cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Relationship of Three‐Dimensional Joint Space Width on Weight Bearing CT With Pain and Physical Function

Limitations of plain radiographs may contribute to poor sensitivity in the detection of knee osteoarthritis and poor correlation with pain and physical function. 3D joint space width, measured from weight bearing CT images, may yield a more accurate correlation with patients' symptoms. We assessed the cross-sectional association between 3D joint space width and self-reported pain and physical function. 528 knees (57% women) were analyzed from Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study participants. An upright weight bearing CT scanner was used to acquire bilateral, weight-bearing fixed-flexion images of the knees. A 3D dataset was reconstructed from cone beam projections and joint space width was calculated across the joint surface. The percentages of the apposed medial tibiofemoral joint surface with joint space width <2.0mm and <2.5mm respectively were calculated. Pain and physical function were measured using Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index. Participants who reported greater pain severity tended to have a greater joint area with joint space width <2.0mm (p=.07 for the highest vs. the lowest tertile). Participants who reported greater functional limitations had a greater joint area with joint space width <2.0mm (p=.02 for the highest vs. the lowest tertile). There appears to be an association between the medial tibiofemoral area with joint space width <2.0mm and pain and physical function. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Machine learning enabled autonomous microstructural characterization in 3D samples

We introduce an unsupervised machine learning (ML) based technique for the identification and characterization of microstructures in three-dimensional (3D) samples obtained from molecular dynamics simulations, particle tracking data, or experiments. Our technique combines topology classification, image processing, and clustering algorithms, and can handle a wide range of microstructure types including grains in polycrystalline materials, voids in porous systems, and structures from self/directed assembly in soft-matter complex solutions. Our technique does not require a priori microstructure description of the target system and is insensitive to disorder such as extended defects in polycrystals arising from line and plane defects. We demonstrate quantitively that our technique provides unbiased microstructural information such as precise quantification of grains and their size distributions in 3D polycrystalline samples, characterizes features such as voids and porosity in 3D polymeric samples and micellar size distribution in 3D complex fluids. To demonstrate the efficacy of our ML approach, we benchmark it against a diverse set of synthetic data samples representing nanocrystalline metals, polymers and complex fluids as well as experimentally published characterization data. Our technique is computationally efficient and provides a way to quickly identify, track, and quantify complex microstructural features that impact the observed material behavior.
Co(II) and Fe(II) triazole-appended 4,10-diaza-15-crown-5-ether Macrocyclic complexes for CEST MRI applications

Abstract Transition metal ion complexes have several advantages as MRI contrast agents including low cost, biological relevance, rich coordination chemistry, tunable magnetic properties, and the potential for smart agents that are responsive to temperature, pH, and redox environment. Here we present triazole-appended azamacrocyclic ligands for Co(II) and Fe(II) complexes towards paraCEST and lipoCEST applications. The triazole pendants are synthesized using ‘click’ chemistry, in particular the azide-alkyne Huisgen cycloaddition reaction. The versatility and specificity of these reactions are particularly useful in synthesizing a variety of analogs and derivatives of triazole-containing ligands. The triazole-NH proton in our Co(II) complex is unsuitable for paraCEST applications at biological pH, but the carboxylic acid derivative produced exceptionally large paramagnetically shifted bulk water 1H resonances which are important towards the development of lipoCEST agents.
Measuring and modelling mechanochemical reaction kinetics

Quasi-static density functional theory calculations of the rate of mechanochemical decomposition of methyl thiolate species adsorbed on Cu(100) accurately reproduce the experimental normal-stress dependent rates measured in ultrahigh vacuum by an atomic force microscopy tip. This allows precise analytical models for mechanochemical reaction kinetics to be developed.
Nuclear and mitochondrial genomic resources for the meltwater stonefly, Lednia tumana Ricker, 1952 (Plecoptera: Nemouridae)

Abstract With more than 3,700 described species, stoneflies (Order Plecoptera) are an important component of global aquatic biodiversity. The meltwater stonefly Lednia tumana (Ricker, 1952; Family Nemouridae) is endemic to alpine streams of Glacier National Park and has been petitioned for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) due to climate change-induced loss of alpine glaciers and snowfields. Here, we present de novo assemblies of the nuclear (~520 million base pairs [bp]) and mitochondrial (15,014-bp) genomes for L. tumana. The L. tumana nuclear genome is the most complete stonefly genome reported to date, with ~71% of genes present in complete form and more than 4,600 contigs longer than 10-kilobases (kb). The L. tumana mitochondrial genome is the second for the family Nemouridae and the first from North America. Together, both genomes represent important foundational resources, setting the stage for future efforts to understand the evolution of L. tumana, stoneflies, and aquatic insects worldwide.
Succession to the Throne in Early Modern Russia: The Transfer of Power 1450–1725

This revisionist history of succession to the throne in early modern Russia, from the Moscow princes of the fifteenth century to Peter the Great, argues that legal primogeniture never existed: the monarch designated an heir that was usually the eldest son only by custom, not by law. Overturning generations of scholarship, Paul Bushkovitch persuasively demonstrates the many paths to succession to the throne, where designation of the heir and occasional elections were part of the relations of the monarch with the ruling elite, and to some extent the larger population. Exploring how the forms of designation evolved over the centuries as Russian culture changed, and in the later seventeenth century made use of Western practices, this study shows how, when Peter the Great finally formalized the custom in 1722 by enshrining the power of the tsar to designate in law, this was not a radical innovation but was in fact consistent with the experience of the previous centuries.
Event free survival in adults with relapsed ALL who underwent front-line therapy with CALGB 10403.

e19005Background: CALGB 10403 is a pediatric-inspired ALL regimen that has recently been shown to have improved survival rates in adolescents and young adults with ALL when compared to historical o...
Rapid recycling of subducted sedimentary carbon revealed by Afghanistan carbonatite volcano

The fate of carbon subducted to mantle depths remains uncertain, yet strongly influences the distribution of terrestrial carbon on geologic timescales. Carbon fluxes into subduction zones are exceptionally high where downgoing plates contain thick sedimentary fans. This study uses volcano geochemistry to assess sedimentary carbon recycling in the high-flux Makran subduction zone, where the Arabian plate subducts northward beneath Eurasia. On the basis of strontium isotope geochemistry and 40Ar–39Ar geochronology, I show that a portion of the submarine Indus Fan entered the Makran Trench, melted and ascended as magmas that erupted in southern Afghanistan. The resulting volcano, composed primarily of carbonate minerals, formed at approximately 3.8 million years ago. The 87Sr/86Sr ratios of the lavas indicate that their magmatic precursors were derived from marine sediments deposited at 28.9 ± 1.4 Ma. This implies that sedimentary carbon was subducted to and returned from mantle depths in less than 27 million years, indicating that magmas can efficiently recycle sedimentary carbon from subducting slabs to the overlying plate. Sedimentary carbon is subducted to, and returned from, mantle depths in less than 27 million years, according strontium isotope analysis and geochronology of lavas from southern Afghanistan.
Use of Portable Imaging Modalities in Patients With Neurologic Disorders: A Case-Based Discussion

Imaging technologies have significantly improved over the past few decades and play a critical role in the diagnosis and management of patients with neurologic conditions. With the evolution of these technologies to portable versions, significant implications exist for current neurologic care as well as potential improvements for the future. This article serves to describe portable imaging technologies and their potential impact on the field of neurology highlighted through the case of a patient who presented with symptoms consistent with a stroke.
“Heraus mit unseren Gefangenen!” The German Home Front and the International Campaign for Prisoner of War Repatriation, 1918–1919

At the end of the First World War, approximately 800,000 German prisoners of war remained in captivity, with the victorious Allies intent on holding on to their prisoners until the conclusion of formal peace proceedings. This chapter demonstrates that German women’s calls for prisoner repatriation at home and abroad drew attention to the prisoners’ extended captivity and its impact on struggling German families. Through correspondence campaigns, public protests, and alliances with influential prisoner of war advocacy groups, German women convinced citizens of the neutral powers and victorious nations to demand the release of the German prisoners of war. Through appeals to the international community, made as mothers and wives rather than as political activists, German women ultimately hastened the prisoners’ release and return to their families.
A new algorithm for topological routing and via minimization

A topological method for two-layer routing of printed circuit boards and VLSI chips is presented. The primary criterion is via minimization. Multiterminal nets and multiple wires are allowing to intersect at any via. After topological routing, the via minimization problem is then formulated as a (0, 1) linear programming problem and solved. The time and space complexities of the algorithm are O(n/sup 2/) and O(n+k), respectively, where n is the number of terminals in the routing region and k is the total number of cross points and via candidates. >
Abstract 3794: Sorafenib suppresses desmoid tumor growth and invasion via inhibition of ERK signaling

Introduction: Desmoid tumors (DTs) are mesenchymal tumors that occur sporadically or in association with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Surgical resection is the initial treatment of choice for DTs, but medical options are limited for patients with recurrent or unresectable disease. Sorafenib is a multikinase inhibitor that blocks cell proliferation in various cancers via suppression of the Raf/MEK/ERK signaling cascade. The PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway is also known to be a key regulator of cell proliferation involved in carcinogenesis. Sorafenib activity against desmoid tumor cells has not yet been well characterized. Here, we examined the effects of sorafenib on patient-derived DT cell lines, with the aim of characterizing the efficacy and mechanism of action of sorafenib in DTs. Methods: DT-derived cells were isolated and cultured from fresh patient tumor specimens, resulting in 12 distinct cell lines, from both sporadic and FAP patients. Human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) were purchased from ATCC for use as controls. Early passage cells were treated with increasing doses of sorafenib, and the effect at 72 hours was measured by CellTiter proliferation assay. To assess invasion, DT cells and HDF were plated in invasion chambers with either 5 µM sorafenib or vehicle, with resultant invasive cells counted after 24 hours. Cells were treated with 5 µM sorafenib, and lysates were collected at intervals from 15 minutes to 3 days. These lysates were used for immunoblot analysis, as well as phosphoprotein signaling arrays. Results: Sorafenib at 10 µM significantly inhibited DT-derived cell proliferation, suppressing growth in each of 3 sporadic and 3 FAP cell lines to less than 25% relative to controls, while the same concentration minimally affected HDF growth. In addition, sorafenib inhibited the invasiveness of DT-derived cells in comparison to controls. Immunoblot analysis revealed that sorafenib inhibited ERK phosphorylation, and this effect correlated with inhibition of total MEK and total Akt, while total ERK levels remained unchanged. Interestingly, signaling arrays also identified multiple other potential targets, as phosphorylated Akt, mTOR, and PTEN were suppressed by sorafenib. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that sorafenib suppresses proliferation and invasion of DTs via inhibition of ERK signaling, with additional involvement of the mTOR signaling pathway. Sorafenib may be a potential therapeutic option in the treatment of desmoid tumors. Additional studies to examine the efficacy of combination therapy with sorafenib and a PI3K inhibitor are warranted. Citation Format: Laura M. Rosenberg, Monica M. Bertagnolli, Nancy L. Cho. Sorafenib suppresses desmoid tumor growth and invasion via inhibition of ERK signaling. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3794. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3794
The New Face of Women's Legal History: Introduction to the Symposium

Women's legal history is developing as a new and exciting field that provides alternative perspectives on legal issues both past and present. Feminist legal history seeks to examine the ways in which law historically has informed women's rights and how feminist discourse has shaped the law. The active scholars come from a variety of academic traditions including law, history, and women's studies. The Constitutional Law Center, established by Congress at the University of Akron School of Law, organized a conference entitled "The New Face of Women's Legal History" to bring together both the senior and emerging scholars in the field. The articles included in this symposium edition of the Akron Law Review and introduced here provide an excellent sampling of the promising work underway in this nascent field. They each explore women's historical use of the law to advance feminist discourse. True to the theme of the conference, the papers evidence the new ways in which feminist scholarship is developing to integrate issues of race, gender, and historical analysis into the legal scholarship. Additional research from the symposium will also be published as part of an edited collection entitled Feminist Legal History: New Perspectives on the Law (T.J. Boisseau & Tracy Thomas, eds.). Contributing authors to the book employ the core theme of women's use of the law for feminist discourse in a variety of historical contexts to reframe and illuminate such topics as women's rights in the family, women's participation in the military, women's legal activism in social justice movements, women's roles in the judiciary, and women's status in constitutional law. The papers published here in this symposium edition provide a foray into this expanding field.
Reduced Molybdenum-Niobium Oxides:: II. Crystal Structure of (Mo, Nb)13O33

Abstract (Mo, Nb)13O33 crystallizes in the triclinic system, space group P1 (No. 2). The unit cell dimensions are a = 3.8194(4) A, b = 11.2898(7) A, c = 14.9764(9) A, α = 94.039(5)°, β = 97.326(6)°, γ = 99.748(7)°, V = 628.47(9) A3, and Z = 1. The structure was refined to R = 0.032, Rw = 0.036, with 1460 observed reflections (I > 3σ(I)) and 186 variable parameters. The structure of (Mo, Nb)13O33 is related to the crystallographic shear structure of the Nb2O5-δ family and is built up from the 3 × 4 × ∞ building blocks of the ReO3-type MO6 octahedra (M = Mo, Nb) and strings of edge-sharing MoO4 tetrahedra running along [101]. The 3 × 4 ReO3-type slabs at different heights along [101] are interconnected through corner sharing with the MoO4 tetrahedra. (Mo, Nb)13O33 is an insulator at room temperature.
Heightened sensitivity to emotional expressions in generalised anxiety disorder, compared to social anxiety disorder, and controls

Few studies have examined potential differences between social anxiety disorder (SAD) and generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) in the sensitivity to detect emotional expressions. The present study aims to compare the detection of emotional expressions in SAD and GAD. Participants with a primary diagnosis of GAD (n = 46), SAD (n = 70), and controls (n = 118) completed a morph movies task. The task presented faces expressing increasing degrees of emotional intensity, slowly changing from a neutral to a full-intensity happy, sad, or angry expressions. Participants used a slide bar to view the movie frames from left to right, and to stop at the first frame where they perceived an emotion. The frame selected thus indicated the intensity of emotion required to identify the facial expression. Participants with GAD detected the onset of facial emotions at lower intensity of emotion than participants with SAD (p = 0.002) and controls (p = 0.039). In a multiple regression analysis controlling for age, race, and depressive symptom severity, lower frame at which the emotion was detected was independently associated and GAD diagnosis (B = -5.73, SE = 1.74, p < 0.01). Our findings suggest that individuals with GAD exhibit enhanced detection of facial emotions compared to those with SAD or controls.
Generalized maximum a posteriori spectral amplitude estimation for speech enhancement

GMAPA specifies the weight of prior density based on the SNR of the testing speech signals.GMAPA is capable of performing environment-aware speech enhancement.When the SNR is high, GMAPA adopts a small weight to prevent overcompensations.When the SNR is low, GMAPA uses a large weight to avoid disturbance of the restoration.Results show that GMAPA outperforms related approaches in objective and subjective evaluations. Spectral restoration methods for speech enhancement aim to remove noise components in noisy speech signals by using a gain function in the spectral domain. How to design the gain function is one of the most important parts for obtaining enhanced speech with good quality. In most studies, the gain function is designed by optimizing a criterion based on some assumptions of the noise and speech distributions, such as minimum mean square error (MMSE), maximum likelihood (ML), and maximum a posteriori (MAP) criteria. The MAP criterion shows advantage in obtaining a more reliable gain function by incorporating a suitable prior density. However, it has a problem as several studies showed: although MAP based estimator effectively reduces noise components when the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is low, it brings large speech distortion when the SNR is high. For solving this problem, we have proposed a generalized maximum a posteriori spectral amplitude (GMAPA) algorithm in designing a gain function for speech enhancement. The proposed GMAPA algorithm dynamically specifies the weight of prior density of speech spectra according to the SNR of the testing speech signals to calculate the optimal gain function. When the SNR is high, GMAPA adopts a small weight to prevent overcompensations that may result in speech distortions. On the other hand, when the SNR is low, GMAPA uses a large weight to avoid disturbance of the restoration caused by measurement noises. In our previous study, it has been proven that the weight of the prior density plays a crucial role to the GMAPA performance, and the weight is determined based on the SNR in an utterance-level. In this paper, we propose to compute the weight with the consideration of time-frequency correlations that result in a more accurate estimation of the gain function. Experiments were carried out to evaluate the proposed algorithm on both objective tests and subjective tests. The experimental results obtained from objective tests indicate that GMAPA is promising compared to several well-known algorithms at both high and low SNRs. The results of subjective listening tests indicate that GMAPA provides significantly higher sound quality than other speech enhancement algorithms.
Dystopian Nightmares and Educated Hopes: The Return of the Pedagogical and the Promise of Democracy:

This article examines how the political, economic, and ideological policies under neoliberalism in the United States are being used to wage a war against almost every facet of American life not directly governed by the logic and values of the market. War has become the central motif of the dystopian vision of neoliberalism and the effects of such an assault on the domestic front have been overshadowed by the war in Iraq. The article further argues that it is crucial that educators reclaim a revitalized notion of politics that gets beyond the discourse of critique, one which all too often in reductionistic fashion emphasizes either the crushing effects of domination or views people largely as victims. A more radical politics must consider embracing a notion of hope rooted in pedagogical work that both extends the sites of pedagogy and recognizes the importance of cultural politics as a preconditions for both creating revitalized democratic public spaces, social movements, and the possibility of social acti...
Shoulder Impingement Syndromes: Implications on Physical Therapy Examination and Intervention

A painful shoulder presents challenges in examination, diagnosis and intervention for the physical therapist because of the complexity of the structures involved. A common cause of shoulder pain is shoulder impingement syndrome. This was first described as a condition in which the soft tissues of the subacromial space were chronically entrapped and compressed between the humeral head and the subacromial arch. This definition does not account for the myriad potential causes of shoulder impingement conditions, as forms of impingement other than subacromial soft tissue compression may explain different symptomatic shoulder injuries. This paper describes shoulder impingement syndromes that have been hypothesized, identified and analyzed in the literature. Physical Therapy examination and intervention for these syndromes are also discussed.
A call for energy efficiency in data centers

In this paper, we explore a data center's performance with a call for energy efficiency through green computing. Some performance metrics we examine in data centers are server energy usage, Power Usage Effectiveness and utilization rate, i.e., the extent to which data center servers are being used. Recent literature indicates that utilization rates at many internal data centers are quite low, resulting in poor usage of resources such as energy and materials. Based on our study, we attribute these low utilization rates to not fully taking advantage of virtualization, and not retiring phantom (unused) servers. This paper describes our initiative corroborated with real data in a university setting. We suggest that future data centers will need to increase their utilization rates for better energy efficiency, and moving towards a cloud provider would help. However, we argue that neither a pure in-house data center or cloud model is the best solution. Instead we recommend, from a decision support perspective, a hybrid model in data center management to lower costs and increase services, while also providing greater energy efficiency.
Knowledge Management: The Bibliography (ASIST Monograph Series),

Paul Burden, librarian at the DeVry Institute of Technology in Tinley Park, Illinois, has taken the bibliography created by Morgen MacIntosh and T. Kanti Srikantaiah for their volume of essays, Kno...
Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) exhibits extensive oxidative stress throughout the body, being detected peripherally as well as associated with the vulnerable regions of the brain affected in disease. Abundant evidence not only demonstrates the full spectrum of oxidative damage to neuronal macromolecules, but also reveals the occurrence of oxidative events early in the course of the disease and prior to the formation of the pathology, which support an important role of oxidative stress in AD. As a disease of abnormal aging, AD demonstrates oxidative damage at levels that significantly surpass that of elderly controls, which suggests the involvement of additional factor(s). Structurally and functionally damaged mitochondria, which are more proficient at producing reactive oxygen species but less so in ATP, are also an early and prominent feature of the disease. Since mitochondria are also vulnerable to oxidative stress, it is likely that a vicious downward spiral involving the interactions between mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress contributes to the initiation and/or amplification of reactive oxygen species that is critical to the pathogenesis of AD.
Board-level Point-to-point 2D Array Interconnects Using Integrated Polymer Fiber Image Guides

We demonstrate an embedded optical circuit board (ECOB) for interconnecting bit-parallel 2D optical data array at board and back-plane levels. Up to three-layers of optical circuits of polymer fiber image guides (PFIG's) have been integrated to perform a shuffle or a butterfly interconnect task.
Continuity of care in fixed-day versus variable-day resident continuity clinics.

Objective Since the introduction of resident work-hour standards, pediatric residency programs have struggled to preserve robust continuity clinic experiences. Many programs have resorted to more flexible approaches to resident scheduling. We know little regarding the impact of such changes. We compared 2 continuity clinic scheduling models: a traditional fixed-day clinic and a variable-day clinic in which resident clinic days vary each week to accommodate resident schedules. Methods The setting for our study was a large university resident continuity clinic. We analyzed 111 resident schedules and 1113 visits by children aged younger than 1 year during 2 periods: July 2007 to December 2007, when residents were scheduled by using a variable-day clinic model, and July 2008 to December 2008, when a fixed-day model was used. We compared the number of clinic sessions per resident and continuity of care. We used the usual provider of care definition of continuity : the proportion of visits in which a patient is seen by his or her primary resident. A multivariable logistic regression was used to model the relationship between patient continuity of care and clinic structure (fixed-day vs variable-day), resident level, patient age, and appointment type. Results The number of clinics per resident during a 6-month period was higher using variable-day scheduling (19.6 vs 16.2; P P = .01) In the multivariate model, continuity of care was significantly higher under the fixed-day model (odds ratio 1.40; P Conclusions Scheduling residents for continuity clinic on variable days results in lower patient continuity of care despite increased resident time in clinic.
The discovery of an X-ray selected, radio-loud quasar at z = 3.9

About 600 weak X-ray sources from a data base of about 100,000 2-4sigma fluctuations derived from Einstein Observatory imaging proportional counter X-ray images are selected on the basis of a flux-limited catalog of radio sources in the northern sky. Optical spectroscopy of only six of these sources resulted in the discovery of a quasar with an emission-line redshift of 3.87. Subsequent VLA observations reveal the source to have a flat-spectrum radio core plus an unresolved radio lobe 2.5 arcsec away with a spectral index of 1.45. The lobe is connected to the core by a weak jet. The integrated flux density of the source at 20 cm is 0.66 Jy. The v magnitude of the quasar is 19.5, and the tentative X-ray sources has a very soft spectrum. The properties of this object are discussed in the context of known high-redshift radio sources and existing X-ray selected quasar samples, and the potential of the present discovery technique for examining the properties of very distant active galaxies is explored.
Tezosentan in the Treatment of Acute Heart Failure

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy, and tolerability of tezosentan, a new intravenous endothelin (ET)-1 receptor antagonist.DATA SOURCES:Literature was identified through a MEDLINE search (1990–June 2003) using the search terms endothelin-1, heart failure, RITZ, and tezosentan. References listed in articles and abstracts from scientific meetings were also used.STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION:English-language literature reporting controlled animal and human clinical studies was reviewed to evaluate the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, therapeutic use, and adverse effects of tezosentan. Clinical trials selected for inclusion were limited to those with human subjects and included data from animal studies if human data were not available.DATA SYNTHESIS:Tezosentan is a dual ET-1 receptor antagonist that has demonstrated efficacy in improving cardiac index and reducing pulmonary capillary wedge pressure in patients with acute, decompensated heart failure. Following in...
Restriction fragment length polymorphisms associated with growth hormone and prolactin genes in Holstein bulls: evidence for a novel growth hormone allele.

Summary. Sperm DNA isolated from sons of three extensively used US Holstein bulls was screened for differences associated with the primary gene structure of the bovine growth hormone (bGH) and prolactin (bPrl) genes. Southern blot analysis of DNA digested with 10 restriction enzymes revealed that offspring from two of the three bull families exhibited polymorphisms around the bGH and bPrl genes. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) around the bGH gene were detected with five enzymes, whereas three enzymes revealed RFLPs around the bPrl gene. At least three structural differences were predicted around the bGH gene. The most common variant hybridization pattern appeared to involve an insertion/deletion located downstream of the conserved 3′Eco RI site. The presence of RFLPs in the genes coding for these pituitary hormones within a familial line may provide the basis for genetic markers associated with lactation and mammary development.
Quantitation of Human Cytochrome P450 2D6 Protein with Immunoblot and Mass Spectrometry Analysis

Accurate quantification of cytochrome P450 (P450) protein contents is essential for reliable assessment of drug safety, including the prediction of in vivo clearance from in vitro metabolism data, which may be hampered by the use of uncharacterized standards and existence of unknown allelic isozymes. Therefore, this study aimed to delineate the variability in absolute quantification of polymorphic CYP2D6 drug-metabolizing enzyme and compare immunoblot and nano liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (nano-LC/MS) methods in identification and relative quantification of CYP2D6.1 and CYP2D6.2 allelic isozymes. Holoprotein content of in-house purified CYP2D6 isozymes was determined according to carbon monoxide difference spectrum, and total protein was quantified with bicinchoninic acid protein assay. Holoprotein/total CYP2D6 protein ratio was markedly higher for purified CYP2D6.1 (71.0%) than that calculated for CYP2D6.1 Supersomes (35.5%), resulting in distinct linear calibration range (0.05–0.50 versus 0.025–0.25 pmol) that was determined by densitometric analysis of immunoblot bands. Likewise, purified CYP2D6.2 and CYP2D6.10 and the CYP2D6.10 Supersomes all showed different holoprotein/total CYP2D6 protein ratios and distinct immunoblot linear calibration ranges. In contrast to immunoblot, nano-LC/MS readily distinguished CYP2D6.2 (R296C and S486T) from CYP2D6.1 by isoform-specific proteolytic peptides that contain the altered amino acid residues. In addition, relative quantitation of the two allelic isozymes was successfully achieved with label-free protein quantification, consistent with the nominated ratio. Because immunoblot and nano-LC/MS analyses measure total P450 protein (holoprotein and apoprotein) in a sample, complete understanding of holoprotein and apoprotein contents in P450 standards is desired toward reliable quantification. Our data also suggest that nano-LC/MS not only facilitates P450 quantitation but also provides genotypic information.
Measurement performance of high-accuracy low-pressure transducers

A systematic study of measurement performance is described for several different types of transducer including capacitance diaphragm gauges (CDGs), quartz Bourdon gauges (QBGs), quartz resonant gauges (QRGs), and two types of MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) sensors - piezoresistive silicon gauges (PSGs) and resonant silicon gauges (RSGs). Key factors limiting their performance were identified as random noise, short-term instabilities in zero-pressure readings, long-term shifts in a transducer's calibration with time and, in the case of heated gauges, the effect of thermal transpiration. The study determined that CDGs, QBGs, and QRGs have superior noise-limited pressure resolution (about 1 part in 106 of full scale), though CDGs, because of their availability with lower full-scale ranges, have the best absolute pressure resolution. Analyses of calibration data indicated that QBGs, QRGs and RSGs have the best long-term stability, with average calibration shifts of the order of 1 part in 104 per year, one to two orders of magnitude smaller than those observed for CDGs.
Ion holes in the slow solar wind: Hybrid simulations

The spatio-temporal evolution of large-amplitude Alfvenic wave packets is investigated using a one-dimensional hybrid model. For conditions prevailing in the slow solar wind plasma, namely β ∼ 1 (β being the ratio of kinetic pressure to magnetic pressure) and electron temperature T e greater than proton temperature T i , we observe two branches of ion density holes. One is propagating forward and the other backward in the inertial frame of reference. Kinetic effects as well as strong coupling between density and magnetic field fluctuations are responsible for generating these holes. For the first time, we show the possibility of an Alfvenic wave packet decay into a new and unanticipated nonlinear wave mode that does not exist in the current literature. As T(= T i /T e ) increases, the ion holes disappear because of Landau damping. In the slow solar wind the scale sizes of these ion density cavities are < 2sec. We predict the occurence of such cavites in the slow solar wind; these would be observable when high time resolution plasma data become available.
Antenatal calcium channel blocker exposure and subsequent patent ductus arteriosus in extremely low-birth-weight infants.

This study aimed to assess whether tocolytic fetal exposure to antenatal calcium channel blockers (aCCB) increases the risk for hemodynamically significant patent ductus arterioses (hsPDA) in extremely low-birth-weight (ELBW) infants. This case-control study investigated ELBW infants (<1,000 g) without cardiac defects in a level 3 neonatal intensive care unit who had survived at least 7 days. Nifedipine was the only aCCB used for this study population. The measurements included the history of aCCB exposure, selected maternal data, hsPDA diagnosis, gestational age at birth, birth weight, mode of delivery, sex, maternal race, location of birth, Apgar scores, and selected neonatal morbidities. The end point of the study was hsPDA, defined as an echocardiographically confirmed PDA with clinical symptoms. A total of 180 infants met the study criteria. The diagnosis was hsPDA for 56% of these patients, 20% of whom had aCCB exposure. Of the infants without hsPDA, 11% had aCCB exposure (p = 0.09). No statistically significant associations were found between aCCB exposure and hsPDA after adjustment for gestational age (odds ratio [OR], 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.6–3.7) or for gestational age and cumulative aCCB exposure of 100 mg or more (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 0.6–6.5). A history of aCCB exposure does not appear to increase hsPDA risk in ELBW infants. Studies using neonatal serum nifedipine concentrations after antenatal exposure should be performed to confirm this conclusion.
Episodic vestibular disruption following ablation of the inferior olive in rats: behavioral correlates.

Abstract The experiments herein investigate whether the behavioral responses to transient and episodic vestibular disruption and permanent ablation are distinct in the absence of climbing fiber input. Subjects in group 1 received an IP injection of PBS followed by an IP injection of niacinamide. Seven days later these rats received the first of 3 serial transtympanic injections of TTX on the same side with 7 days between each injection. Following each TTX injection rats displayed unilateral vestibular symptoms that persisted beyond 48 h. Spontaneous barrel rolling behavior was not observed. Group 2 subjects received an IP injection of 3-acetylpyridine (3-AP) + niacinamide followed by the same TTX regimen as group 1. Following each TTX injection vestibular symptoms (severe body twisting and persistent spontaneous barrel rolling) emerged rapidly ( 48 h and then completely resolves. The contrast in vestibular symptoms between groups 1 and 2 suggest that climbing fibers are recruited soon after onset of vestibular disruption and play a role in attenuating the severity of vestibular symptoms associated with transient/episodic vestibular disruption.
Relativistic calculations for highly charged ions

Abstract Relativistic calculations for highly charged ions require the use of the Dirac operator that has both positive and negative energy continua. Since variational methods search for stationary solutions, the presence of the negative energy continuum and the associated problem of “continuum dissolution” has been of concern for more than 20 years. The development of general purpose codes depends critically on a detailed understanding of the variational problem. We will show that the correlation orbitals in the natural orbital expansion of the 1s 2 ground state for 2-electron systems represent configuration state functions in the positive continuum. An interpretation of the diagonal energy parameters will be presented and the implication for the calculation of the frequency-dependent Breit correction discussed.
Effects of Density and Viscosity in Vertical Zero Net Liquid Flow

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the effects of density and viscosity on zero net liquid flow (ZNLF) in vertical pipes. Predicting liquid holdup under ZNLF conditions is necessary in several types of petroleum industry operations. These include predicting bottomhole pressures in pumping oil wells and the design of compact gas-liquid cylindrical cyclone (GLCC©) separators. Models are proposed to predict flow pattern transitions under ZNLF conditions and comparisons are made with commonly used vertical flow pattern transition criteria. Data was collected using a 3-in.-diam, 14-ft-section of transparent vertical pipe. Several different fluids, of differing density and viscosity, were utilized with air flowing at approximately 25 psig. Results are presented showing the liquid holdup and the flow distribution coefficient (C 0 ) as a function of density, viscosity, and superficial gas velocity.
Prenatal processing of pro-opiomelanocortin in the brain and pituitary of mouse embryos.

Abstract The processing of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) to ACTH- (adrenocorticotropin), MSH- (melanotropin) and endorphin-related peptides was studied in mouse embryos with the ultimate aim of determining the role of the POMC-related peptides in early development especially in the CNS. Mouse embryos at gestational days 10.5, 11.5, 12.5 and 14.5 were analyzed for POMC-derived peptides by SDS-PAGE, HPLC and radioimmunoassay using antisera specific for various regions of the prohormone. At embryonic day 10.5 (E 10.5) the prohormone was the major product detected. At E 11.5, POMC was processed to ACTH(1–39), des-acetyl α-MSH and β-endorphin(1–31) and β-endorphin(1–27). The amounts of these peptides increased at E 12.5, and at E 14.5. At E 14.5, there was a major increase in ACTH(1–39) and β-endorphin(1–31) peptides. This was attributed to the large increase of corticotrophs in anterior pituitary at this stage. Des-acetyl α-MSH levels, however, were similar at E 12.5 and E 14.5 and the peptide was confined mainly to the central nervous system. γ-MSH was not-detected until E 16.5 in the brain. No α-MSH or acetylated β-endorphin was detected between E 11.5 and E 14.5. Thus in early embryonic development, POMC is processed to des-acetyl α-MSH, β-endorphin(1–31), β-endorphin(1–27) and γ-MSH in the brain, and primarily to ACTH(1–39) and β-endorphin(1–31) in the anterior pituitary. Some differences exist in the forms of POMC-derived peptides found in embryonic versus adult brain and pituitary. The embryonic forms of the peptides may be significant in playing a role during development.
Dodging Adverse Selection: How Donor Type and Governance Condition Aid’s Effects on School Enrollment

Summary We employ AidData to test the effects of primary-education aid on school enrollment. We argue that the problem of adverse selection complicates both the allocation and the effectiveness of aid. We hypothesize that bilateral donors ought to have greater freedom to condition aid on recipient governance quality than multilateral donors, which are often bound by institutional rules to provide aid more impartially. Compared to their multilateral counterparts, bilateral donors may have advantages in overcoming adverse selection, resulting in bilateral aid’s boosting enrollments to a greater degree. AidData’s extensive coverage of multilateral aid enables this analysis for up to 100 low- and low-middle-income countries from 1995 to 2008. Latent growth regression analysis suggests that, compared to multilateral donors, bilateral donors indeed condition their primary education aid on recipient control of corruption and that bilateral aid is significantly related to improved enrollments.
The Macroeconomics of Emission Permits: Simple Stylized Frameworks for Short-Run Policy Analysis

Environmental economics has mostly focused on micro issues pertaining to welfare and efficiency analysis. I develop a general framework to address short-run issues both for a closed economy and for an open one where emission permits are globally traded. Fiscal policy and emission permit issuance can both be used as short-run stabilization tools in a closed economy although the former is ineffective in a small open economy. In a large open economy, issuing emission permits in excess of international agreements remains an effective instrument, although it acts as a beggar-thy-neighbor policy, highlighting the crucial role of global monitoring on macroeconomic grounds.
Grid stretching algorithms for routing multiterminal nets through a rectangle

The rectangle routing (RRP) consists of routing a set of multiterminal nets through a rectangle R under the knock-knee model. We present, for the three-terminal-net RRP problem, an O(n log n) time algorithm that constructs a layout inside a rectangle Rf such that asymptotically A (Rf)/ A(R) < 24/13 < 1.85, where A(W) is the area of rectangle W. For the unrestricted RRP problem, we present an O(n log n) time algorithm that generates a layout inside a rectangle Rf such that asymptotically A(Rf) / A(R) < 3.5. Our approach consists of stretching the grid, and introducing a set of wires such that the given RRP problem instance is transformed into a two-terminal-net routable RRP instance, which can be routed by an existing O(n log n)-time algorithm.
Nonlinear Dynamic Study of a Bistable MEMS Beam Toggled by Optical Actuation

In (Sulfridge, et al., 2001) we presented an actuation scheme for toggling a bistable MEMS from one stable state to the other using the radiation pressure of light. The experiments on radiation pressure revealed some unexpected behavior of the beam when toggled by short duration laser pulses. While long duration laser pulses reliably toggled the beam every time, short duration pulses only seemed to toggle the beam about half of the time. This paper presents a new, nonlinear dynamic analysis of the bistable beam device used in those experiments that explains this anomalous behavior.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Alterations in normal liver doses due to organ motion

Abstract Purpose To assess the clinical significance of differences between treatment planning calculations based on static computed tomography (CT) and more realistic predictions of the actual delivered dose to intrahepatic lesions by a geometric convolution approach that accounts for random setup variations and breathing-induced organ motion. Methods and materials We recalculated target and normal liver doses for 40 patients previously treated on a conformal therapy dose escalation protocol to include the effect of setup uncertainties and liver motion due to patient breathing. Initial three-dimensional (3D) dose calculations based on pretreatment CT scans taken with voluntary breath-hold at normal exhalation were convolved with 3D anisotropic probability distribution functions reflecting population measurements of position setup variation. The convolution also included a distribution function (one-dimensional, inferior-superior direction only) representing the asymmetric temporal pattern (biased toward exhalation, based on population measurements) of a typical breathing cycle, scaled in amplitude for each patient. Results After convolution, the minimum clinical target volume (CTV) dose met or exceeded the minimum planning target volume (PTV) dose from the static plan in all but one case, indicating adequate PTV design. However, clinically relevant and statistically significant increases (decreases) in liver normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) from values computed for the static cases occured for tumors located toward the bottom (top) of the liver, as predicted for these patients scanned at exhalation. The change in liver NTCP (from a nominal 20%) ranged from +12.0% to −11.7% (average magnitude change 3.9% [σ = 3.3%]). Changes in prescription dose required to restore the original 20% NTCP ranged from −3.7 Gy to +7.9 Gy (average magnitude change 1.9 Gy [σ = 1.9 Gy]). Conclusion Although the PTV concept can ensure adequate CTV coverage, the doses to normal liver are incorrectly modeled without including patient-related geometric uncertainties.