cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Palliative Care Effectively Guides Transition to Inpatient Hospice, Home Hospice or Home Services for End-of-Life Care of LVAD Patients

peripheral-arterial-vascular disease, metabolic-disease). In Group-A we observed a faster post-operative recovery because of significantly reduced duration of surgery (min. 150±33 vs 187±62, p< 0.05), anesthesia (min. 165±42 vs 242±56, p< 0.05), mechanical-ventilation (hrs. 3.1±0.2 vs 6,7±3.4, p< 0.05), ICU (days 2.8±0.4 vs 3,4±1,3 p< 0.05) and in Hospital-stay (days 13.8±2.5 vs 18.5±9 p< 0.05), and finally by accelerating the time to first mobilization (p< 0.05). Additionally, bilateral-thoracotomy-approach offered significantly reduced need for plasma and platelet transfusions. A lower incidence of new onset postoperative atrial fibrillation was recorded in Group A (17% vs 31%, p< 0.05). Major and minor postoperative complications and overall in-hospital mortality were not significantly different between groups. Conclusion: Our experience shows that bilateral-thoracotomy-approach for LVAD surgery is a reproducible, safe, and effective procedure, offers a faster post-operative recovery, and reduces the need for blood product transfusion.
Preparation and Processing of Soil Samples for Biodegradation Studies

Abstract Soil collected for use in biodegradation studies should be handled as living tissue rather than as a geological specimen. Practices such as air-drying, prolonged storage, and freezing and thawing will drastically alter biochemical capability by inactivating extracellular enzymes and by modifying the composition and density of populations of microorganisms indigenous to soils. Some standardization of handling procedures is urged to assure that the biological integrity of soil samples is maintained.
Staggering of Subunits in NMDAR Channels

Functional N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are heteromultimers formed by NR1 and NR2 subunits. The M3 segment, as contributed by NR1, forms the core of the extracellular vestibule, including binding sites for channel blockers, and represents a critical molecular link between ligand binding and channel opening. Taking advantage of the substituted cysteine accessibility method along with channel block and multivalent coordination, we studied the contribution of the M3 segment in NR2C to the extracellular vestibule. We find that the M3 segment in NR2C, like that in NR1, contributes to the core of the extracellular vestibule. However, the M3 segments from the two subunits are staggered relative to each other in the vertical axis of the channel. Compared to NR1, homologous positions in NR2C, including those in the highly conserved SYTANLAAF motif, are located about four amino acids more externally. The staggering of subunits may represent a key structural feature underlying the distinct functional properties of NMDARs.
Preparation and properties of thrombin.

Abstract Purified bovine prothrombin preparations were converted to thrombin in 25% sodium citrate solution, and the thrombin was isolated by chromatography on Amberlite IRC-50 according to previously published procedures. In the ultracentrifuge So20 w = 3.7. Following a second chromatography on Amberlite IRC-50, 75 amino acid residues, predominately acidic, were deleted and 183 residues remained with the thrombin. The isoelectric point shifted from 5.75 to 6.2, and the specific activity increased from 4,200 to 8,230 U/mg protein. Acetylation also removed a postulated acidic moiety from the 3.7S thrombin. Ultracentrifugation of the twice chromatographed thrombin gave So20,w = 3.2. During centrifugation molecular association and aggregation occurred. The 3.2S thrombin contained 1.7% sialic acid, 5.02% orcinolreactive carbohydrate, 0.69% glucosamine, and 0.46% galactosamine. Molecular weight for only amino acids was 21,100, and with sialic acid and carbohydrate added it was 22,900. By thin-layer gel filtration we found 22,500, and with the same technique 33,000 for 3.7S thrombin and 40,000 for prethrombin. With TAMe as substrate Km for 3.7S thrombin = 2.97 × 10−4; 3.2S thrombin = 9.5 × 10−5, and for acetylated thrombin = 4.85 × 10−4. It was concluded that thrombin has two polypeptide chains. The N-termini are: threonine and isoleucine.
Modulation of RTK by sEcad: a putative mechanism for oncogenicity in oropharyngeal SCCs

Objective Heightened levels of sEcad are found in the serum of patients with cancer and correlate with an unfavorable prognosis and later-stages of disease. In this study, we explored whether sEcad is elevated in human OPSCC specimens and FaDu cells. Additionally, we investigated sEcad-EGFR and sEcad-IGF-1R interactions and performed a functional analysis of sEcad in OPSCC cancers. Materials and Methods sEcad, EGFR, and IGF-1R levels were examined in human OPSCC specimens and cells by immunoblotting. sEcad-EGFR and sEcad-IGF-1R interactions were examined by immunoprecipitation and immunoblot assays. Levels of sEcad on EGFR and IGF-1R pathway components were evaluated by IB. The effects of sEcad on OPSCC proliferation, migration, and invasion were assessed using standard cellular assays. Results Statistical analysis demonstrated that sEcad levels were significantly higher in OPSCC primary tumors and cells compared with normal controls. IP studies indicated that sEcad associated with EGFR and IGF-1R, and addition of sEcad resulted in a statistically significant increase in downstream signaling. Finally, cell-based assays demonstrated enhanced sEcad-induced proliferation, migration, and invasion, which was blocked by EGFR and IGF-1R inhibitors. Conclusions These findings suggest that sEcad may play an important role in OPSCC oncogenicity via its interaction and activation of EGFR and IGF-1R.
Risk factors in idiopathic renal vasculitis and glomerulonephritis.

Risk factors in idiopathic renal vasculitis and glomerulonephritis. In this retrospective study, we analyzed clinical laboratory, and pathologic variables to determine their value in predicting survival and survival free of renal failure for 170 consecutive patients with idiopathic renal vasculitis and glomerulonephritis evaluated during a 15 year period. Of the 170 patients, 108 had focal segmental necrotizing glomerulonephritis alone (FSNGN), 33 had FSNGN and small-artery vasculitis, and 29 had FSNGN and medium-sized artery vasculitis. Considerable overlap of clinical, laboratory, and pathologic findings existed among the three groups. Overall patient survival was 81% at one year, 61% at five years, and 44% at ten years, significantly less than expected survival. Overall survival free of renal failure, by definition, was lower than patient survival. There were no differences among these three groups in patient survival or survival free of renal failure. Multivariate analysis identified leukocytosis and serum creatinine level as independent predictors of patient survival and survival free of renal failure. In addition, univariate analysis identified age and hypertension as significant risk factors but did not add independent predictive value for these two end points. In patients with serum creatinine levels 16,000/mm 3 ) than for those with serum creatinine levels ≥ 4.0 mg/dl.
The Texas a&m Coupled-Cyclotron System

A superconducting (SC) cyclotron of the Michigan State University design having K = 500 and K /SUB F/ = 160 is under construction at Texas AandM and will be used both alone and as a heavy-ion injector for the existing 224-cm cyclotron. The heavy-ion performance of the completed facility is compared with some other U.S. facilities. Good intensity beams of lighter ions (A<40) above sonic velocity will be available with beams above the Coulomb barrier available throughout the periodic table. Deuterons and alpha particles to 80 MeV/nucleon will be available from the SC cyclotron, while up to 55 Mev protons, up to 130 MeV /sup 3/He ions and polarized protons, deuterons, and /sup 3/He ions will remain available from the present cyclotron.
Nonlinear Shear Response and Anomalous Pressure Dependence of Viscosity in a Langmuir Monolayer

We have studied the strain response of heneicosanoic acid monolayers to an applied sinusoidal shear stress. We have measured the complex shear modulus (G = G‘ + iG‘‘) as a function of strain amplitude and frequency, monolayer pressure, and temperature. We find that G‘ and G‘‘ are independent of the strain only at very small strain amplitudes; beyond an ‘elastic limit', both G‘ and G‘‘ decrease with increasing strain amplitude. G‘ and G‘‘ are discontinuous at the L2−L2‘ and L2‘−S phase transitions. In the low-pressure L2 phase, G‘ and G‘‘ first increase with increasing pressure and then anomalously decrease. Compared to existing X-ray data, we find an unexpected correlation: over a range of temperatures, the pressure at which G‘‘ is a maximum is also the one at which the monolayer lattice is hexagonal (undistorted).
Ad lib Smoking of Black & Mild Cigarillos and Cigarettes

INTRODUCTION Over the past 20 years, there has been a tripling in the consumption of small cigars and cigarillos, with further increases expected because cigar products are not subject to Food and Drug Administration regulations. Acute toxin exposure from cigar smoking is difficult to assess because unlike cigarettes, cigars vary widely in size, design, composition, and in the smoking behavior of their consumers. For example, a recent practice among urban youth is to remove the paper liner (i.e., "freaking") of a small cigar in the belief that it is this paper liner that leads to addiction and cancer. METHODS We examined acute exposure (CO and nicotine boosts) and puffing behavior in 12 participants (10 men) who smoked (ad lib) their usual conventional cigarette, a Black & Mild cigar (B&M) and a B&M without the paper liner (i.e., "freaked" [B&Mf]). RESULTS All products (cigarettes, B&M, and B&Mf) significantly increased heart rate and CO with a trend for plasma nicotine. Nicotine boost was significantly higher after cigarette smoking than both B&M and B&Mf, while CO boost was significantly greater after B&M and B&Mf than cigarettes. The CO boost after B&M was larger than after B&Mf. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that small cigar smoking is associated with smoke inhalation that leads to significant exposure to nicotine, CO, and presumably other components of tobacco smoke and that removing the inner liner does not substantially reduce toxin exposure.
Social network analysis of child and adult interorganizational connections.

Objective Because most programs serve either children and their families or adults, a critical component of service and treatment continuity in mental health and related services for individuals transitioning into adulthood (ages 14-25) is coordination across programs on either side of the adult age divide. Methods This study was conducted in Clark County, Washington, a community that had received a Partnership for Youth Transition grant from the Federal Center for Mental Health Services. Social Network Analysis methodology was used to describe the strength and direction of each organization's relationship to other organizations in the transition network. Interviews were conducted before grant implementation (n=103) and again four years later (n=99). Results The findings of the study revealed significant changes in the nature of relationships between organizations over time. While the overall density of the transition service network remained stable, specific ways of connecting did change. Some activities became more decentralized while others became more inclusive as evidenced by the increase in size of the largest K-core. This was particularly true for the activity of "receiving referrals." These changes reflected more direct contact between child and adult serving organizations. Conclusions and implications for practice The two separate child and adult systems identified at baseline appeared more integrated by the end of the grant period. Having greater connectivity among all organizations regardless of ages served should benefit youth and young adults of transition age. This study provides further evidence that Social Network Analysis is a useful method for measuring change in service system integration over time.
Reply to: “The Pioneer 6 Faraday rotation transients—On the interpretation of coronal Faraday rotation data”by Pätzold and Bird

The detection of coronal streamers in Doppler scintillation measurements revealed for the first time that variations in radio occultation measurements near the Sun could be caused by quasi-stationary raylike structures.
Implant choices, technique, and results in revision acetabular surgery: a review.

Acetabular reconstruction in revision total hip arthroplasty can successfully be achieved with hemispherical components featuring a porous or roughened ingrowth surface and options for placement of...
Insulin resistance and inflammation as precursors of frailty: The cardiovascular health study

Background Our research group has previously shown that the geriatric syndrome of frailty is associated with features of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) on cross-sectional analysis. Methods To test whether MetS and its physiologic determinants—insulin resistance as measured by homeostasis model assessment score (IR-HOMA), increased inflammation and coagulation factor levels, and elevated blood pressure—are associated with incident frailty, we studied a subcohort of participants from the Cardiovascular Health Study observed from 1989/1990 through 1998/1999: 3141 community-dwelling adults, aged 69 to 74 years, without frailty and illnesses that increase inflammation markers or mimic frailty. The association of baseline MetS, IR-HOMA, levels of inflammation and coagulation factors, and systolic blood pressure (SBP) with time to onset of frailty was adjusted for demographic and psychosocial factors and incident events. Our main outcome measure was incident frailty. Results Metabolic syndrome was not significantly associated with incident frailty (hazard ratio, 1.16 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85-1.57). On the other hand, IR-HOMA and C-reactive protein levels were associated with incident frailty: for every standard deviation increment the hazard ratio for frailty was 1.15 (95% CI, 1.02-1.31) and 1.16 (95% CI, 1.02-1.32), respectively. The white blood cell count and factor VIIIc levels had a borderline association. Elevated systolic blood pressure had no association. Similar trends were found for incident prefrailty, a condition that precedes frailty. Conclusions Two physiologic components of MetS— IR-HOMA and inflammation—are associated with incident frailty. Based on these results, IR-HOMA can be considered part of a larger process that leads to generalized decline.
The effect of organization on learning from an informative message

This study was an experimental investigation of the effects of informative message organization on listener learning. Two message versions were employed. The organized version consisted of a chronologically ordered description of the rules of the game Risk. The disorganized version consisted of the rules rearranged in non‐sequential fashion. Results indicated that Ss hearing the organized version achieved significantly higher scores on a subsequent learning measure than Ss hearing the disorganized version of the message. Implications for future research are offered and implications for message organization as a critical speech communication variable are discussed.
COMPARISONS BETWEEN VARIABLE‐INTERVAL AND FIXED‐INTERVAL SCHEDULES OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DELIVERY

Responding maintained in rats under a variable-interval 35-sec food schedule was suppressed more by 60-sec and 240-sec fixed-interval schedules of shock delivery than by 60-sec and 240-sec variable-interval schedules of shock delivery. When the delivery of shock was preceded by a 5-sec visual stimulus, little overall response suppression was found with either fixed-interval or variable-interval schedules. In a third experiment, the percentage of occasions on which a cue preceded each shock delivery was varied from 0% to 100%. For the fixed-interval shock condition, the most suppression occurred with the 0% treatment, the least with 100%, and an intermediate amount with the 50% treatment. For the variable-interval groups, the most suppression occurred in the 50% condition, the least in the 100% group, and an intermediate amount with 0%.
Antiterrorism, Race, and the New Frontier: American Exceptionalism, Imperial Multiculturalism, and the Global Security State

Following Barack Obama's election as United States president, the illusion that the worst excesses of the Bush administration are now simply finished must be tempered by a sober assessment of the deeply consequential institutionalization of antiterrorism as the intransigent idiom of a new species of security state formation. Obama's assumption of responsibility for the conduct of the so-called War on Terror has committed him to the dominant ethos of antiterrorism and a multifaceted program of securitization, “domestically” and internationally. Furthermore, the task of reinvigorating United States nationalism by exalting American exceptionalism is one that deeply conjoins Obama with his predecessor. This is, perhaps, nowhere so evident as in Obama's dissimulations of the racial singularity and salience of his accession to the presidency. Indeed, he compulsively deracialized his election in favor of an American exceptionalist gesture of patriotic postracialism. This essay interrogates the relation between t...
Influence of vitamin A on matrix-induced endochondral bone formation.

The influence of retinoic acid on matrix-induced endochondral bone differentiation was determined. Retinoic acid was administered during discrete stages of endochondral bone formation, specifically, mesenchymal cell proliferation, chondrogenesis, bone formation, and mineralization. In retinoic acid-treated rats examined on day 3 following matrix implantation, biochemical markers for mesenchymal cell proliferation were about 50% of the controls. Chondrogenesis on day 7, assessed by35SO4 incorporation into proteoglycans, was 27% of the control. In addition, dissociative extraction of proteoglycans with 4.0 M guanidine-HCl and chromatography on Sepharose CL-2B revealed the synthesis of a smaller molecular weight proteoglycan when compared to controls which exhibited the cartilage-specific type. Osteogenesis and bone mineralization were monitored by alkaline phosphatase activity and45Ca incorporation. On day 11 alkaline phosphatase activity was decreased by 40% and45Ca incorporation was 48% of the control. These results revealed the multiple foci of the actions of excess vitamin A.
Chemical vapor deposition and homogeneous nucleation in fluidized bed reactors: silicon from silane

Two models are developed to treat the simultaneous chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on solid particles and gas-phase nucleation of solid fines in a fluidized bed reactor. The first assumes both gas and solids to be well mixed. The second distinguishes between the grid, bubble and emulsion region of the bed. The population balance is used to describe the size distribution of fines, and the growth of large particles is ascribed to CVD and capture of fines. The results of the two models are compared to the experimental data from the JPL six-inch fluidized bed reactor. Good agreement between predictions and experimental data is established for the production rate, gas conversion and quantity of fines formed. The suppression of fines is most efficient when a CSTR flow pattern is approached in the bed.
Measurement of the radiative branching ratio for the 7. 65-MeV state in /sup 12/C using the cascade gamma decays

A measurement of the cascade $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ radiation from the 7.65-MeV ${J}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}={0}^{+}$ state in $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ is reported. The cascade $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ radiation through the 4.44-MeV ${J}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}={2}^{+}$ state in $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ is responsible for 98% of stellar $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ production, the remaining 2% proceeding by $E0$ pair decay. The two $E2$ $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays were measured in coincidence with inelastically scattered protons which resonantly populated the 7.65-MeV state at ${E}_{p}=10.48$ MeV. A high efficiency detection system was used, consisting of four 12.5-cm \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} 12.5-cm NaI $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ detectors and four silicon surface barrier particle counters. A value of (4.09 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.29) \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$ was obtained for the radiative branching ratio, in agreement with the larger of the two sets of values previously reported.
Dragonfly predators influence biomass and density of pond snails

Studies in lakes show that fish and crayfish predators play an important role in determining the abundance of freshwater snails. In contrast, there are few studies of snails and their predators in shallow ponds and marshes. Ponds often lack fish and crayfish but have abundant insect populations. Here we present the results of field surveys, laboratory foraging trials, and an outdoor mesocosm experiment, testing the hypothesis that insects are important predators of pulmonate snails. In laboratory foraging trials, conducted with ten species of insects, most insect taxa consumed snails, and larval dragonflies were especially effective predators. The field surveys showed that dragonflies constitute the majority of the insect biomass in fishless ponds. More focused foraging trials evaluated the ability of the dragonflies Anax junius and Pantala hymenaea to prey upon different sizes and species of pulmonate snails (Helisoma trivolvis, Physa acuta, and Stagnicola elodes). Anax junius consumed all three species up to the maximum size tested. Pantala hymenaea consumed snails with a shell height of 3 mm and smaller, but did not kill larger snails. P. acuta were more vulnerable to predators than were H. trivolvis or S. elodes. In the mesocosm experiment, conducted with predator treatments of A. junius, P. hymenaea, and the hemipteran Belostoma flumineum, insect predators had a pronounced negative effect on snail biomass and density. A. junius and B. flumineum reduced biomass and density to a similar degree, and both reduced biomass more than did P. hymenaea. Predators did not have a strong effect on species composition. A model suggested that A. junius and P. hymenaea have the largest effects on snail biomass in the field. Given that both pulmonate snails and dragonfly nymphs are widespread and abundant in marshes and ponds, snail assemblages in these water bodies are likely regulated in large part by odonate predation.
Transsphenoidal meningoencephalocele in adults.

BACKGROUND Transsphenoidal meningoencephalocele is a rare congenital anomaly, reported only in 14 adult patients. It may be subdivided into intrasphenoidal, extending into the sphenoid sinus, and true transsphenoidal, traversing the floor of the sinus and protruding into the nasal cavity or nasopharynx. METHODS We present the eighth case of true transsphenoidal meningoencephalocele reported in an adult. We review the literature and highlight the differences in clinical presentation and therapeutic management between patients with intrasphenoidal and true transsphenoidal meningoencephalocele. CONCLUSION Adult patients with intrasphenoidal meningoencephalocele often present with rhinorrhea and should be considered for transsphenoidal repair, whereas patients with true transsphenoidal meningoencephalocele should not undergo surgery, in view of the complex anatomy and the slow progression of symptoms.
Genetically modified plants for tactical systems applications

Plants are ubiquitous in the environment and have the ability to respond to their environment physiologically and through altered gene expression profiles (they cannot walk away). In addition, plant genetic transformation techniques and genomic information in plants are becoming increasingly advanced. We have been performing research to express the jellyfish green fluorescent protein (GFP) in plants. GFP emits green light when excited by blue or UV light. In addition, my group and collaborators have developed methods to detect GFP in plants by contact instruments and at a standoff. There are several tactical uses for this technology. Some obvious applications are using plants as sentinels for detecting biological and chemical warfare agents or their derivatives from a remote platform, as well as detecting explosives. Another tactical application is covert monitoring using individual plants. Different methods to detect GFP in transgenic plants will be discussed.
Missing Energy Signatures of Dark Matter at the LHC

We use ATLAS and CMS searches in the monojet $+$ missing energy and monophoton $+$ missing energy final state to set limits on the couplings of dark matter to quarks and gluons. Working in an effective field theory framework we compare several existing monojet analyses and find that searches with high ${p}_{T}$ cuts are more sensitive to dark matter. We constrain the suppression scale of the effective dark matter--standard model interactions and convert these limits into bounds on the cross sections relevant to direct and indirect detection. We find that, for certain types of operators, in particular, spin-independent dark matter--gluon couplings and spin-dependent dark matter--quark couplings, LHC constraints from the monojet channel are competitive with, or superior to, limits from direct searches up to dark matter masses of order 1 TeV. Comparing to indirect searches, we exclude, at 90% C.L., dark matter annihilating to quarks with the annihilation cross section of a thermal relic for masses below $\ensuremath{\sim}15--70\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$, depending on the Lorentz structure of the effective couplings. Monophoton limits are somewhat weaker than monojet bounds but still provide an important cross check in the case of a discovery in monojets. We also discuss the possibility that dark matter--standard model interactions at LHC energies cannot be described by effective operators, in which case we find that constraints can become either significantly stronger, or considerably weaker, depending on the mass and width of the intermediate particle. Further, we discuss the special case of dark matter coupling to the Higgs boson, and we show that searches for invisible Higgs decays would provide superior sensitivity, particularly for a light Higgs mass and light dark matter.
Differential space-time coding with offset quadrature phase-shift keying

Differential space-time coding (DSTC) has been well established as a precoding technique that allows maximum likelihood detection of the received symbols without requiring knowledge of channel state information. This type of detection is useful for highly time-varying channels where the resulting cost of channel estimation is high. However, to date, this approach has not been developed for the commonly-used offset modulations that offer improved spectral performance in the presence of nonlinear transmit power amplifiers. This paper illustrates modifications to the DSTC detection strategy for offset quadrature phase shift keying. Furthermore, it is shown that while traditional DSTC achieves a reduced transmission rate, the combination with offset modulation allows full rate transmission if desired.
Action Research, Assessment, and Institutional Review Boards (IRB): Conflicting Demands or Productive Tension for the Academic Librarian?

This article puts forward an “assessment/action research/publication” cycle that integrates aspects of the assessment, research, and Institutional Review Board (IRB) processes to provide academic librarians with a systematic approach for balancing competing workplace demands and give library managers a roadmap for creating a “research culture” (Jacobs, Berg, and Cornwall) within their libraries. The article argues that librarians and library managers have much to gain by integrating action research into librarians’ everyday work loads, including increased ease in meeting publication demands for tenure and/or promotion, institutionalizing habits of reflective practice across all library service areas, and overall library improvement.
Sequence comparison techniques for multisensor data fusion and target recognition

A new class of techniques for multisensor fusion and target recognition is proposed using sequence comparison by dynamic programming and multiple model estimation. The objective is to fuse information on the kinematic state and "nonkinematic" signature of unclassified targets, assessing the joint likelihood of all observed events for recognition. Relationships are shown to previous efforts in pattern recognition and state estimation. This research applies "classical" speech processing-related and other sequence comparison methods to moving target recognition, extends the efforts of previous researchers through improved fusion with kinematic information, relates the proposed techniques to Bayesian theory, and applies parameter identification methods to target recognition for improved understanding of the subject in general. The proposed techniques are evaluated and compared with existing approaches using the method of generalized ambiguity functions, which lends to a form of Cramer-Rao lower bound for target recognition.
Supporting interoperability using the discrete-event modeling ontology (DeMO)

In modeling and simulation, the need for interoperability can be between simulation models or, more broadly, within simulation environments. For example, simulation of biochemical pathways for glycan biosynthesis will need access to glycomics knowledge bases such as the GlycO, EnzyO and ReactO ontologies and bioinformatics resource/databases. Traditionally, developers have studied these information sources and written custom simulation code with hardlinks into, for example, databases. Our research explores a technique which allows developers to create a conceptual model using domain ontologies, and then use alignment and mapping information between the domain ontologies and the Discrete-event Modeling Ontology (DeMO) to create DeMO instances which represent a model that conforms to a particular simulation world view. Once the DeMO instances have been created, a code generator can be used to produce an executable simulation model. This paper discusses several situations in which DeMO can support interoperability but focuses primarily on interoperability between domain ontologies and DeMO.
Association of C3435T and G2677T/A polymorphisms of multidrug resistance (MDR1) gene with colorectal cancer risk

The human multidrug-resistance (MDR1) gene encodes an integral cell membrane protein, P-glycoprotein (PGP), which generates the ATP-dependent cellular transport of substances. The activation of responsive elements in MDR1 gene promoter occurs in earlier colorectal carcinogenesis. In combination with cell proliferative activities of c-myc and cyclin D1, MDR1 may initiate colorectal tumorogenesis by suppressing cell death pathways. The failure of correct cell death mechanisms disturbs the epithelium homeostasis and may induce tumorogenesis. We have studied if the hereditarily determined activity of MDR1 could modulate the risk of developing of colorectal cancer and have investigated genetic variant 3435C>T in exon 26 and triple polymorphism 2677G>T/A in exon 21 in a group of 289 colorectal cancer patients and sex- and age-matched controls. Genotyping was performed by PCR/RFLP and Real-Time PCR assays. Homozygous carriers of 3435C allele had 1.65 (95% C. I., 1.1-2.5) higher risk (p=0.01) than carriers of 3435T allele. Presence of at least one 3435T protects significantly against colorectal cancer. Similar effect was shown for the mutation in exon 21. Carries of one 2677T allele had a lower risk of colorectal cancer (OR=0.65, 95% C. I., 0.45–0.94, p=0.02). The 2677G>T/A polymorphism and the 3435C>T polymorphism displayed tight allelic association (p<0.001). Our data suggest that carries of active MDR1 alleles are at the higher risk to develop the colorectal cancer. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2004) 75, P17–P17; doi: 10.1016/j.clpt.2003.11.065
Use of Ultrasound to Identify Brangus Cattle with Superior Intramuscular Fat and Other Carcass Traits

Abstract The objectives of this research were 1) to determine the effects of sire on the expression of intramuscular fat and 2) to determine the relationship of intramuscular fat with selected performance traits. Purebred Brangus cattle (n = 1,215) were subjected to real-time ultrasound evaluation of body composition; traits recorded were the 12th-13th rib subcutaneous fat thickness ( FT ), longissimus area ( LA ), and percentage intramuscular fat ( IMF ). Performance data provided by the International Brangus Breeder’s Association ( IBBA ) included birth BW ( BBW ; n = 323), weaning BW ( WBW ; n = 328), yearling BW ( YBW ; n = 1,087), and scrotal circumference ( SC ; n = 329). Data were analyzed to determine genetic relationships with the animal model using multiple trait restricted maximum likelihood ( MTDFREML ) procedures. Contemporary group was included in the model as a fixed effect, and age (in days) was included as a covariate. Analyses of covariant models were examined to determine the relative importance of sire and carcass traits to IMF. Genetic correlations of IMF with LA, FT, and YBW were –0.25, 0.36, and 0.31, respectively. Sire, FT, and LA were significant (P QG ), ultrasonically determined IMF may be considered in selecting seedstock for increased QG.
Policies of Inclusion and the Mentally Ill: Long-Term Care in a New Environment

We propose “policies of inclusion” as a conceptualization of current mental health long-term care policy. Inclusionary policies refer to the fact that deinstitutionalization, and all the policy changes associated with it, resulted in the forcible inclusion back into society of patients formerly excluded by institutional placement. This compelled both society and the patient to change in profound but often unpredicted ways. This conceptualization can explain and unite many phenomena associated with deinstitutionalization—for example, how its problems resemble those of racial desegregation, why it results in increasing differentiation of types of patients, and how it turned what had formerly been a mental health problem into a broader welfare problem. The paper ends with suggestions about future research implied by this conceptualization.
Object and Walking Probes in Ethnographic Interviewing

Probes and prompts are integral to successful interviews. Probes help motivate informants, facilitate the flow of an interview, and elicit information, but not necessarily in the form of a question. In this article, the authors describe a method they call the “material probe.” Material probes are nonverbal and include objects and places that prompt and motivate informants. The goal is not to learn about the object or place but instead to learn about the informant through the object or place. In essence, the “material probe” triggers a response or memory and can be used in specific and or general ways.
Carbon and oxygen isotope ratios of tree ring cellulose along a precipitation transect in Oregon, United States

[1] The carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions of tree ring cellulose were examined for trees along a precipitation gradient in western Oregon, United States. Two years of cellulose from four sites dominated by coniferous forests ranging in precipitation from 227 to 2129 mm were sampled in conjunction with studies that measured the δ18O and δ13C of ecosystem respiration. The mean tree ring cellulose δ13C varied from −22.1 to −26.3‰ among sites and showed enrichment with decreasing water availability across the transect. The δ13C in cellulose varied across the precipitation transect in a similar pattern to the δ13C of leaf and root tissues as well as ecosystem respiration, although tree ring cellulose was enriched in 13C by over 3‰ compared to other organic matter components. The mean tree ring cellulose δ18O varied from 28.1 to 30.3‰. However, trends of cellulose δ18O change with water availability were obscured by differences in stem water δ18O. When calculated as deviation from stem water (δ18Ocellulose − δ18Ostem water) the differences in evaporative enrichment between sites was more pronounced (range of 9.6‰). The limited observed variation in tree ring cellulose δ18O of field grown trees despite large site difference in stem and leaf water δ18O across the transect agreed with predictions from a mechanistic model. Tree ring records of cellulose δ18O may provide useful proxy information regarding humidity and site water balance especially if combined with δ13C records that also vary with plant water status.
Design of m-out-of-n bit-voters

Several synthesis methods for m-out-of-n bit-voting networks are described, and the costs of the resultant designs are compared. In the special case of majority voting (with gate count used as the cost index), it is shown that a multiplexer-based design method yields the best realizations for small n, while designs based on selection networks are most efficient when n is large. Other design techniques are offered that might be more efficient with particular technologies or when certain standard building blocks are to be used in the hardware realization. Most of these designs can be extended to the general case of unequal vote weights (weighted voting). >
Fast IPSCs in rat thalamic reticular nucleus require the GABAA receptor β1 subunit

.Synchrony within the thalamocortical system is regulated in part by intranuclear synaptic inhibition within the reticular nucleus (RTN). Inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) in RTN neurons are largely characterized by slow decay kinetics that result in powerful and prolonged suppression of spikes. Here we show that some individual RTN neurons are characterized by highly variable mixtures of fast, slow and mixed IPSCs. Heterogeneity arose largely through differences in the contribution of an initial decay component (τ D ∼10 ms) which was insensitive to loreclezole, suggesting involvement of the GABAA receptor β1 subunit. Single-cell RT-PCR revealed the presence of β1 subunit mRNA only in those neurons whose IPSCs were dominated by a rapid and prominent initial decay phase. These data show that brief, β1-dependent, loreclezole-insensitive IPSCs are present in a subpopulation of RTN neurons, and suggest that striking differences in IPSC heterogeneity within single neurons can result from of the presence or absence of a single GABAA receptor subunit.
Straightening the crooked road

This article examines the semiotic operations by which ‘heritage’ is represented and serves as a commodity in a tourism project in southwest Virginia known as The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail. I examine the methods and stakes of representing musical ‘heritage’, presenting it for consumption, and relying on it as a regional economic engine. Central to these methods and stakes is a representation of ‘heritage’ as an inalienable possession of a place, of its people and landscape. This representation in turn indexes a paradox of folk authenticity, where a musical form that is supposed to inhabit the last commercialism-free domain of ‘heritage’ is simultaneously called upon, according to the paradigm of ‘asset-based development’, to generate regional revenue. In this process the folk culture that is supposed to dwell in the contoured landscape of ethnomimetic transmission and vernacular expression has to register on the plane of potentially infinite equivalences comprising exchange-value, wher...
Impact of Family Structure on Parental Attitudes Toward the Economic Support of Adult Children Over the Transition to Adulthood

This research explored the influence of family structure on midlife parents’ attitudes toward the economic support of adult children and measured change in those attitudes as their oldest child moved from adolescence to young adulthood. Results suggest that family structure has long-term effects on parents’ attitudes toward financial obligations to children. Compared to intact families, both stepparents and remarried (biological) parents were less likely to agree that parents should provide economic support as children make the transition to adulthood. Among stepfamilies, perceived financial obligations were stronger when parents had had a child together in addition to children from prior relationships. Single parents reported less positive attitudes toward economic support than two-biological-parent families when their oldest child was an adolescent, but their attitudes became more positive over time.
MOTHER/NATURE A SKEPTICAL LOOK AT THE UNIQUE NATURALNESS OF MATERNAL PARENTING

“Is it more natural for mothers to parent than it is for fathers or anyone else?” Although this is an ill-defined question, in several respects, Rossi (1977) offers a sophisticated defense of the traditional affirmative answer to it. Rossi argues that not only is it more natural for mothers to parent than for fathers or anyone else, but it is also natural that mothers will be in certain respects better parents than anyone else. Rossi’s thesis is that mothers have natural, unique and superior parental abilities and responsibilities, especially toward their infants and very young children. Rossi phrases her thesis in terms of what her “biosocial perspective” suggests rather than what nature dictates, but her point is clear: It is…likely that the emotional ties to the children are more important to the mothers than to the fathers….(T)he predisposition to respond to the child may be much greater on the part of the mother than the father….If a society wishes to create shared parental roles, it must either accept the high probability that the mother-infant relationship will continue to have greater emotional depth than the father-infant relationship, or institutionalize the means for providing men with compensatory exposure and training in infant and child care in order to close the gap provided by the physiological experience of pregnancy, birth, and nursing (Rossi, 1977, p. 18).
Three strategies to rule induction from data with numerical attributes

Rule induction from data with numerical attributes must be accompanied by discretization. Our main objective was to compare two discretization techniques, both based on cluster analysis, with a new rule induction algorithm called MLEM2, in which discretization is performed simultaneously with rule induction. The MLEM2 algorithm is an extension of the existing LEM2 rule induction algorithm, working correctly only for symbolic attributes and being a part of the LERS data mining system. For the two strategies, based on cluster analysis, rules were induced by the LEM2 algorithm. Our results show that MLEM2 outperformed both strategies based on cluster analysis and LEM2, in terms of complexity (size of rule sets and the total number of conditions) and, more importantly, in terms of error rates.
Engagement Risk: Perceptions And Strategies From Audit Partners

The audit function creates several important relationships among the various parties. One of the significant and potentially problematic relationships is between the audit firm and the audit client. The decision by the audit firm to accept or retain a client is crucial because of the potential risk of being associated with certain clients. The potential damage can range from financial loss and/or loss of prestige to the ultimate demise of the audit firm. Engagement risk is considered to be composed of three components: entity’s business risk, audit risk, and auditor’s business risk. This research questioned whether audit firms have significantly changed their views regarding engagement risk and how they evaluate and manage this risk. An analysis of the surveys revealed that 83% of the respondents believed their views regarding the importance of engagement risk have changed, but only to a moderate degree. In evaluating engagement risk, audit partners considered management integrity in general, management integrity toward fraud, and the presence of the elements of the fraud triangle to be the most important factors. Assignment of more experienced audit staff and increased substantive tests of account balances were the most frequently used mitigating strategies. Based upon these results, which were consistent with our previous study, it appears there have not been significant changes in audit partners’ views regarding the importance of the client acceptance/retention decision.
My own experience in early research on Alzheimer disease

This brief paper reviews the work on dementia by the Neuropathology group at the Einstein College of Medicine and later at the University of California, San Diego, from the time of our first approaches to Alzheimer Disease in 1959. The electron microscope studies concerned the tangle (got it wrong) and then the plaque (got it right). Lysosomes and active mitochondria were noted in the plaques. Axoplasmic transport was suggested to be abnormal. We studied the plaques in old dogs and old monkeys, and then went on to use image analysis to count neurons in the neocortex of Alzheimer cases and in examples of normal aging. Later in San Diego we quantified presynaptic boutons and recognized their loss as the major direct cause of dementia. Many collaborators including Henry Wisniewski participated in these early attempts to understand the disease.
Absent infrarenal inferior vena cava

Absence of an infrarenal inferior vena cava is an infrequent finding on computed tomography scans and is usually an unexpected, incidental finding. This report concerns a young patient with an absent infrarenal inferior vena cava who presented with abdominal and back pain.
Caring for Patients with Lesions Decreasing Pulmonary Blood Flow

Congenital heart defects with decreased pulmonary blood flow are generally complex lesions. Most patients present within the first days of life with cyanosis, and are often at life-threatening risk in infancy without some form of intervention. Medical, surgical, and nursing management of these patients continues to advance, offering new hope for an improved quality of life and preservation of cardiac function.
Analysis of epidemiologic characteristics of first cases with plague in Gansu Province

Objective To study epidemiologic characteristics and prevalent pattern of the first cases with plague in Gansu Province in previous years and provide a scientific basis for the plague prevention and control in future.Methods The basic data of plague cases in Gansu Province were analyzed by epidemiological statistics.Results There were total 28 outbreaks of human plague in Gansu Province from 1959 to 2010.Out of them,30 cases were the first cases,including 53.3% of bubonic and 36.7%(11 cases)of septicaemic plague.Most sources of the infection were Himalayana marmota,and then cat,hare and shepherd dog.Most first cases were farmers or herders and occurred in July to September.Conclusions The analysis showed that the first plague cases are of short duration,spread fast and high mortality in Gansu Province.So early discovery,early diagnosis,treatment in time and prevention of epidemic situation from spreading are the key.The health education work of external population also should be strengthened in the future.
A new method to judge the non-biological stability of rice wines

The turbidity changes of 3 basic rice wines and 5 merchant wines were studied by the addition of ethanol.It was found that there is a saltation range of turbidities when ethanol addition quantities ranged from 40% to 60%.The tests on wine cold cloudy and destroying treatment showed that,after adding certain amount of ethanol,the wine turbidity related with its non-biological stability,i.e.,lower turbidity,better stabilization The mechanism of above phenomenon was analyzed.The turbidities of 15 merchant rice wines were measured with the addition of 50% ethanol.It revealed that the turbidity was related with cold cloudy and destroying treatment.Hence,the ethanol-turbidity test could be used as a new way to forecast the non-biological stabilization of rice wine quickly.