cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the feasibility of expression microarray analysis in endoscopically obtained biopsies of gastric carcinoma and their clinical applicability

A48 Background: The feasibility of extracting high quality RNA for expression microarray analysis from endoscopic biopsy in gastric carcinoma has not been previously established. Methods: Patients with histologically confirmed locally advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma were screened for enrollment in an NCI-sponsored trial of neoadjuvant irinotecan and cisplatin chemotherapy (NC1-5917). All patients underwent a repeat endoscopic biopsy for the procurement of fresh tumor tissue. Gross microdissection was performed to enrich the sample to at least 80% malignancy. RNA was isolated from the tumor specimens using RNeasy columns (Qiagen) and its quality verified by RNA 6000 NanoAssay and Bioanalyzer 2100 (Agilent). Gene expression profiling was performed on Human Genome U133A GeneChip (Affymetrix) which contained 22,215 oligonucleotide-base probe-sets. Differential gene expression profiles for Lauren’s classification were assessed using empirical Bayes t test, a threshold p Results: Of 36 patients with previous biopsy confirmed gastric cancer, repeat endoscopic biopsy identified carcinoma in 28 patients (78%, 95%CI 61-90%). Adequate RNA for microarray analysis was obtained from 21 patients-representing 58% of those who presented for the procedure and 75% in whom endoscopic biopsies confirmed malignancy. This yield improved with increasing number of samples taken. Lauren’s classification was available on 26 patients who underwent resection. From the total 54,613 gene probe-sets on the arrays, comparison of the expression profiles of diffuse-type and intestinal-type identified 167 genes that were differentially expressed. Conclusions: Endoscopic biopsy for expression analysis of gastric and gastroesophageal cancer is feasible. We demonstrate in a proof of principal experiment that expression analysis at the time of endoscopic biopsy can differentiate Lauren’s histology. This histologic characteristic is not routinely evaluable by pathologic review. We plan to extend these studies to evaluate gene expression profiles that could predict response to chemotherapy and additional identify key oncogenic pathways for future development of therapeutic agents. (Supported by ASCO Career Development Award 2003 (MAS) and the NCI grant N01-CM17105 (DKP)).
Characteristics of lifelong science learners: an investigation of STEM hobbyists

ABSTRACTSTEM hobbies are free-choice activities through which participating individuals may develop sophisticated STEM knowledge and expertise. To date, research into STEM hobbies and hobbyists has examined hobby groups by subject area. Missing from this body of work is research that examines the development and participation in different types of hobbies by age, ethnicity, and gender of participants. This research, part of a larger series of investigations of American adult STEM hobbyists, aims to fill that gap. Surveys were completed by 2,838 respondents from ten different STEM hobbies (astronomy, beekeeping, birding, electronics/robotics, environmental monitoring, falconry, gardening/horticulture, home brewing, model building, rock/fossil collecting). Results showed that there is great variation between STEM hobby groups across multiple variables and divergent descriptive profiles emerged for each group. Results also showed that, in several groups, more than half of the adult hobbyists reported first p...
Boycotts, Black Nationalism, and Asymmetrical Market Failures Relating to Race

Boycotts, Black Nationalism, and Asymmetrical Market Failures Relating to Race seeks to defend black nationalism in 21st century legal discourse, and examines the comparative efficacy of boycotts as a black nationalist project over traditional public legal responses to racist phenomena. It deploys the concept of racism as asymmetrical market failures to identify serious affronts to racial economic equality and deploys the concept of interest convergence/divergence to distinguish those situations amenable to legal responses from those best addressed by effective private protests like boycotts. It ultimately proposes the creation of an organization dedicated strictly to the efficient execution of boycotts for racial justice, economic and otherwise, and concludes that asymmetrical imperfections relating to race and information — e.g., media stereotyping, mis-education, under-education — are least susceptible to legal responses and, thus, ripest for black boycotts and other types of "refusals to deal."
A Summary of Methods for Measuring Delay Discounting in Young Children

Delay discounting is a process hypothesized to underlie impulsive decision-making and is associated with a host of risky health behaviors, addictive behaviors, and psychiatric diagnoses. While delay discounting has primarily been studied in adult populations, these assessments have potential to facilitate early identification of impulsivity, particularly for children who are at risk for poor long-term outcomes. As a first step toward early identification of risk based on delay discounting, we reviewed the literature including pre-adolescent children to determine (a) for whom delay discounting has been assessed, (b) what assessment procedures have been used, and (c) how assessment parameters affect discounting estimates. Of the 21 identified studies, the majority of participants were children 7 years of age and older who were typically developing or had attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Hypothetical choices about money were most often used in assessments, although commodity magnitudes varied widely. Less than half of assessments included visual supports to aid comprehension of choice options. Effects of assessment parameters on delay discounting were largely unexplored. Future directions for research include identifying limits regarding for whom hypothetical money choice assessments produce interpretable and valid outcomes, as well as alternative assessment approaches or adaptations for children who may have difficulty understanding hypothetical constructs, money, delays, or some combination thereof.
The Spectrum of Replication Errors in the Absence of Error Correction Assayed Across the Whole Genome of Escherichia coli

When the DNA polymerase that replicates the Escherichia coli chromosome, DNA polymerase III, makes an error, there are two primary defenses against mutation: proofreading by the ϵ subunit of the holoenzyme and mismatch repair. In proofreading-deficient strains, mismatch repair is partially saturated and the cell's response to DNA damage, the SOS response, may be partially induced. To investigate the nature of replication errors, we used mutation accumulation experiments and whole-genome sequencing to determine mutation rates and mutational spectra across the entire chromosome of strains deficient in proofreading, mismatch repair, and the SOS response. We report that a proofreading-deficient strain has a mutation rate 4000-fold greater than wild-type strains. While the SOS response may be induced in these cells, it does not contribute to the mutational load. Inactivating mismatch repair in a proofreading-deficient strain increases the mutation rate another 1.5-fold. DNA polymerase has a bias for converting G:C to A:T base pairs, but proofreading reduces the impact of these mutations, helping to maintain the genomic G:C content. These findings give an unprecedented view of how polymerase and error-correction pathways work together to maintain E. coli's low mutation rate of 1 per 1000 generations.
Bias Reduction in Logistic Regression with Estimated Variance Predictors

We study the problem of modeling a response as a function of baseline covariates and a primary predictor of interest that is a noisy measurement of a subject-specific variance. The problem arises naturally in biostatistical joint models wherein the subjects’ primary endpoints are related to the features of subject-specific longitudinal risk processes or profiles. Often the longitudinal process features of interest are parameters of a longitudinal mean function. However, there is a relatively recent and growing interest in relating primary endpoints to longitudinal process variances. In the application motivating our work longitudinal processes consist of 30-day blood pressure trajectories measured between 91 and 120 days post dialysis therapy, with the primary endpoints being short-term mortality. Often the longitudinal risk processes are adequately characterized in terms of trends such as the slopes and intercepts identified with the subject-specific biomarker processes. Modeling of the trend lines results in subject-specific estimated intercepts and slopes, thus inducing a heteroscedastic measurement-error model structure where the estimated trend parameters play the role of measurements of the “true” subject-specific trend parameters that appear as predictors in the primary endpoint model. Our interest lies in models in which the residual variances of the longitudinal processes feed into the model for the primary endpoint. These subject-specific variance parameters are estimated in the course of trend-line fitting creating a measurement error model scenario where variances are predictors and mean squared errors are their noisy measurements. Background literature is reviewed and several methodological approaches for addressing the resulting errors-in-variances problem are studied.
Quantifying Bioturbation in Ediacaran and Cambrian Rocks

Trace fossils, which record the activities of benthic metazoans, ­typically are bedding-parallel and are preserved along bedding planes in Ediacaran-Cambrian siliciclastic rocks. The quantity of bioturbation present within a bed can reflect a variety of ecological and environmental factors, including oxygenation, salinity, sediment accumulation rate, substrate consistency, and benthic community ­structure. Thus, quantitative data can augment qualitative descriptions of early bioturbation, in turn facilitating the detailed characterization of facies and the meaningful comparison of Ediacaran-Cambrian sedimentary data. In this chapter, we review and describe a number of new and established methods for estimating quantities of bioturbation, both from bedding plane surfaces and from vertical outcrops or core sections. These methods are designed to complement descriptive paleontological, ichnological, and sedimentological data-collection procedures, and many could be incorporated into a variety of early-life studies.
Problems of American Middle-Class Women in Their Middle Years

How shall we define the middle years cross-culturally? Halfway between birth and death? Then life expectancy becomes a key variable. In most of the world, few women live to what we consider old age—identified here as retirement age. Their stages of life are defined by women’s reproductive capacities. Thus, a female is a child until puberty, seldom nubile for long as early marriage is frequent, childbearing until menopause. Women who live past menopause may enjoy a few productive years before infirmities make it impossible for them to contribute to the daily routines of living.
Photochemical Techniques and the Photochemistry of Ketones

In Chapter 2 we discussed a number of techniques used to study the various photophysical and photochemical processes occurring in anthracene and similar molecules. In that discussion we were primarily interested in the singlet state. In this chapter we will discuss some of the techniques available for studying the photophysical and photochemical properties of the triplet state. Most of our discussion will be directed to the photochemistry of simple ketones.
On Log-Likelihood-Ratios and the Significance of Rare Events.

We address the issue of judging the significance of rare events as it typically arises in statistical naturallanguage processing. We first define a general approach to the problem, and we empirically compare results obtained using log-likelihood-ratios and Fisher’s exact test, applied to measuring strength of bilingual word associations.
Positive Feed-Forward Control Design for DC Bus Stabilization of a Multi-Converter System Using a Pole Placement Approach

Given the recent progress in switching power electronics converters, DC systems enabled by power electronics have become an interesting design option for many applications, due to several advantages over traditional AC systems. However, as these systems become larger, new challenges in the design and control areas arise. Particularly, system-level stability can be compromised due to interaction among the several feedback-controlled converters connected to the same bus. Positive Feed-Forward control has been proposed as a stabilizing controller technique for multi-converter systems, improving the stability margin without introducing significant changes to the system configuration. This paper presents a new approach for the design of positive feed-forward control, based on the desired location of the bus impedance dominant poles. This method allows the designer to impose desired dynamic characteristics for better transient response to perturbations that may appear in the system. The method is general in nature and scales well to large systems with multiple interconnected converters.
Single-Patient Expanded Access Requests: IRB Professionals' Experiences and Perspectives.

Background: U.S. physicians may treat a patient with an investigational drug outside of a clinical trial by using the expanded access (EA) pathway or the recently created federal right to try (RTT)...
The nature of light

Abstract The Special Case of Relativity is examined. Alternative interpretations are proposed for experiments which have been assumed to prove that time flow is a variable.
The System Is Not Broken, It Is Intentional: The Prisoner Reentry Industry as Deliberate Structural Violence:

The prisoner reentry industry (PRI) emerged as a by-product of mass incarceration, with the stated purpose of helping the formerly incarcerated reenter society and achieve a new “law-abiding” statu...
Improved Detection of a Mobile Radiological Source by Means of a Temporal Radiation Profile

We demonstrate how the detection efficiency of a single sensor can be improved by means of a temporal radiation count-rate profile in a security checkpoint situation (vehicular or pedestrian). In particular, we show improved true positive detection vis-a-vis a traditional method without increasing the false positive rate. Our results are confirmed by both computer and physical experiments in shielded and unshielded scenarios.
Reevaluating reactor antineutrino anomalies with updated flux predictions

Hints for the existence of a sterile neutrino at nuclear reactors are reexamined using two updated predictions for the fluxes of antineutrinos produced in fissions. These new predictions diverge in their preference for the rate deficit anomaly, relative to previous analyses, but the anomaly in the ratios of measured antineutrino spectra persists. We comment on upcoming experiments and their ability to probe the preferred region of the sterile-neutrino parameter space in the electron neutrino disappearance channel.
Applications for Open Source Microplate-Compatible Illumination Panels

Microplates are commonly used in the modern laboratory environment for a wide variety of tasks both in small-scale laboratory benchtop operations as well as large-scale high-throughput screening (HTS) campaigns. Though laboratory automation has greatly increased the utility of microplates there remain instances where automation-based instrumentation is not feasible, cost-effective or compatible with microplate formatting needs. In these cases, microplates must be manually prepared. Problematic to manual microplate manipulations is that a number of difficulties can arise pertaining to the accurate tracking of sample operations, data record keeping and quality control (QC) inspection for well artifacts or formatting errors. As microplate well densities increase (i.e., 96-well, 384-well, 1536-well) the potential for introducing errors also drastically increases. Moreover, for small bench-top laboratory operations there exists a need to improve the ease and accuracy of sample handling in a cost-effective fashion. Herein, we describe a system that acts as a semi-automated pipetting guide referred to as the Microplate Assistive Pipetting Light Emitter (M.A.P.L.E.). M.A.P.L.E. has multiple uses for supporting compound hit-picking and microplate preparation for assay development in high-throughput screening or laboratory benchtop operations, as well as QC/quality assurance (QA) diagnostic evaluation of microplate quality or visualizing well formatting errors.
Bilateral basal ganglia infarcts presenting as rapid onset cognitive and behavioral disturbance

We describe a rare case of a patient with rapid onset, prominent cognitive and behavioral changes who presented to our rapidly progressive dementia program with symptoms ultimately attributed to bilateral basal ganglia infarcts involving the caudate heads. We review the longitudinal clinical presentation and neuropsychological testing for this patient, and discuss the implicated basal ganglia and frontal lobe neuroanatomy.
Potentiality of the murine colony-forming cells detected by an in vivo diffusion chamber culture system.

Culture of a mixture of bone marrow cells with and without T6 chromosome marker in diffusion chambers in mice yielded colonies (CFU- DG) containing cells of a single karyotype, suggesting clonality. Injection of individual CFU-DG colonies into lethally irradiated mice resulted in increased spleen colony formation on day 12 (CFU-S). The possibility of endogenous origin was excluded by demonstrating the presence of T6 marker in both CFU-DG and CFU-S colonies in karyotypically normal hosts. These findings suggest that the cells giving rise to granulocytic colonies in diffusion chambers also can give rise to multipotential hemopoietic cells.
Central limit theorem for an iterated integral with respect to fBm with H>1/2

We construct an iterated stochastic integral with respect to fractional Brownian motion (fBm) with H>1/2. The first integrand is a deterministic function, and each successive integral is with respect to an independent fBm. We show that this symmetric stochastic integral is equal to the Malliavin divergence integral. By a version of the Fourth Moment Theorem of Nualart and Peccati [10], we show that a family of such integrals converges in distribution to a scaled Brownian motion. An application is an approximation to the windings for a planar fBm, previously studied by Baudoin and Nualart [2].
Hoodoo and Voodoo in Zora Neale Hurston’s Gothic Stories and Folktales

Zora Neale Hurston spent decades as a student of hoodoo and voodoo.Transcribing the tales she heard on her travels in the American South and West Indies, she published her findings in the anthropological folklore collections Mules and Men (1935) and Go Tell My Horse (1938). Valerie Levy’s chapter explores Hurston’s unique Gothic vision as it surfaces in stories and tales that are rife with incantations of African obea, grotesque zombies, and Christian deities, all illuminating a cross-pollination of cultures merging with the hoodoo traditions of New Orleans and the voodoo rituals of Haiti. The mores that Hurston describes not only speak to a certain way of talking, thinking, and creating, but also represent worlds that humanized historically-marginalized groups in a manner that is as beautiful as it is haunting.
Exogenous ochronosis associated with hydroquinone: a systematic review.

Exogenous ochronosis is a potential side effect associated with hydroquinone, and treatment is often unsatisfactory. Our study objectives were to review data on hydroquinone-associated ochronosis to determine risk factors for patients experiencing this adverse event. On September 27, 2020 (MEDLINE/PubMed), and October 30, 2020 (Scopus and Web of Science), databases were searched for "ochronosis + hydroquinone" by both authors to reduce risk basis. PRISMA reporting guidelines were used to select 56 articles with a total of 126 patients with hydroquinone-associated ochronosis. Included articles described hydroquinone-associated ochronosis. Articles were excluded if they had irrelevant content, were non-English language text, and were non-case studies. Full text articles were assessed and recorded. Cross-tabulation analysis was performed on categorical data, and Fisher exact test was performed. Ochronosis was most often reported in middle-aged women (53.2%), of African descent (45.2%), Black races (55.5%), and Fitzpatrick skin types V-VI (52.4%). It was most frequently reported with unknown and hydroquinone concentrations greater than 4% (32.5 and 35.7% cases, respectively). Median duration of use was 5 years, with only four cases reported with courses 3 months or shorter and eight cases reported with use 1 year or less. All patients presented with facial blue-black or gray-blue macules in a reticulate, lace-like fashion. Histopathology consistently showed solar elastosis and brownish-yellow, 'banana-shaped' fibers between degenerated collagen fibers of the papillary dermis. Based on these findings, we conclude that hydroquinone in concentrations above 4% and in treatment courses longer than 3 months may be associated with new-onset ochronosis.
Robotic situational awareness of actions in human teaming

When robots can sense and interpret the activities of the people they are working with, they become more of a team member and less of just a piece of equipment. This has motivated work on recognizing human actions using existing robotic sensors like short-range ladar imagers. These produce three-dimensional point cloud movies which can be analyzed for structure and motion information. We skeletonize the human point cloud and apply a physics-based velocity correlation scheme to the resulting joint motions. The twenty actions are then recognized using a nearest-neighbors classifier that achieves good accuracy.
Rates of clinically apparent heparin-induced thrombocytopenia for unfractionated heparin vs. low molecular weight heparin in non-surgical patients are low and similar

With the growing use of low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWH) for the treatment and prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE), it is important to provide an evidence-based comparison with unfractionated heparin (UFH) concerning rates of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). Such comparisons are essential in clinical decision-making and cost-modeling. In this paper we review data regarding non-surgical (medical) patients. We conclude that the lack of uniform evaluation and standardized testing for HIT in the current literature precludes making a reliable estimate of the relative risk of HIT in UFH vs. LMWH in either the treatment or prevention of VTE in non-surgical patients. However, current data suggest that the risk of thrombocytopenia and HIT is low and similar for non-surgical patients who receive either LMWH or UFH.
Free-Aquifer Ground-Water Depletion Hydrographs

The relationship of free-aquifer base flow or ground-water depletion (GWD) discharge to aquifer characteristics is analyzed, leading to semi-rational equations for the GWD hydrograph. For a shallow isotropic aquifer, the GWD discharge per foot of channel is \Iq\N = 1/[\IK\N(\It\N + \IC\N)\U2\N], in which \It\N = time in days. For a deep isotropic aquifer, \Iq\N = \IK\N\D1\N/10\Ut/K2\N. The constants \IK\N, \IC\N, \IK\N\D1\N and K\D2\N are shown to be functions of permeability, specific yield, and aquifer geometry. The derivations use the Darcy and hydrologic equations, with the Dupuit and other simplifying assumptions. Laboratory and field evidence indicates that the equations may be of fairly wide applicability. Although derived for GWD, the equations may be applied also to base flow. In a field test, the base flow or GWD hydrograph for a single long dry spell should be used in preference to a composite hydrograph derived by combining short segments, as a composite hydrograph may have too little curvature.
Shopping and Working in the Borderlands: Enforcement, Surveillance and Marketing in Tijuana, Mexico

This article examines how border enforcement at the U.S.-Mexico border affects the border crossing and consumption practices of Tijuana residents. Drawing on three years of combined ethnographic research, we focus on the experiences of Tijuana residents who cross the international border with legal documents to work and consume in the United States. We argue that the tech-nologies of surveillance and deterrence that regulate cross-border transit also reshape the geographical and social landscape of Tijuana. We explain how identities and patterns of difference among border residents are reconstructed by a legal taxonomy that identifies and classifies crossers according to categories of legality. We find that these categories are locally framed and translated into a binary distinction between consumers and workers that reflect a growing gap between the rich and poor in the city. Finally, we conclude that this distinction ignores the transnational character of the city, and in particular, that consumers and workers are not mutually exclusive categories at the borderlands.
Modeling of γ-ray Pulsar Light Curves from Force-Free Magnetosphere

The Fermi LAT has recently discovered dozens of new gamma-ray pulsars, and is destined to revolutionize our knowledge of pulsar science. The gammaray pulsar light curves carry important information about pulsar magnetospheric structure, which has commonly been modeled as a vacuumdipole.We briefly review theoreticalmodels of gamma-ray pulsar light curves and point out their uncertainties due to the usage of vacuum field. We present the first results of pulsar high-energy light curve modeling using the more realistic force-free (FF) field taken from timedependent FF simulations.With the FF field, we find the conventional slot-gap (twopole caustic) and outer-gap models are no longer able to produce the commonly observed double-peak light curves. The most geometrically favored gamma-ray emission zone lies in a thin layer near the edge of the open flux tube. Emission from this “separatrix layer” generally produces two sharp peaks in the light curve, which are formed near and beyond the light cylinder.We show that most features and statistics from the currently available gamma-ray pulsar light curves can be well reproduced and explained in this framework. The location of this emission zone strongly suggests its association with the current sheet, thus calling for more detailed study of current sheet physics and particle acceleration.
Art and Social Movements: Cultural Politics in Mexico and Aztlán

List of Illustrations ix Preface. "The Heart Has Its Reasons" xi Acknowledgments xxi 1. Signs of the Times 1 2. Signs of Citizenship 20 3. Signs of (Be)Longing and Exclusion 57 4. The Significance of Style 101 5. Creative Spaces 135 6. Creative Power 152 Postscript. Of Legacies and the Aroma of Popcorn 167 Notes 171 References 179 Index 197
Regulation of Thromboxane Receptor (TP) Phosphorylation by Protein Phosphatase 1 (PP1) and PP2A

To investigate the protein phosphatases that dephosphorylate TP, human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293 cells) stably transfected with 12CA5-tagged TP were treated with TP agonist, washed, and then allowed to recover in the presence or absence of the cell-permeable PP1 and PP2A inhibitors calyculin or okadaic acid (OKA). After recovery, cells were rechallenged with TP agonist and TP responsiveness was assessed by measuring inositol trisphosphate generation. TP responsiveness recovered over a 20-min time period. Recovery of TP responsiveness was inhibited by calyculin and OKA and was associated with dephosphorylation of receptor proteins. To further identify the TP phosphatase, TP phosphorylated in the intact cell were isolated by immunoprecipitation and were used as substrate for protein phosphatases prepared from HEK293 cells. TP were dephosphorylated by whole-cell homogenates. Dephosphorylation of TP was completely inhibited by the PP1 and PP2A inhibitors calyculin and microcystin-LR, suggesting that the decrease in TP phosphorylation was not due to receptor degradation. TP phosphatase activity was partially blocked by 1) inhibitor 2, a specific protein inhibitor of PP1; and 2) OKA at concentrations (1 nM) that specifically inhibit PP2A. TP phosphatase activity did not have an absolute requirement for divalent cations and was found primarily in cytosolic fractions of the cell. These data suggest that PP1- and PP2A-like protein phosphatases dephosphorylate TP. By regulating the phosphorylation state of TP, protein phosphatases may modulate tissue responsiveness to thromboxane.
Reliability of submaximal exercise tests in patients with COPD

UNLABELLED Submaximal constant work rate exercise tests are often used to measure the efficacy of an exercise intervention, but the reliability of these tests in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has not been established. PURPOSE To examine the reproducibility of submaximal exercise responses of COPD patients compared with those of healthy elderly subjects. METHODS Sixteen COPD patients and 15 healthy subjects performed four weekly submaximal exercise tests against two different constant work rates: 20 W and 50% of the peak work rate (PWR). Spirometry was performed before each exercise test. COPD patients and healthy subjects were: age 69 +/- 5 and 65 +/- 5 yr, body mass index 26.4 +/- 3.9 and 26.7 +/- 3.0 kg x m(-2), respectively. RESULTS Both groups had no change in minute ventilation (V(E)), oxygen uptake (VO2), breathlessness (RPB), and leg fatigue (RPLF) for either work rate over repeated measures (P > 0.05). At 50% PWR test-retest reliability coefficients for V(E) and VO2 ranged from r = 0.88 to r = 0.96 for COPD patients and from r = 0.72 to r = 0.97 for healthy subjects; for RPB and RPLF test-retest reliability ranged from r = 0.76 to r = 0.89 for COPD patients and from r = 0.70 to r = 0.91 for healthy subjects. Intrasubject mean absolute differences for repeated measures of V(E), VO2, RPB, or RPLF were low and there were no group differences (P > 0.05). Percent error for V(E) and VO2 ranged from 6 +/- 3 to 9 +/- 7%, and for RPB and RPLF ranged from 19 +/- 18 to 68 +/- 65% for both groups at each work rate. CONCLUSIONS Submaximal exercise responses were reliable over a 1-month period, and measures of the physiological and psychophysical responses of COPD patients were as reliable as those of healthy subjects.
Feature utilization of continuously varying attributes in visual pattern classification

Feature utilization of continuously varying attributes was examined in the context of classification of random polygons, the collection of which contained no a priori classes based upon physical features. Ten Os sorted 60 eight-sided patterns into two through nine groups. One week later, each O repeated three sorts and then placed 30 new patterns into the groups of his previous five-group sort. Comparison of groups across sessions primarily showed repetition of initial classification. Stepwise discriminant analyses were performed on Os’ classes, predictors being physical measures of various pattern attributes. Significant predictors of all classifications were found, the two most prevalent predictor types being measures of compactness and jaggedness. LDFs based on original pattern classes showed
Asset inequality over the life cycle

Abstract This note seeks to explain an interesting empirical regularity in the inequality of asset holdings stratified by the age of individuals. The regularity, which has evidently been overlooked, is that Gini coefficients of assets follow a U-shaped pattern over the life cycle. This pattern spans more than a century of diverse survey data from the United States. The theoretical explanation of the regularity is based on the hypothesis that inherited assets are intrinsically more unequal than accumulated savings, and that bequests are intrinsically more unequal than lifetime consumption. Shifts in the relative importance of inherited assets and bequest would then explain changes in the inequality of total assets.
In vivo bone strain and bone functional adaptation.

Mechanistic interpretations of bone cross-sectional shapes are based on the paradigm of shape optimization such that bone offers maximum me- chanical resistance with a minimum of material. Recent in vivo strain studies (Demes et al., Am J Phys Anthro- pol 106 (1998) 87-100, Am J Phys Anthropol 116 (2001) 257-265; Lieberman et al., Am J Phys Anthropol 123 (2004) 156-171) have questioned these interpretations by demonstrating that long bones diaphyses are not nec- essarily bent in planes in which they offer maximum re- sistance to bending. Potential limitations of these in vivo studies have been pointed out by Ruff et al. (Am J Phys Anthropol 129 (2006) 484-498). It is demonstrated here that two loading scenarios, asymmetric bending and buckling, would indeed not lead to correct predictions of loads from strain. It is also shown that buckling is of limited relevance for many primate long bones. This challenges a widely held view that circular bone cross sections make loading directions unpredictable for bones which is based on a buckling load model. Asymmetric bending is a potentially confounding factor for bones with directional differences in principal area moments (Imax > Imin). Mathematical corrections are available and should be applied to determine the bending axis in such cases. It is concluded that loads can be reliably extra- polated from strains. More strain studies are needed to improve our understanding of the relationships between activities, bone loading regimes associated with them, and the cross-sectional geometry of bones. Am J Phys Anthropol 133:717-722, 2007. V C 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. The cross-sectional geometry of limb bone shafts has been scrutinized extensively over the past few decades, with the major goal of finding shape correlates of activity patterns that can be applied to the fossil record. This approach is rooted in a functional paradigm originally
IMAGING MITOCHONDRIAL MEMBRANE POTENTIALS

process remain to be elucidated. The elusiveness of this goal can be attributed, at least in part, to the absence of structural information about the mitochondrion itself at several levels of complexity. It is obvious, for example, that obtaining atomic structures of the respiratory chain protein complexes by x-ray or electron crystallography would greatly aid the interpretation of existing data and spur new biophysical and molecular genetic approaches into oxidative phosphorylation. This process has already begun in the field of photosynthesis with the solution of the crystal structure of bacterial photosynthetic reaction centers (Deisenhofer, 1984). On
Dynamics and molecular composition of dissolved organic material during experimental phytoplankton blooms

Abstract This study examined the formation and degradation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), combined neutral sugars (DCNS) and amino acids (DCAA) during phytoplankton blooms in two mesocosms differing in nutrient levels and phytoplankton species composition. Concentrations of DOC increased by 16% and 50% in unenriched and nutrient-enriched mesocosms, respectively. The accumulated DOC was eventually degraded in the unenriched mesocosm. In contrast, 32% of the bloom-derived DOC in the nutrient-enriched mesocosm was still present after 7 weeks. Concentrations of DCNS in the mesocosms increased by 127% and 203% in the unenriched and enriched mesocosm, respectively. The increase in DCNS was caused by the enhanced release of fucose-, galactose-, and glucose-rich polymers by the bloom-forming diatom species. The introduced sugar polymers appeared to be labile since concentrations and the molecular composition of the DCNS pool quickly returned to the initial conditions after the bloom ended. Concentrations of DCAA in the nutrient-enriched mesocosm increased by 81%, but DCAA did not change in the unenriched mesocosm. Our observations suggest that phytoplankton blooms differing in biomass levels, phytoplankton species composition and nutrient availability can lead to different short- and long-term variations in the concentrations of DOC, DCNS and DCAA. However, the blooms had little long-term impact on DCAA and DCNS composition, suggesting that degradation pathways rather than production processes were more important in determining the molecular composition of these compound classes and perhaps of the entire DOC pool.
Quartz crystal microbalance sensor for organic vapor detection based on molecularly imprinted polymers.

Molecularly imprinted polymers on quartz crystal microbalances (QCM) are examined for their ability to detect vapors of small organic molecules with greater sensitivity and selectivity than the traditional amorphous polymer coatings. Hydroquinone and phenol serve as noncovalently bound templates that generate shape-selective cavities in a poly(acrylic) or poly(methacrylic) polymer matrix. The imprinted polymers are immobilized on the piezoelectric crystal surface via a precoated poly(isobutylene) layer. The behavior of the imprinted polymer films is characterized by the dynamic and steady-state response of the QCM frequency to pulses of organic vapors in dry air. The apparent partition coefficients are determined for imprinted and nonimprinted polymers prepared by two synthetic methods and for varying mole ratios of template to monomer. The hydroquinone-imprinted polymers and, to a lesser extent, the phenol-imprinted polymers exhibit greater sensitivity and higher selectivity than the nonimprinted polymer...
BASS, an alternative to ETAS

[1] The epidemic type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model has been widely used to model the statistics of seismicity. An essential feature of the ETAS model is the concept of generations of aftershocks. A mainshock has primary aftershocks, the primary aftershocks have secondary aftershocks, and so forth. In this paper, we introduce the branching aftershock sequence (BASS) model as an alternative to ETAS. The BASS model is fully self-similar whereas the ETAS model is not. Furthermore, the ETAS model requires the specification of branching (parent-daughter) ratios, while the BASS model instead utilizes Bath's law. We also show that the branching statistics in the BASS model are identical to the self-similar Tokunaga statistics of drainage networks.
How Staphylococcus aureus Adapts to Its Host

Why Staphylococcus aureus, like some other bacterial pathogens, is able to target some animals and not others remains a puzzle. Recent research provides new insights into pathogenesis by focusing on the way in which the bacteria acquires iron from its host's hemoglobin.
SSD-optimized workload placement with adaptive learning and classification in HPC environments

In recent years, non-volatile memory devices such as SSD drives have emerged as a viable storage solution due to their increasing capacity and decreasing cost. Due to the unique capability and capacity requirements in large scale HPC (High Performance Computing) storage environment, a hybrid configuration (SSD and HDD) may represent one of the most available and balanced solutions considering the cost and performance. Under this setting, effective data placement as well as movement with controlled overhead become a pressing challenge. In this paper, we propose an integrated object placement and movement framework and adaptive learning algorithms to address these issues. Specifically, we present a method that shuffle data objects across storage tiers to optimize the data access performance. The method also integrates an adaptive learning algorithm where realtime classification is employed to predict the popularity of data object accesses, so that they can be placed on, or migrate between SSD or HDD drives in the most efficient manner. We discuss preliminary results based on this approach using a simulator we developed to show that the proposed methods can dynamically adapt storage placements and access pattern as workloads evolve to achieve the best system level performance such as throughput.
Fabrication of large-sag aspheric micro-optics with nanometer accuracy using electron-beam lithography on curved substrates

Smooth patterns were written into PMGI electron-beam resist using electron-beam lithography on BK7 blank concave mirror sub- strates, resulting in aspheric optics with sag as large as 4 m. Interfer- ence microscope measurements revealed that the fabricated optics had height accuracy of 10 nm. These optics were designed for flattop mode shaping in laser resonators. Excellent performance of these optics has been demonstrated by testing them as fixed phase-conjugate mirrors outside laser resonators, as well as mode-shaping mirrors within laser resonators. 2006 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. DOI: 10.1117/1.2190627 Subject terms: electron-beam lithography; aspheric optics; phase conjugation; laser-beam shaping; vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers.
The development of the student pharmacist chemical health scale (SPCHS)

Background: The Student Pharmacist Chemical Health Scale (SPCHS) is a tool designed to evaluate substance use behaviors and risk factors for substance abuse among student pharmacists. Methods: It was administered to a sample of student pharmacists at the University of Georgia (UGA) as a preliminary component of a longitudinal study evaluating student pharmacists nationwide. Results: This final scale was found to have a high degree of internal consistency and showed appropriate content and face validity for the domains tested. Conclusions: Future analyses will center on further validating the SPCHS in known groups of pharmacists with substance use disorders.
Inheritance of resistance to tipburn in cabbage

Tipburn resistance was identified as being highly but not completely dominant in three nearly isogenic populations of cabbage. Narrow sense heritability estimates of 0.14, 0.34, and 0.49 and broad sense heritability estimates of 0.64, 0.74, and 0.77 were obtained with 2–4 genes controlling resistance. Analysis of resistance was made under conditions of high fertility, especially high N and plentiful moisture and generally high humidity which together resulted in very severe tipburn in susceptible plants.
Plasma diagnostic techniques for understanding and control

Abstract To date, most success in overcoming plasma-based matrix interferences has been derived through empirical adjustment of operating conditions. However, further substantive gains are more likely to be realized by characterizing the interferences mechanistically and, through a more thorough understanding, to minimize them. In turn, achieving the necessary understanding is possible only through appropriate use of plasma diagnostic techniques. Moreover, such techniques can be useful not only to characterize, understand, and reduce matrix interferences, but also to monitor plasma and instrument operation. Using the diagnostic procedures to indicate instrument performance should eventually enable the entire instrument to be placed under computer control for continuous, rapid optimization in an on-line, adaptive fashion. In this paper, a number of important plasma diagnostic procedures are described and their use for characterizing interferences outlined. Included among the techniques are: (1) Thomson scattering for the determination of temporally and spatially resolved electron energy distributions and concentrations; (2) Rayleigh scattering for the temporally and spatially resolved measurement of gas-kinetic temperatures; and (3) Abel inversion and computed tomography for unravelling the true three-dimensional emission features of plasmas. Useful information about plasma operation can also be gained by the determination of noise power spectra, the acquisition of which is described. In addition, diagnostic techniques of particular use in plasma-source mass spectrometry are described. These include Langmuir-probe analysis for the characterization of localized space and floating potentials and ion-kinetic-energy determinations to enhance understanding of the expansion that occurs as a plasma is sampled into a mass spectrometer.
Definiteness in Czech

Definiteness, a subcategory of nominal determination, is a universal of natural languages. Languages lacking an overt article, such as Czech, mark definiteness using various discourse-anchored signals, such as word order and intonation. In sentence-initial position, bare NPs are definite. For discourse-anchored definite NPs in other sentence positions (these include post-rhematic themes as well as retrieved or reevaluated entities from remote discourse) and NPs in expressive speech, Czech uses a deictically neutral determiner ten 'this, that; the' for definite NPs. The resultant NP with determiner may correspond to articled or demonstrative-modified NPs in articled languages; the categories are fluid. In both colloquial and formal language ten is developing article-like functions.
Finding information at the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Overcoming the barriers of scope, concept, and language mismatch

The overall question this article addresses is, “How can information providers facilitate access to and understanding of their information by the general public?” The context of this investigation is the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). We identify three kinds of barriers to finding and using statistical information: user understanding of data scope and availability, user understanding of statistical concepts, and a variety of conceptual and linguistic mismatches. We explore these barriers within three components of the BLS-user environment: communities of users, the scope of BLS information, and the relationship between the concepts and language of BLS and users. The resulting difficulties in information access and use are not unique to the BLS; they can occur any time that non-experts interact with an information-rich web site. The LABSTAT Crosswalk (LSC) is proposed as a solution to these problems, and we discuss its construction and some suggestions for its use. The paper concludes by discussing related problems and solutions, and points out the need for integrated help tools for end users.
Hydrazine determination in sludge samples by high‐performance liquid chromatography

A relatively simple and cost-effective method utilizing HPLC with UV detection was developed to detect and quantify hydrazine in sludge samples. The method was developed primarily for sludge samples, but it can also be applicable to soil and other environmental samples. The hydrazines in the matrices were derivatized to hydrazones with benzaldehyde. The hydrazones were separated using HPLC with an RP C-18 column in an isocratic mode with methanol-water (95:5 v/v) and detected with UV detection at 313 nm. The detection limit (25 microL injection) for the method is 0.02 microg/mL of hydrazine.
A Closed-Cycle Capillary Polymerase Chain Reaction Machine

A novel thermocycling machine based on a microcapillary equipped with bidirectional pressure-driven flow and in situ optical position sensors is described. A 1-microL droplet of reaction mixture moves between three heat zones in a 1-mm-i.d., oil-filled capillary using a multielement scattered light detector and active feedback. Dwell times and accelerations can be adjusted independently. As a demonstration of the device, 30 cycles of a 500-base pair product were performed in 23 min with 78% amplification efficiency. This result compares well with previous high-speed thermocyclers. Theoretically, the arrangement can approach a time of 2.5 min for 30 cycle amplifications of a 500-base pair product.