cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Annular pancreas in the adult : Management with laparoscopic gastrojejunostomy

Annular pancreas is an uncommon congenital anomaly associated with duodenal atresia in neonates. Rarely, the condition may manifest later in life. These symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting and usually arise due to obstruction to gastric emptying. Abdominal CT scan with high resolution and angiography protocol and magnetic resonance imaging are useful in confirming the presence of annular pancreas. Operative management involves bypassing the obstructed duodenum. Duodenoduodenostomy is routinely performed in neonates with annular pancreas. In adults, the duodenum is less mobile, and duodenojejunostomy or gastrojejunostomy are recommended. We report two cases of annular pancreas in adults treated with laparoscopic gastrojejunostomy.
Two-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) Sample 3: Comparison of Larvae Counts by AgChem Formulation and by AgChem Application Time-of-Day

In this chapter, R is used to support detailed analyses relevant to the biological sciences, where main effects and possible interactions are examined for how a specific insect reacts to different chemical formulations and environmental factors. New R-based tools (packages and associated functions and graphics) are introduced in this chapter, resulting in graphical output that approaches publishable quality. An additional feature in this chapter is the presentation of R syntax that treats data from a nonparametric perspective, which should be considered if there are concerns about data distribution patterns or other assumptions inherent to selected tests. This chapter concludes with optional suggestions on how to manage the R work session for lengthy and complex analyses.
The Upraised Mountain and Israel’s Election in the Qur’an and Talmud

In four passages in the Qur’an (Q 2:63, 93; 4:154; 7:171), reference is made to God raising up (or shaking) a mountain. In each passage, the context is God’s covenant with Israel at Sinai, and the text appears to say that God lifted up Mt. Sinai over the people of Israel. A parallel to this motif appears in early rabbinic sources, including a tradition cited twice in the Babylonian Talmud (Shab 88a and AZ 2b), which suggests that God threatened to drop Mt. Sinai on Israel if they refused to accept the Torah. In both Talmud passages, the discussion that unfolds probes the topic of God’s unique choice of Israel to receive the Torah. In its own allusions to the Sinai event, the Qur’an seems to presume a background narrative similar to the tradition found in the Talmud, in that the Qur’an’s references to God raising up the mountain make best contextual sense as examples where God had to force Israel to accept their covenant. In the Qur’an, the raising or shaking of the mountain represents one in a series of illustrations showing how the people were unwilling to believe and ultimately broke their covenant. The threat of the mountain also serves as a reminder that people should be on guard, in constant awareness of their accountability to God (taqw?). Moreover, the rhetoric surrounding the uplifted mountain theme in the Qur’an emphasizes the universality of God’s command for all to believe, as if the Messenger of the Qur’an was refuting an interpretation of the Sinai event that construed it as proof of Israel’s election. For both the Talmud and the Qur’an, each text’s manner of handling the uplifted mountain motif reveals something about the community behind the text. The discussions we find in the Talmud about the uplifted mountain and Israel’s election reflect the theological explorations we would expect to see in a developed religious culture lived out by a religious minority in an established empire. The Qur'an's discourse, in contrast, seeks to destabilize Jewish and Christian concepts of election and deploys the uplifted mountain motif to emphasize everyone's need to show reverent awareness of God.
Gerard Manley Hopkins, an Environmentalist Poet with a Trinitarian Dimension and Even Trinitarian Humor

Hopkins’s environmental poem “Ribblesdale” (1882) shows his creative processes as it celebrates nature and language. It even visualizes God the Father creating the world as a fisherman casting his line and making the River Ribble flow through Lancashire—a river beautiful at Hopkins’s Stonyhurst College, but downriver, treeless and grassless, polluted and surrounded by factories. As a child and young man, Hopkins loved nature, later cherishing even nature’s shapes and selfhood and celebrating nature in his poems. But he grieved for the environment, presenting the earth as a huge nest on which a very large Holy Ghost still sits, warming and protecting her earth-egg. Hopkins mourns earth’s loss of trees and grass, of a clear sky, of “a rural scene,” even of “the weeds and the wilderness.” And Christ, as a human, was implicated in this loss, and as human was just a “Jack, joke, poor potsherd, patch, matchwood.” Yet, as Trinitarian God, he is an “immortal diamond” and, grandly, offers and shares this bright sparkling life with his fellow humans. Such is Gerard Manley Hopkins, lover of God and God’s earth—and grieving environmentalist poet.
Production and use of nuclear parameter covariance data: an overview of challenging cross cutting scientific issues

Nuclear data users’ requirements for uncertainty data started already in the seventies, when several fast reactor projects did use extensively “statistical data adjustments” to meet data improvement for core and shielding design. However, it was only ∼20–30 years later that a major effort started to produce scientifically based covariance data and in particular since ∼2005. Most work has been done since then with spectacular achievements and enhanced understanding both of the uncertainty evaluation process and of the data utilization in V&V. This paper summarizes some key developments and still open challenges.
Assessment of factors that impact performance in a year-long Top 200 Drug course

Abstract Background and Purpose Knowledge of commonly used medications (“Top 200”) is a common component of pharmacy curricula. This study assessed the impact of pre-pharmacy grade point average (GPA), timing of students' community introductory pharmacy practice experience (C-IPPE), C-IPPE practice location, completion of practice quizzes (PQs), and campus attended on Top 200 performance. Educational activity and setting Top 200 Drugs is a two-part series offered during the first professional (P1) year of the program. Students concurrently complete their C-IPPE during either the fall or spring semester. A retrospective review was completed to assess factors associated with student performance during the 2016–2017 academic year. Findings Higher fall course grades were associated with higher pre-pharmacy GPA, active C-IPPE enrollment, and completion of >80% of PQs. Higher spring course grades were associated with higher pre-pharmacy GPAs, completion of >80% of PQs, satellite campus attendance, C-IPPE completion at a grocery store/mass merchant, and higher fall semester performance. Summary A retrospective review of factors associated with student performance allowed the course coordinator to create further learning opportunities based on the findings. Since practice quizzes were associated with higher performance, these self-directed learning opportunities were expanded in the subsequent course offering. Student completion of the C-IPPE in the fall improved performance in the fall, and C-IPPE location may have impacted performance as well. Further investigations are warranted to better understand the impact of C-IPPE semester and C-IPPE location on Top 200 performance so these can be maximized to support student performance.
Postgraduate Students' Accomplishment of Epistemic Positioning through Personal Experience in Online Discussion Forums.

ABSTRACTFew studies have investigated epistemic positioning in online postgraduate courses. Such courses in US contexts rely heavily on asynchronous online discussion forums. This study investigate...
Children's responding to humanlike agents reflects an uncanny valley

Both perceptual mechanisms (e.g., threat detection/avoidance) and social mechanisms (e.g., fears fostered via negative media) may explain the existence of the uncanny valley; however, existing literature lacks sufficient evidence to decide whether one, the other, or a combination best accounts for the valley's effects. As perceptually oriented explanations imply the valley should be evident early in development, we investigated whether it presents in the responding of children ( $N=80$ ; ages 5–10) to agents of varying human similarity. We found that, like adults, children were most averse to highly humanlike robots (relative to less humanlike robots and humans). But, unlike adults, children's aversion did not translate to avoidance. The findings thus indicate, consistent with perceptual explanations, that the valley effect manifests well before adulthood. However, further research is needed to understand the emergence of the valley's behavioral consequences.
Over-utilization of computed tomography angiography in extremity trauma.

Objectives Widespread availability of computed tomography angiography (CTA) for diagnosing arterial injury in injured extremities has created the possibility of overuse. The objective of this study was to evaluate CTA utilization, indications, ordering personnel, and rate of significant findings for blunt or penetrating extremity trauma at a level I trauma center. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of 1440 consecutive CTAs of upper and lower extremities from 2010 to 2012 at a large level I trauma center, and included only those done for acute trauma. Data were collected with regard to injury, initial exam, reason given for ordering a CTA, specialty of physician ordering CTA, results, and vascular interventions needed. CTAs were categorized as appropriately ordered based on if there was a documented abnormal distal pulse or ankle-brachial index (ABI). Study indication was classified as inconclusive if no vascular exam was documented or physical exam varied. Results A total of 481 CTAs were performed after blunt or penetrating trauma in the emergency room with 31.0% appropriately indicated, 48.0% without indication, and 21.8% inconclusive. Mechanism of injury was most commonly a gunshot wound (40.3%), followed by motor vehicle accidents (39.5%). Overall, 61.5% of the studies had normal arterial flow and only 15.8% of CTAs required vascular operative intervention. Of the studies appropriately indicated, 76.5% had positive findings, with 43% needing operative intervention compared to the inappropriately indicated studies only 11.6% had positive findings, with 0.4% needing operative intervention (P < .0001). Conclusion CTA for blunt or penetrating trauma at a level I trauma center may be over-utilized. Often, this advanced imaging is ordered prior to orthopaedic evaluation or limb reduction, without exam-based indication, and most do not affect patients' treatment. From our study, CTA utilization based on more stringent exam findings at our hospital could eliminate 48% of all CTA studies for trauma.
An Energy-Efficient Reconfigurable LSTM Accelerator for Natural Language Processing

Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) Recurrent Neural network (RNN) is known for its capability in modeling sequence learning tasks such as language modeling. However, due to the large number of model parameters and compute-intensive operations, existing FPGA implementations of LSTMs are not sufficiently energy-efficient as they require large area and exhibit high power consumption. This work describes a substantially different hardware implementation of an LSTM which includes several architectural innovations to achieve high throughput and energy-efficiency. The architectural innovations include (1) an improved design of an approximate multiplier (AM) and its integration with the compute-intensive units of the LSTM; (2) the design of control mechanisms to handle the variable-cycle (data dependent) multiply operations; (3) incorporation of hierarchical pipelining at multiple levels of the design to maximize the overlap of the variable cycle computations. In addition, this work applies a post-training, range-based, linear quantization to the parameters of the model to further improve the performance and energy-efficiency. A python framework is also developed that allows for analysis and fine tuning of the input parameters before mapping the design to hardware. This paper extensively explores the design trade-offs and demonstrates the advantages for one common application – language modeling. Implementation of the design on a Xilinx Zynq XC7Z030 FPGA shows maximum improvement as compared to three recent published works in throughput to be 27.86X, 7.69X and 11.06X and in energy-efficiency to be 45.26X, 14.76X and 16.97X, respectively.
A Semantic Segmentation Method for Buffer Layer Defect Detection in High Voltage Cable

A semantic segmentation method based on the fully convolutional network is proposed to detect the buffer layer defect in high voltage cable automatically. One hundred seventy-seven high-resolution X-ray images of cables are collected. FCN-8s and VGG16 backbone are adopted. The results indicated that the FCN-8s achieves the mIoU to 0.67 on the test set, proving to be an efficient way to detect the buffer layer defects.
Early Experience with External Negative Pressure Delay in Free Anterolateral Thigh Perforator Flap Reconstruction

Negative pressure therapy has been utilized in the treatment of open and closed wounds to increase blood flow and improve wound healing. More recently, external negative pressure has been shown to induce a noninvasive delay phenomenon in animal models by increasing vessel size and density within a planned flap, leading to improvement in flap survival. Although successful in animal models, this new method of delay has not been demonstrated in clinical practice. We present our initial experience with preoperative external negative pressure delay of free anterolateral thigh flaps in upper extremity reconstruction to detail the technique and safety profile of this innovative new technique. External negative pressure delay has the potential to provide results similar to those of traditional surgical delay, while being cost effective, safer, and more convenient for patients. More research is needed to investigate the clinical benefit and cost effectiveness of external negative pressure delay.
Some Preliminary Results Obtained Using a Recently Developed Conditional Tracer Release System for Studying Atmospheric Dispersion

For many years conventional dispersion modelling has relied, often rather slavishly, on the use of Gaussian profiles - however it is clear that if more realistic estimates of hazards arising from highly toxic, inflammable or even just nuisance from malodourous materials are to be made then a radically different approach to the problem is required. Indeed this has been recognised by a number of workers in the field but notably by Chatwinl who advocates the use of ensemble-type statistical approaches to the development of models, A major difficulty, from the experimental viewpoint, in implementing such methodology is the non-stationary (in the statistical sense) nature of nearly all atmospheric flows. Hence, for example, one may be presented with a slowly, but systematically, varying wind direction perhaps ahead of a frontal system and thus the ensuing have an unwanted bias impressed upon them. One could of course counter this argument by pointing out that such synoptic scale wind variations form part of a larger “climatic” ensemble and thus should not therefore be excluded from the sample. Whilst in some respects this may certainly be an intellectually cogent point it does not provide a very helpful way forward for the experimenter who generally has to operate on a more pragmatic basis.
"La Hermandad" and Chicanas Organizing: The Community Rhetoric of the "Comision Femenil Mexicana Nacional" Organization.

To address the need for situated accounts of community rhetoric, this article examines the legacy of the first Chicana feminist organization, the Comision Femenil Mexicana Nacional ( CFMN ). The CFMN and their archival collection provid[ed] Chicanas an education about how to interpret, be and act in the world. To invent a rhetorical identity, and an organization that makes change, the CFMN 1) invoked a remembering of a Chicana history of policy making to incite other Chicanas into political action; and 2) strategically drew on the use of the Chicana concept of “ La Hermandad” to define a particular Chicana method of collectivity.
Chapter 2 Primal simplex algorithms for minimum cost network flows

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses primal simplex algorithms for minimum cost network flows. Due to the special structure of bases for the linear network flow model, specialized simplex-based software can solve these problems in from one to two orders of magnitude faster than general linear programming software. The chapter summarize the ideas fundamental to efficient software implementation of the primal simplex algorithm for minimum cost network flow problems and indicate how these ideas have been extended for generalized networks, multicommodity networks, and networks with arbitrary side constraints. The specialized algorithms presented in this chapter all rely on the graphical interpretation of the simplex steps when applied to a linear program possessing an underlying network structure, in whole or in part. Graphical characterizations for bases for both the linear network problem and the generalized network problem can be found. Additional elaboration on the interpretation of the algebraic operations on a graphical structure is provided. The first software implementations which empirically demonstrated the merit of those specialized algorithms were developed. The algorithms presented in the chapter were generally based on a specialization of the simplex method. There are three other basic approaches which are now competing quite successfully in empirical analyses. The oldest is the relaxation method. The second is the algorithm of Goldberg which has been implemented in software. The third algorithm which could have an impact on the field is the network interior point method.
Effects of Using Logic and Spatial Cybergames to Improve Student Success Rates in Lower-Division Chemistry Courses

A study was conducted to investigate the relationships between cybergaming treatment groups and the control group (N = 99: ncontrol = 8; nlogic = 29; nspatial = 30; ncombination = 32) with success in the organic chemistry I course as measured by achievement over a 10-week period. The treatment groups included logic training, spatial training, and combination logic-spatial training. Students' ability was measured by pre/post exams using the Group Assessment of Logical Thinking (GALT) to measure logic ability, Purdue Visualizations of Rotations (ROT) test to measure spatial skills, and the General-Organic-Biochemistry (GOB) Exam to measure content attainment. Finally, students' responses about participation in this experience were evaluated using open- and closed-ended questions on a self-developed survey. A second study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between the cybergaming treatment and control groups (N = 88: nexperimental = 27; ncontrol = 61) with success in the general chemistry I course as measured by achievement and final course averages and grades. The cybergaming treatment group underwent intensive combination logic-spatial training for 10 weeks. Students' progress was measured using three pre/post instruments: Group Assessment of Logical Thinking (GALT) measured logic ability, Purdue Visualizations of Rotations (ROT) Test measured spatial skills, and the California Chemistry Diagnostic Exam measured content attainment. Finally, students' responses about their participation in this experience were evaluated using open- and closed-ended questions on a self-developed survey. Analyses of the data were performed to determine the relationships between cybergaming treatments and control groups in organic chemistry I and general chemistry I courses. In organic chemistry I results showed no statistical or practical significance as to students' success. In general chemistry I results indicated statistical significance and medium practicality for students with an average grade of C and for females over males as to improvement of spatial skills.
Anger management style and hostility: predicting symptom-specific physiological reactivity among chronic low back pain patients.

It was hypothesized that anger management style (anger-in or anger-out) and hostility affect the aggravation of chronic low back pain (CLBP) through symptom-specific (i.e., lower paraspinal muscle) reactivity during stress. Subjects were 102 CLBP patients who performed mental arithmetic and an Anger Recall Interview (ARI) while trapezius and lower paraspinal EMG, SBP, DBP, and HR were recorded. Results showed anger-in × hostility and anger-out × gender interactions for lower paraspinal but not trapezius reactivity, and only during the ARI. Further analyses revealed that (1) hostility was related positively to lower paraspinal reactivity among high anger suppressors, (2) hostility was related negatively to lower paraspinal reactivity among low anger suppressors, and (3) anger expression was related positively to lower paraspinal reactivity only among men. Anger management style and hostility may contribute to the exacerbation of CLBP by influencing stress reactivity only in muscles near the site of pain or injury.
(Non)maximality and Distributivity: A Decision Theory Approach

Following Merin’s (1999) approach to relevance, van Rooy (1999) uses Decision Theory (DT) to give a formal definition of relevance in its application to questions. In his analysis, questions are inherently underspecified or vague (1): their denotation contains a variable Op (1b) that depends on a decision problem facing the speaker (i.e., the questioner). In the context of the decision problem, vagueness is resolved: a partition is chosen as the true import of the question (1d).
Forearm skeleton modeling for pro-/supination movement using CT image measurement

Utilization of the digital human has been tried for the human work-related evaluation for industrial products and the prevention of an injury during sports activity. The human modeling for the posture generation of digital human are studied actively. In this study, we aim for the construction of the skeleton model for forearm pro-/supination to be performed in everyday life frequently. The forearm skeleton of the present digital human is comprised of 1 link, therefor we cannot estimate the movement of the forearm bone exactly. As the pro-/supination model of the forearm skeleton, there are the models Fick and others and Kecskemethy and others proposed. This model is comprised of 4 closed link of ulna, radius, elbow side junction and wrist side junction such as human forearm skeleton. In this paper, by analyzing CT imaging of the forearm, we proposed the newer forearm skeleton model based on biomechanics.
Classical quantization conditions for a dynamical system with stochastic behavior

The connection between classical and quantum mechanics is poorly understood when the classical trajectories show stochastic behavior. The author's method, based on Green's function, is reviewed. The importance of the periodic orbits for finding the (approximate) energy eigenvalues is emphasized. The anisotropic Kepler problem is discussed as an ergodic system where the (approximate) quantization can be carried out on the basis of classical mechanics.
Potent and specific genetic interference by double-stranded RNA in Caenorhabditis elegans

Experimental introduction of RNA into cells can be used in certain biological systems to interfere with the function of an endogenous gene. Such effects have been proposed to result from a simple antisense mechanism that depends on hybridization between the injected RNA and endogenous messenger RNA transcripts. RNA interference has been used in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to manipulate gene expression. Here we investigate the requirements for structure and delivery of the interfering RNA. To our surprise, we found that double-stranded RNA was substantially more effective at producing interference than was either strand individually. After injection into adult animals, purified single strands had at most a modest effect, whereas double-stranded mixtures caused potent and specific interference. The effects of this interference were evident in both the injected animals and their progeny. Only a few molecules of injected double-stranded RNA were required per affected cell, arguing against stochiometric interference with endogenous mRNA and suggesting that there could be a catalytic or amplification component in the interference process.
Impact of Sarbanes-Oxley Act on Cross-Listing

Using a sample of newly initiated American Depository Receipt (ADR) programs over the period 2000 and 2004, this paper examines the effect of Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) on the cross-listing decision and the value consequences of cross-listing by foreign firms. We find that the passage of SOX did not significantly lower the propensity of foreign firms to cross-list their shares on U.S. financial markets. However, we show that the adoption of SOX: (i) increased (decreased) the likelihood of cross-listing by firms from countries with civil (common) law legal systems; (ii) induced firms from civil (common) law countries to cross-list their shares primarily on the OTC (exchange); and (iii) raised the value of cross-listing on the OTC making its difference from exchange market listing insignificant. Our results suggest that post-SOX, foreign firms from common law countries sought functional convergence through legal bonding by cross-listing on an exchange but were deterred by the mandated corporate restructuring as well as legal and administrative costs associated with SOX compliance and elected to cross-list in alternative global financial market venues instead. For foreign firms from civil law countries for whom functional convergence with U.S. financial markets through reputational bonding was sufficient, the strengthened corporate governance environment from SOX encouraged cross-listing on the OTC.
Why Expand Dual-Credit Programs?

This study examined the relationship between participation and location of dual-credit enrollment and the educational aspirations of high school students. A total of 304 students from 5 rural Kansas high schools were surveyed. The return rate was 80.9%. Results indicated that participation in dual-credit programs had a positive and significant relationship with educational aspirations. Other independent variables that demonstrated strong predictive importance for educational aspirations were parents’ educational levels and grades. The findings further indicated that concurrent enrollment location was a significant predictor of educational aspirations.
High resolution lunar radar map at 7.5 meter wavelength

A high-resolution map of lunar radar reflectivity is presented which was obtained at a wavelength of 7.5 m with a radar resolution of 25 to 40 km by a combination of delay-Doppler radar techniques and interferometry. The results are given in the forms of a radar map of normalized echo power and plots of average scattering. A consistent difference in scattering between maria and terrae is observed, along with small differences in scattering between eastern and western maria. Specifically, it is found that the terrae reflect two to four times as much power as the maria, that the weakest echoes come from the youngest and western maria, that a few terra areas have suprisingly weak echoes, and that the average scattering behavior at 7.5 m is remarkably close to the behavior at 68 cm. The results also indicate that the large rayed craters have relatively weak enhancements of 1 to 1.5 over their environs, that the maria and terrae have essentially the same backscattering behavior as a function of incidence angle, and that the average scattering behavior of the moon and the limb darkening at 7.5 m are similar to those at 68 cm.
X-ray Diffraction Imaging of Improved Bulk-Grown CdZnTe(211) and Its Comparison with Epitaxially Grown CdTe BufferLayers on Si and Ge Substrates

Large-area high-quality Hg 1-x Cd x Te sensing layers for infrared imaging in the 8 μm to 12 μm spectral region are typically grown on bulk Cd 1-x Zn x Te substrates. Alternatively, epitaxial CdTe grown on Si or Ge has been used as a buffer layer for high-quality epitaxial HgCdTe growth. In this paper, x-ray topographs and rocking-curve full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) data will be presented for recent high-quality bulk CdZnTe grown by the vertical gradient freeze (VGF) method, previous bulk CdZnTe grown by the vertical Bridgman technique, epitaxial CdTe buffer layers on Si and Ge, and a HgCdTe layer epitaxially grown on bulk VGF CdZnTe.
Web-Based Design Coordination

This paper reports on a web-based groupware tool intended to support large distributed teams of engineers in modern engineering design practice. The Advanced Design Coordination Tool (ADCT) presents itself to members of a design team as a shared on-line set of engineers’ notebooks with flexible editing, filing, viewing, browsing, and searching capabilities. Additionally, its use of product, process, and decision representations referencing an explicit domain ontology, and tied together by dependency links, introduces artificial intelligence technology that enables capabilities beyond simple unstructured design history capture. The resulting repository can capture a rich and structured design rationale, which, with the system’s state management and versioning capability, enables recording active as well as rejected alternatives. The system currently exploits the captured data to improve team coordination: it applies dependency processing algorithms to automatically generate notifications to appropriate team members, based on changes to design notes or the detection of design conflicts. Over time, the accumulation of structured design histories with rationales should provide the basis for a knowledge repository that can proactively offer advice on new design challenges. This paper first sketches the context that makes this tool desirable, and then describes the system’s design and key capabilities. We finish with a discussion of limitations and future enhancements.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Relationship between the seismicity and geologic structure of the Blanco Transform Fault Zone

Morphologic studies of an oceanic transform, the Blanco Transform Fault Zone (BTFZ), have shown it to consist of a series of extensional basins that offset the major strike-slip faults. The largest of the extensional basins, the Cascadia Depression, effectively divides the transform into a northwest segment, composed of several relatively short strike-slip faults, and a southeast segment dominated by fewer, longer faults. The regional seismicity distribution (m b ≥4.0) and frequency-magnitude relationships (b-values) of the BTFZ show that the largest magnitude events are located on the southeast segment. Furthermore, estimates of the cumulative seismic moment release and seismic moment release rate along the southeast segment are significantly greater than that of the northwest segment. These observations suggest that slip along the southeast segment is accommodated by a greater number of large magnitude earthquakes. Comparison of the seismic moment rate, derived from empirical estimates, with the seismic moment rate determined from plate motion constraints suggests a difference in the seismic coupling strength between the segments. This difference in coupling may partially explain the disparity in earthquake size distribution. However, the results appear to confirm the relation between earthquake size and fault length, observed along continental strike-slip faults, for this oceanic transform.
Distribution and Evolution of Pseudogenes, Gene Losses, and a Gene Rearrangement in the Plastid Genome of the Nonphotosynthetic Liverwort, Aneura mirabilis (Metzgeriales, Jungermanniopsida)

The plastid genome sequence of the parasitic liverwort Aneura mirabilis revealed the loss of five chlororespiration (ndh) genes. Additionally, six ndh genes, subunits of photosystem I, photosystem II, and the cytochrome b6f complex were inferred to be pseudogenes. Pseudogenes of cysA, cyst, ccsA, and ycf3, an inversion of psbE and petL, were also detected. The designation of pseudogenes was made using comparisons with the distantly related liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. We sampled several populations of A. mirabilis and its photosynthetic sister groups to correlate functional gene losses with the evolution of a achlorophylly. The gene losses, pseudogenes, or the psbE-petL inversion were never detected in a photosynthetic Aneura but were detected in every population of A. mirabilis. One population of A. mirabilis revealed a unique deletion of 541 bp in the psbE-petL region; another is characterized by a unique deletion of 471 bp in the trnV(UAC)-ndhC region. The ratio of synonymous-to-nonsynonymous substitution rates (omega) was estimated for eight pseudogenes and six ORFs to detect relaxed purifying selection. A significant increase in omega for the nonphotosynthetic liverwort was detected in six pseudogenes. Relaxation purifying selection, determined by a significant increase in omega, was detected for three intact ORFs: psbA, psbM, and rbcL.
Osteotesticular Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Expression in Rodent Testis

Purpose: In the last decade the novel receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatase was identified and termed osteotesticular tyrosine phosphatase (OST-PTP) due to its restricted expression in bone and testis. OST-PTP expression is regulated during osteoblast differentiation and it shows stage specific expression in the testis. Confined OST-PTP expression in the basal compartment of the seminiferous tubules suggests that this protein may be a good candidate for a rodent germ stem cell marker. To test this hypothesis we determined the exact pattern of OST-PTP expression in the rodent testis.Materials and Methods: Adult mouse and rat paraffinized testis sections were subjected to in situ hybridization using riboprobes against the receptor and catalytic domains of the protein OST-PTP.Results: OST-PTP testicular expression in rodents is not confined to the spermatogonia, as previously suggested, but is also present in Sertoli cells in a stage independent pattern. This finding excludes the hypothesis that OST-PTP...
Effect of Ruminal Protein Degradation of Blood Meal and Feather Meal on the Intestinal Amino Acid Supply to Lactating Cows

Four lactating cows fitted with ruminal cannulae and T-type cannulae in the proximal duodenum and terminal ileum were utilized to measure protein degradation in the rumen and amino acid flow to and absorption from the small intestine. Soybean meal, blood meal, feather meal, and a 50-50 combination of blood meal and feather meal provided 50% of the protein in diets that contained 50% grain mix, 40% corn silage, and 10% alfalfa pellets on a DM basis. Ruminal degradation of dietary CP was 53, 43, 32, and 37% for diets containing soybean meal, blood meal, feather meal, and the combination of meals. Cows fed the latter two diets also had lower ruminal NH3 concentrations and efficiency of bacterial protein synthesis compared to those fed the soybean meal diet. Total tract N digestibility was lower for diets containing feather meal (63.4%) and a combination of meals (66.3%) than the soybean meal diet (78.5%). Total amino acid flow to the duodenum was 19.3 and 15.6% higher for cows fed the feather meal and combined meal diets, respectively, compared with the soybean meal diet. Total amino acid absorption from the small intestine was higher as well as absorption of individual amino acids for the combined meal diet compared with the soybean meal diet. Absorption of individual amino acids, expressed as a percentage entering the duodenum, was lowest for the feather meal diet. Results from this study show that feeding a combination of blood meal and feather meal instead of soybean meal can increase intestinal supply and absorption of amino acids in dairy cattle.
Bone disease metastatic to the jaws

An overview of literature and clinical-radiographic findings in patients with metastatic disease of the jaws is presented. The role of the dental practitioner in diagnosing and treating this condition is also discussed. Metastatic lesions of the jaws are relatively rare in relation to other pathological conditions of the oral and maxillofacial region. When present, they provide a diagnostic challenge and create a unique treatment role for the dental practitioner. The radio-graphic and clinical findings in patients with these lesions may mimic common inflammatory-infectious and posttraumatic conditions of the mouth and jaws. This review looks at the literature and clinical radiographic findings in patients with metastatic disease of the jaws. The role of the dental practitioner in the diagnostic and medical treatment phases is also discussed.
Residual microRNA expression dictates the extent of inner ear development in conditional Dicer knockout mice

Inner ear development requires coordinated transformation of a uniform sheet of cells into a labyrinth with multiple cell types. While numerous regulatory proteins have been shown to play critical roles in this process, the regulatory functions of microRNAs (miRNAs) have not been explored. To demonstrate the importance of miRNAs in inner ear development, we generated conditional Dicer knockout mice by the expression of Cre recombinase in the otic placode at E8.5. Otocyst-derived ganglia exhibit rapid neuron-specific miR-124 depletion by E11.5, degeneration by E12.5, and profound defects in subsequent sensory epithelial innervations by E17.5. However, the small and malformed inner ear at E17.5 exhibits residual and graded hair cell-specific miR-183 expression in the three remaining sensory epithelia (posterior crista, utricle, and cochlea) that closely corresponds to the degree of hair cell and sensory epithelium differentiation, and Fgf10 expression required for morphohistogenesis. The highest miR-183 expression is observed in near-normal hair cells of the posterior crista, whereas the reduced utricular macula demonstrates weak miR-183 expression and develops presumptive hair cells with numerous disorganized microvilli instead of ordered stereocilia. The correlation of differential and delayed depletion of mature miRNAs with the derailment of inner ear development demonstrates that miRNAs are crucial for inner ear neurosensory development and neurosensory-dependent morphogenesis.
Cyclic extensions of prime power degree and corresponding residue systems

Abstract Let K and K′ be number fields and K = K ⋔ K′ . Suppose K F and K′ F are cyclic of prime power degree pn, and let E F and E′ F denote the respective sub-extensions of degree p. We show that R (K,K′) [K:E] = M (E,E′)
Poor numbers. How we are misled by African development statistics and what to do about it

Morten Jerven's book on poor numbers is an important and accessible contribution to a complex and diffuse literature on the veracity, meaning, and application of formalised quantitative measures of...
The representation of social relations by monkeys.

Abstract Monkeys recognize the social relations that exist among others in their group. They know who associates with whom, for example, and other animals' relative dominance ranks. In addition, monkeys appear to compare types of social relations and make same/different judgements about them. In captivity, longtailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) trained to recognize the relation between one adult female and her offspring can identify the same relation among other mother-offspring pairs, and distinguish this relation from bonds between individuals who are related in a different way. In the wild, if a vervet monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops) has seen a fight between a member of its own family and a member of Family X, this increases the likelihood that it will act aggressively toward another member of Family X. Vervets act as if they recognize some similarity between their own close associates and the close associates of others. To make such comparisons the monkeys must have some way of representing the properties of social relationships. We discuss the adaptive value of such representations, the information they contain, their structure, and their limitations.
Pine growth response to management of the subterranean clover understory

Management of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) understory grown with loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) resulted in differences in both clover yield and pine diameter. Loblolly and slash pines were planted into a subterranean clover pasture in 1984. Suppression of warm season herbaceous vegetation by applying herbicides or disking the site in late summer resulted in significantly greater subterranean clover production than on the control site where no additional understory management was applied. Pine species had no effects on clover yield. The N content of the pine foliage on the blocks managed with herbicide application or disking generally was significantly greater than the control from the 5th through 7th growing seasons (1988–1990). The dbh of the pine trees in the disked and herbicide treatments was greater than the control after the 7th growing season (1990).
Sustainably connecting children with nature: an exploratory study of nature play area visitor impacts and their management

Abstract Parks are developing nature play areas to improve children's health and “connect” them with nature. However, these play areas are often located in protected natural areas where managers must balance recreation with associated environmental impacts. In this exploratory study, we sought to describe these impacts. We also investigated which ages, gender, and play group sizes most frequently caused impact and where impacts most frequently occur. We measured the lineal and aerial extent and severity of impacts at three play areas in the eastern United States. Methods included soil and vegetation loss calculations, qualitative searches and tree and shrub damage classifications. Additionally, we observed 12 h of play at five play areas. Results showed that measurable negative impacts were caused during 33% of the time children play. On average, 76% of groundcover vegetation was lost at recreation sites and 100% was lost at informal trails. In addition, approximately half of all trees and shrubs at sites were damaged. Meanwhile, soil exposure was 25% greater on sites and trails than at controls. Boys and small group sizes more frequently caused impact, and informal recreation sites were most commonly used for play. No statistically significant correlations were found between age or location and impact frequency. Managers interested in developing nature play areas should be aware of, but not deterred by these impacts. The societal benefits of unstructured play in nature may outweigh the environmental costs. Recommended management strategies include selecting impact-resistant sites, improving site resistance, promoting low impact practices, and managing adaptively.
Origin of heavy ions in upstream events near the Earth's bow shock

[1] We have surveyed the ∼20–160 keV/nucleon heavy ion composition of 2102 upstream events observed by the Wind/STEP instrument near the Earth's bow shock over a complete solar cycle from day 325, 1994 through day 90, 2006. Our main results are: (1) During solar minimum conditions, both the C/O and Fe/O ratios are similar to the corresponding values measured in the solar wind and/or CIRs. (2) During solar maximum conditions, the C/O ratio is similar to that measured in SEP and CME-driven IP shock events, while the Fe/O ratio lies between the values measured in IP shock and SEP events. We conclude that the source material for upstream events near the Earth's bow shock originates from a dynamic suprathermal ion population that is dominated by ions accelerated in SEP events during solar maximum conditions and by suprathermal solar wind ions and/or those accelerated in CIRs during solar minimum conditions.
Development and Testing of a Surface Flux and Planetary Boundary Layer Model for Application in Mesoscale Models

Abstract Although the development of soil, vegetation, and atmosphere interaction models has been driven primarily by the need for accurate simulations of long-term energy and moisture budgets in global climate models, the importance of these processes at smaller scales for short-term numerical weather prediction and air quality studies is becoming more appreciated. Planetary boundary layer (PBL) development is highly dependent on the partitioning of the available net radiation into sensible and latent heat fluxes. Therefore, adequate treatmentof surface properties such as soil moisture and vegetation characteristics is essential for accurate simulation of PBL development, convective and low-level cloud processes, and the temperature and humidity of boundary layer air. In this paper, the development ofa simple coupled surface and PBL model, which is planned for incorporation into the Pennsylvania State University-National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model (MM4/5), is described. The soil-vege...
Forging preform design with shape complexity control in simulating backward deformation

Abstract This paper presents a preform design method which employs an alternative boundary node release criterion in the finite element simulation of backward deformation of forging processes. The method makes use of the shape complexity factor which provides an effective measure of forging difficulty. The objective is to release die contacting nodes in a sequence which will minimize the geometric complexity throughout the backward deformation simulation. This is done by calculating the effect of releasing each of a select group of boundary element nodes at each finite element solution step. The particular detached node which results in the minimum shape complexity factor will be released for the current step. This process continues for each backward step until the last few nodes remain in contact. This design method is demonstrated through the simulated forging of an integrated blade and rotor turbine disk blank. A preform shape developed by this method is compared with an empirically designed preform. Performance parameters for comparison include die fill, flash volume, effective strain variance, frictional power and die load. Comparing the results of the forward simulations indicates improved performance of the preform design using FEM based backward deformation method over that of the empirical design.
Anti-Leukotriene Agents: A New Direction in Asthma Therapy

A role for the leukotrienes in asthma has been postulated for many years. These mediators induce potent bronchoconstriction, stimulate mucous secretion and decrease mucus transport, increase vascular permeability (thereby promoting edema formation), and induce migration of eosinophils into the lung. Recent studies with both leukotriene receptor antagonists and leukotriene synthesis inhibitors have demonstrated that these new agents can be effective in asthma induced by exercise, aspirin, and allergen challenges. Further, in patients with mild-to-moderate asthma, these drugs improve pulmonary function, decrease symptoms, and reduce the need for “rescue” bronchodilators. Anti-leukotrienes thus represent an important step forward in asthma management.