cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Response to Price in Production of Cotton and Cottonseed

A MONG the first studies of agricultural production responses to price changes was the one made by H. L. Moore, who demonstrated that there was a direct relationship between the percentage change in the acreage of cotton for any given year and the percentage change in the price of cotton lint the preceding year.' Similar results were obtained by Bradford B. Smith.2 A later study by T. B. Manny showed that farmers placed considerable emphasis on the price of cotton in the preceding crop year in deciding currently on the acreage to be planted to cotton.3 Except for the regression curves presented by Smith, no attempt was made in any of these studies to measure the elasticity of farmers' response to price changes in making production plans. That measurement is attempted here. In addition, special attention is paid to the possible effect of changes in the price of cottonseed on cotton acreage and production. Cottonseed is separated from cotton lint at the gin as a jointproduct of cotton production. The uses of cotton lint are well known. Cottonseed is an important source of vegetable oil used mainly for food. It also yields high-protein cake and meal used as a livestock feed. Cotton linters (short, fuzzy fibers adhering to the seed coat) are used in explosives, rayon, and felt and cottonseed hulls are used as livestock roughage and bedding. Until recently cottonseed provided the largest single source of vegetable oil and high-protein cake and meal in the'tnited States. This position is now challenged by soybeans, but cottonseed remains an important source of supply for these products. The relative importance of cottonseed appears to increase in war periods. Cash income from sales of cottonseed, which represented 10 percent of the total cash income from cotton and cottonseed in 1910-14, accounted for nearly 16 percent of the total in the follow-
Graphic key for use with marginal punch cards.

An analysis of the biologic behavior of mammary carcinoma, as influenced by treatment, led the authors to appreciate the facility of a graphic type of key to be used in tabulating and interpreting the data recorded on marginal punch cards. Keys or legends are features of coded tabulating devices, and they may be prepared in a variety of patterns. Punch cards frequently include preprinted keys that are assembled according to the specifications of the consumer. Numbered check lists on separate sheets of paper also constitute a commonly used method for relating the numbered marginal markings to the factors to be tabulated. Modifications and various adaptations of such keys are largely dependent upon the needs of the persons who work with the punch cards. Tedium and monotony are inherent products of the processes involved in compiling data by hand, and they are potential hazards to the accuracy of the ultimate findings. The mental alertness of the persons who prepare tabulations is particularly vulnerable to the dulling effects of the routine procedures that must be used. The key that is described and illustrated in this paper provides some indication of converting the abstracting-punching procedure (as conventionally practiced) to less of a mental, and more of a physical, activity by means of using a spaceoccupying matching tool, i.e., the "graphic" key.
Failure of deoxyribonucleic acid to effect somatic transformation in the rat.

SummaryDNA derived from black and white rats, on injection into newborn albino rats, failed to produce pigmentary changes in the hair and the eyes. Similarly, DNA derived from normal rats failed to correct a genetically determined absence of glucuronyl transferase in newborn jaundiced rats.
Paul John Eakin: A Bibliography

(2008). Paul John Eakin: A Bibliography. a/b: Auto/Biography Studies: Vol. 23, Paul John Eakin and James Olney: A Festschrift, pp. 141-143.
Osteolathyrogenic action of mercaptoethylamine and of cystamine.

SummaryThe osteolathyrogenic action of β-mercaptoethylamine (cysteamine), when fed to rats as the hydrochloride, was confirmed. Cystamine was found to have similar properties. Gross and microscopic skeletal changes were similar to those produced by osteolathyrogenic nitriles. Aortic lesions were much less severe than when β-aminopropionitrile is fed, but medial swelling and lysis of elastic fibers were observed. These substances showed a narrow range of osteolathyrogenic activity, a dietary level of 0.2% cystamine ‡ 2HCl causing only very slight spinal curvatures, while a level of 0.5% was rapidly lethal to most animals.
Survey of Deterministic Networks

Abstract The state-of-the-art of deterministic networks is surveyed with a discussion of shortest path, transportation, assignment, transshipment, maximum flow, minimum spanning tree, Chinese postman, Euler path and multicommodity flow models. The computational complexity of network models is discussed. The survey concentrates on models and algorithms that can be used to solve large-scale problems.
Rural Resource Mobility and Intersectoral Balance in Early Modern Growth

This paper studies the nature of relationships between intersectoral resource mobility and intersectoral balance in early modern economic growth and, on the agricultural side in particular, the crucial role played by transmission of the best-practice technology to less developed areas. The primary focus is, first, on migration of labour as it is reflected in the shifting of the economy’s centre of gravity from agriculture to industry and, secondly, on the so-called eastward-movement of rice cultivation. The present point of departure is the ‘concurrent growth’ thesis by Kazushi Ohkawa which emphasises the development of agriculture side by side with urban sectors in the early modern growth of Japan (Ohkawa, 1964).
Terrorism, Crime, and Public Policy: Preventing Terrorism: Long-Term Strategies

In this chapter we continue to consider approaches for preventing terrorism, shifting focus from preventing individual acts of terror in the short term to removing terrorism's sources as a long-term strategy. A central purpose is to examine possibilities for moving the train of civilization from the track of clash and conflict to that of dialogue, mutual understanding, and cooperation among nations and cultures. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the prospect of building an international community that can be more effective in preventing terrorism by removing its deeper causes. Introduction Prudent planning calls for preparing for both short- and long-term contingencies. Just as we may be able to prevent crime in both the short term and the long term, it may be no less possible to remove opportunities for terrorists to carry out attacks in the short term while altering the conditions that induce people to want to commit acts of terror in the first place. How do we establish what works over the long term in preventing terrorism? It is difficult enough to know about long-term preventive strategies even in the area of crime, due to difficulties in sorting out relationships of bewildering complexity, in measuring factors of central importance accurately, in anticipating new developments and adaptations, and so on. It is considerably more difficult in the area of terrorism, because the reporting and measurement of terrorist incidents are even less reliable than in the area of crime, the explanatory factors more elusive, the frequency of incidents lower, and the consequences more severe and less readily measurable.
Wastes Exchanges: Marketing Intermediaries Bridging the Gap between Economic Development and the Natural Environment

A two-pronged problem faced by developing economies, particularly those of Central and Eastern European, is building an economic infrastructure based on free-market principles to rejuvenate their fractured economies while simultaneously upgrading many of their practices in mining, agriculture, manufacturing, forestry, energy generation and transportation to reverse the rate of degradation of their natural environments.
A solid as a single-molecule trap: observation of spectral diffusion and hole-burning on the single-center level

Recent advances in absorption1 and fluorescence2 detection now allow high-quality measurement of the optical absorption spectrum of individual single-impurity molecules in both crystals and polymers at liquid-helium temperatures. Here, the solid may be viewed as a trap for the defect center similar to the well-known electromagnetic single-ion traps, except that Doppler and recoil effects are replaced by (static) inhomogeneous broadening and host-guest interactions. Most importantly, molecular rotation is absent because of steric effects at low temperatures.
Pharmacology supports on-demand PrEP.

Several clinical trials have demonstrated that tenofovir-based oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) prevents HIV acquisition from sexual and injection drug use exposures to the virus. The original PrEP regimen used oral daily dosing regardless of the timing of possible HIV exposures. The rationale for daily dosing is that HIV exposures may be unanticipated or unpredictable and daily dosing ensures continuous therapeutic drug concentrations.
Ultrafine Metal Particles in Polymers and in Vapor Phase Nucleation

A novel technique for the synthesis of cationic polymers containing ultrafine metal particles is being developed. In the experiments, laser vaporization of metal targets is used to generate ultrafine metal particles and cations which are capable of catalyzing the cationic polymerization of isobutylene. High molecular weight polymers containing submicron metal particles have been obtained. This method can lead to the generation of new polymeric materials with unique properties. In another study, a novel method which combines laser vaporization of metal targets with controlled condensation in a diffusion cloud chamber is used to synthesize nanoscale metal oxide, carbide and nitride particles (5 – 10 nm) of homogeneous size and well- defined composition. The following oxides have been synthesized: ZnO, Si02, Fe203, Bi203, PdO, NiO, AgO, TeO, Sb203, Ti02, Zr02, A1203, CuO, In203, SnO, V205, MgO. The microscale structures of the Si02 and Al203 particles exhibit interesting web-like matrices with a significant volume of voids. Raman, IR, XPS, Mass Spectrometric and electron microscopic studies of these particles will be presented. These materials may have special applications in catalysis and as reinforcing agents for liquid polymers.
Results of the Rumphius Biohistorical Expedition to Ambon (1990) : Part 14. The Columbellidae (Gastropoda: Neogastropoda) collected at Ambon during the Rumphius Biohistorical Expedition

This paper lists and describes the species of columbellids (Gastropoda: Neogastropoda: Columbellidae) collected by the Rumphius Biohistorical Expedition to Ambon, Moluccas, in 1990. Columbellids are small, and Rumpf did not originally report any. The 1990 expedition collected 36 species, including three new species: Euplica brunnidentata, Zafra ambonensis, and Zafra bilineata. Pardalinops is introduced as a replacement name for Pardalina Jousseaume, 1888, nec Gray, 1867.
Robust speaker identification under noisy conditions using feature compensation and signal to noise ratio estimation

For wireless remote access security, forensics, electronic commerce and surveillance applications, there is a growing need for biometric speaker identification systems to be robust to noise. This paper examines the robustness issue for the case of additive white noise at signal to noise ratios ranging from 0 to 30 dB. A Gaussian mixture model classifier based on adaptation of a universal background model is used. The system is trained on clean speech and tested on clean and noisy speech. To mitigate the performance loss due to mismatched training and testing conditions, five robust features, feature compensation and decision level fusion strategies are used. The feature compensation is based on blind estimation of the signal to noise ratio of the test speech and the selection of an affine transform among a repertoire. A two-way analysis of variance compares the experimental scenarios (benchmark, control and practical) and the individual features/fusion at each signal to noise ratio. The practical scenario is always statistically better than the benchmark and sometimes equivalent to the control scenario.
Impacts of copper oxide nanoparticles on bell pepper ( Capsicum annum L.) plants: a full life cycle study

Several studies have explored the effects of copper nanoparticles (NPs) on different edible plants. However, no studies on bell pepper (Capsicum annum L.) plants have been reported. In this study, plants were grown for a full life-cycle assessment (90 days of exposure) in natural soil amended with nano CuO (nCuO), bulk CuO (bCuO), and ionic copper (CuCl2) at 0, 125, 250, and 500 mg kg−1. Based on our experimental findings, none of the treatments significantly affected stem elongation, plant dry biomass, foliar area, leaf chlorophyll content, and fruit productivity of bell pepper. However, ionic copper significantly decreased the gas exchange parameters, evapotranspiration, stomatal conductance, and photosynthesis by an average of 41%, 59%, and 38%, respectively, compared to the other treatments at select concentrations (p ≤ 0.05). The ICP-OES data showed that, except for bCuO at 500 mg kg−1, at 250 mg kg−1 and above, the three compounds significantly increased root Cu (196%, 184%, and 184%) with respect to the control. Only at 500 mg kg−1, ionic Cu gave significantly higher root Cu compared to the other Cu treatments. Additionally, at 125 mg kg−1, leaf P was 41% lower for nCuO, compared to the bCuO treatment. At 500 mg kg−1, nCuO reduced Zn by 55% in leaves and 47% in fruits, compared to the control (p ≤ 0.05); however, it is premature to assert that the reduction in fruit Zn compromises the nutritional quality of bell pepper. Overall, this investigation showed that, at the concentrations tested, nCuO presented low toxicity to bell pepper, with rare differences between nano and bulk treatment responses.
Model-based estimation of large area forest canopy height and biomass using radar and optical remote sensing with limited lidar data

Data synergy or fusion is a mechanism whereby discrete types of data are used together to achieve a better understanding than was possible with each individually. Spanning over 30% of the Earth's landmass, the global forest plays a role in numerous planetary systems including the carbon cycle. The objective of this study is to couple simulated forest stands with measured datasets from various instruments to estimate a forest's mean canopy height and aboveground dry-biomass in large regions spanning many square kilometers. We present a method to combine measured datasets with our sensor models to develop a feature estimation algorithm that fuses multi-modal remote sensing technologies with a minimal amount of ground information and yields an accurate estimate of forest structure including dry biomass and canopy height in a region spanning over 60 km2.
Hepatocellular carcinoma with child Pugh-A Cirrhosis treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy

Hepatocellular carcinoma with child Pugh-A Cirrhosis treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy
Pediatric Brain Development in Down Syndrome: A Field in Its Infancy.

Objectives As surprisingly little is known about the developing brain studied in vivo in youth with Down syndrome (DS), the current review summarizes the small DS pediatric structural neuroimaging literature and begins to contextualize existing research within a developmental framework. Methods A systematic review of the literature was completed, effect sizes from published studies were reviewed, and results are presented with respect to the DS cognitive behavioral phenotype and typical brain development. Results The majority of DS structural neuroimaging studies describe gross differences in brain morphometry and do not use advanced neuroimaging methods to provide nuanced descriptions of the brain. There is evidence for smaller total brain volume (TBV), total gray matter (GM) and white matter, cortical lobar, hippocampal, and cerebellar volumes. When reductions in TBV are accounted for, specific reductions are noted in subregions of the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, cerebellum, and hippocampus. A review of cortical lobar effect sizes reveals mostly large effect sizes from early childhood through adolescence. However, deviance is smaller in adolescence. Despite these smaller effects, frontal GM continues to be largely deviant in adolescence. An examination of age-frontal GM relations using effect sizes from published studies and data from Lee et al. (2016) reveals that while there is a strong inverse relationship between age and frontal GM volume in controls across childhood and adolescence, this is not observed in DS. Conclusions Further developmentally focused research, ideally using longitudinal neuroimaging, is needed to elucidate the nature of the DS neuroanatomic phenotype during childhood and adolescence. (JINS, 2018, 24, 966-976).
THERMODYNAMICS OF MESOSCOPIC SYSTEMS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the quantum effects that can give a finite value to a thermodynamic quantity although this quantity vanishes not only in any classical calculation but also for any infinite system (in the thermodynamic limit). The chapter presents a whole number of theoretical efforts and even a heroic experimental work. Though still unsuccessful, attempts to describe the experimental results quantitatively made one to realize a substantial difference in thermodynamic properties of a small isolated sample and an array of such samples from the properties of a continuous media. Nothing dramatic happens with thermodynamics even in the point of Anderson localization. Nontrivial quantum corrections to thermodynamics appear only if electron–electron interaction is taken into account. As a rule, these nontrivial corrections are relatively of the same order as those for the conductivity.
Common-Source Amplifier Based Analog Artificial Neural Network Classifier

An analog artificial neural network (ANN) classifier using a common-source amplifier based nonlinear activation function is presented in this work. A shallow ANN is designed using transistor level circuits and a multinomial (10 classes) classification accuracy of 0.82 is achieved on the MNIST dataset which consists of handwritten images of digits from 0–9. Use of common-source amplifier structure simplifies the ANN and results in 5X lower energy consumption than existing analog classifiers. The classifier performance is validated using Spectre and Matlab simulations.
ALTIS: A new algorithm for adaptive long-term SNR estimation in multi-talker babble.

Abstract We introduce a real-time capable algorithm which estimates the long-term signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the speech in multi-talker babble noise. In real-time applications, long-term SNR is calculated over a sufficiently long moving frame of the noisy speech ending at the current time. The algorithm performs the real-time long-term SNR estimation by averaging “speech-likeness” values of multiple consecutive short-frames of the noisy speech which collectively form a long-frame with an adaptive length. The algorithm is calibrated to be insensitive to short-term fluctuations and transient changes in speech or noise level. However, it quickly responds to non-transient changes in long-term SNR by adjusting the duration of the long-frame on which the long-term SNR is measured. This ability is obtained by employing an event detector and adaptive frame duration. The event detector identifies non-transient changes of the long-term SNR and optimizes the duration of the long-frame accordingly. The algorithm was trained and tested for randomly generated speech samples corrupted with multi-talker babble. In addition to its ability to provide an adaptive long-term SNR estimation in a dynamic noisy situation, the evaluation results show that the algorithm outperforms the existing overall SNR estimation methods in multi-talker babble over a wide range of number of talkers and SNRs. The relatively low computational cost and the ability to update the estimated long-term SNR several times per second make this algorithm capable of operating in real-time speech processing applications.
Perceived Causality and Emotional Reactions

Causal ascriptions influence expectancy change and the expectancy of success. This is a necessary linkage for the development of an attributional theory of motivation, inasmuch as goal anticipations certainly affect other thoughts and actions. As Rotter and Hochreich (1975) stated when criticizing psychoanalytic theory: Simply knowing how much an individual wants to reach a certain goal is not sufficient information for predicting his behavior. A student may want very badly to finish school and qualify himself for a well-paying job. But his past experiences may have led him to believe that no amount of studying will result in passing grades. … If his expectancy for success in the situation is low… he is unlikely to study, despite his strong desire to graduate. A fellow student may share the same strong goals, and as a result of a different set of past experiences in school, have a high expectancy that studying will lead to academic success. In this instance, one could safely predict that the second student would be likely to study in order to obtain his goals. As you can see, the goals in these two cases are identical, but the expectancies differ, and as a result, the behavior of the two students is likely to differ, (p. 95)
Phytomorph Identification in the Voynich Codex

The present chapter more than triples the number of plants identified in the Voynich Codex, from 4 species identified in 1944 by Rev. Hugh O’Neill, to 37 by Tucker and Talbert in 2013, to 55 species by Tucker and Janick in 2016, and to 57 species in Tucker and Janick (2018, Chap. 4). The phytomorphs in the Voynich Codex are listed alphabetically by family and species, and the folio designation is listed. Each identification is divided into four subsections:
Genome editing in grass plants

Cereal crops including maize, rice, wheat, sorghum, barley, millet, oats and rye are the major calorie sources in our daily life and also important bioenergy sources of the world. The rapidly advancing and state-of-the-art genome-editing tools such as zinc finger nucleases, TAL effector nucleases, and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated systems (CRISPR-Cas9-, CRISPR-Cas12a- and CRISPR/Cas-derived base editors) have accelerated the functional genomics and have promising potential for precision breeding of grass crops. With the availability of annotated genomes of the major cereal crops, application of these established genome-editing toolkits to grass plants holds promise to increase the nutritional value and productivity. Furthermore, these easy-to-use and robust genome-editing toolkits have advanced the reverse genetics for discovery of novel gene functions in crop plants. In this review, we document some of important progress in development and utilization of genome-editing tool sets in grass plants. We also highlight present and future uses of genome-editing toolkits that can sustain and improve the quality of cereal grain for food consumption.
Inhibition of Constitutively Activated JAK/STAT3 Pathway in Multiple Myeloma Cells Leads to Induction of Protective Autophagy.

Abstract 4914 Constitutive activation of Janus Kinase-2 (JAK-2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3) has been implicated to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of Multiple Myeloma (MM). Therefore, targeted inhibition of STAT3 is an attractive therapy for MM patients. JSI-124 is a natural product isolated from various plant families and has been recently described as a specific inhibitor of JAK2/STAT3. It has been shown to exert strong apoptosis-inducing effects against STAT3+ tumor cell lines in vitro and in vivo. However, there is little information available about the anti-tumor effects of JSI-124 on myeloma cells. We therefore tested the role of JSI-124 as a potential novel anti-MM compound and were able to determine that JSI-124 has potent anti-myeloma properties against human MM cell lines. Our results revealed that JSI-124 could inhibit both constitutively expressed and IL-6 induced phosphorylation of Tyr705 STAT3 as well as other important cell signal pathways that regulate cell proliferation in MM cell lines. However, the anti-myeloma effects were not restricted to STAT3+ MM cells. In STAT3+ cells JSI-124 induced cell death, which was predominantly caspase dependent. In contrast, JSI-124 induced both caspase-dependent and caspase-independent cell death in STAT3-MM cells. Furthermore, JSI-124 induced DNA damage only in STAT3- MM cells. Surprisingly, STAT3- cell lines were more sensitive to JSI-124-induced growth inhibition and induction of cell death than STAT3+ MM cell lines. Further analysis revealed that JSI-124 led to induction of autophagy only in STAT3+ MM cells as determined by upregulation of LC3B. A dramatic increase of JSI-124-dependent apoptosis was observed when the autophagy pathway was blocked by Chloroquine suggesting that STAT3-inhibition in STAT3+ MM cells leads to protective autophagy, which can be overcome by Chlorquine treatment. Interestingly, inhibition of autophagy by Chloroquine or 3-mA in STAT3+ cell lines U266 or ARH 77 resulted in AIF release and well as caspase-independent cell death. The results in this study suggest that JSI-124 could be an effective anti-myeloma agent regardless of STAT3 activation status and that combination with Chloroquine may enhance its anti-MM effect. Disclosures Lentzsch: celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; cephalon: Consultancy, Research Funding. Mapara: Resolvyx: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Genzyme: Honoraria, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; GENTIUM: STOCK OWNERSHIP.
Mentorship in Urology Residency Programs in the United States

ABSTRACT Objective To characterize the status of mentorship programs for Urology residencies in the United States, highlight the importance of mentorship in the career of a urology resident, and identify the obstacles of implementing a mentorship program. Methods With Internal Review Board exemption and approval from the Society of Academic Urologists, a survey was sent to the Program Directors of the Urology Residency programs in the United States containing questions about the presence and structure of a mentorship program in their department. Results Response rate was 54%. Seventy-five percent of respondents approved of formal mentorship programs. Fifty-eight percent of respondents had 1 established. Five percent of programs had an official training course for faculty mentors. Thirty-eight percent of programs had no requirement on mentor and/or mentee meeting frequency. The most common reason for not having a formal mentorship program was because the program felt that informal mentorship sufficed. Conclusion While the vast majority of Program Directors for Urology Residency programs in the United States approve of formal mentorship programs, only a little over half have 1 established. Programs should strive to create a formal mentorship program in their residency programs due to their recognized importance.
Cutting cycles of rods in space is FPT.

In this short note, we show that cutting cycles of rods is fixed-parameter tractable by reducing the problem to computing a feedback vertex set in a mixed graph.
Inhomogeneous Lens for use with Small Phased Array Feeds

Here we outline the development techniques used to design a millimeter-wave lens antenna that is fed by a single chipset phased array feed. The lens significantly increases the gain and retains the scanning capability of the array. The resulting system is only slightly more expensive than the array alone but has the directivity of a system with many more elements.
On Characteristic Rank for Matrix and Tensor Completion [Lecture Notes]

In this lecture note, we discuss a fundamental concept, referred to as the characteristic rank, that suggests a general framework for characterizing the basic properties of various low-dimensional models used in signal processing. We illustrate this framework through two examples-matrix and three-way tensor completion problems-and consider basic properties, including the identifiability of matrices and tensors, given partial observations. We consider cases without observation noise to illustrate the principle.
Black-White disparities in women's physical health: The role of socioeconomic status and racism-related stressors.

Abstract Black women have elevated rates of multiple physical illnesses and conditions when compared to White women – disparities that are only partially explained by socioeconomic status (SES). Consequently, scholars have called for renewed attention to the significance of racism-related stress in explaining Black-White disparities in women's physical health. Drawing on the biopsychosocial model of racism as a stressor and the intersectionality perspective, this study examines the extent to which SES and racism-related stressors – i.e., discrimination, criminalization, and adverse neighborhood conditions – account for disparities in self-rated physical health and chronic health conditions between Black and White women. Results indicate that Black women have lower SES and report greater exposure to racism-related stressors across all domains. Moreover, I find that SES and racism-related stressors jointly account for more than 90% of the Black-White disparity in women's self-rated physical health and almost 50% of the Black-White disparity in chronic health conditions. Theoretical and policy implications of these findings are discussed.
An Inclusive Classroom: Ongoing Programs to Develop Faculty Awareness and Knowledge of Teaching Strategies

The 2018 US Census reports an increasingly diverse population in the United States. Along with this diversification reflected in today's college student population is increased activism regarding environments devoid of equity and inclusion. Many national organizations and institutions of higher education have developed and implemented programming to address inclusion and equity needs at their institutions. At Iowa State University, a series of training opportunities help guide faculty and academic leaders to adopt best practices for teaching inclusively to enhance students’ learning environments, learning experiences, and learning outcomes. In this chapter, we report and share the Inclusive Classroom resources developed and key outcomes of a university-wide program at this large, Midwestern, research-extensive land grant institution.
Autonomic Dysregulation as a Therapeutic Target for Acute HF

Despite major advances that have led to effective therapeutic modalities for the treatment of heart failure (HF), this syndrome has continued to be a staggering health problem associated with significant mortality and morbidity. The increasing number of hospital admissions and readmissions related to acute HF continues to pose a fiscal challenge leading to constant interest in development of novel approaches. These point to multiple areas of unmet needs especially in acute HF, thus, necessitating further efforts to develop novel strategies for prevention and treatment of acute HF. One area of continuing focus is targeting the role of autonomic imbalance associated with the development of HF. Autonomic dysregulation, manifested by increased sympathetic drive and reduced parasympathetic activity, has been recognized as a mediator of increased mortality and morbidity in HF and myocardial infarction. Furthermore, vagal withdrawal has been shown to precede acute decompensation, though whether this represents cause or effect is unknown. This review discusses the potential role of autonomic dysregulation as a therapeutic modality for patients with acute decompensated HF.
Perpetual Union, Free Love, and Secession: On the Limits to the Consent of the Governed

arguments of rights; thus his claim that any embrace of secession necessarily entails "anarchy." But at this point, we are forced to confront the limits of "logic." Every lawyer almost invariably finds occasion to quote Justice Holmes's reminder that "[tihe life of the law [is] not ... logic... [but] experience."7 ° In the real world in which we live, we do not generally resolve all arguments of principle by reference to the most extreme conclusions they might lead to, but we instead test them against specific contexts and the inevitable mixture of values that are presented to us. Most of us, I dare say, recognize, with whatever degree of reluctance, the validity of Isaiah Berlin's point that we are constantly weighing incommensurable claims and trying to achieve some balance among them. Even Professor Jaffa, whose book is thoroughly grounded in natural law and natural rights, nonetheless concedes the importance of making a place for "prudential" judgment. Even if one rank orders the values in question, this does not mean the erasure of the secondary ones, which continue to assert their own power. One more point should be made absolutely clear: The more that one accepts prudence or consequentialism into one's ambit of "legal" arguments, the more impossible it becomes to maintain any significant distinction between "law" and "politics."
Econometric modelling of partial adjustment

Abstract Recent econometric work has shown that, in the presence of lagged dependent variables, the Cochrane-Orcutt technique can result in a local minimum value of rho. So far, however, this finding has largely been overlooked in empirical studies of partial adjustment. This paper demonstrates that in partial adjustment models the Cochrane—Orcutt technique gives inconsistent estimators. In contrast to previous findings, our results prove that none of the coefficients in such models is therefore to be trusted: each of the parameter estimates (including rho) is inconsistent. Thus, even if rho converges to a global minimum value, the estimated coefficients of the explanatory variables will continue to be biased in large samples.
Pragmatic XML access control using off-the-shelf RDBMS

As the XML model gets more popular, new needs arise to specify access control within XML model. Various XML access control models and enforcement methods have been proposed recently. However, by and large, these approaches either assume the support of security features from XML databases or use proprietary tools outside of databases. Since there are currently few commercial XML databases with such capabilities, the proposed approaches are not yet practical. Therefore, we explore the problem of "Is is possible to fully support XML access control in RDBMS?" We formalize XML and relational access control models using deep set operators. Then we show that the problem of XML AC atop RDBMS is amount to the problem of converting XML deep set operators into equivalent relational deep set operators. We show the conversion algebra and identify the properties to ensure the correct conversion. Finally, we present three practical implementations of XML access controls using off-the-shelf RDBMS and their performance results.
Secondary bladder neck obstruction in patients with urethral valves. Treatment with phenoxybenzamine

Two cases are reported of functionally significant bladder neck obstruction following urethral valve fulguration which resulted in inability to void. Both patients responded to the administration of phenoxybenzamine, an alpha-adrenergic blocking agent. Treatment of patients with suspected bladder neck obstruction with this agent provides a reversible method of decreasing urethral resistance without the potentially harmful effects of surgical bladder neck revision.
Subunit associations in the mammalian pyruvate dehydrogenase complex: structure and role of protein X and the pyruvate dehydrogenase component binding domain of the dihydrolipoyl transacetylase component

Abstract We have further distinguished the structures and roles of the two lipoyl-bearing components of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, the dihydrolipoyl transacetylase (E2) component and the component designated as protein X. The amino acid sequences of the NH2-terminal regions of the lipoyl-bearing domain of the E2 component and protein X are different but related. The dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase (E3) component but not the pyruvate dehydrogenase (E1) component protected protein X against proteolytic degradation by trypsin and protease Arg C. Protein X-specific polyclonal antibodies inhibit reconstitution of the overall reaction catalyzed by the complex (E2-X subcomplex recombined with the E1 and E3 components). The rate of development of this inhibition was reduced by pretreatment of E2-X subcomplex with the E3 component. These data strongly suggest the E3 component associates with protein X. The E1 component (an alpha 2 beta 2 tetramer), but not the E3 component, reduced trypsin cleavage of E2 subunits at 4 degrees C and altered the patterns of cleavage at 22 degrees C. At 22 degrees C a large (Mr congruent to 49,000) outer domain (E2LB) of the E2 component was produced. E2LB had the same NH2-terminal amino acid sequence as the smaller (Mr congruent to 38,000) lipoyl-bearing domain (E2L). E2LB, in contrast to E2L, interacted with both the E1 component and the beta subunit of the E1 component. Thus the E1 component is bound through an E1-binding domain that is located in E2 subunits between the inner domain and the outer, lipoyl-bearing domain.
SOLUTION STRUCTURE AND MECHANISM OF THE MUTT PYROPHOSPHOHYDROLASE

The MutT enzyme prevents errors in DNA replication by hydrolyzing mutagenic nucleotide substrates such as 8-oxo-dGTP. It does so by catalyzing nucleophilic attack at the electron rich P beta of nucleoside triphosphates. Members of this small mechanistic class of enzymes require two divalent cations per active site for activity--one coordinated by the enzyme and the other by the enzyme-bound NTP--and show low catalytic powers of 10(7)- to 10(9)-fold. The first structure of an enzyme of this class, obtained by NMR methods in solution, shows MutT to be a compact globular protein with an alpha + beta-fold. The binding of the essential divalent cation activator Mg2+ and the substrate analog Mg(2+)-AMPCPP to the MutT enzyme to form the quaternary E-Mg(2+)-AMPCPP-Mg2+ complex does not alter the global fold of the enzyme but produces localized small conformational changes at or near the metal and substrate binding sites. The adenine-ribose moiety binds in a hydrophobic cleft near 3-strands of a mixed beta-sheet, with the 6-NH2 group of the purine ring approaching the -NH2 side chain of Asn-119. With a 6-keto group, GTP would interact more favorably with Asn-119, consistent with the substrate preference of MutT for guanine over adenine nucleotides. The enzyme-bound metal is coordinated by three conserved Glu residues (Glu-56, Glu-57, and Glu-98), the backbone carbonyl of a conserved Gly residue (Gly-38), and by two water ligands. The metal-triphosphate moiety of the metal-AMPCPP complex binds in the second coordination sphere of the enzyme-bound divalent cation. One of the water ligands of the enzyme-bound metal ion is well positioned to attack P beta with inversion and to be deprotonated or oriented by Glu-53, which in turn may be oriented by Arg-52. Lys-39 is positioned to interact electrostatically with the alpha-phosphoryl group and thereby to facilitate the departure of the NMP-leaving group. Quantitatively, the 10(9)-fold rate acceleration produced by the MutT enzyme may be ascribed to catalysis by approximation and polarization of the attacking water by the enzyme-bound metal ion (> or = 10(5)-fold), activation of the NMP leaving group by Lys-39 (10-fold), charge neutralization at P beta by the nucleotide-bound divalent cation (> or = 10-fold), and orientation and/or deprotonation of the attacking water by Glu-53 (> or = 10(2)-fold). This reaction mechanism, derived from the solution structure of the quaternary MutT complex, is both qualitatively and quantitatively consistent with the results of mutagenesis studies and may well be applicable to other enzymes that catalyze nucleophilic substitution at the electron-rich P beta of NTP substrates.
Rat growth hormone gene expression. Both cell-specific and thyroid hormone response elements are required for thyroid hormone regulation.

Abstract The elements involved in mediating cell-specific and thyroid hormone stimulation of rat growth hormone gene expression have been defined by transfection studies and by nuclease footprinting. 5'-Flanking DNA extending to -104 can mediate cell-specific expression, and this is enhanced 3- to 4-fold with DNA extending to -145. Cell-specific factors, found only in rat growth hormone producing cells, bind within the -137/-107 and -95/-65 regions, and competition studies suggest that the same factor binds to both sites. The sequence A (A or T) TAAAT is found at the center of both footprints at -80 and -122, suggesting that it is a core component of the recognition sequence of the cell-specific factor. Disruption of the spatial and/or distance relationships between the two regions eliminates the enhanced level of cell-specific expression, suggesting a cooperative interaction of the proteins which bind to these elements. Sequences located between -208 and -178 can confer thyroid hormone-regulated expression when linked in either orientation in close proximity to one or both cell-specific elements. The thyroid hormone and cell-specific elements function as an enhancer-like unit and are both required to confer regulated expression to heterologous promoters. We propose that thyroid hormone acts via its receptor to enhance the function of the cell-specific element by forming a more "active" transcription complex which stimulates the level of gene expression.
Avascular necrosis of the femoral head in chronic myeloid leukemia patients treated with interferon-α: A synergistic correlation?

BACKGROUND The objectives of this study were to describe cases of avascular necrosis of the femoral head (ANFH) observed in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients who were treated with interferon-α and to review the literature. METHODS The authors undertook a case review of the M. D. Anderson experience with ANFH occurring in CML patients who were managed with interferon-α-based therapy. MEDLINE (from 1966 to November 1999) and CancerLit (from 1983 to November 1999) searches were conducted to identify cases of avascular necrosis (AVN) associated with either CML or interferon-α. RESULTS Three patients with ANFH were identified from the authors' experience. No common features related to the disease or therapy were seen among them, except for the presence of thrombocytosis and loss of response. A literature review revealed seven cases of ANFH associated with CML with or without interferon-α-based therapy. ANFH was not reported in association with interferon-α use for indications other than the treatment of patients with CML. CONCLUSIONS ANFH may be the result of an interaction between CML and interferon-α therapy. ANFH that occurs in patients with CML who are treated with interferon-α should be recognized for treatment implications. Thrombocytosis with consequent microvascular thrombi and avascular necrosis manifesting in susceptible vascular or weight-bearing areas (e.g., the femoral head) may be an associated finding along with loss of response to interferon-α therapy. Cancer 2000;89:1482–89. © 2000 American Cancer Society.
System combination for improved automatic generation of N-best proper nouns pronunciation

Proper nouns present a challenging problem for current speech recognition technology since they often do not follow typical letter-to-sound conversion rules. Several different automated methods, Boltzmann machines, decision trees, and recurrent neural networks have been attempted in the literature, yet no single system has achieved an acceptable error rate. Since the project goal is the generation of pronunciation dictionaries for speech recognition, however, we can easily combine the multiple outputs of the multiple systems and use the total database coverage as our scoring metric. For generating at least one correct pronunciation for all names, combining all systems gives us a 19.6% error rate, a 23.1% absolute reduction over the best previous system. For generating every pronunciation in the database the combined system rates at 29.1%, a 23.6% reduction.
Tracheal collapse. Diagnosis and medical and surgical treatment.

Tracheal collapse remains a common clinical problem in middleaged, small-breed dogs. Clinical signs are characteristic, and the diagnostic work-up serves to identify predisposing triggers of disease and to allow optimization of therapy for individual animals. Bronchoscopic confirmation of airway collapse aids in characterizing the extent of airway damage and allows collection of airway samples to rule out infectious or inflammatory airway disease. Once coincident diseases have been managed, cough suppressants are used to control signs and reduce chronic airway injury.
Terfenadine pharmacokinetics in breast milk in lactating women.

The excretion of terfenadine into breast milk has not been reported previously. Disposition of terfenadine was prospectively studied in four healthy lactating mothers (age, 33 +/- 4 years). Subjects received 60 mg terfenadine every 12 hours over a period of 48 hours to achieve steady-state milk and plasma concentrations. Milk and plasma samples were collected at 1/2, 1, 1 1/2, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, and 30 hours after the last dose. Terfenadine and its active metabolite milk and plasma concentrations were quantitated by HPLC. Terfenadine was not detected in milk or plasma. Mean +/- SD active metabolite data for milk and plasma are as follows: Cmax (ng/ml), 41.0 +/- 16.4 for milk, 309.0 +/- 120.5 for plasma; tmax (hours), 4.3 +/- 2.4 for milk, 3.9 +/- 3.0 for plasma; t1/2 beta (hours), 14.2 +/- 5.4 for milk, 11.7 +/- 6.4 for plasma; AUC(0-12) (ng.hr/ml) 320.4 +/- 99.8 for milk, 1590.0 +/- 300.4 for plasma. Metabolite milk/plasmaAUC(0-12) ratios ranged from 0.12 to 0.28 (mean, 0.21 +/- 0.07). Newborn dosage estimates based on the highest measured concentration of terfenadine metabolite in milk suggests the maximum level of newborn exposure would not exceed 0.45% of the recommended maternal weight-corrected dose. Estimated amounts consumed by the neonate after the mother is given the recommended dose of the drug are not likely to result in plasma levels producing untoward effects.
Patch granuloma annulare: clinicopathologic study of 6 patients.

Abstract Background: Granuloma annulare is a common skin disorder that usually presents with smooth papules arranged as annular plaques. Variants, such as disseminated, subcutaneous, and perforating granuloma annulare, have been described. Objective: The purpose of this study is to describe the clinical and histologic features of a distinct patch form of granuloma annulare. Methods: The clinical and histologic features of 6 patients with patch granuloma annulare were evaluated. Results: Six women 27 to 72 years of age had patches on the extremities. Two patients also had a lesion on the trunk. Only one patient had annular patches. Histologic examination showed an interstitial infiltrate of lymphocytes and histiocytes with diffuse necrobiosis. Conclusion: Patch granuloma annulare is a distinct variant with rather subtle clinical and histologic features. A high index of suspicion both clinically and histologically aids in making the diagnosis. (J Am Acad Dermatol 2000;42:417-21.)