cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Central and foraminal indirect decompression in MIS lateral interbody fusion (XLIF): video lecture.

The objectives of this video lecture are to (1) describe the surgical goals of XLIF as they relate to indirect decompression in patients with central canal and/or foraminal stenosis as well as (2) report indirect decompression findings from original and published literature [1–6] and (3) provide clinical guidelines for patient selection and limitations of indirect decompression in XLIF. Case examples further illustrate radiographic evidence of disc and foraminal height restoration.
Beyond Bricks and Mortar: Creating Knowledge Through Student–Faculty Partnerships

Who benefits from the rapid development of transnational education institutions? Despite concerns of academic capitalism or neocolonial imperialism, both the sending institutions and the host countries can benefit from these educational initiatives. I suggest that American liberal education is uniquely placed to combine local and foreign expertise in educational partnerships. Using the example of undergraduate research grant funding, I demonstrate that the international branch campuses of Qatar’s Education City have engaged in research and knowledge creation that mutually benefits the local and foreign academic communities. The sending institutions should institutionalize incentives that prioritize student learning and local expertise and needs.
Interaction Analysis and Self-Study

This article introduces supervisors and supervisees to interaction analysis and self-study in the supervisory process in speech-language pathology and audiology. Four interaction analysis systems s...
Ion Beam Assisted Thin Film Deposition

The bombardment of a growing film with energetic particles has been observed to produce beneficial modifications in a number of characteristics and properties critical to the performance of thin films and coatings such as: improved adhesion; densification of films grown at low substrate temperatures; modification of residual stresses; control of texture (orientation); modification of grain size and morphology; modification of optical properties; and modification of hardness and ductility.
Stable isotope composition of sulfates in aerosol particles collected in the Southern California Air Basin

Abstract Aerosol particles were collected at Lennox and Duarte in the Southern California Air Basin with Sierra and, or, Misco cascade impactors at night on 24 July and 25 July 1979, respectively. The concentrations of sulfate, nitrate, and chloride and the 34 S 32 S ratios (as δ 34 S) of sulfate in these aerosols were determined. A pronounced and repetitive minimum of δ 34 S value in the 0.95- to 1.5-μm fraction was observed at both collection sites. An inverse relationship between the δ 34 S values and sulfate concentration and a significant correlation between the δ 34 S values and chloride content were observed in these samples. The results indicate admixture of marine and industrial sulfate in the aerosol particles.
The Market Transition Debate: Toward a Synthesis?

In his seminal 1989 article, "A Theory of Market Transition," Victor Nee offered a new theory of social inequality and applied it to the study of the problem of transition from state socialist redistributive economy to market capitalism. Nee claimed that the emergence of markets in state socialist redistributive economies had unexpected consequences. The most privileged stratum or class of state socialism, the redistributors, lost some of their privilege, while those at the bottom of the state socialist hierarchy, the "direct producers," benefited (for earlier formulations see Szelenyi and Konrad [1969], Szelenyi [1978], and Whyte [1984]). As a result, inequality, as measured by income or access to scarce goods, was reduced. Nee's theory identified the mechanisms by which markets generated equality under redistributive systems: if wages are not administratively set, but established by transactive relations, then producers are likely to have more power (market power); if markets operate, then human capital is likely to be rewarded more while political loyalty is likely to matter less (market incentive); if there are markets in a redistributive economy, then entrepreneurship becomes an alternative avenue of socioeconomic mobility (market opportunity; Nee 1989). Data collected in 1985 in rural China offered support to the theory of market transition. Between 1977 and 1985 overall income inequalities in China declined: the income gap between urban residents and farmers shrank; the income gap in the countryside between peasants and cadres also narrowed. The decline of inequality arguably was the result of deregulation of state policies in agriculture. After 1977, Chinese peasants received land, their production targets were less strictly regulated by planners, and they were allowed to bring their produce to urban markets. As
Irreversible Inhibition of the HIV-1 Protease: Targeting Alkylating Agents to the Catalytic Aspartate Groups

Irreversible inhibition of the HIV-1 protease by agents that specifically alkylate its catalytic aspartate residues is a potentially useful approach for circumventing the evolution of HIV strains that are resistant to protease inhibitors. Five haloperidol- and two FMOC-based epoxides of differing reactivities have been synthesized and tested as irreversible inhibitors of the HIV-1 protease (HIV-1 PR). Of these, two trisubstituted epoxides, a cis-1,2-disubstituted epoxide, a 1,1-disubstituted epoxide, and a monosubstituted epoxide function as irreversible inhibitors, but two trans-1,2-disubstituted epoxides do not. The most effective of the epoxides (6) inactivates HIV-1 PR with K(inact) = 65 μM and V(inact) = 0.009 min. 1,2-Epoxy-3-(p-nitrophenoxy)propane (EPNP), a nonspecific inactivating agent for aspartyl proteases, has been used to validate a protocol for establishing the stoichiometry and site of protein alkylation. Mass spectrometric analysis of the inactivated enzyme shows that one molecule of either EPNP or the cyclic 1,2-disubstituted epoxide 6 is covalently bound per HIV-1 PR dimer. Mass spectrometric sequencing of labeled proteolytic peptides shows that both inhibitors are covalently bound to a catalytic aspartate residue. The covalent binding of three α,β-unsaturated ketone derivatives of haloperidol has been similarly examined. Analysis of HIV-1 PR inactivated by these agents establishes that they bind covalently to the two cysteines and the N-terminal amino group but not detectably to the catalytic aspartate residues. The results indicate that aspartate-targeted inactivation of HIV-1 PR depends on (a) matching the reactivity of the alkylating functionality to that of the aspartates, preferably by exploiting the two-aspartate catalytic motif of the protease to activate the alkylating agent, and (b) appropriate positioning of the alkylating functionality within the active site. These requirements are readily met by a monosubstituted, 1,1-disubstituted, or cyclic cis-1,2-disubstituted epoxide but not by trans-1,2-disubstituted epoxides or α,β-unsaturated ketones.
On a bayesian approach for the shiftpoint problem

Using a direct resampling process, a Bayesian approach is developed for the analysis of the shiftpoint problem. In many problems it is straight forward to isolate the marginal posterior distribution of the shift-point parameter and the conditional distribution of some of the parameters given the shift point and the other remaining parameters. When this is possible, a direct sampling approach is easily implemented whereby standard random number generators can be used to generate samples from the joint posterior distribution of aii the parameters in the model. This technique is illustrated with examples involving one shift for Poisson processes and regression models.
Volumetric Application of Skewed Spectra

Spectral decomposition is a powerful analysis technique that provides direct measurement of thin-bed tuning effects. One limitation in using spectral decomposition in volumetric analysis is the shear size of the spectral component volumes that are generated. For this reason, peak amplitude, peak frequency, and peak phase, which represent the mode of the complex spectra have proven to be three of the most useful volumetric spectral attributes. While estimates of the spectral mean, bandwidth, skewness, and kurtosis have been available in commercial formationbased spectral decomposition software for almost a decade, few if any case studies have been presented showing its value. Since many spectra are bivs. unimodal we find the mean spectra, bandwidth and kurtosis to have only limited interpretation value. In contrast, spectral skewness estimates quantify the asymmetry of the spectra which in turn can be correlated to multimodal behaviour due to channels, as well as the presence of upward fining, and upward coarsening sequencies.
Bonding at the K/Si(100) 2×1 interface: A surface extended x-ray-absorption fine-structure study

Using surface extended x-ray-absorption fine-structure spectroscopy we establish the K-Si bond length to be 3.14\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.10 \AA{} at the K/Si(100) 2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1 interface for (1/2-monolayer K coverage. This value corresponds to the sum of the Si and K covalent radii and suggests weak interaction of K with the substrate relative to the interaction along the K chains on the surface. This finding, while consistent with earlier studies of this system, disagrees with recent total-energy pseudopotential calculations which determine a K-Si distance of 2.59 A\r{}.
Kinetic temperature image modeling from thermal infrared satellite images

A long wave infrared radiance model has been defined that permits modeling of the radiance reaching an aerial or satellite sensor. Given the kinetic temperature and emissivity characteristics of the target and background and the prevailing atmospheric data (e.g. radiosonde) atmospheric transmission (the LOWTRAN transmission code is used to compute integrated transmission as a function of altjtude), upwelled and downwelled path radiance and radiance and contrast at the sensor can be computed. Both Lambertian and specular reflectors can be modeled. The resultant radiance levels were applied to synthetic scenes comprised of silhouettes of ships viewed at various angles and slant paths. By defining certain sensor response functions, the recorded image at the sensor can be modeled. Results are included for viewing in the 8-14 μm region from a fixed altitude AGL through angles from vertical to near horizontal for a single atmosphere.
Reading Repression: Textualizing the Linguistic Marginalization of Nonnative English-Speaking Teachers in Arizona

This discussion draws attention to the discriminatory efforts of policymakers in Arizona to professionally marginalize public school teachers deemed to have an accent. In addition to debunking the linguistic and pedagogic validity of this policy, we emphasize the role of the media in the (re)construction and justification of language ideologies used to cast immigrants and language-minority groups in a negative light. To accomplish this, we have conducted a Critical Discourse Analysis of online responses to a recent Wall Street Journal article describing the Arizona Department of Education's latest attempt to oppress language-minority communities. Tapping into publicly advertised dialogues allows us to expose how media sources like the Wall Street Journal both emphasize and reproduce discourses that cement shared beliefs about minority groups. From this stance, we promote the benefits of linguistic diversity and advocate for the cultural and professional rights of teachers who speak English as an additiona...
Bacterial Succession on the Leaf Surface: A Novel System for Studying Successional Dynamics

Succession is a widely studied process in plant and animal systems, but succession in microbial communities has received relatively little attention despite the ubiquity of microorganisms in natural habitats. One important microbial habitat is the phyllosphere, or leaf surface, which harbors large, diverse populations of bacteria and offers unique opportunities for the study of succession and temporal community assembly patterns. To explore bacterial community successional patterns, we sampled phyllosphere communities on cottonwood (Populus deltoides) trees multiple times across the growing season, from leaf emergence to leaf fall. Bacterial community composition was highly variable throughout the growing season; leaves sampled as little as a week apart were found to harbor significantly different communities, and the temporal variability on a given tree exceeded the variability in community composition between individual trees sampled on a given day. The bacterial communities clearly clustered into early-, mid-, and late-season clusters, with early- and late-season communities being more similar to each other than to the mid-season communities, and these patterns appeared consistent from year to year. Although we observed clear and predictable changes in bacterial community composition during the course of the growing season, changes in phyllosphere bacterial diversity were less predictable. We examined the species-time relationship, a measure of species turnover rate, and found that the relationship was fundamentally similar to that observed in plant and invertebrate communities, just on a shorter time scale. The temporal dynamics we observed suggest that although phyllosphere bacterial communities have high levels of phylogenetic diversity and rapid turnover rates, these communities follow predictable successional patterns from season to season.
The Problem of Defining and Communicating Quality in the 21st Century

The front page of the September 3, 2010 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education featured the headline “The Quality Question” and was subtitled “Mediocrity Happens” (Glenn). The title caught my attention because the University of Georgia, my home institution, has spent the last two years preparing for reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of College and Schools (SACS), our regional accrediting organization. The guiding document is “The Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement” (http://sacscoc.org/ pdf/2010principlesofacreditation.pdf). For more than 100 years since the founding of the first regional accrediting body in New England, accreditation has served as the overarching practice for defining and assuring quality in institutions of higher education. The UGA compliance report for SACS, which documents that we have met the core requirements for reaffirmation, is over 800 pages in length and includes approximately 2,400 supporting documents totaling close to 15,000 pages! Thousands of hours of faculty and staff time were spent investigating the requirements and documenting the University’s compliance with the SACS core requirements. Next, the compliance report will be reviewed by a peer review committee. Out of this “self-study” came several tangible improvements in areas of strategic planning, distance education, and faculty records to name only three areas. In tandem with the compliance work, another 30+ member committee met throughout the preceding 24 months to develop a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), which is also a part of the reaffirmation process. After much discussion campus-wide, the QEP steering committee decided to focus on the development of a University-wide first-year seminar, labeled the First Year Odyssey. This seminar has the potential to affect every first-year student in critical thinking and writing—the plans are big! As anyone who has participated on an accreditation committee knows, the assessment (selfstudy) process is a fine-grained analysis reporting on multiple dimensions—mission, governance and administration, programs, the faculty, physical resources, student affairs, and so on. The process is an extremely important, high-stakes activity since colleges and universities must be accredited in order to participate in a myriad of federal programs valued in excess of $75 billion. Accreditation studies are occurring on hundreds of campuses across the nation this year, and will occur in the next year, until 10 years have passed and an individual campus repeats the process again. In addition to institutional level accreditation, comprehensive colleges and universities host numerous specialized accreditation visits each year, ranging from Innov High Educ (2010) 35:295–296 DOI 10.1007/s10755-010-9160-x
Aging elevates metabolic gene expression in brain cholinergic neurons

The basal forebrain (BF) cholinergic system is selectively vulnerable in human brain diseases, while the cholinergic groups in the upper pons of the brainstem (BS) resist neurodegeneration. Cholinergic neurons (200 per region per animal) were laser-microdissected from five young (8 months) and five aged (24 months) F344 rats from the BF and the BS pontine lateral dorsal tegmental/pedunculopontine nuclei (LDTN/PPN) and their expression profiles were obtained. The bioinformatics program SigPathway was used to identify gene groups and pathways that were selectively affected by aging. In the BF cholinergic system, aging most significantly altered genes involved with a variety of metabolic functions. In contrast, BS cholinergic neuronal age effects included gene groupings related to neuronal plasticity and a broad range of normal cellular functions. Transcription factor GA-binding protein alpha (GABPalpha), which controls expression of nuclear genes encoding mitochondrial proteins, was more strongly upregulated in the BF cholinergic neurons (+107%) than in the BS cholinergic population (+40%). The results suggest that aging elicits elevates metabolic activity in cholinergic populations and that this occurs to a much greater degree in the BF group than in the BS group.
Assessing emergency preparedness of families caring for young children with diabetes and other chronic illnesses.

PURPOSE. To help children with chronic illnesses and their caregivers assess emergency preparedness. CONCLUSIONS. Little work has been done to ascertain patient adherence levels to these recommendations. Additionally, little is known about the seeking patterns of healthcare providers and/or changes in interventions based on certain elements of emergency preparedness, such as the presence of medical alert identification and an emergency kit. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS. Healthcare providers must discover their patients’ level of emergency preparedness and facilitate the acquisition and implementation of elements of emergency preparedness that meet their patients’ needs.
Local Wear Models That Sometimes Work: Isothermal Sliding

We present some local wear calculations that compare the Standard pressure-based local wear model with a newer one (DSS) that includes von Mises stresses. The DSS model predicts the conforming wear tracks that one often finds at real contacts but cannot be predicted by the Standard approach. However, we find that the newer method, while giving conforming wear track shapes, can predict different amounts of global wear when identical materials in conformal contact are slid against one another. This is not found in experimental studies of a nominally similar system. We conclude that no universally local wear modeling approach exists and the present time.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Shrubs, streamflow, and the paradox of scale

In this paper, we examine the linkage between woody plants and the water budget for three important woody plant communities in Texas, USA: saltcedar (Tamarix chinensis, Tamarix ramosissima), Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei Buchholz), and mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa Torr. var. glandulosa). In most cases, these species are found in distinct physiographic and soil settings. Saltcedar is restricted to stream channels and floodplains; Ashe juniper is found mostly on karst limestone outcrops with shallow soils; and mesquite is found on deep soils. Because of these differences, changes in woody plant cover in each community will have a different effect on the water budget. For each type, we review the available literature and explicitly report the scale of observation (tree, stand, catchment, or landscape). A simple framework called the shrub–streamflow framework, which recognizes differences in response due to differences in physiographic setting, climate, and potential for deep drainage or subsurface flow, enables us to generalize the results. The fundamental premise of the framework is simple: for shrublands to be hydrologically sensitive to changes in woody plant cover, soil water or groundwater must be accessible to deep-rooting plants but too deep for shallow-rooting ones. Such a situation exists if groundwater is close to the surface (within 3–5 m and/or if deep drainage occurs (because of either high precipitation input or bypass flow in the soil). We argue that on an area basis, conversion of saltcedar stands to herbaceous plants in riparian regions has a much greater potential for increasing water yield than does conversion of woodlands to grasslands in upland regions where deep drainage does not occur. On upland sites where deep drainage does occur, conversion from woody to herbaceous vegetation may result in a savings of 40–80 mm year−1 of water. But such savings have been observed only up to the small-catchment scale, and until further work is done it is uncertain whether they can be achieved at larger scales. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Use of 6-hydroxydopamine to deplete brain catecholamines in the rhesus monkey: effects on urinary catecholamine metabolites and behavior.

The purpose of this study was to determine: 1) whether 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), previously shown to deplete brain catecholamines (CA) in rodents, depletes brain CA in rhesus monkeys; 2) whether depletion of brain CA produces changes in behavior; and, 3) whether urinary output of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) reflects brain norepinephrine (NE) depletions.
Rivers as Barriers to Primate Distributions in Africa

Rivers border the geographic distributions of primate taxa, but the extent to which the rivers are effective barriers is debated. We here provide the first statistically substantiated analysis of the role of rivers as barriers to the distribution of primates in west and central Africa, as judged by the coincidence of the edge of distributions of forest-dwelling primates with rivers. We use data from the literature to analyze the distributions of 14 genera, 44 species, and 77 subspecies around 18 rivers, river groups, or stretches of rivers. Rivers bordered the distributions of more new taxa (subspecies) than of old taxa (genera), although within genera, age of origin of the taxon did not correlate with likelihood of rivers bordering distributions. Fewer taxa crossed wide rivers than crossed narrow ones. Some analyses indicated that more smaller-bodied genera were stopped by smaller rivers than were larger-bodied genera, but other analyses indicated no effect of body size. Genera with smaller geographic ranges crossed a smaller proportion of the rivers that they met than did genera with large ranges, implying a fundamental difference between small- and large-range taxa in their ability to disperse. Specialization might be the operating trait. Finally, although the aridity of the biogeographic gap in west Africa, the Dahomey Gap, is often argued to be the barrier to movement of species across the Gap, we found that for half the primate species that do not cross the Gap, the rivers that border the Gap could in fact be the effective barrier.
Repository views for rapid exploration and developer insight

The process of developing and maintaining software systems involves many artifacts. Developers create and change these artifacts to adapt and maintain the system. This work is often done with little knowledge of the artifacts' prior history and context. Online tools that are used to manage these artifacts leave clues to this history in the form of event records in a repository. Over the past 10 years, there has been considerable work in the field of repository mining to recover history from repository records. More recently, work has focused on simplifying the process for average workers to mine this information for themselves. This paper presents work on large scale projects in a leading telecommunication industry to reconstruct both history and context from repository records, and present the information in novel views for easy exploration and useful insight. Using these views, developers are able to gain valuable insight both into each artifact's role in the system, and about the experience of earlier developers attempting similar changes to the system. The results provide objective snapshots of the development process that help developers and managers make informed decisions about changes to the system. This project is a continuation of our previous work on non-invasive process metrics and analysis.
Team Building and Conflict Management: Strategies for Family Businesses

In this study, we investigate the use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) as an instrument to improve relationships among family team members in family businesses. We conducted a workshop on personality differences based on the MBTI for the family management teams of four family businesses. Both before and after the workshops, members of each team completed a survey assessing their perceptions of interpersonal dynamics within the family business. Improved responses on the post-workshop survey show that educating family business members in personality differences can improve perceptions relating to the interpersonal dynamics within the family management team.
Energy band-gap dependence of two-photon absorption

We present measurements of the two-photon absorption coefficients /2 of 10 different semiconductors having band-gap energies between 1.4 and 3.7 eV. We find that 12 varies as Eg- 3 , as predicted by theory. In addition, the absolute values of 02 agree with theory, which includes the effect of nonparabolic bands, the average difference being less than 26%. This agreement permits confident predictions of two-photon absorption coefficients of other materials at other wavelengths. The ever-increasing role of semiconductors in lightwave technology has created a pressing demand for the characterization of the nonlinear-optical properties of these materials. Semiconductors are attractive as elements in nonlinear-optical devices because of their large and potentially extremely fast optical nonlinearities. A careful study of these macroscopic nonlinearities should allow one to determine the dependence of these nonlinearities on fundamental microscopic mechanical and electronic material properties (e.g., band gap, carrier lifetime, carrier effective mass). The data base formed by this information would then allow one not only to tabulate the materials that exhibit large nonlinearities but also to predict the specific material parameters that give rise to these high nonlinearities. This predictive capability is extremely important from the standpoint of searching for materials with large nonlinearities. A study of the nonlinear-optical properties of several semiconductors is presented here, and a relationship between the two-photon absorption coefficient (/32) and other material properties is verified. Ten different materials were experimentally studied for which the incident photon energy hw is less than the direct band-gap energy Eg but greater than Eg/2, so that two-photon absorption (2PA) is allowed.' Both 1.06and 0.53-jum picosecond pulses are used in transmission experiments, similar to those used previously by Bechtel and Smith, 2 on semiconductors with Eg ranging from 1.4 to 3.7 eV. We find that 02 is given by
Synthesis and electrocatalytic activity of photoreduced platinum nanoparticles in a poly(ethylenimine) matrix.

Monodisperse polymer-mediated platinum (Pt) nanoparticles (NPs) have been synthesized by photoreduction in the presence of poly(ethylenimine) (PEI), a hyperbranched polymer. The formation process of the Pt NPs is pursued by UV−vis spectroscopy, and the formation mechanism is discussed. The morphology and size of the Pt NPs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM imaging shows that the Pt NPs’ average diameter is 2.88 ± 0.53 nm. The PEI/Pt NPs were immobilized on glassy carbon electrodes, and the electrocatalytic activity of the catalysts was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. PEI/Pt NPs exhibit very high catalytic activity for a methanol oxidation reaction. PEI/Pt NPs on glassy carbon electrodes are robust, showing good tolerance to poisoning even after many cycles. The electrocatalytic activity of PEI/Pt NPs compares favorably with other polymer-mediated Pt NPs. The results indicate that PEI is an appropriate complexing reducing agent for the photochemical production of Pt NPs ...
The use of laser range finder on a robotic platform for pipe inspection

Abstract In this paper, we investigate the use of a laser range finder on a robotic platform for buried water pipe inspection. A robotic platform carrying and manipulating multiple nondestructive inspection sensors may require accurately locating robot's body in the pipe. The laser range finder provides an accurate distance measurement, which can generate a profile of the pipe inner surface. This profile, on one hand, can be used to identify the location of the laser source and thus the robot's body. Such information can further help the navigation of the robot. On the other hand, the anomalies presented in the profile can be detected and characterized in terms of the range measurement. The simulated and real data tests presented in this paper demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of incorporating the laser range finder into a robotic platform for the underground pipe inspection.
Film-Penetration Model for Nonisothermal Physical Gas Absorption

A two-parameter model, which utilizes the hybrid film-penetration concept, is developed for describing exothermic physical absorption of a gas into a liquid. The model is applied to the absorption of dry saturated water vapor into aqueous lithium bromide solution, which system is used in absorption cooling. The conventional film and penetration models predict constant values of 0.55 and 6.59 K for the interfacial temperature rise, respectively, and also suggest that the rate of absorption at the gas-liquid interface will be depressed by 3 (film model) and 40% (penetration model) compared to assumed isothermal absorption at the bulk liquid temperature. The holistic film-penetration model resolves this large discrepancy between the film and penetration models, which are fragmentary perspectives of the absorption process.
A child with a group-G ring chromosome

Clinical, cytogenetic and blood-grouping studies are reported in a child, who was found to have a stable group-G ring chromosome. Difficulties in the detection of ring formation in chromosomes of the G-group have been discussed. No gene losses due to the ring formation could be detected.
Regional and Racial Disparities in the Use of Live Non‐Directed Kidney Donors

Use of live non-directed donors (LNDDs), or altruistic donors, has increased significantly over the past decade and has fueled debate regarding the ethics and allocation of this new source of live donor kidneys. Three allocation philosophies are currently in use, including donor-centric, recipient-centric and socio-centric models, and our group has also advocated the use of LNDDs in paired donation. However, no universally accepted allocation policy exists, nor does national oversight. To determine allocation patterns resulting from current practice models, we analyzed the 372 LNDD kidney transplants performed in the United States since 1998. Most LNDD transplants occurred at a minority of centers, with only five centers performing over 10, and over 28% of LNDDs traveled out-of-state to donate. Furthermore, a center's use of LNDD kidneys did not correlate with that center's organ shortage. Finally, African Americans were significantly under-represented among recipients who were allocated LNDD kidneys, even after accounting for differences in the racial makeup of the waiting list representing centers using LNDD kidneys. These disparities suggest the need for continued monitoring and discussion of LNDD at a national level. If non-directed donation continues to rise at its current rate, a national allocation policy may be reasonable.
Cryosurgical ablation of the prostate : high risk patient outcomes

BACKGROUND The authors report their experience with cryosurgical ablation of the prostate in men with high-risk features for prostate carcinoma who were unwilling to undergo radical surgery or radiation therapy. METHODS Between January 1998 and April 2002, 65 men underwent primary cryosurgery for prostate carcinoma with high-risk features. All patients had biopsy-proven prostate carcinoma without evidence for metastatic disease on magnetic resonance images, computed tomography scans, or radionuclide images of bones. High-risk parameters were defined as either a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level ≥ 10 ng/mL, or a Gleason sum score ≥ 8, or both. Patients who had undergone prior surgery, radiation therapy, or cryoablation for prostate carcinoma were excluded from the study. Patients were monitored with physical examination and PSA screening every 3 months and with radiologic imaging when indicated. RESULTS The median patient age was 72 years (range, 41–86 years), and t he median follow-up was 35 months (range, 4–77 months). There were 2 patients (3.1%) with rectal pain and incontinence. Durable PSA biochemical disease-free survival was noted in 83.3% of patients according to the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) criteria. A 6-year Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed an 81.7% ASTRO survival probability as well as PSA nadir < 4.0 ng/mL and PSA nadir < 1.0 ng/mL projections of 50% and 35%, respectively. One of 8 postcryosurgery biopsies (12.5%) were positive. No patient had progressed at last follow-up, and the overall survival rate was 100%. CONCLUSIONS Cryoablation was a feasible treatment option in patients with organ-confined prostate carcinoma who had high-risk features. Longer follow-up will be necessary to determine the effectiveness of this approach. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.
CaMKII-Dependent Phosphorylation of the GTPase Rem2 Is Required to Restrict Dendritic Complexity

The morphogenesis of the dendritic arbor is a critical aspect of neuronal development, ensuring that proper neural networks are formed. However, the molecular mechanisms that underlie this dendritic remodeling remain obscure. We previously established the activity-regulated GTPase Rem2 as a negative regulator of dendritic complexity. In this study, we identify a signaling pathway whereby Rem2 regulates dendritic arborization through interactions with Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinases (CaMKs) in rat hippocampal neurons. Specifically, we demonstrate that Rem2 functions downstream of CaMKII but upstream of CaMKIV in a pathway that restricts dendritic complexity. Furthermore, we show that Rem2 is a novel substrate of CaMKII and that phosphorylation of Rem2 by CaMKII regulates Rem2 function and subcellular localization. Overall, our results describe a unique signal transduction network through which Rem2 and CaMKs function to restrict dendritic complexity.
The Benchmark Cluster Reddening Project. II. A Reddening Value for M67

Since 1954, 70 reddening determinations have been published for M67. Those results are of very diverse quality, and they imply only that the value of E(B - V) for the cluster lies between -0.02 and +0.14 mag. In addition, this uncertainty is habitually concealed by long-standing citation practices. In response, a reformed reddening protocol called alternative scholarship is applied, with tenets including (1) rigorous published foundations for reddening values, (2) accountability for all extant reddening results for M67, (3) explicit quality control of reddening techniques, (4) use of techniques with limited metallicity sensitivity, (5) explicit zero-point control of input data (when possible), (6) a reddening zero point based ultimately on the dust-free solar neighborhood, and (7) adherence to statistical norms. Results from reddening maps are then set aside pending further examination of their zero points and accidental errors. In addition, reddening values derived from color-magnitude analysis and from averages of published reddening results are likewise set aside. Five techniques that satisfy the adopted protocol are then selected and applied. By averaging results from cluster A and F stars and K giants, one finds that the mean value of E(B - V) for M67 is 41 ± 4 mmag. It is also found that extant results from additional techniques are consistent with this result or else can be set aside for plausible reasons. The analysis yields a collateral value of [Fe/H], and this is consistent with the derived reddening value. Using published high-dispersion data, it is found that the mean cluster value of [Fe/H] is -0.009 ± 0.009 dex. For M67 and the Hyades combined, no mean metallicity difference between giants and stars near the main sequence is found that is ≥0.036 dex at 95% confidence.
Graphical method for the conversion of minterms to Reed-Muller coefficients and the minimisation of exclusive-OR switching functions

A graphical method extended from a folding technique developed by Wu et al. is used to convert the minterms of a switching function to the coefficients of its Reed-Muller polynomial with fixed polarity. The conversion starts from a Karnaugh map and results in a Reed-Muller coefficient map. An algorithm which attempts to find a minimal exclusive-OR realisation for the switching function in mixed polarity by grouping the Reed-Muller coefficient map is presented. The graphical method of converting minterms to Reed-Muller coefficients and the minimisation algorithms are also applied to incompletely specified functions.
Solutions of Laplace's equation in a rectangle with a large hole

for three typical runs: one wafer polished and inspected on both sides (#82) and two wafers (#83 & #84) cycled simultaneously, one with the polished side up and the other with the polished side down. The quantitative dislocation density fluctuates from run to run but, for a given run, the wafer with the polished side down always has more dislocations than the one with the polished side up. The difference in densities from run to run has not yet been explained, but the strong correlation between top and bottom dislocation densities for a given run is preliminary evidence that gravity influences the creation of lattice defects.
70. Sympathetic innervation initiates myeloid cell trafficking from the spleen to the brain that causes the re-establishment of anxiety in stress-sensitized mice

Repeated social defeat (RSD) in mice recapitulates key immunological, physiological, and behavioral deficits associated with psychosocial stress in humans. We have reported that exposure to sub-threshold stress 24 days after RSD caused re-establishment of anxiety that was dependent on myeloid cell trafficking from the spleen to the brain. Therefore, we hypothesized that the spleen of RSD-exposed mice becomes a critical reservoir of reactive myeloid cells that are rapidly released following sympathetic activation by sub-threshold stressors. In the first experiments, the spleen was removed before 6 cycles of RSD yet this did not alter initial stress-induced myeloid redistribution or anxiety. Splenectomy prior to RSD, however, prevented the re-distribution of myeloid cells and re-establishment of anxiety following sub-threshold stress 24 days after RSD. Thus, the spleen did not contribute to myeloid cell trafficking and anxiety immediately following RSD, but rather served as a reservoir of myeloid cells that are readily released following sub-threshold stress. To address how these cells are released from the spleen, control and RSD-sensitized mice were treated with guanethidine, a peripheral sympathetic inhibitor, 24 days after RSD prior to sub-threshold stress. Intervention with guanethidine, prior to sub-threshold stress blocked myeloid cell redistribution and anxiety in RSD-sensitized mice. Thus, sympathetic initiation of spleen-to-brain myeloid cell trafficking represents a novel mechanism in the context of recurring anxiety disorders.
Conventional wisdom and climate history

The Younger Dryas interval, a cold snap that chilled many parts of the world for 1,500 years or so in the midst of the last deglaciation (≈13,000–11,500 years ago), is perhaps the best known and most studied paleoclimate event of the last 2 million years. Only a few years ago, it was well accepted that a change in the drainage routing of the huge proglacial lake that fronted the North American ice sheet occurred at just about the same time as the beginning of the Younger Dryas cold period. This and other coincidences in timing, as well as considerations of the effects this event might have had on ocean circulation, led many to believe that the meltwater rerouting caused, or triggered, the Younger Dryas cold interval. Over the last few years, all of this conventional wisdom was thrown into turmoil by a few new observations and age determinations. Now, in this issue of PNAS, Carlson et al. (1) provide a new set of data about meltwater discharge at the start of the Younger Dryas, as well as new detail regarding events within this period. They also suggest that the conventional wisdom about the inception of the Younger Dryas may not be as flawed as has been suggested recently.
Generalized ellipsometry of artificially designed line width roughness

We use azimuthally resolved spectroscopic Mueller matrix ellipsometry to study a periodic silicon line structure with and without artificially-generated line width roughness (LWR). We model the artificially perturbed grating using one- and two-dimensional rigorous coupled-wave methods in order to evaluate the sensitivity of the experimental spectrally resolved data, measured using a generalized ellipsometer, to the dimensional parameters of LWR. The sensitivity is investigated in the context of multiple conical mounting (azimuth angle) configurations, providing more information about the grating profile.
/ Connecting 24/5 to Millennials : Providing Academic Support Services from a Learning Commons

This study investigates user preferences for reference and technical support, services, and facilities featured in an academic library and Learning Commons through a 23-item questionnaire distributed to building entrants during one 24-hour period on March 14, 2006. Results revealed a strong preference for face-to-face assistance (including roving), suggested enhancements, and documented user demographics.
Personality styles, manifest needs, and the perception of time in college women

Reports the continued development of a multivariate theory of personality styles and a scale, the Multivariate Personality Inventory, designed to measure these styles in both pathological and normal populations. In a sample of college women, theory-generated predictions of the manifest needs of each personality style were examined with the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule. Results supported the validity of the Multivariate Personality Inventory in regard to the need profile of each personality style group. To examine the relationship between the personality styles and behavior, a series of time estimation measures also were employed.
DPCM picture transmission over noisy channels with the aid of a Markov model

The problem of DPCM picture transmission over noisy channels is considered. It is well known that DPCM systems are very sensitive to channel errors. The goal in this work is to build robustness against channel errors. Three methods are proposed in this paper and are obtained by modeling the encoded signal as a Markov sequence. First, an optimum method for decoding correlated sequences is derived, and it is shown to require Viterbi decoding. Then, a modified MAP method (MMAP) for Markov sequences is described. A maximal signal-to-noise (MSNR) receiver for DPCM systems is also developed that minimizes the distortion power due to channel errors. The appropriate cost matrix for this receiver is computed. These methods are applied to DPCM picture transmission over noisy channels and are compared with a another method. The SNR graphs, as well as subjective examination of the received pictures, demonstrate that the proposed procedures are quite effective and superior to that method. Among the proposed methods, the MSNR receiver was found to be more effective than the others for a given order of the Markov model. It is observed that the proposed methods are most beneficial for low detail pictures. >
Cryptic sex-ratio bias provides indirect genetic benefits despite sexual conflict

When selection favors sexual dimorphism, high-fitness parents often produce low-fitness progeny of the opposite sex. This sexual conflict is thought to overwhelm the genetic benefits of mate choice because preferred males incur a cost through the production of low-fitness daughters. We provide a counterpoint in a lizard (Anolis sagrei) that exhibits sexual conflict over body size. By using mate-choice experiments, we show that female brown anoles produce more sons than daughters via large sires but more daughters than sons via small sires. Measures of progeny fitness in the wild suggest that maximal fitness payoffs can be achieved by shifting offspring production from daughters to sons as sire size increases. These results illustrate how the resolution of sexual conflict can restore the genetic benefits of mate choice.
Non-invasive determination of the complete elastic moduli of spider silks

Spider silks possess nature's most exceptional mechanical properties, with unrivalled extensibility and high tensile strength. Unfortunately, our understanding of silks is limited because the complete elastic response has never been measured-leaving a stark lack of essential fundamental information. Using non-invasive, non-destructive Brillouin light scattering, we obtain the entire stiffness tensors (revealing negative Poisson's ratios), refractive indices, and longitudinal and transverse sound velocities for major and minor ampullate spider silks: Argiope aurantia, Latrodectus hesperus, Nephila clavipes, Peucetia viridans. These results completely quantify the linear elastic response for all possible deformation modes, information unobtainable with traditional stress-strain tests. For completeness, we apply the principles of Brillouin imaging to spatially map the elastic stiffnesses on a spider web without deforming or disrupting the web in a non-invasive, non-contact measurement, finding variation among discrete fibres, junctions and glue spots. Finally, we provide the stiffness changes that occur with supercontraction.
Negotiated solutions to overcoming impediments in a law-related experiment

Three arenas for negotiation in design and execution of randomized experiments are discussed for a major field test of pretrial hearings.
Carcinogenesis in Canine Bistomal Heterotopic Tracheal Grafts

Successful canine lung cancer models have required repeated focal bronchial carcinogen exposure under general anesthesia. To simplify serial studies of the respiratory mucosa during carcinogenesis, bistomal autologous heterotopic tracheal pedicle grafts have been made. These grafts can readily be returned to the original orthotopic site, and this has been shown to be a method with which to study reversibility of mucosal changes. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were applied topically to the mucosa three times a week for 21 to 22 months in 21 grafts. Implants of Silastic polymer from which carcinogen was released in sustained-release fashion were then left in the grafts for 4 to 6 weeks. Serial cytological and histological examinations showed development of atypical squamous metaplasia in the graft mucosa. Mucosal papillomatosis was noted in 4 of 7 grafts surgically excised 17 to 18 months after completion of carcinogen exposure. The heterotopic bistomal tracheal graft provides a useful method for studying respiratory epithelial carcinogenesis without repeated general anesthesia.