cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Social influences on the display of sexually dimorphic behavior in rhesus monkeys; Isosexual rearing

Groups containing 5 or 6 infant rhesus monkeys and their mothers were formed when the infants were approximately 3 months old by random assignment from an available pool. There were 33 males and 38 females assigned to groups containing infants of both sexes (heterosexual groups); 15 males and 15 females were assigned to groups containing only infants of the same sex (isosexual groups). The social behavior of subjects in each group was observed and recorded during six 50-day periods from 3 months of age to 3 1/2 years of age. Two sexually dimorphic patterns, mounting and presenting, were recorded for each subject as indices of protosexual (i.e., patterns eventually used in adult mating behavior) development. In addition, rough play, a dimorphic response that is not protosexual, was also recorded. Both males and females in the isosexual condition were characterized by a partial inversion of the manifestation of protosexual behavior. Isosexual males showed statistically less foot-clasp mounting and more presenting than heterosexual males. Conversely, isosexually reared females showed statistically more mounting and less presenting than heterosexual females. The effect of rearing animals in same-sex groups was greater on heterotypical than on homotypical protosexual behavior. Among isosexual males, presenting responses deviated from the heterosexual male standard to a greater extent than did mounting. Among isosexual females, mounting behavior deviated from the heterosexual female standard more than presenting. Results suggested that presenting behavior by males was more easily augmented by isosexual rearing conditions than was mounting by females. At no time during the experiments did isosexual females mount at frequencies or at group proportions that were indistinguishable from those of heterosexually reared males. In contrast, males reared isosexually showed average frequencies of presenting that equaled or exceeded means for females reared heterosexually. While mounting and presenting were both modified by same-sex rearing, rough-and-tumble-play frequencies were not influenced markedly in either sex. However, isosexual males did show statistically higher frequencies of rough play than heterosexual males during the final period of observation (3 to 3 1/2 years of age), and isosexual females showed less rough play than heterosexually reared females during the first year of life. Results support the conclusion that isosexual conditions can have a selective effect on the developmental expression of protosexual responses without altering the probability of display of other sexually dimorphic social behavior.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Application of six-phase soil heating technology for groundwater remediation

A treatability study for implementation of a thermally enhanced environmental remediation technique has recently been completed at a Department of Energy uranium enrichment facility in Paducah, KY. The contaminated groundwater plume beneath the site, containing primarily trichloroethylene (TCE) and technetium-99, is one of the largest-ever documented plumes, encompassing some quarter of a billion m3 of contaminated water (10 billion gal). Various remediation technologies have been applied at the plant site over the past 15 years with moderate degrees of success. The presence of dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) in the groundwater are believed to be one of the major sources of TCE feeding the contaminated plume. Recovery/remediation of these DNAPLs was attempted in a small-scale study with a soil-heating technique called six-phase soil heating. This technology uses buried resistive heating probes to heat the soil and associated liquids upward to 125° C to literally vaporize the TCE solvent. Vacuum recovery wells are used to direct solvent/water vapor flow to the surface for recovery. At the end of the test period, soil and groundwater samples were compared to baseline (pretreatment) samples. This comparison indicated an average TCE concentration reduction in soil of 98% and greater than 99% reduction in TCE concentrations in groundwater within the test cell. Two- and 4-week posttreatment groundwater samples within the test cell have shown a slight fluctuating increase from end-of-test results, but all samples collected at various well depths indicate greater than 98% reduction in TCE concentration. Monitoring well data indicates six-phase soil heating technology was effective in extracting solvent DNAPLs rather than merely relocating them. Results of this treatability study were judged to be favorable and a full-scale implementation at the site has been recommended. © 2004 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2004
Routing Design and Analysis of Place Based Opportunistic Networks

Opportunistic networks, as a key enabling technology for pervasive computing, have attracted enormous attentions from researchers recently. In this paper, we focus on designing and analyzing routing schemes in our new place-based opportunistic networks, in which data exchanges only take place at different public places. Basically, routing schemes determine how data travel from source to destination in a network. Under the new placed-based opportunistic network scenario, firstly we present two routing schemes: one leverages the population history information and ranks different next-hop place candidates by popularity indicator, and the other one takes advantage of the congestion history information to control data transfer rate to a place and also balance the rates among all the flows to that place. Secondly, experiments are conducted to observe the performance of the proposed routing schemes and classic routing schemes on new place-based opportunistic networks. In the end, we analyze how various information could effect the performance of routing schemes in this new place-based opportunistic network scenario.
A long-range restriction map of the interleukin-4 and interleukin-5 linkage group on chromosome 5.

Abstract The genes for two of the hematopoietic growth factors, interleukin-4 and interleukin-5, are located on a small segment of chromosome 5 (q23–31), which is frequently deleted in myeloid disorders. Using pulsedfield gel electrophoresis, we demonstrate physical linkage of these two genes and present a long-range restriction map of the locus. The two genes are closely linked (maximum separation, 310 kb) and appear to be separated by an HTF island. We were unable to physically link these genes to two other closely related hematopoietic growth factor genes, interleukin-3 and granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor, which also map to this region of the genome. The clustering of these and other growth-related genes suggests that a higher order of genetic organization exists in this region of the chromosome.
Explicit description of polarization coupling in lidar applications

Depolarization lidar requires discrimination of received power in polarized and unpolarized components of backscattered light. This can be accomplished with only two polarization measurements. However, parallel- and cross-polarization channels in depolarization lidar cannot always be regarded as independent, because system optical components can cause coupling between these channels and transmitter and receiver polarization planes are rarely perfectly aligned. Calibration constants, while in some instances reasonable approximations, do not fully describe the physics of the receiver and potential for coupling between orthogonal polarization modes. We present an analysis of a general receiver design and introduce an algorithm for decoupling the received data, which only requires the parallel- and cross-polarization data typically recorded in depolarization lidar measurements.
An implementation of a core curriculum in an information technology degree program

This paper will layout the University of Cincinnati's efforts in creating the core curriculum for an information technology degree program to be started in the autumn quarter of 2004. By core, we are referring to coursework required by all information technology majors no matter their chosen area of specialization: networking, software development or web technologies. The work done creating this information technology groundwork for students is based on ACM SIGITE's initial implementation of IT curriculum guidelines. Input for the IT core was also obtained from faculty, students, and industry partners. Processes by which specific course offerings were chosen will be detailed: objectives of the core and courses, desired outcomes for students, content, and associated hands-on activities. In all, the paper will present a means by which the core curriculum can be successfully implemented in information technology programs at other universities that are interested in such an endeavor.
Simultaneous grayscale and subharmonic ultrasound imaging on a modified commercial scanner.

Objective To demonstrate the feasibility of simultaneous dual fundamental grayscale and subharmonic imaging on a modified commercial scanner.
Bidirectional transcription from the human immunoglobulin VH6 gene promoter

Abstract The human immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy chain VH6 gene promoter contains an imperfect octamer (AgGCAAAT) and is not dependent on the Ig heavy chain enhancer for activity; reporter constructs containing this promoter are very active in non-B cells. In experiments designed to characterize regions upstream of the transcriptional start site that are important for promoter function, we produced a series of deletion constructs, including one containing sequences between -74 and -146. Surprisingly, this fragment had promoter activity in both orientations. Inspection of the VH6 promoter sequence indicated that there was a possible TATA box in the proper orientation upstream of the imperfect octamer. The -74 to -146 fragment functioned as a promoter in the reverse orientation in three B cell lines and in non-B (HeLa) cells, with a much higher level of activity seen in the HeLa cells. To determine if the promoter could work in both directions simultaneously, reporter genes were positioned up- and downstream of a VH6 promoter fragment. Reporter gene activity was found for both genes in B cells and HeLa cells. Using a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction procedure (RT-PCR), we found a transcript corresponding to sequences upstream of the VH6 promoter in RNA from both the lymphoblastoid cell line ML-1, which actively transcribes the VH6 promoter, and the REH cell line, which does not. No transcripts were found in the KB epithelial cell line. Two or three mRNA 5' ends were found that mapped between -137 to -143 from the authentic VH6 transcription site, 31-37 nucleotides upstream of the putative TATA box. Inspection of the sequence upstream of the VH6 promoter demonstrated the presence of an open reading frame capable of coding for 96 amino acids. The VH6 promoter represents the second Ig promoter with bidirectional activity.
Nucleophilic cleavage of spiroactivated cyclopropanes.1. Kinetic and thermodynamic parameters for reaction of 6,6-dimethyl-2-phenyl-5,7-dioxaspiro[2,5]octane-4,8-dione (2) with pyridine.

Abstract Reaction of the title spiroactivated cyclopropane(2) with pyridine in acetonitrite yields a zwitterionic addition product. The reaction is reversible which provides conditions under which rates and equilibria constants can be obtained along with the derived activation and thermodynamic parameters of reaction. An extended Bronsted treatment affords a β nuc value for the reaction of 2 with substituted pyridines.
Primary hyperparathyroidism in pediatric patients.

Objective. Primary hyperparathyroidism (HPT) is unusual in children. We reviewed our experience with HPT to better characterize these children. Methods. The retrospective review of patients Results. Fifty-two patients were identified. Median age was 16.8 years (range: 4–18.9) with a female-to-male ratio of 3:2. Eighty-five percent had an elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH) level, and 15% had an inappropriately normal PTH level during hypercalcemia. Serum calcium was elevated in all patients except for 2 with multiple endocrine neoplasma (MEN)-IIA and 1 with familial non-MEN HPT, but both had elevated PTH levels. Alkaline phosphatase levels were significantly higher in children with documented bone involvement. At presentation 41 patients (79%) were symptomatic and end-organ damage (nephrocalcinosis, nephrolithiasis, acute pancreatitis, or bone involvement) occurred in 23 patients (44%). Thirty-four patients (65%) had a single adenoma; hyperplasia was identified in 16 patients (27%), and of these cases, 57% occurred in patients diagnosed with MEN-I. Short-term complications included transient hypocalcemia in 29 patients (56%) and transient vocal cord paralysis in 2 patients (4%). Long-term complications were significant for permanent hypocalcemia in 2 patients (4%) and no recurrent laryngeal nerve injuries. No parathyroid abnormalities were identified during exploration in 4 (8%) children. Long-term follow-up was achieved in 98% of patients for a mean and median of 13 years. Resolution of hypercalcemia was achieved in 94% of cases. Conclusion. The diagnosis of primary HPT in pediatric patients is frequently delayed, is commonly symptomatic, and has significant morbidity. For children in whom HPT is suspected, evaluation of serum calcium and PTH levels is diagnostic in 100% of children. Parathyroid resection is effective at restoring normal serum calcium, has few complications, and is the treatment of choice for children with primary hyperparathyroidism.
The Antisocial Police Personality: A View from the Inside

Abstract It is argued from a psychiatric standpoint that persons who meet diagnostic criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM‐IV), have a decreased likelihood of existing within the police population. It is claimed that through psychological testing and background checks, police departments are better able to filter out unsuitable applicants. However, the less‐than‐perfect reliability of such tests, as well as loose entrance requirements by individual police departments, present opportunities for applicants with Antisocial Personality Disorder to make their way into policing. Simply, there is no guarantee that these individuals do not or cannot exist within the police population. This research will suggest that police officers with traits of Antisocial Personality Disorder exist, that the types of behavior displayed have become increasingly violent, and the possibility that such traits may well have been acquired through the...
The effect of mie resonances on trapping in optical tweezers: Comment

Recently, Stilgoe, et al., [Opt. Express 16, 15039 (2008)] reported calculations of the force on an optically trapped sphere performed using the “optical tweezers toolbox”. This software suffers from numerical inaccuracies that lead to qualitative errors in the state diagram for stable trapping, particularly for spheres smaller than the wavelength of light.
Excited-state production in collisions of H and He with N 2 , CO, and O 2 over the energy range 150-2400 eV

Spectroscopic analysis of optical emissions resulting from collisions between diatomic molecules (${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$, CO, ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$) and hydrogen or helium atoms has been performed over the kinetic energy range \ensuremath{\sim}150-2400 eV. The data yield product vibronic-state distributions from collision-induced excitation, impact ionization, and excitation transfer processes. For most of the processes observed spin is conserved. It was found that vibrational-state distributions of excited electronic product molecular ions were not in accord with those predicted from a simple vertical transition model. Excited neutral molecules, on the other hand, exhibited state distributions that could be characterized by this model.
Spalling in liquids

Abstract A new mechanism for exciting cavitation has been identified. Surface-reflected shock waves can produced localized spalling in liquids. This spalling mechanism forms cavities which then collapse under the influence of gravity and atmospheric pressure. The form of the closure pulses generated by cavity collapse characterizes this new type of cavitation.
Photo-assisted electron injection at a semiconductor—NH3 interface

Abstract Illumination of a p-type semiconductor—NH 3 interface (or heterojunction) with photons of energy greater than the semiconductor band gap causes electrons to be injected into the NH 3 . There is no hole injection at a n-type electrode. Suggestions are made for the required energy levels in the liquid.
Effects of age and loading rate on equine cortical bone failure

Although clinical bone fractures occur predominantly under impact loading (as occurs during sporting accidents, falls, high-speed impacts or other catastrophic events), experimentally validated studies on the dynamic fracture behavior of bone, at the loading rates associated with such events, remain limited. In this study, a series of tests were performed on femoral specimens obtained post-mortem from equine donors ranging in age from 6 months to 28 years. Fracture toughness and compressive tests were performed under both quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions in order to determine the effects of loading rate and age on the mechanical behavior of the cortical bone. Fracture toughness experiments were performed using a four-point bending geometry on single and double-notch specimens in order to measure fracture toughness, as well as observe differences in crack initiation between dynamic and quasi-static experiments. Compressive properties were measured on bone loaded parallel and transverse to the osteonal growth direction. Fracture propagation was then analyzed using scanning electron and scanning confocal microscopy to observe the effects of microstructural toughening mechanisms at different strain rates. Specimens from each horse were also analyzed for dry, wet and mineral densities, as well as weight percent mineral, in order to investigate possible influences of composition on mechanical behavior. Results indicate that bone has a higher compressive strength, but lower fracture toughness when tested dynamically as compared to quasi-static experiments. Fracture toughness also tends to decrease with age when measured quasi-statically, but shows little change with age under dynamic loading conditions, where brittle "cleavage-like" fracture behavior dominates.
Efficacy of two modified nonantibiotic formulations (Victory) for treatment of papillomatous digital dermatitis in dairy cows.

A field trial was conducted to compare the efficacy of the original and two modified formulations of Victory and oxytetracycline among dairy cows affected with papillomatous digital dermatitis. Seventy-eight cows with papillomatous digital dermatitis lesions were randomly allocated to one of four treatment groups (A, B, C, D). Cows in group A (n = 19) were treated with an oxytetracycline solution; cows in group B (n = 22) were treated with the original formulation of Victory containing soluble copper, peroxide compound, and a cationic agent; cows in group C (n = 17) were treated with a modified formulation of Victory containing reduced soluble copper and peroxide compound but increased levels of cationic agent; and cows in group D (n = 20) were treated with a modified formulation of Victory containing levels of soluble copper and cationic agent equivalent to the original formulation but with reduced concentrations of peroxide compound. Cows were examined 7, 14 and 28 d after initial treatment; during each examination, pain and lesion scores were recorded. The modified nonantibiotic formulation used in cows in group C appeared to be the most effective for treatment of papillomatous digital dermatitis. Proportions of cows with signs of pain were significantly lower among cows in group C, compared with cows in group A. Similarly, pain scores were significantly lower among cows in treatment group C, compared to cows in group A. The low efficacy of oxytetracycline was an unexpected result and may have clinical implications associated with possible antibiotic resistance in dairy cows affected with papillomatous digital dermatitis.
Acid–base behavior of poly (vinylpyrrolidone–vinylimidazole) copolymers

Copolymers of vinylimidazole and vinylpyrrolidone containing 0.7–24% of the former residue have been prepared. Titration behavior was examined over a range of temperature and at several ionic strengths. Intrinsic pK's, corrected for electrostatic effects, arc independent of mole fraction of imidazole residue in the copolymer. Nevertheless they are about 1.15 pK units lower than in the corresponding model small molecule, N-ethylimidazole. Enthalpies and entropies of ionization in the copolymer are changed by ionic strength. It is apparent that the charged state of an N-ethylimidazole residue placed in a macromolecular matrix is destabilized relative to the uncharged state because of changes in the local polymer or solvent environment.
The effect of neonatal exposure to diethylstilbestrol, genistein, and zearalenone on pituitary responsiveness and sexually dimorphic nucleus volume in the castrated adult rat

The neonatal hormone environment determines the sexually differentiated pattern of brain growth. Estrogens, derived from intracerebral aromatization of testosterone, promote male sexual central nervous system (CNS) development. Developing animals may also encounter estrogens from plant, fungal, and xenobiotic sources (environmental estrogens). The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of environmental estrogens on the physiology and morphology of the hypothalamus and pituitary. Neonatal rats received injections of either corn oil, 0.1 microgram diethylstilbestrol (DES), 100 micrograms genistein (G100), 1000 micrograms genistein (G1000), 100 micrograms zearalenone (Z100), or 1000 micrograms zearalenone (Z1000) on Days 1-10 of life and were castrated on Day 21. On Day 42, right heart catheters were placed, GnRH (50 ng/kg) was administered, and blood was sampled for LH at 0, 5, 10, 15, and 30 min. Females exposed neonatally to DES, G1000, Z100, and Z1000 showed significantly decreased pituitary responsiveness to GnRH, whereas G100 increased GnRH-induced LH secretion. Males exposed neonatally to G100 also showed increased pituitary response to GnRH, and the remaining estrogen-exposed groups of males exhibited either decreased tonic LH or attenuated GnRH-stimulated LH secretion. The animals were killed by decapitation on Day 49. Volumes of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) of the exposed groups were compared. In females, DES, G1000, and Z1000 increased SDN volume; Z100 and G100 had no effect. There was no difference in SDN size among the male groups. These data show that exposure to environmental estrogens early in development alters postpubertal pituitary response to GnRH and "androgenizes" the SDN-POA.
Tribune of the people: maintaining the legitimacy of aggressive journalism:

Public service is both an ideal that journalists aspire to, and a resource that they invoke strategically to maintain the legitimacy of their more aggressive conduct. Using a database of transcripts from broadcast news interviews in the USA, this article examines the circumstances under which journalist-interviewers present themselves as asking questions on behalf of the general public. Journalists deploy the practice selectively, most notably when engaged in aggressively probing or adversarial lines of questioning. This is because aligning with the public neutralizes and legitimates a question, and thereby increases the pressure on the interviewee to be forthcoming in response. This practice tends to be effective in inducing public figures to acquiesce to aggressive forms of questioning. Moreover, recurrent use of this practice affects the public image of journalism itself, giving it a distinctly populist cast.
Controlling chitosan-based encapsulation for protein and vaccine delivery

Abstract Chitosan-based nano/microencapsulation is under increasing investigation for the delivery of drugs, biologics and vaccines. Despite widespread interest, the literature lacks a defined methodology to control chitosan particle size and drug/protein release kinetics. In this study, the effects of precipitation–coacervation formulation parameters on chitosan particle size, protein encapsulation efficiency and protein release were investigated. Chitosan particle sizes, which ranged from 300 nm to 3 μm, were influenced by chitosan concentration, chitosan molecular weight and addition rate of precipitant salt. The composition of precipitant salt played a significant role in particle formation with upper Hofmeister series salts containing strongly hydrated anions yielding particles with a low polydispersity index (PDI) while weaker anions resulted in aggregated particles with high PDIs. Sonication power had minimal effect on mean particle size, however, it significantly reduced polydispersity. Protein loading efficiencies in chitosan nano/microparticles, which ranged from 14.3% to 99.2%, were inversely related to the hydration strength of precipitant salts, protein molecular weight and directly related to the concentration and molecular weight of chitosan. Protein release rates increased with particle size and were generally inversely related to protein molecular weight. This study demonstrates that chitosan nano/microparticles with high protein loading efficiencies can be engineered with well-defined sizes and controllable release kinetics through manipulation of specific formulation parameters.
Disturbance attenuation for systems with real parametric uncertainty

We discuss the problem of parameter independent controller synthesis to provide quadratic stability and a desirable disturbance attenuation level (through an appropriately small L/sub 2/ gain) for systems with time varying, real parametric uncertainty. Through the use of skew symmetric matrices, the conservatism of standard scaled H/sub /spl infin// approach is reduced. While the full state feedback problem is convex, the output feedback problem is not. A set of conditions under which the design of output feedback controllers can be broken into two sequential convex problems is presented. The results are compared with recent results in design of parameter-varying controllers and a simple result regarding the mixed problem (where some of the unknown parameters can be measured on line) is discussed. An example is presented to illustrate the proposed approach.
Metaphosphate synthesis by an enzyme from Escherichia coli.

Abstract 1. 1. An enzyme that synthesizes metaphosphate has been purified more than 100-fold from extracts of Escherichia coli. The reaction may be described by the equation: 2. 2. Only the terminal phosphate group of ATP was found in the polymer. Since ADP, the other product of the reaction, proved to be a very potent inhibitor, an ATPregenerating system was generally coupled to the reaction. 3. 3. Inorganic pyrophosphate (PP), but not inorganic orthophosphate or adenine nucleotide, was incorporated into metaphosphate. However, the lack of a requirement for PP and the absence of any inhibition by PPase leaves the nature of the true primer (PO3−)n in doubt. 4. 4. The phosphate polymer has been characterized as a long-chain metaphosphate because it (a) induces metachromasy, (b) forms an acid-insoluble complex with protein, (c) is nondialyzable, (d) is labile to acid and alkali, (e) binds tenaciously to anion exchange resins, and (f) is not attacked by nucleases.
Mid- and Far-Infrared Infrared Space Observatory Limits on Dust Disks around Millisecond Pulsars

We report 60 and 90 μm observations of seven millisecond pulsars with the Infrared Space Observatory. The pulsar PSR B1257+12 is orbited by three planets, and other millisecond pulsars may be orbited by dust disks that represent planets that failed to form or their residue. We do not detect any infrared emission from the seven pulsars in our sample, and typical upper limits are 100 mJy. Using a simple model, we constrain the typical dust disk mass to be on the order of less than 100 M⊕, assuming that the heating of any putative dust disk would be coupled only weakly to the pulsar's emission. If the planets around PSR B1257+12 are composed largely of metals, our limits are probably an order of magnitude above plausible values for the disk mass in metals. Future observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope should be capable of probing into the range of disk masses that could plausibly give rise to planets.
The Next Generation: Research for Twenty-First-Century Public Policy on Children and Advertising

Abstract The articles in this special section of Journal of Public Policy & Marketing examine topics that are fundamental to the emerging understanding about how children and adolescents cope with modern marketing practices. The articles take stock of current research about child and adolescent development, and they identify important opportunities for research that are relevant to public policy on preparing children for tomorrow's marketplace.
Modeling of charge switching in ferroelectric capacitors

To simulate charge switching in ferroelectric capacitors, a pair of exponential growth and decay currents is mapped to the process of polarization reversal. This is based on the fact that these exponential currents [i.e., i = I/sub m/e/sup t///sup /spl tau//(t /spl les/ 0) and i = I/sub m/e/sup -t///sup /spl tau//(t /spl ges/ 0)], are completely specified by two constants I/sub m/ and /spl tau/ and each accommodates an integral charge Q = I/sub m//spl middot//spl tau/. Equating this charge to the remanent spontaneous polarization allows for the modeling of switching current. For practical circuit simulations for charge switching, this modeling of switching current is simplified to an exponential decay current whose integral charge is set equal to the total reversed spontaneous polarization. This is because an exponential decay current can be conveniently implemented by charging a series resistor and capacitor (RC) circuit with a pulse-voltage source. The voltage transitions of the pulse source are associated with the polarization reversal and can be controlled with a noninverting Schmitt trigger that toggles at the positive and negative coercive voltages of a ferroelectric capacitor. The final circuit model incorporates such electrical and geometrical parameters as capacitance, remanent spontaneous polarization, coercive field, electrode area, and film thickness of a ferroelectric, thin-film capacitor.
Pharmacogenomics: candidate gene identification, functional validation and mechanisms

Pharmacogenetics is the study of the role of inheritance in variation in drug response phenotypes. Those phenotypes can range from life-threatening adverse drugs reactions at one end of the spectrum to equally serious lack of therapeutic efficacy at the other. Over the past half century, pharmacogenetics has—like all of medical genetics—evolved from a discipline with a focus on monogenetic traits to become pharmacogenomics, with a genome-wide perspective. This article will briefly review recent examples of the application of genome-wide techniques to clinical pharmacogenomic studies and to pharmacogenomic model systems that vary from cell line-based model systems to yeast gene deletion libraries. Functional validation of candidate genes and the use of genome-wide techniques to gain mechanistic insights will be emphasized for the establishment of biological plausibility and as essential follow-up steps after the identification of candidate genes.
β-adrenoceptor blockers protect against staurosporine-induced apoptosis in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells

The beta-adrenoceptor blockers exhibit a well-characterized anti-apoptotic property in the heart and kidney while less is known about the effect of this class of drugs on neuronal apoptosis. We studied the effects of three beta-adrenoceptor blockers propranolol (1-(isoproplyamino)-3-(naphthalene-1-yloxy)propan-2-ol), atenolol (2-[4-[2-hydroxy-3-(1-methylethylamino)propoxyl]phenyl]ehanamide), and ICI 118551 (1-[2,3-(dihydro-7-methyl-1H-iden-4-yl)oxy]-3-[(1-methylethyl)amino]-2-butanol), against staurosporine-induced apoptosis in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells. Staurosporine increased caspase 3-like activity, DNA fragmentation, PARP cleavage, and the number of TUNEL positive cells consistent with the induction of apoptosis. Propranolol and ICI 118551, but not atenolol, demonstrated a concentration-dependent inhibition of caspase 3-like activity. Propranolol and ICI 118551 directly inhibited the enzymatic activity of recombinant caspase 9 while atenolol did not; however, none of the beta-adrenoceptor blockers that were examined directly blocked caspases 2 or 3 activity. In isolated mitochondria, propranolol and ICI 118551 inhibited staurosporine-induced cytochrome c release while atenolol did not. We conclude that propranolol and ICI 118551 protect SH-SY5Y cells against staurosporine-induced apoptosis through a dual action on the mitochondria and on caspase 9 in a cell type and an apoptotic paradigm where the conventional inhibitors of mitochondrial permeability transition such as cyclosporin A and bongkrekic acid demonstrate no protection.
Hyperlipidemia associated with protease inhibitor therapy.

OBJECTIVE:To report a case of extreme hyperlipidemia associated with protease inhibitor–based antiretroviral therapy and review the relevant literature concerning lipid abnormalities with HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy.CASE SUMMARY:A 35-year-old HIV-infected man developed a serum cholesterol of 1472 mg/dL and fasting serum triglycerides of 8660 mg/dL after initiation of antiretroviral therapy consisting of ritonavir, saquinavir, nevirapine, and didanosine. All other medications had been stable during this time period and the abnormality resolved after discontinuation of antiretroviral therapy and initiation of lipid-lowering therapy. The elevated cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations did not recur when therapy was reinstituted with nelfinavir, saquinavir, nevirapine, and didanosine. The hyperlipidemia then was attributed to ritonavir.DISCUSSION:Lipid abnormalities are common in patients with HIV infection and usually consist of hypocholesterolemia and moderate hypertriglyceridemia. Hyperch...
New Radiographic Parameter Assessing Hindfoot Alignment in Stage II Adult-Acquired Flatfoot Deformity

Background:The hindfoot moment arm is a reliable measurement of hindfoot valgus deformity in stage II adult-acquired flatfoot deformity (AAFD) and can be used to guide intraoperative correction of the hindfoot. There is currently little understanding of how the hindfoot moment arm relates to angular measurements of hindfoot alignment. The purpose of this study was to develop a new hindfoot alignment angle that can reliably quantify hindfoot valgus in patients with AAFD and to establish the relationship of this angle with the hindfoot moment arm.Methods:Preoperative hindfoot alignment radiographs were reviewed for 10 consecutive patients (10 feet) who were indicated for reconstruction for stage II AAFD. A second group of 10 patients (10 feet) without flatfoot were identified to serve as normal controls. The hindfoot moment arm and the new hindfoot alignment angle were measured in blinded fashion by 2 readers. Reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). The difference in angle...
A thermodynamic model for estimating sea and lake ice thickness with optical satellite data

[1] Sea ice is a very important indicator and an effective modulator of regional and global climate change. Current remote sensing techniques provide an unprecedented opportunity to monitor the cryosphere routinely with relatively high spatial and temporal resolutions. In this paper, we introduce a thermodynamic model to estimate sea and lake ice thickness with optical (visible, near-infrared, and infrared) satellite data. Comparisons of nighttime ice thickness retrievals to ice thickness measurements from upward looking submarine sonar show that this thermodynamic model is capable of retrieving ice thickness up to 2.8 m. The mean absolute error is 0.18 m for samples with a mean ice thickness of 1.62 m, i.e., an 11% mean absolute error. Comparisons with in situ Canadian stations and moored upward looking sonar measurements show similar results. Sensitivity studies indicate that the largest errors come from uncertainties in surface albedo and downward solar radiation flux estimates from satellite data, followed by uncertainties in snow depth and cloud fractional coverage. Due to the relatively large uncertainties in current satellite retrievals of surface albedo and surface downward shortwave radiation flux, the current model is not recommended for use with daytime data. For nighttime data, the model is capable of resolving regional and seasonal variations in ice thickness and is useful for climatological analysis.
Beyond DNA Repair: DNA-PK Function in Cancer

The DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) is a pivotal component of the DNA repair machinery that governs the response to DNA damage, serving to maintain genome integrity. However, the DNA-PK kinase component was initially isolated with transcriptional complexes, and recent findings have illuminated the impact of DNA-PK–mediated transcriptional regulation on tumor progression and therapeutic response. DNA-PK expression has also been correlated with poor outcome in selected tumor types, further underscoring the importance of understanding its role in disease. Herein, the molecular and cellular consequences of DNA-PK are considered, with an eye toward discerning the rationale for therapeutic targeting of DNA-PK. Significance: Although DNA-PK is classically considered a component of damage response, recent findings illuminate damage-independent functions of DNA-PK that affect multiple tumor-associated pathways and provide a rationale for the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Cancer Discov; 4(10); 1126–39. ©2014 AACR .
Scheherezade Goes West

Madmedea is an avatar of the fabled Scheherezade of the Arabian Nights, a response/challenge to Heiner Muller's texts, and more. “What could constitute an effective interruptive feminist performance to halt, reverse, and challenge the imperialist/patriarchal performances of globalized power and dominance in their postmodern capitalist permutations masquerading as a New World Order? In my performative identity as Muslim/South Asian/Other/Woman, how far can I really go (am permitted to go?) to jam the machinery, to interrupt business-as-usual?”
Efficient ArF laser production and detection of carbon atoms from simple hydrocarbons

Excimer lasers are currently being utilized as a means of photofragmentation and fragment excitation for chemical detection purposes. In the case of small hydrocarbons, this phenomenon is generally not well characterized and is poorly understood. Experiments aimed at a better understanding of the interaction of simple carbon-containing molecules with the ArF (193-nm) excimer laser and at exploring the potential analytical applications of this process are described. Specifically, carbon atoms were generated by multiphoton photolysis of CO, CH(4), C(2)H(2), C(3)H(8), CH(3)OH, and CH(3)COCH(3) using the ArF laser. Their presence was detected by two sensitive methods, laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and resonance ionization emission spectroscopy (RIES), both of which take advantage of the coincident overlap between the ArF laser and the(1)D(2) ? (1)P(1)(0) transition at 193.1 nm with emission detection at 247.9 nm. The RIES method detects single photons resulting from the photolytically produced carbon ion recombination and relaxation processes. An enhancement in the RIES signal was observed when a second tunable laser pulse operating at 247.9 nm followed the ArF laser pulse. Both methods not only offer sensitive detection of the photolytic precursor molecules but also require only relatively simple experimental apparatus. Detection levels for the precursor molelcule considerably lower than 10(11)/cc for LIF and 10(12)/cc for RIES can be estimated based on the observed rates of signal production.
RNA location and modeling of a WD40 repeat domain within the vault.

The vault complex is a ubiquitous 13-MDa ribonucleoprotein assembly, composed of three proteins (TEP1, 240 kDa; VPARP, 193 kDa; and MVP, 100 kDa) that are highly conserved in eukaryotes and an untranslated RNA (vRNA). The vault has been shown to affect multidrug resistance in cancer cells, and one particular component, MVP, is thought to play a role in the transport of drug from the nucleus. To locate the position of the vRNA, vaults were treated with RNases, and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) was performed on the resulting complexes. Using single-particle reconstruction techniques, 3,476 particle images were combined to generate a 22-A-resolution structure. Difference mapping between the RNase-treated vault and the previously calculated intact vault reconstructions reveals the vRNA to be at the ends of the vault caps. In this position, the vRNA may interact with both the interior and exterior environments of the vault. The finding of a 16-fold density ring at the top of the cap has allowed modeling of the WD40 repeat domain of the vault TEP1 protein within the cryo-EM vault density. Both stoichiometric considerations and the finding of higher resolution for the computationally selected and refined “barrel only” images indicate a possible symmetry mismatch between the barrel and the caps. The molecular architecture of the complex is emerging, with 96 copies of MVP composing the eightfold symmetric barrel, and the vRNA together with one copy of TEP1 and four predicted copies of VPARP comprising each cap.
Rule-based real-time implementation of nonlinear self-synthesizing control systems

The author describes the implementation of advanced nonlinear control systems by combining recent advances in nonlinear control system synthesis with a rule-based system approach to real-time control. The basic idea is that a nonlinear plant to be controlled could be quite sensitive to both operating point and input amplitude, so that the best control system performance is obtained with a nonlinear controller that is returned or resynthesized whenever the operating point changes significantly in the sense that the nonlinear control system input/output behavior changes substantially in an undesirable way. The control system thus obtained is hierarchically organized, with a standard reprogrammable controller under the direction of a rule-based system. >
Fault-Aware Runtime Strategies for High-Performance Computing

As the scale of parallel systems continues to grow, fault management of these systems is becoming a critical challenge. While existing research mainly focuses on developing or improving fault tolerance techniques, a number of key issues remain open. In this paper, we propose runtime strategies for spare node allocation and job rescheduling in response to failure prediction. These strategies, together with failure predictor and fault tolerance techniques, construct a runtime system called FARS (Fault-Aware Runtime System). In particular, we propose a 0-1 knapsack model and demonstrate its flexibility and effectiveness for reallocating running jobs to avoid failures. Experiments, by means of synthetic data and real traces from production systems, show that FARS has the potential to significantly improve system productivity (i.e., performance and reliability).
Child disability screening, nutrition, and early learning in 18 countries with low and middle incomes: data from the third round of UNICEF's Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (2005–06)

Summary Background Child disability is an emerging global health priority. To address the need for internationally comparable information about the frequency and situation of children with disabilities, UNICEF has recommended that countries include the Ten Questions screen for disability in the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) programme. We examined child disability screening and its association with nutrition and early learning in countries with low and middle incomes. Methods Cross-sectional data for the percentage of children screening positive for or at risk of disability were obtained for 191 199 children aged 2–9 years in 18 countries participating in the third round of MICS in 2005–06. Screening results were descriptively analysed according to sociodemographic, nutritional, early-learning, and schooling variables. We constructed a weighted analysis to account for the sampling design in every country and tested for differences within countries using χ 2 analyses. Findings A median 23% (range 3–48) of children aged 2–9 years screened positive for disability in the 18 participating countries. For children aged 2–4 years, screening positive for disability was significantly more likely in children who were not breastfed versus those who were (median 36% [9–56] vs 26% [4–51]) in eight of 18 countries, in children who had not received vitamin A supplementation versus those who had (36% [7–53] vs 29% [4–50]) in five of ten countries assessed, in children who met criteria for stunting (26% [6–54]) or being underweight (36% [3–61]) versus those who did not (25% [3–42] and 26% [4–43], respectively) in five of 15 countries assessed for stunting and in seven of 15 countries assessed for being underweight, and in those who participated in few early-learning activities versus others (31% [7–54] vs 24% [4–51]) in eight of 18 countries. Children aged 6–9 years who did not attend school screened positive for disability more often than did children attending school (29% [2–83] vs 22% [3–47]) in eight of 18 countries. Interpretation Our results draw attention to the need for improved global capacity to assess and provide services for children at risk of disability. Further research is needed in countries with low and middle incomes to understand and address the role of nutritional deficiencies and restricted access to learning opportunities as both potential antecedents of childhood disability and consequences of discrimination. Funding UNICEF; Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA.
The use of need‐based segmentation for developing segment‐specific direct marketing strategies

Abstract Increasing costs, competition, and consumer skepticism present serious challenges to the growth of direct marketing. The future success of direct marketing firms rests with their ability to exploit their inherent competitive advantages. One critical advantage is their ability to target very specific groups of customers with individualized marketing programs. This article supports a segmentation approach to targeting customer groups based on both the needs underlying a purchase and descriptive buyer data. The steps for performing a need-based segmentation analysis are discussed. This is followed by a section pertaining to the implementation of direct marketing programs based on the results of the benefit/buyer motive segmentation analysis.