cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Homocysteine Is Associated With Future Venous Thromboembolism in 2 Prospective Cohorts of Women.

Objective Case-control studies have identified plasma homocysteine as a risk marker for venous thromboembolism (VTE). Prospective data, particularly among women, are sparse. We examined whether plasma homocysteine associates with incident VTE in 2 large prospective cohorts of women. Approach and Results: In the WHS (Women's Health Study), a prospective cohort study of 27 555 women ≥45 years old and free of cardiovascular disease and VTE, we assessed baseline homocysteine concentration along with other thrombotic biomarkers for association with future VTE (n=743), pulmonary embolism (n=363), and deep vein thrombosis (n=545). We used a second cohort of 2672 women (n=102 VTE events) in the WAFACS (Women's Antioxidant and Folic Acid Cardiovascular Study) to corroborate our findings. In age-adjusted analyses, elevated homocysteine, hsCRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein), fibrinogen, and sICAM-1 (soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1) were associated with incident VTE (P for extreme quartile comparisons and P-trend Conclusions Higher plasma homocysteine levels associate with VTE events in 2 cohorts of middle-aged and older women. Among VTE subtypes, homocysteine was associated with unprovoked, but not provoked, events. These data suggest a plausible biological role for homocysteine in the development of VTE. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT00000479, NCT00000541.
Abstract 873: Identification of key immune-related genes in the pathogenesis of metastatic melanoma via bioinformatic approaches

Melanoma is one of the most aggressive forms of cancer with a meager 5-year survival rate of 25%, for metastatic melanoma. These necessitates new efforts to fully understand the pathogenesis of melanoma metastasis and identify new targets. In recent years, researchers have been taking advantage of TCGA and other publicly available databases to perform high-throughput data-mining aimed at identifying mechanisms and potential biomarkers of progression of different cancers, including melanoma. Although a limited number of bioinformatics studies have attempted to predict the genes that may be involved in the pathogenesis of metastatic melanoma, these are yet to be rigorously validated by other computational methodologies or databases. The purpose of this study was to identify key genes in the pathogenesis of metastatic melanoma by a comprehensive analysis of TCGA and other available databases. We first downloaded 470 TCGA melanoma patient9s data, including clinical information and mRNA expression. Employing survival analysis within a multiple comparison correction of FDR =1). By taking the intersection, we narrowed down to 236 genes that i) have significant effects on patient OS and ii) differentially expressed between primary and metastatic melanoma. To study the functionalities of these 236 genes, we performed Gene Ontology (GO) analysis with FDR Citation Format: Shengqin Su, Gagan Chhabra, Ting Ye, Nihal Ahmad. Identification of key immune-related genes in the pathogenesis of metastatic melanoma via bioinformatic approaches [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 873.
Agencies of the present: landscape-making and the herders of lower Mustang, Nepal

Within the vast temporal and spatial footprints of the rangelands of Nepal’s lower Mustang district, herder landscape-making practice and agency unfold. Herders in Mustang today are at the forefron...
HUMORAL ANTIBODY FORMATION IN INFANTS AGED ONE TO THREE MONTHS INJECTED WITH A TRIPLE (DIPHTHERIA-TETANUS-PERTUSSIS) ALUM-PRECIPITATED ANTIGEN

Immunization of infants, 1 to 3 months of age, with an alum-precipitated antigen containing diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and Hemophilus pertussis organisms resulted in satisfactory humoral antibody levels against diphtheria and tetanus. Ninety-seven per cent of the subjects tested revealed more than the generally accepted level of protection against diphtheria and 94% showed a similar result against tetanus. In regard to pertussis, only a few of the immunized infants developed agglutinative titers of 1:320 or higher. However, analysis of the titers in terms of the expected number of cases of pertussis, if subjected to family exposure, indicates that probably 75% of the infants were protected. When tested six months after the completion of the original series of injections, each of 29 infants gave positive skin reactions to the injection of agglutinogen.
Design of resilient processing plants—III: A general framework for the assessment of dynamic resilience

Abstract With increased process integration it has become very important to evaluate and compare the dynamic operability characteristics (dynamic resilence) of alternate designs. Based on recent results in multivariable frequency response theory a new framework is developed for this purpose. It is shown that dynamic resilence is determined by characteristics inherent in the system and that it is independent of the imposed controller structure and type. This gives the new method considerable intuitive appeal and allows it to avoid the lengthy optimization procedures which are typical for the previously published techniques.
Constructing Craig Interpolation Formulas

A Craig interpolant of two inconsistent theories is a formula which is true in one and false in the other. This paper gives an efficient method for constructing a Craig interpolant from a refutation proof which involves binary resolution, paramodulation, and factoring. This method can solve the machine learning problem of discovering a first order concept from given examples. It can also be used to find sentences which distinguish pairs of nonisomorphic finite structures.
Zinc excretion in young women on low zinc intakes and oral contraceptive agents.

Zinc requirements of young women were assessed by the factorial method and whether use of oral contraceptive agents (OCAs) alters zinc endogenous losses was determined. Subjects were 10 18-26 year old women in a 35-day study. Half of the women had used a combination OCA for at least 6 months (positive OCA); the other 5 had not used an OCA for at least 6 months (negative OCA). Dietary treatment provided acceptable intakes of all nutrients except zinc iron and copper. Zinc intake averaged only .17 mg/day. By Day 36 of the test serum zinc had declined in all subjects. The mean decline was significantly greater in the positive OCA group (p less than or equal to .005) dropping nearly 40 mcg/dl or 47% of the initial value. In the negative OCA group values dropped only 21% of the initial value. Fecal zinc losses declined about 40% between Days 8-34. Urinary zinc declined about 83% in the positive OCA group and about 62% in the negative OCA group. The amount of zinc lost in sweat was greater than that excreted in the urine and feces. A 16-fold difference in dermal zinc loss was noted between the luteal and menstrual phases in the negative OCA group. These changes were due to the composition of the sweat. To replace total losses 5-8 mg of zinc/day should be adequate. The 1974 RDA allowance of 15 mg provides a wide margin of safety. Women who use OCAs do not have a different dietary requirement of zinc even though utilization of the element may be altered. Data from this study indicate that accessible zinc stores in humans are relatively small since the serum zinc levels dropped markedly after only 35 days of dietary inadequacy.
Designing Teacher Professional Development Workshops for Robotics Integration across Elementary and Secondary School Curriculum

This paper describes the design of a professional development workshop on integrating robotics at the elementary and secondary school curriculum. The workshop was designed to support STEM education through teacher education at the university and post-university level. Moreover, the workshop leveraged the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and an interdisciplinary approach to engage teachers with robotics. The workshop's design and implementation highlights the affordances of an interdisciplinary approach for attracting a greater diversity of teachers across all content areas to provide students with educational robotics activities.
Stock market seasonality

Abstract This study examines empirically stock market seasonality in major industrialized countries. Evidence is provided that there are strong seasonalities in the stock market return distributions in most of the capital markets around the world. The seasonality, when it exists, appears to be caused by the disproportionately large January returns in most countries and April returns in the U.K. With the exception of australia, these months also coincide with the turn of the tax year.
The Role of the Committee on the Rights of the Child in Interpreting and Developing Humanitarian Law

The interaction between human rights law and international humanitarian law (IHL) has received a great deal of scholarly attention. Commentators note the increased presence of IHL in the work of human rights bodies. There remains an interesting gap in the debate, however: while human rights bodies may be referencing international humanitarian law, what are they doing with it? To what extent are they interpreting its protections under a human rights framework? Are they performing substantive or precedential analysis of IHL? This article addresses one measure of that gap by comprehensively examining the work of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) as it relates to the interpretation of international humanitarian law. This article finds that the CRC has incorporated the corpus of IHL into the Children's Convention and argues that it has an important role to play in interpreting international humanitarian law. The Children's Convention is the only core international human rights treaty that discusses humanitarian law explicitly and has an interpretive body to monitor its implementation. As a result, the CRC is the only human rights treaty body with a substantial existing humanitarian law jurisprudence. Further, the CRC considers reports from States under the Optional Protocol on Children in Armed Conflict, which recalls in its preamble the obligation of States parties “to abide by the provisions of international humanitarian law.” These features suggest that the CRC has unique institutional potential to interpret humanitarian law. Yet while the CRC offers analysis of IHL, its analysis is implicit. It is possible, by assembling various pronouncements in the Concluding Observations, to find examples of States parties’ obligations under IHL as they relate to respect for and protection of children. Nonetheless, the Committee’s structure and mandate prevent it from performing fact-specific and potentially precedential analysis. Still, we argue that the Committee may be able to modify slightly the format of its Concluding Observations in order to provide more explicit links from IHL to the Convention. Moreover, through its consistent pronouncements as to certain mandatory protections for children in situations of armed conflict, the Committee may be developing and solidifying norms of customary international humanitarian law.
Blackmailing using undeniable signatures

With blackmailing we mean a situation where after a signature has been verified, the conviction of its correctness can be either kept to the verifier or, at his sole discretion, be shared with some predetermined set of cooperating co-verifiers. We show how a weakness in the protocol for undeniable signatures allows blackmailing of a signer of a undeniable signature, or several verifiers simultaneously to verify several signatures. Also, we discuss how multiple verifiers can be convinced about the correctness of a signature in similar protocols, like Designated Confirmer Signatures, although no blackmailing attack is found for here.
Are block grants the answer to the federal role in education

Abstract Recently the federal government consolidated many of its categorical grants in education into block grants which states and local educational agencies can allocate according to their own priorities. While this approach may simplify grant administration and please state and local educational authorities because of their expanded discretionary powers, it ignores the central questions on the types of federal grants that should he provided in education. In order to answer those questions one must identify the national interest in education and the role that different grant forms play in addressing those interests. Only then can one identify the appropriate place of block grants in federal educational policy.
Interferometric method to characterize thermal elongation of near-field optics probes

This paper presents a new method that exploits the interference and polarization properties of light to monitor, in real time, the rapid thermal elongation of near-field optical probes. The typically flat (nanometer in size) morphology of the probe apex serves as one mirror of a Fabry-Perot type cavity; a flat semitransparent metal coated surface constitutes the other mirror. The optical-interferometry set-up permits distance acquisition with a high frequency bandwidth (compared to other methods based on electronic feedback) while control of the light polarization allows an increase of the signal to noise ratio of the measurements.
Average Saving Effects in Enumerative Methods for Solving Knapsack Problems

When we try to solve a binary knapsack problem maximize c1x1 + · · · + cnxnsubject to a1x1 + · · · + anxn ? b, xi ? {0, l}; ai, ci ? R+ exactly, then it is possible to ignore all vectors x = (x1, . . . , xn) with a pair (i, j) such that xi = 0 cj, because such packages are suboptimal. The paper gives a probabilistic analysis of the remaining effort for an enumerative solution when we exploit that rule. The corresponding stochastic model is based on a parameter ?, which tells the likelihood of the appearance of such a pair (i, j).
Patterns of cognitive and emotional empathy in frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

Objective:To examine the relationship between empathy and cognition in frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD).Background:Theoretical models suggest empathy has multiple cognitive and affective subcomponents, and recent studies suggest that performance on specific cognitive tests may predict empath
Epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulation of ATP citrate lyase activity in isolated rat hepatocytes is age dependent

1. The effect of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on ATP citrate lyase activity was determined in freshly isolated hepatocytes from rats of different ages as a function of incubation time, EGF concentration and hepatocyte density. 2. The activity of this enzyme was responsive to both dose and time of incubation of EGF with a two-fold increase in ATP citrate lyase activity and a half-maximal effect between 10(-12) and 10(-11) M. 3. EGF effects were detectable by 5 min. 4. The age of the rats had a strong effect on the magnitude of the EGF effect with ATP citrate lyase activity in younger (8 weeks) rats being more responsive than in older (14 weeks) rats.
Predicting criminal recidivism: A comparison of neural network models with statistical methods

This article applies neural network and conventional statistical models to predicting criminal recidivism. While having promising properties for predicting recidivism, the network models do not exhibit any advantage over the other methods in an application on a well-known data set. Analysis suggests that currently available prediction variables have limited information content for discriminating recidivists, regardless of the models or methods used.
Surface functionalization of a microfluidic biosensor for bacteria detection and identification

Rapid identification and detection of bacteria is an important issue in environmental and food science. We have developed an impedance-based method to simultaneously identify and detect bacteria in a derivatized microfluidic chamber with monoclonal antibodies. The presence of bacteria in the solution can be selectively recognized and fixed on the chamber wall and detected via impedance change in real time. The optimum reaction time between antibody and bacteria has been estimated using a simple model and evaluated experimentally. Various concentrations of cultured E. coli cells ranging from 105 to 108 CFU/ml were tested using the biosensor. By taking the advantage of a microfluidic system, the bacteria can be concentrated and accumulated on the chamber wall by continuously perfusing the chamber with bacterial suspension, therefore, enhancing the detection limit of the sensor. Using this approach, the biosensor was able to detect 106 CFU/ml E. coli (BL21(DE3)) via five consecutive perfusions. The selectivity of the sensor is demonstrated by testing the antibody reaction for two bacteria stains, E. coli and M. catarrhalis. By derivatizing the chamber walls with specific antibodies, we can clearly identify the bacteria that are specific to the antibodies in the detection chamber. The simplicity of the technique also makes the device portable and ideal for clinical and field applications.
ISO standards for software user documentation

During the past five years, a working group of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has produced the first-ever international standards for software user documentation. Four of these standards are directed at various audiences involved in producing user documentation (documentation designers and developers, managers, testers and reviewers, and acquirers and suppliers), while the fifth addresses the unique challenges of producing documentation in an agile software development environment. These standards have also been adopted by the IEEE Standards Association. This workshop will briefly describe the process used to develop the five standards and provide an overview of their content. Then it will examine in detail how managers can use these standards to ensure the quality of documentation their organizations produce and advance respect for documentation within the larger organization.
Role of G12 proteins in oncogenesis and metastasis.

The G12 subfamily of heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding proteins consists of two α subunits, Gα12 and Gα13. These proteins mediate signalling via G protein-coupled receptors and have been implicated in various physiological and pathophysiological processes. A number of direct and indirect effectors of Gα12 and Gα13 have been identified that mediate, or have been proposed to mediate, the diverse cellular responses accompanying activation of G12 proteins. This review describes the signalling pathways and cellular events stimulated by G12 proteins, with a particular emphasis on processes that are important in regulating cell migration and invasion, and could potentially be involved in the pathophysiology of cancer metastasis. Experimental findings directly implicating G12 proteins in the spread of metastatic disease are also summarized, indicating the importance of targeted inhibition of G12 signalling as a potential therapeutic option for locally advanced and metastatic disease.
Serum neutralizing activity against Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans leukotoxin in juvenile periodontitis.

Abstract A relatively high incidence of infection by Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans can be shown in subgingival plaque samples obtained from patients with juvenile periodontitis. These organisms possess a potent leukotoxin(s) which rapidly destroys isolated human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) and monocytes. If such leukotoxins operate in vivo, they could deprive the gingival crevice area of an essential antibacterial defense mechanism. We have found that sera from juvenile periodontitis patients consistently (>90%) contain antibodies which neutralize Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans leukotoxin(s). On the other hand, sera from normal individuals or patients with other types of periodontal disease usually amplified rather than inhibited the leukotoxic reaction. Many patients with juvenile periodontitis have demonstrable defects in PMN or monocyte chemotaxis and this may place them at risk to gingival infection by Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. The immune response against these organisms could be a crucial determinant in the course of juvenile periodontitis. While this disease is relatively rare, it does cause immeasurable emotional, physical and economic hardship for patients and their families. The identification of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans as a potential pathogen in this disorder may eventually lead to specific forms of therapy to prevent and eliminate infection by this organism in these patients.
Determination of the local effect of impurities on the charge-density-wave phase in TaS2 by scanning tunneling microscopy.

Scanning tunneling microscopy has been used to investigate the effects of titanium impurities on the charge-density-wave (CDW) phase in $1T\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Ta}{\mathrm{S}}_{2}$. The average CDW wavelength has been directly measured and found to increase with increasing titanium concentration. However, the local CDW structure distorts significantly in response to the random lattice potential associated with the distorted titanium sites.
The effects of ischemia on myocardial vascular flow and permeability

The effects of brief periods of ischemia on vascular space size, vascular permeability to albumin, tissue water and extracellular space size, and vascular resistance were studied in the perfused isolated rabbit interventricular septum. Vascular space size increased 264% over control after 30 min ischemia and 52% after 60 min ischemia, but vascular resistance increased. Total tissue water did not change after ischemia and extracellular space size did not increase after 30 min ischemia and decreased slightly after 60 min ischemia. These results demonstrate that the initial increase in vascular resistance after ischemia is not initiated by interstitial edema or cellular edema. These events appear to be later phenomena. The initiating cause of the increased vascular resistance appears to be a combination of increased vascular tone and conversion of a portion of vascular flow from low resistance large vessel flow to higher resistance small vessel flow (capillary recruitment).
Children With Alopecia Areata: Psychiatric Symptomatology and Life Events

ABSTRACT Objectives To examine the nature of psychopathology of children with alopecia areata (AA) and to investigate the frequency and quality of life events in the year before AA developed in comparison with a control group. Method Thirty-three subjects with AA, mean age 10.5 ± 0.3 years, were compared with 30 controls who visited a pediatrician for a mild condition. In addition, 16 preschool children with AA were compared with 17 preschool children who visited the pediatrician for a mild condition. The following measures were used: Child Psychiatric Interview, Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), Children's Manifest Anxiety-Scale (CMAS), Life Events Scale for Children, and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Results On the CBCL, children with AA had more psychological problems, in total, than controls, and in particular, they were more anxious or depressed, withdrawn, aggressive, and delinquent. They also had more somatic problems as well as problems in social relations and in attention. Girls with AA seem to have been affected more in dimensions of total problems, anxiety/depression, and internalizing/externalizing syndromes. In terms of anxiety (CMAS), more children with AA than controls seemed to worry and to have difficulties in concentration and physiological symptoms of anxiety. In the Child Psychiatric Interview, all children with AA exhibited symptomatology of anxiety or depression or both, usually of a mild or moderate nature. Major depression was not detected through the CDI. Fewer children with AA had positive life events the year before AA than controls in a similar time period. Conclusions Compared with controls, children with AA had more psychiatric symptoms in general and symptoms of anxiety or depression, or both, in particular. There is also evidence that lack of positive life events in the prealopecia period played a role in their lives. Psychiatric assessment, and if necessary treatment, is warranted for all children with this condition. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 1997, 36(5):678–684.
On the spectral geometry of spaces with cone-like singularities

I describe an extension of a portion of the theory of the Laplace operator on compact riemannian manifolds to certain spaces with singularities. Although this approach can be extended to include quite general spaces, this paper will confine itself to the case of manifolds with cone-like singularities. These singularities are geometrically the simplest possible, but they already serve to illustrate new phenomena that are typical of the more general situation. Moreover, by inductive arguments, the study of simplicial complexes whose simplices have constant curvature and totally geodesic faces (e.g., p.l. manifolds) can in large measure be reduced to the study of cone-like singularities.
Attractive surface force in the presence of dissolved gas: a molecular approach.

Despite widespread evidence of the influence of dissolved air on hydrophobic interaction, the mechanisms of observed effects are still unknown. Although some experiments indicate that adsorbed gase...
Host-derived intracellular immunization against mouse hepatitis virus infection

Abstract Mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) utilizes the murine biliary glycoprotein receptor (BgpA) for entry into susceptible cells. The Bgp1 a gene was transfected into a murine DBT cell clone that expressed little if any BgpA receptor and resisted wild-type MHV infection. Clones which expressed low levels of receptor were efficient hosts for MHV-A59 replication. Clones which expressed 20- to 69-fold more BgpA receptor than controls were also susceptible to MHV-A59 infection, yet few infectious progeny virions were released. Pretreatment of clones with monoclonal antibody CC1, which binds to the N-terminus of BgpA, blocked MHV-A59 replication in DBT clones that expressed wild-type levels of receptor protein. In the overexpressing cell clones, however, CC1 pretreatment reversed the BgpA overexpression blockade and increased virus titers by 3–4 logs. BgpA overexpression inhibited the formation of infectious extracellular and intracellular virions, but levels of virus transcription were equivalent to those of controls. Ultrastructural studies revealed normal cell cytopathology in both the MHV-A59-infected controls and the overexpressing cell clones. Although equivalent numbers of virions were released compared with the control, peplomer spike glycoproteins were rarely evident in virions derived from the BgpA-overexpressing cell clones. Consonant with these findings, purified virions from BgpA-overexpressing cell clones demonstrated a 70% reduction in the amount of S glycoprotein, but not of N or M proteins. These data suggest that BgpA receptor overexpression establishes an intracellular trap which blocks MHV replication during the maturation and release of infectious progeny virions.
Thermal buckling of uniformly heated unidirectional and symmetric cross-ply laminated fiber-reinforced composite uniaxial in-plane restrained simply supported rectangular plates

Geometrically perfect plates that are restrained from in-plane expansion when slowly and uniformly heated generally develop compressive stresses and then buckle at a specific temperature. The equivalent mechanical loading concept is used to straightforwardly develop solutions to several fundamental thermal buckling problems involving simple laminated plate configurations and the most simple heating environment, namely uniform heating throughout the plate volume. The analysis is restricted to linear elastic stress-strain behavior and constant orthotropic lamina material properties at a specific temperature. Results are obtained for unidirectional and symmetric cross-ply laminated fiber-reinforced composite rectangular plates that are uniaxially restrained in their plane on two of the four edges, but have no edge rotational restraint on any edge. Those boundary conditions constitute two of the four possible types of simply supported edges that differ only in their in-plane conditions. The results are presented in the form of buckling temperature change from the stress-free temperature (at which no stress is generated against the restraint) versus plate aspect ratio curves festooned for different buckling mode shapes for all laminates. Anomalous examples include unidirectionally laminated plates that actually buckle upon cooling instead of heating and cross-ply laminated plates that do not buckle irrespective of whether they are heated or cooled. Those examples are of interest because of their intriguing possible design applications.
Small mammal microhabitat use on young loblolly pine regeneration areas

Abstract Loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.) regeneration or establishment impacts a large area over the southern US but few studies have examined the microhabitat relationship of small mammals on young pine stands. We collected over 1600 small mammals on natural and artificial loblolly pine regeneration areas. Twenty-five habitat variables describing cover, forage, and structure were measured or derived at each trap station. We used discriminant function analysis (DFA) to construct microhabitat utilization models for the six most abundant small mammal species common to young loblolly pine regeneration areas including the southern short-tailed shrew ( Blarina carolinensis ), golden mouse ( Ochrotomys nuttalli ), white-footed mouse ( Peromyscus leucopus ), cotton mouse ( P. gossypinus ), harvest mouse ( Reithrodontomys humulis ), and cotton rat ( Sigmodon hispidus ). We compared vegetation characteristics at stations where each species was captured versus stations where it was not captured. Models of species microhabitat associations helped explain observed differences in species succession and abundance. Coarse woody debris (i.e. logs and stumps) was found to be an important microhabitat component for O. nuttalli . Logs and stumps were important to P. gossypinus , P. leucopus and S. hispidus . Shrew capture stations had a significantly taller canopy and significantly greater biomass of vines than did non-shrew captures sites. Golden mouse capture stations had significantly longer logs, shorter distance to nearest log, and lower herbaceous profile diversity. Distance to nearest tree was significantly greater while tree height and vine cover were significantly lower at white-footed mouse capture stations. Cotton mouse microhabitat variables describing woody biomass were greater and stump size, tree height and distance to logs were significantly lower at capture stations. Harvest mice capture stations were characterized as having significantly lower tree height than non-capture stations. Cotton rat microhabitat was characterized by twelve variables but cotton rats were collected almost exclusively on the youngest stands with the greatest grass and herbaceous structure. Numerous variables play an important role in determining habitat quality for the array of small mammal species commonly found in early successional pine habitats in the southeast. Microhabitat models help to explain some of the patterns of species occurrence and succession. While the methods used in this study do not necessarily demonstrate preferred habitat, our results allow identification of areas of use.
Genomic profiling of atypical meningiomas associates gain of 1q with poor clinical outcome

Atypical meningiomas exhibit heterogeneous clinical outcomes. It is unclear which atypical meningiomas require aggressive multimodality treatment with surgery and radiation therapy versus surgery alone to prevent recurrence. Detailed molecular-genetic characterization of these neoplasms is necessary to understand their pathogenesis and identify clinically relevant genetic markers. Oligonucleotide array comparative genomic hybridization was used to identify frequent genetic alterations in 47 primary atypical meningiomas resected at Massachusetts General Hospital between August 1987 and September 2006. Eighty-five percent of samples exhibited loss of 22q, including the neurofibromatosis type 2 gene. The second most frequent regions of loss were confined to the short arm of chromosome 1, particularly 1p33-p36.2 (70%) and 1p13.2 (64%). Other frequent regions of loss, detected in more than 50% of samples, included 14q, 10q, 8q, 7p, 21q, 19, 9q34, and 4p16. Frequent regions of gain were detected along 1q (59%), 17q (44%), 9q34 (30%), and 7q36 (26%). Univariate marker-by-marker analysis of all frequently identified copy number alterations showed potential correlation between gain of 1q and shorter progression-free survival. Given the heterogeneous treatment outcomes of atypical meningioma, investigation of large-scale and focal genomic alterations in multi-institutional efforts may help clarify molecular-genetic signatures of clinical use.
A Combinatorial Logarithmic Approximation Algorithm for the Directed Telephone Broadcast Problem

Consider a synchronous network of processors, modeled by directed or undirected graph $G = (V,E)$, in which in each round every processor is allowed to choose one of its neighbors and to send a message to this neighbor. Given a processor $s \in V$ and a subset $T \subseteq V$ of processors, the telephone multicast problem requires computing the shortest schedule (in terms of the number of rounds) that delivers a message from $s$ to all the processors of $T$. The particular case $T = V$ is called the telephone broadcast problem. These problems have multiple applications in distributed computing. Several approximation algorithms with polylogarithmic ratio, including one with logarithmic ratio, for the undirected variants of these problems are known. However, all these algorithms involve solving large linear programs. Devising a polylogarithmic approximation algorithm for the directed variants of these problems is an open problem, posed by Ravi in [Proceedings of the 35th Annual IEEE Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science, (FOCS '94), 1994, pp. 202-213]. We devise a combinatorial logarithmic approximation algorithm for these problems that applies also for the directed broadcast problem. Our algorithm has significantly smaller running time and seems to reveal more information about the combinatorial structure of the solution than the previous algorithms that are based on linear programming. We also improve the lower bounds on the approximation threshold of these problems. Both problems are known to be 3/2-inapproximable. For the undirected (resp., directed) broadcast problem we show that it is NP-hard (resp., impossible unless $NP \subseteq DTIME(n^{O(\log n)})$) to approximate it within a ratio of $3 - \epsilon$ for any $\epsilon > 0$ (resp., $\Omega(\sqrt{\log n})$).
Stability of heterogeneous particles at fluid interfaces in composite slurries

Fabrication of particulate reinforced metal matrix composites (MMC) using casting techniques such as stir-casting and gas-injection involves incorporation of reinforcement in the melt and creation of melt-particle suspension, followed by solidification of the suspension. In this note the stability of spherical particles with smooth but chemically heterogeneous surfaces attached to a curved fluid interface is analyzed from the basic capillary considerations in the absence of buoyancy, gravitational and hydrodynamic forces. While the exclusion of body forces and the geometrical idealizations of a stripwise surface heterogeneity are restrictive assumptions from the processing standpoint, they allow an assessment to be made of the role of capillarity in the case of real heterogeneous solids. For small bubbles and fine particles generally used in particulate reinforced metal matrix composites, capillary effects dominate over gravitational and buoyancy forces. Another simplification produced in the analysis is the assumption of negligible hysteresis of contact angles due to heterogeneous nature of the surface. The hysteresis of contact angle would result in the advancing angle being associated with the regions of high [Eta] values and the receding angle being associated with region of low [Eta] values. This results in a discontinuous jump in the wetting perimeter across the boundarymore » between dissimilar regions. Such effects are ignored in the present treatment. The results of the analysis have been discussed with reference to two composite systems of practical interest.« less
Western Pennsylvania-West Virginia Chapter of ACRL Commemorates Its History

At its spring 2013 conference, the Western Pennsylvania-West Virginia Chapter of the Association of College and Research Libraries (WPWVC ACRL) celebrated its 60 th anniversary. The organization will also commemorate its 25 th anniversary this year.
Effects of age, species difference, antibiotics and toxicants on intestinal enzyme activity and genotoxicity

Altered intestinal enzyme activity significantly affects the biotransformation and toxicity of many xenobiotics. This article summarizes research, supported by the U.S. Air Force Bioenvironmental Hazards Research Program, that employs a novel gas-liquid chromatographic assay to investigate the effects of age, species difference, antibiotics, and environmental chemicals on enzyme activity in various regions of the intestinal tract. Significant research findings include the following: (a) age-dependent alterations in enzyme activity in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of the developing animal that suggest a changing susceptibility to toxicants during this period; (b) discovery of previously unreported mucosal enzymes in the small intestine that are present in germ-free rats and are not susceptible to antibiotics; (c) markedly greater intestinal nitroreductase activity and significantly higher bioactivation of the procarcinogen 2,6-dinitrotoluene (DNT) in CD-1 mice than in Fischer 344 rats; (d) significantly altered intestinal enzyme activity in rats pretreated with lindane, pentachlorophenol, 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), or Aroclor 1254; (e) potentiated DNT genotoxicity by Aroclor 1254 and pentachlorophenol pretreatment; and (f) a transient antagonism of DNT genotoxicity by 2,4,5-T pretreatment. Enzyme activity in the small intestine may have greater toxicological importance than previously thought in the biotransformation of environmental chemicals and as an indicator of change in the microbial flora.
An exploratory analysis of soft skill competencies needed for the hospitality industry.

The identification of competencies needed by hospitality managers has been investigated since the 1980s. In all of the competency research related to management, essential competencies include skills that can be classified as soft skills. The purpose of this project was to have human resource professionals rate the importance of soft skill competencies found in literature and to determine the relative importance of the seven categories of soft skill competencies. The study combined new data with existing data to complete an exploratory factor analysis. This exploratory study found a five-component tool that had similarities to other models found in the literature review but also had unique differences to the prior research.
TH-C-T-617-02: Effect of Range Modulation On Neutron Dose Equivalent Exposures Around a Passive Scattering Proton Therapy Treatment Nozzle

Purpose: The purpose of our study was to examine the influence of range modulation on the neutron dose equivalent exposures outside the treatment volume around a large-field passively scattered proton therapy treatment nozzle. Method and Materials: In this study, the neutron dose equivalent spectra per proton (H(E/p)) and total neutron dose equivalent per therapeutic absorbed dose (H/D) were calculated using Monte Carlo simulations of the neutron fluence and the energy dependent neutron fluence-to-dose equivalent conversion factor for NCRP 38. (H(E)/p) and H/D were calculated at 54 locations around a passively scattered proton therapy treatment nozzle for varying amounts of range modulation. Results: As the step thickness of the range modulator wheel increased from 1.0 to 12.0 cm, the peak values of H(E)/p increased from 1⋅10−17 to 2⋅10−17 mSv/Gy at 50 cm from isocenter along the beam's central axis. In general, H/D increased with increasing range modulation at all locations studied, and the maximum H/D exposures shifted upstream of isocenter and away from the end of the nozzle. Conclusion: Several important findings can be summarized from the presented work. First, with increasing thickness of the RMW step, the high-energy peak in the H(E)/p spectra shifted to higher energies. Second, at 90° with respect to the proton beam axis, the high-energy peak occurs at substantially lower neutron energies. Also, the H/D values around the treatment nozzle increased as the modulation of the beam increased. Finally, the H/D values change significantly with distance from isocenter and angle with respect to the incident beam axis, due in part to the effects of the nozzle components on the neutron fluence downstream of the end of the nozzle.
The surgeon's role in breast cancer: changing concepts.

The magnitude of the breast cancer problem is presented along with changing therapeutic concepts, the surgeon's role in breast cancer therapy, and therapeutic options including the evaluation studies by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast Project. The importance of selective surgery and the criteria utilized for choosing the appropriate procedure, as well as the currently most popular surgical procedure and the major selective surgical approaches are discussed. A moderate selective surgical approach is presented along with a discussion about the possible implementation of lesser surgical procedures. The results in 1,147 patients with potentially curable breast cancers (Stage 0, 1 and 2), followed for ten or more years, 82.9% of which were treated by less than a radical procedure, with the most popular procedure being a modified radical mastectomy, are presented. The ten year absolute, no evidence of disease survival rate for the entire group of patients was 64.8%, and for the 1,062 patients with only invasive cancers it was 62.1%. The local recurrence rate for the entire group was 7.3%, with an axillary recurrence rate of 0.7%. Only 2.1% of the patients were skin grafted. 7.3% unsuspected cancers were found in a series of 561 random biopsies of the other breast, and 19.7% unsuspected cancers were found in 127 prophylactic contralateral mastectomies in patients who were in the high risk group for developing cancer in the remaining breast. The better cosmetic and functional result obtained with lesser surgical procedures is emphasized along with the discussion regarding reconstructive surgery. Finally, the results are compared to those obtained with other types of surgical approaches and with primary radiotherapy.
The effects of heat addition to one-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic flow—ii. oblique field

Abstract The transients due to uniform heat addition to the steady sub-true-sonic, one-dimensional flow of an ideal, inviscid, perfectly conducting compressible fluid, subjected to an oblique magnetic field with two nonzero components, are determined by the use of a linearization based on small heat addition. Both the slow and fast wave cases are studied. Although the solution obtained ceases to be valid in the neighborhood of true-sonic flow, and this difficulty is due to the inadequacies of the linearization which approximates the characteristics of the base flow by parallel families of lines, a solution valid for all flow speeds may be obtained by making a more detailed examination of the negative characteristics. The solutions obtained include, as special limiting cases, the solutions for the corresponding problems in conventional gas dynamics and when the applied field is transverse.
Room-temperature solid-state quantum processors in diamond

We are developing solid-state quantum repeaters for long-distance, secure quantum communication networks. These repeaters will combine long-range quantum entanglement, produced by optical measurements, with local few-qubit quantum processing and storage nodes. So far we have demonstrated all the key elements of the local quantum processors using nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond. These include multi-qubit entanglement, long storage times, and robustness against multiple re-initialization steps. Significantly, all these local operations were demonstrated at room temperature. Finally, we estimate that single shot readout should be achievable with optical plasmon wire coupling which would open the door to room-temperature few-qubit quantum computers.
An Evaluation of the Archaeological Relevance of Weak-Acid Extraction ICP: White Mountain Redware as a Case Study

A weak-acid extraction technique for inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy (ICP) was recently advocated as an inexpensive, highly precise method of chemical characterization of archaeological ceramics. We critically evaluate this approach on the basis of a large sample of Southwestern ceramics which were analysed both by weak-acid extraction ICP and neutron activation analysis. The comparison of the two data sets shows significant compositional discrepancies that lead to widely divergent archaeological interpretations.
Genetics of an esterase in Aedes aegypti.

Zymograms of single individuals of Aedes aegypti were obtained by means of starch gel electrophoresis, using alpha-naphthyl acetate as substrate. Inbred lines gave consistently homogeneous patterns; earlier results from random-breeding laboratory strains had shown considerable variability. Six distinct bands were observed. The furthest moving band, designated Esterase 6, showed differential migration in two inbred lines. Reciprocal crosses between these lines gave F1 progeny showing both bands. Backcrosses of F1 to either parental line gave a 1:1 segregation. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the two forms of Esterase 6 are controlled by a single pair of codominant alleles at a single gene locus (Est 6a and Est 6b). Linkage tests with marker genes have demonstrated that Est 6 is on linkage group 2, with the following alignment: spot-abdomen (9.0±1.0) yellow-larva (17.4±1.3) Est 6. Crosses with another inbred line demonstrated a third band with intermediate mobility, designated Est 6c. An additional electrophoretic variant which seems to have a simple Mendelian basis was found in esterase band 1.
Role of Calcium-Sensitive K+ Channels and Nitric Oxide in In Vivo Coronary Vasodilation From Enhanced Perfusion Pulsatility

Background—In vitro studies support K+Ca channel–induced smooth muscle hyperpolarization as underlying acetylcholine-mediated (or bradykinin-mediated) vasodilation that persists despite combined nitric oxide (NO) and PGI2 inhibition. We tested the hypothesis that these channels are activated by enhanced pulsatile perfusion in vivo and contribute substantially to vasodilation from this stimulus. Methods and Results—The canine left descending coronary artery was perfused with whole blood at constant mean pressure, and physiological flow pulsatility was set at 40 or 100 mm Hg by computer servo-pump. Cyclooxygenase was inhibited by indomethacin. Mean flow increased +18±2% (P<0.0001) with enhanced pulsatility. This response declined ≈50% by blocking NO synthase (L-NMMA) or K+Ca [charybdotoxin (CbTX)+apamin (AP)]. Combining both inhibitors virtually eliminated the flow rise. Inhibiting either or both pathways minimally altered basal coronary flow, whereas agonist-stimulated flow was blocked. Bradykinin-induced ...