cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 2764: Cosegregating variants in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) families that are located in loci discovered by genome wide association studies (GWAS)

Introduction Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a B-cell malignancy that is known to have a familial component to disease risk. Although 31 loci have been found to be associated with CLL risk, the functional variant(s) driving these associations is mostly unknown. Here we set out to identify rare, highly-penetrant, cosegregating, susceptibility variants within the known GWAS discovered loci using whole exome sequencing (WES) data in CLL families from the Mayo Clinic family study of B-cell malignancies. Methods We performed WES on germ line DNA of 93 CLL families with two or more members with CLL, using Agilent capture kits and Illumina HiSeq2000. Bioinformatics analyses leveraged the following software packages: Novoalign, Picard, The Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK), and the Biological Reference Repository (bioR). Quality control filters were implemented; subjects with mis-specified relationships were removed, as were variants with Results In our 93 CLL families, we sequenced 443 individuals: 160 with CLL, 73 with monoclonal B cell lymphocytosis (MBL), and 210 relatives that were not diagnosed with CLL or MBL at the time of sequencing. Median age of CLL diagnosis was 59 years (range 34-87), and 56% were male. Among the MBL individuals and relatives, the median age at recruitment was 55 years (range 18-93), and 40% were male. A total of 317,666 SNVs passed our sequencing quality control filters of which 10,731 were within +/- 1 Mb of known GWAS hits from 31 loci. Of these SNVs, 91% were in coding regions, 18% were reported to have high or moderate impact, 6% were estimated to be damaging and 6% were predicted to be deleterious. From these SNVs, we identified 76 putatively functional variants distributed across 25 GWAS loci that were cosegregating in the individuals with CLL or MBL in multiple CLL pedigrees. These SNVs were all located in coding regions with high or moderate impact and were predicted to be damaging and deleterious. Of these 76 variants, 56 had a frequency of Conclusions Through WES, we identified a number of rare, penetrant and potentially predisposing SNVs located within 25 of the 31 CLL GWAS-discovered loci. These segregating variants provide a list for future validation and functional studies. Citation Format: Sara Beiggi, Daniel R. O9Brien, Sara J. Achenbach, Kari G. Chaffee, Timothy G. Call, Neil E. Kay, Tait D. Shanafelt, Julie Cunningham, James R. Cerhan, Celine M. Vachon, Susan L. Slager. Cosegregating variants in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) families that are located in loci discovered by genome wide association studies (GWAS). [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 2764. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2764
Sexual Politics and State’s Indifference to Sexual Violence in Indonesia

How does not the government that represents the state show a strong commitment and responsibility to ending sexual violence? Why does the state choose to engage more in giving “temporary response” to the cases of sexual violence? If the state appears to play a systematic role in ending sexual violence, why does not the agenda really address patriarchal structure as the root of sexual violence? This article discusses how the state’s politics of sexuality in Indonesia that was mainly propagated during the New Order administration plays a pivotal role in the irresponsible way the state and the society deal with sexual violence.
The Impact of Changes in the Dow Jones Industrial Average List on Prices and Trading Volume

The price-pressure hypothesis (PPH) assumes that a temporary increase (or decrease) in returns and trading volumes occurs around the announcement day when firms are added to (or deleted from) a market index. On September 10, 2013, the Dow Jones Industrial Averages Index Committee announced that Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS), Visa Inc. (V) and Nike Inc. (NKE) would be added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and Bank of America Corp. (BAC), Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) and Alcoa Inc. (AA) would be deleted from the DJIA after the close of trading on September 20, 2013. According to the Index Committee, GS replaced BAC, V replaced HPQ and NKE replaced AA. This event study analyzes the effects that these changes have on the prices and volumes of these stocks. Changes of prices and trading volumes of the firms added to the DJIA are statistically significant enough to support the PPH.
Fluorescence Photoactivation and Dissipation (FPD)

Fluorescence methods have emerged as indispensable analytical and tracer techniques for a diverse range of biochemical, biophysical and physical studies that depend upon highly sensitive measurements of physical environment. This emergence has been hastened by advances in low-level light detection and by the development of coherent, variable-wavelength, and polarized excitation sources. Moreover, the spectrum of biological and physical applications of fluorescence methods has been expanded broadly by the development and availability of fluorescent molecules with specifically tailored characteristics. The attachment of these fluorescent molecules to molecular species has become a powerful approach for investigating the structure and dynamics of complex systems.
Acute Peroneal Injury

A high clinical suspicion and greater understanding of the anatomy and pathophysiology of lateral ankle injuries have enabled early diagnosis and treatment-improving outcomes of acute peroneal tendon tears. Multiple conditions can be the cause of lateral ankle pain attributed to the peroneal tendons: tenosynovitis, tendinosis, subluxation and dislocation, stenosing tenosynovitis, abnormality related to the os peroneum, as well as tears of the peroneal tendons. It is imperative for the clinician to maintain a high suspicion for peroneal tendon abnormality when evaluating patients with lateral ankle pain.
A sequence family database built on ECOD structural domains

Motivation The ECOD database classifies protein domains based on their evolutionary relationships, considering both remote and close homology. The family group in ECOD provides classification of domains that are closely related to each other based on sequence similarity. Due to different perspectives on domain definition, direct application of existing sequence domain databases, such as Pfam, to ECOD struggles with several shortcomings. Results We created multiple sequence alignments and profiles from ECOD domains with the help of structural information in alignment building and boundary delineation. We validated the alignment quality by scoring structure superposition to demonstrate that they are comparable to curated seed alignments in Pfam. Comparison to Pfam and CDD reveals that 27 and 16% of ECOD families are new, but they are also dominated by small families, likely because of the sampling bias from the PDB database. There are 35 and 48% of families whose boundaries are modified comparing to counterparts in Pfam and CDD, respectively. Availability and implementation The new families are now integrated in the ECOD website. The aggregate HMMER profile library and alignment are available for download on ECOD website (http://prodata.swmed.edu/ecod). Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Technical Skills—Fortify Your Brand

Several years ago, I mentored a woman named Karen. When she called me she had been working at a large brokerage house for over ten years. Karen said that she did okay at work but constantly felt pressured to prove herself. She was frustrated and told me that she often saw new male advisors with less experience and knowledge join the business. They seemed to have more credibility than she did with both management and clients. “What is that all about?” she asked rhetorically.
The Voyage of La Pérouse: Part I From Brest to Monterey Bay

From the outset, the reader must take into consideration that the voyage of La Perouse, sailing from Brest at the beginning of August, 1785, would end in shipwreck, presumably in the summer of 1788 in the western Pacific. His final port of call had been Botany Bay (Australia) from which he had sailed on 10 March 1788, never to be seen again. The original manuscript of his journal, obviously a fundamental document for the record of the voyage, was lost with him; as were the principal studies, the daily notes, and the major part of the collections made by the botanists and the gardener.
Passive Immunization of Piglets Using Equine Plasma Containing PRRS Virus-Neutralizing Antibodies

Horses were inoculated with several strains of virulent PRRS virus. Sera from the horses were tested for the presence of PRRS virus-neutralizing antibodies. Large volumes of equine plasma were collected and used to passively immunize piglets. Sera were collected at various time points after immunization and tested for virus-neutralizing activity. These results show that horses are capable of generating high neutralizing antibody titers to PRRSV when exposed to virulent virus. Piglets develop neutralizing antibody titers to PRRSV when passively immunized with a sufficient volume of ά-PRRSV equine plasma.
A Rho-associated protein kinase: differentially distributed in limbal and corneal epithelia.

Purpose The authors have developed monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to characterize the sequential biochemical changes in corneal epithelial cells after they differentiate from stem cells, located in the limbus, and migrate centripetally to follow the pathway of terminal differentiation. The purpose of this study was to identify a protein (recognized by mAb HE1/11F) with increased expression associated with the transition of the limbal epithelium to corneal epithelium. Methods The distribution and identification of the protein(s) were performed using an indirect immunohistochemical staining technique and a western blot analysis, respectively. A rabbit corneal epithelial cDNA library, constructed in the Uni-Zap XR vector, was screened with mAb HE1/11F to select cDNA clones expressing polypeptide(s) recognized by this mAb. Additional overlapping cDNA clones were obtained from a primer extension cDNA library to determine the sequence of the complete open reading frame encoding the protein recognized by mAb HE1/11F. Results Rabbit corneal epithelium exhibited strong immunostaining with mAb HE1/11F, however, the limbal epithelial cells stained weakly. HE1/11F recognized 160-kDa (HEBM1) and 100-kDa (HEBM2) polypeptides in the corneal epithelial extracts. The amino acid sequence of the protein deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the cDNA exhibited a close homology to that of a RhoA (Ras-related small GTPase)-associated serine-threonine kinase (ROCK-I or Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase). A 160-kDa RhoA-binding polypeptide with a molecular mass similar to that of HEBM1 and ROCK-I was detected in the corneal epithelial extracts. These findings strongly suggested that HEBM1 was rabbit ROCK-I. The identity of HEBM1 was further confirmed from the reactivity of mAb HE1/11F with ROCK-I immunoprecipitated from rabbit corneal epithelial extracts using anti-ROCK-I antibodies. Conclusions The increased expression of a protein identified as ROCK-I from cDNA analyses is associated with rabbit corneal epithelial differentiation and transition from the limbal to corneal surface. Therefore, a RhoA signaling pathway is likely to be associated with corneal epithelial differentiation (maturation). A close homology among the cDNA sequences of rabbit, mouse, rat, and human ROCK-I indicates that this RhoA-associated kinase is a well-conserved protein.
Let’s Assume the System Is Synchronized

It is amazing how many papers on radio systems, networks, error correcting codes, and related topics contain a version of the sentence “Let’s assume the system is synchronized.” Alright, let’s assume the system is synchronized. But I have a few questions: Who did it? How did they do it? Who will do it in the next decades as many of us retire from the field? An important one is; where are they acquiring the skills required to negotiate and navigate the future physical layers?
Portal vein thrombosis prevalence and associated mortality in cirrhosis in a nationally representative inpatient cohort.

BACKGROUND AND AIM Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is increasingly common in cirrhotics, but its impact on mortality and outcomes is unclear. Studies evaluating PVT have been limited by small sample size. This study analyzes the trend of the prevalence of PVT and its associated mortality in hospitalized decompensated cirrhotics. METHODS The Nationwide Inpatient Sample, the largest nationally representative database of hospital discharges, was queried from 1998 to 2014. Inpatients older than 18 years with decompensated cirrhosis were included, while those who received liver transplantation or had hepatocellular carcinoma were excluded. The primary outcomes were the trend in prevalence and associated mortality with PVT. Secondary outcomes included identifying risk factors of PVT and the effect of PVT on complications of portal hypertension. Multivariable logistic regression evaluated the outcomes. RESULTS A total of 3 045 098 discharges were included, of which 1.5% had PVT. PVT prevalence increased from 0.7% to 2.4%, annual percent change of 9%. Mortality associated with PVT declined from 11.9% to 9.1%, annual percent change of -3.0%. In multivariable analysis controlling for factors associated with mortality in cirrhotics, PVT was associated with an increased risk of mortality (OR 1.12, P < 0.001). Multivariable logistic regression also demonstrated that PVT significantly increased the risk of acute kidney injury (OR 1.75, P < 0.001) and hepatorenal syndrome (OR 1.62, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of PVT is increasing while its associated mortality is decreasing. However, PVT still is associated with risk of mortality and kidney injury, implying a significant impact on cirrhotic outcomes.
Association of pro-inflammatory cytokines and monocyte subtypes in older and younger patients on clinical outcomes after mechanical circulatory support device implantation.

Abstract Noninvasive immunologic analysis of peripheral blood holds promise for explaining the mechanism of development of adverse clinical outcomes, and may also become a method for patient risk stratification before or after mechanical circulatory support device (MCSD) implantation. Dysregulation of the innate immune system is associated with increased patient age but has yet to be evaluated in the older patient with advanced heart failure undergoing MCSD surgery. Patients pre- and post-MCSD implantation had peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and serum isolated. Multiparameter flow cytometry was used to analyze markers of innate cell function, including monocyte subtypes. Multiplex cytokine analysis was performed. MELD-XI and SOFA scores were utilized as surrogate markers of outcomes. Increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-15, TNF-α, and IL-10 were associated with increased MELD-XI and SOFA scores. IL-8, TNF- α, and IL-10 were associated with risk of death after MCSD implantation, even with correction for patient age. Increased frequency of ‘classical’ monocytes (CD14 + CD16−) were associated with increased MELD-XI and SOFA scores. This suggests that inflammation and innate immune system activation contribute to progression to multiorgan system failure and death after MCSD surgery. Development of noninvasive monitoring of peripheral blood holds promise for biomarker development for candidate selection and patient risk stratification.
Effects of Chicken MHC Haplotype on Resistance to Distantly Related Infectious Bronchitis Viruses

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) B locus of chickens has been associated with resistance to different viral diseases. We previously provided evidence that chicken lines expressing MHC haplotypes B2 and B19 exhibit different resistance to a challenge with infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) Massachusetts 41 (M41). In the current study, we attempted to determine if those differences were true for genetically diverse IB viruses, i.e., IBV M41 and Arkansas-Delmarva poultry industry (ArkDPI). Clinical, pathologic, molecular, and immunologic outcomes were compared. Our results showed subtle clinical and pathologic differences between the two MHC chicken lines tested. Clinical differences were observed in respiratory signs at 2 days postinfection (dpi) in M41-infected birds. Pathologic differences were detected in viral load at 2 dpi in M41-infected birds and in tracheal epithelial thickness at 6 dpi in ArkDPI-infected birds. Substantial differences were observed in antibody responses at 14 dpi. The transcriptome analysis showed that B19 chickens highly expressed genes related to inflammatory and innate immune responses. This increased immune gene expression detected in B19 birds at 6 dpi did not lead to enhanced antibody production at 14 dpi. On the other hand, B2-haplotype chickens highly expressed genes related to cell responses, suggesting that B2 is able to diligently control the infection. Although not identical, genes triggered by M41 and ArkDPI are part of communal pathways and suggest similar immune and cell responses to both IBV genotypes. This work provides modest evidence for differential resistance to IBV by chickens displaying different MHC haplotypes as well as insights into the expression of a variety of genes after IBV replication in the host.
LOSA-X: Expandable 3D Motion Tracking System

This paper presents a novel, low-cost, expandable 3D motion tracking system with the ability to adapt to dynamic background illumination. The proposed system consists of multiple tracker modules equipped with a linear optical sensor arrays and a 9-DOF inertial measurement unit for position and orientation tracking of a wireless IR-LED illuminated active marker. This paper presents an extended Kalman filter-based sensor fusion architecture for combining data acquired from multiple trackers and marker for enhanced accuracy and operational range. The marker system adaptively adjusts the LED intensity to optimize energy consumption and measurement accuracy. The proposed system’s ability to extract background illumination allows it to be robust toward differences in scene illuminations, both static and dynamic. Detailed hardware design and performance evaluation through experimentation have been discussed in this paper.
Ultra-low Stress SiO2 Ion Beam Deposition Coatings

Ion beam sputtered films typically have high compressive stress. By using high energy primary ions to sputter a SiO2 target and high energy ions from an assist source with an O2 plasma the compressive stress of SiO2 can be significantly reduced down to 62MPa.
SIGACT News Complexity Theory Column 103

SETH vs Approximation Warmest thanks to Aviad Rubinstein and Virginia Vassilevska Williams for their guest column. As you can see, it not only is excitingly covering a lot of exciting work, but also is presenting quite a few open issues; clearly, they are inviting you to join the party!
Fast-tracking regenerative medicine for traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury remains a global health crisis that spans all demographics, yet there exist limited treatment options that may effectively curtail its lingering symptoms. Traumatic brain injury pathology entails a progression from primary injury to inflammation-mediated secondary cell death. Sequestering this inflammation as a means of ameliorating the greater symptomology of traumatic brain injury has emerged as an attractive treatment prospect. In this review, we recapitulate and evaluate the important developments relating to regulating traumatic brain injury-induced neuroinflammation, edema, and blood-brain barrier disintegration through pharmacotherapy and stem cell transplants. Although these studies of stand-alone treatments have yielded some positive results, more therapeutic outcomes have been documented from the promising area of combined drug and stem cell therapy. Harnessing the facilitatory properties of certain pharmaceuticals with the anti-inflammatory and regenerative effects of stem cell transplants creates a synergistic effect greater than the sum of its parts. The burgeoning evidence in favor of combined drug and stem cell therapies warrants more elaborate preclinical studies on this topic in order to pave the way for later clinical trials.
Outcomes of Late Microsurgical Nerve Reconstruction for Brachial Plexus Birth Injury.

Purpose Microsurgical nerve reconstruction has been advocated between 3 and 9 months of life in select patients with brachial plexus birth injury (BPBI), yet some patients undergo indicated surgery after this time frame. Outcomes in these older patients remain poorly characterized. We analyzed outcomes of nerve reconstruction performed after 9 months of age and hypothesized that (1) Active Movement Scale (AMS) scores improve after surgery, and (2) there are no differences in AMS scores between patients undergoing nerve transfers versus those undergoing nerve grafting. Methods From 2000 to 2014, 750 patients at 6 U.S. centers were prospectively enrolled in a multicenter database. We included patients treated with nerve reconstruction after 9 months of age with minimum 12 months’ follow-up. Patients were evaluated using AMS scores. To focus on the results of microsurgery, only outcomes prior to secondary surgery were analyzed. We analyzed baseline variables using bivariate statistics and change in AMS scores over time and across treatment groups using linear mixed models. Results We identified 32 patients (63% female) with median follow-up of 29.8 months. Median age at microsurgery was 11.2 months. Twenty-five (78%) had an upper trunk injury. Compared with before surgery, total AMS scores improved modestly at 1 year and 2 or more years follow-up. At 1 year follow-up, AMS scores improved for shoulder function (abduction, external rotation) and elbow flexion. Between-group comparisons found no differences in total AMS scores or AMS subscales between graft and transfer groups at 1 year or 2 or more years after surgery, so we cannot recommend one strategy over the other based on our findings. Conclusions Overall, nerve reconstruction in patients with BPBI after 9 months of age resulted in improved function over time. There was no difference in outcomes between nerve transfer and nerve graft groups and 1 or 2 or more years follow-up. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic IV.
Engaging the liberal state: Cardinal Manning and Irish home rule

In the course of his long career (1865–1892) as Archbishop of Westminster and head of England’s Catholic Church, Henry Edward Manning articulated a position on the engagement of voluntary religious organizations like the Church with the liberal state, now understood, at least in the British context, as religiously neutral and responsive to public opinion through increasingly democratic forms of government and mediated through political parties. The greatest test and illustration of this position was his involvement in Irish Home Rule, where he deferred to the Irish hierarchy in their support of Charles Stuart Parnell’s Irish Parliamentary Party against his own inclinations and the immediate interests of the Catholic population in England. Manning’s position was in sharp contrast to that of Pope Leo XIII, who negotiated directly with Otto von Bismarck, and over the heads of the hierarchy and Germany’s Catholic Centre Party, to end the Kulturkampf. Thus Manning worked out a modus vivendi for the Church in relation to the liberal, democratic state that anticipates in many ways the practice of the Church in politics today.
Dipenguin-like contributions to D0 - anti-D0 mixing

We show that because of the milder GIM suppression, the four-quark dipenguin operator contributes to the short distance piece of the D^0-\bar D^0 mixing amplitude at the same order of magnitude as the box diagram. In addition, we put an upper bound \Delta m_D^{LDR} \leq 5 \times \Delta m_D^{box} on a long-distance resonant contribution induced by the penguin mixing.
SURGICAL CONSIDERATIONS TO ENHANCE IMPLANT ESTHETICS

SUMMARY A rationale for use of implants in the esthetic zone of the anterior maxilla of the partially edentulous patient has been reviewed. Careful treatment planning and surgery result in ideal placement of the implants. In this situation, primary consideration must be directed toward positioning of the implant ideally relative to the prosthodontic requirements, which often requires special consideration when performing surgery.
The Pound of Flesh, a Communitarian Principle

When deliberating culturally sensitive topics, both sides often feel that they are concerned with absolutes and that the other side has neither moral nor legal foot to stand on. The question arises: How can one contain conflicts when core values are at stake? Part of the answer lies in leaving some contested matters out of the public realm. Indeed, some advocate that marriage, for instance, should not be defined by the state and that each couple be left free to form their own marriage contract. Some issues, such as whether abortion should be legal and what constitutes discrimination, the state cannot avoid. If the opposing sides have a strong sense of community on other grounds this may well help them to deal with these differences. However, culture war topics are likely to remain divisive. The answer might be found in leaving these matters to the courts, which in the past worked out middle grounds most citizens learned to live with. Others, though, hold that leaving these matters to the courts exacerbates rather than lessens the divisions, as the “losing” side feels the courts’ adjudication (“legislation from the bench”) foists its decisions without genuine public debate and consensus. The courts may often be the only place these issues can be worked out, however poorly. In either case, all parties involved should show a measure of self-restraint.
An integrated model of ERP success: the critical role of task-context alignment

This paper develops an integrated model of ERP success that links contextual variables of the organisation with the critical implementation decisions affecting the managerial and technical executio...
Tumor Production in Mice with Ultraviolet Irradiation

The prolonged exposure of human skin to sunlight results in changes which not infrequently terminate in cancer. Unna (1) first described this condition under the name Seemanshaut because it is especially common in sailors. An increased percentage of skin tumors in fishermen, bargemen, farmers, and sailors has been demonstrated and attributed to excessive exposure to sunlight. Thus, skin and lip cancer is eight times as frequent in the men of the U. S. Navy as in the general population, although neoplasms of other tissues are less common (2). There is evidence, also, that skin cancer usually occurs in those parts of the body exposed to the sun, as the face, neck, or hands; it is rare in parts protected by clothing (3, 4). Roffo states that cancer of the face is most often found on the prominent areas not protected by shadows (4). The incidence of skin cancer is modified by such factors as race, climate, and the natural pigmentation of the skin. Various authors have pointed out that cutaneous cancers are seen more frequently in races with fair skins than in those with darker skins (5–8). They are much more common among whites than among negroes. Cancer of the skin is relatively frequent in white persons in tropical countries, relatively rare in countries having short periods of sunlight.
Lahra Smith. Making Citizens in Africa: Ethnicity, Gender, and National Identity in Ethiopia. Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press. 2013. xxi + 252 pp. Maps and Tables. Acknowledgments. Abbreviations. Glossary. Appendixes. Bibliography. Index. $29.99. Paper.

POLITICS, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, AND GLOBALIZATION Lahra Smith. Making Citizens in Africa: Ethnicity, Gender, and National Identity in Ethiopia. Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press. 2013. xxi + 252 pp. Maps and Tables. Acknowledgments. Abbreviations. Glossary. Appendixes. Bibliography. Index. $29.99. Paper.Ethiopia's policies of ethnic federalism have generated a great deal of analysis and debate among scholars. Lahra Smith develops the concept of "meaningful citizenship" to make a valuable intervention in these debates. Smith argues that scholars must go beyond an analysis of formal citizenship and legal rights, and examine acts of citizenship and the exercise of rights. For Smith, citizenship is a practice, something that is done.Smith traces the roots of contemporary ethnic conflict in Ethiopia to the expansion of the Orthodox Christian Abyssinian empire in the late-nineteenth century and the modernizing and centralizing policies of Haile Selassie during the mid-twentieth century. Conquered ethnic groups were forced to acculturate in order to participate in civic life. Despite some reforms implemented under the Marxist military Derg regime, oppressed ethnic groups in southern and western Ethiopia still had very little sense of "meaningful citizenship." Since the fall of the Derg in 1991, Ethiopia has been governed by a policy of ethnic federalism that is intended to provide rights to disenfranchised ethnic groups. The country is divided into regional states on the basis of ethnicity. States have a broad range of powers covering education, economic development, health, police forces, and legal courts. Regions may conduct government business and education in the language of their choice, and in theory they have the right to secede and form their own nation. Based on a thorough reading of the secondary sources, Smith offers a very clear and detailed account of the historical processes behind the development of ethnic federalism, and provides a useful rereading of Ethiopian history through the lens of citizenship.Individual chapters focus on the implications of ethnic federalism for language policy, ethnic sovereignty (the Silte and Oromo cases), and gender. In each of these chapters Smith demonstrates the complexities of implementing policies that respect ethnic identity and promote a sense of membership in the nation. In the case of language policy she demonstrates the difficulty of selecting languages for education that allow young people access to economic and political goods without compromising their sense of self and ethnic identity. The Oromo case for self-determination, discussed in chapter 5, is particularly complex, because, as Smith explains, the political oppression that Oromo people have experienced since the advent of ethnic federalism will likely prevent them from investing in any state policies aimed at citizenship expansion. …
Judgments of Performance: The Relative, the Absolute, and the In-between

People often evaluate how their abilities or their achievements compare to those of others. Such judgments tend to show asymmetric weighting: They are more influenced by impressions of one's own performance than by impressions of the comparison group. We challenge interpretations of this effect as an egocentric focus. We show that asymmetry is much smaller when predicting concrete performance measures rather than general skill level and when the judge has experienced the task in question. We attribute this to a tendency to understand poorly-specified performance scales as implicitly relative. Moreover, judges' modest tendency toward asymmetrical weighting may be adaptive, because judges often know more about their own performance than about their peers'. This does not mean, though, that judges are sensitive to optimality: We find that they are insensitive to the effects that objective feedback has on the optimal weighting of estimates of one's own and others' performance.
Book Review: Sex, Fear, and Public Health Policy

Looking into the AIDS abyss in the mid-1980s, public health officials sometimes succumbed to the same impulses – notably, panic and scapegoating – that activated politicians, judges, and the public itself. Among the best-known results of these impulses were city-by-city efforts to shut down gay bathhouses. No one disputed that sexual activity took place in the bathhouses, but it was – and remains – unclear whether closing them would help stop the transmission of HIV, hinder that effort, or have no net effect. This article reviews Gay Bathhouses and Public Policy (edited by William J. Woods and Diane Binson), a collection of essays on this topic written two decades after the hardest-fought bathhouse closure battles.
Knowledge Management and Enterprise Social Networking: Content vs. Collaboration

Historically, most enterprise knowledge management efforts have been content-based; however, recently firms have begun to focus their knowledge management efforts into collaboration. As a result, enterprises are changing their knowledge management strategy, focusing on collaboration, using enterprise social networking (ESN). This bifurcation has brought attention to user’s potential supply and demand of knowledge for tasks and decision making: Which do they use, content, collaboration or both? This paper investigates three potential theories to analyze that choice. In addition, the bifurcation suggests development of approaches to facilitate the integration of content and collaboration. Further, this paper investigates the role of personal knowledge management in collaboration and content generation. A case study is presented to illustrate some of the concepts generated in this paper. Finally, this paper proposes a number of potential research issues resulting from this investigation.
Transcriptional regulation of the phosphotransacetylase-encoding and acetate kinase-encoding genes (pta and ack) from Methanosarcina thermophila.

Phosphotransacetylase and acetate kinase catalyze the activation of acetate to acetyl coenzyme A in the first step of methanogenesis from acetate in Methanosarcina thermophila. The genes encoding these enzymes (pta and ack) have been cloned and sequenced. They are arranged on the chromosome with pta upstream of ack (M.T. Latimer, and J. G. Ferry, J. Bacteriol. 175:6822-6829, 1993). The activities of phosphotransacetylase and acetate kinase are at least 8- to 11-fold higher in acetate-grown cells than in cells grown on methanol, monomethylamine, dimethylamine, or trimethylamine. Northern blot (RNA) analyses demonstrated that pta and ack are transcribed as an approximately 2.4-kb polycistronic message and that the regulation of enzyme synthesis occurs at the mRNA level. Primer extension analyses revealed a transcriptional start site located 27 bp upstream from the translational start of the pta gene and 24 bp downstream from a consensus archaeal boxA promoter sequence. S1 nuclease protection assays detected transcripts with four different 3' ends, each of which mapped to the beginning of four consecutive direct repeats. Northern blot analysis using an ack-specific probe detected both the 2.4-kb polycistronic transcript and a smaller 1.4-kb transcript which is the estimated size of monocistronic ack mRNA. A primer extension product was detected with an ack-specific primer; the 5' end of the product was in the intergenic region between the pta and ack genes but did not follow a consensus archaeal boxA sequence. This result, as well as detection of an additional 1.4-kb mRNA species, suggests processing of the polycistronic 2.4-kb transcript.
Electronic excitation of formaldehyde by low-energy electrons: A theoretical study using the complex Kohn variational method.

We report results of a fully ab initio treatment of electronic excitation in a polyatomic molecule by electron impact. We have calculated total and differential cross sections for exciting the two lowest (n\ensuremath{\rightarrow}${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\mathrm{*}}$${)}^{1}$,3${\mathrm{A}}_{2}$ excited states of ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$CO for collision energies between 5 and 20 eV. The calculations were carried out in a three-state close-coupling approximation using the complex Kohn variational method. The absence of any backward peaking in the cross sections calculated for the $^{3}\mathrm{A}_{2}$ state is reminiscent of a rigorous selection rule for ${\ensuremath{\Sigma}}^{+}$-${\ensuremath{\Sigma}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ transitions in linear molecules. However, with no experimental studies available for comparison, the present results must be regarded as predictive.
Classical and semirelativistic magnetohydrodynamics with anisotropic ion pressure

We study the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) equations with anisotropic ion pressure and isotropic electron pressure under both the classical and semirelativistic approximations in order to develop a numerical model. The dispersion relation as well as the characteristic wave speeds are derived. In addition to the exact wave speed solutions, we also provide efficient approximate formulas for the semirelativistic magnetosonic speeds. The equations are discretized with the Rusanov and Harten-Lax-van Leer numerical schemes and implemented into the BATS-R-US MHD code. We perform a set of verification tests.
Arctic Paleo-Oceanography in Late Cenozoic Time

Sediment cores from the Arctic Ocean yield significant faunal and lithologic evidence of alternating cold and milder periods for the last 6 million years. Although high-latitude continental glaciation commenced prior to 6 million years ago, the Arctic Ocean remained free of permanent pack ice up to approximately 0.7 million years ago, after which successive ice-covered and ice-free conditions existed.
Renewal analysis for higher moments in stochastic transport

Abstract This paper considers steady-state particle transport and radiative transfer through a stochastic mixture consisting of two immiscible materials. The statistics of the mixing of the two components of the medium are allowed to be very general; in particular, they are not necessarily Markovian. In the absence of scattering, the theory of alternating renewal processes is used to obtain an exact set of integral equations describing the ensemble average of any integer power of the stochastic intensity field. These equations are solved in an infinite medium with homogeneous statistics, and this solution is used to develop a simpler, but approximate, formalism for treating particle transport in a non-Markovian mixture. This simplied description is in the form of differential, rather than integral, equations, and results from a modification of the differential Markovian equations which arise from the use of the stochastic Liouville master equation.
HCI and cognitive disabilities

Considering different user groups is a central principle of user-centered design. In this Connections column, Clayton Lewis discusses aspects of the cognitively disabled as an important group of users. ---Manfred Tscheligi
Tracking bias against the selection of female expatriates: Implications and opportunities for business education

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate early formation and presence of an unfounded bias against female expatriate selection. Overall results found that freshmen exhibited less bias against female expatriate assignment viability than MBA students, and females were less biased than males. However, freshman males exhibited greater bias against females in expatriate assignments than did freshman females, and they did not differ significantly in their perceptions from their male MBA counterparts. Our results suggest that the unfounded bias against female expatriate selection can exist very early, particularly among male students, presenting an important educational challenge and opportunity for business educators. Recommendations are made for improving business education to counter bias formation and dispel negative stereotypes. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Importance of Cattle Hoofprints and Tire Tracks as Oviposition Sites for Psorophora columbiae in Texas Ricelands

Hoofprints of cattle and tire tracks made by harvesting equipment in recently harvested rice fields appear to be important sources of oviposition sites for populations of Psorophora columbiae (Dyar and Knab) breeding in Texas ricelands. On the basis of results described here, increases and decreases in the relative egg densities in hoofprints correspond quite closely with the freshness of the prints and tracks and with the presence or absence of cattle.
The change of magnetic inclination angles associated with the X3.4 flare on December 13, 2006

Recent studies showed a consistent pattern of changes in the sunspot structure associated with major flares: part of the peripheral penumbral regions vanishes during flares, and meanwhile, the umbral cores and/or inner penumbral regions are darkened. To understand the underlying physics of these observations, we compare the magnetic inclination angle in the decayed peripheral and the enhanced inner penumbral regions before and after the 4B/X3.4 flare of 2006 December 13 by using the high-resolution vector magnetograms from Hinode. We find that the mean inclination angle in the decayed penumbra increases after the flare while that in the enhanced penumbra near flaring neutral line decreases. The result confirms the previous idea that two components of a δ sunspot become connected after flares. As a result of new connection, peripheral penumbral fields change from a more inclined to a more vertical configuration and transverse fields in umbral core and inner penumbral regions increase substantially (Liu et al. 2005). The flare-associated changes of Doppler width as well as other parameters (the transverse field strength, continuum intensity and filling factor) are also presented.
Ferromagnetism of FePt3 films induced by ion-beam irradiation

Abstract We demonstrate that chemically ordered FePt 3 films can be altered from non-magnetic to ferromagnetic at room temperature by ion-beam irradiation. Both epitaxial and polycrystalline films were grown in the chemically ordered L1 2 phase and are non-magnetic at room temperature. Upon irradiation with 700 keV N + ions at a dose of 1×10 16 ions/cm 2 the chemical order is destroyed and ferromagnetism is induced. The magnetism of the irradiated film is compared to an as-deposited chemically disordered ferromagnetic FePt 3 film by hysteresis, torque, and moment vs. temperature curves. The present results share a common origin to the ferrimagnetic-to-non-magnetic transition observed in CrPt 3 films and may have potential application for patterned ferromagnetic structures and for studying exchange biasing of laterally patterned ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic structures.
Appreciating the principle of Non-Interaction of Waves (NIW-principle) by modeling Talbot diffraction patterns at different planes

We present an approach to demonstrate the Non-Interaction of Waves (NIW)-principle by showing that dark fringes in the near-field Talbot diffraction patterns are not devoid of energy. We believe that a detector is simply incapable of absorbing any energy at the dark fringe locations simply because the resultant of the induced stimulations on a local detecting dipole due to all the E-vectors is zero. The joint stimulation is strongest at the bright fringe locations. The amplitude (& hence potentially detectable energy) flow through the "dark fringe locations" is demonstrated by obstructing the "bright fringe" locations at the half-Talbot plane with an identical grating that generated this diffraction image. Then, by propagating the transmitted complex amplitudes through the dark fringes, we would like to show that the Talbot plane can still receive more energy than that could have been recorded out of those same dark fringe locations at the half Talbot plane.
Academic Performance is Not a Viable Determinant of Physical Therapy Students' Burnout

This study investigated the proposed link between students' academic performance and burnout. We found no significant correlations between students' cumulative grade point average and ratings of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment.
Reference Entailment and Maintenance Mechanisms in Universal Grammar of Japanese

This essay tries to 1) outline a pragmatically anchored, universal matrix of morpho-syntax and semantics, 2) provide a general account of one of its components, i.e., reference entailment and maintenance mechanisms, and 3) focus on some of these mechanisms, such as "topic-markers" and "topicalizers" (defined below), by analyzing the structural and functional characteristics of several particles in Japanese, in terms of the interactions between markedness hierarchy, the semantic contents of NPs (explained below), case relations, interclausal linkages and reference-maintenance relations. Also the paper investigates relationships between forms in the linguistic structure of Japanese and the emotive and conative effects of their uses in discourse.
Devaluing Women and Minorities: The Effects of Race/Ethnic and Sex Composition of Occupations on Wage Levels.

Are comparable worth policies an appropriate remedy for both race/ethnic and sex discrimination? The author's findings question whether similar processes of devaluation are driving the sex and race...
A model system for the study of heteroexchange diffusion: Methotrexate-folate interactions in L1210 leukemia and Ehrlich ascites tumor cells

Abstract A unique interaction between the folate analog, methotrexate (4-amino-4-deoxy-10-methylpteroylglutamic acid), and the naturally occurring folates in L1210 leukemia and Ehrlich ascites tumor cells provides a useful model for the study of heteroexchange diffusion. The presence of intracellular binding sites with a high affinity for methotrexate but a low affinity for folic acid and its tetrahydrofolate derivatives permit the measurement of true unidirectional influx rates for methotrexate and assure that the trans-stimulation of methotrexate uptake by the intracellular presence of the other folates is due solely to a primary augmentation of this carrier influx mechanism. Further, since free methotrexate does not appear prior to saturation of the binding sites, the reaction between the folates and carrier at the inner cell membrane is undisturbed by methotrexate released from carrier as the complex enters the cell during heteroexchange, facilitating quantitation of the kinetic alterations which occur for methotrexate influx during trans-stimulation. Trans-stimulation of methotrexate influx was observed in cells preloaded with 5-formyl-, or 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate, or folic acid. The latter was observed even when intracellular reduction of folic acid to its tetrahydrofolate derivatives was inhibited. However, initial uptake rates for methotrexate were unaltered in cells preloaded with nonlabeled methotrexate. Methotrexate influx conformed to Michaelis-Menten kinetics in L1210 cells preloaded to a single intracellular 5-formyltetrahydrofolate level and when compared to control cells, manifested an increase in the influx vmax without a significant change in the influx Kt. The initial uptake rate for 5-methyltetrahydrofolate was increased in cells preloaded with either 5-formyltetrahydrofolate or folic acid. These studies further support a carrier transport mechanism for methotrexate and the naturally occurring folates in L1210 leukemia cells and extend these findings to the Ehrlich ascites tumor cell as well.