cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Molecular Tetrad Allowing Efficient Energy Storage for 1.6 s at 163 K

In a novel molecular ferrocene−zinc porphyrin−zinc porphyrin−fullerene (Fc−ZnP−ZnP−C60) tetrad, the longest lifetime of a charge-separated state ever reported in an artificial photosynthetic reaction center (1.6 s in DMF at 163 K) has been attained. This lifetime is comparable, for example, to the lifetime (∼1 s) of the bacteriochlorophyll dimer radical cation ((Bchl)2•+)−secondary quinone radical anion (QB•-) ion pair in the bacterial photosynthetic reaction centers. The present far distant radical ion pair is formed with a quantum yield of 34%. The radical ion pair Fc+−ZnP−ZnP−C60•- produced by photoinduced electron transfer was detected by means of transient absorption spectra as well as ESR spectra. Both the lifetime and the quantum yield of the final charge-separated state are improved in Fc−ZnP−ZnP−C60 relative to the corresponding ferrocene−zinc porphyrin−free base porphyrin−fullerene (Fc−ZnP−H2P−C60) tetrad.
Differentiation of oligodendrocytes cultured from developing rat brain is enhanced by exogenous GM3 ganglioside

Cultures consisting primarily of O-2A progenitor cells and immature oligodendrocytes with a few microglia and astrocytes were obtained by shaking primary cultures from neonatal rat brain after 12-14 days in vitro. Addition of 50 micrograms/ml exogenous Neu-NAc alpha 2-3Gal beta 1-4Glc beta 1-1'ceramide (GM3 ganglioside) to the cultures resulted in an increase in the number and thickness of cell processes that stained intensely for sulfatide and galactocerebroside (galC) in comparison to control cultures without added GM3. The treated cultures also contained fewer astrocytes than control cultures as revealed by immunostaining for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Cells that immunostained for both GFAP and sulfatide/galC were very rare in control cultures but were frequently seen in the GM3-treated cultures, suggesting that these may represent cells changing their direction of differentiation away from type II astrocytes toward oligodendrocytes under the influence of GM3. These effects on the developing rat oligodendrocytes were specific for GM3 ganglioside and were not produced by adding GM1, GM2, GD3, or GD1a to the cultures. Lactosyl ceramide and neuraminyl lactose were also ineffective. When control cultures were initially plated on polylysine and incubated with [14C]galactose, GD3 was the principal labeled ganglioside. However, as the control cells differentiated over time in culture without the addition of exogenous GM3 and produced increasing amounts of myelin-related components, the incorporation of [14C]galactose into endogenous GM3 increased to become the predominant labeled ganglioside by 6 days after plating. Metabolic labeling of the GM3-treated oligodendrocytes with [14C]galactose revealed increased incorporation into galC and sulfatide in comparison to control cultures, but a decreased labeling of endogenous GM3. Similarly, incorporation of an amino acid precursor into the myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) was increased by GM3 treatment, but incorporation into myelin basic protein (MBP) was not affected. Although the overall effect of added GM3 was to decrease the phosphorylation of most proteins in the oligodendrocytes, including MBP, GM3 enhanced the phosphorylation of MAG. These findings indicate that GM3 ganglioside has an important role in the differentiation of cells of the O-2A lineage toward myelin production, since differentiation is associated with increased metabolic labeling of endogenous GM3 in control cultures and is enhanced by the addition of exogenous GM3.
Simulated stand characteristics and wood product yields from Douglas-fir plantations managed for ecosystem objectives

Abstract Hundreds of thousands of hectares of Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) plantations in coastal forests in the U.S. Pacific Northwest were established over the past 40 years. Density management regimes designed to increase structural and compositional diversity in these plantations are being tested and implemented on an operational scale. These regimes are designed to promote various tree and stand characteristics, such as trees with large limbs, stands with multi-layered canopies, and dense unthinned patches. Changes in management policy associated with these types of regimes raise questions about the potential to manage for both ecosystem values and timber production. We used state-of-the-art models to simulate stand growth and wood product yields under several silvicultural prescriptions. The results indicated that timing and intensity of early thinnings are critical in determining both stand structure and wood quality. We concluded that it should be possible to manage Douglas-fir plantations to provide a high degree of structural diversity and wood products with quality similar to that grown in many industiral plantations.
How Divergent Thinking Tests Mislead Us: Are the Torrance Tests Still Relevant in the 21st Century? The Division 10 Debate

An adult observed a preschool child working assiduously on a drawing and asked, “What are you drawing?” Without looking up, the child responded, “I’m drawing the face of God.” The adult smiled and said, “But no one knows what God looks like.” The child answered, “They will in a couple minutes.” No one is really sure what creativity looks like either, but half a century ago Joy Guilford described one important piece of it—divergent production—and Guilford’s vision has shaped what many of us think creativity looks like, especially in the area of creativity assessment. The Torrance Tests are essentially divergent thinking tests based on Guilford’s model, and they are very widely used as creativity tests. Although the Torrance Tests have lost some of the edge they had quarter of a century ago, when Torrance and Presbury (1984) reported that the Torrance Tests had been used in three quarters of all recently published studies of creativity, they nonetheless remain an important force, although perhaps more in schools than in research. If they are valid measures of creativity, that’s wonderful. If they are not, it’s a huge problem. It would mean that we may think we know a lot of things—things we’ve learned from research by using a possibly invalid tool—that we don’t really know. Guilford grouped his divergent-production factors into four categories, and those four categories—fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration—were the basis of the Torrance Tests for many years. Torrance cautioned against the use of a composite score, recommending instead that the subscales be interpreted “in relation to one another” to get a picture of an individual’s skills:
Spanning maximal planar subgraphs of random graphs

We study the threshold for the existence of a spanning maximal planar subgraph in the random graph Gn, p . We show that it is very near p = 1/n⅓ We also discuss the threshold for the existence of a spanning maximal outerplanar subgraph. This is very near p = 1/n½.
The production and persistence of ΣRONO 2 in the Mexico City plume

Abstract. Alkyl and multifunctional nitrates (RONO2, ΣANs) have been observed to be a significant fraction of NOy in a number of different chemical regimes. Their formation is an important free radical chain termination step ending production of ozone and possibly affecting formation of secondary organic aerosol. ΣANs also represent a potentially large, unmeasured contribution to OH reactivity and are a major pathway for the removal of nitrogen oxides from the atmosphere. Numerous studies have investigated the role of nitrate formation from biogenic compounds and in the remote atmosphere. Less attention has been paid to the role ΣANs may play in the complex mixtures of hydrocarbons typical of urban settings. Measurements of total alkyl and multifunctional nitrates, NO2, total peroxy nitrates (ΣPNs), HNO3 and a representative suite of hydrocarbons were obtained from the NASA DC-8 aircraft during spring of 2006 in and around Mexico City and the Gulf of Mexico. ΣANs were observed to be 10–20% of NOy in the Mexico City plume and to increase in importance with increased photochemical age. We describe three conclusions: (1) Correlations of ΣANs with odd-oxygen (Ox) indicate a stronger role for ΣANs in the photochemistry of Mexico City than is expected based on currently accepted photochemical mechanisms, (2) ΣAN formation suppresses peak ozone production rates by as much as 40% in the near-field of Mexico City and (3) ΣANs play a significant role in the export of NOy from Mexico City to the Gulf Region.
Modeling and dynamic control of compliant framed wheeled modular mobile robots

Dynamic models and controllers for compliant framed wheeled modular mobile robots are studied in this paper. This is a new type of wheeled mobile robot using axle and frame modules that can provide both full suspension and enhanced steering capability without additional hardware. In this research modular kinematic and dynamic models of the modules are developed and assembled into a scalable dynamic system model such that a wide variety of configurations could be described. Dynamic control is then achieved by coordinated control of the individual wheel torques as specified by a backstepping controller scaled to the dimension of the system configuration. These results are applied to a two-axle scout case study in order to demonstrate their implementation and performance. Simulation and experimental results illustrate dynamic control of trajectory tracking while path following.
Empirical Scaling of Rotational Spectra of Strong Earthquake Ground Motion

Abstract Many empirical scaling equations have been developed for scaling Fourier spectrum amplitudes of strong earthquake accelerations and for generation of artificial strong-motion accelerograms for the translational, torsional, and rocking components of strong motion. It has also been shown that rotational components of strong motion significantly contribute to the overall response of structures; however, little progress has been made in the development and deployment of strong-motion instruments to measure rotations. This article presents a simple approximate algorithm for generating torsional and rocking Fourier spectral amplitudes from the corresponding translational motions. The method can be used to generate torsion and rocking spectra from the translational Fourier spectra of actual records. Inverse Fourier transform can be used to generate torsional and rocking time histories.
Intellectually Gifted Females and Their Perspectives of Lived Experience in the AP and IB Programs

The Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs serve as popular choices for many intellectu - ally gifted high school students. This article describes an aspect of a larger study that examined 5 intellectually gifted females' perceptions of their educational experience while enrolled in one of the programs. Using the phenomenological method of qualitative research, this study reports that the participants identified various challenges within the curriculum as part of the overall AP and IB experience. In addition, the participants believe that the teachers in these programs heavily influenced their perception of their experience in the program.
Transtheoretical model-chronic disease care for obesity in primary care: a randomized trial.

Objective: To compare health benefits achieved in a transtheoretical model-chronic disease (TM-CD) minimal intervention for obesity vs. augmented usual care (AUC). Research Method and Procedures: This was a 2-year, randomized clinical trial with overweight or obese men and women from 15 primary care sites. AUC (n = 336) included dietary and exercise advice, prescriptions, and three 24-hour dietary recalls every 6 months. TM-CD care (n = 329) included AUC elements plus “stage of change” (SOC) assessments for five target behaviors every other month, mailed SOC and target behavior—matched workbooks, and monthly telephone calls from a weight-loss advisor. Weight change was the primary outcome. Results: Repeated measures models under the missing at random assumption yielded nonsignificant adjusted differences between the AUC and TM-CD groups for weight change, waist circumference, energy intake or expenditure, blood pressure, and blood lipids. The pattern of change over time suggested that TM-CD participants were trying harder to impact target behaviors during the first 6 to 12 months of the trial but relapsed afterward. Sixty percent of trial participants maintained their baseline weights for 18 to 24 months. Discussion: A combination of mailed patient materials and monthly telephone calls based on the transtheoretical model and some elements of chronic disease care is not powerful enough, relative to AUC, to alter target behaviors among overweight primary care patients in an obesogenic environment. AUC may be sufficient to maintain weights among at-risk primary care patients.
Effect of nisoldipine on priming and activation of the human neutrophil respiratory burst.

Nisoldipine inhibits calcium (Ca++) influx in human neutrophils: Preincubation with the dihydropyridine, nisoldipine (1.5 μM) resulted in a 30% decrease in[45]Ca++ influx during formyl-methionineleucine-phenylalanine (FMLP) stimulation in primed as well as resting cells. Although the drug does not inhibit Ca++ dependent effector functions elicited by FMLP, e.g. superoxide (O2−) production, it inhibits FMLP priming, a phenomenon that is independent, of extracellular Ca++. Nisoldipine, exhibited a narrow dose response with an ED50 of ca. 1 μM and total inhibition of primedO2/− response at 1.5 μM. Nisoldipine (1.5 μM) also abolished the incremental rise of Ca++i in primed neutrophils stimulated with FMLP. The dissociation of nisoldipine inhibitory effects on cell effector function and Ca++ transport were corroborated in studies with neutrophils stimulated with influenza virus and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), stimuli which do not exhibit an extracellular Ca++-dependence in their elicited responses. Unlike in FMLP-stimulated cells, nisoldipine reduced influenza virus and PMA initiated respiratory burst, indicating that this drug has inhibitory effects on neutrophil function independent of its effect on Ca++ metabolism. Possible sites of action are postulated at phospholipase A2 or calmodulin-regulated activities. Caution is thus required in interpreting the effects of dihydropyridine on cell function, when the drug is used at micromolar concentration.
Crystal structure of a super leucine zipper, an extended two-stranded super long coiled coil.

Coiled coil is a ubiquitous structural motif in proteins, with two to seven alpha helices coiled together like the strands of a rope, and coiled coil folding and assembly is not completely understood. A GCN4 leucine zipper mutant with four mutations of K3A, D7A, Y17W, and H18N has been designed, and the crystal structure has been determined at 1.6 A resolution. The peptide monomer shows a helix trunk with short curved N- and C-termini. In the crystal, two monomers cross in 35° and form an X-shaped dimer, and each X-shaped dimer is welded into the next one through sticky hydrophobic ends, thus forming an extended two-stranded, parallel, super long coiled coil rather than a discrete, two-helix coiled coil of the wild-type GCN4 leucine zipper. Leucine residues appear at every seventh position in the super long coiled coil, suggesting that it is an extended super leucine zipper. Compared to the wild-type leucine zipper, the N-terminus of the mutant has a dramatic conformational change and the C-terminus has one more residue Glu 32 determined. The mutant X-shaped dimer has a large crossing angle of 35° instead of 18° in the wild-type dimer. The results show a novel assembly mode and oligomeric state of coiled coil, and demonstrate that mutations may affect folding and assembly of the overall coiled coil. Analysis of the formation mechanism of the super long coiled coil may help understand and design self-assembling protein fibers.
Experiences in Hardware Trojan design and implementation

We report our experiences in designing and implementing several hardware Trojans within the framework of the Embedded System Challenge competition that was held as part of the Cyber Security Awareness Week (CSAW) at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University in October 2008. Due to the globalization of the Integrated Circuit (IC) manufacturing industry, hardware Trojans constitute an increasingly probable threat to both commercial and military applications. With traditional testing methods falling short in the quest of finding hardware Trojans, several specialized detection methods have surfaced. To facilitate research in this area, a better understanding of what Hardware Trojans would look like and what impact they would incur to an IC is required. To this end, we present eight distinct attack techniques employing Register Transfer Level (RTL) hardware Trojans to compromise the security of an Alpha encryption module implemented on a Digilent BASYS Spartan-3 FPGA board. Our work, which earned second place in the aforementioned competition, demonstrates that current RTL designs are, indeed, quite vulnerable to hardware Trojan attacks.
Tuning the thermosensitive properties of hybrid collagen peptide–polymer hydrogels

A hybrid hydrogel based on collagen-mimetic peptides has been designed with tunable thermosensitive properties. By changing the number of POG repeats within the collagen peptide sequence, the thermal stability of the triple helical physical crosslinks of a peptide–polymer conjugate can be altered, thus tuning the stiffness of the hydrogel as a function of temperature. This report focuses on three different thermally responsive collagen peptide, PEG-based hydrogels and validates their use as stimuli-responsive materials.
On Mean-Field Theory of Quantum Phase Transition in Granular Superconductors

In previous work on quantum phase transition in granular superconductors, where mean-field theory was used, an assumption was made that the order parameter as a function of the mean field is a convex up function. Though this is not always the case in phase transitions, this assumption must be verified, what is done in this article.
The Inverse Problem for a Finite Rayleigh-Scattering Atmosphere

Elementary considerations are used to deduce the single-scattering albedo and the coefficient in the Lambert law of ground reflection from measurements of the polarized radiation emerging from an atmosphere of finite thickness.
Adaptive Fraunhofer diffraction particle sizing instrument using a spatial light modulator

Integration of a magnetooptic spatial light modulator into a Fraunhofer diffraction particle sizing instrument is proposed and demonstrated theoretically and experimentally. The concept gives the instrument the ability to reconfigure a detector array on-line and thereby adapt to the measurement context.
Nuclear Receptor Signaling and Cardiac Energetics

The heart has a tremendous capacity for ATP generation, allowing it to function as an efficient pump throughout the life of the organism. The adult myocardium uses either fatty acid or glucose oxidation as its main energy source. Under normal conditions, the adult heart derives most of its energy through oxidation of fatty acids in mitochondria. However, the myocardium has a remarkable ability to switch between carbohydrate and fat fuel sources so that ATP production is maintained at a constant rate in diverse physiological and dietary conditions. This fuel selection flexibility is important for normal cardiac function. Although cardiac energy conversion capacity and metabolic flux is modulated at many levels, an important mechanism of regulation occurs at the level of gene expression. The expression of genes involved in multiple energy transduction pathways is dynamically regulated in response to developmental, physiological, and pathophysiological cues. This review is focused on gene transcription pathways involved in short- and long-term regulation of myocardial energy metabolism. Much of our knowledge about cardiac metabolic regulation comes from studies focused on mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation. The genes involved in this key energy metabolic pathway are transcriptionally regulated by members of the nuclear receptor superfamily, specifically the fatty acid-activated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) and the nuclear receptor coactivator, PPARgamma coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1alpha). The dynamic regulation of the cardiac PPAR/PGC-1 complex in accordance with physiological and pathophysiological states will be described.
C-Terminal Kinesin Motor KIFC1 Participates in Acrosome Biogenesis and Vesicle Transport

We have identified a possible role for the KIFC1 motor protein in formation of the acrosome, an organelle unique to spermatogenesis. KIFC1, a C-terminal kinesin motor, first appears on membrane-bounded organelles (MBOs) in the medulla of early spermatids followed by localization to the acrosomal vesicle. KIFC1 continues to be present on the acrosome of elongating spermatids as it flattens on the spermatid nucleus; however, increasing amounts of KIFC1 are found at the caudal aspect of the spermatid head and in distal cytoplasm. The KIFC1 motor is also found in the nucleus of very immature round spermatids just prior to its appearance on the acrosome. In some cases, KIFC1 appears localized just below the nuclear membrane adjacent to the subacrosomal membrane. We demonstrate that KIFC1 is associated with importin b and colocalizes with this nuclear transport factor on curvilinear structures associated with the spermatid nuclei. These data support a model in which KIFC1, perhaps in association with nuclear factors, assists in the formation and/or elongation of the spermatid acrosome. This article represents the first demonstration of a direct association of a molecular motor with the spermatid acrosome, the formation of which is essential for fertilization. spermatid, spermatogenesis, testis
Tuberous sclerosis complex: multisystem hamartomas

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder resulting in the growth of benign tumours or hamartomas affecting any organ system. Up to 90% of patients present with seizures due to growth of benign tumours in the brain.1 Although significant morbidity is associated with cardiac, renal and pulmonary involvement, the neurological aspects and particularly seizures associated with tuberous sclerosis are extremely difficult to treat.1 The hallmark cutaneous manifestations include ash-leaf spots (figure 1 …
Genes and pathways underlying regional and cell type changes in Alzheimer's disease

Background: Transcriptional studies suggest Alzheimer’s disease (AD) involves dysfunction of many cellular pathways, including synaptic transmission, cytoskeletal dynamics, energetics, and apoptosis. Despite known progression of AD pathologies, it is unclear how such striking regional vulnerability occurs, or which genes play causative roles in disease progression. Methods: To address these issues, we performed a large-scale transcriptional analysis in the CA1 and relatively less vulnerable CA3 brain regions of individuals with advanced AD and nondemented controls. In our study, we assessed differential gene expression across region and disease status, compared our results to previous studies of similar design, and performed an unbiased co-expression analysis using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Several disease genes were identified and validated using qRT-PCR. Results: We find disease signatures consistent with several previous microarray studies, then extend these results to show a relationship between disease status and brain region. Specifically, genes showing decreased expression with AD progression tend to show enrichment in CA3 (and vice versa), suggesting transcription levels may reflect a region’s vulnerability to disease. Additionally, we find several candidate vulnerability (ABCA1, MT1H, PDK4, RHOBTB3) and protection (FAM13A1, LINGO2, UNC13C) genes based on expression patterns. Finally, we use a systems-biology approach based on WGCNA to uncover disease-relevant expression patterns for major cell types, including pathways consistent with a key role for early microglial activation in AD. Conclusions: These results paint a picture of AD as a multifaceted disease involving slight transcriptional changes in many genes between regions, coupled with a systemic immune response, gliosis, and neurodegeneration. Despite this complexity, we find that a consistent picture of gene expression in AD is emerging.
REGULATION OF CYTOPLASMIC DYNEIN FUNCTION IN VIVO BY THE DROSOPHILA GLUED COMPLEX

The Drosophila Glued gene product shares sequence homology with the p150 component of vertebrate dynactin. Dynactin is a multiprotein complex that stimulates cytoplasmic dynein-mediated vesicle motility in vitro. In this report, we present biochemical, cytological, and genetic evidence that demonstrates a functional similarity between the Drosophila Glued complex and vertebrate dynactin. We show that, similar to the vertebrate homologues in dynactin, the Glued polypeptides are components of a 20S complex. Our biochemical studies further reveal differential expression of the Glued polypeptides, all of which copurify as microtubule-associated proteins. In our analysis of the Glued polypeptides encoded by the dominant mutation, Glued, we identify a truncated polypeptide that fails to assemble into the wild-type 20S complex, but retains the ability to copurify with microtubules. The spatial and temporal distribution of the Glued complex during oogenesis is shown by immunocytochemistry methods to be identical to the pattern previously described for cytoplasmic dynein. Significantly, the pattern of Glued distribution in oogenesis is dependent on dynein function, as well as several other gene products known to be required for proper dynein localization. In genetic complementation studies, we find that certain mutations in the cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain gene Dhc64C act as dominant suppressors or enhancers of the rough eye phenotype of the dominant Glued mutation. Furthermore, we show that a mutation that was previously isolated as a suppressor of the Glued mutation is an allele of Dhc64C. Together with the observed dependency of Glued localization on dynein function, these genetic interactions demonstrate a functional association between the Drosophila dynein motor and Glued complexes.
Characteristics of Salmonella enteritidis Contamination in Eggs After Oral, Aerosol, and Intravenous Inoculation of Laying Hens

SUMMARY. Experimental infection models are useful tools for understanding how Salmonella enteritidis is deposited in eggs and for testing potential strategies to control eggborne transmission of disease to humans. Oral inoculation of laying hens is presumed to provide the closest simulation of naturally occurring infections, but alternatives such as intravenous or aerosol inoculation have sometimes been recommended as options to induce higher incidences of egg contamination. The present study compared the frequency, level, and location of S. enteritidis deposition in egg contents after experimental inoculation by three different routes. In two replicate trials, specific-pathogen-free laying hens were infected with an S. enteritidis culture mixture prepared to optimize invasive behavior. Groups of hens received either an oral dose of 109 S. enteritidis, an aerosol dose of 109 S. enteritidis, or an intravenous dose of 105–107 S. enteritidis. Oral inoculation led to the highest incidence of fecal shedding of...
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF ROAD DRAINAGE STRUCTURES BY WILDLIFE IN MARYLAND

Culverts have been installed beneath roadways for drainage or to contain existing streams; however, most of them have not been installed to facilitate the passage of wildlife. Prior studies of existing drainage structures used by wildlife have been narrow in scope, targeting a restricted number of culverts, time periods, or locales. Use of culverts by wildlife has been postulated to promote connectivity of fragmented populations and their habitats and to reduce roadkills. We monitored 265 culverts located throughout Maryland, USA, with game cameras in all seasons and in every physiographic province. Our objectives were to identify those species using culverts and their relative occurrence and to determine how culvert and land-use and land-cover (LULC) characteristics affect use. We documented culvert use by 57 wildlife species. We analyzed species affi liation with culvert and LULC variables for 12 species that occurred in ≥30 culverts. Different factors affected culvert use by these species. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginanus), in particular, used culverts that were wider, taller, and longer than unused culverts, with higher use occurring in the Piedmont physiographic province of Maryland. Our results can be used to make informed decisions on retrofi tting existing culverts or designing cost-effective underpasses that provide basic wildlife needs and promote wildlife passage across roadways.
Assessing Barriers to the Use of Fall Protection in Small Residential Construction Companies in New Jersey.

Three focus groups were conducted with residential construction workers from local New Jersey labor organizations to characterize barriers to fall protection use among residential construction contractors who work for companies with fewer than ten employees. Thirty-six residential construction workers volunteered to participate, the average age was thirty-nine years, and twenty-four (67%) were of Hispanic origin. Twelve (33%) of the participants reported having fallen from greater than 6 ft at work and twenty (56%) of the participants had known someone who has fallen from greater than 6 ft. Sixteen (44%) had not been provided with fall protection equipment by their employer and eighteen (50%) reported their current employer had not provided workplace safety training. Factors that created barriers to use of fall protection equipment such as equipment availability, employee/employer relationships, cultural differences, and company size were identified. Results from this study confirm that falls remain a concern among residential construction workers in small companies.
The O-antigen mediates differential survival of Salmonella against communities of natural predators.

Antigenically distinct members of bacterial species can be differentially distributed in the environment. Predators known to consume antigenically distinct prey with different efficiencies are also differentially distributed. Here we show that antigenically distinct, but otherwise isogenic and physiologically indistinct, strains of Salmonella enterica show differential survival in natural soil, sediment and intestinal environments, where they would face a community of predators. Decline in overall cell numbers is attenuated by factors that inhibit the action of predators, including heat and antiprotozoal and antihelminthic drugs. Moreover, the fitness of strains facing these predators – calculated by comparing survival with and without treatments attenuating predator activity – varies between environments. These results suggest that relative survival in natural environments is arbitrated by communities of natural predators whose feeding preferences, if not species composition, vary between environments. These data support the hypothesis that survival against natural predators may drive the differential distribution of bacteria among microenvironments.
Outcome And Cost Of Family Physicians’ Care — Pilot Study Of Three Diagnosis-Related Groups In Elderly Inpatients

Background: Health care analysts have speculated whether a primary-care–based delivery system would improve outcomes and costs for the currently preponderantly specialist-directed United States system. This pilot study compares outcomes and costs of family physicians’ care with those of other physicians’ care for three diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) and shows the feasibility of a larger scale research program using the Pennsylvania MedisGroups data base. Methods: A cross-sectional comparison of outcomes and costs of hospital care given by either family physicians or other physicians was conducted using patients aged 65 years and older who were hospitalized during 1990. The study population was 2420 inpatients: 847 with DRG 174 (gastrointestinal bleeding), 628 with DRG 243 (medical back pain), and 945 with DRG 296 (metabolic disorders). Patients were stratified into five admission severity groups for each DRG. Comparison variables were MedisGroups major morbidity classification, in-hospital mortality, mean length of stay, and total charges. Results: The family physician group delivered inpatient care to the elderly with gastrointestinal bleeding at significantly less cost than other physicians without any compromise of effectiveness. There was a similar but less striking trend for medical back pain. Results were variable for metabolic disorders. Conclusions: The results of this pilot study apply only to the three DRGs in the region at the time investigated. Generalizations should be avoided before additional DRGs are studied throughout the rest of the state. This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of such research.
Circulating immune complexes in the general hospital population and in patients who have renal disease. A preliminary evaluation of the platelet aggregation test for use in the hospital laboratory.

The platelet aggregation test was used to measure circulating immune complexes in patients who had glomerulonephritis and autoimmune disease, and in unselected hospitalized patients. Titers higher than those for the control group were found for groups with acute glomerulonephritis, Berger’s disease, renal transplants, lupus nephritis, and polyarteritis nodosa. Hospitalized patients had titers that were higher than normal in more than one out of five cases. This preliminary study showed that the platelet aggregation test detects immune complexes in many conditions previously reported to give positive results with other assays. The test seemed suitable for use in most hospital laboratories, since it was simple, reliable, and inexpensive. The observation of detectable circulating immune complexes in 23% of the general hospital population suggests that this phenomenon may be more common than was previously suspected.
Comparative thromboplastin activity of acetone-dehydrated rabbit and human brain.

SummaryRabbit and human brains, when dehydrated with acetone, yield a product which has a high, constant and practically equal thromboplastic activity as measured by the one-stage prothrombin time and by prothrombin consumption time using hemophilic plasma as the assay medium. Serum prepared from normal platelet-poor plasma can be substituted for hemophilic plasma. Human brain extract differs from rabbit brain in that it has a greater inhibitory effect at high concentration and is more resistant to heat.
Abstract A111: Genetic variations in five estrogen metabolizing genes and endometrial cancer risk

A111 BACKGROUND Estrogen plays a major role in endometrial carcinogenesis and the balance of estrogen metabolites has been hypothesized to be a determinant of risk. Cytochrome p450 (CYP) enzymes, CYP1A1, CYP1A2, and CYP3A4 catalyze the 2-OHE1 pathway, whereas the CYP1B1 catalyzes the 4-OHE1 pathway. The activity of these enzymes determines the proportion of metabolites and a higher proportion of the 4-OHE1 metabolites is thought to have a higher carcinogenic potential. Although several studies have examined the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of these estrogen metabolizing genes and endometrial cancer risk, results have been inconsistent and limited to putatively functional variants. METHODS We comprehensively assessed known common genetic variation in these estrogen metabolizing genes by genotyping candidate and tagging SNPs (tagSNPs) in a population-based case-control study of 417 endometrial cancer cases and 407 controls (most of whom were postmenopausal) conducted in Poland (Warsaw and Lodz) between 2001-2003. The following criteria were used to identify tagSNPs: (1) located in the respective gene or within the 5kb flanking regions, (2) with a minor allele frequency greater than or equal to 0.01 in Caucasian populations, and (3) with pairwise r2=0.90 between tagSNPs and undetermined SNPs. A total of 5 SNPs for CYP1A1, 7 for CYP1A2, 9 for CYP1A1/A2, 34 for CYP1B1, 6 for CYP3A4, and 12 for COMT were examined. Genotyping was performed using an Illumina Custom Infinium iSelect assay that included nearly 27,000 SNPs with coverage of over 1,300 candidate genes. RESULTS We did not observe significant associations for candidate variants of CYP1A1 (rs1048943 (I462V) per C allele: OR (95% CI)=0.98 (0.56-1.72); rs1799814 (T461N) per T allele: 1.75 (0.94-3.24)); CYP1A2 (rs762551 (IVS1-154C>A) per C allele:0.91(0.74-1.12)); CYP1B1 (rs1056827 (A119S) per A allele: 0.98 (0.80-1.20); rs1056836 (V432L) per C allele: 0.96 (0.79-1.18); rs1800440 (N453S) per C allele: 1.15 (0.88-1.51)); and CYP3A4 (rs2740574 (-391A>G) per C allele: 1.46 (0.84-2.54)). In addition, we did not observe any significant association with endometrial cancer risk in haplotype analyses (global p-value>0.3) or the individual tagSNPs analyses (p-trend>0.09). Meta-analysis including our study and previous reports for these SNPs did not show significant overall associations; however, there is substantial heterogeneity across studies. DISCUSSION Our findings do not provide evidence for a substantial association between common genetic variation of estrogen metabolizing genes with endometrial cancer risk. However weak associations with these genes or association with other genes in the estrogen metabolizing pathway may exist. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2008;1(7 Suppl):A111.
The Topic of the Day

This case discusses two pharmacokinetic interactions between lidocaine and cimetidine (metabolic and distribution) resulting in lidocaine toxicity.
The Politics of Commemoration

Practices of commemoration served as the first topic to attract historians’ attention. I review the theories advanced in the widely read studies by Benedict Anderson on the concept of the “imagined community” and by Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger on the notion of the “invented tradition.” These serve as a point of departure for my assessment of four leading studies on national commemorative remembrance: George Mosse on the cult of thee fallen soldier in Germany; Yael Zerubavel on places of memory in the construction of Israeli national identity; Jean-Marc Largeaud on the battle of Waterloo in its idealization in both memory and history; and Jay Winter on the wide array of practices of historical remembrance of World War I. I close with some common denominators in these studies.
Practicing Internal Strengthening: Engaging in Healthy Activities (Session 8 of the Treatment Manual)

Session 8 focuses on the practice of internal strengthening, which is defined as a person’s overall physical, mental, emotional, and inner health. The goals of internal strengthening are to develop a sense of balance, a feeling of centeredness, and a state of inner peace. Internal strengthening can be equated to what Traditional Chinese Medicine would call strengthening one’s inner Qi or energy (pronounced neiqi—內氣). Associating inner strengthening to traditional Asian concepts of energy balance and imbalance is an important cultural adaptation. It helps promote the idea of holistic well-being and inner peace, which helps bridge client beliefs and increases client buy-in to treatment. Core to inner strengthening is the ability to let things go and not to internalize stress into one’s own body or externalize harmful emotions (eg, anger and frustration) toward other people. The focus on inner strengthening helps clients understand the importance of the mind–body relationship, and highlights the benefits of engaging in healthy activities.
11 – COMPARING DEPENDENT GROUPS

This chapter describes the methods for dealing with dependent groups or variables. The paired T–Test is the most common method for comparing the means of two dependent groups. The comparison of independent groups is based on the result that the squared standard error of the difference between the sample means is just the sum of the individual squared standard errors. When the groups are dependent, it takes on a more complicated form that is inconvenient from a technical point of view. The usual method for dealing with this technical problem is to use the differences between the pairs of observation to make inferences about the means. In T-Test, if the observations in the first group have the same distribution as the observations in the second group, in particular they have equal means and variances, then Type I error probabilities substantially higher than the nominal level can generally be avoided. The reason is that for this special case, the differences scores have a symmetric distribution, in which case methods based on means perform reasonably well in terms of avoiding Type I error probabilities substantially higher than the nominal level.
First Results of a Phase 2 Trial of Once-Weekly Hypofractionated Breast Irradiation (WHBI) for Early-Stage Breast Cancer.

Purpose To report early outcome analysis of a prospective institutional phase 2 trial of weekly hypofractionated breast irradiation (WHBI) for patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery (BCS). Methods and Materials Patients who underwent BCS for American Joint Committee on Cancer stage 0, I, or II breast cancer with negative surgical margins received whole-breast radiation therapy to 30 or 28.5 Gy in 5 weekly fractions with or without an additional boost. The eligibility criteria were the same as for NSABP (National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project) B39/RTOG (Radiation Therapy Oncology Group) 0413, and there were no restrictions on age, breast size, tumor grade, receptor status, or the use of cytotoxic chemotherapy for otherwise eligible patients. The primary endpoint was ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence. Patients were also evaluated for acute toxicity (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 3.0), cosmesis (Harvard Scale), development of distant metastatic disease, and overall survival. Results Between January 2011 and October 2015, 158 eligible patients underwent WHBI immediately following BCS. The median age was 60 years (range, 30-84 years), and the median follow-up period was 3 years. Ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence developed in a total of 2 patients (1.3%), 1 in conjunction with widespread metastatic disease. Distant metastatic disease developed in 4 patients (2.5%), and the 3-year disease-free survival and overall survival rates were 97.5% and 96.2%, respectively. The most common grade 1 or 2 acute toxicities were breast pain, radiation dermatitis, and fatigue. There were 2 grade 3 events (1.3%): pain requiring narcotic analgesics (1) and posttreatment infection requiring hospitalization (1). The rate of excellent or good cosmesis versus fair or poor cosmesis was 82.3% versus 17.7%. The rate of significant cosmetic change from baseline to last follow-up (dropping from excellent or good to fair or poor) was 11.6%. Conclusions Early outcomes after WHBI are favorable and parallel those seen with daily hypofractionated whole-breast irradiation. With broader entry criteria than all previous reports of WHBI, this study will facilitate comparison to the results of NSABP B39/RTOG 0413. With continued follow-up, future reports will assess cosmetic stability and disease-specific outcomes.
Statistics Is Easy! Second Edition

Statistics is the activity of inferring results about a population given a sample. Historically, statistics books assume an underlying distribution to the data (typically, the normal distribution) and derive results under that assumption. Unfortunately, in real life, one cannot normally be sure of the underlying distribution. For that reason, this book presents a distribution-independent approach to statistics based on a simple computational counting idea called resampling. This book explains the basic concepts of resampling, then system atically presents the standard statistical measures along with programs (in the language Python) to calculate them using resampling, and finally illustrates the use of the measures and programs in a case study. The text uses junior high school algebra and many examples to explain the concepts. Th e ideal reader has mastered at least elementary mathematics, likes to think procedurally, and is comfortable with computers. Table of Contents: The Basic Idea / Pragmatic Considerations when Using Resampling / Terminology / The Essential Stats / Case Study: New Mexico's 2004 Presidential Ballots / References / Bias Corrected Confidence Intervals / Appendix B
Fast and accurate USB2.0 high speed buffer transmit tuning flow

This paper presents an efficient and accurate method flow in USB2.0 high speed buffer tuning. The paper seeks to tackle the issue of lengthy development (pre- & post-silicon design) cycle on determining correct and optimized Analogue Front-End (AFE) buffer register settings for the extensive variation of topologies and wide electrical loss profile channels of USB2.0. A current process flow typically goes through multiple simulation and measurement iterations on the best available settings to pass the eye diagram across the many silicon process, voltage, temperature and impedance corners. The proposed tuning flow can be implemented in an automated algorithm which focuses on examining additional points and electrical parameters in both the 1st & 2nd half of the eye in order to finalize the most optimized settings according to the margins with buffer strength. Of note, this flow maintains a robust accuracy and flexibility where buffer strength are correlated, and algorithms are tested in pre-silicon as well as post-silicon. Ultimately, this translates into an efficient high speed eye diagram tuning capability and enabling a significant saving in time and effort spent on pre-silicon analysis, post-silicon measurement and a shorter design cycle, while maintaining USB2.0 electrical specification compliance in increasingly complex and variant channel solutions.
On the Stress Field of a Nonlinear Elastic Solid Torus with a Toroidal Inclusion

In this paper we analyze the stress field of a solid torus made of an incompressible isotropic solid with a toroidal inclusion that is concentric with the solid torus and has a uniform distribution of pure dilatational finite eigenstrains. We use a perturbation analysis and calculate the residual stresses to the first order in the thinness ratio (the ratio of the radius of the generating circle and the overall radius of the solid torus). In particular, we show that the stress field inside the inclusion is not uniform. This is in contrast with the corresponding results for infinitely-long and finite circular cylindrical bars and spherical balls with cylindrical and spherical inclusions, respectively. We also show that for a solid torus of any size made of an incompressible linear elastic solid with an inclusion with uniform (infinitesimal) pure dilatational eigenstrains the stress inside the inclusion is not uniform.