cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
GENERAL PURPOSE MICROCOMPUTERS IN LABORATORY AUTOMATION

The general purpose microcomputer data system described was developed as a cost-effective means to bring the power of machine intelligence to a wide variety of one-of-a-kind chemical instruments and their researcher/operator. The salient design features include extreme low cost, modularity, optimized I/0 structure for real time experimental control and data acquisition, economical large random access memory implementation, flexible video display generation for operator interaction and data presentation, hardware program bootstrap, compatibility with a host computer support system, as well as provisions for local mass storage and hard copy generation. Application to some specific instruments and its use as a stand-alone instructional unit are described.
Genetic variation patterns of American chestnut populations at EST-SSRs

The objective of this study is to analyze patterns of genetic variation at genic expressed sequence tag – simple sequence repeats (EST-SSRs) and at chloroplast DNA markers in populations of America...
Trends in Machinery Cost and Wages Paid to Farm Labor

The cost of machinery and wages paid to hired labor are two of the most important costs entering into agricultural production. During the past ten years, prices of farm machinery and farm wages both have been relatively high in comparison to prices of most other commodities used in production and also high in comparison with prices received for farm products. Figure I shows the comparison of the index numbers of farm ma-
Abstract 194: Increased Monocyte Adhesion and Infiltrative Activity Inhibits Arteriovenous Fistula Maturation for Hemodialysis Access in Patients With End-stage Renal Disease

Introduction Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) require hemodialysis access and arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are the preferred method for hemodialysis access. However, 60% of surgically constructed AVFs do not functionally mature and 80% of the reported AVF failures are caused by stenosis at the venous outflow of the fistula. Stenosis is commonly associated with deregulated inflammatory mechanisms and prolonged systemic inflammation is proposed to upregulate monocyte activity within the vessel, affecting vascular remodeling. Hypothesis We hypothesize that excessive monocyte interaction with the vessel endothelium from systemic inflammation attenuates AVF maturation and prevents appropriate vascular remodeling. The purpose of this study is to compare monocyte activity through adhesion molecule expression, adhesion to endothelium, and transendothelial migration in patients with a matured AVF versus patients with a failed AVF. Methods Peripheral blood was collected from control subjects (n=4) and ESRD patients with failed (n=4) and matured (n=8) AVFs. Endothelial cell adhesion, transendothelial migration, and permeability assays were assessed under static conditions. Flow cytometry was used to determine the presence of monocyte adhesion molecules CD18, CD11a, CD11b, and CD11c. Results Monocytes from failed AVF patients exhibited greater expression of CD18 (p= 0.03) and CD11b (p= 0.03) compared to matured AVF patients. Monocytes from failed AVF patients had greater adherence to endothelium in untreated (p= 0.02) conditions compared to matured AVF patients. Monocytes from failed AVF patients had insignificantly greater transendothelial migration towards fMLP (p= 0.2) compared to matured AVF patients. Monocytes from all ESRD patients had more adhesion to endothelium compared to controls (p= 0.01). All ESRD patients had greater transmigration towards fMLP (p= 0.03) compared to controls. Conclusion In conclusion, monocytes isolated from patients with failed AVFs have greater CD18/CD11 expression, cell adhesion to the vessel endothelium, and endothelial dysfunction than those from matured AVFs.
Reconstructive Options of Abdominal Wounds in the Setting of Abdominal Wall Defects and Hernias

The abdominal wall is an integral, yet often ignored, functional unit that, while performing an important aesthetic role, is required to protect vital internal organs and allow for physical activity. Thus, the goals of abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR) are to restore these crucial functions. Understanding and appreciating the abdominal wall anatomy is critical for successful reconstruction. When surgical intervention is required, preoperative nutrition optimization and glucose control are imperative to permit desired wound healing. From a reconstructive standpoint, repair can be done via an open or closed approach. However, most defects that a plastic surgeon encounters are large, requiring an open approach, likely with mesh utilization. Numerous strategies for mesh placement are addressed in this chapter, and options for soft tissue coverage are addressed by location. Abdominal wall defects require a logical, multidisciplinary, individualized approach to permit successful reconstruction. However, with a solid foundation of anatomy and familiarity with options for soft tissue coverage, successful reconstruction can be achieved.
Photoexcited Quantum Hall Behavior in Modulation Doped GaAs/ AlGaAs Heterostructures: Parallel Conduction and Subthreshold Photoeffects

Although the modulation doping technique has been instrumental in achieving high electron mobilities [1] it is also responsible for a radiation sensitive effect known as persistent photoconductivity (PPC). [2] This effect is characterized by a light-induced conductivity enhancement that persists for long times (in some systems, > 108 sec) at low temperatures. The PPC arises from the excitation of electrons out of deep donor-related traps in the AlGaAs, known as DX centers, which suppress recapture due to a large lattice relaxation.[3] In the GaAs/AlxGa1-x As system these excited electrons are able to maintain quasiequilibrium with the two-dimensional electron gas (2-DEG) layer in the GaAs, forming a parallel conduction path in the AlxGa1-xAs.
Tragedy of the Global Commons: Soil, Water and Air

Soil and water resources, essential to the wellbeing of humanity, are severely degraded and polluted. Degradation of natural resources, caused by misuse and mismanagement, is intertwined with poverty and desperateness. Poor people do not care about stewardship, and pass on their sufferings to the land. Extractive farming is the principal cause of mining soil fertility and depleting carbon resources. There is a need for developing strong ethics for sustainable management of soil, water, and natural resources.
A system for predictable component-based software construction

Large systems are invariably built from assembled components. It is essential for such systems to have predictable behavior, if the risks of failure are too high. To enable practical and modular verification of industrial-strength systems, software practitioners need to learn to build both behavioral specifications of components and component implementations that are annotated with suitable internal assertions. Neither of these tasks can be automated, in general. However, once suitable specifications and implementations of components are given, a mechanical system (with human assistance) can check in a modular and scalable fashion if component-based software behaves as specified. To illustrate the issues, the paper presents a non-trivial component-based example. The example underscores that predictable component-based construction is challenging, and that it cannot become practical, without educating students and software developers on principles of mathematical specifications and correct, efficient implementations.
Success in Attaining Independent Funding Among National Institutes of Health K Grant Awardees in Ophthalmology: An Extended Follow-up.

Importance Understanding factors associated with attaining independent research funding by ophthalmology clinician-scientists receiving National Eye Institute career development awards (K08 or K23) in ophthalmology can be important to maintaining the pipeline of clinician-scientists. Objective To provide continued follow-up of a cohort of ophthalmology clinician-scientists who received National Institutes of Health (NIH) K career development grants. Design, Setting, and Participants Cohort study from an electronic database review of ophthalmologists who have received either a K08 or K23 career development grant from the NIH. Data were analyzed between December 30, 2015, and December 30, 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures Receipt of an NIH R01 grant. Results We previously characterized a group of more than 100 ophthalmologists who received K awards from 1996 to 2010, of whom 29 were awarded R01 grants. In follow-up of this cohort in 2017, 27 additional K awardees of this initial cohort were awarded an R01 from 2011 to 2017, leading to a total of 62 of 128 ophthalmologists receiving an R01. The mean time to receiving an R01 grant after the K award ended was 2.8 years. The data did not identify a definitive association with sex, having a PhD degree, or research tier of university in obtaining an R01 grant in this cohort. Conclusions and Relevance In comparison with our previous report of the same cohort, there was a 93% increase in the number of K awardees who have received an R01 award, with the mean time to award being nearly 3 years after completing their K grant. This suggests that most K awardees in ophthalmology are successful in obtaining R01 grants, but one should recognize this may be several years after their K grant has ended.
An Investigation of Participants' Intended and Actual Transfer of Learning Following an Outward Bound Wilderness Experience

The purpose of this study was to better understand the lessons that students intended to transfer home from an Outward Bound wilderness course and what actual learning they had used 2 years postcourse. Participants had completed an open-enrollment course during the 2009 summer at the North Carolina Outward Bound School. The primarily qualitative data were collected via a written survey at the end of their experience (n = 369) and 2 years following via an online survey (n = 30). The results indicate the experience made a positive difference in the lives of many participants at the conclusion of the course and 2 years later. The themes that emerged 2 years later included (a) increased self-confidence and self-reliance, (b) interpersonal effectiveness, and (c) mental strength. The data indicate a consistency between participants' intended and actual transfer of learning and also new learning that emerged over time.
Binge watching bears: efficacy of real vs. virtual flagship exposure

Advances in conservation psychology have demonstrated a growing public demand for connections to nature in general, and wildlife specifically. Charismatic megafauna have been used as flagship speci...
A cross-sectional evaluation of outcomes of pediatric branchial cleft cyst excision.

Abstract Objective To examine complications following pediatric branchial cleft cyst excision by surgical specialty, demographics, and comorbid conditions. Methods A retrospective review of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was performed. Pediatric cases from January 1, 2015 through May 1, 2017 with a current procedural terminology code of 42810 (excision branchial cleft cyst or vestige, confined to skin and subcutaneous tissues) or 42815 (excision branchial cleft cyst, vestige, or fistula, extending beneath subcutaneous tissues and/or into the pharynx) were included. Statistical analysis was performed to assess associations between complications and surgical specialty, demographics, and comorbidities. Results Of the 895 cases that met inclusion criteria, the median age was two years and there was an approximately equal number of males (46.8%) and females (53.2%). Forty-five patients (5.0%) experienced at least one 30-day complication, the most predominant of which was superficial surgical site infection. There was no statistically significant difference between complications and surgical specialty, complications and patient demographics, or complications and depth of excision. There was a statistically significant difference (p = 0.05) in the percentage of patients with a past medical history of developmental delay between those with at least one complication (11.1%) compared to those without any complications (4.2%). Conclusion and relevance Branchial cleft excision is a generally safe procedure across surgical specialties and patient demographics. There is an association between a history of developmental delay and 30-day postoperative complications.
PleioNet: a web-based visualization tool for exploring pleiotropy across complex traits.

SUMMARY Pleiotropy plays an important role in furthering our understanding of the shared genetic architecture of different human diseases and traits. However, exploring and visualizing pleiotropic information with currently publicly available tools is limiting and challenging. To aid researchers in constructing and digesting pleiotropic networks, we present PleioNet, a web-based visualization tool for exploring this information across human diseases and traits. This program provides an intuitive and interactive web interface that seamlessly integrates large database queries with visualizations that enable users to quickly explore complex high-dimensional pleiotropic information. PleioNet works on all modern computer and mobile web browsers, making pleiotropic information readily available to a broad range of researchers and clinicians with diverse technical backgrounds. We expect that PleioNet will be an important tool for studying the underlying pleiotropic connections among human diseases and traits. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION PleioNet is hosted on Google cloud and freely available at http://www.pleionet.com/.
Early predictors of continuous positive airway pressure failure in preterm neonates.

To develop a prediction model to identify infants admitted on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) requiring intubation within seventy-two hours of life (HOL). Infants born ≤29 weeks’ gestational age between 2013 and April 2018 were randomly assigned to either a modeling cohort (MC) or a validation cohort (VC) in a 2:1 ratio. Variables available within two HOL were compared between the CPAP failure group (CFG) and the CPAP success group (CSG). Of the 189 infants in the MC, 50% failed CPAP. Compared to CSG, infants in the CFG had lower antenatal steroid exposure, birth weight, higher radiographic severe respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2). A forward stepwise logistic regression modeling in both MC and VC showed that FiO2 >0.3 and radiographic severe RDS predicted CPAP failure. FiO2 >0.3 within two HOL and radiographic severe RDS predicts CPAP failure in preterm infants.
Adaptive Control Barrier Functions for Safety-Critical Systems.

Recent work showed that stabilizing affine control systems to desired (sets of) states while optimizing quadratic costs and observing state and control constraints can be reduced to quadratic programs (QP) by using control barrier functions (CBF) and control Lyapunov functions. In our own recent work, we defined high order CBFs (HOCBFs) to accommodating systems and constraints with arbitrary relative degrees, and a penalty method to increase the feasibility of the corresponding QPs. In this paper, we introduce adaptive CBF (AdaCBFs) that can accommodate time-varying control bounds and dynamics noise, and also address the feasibility problem. Central to our approach is the introduction of penalty functions in the definition of an AdaCBF and the definition of auxiliary dynamics for these penalty functions that are HOCBFs and are stabilized by CLFs. We demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method by applying it to a cruise control problem with different road surfaces, tires slipping, and dynamics noise.
DNA sequence data from the holotype of Marmosa elegans coquimbensis Tate, 1931 (Mammalia, Didelphidae) resolve its disputed relationships

DNA sequence data obtained from the 96 year old holotype of Marmosa elegans coquimbensisTate, 1931, support the hypothesis that this nominal taxon is a synonym or subspecies of Thylamys elegans (Waterhouse, 1839) and is not conspecific with T. pallidior (Thomas, 1902).
Leveraging prior concept learning improves ability to generalize from few examples in computational models of human object recognition

Humans quickly learn new visual concepts from sparse data, sometimes just a single example. Decades of prior work have established the hierarchical organization of the ventral visual stream as key to this ability. Computational work has shown that networks which hierarchically pool afferents across scales and positions can achieve human-like object recognition performance and predict human neural activity. Prior computational work has also reused previously acquired features to efficiently learn novel recognition tasks. These approaches, however, require magnitudes of order more examples than human learners and only reuse intermediate features at the object level or below. None has attempted to reuse extremely high-level visual features capturing entire visual concepts. We used a benchmark deep learning model of object recognition to show that leveraging prior learning at the concept level leads to vastly improved abilities to learn from few examples. These results suggest computational techniques for learning even more efficiently as well as neuroscientific experiments to better understand how the brain learns from sparse data. Most importantly, however, the model architecture provides a biologically plausible way to learn new visual concepts from a small number of examples, and makes several novel predictions regarding the neural bases of concept representations in the brain.
Novel Therapies for Renal Cell Carcinoma

The treatment of renal cell carcinoma and metastatic renal cell carcinoma has advanced greatly over the past decade. Agents such as nivolumab use the body’s immune system targeting programed death receptors to treat several cancers and have more recently been applied to renal cell carcinoma. Ipilimumab also uses the body’s immune system targeting the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4, and cabozantinib is classified as a tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting the VEGF pathway. These agents, and others, are generally tolerated better than their predecessors and are also more effective. Much current research is applying these novel therapies in different combinations or to patients with only micrometastatic disease. In the coming decade, hopefully we will see even more efficacy from these agents, potentially new agents, and biomarkers to understand which tumors will respond best to specific therapies.
Power in Skin: The Interplay of Self-Presentation, Tactical Play, and Spending in Fortnite

This paper endeavors to explain how and why self-presentation can affect in-game purchase behavior in Fortnite. As one of the most popular battle royale games in the world, Fortnite employs a free-to-play business model but enjoys a high revenue by selling skins and cosmetics. Using an online survey (N=247), Study 1 explores how Fortnite players' play patterns and three theoretical dimensions of self-presentation (identifiability, self-presence, and self-disclosure) are correlated to actual spending behavior. Study 2 is an interview study (N=11) that further investigates impacts of self-presentation on players? in-game purchase behaviors. Results indicate that higher identifiability, less self-disclosure, and playing alone were positively associated with the amount of money that players spent. In addition, self-presentation could affect in-game spending behaviors from five main aspects: a high demand for uniqueness, a desire to establish self-presence, a pursuit for aesthetics, indicating status as a gameplay strategy, and a highlight of community identity. Our findings not only provide new empirical evidence of nuanced self-presentation practices in spending behavior in online survival games but also inform future research on designing effective game mechanisms and engaging gaming experiences.
Hemodialysis access: What we know

Abstract Kidney failure continues to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. With hemodialysis (HD) as the leading modality for renal replacement in patients with kidney failure, vascular access is paramount to a patient’s survival. Through the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) clinical guidelines have been developed to decrease the morbidity associated with vascular access, improve quality of life, and increase efficiency of care for patients with kidney failure. Before 2019, these guidelines focused on early placement of native arteriovenous fistula and surveillance of vascular access for complications. The updated KDOQI guidelines released ahead of print in 2019 no longer support “fistula first” but instead focus on the “right patient, right access, right time” through the development of the end-stage kidney disease life plan. A major driver of this guideline change stems from the discrepancies found in available outcomes data for HD vascular access. No where is this more evident than when assessing the outcomes of HD vascular access in female patients with kidney failure. The purpose of this chapter is to review data in HD vascular access in women to understand and illustrate the new recommendations for vascular access from the NKF KDOQI 2019 clinical update.
PEDESTRIAN INJURIES AND THE DOWNSIZING OF CARS

The Pedestrian Injury Causation Study (PICS) is used to investigate the relations between car weight and pedestrian injuries in frontal accidents. As car curb weight decreased, large changes in overall severity are not observed, although the proportion of head injuries increases. Since contacts of the windshield area are more common in smaller cars, they are studied in detail.
Balancing context switch penalty and response time with elastic time slicing

Virtualization allows the platform to have increased number of logical processors by multiplexing the underlying resources across different virtual machines. The hardware resources get time shared not only between different virtual machines, but also between different workloads of the same virtual machine. An important source of performance degradation in such a scenario comes from the cache warmup penalties a workload experiences when it gets scheduled, as the working set belonging to the workload gets displaced by other concurrently running workloads. We show that a virtual machine that time switches between four workloads can cause some of the workloads a slowdown of as much as 54%. However, such performance degradation depends on the workload behavior, with some workloads experiencing negligible degradation and some severe degradation. We propose Elastic Time Slicing (ETS) to reduce the context switch overhead for the most affected workloads. We demonstrate that by taking the workload-specific context switch overhead into consideration, the CPU scheduler can make better decisions to minimize the context switch penalty for the most affected workloads, thereby resulting in substantial performance improvements. ETS enhances performance without compromising on response time, thereby achieving dual benefits. To facilitate ETS, we develop a low-overhead hardware-based mechanism that dynamically estimates the sensitivity of a given workload to context switching. We evaluate the accuracy of the mechanism under various cache management policies and show that it is very reliable. Context switch related warmup penalties increase as optimizations are applied to address traditional cache misses. For the first time, we assess the impact of advanced replacement policies and establish that it is significant.
Pulse Length Assessment of Compact Ignition Tokamak Designs

A time-dependent zero-dimensional code has been developed to assess the pulse length and auxiliary heating requirements of compact ignition tokamak (CIT) designs. By taking a global approach to the calculation, parametric studies can be easily performed. The accuracy of the procedure is tested by comparison with the tokamak simulation code, which uses theory-based thermal diffusivities. A series of runs is carried out at various levels of energy confinement for each of three possible CIT configurations. It is found that for cases of interest ignition or an energy multiplication factor Q {ge} 7 can be attained within the first half of the planned 5-s flattop with 10 to 40 MW of auxiliary heating. These results are supported by analytic calculations.
A new multiscale flow network generation scheme for land surface models

This paper presents a new approach of generating flow networks for land surface models that are applied at different spatial scales based on a fine-resolution digital elevation model (DEM). Without losing computational efficiency, the new multi-scale approach has the advantages that (1) it allows surface and subsurface runoff in a land surface model grid to exit through multiple directions simultaneously rather than through only one of the eight directions as in many other methods; and (2) it introduces the concept of elastic coefficient to determine hydrological features, such as river slope and length for more accurate flow routing across different spatial scales. The new flow network generation scheme has been applied to the Blue River watershed in Oklahoma at different spatial resolutions used in conjunction with a kinematic wave routing method. Comparisons of the routed streamflows at the watershed outlet show clear advantages of the new approach over the widely used eight directions (D8) method, especially at coarser spatial resolution. This method is particularly suitable for macroscale hydrologic models and climate models where the accuracy of river routing can be severely limited by the coarse spatial resolution.
Race and Welfare: Examining Employment Outcomes of White and Black Welfare Recipients

Abstract This article examines racial disparities in the employment status of white and black welfare recipients who are participating in a state welfare reform program, the Virginia Initiative for Employment not Welfare (VIEW). Measures of employment status include rate of employment; level of employment; hourly wages and occupation type. This exploratory analysis suggests that black and white welfare recipients with similar human capital do not have similar employment outcomes. These findings suggest that analyzing the employment status of welfare recipients by racial subgroups is an important, understudied dimension of welfare policy.
Carcinoma en Cuirasse from Recurrent Breast Cancer seen on FDG-PET/CT.

Our patient was a 36-year-old female diagnosed with Grade II ER+/PR−/Her-2 − ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in the left breast. She underwent left lumpectomy and received treatment with tamoxifen and radiotherapy. Three years later, she presented with multiple diffused skin nodules on the chest and upper left arm. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) exam showed widespread metastasis in the chest, upper left arm, left axillary lymph nodes, and left suprascapular muscle. FDG-PET/CT imaging of breast carcinoma en cuirasse is very rare. FDG-PET/CT is useful in detecting recurrent breast cancer.
Reorganization of cytoplasmic structures during cell fusion

In order to provide a better understanding of the dynamic process of cell fusion, we studied the reorganization of cytoplasmic structures in electro-fused CV-1 cells. Using fluorescence microscopy and double staining methods, we examined correlations between the structural patterns of the major cytoskeletal proteins (microtubules, actin and vimentin intermediate filaments) and the distribution of various organelles (endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria and nuclei) at different stages of cell fusion. Our results suggest that microtubules appear to play a primary role in the process of cytoplasmic reorganization. At the early stage of cell fusion, microtubules were observed to infiltrate rapidly into the newly formed cytoplasmic bridges and establish a connection between the cytoskeletal networks of fusing cells. The reorganization of microtubules was found to be correlated with the redistribution of endoplasmic reticulum (ER), vimentin intermediate filaments, mitochondria, and the aggregation of nuclei. The F-actin system, on the other hand, appeared to be independent of the reorganization of the other cytoplasmic structures. The principal function of F-actin during cell fusion is probably to widen the cytoplasmic bridges by lamellipodial extension.
Efficacy of an osmotic pump delivered, GM-CSF-based tumor vaccine in the treatment of upper aerodigestive squamous cell carcinoma in rats.

Upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) cancer has not experienced significant overall survival improvement for over 20 years, and no successful treatments for systemic disease exist. Most patients with UADT cancer experience immune suppression, therefore immune restorative therapies may offer promise for these patients. We presently tested the efficacy of granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) delivered via 28-day continuous infusion pump, in combination with irradiated tumor cells, in a flank model of UADT cancer. Five groups of rats were inoculated with syngeneic mucosally derived squamous carcinoma cells (FAT-7). Osmotic minipumps were implanted in the contralateral flank to deliver GM-CSF at 0 (PBS), 0.1, 1, 10, or 100 ng/day (n = 6 per group) for 28 days; 106 irradiated FAT-7 cells (ITC) were injected at the site of the GM-CSF infusion on days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 21 immune infiltrates in tumors were analyzed. Rats that received 10 or 100 ng/day GM-CSF/ITC had a significantly slower tumor growth rate compared to those who received 0, 0.1, or 1 ng/day (ANOVA, P < 0.01). There were increased CD 4+, CD 8+, and CD 68+ cells in tumors of GM-CSF/ITC treated animals over controls. GM-CSF (10 or 100 ng/day) delivered locally via osmotic pump with ITC slows the growth rate of mucosally derived squamous cell carcinoma in rats while improving immune cell infiltrates. The efficacy of locally delivered GM-CSF immunotherapy in this model may be a first step toward this immunotherapy strategy for humans.
Secondary school curriculum and career behavior in young adults

Abstract As part of a larger longitudinal study of the effects of secondary school characteristics on career behavior in young adulthood, this paper presents findings obtained from 1007 males and females who graduated from high school in academic or vocational curricula 6 or 8 years ago. Criterion behavior included the completion of career development tasks in the exploration and establishment life stages as measured by the Adult Form of the Career Development Inventory, certainty about immediate occupational plans, and satisfaction with occupational goals and progress toward meeting them. Significant differences were found in the pattern of career development by curriculum but not by sex, in certainty by curriculum and sex, and in satisfaction by neither curriculum nor sex. The implications for a stage theory of career development are discussed.
Keyboarding Coursework and Employment, Earnings, and Educational Attainment

Abstract This article reports on a study about the post school attainment effects resulting from student participation in typing and keyboarding coursework as part of secondary general education. The effects of keyboarding on employment, earnings, further educational attainment, and related equity and cost-effectiveness issues were examined. The models developed in the study used national survey data from the federal government's High School and Beyond data set for the 1982 graduating cohort of students. Results indicate significant positive effects on almost all aspects examined.
Alcohol-induced bone disease : relationship to age and parathyroid hormone levels

Alcohol abuse leads to osteopenia and fractures. Epidemiological evidence suggests that older alcoholics are at substantially greater risk of fractures than younger alcoholics. To examine the interaction of age and alcohol abuse on bone mineral homeostasis, we studied 27 subjects with a history of 10 more years of alcohol abuse ranging in age from 26-68 years. They were evaluated for disordered bone mineral homeostasis by assessing bone density (by quantitative computed tomography of the lumbar spine), histomorphometry of a transcortical biopsy from the iliac crest, serum levels of vitamin D metabolites and parathyroid hormone, and serum and urine levels of bone minerals. Seventeen of the subjects were found to have spinal compression fractures by routine radiologic procedures. The older the subject the more likely the subject was to have such a fracture. Bone densitometry indicated a marked reduction in spinal bone density with 15 subjects below 2 SD of normal aged-matched controls. Bone density fell sharply with the age of the subject. Histomorphometry of iliac crest bone biopsies revealed no evidence of osteomalacia, but total resorption surfaces were increased. Consistent with the lack of osteomalacia were the normal levels of the vitamin D metabolites. The increased total resorption surfaces were correlated with high normal or elevated levels of parathyroid hormone as indicated both by radioimmunoassay and by urinary cAMP levels. Bone formation and active bone resorption (resorption surfaces containing osteoclasts) did not correlate with parathyroid hormone levels, however, but correlated negatively with age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Reproductive risk factors for culling and productive life in large dairy herds in the eastern United States between 2001 and 2006

Knowledge of reproductive risk factors for culling is useful in making insemination and culling decisions and helps motivate efforts to reduce or eliminate risk factors. The objective of this study was to describe survival and reproductive risk factors for culling in Holstein dairy herds with at least 200 cows. Results were calculated from 2,345,015 DHI lactation records from 727 herds with at least 200 cows from 2001 to 2006. Herds were located in 36 states primarily located east of the Mississippi River. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were obtained and daily hazards of culling were calculated with the actuarial method. Cox regression was performed with the GLIMMIX procedure in SAS (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). The hazard of culling increased with parity number. Cows in their sixth parity had 3 times greater hazards than cows in their first parity. Medium remaining productive life for cows calving in parity 1 to 6 were 907, 697, 553, 469, 423, and 399 d, respectively. Daily hazards of culling first peaked approximately 30 d after calving and then again later in lactation, after 280 d, for older cows. Hazards for first-parity cows peaked earlier, around d 10 after calving, and the first-parity cows had lower risks of culling later in lactation than older cows. Pregnant cows had 3 to 7 times lower hazards of culling than open cows. Hazards of culling increased for cows that had greater calving difficulty, gave birth to males or twins, were in herds with shorter days to first insemination, or had longer days to conception. The possible to likely use of a synchronized breeding program increased from 21.9% in 2001 to 41.4% in 2006. Cows in herds that did not use a synchronized breeding program had slightly lower risks of culling than those in herds that at least possibly used a synchronized breeding program.
Infrared observations of the most luminous quasar

The QSO Q 0420–388 is one of many discovered by Osmer and Smith in their objective prism survey of the southern sky, and one of ∼10 now known with z>3. Its brightness and large redshift indicate a luminosity at rest wavelength 1,475 A somewhat larger than any other measured. The source is particularly noteworthy because of the steepness of its observed visual spectrum over the range 3,600–6,800 A, where Fν ∼ ν−2±1; this suggests that appreciably more power might be radiated in the infrared (IR). The near IR photometric observations reported here of Q 0420–388 (z = 3.12) show that it is 13.5±0.2 mag at 2.2 µm. This observation and the optical observations of Osmer and Smith1 indicate a bolometric luminosity ≥5 × 1014L⊙, for H0 = 50 km s−1 Mpc−1 and q0 = 0.1 confirming Q 0420–388 as the most luminous quasar for cosmologies with small q0.
Prescribed versus delivered dialysis in acute renal failure patients

The current study was designed first to determine separately the prescribed and delivered dose of dialysis and, second, to determine what factors lead to failure to deliver the prescribed dose of dialysis in patients with acute renal failure (ARF). Forty patients, who collectively underwent 136 dialysis treatments, were studied prospectively at two institutions. The results showed that almost half the prescriptions (49%) were for a Kt/V less than 1.2 and, more importantly, nearly 70% of the treatments delivered a Kt/V less than 1.2, the minimally acceptable dose defined in the Dialysis Outcomes Quality Initiative (DOQI) guidelines for chronic hemodialysis (CHD) patients. Patient predialysis weight was the most important variable associated with a low prescribed and delivered dose of dialysis, as well as lack of delivery of the prescribed dose of dialysis. From the statistical model, it is estimated that for every 10-kg increase in predialysis weight, the chance of prescribing or delivering a Kt/V less than 1.2 increased 4.6- and 1.95-fold, respectively. The lower than prescribed blood flow achieved by the temporary catheters and patients not receiving anticoagulation were variables also associated with not receiving the prescribed Kt/V. It is concluded that patients with ARF are prescribed and receive a dose of dialysis that would be considered inadequate for CHD patients. Until the association between dose of dialysis and outcome is better defined, it would be prudent that both the dialysis prescription and the delivery of dialysis to patients with ARF should be performed with the same care and goals as that currently received by patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD).
CONTINUOUS ALCOHOL/MALOLACTIC FERMENTATION OF GRAPE MUST IN A BIOREACTOR SYSTEM USING IMMOBILIZED CELLS

Three cultures immobilized by entrapping within alginate gel beads and packed in near-horizontal acrylic columns (15.0° angle) were used for alcohol/malolactic fermentation of grape must. Immobilized cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae spp. chablis were placed in the 1st column, S. cerevisiae cells (an alcohol-sucrose-tolerant yeast) in the 2nd and the Lactobacillus delbrueckii cells in the 3rd column. Grape must with different levels of sugar(s), were each fed to the bioreactor columns at dilution rate of 0.74 h−1 and recycled at 37.0C. The percent fermentation efficiency and yield using the 1st and 2nd columns for grape must containing 33.3% sugar(s) were 92.9 and 91.5%, respectively, and the wine had 15.5% alcohol after 23 cycles (∼ 50 h fermentation). The viability of the immobilized yeast cells in the alginate gel-bead was 84%± 4.0. Immobilized Lactobacillus delbrueckii cells were then added to the 3rd column (in series 37.0C) and the three cultures resulted in alcohol/malolactic fermentation of the grape must, evidenced by the high level of alcohol formed and simultaneous transformation of malic to lactic acid. Sensory evaluation of the wine scored high (7.8 ± 2.0 based on a value of 10.0) and indicated the potential of using multiple immobilized cells of two specific yeast cultures and a malolactic Lactobacillus for wine production.
Determinants of vaccine-induced resistance in animal models of pulmonary tuberculosis.

A more effective vaccine will be essential if the global tuberculosis (TB) pandemic is ever to be controlled. A large number of new tuberculosis vaccines have been developed, representing the whole range of modern strategies for vaccine formulation and delivery. There is currently no alternative to testing these new vaccines in experimental animals challenged with virulent Mycobacteriurn tuberculosis in order to assess their protective efficacy. Although such testing is being carried out in several animal species (mice, guinea pigs, rabbits), all rational models include pulmonary challenge with a low dose of virulent mycobacteria. The quantitative measures for TB vaccines include increased survival, amelioration of clinical signs and symptoms (e.g. prevention of weight loss), decreased lesion size, reduction in bacillary loads in the lungs, and prevention of extrapulmonary dissemination and hematogenous reseeding of the lung. Although the ultimate objective of vaccination in humans is to prevent transmission to susceptible contacts, no such measurement is being used in animal studies of new vaccines. The validation of an immunological "correlate of protection" is urgently needed. Candidates for such a correlate include antigen-specific interferon-gamma production by T cells of the memory phenotype (CD45RB(high) or mycobacterial killing by macrophages co-cultured with immune T cells. Additional animal models must be developed for vaccines designed to prevent endogenous reactivation or exogenous reinfection, or to be used as a adjunct to chemotherapy.
Xenon arc photocoagulation of proliferative diabetic retinopathy. A review of 2688 consecutive eyes in the format of the Diabetic Retinopathy Study.

Abstract In a retrospective study, 2688 eyes treated with xenon arc photocoagulation which would have qualified for inclusion in the Diabetic Retinopathy Study (DRS) were reviewed in the format of the DRS. When comparable risk groups were compared, the results of treatment were even more favorable than reported in the DRS without the severe complications attributed to xenon treatment in the DRS. A critical analysis of the DRS gives clues for the greater amount of visual loss found with xenon than argon in the DRS. Since these complications may be avoidable in some cases, and since xenon has been shown to be at least as effective as argon, it should continue to be used in the treatment of proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
Economic implications of silvipastures on southern pine plantations

In 1984, five silvipasture treatments of native grasses (NG), Au-Lo-Tan lespedeza (L), bahiagrass (B), common bermudagrass (CM), and Coastal bermudagrass (CB), were established in a thinned 20-year-old loblolly pine plantation. Pine growth data were collected in 1984, 1987, and 1989. From 1986 to 1988, annual forage production was evaluated at 21-day intervals from April to October with forage dry matter yield and quality determined for each sampling interval. Forage management improved timber production with 5-year lumber growth on the NG, B, CM, and CB treatments exceeding the untreated plantation by 5.4 m3 ha−1. Forage protein content, IVDMD, and P levels did not differ among treatments but daily dry matter yield did (p=0.05). Mean 3-year daily dry matter yields were 7.4, 5.9, 12.3, 8.3, and 18.5 kg ha−1 for NG, L, B, CM, and CB. Financial comparison of a CB open pasture with a CB silvipasture showed that the silvipasture internal rate of return exceeded the CB open pasture by 7.3%. A loblolly pine-forage intercropping system is a suitable management option for maturing plantations.
Chromosomal Assignment of Four Testis-Expressed Mouse Genes from a New Family of Transmembrane Proteins (ADAMs) Involved in Cell–Cell Adhesion and Fusion

A new gene family of mutidomain membrane proteins (ADAMs) that include A Disintegrin And Metalloprotease domain comprises an increasing number of identified members. Two members of this family, fertilin {alpha} and fertilin {beta}, form a heterodimeric protein that is required for sperm-egg fusion. Most recently, it has been shown that a third family member, meltrin {alpha}, is involved in myoblast fusion. Using restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of a DNA panel from an interspecific backcross, we have determined the chromosomal locations of four mouse genes of this family that are expressed in testis: fertilin {alpha}, fertilin {beta}, ADAM 4, and ADAM 5. These genes have been given the locus symbols Ftna (fertilin {alpha}), FTnb (fertilin {beta}), Adam4 (ADAM 4), and Adam5 (ADAM 5). They were mapped to chromosomes 5, 14, 9, and 8, respectively, revealing a dispersed localization. Human chromosome locations of these genes are predicted on the basis of the mapping results using the information provided by comparative linkage maps. Because all four of these ADAM genes are expressed in testis and fertilin {alpha} and {beta} have been found to be important for fertilization, we compared their chromosomal locations with known mouse mutations affecting spermatogenesis and fertility. 17 refs.,more » 1 fig., 1 tab.« less
The importance of early diagnosis in multiple endocrine neoplasia III: report of a case with thyroid C-cell hyperplasia.

Multiple endocrine neoplasia III (MEN III), also known as MEN IIb or mucosal neuroma syndrome, can often be recognized at an early age by its typical facies, marfanoid habitus, and characteristic mucosal neuromas. These features are usually present before development of the more serious, life-threatening complications that consist of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and pheochromocytoma. MTC associated with MEN III is generally aggressive with early metastasis. Early diagnosis is therefore crucial so that patients can be appropriately monitored for thyroid cancer with prompt thyroidectomy when indicated. Occasionally, patients present with C-cell hyperplasia of the thyroid, the histologic precursor to MTC. We describe a 16-year-old boy with mucosal nettromas, the typical facies of MEN III, gastrointestinal ganglioneuromatosis, and C-cell hyperplasia of the thyroid gland. Prompt thyroidectomy was performed, averting the risk of malignant transformation. Early clinical recognition of MEN III is crucial, as timely intervention can prevent the high mortality associated with MTC and pheochromocytoma.
Electrochemical Origin of Voltage-Controlled Molecular Conductance Switching

We have studied electron transport in bipyridyl-dinitro oligophenylene-ethynelene dithiol (BPDN) molecules both in an inert environment and in aqueous electrolyte under potential control, using scanning tunneling microscopy. Current-voltage (IV) data obtained in an inert environment were similar to previously reported results showing conductance switching near 1.6 V. Similar measurements taken in electrolyte under potential control showed a linear dependence of the bias for switching on the electrochemical potential. Extrapolation of the potentials to zero switching bias coincided with the potentials of redox processes on these molecules. Thus switching is caused by a change in the oxidation state of the molecules.
Gender in the Management Education Classroom: A Collaborative Learning Journey

In this article, the authors describe a classroom incident and their subsequent learnings about effectively managing issues of gender diversity in an MBA course titled "Women in Organizations." The authors employ Kolb's learning cycle as a framework for describing the incident (concrete experience), reflecting on and discussing what occurred (reflective observation), examining pertinent literature for possible explanations (abstract conceptualization), and devising practical strategies to mitigate such incidents in the future (active experimentation). The study describes the collaborative learning journey in which the authors engaged as a team of instructors and researchers to make sense of this incident and refine their pedagogical practices. The article concludes by offering practical suggestions for improved pedagogy in management education settings, specifically fostering greater gender reflexivity in the classroom, and using functional subgrouping to encourage understanding and integration of differences.