cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract IA25: The role of genetics and microbiomics in colorectal cancer among African American patients

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third cause of death in the USA and genomic and microbiomic alterations play an important role in its development. Much of the underlying genomic “cancer driver” mutations and microbiomic actors in sporadic CRC are still under investigation. Here, we report the identification of distinct novel variants from CRC patients in mismatch repair (MMR) genes (MSH2, MHS3, and MSH6), and APC. We used targeted sequencing in 138 colon tissues to examine 98.8% of the targeted exons and splice junctions at a depth of sequencing that allowed for high confidence variant calling. After alignment and variant calling, we annotated the variants with information from the 1000 Genomes Project, COSMIC, Polyphen2, and PFAM domain and transcription factor motifs. Excluding synonymous SNVs, 212 deleterious variants in adenoma, 760 in advanced adenoma, and 2624 variants in tumors were detected. Novel variants (1591 and 1363) were found in MMR genes (MSH6 and MSH3) and APC gene, respectively. We also evaluated the utility of fecal bacterial marker candidates identified by our metagenomic analysis for CRC diagnosis. We identified Fusobacterium nucleatum as a major marker when comparing cancer vs. matched normal tissue and adenoma patients9 stools vs. healthy subjects9 stools. We also identified a novel bacterium Streptococcus sp. VT_162 with high diagnostic value in stool samples of preneoplastic patients. In vitro experiments showed that this bacterium promotes several carcinogenic pathways and downregulates apoptotic functions. This bacterium9s diagnostic value was validated in an independent CRC cohort. Together our findings highlight the relevance of APC gene in CRC onset but also the potential underestimation of the MSI-H phenotype, especially the one associating with MSH3 alterations that correlate with poor prognosis. Many of the so-called “uncertain significance” novel mutations in MMR genes detected here were of a deleterious nature with potential therapeutic impact. Functional analysis of the novel gene targets is needed to confirm their roles in associated carcinogenic pathways. The role of immune markers is an important player in MMR defective tumors (MSI) as a result of neoantigen formation and in response to microbiomic alterations. These findings might facilitate noninvasive screening for CRC. Citation Format: Hassan Ashktorab, Hassan Brim. The role of genetics and microbiomics in colorectal cancer among African American patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr IA25.
Determination of Bacterial Surface Charge Density Via Saturation of Adsorbed Ions

ABSTRACT Bacterial surface charge is a critical characteristic of the cell’s interfacial physiology that influences how the cell interacts with the local environment. A direct, sensitive, and accurate experimental technique capable of quantifying bacterial surface charge is needed to better understand molecular adaptations in interfacial physiology in response to environmental changes. We introduce here the method of second harmonic light scattering (SHS) which is capable of detecting the number of molecular ions adsorbed as counter charges on the exterior bacterial surface, thereby providing a measure of the surface charge. In this first demonstration, we detect the small molecular cation, malachite green, electrostatically adsorbed on the surface of representative strains of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Surprisingly, the SHS deduced molecular transport rates through the different cellular ultra-structures are revealed to be nearly identical. However, the adsorption saturation densities on the exterior surfaces of the two bacteria were shown to be characteristically distinct. The negative charge density of the lipopolysaccharide coated outer surface of Gram-negative E. coli (8.7±1.7 nm−2) was deduced to be seven times larger than that of the protein surface layer of Gram-positive L. rhamnosus (1.2±0.2 nm−2). The feasibility of SHS deduced bacterial surface charge density for Gram-type differentiation is presented. STATEMENT of SIGNIFICANCE Bacterial surface charge density is an important physiological characteristic which determines how the cell interacts with its local environment. Directly measuring the surface charge density, however, is experimentally non-trivial. In this work, we report an experimental method, second harmonic light scattering, that can directly and accurately quantify the surface charge density of individual living bacteria. This is achieved by measuring the number of molecular ions electrostatically adsorbed on the exterior cellular surface as counter charges. It is found that the negative charge density of a representative Gram-negative bacterium is 7 times larger than a representative Gram-positive bacterium. It is suggested that this disparity of surface charge density can be exploited as a basis for Gram-classification of bacteria.
A ∼50,000 M⊙ SOLAR MASS BLACK HOLE IN THE NUCLEUS OF RGG 118

Scaling relations between black hole (BH) masses and their host galaxy properties have been studied extensively over the last two decades, and point toward co-evolution of central massive BHs and their hosts. However, these relations remain poorly constrained for BH masses below . Here we present optical and X-ray observations of the dwarf galaxy RGG 118 taken with the Magellan Echellette Spectrograph on the 6.5 m Clay Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory. Based on Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectroscopy, RGG 118 was identified as possessing narrow emission line ratios indicative of photoionization partly due to an active galactic nucleus. Our higher resolution spectroscopy clearly reveals broad H? emission in the spectrum of RGG 118. Using virial BH mass estimate techniques, we calculate a BH mass of ?50,000 . We detect a nuclear X-ray point source in RGG 118, suggesting a total accretion powered luminosity of , and an Eddington fraction of ?1%. The BH in RGG 118 is the smallest ever reported in a galaxy nucleus and we find that it lies on the extrapolation of the relation to the lowest masses yet.
Electronic and optical properties of La-doped S r 3 I r 2 O 7 epitaxial thin films

We have investigated structural, transport, and optical properties of tensile strained ${(\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{r}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{L}{\mathrm{a}}_{x})}_{3}\mathrm{I}{\mathrm{r}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ ($x=0$, 0.025, 0.05) epitaxial thin films. While high-${T}_{\mathrm{c}}$ superconductivity is predicted theoretically in the system, we have observed that all of the samples remain insulating with finite optical gap energies and Mott variable-range hopping characteristics in transport. Cross-sectional scanning transmission electron microscopy indicates that structural defects such as stacking faults appear in this system. The insulating behavior of the La-doped $\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{r}}_{3}\mathrm{I}{\mathrm{r}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ thin films is presumably due to disorder-induced localization and ineffective electron doping of La, which brings to light the intriguing difference between epitaxial thin films and bulk single crystals of the iridates.
Evaluation of a Filtering Facepiece Respirator and a Pleated Particulate Respirator in Filtering Ultrafine Particles and Submicron Particles in Welding and Asphalt Plant Work Environments

Manufacturing sites, such as welding, casting, and asphalt production (fumes), generate vast numbers of ultrafine particles of <0.1 µm in size and submicron particles close to the ultrafine range (0.1–0.5 µm). Although cumulative masses of these particles are negligible in comparison to the larger particles, the health effects are more severe due to the higher penetration in the human lower respiratory tract, other body parts crossing the respiratory epithelial layers, and the larger surface area. This research investigates the effectiveness of two common commercially available N95 filtering facepieces and N95 pleated particulate respirator models against ultrafine and submicron particles. Two specific types of respirators, the N95 filtering facepiece and the N95 pleated particulate models, in both sealed and unsealed conditions to the manikin face, were tested at various commercial and academic manufacturing sites, a welding and foundry site, and an asphalt production plant. Two TSI Nanoscan SMPS nanoparticle counters were used simultaneously to collect data for particles of 10–420 nm in size from inside and outside of the respirators. While one of them represented the workplace exposure levels, the other one accounted for the exposure upon filtration through the respiratory surfaces. The results showed the particles generated by these manufacturing operations were mostly within the range of from 40 to 200 nm. Results also indicated that while the percentage of filtration levels varied based on the particle size, it remained mostly within the desired protection level of 95% for both of the N95 respirator models in sealed conditions and even for the N95 pleated particulate model in the unsealed condition. However, in the case of the N95 filtering facepiece model, unsealed respirators showed that the percentage of penetration was very high, decreasing the protection levels to 60% in some cases. Although the number of workplace airborne particle levels varied considerably, the filtration percentages were relatively consistent.
Sepsis or sympathetics? Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity after pontine stroke

A 64-year-old man from nursing home with a pontine stroke 3 months ago, ventilator-dependent, presented with episodic fever, tachycardia and tachypnoea occurring several times a day. He was evaluated for sepsis and pulmonary embolism and was treated empirically with broad-spectrum antibiotics. But these episodes persisted. Due to the episodic nature and typical symptoms of sympathetic overactivity, in the setting of prior brain injury, paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity was considered. His antibiotics were discontinued, and he was treated symptomatically with baclofen and bromocriptine, which resulted in a partial reduction of these episodes.
Quantitative X-ray computed tomography: Prospects for detailed in-situ imaging in bench-scale fire measurements

Abstract This paper examines how X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) can provide detailed and quantitative in-situ measurements in bench-scale fire experiments. The method is illustrated by employing a tabletop X-ray system to image the combustion of different biomass samples heated by convection and radiation. The XCT measurements are utilized to evaluate the gas temperature and quantify the burning rates. In particular, quantitative measurements of the pyrolysis and char oxidation rates are obtained for different types of biomass. Simultaneous 3D gas temperature measurements are enabled by doping the flow with Kr, an inert X-ray contrast gas. To assess the capabilities of XCT as a quantitative and non-intrusive measurement technique, the accuracy of the method is evaluated through repeatability studies, whereas the invasive impact of the XCT method on the combustion is characterized experimentally and theoretically. Finally, the adsorption of Kr on the char during cooling is evidenced, and its impact on the measurements is discussed. This analysis highlights that the XCT solid measurements are entirely non-intrusive and are repeatable within 5% uncertainties, while using Kr for gas temperature measurements results in only a 15% lower heat transfer by natural convection.
Irish Culture and Colonial Modernity 1800–2000: The Transformation of Oral Space

From the Famine to political hunger strikes, from telling tales in the pub to Beckett's tortured utterances, the performance of Irish identity has always been deeply connected to the oral. Exploring how colonial modernity transformed the spaces that sustained Ireland's oral culture, this book explains why Irish culture has been both so creative and so resistant to modernization. David Lloyd brings together manifestations of oral culture in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, showing how the survival of orality was central both to resistance against colonial rule and to Ireland's modern definition as a postcolonial culture. Specific to Ireland as these histories are, they resonate with postcolonial cultures globally. This study is an important and provocative new interpretation of Irish national culture and how it came into being.
The odontogenic adenomatoid tumor. A comprehensive study of twenty new cases.

Abstract Twenty new cases of odontogenic adenomatoid tumor are added to the literature, bringing the total number of reported cases to 152. The clinical, radiographic, and microscopic findings in these cases support the previously reported data for this lesion. The odontogenic adenomatoid tumor is a benign lesion which arises from residual odontogenic epithelium. It should be treated conservatively, as there is no indication that this lesion will recur. The histogenesis of this lesion, as well as the origin of the eosinophilic droplet material, is discussed.
The Double Multi-Layer Potential Operator

In this chapter we take on the task of introducing and studying what we call double multi-layer potential operators, associated with arbitrary elliptic, higher-order, homogeneous, constant (complex) matrix-valued coefficients. As a preamble, we first take a look at the nature of fundamental solutions associated with such operators.
Shadowing orbits of ordinary differential equations on invariant submanifolds

A finite time shadowing theorem for autonomous ordinary differential equations is presented. Under consideration is the case were there exists a twice continuously differentiable function g mapping phase space into lRtm with the property that for a particular regular value c of g the submanifold g-1(c) is invariant under the flow. The main theorem gives a condition which implies that an approximate solution lying close to g1(c) is uniformly close to a true solution lying in g-1 (c). Applications of this theorem to computer generated approximate orbits are discussed.
A critical test of morantel pamoate against Ancyclostoma caninum in dogs.

A critical test of morantel pamoate was carried out in 6 dogs artificially infected withAncylostoma caninum. The drug was 97% effective in removing worms at a dosage of 12.5 mg./kg. salt and 91% effective at 6 mg./kg. Corresponding reduction of faecal egg count was 95 and 96% respectively.
Covert Actions and the Responsibility to Protect

Fifteen years on, the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine is still facing questions over its content, scope and attendant obligations. Recent conflicts in Syria, Ukraine and Iraq show, how, when and if states intervene is a matter of political will and calculation. Yet the question of political will remains largely unaddressed, and many ignore the conceptual and practical distance between stating that the international community should encourage and assist states to fulfill R2P obligations and requiring third parties to use diplomatic, humanitarian or ‘other’ means to protect populations when states fail to do so. I propose we acknowledge this distance and minimize it through covert action. Embracing the reality that some states cannot intervene due to political constraints entails that we can theorize about other ways to uphold R2P. Moreover, covert action involves a range of means and types of targets and is a flexible option for R2P.
Display and Storage Systems

A microcomputer may be used in an intelligent terminal or in a personal computer. Such systems require a display. Any microcomputer requiring the display of more than the hundred or so digits that an LED or LCD is able to handle, can use a cathode-ray tube (CRT) display. In addition to communicating with other computers, microcomputers may also have to communicate with humans using LCD displays or using more complex CRT displays. This chapter introduces two common interfaces: CRT display and secondary storage. Also, a microcomputer may have to store data on a magnetic tape or disk. This stored data can be used by the microcomputer later, or it may be moved to another computer. Thus, on an abstract level, a magnetic storage medium can be an alternative to an electronic communications link.
A Cortisol Surge Mediates the Enhanced Expression of Pig Intestinal Pyrroline-5-Carboxylate Synthase during Weaning

Citrulline synthesis from glutamine is enhanced remarkably in enterocytes of weanling pigs, but the molecular mechanism(s) involved are not known. The objective of this study was to determine whether a cortisol surge mediates the enhanced expression of intestinal citrulline-synthetic enzymes during weaning. Jejunal enterocytes were prepared from 29-d-old weanling pigs treated with or without metyrapone (an inhibitor of cortisol synthesis), or from age-matched unweaned pigs. The mRNA levels and activities of phosphate-dependent glutaminase (PDG), pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthase (P5CS), ornithine aminotransferase (OAT), carbamoyl-phosphate synthase I (CPS-1) and ornithine carbamoyltransferase (OCT) were determined. The mRNA levels for PDG, P5CS, OAT and OCT were 139, 157, 102 and 55% higher, respectively, in weanling pigs compared with suckling pigs. The activities of PDG and P5CS were 38 and 692% higher, respectively, in weanling pigs compared with unweaned pigs, but the activities of OAT, CPS-I and OCT did not differ between these two groups of pigs. The effects of metyrapone administration to weanling pigs were as follows: 1) prevention of a cortisol surge, 2) abolition of the increases in both mRNA levels and activity of P5CS, 3) no alteration in the mRNA levels and activities of PDG and CPS-I, 4) increases in the mRNA levels for OAT (216%) and OCT (39%) and in OAT activity (30%), and 5) prevention of the increase in intestinal synthesis of citrulline from glutamine. These results suggest that increased P5CS activity reflects in large part the increased levels of P5CS mRNA and is responsible for the increased synthesis of citrulline from glutamine in enterocytes of weanling pigs; these increases may be mediated by a cortisol surge during weaning that can be blocked by metyrapone administration. J. Nutr. 130: 1914-1919, 2000.
MMPI-2 : Assessing Personality and Psychopathology

Development of the MMPI and MMPI-2 Administration and scoring Validity scales The clinical scales Profile configurations Content interpretation Supplementary scales Psychometric consideration and use with special groups An interpretive strategy Computerized administration, scoring, and interpretation.
2007 SOPHE Presidential Address: Discovering a Philosophy of Health Education

While we have several hallmarks of a mature profession, does this include a well-articulated Philosophy of Health Education? High-order questions should be important to both practitioners and researchers in health education. This address outlines why it is important for us to have a philosophy of health education, an approach that we could take in such a project, and brief illustrations of how one's philosophy of health education impacts our work. Studying philosophy is a discipline unto itself. The suggestion is made for us to take a systematic look at fundamental questions about who we are, what areas of the human condition we choose to affect, why (and in what way) we do the things we do, and what difference we are making. If using a traditional philosophical framework of inquiry, three major and important areas of questioning would be examined, falling in the areas of epistemology, ethical and moral discourse, and governance and justice. Discovering a philosophy of health education understandably coul...
Super-Accelerated Testing of Flexible Pavement with Stationary Dynamic Deflectometer

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), in partnership with the Center for Transportation Research, has implemented the Texas mobile load simulator (TxMLS) as a tool for accelerated testing of in-service pavements. Although the TxMLS has been used successfully to test in-service pavements in the Yoakum and Fort Worth districts, the fact that only one TxMLS machine exists limits the number of accelerated pavement tests (APT) that can be performed. Therefore, TxDOT is evaluating a modification of the rolling dynamic deflectometer (RDD) for use as a super-accelerated pavement tester. In this application, the truck-mounted dynamic loading system is operated in a stationary mode, with the loading rollers and rolling sensors of the RDD removed from operation. The servohydraulic actuator is used for application of harmonic loading to a wheel footprint on the pavement surface. Hundreds of thousands of load repetitions are applied in a matter of hours; hence the designation as super-accelerated testing. This stationary dynamic deflectometer (SDD) is being studied as a possible tool for use in expanding TxDOT's APT program. The SDD may allow TxDOT to increase, in a cost-effective manner, the number of accelerated tests that can be performed. Preliminary tests have been performed with the TxMLS and SDD on two different pavement recycling strategies constructed on the northbound and southbound lanes of US-281 in the Fort Worth District. That the same conclusion was reached about the relative performance of the test sections with both machines indicates the potential usefulness of the SDD.
OMVPE growth of InP using TMIn

Abstract The organometallic vapor phase epitaxial (OMVPE) growth of InP is described for a simple, atmospheric-pressure system using trimethylindium (TMIn) as the In source. The growth process exhibits no signs of polymer predeposition problems which have plagued several previous efforts to grow In containing compounds and alloys. The effects of growth temperature, in the range 525 to 700°C, on growth rate, morphology, photoluminescence intensity and spectral half-width, and electron mobility are reported.
DRUG USE AND BARRIERS TO USE OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES

This paper examines barriers to health care utilization and the correlates associated with these barriers. As part of a larger study of health services utilization, the study sample of 1085 including injection drug users, other chronic users of heroin or cocaine, and a demographically similar group who had used neither heroin nor cocaine, was selected based on the criterion of not having received health care for at least one health problem within the previous 12 months. Both categories of chronic drug users were more likely than non-users not to want health care treatment and to put off seeking needed health care. [Translations are provided in the International Abstracts Section of this issue.]
Insulin prevention of impaired renal calcium transport in alloxan-diabetic rats

The uptake of calcium-45 was measured in slices of kidney cortex from rats with alloxan-diabetes of increasing durations. Slices from untreated diabetic rats had significantly lower slice-to-medium ratios for calcium than did slices from control rats, reflecting decreased uptake of calcium by cortical slices from diabetic rats. Institution of daily insulin therapy immediately upon confirmation of diabetes prevented this depression of calcium uptake, even though the insulin therapy was insufficient to control blood glucose levels. After four weeks of untreated alloxan-diabetes, insulin therapy did not return calcium uptake by kidney cortex slices to control levels.
Crossing the quality chasm: a requirement for successful cervical cancer prevention in developing countries

Disease prevention requires sociopolitical change, which in turn requires the participation of those for whom the change is intended, including demographic groups at high risk for disease, appropriate governmental authorities, and essential health care personnel. Multiparous women of lowest socioeconomic status, the demographic group at highest risk for the development of cervical cancer, lack sociopolitical leverage almost by definition. Pap screening in developing countries is an idea whose time has come, but it is also an ethical imperative currently lacking a substantial sociopolitical constituency. Noncytologic screening methods currently benefit from sponsorship by corporate manufacturers and by donor organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Pap screening efforts in developing countries will benefit from the involvement of cytology organizations based in developed countries. Future assessments of the progress of cervical cancer prevention efforts in developing countries will benefit from additional examination of the interactions between quality and sociopolitical obstacles to change. Many of these obstacles will be elucidated by following the money, as well as the science, involved in cervical screening activities.
Assessing reading fluency in Kenya: Oral or silent assessment?

In recent years, the Education for All movement has focused more intensely on the quality of education, rather than simply provision. Many recent and current education quality interventions focus on literacy, which is the core skill required for further academic success. Despite this focus on the quality of literacy instruction in developing countries, little rigorous research has been conducted on critical issues of assessment. This analysis, which uses data from the Primary Math and Reading Initiative (PRIMR) in Kenya, aims to begin filling this gap by addressing a key assessment issue – should literacy assessments in Kenya be administered orally or silently? The authors compared second-grade students’ scores on oral and silent reading tasks of the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) in Kiswahili and English, and found no statistically significant differences in either language. They did, however, find oral reading rates to be more strongly related to reading comprehension scores. Oral assessment has another benefit for programme evaluators – it allows for the collection of data on student errors, and therefore the calculation of words read correctly per minute, as opposed to simply words read per minute. The authors therefore recommend that, in Kenya and in similar contexts, student reading fluency be assessed via oral rather than silent assessment.
Hyperthyroidism in BHE/cdb rats does not induce an increase in mitochondrial respiration

Abstract The effects of thyroxine (T4) treatment and hydrogenated coconut oil (HCO) feeding on mitochondrial metabolism were studied in BHE/cdb rats. BHE/cdb rats were fed either a 6% corn oil (CO) or HCO diet for 4 weeks and injected with 10μg T4/day/100 g body weight during the last week. Hyperthyroidism was confirmed by measuring serum hormone levels and the activity of Ca++, Mg++ ATPase, and the α glycerophosphate shuttle. All were significantly elevated. Respiration supported by succinate, β-hydroxybutyrate, pyruvate plus malate, α ketoglutarate, palmitoyl CoA, palmitoyl carnitine, octanoyl CoA, and octanoyl carnitine was determined. With the TCA cycle intermediate, T4 failed to induce an increase in state 3 respiration despite having an effect on shuttle and ATPase activity. There was no effect of diet or T4 on the transition temperatures or on the upper or lower activation energies of succinate-supported respiration. The lack of a T4 effect on respiration supported by the TCA cycle intermediates suggests a strain-specific aberration in the responsiveness of the mitochondrial respiratory chain to T4 induction. This suggests that this treatment might be a powerful tool to probe the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the progressive development of the abnormal glucose tolerance in BHE/cdb rats as they age.
Localization of brain function and neurochemical correlates of learning in the mud crab, Eurypanopeus depressus (Decapoda)

Abstract 1. 1. Studies were conducted on shock-avoidance leg position learning in the mud crab. Eurypanopeus depressits (Smith). 2. 2. Avoidance learning is associated with a significant increase in the levels of RNA and protein synthesis in the brain as well as a decrease in cholinesterase activity. 3. 3. Cycloheximide-induced protein synthesis inhibition results in a significant impairment of the learning process. 4. 4. The protocerebrum was identified as the brain region most associated with avoidance learning in this species. Increased RNA activity was found to occur in the protocerebral bridge and central body of the protocerebral region. 5. 5. Localization of brain function with respect to learning in decapod crustaceans is discussed.
Mutilated chessboard problem is exponentially hard for resolution

Mutilated chessboard principle CBn says that it is impossible to cover by domino tiles the chessboard 2n × 2n with two diagonally opposite corners removed. We prove 2ω(√n) lower bound on the size of minimal resolution refutation of CBn.
Phenomenal Permanence and the Development of Predictive Tracking in Infancy

The perceived spatiotemporal continuity of objects depends on the way they appear and disappear as they move in the spatial layout. This study investigated whether infants' predictive tracking of a briefly occluded object is sensitive to the manner by which the object disappears and reappears. Five-, 7-, and 9-month-old infants were shown a ball rolling across a visual scene and briefly disappearing via kinetic occlusion, instantaneous disappearance, implosion, or virtual occlusion. Three different measures converged to show that predictive tracking increased with age and that infants were most likely to anticipate the reappearance of the ball following kinetic occlusion. These results suggest that infants' knowledge of the permanence and nonpermanence of objects is embodied in their predictive tracking.
Relevant document distribution estimation method for resource selection

Prior research under a variety of conditions has shown the CORI algorithm to be one of the most effective resource selection algorithms, but the range of database sizes studied was not large. This paper shows that the CORI algorithm does not do well in environments with a mix of "small" and "very large" databases. A new resource selection algorithm is proposed that uses information about database sizes as well as database contents. We also show how to acquire database size estimates in uncooperative environments as an extension of the query-based sampling used to acquire resource descriptions. Experiments demonstrate that the database size estimates are more accurate for large databases than estimates produced by a competing method; the new resource ranking algorithm is always at least as effective as the CORI algorithm; and the new algorithm results in better document rankings than the CORI algorithm.
Strategy for Tissue Engineering of Osteochondral Constructs

Damage to articular cartilage is a common condition affecting the joints of millions of people. This is a major problem considering the poor regenerative capacity of adult articular cartilage and the disability and pain that accompanies these injuries [13]. There exists a range of options that have been applied in clinical practice, with variable degrees of success, for repair of focal lesions and damage of the articular surface, including tissue adhesives [1,6,11,12,18], enzymatic treatments [8] and laser solder welding [21], autograft cell/tissue transfer via osteoperiosteal grafts [17], osteochondral grafts (mosaicplasty) [10] and Carticel [4,5]. The poor healing capacity of articular cartilage [13], potential for donor site pain and morbidity in autograft procedures, risk of disease transmission in allograft procedures, and the limited longevity of arthroplasty systems (i.e., ∼15 years for a total knee arthroplasty), has generated considerable research efforts to develop cell-based therapies for articular cartilage repair and replacement.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Relaxation of electrically charged hydrocarbon liquids

Abstract Expressions for the rate of relaxation of electrically charged hydrocarbon liquids, derived from the non-linear PDE for transport of charge in low dielectric constant fluids, are presented. These are examined in the limiting cases of highly charged and of slightly charged liquids and are compared with previously published expressions. Slightly charged liquids, and all liquids at long times, relax exponentially. Highly charged liquids relax according to a hyperbolic law. The general relaxation law is more complicated.
Environmental aging effects on the durability of electrically conductive adhesive joints

Abstract The mechanical behavior of electrically conductive adhesive (ECA) joints exposed to elevated temperature and relative humidity conditions has been investigated, and failure mechanisms of conductive adhesive joints have been determined. Three silver-filled, epoxy-based model adhesive systems have been studied in conjunction with printed circuit board (PCB) substrates with metallizations of Au/Ni/Cu and Cu. Double cantilever beam (DCB) tests have been adopted to investigate the effects of environmental aging on ECA joints. This study reveals that conductive adhesives as well as substrate metallizations both play important roles in the durability of conductive adhesive joints. The rate of water attack on the interface of conductive adhesive joints with Cu-plated PCB substrates is faster than for those with Au/Ni/Cu metallization. A possible explanation of this phenomenon is based on considerations of surface free energy and interfacial free energy. Following drying of the aged conductive adhesive joints, the fracture energy recovered to some extent. This recovery in the fracture energy could be attributed to the reversible effect of plasticization of the bulk adhesives, as well as the regaining of bond strength between the adhesive and the substrate during drying at 150°C. XPS analysis of DCB failure surfaces suggested that diffusion of Cu to the Au surface might have occurred on the Au/Ni/Cu-plated PCB substrates during aging. Copper oxide was detected on the substrate surface upon exposure of the conductive adhesive joints to the hot/wet environment.
Centroid-moment tensor solutions for October–December, 1984

Abstract Centroid-moment tensor solutions are presented for 175 earthquakes that occurred during the fourth quarter of 1984. The solutions are obtained using corrections for aspherical Earth structure.
On the type structure of standard ML

Standard ML is a useful programming language with a polymorphic type system and a flexible module facility. One notable feature of the core expression language of ML is that it is implicdy typed: no explicit type information need be supplied by the programmer. In contrast, the module language of ML is explicitly typed; in particular, the types of parameters in parametric modules must be supplied by the programmer. We study the type structure of Standard ML by giving an explicitly-typed, polymorphic function calculus that captures many of the essential aspects of both the core and module language. In this setting, implicitly-typed core language expressions are regarded as a convenient short-hand for an explicitly-typed counterpart in our function calculus. In contrast to the Girard-Reynolds polymorphic calculus, our function calculus is predzcatiw: the type system may be built up by induction on type levels. We show that, in a precise sense, the language becomes inconsistent if restrictions imposed by type levels are relaxed. More specifically, we prove that the important programming features of ML cannot be added to any impredicative language, such as the Girard-Reynolds calculus, without implicitly assuming a type of all types.
Radiographic Anatomy of the Native Anterior Cruciate Ligament: a Systematic Review.

Background In an attempt to improve the accuracy and reproducibility of tunnel positioning, radiographs are being analyzed in an attempt to recreate the native anatomy of the ACL. Understanding the native ACL radiographic anatomy is an essential prerequisite to understand the relevance of postoperative tunnel position.
Prenatal diagnosis and treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia owing to 21-hydroxylase deficiency

Disorders of cortisol biosynthesis can lead to congenital adrenal hyperplasia, the most common form of which is 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD). This Review details the clinical features and prenatal diagnosis of 21-OHD, and describes how prenatal dexamethasone treatment can prevent genital ambiguity in affected females. Classical forms of congenital adrenal hyperplasia are caused by a severe deficiency of 21-hydroxylase, an enzyme involved in steroid biosynthesis, which triggers excessive androgen production before birth. Affected females experience virilization both physically and psychologically. Prenatal diagnosis and treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia has been implemented for more than 20 years. In utero gene-specific diagnosis is now feasible for fetal cell samples derived from chorionic villi or amniotic cells in culture, and this gene-specific diagnosis guides the treatment of the affected female fetus. Appropriate dexamethasone administration to the at-risk pregnant mother is effective in reducing genital virilization in the fetus, and thus avoids unnecessary genitoplasty in affected females. Current data from large human studies show the benefit and safety of prenatal treatment. Long-term follow-up of the safety of prenatal treatment is currently underway. This practice is a rare example of effective prenatal treatment to prevent a malformation caused by an inborn error of metabolism.
p-Dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde derivatization for colorimetric detection and HPLC–UV/vis–MS/MS identification of indoles

Abstract Cytochrome P450 2A13 (CYP2A13) is a lung specific enzyme known to activate the potent tobacco procarcinogen 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) into two carcinogenic metabolites. CYP2A13 has been crystallized and X-ray diffraction experiments illuminated the structure of this enzyme, but with an unknown ligand present in the enzyme active site. This unknown ligand was suspected to be indole but a selective method had to be developed to differentiate among indole and its metabolites in the protein sample. We successfully modified a microbiological colorimetric assay to spectrophotometrically differentiate between indole and a number of possible indole metabolites in nanomolar concentrations by derivatization with p -dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde (DMACA). Further differentiation of indoles was made by mass spectrometry (HPLC–UV/vis–MS/MS) utilizing the chromophore generated in the DMACA conjugation as a UV signature for HPLC detection. The ligand in the crystallized protein was identified as unsubstituted indole, which facilitated refinement of two alternate conformations in the CYP2A13 crystal structure active site.
Iodide Ion Pairing with Highly Charged Ruthenium Polypyridyl Cations in CH3CN.

A series of three highly charged cationic ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes of the general formula [Ru(deeb)3-x(tmam)x](PF6)2x+2, where deeb is 4,4'-diethyl ester-2,2'-bipyridine and tmam is 4,4'-bis[(trimethylamino)methyl]-2,2'-bipyridine, were synthesized and characterized and are referred to as 1, 2, or 3 based on the number of tmam ligands. Crystals suitable for X-ray crystallography were obtained for the homoleptic complex 3, which was found to possess D3 symmetry over the entire ruthenium complex. The complexes displayed visible absorption spectra typical of metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) transitions. In acetonitrile, quasi-reversible waves were assigned to Ru(III/II) electron transfer, with formal reduction potentials that shifted negative as the number of tmam ligands was increased. Room temperature photoluminescence was observed in acetonitrile with quantum yields of ϕ ∼ 0.1 and lifetimes of τ ∼ 2 μs. The spectroscopic and electrochemical data were most consistent with excited-state localization on the deeb ligand for 1 and 2 and on the tmam ligand for 3. The addition of tetrabutylammonium iodide to the complexes dissolved in a CH3CN solution led to changes in the UV-vis absorption spectra consistent with ion pairing. A Benesi-Hildebrand-type analysis of these data revealed equilibrium constants that increased with the cationic charge 1 10(8) s(-1). The possible relevance of this work to solar energy conversion and dye-sensitized solar cells is discussed.
How valid is the regularly-spaced grid assumption in RSS source localization sensor networks?

Received signal strength (RSS) based wireless sensor networks are often employed for position tracking. Sensor deployment is generally modeled as either a regular grid or as a random, uniform distribution for each sensor. This paper provides a theoretical comparison between the geolocation performance of a regular grid and a randomized grid. We show that the Cramer-Rao bounds are comparable, and for typical network parameters, realizations of the bound of the random grid are within a factor of 2 of the regular grid, with at least 75% confidence.
Biotransformation of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene by Pure Culture Ruminal Bacteria

Twenty-one ruminal bacteria species were tested for their ability to degrade 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) within 24 h. Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, Fibrobacter succinogenes, Lactobacillus vitulinus, Selenomonas ruminantium, Streptococcus caprinus, and Succinivibrio dextrinosolvens were able to completely degrade 100 mg/L TNT, with <5% of the original TNT recovered as diaminonitrotoluene metabolites. Eubacterium ruminantium, Lactobacillus ruminis, Ruminobacter amylophilus, Streptococcus bovis, and Wolinella succinogenes were able to completely degrade 100 mg/L TNT, with 23-60% of the TNT recovered as aminodinitrotoluene and/or diaminonitrotoluene metabolites. Clostridium polysaccharolyticum, Megasphaera elsdenii, Prevotella bryantii, Prevotella ruminicola, Ruminococcus albus, and Ruminococcus flavefaciens were able to degrade 80-90% of 100 mg/L TNT. Desulfovibrio desulfuricans subsp. desulfuricans, Prevotella albensis, and Treponema bryantii degraded 50-80% of the TNT. Anaerovibrio lipolytica was completely inhibited by 100 mg/L TNT. These results indicate that a variety of rumen bacteria is capable of transforming TNT.
A design for a parser for English

Most current natural language understanding systems utilize parsers whose control structures are based on simulating non-deterministic machines. This paper presents a design for an implementation of a parser that attempts to operate deterministically. The discussion focuses on mechanisms that allow grammar rules to diagnose what grammatical structure should be built next at each point during the analysis process. An example grammar is presented, and a sample parse is discussed at length to illustrate these mechanisms.
Phase-Edge Features and the Syntax of Polarity Particles

In this article, I argue that the phase edge in the C field shares features via Agree with an intermediate layer (FinP) and with a lower projection (ΣP), allowing it to determine the type of clause and its polarity. I adopt a feature-sharing relation of Agree that connects all of the polarity features present on heads (be they Σ, Fin, and, in some cases, VFoc) to a polarity feature in Force, the relevant phase-edge position for clausal typing. This explains, among other things, why embedded clauses containing a polarity feature can only satisfy the selectional properties of a particular class of (matrix) verbs.
Community Characteristics, Open Space Preservation and Regionalism: Is There a Connection?

A recent policy response to sprawl that is gaining popularity is the preservation of open space by municipal governments. This article examines the patterns of open space policy adoption using a sample of 344 suburban governments in the Philadelphia area. The empirical evidence shows that newer, high-status communities with more loss of land to development are more likely to opt for open space preservation as a policy avenue. The evidence of independent effects with respect to community age has implications for regionalism. Orfield has argued that older suburban communities are the swing vote for moving metropolitan areas toward regionalism. If the middle-aged suburbs in the Philadelphia area are needed to build a pro-regional coalition, their apparent preference for open space preservation may limit possibilities for regional reform. I argue that open space preservation on balance poses a threat to the potential for regional government by further entrenching the municipally based institutional structure of the status quo.
MEDIATOR: A Resource Adaptive Feature Recognizer that Intertwines Feature Extraction and Manufacturing Analysis

A deterrent to practical use of many feature extraction systems is that they are difficult to maintain, either because they depend on the use of a library of feature-types which must be updated when the underlying manufacturing resources change (e.g. Cools and fixtures ), or they rely on the use of task-specific post processors, which must also be updated. For such systems to become practical, it must be easy for a user to update the system to match the current resources. This paper presents MEDIATOR (Maintainable, Extensible Design and manufacturing Integration Architecture and TranslatOR). MEDIATOR is a resource adaptive feature extraction and early process planning system for 3-axis milling, A resource adaptive system is one that changes its behavior as the manufacturing resources in a shop change, MEDIATOR allows users to select from a standard set of tools and fixtures, and automatically identifies any changes in the features that result, It attains its resource adaptive behavior by blurring the line between feature extraction and process planning; descriptions of the manufacturing resources are used to directly identify manufacturable areas of the part. A non-programmer can easily update MEDIATOR by selecting different shop resources.
Course of Pollen Tube Growth in Carica papaya and Cucurbita spp

IN a recent paper, Gustafson1 states with reference to pumpkin and crookneck summer squash (Cucurbita spp.) that the “application of pollen to one side of the ovary did not limit the development of the seeds to that side, and the seed distribution was quite uniform even when as much as five-sixths of the stigma had been removed.… It was expected, however, that the seeds might develop only on that side of the ovary where the pollen was applied and the side without seeds would be apertrophied”. Work on the course of pollen tube growth in Carica papaya, carried on by us in Florida in 1936 as part of a Bankhead-Jones project, has a bearing on this subject. The Caricaceae are related not distantly to the Cucurbitaceae, but the former have superior ovaries in contrast to inferior ovaries in the latter. However, the general place of entry of the pollen tubes in relation to the extent and display of the placental surface is similar.
Bibliometrics and UK science policy

We outline the tasks of the UK Advisory Board for the Research Councils in the context of the country's science policy, and describe a programme of science policy studies developed by the Board in response to a growing need to take a strategic view in science policy decisions. The outcomes of the studies which have used bibliometric techniques are briefly described, and the paper suggests how such techniques might be of use to policy-makers in future.