cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A survey of software for fitting capture–recapture models

Capture–recapture analysis, also called mark- or multiple-recapture, is aimed primarily at estimating the total size of a population. The population of interest may consist of animals, people, errors in complex software, the number of crimes committed by an oppressive political regime, coins struck by ancient dies, and so on. Statistical methods for population size estimation are well-developed, with many extensions and variations such as allowing for birth, death or migration in the population; incorporation of predictor variables or spatial location of captures; observation by different physical methods, and so on. Accordingly, many software programs have been written and disseminated to implement these analyses, and a survey of those programs is given here. We classify the programs based on three different perspectives: types of classical closed-population models, statistical foundations or philosophy, and extensions or variations of classical models. While the level of computing in this area has become quite sophisticated, especially for the extended models, none of the major statistical software packages has a ‘native’ capture–recapture sub-package or routine (although some workarounds are possible), and the large number of separately released programs, though effective within their domains, tend to lack standardization and interoperability at present. The applied scientist can be reasonably confident of finding a program to fit his/her needs, but some examination of the literature will be required. WIREs Comput Stat 2013, 5:114–120. doi: 10.1002/wics.1250
Region‐Specific loss of α1‐adrenergic receptors in rat brain with aging: A quantitative autoradiographic study

The effects of aging on the density and affinity of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors (alpha 1-ARs) were studied in several circumscribed areas of the Fischer 344 male rat brain. Computer-assisted quantitative autoradiography was used to analyze saturation binding isotherms of [125I]BE-2254, a selective alpha 1-AR antagonist. Significant decreases in receptor density of 15 and 29% were observed in the thalamus at 16-18 and 24-28 months of age, respectively, when compared to 3-4-month-old controls. Progressive declines in receptor density of 24 and 44% were also found in the olfactory tubercle. In the cerebral cortex, a significant 26% loss in receptors occurred only in the oldest age group. No changes were found in any of the other brain areas investigated, including the cerebellum, brainstem, caudate-putamen, and several subregional areas of the hippocampal formation. Kd values ranged from 12 +/- 1.8 pM in the brainstem to 23 +/- 1.6 pM in the thalamus and were not affected by aging in any area examined. It is concluded that the density of alpha 1-ARs in the Fischer 344 rat brain is diminished with aging in a region-specific manner and that loss of these receptors may account for age-related functional deficits only in a few brain areas.
Electrical Interaction of Paired Ganglion Cells in the Leech

The two paired giant ganglion cells (PGC's) found in each ganglion of the leech central nervous system fire synchronously in response to certain sensory input. Polarizing current passed into either of these cells is seen to displace the membrane potentials of both cells, the voltage attenuation between the two somata ranging from 2 to 5 times. This attenuation factor remains unchanged when the direction of the polarizing current is reversed, and remains about the same when the other cell of the pair is directly polarized. When one of the PGC's is partially depolarized with outward current, a repetitive train of impulses is generated. Each spike is followed by a spike in the other cell. Occasionally, a small subspike potential is seen in place of a follower spike. This potential appears to differ in shape and time course from synaptic potentials elicited by afferent input to these cells, and appears rather to be an electrotonic potential derived from the prejunctional impulse in the stimulated PGC. It is proposed that transmission between these cells is electrical, being accomplished by a flow of local circuit current across a non-rectifying junction or connection to the spike-initiating region of the other PGC.
Rapid cell surface-related stimulation of alkaline phosphatase in HeLa cells by dimethyl DL-2,3-distearoyloxypropyl-2′-hydroxyethylammonium acetate (Rosenthal's inhibitor)

Cultures of HeLa cells, strains S3G (HeLa65) and S3K (HeLa71) were grown in plastic dishes until firmly attached and were then treated with sonic dispersions of Rosenthal's phospholipase inhibitor. A rapid increase in alkaline phosphatase activity occurred following this treatment in the S3G strain (low inducible alkaline phosphatase) but not in the S3K strain (high constitutive alkaline phosphatase). The stimulatory effect was dependent on the presence of bovine serum in the medium. No stimulation of alkaline phosphatase was observed in a variety of soluble preparations of this enzyme.
THE <-ORDERING ON NORMAL ULTRAFILTERS

consistent that K has the maximum possible number of normal ultrafilters. Starting with assumptions stronger than measurability, Mitchell [Mi-i] filled in the gap by constructing models of ZFC + GCH satisfying "there are exactly i normal ultrafilters over K", where i could be K+ or K++ (measured in the model), or anything < K. Whether or not Mitchell's results can be obtained by starting only with a measurable cardinal in the ground model and defining a forcing extension is unknown.
Orientation of d-tubocurarine in the muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-binding site.

Ligand modification and receptor site-directed mutagenesis were used to examine binding of the competitive antagonist,d-tubocurarine (dTC), to the muscle-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR). By using various dTC analogs, we measured the interactions of specific dTC functional groups with amino acid positions in the AChR γ-subunit. Because data for mutations at residue γTyr117 were the most consistent with direct interaction with dTC, we focused on that residue. Double mutant thermodynamic cycle analysis showed apparent interactions of γTyr117 with both the 2-N and the 13′-positions of dTC. Examination of a dTC analog with a negative charge at the 13′-position failed to reveal electrostatic interaction with charged side-chain substitutions at γ117, but the effects of side-chain substitutions remained consistent with proximity of Tyr117 to the cationic 2-N of dTC. The apparent interaction of γTyr117with the 13′-position of dTC was likely mediated by allosteric changes in either dTC or the receptor. The data also show that cation-π electron stabilization of the 2-N position is not required for high affinity binding. Molecular modeling of dTC within the binding pocket of the acetylcholine-binding protein places the 2-N in proximity to the residue homologous to γTyr117. This model provides a plausible structural basis for binding of dTC within the acetylcholine-binding site of the AChR family that appears consistent with findings from photoaffinity labeling studies and with site-directed mutagenesis studies of the AChR.
Land Distribution in Densely Populated Developing Countries

AMONG THE DENSELY POPULATED developing countries of the world, farm land is the primary form of natural wealth. The system of ownership and management of agricultural land is therefore an important subject in the momentous ideological controversy being waged in our times between totalitarian communism, on the one hand, and democratic individualism, on the other. Because highly concentrated ownership and "minute working tracts" of land have become intolerably inefficient under modern conditions of agricultural technology, programs of land reform have been an essential component in the over-all plans of economic development in many less developed areas of the world. This has been true, for example, in Southern Italy and in Egypt. In more than one densely populated developing country intelligent land reform has laid the basis for sound development of a free economy, saving the people from the toils and disillusionment of communism. To lay the basis for sound development of a free country, adequate land distribution, among other important programs, is a necessary step. Reasonable land distribution will solve the problem of highly concentrated ownership and the "minute working tracts" of land. This paper will center on land distribution in densely populated developing countries. And let me make clear that the suggestions in it only apply to densely populated developing countries. The proposed program does not preclude the imposition of taxes to meet the demand for an increasing total of government expenditures. I
Generalized nonlinear ℋ∞ synthesis condition with its numerically efficient solution

In this paper, we will first derive a general synthesis condition for the output-feedback ℋ∞ control of smooth nonlinear systems. Computationally efficient ℋ∞ control design procedure for a subclass of smooth nonlinear systems with polynomial vector field is then proposed by converting the resulting Hamilton-Jacobi-Isaacs inequalities from rational forms to their equivalent polynomial forms. Using quadratic Lyapunov functions, both the state-feedback and output-feedback problems will be reformulated as semi-definite optimization conditions and locally tractable solutions can be obtained through sum-of-squares (SOS) programming. The proposed nonlinear ℋ∞ design approach achieves significant relaxations on the plant structure compared with existing results in the literature. Moreover, the SOS-based solution algorithm provides an effective computational scheme to break the bottleneck in solving nonlinear ℋ∞ and optimal control problems. The proposed nonlinear ℋ∞ control approach has been applied to several examples to demonstrate its advantages over existing nonlinear control techniques and its usefulness to engineering problems. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Do survivorship care plans impact patients' evaluations of care? A randomized evaluation with gynecologic oncology patients.

Abstract Objective Despite recommendations from the Institute of Medicine regarding survivorship care plan (SCP) delivery to cancer patients, there have been few health service outcome evaluations thus far. Methods Gynecologic cancer survivors who were up to one-year post-treatment could participate in an evaluation assessing the health services provided and their perceptions of quality of care. A randomized, nested, cross-sectional design was used in a large group gynecologic oncology practice. Half (n=3) of the physicians were randomized to provide and discuss a SCP to patients during a follow-up visit, and the other half did not. Following their visits, all patients were informed that a health service evaluation of the practice was being conducted. Interested patients completed an anonymous 26-item survey assessing administrative, clinical, and educational health services, helpfulness of written materials, and perceptions of quality of care. Results Of the 121 survivors surveyed, 64 received SCPs and 57 were in the no-SCP condition. As a validity check, one question asked about educational materials received during the visit with an expected significant difference noted between conditions ( X 2 =5.513, p =.019; more SCP patients reported receiving materials). However, there were no differences between conditions when patients rated health services ( F s>.37) or helpfulness of materials and perceptions of care ( F s>.19). Conclusions Gynecologic oncology patients providing ratings of health services and satisfaction with care provided equivalent evaluations, regardless if they had/had not received a SCP from the physician. Thus, the need remains for further evaluations of SCPs if they are to be vehicles for improving health service outcomes.
Response to ‘Characteristics of uremic pruritus in hemodialysis patients: data from a single center’

Kosmadakis et al. highlight the importance of pruritus in a hemodialysis cohort.1 It is not possible for us to critically comment on the data that Kosmadakis et al. provide as information on the assembly of the cohort and demographic and clinical characteristics of the population are not provided in detail. However, their estimate of the prevalence of pruritus in the dialysis population is similar in magnitude to other estimates published previously and discussed in our recent article.2 Kosmadakis et al. present data that 34% of patients in their cohort did not report change in the intensity of uremic pruritus during dialysis, whereas 48% reported uremic pruritus to be less intense and 18% reported worsening during dialysis. Overall, uremic pruritus intensity remained unchanged in 54% of the subjects in their cohort despite 36% of their patients receiving treatment with antihistamines, sedatives, and emollients. Although several studies have tested the efficacy of various therapies, including, ultraviolet B phototherapy,3, 4 high efficiency dialysis,5 gabapentin,6, 7 capsaicin,8 and naltrexone9, 10 for uremic pruritus, these studies have methodologic limitations. The letter by Kosmadakis et al. underscores the inadequacy of current therapeutic strategies for uremic pruritus. We believe that properly designed randomized trials to evaluate the benefit of improved metabolic control and/or pharmacologic interventions are warranted.
Acute and residual effects of alcohol and marijuana, alone and in combination, on mood and performance

The duration of behavioral impairment after marijuana smoking remains a matter of some debate. Alcohol and marijuana are frequently used together, but there has been little study of the effects of this drug combination on mood and behavior the day after use. The present study was designed to address these issues. Fourteen male and female subjects were each studied under four conditions: alcohol alone, marijuana alone, alcohol and marijuana in combination, and no active treatment. Mood and performance assessments were made during acute intoxication and twice the following day (morning and mid-afternoon). Acutely, each drug alone produced moderate levels of subjective intoxication and some degree of behavioral impairment. The drug combination produced the greatest level of impairment on most tasks and "strong" overall subjective ratings. There were few significant interactions between the two drugs, indicating that their effects tended to be additive. Only weak evidence was obtained for subjective or behavioral effects the day after active drug treatments, although consistent time-of-day effects (morning versus afternoon) were observed on several subjective and behavioral measures. In sum, this study provided little evidence that moderate doses of alcohol and marijuana, consumed either alone or in combination, produce behavioral or subjective impairment the following day.
Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorder Symptoms in College Students.

Abstract Objective: This study investigated the occurrence of obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders (OCSDs) and associated symptomology in college students. Participants: Participants included 358 undergraduate students. Results: Results suggest that clinically significant levels of OCSD symptoms are relatively common. Additionally, OCSD symptoms co-occurred with each other and anxiety symptoms in general, yet not significantly with impulsivity symptoms. Conclusions: Given their prevalence in college students and potentially debilitating nature, it is important to increase awareness of OCSDs so that health professionals can better identify and treat symptoms of these disorders.
Response of four potato cultivars to rate and timing of nitrogen fertilizer

The release of three new potato (Solarium tuberosum L.) cultivars, Bannock Russet, Gem Russet, and Summit Russet, with unique plant growth characteristics, necessitates the development of appropriate N fertilizer recommendations. These three new cultivars, along with the standard cultivar, Russet Burbank, were treated with four N rates (0, 100, 200, and 300 kg N ha−1) using two different application timing procedures (“early,” with two-thirds N applied preplant, and “late,” with one-third applied preplant). Measurements included total and U.S. No. 1 yields, petiole NO3-N concentrations, and net returns derived from economic analysis using a processing-based contract. Each of the four cultivars showed a unique response to N application treatments. Bannock Russet achieved maximum yield and net returns with relatively small amounts of N fertilizer. It also showed no response to N application timing and had moderate NO3-N sufficiency concentrations early in the season, that decreased markedly late in the season. Gem Russet N requirement for maximum yield was similar to that of Russet Burbank, but required a higher amount of N for maximum net returns. Gem Russet also showed no response to application timing and had NO3-N sufficiency concentrations similar to or slightly higher than those of Russet Burbank. Summit Russet showed a strong trend for improved N use-efficiency when most of the N was applied early. On the other hand, analysis of net returns revealed a trend for greater profitability for Summit Russet when the majority of N was applied during tuber bulking. Petiole NO3-N sufficiency concentrations for Summit Russet were generally higher than those for the other three cultivars. In comparison with some earlier studies with Russet Burbank, this research suggested lower optimal N rates and petiole NO3-N sufficiency concentrations.
The Cost of Certainty in Natural Resource Damage Assessment Under the Oil Pollution Act of 19901

ABSTRACT Pursuant to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90), natural resource trustees are empowered to seek recovery for damages to natural resources caused by discharges of oil and/or certain threats of discharges of oil. To determine the proper amount of damages, trustees undertake the process of “scaling,” which is an attempt to calculate the size of restoration actions that would be required to expedite recovery of injured natural resources to baseline and compensate the public for interim lost resources and services. Trustees utilize various scaling methods, including service-to-service methods, such as habitat equivalency analysis, and value-to-value methods, such as hedonic price models and contingent valuation. Regardless of the method chosen, however, the scaling is directly dependent on the level of injury caused by a spill. Disputes between trustees and those parties designated as responsible for the spill (responsible parties or RPs) often occur in determining the level of injury. In many cas...
In vivo inhibition of ß‐glucuronidase of mouse small intestinal contents by poly(vinylbenzyl D‐glucaro‐1,4‐lactonate)

Abstract A variety of methodological approaches were employed to asses the capacity of poly(vlnylbenzyl D‐glucaro‐1,4‐lactonate) to Inhibit Intestinal and liver s‐glucuronidase activity in male B6C3F1 mice. These approaches revealed that when the polymer‐Inhibitor was mixed Into normal food. Into gelatin, or Into peanut butter the food became Impalatable to the mice. Also, gavage techniques using corn oil as the vehicle produced an Inadequate suspension which affected ease, effeclency, and accuracy of treatment. Another approach used emulphor as the vehicle for orally administering the polymer‐inhibitor complex. Preliminary findings revealed that orally administered polymer‐inhibitor complex significantly (P<0.005) Inhibited s‐glucuronidase activity in the intestinal contents in a dose‐dependent manner. Other experiments indicated that liver s‐glucuronidase was not affected by treatment, thereby suggesting that it was not absorbed in sufficient quantities to affect liver enzyme activity.
A Combination of Heliosat-1 and Heliosat-2 Methods for Deriving Solar Radiation from Satellite Images☆

Abstract Solar radiation estimation from geostationary satellite images is accepted by the international scientific community, especially where no previous ground radiometric measurements are available. The most accepted methodology is Heliosat. In this work, a combination of the existing methods Heliosat-1 and Heliosat-2 has been implemented for this purpose, and the obtained results are presented. To analyze the results provided by the implemented methodology a validation against measurements has been made. Firstly, solar Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) has been estimated from satellite images using data of the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite corresponding to the period from 2009 to 2011. Secondly, measurements recorded during the same period of time at the Cener station which belongs to the Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) have been obtained. Both estimated and measured data have been integrated into hourly values for the validation process. The obtained values for Cener BSRN station are a MBE of 2% and a RMSE of 113 W/m2, which are smaller than the recommended values for hourly GHI data (MBE smaller than 5% and RMSE smaller than 160 W/m2). During the months of summer the errors in terms of W/m 2 are bigger than during the months of winter. However, since the irradiance is higher during the months of summer, the errors are smaller in terms of % during the months of summer. Although the methodology can be applied to locations where no ground measurements are available, it is preferable to analyze locations with available measured data.
An introduction to logistic regression with an application to the analysis of language recovery following a stroke

The aim of a statistical model is to present a simplified representation of the underlying structure in a data set by separating systematic features from random variation. Sometimes the purpose of a statistical model is to provide a simple descriptive summary of the data and sometimes it is to use the data for comparative or inferential purposes. In practice, the specification of a statistical model requires a thorough understanding of the substantive area of application, an assessment of the validity of the assumptions of the model, and an evaluation of the fit of the model to the data. In this paper, as an illustration of these aspects of the statistical modeling of data, we consider the specification, application, and interpretation of a logistic regression model for the investigation of relationships between binary response data and a collection of explanatory variables. We illustrate applications of the methodology using data from a prospective study of spontaneous language recovery following a stroke (Holland, Greenhouse, Fromm, & Swindell, 1989).
Coordinated Gene Expression of Neuroinflammatory and Cell Signaling Markers in Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex during Human Brain Development and Aging

Background Age changes in expression of inflammatory, synaptic, and neurotrophic genes are not well characterized during human brain development and senescence. Knowing these changes may elucidate structural, metabolic, and functional brain processes over the lifespan, as well vulnerability to neurodevelopmental or neurodegenerative diseases. Hypothesis Expression levels of inflammatory, synaptic, and neurotrophic genes in the human brain are coordinated over the lifespan and underlie changes in phenotypic networks or cascades. Methods We used a large-scale microarray dataset from human prefrontal cortex, BrainCloud, to quantify age changes over the lifespan, divided into Development (0 to 21 years, 87 brains) and Aging (22 to 78 years, 144 brains) intervals, in transcription levels of 39 genes. Results Gene expression levels followed different trajectories over the lifespan. Many changes were intercorrelated within three similar groups or clusters of genes during both Development and Aging, despite different roles of the gene products in the two intervals. During Development, changes were related to reported neuronal loss, dendritic growth and pruning, and microglial events; TLR4, IL1R1, NFKB1, MOBP, PLA2G4A, and PTGS2 expression increased in the first years of life, while expression of synaptic genes GAP43 and DBN1 decreased, before reaching plateaus. During Aging, expression was upregulated for potentially pro-inflammatory genes such as NFKB1, TRAF6, TLR4, IL1R1, TSPO, and GFAP, but downregulated for neurotrophic and synaptic integrity genes such as BDNF, NGF, PDGFA, SYN, and DBN1. Conclusions Coordinated changes in gene transcription cascades underlie changes in synaptic, neurotrophic, and inflammatory phenotypic networks during brain Development and Aging. Early postnatal expression changes relate to neuronal, glial, and myelin growth and synaptic pruning events, while late Aging is associated with pro-inflammatory and synaptic loss changes. Thus, comparable transcriptional regulatory networks that operate throughout the lifespan underlie different phenotypic processes during Aging compared to Development.
Radio Emissions Observed by Galileo near Io

The Galileo spacecraft observed spin modulation of radio wave emissions near Io in the frequency range from about 600 kHz to about 1.2 MHz. Assuming transverse EM radiation, we have used the modulation of the high-frequency sweep-frequency receiver signals of the electric dipole antenna over many spins to estimate the plane through the source. The emission has a range of frequencies close to the local upper hybrid frequency of the plasma near Io. We conclude that the emission may be associated with either the plasma torus or magnetic flux tubes in the wake of Io (the Alfven current system). We postulate this emission may be associated with a free-energy source such as density gradients, energetic plasma beams and/or an electron distribution with a temperature anisotropy. All of these free-energy sources are observed or expected in the torus near Io. The observations are the first in the hectometric frequency range that have a source associated with Io or in the Io torus.
Concerning the upper stratospheric gravity wave and mesospheric cloud relationship over Sondrestrom, Greenland

Abstract Recent research has shown experimental evidence that upper stratospheric gravity waves observed over Sondrestrom, Greenland (67°N, 310°E) portray a relationship with overlaying mesospheric clouds. It is the purpose of this paper to update the data from these studies with additional observations and reinvestigate the recently proposed hypothesis that suggests an anti-correlation between upper stratospheric gravity wave activity and mesospheric cloud strength. Data collected with the molecular/aerosol lidar at the ARCtic LIdar TEchnology (ARCLITE) facility in Sondrestrom have provided a total of 37 mesospheric cloud and upper stratospheric gravity wave observations from 1995–2001 that lend additional support to this hypothesis. We find a −0.44 linear correlation between the upper stratospheric gravity wave activity and the observed mesospheric cloud brightness within the 95% confidence interval. Even after considering geophysical variability due to observational limits, the linear correlation between the two fields is still −0.35 and also within a 95% confidence interval. These results suggest that there is indeed a statistically significant negative correlation between the upper stratospheric gravity wave activity and the mesospheric clouds. We then present two case studies from July 2001 that indicate that the upper stratospheric gravity wave activity leads the corresponding onset of mesospheric cloud activity with a time lag of ∼1– 4 h . Five additional data sets from 2001, which are not included here, are consistent with these lag values. The results support recent arguments for upper stratospheric gravity wave activity being related to mesospheric cloud characteristics (1) through the associated vertical group velocity propagation, (2) through a phase delay of the gravity wave field, or (3) through a spurious relationship with other gravity waves generated from a related source spectrum. In an effort to show causality, a scenario is proposed that relates the two phenomena and explains the physical nature of the mesospheric cloud–stratospheric gravity wave relationship.
The effect of β-adrenergic blockers on the prognostic value of peak exercise oxygen uptake in patients with heart failure

Abstract Objectives Our aim was to determine the effect of β-adrenergic blockade on the prognostic value of peak oxygen consumption testing in patients with heart failure. Background Peak oxygen consumption has been shown to be a useful prognostic tool in patients with heart failure. However, studies demonstrating the utility of peak oxygen consumption were conducted before β-blocker therapy became widespread. Thus, our objective was to determine the effect of β-blockers on the prognostic value of peak oxygen consumption in patients with heart failure. Methods Actuarial, anthropomorphic, hemodynamic and exercise ventilatory data were collected from 369 patients with heart failure. Death and orthotopic heart transplants were the events tracked. Patients were divided into those taking β-blockers and those not taking them. Event-free survival days were calculated. Results One hundred ninety-nine patients on β-blockers and 170 not on β-blockers were studied. There were 40 orthotopic heart transplants and 82 deaths during follow-up. Peak oxygen consumption (milliliters per kilogram per minute) trended toward being an independent predictor of event-free survival (p = 0.055). In patients on and not on β-blockers, a peak oxygen consumption of >14 ml/kg·min was associated with a 1-year event rate of approximately half of that associated with a peak oxygen consumption ≤14 ml/kg·min. However, for every level of peak oxygen consumption, the event rate was lower in the group taking β-blockers. Conclusions β-blocker status does not change the predictive power of peak oxygen consumption in patients with heart failure, but β-blocker status is important to consider when using peak oxygen consumption to predict event-free survival in patients with heart failure.
RING 21 CHROMOSOME: LOCALIZATION OF THE BREAKPOINTS WITHIN A 2 KB DNA FRAGMENT

In order to understand the mechanism of chromosomal breakage at the DNA level, we recently studied a patient with a de novo ring 21 chromosome. His karyotype was described as 45, XY, -21/46, XY, r(21) (p13q22). Thus, he is monosomic for the sub band 21q22.3 in every cell and trisomic for the remainder of chromosome 21 in at least 70% of his cells. Using five single copy DNA fragments randomly isolated from chromosome 21 as probes, we have found the following: (i) Four of DNA fragments mapped to the trisomic portion of chromosome 21. (ii) Using DNA polymorphisms associated with these fragments, we determined that the ring chromosome had originated from the mother. (iii) One DNA fragment (pPW231C) mapped at the break-points of the r(21). This latter conclusion was based on the fact that abnormal fragments were present in Southern blots of DNA derived from the proband's leukocytes and fibroblasts and absent from parental DNA. Using several restriction digests we were able to localize the breakpoints to within a 2.1 Kb EcoRI DNA genomic fragment. Nucleotide sequencing of both the normal and the rearranged DNA will provide important information concerning the DNA sequences involved in the rearrangement leading to formation of the ring 21 chromosome.
Cerebral arterial air embolism treated by a vertical head-down maneuver.

A case of cerebral arterial air embolism (CAAE) occurring from inadvertent injection of air during aortic root angiography is presented. Prompt treatment by suspending the patient briefly in a vertical head-down position beside the catheterization table appeared to be life-saving and resulted in complete neurological recovery. This approach may offer the first immediate therapy for CAAE. Cathet. Cardiovasc. Intervent. 49:185–187, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Decreased threshold of aggregation to low-dose epinephrine is evidence of platelet hyperaggregability in patients with thrombosis

Sticky platelet syndrome has been described as a hereditary thrombophilic condition. The aim of this study is to identify the presence of platelet hyperaggregability in patients who have experienced thrombosis. Light-transmittance platelet aggregometry was used to assess for spontaneous platelet aggregation, aggregation in response to full and low-dose (LD) epinephrine (Epi) and adenosine diphosphate, as well as arachidonic acid, and identify a distinct pattern of platelet hyperaggregability. Light-transmittance platelet aggregometry results were correlated with PFA-100® (Dade-Behring, Marburg, Germany) results, when available. An exaggerated response to LD Epi was found in 68% of patients with thrombosis compared to only 36% of healthy controls (P=0.034). Patients with thrombosis, either arterial or venous, demonstrated an exaggerated response to LD Epi nearly twice as frequently as healthy controls, even without significant family history of thrombophilia or other known risk factors for thrombosis. This suggests that platelet hyperaggregability may be multifactorial in nature and not necessarily hereditary.
Gender differences in self-reported moral reasoning: A review and new evidence

Sixty-four undergraduates wrote responses to the question, "When faced with a moral dilemma, what issues or concerns influence your decision?" The responses were coded according to one or more of 13 themes by independent raters blind to the subjects' gender. Six of the themes were identified as "feminine" themes and seven as "masculine" themes on the basis of previous work by Gilligan ([1982],In a Different Voice, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts), Kohlberg ([1976], "Moral Stages and Moralization: The Cognitive-Developmental Approach," in Lickona, T. [ed.],Moral Development and Behavior: Theory, Research, and social Issues, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York), and others. Only one association between gender and the presence of any given theme reached statistical significance: Thus, there is little evidence to support the idea that men and women differ in their reports of how they think about moral dilemmas. For all subjects, the average proportion of possible feminine themes in a response was higher than the proportion of possible masculine themes. This finding supports the idea than an exclusive focus on themes such as rights and responsibilities will fail to capture many of the considerations all subjects regard as most important.
Trees through specified vertices

We prove a conjecture of Horak that can be thought of as an extension of classical results including Dirac's theorem on the existence of Hamiltonian cycles. Namely, we prove for [email protected][email protected]?n-2 if G is a connected graph with [email protected]?V(G) such that d"G(v)>=k for all [email protected]?A, then there exists a subtree T of G such that V(T)@?A and d"T(v)@[email protected][email protected]? for all [email protected]?A.
It's Déjà Vu All Over Again: The Intelligent Design Movement's Recycling of Creationist Strategies

The intelligent design (ID) creationist movement is now a quarter of a century old. ID proponents at the Discovery Institute, headquartered in Seattle, WA, USA, insist that ID is not creationism. However, it is the direct descendant of the creation science movement that began in the 1960s and continued until the definitive ruling against creationism by the US Supreme Court in Edwards v. Aguillard1987, which struck down laws that required balancing the teaching of evolution with creationism in public schools. Already anticipating in the early 1980s that Arkansas and Louisiana “balanced treatment” laws would be declared unconstitutional, a group of creationists led by Charles Thaxton began laying the groundwork for what is now the ID movement. After Edwards, Thaxton and his associates promoted ID aggressively until it, too, was declared unconstitutional by a federal judge in Kitzmiller et al. v. Dover Area School District 2005. Subsequently, in 2008, the Discovery Institute began its multistate promotion of model “academic freedom” legislation that bears striking parallels to the 1980s balanced treatment laws. Because of Kitzmiller, ID proponents have written their model legislation in code language in an effort to avoid another court challenge. Yet despite attempting to evade the legal constraints imposed by Edwards, they are merely recycling earlier creationist tactics that date back to the late 1970s and early 1980s. The tactics that ID creationists now use—promoting legislation, publishing “educational” materials, establishing a “research” institute, and sanitizing their terminology—are the recycled tactics of their creation science predecessors.
Spatiotemporal Patterns of Production Can Be Used to Detect State Change Across an Arid Landscape

Methods to detect and quantify shifts in the state of ecosystems are increasingly important as global change drivers push more systems toward thresholds of change. Temporal relationships between precipitation and aboveground net primary production (ANPP) have been studied extensively in arid and semiarid ecosystems, but rarely has spatial variation in these relationships been investigated at a landscape scale, and rarely has such information been viewed as a resource for mapping the distribution of different ecological states. We examined the broad-scale effects of a shift from grassland to shrubland states on spatiotemporal patterns of remotely sensed ANPP proxies in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. We found that the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), when averaged across an eight-year period, did not vary significantly between these states, despite changes in ecosystem attributes likely to influence water availability to plants. In contrast, temporal relationships between precipitation and time-integrated NDVI (NDVI-I) modeled on a per-pixel basis were sensitive to spatial variation in shrub canopy cover, a key attribute differentiating ecological states in the region. The slope of the relationship between annual NDVI-I and 2-year cumulative precipitation was negatively related to, and accounted for 71% of variation in, shrub canopy cover estimated at validation sites using high spatial resolution satellite imagery. These results suggest that remote sensing studies of temporal precipitation–NDVI relationships may be useful for deriving shrub canopy cover estimates in the region, as well as for mapping other ecological state changes characterized by shifts in long-term ANPP, plant functional type dominance, or both.
Occupy Wall Street as “American Spring”?

As an academic, I often worry that my life has become distant from the original passion for social justice that led me to my position at a university in the first place. The spring of 2011 was my f...
Noise-Induced Reduction of Inner-Ear Microphonic Response: Dependence on Body Temperature

The rate of reduction of chinchilla cochlear microphonic response with exposure to steady noise is less at lower body temperatures and greater at higher body temperatures. Before exposure to noise, this auditory response is invariant within the range of temperatures employed. The mechanism of reduction of cochlear response appears to involve processes sensitive to body temperature.
Destabilizing LiBH4 with a Metal (M = Mg, Al, Ti, V, Cr, or Sc) or Metal Hydride (MH2 = MgH2, TiH2, or CaH2)

We experimentally investigate several hydrogen storage reactions based on thermodynamic destabilization of LiBH4. The destabilized mixtures include nine M(H2)−LiBH4 compositions, where M(H2) = Al, Mg, Ti, Sc, V, Cr, MgH2, CaH2, or TiH2, which were selected on the basis of favorable thermodynamics predicted by recent first-principles computational study (Siegel, D. J.; Wolverton, C.; Ozoliņs, V. Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter, Mater. Phys. 2007, 76, 134102). For all compositions, our measurements reveal significant kinetic barriers for hydrogen release, evidenced by high desorption temperatures (>300 °C) and exceedingly slow hydrogen release rates. Characterization of the desorbed reaction phases indicate that less than half of the mixtures examined (M(H2) = MgH2, Mg, Al, and CaH2) follow the thermodynamically expected reaction pathway, resulting in the formation of metal boride products (MgB2, AlB2, and CaB6, respectively). Hydrogen release/uptake data for these compositions indicate that the MgH2−(LiBH4)2...
Fast template placement for reconfigurable computing systems

This article presents fast online placement methods for dynamically reconfigurable systems, as well as offline 3D placement algorithms for statically reconfigurable architectures.
Collective Effects in the Optical Properties of Cs above the Plasma Frequency

Optical and dielectric constants of Cs have been obtained above the plasma frequency by measuring reflectance as a function of angle at a Cs-substrate interface. We find a strong, broad peak centered at 5 eV in the conductivity $\ensuremath{\sigma}$. The peak is attributed primarily to plasmon-assisted transitions, though direct transitions may contribute to the overall absorption in this energy region.
The distribution of alterations in energy metabolism in the rat brain produced by apomorphine

The effects of the putative dopaminergic agonist, apomorphine (0.15–5 mg/kg, i.v.), on glucose utilization in 43 anatomically discrete regions of the rat brain have been examined by the quantitative autoradiographic 2-deoxyglucose technique. Apomorphine failed to alter the rates of glucose utilization in 25 of these regions (for example, primary auditory areas, regions of white matter, hippocampal areas, nucleus accumbens and caudal regions of the neocortex). Dose-dependent alterations in glucose utilization were observed following apomorphine administration in a number of regions known to contain dopaminergic receptors (viz: caudate nucleus, substantia nigra, amygdala, subthalamic nucleus and anterior cingulate cortex). Moreover, dose-dependent alterations in glucose utilization were produced by apomorphine in a number of regions thought to contain few specific dopaminergic receptors (e.g., cerebellar hemisphere and vermis, lamina VI of rostral neocortical areas, and ventral nucleus of the thalamus). The distribution of alterations in glucose utilization following apomorphine administration are considered to reflect thefunctional involvement of the region in the overall response to apomorphine, and not simply the topography of dopaminergic receptor mechanisms.
The distance random variable and its applications

This article presents and discusses the so-called distance random variable D1 it's distributions and moments. α-density traces are introduced and the results of a simulation study are presented. The main assumption is that the underlying distributions are continuous.
Effect of image bit depth on target acquisition modeling

The impact of bit depth on human in the loop recognition and identification performance is of particular importance when considering trade-offs between resolution and band-width of sensor systems. This paper presents the results from two perception studies designed to measure the effects of quantization and finite bit depth on target acquisition performance. The results in this paper allow for the inclusion of limited bit depth and quantization as an additional noise term in NVESD sensor performance models.
The Confirmation of Scientific and Theistic Hypotheses

The idea that there might be empirical evidence for the existence of God has been largely discredited these days. Even among theists there are many who hold that it is not a fruitful idea and that there is no point in searching for evidence for theistic beliefs. Some who regard themselves as theists go to the extreme of denying that there is any possibility of there being empirical evidence to support a religious world-view since that view implies no factual claim, as it is essentially a commitment to a given set of values and a way of life and not to the existence of any physically real entity. Others are willing to assert that theism implies the belief in some special facts but that these are so far removed from the mundane experiences upon which physical science is based, that the latter could not possibly support such a belief. Yet others merely say that there is no need at all for confirmatory evidence of the kind employed in science since their beliefs are grounded in something much firmer and more immediate, like religious experience.
The Production of Transforming Growth Factor-β by Chick Growth Plate Chondrocytes in Short Term Monolayer Culture

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF beta) is capable of regulating the proliferation and phenotypic expression of growth plate chondrocytes in culture. Chondrocytes were isolated from the growth plates from the long bones of 3- to 5-week-old chicks. Conditioned medium was harvested from short term monolayer cultures for the assay of TGF beta production by these cells. A receptor competition assay using [125I]TGF beta was used to quantitate the amount of TGF beta in the conditioned medium. Acid-activated conditioned medium contained 5.0 +/- 0.4 ng/ml TGF beta, while conditioned medium that had not been exposed to acid had undetectable levels of the peptide by this assay. The initial cell plating density was inversely related to the amount of TGF beta produced on a per cell basis. Growth plate chondrocytes separated by countercurrent centrifugal elutriation into maturationally distinct subpopulations had different rates of TGF beta production; hypertropic chondrocytes produced significantly more TGF beta (4.5 ng/10(6) cells) than the smallest chondrocytes isolated (2.3 ng/10(6) cells). A variety of other growth mediators were tested for their ability to influence TGF beta production by chondrocytes, and it was found that only basic fibroblast growth factor could significantly influence TGF beta production, producing a 6-fold increase in TGF beta recovered in the conditioned medium. The production of TGF beta by growth plate chondrocytes implicates it as an important autocrine or paracrine regulator in the process of endochondral calcification.
Are deeply nested conditionals less readable

Abstract There is some debate over the effect of using deeply nested control structures upon programmer comprehension. In order to test the effect of deeply nested IF-THEN-ELSE statements, we split 148 computer science students of varing backgrounds into two groups. One group received a listing of a program that made excessive use of deeply nested control structures. The other group received the listing of a functionally equivalent program that did not make use of deeply nested IF-THEN-ELSEs. Both groups answered the same list of questions about the program they were assigned. The results indicate no significant difference in the average performance on the questions between the two groups.
Chirality in nonlinear optics.

The past decade has witnessed the emergence of new measurement approaches and applications for chiral thin films and materials enabled by the observations of the high sensitivity of second-order nonlinear optical measurements to chirality. In thin films, the chiral response to second harmonic generation and sum frequency generation (SFG) from a single molecular monolayer is often comparable with the achiral response. The chiral specificity also allows for symmetry-allowed SFG in isotropic chiral media, confirming predictions made ∼50 years ago. With these experimental demonstrations in hand, an important challenge is the construction of intuitive predictive models that allow the measured chiral response to be meaningfully related back to molecular and macromolecular structure. This review defines and considers three distinct mechanisms for chiral effects in uniaxially oriented assemblies: orientational chirality, intrinsic chirality, and isotropic chirality. The role of each is discussed in experimental and computational studies of bacteriorhodopsin films, binaphthol, and collagen. Collectively, these three model systems support a remarkably simple framework for quantitatively recovering the measured chiral-specific activity.