cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quality of life in octogenarians after open heart surgery

Objectives To determine the quality of life in octogenarians after open heart surgery. Background Despite an increasing number of cardiac operations on octogenarians, the outcome as measured by functional status, independence of living, and psychological parameters of quality of life remain unproved. Methods Two groups of octogenarians (group 1, undergoing operation in 1986; group 2 in 1991) were reviewed retrospectively to determine operative mortality and functional results. Results Group 1 (n=15, mean age of 83.2 years) and group 2 (n=53, mean age 83.0 years) were studied. Operations included isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (group 1, 10; group 2, 29) and valve replacements±coronary artery bypass grafting±other procedures (group 1: 5; group 2, 24). Group 1 had 9% hospital mortality and 53% actuarial survival after a mean follow-up of 6.3 years. Group 2 had 17% hospital mortality and 72% actuarial survival after a mean follow-up of 1.5 years. At follow-up, significant improvements were observed in New York Heart Association (NYHA) angina class, congestive cardiac failure class, number of cardiovascular symptoms, and indices for satisfaction with overall life and general affect in both groups. Further, group 2 also showed significant improvements in independence of living, ease of life, and Karnofsky dependency category, but these improvements were less evident in group 1 after a longer period of follow-up. At follow-up, 75% of group 1 and 84% of group 2 octogenarians would definitely have made the same decision to undergo open heart surgery in retrospect. Conclusion This study demonstrates improved quality of life after open heart surgery in octogenarians.
Deliberate Distal Displacement of a Middle Cerebral Artery Embolus as an Alternative Method to Treat a Thrombolytic-Resistant Clot

To the Editor: Intra-arterial administration of fibrinolytic agents remains the primary endovascular option for patients with acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) thromboembolic disease.1,2 However, the use of fibrinolytic agents is usually limited to a 3- to 6-hour window, is contraindicated in certain circumstances,3 and has little or no effect against some types of clots (organized or tissue emboli, for example). In addition, fibrinolytic agents are associated with a risk of hemorrhage both at the site of the ischemic lesion and in remote intracranial and extracranial locations. As a result of these constraints, mechanical treatment options have recently been developed, including thromboaspiration techniques and thrombectomy devices.4 We illustrate our experience in a patient with acute MCA ischemia, in whom a proximal MCA clot was purposefully advanced into a distal branch in order to limit the extent of tissue infarction. Our patient was a …
Implementation of Building Information Modeling into Accredited Programs in Architecture and Construction Education

There are many benefits of building information modeling (BIM) to the construction industry when compared to the traditional approach to design and construction. To properly prepare students, many schools are introducing BIM in their coursework as a response to the current and future needs of the construction industry. The aim of this research was to evaluate the current implementation of BIM and to identify trends in the teaching of BIM in architecture and construction academic programs. A survey that investigated the implementation of BIM into accredited programs in architecture and construction education was sent to architecture and construction schools in the U.S. The survey results indicated that most architecture and construction schools either have an interest in or have already implemented BIM into their curriculum. The majority of the schools expected students to have a basic knowledge of BIM upon graduation; perceived BIM as important to industry; and planned to fully integrate BIM into their cu...
The role of collagen crosslinking in the increased stiffness of avian dystrophic muscle

The resting tension and stiffness in the range of sarcomere lengths 2.4-3.6 microns were studied in highly inbred normal and dystrophic chicken pectoral muscle bundles, and the results were compared with the collagen content and the extent of crosslinkage of the collagen. All parameters increased in the order normal homozygote (003/003) less than heterozygote (003/433) less than dystrophic homozygote (433/433) chickens, with the data from the heterozygotes being halfway between the two homozygotes, thus exhibiting a semi-dominant inheritance pattern. In separate experiments, lathyrism was induced by treating normal (412/412) and dystrophic (413/413) chickens with alpha-acetoaminonitrile, an inhibitor of lysyl oxydase, the enzyme responsible for the initiation of collagen crosslinkage formation. These experiments showed that the tension and stiffness in response to passive stretch did not change with lathyrism in normal muscles, whereas the tension and stiffness decreased significantly with lathyrism in dystrophic muscles. The collagen content did not change with lathryrism in both normal and dystrophic muscles. These results indicate that the increased content of collagen crosslinkages is the basis for the increased resting tension and stiffness in the dystrophic muscles of the chicken, and that the effects can be reversed by treatment with an inhibitor of collagen crosslinkage formation.
Straight Needle Technique for Suturing Posterior Chamber Lenses to the Iris in the Aphakic Eye

There has been a renewal of interest in suturing lenses to the posterior surface of the iris because of complications and general uneasiness about blindly suturing posterior chamber lenses through the ciliary body and sclera. I use a modification of the technique of Navia, using Ethicon 16 mm straight needles through a limbal wound. The results to date have been excellent.
Poster 5: Usefulness of Two Brief Cognitive Screening Measures in Huntington's Disease

Objective To analyze performance and rate of change on two brief cognitive measures in Huntington's disease (HD). Background Little is known about tracking change on brief cognitive tests in HD. The Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) are two cognitive measures of 30 points each that take about 10 minutes to administer. Methods HD subjects (n = 49) were tested on both the MMSE and MoCA in counterbalanced order at baseline and approximately 1 year later. Subjects who declined were compared with those who did not on multiple clinical features. Results The overall group of HD subjects showed a mean age of 50.8 (SD = 12.9) yrs, education of 13.9 (SD = 2.5) yrs, Independence Scale score of 70.5 (SD = 11.3), and CAG repeats of 44.7 (SD = 3.9). Mean baseline scores were 24.5 (SD = 3.5) on the MMSE and 20.0 (SD = 5.1) on the MoCA. The annualized rate of change for HD subjects was 0.72 points per year on the MMSE and 1.1 points per year on the MoCA. Approximately one half of subjects did not decline over time. Of those who did, annualized rates of change were 2.3 points on the MMSE and 2.5 points on the MoCA. When subjects who declined were compared with those who did not, there were no significant differences with regard to most clinical and demographic features (including age, education, CAG repeats, UHDRS motor score, baseline MMSE or MoCA scores). Only the Independence Scale suggested a difference between those who declined (mean = 67.0; SD = 9.8) on the MMSE vs those who did not (mean = 74.3; SD = 12.1, p = 0.026). Conclusions Both the MMSE and MoCA appear to have utility as brief cognitive instruments in HD. Surprisingly, although the MoCA may be better for detecting cognitive deficits, the MMSE, which better reflects functional decline, may be more useful for tracking disease progression.
Antibodies reactive with cell surface carbohydrates.

Abstract Normal and immune sera from various animal species were fractionated on columns of Sepharose covalently coupled with the glycoprotein fetuin. Elution of the material bound to fetuin yielded low but reproducible amounts of protein, ranging from 0.02 to 0.2% of the protein mass of the input sera. This material has been identified by immunoelectrophoresis in agar and by zone electrophoresis on cellulose acetate as immunoglobulin. The Ig fractions bound and agglutinated erythrocytes of various species, and also bound to cells from various mouse tissues including heart, kidney, thymus, and spleen. In all cases, the binding was inhibited by glycoproteins such as fetuin and thyroglobulin, by a glycopeptide isolated from fetuin, and by some bacterial lipopolysaccharides. When the binding of these Ig fractions to mouse splenocytes was tested in the presence of 17 saccharides, no inhibition of binding was observed except by sialic acid, D-galactose, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, and D-mannose, all of which showed partial inhibition. Inasmuch as these four saccharides are present on the carbohydrate moiety of fetuin, the results suggest that the isolated material is a carbohydrate-specific Ig (CS-Ig) fraction of serum capable of binding to the carbohydrate portion of cell surface receptors and glycoproteins. When bound to lymphocytes, these CS-Ig molecules induced redistribution (patching and capping) of cell surface receptors. Moreover, the CS-Ig fractions from chicken and rabbit sera were weakly mitogenic for mouse splenic lymphocytes. CS-Ig fractions are useful new reagents for studying glycoproteins and the interactions and activities of cell surface carbohydrates.
Numerical Simulation of Complex Reservoir Problems and the Need for a Different Line of Attack

17 We began a major research effort on production and recovery mechanisms in fractured petroleum reservoirs in 1990. By 1998, the research efforts gave us a clear understanding of various processes including reinfiltration and the effect of capillary pressure contrast. During the same period, we also made efforts to simulate laboratory flow testing. The senior author was also involved in the study of several fractured reservoirs in different parts of the world. It was gradually recognized that the available numerical-simulation models were not fit for the study of some of the fractured reservoirs, nor can they be used for some laboratory-scale problems. After an extensive literature review in various disciplines, we embarked on reservoir simulation research with the intention of developing new models for simulation of fractured reservoirs. We were convinced that a new approach is needed. In this article, after a brief review of the three approaches in reservoir simulation, results of our recent efforts in the simulation of complex reservoir problems are presented.
The effect of temperature and photoperiod on gas exchange in the leopard frog, Rana pipiens

Abstract 1. 1. Determinations of pulmonary and cutaneous gas exchange (V O 2 and V O 2 ) were made on frogs acclimatized to temperatures of 5°, 15° and 25°C at 8-hr and 16-hr photoperiods. 2. 2. Lungs supplied 48 per cent of the total oxygen consumed at 5°C and 66 per cent at 25°C. Approximately 75 per cent of the CO 2 was released through the skin at 5° and 15°C, and 56 per cent at 25°C. 3. 3. Oxygen uptake was recorded over periods of 24–48 consecutive hours. Under some of the acclimation conditions a daily rhythym in metabolism was observed.
De novo prediction of protein folding pathways and structure using the principle of sequential stabilization

Motivated by the relationship between the folding mechanism and the native structure, we develop a unified approach for predicting folding pathways and tertiary structure using only the primary sequence as input. Simulations begin from a realistic unfolded state devoid of secondary structure and use a chain representation lacking explicit side chains, rendering the simulations many orders of magnitude faster than molecular dynamics simulations. The multiple round nature of the algorithm mimics the authentic folding process and tests the effectiveness of sequential stabilization (SS) as a search strategy wherein 2° structural elements add onto existing structures in a process of progressive learning and stabilization of structure found in prior rounds of folding. Because no a priori knowledge is used, we can identify kinetically significant non-native interactions and intermediates, sometimes generated by only two mutations, while the evolution of contact matrices is often consistent with experiments. Moreover, structure prediction improves substantially by incorporating information from prior rounds. The success of our simple, homology-free approach affirms the validity of our description of the primary determinants of folding pathways and structure, and the effectiveness of SS as a search strategy.
Thermal and metabolic relations of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, from a heated reservoir and a hatchery in north central texas

Abstract 1. 1. Routine metabolic rates of largemouth bass from a heated reservoir and a nearby hatchery in north central Texas were similar from 10–30°C in summer and winter. 2. 2. The weight exponent and Q 10 's for metabolism in Texas bass were similar to those published for northern populations. 3. 3. Texas bass had lower metabolic rates than those published for northern populations when compared at common temperatures. 4. 4. Results suggest that northern populations have apparently adapted metabolic rate-temperature patterns which enable similar levels of metabolism under colder climatic conditions.
Rho GTPase activity in the honey bee mushroom bodies is correlated with age and foraging experience

Foraging experience is correlated with structural plasticity of the mushroom bodies of the honey bee brain. While several neurotransmitter and intracellular signaling pathways have been previously implicated as mediators of these structural changes, none interact directly with the cytoskeleton, the ultimate effector of changes in neuronal morphology. The Rho family of GTPases are small, monomeric G proteins that, when activated, initiate a signaling cascade that reorganizes the neuronal cytoskeleton. In this study, we measured activity of two members of the Rho family of GTPases, Rac and RhoA, in the mushroom bodies of bees with different durations of foraging experience. A transient increase in Rac activity coupled with a transient decrease in RhoA activity was found in honey bees with 4 days foraging experience compared with same-aged new foragers. These observations are in accord with previous reports based on studies of other species of a growth supporting role for Rac and a growth opposing role for RhoA. This is the first report of Rho GTPase activation in the honey bee brain.
Common Etiology of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity via Elevated Nitric Oxide/Peroxynitrite

Three types of overlap occur among the disease states chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They share common symptoms. Many patients meet the criteria for diagnosis for two or more of these disorders and each disorder appears to be often induced by a relatively short-term stress which is followed by a chronic pathology, suggesting that the stress may act by inducing a self-perpetuating vicious cycle. Such a vicious cycle mechanism has been proposed to explain the etiology of CFS and MCS, based on elevated levels of nitric oxide and its potent oxidant product, peroxynitrite. Six positive feedback loops were proposed to act such that when peroxynitrite levels are elevated, they may remain elevated. The biochemistry involved is not highly tissue-specific, so that variation in symptoms may be explained by a variation in nitric oxide/peroxynitrite tissue distribution. The evidence for the same biochemical mechanism in the etiology of PTSD and FM is discussed here, and while less extensive than in the case of CFS and MCS, it is nevertheless suggestive. Evidence supporting the role of elevated nitric oxide/peroxynitrite in these four disease states is summarized, including induction of nitric oxide by common apparent inducers of these disease states, markers of elevated nitric oxide/peroxynitrite in patients and evidence for an inductive role of elevated nitric oxide in animal models. This theory appears to be the first to provide a mechanistic explanation for the multiple overlaps of these disease states and it also explains the origin of many of their common symptoms and similarity to both Gulf War syndrome and chronic sequelae of carbon monoxide toxicity. This theory suggests multiple studies that should be performed to further test this proposed mechanism. If this mechanism proves central to the etiology of these four conditions, it may also be involved in other conditions of currently obscure etiology and criteria are suggested for identifying such conditions.
QUANTITATICN OF LYMPHOCYTE IMMUNOGLOBULIN BIOSYNTHESIS

Quantitaticn of peripheral blood lymphocyte immunoglobulin biosynthesis was evaluated as a method for detection of humoral immunodeficiency. Lymphocytes isolated from 3-15 cc of heparinized blood, using Ficoll-Hypaque gradients, were incubated in leucine free medium (1×106 cells/cc) with tritiated leucine for 48 and 72 hrs. Newly synthesized secreted IgG and total immunoalobulins were measured using specific anti-immunoglobulin antibodies coupled to insoluble bromacetylcellulose. Synthesis was readily detected in newborn infants as young as 28 wks gestation. The normal range (6 individuals) for total immunoglobulin synthesis and IgG synthesis was 1.3-5.5%, and 0.3-1.6%, respectively, of total secreted proteins. The lymphocytes of a patient with X-linked agammaglobulinemia synthesized no immunoglobulins. In a patient with non-X-linked agammaglobulinemia (with B-cells), total immunoglobulin and IgG synthesis was 0.20% and 0.13%, respectively. A patient with common variable hypogammaglobulinemia (normal IgM, low IgG, absent IgA) also showed depressed synthesis (total immunoglobulins 0.70%, IgG 0.40%). Quantitation of lymphocyte immunoglobulin biosynthesis appears to be a useful technique for the early diagnosis of humoral immunodeficiency and may be of potential value for the detection of immunodeficiency disease carriers.
Missing links: a review of methods used to estimate trophic links in soil food webs

Abstract Analysis of trophic interactions in soil food webs requires methods for obtaining reliable trophic information and organizing that information into functional units. Methods of obtaining trophic information about soil organisms fall into three general categories: (I) direct observation; (II) gut content analysis; (III) experiment/inference. Trophic information is interpreted using two conceptual models: (1) food webs (i.e. maps of feeding relationships among trophic species); (2) trophic levels (i.e. sequentially diminishing energy levels). Trophic classifications often confound these two conceptual models by defining an organism's feeding behavior in terms of trophic levels (e.g. herbivore, carnivore, detritivore) or pseudotrophic levels (e.g. fungivore, nematophage, insectivore). Simplistic trophic classifications miss many of the links in real food webs, result in theory based on false assumptions and limit the application of ecological principles to applied research.
Flea Control: An Overview of Treatment Concepts for North America.

Resume— L'approche d'un controle anti puces souligne Pimportance de la communication entre le veterinaire et le proprietaire d'un animal de compagnie, communication qui implique la connaissance de chaque cas de figure individuel. Une revue des antiparasitaires usuels est brievement presentee incluant les principes actifs et leur classification. Les concepts de mise en place d'un programme de controle anti puces qui sont presentes incluent aussi bien les aspects de controle des puces a l'interieur des habitations et dans le milieu exerieur, que les produits et methodes utilisees pour traiter l'animal. Les produits les plus recents utilises dans la lutte antipuces sont presentes, comme les regulateurs de croissance des insectes, les inhibiteurs de croissance des insectes, les traitements utilisant des nematodes, et les composes a base de borate. [MacDon-ald, J. M. Flea control: an overview of treatment concepts for North America (Controle antipuces: revue des concepts de traitement en Amerique du Nord). Resumen— El enfoque al control de pulgas pone de manifiesto la importancia de la interrelacion entre el veterinario y el propietario del animal, siendo necesario un conocimiento de las condiciones especiales en casos individuales. Se presenta una breve revision de los parasiticidas mas comunes, con un listado de los compuestos activos y su clasificacion. Se presentan los principios para el diseno de un programa de control de pulgas, incluyendo el control dentro y fuera de la vivienda, asi como productos y metodos para tratar el animal. Se revisan los productos mas recientes utilizados para el control de pulgas como reguladores del crecimiento de insectos, reguladores del desarrollo de insectos, tratamiento de nematodos y compuestos de borato. [MacDonald, J. M. Flea control: an overview of treatment concepts for North America (Control de pulgas: un repaso a los principios sobre tratamiento en Norte-America). Abstract— The approach to flea control emphasizes the importance of interrelationships between veterinarian and pet owner requiring knowledge of the unique environment of individual cases. A review of common parasiticides is briefly presented listing active ingredients and their classification. Concepts of developing a flea control program are presented that include aspects of inside and outside flea control as well as products and methods used to treat the pet. Newer products used in flea control are reviewed including insect growth regulators, insect development inhibitors, nematode treatment and borate compounds.
“Young Goodman Brown” and the Mathers

“‘Young Goodman Brown’ and the Mathers” contends that Hawthorne's famous tale is an allegorical representation of Increase and Cotton Mather's agency in bringing about the Salem witch trials through their demonological publications.
Authority vs Affinity: Modeling User Intent in Expert Finding

This paper considers the problem of recommending experts for a question. The problem of expert finding has been investigated in the past, within the context of information retrieval, where the focus has been on measuring expert authority. However, we treat the problem as a recommendation problem in the context of social search, that is, expert recommendations are personalized for a questioner based on his/her history. The intuition is that questioners look not only for authoritative responders, but for a combination of authority and personal trust or affinity. The significance of these factors depends on user intent in asking the question, and varies with each question, and with questioner personality. An iterative algorithm is proposed to model user intent for a question in terms of whether they are looking for authoritative experts, or individuals in their social networks, and an expert recommendation algorithm based on it is tested on data crawled from the Yahoo! Answers website.
A two-dimensional dynamic anatomical model of the human knee joint.

The objective of this study is to develop a two-dimensional dynamic model of the knee joint to simulate its response under sudden impact. The knee joint is modeled as two rigid bodies, representing a fixed femur and a moving tibia, connected by 10 nonlinear springs representing the different fibers of the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments, the medial and lateral collateral ligaments, and the posterior part of the capsule. In the analysis, the joint profiles were represented by polynomials. Model equations include three nonlinear differential equations of motion and three nonlinear algebraic equations representing the geometric constraints. A single point contact was assumed to exist at all times. Numerical solutions were obtained by applying Newmark constant-average-acceleration scheme of differential approximation to transform the motion equations into a set of nonlinear simultaneous algebraic equations. The equations reduced thus to six nonlinear algebraic equations in six unknowns. The Newton-Raphson iteration technique was then used to obtain the solution. Knee response was determined under sudden rectangular pulsing posterior forces applied to the tibia and having different amplitudes and durations. The results indicate that increasing pulse amplitude and/or duration produced a decrease in the magnitude of the tibio-femoral contact force, indicating thus a reduction in the joint stiffness. It was found that the anterior fibers of the posterior cruciate and the medial collateral ligaments are the primary restraints for a posterior forcing pulse in the range of 20 to 90 degrees of knee flexion; this explains why most isolated posterior cruciate ligament injuries and combined injuries to the posterior cruciate ligament and the medial collateral results from a posterior impact on a flexed knee.
Developmental Differences of Alkaline Phosphatase Zymograms from Drosophila melanogaster and D. ananassae

Developmental Differences of Alkaline Phosphatase Zymograms from Drosophila melanogaster and D. ananassae
Medical management of ectopic pregnancy—The role of methotrexate

Ectopic pregnancy is an increasing health risk for women throughout the world. Recent advances in measurements of serum quantitative beta human chorionic gonadotropin and transvaginal ultrasonography have made it possible to diagnose ectopic pregnancy without laparoscopy. These developments have provided the atmosphere for trials using methotrexate as a nonsurgical treatment for ectopic pregnancy. This article briefly reviews the epidemiology and diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy. The medical management of ectopic pregnancy with methotrexate is then reviewed in more detail.
Interannual variability in growth of larval and juvenile walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma in the western Gulf of Alaska, 1983–91

Interannual variability in growth of larval walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma was examined from 1983 to 1991 and of juveniles from 1985 to 1990. ANCOVA was used to assess differences in population growth rates, and an alternate method was developed to examine variations between annual length-at-age data and average ‘expected’ values over different age groupings. For larvae, the years 1986, 1987, 1989 and 1990 had higher than average length-at-age, and 1988 and 1991 had lower than average values. Relationships between growth and SST and larval density were not clear. A tentative relationship between copepod nauplii abundance and larval length-at-age was noted. The consequence of larval growth to larval mortality, late larval abundance or recruitment was not clear. We conclude that larval mortality rates are highly variable and tend to mask effects of moderate variability in growth on later abundance. For juveniles, 1987 had significantly lower than average length-at-age and 1988 had higher than average values. Although there are few years of data, they tend to support the importance of juvenile growth in the recruitment process. Conditions for the large 1988 year class are documented and discussed, including warm SST, calm winds, relatively low larval growth rates, low abundances of potential predators on larvae, low larval mortality rates, and high juvenile growth rates.
SIZE DEPENDENCE OF GROWTH RATE, RESPIRATORY ELECTRON TRANSPORT SYSTEM ACTIVITY, AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION IN MARINE DIATOMS IN THE LABORATORY1

The dependence of growth, electron transport system activity and chemical composition on the size of diatoms was examined during the exponential phase of growth. The six different marine centric species compared ranged in volume from 7.7 μm3 to 62 × 105μm3. A size dependence was observed for growth, 14C uptake, respiration and the productivity index (14C/chl a). Although the size dependence of all parameters was similar, the results indicate that on a carbon basis, growth efficiency decreases with increasing size. The C/N and C/chl a ratios were not size dependent. The importance of the surface area to cell volume ratio, and the importance of carbon per unit volume in determining the observed size dependence are discussed.
Vibronic Structure of PTCDA Stacks: Monomer-Dimer Equilibrium

Solution spectra of perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) show an equilibrium between monomers and dimers, with fluorescence exclusively from monomers and absorption from both. The dimer absorption follows closely the spectrum of PTCDA stacks in crystalline films, which indicate strong coupling to a molecular vibration and mixing of Frenkel and charge-transfer excitons. The same model accounts for solution spectra.
Carbon nanotube enhanced membrane distillation for simultaneous generation of pure water and concentrating pharmaceutical waste

Abstract Carbon nanotube enhanced membrane distillation (MD) is presented as a novel waste concentration method that also generates pure water. In a carbon nanotube immobilized membrane (CNIM), the CNTs serve as sorbent sites, and provide an additional pathway for enhanced water vapor transport. Enrichment effect and mass transfer coefficients using CNIM were as much as 421% and 543% greater than in membranes without the nanotubes. As compared to the original water, the purified water contained less than 10% of residual organics.
Estimation of mutation rates in cultured mammalian cells

The factors that affect reliable estimations of mutation rates (g) in cultured mammalian somatic cell populations by fluctuation analysis are studied experimentally and statistically. We analyze the differential effect of the final cell population size in each culture (N t) and the number of parallel cultures (C) on the variation in the rate estimates (tl) inferred from the P0 method. The analysis can be made after the derivation of the variance of/i, which is a measure of variation of tl for a given combination of N t and C in a number of repeat experiments. The variance of ti is inversely proportional to C and to the square of N t. N t determines the probability of occurrence of mutations in a cell culture. By influencing the size of P0, Nt also determines whether a rate estimate is obtainable from the experiment. Since Po is estimated from the fraction of cultures containing no mutation in a set of C cultures, C becomes a determining factor for the accuracy of/2. The rate estimated from/5 o is biased, but the bias is in general 2 orders of magnitude smaller than /i. By the selection of an appropriate combination of N t and C for the experiment, this bias can be reduced even further. Based on the notion of comparing two proportions, we propose a test statistic and have applied it to experimental results for a test of equality of mutation rates in different cell lines. This development places the comparison of mutation rates on a statistical basis. Since the publication of Luria and Delbriick's paper [19] on the distribution of the number of mutant colonies in a series of parallel cultures, fluctuation analysis has been widely applied as a method for the determination of mutation rates (#) in cell populations. The analysis has since been further developed methodologically by Lea and Coulson [15], Newcombe [22], and Armitage [2,3] and modified theoreti
Growing into obesity: Patterns of height growth in those who become normal weight, overweight, or obese as young adults

Obesity and height are generally unassociated in adults. However, in children, previous research consistently finds a positive association between obesity and height(Bruch, 1939; Freedman et al., 2004a; Freedman et al., 2004b; Stovitz et al., 2008). Longitudinal studies in generally well-nourished populations such as the U.S. and Sweden have found greater child height, particularly early childhood height, to be associated with adult obesity(Freedman et al., 2002; Freedman et al., 2005; He and Karlberg, 2001; Stovitz et al., 2010). Childhood obesity is associated with earlier pubertal maturation, especially in girls(Aksglaede et al., 2009; Biro et al., 2010; Buyken et al., 2009; Himes et al., 2004; Karlberg, 2002; Must et al., 2005; Sandhu et al., 2006; Wang, 2002), and more advanced pubertal development is, in turn, associated with diminished subsequent growth in height and a greater risk for young adult obesity(De Simone et al., 1995; Freedman et al., 2004a; He and Karlberg, 2001; Mamun et al., 2009; Rzehak and Heinrich, 2006). Thus, it is clear that height growth, even in well-nourished populations, does not occur in isolation from the child’s nutritional status and is accelerated by obesity. However, this association generally remains under-recognized by pediatricians and parents who may perceive elevated height in the overweight child as a sign that, with time, the child will “grow out of” their overweight condition. A clearer understanding of the childhood growth characteristics of overweight and obese young adults will help pediatricians assess the risk for future obesity in the child who is relatively tall or short. The purpose of the current investigation is to better understand the complex relationship of height growth and young adult obesity status. Using a large longitudinal cohort from four distinct areas of the U.S., we will examine differences in height growth between those who were overweight or obese by early adulthood as compared to those who were normal weight. The longitudinal approach allows us to study in detail the magnitude and timing of differences in height growth curves across the adult weight classification groups. Based on past research, we anticipate that those who become overweight or obese as young adults will have been relatively taller in early childhood, and then will have had slower growth in height with advancing age. In this study, we also examine the degree to which differences in height growth can be explained by variation in childhood subcutaneous fat thickness in an attempt to separate the effects of current fatness in childhood from subsequent obesity status as a young adult.
Saturated RISE feedback control for Euler-Lagrange systems

This paper examines saturated control of a class of uncertain, nonlinear Euler-Lagrange systems which includes time-varying and nonlinearly parametrized functions with bounded disturbances using a continuous control law utilizing smooth saturation functions. The bounds on the control are known a priori and can be adjusted by changing the feedback gains. The saturated controller is shown to guarantee semi-global asymptotic tracking despite uncertainties in the dynamics.
Class dependent feature scaling method using naive Bayes classifier for text datamining

The problem of feature selection is to find a subset of features for optimal classification. A critical part of feature selection is to rank features according to their importance for classification. The naive Bayes classifier has been extensively used in text categorization. We have developed a new feature scaling method, called class-dependent-feature-weighting (CDFW) using naive Bayes (NB) classifier. A new feature scaling method, CDFW-NB-RFE, combines CDFW and recursive feature elimination (RFE). Our experimental results showed that CDFW-NB-RFE outperformed other popular feature ranking schemes used on text datasets.
Association of Proteins with the Stress 70 Molecular Chaperones at Low Temperature: Evidence for the Existence of Cold Labile Proteins in Spinach☆

Abstract Molecular chaperones of the stress 70 family reversibly bind and release nonnative proteins in a nucleotide-dependent cycle. Purified monoclonal antibodies prepared against spinach ( Spinacia oleracea ) stress 70 molecular chaperones were used in immunoprecipitation experiments with extracts of spinach leaf tissue pulse-labeled with [ 35 S]methionine in an effort to detect whether low-temperature exposure altered the biogenesis or the native state stability of any proteins leading to the formation of complexes with the stress 70 molecular chaperones. The two monoclonal antibodies used in this research are highly specific for the cytosolic or ER-luminal stress 70 molecular chaperones. Analyses of the immunoprecipitation results indicate that low temperature causes an increased association of some proteins with the two chaperones. The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that normal biogenesis or the conformational stability of specific proteins may be unfavorably altered at low temperature in spinach and perhaps other plants.
Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) in 9 Hispanic women

Background Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is a rare hereditary colorectal cancer syndrome estimated to account for about 1% of colorectal cancers. While there is variation in the FAP phenotype amongst individuals and families with mutations, it is characterized by a striking phenotype of colonic polyposis and other distinctive features such as desmoids and gastric fundic gland polyps. It is estimated that about 30% of APC mutations are de novo. APC mutations have been reported worldwide across different ethnic and racial groups. We report on the features of FAP seen in 9 Hispanic women with colonic polyposis, identified over 18 months.
A kinetic theory of planar plasma sheaths surrounding electron emitting surfaces

Summary form only given. It has long been known that electron emission from a surface significantly affects the sheath at that surface.1 Typical fluid theory of a planar sheath with emitted electrons assumes that the plasma electrons follow the Boltzmann relation and the emitted electrons are emitted with zero energy and predicts a potential drop of 1.03T e across the sheath at a floating boundary. By removing the assumption that all plasma electrons entering the sheath are reflected back into the bulk plasma (i.e. the Boltzmann relation) and considering electrons lost to the wall, we find that the predicted sheath potential is reduced to 0.91T e . Using a kinetic description of the emitted electrons, assuming a half Maxwellian distribution with temperature T ee , greatly affects the sheath potential. We show that kinetic theory predicts that the sheath potential significantly depends on the plasma to emitted electron temperature ratio. For example, we predict that an emissive probe (T ee = 0.2 eV) in a plasma with T e = 1eV will have a sheath potential of 0.51T e . Additionally, it is noted that the electron velocity distribution function in the sheath is unstable to the two-stream instability.
To everything there is a season: impact of seasonal change on admissions, acuity of injury, length of stay, throughput, and charges at an accredited, regional burn center.

PURPOSE: Although previous studies have investigated the impact of weather and temporal factors on incidence of trauma admissions, there is a paucity of data describing the effect of seasonal change on burn injury. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the changing seasons on admissions to and resource utilization at an accredited burn center, with the goal of optimizing patient throughput and matching supply with demand. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of all burn admissions to an accredited, regional burn center, from Summer 2009 through Spring 2010. Patients were segregated into the seasonal cohorts of Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring, based on admission date. Patient demographics included age, gender, mechanism of injury, and total body surface area (TBSA) injured. Main outcome measures included length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, length of stay (LOS), and hospital charges, which served as a proxy for resource utilization (nursing, wound, and critical care; access to operating room (OR); inpatient rehabilitation). Groups were compared by T tests, with statistical significance assigned to P values Language: en
Effects of maternal employment on maternal and two-year-old child behavior

94 mothers with 2-year-old children were interviewd about their employment, role satisfaction, and social support and were observed in their homes at dinnertime and in a laboratory compliance task. Hierarchical multiple regressions were used to test main effects of employment, hours employed, and their interactions. Maternal employment adversely affected maternal behavior when satisfaction with social support or with the work role was low, but only in the laboratory. Positive main effects of employment on maternal behavior were observed in the home: employed mothers used less power assertion with their children. Mothers who worked longer hours used more guidance and were more responsive to their children in both settings. In both settings, the effect of poor-quality care on child behavior was greater when mothers were employed, and, in the laboratory, boys of employed mothers were more defiant than boys of nonemployed mothers and girls of employed mothers. Boys with more than one current arrangement were more likely than similarly situated girls to be defiant in the laboratory, but they were also less likely than girls to be cared for by fathers.
Extraversion and Neuroticism across Cultures

This research was designed to explore differences in neuroticism and extraversion tendencies of students of three different nationalities: 248 Egyptians, 58 Americans, and 347 British. Egyptians had the highest Neuroticism score and the lowest Extraversion score; Americans exhibited greater tendency toward Extraversion than British, and no significant differences in Neuroticism between British and Americans were noted. The Egyptians' unexpected lower Extraversion score was discussed in light of the subjective culture theory.
Topologically Ordered Corrosion Maps of Nickel Alloys

This study was developed to provide an optimum methodology for designing metal alloys. Information on general and localized (pitting and crevices) corrosion of the most commonly used Nickel alloys were obtained from NIST. A 2-dimentional Kohonen map was designed and trained with the available data. We constructed a 3D figure (2D Kohonen map and a third dimension containing the corrosion rates of each cell in the Kohonen map) for all alloy-environment couples in the data. Once the Kohonen map was trained, we "designed" new Nickel-alloys by choosing two of the alloys (C22 and Incoloy 825 (UNS: N008825, alloy 825)) on the Nickel NIST list (composition, environment and corrosion rates), and by systematically modifying the alloy compositions by adding minor alloy elements (one at a time). For the newly created alloy, we chose the same environment as that of the original alloys (C22 or Incoloy 825). We located-in the Kohonen map-- the cells in which the original alloys (C22 and Incoloy 825) were stored; then, we located in which cells the "new alloys" are clustered. The alloys may migrate towards higher or lower corrosion rate cells. Accordingly, the beneficial or detrimental impact of adding those minor alloy elements in the alloys of origin (C22 or Incoloy 825) can be explored. Thereby, the "evolutionary road" of corrosion properties of metal alloys can be traced in the 3D figure and "If-then" scenarios for the new alloys - can be explored.
ALUMINA IN WHITEWARE

A brief resume on an extensive investigation of the use of calcined alumina in white-ware bodies is presented. Its use in vitreous chinaware, semivitreous dinnerware, electrical porcelain, cooking ware, and sanitary ware is discussed. Data are given also on special alumina bodies of unusual strength.
Measurements on the planar extensional viscosity of bulk polymers: The inflation of a thin, rectangular polymer sheet

An experimental study of the inflation of a thin rectangular polymer sheet has been conducted to determine whether this technique can be used to measure the planar extensional viscosity of bulk polymers. Viscosities were determined at various extensional strain rates using an undiluted polyisobutylene of high molecular weight. Measurements were also made on the dynamic shear viscosity using orthogonal geometry and compared with “normalized” values of the planar extensional viscosity assuming equivalency of the second invariant of the extensional strain rate tensor, and the frequency of rotation ω. Industrial fabrication operations where the planar extensional viscosity is expected to play a role include vacuum forming of large rectangular sheets whose length-to-width ratio is large and in injection molds having a center-gated cavity.
Medical students' motivations to volunteer: An examination of the nature of gender differences

A sample of medical students was surveyed using the Volunteer Functions Inventory, an instrument that assesses the importance of 6 possible motives to volunteer that range from altruistic and humanitarian concern for others to more self-interested, career-related motives. Researchers in the past have described mean differences and rank differences for gender. Profile analysis was conducted to assess the relative importance of each motive by gender. Women rated all motives higher than did men. The relative ranking of the importance of the motives was similar for both genders. Contrary to previous studies, women rated instrumental motives at least as high as did men. Both genders rated altruistic motives highly. The results of this study may be used to inform a training curriculum or advertising campaign aimed at increasing volunteer efforts.
RECENT SOCIAL EXPERIENCE, BODY WEIGHT AND INITIAL PATTERNS OF ATTACK PREDICT THE SOCIAL STATUS ATTAINED BY UNFAMILIAR HENS IN A NEW GROUP

To enhance understanding of processes determining social dominance, we quantified the contributions of existing individual characteristics and experience, and information obtained during initial encounters with new group members, on social status attained by hens ( Gallus gallus domesticus ) in a new group. We hypothesised that previous social experience (either with strangers or flock mates), body weight and comb size would be good predictors of a hen′s aggressive behaviour and subsequent social status. Using structural equation modelling, we identified best-fit models to predict the outcome of combining unfamiliar individuals varying in these characteristics. In new triads of 150 red rock × light Sussex hens, hens with a relatively large comb and high body weight were more likely to have won a recent fight and performed more double attacks in their new group. Hens with recent experience of winning were more likely to attain the alpha position in the new group. In a second trial on new tetrads of 32 white leghorn hens, hens with a higher body weight performed more double attacks, leading to a higher rank in their new group. Hens that had recently been high ranking in their former social group also tended to perform more double attacks. Comb size and plumage condition were not good predictors of attack behaviour or rank in this trial. In both trials, a hen′s body weight had predictive value in determining her attack behaviour and subsequent social status when introduced to a small number of strangers. We suggest that the timing and quality of social experience obtained prior to regrouping, the relative difference in comb size between opponents, and the absolute size and carriage of the comb (upright or floppy), influenced the efficacy of previous social experience and comb size as predictors of behaviour and rank in a new group.
Hypertension and the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone Axis

Although hypertension is a common manifestation of renal parenchymal disease in most of its forms, and renal vascular hypertension represents the most common form of hypertension that can be cured by surgery, our emphasis in this chapter will be on essential hypertension and what has been learned that may be relevant to renin’s role in pathogenesis, in diagnosis, and in therapy. We will return to renal hypertension only when the implications of recent advances in pharmacological interruption of the rennin-angiotensin system provide new approaches to diagnosis and treatment, and to present what is now known of the potential of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in reversing renovascular hypertension.