cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of physical activity interventions in improving objective and patient-reported outcomes in head and neck cancer survivors: A systematic review.

Abstract Objective To assess the effectiveness of physical activity interventions in improving objective and patient-reported outcomes in HNC survivors. Introduction Multiple guidelines recommend that head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors participate in regular physical activity. Physical activity is associated with improved outcomes and mortality in healthy individuals as well as in certain cancer populations. However, the effectiveness of physical activity interventions in HNC survivors is inadequately understood. Methods and results Our literature search through December 2018 identified 2,392 articles. After de-duplication, title and abstract review, full-text review and bibliographic search, 20 studies met all inclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria included any full-body physical activity intervention in HNC survivors that did not target discrete organ sites or functions (e.g. swallowing). Study cohorts included 749 predominantly male participants with a mean age range of 48–63 years. At their conclusion, physical activity interventions were associated with at least one significant improvement in an objective or patient-reported outcome in 75% of studies. Aerobic capacity and fatigue were the most commonly improved outcomes. None of the included studies evaluated associations with survival or recurrence. Although traditional aerobic and resistance interventions were more common, a greater proportion of alternative physical activity (yoga and Tai Chi) interventions demonstrated improved objective and patient-reported outcomes. Conclusion Physical activity interventions in HNC survivors often conferred some improvement in objective and patient-reported outcomes. Additional highly-powered, randomized controlled studies are needed to establish the optimal type, intensity, and timing of physical activity interventions as well as their impact on oncologic outcomes.
Deep learning of Cas13 guide activity from high-throughput gene essentiality screening

Abstract Transcriptome engineering requires flexible RNA-targeting technologies that can perturb mammalian transcripts in a robust and scalable manner. CRISPR systems that natively target RNA molecules, such as Cas13 enzymes, are enabling rapid progress in the investigation of RNA biology and advancement of RNA therapeutics. Here, we sought to develop a Cas13 platform for high-throughput phenotypic screening and elucidate the design principles underpinning its RNA targeting efficiency. We employed the RfxCas13d (CasRx) system in a positive selection screen by tiling 55 known essential genes with single nucleotide resolution. Leveraging this dataset of over 127,000 guide RNAs, we systematically compared a series of linear regression and machine learning algorithms to train a convolutional neural network (CNN) model that is able to robustly predict guide RNA performance based on guide sequence alone. We further incorporated secondary features including secondary structure, free energy, target site position, and target isoform percent. To evaluate model performance, we conducted orthogonal screens via cell surface protein knockdown. The final CNN model is able to predict highly effective guide RNAs (gRNAs) within each transcript with >90% accuracy in this independent test set. To provide user interpretability, we evaluate feature contributions using both integrated gradients and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP). We identify a specific sequence motif at guide position 15-24 along with selected secondary features to be predictive of highly efficient guides. Taken together, we derive Cas13d guide design rules from large-scale screen data, release a guide design tool (http://RNAtargeting.org) to advance the RNA targeting toolbox, and describe a path for systematic development of deep learning models to predict CRISPR activity.
Impact of a Father Figure's Presence in the Household on Children's Psychiatric Diagnoses and Functioning in Families at High Risk for Depression.

The consequences of living in single-parent households on children’s wellbeing are well documented, but less is known about the impact of living in single-mother households among children with high familial risk for depression. Utilizing data from an ongoing three-generation study of high-risk families, this preliminary study examined a sample of 161 grandchildren of probands diagnosed with major depressive disorder, comparing those in single-parent households to those in dual-parent households with household status defined as the full-time presence of a resident male in the home. High-risk children were compared across households in terms of psychiatric diagnoses (measured by Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children; K-SADS-PL) and global functioning (assessed by Global Assessment Scale, child version; C-GAS). Results indicated that high-risk children in single-parent households had 4.7 times greater odds for developing a mood disorder and had significantly lower mean C-GAS scores (p = 0.01) compared to those in dual-parent households. Differences remained significant when controlling for household income, child’s age, and either parent’s depression status. There were no significant differences between high-risk children across households when household status was instead defined as legal marital status. This study has several limitations: sample size was small, probands were recruited from a clinical population, and participants had not passed completely through the period of risk for adult psychiatric disorders. These findings point towards the importance of identifying and closely monitoring children at risk for depression, particularly if they reside in households without a resident father figure.
Protein phosphorylation in tobacco plants with systemic resistance induced by tobacco mosaic virus

Abstract Inoculation of the 3-4 lowest leaves of N -gene tobacco plants with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) induced resistance to TMV and blue mold in the leaves above. In vitro phosphorylation of two proteins, pp29 and pp51, was consistently observed in preparations from noninoculated leaves of plants in which systemic resistance was induced by TMV. Phosphoprotein pp51 is a soluble cytoplasmic protein and phosphoprotein pp29 is plasma membrane-associated. Incorporation of γ- 32 P from ATP into plasma membrane proteins in vitro was about 120 times higher than into soluble proteins and was about seven times higher than into internal membrane proteins. Phosphoamino acid analysis revealed that plasma membrane phosphoproteins were highly phosphorylated at the serine residue. Tyrosine phosphorylation was not detected in the plasma membrane. The phosphoprotein pp29 was also mainly phosphorylated on the serine residue. Ca 2+ promoted protein phosphorylation in the tobacco plasma membrane, including pp 29 phosphorylation. Salicylic acid had no observable effect on tobacco protein phosphorylation. The possible roles protein kinases and the phosphorylation of proteins play in signal transduction of systemic induced resistance are discussed.
Use of Transaction Cost Economics to Study Information Technology Outsourcing: Over-Application or Under-Theorizing?

IS discipline has witnessed significant growth in research on IT in- and out-sourcing. Economic theories inform a large portion of this work. This paper examines the use of Transaction Cost Economics (TCE) as a theoretical lens to study IT sourcing decisions (internal vs. external). It reviews TCE's major assumptions and assesses its key constructs: frequency, asset specificity, opportunism, and uncertainty, with regard to how they have been operationalized and what results have been obtained. This is done through a review of selected body of outsourcing literature. There is evidence of the impacts of production costs on outsourcing decisions, while findings with regard to transaction costs are inconclusive. In order to move the research agenda ahead we suggest examining the co-evolution of drivers for buyers and vendors to outsource, instead of just exploring cost determinants. We recommend that researchers take a longitudinal process perspective to improve our understanding of complex governance phenomena.
Ambiguity, Accessibility, and a Division of Labor for Communicative Success

Abstract People talk to be understood, and so they should produce utterances that are easy for their listeners to understand. I begin this chapter by describing evidence showing that speakers rarely avoid sentences that are ambiguous, even though ambiguity is a factor that is well known to cause difficulty for listeners. Instead, speakers seem to choose utterances that are especially easy for them to say, specifically by producing more accessible, easy‐to‐think‐of material sooner, and less accessible, harder‐to‐think‐of material later. If speakers produce utterances that are easy to say but not utterances that are easy to understand, how is it that we understand each other? A third line of evidence shows that even when sentences are structurally ambiguous, they are likely to include enough information for comprehenders to figure out what they mean. This suggests that speakers produce ambiguous utterances simply because they can—because the grammar of their language will only let them produce utterances that are unambiguous enough to be understood most of the time anyway. And so, we understand each other because speakers produce utterances efficiently even if they are not optimally understandable; addressees do what they need to understand their speakers; and the grammar makes sure everything works out properly.
Data-Continuous SQL Process Model

Motivated by automating enterprise information derivation processes, we propose a new kind of business process - Data-Continuous SQL Process (DCSP), which is data-stream driven and continuously running. The basic operators of a DCSP are database User Defined Functions (UDFs). However, we introduce a special kind of UDFs - Relation Valued Functions (RVFs) with both input and return values specified as relations. An RVF represents a relational transformation and can be composed with other relational operators. We allow an RVF to be triggered repeatedly by stream inputs , timers or event-conditions. Thesequence of executions generates a data stream . To capture such data continuation semantics we introduce the notion of station for hosting a continuously-executed RVF, and the notion ofpipe as the FIFO stream container for asynchronous communication between stations. A station is specified with the triggering factors and the outgoing pipes. A pipe is strongly typed by a relation schema with a stream key for identifying its elements. As an abstract object, a pipe can be implemented as aqueue or stream table . To allow a DCSP to be constructed from stations and pipes recursively, we introduce the notion of Data Continuous Query (DCQ) that is a query applied to a stream data source --- a stream table, a station (via pipe) or recursively a DCQ, with well defined data continuation semantics. A DCQ itself can be treated as a station, meaning that stations can be constructed from existing ones recursively in terms of SQL. Based on these notions a DCSP is modeled as a graph of stations (nodes) and pipes (links) and represented by a set of correlated DCQs. Specifying DCSP in SQL allows us to take advantage of SQL in expressing relational transformations on the stream elements, and potentially in pushing DCSP execution down to the database layer for performance and scalability. The implementation issues based on parallel database technology are discussed. The proposed approach represents a major shift in process management from one-time execution to data stream driven, open-ended execution, and an initial step in bringing BPM technology and database technology together under the data-continuation semantics.
A parallel spectral element method for compressible hydrodynamics

Publisher Summary This chapter describes a germinal effort in the construction of a parallel Spectral Element method for compressible flows and presents the results for a spectral element-flux corrected transport code that has been parallelized to run on the Convex SPP-1000 exemplar shared memory parallel computer. The Convex SPP-1000 is a fairly new machine based on the HP PA-RISC 7100 microprocessor with 1MB data and instruction caches. Spectral element methods combine the flexibility of finite element methods and the spectral accuracy of spectral methods. The technique considers the domain to be decomposed into multiple regions within each of which the representation is spectral in nature. The regions are patched together by the use of interface conditions. The technique is applied to the compressible Euler equations of hydrodynamics and is well suited for problems when discontinuities, such as shocks or contact discontinuities are present in the solution. The flux corrected transport (FCT) method using finite differences has been previously parallelized on several machines using a number of message passing libraries.
No-Drag Frame for Anomalous Chiral Fluid

We show that for an anomalous fluid carrying dissipationless chiral magnetic and/or vortical currents there is a frame in which a stationary obstacle experiences no drag, but energy and charge currents do not vanish, resembling superfluidity. However, unlike ordinary superfluid flow, the anomalous chiral currents can transport entropy in this frame. We show that the second law of thermodynamics completely determines the amounts of these anomalous nondissipative currents in the ``no-drag frame'' as polynomials in temperature and chemical potential with known anomaly coefficients. These general results are illustrated and confirmed by a calculation in the chiral kinetic theory and in the quark-gluon plasma at high temperature.
Molecular-Marker-Facilitated Investigations of Quantitative-Trait Loci in Maize. I. Numbers, Genomic Distribution and Types of Gene Action

Individual genetic factors which underlie variation in quantitative traits of maize were investigated in each of two F2 populations by examining the mean trait expressions of genotypic classes at each of 17-20 segregating marker loci. It was demonstrated that the trait expression of marker locus classes could be interpreted in terms of genetic behavior at linked quantitative trait loci (QTLs). For each of 82 traits evaluated, QTLs were detected and located to genomic sites. The numbers of detected factors varied according to trait, with the average trait significantly influenced by almost two-thirds of the marked genomic sites. Most of the detected associations between marker loci and quantitative traits were highly significant, and could have been detected with fewer than the 1800-1900 plants evaluated in each population. The cumulative, simple effects of marker-linked regions of the genome explained between 8 and 40% of the phenotypic variation for a subset of 25 traits evaluated. Single marker loci accounted for between 0.3% and 16% of the phenotypic variation of traits. Individual plant heterozygosity, as measured by marker loci, was significantly associated with variation in many traits. The apparent types of gene action at the QTLs varied both among traits and between loci for given traits, although overdominance appeared frequently, especially for yield-related traits. The prevalence of apparent overdominance may reflect the effects of multiple QTLs within individual marker-linked regions, a situation which would tend to result in overestimation of dominance. Digenic epistasis did not appear to be important in determining the expression of the quantitative traits evaluated. Examination of the effects of marked regions on the expression of pairs of traits suggests that genomic regions vary in the direction and magnitudes of their effects on trait correlations, perhaps providing a means of selecting to dissociate some correlated traits. Marker-facilitated investigations appear to provide a powerful means of examining aspects of the genetic control of quantitative traits. Modifications of the methods employed herein will allow examination of the stability of individual gene effects in varying genetic backgrounds and environments.
Electron microscopy visualization of DNA-protein complexes formed by Ku and DNA ligase IV

The repair of DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs) is essential for cell viability and genome stability. Aberrant repair of DSBs has been linked with cancer predisposition and aging. During the repair of DSBs by non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), DNA ends are brought together, processed and then joined. In eukaryotes, this repair pathway is initiated by the binding of the ring-shaped Ku heterodimer and completed by DNA ligase IV. The DNA ligase IV complex, DNA ligase IV/XRRC4 in humans and Dnl4/Lif1 in yeast, is recruited to DNA ends in vitro and in vivo by an interaction with Ku and, in yeast, Dnl4/Lif1 stabilizes the binding of yKu to in vivo DSBs. Here we have analyzed the interactions of these functionally conserved eukaryotic NHEJ factors with DNA by electron microscopy. As expected, the ring-shaped Ku complex bound stably and specifically to DNA ends at physiological salt concentrations. At a ratio of 1 Ku molecule per DNA end, the majority of DNA ends were occupied by a single Ku complex with no significant formation of linear DNA multimers or circular loops. Both Dnl4/Lif1 and DNA ligase IV/XRCC4 formed complexes with Ku-bound DNA ends, resulting in intra- and intermolecular DNA end bridging, even with non-ligatable DNA ends. Together, these studies, which provide the first visualization of the conserved complex formed by Ku and DNA ligase IV at juxtaposed DNA ends by electron microscopy, suggest that the DNA ligase IV complex mediates end-bridging by engaging two Ku-bound DNA ends.
DEVELOPMENT OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC ACTIVITY IN PORPHYRIDIUM PURPUREUM (RHODOPHYTA) FOLLOWING NITROGEN STARVATION

The effects of nitrogen limitation on laboratory cultures of Porphyridium purpureum Bory, Drew and Ross were studied under continuous white light illumination (35 {mu}E {times} m{sup {minus}2} {times} s{sup {minus}1}). Growth ceased, respiration exceeded photosynthesis, chlorophyll content was reduced by 80%, and phycoerythrin content was reduced by 99% over a period of 14 days under nitrogen limitation. Recovery upon addition of nitrogen resulted in increased phycobiliprotein content, appearance of phycobilisomes attached to the thylakoids, increased oxygen evolution, and increased fluorescence emission from photosystem 1 (720 nm) and photosystem 2 (685 nm) upon excitation by green light. Growth resumes after 72 h and was concomitant with an increase of chlorophyll, phycoerythrin and phycobilisomes per thylakoid area. The results suggest that photosystem 1 was less affected by nitrogen starvation than photosystem 2 and that the recovery was largely dependent on the restoration of phycobilisomes and other photosystem components.
Cantaloupes, Carrots, and Counseling: Implications of Dietary Interventions for Counselors.

Feelings and behavior can be partially affected by the nutritional state. This article suggests that counselors attend to the eating habits of their clients.
Uptake, translocation, and metabolism of [14C]pretilachlor in fenclorim-safened and unsafened rice seedlings

Abstract The influence of the safener fenclorim and of the synergist tridiphane on the uptake, translocation, and metabolism of the herbicide pretilachlor by 15-day-old rice seedlings was studied under greenhouse conditions. Water sown rice ( Oryza sativa L., var. “Lemont”) seedlings were grown hydroponically in a nutrient solution containing 10 μ M of [ 14 C]pretilachlor and harvested following 6, 24, and 48 hr of exposure. Fenclorim and tridiphane were also used at 10 μ M in the nutrient solution when needed. The uptake of root-applied pretilachlor by control or fenclorim-treated rice seedlings increased steadily with time. Fenclorim and tridiphane significantly reduced the root uptake of pretilachlor by rice seedlings at 24 and 48 hr after application of [ 14 C]pretilachlor. TLC analysis of water-soluble extracts from rice roots and shoots revealed five major metabolites of pretilachlor. Fenclorim enhanced the metabolism of pretilachlor via conjugation to reduced glutathione (GSH) at all time intervals. This safener-induced enhancement of the glutathione-mediated metabolism of pretilachlor was coupled with a concomitant decrease in the amount of radioactivity corresponding to the parent herbicide and was more pronounced in root extracts than in shoot extracts. Tridiphane slightly reduced the formation of the glutathione conjugate of pretilachlor in both roots and shoots of treated rice seedlings only at the 48-hr time period. The effect of fenclorim on the nonenzymatic formation of the glutathione conjugate of pretilachlor was also studied. Fenclorim used over a range of concentrations (1 to 160 μ M ) increased the reactivity of pretilachlor with GSH in a concentration-dependent manner. The results of the present study show that the protection afforded by fenclorim to rice appears to result from a fenclorim-mediated reduction in the root uptake of pretilachlor and an enhancement of the metabolism of pretilachlor via enzymatic or nonenzymatic conjugation with GSH.
A Monoclonal Antibody Specific to a Song System Nuclear Antigen in Estrildine Finches

This paper describes a monoclonal antibody that recognizes a molecule whose expression is mostly restricted to some of the forebrain areas that control singing behavior in adult estrildine species studied, including the zebra, Bengalese, and spice finches. When the song system displays extreme sexual dimorphism, as in these species, antibody staining occurs only in the male's song nuclei. However, protein expression is identical in both sexes of estrildine finches, in which females also have a well-developed song system. Canaries appear to lack the protein, but it can be induced in female zebra finches by early estrogen treatment. Antibody staining patterns in the zebra finch show that the protein's expression is developmentally regulated to coincide with the abrupt increase in the volume and cell size of the male's or the estrogen-treated female's song system.
Molecular beam epitaxy grown long wavelength infrared HgCdTe on compliant Si substrates

At the Army Research Laboratory (ARL), a new ternary semiconductor system CdSexTe1-x/Si(211) is being investigated as an alternative substrate to bulk-grown CdZnTe substrates for HgCdTe growth by molecular beam epitaxy. Under optimized conditions, best layers show surface defect density less than 400 cm-2 and full width at half maximum of X-ray double crystal rocking curve as low as 100 arc-sec with excellent uniformity over 3 inch area. LW-HgCdTe layers on these compliant substrates exhibit comparable electrical properties to those grown on bulk CZT substrates. Photovoltaic devices fabricated on these LWIR material shows diffusion limited performance at 78K indicating high quality material. Measured RoA at 78K on λco = 10 μm material is on the order of 340 Ω-cm2. In addition to single devices, we have fabricated 256x256 2-D arrays with 40 μm pixel pitch on LW-HgCdTe grown on Si compliant substrates. Data shows excellent QE operability of 99% at 78K under a tactical background flux of 6.7x1015 ph/cm2sec. Most probable dark current at the peak distribution is 5.5 x 109 e-/sec and is very much consistent with the measured RoA values from single devices. Initial results indicate NETD of 33 mK for a cut-off wavelength of 10 μm with 40 micron pixels size. This work demonstrates CdSexTe1-x/Si(211) substrates provides a potential road map to more affordable, robust 3rd generation FPAs.© (2006) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Run Length Distribution and Percentiles: The Shewhart X Chart with Unknown Parameters

[This abstract is based on the author’s abstract.]Important information concerning the performance of control charts may be missed by focusing too much on the average run length, since the run length distribution is usually highly right-skewed. Examinat..
Autonomy's dominion: Dworkin on abortion and euthanasia.

Controversies over abortion and euthanasia are, among other things, controversies about the scope of personal autonomy. Liberals on these issues argue that respect for personal autonomy requires that individuals be free to make such choices. Conservatives on abortion and euthanasia, on the other hand, think that autonomy is rightfully limited when an individual seeks to take human life. In either case the issue is whether personal autonomy in the disputed decision is a fundamental value and, if so, whether social or moral concerns about taking human life are sufficient justifications for limiting autonomy. Ronald Dworkin, the noted legal philosopher, has written an elegant and impressive book-Life's Dominion: An Argument About Abortion, Euthanasia, and Individual Freedom-that emphasizes respect for autonomy as the solution to the life-and-death dilemmas of abortion and euthanasia. While many other thinkers have reached this conclusion, few have confronted as forthrightly as Life's Dominion does the religious or spiritual nature of these dilemmas. Dworkin views controversies over abortion and euthanasia as reflections of personal views about the intrinsic sanctity of human life, and not about the rights or interests of fetuses or comatose patients per se. Because such views are so clearly religious or spiritual in content, they should
On the maximum likelihood classification rule for incomplete multivariate samples and its admissibility

Abstract In this paper we deal with the problem of classifying a multiresponse observation into one of two p -variate normal populations with unknown mean vectors and a known and common dispersion matrix. The classification procedure is based on two general incomplete multiresponse samples (i.e., not all responses are measured on each sampling unit), one from each population. We obtain the maximum likelihood classification rule and prove its admissibility with respect to a loss function of which the zero-one loss function is a sqecial case.
Ethical selfhood and the status of the secular: Muslim identity in Mumbai

As part of a larger project, this essay contributes to the current anthropological rethinking of categories such as ‘religion’, ‘secularism’ and ‘politics’ in relation to social processes and subjects: a series of ventures that are related, in the Indian context, to modernity and liberal conceptions of statehood, sovereignty and personhood. In discussing everyday phenomena such as piety and religious authority, gender and childraising, and political and professional pursuits in Mumbai, I demonstrate that the ostensibly ‘religious’ domain of Islam is not necessarily the only, or even primary, basis for achieving a self-consciously ethical selfhood for even those who identify as observant and devout Muslims. I argue that the religious domain of Islam in this context is defined as such and intersected by discourses and practices of the self as a political and economic agent defined largely in terms of political modernity.
Evolution and the molecular basis of somatic hypermutation of antigen receptor genes

Somatic hypermutation of immunoglobulin genes occurs in many vertebrates including sharks, frogs, camels, humans and mice. Similarities among species reveal a common mechanism and these include the AGC/T sequence hot spot, preponderance of base substitutions, a bias towards transitions and strand bias. There are some differences among species, however, that may unveil layers of the mechanism. These include a G:C bias in frog and shark IgM but not in nurse shark antigen receptor (NAR), a high frequency of doublets in NAR hypermutation, and the co-occurrence of somatic hypermutation with gene conversion in some species. Here we argue that some of the similarities and differences among species are best explained by error-prone DNA synthesis by the translesion synthesis DNA polymerase zeta (Pol zeta) and, as suggested by others, induction of DNA synthesis by DNA breaks in antigen receptor variable genes. Finally, targeting of the variable genes is probably obtained via transcription-related elements, and it is the targeting phase of somatic hypermutation that is the most likely to reveal molecules unique to adaptive immunity.
On the lack of convergence of unconditionally stable explicit rational Runge-Rutta schemes

Abstract The poor performance of the rational Runge-Kutta (RRK) schemes of Hairer [2,3] are investigated. By considering two simple model problems, it is demonstrated that this poor performance is in fact due to a lack of convergence. A conceptual model of an unconditionally stable implicit-explicit time-integration scheme is also considered. With the aid of this model, it is possible to establish necessary bounds on the extent of the explicit region for convergence. This demonstrates the limited applicability of such hybrid time-integration schemes.
Cubic boron nitride tool wear in interrupted hard cutting

Cubic boron nitride (CBN) tool wear in interrupted turning of hardened M50 steel has been investigated. The goal was to identify the dominant wear mechanism during interrupted cutting, and in particular, to study the effect of CBN content. Results show significantly different wear characteristics between high (CBN-H) and low (CBN-L) CBN content tools. Contrary to Taylor's tool life equation, tool life of CBN-L is optimized at a medium cutting speed. In contrast, CBN-H shows a monotonic decrease of tool life with increasing cutting speed. Moreover, CBN-H is less sensitive to interrupted cutting than CBN-L, which shows consistent decrease of tool life with increasing frequency of interruption. It is suggested that the higher hardness and fracture toughness of CBN-H result in greater resistance to mechanical wear that becomes more dominant in interrupted cutting. However, the metallic binder in CBN-H has high affinity with workpiece materials and, therefore, results in rapid thermally activated wear at high cutting speeds.
Joint transmit design and node selection for one-way and two-way untrusted relay channels

We investigate a relay network where the source and destination select one relay out of a group of untrusted relay nodes to establish a reliable and confidential connection. We assume there is no direct link between them, and the users have to employ an untrusted relay while simultaneously protecting the confidential data from it. We study joint transmit design and node selection strategies for both one-way relaying with the help of cooperative jamming from the destination, and two-way relaying. We first derive optimal algorithms through numerical methods for secrecy rate maximization, and then we propose closed-form suboptimal solutions with reduced complexity. Simulation results show that unlike the conventional relay channels, when untrusted relays are used, one-way relaying with cooperative jamming is more efficient than the two-way relaying scheme in terms of secrecy rate.
Influence of tooth crown size on malocclusion

Introduction Malocclusion is an increasingly common, multifactorial problem. The most prevalent malocclusion results from excess tooth size compared with the size of the supporting bone; this creates a tooth-size arch-size discrepancy. Although the causes of malocclusion are obscure in most instances, a contributing factor appears to be tooth size. The goal of this study was to test whether the dimensions of the crowns of the permanent teeth differ in young men with naturally good occlusions compared with those who required orthodontic treatment. Methods Tooth crown dimensions (mesiodistal and buccolingual) were measured in 2 samples of American white men. One group (n = 42) had naturally good occlusion; the other group (n = 90) required orthodontic treatment to correct tooth-size arch-size discrepancy. Results The means of 23 of the 24 tooth crown dimensions—involving the 14 tooth types (central incisor through first molar) in both arches—were significantly larger in subjects with malocclusions than in those with good occlusions. Multivariable analysis showed that mesiodistal size of the maxillary lateral incisor was the most significant difference between the 2 samples, but this might reflect the composition of the sample (maxillary lateral incisor size is notoriously variable in white men). Conclusions Tooth size is not necessarily the foremost cause of malocclusion in a patient, but it should be evaluated.
Protection against local core accidents in liquid metal fast breeder reactors

Abstract An analysis is presented concerning the performance characteristics of sensors considered for use in protection systems of liquid metal fast breeder reactors. Alternate solutions to protection systems having one or more reactor-trip channels per fuel subassembly are proposed. Primary emphasis is placed on pressure pulse sensors, installed in the upper (and possibly also lower) coolant plenum, capable of sensing the collapse of sodium vapor bubbles. It is shown that, even for the limit-case of a complete coolant blockage of one or more fuel subassemblies, a reactor protection system based on pressure pulse sensors should be capable of effecting reactor-shutdown prior to generation of any substantial amount of molten fuel. Some preliminary experimental data regarding vapor bubble collapse are presented, showing reasonable agreement with analytical predictions. Recommendations are made regarding some potentially promising areas for further research and development with respect to protection systems for liquid metal fast breeder reactors.
Neonatal Gaucher Disease Presenting as Persistent Thrombocytopenia

Mutations in the beta-glucocerebrosidase gene cause Gaucher disease with the type 1 variant generally presenting later in life with mild disease and type 2 in infancy with severe neuronopathic symptoms. We describe a neonate homozygous for the D409 H mutation with thrombocytopenia, splenomegaly and cholestasis at birth as the major features.
MEASURING MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE OF DAIRY FARMERS

Increased emphasis has centered on methods to measure and predict managerial performance of farmers. In doing this, one of the foremost problems is the development of a reliable and valid criterion variable, because of a number of characteristics of farming and the farm-family complex. This article discusses problems in developing a criterion of management performance and examines the use of rating techniques for this purpose. Two rating techniques are used to measure management performance on Missouri dairy farms. The results, while suggesting major differences both in the criterion of managerial performance used by different people and in the ratings, identify sources of the differences and opportunities to improve the measuring of management performance.
On the compression behavior of Ti2InC, (Ti0.5, Zr0.5)2InC, and M2SnC (M=Ti, Nb, Hf) to quasi-hydrostatic pressures up to 50 GPa

Abstract Using a synchrotron X-ray radiation source and a diamond anvil cell we measured the dependences of the lattice parameters on quasi-hydrostatic pressure of the order of 50 GPa of the following MAX phases: Ti2InC, (Ti0.5,Zr0.5)2InC, Zr2InC and Ti2SnC, Nb2InC and Hf2InC. Like other MAX phases, the phases studied herein were all stable up to ≈50 GPa. In both series, the substitution of Ti ( r = 1.32 A ) by the larger sized metals, Zr or Nb (with r varying between 1.34 and 1.55 A) resulted in larger unit cell parameters and volumes. At 152±3 and 148±3 GPa, the respective bulk moduli, K o , of Ti2SnC and Ti2InC are quite comparable. Replacing Ti by Hf or Nb in Ti2SnC leads to increases in K o by 11% and 18%, respectively. Conversely, replacing half the Ti by Zr in Ti2InC leads to a 13% drop in K o ; replacing all of the Ti drops it by 16.5%. Most of these trends are reproduced in our ab initio calculations of K o . For all compositions, the compressibilities along the c -direction were greater than those along the a -direction. For the M2SnC series, the compressibilities along the c -axes were quite similar; the compressibilities along the a -axis of Ti2SnC were greater than in the Nb- or Hf-containing ternaries. The c -axis compressibilities of the In-containing compounds were almost indistinguishable. The compressibilities along the a -axes of (Ti0.5,Zr0.5)2InC and Zr2InC were also quite comparable; those of Ti2InC was less compressible.
Approximate constitutive relation for lap joints using a tribo-mechanical approach

Energy dissipation in mechanical joints occurs as a result of micro-slip motion between contacting rough surfaces. An account of this phenomenon is especially challenging due to the vast differences in the length and time scale differences between the macro-mechanical structure and the micron-scale events at the joint interface. This paper considers the contact between two nominally flat surfaces containing micron-scale roughness. The rough surface interaction is viewed as a multi-sphere elastic interaction subject to a periodic tangential force. It combines the Mindlin’s formulation [1, 2] for the elastic interaction of two spheres with the Greenwood and Williamson’s [3] statistical approach for the contact of two nominally flat rough surfaces so as to develop a model for multi-sphere problem in which sphere radii, contact load and the number of spheres in contact can only be known in a statistical sense and not deterministically.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Aurora B regulates formin mDia3 in achieving metaphase chromosome alignment.

Proper bipolar attachment of sister kinetochores to the mitotic spindle is critical for accurate chromosome segregation in mitosis. Here we show an essential role of the formin mDia3 in achieving metaphase chromosome alignment. This function is independent of mDia3 actin nucleation activity, but is attributable to EB1-binding by mDia3. Furthermore, the microtubule binding FH2 domain of mDia3 is phosphorylated by Aurora B kinase in vitro, and cells expressing the nonphosphorylatable mDia3 mutant cannot position chromosomes at the metaphase plate. Purified recombinant mDia3 phosphorylated by Aurora B exhibits reduced ability to bind microtubules and stabilize microtubules against cold-induced disassembly in vitro. Cells expressing the phosphomimetic mDia3 mutant do not form stable kinetochore microtubule fibers; despite they are able to congress chromosomes to the metaphase plate. These findings reveal a key role for mDia3 and its regulation by Aurora B phosphorylation in achieving proper stable kinetochore microtubule attachment.
Assessing the role of fine roots in carbon and nutrient cycling

Fine roots remain one of the most difficult and important areas to study in terrestrial ecosystems. Recent investigations have focused on carbon and nitrogen balances to assess their dynamics in natural systems. The results of these new, system-level, budgeting approaches together with those of the more conventional biomass measurement methods may provide valuable insight into fine root carbon and nutrient cycling dynamics. These findings, in turn, may facilitate a more holistic understanding of ecosystem structure and function, which is critical for the assessment and prediction of disturbances to terrestrial systems.
Transforming the culture of dying: the work of the project on death in America

David Clark was asked to write the history of the project on death in America (PDIA). What he has produced is much more than a simple history. PDIA was a major undertaking in the United States that...
Hydrogeologic and hydrochemical framework of the shallow groundwater system in the southern Voltaian Sedimentary Basin, Ghana

The southern Voltaian Sedimentary Basin underlies an area of about 5000 km2 in east-central Ghana. Groundwater in the basin occurs in fractures in highly consolidated siliciclastic aquifers overlain by a thin unsaturated zone. Aquifer parameters were evaluated from available aquifer-test data on 28 shallow wells in the basin. Hydraulic-conductivity values range from 0.04–3.6 m/d and are about two orders of magnitude greater than the hydraulic conductivity calculated using Darcy's Law and the average groundwater velocity estimated from carbon-14 dating. Linear-regression analysis of the transmissivity and specific-capacity data allowed the establishment of an empirical relationship between log transmissivity and log specific capacity for the underlying aquifers.
Tumor necrosis factor-α allele lymphotoxin-α+250 is associated with the presence and severity of placental inflammation among preterm births

Histologic inflammation of placenta has been associated with increased risk for bronchopulmonary dysplasia and periventricular leukomalacia among preterm infants. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) plays a central role in the regulation of inflammation. Some alleles of TNF (LT-α+250, TNF-α−308, and TNF-α −238) have been associated with susceptibility and/or severity of many diseases characterized by inflammation and/or involving the immune system. To determine whether alleles of TNF-α affect the risk and/or the severity of chorioamnionitis, we examined the placentas of 101 preterm births (birth weight ≤1250 g) for the presence of inflammation. Maternal and fetal chorioam-nionitis (MCA and FCA, respectively) were graded for severity and staged for location of inflammatory infiltrate. Analysis for TNF-α alleles was done using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique on DNA extracted from infants' whole blood. MCA and FCA were seen in 45 and 38 placentas, respectively (p = 0.64). Genotypes of TNF-α −308 did not affect the development or the severity of placental inflammation. However, the AA genotype of LT-α+250 occurred more often when MCA and FCA were present compared with placentas without inflammation (p = 0.016 and p = 0.007, respectively). The GA genotype of TNF-α −238 was more common in placentas with severe MCA than with mild MCA (p = 0.015). The number of A alleles of LT-α+250 (GG = 0, GA = 1, AA = 2) correlated directly and significantly with grades and stages of MCA and FCA (p < 0.05). The AA genotype of LT-α +250 is associated with the development of chorioamnionitis among preterm births. The A allele of LT-α+250 seems to worsen the degree of placental inflammation.
Histological Changes in Skeletal Musculature of Paralyzed Suckling Young of E-Low Rats.

SummaryThe skeletal musculature of paralyzed young of E-low rats invariably shows a progressive degeneration which is correlated with the severity of the paralysis. In those cases where, as described in the preceding paper, a spontaneous recovery from the paralysis has occurred, a regeneration of the musculature can be observed to have taken place.
Investigation of terbinafine as a CYP2D6 inhibitor in vivo.

Background Terbinafine is an orally active antifungal used in the treatment of dermatophytoses. To date, studies evaluating the effect of terbinafine on the cytochromes P450 have failed to show any significant interactions. This prospective open-label study was designed to confirm our previous finding that terbinafine may inhibit CYP2D6. Methods Nine healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study—6 genotypically consistent with an extensive metabolizer phenotype and 3 genotypic poor metabolizers for CYP2D6. The change in CYP2D6 enzyme activity before (× 3) and after (monthly × 6 months) administration of terbinafine (250 mg once daily × 14 days) was evaluated with the dextromethorphan to dextrorphan urinary metabolite ratios. On each study day a predose urine sample was collected, 0.3 mg/kg dextromethorphan was administered, and urine was collected for 24 hours. Dextromethorphan and its metabolites were quantified from urine by HPLC. Results Baseline phenotype values were concordant with individual genotype. In all extensive metabolizers, the administration of terbinafine resulted in a dramatic increase in the dextromethorphan/dextrorphan ratio, converting 4 of the 6 extensive metabolizers into phenotypic poor metabolizers. On average, a 97-fold increase in ratio (range, 35 to 265) was observed for extensive metabolizers after the administration of terbinafine. No significant change was observed in the metabolite ratios of poor metabolizers during the course of the study. Conclusions Terbinafine inhibits CYP2D6 sufficiently to produce a discordance between genotype and phenotype for the enzyme. The dextromethorphan/dextrorphan metabolite ratios increased in all individuals, with otherwise functional CYP2D6 activity. The disposition of CYP2D6 substrates coadministered with terbinafine may be significantly altered in extensive metabolizers for this cytochrome P450 isoform, who comprise approximately 93% of the population. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (1999) 65, 465–472; doi:
Nurses with disabilities: a pilot test of the Nurses’ Attitudes toward Nurses with Disabilities Scale

The aims of this pilot study were to describe registered nurses’ attitudes toward nurses with disabilities in the hospital nursing work force, explore factors contributing to these attitudes and ex...
Improving diabetes prevention with benefit based tailored treatment: risk based reanalysis of Diabetes Prevention Program

Objective To determine whether some participants in the Diabetes Prevention Program were more or less likely to benefit from metformin or a structured lifestyle modification program. Design Post hoc analysis of the Diabetes Prevention Program, a randomized controlled trial. Setting Ambulatory care patients. Participants 3060 people without diabetes but with evidence of impaired glucose metabolism. Intervention Intervention groups received metformin or a lifestyle modification program with the goals of weight loss and physical activity. Main outcome measure Development of diabetes, stratified by the risk of developing diabetes according to a diabetes risk prediction model. Results Of the 3081 participants with impaired glucose metabolism at baseline, 655 (21%) progressed to diabetes over a median 2.8 years’ follow-up. The diabetes risk model had good discrimination (C statistic=0.73) and calibration. Although the lifestyle intervention provided a sixfold greater absolute risk reduction in the highest risk quarter than in the lowest risk quarter, patients in the lowest risk quarter still received substantial benefit (three year absolute risk reduction 4.9% v 28.3% in highest risk quarter; numbers needed to treat of 20.4 and 3.5, respectively). The benefit of metformin, however, was seen almost entirely in patients in the top quarter of risk of diabetes. No benefit was seen in the lowest risk quarter. Participants in the highest risk quarter averaged a 21.4% three year absolute risk reduction (number needed to treat 4.6). Conclusions Patients at high risk of diabetes have substantial variation in their likelihood of receiving benefit from diabetes prevention treatments. Using this knowledge could decrease overtreatment and make prevention of diabetes far more efficient, effective, and patient centered, provided that decision making is based on an accurate risk prediction tool.