cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Debate about Funding Comparative-Effectiveness Research

What's the objection to CER? After all, scientific medicine has always been based on conducting well-designed research to determine what works. Dr. Jerry Avorn writes that the problem is that comparative studies will be threatening to makers and sellers of costly goods and services that offer no benefit over existing alternatives.
Radio wave phase method of quality control for refractory slabs for sliding gates

The radio-wave method can be used for operative control of the open porosity P, the apparent density ρ, and the density variation in refractory slabs for sliding-gate steel-pouring valves. The error in determining P is not more than 1 abs. %, and that in determining ρ is not more than 0.03 g/cm3. With the aim of improving the quality of production, it is recommended that the radiowave phase method should be used for nondestructive testing of the finished slabs and also of semifinished articles at intermediate stages of manufacture.
Development of Baroreflex Control of Heart Rate in Swine

The purpose of this study is to describe the developmental course of arterial baroreflex control of heart rate in swine. Tests of baroreflex function were performed with eight conscious piglets serially over their first 2 mo of life. Systemic blood pressure was raised with phenylephrine (pressor test) and lowered with nitroprusside (depressor test), and stimulus-response curves relating heart rate to mean blood pressure were constructed. Baroreflex sensitivity was determined as the slope of the linear portion of the curve. Baroreflex sensitivity decreased with increasing age. Baroreflex sensitivity was not different between pressor and depressor tests except when the piglets were greater than 52 d old and sensitivity was greater with the depressor test. The heart rates at threshold and saturation, and therefore the heart rate response range, shifted to lower heart rates with increasing age. This shift was more than can be accounted for by the simultaneously decreasing resting heart rate.
Increasing the Gender Diversity of High Courts: A Comparative View

The appointment of Sonia Sotomayor and the nomination of Elena Kagan to the United States Supreme Court provides a timely opportunity for scholars, policymakers, and members of the legal community to consider why there are so few women on the world's highest courts. Although singular moments draw our attention to the importance of women on high courts, sadly, this attention is rarely sustained over long periods. While much was made of Ronald Reagan's historic nomination of Sandra Day O'Connor to serve as the first female justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, more than a decade and four nomination opportunities passed by before Ruth Bader Ginsburg was appointed. On this point, Paula Monopoli aptly observes: “[T]he assumption that progress would steadily continue until gender parity was achieved has proven to be wrong” (2007, 43). Unfortunately, this same observation could be said of virtually all other high courts across the globe.
G-CSF receptor expression on neutrophils of healthy term and preterm neonates and in those with infection

Background: Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) has been shown to induce neutrophilia and to enhance mature effector neutrophil function. Whereas serum concentrations of G-CSF are high during infection, nothing is known about G-CSF receptor (G-CSF-R) expression on neutrophils of neonates.
Two limit distributions in evolutionary genetics.

Abstract The distribution of the limiting proportion of a given allele in a population which increases in size from generation to generation, is approximated numerically for two models corresponding to random mating and selfing.
Femtosecond infrared spectroscopy of biological processes

Recent infrared spectroscopic studies of the ultrafast responses of optically triggered changes in proteins are discussed. Examples from research on bacteriorhodospin and reaction centers illustrate the potential of time resolved infrared spectroscopy in the field of protein dynamics.
Regulation of phosphofructokinase by phosphocreatine and phosphorylated glycolytic intermediates.

Abstract P-fructokinase from brain and muscle is inhibited in vitro by P-creatine, 3-P-glycerate, P-enolpyruvate, 2-P-glycerate and 2,3-P 2 -glycerate. This inhibition is most pronounced at neutral pH, in the presence of inhibitory levels of ATP and of essentially non-activating levels of fructose-6-P. Evidence found in the literature suggests that inhibition in vitro of P-fructokinase by these compounds plays a role in regulation of glycolysis.
A critical appraisal of epidemiological studies investigating the effects of ultrafine particles on human health

Background Though several reviews investigating the health effects of particulate matter on human health exist, none of them focus exclusively on the impact of particulate matter in the ultrafine range. Objective This research consists of a critical appraisal of qualifying studies that investigates the impact of ultrafine particles on cardiopulmonary and circulatory health among humans. Methods The published articles were obtained from a search of electronic databases and bibliographies of identified articles. The critical appraisal was conducted using an Epidemiological Appraisal Instrument. Results Seven articles satisfied the inclusion criteria adopted in this research. The assessed quality of the published studies ranged from marginal to good. Conclusions The appraisal reveals that ultrafine particle exposure has different consequences compared to fine particle exposure. Also, it is likely that ultrafine particles do pose a health risk to human subjects who are already susceptible to cardiopulmonary disease. Further research is needed to extrapolate findings from lab studies and to determine the exact biological mechanism by which ultrafine particle exposure results in cardiopulmonary symptoms. Significance The reported findings indicate the need to investigate standards for ultrafine particle exposure and to list the three major cardiopulmonary symptoms resulting from ultrafine particle exposure. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Molecular cloning of the cowpea leghemoglobin II gene and expression of its cDNA in Escherichia coli. Purification and characterization of the recombinant protein.

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) nodules contain three leghemoglobins (LbI, LbII and LbIII) that are encoded by at least two genes. We have cloned and sequenced the gene that encodes for LbII (lbII), the most abundant Lb in cowpea nodules, using total DNA as the template for PCR. Primers were designed using the sequence of the soybean lbc gene. The lbII gene is 679 bp in length and codes for a predicted protein of 145 amino acids. Using sequences of the cowpea lbII gene for the synthesis of primers and total nodule RNA as the template, we cloned a cDNA for LbII into a constitutive expression vector (pEMBL19+) and then expressed it in Escherichia coli. Recombinant LbII (rLbII) and native LbII (nLbII) from cowpea nodules were purified to homogeneity using standard techniques. Properties of rLbII were compared with nLbII by partially sequencing the proteins and by sodium dodecyl sulfate- and isoelectric focusing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, western-blot analysis using anti-soybean Lba antibodies, tryptic and chymotryptic mapping, and spectrophotometric techniques. The data showed that the structural and spectral characteristics of rLbII and nLbII were similar. The rLbII was reversibly oxygenated/deoxygenated, showing that it is a functional hemoglobin.
Frequencies and Types of Arrhythmias in Patients With Systemic Light-Chain Amyloidosis With Cardiac Involvement Undergoing Stem Cell Transplantation on Telemetry Monitoring

Cardiac patients with systemic light-chain amyloidosis have a high incidence of arrhythmias and arrhythmia-related death. We aimed to describe the arrhythmias, determine patient characteristics associated with the development of ventricular arrhythmias, and the utility of telemetric monitoring in patients with cardiac involvement due to AL amyloidosis undergoing stem cell transplantation (SCT). Arrhythmia events of 24 consecutive cardiac patients with AL who underwent SCT with continuous telemetric monitoring were retrospectively reviewed. The relation between number and severity of ventricular arrhythmias (ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation [VT/VF]) and baseline clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic data were determined. Atrial and ventricular arrhythmias were found in all patients. Nonsustained VT was the most frequent event (267 total events). Therapeutic intervention for arrhythmias was required in 20 patients; in 3 patients, life-threatening arrhythmias were detected and treated. There was an inverse relation between VT/VF and cardiac output (r = -0.72, p <0.0001), cardiac index (r = -0.71, p = 0.0001), and stroke volume (r = -0.59, p = 0.0029). There was also a relation between VT/VF and brain natriuretic peptide before SCT (r = 0.47, p = 0.019) and average brain natriuretic peptide levels during admission for SCT (r = 0.62, p = 0.0012), troponin I levels at diagnosis (r = 0.47, p = 0.022), and serum creatinine levels before SCT (r = 0.62, p = 0.001). In conclusion, patients with cardiac amyloidosis undergoing SCT have a high incidence of ventricular and atrial arrhythmias; decreased cardiac output was strongly associated with significant ventricular arrhythmias. Continuous telemetric monitoring contributed to patient safety during SCT.
Fair Play—Part IV: The Coach & Player Relationship

(1998). Fair Play—Part IV: The Coach & Player Relationship. Strategies: Vol. 11, No. 5, pp. 5-6.
Condition monitoring helps make the Space Shuttle Main Engine reusable

The Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) is a reusable, high-performance liquid-propellant rocket engine being developed for the Space Shuttle Orbiter Vehicle. The SSME has been designed for long life, rapid postflight maintenance, and a fast vehicle turnaround cycle of 160 hours. To meet the unique reusability requirements, the SSME considers maintainability and condition monitoring much as airlines do today. The condition monitoring capabilities designed into this engine are discussed with major emphasis on internal inspection and techniques which ensure the reusability of the SSME.
Improving Protein Structure Prediction by Smoothing Energy Functions

We present a method for post-processing protein structure predictions by smoothing the free energy landscape. This method captures the idea that similar structures should have similar scores. We smooth the energy landscape by solving the diffusion equation on the free energy surface implicitly defined by the structural ensemble. By smoothing the energy landscape we improve the correlation between energy and RMSD. This method typically allows us to choose better structures than using the scoring function directly.
De-Facing Power

Political scientists tend to conceptualize power as a phenomenon that wears a "face," that is, as an instrument powerful agents use to alter the independent action of the powerless. This definition introduces into empirical analysis a series of assumptions that deflect attention from questions central to critically analyzing power relations. Students of power should "de-face" the concept by defining power as a network of social boundaries that delimit the field of what is possible for all actors-"powerful" and "powerless" alike.
Comparison of timed insemination with insemination at estrus following synchronization of estrus with a MGA-prostaglandin system in beef heifers.

Abstract Three trials utilizing 231 beef heifers were conducted in 1993 to determine if a timed insemination would result in similar synchronized pregnancy rates as insemination by estrus following synchronization of estrus using the 14-d MGA-prostaglandin system. All heifers were fed 0.5 mg MGA/h/d fof 14 d and given a 25 mg injection of PGF2α im 17 d after the final day of MGA feeding. Heifers in Group 1 (timed AI treatment) were inseminated at 72 h after the prostaglandin injection independent of whether or not they were observed in estrus. Heifers in Group 2 (AI by estrus) were inseminated 12 to 18 h after the onset of estrus. Since the trial was a significant source of variation for synchronized pregnancy rate, the effect of treatment on pregnancy rate was analyzed for each trial. Synchronized pregnancy rates in Trials 2 and 3 were similar in both treatment groups; 37 vs 35% and 61 vs 58% for the timed AI vs AI by estrus (Groups 1 and 2) in Trials 2 and 3, respectively. In both of these trials the degree of estrous synchrony was high. In Trial 1, the synchronized pregnancy rate in heifers that were time-inseminated was significantly lower than that of heifers that were inseminated by estrus (29 vs 57%). The lower synchronized pregnancy rate of Group 1 (timed AI) heifers in Trial 1 appeared to be due to the low degree of estrous synchrony in this trial. Our results indicate that using timed insemination with the 14-d MGA-prostaglandin system will give similar synchronized pregnancy rates as inseminating by estrus in groups of beef heifers where the degree of synchrony is high. However, in heifers where the degree of estrous synchrony is low, a timed insemination reduces synchronized pregnancy rates.
Correlation between admission laboratory values, early abdominal computed tomography, and severe complications of gallstone pancreatitis

Background: Our previous study demonstrated that Balthazar grade D or E pancreatitis on early abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan correlated with severe complications of gallstone pancreatitis (GP). Objective: To compare the efficacy of individual admission laboratory criteria, multiple criteria scoring systems and CT scan for predicting severe complications of GP. Methods: Consecutively admitted patients with GP underwent selective early CT scanning (<72 hours). All patients were prospectively monitored for severe complications. Results: Of the 66 patients studied, 21 (32%) did not undergo for early CT scanning and underwent cholecystectomy with no complications. Forty-five patients (68%) had an early abdominal CT scan. Of the 12 patients with grade E pancreatitis, 6 (50%) developed severe complications versus only 2 of 33 (6%) with grade A to D pancreatitis (P = 0.002). A significant correlation was found between admission white blood cell count ≥14.5 × 109/L and grade E pancreatitis on early CT scan (P = 0.002). However, admission glucose ≥150 mg/dL was the best predictor of complications (sensitivity 100%, negative predictive value 100%). Conclusions: Although Balthazar grade E on early CT scan correlates with severe complications of GP, admission glucose ≥150 mg/dL has a better sensitivity and negative predictive value, is quicker to use, and is more cost-effective as a prognostic indicator.
Integrated concentration of plasma aldosterone in normal subjects: correlation with cortisol.

The integrated concentration (I. C.) of plasma aldosterone and cortisol was determined every 30 min during a 24-h period, using a blood collection system composed of a nonthrombogenic catheter and a small, portable withdrawal pump. The experiments were carried out in 8 normal adult men during daily routine life, and repeated in 2 of the subjects while recumbent in bed most of the day. The following conclusions were made: a) The 30-min I. C. of aldosterone fluctuated widely throughout the day. b) Although peaks of increased concentration occurred after a change in posture from supine to erect, there were many peaks of concentration that occurred during the supine posture. The 24-h I.C. of aldosterone in 2 subjects that were studied a second time while staying in bed most of the day was lower than the I. C. observed during normal activity. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between 24-h I. C. and percentage of time spent in supine position. c) A weak, but significant correlation was found between the 30-min I. C. of aldosterone and cortisol in 4 out of the 7 subjects tested. The overall correlation for all experiments was also significant (R = 0.3. p smaller than 0.001). D) The 4-h I. C. of aldosterone and cortisol showed that the lowest mean values were between 4 PM and 4 AM and the highest values between 4 AM and 4 PM for both steroids.
Identity of cowdry type B inclusions and nuclear bodies: Observations in reovirus encephalitis

Abstract This report describes the investigation of the pathogenesis of an unusual sequel of reovirus encephalitis in suckling rats. Intracerebral inoculation of reovirus types 1, 2, and 3 into suckling rats induced, in addition to viral cytoplasmic inclusions, distinctive intranuclear bodies corresponding most closely to those designated by Cowdry (1934) as type B inclusions. The latter were seen in cells free of reovirus inclusions and unlike the conventional reactions to these viruses, were readily observed in weanlings, were unassociated with inflammatory features, and persisted for extended periods without cytolytic effects. To test the hypothesis that another viral agent was responsible for production of these nuclear changes, attempts were made to induce this change by inoculation of tissue preparations obtained from infected animals beyond the period of active reovirus encephalitis. These were uniformly negative. Furthermore, strains of reovirus from various sources all induced this nuclear change. Electron microscopic studies of the choroid plexus yielded no evidence of a second virus but instead demonstrated that the inclusions were composed of granular aggregates, sometimes enclosed in lamellar membranes, characteristic of the structures called nuclear bodies. These studies expand the perspectives of the nature and pathogenesis of this cellular lesion and provide an optical indicator which facilitates its identification and study. They suggest that the well-known Cowdry B inclusion has as its electron microscopic counterpart, the nuclear body.
Decision aiding to overcome biases in object identification

Human decision makers typically use heuristics under time-pressured situations. These heuristics can potentially degrade task performance through the impact of their associated biases. Using object identification in image analysis as the context, this paper identifies cognitive biases that play a role in decision making. We propose a decision support system to help overcome these biases in this context. Results show that the decision support systemimproved human decision making in object identification, including metrics such as time taken to identify targets in an image set, accuracy of target identification, accuracy of target classification, and quantity of false positive identification.
Measurement of surface mercury fluxes at active industrial gold mines in Nevada (USA)

Abstract Mercury (Hg) may be naturally associated with the rock units hosting precious and base metal deposits. Active gold mines are known to have point source releases of Hg associated with ore processing facilities. The nonpoint source release of Hg to the air from the large area (hundreds to thousands of hectares) of disturbed and processed material at industrial open pit gold mines has not been quantified. This paper describes the field data collected as part of a project focused on estimating nonpoint source emissions of Hg from two active mines in Nevada, USA. In situ Hg flux data were collected on diel and seasonal time steps using a dynamic flux chamber from representative mine surfaces. Hg fluxes ranged from −2 day −1 for waste rock piles (0.6–3.5 μg g −1 ) to 684,000 ng m −2 day −1 for tailings (2.8–58 μg g −1 ). Releases were positively correlated with material Hg concentrations, surface grain size, and moisture content. Highest Hg releases occurred from materials under active cyanide leaching and from tailings impoundments containing processed high-grade ore. Data collected indicate that as mine sites are reclaimed and material disturbance ceases, emissions will decline. Additionally local cycling of atmospheric Hg (deposition and re-emission) was found to occur.
Microcontaminants and reproductive impairment of the Forster's tern on Green Bay, Lake Michigan-1983

For the 1983 nesting season, Forster's tern (Sterna forsteri) reproductive success was significantly impaired on organochlorine contaminated Green Bay, Lake Michigan compared to a relatively uncontaminated inland location at Lake Poygan, Wisconsin. Compared with tern eggs from Lake Poygan, eggs from Green Bay had significantly higher median concentrations of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), other polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), total (three congeners) non-ortho, ortho' PCBs, five individual PCB congeners known to induce aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) and several other organochlorine contaminants. Conversions of analytical concentrations of TCDD and PCB congeners based on relative AHH induction potencies allowed for estimation of total 2,3,7,8-TCDD equivalents. Two PCB congeners, 2,3,3′,4,4′- and 3,3′,4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PeCB) accounted for more than 90% of the median estimated TCDD equivalents at both Green Bay and Lake Poygan. The median estimated TCDD equivalents were almost 11-fold higher in tern eggs from Green Bay than in eggs from Lake Poygan (2175 and 201 pg/g). The hatching success of Green Bay sibling eggs from nests where eggs were collected for contaminant analyses was 75% lower at Green Bay than at Lake Poygan. Hatchability of eggs taken from other nests and artificially incubated was about 50% lower for Green Bay than for Lake Poygan. Among hatchlings from laboratory incubation, those from Green Bay weighed approximately 20% less and had a mean liver weight to body weight ratio 26% greater than those from Lake Poygan. In both field and laboratory, mean minimum incubation periods were significantly longer for eggs from Green Bay compared to Lake Poygan (8.25 and 4.58 days, respectively). Mean minimum incubation time for Green Bay eggs in the field was 4.37 days longer than in the laboratory. Hatchability was greatly improved when Green Bay eggs were incubated by Lake Poygan adults in an egg-exchange experiment, but was sharply decreased in Lake Poygan eggs incubated in Green Bay nests. Nest abandonment and egg disappearance were substantial at Green Bay but nil at Lake Poygan. Thus, not only factors intrinsic to the egg, but also extrinsic factors (parental attentiveness), impaired reproductive outcome at Green Bay. The epidemiological evidence from this study strongly suggested that contaminants were a causal factor. AHH-active PCB congeners (intrinsic effects) and PCBs in general (extrinsic effects) appeared to be the only contaminants at the concentrations measured in eggs, capable of producing the effects that were observed at Green Bay.
Task and Job: The Promise of Transactional Analysis

TO gain analytical precision and simplicity, proponents of scientific management have ignored the distinction between the concepts of task and job This effort is analogous to the attachment, despite its artificiality, to the concept of discrete exchange In economic and marketing theory the concept of relational transaction has helped to inform economic analysis with phenomenal reality Considering job in the light of relational transactions promises to improve management theory in regard to employer-employee relations The power vectors inherent in all human relations thus become explicit variables, not exogenous or irrational factors Any loss in analytical precision is offset by a greater comprehension of the reality of employee-manager interactions
Optimal Deterministic State Estimation—A First Step

On determine des observateurs deterministes optimaux pour des systemes lineaires invariant dans le temps du premier ordre. On minimise une fonction objectif quadratique par rapport au gain de l'observateur et a l'erreur d'estimation et telle que le gain de l'observateur soit independant des conditions initiales du systeme
Theoretical performance of foil journal bearings

A modified forward iteration approach for the coupled solution of foil bearings is presented. The method is used to predict the steady state theoretical performance of a journal type gas bearing constructed from an inextensible shell supported by an elastic foundation. Bending effects are treated as negligible. Finite element methods are used to predict both the foil deflections and the pressure distribution in the gas film.
Impact of seasonal variation in food availability and disease stress on the health status of nomadic Turkana children: A longitudinal analysis of morbidity, immunity, and nutritional status

The possible influence of seasonal variations in rainfall, resource availability, and morbidity on immune function and nutritional status was examined in a longitudinal study of 54 nomadic Turkana children, 6 months to 10 years of age. The highly seasonal nature of rainfall in the arid semidesert environment of the Turkana District, northwestern Kenya, was associated with varying levels of animal milk production and meat and blood consumption. Despite significant seasonal variation in rainfall and food availability, the nutritional status of Turkana children, assessed through various anthropometric indicators, showed only moderate, if any, decline in the dry season. Rather, the data indicated that Turkana Children suffer from chronic mild-to-moderate malnutrition. In addition, analyses of cellular immunocompetence of the children, recognized to be a functional index of nutritional status, revealed extremely high levels of immunosuppression Year-round. Significant monthly variation in the levels of acute respiratory and gastrointestinal infections among children were found, although averages across seasons were not significantly different and did not correspond with fluctuations in rainfall or resources availability. Instead, periodic spikes in the prevalence of morbidity occurred against an already high level of infectious endemicity. The results indicate that food availability is not likely to be the sole determinant of nutritional status and that infection may be an important contribtor to the high levels of nutritional and immunological stress among nomadic Turkana Children. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Vapor Deposition of Hybrid Organic–Inorganic Dielectric Bragg Mirrors having Rapid and Reversibly Tunable Optical Reflectance

Rapid (0.3 s) and reversible biomimetic response of flexible dielectric mirrors was achieved by alternating inorganic (titania) and organic (poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, pHEMA) layers. Tunable...
Assessing students’ metacognitive calibration with knowledge surveys

“Calibration” is an aspect of metacognition that describes how well students assess their own knowledge. One tool that can help to assess student calibration is the knowledge survey (KS). On a KS, students rate their confidence in their ability to answer questions related to course content. A comparison of a student’s confidence level with their actual performance on course exams gives an indication of the student’s metacognitive calibration. We report on a study that explores students’ responses to a KS in introductory physics and chemistry courses serving both STEM and non-STEM populations. In many courses, Delta (the difference between KS-score and final exam score, a measure of calibration) was anti-correlated with final exam performance. No relationship was found between Delta and students’ scientific reasoning abilities. We also report preliminary findings on how calibration differs for questions of a quantitative nature vs. those of a more conceptual nature.
Processes of soil movement on steep cultivated hill slopes in the Venezuelan Andes

Abstract Erosion from cultivated lands continues to threaten the sustainability of commercial and subsistence agriculture around the world. Although most erosion is attributed to rainfall-induced runoff, other processes were observed which may account for a large portion of soil movement on sloping farm lands. Soil movement was measured on 15 parcels cultivated by subsistence farmers in the Venezuelan Andes as part of a broader study on adoption of soil conservation practices. Sediment traps were installed at the outlet of fields with slopes ranging from 33% to 78%. Based on the type of material found in the traps—clods, stones and some consolidated earth-soil movement was attributed to plowing, weeding, concentrated flows entering the field from above and, to a lesser extent, rainfall. Soil flux ranged from 1.5 to 58.7 kg m−1 yr−1 with an average of 31.1 kg m−1 yr−1. Three parcels underwent low flux, 1.5 to 5.7 kg m−1 yr−1 and 12 showed a higher flux, 16.7 to 58.7 kg m−1 yr−1. This study served to identify a number of soil erosion mechanisms not often considered when designing soil conservation programs targeted for areas with steep slopes. Tillage translocation and weeding within parcels contributed considerably more to soil and stone movement than did rainfall. The findings suggest that, when designing soil conservation programs for such areas, emphasis should be placed on methods devised to minimize soil disturbance. Among the practices that may be promoted are minimum or zero-tillage, the use of ground covers to control weeds and the installation of stone or grass barriers to retard the downward movement of soil.
Analytic methods for colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality from cancers in the United States. The field of molecular epidemiology is in the forefront in the discovery of genes associated with the development and progression of complex diseases such as CRC, including hereditary CRC, and polyposis syndromes such as familial adenomatous polyposis and hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer. Recent advances in laboratory methods (ie, high-throughput genotyping and high-density single nucleotide polymorphism chips, etc.) allow the molecular epidemiologist to elucidate biological determinates of disease. However, with these advancements in the lab, advances in modeling and testing of such data are needed as well. Herein, we review the current analytical methods that have been applied to molecular epidemiologic studies for CRC and hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer within the past 2 years, comment on the application of these methods, and examine new and promising tools that will likely influence the discovery of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions and development of pathway-based analytical approaches for CRC risk and progression.
Effects of dopamine agonists on delayed response performance in chronic low-dose MPTP-treated monkeys.

Monkeys exposed to low doses of the dopaminergic neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) develop difficulty in performing a previously learned delayed response (DR) task. In the present group of animals, performance deficits were manifested as a combination of mistakes or incorrect responses and no response errors, trials on which the animals failed to respond. Methylphenidate and the dopamine D2 receptor agonist LY-171555, at low doses, decreased the number of no-response errors but not mistakes. The partial D1 agonist SKF-38393 had no effects on no-response errors or mistakes. Thus, behavioral deficits associated with decreased task persistent may be amenable to treatment with dopamine agonist, and particularly D2 agonists, while cognitive performance per se may not be improved by such drugs. The similarities between this primate model and the cognitive/behavioral deficits associated with early Parkinson's disease and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder suggest that this may be a useful model for testing hypotheses concerning the pharmacological treatment of these disorders.
ARE LANDSCAPES FOR CONSTRAINED OPTIMIZATION PROBLEMS STATISTICALLY ISOTROPIC

Correlation in the fitness landscape corresponding to an optimization problem can tell much about the landscape's topology. It has previously been suggested that a long random walk is sufficient to gather this statistical information. In this paper we will show that fitness landscapes for constrained optimization problems are statistically anisotropic. This means a single random walk over this type of landscape is insufficient for determining correlation.
Facile co-assembly process to generate core-shell nanoparticles with functional protein corona.

A simple and robust protocol to maintain the structural feature of polymer–protein core–shell nanoparticles (PPCS-NPs) is developed based on the synergistic interactions between proteins and functional polymers. Using the self-assembly method, a broad range of proteins can be assembled to the selective water-insoluble polymers containing pyridine groups. The detailed analysis of the PPCS-NPs structure was conducted using FESEM and thin-sectioned TEM. The results illustrated that the protein molecules are located on the corona of the PPCS-NPs. While proteins are displacing between water and polymer to minimize the interfacial energy, the polymer offers a unique microenvironment to maintain protein structure and conformation. The proposed mechanism is based on a fine balance between hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity, as well as hydrogen bonding between proteins and polymer. The PPCS-NPs can serve as a scaffold to incorporate both glucose oxidase (GOX) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) onto a single particle....
Influence of Bursa Implantation Upon Lymphocytic Nodules and Plasma Cells in Spleens of Bursectomized Chickens.

SummaryImplantation of donor bursa in hormonally bursectomized chickens restored the immunological reactivity by means of a humoral substance capable of passing through cell-impermeable diffusion chambers. Lym-phocytic nodules, shown to develop under the influence of the humoral agent from the bursa, are felt, in part, to be the site of antibody production. Plasma cell development does not appear to be by means of the humoral substance alone.
Preoperative need for psychotherapeutic care correlates with improvement in medical comorbidities after gastric bypass (RYGB)

Waist Circumference 1.638 (1.284 2.089) 2.308 (1.819 2.929) 1.468 (1.093 1.973) 1.435 (1.033 1.993) Buttock Circumference 0.568 (0.444 0.725) 0.349 (0.273 0.445) 0.598 0.460 0.777) 0.498 (0.375 0.662) Thigh Circumference 0.515 (0.423 0.627) 0.306 (0.252 0.373) 0.599 (0.473 0.757) 0.375 (0.286 0.492) Waist/Hip 1.548 (1.350 1.776) 2.174 (1.893 2.497) 1.531 (1.302 1.801) 1.662 (1.392 1.983) Waist/Thigh Ratio 1.523 (1.341 1.729) 2.193 (1.931 2.491) 1.445 (1.230 1.697) 1.798 (1.505 2.147)
Students' Misconceptions About U.S. Westward Migration:

Fifth-grade students with learning disabilities (LD) and their typically achieving (TA) peers participated in an 8-week investigation about 19th-century U.S. westward migration. During their investigations, the students analyzed primary and secondary sources to understand the experiences of these emigrants and Native peoples. The analysis of source material was preceded by teacher-led discussions about the possibility of bias in evidence that affects the trustworthiness of historical documentation. Quantitative analyses showed that these investigations were associated with gains in students' knowledge about the period of westward expansion and a better understanding of historical content and historical inquiry; however, these gains were not always comparable for students with LD and their TA peers. Furthermore, misconceptions about this historical period and the processes of historical investigation were evident in students' responses before and after instruction. We discuss how design features of the instruction and its implementation may have contributed to the development and persistence of these misconceptions.
Narrative Inquiry as Travel Study Method: Affordances and Constraints.

This article maps how narrative inquiry—the use of story to study human experience—has been employed as both method and form to capture cross-cultural learning associated with Western doctoral students’ travel study to eastern destinations. While others were the first to employ this method in the travel study domain, we are the first to comprehensively explore the affordances and constraints of the methodology and the possibilities it holds for illuminating knowledge developments, community growth, and identity transformations on the part of participating students. Story fragments illustrating each of these opportunities and challenges are drawn from the China Study Abroad Program, a program sponsored by the University of Houston’s Asian American Studies Center that has been underway since 1995. Affordances of the narrative inquiry research method include such things as detailed accounts of individuals in interaction with diverse people/places/things and explications of stories people live in and by. Accounts, which are “true for now,” as opposed to true for all time and the dangers of human fallibility form two examples of narrative inquiry’s constraints.
Correlation functions for simple hopping in a simple cubic lattice

We calculate the correlation functions for a single specific particle and for a pair of specific particles in an ensemble of particles making nearest-neighbor simple jumps in a simple cubic lattice. These correlation functions can be used to obtain tracer correlation factors and NMR relaxation times due to motionally altered $I\ensuremath{-}S$ (unlike spin) or $I\ensuremath{-}I$ (like spin) dipolar interactions. In particular we calculate ${T}_{1}$ due to the $I\ensuremath{-}I$ dipolar interaction for various concentrations of particles as may be appropriate for some metal hydrides at different concentrations. Our results show that the ${T}_{1}$ calculated using the random-walk model is in error by more than 15% at low concentrations and by almost 100% at high concentrations.
Analysis of stress concentration around inclusions due to thermally induced strain to the steel matrix

A finite element method (FEM) was employed to aid in the thermodynamic analysis of the cooling process of steel containing nonmetallic inclusions in a homogenous, isotropic, single-phase steel matrix. Three different contact techniques available in ANSYS were used in a 2-D model of Al2O3 inclusions in a 1010 steel grade to define different types of inclusion-steel interfaces. Comparisons of these numerical techniques examine the effect of the characteristic of the interface on the residual stress concentration zone around inclusions embedded in a steel matrix with an initially free stress state and their thermal interaction during the cooling process from 1300°C. Results are presented to discuss the significance of the inclusion surface and boundary conditions (axisymmetric and fully constrained) on the stress distribution within the stress concentration zone in the vicinity of the interface.
239 - Calcium-mediated morphogenetic movements during neurulation

Abstract Ca 2+ apparently assists in the mediation of microfilament-generated morphogenetic movement. As the neural tube forms there si a Ca 2+ efflux. La 3+ , which replaces Ca 2+ in biological membranes has a more direct effect on disaggregating the tissues of the neural axis. Fixedembryos stained with La 3+ after fixation in phosphate-buffered glutaraldehyde show a La 3+ deposit primarily in the neural axis.
Municipal officials' decisions to lease watershed lands for Marcellus shale gas exploration

This paper provides insight into municipalities’ decisions to lease watershed lands for Marcellus shale gas exploration in Pennsylvania. The focus was on officials’ motivations to lease subsurface mineral rights; knowledge on expected benefits and risks of leasing, including public drinking water supply contamination; and decision-making processes for balancing benefits and risks. The data were collected through personal interviews. Municipalities’ decisions to lease watershed lands were found to be influenced by the following: when they were approached about leasing, what was learned from their or other municipalities’ past experiences, communications with other parties, their resources and networking, water monitoring actions and plans, and ability to balance the goals of providing safe affordable water with the desire for leasing revenues. Study recommendations included as follows: municipal officials should provide timely information to citizens in advance of decisions; resources should be increased for public education and participation; increased efforts should be directed toward networking among municipalities, staff training, and water protection plan development; government agencies and other organizations should increase funding of water quality baseline studies; and municipalities should include the full cost of water monitoring in leases and consider other actions to ensure.
An inductive-switching loss model accounting for source inductance and switching loop inductance

It is well known that that source inductance could significantly increase turn-on and turn-off time, and therefore increase switching power loss. Also, it is well understood that switching loop inductance could reduce voltage stress during turn-on and increase voltage stress during turn-off. In this paper, a new inductive switching loss model that includes source inductance and switching loop inductance has been derived and thoroughly analyzed. The new model shows that source inductance causes a “visual gate charge”, which is equivalent to physical gate charge, when look from the driver. For high current switching conditions, the visual source charge dominates total gate charge and is the main factor for switching time. Simulations and experiments show that the model has very good accuracy.
A sensual philology for Anglo-Saxon England

What forgotten forms can philology assume anew? Reassessing how early medieval writers loved words differently than we do reveals significant gaps between past and present senses of the physical phenomena that words can index. In Old English texts, for example, language serves as a gateway for a largely unmapped network of sounds, senses, bodies and media: how the mute sound of a bell and the crook of a silent finger come together in monastic sign language, or how the Old English word for ring becomes a weeping, poetic gasp within a heaving breast. Such early medieval moments of communication survive because of language and in spite of language; they qualify the visualist framework through which we reconstitute the medieval past, calling, sotto voce, for more than lovely words.
Minimization of Acquisition Time in a Wavelength Diversified FSO Link between Mobile Platforms

ABSTRACT Free-space optical (FSO) communi cation links are envisioned as a viable option for the provision of temporary high-bandwidth communication links between moving platforms, such as a ground station and a mobile aerial platform such as an unmanned aerial vehicle. One of the limitations of FSO links is the transmission of laser beams through various weather phenomena. One technique to attempt to overcome the effects of weather, such as fog, is to implement a wavelength diversity scheme between the FSO transmitter and receiver. This paper investigates the minimization of link acquisition times using a wavelength diversity scheme be tween mobile FSO platforms. The wavelength diversity scheme consists of three different wavelengths, 1.55 µm , 0.85 µm and 10 µm . Each wavelength has different advantages and disadvantages for transmission depending of prevalent weather conditions and atmospheric turbulence conditions. A model of a ground-to-air FSO link is developed in order to predict the beam profile in the receiver plane. A simulation analysis of the transmission properties of the wavelength diversity schemes will be presented. Based on the transmission properties, a method for minimizing link acquisition times through the exploitation of various properties of each wavelength is presented and analyzed. Keywords: Acquisition time minimization, free-space optics, laser communications, mobile platforms, wavelength diversity
Dimensions of temporality in Lincoln's second inaugural

(1988). Dimensions of temporality in Lincoln's second inaugural. Communication Reports: Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 26-31.
On the join of subnormal subgroups

Let (G be the class of finitely generated groups. If the join of finitely many subnormal 3=sn3 subgroups is always an I-group and J={sn, q, no}V)' (5, then the join of finitely many subnormal XJ-subgroups is an X@)-group. If the subnormal coalition class X and the class TJ={sn, q, n0},) are such that whenever A Ec XV, A has a maximum subnormal X-subgroup, then X(VA(5) is a subnormal coalition class (VA (5 is the class of finitely generated S-groups).
Design of a gamma reaction history diagnostic for the National Ignition Facility

Gas Cherenkov detectors have been used to convert fusion gammas into photons to achieve gamma reaction history (GRH) measurements. These gas detectors include a converter, pressurized gas volume, relay optics, and a photon detector. A novel design for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) using 90° Off-Axis Parabolic mirrors efficiently collects signal from fusion gammas with 8-ps time dispersion.1 Fusion gammas are converted to Compton electrons, which generate broadband Cherenkov light (our response is from 250 to 700 nm) in a pressurized gas cell. This light is relayed into a high-speed detector using three parabolic mirrors. The detector optics collect light from a 125-mm-diameter by 600-mm-long interchangeable gas (CO 2 or SF 6 ) volume. Because light is collected from source locations throughout the gas volume, the detector is positioned at the stop position rather than at an image position. The stop diameter and its position are independent of the light-generation locations along the gas cell. This design incorporates a fixed time delay that allows the detector to recover from prompt radiation. Optical ray tracings demonstrate how light can be collected from different angled trajectories of the Compton electrons as they traverse the gas volume. A Monte Carlo model of the conversion process from gammas to Cherenkov photons is used to generate photon trajectories. The collection efficiencies for different gamma energies are evaluated. At NIF, a cluster of four channels will allow for increased dynamic range, as well as different gamma energy thresholds. This GRH design is compared to a gas Cherenkov detector that utilizes a Cassegrain reflector now used at the OMEGA laser facility.
Creating a Unit-Specific Charging system

A totally nurse-dependent charging system developed specifically for the labor and delivery suite at the University of Maryland Medical System is described fn the article. This easy and effective method of charging was incorporated into an already existing patient census and classification system. The number of relative value units has increased by more than 30%, and the amount of revenue billed has increased by more than $800,000 in the first 10 months after implementation.
Brief Hypnotic Treatment of Repetitive Nightmares

Little attention has been paid to repetitive nightmares and their direct treatment. Hypnosis appears to be a treatment of choice for these nightmares, and techniques for hypnotic treatment may be based upon whether the nightmare mirrors an actual experience of the patient. A new technique that reframes the waking point as the interrupted middle rather than the end of the dream, which then allows a benign completion, is presented, with case histories.
Can You Market God? A Case Study of the ‘God Speaks’ Social Marketing Campaign

Public service campaigns, spanning more than 60 years and thousands of mass media advertisements, have asked individuals to take actions such as “Say No to Drugs” and “Keep America Beautiful,” as well as to support various nonprofit organizations. A case study of the “God Speaks” religious social marketing campaign is offered as an example of a non-traditional campaign that provides insights for future endeavors. Although the campaign, which began as a local paid media effort, appeared to have little measurable impact on attitudes and behavior, it was able to generate extensive non-paid media coverage that greatly increased its reach. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.