes of epistaxis. The pathogenesis of extracranial meningiomas is briefly discussed.
Alloreactive T cell clonotype recruitment in a mixed lymphocyte reaction: implications for graft engineering.

The selective elimination of alloreactive T cells from donor stem cell grafts prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an important goal in the prevention of graft-vs-host disease (GVHD). However, in HLA-identical donor-recipient pairs, it has proven difficult to identify alloreactive T cells using in vitro systems pretransplant due, in part, to their low frequency and a lack of methodological standardization. To better understand the alloresponse between HLA-identical related pairs, we characterized the alloreactive T cells generated in a mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) assay system.
Influence of the Stage of Lactation and Environmental Temperatures on the Salt Balance of Milk

Summary Salt balance in milk was determined under controlled climatic laboratory conditions with two groups of six nonpregnant Holstein cows at comfort temperature (65° F.) and heat (80 and 90° F.). Each group consisted of two early-, mid-, and late-lactation cows. The two groups were alternately exposed (switch-back design) at 2-wk. intervals to comfort temperature (65° F.) and heat (80 or 90° F.) in the following successive temperatures: 65, 80, 65, 90, 65, and 90° F. At 65° F. the average values for salt balance, i.e. (citric acid + phosphorus)−(calcium + magnesium), phosphorus, magnesium, and milk yield were, respectively, 0.55 Mol.×10 −3 /100ml., 88 mg/100ml., 10.9 mg/100ml., and 36 lb/day, and at 80° F. they were, respectively, 0.29 Mol.×10 −3 /100ml., 82 mg/100ml., 10.7 mg/100ml., and 33 lb/day. High temperatures depressed citric acid and calcium contents during early lactation. The values at 65, 80, 65, and 90° F. were 181, 159, 150, and 148 mg/100ml., respectively, for citric acid, and they were 107, 105, 104, and 103 mg/100ml., respectively, for calcium. Heat caused no marked change in sodium and sodium/potassium ratio, but it decreased potassium in all lactation periods. With the progress in the stage of lactations at comfort temperature (65° F.), the early-, mid-, and late-lactation groups decreased exponentially in salt balance, citric acid, potassium, and milk yield. The percentage decline per week for the three lactation groups in sequence were 1.3, 5.8, and 12.2 for salt balance; 1.4, 1.1, and 2.1 for citric acid; 0.5, 0.6, and 1.9 for potassium; and 4.2, 4.6, and 6.0 for milk yield. Sodium and sodium/potassium ratios consistently increased at all lactation periods, with average rates of 2.2 and 2.9% per week, respectively. Phosphorus and magnesium declined during early- and mid-, and increased during late-lactation periods. Calcium decreased during early lactation and increased at later stages of lactation.
Photosynthetic capacity in relation to leaf position in desert versus old-field annuals

Desert annuals of Death Valley, California have higher average light-saturated photosynthetic capacities and leaf nitrogen contents than do early-successional annuals of Illinois. The leaves of annuals in the light-unlimited Death Valley environment change little in specific weight, nitrogen, or photosynthetic capacity with age. In contrast, these properties decrease markedly with age in the leaves of the Illinois annuals even in leaves not exposed to the usual shading that accompanies canopy development. These results are interpreted in a carbon-gained-per-nitrogen-invested context.
Asking the right question: Risk and expectation in multiagent contracting

In this paper we are interested in the decision problem faced by an agent when requesting bids for collections of tasks with complex time constraints and interdependencies. In particular, we study the problem of specifying an appropriate schedule for the tasks in the request for bids. We expect bids to require resource commitments, so we expect different settings of time windows to solicit different bids and different costs. The agent is interested in soliciting “desirable” bids, where desirable means bids that can be feasibly combined in a low-cost combination that covers the entire collection of tasks. Since the request for bids has to be issued before the agent can see any bids, in this decision process there is a probability of loss as well as a probability of gain. This requires the decision process to deal with the risk posture of the person or organization on whose behalf the agent is acting. We describe a model based on Expected Utility Theory and show how an agent can attempt to maximize its profits while managing its financial risk exposure. We illustrate the operation and properties of the model and discuss what assumptions are required for its successful integration in multiagent contracting applications.
Modeling emergency evacuation of individuals with disabilities (exitus): An agent-based public decision support system

In this paper, we present a public decision support system (DSS) distinguished from various DSSs in the private business sector in terms of its ownership, data scarcity, and beneficiaries. In particular, our system is intended to play a vital role in assessing and optimizing emergency response plans for rare but catastrophic events such as the September 11th attacks. While taking an agent-based microscopic simulation approach in a hierarchical framework, we used our model to estimate the effectiveness of alternative evacuation strategies to support emergency response planning as a part of business continuity planning for all private business organizations. The presented model is unique because it considers individuals with disabilities explicitly in terms of speed, ability to negotiate the environment, and normalcy bias depending on type of disability. It is also capable of classifying the environment in terms of accessibility characteristics encompassing various conditions which have been shown to have a disproportionate effect upon the behavior of individuals with disabilities during an emergency. Through a series of simulation experiments, our system identified specific locations (e.g., the NW landing) on the 3rd floor of the test bed building as possible bottleneck spots under certain conditions (e.g., the sharp increase in individuals with disabilities among residents). This way, our system provides the architect with tools to test the structure's design to determine how well it meets the identified requirements for emergency evacuation to accommodate this shifting demographic. In particular, our system strongly demonstrated the effectiveness of new emergency evacuation strategies for individuals with disabilities such as assisted evacuations which allows other healthy people to play more active roles compared to traditional strategies in which individuals with disabilities are helplessly waiting for assistants such as fire fighters at the designated area. Our system also revealed that people using wheelchairs and those with lower stamina were at the greatest risk. People with lower stamina such as the elderly, people with chronic health conditions, or those with temporary injuries are at a greater risk mainly because they are not easily identifiable. Ultimately, the proposed DSS system can be used to inform public policy professionals of more effective, evidence-based evacuation planning and environmental design methods based on a better understanding of the behavior of individuals with disabilities.
A new method for quantifying the complexity of muscle attachment sites

Muscle attachment site morphology may have valuable use for reconstructing activity patterns in individuals from historic populations or extinct species. The skeletal locations where muscles and tendons attach are morphologically very complex, and variations in this morphology may reflect stresses experienced by these attachment sites as a result of muscular contractions. However, existing methods for assessing attachment site complexity are qualitative and subjective. This article describes a new method for quantifying attachment site complexity in which attachment sites are scanned with a 3D laser scanner and the morphological complexities of their surfaces are quantified using fractal analysis. The method described here documents the complexity at specific transects along six limb attachment sites in adult female sheep (Ovis aries), and variations in complexity within attachment sites are explored. Overall trends indicate that most of the attachment sites examined here are more complex at their peripheries than at their centers, indicating that these sites experience more varied loads at the peripheries of the tendon attachments. Exceptions to this trend are noted and all functional implications are discussed. This method provides the first opportunity to explore variations in morphological complexity within attachment sites. Assuming a relationship between tensile strains and bony morphology exists, this method provides a new tool to explore the strain environments of muscle attachment sites.
Field-tuned Fermi liquid in quantum critical YFe2Al10

We present measurements of the magnetization $M$, ac susceptibility ${\ensuremath{\chi}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$, electrical resistivity $\ensuremath{\rho}$, and specific heat $C$ in single crystals of metallic YFe${}_{2}$Al${}_{10}$. The magnetic susceptibility follows a Curie-Weiss temperature dependence for $75\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\text{K}\ensuremath{\le}T\ensuremath{\le}750$ K, with a fluctuating Fe moment of 0.45${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{B}$/Fe, and the ac susceptibility ${\ensuremath{\chi}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ diverges at lower temperatures ${\ensuremath{\chi}}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\sim}{T}^{\ensuremath{-}1.28\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.04}$ when the ac field is in the basal plane. The field $B$ and temperature $T$ dependencies of the magnetization $M$ are well described by the scaling expression $M{T}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\beta}}$ $=$ $\mathcal{F}$($B$/$T$${}^{\ensuremath{\beta}+\ensuremath{\gamma}}$) for $1.8\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\text{K}\ensuremath{\le}T\ensuremath{\le}30$ K and for fields larger than 0.1$T$. These results indicate that strong quasi-two-dimensional critical fluctuations are present that can be suppressed by magnetic fields. The magnetic and electronic parts of the specific heat $C$${}_{M}$ show a similar divergence for $0.4\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\text{K}\ensuremath{\le}T\ensuremath{\le}12$ K, where ${C}_{M}/T\ensuremath{\sim}{T}^{\ensuremath{-}0.47\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.03}$. The divergences in ${\ensuremath{\chi}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ and ${C}_{M}/T$ indicate that YFe${}_{2}$Al${}_{10}$ is located near a quantum critical point, and no magnetic order is observed above 0.09 K. We argue that our results are inconsistent with quantum impurity or disorder models, suggesting instead that YFe${}_{2}$Al${}_{10}$ is on the verge of bulk magnetic ordering, and that the critical fluctuations that are associated with this quantum critical point lead to the divergencies in ${C}_{M}/T$ and ${\ensuremath{\chi}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$.
Psoriasis—recent advances in understanding its pathogenesis and treatment

Although not completely understood, there is clearly a genetic component in the development of psoriasis. Twin studies show a 67% concordance for monozygotic twins versus 18% for dizygotic twins. This lack of complete concordance in monozygotic twins suggests multifactorial inheritance and interaction between genetic predisposition and the environment. At present, 8 different psoriasis susceptibility loci have been identified in genome-wide linkage scans, including locations on 15 different chromosomes. Genetic connections have been made between psoriasis and other diseases, including atopic dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Crohn's disease. A variety of approaches are available for the treatment of psoriasis, ranging from topical agents for milder forms of the disease to phototherapy and systemic agents for severe psoriasis. Despite the importance of systemic therapies and recent advances represented by biologic agents, topical treatments will probably remain the mainstay of psoriasis therapy for most patients. The advent of new, cosmetically attractive vehicles may enhance compliance, add to the use of topical agents, and potentially improve patient outcomes.
Nurse-physician Interaction and Job Satisfaction

Job satisfaction of the nursing staff at a 1,000-bed neuropsychiatric veterans administration (VA) facility was assessed, with results similar to those of other studies. The greatest source of stress was nurse/supervisor and nurse/physician interpersonal conflict. This article reports on a further study of this factor.
Failure envelope of first‐year Arctic sea ice: The role of friction in compressive fracture

[1] New experiments have been performed on the brittle compressive failure of columnar-grained, first-year sea ice with the S2 growth texture, harvested from the floating cover on the Arctic Ocean. The ice was proportionally loaded biaxially across the columns at –10°C at 1.5 × 10−2 s−1; i.e., within the regime of brittle behavior. The results, when combined with earlier measurements of tensile strength by Richter-Menge and Jones (1993), allow the complete brittle failure envelope to be constructed. The envelope is symmetric about the loading path R = σ2/σ1 = 1, owing to the isotropic character of the material within the horizontal plane of the ice sheet, but is asymmetric with respect to the compressive-compressive and tensile-tensile quadrants, owing to the relative weakness of the material under tension. The compressive strength reaches a maximum along the loading path R ∼ 0.5. Terminal failure occurs through either splitting (unconfined loading), Coulombic shear faulting under lower confinement (R < 0.2) or spalling under higher confinement (0.2 < R ≤ 1). An integral component of compressive failure under low confinement is the internal friction coefficient: its value under the conditions of the experiments (μi = 0.92 ± 0.09) is deduced from the failure envelope. The internal friction coefficient is shown through postterminal failure measurements to be closely similar to the coefficient of friction at the onset of sliding along the Coulombic faults. Granite exhibits similar behavior. Modeling reveals that the terminal failure stress under low confinement can be reasonably well described in terms of the comb-crack mechanism (Schulson et al., 1999; Renshaw and Schulson, 2001) of brittle compressive failure. Comparison with observations and measurements in the field indicate that the failure processes that operate on the smaller scale are similar to at least some of those that operate on the larger scale, implying that the physics of failure may be scale-independent.
Small Gap Creation in Belizean Mangrove Forests by a Wood–Boring Insect1

We investigated the role of wood-boring insects in the creation of light gaps within mangrove forests. We compared the frequency of gaps caused by wood borers to other gap-forming processes and characterized the physical attributes of light gaps in mangrove forests on small islands in Belize. Methods of quantifying light gaps included aerial photography, ground surveys, and experimental plots. Small light gaps (≤12 m2) were very common in Rhizophom mangle fringe, comprising almost 22 percent of these forests. Rhizophora mangle gaps were smaller than gaps in Avicennia germinans forests. In R. mangle forests, gaps were caused by branch death, and in A. germinans forests, gaps were caused primarily by downed trees. More than 91 percent of the gap-forming branches and boles in the R. mangle fringe were killed by a wood-boring cerambycid beetle, Elaphidion mimeticum, indicating that it is the major cause of small-scale disturbances in these forests. No trees or branches in the A. germinans forest were attacked by this beetle. In R. mangle forests, small gaps had significantly higher light levels and soil temperatures than areas under the closed canopy; however, soil conditions for sulfide concentrations, porewater salinity, and redox potentials were similar in small gaps and under the closed canopy. Survival of R. mangle, A. germinans, and Laguncularia racemosa seedlings was also higher inside these small gaps, indicating their importance in regeneration of mangrove forests. Feeding by wood borers is thus an important type of indirect herbivory in mangrove forests, with a critical role in ecological processes such as gap dynamics.
Dollarisation in the Former Soviet Union: from Hysteria to Hysteresis

This paper reviews evidence of dollarisation in Former Soviet Union (FSU) countries, and finds that it is still very high, the well-known hysteresis effect. However high dollarisation – defined as the use of any foreign currency – is not only due to inertial lack of confidence. There is also some tentative evidence that suggests foreign currency is used – in both cash and deposit form – as one of the very few alternative instruments for portfolio diversification in an embryonic financial market. It is also shown that, contrary to the received wisdom, high dollarisation does not seriously impede effective conduct of monetary policy: money demand in FSU countries is stabilising, and the most important objective, meaningful inflation control, has been widely achieved. Thus, high dollarisation is not per se as damaging as often thought, and in fact has a beneficial dimension in promoting financial market development. Nonetheless, high dollarisation remains a concern since it provides mechanisms for magnifying vulnerabilities in the event of a crisis even if it might not be the direct cause of a crisis. This necessarily implies that some policy options (such as immediate exchange rate devaluation) are not viable or very costly in a crisis.
“Somehow, I Don’t Think They Were Expecting Us”: The Changing Religious Landscapes for Universities

AbstractThe sacred contours of the nation’s colleges and universities changed dramatically since their founding-new human architecture and vocabulary compelled radical reformation of curriculum, policy, and accommodation. But institutional histories and culture remain eloquent and powerful. New competences in religious literacy and convictional identity development-religious and other-are essential to insure that all citizens in the emergent university community are fully included in critical conversations and the development of civil and engaged discourse.
Cloning and expression of the murine gene and chromosomal location of the human gene encoding N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I.

A mouse cDNA clone previously isolated from an F9 teratocarcinoma cell library and shown to confer N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I (GlcNAc-TI) activity on Lec1 Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell transfectants [Kumar, R., Yang,J., Larsen,R.D. and Stanley,P. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad Sci. USA, 87, 9948-9952] has been sequenced. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences are highly homologous to previously described human and rabbit GlcNAc-TI cDNAs. A 1250 bp portion of the mouse cDNA encoding all but the first 34 amino acids of the deduced protein sequence was inducibly expressed in Escherichia coli and gave rise to a prominent fusion protein of mol. wt approximately 45 kDa whose presence correlated with high levels of GlcNAc-TI activity in cell lysates. Probes generated from the cDNA were used to show that the GlcNAc-TI gene is present in a single copy in mammals and that a homologous gene was not detectable (under low-stringency hybridization conditions) in DNA from yeast, sea urchin, Drosophila or Chaenorhaditis elegans. Genomic DNA clones that hybridized to probes generated from the GlcNAc-TI cDNA were isolated from a mouse liver library. Restriction analyses, Southern hybridization and DNA sequence analyses of subcloned genomic DNA fragments and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product provided evidence that the coding and 3' untranslated regions of the cDNA reside in a single exon. However, the mouse GlcNAc-TI gene (Mgat-1) includes at least one additional exon 5' of the coding region. Southern analyses of DNA from mouse-human somatic cell hybrids and in situ hybridization were used to locate the human GlcNAc-TI gene (MGAT-1) between positions q31.2 and q31.3 on chromosome 5, a region of chromosome 5 that is syntenic with a region of mouse chromosome 11. Northern analyses of adult mouse tissues revealed two GlcNAc-TI gene transcripts that are differentially expressed in different tissues.
Steps to Teach Appropriate Sports and Games Behaviors through Physical Education

Social interventions during physical education classes can help students increase their appropriate behaviors and decrease inappropriate ones. Many educators assume that students develop appropriate social skills as a byproduct of participating in physical education and sport. However, the physical education literature shows that appropriate social behaviors improve when interventions are implemented. The purpose of this article is to provide physical educators with an instructional tool called “Appropriate Sports and Games Behaviors Curriculum.” This curriculum aims to enhance the development of appropriate behaviors by teaching sport- and game-oriented social skills to students with all ability levels. This curriculum consists of three units: (1) appropriate behaviors to winning, (2) appropriate behaviors to losing, and (3) appropriate behaviors during the game. Each unit highlights five different social skills. A seven-step lesson plan for teaching the skills is also provided.
MAINTENANCE OF ECOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT GENETIC VARIATION IN THE TIGER SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY THROUGH DIFFERENTIAL SELECTION AND GENE FLOW

Differential selection in a heterogeneous environment is thought to promote the maintenance of ecologically significant genetic variation. Variation is maintained when selection is counterbalanced by the homogenizing effects of gene flow and random mating. In this study, we examine the relative importance of differential selection and gene flow in maintaining genetic variation in Papilio glaucus. Differential selection on traits contributing to successful use of host plants (oviposition preference and larval performance) was assessed by comparing the responses of southern Ohio, north central Georgia, and southern Florida populations of P. glaucus to three hosts: Liriodendron tulipifera, Magnolia virginiana, and Prunus serotina. Gene flow among populations was estimated using allozyme frequencies from nine polymorphic loci. Significant genetic differentiation was observed among populations for both oviposition preference and larval performance. This differentiation was interpreted to be the result of selection acting on Florida P. glaucus for enhanced use of Magnolia, the prevalent host in Florida. In contrast, no evidence of population differentiation was revealed by allozyme frequencies. FST -values were very small and Nm, an estimate of the relative strengths of gene flow and genetic drift, was large, indicating that genetic exchange among P. glaucus populations is relatively unrestricted. The contrasting patterns of spatial differentiation for host-use traits and lack of differentiation for electrophoretically detectable variation implies that differential selection among populations will be counterbalanced by gene flow, thereby maintaining genetic variation for host-use traits.
The Impact of Intergenerational Oral History on Perceived Generativity in Older Adults

Oral history projects provide a framework for rich intergenerational interactions. When elders are interviewed, the experience may provide opportunities for growth in perceived generativity, a developmental task associated primarily with middle adulthood but also important in late life. This descriptive study explores the impact of oral histories, conducted by college students with elders, on perceived generativity of elders using the Loyola Generativity Scale (LGS). Results show a statistically significant difference in LGS scores from pretest to posttest (p = 0.034), suggesting that engaging in intergenerational oral history interviews may play a role in supporting perceived generativity of elders.
Lorentz Poles in Equal-Mass Scattering from Analyticity and Factorization

It is shown, by means of factorization, that the daughter Regge trajectories implied by analyticity in unequal-mass scattering amplitudes constitute a single Lorentz pole when they couple to an equal-mass channel. At zero energy the equal-mass elastic amplitude has the form $\mathrm{const}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}D_{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\alpha}(0)\ensuremath{-}2}^{}{}_{}{}^{1}(\ensuremath{-}z)$.
Nasotracheal Intubation and Pulmonary Parenchymal Perforation: An Unusual Complication of Naso-Enteral Feeding with Small-Diameter Feeding Tubes

If not used cautiously, the rigid guide wire used with small-diameter feeding tubes can promote nasotracheal intubation in patients with diminished tracheobronchial sensation. Patients with endotracheal tubes are also at risk. To prevent pulmonary complications with small-diameter feeding tubes, the wire introducer should not be advanced beyond the nasopharynx, and x-ray verification of catheter location should be mandatory.