cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Skin Gene Expression Correlates of Severity of Interstitial Lung Disease in Systemic Sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by the triad of vasculopathy, immune dysregulation, and fibrosis and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is the primary cause of SSc-related mortality (1,2), and the available treatment options for this disease manifestation have limited efficacy (3,4). Furthermore, the course of lung involvement in SSc is highly variable. Even though deterioration of pulmonary function is slowly progressive in many SSc patients, ~15% have a rapidly progressive course (5). Clinicians are currently unable to predict reliably early in the course of disease which patients will develop significant ILD. Therefore, the treatment of SSc-related ILD is delayed until fibrosis has clearly occurred in the pulmonary tissue. Gene expression profiling of affected end organs has provided a valuable resource for development of biomarkers in the field of oncology. Although the lung is a prominently affected end organ in SSc, its inaccessibility has precluded the widespread use of pulmonary tissue for research and clinical purposes. The global gene expression profile of SSc pulmonary tissue has only been studied in patients with end-stage disease undergoing lung transplantation (6). Skin is another prominently affected and easily accessible organ in patients with SSc. Global gene expression studies of the skin tissue of patients with SSc have demonstrated a distinct gene expression profile compared to controls; an inflammatory activation pattern and a fibrotic signature were seen (7,8). In a larger study with 24 SSc patients, patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) could be subdivided into 3 distinct groups and patients with limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc) into 2 groups based on skin gene expression profiling. A subgroup of patients with lcSSc and dcSSc showed a pattern of inflammatory genes that included interferon-inducible genes (9) and interleukin-13 (IL-13)–inducible genes (10). Another subgroup of SSc patients with diffuse skin involvement showed a fibrotic gene expression profile containing transforming growth factor β (TGFβ)–responsive genes (11). In that study, none of the patients with dcSSc in the subgroup without activation of TGFβ response genes had ILD (defined as a dichotomous outcome based on high-resolution computed tomography [HRCT] results). There are no published reports of skin transcript correlates of severity of ILD in patients with SSc. In the present study, we investigated the skin transcript correlates of ILD severity in a large group of patients with SSc. Considering that skin tissue can be obtained during routine clinical practice, the results of the present hypothesis-generating study can provide valuable information for identification of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Common and Uncommon Families in the American Constitutional Order

This essay reviews Professor Mark E. Brandon’s aptly named book, States of Union: Family and Change in the American Constitutional Order, which challenges the familiar story that the U.S. constitutional and political order have rested upon a particular, unchanging form of family – monogamous, heterosexual, permanent, and reproductive – and on the family values generated by that family form. That story also maintains that such family form and the legal norms that sustained it remained relatively undisturbed for centuries until the dramatic transformation spurred in part, beginning the 1960s, by the U.S. Supreme Court’s constitutionalizing of family and marriage through, for example, recognizing the right of privacy. This essay argues that States of Union offers a wry and engaging answer to these rhetorical claims by illuminating that the relationship between the family and the constitutional order is one of change and contestation. Brandon illustrates this more complex story through examining the coexistence of several household forms at the time of the framing – the Jeffersonian agrarian family, the Hamiltonian commercial, capitalist family, the slaveholding family, and (later) frontier families – and by chronicling the relatively late constitutional entrenchment of the monogamous family, in reaction to the perceived threat to civilization posed by the Indian family, but, ultimately, by the Mormon polygamous family. Brandon also offers valuable glimpses of “uncommon families,” unconventional households that deviated from the nuclear family (e.g., ascetic, pietest, communist, millennial, as well as practitioners of complex marriage), and of the different ways that legal and political institutions dealt with each form, sometimes showing a surprising degree of tolerance. The essay concludes by addressing the tensions that Brandon teases out in the Court’s “modern” jurisprudence about the family and the relevance of those tensions to current debates, including over same-sex marriage and nonmarital families.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP, INFORMATION, AND GROWTH

We examine the contribution to economic growth of entrepreneurial "marketplace information" within a regional endogenous growth framework. Entrepreneurs are posited to provide an input to economic growth through the information revealed by their successes and failures. We empirically identify this information source with the regional variation in establishment births and deaths, which create geographic information asymmetries that influence subsequent entrepreneurial activity and economic growth. We find that local establishment birth and death rates are significantly and positively correlated with subsequent entrepreneurship for US counties. To account for the potential endogeneity caused by forward-looking entrepreneurs, we utilize instruments based on historic mining activity. We find that the information spillover component of local establishment birth and death rates have significant positive effects on subsequent entrepreneurship and employment growth for US counties and metropolitan areas. With the help of these intruments, we show that establishment births have a positive and significant effect on future employment growth within all counties, and that in line with the information hypothesis, local establishment death rates have a similar positive effect within metropolitan counties.
Rules for the implicit acquisition of knowledge about the user

A major problem with incorporating a user model into an application has been the difficulty of acquiring the information for the user model. To make the user model effective, past approaches have relied heavily upon the explicit encoding of a large amount of information about potential system users. This paper discusses techniques for acquiring knowledge about the user implicitly (as the interaction with the user proceeds) in interactions between users and cooperative advisory systems. These techniques were obtained by analyzing transcripts of a large number of interactions between advice-seekers and a human expert, and have been encoded as a set of user model acquisition rules. Furthermore, the rules are domain independent, supporting the feasibility of building a general user modelling module.
Large-scale functional genomic analysis of sporulation and meiosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We have used a single-gene deletion mutant bank to identify the genes required for meiosis and sporulation among 4323 nonessential Saccharomyces cerevisiae annotated open reading frames (ORFs). Three hundred thirty-four sporulation-essential genes were identified, including 78 novel ORFs and 115 known genes without previously described sporulation defects in the comprehensive Saccharomyces Genome (SGD) or Yeast Proteome (YPD) phenotype databases. We have further divided the uncharacterized sporulation-essential genes into early, middle, and late stages of meiosis according to their requirement for IME1 induction and nuclear division. We believe this represents a nearly complete identification of the genes uniquely required for this complex cellular pathway. The set of genes identified in this phenotypic screen shows only limited overlap with those identified by expression-based studies.
Clinical review: improving the measurement of serum thyroglobulin with mass spectrometry

Context: Serum thyroglobulin (Tg) measurements are central to the management of patients treated for differentiated thyroid carcinoma. For decades, Tg measurements have relied on methods that are subject to interference by commonly found substances in human serum and plasma, such as Tg autoantibodies. As a result, many patients need additional imaging studies to rule out cancer persistence or recurrence that could be avoided with more sensitive and specific testing methods. Objectives: The aims of this review are to: 1) briefly review the interferences common to Tg immunoassays; 2) introduce readers to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry as a method for quantifying proteins in human serum/plasma; and 3) discuss the potential benefits and limitations of the method in the quantification of serum Tg. Results: Mass spectrometric methods have traditionally lacked the sensitivity, robustness, and throughput to be useful clinical assays. These methods failed to meet the necessary clinical benchmarks d...
Solid-state detectors: trends, developments, and operational experiences

Silicon detectors are at the heart of many high-energy physics experiments. Intense research and development is taking place to improve the radiation hardness of solid-state detectors for future upgrades of the Large Hadron Collider. New integrated technologies which promise to achieve the excellent resolution needed for precision measurements of the Higgs couplings at the Linear Collider are under development. Prospects for these future projects and the experience gained in the operation and the construction of large silicon detectors will be presented.
THE ANALYSIS OF VIRTUAL MASS EFFECTS IN TWO-PHASE FLOW

Abstract One of the primary difficulties in the mathematical modelling of two-phase flows is the complexity of the interfacial transfer phenomena. The present study is concerned with the so-called virtual mass force during the acceleration of a two-phase mixture. It is shown that this interfacial force must be objective, and thus invariant under a change of reference frame. The most general form of an objective virtual mass acceleration is derived and appropriate experiments are suggested for verification and parameter determination.
Drought Information for Improving Preparedness in the Western States

Drought is common and costly, inflicting billions of dollars of damage annually across the United States. Early warning information, such as climate forecasts and hydrologic data, can help decision makers prepare for drought and reduce drought impacts. But what information do drought managers actually use and need? A survey of state drought managers1 in the 19 Western Governors' Association (WGA) states investigated drought concerns and impacts, the use and value of drought plans, and the types of early warning information that could inform decisions and reduce drought damages.2 This article provides results and insights from the survey, with recommendations for improving information and drought preparedness.3 Overall, managers are highly concerned about droughts, and expect them to become more frequent and severe. Across the West, drought damages ranged from an estimated millions of dollars to billions of dollars per year per state. All managers said that better early warning information could help reduce drought costs, with an average reduction of 33%.4 This confluence of widespread droughts, a high level of concern, substantial economic damages, and the potential to reduce impacts points to the importance of effective and usable early warning information.
Strangers, Acquaintances, and Victims: Victimization and Concern About Crime Among Women

Women report greater concerns about the danger posed by strangers despite greater victimization by acquaintances. Using a survey of Seattle residents, this article investigates one understudied dimension of this seeming incongruity: the actual effect of victimization by a stranger or acquaintance on concerns about crime. The results suggest different patterns for different crimes: relationship to the offender does not matter for burglaries while acquaintance sexual assaults and stranger nonsexual assaults, respectively, hold the largest associations with concerns. Implications are discussed for research on fear of crime, acquaintance victimizations, and perceptions of neighborhoods.
Developing a Screening Questionnaire for Problem Drinking in College Students

Abstract The CAGE questionnaire is one of several brief screening instruments that has been successful in detecting alcoholism in a general population. There is evidence, however, indicating that none of these instruments has sufficient validity for detecting the less severe pattern of problem drinking that is more typical of college students. This study analyzed survey data, including CAGE questions, to identify items that would have sufficient test operating characteristics more valid for screening problem drinkers. Problem and normal drinking patterns were defined by combining certain categories of quantity-frequency data with categories of alcohol-related problems. Problem and normal drinkers were identified as those students at the ends of the quantity-frequency/alcohol-problems continuum. Differences between the two groups in response frequencies to a 17-item alcohol-use survey were examined using chi-square analyses. Five items showing highly significant differences were identified, and sensitivity...
Biliteracy, Transnationalism, Multimodality, and Identity: Trajectories Across Time and Space

Herein, we are privileged to be given a close and detailed look at the lives and literacies of transnational multilingual youth and adults of diverse origins and communities from across the United States. These are multilingual lives and literacies located on the west coast, or in western mountain, southwest, midwest, or northeast U.S. There are New Yorkers of Dominican, Colombian, Bengali, and Chabad Jewish-American heritage, Mexican immigrants from Guanajuato and Jalisco in Iowa and California, respectively, and adult women refugees from Bosnia, Iran, and Sudan now residing in the intermountain west.
A Confirmatory Factor Analytic Investigation of time Sharing Performance and Cognitive Abilities

Eighty-one male subjects performed four information processing tasks and six dual task combinations, and completed a battery of psychometric ability tests selected to define three first-order factors and a second-order general ability factor. Confirmatory maximum likelihood factor analyses of the performance data provided no support for a general time-sharing factor, but a model with factors corresponding to the four single tasks provided a good fit to the data. The Grammatical Reasoning factor was highly correlated with the Verbal and second-order General Ability factors, suggesting that this task may be a good single index of total attentional resources.
The capillary flow of solutions. A re-evaluation of experimental evidence.

Quand une solution s'ecoule par un tube capillaire prealablement rempli d'eau, le calcul montre que la concentration du liquide effluent est toujours plus elevee que la proportion de solute au point de sortiE. On a reexamine, a la lumiere de ce fait, certains resultats experimentaux publies recemment sur le comportement de suspensions de globules rouges et de solutes a poids moleculaire eleve.
Characterizing the Energetic States of the GluR2 Ligand Binding Domain Core-Dimer

Tetrameric ligand binding domains of the family of ionotropic glutamate receptors assemble as dimers-of-dimers. Crystallographic studies of several glutamate receptor subtype isolated core-dimers suggest a single stable dimeric conformation. A binding domain dimer has not been captured in other conformations without the aid of biochemical methods to disrupt a critical dimer interface. Molecular dynamics simulations and continuum electrostatics calculations reveal that the active glutamate bound form of the ligand-binding domain found in typical crystal structures is the preferred energetic state of the isolated core-dimer in the presence of agonist glutamate. A desensitized conformational state is a higher energy ligand-bound state of the core-dimer. The resting apo conformational state is comparatively the least energetically favored conformation and does not contain a single state but a set of energetically equivalent conformational core-dimer states. We hypothesize the energetic balance of an open versus closed transmembrane region must be included to characterize the absolute energetic states of the full receptor, which in the presence of the ligand is believed to be a desensitized state.
Spin contamination in unrestricted Hartree-Fock calculations.

We have treated several pi‐electron doublets by both the unrestricted Hartree‐Fock method and the restricted approximation of Longuet‐Higgins and Pople. For two of the molecules, which contain oxygen heteroatoms, serious spin contamination occurs in the UHF wavefunctions and this negates the usefulness of the single annihilation procedure that is often used for spin‐density calculations. The restricted approximation provides a convenient alternative, especially because configuration interaction is easily taken into account.
Single-alternation performance in rats with hippocampal lesions: disruption by an irrelevant task interposed during the intertrial interval.

Rats with bilateral hippocampal or cortical lesions and normal controls were trained to asymtotic performance on a go, no-go, single alternation, operant task and subsequently tested for performance on the go, no-go task with a CRF task interposed during the intertrial interval (ITI). While the three groups did not differ on the original acquisition, the animals with hippocampal lesions were more disrupted by the introduction of the ITI task than were the normal animals or animals with cortical lesions. The results support the hypothesis that animals with hippocampal lesions are susceptible to shifts in attention to salient, irrelevant stimuli which result in “short-term” memory deficits.
Chlorination of alkenes by manganese(III) chloride species

Abstract Several manganese(III) chloride species have been prepared in situ and used as effective chlorinating agents of alkenes.
Tillage systems and soil properties in North America

Abstract This paper reviews current knowledge on the range and extent of various tillage systems used in North America with special reference to the effects on soil properties, the erosion hazard and water quality. The increasing adoption of conservation-tillage systems since their introduction in the early 1960s follows an enhanced awareness of the increasing risks of soil erosion and non-point source pollution and the high cost of fuel with conventional tillage. Most “conventional tillage” systems encompass complete inversion tillage along with several secondary and tertiary tillage methods. In contrast, conservation-tillage systems involve streamlining various farm operations, thereby reducing the frequency and intensity of the soil manipulative operations. Reduction in tillage intensity has been accompanied by the development of rotations and cropping systems, methods of surface and internal drainage, fertilizer technology and pest management alternatives. The status of antecedent soil physical properties is an important factor affecting the choice of tillage systems. Important soil physical properties governing the choice of tillage systems include soil wetness and anaerobiosis, soil temperature and soil structure including its susceptibility to compaction, crusting or erosion. Tillage systems affect soil physical, chemical and biological properties. Among drastic tillage-induced changes in soil properties are bulk density, infiltration rate, aggregation and aggregate size distribution, soil organic carbon and nutrient profile, microbial activity and species diversity, and the population of earthworms. Macropores and biochannels are usually more prevalent in conservation-tillage than conventional-tillage systems. Conservation tillage induces stratification of soil organic matter and related nutrients, enhances the activity of soil fauna and leads to acidification. The magnitude of these changes depends on the soil type, the cropping systems and the type of conservation tillage adopted. Soil organic carbon and nutrient stratification are generally more pronounced in coarse-textures than in clayey soils. Conservation tillage is also associated with greater biomass pool size. The latter affects the nutrient response curves of the soil. Nitrification and denitrification are other important processes affected by tillage systems. The widespread adaption of conservation-tillage systems, although beneficial in controlling off-site sedimentation, has raised concerns about the potential for increased leaching of nutrients and pesticides to groundwater. Important pollutants associated with conservation tillage are nitrate and pesticides. Some studies have shown little effect of tillage on losses of pesticides. Conservation tillage may suppress crop yields, especially on heavy textured soil with poor internal drainage and in those prone to soil compaction caused by vehicular traffic.
A multitrait-multi method analysis of scales developed by retranslation

Abstract This study investigated the extent to which rating-scale dimensions obtained by the retranslation component of the Smith and Kendall (1963) procedure are used differentially by eventual raters. Performance dimensions and illustrative behavior descriptions for grade firefighters were generated by potential raters and ratees. Actual ratings of job performance based on the behaviorally defined worker dimensions were obtained by peer nominations, ratings by peers, and ratings by supervisors. Multitrait-multimethod analyses of the ratings indicated that retranslation resulted in dimensions with little discriminant validity and only a moderate degree of convergent validity.
An Incoming Nucleotide Imposes an anti to syn Conformational Change on the Templating Purine in the Human DNA Polymerase-ι Active Site

Summary Substrate-induced conformational change of the protein is the linchpin of enzymatic reactions. Replicative DNA polymerases, for example, convert from an open to a closed conformation in response to dNTP binding. Human DNA polymerase-ι (hPolι), a member of the Y family of DNA polymerases, differs strikingly from other polymerases in its much higher proficiency and fidelity for nucleotide incorporation opposite template purines than opposite template pyrimidines. We present here a crystallographic analysis of hPolι binary complexes, which together with the ternary complexes show that, contrary to replicative DNA polymerases, the DNA, and not the polymerase, undergoes the primary substrate-induced conformational change. The incoming dNTP "pushes" templates A and G from the anti to the syn conformation dictated by a rigid hPolι active site. Together, the structures posit a mechanism for template selection wherein dNTP binding induces a conformational switch in template purines for productive Hoogsteen base pairing.
The chromatin-remodeling enzyme BRG1 plays an essential role in primitive erythropoiesis and vascular development

ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling complexes contribute to the proper temporal and spatial patterns of gene expression in mammalian embryos and therefore play important roles in a number of developmental processes. SWI/SNF-like chromatin-remodeling complexes use one of two different ATPases as their catalytic subunit: brahma (BRM, also known as SMARCA2) and brahma-related gene 1 (BRG1, also known as SMARCA4). We have conditionally deleted a floxed Brg1 allele with a Tie2-Cre transgene, which is expressed in developing hematopoietic and endothelial cells. Brg1 fl/fl :Tie2-Cre + embryos die at midgestation from anemia, as mutant primitive erythrocytes fail to transcribe embryonicα - and β-globins, and subsequently undergo apoptosis. Additionally, vascular remodeling of the extraembryonic yolk sac is abnormal in Brg1 fl/fl :Tie2-Cre + embryos. Importantly, Brm deficiency does not exacerbate the erythropoietic or vascular abnormalities found in Brg1 fl/fl :Tie2-Cre + embryos, implying that Brg1 -containing SWI/SNF-like complexes, rather than Brm -containing complexes, play a crucial role in primitive erythropoiesis and in early vascular development.
A Nonhuman Primate Model of Gilbert's Syndrome

A Bolivian population of squirrel monkeys, Saimiri sciureus, exhibits several features of Gilbert's syndrome in man, and is proposed as a nonhuman primate model of the condition. The Bolivian population was found to have higher fasting (40.6 ± 2.7 μM; mean ± S.E.) and postcibal (9.9 ± 0.9 μM) plasma unconjugated bilirubin concentrations (p < 0.001) than a closely related Brazilian population (fasting 5.5 ± 0.7 μM); postcibal (2.4 ± 0.7 μM). After intravenous administration of [3H]bilirubin as a tracer dose or at 3.4 μmoles per kg body weight, there was delayed plasma clearance in the Bolivian monkeys. Hepatic UDP-glucuronyl transferase activity for bilirubin (164 ± 25 nmoles per 30 min per gm liver) and biliary bilirubin diglucuronide to monoglucuronide ratios (2.9 ± 0.2) were lower in Bolivian monkeys than in Brazilians (421 ± 36 nmoles per 30 min per gm liver-p < 0.01 and 4.1 ± 0.1–p < 0.02, respectively). Hepatic cytosol glutathione-S-transferase B activity (ligandin) levels were similar for the two populations. After phenobarbital therapy, fasting (11.1 ± 0.9 μM) and postcibal (5.3 ± 1 μM) plasma bilirubin concentrations in Bolivian monkeys were significantly reduced (p < 0.001). Sulfobromophthalein clearance was slightly slower in the Bolivian than in the Brazilian monkeys. SGOT, lactate dehydrogenase, -γ-glutamyl transpeptidase and alkaline phosphatase activities were not increased in Bolivians. Fasting serum conjugated bile salt concentrations in Bolivian monkeys were lower than that in Brazilian monkeys (p < 0.01). Erythrocyte survival and hematological measurements were comparable in both populations.
Mixed boundary value problems for a cylindrical shell

Abstract Two mixed boundary value problems in potential theory for a semi-infinite cylindrical shell are solved. The first is interpreted as a heat conduction problem for an insulated shell containing a circumferential obstruction. The second is the torsion of a cylindrical shell containing a circumferential crack. For both problems the normal derivative of the potential function is taken as zero on the inner and outer shell walls. The boundary conditions at the end of the shell are mixed with respect to the potential function and its normal derivative. The problems are formulated using integral transforms in a manner leading to a singular integral equation which can be solved by numerical means. Intensity factors along the circumference separating the mixed conditions are computed.
Assessment of students' acceptability ratings of teacher-initiated interventions for classroom misbehavior.

Abstract Fifth-, seventh-, and ninth-grade students (N=146) completed the Children's Intervention Rating Profile (CIRP) in response to eight teacher-initiated intervention methods designed to correct classroom behavior problems. The results of a factorial analysis of variance indicated that students generally are able to differentiate between various methods of improving student classroom behavior. Specifically, all students reported liking home-based interventions and did not rate public reprimand as a desirable method for changing another student's behavior. Educational ramifications and future research investigations are discussed.
Determining design parameters for recovery of aquaculture wastewater using sand beds

Abstract Design information for the use of sand beds to remove suspended solids from wastewater discharged from recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) was developed. Wastewater from a commercial RAS tilapia farm with 2% total solids and 1.6% total suspended solids (TSS) was applied to sand columns to determine infiltration rates and phosphorus capture. Various hydraulic loading rates and drying periods between application events were evaluated. Infiltration rates stabilized after five application events to 3.5 cm/day (S.D.=1.7). Practically, all suspended solids were captured at the top of the columns, creating the primary resistance to infiltration. Concrete sand removed approximately 93% of the soluble phosphorous in the wastewater and wollastonite, an economical aggregate alternative to sand, removed at least 98%. A modified Darcy equation is presented to predict infiltration based upon TSS and the number of sequential applications.
The spectrum of biliary stone disease

B iliary stone disease is a common problem in the United States and in most Western societies. It has been estimated from epidemiologic studies, both autopsy studies and clinical investigations, that gallstones are present in approximately 15 to 20 percent of adults; an incidence that begins in childhood and seems to progress steadily with age [I-3]. Gallstones are rare in children, begin to be identified in adolescence, have a marked increase in incidence between ages 35 and 55 years, and continue to show a gradual increase after 55 years of age. Estimates based on autopsy studies indicate that approximately 50 percent of elderly persons will have cholelithiasis by age 75. The incidence of gallstones is greater in females than in males and in patients who have had multiple pregnancies, and is slightly increased in obese patients. Studies of the natural history of gallstone disease indicate that from 40 to 60 percent of all persons with gallstones are asymptomatic [1,4,5]. In fact, it is probable that asymptomatic cholelithiasis may be the precursor of symptomatic cholecystitis in most patients. Some patients do, however, develop symptoms before gallstones can be identified; this occurs in approximately 5 percent of patients. In addition, some patients develop acute inflammatory biliary disease (acute acalculous cholecystitis) without gallstones. This syndrome most often occurs in elderly patients, in patients critically ill from another illness, or after major cardiovascular surgery or trauma. Of those patients who develop symptomatic cholecystitis, approximately 20 percent will present with acute cholecystitis, approximately 10 percent will have complicated cholecystitis (jaundice, cholangitis, or pancreatitis), and 60 to 70 percent will have symptoms of chronic cholecystitis. Of this latter group, up to 20 percent may have mild symptoms which are difficult to interpret. At the time of cholecystectomy, approximately 15 to 20 percent of patients studied carefully by routine intraoperative cholangiography or by intraoperative ultrasonography will be found to have common bile duct stones [a. This incidence again varies, depending on the age of the patient, the cause of the stones, and the diligence with which the surgeon looks for bile duct stones. Most of the stones found in the bile duct at the time of cholecystectomy will be similar to those found in the gallbladder, but in approximately 10 percent of patients the stones are dissimilar. In 1 to 2 percent of patients undergoing cholecystectomy, primary bile duct stones may be found without evidence of stones in the gallbladder. In these patients, the primary bile duct stones are usually due to stasis and
The relevance of higher plants in lead compound discovery programs.

Along with compounds from terrestrial microorganisms, the constituents of higher plants have provided a substantial number of the natural product-derived drugs used currently in Western medicine. Interest in the elucidation of new structures of the secondary metabolite constituents of plants has remained high among the natural products community over the first decade of the 21st century, particularly of species that are used in systems of traditional medicine or are utilized as botanical dietary supplements. In this review, progress made in the senior author’s laboratory in research work on naturally occurring sweeteners and other taste-modifying substances and on potential anticancer agents from tropical plants will be described.
The β→α Transformation in Polycrystalline SiC: IV, A Comparison of Conventionally Sintered, Hot‐Pressed, Reaction‐Sintered, and Chemically Vapor‐Deposited Samples

Microstructural characterization of conventionally sintered, hot-pressed, reaction-sintered, and chemically vapor-deposited polycrystalline SiC shows that the initial stages of the βα transformation in the first three materials are similar, the process being dominated by the elimination of high-energy βα interfaces. In the final stage of transformation, all four materials transform by nucleation and growth of α lamellae at {111}β twin boundaries or at β stacking faults.
A flexible modeling package for topographically based watershed hydrology

Abstract An OBJect-oriented TOPographic-based (OBJTOP) hydrological model with a graphical user interface (GUI) was created using object-oriented design (OOD) methods and the objected-oriented programming (OOP) language-C++. OBJTOP presents an array of alternative TOPMODEL hydrological processes of (1) saturation excess or the mixture of infiltration/saturation excess overland flow, (2) exponential or power law decay of hydraulic conductivity with soil depth, (3) topographic index (TI) or soil topographic index (STI) weighting of run-off likelihood, and (4) simulations with or without channel routing, to explain watershed response and increase flexibility and applicability. OBJTOP utilized an object-oriented design (OOD) approach, including the ‘inheritance’ concept to study individual objects (or processes) at multiple levels, and the ‘aggregation’ concept to study the interactions of objects (or processes). Further, OOD readily provides for model extension, creating a description of hydrologic processes in a natural, direct, concise, and adaptable manner distinct from procedurally designed and implemented models. The OBJTOP GUI provides an efficient tool for data input, parameter modification, simulation scheme selection and model calibration with three objective functions, including Nash-Sutcliffe. Graphical outputs include time series plots of precipitation depth, partitioned run-off volumes, watertable depth (average or TI/STI based), and map graphics of TI, STI, and depth to watertable. Applications illustrating OBJTOP ability and flexibility include simulation of the TOPMODEL standard Slapton Wood, UK dataset, and simulation of Ward Pound Ridge, NY a small forested catchment with power function decay of hydraulic conductivity and extensive impervious surfaces.
Onlay patch for complete intercostal artery preservation during thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Background: Replacement of the thoracic aorta is associated with a potential for interruption of the blood supply to the spinal cord leading to paralysis. Techniques have been proposed to ameliorate this risk, including reimplantation of the intercostal arteries. We present a technique to simplify this approach. Methods: In patients with extensive aneurismal disease, a standard approach to the thoracic aorta via a left thoracotomy is performed. The patient is placed on full cardiopulmonary bypass with moderate hypothermia. The proximal anastomosis is performed unclamped with circulatory arrest. After completing the proximal and distal anastomosis separately, an onlay patch of Dacron is created and placed along the entire back wall of the aorta to cover all of the intercostal arteries. A side-to-side anastomosis between the patch and the distal graft is then performed and subsequently the anastomosis tested by retrograde flow. Results: The technique allows direct inspection of all suture lines, tested to an adequate pressure, so that postoperative bleeding is minimal. Conclusion: Techniques to lessen the risk of paraplegia associated with aortic surgery include reimplantation of the intercostal arteries. This technique allows each suture line to be tested and easily visually inspected prior to closure of the chest.
THE SYNTHESIS OF FLUOROHETEROCYCLIC KETENE AMINALS

The synthesis of fluoroheterocyclic ketene aminals was investigated. Fluorobenzyl ketene dithioacetals 1c reacted with nitric acid in the presence of concentrated sulfuric acid to give compound 2c. 1 reacted with diamines to afford 3–4. C-fluorobenzylation of 3–4 give the corresponding 5–8.
High temperature stability and thermal expansion behavior of molybdenum-chromium M2C carbides

The thermal expansion of molybdenum-chromium M_2C carbides has been studied over the temperature range from room temperature to 900°C using high-temperature X-ray diffraction. Hyperstoichiometric carbides demonstrated hysteretic thermal expansion/contraction as excess carbon was lost upon heating above 750°C in an inert environment. Coefficients of thermal expansion of both the a and c axes increase linearly with chromium content.
Using Google Wave and Docs for group collaboration

Purpose – This paper aims to discuss how to use Google Wave and Docs as a group collaboration tool. Group and team projects can be stressful, particularly when distance and deadlines are part of the scenario. Using Google Wave and Docs can help everyone maintain access to the project anywhere and anytime. This paper also seeks to describe and suggest ways to use Google tools to keep documents organized and communications flowing well. It also aims to discuss using Google tools as part of project management.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a series of cases studies in which the author has been directly involved. The case studies are accompanied by tips.Findings – The paper reveals that the use of Google Wave and Docs for group collaboration can be very successful.Practical implications – Collaboration teams can possibly save time and energy with Google tools.Originality/value – Many groups are interested in how they can actually use Google Wave to collaborate. The paper includes case studies to...
Crop Insurance, Acreage Decisions, and Nonpoint-Source Pollution

The redirection of farm policy in the 1996 farm bill has generated much interest in seeking environmentally friendly and economically viable ways to protect farm income. Agricultural insurance has been suggested as such an instrument. This article estimates the effect of crop insurance on crop mix and the resulting change in chemical use in the Central Nebraska Basin. Providing corn insurance will shift land from hay and pasture to corn, which will increase chemical use at the extensive margin. This extensive-margin effect dominates the effect of crop insurance on the application rate, leading to an increase in total chemical use.
Demonstration of the wide-field imaging interferometer testbed using a calibrated hyperspectral image projector

The Wide-field Imaging Interferometer testbed (WIIT) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center uses a dual-Michelson interferometric technique. The WIIT combines stellar interferometry with Fourier-transform interferometry to produce high-resolution spatial-spectral data over a large field-of-view. This combined technique could be employed on future NASA missions such as the Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope (SPIRIT) and the Sub-millimeter Probe of the Evolution of Cosmic Structure (SPECS). While both SPIRIT and SPECS would operate at far-infrared wavelengths, the WIIT demonstrates the dual-interferometry technique at visible wavelengths. The WIIT will produce hyperspectral image data, so a true hyperspectral object is necessary. A calibrated hyperspectral image projector (CHIP) has been constructed to provide such an object. The CHIP uses Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology to produce customized, spectrally-diverse scenes. CHIP scenes will have approximately 1.6-micron spatial resolution and the capability of . producing arbitrary spectra in the band between 380 nm and 1.6 microns, with approximately 5-nm spectral resolution. Each pixel in the scene can take on a unique spectrum. Spectral calibration is achieved with an onboard fiber-coupled spectrometer. In this paper we describe the operation of the CHIP. Results from the WIIT observations of CHIP scenes will also be presented.
Tryptophan oxugenase and tryptophan metabolism in endotoxin-poisoned and allopurinol-treated mice

Endotoxin-poisoned mice frequently die in convulsions withing 4–8 h after a delayed, but not concurrent, injection of tryptophan. Following injection of endotoxin into CF-1 mice tryptophan oxygenase (EC 1.13.1.12) activity was initially increased but by 10 h showed approx. 50% inhibition. CF-1 mice were sensitive to tryptophan only when tryptophan oxygenase was depressed, i.e. after 10 h. If the early increase in tryptophan oxygenase was blocked by allopurinol, mice showed sensitivity to tryptophan within only 4 h after endotoxin. Mice given allopurinol alone were not sensitive to tryptophan even though tryptophan oxygenase was depressed. If tryptophan oxygenase activity was elevated by injection of α-methyltryptophan 8 h after endotoxin, no sensitivity to tryptophan was observed at the 10-h time period. Collectively these data indicate that tryptophan oxygenase activity must be depressed for endotoxin-poisoned mice to show sensitivity to tryptophan but that depressed tryptophan oxygenase per se does not increase toxicity of tryptophan in normal animals.
Operating systems, compilers, assemblers and application programs: audit trails of user satisfaction

Abstract The influence of manufacturer's software on overall computer user satisfaction, as determined by multiple regression, is analysed. Operating systems, number of systems and number of users are found to be the most significant variables affecting overall user satisfaction. The average life of a computer system (in months) and the microcomputer (as the type of installation) have the least significant effect in the user satisfaction equation. An interactive expert system for manufacturer's software is designed, developed and demonstrated. The application of such an expert system is explained along with the use of artificial intelligence techniques. The implications for improvements in manufacturer's software by updates to an artificial-intelligence-based expert system database are discussed and analysed.
Parental lead exposure and total anomalous pulmonary venous return.

BACKGROUND Investigators from the Baltimore-Washington Infant Study (BWIS) reported an association between self-reported maternal lead exposure and total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR) in their offspring. This association was further evaluated in the BWIS population using a more sensitive exposure estimate. METHODS Cases included 54 live-born infants with TAPVR; controls were a stratified random sample of 522 live-born infants from the BWIS control group. Parental lead exposure was based on three assessment methods, including: an industrial hygiene assessment, an a priori job exposure matrix, and self-reported exposures. A parent was classified as exposed to lead if he/she was classified as exposed by any one of the assessment methods. RESULTS Approximately 17% of case mothers and 11% of control mothers were classified as exposed to lead during the three months prior to conception through the first trimester (odds ratio [OR], 1.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64–3.47). Among fathers, 61% of case fathers and 46% of control fathers were classified as exposed to lead during the six months prior to conception (paternal critical period) (OR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.00–3.42). During the paternal critical period, when only the father was exposed compared to neither parent exposed, the OR for any lead exposure and TAPVR was 1.65 (95% CI, 0.84–3.25). CONCLUSIONS This study supports a possible association between paternal lead exposure and TAPVR. Further studies are warranted using validated assessment methods for occupational and nonoccupational lead exposures to corroborate this association and to elucidate the possible biological mechanism. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Pattern indifference: The response of pay setters to the 1993 GM-UAW settlement

Prominent union wage settlements are sometimes thought to have a pattern-setting influence on the economy as a whole. However, a telephone survey after the GM-UAW settlement in the fall of 1993 reveals widespread ignorance of the settlement on the part of wage setters. Such ignorance suggests that big union settlements do not have direct spillover effects outside their immediate industries.
Intercondylar eminences and their effect on the maximum length measure of the tibia.

Abstract: Maximum length measurement of the tibia has been found to be variable both in description and implementation. Historically, the literature often excludes the intercondylar eminences from the tibia in metric analysis. This paper explores the quantitative effects of inclusion or exclusion of the eminences on the maximum length measure across ancestral population, age and sex in five human adult populations of American Whites and Blacks, two Native American samples, and East Asians. A Tukey’s post hoc comparison was employed to determine the overall effect of inclusion the intercondylar eminences has on metric assessment of the tibia. Results show no significant effect on comparative analysis of the tibia by age or sex. However, the difference between sample means by ancestry is significant (p < 0.0001). These results pose interesting questions concerning the morphological differences between ancestral groups. This investigation prompts further study of population variation of the human knee.
Version modeling concepts for computer-aided design databases

We describe a semantic object-oriented data model for representing how a complex design database evolves over time. Structural relationships, introduced by the data management system, are imposed on the objects created by existing CAD tools. The relationships supported by the model are (1) version histories, (2) time-varying configurations, and (3) equivalences among objects of different types. We describe mechanisms for (1) identifying current versions, (2) supporting dynamic configuration binding, and (3) verifying equivalence relationships. The data model is being implemented in a Version Server, under development at the University of California, Berkeley.
Concerning the use of language and ancillary codes in ritualized communication

This essay employs some ethnographic exemplars of the communicative use of spitting to illustrate a semiotic investigation of the formal relationship between linguistic and nonlinguistic sign systems in face‐to‐face communication. It argues that elements from various sign strata not only interact in certain ways in the communicative constitution of reality, but that they may also signify one another. This potential is especially important in situations of uncertain outcome, for through their experiential immediacy nonlinguistic signs contribute to the ritualization of the communication situation. Such signs, iconic in character, emphasize the performativity or eventness of the communication process in which they function as metapropositional elements.