cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Perioperative Care of the Morbidly Obese Patient in the Lithotomy Position

The lithotomy position is used daily in the OR to position patients for vaginal, rectal, and urologic procedures. Use of this position requires a careful nursing assessment to ensure that the patient can tolerate having his or her legs placed in the stirrups and to ensure that no pressure points exist for the duration of the surgery. Caring for a patient who is morbidly obese and who requires surgery in the lithotomy position can be especially challenging, and the possibility of injury to the patient or staff members should be considered. A case study involving the care of a patient who weighed almost 600 lb undergoing surgery in the lithotomy position demonstrates ways to provide safe care for this type of challenging patient.
Comparison of two weibull distributions under random censoring

The two-sample problem for comparing Weibull scale parameters is studied for randomly censored data. Three different test statistics are considered and their asymptotic properties are established under a sequence of local alternatives, It is shown that both the test statistic based on the mlefs (maximum likelihood estimators) and the likelihood ratio test are asymptotically optimum. The third statistic based only on the number of failures is not, Asymptotic relative efficiency of this statistic is obtained and its numerical values are computed for uniform and Weibull censoring, Effects of uniform random censoring on the censoring level of the experiment are illus¬trated, A direct proof for the joint asymptotic normality of the mlefs of the shape and the scale parameters is also given
Utility of the Hand-Drawn Spiral as a Tool in Clinical-Epidemiological Research on Essential Tremor: Data from Four Essential Tremor Cohorts

Background: In descriptive epidemiological studies, investigators must screen large numbers of individuals. How one best screens populations for essential tremor
Fluctuations in atomic fluorescence induced by laser noise

The dynamical behavior of an atom interacting with a coherent and a chaotic field is investigated. Langevin equations describing the time dependent behavior of the dipole moment and population inversion are numerically integrated using Monte-Carlo techniques. The model can account for a finite correlation time for the chaotic component. Results on fluctuations in the fluorescence intensity from an ensemble of two-level atoms and the power spectra of these intensity fluctuations are presented. The effect of detuning the pump field from the resonant frequency of the two-level atoms on the fluctuations in fluorescence is studied. The effect of field fluctuations on the macroscopic polarization produced by the atoms is also reported. The fluctuation behavior of the atomic fluorescence is found to be very sensitive to the correlation time of the stochastic component.
Gas generation rates of landfill samples

Abstract The purpose of this investigation was to develop a method of simulating landfill decomposition processes particularly with regard to gas generation. It was the further purpose to quantify the gas generation rate and develop a mathematical model descriptive of the generation rate. Samples of refuse were obtained from active landfills and returned to the laboratory for observation. A method of obtaining samples was developed which appears to be representative of actively decomposing landfills. Numerous mathematical models were evaluated using the data. The model which produced the least mean square to the data was an exponential power function of gas production. The more conventional and commonly used models produced a larger mean square.
Role of rehabilitation medicine in the care of the patient with breast cancer

In the treatment of cancer not only of the breast but of other anatomic areas as well consideration must be given to both the quantity and the quality of success. Physical problems can result from any type of cancer therapy. Complications such as brachial plexus injury or lymphedemia can develop and can have tremendous psychologic effects. These physical problems must be recognized early. Every effort must be made to minimize the resultant defects whether by preventive or definitive means. The primary goal of treatment must be control of the disease but the complications of such treatment can no longer be ignored. Utilization of available rehabilitation facilities to prevent or alleviate these complications must be considered more than in the past. However the physician must go beyond the physical deformities and consider the many psychologic social economic and vocational problems besetting a cancer patient and his family. It is beyond the realm of any single physician to accomplish this goal. Ancillary medical and paramedical personnel must help to achieve this end. Every opportunity must be given the cancer patient to continue his life in dignity rather than in despair.(AUTHORS MODIFIED)
Coupled mRNA Stabilization and Translational Silencing of Cyclooxygenase-2 by a Novel RNA Binding Protein, CUGBP2

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression is translationally silenced in epithelial cells undergoing radiation-induced apoptosis. CUGBP2, a predominantly nuclear protein, is also rapidly induced in response to radiation and translocates to the cytoplasm. Antisense-mediated suppression of CUGBP2 renders radioprotection through a COX-2-dependent prostaglandin pathway, providing an in vivo demonstration of translation inhibition activity for CUGBP2. CUGBP2 binds to two sets of AU-rich sequences (AREs) located within the first sixty nucleotides of the COX-2 3' untranslated region (3'UTR). Upon binding, CUGBP2 stabilizes a chimeric luciferase-COX-2 3'UTR mRNA but inhibits its translation. These findings identify a novel paradigm for RNA binding proteins in facilitating opposing functions of mRNA stability and translation inhibition and reveal a mechanism for inhibiting COX-2 expression in cancer cells.
Characterization of the 5′-flanking region of the human tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) gene

Abstract Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) is expressed at high levels in osteoclasts and may play an important role in the bone resorptive process. However, factors regulating human TRAP gene expression have not been clearly defined. Therefore, we isolated a genomic clone (CL-9) for TRAP containing a 14-kb insert. A restriction map was generated for this insert, and a 2.6-kb Apal fragment containing the 5′-flanking region was subcloned. Sequence analysis of this fragment revealed the presence of candidate transcription factor-binding sequences for H-APF-1, SP1, GATA2, and the c-Myc proto-oncogene. PCR analysis of RNA isolated from human osteoclastomas and pagetic bone revealed a 276-bp intron at −1 by to −276 bp relative to the ATG and a transcript originating from this intron. Rapid amplification of the 5′ end of the human TRAP mRNA by PCR indicated the presence of a 93-bp untranslated region 5′ from the intron. Promoter activity was detected in the DNA fragment from +1 bp to −1903 by relative to the ATG initiation codon, which drove the transient expression of a luciferase reporter gene when transfected into HRE H9 rabbit endometrial cells. Comparison of the human TRAP 5′-flanking region with mouse TRAP and uteroferrin revealed 41% and 47% homology, respectively. This suggests that regulation of human TRAP gene expression may differ from that for the murine TRAP gene.
(Des-Histidine1) (Nϵ-phenylthiocarbamoyllysine12)-glucagon: Effects on glycogenolysis in perfused rat liver

Abstract (Des-Histidine 1 ) (N ϵ -phenylthiocarbamoyllysine 12 )-glucagon, synthesized by the one-step Edman degradation procedure is a competitive inhibitor of glucagon action in the rat liver plasma membrane adenylate cyclase system. However, in the perfused rat liver, the compound did not inhibit glucagon stimulated glycogenolysis even when used at a concentration 100-fold in excess of native glucagon. Instead, it showed a weak potency, but full agonist activity, stimulating liver glycogenolysis to 100% of the level obtained by glucagon. These results are discussed in terms of the possible mechanism(s) of glucagon action.
Turning on the off switch: regulation of anti-viral T cell responses in the liver by the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway.

Many viruses cause acute infections and are rapidly cleared whereas others defy control and progress to chronic or persistent infections. Anti-viral T cell responses can play a dramatic role in determining whether viral infections are cleared rapidly or become chronic. For example, chronic infections are often characterized by T cell responses that are unable to fully eliminate the pathogen [1]. The principal mechanisms that account for T cell failure, and thus influence the outcome of infection are beginning to be understood. The regulation of T cell responses to infections reflects a delicate balance between effector functions required to eliminate the pathogen and their potential to cause immunopathology. In an effort to eradicate a virus, an aggressive immune response can cause damage to healthy tissue. Regulating the immune response to avoid unwanted tissue damage may be especially important when pathogen clearance is not achieved in a relatively short period of time. Indeed, the liver damage that occurs during chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections, and thatmay lead to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is thought to be mediated substantially by T cells [2,3]. The apparent lack of an immune response against pathogens in chronic infection may reflect mechanisms that have evolved to downregulate potentially detrimen-
Synthesis, crystal, and molecular structures and conformations of naphthot[1,8-,]-1,5-dithiocin-1,1-dioxide,-1,5-dioxide,-1,1,5-trioxide and -1.1,5,5-Tetraoxide

Abstract Chemoselective oxidation of the known naphtho[1,8,- b , c -1,5-dithiocin, dithioether 1 , to the corresponding -1,1-dioxide: monosulfone 3, 1,5-dioxide: cis-disulfoxide 4 , or -1,1,5,5-tetraoxide: disulfone 6 can be accomplished with potassium permanganate and a phase transfer catalyst in a two phase system in 66% yield, with sodium metaperiodate in aqueous methanol in 95% yield, or ruthenium tetraoxide in 70% yield, respectively. Oxidation of the known monosulfoxide 2 with potassium permanganate and a phase transfer catalyst in a two phase system also gave monosulfone 3 in 73% yield. The corresponding -1,1,5-trioxide: sulfoxide-sulfone 5 was selectively prepared in quantitative yield by oxidation of the monosulfone 3 with sodium metaperiodate in aqueous methanol. The crystal and molecular structures, and conformations of naphtho[1,8- b , c ]-1,5-dithiocin-1,1-dioxide ( 3 ), -1,5-dioxide ( 4 ), -1,1,5-trioxide ( 5 ), and -1,1,5,5-tetraoxide ( 6 ) were determined by single crystal X-ray analysis. These compounds crystallize in the monoclinic space group P2 1/c with a =13.184(4)A, b =13.182(5)A, c =7.106(l)A, β=104.14(5)°, and Z =4, the orthorhombic space group P bca , with a =17.931(2)A, b =13.108(3)A, c =20.280(4)A, and Z =16, the monoclinic space group P2 1/n with a =9.298(1)A, b =10.264 (2)A, c =13.396(2)A, β=110.06(1)°, and Z =4, and the orthorhombic space group P bca with a =12.258(3)A, b =9.997A, C=20.168A, and 2-8, respectively. The structures were solved by direct methods. Full-matrix least-squares refinement led to conventional R factors of 0.034, 0.046, 0.041, and 0.049, respectively. The conformations of the molecules in the solid state were distorted boat, boat with cis-dlequatorial sulfoxide; boat with equatorial sulfoxide, and the unusual twist conformer, respectively.
Introduction to the Special Issue: Marine and Coastal GIS for Geomorphology, Habitat Mapping, and Marine Reserves

This sixth special issue on Marine and Coastal Geographic Information Systems (M&CGIS) is the first to be based on an organized series of presentations at a conference, the 2008 Association of Amer...
Wetland Loss in Hawai’i Since Human Settlement

Wetland inventories are essential to understanding human effects on wetland distributions, estimating rates of wetland loss and setting recovery goals for endangered species. Wetlands in the Hawaiian archipelago (U.S.A.) support human water demands for agriculture, a rapidly expanding urban population, and 222 federally listed threatened or endangered plants and animals. The only published assessment of wetland loss for Hawai’i was done in 1990, before significant advances in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and computing technology. We estimated wetland loss on the 5 main Hawaiian Islands since human settlement using the National Wetlands Inventory, hydric soil maps, rainfall, and topographic data. We used the Topographic Wetness Index (TWI) to estimate pre-settlement wetlands in sites where hydric soil evidence was unavailable or unreliable. We found that TWI makes a useful complement to hydric soil evidence in estimating wetland loss in highly developed areas. We estimate statewide wetland loss at 15 %, compared to 12 % from the 1990 estimate, ranging from 6 to 8 % loss on Maui, Moloka`i, Hawai’i, and Kaua`i to 65 % loss on Oahu, the most developed of the islands. The majority of wetland losses occurred in coastal areas where 44 % of wetlands have been lost, while only 3 % were lost at higher elevations.
Brown recluse spider bites.

Background: Brown recluse spider bites are a serious medical problem in the southeastern United States. Although most bites are asymptomatic, envenomation can result in a constellation of systemic symptoms referred to as loxoscelism. Patients can also develop necrotic skin ulcers (necrotic arachnidism). These ulcers are often difficult to heal and can require skin grafting or amputation of the bitten appendage. Methods: A search of the literature was performed using the search words “spider envenomation,” “brown recluse spider bites,” and “arachnid envenomation.” Results and Conclusions: Most brown recluse spider bites are asymptomatic. All bites should be thoroughly cleansed and tetanus status updated as needed. Patients who develop systemic symptoms require hospitalization. Surgical excision of skin lesions is indicated only for lesions that have stabilized and are no longer enlarging. Steroids are indicated in bites that are associated with severe skin lesions, loxoscelism, and in small children. Dapsone should be used only in adult patients who experience necrotic arachnidism and who have been screened for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. Topical nitroglycerin can be of value in decreasing the enlargement of necrotic skin ulcers.
USE OF RADIAL FOREARM FREE FLAPS IN ONCOLOGIC SURGERY OF THE HEAD AND NECK

This article is a review of clinical applications of the radial forearm free flap for reconstruction of defects of the head and neck. Included is a brief historical review, a summary of surgical anatomy, general principles of flap harvesting, and donor site morbidity. Its focus is on the indications, general principles, main technical points, and results of radial forearm free flap reconstruction of the cheek, lower lip, oral cavity, oropharynx, laryngopharynx, pharyngoesophagus, plate, and anterior skull base defects after ablative surgery for head and neck cancer.
Influence of flux composition on the superconducting properties of single crystal Bi2CaSr2Cu2O8

Abstract The influence of starting composition (i.e. variations in the Ca and Cu content, and with Pb additions) on the properties of flux grown superconducting Bi 2 CaSr 2 Cu 2 O 8 single crystals was investigated. Excess Cu promoted 2-0-2-1 intergrowths, whereas excess Ca gave more “pure” 2-1-2-2 crystals with less intergrowths. Pb additions suppressed the growth of 2-1-2-2 and yielded more 2-0-2-1, despite the presence of excess Ca. The optimum composition was evaluated from XRD and SQUID results.
Production lead time in exponential serial lines: Analysis and control

Production lead time (LT) is the average time a part spends in the system, being processed and waiting for processing. Some recent work provided methods for analysis of LT in systems with machines obeying the Bernoulli reliability model. Since this reliability model is hardly applicable to machining and other operations with a relatively long downtime, the current paper addresses serial lines with exponential machines and infinite buffers. Specifically, analytical formulas for LT as a function of machine parameters are derived, and qualitative and quantitative properties of LT are investigated. Using these formulas, the so-called lead time control problem is solved, whereby the raw material release rate is selected so that LT takes the desired value, while the throughput is maximized. Both open- and closed-loop solutions of this problem are provided.
Spin-coating of vertically stratified thin liquid films

Spin-coating is a process used to fabricate thin films for device applications. In this paper, lubrication theory is used to derive an axisymmetric model for the spin-coating of two immiscible vertically stratified Newtonian thin films. The model includes gravitational, van der Waals, capillary and viscous forces, differences in liquid layer properties and evaporation/condensation effects. Thinning calculations focus on the effects of viscosity and condensation/evaporation. In this case, for layers of uniform thickness, the lower layer thins monotonically yet never reaches zero thickness. With evaporation mass loss the upper layer disappears in finite time, whereas with condensation effects the upper layer approaches a steady-state thickness. Fully nonlinear calculations are carried out for films with non-uniform thickness and the deviation of the interfaces from the flat state is monitored. In general, disturbances to the lower layer have a greater effect on the upper layer than those of disturbances of the upper layer on the lower layer. Disturbances along the upper gas–liquid free surface propagate outward more rapidly than those along the lower liquid–liquid interface and disturbances that decrease the film thickness tend to dissipate more slowly.
Urea concentration in intestinal fluids in normal and uremic dogs

Results from normal and uremic dogs showed that the urea concentrations in gallbladder bile, duodenal, jejunal, ileal, and peritoneal fluids were about the same as that in the serum. When the urea concentration of an unknown body fluid is more than two times that of the serum (whether the subject has normal or abnormal renal function), the tested fluid must have originated in part or in toto from the urinary tract.
Variable versus fixed modulation of proton beams for treatments in the cranium

Dose distributions in the cranium with fixed and with variably modulated proton beams were compared. The variable modulation was designed to tailor the proximal high-dose region of each field to the target volume surface whereas the fixed modulation beams had a constant modulation determined by the greatest extent of the target. Dose-volume histograms of normal tissues were compared, as were the estimated complication probabilities. Twelve patients with chordomas or chondrosarcomas of the base of skull who had been treated to approximately 70 cobalt Gray equivalent (CGE) were evaluated. Dose distributions of the actual treatments were compared to those which would have been delivered had the proton beams been variably modulated; two patients for whom x-ray plans were available were also evaluated. The greatest difference in dose between the variable and fixed modulation proton beams, averaged over all the patients, was 13.8 CGE (8.0-18.0 CGE range). Much of this reduction occurred in the brain, particularly the temporal lobes. In those temporal lobes receiving significant doses, variable modulation reduced the volume receiving more than 54 CGE by 3.0 cc; all temporal lobes had at least a 5 CGE difference to some portion, half had more than 10 CGE and three more than 15 CGE difference to some portion. The optic structures, brainstem and spinal cord received from 1 to 3 CGE less dose with the variability modulated beams. Eight of the parotid glands received more than 20 CGE to more than half their volume with the fixed modulation beams; in these, variable modulation reduced the mean dose by 5.3 CGE. The reduction in integral dose with variable as compared to fixed modulation was in the range 3 to 12%; this gain was considerably less than the gain for uniformly modulated proton beams over x-rays in the two patients for whom x-ray plans were available.
The state of systemic circulation, collapsed or preserved defines the need for hyperoxic or normoxic resuscitation in neonatal mice with hypoxia-ischemia.

Background The return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) is a primary goal of resuscitation. For neonatal resuscitation the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) recommends oxygen concentrations ranging from 21% to 100%.
A quantitative study of Web cache replacement strategies using simulation

The Web has become the most important source of information and communication for the world. Proxy servers are used to cache objects with the goals of decreasing network traffic, reducing user perceived lag and loads on origin servers. In this paper, we focus on the cache replacement problem with respect to proxy servers. Despite the fact that some Web 2.0 applications have dynamic objects, most of the Web traffic has static content with file types such as cascading style sheets, javascript files, images, etc. The cache replacement strategies implemented in Squid, a widely used proxy cache software, are no longer considered 'good enough' today. Squid's default strategy is Least Recently Used. While this is a simple approach, it does not necessarily achieve the targeted goals. We simulate 27 proxy cache replacement strategies and analyze them against several important performance measures. Hit rate and byte hit rate are the most commonly used performance metrics in the literature. Hit rate is an indication of user perceived lag, while byte hit rate is an indication of the amount of network traffic. We also introduce a new performance metric, the object removal rate, which is an indication of CPU usage and disk access at the proxy server. This metric is particularly important for busy cache servers or servers with lower processing power. Our study provides valuable insights for both industry and academia. They are especially important for Web proxy cache system administrators; particularly in wireless ad-hoc networks as the caches on mobile devices are relatively small.
Effect of neutrino heating on primordial nucleosynthesis.

We modify the standard code for primordial nucleosynthesis to include the effect of the slight heating of neutrinos by ${e}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}$ annihilations. There is a small, systematic change in the $^{4}\mathrm{He}$ yield, $\ensuremath{\Delta}Y\ensuremath{\simeq}+1.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$, which is insensitive to the value of the baryon-to-photon ratio $\ensuremath{\eta}$ for ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}\ensuremath{\lesssim}\ensuremath{\eta}\ensuremath{\lesssim}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}$. We also find that the baryon-to-photon ratio decreases by about 0.5% less than the canonical factor of $\frac{4}{11}$ because some of the entropy in ${e}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}$ pairs is transferred to neutrinos. These results are in accord with recent analytical estimates.
Employee Collaboration, Learning Orientation, and New Service Development Performance:

Businesses rely on knowledge interfaces to gather and integrate knowledge that drives innovation and builds competitive advantage. But key knowledge interfaces such as cross-functional teams (CFTs), frontline employees (FLEs), and learning orientation have not shown consistent effects on innovation outcomes in prior research. This study addresses that problem by testing a mediation model that extends the service-dominant logic service innovation framework developed by Ordanini and Parasuraman. Based on analyses of 160 new service development (NSD) projects, the authors find that CFTs, FLEs, and learning orientation consistently influence NSD sales and process efficiency outcomes when they first create a service having (1) superior attributes and expert frontline employee service delivery (service marketability) and/or (2) a well-targeted launch with formal promotion to internal and external markets (launch effectiveness). Those NSD project characteristics in turn yield favorable new service performance re...
Discrete control for safe execution of IT automation workflows

As information technology (IT) administration becomes increasingly complex, workflow technologies are gaining popularity for IT automation. Writing correct workflow programs is notoriously difficult. Although static analysis tools are available, fixing defects remains manual and error-prone. This paper applies discrete control theory to IT automation workflows. Discrete control detects flaws in workflows just as static analysis does, and more importantly it also allows safe execution of flawed workflows by dynamically avoiding run-time failures. Our approach can guarantee compliance with certain requirements and can partially decouple requirements from software, reducing the need to modify the latter if the former change. We have implemented a discrete control module for a real IT automation system. Experiments with workflows from a real production system and with randomly generated workflows show that our approach scales to workflows of practical size.
Home-range size and overlap within an introduced population of the Cuban Knight Anole, Anolis equestris (Squamata: Iguanidae)

Muitos estudos investigaram as relacoes espaciais entre lagartos terrestres, mas as especies arboricolas permanecem pouco estudadas devido a dificuldades de observacao. A visao convencional do tamanho e da sobreposicao de areas de vida entre especies poliginicas territoriais de lagartos afirma que: (1) as areas de vida dos machos sao maiores que as das femeas; (2) geralmente abrangem, ou se sobrepoem substancialmente, as areas de varias femeas; e (3) a sobreposicao entre as areas dos machos varia, mas frequentemente e minima, enquanto as areas das femeas geralmente se sobrepoem extensamente. Contudo, a escassez de estudos pertinentes dificulta uma generalizacao desses padroes para lagartos arboricolas. Usando tecnicas de radiotelemetria e de marcacao e recaptura, estudamos o tamanho e a sobreposicao das areas de vida dos individuos de uma populacao do lagarto cubano Anolis equestris introduzida em Miami, Florida, e comparamos nossos resultados com os dados disponiveis na literatura para outras 15 especies de Anolis. Em ambos os sexos, as areas de vida se sobrepoem substancialmente com as areas tanto de individuos do mesmo sexo como de sexos diferentes. Alem disso, nao houve diferenca significativa entre as areas de vida de machos e femeas, uma observacao incomum em lagartos. As areas de vida de machos e femeas de A. equestris foram significativamente maiores que as das outras especies analisadas, com excecao de duas especies para as quais nao foram possiveis comparacoes estatisticas. Nossos resultados sugerem que as areas de vida e os arranjos espaciais especificos de cada sexo para lagartos do dossel podem diferir daqueles de especies mais terrestres.
The Overlapped Carrier-Sense Multiple Access (OCSMA) Protocol

In wireless ad hoc networks with multi-hop routing, a node A may know the contents of a packet being transmitted by a neighbor B because A may have transmitted the packet to B in a previous interval. In networks not employing spread-spectrum multiple access (SSMA), a transmission by B will cause too much interference for A to receive a packet from another of its neighbors. However, if A has knowledge of the interfering packet, that information can be used to cancel the interference and allow receipt of a packet from another of A's neighbors, provided that A can acquire the packet from B before starting to receive another packet. We consider the application of this approach in a network that uses a MAC protocol based on the IEEE 802.11 standard. We show how the 802.11 MAC protocol can be modified to allow for transmissions to be overlapped by taking advantage of noncausal knowledge of interfering signals. The resulting OCSMA protocol improves spatial reuse and end-to-end throughput in several scenarios.
Replacement and Collection: A Correction

The argument of [2] is not correct. Specifically, Lemma 7 does not appear to be true in general. It does not seem worthwhile to publish a corrected version of the proof, since Friedman and Scedrov [1], using a somewhat related argument, have now succeeded in proving the full theorem which eluded me. In the notation of [2], they show that ZFdoes not have the set existence property and therefore that ZFI does not imply the collection axiom.
Differential siring success of Pgi genotypes in Clarkia Unguiculata (Onagraceae)

Competition among pollen grains for the fertilization of ovules can play an important role in determining the male and female reproductive success of flowering plants. To examine the influence of pollen-donor genotype on male reproductive success, handpollinations were conducted on Clarkia unguiculata and the siring success of pollen-donor plants was compared between donors homozygous for different allelomorphs of the allozyme PGI (phosphoglucoisomerase). Donors homozygous for the B allele sired more seeds than C-allele donors. Single-donor crosses indicated that C-donor-sired seeds are aborted more often than are B-donor-sired seeds, suggesting that the B-allele donor’s advantage in mixed pollinations was a result of differential abortion. A negative relationship between pollen load and the siring success of B-allele donors implies that pollen from B-allele donors has reduced performance relative to C-allele donors when pollen loads are high. These data demonstrate consistent differences in siring success between individuals homozygous for different alleles at a single locus and suggest that variation at the Pgi locus may be maintained by a post-pollination trade-off.
Force-velocity and force-power properties of single muscle fibers from elite master runners and sedentary men

Gastrocnemius muscle fiber bundles were obtained by needle biopsy from five middle-aged sedentary men (SED group) and six age-matched endurance-trained master runners (RUN group). A single chemically permeabilized fiber segment was mounted between a force transducer and a position motor, subjected to a series of isotonic contractions at maximal Ca2+ activation (15 degrees C), and subsequently run on a 5% polyacrylamide gel to determine myosin heavy chain composition. The Hill equation was fit to the data obtained for each individual fiber (r2 > or = 0.98). For the SED group, fiber force-velocity parameters varied (P type IIa > type I; maximal shortening velocity (Vmax, defined as y-intercept of force-velocity relationship), type IIx = type IIa > type I; a/Pzero (where a is a constant with dimensions of force and Pzero is peak isometric force), type IIx > type IIa > type I. Consequently, type IIx fibers produced twice as much peak power as type IIa fibers, whereas type IIa fibers produced about five times more peak power than type I fibers. RUN type I and IIa fibers were smaller in diameter and produced less peak force than SED type I and IIa fibers. The absolute peak power output of RUN type I and IIa fibers was 13 and 27% less, respectively, than peak power of similarly typed SED fibers. However, type I and IIa Vmax and a/Pzero were not different between the SED and RUN groups, and RUN type I and IIa power deficits disappeared after power was normalized for differences in fiber diameter. Thus the reduced absolute peak power output of the type I and IIa fibers from the master runners was a result of the smaller diameter of these fibers and a corresponding reduction in their peak isometric force production. This impairment in absolute peak power production at the single fiber level may be in part responsible for the reduced in vivo power output previously observed for endurance-trained athletes.
Children with Inborn Errors of Phenylalanine Metabolism: Prognosis and Phenylalanine Tolerance

. Twenty-three children, who were detected by neonatal PKU screening, were followed for 8-18 years in one paediatric centre. Dietary treatment was started if the blood phenylalanine level exceeded 0.72 mmolA. All 23 infants were initially given a low phenylalanine diet. The growth and development rates of the children did not differ significantly from those in a reference population, although one child had mild mental retardation and another had a short attention span. Fourteen children were still on a strict phenylalanine-restricted diet on their last follow-up (at 8-18 years of age). In nine children who were initially put on a low phenylalanine diet, it was possible to normalize the diet between 1/2 and 10 years of age, while maintaining the blood phenylalanine levels between 0.25 and 0.72 mmol/1. It seems likely that those of our patients who markedly increased their phenylalanine tolerance during childhood had a regulatory mutation of the phenylalanine hydroxylase system. A continuous reevaluation of each child treated with a low phenylalanine diet reduces the use of unnecessarily restricted diets.
Investigations of the variability of dust particle sizes in the martian atmosphere using the NASA Ames General Circulation Model

Abstract We present a Mars General Circulation Model (GCM) numerical investigation of the physical processes (i.e., wind stress and dust devil dust lifting and atmospheric transport) responsible for temporal and spatial variability of suspended dust particle sizes. Measurements of spatial and temporal variations in airborne dust particles sizes in the martian atmosphere have been derived from Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) spectral and emission phase function data [Wolff, M.J., Clancy, R.T., 2003. J. Geophys. Res. (Planets) 108 (E9), doi:10.1029/2003JE002057 . 1-1; Clancy, R.T., Wolff, M.J., Christensen, P.R., 2003. J. Geophys. Res. (Planets) 108 (E9), doi:10.1029/2003JE002058 . 2-1]. The range of dust particle sizes simulated by the NASA Ames GCM is qualitatively consistent with TES-derived observations of effective dust particle size variability. Model results suggest that the wind stress dust lifting scheme (which produces regionally confined dust lifting) is the process responsible for the majority of the dust particle size variability in the martian atmosphere. Additionally, model results suggest that atmospheric transport processes play an important role in the evolution of atmospheric dust particles sizes during substantial dust storms on Mars. Finally, we show that including the radiative effects of a spatially variable particle size distribution significantly influences thermal and dynamical fields during the dissipation phase of the simulated global dust storm.
New Estimates for Practical Robust Negativity of Multilinear Functions

In this paper, we address a fundamental NP-hard problem which arises in many application areas: Determine whether a multilinear function f(x) is negative for all x in a hypercube X. Consistent with the emerging literature, with the goal being to reduce the computational burden, we consider a relaxation of this robust negativity problem. Specifically, we seek to determine whether f(x) remains negative for all x in X except possibly on a set of "acceptably small" volume.
Review of the effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in birds*

There have been several case studies of the impact of chemical contaminants on birds at the level of individuals or populations. While many of the chemicals involved in these incidents have been classified as endocrine-disrupting chemicals or endocrine active sub- stances (EASs) the mechanisms by which these chemicals affect birds are not clearly or fully understood.
Decreased rate of infection in glioblastoma patients with allelic loss of chromosome 10q

Introduction Chromosome 10q allelic loss commonly occurs in glioblastoma. Disruption of PTEN, one of three known 10q tumor suppressor genes, affects the immune system by increasing tumor expression of immunosuppressive protein B7-H1 and by increasing tumor release of Th2-inducing cytokines. While the former might impair antitumor cellular immunity, a consideration for immunotherapy, the latter could cause 10q-maintaining tumor patients to experience comparatively higher rates of bacterial infections, a source of morbidity and mortality in glioblastoma patients. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 58 glioblastoma patients whose tumors were designated “normal-10q” (n = 16) or “LOH-10q” (n = 42) using loss of heterozygosity (LOH) assays of microsatellite markers in constitutional/tumor DNA pairs. Records were reviewed for symptomatic, microbiologically or radiographically confirmed infections in the first 2 years after diagnosis. Results Infection occurred more frequently in “normal-10q” than “LOH-10q” patients (56% vs. 14% of patients experiencing infection; P = 0.001). “Normal-10q” patients more commonly developed all four infection types studied (urinary tract = 38% vs. 13%, craniotomy wound = 19% vs. 0%, pneumonia = 19% vs. 5%, sepsis = 6% vs. 3%). “Normal-10q” and “LOH-10q” patients had similar survival, ages, chemotherapy treatment rates, and frequency of patients on dexamethasone 1 month after radiation therapy (P = 0.4–0.98), making these factors unlikely to explain the observed difference in infection rates. Conclusion While tumor mutations may inhibit antitumor immunity, the effects of these mutations on systemic immunity remain undetermined. We found higher infection rates after glioblastoma diagnosis in patients whose tumors maintained chromosome 10q than in patients whose tumors had allelic 10q loss. Differing effects of this genetic alteration on antitumor and systemic immunity may warrant further investigation, potentially providing insight into mechanisms of antitumor immunity and host defenses against local and systemic infections.
A Comparison of Active Set Method and Genetic Algorithm Approaches for Learning Weighting Vectors in Some Aggregation Operators

In this article we compare two contrasting methods, active set method (ASM) and genetic algorithms, for learning the weights in aggregation operators, such as weighted mean (WM), ordered weighted average (OWA), and weighted ordered weighted average (WOWA). We give the formal definitions for each of the aggregation operators, explain the two learning methods, give results of processing for each of the methods and operators with simple test datasets, and contrast the approaches and results. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Hexavalent chromium exposures and exposure-control technologies in American enterprise: results of a NIOSH field research study.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted 21 field surveys in selected industries to characterize workers' exposures to hexavalent chromium-containing airborne particulate and to evaluate existing technologies for controlling these exposures. Hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) is a respiratory irritant and chronic inhalation may cause lung cancer. Primary evaluation methods included collection of full work shift, personal breathing-zone (PBZ) air samples for Cr(VI), measurement of ventilation system parameters, and documentation of processes and work practices. This study emphasized evaluation of engineering exposure control measures, so PBZ exposures were measured on the outside of personal protective equipment, for example, respirators. Field surveys were conducted in two chromium electroplating facilities, including one where full-shift PBZ exposures to Cr(VI) ranged from 3.0 to 16 times the 1 μ g/m 3 NIOSH recommended exposure limit (REL) despite several engineering controls ...
Alternatively-Spliced Extra Domain A of Fibronectin Promotes Acute Inflammation and Brain Injury After Cerebral Ischemia in Mice

Background and Purpose—The fibronectin isoform containing the alternatively spliced extra domain A (EDA+-FN) is normally absent from the circulation, but plasma levels of EDA+-FN can become markedly elevated in several human pathological conditions associated with inflammation including ischemic stroke. It remains unknown whether EDA+-FN contributes to stroke pathogenesis or is simply an associative marker. Several in vitro studies suggest that EDA+-FN can activate Toll-like receptor 4, an innate immune receptor that triggers proinflammatory responses. We undertook a genetic approach in mice to investigate the ability of EDA+-FN to mediate inflammatory brain damage in a focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury model. Methods—We used genetically modified EDA+/+ mice, which constitutively express EDA+-FN. Extent of injury, neurological outcome, and inflammatory mechanisms were assessed after 1-hour cerebral ischemia/23-hour reperfusion injury and compared with wild-type mice. Results—We found that EDA+/+ ...
Feeding Ractopamine Hydrochloride to Cull Cows: Effects on Carcass Composition, Warner-Bratzler Shear Force, and Yield

Culled beef cows (n = 95, 10.5 ± 1.2 yr), were randomly sorted into 1 of 4 pens based on level of ractopamine (RAC) supplementation including control (no RAC), 100, 200, or 300 mg/d of RAC for the final 30 d of a 48-d feeding period. At 24 h postmortem, carcass data were collected, carcasses were fabricated, and 9 muscles (adductor, gracilis, infraspinatus, longissimus thoracicus, rectus femoris, semimembranosus, teres major, triceps brachii, and vastus lateralis) were removed. The triceps brachii was further separated into the long and lateral heads. Feeding RAC had little effect on carcass characteristics or Warner-Bratzler shear force (P > 0.05) at any treatment level. Percentage of fat-free lean increased (P < 0.05) for RAC at 300 mg when compared with controlfed. Overall, feeding RAC had little to no effect on carcass characteristics. This study shows that producers feeding RAC to cull cows will not directly benefit from increased carcass performance compared with cull cows not supplemented with RAC. In contrast, packers will indirectly benefit from cull cows being fed RAC at 300 mg/d per head for the final 30 d of a 48-d feeding period due to the increase in percent fat-free lean.
Iterative Scheduling Algorithms

The input-queued switch architecture is widely used in Internet routers due to its ability to run at very high line speeds. A central problem in designing an input-queued switch is the scheduling algorithm that decides which packets to transfer from ingress ports to egress ports in a given timeslot. It is desirable that such algorithms be iterative (so as to be pipelineable), distributed (allowing flexibility in hardware implementation) and are able to deliver high performance (in terms of throughput and delay). In practice, implementable algorithms have so far had limited success in combining all of the above properties. For example, the popular iSLIP algorithm is known to perform suboptimally, but it is commercially deployed mainly because it is iterative and distributed. The main contribution of this paper is the design and systematic analysis of two algorithms which, to the best of our knowledge, are the first high-performance iterative and distributed scheduling algorithms with possibility of efficient implementation. We first present an iterative, distributed and low-delay maximal throughput algorithm based on the celebrated "auction algorithm". This algorithm can be seen as a natural extension of iSLIP when queue-size information is allowed to be exchanged. The standard auction algorithm can take an unbounded number of iterations to converge in the worst case. However we show that under admissible Bernoulli i.i.d. traffic, our algorithm takes O(n2) iterations, where n is the number of ingress/egress ports in the switch. Moreover for a switch with finite buffer-size, the algorithm allows for a graceful trade-off between running time and performance, which we verify by representative simulation results. Next, we propose and analyze a throughput-optimal, iterative and distributed scheduling algorithm influenced by Max-product belief propagation. Recently the problem of efficient transmission over multi-hop wireless networks has been formulated as that of finding an appropriate schedule over the grid-graph abstraction of the network. A key feature of the multi-hop wireless transmission problem is that while the communication subgraph is bipartite, the bi-partition is allowed to change in each scheduling epoch. We show that our algorithm can be used to efficiently schedule traffic in multi-hop wireless networks.
Effects of training level on reversal and extradimensional shifts

Reversal (RS) and extradimensional (EDS) shift groups were subdivided into undertrained (UT), criterion trained (CT), and overtrained (OT) conditions. Results indicated: (1) The RS was learned faster than the EDS in both the CT and OT conditions, but Ss in the UT conditions did not differ. (2) Ss in the UT condition took longer to learn the RS than Ss in either the CT or OT conditions, but no significant difference was found between the CT vs OT conditions. (3) The EDS group did not differ significantly with training level. The ORE was demonstrated, but the hypothesis that this ORE might be explained in terms of the increased awareness of incidental cues which has been found in OT was not supported.
Automatic color image segmentation by dynamic region growth and multimodal merging of color and texture information

Image segmentation is a fundamental task in many computer vision applications. In this paper, we present a novel unsupervised color image segmentation algorithm that utilizes color gradients, dynamic thresholding and texture modeling algorithms in a split and merge framework. To this effect, pixels without edges are clustered and labeled individually to identify the preliminary image content. Pixels that contain higher gradients are further classified by utilizing an iterative dynamic threshold generation technique and an appropriate entropy based texture model. The proposed algorithm was demonstrated successfully on an extensive database of images and benchmarked favorably against prior art.
Attitudes of social workers and other professional groups toward alcoholism.

A survey of social workers' attitudes toward alcoholism indicated that they believed in a multifaceted explanation of alcoholism and that they favored hospital treatment for alcoholics. The results...
Fully Contoured Seating for the Wheelchair-bound Patient with Neuromuscular Disease

Current wheelchair seating does not fully correct or accommodate severe deformity in patients with neuromuscular diseases complicated by spinal curvature.1,2 We developed a custom-molded seating* system that inhibits incipient scoliosis and that fully accommodates established truncal deformity in both coronal and sagittal body planes (Figure). An outrigger can be added for additional stability if the patient or therapist requests it. The patient is first positioned to obtain maximal spinal correction. A vacuum-molding technique, using an aluminum shaping-frame and a latex bag filled with polyethylene beads (based on the concept of the bean-bag chair), provides a template. The mold is used to fabricate both a seamless, vinyl-covered, polyurethane foam-padded seat and a back rest. The cost of the seating assembly is approximately $1,200. The custom-molding system permits control over corrections in seating position through body-chair congruence.…