cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evidence of Own‐Race Bias in Heisman Trophy Voting*

Objective In this article, I test for evidence of own‐race bias in voting for the Heisman Trophy. Methods To study own‐race bias in Heisman Trophy voting, I use individual vote data from Heisman voters from 2002 to 2012 and an ordered probit model with controls for player and team performance that flexibly allows votes be affected by a player's race and racial match between player and voter. Results Estimates show nonblack voters are more likely to vote for nonblack players in absolute terms and compared with black voters assuming homogeneous voter preferences. Allowing preferences to vary by race, results show nonblack voters continue to be more likely to vote for nonblack players in absolute terms and are strongly suggestive of a larger relative bias in favor of nonblack players by nonblack voters as compared with black voters. Conclusion There is a racial component to Heisman Trophy voting and bias is large enough to affect official aggregate results. Racial bias may have affected the award's winner in multiple Heisman races between 2002 and 2012.
Minimizing Read Seeks for SMR Disk

Log-structured storage systems are file or block storage systems which write data in temporal order, rather using e.g. LBA or other spatial information to determine physical location. They are widely used as translation layers for flash and now Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR) disk, performing the out-of-place write function needed for media where direct overwriting of data is not possible. Although certain aspects of log-structured storage system performance (i.e. write amplification) have been extensively studied, few or no efforts have examined the effect of seek overhead on workloads in this context. We examine seek overheads due to logstructured writing across a range of well-known and more recent block I/O traces, demonstrating that while some workloads are relatively unaffected, others suffer significantly. In addition we propose two novel mechanisms,opportunistic defragmentation and translation aware selective caching, for seek reduction in log-structured systems, as well as an application of existing disk read-ahead techniques (which we name translation aware look-ahead-behind prefetching), and demonstrate that these mechanisms greatly reduce or even eliminate increases in read seek cost in almost all workloads examined. We evaluate our proposed techniques using a metric we define, seek amplification factor. Results show up to 4x, 4x and 18x improvement of seek amplification factor among the studied workloads for opportunistic defragmentation, translation aware selective caching and translation aware selective caching respectively.
Acute Hypocalcemia from Proton Pump Inhibitor Use

Proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-induced hypocalcemia is a serious adverse effect of a widely prescribed medication, especially for patients with hypoparathyroidism. We present the case of PPI-associated hypocalcemia in a patient with postsurgical hypoparathyroidism. A 58-year-old woman with a history of papillary thyroid cancer status post total thyroidectomy 20 years ago with postsurgical hypothyroidism and hypoparathyroidism with hypercalciuria on stable dosages of calcitriol 0.5 mcg once a day, dietary calcium, and chlorthalidone presented with severe, symptomatic hypocalcemia 4 days after starting lansoprazole. This condition resolved following cessation of PPI therapy and the replenishment of calcium stores. Proton pump inhibitor therapy can induce severe, symptomatic hypocalcemia in patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism.
Examining an Urban District’s College-Going Culture: The Role of Magnet School Designation

Inequitable access to postsecondary education opportunities continues to persist in many highly segregated, under-resourced urban school districts. This study examined the college-going culture of three urban public secondary schools located in one district, with a close examination of the role magnet and nonmagnet school designations had in shaping college-going culture. Guided by the work of Corwin and Tierney (2007), this investigation examined college-going culture, including magnet and nonmagnet disparities, along the following dimensions: (a) academic momentum, (b) understanding of how college plans develop, (c) clear mission statement, and (d) comprehensive college counseling services. This study identified differences in the college-going culture of magnet versus nonmagnet schools—as evidenced by the availability of Advanced Placement courses, the level of expectations established by institutional agents who work in the school, and the presence of wide-ranging college services that are embedded into the fabric of the school. This study links college access disparities to court decisions that may have facilitated social inequalities. Implications for policy, research, and practice in developing stronger college-going cultures in urban school districts are discussed.
Citrus Greening [Huanglongbing; HLB] / Blight and Tristeza Comparison Identification Sheet

PP263, a 2-page English/Spanish ID sheet by M.M. Dewdney, J.D. Yates, R.H. Brlansky, T.M. Spann, and M.E. Rogers, guides identification of Citrus Greening and provides a comparison chart for Citrus Greening, Blight and Tristeza. Published by the UF Department of Plant Pathology, May 2009. Revised July 2013; J.D. Yates name changed to J.D. Burrow "(Huanglongbing; HLB)" added to title.
Spectroscopic study and lifetime measurement of the 6d7p 3F2o state of radium

Abstract We report a method for the precision measurement of the oscillator strengths and the branching fractions of the decay channels of the 6d7p 3F2o state in 226Ra. This method exploits a set of metastable states present in Ra, allowing a measurement of the oscillator strengths that does not require knowledge of the number of atoms in the atomic beam. We measure the oscillator strengths and the branching fractions for decays from the 6d7p 3F2o state to the 7s6d 3D1, 7s6d 3D2, and 7s6d 1D2 states and constrain the branching fraction to the 7s6d 3D3 state to be less than 0.4% (68% confidence limit). The lifetime of the 3F2o state is determined to be 15 ± 4 ns.
FLAMES: A Socially Relevant Computing Summer Internship for High School Students

In this article, we examine a female-oriented, high school computing outreach program, FLAMES, consisting of an 8-week high school summer intern program run within a university computer science (CS) department. We focus on examining the effects of the program on students skills and affect towards computing. Much of the literature in CS outreach research examines summer camps, after-school programs, and other school-year events that often have a focus on only teaching students computing content. Our program is unique and socially relevant as students are trained to assist teachers with the development of Computational Thinking-Infused curricula for their classrooms. This paper presents the design of our program, an overview of the curriculum, and results including both student and teacher feedback. Results show that the program has benefited each of the parties involved, including its student participants, facilitators, and the teachers assisted by the participants. We share our lessons learned in order to help other CS departments develop similar broadening participation in computing programs.
Whole blood RNA-Seq analysis of stocker calves reveals insights into BRD

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in stocker cattle. It is difficult to predict which cattle will develop BRD. Improved prediction could facilitate more responsible and rational use of antimicrobials and vaccines to limit BRD. We hypothesize that altered transcriptional profiles in the blood of stocker calves on arrival represent regulatory pathways including biomarkers useful to improve prediction of BRD risk.
Facilitators of Formal Help-Seeking for Adult Survivors of IPV in the United States: A Systematic Review.

A survivor’s decision to engage with formal services for experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) is influenced by factors at the individual, interpersonal, and sociocultural levels. Understa...
Physiological disorder development of ‘Honeycrisp’ apples after pre- and post-harvest 1-methycyclopropene (1-MCP) treatments

Abstract Susceptibility of apple fruit to physiological storage disorders is affected by both pre- and postharvest factors that influence their ethylene production. In this study, the inhibitor of ethylene perception, 1-methycyclopropene (1-MCP), applied before and after harvest, has been used to investigate the interactions between ethylene and development of physiological disorders in ‘Honeycrisp’ apples during storage. Preharvest 1-MCP (Harvista™) was applied to trees, either 2 weeks (early), 1 week (late), at 1 and 2 weeks (repeated), or at double rate 1 week, before first commercial harvest. Fruit were then untreated or treated with postharvest 1-MCP (SmartFresh®) and stored at 0.5 °C, or conditioned at 10 °C for 7 d and then stored at 3 °C (C + 3 °C), for 20 weeks. Fruit quality and physiological disorders were assessed after 4 d at 20 °C. Fruit from all preharvest 1-MCP treatments had lower internal ethylene concentrations (IECs) and were greener as indicated by higher IAD values compared with untreated controls, while effects on starch pattern indices (SPI) were inconsistent. After storage, preharvest 1-MCP -treated fruit were firmer than untreated fruit, but effects of the different application timings were inconsistent. Effects of postharvest 1-MCP on IEC and IAD values were greater at 0.5 °C than at C + 3 °C. High incidences of core browning and vascular browning developed during storage, especially in the preharvest 1-MCP-treated fruit. Soft scald was reduced by preharvest 1-MCP treatments compared with control. In the C + 3 °C storage treatment, preharvest 1-MCP-treated fruit had a higher bitter pit incidence than in control fruit, but less skin wrinkling and senescent breakdown. Postharvest 1-MCP treatment of preharvest 1-MCP fruit slightly decreased bitter pit incidence while greatly increasing that of core browning and leather blotch, and sometimes flesh browning and carbon dioxide injury. This study shows that pre- and postharvest inhibition of ethylene perception by 1-MCP can have marked effects on storage disorders that are affected by fruit maturity and storage temperatures.
Structural geometry and evolution of the Carter-Knox structure, Anadarko Basin, Oklahoma

The Carter-Knox field is located on a northwest-southeast–trending faulted anticline in the southeastern part of the Anadarko Basin. Three-dimensional seismic and well data were used to develop a model for the geometry and evolution of the structure. The Carter-Knox structure formed during contractional deformation associated with the Wichita basement uplift in the Pennsylvanian. It is characterized by different structural styles in two main structural units. The lower unit, which includes the Cambrian Arbuckle Group to Mississippian Sycamore Limestone, is folded into a broad anticline associated with one or more frontal faults and back thrusts, with a change in vergence along trend. The upper unit, which includes the Upper Mississippian Springer shale to the Morrowan Primrose and the overlying Pennsylvanian growth units, is marked by a tight faulted detachment fold with a steep front limb, associated with multiple thrust faults that detach within the Springer shale. Kinematic reconstruction shows differential shortening between the two main structural packages. The evolution of the structure was episodic, resulting in two major angular unconformities within the Pennsylvanian. A major Permian unconformity truncates the structure. The southwestern flank of the structure was rotated along an active flexural hinge in the basement because of sedimentary loading, resulting in thickening of growth units on this flank. The Carter-Knox structure is an analogue for other thin-skinned structures in the Anadarko Basin and illustrates the impact of the thick-skinned Wichita uplift on the thin-skinned fold-thrust structures in the basin.
A Framework Approach for Hysteroscopic Uterine Septum Incision: Partial and Complete

Study Objective To demonstrate safe and efficient techniques for hysteroscopic partial and complete uterine septum incision with electrocautery. Design Video instruction of hysteroscopic uterine septum incision techniques. Setting Academic hospital setting. Patients or Participants One patient with a partial uterine septum and one patient with a complete uterine septum. Interventions Hysteroscopic partial and complete uterine septum incision with the monopolar knife. Measurements and Main Results Surgical techniques that can be used to safely and efficiently incise a uterine septum and to determine when the incision is complete. For a partial uterine septum, these techniques include 1) alignment of the tubal ostia to maintain a horizontal incision plane, 2) uterine septum shortening, 3) uterine septum thinning, and 4) measurement of the residual septum length with the operating instrument to determine when the incision is complete. For a complete uterine septum, we additionally demonstrate how to make a window through the septum at the level of the internal os to incise the uterine portion while preserving the cervical portion inferiorly. Conclusion Uterine septum incision is typically a short procedure that can be successfully performed with operative hysteroscopy. However, if a systematic approach is not followed, the surgeon can quickly and unknowingly become disoriented which can lead to inadvertent uterine perforation, incomplete septum incision, or excessive septum incision causing myometrial thinning which has been shown to increase the risk of uterine rupture during pregnancy. The use of the techniques presented in this video help to maintain intra-operative orientation and provide a framework to guide adequate removal of the septum without causing injury to the myometrium. Review of these techniques may be particularly helpful for a surgical trainee or a less experienced hysteroscopic surgeon.
Upgrades to the Radiochemistry Analysis of Gas Samples (RAGS) diagnostic at the National Ignition Facility

ABSTRACT The Radiochemical Analysis of Gaseous Samples (RAGS) diagnostic apparatus operates at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). At the NIF, xenon is injected into the target chamber as a tracer, us ed as an analyte in the NIF targets, and generated as a fission product from 14 MeV neutron fission of depleted uranium contained in the NIF hohlraum. Following a NIF shot, the RAGS apparatus used to collect the gas from the NIF targ et chamber and then to cryogenically fractionate xenon gas. Radio-xenon and other activation products are collected and counted via gamma spectrometry, with the results used to determine critical physics parameters including: capsule areal density, fuel-ablator mix, and nuclear cross sections. We will discuss the following performance upgrades to the system: Modification of the xenon fractionator to allow collection of krypton. Krypton is an important target analyte and is also generated as fission gas in NIF shots. We have modified the cryostat to enable fractionation of xenon, krypton, or both. A translatable detector for quantification of the fission gases. An in situ Germanium detector is used to count the radio isotopes collected on the coldhead. NIF shots that incorporate depleted uranium in the hohlraum generate large amounts of fission gas, the radioactivity of which paralyzes the detector. We have designed a system that will adjust the detector-to-coldhead distance based upon either the count rate or the time after the NIF shot. Keywords: krypton, radiochemistry, cryogenic, nuclear diagnostic
Ab initio studies of structural features not easily amenable to experiment: Part 15. The influence of solvation on molecular structure in some formic acid and carbonic acid hydrates

Abstract The completely relaxed ab initio geometries (4—21G) of a trihydrate of carbonic acid and of the monohydrates of cis and trans formic acid are compared with the corresponding unhydrated structures. The maximum structural changes caused by hydration in the free acid structures are of the order of magnitude of 0.03 A and 3° for bond distances and bond angles, respectively. The corresponding changes in free and complexed water are 0.005 A and 5°, respectively. The results are significant for the general problem of the transferability of gas phase molecular structures to molecules in solution and for estimates of the uncertainties in theoretical hydration energy surfaces which are generated by using fixed, monomer geometries for water and solvate molecules. Compared with the free geometries, the sum total of the structural changes in some of the systems studied corresponds to energies of several kcal mol−1.
Game theory for applied economists

This book introduces one of the most powerful tools of modern economics to a wide audience: those who will later construct or consume game-theoretic models. Robert Gibbons addresses scholars in applied fields within economics who want a serious and thorough discussion of game theory but who may have found other works overly abstract. Gibbons emphasizes the economic applications of the theory at least as much as the pure theory itself; formal arguments about abstract games play a minor role. The applications illustrate the process of model building--of translating an informal description of a multi-person decision situation into a formal game-theoretic problem to be analyzed. Also, the variety of applications shows that similar issues arise in different areas of economics, and that the same game-theoretic tools can be applied in each setting. In order to emphasize the broad potential scope of the theory, conventional applications from industrial organization have been largely replaced by applications from labor, macro, and other applied fields in economics. The book covers four classes of games, and four corresponding notions of equilibrium: static games of complete information and Nash equilibrium, dynamic games of complete information and subgame-perfect Nash equilibrium, static games of incomplete information and Bayesian Nash equilibrium, and dynamic games of incomplete information and perfect Bayesian equilibrium.
Long lasting epeirogenic uplift from mantle plumes and the origin of the Southern African Plateau

[1] We investigate under what conditions the present-day long wavelength anomalous elevation (∼500 m) of the southern African Plateau can be attributed to Mesozoic plume events. The anomalous, long wavelength topography of the southern African Plateau cannot be easily explained by recent heating of the upper mantle, as opposed to other areas of the African Superswell, and geomorphological studies provide few hard constraints on the timing of the uplift. A Mesozoic origin for the plateau uplift is attractive in that southern Africa experienced several large magmatic events in the Mesozoic. We formulate numerical and scaling models to investigate if plume material ponded beneath cratonic lithosphere in the Mesozoic could produce 500 m of present-day elevation. We find that starting plume heads are ineffective at producing much long lasting uplift because the material spreads into a thin layer, tens of km thick. The ponded plume material also suppresses secondary convection by having a stable boundary at its base. Over time, heat continues to flow out of the top of the lithosphere, and a net imbalance of heat flow in the lithosphere develops, resulting in subsidence. Even after the plume material has cooled to the temperature of the mantle adiabat, secondary convection supplies less heat to the lithosphere than is lost upward by conduction. The cratonic lithosphere returns to its original thermal structure on a timescale of less than 200 m.y. Even two mantle starting plume heads, one at the time of Karoo volcanism (ca.183 Ma) and the other at the time of kimberlite eruption (ca. 80–90 Ma) in our models, cannot produce much (<200 m) of the present-day anomalous elevation. However, significant uplift can be generated by plume tails, provided they linger beneath the lithosphere for ∼25–30 m.y., and if the uplift effects of Mesozoic plume heads and tails are considered together, then it is possible to account for ∼500 m of present-day elevation. Consequently, a Mesozoic plume model for plateau uplift in southern Africa appears to be a viable model, if plume tails delivered heat to the southern African lithosphere over a period of 25 m.y. or more.
The nitroglycerin polymer gel matrix system: a new method for administering nitroglycerin evaluated with plasma nitroglycerin levels.

A new topical dosage form of nitroglycerin has been developed in which nitroglycerin and its vehicle are incorporated in a polymer gel matrix of fixed dimension. Venous plasma nitroglycerin concentrations were measured for 24 h after application of nitroglycerin polymer gel systems measuring 10 cm and containing 2% nitroglycerin (wt/wt) to 10 normal male volunteers. Five of these subjects were subsequently tested with 20-cm2 gel systems of similar composition. With the 10-cm2 nitroglycerin polymer gel system, venous plasma nitroglycerin concentrations were 0.83 +/- 0.26 ng/ml ast 4 h and 0.89 +/- 0.23 ng/ml at 24 h. For the 20-cm2 system, venous plasma nitroglycerin concentrations were 1.83 +/- 0.55 ng/ml at 8 h and 1.81 +/- 0.13 ng/ml at 24 h. The only adverse effect noted was headache, which affected all the subjects tested with the 20-cm2 appliance. The plasma nitroglycerin concentrations obtained with the polymer gel system appear to be in a clinically useful range; thus this new form of topical nitroglycerin should be of benefit to patients in whom sustained plasma nitroglycerin concentrations are desirable, e.g., those patients with chronic congestive heart failure and angina on awakening.
Similarities of Dielectric Surface Flashover at Atmospheric Conditions for Pulsed Unipolar and RF Excitation

Mechanisms in vacuum flashover caused by rf (f<10 GHz) or unipolar voltages are virtually identical. Similarities between rf (representing high power microwave window breakdown on the high pressure side) and unipolar flashover are expected in an atmospheric environment as well. Our experimental setups enable studying both unipolar flashover and rf window flashover at atmospheric conditions while controlling excitation, temperature, pressure, humidity, and type of gas present. The local electric field at the flashover initiating points has been numerically calculated in detail for all test geometries. For both rf and unipolar pulsed excitation, the flashover dynamics are changed by the application of UV light to the dielectric surface. A UV pre-pulse has a distinct impact on the arc's path and a tendency to increase the hold-off electric field. The effect of humidity on the hold-off electric field for both pulsed unipolar and rf excitations, along with temporally resolved emission spectroscopy of the flashover event, will be discussed.
Ethanol ingestion in the rat induced by rewarding brain stimulation

Abstract An attempt was made to produce ethanol dependence in the rat by rewarding the ingestion of ethanol with reinforcing stimulation of the brain. Each rat was trained to lick a drinkometer tube containing an ethanol solution mixed either in water or sucrose in order to obtain rewarding electrical stimulation which was delivered through a bipolar electrode implanted stereotaxically in the lateral hypothalamus in the region of the medial forebrain bundle (MFB). During a one-hour test session, a volume of ethanol sufficient to produce pharmacological effects was reliably consumed. Following each test session, behavioral signs were noted and a blood-ethanol determination was performed. Reinforcing stimulation failed to elicit the consumption of ethanol mixed either in water or sucrose in a concentration greater than that which was above the normal preference-aversion threshold. Further, an 8-day ethanol-water preference test sequence following the last stimulation session revealed that ethanol intake did not increase significantly above that of the non-stimulated control group. These findings indicate that electrical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus does not evoke a permanent shift in fluid preference or other signs of ethanol dependence.
Dendritic cells: An important link between antiphospholipid antibodies, endothelial dysfunction, and atherosclerosis in autoimmune and non-autoimmune diseases

The presence of dendritic cells, antigen-presenting cells that link innate and adaptive immunity, is necessary to generate and maintain the production of antiphospholipid antibodies in response to exposed intracellular phospholipids on the outer surface of apoptotic cells. In turn, antiphospholipid antibodies enhance dendritic cell-induced inflammatory and proatherogenic responses in a number of conditions that are associated with accelerated atherosclerosis, including diabetes, chronic kidney disease, periodontal infections, and aging. While altering dendritic cells by modifying the ubiquitin-proteasome system enhances antiphospholipid antibody production and leads to development of accelerated atherosclerosis and autoimmune features, inducing tolerance by dendritic cell manipulation leads to decreased atherosclerosis and thrombosis. Therefore, further translational studies are needed to understand the interplay between dendritic cells and antiphospholipid antibodies, and to develop potential new therapies for antiphospholipid syndrome and atherosclerosis. Here we review current experimental and translational studies that have examined the role of dendritic cells in antiphospholipid antibody formation and in antiphospholipid-associated atherosclerosis and thrombosis.
Nucleotide sequence of the bovine vitamin D3 receptor.

Mammary tissue was obtained a t necropsy from a lactating Jersey cow. Total RNA was extracted from bovine mammary tissue, and poly A was selected (4, 10). The RNA products were inserted into phagemid vectors (pcDNA 11) and transfected into Escherichia coli (Invitrogen Corp., San Diego, CA) (10 ) . The phagemid library was screened with a 1235-bp human VDR. cDNA probe ( 2 , 10). Three positive clones were identified, ranging in size from 1300 to 1990 bp.
CHAT oral polio vaccine was not the source of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 group m for humans

A book published in 1999 hypothesized that the scientists who worked with the CHAT type 1 attenuated poliomyelitis strain, tested in the former Belgian Congo in the late 1950s, had covertly prepared the vaccine in chimpanzee kidney cells contaminated with a simian immunodeficiency virus, which evolved into human immunodeficiency virus type 1 group M. This article summarizes the results of the investigation conducted by the author to determine the legitimacy of the accusation. Testimony by eyewitnesses, historical documents of the time, epidemiological analysis, and analysis of ancillary phylogenetic, virological, and polymerase chain reaction data all indicate that this hypothesis is false.
Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on brain activation during an arithmetic task: an fMRI study

Background: While behavioral studies have established that prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can result in diminished arithmetic processing capability, the underlying neural correlates of this deficit are still unclear. The aim of the present study was to use functional magnetic resonance imaging to determine the effect of PAE on neuronal activation during a subtraction task. Methods: Participants were young adults from a low socio-economic status population who were identified prenatally; the sample consisted of healthy unexposed controls (n = 17) and PAE who were subdivided based on the presence (n = 19) or absence of physical dysmorphic signs (n = 18). Multiple regression analysis was used to determine extent of activation and percent signal change during arithmetic processing, using a letter-matching task as the baseline. Region of interest analysis of activation was performed in the native space and normalized for each individual to compensate for the considerable variability in head size observed in the alcohol-exposed population. Results: An exposure-dependent response was observed in task performance and neuronal activation. Dysmorphic PAE individuals showed significantly lower task-related performance and activation in regions known to be associated with arithmetic processing, including left superior and right inferior parietal regions and medial frontal gyrus, while the nondysmorphic PAE group was generally intermediate but not significantly different from the control group in task performance and activation. Conclusions: Results indicate that there is a range of effects of PAE on arithmetic processing and that the severity of this deficit may be dependent on degree of impairment demonstrated by the exposed individual. Evidence of physical dysmorphia may be indicative of functional damage to regions associated with arithmetic calculation, resulting in markedly impaired neuronal recruitment.
On the wind power law and atmospheric stability effects in ocean scatterometry

Abstract In this study, C-band scatterometer measurements reported by Keller et al. (1989), are reanalyzed in order to find the exponent of the power law dependence of scattering cross-section on ocean surface wind stress for a 45° incidence angle. The exponent is found by two methods: first, by observing the change in backscatter with change in wind stress over a range of windspeeds from 6 to 13 ms–1 using neutrally stratified conditions, and second, by considering nearly constant windspeed and observing the change of wind stress induced by dramatic variations in the air-sea temperature difference. We employ Monin-Obukhov theory for the second method. Our results indicate that both methods produce a power law exponent with a value near 1.2. Given that both methods produce nearly the same value for the exponent, these results suggest that variations of radar cross-section induced by atmospheric stability, when the model function is defined in terms of windspeed, can be accounted for entirely by Monin-Obukhov theory and variation of the wind stress drag coefficient with stability. It also suggests that if the model function uses friction velocity as the wind parameter, then neither the mean or variance of radar cross-section observations should exhibit a dependence on atmospheric stability, and atmospheric stability becomes an irrelevant parameter to radar scatterometer model functions when friction velocity is used.
Monitoring the performance of geosynthetic materials within pavement systems using MEMS

Geosynthetic materials have found useful applications when unbound aggregates have been placed on cohesive soil with very weak subgrade. They have also been successfully used in retarding reflective cracking in both flexible and composite pavements. There are many applications of geosynthetics in pavement engineering yet there is considerable lack of understanding in the behavior of the material. Geosynthetic materials exhibit very peculiar properties in the area of tensile strength and reinforcement. MEMS are miniature sensing or actuating devices that can interact with other environments (provided no adverse reaction occurs) to either obtain information or alter it. With remote query capability, it appears such devices can be embedded in pavement systems as testing and monitoring tools. The aim of this paper is to propose both field and laboratory methods for monitoring geotextile performance using MEMS.
GENE TRANSFER INTO PRIMARY HEPATOCYTES FOR SOMATIC GENE THERAPY

Somatic gene therapy of many inborn errors of metabolism may require placement of recombinant genes into liver cells in order to provide substrates and cofactors for holoenzyme activity. We report retroviral mediated transfer of recombinant genes into isolated mouse hepatocytes. Hepatocytes isolated from young mice and cultured in defined, serum-free media (SUM-3) exhibited growth (3-5 divisions) and differentiated hepatic function for 1-2 weeks in culture. Cells were infected with a recombinant retrovirus carrying the neomycin (G418) resistance gene, selected with G418 and analyzed in situ. No uninfected hepatocytes survived in 250 ug/ml G418. Infected cells expressing the recombinant neomycin resistance gene survived selection in G418, exhibited characteristic hepatocyte morphology, and continued to expresss liver specific genes alpha1-antitrypsin and phenylalanine hydroxylase. These data indicated that primary hepatocytes had been successfuly transformed with the recombinant gene and expressed the recombinant gene product. Hepatocytes containing recombinant genes can be transplanted into host animals and will continue to express differentiated function. These experiments provide a model for future gene replacement therapy in Which recombinant genes may be introduced into autologous hepatocytes and transplanted into patients in order to reconstitute a defective biological function and reverse the process of genetic disease.
DNA Damage Response and Tumorigenesis in Mcm2 Deficient Mice

Minichromosome maintenance proteins (Mcm's) are components of the DNA replication licensing complex. In vivo, reduced expression or activity of Mcm's has been shown to result in highly penetrant early onset cancers (Shima et al., 2007; Pruitt et al., 2007) and stem cell deficiencies (Pruitt et al., 2007). Here we use mouse embryonic fibroblasts from an Mcm2-deficient strain of mice to show by DNA fiber analysis that origin usage is decreased in Mcm2-deficient cells under conditions of hydroxyurea (HU)-mediated replication stress. DNA damage responses (DDRs) resulting from HU and additional replication-dependent and replication-independent genotoxic agents were also examined and shown to function at wild-type (wt) levels. Further, basal levels of many components of the DDR were expressed at wt levels, showing that there is no acute replicative stress under normal growth conditions. Only very modest, 1.5- to 2-fold increases in the basal levels of gamma-H2AX, p21(cip1) and 53bp foci were found, consistent with a slight chronic elevation in DDR pathways. The one condition in which a larger difference between wt- and Mcm2-deficient cells was found occurred after ultraviolet irradiation and may reflect the role of Chk1-mediated suppression of dormant origins. In vivo, abrogating p53-mediated DDR in Mcm2-deficient mice results in increased embryonic lethality and accelerated cancer formation in surviving mice. Further, p53 mutation rescues the negative effect of Mcm2 deficiency on the survival of neural stem cells in vitro; however, the enhanced survival correlates with increased genetic damage relative to Mcm2 wt cells carrying the p53 mutation. Together these results show that even relatively minor perturbations to primary or dormant replication origin usage contribute to accelerated genetic damage in vivo. In addition, these studies show that tumor types resulting from Mcm2 deficiency are strongly affected by interaction with both genetic background and p53.
Effects of caffeine and high ambient temperature on haemodynamic and body temperature responses to dynamic exercise

Caffeine can enhance mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and attenuate forearm blood flow (FBF) and forearm vascular conductance (FVC) during exercise in thermal neutral conditions without altering body temperature. During exercise at higher ambient temperatures, where a greater transfer of heat from the body core to skin would be expected, caffeine-induced attenuation of FBF (i.e. cutaneous blood flow) could attenuate heat dissipation and increase body temperature (T(re)). We hypothesized that during exercise at an ambient temperature of 38 degrees C, caffeine increases MAP, and attenuates FBF and FVC such that T(re) is increased. Eleven caffeine-naive, active men, were studied at rest and during exercise after ingestion of a placebo or 6 mg kg(-1) of caffeine. MAP, heart rate (HR), FBF, FVC, T(re) skin temperature (T(sk)) and venous lactate concentrations (lactate) were assessed sequentially during rest at room temperature, after 45 min of exposure to an ambient temperature of 38 degrees C, and during 35 min of submaximal cycling. Heat exposure caused increases in MAP, FBF, FVC and T(sk) that were not altered by caffeine. HR, T(re), and lactate were unaffected. During exercise, only MAP (95 +/- 2 vs. 102 +/- 2 mmHg), HR (155 +/- 10 vs. 165 +/- 10 beats min(-1)), and lactate (2.0 +/- 0.4 vs. 2.3 +/- 0.4 mmol l(-1)) were increased by caffeine. These data indicate that increases in cutaneous blood flow during exercise in the heat are not reduced by caffeine. This may be because of activation of thermal reflexes that cause cutaneous vasodilation capable of offsetting caffeine-induced reductions in blood flow. Caffeine-induced increases in lactate, MAP and HR during exercise suggest that this drug and high ambient temperatures increase production of muscle metabolites that cause reflex cardiovascular responses.
Emerging immunotherapies targeting CD30 in Hodgkin's lymphoma

Abstract The immunotherapy of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) has been particularly challenging because of the unique features of tumor intrinsic and host mediated factors, interfering with the antitumor activities of therapeutic antibodies. Despite a wide array of compounds tested successfully in preclinical studies, immunotherapy in HL patients resulted in only limited success when compared to the significant improvements in patient survival provided by chemotherapeutic agents. Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) may surmount the restrictions posed by the unique pathobiology of HL tumors as they combine the selective tumor targeting of monoclonal antibodies with the potent anti-neoplastic activities of cytotoxic drugs. In early clinical trials, this class of compounds induced robust antitumor effects in patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoproliferative diseases, in the absence of overt toxicities, while naked antibodies failed to induce therapeutic benefit. Here we review some of the unique features of HL tumor biology and the key advantages of ADC-based lymphoma therapies, which may ultimately account for the improved therapeutic benefit provided by ADCs compared to first generation immunotherapeutics tested in HL patients.
BioNano engineered hybrids for hypochlorous acid generation

Abstract Enzyme-based systems represent a user- and environmentally-friendly alternative to current corrosive and/or toxic decontamination technologies used for microbial decontamination. Herein an easily deployable enzyme-nanosupport hybrid system was developed for in situ generation of hypochlorous acid (HOCl), a strong decontaminant. The user-controlled strategy allowed co-immobilization of two different enzymes at a nanosupport interface and decontaminant generation through a chain reaction. For this, glucose oxidase was used as the working enzyme and co-immobilized onto multi-walled carbon nanotubes along with chloroperoxidase. Our hypothesis was that hydrogen peroxide produced at the nanosupport interface through the glucose oxidase enzymatic reaction can further be used as substrate by the co-immobilized CPO to convert (Cl − ) into HOCl. The chemistry of the immobilization method, as well as the enzyme loading, activity, kinetics and enzyme stability at the nanointerface were evaluated. The multi-enzyme system was found to be able to initiate and propagate the chain reaction resulting in decontaminant production. The strong capability of HOCl generation can be viewed as an important first step toward creating self-sustainable microbial decontamination coatings to be used against various pathogens such as bacteria and spores.
Ohmic contact penetration and encroachment in GaAs/AlGaAs and GaAs FETs

Hypoeutectic AuGe/Ni ohmic contacts on GaAs and GaAs/AlGaAs were characterized by SEM, TEM, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The two main components of the contact were confirmed to be NiGeAs islands distributed in an Au-Ga alloy. The NiGeAs islands were larger and more evenly distributed on GaAs MESFETs than on GaAs/AlGaAs MODFETs. Vertical penetration was impeded but not halted by AlGaAs. Since the contacts did not melt during the alloying cycle, there was no lateral encroachment observed. >
Open versus Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common compressive neuropathy of the median nerve. The efficacy and safety of endoscopic versus open carpal tunnel release remain controversial.
Power law decay of correlations in stationary nonequilibrium lattice gases with conservative dynamics

We report computer simulations and high-temperature approximations of the pair correlation in a stationary nonequilibrium system, a lattice gas subject to a strong uniform driving field E. The dynamics of the system is given by hoppings of particles to adjacent empty sites with rates biased for jumps in the direction of E. We study the anisotropic short-distance behavior as well as the long-distance decay properties of the two-point correlations along the principal axes. The simulations as well as the (approximate) expansion in ..beta.. strongly suggest that the correlations in this system have a power law decay, r/sup -D/ for dimensions D = 2 and 3, even at high temperatures.
Intracranial Aneurysms with Superior Division Paresis of the Oculomotor Nerve

Five patients with intracranial aneurysms had unilateral ptosis, limitation of supraduction, and normal pupillary reactivity. The most common aneurysm location for superior division paresis of the oculomotor nerve was the superior cerebellar-posterior cerebral artery junction, where aneurysms (3) of the basilar artery compressed and flattened the interpeduncular oculomotor nerve from below. A superior cerebellar artery aneurysm and brain stem infarction affected the intra-axial course of the oculomotor nerve producing superior division paresis. Only an aneurysm of the intracavernous carotid artery resulted in superior division paresis at the expected anatomic site of bifurcation of the oculomotor nerve into its superior and inferior divisions. Because the superior division supplies innervation exclusively to the superior rectus muscle and levator palpebrae, an aneurysm involving this branch does not affect the pupillo-constrictor fibers. Consequently, cerebral angiography should be considered in the initial evaluation of this ocular motor deficit.
Influence of age and sex on dietary-induced cirrhosis. An experimental study in the rat.

Inbred Buffalo strain 4-, 8-, 12-, 24-, and 52- week-old male and female rats were given a choline-deficient diet for 22 weeks. Cirrhosis of the liver varied from mild to severe. The incidence and severity of the cirrhosis was comparable for males and females 4 weeks of age at the start of the experiment. The incidence in males and females 8, 12, and 24 weeks of age was similar, but the severity of the cirrhosis was greater in the males. Both the incidence and the degree of cirrhosis in the 52-week-old females were remarkably less than in males of the same age or in younger females. Survival time in male and female rats 4 weeks of age, male rats 8 weeks of age, and males and females 52 weeks of age at the beginning of the choline-deficient diet was less than in animals of other ages.
Critical Response to “The Leadership of Transition: Correction, Conciliation and Change in South African Education”

Today’s media is filled with stories of man’s inhumanity toward man. Education journals are replete with assessments of educators as failing to meet the demands of the modern world. Jansen offers stories of hope to counterbalance the bombardment of negative stories. His research “explores the character of leadership in transition societies”. He draws portraits of three educators, in leadership roles, whose lives provide a moment for us to catch our breath and remember that leaders have choices about how they will live out their roles in ways that are grounded in social justice
Complexing of trivalent actinide ions by glycolate

Abstract The thermodynamic parameters are reported for the formation of the monoglycolato complex of Am(III), Cm(III) and Bk(III) in an ionic medium of 2·0 M (NaClO 4 ). The values agree within experimental error with those for the analogous complexes of the lanthanide ions of comparable ionic radii.
Distinct neural stem cell tropism, early immune activation, and choroid plexus pathology following coxsackievirus infection in the neonatal central nervous system.

Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) are both neurotropic RNA viruses, which can establish a persistent infection and cause meningitis and encephalitis in the neonatal host. Utilizing our neonatal mouse model of infection, we evaluated the consequences of early viral infection upon the host central nervous system (CNS) by comparing CVB3 and LCMV infection. Both viruses expressed high levels of viral protein in the choroid plexus and subventricular zone (SVZ), a region of neurogenesis. LCMV infected a greater number of cells in the SVZ and targeted both nestin+ (neural progenitor cell marker) and olig2+ (glial progenitor marker) cells at a relatively equal proportion. In contrast, CVB3 preferentially infected nestin+ cells within the SVZ. Microarray analysis revealed differential kinetics and unique host gene expression changes for each infection. MHC class I gene expression, several developmental-related Hox genes, and transthyretin (TTR), a protein secreted in the cerebrospinal fluid by the choroid plexus, were specifically downregulated following CVB3 infection. Also, we identified severe pathology in the choroid plexus of CVB3-infected animals at 48 h post infection accompanied by a decrease in the level of TTR and carbonic anhydrase II. These results demonstrate broader neural progenitor and stem cell (NPSC) tropism for LCMV in the neonatal CNS, whereas CVB3 targeted a more specific subset of NPSCs, stimulated a distinct early immune response, and induced significant acute damage in the choroid plexus.
Ab initio study of the low reactivity of thiophene in Diels–Alder reactions with carbon dienophiles

The utility of thiophene as a diene for Diels–Alder reactions was studied by ab initio methods. The reactivity was evaluated with three dienophiles, vinyl alcohol, ethylene and acrylonitrile. Qualitatively the reactivity was determined by comparison of the reactant's frontier orbital energies, bond orders and charge transfer in the transition states. Quantitatively the reactivity was determined by estimation of activation energy with RHF/6-31G*, MP2/6-31G*, MP3/6-31G*//MP2/6-31G*, and MP4/6-31G//MP2/6-31G* ab initio calculations. The results of the calculations predicts that the reactivity of thiophene with acrylonitrile is similar to butadiene and ethylene with a preferred formation of the endo isomer.
Opioid-induced stimulation of fetal respiratory activity by [D-Ala2]deltorphin I.

Abstract [D-Ala 2 ]deltorphin I effects on fetal respiratory activity was characterized to determine the role δ-opioid receptors play in modulating fetal respiratory activity. [D-Ala 2 ]deltorphin I, infused at 0.3 or 100 μg/h, intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.), stimulated fetal respiratory activity without changing blood pH, PCO 2 or PO 2 . Stimulation by 0.3 μg/h, but not 100 μg/h, was blocked by i.c.v. infusion of the δ-opioid receptor antagonist, naltrindole. Stimulation by 100 μg/h was blocked by the μ 1 -opioid receptor antagonist naloxonazine. These data suggest stimulation of fetal respiratory activity by 0.3 μg/h [D-Ala 2 ]deltorphin I are mediated specifically through δ-opioid receptors; while [D-Ala 2 ]deltorphin I at 100 μg/h is no longer selective for the δ-opioid receptor, and the stimulation may be mediated through the μ 1 -opioid receptor.