cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Engineering High Value Oil Production into Biofuel Crops

Assuming biofuels generated via the fermentation of sugars derived from cellulosic and non-cellulosic constituents of biofuels crops is providing a substantial contribution to our future energy needs, augmenting and amending the productivity of these biofuel crops is now a major research thrust worldwide. One way of enhancing these biofuels crops will be to engineer them for additional value-added components such as oils, that can be used for efficient fuel production and the manufacturing of other high-value products currently derived from petroleum oils. Towards this end, we are engineering optimized production of long, branched-chain hydrocarbon biosynthesis into plants suitable as biofuels crops. Branched chain hydrocarbons, like methylated triterpenes, are readily cracked into paraffins and naphthenes that can either be distilled to combustible fuels (gasoline, jet fuel and diesel), or can be used directly for the synthesis of plastics, nylons, paints and other oil-derived products manufactured by di...
An Empirical Test of Trade Regulation Rule Assumptions: A Study of Funeral Service Purchases

It is important that public policy decisions be based upon validated propositions about consumer behavior. This paper discusses the findings of a study that was conducted to test some of the assumptions made by the FTC in their proposed Federal Trade Regulation Rule affecting the funeral industry.
CHAPTER V – The Second Law of Thermodynamics

It must be admitted, I think, that the laws of thermodynamics have a different feel from most of the other laws of the physicist. There is something more palpably verbal about them—they smell more of their human origin. The guiding motif is strange to most of physics: namely, a capitalizing of the universal failure of human beings to construct perpetual motion machines of either the first or the second kind. Why should we expect nature to be interested either positively or negatively in the purposes of human beings, particularly purposes of such an unblushingly economic tinge.
CXCL12/CXCR4 Axis Activation Mediates Prostate Myofibroblast Phenoconversion through Non-Canonical EGFR/MEK/ERK Signaling

Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), an enlargement of the prostate common in aging in men, is associated with urinary voiding dysfunction manifest as Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS). Although inflammation and abnormal smooth muscle contractions are known to play key roles in the development of LUTS, tissue fibrosis may also be an important and previously unrecognized contributing factor. Tissue fibrosis arises from the unregulated differentiation of fibroblasts or other precursor cell types into myofibroblasts, which is usually accomplished by activation of the TGFβ/TGFβR axis. Previously we reported that the CXC-type chemokines, CXCL5, CXCL8 and CXCL12, which are up-regulated in the aging in the prostate, can drive this differentiation process as well in the absence of TGFβ. Based on this data we sought to elucidate the molecular mechanisms employed by CXCL12, and its receptor CXCR4, during prostate myofibroblast phenoconversion. The results of these studies suggest that CXCL12/CXCR4-mediated signaling events in prostate myofibroblast phenoconversion may proceed through non-canonical pathways that do not depend on TGFβ/TGFβR axis activation or Smad signaling. Here we report that CXCL12/CXCR4 axis activation promotes signaling through the EGFR and downstream MEK/ERK and PI3K/Akt pathways during myofibroblast phenoconversion, but not through TGFβ/TGFβR and downstream Smad signaling, in prostate fibroblasts undergoing myofibroblast phenoconversion. We document that EGFR transactivation is required for CXCL12-mediated signaling and expression of genes associate with myofibroblast phenoconversion (α-SMA, COL1a1). Our study successfully identified TGFβ/TGFβR-independent molecular mechanisms that promote CXCL12/CXCR4-induced myofibroblast phenoconversion. This information may be crucial for the development of novel therapies and potential biomarkers for prostatic fibrosis.
Ludwig's angina

Ludwig’s angina is a severe, diffuse, rapidly progressive cellulitis of the sublingual and submandibular spaces, which usually develops from a preceding odontogenic infection. Imaging is frequently obtained on patients with the condition in order to assess the extent of the cellulitis, to localize drainable fluid collections and soft tissue gas, and to identify complications such as airway narrowing or mediastinal extension. Although the incidence and mortality associated with Ludwig’s angina has declined dramatically with the introduction of antibiotics, it remains a serious and potentially life-threatening condition that requires prompt diagnosis and management to avoid serious morbidity or death.
Effect of Crystal Density on Dynamic Deformation Behavior of PBX

Polymer bonded explosives (PBX) are heterogeneous materials that contain solid loading varying from 80 to 95 % and bound together by 5–20 % soft binder. An experimental investigation is performed to study the effect of crystal solid loading on the failure process of PBX subjected to dynamic loading at different strain rates. Model materials, with sugar crystals and binder, are fabricated with solid loading varying from 80 to 95 %. Then dynamic compression experiments are performed on each specimens using split Hopkinson pressure bar. During loading, the deformation is captured using the high-speed camera at 1 million frames/s. Digital image correlation technique is used to obtain the local and full field deformation and strain fields at each strain rate. Based on the local deformation field and the load data, the failure process of each sample are investigated, and the effect of solid loading on the strain localization and failure mode of the PBX is discussed.
APO therapy for malignant lymphoma of large cell "histiocytic" type of childhood: analysis of treatment results for 29 patients

Twenty-nine patients with biopsy-proven malignant lymphoma of large-cell "histiocytic" type were treated with the APO protocol (vincristine, adriamycin, and prednisone). Treatment consisted of two years of therapy with a modified adriamycin-containing acute lymphoblastic leukemia regimen with preventive cranial irradiation and regional radiotherapy (for patients with clinically localized lymphoma). The median age was 13 years (range, two to 20 years). Thirteen patients had localized disease (stage I, II), and 16 had disseminated disease (stage III, IV). The median follow-up is four years (range, seven months to nine years), and Kaplan-Meier estimates of overall and relapse-free survival are 83% and 76%, respectively. No recurrences have been observed in primary or bulk sites of lymphoma in the group of children treated with chemotherapy only. We conclude that the APO protocol, which was modeled after an acute lymphoblastic leukemia regimen, combined with regional radiotherapy can produce long-term remissions for children with malignant lymphoma of large cell "histiocytic" type.
Why Wages Don’t Fall during a Recession

(2001). Why Wages Don’t Fall during a Recession. Journal of Economic Issues: Vol. 35, No. 1, pp. 208-210.
Current Trends in Cancer Biomarker Discovery Using Urinary Metabolomics: Achievements and New Challenges

Background The development of effective screening methods for early cancer detection is one of the foremost challenges facing modern cancer research. Urinary metabolomics has recently emerged as a potentially transformative approach to cancer biomarker discovery owing to its noninvasive sampling characteristics and robust analytical feasibility. Objective To provide an overview of new developments in urinary metabolomics, cover the most promising aspects of hyphenated techniques in untargeted and targeted metabolomics, and to discuss technical and clinical limitations in addition to the emerging challenges in the field of urinary metabolomics and its application to cancer biomarker discovery. Methods A systematic review of research conducted in the past five years on the application of urinary metabolomics to cancer biomarker discovery was performed. Given the breadth of this topic, our review focused on the five most widely studied cancers employing urinary metabolomics approaches, including lung, breast, bladder, prostate, and ovarian cancers. Results As an extension of conventional metabolomics, urinary metabolomics has benefitted from recent technological developments in nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry, gas and liquid chromatography, and capillary electrophoresis that have improved urine metabolome coverage and analytical reproducibility. Extensive metabolic profiling in urine has revealed a significant number of altered metabolic pathways and putative biomarkers, including pteridines, modified nucleosides, and acylcarnitines, that have been associated with cancer development and progression. Conclusion Urinary metabolomics presents a transformative new approach toward cancer biomarker discovery with high translational capacity to early cancer screening.
Orderly recruitment tested across muscle boundaries.

Publisher Summary The movements and postures of limb and body segments are achieved through partial activation of multiple muscles. In the cat, multiple muscles are coactive during a variety of movements, such as treadmill locomotion, landing, paw shake, head turning, and in humans, during movements such as hand grip and elbow flexion. There are tens to hundreds of heteronymous motor units belonging to different muscles, which are recruited together during discrete motor actions. This chapter discusses whether recruitment is orderly among heteronymous motor units that are activated together. Recruitment order can be assessed in relation to the motoneuron portion of the motor unit. Alpha motoneurons within a motor nucleus (the collection of motoneurons supplying a single muscle) are progressively recruited from slow to fast axonal conduction velocity. Recruitment that is rank-ordered by these properties is commonly referred to as “recruitment in order” by the size principle. The chapter describes the recruitment order with respect to either a muscle and its motor units or a motor nucleus and its motoneurons or motor axons.
Rattlesnake Orientation to Prey as a Function of Thermal Backgrounds and Edges

Three experiments investigated the effects of thermal background on orientation of western diamondback rattlesnakes (Crotalus atrox)to prey. In Experiments 1 and 2, the snakes responded more strongly to rodent prey in front of cool backgrounds than to identical prey in front of warm backgrounds. Accordingly, we suggest that the pitviper infrared system exhibits contrast effects such that rodent prey at approximately 37 °C are detected more readily if the background is of significantly lower temperature than if it is of higher temperature. Experiment 3 created a thermal background containing an edge between panels at different temperatures (15 °C and 21 °C). Models of prey were placed in front of each panel and at the border between them. Snakes oriented more to the border model than to either of the others, suggesting that the edge was of special significance. In human visual studies, edges between panels varying in brightness give rise to Mach bands which enhance the salience of the edges. Perhaps an analogous phenomenon occurs in the pitviper infrared system.
Building 3D Nanostructured Devices by Self-Assembly

It is extremely challenging to create 3D nanostructured devices using conventional lithographic processing. Lithographic patterning techniques such as imprint or electron beam lithography allow precise structuring, but can only be implemented in an inherently 2D manner. It is also challenging to translate 3D microscale patterning techniques such as stereolithography, direct writing, and two-photon machining down to the nanoscale. In a process that draws inspiration from biological assembly, scientists and engineers are seeking to construct nanostructured devices from the bottom-up. Apart from numerous elegant methods to grow nanostructures from atoms, the spontaneous or directed assembly of ordered nanostructures from larger molecular or synthetic units provides an attractive route to create functional nanostructured devices. In this chapter, we focus on these self-assembling methods for bottom-up fabrication of 3D nanostructured devices. We review strategies to self-assemble molecular and synthetic devices. Molecular self-assembly with surfactants, peptides, proteins, and nucleotides provides considerable variability in terms of the different functional groups that can be utilized. However, since these structures are susceptible to fall apart at elevated temperatures and on dehydration, there is a need to develop alternative self-assembly methods using physical forces and with components such as metals, inorganic semiconductors, and dielectrics, especially for electronic and optical applications. We discuss these approaches with a focus on methods that enable the inclusion of precise patterns in all 3D and specifically on a more deterministic form of self-assembly that is often referred to as self-folding. Here, templates curve, bend, and fold spontaneously, thereby enabling 2D structures to be transformed into 3D structures. We review limitations and challenges associated with these self-assembly methodologies and future embodiments, such as enabling reconfigurability and machine-based function on the nanoscale.
Hypothesis Testing for High-Dimensional Data

We present a systematic theory for tests for means of high-dimensional data. Our testing procedure is based on an invariance principle which provides distributional approximations of functionals of non-Gaussian vectors by those of Gaussian ones. Differently from the widely used Bonferroni approach, our procedure is dependence-adjusted and has an asymptotically correct size and power. To obtain cutoff values of our test, we propose a half-sampling method which avoids estimating the underlying covariance matrix of the random vectors. The latter method is shown via extensive simulations to have an excellent performance.
Improved Cancer Immunochemotherapy via Optimal Co-delivery of Chemotherapeutic and Immunomodulatory Agents

It is highly demanded and still a big challenge to develop an effective formulation for immunochemotherapy against advanced tumors. We have previously reported a PEG-NLG-based immunostimulatory nanocarrier (PEG2k-Fmoc-NLG919) for co-delivery of an IDO1 inhibitor (NLG919) and a chemotherapeutic agent (paclitaxel, PTX). Although antitumor immune responses were enhanced with a PTX-loaded nanocarrier, the accumulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) was also significantly increased, which may limit the overall efficacy of therapy. In the present work, we developed an improved dual-functional nanocarrier (PEG5k-Fmoc-NLG2) to co-load PTX and sunitinib (SUN, a multitarget receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor) for improved cancer immunochemotherapy. We found that the recruited MDSCs negatively impacted the overall antitumor activity of the PTX-loaded PEG-NLG nanocarrier. Mechanistic study suggests that this is likely attributed to the PTX-mediated induction of a number of chemokines that are involved in...
Does Money Always Matter? Campaign Spending in Michigan State Ballot Proposal Elections

ABSTRACT This article explores the role of money in Michigan statewide ballot proposals from 1978 to 2015. Of particular concern is how spending patterns in ballot proposal campaigns compare to candidate-centered campaigns. Ballot proposal campaigns do not experience many of the influences that are associated with candidate campaigns. For example, there is no incumbency advantage in fundraising, or name recognition to help voters decide, and little or no political party involvement such as a party label on the ballot or party mobilization of voters. In the period investigated, we found that: ballot proposal campaign spending has skyrocketed; spending is greater with controversial ballot proposals; more money in Michigan ballot proposal campaigns was spent by those supporting a proposal than opposing a proposal beginning in the 2000s while the opposite was true before; and, although it does not guarantee a victory, money can have a meaningful effect when spent strategically.
Data Explorations: Secondary Students’ Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes Toward Working with Data

The Data Explorations in Ecology Project was a professional development and research project designed to address data literacy issues in secondary science classrooms. Curricular modules focusing on locally relevant environmental issues were developed and implemented to support students in gaining proficiency with a variety of data exploration practices. The research focused on highlighting students’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward these practices. The findings indicate that students across grade levels are able to demonstrate proficiency with some data exploration practices but have difficulty applying these skills to the creation and evaluation of data-driven arguments about the environment. The findings also indicate that despite the difficulties secondary students have with some data exploration practices, some still enjoy and appreciate the usefulness of working with data. This study introduces a conceptual framework that illustrates some of the data exploration activities that occur at different phases of inquiry and critique processes.
Habitat selection and habitat quality for wintering wood thrushes in a coffee growing region in Honduras

Abstract Most Neotropical migrant birds spend the majority of the annual cycle in the tropics, and the continued population declines of some species is attributed at least in part to habitat degradation and destruction on the tropical wintering grounds. Many Neotropical migrants have been observed to use a range of disturbed, agricultural, and primary forest habitats on the wintering grounds, and this habitat-use information helps us better understand the potential effects of land use in the tropics on their populations as well as to develop programs and strategies to conserve these species. Although indices and estimates of habitat-specific abundance can be informative, some wintering migrants are reported to occur in similar or even greater numbers in marginal habitats due to despotic interactions with conspecifics. Thus, investigations of habitat-specific survival and other metrics potentially related to survival are a valuable supplement, and provide a more refined indicator of habitat quality. The wood thrush is a Neotropical migrant bird that has been undergoing range-wide population declines for the past half century or more, and although their numbers appear to be greater in disturbed habitats on the wintering grounds, they are reported to experience higher survival in primary forest. We captured and tracked wintering wood thrushes with radio-telemetry in a coffee growing region in Honduras, Central America, to evaluate habitat selection in this species, as well as to determine the habitat types and microhabitat characteristics associated with survival, movement metrics, and body condition. We found that wood thrushes preferred heavily-shaded coffee over forest and open agricultural habitats, although the probability of survival and of exhibiting stationary behavior was lower in heavily-shaded coffee compared to forest, especially at higher elevations. Our findings illustrate the hazards in assuming the presence of a species in a given habitat actually reflects habitat quality, as well as the importance of conserving forest within coffee producing landscapes.
Organic sulfur was integral to the Archean sulfur cycle

The chemistry of the Early Earth is widely inferred from the elemental and isotopic compositions of sulfidic sedimentary rocks, which are presumed to have formed globally through the reduction of seawater sulfate or locally from hydrothermally supplied sulfide. Here we argue that, in the anoxic Archean oceans, pyrite could form in the absence of ambient sulfate from organic sulfur contained within living cells. Sulfides could be produced through mineralization of reduced sulfur compounds or reduction of organic-sourced sulfite. Reactive transport modeling suggests that, for sulfate concentrations up to tens of micromolar, organic sulfur would have supported 20 to 100% of sedimentary pyrite precipitation and up to 75% of microbial sulfur reduction. The results offer an alternative explanation for the low range of δ34S in Archean sulfides, and raise a possibility that sulfate scarcity delayed the evolution of dissimilatory sulfate reduction until the initial ocean oxygenation around 2.7 Ga. Marine chemistry during the Early Earth (over 2.7 billion years ago) is commonly inferred to have been inorganically sulfate-reducing. Here, the authors argue that organic sulfur cycling may have played a previously unrecognized, yet important, role in the formation of ancient Archean marine sulfides.
State-Mandated Coverage of Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate Treatment.

Objective:We conducted a comprehensive review of state laws and regulations that require private health insurance plans to cover the services needed by children born with cleft lip and/or cleft pal...
Residual limb shear strain during gait is correlated with patient reported outcomes for persons with transfemoral amputation.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to measure residual limb skin strain and strain rate within the socket during gait in individuals with a transfemoral amputation and to determine if skin strain during gait is related to patient-reported comfort and function. It was hypothesized that greater skin strain and skin strain rate would correlate to worse patient-reported outcomes. It was also hypothesized that skin strain would progressively increase from the distal to the proximal end of the residuum and maximum strain would occur shortly after heel strike. Dynamic biplane radiography (DBR), combined with conventional motion capture, was used to measure skin deformation within the socket during treadmill walking for 10 persons with unilateral transfemoral amputation. The questionnaire for persons with a transfemoral amputation (Q-TFA) was administered to assess prosthetic use, mobility, health problems, and global health. Q-TFA Prosthetic Use score and Problem score were negatively correlated with the peak shear strains in the proximal and distal regions of the residuum, respectively. Maximum shear strain increased progressively from proximal to distal regions of the residual limb. Within-subject variability in shear strain waveforms during gait was 0.7% or less, but between-subject variability was 3.3% to 5.0% shear. This study demonstrates that skin shear within the socket of persons with transfemoral amputation can be measured during gait using DBR and the results suggest that greater skin shear in the proximal region of the socket is related to decreased prosthetic use.
The More the Merrier? Examining Three Interaction Hypotheses

While high interactivity is one of the key characteristics of oneon-one human tutoring, a great deal of controversy surrounds the issue of whether interactivity is indeed the key feature of tutorial dialogue that impacts students ’ learning. In this paper we investigate three interaction hypotheses: a widely-believed monotonic interactivity hypothesis, a better supported interaction plateau hypothesis, and our tactical interaction hypothesis. The monotonic interaction hypothesis predicts that increasing interactivity causes an increase in learning; the plateau hypothesis states that increasing interactivity yields increasing learning until it hits a plateau, and further increases in interactivity do not cause noticeable increases in learning. Finally, the tactical interaction hypothesis predicts that interactivity only increases learning when interactions are guided by effective tutorial tactics. In this paper, we examine each hypothesis in the context of an empirical study, the results of which support the tactical interaction hypothesis.
An affinity label for δ-opioid receptors derived from [d-Ala2]deltorphin I*

A series of potential affinity label derivatives of the amphibian opioid peptide [D-Ala2]deltorphin I were prepared by incorporation at the para position of Phe3 (in the 'message' sequence) or Phe5 (in the 'address' sequence) of an electrophilic group (i.e. isothiocyanate or bromoacetamide). The introduction of the electrophile was accomplished by incorporating Fmoc-Phe(p-NHAlloc) into the peptide, followed later in the synthesis by selective deprotection of the Alloc group and modification of the resulting amine. While para substitution decreased the delta-opioid receptor affinity, selected analogs retained nanomolar affinity for delta receptors. [D-Ala2,Phe(p-NCS)3]deltorphin I exhibited moderate affinity (IC50=83 nM) and high selectivity for delta receptors, while the corresponding amine and bromoacetamide derivatives showed pronounced decreases in delta-receptor affinity (80- and >1200-fold, respectively, compared with [D-Ala2]deltorphin I). In the 'address' sequence, the Phe(p-NH2)5 derivative showed the highest delta-receptor affinity (IC50=32 nM), while the Phe(p-NHCOCH2Br)5 and Phe(p-NCS)5 peptides displayed four- and tenfold lower delta-receptor affinities, respectively. [D-Ala2,Phe(p-NCS)3]deltorphin I exhibited wash-resistant inhibition of [3H][D-Pen2,D-Pen5]enkephalin (DPDPE) binding to delta receptors at a concentration of 80 nM. [D-Ala2, Phe(p-NCS)3]deltorphin I represents the first affinity label derivative of one of the potent and selective amphibian opioid peptides, and the first electrophilic affinity label derivative of an agonist containing the reactive functionality in the 'message' sequence of the peptide.
Various Notes on Books, Journals, and Film

The nine chapters comprising this collection include three pertaining specifically to Eastern Europe: "The Ethnicity Problem in a Multi-ethnic Anational State: Continuity and Recasting of Ethnic Identity in the Ottoman State," by Kemal Karpat; "Slovak Nationalism and the Hungarian State 1870-1910," by David W. Paul; and "The Institutional Management of Cultural Diversity: An Analysis of the Jugoslav Experience," by Paul V. Warwick and Lenard J. Cohen. But the most interesting for many readers of this Newsletter will be the introductory chapter, "Ethnic Groups and the State," by the editor Paul Brass.
The Existence Problem for Solutions

In 1944 John von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern [18] presented an extensive development of a theory of n-person cooperative games in characteristic function form. The most basic and most challenging theoretical question regarding this theory concerns whether their solution sets exist. It has been known [5] since 1967 that such solutions need not exist in the most general case of all games. However, all known counterexamples are of a rather specialized nature, and there still remains large classes of games for which this question is unanswered. So this fundamental problem continues to be among the most important and intriguing problems in cooperative game theory, as well as one that appears most difficult to solve. The answer should prove of interest in both theory and applications.
Minimally synchronized architectures: a new approach to the design of parallel architectures

A special class of architecture which supports parallel interpretation of abstract machine language is presented. An experimental architecture based on this design procedure is presented. A cycle-level simulator of this machine is employed to measure and analyze the performance of the architecture with synthetic benchmark programs. >
The present status of the prenatal record.

Abstract 1. 1. Fifty prenatal records were studied from the standpoint of format and information requested. These records were a sampling of those used by hospitals approved for residency training in obstetrics. 2. 2. The importance and need for standardization of the prenatal record on a national basis was discussed. 3. 3. Further study by interested organizations is essential.
Sensible Agent Testbed Infrastructure for Experimentation

The design and analysis of multi-agent systems is difficult due to complex agent capabilities and rich interactions among agents. Experimentation is a crucial step in gaining insight into the behavior of agents. Experiments must be flexible, easily configurable, extensible, and repeatable. This paper presents the Sensible Agent Testbed, which supports these requirements. The CORBA infrastructure of the Testbed platform and the formally-defined interfaces among Testbed components are described. The Testbed promotes many levels of modularity, facilitating parallel development of agents and agent capabilities. This approach provides many opportunities for different types of experiments. Experimental setup through a configuration file is simplified using the Init File Maker, which has the capability to automate the production of multiple configurations. Overall, the Sensible Agent Testbed provides a solid infrastructure supporting multi-agent experiments.
Fundamental questions about water rights and market reallocation

[1] Water markets have many advantages for water reallocation. However, water markets do not always function efficiently because the property rights structure was not designed for market transactions. The potential for successful markets can be determined by looking at the 10 fundamental questions relevant to water rights. The questions are relevant to any system of water rights, but the examples used are largely from the western United States. The questions are designed to raise issues about the basic structure of a water rights system. After discussing these issues, the paper turns to recommendations on how a water rights structure could be modified to facilitate markets. The recommendations are not meant to be an end point but are intended too stimulate discussion.
Disaccharidase Deficiencies in Children With Chronic Abdominal Pain.

Objectives: Carbohydrate intolerance or malabsorption has been suggested as a cause of chronic abdominal pain (CAP) in a subset of patients. We aimed to evaluate disaccharidase deficiencies in children with functional CAP and to correlate deficiencies with clinical features. Method: Patients presenting to the gastroenterology clinic at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin with abdominal pain prospectively completed a detailed demographic, history, and symptom questionnaire. The CAP cohort included those with at least 1 month of symptoms. Data on disaccharidase activity and histology of endoscopic biopsies were collected retrospectively. Only patients with normal histology were included in the study. The association between groups with low disaccharidases and clinical features was examined. Results: A total of 203 pediatric patients with CAP were included. The mean (SD) age was 11.5 (3.1) years, and 32.5% were male. The percentages of abnormally low disaccharidase levels using the standard laboratory cutoffs w...
Common neuropathological features underlie distinct clinical presentations in three siblings with hereditary diffuse leukoencephalopathy with spheroids caused by CSF1R p.Arg782His

Hereditary diffuse leukoencephalopathy with spheroids (HDLS) presents with a variety of clinical phenotypes including motor impairments such as gait dysfunction, rigidity, tremor and bradykinesia as well as cognitive deficits including personality changes and dementia. In recent years, colony stimulating factor 1 receptor gene (CSF1R) has been identified as the primary genetic cause of HDLS. We describe the clinical and neuropathological features in three siblings with HDLS and the CSF1R p.Arg782His (c.2345G > A) pathogenic mutation. Each case had varied motor symptoms and clinical features, but all included slowed movements, poor balance, memory impairment and frontal deficits. Neuroimaging with magnetic resonance imaging revealed atrophy and increased signal in the deep white matter. Abundant white matter spheroids and CD68-positive macrophages were the predominant pathologies in these cases. Similar to other cases reported in the literature, the three cases described here had varied clinical phenotypes with a pronounced, but heterogeneous distribution of axonal spheroids and distinct microglia morphology. Our findings underscore the critical importance of genetic testing for establishing a clinical and pathological diagnosis of HDLS.
Timing of the Diagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are core features of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often present with similar symptoms and may receive a diagnosis of ADHD first. We investigated the relationship between the timing of ADHD diagnosis in children with ASD and the age at ASD diagnosis. METHODS: Data were drawn from the 2011–2012 National Survey of Children9s Health, which asked parents to provide the age(s) at which their child received a diagnosis of ADHD and/or ASD. Using weighted prevalence estimates, we examined the association between a previous diagnosis of ADHD and the age at ASD diagnosis, while controlling for factors known to influence the timing of ASD diagnosis. RESULTS: Our study consisted of 1496 children with a current diagnosis of ASD as reported by parents of children ages 2 to 17 years. Approximately 20% of these children had initially been diagnosed with ADHD. Children diagnosed with ADHD before ASD were diagnosed with ASD ∼3 years (95% confidence interval 2.3–3.5) after children in whom ADHD was diagnosed at the same time or after ASD. The children with ADHD diagnosed first were nearly 30 times more likely to receive their ASD diagnosis after age 6 (95% confidence interval 11.2–77.8). The delay in ASD diagnosis was consistent across childhood and independent of ASD severity. CONCLUSION: To avoid potential delays in ASD diagnosis, clinicians should consider ASD in young children presenting with ADHD symptoms.
Comparison of case-finding methodologies for endometritis after cesarean section

Abstract Background: Endometritis is a possible complication of delivery among patients undergoing cesarean section, resulting in increased costs and patient morbidity. However, traditional case-finding methods for endometritis may not identify most cases. We compared various case-finding methods with a reference method to determine a simple and accurate method for collecting data on endometritis after cesarean section. Methods: We reviewed charts of all patients undergoing cesarean section (N = 167) during March 1 through July 31, 1991. These data were compared with study case-finding methods that used microbiology data, infection report forms from nursing, and computerized reports linking patients undergoing cesarean section with intravenous antibiotic use data and admission and discharge diagnoses. Results: Each case-finding method was compared separately with the reference method (“gold standard”), which was designed to capture all cases among the patients in the study population (N = 145). This review yielded nine cases of endometritis (infection rate of 5.4 100 procedures). The computerized report method linking patients who underwent cesarean section with antibiotic use had a positive predictive value of 0.53. Methods that used microbiology data and nursing report forms had lower positive predictive values of 0.18 and 0.20, respectively. Conclusions: In our institution, case finding for postcesarean endometritis by means of a computerized report linking patients undergoing cesarean section with IV antibiotic use data and admission and discharge diagnoses is the most effective method of detecting postcesarean endometritis. It also represents the most efficient use of the infection control department's resources.
Spin-dependent transport in silicon/silicon-germanium quantum dots

It is intriguing that silicon, the material at the heart of modem classical electronics, also has properties that are well suited to quantum electronics. These properties include weak spin-orbit coupling and the existence of zero-nuclear spin isotopes. This synergy between quantum and classical properties offers the possibility that silicon quantum dots potentially could be used as quantum bits, if high-quality, extremely stable devices can be fabricated and measured. In this talk, we will present data demonstrating silicon/silicon-germanium quantum dots containing individual electrons. Single-electron occupation is confirmed through the use of integrated charge sensing. We will also present measurements of Si/SiGe double quantum dots, in which we have recently observed Pauli spin blockade a??? the suppression of transport current through a double quantum dot due to long lived spin states. Reversing the flow of current leads to a new effect in which long spin lifetimes enhance, rather than suppress, the flow of current through the double dot.
Inference of molecular structure

The Heuristic DENDRAL Program focuses on (1) understanding the processes of scientific inference in problems involving the induction of hypotheses from empirical data, and (2) implementation of a heuristic program for solving such problems in a domain of biomedical interest.
Colloidal sol/gel processing of ultra-low expansion TiO2/SiO2 glasses

Abstract A series of titania-silica glasses with 0–9% TiO2 were fabricated using a sol/gel process. The sol was prepared by dispersing colloidal silica fume in an aqueous solution of titania which was synthesized through the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of titanium isopropoxide. The sols gelled in 2–4 days, and then were dried for 6–8 days. The dry gels were sintered at 1450–1500°C to produce clear, dense, microstructure-free glasses. The gels underwent a total shrinkage of ∼50% to yield glass rods about 50 mm long and 5 mm in diameter, or glass discs about 4 cm in diameter and 5 mm thick. The drying step was most critical in the production of crack-free specimens. In the gel, the transmission electron microscope (TEM) revealed the presence of 1–5 nm rutile microcrystallites uniformly distributed within a network of colloidal silica particles. After sintering to 1450–1500°C, though, a dense, transparent, microstructure-free glass was created. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) verified the formation of an amorphous solid-solution of titania and silica after sintering. The thermal expansion of the glasses was measured using a differential dilatometer. The average linear coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE @ 25–675°C) varied between +5 × 10−7 and −0.2 × 10−7°C−1 in the range 0 to 9% TiO2. The glass with 7.2% TiO2 exhibited a zero thermal expansion coefficient at 150–210°C. The hysteresis in CTE on heating and cooling was of the order of 0.01–0.02 ppm.
Early developmental expression pattern of retinoblastoma tumor suppressor mRNA indicates a role in the epithelial-to-mesenchyme transformation of endocardial cushion cells.

The earliest stages of embryonic development are characterized by the generation of precursor cell populations that differentiate and coalesce into tissue and organ primordia. To provide sufficient numbers of differentiated cells for tissue and organ formation, the differentiative as well as the proliferative processes of cells must be controlled and coordinated. Potential regulators of the proliferative process include molecules that control the cell cycle, in particular, the tumor suppressor proteins. To begin to understand the role such molecules can play in development, we have studied the expression of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor (Rb) gene in early chicken development. Our studies in early chicken embryos show that Rb is encoded by a single gene that gives rise to several Rb mRNA isoforms through alternative splicing of a primary transcript. These mRNA isoforms potentially encode Rb proteins that differ with respect to the number of sequence motifs known to target cyclin-dependent kinases to Rb, suggesting dynamic control of Rb phosphorylation and function during development. This complex expression pattern of Rb mRNA begins as early as the blastoderm stage of chicken development (stage 3) and continues through stage 18, the latest stage examined. Despite this early embryonic expression of Rb mRNA as detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, Rb mRNA levels sufficient to be detected by in situ hybridization were not expressed until after stage 14 of development. Rb mRNA was found to be localized to cells of the endocardial cushions of the early heart tube, cells of the epicardium, and myogenic cells of the somitic myotome. Interestingly, each of these cell types undergoes an epithelial-to-mesenchyme transformation to form a migratory and/or invasive population of mesenchymal cells. We have focused our studies on the expression of Rb mRNA in endocardial cells of the early heart tube, because the transition of these cells to mesenchyme initiates the important process of septation, an early step in the formation of heart valves. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Effective Population Size and Lifetime Reproductive Success.

:The mean and variance of lifetime reproductive success, ELRS and VLRS, influence the ratio of effective to census population size, Ne/Nc. Because the complete data needed to calculate ELRS and VLRS are seldom available, we provide alternatives for estimating Ne/Nc from incomplete data. These estimates should be useful to conservation biologists trying to compute the effective size of a censused population. An analytical approach makes assumptions regarding the process influencing offspring survival. We provide a method for examining the validity of those assumptions and show that particular violations can result in either over- or underestimates. When the assumptions are violated or when more data are available, we suggest estimating Ne/Nc using computer simulations of models based on individuals. We examine how such simulations can be used to estimate Ne/Nc using an individual-based model for Lesser Snow Geese (Anser caerulescens). We demonstrate that such estimates can be biased unless the simulations are based on complete cohorts and samples of known age. We show that because the estimate of Ne/Nc depends on the stage of the reproductive cycle used as a point of reference in the model, the census population size Nc must be based on the same stage to provide unbiased estimates of Ne. Tamano poblacional efectivo y el exito reproductivo vitalicio Resumen: La media y la varianza del exito reproductivo vitalicio (ELRSy VLRS) influencia el cociente entre tamano poblacional efectivo y el tamano censal Ne/Nc. Dado que los datos completos necesarios para calcular ELRSy VLRS estan raramente disponibles, nosotros proveemos alternativas para estimar Ne/Nc a partir de datos incompletos. Estas estimaciones deberian ser utiles para los biologos de la conservacion que tratan de computar el tamano efectivo de una poblacion censada. Una aproximacion analitica utiliza supuestos acerca del proceso que influencia la supervivencia de la progenie. Nosotros proveemos de un metodo para examinar la validez de esos supuestos y mostramos violaciones particulares que resultan en sobreestimaciones o subestimaciones. Cuando los supuestos son violados o cuando mas datos estan disponibles, nosostros sugerimos estimar Ne/Nc utilizando simulaciones de modelos basados en individuos. Examinamos como tales simulaciones pueden ser usadas para estimar Ne/Nc utilizando un modelo basado en individuos para el ganso (Anser caerulescens). Demostramos que tales estimaciones pueden estar sesgadas a menos que las simulaciones esten basadas en cohortes completas y muestras de edades conocidas. Mostramos que dado que la estimacion de Ne/Nc depende del estado del ciclo reproductivo usado como punto de referencia en el modelo, el tamano poblacional censal (Nc) debe estar basado en el mismo estado a efecto de proveer estimaciones de Ne no sesgadas.
The microstructure of rapidly solidified and heat-treated Ti alloys containing La

Abstract Ti and Ti-Al containing La additions have been rapidly solidified using laser surface melting. The microstructure of both alloys consists of a distribution of particles in a matrix of α'-Ti. The particles have been identified unambiguously as La (f.c.c.) using microdiffraction, and microchemical analysis (energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy). The La particles obey an orientation relationship with the matrix described as: {111}La//(0001)Ti 〈110〉La//〈1120〉Ti. On ageing the rapidly solidified alloys at 700°C, these La particles are internally oxidized, the nature of the particles being determined again by the techniques given above. The oxide particles, with an hexagonal crystal structure, have an orientation relationship with respect to the matrix described by: (0001)Ti//(0001)La2O3 〈1120〉Ti//〈1120〉La2O3 and the shape of the particles may be described as an hexagonal prism, which is consistent with the sharing of symmetry defined by this orientation relationship. A small number of particles are also formed as a result of annealing at 700°C, and it is concluded that these are formed from the decomposition of the slightly supersaturated matrix. The behavior of these alloys containing La is markedly different from that of alloys containing either Er or Y, where relatively concentrated supersaturations of these rare-earth elements may be effected by rapid solidification. An explanation for this difference is given which is based on whether rapid solidification involves an eutectic (Er and Y) or monotectic (La) reaction.
Killing Unions with Culture: Institutions, Inequality, and the Effects of Labor’s Decline in the United States

This essay examines the relationship between culture, inequality, and organized labor in the United States. We argue that America’s exceptional cultural values are the key to falling union membership density and rising inequality. Cultural attitudes originated with the process of colonization in this country, particularly the embedded social structures that defined regimes of slavery and impeded the development of general trust. Citizens orient themselves toward policy positions depending on their “cultural cognition.” Culture determines our world views and political leanings. Research shows that attitudes about collective action and social justice versus individual efficacy and social hierarchy predict policy choices. We offer historical and quantitative evidence to support our argument.
Extragalactic cosmic rays and the galactic magnetic field

The origin and behavior of cosmic rays in the Galaxy depend crucially upon whether the galactic magnetic field has a closed topology, as does the field of earth, or whether a major fraction of the lines of force connect into extragalactic space. This paper examines the structure of a galactic field that opens initially into intergalactic space and, with the inclusion of turbulent diffusion, finds no possibility for maintaining a significant magnetic connection with an extragalactic field. Unless some mechanism can be found, we are forced to the conclusion that the field is closed, that cosmic rays are of galactic origin, and that cosmic rays escape from the Galaxy only by pushing their way out.