cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chromosomal aneuploidy in leukemic blast crisis: a potential source of error in interpretation of bone marrow engraftment analysis by VNTR amplification.

Background: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of polymorphic micro-satellite or minisatellite DNA markers has proven to be a fast, sensitive, and specific technique in post-transplantation monitoring of bone marrow engraftment, as well as early detection of residual disease and relapse. Deletion or amplification of chromosomal segments carrying marker loci, as can occur in leukemia and other hematologic malignancies, may result in loss or increased dosage of marker alleles. Examination of these marker alleles by PCR therefore may give aberrant results, which might lead to misinterpretation of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) engraftment studies. Methods and Results: We report a case of chronic myclogenous leukemia treated by BMT. PCR amplification of the minisatellite at the apoB locus on chromosome 2 was used to monitor the donor bone marrow engraftment. The patient experienced relapse in blast crisis with a near-haploid karyotype with loss of recipient-specific apoB allele causing an aberrant PCR result for bone marrow engraftment that mimicked full donor engraftment. Conclusions: Loss or gain of polymorphic DNA markers because of chromosomal losses or gains in some hematologic malignancies may affect the interpretation of bone marrow engraftment studies by PCR. When choosing polymorphic markers for such studies, it is important to avoid those that will be affected by expected chromosomal alteration, if possible. In addition, any abberant post-transplantation typing should prompt further investigation to rule out the possibility of chromosomal aberration. Review of all pertinent laboratory studies is important to avoid misinterpretation of results from a single test for engraftment analysis.
Transition of sounding-rocket experiments to Shuttle/Spacelab

Studies of the feasibility of using instruments of the type flown on balloons, sounding rockets, satellites, and Skylab ATM have led to the conclusion that sounding rocket instruments could be useful for conducting science experiments from space, both in their own right and in providing supporting data to other instruments observing the same object. Some engineering aspects of extending the viewing time from minutes to days are examined.
Local Anesthetic Activity of a Series of Phenyl Piperidine Derivatives.

SummaryA number of new phenylpiperi-dine derivatives (a-4-methyl-(III), β-4-me-thyl-(IV), 4-dimethyl-(V), 4-methylol-(VI), α-4-phenyl-(VII), β-4-phenyl-(VIII), α-4-carboxylic acid-(X), α-4-carbomethoxy-(XI), α-4-carbethoxy- (XII), 3-phenyl-piperidine) were found to produce anesthesia after intra-dermal injection in guinea-pigs which was more prolonged than that observed after procaine. All of the new compounds induced hyperemia followed in most cases by necrosis at the site of injection. After topical application 1.0% solutions of III, IV, V, VII or VIII produced corneal anesthesia in rabbits. In 1.0% solutions VI, X, XI or XII failed to exhibit topical activity in rabbits. Intra-peritoneally in mice the acute toxicity of the new derivatives was in the range of that of cocaine.
The structural and functional diversity of dystrophin

Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies are caused by defects of the dystrophin gene. Expression of this large X-linked gene is under elaborate transcriptional and splicing control. At least five independent promoters specify the transcription of their respective alternative first exons in a cell-specific and developmentally controlled manner. Three promoters express full-length dystrophin, while two promoters near the C terminus express the last domains in a mutually exclusive manner. Six exons of the C terminus are alternatively spliced, giving rise to several alternative forms. Genetic, biochemical and anatomical studies of dystrophin suggest that a number of distinct functions are subserved by its great structural diversity. Extensive studies of dystrophin may lead to an understanding of the cause and perhaps a rational treatment for muscular dystrophy.
The Future of Signoff

This column examines the challenges inherent in the signoff stage of the design cycle just prior to fabrication. Modeling trends, as well as trends from the designer side, and their possible effects on signoff are identified.
Skin changes in menopause

Skin signs and symptoms were examined in 46 menopausal women prior to estrogen replacement therapy. Several symptoms such as pruritus, bruising, dryness and thinning were seen more frequently in sun-exposed skin emphasizing the contribution of photoaging. At the end of a 6-mth treatment period, no significant difference was observed in the prevalence or severity of the cutaneous signs and symptoms when patients receiving transdermal 17 beta-estradiol (Estraderm) were compared with controls (the only exception was cutaneous flushing). Elastic fibers from sun-protected (buttock) skin of menopausal women were studied by light and electron microscopy. In 3 women (ages 30-37) with a history of premature menopause, the elastic fibers had several degenerative changes including coalescence of cystic spaces into lacunae, peripheral fragmentation, granular degeneration and splitting of the fibers into strands. Similar age-related ultrastructural changes are normally found in individuals that are at least 20 yrs older than these patients. These findings are suggestive of a relationship between premature aging of the dermal elastic fibers and estrogen deprivation.
Longitudinal increase in the volume of white matter hyperintensities in late-onset depression.

Background Cerebrovascular disease is thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of geriatric major depression. One finding supporting such a ‘vascular depression’ is the increased neuropathology in the form of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) found in patients diagnosed with a late-onset depression. However, at present there is little evidence that a longitudinal increase in WMH burden within an individual is associated with the onset of a late-life depression. Methods This study examined three-year longitudinal change in WMH volume and in cognition in: (a) an older man who developed his first episode of major depression during the study period, and (b) a comparison group of twelve older individuals who remained depression free. All subjects received at baseline and three years later a structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using fast-FLAIR technology. The images were analyzed with semi-automated computerized software to obtain WMH volumes. Subjects also received at both time points the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) as well a series of cognitive tasks assessing executive abilities (verbal fluency, Trail Making Test and Stroop test) since executive dysfunction is thought to be characteristic of a vascular depression. Results The individual who became depressed during the followup showed an increase in WMH volume that exceeded the 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) for change in the comparison group. This individual also showed a similar decline on the measures of executive function but not on the MMSE. Conclusions These results are consistent with cerebrovascular disease being a factor in the pathogenesis of late-onset depression (i.e. ‘vascular depression’). Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Unilateral Nephrectomy Induces the Expression of the Wilms Tumor Gene in the Contralateral Kidney of the Adult Rat

AbstractPurpose: The tumor suppressor gene WT-1 encodes a nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid binding protein that is a transcriptional regulator. This gene is commonly deleted or defective in Wilms tumors and the Denys-Drash syndrome. Recently WT-1 was demonstrated to be essential for the development of the urogenital tract. We determined whether we could induce WT-1 expression in mature kidneys induced to grow by performing contralateral nephrectomy in mature rats.Materials and Methods: Northern analysis with a32 phosphorus-labeled antisense riboprobe synthesized by in vitro transcription of a 731 bp complementary deoxyribonucleic acid insert spanning exons 1 to 7 of the rat WT-1 in a pT7 Blue vector was used to demonstrate the expression of WT-1 in the developing and adult Sprague-Dawley rat kidney.Results: Transcript levels of WT-1 in the rat kidney decreased from day 0 (day of birth) to day 16, after which WT-1 transcripts were undetectable in the normal rat kidney. Unilateral nephrectomy in the adult male...
Development of inhibitors of protein farnesylation as potential chemotherapeutic agents

Protein prenylation, adding either the 15-carbon isoprenoid farnesy1 or the 20-carbon isoprenoid geranylgeranyl to cysteine residue(s) at or near the C-termini of proteins, is a recently identified post-translational modification that localizes some proteins to a membrane compartment. One of the most intensely studied prenylated proteins is Ras, a low molecular weight GTP-binding protein that plays an important role in the regulation of cell proliferation. Proteins encoded by ras genes with oncogenic mutations are capable of tranforming cells in culture. Such mutate ras genes are frequently found in a wide variety of human tumors. Localization of the Ras oncoprotein to the cytoplasmic face of the plasma membrane via farnesylation is essential for efficient cell transforming ability. Thus, inhibition of the Ras farnesylation reaction is a possible anti-cancer strategy. Several strategies have been employed to inhibit Ras farnesylation, including inhibition of isoprenoid biosynthesis and inhibition of the enzyme which catalyzes the farnesylation reaction, farnesyl-protein transferase (FPTase). Inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme. A reductase, the rate limiting enzyme in isoprenoid biosynthesis, inhibit Ras farnesylation and block the growth of ras-transformed cells. However, antiproliferative effects do not result from speicific inhibition of Ras farnesylation; they are also observed in cells transformed by raf, which is independent of Ras farensylation. A more specific approach to inhibiting Ras farnesylation is to inhibit FPTase. Using randon screeing of natural products and a rational design approach, a variety of compounds that specifically inhibit FPTase have been isolated. Several of these compounds were found to block the farnesylation of Ras proteins in cell culture and were able to block the anchorage-independent growth of ras-transformed cells and human tumor cell lines. FPTase inhibitors also blocked the morphologic alteration associated with ras-induced transformation of mammalian cells. In contrast, these compounds did not affect the growth or morphology of cells transformed by the raf or mos oncogenes, which do not require farnesylation to achieve biological activity. Furthermore, these compounds suppressed the growth of tumors arising from ras-transformed cells in nude mice in the absence of systemic toxicity. Control tumors formed by raf- or mos- transformed cells were not affected by these compounds. These studies suggest that FPTase inhibitors might be safe and effective chemotherapeutic agents.
Phosphorescence of Rat Kidneys Cooled in Liquid Nitrogen

Cut surfaces of rat kidneys exhibit intense, reproducible, and very detailed phosphorescent patterns after they are cooled with liquid nitrogen and then exposed to shortwave ultraviolet radiation. Ligation of the renal blood vessels for a period of 6 to 24 hours destroys most of this phosphorescence, whereas a ligation of the ureter has no effect on kidney phosphorescence.
A fuzzy multicriteria decision-making method for material selection

Abstract Human beings are always more comfortable making imprecise verbal statements rather than quantitative estimations for expressing preference, judgement, or prediction in an uncertain environment. Fuzzy set theory was developed based on the premise that the key elements in human thinking are not numbers, but linguistic terms or labels of fuzzy sets. Decision-making methods utilizing fuzzy set theory have gradually gained acceptable because of their capabilities in handling impreciseness, which commonly exists in system specifications, states, and alternatives ratings. Material selection problems possess such characteristics of impreciseness. This paper presents a fuzzy multicriteria decision-making method developed to support material selection decisions in engineering design applications. The methodology first asks the decision maker—the design engineer—to provide the necessary information on relevant material properties, their desired values, and their respective importance weights. Once obtained, the input is then automatically converted into trapezoidal fuzzy numbers. Through a series of fuzzy arithmetic operations, a fuzzy suitability index is calculated for each alternate material. Finally, the method of ranking fuzzy numbers with integral values is utilized to rank all of the suitable materials for the application. An example is used to illustrate the working of the proposed method.
An alternative model to the two-magnon magnetic relaxation process in permalloy films

Abstract The thickness dependence of the linewidth difference for parallel and perpendicular ferromagnetic resonance in permalloy films at x-band and room temperature is calculated for the exchange conductivity-constant damping theory and is compared with experiment. The results are in good agreement for thin (d 1500 A) films. The data show a somewhat greater difference than the theory for intermediate thickness. The result indicate that a previously proposed two-magnon interpretation for the observed difference may be inappropriate.
Spatial data mining and geographic knowledge discovery—An introduction

Abstract Voluminous geographic data have been, and continue to be, collected with modern data acquisition techniques such as global positioning systems (GPS), high-resolution remote sensing, location-aware services and surveys, and internet-based volunteered geographic information. There is an urgent need for effective and efficient methods to extract unknown and unexpected information from spatial data sets of unprecedentedly large size, high dimensionality, and complexity. To address these challenges, spatial data mining and geographic knowledge discovery has emerged as an active research field, focusing on the development of theory, methodology, and practice for the extraction of useful information and knowledge from massive and complex spatial databases. This paper highlights recent theoretical and applied research in spatial data mining and knowledge discovery. We first briefly review the literature on several common spatial data-mining tasks, including spatial classification and prediction; spatial association rule mining; spatial cluster analysis; and geovisualization. The articles included in this special issue contribute to spatial data mining research by developing new techniques for point pattern analysis, prediction in space–time data, and analysis of moving object data, as well as by demonstrating applications of genetic algorithms for optimization in the context of image classification and spatial interpolation. The papers concludes with some thoughts on the contribution of spatial data mining and geographic knowledge discovery to geographic information sciences.
Process improvement as a research tool: In-depth analysis of mortality at a Level 1 trauma center

METHODS: Internal benchmarking included W-scores and unadjusted mortality from June 2007 to May 2008. External benchmarking utilized University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC), Survival Measuring and Reporting Trial for Trauma (SMARTT), and Trauma Quality Improvement Project (TQIP) data from 2007 through 2009. To find assignable variance, we analyzed 10 years of data and compared mean differences in mortality between 2 time periods: June 1999 to May 2007 (prior to the arrival of the second surgeon) was designated as time period 1 (TP1), and June 2007 to May 2009 was designated as time period 2 (TP2). Statistics included means SD, and P-values were calculated using independent samples t-tests.
Kinetics of spinodal decomposition in one dimension

The kinetics of spinodal decomposition have been investigated in a one-dimensional kinetic Ising model by Monte Carlo simulation techniques. Three kinetic regimes can be clearly identified following relatively deep quenches from a random state. An early-time regime characterized by temperature-independent growth of the average domain size evolves to a ${t}^{\frac{1}{3}}$ growth regime via an incubation period. Single-atom diffusion is shown to be important to the growth process only in the earliest regime. The scaling properties of the domain-size distribution indicate that the onset of the dynamic scaling occurs after the final growth regime has begun.
A genetic study of hypertension in Okamoto-Aoki spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Data from crosses between Wistar/Furth rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats indicate that there are a small number of genes (3 to 4) controlling the hypertension trait in the Okamoto-Aoki spontaneously hypertensive rats. However, F1 rats bred from reciprocal crosses of Sprague-Dawley rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats were hypertensive. F2 rats bred from these F1 × F1 rats showed a 3 to 1 segregation ratio of hypertensive to normotensive rats. Furthermore, male progeny from Sprague-Dawley × F1 backcross segregated into a 1 : 1 ratio of hypertensive to normotensive rats. These data suggest that among those 3 to 4 genes that control hypertension in the spontaneously hypertensive rats there is at least one major gene. This locus is not sex-linked but its expression is modified by sex differences.
A Reuse Reference Grid for Strategic Reuse Goals Assessment

Reuse throughout system life cycles is the most promising organizational policy for cost containment and benefit exploitation available to information system managers today. Large-scale reuse is an expensive endeavor whose benefits are realized when it is applied strategically rather than tactically. The distinction eludes many (and challenges most) IS managers. We present a reuse reference grid for managers to use as an assessment framework to help categorize and assess the cost/benefit of their current level of reuse as a prelude to considering future reuse opportunities.
Relationship of Critical Temperature to Macromolecular Synthesis and Growth Yield in Psychrobacter cryopegella

Most microorganisms isolated from low-temperature environments (below 4 degrees C) are eury-, not steno-, psychrophiles. While psychrophiles maximize or maintain growth yield at low temperatures to compensate for low growth rate, the mechanisms involved remain unknown, as does the strategy used by eurypsychrophiles to survive wide ranges of temperatures that include subzero temperatures. Our studies involve the eurypsychrophilic bacterium Psychrobacter cryopegella, which was isolated from a briny water lens within Siberian permafrost, where the temperature is -12 degrees C. P. cryopegella is capable of reproducing from -10 to 28 degrees C, with its maximum growth rate at 22 degrees C. We examined the temperature dependence of growth rate, growth yield, and macromolecular (DNA, RNA, and protein) synthesis rates for P. cryopegella. Below 22 degrees C, the growth of P. cryopegella was separated into two domains at the critical temperature (T(critical) = 4 degrees C). RNA, protein, and DNA synthesis rates decreased exponentially with decreasing temperatures. Only the temperature dependence of the DNA synthesis rate changed at T(critical). When normalized to growth rate, RNA and protein synthesis reached a minimum at T(critical), while DNA synthesis remained constant over the entire temperature range. Growth yield peaked at about T(critical) and declined rapidly as temperature decreased further. Similar to some stenopsychrophiles, P. cryopegella maximized growth yield at low temperatures and did so by streamlining growth processes at T(critical). Identifying the specific processes which result in T(critical) will be vital to understanding both low-temperature growth and growth over a wide range of temperatures.
An examination of the investments in U.S. biotechnology firms by foreign and domestic corporate partners

Abstract This study examines the characteristics that make start-up biotechnology firms attractive alliance partners. We distinguish between firm specific and location-specific characteristics as well as between foreign and domestic corporate partners. We present and test a longitudinal model of alliance development based on data from 64 public biotechnology firms. The results provide evidence that foreign and domestic alliance capital inflows are driven by different factors. Firm-specific factors explain minimal variance in capital inflows from foreign alliance partners; rather, location-specific factors seem to matter more. The reverse is true for domestic alliance partners. Further, our results suggest that firm size moderates the relationship between location-specific factors and capital inflows from foreign alliance partners such that larger firms benefit more when located in technologically munificent environments.
Laser created high density interconnects for quick prototyping of electronic circuits

The laser restructuring of electronic circuits, fabricated using standard Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) process techniques, is an excellent alternative to custom chip development. This laser process allows for low cost, quick turnaround production with full circuit similarity between the Laser Restructured prototype and the customized product for mass production. The same techniques are also compatible with thin multichip modules (MCM-D). Laser Restructurable VLSI (LRVLSI) would allow design engineers the capability to interconnect cells that implement generic logic functions and signal processing schemes to achieve a higher level of design complexity. LRVLSI of a particular circuit at the wafer or packaged chip level is accomplished using an integrated computer controlled laser system to create low electrical resistance links between conductors and to cut conductor lines. An infrastructure for rapid prototyping and quick turnaround using Laser Restructuring of VLSI circuits was developed. >
1 α-Hydroxyvitamin D2 inhibits growth of human neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood. The poor outcomes of patients with high-risk neuroblastoma have encouraged the search for new therapies. In the current study, the effect of the vitamin D analog 1alpha-hydroxyvitamin D2 (1alpha-OH-D2, doxercalciferol) was assessed in a mouse xenograft model of human neuroblastoma. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression levels in seven neuroblastoma cell lines were compared using real-time PCR. SK-N-AS cells, which express relatively high levels of VDR, were injected into the flanks of 60 mice. The mice were treated daily via oral gavage for 5 weeks with vehicle (control), 0.15 microg, or 0.3 microg of 1alpha-OH-D2. The animals were then euthanized, and tumors, sera, and kidneys were collected and analyzed. End tumor volumes were significantly smaller in both the 0.15 microg group (712.07 mm3, P = 0.0121) and 0.3 microg group (772.97 mm3, P = 0.0209) when compared to controls (1,681.75 mm3). In terms of toxicity, serum calcium levels were increased but mortality was minimal in both treatment groups. These results were similar to those previously described in the transgenic (LHbeta-Tag) and human xenograft (Y-79) models of retinoblastoma, a related tumor. In vitro cell viability studies of SK-N-AS and NGP cells, which represent two major human neuroblastoma subtypes that differ in their genetic abnormalities as well as their VDR expression levels, show that both are sensitive to calcitriol, the active metabolite of vitamin D3. In conclusion, the present study shows that 1alpha-OH-D2 can inhibit human neuroblastoma growth in vivo with relatively low toxicity. The safety of 1alpha-OH-D2 has been extensively studied; the drug is FDA-approved for the treatment of adult kidney patients, and Phase I/II trials have been conducted in adult oncology patients. There should not be major obstacles to starting Phase I and II clinical trials with this drug in pediatric patients with high-risk neuroblastoma.
Papain‐induced Gelation of Soy Glycinin (11S)

The gelation of soy peptides produced by the action of papain enzymes on soy glycinin (11S) dispersions (4.7% w/v) was investigated. Cation-exchange chromatography was used to fractionate crude papain. The nonbinding fraction showed no gel-forming activity on the 11S dispersion. Two binding fractions showed gel-forming activity, and the gel strength of both 11S gels was similar. The activity of the crude papain on 11S dispersions produced a slightly stronger gel than one formed with either of the 2 binding fractions. With the crude papain, the rate of gel formation appeared to be strongly influenced by the enzyme concentration, but the maximum gel strength was independent of enzyme concentration. When the temperature was increased, the papain treatment of 11S soy protein produced weaker gels when the measurement was made at the temperature of formation. This dependence of maximum gel strength on temperature was found to be a function of only the measurement temperature and not the gel formation temperature. The degree of protein hydrolysis at maximum gel strength was similar (∼6%) for the gels formed at different temperatures. When the temperature was increased, the elastic modulus G′, the viscous modulus G″, and the degree of viscoelasticity (G″/G′) decreased. This suggested that the gels were formed the by hydrophobic interactions among the peptides. This observation was supported by particle size measurements on samples of gels which were mixed with reagents known for their ability to disrupt hydrophilic/electrostatic, hydrophobic, or disulfide interactions.
WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM NUCLEI FAR FROM STABILITY

The spectroscopy of nuclei far away from stability is discussed and is shown to be an important test for the nuclear models. It is also pointed out that those nuclei can be used to investigate the occurrence of new modes of excitation, in particular the dipole (cluster) mode. The possibility of a unification of the nuclear structure through the hybrid model, in the forthcoming years, is stressed.
Geometrically Exact Models for Soft Robotic Manipulators

Unlike traditional rigid linked robots, soft robotic manipulators can bend into a wide variety of complex shapes due to control inputs and gravitational loading. This paper presents a new approach for modeling soft robotic manipulators that incorporates the effect of material nonlinearities and distributed weight and payload. The model is geometrically exact for the large curvature, shear, torsion, and extension that often occur in these manipulators. The model is based on the geometrically exact Cosserat rod theory and a fiber reinforced model of the air muscle actuators. The model is validated experimentally on the OctArm V manipulator, showing less than 5% average error for a wide range of actuation pressures and base orientations as compared to almost 50% average error for the constant-curvature model previously used by researchers. Workspace plots generated from the model show the significant effects of self-weight on OctArm V.
Oncogenic transformation confers a selective susceptibility to the combined suppression of the proteasome and autophagy.

The proteasome and the autophagy systems are two evolutionarily conserved mechanisms for degrading intracellular materials. They are functionally coupled and suppression of the proteasome promotes autophagy. Although suppression of the proteasome leads to cell death, suppression of autophagy can be either prodeath or prosurvival. To understand the underlining mechanism of this dichotomy and its potential clinical implications, we treated various transformed and nontransformed human cells with proteasome inhibitors. We found that whether autophagy served a prosurvival role in this scenario was contingent on the cellular oncogenic status. Thus, autophagy suppression enhanced apoptosis induced by proteasome inhibitors in transformed cells, but not in nontransformed cells. Oncogenic transformation enhanced the ability of cells to initiate autophagy in response to stress, reflecting a stronger dependence of transformed cells on autophagy for survival. Indeed, a combined use of bortezomib, the only Food and Drug Administration–approved proteasome inhibitor for clinical use, and chloroquine, which inhibits autophagy by disturbing lysosomal functions, suppressed tumor growth more significantly than either agent alone in a xenograft model. These findings indicate that suppression of both intracellular degradation systems could constitute a novel strategy for enhanced cancer control in a tumor-specific way. [Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(7):2036–45]
Hospital Variation in Noninvasive Positive Pressure Ventilation for Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

Background—Although noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) for patients with acute decompensated heart failure was introduced almost 20 years ago, the variation in its use among hospitals remains unknown. We sought to define hospital practice patterns of NIPPV use for acute decompensated heart failure and their relationship with intubation and mortality. Methods and Results—We conducted a cross-sectional study using a database maintained by Premier, Inc., that includes a date-stamped log of all billed items for hospitalizations at >400 hospitals. We examined hospitalizations for acute decompensated heart failure in this database from 2005 to 2010 and included hospitals with annual average volume of >25 such hospitalizations. We identified 384 hospitals that encompassed 524 430 hospitalizations (median annual average volume: 206). We used hierarchical logistic regression models to calculate hospital-level outcomes: risk-standardized NIPPV rate, risk-standardized intubation rate, and in-hospital ...
The Magnetic Field and the Central Core of the Earth

Summary The suggestion that the inner core of the Earth is liquid and is the seat of a strong magnetic field is examined. Contrary to expectations of a magneto-hydrodynamic rigidity for the inner core, it is shown that a liquid inner core with a strong magnetic field should not transmit shear waves. The absence of the phase PKJKP in seismic records is favourable to the hypothesis of a strong magnetic field in a liquid inner core. If the jump in P wave velocity at the inner core boundary is due to a magnetic field, the strength of the field must be of the order of 5 × 106 G whether the field geometry is toroidal or random. A strong toroidal field leads to an apparent ellipticity of the inner core. No such ellipticity is observed, so that if the field in the inner core is toroidal, it must be less than 5 × 105 G. A random field does not lead to an ellipticity effect and no limit can be set on the magnitude of a random field. The energy required for a magneto-hydrodynamic rigidity in the inner core is excessive. The magnetic energy is equally divided between the inner and outer cores. The hypothesis of a strong magnetic field in the inner core cannot explain the observed short period variations of the surface field.
Thermodynamic derivatives of infrared absorptance

Calculation of the concentration, pressure, and temperature dependence of the spectral absorptance of a vibrational absorption band. A smooth thermodynamic dependence was found for wavelength intervals where the average absorptance is less than 0.65. Individual rotational lines, whose parameters are often well known, were used as bases in the calculation of medium resolution spectra. Two modes of calculation were combined: well-separated rotational lines plus interaction terms, or strongly overlapping lines that were represented by a compound line of similar shape plus corrections. The 1.9- and 6.3-micron bands of H2O and the 4.3-micron band of CO2 were examined in detail and compared with experiment.
Systems Approaches to Preventing Transplanted Cell Death in Cardiac Repair

Stem cell transplantation may repair the injured heart, but tissue regeneration is limited by death of transplanted cells. Most cell death occurs in the first few days post-transplantation, likely from a combination of ischemia, anoikis and inflammation. Interventions known to enhance transplanted cell survival include heat shock, over-expressing anti-apoptotic proteins, free radical scavengers, anti-inflammatory therapy and co-delivery of extracellular matrix molecules. Combinatorial use of such interventions markedly enhances graft cell survival, but death still remains a significant problem. We review these challenges to cardiac cell transplantation and present an approach to systematically address them. Most anti-death studies use histology to assess engraftment, which is time- and labor-intensive. To increase throughput, we developed two biochemical approaches to follow graft viability in the mouse heart. The first relies on LacZ enzymatic activity to track genetically modified cells, and the second quantifies human genomic DNA content using repetitive Alu sequences. Both show linear relationships between input cell number and biochemical signal, but require correction for the time lag between cell death and loss of signal. Once optimized, they permit detection of as few as 1 graft cell in 40,000 host cells. Pro-survival effects measured biochemically at three days predict long-term histological engraftment benefits. These methods permitted identification of carbamylated erythropoietin (CEPO) as a pro-survival factor for human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte grafts. CEPO's effects were additive to heat shock, implying independent survival pathways. This system should permit combinatorial approaches to enhance graft viability in a fraction of the time required for conventional histology.
Partnership-Based, Community-Assisted Early Intervention for Literacy: An Application of the Participatory Intervention Model

Many schools, particularly those in low-income, urban neighborhoods serving children from diverse backgrounds, have a high percentage of students with literacy deficits and limited resources for providing remedial services. Addressing these needs requires the use of empirically supported reading intervention strategies and expanding the availability of qualified persons to implement these approaches. Just as importantly, students need to be educated in a culturally meaningful context by one or more individuals who are committed to addressing their educational, emotional, and social needs. One method of expanding the instructional work force and engaging students in attachments with caring adults in a culturally relevant context is to establish a community-assisted tutoring program, that is a program implemented by residents from the community who work in the school. This article describes the process of establishing a partnership-based, community-assisted early intervention program for literacy, based upon a participatory intervention model, by presenting two case illustrations. Challenges for school consultants in establishing such a program in schools are described and directions for future research and practice are outlined.
Prevalence of prostate cancer in patients with chronic spinal cord injury.

Objective To determine the prevalence of prostate cancer in patients with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI), with regard to the duration, level, and severity of injury. Design Retrospective chart review study. Setting Inpatient and outpatient Veterans Affairs spinal cord unit. Participants The electronic medical records of 350 veterans with chronic SCI and 344 veterans without SCI as a control group were reviewed. Main Outcome Measure Prevalence of prostate cancer in patients with chronic SCI with regard to the duration, level, and severity of injury. Results Of 350 veterans with chronic SCI, 7 individuals (2%) had prostate cancer. In comparison, of 344 age-matched veterans without SCI, 18 (5.2%) had prostate cancer. In SCI group with prostate cancer, 2 patients had motor complete injury (American Spinal Cord Injury Association Impairment Scale [AIS] A and B), and 5 patients had motor incomplete injury (AIS C, D, and E). Patients with SCI and with prostate cancer were slightly older (mean [SD] age, 72.14 ± 8.25 years) than the control group (mean [SD] age, 69.83 ± 8.79 years) with cancer. Conclusion Findings from this study indicate a lower prevalence of prostate cancer among veterans with chronic SCI in comparison with age-matched veterans without SCI. Given the small number of patients with SCI and with prostate cancer in this study, we did not find any statistically significant correlation between the prevalence of prostate cancer and the level, duration, and severity of injury.
Retaliatory Auto Theft

Drawing from a qualitative sample of active auto thieves, this article examines the moralistic underpinnings of auto theft. Our findings indicate that retaliatory auto theft is either direct or ind...
Matisse: A visual analytics system for exploring emotion trends in social media text streams

Dynamically mining textual information streams to gain real-time situational awareness is especially challenging with social media systems where throughput and velocity properties push the limits of a static analytical approach. In this paper, we describe an interactive visual analytics system, called Matisse, that aids with the discovery and investigation of trends in streaming text. Matisse addresses the challenges inherent to text stream mining through the following technical contributions: (1) robust stream data management, (2) automated sentiment/emotion analytics, (3) interactive coordinated visualizations, and (4) a flexible drill-down interaction scheme that accesses multiple levels of detail. In addition to positive/negative sentiment prediction, Matisse provides fine-grained emotion classification based on Valence, Arousal, and Dominance dimensions and a novel machine learning process. Information from the sentiment/emotion analytics are fused with raw data and summary information to feed temporal, geospatial, term frequency, and scatterplot visualizations using a multi-scale, coordinated interaction model. After describing these techniques, we conclude with a practical case study focused on analyzing the Twitter sample stream during the week of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. The case study demonstrates the effectiveness of Matisse at providing guided situational awareness of significant trends in social media streams by orchestrating computational power and human cognition.
Hip Hop History in the Age of Colorblindness

This essay outlines a critical pedagogy for teaching about hip hop and rap at a time when the music has become so firmly a part of mainstream U.S. culture. No longer controversial in the way that it was in the 1980s and 1990s when popular music studies was first becoming established, teachers can no longer assume that rap is politically progressive or that their students are committed to the black struggle because they are fans. Although it’s not a bad thing that scholars and teachers now spend less time arguing for hip hop’s legitimacy as music , there’s also something disconcerting about white students’ casual acceptance of rap as “their” music at a time when profound racial inequities still exist in employment, education, incarceration rates, etc. With over three decades of recorded music history, there’s no problem filling a syllabus. But should a hip hop survey cover more than the succession of artists, styles, and sub-genres? What could a critical pedagogy for rap music look like at a time when politicians and pundits encourage us to put race behind us?
Organic cation transport by rat liver lysosomes

Hepatic organic cation transport has been characterized in rat liver plasma membrane vesicles, using the quaternary amine tetraethylammonium (TEA) as a model substrate. Sinusoidal TEA uptake is stimulated by an inside-negative membrane potential; TEA transport across the canalicular membrane is mediated by electroneutral organic cation-H+ exchange. Substrates for these transport processes include procainamide ethobromide (PAEB) and vecuronium, cationic drugs that undergo biliary excretion. Given the apparent absence of sinusoidal transport mechanisms able to generate high hepatocyte-to-blood organic cation concentration ratios, intracellular transport of organic cations may involve sequestration and concentration within acidified organelles. Therefore, the characteristics of TEA uptake were examined in isolated rat liver lysosomes that are acidified by a well-described H(+)-adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase). Lysosomal uptake of [14C]TEA was a time- and ATP-dependent process, reaching steady state after 30-60 min. Steady-state [14C]TEA uptake was significantly reduced by omission of ATP and by addition of monensin, conditions that alter lysosomal pH and membrane potential gradients, and by the H(+)-ATPase inhibitors, N-ethylmaleimide and bafilomycin A. ATP-dependent lysosomal [14C]TEA uptake was significantly inhibited by PAEB, vecuronium, and other organic cationic substrates of canalicular TEA/H+ exchange. These findings demonstrate that rat liver lysosomes sequester certain organic cationic drugs, most likely via organic cation/H+ exchange driven by H(+)-ATPase. Canalicular organic cation/H+ exchange may reflect, in part, the exocytic insertion of this transporter from an intracellular compartment to this membrane domain.
CHLOROPLAST DNA EVOLUTION AND PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS IN CLARKIA SECT. PERIPETASMA (ONAGRACEAE).

Restriction-site analysis of chloroplast DNA in Clarkia sect. Peripetasma (Onagraceae) was done to test previously proposed phylogenetic models. One hundred nineteen restriction-site mutations were identified among the nine species using 29 restriction enzymes, and these were used to construct rooted most parsimonious trees (Wagner and Dollo). A chloroplast DNA evolutionary clock could not be statistically rejected. Branch points of this tree were statistically tested by Felsenstein's bootstrap method. This tree 1) provided an unambiguous and detailed genealogical history for the section, 2) verified a previous partial phylogenetic model for the section based on gene duplications and differential silencing, 3) provided details of the phylogenetic model not inferred or expected based on morphology and reproductive isolation, and 4) indicated that morphology evolves at markedly different rates within and between lineages in the section.
Intrauterine transfusion: A second and critical look

Abstract The advent of spectrophotometric assay of bile pigment-containing amniotic fluid taken from Rh-sensitized gravidas presaged an era of therapy for the fetus, including transfusion of blood. An analysis of a 2½ year experience of 91 transfusions given to 44 fetuses leads to the conclusion that until the presently promising immunologic methods are available to prevent Rh isoimmunization, fetal transfusion has a tenuous place in highly selected, severely affected individuals. Selections should be based upon both a disastrous past obstetric history and the repetitive findings of amniotic fluid with threatening levels of optical density. Transfusion is not warranted for the mildly affected fetus that can be safely treated by an early birth. Nor is it worth the maternal risk, however slight, to give transfusions to an already doomed hydropic fetus.
A Simple Process and Tool for Improving Breaking Nill and Grinding the Nill Groove

The simple tool used for cutter to break nill and grinding the breaking nill handle in front of the cutter is introduced.
Application effect evaluation of the chemical energy storage battery in electric power system

The renewable energy generation plants have brought technical impacts to traditional power grid and electric power system.Therefore,building corresponding chemical energy storage device is necessary to develop large-scale renewable energy in the further.The energy storage battery is the key component to build smart grid,integrate renewable energy and promote the distributed energy plants.This paper focused on common chemical energy storage battery,selected important technical indexes and collected the latest data about energy storage application in 2011.Based on the Data Envelopment Analysis(DEA) method,this paper evaluated the efficiency of each battery,searched the advantages and provided the research directions and suggestions for energy storage battery technologies to make further progress.
Uncommon Effects and Uncommon Causes

Richard Ned Lebow. (2014). Constructing Cause in International Relations . Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 208 pp., $90.00 hardcover (ISBN 978-1-107-67288-8). The primary aim of Constructing Cause in International Relations is to introduce the concept of inefficient cause into the crowded lexicon of causal talk in International Relations research. Lebow argues that many events in world politics—the First World War or the rise of the territorial state—are singular events, meaning they are “causal but non-repetitive” (152). These “one-offs”—uncommon effects—cannot be explained using traditional accounts of causation that emphasize statistical associations with common causes; instead, to search for causes of these events, one must trace the web of uncommon causes that produced them, focusing on what is special about the event rather than what is generic. The central argument of Constructing Cause comes after a few chapters that advance a theory of the origins of causal pluralism, in which Lebow adopts the anti-realist position that causes are constructed by researchers, rather than being features of the natural or social world. This kind of pluralism allows researchers to construct new, useful concepts of causation. In this spirit, Lebow adds inefficient causation into the already crowded field of causal-talk jargon to capture intuitions about how to explain singular events. The term inefficient causation , on my reading, is perhaps better called inefficient causal analysis or inefficient causal explanations , because it is a strategy or “multi-step process” for identifying causal factors rather than a kind of cause per se (65). The first step is to select some event in world politics, such as the formation … ericgryn{at}gwu.edu
The Influence of Contextual Cues on Cultural Bias in Music Memory

We have ample evidence of cultural bias influencing music cognition in a variety of ways including memory. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of various musical elements on Western-born listeners’ cross-cultural recognition memory performance. Specifically, we were interested in whether the enculturation effect found in previous studies would be observed when tuning, timbre, texture, and rhythm were equalized in the presentation of music from two different cultures. In addition we wanted to explore the possible influence of music preference on recognition memory performance. Listeners were randomly assigned to hear Western and Turkish music in one of three musical context conditions (full, monophonic, isochronous) and subsequently tested on their recognition memory. Results indicated that memory performance was superior for in-culture music regardless of contextual condition, with no significant correlation between preference and memory performance. This points to the statistical properties of pitch sequences as a possible source of culturally biased responses in music listening.