cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A new way to measure the composition of the interstellar gas surrounding the heliosphere

The composition of neutral gas in the Local Interstellar Medium can be studied by direct, in situ measuring of interstellar neutral atoms penetrating into interplanetary space. A novel experimental approach for in situ atom detection, which has never been used earlier in space, is proposed. The technique is based on the conversion of neutral atoms to negative ions at a specially prepared sensitive surface. Negative ions are subsequently analyzed and detected in an essentially noise-free, multicoincidence mode. It is shown that interstellar hydrogen, deuterium, and oxygen atoms can be measured by the proposed technique. The experiment can be performed from a high-apogee Earth-orbiting satellite or from a deep space probe.
Linguistic complexity and performance

This article reports an experimental investigation of the influence of linguistic factors on linguistic performance. The factors studied were interpretive complexity and surface length; they were expected to affect performance differentially, depending on the demands of the task. The stimulus sentences were three temporal adverbial structures wherein sentences high in interpretive complexity were low in surface length and vice versa. The experiment presented a toy-moving and an imitation task to children aged 3;6–6;0. The results show an interaction between type of linguistic complexity and type of linguistic performance. Sentences high in interpretive complexity were the most difficult in the toy-moving task and the easiest in the imitation task, and vice versa. The experiments suggest that different abilities are tapped by imitation and toy-moving tasks.
Epistaxis secondary to panitumumab in a patient with colon cancer.

Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFRIs) have become an integral part of therapy for many types of solid malignancy, including colorectal cancer. The drug class has proven to be effective without causing many of the side-effects associated with chemotherapy or other growth factor receptor inhibitors. Epistaxis, a common side- effect of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor inhibitors, is rarely noted with EGFRIs. We report on one patient, a 51- year-old man with metastatic colon cancer, who developed severe epistaxis with the use of panitumumab. We discuss the other reported cases of EGFRIs causing epistaxis and hypothesize on possible mechanisms by which this drug class might cause mucosal bleeding. Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFRIs) are currently one of the major targeted therapies used as treatment for solid organ tumors. The first EGFRI approved by the Food and Drug Administration was gefitinib, which was put on the market in 2003. Since then, a number of other agents have been developed, such as erlotinib, cetuximab, lapatinib and panitumumab. While the drug class has proven to be both highly effective and non-toxic, it can still
NOTE ON A PREDICTION EQUATION FOR THE SURFACE LAYER OF A TWO LAYER OCEAN

Time changes in the thickness of a thin surface layer of a two-layer ocean are proportional to the curl of the wind stress if accelerations are sufficiently small.
Intravenous infusion of lipid for the prevention of essential fatty acid deficiency in premature infants.

This study was designed to determine the amount of linoleic acid required to prevent essential fatty acid deficiency in premature infants. This was achieved by infusing 1 g intravenous lipid . kg ' . d ' over 18-20 h beginning on day 2 and increasing by 0.5 g- kg' #{149}d' to a maximum of 3 g . kg ' . d ' . The actual mean amounts of linoleic acid admin- istered (mg/kg) were 61 3 on day 2, 767 on days 3 and 4, 862 on day 5, and 1062 on day 6. None of the neonates managed in this fashion showed a high triene-tetraene ratio on days 3 or 7 (in contrast to control subjects, 80% whom were abnormal). Plasma triglycerides and nonesterified fatty acids (NEFAs) in- creased during the infusions but not to concentrations indicative of fat intolerance. The rise in NEFAs was associated with cvi- dence of bilirubin displacement from circulating albumin but this occurred to only a modest degree. Am J C/in Nutr 199 1;54: 1024-8. relates to hyperbilirubinemia and particularly the risk of dis- placing albumin-bound bilirubin and thereby potentially in- creasing the risk of neonatal bilirubin encephalopathy (kernic- tents). To assess further the amount of linoleic acid required in the early neonatal period to prevent EFA deficiency and to determine whether or not the early provision of PUFA as an intravenous fat emulsion could be achieved safely in a group ofpatients who might benefit most from such treatment, we studied premature infants receiving intensive care and used a battery ofassays spe- cifically designed to assess the impact ofsuch treatment on lipid status and indexes of bilirubin binding to albumin. Our exper- imental design was based on administering intravenous infusions of lipid in an attempt to provide amounts of linoleic acid pre- dicted to be adequate by our previous study (1) and monitoring lipid tolerance by measuring plasma triglycerides, plasma al- bumin, NEFAs and the effect ofincreased NEFAs on the binding of bilirubin to albumin. This study was undertaken in a small group ofpremature infants and used a case-controlled design to evaluate the potential of the proposed scheme of treatment to safely prevent EFA deficiency by intravenous lipid infusions be- ginning on the second day oflife, after first providing sufficient a-tocopherol to correct vitamin E deficiency.
Rupture Models with Dynamically Determined Breakdown Displacement

The critical breakdown displacement, D c , in which friction drops to its sliding value, can be made dependent on event size by specifying friction to be a function of variables other than slip. Two such friction laws are examined here. The first is designed to achieve accuracy and smoothness in discrete numerical calculations. Consistent resolution throughout an evolving rupture is achieved by specifying friction as a function of elapsed time after peak stress is reached. Such a time-weakening model produces D c and fracture energy proportional to the square root of distance rupture has propagated in the case of uniform stress drop. The second friction law is more physically motivated. Energy loss in a damage zone outside the slip zone has the effect of increasing D c and limiting peak slip velocity (Andrews, 1976). This article demonstrates a converse effect, that artificially limiting slip velocity on a fault in an elastic medium has a toughening effect, increasing fracture energy and D c proportionally to rupture propagation distance in the case of uniform stress drop. Both the time-weakening and the velocity-toughening models can be used in calculations with heterogeneous stress drop.
Nanosecond Pulse Electric Field Activated‐Platelet Rich Plasma Enhances the Return of Blood Flow to Large and Ischemic Wounds in a Rabbit Model

Platelet-rich plasma is a therapeutic strategy used for accelerating wound healing of a wide range of tissues through the release of platelet growth factors. Here, we describe a nonchemical, safe method for preparing platelet-rich plasma using nanosecond-pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) and investigated the effect of this platelet-rich plasma on reperfusion of blood in large skin flap or ischemic hind limb wounds in New Zealand White rabbits. Laser Doppler images of blood flow to the dorsal surface of skin flap wounds or to ischemic hind limb wounds were obtained from wounds treated with 0.9% saline or nanosecond-pulsed electric field prepared platelet-rich plasma (nsPRP). Reperfusion in the skin flap wounds was greater in the nsPRP-treated wounds than in the wounds treated with saline on postoperative days 3 (P < 0.001) and 21 (P < 0.03). Reperfusion in the ischemic hind-limb treated with nsPRP was greater than in the saline-treated limb on post-operative Day 3 (P < 0.001), post-operative week 1 (P < 0.025) and post-operative week 4 (P < 0.015). In the hind limb ischemic tissue, the number of endothelial cells, collagen, and cells containing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was greater in the nsPRP-treated tissue. These results demonstrate that nsPRP improves blood flow in large surgical skin wounds and in ischemic wounds.
Fertility of Bull Sperm with Added Catalase

Summary Semen, from 44 bulls, that had been extended in glycerinated milk or Cornell University Extender (CUE), each with and without 1 γ/ml of added catalase, was used to inseminate 23,837 first-service cows, to measure the effects of catalase on fertility during storage for four days. CUE resulted in averages of 77.5, 74.8, 68.3, and 69.5% 60- to 90-day nonreturns for Days 1, 2, 3, and 4 of storage, respectively. The comparable averages for glycerinated milk were 73.9, 70.1, 65.9, and 56.2; for CUE with catalase were 78.2, 74.0, 69.8, and 68.1; and for glycerinated milk with catalase were 74.2, 74.9, 69.4, and 61.0. Although the catalase had no appreciable effect on the fertility of sperm in CUE, this enzyme exerted the hypothesized beneficial effect upon the fertility of sperm in the milk extender. The failure to detect any improvement in fertility as a result of the addition of catalase to CUE is attributable to the inherent presence of detectable amounts of catalase activity in egg yolk. Any similar enzymatic activity inherent to milk is destroyed by the heat treatment of the milk. The improved fertility observed as a result of addition of catalase to the milk extender is largely attributable to lowered embryonic mortality.
SROMA: an adaptive scheduler for robotic assembly systems

The authors present a program, SROMA, which is an adaptive scheduler for robots functioning in a mechanical assembly domain. In particular, they describe: (1) the underlying scheme for representing an assembly task and the assembly plan for that task; and (2) the underlying control scheme for combining goal-directed and data-driven mechanisms into a coherent process. The feasibility of the authors' approach to the online scheduling for assembly robots based on the schemes is demonstrated by some preliminary simulation results. >
Does relay of corrupted packets increase capacity

Cross-layer protocols that are designed for wireless exhibit both errors and erasures. The nature of these error/erasure impairments and their impact on capacity is a function of the particular cross-layer scheme used. In this paper, we consider two (rather abstract) communication schemes, cross layer design (CLD) and cross layer design with side-information (CLDS). We make a comparative analysis of the channel capacities of these schemes over single and multi-hop wireless channels to identify the conditions under which the cross-layer protocols/channels can provide improved performance over traditional (pure) erasure channels. We show that cross-layer schemes like CLD lead to a capacity increase in most realistic channel scenarios (especially over a single hop) and schemes such as CLDS always lead to a capacity increase.
Benign Focal Epilepsies of Childhood

Until relatively recently, genetic influences in partial seizures were thought to be of minimal importance. However, with further identification of childhood benign partial seizures it is becoming clear that inheritance plays a major role in the pathogenesis of these seizures. Diagnostic criteria proposed for benign partial seizures include absence of neurologic or intellectual deficits, family history of epilepsy, onset of seizures after age 2 years, stereotyped brief seizures, frequent nocturnal occurrence, spontaneous remission in adolescence, and electroencephalograms (EEGs) demonstrating spikes with a distinctive morphology and localization superimposed on normal background activity. The two most commonly described benign partial epilepsies of childhood are benign Rolandic epilepsy (BRE) and benign occipital epilepsy (BOE). Both disorders begin in childhood, are associated with characteristic EEG patterns, have seizures that are easily controlled with medication, often are familial, and have an excellent prognosis. The other benign partial seizure disorders in children that have been described are not as well studied as BOE and BRE, and the role of inheritance pattern, if any, is less clear.
STRONG CONSISTENCY OF REGRESSION QUANTILES AND RELATED EMPIRICAL PROCESSES

The strong consistency of regression quantile statistics (Koenker and Bassett [4]) in linear models with iid errors is established. Mild regularity conditions on the regression design sequence and the error distribution are required. Strong consistency of the associated empirical quantile process (introduced in Bassett and Koenker [1]) is also established under analogous conditions. However, for the proposed estimate of the conditional distribution function of Y, no regularity conditions on the error distribution are required for uniform strong convergence, thus establishing a Glivenko-Cantelli-type theorem for this estimator.
Use of the microscreen phage-induction assay to assess the genotoxicity of 14 hazardous industrial wastes

The Microscreen phage-induction assay, which quantitatively measures the induction of prophage lambda in Escherichia coli WP2s(lambda), was used to test 14 crude (unfractionated) hazardous industrial waste samples for genotoxic activity in the presence and absence of metabolic activation. Eleven of the 14 wastes induced prophage, and induction was observed at concentrations as low as 0.4 pg per ml. Comparisons between the ability of these waste samples to induce prophage and their mutagenicity in the Salmonella reverse mutation assay indicate that the phage-induction assay detected genotoxic activity in all but one of the wastes that were mutagenic in Salmonella. Moreover, the Microscreen assay detected as genotoxic five additional wastes that were not detected in the Salmonella assay. The applicability of the Microscreen phage-induction assay for screening hazardous wastes for genotoxic activity is discussed, as are some of the problems associated with screening highly toxic wastes containing toxic volatile compounds.
Internalization of Leishmania mexicana Complex Amastigotes via the Fc Receptor Is Required to Sustain Infection in Murine Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

We show here that maintenance of Leishmania infections with Leishmania mexicana complex parasites (Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania pifanoi) is impaired in the absence of circulating antibody. In these studies, we used mice genetically altered to contain no circulating antibody, with and without functional B cells. This experimental design allowed us to rule out a critical role for B cell antigen presentation in Leishmania pathogenesis. In addition, we show that mice lacking the common γ chain of Fc receptors (FcγRI, FceRI, and FcγRIII) are similarly refractory to infection with these parasites. These observations establish a critical role for antibody in the pathogenesis associated with infection by members of the L. mexicana complex.
Inhibition of alloresponse by a human trophoblast non-coding RNA suppressing class II transactivator promoter III and major histocompatibility class II expression in murine B-lymphocytes

Background Trophoblasts are a model of natural allograft tolerance. A unique characteristic is the complete lack of expression of all classic major histocompatibility (MHC) antigens. We cloned a human trophoblast non-coding RNA (TncRNA) that suppresses MHC class II expression through inhibition of the class II transactivator (CIITA) promoter. We assessed the functional affects of TncRNA on an alloresponse and dissected the functional domain on CIITA promoter III. Methods Murine B-cell line A20 was transfected with TncRNA. Class II suppressed clones were selected and characterized by flow cytometry and Northern analysis. The clones were then subjected to lymphocyte proliferation assay to assess the stimulation of T-lymphocytes. CIITA promoter III-luciferase reporter plasmids were used with TncRNA plasmids in co-transfection assays; 5′-end deletion plasmids were used to dissect the promoter. Results Significant suppression of I-A d expression was seen. Northern blot scans demonstrated 84% to 93% suppression of class II transcripts. Lymphocyte proliferation assay demonstrated a 50% and 64% inhibition of lymphocyte stimulation in the 2 clones, compared to A20 wild type. Dissection of promoter III indicated that an area between bp -152 to -107 contains the functional site of TncRNA. Conclusion Human TncRNA is active across species lines and significantly inhibits allogenic response to B-cells. There is concurrent suppression of constitutive class II expression in TncRNA clones mediated through a defined region of CIITA promoter III.
Blood,sweat and trivia: Faculty ratings of extra-credit opportunities

Norcross, Horrocks, and Stevenson (1989) found that faculty in higher education had mixed attitudes concerning the use of extra credit. In this article, we present our study of psychology faculty who rated each of 39 extra-credit opportunities on three dimensions: their use of the item, its educational value, and the likelihood that all students would be able to complete the opportunity (access). Approximately 82% of respondents reported using extra credit. Significant positive correlations were obtained between rated educational value and use of extra credit, as well as ratings for use and access. The percentage of reported use in our study suggests that psychology faculty are likely to use extra credit. Although opinions concerning the use of extra credit varied dramatically, the most commonly used extra-credit opportunities were those rated to have the highest educational value.
Structural analysis of the EGFR/HER3 heterodimer reveals the molecular basis for activating HER3 mutations

The human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) tyrosine kinases homo- and heterodimerize to activate downstream signaling pathways. HER3 is a catalytically impaired member of the HER family that contributes to the development of several human malignancies and is mutated in a subset of cancers. HER3 signaling depends on heterodimerization with a catalytically active partner, in particular epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) (the founding family member, also known as HER1) or HER2. The activity of homodimeric complexes of catalytically active HER family members depends on allosteric activation between the two kinase domains. To determine the structural basis for HER3 signaling through heterodimerization with a catalytically active HER family member, we solved the crystal structure of the heterodimeric complex formed by the isolated kinase domains of EGFR and HER3. The structure showed HER3 as an allosteric activator of EGFR and revealed a conserved role of the allosteric mechanism in activation of HER family members through heterodimerization. To understand the effects of cancer-associated HER3 mutations at the molecular level, we solved the structures of two kinase domains of HER3 mutants, each in a heterodimeric complex with the kinase domain of EGFR. These structures, combined with biochemical analysis and molecular dynamics simulations, indicated that the cancer-associated HER3 mutations enhanced the allosteric activator function of HER3 by redesigning local interactions at the dimerization interface.
Multistage neural network structure for transient detection and feature extraction

A system of neural networks in a multistage architecture is proposed to resolve the components of a transient signal. The motivation of the design was a desire to use smaller networks that compute a binary decision allowing the use of the multilayer perceptron design algorithm for faster and more effective training, and to cascade these simple networks into a pipeline architecture for efficient implementation. Simulation results are compared with the multistage subspace technique that utilizes all of the information in the signal model. The networks are trained with examples of one signal component in noise at a specified noise level. The resulting multistage neural network is able to generalize to different noise levels and multiple signals without additional training. The neural network detector and feature extraction system localizes the arrival time and frequency for each sufficiently strong transient signal that is present. >
Cloud remote sensing with sideways looks: theory and first results using Multispectral Thermal Imager data

In operational remote sensing, the implicit model for cloud geometry is a homogeneous plane-parallel slab of infinite horizontal extent. Each pixel is indeed processed as if it exchanged no radiant energy whatsoever with its neighbors. The shortcomings of this conceptual model have been well documented in the specialized literature but rarely mitigated. The worst-case scenario is probably high-resolution imagery where dense isolated clouds are visible, often both bright (reflective) and dark (transmissive) sides being apparent from the same satellite viewing angle: the low transmitted radiance could conceivably be interpreted in plane-parallel theory as no cloud at all. An alternative to the plane-parallel cloud model is introduced here that has the same appeal of being analytically tractable, at least in the diffusion limit: the spherical cloud. This new geometrical paradigm is applied to radiances from cumulus clouds captured by DOE's Multispectral Thermal Imager (MTI). Estimates of isolated cloud opacities are a necessary first step in correcting radiances from surface targets that are visible in the midst of a broken-cloud field. This type of advanced atmospheric correction is badly needed in remote sensing applications such as nonproliferation detection were waiting for a cloud-free look in the indefinite future is not a viable option.
Design and implementation of a belief propagation detector for sparse channels

In this paper, we address the design and implementation of the symbol detector for sparse channels which are described as having long spanning durations but sparse multipath structure. The traditional maximum-likelihood (ML) algorithm provides an optimal performance to eliminate the multipath effect, however its complexity scales exponentially with the channel length. As a more efficient symbol detection algorithm through sparse channels, the iterative belief propagation (BP) algorithm has a complexity merely dependent on the number of nonzero channel coefficients, while achieving a near-optimal error performance. We present the architecture design for a reconfigurable low-complexity high-throughput BP detector. As an example, we implement a BP detector for quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK) modulation on Xilinx Virtex 5 FPGA with a maximum frequency of 252 MHz and equivalently a throughput of 100.8 Mb/s at 5 iterations.
Establishing a Clinical Basis for hsCRP in the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease

Featured Articles: Ridker PM, Cushman M, Stampfer MJ, Tracy RP, Hennekens CH. Inflammation, aspirin, and the risk of cardiovascular disease in apparently healthy men. N Engl J Med 1997;336:973–9.1 Ridker PM, Hennekens CH, Buring JE, Rifai N. C-reactive protein and other markers of inflammation in the prediction of cardiovascular disease in women. N Engl J Med 2000;342:836–43.2 In the early 1990s, the concept that inflammation was an integral component of atherothrombosis was highly controversial and based almost entirely on bench observations (1). However, pioneering translational studies by Attilio Maseri, Brad Berk, Lewis Kuller, and others found that among smokers or those with acute or chronic ischemia, inflammatory biomarkers including C-reactive protein (CRP)3 were indicative of high vascular risk. Because concentrations of CRP and other acute-phase reactants increase after ischemia and are directly related to smoking, however, studies in these populations could not exclude the likelihood that increases in CRP were a result rather than a precedent for disease. The 2 articles highlighted here both dealt with the ability of inflammatory biomarkers in general, and high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) in particular, to predict vascular risk in otherwise healthy asymptomatic men and women—a relevant clinical issue, as half of all heart attacks and strokes occur among those with average or even low concentrations of cholesterol. The first paper derived from a large NIH-funded primary prevention trial comparing low-dose aspirin to placebo that was being conducted among 22 000 initially healthy American men by my epidemiologic mentor, Charles Hennekens. Working …
Alternative transcription start site selection leads to large differences in translation activity in yeast

mRNA levels do not accurately predict protein levels in eukaryotic cells. To investigate contributions of 59 untranslated regions (59 UTRs) to mRNA-specific differences in translation, we determined the 59 UTR boundaries of 96 yeast genes for which in vivo translational efficiency varied by 80-fold. A total of 25% of genes showed substantial 59 UTR heterogeneity. We compared the capacity of these genes’ alternative 59 UTR isoforms for cap-dependent and cap-independent translation using quantitative in vitro and in vivo translation assays. Six out of nine genes showed mRNA isoform-specific translation activity differences of greater than threefold in at least one condition. For three genes, in vivo translation activities of alternative 59 UTR isoforms differed by more than 100-fold. These results show that changing genes’ 59 UTR boundaries can produce large changes in protein output without changing the overall amount of mRNA. Because transcription start site (TSS) heterogeneity is common, we suggest that TSS choice is greatly under-appreciated as a quantitatively significant mechanism for regulating protein production.
Managing Corporate Real Estate: Evidence from the Capital Markets

Real estate accounts for 25 to 40 percent of the total assets of major U.S. corporations. Given the large investment, it is important to understand how decisions related to real estate assets affec...
Are Agricultural Economists Becoming Mechanics

WILL CLAIM this morning that agricultural economists are not becoming mechanics; that instead they have been mechanics for a long time, along with their fellow workers in other branches of economics; that, in fact, they are showing some signs of becoming rather less mechanically minded at present. My thesis will be that men are important in the phenomena with which we deal, that patterns of thought in economics have abstracted from flesh and blood men, that these abstractions have been made because we have idolized Newtonian mechanical concepts as the acme of science, and that the Newtonian mechanical image is as unrealistic in our area as in the quantum area. I have spent a little time in foreign work. An assignment in one of the underdeveloped areas of the world can sober an economist better than any treatment I know. Faced with a concrete problem outside of the context we have been able to assume at home, we often feel frustrated and impotent. I have been in areas where I was sure U.S. men and U.S. culture could quickly build a highly productive and prosperous economy, yet felt discouraged and lost when I faced the job I was to do-help the few there who had this same vision start a movement toward its realization, beginning with their people and their culture as they stand today. I have been on many farms in these countries for which I could have set up realistic budgets of profitable businesses, programmed an efficient organization, or even taken over the operation personally and increased its productivity and earning power many fold. But then I looked at the man who actually had to do the job if it were to be done, and at the title he held to his land, the dealers with whom he had to do business, his sources of credit, his sources of technical knowledge, the roads and other public services, and the slim chance he had to influence by vote or otherwise the rules of the game under which he operates and lives. I could only conclude that some kind of revolution was needed. The next thing I knew my chauffeur was speaking hopefully of the next revolution and the possibility that he might get a soft job next time, instead of having to drive cars for a living (he could have added, "to transport foreigners"). I knew then that the term "revolution" does not denote a very specific or useful concept. But what concepts do we have by which we can denote the kinds of changes that in the real world constitute the process of economic development? Can we find any of these concepts within the territory we claim
Dancing in the dark? The status of late-onset Alzheimer's disease genetics.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a genetically complex and heterogeneous disorder. Recent estimates suggest that possibly over 70% of the genetic variance for the disease remains unaccounted for by apolipoprotein E (APOE) and the three known early-onset AD genes (APP, PSEN1, PSEN2). Specifically, one recent segregation analysis predicted the existence of up to four additional susceptibility genes having a similar or greater effect than APOE. However, most of the nearly three dozen putative AD loci proposed to date have only been inconsistently replicated in follow up analyses and more studies are necessary to distinguish false-positive findings from genuine signals. Novel AD genes will not only provide valuable clues for the development of novel therapeutic approaches, but will also allow the development of new genetic risk-rofiling strategies that are an essential prerequisite for early prediction/prevention of this devastating disease. In this review, we will present a brief overview of analytic tools in complex disease genetics, as well as a summary of recent linkage and association findings indicating the existence of novel late-onset AD genes on chromosomes 12, 10, and 9.
Chemical Dynamics Simulations of Benzene Dimer Dissociation

Classical chemical dynamics simulations were performed to study the intramolecular and unimolecular dissociation dynamics of the benzene dimer, Bz2 → 2 Bz. The dissociation of microcanonical ensembles of Bz2 vibrational states, at energies E corresponding to temperatures T of 700–1500 K, were simulated. For the large Bz2 energies and large number of Bz2 vibrational degrees of freedom, s, the classical microcanonical (RRKM) and canonical (TST) rate constant expressions become identical. The dissociation rate constant for each T is determined from the initial rate dN(t)/dt of Bz2 dissociation, and the k(T) are well-represented by the Arrhenius eq k(T) = A exp(−Ea/RT). The Ea of 2.02 kcal/mol agrees well with the Bz2 dissociation energy of 2.32 kcal/mol, and the A-factor of 2.43 × 1012 s–1 is of the expected order-of-magnitude. The form of N(t) is nonexponential, resulting from weak coupling between the Bz2 intramolecular and intermolecular modes. With this weak coupling, large Bz2 vibrational excitation, an...
Size polymorphisms of the androgen receptor among female hispanics and correlation with androgenic characteristics

OBJECTIVE To determine whether trinucleotide repeat polymorphisms of the androgen receptor gene correlate with androgenic measures in female Hispanics. METHODS We studied 110 human volunteers from an endocrine and infertility clinic. Measures of androgenism including Ferriman Gallwey scores, waist-hip ratios, and body mass index (BMI) were correlated with the number of trinucleotide repeats of base sequence cytosine, adenine, and guanine in the androgen receptor gene. Serum testosterone was measured. Genomic DNA was obtained from leukocytes; amplification of the repeat region of the androgen receptor gene was performed and the products sized on an acrylamide gel. RESULTS Trinucleotide repeats within our population ranged from 12-27, with a normal distribution. The number of repeats did not correlate with Ferriman Gallwey score or BMI, but correlated positively with waist-hip ratios (n = 54; r = 0.39, P = .028). Normoandrogenic patients with idiopathic hirsutism showed an inverse relation between Ferriman Gallwey score and repeat size (n = 16; r = -0.60, P = .014). CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that androgenism may be mildly influenced by the molecular characteristics of the androgen receptor.
A sociology of impairment

Impairment has a ubiquitous and troublesome position within disability studies. The absence of an effective theoretical understanding of impairment has been a major problem for the field. One way o...
Neuropsychological functioning and health-related quality of life in pediatric liver disease: the sum of our perspectives is greater than each alone.

Purpose of reviewThe review will discuss current data on neuropsychological and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes in children with liver disease. Research has trickled in over the past 30 years, mostly in small, single-center studies with observational or retrospective design. As medic
Diverse fates of uracilated HIV-1 DNA during infection of myeloid lineage cells

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infects and kills immune cells known as CD4+ T cells, leading to the disease AIDS. Current drug treatments enable HIV-1 infected patients to live relatively long and healthy lives. However, no cure for HIV-1 exists because the virus lives indefinitely in a resting state within the genetic material – or genome – of the infected cell, where it is not susceptible to drug treatments. Most HIV-1 research focuses on T cells, but another type of immune cell – the macrophage – may also harbor resting HIV-1 in its genome. Compared to other cells, macrophages are unusual because they produce large amounts of a molecule called deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP). Most cells, including T cells, keep dUTP levels very low because it closely resembles molecules that are used to make DNA and so it can be accidentally incorporated into the cell’s DNA. When this happens, the cell removes the dUTP from the DNA using enzymes in a process called uracil base excision repair (UBER). To hide inside the cell’s genome, HIV-1 needs to produce a DNA copy of its own genome, but it was not known what happens when HIV-1 tries to do this within a macrophage that contains high levels of dUTP and UBER enzymes. Here, Hansen et al. reveal that about 90% of macrophages have exceptionally high levels of dUTP and are poorly infected by HIV-1. The high levels of dUTP result in the virus incorporating dUTP into its DNA, which is then attacked and fragmented by UBER enzymes. However, about one in a hundred viral DNA molecules do manage to successfully integrate into the genome of the macrophage. This viral DNA later gives rise to new virus particles through an error-prone process that, by introducing new mutations into the virus genome, may help HIV-1 to evolve and persist. Further experiments examined cells that give rise to macrophages from infected patients who had been on anti-HIV drug therapy for several years. Hansen et al. found that there was lots of dUTP in the DNA sequences of HIV-1 viruses found in these “precursor” cells. These precursor cells only live for several days before being eliminated, so the presence of viruses containing dUTP suggests these cells were infected recently. A future challenge will be to identify new anti-HIV drugs that specifically target macrophages and to understand the role of error-prone production of new viral genomes.
An Analysis of Unified SU-MIMO Channel Model for mmWave Communications

In this study, we propose a unified framework to analyze single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) for various antenna configurations. The proposed framework is generic enough to capture the polarization issues and consider different phased antenna array (PAA) settings under realistic 3-D deployment scenarios. In particular, we discuss the impact of PAA geometry on the baseband channel characteristics, e.g., power delay profile and channel response, and evaluate the empirical distribution of the orthogonality of the columns of the MIMO channel matrix under the IEEE 802.11ay channel model. We show the impact of the link distance and the orientation of the PAAs on the channel capacity and discuss the factors that affect the MIMO performance, e.g., polarization. Finally, we consider practical radios and compare the open- loop and the closed-loop SU-MIMO schemes with link-level simulations using the proposed channel model.
Why Do Curly Tail Lizards (Genus Leiocephalus) Curl Their Tails? An Assessment of Displays Toward Conspecifics and Predators

Animal display behaviors are used to convey specific messages to other animals, including potential mates, rivals, and predators. However, because these different types of interactions can be mediated by a single behavioral display, or conversely, multiple signals can be used to convey one specific message, interpretation of any particular behavioral display can be difficult. Leiocephalus lizards (i.e., curly tails) provide an excellent opportunity to study the use of display behaviors across multiple contexts. Previous research has demonstrated that the use of tail curling in these lizards is associated with predation risk, but less is known regarding the use of this behavior in social interactions with conspecifics. The goal of this study was to determine the extent to which tail curling display behavior is used to mediate both social and predatory interactions in two species, Leiocephalus barahonensis and L. carinatus. We found that in lizards of both species, tail curling was used in interactions with both conspecifics and potential (human) predators. However, tail curl intensity did not differ between lizards involved in social encounters and solitary lizards, although L. barahonensis lizards performed more headbobs during social than non-social observations. Further, L. carinatus lizards exhibited greater intensity of tail curling upon fleeing from a human predator than during observations in which individuals interacted with conspecifics, and lizards that exhibited tighter tail curls fled from predators for a longer distance. Finally, tail curl intensity was not correlated with headbob displays in either species, suggesting that these two components of display communicate different information. Our results suggest that tail curling displays, while consistently a component of interactions with potential predators, are not a necessary component of social interactions. These data contribute to a more complete understanding of how and why visual signals evolve for use in communication across multiple contexts.
Preinjury Patient Characteristics and Postinjury Neurological Status Are Associated With Mortality Following Spinal Cord Injury.

Study Design.Retrospective cohort study.Objectives.This study investigates the association between spinal cord injuries (SCI) and post-injury mortality.Summary of Background Data.SCIs) are severe conditions treated in the acute trauma setting. Owing to neurological deficits, unstable spinal columns,
Model of anti-Stokes cooling in a Yb-doped fiber

We use a comprehensive model of cooling by anti-Stokes fluorescence in a single-mode fiber that includes the effects of fiber loss, concentration quenching, mode profiles, and amplified spontaneous emission to analyze the trends of cooling in single-mode Yb-doped ZBLANP fibers. Simulations demonstrate that heat extraction varies significantly along the fiber. There is an optimum pump power (58 mW at 1015 nm for the modeled fiber) for which the maximum heat extracted per unit length is at the start of the fiber. Launching more power moves the coolest point further down the fiber. At substantially higher powers, ASE has a significant heating effect, and coupled with the heating due to absorptive loss, the entire fiber warms up. For a given fiber length, the total extracted heat is maximized for a different pump power (430 mW for a 20-m length). The temperature change is then negative along the entire fiber, and the total extracted heat is 7.12 mW (1.65% cooling efficiency). When the fiber absorptive loss is negligible, this value increases to 30.5 mW for a 2-W pump, giving a 3.48% cooling efficiency, only slightly below the quantum limit (3.7%). The optimum dopant concentration has a similar trade-off: the total extracted heat is maximized for a Yb concentration of 2 wt.%, and the cooling efficiency for 0.5 wt.%. A model of ASF cooling in fiber lasers is also described and exploited to investigate how to select the fiber laser parameters to extract the most power output from a radiation-balanced fiber laser. It shows that increasing the cavity length increases cooling at the expense of laser efficiency, and that a low output coupler reflectivity enhances ASF cooling. Simulations predict that a large-mode-area fiber laser should produce 12.7 W of output power at 63% efficiency, a performance limited by the fiber’s absorptive loss, the core diameter (30 μm), and concentration quenching.
Armed and academic: Perceptions of college students on concealed carry on campus policies

Following the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech, policymakers have sought ways to improve safety on college and university campuses nationwide. Among the more recent proposals is to permit concealed h...
Evaluation of Affective Domain Elements in a New Pharmacy Practice Course

Abstract Introduction In 2016, new Accreditation Standards were implemented that required integration of affective domain elements (ADEs) into the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum and admissions interview process. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between admissions variables and performance in a new course, and to analyze the relationship between student self-assessment and faculty evaluation of their development and performance in ADEs. Methods Pre-pharmacy admission variables were evaluated for correlations with student performance in ADEs. Student self-assessments and faculty evaluations of performance in ADEs were also analyzed. Results Statistically significant positive correlations were found between student age and completion of at least a bachelor's degree with student self-assessment in communication and leadership. When evaluating faculty assessment, significant positive correlations were found for female performance in the areas of leadership and team readiness. There was a positive association between the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) quantitative score and performance in professionalism; while negative associations were seen between the PCAT comprehensive score and student self-assessment in self-awareness and professionalism, and between the PCAT quantitative score and student self-assessment in self-awareness (p Discussion and conclusion This study suggests careful analysis of admissions variables in relation to ADEs may offer PharmD programs insight into how they design educational activities related to the affective domain. Additionally, evaluating multiple observations by both students and faculty members may identify patterns of growth and development in ADEs.
Reactive, Metabolic, and Developmental Conditions

This chapter covers several nonneoplastic, noninflammatory entities that are reactive, metabolic, or developmental in nature. Osteoarthritis almost exclusively affects weight-bearing joints and remains mostly idiopathic in nature, although frequently it also is a consequence of other conditions involving the joints and synovium. The metabolic and developmental conditions typically involve the skeleton systemically, although they may present as focal lesions (i.e., Paget disease and phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor).
Living Standards: Luxury Consumption

Even today’s poor American has easy access to amenities (personal transportation, personal entertainment, temperature control, plumbing, health and beauty aids, synthetic fabrics, and so forth.) outside the reach of the wealthiest individuals of past centuries.1 After studying sixteenth-seventeenth-century-C.E. family-budget data, the economic historian Cipolla (1976, p. 38) concludes that “even when it had overtones of extravagance” the consumption of the rich “never showed much variety. The … state of the arts did not offer the consumer the great variety of products and services which characterize industrial societies.” But early modern consumption outlets were certainly more varied than those available for the surplus wealth of the genuinely affluent citizen of ancient society. The rich Egyptian or Babylonian or Roman or Israelite finding that climate reduced his basic needs for clothing and shelter, and being necessarily “poor” in terms of modern amenities, chose his bundle of luxuries accordingly. He enjoyed his many children and participated in great feasts; he built winter and summer homes; he made lavish provisions for his afterlife and gave lavish public donations; he maintained a large personal retinue; he enjoyed song, art, and drama; he concerned himself with wisdom, with questions of human character and duty; and he sought to improve the position of those less fortunate than himself.
The Competing Values Framework Growth Strategies and the Stock Market

How do we make sense of all the growth strategies we see in practice? How do we know what is right for our organization? This chapter provides a framework to sort through the seemingly endless variety of growth strategies practice. It explores four distinct categories or quadrants of growth, based on the Competing Values Framework (CVF). Within each of these four categories, there are strong similarities in growth strategies. The growth strategies in the different quadrants represent competing forms of value creation. They pull the organization in different directions. This generates tensions. Finally, because many organizations employ growth strategies that span different quadrants, there are inevitable tensions that must be resolved. This chapter provides insights into how to resolve these tensions.
Highlights of the history of calcium regulation of striated muscle.

First of all, I should like to express my gratitude for the invitation, making it possible for me to participate in the celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the discovery of troponin by Professor Ebashi and his colleagues. This discovery opened up new vistas of the regulation of striated muscle contraction and the role of ionized calcium in it.
Production of Experimental Chimeras in Livestock by Blastocyst Injection

Mammalian embryos have the interesting property that allows them to be combined to form a normal individual containing cells of 2 distinct geno-types. Although this mixing of embryonic cells or chimerism occurs naturally (see Ref. 3 for review), whole body chimerism is relatively rare. Nicholas and Hall (13) attempted to produce chimeras in the laboratory by aggregating one-cell rat embryos, however, no conclusive evidence could be offered in terms of chimerism. Tarkowski (16) was the first to develop a procedure by which chimeras could be readily produced. Immediately following, Mintz (10,11) published a similar method but with modifications that resulted in a simpler procedure. Briefly, the zonae pellucidae were removed either mechanically or enzymatically from early cleavage-stage embryos, the 8-cell stage being the most common. Two embryos of different strains were then placed in contact with each other and allowed to aggregate into a single embryo. The chimeric embryos were allowed to develop to the blastocyst stage and then transferred to suitable recipients. The ability to readily produce large numbers of whole body chimeras proved to be a valuable tool in the study of embryology and developmental genetics (see Ref. 9 for review).
Cardiovascular Effects of Exercise in Primate Atherosclerosis

It still is uncertain whether physical activity can favorably influence the natural history of coronary atherosclerotic heart disease in man (1). Although most of the more recent studies appear to support the hypothesis that regular aerobic exercise may protect from premature cardiovascular disease (1–3), the actual manner in which it might do so is unclear. All present evidence for such a protective effect of exercise is circumstantial (1); direct proof, apart from the influence on confounding variables, is unlikely to be produced in further human studies (2, 4). One of the chief reasons for this difficulty is that the precise effect of exercise on the basic underlying disorder, atherosclerosis, cannot be adequately studied in man.