cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of a hybrid-fuzzy air temperature controller for a supersonic combustion test facility

Hydrogen gas is burned in air to raise and maintain the stagnation temperature of a supersonic combustion test facility to a desired setpoint. In order to reach the desired operating conditions for stagnation temperature, there are three phases to the hydrogen control; H2 ignition at facility start-up, H2 ramp-up while the facility is ramped-up, and H2 iteration to achieve the desired temperature setpoint. Each phase incorporates a different type of control. Fuzzy logic is used to design a computer based supervisory controller that recognizes the different phases of operation and chooses the appropriate control method.
Fractal Singularities in a Measure and How to Measure Singularities on a Fractal

This is a preliminary report upon a piece of research being carried out by T. C. Halsey, Mogens Jensen, Leo Kadanoff, Itamar Procaccia and Boris Shraiman. It is an outgrowth of the thinking reflected in the work of Hentschel and Procaccia1 and of Halsey, Meakin and Procaccia.2 A fuller report on this work will appear later.
Design and characterization of a robust photoelectrochemical device to generate hydrogen using solar water splitting

Abstract Solar water splitting using photoelectrochemical (PEC) devices based on triple-junction amorphous silicon (a-Si) solar cells has the potential to offer an inexpensive, efficient, and renewable source of hydrogen for the future hydrogen economy. This work describes the results of experiments to determine an optimal configuration for an efficient and durable a-Si-based photoelectrode for use in PEC devices. We found that triple-junction a-Si cells coated with indium-tin oxide (ITO) and arranged so that the outer semiconductor layer was a “p-layer” split water in alkaline electrolytes. However, such PEC devices only operated for a few hours and with solar to hydrogen efficiencies of less than 3%. Failure occurred due to corrosion of the ITO and semiconductor layers by the electrolyte. We devised three methods to increase the PEC device lifetime: (1) designing a more durable ITO coating, (2) protecting the ITO with fluorinated tin oxide ( SnO 2 :F), and (3) protecting the ITO with a glass layer. In particular, a PEC device made using the SnO 2 :F method had good solar to hydrogen efficiency (5–6%), has lasted over 31 days, and is still operative, so this method is a major improvement in a-Si-based PEC device construction, which previously had reported lifetimes of less than 18 h.
Early Career Factors That Differentiate Technical Management Careers From Technical Professional Careers

This study investigated the early career factors that affect the decision to move from a technical professional job to a technical management position. Sixty scientists and engineers from two research and development (R & D) divisions in the chemical industry were interviewed about their early career decisions. The constant comparative method of qualitative analysis was used to analyze the data. Respondents were categorized into three groups: career technical professionals by choice, career technical professionals by default, and technical managers. Results indicated that favorable job structure, access to mentorslsponsors, and entrepreneurial initiative characterized technical managers and technical professionals by choice, whereas technical professionals by default were characterized by the absence of these factors. The implications of these findings for management research and practice are discussed.
Semliki Forest virus vectors with mutations in the nonstructural protein 2 gene permit extended superinfection of neuronal and non-neuronal cells.

Semliki Forest virus (SFV) vectors are widely used in neurobiological studies because they efficiently infect neurons. As with any viral vector, they possess a limited cloning capacity, so infection with different SFV vectors may be required to introduce multiple transgenes into individual cells. However, this approach is limited by superinfection exclusion. The authors examined marker expression in baby hamster kidney cells, mouse cortical neurons, and rat hippocampal neurons using different fluorophore-encoding vectors that are based on the wild-type SFV4 strain and on the less cytopathic SFV4(PD) mutant, which carries two point mutations in nonstructural protein 2. For every fluorophore tested, SFV4(PD) gave higher (up to 22-fold) expression compared to SFV4. In infections using two and three different vectors, SFV4 caused relatively few multifluorescent baby hamster kidney cells when applied at 0-s, 15-min, or 2-h intervals. In contrast, SFV4(PD) permitted significantly enhanced marker coexpression, resulting in 46% doubly and 21% triply fluorescent baby hamster kidney cells, and 67% to 78% doubly fluorescent cortical and hippocampal neurons. At 15-min or 2-h addition intervals, SFV4(PD) still permitted 23% to 36% doubly fluorescent baby hamster kidney cells. The increased efficiency of SFV4(PD) in coexpressing separate markers from different viral particles suggests that mutations in nonstructural protein 2 affect alphaviral superinfection exclusion. The results demonstrate that SFV4(PD) is well-suited to coexpress multiple proteins in neuronal and non-neuronal cells. This capability is particularly valuable to express the various components of heteromeric protein complexes, especially when the individual cDNAs cannot be combined into single SFV particles.
Low rate of breast conservation surgery in a large urban hospital serving the medically indigent

Abstract Background: Breast conservation surgery (BCS) with radiation therapy is an acceptable treatment for stage I and II breast carcinoma. The purpose of this study was to measure the use of BCS in a large, urban, university-affiliated hospital serving primarily medically indigent patients. Methods: A chart review of patients receiving operative treatment for breast carcinoma during 1995 and 1996 was done. Patients with stage I or II disease were selected. Data were analyzed for clinical stage, surgical treatment, age, and ethnic origin. Results: Of patients eligible, only 16% received BCS. There were slight trends for younger women to receive BCS and for decreased use of BCS with stage II disease. No differences in surgical treatment were seen across ethnic groups. Conclusions: We suggest that poverty, poor education, and cultural differences may play a role in selection of surgical treatment for breast carcinoma. Further investigation is needed to facilitate best treatment.
Saddle-point scaling method for ionizing collisions

Scaling laws have been derived for total single-ionization cross sections from the classical picture of saddle-point ionization. The results agree with experimental data for the projectile-charge dependence of the energy position of cross-section maxima and for the values of the cross-section maxima.
Markers for endothelial injury, clotting and platelet activation in preeclampsia.

The etiology of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in preeclampsia is not well understood. We measured plasma levels of fibronectin (FN), which may reflect endothelial cell injury, fibrinopeptide A (FPA), a specific marker of clotting, platelet counts (PLC) and mean platelet volumes (MPV), as well as β-thromboglobulin (βTG) and platelet factor 4 (Pf4), products of irreversible platelet activation in 24 preeclamptic patients and 24 controls matched for age, gestational age, labor status, and parity. In preeclampsia, FN and FPA were significantly elevated while PLC were significantly decreased (P<0.0001, <0.05 and <0.01, respectively). βTG, Pf4, and MPV values did not show significant differences. These findings support the hypothesis that endothelial injury, clotting activation and platelet consumption are increased in preeclampsia. However, the much closer association of preeclampsia with FN levels as compared to FPA, βTG, Pf4, suggests that endothelial injury is a more basic mechanism of preeclampsia than clotting or platelet activation.
Behavioral and Emotional Strengths Among Youth in Systems of Care and the Effect of Race/Ethnicity

Behavioral and emotional strengths are important to consider when understanding youth mental health and treatment. This study examined the association between youth strengths and functional impairment, and whether this association is modified by race/ethnicity. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to estimate the effects of strengths on impairment, and examine whether race and ethnicity modified this relationship in 8,129 Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native youth, between 5 and 18 years of age. Results suggest that youth with average and above average strengths were less likely to have impairment compared to youth with below average strengths. Race and ethnicity modified this relationship in both expected and unexpected ways. Among youth with average and above average strengths, racial and ethnic minority youth appear to have more impairment than Caucasian youth. However, among youth with below average strengths, racial and ethnic minority youth have less impairment than Caucasian youth. Findings highlight the importance of incorporating strengths-based approaches in youth mental health treatment and the need for further research to understand the specific nature of strengths as it effects impairment across racial/ethnic groups. Implications and recommendations are discussed.
Examining the impact of distraction on tic suppression in children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome

Abstract Tourette syndrome (TS) is characterized by motor and/or vocal tics. Tics are thought to be temporarily suppressible, and it is believed that suppression requires significant attentional resources. The aim of the current study was to examine the impact of an attention-demanding distraction task on tic suppression. A secondary aim was to examine whether performance on that task decreased during concomitant periods of suppression. Nine children with TS, ages 9–15, participated in the study. An alternating treatment design was used to compare three conditions, free-to-tic baseline (BL), reinforced tic suppression (SUP) and reinforced tic suppression plus a distraction task (SUP + DIS). Tic frequencies were significantly higher during BL conditions than both SUP and SUP + DIS conditions, and tic frequencies during SUP and SUP + DIS did not differ. Accuracy on the distraction task decreased during SUP + DIS as compared to BL. Results suggest that contextual distractions may not negatively impact tic frequencies. In addition, accuracy on an attention-demanding task may be impacted if a child is simultaneously suppressing.
Yukawa Corrections to Higgs Production in Top Partner Models

Higgs production from gluon fusion is sensitive to the properties of heavy colored fermions and to the Yukawa couplings, $\frac{{Y}_{F}{M}_{F}}{v}$, of these particles to the Higgs boson. We compute the two-loop, $\mathcal{O}({(\frac{{Y}_{F}{M}_{F}}{v})}^{3})$ contributions of new high mass fermions to Higgs production. In the Standard Model, these contributions are part of the well-known electroweak corrections and are negligible. However, in models with TeV scale fermions, such as top partner or composite models, Yukawa corrections are enhanced by effects of $\mathcal{O}({(\frac{{Y}_{F}{M}_{F}}{v})}^{3})$ and are potentially significant due to the large mass of the new quarks. We examine the size of these top partner Yukawa corrections to Higgs production for parameter choices which are allowed by precision electroweak constraints.
Identifying and evaluating robust adaptive policy responses to climate change for water management agencies in the American west

Abstract Climate change presents a significant planning challenge for water management agencies in the western United States. Changing precipitation and temperature patterns will disrupt their supply and extensive distribution systems over the coming decades, but the precise timing and extent of these impacts remain deeply uncertain, complicating decisions on needed investments in infrastructure and other system improvements. Adaptive strategies represent an obvious solution in principle, but are often difficult to develop and implement in practice. This paper describes work helping the Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) explicitly develop adaptive policies to respond to climate change and integrating these policies into the organizations' long-range planning processes. The analysis employs Robust Decision Making (RDM), a quantitative decision- analytic approach for supporting decisions under conditions of deep uncertainty. RDM studies use simulation models to assess the performance of agency plans over thousands of plausible futures, use statistical “scenario discovery” algorithms to concisely summarize those futures where the plans fail to perform adequately, and use these resulting scenarios to help decisionmakers understand the vulnerabilities of their plans and assess the options for ameliorating these vulnerabilities. This paper demonstrates the particular value of RDM in helping decisionmakers to design and evaluate adaptive strategies. For IEUA, the RDM analysis suggests the agency's current plan could perform poorly and lead to high shortage and water provisioning costs under conditions of: (1) large declines in precipitation, (2) larger-than-expected impacts of climate change on the availability of imported supplies, and (3) reductions in percolation of precipitation into the region's groundwater basin. Including adaptivity in the current plan eliminates 72% of the high-cost outcomes. Accelerating efforts in expanding the size of one of the agency's groundwater banking programs and implementing its recycling program, while monitoring the region's supply and demand balance and making additional investments in efficiency and storm-water capture if shortages are projected provides one promising robust adaptive strategy — it eliminates more than 80% of the initially-identified high-cost outcomes.
Cross-validation based decision tree clustering for HMM-based TTS

In HMM-based speech synthesis, we usually use complex, context dependent models to characterize prosodically and linguistically rich speech units. It is therefore difficult to prepare training data which can cover all combinatorial possibilities of contexts. A common approach to cope with this insufficient training data problem is to build a clustered tree via the MDL criterion. However, an MDL-based tree still tends to be inadequate in its power to predict unseen data. In this paper, we adopt the cross-validation principle to build such a decision tree to minimize the generation error of unseen contexts. An efficient training algorithm is implemented by exploiting the sufficient statistics. Experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve better speech synthesis results, both objectively and subjectively, than the baseline results of the MDL-based decision tree.
The Raman microprobe: A quantitative analytical tool to characterize laser-processed semiconductors

The Raman microprobe technique can provide quantitative information on structure, composition, homogeneity, and stress, with 1-μm resolution. It is also a nondestructive technique that requires no special sample preparation and can be used in situ. After an introduction to Raman scattering and a description of the technique itself, the author reviews specific applications in the fields of laser recrystallization and laser damage of layered structures.
A Case of Delayed Ovulation After Estrin Administration in the Intact Monkey.

SummaryOvulation in a monkey was apparently delayed by administration of estrin in the first part of the menstrual cycle. Accompanying changes in sexual responsiveness are described.
Single transistor oscillator based on a Graphene-Aluminum Nitride nano plate resonator

This paper reports on the first demonstration of a high frequency (245 MHz) single transistor oscillator based on Graphene-Aluminum Nitride (G-AlN) nano-plate resonator (NPR). For the first time, a 2-dimensional (2D) electrically conductive graphene layer was integrated on top of an ultra-thin (500 nm) AlN nano-plate and excited into a high frequency contour-extensional mode of vibration by piezoelectric transduction. The resulting ultra-thin, low mass and high frequency G-AlN nanomechanical resonator showed high values of electromechanical coupling coefficient (kt2≈1.8%) and quality factor (Qm≈1000) which enabled the implementation of a low phase noise (-87 dBc/Hz @ 1kHz offset and -125 dBc/Hz floor) single transistor oscillator. The experimental results also demonstrate the great potential of the proposed technology for the implementation of a new class of ultra-sensitive and low noise G-AlN resonant sensors.
Rat-liver lysosomal β-glucosidase: A membrane enzyme

Abstract 1. 1.Intracellular distribution studies of rat-liver β-glucosidase (β- d -glucoside glucohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.21), using p- nitrophenyl-β- d -glucopyranoside as substrate, show it to be localized in the lysosomal fraction. 2. 2.The enzyme is well resolved from β-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.23) and other lysosomal enzymes, due to its retention on the membrane. The action of β-galactosidase with pH optimum of 3.0 is demonstrated upon lactose and both o- and p-nitrophenyl substrates. β-Glucosidase is also distinguished from β-acetylglucosaminidase (EC 3.2.1.30), another membrane enzyme. 3. 3.β-Glucosidase has maximum activity at pH 5.0 and a Km (app) of 0.17 mM p- nitrophenyl-β- d -glucopyranoside . The activity is linear with protein and linear with time for at least 60 min. 4. 4.Activity upon p- nitrophenyl-β- d -xylopyranoside is also found in the lysosomal membrane fraction. 5. 5.The significance of enzyme binding to the membrane is discussed.
Influences on Activity Patterns in a Population of Nine-Banded Armadillos

Patterns of activity and influences on these patterns were examined in a population of nine-banded armadillos ( Dasypus novemcinctus ) from northern Florida, using records of individual sightings during summers 1992–1995. Juveniles were active earlier in the day (i.e., mid-morning to early evening) than were adults. Within each age group, there were no differences in average times of activity between males and females, or between months or years of the study. Comparisons of numbers of individuals observed each hour of the day showed differences in hourly abundances between adults and juveniles and between juvenile males and females, but not between adult males and females. Within each age group, abundances also varied between months and years of the study. The number of animals active at each hour of the day was not evenly distributed for either juveniles or adults. Within each age group, patterning of activity varied across months and between years, although not necessarily for both males and females. Few significant relationships were found between numbers of armadillos observed and environmental conditions when activity across the entire day was considered. However, activity was positively correlated with cloud cover during the day and with drier and warmer conditions at night. Our data suggest considerable flexibility in the timing of activity of armadillos.
Embedded MR fluoroscopy: high temporal resolution real-time imaging during high spatial resolution 3D MRA acquisition.

A method termed “embedded fluoroscopy” for simultaneously acquiring a real-time sequence of 2D images during acquisition of a 3D image is presented. The 2D images are formed by periodically sampling the central phase encodes of the slab-select direction during the 3D acquisition. The tradeoffs in spatial and temporal resolution are quantified by two parameters: the “redundancy” (R), the fraction of the 3D acquisition sampled more than once; and the “effective temporal resolution” (T), the time between temporal updates of the central views. The method is applied to contrast-enhanced MR angiography (CE-MRA). The contrast bolus dynamics are portrayed in real time in the 2D image sequence while a high-resolution 3D image is being acquired. The capability of the 2D acquisition to measure contrast enhancement with only a 5% degradation of the spatial resolution of the 3D CE-MR angiogram is shown theoretically. The method is tested clinically in 15 CE-MRA patient studies of the carotid and renal arteries. Magn Reson Med 4:690–698, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Isolation of Two Novel cDNAs Whose Products Associate with the Amino Terminus of the E2F1 Transcription Factor

The amino terminus of the E2F1 transcription factor is a protein−protein interaction domain since it associates with cyclin A/cdk2. Here, the two-hybrid yeast screen was used to clone genes whose products associate with the amino terminus of E2F1. The amino-terminal 121 amino acids of E2F1 were fused to the Lex A binding domain while a partial length cDNA library from the embryo of a 12 day old mouse was fused to the VP16 activation domain. Following coexpression of these fusions in yeast, two novel genes were cloned that code for proteins that associate with E2F1. In an in vitro assay, these E2F1 Binding Proteins (EBP1 and EBP2) associate with residues 1−121 of E2F1 or with the full-length protein; however, they do not associate with its carboxy terminus (residues 88−437). When EBP1 or EBP2 were expressed in COS cells along with E2F1 and the target promoter DNA polymerase α, repression of transcription was observed. However, no repression of DNA polymerase α was seen if the cells expressed a nonassociati...
Neck symptoms with subtle causes.

The cause of a stiff and painful neck in a child is often elusive. Two cases of neck pain and stiffness associated with nonpalpable deep cervical adenopathy provide insight into situations where the cause of neck symptoms is uncertain. Patient Reports. Patient 1 . A 16-month-old child presented with high-spiking fever lasting 2 weeks, neck pain and stiffness, and an evanescent rash consistent with systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (Still disease). Imaging of the cervical spine by computed tomographic scan and magnetic resonance imaging showed multiple hypertrophied cervical lymph nodes. These were deep cervical nodes that were not palpable on physical examination. Patient 2 . A 5-year-old child with Kawasaki disease presented with neck pain and stiffness. A computed tomographic scan of the cervical spine showed multiple hypertrophied cervical and submandibular lymph nodes. Again, this patient had no significant palpable cervical adenopathy, and no bony or soft-tissue abnormality was present on the scan.
Propositions on cybernetics and social transformation: Implications of von Foerster’s non-trivial machine for knowledge processes

Heinz von Foerster's distinction between trivial and non-trivial machines is extended by identifying three types of non-trivial machine. These distinctions are used to weave together 19 propositions on cybernetics and social transformation. The propositions offer a foundation for research on knowledge processes and the technology of knowledge. This research is characterized by questions that von Foerster has referred to as ‘undecidable questions’: questions which only we can decide; and the propositions are stated in such a way as to emphasize that. It is suggested that everyone has the ability to participate in social transformation and that cybernetics points to an opportunity to do so in a particular way. Heinz von Foerster, through both his work and his persona, has made this perspective possible.
Deep-inelastic e-p scattering and distribution functions for polarized protons

The quark model of Cheng and Fischbah is shown to agree with asymmetry parameter data from ep interactions.(AIP)
Synthesis of heterobactins A and B and Nocardia heterobactin

The synthesis of the Rhodococcus erythropolis siderophores heterobactins A and B, and the structurally related Nocardia heterobactin, is described. Two approaches for the assembly of these asymmetric ligand donor chelators are explored. In the first approach, a scheme predicated on the biosynthesis of the Paracoccus denitrificans siderophore, parabactin, is employed. In this approach, the central donor synthon is added last. In the second scheme, the central donor and the terminal 2,3-dihydroxybenzoyl fragment are first fixed to the ligand's D-ornithine backbone. This is followed by condensation with the cyclic ornithine hydroxamate glycine segment. The schemes offer a flexible approach to other heterobactins. Job's plots suggest that heterobactin A and Nocardia heterobactin form 1:1 ligand/metal complexes, while heterobactin B forms a 3:2 ligand/metal complex.
Oxygen induced transformations of the δ-Pu(111) surface

Abstract The oxides that form on metal surfaces are critical to the preservation of the material under oxidizing conditions. For the case of plutonium, oxide film properties may affect a variety of kinetic phenomena related to the corrosion of the material. To investigate the behavior of the metal–oxygen interactions critical to the formation of such passive films, electronic structure calculations were performed on the interactions between O and the δ-Pu(111) surface. By probing the relationship between structure (coordination), charge transfer (valence) and thermodynamics (reactivity), it was found that oxidation is initially a local phenomenon, but, at 1.0 ML oxygen coverage, significant reconstructions that alter the phase structure of the near-surface region are induced. At this high-surface coverage the surface metal atoms are disbonded and the Pu O coordination becomes four-fold as opposed to three fold. Even at this high coverage, however, the charge state more closely resembles Pu2O3 rather than PuO2. The ability for surface Pu atoms to adapt to a variety of changes in charge state and coordination provides a fundamental basis for understanding the multilayer structure of passive films formed on clean Pu surfaces. An analysis using first-principles thermodynamics also suggests that these films should develop uniformly, and not via an island or columnar growth mechanism.
Radar target resolution probability in a noise-limited environment

This paper investigates the probability of a radar being able to resolve two point-targets in an environment in which additive noise is the primary limitation on resolution. The statistical properties of the radar cross-ambiguity function are developed and used to arrive at an expression for the target resolution probability. The analysis is verified through simulations.
Leadership, terrorism, and the use of violence

Can we use what leaders of terrorist organizations say to help us understand what they are like, their leadership styles, and when they are likely to use violence to gain what they want? In this study, we examine the words of the leaders of al Qa'ida Central (AQ-C) and al Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) using Leadership Trait Analysis, an assessment-at-a-distance technique developed to provide answers to this type of question. Comparing the scores of the AQ-C and AQAP leaders to those of 23 leaders of other terrorist groups, we determine what the al Qa'ida leaders are like. We also ascertain how the rhetoric of these leaders changes as they decide to engage in violence as well as in the frames they choose to use toward different audiences.
Asymptotic behaviour of solutions of a similarity equation for laminar flows in channels with porous walls

The boundary value problem introduced by Berman, possesses multiple solutions which display four distinct types of asymptotic behaviour as |R| → ∞, one for negative R and the remaining three for positive R. Three of the four types are considered. First, a proof of the leading behaviour up to and including the third derivative of f is given for the case R → −∞. This enables the confirmation of certain numerical conjectures
Turkey Semen Evaluation for Fertility Prediction

Abstract A preseasonal method for determining the reproductive potential of turkey toms would be advantageous to breeders in selecting breeder males. This study was designed to evaluate semen volume, sperm concentration, and percent progressive motility of spermatozoa in relation to the predictability of potential fertilizing capacity. Number of progressively motile sperm per ejaculate (N.P.M.S.E.) was computed and denned for analysis as a single parameter of semen quality. Ejaculates were also tested for fertilizing capacity on four hens for each male. Twenty males were selected from a population of 54 and ranked prior to the experimental period on the basis of number of motile sperm. Each torn was used to inseminate the same hens for six biweekly periods. Fertility was determined for two weeks of production following each insemination. There were significant differences in fertility, semen volume, sperm concentration, motility, and N.P.M.S.E. among toms. Significant correlations between fertility and N.P.M.S.E. were determined prior to and during the experimental period. Significant correlation between sperm concentration and percent fertility was determined in only one out of five trials. N.P.M.S.E. accounted for 6 percent of the variation in fertility prior to the experiment and 18.5 percent during the experiment. Eighty percent of those toms characterized as high producers of N.P.M.S.E. at the beginning of the experimental period continued to produce at high levels. It was concluded that N.P.M.S.E. could be used to identify potential low fertility males for removal from the breeding flock as well as to indicate males with high fertilizing potential.
Dynamics of gas bubbles in whole blood and plasma.

Abstract Analytical solutions are obtained for both the radius-time relation and the rate of solution by diffusion of a gas bubble in plasma and whole blood with reduced hemoglobin. If an oxygen bubble is situated in the blood, a concentration boundary is formed in which the combined processes of diffusion and chemical reaction takes place. The effect of surface tension on the bubble dynamics is also considered. Applications of the analytical results include the extracorporeal oxygenation of the blood and the determination of the diffusion coefficient in plasma and the reaction velocity constant in whole blood.
Detection and characterization of EWSR1/ATF1 and EWSR1/CREB1 chimeric transcripts in clear cell sarcoma (melanoma of soft parts)

Unlike melanoma, clear cell sarcoma harbors either a t(12;22)(q13;q12) recurrent translocation, resulting in an EWSR1/ATF1 chimeric gene, or less commonly a t(2;22)(q34;q12) translocation fusing EWSR1 and CREB1. Few studies have examined the prevalence of all chimeric types and variants to assess the usage of ancillary genetic testing in routine diagnosis. We investigated rearrangement prevalence in 17 clear cell sarcomas, two positive control cell lines, and two melanomas (negative controls). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis using the LSI EWSR1 break-apart probe and a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay optimized for formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue to detect all four reported EWSR1/ATF1 clear cell sarcoma chimeric types and the EWSR1/CREB1 variant was performed. All 15 cases available for testing by FISH were positive for EWSR1 rearrangement including two cases with insufficient RNA for RT-PCR. Thirteen of 15 cases successfully tested by RT-PCR harbored a type 1 chimeric transcript (EWSR1 exon 8/ATF1 exon 4), of which five tumors simultaneously carried a type 2 chimeric transcript (EWSR1 exon 7/ATF1 exon 5). One case carried a type 2 transcript alone and one case contained an EWSR1/CREB1 transcript. Both control cases were positive by both techniques with one case carrying both types 1 and 2 chimeric transcripts and the other types 2 and 3 (EWSR1 exon 10/ATF1 exon 5). Consequently, both techniques are equally effective in assessing for an EWSR1 rearrangement and are useful ancillary diagnostic tests for clear cell sarcoma. They also reinforce the prevalence of this translocation in these tumors. In addition, EWSR1-CREB1 was identified in a clear cell sarcoma of soft tissue providing further evidence that this chimeric variant is not exclusive to gastrointestinal clear cell sarcomas and should be included in RT-PCR assays of soft tissue clear cell sarcomas.
A linkage map for flowering dogwood ( Cornus florida L.) based on microsatellite markers

A genetic linkage map of flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.) was constructed using 94 individuals derived from a cross of two F1 trees designated 97-6 and 97-7, which were originally from a cross between ‘Appalachian Spring’ and ‘Cherokee Brave’. Out of approximately 800 SSR loci examined, 271 were polymorphic between ‘Appalachian Spring’ and ‘Cherokee Brave’, but were monomorphic between 97-6 and 97-7. These 271 segregating markers were used to build a linkage map for flowering dogwood. Eleven linkage groups were obtained with a log-of-odds (LOD) value of 6.0 using JoinMap® 4.0 software, which matches the chromosome number of flowering dogwood haploid genome. This linkage map consisted of 255 SSR loci, spanned a total of 1,175 centimorgans (cM) with an average internal distance of 4.6 cM. Several larger gaps and slight clustering of markers were present on this linkage map. This is the first linkage map of flowering dogwood and will be a fundamental tool for new gene identification and marker-assisted selection in our flowering dogwood breeding program.
Adhesions and perioperative complications of repeat cesarean delivery

The unprecedented high rate of cesarean delivery and the declining rate of vaginal birth after cesarean delivery make necessary awareness of the potential complications that are associated with repeat cesarean delivery. This article reviews the epidemiologic features of cesarean delivery and the perioperative risks that are associated with repeat cesarean delivery. These risks include increased adhesions, infections and wound complications, bleeding, bowel injury and obstruction, hysterectomy, operative time, hospital stay, and delays in delivery.
Vibrissae growth rates and trophic discrimination factors in captive southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis)

Isotopic analysis of serially sampled vibrissae (whiskers) is a powerful method to investigate changes in an individual’s resource and habitat use over time, which is difficult or impossible to accomplish using traditional dietary proxies such as observation or scat analysis. A vibrissae-based isotopic approach is limited by knowledge of vibrissae growth rates, which are required to determine the time period represented by each subsampled segment. Likewise, determining the magnitude of, and variation in, isotopic differences between a consumer and its diet, commonly referred to as trophic discrimination factors (TDFs), is a crucial step in quantifying diet composition using stable isotopes. TDF estimates are available only for a few mammalian taxa. We measured vibrissae growth rates and d 13 C and d 15 N TDFs in captive southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis). Sea otters were administered 15 N-enriched glycine intravenously and vibrissae were collected periodically and serially sampled for carbon (d 13 C) and nitrogen (d 15 N) isotope analysis. Growth of adult sea otter vibrissae was linear with a mean (6SD) rate of 7.7 (6 1.2) cm/year. Mean (6SD) whole diet–vibrissae TDFs were 2.8% (60.2%) for d 13 C and 5.5% (60.2%) for d 15 N. Mean (6SD) lipid-extracted diet–vibrissae TDFs were 2.4% (60.2%) for d 13 C and 4.9% (60.3%) for d 15 N. d 13 C TDFs were similar to previously reported values for mammalian carnivores, but d 15 N TDFs were higher than expected. These results will increase the accuracy of isotopic diet analyses of mustelids and other carnivores for which there are few estimates of TDFs and no estimates of vibrissae growth rates.
MO-D-304A-09: Multi-Slice CT Versus Cone Beam CT for Breast Imaging: Radiation Dose Distributions with Monte Carlo Simulation

Purpose: To use Monte Carlo simulation method to investigate and compare the overall radiation dose and dose distribution for breast imaging using multi‐slice CT and cone beam CT(CBCT) techniques. Method and Materials:CBCTimages of a breast specimen have been combined with multi‐slice CTimages of a patient chest to form a 210×206×110 model for a patient lying in prone position with both breasts freely protruding downward. Image segmentation was applied to separate the images into areas for adipose tissue, soft tissue,muscle, air and bone. Rep78 was used to compute the spectra for 120 and 80 kVp x‐rays with a HVL of 4.65 and 4.08 mm Al, respectively, for simulating multi‐slice CT and CBCT, respectively. A collimator was added to simulate the x‐ray fan beam used in multi‐slice CT and a half‐cone beam for CBCT. To simplify the simulation, the table was assumed to shift by one fan beam width after the gantry makes one full rotation. 2×107photons were used to calculate the dose for multi‐slice CT with DOSXYZnrc and 1×109photons for CBCT scan of the same breast phantom. The results of the dose calculations were rescaled for 240 mAs and 25 mAs, respectively. Results: The results of Monte Carlo calculations for multi‐slice CT indicated that dose levels in the heart and bone structures were about twice as high as those in the breasts. The breast dose from multi‐slice CT was from 0.8 to 2 times as high as those in cone beam breast CT.Conclusion: Results from our Monte Carlo calculations indicated that breast doses were found to be higher with a typical multi‐slice CT scan of the chest. An additional dose problem for multi‐slice CT is full exposures to the rest of the chest, incurring high radiation doses in the heart and bone structures.
Changes in morphine self-administration and morphine dependence after lesions of the caudate nucleus in rats

Rats were trained to bar press for intravenous infusions of morphine sulfate during 1-hr daily test sessions. Small, centrally placed bilateral lesions of the caudate nucleus reduced rates of morphine self-administration to approximately one seventh of preoperative levels; postoperative rates were similar to preoperative rates when the postoperative unit infusion dose of morphine was one tenth of the preoperative dose. Caudate lesions also lowered the threshold dose at which morphine's rewarding property could be detected. Physical dependence was studied in other rats receiving a 3-day continuous infusion of morphine sulfate via implanted subcutaneous silicone reservoirs. Caudate lesions ameliorated withdrawal-induced weight loss and naloxone-induced “wet dog shakes”. Both the self-administration and dependence data are consistent with the idea that morphine blocks dopaminergic transmission in the striatum.
Statistical comparison of proximity matrices: applications in animal behaviour

Animal behaviour studies often require the diagnosis and statistical evaluation of patterns among individuals of a group. However, association values derived for all pairs of individuals are mathematically interrelated and, hence, difficult to evaluate. A general method of matrix comparison, called the Mantel test, is described which accounts for such interdependencies. In this test, two square difference matrices are compared to determine whether a statistical association exists between corresponding elements. For example, distances in one of the matrices might represent differences in songs for each pair of a group of birds, while distances in the other matrix could be the geographic distances between each of the same bird pairs; the test would assess whether or not birds close to one another have songs that are more similar than those pairs that are located further apart geographically. Distances in the matrices can be of a variety of sorts (depending on the application), including for instance geographic distances, morphological differences, or behavioural differences. The test has wide applicability in studies of animal behaviour, and we present three examples. First, dialects of splendid sunbirds (Nectarinia coccinigaster) were investigated to determine whether local or regional patterns of geographic variation in song were present, and whether birds with similar dialects were concentrated within the same habitat. Second, dominance hierarchies of white-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) and dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis oreganus) were analysed by constructing appropriate hypothesis matrices that were contrasted against a matrix summarizing behavioural interrelationships of flock members. In the third application, involving progressions of yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus), an approach was developed to assess whether members of a given sex occur adjacent (or at least closer) to one another in progression order more often than expected by chance, and also whether individuals of a given sex tend to be found at or near the end of a progression more frequently than predicted. Other possible applications of the Mantel test are discussed, and a detailed computational example is included.
Polycations. III. Synthesis of polyphosphonium salts for use as antibacterial agents

Several series of polyphosphonium salts have been prepared. These include those in which the cationic sites are located at regular intervals along a linear chain of defined length (“strings”) and those in which the cationic sites are in linkages arrayed in branching arms about a central focus unit (“balloons”). Similarly, polyphosphonium balloon arrays have been attached to a polystyrene backbone providing a material that can serve as an anionic exchange resin. Several of the resultant materials have demonstrated antibacterial activity, in systems analogous to those previously reported for simple functionalized polystyrene species, and continue to be investigated. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 9:495–502, 1998
Reaching while walking: reaching distance costs more than walking distance.

Surprisingly little is known about how people plan and control everyday physical actions, such as walking along and picking up objects. In order to explore this topic, we conducted an experiment in which university students were asked to pick up a common object (a child’s beach bucket) that stood on a table several meters from the participant’s start position. The bucket stood either on the left side, in the middle, or on the right side of the table and, depending on instructions, was to be carried to a farther target whose horizontal position was also varied. The questions were which side of the table the participant would walk along when picking up the bucket and which hand the participant would use to pick up and carry the bucket. Participants, most of whom were righthanded, preferred to walk along the left side of the table and to pick up the bucket with the right hand, although they departed from that preference when the reaching distance across the table was uncomfortable or if the target was too far to the right. The data were well fit with a mathematical model that included a right-hand bias and an estimate of functional distance that expressed the cost of reaching over some distance as approximately twice the cost of walking over the same distance.
The widening mortality gap between rheumatoid arthritis patients and the general population

Objective Overall mortality rates in the general US population have declined substantially over the last 4–5 decades, but it is unclear whether patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have experienced the same improvements in survival. The purpose of this study was to determine the mortality trends among RA patients compared with those in the general population. Methods A population-based incidence cohort of RA patients was assembled, comprising all residents of Rochester, Minnesota ages ≥18 years in whom RA was first diagnosed (according to the American College of Rheumatology [formerly, the American Rheumatism Association] 1987 criteria) between 1955 and 1995 and all residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota in whom RA was first diagnosed between 1995 and 2000. The patients were followed up longitudinally through their complete (inpatient and outpatient) medical records until death or January 1, 2007. Expected mortality was estimated from the National Center for Health Statistics life tables on the white population in Minnesota, using person-year methods. Poisson regression was used to model the observed mortality rates, adjusting for age, sex, and disease duration. Results A cohort of 822 RA patients (72% women, mean age at RA incidence 58 years) was followed up for a median of 11.7 years, during which 445 of the RA patients died. Between 1965 and 2005, the mortality rates across the calendar years for female and male RA patients were relatively constant at 2.4 and 2.5 per 100 person-years, respectively. In contrast, the expected mortality rate in the Minnesota white population decreased substantially over the same time period in both sexes. Mortality in the female general population declined from 1.0 per 100 person-years in 1965 to 0.2 per 100 person-years in 2000. Mortality in the male general population decreased from 1.2 per 100 person-years in 1965 to 0.3 per 100 person-years in 2000. Therefore, the difference between the observed and expected mortality rates increased in more recent years, resulting in a widening of the mortality gap. Conclusion Our findings show that RA patients have not experienced improvements in survival over the past 4 decades, despite dramatic improvements in the overall rates of mortality in the general US population. Further research into the causes of the widening gap in mortality between RA patients and the general population, and the influence of current therapeutic strategies on mortality, is needed in order to develop strategies to reduce the excess mortality observed in RA patients.
A View from the Farther Shore

As a European historian who has learned to believe that everything worthwhile was discovered by the Germans until it was rediscovered earlier by the Russians, I am somewhat annoyed at having to admit that Mr. Hartz has written something eminently satisfying to my kinfolk and me. He stimulates in us a measure of condescending sympathy with American historians, who must deal with this crazy American people, none of whom apparently knows who he really is—he really is his own grandpa—and each of whom, like the proverbial piano player in the sporting house, is completely ignorant of what goes on upstairs. And how lucky I feel to be working in the clear atmosphere of Europe, where our classes are clean-cut, our parties shrewd and perceptive of their own interests, our political philosophy real and earnest. It is true that according to this picture the socialism we have is not quite as real as the feudalism we used to have, but then, nothing in the historical world is quite perfect. Indeed, Mr. Hartz' view of European history is, if anything, too perfect. It is reminiscent of a Rube Goldberg mechanism in which a fat nobleman opens the door at one end of a corridor and sets off a chain reaction which explodes Nicolai Lenin out the door at the other end.
Monostotic Fibrous Dysplasia of the Distal Radius Metaphysis: Case Report

We report the case of a 56-year-old male with distal radius monostotic fibrous dysplasia that was detected when the patient suffered a pathologic fracture. This case is unusual because of the location of the tumor and the age of the patient.
Second chance offers versus sequential auctions: theory and behavior

Second chance offers in online marketplaces involve a seller conducting an auction for a single object and then using information from the auction to offer a losing bidder a take-it-or-leave-it price for another unit. We theoretically and experimentally investigate this practice and compare it to two sequential auctions. We show that the equilibrium bidding strategy in the second chance offer mechanism only exists in mixed strategies, and we observe that this mechanism generates more profit for the auctioneer than two sequential auctions. We also observe virtually no rejections of profitable offers in the ultimatum bargaining stage.