cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of a 76 kDa endosomal, multispanning membrane protein that is highly conserved throughout evolution

Abstract We report here the identification and characterization of a human 76 kDa membrane protein that is found predominantly in endosomes. This protein is related to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae EMP70 gene product, a precursor protein whose 24 kDa cleavage product (p24a) was found in yeast endosome-enriched membrane fractions ( Singer-Kruger et al., 1993 . J. Biol. Chem. 268, 14376–14386). Northern blot analysis indicated that p76 mRNA is highly expressed in human pancreas but could be detected in all tissues examined. p76 is highly conserved throughout evolution, as related proteins have also been detected in Caenorhabditis elegans and Arabidopsis thaliana. This family of proteins has a relatively divergent, hydrophilic N-terminal domain and a well-conserved, highly hydrophobic C-terminal domain which contains nine potential membrane-spanning domains. Transiently expressed, myc-tagged human p76 appears to be localized to endosomes by virtue of its apparent colocalization with transferrin receptors and some mannose 6-phosphate receptors. Furthermore, p76 adopts a type-I topology within the membrane, with its hydrophilic N-terminus facing the lumen of cytoplasmic membranes. The structural features of p76 suggest that it may function as a channel or small molecule transporter in intracellular compartments throughout phylogeny.
Cybersurgery-an argument for enterprise liability.

(2002). CYBERSURGERY--AN ARGUMENT FOR ENTERPRISE LIABILITY. Journal of Legal Medicine: Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 167-210.
A titrimetric assay for glycogen phosphorylase

Abstract A titrimetric method for the assay of glycogen phosphorylase is presented in which a direct and continuous course of reaction is obtained over a wide range of enzyme concentrations (7.2–378.3 μg/ml). The method resulted in rates which were in agreement with those obtained using the inorganic phosphate method, and the expected value of the equilibrium concentration ratio of inorganic phosphate to glucose-1-phosphate was obtained. The method can be extended to higher concentrations, and it can be used to measure the rate in either direction. The K m and V max values of each substrate, glucose-1-phosphate and inorganic phosphate, were determined.
Process Formation in Applied Anthropology

Professional work in applied anthropology deals largely with the changing living conditions of the peasant peoples of the underdeveloped areas under the impact of Western civilizations. In this work, we seek to relate the formal theoretical tools of our discipline to the problems confronting us. It is our uniform consensus that existing sociocultural change theory is unequal to the task.
Second-look laparotomy in epithelial ovarian carcinoma: precise definition, sensitivity, and specificity of the operative procedure.

Abstract Twenty-five women treated with chemotherapy for epithelial ovarian carcinoma underwent "second-look" laparotomy after thorough clinical and radiographic examinations failed to detect residual tumor. Chest roentgenogram, barium enema, upper gastrointestinal series with small-bowel follow through, and abdominopelvic CAT scan were obtained in all patients prior to operation. Inspection, palpation, and multiple biopsies were performed in accordance with precise and detailed protocol requirements. Eight patients (32%) had gross tumor found at laparotomy, while 6 (24%) had no suspicion of residual disease at operation but had cytologic or microscopic evidence of tumor found on review of submitted specimens. Eleven patients (44%) had no gross or microscopic evidence of residual ovarian carcinoma. After follow-up of from 4 to 25 months, 1 of these 11 patients (9%) has suffered a recurrence. The maximum sensitivity of "second-look" laparotomy is 85.7%, and the maximum specificity is 90.9% in this series. Any additional recurrences observed over time will decrease both the sensitivity and specificity of the operation. The sites of microscopic disease support rigid adherence to a precise operative procedure which should minimize the false negative rate.
Survival analysis in family research

Within the field of family psychology, questions regarding the risk of event occurrence may be common. Such questions, about whether and when events occur and what predicts these occurrences, pose particular methodological challenges and are often best addressed via a statistical method known as survival analysis. This article provides a brief overview of that method, explicating through a data example the major components of a discrete-time survival analysis. Readers not familiar with this method are encouraged to use this article as an introduction to survival analysis and recognize its potential usefulness within the field of family psychology.
Temperature-dependent structural changes in planar bilayer membranes: solvent "freeze-out".

1. 1. The structure of planar bilayer membranes formed from glycerylmonooleate in n-hexadecane has been investigated using precise measurements of specific geometric capacitance (Cg). Films were formed at 25–30 °C in 0.1 M NaCl and the temperature lowered at a rate of 0.1–0.2 °C/min. At about 16 °C the Plateau border (annulus) freezes but the film does not rupture. The freezing is accompanied by a large increase in Cg. Cg = 0.625 μF/cm 2 at 25 °C and 0.735 μF/cm2 at 10 °C. 2. 2. Equations for Cg were derived which take into account the temperature-dependent changes in density and dielectric coefficient of the films above the melting point of the n-hexadecane. The density of n-hexadecane and 1-heptadecene (taken as equivalent to the glycerylmonooleate acyl chain) were measured as a function of temperature. Calculations using these equations and data indicate that the observed changes in Cg above the melting point cannot be accounted for unless there are significant changes in the composition of the bilayer. 3. 3. The data are consistent with the following hypothesis: At 25 °C there are 7–8 n-hexadecane molecules per 100 glycerylmonooleate molecules in the true bilayer portions of the films. Additional solvent is trapped in microlenses. As the hexadecane freezes, the solvent in the true bilayer is disproportionated (i.e. it “freezes-out”) into additional microlenses leaving extensive regions of bilayer which are largely free of solvent.
Cavitation Damage Study via a Novel Repetitive Pressure Pulse Approach

Cavitation damage can significantly affect system performance. Thus, there is great interest in characterizing cavitation damage and improving materials’ resistance to cavitation damage. In this paper, we present a novel methodology to simulate cavitation environment. A pulsed laser is utilized to induce optical breakdown in the cavitation media, with the emission of shock wave and the generation of bubbles. The pressure waves induced by the optical breakdown fluctuate/propagate within the media, which enables the cavitation to occur and to further develop cavitation damage at the solid boundary. Using the repetitive pulsed-pressure apparatus developed in the current study, cavitation damage in water media was verified on stainless steel and aluminum samples. Characteristic cavitation damages such as pitting and indentation are observed on sample surfaces using scanning electron microscopy. The synergistic effect of combining cavitation and the laser heating/water cooling induced thermal cycling fatigue to the target surface damage was also demonstrated in the report.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Effect of experimental relevance on potassium Q/I relationships and its implications for surface and subsurface soils

Recent methodological developments for determining potassium quantity–intensity (Q/I) relationships employing ion-selective electrodes offer a rapid means of carrying out such measurements for routine soil testing. In this investigation, various experimental factors in rapid measurements and their relevance to surface and subsurface soils are considered. Increasing the equilibration period generally enhanced the degree to which K+ was released or adsorbed by surface soil samples. Most of the gain or loss of K (ΔK) in the soil solution occurred within the first 10 min of the equilibration period. Also, regression analysis for 32 Iowa soils demonstrated that the Q/I results were highly correlated between short (e.g., 10 min) and long (e.g., 18 hr) equilibration periods. The correlations were even better when the results for surface and subsurface soils were considered separately. Increasing soil sampling depth generally increased the potential buffering capacity but had no consistent effect on other Q/I par...
Let's Put Brain Science on the Back Burner

Truly new results in neuroscience, rarely mentioned in the brain and education literature, point to the brain's lifelong capacity to reshape itself in response to experience. The challenge for educators is to develop Learning environments and practices that can exploit the brain's lifelong plasticity; define the behaviors we want to teach; design learning environments to impart them; and constantly test the educational efficacy of these environments.
SURGERY OF THE SALIVARY GLANDS

Surgery of the salivary glands evolved rapidly after a greater understanding of the anatomy and pathologic processes affecting them was achieved. This article reviews the general and neurovascular anatomy of the major salivary glands. Understanding the anatomy of the salivary glands is a cornerstone of competent salivary gland surgery. The surgical techniques, potential pitfalls of surgery, and avoidance of postsurgical complications have been highlighted. Recent advances in surgical techniques are also presented.
"Less Success Than Meets the Eye?" The Impact of Master of Business Administration Education on Graduates' Careers

Some negative rumblings about Master of Business Administration (MBA) education have lately been circulating among business journals and magazines. To test the validity of such rumblings, the authors surveyed 309 graduates who obtained MBAs between 1996 and 2002 from an Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International-accredited college of business regarding the short- and long-term impact of MBA education on their careers. The findings indicate that the AACSB International-accredited MBA education has a positive impact on its graduates' employment, annual income, and job promotion in both short and long terms. In addition, MBA graduates believe that they are better performers than their peers without MBAs are in the areas of problem-solving, leadership, and team collaboration.
20 Years of the TESOL Quarterly

This article reports the results of a diachronic study of the flagship publication of the TESOL organization, the TESOL Quarterly (TQ). A flagship periodical in any field is worth more than cursory interest because it self-evidently is something more than a passive reflector of contemporary trends and issues. The gatekeeping activities of editors-and of those called upon to serve as reviewers-set standards of scholarly and professional behavior and establish areas of greater concern. Although a major periodical is partly shaped by wider forces in the disciplinary culture, it also shapes that disciplinary culture by the way it goes about its business. One obvious way of studying the 20-year development of a periodical is to construct a historical account. Here the investigator would largely tell the story of the periodical from within: the circumstances of its founding, its growth and development, its internal crises and key points of transition-and such events set against the wider background of the story of the rise and fall of movements, enthusiasms, and research fronts (see Bowers, 1986). In the pursuit of such a historical narrative, the historian is likely to spend time in interviewing key figures and in examining archival documents and will do so with the laudable and reasonable ambition of relating cause and effect. In particular, the journal historian, like his or her counterparts in the history of knowledge, is likely to give special importance to attribution-where in the TQ's pages did a particular concept first surface, and out of who's head? As it happens, I have had neither the time nor the right kind of experience to be able to construct such a narrative. My own contacts with TESOL and the TQ are both short-lived and peripheral in comparison with those of many others. On the other hand, I have some familiarity with the procedures of citational analysis (Small, 1982), and Swales (1986) was an attempt to apply
Botulinum toxin type A for the treatment of axillary Hailey-Hailey disease.

Background.Hailey–Hailey disease is an inherited acantholytic disorder affecting the intertriginous areas of the body which is exacerbated by sweat, moisture, and friction. The disease is frequently resistant to conventional nonsurgical treatment.Objective.To evaluate whether chemodenervation of swe
Charge-compensated high gain InAs avalanche photodiodes

We report an InAs avalanche photodiode with graded p-doping to compensate the n-type background doping in the depletion region. The measured gain, excess noise, and bandwidth are consistent with Monte Carlo simulation.
The properties of polyethylene crystallized under the orientation and pressure effects of a pressure capillary viscometer

High-density commercial polyethylenes have been crystallized under the combined orientation and pressure effects available in the Instron capillary rheometer. The samples so formed were found to have a high degree of crystal perfection and crystal orientation in combination with the unusual property of transmitting visible light. The procedure for forming the crystal structure is elucidated. X-Ray and differential scanning calorimetry techniques were utilized to initiate a study of the structure. Evidence is presented that is consistent with the presence of an extended chain component in the crystal structure.
Pitch and Duration Characteristics of the Oral Reading of Males on a Masculinity-Femininity Dimension

Certain vocal characteristics of 14 males were compared and rated on the basis of voice on a masculinity-femininity continuum. The voices consisted of the extremes of a larger population selected b...
Sex differences in benzodiazepine use in the HIV-infected population

In the HIV-infected population there is a high prevalence of psychiatric disorders, conditions that often coexist with drug and alcohol dependence. Symptoms associated with psychiatric disorders are frequently managed with benzodiazepines, a class of medication often abused. We examined whether HIV-infected patients were more likely to fill a benzodiazepine prescription than their uninfected counterparts using a privately insured, nationally representative sample receiving clinical care between January 2007 and December 2009. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) to quantify the likelihood of receiving a benzodiazepine were calculated using multivariate logistic regression models. We examined the presence of interaction between HIV infection and sex using backwards elimination and by comparing stratum-specific OR to identify clinically meaningful differences. Overall, 323,796 beneficiaries were included in the sample, of which 723 were HIV infected. Bivariate analyses showed that compared to the uninfected sample, HIV-infected patients were more likely to have filled a benzodiazepine prescription (24% vs. 19%) during the study period. HIV-infected patients were also more likely to be male (80% vs. 44%), black (21% vs. 7%) and have a diagnosis of depression (12% vs. 8%) or insomnia (6% vs. 3%) than were uninfected patients. Adjusted for other covariates, HIV infection was associated with an increase (OR): 1.68, 95% CI: 1.39, 2.02) in the likelihood of filling a benzodiazepine prescription. When stratified by sex, HIV-infected males were more likely (OR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.05, 2.67) than uninfected males to fill a benzodiazepine prescription while there was no observed difference in the likelihood of filling a benzodiazepine prescription between HIV-infected and uninfected females (OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 0.73, 1.70). Our findings suggest that HIV-infected patients, particularly HIV-infected males, are more likely to fill benzodiazepine prescriptions than their uninfected counterparts, highlighting the need for further research to investigate reasons for these observed differences.
Characterizing and analyzing renewable energy driven data centers

An increasing number of data centers today start to incorporate renewable energy solutions to cap their carbon footprint. However, the impact of renewable energy on large-scale data center design is still not well understood. In this paper, we model and evaluate data centers driven by intermittent renewable energy. Using real-world data center and renewable energy source traces, we show that renewable power utilization and load tuning frequency are two critical metrics for designing sustainable high-performance data centers. Our characterization reveals that load power fluctuation together with the intermittent renewable power supply introduce unnecessary tuning activities, which can increase the management overhead and degrade the performance of renewable energy driven data centers.
Memoryless Bit-Serial Processing Element For Highly Parallel Computing

Simple bit-serial processors are useful in the construction of highly parallel computing architectures where thousands of individual processors may be combined to create very powerful machines. Conventional bit-serial processors are limited by several factors including a von Neumann bottleneck associated with their local memory segment, limited speed of each processor, and very high control bandwidth requirements. The memoryless Bit-Serial Pipeline (BISEP) processing element replaces the conventional local memory segment with a parallel pipeline structure through which data is piped in systolic fashion. In addition to overcoming some of the conventional processor's limitations, the BISEP architecture has higher performance then conventional processors in many applications and is more easily fabricated with some silicon technologies such as gate arrays.
Measurement of valve lesion morphology and aorta / flow-jet patterns in bicuspid aortic valve patients

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) patients are identified by a lesion of the tricuspid aortic leaflets in which only two ‘functional’ leaflets are visibly present. This lesion occurs in 0.5–2% of the population and is accompanied by a significant incidence of morbidity and mortality related to aortic valve dysfunction, aortic dilatation, aortic aneurysm, and aortic dissection. [1] The pathogenesis of the malformation has been postulated to be the result of a congenital or inflammatorily-mediated fusion of two of the three aortic leaflets. In addition, BAV is accompanied by a variety of heterogeneous complications and is considered a complex disease with many cofactors, the importance of which continue to be debated. Among these cofactors, the most commonly identified vascular manifestation is aortic dilatation. [1] There are two hypotheses for this manifestation: the first postulates the coexistence of BAV and genetically-based aortic fragility; the second proposes that BAV morphology and incomplete valve opening induces hemodynamic forces that influence structure and function at the aorta.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Ancient Pathways Programmed by Small RNAs

Double-stranded RNA can now be used in a wide variety of eukaryotes to suppress the expression of virtually any gene, allowing the rapid analysis of that gene9s function, a technique known as RNA interference. But how cells use the information in double-stranded RNA to suppress gene expression and why they contain the machinery to do so remain the subjects of intense scrutiny. Current evidence suggests that RNA interference and other “RNA silencing” phenomena reflect an elaborate cellular apparatus that eliminates abundant but defective messenger RNAs and defends against molecular parasites such as transposons and viruses.
Ankle voluntary movement enhancement following robotic-assisted locomotor training in spinal cord injury

In incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI), sensorimotor impairments result in severe limitations to ambulation. To improve walking capacity, physical therapies using robotic-assisted locomotor devices, such as the Lokomat, have been developed. Following locomotor training, an improvement in gait capabilities—characterized by increases in the over-ground walking speed and endurance—is generally observed in patients. To better understand the mechanisms underlying these improvements, we studied the effects of Lokomat training on impaired ankle voluntary movement, known to be an important limiting factor in gait for iSCI patients. Fifteen chronic iSCI subjects performed twelve 1-hour sessions of Lokomat training over the course of a month. The voluntary movement was qualified by measuring active range of motion, maximal velocity peak and trajectory smoothness for the spastic ankle during a movement from full plantar-flexion (PF) to full dorsi-flexion (DF) at the patient’s maximum speed. Dorsi- and plantar-flexor muscle strength was quantified by isometric maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). Clinical assessments were also performed using the Timed Up and Go (TUG), the 10-meter walk (10MWT) and the 6-minute walk (6MWT) tests. All evaluations were performed both before and after the training and were compared to a control group of fifteen iSCI patients. After the Lokomat training, the active range of motion, the maximal velocity, and the movement smoothness were significantly improved in the voluntary movement. Patients also exhibited an improvement in the MVC for their ankle dorsi- and plantar-flexor muscles. In terms of functional activity, we observed an enhancement in the mobility (TUG) and the over-ground gait velocity (10MWT) with training. Correlation tests indicated a significant relationship between ankle voluntary movement performance and the walking clinical assessments. The improvements of the kinematic and kinetic parameters of the ankle voluntary movement, and their correlation with the functional assessments, support the therapeutic effect of robotic-assisted locomotor training on motor impairment in chronic iSCI.
Genetic monitoring of wild and repatriated populations of endangered razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus, Catostomidae, Teleostei) in Lake Mohave, Arizona-Nevada.

The Native Fishes Work Group, formed in 1991, developed and implemented a protocol to enhance the dwindling razorback sucker population in Lake Mohave, Arizona-Nevada. This large, genetically diverse population is severely reduced in size as a result of recruitment failure associated with predation on larvae. To circumvent this problem, wild larvae are captured, reared in protective custody until they are large enough to escape predation, and then released back into the lake. We present results of a monitoring program designed to assess the effectiveness of the sampling design in transmitting the high genetic diversity found in wild adults. Variation in a fragment from the mitochondrial DNA gene cytochrome b was examined by analysis of single-stranded polymorphisms and direct sequencing. Samples were characterized from three life history stages. Characterization of wild adults verified previous results that identified considerable diversity and provided baseline data. Samples of larvae from several temporal collections from throughout the spawning season and four geographical areas were characterized for 7 years (1997–2003) to assess the transmission of genetic variation from wild adults to larvae. Several analyses identified significant differences among temporal collections, resulting from sampling errors associated with finite number of females spawning at a given time and place. Comparisons among areas and years failed to identify significant variation, indicating that pooled collections for each year possess the same levels and patterns of genetic variation. Examination of repatriates representing 11 years (1992–2002) also failed to identify significant differences among cohorts; however, some sample sizes were small and the AMOVA may lack sufficient power to detect differences. Contrasts of wild adults, larvae, and repatriates identified statistically significant differences among collections within these three groups; however, levels of variation are small and not biologically meaningful. More importantly, this analysis failed to detect significant differences among adults, larvae, and repatriates indicating that the program has been achieving its goal of transmitting variation from adults through the larvae and into the repatriate population. The reproductive capability of repatriates has not been examined, so it is unknown if the program will maintain genetic variation found in the original adult population. This will be most easily achieved by periodic monitoring of genetic variation in larval samples. If levels of variation become reduced in repatriates, levels and patterns of diversity in larvae are also expected to become reduced, and deviations in estimates of genetic diversity may become larger and more frequent. If this is the case, intervention may be necessary to ensure that certain individuals are not over-represented in the repatriate population.
Melatonin enhances Cortisol levels in aged women: Reversible by estrogens

The administration of melatonin increases cortisol levels in postmenopausal women. Aging and hypoestrogenism are believed to impair the regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis and may participate in the determination of this altered response. In this study the implications of hypoestrogenism were tested. Seven postmenopausal women were studied. At 08.00 hr for 2 consecutive days, each woman received randomly and in a double blind fashion a pill of placebo or melatonin (100 mg). Serum melatonin and cortisol levels were evaluated at 20 min intervals, for 48 hr. Measurements were performed in the same subjects both during no estrogen supplementation and at least two cycles of conjugated estrogens administration (0.625 mg/day). During estrogen supplementation, postmenopausal women showed slightly lower cortisol levels at lunch and early night (20.00-01.00 hr). The onset of the nocturnal melatonin rise was not modified, but that of cortisol was delayed of about 60 min (P < 0.02). The administration of melatonin elicited a marked increase in daytime cortisol levels in postmenopausal women (P < 0.02), but this stimulus completely disappeared during estrogen administration. Mean nighttime (20.00-08.00 hr) cortisol levels were not modified by daytime administration of melatonin. The present data reveal that in aged postmenopausal women, reversal of hypoestrogenism, resulting from supplemental estrogens, may improve the regulation of the hypothalamopituitary-adrenal axis.
Marketing strategies for electroacoustics and computer music

This article explores possible strategies for appraising electroacoustic and computer music to enhance ‘marketability’. It is proposed that the specific aesthetics, characteristics and function of a work may be more salient features than those of the medium of composition (e.g. computer) to many listeners. It is suggested that the common practice of focusing on chronology, geography and specific schools is becoming less relevant due to a proliferation of home studios, the internet, and an increasing saturation of electronic sounds in new media contexts. On the other hand, aspects of form, mood, timbral palette, rhythmic complexity, etc., may become very useful bases for choosing works for a compilation CD or concert programme. The inadequacies of musicians' discourse for describing such attributes leads to the incorporation of analogies from visual and performing arts as well as a discussion of other possible approaches to ‘labelling’ and the inherent dangers in such a task. In conclusion, it is proposed that the time is ripe for shuffling the categories and regrouping composers' works according to aesthetic preferences, regardless of the percentage of electronic/computer content.
Decision/action, philosophical issues about

Are conscious decisions or intentions ever among the causes of corresponding intentional actions? This article provides conceptual background for an examination of this question, including a discussion of the nature of decisions, intentions, and actions and a sketch of a model of conscious deciding. It also examines evidence that conscious decisions and intentions sometimes play a role in producing corresponding actions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website
On the data-driven inference of modulatory networks in climate science: An application to West African rainfall

Abstract. Decades of hypothesis-driven and/or first-principles research have been applied towards the discovery and explanation of the mechanisms that drive climate phenomena, such as western African Sahel summer rainfall~variability. Although connections between various climate factors have been theorized, not all of the key relationships are fully understood. We propose a data-driven approach to identify candidate players in this climate system, which can help explain underlying mechanisms and/or even suggest new relationships, to facilitate building a more comprehensive and predictive model of the modulatory relationships influencing a climate phenomenon of interest. We applied coupled heterogeneous association rule mining (CHARM), Lasso multivariate regression, and dynamic Bayesian networks to find relationships within a complex system, and explored means with which to obtain a consensus result from the application of such varied methodologies. Using this fusion of approaches, we identified relationships among climate factors that modulate Sahel rainfall. These relationships fall into two categories: well-known associations from prior climate knowledge, such as the relationship with the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and putative links, such as North Atlantic Oscillation, that invite further research.
Data-centric collaboration for wired and wireless platforms

With the proliferation of mobile computing devices there is an increasing demand for applications supporting collaboration among users working in the field and in the office. A key component for collaboration in this domain is sharing and manipulation of information using very different devices and communications. We propose a novel, data-centric collaboration paradigm, where each user can obtain a subset of the shared data and the data may be visualized differently for different users. The data amount and the visualization technique reflect the user's interests and/or computing and communication capabilities. The users collaborate on and exchange data, and the data is dynamically transformed to adapt to the particular computing/network platform. The resulting design is simple yet very powerful and scalable. It is implemented and tested by developing several complex groupware applications.
Higher fibrinogen levels predict progression of coronary artery calcification in adults with type 1 diabetes.

Aim To determine whether fibrinogen levels predict independently progression of coronary artery calcification (CAC) in adults with type 1 diabetes.
Overcoming limitations of sampling for aggregation queries

Studies the problem of approximately answering aggregation queries using sampling. We observe that uniform sampling performs poorly when the distribution of the aggregated attribute is skewed. To address this issue, we introduce a technique called outlier indexing. Uniform sampling is also ineffective for queries with low selectivity. We rely on weighted sampling based on workload information to overcome this shortcoming. We demonstrate that a combination of outlier indexing with weighted sampling can be used to answer aggregation queries with a significantly reduced approximation error compared to either uniform sampling or weighted sampling alone. We discuss the implementation of these techniques on Microsoft's SQL Server and present experimental results that demonstrate the merits of our techniques.
Introduction: The Intentionalist Manifesto

Over the past thirty years or so philosophers of education have made repeated assaults on the dominant tradition of educational research. This research tradition can be characterized, perhaps too roughly, as behavioristic in theory, statistical in methodology, and positivistic in epistemology and metaphysics. It has reared its head in almost every area of educational thinking and has ridden many waves of political and administrative faddism despite the outraged cries of philosophers from Dewey (1916) to Scheffler (1960) to Green (1971). But philosophers’ arguments have had remarkably little effect; in part this may be the result of — and evidence for — the relatively weak place that philosophically oriented people have in the educational establishment.
Disorders of Calcium and Phosphate Regulation

Intracellular calcium concentrations are very low compared to blood concentrations. Treatment of calcium disorders requires an understanding of the distribution of calcium in the body fluids, primarily the extracellular fluid. The skeletal system acts as a reservoir for calcium and can buffer many changes in the blood calcium concentration. Long term regulation of serum calcium involves the coordinated function of several organs. While hypocalcemia is common in the intensive care setting, aggressive treatment is not always indicated. Phosphate regulation is primarily achieved by the kidneys. Treatment of severe hyperphosphatemia usually requires renal replacement therapy.
Influence of water thermal history and overpressure on CO2-hydrate nucleation and morphology

The onset of gas hydrate nucleation is greatly affected by the thermal history of the water that forms its lattice structure. Hydrate formation experiments were performed in a 72 L pressure vessel by injecting bubbles of carbon dioxide through a 1 L tube at hydrate formation pressures (1.4 to 3.7 MPa) and temperatures (2 to 5 °C). The results revealed that when even a small fraction (e.g., 5–35%) of the water in which the hydrate formed was recently thawed the overpressure for nucleation was reduced by an average of 50% as compared to untreated distilled water. This observation was confirmed by an analysis of variance (ANOVA) test that indicated that recently thawed water required a significantly lower overpressure compared to the untreated distilled water. In experiments where hydrate nucleated at low overpressure (e.g., 0.75 MPa), hydrate formed at the vapor-liquid interface, encrusting the bubbles with less than 1 g of hydrate accumulation in the first minute. When a higher overpressure was required for nucleation (e.g., 1.3 MPa), hydrate was observed to form abruptly not only on bubbles but also from the bulk liquid phase, typically accumulating a mass of more than 100 g in the first few seconds. Our results show that initiation of hydrate formation is strongly influenced by temperature-dependent pre-structuring of water molecules prior to their contact with gas. Although as little as a 5% volume fraction of pre-structured water may decrease the required overpressure, once hydrate formation commences the mass of hydrate accumulation is dependent on the overpressure.
Gene expression profiling of Duchenne muscular dystrophy reveals characteristics along disease progression

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common form of muscular dystrophy with no cure currently available. In this study, using two microarray data sets obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, we conducted a dysfunctional pathway-enrichment analysis and investigated deregulated genes that are specific to different phases of the disease in order to determine pathogenic characteristics in the progression of DMD. We identified 41 and 33 dysfunctional pathways that were enriched with differentially expressed genes in presymptomatic patients and in symptomatic patients, respectively. Over 70% of pathways were shared between both phases and many of them involved the inflammatory process, suggesting that inflammatory cascades were induced soon after the birth of the patients. Further investigation showed that presymptomatic patients performed better with respect to muscle regeneration and cardiac muscle calcium homeostasis maintenance. Neuronal nitric oxide synthase, dihydropyridine receptors, sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase, and phospholamban may serve as potential targets for further molecular diagnostic tests. Our results may provide a better understanding for the treatment of DMD.
Ethnic disparities in diabetes care: myth or reality?

Purpose of reviewEthnic disparities in disease management have been clearly documented across the medical field, but appear to be an even greater issue with regards to chronic disease. While various gaps in the provision of quality care persist, there have been some improvements in addressing some o
Chaos in space and time

Many aspects of nature are essentially unpredictable over the long term, even when quantum effects are completely absent. A frequent cause is chaotic dynamics, which can arise when the rates of change of important dynamical variables depend in a nonlinear fashion on the variables themselves. Famous examples are the unpredictable behaviour of the weather and of populations of organisms. Chaotic temporal dynamics has now been documented in practically every scientific discipline — the fascination for both scientists and the public is that chaos helps us understand what can be predicted about the systems we study, and what cannot. But our understanding of chaos in most systems found in nature, which are complex in both space and time, is relatively limited. On page 733 of this issue, Egolf et al. analyse the chaotic space and time variations of a heated fluid in a way that could eventually be applied to natural systems such as the weather.
Modular segmented hyperbranched copolymers

Modular segmented hyperbranched polymers, amenable to facile post-polymerization functionalization, were created via two distinct approaches. Self-condensing vinyl polymerization via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and RAFT polymerization with a divinyl comonomer were employed to create well-defined highly branched materials containing activated esters amenable to highly efficient functionalization in a modular manner.
Cholestatic liver disease : Recognizing the clinical signs

PREVIEWCholestatic liver disease in women is most often seen as primary biliary cirrhosis, an autoimmune disease that may take many years to cause symptoms and is often a challenge for physicians to identify. Primary sclerosing cholangitis is a cholestatic liver disease with a more straightforward presentation. Most commonly seen in men, this disease may rapidly progress to cirrhosis or to a third common cholestatic disease, cholangiocarcinoma. In this article, Drs Bhatia and Mihas discuss the etiologic and diagnostic features of these entities and explore medical, surgical, and palliative treatment approaches. In all three diseases, liver transplantation is a viable, life-extending therapeutic option.
The diastereomers of -fluoroglutamate: complementary structural analogues.

The racemates of the diastereomers of γ-fluoroglutamate have been separated by ion-exchange chromatography, and the relative configuration of the 2 asymmetrical carbon atoms has been established by an unambiguous chemical method. The two diastereomers of L-γ-fluoroglutamate were prepared enzymatically, and both (on their appropriate derivatives) are substrates for the following enzymes: glutamate dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.1.3), glutamine synthetase (EC 6.3.1.2), glutamate decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.15), carboxypeptidase G(EC 3.4.2.6), and leucine aminopeptidase (EC 3.4.1.1). The reactions of these enzymes and D-glutamate cyclase (EC 4.2.1.54) confirm the tentative assignment of configurations at the α-carbon of γ-fluoroglutamate that was proposed previously. Preliminary kinetic studies with several of these enzymes normally reactive with glutamate indicate that the threo tends to be more reactive than the erythro diastereomer. Possible biological and biochemical applications of these glutamate analogues are discussed.
US–Brazil Trade in Biofuels: Determinants, Constraints, and Implications for Trade Policy

This chapter compares the cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation benefits of corn ethanol in the United States relative to sugarcane ethanol produced in Brazil and develops a stylized model to analyze its implications for the impact of US biofuel policies on social welfare and GHG emissions. The policies considered here include the $0.51 per gallon blender’s subsidy for ethanol and the import tariff of $0.54 per gallon on sugarcane ethanol. Our analysis shows that the combined subsidy and tariff policy decreases welfare by about $3 B depending on assumptions about the extent of market power the United States has in the world ethanol market. These policies also provide negligible (in some cases negative) benefits in the form of GHG reduction. The results indicate that the United States would gain from removing domestic and trade distortions in the ethanol market. Increasing ethanol demand in the world market will entail expansion of Brazil’s ethanol industry. We briefly discuss concerns about the environmental impacts of this expansion.
Association of Systemic Arterial Properties With Right Ventricular Morphology: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)-Right Ventricle Study.

Background Systemic arterial stiffness is recognized as a major contributor to development of left ventricular dysfunction and failure; however, the relationship of systemic arterial properties and the right ventricle (RV) is unknown. Methods and Results The associations between systemic arterial measures (total arterial compliance [TAC], systemic vascular resistance [SVR], and aortic augmentation index [AI]) and RV morphology (mass, end‐systolic [RVESV] and end‐diastolic volume [RVEDV], and ejection fraction [RVEF]) were examined using data from the Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. All analyses were adjusted for anthropometric, demographic, and clinical variables and the corresponding left ventricular parameter. A total of 3842 subjects without clinical cardiovascular disease were included with a mean age of 61 years, 48% male, 39% non‐Hispanic white, 25% Chinese‐American, 23% Hispanic, and 13% black. RV measures were within normal range for age and sex. A 1‐mL/mm Hg decrease in TAC was associated with 3.9‐mL smaller RVESV, 7.6‐mL smaller RVEDV, and 2.4‐g lower RV mass. A 5‐Wood‐unit increase in SVR was associated with 0.6‐mL decrease in RVESV, 1.7‐mL decrease in RVEDV, and 0.4‐g decrease in RV mass. A 1% increase in AI was associated with 0.2‐mL decrease in RVEDV. We found significant effect modification by age, sex, and race for some of these relationships, with males, whites, and younger individuals having greater decreases in RV volumes and mass. Conclusions Markers of increased systemic arterial load were associated with smaller RV volumes and lower RV mass in a population of adults without clinical cardiovascular disease.
On Evaluation of Ensemble Forecast Calibration Using the Concept of Data Depth

AbstractVarious generalizations of the univariate rank histogram have been proposed to inspect the reliability of an ensemble forecast or analysis in multidimensional spaces. Multivariate rank histograms provide insightful information about the misspecification of genuinely multivariate features such as the correlation between various variables in a multivariate ensemble. However, the interpretation of patterns in a multivariate rank histogram should be handled with care. The purpose of this paper is to focus on multivariate rank histograms designed based on the concept of data depth and outline some important considerations that should be accounted for when using such multivariate rank histograms. To generate correct multivariate rank histograms using the concept of data depth, the datatype of the ensemble should be taken into account to define a proper preranking function. This paper demonstrates how and why some preranking functions might not be suitable for multivariate or vector-valued ensembles and ...
Food Insecurity among Veterans: Findings from the Health and Retirement Study.

We examined the prevalence of food insecurity in an older population, specifically assessing factors associated with food insecurity among U.S. military Veterans. Data from the 2012 wave of the Health and Retirement Study and the 2013 Health Care and Nutrition Mail Survey of 2560 male participants (1254 Veterans) were used to estimate the prevalence of food insecurity and to identify significant predictors of food insecurity among male Veterans. Among male Veterans, 6.4% reported food insecurity, compared to 11.9% of male non-veterans (p < 0.01). Younger age, difficulty with daily activities and depression were significantly associated with increased odds of food insecurity among male Veterans aged 50 to 64. In male Veterans age 65 years and older, current smoking, a psychiatric diagnosis and depression were significantly associated with increased odds of food insecurity. This study identified significant factors that may be used to target interventions to improve nutritional status among older male Veterans
Probabilistic replacement strategies for improving the lifetimes of NVM-based caches

Non-volatile memory (NVM) technologies present an opportunity to improve area efficiency and reduce energy consumption throughout the memory hierarchy. However, write endurance can hinder the adoption of NVM in lower-level caches. With an estimated write endurance of one trillion write cycles, Spin-Torque Transfer RAM (STT-RAM) is a more likely candidate for application as an L2 cache than Resistive RAM (ReRAM) or Phase-Change Memory (PCM). In resource-constrained systems where aggressive wear-leveling techniques cannot be applied, light-weight alternatives may be necessary to extend the lifetime of the cache. In this paper, we propose and evaluate a hybrid-random replacement policy as a low-overhead approach to wear-leveling to improve the lifetime of a large non-volatile memory L2 cache. We investigate another probabilistic mechanism that utilizes approximate counters as an alternative method of injecting random events in the eviction stream. We show that our hybrid-random policy extends the lifetime of an NVM L2 cache by 0.5 to 16 years across many benchmarks over an LRU-replacement baseline. Our approximate counter approach further extends the lifetime by 1.7 to 19 years over the baseline but incurs a higher overhead.
A novel time and wavelength interleaved optical pulsed signal for a high resolution photonic analogue to digital converter

This paper presents a parallel architecture for a photonic Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) in a direct conversion receiver. A novel technique for the generation of time and wavelength interleaved laser source having a broad spectrum and a repetition rate of 8 GHz is proposed for the sampling of the photonic ADC. The quantization is realized in electrical domain by employing four state of the art ADCs , each having a sampling rate of 2 GHz and a resolution of 10 bit. We investigate the performance of our novel architecture by computing the Signal to Noise Ratio and comparing it with the conventional electronic ADC. Additionally we have also observed the effect of laser jitter on the sensitivity of a direct conversion receiver.