cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The rat genome database curators: who, what, where, why.

abstracts. As can be seen by the amount oftime spent in curation, the time savings forresearchers are substantial. Education and Outreach An essential part of the curator’s job is toprovide education and training for RGDusers and potential users. This is accom-plished in several ways. The RGD Web sitecontains a ‘‘Help’’ section developed by thecurators and which is accessible from allpages. This component contains a Glossaryof Terms, general information on how touse the searches and tools, a FrequentlyAsked Questions (FAQ) section, and acomponent that walks users through typicaluse case scenarios. Curators also handleindividual questions through the userrequest system accessible via the ContactUs button on each page, and throughtelephone calls and the Rat CommunityForum. RGD has published seven tutorialvideos at SciVee (http://www.scivee.tv/), aWeb site for video publications for re-search, and videos are available at RGD aswell. Curators present tutorials at majorconferences such as Experimental Biology,Society of Toxicology, Neuroscience andRat Genomics and Models, as well asindividual rat research laboratories. Inaddition, RGD is well represented at majorconferences such as Biology of Genomes,Genome Informatics, Intelligent Systemsfor Molecular Biology, and the Interna-tional Mammalian Genome Conferencewith presentations and posters highlightingnew tools and datasets. Other outreachactivities involve contact with individualresearchers for nomenclature assignment togenes, QTLs, and strains, as well asconstruction of customized datasets.
A performance based methodology for fire design of restrained steel beams

Abstract A performance based approach is developed for assessing the fire resistance of restrained beams. The proposed approach, based on equilibrium and compatibility principles, takes into consideration the influence of many factors including fire scenario, end restraints, connection configuration (location of axial restraint force), thermal gradient, load level, beam geometry, and failure criteria in evaluating fire resistance. The validity of the approach is established by comparing the predictions from the proposed approach with results obtained from rigorous finite element analysis. The applicability and rationality of the proposed approach to practical design situations is illustrated through a numerical example.
The Role of Immigration in the Designing of the American Nation

In this comprehensive history of US immigration policy, Aristide Zolberg demonstrates how American political leaders have long devised immigration laws for the purpose of nation-building. Conceivin...
Novel cytoplasmic proteins of nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae up-regulate human MUC5AC mucin transcription via a positive p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway and a negative phosphoinositide 3-kinase-Akt pathway

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is an important human pathogen that causes chronic otitis media with effusion (COME) in children and exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults. Mucin overproduction, a hallmark of both diseases, has been shown to directly cause conductive hearing loss in COME and airway obstruction in COPD. The molecular mechanisms underlying mucin overproduction in NTHi infections still remain unclear. Here, we show that NTHi strongly up-regulates MUC5AC mucin transcription only after bacterial cell disruption. Maximal up-regulation is induced by heat-stable bacterial cytoplasmic proteins, whereas NTHi surface membrane proteins induce only moderate MUC5AC transcription. These results demonstrate an important role for cytoplasmic molecules from lysed bacteria in the pathogenesis of NTHi infections, and may well explain why many patients still have persistent symptoms such as middle ear effusion in COME after intensive antibiotic treatment. Furthermore, our results indicate that activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase is required for NTHi-induced MUC5AC transcription, whereas activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase-Akt pathway leads to down-regulation of NTHi-induced MUC5AC transcription via a negative cross-talk with p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. These studies may bring new insights into molecular pathogenesis of NTHi infections and lead to novel therapeutic intervention for COME and COPD.
Stable cognition after coronary artery bypass grafting: comparisons with percutaneous intervention and normal controls.

Background Cognitive decline has been associated with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), but the extent to which these findings are related to the natural history of cognitive deficits in elderly patients with cardiac disease or have been influenced by the research methods used to determine abnormalities warrants further study. Methods After excluding individuals with conditions known to cause brain dysfunction, individuals referred for percutaneous coronary intervention (n = 42) or CABG (n = 35) were compared with an age-matched and education-matched control group without clinical evidence of coronary artery disease (n = 44). These subjects underwent a battery of 14 neurocognitive tests at baseline (preoperatively) and at 3 weeks and 4 months postoperatively. Results The majority of test scores for all three cohorts were within nonimpaired ranges at baseline and 3 weeks later. Change in impairment status from baseline to 3-week assessment was not associated statistically with type of treatment as referenced to clinical norms, and was associated with type of treatment on only one measure as referenced to control group performances. A further overall improvement in impairment status from 3 weeks' to 4 months' follow-up was seen in both CABG and percutaneous coronary intervention patients. Mean test scores were significantly worse in CABG patients versus percutaneous coronary intervention patients in 4 of 13 measures at 3 weeks' follow-up, but significant de novo impairment at 3 weeks' follow-up in the CABG group compared with the percutaneous coronary intervention and control groups was present in only one test. As assessed by reliable change methodology, impairment was statistically associated with type of treatment for only 1 of 13 measures. Conclusions As compared with changes seen in repeat testing of healthy control subjects and individuals who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention, clinically meaningful cognitive deterioration was not observed after CABG.
Unwinding performance and power on Colossus, an unconventional computer

In 1944 the computing machine known as Colossus became operational in support of British cryptanalysis and decryption of German High Command wireless traffic. This first electronic digital and very unconventional computer was not a stored-program general purpose computer in today’s terms, despite printed claims to the contrary. At least one of these asserts Colossus was a Turing machine. While an appropriate Turing machine can simulate the operation of Colossus, that is not an argument for generality of computation. Nor does the behavior of Colossus resemble that of a Turing machine, much less a universal Turing machine (UTM). Nonetheless, we shall see that a UTM could have been implemented on a clustering of the ten Colossus machines installed at Bletchley Park, England, by the end of WWII in 1945. Improvements require even fewer machines. Several advances in input, output, speed, processing, and applications—within the hardware capability of the time and respectful of the specification of Colossus—are also offered.
Effects of lindane, paraquat, toxaphene, and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid on mallard embryo development.

The effects were determined of externally treating mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) eggs with two insecticides (lindane and toxaphene) and two herbicides (paraquat and 2,4,5-T) with formulations and concentrations similar to field applications. Paraquat was the most embryotoxic of the four compounds regardless of the type of vehicle. The LC50 for paraquat was 1.5 lb of active ingredient/ acre in aqueous emulsion and 0.1 lb/acre in the oil vehicle. The other compounds had LC50's that were several orders of magnitude higher. Both paraquat and toxaphene caused some mortality at 1/2 of the field level of application. Paraquat impaired growth and was slightly teratogenic at 1/2 of the field level of application, but required higher concentrations (1.5 to 3 times the field level) to produce brain and visceral defects. Lindane was teratogenic, resulting in multiple defects but only at doses that were greater than five times the field level of application. Toxaphene resulted in defects of the joints at doses close to or exceeding the LC50. The herbicide 2,4,5-T resulted in few toxic effects and relatively few abnormal survivors with gross defects. The overall embryotoxicity with either vehicle was paraquat > lindane > toxaphene > 2,4,5-T on a lb per acre basis. However the potential hazard at exposures of up to five times the field level of application was paraquat > toxaphene; neither lindane nor 2,4,5-T constituted much of a hazard. Both paraquat and lindane were more toxic on a lb-peracre basis when administered in oil vehicle but only paraquat represented a potential hazard at five times the field level of application.
Simulation Of Spring Discharge From A Limestone Aquifer In Iowa, USA

A lumped-parameter model and least-squares method were used to simulate temporal variations of discharge from Big Spring, Iowa, USA, from 1983 to 1994. The simulated discharge rates poorly match the observed one when precipitation is taken as the sole input. The match is improved significantly when the processes of evapotranspiration and infiltration are considered. The best results are obtained when snowmelt is also included in the model. Potential evapotranspiration was estimated with Thornthwaite's formula, infiltration was calculated through a water-balance approach, and snowmelt was generated by a degree-day model. The results show that groundwater in the limestone aquifer is mainly recharged by snowmelt in early spring and by infiltration from rainfall in later spring and early summer. Simulated discharge was visually calibrated against measured discharge; the similarity between the two supports the validity of this approach. The model can be used to study the effects of climate change on groundwater resources and their quality.
Recreational impacts on the distribution of ghost crabs Ocypode quadrata fab.

Abstract Studies were conducted at Assateague Island, Maryland-Virginia, to determine the relative number of ghost crabs Ocypode quadrata Fab. on beaches subject to different recreational uses. The mean density of crabs per 0·1 ha plots was found to be 10 on an undisturbed beach, 19 on a pedestrian-impacted beach, 1 on a light off-road vehicle (ORV)-and pedestrian-impacted beach, and 0·3 in a heavy ORV-use beach. ORVs could be adversely affecting the crabs directly by crushing or burying them or indirectly by interfering with their reproductive cycle or altering their environment. Vehicular disturbance probably results in fewer crabs or no reproduction at all, with new inhabitants migrating from undisturbed areas. Pedestrians appear to have no harmful effects on ghost crabs; instead the crabs may be capitalising on the food scraps scattered across the beach by bathers.
Phosphorylation of plant translation initiation factors by CK2 enhances the in vitro interaction of multifactor complex components.

CK2 phosphorylates a wide variety of substrates, including translation initiation factors. A mass spectrometric approach was used to identify residues phosphorylated by CK2, which may regulate the activity of initiation factors during the translation initiation process in plants. CK2 in vitro phosphorylation sites were identified in wheat and Arabidopsis thaliana eIF2α, eIF2β, eIF5, and wheat eIF3c. Native wheat eIF5 and eIF2α were found to have phosphorylation sites that corresponded to some of the in vitro CK2 phosphorylation sites. A large number of the CK2 sites identified in this study are in conserved binding domains that have been implicated in the yeast multifactor complex (eIF1-eIF3-eIF5-eIF2-GTP-Met-tRNAiMet). This is the first study to demonstrate that plant initiation factors are capable of forming a multifactor complex in vitro. In addition, the interaction of factors within these complexes was enhanced both in vitro and in native extracts by phosphorylation of one or more initiation factors by CK2. The importance of CK2 phosphorylation of eIF5 was evaluated by site-directed mutagenesis of eIF5 to remove CK2 phosphorylation sites. Removal of CK2 phosphorylation sites from eIF5 inhibits the CK2-mediated increase in eIF5 interaction with eIF1 and eIF3c in pulldown assays and reduces the eIF5-mediated stimulation of translation initiation in vitro. These results suggest a functional role for CK2 phosphorylation in the initiation of plant translation.
Stepfamily Education: Case Study of Two Lesbian Couples

This article presents the stories of two couples who became stepfamilies by bringing biological children from a previous relationship into a new relationship with a same-sex partner. The study is conducted within the context of multicultural feminist theory. Their experiences of attending a stepfamily relationship education (RE) course are told from their personal points of view. The findings of the study are presented as a case study. The study had two main purposes: (1) to increase understanding of the processes and challenges these two couples underwent as they transitioned to stepfamilies and (2) to explore the benefits experienced from taking the stepfamily RE course.
What we can learn about second-harmonic generation in germanosilicate glass from the analogous effect in semiconductor-doped glasses

The behavior of second-harmonic generation (SHG) is germanosilicate fibers in compared to recent results on similar effects in semiconductor microcrystallite glasses. The latter offer a much more readily characterizable system where many of the bulk semiconductor properties can be invoked to explain the results. The comparison suggests that extended state enhancement of nonlinear response and electric field dependent trapping in the germanosilicate glass system would unify the encoding process in both materials.
A Commentary on the Role of Sexually Explicit Media (SEM) in the Transmission and Prevention of HIV among Men who have Sex with Men (MSM)

Although research has been conducted over the last half century to test the hypothesis that pornography, or sexually explicit media (SEM), influences behavior, information regarding usage and its effect on men who have sex with men (MSM) is limited. It is important for researchers studying online risk factors for HIV to consider the relationship between SEM consumption and risky sexual behavior, particularly given the exponential increase in SEM exposure as a result of the near-compulsory use of the Internet. In this commentary, we review findings regarding this relationship from studies of international and heterosexual populations. We then suggest future directions for research regarding MSM in the United States and practical applications of such research if the results from other populations extend to them. Research suggests there might be ways to use SEM to create innovative approaches to online HIV prevention, particularly among such at-risk populations as youth and MSM of lower socio-economic statuses.
Lipid-based microtubular drug delivery vehicles

Lipid microtubules that self-assemble from a diacetylenic lipid are suitable structures for the sustained release of bioactive agents. Microtubules were loaded with agents under aqueous conditions and embedded in an agarose hydrogel for localization at areas of interest. Protein release from our microtubule-hydrogel delivery system was characterized in vitro, and in vivo biocompatibility was examined. The influences of protein molecular weight and initial loading concentration on release profile were evaluated by releasing test proteins myoglobin, albumin, and thyroglobulin. Protein molecular weight inversely affected the release rate, and loading with a higher protein concentration increased the mass but not the percent of initially loaded protein released daily. Preservation of protein activity was demonstrated by the ability of a neurotrophic factor released from the delivery system to induce neurite extension in PC12 cells. Bovine aortic smooth muscle cells co-cultured with the microtubule-hydrogel system showed no evidence of cytotoxicity and proliferated in the presence of the microtubules. Subcutaneous implantation of microtubules in rodents revealed no significant inflammatory response after 10 days. Our microtubule-hydrogel system is useful for applications where sustained release without contact between agent and organic solvents is desired.
The Private Life of Public Ritual: Interaction, Sociality and Codification in a Jewish Orthodox Congregation

This article develops an account of the relationship between codification, interactional achievements and forms of sociality in the context of religious worship. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in a Jewish Orthodox community in Los Angeles, I argue that an important part of what makes public worship situations compelling is how they interactionally highlight individual participants’ lives, creating pressures to engage in predictable forms of sociality. This argument is then developed in two contexts: (a) “information gaps” encoded in the structure of daily Orthodox prayer, and; (b) the religious requirement to pray with a quorum of ten adult men. Through these examples I argue that codified aspects of public ritual give rise to variations that participants may understand to highlight individual lives. In many situations, public worship is compelling precisely because it actually individualizes participation. As these interactions are predicated on a codified structure, they provide “institutional fingerprints” for the construction of specific patterns of sociality. An appreciation of this aspect of public worship provides grounds for a broad comparative agenda, focusing on the relationship between codification, interactional patterns and forms of sociality within, and beyond, religious contexts.
Price rigidity: An exploration of the demand side

This paper presents an exploration of the demand-side effects of unanticipated price changes. Consumers faced with these changes may have to reoptimize their income allocation. Reoptimization is costly, and reoptimization costs result in kinked demand curves. The existence of such kinked demands provides an additional explanation of the observed nominal price rigidity. In addition, examination of unexpected nominal price changes during inflationary periods provides some justification as to why nominal price adjustments are large, infrequent and almost never downward.
Recovery of morphine from a controlled‐release preparation: A source of opioid abuse

MS-Contin (Purdue-Fredrick, Norwalk, CT) is a controlled-release preparation of morphine sulfate that has demonstrated efficacy in the management of chronic cancer pain problems. It has recently come to the attention of the authors that MS-Contin represents a potential source of opioid abuse through the extraction and intravenous injection of the morphine from this preparation. The authors describe a simple aqueous extraction method that was used to quantitatively determine the extent to which morphine could be obtained from MS-Contin tablets.
Differences in dietary patterns among college students according to body mass index.

Objective and Participants: The authors surveyed 557 undergraduate students aged 18-56 years to assess weight status, health behaviors, and dietary variety. Methods: They used body mass index (BMI) to divide students into 4 weight categories: underweight (BMI 30 kg/m2). Results: Approximately 33% of respondents were overweight or obese, and 8% were underweight. Among the weight categories, the authors observed significant differences in diet (eg, cheese, pork, lamb, veal and game, fish, green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, and the cumulative total of all meats). Overall, 33% of the students consumed 1 fruit in 3 days. The authors found no differences among the weight categories related to eating fatty, sugary snacks. Conclusions: College administrators should create health promotion and skill-building programs to improve students' diet variety.
The shattered mirror : treatment of a group of narcissistic patients

Increasingly, group psychotherapy takes its place as a valid treatment model for patients with severe character pathology. This paper explores the impact of group treatment on a homogeneous group of patients with narcissistic character problems. The clinical example serves to illustrate the particular dynamics of this patient population; addresses the challenges inherent in treating these patients in a homogeneous, long-term therapy group; and, finally, underscores the countertransference pitfalls in such a clinical situation. Nonetheless, the successful working through of some of these patients' terrifying pathology supports the important of continuing experience and research into this arena.
Methotrexate with citrovorum factor rescue reduced chemotherapy toxicity in the management of gestational trophoblastic neoplasms

The comparative systemic toxicity of methotrexate (MTX) with citrovorum factor rescue (CF), MTX alone and actinomycin-D (Act-D) in the treatment of gestational trophoblastic neoplasms (GTN) was evaluated in the present study. Treatment with MTX-CF was associated with only a 4% incidence (1 of 25 patients) of hepatic and/or hematologic toxicity and total absence of either a generalized rash or marked alopecia. In contrast, both MTX alone and Act-D were associated with a 48% incidence (12 of 25 patients) of hepatic and/or hematologic toxicity. Actinomycin-D also induced a generalized rash and marked alopecia in 24% (6 of 25 patients) and 52% (13 of 25 patients) of the patients respectively. We found that MTX-CF is the least toxic single agent chemotherapeutic regimen in the management of GTN.
Bipartite entangled stabilizer mutually unbiased bases as maximum cliques of Cayley graphs

We examine the existence and structure of particular sets of mutually unbiased bases (MUBs) in bipartite qudit systems. In contrast to well-known power-of-prime MUB constructions, we restrict ourselves to using maximally entangled stabilizer states as MUB vectors. Consequently, these bipartite entangled stabilizer MUBs (BES MUBs) provide no local information, but are sufficient and minimal for decomposing a wide variety of interesting operators including (mixtures of) Jamiolkowski states, entanglement witnesses, and more. The problem of finding such BES MUBs can be mapped, in a natural way, to that of finding maximum cliques in a family of Cayley graphs. Some relationships with known power-of-prime MUB constructions are discussed, and observables for BES MUBs are given explicitly in terms of Pauli operators.
A note on cleavages in crenulated rocks

"Published descriptions and new field observations in Ireland and Canada confirm that strain-slip cleavage should not be classified with fracture cleavage. The term crenulation cleavage is proposed to replace the generic one of strain-slip cleavage. Crenulation cleavage differs essentially from slaty and fracture cleavage in that it only develops in laminated rocks and is consequently nearly always a secondary structure. Intense metamorphism converts crenulation cleavage into a new schistosity or cleavage with characteristics similar to slaty cleavage. Two fundamentally different types are recognized and it is suggested that crenulation cleavage is a valuable indicator of metamorphic conditions during the various phases of deformation."
Impingement Cooling of Concave Surfaces With Lines of Circular Air Jets

An experimental study of the heat transfer characteristics between single lines of circular jets and concave cylindrical surfaces is presented. It is intended to model a practically important class of impingement cooling configurations for which existing heat transfer correlations are not obviously applicable. The results clarify the present uncertain position with regard to the optimum spacing between the jet nozzle and the heat transfer surface and with regard to the center-to-center spacing between the jets. Some limited results for a two-dimensional jet impinging on the concave surfaces are also presented.
Remote atomic force microscopy of microscopic organisms: Technological innovations for hands-on science with middle and high school students

This study examined hands-on experiences in the context of an investigation of viruses and explored how and why hands-on experiences may be effective. We sought to understand whether or not touching and manipulating materials and objects could lead to a deeper, more effective type of knowing than that we obtain from sight or sound alone. Four classes of high school biology students and four classes of seventh graders participated in the study that examined students' use of remote microscopy with a new scientific tool called the nanoManipulator, which enabled them to reach out and touch live viruses inside an atomic force microscope. Half of the students received full haptic (tactile and kinesthetic) feedback from a haptic joystick, whereas half of the students were able to use the haptic joystick to manipulate viruses but the tactile feedback was blocked. Results showed that there were significant gains from pre- to postinstruction across treatment groups for knowledge and attitudes. Students in both treatment groups developed conceptual models of viruses that were more consistent with current scientific research, including a move from a two-dimensional to a three-dimensional understanding of virus morphology. There were significant changes in students' understandings of scale; after instruction, students were more likely to identify examples of nanosized objects and be able to describe the degree to which a human would have to be shrunk to reach the size of a virus. Students who received full-haptic feedback had significantly better attitudes suggesting that the increased sensory feedback and stimulation may have made the experience more engaging and motivating to students. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed88:55–71, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/.sce10112
Learning about unchosen alternatives: When does curiosity overcome regret avoidance?

Much of the research on emotions and decision making has focused on how desire to avoid regret influences choices and post-decision information search. Recently van Dijk and Zeelenberg (2007) demonstrated that under certain circumstances individuals will seek out information about an alternative even though this information may induce regret about a previous decision. In two experiments, we extend this finding and show that curiosity is least likely to affect information seeking when the initial choice is made from fewer alternatives (a regret-inducing “near miss”) and the outcome of the choice is negative.
A National Survey of State Initiatives on Alternative Education

Concerns over violence, vandalism, disruption, substance abuse, school failure, and dropout rates in the schools have resulted in an increased emphasis on alternative education. The purpose of this study was to examine the availability and nature of state legislative and policy mandates regarding alternative education. Among respondents, there was variability in state policy/legislative mandates and funding mechanisms, acceleration in alternative education activity, a commitment to providing technical assistance, limited state compliance-monitoring and program evaluation, and an emphasis on interagency collaboration and partnerships with the private sector. Implications for practice and further research are provided.
Non-linear momentum and attitude control of a Space Station accommodating periodic aerodynamic disturbance

Abstract This paper considers non-linear regulation and angular momenta management of a Space Station in the presence of a disturbance torque. The sinusoidal aerodynamic disturbance torque is treated as the output of an exosystem. An output zeroing submanifold for the regulation of pitch angle and roll and yaw axis control moment gyro (CMG) angular momenta is obtained. A control law is derived such that in the closed-loop system the trajectories converge to this manifold and the desired equilibrium state is attained. For the synthesis of the controller, the states associated with the exosystem are generated using measurements of the attitude angles and angular rates. Simulation results are presented to show that in the closed-loop system, pitch attitude regulation and CMG momenta management are accomplished in spite of the presence of the aerodynamic disturbance inputs and parameter uncertainty.
The Effect of Consumer Persuasion Knowledge on Scarcity Appeal Persuasiveness

Past research identifies demand-related scarcity appeals and supply-related scarcity appeals as effective persuasive influences on consumer behavior. The present research uses a persuasion knowledge approach to examine the persuasiveness of demand- versus supply-related scarcity appeals in advertising messages. Study 1 shows that supply-related scarcity appeal ad messages are less likely to activate persuasion knowledge than demand-related scarcity appeal messages. Study 2 demonstrates that message specificity moderates this effect. In line with an elaboration likelihood model perspective, results show that stating the appeal in specific (versus vague) terms decreases the persuasiveness of supply-related scarcity appeal ad messages.
Alkaline membrane fuel cells with in-situ cross-linked ionomers

ABSTRACT Improving cell performance and durability through both new materials and membrane electrode processing optimization is needed for the commercialization of alkaline membrane fuel cell (AMFC) technologies. In this work, we adopted an in-situ cross-linking strategy of an anion-conducting block copolymer to prepare durable ionomers for use in alkaline membrane fuel cells (AMFCs). Our goal was to use new ionomers and binders with an aim at improving long-term stability of AMFCs, especially at high operation temperatures. At 80 °C, AMFCs with in-situ cross-linked ionomers showed promising stability with an operating life time of more than 350 hours at 100 mA/cm2. We found that the optimized electrode fabrication process and operating conditions can significantly improve the durability performance of AMFCs. For example, a suitable electrode binder in addition to the ion-conducting ionomer can greatly enhance the durability performance of AMFCs. Operating fuel cells under a cathode over-humification condition can also enhance the long-term stability of AMFCs.
Double bladder and related anomalies

Summary A newborn white male had multiple congenital anomalies involving the genito-urinary system (exstrophic bladder, bifid and ectopic bladder, bifid and ectopic scrotum); musculoskeletal system (calcaneal valgus deformity of the left foot, diastasis, symphysis pubis, deformity of sacrum and fourth and fifth lumbar vertebr˦, deformed left innominate bone and acetabulum with congenital subluxation of femur); and musculocutaneous system (congenital flexion contracture of fascial band extending from the ischial tuberosity to the calcaneus, communicating hydrocele with right inguinal hernia secondary to lax hypoplastic abdominal musculature). The various surgical approaches included orthop˦dic, p˦diatric, plastic and urological surgery.
Two routes to functional adaptation: Tibetan and Andean high-altitude natives

Populations native to the Tibetan and Andean Plateaus are descended from colonizers who arrived perhaps 25,000 and 11,000 years ago, respectively. Both have been exposed to the opportunity for natural selection for traits that offset the unavoidable environmental stress of severe lifelong high-altitude hypoxia. This paper presents evidence that Tibetan and Andean high-altitude natives have adapted differently, as indicated by large quantitative differences in numerous physiological traits comprising the oxygen delivery process. These findings suggest the hypothesis that evolutionary processes have tinkered differently on the two founding populations and their descendents, with the result that the two followed different routes to the same functional outcome of successful oxygen delivery, long-term persistence and high function. Assessed on the basis of basal and maximal oxygen consumption, both populations avail themselves of essentially the full range of oxygen-using metabolism as populations at sea level, in contrast with the curtailed range available to visitors at high altitudes. Efforts to identify the genetic bases of these traits have included quantitative genetics, genetic admixture, and candidate gene approaches. These reveal generally more genetic variance in the Tibetan population and more potential for natural selection. There is evidence that natural selection is ongoing in the Tibetan population, where women estimated to have genotypes for high oxygen saturation of hemoglobin (and less physiological stress) have higher offspring survival. Identifying the genetic bases of these traits is crucial to discovering the steps along the Tibetan and Andean routes to functional adaptation.
Pretreatment of normal human fibroblasts and human colon carcinoma cells with MNNG allows chloroethylnitrosourea to produce DNA interstrand crosslinks not observed in cells treated with chloroethylnitrosourea alone

Chloroethylnitrosoureas (CNU) are antitumor agents which produce DNA interstrand crosslinks. We have proposed that crosslinks are produced in DNA via monoadduct formation at the guanine-O6 position, followed by a delayed reaction with the opposite DNA strand. Human cells are known to differ in their capacity to repair the O6-methylguanine lesion. One example of this repair capacity is the ability of cells to reactivate adenovirus which has been damaged by in vitro treatment with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG). Cells that repair the virus are designated Mer+ and deficient cells Mer-. In a recent report, we showed a clear correlation between CNU-induced DNA interstrand crosslinking and the Mer phenotype. Mer- cells produced consistently higher levels of interstrand crosslinks than did Mer+ cells. In the present study we have measured the CNU-induced DNA interstrand crosslinking in IMR-90 normal human fibroblasts (Mer+), HT-29 human colon carcinoma cells (Mer+), and VA-13 SV-40 transformed human cells (Mer-) following pretreatment with MNNG. Cells were treated for 1 h with MNNG, then for an additional 1 h with CNU. Comparable levels of CNU-induced DNA interstrand crosslinking were observed in all cell lines. This crosslinking has been previously undetected in the IMR-90 and HT-29 cells. Cytotoxicity studies showed that MNNG pretreatment greatly enhanced the killing of IMR-90 and HT-29 cells by CNU, however, in VA-13 cells the increase in cell kill was smaller. These data suggest that in Mer+ cells a DNA repair system may remove chloroethyl monoadducts before the lethal DNA interstrand crosslinks can form. However, pretreatment of cells with MNNG may saturate this repair system rendering it inoperable.
Base Station Establishment Using Multiple Global Positioning Satellite Stations and Free Net Approach

One of the possible uses of the global positioning satellite permanent stations is to use them as a datum reference when a new base station is established in a geodetic or surveying project. However, the actual procedure is not always obvious. Combining a number of permanent stations in the process involves important decisions that the analyst must make, which can alternate the results dramatically. Important network design aspects that must be addressed are, for example, how many permanent stations should be involved in the process; how long should the session duration be; how should one constrain the permanent stations in the adjustment procedure; and so forth. This paper suggests an algorithm based on multibaseline processing, minimum constraints, and free net adjustment concepts, in order to produce a base station with reliable coordinates and realistic accuracy, while using one or more permanent stations. In order to demonstrate the algorithm and to support the conclusions, it presents numerical exam...
Gender, Religiosity, Spirituality, and Attitudes toward Homosexuality

This article investigates the relationship between religiosity, spirituality, gender, and attitudes toward homosexuality. The article augments the existing literature by examining the effects of religious affiliation, religiosity, and spirituality on attitudes toward homosexuality separately for men and women using the 2008 and 2010 General Social Surveys. Results indicate significant gender differences in attitudes toward homosexuality for two variables. Southern residence decreases tolerance among men, but not women. Also, men who self-identify as spiritual, but not religious, are more likely to report that homosexuality is not morally wrong than their more religious counterparts; however, a similar finding was not evident among the women who self-identified as spiritual.
Exploring the issues of appropriate dosing in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction: potential benefits of bolus fibrinolytic agents.

Abstract The Institute of Medicine report on the frequency and consequences of medical errors in clinical practice has stimulated physicians to evaluate current practice and means of improving medical care. In the treatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction, previous studies have found that dosing of fibrinolytic therapy is closely related to outcomes, with too low a dose associated with lower rates of infarct-related artery patency and higher doses associated with increased intracranial hemorrhage. Thus there is a narrow ″therapeutic window” for fibrinolytic-antithrombotic regimens, and the potential for adverse outcomes is high if incorrect doses are administered. The first demonstration of this concept came from the GUSTO-I trial, in which 13.5% of patients treated with streptokinase and 11.5% of patients treated with tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) had a dosing regimen that deviated from the protocol, that is, an incorrect total dose or infusion length. In patients with protocol deviations, 24-hour and 30-day mortality rates were significantly higher compared with those of patients with per-protocol dosing: for t-PA, patients who received incorrect dosing had a 30-day mortality rate of 7.7% versus 5.5% for patients who received correct t-PA dosing (P
Results of surgical salvage after failed chemoradiation therapy for epidermoid carcinoma of the anal canal.

The standard treatment for epidermoid carcinoma of the anal canal consists of combined radiation and chemotherapy. For patients who present with persistent or locally recurrent disease, salvage abdominoperineal resection is the treatment of choice. The purpose of this study is to review our experience with salvage surgery in this group of patients. From 1990–2002, 31 patients underwent radical salvage surgery with curative intent after failure of initial sphincter-conserving therapy, and the medical records of these patients were retrospectively reviewed. Clinicopathologic variables were determined and comparisons performed with the Cox proportional hazards model. Survival was calculated by the Kaplan–Meier method. Eleven patients underwent radical salvage surgery for persistent disease and 20 patients for recurrent disease. The median follow-up time was 29 months. The actuarial 5-year overall survival was 64%. Twelve patients developed recurrent disease after radical salvage surgery. Patients who received an initial radiation dose of less than 55 Gy had a significantly worse survival than those who received at least 55 Gy as part of their initial treatment (5-year overall survival 37.5% vs. 75%; age-adjusted hazard ratio 8.2 [95% CI: 1.1–59.8], P = .037). The presence of positive lymph nodes at presentation also adversely affected survival (P < .05). Factors that were not found to have an impact on survival included the presence of persistent versus recurrent disease, tumor (T) stage, and margin status of resection. Long-term survival following salvage surgery for persistent or locally recurrent epidermoid carcinoma of the anal canal can be achieved in the majority of patients. However, patients who initially present with node-positive disease and patients who receive a radiation dose of less than 55 Gy as part of their initial chemoradiation therapy regimen have a worse prognosis after radical salvage surgery.
The photooxidation of CH2O at 3130 Å in the absence and presence of NO

Abstract CH 2 O was photolyzed at 3130 A and 296 K in the absence and presence of O 2 . With O 2 present photolyses were also done with excess N 2 , CO 2 or He present. The products of the reaction were CO and H 2 , both produced with a quantum yield of unity in the absence of O 2 . In the presence of O 2 , HCOOH was also produced with a quantum yield which increased to 2.0 as the O 2 pressure was raised above 100 Torr. The presence of O 2 first increased the CO yield, but then reduced both the CO and H 2 yields to zero as the O 2 pressure was raised above 100 Torr. The results are interpreted in terms of the primary process The intermediate I is probably either triplet CH 2 O or the biradical. The ratio k 1a / k 1 was found to be 0.61 ± 0.15 in satisfactory agreement with other studies and k 4 / k 1a = 0.43 ± 0.03 Torr −1 . In the presence of 50 Torr O 2 and a few millitorr NO, a long chain oxidation occurs to produce NO 2 , HCOOH and CO. Thus the intermediate IO 2 must react with NO to produce radical fragments, presumably by the reaction IO 2 + NO → HCO + HO + NO 2 The oxygenated radicals (HO 2 and probably HCO 3 and HCO 2 ) also react with NO to give NO 2 .
Using Matrix Convolution Filters to Extract Information from Time‐of‐flight Mass Spectra

This paper describes the application of matrix convolution filters to time-of-flight matrix-assisted laser desorption mass spectra to improve the appearance of a particular spectrum and to extract peaks from poorly resolved signals. These filters are commonly used in image enhancement to sharpen blurry images and remove noise because of their general applicability and their modest requirements for calculation speed. The theory of these filters is discussed, as applied to mass spectra, and examples of spectra processed using a variety of filters are shown to demonstrate the improvements and artifacts that can be generated.
Temperature effects on MOSFET driving capability and voltage gain

This paper attempts to discuss some important temperature effects on MOSFET analogue applications. For this purpose, measurement data taken over wide ranges of temperature (91–400 K) and channel length (0.35–50 μm) on MOSFET driving capability, output resistance, and voltage gain are presented. It is shown that low temperature has greater benefit on current driving capability for analogue devices which have longer L and lower Vg values than digital ones. For constant voltage (Vg − Vt) bias, output resistance and voltage gain drop at low temperatures. However, under the constant current Ids bias, considerably higher gain can be achived at low temperatures.
Dietary Calcium Restriction Affects Mesenchymal Stem Cell Activity and Bone Development in Neonatal Pigs

The effects of dietary calcium (Ca) deficiency on skeletal integrity are well characterized in growing and mature mammals; however, less is known about Ca nutrition during the neonatal period. In this study, we examined the effects of neonatal Ca nutrition on bone integrity, endocrine hormones, and mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) activity. Neonatal pigs (24 6 6ho f age) received either a Ca-adequate (1.2 g/100 g) or an ~40% Ca-deficient diet for 18 d. Ca deficiency reduced (P , 0.05) boneflexural strength and bone mineral density without major differences in plasmaindicators of Ca status. There were no meaningful differences in plasma Ca, phosphate (PO4), parathyroid hormone, or 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol due to Ca nutrition throughout the study. Calcium deficiency also reduced (P , 0.05) the in vivo proliferation of MSC by ~50%. In vitro studies utilizing homologous sera demonstrated that MSC activity was affected (P , 0.05) by both the Ca status of the pig and the sera as well as by their interaction. The results indicate that neonatal Ca nutrition is crucial for bone integrity and suggest that early-life Ca restriction may have long-term effects on bone integrity via programming of MSC. J. Nutr. 141: 373‐379, 2011.
Skeletal mechanism generation for surrogate fuels using directed relation graph with error propagation and sensitivity analysis

A novel implementation for the skeletal reduction of large detailed reaction mechanisms using the directed relation graph with error propagation and sensitivity analysis (DRGEPSA) is developed and presented with examples for three hydrocarbon components, n-heptane, iso-octane, and n-decane, relevant to surrogate fuel development. DRGEPSA integrates two previously developed methods, directed relation graph-aided sensitivity analysis (DRGASA) and directed relation graph with error propagation (DRGEP), by first applying DRGEP to efficiently remove many unimportant species prior to sensitivity analysis to further remove unimportant species, producing an optimally small skeletal mechanism for a given error limit. It is illustrated that the combination of the DRGEP and DRGASA methods allows the DRGEPSA approach to overcome the weaknesses of each, specifically that DRGEP cannot identify all unimportant species and that DRGASA shields unimportant species from removal. Skeletal mechanisms for n-heptane and iso-octane generated using the DRGEP, DRGASA, and DRGEPSA methods are presented and compared to illustrate the improvement of DRGEPSA. From a detailed reaction mechanism for n-alkanes covering n-octane to n-hexadecane with 2115 species and 8157 reactions, two skeletal mechanisms for n-decane generated using DRGEPSA, one covering a comprehensive range of temperature, pressure, and equivalence ratio conditions for autoignition and the other limited to high temperatures, are presented and validated. The comprehensive skeletal mechanism consists of 202 species and 846 reactions and the high-temperature skeletal mechanism consists of 51 species and 256 reactions. Both mechanisms are further demonstrated to well reproduce the results of the detailed mechanism in perfectly-stirred reactor and laminar flame simulations over a wide range of conditions. The comprehensive and high-temperature n-decane skeletal mechanisms are included as supplementary material with this article.
Asymptotically optimal blind equalizers based on cyclostationary statistics

We consider the blind estimation of digital communication channels based on second-order cyclic statistics. Specifically, we derive an asymptotically best consistent estimator of the channel impulse response based an a weighted quadratic-matching criterion between the sample cyclic correlations of the data and those of the FIR channel model. Contrary to existing methods, this approach is optimal in the sense of minimizing the asymptotic variance of the channel estimator. We also present expressions for the asymptotic covariance of the cyclic correlation matching approach which can serve as a benchmark for comparison of different second- as well as higher-order approaches. >
A comparison of models for the AMI on ERS-1 and SASS-II for NSCAT on ADEOS: implications for an improved NSCAT model

The models that relate wind speed and direction to C-band /spl sigma//sup 0/ values from the active microwave instrument on the European Research Satellite-1 are shown to have systematic errors in wind speed and direction. It is anticipated that there will also be systematic errors for the SASS-II model for NSCAT on ADEOS. Ways to obtain an improved model are described.