cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Regulatory Considerations Related to Clinical Next Generation Sequencing

Next generation sequencing (NGS) is subject to the same regulatory standards as other molecular genetic tests. The regulatory oversight of clinical laboratories and of clinical NGS testing varies worldwide, but many countries base compliance on standards set by the International Standards Organization (ISO). In the USA, oversight is federally regulated based on the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments act of 1988 (CLIA ’88). In addition, in the USA, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the manufacture of equipment, devices, and assay reagent kits used in clinical testing, which in the context of NGS includes the sequencing platforms themselves, the kits used for library preparation and specific tests, and the bioinformatics pipelines to analyze the data; most NGS tests are categorized as laboratory developed tests (LDTs), which are also subject to FDA oversight. Regardless of the regulatory standards, as with other laboratory tests, NGS has a test cycle that includes a preanalytic phase, an analytic phase, and a postanalytic phase, and the quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) principles that govern these phases for more traditional molecular genetic tests are also applicable to NGS tests. However, NGS tests are somewhat unique in that the analytic portion of the test consists of three individual components, specifically the sequence platform itself; the so-called wet-bench procedures that are involved in DNA library preparation; and the bioinformatics associated with base calling, reference genome alignment, variant identification, variant annotation, and variant interpretation. The fact that there are three independent aspects of NGS complicates proficiency testing (PT) of NGS assays. While the emphasis to date has been on the development of comprehensive PT surveys that evaluate all three aspects of an NGS test, a novel type of PT has recently been developed (termed in silico-based PT) in order to specifically address the bioinformatics component of the tests.
Steady Fields of the Body

Steady magnetic fields of the human body are produced in two ways: by steady currents in the body, and by magnetic material in the body. We here deal with fields produced only by steady currents; fields produced by material with a remanent moment (in the lungs and other organs) will be described in Chapters 14 and 15. We define “steady” to mean fields which change slower than 0.01 Hz. The expressions “steady” and “dc” are used interchangeably, and abbreviations involving these expressions will usually be used. These have been previously defined (Cohen et al. 1979), and are: dcF (previously dcMF) for dc or steady magnetic field, dcP for dc potential, and dcI for dc current. The dcF is produced by the dcI generated by various organs in the body, and in this chapter we consider the dcF generated by any organ except the heart. The dcF from the heart, and some aspects of the dcF from organs which can mask it, were considered in Chapter 9.5.
Maternal circadian cortisol mediates the link between prenatal distress and breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is associated with positive maternal and infant outcomes. It is recommended that women exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months postpartum; however, these recommendations are not...
Resilient Backbones in Hexagonal Robot Formations

Achieving consensus in distributed robot networks is a challenging task when the network contains non-cooperative robots. The conditions of robustness in communication networks are very restrictive and difficult to adapt to robot networks where the communication links are based on proximity. In this paper, we present a new topology network that is suitable for triangular lattices. We introduce sufficient conditions on hexagonal formations to offer resilience up to F non-cooperative robots. Using our framework, a resilient backbone can be designed to connect multiple points or to cover a given area while maintaining a robust communication network. We show theoretical guarantees for our proposed hexagonal formation and its variations. Different scenarios in simulations are presented to validate our approach.
Fertility Communication to Cancer Patients: A Hematologist–Oncologist’s Perspective

As the population of cancer survivors continues to grow, it is becoming increasing imperative for hematologists and oncologists to identify and address important quality of life issues that negatively affect the well being of their patients. With the release of the American Society of Clinical Oncology guidelines on fertility preservation for cancer patients in 2006, the role of the oncologists in discussing potential infertility due to cancer treatments and fertility preservation options has been clearly defined. Despite these guidelines, to date, rates of discussion and referrals to reproductive endocrinologists have been suboptimal. Several studies have identified significant barriers to this important communication process. This chapter addresses the essential measures to relay to patients, potential barriers, and recommendations to overcome these barriers.
Strain-Level Determination Procedure for Small-Specimen Cyclic Fatigue Testing in the Asphalt Mixture Performance Tester:

With an increase in small-specimen cyclic fatigue testing using the Asphalt Mixture Performance Tester (AMPT), researchers have observed that the strain-selection guidelines in AASHTO TP 107-14 tha...
The neurology and evolution of humor, laughter, and smiling: the false alarm theory

Laughter (and humor) involves the gradual build-up of expectation (a model) followed by a sudden twist or anomaly that entails a change in the model--but only as long as the new model is non-threatening--so that there is a deflation of expectation. The loud explosive sound is produced, we suggest, to inform conspecifics that there has been a 'false alarm', to which they need not orient. The same logic may underlie tickling (menacing approach followed by a light non-threatening contact). Thus tickling may serve as 'play', a rehearsal for adult laughter. And lastly, when one primate encounters another, he may have always begun with a threat gesture--to bare his canines--but upon recognizing the individual as kin he may stop the grimace halfway and 'smile'. When the insular cortex is damaged, patients giggle in response to pain, presumably because they can still sense the pain ('danger') but the pain is no longer aversive ('false alarm'), thereby fulfilling the two key requirements for laughter.
Role of Wildlife Hosts in the Epizootiology of Lacrosse Virus in Wisconsin

The California encephalitis virus group has become recognized as the arthropod-borne virus group of greatest public health importance in North America. Within this group, LaCrosse (LAC) virus has been identified as the etiological agent causing several hundred cases of human encephalitis in the upper Midwest.
Cytologic features of sebaceous, lymphadenoma, and sebaceous lymphadenocarcinoma: Differential diagnostic considerations.

BACKGROUND Sebaceous lymphadenomas and sebaceous lymphadenocarcinomas are uncommon neoplasms occurring predominately within the parotid gland. Cytomorphology of these neoplasms is rarely reported. Occasional reports have discussed the cytomorphological features of these neoplasms but criteria distinguishing sebaceous lymphadenomas from lymphadenocarcinomas have not been described. METHODS The senior authors' consultation files and records of the University of Missouri were searched for all cases with a diagnosis of sebaceous adenoma, lymphadenoma, lymphadenocarcinoma, and adenocarcinoma. Slides from these cases were reviewed by the authors for cytologic features characteristic of these neoplasms. These features were compared with other salivary gland lesions in the differential diagnosis and for utility in separating benign from malignant sebaceous neoplasms. RESULTS Three sebaceous lymphadenomas and one sebaceous lymphadenocarcinoma were found. Smears contained large numbers of mature lymphocytes dispersed in a watery or bloody background. Scattered among the lymphoid cells were small nests of epithelial cells characterized by a finely to coarsely vacuolated cytoplasm. The majority of cells contained bland nuclei with finely granular chromatin and conspicuous nucleoli. A second population of small basaloid cells was present. The single sebaceous lymphadenocarcinoma had a similar cytomorphology. CONCLUSIONS Sebaceous lymphadenomas can be distinguished from other neoplasms within the differential diagnosis due to their prominent lymphoid background and population of epithelial cells with a finely to coarsely vacuolated cytoplasm. The nuclei are bland but have conspicuous nucleoli. Based on our small series, cytomorphologic features are inadequate to definitively separate sebaceous lymphadenomas from lymphadenocarcinomas.
Hardware Synthesis from Functional Embedded Domain-Specific Languages: A Case Study in Regular Expression Compilation

Although FPGAs have the potential to bring software-like flexibility and agility to the hardware world, designing for FPGAs remains a difficult task divorced from standard software engineering norms. A better programming flow would go far towards realizing the potential of widely deployed, programmable hardware. We propose a general methodology based on domain specific languages embedded in the functional language Haskell to bridge the gap between high level abstractions that support programmer productivity and the need for high performance in FPGA circuit implementations. We illustrate this methodology with a framework for regular expression to hardware compilers, written in Haskell, that supports high programmer productivity while producing circuits whose performance matches and, indeed, exceeds that of a state of the art, hand-optimized VHDL-based tool. For example, after applying a novel optimization pass, throughput increased an average of \(28.3\,\%\) over the state of the art tool for one set of benchmarks. All code discussed in the paper is available online [1].
Labyrinthitis and Labyrinthitis Ossificans - A case report and review of the literature

Labyrinthitis most commonly results from an infectious and less commonly from an inflammatory process of the inner ear, but it can be associated with temporal bone trauma, hemorrhage, or tumor. This inflammation (regardless of the etiology) disrupts the transmission of sensory information from the ear to the brain. Labyrinthitis ossificans is the pathological ossification of the membranous labyrinthine spaces in response to an insult to the inner ear involving membranous labyrinth or the endosteum of the otic capsule. Herein, we present a case of a 67-year-old female with progressive bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and positional vertigo.
CRISPR-based engineering of gene knockout cells by homology-directed insertion in polyploid Drosophila S2R+ cells

Precise and efficient genome modifications provide powerful tools for biological studies. Previous CRISPR gene knockout methods in cell lines have relied on frameshifts caused by stochastic insertion/deletion in all alleles. However, this method is inefficient for genes with high copy number due to polyploidy or gene amplification because frameshifts in all alleles can be difficult to generate and detect. Here we describe a homology-directed insertion method to knockout genes in the polyploid Drosophila S2R+ cell line. This protocol allows generation of homozygous mutant cell lines using an insertion cassette which autocatalytically generates insertion mutations in all alleles. Knockout cells generated using this method can be directly identified by PCR without a need for DNA sequencing. This protocol takes 2–3 months and can be applied to other polyploid cell lines or high-copy-number genes. This homology-directed insertion-based CRISPR gene-editing protocol enables knockout of all alleles of a target gene in the polyploid Drosophila S2R+ cell line, using either two sequential rounds of homology-directed insertion or a single round with a donor vector containing four different sgRNAs.
Functional Characterization of an Electromagnetic Perceptive Protein

Magnetoreception, the response to geomagnetic fields is a well described phenomenon in nature. However, it is likely that convergent evolution led to different mechanisms in different organisms. One intriguing example is the unique Electromagnetic Perceptive Gene (EPG) from the glass catfish Kryptopterus vitreolus, that can remotely control cellular function, upon magnetic stimulation in in-vitro and in animal models. Here, we report for the first time the cellular location and orientation of the EPG protein. We utilized a differential labelling technique in determining that the EPG protein is a membrane anchored protein with an N-terminal extracellular domain. The kinetics and diffusion dynamics of the EPG protein in response to magnetic stimulation was also elucidated using single particle imaging and tracking. Pulse chase labelling and Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) imaging revealed an increase in EPG kinetics post magnetic stimulation activation at a single particle level. Trajectory analysis show notably different EPG protein kinetics before and after magnetic stimulation in both 2 (free vs bound particle) and 3 state (free vs intermediate vs bound particle) tracking models. These data serve to provide additional information that support and understand the underlying biophysical mechanisms behind EPG activation by magnetic stimulation. In conclusion, our results provide evidence for the basis of magnetoreception in EPG protein that would aid in future studies that seek to understand this novel mechanism. This study is important for understanding the phenomenon of magnetoreception as well as developing new technologies for magnetogenetics - the utilization of electromagnetic fields to remotely control cellular function. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=139 SRC="FIGDIR/small/329946v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (20K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@5f8baorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@cad9corg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@5a1950org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@133f11d_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG Graphical TOCElucidation of magnetoreception in a fish derived Electromagnetic Perceptive Gene (EPG), using genetic tagging and single particle tracking with Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) suggests changes in kinetics of membranal motion upon stimulation by magnetic field. C_FIG
The high-risk patient for ambulatory surgery.

Purpose of review This article describes the processes for identifying high-risk patients at the time of ambulatory procedure scheduling, enabling the implementation of multidisciplinary collaborative pathways for prehabilitation and optimization, allowing for risk mitigation and improvement in outcomes. This review is particularly relevant because of the current proliferation of ambulatory surgery with more complex procedures being performed on an outpatient basis on patients who may be American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status 3 or greater. Recent findings Increased longevity and rising prevalence of obesity have resulted in patients with a wide variety of comorbidities presenting for complex ambulatory procedures with the expectation of rapid recovery and same-day discharge to home. Recent literature highlights the importance of patient preparation, value-based healthcare, patient outcomes, and the role of anesthesiologists as perioperative physicians. Summary The focus of this article is on general principles and establishment of best practices based on current evidence and a brief description of anesthetic management of specific comorbidities. This review will provide guidance to the practicing anesthesiologist on identifying, stratifying, optimizing, and managing high-risk patients in the ambulatory setting.
Auditor Reverse Merger Expertise: Evidence from Chinese Reverse Merger Companies

This study investigates if hiring auditors with Chinese reverse-merger expertise affected 182 Chinese companies that executed reverse mergers with U.S. shell companies from 2003 to 2011 to become U.S. publicly traded companies (Chinese Reverse-merger companies, or CRM companies). We find that CRM companies that employ CRM-expert auditors pay higher audit fee premiums and are more likely to up-list to national exchanges, when they are compared to CRM companies with non-CRM-expert auditors. Additional analyses suggest that clients of CRM experts also are more likely to file annual financial reports on time, but CRM-expert auditors are not associated with fewer misstatements in financial reporting or continued trading on national exchanges. This suggests that CRM specialist auditors help clients navigate regulatory requirements for up-listing, but they do not achieve improved financial reporting quality.
Book Review: The impact of technology education: International insights

The Impact of Technology Education: International Insights is the third volume of international research prepared by the Center of Excellence for Technology Education (CETE). There are nine chapters of different research activities that attempt to substantiate the claim that technology education can be a powerful teaching and learning tool in preK–12 schools and postsecondary settings. The researchers assert an urgent need to expose students to technical subjects and realistic problem-solving as early and as often as possible. Although each chapter presents different kinds of research and insights on the impact of technology education, the call for a unified effort to support technology education is the central theme of these chapters. This book informs us of successes achieved in developing technological literacies and reminds us of the work that needs to be continued to demonstrate the value of technology education. What follows is a summary of specific chapters in this book.
Moving Hearts and Minds: Video Intervention To Improve Organ Donor Registration Intent

There remains a pressing need for organ donation in the United States, with >107,000 individuals currently on waiting lists (1). Deceased donors are an important source of live-saving organ donations, and organ donation enjoys broad public support. However, Health Resources and Services Administration statistics show that, although 90% of individuals favor organ donation, only 60% are actually signed up as organ donors (2). This issue is particularly acute in patients from ethnic and racial minority groups, who form a disproportionate number of patients on the transplant waiting list due to higher rates of conditions that predispose to organ failure, such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and ESKD. Members of minority communities are much less likely to be organ donors due to reasons such as decreased awareness, distrust of the medical community, and fear of racism (3). US residents can sign up to be organ donors online (on websites hosted by their local organ procurement organization or nonprofit organization, such as Donate Life) or, more typically, in person at their local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) (4). The DMV is well suited for this task and allows instant registration and identification of organ donor status on a ubiquitous, government-issued form of identification. …
Experimental Investigation of Form of Bed-Roughness

Experimental observations regarding mean velocity distribution, angle of flow, static pressure distribution and longitudinal turbulence intensity are all made along a typical wooden wave in the domain of ripples and dunes of river flow. The wave was produced in a low-turbulence wind tunnel and the measurements were made by hot-wire anemometry in an air medium. From these observations skin friction coefficient, form drag, and other boundary layer parameters have been evaluated to help analyze the process of sediment transport.
Role of Inductive Microenvironments on Hemopoietic (and Lymphoid?) Differentiation, and Role of Thymic Cells in the Eosinophilic Granulocyte Response to Antigen

Hemopoietic spleen colonies arising in lethally irradiated mice repopulated with limited numbers of bone marrow cells have been shown to be clonal in origin (1,2), each arising from a single stem cell or colony forming unit (CFU).
Professional insecurities: A guide to understanding and career management

Professional insecurities include the expectation that one’s job or career, and all that depends upon it, are at risk through denial of tenure, dismissal from an official position, or other sanctions for non-compliance with established practices. The expanding subdivision of work in modern society exacerbates professional insecurities by precipitating conflicts of conscience and by proliferating practices that are often ambiguous and incompatible, but nevertheless must be taken seriously because they are expected to be enforced with severe sanctions. This article suggests how the problem of professional insecurities might be understood and managed by aspiring policy scientists especially, and by others as well. There are no universal or final solutions to the problem, but there are better working solutions for particular persons and situations if we are intelligent enough to find them through applications of central theory.
A Review of “10-Minute Toughness: The Mental-Training Program for Winning before the Game Begins.”

10-Minute Toughness: The Mental-Training Program for Winning Before the Game Begins provides a simple and effective mental-training program designed by a highly experienced mental coach. Jason Selk...
Neighborhood Effects and the Acquisition of Human Capital

The purpose of my research is to challenge the notion that the AFQT test strictly measures innate ability by testing a set of hypotheses that suggest that differences in AFQT test scores can be at least partially attributed to differing neighborhood effects. I hypothesize that neighborhood effects, such as crime and unemployment rates, school quality, and socioeconomic standards, do have an effect on the acquisition of human capital, including intelligence. Therefore, if the negative effects of these factors are disproportionately felt by minorities, their presence could account for racial disparities in AFQT test scores. This article is available in The Park Place Economist: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/parkplace/vol9/iss1/17
Elective induction of labor

Abstract This is a report of 1,000 clective inductions of labor performed in healthy multipara or near term with a vertex presentation which was at least partially engaged and a cervix that was at least 2 cm. dilated at the internal os. The maternal and fetal results obtained in these cases are compared with those of an equal number of multiparas who went into labor spontaneously. These matched cases were similar in every detail to the induced group except for the fact that the degree of cervical dilatation at the onset of their labors was of necessity unknown. There were no essential differences between the two groups in the more obvious fetal and maternal morbidity factors. However, the induced patients showed more rapid labors and what are interpreted to be the effect of such labors which include cervical lacerations, postpartum hemorrhage, and depressed infants. It is believed that the rapid labors of the induced group were related to the ripe cervix rather than the induction itself. Since there is evidence that the rapid labor may be harmful to the child there is justification to electively induce labor in women who show prelabor cervical dilatation so that a controled labor may be obtained. In these cases elective induction has been shown to have prophylactic value.
The value of Institute of Human Virology meeting abstracts and beyond

This month Retrovirology publishes the meeting abstracts from the 10th annual Institute of Human Virology conference held August 29th to September 2nd, 2005 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. In this editorial, the rationale for publishing meeting abstracts is discussed.
Decay modes of No-250

The fragment mass analyzer at the ATLAS facility has been used to unambiguously identify the mass number associated with different decay modes of the nobelium isotopes produced via $^{204}\mathrm{Pb}$$($$^{48}\mathrm{Ca}$$,\mathit{xn})$$^{252\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{No}$ reactions. Isotopically pure ($g99.7$%) $^{204}\mathrm{Pb}$ targets were used to reduce background from more favored reactions on heavier lead isotopes. Two spontaneous fission half-lives (${t}_{1/2}=3.{7}_{\ensuremath{-}0.8}^{+1.1}$ and ${43}_{\ensuremath{-}15}^{+22}$ \ensuremath{\mu}s) were deduced from a total of 158 fission events. Both decays originate from $^{250}\mathrm{No}$ rather than from neighboring isotopes as previously suggested. The longer activity most likely corresponds to a $K$ isomer in this nucleus. No conclusive evidence for an \ensuremath{\alpha} branch was observed, resulting in upper limits of 2.1% for the shorter lifetime and 3.4% for the longer activity.
Molten salt thermal energy storage for utility peaking loads

This paper considers the use of thermal energy storage (TES) in molten salts to increase the capacity of power plants. Five existing fossil and nuclear electric utility plants were selected as representative of current technology. A review of system load diagrams indicated that TES to meet loads over 95% of peak was a reasonable goal. Alternate TES heat exchanger locations were evaluated, showing that the stored energy should be used either for feedwater heating or to generate steam for an auxiliary power cycle. Specific salts for each concept are recommended. Design layouts were prepared for one plant, and it was shown that a TES tube/shell heat exchanger system could provide about 7% peaking capability at lower cost than adding steam generation capacity. Promising alternate heat exchanger concepts were also identified.
Infrastructure assessment, rehabilitation, and reconstruction

The United States has allowed much of its civil infrastructure to deteriorate due to age, increased demand on infrastructure systems, and inadequate investment. We must now reverse this decline and "rebuild America"" if the United States is to remain competitive. An important part of this effort is education; it is imperative that we train a new generation of civil engineers with the skills to provide effective solutions to infrastructure problems. With support from an NSF Combined Research Curriculum Development award, the Georgia Tech School of Civil and Environmental Engineering is developing an undergraduate civil engineering curriculum track to address this need Georgia Tech's existing track oriented civil engineering undergraduate curriculum provides an ideal environment for developing a new track that focuses on deterioration science, assessment technologies, renewal engineering, and project management. Using existing isolated courses as a foundation, the curriculum development effort will: introduce several new courses which supplement the existing courses; incorporate cognitive science and educational technologies into the curriculum; implement an educational assessment program to measure the effectiveness of the curriculum development effort; and disseminate the resulting curriculum to a wide audience via multimedia information servers such those on the World Wide Web and through continuing education courses to educate practicing engineers in the public and private sectors.
Left and right paths for behaviorism's development.

A number of issues are raised by Epstein's (1984, 1985) arguments concerning the need for a new field that he calls praxics. This analysis will consider the general issue of establishing behavioral organizations separate from psychology (referring also to Fraley & Vargas, 1986), focusing on separatism as a characteristic of sciences that are still in the pre-unified state ofdevelopment (see Minke, in press a; Staats, 1975, 1981, 1983a). To begin with, Epstein has said that we behaviorists should establish a new science of behavior that will, on the one hand, break free of behaviorism and, on the other hand, that "must also separate from psychology" (Epstein, 1985, p. 269). We should be clear about the alternatives involved here, as well as what the problems are that create the impetus for the actions suggested. What Epstein has set forth is a philosophical statement that describes a path for behaviorism to take in its development. Such statements are important because, when they are followed, they involve the commitment of large quantities ofscientific resources, and this affects the nature ofthe science. The issues involved here call for an informed process of decision, and I write this to suggest an alternate path ofdevelopment. Let me provide some context for the point that I wish to make by first indicating that Epstein's separatism will probably be responded to favorably by a certain proportion of behaviorists because the basic character of separatism has been a part of behaviorism since its inception. In fact, separatism is presently very much alive for many radical behaviorists. To elaborate, the rejection oflarge
Information Asymmetry about the Firm and the Permanent Price Impact of Trades: Is there a Connection?

We investigate whether permanent price impact measures describing intra-day price movements are helpful in characterizing information asymmetry about the fundamentals of firms. We conduct an event study of the Russell 1000 index reconstitution and find that the permanent price impact measures change around the event despite the fact that Russell 1000 membership is based on market capitalization and therefore the event is not associated with any change in private information about the firms. We also examine a large cross-sectional sample and find that the permanent price impact measures do not consistently reflect uncertainty about future earnings or relate to price informativeness about future earnings in a manner that is compatible with their use as proxies for information asymmetry about firms’ fundamentals.
The first exon duplication mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy: A tool for therapeutic development

Exon duplication mutations account for up to 11% of all cases of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and a duplication of exon 2 is the most common duplication in patients. For use as a platform for testing of duplication-specific therapies, we developed a mouse model that carries a Dmd exon 2 duplication. By using homologous recombination we duplicated exon 2 within intron 2 at a location consistent with a human duplication hotspot. mRNA analysis confirms the inclusion of a duplicated exon 2 in mouse muscle. Dystrophin expression is essentially absent by immunofluorescent and immunoblot analysis, although some muscle specimens show very low-level trace dystrophin expression. Phenotypically, the mouse shows similarities to mdx, the standard laboratory model of DMD. In skeletal muscle, areas of necrosis and phagocytosis are seen at 3 weeks, with central nucleation prominent by four weeks, recapitulating the "crisis" period in mdx. Marked diaphragm fibrosis is noted by 6 months, and remains unchanged at 12 months. Our results show that the Dup2 mouse is both pathologically (in degree and distribution) and physiologically similar to mdx. As it recapitulates the most common single exon duplication found in DMD patients, this new model will be a useful tool to assess the potential of duplicated exon skipping.
Identification of a chloroplast membrane polypeptide associated with the oxidizing side of photosystem II by the use of select low-fluorescent mutants of Scenedesmus.

Abstract Comparison of photochemical activities and variable fluorescence yield characteristics of whole cells and isolated chloroplast particles of low-fluorescent, photosystem II mutants of Scenedesmus obliquus to those of the wild-type showed that several strains were affected primarily on the oxidizing side of photosystem II. In strains LF-1, LF-3, and LF-5 analysis of the manganese content of isolated chloroplast membranes showed a predominant shift in the Mn 400 Chl from the wild-type value (4.3) to values near 1.5; this difference was also associated with a near total loss of cytochrome b-559 (high potential). Examination of chloroplast membrane polypeptides by gel electrophoresis revealed a decrease only in the mobility of one band in all three mutants; the apparent molecular weight was shifted from 34 kilodalton in the wild-type to 36 kilodalton in the mutants. Evidence is presented suggesting that the 34 kilodalton polypeptide of the wild-type is probably associated with the manganese requiring portion of the water-splitting apparatus of photosystem II.
Intra‐day futures price volatility: Information effects and variance persistence

This paper was prepared for presentation at the Conference on Nonlinear Dynamics and Econometrics, UCLA, 5–6 April, 1991, under the title ‘Information and chronological time effects in intra-day futures price volatility.’ The authors are grateful to participants of the Nonlinear Dynamics Conference and to Leigh Riddick, George Wang, and two anonymous referees for helpful comments. The BDS program was provided by W. D. Dechert and the BISPEC program was provided by Doug Patterson. The views stated within are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission or its staff. This paper examines the role of the rate of information arrival proxy variables, as they relate to persistence in the variance structure of minute-by-minute S&P 500 Index Futures returns series. The role of contract volume, floor transactions, the number of price changes, executed order imbalance, and an information composite in reducing variance persistence is examined. All proxy variables are found to explain a significant amount of returns variance. While the characteristics of returns data vary daily, some evidence of remaining variance persistence is found, regardless of the definition of the rate of information arrival variable. Our results suggest that utilization of a pure ARCH-type model for highfrequency returns data implies a mis-specification.
The Cauchy problem for the homogeneous Monge-Ampère equation, II. Legendre transform

Abstract We continue our study of the Cauchy problem for the homogeneous (real and complex) Monge–Ampere equation (HRMA/HCMA). In the prequel (Y.A. Rubinstein and S. Zelditch [27] ) a quantum mechanical approach for solving the HCMA was developed, and was shown to coincide with the well-known Legendre transform approach in the case of the HRMA. In this article—that uses tools of convex analysis and can be read independently—we prove that the candidate solution produced by these methods ceases to solve the HRMA, even in a weak sense, as soon as it ceases to be differentiable. At the same time, we show that it does solve the equation on its dense regular locus, and we derive an explicit a priori upper bound on its Monge–Ampere mass. The technique involves studying regularity of Legendre transforms of families of non-convex functions.
In-house versus on-call attending trauma surgeons at comparable level I trauma centers: a prospective study.

Background: The purpose of this study was to prospectively compare patient outcomes based on the presence of in-house versus on-call attending trauma surgeons at comparable Level I trauma centers. Methods: Two designated Level I trauma centers agreed to prospectively review trauma admissions over a 6-month period, one institution with 24-hour in-house trauma attending surgeons (IH), and the other with trauma-attending surgeons taking call from home (OC) available to the hospital within 15 minutes of notification. A 6-month prospective study was conducted reviewing all trauma patients admitted to both trauma centers with an Injury Severity Score <16. Comparisons were made between institutions utilizing admission demographics, clinical presentation, times to clinical care, and mortality rates. Results: In comparison, OC and IH institutions were distinctly different in geographic environment, size, and number of patients admitted. As a group, IH patients were significantly older, with higher Injury Severity Scores and lower Glasgow Coma Scale scores than the OC group. In all comparisons, OC trauma attending surgeons responded to the trauma room with equal speed or more rapidly when compared with IH trauma attending surgeons. There were no other significant differences in either population in times to provision of clinical care or in clinical outcome. Conclusion: The ability of the OC institution to be similar to the IH institution in its provision of clinical care and mortality rate is accomplished in an environment where trauma attending surgeons live within a 15-minute response time to the trauma center. Using a voice-paged trauma alert activation with accurate information and sufficient warning, evaluation, provision of care, and clinical outcome of the acutely injured patient can be provided equally by in-house trauma attending surgeons and trauma attending surgeons on-call from home.
Field study investigation of applicant use of influence tactics in a selection interview.

Employees often evaluate leadership potential when selecting applicants for jobs that require leadership ability (e.g., supervisors, firefighter captains). Research has shown that influencing others is an important part of being an effective leader, yet employers rarely explicitly consider applicants' use of influence tactics when evaluating applicants' leadership potential. The purpose of this study was to explore applicant use of influence tactics in an employment interview and to determine how such use relates to interview ratings. The authors observed firefighter applicants' behavior during a selection role-play interview and recorded their use of influence tactics. Results indicated that firefighter applicants used soft tactics (e.g., ingratiation, rational persuasion) significantly more frequently than they used hard tactics (e.g., pressure, coalition). Soft tactic use was positively correlated with interview ratings.
Deletion of the human T-cell receptor δ-gene by a site-specific recombination

The newly described T-eell receptor (TCR) δ locus1–5 is located inside the TCR α locus, between variable region (V)α and joining region (J)α6,7. Although the δ and α TCR genes are physically linked on the same chromosome, they are sequentially expressed during T-cell development8. This implies the existence of a highly efficient regulatory mechanism by which these two genes are independently rearranged. We have recently described9 a genetic element 'T early α (TEA) in humans transcribed in foetal thymocytes, spliced alternatively to constant region (C)α, and located between the TCR- δ locus (5') and the group of Jα segments (3′). Importantly, TEA flanks a common site of rearrangement in the thymus, and distinguishes cells using TCR-γ/δ (TEA in germline configuration) from cells using TCR-α/β (TEA deleted on both chromosomes). In order to understand this TEA-associated recombination we analysed genomic clones representing these thymic rearrangements. We show that the TEA-associated recombination deletes the δ locus before productive (VδDδJδ) rearrangement. The diversity (D)δ and Jδ regions, which provide the major source of δ gene diversity, are eliminated as a consequence of δ gene deletion and cannot then be used in conjunction with an α-TCR. We propose that the TEA-associated deletion of TCR–δ precedes the formation of an α-TCR and could down-regulate TCR–δ formation in maturing thymus.
Phase relations in the CaOIrO2Ir system in air

Abstract The equilibrium phase relations for the CaOIrO 2 Ir system were determined in air using the quenching technique. The system contains three stable compounds 4CaO·IrO 2 , 2CaO·IrO 2 , and CaO·IrO 2 ; they dissociate to an oxide phase, Ir metal, and oxygen at 1240, 1170, and 1135°C, respectively. A metastable form of CaO·IrO 2 occurs at temperatures between 900 and 1100°C. Indexed X-ray diffraction powder patterns of all compounds are given.
Cambro-Ordovician Depositional Environments in Central East Greenland: ABSTRACT

The Cambro-Ordovician sedimentary succession in central East Greenland is considered to represent deposits formed during a slow, westward-advancing marine transgression. The sandstones, shales, limestones, and dolostones comprising the succession range in age from Early Cambrian through Middle Ordovician (Champlainian) and appear to reflect patterns of deposition comparable to modern shallow-marine shelf sediments. The roughly 3,000 m of Cambro-Ordovician strata lie with apparent conformity on Precambrian rocks of glacial and marine origin and are superposed unconformably by Devonian "Old Red" fluvial deposits. Tidal current-bedding structures in the sandstones exhibit a marked bimodality with vector means on the east and presumably downslope. Intraformational flat-pebble or flake conglomerates, stromatolitic algal structures, oolitic textures, and desiccation phenomena in the shale and carbonates also favor a shallow marine environment for these deposits. Measured sections at 2 widely spaced localities demonstrate a remarkable lithologic lateral continuity presumed attributable to deposition on a broad marine shelf with very low relief. End_of_Article - Last_Page 2507------------
Effects of soil temperature, moisture, and relative humidity on entomopathogenic nematode persistence

Abstract Soil temperature, moisture, and relative humidity (RH) effects on the survival and pathogenicity of Steinernema carpocapsae and S. glaseri were tested in the laboratory. Survival and pathogenicity of S. carpocapsae were significantly greater at lower temperatures (5–25°C) than at the highest temperature (35°C). Conversely, S. glaseri survival and pathogenicity were significantly greater at higher temperatures (15–35°C) than at the lowest temperature (5°C). S. carpocapsae and S. glaseri survived best at low soil moistures of 2 and 4%, respectively. After rehydration by bringing up all tested moistures to 16%, both nematode species caused lethal infection of Galleria mellonella larvae. Survival and pathogenicity of these two nematode species decreased as RH decreased from 100 to 25% over the 32-day test period. At 100% RH, S. carpocapsae and S. glaseri survived for 32 days, but as RH was lowered, survival decreased. For example, at 25% RH, S. carpocapsae survived for 2 days and S. glaseri survived for only 4 hr. Pathogenicity was reinitiated after rehydration and showed a trend similar to survival. These differences in survival and pathogenicity may be attributed to the climatic origins or the soil habitats of these two nematode species.
Fabrication Process Development and Characterization of Polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) for Surface-Modified Microfluidic Chips

Microfluidic chips made of polymer materials such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polyimide, and cyclic olefin co-polymer have cost and manufacturing advantages over materials such as fused silica and borosilicate glass. While these materials have been extensively investigated, polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) is an alternative that has a unique combination of properties in terms of UV transparency and potential for chemical surface modification. The present study investigates process development and characterization of PMHS as a new candidate material for microfluidic chip applications, in particular separation processes that would benefit from the ability to custom-engineer its surface conditions. This paper compares different approaches for fabricating microchannel features as well as options for enhancing the surface area of the channel walls. The fabrication methods include replication by casting over patterned molds, soft lithography casting, and material removal by laser ablation. Casting into solid form is achieved in 48-hours at 110 °C. Laser ablation is studied with energy dose varying from 2 mJ to 160 mJ per millimeter scanned, with channels approximately 100 microns wide occurring at 0.2 mJ/mm. Mechanical characterization is applied to quantify the hardness of cast PMHS, because fine-resolution features are limited by mold removal. PMHS samples have been measured to have a Shore A hardness of 46.2, similar to PDMS that is well-established in polymer microfluidic devices. Surface enhancement techniques including laser and plasma treatment are investigated for the prospective benefit of separation processes that require high surface-to-volume ratio. Spectrophotometry shows that PMHS exhibits transmittance even below 250 nm, which is favorable for sample analysis by UV absorption methods.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
QUANTITATIVE ULTRASONIC ASSESSMENT OF LIVER SIZE IN THE DOG

Static and real-time B-mode hepatic ultrasound imaging was performed on 16 anesthetized dogs (7.7–29 kg). Sagittal static B-mode scans were acquired at 1–cm intervals, and transverse scans were made with both static and real-time units. Measurements were made from the surface of the liver to the diaphragm and were tested individually and when added or multiplied together for significant correlation with liver and body weight. Only one of the static B-mode measurements had a significant correlation (p >0.05), and none of the real-time measurements was dependent on liver weight. Ultrasonographic assessment of canine liver size using these methods was of little value in predicting actual liver weight.
Noise in non-Foster antenna matching circuits

A non-Foster matching network has been designed and implemented for a given antenna impedance. The measured results show a broadband matching bandwidth which is around seventeen times the bandwidth obtained from passive matching. Further, the efficiency of a general non-Foster matched antenna over an unmatched antenna has been studied by analyzing the signal to noise ratio (SNR) improvement in received signals. In order to obtain improved SNR with non-Foster matching, an upper limit on the noise of the non-Foster circuit has been derived. The noise of our designed non-Foster matching network has then been analyzed.
Treatment of Bile Acid Malabsorption Using Ileal Stem Cell Transplantation

Background We hypothesized that ileal stem cell clusters transplanted into a segment of jejunum can be used to treat bile acid malabsorption. Study design In adult Lewis rats, a 15-cm segment of jejunum was isolated with its blood circulation left intact and partially stripped of enterocytes using luminal high-velocity perfusions with 3mmol/L ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid solutions. Continuity was restored by anastomosing the proximal and distal gut. Ileal stem cell clusters were harvested from neonatal Lewis rats and transplanted into the stripped segments to generate a "neoileum." After 4weeks, recipients underwent resection of the native ileum, and the isolated neoileum was anastomosed in its place. After an additional 4weeks, a 48-hour stool collection was performed. The engrafted segment was harvested for taurocholate uptake studies, ileal bile acid transporter (IBAT) protein by immunohistomorphometry, and IBAT mRNA quantitation by reverse transcription polymerease chain reaction. Data were analyzed by ANOVA/t-test. Rats undergoing ileectomy, jejunectomy, or sham operations served as controls. Results Total bile acid loss in the stool was markedly lower in rats with a neoileum compared with rats with an ileectomy (p Conclusions Ileal stem cell clusters were used to establish a new zone of bile acid uptake and IBAT expression in a jejunal segment. This neoileum eliminated loss of bile acids in the stool after ileectomy. This is the first time that transplantation of intestinal stem cell clusters has been shown to correct a clinical malabsorption syndrome.