cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
International Economic Structures and American Foreign Policy, 1887-1934

American foreign economic policy between 1887 and 1934 was shaped in important ways by the international economic structure and the position of the United States as a "supporter" within it. As Britain's hegemony declined, and particularly after it joined the United States as a supporter just prior to World War I, American foreign economic policy became more liberal and active. Once Britain was transformed from a supporter into a spoiler in the late 1920s, leaving the United States as the sole supporter within the IES, both the international economy and American policy became more unstable and protectionist. During the 1970s, the United States, West Germany, and France all emerged as supporters within the IES, indicating that a moderately stable and liberal international economy may continue to exist in the future.
The Real-Space Multiple-Scattering Theory: A First-Principles Method for the Computation of the Electronic Structure of Extended Defects

We describe the real-space multiple-scattering theory. This theory is designed explicitly for the treatment of systems with isolated extended defects, such as surfaces and interfaces. It avoids the use of artificial slab or supercell boundary conditions by taking advantage of the principle of removal invariance, which is possessed by systems that have the property of semi-infInite periodicity. We illustrate the method with calculations on grain boundaries in Cu.
Cocaine Use during Pregnancy: Perinatal Outcomes

The relation between maternal cocaine use and perinatal outcomes was investigated among 17,466 non-Asian singleton deliveries in 1988 from the University of Illinois Perinatal Network data base in the metropolitan Chicago area. Elevated adjusted relative risks (RR) of low birth weight (RR = 2.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.2-3.7), prematurity (RR = 2.4, 95% CI 1.9-3.1), abruptio placentae (RR = 4.5, 95% CI 2.4-8.5), and perinatal death (RR = 2.1, 95% CI 1.1-4.0) were observed for "any" cocaine users (n = 408) compared with women who did not use cocaine or any other drugs or alcohol (n = 17,058). There was an increased (although unstable) risk of intrapartum placenta previa not previously reported (RR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.0-5.1). The relative risk of small-for-gestational-age births for cocaine users who did not smoke (RR = 3.4, 95% CI 1.8-6.5) was greater than that for cocaine users who did (RR = 2.1, 95% CI 1.1-4.1). Irrespective of smoking status, cocaine use during pregnancy increased the risk of small-for-gestational-age births.
Sex Differences in Associations Between Subjective Social Status and C-Reactive Protein in Young Adults.

OBJECTIVE: In middle-aged and older samples, perceived subjective socioeconomic status (SSS) is a marker of social rank that is associated with elevated inflammation and cardiovascular disease risk independent of objective indicators of SES (oSES). Whether SSS is uniquely associated with elevated inflammation during young adulthood and whether these linkages differ by sex have not been studied using a nationally representative sample of young adults. METHODS: Data came from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. At Wave IV, young adults aged mostly 24 to 32 years reported their SSS, oSES, and a range of covariates of both SES and elevated inflammation. Trained fieldworkers assessed medication use, body mass index, and waist circumference, and also collected bloodspots from which high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) was assayed. The sample size for the present analyses was n = 13,236. RESULTS: Descriptive and bivariate analyses revealed a graded association between SSS and hs-CRP (b = -0.072, standard error [SE] = 0.011, p < .001): as SSS declined, mean levels of hs-CRP increased. When oSES indicators were taken into account, this association was no longer significant in women (b = -0.013, SE = 0.019, p = .514). In men, a small but significant SSS-hs-CRP association remained after adjusting for oSES indicators and additional potential confounders of this association in the final models (b = -0.034, SE = 0.011 p = .003; p < .001 for the sex by SSS interaction). CONCLUSIONS: SSS is independently associated with elevated inflammation in young adults. The associations were stronger in men than in women. These data suggest that subjective, global assessments of social rank might play a role in developing adverse health outcomes.
Marker-Less Measurement and Analysis of Collagen Uncrimping, Orientation, and Local Deformation Patterns Under Controlled Loads

Deformation, crimp, and alignment patterns of collagen fibers in soft tissues have been measured using a novel testing system combining controlled loading with synchronized high-resolution imaging. Marker-less feature tracking was used to measure 2-D local deformations, and a radon transform was used to compute quantitative maps of crimp patterns and local tissue fiber orientation. We found highly nonuniform deformation and crimp patterns, with the highest strains near the clamps, and the lowest strains in the midsubstance region.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
The Ionospheric Wind Dynamo

This paper presents a brief review of recent work concerning the global Ionospheric wind dynamo, with a view toward helping to define some principal directions for future research. Remaining problem areas are identified as: more accurate determination of the distributions of ionospheric conductivities, especially in the highly variable F region; determination of the distributions of winds in the E region under all seasonal conditions, especially the tidal components; improved understanding of the mutual coupling effects among variations in conductivities, thermospheric winds, and electric fields and currents; and quantitative understanding of the mutual coupling processes acting between the magnetospheric and ionospheric dynamos and the changes in the ionospheric dynamo occurring during magnetic storms.
The rationale of alternate-day corticosteroid therapy.

Numerous studies show that dosage spacing can minimize the potential risks of corticosteroid therapy by preserving pituitary-adrenal responsiveness and modifying the adverse systemic effects. Alternate-day or, more specifically, alternate-morning programs are based on the periodicity of endogenous Cortisol secretion and the duration of action of exogenous steroid. The major limitation is acute disease or the acute phase of chronic disease.
Resonant Cavity Enhanced Photodetectors with a Flat Spectral Response

Resonant cavity enhanced (RCE) photodetectors (PDs) are promising candidates for applications in optical communications and interconnects where high-speed high-efficiency photodetection is desirable.
The frontier myth in presidential rhetoric: Theodore Roosevelt's campaign for conservation

The Frontier Myth has been a much used story by rhetorical presidents to inspire audiences and to energize policies. This essay investigates Theodore Roosevelt's use of it. Rather than employ it in a traditional sense to promote a martial or economic policy, he linked it to the notion of conservation. He altered the traditional Myth by recasting its conqueror‐hero with a farmer‐hero, replacing its unlimited frontier with a finite frontier, and by redefining its key values. As a rhetorical leader Roosevelt took his case to the public and promoted conservation not only as a legislative initiative but also as a moral imperative.
Ethnic Conflict: Questions and Answers

AbstractThis article implements systemism to identify what is known so far about ethnic conflict, along with the most and least useful developments. Systemism is an approach that relies on diagrams to convey causal mechanisms in a more complete and logically consistent way. On the positive side, it is possible to point out greater awareness of the nexus of international and domestic conflict. Overreaction against primordialism and in favour of constructivism stands out on the negative side. Assessment of the field guided by systemism argues in favour of a research agenda focusing on causal mechanisms involving ethnic diversity, local armed conflict, and diffusion of ethnic conflict, with investigation based on mixed methods.
Human drivers of ecological and evolutionary dynamics in emerging and disappearing infectious disease systems

Humans have contributed to the increased frequency and severity of emerging infectious diseases, which pose a significant threat to wild and domestic species, as well as human health. This review examines major pathways by which humans influence parasitism by altering (co)evolutionary interactions between hosts and parasites on ecological timescales. There is still much to learn about these interactions, but a few well-studied cases show that humans influence disease emergence every step of the way. Human actions significantly increase dispersal of host, parasite and vector species, enabling greater frequency of infection in naive host populations and host switches. Very dense host populations resulting from urbanization and agriculture can drive the evolution of more virulent parasites and, in some cases, more resistant host populations. Human activities that reduce host genetic diversity or impose abiotic stress can impair the ability of hosts to adapt to disease threats. Further, evolutionary responses of hosts and parasites can thwart disease management and biocontrol efforts. Finally, in rare cases, humans influence evolution by eradicating an infectious disease. If we hope to fully understand the factors driving disease emergence and potentially control these epidemics we must consider the widespread influence of humans on host and parasite evolutionary trajectories. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Human influences on evolution, and the ecological and societal consequences’.
Radiation Dosimetry of PET Imaging

The basics of internal dosimetry in nuclear medicine are reviewed. The design and execution of medical imaging studies are explained, for animal and human studies. Animal data extrapolation and data analysis for human imaging data are given by example. Dose quantities are explained and, again, given by example. Standardized doses, for general cases and for the pregnant or lactating female, are given.
Evaluation of model-generated vertical profiles of meteorological variables: method and initial results

Meteorological centres compare global and large-scale regional model output versus radiosonde data more or less continuously for specific models and also make inter-model comparisons. They normally provide comparisons of meteorological variables at standard pressure levels, and similar comparisons for finer-scale models may be found as output from field tests and other experiments. Additional means to evaluate vertical profiles derived from model output more fully should help provide a more complete evaluation of model output compared with observations. Here, two versions of a program to produce vertical profiles of meteorological variables in terms of user input heights or pressure levels are developed, and integrated mean value profiles of the variables for layers defined by those heights or pressures are generated. Output profiles were entered into spreadsheets for calculation of the derived variables of density and vector wind speed. The level and mean layer values from the Weather Research and Forecasting model (version 3.6.1) were compared with co-incident World Meteorological Organization radiosonde observation data and the differences were computed for several variables. The methods developed here may be used for a variety of model-generated and observed vertical profiles with only minimal changes, primarily to the input function.
Effects of noise-induced hearing loss on parvalbumin and perineuronal net expression in the mouse primary auditory cortex.

Noise induced hearing loss is associated with increased excitability in the central auditory system but the cellular correlates of such changes remain to be characterized. Here we tested the hypothesis that noise-induced hearing loss causes deterioration of perineuronal nets (PNNs) in the auditory cortex of mice. PNNs are specialized extracellular matrix components that commonly enwrap cortical parvalbumin (PV) containing GABAergic interneurons. Compared to somatosensory and visual cortex, relatively less is known about PV/PNN expression patterns in the primary auditory cortex (A1). Whether changes to cortical PNNs follow acoustic trauma remains unclear. The first aim of this study was to characterize PV/PNN expression in A1 of adult mice. PNNs increase excitability of PV+ inhibitory neurons and confer protection to these neurons against oxidative stress. Decreased PV/PNN expression may therefore lead to a reduction in cortical inhibition. The second aim of this study was to examine PV/PNN expression in superficial (I-IV) and deep cortical layers (V-VI) following noise trauma. Exposing mice to loud noise caused an increase in hearing threshold that lasted at least 30 days. PV and PNN expression in A1 was analyzed at 1, 10 and 30 days following the exposure. No significant changes were observed in the density of PV+, PNN+, or PV/PNN co-localized cells following hearing loss. However, a significant layer- and cell type-specific decrease in PNN intensity was seen following hearing loss. Some changes were present even at 1 day following noise exposure. Attenuation of PNN may contribute to changes in excitability in cortex following noise trauma. The regulation of PNN may open up a temporal window for altered excitability in the adult brain that is then stabilized at a new and potentially pathological level such as in tinnitus.
Effects of pressure sensitivity on the η factor and the J integral estimation for compact tension specimens

In this paper, the effects of pressure-sensitive yielding on the η factor and the J integral estimation for compact tension specimens are investigated. The analytical expressions for η and J for pressure-insensitive von Mises materials are generalized to pressure-sensitive Drucker-Prager materials using a lower bound approach. The η factor as a function of the pressure sensitivity and the normalized crack depth for compact tension specimens is derived under plane stress and plane strain conditions. The numerical results indicate that the η factor decreases as the pressure sensitivity increases. The effects are more pronounced under plane strain conditions than under plane stress conditions. However, the effects of the pressure sensitivity on η are found to be mild in general. For rigid perfectly-plastic materials, the J estimation for pressure-sensitive materials is also reduced to a simple expression of the tensile yield stress times the crack tip opening displacement as for the von Mises materials.
A Cultural Perspective on Rape

In the Trojan council, Paris argues against returning Helen to the Greeks: Sir, I propose not merely to myself The pleasures such a beauty brings with it; But I would have the soil for her fair rape Wiped off in honorable keeping her. What treason were it to the ransack’d queen, Disgrace to your great worths, and shame to me, Now to deliver her possession up On terms of base compulsion!1
Mannosidosis: studies of the alpha-D-mannosidase isozymes in health and disease.

Mannosidosis, a systemic lysosomal storage disease first described by Ockerman (22), is characterized by psychomotor retardation, a facial dysmorphia resembling that of the Hurler syndrome, dysostosis multiplex, hepatosplenomegaly, hearing loss, recurrent infections and autosomal recessive inheritance. The primary metabolic defect responsible for these manifestations is the deficiency of the acidic α-mannosidase activity (α-D-mannoside mannohydrolase EC 3.2.1.24) (4,19,22) which results in the lysosomal accumulation of mannose-rich oligosaccharides in neural (23) and visceral tissues (1,22) and in the urine (1,20,21,32) of affected homozygous patients. Presumably this enzymatic defect also leads to the accumulation of other glycoconjugate substrates with terminal α-mannosyl residues as evidenced by the recent finding of abnormal glycopeptides, rich in mannose, in cultured skin fibroblasts from a homozygote with mannosidosis (33).
Myriad of implications of acetyl-l-carnitine deficits in depression

The report of Nasca et al. (1) of low levels of acetyl-l-carnitine (LAC) in depression promises to have a major impact in the understanding and treatment of major depression. It may also have implications for other types of depressive illnesses such as bipolar disorder and even posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The findings are especially noteworthy from a number of different perspectives. They are from two different study populations, and the values are documented by two different assays. LAC levels were not only lower in depressed patients in general but lower in those with greater illness severity as well as an earlier age of onset, the latter of which is a risk factor for a poor outcome in adulthood. In those with a history of treatment-resistant depression (TRD), LAC was lower in females and those experiencing emotional neglect. The convergence of these clinical findings with those in animal models of depression makes the potential implications even more striking. Low levels of LAC are found in several different models, and impressively, treatment of these animals with LAC resulted in rapid onset of improvement in their depressive-like behaviors. In an earlier paper in PNAS, Nasca et al. (2) reported that these effects of LAC were conveyed by an epigenetic mechanism involving rapid up-regulation of type 2 metabotropic glutamate (mGlu2) receptors, which are inhibitory to glutamate release. This occurred by increasing levels of acetylated H3K27 bound to the Grm2 promoter, yielding increased transcription of Grm2 in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. The rapid increase in mGlu2 receptors was associated with improvement in … [↵][1]1Email: robert.post{at}speakeasy.net. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Management Strategies for Nocturia

Nocturia is defined as awakening due to the desire to void during a period of intended sleep. The pathophysiology of nocturia is multifactorial and management remains a challenge. Herein, we provide an overview of the management strategies for nocturia and summarize the existing evidence for treatment of nocturia across the condition’s broad etiologic categories: nocturnal polyuria, diminished bladder capacity, and global polyuria. Treatment should begin with behavioral modification. A high level of evidence supports the efficacy of desmopressin in the treatment of nocturnal polyuria. Data supporting the efficacy of α-blockers, antimuscarinics, and surgical bladder outlet procedures in the treatment of nocturia remains limited. Treatment options for nocturia are determined by underlying mechanism. Desmopressin is effective in treating nocturnal polyuria. Surgical intervention, α-blockers, and antimuscarinics may improve nocturia when associated with lower urinary tract symptoms or overactive bladder in the setting of diminished bladder capacity.
Pioneer factor Foxa2 enables ligand-dependent activation of LXRα

Type II nuclear hormone receptors, such as FXR, LXR, and PPAR, which function in glucose and lipid metabolism and serve as drug targets for metabolic diseases, are permanently positioned in the nucleus regardless of the ligand status. Ligand activation of these receptors is thought to occur by co-repressor/co-activator exchange, followed by initiation of transcription. However, recent genome-wide location analysis showed that LXRα and PPARα binding in the liver is largely ligand-dependent. We hypothesized that pioneer factor Foxa2 evicts nucleosomes to enable ligand-dependent receptor binding. We show that chromatin accessibility, LXRα occupancy, and LXRα-dependent gene expression upon ligand activation require Foxa2. Unexpectedly, Foxa2 occupancy is drastically increased when LXRα is bound by an agonist. Our results suggest that Foxa2 and LXRα bind DNA as an interdependent complex during ligand activation. Our model requiring pioneering activity for ligand activation challenges the existing co-factor exchange mechanism and expands current understanding of nuclear receptor biology, suggesting that chromatin accessibility needs to be considered in design of drugs targeting nuclear receptors.
The Lightning and Dual-Polarization Radar Characteristics of Three Hail-Accumulating Thunderstorms

AbstractThunderstorms that produce hail accumulations at the surface can impact residents by obstructing roadways, closing airports, and causing localized flooding from hail-clogged drainages. Thes...
Rapid: Robust and Adaptive Detection of Distributed Denial-of-Service Traffic from the Internet of Things

The ubiquity of the Internet of Things (IoT) can cause devastating distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. In order to thwart IoT-enabled DDoS attacks, network operators can deploy an anomaly detection system that detects and mitigates the DDoS traffic near the source of the attack. Unfortunately, anomaly detection systems face conflicting real-world deployment challenges in IoT networks. Namely, many IoT network operators cannot deploy systems that require manual parameter tuning or labeling, but without such system maintenance, previously proposed anomaly detection systems display far too many false positives for acceptable deployment in IoT networks. To exacerbate this problem, pre-trained machine learning models often fail to accurately classify traffic when ported to a new environment (i.e., domain shift), and must either retrain with labeled data painstakingly collected from the newly deployed network or exhibit poor accuracy.In order to overcome these IoT deployment challenges, we propose a novel anomaly detection system, Rapid, that successfully detects IoT-enabled DDoS attacks but also meets the accuracy demands of IoT under domain shift with little to no system maintenance from IoT network operators. Rapid initially provides robust detection through advanced machine learning techniques such as Long Short Term Memory (LSTM), but further, Rapid introduces a novel active learning technique that interweaves closely with attack mitigation to automatically adapt to new network domains without manual system maintenance. Rapid operates in real-time, and even though we leverage neural network techniques that typically cannot explain their predictions, our system architecture can provide diagnostic insight into any detected attack.
A two-pronged approach for rapid and high-throughput SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid testing

Improved molecular screening and diagnostic tools are needed to substantially increase SARS-CoV-2 testing capacity and throughput while reducing the time to receive test results. Here we developed multiplex reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (m-RT-PCR) for detection of SARS-CoV-2 using rapid DNA electrophoresis and alternatively using multiplex viral sequencing (mVseq). For RNA specimens extracted from nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs in viral transport media (VTM), our assays achieved a sensitivity for SARS-CoV-2 detection corresponding to cycle threshold (Ct) of 37.2 based on testing of these specimens using quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). For NP swab-VTM specimens without prior RNA extraction, sensitivity was reduced to Ct of 31.6, which was due to lower concentration of SARS-CoV-2 genome copies in VTM compared to RNA-extracted samples. Assay turnaround time was 60 minutes using rapid gel electrophoresis, 90 minutes using Agilent Bioanalyzer, and 24-48 hours using Illumina sequencing, the latter of which required a second PCR to produce a sequence-ready library using m-RT-PCR products as the template. Our assays can be employed for high-throughput sequencing-based detection of SARS-CoV-2 directly from a clinical specimen without RNA isolation, while ease-of-use and low cost of the electrophoresis-based readout enables screening, particularly in resource-constrained settings.
Head and Neck Cancers

Recent evidence suggests that dysregulated translation and its control significantly contribute to the etiology and pathogenesis of the head and neck cancers, specifically to that of squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). eIF4E is one of the most studied components of the translation machinery implicated in the development and progression of HNSCC. It appears that dysregulation of eIF4E levels and activity, namely by the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, plays an important role in the etiology and pathogenesis of HNSCC and correlates with clinical outcomes. In this chapter, we will discuss the role of eIF4E and some other translation factors as they relate to the biology and treatment of HNSCC.
Functional genome and microbiome in blood of goats affected by the gastrointestinal pathogen Haemonchus contortus

The Alpine goat Capra aegagrus hircus is parasitized by the barber pole worm (Haemonchus contortus). This relationship results in changes that affect the gene expression of the host, the pest, and the microbiome of both. Hematological parameters indicating genes that are expressed and/or the % Composition of abundant and diverse microbial flora are reflective of infestation. We explored the similarity/dissimilarity between and among blood samples of non-infected, infected, infected zoledronic acid-treated, and infected antibody (anti-{gamma}{sigma} T cells) treated wethers under controlled conditions. We identified responses to barber pole worms using blood-based analysis of transcripts and the microbiome. Seven (7) days post-inoculation (dpi) we identified 7,627 genes associated with different treatment types. Across all treatments we identified fewer raw read counts and a reduced diversity in microbial flora on 7 dpi than in 21 dpi wethers. We also identified that there were differences in % Composition of microbial flora known to be associated with inflammation. This study identifies treatment specific genes, and an increase in microflora abundance and diversity as wethers age post infestation. Further, Firmicutes/Bacteriodetes (F/B) ratio reflect metabolic health, based on depression or elevation above thresholds defined by the baseline of non-infected hosts depending on the type of intrusion exhibited by the pest.
The Algebraic Invariance of the Word Problem in Groups

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the algebraic invariance of a word problem in groups. The restriction to f.g. presentations is not artificial because groups can be presented on infinitely many generators so that the w.p. for a infinite system is unsolvable even though this is not so for f.g. presentations. Some reasonable measures of cost may not turn out to be algebraic invariants neither two distinct measures can be compatible.
A Note on Measuring Charm and Bottom Forward-Backward Asymmetries at the Tevatron

The forward-backward asymmetry A_{FB}^t in top quark production at the Tevatron has been seen to be anomalously large both by CDF and D0. Parton-level asymmetries as large as 50%, with a large error bar, have been extracted from the data. It is important to measure other quark asymmetries if possible, as these would help clarify the source of any new physics behind A_{FB}^t. In this note it is argued that asymmetries in b\bar b and c\bar c should be accessible to the Tevatron experiments, using the full data sets. A crude study suggests that muon asymmetries in high-p_T dijet events, with suitable use of muon and jet kinematics and (inefficient) heavy flavor tagging, might allow detection of A_{FB}^c and A_{FB}^b ~ 0.3. Were it possible to make heavy flavor tagging at high p_T efficient, or mistags rare, then the sensitivity of the measurement of A_{FB}^b could be significantly better.
Interaction of bacteriophage N1 with cell walls of Micrococcus lysodeikticus.

Abstract Bacteriophage N1 does not irreversibly adsorb to cell walls isolated from its host Micrococcus lysodeikticus strain 1 (ML-1). ML-1 walls do bind the virus in a specific but completely reversibly union. Electron microscopic examination of OsO4-treated mixtures of phage and walls revealed phage bound to wall fragments by their tail tips, suggesting that reversible phage attachment to walls involves a “tail-first” adsorption of the virus. Treatment of ML-1 walls with fluorodinitrobenzene confers upon the walls the ability to inactivate N1 phage. The relationship between reversible phage attachment to walls and the mechanism of infection by N1 phage is discussed.
Using a Collaborative Course Reflection Process to Enhance Faculty and Curriculum Development

Reflective practice is a vital skill of effective teachers and a precondition for professional growth. Lack of time, poorly developed reflective skills, or academic cultures that are not supportive of reflection may curtail reflective practice. This article describes a peer-led course reflection process designed to increase the reflection and teaching skills of faculty as well as support course and curriculum development. Department faculty perspectives on the process were examined via a survey that included open-ended and forced-choice questions (N = 10; 91% return rate). The vast majority of respondents indicated this reflective process had improved administrative aspects of their teaching (90%); enriched and informed course development (100%); was time well spent (100%); and helped faculty see how their course fit into the overall framework of the curriculum (80%). The guided, cyclical, and structured nature of this reflection process appears to be effective. The collaborative, non-hierarchical process...
High-level Modeling of Biological Networks

Publisher Summary This chapter presents three different high-level approaches on Partial-least-squares Modeling of Signaling Networks, Bayesian Modeling of Transcriptional Networks, and Agent-based Modeling of Cellular Networks. Each approach is focused on a distinct biological problem, to give a sense of the breadth of questions that can be addressed by high-level modeling. “High-level” models can test biological hypotheses, incorporate prior knowledge, and combine biological processes with less emphasis on the detailed molecular mechanisms. Using high-level models, complex biological networks are simplified to a minimal description that is sufficient to explain and predict the available experimental data. High-level models are useful systems tools for situations in which the important biological questions are defined but essential molecular detail is lacking. In place of differential equations, high-level modeling approaches draw from probability and linear algebra to analyze and predict experimental data. The reliance of high-level models on biological measurements may be undesirable in theory. However, in practice, it allows high-level modeling to be more effective at revealing new relationships between molecules or cells, and in determining whether known pathways are supported by experiment.
Shelf arthroplasty in patients who have Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. A study of long-term results.

We reviewed the long-term functional and roentgenographic outcomes of severe Legg-Calve-Perthes disease in two similar groups of patients, one of which was managed with a shelf arthroplasty and the other, by a variety of non-operative means. Twenty hips in nineteen patients were treated with traction and, when necessary, adductor tenotomy to attempt reduction of the subluxation; this was followed by a shelf arthroplasty to increase the arc of the acetabulum and result in coverage of the femoral head. The average duration of follow-up was nineteen years (range, two to forty-seven years). The initial center-edge angle and the anteroposterior Mose sphericity measurement were significantly improved at the most recent follow-up (p greater than or equal to 0.05), and the average Iowa hip score was 91 points. Hinge abduction, which was producing incongruity, was eliminated in eleven of fourteen hips after the operation. The outcomes for the second group, consisting of eighteen hips in seventeen patients who were managed non-operatively, were also reviewed, at an average duration of follow-up of twenty-eight years (range, seven to forty-five years). No significant improvement in the center-edge angle or the anteroposterior Mose sphericity measurement was observed at the most recent follow-up, and the average Iowa hip score was 81 points. There was no significant difference in the range of motion of the hip between the groups. We believe that shelf arthroplasty is a favorable option in the treatment of Legg-Calve-Perthes disease when additional bone is needed at the lateral aspect of the acetabulum to cover the extruded portion of the femoral head, to prevent additional incongruity and thereby delay the early onset of degenerative changes.
Experimental roentgenologic visualization of normal and abnormal coronary arteries.

Abstract This project was designed to compare the reliability, safety and adequacy of detail of several methods for demonstrating roentgenologically the smaller branches of the coronary arterial tree in dogs. Reasonably good results were obtained using occlusion of the ascending aorta by a bag on a catheter. This method is believed, however, to be more difficult and dangerous than other technics. Good visualization was obtained using 25 cc. of 85% Hypaque injected mechanically through a catheter in the ascending aorta, without altering the cardiac output. This technic required 1 200 of a second exposure and six films per second in order to give satisfactory results. Acetylcholine arrest was the simplest and most satisfactory technic for the animals. It could be done with single films and 1 20 of a second exposure. No arrhythmias occurred in normal dogs, but ventricular fibrillation and death resulted during one of twenty-eight arrests in dogs with surgically created coronary arterial disease. Cinefluorography using a 5-inch image amplification unit and 16 mm. film provided a good demonstration of the sequence of events occurring in arrest and nonarrest technics. The detail was definitely inferior to that obtained with direct x-ray film exposure.
Half graben versus large‐offset low‐angle normal fault: Importance of keeping cool during normal faulting

[1] We study the effect of temperature in the crust on the style of faulting during the extension of a model lithosphere. Two distinct fault patterns are seen depending on whether the brittle layer thickness HL is greater or less than a critical value HC. For a thin layer (HL HC) a rift develops with multiple faults bounding an evolving set of grabens. Numerical results show that the value of HC depends on how the thermal structure and therefore the thickness distribution of the lithosphere evolve during extension. In the region where the displacement occurs along the fault the brittle lithosphere thins, and we show that this promotes development of multiple faults. In models with heat transfer only by rock motion and conduction, the advective thinning effect can greatly reduce HC. With rift velocities greater than 1 cm yr−1, HC is reduced by a factor of 5 (to unreasonably small values). However, inclusion of simulated hydrothermal cooling increases HC. This allows large offsets to develop in model lithospheres with brittle layers of order 10 km thick. Extension of layers thicker than 10 km tends to produce a rift with multiple graben structures. Finally, we compare the result of a simplified analytic model of extension to data. We find that the style of faulting seen in a variety of continental rifts is broadly consistent with our model predictions.
Applications of nonstationary regression

Stationary regression is the backbone of different seismic data processing algorithms including match filtering, predictionerror filtering, AVO analysis, etc. However, the assumption of stationarity is not always adequate for describing seismic signals. I present a general method of nonstationary regression and show its application to nonstationary filtering. The key idea is to use shaping regularization for constraining the variability of nonstationary regression coefficients. Using synthetic and field data examples, I show applications of this method to problems of nonstationary deconvolution and adaptive multiple subtraction.
Significance of sample preparation in developing analytical methodologies for accurate estimation of bioactive compounds in functional foods

Functional foods are defined as foods or food components that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition (for the intended population). Increased interest in bioactive food components and phytochemicals has arisen from numerous epidemiological studies that suggest that certain phytochemicals can reduce risk of chronic diseases. Sales of functional foods containing high concentrations of bioactive components have increased dramatically during the past two decades. This paper illustrates with examples the significance of sample preparation in developing analytical methodologies for accurate estimation of potentially bioactive compounds present in functional foods using phenolic phytochemicals as model substrates. The primary three steps in any analysis are sampling, sample preservation, and sample preparation. These three initial steps are often overlooked and considered ‘as a means to an end’ and are often not well documented in the published literature. This paper outlines a systematic protocol for optimizing extraction of phytochemicals from different plant matrices. Accurate analysis of bioactive compounds is critical for their precise and reproducible quantification in different foods, establishing appropriate dietary intake and safety guidelines, and understanding their role in human health and nutrition. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry
Juvenile diameter distributions of loblolly pine characterized by the two-parameter Weibull function

Diameter distributions of juvenile loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) were characterized utilizing a two-parameter Weibull distribution to aid in forecasting and simulation of young stands. Juvenile diameter distributions were studied to gain insight into the effects of various stand-level factors. Results show that diameter distributions in juvenile loblolly pine stands can be successfully characterized with the two-parameter Weibull function. Repeated measures analysis detected significant planting density, age, and age by planting density interaction effects for the scale and shape parameter estimates from the two-parameter Weibull distribution. Using parameter recovery techniques, estimated diameter distributions were derived from easily attainable stand-level characteristics (i.e. basal area per hectare, planting density, age, and quadratic mean diameter). A thorough understanding of juvenile diameter distributions should prove especially useful for operational planning of stands on short rotations that require estimates of productivity at early ages.
Role of serum in the developmental expression of alkaline phosphatase in MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts

MC3T3-E1 cells in culture exhibit a temporal sequence of development similar to in vivo bone formation. To examine whether the developmental expression of the osteoblast phenotype depends on serum derived factors, we compared the time-dependent expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP)-a marker of osteoblastic maturation- in MC3T3-E1 cells grown in the presence of fetal bovine serum (FBS) or resin/charcoal-stripped (AXC) serum. ALP was assessed by measuring enzyme activity, immunoblotting, and Northern analysis. Growth of MC3T3-E1 cells in FBS resulted in the programmed upregulation of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) post-proliferatively during osteoblast differentiation. In the presence of complete serum, actively proliferating cells during the initial culture period expressed low ALP levels consistent with their designation as pre-osteoblasts, whereas postmitotic cultures upregulated ALP protein, message, and enzyme activity. In addition, undifferentiated early cultures of MC3T3-E1 cells were refractory to forskolin (FSK) stimulation of ALP, but became forskolin responsive following prolonged culture in FBS containing media. In contrast, MC3T3-E1 cells grown in AXC serum displayed limited growth and failed to show a time-dependent increase in alkaline phosphatase. Neither the addition of IGF-I to AXC serum to augment cell number or plating at high density restored the time-dependent upregulation of alkaline phosphatase. Cells incubated in AXC serum for 14 days, however, though expressing low alkaline phosphatase levels, maintained the capacity to upregulate ALP after FBS re-addition or forskolin activation of cAMP-dependent pathways. Such time-dependent acquisition of FSK responsiveness and serum stimulation of ALP expression only in mature osteoblasts indicate the possible presence of differentiation switches that impart competency for a subset of osteoblast developmental events that require complete serum for maximal expression.
Pre-meal insulin analogue insulin lispro vs Humulin R insulin treatment in young subjects with type 1 diabetes

The present prospective one-year randomized study was conducted to compare soluble human insulin, with a new rapid-acting human insulin analogue, lispro, with respect to postprandial glucose excursions, frequency of hypoglycaemic episodes, glucose control, and long-term safety in 39 subjects (20 females, 19 males) with Type 1 diabetes. The duration of diabetes, gender distribution, and age were similar in the two groups. The total number of hypoglycaemic episodes was significantly less (p < 0.04, Wilcoxon rank sum test) in subjects receiving insulin lispro compared with regular human insulin over the 12-month period. The 2-h postprandial glucose excursion at 1 year was also significantly less (p < 0.05, ANOVA) in the group treated with insulin lispro. The reductions in the total number of hypoglycaemic episodes and in the postprandial glucose excursion with use of insulin lispro may be beneficial for the long-term management of subjects with Type 1 diabetes. However, the greatest benefit identified by the subjects receiving insulin lispro was the greater convenience of the rapid-acting analogue.
Monolayer study of cleavable phospholipids

Abstract Monolayer characteristics were determined for three isomeric cleavable phospholipids containing a ketal group on one of the alkyl chains: 1-octadecanoyl-2-[ trans -[8-(2,2-dimethyl-5-octyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl)octanoyl]]- sn -glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine ( 1a ); 1-octadecanoyl-2-[16-(2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl)hexadecanoyl]- sn -glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine ( 1b ); and 1-octadecanoyl-2-[ trans -[1-(2,2-dimethyl-5-pentadecyl-1,3-dixolan-4-yl)methanoyl]]- sn -glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine ( 1c ). the monolayer characteristics were also determined for two of the daughter surfactants in which a vic -diol group replaces the ketal group: 1-octadecanoyl-2-( threo -9,10-dihydroxyloctadecanoyl)- sn -glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine ( 2a ) and 1-octadecanoyl-2-(17,18-dihydroxyoctadecanoyl)- sn -glycero-3-phospha-tidylcholine ( 2b ). Surfactants 1a-c displayed surprisingly high solubility in the water subphase; stable monolayers could not be formed even at 7–8 °C. Reproducible surface pressure isotherms were obtained for 1a-c, 2a and 2b v using a subphase of aqueous 30% polyethylene glycol. The apparent areas/molecule were larger than expected based on estimates from CPK models, even assuming that all alkyl chains are flat on the interface and are never elevated above it to any appreciable degree, even at high compressions. Surface potential measurements generally remained constant throughout the range of compression. The disparities between measured and estimated molecular areas are probably due to two effects: chirality in the systems and occlusion of void areas present in many of the planar conformational states.
Ocean warning: avoid drowning

Ocean is a popular program from the SPLASH-2 parallel benchmark suite. A complete application, as opposed to a computational kernel, Ocean is often used as a representative of a well-tuned parallel program in architectural studies. However, we find there is a danger in using Ocean to evaluate proposed enhancements that purport to either improve scalability or reduce synchronization overhead. The default Ocean code contains an ill-advised code segment that seriously handicaps its "base" performance in common architectural studies. We provide the one-line fix for the offending code that improves performance by as much as a factor of 2.3, and suggest that architecture researchers using Ocean to evaluate their new ideas---especially when discussing scalability or synchronization---change their code immediately.
Ethnicity and interdisciplinary pain treatment.

Objective The purpose of this study was to identify ethnic differences in interdisciplinary pain treatment outcome and whether these differences occur while controlling for the effects of demographics, psychosocial, and secondary gain. Methods We assessed a sample of 116 (Caucasian, African American, and Latino/a) chronic pain patients who participated a 4-week interdisciplinary pain treatment program. Outcome measure included pretreatment, post-treatment, and change scores on the Multidimensional Pain Inventory, Pain Anxiety Symptom Scale 20, Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire, Coping Strategies Questionnaire-revised, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale—short form. Results Analysis of covariances revealed that after accounting for educational and sex differences, ethnic minorities differed from Caucasians on a number of treatment outcome measures at pre- and post-treatment [F's ≥ 5.38; P's < 0.01]. At pretreatment, Latino/a's endorsed greater levels of pain-related anxiety, pain severity, and pain catastrophizing than Caucasians. Both Latino/a's and African Americans reported greater use of prayer at pre- and post-treatment, with Caucasians showing the greatest decrease in the use of prayer in response to treatment. At post-treatment, African Americans had higher level of depression and lower levels of reported activity than Caucasians. Conclusions Results support the notion that ethnic differences in pain treatment outcome exist. Further, ethnic minority groups appear to have greater levels of distress compared to Caucasians. However, African Americans, Latino/a's and Caucasians demonstrated similar improvements on all outcome measures, with exception of the use of prayer. Future studies should begin to explore the mechanisms to explain why ethnic group differences in pain treatment outcome occur.
Optical properties of the radical cation tetrathiafulvalenium (TTF+) in its mixed-valence and monovalence halide salts.

Measurements are presented of the optical properties of the radical cation TT${\mathrm{F}}^{+}$ (tetrathiafulvalenium) in a variety of different conditions: as TT${\mathrm{F}}^{+}$ monomers in solution, as ${(\mathrm{T}\mathrm{T}{\mathrm{F}}^{+})}_{2}$ dimers in solution, in the monovalence (TTF)${\mathrm{Br}}_{1.0}$ solid, and in the mixed-valence (TTF)${\mathrm{Br}}_{0.79}$ salt. From a comparison of these spectra and from polarized measurements on single crystals, the observed absorption peaks are unambiguously assigned as either intramolecular (excitons) or intermolecular (charge-transfer bands). It is shown that the organic metal (TTF)${\mathrm{Br}}_{0.79}$ has two such charge-transfer bands, at 0.6 and 1.5 eV. The existence of the lowerenergy band is related to the high conductivity of this salt, and both of these are shown to be due to the mixed-valence nature of this salt. From the oscillator strength (plasma frequency) of this band, we infer a bandwidth along the stacks of $4t\ensuremath{\sim}1.1$ eV, the largest yet reported for an organic metal. From the energy of the higher-frequency charge-transfer band, we infer that the effective Coulomb correlation energy is $U\ensuremath{\sim}1\frac{1}{4}$ eV, comparable with other organic salts. Nevertheless, the larger bandwidth in (TTF)${\mathrm{Br}}_{0.79}$ causes the Coulomb correlations to be relatively less important than in TCNQ (tetracyano-$p$-quinodimethane) salts, for example. A comparison is also made of the corresponding spectra for TCN${\mathrm{Q}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$, TMTT${\mathrm{F}}^{+}$ (tetramethyl-TT${\mathrm{F}}^{+}$), and TSe${\mathrm{F}}^{+}$ (tetraselenafulvalenium, the selenium analogue of TT${\mathrm{F}}^{+}$).