cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
p38 and a p38-interacting protein are critical for downregulation of E-cadherin during mouse gastrulation.

Summary During vertebrate gastrulation, an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is necessary for migration of mesoderm from the primitive streak. We demonstrate that p38 MAP kinase and a p38-interacting protein (p38IP) are critically required for downregulation of E-cadherin during gastrulation. In an ENU-mutagenesis screen we identified the droopy eye ( drey ) mutation, which affects splicing of p38IP . p38IP drey mutant embryos display incompletely penetrant defects in neural tube closure, eye development, and gastrulation. A stronger allele ( p38IP RRK ) exhibits gastrulation defects in which mesoderm migration is defective due to deficiency in E-cadherin protein downregulation in the primitive streak. We show that p38IP binds directly to p38 and is required for p38 activation in vivo. Moreover, both p38 and p38IP are required for E-cadherin downregulation during gastrulation. Finally, p38 regulates E-cadherin protein expression downstream from NCK-interacting kinase (NIK) and independently of the regulation of transcription by Fibroblast Growth Factor (Fgf) signaling and Snail.
Lingual Ascorbic Acid Test: Poor Correlation with Blood and Tissue Levels of Ascorbic Acid in Guinea Pigs

The lingual ascorbic acid test, based on the reduction and decolorization of the blue dye, 2,6-dichloroindophenol sodium, was evaluated in a group of guinea pigs conditioned to have a wide range of ascorbic acid levels in the tissues. This test did not correlate well with ascorbic acid levels in either blood or tissue.
Sharing customer data in the value chain

This paper discusses the issues involved in sharing customer data within the value chain, including reasons why companies should or should not share customer data, and the results of a survey on this question. It investigates whether companies really value their data, and companies' attitudes to sharing customer data. It also considers different approaches to sharing data, and the implications of sharing for businesses.
Decision emergence: A Lewinian perspective

Abstract The purpose of this essay is to examine the parallels between Kurt Lewin's ideas and various concepts in modern decision theory. In the main, such parallels are reasonably clear. However, the field nature of Lewinian thinking permits speculation about how some decisions seemingly ‘emerge’ without apparent consideration of available alternatives or deliberate choice. Modern field-theoretical concepts are explored as possible ways of characterizing this decision emergence.
Diagnosis of unexpected acute myeloid leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a case report demonstrating the perils of restricted panels in flow cytometric immunophenotyping.

We report on the flow cytometric identification of concomitant acute myeloid leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia in cytology specimens submitted with minimal clinical information. A 64-year-old man presented with fever and progressive dyspnea on exertion. Chest X-ray and computed tomography scan showed a left upper lobe pulmonary mass. Pulmonary capillary pullback specimens were collected to determine infectious verses neoplastic etiology. The pulmonary capillary pullback specimens showed atypical mononuclear cells with enlarged, slightly irregular nuclei; visible nucleoli; and basophilic cytoplasm. Flow cytometric analysis of the specimen for lymphoma was requested. Flow cytometric immunophenotypic studies showed that 78% of the cells were CD34 positive, CD45 dim positive and CD11c positive, consistent with acute myeloid leukemia. About 0. 75% of the cells expressed CD5 as well as dim CD20 and were monoclonal for kappa light chains: consistent with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma. At this time the clinician communicated a history of myelodysplastic syndrome of refractory anemia subtype. Peripheral blood was obtained for further immunophenotyping and the patient was immediately treated for his acute myeloid leukemia. This case demonstrates that a diagnostic antibody panel should allow evaluation of all cell types as per the U.S./Canadian consensus recommendations on the immunophenotypic analysis of hematologic neoplasia by flow cytometry (Stewart et al.: Cytometry 30:231-235, 1997). Published 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Epitaxial Growth of Strontium Bismuth Tantalate/Niobate on Buffered Magnesium Oxide Substrates

Epitaxial films of strontium bismuth tantalate (SrBi{sub 2}Ta{sub 2}O{sub 9}, SBT) and strontium bismuth niobate (SrBi{sub 2}Nb{sub 2}O{sub 9}, SBN) were grown using solution deposition techniques on magnesium oxide (MgO) substrates buffered with a 100 nm layer of lanthanum manganate (LaMnO{sub 3}, LMO). Film structure and texture analyses were carried out using x-ray diffraction. Theta-2theta diffraction patterns were consistent with a c-axis aligned structure for both the buffer layer and the solution deposited films. Theta-2 theta scans revealed (001){sub SBT, SBN}//(001) LMO epitaxial relationships between the solution deposited films and the buffer layer. A pole figure about the SBT, SBN (115) reflection indicated a single in-plane epitaxy. Film quality was assessed using {omega} and {phi} scans. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ({sup 13}C) was used to characterized the methoxy-ethoxide solutions used for the deposition of the SBN and SBT films.
Ovarian catheterization of the channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus

Ovarian maturation was monitored in channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, using intraovarian catheterization. Oocyte diameters were measured in 1.3–2.3 kg broodstock for 4 months prior to spawning. Tagged broodstock were catheterized repeatedly. Additional brood fish were sacrificed to examine the relationship between gonosomatic index (GSI) and oocyte size. There was no significant difference between the mean oocyte diameters of sacrificed and tagged fish during the study. The correlation between mean oocyte diameter and GSI was highly significant (P < 0.001). Oocyte size can serve as an indicator of reproductive condition in the channel catfish. Ovarian catheterization can improve the controlled spawning and hatchery production of this species.
System architecture: Complexities role in architecture entropy

This is the second paper in a series that discusses and further defines the notion of system architecture entropy. This paper specifically looks at the correlation between system architecture entropy and system complexity. The role of complexity, as it relates to entropy, is established by investigating entropy-complexity relationships in biology and information theory. Those concepts are then used to assert the relationship of complexity and entropy in system and system of systems (SoS) architecture. Along with defining the entropy-complexity system architecture relationship, examples of systems that demonstrate it are provided. Application of lessons noted during the process of establishing the system architecture entropy-complexity relationship are provided so that practitioners can immediately begin to apply the best practices that were uncovered through this study.
Passive administration of monoclonal antibodies against H. capsulatum and other fungal pathogens.

The purpose of the use of this methodology is 1) to advance our capacity to protect individuals with antibody or vaccine for preventing or treating histoplasmosis caused by the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum and 2) to examine the role of virulence factors as target for therapy. To generate mAbs, mice are immunized, the immune responses are assessed using a solid phase ELISA system developed in our laboratory, and the best responder mice are selected for isolation of splenocytes for fusion with hybridoma cells. C57BL/6 mice have been extensively used to study H. capsulatum pathogenesis and provide the best model for obtaining the data required. In order to assess the role of the mAbs in infection, mice are intraperitoneally administered with either mAb to H. capsulatum or isotype matched control mAb and then infected by either intravenous (i.v.), intraperitoneal (i.p.), or intranasal (i.n.) routes. In the scientific literature, efficacy of mAbs for fungal infections in mice relies on mortality as an end point, in conjunction with colony formin units (CFU) assessments at earlier time points. Survival (time to death) studies are necessary as they best represent human disease. Thus, efficacy of our intervention would not adequately be established without survival curves. This is also true for establishing efficacy of vaccine or testing of mutants for virulence. With histoplasmosis, the mice often go from being energetic to dead over several hours. The capacity of an intervention such as the administration of a mAb may initially protect an animal from disease, but the disease can relapse which would not be realized in short CFU experiments. In addition to survival and fungal burden assays, we examine the inflammatory responses to infection (histology, cellular recruitment, cytokine responses). For survival/time to death experiments, the mice are infected and monitored at least twice daily for signs of morbidity. To assess fungal burden, histopathology, and cytokine responses, the mice are euthanized at various times after infection. Animal experiments are performed according to the guidelines of the Institute for Animal Studies of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Applications of Advanced Liquid Crystal Video Thermography to Turbine Cooling Passage Heat Transfer Measurement

Over the past few years advances in thermochromic liquid crystal (TLC) thermography have improved its usefulness as a quantitative temperature measurement technique. Many of these improvements have been discussed in the literature but few have been directly applied to solving gas turbine heat transfer problems. The purpose of this work is to combine the best of these techniques into an advanced, easy to use, low cost system which can provide accurate, rapid and complete heat transfer data for advanced gas turbine development.The older, more common technique of using narrow band liquid crystals to map isotherm distributions has been updated to use wide temperature range crystals with full hue-temperature calibrations over their entire response range with accuracy as good or better than thermocouples. The system consists of an RGB video camera, a hue, saturation and intensity (HS1) framegrabber, on-axis lighting and a linear thermal gradient TLC calibrator. Algorithms have been developed for automated data validation, spatial transformations of data taken on non-planar surfaces and superposition of multiple data sets to construct full field data over surfaces with wide ranges of heat transfer coefficients (h). Instead of yielding mean h, h at a few thermocouple locations or h at individual isotherms, this system provides continuous distributions of h.These techniques have been used to map the heat transfer coefficient distributions in advanced power generation gas turbine internal cooling passages. These include serpentine passages with and without turbulators, leading edge passages and 180° rums. Results are presented in full field plots of heat transfer enhancement, Nu(x,y)/Nudb.Copyright © 1996 by ASME
Microscopic calculation of nuclear strength functions including 2p-2h excitations

Abstract The influence of 2p-2h states on nuclear strength functions is investigated. A procedure equivalent to the diagonalization of a residual interaction in the full 1p-1h + 2p-2h space has been applied to the resonance of 208 Pb to external electric monopole, dipole and quadrupole fields. The results indicate a substantial fragmentation of high lying isovector strength.
New method for the synthesis of radioactive 19-iodocholest-5-en-3β-ol

Abstract In 1970, 131I-19-iodocholest-5-en-3β-ol (VIII-131I) was synthesized and shown to concentrate in the adrenal cortex of dogs by Counsell et al . [1]. Beierwaltes and his colleagues at the university of Michigan have shown this radiopharmaceutical to be an effective adrenocortical scanning agent for the diagnosis of 5 types of adrenal disease in humans [2]. Radioactive 19-iodocholesterol is not available from commercial sources although it may be purchased from the University of Michigan Nuclear Pharmacy, Ann Arbor, as a radiochemical and converted to a radiopharmaceutical [3]. For this reason we undertook to synthesize it de novo as described by Counsell et al . [1]. We found that 19-iodocholesterol prepared by this route contained an impurity, the amount of which varied from 20% to 60% as estimated by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (CMR). We now describe a modification of this synthesis to yield VIII-131I of greater than 98% chemical purity.
What is bicultural about bilingual-bicultural education?

This paper deals with the educational concept of bicultural education by using an ethnographic approach to focus upon the way in which biculturatism is defined and actualized in an elementary classroom setting. The study assumes that schooling, or what goes on in schools, must be analyzed as an institutional activity of a particular society, with weU-deFmed ends and means to those ends. We are shaped by our total environment, and schooling contributes in ways that are congruent with our society's social, economic, and political structure. Therefore, this paper focuses on a particular concept of culture, its relationship to the social setting in which bilingual-biculturat education occurs, and the operational def'mitions of biculturalism in an urban, federally supported, bilingual education classroom. The study developed from the need for an organized inquiry into how
Incorporation of polyunsaturated fatty acids into phospholipids of hemocytes from the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta.

We examined the incorporation of four radioactive fatty acids, 18:1n-9, 18:2n-6, 20:4n-6 and 20:5n-3, into cellular lipids of hemocytes from tobacco hornworms, Manduca sexta. Most of the radioactivity associated with 18:1n-9 was recovered from triacylglcyerols (TGs), and the radioactivity associated with 18:2n-6 was heavily incorporated into phospholipids (PLs) and TGs. Most of the radioactivity associated with the two eicosanoid-precursor polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), 20:4n-6 and 20:5n-3, was incorporated into PLs. The incorporated fatty acids were redistributed among the lipid classes during 2 h incubations. The two C20 PUFAs were moved from PLs to TGs. While 18:2n-6 underwent little change, 18:1n-9 was redistributed from TGs to PLs. Within PLs, each of the fatty acids were incorporated into phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylglycerol (PtG) and phosphatidylserine/inositol (PS/PI). The incorporation patterns changed over time, indicating that the incorporated fatty acids were redistributed among the four PL fractions. The radioactivity associated with 18:1n-9 was mostly recovered from the sn-1 position of PC (59%) and PE (83%). Most of the radioactivity associated with 18:2n-6 was found in the sn-2 position of PC (88%) and PE (67%). Over 90% of the radioactivity associated with 20:5n-3 was recovered from the sn-2 position of PC and PE. Incorporation of 20:4n-6 differed from 20:5n-3 because more radioactivity was recovered from the sn-2 position of PC (93%) than PE (69%). These findings are in line with the general background of lipid biochemistry, from which incorporation of 20:4n-6 into PE marks a notable departure: 31% of the radioactivity associated with this acid was recovered from the sn-1 position of PE. These findings indicate that hemocytes from the tobacco hornworm elaborate a fatty acid incorporation system, which exhibits specificity with respect to fatty acid structure and lipid class.
An Unusual Cause of Stroke from a Left Atrial Mass

A 59-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital after having severe headache for 1 day. Her medical history was significant for coronary artery disease, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, and rheumatic heart disease. The patient was in remission from stage II left breast cancer (T2 N0 M0) in 1997, treated with lumpectomy, 6 cycles of chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil), and local radiation therapy (total 6000 cGy). Head magnetic resonance imaging scan showed left occipital hemorrhage. Subsequent angiogram showed a possible mycotic aneurysm of distal parietal occipital branch of the posterior cerebral artery. Cardiology was consulted to evaluate for a cardioembolic source.
Giant cell arteritis in Alaska Natives

Abstract Objective: To investigate the incidence of biopsy-proven giant cell arteritis in the Native population of Alaska. Design: Retrospective review of medical diagnostic and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes. Participants: 110 000 Alaska Native patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of medical diagnostic codes for temporal arteritis, giant cell arteritis, and anterior ischemic optic neuropathy in the medical records of 110 000 Alaska Native patients seen between 1983 and 2003. We examined this same database in search of the CPT code for the temporal artery biopsy procedure. We also re-examined all temporal artery biopsy specimens that had been reported as positive. Results: We identified 122 patients whose diagnostic codes matched those of giant cell arteritis, temporal arteritis, or anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. We found that of 20 temporal artery biopsies that had been performed on this group, only 4 were reported to have had positive results. On re-examination of pathologic specimens, 1 of the 4 was found not to meet the latest pathologic criteria for this disease, leaving only 3 cases of biopsy-proven giant cell arteritis. The calculated incidence of giant cell arteritis in the Alaska Native population is approximately 1/100 000 in those over 50 years old. Conclusions: Compared with previous epidemiologic studies performed worldwide, our review suggests a very low incidence of biopsy-proven giant cell arteritis among Alaska Natives.
Passive Smoking and Chronic Respiratory Disease Symptoms in Non-Smoking Adults

A prospective study was conducted to investigate the possible effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on the development of definite symptoms of airway obstructive disease (AOD) in a non-smoking adult population. In all 3914 subjects completed a standardized respiratory symptoms questionnaire in 1977 and 1987 and a computerized algorithm was used to identify new cases of definite symptoms of AOD during the follow-up period. In multivariate logistic regression models which adjusted for age, gender, income, educational level, years smoked in the past, and concentrations of ambient air pollutants, ETS exposure during childhood only was associated with a relative risk (RR) of 1.09 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.69-1.79), during adulthood only with an RR of 1.28 (95% CI: 0.90-1.79), and during both childhood and adult life with an RR of 1.72 (95% CI: 1.31-2.23). Results were not significantly changed when only lifetime never-smokers were used in analyses, and no interaction between ETS exposure and concentrations of ambient air pollutants was observed.
Poroelastic analysis of cover-collapse sinkhole formation by piezometric surface drawdown

Where the water table is above the soil–rock contact in karst regions, cover-collapse sinkholes in the soil and soft sediment above the rock commonly occur as a result of drawdown of the piezometric surface in the karst aquifer. Transient stresses and pore pressures around soil voids at the soil–rock contact can cause hydraulic fracturing of the soil near the wall of the void. After the first such fracture, successive sloughing of soil propagates the soil void rapidly to the surface, resulting in a cover-collapse sinkhole. Sinkhole formation by this mechanism should be strongly a function of rate and magnitude of piezometric surface drawdown, permeability and tensile strength of the soil, and the size, depth, and geometry of the initial soil void. Large soil voids and those with walls that are partly planar or of low curvature are most susceptible to hydraulic fracture and the resulting progression to sinkhole formation.
Low temperature relaxation behavior of 165Ho2+, a coupled nuclear-electronic spin system

Abstract The low field relaxation time for various states of the 165 Ho 2+ , a coupled nuclear-electronic system, is observed to depend exponentially on temperature down to 0.15°K.
Entropy of Living versus Non-Living Systems

Using a careful thermodynamic analysis of unfertilized and fertilized eggs as a paradigm, it is argued that neither classical nor statistical thermodynamics is able to adequately describe living systems. To rescue thermodynamics from this dilemma, the definition of entropy for a living system must expand to acknowedge the latent genetic information encoded in DNA and RNA.As a working supposition, it is proposed that gradual unfolding (expression) of genetic information contributes a negative entropy flow into a living organism that alleviates apparent thermodynamic inconsistencies. It is estimated that each coding codon in DNA intrinsically carries about -3k in negative entropy. Even prior to the discovery of DNA and the genetic code, negative entropy flow in living systems was first proposed by Erwin Schrodinger in 1944.
Diabetes self-care: lessons from research on the family and broader contexts.

The foundation of diabetes management is the self-care behavior of the patient. All of the systems within which the person with diabetes interacts, as well as the media and broader social and cultural values, affect this self-care behavior. In this article I focus on recent research that has examined the link between relationships in the patient’s intimate network (ie, family and close friends) and in the patient’s exchange network (ie, patient-provider relationship, Internet support). The goal of this review is to identify relational targets associated with self-care behaviors that are potentially modifiable within the diabetes medical care setting. Evidence-based suggestions are made for points of intervention entry, and areas for future research are explored.
Parallel Balancing of Binary Search Trees

A method for the balancing of binary search trees on a highly parallel computer is described. This method can be adapted for execution on a multiprocessor computer system.
Social Work Students' Perceptions About Incompetence in Elders

Graduate and undergraduate social work students (N = 172) were surveyed to investigate their perceptions concerning memory impairment in elders. Approximately 70% of those surveyed did not strongly disagree with the perception that all elders are memory impaired. In further analysis, significant correlations were found to exist between this variable and several other variables, including perceptions of elders' behaviors (r = .602, p = .000) and perceptions of communicating with elders (r = .630, p = .000). In a standard multiple regression, three significant predictor variables accounted for 53.4% of the model's adjusted variance. These predictor variables included: (a) perceptions of elders' behaviors, (b) perceptions of communicating with elders, and (c) having taken courses in gerontology.
Eritrea on-line: Diaspora, cyberspace, and the public sphere

For Eritreans in diaspora, identities are deterritorialized, one's most pressing communication may be with far-flung strangers in cyberspace, and one's political engagement is centered on a distant homeland. Eritrean experiences, thus, seem to bring together various qualities that scholars have been grappling with in trying to chart the implications of the infotech revolution and life on-line, in seeking to understand processes of transnationalism and globalization, and in charting the elusive construction of community in the postmodern age. Through an analysis of the social history of www.dehai.org, a website developed by Eritreans in diaspora, I explore the ways that new forms of technological and geographical mobility are changing the conditions not just of capitalist production but also of knowledge production and the constitution of publics, public spheres, communities, and nations.
Local Release of GABAergic Inhibition in the Motor Cortex Induces Immediate-Early Gene Expression in Indirect Pathway Neurons of the Striatum

The neocortex is thought to exert a powerful influence over the functions of the basal ganglia via its projection to the striatum. It is not known, however, whether corticostriatal effects are similar across different types of striatal projection neurons and interneurons or are unique for cells having different functions within striatal networks. To examine this question, we developed a method for focal synchronous activation of the primary motor cortex (MI) of freely moving rats by local release of GABAergic inhibition. With this method, we monitored cortically evoked activation of two immediate-early gene protein products, c-Fos and JunB, in phenotypically identified striatal neurons. We further studied the influence of glutamate receptor antagonists on the stimulated expression of c-Fos, JunB, FosB, and NGFI-A. Local disinhibition of MI elicited remarkably selective induction of c-Fos and JunB in enkephalinergic projection neurons. These indirect pathway neurons, through their projections to the globus pallidus, can inhibit thalamocortical motor circuits. The dynorphin-containing projection neurons of the direct pathway, with opposite effects on the thalamocortical circuits, showed very little induction of c-Fos or JunB. The gene response of striatal interneurons was also highly selective, affecting principally parvalbumin- and NADPH diaphorase-expressing interneurons. The glutamate NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 strongly reduced the cortically evoked striatal gene expression in all cell types for each gene examined. Because the gene induction that we found followed known corticostriatal somatotopy, was dose-dependent, and was selectively sensitive to glutamate receptor antagonists, we suggest that the differential activation patterns reflect functional specialization of cortical inputs to the direct and indirect pathways of the basal ganglia and functional plasticity within these circuits.
Mandarin Language Understanding in Dialogue Context

In this paper we introduce Mandarin language understanding methods developed for spoken language applications. We describe a set of strategies to improve the parsing performance for Mandarin. We also discuss two context resolution techniques adopted to handle Chinese ellipsis in a practical Mandarin spoken dialogue system. Experimental evaluation verifies the effectiveness and efficiency of our proposed parsing enhancements, in terms of both parse coverage and speed. System evaluation with human subjects also verifies the effectiveness of our proposed approaches to speech understanding and context resolution in practical conversational systems.
Natural and biosynthetic insulin stimulates the growth of human erythroid progenitors in vitro.

High concentrations of insulin are known to augment the growth of various cell types in vitro. We examined the effect of a purified porcine insulin and biosynthetic human insulin produced in E. coli on the growth of human erythroid progenitors in vitro. Both insulins stimulated peripheral blood erythroid colony formation within the physiological range. An approximately 2-fold augmentation in colony formation was seen at insulin concentrations of 8 ng/ml, and as little as 0.1 ng/ml (0.17 nM) caused detectable stimulation of colony formation. The effect of subnanomolar concentrations of insulin on erythropoiesis in vitro suggests that insulin could modulate erythropoiesis in vivo. Human responsiveness to insulin's growth-promoting activity can be directly assayed in vitro using peripheral blood. (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 55: 1209, 1982)
Inverse modeling of argon step‐release data from lunar impact spherules

[1] We use argon step-release measurements to model the initial distribution of argon isotopes in 177 lunar impact spherules. The speed of modern computers permits us to approach this inverse problem in new ways, and the techniques we develop may be extended to study a wide range of samples, diffusing species, and geometries. Lunar spherules, by virtue of their simple shapes and histories, seem to be excellent candidates for inverse modeling. Nevertheless, impact spherules preserve chemical or material heterogeneities that are relics of their parent materials. As a result, we find that the distribution of argon isotopes in most impact spherules is more complex than can be meaningfully constrained by a practical number of precise measurements. The spatial distribution of argon from different sources, such as solar implantation, would be better probed in spherules by other techniques, such as stepwise etching.
Etching holes in graphene supercapacitor electrodes for faster performance

Graphene is being widely investigated as a material to replace activated carbon in supercapacitor (electrochemical capacitor) electrodes. Supercapacitors have much higher energy density, but are typically slow devices (∼0.1 Hz) compared to other types of capacitors. Here, top-down semiconductor processing has been applied to graphene-based electrodes in order to fabricate ordered arrays of holes through the graphene electrodes. This is demonstrated to increase the speed of the electrodes by reducing the ionic impedance through the electrode thickness. This approach may also be applicable to speeding up other types of devices, such as batteries and sensors, that use porous electrodes.
Phylogeny and phylogenetic classification of the antbirds, ovenbirds, woodcreepers, and allies (Aves: Passeriformes: infraorder Furnariides)

The infraorder Furnariides is a diverse group of suboscine passerine birds comprising a substantial component of the Neotropical avifauna. The included species encompass a broad array of morphologies and behaviours, making them appealing for evolutionary studies, but the size of the group (ca. 600 species) has limited well-sampled higher-level phylogenetic studies. Using DNA sequence data from the nuclear RAG-1 and RAG-2 exons, we undertook a phylogenetic analysis of the Furnariides sampling 124 (more than 88%) of the genera. Basal relationships among family-level taxa differed depending on phylogenetic method, but all topologies had little nodal support, mirroring the results from earlier studies in which discerning relationships at the base of the radiation was also difficult. In contrast, branch support for family-rank taxa and for many relationships within those clades was generally high. Our results support the Melanopareidae and Grallariidae as distinct from the Rhinocryptidae and Formicariidae, respectively. Within the Furnariides our data contradict some recent phylogenetic hypotheses and suggest that further study is needed to resolve these discrepancies. Of the few genera represented by multiple species, several were not monophyletic, indicating that additional systematic work remains within furnariine families and must include dense taxon sampling. We use this study as a basis for proposing a new phylogenetic classification for the group and in the process erect new family-group names for clades having high branch support across methods.
Managing risk in stock market alerts

The market surveillance function of a stock exchange is to provide a fair and orderly market by monitoring stock price movements. Alerts are generated when an activity appears suspicious. Management needs a methodology to balance the risk of failing to identify an illegal transaction while investigating false alerts that are costly and time-consuming to process. To assist management in making these decisions, quantitative methods are used to find aberrant behaviour. The first generation of online market surveillance models employed heuristic algorithms based on experience, while the second generation applied basic statistics. The author's research on the New York Stock Exchange focuses on the third-generation online identification of aberrant stock price movements that relies on advanced statistical techniques such as discriminant analysis combined with a robust outlier test. This method provides a suspicion index that more accurately rates the potential alerts to be investigated.
Transfection of human endothelial cells

Objective: The introduction of recombinant genes into endothelial cells provides a method to study specific gene products and their effect on cell function. In addition, endothelial cells can be used for implantation into vessels or prosthetic vascular grafts. Because transfection efficiencies in human endothelial cells have been low, it is important to develop improved gene transfer techniques. Therefore, several transfection methods were optimized and transfection efficiencies were determined. Methods: Transfection by particle-mediated gene transfer (biolistics) or by cationic liposomes were optimized and compared to calcium phosphate and DEAE-dextran. Transfection efficiency was determined using either a β -galactosidase or placental alkaline phosphatase reporter gene. The effect of promoter strength was analyzed by transfecting plasmids with either the Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) promoter or cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter regions. Results: Optimal conditions for particle-mediated gene transfer utilized gold particles of 1.6 μ m diameter, a target distance of 3 cm, helium pressures of 8.96 MPa (1300 psi) and cell confluence of 75%. Transfection with different cationic liposomes demonstrated that one compound, N -(3-aminopropyl)- N , N -dimethyl-2,3-(bis-dodecyloxy)-1-propaniminium bromide/dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine ( γ AP-DLRIE/DOPE), was optimal for gene transfer when 5 μ g of DNA and 10 to 20 μ g of lipid was used. With both gold particles and γ AP-DLRIE/DOPE, the alkaline phosphatase reporter was more efficient than β -galactosidase using comparable promoters and polyadenylation sites. CMV regulatory elements were more efficient than the RSV promoter in optimizing gene expression. Optimal gene transfer efficiency was 20.28% of cells with γ AP-DLRIE/DOPE, 3.96% with biolistics, 2.09% with calcium phosphate and 0.88% with DEAE-dextran. Conclusions: Gene expression is detectable in a high percentage of human endothelial cells after liposome-mediated transfection when expression is controlled by a strong promoter. Particle-mediated transfection is less efficient under these conditions, but more effective than liposomes when expression is driven by a relatively weak promoter. Calcium phosphate and DEAE-dextran are less useful.
Adjustments to diabetes medications in response to increases in hemoglobin a1c: an epidemiologic study.

Objective: The primary objective was to assess associations between increases in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and medication adjustments among patients with diabetes. A secondary objective was to measure the effect of adjustments on subsequent HbA1c levels. Methods: A retrospective analysis of administrative data from a large health insurer in Hawaii of 7654 patients with diabetes mellitus type II, HbA1c levels greater than 7%, and who were taking oral diabetic medications. Patients were eligible if they had an HbA1c measurement in 2009, a prior measure 30 or more days previously, and at least 30 days of follow-up to identify medication adjustments. Patients were classified into 3 groups based on their extent of change in HbA1c levels. Patients were followed to determine the frequency of medication adjustments and to observe the possible benefit of making adjustments on subsequent HbA1c levels. Results: Medication adjustments were the exception, occurring among less than a fourth of patients. Compar...
Oxygen Transport Goals in the Resuscitation of Critically Ill Patients

OBJECTIVE:To discuss the limitations of conventional monitoring techniques of shock and examine more recent monitoring techniques that are used to titrate therapies to attain supranormal oxygen transport goals.DATA SOURCES:Review articles and investigations published since 1973.STUDY SELECTION:Articles were selected if they examined the monitoring or treatment of shock. Emphasis was placed on finding investigations involving humans that used innovative methods to assess and treat inadequate tissue perfusion.DATA EXTRACTION:Data were extracted primarily from original investigations and review articles published in or translated into English.DATA SYNTHESIS:The conventional monitoring of shock often fails to detect inadequate tissue perfusion, which may lead to inadequate resuscitation of patients, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. Attainment of supranormal values for oxygen transport variables has been associated with improved outcomes, especially in patients with hypovolemic shock or septic s...
Inner-City Adults’ Knowledge About the Effects of Cigarette Smoking on Child Health

We sought to determine what adults in an inner-city setting know about the specific effects of adult cigarette smoking on child health. A cross-sectional survey was conducted at an inner-city community health center in the Bronx, New York; 684 subjects participated. Overall, 21% were current smokers, 19% had quit, and 60% had never smoked. While the majority of subjects knew about the effects of smoking on adult health, they were unaware of the extent to which smoking was harmful to child health. Notably, 72% did not know that cigarette smoking increased the risk for ear infections in children, 68% did not know that smoking increased the risk of colds in children, and 61% did not know that smoking increased the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. The findings suggest a need for public health education about the effects of adult smoking on child health.
Commentary by Ronald R. Braeutigam

The paper by Douglas Gegax (“Natural Monopoly Measures and Regulatory Policy”) in this volume discusses some of the important changes that have occurred in the characterization of and public policy toward natural monopoly in recent years. The topics alluded to in that essay have been central to public policy debates in a number of American industries undergoing regulatory reform since 1975, including among others all or parts of the airline, railroad, motor carrier, telephone, cable television, natural gas and oil industries.1 The wave of regulatory reform is apparently extending itself energetically to other parts of the world, where terms such as privatization, liberalization, and deregulation have become commonplace.
Mirror, Mirror, Help Me Like My Body: Examining a Body Image Media Campaign

Body image is a concern for many individuals but especially for women. Few body image interventions focus beyond the individual and attempt to reach a larger population. A media campaign was developed using the Social Marketing Model and implemented on a university campus to help women recognize conversations and ideas that reinforce negative body image concepts. Details about the development and implementation of the media campaign are reviewed. Follow-up assessment revealed that almost 60% (n = 194) of women surveyed saw the materials. Many responded favorably to the campaign’s impact. Buscards were viewed most frequently, indicating a potential promotion strategy for future health campaigns. Implications for future interventions and recommendations for practitioners are discussed.
Measurement of Stressful Life Events

Although stress and related concepts have long been thought to be influential in health and disease, it was not until the 1960s that formal methodologies were developed to measure stress in the form of life events. Since that time, different approaches to measuring life events have been developed and refined, and debates have ensued regarding their reliability, validity, and practicality. One approach employs self-report checklists of life events, and the other approach employs interview-based procedures. Research comparing the two approaches indicates that they yield different information. Analysis of discrepancies between the two methods suggests that participants often interpret what constitutes a life event quite differently from what the researcher intends. Interview-based methods, however, require much greater time and effort. Current controversies over gene–environment interactions suggest that future research will require the more rigorous but precise interview-based methods to detect stress effects and interactions with specific genes or other vulnerability factors. Keywords: psychology of stress; psychopathology; depression; stress
Blocking Vs. Interleaving: Examining Single-Session Effects Within Middle School Math Homework

The benefit of interleaving cognitive content has gained attention in recent years, specifically in mathematics education. The present study serves as a conceptual replication of previous work, documenting the interleaving effect within a middle school sample through brief homework assignments completed within ASSISTments, an adaptive tutoring platform. The results of a randomized controlled trial are presented, examining a practice session featuring interleaved or blocked content spanning three skills: Complementary and Supplementary Angles, Surface Area of a Pyramid, and Compound Probability without Replacement. A second homework session served as a delayed posttest. Tutor log files are analyzed to track student performance and to establish a metric of global mathematics skill for each student. Findings suggest that interleaving is beneficial in the context of adaptive tutoring systems when considering learning gains and average hint usage at posttest. These observations were especially relevant for low skill students.
Tunable single frequency Nd:YAG microchip lasers

Single frequency Nd:YAG microchip lasers were created by depositing dielectric cavity mirrors directly on a flat slab of Nd:YAG.1 The thickness of the Nd:YAG (730 μm) was chosen so that the cavity mode spacing is comparable to, or greater than, the gain bandwidth of Nd:YAG, and only a single frequency will operate. After the mirrors were deposited, the Nd:YAG was cut into 1- X 2-mm pieces, which were tight-fitted into U-shaped holders adjacent to a piezoelectric transducer, as shown in Fig. 1. The transducer applies a transverse stress to the Nd:YAG, changing the cavity length.
Co-localization of hypoxia and apoptosis in irradiated and untreated HCT116 human colon carcinoma xenografts.

HCT116 human colon carcinoma xenografts were grown in nude mice. Frozen sections of control and irradiated tumors were stained and analysed for the distribution and extent of hypoxia and apoptosis. Tissue oxygen partial pressure was measured by immu-nohistochemical staining of hypoxia-dependent metabolites of the 2-nitroimidazole EF5. Apoptosis was assessed using a commercial kit which stains damaged DNA. Although the apoptosis stain was unlikely to exclude other forms of cell death (necrosis, pyknosis) all staining was found to associate with regions of near anoxia.
DERIVATIVES OF 2,3‐DIHYDROCYCLOPENTA(D)PYRIDO(1,2‐A)PYRIMIDIN‐10(1H)ONE

The annulation of 2-amino-3-hydroxy-, 2-amino-3-carboxy-, and 2-amino-3-methylpyridine with ethyl cyelopenlanone-2-earboxylate led to the 5-hydroxy-, 2, 5-carboxy-, 3, and 5-methyl-, 4, derivatives of the 2,3-dihydrocycloperita[d]pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-10(1H) one heterocycle. Alkylation of 2 with α-bromotolue, ne gave the 5-benzyloxy derivative.
Determining the Mean Time to Failure for Certain Redundant Systems

Abstract A relatively simple relationship is presented for determining the mean time to failure for systems with redundancy of the type where r out of n units must be operating for the system to be operating. The special case is for units that have constant failure rates.
Relationship between cognitive processing style and academic achievement

Summary.-3 groups of 36 undergraduate students with low, average, and high grade point averages differed in cognitive style. High achievers scored h~gh on amount and enjoyment of imaginal life and low on suppression. Low achievers exh~bited the opposite tendency.
Remote monitoring of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED)

With increasing indications and access to cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) worldwide, the number of patients needing CIED follow-up continues to rise. In parallel, the technology available for managing these devices has advanced considerably. In this setting, remote monitoring (RM) has emerged as a complement to routine in-office care. Rigorous studies, randomized and otherwise, have demonstrated advantages to patient with CIED management systems, which incorporates RM resulting in authoritative guidelines from relevant professional societies recommending RM for all eligible patients. In addition to clinical benefits, CIED management programs that include RM have been shown to be cost effective and associated with high patient satisfaction. Finally, RM programs hold promise for the future of CIED research in light of the massive data collected through RM databases converging with unprecedented computational capability. This review outlines the available data associated with clinical outcomes in patients managed with RM with an emphasis on randomized trials; the impact of RM on patient satisfaction, cost-effectiveness, and healthcare utilization; and possible future directions for the use of RM in clinical practice and research.
Pharmacologic Principles of Cardiovascular Drug Administration to the Critically Ill

The critically ill patient presents a pharmaceutical dilemma, with the clinical condition often necessitating the administration of potent medications. The underlying disease process often includes or produces multi-system failure, which will subsequently alter the response to drugs, with the potential to further compromise the acutely ill patient. In summary, the interplay of patient and drug provides a challenge to the medical staff in the provision of effective pharmacotherapy. Several steps can be followed to facilitate the achievement of optimal drug therapy at minimal toxicity. These include the following. 1. Drug Choice. The agent to be administered must be assessed by the practitioner with respect to efficacy in the particular disease state. 2. Patient Variables. Patients must also be evaluated for the presence of factors such as cardiovascular compromise, renal or hepatic dysfunction, pulmonary disease, gastrointestinal integrity, and hypoalbuminemia, all of which are known to alter drug kinetics or dynamics. Concurrent drug therapy must be reviewed to identify those drugs with the potential to interact with the agent to be administered. 3. Dose of the Selected Agent. The dose of the drug must be altered commensurate with those diseases observed. In the presence of multiple organ involvement, further alterations in dosage may be required. 4. Route of Administration. The drug in the selected dose must be given by a route that will result in reliable blood concentrations. Intravenous therapy is usually the route of choice. 5. Monitoring of Therapy. Therapeutic endpoints of the individual agents must be clearly defined and will include variables such as control of arrhythmias, determination of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and so forth. Dose-related toxicity serves as a warning sign of excessive drug doses. Patients must be monitored carefully to insure early detection of adverse effects and subsequent dose reduction by the practitioner. The monitoring of serum concentrations of drugs that possess a well defined therapeutic or toxic range is useful, if the limitations of this practice are remembered. Determinations of plasma concentration must be readily and routinely available to the practitioner to be useful in guiding dosage alterations, especially in emergency situations. The availability of this laboratory service is often a limiting factor. Additionally, standard methods of quantifying serum levels of drugs measure both free and bound drug together, providing one value. Changes in the pharmacologically active free fraction may therefore be undetected.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)