cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Test of Sex Estimation in Subadults Using the Elevation of the Auricular Surface from Four Samples of Known Age and Sex.

Biological sex is foundational to the work of forensic anthropologists and bioarcheologists. The lack of reliable biological sex estimation methods for subadults has, thus, greatly limited forensic and bioarcheological analyses. Auricular surface elevation showed promise as a subadult sex estimation method in previous studies. This study examined two auricular surface elevation evaluation methods on four subadult samples of known age, sex, and ancestry. Samples were scored as "male," "female," or "indeterminate" and results were examined with chi-square analysis. No consistent sex estimation pattern, accuracy, or predictive value was produced between samples. Only one test was significant using Fisher's exact test analysis (FET = 7.501, p < 0.022): the composite approach on the Hamann-Todd sample. While age, sample size, or developmental factors may play a role in these results, clearly sample variation does as well. This study found auricular surface elevation was not a useful subadult sex estimation method.
Pragmatic Administrative Law and Tax Exceptionalism

“Tax exceptionalism” holds that, like the animals of an island long cut off from a continent, the administrative law of tax has evolved into different forms than those found in general administrative law. Critics take a dim view of this diversity, contending that general principles of administrative law should apply in the tax context just as they do in others. This universalistic approach has the virtues of simplicity, elegance, and commitment to the rule-of-law concept that the law should be the same everywhere and for everyone. It runs the risk, however, of downplaying the virtues of pragmatism, flexibility, and realism. An objective look at the evolution of administrative law in the United States indicates that it is, and will likely forever remain, a muddled mess in important respects. This Essay’s simple contention is that courts and other commentators should give due weight to the history and virtues of this mess — and consider embracing the pragmatism and flexibility that it enables — before killing off more mutations from the island of misfit tax administrative law doctrines.
A characterization of personal care product use among undergraduate female college students in South Carolina, USA.

Some chemicals used in personal care products (PCPs) are associated with endocrine disruption, developmental abnormalities, and reproductive impairment. Previous studies have evaluated product use among various populations; however, information on college women, a population with a unique lifestyle, is scarce. The proportion and frequency of product use were measured using a self-administered survey among 138 female undergraduates. Respondents were predominately Caucasian (80.4%, reflecting the college’s student body), and represented all years of study (freshman: 24.6%; sophomore: 30.4%; junior: 18.8%; senior: 26.1%). All respondents reported use of at least two PCPs within 24 h prior to sampling (maximum = 17; median = 8; IQR = 6–11). Compared with studies of pregnant and postpartum women, adult men, and Latina adolescents, college women surveyed reported significantly higher use of deodorant, conditioner, perfume, liquid soap, hand/body lotion, sunscreen, nail polish, eyeshadow, and lip balm (Chi Square, p < 0.05). More study is needed to understand the magnitude and racial disparities of PCP chemical exposure, but given the potential effects on reproduction and fertility, our findings of abundant and frequent product use among these reproductive-aged women highlight opportunities for intervention and information on endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC)-free alternative products and behaviors.
First, do no harm to self: Perspectives around trauma-informed practice and secondary traumatic stress among rural child protective services workers

Existing research on child welfare removals has not fully contextualized the incipient trauma experienced by children during the removal process and has neglected ancillary impacts on intervening c...
Between Scylla and Charybdis - Oncologic Decision Making in the Time of Covid-19.

Between Scylla and Charybdis As the deaths from Covid-19 have mounted, many patients with cancer struggle to process the case fatality rate in the context of all the other statistics their oncologi...
Cooling of a Zero-Nuclear-Spin Molecular Ion to a Selected Rotational State.

We demonstrate rotational cooling of the silicon monoxide cation via optical pumping by a spectrally filtered broadband laser. Compared with diatomic hydrides, ${\mathrm{SiO}}^{+}$ is more challenging to cool because of its smaller rotational interval. However, the rotational level spacing and the large dipole moment of ${\mathrm{SiO}}^{+}$ allows for direct manipulation by microwaves, and the absence of hyperfine structure in its dominant isotopologue greatly reduces demands for pure quantum state preparation. These features make $^{28}\mathrm{Si}^{16}{\mathrm{O}}^{+}$ a good candidate for future applications such as quantum information processing. Cooling to the ground rotational state is achieved on a 100 ms timescale and attains a population of 94(3)%, with an equivalent temperature $T=0.53(6)\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{K}$. We also describe a novel spectral-filtering approach to cool into arbitrary rotational states and use it to demonstrate a narrow rotational population distribution ($N\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1$) around a selected state.
CFD modeling of a thermal energy storage based heat pipe evacuated tube solar collector

Abstract The increase in greenhouse gases makes it necessary to utilize renewable energy sources such as solar energy. The most important component of any solar system is solar collector. Among various types of solar collectors, evacuated tube solar collector (ETC) has attracted many attentions especially for the application in solar water heating systems (SWHs). However, due to the intermittency in solar intensity, the ETCs may not work at their maximum functionality. In this study, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of a heat pipe ETC (HPETC) with and without the integration of phase change materials (PCMs) is performed. In order to cross-validate the obtained results from CFD and recent experimental analysis, the boundary conditions are set as the field-testing data. In phase-I, the 3D model of commercially available HPETC is simulated, while in phase-II, the HPETC integrated with the PCM is developed. The selected type of PCM is Tritriacontane paraffin (C33H68) with melting point of 72∘C. The simulation results show an acceptable agreement with the experimental data with an average deviation of 4.80% and 2.04% for phase-I and phase-II, respectively. The result from this study can be a benchmark for further optimization of HPETCs in thermal energy storage systems.
Patterns of gun owner beliefs about firearm risk in relation to firearm storage: a latent class analysis using the 2019 National Firearms Survey.

Background Research on gun owners’ risk-related beliefs has focused on how gun owners answer discrete questions about firearm risk. The current study is the first to use latent class analysis (LCA) to: (A) identify groups of gun owners who share patterns of beliefs about firearm-related risk and (B) examine whether class membership predicts household firearm storage. Methods We conducted LCA using the 2019 National Firearms Survey, a nationally representative survey of US adult gun-owners (n=2950). The LCA assigned gun owners to classes based on responses to four questions about firearm-related risk. Identified classes were included in logistic regression models predicting firearm storage, along with characteristics linked to storage in past research. Results Three classes emerged: (1) owners who believe that guns unconditionally make the home safer and should generally be readily accessible (47%); (2) owners who believe that whether guns make homes safer or less safe depends on context (34%); (3) owners who believe that guns do not pose a risk if stored safely (19%). In adjusted models, compared with owners in class 1, those in classes 2 and 3 were less likely to store guns loaded and unlocked (class 2: OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.39; class 3: OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.32). Conclusion Our LCA is a first step towards better understanding variation in patterns of beliefs among gun owners regarding the risks and benefits of firearms. Our results suggest that messaging aimed at promoting safer firearms storage might benefit from the empirically derived typologies we identify.
A new SARS-CoV-2 lineage that shares mutations with known Variants of Concern is rejected by automated sequence repository quality control

We report a SARS-CoV-2 lineage that shares N501Y, P681H, and other mutations with known variants of concern, such as B.1.1.7. This lineage, which we refer to as B.1.x (COG-UK sometimes references similar samples as B.1.324.1), is present in at least 20 states across the USA and in at least six countries. However, a large deletion causes the sequence to be automatically rejected from repositories, suggesting that the frequency of this new lineage is underestimated using public data. Recent dynamics based on 339 samples obtained in Santa Cruz County, CA, USA suggest that B.1.x may be increasing in frequency at a rate similar to that of B.1.1.7 in Southern California. At present the functional differences between this variant B.1.x and other circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants are unknown, and further studies on secondary attack rates, viral loads, immune evasion and/or disease severity are needed to determine if it poses a public health concern. Nonetheless, given what is known from well-studied circulating variants of concern, it seems unlikely that the lineage could pose larger concerns for human health than many already globally distributed lineages. Our work highlights a need for rapid turnaround time from sequence generation to submission and improved sequence quality control that removes submission bias. We identify promising paths toward this goal.
Detection Algorithm for Cellular Synchronization Signals in Airborne Applications

Cellular to air communication is critical for the booming aerial package delivery and transportation business. Detecting cellular signals in airborne applications is challenging because it requires receiving and processing waveforms that are subject to significantly more interference than those experienced in terrestrial settings. This paper highlights and tackles the complexity of 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) signal synchronization in high altitude applications, e.g., cell access onboard an aircraft. Specifically, we design a novel cell detector that operates efficiently under high interference levels found in airborne applications, maintains a constant false alarm rate using an optimized threshold implementation for Zadoff Chu sequences, and monitors multiple towers with different time delays simultaneously. We validate our cell detector through simulation and experimentation. Lastly, the cell detector is used to estimate the interference in live waveforms taken from an aircraft at 2 to 2.5 km altitude and velocities of 200–400 km/h. Our cell detection model can be adapted to support 5G New Radio (NR) synchronization signals as NR deploys aerial support in the future. The threshold implementation to handle correlation spurs can be applied directly to other Zadoff Chu based signals such as random access signals found in both LTE and NR.
SEARCH AND THE SOURCES OF LIFE-CYCLE INEQUALITY

I study how initial wealth affects lifetime earnings inequality when labor markets are frictional. To do this, I construct a model life‐cycle model with search frictions, incomplete markets, and endogenous human capital accumulation. In the model, incomplete markets prevent low‐wealth workers from smoothing consumption, causing them to accept low pay jobs while unemployed. In anticipation, they build savings instead of human capital while employed. This amplifies the importance of initial wealth for life‐cycle inequality. Using this model, I find that differences in initial wealth cause larger differences in lifetime earnings than either initial human capital or ability.
Spectral Fidelity of Earth's Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems

PAT was supported by a contract from JPL (award 1638464) and NASA (awards 80NSSC17K0677 and 80NSSC20K0208). SPS was supported by NASA contract #NNG20OB24A and by the United States Department of Energy contract No. DE-SC0012704 to Brookhaven National Laboratory. Contributions from ANS were supported by the NASA Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) mission study. Code used for the forward and inverse modeling can be found at the ISOFIT repository (https://github.com/isoﬁt/isoﬁt). Data used in the experiments can be found at zenodo, in a repository that is available to reviewers and made fully public after acceptance for publication (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3735479).This research was performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Copyright 2021 California Institute of Technology. All rights reserved. US Government506Support Acknowledged.
Pythagorean Triples, B\'{e}zout Coefficients and the Erd\H{o}s-Straus Conjeceture

This paper is a preliminary expository paper that outlines the relationship between solutions to the Erdős-Straus conjecture for a given prime $p$ and their corresponding Pythagorean triples. This paper also uses Bezout Coefficients to find a relationship between the solutions to the conjecture and roots of a second degree polynomial.
Effect of Indium Bromide Treatments Post-Deposition Recrystallization Temperature on Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 Thin Films

Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 samples were deposited onto molybdenum back contact at low temperature using thermal evaporation. Recrystallization was then performed at 400 °C using indium bromide vapor treatment for one hour. The treatment developed change in morphology with improved grain size and increased crystallinity. Variation in composition profile was observed, enhancing the In content while decreasing the Ga content. No apparent phase separation was observed from XRD but preferential orientation along (204) were induced.
Inkomplette Resektion einer großen kortikalen Malformation mit anhaltender postoperativer Anfallsfreiheit

Eine wichtige Voraussetzung fur die erfolgreiche epilepsiechirurgische Behandlung ist der Nachweis kongruenter Befunde der praoperativen Abklarung. Anfallsfreiheit wird in der Regel nur dann erwartet, wenn es gelingt, eine als epileptogen definierte Lasion komplett zu entfernen. In diesem Fallbericht wird der unerwartet gute postoperative Verlauf nach inkompletter Resektion einer ausgedehnten kortikalen Entwicklungsstorung beschrieben.
Dynamic leader-follower algorithms in mobile multi-agent networks

In this paper, we consider a Linear Time-Varying (LTV) model to describe the dynamics of a leader-follower algorithms with mobile agents. We first develop regularity conditions on the LTV system matrices, according to a random motion of the agents and the underlying communication protocol. We then study the convergence of all agents to the state of the leader, and show that this requires the underlying LTV system to be asymptotically stable. We introduce the notion of slices as non-overlapping partitions of the LTV system matrices, and relate the convergence of the multi-agent network to the length of these slices. Finally, we demonstrate the convergence and steady-state of a dynamic leader-follower network through simulations.
Public Access to Neutron Monitor Datasets

Over the last few years, great strides have been made in providing access to data, both archival and near-real-time, for researchers throughout the field of Space Science. Neutron monitor data, in particular, has for many decades enjoyed a unique history of world-wide collaborative efforts and the unrestricted sharing of datasets among researchers. This is in large part due to the nature of the measurements made by neutron monitors; an understanding of the time-varying, anisotropie galactic or solar cosmic ray spectrum in most cases requires that data from a large array of stations needs to be considered, and often that array must be global in scope. This paper will attempt to summarize the current availability of neutron monitor data, by (a) describing the current status of archival data and near-real-time data access to neutron monitor data, and (b) looking into the future, with an emphasis on the use of the World Wide Web and other electronic means as the source mechanism. Public outreach efforts using active neutron monitors will also be discussed.
Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease.

Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, or osteochondrosis of the femoral head, occurs predominantly in boys 4 to 7 years of age. The disease progresses through synovitis, necrosis, fragmentation, and a residual stage. Outcome can be affected by age at disease onset, the extent of femoral head involvement as determined by x-ray, and the degree to which normal range of motion is maintained. The goal of treatment is to minimize residual deformity of the femoral head and acetabulum. This is accomplished by containing the femoral head well within the acetabulum and maintaining range of motion while the disease process runs its course. In extremely young patients, containment is often achieved during normal daily living activities. Containment treatment methods include abduction casting or orthosis; surgical containment can be accomplished by femoral or innominate osteotomy.
Interaction of ganglioside GM1 with the B subunit of cholera toxin modulates growth and differentiation of neuroblastoma N18 cells

The present study uses the B subunit of cholera toxin, a protein that binds specifically to ganglioside GM1, to examine the role of endogenous GM1 in the process of growth and differentiation of mouse neuroblastoma N18 cells. Binding of the B subunit to neuroblastoma N18 cells inhibited DNA synthesis with concomitant induction of differentiation. The B subunit induced pronounced morphological changes: an increase in neurite outgrowth with branched neurites and spinelike processes. The distinct morphological alterations and neuritogenesis in response to the B subunit were also revealed by immunofluorescence with fluorescein-labeled B subunit. The mechanism of the B subunit-induced differentiation is different than that of spontaneous differentiation. Thrombin, a serine protease present in normal serum, inhibits neurite outgrowth induced by the removal of serum from the medium. In contrast, thrombin did not cause retraction of the neurites induced by the B subunit. Thus, thrombin or a thrombin- like protease is not involved in the process of neurite outgrowth mediated through endogenous GM1. The biological effects of the B subunit are due to the binding of the B subunit to ganglioside GM1 and not due to changes in cAMP levels resulting from contaminating A subunit. We used highly purified cloned B subunit that cannot contain any A subunit because it was isolated from a Vibrio cholerae mutant that only expresses the B subunit. Neither the cloned nor commercial preparations of the B subunit induced increases of cAMP in these cells. There was a good correlation between the amount of B subunit bound to the cells and the biological effect. Finally, treatment with neuraminidase, which caused a fourfold increase in the level of membrane GM1 as determined by iodinated cholera toxin binding, enhanced the biological effect of the B subunit. However, neuraminidase treatment alone did not have significant effects, either on DNA synthesis or on morphology of the cells, indicating that elevations in the level of GM1 per se are not sufficient by themselves to cause significant changes in cell growth or differentiation. It seems most likely that the aggregation of endogenous GM1 on the cell surface by the B subunit is responsible for these effects on mouse neuroblastoma N18 cells.
What is the role of alternative biomarkers for coronary heart disease

Predictive models for future risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) based on traditional risk factors, such as age, male gender, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, smoking and family history of premature CHD, are quite robust but leave room for further improvement. Thus, efforts are being made to assess additional biomarkers for CHD, such as, lipoprotein (a), C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2, homocysteine and others. However, none of the novel biomarkers has demonstrated improved prediction beyond traditional risk factor models in a consistent fashion across multiple cohorts. Many criteria have to be fulfilled before a biomarker can be considered clinically relevant. Another way is to develop new models predicting long-term or life-time risk of CHD. Further research using novel biomarkers and long-term predictive models has the potential to improve CHD risk prediction.
Structures of Picorna-Like Plant Viruses: Implications and Applications

Publisher Summary Picorna-like plant viruses that include Como and Nepo genera of the Comoviridae, share similarities in structure, genome organization, and replication strategy with mammalian picornaviruses. Structural studies of comoviruses and a nepovirus contribute to the understanding of icosahedral virus structures, the development of novel methods for investigating macromolecular assemblies, and the infrastructure for virus-based bio- and nanotechnology. It is found that bean pod mottle virus (BPMV) shares similar overall genome organization, replication strategy, and capsid structure with the type member cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV). Structural studies of BPMV provided the first observation of a portion of a viral genome in association with its capsid, and the structural comparison of a nucleoprotein particle with an empty capsid that demonstrated ordering of elements of the capsid. Red clover mottle virus (RCMV) is another member of the comovirus family that was investigated biochemically and genetically and its structure was determined for comparative studies. There are significant structural differences between comoviruses and some nepoviruses in that the capsids of comoviruses are composed of two polypeptides whereas those of nepoviruses are composed of a single polypeptide. The structure of a nepovirus, tobacco ringspot virus (TRSV), was determined. Structural comparison showed that TRSV was likely to be an evolutionary intermediate of development of comoviruses.
Examination of Prepared Foods in Plastic Packages for Clostridium botulinum

The incidence of Clostridium botulinum organisms was determined in a variety of plastic-packaged "vulnerable" foods (food requiring little or no heating prior to consumption). A total of 113 foods were examined by use of an enrichment recovery procedure followed by toxin testing in animals. Results of the survey indicate that the incidence of C. botulinum organisms in these vulnerable foods is extremely low. The ability of inoculated food products to support growth and toxigenesis of C. botulinum type E was then tested. The 64 packaged foods were inoculated with type E spores and incubated anaerobically at 30 C for 11 days. A slurry of each food was prepared, smears for fluorescent-antibody testing were made, and animal tests were performed for toxin. If the animal tests were negative, enrichment cultures were prepared from the slurry and incubated at 30 C. On direct examination of the slurries for toxin, only samples of turkey roll and soybean cake supported growth and toxigenesis by C. botulinum type E. However, the enrichment culture method was able to induce growth and toxin production in 60 of the remaining 62 samples.
The El-Nino, the Southern Oscillation and the Earth Rotation

Unpredictable changes in the Length of Day (LOD) at seasonal and higher frequencies are mostly driven by exchanges of axial angular momentum between the atmosphere and the solid Earth. The corresponding changes in the axial angular momentum of the atmosphere can be divided into thermally forced seasonal oscillations and longer and shorter period free oscillations. All of these variations seem to be largely due to zonal wind velocity changes, and existing LOD measurements thus provide a global zonal wind record of climatological interest (Salstein and Rosen, 1985). We present a description of our research into the relationship between LOD variations and the Southern Oscillation, one of the most important and best studied free oscillations, and with the associated El Nino phenomenon. There is a statistically significant correlation observed between interannual LOD changes and a widely used meteorological index for the Southern Oscillation during the period 1962–1985. There also seems to be a weak relationship between El Nino events and the rapid 40 to 60 day fluctuations in the LOD. We discuss the meteorological significance of these findings.
Using uncertainty to inform information sufficiency in decision making

Decision making is a critical part of design. Designers must constantly compare, weigh and select design options throughout the design process. The effectiveness of those decisions impacts the effectiveness of the final design. In this paper, we compare two decision support systems, one that allows designers to enter and visualize the uncertainty in each alternative, and one that does not. We compared differences in the designers' perceptions of whether they had sufficient information to make a choice, and their confidence in their choice. The goal is not to make designers more confident of their decisions, but rather to help them evaluate realistically whether they have sufficient information to make a clear choice.
The catalytic site is located on subunit I of the ATPase from Halobacterium saccharovorum. A direct photoaffinity labeling study.

Nucleotide-binding sites of the ATPase from the halophilic archaebacterium Halobacterium saccharovorum were labeled by ultraviolet irradiation in the presence of [α-32P]ATP. A high-affinity site, located on subunit I (98 kDa), was identified as catalytic by the following criteria: ATP bound to subunit I was hydrolyzed and the cross-linked nucleotide was ADP; the specificity for ATP or ADP compared to that of other nucleotides was high; the tightly bound radionucleotide was exchangeable in the presence of excess unlabeled ATP and Mg2+; photolabeling of this site and enzyme inhibition due to tightly bound ADP were both dependent on the presence of Mg2+ and showed identical Kd values; treatment that restored the activity of the ADP-inhibited enzyme also led to the release of the tightly bound nucleotide from subunit I. In addition, a non-catalytic nucleotide-binding site was found, located on subunit II (71 kDa). This site did not hydrolyze ATP, its occupation was Mg2+ independent and the affinity for ATP and the nucleotide specificity were much lower than that of subunit I. We suspect that this site is nonspecific. These results indicate that H. saccharovorum ATPase is different from F1-ATPase which contain the catalytic site on the second largest subunit, but may be similar to other archaebacterial and vacuolar ATPases.
Unit-testing query transformation rules

The process of validating the internal functionality of a query optimizer includes the selection of appropriate queries to be used as test cases for exercising and validating specific code paths. Specifically, it is desirable to be able to implement unit-tests for small components of the query optimizer such as the query transformation rules.In this paper, we present a practical method that simplifies the creation of test cases for validating query transformation rules in a query optimizer. We present the QRel programming framework, which allows designing test cases based on relational algebra expressions. We show how such a framework can be used to create classes of similar test cases that exercise transformation rules over a variety of relational algebra expressions. Finally, we provide some examples of how QRel is used to validate SQL Server's optimizations for subqueries.
An ATP–ADP switch in MuB controls progression of the Mu transposition pathway

MuB protein, an ATP-dependent DNA-binding protein, collaborates with Mu transposase to promote efficient transposition. MuB binds target DNA, delivers this target DNA segment to transposase and activates transposase's catalytic functions. Using ATP-bound, ADP-bound and ATPase-defective MuB proteins we investigated how nucleotide binding and hydrolysis control the activities of MuB protein, important for transposition. We found that both MuB-ADP and MuB-ATP stimulate transposase, whereas only MuB-ATP binds with high affinity to DNA. Four different ATPase-defective MuB mutants fail to activate the normal transposition pathway, further indicating that ATP plays critical regulatory roles during transposition. These mutant proteins fall into two classes: class I mutants are defective in target DNA binding, whereas class II mutants bind target DNA, deliver it to transposase, but fail to promote recombination with this DNA. Based on these studies, we propose that the switch from the ATP- to ADP-bound form allows MuB to release the target DNA while maintaining its stimulatory interaction with transposase. Thus, ATP-hydrolysis by MuB appears to function as a molecular switch controlling how target DNA is delivered to the core transposition machinery.
Severe Hypernatremia in a Hospitalized Child: Munchausen by Proxy

An 8-week-old infant presented to a referring institution with profuse diarrhea and infectious enteritis for 1 week. He was initially treated for suspected Salmonella spp. sepsis and meningitis, because the organism was found in the stool, but the child's illness progressed, manifested by paroxysmal profuse diarrhea and increased urine output. After several weeks, he suffered a sagittal venous thrombosis and intracranial hemorrhage. Subsequently the child was transferred to a tertiary center for intestinal evaluation. The patient's diarrhea and excessive diuresis resolved, and his sodium normalized soon after transfer. Four days later, however, after his mother arrived, he immediately developed severe hypernatremia (serum sodium concentration [Na(+)] = 214 mEq/L), with resumption of diarrhea and excessive diuresis. A gastric aspirate during the crisis demonstrated an extremely high sodium content, [Na(+)] = 1416 mEq/L, consistent with salt intoxication. Surveillance of the mother revealed that she manipulated the indwelling nasogastric tube; confronted, she admitted to salt administration. This case describes one of the ways that Munchausen syndrome by proxy can manifest with profound neurologic sequelae, and highlights the need for close observation and swift intervention when sufficient cause is present.
Conjugated linoleic acid preserves muscle mass in mice bearing the Lewis lung carcinoma, but not the B16 melanoma.

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which is found in dairy products, reduces synthesis of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFa), a pro-inflammatory cytokine that plays a major role in tumor-induced skeletal muscle wasting (SMW). The B16 melanoma expresses TNFa mRNA, and induced SMW with no change in muscle levels of TNFa type 1 receptor (TNFR1) protein. A diet containing .5% CLA had no effect on SMW or TNFR1 in mice bearing B16 tumors. In contrast, the Lewis lung carcinoma expresses low levels of TNFa mRNA, induced SMW, and increased muscle levels of TNFR1. A diet containing .5% CLA reduced SMW, but had no effect on muscle levels of TNFR1. We conclude that that tumor-induced SMW can occur independent of muscle levels of TNFR1. Further study is needed before CLA can be tested in persons with cancer cachexia. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 29:98–104, 2006
Simultaneous determination of flurazepam and five metabolites in serum by high-performance liquid chromatography and its application to pharmacokinetic studies in rats.

Abstract A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method is described which allows the quantification of flurazepam and five of its metabolites with a single, isocratic determination. In addition, it has the advantage of possessing a low detection limit and high precision. A 2 mm I.D. column was used to minimize sample size (50 μl), increase sensitivity and reduce solvent consumption. The method was used to demonstrate that N-1-desalkylflurazepam, the major metabolite, has a short half-life in the rat in contrast to its prolonged life in humans.
A feasibility study of conducting the Montreal Cognitive Assessment remotely in individuals with movement disorders

Remote assessments of individuals with a neurological disease via telemedicine have the potential to reduce some of the burdens associated with clinical care and research participation. We aim to evaluate the feasibility of conducting the Montreal Cognitive Assessment remotely in individuals with movement disorders. A pilot study derived from two telemedicine trials was conducted. In total, 17 individuals with movement disorders (8 with Parkinson disease and 9 with Huntington disease) had Montreal Cognitive Assessment examinations evaluated in-person and remotely via web-based video conferencing to primarily determine feasibility and potential barriers in its remote administration. Administering the Montreal Cognitive Assessment remotely in a sample of movement disorder patients with mild cognitive impairment is feasible, with only minor common complications associated with technology, including delayed sound and corrupted imaging for participants with low connection speeds. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment has the potential to be used in remote assessments of patients and research participants with movement disorders.
The Physiological Response of Nematodes To Osmotic Stress and an Osmotic Treatment for Separating Nematodes

Ditylenchus dipsaci, Hemicycliophora arenaria, Meloidogyne hapla, 'Pratylenchu.r vulnus, Rhab. ditis spp. and Tylenchulus semipenetrans have been compared with respect to osmotic stress. After 24 hr in various concentrations of hypertonic electrolyte (NaCl) or non-electrolyte (urea), they were transferred to distilled water and their percentage mobility calculated. Their physiological responses varied considerably and from the results a treatment has been devised for separating Rhabditis spp. from D. dipsaci. The data are discussed with reference to possible mechanisms of osmotic tolerance and control and to differences in the biology of the nematodes.
Data registration, match, and model component coupling

A coupling toolkit has been developed to reduce the complexity of model component coupling, in particular among hierarchical model components. The toolkit provides the services of data registration, data matching, data filtering, and model component coupling. In addition, it can generate diagrams to reveal the "producer"-to-"consumer" relations among the components. We have tested this toolkit with the operational NASA Goddard Earth Observing System Model, Version 5 (GEOS-5), which is built on the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF) and consists of multi-level Earth system components.
Further results on multiantenna spectrum sensing in colored noise

The problem of multiantenna spectrum sensing is considered where the receiver noise is allowed to be temporally colored with unknown power spectral density (PSD), but must be spatially uncorrelated. The signal is received over a possibly frequency-selective, unknown channel. A generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) for multiantenna spectrum sensing in colored noise under this set-up was recently proposed in the literature based on analysis of the multivariate PSD of the received multiantenna signal. In this paper we analyze the performance (probability of detection) of this GLRT by deriving the asymptotic distribution of the test statistic under the alternative hypothesis. Computer simulation results show an excellent agreement with theory in calculating the probability of detection for a specified probability of false alarm.
Phytochrome Controlled RNA Changes in Terminal Buds of Dark Grown Peas (Pisum sativum cv. Alaska)

The terminal buds of intact dark grown Alaska pea plants (Pisum sativum) respond to low intensity red light by an enhanced rate of expansion of their leaflets. Twenty four hours after irradiation, red light was found to have increased the ribosomal fraction of the RNA content of the terminal buds. The increase in total RNA liter did not occur if the red light was immediately followed by irradiance with low intensity far red light.
Challenging Tradition: Unlocking New Paths to Regional Industrial Upgrading

Globalization is expected to benefit developing country manufacturers through exposure to quality-demanding markets and global buyers. Yet, its contribution to the process of local upgrading depend...
A simple and effective radiometric correction method to improve landscape change detection across sensors and across time

Abstract Satellite data offer unrivaled utility in monitoring and quantifying large scale land cover change over time. Radiometric consistency among collocated multi-temporal imagery is difficult to maintain, however, due to variations in sensor characteristics, atmospheric conditions, solar angle, and sensor view angle that can obscure surface change detection. To detect accurate landscape change using multi-temporal images, we developed a variation of the pseudoinvariant feature (PIF) normalization scheme: the temporally invariant cluster (TIC) method. Image data were acquired on June 9, 1990 (Landsat 4), June 20, 2000 (Landsat 7), and August 26, 2001 (Landsat 7) to analyze boreal forests near the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), enhanced vegetation index (EVI), and reduced simple ratio (RSR). The temporally invariant cluster (TIC) centers were identified via a point density map of collocated pixel VIs from the base image and the target image, and a normalization regression line was created to intersect all TIC centers. Target image VI values were then recalculated using the regression function so that these two images could be compared using the resulting common radiometric scale. We found that EVI was very indicative of vegetation structure because of its sensitivity to shadowing effects and could thus be used to separate conifer forests from deciduous forests and grass/crop lands. Conversely, because NDVI reduced the radiometric influence of shadow, it did not allow for distinctions among these vegetation types. After normalization, correlations of NDVI and EVI with forest leaf area index (LAI) field measurements combined for 2000 and 2001 were significantly improved; the r 2 values in these regressions rose from 0.49 to 0.69 and from 0.46 to 0.61, respectively. An EVI “cancellation effect” where EVI was positively related to understory greenness but negatively related to forest canopy coverage was evident across a post fire chronosequence with normalized data. These findings indicate that the TIC method provides a simple, effective and repeatable method to create radiometrically comparable data sets for remote detection of landscape change. Compared to some previous relative radiometric normalization methods, this new method does not require high level programming and statistical skills, yet remains sensitive to landscape changes occurring over seasonal and inter-annual time scales. In addition, the TIC method maintains sensitivity to subtle changes in vegetation phenology and enables normalization even when invariant features are rare. While this normalization method allowed detection of a range of land use, land cover, and phenological/biophysical changes in the Siberian boreal forest region studied here, it is necessary to further examine images representing a wide variety of ecoregions to thoroughly evaluate the TIC method against other normalization schemes.
C2H2 zinc finger-SET histone methyltransferase is a plant-specific chromatin modifier

Histone modification represents a universal mechanism for regulation of eukaryotic gene expression underlying diverse biological processes from neuronal gene expression in mammals to control of flowering in plants. In animal cells, these chromatin modifications are effected by well-defined multiprotein complexes containing specific histone-modifying activities. In plants, information about the composition of such co-repressor complexes is just beginning to emerge. Here, we report that two Arabidopsis thaliana factors, a SWIRM domain polyamine oxidase protein, AtSWP1, and a plant-specific C2H2 zinc finger-SET domain protein, AtCZS, interact with each other in plant cells and repress expression of a negative regulator of flowering, FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) via an autonomous, vernalization-independent pathway. Loss-of-function of either AtSWP1 or AtCZS results in reduced dimethylation of lysine 9 and lysine 27 of histone H3 and hyperacetylation of histone H4 within the FLC locus, in elevated FLC mRNA levels, and in moderately delayed flowering. Thus, AtSWP1 and AtCZS represent two main components of a co-repressor complex that fine tunes flowering and is unique to plants.
ULTRASONOGRAPHIC ADRENAL GLAND MEASUREMENTS IN DOGS WITHOUT EVIDENCE OF ADRENAL DISEASE

The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine measurements of adrenal glands from longitudinal sonograms, in a large population of dogs and to correlate these measurements to age, sex and descriptors of body size. Dogs were selected from the clinic population presented for routine abdominal ultrasonography between September, 1991 and March, 1994. Dogs with elevated serum cholesterol or alkaline phosphatase levels, polyuria/polydipsia, and/or clinical diagnoses of adrenal pathology were excluded. Dogs with ultrasound-documented abnormalities (mass lesions, abnormal architecture) of either adrenal were not considered. Age, sex, weight and breed were recorded, and the body surface area of each dog was calculated. Adrenal length and caudal polar width were determined from longitudinal, two-dimensional ultrasound images. Adrenal measurements were compared with body size measurements and age using least squares linear regression analysis and the correlation coefficient (r) and coefficient of determination (r2) calculated. One hundred and ninety three dogs were included in the study, with a weight and body surface area range of 1.8-72 kg and 0.2-1.8 m2, respectively. The left adrenal gland (n = 182) length range was from 10.7 to 50.2 mm, and the range of the caudal polar widths was 1.9 to 12.4 mm. Right adrenal gland (n = 85) length range was from 10 to 39.3 mm, and the range of the caudal polar widths was from 3.1 to 12 mm. In dogs where both adrenal gland lengths were measured (n = 74), the right adrenal gland length was less than that of the left in 46 dogs, equal to the left in one dog, and greater than the length of the left in 27 dogs. The strongest linear association was noted between the left adrenal gland length and body weight (kg, r = 0.71, p < 0.0001) or body surface area (m2, r = 0.71, p < 0.0001). Similar significant association was noted between the right adrenal gland length and body weight (kg, r = 0.69, p < 0.0001). A significant positive association was also noted between age and left adrenal gland length, (r = 0.25, p = 0.009). The summation of all four adrenal measurement values (left length and width, right length and width) did slightly improve the correlation (r = 0.74, p < 0.0001) when compared with body weight (kg). There was not a significant difference in the adrenal measurements with regard to sex. With regard to the correlation coefficient values, there was no advantage noted to calculating the body surface area from body weight. The causes for the low degrees of the correlation between adrenal size and the variables investigated in this study are unknown; measurement error, effects of non-adrenal illness on adrenal size, and a non-linear or complex linear relationship between adrenal gland size (as measured by longitudinal parameters) and descriptors of body size are among possible explanations.
Inhibition of Hypertrophy Is a Good Therapeutic Strategy in Ventricular Pressure Overload

Hypertrophic growth of ventricular myocytes is a hallmark feature of numerous forms of cardiovascular disease.1 The hypertrophic process is complex, involving a vast array of structural, signaling, transcriptional, electrophysiological, metabolic, and functional events within the growing cell.2,3 Other cellular elements within the ventricle, fibroblasts, vascular smooth muscle cells, and endothelium, also manifest intricate stress responses, resulting in fibrosis, inflammatory cell infiltration, endothelial dysfunction, and vascular stiffness. Current thinking holds that these events, the reaction of the heart to a host of pathological stresses, provide short-term benefit. However, if disease-related stress remains unchecked, these remodeling events become maladaptive and predispose to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Response by Crozatier and Ventura-Clapier on p 1447 Among the risks conferred by disease-related ventricular hypertrophy are ventricular tachyarrhythmia, predisposing to sudden cardiac death, and transition to heart failure. Ultimately, these events derive from wholesale reprogramming and relative dedifferentiation of the cardiac myocyte, coupled with similar events in other cell types. Conventional thinking holds that hypertrophic growth of the myocardium is a compensatory response of the heart to increases in workload demand, serving to minimize wall stress and maintain contractile function. However, several lines of evidence, preclinical and epidemiological, highlight the maladaptive features of chronic ventricular hypertrophy. Indeed, in many instances, suppression of load-induced growth is well tolerated.4 Furthermore, left ventricular hypertrophy is among the most robust markers of increased risk for developing chronic heart failure.5 Therefore, we submit that suppression of load-induced ventricular hypertrophy warrants careful consideration as a therapeutic strategy. Although evidence suggests that a small fraction of cells within the ventricle are capable of re-entering the cell cycle,6–8 the majority of cardiomyocytes are postmitotic and, hence, do not retain the ability to divide. Rather, they respond to stress by growing, shrinking, or dying. In …
Game theoretical foundations of evolutionary stability by Bomze, I. M. and Pötscher, B. M., Springer‐Verlag, New York, 1988

The theory of evolution and dynamical systems by Hofbauer, J. and Sigmund, K., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1988.
Highly rugged kinetic method for the enzymatic determination of DNA in agarose gel with array detection using a charge coupled device

Abstract This paper describes the adaptation and evaluation of an error-compensating method for kinetic determinations of DNA. A single size DNA is used for the initial study. The experimental procedures involve gel electrophoresis with ethidium bromide staining followed by DNase treatment of the agarose gel containing the single DNA band. The time-dependent decrease in fluorescence of the DNA band is monitored using a charge-coupled device camera. A Michaelis-Menten model is fitted to background—and flat-field-corrected response curves to predict the total change in fluorescence expected if the process were monitored to equilibrium. The results are compared to equilibrium and initial-rate methods. Results obtained using the predictive and equilibrium options are linear over 120-fold amounts of DNA (1–120 ng) with 3–6% imprecisions. The equilibrium and predictive-kinetic options are at least an order of magnitude more rugged to changes in ethidium bromide concentration, DNase activity and gel concentration than the initial-rate option. A DNA sample containing multiple fragments was used to evaluate the applicability of this method for more realistic situations.