cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The relative importance of family planning and development for fertility reduction: critique of research and development of theory.

3 recent studies about the relative effects of family planning and development are reviewed in an effort to point out their limitations and to augment them. A tentative theoretical framework is presented from which the problem of fertility reduction may be viewed. Also presented is an analysis of the "outliers" in 1 of the 3 studies. This analysis involves consideration of macrosocial and contextual aspects of different nations as a supplement to other analyses. Mauldin and Berelson (1978) and Tsui and Bogue (1978) used indicators of social setting and family planning effort to explain declines in respectively crude birthrate between 1965 and 1975 and total fertility rates between 1968 and 1975. The 2 studies used nearly identical sets of explanatory variables. With both studies using the same indicators except for "labor force" it is not surprising that the results were the same. The results were previously obtained by Freedman and Berelson (1976) who also used the Lapham Mauldin index of planning effort along with similar indicators of social setting. Freedman and Berelson found that birthrate declines could be explained better by program effort (which independently explained 17% of the variance in crude birthrate (CBR) declines) than by social setting (which independently accounted for 7% of that variance) and that the 1972 birthrate itself was similarly explained (15% of the variance attributed to program effort alone 5% to social setting alone). Mauldin and Berelson obtained nearly identical results. In the Tsui and Bogue study the contribution of the 1968 level of fertility was the dominant influence on the 1975 total fertility rate. The standardized regression coefficient indicated that previous fertility explained 50-60% of subsequent fertility by direct relationship a figure comparable to the social setting family planning interaction effects (44-58%) in the 2 other studies. Much of this discussion is devoted to an analysis of the "outliers" in the exploratory data analysis done by Sykes for Mauldin and Berelson (1978). The outliers in Sykes exploratory data analysis were divided along 2 dimensions. The first involves the relationship between predicted and actual reductions in fertility. The 2nd dimension refers to the independent variables used to predict the fertility declines. This analysis involves analysis of contextual variables and an analysis of distributional variables. It is limited by missing data but the analysis of Freedman and Berelson (1976) Mauldin and Berelson (1978) and Tsui and Bogue (1978) is plagued by missing variables: contextual variables; distributional variables; and unique national regional or local circumstances. These can only be adequately revealed by case studies and may be important influences on fertility behavior. Effects of family planning and social setting may be conditioned by contextual variables (e.g. island status as in Taiwan) or unique circumstances (e.g. coercion as in India) and distribution appears to have an effect of its own.
Morphology of magnetic merging at the magnetopause

Abstract To illustrate the basic features of magnetospheric topology, the development of a global model is traced from the superposition of dipole and uniform fields to the effects of adding, in turn, diffusion regions, surface currents and a magnetic field component normal to the magnetopause. The subsolar, antiparallel, tearing and patchy merging geometries proposed in the past all emerge under various conditions, but models that deduce merging geometry from global boundary conditions are lacking. An exception is a model in which the external field merges wherever it falls tangent to the magnetopause. The result is a subsolar merging line that has all the characteristics of early sketches based on local arguments. Magnetosheath plasma beta affects magnetospheric topology and, consequently, merging geometry. Low, high and variable beta favor subsolar, tearing and patchy merging, respectively. Proposed flux transfer event models of bursty reconnection from a single merging line, flux ropes from multiple merging lines and flux tube elbows from patches can also be categorized by plasma beta in the same respective order. The topological modeling reviewed here may prove to be most useful for interpreting merging results from MHD simulations.
Methylation of messenger RNA in Escherichia coli

The level of methylation of mRNA is studied using RNA taken from Escherichia coli labeled with [methyl3H]methionine and [14C]uracil or 32P. The messenger fraction of the RNA is distinguished from other RNA’s by its hybridization and sedimentation properties. Within experimental error, no methyl counts are found associated with mRNA taken from T4-infected or uninfected cells. It is concluded that neither T4 mRNA nor E. coli mRNA is methylated; the level of methylation, if greater than zero, must be less than one base in 3500. The level of methylation of RNA from R17 grown in a medium containing [methyl3H]methionine is also examined. R17 RNA is likewise unmethylated.
Trident Production Cross Section and Quantum Electrodynamics at Small Distances

The cross section has been calculated for the coincidence experiment of electron-positron pair production from electron-proton collisions as a test of quantum electrodynamics at small distances. The electrons and positrons are considered highly relativistic and the protons are considered as Coulomb field sources; otherwise the calculations are exact to the fourth order of the matrix element. Distances probed are about 0.5 F.
Histomorphometric analysis of an adolescent distal tibial physis prior to growth plate closure.

Our current understanding of the rate and pattern of physeal closure is based on roentgenographic, magnetic resonance imaging, and qualitative histological studies. The purpose of this report is to provide a detailed histomorphometric/stereological analysis of a distal tibial human growth plate in the process of physiological epiphysiodesis. A human distal tibial growth plate was sampled in three regions (anterior, central, and posterior), with each region further separated medially, in the middle, and laterally. The regions were assessed for the location and extent of bony bar formation as well as for physeal height. Companion sections from optimally fixed tissue in the distal 100 µm of the hypertrophic zone were analyzed for hypertrophic chondrocytic volumes. Physis closure started in the middle of the central region of the growth plate, with 46% of the volume in this area occupied by trans-physeal bridging bone. The growth plate was also narrowed with the lowest physeal heights evident in the middle of the central and anterior regions of the physis. Disruption of the regular columns of the physis was evident with the cells arranged in clusters with intervening areas of acellularity. The average hypertrophic cell volume was 5,900 µm3 and did not significantly differ between different areas of the physis. This is the first characterization of closure in a human distal tibial growth plate via optimum fixation and stereological techniques. The studied physis was during the earliest phases of closure and provides stereological support that the distal tibial physis closes in a central to medial direction.
Laparoscopic excision of a urachal cyst

Abstract Objectives. To determine the role of laparoscopic surgery in the treatment of urachal disorders. Methods. A case report and literature review of laparoscopic urachal cyst procedures. Results. A 21-year-old man presented with a draining sinus at the umbilicus. A diagnosis of a urachal sinus was made. The patient underwent a laparoscopic excision of the sinus and cyst. Conclusions. Minimally invasive techniques such as laparoscopic surgery are the preferred means of managing urologic diseases such as the urachal cyst.
Twice-Exceptionality: Implications for School Psychologists in the Post–IDEA 2004 Era

Increased awareness of twice-exceptional students is important for all educators and psychologists; however, for school psychologists, improved understanding of twice-exceptionality will enhance their unique role in assessing twice-exceptional students and in recommending appropriate interventions in schools. In this article, the authors address giftedness and disability as separate topics and then connect them as they relate to twice-exceptionality. The authors explore twice-exceptionality in 3 separate case studies, with a specific focus on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and specific learning disability. The article includes a discussion of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act 2004, specifically as it relates to specific learning disability and giftedness. The authors conclude with 10 recommended practices that include the importance of a comprehensive evaluation to understand a student's strengths and weaknesses as well as the critical nature of different...
Autonomous navigation for lunar transfer

The primary objective of an onboard autonomous navigation sensor is to estimate the states of the spacecraft without the use of ground support and arrive at its destination with a high degree of accuracy. This paper presents a preliminary investigation into the feasibility of an autonomous lunar transfer navigation scheme using discrete onboard angle-only measurements. System observability using the angle-only scheme is formulated and discussed. Two approaches, optimal design and suboptimal design, are investigated. A simulation was performed to compare the two methods. Results of the simulation show that the suboptimal approach offers accuracy close to the optimal approach but requires much less processing. Nomenclature A = matrix describing the relative target-to-observer Afth-order dynamics Ag = N x N state gradient matrix B = matrix describing the observer dynamics F = N x 1 set of the equations of motion of the spacecraft G = N x M sensor model matrix G = universal gravitational constant g(t),G(t) = observer maneuver H = observation measurement matrix K = N x M Kalman-filter gain matrix N = number of states M = number of measurement sources P = N x N covariance matrix before propagation to measurement processing time P = N x N covariance matrix after propagation to measurement processing time P(—) = N x N covariance matrix before measurement update P(+) = N x N covariance matrix after measurement update
Topical and oral estrogens revisited for antiaging purposes

Topical and oral estrogens are beneficial in maintaining skin firmness and elasticity in postmenopausal women. The positive cutaneous effects of estrogen were overlooked in the Women's Health Initiative trial.
THE EFFECT OF NICOTINIC ACID IN DIABETES MELLITUS.

Abstract The metabolic effects of nicotinic acid therapy were studied in 6 diabetic subjects. In addition to the expected lowering of concentrations of blood lipids when these were high initially, temporary aggravation of the diabetic process occurred in all patients. This was manifested by increased glycemia, glycosuria, elevated concentrations of serum ketone bodies and free fatty acids, and heightened requirements for insulin or oral hypoglycemic drugs. There was a suggestion of increased mobilization and catabolism of fat during nicotinic acid therapy. The effects of nicotinic acid were promptly reversible when administration of the agent was stopped.
Fracture properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide thin films

Abstract The cohesive fracture properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) thin films in moist environments are reported. Films with stoichiometric compositions (C/Si ≈ 1) exhibited a decreasing cohesive fracture energy with decreasing film density similar to other silica-based hybrid organic–inorganic films. However, lower density a-SiC:H films with non-stoichiometric compositions (C/Si ≈ 5) exhibited much higher cohesive fracture energy than the films with higher density stoichiometric compositions. One of the non-stoichiometric films exhibited fracture energy (∼9.5 J m −2 ) greater than that of dense silica glasses. The increased fracture energy was due to crack-tip plasticity, as demonstrated by significant pileup formation during nanoindentation and a fracture energy dependence on film thickness. The a-SiC:H films also exhibited a very low sensitivity to moisture-assisted cracking compared with other silica-based hybrid films. A new atomistic fracture model is presented to describe the observed moisture-assisted cracking in terms of the limited Si O Si suboxide bond formation that occurs in the films.
Performance Modeling of a Manufacturing Cell with a Single Material Transporter: An Approximation

We consider a flexible manufacturing system with a number of workstations, a single material transporter, and a common storage space of finite capacity. The material handling delay times are explicitly considered in the model and assumed to follow a two-stage Coxian distribution. The material processing times on a workstation also have a two-stage Coxian distribution. The routing of parts within the system follows a Markov chain. An approximate performance model is developed and the results are compared with the exact or simulation results. We also investigate how this performance model compares to a simulation with deterministic routing and processing times. Finally, we study the effect, on the performance measures, of ignoring the material transporter or of modeling the transporter as a central server with aggregation of routing information.
Low temperature growth and laser-induced phase transformation of perovskite oxide films for uncooled IR detector applications

Pyroelectric infrared (IR) detectors based on perovskite oxides are of interest in part because of their lack of need for cooling, which makes them relatively more affordable and operationally simpler than cooled photon detector systems. We are investigating two methods for low-cost growth of perovskite oxide thin films, namely, a bio-inspired, low-temperature synthesis method and a modified industry-standard metalorganic solution deposition (MOSD) method. Subsequent to film synthesis, we utilize direct-write laser phase conversion and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication for development of an uncooled IR focal plane array (FPA). Film growth, crystallization and MEMS processes are compatible with monolithic integration of the detector pixels directly onto Si readout integrated circuits (ROICs).
Observations on Expedited Systems Engineering Practices in Military Rapid Development Projects

Abstract This research, conducted in the Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC), examined systems engineering and engineering management practices for military rapid capability and urgent needs programs. Lifecycle of urgent needs programs is driven by “time to market” as opposed to complete satisfaction of static requirements, with delivery expected in months versus years/decades. The processes and practices applied to urgent needs must add value and not require an excessive bureaucratic oversight to implement, while at the same time address, understand, and manage risk such that programs can understand better where to include, truncate, eliminate, tailor, or scale systems engineering practices and processes. Focusing on aspects of the product, process, and people of military rapid organizations, the analysis showed that these organizations have the right team, develop innovative conceptual solutions, quickly prune the design space, and identify appropriate designs that can deliver warfighting capability expeditiously. While these observations may not seem new, they provide the foundation for a broader framework of rapid development, which is the subject of ongoing research.
Study on Adsorption of Heavy Metalion in Metallurgical Wastewater by Sepiolite

In this study, the sorption of heavy metals (Cu2+, Pb2+, Zn2+ and Cd2+) from simulated metallurgical wastewater by sepiolite under different dosage, pH, adsorption time and temperature conditions was investigated. The results showed that adsorption increased with the increase of adsorbent dosage until the adsorption equilibrium was reached. When the pH is 6, adsorption of heavy metal ions by sepiolite was in the order of Cu2+ > Zn2+ > Pb2+ > Cd2+ and removal rates of the metal ion were 91%, 90%, 91%, 84%, respectively. The effect of adsorption time on adsorption was not significant. At room temperature, with the adsorption time 45 min, the adsorption of metal ions is almost saturated, adsorption of Cu2+, Pb2+, Cd2+ and Zn2+ was 13.05mg/g, 85.47mg/g, 62.36mg/g and 15.67mg/g, respectively.
Correlation of Cu(PTSM) localization with regional blood flow in the heart and kidney

In a dog model of myocardial ischemia, i.v. injection of [67Cu]Cu(PTSM) leads to an excellent linear correlation for both the heart and kidney between regional tissue radiocopper concentration and regional blood flow measured by radioactive micropheres. The 62Cu-labeled complex may serve as a generator-produced position-emitting perfusion tracer for these organs.
The Igκ 3′ Enhancer Influences the Ratio of Igκ versus Igλ B Lymphocytes

Abstract We generated mice harboring germline mutations in which the enhancer element located 9 kb 3′ of the immunoglobulin κ light chain gene (3′E κ ) was replaced either by a single loxP site (3′E κ Δ) or by a neomycin resistance gene (3′E κ N). Mice homozygous for the 3′E κ Δ mutation had substantially reduced numbers of κ-expressing B cells and increased numbers of λ-expressing B cells accompanied by decreased κ versus λ gene rearrangement. In these mutant mice, κ expression was reduced in resting B cells, but was normal in activated B cells. The homozygous 3′E κ N mutation resulted in a similar but more pronounced phenotype. Both mutations acted in cis . These studies show that the 3′E κ is critical for establishing the normal κ/λ ratio, but is not absolutely essential for κ gene rearrangement or, surprisingly, for normal κ expression in activated B cells. These studies also imply the existence of additional regulatory elements that have overlapping function with the 3′E κ element.
The effects of being born in the United States on the job satisfaction of Asian Americans.

Analysis of the responses of Asian American (n = 178), African American (n = 1,026), and European American (n = 8,118) full-time workers to 21 nationwide surveys representative of the U.S. labor force from 1972 through 1996 showed the job satisfaction of Asian Americans compared to that of the other two groups was affected by whether subjects were born in the United States. In addition, there were no gender differences in job satisfaction among African Americans and European Americans who were and were not born in the U.S., but there were such differences among Asian Americans.
Endothelial cell and cAMP regulation of T-cell CD40 ligand: relevance of calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase IV signalling.

CD40 ligand (CD40L) expression is now recognized to contribute in the pathogenesis of vascular disease. Because increased CD40L has been associated with myocardial infarction, effects of endothelial cells and cAMP with respect to CD40L regulation may be of clinical relevance. In the present study, endothelial cells are shown to markedly increase CD40L on naive CD4+ T cells with a more modest effect on memory T cells. Furthermore, the addition of dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dbcAMP) synergistically increased naive cell CD40L but inhibited memory cell CD40L. Although it has previously been recognized that human endothelial cells can increase T-cell CD40L, this is the first description of the difference in responses of naive and memory cells and the first demonstration of synergistic effects of endothelial cells and cAMP on CD40L regulation. Consistent with previous reports that CD40L regulation is distinctive, another marker of early activation (CD69) was not similarly regulated. The mechanisms of CD40L regulation were related to calcineurin and calcium/calmodulin dependent kinase IV (CaMKIV) signalling pathways. Endothelial cell costimulation of CD40L was found to be dependent upon calcineurin activity while cAMP actions to increase CD40L were dependent upon CaMKIV. Expression of a dominant negative CaMKIV construct further indicated an important role for CaMKIV in regulation of CD40L and cAMP responses. These data indicate that endothelial cell costimulation can interact with cAMP through calcium signalling pathways to synergistically enhance CD40L expression. Because increased CD40L is associated with atherosclerotic plaque and instability, results are relevant to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction.
Lattice effects in HTSC cuprates observed by neutron scattering

Various local structural distortions have been observed in HTSC cuprates by pulsed neutron PDF analysis, while the strong softening of the zone-boundary LO phonon due to doping was observed by inelastic neutron scattering. It is suggested that they may share the origin in the strong electron-lattice coupling enhanced by electron correlation. Such a strong coupling could be relevant to the mechanism of superconductivity.
Molecular and cellular regulation of neuropeptide expression: the bag cell model system

The bag cell neuroendocrine system of Aplysia californica has been under intensive investigation for nearly two decades. The favorable morphology and hardiness in organ culture of this preparation have permitted a wide range of electrophysiological, cellular, and molecular studies. In this review we have focused our attention on the biochemical and physiological processes that serve the principle function of the bag cells: the synthesis and secretion of the neuropeptide egg-laying hormone. Although these cells were at first considered a model system for the most elementary neuroendocrine mechanisms, increasing knowledge has disclosed a surprising degree of complexity in both neuropeptide biosynthesis and the electrophysiological processes responsible for secretion. Not only may various components of the prohormone be sorted into different classes of neurosecretory granules, which may in turn have different probabilities of secretion, but biosynthesis itself appears to be regulated by the same intracellular messengers that mediate the electrophysiological discharge cycle. Hence, the bag cells, and presumably other peptidergic neurons, appear to possess an array of regulatory processes that can modulate the amount and character of their secretory output. The interactions of these processes may confer a degree of plasticity to the functional expression of peptidergic neurons unanticipated in studies of other neuron types.
Relationship between radar reflectivity and the time scale of warm rain formation in a global cloud-resolving model.

The connections between radar reflectivity and the time scale of warm rain formation are examined within a global cloud-resolving model. The parameterizations formulae of auto-conversion and accretion processes in the model reveal specific relationships between the time scale for auto-conversion and radar reflectivity of cloud water as well as between the time scale for accretion and radar reflectivity of rain water. The overall time scale for warm rain formation, determined by combined contributions from these processes, is found to relate with total radar reflectivity in the manner that varies with cloud-rain composition between auto-conversion and accretion limits. The global statistics from the model output reveals that the time scale is closely related with the total radar reflectivity, thus suggesting that the radar reflectivity is a gross measure of the warm rain time scale. The relationship developed is applied to both model-simulated and CloudSat-observed radar reflectivities to compare the time scales of warm rain formation between observation and the model. Comparison of the time scale so derived reveals significant differences between the model and CloudSat observations. These differences suggest that the simulated cloud-rain composition in the model is biased toward larger rain water contents and smaller content of cloud water compared to reality due to an accelerated cloud-to-rain water conversion in the model.
Alcohol Worsens Acute Lung Injury by Inhibiting Alveolar Sodium Transport through the Adenosine A1 Receptor

Objective: Alcohol intake increases the risk of acute lung injury (ALI) and the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and is associated with poor outcomes in patients who develop these syndromes. No specific therapies are currently available to treat or decrease the risk of ARDS in patients with alcoholism. We have recently shown increased levels of lung adenosine inhibit alveolar fluid clearance, an important predictor of outcome in patients with ARDS. We hypothesized that alcohol might worsen lung injury by increasing lung adenosine levels, resulting in impaired active Na + transport in the lung. Methods: We treated wild-type mice with alcohol administered i.p. to achieve blood alcohol levels associated with moderate to severe intoxication and measured the rate of alveolar fluid clearance and Na,K-ATPase expression in peripheral lung tissue and assessed the effect of alcohol on survival during exposure to hyperoxia. We used primary rat alveolar type II cells to investigate the mechanisms by which alcohol regulates alveolar Na + transport. Results: Exposure to alcohol reduced alveolar fluid clearance, downregulated Na,K-ATPase in the lung tissue and worsened hyperoxia-induced lung injury. Alcohol caused an increase in BAL fluid adenosine levels. A similar increase in lung adenosine levels was observed after exposure to hyperoxia. In primary rat alveolar type II cells alcohol and adenosine decreased the abundance of the Na,K-ATPase at the basolateral membrane via a mechanism that required activation of the AMPK. Conclusions: Alcohol decreases alveolar fluid clearance and impairs survival from acute lung injury. Alcohol induced increases in lung adenosine levels may be responsible for reduction in alveolar fluid clearance and associated worsening of lung injury.
MO-D-213A-01: ACR Accreditation

The American College of Radiology's (ACR) Nuclear Medicine and PET Accreditation Programs evaluate qualifications of personnel, equipment, image quality, and quality control measures. It is believed that these are primary factors that impact the quality of patient imaging. The ACR accreditation allows facilities to critique and improve their practices as part of their preparation for the accreditation evaluation process. The goals of the ACR Nuclear Medicine and PET Accreditation Programs are improvement in the quality of imaging, provision of educational information by raising awareness of imaging issues, and the recognition of imaging facilities which meet program objectives. This presentation will outline the program requirements, highlighting some of the common pitfalls that may cause deficiencies in both the clinical and phantom submissions. This presentation will provide participants with: 1. General information describing the ACR Accreditation Programs 2. Information about the Diagnostic Modality Accreditation Programs 3. Specific information about the ACR Nuclear Medicine and PET Accreditation Program, to include the application process, clinical images submission and quality control requirements.
The Magnetic Connectivity of Moss Regions

A novel emission feature resembling moss was first identified in high-resolution TRACE Feix/X 171 A images by Berger et al. (1999). The moss emission is characterized by dynamic arc-second scale, bright elements surrounding dark inclusions in images of solar active regions. Patches of moss elements, called moss regions, have a scale of 20–30 Mm. Moss regions occur only above some of magnetic plages that underlie soft X-ray coronal loops. Using the potential field extrapolation of the photospheric magnetic field into the corona, we find that the magnetic field lines in moss-associated magnetic plages connect with adjacent plages with opposite polarity; however, all field lines from mossless plages end in surrounding ‘quiet regions’. This result is consistent with the idea that the TRACE moss is the emission from the upper transition region due to heating of low-lying plasma by field-aligned thermal conduction from overlying hot plasma (Berger et al., 1999).
An improved protocol for Agrobacterium -mediated transformation of grapevine ( Vitis vinifera L.)

An improved protocol for efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of grapevine (Vitis sp.) was developed through modification of cocultivation and subsequent washing procedures. It was determined that Agrobacterium-infected somatic embryos (SE) cocultivated on filter paper exhibited less browning and significantly higher transient GFP and GUS expression than those cultured on agar-solidified medium. Furthermore, such SE, when subjected to a prolonged washing period in liquid medium containing cefotaxime and carbenicillin, followed by another wash in similar medium with kanamycin added, exhibited significantly higher rates of stable transformation compared to previously-described procedures. Transgenic plant recovery was increased 3.5–6 Xs by careful excision of leafy cotyledons from SE that had been induced to germinate on MS medium containing 1 μM of BA. Southern blot analysis revealed the low copy number integration of transgenes in transgenic plants recovered using the improved protocol. These improved cocultivation and plant recovery procedures have been demonstrated to facilitate production of large populations of transgenic plants from V. vinifera ‘Merlot’, ‘Shiraz’ and ‘Thompson Seedless’ as well as Vitis hybrid ‘Seyval Blanc’.
Infants' use of featural information in the segregation of stationary objects

Abstract Infants' use of featural information (e.g. shape, color, pattern) to segregate stationary displays was investigated in three main experiments. The first experiment showed that 7.5-month-old infants, but not younger infants, were able to form a clear interpretation of a display consisting of a curved yellow cylinder and an adjacent titled blue box as composed of two separate units. Subsequent experiments determined that infants as young as 4.5 months of age could segregate into two units a simplified version of this display consisting of a straight yellow cylinder and a straight blue box (whether the display was fully visible or boundary-occluded). These results indicate that infants as young as 4.5 months of age can use object features (at least simple ones) to determine the locations of object boundaries. The results are discussed in terms of the processes underlying object segregation in infancy, and why complex features could be difficult for younger, but not older infants to perceive.
Synergy Disequilibrium Plots

Summary:We present a visualization tool applied on genome-wide association data, revealing disease-associated haplotypes, epistatically interacting loci, as well as providing visual signatures of multivariate correlations of genetic markers with respect to a phenotype. Availability:Freely available on the web at: http://www.ee.columbia.edu/~anastas/sdplots Contact: anastas@ee.columbia.edu Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Gonadal Function and the Biological and Physicochemical Properties of FollicleZ— Stimulating Hormone

Certain monkey pituitary preparations with low FSH biopotencies were found to contain unexpectedly large quantities of immunoreactive FSH when assayed by a specific radioimmunoassay for rhesus FSH. Exclusion chromatography of these and other preparations, and assay of the resulting fractions, suggested that rhesus pituitary FSH is heterogeneous, and that the ratio of immunological to biological activity is least for the largest FSH molecules. Further, the ratios of immunological to biological FSH activity of unfractionated pituitary extracts and sera from intact female monkeys were at least twice those of pituitary extracts and sera from ovariectomized animals. Exclusion chromatography revealed a preponderance of FSH components of larger molecular size in the extracts and sera from the ovariectomized animals, suggesting that differences in FSH structure may account for the observed discrepancies between activity ratios. That these differences were seen in sera as well as in pituitary extracts attests to t...
Preoperative high dose methylprednisolone attenuates the cerebral response to deep hypothermic circulatory arrest.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the effects of preoperative high dose methylprednisolone on cerebral recovery following a period of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA). Methods: Sixteen 1-week-old piglets were randomized to placebo (n = 8), or 30 mg/ kg intramuscular methylprednisolone sodium succinate (MPRED) given at 8 and 2 h before induction of anaesthesia. All piglets underwent cardiopulmonary bypass, cooling to 18°C, 60 min of circulatory arrest followed by 60 min of reperfusion and rewarming. The radiolabelled microsphere method was used to determine the global and regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral oxygen metabolism (CMRO 2 ) at baseline before DHCA and after 60 min of reperfusion. Results: In controls, mean global CBF (± 1 standard error) before DHCA was 53.7 ± 2.4 ml/100 g per min and fell to 23.8 ± 1.2 ml/100 g per min following DHCA (P < 0.0001). This represents a post-DHCA recovery to 45.1 ± 3.3% of the pre-DHCA value. In the MPRED group recovery of global CBF post-DHCA was significantly higher at 63.6 ± 5.2% of the pre-DHCA value (P = 0.009). The regional recovery of CBF in the cerebellum, brainstem and basal ganglia was 80, 75 and 69% of preDHCA values in the MPRED group respectively compared to 66, 60 and 55% in controls (P < 0.05). Global CMRO 2 in controls fell from 3.9 ± 0.2 ml/100 g per min before to 2.3 ± 0.2 ml/100 g per min after DHCA (P = 0.0001). This represents a post-DHCA recovery to 58.6 ± 4.4% of the pre-DHCA value. In the MPRED group, however, recovery of global CMRO 2 post-DHCA was significantly higher at 77.9 ± 7.1% of the pre-DHCA value (P = 0.04). Conclusions: Treatment with high dose methylprednisolone at 8 and 2 h preoperatively attenuates the normal cerebral response to a period of deep hypothermic ischaemia. This technique may therefore offer a safe and inexpensive strategy for cerebral protection during repair of congenital heart defects with the use of DHCA.
Systems biomarkers as acute diagnostics and chronic monitoring tools for traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant biomedical problem among military personnel and civilians. There exists an urgent need to develop and refine biological measures of acute brain injury and chronic recovery after brain injury. Such measures “biomarkers” can assist clinicians in helping to define and refine the recovery process and developing treatment paradigms for the acutely injured to reduce secondary injury processes. Recent biomarker studies in the acute phase of TBI have highlighted the importance and feasibilities of identifying clinically useful biomarkers. However, much less is known about the subacute and chronic phases of TBI. We propose here that for a complex biological problem such as TBI, multiple biomarker types might be needed to harness the wide range of pathological and systemic perturbations following injuries, including acute neuronal death, neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration and neuroregeneration to systemic responses. In terms of biomarker types, they range from brain-specific proteins, microRNA, genetic polymorphism, inflammatory cytokines and autoimmune markers and neuro-endocrine hormones. Furthermore, systems biology-driven biomarkers integration can help present a holistic approach to understanding scenarios and complexity pathways involved in brain injury.
Hypertext Support for Remedial Students and Students with Learning Disabilities

Student use of pop-up text windows that support or extend information found in a high school social studies text provides a detailed look into the instructional effectiveness of a set of hypermedia study guides. Twenty-five students, 19 male and 6 female, with a mean age of 14.6 years participated in this study. Thirteen were students with learning disabilities and 12 were remedial students. Findings from the study indicate that hypertext (text-only) support provides adequate reinforcement to move remedial students and students with learning disabilities toward continued, unprompted use of a hypermedia study guide, and that short-term and long-term retention of information can be expected from text-only information support. Students who had access to the hypermedia study guides exhibited better information retention than students who did not use the hypermedia study guides.
Prognostic Value of FDG PET/CT before Allogeneic and Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation for Aggressive Lymphoma

The presence of fluorodeoxyglucose-avid lesions at PET/CT performed before allogeneic and autologous stem cell transplantation (SCT) indicates aggressive lymphoma, for which SCT has a lower likelihood of success.
Moment expressions and summary statistics for the complete and truncated weibull distribution

Traditionally, the moments of the Weibull distribution have been calculated using the standard Weibull (Johnson and Kotz, 1970) . This article will expand on that idea and cover the truncated cases for the standard Weibull distributions. Also, the same techniques used for the standard form will be used to derive the moment expressions for the three-parameter complete and truncated Weibull distributions. The summary statistics are then calculated from the moment expressions. Weibull moments involve the gamma and incomplete gamma functions.
Nonlinear phenomena in induced charge electroosmosis

We present an experimental and numerical investigation of induced charge electroosmosis (ICEO) on a planar electrode surface directly in contact with a high conductivity electrolytic solution. Symmetric rolls of ICEO flow were produced on the electrode by placing it in an AC electric field. The slip velocity was measured for a range of AC voltages and frequencies using micro particle image velocimetry (μPIV). The slip velocity was also calculated by finite element simulations based on a linear and a nonlinear model of electrical double layer, respectively. The μPIV measurements were found to be much lower (two and half orders of magnitude) than the velocities predicted by the linear model. The linear model is valid only under Debye Huckel approximation (φ ≪ kB T/e = 25 mVolt at room temperature) which does not hold true for practical situations. The nonlinear model, on the other hand, predicts velocities which are lower than the linear model and closer to the experimental values. The nonlinearity reduces discrepancy between experimental and numerical results by approximately an order of magnitude. The nonlinear model accounts for nonlinear capacitance of the double layer and lateral conduction of charge in the double layer.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Effects of fluoridated drinking water on bone mass and fractures: The study of osteoporotic fractures

To determine if optimal fluoridation of public water supplies influences bone mass and fractures, we studied 2076 non-black women, all aged > or = 65 years recruited into the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures at the Pittsburgh clinic. Information on fluoride exposure was limited to community water supplies. The variable used in the analysis was years of exposure to fluoridated water in community drinking water supplies. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured at the spine and hip using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and at the midpoint and ultradistal radius and calcaneus using single photon absorptiometry. Prevalent and incident vertebral fractures were determined by morphometry. Incident nonspine fractures were ascertained every 4 months and confirmed by radiographic report. Exposure to residential fluoridated water had no effect on bone mass. Women exposed to fluoride for > 20 years had similar axial and appendicular bone mass to women not exposed or women exposed for 20 years had a lower relative risk of nonspine fractures (relative risk, RR, = 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.48-1.12), osteoporotic fractures, RR = 0.74 (CI 0.46-1.19), and hip fractures, RR = 0.44 (CI 0.10-1.86), compared with women not exposed, but none of these relative risks was statistically significant. There was no association with wrist or spinal fractures. Our results do not support the findings from recent ecological studies which showed an increased risk of hip fracture among individuals exposed to fluoridated public water.
Improving syntactic rule extraction through deleting spurious links with translation span alignment

Most statistical machine translation systems typically rely on word alignments to extract translation rules. This approach would suffer from a practical problem that even one spurious word alignment link can prevent some desirable translation rules from being extracted. To address this issue, this paper presents two approaches, referred to as sub-tree alignment and phrase-based forced decoding methods, to automatically learn translation span alignments from parallel data. Then, we improve the translation rule extraction by deleting spurious links and inserting new links based on bilingual translation span correspondences. Some comparison experiments are designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.
A light differential download algorithm for software defined radio devices

Radio configuration (R-CFG) files for software defined radio (SDR) devices can he downloaded over the air, allowing these devices to support multi-mode functionality using a single transceiver. The drawback of this is that the wireless link is constrained and downloading the entire R-CFG could take some time. In an effort to achieve efficiency, this paper presents a new algorithm for differential download, referred to as light differential download algorithm (LDDA). The LDDA is the first differential download algorithm specifically designed for SDR devices. It presents several new features that make not only R-CFG differential download a possibility, but also allows the update of any software by differential download. Experiments using Java 2 Micro Edition are performed to demonstrate the feasibility and superior performance of the LDDA when compared with other approaches.
The cell cortex during ciliate morphogenesis and ciliogenesis

The cell cortex of a ciliated protozoan contains most of the structure that defines the shape and pattern of the organism. The ciliate cell cortex is composed of both cytoskeletal and membranous components. While the assembly of the cytoskeleton is believed to account for the major part of the development of shape and pattern in this cell (as in all eukaryotic cells), the contribution of membranes to the development of cellular architecture in ciliates is poorly understood. Also, how the cortical membranes are assembled and how this assembly is coordinated with cytoskeletal assembly are virtually unknown. Furthermore, membranes have several unique properties which could be useful in the storage and utilization of blueprints for cellular architecture. Freeze-fracture and freeze-etch electron microscopy provide ways to characterize the molecular architecture and assembly of membranes during development. Efforts are being made to apply these methods to an analysis of morphogenesis and ciliogenesis in Tetrahymena. The results of these studies ar summarized and their possible implications regarding the role of membranes in ciliate morphogenesis are discussed.
Dating aggression and risk behaviors among teenage girls seeking gynecologic care.

Objectives: The objective was to describe rates of dating aggression and related high-risk behavior among teens presenting to the emergency department (ED) seeking gynecologic care, compared to those seeking care for other reasons. Methods: Female patients ages 14–18 years presenting to the ED during the afternoon/evening shift of a large urban teaching hospital over a 19-month period were approached to participate and completed a self-administered computerized survey regarding sexual risk behaviors, past-year alcohol use, dating aggression, and peer aggression. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with the evaluation of gynecologic complaint as noted by completion of a pelvic exam. Results: A total of 949 teens were enrolled (87% response rate), with 148 receiving gynecologic evaluation. Among girls undergoing a gynecologic evaluation, 49% reported past-year dating aggression, compared to 34% of those who did not undergo gynecologic evaluation (odds ratio [OR] = 1.81, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.30 to 2.62). Logistic regression analysis predicting gynecologic evaluation found statistically significant variables to be older age (OR = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.24 to 3.06), African American race (OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.04 to 2.40), parental public assistance (OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.10 to 2.45), alcohol use (OR = 2.31, 95% CI = 1.57 to 3.38), and dating aggression (OR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.03 to 2.21). Conclusions: Of the teens undergoing gynecologic evaluation in this urban ED, 49% reported dating aggression. These teens also reported higher rates of other sexual risk behaviors compared to their peers. Care providers in urban EDs treating all female teens and particularly those seeking gynecologic care should be aware of this high rate of dating aggression and screen for aggression in dating relationships in this high-risk group.