cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inconsistency in race and ethnic classification in pharmacogenetics studies and its potential clinical implications

Introduction Racial and ethnic categories are frequently used in pharmacogenetics literature to stratify patients; however, these categories can be inconsistent across different studies. To address the ongoing debate on the applicability of traditional concepts of race and ethnicity in the context of precision medicine, we aimed to review the application of current racial and ethnic categories in pharmacogenetics and its potential impact on clinical care. Methods One hundred and three total pharmacogenetics papers involving the CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP2D6 genes were analyzed for their country of origin, racial, and ethnic categories used, and allele frequency data. Correspondence between the major continental racial categories promulgated by National Institutes of Health (NIH) and those reported by the pharmacogenetics papers was evaluated. Results The racial and ethnic categories used in the papers we analyzed were highly heterogeneous. In total, we found 66 different racial and ethnic categories used which fall under the NIH race category "White", 47 different racial and ethnic categories for "Asian", and 62 different categories for "Black". The number of categories used varied widely based on country of origin: Japan used the highest number of different categories for "White" with 17, Malaysia used the highest number for "Asian" with 24, and the US used the highest number for "Black" with 28. Significant variation in allele frequency between different ethnic subgroups was identified within 3 major continental racial categories. Conclusion Our analysis showed that racial and ethnic classification is highly inconsistent across different papers as well as between different countries. Evidence-based consensus is necessary for optimal use of self-identified race as well as geographical ancestry in pharmacogenetics. Common taxonomy of geographical ancestry which reflects specifics of particular countries and is accepted by the entire scientific community can facilitate reproducible pharmacogenetic research and clinical implementation of its results.
Toward Fair Play: A Decade of Transformation and Resistance in International Human Rights Advocacy in Brazil

The fundamental challenge facing Brazil's human rights lawyers has been the lack of jurisdiction for treaty compliance bodies. Though Brazil has ratified most major human rights treaties, it has not granted jurisdiction to the oversight bodies these treaties establish. The article discusses the importance of providing training for Brazilian human rights activists on how to file complaints through the inter-American system. While the use of this system is increasing as a result of such training, it is still relatively limited in comparison to neighboring states and in relation to its population. Getting the state to participate in good faith remains the greatest challenge. The case of the 42nd Police District, Parque Sao Lucas, Sao Paulo is used to illustrate how the Brazilian government can still be prodded towards addressing rights violations. The article also highlights both the role of the media in encouraging the state to participate, and the importance of teaching human rights professionals how to work with journalists. Finally, the shift towards greater use of the United Nations mechanisms for filing human rights complaints and the official visit of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture are discussed. The article concludes that while Brazil still has a ways to go, its human rights advocates have made considerable progress in the past decade.
Development of a Low-Cost Multistatic Passive Weather Radar Network

Practical and accurate estimation of 3-D wind fields is an ongoing challenge in radar meteorology. Multistatic (single transmitter/multiple receivers) radar architectures offer a cost-effective solution for obtaining the multiple Doppler measurements necessary to achieve such estimates. Existing multistatic weather radars, while less costly than comparable monostatic networks, have been constrained by the need for specialized equipment and software to perform frequency and pulse timing synchronization with the transmitting radar. This article describes the implementation of a passive radar network that performs pulse timing and carrier frequency synchronization through measurements of the sidelobe radiation of the transmitting radar. This makes it possible for the receiver modules to be constructed with minimal size and cost, and it allows for their use in coordination with any in-band transmitter capable of recording time-stamped pointing angle information. A prototype network consisting of two passive receivers has been constructed in the Oklahoma City, OK, USA. Weather observations collected using the radiation from a WSR-88D have been used to validate the accuracy of velocity measurements obtained through this technique.
PAM & PAL: Policy-Aware Virtual Machine Migration and Placement in Dynamic Cloud Data Centers

We focus on policy-aware data centers (PADCs), wherein virtual machine (VM) traffic traverses a sequence of middleboxes (MBs) for security and performance purposes, and propose two new VM placement and migration problems. We first study PAL: policy-aware virtual machine placement. Given a PADC with a data center policy that communicating VM pairs must satisfy, the goal of PAL is to place the VMs into the PADC to minimize their total communication cost. Due to dynamic traffic loads in PADCs, however, above VM placement may no longer be optimal after some time. We thus study PAM: policy-aware virtual machine migration. Given an existing VM placement in the PADC and dynamic traffic rates among communicating VMs, PAM migrates VMs in order to minimize the total cost of migration and communication of the VM pairs. We design optimal, approximation, and heuristic policyaware VM placement and migration algorithms. Our experiments show that i) VM migration is an effective technique, reducing total communication cost of VM pairs by 25%, ii) our PAL algorithms outperform state-of-the-art VM placement algorithm that is oblivious to data center policies by 40-50%, and iii) our PAM algorithms outperform the only existing policy-aware VM migration scheme by 30%.
Phase Ib Trial with Dose Expansion of the Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) Inhibitor, Ibrutinib, in Combination with Rituximab and Lenalidomide in Patients with Refractory/Recurrent Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma (PCNSL) and Refractory/Recurrent Secondary Central Nervous System Lymphoma (SCNSL)

BACKGROUND Primary CNS Lymphoma (PCNSL) is an aggressive primary brain tumor. Outcome and treatment options for patients with recurrent/refractory (r/r) disease are poor. We have observed promising efficacy of single-agent ibrutinib in r/r PCNSL and secondary CNS lymphoma (SCNSL). We hypothesize that combing ibrutinib with the immunomodulatory imide lenalidomide and theanti-CD20 antibody rituximab would be adding clinical efficacy. In this phase 1b trial, we investigate the toxicity of ibrutinib in combination with rituximab and lenalidomide in r/r PCNSL/SCNSL. METHODS Eligible patients had r/r PCNSL/SCNSL or newly diagnosed SCNSL, age≥18, ECOG≤2, normal end-organ function, and with any number and type of prior therapies. Enrollment followed the 3+3 design. Ibrutinib was dosed at 560mg daily (dose level 1) and 840mg (level 2, 3, 4); lenalidomide was dosed at 10mg daily (day 1-21) (level 1, 2), 15mg daily (day 1-21) (level 3) and 20mg daily (day 1-21) (level 4); rituximab was dosed at 500mg/m2 (all dose levels). Rituximab was given for 6 cycles, lenalidomide for 12 cycles, and ibrutinib ongoing. RESULTS Fifteen patients have been enrolled; 3 at dose level 1-3 and 6 at level 4. Median age was 69 years (range 56-82); 4 were women. Median ECOG was 1 (0: 5, 1: 7, 2: 3). Eleven had r/r PCNSL. Eleven had recurrent parenchymal disease; two had additional cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) involvement; two had both. Nine patients had recurrent and 6 refractory disease. No DLT occurred. One grade 4 lymphopenia was observed. The following grade 3 events occurred: rash (in 3 patients); lymphopenia (in 2); AST, ALT, lung infection, and elevated aPTT (in 1). The most common adverse events were thrombocytopenia, lymphopenia, and rash. No Aspergillosis infection was observed. After a median follow-up of 6.9 months, 14/15 were evaluated for response with 13/15 (73%) showing a response: 4 CR, 7 PR, and 2 SD, 1 PD. Median PFS was 3.03 months; not yet reached for Dose level 4 (only 1/6 has developed progression with a median follow up of 5 months). CONCLUSION Patients with CNS lymphoma tolerate the combination of rituximab, lenalidomide and ibrutinib well. No dose limiting toxicities were observed. No Aspergillosis infection occurred with this combination regimen. Continued enrollment is ongoing. Disclosures Grommes: BTG: Consultancy; Ono: Consultancy; Kite: Consultancy. Schaff: Debiopharm: Consultancy.
Best Practices for Social Work with Refugees and Immigrants

Social work practice with migrants entering the U.S. is challenging and somewhat like working through a bureaucratic maze. It is multilayered, cross-discipline and cross-sector, global and local. B...
The Legal Reconstruction of Walls:N.D. A N.T. V. Spain, 2017, 2020

Recently, Western democracies have turned to building border walls as a strategy of immigration control. This Article makes two claims. First, human rights courts and quasi-judicial bodies are deeply implicated in this move. In the past decade or so, these institutions have been successful in both enforcing and creating new rights for asylum seekers and irregular immigrants. They have used variants of access to guarantee hyper protection to individual non-nationals who have either entered a host state or come under its effective control. This legal success has resulted in the unintended consequence of rendering wall-building a logical move for state prevention of migration. Second, we ought to understand these rapidly proliferating walls as not only physical realities made from bricks and mortar, but also as legally constructed barriers. The wall-builders (politicians) and international human rights enforcement bodies (the judges) are reacting and responding to each other. Iteratively, and over time, they are generating the new physical-legal reality of border walls. Today, such walls select in favor of the strongest - a function of their physicality. Alas, this dynamic creates a tension with the paradigm of equality under human rights law. Further, it is also problematic in a practical sense. Even if some differentiation may be appropriate, physical might selects for the wrong criteria. It sidesteps the key political and distributional questions that are involved in immigration: (i) which individuals should be protected and in what order of priority; (ii) which states should protect them, and how to allocate protective duties; and (iii) what screening methods are acceptable.
Microbial communities in retail draft beers and the biofilms they produce

In the beer brewing industry, microbial spoilage presents a consistent threat that must be monitored and controlled to ensure the palatability of a finished product. Many of the predominant beer spoilage microbes have been identified and characterized, but the mechanisms of contamination and persistence remain an open area of study. Post-production, many beers are distributed as kegs that are attached to draft delivery systems in retail settings where ample opportunities for microbial spoilage are present. As such, restaurants and bars can experience substantial costs and downtime for cleaning when beer draft lines become heavily contaminated. Spoilage monitoring on the retail side of the beer industry is often overlooked, yet this arena may represent one of the largest threats to the profitability of a beer if its flavor profile becomes substantially distorted. In this study, we sampled and cultured microbial communities found in beers dispensed from a retail draft system to identify the contaminating bacteria and yeasts. We also evaluated their capability to establish new biofilms in a controlled setting. Among four tested beer types, we identified over a hundred different contaminant bacteria and nearly twenty wild yeasts. The culturing experiments demonstrated that most of these microbes were viable and capable of joining new biofilm communities. From these data, we provide an important starting point for the efficient monitoring of beer spoilage in draft systems and provide suggestions for cleaning protocol improvements that can benefit the retail community. ImportanceBeer production, packaging, and service are each vulnerable to contamination by microbes that metabolize beer chemicals and impart undesirable flavors, which can result in the disposal of entire batches. Therefore, great effort is taken by brewmasters to reduce and monitor contamination during production and packaging. A commonly overlooked quality control stage of a beer supply chain is at the retail service end, where beer kegs supply draft lines in bars and restaurants under non-sterile conditions. We found that retail draft line contamination is rampant and that routine line cleaning methods are insufficient to efficiently suppress beer spoilage. Thus, many customers unknowingly experience spoiled versions of the beers they consume. This study identified the bacteria and yeast that were resident in draft beer samples and also assessed their abilities to colonize tubing material as members of stable biofilm communities.
World-in-the-Loop Simulation for Autonomous Systems Validation

Simulation is at the core of validating autonomous systems (AS), enabling the detection of faults at a lower cost and earlier in the development life cycle. However, simulation can only produce an approximation of the real world, leading to a gap between simulation and reality where undesirable system behaviors can go unnoticed. To address that gap, we present a novel approach, world-in-the-loop (WIL) simulation, which integrates sensing data from simulation and the real world to provide the AS with a mixed-reality. The approach executes multiple instances of the AS in parallel, one in the real world and at least one in simulation, performs configurable transformations, filtering, and merging operations on the body of sensed data in order to integrate it, and provides the pipelines to distribute the original sensor data and the integrated sensor data back to the executing AS. We present a study on multiple scenarios and two simulators that demonstrates how WIL reduces the simulation-reality gap and increases the chances of exposing failures before deployment.
Why foreign military interventions prolong civil wars: lessons from Yemen

Foreign military interventions are correlated with longer civil wars, yet existing explanations for this association remain inadequate. One influential argument claims that outside states prolong internal warfare by introducing objectives that are extraneous to the conflict at hand. A more compelling extension of this argument is that intervening states forge alliances with local combatants, and contention among these local combatants creates friction among intervening states and opens the door to additional combatants. Such dynamics lengthened the civil war in Yemen that erupted in 2012–13. Exploring the shifting patterns of antagonism and alignment that accompanied intervention in this particular case improves our general understanding of the mechanisms that increase the duration of internal warfare.
EVA Improved: Compiler and Extension Library for CKKS

Homomorphic encryption (HE), especially the CKKS scheme, can be extremely challenging to use. The EVA language and compiler (Dathathri et al., PLDI 2020) was an attempt at addressing this challenge. EVA allows a developer to express their encrypted computation in a simple form with a Python-integrated language called PyEVA. It then compiles the program into an executable form by inserting operations such as relinearization and rescaling, applying optimizations, and choosing encryption parameters with the objective of minimizing execution time. Compiled programs can be executed with a parallelizing back-end against a library of HE primitives. Our work improves upon the EVA toolchain in several ways: changes to the Python front-end make writing PyEVA programs more natural, while a rework of EVA's C++ APIs makes writing new passes easier. We also implement two new optimizations, common subexpression elimination and reduction balancing, which we show allow users to write simpler and more modular PyEVA programs. We argue that the abstraction EVA provides is insufficient to resolve some common usability challenges. For example, managing vectors of arbitrary size is non-trivial. To resolve these problems, we demonstrate how building a library of commonly used data structures and functions is simple in PyEVA. EVA's automation allows writing very concise code, which gets fused and optimized together with the user program. We create the beginnings of an EVA Extension Library (EXL), that provides vector and matrix classes and a collection of common statistical functions, to demonstrate the power of this approach.
Chapter 3 Experimentally Induced Homozygosity in Xenopus laevis

Publisher Summary This chapter describes experimentally induced homozygosity in Xenopus laevis . Genomic manipulation of amphibians during meiosis or mitosis is accomplished using primarily physical agents such as cold, heat, and pressure. Chemical methods, such as those involving the use of cytochalasin B, are useful in organisms with small eggs that facilitate removal of the agents by washing, however are difficult to control in larger eggs such as those of amphibia. Under the correct conditions the spindle apparatus is arrested or destroyed so that a restitution nucleus containing all sets of chromosomes destined for the meiotic or mitotic products forms in the cell whose division has been aborted. These experimental strategies have typically limited to second meiotic and first mitotic divisions as their precise timing under controlled condition fosters reliable manipulations. Gynogenetic reproduction occurs naturally in several amphibian species, and it is induced in many species by suppression of second meiotic division in eggs fertilized with irradiated sperm or with other sperm cells that do not contribute nuclear material to the zygote. The chapter describes two methods: (1) propagation of primary homozygous diploid animals, and (2) defining animals homozygous at all loci.
THE ROLE OF QING 情 IN THE HUAINANZI'S ETHICS

Through an analysis of every instance of the term qing 情 in the text, this article explores the role of this concept in the ethical thought of the second-century b.c.e. text Huainanzi. The Huainanzi authors draw on several features of the semantic range of qing in the early Han dynasty to help support their overall argument that the text provides an exhaustive and authoritative account of how to effectively govern an empire. As part of this project, I argue that the authors also use qing to articulate the meta-ethical features of the cosmos and human beings that make ideal moral action possible, as well as to explain the process of how humans can cultivate themselves to the ideal state of sagehood. Understanding the role of qing in the Huainanzi is thus essential to understanding the text's ethical content.
Chemical, Physical, and Morphological Properties of Ornithine Aminotransferase from Rat Liver

Abstract Ornithine aminotransferase was crystallized from rat liver and several properties of the enzyme were studied, including amino acid composition, thiol content, absorbance spectrum, isoelectric point, molecular weight, and appearance under the electron microscope. The half-cystine and thiol contents of the enzyme were equal (0.12 µmole per mg of enzyme), indicating the absence of disulfide bonds in the molecule. One-fourth of the thiol groups in the native enzyme was reactive. The addition of denaturing agents activated the remaining thiol groups, which presumably had been protected in the interior of the molecule. These results indicate that the enzyme must contain at least four thiol groups (cysteine residues). The empirical weight of the enzyme, therefore, was estimated to be 33,000. A value of 33,300 was obtained when the empirical weight was calculated from the total amino acid composition of the enzyme. The minimal-molecular weight of the enzyme as determined by equilibrium ultracentrifugation was 132,000, indicating that the enzyme may be composed of four 33,000 molecular weight subunits. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was 5.38, indicating that the enzyme is an acidic protein. Crystals of the enzyme were examined by light and electron microscopy. Individual protein molecules were visualized in crystals negatively stained with phosphotungstate. The approximate dimensions of these molecules indicate that they are probably the subunits of the enzyme.
UNUSUAL SYNDROME ASSOCIATED WITH CANDIDA ALBICANS INFECTION

A syndrome associated with candida albicans infection is described. It consists of alopecia, dwarfing, paronychia and eruptions of lesions localized to certain areas of the body. The case of this syndrome presented is unusual in that the child responded to oral thymol therapy and has continued to make good progress.
Suboptimal inhibition of platelet cyclooxygenase 1 by aspirin in systemic lupus erythematosus: association with metabolic syndrome

Objective Low-dose aspirin prevents platelet aggregation by suppressing thromboxane A2 (TXA2) synthesis. However, in some individuals TXA2 suppression by aspirin is impaired, indicating suboptimal inhibition of platelet cyclooxygenase 1 (COX-1) by aspirin. Because patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have increased risk of thrombotic events, many receive aspirin; however, the efficacy of aspirin in SLE has not been determined. We examined the hypothesis that aspirin response is impaired in SLE. Methods We assessed the effect of aspirin by measuring concentrations of the stable metabolite of TXA2, serum thromboxane B2 (sTXB2), before and after treatment with daily aspirin (81 mg) for 7 days in 34 patients with SLE and 36 control subjects. The inability to suppress sTXB2 synthesis to <10 ng/ml represents suboptimal inhibition of platelet COX-1 by aspirin. Results Aspirin almost completely suppressed sTXB2 in control subjects to median 1.5 ng/ml (interquartile range [IQR] 0.8–2.7) but had less effect in patients with SLE (median 3.1 ng/ml [IQR 2.2–5.3]) (P = 0.002). A suboptimal effect of aspirin was present in 15% (5 of 34) of the patients with SLE but not in control subjects (0 of 36) (P = 0.023). Incomplete responders were more likely to have metabolic syndrome (P = 0.048), obesity (P = 0.048), and higher concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) (P = 0.018). Conclusion The pharmacologic effect of aspirin is suboptimal in 15% of patients with SLE but in none of the control subjects, and the suboptimal response was associated with metabolic syndrome, obesity, and higher CRP concentrations.
Independència de la deambulació i la defecació en un camp obert poc atemoridor, posada de manifest en un estudi generacional

El principal objetivo del presente trabajo ha sido poner en evidencia la independencia de la deambulacion y la defecacion en un campo abierto poco atemorizador, mediante un estudio generacional. Los sujetos experimentales que formaban una nueva generacion eran descendientes de padres seleccionados por puntuaciones extremas de deambulacion. Cruzando entre si los sujetos con mas altas puntuaciones en deambulacion y, a su vez, los de mas bajas puntuaciones, obteniamos dos lineas con caracteristicas de deambulacion distintas. Un analisis de la evolucion de la caracteristica defecacion, muestra la independencia de esta medida con la deambulacion.
Effect of freshets on the flux of groundwater nitrate through streambed sediments

The passage of a flood wave over sandy stream sediments can cause changes in the discharge of groundwater to the stream that range from a transient reduction in the discharge rate to a reversal of flow and temporary storage of stream water in the stream sediments. These phenomena were examined in laboratory studies with an intact core and by numerical modeling to assess the effect of both physical and biological processes on the nitrate flux from nitrate-contaminated groundwater to a stream. The balance between the rates of groundwater flow through organic-rich sediments and of denitrification ultimately determines the efflux of nitrate to the stream. The transient impact on nitrate loading suggested by results from the numerical model indicates that high flood stage and low-sediment hydraulic diffusivity can result in excess nitrate loading to surface water following storm events, whereas large-sediment hydraulic diffusivity, regardless of the size of stream stage changes, facilitates greater removal of NO- by denitrification by allowing for a longer residence time of water in the subsurface.
New hybridization techniques

In this paper we present an overview of some new hybridization techniques for linear secondorder elliptic problems. We begin by introducing the hybridization technique through a simple one dimensional example. We then introduce a new point of view with which previously unsuspected applications of hybridization have become possible. Presentation of these applications is the main objective of this review. One such application is in comparing and establishing connections between mixed methods. Next we show how hybridization makes possible the construction of high order variable degree mixed methods. We develop a new error analysis for mixed methods making essential use of hybridization resulting in new error estimates for our new as well as old methods. Finally, we show that via hybridization one can solve the long standing research problem of computing numerical approximations to Stokes flow that are exactly divergence free. We show this for a discontinuous Galerkin method and then for a classical mixed method. (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Statistical modeling to characterize relationships between knee anatomy and kinematics

The mechanics of the knee are complex and dependent on the shape of the articular surfaces and their relative alignment. Insight into how anatomy relates to kinematics can establish biomechanical norms, support the diagnosis and treatment of various pathologies (e.g., patellar maltracking) and inform implant design. Prior studies have used correlations to identify anatomical measures related to specific motions. The objective of this study was to describe relationships between knee anatomy and tibiofemoral (TF) and patellofemoral (PF) kinematics using a statistical shape and function modeling approach. A principal component (PC) analysis was performed on a 20-specimen dataset consisting of shape of the bone and cartilage for the femur, tibia and patella derived from imaging and six-degree-of-freedom TF and PF kinematics from cadaveric testing during a simulated squat. The PC modes characterized links between anatomy and kinematics; the first mode captured scaling and shape changes in the condylar radii and their influence on TF anterior-posterior translation, internal-external rotation, and the location of the femoral lowest point. Subsequent modes described relations in patella shape and alta/baja alignment impacting PF kinematics. The complex interactions described with the data-driven statistical approach provide insight into knee mechanics that is useful clinically and in implant design.
Adaptive dead time compensation

The paper extends results on control of partially modeled systems with delay, and describes implementations of the adaptive dead time compensator on a gas metal arc welding test-bed. A /spl mu/-synthesis controller is also implemented for the purpose of comparison.
Attachment and Life History Theory: A Rejoinder

Abstract—M. Del Giudice and J. Belsky (this issue) derive several provocative hypotheses from the application of life history theory to attachment, especially concerning the emergence of sex differences in insecurity in middle childhood. This commentary highlights the significant gaps in research knowledge that must be addressed before the merits of their proposals can be evaluated. It also examines the multiple meanings and functions of “attachment” as this term applies to child–parent and adult affectional relationships, and their association. Their ideas certainly deserve further exploration, especially in the broader context of elucidating the life-span implications of early attachment within the framework of life history theory.
Effects of specific monoclonal antibodies on La crosse virus neutralization: Aggregation, inactivation by Fab fragments, and inhibition of attachment to baby hamster kidney cells

At high concentrations, several monoclonal antibodies to the G1 glycoprotein of La Crosse (LAC) virus aggregated the virus. To determine whether this accounted for the neutralization, the monoclonal antibodies were digested to make Fab fragments. With one exception, each monovalent antibody neutralized LAC virus to the same extent that bivalent antibody did, although higher concentrations were needed. Fab fragments of synergistic pairs of antibodies also exhibited enhanced binding in a competition binding assay but did not increase neutralization. To determine specific mechanisms for neutralization, the effects of polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies on virus attachment were examined. Polyclonal antibody to LAC virus reduced virus attachment by only 68% although it neutralized 99.99% of the virus. When virus was preincubated with a neutralizing monoclonal antibody to each of seven antigenic regions on G1, only antibody to one region reduced attachment of virus by as much as 92%. Antibodies to two regions that neutralize virus by 90-98% only inhibited attachment by 9 and 13%, respectively. The other antibodies showed intermediate degrees of neutralization and inhibition of attachment. Pairs of antibodies previously shown to be synergistic in neutralizing activity did not inhibit attachment any more than the single antibodies did.
Integrating social and financial goals toward more balanced new technology decisions

Abstract Many practitioners would agree that, in order to maximize long-term shareholder wealth, social costs should be incorporated into financial decisions. More than constant reminders, they need concrete methods by which to move beyond their traditional ways. This article presents a capital budgeting model that considers both social and financial dimensions of new technology decisions. The model, utilizing the multiple dimensional scaling procedure, allows decision makers to incorporate the uncertainties of costs from new technology borne by the firm and society.
Question intonation and sex roles

In order to find out if more women than men use rising intonation when they answer questions to which only they have the answer, 154 men and I65 women were approached by either a male or a female interviewer and asked either where they were born or what their favorite color was. Both sexes used straight rising intonation rarely and equally. Women used a rise-fall-rise pattern more than men only when they were approached by a female interviewer. The 'meaning' to the speakers themselves of the three contours used is difficult to ascertain since lexical frames provided by some speakers often contradicted the meanings previously attributed to the contours by other writers. Listeners' associations with the contours were tested with a matched guise tape of three male and three female voices each using each of three contours produced during the interviews (straight fall, straight rise, and rise-fall-rise). Listeners associated simpler rises with more stereotypically feminine attributes; they associated the female voices with feminine attributes regardless of the contour used; and they associated both male and female voices with more stereotypically feminine attributes when the speakers used the straight rise contour. In light of the lack of production evidence in this study to account for the source of these 30 listeners' associations of terminal rises with feminine attributes, some other possibilities are proposed to account for the associational ties. (Sex differences in speech, language attitudes.)
Phosphonosulfonates are potent, selective inhibitors of dehydrosqualene synthase and staphyloxanthin biosynthesis in Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcus aureus produces a golden carotenoid virulence factor called staphyloxanthin (STX), and we report here the inhibition of the enzyme, dehydrosqualene synthase (CrtM), responsible for the first committed step in STX biosynthesis. The most active compounds are halogen-substituted phosphonosulfonates, with Ki values as low as 5 nM against the enzyme and IC50 values for STX inhibition in S. aureus as low as 11 nM. There is, however, only a poor correlation (R2 = 0.27) between enzyme and cell pIC50 (= −log10 IC50) values. The ability to predict cell from enzyme data improves considerably (to R2 = 0.72) with addition of two more descriptors. We also investigated the activity of these compounds against human squalene synthase (SQS), as a counterscreen, finding several potent STX biosynthesis inhibitors with essentially no squalene synthase activity. These results open up the way to developing potent and selective inhibitors of an important virulence factor in S. aureus, a major human pathogen.
Maternal dietary conjugated linoleic acid alters hepatic triacylglycerol and tissue fatty acids in hatched chicks.

The effects of feeding CLA to hens on newly hatched chick hepatic and carcass lipid content, liver TAG accumulation, and FA incorporation in chick tissues such as liver, heart, brain, and adipose were studied. These tissues were selected owing to their respective roles in lipid assimilation (liver), as a major oxidation site (heart), as a site enriched with long-chain polyunsaturates for function (brain), and as a storage depot (adipose). Eggs with no, low, or high levels of CLA were produced by feeding hens a corn-soybean meal-basal diet containing 3% (w/w) corn oil (Control), 2.5% corn oil + 0.5% CLA oil (CLA1), or 2% corn oil + 1.0% CLA oil (CLA2). The egg yolk content of total CLA was 0.0, 1.0, and 2.6% for Control, CLA1, and CLA2, respectively (P 0.05). The hatchabilities of fertile eggs were 78, 34, and 38% for Control, CLA1, and CLA2, respectively (P< 0.05). The early dead chicks were higher in CLA1 and CLA2 than Control (18 and 32% compared with 9% for Control), and alive but not hatched chicks were 15 and 19% for CLAl and CLA2, compared with 8% for Control (P < 0.05). Maternal supplementation with CLA leads to a reduction in hatchability, liver TAG, and carcass total fat in newly hatched chicks.
Self-reported risk-taking behaviors and hospitalization for motor vehicle injury among active duty Army personnel

Abstract Background: Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of injury in the Army. Behaviors increasing risk for motor vehicle crashes are also prevalent, but research has not linked these behaviors directly to injury outcomes (e.g., hospitalizations). Methods: To evaluate the relationship between behavior and motor vehicle crash injuries, 99,981 Army personnel who completed Health Risk Appraisal surveys in 1992 were followed for up to 6 years. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to evaluate speeding, seat belt use, drinking patterns, and demographics. Results: A total of 429 soldiers were hospitalized for motor vehicle injury. Unadjusted analyses revealed that heavy drinking, drinking and driving, speeding, low seat belt use, younger age, minority race/ethnicity, and enlisted rank were significantly associated with motor vehicle injury, but neither smoking nor gender was. Multivariate models showed a significant trend of increasing injury risk with younger ages. Soldiers under age 21 were injured almost five times more often than those over age 40 (HR 4.89, 2.56–9.33). Also associated with risk for hospitalizations were minority race (HR 1.78, 1.46–2.18), heaviest drinkers versus abstainers (HR 1.81, 1.11–2.94), and seat belt use of 50% or less versus 100% (HR 1.40, 1.07–1.85). Although nonsignificant, there was evidence of an age–drinking interaction where the difference in injury risk between those older and those younger than 21 was greatest at low alcohol consumption levels. Conclusions: Modifiable risk factors associated with motor vehicle injuries include heavy drinking and low seat belt use. Programs targeting these behaviors that meet the needs of young and minority soldiers are needed. The high density of young, at-risk soldiers residing in base housing may provide a unique opportunity for a residential intervention program.
Analysis of lipid and protein components of ejaculated bull sperm surface and seminal plasma

Surface components of ejaculated bull sperm were radiolabeled by enzymatic iodination with lactoperoxidase and Na125I. The sperm were lysed and the labeled components analyzed on SDS-7.5% polyacrylamide gels. Electrophoresis of solubilized radioactivity resolved six components with approximate molecular weights of 77, 61, 44, 36, 24, and 15 kilodaltons. To identify components that might be adsorbed to the bull sperm surface from seminal secretions, seminal plasma was labeled. Electrophoresis of labeled seminal plasma resolved four components with approximate molecular weights of 74, 33, 24, and 15 kilodaltons, each of which comigrated with a labeled sperm surface component. To identify the chemical composition of the radiolabeled components, labeled sperm surface and labeled seminal plasma were submitted to isopycnic density gradient centrifugation in cesium chloride. The 125I incorporated into bull sperm surface separated into two discrete areas of radioactivity, one having a density characteristic of protein and the other, of lipid. Iodinated seminal plasma banded in one discrete area that had a density characteristic of protein. Electrophoretic analysis of each area of radioactivity recovered from the gradients demonstrated that five of the six sperm surface and all of the seminal plasma components were in the protein fractions. The 15-kilodalton sperm surface component banded as a lipid, whereas the 15-kilodalton seminal plasma component banded as a protein.
Large-scale purification of α2-adrenergic receptor-enriched membranes from human platelets. Persistent association of guanine nucleotides with nonpurified membranes

Abstract A simple large-scale purification of α 2 -adrenergic receptor-enriched membranes from human platelets is described. Binding of the antagonist [ 3 H]yohimbine is enriched 3–5-fold compared to a crude membrane fraction. Binding of low concentrations of the partial agonist 3 H -p- aminoclonidine is increased 15–20-fold due to a higher binding affinity for the purified membranes. A soluble inhibitor of 3 H -p- aminoclonidine binding to purified membranes is found even in thrice-washed crude platelet membranes. The guanine nucleotides GDP and GTP are found to account for this inhibitory activity. Forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity is also enriched in the purified membrane fraction. Adenylate cyclase activity is inhibited by α 2 -agonist to a comparable extent in all membrane fractions. This membrane preparation should prove useful in studies of α 2 -adrenergic receptor mechanisms.
Spin Density Wave Excitations in the Specific Heat of La2CuO4.11 Single Crystals

We measured the specific heat vs. temperature in single crystal samples of superconducting La2CuO4.11, in magnetic fields up to 15 T. After subtraction of the phonon contribution to the specific heat, obtained measuring a nonsuperconducting crystal, we found a broad anomaly centered at 50 K. This excess specific heat is attributed to fluctuations of the Cu2+ spins possibly enhanced by an interplay with the charge degrees of freedom.
Seasonal Trends in Abundance and Size of Juvenile American Shad, Hickory Shad, and Blueback Herring in the St. Johns River, Florida, and Comparison with Historical Data

Abstract American shad Alosa sapidissima, hickory shad A. mediocris, and blueback herring A. aestivalis spawn in Florida's St. Johns River during winter and spring, and juveniles migrate out of the estuary during the following fall. We assessed the temporal trends of juvenile relative abundance and size as each species moved downstream past Palatka, Florida, and compared these values to historical data from the system. Juveniles were collected from April 2004 to March 2005 primarily with surface trawling at night and with supplemental daytime electrofishing. Relatively few juveniles were collected by trawl (23 American shad, 7 hickory shad, and 36 blueback herring) or by electrofishing (55 American shad, 4 hickory shad, and 179 blueback herring). Trawl catch rates were highest in autumn, and electrofishing catch rates were highest in autumn and early winter. Both sampling methods caught juveniles at similar sizes. The surface trawl catch rates of juvenile American shad in 2004 and 2005 were not significan...
Malthus on Godwin’s of population

A number of the issues raised by Godwin in his Enquiry Concerning Political Justice recur in subdued form in Of Population. These are issues that Malthus himself considered only to interpret them differently. Most outstanding of the points of difference between the two were: (1) the augmentability of the food supply, which Malthus put far below Godwin’s estimate; (2) the rate of growth of population which Godwin believed to be negligible and Malthus to be potentially great; (3) man’s disposition to control his numbers when necessary, regarding which Godwin was much more optimistic than Malthus; (4) the interpretation each put upon the constraining role of institutions. The two men had more in common than is usually assumed.
One University's Experience with Foreign-trained Teachers

Texas like many states is facing a teacher shortage. The author suggests that the teacher shortage should be considered in light of the diverse school population. Across states there is a need for well-prepared teachers to work with linguistically and culturally diverse school populations. Thus, areas such as bilingual education continue to be critical shortage areas. While different attempts are currently underway to increase the number of preservice bilingual educators, another way districts have addressed this issue is to employ foreign-trained teachers as paraprofessionals or as teachers. Recently, Texas passed a regulation that would allow legally residing foreign-trained teachers to become certified Texas teachers upon passing the appropriate teacher competency exams and demonstrating English proficiency. The passing of this "fast-track" regulation appears to demonstrate that the state board is thinking out of the box by tapping into a community's resources and acknowledging that immigrants can offer the community services beyond menial tasks. However, the researcher cautions that such actions may not increase the number of teachers and may not assure teacher quality. To support this notion, the researcher offers an analysis of a university's experience with the integration of legally residing foreign-trained Mexican teachers in their bilingual education teacher preparation program. The researcher posits that increasing the number of qualified teachers does require for entities to think out of the box, such as tapping into a community's natural resources; nevertheless, any plan of action should be critically examined and deliberated.
Photopic and scotopic light detection in Patients with seasonal affective disorder and control subjects

Abstract Background: Retinal sensitivity may play a role in the pathogenesis of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and response to light therapy. Methods: Using a dark adaptation procedure, SAD patients and normal control subjects were tested in the winter and summer, with patients retested after light treatment. The eyes were preadapted to bright light followed by 30 min in darkness, during which subjects detected a dim signal titrated around the detection threshold. Photopic (cone-mediated) and scotopic (rod-mediated) components of the data were identified by nonlinear exponential curve fits to successive threshold estimates. Results: Patients ( n = 24) showed significantly lower cone and rod thresholds in the summer than winter, while control subjects ( n = 12) showed a similar trend. Relative to the control subjects, however, patients were supersensitive in winter (lower cone final threshold, faster rod recovery). Clinical responders to morning light showed a small summer-like increase in cone sensitivity, whereas nonresponders became subsensitive. In comparison to darker-eyed patients, blue-eyed patients showed a larger summertime increase in cone sensitivity and a similar trend after response to morning light. Conclusions: Heightened retinal sensitivity with increased light exposure, and supersensitivity of patients relative to control subjects in winter, may play roles in the pathogenesis of winter depression and the action of therapeutic light.
Validity of Pelvic Pain, Urgency, and Frequency Questionnaire in Patients with Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome

Objectives To determine the validity of the Pelvic Pain, Urgency, and Frequency (PUF) questionnaire according to its correlation with cystoscopy with hydrodistension (C-HD) findings. Methods A prospective study of new patients with a clinical history consistent with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) was undertaken. All patients underwent history and physical examination, urinalysis, and urine culture and completed a PUF questionnaire before undergoing C-HD. The pertinent data collected included the preoperative PUF scores, bladder capacity, and cystoscopic findings consistent with IC/PBS (petechial hemorrhage and/or terminal hematuria). Statistical analysis was performed. Results From June 1, 2005 to December 31, 2005, 97 patients with a new clinical diagnosis of IC/PBS were prospectively evaluated. All patients completed a PUF questionnaire before C-HD. The average PUF score was 21 (range 8 to 35). The mean bladder capacity was 756 mL (range 250 to 1400). The C-HD was positive in 54 (56%) of 97 patients. Of these 54 patients, 27 had a PUF score of less than 20, 22 had a PUF score of 20 to 29, and 5 patients had a PUF score of greater than 30. When evaluated statistically, no correlation was apparent between the PUF questionnaire scores and the cystoscopic findings of IC/PBS ( P Conclusions As determined by the correlation with the C-HD, the PUF questionnaire appears to be neither a reliable predictor of IC/PBS nor a valuable predictor of disease severity. However, the inherent limitations of C-HD and the lack of a definitive diagnostic instrument for IC/PBS limit any authoritative conclusions. Therefore, the diagnosis of IC/PBS should remain one of exclusion and should depend on a constellation of widely recognized symptoms.
In vivo conversion of squalene to β-sitosterol

Abstract Squalene- 14 C was converted to β-sitosterol by Pharbitis nil seedlings. The β-sitosterol was isolated by chromatography and its radiochemical purity established by dilution with carrier material and crystallization to constant specific activity.